The Lost King

Chapter Six

I blinked a few times, shaking the thick purple liquid out of my face. I noticed a few of my downy feathers on the ground, and quickly examined my wings. Larger feathers had grown in. It's working! Should I take the Illusion glass? I don't have anything to carry it with. I could see if they'll grant me one...

I stumbled to the edge of the water and called out to the waiting dragon and centaur.

"I need a container, do you have any?" I yelled. Of course they would be suspicious. My voice cracked very loudly as I yelled out. It was deeper than it was a few moments ago...Great.

"Get over here! You can have this..." Birch called out in his clear voice. He reached in his pack and took out a glass bottle with a piece of twine around it. I spread my wings once more, even more feathers falling off. I beat down on them the same speed and force as before. I shot up into the air about four more feet than before. My legs sprawled wildly, and I propelled myself forward before I fell into the water. Of course. Larger wings, less force. I'm an idiot.

I reached the shore quickly, losing altitude faster. I landed next to Birch, realizing I was halfway up his torso now, and he noticed.

"What happened in that temple?" He fiddled with the string around the bottle.

"I-I don't know. Now can I have that bottle? I need to collect the Illusion Glass in the temple for later." Birch gave a blank look. I forgot how little they know... "Illusion Glass allows me to ask guidance from the Being it is blessed by. In other words, it's a communication potion."

"You're crazy. How come we've never heard of these Beings before? I think you're just a lunatic who's been trapped in a rock for too long." Setty mumbled. I looked at her, understanding where she was coming from. If I could convince them...I took the bottle from Birch and flew back to the island. This time, I knew what I was doing and trekked on without looking around.

Lady Krona, I ask for your blessing to take this Glass.

The sweet breeze once again fell under my nose in the building. I had secured the blessing. I took the neck of the bottle between my teeth and scooped up the liquid, which seemed to gather toward the bottle, eager to get inside. I hung the twine around my neck and ran out of the temple, spreading my wings again. Setty was gone on the other side, but Birch was there, nervously waiting for me. I sighed and flew over to him, my wings feeling more proportionate to my body. I was still very unstable, however, as I crash landed with my horns lodged in the dirt.

I jerked my head upwards, but my spikes were too stuck in the mud. I pushed down with my legs. Still no luck.

I started as I felt Birch's arms wrap around my torso, yanking me upward. I heard him laughing and smiled at my own stupidity. He didn't put me down for a minute or two, in which I flailed my legs around like I was swimming again.

"Put me down!" My voice cracked again, causing me to cringe. The laughing centaur set me down. I was so small.

"Are you two done clowning around?" Setty yelled back at us. I didn't see her until I heard her voice. She was on top of the hill, her scales acting like a mirror. If I didn't look for her, I wouldn't have seen her standing there.

We ran to catch up, the last of our laughter ebbing away. A thought crossed my mind.

"If you're going back now, why did you travel hundreds of miles in the first place? How long have you been away from civilization?"

"You actually think we walked all the way here?! Are you insane?" Setty quipped moodily. Her tail lashed and her eyes narrowed.

"It was just a question. There's no need to be so vexed." I said calmly, jumping over a log. More and more trees were gathering as we walked farther and farther, shading from blue to a light peach. Their leaves cascaded down in a light flurry of color around their roots.

"What Setty means is that there's a portal to civilization in an old mining cave. Nobody's there, but the portal works. I guess they're pretty new, then." Birch explained, shooting Setty a glare. Surprisingly, she dipped her head in apology.

Portals? Only the Legends of the Old Ones contained a hint of portals. The physics and precision required for them was nearly impossible, let alone used everywhere!

"Oh. That's more reasonable than walking," I said to myself. A stony silence settled in, one which I took advantage of. I searched for more remains, the tiniest bit of rubble to ensure that I wasn't mad. Nothing.

Am I mad?