The sun was setting when I finally met Ferîan outside Gandila's room, the latter having awaited me with muscular arms folded across his chest.
As soon as he saw me, he readied himself. "Are you finished?" He asked and I nodded softly, the sight of Gandila's tear stained face still fresh in my memory. The sapphire pendant was safely hidden beneath the fabric of my shirt. Icy against my chest.
Ferîan noticed my downfallen expression and kept his distance as he led me outside. Even though a piece of my heart felt like it had been torn to ribbons and abandoned in that summer room, it was the very first time I ever laid eyes on Lîxîlîa's palace from an outside perspective and the sight left me momentarily stunned.
The palace was a glorious sculpture of architectural wonder, great balconies and steep obelisks built into delicately sculptured walls. The awe-inspiring structure towered over the expanse that was Lîxîlîa's capital. The palace was built from a light material that appeared to hum with pure energy as the last of the afternoon's flaxen light fell on the beautiful stone.
I had seen many holographic images of castles. Kingdoms built out of dark cobble and towers that loomed over cities, cathedrals built from so much coloured glass it seemed like rainbows formed inside their hallways.
Lîxîlîa's grand palace however was nothing like the images I'd seen. It was not crafted by mere human hands and the sight caused my heart to race. Simple yet astonishing in every aspect. Purely alien.
There was no sight of Angelus and the rest of the party that were to join us on our journey to the southern territory of the Sandrîanî people and the observation slightly unnerved me. I kept following Ferîan across the so-called courtyard of the palace in grim caution.
My eyes widened. Courtyard, wasn't the right word for what was spread out in front of me. We stood on the edge of a big field. Crystal-like plants grew in their millions around us and the edge dropped into nothing but pure clouded sky. The sun seemed to halt its decent over the distant mountains and the light was trapped in the moment, colouring a magnificent picture I never thought I would ever lay eyes on. A sky so blue and clouds so white they blinded my eyes. Air whistled past my ears as I stared out over a sight so surreal I thought it a dream. Billions of shades reflected off the crystal plants and painted the sky in dozen different colours.
For once, the beauty of it all grabbed my attention more than the thought that we would soon fly. Back to the underground city.
"We must leave Artemisia. It will take us a while to reach Osseus and it can be dangerous if we wait for too long."
It was Ferîan who finally shook me out of my stunned trance, voice delicate. I had to take a deep breath in order to clear my head before I could answer him. It was time to fight the fear inside me again. I had to keep going.
"Alright." I finally said when I managed to find my voice again, dread swirling in my stomach.
It was difficult to rest when we were almost able to touch the clouds.
Cold wind kept forming goosebumps across my skin and the nausea did not fade as Ferîan flew us to Osseus. I clenched my eyes closed, not daring to open them when I knew what I would find. Ferîan oddly enough, kept speaking to me throughout our journey. It was strange and surreal after my flight with Quîncîn. The memory left me furious, reminding me yet again how terrified I was and how much Quîncîn made me suffer for it.
"If I may ask..." My ears perked at Ferîan's low voice over the rushing wind.
"Why do you harbour such great fear for heights? Do all humans have some kind of terror that drives you all this mad?"
The question struck me as plain curiosity, but still felt out of place. As if Ferîan was trying to break the silence between us. As if it bothered him.
"I don't know." I muttered, still not opening my eyes. Ferîan's arms were wounded around my body in order to have a better grip, but I still felt like I could fall out of his reach any moment. The thought made me even more terrified.
"I guess I'm just unlucky. This world is all about heights and flying." I grumbled, more to myself than to Ferîan. He unfortunately heard me and seemed to chuckle slightly at the total hopelessness in my voice. The motion surprised me so much I almost had the nerve to open my eyes.
"What's so funny?" I asked, now eager to open my eyes. Ferîan stopped laughing and immediately turned serious again.
"Our realm is not all about flight Alium. We are diverse and that is what makes our realm that much more interesting." I snorted. It could certainly cause its problems too.
Moonlight kissed my face as we flew out from beneath the shadow of a cloud. Ferîan's voice rumbled against my ear as he spoke.
"The thing is Artemisia, we all have something we fear. Even if that terror is as simple as mere flight. There is always something we are slave to."
I couldn't take it anymore and opened my eyes. My first reaction was to scream, but I held it in as I looked around me.
We were frighteningly high up in the night sky and the moonlight of the two otherworldly moons in the distance, illuminated Nova Terra's dark landscape in an ominous aqua. The silhouettes of forests and mountains filled my vision and ways above us, gleamed a beautiful galaxy that always caused me to hold my breath. I didn't dare look down, not when I was already stupid enough to have opened my eyes in the first place.
