
After days spent in the shelter of Zephyr's house, the time to face Raajimera's oppressors finally began to peek from behind the corner of her fate.
The air was fresh with a kick of morning breeze. This was undoubtedly the chilliest day in recent times. In this part of the country, it was strange to feel this cold.
Raajimera woke up from her slumber. She subsequently turned around and rubbed her eye. Zephyr got up before her, but he didn't notice that she's no longer asleep. He was standing with his back towards her, changing his clothes. This was the first time she was able to see him without a shirt. Large scars were spread across his back like creeping vines growing on an old wall of an abandoned building.
She thought, “This could be a reminiscence of his time in the Empire.” Raajimera felt bad that she had to stare at his scars. They served as a grim reminder of his troubled past.
The woman turned around and tried to fall back asleep. However, her erratic movement alerted her companion.
“Good morning. I found an extra coat you could wear.” He put the piece of clothing on her bed and said, “It's chilly today.”
“Good morning,” she muttered. “A feeling came over me today.”
“Tell me about it.” Zephyr sat in the corner of the bed with his fingers intertwined.
“Do you think it would be a good idea to go to Duskvale today? After breakfast,” she inquired unsurely.
“Hell, if I'm aware of that. Do you think that it is? You are supposed to be the one to tell me that. People who betrayed you are not easy to face, you know. Given that, I will bring you there whenever you ask me. Just think thoroughly,” the man answered with concern in his voice.
She said, “I don't think I'll ever be fully prepared. It stresses me out more the longer I wait.”
“I understand,” he smiled at her warmly.
“I just don't know what to do when I finally see them. What do I say? What do I do?” Raajimera got up from the bed and took the coat that Zephyr gave her.
“We can just go there and observe them from a distance for now. I used to do that all the time.”
“Alright. I'd like to give that a shot. Wait for me to change my outfit.” Raajimera gestured at him.
Zephyr stood up and walked toward his kitchen corner. While waiting for his companion to be ready, he began preparing the breakfast. The man carefully placed several slices of sangak flatbread on an adorned plate and meticulously arranged thin slices of white cheese on top of them.
They feasted when the woman re-emerged. Thinking about leaving her safe space turned her stomach, even though she enjoyed the meal. Zephyr stood up from behind his short table and put the plate away once it was empty. Raajimera felt as if she were going for her own execution, but she knew that it would make no sense to prolong it.
They subsequently left the building. The man vanished behind the hut for a short while and returned with his mount. It was a camel with an awkward appearance. Zephyr placed a blanket over the animal's back and helped Raajimera sit down on it. She had never ridden a beast of this kind before. Or so she thought. Facts can be elusive if you don't remember them.
Zephyr gently sat beside her and grabbed the reins.
“Do not fret, I will hold you,” he said, as he urged the camel to depart.
The journey was short. Howling Pass appeared to be right behind the corner, and it seemed silly to her that the villagers of Duskvale never found this place. Every so often, it appears that things are easy to overlook. As they approached the village, the settlement appeared increasingly out of place.
“What happened here?” she pondered.
They got off the camel and noticed that the magical barrier had disappeared. Raajimera kicked some dirt mixed with sand and saw broken glass flowers on the ground.
Zephyr approached the settlement carefully. He didn't want to be noticed by anyone, but the village seemed to be empty.
Raajimera expressed confusion as she searched through abandoned buildings.
Zephyr was suddenly faced with a realization. He said, “I think I know what happened.”
The woman turned around and looked at him with caution. “What are you trying to say?” she inquired.
“I think the Empire took them as prisoners after you left.”
Raajimera frowned. “Huh? What would they take them for?”
“It is most likely they were taken for the Emperor's wedding, and that's not good. They wouldn't quite be guests in there.” Zephyr's voice was cold. It showed that he didn't have sympathy for his former tribe.
“If they aren't guests, then what?” The woman stared at him, uncertain if she understood what he meant.
“Knowing the Emperor? Blood sacrifice. You see, the Empire doesn't revere the Ring of the Diurnal Cycle. They praise the King of the Underworld and make sacrifices from living beings in exchange for the good fortune of their people. You can see why they would do it for the Emperor's wedding day.”
Raajimera was feeling overwhelmed, and her blood was chilled. She kept trying to find someone in the village. Suddenly, she felt something beneath her foot. The woman kneeled to take a closer look at it. She quickly recognized the mysterious object after grabbing it. It was a small plush animal.
Zephyr caught her staring at the toy silently. He kneeled alongside her.
“What is that?” he asked.
“I recognize this item. It used to belong to Adel, a young boy who kept getting lost…” sudden realization crushed her heart into pieces like a boulder sliding off a hill. “I would silently protect him from distance so many times. He was a person of great fear, unable to avoid trouble, yet he would never engage in any actions that could cause harm to others. It hurts me to think that he's gone, that was such a good child.”
“We may still have time, the wedding is in several days.” Zephyr took the toy from her to look at it. “Possibly, we could save them before they are done for.”
“We cannot simply rescue these people.” Raajimera responded.
The man looked at her and raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean?”
“Ever since you told me your story, I knew that the Emperor is a terrifying person, but until I saw this village, I didn't have any idea how much.” The woman placed her hand upon his. “Zephyr, as the Emperor lives, none of us will be safe. Not you, me, this or any other village. We are going to live in fear for as long as that man breathes.”
The man asked, rubbing his chin, “What's your plan?”
“I know I was sent here for a reason. All this time, I thought saving Duskvale was my task, but now I think I was meant to save all of us. The magic Raa gave me, maybe if I utilize it correctly, we could get rid of the Emperor, once and for all.” Raajimera's eyes sparkled like precious gems.
“Let me get this straight.” Zephyr connected his hands together. “You want to enter the capital city, save the people of Duskvale, assassinate the Emperor and make everyone live happily forever after?”
The woman looked at him and said, “I don't care what happens to the people of Duskvale, I just don't want the children to die before their lives even begin. They did nothing wrong. I was thinking that maybe with your help we could sneak into the city, take the Emperor down and claim the whole Empire for Raa. It may sound selfish, but perhaps if I gave her enough followers, she would be willing to cancel our trade and I could be normal once again. This magic… it's a burden. Then I could stay by your side and live a quiet life in the shadows.”
The man narrowed his eyes slightly. “So you want me to help you to get rid of the biggest threat known to us so that you can live a normal life… by my side? I am humbled, but… why? And why would you give up such a gift from a literal god? Many would do anything to get it.”
“Power like this makes people forget that you're still human. You have never done so. You are the only one who truly made me feel like I belong.” Raajimera looked downcast.
“I… I understand.” Zephyr tried to smile in an effort to cheer her up, but it turned out how it usually does. “The Emperor must be disposed of, you're absolutely right. If you believe that your powers are sufficient to take him down, I am happy to help you. We should leave soon if you want to do that, however. It's a long trip to the capital city, and with every second passing, the chance of finding the villagers alive gets smaller.”
Raajimera nodded.
The spy and the demigoddess returned to the camel and got on its back. They had to grab some supplies first, but now at least their objective was clear.
Raajimera began having second thoughts when they started their journey. It was unclear to her whether Raa's magic was enough for the task or not. The woman began to think too much, which caused her great anxiety. However, one look at the strange man with golden eyes was enough to bring her on the right track once more. She was aware that she had to undertake the task. For every child escaping from a dungeon during the night and growing up in hiding. Not knowing life without danger or fear. For every little Zephyr.