₦airaland Forum

I had a very hectic last week. I could barely come online.

Expect updates to continue this week, though, I'm currently tired from the troubles of traveling by road.

jagugu88li:
Can I come in?

Why not?

Make una try comment small na. Your feedbacks help me know whether or not to make adjustments, what to emphasize on and all. Don't forget I'm just uploading as I write. It's not as if the work's been completed already.

Dey with me! I'll try to update before bedtime...

May the odds be in your favor

MADE OF MORE

Soft music filtered through the background. It was soothing. Soulish even. Every pitch and note blending into a frictionless perfection. It filled his eyes, his nose, just about everything. This was music as nature had designed, the pure unadulterated music. It didn't just come from him but from everyone else. A network of sound guiding their movements and decisions.

Dathan opened his eyes. He was standing in mid-air, like everyone else.

A young lady dressed in a flowing gown, iridescent enough to make one gape in wonder, approached him and stopped just above his head. A smile caressed her face as she poured the content of a test tube on him. As soon as the first drop touched his head, a warmth like he had never felt exploded in him and he began to feel transparent. He had a feel that he wasn't the only one that had noticed the sudden change. His thoughts and dids no longer had a hiding place. His heart began beating in an irregular pattern.
He hoped to the gods that the lady, whoever she was wasn't aware of what was happening. He looked up at her and she nodded slowly not losing her smile. She then began whistling a tune, different entirely from the harmony he had heard at first.

As if by programme, he began to drift to the right, uncontrollably. It was useless trying to turn away. Nothing of his worked with his will any longer. Everything flowed to the rhythm of the whistling.

As he drifted, he caught sight of people, different ages and sizes, drifting too in different directions. Babies, aged, skinny, obese, all were present.

What was this place?

He was channeled into entrance of a dark room. He slowly drifted in. All was still here. The silence, maddening. He could hear his heart tick and his blood trickle into vessels and capillaries. A long time passed during which everything he'd ever done began to flow into his memory as fast as a waterfall. He felt his heart squeeze at every recall of an evil action he'd done. Soon, the pain began to creep into every joints of his body bringing with them a burning sensation. The pain was unearthly. He felt his bones melt slowly. He wondered how he was still breathing when every ounce of pain felt like the last straw before his life force would fade. He tried to scream but found no outlet for his voice. There was no mouth, not anymore. Only flesh remained. And even that too began to fall apart.

Soon, all that remained was a pile of flesh. All consciousness ebbed out from his like the last bit of thread in a candle, the wax having burned out. Then it finished.

He didn't know how long it took. The only thing he recalled was the blast of a high pitched whistle. It stirred him up. Darkness was everywhere and everywhere was darkness. Still, he felt a presence.

A fresh whistling began, lilting as it blared. It came at him. His essences began to creep in from wherever they might have been. But this was different. It was as though they had been renewed somewhat. He felt an ethereal sense of pleasure, ease and satisfaction as his essence filled his fleshy form on the floor. As the last bit of his essence flowed in, every bit of flesh began to align. In a minute, his frame was set. Bones started solidifying. In minutes, his form had materialized.

For what seemed like the first time, he opened his eyes. Standing before him was Theodore Alphonux, the first Thorank king. It wasn't as if he'd seen him in all of his lively form before but a certain awareness kept bubbling up in him. It was an epiphany.

Theodore was as handsome as he'd been described in books. His eyes sparkled, the color of lapis lazuli. He had a smile plastered across his face. Every expression of his was the true definition of genuine. There was no pretense with him. He wasn't angry at him in any way. He wasn't angry he had desecrated the Thorank order, wasn't angry he had altered the line of kings, wasn't angry he had sparkled the first real transmottening. All of that was forgotten and for once in his existence he felt no shame.

Theodore opened his mouth and let out a breath. Dathan found his mouth responding, opening to let in the breath. That was the last he remembered. The visions hit him, exploding in his subconscious. It began with the decision to place the sons of Thorank roundabout the edges of the realm till the inevitable death of one he'd come to love.

