38. The Darkness Prevails

The cawing of ravens filled the air with such volume that one might imagine the dark witch wandering on her estate while all the ravens guarded her wherever she went in Ardna Chirig. The ravens all gathered to construct a throne for Nicoria, the black witch Queen, to sit on.
The king of the raven wizards was hiding in the Witch castle, at the furthest part of the living room, where only the brooms could fit. In the face of Igikran, the disgrace of insult was sought.
The humiliation of failure and the shattered pride fueled Igikran's determination to revenge Dev and his comrade Ivan Shirk. Igikran's blood was consumed by vengeance, and as the Black witch descended the stairway from her apartment, Igikran's visage is buried in infamy. The Black witch asked Igikran, “Reveal your face, you coward”
“My Queen, punish me...” cawed Igikran. "I can't bear the shame of losing my battle to those dragons... Curse me, kill me...”
The Black Witch shook her finger, and a whirlwind of black filthy smoke dragged Igikran from the corner to stand in front of her.
Igikran jumped up and said angrily, "I will avenge those dragons... I'll slice their heads to make a crown for my queen, and sting their bones to weave a garland. I'm going to take a bath in their blood...”
The Black Witch remarked, “The wounded mind is the strongest of all. It cannot be overwhelmed by any legendary heroism. Avenging feel proliferates one’s power by thrice their original power. Raise my warrior, Build yourself”
Igikran formed a mysterious circle in the large living room to perform his ritual to regain his power under the instruction of the Black Witch. The other raven wizards drummed the instrument they have and performed the nerve-trembling ritual to regain their powers which had been depleted in the previous battle with White and Red dragons.
The ritual needed to sacrifice life, so the soldiers of Igikran went in search of innocent humans. Igikran who didn’t want to waste his time looking for a human dragged Azile, who was hiding in the kitchen cabinet.
Azile shouted to her full throat to let her go but Igikran turned deaf ears to her. Nuraz and Deniza begged the Black Witch not to kill their daughter.
Deniza pleaded with the Black Witch, “My queen, please spare my daughter’s life. Surely she will be useful to you. She won’t be denying your words. We swear it on our lives and give our word…”
Azile was shouting at her mother, “Mother… don’t do such promise, she will make use of us. She will make us her slave… Don’t fall on her tricks… Father, don’t allow the mother to do such swear”
Nuraz replied with a cry, “You are our only daughter; we can’t live by seeing your death… So, we will do anything to save you…” turned towards the Black Witch, “My Queen, we will do by your words, please spare our daughter’s life…”
The Black Witch opened her mouth, “Igikran, leave her… We will make use of her life… Spare these werewolves; they will lead us to obtain our glory bestowing to my plan.”
Nuraz, Deniza and Azile were confined in a chamber which resembled a prison and waited for their turn to escape. The three were locked in separate chambers where they could only hear each other’s voices.
*****
"Dev!?!" a voice behind waked up the couples indulged in their romantic dream world. It was Nora, who tends to ruin their night appeared in the Cave Bar of Frozen Crescent.
Dev got to his sense and found that he was not in his dreams but the real world. As soon as he realized the fact of having a girl in his arms, he got to his feet quickly without looking at Akshara.
Dev regretted his performance with Akshara who stood up and got hit by his wings and fell over him again. Dev got her in his arms and looked into her eyes. Both were lost in their thoughts when both their eyes captured each other.
Nora busted in anger to let her nostrils flare with the fire of anger to witness such a romantic scene performed by them, "DEV?!?"
Nora rushed towards them and pulled Akshara from Dev. Nora raised her hand to beat her for her closeness with Dev. Dev got wrists of Nora to stop hitting Akshara.
Nora shouted at Akshara, "How dare you to touch my prince... I mean the prince...?"
The deeply sorrowed Akshara stood helpless when she was about to smash a girl from nowhere. She thought that there is no one in this world to help her from any type of danger. Dev stood in front of her, defending her from Nora’s attack.
Dev shouted to calm Nora, “Nora… Behave”
Nora listened to him and looked angrily. Dev instructed her, “Nora, let’s get back to the castle. I am drowsy.”
Akshara felt touched in her heart that a man stood for her and stood before her trouble only to protect her. She was well-known about the fact that the protection was temporary and soon this too would vanish into thin air like everything else.
She struggled a lot between accepting the truth and the fact. While realizing the truth, the drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. Akshara concealed her face in her palms to rush from the scene and hurried to hide from them.
The mixed feeling of shyness and fear ate her up to realize the fact that she was kissed by an unordinary man with wings. She hastened her way to her chamber with preoccupied thoughts, without looking back at him.
*****
When she reached her chamber, she hopped onto her bed and hides her under thick blanket thinking, “The girl in purple may be his girlfriend of him, that’s why she flared in anger. It seemed that the ragged girl might be related to the winged man.
He was so arrogant to cheat on her. The purple girl was certainly beautiful. I am no match for her. But it is not me to accuse, it was him who took the initiative. Today I came across many types of men - abusive one, guarding one, regretting one and finally seductive one.”
The mind of Akshara lingered on to the part of the scene that happened in the room of Anura and the words uttered by Anura in her ears were echoed in her mind,
“The person who brings you here surely felt that it would be the safest place for you under my care. Don’t be worry about such abuse; you must be strong to face any men who stood before you.
Never underestimate the inner self of yourself, do not ever accept your failure easily. I can understand by your look what would have happened to you. What if you lose your memories let your past be in your past.
Be glad that you are still alive and you have a chance to build your memories freshly that may not be gifted to anyone to rebuild their memories.
Everything happens for a reason… Collect yourself, you look shattered…”
The echoes faded and her mind dwelled in the realm of dream which was fully occupied by Dev. Akshara was walking to the man who stood in the middle of somewhere in her dream. He radiates the brightness of his aura which enchanted Akshara.
Akshara went near him knowing that he was the same one who kissed her earlier. She moved further to clarify her arousal of questions. The man in turn pulled her waist towards him and put her hands around his neck.
The same was reflected in the dreams of Dev too, who was in his bedroom struggling to sleep due to the happenings on that day.
Dev spoke some words in his dreams towards the girl who embraced him, “Why do you come to me?”
Akshara who was dreaming in the Frozen-Crescent opened her mouth, “I need to ask you about something”
Dev was gliding her nose with his nose replied, “Anything… Ask me”
Akshara asked, “How can you kiss a girl when you saw her for the first time? Don’t you know the manners?”
Dev replied by resting his forehead on hers, “Of course, I am well taught. But, it is your fault. You and your eyes provoked me to do that. I am... innocent”
Akshara raised her brows, “How come it is my fault? You must take hold of your foot.”
Dev smiled to move his face towards her earlobes and whispered something in her ear, “Do you think it is possible? Well, you must take hold of you (mentioning her response towards him during their intimacy), Why didn’t you do that?”
Akshara stammered with words, as her eyes twinkled and her face blushed, “Ahmm…That is... It was you who made me do that. You controlled me, then... I was...”
Dev replied by narrowing his eyes, “Oh, I see... You would have resisted me if you want to. I never hold your arms. You could have pushed me away, rather you enjoyed my embrace so like today… Why didn’t you do anything to get rid of me?”