Chapter 7

"Shizuka..." soft moan made them all jump in surprise. "Shizuka, why is it so noisy?" Child stood up rubbing his eyes and then looking at them silentli, caught in bewilderment. "S-S-Shizuka, you idiot! We barely came here and you make a riot!? How will we enter in the guild now!?"

"Silent..." the person named Shizuka stood up, murmuring in her chin, looking indifferent at the outburst of her child. Master was shocked at such a daring child.

"Oy! How dare you call your mother like that?!" Arisa-cha, daughter of Sam was pointing her finger and stomping her foot in outrage. "Papa, that girl is so rude to her mother!"

"Mother? Shizuka is not my mother!" Child was looking surprised as the rest of them when she said that.

"Sleep..." Shizuka person swayed and then toppled on the floor like a log with low snoozing sound. Child went to her and started to nudge her, obviously mad.

"Shizuka, you can not go to sleep now! Explain them we are not mother and child! SHIZUKA!!!"

But Shizuka did't budge or wake.

Master looked arround the room to see guildmembers faces, and then to the frowning child that was sitting in front of him. He had the urge to sigh, but he ignored it. This was a serious matter, and he felt that he might loose patience very soon.

"We know you  are Ame. But what business you have with this guild? And speak quickly, I do not have much patience." He said looking at child's defiant eyes.

"We are not that strange, Shizuka and I!" She sounded outraged for some reason. Hopping down from chair she shestomped her foot. "We are just trying to find us a new guild! Is that such a bad thing to do? If just that idiot, Shizuka, didn't start a riot just as she came in...!" She walked to Shizuka and kicked her with her foot on the thigh. "We are just trying to find someone who knows about one kind of magic...."

"Wait a minute..." Chai murmured. He was one of those rare new members that joined guild after the unfortunate event. "I think i heard of you two... You are those weard pair of mages that switch guilds everey few months or so, and always asking about some forbidden magic!"

"We do not talk about that stuff to outsiders! It is forbidden!" master said immediatley.

"But, granpa..." Ame turned to him with desperation in her eyes. "Please! If we don't find about it soon Shizuka will disappear like Lie! I can not stand her sometimes, but if she or some of the other two dissapears... She will be lost to us forever! If we do not wake her up somehow we will all disappear!"

"Ame!" Shizuka was suddendly awake and she grabbed Ame by hand and pulled her in her embrace, and with a move she forced her to sleep. "She talks too much." Shizuka stood up with child in her arms. "If you can not help us then there is no purpose in staying here... We will leave." She said it and put on the robe over the two of them. Little girl was sleeping soundly and unaffected by movements. "Time is not something we have to waste now."

"Wait!" Master stopped her, looking closely at her. She did look pale and worn out. "For how long are you in that state?"

"Long enough to know that i will be gone in few months." She answered getting irritated, what did not show on her face.

"If... If you swore on secrecy, I will help you."  Master said and observed her carefully. She cast down her look on the child and looked at him again. There was a glint of releaf.

"That is why we change guilds so much. Evrey guild has a rule not to discover their secrets to anyone." She answered and nodded. "She will have to be safe here while i will do requested jobs. That is my only condition. Kuro and Shiro will most likely come soon."

"Tell me of the help you need now... Why do you look for forbidden magic?" Master asked.

"I don't know." She said blankly. "I do not remember anything except the other us that are fallen asleep beside that crystal... Ones who have answers on that are Ame, Kuro and Shiro."

Chapter 6

Sun was shining brightly which was really annoying, especially on a day like this when almost evry older member of guild was depressed. Remembering that they did not manage to protect their most defensless member plagued their minds especially when the annyversary of her death is approaching. But Claude and Dunne... They turn to living corpses on that day, but few days before and after they are just like growling and mad beasts.

''Her presence is still very much alive, isn't it?'' Sam asked master.

''Alive and torturing. Reminding us that we terribly failed her. Sometimes, I curse our luck to come across her during that days of Star Tower and that i let her join the guild...'' master tok one more long swallow of strong wine that was red as blood that she spilled that day.

''But she was the light of our guild... That day... it feels like part of our guild died along with her. If only i was faster. I could have saved her!'' Sam clenched a fist on the table.

''It is of no use to blame yourself now. She is gone for good and nothing can be said or done to bring her back.'' Master said just when doors made a squeeky sound and a person came through, carrying on the back a childish figure and bringing a wave of utmost silence while the person stopped at the enrerance. Child was apparently in deep slumber, oblivious on changes in the atmosphere of big hall they were all in. Silently, person moved to the bar and pried open the child's hands, putting it on the clear part of the bar table in sitting position while the torso and head of the child was resting on the shoulder of that stranger.

''I need to see master. Is he here?'' Low voice asked and it sounded louder when no one dared to speak. Master was a bit surprised by that man's foolishness, but he still felt that gnaw of curiousity towards stranger.

''Perhaps... Who is asking and for what reason?'' Forteza was helping behind the bar today and she had cold eyes. Not surprising, because she also was in a strage mood when anyversary was getting near.

