When I opened my eyes, it surprised me that I had, in fact, fallen asleep. My body hummed with invigoration. It also dazed me to realize I somehow saw the world differently. Was it the elves' eternal sight? There hadn't been any pain.I got to my feet, shaking out my wings, allowing the circulation to reach every tendon and vein. They felt good. I felt good.A large bumblebee flew in, lazily making its way to the wall on the right of my bed. It bumped into the door several times."Oh, you poor thing." I went over and cupped the bee between my hands, took it over to the window, and released it. The garden's aroma filled my nose. It still smelled like Gabriel's blood, and my knees went weak. I was hungry.Directly south of the bed was an opening. I peeked inside, happy to see it was the relieving room. I went in and took care of my necessities. When I returned to the bedroom, I noticed a mirror hanging on the wall next to the bed. It wasn't there a moment ago. "Where did you come from?"
"I do not know. It seems there is trouble between the trolls and the elves near Ellavera Pass. He's gone to make peace, return their harmony, rebuild an accord." Her tail swished as she spoke.The trolls and the elves were always at odds over one petty issue or another. "I appreciate your time." I scanned the gardens. "Have you seen the pixilette I arrived with? Ryden."She shook her head, making her long, beautiful mane flip back and forth."Where is she?" I wondered aloud, crossing my arms as some of my irritation returned."I could help you look for her if you like. The pixilette drank a lot of watermelon juice. She's probably sleeping it off, feeling woozy, hungover," Envy said."You're undoubtedly right," I said, smiling. Knowing Ryden, she overdid it and was snoring away somewhere in the trees. "Your assistance would be greatly appreciated." We moved toward the table where I'd last seen my friend. As I came closer, a silver decanter appeared along with a goblet."You must be thir
"I'm sixteen," Snow said. "But I think I'm having a birthday soon." She cleared her throat, and I noticed she fought back the tears."You think?" I asked simply, putting my hands to my hips.She nodded. "I don't belong in this time. Where I'm from, I recently turned sixteen. Since I've been here with you, I keep getting these flashes of conversations from where I'm from, and I'm hearing people I care about. One of them, Gabe, he said I had a birthday coming up, which would mean I've been away nearly a year." She looked devastated. A tear ran down her cheek and, as though the feelings were my own, I felt an overwhelming agony. In my mind, I saw a flash of steel, heard the clips of conversation. Saw her in a beautiful dress. Watched her get bitten by a hunter. Saw her kiss a dark-haired boy who bore a striking resemblance to my Gabriel. (At least the girl had good taste in men.) She walked through a room full of magical creatures. Talked to a blonde human, she called Cindy. I saw
She whinnied, stomping her foot as I headed back to where I came in - the waterfall. The closer I got, the louder the roar of the water. Mist splashed against my face. Once we were free of the elven city and back at the edge of the forest, Ryden and I would fly to the land of the unicorns. It would be a quick trip.Ryden fluttered near my ear. "Where are you going to put the horn, anyway?"That reminded me that my satchel was missing. It held more than my things. It was of sentimental value because Gabriel gave it to me. I didn't respond. Ryden didn't know the whole plan yet. She didn't understand what I was doing. I would tell her, of course. I told her everything. But I hadn't found an opportunity."Silindra, it's my destiny, my fate, my calling, to do this." Envy's voice roared louder than the waterfall as she raced around and in front of us, blocking our way.I looked at her, searching her kind, generous eyes. "It won't work, dearest Envy." I reached out to touch her emer
My sister Sharra and I had been born with wings, and at a young age, became quite adept at flying. I had a training period, a time where I learned what it meant to beat my wings against the air, turn them, or tuck them according to what kind of flying I intended and where I wanted to go. With the little unicorn, there was none of that. Once we were out of the forest, Envy leaped into the sky and soared like she'd been flying forever."It took me ten tries before I could fly without crashing into something," Ryden whispered."She's magnificent," I agreed, unable to take my eyes from her."This is amazing, wonderful, stupendous," Envy said, her deep violet wings beating against the bright sky.I flew over to her. "It really is the best, right?" Her giddiness and enthusiasm rubbed off on me. Snow White was enjoying herself as well. I've never flown before, she squealed happily. Her voice caught. Is it all right if I talk? I was nervous about speaking before, but now you know I'm here w
Whoa, that's a long way down. Where did he go? Snow White asked.I don't know, I responded. Flying over, I scanned the valley below, searching. After several minutes I still hadn't found him, and I was almost at the bottom. Glancing up, I saw Titan looking down at me from a slight lip in the rock. He had an arrogant smirk on his face.I worked hard not to shake my head in frustration as I flew toward him. "Find anything interesting?" he asked when we were eye level. "No.""Tsk-tsk," he said. The noise sounded like he sucked spit between his teeth. It was annoying, but I ground my jaw together, holding back any comments. The troll leader turned, and I noticed for the first time the oblong door behind him. It blended in so entirely I would've missed it had I not been so close. He pushed, and the door scraped inward.Not another cave, I grumbled. Snow White wasn't excited either, and her mind slipped through mine, pulling us forward to her time.***"I can't stay long. No one knows I'm
"Dear ones, you are the sum of all other magical creatures - the beginning. Blood is your sustenance because magic is strongest there. And we saw no purpose in staying. When we created you, we provided you with each other." They turned, swimming away and taking their strange light with them. We were again plunged in darkness. The clicking sound, which Sharra and I guessed came from our parents, got farther and farther away. Blue-green light filled the salty cavern once again, but the sea dragon was gone as well. We were alone.Sharra cried.I forced back my tears, knowing they wouldn't make a difference. From that moment on, Sharra and I became more than sisters, more than girls related to one another. And I promised to protect her, always be there for her. I became the parents she never had. That was several lifetimes ago. Since then, I found myself in hundreds of caves, and every single time I thought of Sharra and the tears she shed for our non-parents. Standing on the precipice of
I understood Titan's passion. I held the same beliefs for the quest I was on, to save magic, but I doubted what Titan was doing down here would matter in the long run. The term "science" was thrown around at the last council meeting. It meant little to me. "What else do you do down here?" I asked."Let me show you." He glanced over and smiled.I held my tongue, working to keep my face blank of any emotion. "You believe I'm heartless, uncaring. Is that it? You're wondering how I can put science above the lives of my people.""Something like that," I acknowledged."It's simple. Down here, we take emotion out of the equation. We take a problem and use science along with our magic to solve it. Up there," he pointed one of his thick fingers toward the ceiling. I understood he meant above ground. "The trolls and the elves fight over an imaginary line - an important line, yes, but imaginary, nonetheless. The elves only desire power. We aren't oppressing them, and they have plenty of food and