*******

A/N: This was very quickly typed as I wanted to avoid keeping y'all waiting. I will come back to edit, putting italics and all in places. Enjoy your read!


MADE OF MORE

I'm sorry I wasn't able to bring an update today. You know, I woke up with a low battery and as we pay to charge phones here {no power supply}, I had to wait till this night to get my phone.

Another update is ready howbeit untyped. I had resorted to hand writing I'll try to type it this night or tomorrow morning. I think the later's more sure as I'm almost dozing...


MADE OF MORE

I've delivered on my promise. Another update beckons on Thursday.

Please and please, do point out my errors when you see them so I could do the needful. I'll have the last update critted and then edit it.

Expect more...

We are so near the end and all you see is not all there is.


Made of more!

Fireballs sprang from the edge of the staff and headed for George. He quickly parried it away with a flick of his hand.

“Your agility is all good but you want to improve on your aim. We wouldn't want one of our own ending up as a reminder of your inadequacies”

It tasted good to finally get back at Dathan. All day, he had been finding it difficult to get his target right as George conjured magical winged creatures from the tip of his fingers.

Beeds of sweat kept rolling down Dathan’s face and George for once that afternoon thought it might be wise to quit. They'd been on this for three days and while Dathan wasn't quite sharp with his aim, he certainly had the speed that could come in handy.

“I think this would be the right place for us to call it quit today.”

Dathan slumped to the floor. He fell on his back his eyes gazing into the sky where a flock of birds were flapping their wings in tandem no doubt hurrying back to their variety nests. Night was fast approaching.

George joined him, finding a suitable spot on the ground where a patch of grass would save his body from being smeared with sand. Their heads collided and George let out a long laugh. Stimulated by the euphoria, Dathan joined in. They had a long laugh during which a drop of tear rolled down George's eyes. A brief spell of silence followed.

“I just wished that day wouldn't come. “ George closed his eyes allowing Dathan’s words to soak in. It was almost as if he could smell the fear beyond the stench of his sweaty body. If he was honest himself, he had his fears too. Fear that they would be unprepared when the Solstice came. Fear that their magic wouldn't be able to stand against the mennance that would troop in from the skies. Fear that he won't be able to protect those he loved. Fear that Dathan might be missing when they needed him the most.

“Yeah, me too. The only thing I know is that we have to try Dathan. We have to. So much depends on it.“

“What if this prophecy about the Solstice is wrong? I mean is there any way to verify the authenticity of it?”

George didn't answer immediately. He had never come up with the thought to question the prophecy especially as Mr. Logan had believed it.

“I think it's best we don’t question it. Wouldn't it be better to be prepared and it doesn't happen than for us to neglect the warnings and face the consequences from that decision? “

Dathan was quiet. George took that as an agreements that his answer had been accepted. He felt for Dathan. He admired him even. He had accepted to fight with them. The easier option would have been to cower and disentangle himself from the mess that their current situation was. He was brave. However naughty he might have been in the past, he looked ready for a change. To do something honorable. Cordelia had even confessed that he had been sighted helping Harry learn to make bows.

His mind drifted to rest on the thought about Nora. She had been acting dodgy of late and was always making excuses for missing crucial meetings. Some things was definitely going on with her but she was unwilling to share.

George hoped to have everyone in good spirit when the time came. And it wasn't like they had the luxury of time. Nine days was all that remained. In nine days, they were going to square up to the heavenly monsters, his biggest test yet. The very thought made his body quake. They had to put more effort.

“Have you been able to speak with Nora?“ George inquired. Nora had fouled every attempt so far at reconciliation. She still couldn't bring herself to come to terms with having Dathan as a friend and an ally.

He waited for Dathan to answer but he didn't. He knew the thought still made Dathan feel miserable and he almost regretted asking.

“I'm sorry, I just wanted to discover what - “

He caught sight of the shimmering as he sat up. The staff laid on the ground while its radiance suspended Dathan’s body in the air, his eyes blank and black. A soft melancholic humming proceeding from him.

