Cyber Mortality

Chapter 61:

With the gates blown open, our party enters into the second ring of the city. Large buildings which appear to be homes spread out before us. Torn tapestries of lavish silks adorn windows and doorways. The cobblestone shimmers with a silvery iridescence from little flecks of mica.

"Hmm guess we're out of the market district," Jez purses her lips. "Reminds me a bit of Coronia." She runs a golden tapestry between her fingers.

"Just with dinosaur shit littered about," Flint snorts upon seeing a still steaming pile of poop. He gives it a wide birth as we continue forward.

Jez crinkles up her nose in disgust.

"Well, whatever did it can't be far off," Nyle whistles. "Cause it looks fresh." He skitters a bit too close before gagging.

"I don't think I want to meet whatever did that," Zephyr shakes his head as he eyes the pile which comes to his waist.

"We should signal back to Vira that we made it through the gate," Flint sighs while digging through his satchel.

"I can do it," Zephyr flourishes his fingers and whispers into his hands.

A breeze brushes past my cheek and swirls around me before circulating through the gate.

"What did you do?" I touch my cheek as the feeling of soft fingers goes away.

"I used wind magic to carry my voice," Zephyr shrugs. "Its not that different from making sounds on a wind instrument. Just I use varying wind speeds to make the sounds of a raspy human voice."

"That's not creepy," Jez's eyes dart uneasily toward Zephyr.

"It is kinda fun to whisper in someones ear and scare them," Zephyr smiles darkly to himself. He clasps his hands together over his stomach before beginning to whistle.

"That's great," Jez takes a step closer to Flint.

"Cool," I grin. "Could you use that to do other things? What about making a sonic boom? Or a high pitch noise?"

"A sonic boom would be difficult since you would have to break the sound barrier, but high pitch sounds aren't out of the question," Zephyr shrugs.

"Alrighty," Flint interjects. "We should probably keep at the task at hand."

"Which is?" Zephyr cocks his head to the side.

"Finding a safe way to get to the castle in the center," Flint scowls.

"Ah," Zephyr coos. "I had forgotten about that. Care to elaborate?"

I bite my lower lip to keep from laughing.

Flint scowls before taking off down the street.

"Are we there yet?" Zephyr drawls from ten feet behind the rest of us.

Flint rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"Aren't you supposed to be this wise-sage-wind master?" Nyle snorts as he slows to walk beside Zephyr.

Zephyr ruffles Nyle's lapis blue hair with a small twirl of his finger.

"Wind master, yes," I fall back beside them. "Wise sage? Not so much. I won't discount intelligent though."

Zephyr raises a pale brow at my words.

"So the student thinks she has surpassed the master?" Zephyr smirks. Quick as a blink, Zephyr twists with speed like a cobra and lashes out his right hand in my direction.

My eyes go wide when one moment I stand beside Nyle and the next he is a small blue dot several hundred feet below. The wind slithers along the leather flight suit as it tries to slow my fall. I roll onto my stomach and fling my arms out to the sides. The ground rushes up to meet me. At the last second I whip my hands forward and shove the air with all my might. The taste of mint floods my mouth as a cushion of air stops my fall. I dip forward and roll across the cushion in a summersault until I stand before Zephyr not an inch from his face. I raise an eyebrow at his unamused expression.

"Uh, what the heck was that?" Nyle exclaims from behind me.

"Hmm, I suppose you pass," Zephyr shrugs before stepping back. "I would have stopped the wind before being launched though." He winks before sprinting to catch up to Flint and Jezebel.

"Are you alright?" Nyle grasps my shoulders and gives me a once over.

"I'm fine," I snort and tuck a now loose strand of black and purple hair behind my ear. "It's not like that hasn't happened before."

"He launches you into the air often?" Nyle's blue eyes narrow as I step out of his grasp.

"You don't need to worry," I grin and clasp my hands behind my back. "I can handle myself."

Nyle bites his lower lip for a moment but does not say anything to deny it.

"We should clear this next part of the city carefully," Flint warns. "You never know what kinds of traps there are."

"Or what they left behind," Nyle eyes another pile of poop.

Jez crinkles up her nose in disgust and gives the pile a wide birth.

"I'll be right back," Zephyr calls as he rises into the sky.

We watch as he disappears over a building and reappears one hundred feet in the sky.

"I don't see any beasts around, but it looks like we will want to take a left up ahead. If we go right it will wind us back around toward the gate." Zephyr descends to the ground in one smooth motion. "After the left turn there's a straight away into some open land. I saw some larger mansions dotting the hillsides and about a kilometer ahead of that stands the final wall."

"Hmm," Flint mulls over this new information. "It won't be easy to defend ourselves out in the open."

"We will just have to be prepared for anything," Jez shrugs. "At least we will be able to see enemies coming. An open area isn't only a disadvantage to us."

"True," Flint nods. "Nyle you should probably take the lead. I'll walk in center to shoot enemies from whatever side. May and Jez you should take the flanks. Zephyr you can bring up the rear."

"Lovely," Zephyr sighs but falls into line.

"Be prepared for anything," Flint says again.