Chapter 81 - Pool

"I..." 

Even before the harpy could say anything, Kasma slapped the harpy again. The impact made the blood gush out of the bird's ruined eye. 

"Screech! I'm telling ...I'm telling. please don't hit me."  The harpy pleaded as she struggle to get up. The sinister snake phans( tangle) curse had entered her body and was tightening around her soul. 

"Then begin. I don't have time to waste on you. " Kasma said, ignoring his soul's throbbing. He still had some time before the poison would reach his heart.

" They all come out at midnight. As for what I don't know. " The harpy said hurriedly, eyeing her captor fearfully. She had told him everything --her well-guarded nest on the Giggling tree, the burrow of immortal Owl, Ullook (of course, she herself had never seen the fabled owl, but it didn't stop her from telling her captor), the secret passages to Dilli where lived Elass ( a sage bird which had mysterious powers), the place where stood Mother tree. But nothing piqued the human interest except the water nymphs. Very fine fiery sparks had appeared in his ember eyes as she mentioned water women. 

It didn't take the harpy long to guess why her captor was venturing into this part of the woods. He was here for the water nymphs. No sane human would seek out them before the full moon night unless the objective of his visit was more important than his life. 

This little finding had given her a new hope that If she played her part cleverly she might escape her fate. 

However, what she hadn't excepted w

as that her captor wouldn't even give her a chance. 

"I think you want to lose your other eye too. "Kasma said as he took his dagger. 

"Please...believe me. I really don't know." The harpy cried, looking at the approaching black dagger, as cold as the human's face. 

Kasma looked into the only right eye of the birdwoman and scrutinized the tear and blood-stained face, filled with the expressions he was too familiar with--- Despair and gloom. 

She really didn't know. 

"Ok! I trust you." He said, commanding his dagger to come back.

Relief washed over the harpy's face. 

"Please...let me go human. You promised so." She implored.  However, Kasma didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were closed, and his dry lips were moving slowly, chanting a tongue foreign to the harpy. The sound of the obscure syllables tensed the stuffy air around.

Much to the harpy's horror, a ghostly face appeared above the human's head.  Cold fear froze her soul as her eye registered the formless face. Some deeply hidden memories, the recollections she had inherited from her progenitors rushed to her, telling her to flee as far as she could from the intangible being. 

But all harpy did was to keep rooted the spot with mouth agape and face ashen-white. 

Suddenly, the human's eyes snapp

ed open. NO...they were not eyes but two small volcanos brimming with red fire. 

As soon as the human glanced at her, the harpy's soul jolted. As if it too had sensed the uncanny of the fiery eyes. 

"I..." 

Even before the harpy could say anything, Kasma slapped the harpy again. The impact made the blood gush out of the bird's ruined eye. 

"Screech! I'm telling ...I'm telling. please don't hit me."  The harpy pleaded as she struggle to get up. The sinister snake phans( tangle) curse had entered her body and was tightening around her soul. 

"Then begin. I don't have time to waste on you. " Kasma said, ignoring his soul's throbbing. He still had some time before the poison would reach his heart.

" They all come out at midnight. As for what I don't know. " The harpy said hurriedly, eyeing her captor fearfully. She had to

d him everything --her well-

guarded nest on the Giggling tree, the burrow of immortal Owl, Ullook (of course, she herself had never seen the fabled owl, but it didn't stop her from telling her captor), the secret passages to Dilli where lived Elass ( a sage bird which had mysterious powers), the place where stood Mother tree. But not

hing piqued the human interest except the water nymphs. Very fine fiery sparks had appeared in his ember eyes as she mentioned water women. 

It didn't take the harpy long

to guess why her captor was venturing into this part of the woods. He was here for the water nymphs.

No sane human would seek out them before the full moon night unless the objective of his visit was more important than his life. 

This little finding had given her a new hope that If she played her part cleverly she might escape her fate. 

However, what she hadn't excepted was that her captor wouldn't even give her a chance. 

