Norin looked around him, feeling the weights of his amulets on his body.
Approximately twenty-four hours after he woke up in a strange room, an older man – looking like some sort of butler – had entered, telling them they were safe and not to worry about the squid. Norin believed him; the man's aura was blue, indicating he was feeling exactly as he said he had been.
Which made him wonder where he was, but the older man refused to say anything.
And now, he seemed to be in the court of some kind of palace, with Mithra beside him, looking just as baffled.
There was no one else in that room on his side.
In front of him sat a man on a throne.
'How does that man in the room know about the squid?' he wondered. 'And what is this man's deal – and his house?! A palace, more like!'
The most astonishing thing of all: Neither he nor Mithra were tied up!
"Welcome!" the man on the throne boomed. "I'm awfully sorry for sending my pet squid, but I needed your assistance now."
"A pet squid?!" exclaimed Norin.
Before he could process anymore, Mithra spoke up: "You're Eura Ansari of the Sofia Dynasty, aren't you?"
The older man nodded; he had had a pleasant expression on his face from the start.
"Ah, I knew I saw you somewhere." At a questioning glance from Norin, she explained, "Ever since Sorceress Rumin told me she'd been sending me and someone else here, I'd been reading up about you."
The eura laughed light-heartedly. "You've done your homework, all right!" He turned to Norin. "And young man, were you aware that you were going to come to me?"
"With Mithra Surita, here, yes."
Eura Ansari turned to her again. "I take it, you're Mithra Surita?"
"Yes, your majesty."
"And you, young man, you're Norin Zura, the greatest disciple of Sorceress Rumin Nyagal?"
Norin turned red. "Y-Well, I am Norin Zura. Don't know about being a great disciple."
The eura looked amused. "Of course. Well, I suppose it's enough private audience for now. Wouldn't you like to have something? You must be starving."
"Eura, why are we here?" Norin realised as an afterthought that it was he who asked. He gulped, as the older man stared neutrally at him.
"That we shall discuss over a full-square meal. Is that all right?"
The younger man nodded. "Sure."
----------------------------------
"Forgive the food – the entire castle has gone vegetarian."
Norin and Mithra looked up, before they glanced at the food being served.
"That's all right," replied Norin, who was the first to find his tongue again, "we're vegetarians, too. May I ask, though – why?"
"No reason – just find it appealing. Besides, most of the denizens of Silone prefer vegetarianism. It's actually something they follow in Sofia, you know? How is the food?"
The young pair smiled. "I like it," they replied in unison.
"Good. Then eat up! We have a lot to discuss."
A few moments passed and the young friends felt satisfied. Eura Ansari finished his meal and stared at them.
"I think you're ready now," he said, his voice grave. "It's time I told you why I called you here." He paused, took a deep breath, and let out a shuddering breath. "I want to send you on a mission. But you must vow to keep it between yourselves."
Norin's eyebrows knitted together. "I suppose that depends on what you're about to say." He glanced at his friend for confirmation.
Mithra nodded. "I agree with Zura."
The eura didn't seem happy, but nodded nonetheless. "Well, it's my daughter. Uh... three... three days ago, she went missing... at least, that's when we realised she was missing." He gulped. "I have a fair idea of where she went, but as a regular mortal, I cannot go after her." He sighed. "I need a magician."
Norin frowned. "Only one?"
"Well, this kind of a task probably needs only one person, but you know, everybody needs a companion – some help."
Norin nodded. "Ayesha Sinhala, yes?"
"Aye. That'd be her name."
"Do you know why she ran away, Eura Ansari?" asked Mithra.
The older man nodded his head slowly. "I might as well say I do. It'd be the wrong answer only about one percent of the time, anyhow."
"I see. Would you like to share?"
Eura Ansari glanced at his butler who seemed to be watching the door as though like a guard. "Yes, I would like to. You see, ever since she was born, Ayesha had some kind of a magic about her... uh... a curse. I think. I don't know, some magic. There was a prophecy. The royal seer we had then foresaw her future – but she promptly fell into a trance and eventually, died. Ever since then, someone or the other has been badly injured or dying." He sniffed, as tears hovered around the insides of his eyes. "My... my wife... she passed away, too, about two years after Ayesha was born. I had to remarry – I knew I couldn't take care of the child on my own."
There was a silence. Norin and Mithra glanced at one-another, waiting patiently. When the eura didn't continue, the former prompted:
"And then?"
The older man seemed to have come out of a trance and actually see him. "Sorry, I... never mind. Ayesha has had a tough life. The new mother... she'd been hard on my darling daughter. I wanted to let her go, but that woman wouldn't leave me. I knew I made a terrible mistake. And Ayesha... my poor Ayesha, she suffered the consequences of it. The darling little girl."
Norin and Mithra didn't say anything, as the eura gathered himself. Norin quietly slipped his plate as far away from him as possible, lest he helped himself until there was no food left in the palace, which would be a catastrophe. Already, the Sofia Dynasty was missing its Eurin un Regnum, the only child next in line to the throne, without having food scarcity on its head.
Eura Ansari finally gathered his wits together and spoke again: "What I want you to do is to bring her back to me as quickly as you can. My health is beginning to fail me and I'm afraid it's because my heart is not strong enough to cope with her absence now." He looked up at them, desperation swirling in his eyes. "I need her – I need... I need you to find her for me. I do not think I have a very long time to live if I cannot see her. I have to see her."
"Are you sure," asked Norin calmly, "that she wasn't kidnapped?"
"Quite sure, son, quite sure."
The two mages turned to one-another in silent conversation. While Norin was all for helping an old man, eura or not, he wasn't as much of a fighter as he was a reader and a writer. Yela Rumin didn't seem to find this extraordinary; in fact, she had gone ahead and encouraged him—letting him go to the shinto library every two or three hours. He winded up spending at least six hours in total every day, reading books, sometimes the same, sometimes newer ones.
On the other hand, Mithra was more of a fighter and less of a thinker. She couldn't stop to analyse a situation to her life; she plunged head-on, just the way she had when she thought that she and Norin were being attacked by the giant octopus. She had no patience for books, something that Yela Rumin, again, didn't seem to notice. In fact, it seemed as if as much as allowed Norin to read his books, she allowed Mithra to practice with various fighting instruments.
At last, Norin nodded and turned to the eura. "We accept. Mithra and I are your best chance at seeking and bringing back your daughter, wherever she is. I understand Yela Rumin's tactic now." A small smile graced his face. "Mithra and I – we were meant to be partners wherever we went."
It all clicked in her mind just at the moment, like puzzle pieces fitting together all of a sudden: "Sanguinus fratus." Her voice came out in a rasped whisper as she stared unseeingly at her partner.
The eura's eyes opened wide in realisation, his misery momentarily forgotten. "That's why Rumin said she'd send two rather than one."
The two turned to him in mute shock. "I thought you said –" began Norin, but was cut off.
"Yes, well, that's what she told me. The reason why she wanted to send two."
Understanding dawned upon the two friends and they stared at one-another again.
"You and I... we were never meant to be kham," muttered Norin.
Mithra shook her head. "It all adds up: Why you and I are so good together in battle and yet not feel the way kham do. We're meant to be Sanguinus fratus. And it's a good thing, I hope?"
His mouth twisted into a smile. "Definitely!"
She turned to the eura with a feeling of sudden confidence. "We'll help you find your daughter, your majesty. Never fear. We'll start the search right away!"