The Slayer

Chapter 14 - ^^

'Never mind!' Waltz called, 'it's just sleeping.'

Sumaey turned to Waltz as he ran back out of the caravan.

'Hey! Look at the size of this hamster!' Waltz said picking it up. 'I've never seen one so big!'

'I don't think that's a hamster' Sumaey told him as he held the confused-looking guinea pig. She looked up at the window of the caravan then. 'Hey look a little white cat.'

'I hate cats' Waltz said, tossing the guinea pig over his shoulder and back into its enclosure. 'Let's look at that house!' Waltz pointed suddenly, running over to it.

Inside they found three noisy dogs. Sumaey sneered in disgust as Waltz fussed over the two terriers.

'I hate noisy dogs' Sumaey muttered as the third dog; a terrified-looking spaniel cowered in the corner of the room.

'But look how cute it is!' Waltz said, picking up the jack rustle and waving it in her face.

'Ug. Kill it.'

The world began to waver around them.

'Uh-oh' Waltz said as the world began to fade. 'The story is correcting itself.'

They fell through the air again, this time landing in the correct place.

'It's fun to glimpse behind the scenes isn't it?' Waltz said happily, rising to his feet again. 'Megurine Luka is a really beautiful woman.'

Sumaey stood up, dusting herself off again and completely ignoring him.

They found themselves in a strange forest, much like the one they had just left, but it was clear at a glance they were in a different place now. There was no garden around them, no shed, no house.

Waltz tilted his head back to the sky. 'Night' he sighed, '...still....'

'Come on' Sumaey muttered beside him, taking a step forward. 'Let's start looking around. The door to the wizard's home must be here somewhere.'

Sumaey and Waltz walked slowly, doing so in silence. Several minutes later, the forest around them became sparse, until it disappeared altogether, and Waltz and Sumaey were able to see that they were in some sort of canyon.

'Strange' Sumaey noted, glancing first one way, and then the other at the tall rocks either side, 'such a strange place for a forest to grow.'

Waltz remained silent, his attention flickering up to the moon shining brightly above.

The path through the canyon began to wind.

'You know' Sumaey began with a smile, 'it's actually quite beautiful here.'

Their path opened suddenly as the canyon parted before them, to reveal the most stunning view at their feet. In the distance, thousands of tiny lights shining in the dark, was a small town, all built on stilts and bridges and platforms above a shallow sea.

'Wow' Sumaey breathed, eyes wide at the spectacle.

Beside her Waltz folded his arms, grinning widely.

'Now that is what I call true beauty.'

There was nothing other than the town before them, around which was a sea as still and calm as glass, the great moon reflecting on its mirror-surface, and nothing but a single narrow road leading from the town, far off into the horizon and out of sight.

'A railway line' Waltz noted, leaning forwards and squinting as he tried to see it clearer. 'A train passes through here.'

'Must be quite a ride.'