The spirits of light

the spirits of light

FROM

spirits of darkness and light

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QK1XHTY

Two hands shook her gently but vigorously, Aruna opened her eyes but could not say a word because a soft hand was clasping on her mouth. It was her nanny, Gangabai. “Get up princess, don’t make a sound, come with me!”

Gangabai dragged the half asleep eleven year old through the corridors of the palace to a tunnel. It led them outside the palace walls, into the wood surrounding it. Aruna could hear shouts and screams coming from the rooms and corridors of the palace.

“What is happening nanny? Where are ma and papa?” Aruna asked, still half asleep.

“They will come later!” Gangabai helped her on a horse and climbed behind her with great ease. They both were expert equestrians.

Aruna turned her head and saw that flames were leaping towards sky like huge snakes from their fort. Loud explosions were shattering the silence. She was not an innocent baby. She could understand that their palace was under a fierce, bloody attack.

There were half a dozen more riders standing in the darkness like shadows of trees waiting for them it seemed. The group disappeared in the woods.

She fell asleep again nestled against the warm bosom of Gangabai. When she woke up she was lying on a bed, in an unknown room. She was alone in the room, the memories of last night instantly flooded back to her mind.

“Gangabai!” she called out. A young girl stepped inside the room.

She bowed a little and smiled, “Do you want something princess?” She asked.

“Where is Gangabai, where are my parents?” Aruna asked.

Gangabai entered the room and the girl went out of the room.

“How are you?” Gangabai sat down on the bed beside her and pulled her close.

“Where are they-ma, papa?” Aruna asked.

“I can lie to you but you are a princess! So, you have to know the truth even if it is too much for you! An enemy of your father attacked your fort in stealth. He killed your parents before setting the fort on fire. We came to know only after the fire spread to our quarters.” Gangabai brushed away the tears that were rolling down her cheek. “Someone from our palace sneaked his butchers into your parent’s sleeping chamber.”

Aruna was too stunned to weep, she just stared vacantly, half of her heart has already guessed that something has happened but both… even then it was too much to bear!

Gangabai held her close to her bosom and they sat like that for long time. Aruna was told that she will have to stay hidden in this fort. Gangabai told her that her father has built it fearing exactly this incident.

No one knew about this fort but Gangabai, her parents and forty or so people. Those forty or so people were residents of this fort since the day it was built.

The fort was totally independent. They grew their own food, raised their own cattle and weaved their own clothes! They manufactured every item that was required for a humble existence and a secret, well-protected fortress. That is, they wore thick cotton garments and sheepskin woolens but their weapons were as good as Aruna’s kingdom’s artillery. Sorry ex kingdom.

The days of luxury were gone but fun replaced that quite nicely. She had absolute freedom to go anywhere she went as long as she took Gangabai’s daughter Karuna along.

Aruna woke up with dawn every single day and dragged Karuna out of her bed. The studies and practices of multiple arts followed, arts included war and horse riding. Then Aruna dragged her playmate along as she scouted the forests and hills near their fort.

Years started to fly by, soon she was sixteen. To her embarrassment Aruna realized that she had a fiery temper, not disrespectful to anyone but fiery anyway. Apart from that, she was really bad at taking instructions or orders, not that people ordered her around but she utterly detested ordering tone.

She sometimes envied Karuna’s soft, obedient nature; the way she took bullying and ordering with a smile and forgiveness.

Well, kids are kids, so sometimes the boys in the fort ignoring her royal status tried to bully Aruna and got the beatings of their lives, no squealing to elders, no complaining, she was alone enough for three or four of them together, and when she was cornered karuna always took her side. She stood beside her like a rock. Somehow Aruna could feel that Karuna will take an arrow on her heart for her!

But that was something else, Aruna too knew she will do the same but since last couple of years she was disobeying Gangabai’s only order, tagging Karuna along with her on her wanderings.

Karuna was too girlie in Aruna’s eyes, she worried too much, was always asking her to return to the fort! She was a perpetual nagger in Aruna’s eyes.

