Hiraeth: Blackout (I)

Chapter Seventeen

The next Day I was to travel with Bexley while she visited the officials.

I met her outside of the mansion in the swirling snow. Accompanying us was Jade, July, and a dark-skinned girl with turquoise hair and yellow eyes. We climbed into a large winged vehicle the color of stardust.

"I'm excited for you to see our progress, Mike! I think you'll really be impressed," Bexley said as we buckled into leather seats.

The diamond pod's wings began to flap while it rolled forward, faster and faster. It soon lifted off the ground, caught the wind, and glided into the air.

"How do you like my ride?" the queen asked.

I looked out the window and smiled. Snow blew past in crazy patterns. Up, down, right, left. It was beautiful, white chaos. "It's cool."

"But nothing compared to flying with your wings, huh?"

I laughed.

Bexley was seated next to me, July facing her. Jade and the turquoise-haired girl were beside July, and Jade was across from me.

July had a melancholy manner about him, something he often had around Bexley. He noticed me looking at him and gave me a weak smile.

I smiled back, then looked at the girl next to him.

She was tall, muscular. Probably a year or two older than me. Her amber eyes and dark brown skin made her braided turquoise-and-white hair brighter. Her kind face looked like she should be smiling, but she wasn't. She only stared at the floor, her expression like the servants' back at the mansion.

July broke the silence after a few minutes. "So, what's the plan, your highness?"

Bexley explained that we'd be checking on Liana and Nelson first in the Eastern Realm, then Mallory and Kat in the Northern Realm. If we had time, we'd also visit the South and West.

Through my window, I watched the scenery change from towers of gemstone to strange bubbling masses. The ground became goo. Bubbles emerged and swirled into the air, joining the snow and the wind. Colors of red, purple, blue, and turquoise whizzed past.

"Where are we?" I asked Bexley.

"Effervescence," she responded bluntly.

I pointed to the bubbles. "That?"

"Haha, yeah. That."

I watched in fascination while the bubbles disappeared. Soon, pale pink-and-orange clouds were drifting past. Jade laughed at some shaped like animals. They seemed to be dancing.

I looked down at the swirling pink ground. It wasn't solid, and shifted with the direction of the wind. Mist rose from it slowly. I wanted to jump out and touch it, it looked so soft.

"Okay, everyone. Go ahead and take your shoes off," July instructed as the vehicle stopped, hovering in place.

"Huh?" Jade said in confusion.

July held up a finger, signaling us to wait. He reached under his seat and pulled out five pairs of boots. They shimmered and sparkled like glitter, and seemed to phase in and out of sight, as if they were glitching.

"You need these to walk in the Billows. Without them, you'll just sink through," he explained. "Everyone take a pair, they'll adjust to your feet."

As soon as my hand gripped the strange material (kind of like slime, but not sticky), a chill went up my spine. I scrunched my nose, took my shoes off, and slid one boot on. An even more uncomfortable chill tickled my bones, and I felt the semi-slime tighten around my toes and heel. Surprisingly, it felt nice after a few seconds.