The Lores of Lyra - Shattered Star [Book II]

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

A few moments later Vega and Joshua touched ground again. They both fell to their knees as Vega heaved and struggled to breathe due to the nauseating feeling that had begun to spread throughout her body. Her head was pounding, and bile rose in her throat. Somewhere in her mind Vega registered that she was bleeding and that her knee was throbbing with pain.

“I don’t feel so good,” Joshua complained beside her. He pressed both of his hands hard onto his temples as his pounding headache throbbed and he began to throw up.

It didn’t take long for Vega to throw up her breakfast too. Crouching on the ground on all fours, they were quite a pathetic sight. The burning bile that Vega coughed up was sour and bitter.

“That was horrible,” Joshua said, breathing heavily.

“I agree,” Vega managed to spit out. Her mouth was full of a Solem awful taste from the bile she'd just spewed.

“I’m never going to do that ever again!” Joshua said.

Nodding absentmindedly, Vega sat straight up and looked around. They had landed in a dismal shadowed alley. There were no windows on the massive brick walls that towered above them. Thanking the stars for their luck, they tried to sit up, despite their dizziness and nausea. The pressure on her head had subsided a bit, and she looked at her friend. Joshua was still on all fours, but leaned back on his knees to keep his head low.

The air was hot, and Vega already felt small beads of sweat on her forehead, even though the alley was shadowed. She tried her best not to breathe through her nose. The smell from their vomit was violently strong.

“We need to get away from here,” Vega stated. Joshua slowly raised his head, and Vega began to look for signs that Joshua was going to be okay. She could see that he tried not to breathe through his nose.

“I need some water," Joshua stated, "Plus something to get rid of this awful taste."

Vega nodded in agreement.

They both arose from the ground. Their bags had landed close by and they both dove into the bags, scrambling to find the toothpaste Garnet had packed for them. Luckily, they also found a small bottle of water he had packed. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do until they found a lake or a well.

Vega and Joshua both sighed with relief after they rinsed their mouths. Vega already felt ten times better than just a few moments before. The heat made it impossible to stay in the long sleeved shirts they wore. Realizing that she had some remnants of the puke on her shirt still, Vega stripped it off. She blew her nose to clear her airways properly; the humid weather was beginning to clog her nose. Offering it to Joshua afterwards she waited patiently for him to finish. He politely declined and turned towards Vega.

“So, what’s the next step?” Joshua asked. Vega looked up towards the seemingly sunless sky. Even though, there were no sun in sight, the intense heat made spots of perspiration show all over. It didn’t promise of nighttime anytime soon, so Vega knew that she couldn’t ask the Stars for help. With a sigh, Vega looked towards the exit of the alley.

“I guess we have to start looking somewhere. Garnet told me to trust my instincts, but right now they aren’t telling me much,” she stated. Joshua nodded in agreement. Vega and Joshua grabbed their bags and started towards the exit of the shadowed hideaway.

They were met with a massive wall of fiery humidity as soon as the duo stepped out of the shadows. Vega struggled to breathe, but she quickly recovered to adapt to the heat. They found themselves in the middle of - what seemed like - a market place. Different concession-like stands were lined up beside each other. Towering pillars were scattered around; jutting from the ground toward the heavens. Some of the more expensive looking booths had taken refuge in the shadows underneath an overpass that was supported by beautiful pillars.