I've actually had an American professional help with the edit of the last update. It's better now.

Expect another update tomorrow

MADE OF MORE

The rest of the morning was quiet. George, helped by Dathan, perused through book after book to search for any mention of the Blood Solstice. Sadly, there was no evidence that it had been documented.

Mid-afternoon, George's slumber was interrupted. Dathan had woken him, slapping his head against the pile of books. The dude hadn't lost his naughtiness.

“See what this says.”

George allowed his dizziness to slowly wash out of him. His vision adjusted from the blurred images that he saw to pick out the words.

The Maantri told of visions of the Star Wasters and the heavenly invasion.

“I saw the cloud open and the earth darken and they that shouldn't be swarmed down on the earth. Their breath laid structures to waste, the flap of their wings stirred hurricanes, and their cries rendered creatures silent. It was such as has and should never be witnessed.“

“Alright. This has done nothing but heighten my worries. How does this help us?“

Dathan smirked. He no doubt knew something George didn't.

“I wonder how you are going to save the world if you can't read between the the lines.“ He pointed to the book. “Read again.”

George scowled at Dathan before burying his head again. He carefully scanned the words for hidden meanings. He couldn't find anything new.

“Gawd. Are you that blind?“

“I'd prefer if you just told me point-blank instead of just nagging.“

Dathan obviously enjoyed seeing George lose his cool and showed it with a smug expression plastered on his face. He allowed some seconds before speaking. George had to recount the numerals. One to ten. It was all that kept him from punching Dathan.

“We might not know how to defeat the enemies. We might still not even stand a chance with this revelation.” He smiled, spotting the anxiety on George’s face. “But we now have something to work on. We know our opponents are winged.”

George allowed his back to sink low into the chair that was all too ready to collect his weight. This indeed was something. A hint. If only it was true.

“What makes you feel we can rely on this information? What's even to say that this--whatever it is--refers to the Solstice?“

“I would doubt too if I didn't know much about the Maantri visions. I have studied them. The magi with the visions are always accurate. There hasn't been a negative review of them in all seventy-two chronicles of Poking Prophecies. “

George gave Dathan’s words some deep consideration. He still had his doubts. This was something that hadn't been documented otherwise. They hadn't given it a name. Why hadn't the prophecy been dubbed the Prophecy of the Blood Solstice ? Why did they have to do so much digging to fetch out this tiny bit of information? Even Mr. Logan, with all his knowledge about history had not been able to say anything of worth about the dreaded event. Could a prophecy be attributed with such confidence?

Well, they needed something to hinge their preparation on and if this was all they could get, then they'd gladly take it.

“Well then, let's get to training. I'm quite exhausted as far as reading goes, but I can do with some training. You with the staff and I with my magic.“

Dathan smiled childishly.

“Challenge accepted.”

Another update is ready. My followers on my other story are already complaining about my being absent for days now. I think I'll have to balance the updates so none of the works suffers.

Hence, I'll be updating Call of the Wind Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'll update the other one on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I'll sandwich between the two on Saturdays as I deem fit.


Keep reading...

WE ARE MADE OF MORE...


Together, we'll get this book finished.

Wow. It's five days already? I need to do another update tonight.

Please bear with me.

“Pass me the knife!“
Cordelia sashayed to the plate rack, swinging her bottom to the rhythm she was whistling. Finding it, she briskly handed it to Mrs. Ivy before she began another round of spinning fireballs from her fingertips.

Mrs. Ivy chopped the onions smiling all the time. This was going to be their first real breakfast together since Dathan started recuperating. Cordelia couldn't help imagining how it was going to be when they finally began to prepare for that great day. She had seemed to be the least concerned about the fate of the realm in the coming weeks but as a matter of fact, she had been giving it a lot of thought but allowing it the luxury of making her feel gloomy.

