19 Hot Soup

(Azriel POV)

Nuria was nothing like I had imagined. For one she was too young to be my mother. Secondly, she didn't even look like a mad witch, but an elegant noblewoman. Thirdly, she was one of the most beautiful women I had met. There was a strange aura about her that was alluring and yet mysterious at the same time. She could have been equally comfortable at court as she was in this hut, or in the middle of a forest. In all my sixteen years, I had never seen a woman like her.

Eva looked equally stupefied and a little jealous. She too, had never seen a woman like Nuria. Ashmeer stood looking awkwardly around as if he was out of place. Nuria narrowed her eyes and looked at him, "Ashmeer, you have grown so much since I last saw you. You were but a wee boy when I said goodbye to the then Duke of Irismus. He had just brought you home, from your village. You have become a handsome young man."

It was now Ashmeer's turn to look utterly shocked. He gulped at her, and for a moment his voice broke, "You knew father?"

"I know everyone in Irismus. I am from there myself!"

We all looked at her in surprise. What was she doing so far away from home. The people of Irismus rarely left Irismus. They found the rest of the Kingdom strange, didn't they?

Nuria clapped her hands and said, "Anyway sit down for soup you three chop chop. It's a long and sad tale as always and I don't want anyone of you dying of hunger."

(End of Azriel POV)

They found themselves sitting down obediently and Nuria poured generous helpings of hot soup for them. She sat down with a bowl on the table and delicately sipped the soup, gave a satisfied smirk, "Aha..now let's begin, Azriel"

"Your mother loved you very much, I would like you to know that. Your father does too. But he has so much more to look after and see. He gave you a good home, with loving siblings and a good stepmother too."

"What....", Azriel asked.

"Oh dear, did I begin the story in the middle? How like me! Well once upon a time there was a young woman named, Zivana, and she was the daughter of the mountain chieftain of the Koshi clan in the Kush mountains. It was mainly part of Irismus but it was rather near the Blight. Well, you see when the Blight starts coming near the land, it works both ways. The Blight affects the land and the land affects the Blight as well. I won't get into details, but well, let's say the mages and witches we have, are all due to the Blight. Anyway, that's for another time, when you all need it, but for now, I would tell you that the chieftain's daughter led a hunting expedition near the Blight and came back rather changed. So changed that she was soon able to transfigure into a bird. But, not any bird, she was able to transform into a Silver Phoenix."

Azriel sat there listening to Nuria, tears now streaming down her face. So what she had was not a terrible illness, nor was she a monster. She had inherited this from her mother?

Nuria didn't notice her tears and went on, "The blood of a Silver Phoenix can destroy the Blight. So you can only imagine how valuable was the chieftain's daughter to the clan. But like always, there are those who serve the dark forces, and soon the clan found itself under multiple attacks. It was after one such attack when the Koshi clan had almost lost everyone, that Zivana stole away into the night. She knew living there, so near the Blight and the forces of Darkness would always be a threat to her people. Her enemies were terrified of her power and her magic and thirsted for her blood. So she ran away. Now she didn't run away alone, but ran away with her younger sister....that's me. Nuria."

She paused and looked at the rapt faces around her and said, "Wait have some more soup, we have so much to do and you will not get much time with your father anyway, so do leave at dawn tomorrow, no matter what!"

She poured more soup for the trio and took a deep breath and continued, "Well, the thing is that Zivana and I were terrified of being found. We ran and hid for many days, but we knew the Blight and the dark forces would find us. So we decided to come to Andora and hide in the ruined castle. It has magical wards, which would hide our powers. What you people call magic and sorcery is just a way of life and a oneness with nature for the people of the Koshi clan, so we knew we would be safe there if we kept low."

She sighed as if remembering those terrible days, "Anyway, that was many years ago, and your mother was very beautiful. She grew rather restless after a few months in the ruined castle and begged me to let her see a bit of the world. I was quite distraught about what to do. I didn't want her getting caught so I used my glamour, which for us is not really magic, to transform her into a young hunter. I thought the dark forces would be looking for a woman and not a man, and I told her to return back before the waxing of the moon, else she would transform back into her real self."

Azriel sat rapt in attention. She couldn't even believe what she was hearing. Her whole life was changing very swiftly.

"Well, to cut a long story short, somehow your mother got caught up in the hunting party of the Young Vazier Vizriel and the two became good friends. Such good friends that they were inseparable and spent days hunting together. Your mother, well, she had never met a man like Vizriel before, so charming and learned and respectful to her. The men of the North are not so gentle maybe..., " she gave a sly glance to Ashmeer who refused to look back at her, and continued, "So anyway she should have left his hunting party before the waxing of the moon like I told her to, but she could not get herself to do it. I think Vizriel stood no chance when his dear friend became the most beautiful woman in the world he had ever seen. It might have happened very quickly, because then in a few days your mother returned to the ruined castle and was already with child. Well, she was delighted but I was worried. A child would slow us down. But, then well, a child is also so precious. In a few months then you were born, but your mother was sick. Staying away from Irismus, in the middle of such powerful magic like the one at the ruined castle, she had grown weak. Childbirth had made her weaker, and then she just started wasting away. But....not before she told me all about your father and their love and well....the fact that she had somehow transferred most of her magic to you. But by then she was too sick and too weak. Her heart has broken now that she could not be with her love. Vizriel already had four children from his wife and she could not make him break his home and where would they stay? Anyway, once she died I knew I could not let you stay in the ruined castle forever, so I took you to your father. He took one look at you and he knew, those eyes of yours, sapphire just like his."

She wiped a sudden tear from her eyes and said, "I stayed on here, making a small home in this village. With her gone, I could go out into the world again. But, I knew a day would come when you would need me. And you too Ashmeer. Your mother was from the Koshi clan too. She was one of our fiercest warriors, and Zivana and she were close like sisters only. They both.....anyway that's for you to tell Azriel. I will only continue my story.

Azriel, when you changed, it was because the Blight had reached the borders of Andora. Every time the Blight reaches a land, nature creates its protectors. It's the constant balance of good and evil, life and death. I know you have struggled to understand your true nature but you found no space here to learn to change. In Irismus it is second nature to all. Think about why you always change at the ruined castle. There is a reason for it."

She sighed then, looking a bit spent, and said, "I'm getting you all some dinner. I've been cooking since morning for you all. Then we must discuss how you will look for the Book of Secrets."

Azriel sat there stunned, "So, I'm not from Andora?"

"Of course you are! Andora has claimed you as its own my child. Wait till you go to the mines and you will know how you now belong to both Andora and Irismus."