"I'm absolutely not doing it!" I exclaimed, horrified as Quîncîn held out his hand for me to take. We were joined by Julîus at the edge of the small skin structured village that overlooked the dark ravine. Some curious Lesphares glanced out the safety of their homes in order to watch us, no one making a sound as they did.
"I am not asking for your opinion human. I am ordering you to hold on." Quîncîn growled through clenched teeth as he glared down at my small, nervous form. I was shivering so violently my teeth clattered against each other.
I loathed heights.
It was something that could make me pass out from pure fright and I absolutely hated the idea of flying to Osseus with Quîncîn as my only means of transport. I was positive my fragile stomach would not hold throughout the journey, not even mentioning my nerves.
"Are you perhaps afraid of flying little human?" Julîus mused in a tone that made me want to slap him. His eyes glistened in humour. I scowled up at him and folded my arms over the lilac coloured material that barely covered my chest.
"Yes... maybe I am." I stammered, very embarrassed when I realized just how stupid he suddenly made my lifelong fear sound. "Is there no other way we can get to this city of yours?" I then asked, but unfortunately perceived begging would be of no use.
Julîus and Quîncîn merely stared at me as if I was insane. The males then exchanged looks, almost as if they had an entire conversation through solely the use of their eyes. I realized it then.
The Lesphares were serious about flying me to Osseus.
Julîus stepped forward and took my hand in his. He bent down and kissed it slowly, staring deep into my eyes. Almost too deep. My heart stopped. The grey hue seemed suddenly beautiful and bronze. The light stunned me. I suddenly felt my own eyes falling closed and a great tiredness dawn on me.
His gaze was intoxicating. Entrancing. Smouldering as if they were on fire and before I could utter another word, my body gave in to the sensation. I stumbled and my knees hit the ground, so tired I couldn't move.
"Goodbye little human, may you not meet your end too soon." Julîus said softly in greeting before my vision went black.
I screamed as freezing water hit my face and drove me from my deep sleep. The coldness crept along my skin and stung my face, the uncomfortable pain causing me to swear in annoyance. I stood up from the ground, my legs uneasy on the earth below.
Earth.
My heart was beating so fast it almost hurt.
Meanwhile - in contrast to my horrified expression - a very calm and irritated Quîncîn glared back at me. He sat on a skin cloth, clothed in grey robes that seemed somewhat similar to what Julîus wore earlier. The clothing was much more suited for traveling, accompanied with Quîncîn's leather straps across his arms and legs. The robes hung down his body and a belt - a compliment to his greyish wardrobe - wrapped around his waist. I could see the sharp edge of some kind of weapon strapped to his back, the blade jagged and sharp.
"Finally. It took almost everything I had just to wake you." He grumbled and stood. When I was done scowling at him and his horrible attitude, my eyes took in our unfamiliar surroundings. I gasped in absolute astonishment.
We were in what seemed like heaven... or at least I thought so.
I stood in the middle of a great forest with trees so high, I wasn't able to see the night sky at all. Although it was dark, the forest was lit in natural light - generated by moss and ferns all around us. Green plants and beautiful flowers of each shape and size grew everywhere my eyes could spot. Some were as small as my hand and others were so large they could be climbed on. Glowing green moss covered the canopy floor and when I stepped on it, the moss seemed to glow even brighter as if the pressure on the small blades somehow created pure luminance. Against the bark of the giant trees, hunched thousands of glow worms that lit the forest in colourful reds, oranges and yellow hues.
My eyes were wide with wonder. I stood in a world, entirely different from anything I had ever known. I suddenly wished Albert could also experience the magnificent beauty of the surreal planet with me and the thought immediately made my heart throb. A wound in my chest began to reopen and it took a deep breath in order to focus my attention back on the beautiful kingdom of bright vegetation around me again.
Everything was beautiful in a very simple way. Colourful, but absolutely alien at the same time. So surreal I kneeled down and reached out my arm to touch one of the glowing flowers closest to my feet. I had to make sure the natural brilliance was not just another hologram built to give me some kind of fake pleasure - that it was actually genuine. When my hand came in contact with the soft petal, I relaxed in relief and my lips formed a small smile. Not a mirage, but real.
I yelped as the flower suddenly lifted itself off the ground and transformed into a butterfly-like creature with glowing merigold wings. The creature flew into the night with the graceful flaps of its wings.
Quîncîn was suddenly right behind me. "The Midnight Flowers of Oyarî. Only seen in this forest when the moon is at its highest." He explained as we both stared at the fragile organism floating deeper into the shadows of the surrounding trees. I looked up at him, the orange colour of the creature reflected in his grey eyes.
"Where exactly are we Quîncîn? Why was I knocked out?" I asked, suddenly very cautious. Quîncîn sighed as if it was too much work to explain and walked back to his seat across from my own.
"You were too afraid to fly so we decided to make you sleep in order to travel more efficiently." He said and pointed to the glowing wood around us. "We are now currently in the Forest of Beîng, halfway to our destination." He stated.
