Dakran nodded " Of course, it will be my pleasure to show you our customs." he proudly said, and he glanced from the corner of his eye at Maya.
Ian took a sip of mead and grimaced " This is too sweet for my taste. Do we have anything else?" he asked, looking at Athan.
Athan clicked his tongue " We do, but it's Galanthian wine and not quite suitable for humans. They will suffer for days if they get inebriated on it." he shared a nugget of his knowledge and returned to eating his food, thinking that his explanation was sufficient to deter everyone at the table to ask for the wine.
Haren chuckled " Us, northerners. We are weathered folk. We can handle anything. Some measly wine won't even put a dent ." he boasted with his head held up high and puffed his chest.
Dakran rolled his eyes and shook his head at Haren's retort, and gave Athan a knowing look. Athan nodded " Very well. I'll bring it out after dinner, so you can all try it." He said and returned to eat his stew.
Silence fell around the table as everyone focused on their dinner, and soon the clattering sound of cutlery began to be heard one by one in the castle's kitchen.
Ian raised his head to look at Iris, who looked at the book on the table.
" You've been staring at it for a while now. Is there something on your mind?" Ian asked, placing his elbows on the table on either side of the plate.
Iris took a deep breath " I was expecting something different. This looks just like a typical book. I don't see anything special about it." she said and unclasped the bind to the book and pushed the thick cover. The front page was blank, she shuffled some more, and the rest were also empty. She raised her head and gave Haren a questioning look " Is this the same book that Bastos had?" she questioned, and her eyes shifted to Edýia.
Iris didn't trust Haren, and Edýia seemed more attentive regarding details than Haren. And Iris thought she was the most reliable at this point.
Edýia nodded " Yes, he was holding onto it pretty tight. I'm sure of it, my eyes could have deceived me, but when we met, he was trying to read from it." she explained and took the last mouthfuls of food from the spoon.
Iris frowned, puffed her cheeks, closed the book and looked at the cover for clues. The cover was plain, brown. The most exciting thing was that it was bound with something that looked like animal skin. She turned over one more time, just to make sure she hadn't missed any details and felt something trickle on her upper lip. Iris touched her upper lip with her finger, and when she looked at it, she saw it was blood. Ian pulled out a small white cloth from his pockets and leaned in to wipe it, but one drop fell on the book before he could wipe it off.
The drop of blood quickly absorbed the book cover, a soft breeze swiped through the kitchen, and the book began to reveal itself.
On the plain brown cover, letters began to form, and slowly engraved runes began to develop as if they were writing themselves. The tattered book, and its yellow-brownish pages, told Iris that the book was ancient and that it was the actual book. That meant Bastos had concealed its appearance, so her people could only use it.
Everyone was silent and gaped at the scene unfolding in front of them. Surprise and shock were evident on their faces.
Iris reluctantly opened the book and read the first line on the page " The bond forged through blood and fire. Bounds life and death alike. Thy spirit shall forget not. Thy body will have forgotten." she closed the book with a thud and let out an exasperated cry.
" Riddles! Ugh! By all gods!" she scoffed and slumped in the chair and buried her face in the palm of her hands, exasperated
" I wasn't expecting anything less!" Ian casually commented and took the book to have a look for himself.
Ian shuffled the pages, frowned and subsequently chuckled and closed the book with a northern thud and threw it on the table.
" This will takes ages to decipher! We don't have that kind of time!" he stated in annoyance and glared at the book.
Iris sighed " I know! There must be something we are missing. This can't be it! Did Basto say anything more about the book that you already told us?" Iris asked, frowning. Her eyes darted between Haren and Edýia.
" He said he named it the book of life and that it helps protect life." Haren chimed in, and Iris turned her attention to him.
" I see. Edýia already told me about it. You were too preoccupied with other things and decided that staring at my breasts took precedence over relaying valuable information. " Iris's crusty reply made Haren scowl.
Ian chuckled and clicked his tongue " You messed with the wrong woman. I've learned that the hard way!" he casually commented and slumped in his chair.
The relaxed and cheerful atmosphere took a sharp turn, and the room suddenly turned cold, cold enough for them to see their breath escaping their lips.
Haren gulped, shuddering, and his scowling expression grew worried and sheepish while he peered at Iris from behind his lashes.
Ian stood up and taped his finger on the table, utterly unbothered by the sudden change in temperature. " If everyone has finished their meal. We can move things along and take this into the dining hall and continue. But first, I need some helping hands with the plates!" he said in a cheerful tone like nothing had happened.
Dakran stood up from his seat and took his plate and Maya's, placed them on the counter and carried on doing the same with the rest of the dishes. Ian collected the cutlery off the table and paced along with plates, and started to wash the dishes whilst everyone began to clear from the kitchen, leaving him and Dakran alone.
Dakran took a washed plate and began drying it " Strong woman!" he commented, smiling coarsely.
Ian snorted " She is also smart. Her only flaw is that she sees good in people even when there is none." he said and handed another plate to Dakran.
Dakran hummed and leaned against the counter, and puffed his cheeks " I'm afraid that Maya is a little like that." he heaved out a heavy sigh " I don't know how to get her to accept me". He sullenly said, staring at the wall in front of him
" You have to give her time. Sylus was the man she cared for long before you came. You've been sharing a chamber since you arrived, so I guess that's a good sign." Ian said and sat in the chair, looking up at Dakran's towering figure.
Dakran scoffed " I refused to leave, and she tried to throw me out several times. I've slept on the long chair. They are not made for people like me." he chuckled " she sleeps with a dagger under her pillow. She almost slit my throat the other night when I tried to sneak into bed with her!" he amusedly said, pointing at a thin red line on his throat.
Ian curled his lips between his teeth to keep himself from laughing " Forcing someone into loving you won't work. She has a mind of her own, and if what you say it's true. Then I wish you the best of luck, my friend." he stood up and patted Dakran on his shoulder, sympathetically.
Dakran nodded " I will keep your counsel in mind. I never had trouble with women. But this one, it's a feisty one and makes my heart run wild" he sucked air and whistled " And I run a fever whenever she is around. I want to take her as my wife." he pitifully said and pushed himself off the counter.