The One Who Was Chained

19

Finn stopped at a random wall, reaching his fingers up and down the rocks. He had not spoken in the twenty minutes. Ever since I told him that I was Joan. His face was stone cold, emotionless. But I could tell that he was shocked by it. People didn't just die and come back as talking animals. I honestly didn't know why I was a hawk, but I knew that my past life was tied to Mairen's and Finn's for some reason. It could not have been coincidence that I found myself caught in that storm. A strange clicking noise broke the silence, a satisfied look coming over Finn's face. He reached a hand to touch the wall, and it shattered like glass. Behind the wall was another tunnel that led to a small room with dusty crates stacked against each wall.

"Wait here." Finn two words echoed in my head as the silence once again returned. I watched as he picked up one and used magic to pry open the lid. Inside was a beautiful, golden key, adorned with jewels. But Finn looked confused. "It's not here. It's supposed to be here."

"What are you talking about?" How could he not see it?

"The box is empty." Finn mumbled.

"Can you not see the giant sparkly key in there?" I landed on his shoulder, trying to see if maybe it was just my perspective that made me see something he didn't.

"Can you not see past the illusion?" That explained it, then. An illusion. I should have known.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"The key..." Finn whispered himself. "The key was never down here, was it? This cave was merely... a distraction." All of a sudden the world went dark. I gripped Finn's shoulder with sharp talons, hanging on for my life. We reemerged near the water we had come from.

"Ouch." Finn winced. I realised it was my talons. I quickly flew off his shoulder.

"Sorry. How come you couldn't just do that traveling thing to get us down the cave in the first place? "

"Because traveling magic is exhausting. I only use it under dire circumstances." He let out a loud whistle. The water rippled, and Nyx's head popped up. She opened her mouth and Finn clambered in, the light-orb in his hand creating menacing shadows against Nyx's jagged teeth. I followed quickly, trying to keep my stress under control. I knew we would have to get out anyways. He waved his hand over my head again, speaking the same words that had given me water breathing. I hadn't understood the purpose of the spell until now. So that if Nyx was attacked, we would still have a way out. I didn't doubt that there were much larger things than her that dwelled in the sea. The ringing in my ears began as we ascended back to the surface. Never again, I promised myself, Will I ever ride in the mouth of a sea monster with someone who killed me a lifetime ago. I had known that I was Joan since the moment I woke up a hawk, eleven years ago. But what shocked me was that I didn't remember Alan, at least not until I saw him again. It was like someone had erased that memory from my mind. The real question was if I would tell Mairen.