So, Aruna always waited for a chance to give her a slip and that was really tough! That girl could sniff her out. So many times Karuna has thought that she has ditched her when she popped out of nowhere with a grim expression.

“Don’t venture alone Aruna! Mom will be so sad!” Even though these were the only words uttered, her sad face and worried expression did the rest.

Aruna always felt a bit guilty for sneaking out and allowed her to tag along.

Today was her lucky day. She heard Gangabai calling out to Karuna to help her with something and saw them entering the basement together.

Aruna was heading for her seventeenth birthday, so the fort people were quite busy in preparation, in her family 17th birthday was the “entrance to adulthood” day, most probably she will be officially declared the queen of the fort! As if she cared….

She vanished into the woods in stealthy steps and took a totally new path. She has tried this path too many times and every time Karuna has appeared and begged her to return! In other words, manipulated her to give up her desire to explore this path by constantly begging!

It was quite apparent that this path was used once, but has not been used for years. Because she could see the stones underneath the thick cover of grass and the undergrowth sometimes, and the milestones jutting out of thick bushes once in a while but most of both were gone.

She marched forth, clearing the bushes and vines that dangled or shot up, blocking her progress. Once chariots and horses trotted on the stone paved road, some rebellious stones still showed up fighting the creepers and moss that tried to obliterate their sheer presence.

The trees have made a canopy on the road, the vines and creepers have laid a carpet on the rocks. Wild flowers were blooming all around her, inviting butterflies, bees and birds like a banquet.

She quickened her pace hoping and praying that Gangabai will keep Karuna busy for long, long time.

Aruna kept walking on the road. Some mysterious power was drawing her. Naah! Not magic, nothing paranormal! That mysterious power was her gypsy soul eager to see where that road was leading to.

Hours went by, soon it was night but she was not ready to surrender. Now she was no longer sure that it was her gypsy soul pulling her forth, because her common sense has been nagging her for hours to return to the fort. She could feel how worried Gangabai must be! To her Gangabai was true mother figure, she despised hurting her but not tonight! Tonight she was absolutely determined that she will see the end of the road and return next day! She climbed on a tree to pass the night when she saw that light at distance.

It was a strange red glow, coming from something far away, from the bottom of a hill it seemed. She climbed down and started walking towards that light.

It must be a shepherd or some sage, she was quite sure.

She reached that place right before dawn. It was a cave’s mouth, the glow was coming from inside. She entered the cave.

It was a huge rock glowing like ember that looked like egg, round and scaly but it was rock because there were no birds or animals she has known about that laid an egg that big, a baby horse or dragon might crawl out of it!

She touched the rock and it shook under her palms. She was dead certain about that. As if a tremor rose from it and entered her body. She felt a strange surge of energy in her body.

A shadow fell on the cave floor beside her. It was one of the men that lived in the fort.

“How did you…” she asked incredulously.

“One of the boys saw you leaving and followed, he returned and told us when you took this path, I tracked you. You are good! I knew that this is the only destination, or else you might have given me a slip.” He grinned.

But Karuna could guess that she has been followed in stealth, otherwise that man would not have reached the cave this early.

“Can I take it?” she asked pointing at the stone. The man nodded in agreement. There was a strange expression on his face that Aruna could not read.

The horse was not ready to accept that strange luggage and gave in only after much coaxing. They returned back to fort, Gangabai and Karuna were waiting in her room.

“Clean up and go to bed!” Gangabai said calmly.

She looked at Karuna from the corners of her eyes but could not meet her gaze. Karuna’s eyes were glued to the floor. Her hair was hiding her face and its expression. The man placed her strange booty on the table and looked at Gangabai in a furtive manner, they left together.

Karuna opened her mouth, “Ma has not nibbled a single bite since she came to know that you have gone down the banned road.”

“I am sorry Karuna.” She meant it. “I just could not stop myself!”