I glared down at him, feeling as if I could explode in anger. "So if people don't do what their told, you just beat them unconscious without their permission?!" I exclaimed furiously. Quîncîn suddenly placed a finger on his lips as if he did not hear my outburst at all.
"What!? You're just going to silence me now? Why-"
"Be quiet." He whispered. "Listen." He then ordered.
I did what I was told. At first I couldn't hear anything, but after a while of silence and deep concentration, I did. Small voices filled the entire forest with beautiful song that seemed to float straight towards us. The melodies filled my head and the lovely harmonies immediately calmed me down - leaving my body relaxed. My anger almost seemed to seep out of me and was instead, replaced with calm reminiscence. I was entranced by the songs. The soft angelic voices seemed to lift me up from the ground and made me hover in a world of peace and quiet.
"The Vîta Spirits." Quîncîn muttered, his voice very soft. I noticed his posture had also relaxed drastically.
"The force that keeps this forest alive and prosperous with each passing." He continued. I closed my eyes and felt the beautiful music engulf me in a wave of energy. I sighed happily.
We stayed in that peaceful atmosphere until the forest started to turn brighter. Golden light streamed in through the leaves above and Quîncîn stood up abruptly from his spot when he noticed the sunlight. His hands worked fast, packing up the pelts from the ground, stuffing the furs into a bag made of brownish material and fastening it around his waist.
"Finally morning has come. Get ready, we are leaving." He announced in a monotonous tone, spreading his great wings. I suddenly realized - a bit too late - that Quîncîn was going to use them. My eyes widened, the familiar fear bubbling through my veins.
"Please Quîncîn... I-I don't think I can do this." I mumbled softly, the beautiful songs of the spirits long forgotten. My heart pumped against my ribcage, each beat uneven. Quîncîn looked down at me with grey, unsympathetic eyes. His gaze reminded me of a great storm that was on the edge of erupting. Dangerous and powerful.
"We need to leave human. I do not care much about your fears nor what honey-coated words come out of your mouth. You are going to listen when I instruct you to do something." As if to emphasize his point, he walked towards me and grabbed my arm roughly.
"Do not look down." He growled and wrapped a muscled arm around my waist. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood and tried not to think about what exactly I was about to do.
Quîncîn launched into the air way too quickly and with only one big flap of his wings, we were airborne. I screamed until my throat felt raw as I felt him taking me higher and higher through the sturdy branches of trees and finally into open sky.
I felt ice cold wind sting my eyes. My cheeks were warm with fresh tears that I didn't even realize were running down my face. I clamped my eyes shut in order not to see anything at all and focused all my attention on each flap of Quîncîn's wings. On his arms around my waist, the only two things that kept me from an early grave.
The wind was too strong and I loathed the feeling of my feet flailing around in the air like pieces of pathetic paper strips. After a while however, I finally felt like I wasn't on the verge of dying. The air was slightly less freezing and I got used to the weightless feeling in my body. I lessened the pressure on my eyes and pried them open slightly. A terrified scream escaped my mouth and I clamped my eyes shut again.
Breathe
1
2
3
I opened my eyes again.
Beneath us stretched a carpet of trees until they disappeared into the bright light of morning sun. The flaxen hue lit the sky with the new break of day and remaining stars from the night before started to disappear. Clouds of white and grey streaked across the atmosphere. The sky was painted in light pink that faded into orange and I could see the shapes of two colossal moons in the far distance. The sight felt so surreal I almost believed it to be a screen, but was proven wrong when I realized the wind howling in my ears could never be anything but real, nor the warm sun that blinded me with its luminous rays.
In the distance I could see the dim outlines of great mountains - elevations that were so high, their snow covered spits disappeared into the very clouds. I also spotted sharp towers, built against the se mountains. They gleamed in the morning light as if they were made from glass or another see-through material.
Quîncîn suddenly flanked to the right as giant creatures with obsidian black wings and pointed snouts flew past us, nearly hitting Quîncîn's wings with their own colossal ones. Their sleek dark blue scales glittered in the morning sun and one creature eyed us curiously. Its large green pupil inspected me.
I momentarily forgot we were high up in the sky and felt my heart skip a beat. In no time at all, we were surrounded by almost fifty dark dragon-like creatures. Each one, a different shade of dark blue or black.
"What are they?!" I yelled over the wind, my nerves were a bundled mess. Quîncîn bent his head down slightly. "Nîght Stalkers. On their way to their nests in the mountains after Night Hunting. Thankfully the less dangerous of creatures that share the skies with us." He replied over the wind, no trace of fear in his voice.
I gulped and looked back at the dark creatures that surrounded us, floating on the wind with grace and elegance - unknown to me. Their large wings reflected the dawn like a thousand glittering jewels.
For the first time in my life I was strangely excited for what I would experience next. I somehow got the idea during that very flight. That I was at the beginning of a whole new life, a total new fate that would change my scope on reality, entirely.
And somehow, I began to find it thrilling.