Circles of Ciridia: The Windtalker's Amulet

Chapter Twenty ~ The Owl

Once back in the air, Kiäna and her friends continued on their way, making great time in their misty state while flying. Kiäna couldn't wait to study the map once they landed for the evening and see how close they were to Fulgaria.

Kiäna sent a mental nudge to Vespera to discover that he had fallen asleep inside her pack again. So she wouldn't be able to talk with her panther to pass the time.

The day became a blur of flapping wings and wind in her face. She daydreamed of finally speaking to her friends. Of all the things she would ask them about where they came from, and their parents, and even silly things like their favorite foods and what they liked to do for fun. 

She would certainly ask them how they came to be in Väria and how the beastmen managed to capture them when they were so good at magic. Why hadn't they just rescued themselves, she wondered. Surely Thea and Tajana were powerful enough to escape on their own magical merits.

Then she daydreamed about what they could do once they returned to Väria and completed their quest. Maybe they could go swimming, and play hide and seek in the forest outside of her home, and play chase through her village.

They could tell stories over their meals. They could use their Amulets to learn each other's languages, so they could just talk to each other without needing the magical trinkets. Then she could even teach them songs from her people. And they could teach her songs from their lands.

They may be able to teach other skills too. Like Kiäna could show Thea and Tajana how to create gravity arrows, and Chadwick could show Kiäna how to fight with a sword, which was something she had always wanted to learn. Kiäna could show the girls how to do their sacred dances, and maybe they would have festival traditions they could share with her.

Then she thought about that conversation she'd had with her father, about taking it one quest at a time, and how later maybe she could bring her friends home. Oh, how she'd love to see her friends' home in Naia. The waterlands. She imagined it would be a very mystical place. 

A place where water erupted out of the earth and the people swam everywhere. She wondered if they had special powers that made it easier to swim. Maybe they flew above the water using the flying beasts like Pax and Stella and Celeste Cecelia. How did they sleep? Were there little islands all over the waterlands, or did they have giant boats like the ones her people used to canoe down the river? Boats big enough to live in, maybe!

Finally, as dusk fell over the lands, they found a place to land. As their misty mounts touched down, the makutu dissolved with a flourish. Chadwick dismounted and then helped Kiäna down.

She felt stiff, but not nearly as bad as she imagined she'd feel after riding so long without the mist makutu. With a misty body, things like muscle aches and physical fatigue didn't hit as hard as they normally would. Being in mist form made the trip easier in that way.

But still, it had been a long day, and the children all sprawled out on the ground and the Chimaeras lay down in the cool grass too.

Vespera woke up and said, My that was a wonderfully long nap.

I do believe you have slept enough that you could stay up all night, Kiäna said with a giggle.

Yes, we shall! Faira and I can stand watch and do a little hunting.

I'll feel safer sleeping with you on the lookout.

Faira and I have been taking turns up on watch at night, Vespera said.

I didn't know that. I'm glad you won't be too tired this time. I'm sure it was exhausting to run all day and then only get to sleep half of the night.