“Don’t do that again.” Karuna said, her eyes were moist with tears. “You know ma loves you very much, when she asks you to not do something there must be some reason.”

“I won’t.” Aruna said but both knew that she was lying. Aruna took a long, luxurious bath and went to bed.

Aruna dreamt of flying. She was flying high on the sky. Down below she could see a fort, where people were pointing their fingers at her. No…not at her, they were pointing their fingers at something behind her.

She tried to see but could not! Just like it happens in dreams her movements were limited. She woke up with a strange feeling. Her eyes were burning, as if someone has rubbed pepper in them.

She could not open them at first, then after a while she managed to open them. They were hurting like hell! The room was looking strange, blurry and weird, as if she was looking at it from behind a thick glass. That was creating bizarre distortions.

Gangabai entered the room, looked at her face and went out again.

She returned with a saucer in her hand, “Here it will help!” she tied a wet bandage on Aruna’s eyes. Well it did!

Aruna went back to bed, obeying Gangabai’s instruction. Gangabai sat down beside her and started stroking her forehead, soon her mind started to relax and the pain started to ease.

I should have told you this story before Princess but I did not imagine that an egg survived their butchering!”

“What egg nan?” she asked.

“The egg which you brought from that cave, the one you thought was a stone! Well it is not a stone it is the egg of a firebird.” Gangabai said.

“Firebird what are they?” Aruna asked.

“If you climb to the top of that hill from where you brought the egg you may still discover the ruin of your ancestral home. The little what is left after Shamsher Singh destroyed it and killed your parents.” Gangabai continued ignoring her question.

“My parents were killed in Mohangarh nan! You are confusing me!” Aruna protested.

“No, they were your foster parents. You have been orphaned twice by the same monster.” Gangabai said.

“You are not totally human child. You are part elf and part human. Your father, the king of Kinnargarh once was invited by the elf king who lived high in Himalayas to help him. He helped him and won the hand of his sister. His wife, the Kinnar princess was a great sorcerer and the firebird spirit. These birds are born with half soul, the rest half is completed by their spirits. These spirits are shape-shifters and act as controller of the firebirds.”

“An egg will never hatch before being touched by a spirit. Your egg has hatched. It’s hatchling is sitting on the floor, its mind is binding with you, right now your eyes are adjusting to his eyes and soon they will return to normal. In the initial stage they will bother you but with practice you will control them.” Gangabai said.

“Well, when your mother came to live with your father the story of firebird and your mother’s divine beauty spread all across the land.”

“That monster Shamsher decided that he will kill your father and force your mother to marry him. He bribed your father’s ministers and they helped him to kill your father. But he was a fool, elves love only once, when your mother came to know about your father she embraced death. Your mother had a firebird cousin who bonded with one of your father’s courtiers, that is, his courtier was her spirit, he too was killed with your father and the firebird perished with him. She was pregnant. Sometimes they lay just one egg sometimes more than one! When that monster attacked your actual home you were one year old, and the firebird has laid six or seven eggs.”

“We thought that monster destroyed every egg that the bird has laid! He ordered his servant to kill you too to vent out his frustration on your mother. He himself was too busy plundering.”

“Your foster father, a king of a neighbouring country was passing by the place where Shamsher’s man was trying to kill you. He rescued you, chased Shamsher away but did not kill the snake! A mistake for which you became an orphan second time!”

“It seems Shamsher has been tracking you and succeeded in locating a couple of years before that attack. He butchered your foster parents and is at present ruling your kingdom.” Gangabai said, “But this time too we were able to save you.”

“Now it is your time to avenge your parents and foster parents. But before that you will have to train your bird, and visit your mother’s home, tell her family the story and ask for their help. They will.”

“How will I find them?” Aruna asked.

“Your bird will take you there.” Gangabai answered.

“I have heard in the folklores that only firebirds can enter and exit the kinnargarh, along with their elf spirits, once you know that place you will be able to come and go, but your bird knows that place by instinct. Once you take him to Himalaya and tell him what you want he will take you there. But before that you will have to bond with him.”

