I wake up, completely disoriented, as I have many times in the past few weeks. I can't say that I'm fully adjusted to this new lifestyle of mine. I groan and clutch my head. The pounding pain there is unbelievable, like a thousand rocks are being dumped on my skull all at once.
Mina passes me a couple of small, white pills, a small smile gracing her round face. I eye them suspiciously. "What are these?" I inquire.
Nasrin rolls her eyes. "Get over yourself, Kiana. They're Tylenol."
I gulp down the pills greedily and look around. "Where are we?" I sit up, and my head spins. Neither Nasrin or Mina answer, and I have to wait for my vision to clear before I can find out why.
What lies before me is a comforting, familiar scene. Visya's variety of structures stretches out on a green mountain before us, and the whole image is picturesque and calm.
I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good." My bed and a hot meal sounds really good right about now. "How did we get back here?" I ask as I rise, heavily relying on Mina for stability. She pulls me up.
Mina hands me over to Nasrin who places me not-so-gently on the ground again. "After we got the horns, we were panicking. You were passed out on the ground. It looked like you were dead," Mina says. She gulps. "Your pulse was really slow and you wouldn't wake up for anything. It was so chaotic. Everyone was screaming and there were sirens. Everyone was looking at us, so we scooped you up and ran. There was nothing else to do. We didn't make it very far. We had only run a couple of blocks before someone grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into their house."
I try to blink away my confusion and pain. "I can't tell if this is real or not." My friends don't regard my statement.
"Nasrin dropped you, ready to fight. We didn't know what was going on."
"Sounds about right," I mutter.
"I couldn't really see because it was so dark, but I heard her hit something. I backed into the wall, and bumped the light switch. There was this guy who had Nasrin by both wrists so that she couldn't move."
"I was handling the situation," Nasrin retorts.
"No you weren't," Mina continues. "He actually had a couple of inches on you, and he was way more buff."
"Liar," Nasrin snarls, her ego clearly bruised.
"Anyway, I just kinda stood there. Just to recap, you were unconscious on the floor, Nasrin was incapacitated, and I was too scared to move. The dude just stares at me calmly while Nasrin is trying to kick him." Mina clears her throat. "After a while, Nasrin stopped kicking and he let her go, and we all just sat in silence looking at each other."
"So, who is he?" I press, bored of the unnecessary details.
"His name is Kai Kosrow," Nasrin supplies.
"I have no idea who that is."
Nasrin shrugs. "Neither do we."
"But what we do know is that Nasrin is smitten with him," Mina teases.
I raise an eyebrow. "Nasrin?"
The peri in question flushes and averts her eyes. "That's ridiculous," she scoffs.
"He was handsome," Mina admits, "but I think that you liked his voice best. So deep and mysterious." Mina's eyebrows wiggle at Nasrin who scowls in return.
"Stop it!" she protests, and the two launch into a dispute.
"Enough!" I exclaim. "Are either of you planning on telling me how exactly Kai helped you?'
Nasrin sighs. "Long story short, he lent us his horse."
I tilt my head. I don't recall riding a horse. "How long was I out?"
The peri shakes her head. "It was magic, or something. It was giant, big enough for us to all comfortably fit on the back."
"It was the darkest black I've ever seen, and its coat was glossy and shiny," Mina pitches in.
Nasrin nods. "I swear it was as fast as light. We got from India to Iran in an hour."
"That's not possible," I murmur. Nasrin shrugs as if that had never occurred to her.
I cringe as another wave of pain pounds my head. I don't bother with pressing Mina and Nasrin on the specific details of how we got here. Nothing has to make sense for me to accept it anymore.
I take a shaky step towards the village, but Mina catches my arm. "Wait," she starts. "I don't think we should go back to the village, Kiana." I furrow my eyebrows and look to Nasrin.
"Actually, I agree with Mina for once." Mina flushes red and shrugs as if to say, I'll take what I can get.
"Why?" I voice, trying not to sound as disappointed as I feel. My whole body aches for a shower, food, and a good night's sleep.
"I'm sorry, Kiana, it's just that I don't think we'd exactly be welcomed back into Visya with open arms. It doesn't matter if we left for a good reason. We'll be viewed as disloyal and untrustworthy. Don't you remember what Ramin said?"
