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Goodbye

"This is a bad idea, Asha."

"This is one of the best I've ever had!" I exclaimed, sticking out my tongue at Aimee's petty insult. "You're jealous that it was my idea to search for Lake Ashnah!"

I know fairy tales aren't real. But desperate times call for desperate measures. When your whole village is sick and dying off, you're always more than willing to help. Even if it means going across a country to find a mystical lake.

The powers of this lake are so strong that you'll need the permissions of the gods see it. Much less use it. But people all over Xandra still flock to the lake in droves. Why?

Lake Ashnah can heal anything.

A bump in the road made the carriage to jump. My brother, Nukpana, had been asleep. But the jolt caused him to bolt up, wide awake.

"My head," he hissed, cradling the base of his skull, "How long was I out?" I looked at my watch, he had been out for three hours. But rather than telling him that, I decided to mess with him.

"Look who finally woke up, Aimee," I comment through a smirk. Nukpana looked to Aimee, confused. "You blacked out a day ago."

Aimee caught onto my antics and joined. "Yeah, we were beginning to think that you needed a doctor." she said in a casual tone, examining her nails to appear disinterested in the matter.

My poor brother looked so baffled that I couldn't help but to burst into laughter. Nukpana crossed his arms, glaring at Aimee. Aimee giggled and wiggled with glee at the sight.

"That wasn't nice!" Nukpana pouted, stomping his foot like a child. "I came with you guys to help! Not to get attacked!" he muttered. "You know that I hate traveling! Especially if we're so close to a cliff ledge..."

"Ah, come on! You know that it's safe! And we were just-"

The carriage jumped.

Not jumped. Hurdled. Tumbling and thumping, spinning through the air. Around and around, lashing back and forth.

A moment of weightlessness came. Nukpana and Aimee came flying out of their seats. Their bodies, slamming against the wall. I held onto the edge of my seat for dear life.

A thunderous crack resonated through the compartment as the walls flew apart. Shrapnel coming at us from all directions. Some coming close impaling themselves into my skin. One piece, missing my eye by mere millimeters.

Then everything was still.

I want nothing more than to get out of the wreckage. But I had one problem. My body refused my orders. My arms and legs had no movement in them. Even my magic wasn't responding.

Why can't I move?

"You took quite a fall. Didn't you?" a voice cooed. My mind began a round of shrieks as I tried my damnedest to move.

"Relax, child. I cast a protection spell on you. It protects you from almost anything, but restricts your movement to its bubble."

I could move.

My head whipped around.

"I must've hit my head too hard." I hissed, wiping my eyes. "Why in hell's name is an armadillo talking to me?"

"I'm a pangolin, fool!" the 'pangolin' countered, spiky scales sticking up in irritation. The creature wagged its tail like it had gone rabid, only to have a magic circle to appear at its end.

A sudden scream erupted from Aimee and Nukpana. I guess their spells released.

Nukpana looked confused. Aimee was another story.