//giant, part 02//
Nissa had pinned her hair back with clips that appeared to be made from sticks and flowers. She looked stunning. Her thousand-watt smile matched her perfectly.
"Belline, ya look like a dreamboat!" she greeted, to which I curtsied. As she helped me onto Gaia's nest, she asked, "Ready?"
I nodded. "Very. How about you? You nervous at all?"
"I'm stoked," she answered. She lathered something in her hands, then rubbed Gaia's glass coat. I assumed it helped with flying—maybe protected her coat against anything in the sky. "To go back to a place from my Spriteling blooms – it's excitin'! I always wanted ta go back to tha caves once I was older. But moving to Yantra to be a breeder got me too busy. So I'm glad I can do it now!"
Finished preparing Gaia for the trip, Nissa turned to me and asked, "You nervous to talk to Fate?"
"Yes and no," I admitted. "I've been rehearsing what I'll say for a couple days now. But I am nervous. I'm dropping in on her unannounced. I'm not quite sure what sort of impression that'll make."
Together, we mounted the dizayen. Somehow, Gaia could carry both of us with relative ease. Of course, dizayen were bred for Sprites to ride them, and Sprites were much heavier than humans. I must've weighed practically nothing to Gaia.
As we made our way up through the canopy, from behind me, Nissa remarked, "Oh, I'm pretty sure Fate knows you're comin'. She knows everything that happens on Eternity."
The idea that Fate probably knew about my arrival both comforted and worried me. At least I wouldn't anger her by popping in unexpectedly. But I was still uninvited. If she did think like a grandmaster chess player, though, then undoubtedly she knew why I sought her out. And if that were the case, then she might've already had her answer. No matter the argument I provided, she'd made up her mind. Maybe I had no chance.
"She sounds like an omniscient being."
Nissa clapped her hand on my shoulder. "Hey, it'll be fine. She's fair. Objectivity personified."
With that, we settled into an air current. As we coasted through the sky, far above the worries below, serenity slipped through my pores into my bones. While we passed over the tree that housed the Western Wind Cities, my body and mind relaxed. I gave into the freedom of flight.
When we left the Wind Cities, however, with stretches of forests below us, my brain kickstarted again. I rehearsed my speech two—three—six times.
Before my nerves could overthrow me, I asked over my shoulder, "Is it a long journey there?"
"Longer than you think. Though, when we were Spritelings, it felt quick. We were laughin' and tellin' stories the whole way there. We showed off our flyin' skills, too."
"You said you moved to Yantra City? Where did you live before?"
"Iola City. Oh, it was a nifty place to live. I had lots of friends. But the jobs they got for Iolans just ain't for me. I was never any good at craftin'. And I've always loved these babies." She patted Gaia's flank. "So as soon as I could, I packed up and moved to Yantra. They got the better breedin' levels. Plus, ya can actually make a livin' workin' with the dizayen here."
"Was it hard, to leave your friends?"
"Oh, sure. But it's not like I never see 'em. We visit each other when we can. And of course, I see Leddy lots." She giggled.
An unexpected lump developed at the base of my throat. I tried to swallow it down. But it remained an obdurate reminder that visiting my friends in Portland was not as easy as hopping on a glass figurine and flying to the next city. It required intergalactic travel and torrential downpours.
College had started back in Portland. They were already a couple months in. Their letters detailed their transition. Evette had the easiest time, adapting quickly thanks to her early athlete orientation. Donovan simply went with the flow. Mari struggled the most. She had hoped college would be one big social event. But she learned quickly that it required far more study time than expected.
Out of the four of us, I had wrestled with going to college the most. Obviously, I chose to forgo it, choosing a future in Eternity instead. Not that I regretted the decision, but sometimes, in idle moments, I wondered what college would have been like for me.
My sister, Annalyse, had entered her final year of high school. She'd already been accepted into her dream school, having passed the auditions shortly after I'd settled here. A part of me wished I could have been there. But I was just so proud that she was following her dreams of pursuing dance as a career.
That was the hardest thing about living here: not being able to see my friends and family often. Maybe I'd arrange a visit to Portland soon.
To distract from the homesickness, I prompted, "Leddy?"
"He's my prince," said Nissa, elbowing me in the side. "Ledro of Lacewood. But I call 'im Leddy. Always have. Anyway, he's my betrothed. We've been betrothed since we were Spritelin's."
My eyes widened. "Wow, so young!"
"Some of us get betrothed before we're even sprouted. Er, born, I think you'd call it."
Now my eyes dared to pop from their sockets. My mouth hung open. To be betrothed before you're even born—I couldn't imagine it. Why did they betroth their children so young? And did the arrangements work? Was that why they continued the practice: because their marriages proved successful and long-lasting?
Out loud, I asked, "Do you have good marriages?"
"Oh, not all birth-betrothals end in marriage. Some never marry. Some merely remain friends. Others ask to be cut from their birth-betrothals to marry someone else," she informed me.
My eyebrows lowered. If their clothing and presentation weren't proof enough of the varying cultures between the Western Wind Cities and the Royal City, then this practice confirmed it. It fascinated me. Why did they engage in birth-betrothals?
Rather than ask why, though, I said, "What about you and Leddy? Will you get married?"
She smacked my shoulder lightly, giggling. "Oh, you betcha! Once I can convince 'im to move to Yantra, we're gonna tie the stem."
"How's the convincing been going?" I ribbed.
She shoved me a bit harder, which pulled a laugh from my lips. After huffing, she returned the teasing. "'Nough about me. What about you, Princess? When ya gonna marry the Prince of Eternity?"
