Beyond the Glow

Chapter 27

When the spinning finally stops, I take a few steps, trying to find a wall to lean against. With my eyes closed; I stumble forwards in an attempt to wait for the dizziness to pass. My wait hits a small barrier, and I nearly topple over it; onto whatever is on the other side.  

From a groan behind me, I conclude that Leila is feeling similarly motion-sick. I reach up, feeling my head and noting that the ear contraptions from earlier are gone. They must have come off while we were being transported here. Who knows where they ended up.

I open my eyes when my stomach settles, and nearly throw up after all. My hands fly back down to turn white against the barrier, which I now realize is a bottom of a tall window that does not happen to have any glass in it.

And below me is a drop that nobody would be able to survive.

The worst part, we aren't even off the castle grounds yet. The drop off from the window only lands on the slanted roof of the castle, and from there, down to the gardens we just exited. From our height, I can see small figures in red and black dart across the grounds, searching for me and Leila probably. Hangar is nowhere to be seen.

I back away from the window, no matter how high up we are, there's still the chance they might see us. Besides, I don't really feel like falling and becoming a pancake today. The room we made it to isn't all that big, with rounded walls in a circle, and the only way out is a small trap door in the floor. There's hardly enough room for the two of us, and I bump into Leila as I back away.

She's laying on the ground, curled into a ball, but stirs when my leg touches her. Pulling her head from her hands, she looks up at me; disoriented. "Is it always that bad?" She says, a slight greenish color returning to her face as she stands.

"I've really only done it a few times," I say, letting her lean on me, "But so far, yeah."

Leila lets out another groan at my words, before touching her bracelet and sighing as a soft silver glow fills the room. She straightens up, and walks over the the window.

"They've surrounded the castle." She says. "I don't suppose you can do that again? It's really the best option if we want to get out." I think of the falling, and the dizziness, and shake my head as a wave of nausea grips me from the memory.

"Not tonight."

She sighs, walking over the the trapdoor instead. "We could sneak out through the castle." Leila places her head on the top of the wood, listening intently. Before her face falls. "I can't hear anything but muffled noises." She sits up. "Do you want to take the chance of just going down?"

I walk over, kneeling beside her. "Let me try."

Leila scoffs, obviously thinking I won't do any better than she could, but moves aside all the same. I lean down, pressing my ear to the door, and at first, all I can hear is the same muffled voices I suppose Leila was listening to.

I frown, but begin to pull away when something comes into focus. Almost as if we were in the same room speaking.

"- broke free of me in the town, there's no way she came back." Says a distinctly male voice, and I shy away, recognizing the voice from my mind. Whoever it is sounds put out, obviously they haven't met someone who can beat them at their own game before.

"But she doesn't know about us, there's still a chance. She wants to save the poor, defenseless magics." Says a female voice, I wrinkle my nose, already disliking her because of the tinkling laugh that comes right after her sentence, something about it makes me wary.

"Quiet. The both of you." Another voice, one I also recognize. Tran. No wonder I can hear so well, that little whisper came in handy after all.

"You have your orders, do a sweep, find her, and meet me back here." I freeze, what? Find her?