The Wizard's Broken Angel

Chapter-10

After crossing the Highlow Woods being carried by Zach, Miley was fully exhausted. Zach landed on the ground with Miley still hugging him, "hey, you can leave me now. We are on the ground." He got no reply, he wasn't able to see Miley's face because she hugged him, "Hey, human!" Thinking she might have passed out, Zach immediately parted from her, Miley's head lifelessly tilted on one side, "hey Miley! Miley! Miley!" Zach made her lie down on the empty pasture land beyond the woods.

I was as empty as it could be with a thick layer of deep green grass with traces of different colours of flowers that suffused freshness and fragrance in the wind that caressed the only two souls underneath the shadow of a huge tree.

Even after trying hard to wake her up, Miley showed no response. Zach placed his ear over her chest to hear her heartbeats, "she's alive, but why did she pass out? What happened?" Zach rubbed his eyes with his palm, "I should have understood something was wrong when she was silent. Drat! What should I do now? Are humans fragile?"

He looked around the pasture land, "beyond this pasture should be the Cutzer colony of Ipsders, those half-human and half spiders give me creeps every time I see them. But they are the closest ones. Their half body is almost of humans so probably they will know what happened to Miley. I clearly remember the jackalopes didn't touch her, there is no way she is poisoned by their horns. I wish Ronan was here, he would have handled everything." Zach paced near unconscious Miley lying on the grass.

Just then he heard crackling and crunching of grass as if a lot of people were approaching him, he placed his hand under Miley's waist and knees and picked her up in his arms, jumping on the tree he hid behind its branches.

"Alura, come quick or I will leave you behind," a soft smooth voice of a child reached Zach's ears, he peeped from behind the leaves.

As expected, it's a pasture land of Ipsders, Zach thought, looking at Benur, a half-human above his spider-like abdomen crawling on his eight, muscular, hairy and huge spider legs.

"Wait for me, Benur! Don't go in open areas on your own, danger might follow," Zach looked at Alura, a she Ipsder who crawled behind Benur. She was not alone she was leading a herd of goats.

"Alura, can I play here until the goats graze?" Benur asked, innocently.

"Of course, stay alarmed. Don't go far," Alura said, calmly with a smile. As both of them came closer with the herd of goats to the tree Zach was hiding with Miley, their facial and other features became clearer to Zach.

Benur was around thirteen years old with white eyes, long hair running down his back, he didn't have any clothes on his body and Alura was in her twenties with black eyes and even longer and denser hair than Benur. She had a white rug hanging down from her shoulder. Patches on her clothes announced that they were poor and lived just an average life.

I have heard they are quite friendly, but I am not sure, never encounter one of them ever before. Ronan handled all this for me. If they find Miley will they help her? Zach looked at Miley who was lying in his arms. His chains surrounded them again but couldn't stop the rustling of leaves when Zach started creating the invisibility barrier around him and Miley.

Alura got alarmed, revealing her canines that grew in size and she shot acid web on the tree where Zach was with Miley seconds ago. The leaves melted revealing the upper bark of the tree.

"What happened, Alura?" Benur asked.

"Nothing, I thought someone was there," Alura's canines returned to their normal size as she shut her lips.

Zach silently placed Miley underneath the tree and flew higher, "I don't want to interact with them, but… I hope they might help her." Zach stayed there keeping an eye on Miley from behind his invisibility barrier. Just when he was about to lift the invisibility barrier from Miley he stopped, "no, it's too risky what if they harm her. I can't lose her…" Zach picked Miley in his arms again. "I will take her back to the palace. Yeah, that's right."

Just when he was about to set off for the clouds something stinging hit his ankles, surrounding it, he looked down from mid-air to see Benur spider webs pulling him down. "What? How did he see me?" Benur pulled him on the ground with pull force, Zach hugged Miley tightly and crashed on the thick grass on his back, Miley lying on him. Due to the fall, she sneered.

"Benur! What are you doing?" Alura crawled fastly to him.

"I feel some heavy aura in this air," Benur said looking towards Zach who still had his invisibility on.

