Embracing the Flames (15 page)

“Volitium!” he shouted. I heard Lexi shout the same a second later. Their free-fall halted, and they seemed to float, suspended on a puffy white cloud.

I hung back and hovered near them, my tense shoulders falling back into place from next to my ears. “What spell is that?”

He looked up as I flew down to meet him. “A floating spell from the air element. I read it the other day. Glad I got it right the first try,” he tried to joke. His ghostly white face gave away his momentary fear.

“Me too,” I said, shaking. The adrenaline that had coursed through my body left me feeling jittery and even more rundown. “Can we get to the ground, please?” Twinkling stars surrounded us, pulsing with life.

“If there is one,” Lexi said from the left of us. “I don’t see anything around. It’s strange.”

My sight was keener then theirs. I could make out tiny lights not too far below us.

“I see lights down there,” I pointed. “Follow me.”

I flew a few strides up and then nose-dived, my wings and arms lying flat against my body. Another surge of adrenaline quickened my pulse, my lips curving into a smile as the breeze from my descent billowed around me.

I was free.

But then my vision faltered. Fatigue was setting in.

The lights drew close as I spread my wings out once again, flapping them to slow my high-speed fall.

Lexi and Fenn were still high above me, floating as slow as a feather in the wind. I turned and took a few seconds to inspect our location.

Flimsy, wooden huts skillfully wrapped around every tree as far as the eye could see, still high in the sky. The walls, made from branches tethered by straw, enclosed the tree. The roofs were made from clay and straw and were a shade darker than lavender.

Wooden bridges connected tree to tree, each end holding a hollowed-out stone that had my very essence, fire, burning brightly. I felt like I had dropped in on the Swiss Family Robinson.

The trees were as wide as Sequoias and were so tall, it was impossible to see where they met the earth. The enshrouding darkness of night rose up, hiding the forest floor from me.

It was the most peculiar thing I’d ever seen... until I noticed a man-sized owl walking out from one of the huts. The owl clutched a book to his silver-feathered chest, his crooked black beak babbling on.

I followed from above as his scurrying continued across the bridge onto the next hut. His foot caught in between one of the planks of wood, and the book went flying from the bird’s grip. I quickly dove after it, stopping short as I grabbed the book with the tips of my fingers.

The owl squawked as he puffed his feathers out at me. “My work!” he shouted. “My work, my work,” he hooted, “my work!”

Lexi and Fenn landed on either side of the owl, the clouds vanishing as quickly as they had appeared.

The owl looked from left to right and then fervently began flapping his wings.

“It’s okay,” I soothed, laughter bubbling up. The owl was parading back and forth, not acknowledging that I was holding the book out to him. “Excuse me,” I said as his feathers vibrated and shook. I barely got out the word, “Sir,” when the owl stopped dead in his tracks.

“You dare address me as a mortal. I am no mortal, Hybrid. You would be wise to speak properly.” He yanked the book from my hands, then waited, all-knowing eyes glaring me down. A monocle rested on the left side of his beak, the silver chain trailing up behind his pointed ear.

“Chill out,” Fenn warned. “She wasn’t trying to offend you.” The owl hissed as he sucked in an offended breath and then shook his head in disgust.

“I’m sorry,” I stammered. “What he means is, we don’t know how we offended you, and we’re very sorry for that. But in all honesty, I’m not quite sure how to properly address you.”  

“You three are a long way from home, hatchling.” He hooted again. “Tell me, what is it you seek?”

I flew up and over the rope, landing softly in front of him on the battered old bridge. “That’s the thing,” I replied in a soft tone, “I’m not sure what we’re looking for, or even why we’re here for that matter.”

His head moved, as if not attached to his body, and then he grabbed his monocle, leaning in with a scholarly eye towards the family crest on my chest. Without moving, his eyes went from my chest to my face. “The Progeny child,” he whispered, his words laced with disbelief.

