Realm of Wings

Kallan, still discouraged by the words Jade just managed to mention towards the King:

I don’t know how, but after the King grew his eyes, his shame took over and while not even thinking about attacking Jade physically he tried it with words. “You are not worth my time to fight with! I need you to just leave so our festivities can continue!” The coward said.

“What? Are you just going to let her go after what she just said? She threatened you! You are the King!” Ren insulted his father by acting up like this, but he was just astounded to hear him falter like this in front of all these people.

“I am the King! And I will decide how to spend my time or judgements! Know your place, son!” He recoiled, back into the same person he was before he got pushed down by Jade’s words.

Jade had walked back to where I was standing again and showed me no emotions whatsoever. We turned around to walk out of this foul room but as we neared the door the King interrupted us one last time. “Princess, next time I see you, you will not be able to leave my sight unscathed.”

She stopped walking and I could hear her hand sizzle with energy. I was afraid she would do something stupid now, but she took a deep breath and opened her hand after taking that pent up energy back into her body and we walked out.

Jade, half an hour later, riding Poseidon:

Kallan has been asking me the same question for over thirty minutes already, ‘What did you say to the King?’ while I decided to not answer it. I was still extremely mad about him refraining me from doing anything to help all those harmless Fae, besides, my little speech towards the King had gotten us out of the palace as quickly as we needed, as safe as we needed.

I took the compass I had been gifted from the Oracle, out of my pocket and looked at it to see where we were supposed to be heading. I turned Poseidon’s reins and followed the guidance of the compass.

“So what, you are going to ignore me now?” Kallan asked as he flew next to Poseidon’s steady pacing on the cobblestone path.

“No, I just simply don’t want to answer this specific question you have.”

“Fine! Then answer me this, where are we going?”

“I wouldn’t know, would I? I’m just following the compass, to the next orb of power.” I snapped at him and continued to look forward.

Neil’s thoughts were a bit sympathetic towards Kallan, wondering if I couldn’t be a little bit nicer than I was acting towards him now. But he wasn’t in the same room as us before, he wasn’t aware of the Fae ‘traditions’ Kallan still lives by, he just simply hasn’t witnessed what we had. Neil couldn’t possibly fathom the determination I have to straighten all of these wrongs out. So, he wasn’t to blame for his current thoughts.

Nor did Trixie, by the way. She wasn’t as spiteful as Neil was, knowing that I probably had good reasons for having this anger tantrum, but still she didn’t say a word to intervene the annoyance between me and Kallan at this moment.

Somehow, I was glad we hadn’t shared the sheets sexually, as I wanted to keep my distance now without needing to explain myself, as that would be somewhat required when you are in a relationship together, right? Not that I’m truly familiar with being in a relationship at all, but still, it was comforting me to not have to feel guilty for not telling.

However, my head was hurting bad right now.

“Why do we have to search for the orbs? Didn’t you tell us that the Oracle dropped one on the floor? Couldn’t he have more, for you?” Trixie asked after a few silent minutes.

“No, as he made it sound, there is one for each power and it’s specific for each person as well.” I told her and our walk became silent again.

We were only with four now though, as Zeph and Echo stayed behind at Alash’shanow. They were needed by the King to inform him of more details about Ene’belanore and the King on the other side. Kallan wasn’t particularly approving of them ratting out his father, but apparently, this has been going on for quite some time and at this moment he couldn’t get his brother in more danger now too. Even though how much he hated for him to do this. To betray him in such a manner.

“It would have come in handy to have a map, or a book, to let us know what we could face on this journey though.” Neil suddenly said.

“Yes, it would, but we will manage to get through any sort of danger.”

“But miss Jade, you have saved me from dangerous situations on multiple occasions since we arrived on this planet, due to me lacking any form of magic. So, how are we going to get through new dangers while I’m nothing but a liability?” Neil softly inquired, while he was seated right behind me on Poseidon.

I sighed for a moment. Knowing that he was right on the non-magic part and for him to be a bit older and less agile, but still, he wasn’t valuing his worth just as much as I did. “Neil, you have saved me on Earth, numerous times, from every moment I was too bold towards creatures or taking on a too heavy load of attackers that I wanted to kill. And even though the creatures here on this planet are more ravenous and dangerous, for you not to be able to stop me from or help me with, you have gotten me this far. You are the reason I’m still alive for the past few decades. So, don’t you worry about being a liability, alright? I love you old man.” I said while patting his upper leg.

“Besides, see it as your last adventure, don’t you want to see different creatures and wonders?” I continued and he nodded gently when I looked behind me.

I lost some of the anger within me, as soon as I saw Neil smile, and when I glanced towards Trixie and finally towards Kallan as well, I sighed deeply for knowing their sacrifice to stay with me all this time.

“Thank you for being with me.” I said to Kallan. “I’m sorry for being such a pain.”

“Oh, you mean you are just as stubborn as a Kimberling in the vines of an old Grabsold?” Kallan chuckled and Trixie hollered in laughing when he said that. Neil and I both looked confused as we don’t know what he was talking about, although I could understand the intonation of it.

“Like a donkey!” Trixie managed to blur out, profoundly trying to explain herself. “Yes, I kind of figured it out.” I gnashed my teeth.

“Fine, yes, sorry for being as stubborn as a Kimberly with vines, or something.” I continued, after Trixie managed to calm herself down again, still leaving me in the wonder of what the creature they mentioned actually looked like.

“Apology accepted, my Queen.” Kallan bowed gracefully while mocking me gently, and flew forward to land on his feet a few yards ahead. “We should eat something before we continue our journey.”

“Hmpf!”

“Seriously!”

“This is so good!”

