Satis' Fire

Chapter 4: Sudden Intrusion

Before the God of Fire could answer, a loud crash disturbed their conversation. A huge uprooted blue tree fell into the river, splashing pink water on Satis. She squealed at the suddenness of it, but her eyes flashed when she looked from where or who it came from.

“You! You Sudarśayatt dumbass! Why did you do that?” Satis yelled from across the river. She saw Nefarion smirking. With the use of his mind, the gigantic tree zoomed toward the falls.

Satis’ eyes went round. She knew that the God of Fire was resting behind the waterfalls. She instinctively raised her hand to stop the flying tree and formed her hand into a fist. The tree twisted and curled into a giant ball before it was crushed into sand-like bits, falling into the water. The blue color of dust contaminated the flowing pink water, but it didn’t matter as it mixed with other materials in the river.

Her attention was back on the sniggering Kinnara that infuriated her.

“I was just testing your powers, Satis. You’re weak, you know? You could have just burned the tree without any ceremony of twisting it, making it into a ball before turning it into dust.”

“Huh!” she harrumphed. “Don’t worry, I’ll apply your advice on you next time. I must remember it.”

He sniggered. “What’s there behind the waterfalls anyway?” he asked. “I heard you talk to someone.”

Satis looked around her. She couldn’t see the ball of fire any longer. It just disappeared. She had no idea when it was gone and where it went.

“None of your business, you i***t!” she snapped and walked away, toward her home. It was getting late anyway, so the God of Fire knew she must go.

Without bidding him goodbye, she just walked on, while Nefarion walked on the other side, glancing at her with earnest light green eyes. They both passed by green and blue bushes as well as glittering colorful trees.

As the sun disappeared from the horizon, the flying small species glowed, and the trees lit up, giving them light.

Shoot! Ifu and Inu will surely be mad at me. It’s already dark! she thought.

She squinted her eyes without turning her head, to have a glimpse of Nefarion, who was still looking at her while navigating the pathless bank of the river. The gargling sound of the water flowing filled the air, as well as some chirping of nocturnal birds and insects. It was a beautiful melody that these little beings created. It was like paradise in Kinnacia.

However, Satis knew it wasn’t. Certainly, it was not paradise if she had someone she hated so much such as Nefarion. Her blood just boils everytime she laid eyes on him. He was super arrogant and nosy.

“Why did you come here, Nefarion?” she demanded with narrowed eyes. She furled her wings safely to not bump them on any trunks or branches. Sometimes, she would use her telekinetic powers to push the sharp branches away.

“Why? Is it not alright to come here? Is this place yours?” he sneered. “I believe Kinnacia is owned by the Rājjāki Royal House,” he added.

Her brows knitted when she heard it. He could clearly see the scowl on her face. “Your belief is wrong! Kinnacia is not owned by the Rājjāki Royal House! It’s owned by all Kinnaris and Kinnaras. The Rājjāki Royal House is just there to lead us, not own everything around us. They made laws for everyone to follow, to have an order, to have peace among us. Huh! You’re really a dunderhead! How can your family even tolerate your idiocy, Nefarion?” her jibe.

Nefarion stopped walking but she didn’t. She continued, letting him throw an angry gaze in her direction.

“No wonder you don’t have a friend! You’re so offensive and detestable, Satis!”

She gave him a bored look. “I know that already. So, why are you even around me? You should stay away from me and leave me in peace!”

Now the Kinnari gave her a wide grin to her utter confusion. She thought he had lost his marbles! She absently glanced at his sturdy- looking tail and wings. He looked proud and strong actually.

And handsome, her mind supplied with a grudge.

His oval face seemed to glow with gentleness all of a sudden, as she stared at him.

“You need a friend. And I think I can be your friend no matter how unpleasant you are to others,” he announced.

She scoffed at that, stopping in her tracks to face him across the bank. “You think I need a friend,” she stated, somewhat echoing what he said. “Absolutely not! I don’t need a friend. I am fine on my own. I can live on my own!” She put a hand on her chest to emphasize it.

“Really? You don’t need anyone? What about your ifuun? You don’t need them?”

That made her speechless. Of course that was a different story! She loved them very much in spite of hating them for scolding her almost everyday.

She gave him a disgruntled look, frowning at him. “You’re such an ass!” she verbalized and flew vertically.

These past days, she was already getting the hang of it. She also noticed that her wings were stronger than before. Although it was still a huge effort for her to fly so high toward the palace every morning, it was not as bad as the first time. She thought she would be fine in another week or two. Still, she refused to go and have training on self-defense, dancing and singing. She always told her mother that her Inu was enough to teach her everything she needed to learn to become a good Kinnari and to become a good wife to her mate someday.

“That should be my line!” Nefarion bellowed as she flew away.

“Go home, you halfwit Sudarśayatt!” she yelled back, looking down at him still standing on the river bank. He looked up at her until she was gone.

Satis sighed when she landed smoothly on the ledge of her bedroom window. She mumbled about how Nefarion pissed her off.

She jumped down from the window and walked toward the big closet that had the size almost half of her fifty-by-fifty-meter room. Rows and rows of racks met her eyes, with colorful flimsy dresses that she and her mother made. Some were gifts from their relatives. Some also came from Princess Nerindra herself.

She wondered what to wear the following day. She even suddenly thought of bringing the xirhuna when she noticed it in a corner. The xirhuna was a beige oval instrument with three strings fixed on two crossbars on each end with half-inch stainless steel bells on each side of the strings. With the xirhuna was a small mallet made of bronze. She thought she would play it for the God of Fire and see what he thinks about her talent in playing a musical instrument.

“Satis? Dinner!” her Ifu called out from outside her bedroom door.

She sighed and closed the closet. “I’ll be right there!”