''Where is master?'' That low voice spoke again and with long, gloved finger removed the part of cloth. A scarf that was covering mouth and nose, almost like the cloth that was over her head hiding the eyes, like people from desert.

Master gave a big sigh and started his way between people of his guild. Forteza was going to blow, and he did not want to fix the damage again.

''Are you deaf? I asked...'' Forteza was silenced by loud bang when the door crashed open and Dunne flew in flat on the back breaking few chairs and the table. Stranger quickly pushed the child, which was still asleep, in to Forteza's arms. In the same time, two more persons flew in and crashed on top of Dunne, knocking the wind out of him.

''What the hell...'' Sam whispered behind the master expressing shock that master himself could not do. Claude showed up on the doorstep, sending something flying over to stranger and Forteza which receaved the kid and was about to sheald him. ''Careful!'' Sam shouted but it was unnecessary. Stranger swinged the hand and percepted the thing's pathway, knocking it down on floor. The duo stood up away from Dunne and then Claude came in with feral look in his eyes.

''Beasts should sleep untill they are calmer.'' Stranger said, throwing himself on Claude. They both fell down on floor where both of them were wrestling for top position that would give them advantage.

''Master, stop them.'' Sam was worried, looking at Dunne and other two mages who were getting up among broken furniture. ''If Claude gets even a bit more wild, we will have to...''

''I know, Sam''  master was annoyed now. ''Silence!'' His shout echoed and evereyone stopped movin except Claude and stranger that were still wrestling on the floor. Claude managed to grab the cloth that covered the head of stranger, revealing a mass of silver strands and eyes like quicksilver covered with ice. That stunned Claude for a moment.

''You almost hurted Ame, you beast. Unlucky for you that i was arround. Now sleep!'' Stranger said and Claude went cold.

Newsflash

Kako sam uvidjela da engleski ima izraza koje trebam zaizraziti bolje tekst, odlučila sam sljedeća poglavlja pisati na engleskom.

Peto poglavlje

Vjetar je bio suh i vreo, bez ikakvih mirisa u sebi osim suhe zemlje. Ali to je bilo manje važno sada. Treba pronaći nakratko neki zaklon i da provjeri spavalicu na svojim leđima. Osjeća da je sve u redu no pustinja može smetati djetetu. Možda da samo provjeri čaroliju koja ju je štitila od oštrih uvijeta pustinje.

Stane na vrhu pješćane dine te pogleda uokolo i uoči sjene sjeveroistočno od njihove lokacije. Malo olabavi povez preko polovice lica i pažljivo se zagleda u te tamne mrlje, očekujući da se radi o nekoj zamci. Banditi su se nalazili gdje ih najmanje očekuješ, oaza je jedno od mjesta koja bi bila pogodna za zaskočiti nekoga tko se tome ne nada. Zamke nisu bile iznenađujuće, niti su to bili banditi. Već dugo se bavi putovanjima da su se nagledali svega i svačega.

Kako nije bilo ničeg sumnjivog na vidiku, polako se zaputi prema sjeni palmi, svejedno na oprezu. Pažljivo čućne i skine dijete sa leđa koje je nastavilo spavati unatoć ne tako nježnom drmusanju dok je bilo postavljeno da sjedi uz deblo palme. Dijete je izgledalo dobro, nije imalo vručicu niti ijedan znak da mu nije dobro, osim spavanja što je u njihovo slučju bilo još normalnije.

'"Voda..." sjeti se i ode do izvora, no baš kad htjede zagrabiti vodu, zaustavi se i vrati ruku u džep, izvadivši neki predmet i ubacivši ga u vodu koja se njednom zamuti u bojama krvi. "Otrov, hah?" Osmjeh je bio škrt. "Sreća da sam sumnjičave prirode..." boja krvi se gubila i voda je ponovno postala prozirna što je davalo znak da je uklanjanje otrova bilo gotovo. Zagrabi vode u ploskicu i lizne jednu kap da provjeri je li doista bila pročišćena, jer ponekad takva roba je bila nefunkcionalna pa su prodavači podvaljivali sve i svašta budalastim ljudima. Izgleda da ima dovoljno reputacije da se trgovci ne usuđuju rabiti podvale kada se nađu na istom putu. Otpije da utaži žeđ, odlučivši da je vrijeme da ubrza njihovo putovanje. Jedino stajalište će biti da obavi jedan poslić koji ne bi treao oduzeti previše vremena.

Vrati pokrivalo preko lica, ostavivši samo oči u sjeni da može gledati što se nalazi na putu, te pdigne dijete na leđa. Dijete nesvjesno ovije svoje ruke oko ponatog vrata i nasloni lice o poznata leđa, nastavivši spavati. Uzdahne i pogleda preko ramena u uspavano lice. Ne želi koristiti to, no ako to omogući da brzo izađu iz pustinje... Daljnje razmišljanje o tome je bezvrijedno, pa se prepusti toku koji je najedom bio tamo. Magija što je kolala tijelom poput poznate ruke ili stare, udobne odječe. Sjenoviti koraci će biti dovoljni da se odlazak sa ovog mjesta drastično ubrza, te da dođu do prvog naselja gdje će ići u lov na informacije.