“Keep the bandage wrapped, open it after dusk.” Gangabai left the room.

Aruna heard a soft rustle and a feathery body snuggled against her on her bed.

She heard a little cooing sound as her new companion settled down beside her. Its fur was soft and silky. Her eyes settled within a week, so did her birds’ eyes.

It was an amazing looking creature. Its plumes were flame coloured, just as its name hinted. It was a week old and already it was as big as a calf. It ate like a wolf, but no one had to serve it, it went to the forest and did its own hunting.

“I hope that it won’t venture towards locality.” Gangabai said. “You should start training it that. If it is sighted and that reaches Shamsher’s ears…”

“How will I train it?” she asked.

“Tomorrow is your seventeenth birthday you will know the answer tomorrow.” Gangabai said.

She went to bed expecting a trainer next day. She woke up early in the morning, a song woke up her up, someone was singing an amazing song, it’s words were full of joy and happiness, praising sun God, the funny part was the singer’s voice was more like a bird than human.

She opened her eyes and realized two things instantly that the language was totally unknown but intelligible to her, and it was her pet Ruby that was singing that song, sitting on the window sill.

“You are up!” he cocked his head to one side and looked at her.

“You can speak!” she muttered.

“I always spoke, now you can understand me because your spirit is now awake.” Ruby answered.

“Few more months, then my wings will become strong enough to carry you to your mother’s home, there you will be able to get your training and avenge your parents and I will avenge mine!”

“You know that too?” she asked him, she was standing next to him, gently stroking his feather.

“I can understand human tongue, human beings can’t understand me!” Ruby replied.

“When you go out for hunting don’t let anyone see you! OK? Stay as close to the fort as possible!”Aruna told him.

“I heard that part and have been doing that ever since Gangabai told you to teach me that, BTW spirit you can’t teach me anything, actually I will have to teach you a lot of things. One of them is we both can disappear, change our shapes, fly and more. I am gifted by birth but you have to wake that power up dormant inside. I do my hunting as a wolf or any other predator common here, as it is not a safe place. So, even if your Shamsher Singh or his spies see me, catch me they won’t know it is me! He could kill your parents and mine because they knew exactly what they were looking for!” Ruby looked at her with a glint in his eyes.

“Now, let’s have a nice stroll together. Shall we?” he asked, “It is dawn, the best time of day, we can stroll a bit and then you can return and take your classes, I will return after meal.”

The forest has just woken up. It was filled with chattering of bird. They walked side by side. He looked just like any other young man of her age. He looked in his early twenties.

“You will have to visit your mother’s home and they will teach you spirit ways. I will take you there tomorrow.”

They sat down side by side on a rock. She could feel him looking at her but did not acknowledge. Her mind was bubbling with questions. How will she be received in that magical land, of which she knew nothing till now!

“You know I can read your thoughts, right?” Ruby asked.

“Can you not do that?” Aruna wrinkled her brow.

“I can try. But spirit sooner or later we will have to become truly one, inside out! So get used to it, because soon you will be reading mine!” He answered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. His eyes were the only thing that betrayed him, they were flame coloured and glowed like flame too in the shades of the trees.

“No I can change their colour.” In an instant his eyes were brown.

She made a face and stuck her tongue out at him for again reading her thought. He laughed.

They returned a little later. The whole fort was decked up.

There was no study, lesson today! It was her birthday! Only fun and love was today’s program! Fort residents knew she will be leaving the next dawn for very long time, they may never see her again and every single soul in that fort doted after her. So they wanted her seventeenth’s birthday to be memorable! The day passed so fast that she could hardly grasp it.

They retired absolutely worn out.

“Wake up spirit!” a soft touch woke her up. It was Ruby. “It is time for us to leave.” The entire fort was waiting for her in the pre-dawn darkness.

