Gwendolyn
I scratch at the vines that have a hold around my neck, coughing up saliva as they squeeze my throat. I manage to get tiny breaths of air occasionally, but those only increase my desperation to breathe. My eyes feel like they're about to pop out of their sockets, and no matter what I do I can't seem to sufficiently get the air that I'm trying to get into my lungs.
"Oh, come on," I wheeze. My throat feels scratchy and the words barely escape my mouth. Everything just comes out as a coarse, unintelligible whisper. I pull harder at the vines as they wrap around more parts of my body, and I manage to break the ones around my neck before they branch out and take hold of the rest of me. I kick my boots wildly when I start to feel like I'm being lifted up from the ground. How did this situation become so intense? Am I really going to be hung from a tree by a bunch of rogue vines? My kicks start to lessen as the scenery starts to fade away along with my thoughts, and I'm about to try calling for water when someone shouts.
"Stop! This isn't wanted!" Lily's voice drifts into my ears, bringing back a taste of reality with her words. A sharp pain spreads throughout my body as my back collides with a hard surface, presumably the ground. I cough and sputter, gasping for air. I can't stop coughing as I push myself halfway up from the ground, my elbows against the dirt but my legs still dragging. I still feel as if I can't breathe, even though the vines have left my neck. I blink rapidly, trying to clear my head and fill my lungs. I can't hear any of the others, but at least the chaos has stopped.
I realize I'm mistaken when the scenery blurs again when I can hear nothing but wind around me. I'm being wrenched from the ground, the relieving air quickly leaving my lungs with more vines wrapping around my arms. I'm swinging from my feet, flying through the air faster and faster. I almost retch in my throat when the vines let me go. I'm thrown through the air, everything spinning, my limbs twisting, until I hit solid ground. I have to lie down for a few seconds to take in what just happened, staring up at the new rocky ceiling above me.
"Are you guys okay?" Lily gasps. She's somewhere nearby, although I can't tell where because of the pain that's blossomed within my head. The only way that I really respond is by sitting up, taking my head in my hands. I groan as I do so, the world partially spinning before my eyes. The uneven and rocky ground hurts much more than the smooth dirt one that I had fallen on only moments before.
I'm having trouble breathing, but I'm alive. A few other muffled groans sound around the room from, I'm assuming, the boys. I squint and rub my eyes but everything still feels a bit disoriented. We're inside of the rock wall now, maybe fifty or more feet up, looking down on the cavern through the leaves of the putras tree that just dropped us here. Through the huge opening in the rock wall in front of us is a view that's nearly above the treetops, which means that we made it to Lily's new room. I turn around, watching as Richard and Steven grunt and groan from the floor, Lily watching them nervously as she drags her fingers through her hair.
"We're fine. At least, I am." At my response to her question Lily looks relieved, and she drops her hands from her head. I'm still breathing pretty heavily, but I've had worse. I push myself up from off the ground, observing Grandcrest Cover below us.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lily asks, and I turn around to face her. The view behind her is stunning, now that I can see it properly. There are three steps on either side of the back of this spacious domed room, each side leading to a raised landing behind her which features a wide, rounded glass panel. I move past Lily, my shoulder nearly bumping against hers as I dash up the steps in order to get a better view.
Through the glass there's a breathtaking view, and one that I've missed dearly. The ocean has a tinge of pink and orange near the horizon, and the dark blue waves near the shore crash wildly against the cliff beneath the Keep. The sky is a brilliant purple, blue, and orange, and the clouds are a gray tinted with a light shade of purple because of the setting sun.
I've always thought it was a shame that we've never been able to witness the full array of colors that this Realm has to offer, because the Ebengate blocks most of the effects of the sun. The Ebengate that's supposed to shield us from all forms of danger. Because of the Ebengate the sky is always shimmering here, and the clouds are always disappearing. It always amazes me that our Realm can share similar things with Earth, for example a sun, and still manage to be equally complex and yet so different from one another. It's mind boggling.