In the room, now shared with Dathan, George kept being clobbered with questions upon questions. Someone desperately wanted to catch up.
“So, this elixir,“ he took off on another bout of questions. “Does it really immortalizes the vitals?"

Ruffling his messy hair, he gestured, then hesitated. The words, perhaps, not wanting to give in to the mindless inquisitivity of the dude who looked like he'd be better off dead at this point.

“Well, that's what the books said. Surely you must have read them!"

George gave him a hard and questioning look which made his blithing ceased for a moment. Dathan shifted on the bed where he was sat. George wondered what his vile machination was conjuring again. The least thing they needed right now was another episode to deter them from focusing on the impending battle.

He shifted his gaze from Dathan to the pile of books on the dresser next to the bed. If there was one thing to be admired about Dathan was his quest for knowledge. It was in this area that George hoped they would pally.

“So, this area where the elixir is kept, I hope it is very well guarded. I mean, we wouldn't want something that rare to be declared missing one day. Would we? “
“F’course not! “George seethed. “It's in the pavilion of Pesultia, the most heavily guarded temple in all of the realm"

Dathan again shifted. George thought he noticed him getting tensed. When he spoke, there was a tinge of angst in his voice.
“How many guards are there?“
“From what I gathered, twenty by day and double of that at night.“
His pupils dilated as he gawped at George.
“Why so much?” He looked like he would turn purple any moment. George, though sensing all along what the mischief maker had in mind, was not expecting such reaction.

"What else would you expect? You yourself only few seconds ago was saying how that the place needed adequate guarding!"

Dathan stopped his probings then. Whatever he had in mind,George hoped it won't play out. He's had his feel of worry and wouldn't want to test his yield point.

" Dathan, please for the love of you, don't do anything stupid! "

He hadn't exactly made to reveal his worries but his words has conveyed them all the same. The way Dathan’s shoulders sludged revealed that his words had gotten the necessary consideration.

" I'm just worried George. " Worry clearly splattered across his face. George tried to find something soothing to say. Truth be told, they were pretty bleeped. They stood no chance at weathering the storm thats was riding to wards them. Hope was all they had, what they needed to hold onto, however little they had.
"As long as there's life, there's hope."

It had come out better than he expected and he rode on, the boldness peaking the more he spoke.

"We cannot allow our existence to be wiped out just like that. The fate of a people, of a generation rests on our shoulders. We'll not give up even before the battle begins." Moving closer to Dathan, he grabbed both his hands and locked Dathan’s gaze in his. "We'll fight till our limbs wear out and our legs tire out and even then we will continue. We'll win this Dathan. We will."

honourable356:
Are you back finally??

Yea, yea I knew it is not that easy but taking this long probably made many forget it.

Create a pattern and follow it.

Your story is spot on!!!

Yeah. That's what I plan to do.

Good morning guys.

Thanks Chiexcel and Dranoid(gbadu this your name).
I've done another update as you've probably seen now.


I'm currently working on another story alongside this one.
On request, I could start posting it here. I'm hoping you like what you read despite the short update and my inconsistencies.

Enjoy your day!

*MADE OF MORE*



Modified : I see you Charah

He began trying several reviving spells, as much a a could remember and he even tried formulating some new ones with the blend of others but he got nothing for all his efforts. He was exhausted after trying so hard and bent his head, resting it on Dathan’s cold body.

Cordelia came in some hours later to find George sleeping. She knew he’d be surely tired out by now. Waking him up, she led him out to his room. There, she had brought him a plate of steaming noodles which she made sure he ate. The host of activities had made her realize how important friends were, and family even more. He mumbled a ‘thank you Cord’ as she left him to change into his nights.

Having changed into his pajamas, George laid on his bed staring at the ceiling wishing things could be different. If wishes came true. He couldn't imagine escaping death at the hands of Manterror only to come and die through what no doubt would be a more cruel means. What's even worse was that they didn't know what to expect. There had been no record of that evil day. He tried to take his mind off the thought of dying but it seemed like his mind preferred that line of thought as it kept churning at him thousands of ways he could die. He was driven to sleep out of fear. Fear of the unknown.