They walked into the forest, before entering she turned back for the final glimpse they were still standing there like shadows. She waved her hand, hiding her tears. They reached a small clearing and Ruby paused.

Are you afraid of height spirit?” he looked at her his eyes were glowing in the darkness. She could feel the laughter in that gaze and smiled, forgetting the ache for a while.

“Not much!” She shrugged, expecting him to ask her to climb a tree. In place of that he turned into a magnificent bird, larger than her stallion, his wings were folded but she could guess they were really strong.

“Climb on my back!” Ruby looked back at her. She climbed on his back. Ruby slowly raised himself into the air. Higher and higher he went till he was above clouds. They looked like a river of mist under them.

I used to think that clouds are solid!” Aruna said.

“No. They are condensed water vapor look solid from down below.” Ruby said.

The sun was rising in east its pink rays turned the clouds under them into pink ocean.

She was astounded to notice that she could clearly see the things on ground, as small as a small fawn or rabbit whenever they were in clear sky.

“We share the same eyesight.” Ruby said. “Your eyes were hurting because your vision was getting synced with mine. Had we not met you would have lived as a human being, your finding me changed everything for us.”

He landed once in the noon, in a deserted place, she ate some fruits and he hunted. Then they took to sky again.

Late in the evening they landed for rest in another forest.

They passed the night on a tree.

Three more days later they reached Himalayas.

He started looking down keenly. They both saw it, a mountain totally different from any other mountain they have ever come across. It was glowing with its own light.

“Only we can see that light!” Ruby said diving toward it.

He landed on the top, there was a small clearing, that appeared to be man-made. He took human form.

“Come!” He reached out for her hand. She held it and a strange sensation went through her, as if an invisible power sparked in every cell of her body without hurting.

They were standing in the middle of a courtyard. The building was made of crystalline bricks of different colours.

A very handsome man was standing in front of her. Without a single word he pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly.

“I am your mother’s brother, if you have not guessed that already.” He kissed her forehead again and again. “We thought we will never see you here!”

“You knew I was alive?” she asked.

He nodded in agreement.

“Then why did not you came to see me?” she sulked.

“I went there every single day my darling, but you were not able to see or feel me, to know about our existence you have to bond with your firebird. You two are two body one spirit, half without the other. He is your future mate.”

She looked around hoping Ruby was not around to hear that, he was not! He was gone.

“He went away to meet his family.” Her uncle said.

“But my mother was a spirit too, right?” she asked.

“No she was an elf. Her firebird was female, Ruby’s mother! She went to live with her in her kingdom when she married your father, she found her spirit there, a courtier of your father, and when your mother killed herself Shamsher tried to capture Ruby’s mother and ended up killing her. In his frustration of missing them both he ordered your murder and destroyed every egg the firebird, but missed one!”

“Oh! But Gangabai told me that ….” Aruna said.

“I know what Gangabai told you, but she does not know everything. She knows only what your mother told her. We do not share everything with human beings you know, we know they can be tricked into sharing information. So we tell them only necessary things. You see, firebird spirits will never marry anyone but their firebirds! None! Even if a deity woos them they won’t marry him or her!” Her uncle chuckled. “You will know it, it is a bond stronger than any other bond, very few, very blessed creatures feel this type of bond!”

“Are you a spirit?” Aruna asked.

“No. Like your mother I too am an elf.” Her uncle said, “Are you planning to stand in the courtyard? The rest of the family is waiting eagerly for you!”

They entered a huge dining hall where a moderate group of people were eagerly waiting for her.

A tall, beautiful girl walked towards Aruna with a lovely smile on her lips. “I am your cousin Dawnrose.” She embraced Aruna with warmth. “You can call me Dawn.”

“Let me introduce you to the rest.” She held Aruna’s hand and introduced her to the small group of people, most of them were directly related to her, remaining were their wives or son in law, daughter in laws.

They had a hearty breakfast and then Dawn took her out for a tour of the Elveshaven, that is what her uncle’s small kingdom was known as.

