daggers.”
She nodded in agreement. “We’ll just be careful.”
He agreed, and they continued until Ayva saw something on the horizon. A stand of bright green glimmered. It looked like a forest.
“Do you see that?”
He nodded. “It’s real.” Sometimes there had been false images. Mirages, she had read.
“Do you think Gray is in there?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, but don’t stray too far from me.” With that, he spurred his cormac— Mirkal, he had begun to call it. When she questioned earlier why or what it meant, he had shrugged, saying it simply “felt right”.
She nodded and veered her cormac closer. It listened with the slightest of commands. In fact, she didn’t even remember pulling her reins—it was almost as if the beast had felt her intention and reacted.
They neared quickly.
That was good. Sometimes things could seem a mile away and take days to reach, and other times a place may seem impossibly far and take mere minutes. The desert was strange that way. She wondered if such was the case with all of Farhaven.
They stopped at the edge of the stand of trees. Inside, light illuminated the glade, streaming down like pillars of brilliant gold. The trees were thick, as if she had ventured into the heart of an ancient forest. Otherwise, there was no Gray, nor sign of life.
Darius grumbled to himself, “Fool! What is he doing? Getting himself lost without us?”
“Right? I thought that was your job,” she said then patted her cormac—she would have to come up with a name for the beautiful animal, but nothing yet had felt right. “Well, no use waiting out here,” she said before the rogue could retort, and she spurred the creature forward.
“Argh, wait up!” Darius cried, racing to catch up.
They entered, and cool air met them. Ayva took a deep breath and felt a heavier magic in the air. She saw more motes of gold floating before her eyes. This place… it is truly magical… As they wove through the majestic trees, she saw signs of life. Flowers dappled the bright, moss-covered ground—red, blue, green, white, purple, and a hundred other colors Ayva didn’t even know existed. Nearby, butterflies the size of her head flitted from branch to flower. Their wings were silver and gold. She found her breath taken by the beauty of it all. Even Darius whistled through his teeth at the sight. They wove through a last batch of willow-like trees, and Ayva gasped at the sight before her. At her side, Darius cursed.
Beyond them was a large clearing. In the center, there was a body of water, large enough to be bigger than a pond but smaller than a lake, and around it, life flourished. There were mushrooms the size of stools with speckled tops, and ferns that dipped their branches into the cool water. The ground was grass in most places, and in others, moss that was green, blue, and even blood red. Huge, shelled creatures moved slowly amid the cerulean water, several of them awkwardly scooting upon the grassy ground, like reptilian children learning to walk. At the other end of the lake, Ayva saw a flock of green-feathered birds standing on two long legs, bathing. They looked up at their entrance but then paid the humans no mind. Above the water, dozens of butterflies danced among the hanging specks of gold.
“Dicing dice,” Darius cursed. “What is this place?”
Ayva shook her head, at a loss for words. Quickly, she dismounted and approached the water. Darius joined her. The warm sun blanketed her, and she felt alive, as if feeding off its vitality. Smaller butterflies flitted around her, and she heard an enchanting hum in the air like music. She reached down to touch one of the shelled reptiles and felt a hand upon her shoulder. She nearly leapt out of her skin. Turning, she saw Gray’s familiar face wearing an impish smile.
“Gray!” Immediately she rose and hugged him. At first he didn’t respond, but then he returned the gesture, and she felt his strong arms. She pushed away.
She nodded in agreement. “We’ll just be careful.”
He agreed, and they continued until Ayva saw something on the horizon. A stand of bright green glimmered. It looked like a forest.
“Do you see that?”
He nodded. “It’s real.” Sometimes there had been false images. Mirages, she had read.
“Do you think Gray is in there?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, but don’t stray too far from me.” With that, he spurred his cormac— Mirkal, he had begun to call it. When she questioned earlier why or what it meant, he had shrugged, saying it simply “felt right”.
She nodded and veered her cormac closer. It listened with the slightest of commands. In fact, she didn’t even remember pulling her reins—it was almost as if the beast had felt her intention and reacted.
They neared quickly.
That was good. Sometimes things could seem a mile away and take days to reach, and other times a place may seem impossibly far and take mere minutes. The desert was strange that way. She wondered if such was the case with all of Farhaven.
They stopped at the edge of the stand of trees. Inside, light illuminated the glade, streaming down like pillars of brilliant gold. The trees were thick, as if she had ventured into the heart of an ancient forest. Otherwise, there was no Gray, nor sign of life.
Darius grumbled to himself, “Fool! What is he doing? Getting himself lost without us?”
“Right? I thought that was your job,” she said then patted her cormac—she would have to come up with a name for the beautiful animal, but nothing yet had felt right. “Well, no use waiting out here,” she said before the rogue could retort, and she spurred the creature forward.
“Argh, wait up!” Darius cried, racing to catch up.
They entered, and cool air met them. Ayva took a deep breath and felt a heavier magic in the air. She saw more motes of gold floating before her eyes. This place… it is truly magical… As they wove through the majestic trees, she saw signs of life. Flowers dappled the bright, moss-covered ground—red, blue, green, white, purple, and a hundred other colors Ayva didn’t even know existed. Nearby, butterflies the size of her head flitted from branch to flower. Their wings were silver and gold. She found her breath taken by the beauty of it all. Even Darius whistled through his teeth at the sight. They wove through a last batch of willow-like trees, and Ayva gasped at the sight before her. At her side, Darius cursed.
Beyond them was a large clearing. In the center, there was a body of water, large enough to be bigger than a pond but smaller than a lake, and around it, life flourished. There were mushrooms the size of stools with speckled tops, and ferns that dipped their branches into the cool water. The ground was grass in most places, and in others, moss that was green, blue, and even blood red. Huge, shelled creatures moved slowly amid the cerulean water, several of them awkwardly scooting upon the grassy ground, like reptilian children learning to walk. At the other end of the lake, Ayva saw a flock of green-feathered birds standing on two long legs, bathing. They looked up at their entrance but then paid the humans no mind. Above the water, dozens of butterflies danced among the hanging specks of gold.
“Dicing dice,” Darius cursed. “What is this place?”
Ayva shook her head, at a loss for words. Quickly, she dismounted and approached the water. Darius joined her. The warm sun blanketed her, and she felt alive, as if feeding off its vitality. Smaller butterflies flitted around her, and she heard an enchanting hum in the air like music. She reached down to touch one of the shelled reptiles and felt a hand upon her shoulder. She nearly leapt out of her skin. Turning, she saw Gray’s familiar face wearing an impish smile.
“Gray!” Immediately she rose and hugged him. At first he didn’t respond, but then he returned the gesture, and she felt his strong arms. She pushed away.
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