"Bazil," Salīa gripped him. "I know you're not the most trusting and friendly, but that's a bit rude, don't you think?"
Bazil's glower stayed locked on the woman before them.
"I don't mind," the woman said, her voice sweet and sultry.
"Don't speak your curses to us, witch," he warned, yanking his xira out of its box.
Salīa stepped in front of him.
"Just because she's flameborn doesn't mean she's a witch."
"That's not why I think she's a witch. Don't you feel it too?"
Salīa turned to her, realizing. She'd already sensed the moment they met, but she was more stunned by how beautiful this woman was.
Her lime green eyes traced over them leisurely, with a glint of gold-green at the rims.
The flames of her hair were long and seemed to be breathing, each shade of color melding in smoothly.
It seemed to glow, its light spilling off and illuminating her tanned skin. Her dress was vivid with colors of the flame, light and billowing in the wind.
The only contrast to all the soft edges of her was the sharpened flame-like burn markings that trailed down her arms.
It was her essence that Bazil had picked up, which meant it was so strong that even a low cultivator could sense its presence. The woman licked her lips, watching as Salīa watched her.
"I wanted to give you a letter," she said, presenting one, stamped with a sun-seal.
Maybe it was because of the red lady's overwhelming aura, or maybe she used magical influence, but Salīa instinctively leaned to take it.
Bazil's xira stopped her.
"Letters can be poisoned."
The red lady smiled and took out a small pin from her hair, slow enough to keep Bazil from swinging. She then opened the letter and pierced the letter into a tree.
She even let her hair linger close over it in case they couldn't read it from that distance.
"Going left will go right, going right will go left."
Bazil harrumphed.
"Stop with your tricks and go," he harshened his tone. "Find something else to do."
"I've done all I want to in this realm, except one last thing. And for that I need her."
In a swoop, his xira had swung up at her, forcing Salīa to jump back. She stood an inch away from it, flinching.
Her eyes traced to Salīa, whose cloak had fallen.
Bazil pushed his xira to her neck, yet she stayed, even as it scratched her. A smug smirk spread across her face as she trailed back to Bazil.
"Are you her lover or her guardian? Or do you think you can be both?"
It was Bazil who flinched now. He glanced at Salīa, seeing that her cloak had fallen. His head hung low and stayed there until he heard the red lady chuckling.
"Go away!" he barked. "Go before I—"
"Why do you need me?" Salīa cut through the air.
There was no denying she had a high level of cultivation, one that was at least matched by a magi-mi.
Bazil could certainly take her based on martial ability, but it seemed that she relied on other methods.
"You don't know who I am, do you?" the red lady sighed. "Always forgetting, while I hope you remember."
Her fingers raised to a sun pendant on her neck. Bazil pushed forth, gesturing for her to drop her hands to the side.
"I'm looking for the lost ones. And only you can find them."
"Stop speaking spells," Bazil gritted. "This is the last warning I'm giving you."
The red lady laughed wickedly and snapped, "And that was the last warning I'm giving you!"
Her hands cupped her sun pendant, pulled out a glowing silhouette of this sun, and she threw it at the letter.
The magic was so bright and enchanting that Bazil and Salīa couldn't help but draw their eyes to where this silhouette went, right until it sank into the letter.
The parchment set alight and burst into ashes, which floated away like warm glitter into the air.
"What?!" Salīa and Bazil exclaimed.
They turned to the red lady…who was no longer there. Salīa stepped forth, stunned.
"How did she…"
"Witches," Bazil cussed and pulled her back. "It's best we leave now."
Salīa stood still, steeped in astonishment at everything that had just happened. Eventually, she nodded and turned around to get going.
Bazil glanced at her, then averted his gaze, only to lift her coat and toss it her way.
She wrapped it around her arm and walked on.
"You should cover yourself."
She arched a brow.
He's been acting quite strange.
"I'm feeling a bit warm."
"But still."
He's been acting strange. But now that I think about it…She reached into her bag and flipped open her pocket mirror. Bazil's eyes widened, but he couldn't stop it.
On her neck, collar, and just above her breasts were little traces of evidence of the affection they shared the day before.
"No wonder that girl thought I was a leopard, the way I look spotted with these markings," she chuckled to herself.
To her, it was somewhat embarrassing to wander about unaware of it, but nothing she carried shame for.
Bazil carried the shame instead, unable to even mention those signs of him losing himself with her.
But as soon as he heard her say, 'leopard' and 'markings,' his shame traded for irritation.
"I'm not like them," he muttered.
"Them?"
She realized what he meant.
"I didn't say you were."
"I didn't mean to…" he said, letting his head hang again. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to…I just…It won't happen again."
"It doesn't bother me," she stepped close, trying to take his hand.
He recoiled, saying, "I said it won't happen again."
I guess we really are back to this.
Salīa simply stepped further back and put on her coat. She pressed forth to the forked path, only to have the base of Bazil's xira pull her away.
Under her foot was a thick, brown snake waving its dark, V-shaped, keeled scales as it lifted its forked tongue to the forked path.
Then it retracted, glanced at them with dispassionate, black eyes, and slithered by, fading into the shadowy left path.
"Going left will go right, huh?" Bazil scoffed and walked ahead.
Salīa paused, looking at both for a while, then followed him down the right path.
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