"Interesting." Kaizan murmured and stretched his legs in front of him towards the hearth as if trying to warm his wet boots. "Does that mean that you are now a Fallen?"
Darla chuckled.
"You don't have to answer that question Anastasia," Ileus said in an irritated voice.
"Why not?" She looked back at Kaizan scoffed, "No Kaizan. I am not a 'Fallen'. Reason – Aed Ruad was smart. He had exempted the royals from this rule. Only those who do not belong to royalty are termed Fallen."
"Why is that?" Kaizan frowned.
"Because the royalty needs to come out of Vilinski every now and then to strengthen their ties with other kingdoms. In fact it is essential. Hence the royalty is never a 'Fallen'," she replied, forming apostrophes with her fingers on either side of her head. "Oh! An extra information. Whenever the army needs to go out for a battle, they are given a special medallion, which is made to sync with their heartbeat and excuses them from this term." She hated the word Fallen. Her heartbeat increased.
Ileus's lips kicked up. He gave her a canteen from which she chugged water.
Suddenly she saw mist beginning to form around them. She wiped her mouth and gave the canteen back to him. "This place is weird," she murmured. "Mist keeps rolling off and on around us."
"Don't you know the reason yet?" Kaizan asked, looking at Ileus with an amused expression.
Darla had already finished her food rather quickly. Her breathing was ragged. "Zlu, just wind this all up. I am having a terrible headache and would like to sleep." She looked at Ileus who was giving the last bites of bread to Anastasia. She gritted her teeth and stomped away from there. While leaving she heard Ileus saying, "Zlu could you pass me some more stew?"
"Reason?" Anastasia waved her hand around and said, "This is Sgiath Biò! Nothing is logical here. The only reason I can think of is that this place is cast in heavy spells. Besides we are in Gavran Wilds, which is a part of Sgiath Biò and is even more enchanted."
Kaizan leaned forward and placed his elbow on his thighs. Resting his head on his hands, he said in a calm, mysterious way, "This mist is here because of Ileus. It bursts out of him the moment he senses danger."
Anastasia's eyes became as wide as the plate in his hand. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him. A smile was tugging his lips up as his warm golden eyes stared into her blue ones.
"How is that possible?" she was bewildered. "So that is why all the time when we were coming from Vilinski, mist was rolling around us?"
"Yes," he blinked once.
She was bereft of words. "Y—you can control the mist?" She had never seen anyone with that kind of magic.
"I can't control mist, but it bursts out of me… sometimes…" The plate Zlu had given was now resting in Anastasia's lap and Ileus was eating from it.
Anastasia couldn't wrap her head around this. She looked at Kaizan, who was smiling broadly. She snapped her head back to Ileus who was eating with raised eyebrows. "This is awesome magic! That means you know magic?" The shock she was experiencing at the revelation made her skin tingle with excitement.
"That isn't magic," he said. "It is a natural instinct."
Anastasia's head jerked back. "Now that is even more interesting! I have thousands of questions coming to my mind."
"That's new," Kaizan remarked and resumed eating.
She ignored him. "How come you didn't have this ability at Vilinski?"
Ileus gulped down the food in his mouth. "That's the wrong question. But the right answer is that I never showed that I possessed it."
"But you just said you can't control it!" she countered.
"I can't control the mist that is around me, in the air, but the mist that you see around is a part of me." He leaned closer to her, "And it comes out when I want it."
Dumbfounded, she arched an eyebrow. "And right now you want it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I sense fear in you," he replied, watching her reaction.
Anastasia sharply drew her breath in. She had read in the library that vokudlaks could sense emotions easily.
Ileus finished the last bite of his food and kept the plate down towards the pit of fire. After having water and washing his hands, he said, "Ana, don't be scared. I will give you your dagger, okay? You can keep it under your fur and sleep."
"Okay," she blinked her eyes. "In that case don't you play tease with me."
"Ah-a!" His smile resumed. "Why is that?"
"What if I attack you with it?"
Kaizan let out a low rumble that turned into laughter. "Ileus stabbed by Anastasia! That would be lovely."
"Ucuti!" Anastasia lashed at him feeling horrible at the idea. "I will not keep the dagger with me!" she said with determination and got up.
"You can keep my bow string," Aidan suggested. "My quiver is full of poisonous arrows."
Ileus tilted his head and said, "I think she would be more interested in the book you are reading Aidan."
She smacked him on his chest saying "Hell no!" and sharply turned her head to look at Aidan who was red as a ruby and now coughing in his fist.
Once he had settled, he said, "That book is not for kids!"
"Anastasia has turned eighteen. She is an adult and so by all means she isn't a kid," Ileus explained.
"Ileus, you are a rascal!" Aidan grated. "Should I tell her where I got that book from?"
"What's there to tell about it Aidan? You stole it from my saddlebag and aren't returning it," Ileus replied shamelessly.
Tadgh, who was eating his food silently till now, burst into laughter. He was so amused by the conversation that he had to keep the plate on the ground so that he could laugh uncontrollably. He was on his hands and knees over the snow as he guffawed.
"Gosh, you are so embarrassing!" said Anastasia with wide eyes and shaking her head. She was crimson like a red rose.
Carrick watched Tadgh with amusement. "This guy laughs like a donkey!"
