Zephyr

Village

"Shia!! Portia!!, the lilies are growing. Bel did it" Basillia screamed running towards her sister.

"Basillia dear, the lilies have been there. No need running around". Her mother, Latitia scolded.

"Oh but mother, the lilies have never looked this beautiful. Bel is amazing".

Latitia looked at her and sighed.

The village was noisy and beautiful. The houses were actually cottages separated by beautiful gardens containing various flowers. Right in the middle of the small village was an angelic fountain with water pouring out of a carved water sprinkler in the hands of a fascinating statue of Flora, goddess of flowers.

The lively and lovely village was were the Arroyo's lived. A family of seven, life was what it was supposed to be. Away from the deaths, vampires, lycans and Royall, no one had any worries. Despite how happy and normal the Arroyo family seemed to look like, the people of the village were still wary of them. Witchery was something half of the people of this world abhorred. And everyone had started to suspect the mother of the house of being a witch, especially when she brought back a dead child to life. But that was years ago and most people had forgotten.

The smoke rising from the simple log cottage could not ascend in peace, around the roof it swirled, troubled by the wind, gradually shooting southward in unpredictable bursts until it rose, with seeming effort, only to be consumed in the overspreading grayness of the sky.

Danvon witnessed the battle between smoke and wind as a welcoming sight. With mixed feelings, he headed for the house.

Inside his 'wife' Latitia bent over the heath, stirring a large grey cast-iron pot filled with brown soup. A simple tune hummed softly from her lips, one which contained little musical design, except that it was light-hearted and merry. She looked nothing like the mother of five girls, the oldest already 15. She looked more like one of the girls'sister when she was with them which was what the villagers felt was strange.

"Ah my husband" she said wearing a beautiful smile "It is you"

He nodded and returned his wife's smile.

"So my sweetheart" he said removing his black fur coat and hung it on a peg near the door "The house is so quiet I wondered if I had mistakenly entered the wrong cottage".

"Oh the all went into the village for the fair. Be back any minute". She paused as she surveyed him up and down "You look weary, Danvon"

"I walked all the way to Artirak today".

"Artirak!!" She exclaimed

"We mustn't take any risk, if you get into any trouble then the girls automatically get into trouble too".

Without answering, Danvon strode to a small bare table which held a bowl. He thrusts his hands into the water, rubbed them huskily against one another, then applied them with several spirited slaps on his face.

"Everything will be fine" He said towelling off the dripping water.

Latitia smiled watching him, she knew it would be useless to argue.

"If you say so. Come over to the table and sit, Danvon. Have some tea".

He did so gladly, watching affectionately as she brew the tea for him. In a few minutes, she filled a glass with the dark amber brew, set it on a coarse wooden stand, and handed it to her husband.

He took it with thanks, grinning from ear to ear. Latitia cheeks glowed at her husband's pleasure.

"You treat me like a king".