The White City

Chapter 8

Laylah leaped away from the stone. She fell into the snow and clattered as far away as she could. Kain ushered to her side, his eyes wide. “What did you see?”

“It was obnoxious.” Laylah looked up at the old chap. “That sight cannot be true.”

“Tell me, young lady. What did you see?” Kain pulled in her arm and helped her up on her feet again. She drew in a long breath. Her eyes found the stone and once again it called out to her. It wasn’t done yet.

“What is the purpose of the stone again?” Laylah, with all her strength, twisted to look at Kain. He stood studying the stone. His fingers caressed his rough chin. A lock of grey hair twirled before his eyes. He did nothing to remove it.

“Its job is to unite a daughter or son with their familiar. That was what my mother’s tale told me.” He nodded along to his words. In the depths of his eyes, you could see how he recalled a memory.

“We are risking my life based on your mothers’ lullabies?” Laylah threw around with her arms. Heat rose to the apples of her cheek as she felt a slight anger boil in the back of her being.

“Do not take my mother for a donkey, Laylah. She was a bright woman. This stone will benefit us. You need to give it time. You cannot expect someone to hand everything to you. You will have to fight if you want to live in freedom.” Kain took ahold of her wrist. “Go to the stone again. Let it tell you what it has to say.”

Laylah gulped down an unrespectful and unfair reply. She was well aware that he spoke of the truth, but she had a hard time accepting it. Embracing the difficult path was tough. It was supposed to be.

Laylah wiped off her skirts and strode forward once again. Her heart was thumping against her ribcage. She bit her lips until the coppery liquid gushed into her mouth. She sank down on her knees. The snow seeped into her skirts and soaked them. The waves smashed into her skull. She could have mistaken her location to be that of a shore. They both calmed her nerves and spun her thoughts. She touched the stone once more. The beautiful face of prince Raziel emerged again, however, this time she embraced it. She let the stone tell its tale.

Raziel and Laylah stood face to face. He had her hands in his warm ones. It was not to seize or kill her, no, he did something else. Those sparks were present as well. They had to mean something, however, as the image got clearer and clearer, so did a headache.

Laylah gritted her teeth, pressing her finger harder against the stone. The aching grew stronger and stronger, but she needed answers. Who was Raziel to her? Why did he have this effect on her?

A wave of pain shot through her skull. Laylah yanked her arm into her. The image of her and the handsome prince blurred away, and she was yet again back in the real world. Kain was present at her sides, awaiting some answers.

“I don’t know what it means.” Laylah turned to face the old chap. He had lifted his hood, shivering as the sun went down behind them.

“Tell me about it. Maybe I can help?” Kain urged himself closer to her. The sparks in her eyes didn’t have a clear meaning. Laylah pulled away from him.

“I saw a person. We had some form of connection with each other. It felt.” Laylah held a pause and glanced down at her own hands. “It felt powerful almost.”

Kain raised his hands to his chin once again and rubbed the skin. He fell into a deep thinking hypnotize and let his eyes wander to stare somewhere behind Laylah. “Are you sure it was a human you saw?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Is that bad?” Laylah hugged her body tight. The cloak was way too big for her and swallowed her small figure as she stood there by the well. The stone did no longer call out to her. The inside of her mind was quiet, but a slight ache was still present.

“I’ve never read about a mundane familiar. Their auras shouldn’t be pure enough to be able to hold some of your power.” Kain took ahold of Laylah’s arm, however, then his eyes shot up. They looked in every direction, circling around in his sockets. “This should attract your familiar.”

Laylah stiffened. A human familiar. Attracting it. The sight of Raziel. Nothing made sense. She couldn’t tie the loose ends and especially not when Kain was acting like a mad man.

“Do you know the person?” he asked, looking anywhere else than at Laylah. His eyes landed on the market. People were on their way home and sellers packed up their things in baskets.

“No.” The lie slipped easily over her lips. It even surprised her.

“What did he or she look like? Did we pass the person on our way here? You must tell me if we did.” He returned his attention to Laylah. His eyes were wide open, and he took ahold of her with both her arms.

She shook her head. “I promise I don’t know who he is. Please tell me what you’re thinking.” Laylah pushed him away from her. The man he had turned into was one she didn’t recognize.

“Every documented familiar is an animal. They're sacred in the eyes of the gods and therefore blessed with the power to be able to help you. But a mundane, that’s another story. Humans can only be blessed with gifts, such as yours, they cannot be blessed. You must touch the stone again. If we can’t succeed in attracting your familiar, I’m afraid your power can spiral out of control.”

Now she understood his madness. Something strange had was in front of him. He had no idea how to even answer his own questions and it frightened him. It turned him into a nervous wreck.

Laylah took both of his hands in hers and gave him her best smile. “Hearing the voice of the stone is exhausting. Let’s go back and try again tomorrow. We will read every book and see if the stone could be telling us something else. Maybe I don’t even need a familiar.” Her words didn’t do much to assure Kain, but he nodded nevertheless and agreed to them.

“You do need rest. We both do. We will continue this in the morning.” He let her hands go and turned around. He kept one hand to support his back. The grey hair swayed as he walked back upon the market. It was close to deserted, so Laylah found no purpose to hide her eyes. The night helped them hide as they passed the few people still wandering around.

As they reached the center, Laylah halted. A gush of wind had blown a strand of hair free from her ribbon. It now floated in the wind. Kain kept moving forward.

The wind didn’t stop by that single gush, no, it returned and peeled another strand loose from her ribbon. Laylah twisted her head to look in the direction of the wind. It came from an alley. Leaning against a house wall, a shadow stood. He was tall, dressed in pure white. A white fur draped over his shoulders to keep him warm. His arms crossed over his body. He stared at Laylah. She couldn’t move. His gaze had trapped her.

An urge moved her towards him. She walked without much power over her own body. She crossed the square and strolled closer to the stranger.

The stranger straightened up. His face came into view. She gasped and stopped. However, she didn’t have time to retreat before he had seized her arm and pulled her into the shadows with her.

She stood face to face with the beautiful prince. He had both her arms in his grip. He was the one in control. He searched for her gaze and as he found the unique pair of blue eyes he stiffened. “It’s you,” he said. “Who are you?”

He pulled her closer into him as she tried to resist his grip. The heat was already returning to her fingers. It scared her. The extent of her powers scared her and she didn’t want to hurt the boy. Not even when his father was ordering her killing.

“Answer me!” He shook her, his eyes frantic as sparks ignited between them. “Please.”

“Laylah,” she said under her breath. It was a whisper, but he had heard her. He stopped everything he was doing, yet he kept her locked in his hands.

“Laylah,” he repeated, tasting the name on his lips. “What are you, Laylah? What the hell is happening with me? I need answers.” He focused on the sparks between them. They flew in the air and whirled into small dainty snowflakes before they fell down to the ground.

Laylah gulped; her heart conflicted with her mind. How could she answer him when she did not have the answers herself?

“Please don’t hurt me,” she said instead of regarding his frantic questions. “I haven’t harmed anyone. Please let me go.” The prince put her on edge. He reminded her of what the stone had shown. She couldn’t believe that this young man had a relation to her. She didn’t want anything to do with him. She needed these sparks to go away.

“Hurt you?” He searched for her eyes, but she fought to avoid them. “I want answers. Am I a magician?”

She caught his gaze. “No.”