He had hardly slept for long when he was pulled back into reality by the sound of a low pitched whistling, the like exclusive to the Thorank people

Nora who was now sitted on a stool had a droopy look petered on her face. She was fighting the urge to care it even surprised her that she could even feel anything for the one she had spent a better part of her year loathing and fantasizing the best way to kill. True be told, he had caused her severe pains, he had shown on some rare occasions that he was capable of goodness like when he reached out to rescue an old woman who was drowning in the Poisod river. She even allowed herself to feel sympathy for him. He may yet be redeemable. If George could have faith in Him then there may be no harm in she doing same, even if it were just a modicum bit. She stood herself up and walked to George’s side placing a hand on his shoulder. She knew how heavy they must feel and wished she could help him with it.

George’s nerves tensed the moment she touched him. He was nursing a disappointment and felt like he had been hopeful that he could yet save Dathan and in doing so had dragged her along. He had given hope when there was none. He felt like a failure and his shoulder dropped as if his reflexes felt the same way.

“You know it’s not your fault he hasn’t woken up. You’ve done the best you can.“

He wondered if she could read his thought. He could use some of those powers now if only they worked on someone unconscious. Nora squeezed his shoulder lightly and he turned to meet her gaze.

“There isn’t time Nora and we can’t give up now. We need Dathan for the battle of the Blood Solstice. Even with him we won’t the strong enough. We can’t afford to lose him especially as it’s now obvious the staff has chosen him. Without him… I fear we may have lost already. “
“No, we haven’t.”

They turn to see Cordelia on the doorway. Her eyes fixed steadily on George’s as though trying to use wielding some clairvoyant tendencies. She strode gracefully towards them and stopped just a foot from stepping on his toes.

“There’s yet hope seeing as the Solstice is a still more than a fortnight away. Together we’ll wedge the storm, handle the situation and safeguard the realm.“

“But how do we do that? We are outnumbered. We’ll stand no chance against the minions of Haram. Even the First Dwellers couldn’t match their forces with all the power they had as the custodians of pure magic! They were wiped from existence and we’re not even half what they were. What do we have that can stop them?”

She moved towards him and placed both hands on his shoulders, Nora backing off she equally been moved by Cordelia’s alien hope or rather her madness.

“We have the prophecy. That’s something the First didn’t have. They were taken by surprise but we can make preparations, get ourselves ready for the battle. No element of surprise.“
She saw the color rise in his face and knew her point had hit the target. She looked at Nora who had her head down staring at her feet. She wondered why the lady didn’t fancy her. She looked like she had something against her. She waved off the thought as some rubbish imagination, not worth taking seriously.

“Now, let’s go get something to eat. It’s past noon and I guess you must be as hungry as I am.“
She placed her hand around the small of his back trying to guide him out of the room but he shrugged.

“I’m not hungry. Go with Nora. I need to spend some time with Dathan ALONE.“

He had made emphasis on the last word as he saw Nora’s eye on the mention of her name trying to engage his, her way of trying to plead with him to let her stay but he had to be alone to concentrate.

Cordelia gave George a long stare and seeing that George was defiant, she turned her gaze to Nora.

“You heard him. Let’s get some food“

Nora reluctantly stood up and together, they went out the door and George followed behind to lock the door. Once they were out, George leaned on the door, his eyes shut and his mind troubled. Dathan’s predicament seemed incurable but he had to try. It was times like these that he wished his Guardian wouldn't be silent.

Nora, now sitted on a stool had a droopy look petered on her face. It wasn't surprising that she would fight the urge to care. She had spent a better part of her year loathing and fantasizing the best way to kill Dathan. True be told, he had caused her severe pains, but he had shown, on some rare occasions, that he was capable of goodness, like when he reached out to rescue an old woman who was drowning in the Poisod river. She even allowed herself to feel sympathy for him. He may yet be redeemable. If George could have faith in Him then there may be no harm in she doing same, even if it were just a modicum bit.