My hand wrapped defensively around my pendant as I took a step back and bumped into Fenn’s arms. The owl straightened, and a new demeanor replaced his rigidity. “Well, lucky you, you’ve landed in the right nest. Come, come, follow me, young hatchling,” he finished with a happy hoot.

He paused, once again gripping his monocle as he narrowed his eyes at Lexi and Fenn. “You two come as well,” he added matter-of-factly. Then he turned his body, head still facing backward, like something out of The Exorcist. “Come, I say,” he finished, and his head followed the rest of him.

We followed, mostly because we had no other option seeing as we had no idea where we even were. We walked around the tree and came to a half-door made from cut branches tied with string. Light peeked through all the cracks and crevices of the walls where the mismatched wood wasn’t sealed.

“Umm…may I ask where we are?” I asked warily as we stepped through the door, still unsure of how to address him.

“First of all, Progeny, you address me as Keeper of The Chronicles. Alister, for short.” He scurried over to a large slanted table and laid his book upon it, removing the quill used as a bookmark from inside it and placing it into a cup holder made from bark.

“You have landed near the Biblium of Anything and Everything. Recorded history of everything that ever was and things that never were. And I, young Progeny,” he hooted and then coughed to cover it, “am here to assist you.”

I felt lost. I guess my face was as readable as Fenn always said it was because Alister quickly squawked with a pointed finger. “Do not fret, hatchling. Astral advised me on what you would need to know. I am, after all, the highest ranked Keeper here in the land of Zu’therin. We dwell in between dusk and dawn, the perfect time for our nocturnal ways.”

I looked over at Fenn who shrugged his shoulders. Alister scuttled about the hut, circling around the trunk of the tree. We followed behind, our eyes eagerly roaming over everything inside.

Apparently, the hut was not intended for living quarters. Windows and small wooden chairs were scattered about. Paintings and maps of the lands hung all along the walls. End tables were overrun with vials of ink and scrolls of parchment. Alister stopped in front of a hidden door behind a woven tapestry hanging on the tree trunk.

“Come, come,” Alister beckoned, pulling a small wooden lever. We stepped forward as the door swung inward. Stairs built from the wood of the hollow tree wrapped down the interior of the trunk in a never-ending spiral.

“That’s a long way down,” I noted.

“And you have wings should you slip and fall,” Fenn mused as he took my hand and pulled me along. Lexi was a few steps ahead of us, rapidly firing off question after question in Alister’s direction.

Alister’s feathers slowly stood on end as he halted abruptly, causing us all to crash into one another. “Save your questions, Mageling.” His voice was hard as he turned from her and continued down the stairs. When we reached the bottom he announced, “Now,” he paused and hooted, “portal jumping.”

There was a swirling portal in front of him, on the far side of the hollow tree. “This port will take us to the Mother Tree. Come, come,” he motioned, jumping through without a backwards glance.

Lexi didn’t hesitate.

I shook my head. “I hope this doesn’t turn out to be something we regret.” Fenn stared at me, his expression full of amusement. “I’m just saying. I was not aware that following bird-men through portals was written in the cards.” I hopped off the last step and stood right before the portal.

He chuckled as he came up next to me, his eyes twinkling. “I never knew you were a tarot reader.”

I nudged him lightly. “You know what I mean. Come on, Smart Aleck.”

On the other side, a quick look around explained why Alister called it the Mother Tree. It felt like the Tree of Life. Bigger than any tree I had ever seen. Ever.

Rows of bookshelves beyond what the eye could comprehend ran up the inside of the trunk, holding more books than anyone could read in a lifetime. Owls of every kind, from normal-size to Alister-size, flew up and down in a craze. Some flew from perch to perch, tome in hand, while others skimmed the books with their feathers.

We had walked into the midst of a silent dance.

“Smell that?” Alister asked, poking me in the side with his feathered hand to gain my attention. “That’s the smell of history, hatchling.” Owls with their backs hunched over, deep in thought, scribed vigorously across parchment.

I took in a deep whiff, my senses picking up everything from the mossy earth to the ink being used to record. “You’re right,” I agreed, my nose happily sniffing.