To my delight, her question didn't embarrass me. My heart celebrated, using my stomach as a trampoline. Asking about marriage reminded me that I had confessed my love for Rune, feelings he'd already admitted. Now we knew we loved each other. And while I wasn't in a hurry to get married—though I knew we would eventually—I was excited at the prospect.
"We'll marry eventually. I'm not in any rush though."
The conversation stilled. The howl of the wind whistled through my ears. Gaia's wings beat silently, flapping only occasionally to keep us gliding. The tranquility of flight fought off any waves of nausea. But as the landscape below shifted into the unfamiliar, nerves trickled past the barriers.
What would Fate be like? If she were truly fair, then she would at least listen to my plea, right? Would she weigh my words before making a decision? Or did she already know the answer and was simply humoring me? Well, soon, I would know. And I could say that I tried, no matter the outcome.
Nissa encouraged Gaia down. Below us, I saw only fields of grass. But there was a break at the edge, and it looked like a rock. As we lowered, my nerves grew louder. Tingles raced along the length of my arms. Bile tickled my esophagus while saliva filled my cotton mouth. My hands became clammy. I brushed my palms on the tights I had donned beneath my dress. I patted down my hair which, compared to the breakneck speeds of the tsulin, remained relatively tame during the gentle flight of the dizayen.
Gaia's talons dug into the dirt. Her wings and tail fluttered like ribbons, and I couldn't tell if it was nerves or she were simply relaxing after a long flight. Nissa hopped off while I slid along the dizayen's glass body.
On the ground, my knees wobbled. The world spun. Nissa gripped my arm, helping me stay balanced. Her large eyes glittered in worry. But she shot me a reassuring smile, and the world righted itself.
Determination turned my spine to iron. The questions and curiosities no longer swirled restlessly through my mind. At the end of the belowpass, I would test my luck, my logic, and my love to free the King and the Prince. And I would be able to say that I tried, despite the warnings and uncertainties.
Armed with love and determination and the support of my newest friend, we approached the dark mouth of an imposing cave. We walked hand in hand. My breath stalled, eyes peeled for whatever awaited us within.
Inside, my breath released. The dark rock of the cave surrounded us. Stalactites and stalagmites reached for us, dripping with water. In the distance, faint light glowed. It smelled of lemon drops and damp earth and cardamom. Candy mixed with dirt in an enticing aroma.
Nissa had to dodge the stalactites, but otherwise, the cave was large enough to house her impressive height. Her thousand-watt smile shone from the shadows. Her free hand caressed the cave walls as her gaze darted about. The cave must have given her a dose of nostalgia, the scents and sights reminders of her childhood.
The crunch of dirt and rock beneath my boots brought alternating twinges of worry and drive. Left step: What would Fate be like? Right step: King Hadeth, Prince Rune, and Eternity at large deserved to heal from the destruction of their past. Left: Would Fate care to hear my pleas? Right: I had to believe sincerity meant something.
The farther into the cave we traveled, the brighter it became. Crystals embedded in the rock provided the light. At first, the prism-shaped crystals were few and far between. A solitary pink or blue or green glow. Soon, clusters emitted enough light to cast shadows. The crystals grew in both number and size. Crystals replaces the stalactites and stalagmites, shining light like from an opened window.
The cave broadened, too. We rarely had to dodge any protrusions as the cave walls increased in height and width. It seemed to shrink Nissa, who once appeared gargantuan inside the crystal caves.
Alongside our footfalls, the sound of water grew louder. It started as occasional drips that hit the crystals with an echoing ping. But as we progressed farther into the caves, it turned into a steady trickle, which crescendoed into the gentle babble of a stream.
When the cave opened further, bright from the collection of crystals, the reflection of the crystals' glow bounced off a ribbon of water. It trickled toward us, carrying flecks of silver and yellow and orange. Following the stream (although opposite the flow of water), it widened and deepened. Nissa had to pull me to her side, to keep me from stepping in the water.
"Don't touch it," she whispered. Her voice still echoed. "The record for farthest belowpass run isn't too much farther ahead. 'Cause we learned real fast not to touch the water. Someone fell in and . . ." She shuddered.
Nothing about the emerging pond suggested danger. Clear enough to see the slicked underearth, with baubles of color floating along its surface, I would have assumed it to be safe enough to drink. But looks were deceiving, especially here in Eternity. I couldn't imagine what this magical water was capable of.
My eyes remained focused on my feet. I didn't want to accidentally step in the stream that soon roared with rushing water. So when Nissa froze beside me and my head lifted, my breath stopped. My mouth gaped and my eyes dared to fall from my skull.
It was incredible. Eternity at its height of beauty. It rivaled the vista of Eternity after the torrential rains. It rivaled Sirene. What stood before me was quite possibly even more sacred than the meadow.
Pillars made of crystals circled the largest part of the cave. Geometric shapes had been carved into the pillars. The water, now the size of a lake, filled the cavern. Stone staircases led to a platform; between each staircase, which circled the platform, you could plummet into the water below. Upon the platform sat a raised throne, made of stone and crystal. The throne was impossibly huge. Above the platform, the ceiling was dotted in crystals, with the center dominated by a gold crystal that rivaled the sun. It cast a spotlight upon the grand throne.
But the most awe-inspiring, scariest view was the figure perched upon the throne. If I thought the Sprites were large beings, they were almost antlike now. The being staring directly at me was a giant. And I knew, without a doubt, this was Fate.