"Help! Help me, Murani!"
"Who are you?",Mitti called. "Why are you here?" He stared at a pool that was lined with precious stones and was more moonlight than water while leaves rustled in a gentle wind that made ripples flow across the pool. A image of a girl began to appear in the surface of the gentle waters.
"To guide you", the girl spoke in a lilting way almost as if she were playing a flute's sweet melody instead of speaking. "Your journey will be long and hard. Comfort will be found but where I cannot say."
The waters were starting to still themselves and her image was near. "Answer me a question",Mitti whispered to the reflection.
"One question",the girl replied as the last ripples stilled.
"What is my quest?"
The girl's reflection solidified in the calm pool. A few stray silver locks of hair had escaped their bindings as if defying the command to remain with the rest of the moonlight filled hair that was little more than shoulder length. She raised her face to Mitti. A face untouched by daylight and the hardships of life. Her eyes were closed and Mitti longed for them to gaze upon him. Slowly her eyelids pulled up revealing unmatched eyes. One was as gray as the mist from the depths of midnight and one as golden as a dragon's fire. But, her perfect face was scarred forever by the red slash that disfigured her golden eye.
"Your mission,"she looked up,"is to be my Savior."
Mitti woke with a start in a giant bed. Silk sheets had been scattered about the room and drenched with sweat. He wiped the back of his hand across his face and felt the familiar ridges with a sense that could only be real. With a sigh, Mitti walked toward a large wardrobe that had been stocked with royal garments that any Kinder would be proud to wear ,but for some reason he wrinkled up his nose in apparent disgust. When he realized his reaction, instead of troubling him it made him more curious. What had happened in his past that gave him this particular taste? Mitti rumaged around in the wardrobe and finally settled on a fashionable earth shirt, forest green leggings, and to finish with a flourish a cape to match.
Next, Mitti wandered into his apartment's adjacent bath to search for a comb to pull through his tangled hair. To his surprise, steaming water already rose from the tub which could've been a small pond. A servant appeared out of the steam with a tray loaded with a various selection of combs, hair ties, hair and body oils, and a towel.
"Young Master Durango supposed you would like to wash up in a hot bath",the servant said. Mitti tried to reply, but the servant stopped him. "Don't worry. It was no trouble at all to keep the water nice and hot. Karon has control over all the magic in this castle. He's the Master's magician. They say he costs a fortune to hire."He winked.
Mitti smiled. A real smile.
"Wow",the servant blinked then smiled. "If you didn't have your shirt off, I'd say you were the prettiest girl I ever saw!"
* * *
Kinnu walked the hallways of his father's mansion in an agitated way. His father had been appalled at the dark clad and dirty Mitti that had walked through the palace doors. Though, he had not yelled or pitched a fit at him for soiling his fine rugs and mahogany floors, instead he praised his son's good-heartedness. It was all very intriguing to anyone who knew his father, but it troubled Kinnu that his father's strange actions might be connected to Mitti's strange actions in the alley.
Footsteps brought Kinnu to reality as they strode toward him. Mitti was walking briskly down the hallway adorned ravishly in one of his newer robes which was the latest fashion on the Great Island. With a swirl, Mitti stood in front of Kinnu and absently twirled a strand of beaded hair.
"A comment please, Young Master,"Mitti bowed and laughed.
"Wow! Where did you get your fashion sense?"
"In a most elegant palace, where people from two courts can dance without fear or thought of tomorrow,"Mitti replied as he threw an arm over Kinnu's shoulder and spread his arms to take in the vast courtroom.
Kinnu turned ,bowed to Mitti and said,"My dear King! We must be on our way if we are to make it to the scrumptouos feast that has been prepared!"
Mitti strode gracefully forward with such purpose that it seemed he had been in this palace before which made Kinnu's mind rush frantically. Something had pleased his father and Kinnu doubted it to be Mitti's handsome face. As they entered the dining room the Master and Mistress stood and bowed to Mitti.
"Well ,good sir, how is your kingdom,"Kinnu's father asked politely.
Mitti's secret.......
"My kingdom? Why all is well,"Mitti laughed lightly.
Will not be revealed. Kinnu sighed. The rest of the dinner progressed quite ordinarily. His mother dominated most of the conversation with few words as she gently prodded the two men in the direction that she fancied for today. His father rambled on about politics when Kinnu's mother let them go on their own. Mitti listened politely with half an interest as if he was loading the information to review later for use while Kinnu just ate and despaired for the inevitable approach of the trip to his fiancee's courtroom. After an hour or so the time came and as predicted it was inevitable. Kinnu tried to skip out of the trip with the excuse of staying behind and seeing Mitti settled but was deflected effectively by his mother's guilt concept.
"Oh, my dear dear Durango, do you not love your parents no more? You never want to spend any time with us",she sobbed pitifully.
The worst of this statement was that it was true which was why Kinnu always agreed. Kinnu despised his parents who only put on the mask of love. His mother didn't demand love to her it just came with the package of bearing children and his father just thought it could be bought. So, neither of them could really see how he felt.
"Fine,"he spat rather sharply as he turned and strode to the stable where his faithful horse Aeri would be waiting.
