Twilight Shadows

Chapter 16

Lunch actually passed okay, except for the occasional glances at me coming from Noah and Joshua. I pretended not to notice and kept on picking at my spaghetti and meatballs, looking bored.

As soon as we packed everything up into our backpacks, I noticed something. Since the Garden of Heaven obviously wasn't on top of that mountain, then where were we headed to? Noah and Joshua wouldn't say anything but they seemed to know where they were going.

We walked in the opposite direction of the mountain, and kept on walking until twilight. By then, I had no idea where we were.

"Noah," I began. "Where are we?"

"Finally gotten over your grudge?" Noah asked carefully. I nodded shamefully and looked into his blue eyes. They were full of bright curiosity and friendliness. "Well, since our quest hasn't led us anywhere, we've decided to question the Oracle, who provides all the scrolls for every quest. The Oracle is believed to live underwater, since the water is truly the only mysterious place."

I nodded. "So we're headed to the ocean?"

This time Noah nodded. "Precisely," He said. "But before that, Joshua says he has an important meeting." Noah said that like he thought it was some kind of joke.

Joshua glared at us. "It's not too important, but I'd like to have that meeting happen." I frowned. Could he be talking about meeting up with that mysterious hooded stranger again?

Before I could think any further, Noah yelled. "Quick! Run! There's something coming for us!"

Oh great, I thought. More monsters...

As if Noah was answering my thoughts, he said, "Monsters are attracted to our presence, as Twilights are very rare and..." Noah frowned. "They make a good meal, apparently."

"Guys, get over here!" Joshua shouted and signaled to some tall grass. We ducked just in time as the monster stalking us came out from the trees from the other side of our hiding spot. It was huge and ugly, and reminded me of the Minotaur in Greek mythology, except for the fact that it was made of metal, gears whirring and joints clanking. Steam poured out from its nostrils. I had to bite my fist to keep from screaming. 

Its beady red eyes scanned the clearing. The Minotaur-like creature sniffed the air. He turned towards our hiding spot.

"Get ready to defend yourself..." Noah warned, just as the metal Minotaur charged at us, full speed ahead. I screamed as I dodged out of the way. Noah and Joshua were flying, and I just realized with a pang that I couldn't fly. I was the one with the disadvantage now.

The metal Minotaur recovered from the charge. It looked in the sky, where Noah and Joshua were. I guessed that it was pissed that these creatures could fly. But then he laid his eyes on me. I gulped. He pawed his hoof on the ground.

"Jump at the last second!" Joshua advised. I nodded. 

The Minotaur charged. Three meters, two meters, one meter away from me... fifty centimeters... twenty centimeters... I jumped sharply to the left and ran away, putting as much distance as I could from the Minotaur.

Then I made my mistake. I scrambled up a tree, surprised that I could climb, and went as high as I could. The Minotaur spotted me. It charged, this time aiming its horns at the tree trunk. The impact itself nearly made me fly, much less the tree getting uprooted and thrown ten meters off the ground.

To not get crushed by the tree, I jumped off the branch I was perching on, and desperately thought of how to escape into the air. Noah and Joshua were attacking the Minotaur with their special given weapons. And I... was flying - no, falling - through the air.

Finally it struck me. I could turn into a bird! I thought about turning into a peregrine falcon, but then I realized; I haven't told Joshua about my shape-shifting powers. I bit my lip.

Change of plan, I thought. Now what?

Suddenly with a black flash of light, Nightmare erupted from my bracelet without even listening to my summoning. She dived underneath me, and I landed neatly on top of her. We flew towards Noah and Joshua.

"Good timing girl!" I said, stroking Nightmare's ear. She puffed out smoke.

I stayed on Nightmare once we got beside Noah and Joshua.

"Care to help?" Noah asked, summoning a fireball. 

"Sure!" I said. "But, shouldn't we be using water to defeat this Minotaur? It's made of metal, so... it would make more sense to make it rusty."

"True," Noah agreed. "But fire also works that way." I nodded and summoned my own fireball, and hurled it at the ugly monster as hard as I could. The fireball hit the Minotaur in the face, and the metal began melting.

"HEY YOU! NOW LOOK AT WHO'S GETTING BURNED!" I yelled in triumph. "COME ON! COME GET US! OR ARE YOU SCARED?"

Through his melting eyes, the Minotaur glared at me and pawed his hoof, ready to charge.

"Can't get me, can't get me!" I taunted and gloated.

"Steph, I don't think you should provoke the Minotaur like that..." Noah began to say, just as the Minotaur growled and uprooted a nearby tree.

"Can't ge - " I didn't have time to finish my sentence because the Minotaur already threw the tree at us. Nightmare took care of the dodging process though. The tree that the Minotaur hurled at us sailed over our heads as Nightmare swooped down, and landed with a huge thud in the tall grass.

"Right," I grumbled. "I shouldn't be gloating..."

Apparently the Minotaur didn't have enough. He lifted a huge rock that was near the previous tree that he uprooted, and sharpened it with his metal horns so that it was like a huge dagger, ready to kill. He hefted it up over his right shoulder, and took aim at me. He threw it.

I screamed as Nightmare tried to dodge it, but with me on her back and the pressure of not getting smashed was too great. The sharp needle point was going right towards my heart. I put out a hand as if that would stop it from reaching me.

It did.

A huge, black, obsidian-like yet see-through force field glowed with power and surrounded Nightmare and I. I stretched my fingers, looking at them in wonder. The rock had disintegrated into dust particles, and now lay at the foot of the Minotaur, who even looked surprised.

I stretched my hand, raised it above my head, and clenched it into a fist. The obsidian force field broke apart like glass, first making little cracks that grew into long crevices, then crevices joining each other so it looked like a cobweb, and finally, shattering apart. The pieces from the force field gravitated around me, and then disappeared with a small electrical shock through the air.

I was stunned, yet I felt powerful. Unlimited. Formidable. Free.

~💖~  

After the Minotaur attack, Joshua has been avoiding me like I was some kind of creature that radiated immense power and was meant to be avoided. Noah, on the other hand, finally treated me like a person who could defend herself. We have decided to keep on the move, since we don't know what kind of monsters could find us.

"Great job, Steph." Noah complimented. "You should really train on getting your powers at hand. They are amazing, and I'd like to see more of them. You surprise me in every way possible."

I nodded to acknowledge his compliment. "But I still don't know how to control them..."

"Once we finish this quest, we'll be able to get some legit training in..." Noah said, flexing his biceps. I half-smiled. "And finally give you some proper flying lessons!" Noah laughed.

My smile dropped. "Right..."

"Why the long face?" Noah asked curiously. I sometimes felt like his electric blue eyes could penetrate me and read my thoughts. I tried hard to not think about my wound.

"It's... nothing..." I said painfully.

"Spill it out." Noah advised. "You can't keep everything hiding forever." Noah did have a point in that, but I still couldn't bear to show my weakness. I hesitantly met his eyes.

"My wings."