I turn back around, remembering what I'm supposed to be doing. I need to stop getting distracted. Lily is standing at the top of one of the mini staircases, staring at me. She looks perfectly fine and yet Richard and Steven are still lying down at the front of the room, all crumpled up on the floor as if in pure agony. I know they're fine by now, so I end up rolling my eyes, motioning for Lily to join me as I go back down the steps.
I realize as I study the room around us that I haven't been in it for a while. It's an oddly shaped room. If you looked at it from a bird's eye view it would have looked like a huge bean, filled with furniture. Half of this bean-like room is that part that we're in, that contains the window facing the ocean and the rock landing beside it. When you come back down the stairs to the level we're at you can see a plentiful amount of vines crawling across the walls, thin little green vines littered with tiny pink flowers. Along with the vines running about on the walls there are a bunch of shelves placed at random. Some are filled with books while others are filled with weird gadgets.
A few mini couches are spread out around the room as well, along the bases of the rocky cavern walls. A number of fluffy chairs are additionally hanging from the ceiling by vines, with only the chair part attached; the legs have been removed so that they give the appearance of floating. There are some nice rugs on the ground, with some pretty flowers and leaves woven through some of them. There are even some glowing flowers dangling from the ceiling, being only about ten feet high up, giving Lily a nice break from the massive cavern ceiling of the whole Grandcrest Cover and some light to go with it.
"How did you do that?" Steven gasps, grunting as he struggles to pick himself up. His voice sounds more amazed than curious or pained. Lily must take it the wrong way because she takes a step backward, holding her hands up in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" I hold up my hand to cut her off.
"You have nothing to apologize for," I assure her. "That was outstanding, Lily. Honestly. Do you have any idea what you just accomplished? These boys here, still lying on the ground for whatever reason, are supposed to be two of the best Guardians this Realm has, and they didn't learn to control their elements as quickly as you just did."
"Really?" She asks, brightening up a bit.
"Really." I poke at Richard with my foot after taking a few steps forward. Steven has gotten up so now he's the only one still lying on the ground. "Stop acting like you're hurt, you're perfectly fine," I say. Richard pushes my foot away from him as I try to kick him once again, and he ignores me.
"Come on," I groan impatiently, reaching out my hand to help him up. He grabs it, heaving himself up and moving to stand beside me. When I glance back at Steven I realize he's looking at Lily with a fierce look of concentration on his face, and I sigh when I realize what he's doing. He's communicating using the wind. I have no idea how he does it, but it can be annoying, especially when he uses it just so I can't hear him.
I run one hand down the side of my face when Lily laughs abruptly, waiting for their conversation to be over. According to the The Representatives of the Council, things like this cause us to have setbacks and weaknesses, and it makes us unfocused as Guardians. With how close Steven and Lily are right now, even though I warned him not to become friendly at all, I realize that the "R.O.C"- as Steven calls them- are going to command me to keep the two of them apart. I have a feeling this won't end up well. Richard elbows me and raises one of his eyebrows slightly, but I just shake my head at him and clear my throat. He knows what I'm going to have to do. He just wants to see if I have the guts to do it.
"We'll leave you to get some rest now, Lily." I turn around and point at the other half of the bean shaped cave by the entrance. "That's the restroom, in case you need to use it." The flower curtain entrance to the restroom hides it from view, so I can't really see inside of it from here, but I do know it's the restroom. "Oh, and I know there isn't a bed in here, but I'm sure you'll figure something out. Nature is all around you, after all." I motion towards all the plants everywhere.
"So, get some rest. We'll start training early in the morning, so be ready." I turn around and head towards the exit. If she wants she'll be able to ask more questions later, but we're done for now. Without hesitation I jump off the ledge that leads to the cavern below. Going down is much easier than going up. I know without a doubt that Richard and Steven will follow my lead, and I breathe out a sigh of relief when I feel the rush of wind that means Steven is softening our landings. It's going to be a long night, because I know tomorrow is going to be a big day. Tomorrow is the day the Gloaming are going to come after Lily, and I'm going to let them in.