Sun & Moon

Chapter 14 - Astrid

Running. Panting. Fear.

I watch as a horde of fanged beings run across a black void, growing rapidly in numbers.

I feel cold.

I watch a single snowflake falling from the sky, melting into the ground as I walk forward, following footprints in the snow that are stained red.

In the distance, a clash of tigers surrounded by creatures that are too fast for my hazy vision to catch. One by one, the tigers fall. The snow stains deeper.

Then, a howl that pierces the cold air. A large white wolf atop a hill, hurtling towards the fray, fast enough to catch the fanged enemies.

Running. Panting. Relief.

I look over to the white wolf. It opens its great jaws and blasts me with cold air.

I wake up shivering in confusion to a sudden cold draught. I reach up top to the overhead air vent that's blasting air onto my face.

"You were sweating in your sleep so I turned that on," Alex says from the little bar in the back, stirring up a hot cup of something.

He walks over to me and hands me coffee in a paper cup. I reflexively take it and breathe for a while to get my bearings, blinking my sleepy eyes awake. The seat across the aisle where Rio was last night is empty.

"Rio's with the pilot," Alex calls back from the bar where he's squeezing a lemon in another cup. "Did you sleep well?"

I did except for the weird dream at the end. The white wolf looked like Bianca but bigger. It worries me a little.

"It was fine. You?"

"I think I'm still suffering from the after effects of the witch twins." He comes over and takes Rio's seat. "I've been guzzling lemonade since yesterday morning, one of my father's many warlock remedies passed on for generations, though I'm pretty sure half the stuff he tells me comes from Good Housekeeping."

"Your dad's a warlock?" I remember how Rio told me last night that the Lycans hardly care about the species of their destined mates. Except for his mother's particular prejudice against humans.

"Yes, I am the best combination of species. Lycan and warlock." Alex chugs his entire cup in one go and breathes out in satisfaction. "But you and Rio may be giving me a run for my money." He raises his eyebrows suggestively.

I laugh nervously and sip my coffee, covering a warm flush that's spreading across my cheeks.

Ding-dong!

The airplane speakers ring melodiously as static begins to play from the other end.

"Good evening," Rio's voice comes through. "Alex, please stop making Astrid uncomfortable."

Alex guffaws sarcastically.

"In a few moments, we will be exiting the stratosphere and coming into view of our island territory just off the coast of Crete. The time is currently 6 pm."

I gasp. Were we travelling for almost a whole day?

"Do not be alarmed, Astrid," Rio laughs a little. "It's the time conversion. The time in Silver Bow is currently 8 am."

"Right," I breathe a sigh of relief. "I've never flown before so I kinda forgot about the whole time zones thing."

"You'll get used to it," Alex shrugs.

I lean over to the window on my left to see the plane descending out of the stratosphere. And out of the clouds, we emerge on top of a mass of white and deep blue edges, pinks, purples and oranges coloring the horizon. The view from up here is a lot more stunning than the dark landscape during our midnight take-off. We head towards the mass of water with no land in sight, which worries me a little.