Wincing, Zach coughed and his chains fell on the ground revealing him, he indeed was hurt.

Alura gasped, she held Benur's hand started retreating, "it's those Shadows let's run, Benur."

"What but I don't feel like it's the shadows aura. The aura is very heavy but white. Shadows have a black aura, Alura," Benur said.

"H-How did you see me?" Zach gently placed Miley on one side and sat on the grass holding his chest that hurt as if his ribs cracked.

"See? I am blind, I can't see. I felt the air around you denser than usual," Benur crawled to Zach stopping just a few inches away from him. Benur was almost Zach's height due to his huge slim legs.

"Blind? Impressive!" Zach's chains swam to him and surrounded themselves around his wrist, waist and ankles.

Alura looked at Miley, "what happened to her? She looks unwell?" Alura said, looking at Zach.

"Uh… actually… umm… she… she…" Zach had never interacted with any lower species. All he knew were angels and wizards or witches. Even being the king of Zenara he rarely stepped out of his palace. Most of the time, he relied on Ronan for all foreign jobs.

"The water level in her body is dangerously low and the glucose level too," Alura gasped.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Zach said, fastly.

"She will starve to death if we don't feed her something. How long has it been since she ate something?" Alura looked at Zach who averted his eyes.

"Uh… um…" Zach had forgotten to feed Miley who was ready to eat an alive jackalope. Ashamed he didn't answer. "Berries," he looked for the pouch he had collected berries in but it was missing from his waist belt. "Drat! Where did they go?"

"Our house is nearby, we can help her," Alura said.

"I-Is it ok?" Zach asked hesitantly.

"Of course, do you want her to die? Let's hurry," Alura crawled fastly towards a forest of humongous trees — Kaze forest.

Zach picked up Miley in his arms, giving her a princess ride, "she's so heavy, how can she starve?" He looked at the Kaze forests, which he was trying to avoid. Maybe I don't have any other choice, if she dies I don't know where my saviour symbol might get lost to, Zach thought and flew after Alura.

"Benur, take care of goats while bringing them back home, ok?" Alura shouted.

"Yes!"

----

Entering the Kaze forests did Zach realise how humongous the trees were. Almost ten times the size of a fully grown coconut tree. He flew after Alura who was jumping from one tree to the other as if she was flying. She jumped on a tree and stopped, "my small house is up," she signalled Zach and he flew to the top of the tree. Even though he knew that Ipsders were harmful he never let his chains down, just in case they tried to trick him.

Reaching the canopy he saw a whole other world in white spiderwebs. There were igloo-like small huts knit by stronger-than-rocks webs. Even the paths were made by the white webs.

Alura crawled into one such comparative larger hut, Zach looked around the empty White town of Webs. "Is there no one around here?" Zach asked entering the hut just to see fruits, berries, leaves, honey, etc line on the shelves that were also created by webs.

"They are all hiding in their huts," Alura said, "your dress is a little scary." Zach looked at Miley's dress and sighed, "I know she looks like an assassin."

"And you look like one of the shadows that come here often, takes our food by force and often kills our people," Alura ushered Zach to make Miley lie on the white fluffy bed made of webs.

"Why did you help me then?" Zach said, placing Miley gently on the webbed.

"It's in our nature, we just can't see people in pain or dying and that's why outsiders like you exploit us and our hard-earned resources. We can harm them, but we were taught to serve and not kill," Alura made a slurry or right herbs in mortar and pestle. Squeezing its juice in Miley's mouth.

"Shadows come here? That's impossible! There is a strong barrier guarding the whole of Zenara, shadows can't come here," Zach said, crisply.

"But they do. I have heard our king lord Zero did announce something about this barrier but it wasn't created over the entire Zenara. It was only created near the castle and royalty area of Zenara. The moderate and lower areas still suffer. The guards did come here years ago to create a barrier but it didn't even last for a year," Alura said.

Zach was immersed in deep thoughts, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, I am sure I was told that the entire Zenara was well protected by strong barriers, how is it possible that it's not. Huh! She must have heard the rumours spread to defame me, Zach thought.

