They flanked the figures, Bazil with his xira, Salīa with her makeshift blade.
"Oh!" came a dainty voice. "Hello."
The figures stared up at them, blinking their big eyes. It was no other than two little children who just about reached their hips.
Salīa lowered her weapon, but Bazil kept his, examining the strangers before them.
"Bazil," she scolded. "Stand down."
He looked to her, then gestured at them, unwilling to obey.
I suppose it is possible that despite how young they are, they could pose some threat. Yet I don't feel malicious energy from the girl…but the boy…
The girl toppled over. Salīa cushioned her fall before Bazil could stop her.
"Sister," the boy cried, pulling her upright.
"What's wrong with her?"
The boy's expression harshened. He coughed plenty, letting that be the only sound he let out. The girl whined, elevating her leg.
"How did she hurt herself?"
"Don't worry about it," the boy spat.
"Watch yourself," Bazil warned, nailing his xira right beside them. Their faces drained of color. "She asked a question."
"Here I thought you liked children," Salīa joked, thinking back to the version of him that was so smiley when seeing a baby.
The boy bit his cheeks, irritable. But seeing the girl cry, he gave in.
"Her ankle sprained and healed. But she's still limping days after."
"I'm not weak," the girl sobbed. "I know they think girls are weak, but I'm not. One day, I'll be the best zaza in the realm."
Zaza?
Bazil and Salīa exchanged glances. Having caught on in panic, the boy hushed her.
"You're from Salazā?" she asked.
The boy remained tight-lipped, not sparing them a glance. To this, Bazil tapped on his xira, purposefully scraping against the sharpest points.
"Sure!" he answered. "Now, can you leave us?"
Salīa didn't want to push, but she couldn't retreat when she saw the girl whimper. Yet the boy wasn't willing to let her get any closer.
Bazil crouched down in front of them. The girl burrowed in the boy's chest, and he growled and hissed, trying to ward him off.
"Would you like me to take the pain away?" Bazil asked the girl.
He opened his right hand, letting a current of yellow-orange flare through the veins in his palm, rising above it into a hovering flame.
"No!" the boy screamed. "Don't hurt her! Hurt me instead!"
Out came another fit of coughs, but he didn't falter. Bazil kept his hand up, waiting.
I'm surprised he revealed his elemental ability to strangers, although he's right to suggest it. But with his approach, he'll be waiting all night.
"You said you want to be a zaza, right?"
The girl turned to Salīa, her sobbing ceasing right then. She nodded meekly.
"Guardians of Salazā are strong, very strong actually. But even they get hurt sometimes. Believe it or not, hundreds of them have sprained their ankles."
"Really?"
"Really. And I happen to know a few zaza who were injured just like you after healing. Unlike how you added cold to your sprain, strained muscles need a bit of heat to heal."
The children looked to the flame in Bazil's hand, their eyes still laced with fear. Observing this, Bazil let the flame sink in, leaving only an emanating glow on his fingertips.
"Would you be willing to try this, so you can heal and go back to being a zaza?"
After the boy nodded to the girl, she nodded to them. Bazil closed in slowly, lifting her calf.
The sun-like glow spread throughout where he held it.
Salīa could sense the pain within her dissipating and exactly how far it spread. She could even tell just how warm the heat was and how much energy Bazil spared.
Maybe I'm more attuned after that meditation. But if so, what am I feeling from this boy? He's stronger than the girl and has a high level of essence, but he's coughing relentlessly. Also, he's on edge and hurried.
But I doubt he'll easily confess why.
Once the healing was completed, the girl smiled, bouncing right up.
"Thank you, zazi!"
Bazil flinched.
"What did you just call me?"
"Oh?" she said innocently and pointed. "It's too dark to tell, but I'm pretty sure that's a xira, yes? My father showed me one before to help me practice."
Salīa and Bazil quieted, uncertain what to say. It's not as if they could admit their identities, but it's not as if they could lie about it completely either.
"My father's a zazi, too," the girl said cheerily. "But he's on some mission somewhere. That's what his brother told me."
"You're not siblings?" asked Bazil.
"We're like siblings."
The girl hugged the boy, who grumpily nodded.
"He's watching me until father returns. But we're going back to his brother and the other zazi tomorrow."
Other zazi?
I didn't know so many zazi were stationed around. Besides the ones Chief Raino kept out and scattered to help us find my family and any leads on the black masks.
Bazil had an unreadable expression.
"Go back?" Salīa said.
The boy hushed her again before she could respond.
Bazil looked to Salīa, then they nodded to each other. After cleaning their bowls, they filled them again with a hearty portion of stew.
The girl excitedly gobbled it down, despite the boy wanting to test it for her first, whispering that it might be poisoned.
"They kind of remind me of us," Salīa and Bazil said in unison.
Wheezing coughs erupted from the boy, pulling his essence into a more erratic state.
"If you're open, little one, maybe I can heal you?"
The boy looked to Salīa, hesitant.
Just as Bazil, she focused her essence into her palm, revealing a gold-blue.
The blue was reflective of her water element, common for healers. Yet the gold is something she refined at the Faraway Forests, but didn't make a habit of showing.
Because deep down she knew it was reflective of her Protector abilities. But from the looks of the boy's ailments, it seemed she'd need to draw as much of her essence as she could.
The girl beamed, nodding to the boy.
"Try it, brother! I feel better after that zazi helped me. Let this zaza help you."
"It won't work," he said frankly.
"It might not seem like much, but my healing ability is—"
"It won't work," he repeated, standing up. "I'm not sick, I just don't have my medicine with me. But I'll have it tomorrow."
"Brother…" the girl's face wilted.
"Let's go."
The moment he said that, both Bazil and Salīa said, "You're welcome to stay here until tomorrow."
"Really?!" the girl squealed, tugging the boy. "Thank you!"
The boy shook his head, but this time the girl was unmovable, already accepting another bowl of stew.
It's almost uncanny how similar they are to us.
And if this boy is truly anything like Bazil, he'll probably harangue her for a long time, but once he sees they're safe, he'll give it a chance. But not without keeping a cautious watch over her throughout.
Just as she imagined, that was exactly what happened.
While he was getting all his words out of complaint, Salīa prepared some tea. Bazil strained the herbs in the meantime.
"Thank you for helping, Bazil. You know, I've never seen you use magic before."
"It's just basic elemental magic, that which a child could do. It's still within the law."
"Even so, you barely use it."
"That's because no matter how clear a law is written, in the end, it's the judge who decides whether the defendant has upheld it or not."
Sounds like something Prince Kian would say. And thinking about him makes me think back to Salazā and all those questions I wanted to ask before the children arrived.
"Bazil, about what I was saying earlier…"
"Ugh!" the boy yelled, smacking his chest. A barking cough escaped, and with it, a wad of phlegm hit the ground. "This weak body of mine!"
"Watching this boy suffer is quite painful."
"What else can we do if he doesn't want our help, Līa?"
Salīa sighed.
"Where is this medicine?" she asked them.
"With his brother," the girl replied.
"Where's that?"
"Oh, it's around the mountain by the—"
"Shh!" the boy shook his head viciously. "Let's just find somewhere else to sleep."
Before Salīa could plead, Bazil handed them their tea.
"We won't ask more questions," Bazil said. "Just eat and drink freely. We'll keep watch while you rest."
"Why would you do that?" the boy eyed him suspiciously.
"That's just what zazi do."
A look of astonishment filled his face. As if that thought never occurred to him. But once the moment passed, he hardened his veneer again.
Though soon enough, his eyes start closing. And even in his slumber, he curled up beside the girl as if trying to build a fortress for her.
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