Trixie was both complaining and praising the food for its good taste, it was confusing to witness. I mean the food really did taste good, but to be so overly emotional about it was strange, this was just lunch!

“By living on the other side I forgot how magically cooked meat tastes like! Don’t you think it smells divine?” She kept on going, at which I nodded. “No, really, it’s like I’m tasting divinity on its own!” She kept babbling.

But however great the meat tasted, it left a nasty taste behind on my mind, as this meat was cooked according to the standards of those elitist pigs from Alash’shanow palace, my corrupted home, as it seems. So, I just ate it, to replenish my energy, but I did not appreciate its taste as that wouldn’t feel right to me.

After putting away the dried meat in old, but clean cheese-cloths that Trixie had found in the kitchen’s cellar, we continued our journey to wherever the compass would lead us.

“Here, let me help.” Kallan came to my aid, holding his hands in a cup for lifting me on Poseidon. Even though it was a kind gesture, I declined his offer, as Poseidon had taken Neil and me on his back for quite some time already. It wouldn’t be fair for him to carry us both, while I could perfectly walk on my own.

“We will go quicker, if we could all stay in the air, though.” Kallan said.

“Yes, I know, and I want to get the marbles fast too, but we don’t know how long we have to travel, let alone how much we are going to struggle to get everywhere. So, I don’t want to burden Poseidon too much, when we don’t need it.” I said while caressing the Pegasus’ dark blue manes.

The creature nudged his nose against my hand and snorted gently in approval. “You’re welcome.” I whispered and he nudged my hand again.

We were still on the elevated grounds of Alash’Shanow and after walking for an hour or two we reached the top of some rolling hills. The grass was still damp from the morning dew but the sky was clear of darkness and clouds, showing a glamourous mid-day sun, revealing the lands beneath us.

Even though we were on this island in the sky, the cities and land beneath us were clear to see. Not that you could see people from up here, but the outlines or boundaries of villages and differences in natural sceneries were easy to determine. Mountains blanketed with snow piercing their tops through the clouds, rivers as wide as the Nile of Egypt coursed through the land, forests with probably countless unexplored creatures stretched as far as I could see and all was majestically shone upon by the golden orb in the sky.

The cities and villages seemed small from up here, but I know it would take us days to travel by foot, from one place to the other. But there was no way we could travel the distances I’m anticipating to be needed, all by sitting lazily on the back of Poseidon. Not even Kallan and Trixie could make use of their wings for days on end, it’s physically not possible.

We let Poseidon eat some of the grass from these plains and then Neil and I got on his back for him to fly us down. He wouldn’t have to strain his wings much this way, he just needed to float down and land us safely on the ground. After that, we could start walking again.

Of course, it wasn’t a straight vertical line downwards, so while gliding through the air the four of us let our thoughts off to wander about all the magnificent sights we got to see. As when we got closer to the normal height of the ground, we passed two villages where one was busy with a farmer’s market and the other was beaming in a musical festival with ribbons and people in colourful clothing. The Fae we’re genuinely happy here, living their simple lives, yet with glorious riches as magic was always present here.

The lands below Alash’Shanow weren’t filled with arrogant, politically issued people who only think about their wealth, and it made me wonder if the people here would know about the people up there. Do they know they should be grateful for not having to undergo torment and the possibility of losing one’s magic? Do they know their rulers are untrustworthy idiots who could make demands and do whatever they like, just because they would feel like it?

I doubt that.

If the royals from that ivory tower above me are as manipulative as I believe them to be, then the people below me don’t know it. The King probably has managed to keep his good side, how slim it may be, towards his people and never showed his much greater dark side.

But whether the good people know about the King’s true motives or not, I was happy that not all of Kyalthemar was under the bad influence of his ruling.

“Where does your compass tells us to go?” Kallan suddenly asked me once we were near to landing.

We landed in front of the third city we came to see and I jumped off Poseidon to grab our guide from the saddlebag. The delicate black suede bag that was covering the rusty trinket inside it was comical to think about, why would someone want to adorn such a rusty old thing, you might wonder. But I knew better as the compass must have helped countless other Etunadain to find their way to the next orb of power. Who knows where the compass has been and what has happened during all of its travels?

It probably has shown countless others before me, so there is a deep history connected to it. And now I’m here to follow its guidance too. Hopefully in time, hopefully for the right reasons.

I checked the direction of the needle and where it would point us...

“That way.” I hesitantly said, as the needle suddenly pointed in the other direction. “Wait, that way.” I said as I turned myself around.

“Which is it?” Kallan asked again, but the pointer was continuously switching between the same two points. Why would it do something like this now? Are we closer to an orb now, now that we are down on the ground?

The compass made me hesitant in the glorification I had given it earlier. Was my thought of the old thing wrong, and was it no longer a trusty item to follow? How are we supposed to know where to go now?

“I, I...” I stammered.

“Maybe it sees two orbs.” Neil suddenly said, making things a lot more clear.

“Yes, that could be it! But which one should we go to first?” Trixie butted in.

A sudden nudge in my back made me look behind me. “Poseidon, knock it off.” I said to him while thinking of a solution to this small dilemma. But again, Poseidon nudged me and even nipped at the end of my sleeve to pull my hand away. “Poseidon, what’s gotten into you!” I said annoyed now.

Kallan was laughing which heated my annoyance further. “You do have the mark of Animal on your wrist, Jade. You might want to start listening to one.” Kallan explained his behaviour and I furrowed my brows. I looked behind me and saw Poseidon stomping his hoof into the ground and for his head to move in one direction.

“You want us to go that way?” I asked the stubborn horse while pointing into the same direction his head bobbed into, which happened to be one of the directions the compass pointed to as well. Poseidon nudged his head again and loudly whinnied in reply. “Alright, then I suppose that’s where we will go.”