"It must be someone else disguised as shadows just like me," Zach said.

"We thought of that possibility too but the one who came here was a vampire, he sucked up two of our family members and left their hollow vessel to dry for a symbol that none should go against them," Alura.

"Impossible, like you said lord Zero made sure that everything was well protected. He might not have cared for the lowers in the beginning but after…" Zach stopped reminiscing. He drew in a deep breath and continued, "but later on he made sure that even the lower class is protected."

"Did he ever come to check our condition himself? No. After he sat on the throne ending the Scintilla empire, he never came to even glance at us or our condition. The only ones prospering in his reign are the witches and wizards," Alura's tone had hints of anger and dissatisfaction.

Zach looked at the floor, gulping, no I didn't. I never came. I thought everything was being handled well. My trusted people can't lie to me, "I am sure the shadows are fraud. I can prove it when they come next time. When are they coming again?"

"Forget about it. You don't even belong to our colony. We can't put an innocent in danger, your friend will recover soon. Take her and go back to your way," Alura said.

Zach looked at Miley, "wait! Uh… umm… the… the king Zero… what do you think about him?"

"Nothing! He should just leave the throne. Someone more responsible than him should take over Zenara. I think that is why the saviour symbol is choosing someone else," Alura said, keeping back the herbs and mortar and pestle in their places.

Seeing the empty white walls, Zach scratched his neck, clearing his throat he continued, "H-How do you know about the saviour symbol?"

"I don't know if it's true or not but I heard rumours about it," Alura looked at Zach, "why do you ask? You seem more interested in Lord Zero than himself."

"No. I just heard that he was the b-best saviour this world could get. S-so, hearing against him upsets me a little," Zach said, looking at the floor, dropping his eyelids.

"You seem to be talking like his blind follower. Can't you see what he is? After Princess Iris' death, he just left everything as if we didn't matter to him. He tried so hard to get on the throne, earn our trust and then with princess Iris' death, he disappeared like the rest of the world didn't exist. Only after the shadows attacked did he realise that he was the king and we were his people. Talking about him makes me sick. If you like him, it's your choice, but see the reality and make your decision," Alura said and crawled out of the igloo-like small door.

Zach nodded, biting his lips. He was sweating badly, wiping his sweats with his palm he contemplated. During that period I did go out of my senses but I made sure the military was always helping the people. Ronan kept me updated about situations in Zenara, everything was normal and everyone was safe and happy. Then why is she so upset with me? Huh! Perhaps, Ronan was right. No matter how much I do for these lowers they will never be satisfied. Zach's thoughts were facing a conflict with themselves as he kept on thinking harder.

Meanwhile, Miley was slowly coming back to her senses, she slowly opened her eyes, "w-water."

Zach looked at her, "you are up?" He put aside his thoughts and sat beside Miley on the bed, helping her sit, her head resting against the white web wall. "How are you now?"

"Thirsty and hungry," Miley said looking at her fidgeting fingers as if she was ashamed of being thirsty and hungry.

Zach sighed, smiling, "you stupid, why didn't you eat something in the palace. Even on the way you just crossed the berry blooms. There was a stream of fresh water too, why didn't you tell me you were thirsty?"

"I don't want favours from you, but this hunger and thirst are unbearable now," Miley started crying with real tears lining her cheeks.

"Uh uh uh! Don't cry! What are you? A baby! Stop crying…" before Zach could finish his statement, Miley screamed.

"Why did you scream?" Zach looked confused. He followed Miley's fingers pointing towards Alura who had returned with the most nutritious fruits and meal in her hand.

"T-THAT!"

Zach softly hit Miley's head, "come on! Don't be rude, she saved your life. If she hadn't found out you were starving, I wouldn't have ever known. That reminds me, how did you know that Miley was starving and that boy with you, he too had some strange powers. I have never heard of Ipsders having special powers."

Miley pressed herself against the wall tightly as Alura came closer to her, later jumping behind Zach and hiding.

"Uh! Miley," Zach said, irked.

"It's ok, not every human can stand seeing us," Alura said.

Zach looked at her shocked, "what? How do you know she's a human?"