The World Between

Chapter 8: Shiverdawn Falls

Zephi's training was much more intense than her personality would lead you to believe. The "mom friend" of their group as Maia had come to think of her could be considered a gentle parent until it was time for their daily training, then she was authoritarian as a drill sergeant. According to Zephi, this was just light training; not even the rigorous training that she and her tribe, which Maia learned were called the Zalephi, regularly practiced. Zephi didn't tell her, but this was the training they used for children. When Zalephi are only four, they begin learning how to fall so they do not get injured, how to throw a punch, and how to use an opponent's weight against them. They worked on their flexibility and awareness of their surroundings until it became second nature to notice the slightest movement in their peripherals. Maia was in her late twenties, however, and the plasticity of a more youthful brain wasn't available to her. She didn't think of herself as in "bad shape," but she had the stamina of someone who rarely ate vegetables and sat at desk or on a couch most days, which meant she really didn't have much. Many of us convince ourselves that if needed we could jump right into an adventure if needed, but rarely do we think about how much time we spend consuming stories about others' adventures while sitting on our rear ends.

They began and ended their days with poses Maia found reminiscent of yoga and Tai Chi, and that alone left her sore in places she didn't realize could be sore. Despite this, Maia felt more invigorated than she had in years and less useless now that she could practice stances when the others were busy. They started to have a rhythm to each day: wake up, train with Zephi, eat breakfast, discuss the route with Thatcher, then travel for most of the day, stop in the evening, train again, eat dinner, sleep, and repeat. Maia had started to feel comfortable with this rhythm, like a class schedule she could follow. Then they were only a day outside of Shiverdawn, and the routine they had established suddenly changed.

The night before they arrived, Zephi debuted their new outfits she had made, complete with a new set of pouches for Trelli and a scarf for Bessie. The fabrics were various textures in shades of blue and green. Zephi's new outfit consisted of a pale green dress that wrapped sinuously around her tall, muscular form. She could have easily passed for a statue of a warrior goddess from ancient Greece with her dark hair in elaborate braids woven down her back. Maia's own outfit was two pieces and in a shimmery teal several shades darker. The bottoms were a pair of billowing high-waisted pants with a coordinating top, cropped at the waist with ties up the side. Zephi insisted on slicking her hair back with a strange sparkling tree sap. They could buy shoes once in the city, but most of its citizens went barefoot.

"Zephi, is there anything you can't do?" Maia asked, going through some of the postures they had been practicing in her new clothing.

Zephyra thought for a moment, "I can't whistle," she said seriously.

"Um.. oh. Well, that's not too bad," Maia replied, "I can't cook, make clothes, or fight; so you have me beat."

"I haven't beaten you! We haven't gotten to that stage of training yet. That is very far off. Now do a slow turn, I'm worried that I haven't sized the pants correctly." Zephyra said.

Maia complied and said, "You should start your own fashion line. I feel beautiful and badass."

"Well, you're one of those things." Thatcher said, projecting the route for the next day. Maia didn't know whether she should feel flattered or insulted so she just sputtered for a moment while Zephi smiled to herself adjusting the waist of Maia's pants.

The next morning quickly arrived, and Maia bounced in her seat with excitement as the forest surrounding the road parted and in front of her appeared a large landmass, hanging in the air above what seemed to be a lake. The floating island was partially obscured by clouds, only the tips of glistening white towers could be seen above and jagged bedrock below. There was a constant runoff of water streaming down the sides, resulting in a curtain of water falling around the city below. More religious visitors would compare it to seeing heaven or Olympus, and perhaps it is what inspired both. But Maia looked at it and saw a fairy tale come to life; she saw ink and words come to life from her mind's eye to a physical place before her.