"But the puzzle's most important part is still missing..."

AVERY

The night in Sumeria is quite busy. Fire and some cultural dance entertain the streets. Pero nang mapadaan kami sa ibang eskinita na malayo sa mga mata ng mga tao, bentahan ng mga alipin na nagaganap. A black market.

Simula nang makontrol ni Seth si Haring Sean, hindi naayos ng Hari ang pamamahala sa kanyang nasasakupan. Marami na ring nakapasok na masasamang loob sa lugar na ito. Hindi na kami nakialam pa ni Zirrius. We need to save the King first before anyone else now.

We head straight to the back part of Aeria. Wala ng masyadong tao sa lugar na ito dahil halos lahat ay nasa gitna ng bayan at nagkakasiyahan. Zirrius lifted the manhole's metal cover and let me go in first. I used my Angel fire to light up our way. He put back the metal cover and followed me in the sewer.

We already outlined on our map the way to the castle. Sanga-sangang tunnels ang sumalubong sa 'min na may masangsang na amoy. I'm glad we're not in our elf forms or else these stinking smell will cause nausea on my system.

"Ang baho! Grabe ang pabango mo, Zirrius, kumakapit sa balat! Umaalingasaw!" maarteng sabi ko at tinakpan ang ilong. Nang lingonin ko siya, nakasimangot lang siya sa 'kin.

"Avery, kanina ko pa naaamoy 'yang amoy na 'yan sa 'yo, hindi pa man tayo pumapasok dito," pang-aasar na lang din niya.

"Kapal, ang bango ko kaya! Amuyin mo pa!" irap ko sa kanya. Ipinagpatuloy ko ang paglalakad. Narinig ko ang mahina niyang pagtawa na tila naaaliw.

"Mabaho ka na kapag inamoy kita," sabi niya.

"Okay lang, mas mabaho ka naman," sabi ko. Lumiko kami sa isa pang tunnel. Minsan may tumutulo pang tubig mula sa kisame na pilit kong iniiwasan. May hunter boots are slightly drenched with filthy water. I held the map on my hand. Nasa likod ko na si Zirrius.

"Arte mo," komento ni Zirrius.

"Ano? Maganda ako? Thanks. Sweet mo, baby" nakangising sagot ko.

He hissed and clicked his tongue but didn't argue further.

No one's guarding the tunnels. I marked some tunnels that can be used to escape. Some routes leads to the dark alleys in the city. Ilang tunnels pa ang pinasok namin bago kami nakarating sa ilalim na bahagi ng kastilyo. Unfortunately, there are metal bars surrounding the tunnel's entrance. It's already guarded with magic, it's still sleeping and no one dared to invade this before. I could see the residual of magic surrounding it. The blue energy surrounding it was blazing like cold fire.

"It's protected by magic," sabi ko kay Zirrius. "We don't want to alarm the King."

Nagkatinginan kami ni Zirrius. "Maybe Savanna knows a way to negate this magic. Sa tingin mo, anong mangyayari kapag sinira natin ang mga bakal na nakaharang sa tunnel?" Pinilit niyang silipin ang loob ng tunnel pero hindi niya tinangkang hawakan ito.

"Maybe it can trigger an alarm or some monstrous gate keeper?" sagot ko sa kanya. Behind the bars, we only saw darkness. I have a bad feeling about this. Mukhang mapapalaban muna kami bago namin marating ang loob ng kastilyo.

Seryosong tiningnan ako ni Zirrius. "We need to head back now. Hindi tayo maaaring gumalaw lalo na kung hindi tayo sigurado sa maaaring mangyari sa 'tin."

Tumango ako. Tahimik naming tinunton ang daan pabalik. Tinahak namin ang tunnel, kung saan malapit ang inn na tinutuluyan namin. We ended up on a dark alley near the bar we visited this morning. Roj's bar. Kahit nakalanghap na ako ng sariwang hangin, hindi pa rin nawawala ang masangsang na amoy. Wala sa sariling inamoy-amoy ko pa ang sarili ko.

"Ano? Mabango ka pa rin?" nakangising pang-aasar ni Zirrius kaya masamang tingin ang ipinukol ko sa kanya.

"Mas mabango pa rin ako kaysa sa 'yo. Bilisan na nga natin. Hindi ko na talaga matiis ang amoy ko," naiiling na sabi ko. Mahina lang siyang tumawa. Nagmamadali na ang hakbang ko patungo sa inn. Wala pa ang iba kaya nagmamadaling naligo na ako. I wear a summer dress. Nang matapos ako, si Zirrius naman ang naligo.

I looked out of the window. I noticed that the bar had a lot of customers. I could see the castle from here. A white owl landed on my shoulder. Shin is back.

Lumipad siya palayo sa 'kin at nagpalit-anyo. His midnight blue hair is a mess. He smiled at me as if he brought us a good news.

"May paraan na upang mapasok natin ang palasyo," bungad niya sa 'kin.

Kasabay ng paglabas ni Zirrius sa banyo, pumasook naman sina Damon at Savanna. They look exhausted. Ipinatong nila sa isang mesa ang bag na dala nila. I hope they did find the book we need.

