Blue Moon

C H A P T E R 37

FROZEN HEART

ARRAH

The sudden burst of light shocked me. My eyes were still closed but Baku forced the visions on me. The chirping birds were soft on the ears and the cool wind soothed the sunbaked skin. Where trees and flowers were full of life, dyeing the surroundings with vibrant colors, a woman donning traditional tribal clothes was carrying a pot to the stream ahead. Her clothes were far more antiquated than the ones I've seen from visions before. They were less refined than in Mayari's village.

Have we gone farther back in time?

Her unrestrained long wavy black hair danced in time with her hips that swayed when she walked with grace. Her bare feet walked with lighthearted steps toward the stream. Arms and legs toned by carrying out chores, she was lithe. Her sun-kissed skin glistened with sweat that reflected the rays of the sun - setting her aglow. Reaching her destination, she slowly kneeled on the ground and set her pot in the flowing waters to fill it. She tucked the errant strands of hair behind her ears and that's when I finally saw her face clearly.

She oddly resembled Mayari...

"Long before she was Mayari, she was born as Liway."

Baku appeared beside me. Her eyes softened on the woman who set her pot full of water to the ground. Liway then cupped her hands to drink from the stream. Once done, she retrieved the pot and stood. A few steps away, a man of uncharacteristically masculine and fair skin waited. Her face breaking into a smile, Liway quickly walked towards him. He took the weight off her and wrapped his other hand around her waist. His joy, too, was palpable as his silver eyes mirrored his emotions

Silver?

"I met her while I was disguised as a human. I appeared before her as a man and loved her with the never-dying passion that an immortal can give. She was first mine."

The scene changed to show us in a tiny hut she (he) and Liway shared. It stood alone at the farthest end and away from the heavily populated village. Sheltered by the growth of trees and bushes, one could consider it secluded. Sharing their meager meal, they thankfully ate. Got on with their chores before turning in, they both were happy. Night came and they settled into their makeshift bed. The bamboo floor of their hut was covered with stitched fur of some sort. Her head on Baku's arm, Liway laid snuggled into the embrace of the deity living in the human world. They peacefully slept.

"She was mine... She was. Until one day she was not." The anguish in the beast I have always known to show no regard for humans gripped at my heart.

The pot shattered with a force so strong and the world around us darkened only to be consumed with the auburn fire. The flame burned until it destroyed everything - leaving cinders of what was once a happy simple home.

"The people in her village found out about us. Búlan as a silent witness to that fateful night, they took to their torches and burned what I held precious. Liway was tied inside our house as it burned. Humans! They stood exclaiming victory like they won. Won over who? What? We lived in peace. Would have - if they only let us be!"

Baku touched the burnt remains of her love - sitting and bound. Touching what used to be a smiling face, her scaly hands shook as the remains deteriorated upon the gentlest of caresses.

"I could not turn to the highest council of the gods knowing that I could not seek justice. The union between a mortal and an immortal was greatly frowned upon. How fair could they be? Fair? They turn the other cheek when the supreme deity consorted with a human woman who bore him half-bloods. But for a lesser immortal like me, the rules would not bend."