Mythical Book #1

Chapter 16

Paige suddenly jolts awake from the eerie silence in the forest. Swiftly she puts her clothes on and emerges from her small wooden, bushy, hut that she grew out of the ground. The sun has barely cracked over the horizon. Paige's breath hangs a few seconds in front of her from the cold air. 'Not again,' Paige starts to get that familiar unsettling feeling as of late. 'Diego and Kalla are up,' Paige notices the dragon and Felinala are standing together with their heads bowed, 'They must be praying.' Suddenly Bannick bursts out of his crystalline tent as if he's ready for battle.

"You hear that?" he whispers to her.

"Silence?"

"Aye, do you feel that?"

"Like several people have suddenly lost their lives?"

"Aye."

Paige urgently begins to gather her things and casts a reversal spell on her hut that changes it back to logs and bushes. The noise brings the two Archerenians out of their prayers.

"What's wrong?" Kalla asks, noticing the actions of Paige and Bannick.

"You hear that?" Bannick asks, while putting on his shoes.

"I hear nothing." Kalla responds.

"A bit strange that a Felinala, having cat hearing, can't hear anything?" Bannick replies, sending his crystalline tent back to its origins.

"We must get to Fanachcroi!" Diego insists.

"How far are we?" Paige asks.

"About a solid half a day's hike," Diego responds.

"No. We fly!" Paige asserts.

"Aye, we'll get there in a couple of hours," Bannick agrees.

"I strongly disagree with this!" Kalla blurts out.

"Why," Paige asks, "because of my wings? To hell with that, these people are in danger!"

"How do you know it's them you feel?" Kalla asks.

"Trust us, we know. Fairies know!" Bannick says firmly.

"Aye, I must agree with them, Kalla. I'm sorry, but I know to trust a Fairy when it comes to others suffering. I'll carry you," Diego says, grabbing the supplies in one claw and reaching out and grabbing Kalla with the other. He holds her almost like a child holding on to a toy doll.

In an instant all are off the ground and soaring north. 'The land is amazingly different a beautiful. And I never would have thought that I would see the edge of the forest.' Paige looks into the distance, 'Oh no! That smoke looks familiar,' A distinct plume of smoke rises just beyond the edge of the forest where the terrain becomes very rocky and jagged.

Their speed increases, and in a couple of hours they arrive at the once Village of the Wandering Heart. All the dwellings are a blaze.

"Find a place to land, and help put out the fire!" Diego shouts back to Bannick and Paige. Quickly they land, and as Bannick runs to a horse trough to get water, Paige notices that not a single soul is trying to put out the fire. 'I know why no one is trying to put the fire out. It's like the Shonagal Fire. But, where is everyone though?'

Bannick also learns why after several buckets of water evaporate as he tosses them at the fire. "It won't go out!" Bannick yells at Paige over the roar of the fire.

'Wait, what did Diego say about the sword? That it's the sword of life, and its corresponding stone is... water! Then maybe...,' Paige pulls out the sword. The jewel on the bottom is glowing a soft blue! Almost as if she has always known how, Paige gets into a fighting stance while holding the sword above her and then casts the misting spell her mom taught her. The jewel glows extremely bright for a second and then goes out. Suddenly, with one swipe of the sword, a wave of water explodes from the blue streak, as if she sliced the water out of thin air. The water envelopes the flames and instantly extinguishes them. Paige then does the same to the other homes on fire.