Bk 2 Chapter five (8)

Elsewhere in the same Dark valley, Si Sanga and Lizzy moved in silence. Not a sound could be heard across the land.

"This is bad. This place is too quiet," Si Sanga said. He glanced at the veil Lizzy who said nothing and frowned. If it was just him, he would have sped away by now. But he was stuck with her and needed to keep her alive. They had been walking for quite a while and not a soul in sight. It did not help that the girl did not say a word.

"You are called Lizzy, right?" Si Sanga asked and Lizzy nodded. If he had not been looking her way, he would not have seen her nod. He watched her gliding steps; it was rare that one would have such steps. She moved without much ruffle on her clothes and sound from her steps. Just like Kheal asking Helen to pretend to be her, he did not believe this girl was simple.

"Who are you?" he asked on a whim and Lizzy's steps paused.

"Lizzy," she answered, but Si Sanga could not see her confused look under her veil.

"Who are you to Helen, I mean?" Si Sanga asked.

"Her Maid," Lizzy answered and Si Sanga frowned. A maid? He would not believe it. Which household had such a maid that moved more gracefully than her master?

"You don't move like one," Si Sanga made to expose her lie. At this, Lizzy paused. Seeing her stop, he raised a brow. Was she going to admit it? Lizzy on the other hand wished to understand his words. How she moved? Her movement was acquired out of instinct. Working in a place where she wished to escape one day, she wished that she could go around unseen. She moved without a sound, learnt to say very little and walked in a subtle glide when she was transferred to work for the Nether Lord, so as to avoid her clothes making little movement and gaining his attention.

"Really?" she said and started to move again. She did not bother to change her habit just because he pointed it out. This was something she had learnt to keep her alive. Now that she was moving around an unknown realm every now and then, she needed to better learn how to move unnoticed.

"No matter what you have up your sleeves, you must not hold back. We have to work together," he said but she remained silent. She had nothing up her sleeves in her mind. Just as she thought of those words, the maids flashed in her mind. She then glanced at Si Sanga.

"What?" he seemed to sense her eyes on him.

"There is no way on the edge of death will I hold back," She said and Si Sanga frowned.

"And before death?" he asked.

"What do you wish of me?" she asked in reply.

"You are not only leading a helping hand to me, you and I are stuck here in this spot on repeat. For the past few hours, we have not even moved. This is not a leisure walk. We are stuck. Unless you do not wish to leave this place to reunite with your master, if she is one, then you will see value in my words," he said and she paused again.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are we stuck on this spot?" she said and he sighed slightly in frustration. How could she be unmoved by what he just said? How can she not panic? He himself had started to panic an hour ago when he noticed they were not really moving. This place was dangerous; even he with high cultivation could not understand it.

"Are you good at keeping your eyes where they belong?" Lizzy asked and he paused.

"What?"

"My Lady, Helen; even her, I am yet to relay my issues. They are my issues and mine alone," Lizzy said. She tried as much as possible to sound vague. She alone understood why she had not told her Lady about her issues. She understood that her lady could not help her. Her lady was trying her best to meet his lordship again. They were lost in an unknown land. She was not sure this was the time to tell the mistress that her life had been taken from her and the Nether Lord had dared to make her a concubine in his harem. Her head was splitting just from thinking about it. She had decided she was a human being. She will live as a human being and not be bothered about things that don't concern her like the Nether Lord and his subjects. She will roam the lands with her ladyship without care. As long as she does not go back to act like a little concubine, she will be fine.

Still, she could not find the heart to tell her lady. She could not distract her and burden her at a time like this. From ancient times, maids kept to their lives and tried to solve their issues. They did not bother their masters with it but were tasked to be involved in their master's issues. She was not about to die, so there was no need to cry in alarm.

Si Sanga understood what she meant by those words. She did not wish for him to probe into her issues. He accepted it with a nod, "to each his own," he answered.

"Sol," Lizzy called after getting his affirmation and a dark figure appeared before Lizzy and bowed.

"My Lady," Sol answered.

"Nether People," Si Sanga's eyes shrunk.