To Bewitch a Devil

Jasmine glanced at a bawling Penelope, and answered. “She has been taken to her chambers. She fell ill and will receive medical care shortly.”

“What happened to her?” Zavian growled out. Both Jasmine and Penelope flinched at his tone, and the entire place became silent.

Penelope fell to her knees, and Azriel was dumbfounded. What had she got to do with what happened to Neera?

“I shouldn’t have taken her outside the castle gates, your Majesty. I’m sorry.” Penelope pleaded.

In a flash, Zavian held both Penelope’s arms and raised her to her feet. Penelope shook in fright, her face was leveled with his and her feet dangled a few meters above the ground.

“What happened to her?” Zavian asked slowly. Fear struck a chord in Penelope, and her breaths came out jagged.

“I don’t know…”

“Don’t tell me that! What happened to her?”

.....

Fresh tears pooled in Pen’s eyes. “I don’t know. I swear I don’t.”

“Zavian”, Azriel pulled away his friend’s tight grip from the maid. “She doesn’t know. Leave her alone.”

Penelope slumped to a pile on the ground the minute Zavian released her. His eyes glowered at her, the golden irises as vicious as the sun’s glowering beams, and then He marched away, and Azriel crouched to a crying mess of Penelope.

“I swear I don’t know…”

“Shh,” he quietened her. He pulled her to her feet. “Let’s leave. That’s the best thing to do now.”

She leaned against him and cried. When Azriel tried to pull her away, she stood her ground and shook her head.

“Neera, I have to make sure she is okay…”

“Let’s hope she is okay,” Azriel said. “But now, I won’t say it would do you any good being here. Let the King cool off, and the doctor see to her, and we should head back to my estate.”

Her protests were weak when Azriel dragged her away and mounted her up on his horse. He sat behind her, and rode out of the palace. Jasmine stood alone, and there was no emotional capacity for her to go witness Zavian go crazy over the maid in front of her, so she retreated to the garden, and let the flowers keep her company.

….

When Neera opened her eyes, it was heavy, as if she had slept for ages. It was the twittering of a bird that she heard first, and as she turned her head, the bird hopped and quirked its head, as if asking her, “Are you okay?”

But she was far from okay. Her tongue was a block of sand and her mouth was a desert. Her arms were heavy as lead when she attempted to push herself to sit up. A faint throb ached in her head, and as she sat up, she saw Zavian slumped on a sofa in a corner, golden hair falling over his face and neck, leaning in an uncomfortable position. That sight was what it took for the memory of what she saw last before she lost consciousness flood in.

The fear rang in her, and she coughed loudly. Zavian’s head shot up, and immediately, he was by her side, cradling her face in his palms.

“How are you?” He asked. She ached just seeing the way the worry pooled in his tired eyes. “Neera, talk to me. How are you feeling?”

Neera coughed again. “Wa…ter.”

Zavian stood and reached for the pitcher of water and a cup and brought it to her. As he poured it, she snatched the pitcher from his hands and downed the water, the coolness of it bringing her back to life. Water dribbled down her face as she gulped greedily and soaked the front of her gown. She stopped when she sputtered out more coughs and took in a deep inhale to breathe.

“You are fine”, Zavian’s hand was at her back, massaging it.

Neera wiped at her mouth, and she looked up at him, another memory hitting her.

“Pen…”

“Don’t worry about anyone but yourself now, Neera”, Zavian said. She didn’t miss the scowl on his face at the mention of Pen’s name, and she hoped her friend would not be punished for being out with her.

“I’m sorry”, Neera said. When Zavian said nothing, but stared at her with folded arms and blank expression, she continued, “I am sorry for leaving the castle. I was only…”

“Only what, Neera?” Zavian was furious. He had a way of making his emotions occupy every corner of the room, even if he didn’t say a word. But now, if she was put on fire and Zavian’s anger, she won’t be able to tell the difference.

She felt suffocated and hot. “I only wanted to have fun. Look around. It has been so long.”

“You know how worried you got me the last time you left the castle walls…”

“I know, but this is different…”

“How so exactly? It looks exactly the same to me. You are brought back unconscious and haven’t opened your eyes for two whole days,” Neera gasped at the revelation. “Now tell me, how exactly is this different?”

A tear slipped from her eye. He was everywhere all at once, and she could not deal with it. She could feel the air become lighter, and the wind moved more freely when Zavian came to the bed and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

“I am so scared of losing you, Neera,” his voice was close to her ear. “I cannot bear the thought of anything happening to you.”

She broke the hug, and so she was looking at his face. “Pen did nothing wrong. She made sure I was safe but...”, she shuddered. “… I saw the same strange person I saw at the wedding.”

Zavian’s brows creased in confusion. “At the wedding? When? What did you see?”

“Someone in black, with eyes of fire,” she answered. “I thought I was overthinking it at the wedding, but yesterday, it was there, in the market. And it seemed to pull me to it without even moving.”