11-09-2018, 12:48 PM
And in the darkened underpass I thought,
"Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
"Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
It’s an odd inkling that stirs her from rest. It’s almost like a siren’s song, luring her into something she knows little about. Swiveling her ears, Valdis blinks away her exhaustion and rises to her feet. Around her, the forest still towers high with its naked branches and blight. There is no cover to hide or rest in, and so she trusted to remain unharmed when sleep drifted her eyelids shut. To still be alive, and uninfected, gives a spur to her step as she looks around until the odd feeling crosses her mind again. It steers her in the direction of the mountain. Fortunately, she isn’t quite so far away, but the trek still takes, what seems like, an eternity as she weaves like thread through the forest. Only when the trees have thinned does she finally take flight, tempted by the ease of flight instead of tiresome walking.
The crooning in her ears and goal set in her mind guides her where others have already gathered.
In front of them is a half-circle of formidable faces that stare down at them like they were scum, while few others had an expression of pity. Confused, Valdis is silent so that the directions may spill forward. Answers to her silent questions arise and she feels an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Following instructions has typically been a laughable thing to the girl, but the stoicism painted on the winter’s face is enough to persuade her. Valdis almost speaks, agreeing to the task at hand, but then there are sparks in front of her.
Then nothing.
Frozen in thought, Valdis considers what they had said and she almost grins were it not for her thoughts drifting to the perilous obstacles that lie ahead. Father is on the island. Could he help? Arrogant in that she can fly, Valdis tries to lurch forward only to stumble instead. Confusedly, she glances back to see her wings stripped from her body. Naked and vulnerable, Valdis shivers with a wintery gust. Not even her flames can be conjured.
She is alone.
The trek is one in which she alternates between running and walking to preserve her strength. She weaves through Hyaline, keeping to the western border and inside from the gurgling river. The landmark is her compass as it leads her north until it hugs the beginnings of Taiga. After hours of its familiarity, it’s eerily silent when she does finally peel away and lose herself in the trees. She rarely lets her eyes divert from looking north, desperately trying to remain on track. It would be simpler if she had her wings, so that she may soar high above and dodge the elaborate intricacies of the lands. While Hyaline is familiar, Taiga is just a confusing maze.
A greater deal of walking is spent in the foreign kingdom. Its tightly-packed trees and scraggly underbrush provide a greater difficulty that she doesn’t want to risk tripping across. Left here, a right there. It almost seems endless until there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel where the trees thin. The sentinels fade into a background as she clambers into Nerine, noting how the footing changes. Minute, seeing as everything is dead, but still somewhat noticeable to those observant enough.
”Damn,” Valdis sighs as she pauses to stare across the land toward the horizon. The mainland extends beyond her vision, but she knows there is no other option. With a grunt, she begins to canter across the rocky dirt, altering her path occasionally to avoid boulders and ditches. There is less to see here which makes it uninteresting, but also easier to steer without the worry of getting turned around. Pursuing her end goal, she continues at this gait until the shore greets her.
With labored breaths, Valdis observes the water crashing against the sandy beach. ”Why did they have to take my wings?” She mutters into the breeze before taking her initial steps into the sea. ”Bloody cold,” she hisses upon feeling the slight chill. Although bearable, she much prefers the warmth and her fire to this.
The girl paddles against the current, battling the waves for the first few minutes until within calmer waters. It exhausts her as it tries to push her back into Nerine where perhaps it’s safer. Although her travels across the mainland took a long time, at least it brought her to the point closest to the island. Unfortunately, it’s the most frigid, but, admittedly, Valdis hopes that the faeries sending them on this endeavor will at least protect her from freezing or drowning. Stubborn and determined, Valdis takes a moment to drift and bob until the cold knives of the water truly start sinking in. Her legs quiver beneath the surface and the sensation of pin needles lodged in her flesh arises. It provides more urgency in her paddling strokes until there is ground finally underneath her. Clumsily, weakly, Valdis clambers up the shore. She wants to ne nestled against her family, absorbing their warmth, but instead she is here. Her blue eyes look around as she forces herself to remain in motion to keep her muscles from tightening and to keep the chill at bay.
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.