Curse of the Stars Book 1

Chapter 35

Chapter XXXV

Stygian stared across a sea of black. It wasn't water at all, but rather, ink. Gold petals floated on the surface, though not a breath could stir them. In the distance she saw bright colours and lights. There was no sun, for the sky was also as livid as the lake that absorbed all light beneath it.

I can fly now. She remembered suddenly. Joy coursed through her at the thought. She couldn't remember why she hadn't once been able to fly but now she was as sure as day that she could. She flexed her wings to make sure and looked over at them with a gentle fondness.

They were the familiar pink and silver she had always known them to be, and by which other colours swirled in from the reflection of the lights up ahead. She craned her long neck forwards and leapt into the air like a tidal wave of shimmering water and felt the true joy of flight and freedom rise up to meet her.

Black stretched out beneath her, so thick that it melded in with the sky and she could not tell how close she was to it, for both the sky and the ink looked of the same substance.

The lights were further away than they looked and her wings began to grow tired as she flapped towards them. There were no wind currents in which to rest and soar and she could not stop pumping for even a moment, lest she fall into the sea.

The gold petals were like starlight, flickering like little flakes of fire as she passed over. And they began to grow in number as she closed the distance, so that they began to outnumber the black with a sea of gold.

I am almost there. She thought excitedly, and her heart hammered in response. The world was deathly silent so that she could hear her own heartbeat flowing through her veins as loud as a drum.

And suddenly there was land. A land of gold that shone from millions of tiny fragments. There were long arching towers dressed with a great many colourful flags that reached so high towards the darkness that she could not see the top. There were gold railings, and gold balconies, and doorposts painted with gold. And strangest of all, they were all translucent, so that she could stare right through them to the thousands of skyscrapers and structures behind, and to the Great Light that shone in the distance.

She took a moment to hover in mid-air, looking for a place to land. Shafts of colours zigzagged through the skylines and she was bathed in their rays. She delicately lowered herself, almost too in awe to touch any of its beauty. But her wings had grown heavy and with the need to land.

"This place is not for you." She heard a voice break the quiet. It was a whisper. The faintest breath that hovered in the air between them. Hyaline hesitated and looked around warily, not aware that there were other creatures that belonged to this world. She wasn't alone.

"This place is not for you." Another voice said to her right but no one showed themselves. The gold continued to ripple, as if made of liquid, but kept its shape.

Stygian turned fully in a circle, gazing at each towering skyscraper and the flags that began to whisper, though there was still no breeze.

Someone was breathing.

"This place forbidden to you."

Stygian landed, folding her wings in confusion. "Hello?" She called out softly. "What do you mean? Show yourself."

Out from behind many towers of gold and colour sprang silvery translucent lights, and Stygian realized they were wishing dragons. Thousands of them, peering out through gold engraved windows, and rose gold balconies. There were some hovering in the air, and their eyes were as black as the sea behind her, and gleamed with a forlorn stare. And she realized the legends about them were true, she could see stars sprinkled in their gazes and realized she was peering into other realms and galaxies.