The Enchanted Flame

Chapter 8- Key to leave this Kingdom

“Where is your friend?”

We had been walking for hours, we crossed the forest and climbed a mountain. The journey did not feel long, Killian was not a bad company. Walking with him could get annoying from time to time when he would flaunt his supernatural powers, how he did not get tired of walking for miles. Throughout the journey he got many chances to brag and like a good superior shifter, he did not leave a single chance.

But with him I did not feel the need to fake any smile or laugh, I could be the real me.

“There,” Killian pointed towards our right. I wiped the beads of sweat rolling from the corner of my forehead with the help of my sleeves.

I used my hand to shield my eyes from the sharp rays of the sun. The place where he was pointing at had a bunch of trees growing together. I tried to get a look at what was on the other side but could not see anything.

In fact, I was sure there was nothing behind the trees.

I quickly started following Killian as he approached the trees, taking long steps with no worry.

There was hardly any space to get through them and I was still reluctant to get inside even if there was a possibility, thinking about the insects and rodents living there was making my skin crawl with fear.

When we reached near them, Killian stood near the mango tree and knocked on its bark in a rhythmic manner three times.

The tree was hollow.

I looked carefully at the tree and soon it started moving, a bunch of birds sitting on the branches flew away in the blue sky.

The trunk between two mango trees shifted and a door formed between them.

How was it possible?

I thought magic was not allowed here.

“You will understand everything soon,” Killian answered with a knowing smile after reading my confused expression.

We both walked through the door and I was instantly on my guard.

Inside the trees was hiding a wizard or witch which did not mean that person would be friendly. We entered the room with olive green walls, it was completely stacked with things poorly organized in a disorderly manner. After entering there was a round table just a few steps away towards the right. If not careful one could bump into it.

Some flower vases were here and there with leaves falling out from them, shelves all around the walls were the main attraction of the room.

Something was brewing on the fire at the end of the room, that was giving a distinct spicy aroma to the room and a small man with a royal blue triangle hat was standing next to it with a smile on his face, revealing a missing incisor.

“Oh, sweet potatoes, if it is not my dearest friend.” The old man gathered his long white beard in one hand and started moving quickly towards Killian which was not easy in the royal blue robe and his long beard.

I was focusing on his aura, it felt familiar but I had never met this man in my whole life.

Killian was saying something to the strange man but I was not listening to anything, my entire focus was on studying the aura of that man.

“Trying to read Edor’s aura,” the man turned his attention towards me with his green eyes shining with an unknown emotion, “you have grown so much.”

There was wisdom in his aura, the same wisdom that helped us get out of the problems.

My eyes widened in realization, “Edor.”

None of us thought he was alive after the witch threw him in the kingdom of superior shifters but here he was standing in front of me, unharmed.

So many questions were running in my head, how was he alive?

“How is this possible?” I did not realize I said the question loudly, the question was not for anyone.

“Edor owes his life to him,” he looked at Killian with an admiration shining in his eyes.

My eyes drifted towards Killian as well, who was busy analyzing the snake-like green leaf of the plant, “Edor has a habit of exaggerating things, I have told you Edor, you do not owe me shit.”

Killian was still looking at the plant, the leaves were long, almost as long as my arm, and had a scale-like appearance on them.

Edor shook his head, his long grey hair coming out of the hat with yellow stars, followed the movement of his head as well, “Killian saved my life, Killian gave Edor this home, kept him safe from the shifters, and asked for nothing in return.”

With a smile I glanced at Killian who was denying everything, he was different from the stories I had heard about the shifters. His heart was kind, he helped two people from the kingdom shifters hated the most. If it was someone else, Edor and I would have been dead a long time ago but Killian did not care about his life and saved us.

Realizing that, the respect in my heart increased for Killian that day.

“Basically, you are running a program to save witches and wizards, either you hate this kingdom or you don’t care about your life,” I joked with him, I was not going to let him know I admired something about him. It would just feed his already massive ego.

“I love saving damsels in distress. You can call me your knight with shining armor,” he winked in my direction.

My cheeks started getting warmer, “Oh, puh-lease, I was more than capable of saving myself and for the record, I am far away from the damsel in distress.”

Edor was looking between us with a grin.

