The Unseen Road

Chapter Eleven

"Is it going to be much longer?" Celeste asked, peering through her hands, which were poised like a picture frame, at the lush green fields beyond.

"I don't know," replied Kylie honestly. Taking another break, they sat on a large hill that overlooked the plains on one side and the path below them on the other. Kylie, cross-legged, was gently stroking Lightquill's feathers, not paying full attention to what Celeste was saying. Two and a half days had passed since they first encountered the gryphon, and all three of them were already growing accustomed to its presence.

"Oh, c'mon!" Celeste stuck out her tongue. "I see the city, Agrelind, right there. Just look."

Kylie looked up. They were indeed getting closer; the city was no more than a half an hour away, for the silhouette of Agrelind was getting larger now and becoming less of a skyline. "...Yeah, we'll be there soon."

Celeste looked at Lightquill, and then at Mina. "Do you think we can fly her- him- there?"

Mina, who had her legs spread out in front her and her weight shifted onto her palms, pressed into the ground behind her, answered quietly, "I'm not sure if he trusts us that much yet." At the sound of her voice, the creature in question turned away from Kylie and bumped its head gently into Mina's upper arm, as if demanding attention.

As Mina adjusted her position to reach over and pet the gryphon, Celeste raised a questioning brow.

"I... don't think he's just being sweet. Maybe communicating," Mina tried to explain.

"Communicating that it's okay to fly him to the city!"
"Celeste," Kylie interrupted with a sigh, dropping her hand to her side after having been rejected by the gryphon who so clearly preferred Mina. "We're not going to force her to let us fly on him if she's not comfortable... Plus, we don't even know how. Things can go wrong. Like... we can crash into a building or something."

Celeste acquiesced, rolling back her shoulders. "Fine," she grumbled, "I guess we wouldn't want to make a bad impression on the people over there anyway."

"Sunset will be coming soon," Kylie said, glancing above her. Although the sky was gradually beginning to take on the golden hues of the afternoon, it appeared as if the girls would just make it to the city if they were to leave then, for the sun still had a significant ways to go until it set. "We don't want to be here in the dark."

"I think we have a little more time," Celeste frowned, getting up, though not without cutting another furtive glance towards Mina's new companion. "...But you're right. We don't want to take any chances."

"Alright. I think this'll be the last stretch," Kylie added.

Mina nodded and got up as well, followed immediately by Lightquill, who loftily rose off of his haunches and stood beside her.

"... I wonder if they'll accept him in Agrelind," Mina mused, looking down at him with mixed emotion in her eyes.

"I'm sure they will. Who knows what they allow in that city? Heck, they probably even allow dragons," Celeste replied with assurance as the girls started descending the hill, watching their step at the steeper parts.

Kylie looked around. "Yeah. I mean, I think I've even seen a few flying around here..."

Celeste stopped. "What?" she asked. "I wasn't being serious. You've actually seen dragons?"
"Yeah," Kylie replied, but then stammered a little. "At- at least I think so. I wasn't sure, so I didn't want to say anything until you mentioned it."

Celeste's jaw dropped; even Mina seemed interested. "No way. What were they doing? Where?" Her sister began to look around as well, trying desperately to spot one.