An Enchanting Tale

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Vertigo overtook S'maash and the others. For a moment, there was only blackness. They awoke in a dream. The wizard was the first to rise. He saw his comrades lying on the ground, only it was not the ground as he was accustomed to it.

"What is this," he asked in a daze.

His voice echoed, drawing his attention to the wonderful world of Moonshadow. As the others rose, S'maash appreciated the sights. The ground was an endless ocean of crystal, blue and twinkling. The sky was a swirling pool of all the brightest colors. He barely breathed from the impact of gorgeousness. In the distance, titanic trees carved from sapphire, rose to touch the Heavens. The more he observed, the less he saw. He had to look in small spurts, constantly moving his eyes, lest the ultimate beauty obliterated him.

Brelyna approached him and took his arm. Zolara screamed.

"I can't see...I, I mustn't keep my eyes open!" the argonian's voice echoed out into eternity.

"Calm yourself! You must look briefly. Do not fix your gaze," S'maash ordered.

"All, alright. I will try," Zolara replied.

After regaining his composure, the conjurer took Brelyna's hand. The three walked together towards a light. It was difficult to understand what anything was. The entire realm had a wavering mist about it, like too much heat off a forge.

"Where are you taking us," Brelyna asked.

"I don't know," S'maash replied.

He halted for a moment to observe. Crystalline mountains rose in the distance. A sudden scent assaulted their nostrils, cinnamon. S'maash felt a presence. It was Farengar. Something was wrong.

"Wait. Where is my gem," S'maash blurted.

"Did it not appear with you?" Zolara was apprehensive.

S'maash looked back from where they had arrived. A sudden pang of fear jolted him. The scenery was different. A magnificent waterfall reflecting all the colors of the sky replaced whatever had been there. Then, Farengar's presence was felt once more. It pulled him back to the light in the distance, a watery colored glow.

"Farengar...I feel him," S'maash whispered.

He ran towards the light, jostling the others behind him. After stumbling, they recovered and gave chase. An oddity they all welcomed was the lack of fatigue. They ran for hours.

A palace of silver grew visible on the horizon. Its light emanated as though holding the sky and the ground apart in an eternal struggle. Arriving at the palace of Azura, they beheld a most wondrous image.

The structure was built with spiraling towers of silver, swaying arches of silver, and two of the largest, silver doors they had ever laid eyes on. The whole of the palace was reminiscent of roses and cherry trees. S'maash saw no handle protruding from the door, and from his vantage point, he assumed the doors must have been over one hundred feet high. Soon, the others caught up to him.

"How do we get in," Brelyna asked.

S'maash neglected to reply. Instead, he dropped to his knees in tears. He was overcome by splendor. Brelyna tried to comfort him. Zolara was next to fall. Finally, Brelyna fell, too.

Melodic, cinnamon winds caressed them under the heavenly sky. Nonexistent wind chimes tinkled behind the caressing winds. Images of rose petals, soft clouds, and waterfalls burned behind their minds' eye. Scents of the sweetest fruits swirled over them. Their souls were melting away into Oblivion.

"S'maash," a voice whispered. He recognized it immediately. Those strange S's. "Stop wasting time. Enter," Farengar's voice echoed.