“How many Elf Kingdoms are there?” she asked curiously.

“As far as we know there are twenty more in earth, and a few dozen in our solar system, two in the sun, but they rarely visit us, because earth and most of the planets are too cold for them. They don’t like it here they love the ‘warmth’ of sun.” Dawn giggled Aruna joined in.

“Where is Ruby” Aruna asked.

Dawn smiled mischievously, “Missing him already?”

“It’s nothing like that! I barely know him!” Aruna protested with a blush. “I was just curious!” But the reality was she was feeling incomplete without Ruby, as if a part of her heart or brain was out for a walk, away from her!

Dawn looked deeply into her eyes. “We share a very special relationship with our firebirds if we become mates. Our powers reach an amazing height, not all elves are lucky! Spirits are born spirits. Some elves try to become spirits but fail. Hope you will soon become his mate sister. I have touched heaven ever since I bonded with mine.”

“Where is he?” Aruna asked.

“He went out for a trip a week ago, will return any day now.” Dawn answered.

“Do you miss him when he is gone?” Aruna asked.

“No, we can communicate whenever we want. I will instantly know if something is wrong and will reach him in a second. If I want I can see through his eyes, feel his feelings, read his thoughts from here.” Dawn smiled, “Or he can share them with me and of course he can invade my brain whenever he wants to. He says you are a very curious girl and pretty too!”

They both giggled like kids.

They sat down beside a waterfall. A full rainbow was stretching from one end to the other end connecting both banks of the fall.

“Want to walk on the bridge?” Dawn asked.

“That is a rainbow!” Aruna reminded her.

“I know, but for human beings not us!” Dawn said.

“But Ruby said my powers will have to be invoked.” Aruna said.

“Some powers, the remaining have already been invoked, the minute you entered elveshaven.” Dawn held Aruna’s hand and pulled her to her feet, “Come and check out!”

They just simply walked side by side on the mist that has formed the rainbow. The fall looked so beautiful from where they were standing, so close to the roaring water.

“It’s amazing is not it?” Dawn asked.

“Yes it is!” Aruna smiled.

Aruna’s training started next day, she and Ruby had to rhyme perfectly, breath to breath. Slowly she realized that they were bonded like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, complementing each other. No more like two colours in water, they can perfectly become one. Once they become one there was no parting ways!

“He will be the power, you will be the soul.” Her uncle Fierro has told them, “Just like any being full of power he may lose control sometimes, it is your task to keep him from harming anyone innocent. You will have to calm him down carefully. So that he stays safe and everyone else too. For example, suppose he loses his calm in a battlefield, if you calm him then and there his enemies may kill him, but if you take him away from the battlefield, soothe him down and then you two again return to the battle that will be intelligent. Right…?”

Aruna nodded in consent.

“You both will have to learn the arts of war-physical and psychological. The psychological part of the war is as important as physical part. To defeat an experienced, veteran warrior like Shamsher you will have to be very cautious and cunning.”

“Some of our spirits will be with you but we don’t have many spirits here Aruna, I have taken an oath of abstention from violence, so had your mother and too many of our elves, that is the reason Shamsher was able to touch your father anyway and able to destroy your and Ruby’s mothers. We kept away from human affairs so much that I lost connection with my own sister! The only consolation I have for myself is Shamsher struck like a lightning! We were away from earth, by the time we got there it was a graveyard.”

“After that incident some children including my own oldest Dawn vowed that they will practice spirit ways! We have only ten spirits and firebirds, you two will make the eleventh pair.”

“That is very feeble force against Shamsher’s huge army of ruthless killers! So you will need more cunning than muscle power.”

“From today onwards we will call you crimson light. Your firebird goes by the name Ruby, that means your colour is crimson or red, so shall be your name, Aruna too means reddish colour in case you don’t know! Most probably your mother knew that you are a spirit and your light is crimson.”

Days started to pass by in a fast pace, there was so much to learn, so much to do! She passed most of her idle time with Dawn. Ruby too created an instant friendship with Dawn’s mate, Crystal.

