On Sapphire Wings and Jade Scales

Chapter 33: Pillars of Hope

The storm roared as the trio glided among the dark skies. The twins watched in silence as the Sky Pillars neared like a dark hand stretching out its fingers to the clouds. Ari's wings flapped gracefully through mountain winds. The burn on her tail didn't seem to bother her, determined to reach her destination.

Their soaked clothes and the air blowing past made the twins shiver. Eila remembered the times her mother warned against playing in the rain too long. "You're going to catch a cold!" she'd say.

Getting sick was the least of their worries.

Tomas gazed at the satchel in Eila's hand. "Mister Green didn't look good back then... and if the monsters got him, then—"

He groaned. "No. He's strong. So is everyone else around me. I've got to be strong too."

Eila lifted her head, her eyes squinting as raindrops fell on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried about, well, everything that's happening."

Eila sighed. "Same here. I think we're close to ending all this craziness though. We've got the orb, and we're headed straight to those pillars. Just find the shard, complete the orb, Xybelios gets his powers back, and we beat the Oracle. For real this time!"

"Right." Tomas quickly nodded. "And that Oracle ought to be very distracted at the temple, so let's find it before he notices us."

With that said, Ari grunted and dove down to the pillars. They drew closer and closer with each flap of her wings. Lightning and thunder struck around the Ilenes, brightening the skies with blinding lights. Though the sounds boomed and shook the twins down to their cores, it filled them with a strange hope.

If nature was not giving up, neither were they.

Ari stretched out her legs, her claws scratching stone as she landed. The twins jolted forward with a thud, slipping off Ari's back and onto their feet.

Their boots splashed in small puddles forming on the stone floor, water filling all the lines and curves carved into it. Behind them, a set of stone stairs led up the mountain to the pillars. Looking around, the Sky Pillars all circled the edge of the massive, circular floor they walked on. It was hard to make out if the carvings made a drawing on the floor, though Eila spotted certain markings resembling lightning rays and clouds. At the center of the pillars was a large, faded yellow stone altar. Another large stone sat at the far end shaped like a tall triangle. The stone triangle had an oval drawn on its face, along with a string of symbols in it.

"Ok, now if I were a magical gem shard, where would I hide?" Eila muttered.

"There's not a lot of places to hide one, really. Let's check that stone at the center first."

Once the two got to the stone altar, Eila's eyes twinkled with wonder as she felt around the cold stone. "Those movies about adventurers always have a secret button or switch in places like this. And whatever that secret button opens leads to treasure!"

She took off her soaked gloves, crouched and passed her hands around the carvings on the altar's sides. Tomas looked on with one eyebrow raised.

"Say sis, what's your secret?"

Eila lifted her head. "What secret?"

"How do you stay strong at a time like this? You say you're worried yet you're still so upbeat about finding secret buttons. I try to be strong too, but... I'm still scared."

Eila smiled softly. "I mean it when I say I'm worried too. We left mom, dad, Nino, and Mister Green behind; we're supposed to complete this orb on our own, and there's a loony wizard after us. It's... somehow not that scary though. I've got you and Ari with me, and we managed to fight against that Oracle together! That was really cool."