My heart sinks. "We have to go back," I protest. We aren't even close to being prepared for another mission. Do we even have another option?"
"I don't know," Nasrin mutters, rubbing her temples.
"Maybe you're right, Kiana," Mina admits. "No offense, dude, but you look like trash." I supply a scowl." I think that we could all use some sleep and food judging by the state we're in. Plus, the only weapons we have left are your daggers. Nasrin, your bow snapped when you were dealing with the daeva. Going back to Visya is a terrible idea, but I'm afraid that leaving as we are now is worse."
"It's your call, Nasrin," I say quietly. I shoot her my best puppy dog eyes.
She rolls her eyes with a huff. "Fine," she grunts, and I cheer internally.
...
Mina, Nasrin, and I sneak through the backyards of my peers. The people who live out here in the forest reside in homes a lot like mine. They're secluded, simple, and small.
The sky is dark, and the woods that we creep through are quiet. I don't know exactly what time it is, but my guess is that everyone is asleep. I haven't seen anyone out and about.
We reach the hut without interruption. I feel my tense shoulders relax slightly. So far, so good. Nasrin looks around, stoops down, and procures something from a bush on the right side of my cabin. She stands, wielding a new bow.
"Nasrin!" I exclaim. "Why is that there?"
"Um... just in case I ever needed it," she replies in that you are so dense, Kiana tone of voice.
I gape at her. "Did it never occur to you to, I don't know, tell me that you were hiding a weapon in my shrubbery?"
Nasrin purses her lips. "No, actually."
I scowl and lead the group to the hut. We barely step into the humble dwelling when a pair of footsteps can be heard crashing towards us through the woods. I lift my daggers defensively, and glance over to see Nasrin quietly nock an arrow on her new bow. We haven't given Mina any sort of weapon yet, but she wields a book at the door menacingly, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. It's better than nothing, I guess.
We all hold our breath as the footsteps near. The owner of the frantic thundering bursts through the door. Nasrin and I release the contents of our lungs in relief, but Mina doesn't seem to care that our guest in nonthreatening. She chucks her book at him. He sidesteps it easily and whips back around to face us, bewildered.
"Ali!" I exclaim. The newcomer heaves in the doorway, looking as if he's sweating buckets. He must be nervous or something, because the last time I went running with him, he hardly even broke a sweat.
Mina averts her eyes shyly, and Nasrin openly glares at the new arrival.
"What are you doing here?" she asks with a scowl.
Ali peers at us, looking just as confused as I feel. "I came here to hide," he explains breathlessly. "It's on the way out of the camp. I figured they would look for me at the gazebo first, and then in the forest. I was going to hide here until they gave up on combing the forest, and then I was going to get out of here."
"What are you hiding from?" Nasrin demands.
I search my mind for some reason to explain why Ali might be hiding here. I think back to the day that we left Visya. He must have left the same day. I didn't see him at lunch like usual.
"You guys have to help me get out of here," he pleads, completely ignoring Nasrin. "Come with me."
"Why do you want us to leave so badly?" Nasrin pushes. She advances in Ali's direction and pokes him in the chest with an accusing finger after each word that spills out of her mouth. He raises his hands defensively.
"I don't think it's any of your business," he snaps.
Nasrin's jaw drops. "Well that's bold. What did you do that's so bad you can't tell us?"
Ali's jaw ticks. "I didn't do anything wrong," he whispers, his tone pure ice.
A million warning bells go off in my head. I've never seen him express this much emotion before, but now it looks like he's about to explode.
"If you want us to help you, you should start by telling us what happened," I say gently.
Ali eases down into the chair by the window and rubs his forehead with his palm.
"It's personal. Can't you respect that?" he snaps.
I open my mouth to speak, but Nasrin beats me to the punch. "He isn't worth it," she says. "If he doesn't want to tell us, that's fine. We were getting by just fine without any assistance from him, and if he really needed our help, he would have spoken up already."
Nasrin grabs my wrist in one hand and Mina's in the other. To my surprise, Mina snatches her arm away.
