Sarina's heart jumped at the compliment. She smiled a little to herself but the smile was quickly replaced by a frown. That hurt. But at least she wasn't burned anymore. She drifted off to sleep thinking about healing and magic and mysterious Caspar who had rescued her.
When Sarina woke again it was dark outside. She stood and stretched, for once since she had left home not feeling any pain. She walked to to large window that was in her room and looked at the view of the backyard. She could see the patio where she and Caspar had eaten lunch and all of the beautiful plants. Palm trees covered the distance and the night was clear, the stars shining brightly.
Sarina turned and adjusted her hair which was a tangled mess from sleep, and then left the room, not wanting to be cooped up. Maybe she could learn a little more about Caspar, her still mysterious savior. And this bizarre hidden city in the desert.
She walked the halls, exploring the home. The house, or she should say mansion really because it was extremely large, was simple in its design but immaculate. There were beautiful paintings on every wall and the floors were made of a cool white stone. She entered a living space that had a luxurious looking blue couch and the walls were filled with her favorite thing; books! Books were everywhere and lined the walls, exciting her and making her forget her troubles for the moment. She skipped quickly to the first wall, eager to see what treasures were held here.
Sarina was so engrossed in looking at the books that she didn't notice that someone had come to stand at the edge of the room, leaning against the wall and observing her with an amused smile on their face. Sarina picked up a book and turned towards the sofa to sit and look at it and then she looked up, finally feeling that she was not alone.
'Oh!' She startled. 'Um hello' Sarina called to the stranger that was smiling at her curiously.
'I leave for one week and Caspar has went and found himself a bride, and a beautiful one at that' the man responded, smiling widely at the end.
'Ah, actually I'm not his wife' Sarina answered a bit awkwardly, not sure how to explain how she had met Caspar.
'Mm, so an unmarried woman is staying in my dear Caspar's house alone, how scandalous' he taunted.
Oh no, Sarina thought. She hadn't thought of it that way! It was rather scandalous, staying in his home, traveling with him alone. She didn't know a lot about marriage, but she did know you were supposed to be loyal, not spending time alone with just any man you met. What was she supposed to do?
The man watched her face, her expression changing from looking curious to downright concerned after his last comment but he just chuckled.
That brought her out of her head and she looked at him. 'I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I am Sarina Jokar' she introduced herself.
'I am Nasir' he answered, giving her only his first name, just like Caspar.
'Hello' she said shyly, not sure what else to say.
Nasir sauntered over to her, tall and intimidating looking. His face was handsome of course, Sarina recognizing that this was a norm for the people here. He gave off a slightly dangerous aura, making her a little uncomfortable but he seemed friendly enough.
'So miss Sarina, if you are indeed not marrying our dear Caspar, then what, pray tell, are you doing here?' He asked lightheartedly.
'It's kind of a long story' Sarina hesitated, not quite sure to trust him. 'Are you a relative of Caspar?'
'I am only his dearest and truest friend beautiful. Caspar and I have known each other since we were babes. We've gone on every adventure together' Nasir said, looking happy as he spoke.
'That actually sounds very nice' Sarina smiled. 'I have no siblings, but it always sounded wonderful to have someone to share this life with. Not so lonely' she said, sounding a little sad at the end.
'Yes but at least you didn't have anyone to fight with.' Nasir joked and she smiled. As they were talking, the head manservant came in, 'hello madam, sir Nasir, I have put out the food in the dining room if you would like anything.'
Sarina and Nasir followed him to the dining room which was large, with a long table at the center of the room and chairs that lined table. Sarina sat at the nearest chair and her plate was immediately filled with delicious food by the servant. She thanked him while Nasir took his seat next to her and he leaned back in his chair, pushing it up with his knee leaning against the table so it looked like he was hanging in the air.
He grabbed some grapes from his plate and began to snack on them while repeating his earlier question to her.
'So are you going to tell me how you met Caspar, or are you still feeling shy?' He asked with a smile.
Sarina smiled and was about to begin when they heard someone else enter the room.
Nasir smiled widely at the disturbed look on Caspar's face, seeing the two together.
'Well hello to you,' Nasir began.
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â¨â¨ Hello lovely readers! đ
I hope you all are enjoying the book so far! Don't forget to add to your collections since I update daily, that way you can keep up with Sarina and Caspar. Feel free to leave a comment!