The Crescent Hour ✓

Chapter 6. Homecoming

Tamer observed the lady’s reaction as Rai unfolded the map and touched it. As if painted by an unseen artist, filaments of white light emerged above the chart, travelling horizontally and vertically to form grid lines. Then little pieces of projected continents appeared and the threads of light acquired color to complete the map. He spotted Veletia easily from the red beacon that blinked repeatedly.

Blessed by magic, the chart could not only display the correct representation of the world but also project the user’s visualizations based on their knowledge of the map. His close friend Rai had memorized an entire atlas and he was well aware that the hologram was based on Rai’s knowledge of their world.

The woman blanched and her green eyes widened when the map showed Aurion in bold letters. She placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head as the hologram enlarged and the light rays contorted to form a planet. At that moment, she looked much younger than what she appeared to be.

He could tell she was a young woman, not a child, perhaps no younger than seventeen and certainly no older than twenty. The hint of feminine curves was visible behind the white dress she wore and her red hair fell around her waist in a tumble of thick curls.

Tamer shifted his attention to the hologram. Swimming in space was an extraordinary orb, enclosed by a myriad of sparkling stars. Serpentine clouds and atmospheric gases coiled around the globe and vast expanses of oceans and continents covered its surface. It was tinged cyan with interspersed patches of green and brown. Twin moons orbited it. 

“Findora,” he said. “This is our planet, our home."

Shaking her head, the lady puckered her  face in astonishment. Her eyes searched for his, begging him to deny his own words but he could not. What he had told her was the absolute truth. Her behavior was astounding. Where did she come from? She had been taken aback when they had exposed their identities and she appeared ignorant of their world. Who was this odd girl whom he had saved from Saberlot’s ship?

She looked away, bowing her head. He had a feeling he was making her uncomfortable because of his eyes. Perhaps, it was because she saw more humanity in him than in Rai and Eryx and since his concave-shaped pupils were no common feature amongst human beings, she probably found him frightening.

He could not blame her. The human mind had a warped way of magnifying the biological abnormalities found in the anatomy of man to terrifying proportions than in a beast of catastrophic biology. He was no psychologist and thus he could not explain it. Most people thought his eyes were a result of him being a hybrid - a person born from parents of different races- but each time he told them he was not but a human, they remained unconvinced and he let them be.

Sighing, Tamer exchanged glances with Eryx who nodded at him once. The young lady certainly was not faking her reaction. His friend Eryx, was of the Zamari race. They were far superior to humans and more endowed with the gift of magic than any other race in Findora. Eryx could see a person’s aura and identify their innermost intentions, be it ill or not. If the girl had been feigning her reaction, he would have sensed it.

Rai poked a finger at the old scroll and the hologram of Findora faded. He closed the scroll and returned it to his pocket.

“Tell us what happened to you,” Tamer urged the girl reassuringly.

She lifted up her head and looked at them. Following her gaze, Tamer noticed that she had suddenly become aware of their weapons starting with his. She looked over his shoulders where the hilts of his twin blades peeked out. They were held by a brown leather belt which ran from his left shoulder all the way to his right hip. His sheathed blades formed an x-shape on his back. She darted her gaze to Eryx and spotted the dagger strapped to his left thigh. Thankfully, Rai had not carried his massive firearm otherwise she might have run away.