"Why do you treat him like that, Nasrin?" Her voice grows louder with each word, and I share a concerned glance with Ali. "Don't you get it? He's just like all of us. People don't like Kiana because they don't think she'll be of any use to them." I cast my eyes to the ground. She's not wrong. "People don't like me because they think I'm some half-wit loser. People don't like you because they think that you're a privileged suck up, but none of that stuff is true." Mina is heaving by this point. "If you keep making assumptions about Ali, then you're no different. Can't you just cool it? Maybe if you stopped judging him all the time he'd be more willing to talk to us." Mina finishes her rant, her fists clenched. I can practically see the steam rolling off her.
Nasrin's arms are folded over her chest, and her mouth clenched shut. Ali's back is rigid as a board in his seat, and his expression is blank once more. Nasrin waves a hand in Ali's direction and gulps.
"Look, I just had to check on my mom," he says, his voice monotone. "It's been awhile since I've seen her. I asked Ramin to let me go see her, but he wouldn't let me. He wouldn't even let me try to explain why I needed to leave. He just assumed that I was up to something."
"Yeah, we ran into the same problem," I say.
Ali crinkles his eyebrows. "Did you leave Visya?"
"Yeah," I say slowly. "Didn't get the memo, Ali? We're in the same boat."
He throws his hands up. "I wasn't here when you left. Plus, you never outright said that you haven't been here."
Nasrin changes the topic. "I wonder why Ramin would think that you were up to trouble?" she starts. "Do you think that maybe it's because of how shady you act all the time?" She finishes her statement and places a hand on Ali's chest, pushing him backwards.
Mina takes a step forward. "Did you not hear anything I just said?"
"Come on, Nasrin. We both know that Ramin has a God complex and he gets on some sad little sort of high by exerting authority over other people. Why would Ali's situation be any different than ours?" I chip in.
Ali takes a step forward silently. He stares up at Nasrin, cool and unwavering. "You don't know anything about me, Nasrin," he asserts, finishing our attack against her.
"Then explain yourself to me," she challenges.
He blinks up at Nasrin, his expression still one of steel. "My father was abusive. He isn't around anymore, but I feel like I still need check in on my mom from time to time to make sure he doesn't come back." A blanket of silence is thrown over the room, stifling and uncomfortable. "Is that a good enough for you, or do you need further explanation, Nasrin?" Ali finishes.
My stomach churns in sympathy. I glance to my friends, trying to gauge their expressions. Mina visibly melts, but Nasrin doesn't look sold. She folds her arms moodily across her chest.
I don't wait for Nasrin's opinion. "Look," I start, "Why don't we go find Prof.? I can talk to him on your behalf, try and convince him to get Ramin to let us all stay."
Ali shakes his head. "You don't understand, Kiana. The consequences of leaving this place without permission are dire. They're going to be bad enough for you, but due to my... special circumstances, they're going to be even worse for me. We all need to get out of here, right now.
"He's right," Nasrin interjects. Apparently, Ali's story has cooled her down enough to think clearly. "We should get out of here before someone finds us."
I swear under my breath. "Where are we supposed to go?" I ask, wringing my hands nervously.
Mina shrugs. "I don't care where we go, as long as we get there soon."
I push my way out of the hut and look back at it wistfully. Everything would be so much easier if I could just stay here in the village. Nasrin was right. I did end up having a connection with this place, and I don't want to leave it behind. I'll miss the peace it brings me. In my opinion, it was a better place for meditation and prayer than the designated areas in Visya. It was always quiet, and there was comfort in knowing that it was mine.
"Wait," Nasrin calls out, pulling me from my daze. She marches over to a bush and pulls a fresh quiver out of its depths. "This is what we came here for after all, isn't it? More weapons?"
I raise an inquisitive eyebrow. "I thought we were coming here for the bow and supplies. Are there any other dangerous tools that can kill people that you'd like to pull out of my bushes?"
She sighs impatiently. "What does it matter to you? You never even noticed they were there."
I frown. "I literally have no time for your sass right now, Nasrin. Can you save it?"
Nasrin sticks her tongue out at me, and I return the mocking gesture. We have a stare down for a few good moments, as our company stares on, completely flabbergasted.
"Are you guys serious?" Ali asks, finally breaking the silence. "We really have to go, right now. You guys are ridiculous." I drop my gaze, embarrassed. He's not wrong.
