A Journey To The Clouds, Escape From Cloud Castle - Book Two - ✓

Chapter Eight

Silence. All I can hear is the rise and fall of her breath as we lay on the cold, stone ground, still in the corridor with the carvings on the lair's walls. Ally's head lies on my chest. I can feel her steady breath as she falls asleep.

The quiet breath, her thumping heart, I can't help but smile. We've gotten so close in the past few months . . . I've only started to notice the butterflies in my stomach when I laugh with her. A good kind of butterflies. I honestly have to say, I never felt this way before. Not even with any of my family. I sigh as I pull a piece of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear. I then lean on the brick wall, reflecting on the past few weeks with light, and dark thoughts.

I slump into sleep quickly, only to find myself in another place. I jump to an easy conclusion: I'm experiencing another vision.

"Hera!" A voice calls. Asher. A cat rushes into the room quicker than lightning. She weaves herself through the giant's legs, purrs, and sits down with a small thud.

"Bones!" Asher calls again. A thin figure comes rushing in.

"Yes my lord?" The cyclops asks timidly.

"Your cat, Hera, will do very good as a scout." Asher says, satisfied. Bones looks absolutely delighted at this news. Asher cracks a small, crooked smile but it disappears as quickly as it had come.

We're in the same dull, vintage room as before. Although it looks... cleaner. Sharper. Sleeker. Their figures gleam as the moonlight seeps in through the clouded windows.

Asher begins shouting again in a quick, and sharp tone.

"I would like a second opinion. Coco!" he calls roughly. The colorful bird flies in right on cue.

"Yes, Lord Asher?" Coco asks nervously. From my experiences, I've never heard Coco sound so weak in the entirety of the time I've known her. Even though Ally has the power of speaking to animals and all that nature stuff, I think I've begun to understand Coco better.

Her sharp features, her rough feathers, and her especially cold blue eyes. It makes me shiver.

"Would you think that sending Hera into the portal now, is a good idea?" Asher asks carefully. He quickly waves his hands in the air.

"Of course you do." He says with a laugh. Coco looks at Asher with a confused expression, anger showing in her eyes.

"Sir, I thought you wanted a second opinion?" Bones asks, his voice shaky. I don't think he wanted to defy his master like that.

"I did. And I know that Coco here would agree with me no matter what. Right, Coco?" Asher asks suspiciously.

"Right sir." Coco says through a gritted beak. I can tell she's hesitant in answering.

"I can't hear you!" Asher roars. Coco flinches at the horrendous shout.

"R-Right sir!" Coco yells in reply.

"Sir? Why did I hear you say sir? I'm your Lord you pesky bird!" Asher yowls. Coco's eyes widen.

"Y-yes Lord Asher." Coco says quietly. After a long, scary silence, Asher gives a nod of approval.

"Good." He mutters. He turns to Bones.

"I will send that cat now." he says as he mumbles.

The vision starts to blur as Connor hurriedly try to intervene. First, Coco, Asher, and Bones start to slowly wither away. Then his hands, feet and legs slowly disappear from him before his vision stops, and he can only see a void of nothingness.

I jerk awake to find myself breathing shallowly and my heart pounds rapidly. It's not the shouting and retorting of my vision that was weird even though it was, it was the way it ended. I then recall that Ally was sleeping on my chest. I lay back down again.

"You're up early." Ally says, stretching. I jump at the sound of her voice, but I quickly relax again.

"There was another vision." I stutter, breathless. Ally looks completely bewildered.

"Tell me everything." Ally says, sitting down cross-legged on the stone floor. I tell her everything. I don't leave a single thing out as I tell of all the details, the exact words, and the scout.

When I finish, she looks at me wide eyed.

"What do you think this means?" she asks. Her eyes are filled with concern. I'm about to respond when I hear something. A voice. I think Ally heard it because she looks around wildly. Then, she gasps in a quick and shallow spasm.

"What?" I ask her urgently.

A sudden frown turns to a smile in an instant. That could only be one person.

"Lily!" Me and Ally exclaim, our voices becoming one.