SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘈 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴. 𝘈 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
Xanthiene Vivenca, af...
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Cyrdel lay on his back, eagle-spread. He stared up at a ceiling filled with red dots. Except they weren't dots. His vision cleared just in time to show him the creatures looming above him, hanging from the ceiling using their claws.
He sat up and rubbed his face. What happened? Why was he on the ground?
A vague memory of a black torrent rushing towards him flashed across his mind. After that, nothing. His mind swirled. Holy Nira, did he pass out?
If Ravalee saw him now, she'd probably die from laughing her guts out. Cyrdel's fists clenched, his nails scraping magrora as he did. What's with this test?
He should hurry. Time wouldn't stop just for him. Finish this test quickly. He stood up and rubbed his rear. What was he even being tested on? His ability to wrangle beasts?
Cyrdel craned his neck up at the mass of black above him. Why were they just gaping at him? Weren't they going to eat him?
One of the creatures growled at him and Cyrdel averted his eyes. Okay, they hated eye contact. Cyrdel blocked his eyes with his hand as he sped past the assembled beasts. He felt hundreds of eyes pinned at his back. Would he die if he made a sudden move? What made them stop in the first place?
Laxonis are extremely territorial, Mister Voice said after a while. You did a good job of lowering yourself instead of roaring in defiance.
Should he laugh at that or cry? He felt like doing the latter. Was Mister Voice mocking him because he passed out? Should he just take that statement as it was? Maybe. He'd reserve more dignity with that. Besides, it's not like he could "roar" in defiance when he could barely hold his scream when the creature landed on him.
He sighed.
"Am I worthy of Cochraim now?" he asked almost like an impertinent child that never had proper palace training. His father would probably slap the wonders out of Cyrdel if he heard his son now.
Mister Voice seems amused. No, it's too easy. You have not learned
Cyrdel spread his arms. "Too easy? I almost died!" he twined his fingers atop his hair.
Their claws are not poisoned so you should be alive. Mister Voice said. It's just the natural way of things in this cave.
"Me getting killed is just the natural way of things?!" Cyrdel yelled in the dark, his voice bouncing along the cavern's walls. Behind him, he heard a rustle of leather. Gods.
If you choose it to be. If Mister Voice had a shoulder, Cyrdel imagined them to have shrugged. Continue on. Perhaps the real test will come your way.
Cyrdel muttered under his breath as he trudged forward, picking up a gross femur along the way. Despite the smell of rotting flesh, it's at least good for swatting leaves and other unwanted stuff away.
