The Petals of A Dream - II

Flight ((Chapter 9))

***Alaire's POV***

"So, where are we headed?"

I stopped walking and turned around. I flashed her a mischievous grin, but she didn't get it and simply raised a brow. This was so like her. I chuckled as I pulled her hand.

"We're headed for Orrin. We need to find Shadow. He surely knows where they've taken Yhuelle."

"Shadow?"

"Yeah, uhmm... you met him a couple of times before.. I think. He's real name is Razi Etlecope, a very reliable informer. You probably don't remember him." We continued to follow the path that led to the outskirts of the forest. "Oh boy, he would love to be surprised. Bet my belt."

"I see..." Something in her face told me that she wasn't entirely convinced, like she was in a trance. When we reached the edge, I saw her gasp. I watched her face with the same mesmerized expression.

A cliff. And so damn high. Good thing the sun was rising, enough light for us to see that we couldn't go further or else we would have fallen a miserable death.

"Whoa, whoa.. step back." I said to her.

"Maybe, we should turn back. I'm sure I saw other paths on the way..." She sounded terrified, although she kept her face serene and calm.

Oops..I forgot. Abrielle hated heights before. Evidently, she still does now. And why wouldn't she? We were in the Valley of Vranced, the steepest cliff in the whole Forest of Belrant. The view below wasn't very friendly either.

"We'll be fine," I assured her. I whistled loudly, making sure the wind caught the sound. After a minute, Karr flew into sight.

*** Nancy's POV ***

Something gray appeared just above the horizon. it came nearer and nearer. Eventually, I could make out its shape. It looked like a giant bird. But birds don't get that big, do they?

A great blue phoenix approached us. It was humongous, I bet it could swallow me whole. But instead of shrinking away, I remained frozen, not daring to lift my eyes from the majestic creature.

This is something you don't get to see everyday.

It landed in front of us with a kind of pageantry. Gladly, the cliff supported the weight without crumbling.

"You didn't think that we're going to walk all our asses off, did you?" He laughed as he read my face. "Oh come now, Ab. This is my pet, Karr. We're riding him."

He pulled me up and both of us sat on Karr's back. To my astonishment, his feathers were as soft as silk, and they glinted against the light like gemstones. It crooned as I gave it a pat.

"He's pretty conspicuous, I know. But no one will notice us, I promise."

What he's saying didn't make sense, but I didn't care. Nothing made sense anymore. I simply went along with his flow. If I'm lucky, maybe I would find out that everything was just a dream. If not, well, there's nothing much I can do about it.

*****

"Can you please explain now?" I asked as soon as we set off.

The wind blew against my skin, making me cold. That's just a side dish. The whole fly-and-glide thing was excruciating and terrifying. I could feel my stomach back at the starting point.

"Wear this first." He threw me a kind of cloak. It didn't smell good so I threw it back. What was he thinking? It stinked like garbage in a poo!

"Can't you make a spell to make me warm?" I hissed between my teeth.

"Sorry Ab, but that's not within my power. In case I forgot to tell you, I'm a stealth-defense magic user. My forte is remote sensing."

"Well, that's just an excuse," I rolled my eyes. "You're just a stalker."

"I'm not."

"Go tell someone who believes you,"

"There's a lot."

"All airs," I snapped.

"Sheesh... do you want to continue blabbering or you want me to start explaining?" He sounded irritated now. But wow, he's still looking hot.

Somehow, I couldn't stop from asking myself if all spell casters were supposed to be this good-looking. Ali and Yhuelle are clearly beyond beautiful. How come I'm so plain?

I bit my lip as I realized he was waiting for an answer. My answer.

"Just fire it away..." I nodded.