" We should wait for the others to join us. I have already told them to come and have dinner with us!" Athan chimed in, interrupting Azra and Iris. Sensing the air around him was getting heavier with each passing second. Ian's serious gaze lingered on him far too long. It was becoming increasingly unbearable.
" Who would have thought? I was lying on my deathbed. You pranced around the castle and invited people over for dinner!" Ian smirked at Athan. His tone was dark but well hidden by the smile on his lips.
Athan frowned at his words, and a wicked smile slowly stretched on his lips.
It seemed he wasn't letting himself be bullyragged by Ian.
" You're like the plague. I knew you would come back!"
Athan leaned in his chair, looking rather smug.
Ian chuckled " I can always count on you to cheer me on!" he said, smirking again, cocksure.
Ian leaned in his chair as Athan did. Despite the smile etched on his lips, he venomously glared at Athan.
Iris rolled her eyes " What's wrong with you two?" she questioned, a little miffed.
Ian cleared his throat " He started it !" he defensively said, waving his hand at Athan, which wickedly smiled.
" Looks like we are having a family reunion!" Dak's grave voice echoed in the kitchen, interrupting the bickering.
Iris smiled, her gaze following them as they walked around the table. Maya looked a little better, steadier on her feet. It seemed Ian's potions did a great deal of good to her. Tyla thought.
The heaviness slowly dissipated, and the air felt breathable again.
" That's one way to put it!" Ian panned, turning to look at Dak and Maya, that held onto his arm.
" Have you seen Rom?" Maya asked. She didn't care about their feud. Her brother was her only concern.
" He was in the library a while ago! He had been in there for days!"Athan said as he stood up and pulled a chair for Maya to sit on.
" He has been looking for information about the witch!" Tyla chimed in. She gave a blank look to Dak, which Maya caught again and frowned.
" I don't think there is anything about the witch in the library!" Iris confidently added. She had tried doing the same, but she never found anything useful
" There isn't, and I've already told him that!" Tyla said, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, looking rather bored.
" While we wait, there is something that I've been meaning to ask you, Iris! Líadan? Does it mean anything to you?" Dak questioned curiously. Now he had found the perfect opportunity to ask his question. That was the only reason he was there. He had no interest in their problems. He had his own to worry about.
Iris frowned " It does! Why do you ask?" he questioned back, a little taken aback that he knew the word. It was an ancient language, and it isn't spoken anymore.
Dak's mood suddenly brightened. "This is great news! What does it mean, or what does it refer to?" he asked for more information as the woman didn't seem to want to share more than she had already said and fell silent.
" It means pure or white. It depends! How do you know the word? That language isn't spoken anymore?! she asked curiously, wanting to know how Dak had gained knowledge of the word.
" One of the creatures said it before it gave its last breath!" he shed some light on the matter, making Iris frown and lightly gasp.
" The creatures, how do they look?" she frantically asked, and she grew a little excited.
" Big and strong!" he curtly replied as he puffed his chest and flexed his arm muscles to demonstrate the size of the creatures.
" She wants you to describe them to her, you muscle head!" Rom chimed in with an eye roll at Daks' failure to understand what Iris wanted from him as he walked into the kitchen.
His gaze settled on Maya, who wore a woeful expression as soon as her eyes met his.
" Oh, Look what the cat dragged in or was a witch. So confused these days!" Dak spat, glaring.
Maya's hand touched his under the table and looked at him askance.
On Dak's lips, a semblance of a smile appeared, and he returned his attention to Iris.
Her lips twitched, and her eyes held a dangerous shine.
Dak briefly glanced at Rom " Well, they have dark skin, but with glowing lines on them, and the heart glows as well. You can see it, pumping." he described the creatures
Looking around the table, everyone except for Iris and Ian looked bushed, hearing his words and realised they had no idea what he was talking about.
" Oh, no! Those are the same creatures that I saw! So I was in that realm for a reason. It wasn't a coincidence!" Iris absently mumbled as she looked deep in thought. She quickly grew doleful.
" Do you have any idea what realm was that you were in?" Athan curiously asked.
It seemed that the creatures had piqued his interest. Iris thought.
" If I would die, my soul will return to Ellora, where our kind belongs!" she reasoned as she squinted her eyes at the table in front of her, trying to reconcile the two facts.
If the realm she was in was Ellora, then that meant only one thing Ellora was no more or not what she remembered it to be. In the time she had left the realm unattended, something must've triggered the destruction of the realm. How was that even possible? She questioned herself.
"Pure? Huh?" Dak absently mumbled as he fell deep in thought.
As everyone took their seat at the table, Dak and Iris stared at each other as if trying to read each other's minds. Ian curiously observed the silent exchange.
" You mentioned a man named Pelham, a seer, an oracle! Was he not able to help with the creatures? Iris finally broke the silence and staring contest as she started spooning food into her bowl.
Dak shook his head " No, he sees flashes of the future, and a lot of them aren't clear!" he said as he took a spoonful of food and drove into Maya's face, making her frown and glare at him a little detail that Dak missed as he was looking at Iris.
Maya snatched the spoon out of his hand and mumbled something under her breath, making Dak turn his attention to her and give her a questioning look.
Ian chuckled at the exchange " Looks like he isn't much help, then!" he chimed in as he turned his attention to Iris.
Athan chuckled. "Oracles are useful to have around. Some are more powerful than others!" he noted, looking around the table, and Dak frowned.
Iris closed her eyes ", Or he is hiding things from you!" she looked at Dakran with her eyebrows raised.
" Hard to tell. He's been living in the North for only half a decade, and we don't know him well!" Dak said, lowering his gaze and falling deep in thought.
" We will leave as soon as Maya is well enough to travel!" Iris informed everyone at the table, wanting to let them know what would happen in the future.
" The plans for the underground tunnels are ready. They are in the library!" Rom added, looking at Maya, who looked at him with pleading eyes.
" Start to prepare for the journey ahead!" Iris instructed as she looked around the table to see if there were any objections to her plans. When everyone remained silent, she continued, " We do not know what will come our way. Best be prepared!"
Everyone around the table remained silent, looking at each other and waiting for one of them to say something.
" If you have anything to say or would like to stay behind. Say it now or hold your tongue later, "Iris said as she ate.
No one uttered a word of disapproval against the plans that they had made.
" Rom, will you join us or journeying to the Eastern kingdoms is something that you still want to do?" Ian asked, his eyebrows raised. Everyone turned their attention onto Rom, keen to know the answer to the question.
Maya held her breath, waiting for his answer. She knew her brother was stubborn, but she hoped they would stay and fight the witch. He knew the citadel and the layout of the fortress, and he will prove helpful to have around.
With everyone's attention on him, Rom looked around the table, holding the spoon right in front of his mouth. " I will join you!" he curtly said and returned to eating his food as if nothing had happened, and everyone else did the same.
Ian tapped his finger on the table " For now, the route is only known by us." he waved his hand between himself and Iris. "We'll let you know the rest before we leave. Do not take offence. It's just a precaution. Until then, rest." he finished as he looked around the table and everyone nodded in agreement.