Chapter 9

"ADRINA," I called as I walked near them to catch her attention that she immediately gave to me. "Rest for now, Hamil," I said facing Hamil. He gave me a nod and went to the other who was training.

I gave Adrina the cup of water I was holding.

"Thank you, Miss," she gratefully said. I just looked at her while she drank the water I gave in one go. 

"Let us reschedule going to the market for tomorrow. You have been busy all day and I know that you are tired from all that training."

"Good to know that, it was almost evening. The sun is setting at any moment now," she muttered under her labored breath after gulping the water. I just nodded at her and got the cup.

"Do not push yourself in training too hard, it will take a long time before you learn the things you have to," I said to her and she gave me a frown in return.

"But it was exactly eighteen days before the next full moon, the night of your attack," she uttered. Now, it was my time to frown at what she said.

"I did not say you'd join us on the night of the attack, Adrina. It will only bring you danger and you already know that," I said with much seriousness in my voice.

She had no answer for that so she thinks of an excuse. When she cannot think of any, her shoulders sag and she sighed. "I understand," she said, nodding. "Promise that you will let me join you when I learn all of the things I had to know, Aliara," she said in a lifeless voice. "The reason I wanted to learn was to help."

That made me raise a brow. "Alright, but you need to defeat me at least once to have my permission to join us," I said with a grin on my face. My words brighten her face.

"I am expecting you to do that when the time comes. I hope you do not break your promises, Aliara. I will do the best I can to defeat you," she said with full determination. I just gave her a nod, proud of her confidence and perseverance.

"Alright, go and continue training. You might be able to defeat me, never," I teased her before I went back to Matias but got halted because of what she said.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Not even a reaction when I just teased her. Still filled with seriousness.

I checked the surroundings first before answering, thinking she had someone to ask but her voice only reached mine. "Just by the falls," I answered when I saw her looking straight at me. I was surprised by the consistency of her reaction. Seems like she will scold me for an unknown reason anytime.

"The falls where you went yesterday?"

"No. Not there," I said just to cut the prolonging conversation.

She just sighed and nodded. It looked as though she had been through something heavy. "Right. Just go and do not be home late."

I nod my head at her even if my head is full of questions as to why she acted like that. I walked to the jar to return the cup and then headed to where I am going.

Did she read my actions yesterday when I got home? Does she know I have met someone at that place? I just shook my head at the thought. Why am I overthinking just because of her words? Before I got consumed by my own questions, I hurriedly used my speed and ran through the forest to get to the falls quickly to meet him.

This place has a great landscape. Plants and flowers bloom here with the help of the mermaids who seldomly came here just to sing to the dying plants. Also, this place has a nearby ocean where they reside. That keeps the flowers from drying out and dying with the poisonous land of Kozania. But compared to the one I have been to for the past year, I must say that that one is more lovely than this place. Perhaps if I had fooled him more that day and given him a different place to meet, I would have been happily bathing. Taking my time to relieve stress from training all day long. If not for the man named Sevasti, who was so into seeing me everyday, I would have been enjoying my time there.

It was only good when I think of it but no. I must focus on my priorities. I cannot afford a liability for now. I regret telling him that I go there everyday. Absurd.

"Looks like you are lost, Aliara?" said one of the mermaids that are here today. Sitting on one of the rocks with her silver tail dangling in the surface of the waters.  

"I will be going here from now on to take a bath," I stated with a smile on my face and I started to remove my clothes. I looked at the four of them and thought, 'Their beauty is really exceptional.' All of mankind here knows of this but no one can still equal my charm. I wanted to laugh at my thoughts but I stopped myself.

"Didn't you own the one in the north?" says the one with the tail colored purple and black combined. I did not know their names but I am familiar with their faces because I have met them a couple of times when they were swimming in that falls. They knew my name as well.

"You even prohibit us from going there. What happened now?" the mermaid with orange ornaments in her hair added with concern. I cannot remember her tail color but I am sure that whatever their ornaments' color was, is the same as their tail.

"Somebody owns that now," I said, leaving only an undergarment that was too thin, a white slip. I walk near a tree to hang my clothes. 

As I get into the water, I can still hear their mumbling questions to each other. But I did not mind. I just let them whisper what they want and tried to relax my tense body, exhausted by a day of training. When I was nearly asleep, my senses got alerted by a sudden movement in the water and to my shock, one of the mermaids was in front of me. The one with the pinkish red ornament on her hair. 

"Who was it? The one who stripped you off your ground in the far north, Aliara?" she said in her most intriguing and shrilly but melodious voice. Contradicting the innocent look on her face. 

I just shook my head and moved to the other side which was the deeper part to dodge her questions.

"C'mon Aliara, spill! We just wanted to know what creature made you out of your territory. Maybe we could use the trick someday," says the one with the orange tail while laughing mischievously at her own joke. This is what I hate about their kind. They are too curious for their own good. They want everything in detail.

"I am not kicked out, once and for all. I gave up the place on my own accord," I said to make them stop. But that only made them more curious as both of them cornered me with mischief evident in their eyes, biting their lip as they grin in front of me.

"If so, is he a man?" both of them asked in chorus with hopeful eyes. That gave me a frown in the face and bit my lip. I cannot help but to smile because theirs are contagious. The ones with malice.

I turned my back at them but got taken aback because I saw the other mermaids joining them in teasing me with their eyes.

"Is he going there everyday, that's why you never wanna go back there again?" says the one with the silver tail. 

"So you're ignoring him now, Aliara?" said one on the farther side of the water. 

"Are you avoiding him because he's ugly?" the nearest one asked.

"No," I said as I dodge this pesky little mermaid. "He is handsome, as a matter of fact," I trailed, weighing if I should say that to them or not. But I said it anyway because why not? My voice is laced with pride.

"If so, why are you avoiding him?" She again appeared beside me and asked.

"I am not avoiding him, mermaid," I said dismissively while swimming my way to the shallow part of the water. Get a handful of water and wash it up on my face. It feels so hot even when we are in the waters.

"I saw how red your face is," says the one with the orange tail. I did not notice that she was approaching me. I wanted to roll my eyes but I just wanted to laugh when I thought about it. Talking to them is kind of refreshing in a way. "Has something happened at the falls that you don't wanna come back to?" Her teasing smile never left her lips.

"Nothing!" I answer in a hurried manner. I closed my mouth quickly realizing how loud I was. I can see the shocked faces of the two mermaids afront me.