"I think you want to lose your

other eye too. "Kasma said as he took his dagger. 

"Please...believe me. I really don't know." The harpy cried, looking at the approaching black dagger, as cold as the human's face. 

Kasma looked into the only right eye of the birdwoman and scrutinized the tear and blood-stained face, filled with the expressions he was too familiar with--- Despair and gloom. 

She really didn't know. 

"Ok! I trust you." He said, commanding his dagger to come back.

Relief washed over the h

arpy's face. 

"Please...let me go human. You promised so." She implored.  However, Kasma didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were closed

, and his dry lips were moving slowly, chanting a tongue foreign to the harpy. The sound of the obscure syllables tensed the stuffy air around.

Much to the harpy's

horror, a ghostly face appeared above the human's head.  Cold fear froze her soul as her eye registered the formless face.

Some deeply hidden memories, the recollections she had inherited from her progenitors rushed to her, telling her to flee as far as she could from the intangible being. 

But all harpy did was to

keep rooted the spot with mouth

agape and face ashen-white. 

Suddenly, the human's eyes snapped open. NO...they were not eyes but two small volcanos brimming with red fire. 

As soon as the human g

lanced at her, the harpy's soul jolted. As if it too had sensed the uncanny of the fiery eyes. 

"I..." 

Even before the harpy could say anything, Kasma slapped the harpy again. The impact made the blood gush out of the bird's ruined eye. 

"Screech! I'm telling ...I'm telli

ng. please don't hit me."  The harpy pleaded as she struggle to get up. The sinister snake phans( tangle) curse had entered her body and was tightening around her soul. 

"Then begin. I don't have time to waste on you. " Kasma said, ignoring his soul's throbbing. He still had some time before the poison would reach his heart.

" They all come out at mid

night. As for what I don't know. " The harpy said hurriedly, eyeing her captor fearfully. She had told him everything --her well-guarded

nest on the Giggling tree, the burrow of immortal Owl, Ullook (of course, she herself had never seen the fabled owl, but it didn't s

top her from telling her captor), the secret passages to Dilli where lived Elass ( a sage bird which had mysterious powers), the place where stood Mother tree.

But nothing piqued the human interest except the water nymphs. Very fine fiery sparks had appeared in his ember eyes as she mentioned water women. 

It didn't take the harpy long to

guess why her captor was venturing into this part of the woods. He was here for the water nymphs. No sane human would seek

out them before the full moon night unless the objective of his visit was more important than his life. 

This little finding had given her a new hope that If she played her part cleverly she might escape her fate. 

However, what she hadn't excepted was that her captor wouldn't even give her a chance. 

"I think you want to lose your o

ther eye too. "Kasma said as he took his dagger. 

"Please...believe me. I really don't know." The harpy cried, looking at the approaching black dagger, as cold as the human's face. 

Kasma looked into the only right e

ye of the birdwoman and scrutinized the tear and blood-stained face, filled with the expressions he was too familiar with--- Despair and gloom. 

She really didn't know. 

"Ok! I trust you." He said, commanding his dagger to come back.

Relief washed over the harpy's face. 

"Please...let me go human.

You promised so." She implored.  However, Kasma didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were closed, and his dry lips were moving slowly, chanting a tongue foreign to the harpy. The sound of the obscure syllables tensed the stuffy air around.

Much to the harpy's

horror, a ghostly face appeared

d above the human's head.  Cold fear fr

oze her soul as her eye registered the formless face. Some deeply hidden memories, the recollections she had inherited from her progenitors rushed to her,

telling her to flee as far as she

could from the intangible being. 

But all harpy did was t]o keep rooted the spot with mouth agape and face ashen-white. 

Suddenly, the human's

eyes snapped open. NO...they were not eyes but two small volcanos brimming with red fire. 

As soon as the human glanced at her, the harpy's soul jolted.. As if it too had sensed the uncanny of the fiery eyes.