History's Shadow I: Legends Born (Tahir Edition) #Wattys2014

Chapter Twenty-Four - The Twelve (1/3)

Meelix waved a final goodbye to his friends as he walked away from Rhykell, this time accompanied by Demetrius, Kraven and Alexander. He didn’t question how they were going to travel the distance without the help of dragons; he was in the company of three wizards. They had traveled the world over, time and time again, surely they had a plan. He followed them into the woods that separated Rhykell from the meadow. When they reached the riverbank, Demetrius stopped.

“This looks like a good spot,” he said. “Come Meelix, you might want to hold on to me while we tunnel travel.” He bent down and carefully scooped Meelix up in his right arm. With his left, he drew a circle that circumferentially extended from the ground to above their heads. He uttered the incantation while he repeatedly stooped and straightened up, raising his arm high as he retraced the circled. The large circle rippled. Once again, Meelix could see the terrain of the world rushing toward him within the circle. When it came to a stop, they were looking into the opening of a cave.

“Where is this?” Meelix asked.

“Iltrepidore. Our first stop, right?”

“We’re looking for Smokey?”

“We’re going to Iltrepidore to get Smokey. Just hold on.”

Demetrius stepped into the circle with Meelix holding tightly to his clothing. Instantly, they were standing at the very cave within in the circle. It was a good thing Demetrius was holding him, because just as quickly as they traveled, Meelix became dizzy. He closed his eyes and tried to shake his head clear, but that only made it worse. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Kraven and Alexander standing beside them. He swallowed hard several times in an effort to keep from throwing up. The color drained from his face.

“How are you feeling, Meelix?” Demetrius asked. “Perhaps you should sit down until it passes.”

Demetrius carefully set Meelix on the grass. He felt weak. Even sitting, he rocked back and forth and side to side, unable to keep his head up. He desperately fought with his lunch to force it to stay in his belly. He vaguely heard the voices of his friends speaking to him, but he couldn’t make out their words. They sounded so far away. His head was swimming, his eyes wouldn’t focus and, worst of all, he threw up. Kraven walked away to wait it out.

After emptying the contents of his stomach, Meelix felt better. The dizziness passed and his vision and hearing began to return to normal. He sat on the grass, still feeling light-headed, and looked up into the wizards’ concerned faces.

“From now on, I think I’ll stick to flying.”

Demetrius smiled and Alexander chuckled at the little gnome.

As soon as Meelix was able to collect himself, the four began their search for Smokey. The cave entrance was near the summit of the Elders of Fire, so Demetrius knew it would not be long until they were spotted. Alexander took his wolf form and darted through the shrubbery and rocks ahead of the others with Meelix on his back. Demetrius strolled up the mountain, taking in the blurry silhouettes and smells of the island. He enjoyed nature, and observing the interaction between creatures and their habitat. Nowadays, he relied more on his memory of how things looked rather than what his eyes told him. Kraven, on the other hand, hated getting dirty or doing anything physical. He soon abandoned the climbing and used his magic to ascend the mountain, floating above the black, rocky terrain.

“I shall alert the Elders of your coming, Teacher,” he called down to Demetrius.

“Very well, Kraven.”

Meelix watched Kraven in amazement as he flew without wings up the mountain.

“Wow, Alexander! I have only been in your company for a few hours and I feel I am in a new world. There is so much that I don’t know, that I never even knew was possible. I can’t wait to see what else happens!”