"What's up?" tanong ni Damon nang may ipakita si Shin na isang sulat. O mas tamang sabihin na isang imbitasyon sa isang pagtitipon.

"I manage to forge this invitation letter. I learned that the King will host a party tomorrow night and all the nobles are invited. This is our chance to check the security inside the castle and how far King sean had fallen. I can transform into a bird or an animal to do that but it's a lot easier if you can check the castle too," he said.

"Unfortunately, this invitation is only good for two persons. A husband and wife. Zirrius can't join the team as he's a wanted figure. We only have Damon and Avery to do the job," paliwanag pa ni Shin. I feel bad for Zirrius but Shin is right. Nang tingnan ko si Zirrius, napansin ko ang bahagyang pagsimangot niya.

"We need a dress," sabi ko na lang.

"I can help," nakangiting sabi ni Savanna.

"Thanks," sabi ko. "At oo nga pala. Mas maganda na ring hindi kasama si Zirrius. We already check the sewer and tunnels. The castle's tunnels are guarded by sleeping magic. Hindi namin matukoy kung anong mahika 'yon at kung ano ang mangyayari kapag nagising ito. Zirrius and you, Savanna can check those tunnels tomorrow," sabi ko.

"I'm actually planning to read the books we gathered but I think that's a good idea too," sabi ni Savanna kasabay ng pagtango.

"Nasaan nga pala si Ayen at Kendrick?" tanong ko kay Shin

.

"They are checking the possible routes near the palace and its vicinities," Shin answered.

Tumango ako. "If you haven't eaten yet, please eat and take a rest. Lalabas lang muna kami ni Savanna para maghanap ng damit na maaaring isuot."

"Sasama ako," sabi ni Damon. Tumango ako sa kanya. Tumingin ako kay Zirrius pero umiling siya. He was just wearing his trousers that's why his six-packed abs in its fully glory are exposed. Hindi na ako nagsalita pa kaya lumabas na kami nina Savanna at Damon.

"Do you think Roj will change his mind?" tanong ko kay Savanna. "Mas may pag-asa sana kung kasama natin silang lalaban."

Tumango si Savanna. "Kailangan muna nating ipakita sa kanila na seryoso tayo. Na may konkreto tayong plano. Kailangan nilang makita kung hanggang saan ang kaya nating gawin at kailangan nilang maintindihan ang ipinaglalaban natin."

"Sa tingin ko, kailangan natin silang kausapin muli kapag buo na ang plano natin," sabi naman ni Damon. "Naiintindihan ko sila. It's normal to doubt especially a stranger but it won't hurt to at least give a chance to prove one's self."

I smiled at him. It's just fascinating that we could learn this much from everything we've been through before. It's fascinating how we try our best to understand other people.

Nakarating na kami sa night market. Ngayon alam ko na kung bakit mayayaman ang bumibili ng mga alahas, kasuotan at tela. Mukhang naghahanda ang lahat sa pagtitipon bukas ng gabi. I choose a white and black turtle neck sleeveless cocktail dress and Damon match it with a dark suit with the help of Savanna. She even bought us some jewelries, shoes, gloves and make ups. We would need to act like nobles after all.

Nilibot muna namin ang pamilihan bago kami nagpasyang bumalik sa inn. Shin is already sleeping next to Ayen. Unfortunately there's only three beds. Walang magagawa si Damon kundi matulog sa tabi nina Zirrius at Kendrick. And I don't think they will actually fit even if it's good for three people. Well, for three slim people though. Savanna and I took the other vacant bed.

