Compared to her flight the previous day, their progress felt excruciatingly slow. The higher load and the hefty winds caused the griffin to fly sluggishly through the mountainous terrain.
With every passing hour, Lidea grew more keenly aware of the barely conscious man strapped to her body. His presence reminding her that they couldn't afford to stay out in the open that night. Without the protection of thick cavern walls, she was certain that he wouldn't make it.
Therefore, she had no choice but to push until the last second of daylight, in the hope that they would reach the harbor.
Like so many times before, her hand found Crystal's, who was still holding on to the ropes between her and Warchief. It took a moment, but then the woman grabbed her hand too and pinched it before returning her grip onto the rope. Assuring Lidea that she was doing alright.
They had agreed on this sign before they left. Knowing that the winds and the fact that Crystal couldn't afford to remove her scarf for even a second would make it hard for them to communicate otherwise.
Looking ahead, she made Tayg'te turn to the opposite diagonal as she watched the final barrier of mountains appear. The sun hanging low in the sky behind her, as a salty ocean breeze filled her nose. Almost making her tear up in relief. They were going to make it to the ocean.
Petting the griffin's neck, she leaned back to let it ascend higher. Already feeling the air flow that crossed the mountain, trying to drag them back down.
The animal struggled, it was tired after flying non-stop for the whole day but Lidea was encouraged that it hadn't tried to land as of yet.
"We are almost there..."
She whispered to the creature, even if her words were meaningless to it.
As they traversed these last mountains, a strong airwave pushed the griffin's wings up, causing it to drift higher and Lidea swiftly directed it to gently dive down. Using the strong wind to its advantage, so it could glide with little effort.
She felt weightless as they descended rapidly. Her ears popped and her stomach filled with butterflies as they dropped from the very roof of Asmeon all the way down to its base.
Excitement filled her as she eyed the coastline beneath.
Wild waves breached against the rocks, frothing as they carved away the mountain mass. Leaving remnants of past land in the form of lone jagged pillars, and grand arches, until all was swallowed by the vast spread of the ocean, beyond.
Pools of seawater had collected into the hollows and crevices, reflecting the sunset sky above and softening the unforgiving and harsh landscape.
It was beautiful, but Lidea couldn't help but feel discouraged as she saw nothing that would indicate the presence of a harbor.
A wave of anxiety threatened to fill her when her eyes fell on an unusual mountain. One single sharp peak with sharp inclines that reached higher into the sky than the others around it. Its distinctive shape immediately conjured up a name within her mind.
The Spear.
Elated, she remembered how it had been one of the most important milestones for sailors, as its base marked the location of the hidden harbor.
We made it.
She couldn't believe that her navigation had been this accurate. Another miracle.
It almost made her reconsider the reality of gods. If they did exist, then they must have been looking at them favorably.
As she kept an eye on the airflows around her, she let Tayg'te follow the coastline until Crystal started tapping her side urgently.
YOU ARE READING
Tipping the Scale
FantasyIn a country, where magic and knowledge is limited to the elite. The underclass have finally had enough. A revolution has tipped the scale of power, and the powerless have become in charge. All that was a symbol of magic has been destroyed, its hist...
