The Darkness Within

39 - Settling In

Ciara had a headache the next day. Not only that, but her feet ached, her muscles were tired, and her magic felt drained. She had allowed her powers free reign the day before, and while she still had the majority of her magic swirling under her skin ready to obey her guidance, it was odd to feel the drain. She hadn't even used her power-sight, and yet the use of her magic left her feeling annoyed, tired, and ready to spend the day in bed alongside Lucienne.

That, unfortunately, was not how the day went. Lucienne woke her at what was apparently almost two in the afternoon. Then she cuddled back up into Lucienne's side for another ten minutes before her power-bound forced her out of bed, provided clothing for Ciara, and then pulled her to breakfast with their traveling companions. Evelyn knew her moods and made sure to not be too obnoxious at the breakfast table- breakfast that was more like a very late lunch.

Then Ciara had harnessed Tala, climbed atop the wolf's back, and let the two younger witch warriors-in-training, who had come to retrieve her, guide her to wherever the training grounds and barracks were.

She was still tired from the celebration the night before and didn't really feel like conversing with the two witches. They remained quiet as well and she allowed herself to take in her surroundings with her senses. The smell of earthy soil, growing plants, and flowing streams reached her nose. She heard the chirping of birds, rustling in the foliage to the right of her, the trickling of a creek, movement of tree leaves in the wind. The wind gently caressed her skin, her magic joining its natural flow with whispers about the world around her. The path was cobblestone, it told her, the grasses were tall and there were a few trees spread around.

She could imagine it; it reminded her of those strange fever-dreams she had when she was imprisoned by the demons. She could picture the rolling hills, the swaying bright grass, the bright sky above. Until she heard otherwise, that's what she would imagine. It made her want to fly as she had in that dream of hers, to soar through the air with water and ice birds of her creation.

Nothing was stopping her from doing so, she decided. She enjoyed riding atop Tala, enjoyed wandering through the forest with the wolf, but something in her ached to fly and see the world for herself.

She pulled her bare feet from their resting place in Tala's harness so that she could sit up completely rather than somewhat leaned over the wolf. The power of creation heeded her call swiftly, spreading through her and her surroundings. As it spread through her, all exhaustion left her leaving only the want to explore and fly free in this world of hers. She felt her gaze spread through the space, a large cavern she realized, and she could feel the heavy magics that sustained it. The two witches walked calmly before her wolf, Tala padded along silently. Her wind magic that had joined the natural breeze whipped out from her as she stood up on Tala's back. Her body shifted- her clothes falling around her as her body fell through them- taking on the form of a large black eagle just as she had in her dream. Her new wings spread wide, and she jumped lightly from her Champion's back, the wind pushing her upwards into the air as she flapped. She banked, turning toward where her power-sight showed her a creek, and let out a wild cry that echoed through the air. Startled gasps escaped the witches that were to guide her as she flew away.

She couldn't see the vibrant colors of the space that she remembered from her dream, but now with her power-sight, there was no doubt that this was indeed the space she had dreamed of. The grasses swayed like waves in the wind, there were small rolling hills throughout the space, and there were small creeks in the miniature valleys between them. She flew down low, soaring above the grasses. Then, she rose higher with a few quick flaps and the help of her wind magic. She angled herself into a steep turn and circled a particularly large tree before diving back down to the nearby creek. She tilted a wing, allowing it to briefly swipe through the water as the action caused the direction of her flight to turn.