Silver Iris

Disappointment made the silver grey in her irises look darker.

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Chapter (17): Silver Iris 

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Stains of black on metal suggested aged blood, but the smell of it was still dominating over other herbal perfumes. My sister's curious brown eyes and mine fell on countless apparatus left unclean and idle on stilted boards. I decided not to wonder weather slicing dead (or not) human parts was also part of being a well-respected... witch.

 

I could have sworn my foot just went over a small space by an inch in between the wooden floorboards, I slowly threw a glance behind my shoulder and my breath froze in my chest then escaped out visibly, too loud for the silence. The floor was spotted by half-sphered frames of glass. Not sheer did not mean less worrying. She was as crazy as the Doctor!

 

Even after descending the stage, her voice had the tinge of music. A blend of pride and tiredness blew in her feminine sigh,"What is it?" but she sounded bothered more than concerned.

 

My self-confidence dropped a tread as I became the reason their feet paused-again-, "N-No, I just...noticed this type of floor design somewhere before."

 

A flattered smile broadened across her lips cherry red lips, "Elegant, isn't it? It's is a spreading trend nowadays."

 

I glimpsed down at my hands and they were quivering, yet relatively well-behaved. According to the doctor's theory, I had been poisoned exceeding the limit of his knowledge, the only reason to have made me endure an pain-in-the-a*s drive to see this woman.

 

Her long charmed fingers snapped once for a few more candles to awake in flames of the brass candelabras along the walls.

 

The room deserved a name better than a vault; despite poor lights, the layer of dust and neglection, the roof was round and striped with white arcs, making it seem like we were inside a globe of glass. Outside hung a large, untouchable full moon tinted with the color of dried blood and flavored with stars of a wavering brightness, but Adam did not seem interested, as if he'd been forced into a common infirmary waiting room. His pride made temporary way for human speech, "Why did you drag us down to this filthy--"

 

"Just to make sure what we say stays between us, love." her voice leveled in between whispery sighs, "Other than me, only these potions and tonics can hear."  Her eyes fell on aging walls in between untidy shelves. "I'm sorry, this cellar is very not befitting of heroic guardians--"

 

"Oh, ma'am we're no heroes…really." Aseel said following with a slower pace, deciding that it was a compliment. What part of that goose-chase made us heroes? She shyly pursed her thin lips and her open palm motioned my sister Nara and me, "and these two are not guardians, only ordinary humans."

 

Amen to that, I inwardly prayed.

 

The Madam's glances were magnetized by Adam's light blue eyes, "Yes, I sensed it earlier. I was referring to you and this young man." The long golden earrings slightly wobbled as she tilted the head crowned with night-black hair, she pleasantly stretched the words in her tongue, like an unhurried taste of gourmet dessert, "How kind of you to pay me a visit…again."

 

One of my eyebrows automatically leveled up. My sarcastic guess was really a fact.

 

Adam kneeled to take the Madam's hand she laid and lightly kissed the silk glove. She blended her next sentence in a strange dialect of an unfamiliar tongue and his eyes seemed slightly lost for a few moments, but he managed to comply with the change.

 

Who was that civil being? I was relieved to see eyes widening in skepticism other than mine. Nara took liberty in throwing an ignored remark about Adam acting like a 'nobleman'. I bet he himself wasn't aware of the sudden out-of-character.

 

But the witch was as careful not to be fooled as I was. Disappointment made the Madam's silver grey in her irises look darker, "Adam, shame on you," she pulled her hand out, "You don't remember me." her voice sounded like a half-hearted guess. Adam's baby-blue momentarily scanned the upper corner of his eyes for an answer. He opened his mouth again as he lengthened his gaze upon her grey eyes, but closed it again, "No." he sounded as if he did not want to remember.

 

They did know each other. Seeing Adam in full healthy human form again made it easy to fool myself and believe I had saved him. But I knew very little about him. My imprisoned curiosity furtively whined and tussled.

 

"Not even this touch?" her silk gloved fingers found their way across his cheek below his eyes that glanced sideways for another 'no'. Her hands drooped down with a small sigh, half-heartedly inquiring about our presence here.