Napangiti ako nang makarinig ako ng reklamo mula sa kama ng tatlong lalaki. Ah, this is going to be a long night.

~~~

The party will start at six in the evening. My makeup is already done and it's already five. Kaninang umaga pa umalis sina Zirrius at Savanna para pag-aralan ang mahikang bumabalot sa tunnel sa ilalim ng palasyo. Shin went out to survey the whole place, even the location of the magic circle.

Ayen and Kendrick wen't out again to investigate. Naliligo na si Damon. I started to dress. Sa kasamaang-palad, hindi ko maabot ang zipper sa bandang likuran. The zipper starts from my waist, up to my neck. Pilit ko itong inaabot pero mabuti na lang bumukas na ang pinto ng banyo.

"Good timing. Please help me with this," sabi ko at nilingon si Damon. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay nang mapansin na hindi pa siya nagbibihis. Tanging tuwalya lang ang tumatabing sa ibabang bahagi ng katawan niya. Ibinabalandra talaga niya ang maganda niyang katawan. Hindi ko alam kung bakit sa kabila ng nakikita ko, hindi ako naaalarma. Maybe because I already know who's my mate? Damon is alluring and gorgeous especially with his gray expressive eyes. Every girl will surely melt because of his gaze.

Lumapit siya sa 'kin na tila hindi rin siya nag-aalalang makita ko ang katawan niya. He's too comfortable for his own good. "Hello, wife," he teased. Mahina lang akong tumawa.

"Tulungan mo na ako pagkatapos ay magbihis ka na," naiiling na sabi ko. "We can't afford to be late. Kailangan nating sulitin ang oras upang mapag-aralan ang palasyo at makalapit sa Hari."

Hinawi niya ang buhok sa likod ko patungo sa harapan. He gently held the zipper of my dress. "Do you have a plan?" tanong niya sa 'kin.

Magsasalita na sana ako nang marinig naming bumukas ang pinto. Savanna just entered the room. Kasunod niya si Zirrius. I froze on my position when Zirrius gaze landed at us. His gaze slowly turned cold. Damon just shrugged his shoulders as if he doesn't really care. Slowly, he zipped my dress until it reached the back of my neck.

"Magbibihis na ako," sabi ni Damon at marahan akong tumango. He grabbed his suit and went back inside the bathroom. Savanna sat on the bed. She grinned at me. "Did we interrupt something?" she asked with curiosity. Zirrius fixed his gaze at me while waiting for my answer. I can't think straight and my heart went overdrive.

Parang pakiramdam ko, may ginawa akong hindi maganda laban sa kanya. Nag-iwas ako ng tingin sa kanya. Umiling ako sa tanong ni Savanna. "I just need his help. By the way, is there a carriage we can use to go to the castle?"

"Ah, sige. Tingnan ko," sabi ni Savanna. Lumabas siya kaya naiwan kami sa loob ni Zirrius. Tension, awkward silence and unbreathable air are the only things that separate us. Pinilit kong umakto ng normal. Nag-retouch ako ng make up at siniguradong maayos na ang kasuotan ko at isinuot ang heels ko. I fixed my hair in a messy bun and left out some curly strands down beside my face. 

The ruby necklace laid down next to my gloves. Isinuot ko na rin ang puting gloves ko. Wow! It was very stupid of me though. I should have wear the necklace first! I meant to grab the necklace but Zirrius moved next to me. He grabbed it first and without a word, he gently put it on my neck. I caught my breath on my throat. My heart wildly slammed against my ribcage.

"So, playing husband and wife already?" he asked in a serious tone. There's a hint of jealousy on his voice. Or is it just my imagination? Wala sa sariling nilingon ko siya nang matapos siya sa ginagawa. I noted that he was too close.

Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "What's the matter? There's a possibility that I'll need to marry someone soon. Elfania needs an heir. The High Priestess will surely push me into marriage. Damon is a good prospect," I answered with a shrugged. I bit my tongue because I just answered without thinking.

Nang tingnan ko si Zirrius, madilim na ang mukha niya. He's angry! Bakit ba kasi dire-diretso ako sa pagsasalita? "Fine. Enjoy the night with your future husband then," he said but he doesn't really mean it. "Lalabas muna ako," he said in a dark, dangerous tone.

I watched him walk out of the room. Malakas na sumara ang pinto. Nagseselos ba talaga siya? Hindi ko na siya maintindihan. Lumabas naman si Damon na bihis na bihis na.

"Ginalit mo siya?" Damon asked with amusement. "Gumaganti ka ba sa kanya?"

Umiling ako. "Not really my intention. I just told him the truth. The High Priestess will surely push me into marriage and if he doesn't want me, I really need to find another."

"So, I'm the second best?" tanong ni Damon. He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He smoothly combed his hair.

"Kung wala kang balak magpakasal sa iba o kung hindi mo man makita ang para sa 'yo, pwedeng ako na rin ang second best mo," nakangiting sagot ko. Napailing siya. I get my purse and invitation letter. We're ready to leave.

"Only if Zirrius can still resist you up to that point," he said with a shrug. He offered his hand to me and I accepted it, linking our arms together.

Mabigat akong bumuntong-hininga. "Pangit ba ako?" wala sa sariling tanong ko na ikinatawa niya.

"Wala 'yon sa ganda ng isang tao," sabi niya.

"Hindi tayo tao, Damon," paalala ko sa kanya bago kami makalabas ng pinto. Mahinang tumawa si Damon.

"Alisin mo muna si Zirrius sa isip mo, Avery. You're my wife tonight and you're making your husband jealous," he said with a playful smile. I pouted but I nodded. How can these men be so difficult to handle? Sumasakit ang ulo ko sa kanilang dalawa.

We ride the carriage rented by Savanna. Pinagsalikop ko ang dalawang kamay ko habang kinakabahan sa maaari naming malaman sa loob ng palasyo. Ang problema, paano pala kung nasa pagtitipon din si Seth nang hindi namin alam? Ipinilig ko ang ulo. I was thinking too much.

"Relax," mahinang sabi ni Damon. Tiningnan ko siya. He smiled kindly at me. "Leave your worries for later. Don't create problems that aren't here yet."

Marahan akong tumango. Tumigil ang karwahe sa harap ng mataas na gate ng palasyo. Inalalayan ako ni Damon pababa at ipinakita namin ang invitation letter na dala namin. Malakas na tugtugan ang sumalubong sa 'min sa loob ng magarbong palasyo. Dahil nagsisimula pa lang ang kasiyahan, hindi pa lumalabas ang punong-abala sa pagtitipong ito. We both grabbed our drinks and secretly surveyed the whole place.

***