“Would you like to eat something?” He interrupted before Killian could say something in return.

“That would be wonderful, I am starving,” Killian walked over near the fire to peek at the contents brewing inside the black pot.

“Killian,” I screeched his name in disbelief.

He lifted his shoulders in the air, “What? He does not mind.”

I passed a small smile to Edor who was not paying any attention towards Killian but staring at me with a weird look which I dismissed.

.

.

.

.

We were all sitting near the round table on chairs that looked completely different from each other. The chair on which Killian was sitting looked small for him but it was the size of every chair in the room. But Killian was not complaining about anything, in fact, he was not paying any attention to anything.

I stirred the contents of reddish-brown soup in the bowl with hesitation, while Killian was already halfway done with his soup. It looked sticky, like jelly.

When I caught Edor looking at me with a frown, I reluctantly put some soup with the pea in the spoon.

He looked pleased, the moment he saw I was eating the contents of the bowl.

I would not lie and say it tasted horrible, the truth was it tasted better than it looked but the soup was nowhere near the food Killian made.

“What brings you to the kingdom?” Edor questioned after we were done eating.

Killian and I shared a look, he was trying to suppress his laughter while I was giving him a look to not open his mouth.

“I got here by mistake,” I said in a small voice.

“Nothing happens by mistake, everything is a game of destiny.”

Confused by his words, I looked at Killian who shrugged in response.

“I do not have a compass anymore, and I can not get out of the dark forest without it. Can you please help me?” I asked, putting all of my hope in the man sitting in front of me.

“Unfortunately, Edor has nothing useful to convert into a compass,” he said in a low voice looking genuinely sad.

“There has to be a way, can’t we use something else? I looked around the room filled with a bunch of things.

Finally, I looked back at him with hope but before he could open his mouth, we heard a clattering sound as Killian put something on the table.

“I have something you can use.”

He pushed the thing that was hiding under his hand towards Edor.

Edor lifted the silver chain that had a teardrop-shaped diamond in the middle and the diamond had a delicate silver vine wrapped around it. There were small leaves on the vine, made so intricately with every detail on point.

It was simple yet beautiful.

“It will work,” Edor said in a whisper, it felt like the words were meant for him to hear only as he stood up abruptly and ran towards the black door at the end of the room.

“What just happened?”

“I gave up trying to understand Edor a few hours after I met him,” answered Killian, stretching his arms lazily with a yawn.

I rolled my eyes at him to which he stuck his tongue out.

“Real mature of you,” I added a sarcastic smile in the end.

“How do you know him?” he asked, ignoring my comment.

I inhaled a long breath. Was it right to talk to him about the kingdom? What if he used the details against Amara?

“It is a long story.”

“We have plenty of time,” he rested his head on his fist.

I licked my bottom lips before starting, “He helped us in defeating the evil witch who was behind the murder of two covens and our queen.”

“Wow…talk about the drama and I thought this kingdom has drama.”

“What drama? Your King is a controlling and manipulative man who can do anything for powers. I think this runs in their blood, all of the royals are the same here.”

“Can’t disagree with you about the King. The thing is, he loves power and he thinks you have to take what belongs to you otherwise someone else will take it.”

“But why does he hate us?” the king hated the witches and wizards the most, he could not stand the thought of us entering his kingdom. The evidence was clear from the previous actions taken by him against the people of my kingdom.

If he could, he would wipe our existence and many times he had tried as well but too bad for him the elves never took his side.

“Some things do not need any reason.”

I rolled my eyes again, “Do not start talking like Edor, we already have one.”

With a small laugh he stood up, “All I am saying is staying away from the matters of this kingdom is best for you, shortcake.”

Did he know something else? His eyes seemed to be hiding a part of the story the land of this kingdom had hidden in its soil.

After saying that he turned around and walked over to the bouncy beige-colored sofa.

“Are you seriously taking a nap right now?”

Instead of answering he closed his eyes.

“Wait, how can Edor do magic here?”

He opened one eye, “We managed to cloak his magic, it is a long process and I am too lazy to explain the crap.”

“Does it mean I can perform magic too here?”

“Nope.”

He closed his eye again and I waited patiently for Edor to come out of that door with my key to leave this kingdom.