She stood herself up and walked to George’s side placing a hand on his shoulder. She knew how heavy they must feel and wished she could help him with it.
George’s nerves tensed the moment she touched him. He was nursing a disappointment and felt like he had been too hopeful that he could yet save Dathan and in doing so had dragged her along. He had given hope when there was none. He felt like a failure and his shoulder dropped as if his reflexes felt the same way.

“You know it’s not your fault he hasn’t woken up. You’ve done the best you can.“

George wondered if she could read his thought. He could use some of those powers now if only they worked on someone unconscious. Nora squeezed his shoulder lightly and he turned to meet her gaze.

“There isn’t time Nora. We need Dathan for the battle of the Blood Solstice. Even with him we won’t the strong enough. We can’t afford to lose him especially as it’s now obvious the staff has chosen him. Without him… I fear we may have lost already. "

“No, we haven't. "

They turn to see Cordelia on the doorway. Her eyes fixed steadily on George’s as though trying to use wielding some clairvoyant tendencies. She strode gracefully towards them and stopped just a foot from stepping on his toes.

“There’s yet hope seeing as the Solstice is a still more than a fortnight away. Together we’ll wedge the storm, handle the situation and safeguard the realm.“

“But how do we do that? We are outnumbered. We’ll stand no chance against the minions of Haram. Even the First Dwellers couldn’t match their forces with all the power they had as the custodians of pure magic! They were wiped from existence and we’re not even half what they were. What do we have that can stop them?”

She moved towards him and placed both hands on his shoulders, Nora backing off she equally been moved by Cordelia’s alien hope or rather her madness.

“We have the prophecy. That’s something the First didn’t have. They were taken by surprise but we can make preparations, get ourselves ready for the battle. No element of surprise."

She saw the color rise in his face and knew her point had hit the target. She looked at Nora who had her head down staring at her feet. She wondered why the lady didn’t fancy her. She looked like she had something against her. She waved off the thought as some rubbish imagination, not worth taking seriously.

“Now, let’s go get something to eat. It’s past noon and I guess you must be as hungry as I am."

She placed her hand around the small of his back trying to guide him out of the room but he shrugged.

“I’m the hungry. Go with Nora. I need to spend some time with Dathan ALONE."

He had made emphasis on the last word as he saw Nora’s eye on the mention of her name trying to engage his, her way of trying to plead with him to let her stay but he had to be alone to concentrate.
Cordelia gave George a long stare and seeing that George was defiant, she turned her gaze to Nora.

“You heard him. Let’s get some food“
Nora reluctantly stood up and together, they went out the door and George followed behind to lock the door. Once they were out, George leaned on the door, his eyes shut and his mind troubled. Dathan’s predicament seemed incurable but he had to try. It was times like these that he wished his Guardian wouldn't be silent.

He began trying several reviving spells, as much a a could remember and he even tried formulating some new ones with the blend of others but he got nothing for all his efforts. He was exhausted after trying so hard and bent his head, resting it on Dathan’s cold body.

Cordelia came in some hours later to find George sleeping. She knew he’d be surely tired out by now. Waking him up, she led him out to his room. There, she had brought him a plate of steaming noodles which she made sure he ate. The host of activities had made her realize how important friends were, and family even more. He mumbled a ‘thank you Cord’ as she left him to change into his nights.

Having changed into his pajamas, George laid on his bed staring at the ceiling wishing things could be different. If wishes came true. He couldn't imagine escaping death at the hands of Monterrey only to come and die through what no doubt would be a more cruel means. What's even worse was that they didn't know what to expect. There had been no record of that evil day. He tried to take his mind off the thought of dying but it seemed like his mind preferred that line of thought as it kept churning at him thousands of ways he could die. He was driven to sleep out of fear. Fear of the unknown.