 

All that talk about her being neurotic with unpredictable mood swings was inaccurate and slightly unfair. She had welcomed us pleasantly, and her negative reaction to Adam's passiveness just now was very… poised.

 

Thunder echoed abruptly as the large twin doors of the laboratory parted.

 

"Madam," even when the maid lacked a part of her breath from running, she managed to slightly lift the corners of her plain dress in courtesy, "Pardon me for the intrusion, but--"

 

Aseel, my sister and I together flinched at the roar that came out of the madam's supple lips, and I could have sworn Adam's cool pose was secretly affected too, "Asitza," Her silver eyes enlarged in anger, "aren't I with guests at the moment. Get out, out!" I winced. Forget the last part before this about her being poised…she was precisely deranged.

 

"But Madam," Her voice stressed a plea to be heard, "another trespasser has been discovered...Here, inside the lodge."

 

"Really?" Madam Qamar defensively placed one palm around her hip, "and whose fault is that, I wonder?" Details made the matter dreary in the Madam's silver eyes. Her concluding lid upon the matter was that all good or bad was in God's hands and we needn't worry.

 

The maid civilly frowned, seeming surprisingly (or not) more responsible than her mistress, "Madam, please be more conscious of your own safety. And of ours as well. They are a little bizarre, yes!" she admitted hesitating at the last part, "But they would have protected every corner of this lodge, inside and out. That's why they are sacred to me and my people--" "You know me well, Asitza, I will not, shall not resort to wasps and spiders to protect my house. The guards outside should have been sufficient, but what how do they spend their time?" she laughed with no humor, "Chitchatting and women talk!" the maid tried to swallow down the offended grimace because she could not defend her belief. She hadn't the power. The two women argued for about a minutes and it made Adam's headache visible in his slight scowl,

 

"Your guards were not enough," he spoke louder than both, "Just spare the maid your dictator rebuke."

 

"What?" The Madam's voice was soaked in a 'how-dare-you' hiss as she turned around, "You question my security men--"

 

"Yes I do." His voice leveled up an octave on the 'yes' as if it made perfect sense, "How do you think we got in?"

 

How could I not remember the horrible long queue before the adorned gates of the lodge? The four-floor building stood moderately proud with soft yellow lights blushing the numerous window frames, a bit odd in its outdoor design, but nothing out of human boundaries, unlike the tall gentleman in a raincoat who politely lifted the tip of his hat as he passed me by, raising the hairs on my arms beneath the thick jacket. I bumped my forehead against Aseel's back with squeezed shut unbelieving eyes to what I just glimpsed, sarcastically weeping in a low voice as I felt colder than the winter chill. He had no head! And if it was there, I did not see it beneath the round hat.

 

"Jad?" Aseel started with concern without turning around, Nara eyeing me suspiciously.

 

"I want to go home…" I limply begged, and Nara rolled her eyes at the ironic turn of tables, where she would usually be the one hiding behind my jacket.

 

A single man stood by the open gate that let out a seep of relaxing music,

 

He firmly straightened his palm open before Adam's baby-blue eyes, "Your invitation tags." the man sounded soft, slightly betraying the intimidation his massive body implied. It gave Adam more confidence to speak.

 

"We don't have them."

 

The man's arm swung back still beside his waist, and his eyes omitted our presence to focus on guests behind us in line.

 

"We don't need them." Adam clarified.

 

"I'm afraid you do. Now, move away. Your Kima Kabeela costume is starting to scare the guests."

 

That's not possible, I thought, taking another look behind me. How could Adam's appearance in anyway scare headless men, women with floating hair and children with horns above their ears?

 

"It's not a costume." Adam smirked, tilting his head with one thumb pulling the tuxedo black coat as if to show the skin beneath was real, "I am a Kima."

 

The guard's shifting eyes fully scanned the boy's height, "You're a--but they're all dead." 'Dead' was stressed as if it was a relief not a tragedy, "Except for that one man who came a year ag--"

 

"That's right, I am that man. The Madam's been excepting me." then his proud voice retreated to a more polite tinge, "But--no, I understand, you might want to go back to her to check if I'm Adam Kima, just in case. Although she'd be infuriated you doubted. You know, one never estimates her moods." I slightly shook my head and internally imitated the smirk Adam had just hidden behind the courteous mask as I watched the guard's stern poise waver in his small brown eyes. That was one totally superficial act! How was the bulky man fooled?