“I smell it too,” Fenn chuckled, obviously affected by my senses.

“Sit, Progeny, sit.” Alister directed us to a large, slanted table with small wooden stools for seating. “The Keeper of the Chronicles is at your service.” He wrapped his clawed foot around a stool and pulled it out, pushing me towards it in a hurry.

Like a gentleman, Fenn pulled one over for Lexi and himself. They sat behind me, waiting for Alister’s next move.

Alister’s head once again turned to face behind him, towards the owls above us. A loud hoot rumbled from the pit of his belly causing all of the owls to stop in mid-air. Then like a storm of raining torpedoes, they all propelled in our direction. “What the—” I said as they landed with agile grace around him.

“That was nuts,” Lexi stated.

“No, that was great,” Fenn said as his eyes wandered from owl to owl.

Alister’s head turned back around to face me. “Come, come,” he summoned, shaking his silver-feathered head in disdain. All the owls were huddled shoulder to shoulder, staring at me with their saucer-like eyes. 

“Keeper,” they all chimed in unison, bowing their heads as Alister paced in front of the tightly formed line. I tried to keep up, glancing down at each regally bowed owl. I looked back for reassurance. Fenn was following right behind me, but Lexi was still sitting on her stool.

I frowned at her when she smirked.

Alister hooted again, this time loud enough to cause vibrations to shake the entire center of the tree. Fenn took my hand.

“The young Progeny is here, and we are going to assist her. She is lost in the ways of this realm.” He cough-hooted, then continued. “I want every one of you to assist her, should she ask for help. Now…back to work. Off, off,” he instructed, brushing the owls away.

Each bowed individually in front of me before lifting off. Everything was so different here, so strange. “I really appreciate all of your help, Alister.”

He hooted a few times, ignoring my thanks as a brown barn owl flew towards us, carrying a large rolled-up parchment in his hands. The light inside of the tree reflected the tiny particles of dust dancing around the bird as he came to a halt. He ruffled his feathers, ending with a quaint little sneeze.

Alister sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Bless yourself,” he instructed the brown owl.

“Yes, yes,” he agreed. He spun in a quick circle and then dropped the scroll to point both of his wings to the sky. I tried not to giggle at their way of blessing themselves.

Alister touched his wing to his forehead in exasperation. “Quickly now, Squire.” His patience was wearing.

“Yes, yes. Maps. You need maps. Must understand,” hooted the little owl, nimbly hopping over to the table where Lexi stood. The map landed with a light thud, dust billowing up and around us, causing us to sneeze.

“Squires don’t know anything,” Alister interjected, motioning the small owl away. The little owl bowed once more and then disappeared into the rows of books.

“Sit,” Alister commanded, unrolling the aged map.

It was blank.

“Behold, the Map of All. Good for you to learn the lands.”

“There’s nothing on it,” I stated.

“Map of All? I’ve heard of that before,” Lexi wondered out loud.

“Yes and yes. This map will show you anything you wish to see, as long as you remain focused on it. Right now, you must learn your lands.” Alister pointed to the left corner of the map. “Here. Focus here with your energy and will the map of your lands to appear.”

I leaned forward and touched where he told me to, ignoring the dimly lit energy inside of me. I focused on this realm, and magically everything began to appear.

The lands floated up and off the page, pulsing right before our eyes. Fenn and Lexi both leaned over my shoulders, staring in amazement at the detail that depicted the lands where we were born.

Geographic lines curved and twisted where the rivers met the seas, the water rushing along quietly. I ran my finger through the holographic ink, following the jagged outline of the lands, and hiking my two fingers over the rugged mountaintops.

A silver feathered finger-claw came down, pointing to the word Zu’therin. “We are here, hatchling.”

“Here” was polar opposite from the painted Lyceum that rested on Pyre Island. At first glance, the island seemed to float in the sky, water rushing off the edge and into the sea on the map. A quick glance showed that all for Rebell Islands were floating.

“Is this right, Alister? I mean, am I seeing this right? The Rebell Islands float in the sky?”