It was the day before her twenty first birthday, all her powers have woken up in these four years of guidance and training. Now she was the spirit, at-least that is what she thought till her uncle sat down with her in the garden.

“Tomorrow you will become full spirit.” He said. “You will know when the time comes and after you become the full spirit your coronation will happen.”

She went to bed and fell asleep after tossing and turning for long, long time. Who can fall asleep when heart is bubbling with endless questions? A strange sensation woke her up. Her body was feeling strange. Absolutely light and weird!

When she opened her eyes first thing she noticed was she could see through herself, the bed-sheet was quite visible from under her body, as if it was made of glass.

“Am I dead!” she muttered feeling insane.

“No!” Ruby whispered.

She got up and looked around but he was not in the room.

She shook her head. Nothing changed.

“Chant these words with me.” Ruby said, inside her mind. She realized what Dawn was talking about. She repeated the words, slowly in front of her dazed eyes her body changed into a firebird.

“What the heck!” she muttered.

“Now come out of the window and fly!” Ruby said, “Don’t be scared just let go, you won’t fall to death, even if you try, I am waiting near the rainbow fall, I will show you where once you get there.”

She tried to fly and to her utter surprise she glided on the air, as if she has been doing that ever since she was born.

Ruby was waiting for her near rainbow bridge. She settled down beside him.

“Shall we?” he asked, “Go for a long trip?”

“Your training is over, now we will have to spend some time together, to rhyme our flying.” He took to the air she followed him. For hours they glided above the snowy caps of mountains, green fields and rivers.

Late in the noon they settled down in a meadow filled with flowers.

“Chant these words…”

She was back to human form, he too took human form.

“So what are we spirits?” she asked lying on the grass, looking at him.

“They say that an Elf Sorcerer in his quest to fly, shift his shape accidentally separated his soul from his body, both stayed fully alive, we are the children of his body, and you are the children of his soul. I don’t know more than this.” Ruby looked at her and smiled.

Aruna realized for the first time how handsome he was. Even after seeing Elves, she felt he was absolutely different from anyone and the most attractive person she has ever seen.

Ruby looked at her face, she remembered that he was capable of reading her thoughts, and suddenly she realized she too could read hers.

“Now we are one!” was the only sentence she read before his face came down upon hers.

A group of shepherds grazing their sheep in a distant meadow noticed a red glow, brighter than the light of a huge fire glowing in the valley below it glowed for a long, long time then slowly dimmed away.

They went down to check on it, they reached there a few hours later, there was nothing, the meadow was full of flowers and they were absolutely unscathed!

“I wonder what that glow was!” one of them mused out aloud.

A few meters away Crimson and Ruby were sitting, watching them with lazy smiles on their lips. Crimson’s head was resting on Ruby’s shoulder and his arms were tightly wrapped around her body.

The shepherds returned to their flock chattering excitedly. Ruby and Crimson returned to Elveshaven.

Dawn was waiting for her with a mischievous smile on her lips, “So you have finally become a spirit!”

She did not answer her because that was not a question, it was a statement.

“Come! Father is waiting for you two!”

The hall where she first met the Elves was decorated with flowers.

“I know I don’t have to ask you or your firebird but still… shall I wed you off tonight?” her uncle hugged her warmly. “I know revenge is first thing in the minds of both of you but let that not make you bitter and angry, your aim should be destroying that monster, not ruin your youth! Who can say how long it will take! If your love for each other changes your views may be that is what God wants too!”

He read her consent in her silence and Ruby nodded his head.

“I wish Gangabai and others were here!” Aruna said. They never left her heart, not for a day! How could they?

“They are waiting for you in the guest room Crimson, all of them.” Her uncle smiled. She hugged him tightly and smiled. They left elveshaven and entered a small fortress in a nearby hill, the whole fortress was decorated like it should be on a royal wedding. The whole fort was waiting for her there, their faces filled with happiness.