But something else nudged her mind. How could the terrible Kriss Dul'Maojin have the ability not only to make those beautiful flames but also to amuse a child who had just offended him?
It was totally unlike the dragon's normal. And it was somewhat disturbing.
***
— Vinshu, wait! – Kidari asked, coming down the hill carefully, but still slipping and stumbling.
They had just come across a boy and a girl vilashis, the first passing right by them and the second stopping to greet them politely and then continue to rise with dexterity.
— Vinshu! – she asked again, kicking a rock and almost falling.
This time, the Lightning Dragon stopped, sighing impatiently. But in her will not to make ugly and go down the hill rolling, kodorin did not see him and ended up bumping into him. If it were not for his excellent balance, put to the test by having to restrain himself and at the same time holding the princess, the two could have been injured.
— Are you testing my patience?! – he fought, and the stranger only gave him a look of who was deeply sorry and apologized.
Unable to continue a sermon under these circumstances, he put her up safely and took her hand to help her down.
— Where is that your cat when you need him?
— I told Shion to stay – she told me happy.
— How did you get him to stay? – he asked, pausing and looking straight at her. – Isn't it his responsibility to look after the Kodo Princess?
— Kidari be Vinshu. Not a bad thing happen!
He shot her a charged look, which she guessed was motivated by her wrong way of speaking:
— Nothing bad happen if Lightning Dragon cares... me? – ended up somewhat uncertain.
He walked back, preferring to ignore her.
— Vinshu, wait! – the girl called, realizing that he had given up helping her.
***
Just as Kandara Dul'Maojin had discovered in her travels, the people who inhabited the Inland Valley liked parties and celebrations. And the surprise arrival of the pride of the village, bringing with her a rare group of souls, was enough reason for all Godan to be enthusiastic to prepare the place for a great celebration. There were even people from neighboring villages who were invited or just heard of the news and came to check.
In order to welcome visitors, the place around the stage had been decorated with the finest fabrics and ribbons, and the colorful lanterns – which held a small flame and animatedly illuminated the whole place – seemed to float on the branches of the great tree. The music had already begun to play before it was dark, and the smell of the delights that Garo-lin missed most filled all the air. It did not take long for her to see trays of potato dumplings, bean jams, orange buns, cheese pies, strawberry cakes, plus potato soup bowls and baked fish. She knew that such a banquet was only possible because they all contributed willingly and did not care to share a little of what they had for a great reason.
Beside the stage, a fire had been lit and promised to burn all night long, while animated vilashis were already dancing in front of it, with their feet slamming their feet on the floor, typical of them, while others accompanied with cheerful palms around, following the rhythm. Children ran around, joking, everywhere, shouting merrily and crowding mostly around the mombelula, which had been presented with a barrel of fresh water.
Seeing all this, Garo-lin had even forgotten that she still had the exercise ball in her hands, hidden under the folds of her coat, while she trained discreetly so no one could see and be curious. On several occasions she had to resist the temptation to get a cup of coffee, which Juri-lin passed by, serving in a jar for the people gathered on the stage, remembering that she could not be unaware of the behavior of the Dragons.
As the Fire Dragon had said, it was really easy to drive using that ball. Once she had managed to create the colored flames and changed their colors, moving them was no problem. She had not been able to do that in an hour, as he remembered her very well by forcing her to go on with what she was doing, unable to eat until she. So, there she was, with the Dragons, Kidari and her siblings, being able to just look and strive to complete the training.
Meanwhile, Chari-lin was amused at indulging his curiosity with the guests:
— Is the Fire Capital really as big as the Inland Valley? – he asked to Zawhart.
Mio-lin and another group of children stared at the dragon, fascinated only by the idea.
— It is big, but not to this extent – he replied, wisely taking a glass of drink that was being served to Kidari. – The Inland Valley is very extensive. Even with a mombelula, it takes almost a whole day of travel to cross it.
— Is it true that he owns everything? – Chari-lin pointed to the Fire Dragon, with the expected education of a boy of his age who had grown up not knowing how to behave before almakin.
Dul'Maojin looked at the finger pointed in front of him and then at his owner. Swiftly, Garo-lin dropped the ball and put a cookie in his brother's hand, skilfully escaping what could escalate into a dangerous situation. To disguise, she took the lead and explained in a way that they understood:
— The Dul'Maojin Family founded the Fire Capital. They are as important as the Godan are to us.
— Aaaaah – his brothers did, looking at the dragon with admiration.
— Do they make sure all families are well? – Mio-lin asked, taking a chance to show how she was known.
Garo-lin glanced at Dul'Maojin and noticed that he was also waiting for his answer. Then he gave a weak smile and said, vaguely:
— Yeaah... something like that.
— You also own the place where our Garo-lin was, right? – Mother Colinpis asked directly to the Fire Dragon as she cradled a lanky Nana-lin in her lap. – I hope she's behaving well.
He gave a half smile, like someone who had found an opportunity – the flames from inside the ball went out instantly as Garo-lin felt her stomach sink and her almaki vanished. It was a great chance for him to say something about her, and she was sure that her mentor would not bother to hide the reality of the Institute.
