(Book 5) Hayden Mackay and The Pride of Haima-Endira

25.1 The Tenth Day

Nazira rummaged through the magic food basket. She smacked her lips, face lit up like those children waiting to run after an ice cream van. Then there was a wide grin when she pulled out something that she had been surviving on for the past few weeks.

"Ooo, yum," she murmured, looking down at the bunch of grapes.

"You are going to bleed grape juice one day," I gibed.

Today, the plan was to kick back and relax. However, the disturbances from outside wouldn't let me to. A group of baby rabbits passed across the threshold, purring and making squealing sounds. Far upon the trees, beyond the recuperating waterfall, showy peacocks gathered and screeched noisily. I felt a slight twinge of annoyance. The realm of Vrishabha was all majestic and seemed imposing at the beginning, but these never-dying sounds of the friendly furry animals were starting to drive me up the wall.

Nazira shrugged at my comment. "I love grapes so much that I can marry it."

My heart made a dramatic leap. "You can't! I mean...er..." I was out of my mind for a second. Glad the second was over and I was back. "It's very unlikely and preposterous."

"No, it's 'posterous'." She grimaced. "You are so like Shourya, not even letting me live in my imaginations."

"Well, you see, there's a common knowledge widely spread across the world that the minimum requirement to get married is the involvement of two people."

"I wish this grape is a young handsome knight in shining armor. I can just..." she popped one swiftly into her mouth and chewed it in an abnormally slow rate, her chin moving up and down, round and round as if chewing bubble gum. Yeah, just the bubble gum.

A mocking smile spread across her lips and eyes twinkling mischievously. I bent my head, rubbing my nape and hiding my embarrassment. Never had known that watching someone eat could be so awkward, especially when that person is someone you like the most. "I don't know why they say it, but you ain't no innocent."

She giggled. "You were the one who told me to be more outspoken."

"I take my words back. Let's get back to be in-spoken."

Her giggles turned into a formal chuckle. She shook her head and said, "Funny, how far I've come. Never been this way before. I think I've started to feel more comfortable talking with you."

I looked up and stared.

"And with Pruthvi and Leena," she quickly added. "I miss them."

"That's not all of us," I said, lowering my tone, "You gotta meet Tyrell and Celina too. You'll love hangin' out with them. They are like...life and soul of the group."

"I don't know about Tyrell but, now that you've brought this up- I think I'm desperate to meet Celina," she said, her eyes brightening, "Leena used to talk about her every day. And after what you've told me this morning, it's making me more desperate. I feel as if I know her already. And the Moonstone that she owns...there's something about it that really intrigues me. Does that make any sense?"

"Sorta. You sound really curious. As if you are long-lost pals wanting to get back together. You never actually saw her, have you?"

"No. Never," she replied, keeping her face straight. "Never met Celina. And don't I wish?"

Ashwant stopped in his tracks midway. His sudden gasp with a hint of horror made me jerk as well. The rustling whispers of the trees on the hills and the birds quietly crooning, sounding like a cry of a cat, brought me completely back to the present. Ashwant was gazing down with a deadly serious expression. He dropped his bag, bent down and picked up an object hidden in the powdery snow. He dusted the snowflakes off. Soon we realized that it was a hexagonal shaped box. Its silver lid shimmered under the murky purple shade of the surrounds. It was the  Samavek- the magical object used for storing our stones.