 

"Alright, fine." Madam Kamar admitted in defeat still dangling in pride,  "So, you tricked my guards with clever words." She fell into the cushion of the Cleopatra seat across the large black-red counter where we stood.

 

"One guard." Adam corrected, the Madam grimaced.

 

"I have no business with you if you cannot remember me." the mood slightly changed in her tone. Downwards. And the three of us seemed to feel out of place as the conversation grew more personal, "And I've already generously entrusted your little mermaid to the Sister Ebony's Institution." Aseel's lips slightly parted and her eyes hinted a humble intention of explaining our presence but Adam had already drilled to the point.

 

"I've come to take back the stone." 

"The stone? Of Origin?" her moon-silver eyes glanced at me as one of her knees neatly folded over the other for a more comfortable position, ,"How convenient for you, having selected what to remember and what not to." the last sentence grew into a bitter tenor.

 

Adam's brows slightly twitched in impatience, "Look, lady--"

 

"Ah-ah." In a flash of a second, she was standing a breath away from him a warning finger calmly swayed in his face, giving him a single tap on the nose. "It's Madam not lady." Aseel and I exchanged a glance, secretly agreeing to wear polite smiles to lighten the tension. 

 

"What makes you think I still have the stone anyway?"

 

Oi, Adam…you should try niceness. It's not as difficult as claimed to be.

 

"Because I remember leaving it in this cellar."

 

"Good." She clapped her hand once, resting her chin against congruent closed palms, "Now you'll just have to remember exactly where you left it."

 

"What!?" Adam's eyebrows cringed, "That's nearly impossible. Out of all these columns how would can I--"

 

"I don't know. Take your time, love." The last word was insincere and close to sarcasm…as if you hadn't noticed.

 

On shelves of mighty library columns stacked along the walls beakers of fluids were childishly arranged in the color spectrum order -not according to substance- in between sat numerous crates marked by unfamiliar Arabic letters. To try and open each and single one of them, I bet five days in a row would not have been enough.

 

"Why can't you personally tell me? It's easier than having to give hints." Adam suggested,

 

I stood too far from Adam to smell his jasmine-like scent, but it strangely lingered in my nostrils. Where did it come from? I scanned the dimmed room,

 

"Oh, really?" Her head slung backwards as she whole-heartedly chuckled,. Wow, I wish I could laugh like that, "Who told you I would give hints?"

 

After that upright clutch of a human-like wrinkled hand that suddenly grabbed the collar of my jacket, another peculiar ornament caught my attention. An oak-wooden chest carved in thin arabesque. It reeked of a scent similar to the one clinging to Adam's skin. I could faintly hear the tense conversation and the chest begged me to be opened. Did it contain some sort of perfume lotion that made his body smell that way?

 

"You stone-headed old hag--"

 

Must. Open. The chest

 

"Easy, now, what happened to your sweet compliments a while ago?"

 No it was not so hard to figure out what went on in that foreign conversation.

 

As if I had touched a burning flame, my fingers slid away from between the lips of the chest, and I jolted falling back on my rear.

 

Nara shrieked and red almond-shaped eyes awakened with a hiss.

 

I gasped at the coiling smoke becoming more similar to a snake. It found its way around my defensive arm set before my face. I grunted struggling not to be drawn into the darkness of the open chest. Even if I tried to stand back up I couldn't. My joints and knees had been unfastened loose by fear.

Author's Note

*Qamar/Kamar: the moon (Arabic)

Reviews and criticism appreciated!

Reviews

[Emunah June.]

WOW....that was awesome!!!

Very descriptive and vivid, I could see everything that was going on clearly inside my head. The madam sounds wicked creepy...perhaps I should start from the beginning? lol

Excellent job Wella!

[Coyote Poetry]

I like the situation and the old woman. A good chapter. Good to slow down the pace of the story to strengthen the character and the story. I enjoyed the excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Time Crosser]

Reading!