Mitti glanced around at the enraged face of Kinnu's father and the smug smile of his mother and realized all they cared was that he went and rushed after him as he tossed a few words behind him about meeting up at the castle. When Mitti dashed around the corner, he looked down the hallway toward an open door where sobs could be heard. He jogged up to the door and peeked around the corner ready to cheer his friend up, but came face to face with a rather boyish girl whose face was streaked with tears. The girl was so startled that her sobs stopped and she clung so tight to Kinnu's shirt that her knuckles turned white.
"I'm......sorry,"Mitti blushed.
"It's OK,"Kinnu said as he helped the girl up and brushed off his coat."Fey, whenever you need me, I'll be there. Besides, I'm counting on you to back me up!"Kinnu smiled and winked.
"O..OK,"Fey replied as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to Mitti who was blushing furiously by this time. "Who are you?"
"I...well, I'm Mitti, Miss Fey,"Mitti stammered as he looked at the girl's eyes. One was gray as midnight mist and the other was gold as a dragon's fire.
* * *
Awhile later, three hooded riders could be spotted leaving the village. The one wearing a red cloak and hood with the symbol for fire rode a prancing white stallion. Next in line came a dark brown hooded rider whose mount was a fiery chestnut with socks on three feet and a blaze. Third in line was a traditional black cloaked rider mounted on a small tri colored mare with a careful thoughtful step. If you had been able to get closer, you might have noticed brown cloaked rider's elegant face and the ease with which he handled his mount ,or the trusting eyes of the boy on the mare ,but if you were closer you might see that the red cloak seemed to be empty and held aloft by air.
Kinnu could feel the staring eyes of the people around him and strengthened his invisibility spell. He guiltily split his concentration between his invisibility and safety spells for his companions. With a shake of his head, he looked up and noticed the greenery around him that suggested they were away from the town that had been his prison for the former part of his life. Kinnu threw his hood back and turned his face up to the sky to take in a deep breath when wild abandon took over his body. He touched his spurs to Winter's flank. Winter responded by breaking into a gallop down the dusty road. Fey and Mitti's mounts pulled up to the sides of Kinnu and fought for the lead.
Eventually, the horses slowed to a trot and then a walk which they kept for a good four hours until Mitti's stomach began to grumble rather loudly as he smiled appolagetically. Fey turned her horse off to the side of the road ,and the little mare picked out a careful path to a small clearing that couldn't be easily spotted from the road. Fey absently ran her fingers through her short wavy hair as she mulled over the day's events and her Durango. It was true she had not seen him for the past few days and had wondered when he might come and ride with her again. Despite her affection toward him, Durango interrpretted it only as friendship and referred to her as a little sister more than a woman. Fey sighed and chanced a glance at him as she fished out an apple for lunch.
Kinnu felt eyes on him and looked up at Fey. A smile spread across his face as he said,"Come sit" and patted a spot beside him. Fey quickly jumped down in the spot and bit into her juicy apple as she leaned against Kinnu. Juice dribbled down her chin which she wiped away with her sleeve and laughed. This was all she ever wanted. A journey during which Kinnu and her could be alone and free.
"Hey, Mitti!" Well not quite alone.
Mitti hopped about in front of his horse as it took to nipping at his heels and scrambled over to sit across from Kinnu as he brandished an apple threateningly at his steed. "Why you! Kinnu that animal is a filthy menace! Why do I have to mount her everyday," Mitti asked in an outraged voice and was rewarded with a hearty laugh from his friend and Fey's twinkling eyes which took him up a bit.
"Why are you called Kinnu,"Fey asked while chewing a bite of apple.
"Don't you like it?"
"Ah! Yes." Fey blushed at Kinnu's gorgeous smile.
"Well, Mitti called me that when we met, and I was planning a new life so why not start with a new name?"
"Yes,"Mitti chimed in suddenly wearing his serious face. "I thought it suited him." He glanced at Fey.
Kinnu got up, stretched, and looked at the sky. A peacefulness came over him like none he could describe. He felt light as air and his mind wandered to the clouds as he fancied an image of his friends shown in them. Immediately Mitti's voice rang out,"Hey look it's us!" Sure enough, an almost exact image of him and his friends was floating about in the sky.
Mitti shot an obvious frown at Kinnu. "You shouldn't have done that ,friend",he said. "Now everyone who looks at the sky will be able to recognize our faces."
"What did I do?!" Kinnu sputtered as he deeply felt rather guilty for his actions that reminded him vaguely of the fact that he had indeed done it.
"Magic is particularly common place."
"No it's not. There hasn't been a single wizard since the day all seven Races left the continent."
Fey at that time giggled. It had been forever since she had seen her grandfather who was the only one she knew that put much stock in the idea of wizards. Even now, some people had even lost faith in Oron , the Servant. Though, she still clung tight to those beliefs that had been rooted in what seemed like her very soul. This conversation seemed to her almost exactly like the argument her father and grandfather had many times over which set her into a fit of giggles until she noticed Mitti and Kinnu's puzzled faces that she promptly responded with a blush of the brightest red.
"I'm sorry,"she said faintly. "I haven't laughed in such a long time! Thanks!"
"No problem",Mitti and Kinnu responded in unison. Then turned to each other, blinked, and laughed. Before long a dark shadow discovered the group rolling on the ground laughing.