A twig snaps, and we all collectively whip our heads towards the source of the noise. Bita and some of the other peri I've seen around the village emerge from the forest and surround us, and it's crystal clear at first glance that we're outnumbered, at least three to one.
I glance to Nasrin. She's frozen, eyes wide, mouth agape. My pulse quickens. I've never seen Nasrin appear to be this afraid. She's always so aloof and indifferent.
Bita steps forward. "Nasrin," She greets with a cold smile. "I can't say that I was surprised to find out that it was you brought the traitor here to Visya. Why'd you bring her back?" She casually twists the tip of her sword around in the dirt, one hand on her hip.
"She's not a traitor," Nasrin spits out, finally regaining her courage. My heart swells, thankful for Nasrin's praise.
Bita shrugs. "Whatever. Look, Nasrin. I really do hate you, but I have enough of a heart make this as easy as possible. Ramin is already going to punish you, so why don't you just come with us willingly? I would hate to have to do anything to you out here where your goddess buddy can't help you."
I glance from Bita to Nasrin. I guess I never noticed until now that Bita has at least half a foot on Nasrin, and her muscles are more defined.
Nasrin practically has fumes shooting out of her ears. Bita has clearly touched a nerve with the whole, Nasrin relies on Anahita too much, jab.
Nasrin balls up her fist and opens her mouth to retort, but I beat her to the punch. While everyone was distracted by Nasrin and Bita's banter, I had quietly summoned some earth and made a ball of mud in my hand. I will it towards Bita's head and it hits the side of her face with a wet smack. An expression of rage dominates her striking face, and she reaches up to pluck a twig from her slicked back ponytail. She flicks it to the side and looks to me with murder in her eyes.
"Sounds like someone's a bit jealous of Nasrin!" I taunt. "Are you mad that you're stuck on maid duty for a bunch of Hercules hopefuls while Nasrin runs errands for a goddess?"
Bita is literally quaking in anger now. "What's the deal, Bita?" I push, "you're taller, more fit, and more liked than Nasrin, so why is it that you aren't the one working for a goddess?"
I've gone too far. Bita's nostrils flare, and her muscles are tense.
"You're dead," she whispers. I can barely hear her, but she doesn't have to shout for me to get the message. Chills erupt all over my body. I look over to Nasrin, trying to read the situation.
Run, she mouths. She doesn't have to tell me twice. Nasrin and Ali have already bolted by the time I've come to my senses, so I grab Mina's hand and pull her along. A wall of peri blocks our escape plan.
I flick my hands at the ground and the earth under their feet rumbles. The peri fall to the forest floor more clumsily then I ever thought would be possible for such graceful creatures. Mina and I dash into the woods, and I see a glimpse of Nasrin as we separate.
"Don't wait for anyone, Kiana," Nasrin calls over her shoulder as she ducks beneath a branch. "Get yourself out of here!"
I don't want to listen to Nasrin's command. I don't want Mina to leave my protection. I don't want the fate of my friends to be out of my hands.
I don't think Mina will be able to outrun the peri. I don't think I'll be able to outrun the peri. My heart races at twice the pace of my legs. All I need to do is get to the gazebo, I think in an attempt to calm my nerves.
Several peri race after Nasrin, but Bita stays hot on my trail. She puts on a burst of speed, and suddenly she's right behind me. I feel myself waning, as I still haven't really recovered from my stunt in India. I can't outrun her.
The daggers.
I don't have complete faith in my knife throwing abilities, but I whip one of the blades out from my belt and throw it as hard as I can in Bita's direction anyway. It whizzes past her head and lands in a tree trunk right beside her with a resounding thunk. Bita stops in her tracks and raises a shocked hand to the ear that the knife nearly nicked and touches it lightly.
She gapes at me in awe. Honestly, I'm surprised that I pulled that off too. I wasn't expecting to be able to. I pull my shoulders back confidently and look Bita directly in the eye.
"Do not come after me, or the next one won't miss," I whisper coolly, surprised that I managed to articulate the sentence without wobbling. I don't know what I would've done had I hit her. Bita is at a loss for words, so I take my lucky silence as a cue to leave.