My gaze instead went to Ferîan's. The Lesphares looked out in front of him, eyes trained and focused on any dangers that might hide in the darkness of the night. The icy blue in his orbs reflected the white moonlight like sunlight on ice.
His words had struck something within me. Something that pushed me to open my eyes. It was completely new to me, this feeling. An emotion so strong it forced me to accomplish anything, just like I did moments ago. However much his striking words changed something deep inside me, I still didn't look straight down once as we continued our journey across the sky.
It was the beginning of daybreak when we finally reached Osseus, home of the Aliums' underground city. I suddenly remembered my conversation with Angelus about the freeing of the Aliums. The memory did not cease to make my heart pump against my chest. To think that such an answer could come out of his mouth...
"We will land soon, you must lose no time. The Defender is waiting for us a little further away. We have to regroup in exactly a day's time." Ferîan ordered as the sight of the massive Lespharian statue came into view once again - the Lesphares I now knew was The Defender of the Realm, Angelus Duncan.
"Who will travel with us?" I asked and Ferîan smiled. "Only the three of us. The rest will meet us in the region of the Sandrîanî."
Ferîan landed safely on the same outstretched balcony Quîncîn and I had previously used when we last arrived in Osseus. When my feet touched the ground, I couldn't help but feel absolutely relieved. It was as if something in my chest had evaporated and disappeared into the morning sky. Something that made me breathe much easier.
Ferîan marshalled me down the many flights of stairs that led down to the underground city, the golden liquid our only source of light once again.
When we finally reached the great metal door that bordered the Alium's prison, I felt the familiar feeling of fright that closed around my throat like a hand. The familiar heat that made the air thick and unclean clung to each sliver of skin. Ferîan muttered something and the door opened with a great groan. I held my breath as the metal dining hall entered my vision, making my breath hitch at how warm it was inside. Explosions rung across the expanse and made the floor shake.
Even amidst all the sounds, the dining hall was empty. I stared at the vacant seats and tables, usually crowded with Aliums. I then looked up at Ferîan. The growing question in my eyes was quickly answered.
"They are preparing to move into a settlement on the outskirts of Osseus." He stated, emotionless as he closed the door behind us. I gaped at Ferîan, shocked that Angelus had kept his promise and ordered the moving so soon.
"Hurry and do the necessary preparation, I will come get you when it is time." He ordered, eyes holding my own with strict rigidness. Right. That was an order, one I could not disobey.
I sprinted out the dining area and into the tunnel I now knew would eventually lead to the golden triangular structure. Heat blasted into my face and I struggled to breathe quickly enough. The smell of rock and oil clouded my nose and I gagged as the stench became terribly prominent when I at last reached the exit of the underpass.
The golden structure entered my vision like a demonic nightmare, bright and haunting. Suddenly a lot more activity raged on the bronze bridges. I spotted Aliums everywhere, some packing bags and others readying clothing at an alarmingly quick rate. Children were shouted along, woman and men yelling at each other through forceful instructions. They pushed each other forward in order to reach their belongings first. The Aliums reminded me - to my great horror - of scared mice that had learned a cat was entering their hiding place.
The sight was so disgusting I wanted to turn around and go back to Ferîan, but I needed to keep moving forward in order to reach my destination. Amongst the chaos of shouting mothers and screaming children, men yelling and explosions ringing across the rocky walls, I managed to reach my objective. After pushing through dirty human bodies and very carefully evading being trampled beneath the moving masses, I finally entered the great triangular. One upside was the fact that the overall direction of the horde was mainly towards the dining area and the golden triangular was thankfully a lot more deserted than the other areas in the underground city.
I skipped up flights of marbled stairs, hoping and praying they were where I thought they'd be. That Christa and her friends were still in their rooms busy preparing and not amongst the many enraptured masses of people outside.
I sped through the halls as fast as I could, chest aching and legs burning. The woman's dormitory soon entered my view and my heart almost jumped right out of my chest when I neared Christa's room. My fists collided with the door that separated me from my friend, knuckles stinging as they came in impact with the hard wood.
"CHRISTA, OPEN THE DOOR!! IT'S ARTEMISIA!" My voice cracked at all the tension it held. I thought I would collapse when I finally saw Christa's sweat-drenched face appear behind the opening door. Before I knew what was happening, Christa pressed me hard against her chest, snuffing out the last remaining air from my lungs.
"Thank goodness you're not dead!" She screamed as she hugged me, sheer relief in her voice. When countless moments finally passed, Christa removed her arms and stared into my eyes. Her own filled to the brim with tears.
"Artemisia, I'm really glad you're back, but can you tell me what exactly in hell's name is going on?!"