He had hardly slept for long when he was pulled back into reality by the sound of a low pitched whistling, the like exclusive to the Thorank people

As they approached the house, they heard mumurings and voices which were shadowed in obscurity. George though could occasionally make out Mr. Logan's voice, his sharp baritone coming in very useful at this time. George heard him sa "Hold him down!"

"I think that maybe Dathan! "

He didn’t wait to hear her reponse before doubling up and running in into the house and running into the room where the sound was coming from. He crouched near the bed where Dathan laid as white as the morning clouds with some whitish stuff coming from his mouth.


“Hand me the staff please!” He said pointing to Nora more out of command than a plea. She handed it to him without any hesitation, no doubt moved on seeing the sorry sight that was the body of the one she had come to loathe so much. As she looked at his dying body, all epitome of hate seemed to have taken leave of her and all she wanted now was for him to be saved.
George took the staff and raised it high chanting a spell.


“Nostrus vivis levante opius”. He closed his eyes after spelling and in about five seconds, they opened again only that this time they were different. The black pupils had disappeared leaving behind the scary white which shone like a well-polished stone. A prolonged hiss followed by soft whistling was heard and the staff suddenly left his hand and stood in the air unaided as though the force of gravity was suddenly ineffective. It advanced towards the head of the bed and stood hovering above Dathan’s head. Things were still for close to five minutes and Nora began to shift where she stood.


“This is just as I thought. We are wasting our time. Dathan is beyond sav-“


Just then, a visible stream of bluish essence poured out from the staff in steam-like wavy motion and made way towards Dathan whose mouth opened as though heeding to some higher instructions. This continued for a while and soon, the same bluish essence was seen engulfing him and his body began to shake as it was lifted into the air slowly.

Nora had a mixed feeling of fear and awe at the same time and she turned to George to see if he could give her some consolations but his eyes still reported the ghost mode he was. She immediately felt her muscles tense as fresh waves of fear hit her. She turned to look at Mr. Logan who looked surprisingly unfazed. He only had this anxious visage no doubt wanting to see the end of the ordeal. He seemed to have great faith in George’s ability.


The staff shifted from the vertical position that it had been to a horizontal position and began falling slowly towards Dathan’s hanging body. At about two metres to where his body floated, it began to fall with force and just when it was going to hit him, which no doubt would have broken his rib cage, it stopped short and just as though rehearsed, Dathan’s hand went up and caught the staff. The surge of bluish essence stopped immediately and Dathan’s mouth closed with the speed of a hungry snail. Next, his body began to drop slowly and simultaneously, George’s eyes blinked several times and when it again opened to look at Dathan who now laid on the bed, they had returned to normalcy.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal except that Dathan eyes were still shut, his hand stretched out with the staff and his body motionless

He found himself running more of reflex than a result of his will power. Elsewhere in his mind, he wondered how she had gotten a hold of the staff. The tomb of the fallen Thorank king had been sealed by his very self. There was no possible way Nora could have had it open, not when she wasn’t gifted with magic.

He caught sight of her as he neared the opening where she was crouched and gazing absent mindedly at the waters below. Her long black hair was dancing idly in tandem with the rhythm of the wind. He walked slowly towards her and stopped just some few centimeters from her.

“Nora, I’m sorry for hurting you even though I had no idea whatsoever about it. “ He paused to hear her response but the only sound he heard was that of her drawing back the contents of her nostrils.

He continued. “I promise I won’t let myself come in between you and Harris ever again. “

She turned to face him. He could see that her eyes were reddened already. He got closer and with his thumb wiped the tears away. She drew him immediately into an embrace.

“I’m sorry I allowed my emotions to cloud my thinking. I’ve never fought with Harris before now. I’m afraid he’ll never forgive me. “

He withdrew from the embrace to look into her eyes.

“Harris is not the kind to keep grudges against his friends. I mean, from the look of things, you’re the only friend he’s got.“

There was an extended moment of silence during which Nora allowed what George had said to sink deep. Meanwhile, George took the liberty of her silence to look for the staff and he found that the had laid it on a piece of rock and he reached for it.