I reach towards the tree my dagger is impaled in, my fingers extended. Bita cringes, to my satisfaction. I draw in my fingers sharply like I'm crushing a piece of paper and the blade slides out of the tree. It zooms towards me, blade-first. I turn slightly to the side as it zips by, and snatch it out of the air by its leather handle. The whole weapon is nearly too hot to hold. I tuck it into my belt regardless, smiling smugly at the baffled peri, and race away.
Even though Bita isn't following me, I can sense several other peri chasing me. It isn't long before they surround me completely, and I know I won't be able to fend them off. I attempt to move the ground beneath their feet again, but they anticipate my attack and flutter out of range with their golden wings. I know that I shouldn't give in so easily, but I don't have any fight left in me. I practically faint into their arms in exhaustion.
A peri drags me roughly through the woods into the pavilion before shoving me to the ground. I try to rise, but she places a muddy boot on my back and pushes me down again. I don't attempt to stand back up.
Mina is already here looking virtually unharmed. The next victim is Nasrin, followed by Ali. I choke back a sob. Nasrin's nose is swollen and dripping blood, and her left eye has already started to bruise. Next to me, a terrified tear leaks from Mina's innocent, brown eyes as she looks at our friend.
Villagers circle us, still wearing their pajamas and slippers. They don't look tired though. The weight of their whispers climbs onto my back and burden me like a backpack full of bricks. My chest aches. I don't know why I care do much about what these people think. I was never friends with any of them anyway.
I feel my eyes begin to water, and I'm met with a mixture of pity and disgust by the crowd. My stomach churns, and my mind races. Don't cry. Don't throw up. Don't cry. Don't throw up.
I search for a friendly face in the crowd. Prof. pushes his way to the front of the crowd as I watch. He opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but a broad figure bursts through the onlookers, knocking Prof. to the side before he can say anything. The rude newcomer proves to be the last face I want to see right now. Ramin. The man who I was so desperate to earn the respect of when I first got here.
His eyes don't hold the same warmth as when I met him, but rather a cold anger. I can only read one word that they hold. Pathetic. He thinks I am pathetic. He thinks I'm pathetic for running away and abandoning something he thought I was loyal to. He thinks that I'm pathetic for not even accomplishing anything while I was gone. He thinks I'm pathetic for not being able to get away a second time. The list goes on and on.
An eerie silence sweeps over the ensemble, and my muscles clench so hard that I begin to shake. The quiet is unbearable.
"Ramin, please, just listen to what I have to say," I beg. I glance to my entourage for help. Nasrin is unconscious, Ali is stone-faced, and Mina looks like she's about to wet her pants. We are such a sorry bunch.
"Why should I?" Ramin questions. "Why should I listen to a coward and a traitor?"
I shake my head. "Ramin, don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?"
His nostrils twitch. "I don't think you're in a position to test your boundaries right now," he snipes. "You waltz in here thinking you're so special because you're favored by a goddess."
"That's not true!" I protest.
Ramin shoots daggers at me. "No, Kiana, you don't get it. This is where you shut up."
My face flushes and I bite my tongue. "You are just like Nasrin. The two of you don't even know what being on the ground feels like after being on your high horses for so long. I know what your excuses are, Kiana. I just don't care. I'm sure you were warned of the consequences of leaving Visya, yet you didn't listen. You even dragged Mina into it. I don't need to hear what you have to say."
I heave angrily. Ramin is right. I don't have the upper hand in this situation, and I really don't have a say in whatever happens next. I try to rise with my last shred of dignity still intact, but I'm pushed down once again by a mystery peri.
"Leave," Ramin says coldly. His face is completely void of emotions, and his eyes are glassy.
"But-," I start, but he cuts me off.
"No!" he shouts. "Get out of here! Now! You have fifteen minutes to leave Visya, or your consequences will be a lot worse than they already are. I'm letting you off easy, Kiana Ahmadi. Take your opportunity now."
I bite my lip. I don't have any other options. Ali and I scoop the bloody Nasrin off the ground and start out of the pavilion. Mina grabs her feet and the three of us stumble away.
A tear leaks out of my eye, and I don't wipe it away. I allow it to drip to the earth and carry on, not letting any more tears fall. I only need the one. I push my fear to the side and focus on the most important matter at hand— getting Nasrin to safety.
...
Author's note727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGObPbFpgHI
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