— Yeah. Something like that – he answered vaguely and looked at her triumphantly, clearly giving the change for the previous answer.
Somehow relieved that she had not gone through this, she felt herself sink again when her mother touched on another worrying subject:
— I hope she's not sneezing. We had several problems with this here.
Now even the Lightning Dragon and Kidari awaited the answer.
— Sneezing? – Dul'Maojin made misunderstandings.
— Good thing she didn't sneeze – Mother Colinpis breathed a sigh of relief.
— Kidari is a princess – Garo-lin revealed, in her desperation to look for something potential to divert the subject.
— Really? – Chari-lin asked, staring at the girl smeared with a strawberry jam. – Why is it green?
The Dragons could not stop their muffled laughter, and Garo-lin mentally thanked them for finding her family's lack of culture funny and for Kidari not to care about the bold tone her brother had spoken.
— Anyway, thank you for everything you did – Mother Colinpis thanked her daughter's mentor directly. – When we learned that she could use almaki, we were afraid of what would happen, but the almakins were kind enough to accept a vilashi. And our Garo is very lucky to have such good friends.
Dul'Maojin said nothing, but merely looked at the lady with a puzzled look, which Garo-lin could only conclude as the reaction of those who had failed to attain the motive of gratitude.
— Here! – Mira-lin appeared at their tip from the stage and deposited a platter full of roasted tomatoes in the middle of the group. – Made by Juri!
Garo-lin could not contain herself. Instantly she jumped in front of everyone and took one, completely forgetting her mentor's order not to eat until she had finished her training. Only on the second big bite did she realize what she had done and found the accusing dragon's gaze.
— Don't you have tomatoes in the Fire Capital? – Mira-lin asked, understanding the situation in her own way, making a point of serving the guests. – They are the specialties of the village! Please!
— We have tomatoes... – Dul'Maojin murmured in a tone of complaint, looking suspiciously at his portion.
— But I assure you that it is not Gu-ren tomatoes! – Mira-lin exclaimed with a tone of pride. – Only we of Godan know this secret!
The word caught the attention of the Lightning Dragon, who, for the first time, was willing to begin a conversation in a docile tone of interest:
— Secret?
— Didn't you tell them about the Legend of Gu-ren? – the sister asked incredulously to Garo-lin, opening space between the children and sitting with them.
— In fact, they don't-
— What legend? – Zawhart interrupted Garo-lin, disarming her in all her ways of saying that the Dragons would not be interested in vilashis matters.
— Tell the story, Mira! – Mio-lin asked, practically jumping in the same place, and was followed by the other children, who supported the idea.
— Right – she agreed, assuming what Garo-lin called the attitude of her sister's teacher. – How does it really begin?
— When there were dragons! – the excited children responded, as if the answer were the key word to unlock a chest of stories.
— Exactly! – then Mira-lin hid her smile and took a darker tone to start counting. – In a very ancient time, when the dragons still existed and they used almaki on all the lands, a great battle happened. All sorts of dragons began to fight, disputing which almaki would be the leader of all. For many nights, the skies were illuminated and crashes made the ground whole.
“Hidden in the forest, frightened, the people who had no souls could not do anything and only hoped that everything would end, even if any tomorrow after that was uncertain. However, they needed water and every day someone had to go out to get the source. And it all happened on the day Gu-ren was responsible for filling the jar.
Gu-ren was a brave girl, but even so the jug trembled in her hands during the dark path. Nothing happened until she dipped the jug into the fountain. It was just then that she saw something reflected in the water: a yellow glow in the darkness. At once there was a deafening roar and she fled, leaving the pitcher behind. Even without looking, Gu-ren knew what it was: a huge dragon! Huge! With yellow eyes that glittered furiously for having met that stranger on his way and with his mouth full of sharp teeth ready to devour her! Aarrrrrr!”
Mira-lin made ample gestures with her hand on the children and many shrank and let out little shrieks of who was having fun.
— Dragons didn't eat people! – Dul'Maojin complained to Garo-lin, who merely pretended that she had not heard the comment.
— Gu-ren knew she could not escape the claws of a dragon – Mira-lin continued. – But she couldn't just let herself be devoured. When the steps were very close to her, luckily she realized that this place was near a grotto where she played with her brothers. Then she plunged into the bush, confusing the dragon, and gained time. Being a smart girl, she ran to the narrowest part of the grotto and crawled along the path that diminished as she advanced. Then he left through a small opening and was in time to see the dragon disappear in the great entrance of the cave. But he couldn't get through the narrow paths. He got stuck, since he was huge.
“Furious, he snarled, shifted, shook, struggled so hard that the cave crumbled and crushed him. Gu-ren, sane and safe, watched as the dragon's body exploded with all his almaki, causing all the stones around to turn to dust and all that remained was the bright red heart.
Then Gu-ren came back to her family, taking his heart with her. And when the battle of the dragons was over and everything was silent, everyone was able to leave the hiding places and return to live without fear in their villages.
