The Next day. A market square.
"Fetch two of the pigeons. One for my son and the other for me."
The woman dressed in an old white robe said to the young lady selling the pigeons. The young lady had a son of probably 6 years old stroking one of the pigeons on the head. Seemed like that was his own pet.
"What do you need the two for? For sacrifice?"
The young lady teased as she handed the two pigeons to the woman. The woman looked offended by the question but she said instead,
"Isn't your concern only to sell? Why the questioning? By the way, Yes!"
The young lady chuckled. The woman was impossible. Why nag when you know you'd answer the question eventually?
"But I heard that the priest of the land was killed. Who would offer the sacrifice for you or prepare the processes?"
The young lady probed further. The woman was done there but she deemed it thoughtful to let some of the words roll. What would she lose in the first place?
"And why should I trust you with this? How would I know that you won't become a public address system to the whole village?"
The lady chuckled again, her smooth face folding into a rich smile. She was quite beautiful. Even the blind would testify.
"What other proof is greater than my kind of trade? Do you know much about pigeons? Why do you think I sell them? You don't think they keep secrets with me? You have no idea what those two pigeons in your hands are telling me at the moment about you."
The woman was moved at that and shot,
"What did they say? It's not possible to communicate with birds. Only witchery avails that."
The lady looked at her son and back at the woman.
"He has the talent of a listener. But it's limited to only animals."
The woman shook her head and succumbed,
"There is a sorcerer in the forest at the outskirt of our village. He would process the rite for myself and my son."
She paused immediately as a man walked to the stall of the pigeon seller. She for once feared that the man heard what she said.
The young lady attended to the man swiftly and he left immediately. He left eating the woman up with a censored gaze. The woman rolled her eyes at him and he chuckled.
He looked at the front, but too late, as he bumped into a lady with the vessel of black oil on her head. The vessel broke, and he was drenched in the oil.
"I'm so sorry. Please do not go near fire."
The owner of the vessel pleaded instead. The man bowed in gratitude and looked towards the woman for the last time. Then he turned to the lady who owned the vessel,
"What difference would it make. My heart is already on fire."
He chuckled and hurried away. The woman looked away from the man. She smiled. She obviously heard what he said.
"I should leave now!"
The woman said quickly, looking occasionally in the direction of the man.
"You're no longer interested in what the pigeons said about anymore?"
She woman pushed,
"That..."
The lady responded,
"The pigeons said they were bought because you want to use them for sacrifices to win the heart of both the king and his daughter. Each pigeon for you and your son and the king and his daughter respectively. Like a love potion or spell."
The woman looked around quickly noticing that her intentions had been made known. There was nobody listening.
"Please do not tell anyone, else I'd be hung."
She pleaded with the young lady. The lady smiled instead,
"I don't think that would be necessary any longer. I guess you already found a love. You can hurry up and catch up with him. And tell your son also to find a love. Love is earned not forced."
The woman was moved more by the possibility of being ratted than the message of what the lady had said.
"Keep the pigeons then."
They woman handed her back the two birds and hurried up, through the crowd.
"How about your money?"
The lady stood up calling at the woman, but the woman waved her down,
"Keep it."
The lady sat back and looked around hurriedly. Then she looked at her son and muttered,
"Time to go."
In no time, they put the birds in two different cages and each of them bore it as they walked in the wrong direction. Instead of heading into the village, like the other woman, they were heading to the outskirt, towards the forest.
They hurried through the crowd. The lady looked back at once and noticed that there was a man tailing her. She didn't need to be told. The man was lusting after her.
"We're being tracked. Not serious though, but worth losing."
She muttered, nudging the boy to move faster. Soon the looked around quickly twitching her eyeballs in some rhythmic manners. Then more crowd from nowhere began to thread their way. The path of the market was so trafficked that one could lose his leg.
Then noticing that, she turned again, but the man was so keen on his mission. He seemed to had lost them to the crowd, but he was looking hastily around to catch them again.
"It's time."
The lady said to the boy again. She was sure that they had lost the guy but she wanted to be so sure. She turned again as she held unto the boy's hand.
But point it time she turned, her eyes met with that of the young man. But twas way too late, the lady and the boy disappeared.
Well, the lady was damn sure that she was seen disappearing. But why should she worry.
"Time to change?"
The boy said to the woman, but the woman shook her head instead. They were already in the forest, walking through a gaunt path.
Then out of nowhere two men were seen coming from their front. Walking towards them.
"Anything happening in this forest?"
She asked, as soon as the men got to them.
"Hello beauty, what are you doing here with this cute and innocent boy?"
The rougher of the men said. Then the other one hopped on,
"She probably wants to win the princess for his small boy. Save her till her boy would be old enough to make out with the princess."
He laughed heartily. The other one looked at him and ignored.
"What princess? What gift?"
The lady didn't hide her confusion.
"Are you a stranger?"
The rough men said. She didn't know what expression to give. She didn't. The other guy came to her aid,
"So you don't know anything about the quest for the princess? You don't know about Vulcan and Prium, his daughter? You don't know that whoever catches the two would win the princess as a gift?"
She chuckled instead at that feigning the knowledge,
"And the two of you would share the princess if you catch the so called Vulcan and his daughter?"
She scorned. The rough guy wasn't pleased. He didn't hide his displeasure,
"I told you that this bitch doesn't worth our attention."
The other guy said instead,
"Nope, she does. If you win the princess, I'll win her."
The rough guy smiled at the thought of that and advanced towards the lady,
"And we might as well just lay with her now."
The other guy tried to grab the lady at that but then the lady called,
"Now!"
At that, the boy threw the small cage at her and she smashed the cage with that in her hand. And immediately, she chanted in ancient tongues and they both transformed.
"Run!"
The rough guy called,
"You should had done that earlier."
Ayla said and grabbed him. She slit his throat with a small knife tucked into her side. While Vulcan struggled with the other guy and beat his head to pulp with a wood.
As soon as they killed the men, Vulcan stood tall and looked at Ayla,
"You second eye."
Ayla touched her hand to it. Her second eye was no longer there.
"The guy who bought the pigeon. I'll get it back."
Before he could ask a question, she stretched her arms out and began to chant in ancient tongues. Then at once the man who had bought the pigeon was summoned.
"Welcome."
She muttered and collected the pigeon from him. Then the guy disappeared immediately.
She pushed the pigeon towards the second socket of her eye and drove it in. It magically entered and became a new eye. Vulcan gasped.
"Those pigeons were part of you?"
He found his words finally. Ayla chuckled and began to walk towards the path which led to their tree home.
"There are still a lot you're yet to learn about a Nymph."
She said without waiting for him. He tried to catch up.