Gu-ren buried his heart in her garden, hoping that his almaki would do well to her plantation. But her surprise was much greater, because in the place where she had buried the dragon's heart...”
She paused dramatically, looking with a smile at all the anxious little faces in front of her.
— What? – the Dul'Maojin asked, who had given so much attention in the last moments of the story to the point of not blinking, writhing in his place to know the story’s end.
— A tomato foot was born! – Mira-lin ended happily, making a hidden tomato appear miraculously in her hands and eliciting enthusiastic applause from her audience. – And that's why they are called Gu-ren tomatoes!
— What do you mean, a tomato?! – the Fire Dragon asked, indignantly, to Garo-lin, as if it were her fault that the story ended in that disappointing way.
— It's just a story! – she complained. – Each village says one way. In Durin it's a strawberry.
But before she could finish explaining, there was an explosion of shouts and claps with the end of a dance and then the staff began to prepare for one more. It was at this moment that Garo-nan emerged among the people who crowded around the stage and stopped in front of Garo-lin, speaking animatedly:
— They will play a song! – and reached out to her, inviting her.
Delighted at the idea of being able to participate in this dance, she opened a huge smile and started to stand up to accept the invitation. But there was a crash at her side that made her start to panic. The Fire Dragon had slammed his glass violently on the stage, succeeding in knocking down the cups of almost everyone around him. Regardless of the astonished stares he received, he called Garo-lin his authoritarian form:
— Vilashi!
— Yes? – she answered, automatically being attentive, immediately recognizing the tone he used to send and take off at the Institute.
— Go make the colorful explosions! Now!
His attitude caught the attention of the nearby vilashis and several faces turned to what was happening.
— Why are you yelling at her? – Garo-nan asked, standing in front of her friend and doing the most stupid thing in the world when facing the heir Dul'Maojin.
Standing up, the dragon gave him a heavy look that said plainly that he would not admit anyone who dared to question him that way, and that made Garo-lin move quickly:
— I go! – said to her mentor, shoving her friend aside and telling him softly: – Don’t worry.
And she hastened to leave, being followed by the Fire Dragon.
Chapter 14 – Almaki's Explosions of Fire
Garo-lin walked furiously to the mombelula, asking the children who were there to stand back and wait by the fire, that she would make the said explosions. Screaming with joy, they moved away without complaining, running like a compact mass and causing the dragon to stray from the path.
As he came up to the creature, complaining about Vilashis children having no limits, she turned to him and blew out all her irritation at once:
— It doesn't matter if you're a Dul'Maojin! You can't just do what you want here!
— And what would I do, vilashi? – he replied with an indignant tone, as if the accusation were false.
— You would fight with Garo-nan in front of everyone! You can do this in your Fire Capital, but don't think that I will simply be silent if you dare raise a finger against the people of my village! What did he do to you to react that way ?! Didn't his family get them in the house? Do you have to be so ungrateful?
— What you mean?! Do you think I would attack him?
The way he asked, as if only now he had really thought of this possibility, made her stop.
— Wouldn't you? – she asked incredulously.
— No, idiot! I don't attack anyone who doesn't deserve!
She stared at him with an expression that clearly said that this was the biggest lie she'd ever heard. Troubled, he folded his arms and looked the other way, more grunting than saying:
—
I can hit, even if they don't deserve so much... but not without reason! Whoever does this is you, you little bastard! Or have you forgotten that you almost broke my nose?!
That was too much for Garo-lin, who swallowed her chest and countered without fear:
— Don't you deserve it?!
— Of course not!
— You think you did nothing?! It was hardly enough to have broken your nose!
— Idiot!
Snorting, she hissed:
— It's really no use talking to you, Dul’Maojin! – and used the same contempt he used to call her vilashi when she spoke the name.
— Garo-lin?
There was a movement coming from the front of the mombelula. Up to that moment Garo-lin thought they were alone, since the children had given the warning so that the others would gather, and the creature served as a barrier between them and the center of the village. But as soon as the owner of the voice advanced and stepped out of the shadow of Mombelula's head and was perfectly visible, she recognized him:
— Garo-
The rest of the name came out as a muffled choke.
Dul'Maojin grabbed her by the waist and pulled up the retractable ladder, managing to get her easily into the cabin, since she had lost all of her balance by being caught by surprise and brusquely taken off the floor.
— LEAVE ME! – she bellowed, demanding.
— GARO-LIN! – her friend reacted, trying to rescue her, but the Fire Dragon was faster and pulled the ladder before he could reach her. – What are you going to do with her?!
Without answering, he just picked up the harness of the mombelula, which was promptly attentive, and made her take flight, while Garo-lin fumbled, trying to break free. When they were well clear of the ground, he let go, receiving an indignant look from those who could not find the words to say how he felt.
Leaning up, Garo-lin had to cling to the cabin, as the mixture of shock and nausea made her legs not obey.
Almakia_The vilashi and the Dragons Page 18