New Wings: Part 20

Part 20, in which things get more exciting. Enjoy.

   Bellies full with warm elk meat, the two dragons set off on their voyage. Rain kept her nostrils flared, her sharp-dark-jewel eyes wide open, ready to detect any sign of their mysterious enemy. The two flew a few yards away from each other, so not to taint any traces of scent they might pick up. Keep your mind on the job at hand and do not be concerned with me, Serafeina said, her strong wings churning the air. Distraction could prove to be dangerous.
   Mind narrowed into the one task, Rain flew silently. Serafeina occasionally contacted her with a route revision, indicating the areas she wanted them to scout, but they did not speak other than that. After a while, both of them recoiled as they passed through a drift of that awful-rotting-reeking odor. It wasn’t as strong as when the beast was attacking Rain and Mark, but it was there.
   Rain looked over at her mentor, eyes watering. I believe the scent is coming from below us, she stated, struggling to get the words out.
   After a moment of thought, Serafeina slowly answered, Seeing as you are much smaller than I am, you should circle a bit lower and see if you can see what is happening down in the forest. You may be able to escape their attention. If you see one of the creatures, come back up and I’ll think on the plan more by then.
   Choking down the breakfast that was threatening to spill out of her, Rain grudgingly dove down to get a better look. She was very cautious, moving her wings only when she was required to stay afloat. Hopefully, the monster wouldn’t notice the noise made by her flight.
   When she spotted it, her breath hitched. The beast was in an empty, silent clearing, all the creatures scared away by the monstrosity. Warty bat wings held out at its sides, it ripped away at something bloody. Eating breakfast, she supposed. Which, after this, she never wanted to do again.
   Ascending slowly, Rain held her breath until she had cleared the smell. Vomiting was not an option, not at this point. The creature would most likely notice partially digested elk raining from the heavens. Serafeina followed her suit, hovering above the cloud of stench. You saw it? her mentor asked.
   Yes, mentor. It was dining upon something, and was too distracted to notice me.  Rain scraped her tongue against her teeth, trying to be rid of the residue the beast’s odor had left there.
   Well done, Serafeina congratulated her student. The next step is to land in the forest nearby and wait for it to fly off. Then we will follow it and see where it goes to.
   Rain was even more in loathe of this part of the plan, but she nodded. Serafeina picked a good spot to land and the two dipped below the trees, claws thudding into the soft earth. And there they waited, eyes fixed on the sky.


   The thrum across Mark’s mind had gotten ever stronger as the day progressed. The two moved faster, eager to get to the source of this mental buzz. The beam of the flashlight was burned into his eyes, leaving a colorful streak behind whenever he blinked. The monotony was almost a comfort, just walking in the dark with the excitement of discovery lingering in his mind.
   After a while, Ada halted and turned off the flashlight. “What are you doing?” Mark exclaimed, groping at her hand. But then he saw the soft glow coming from around the next corner. A gentle purple light washed on the wall, wavering slightly, like the reflection off of a lake. Staring in awe, Mark reached his mind out, feeling that sensation even stronger than before.
   “Let’s go,” Ada said in a quiet, excited voice. When Mark didn’t move, she grabbed his hand, pulling him along behind her. They rounded the corner, their feet splashing into water. The sight before them was beautiful and mysterious, and Mark hardly knew what to feel.
   The tunnel opened up to a huge cave, much larger than their home cave. A large pool lay in front of them, glowing with reflected light. In the middle of this pool was a stone structure, bearing several lavender-colored torches. As they waded through the water towards the structure, Mark spotted a statue of some kind in the middle of it. His mind flashed back to all the Amnesia he had played. This whole set up had a very similar feel to it. That thought raised the hair on the back of his neck and he looked around, half expecting a Moose-man to come out of the shadows.
   The water wasn’t deep, and Ada and Mark made it across without any trouble. The front of the structure was a set of mossy stone stairs, which they carefully ascended. The statue was that of a naked man (Of course it’s naked, Mark thought), kneeling with his hand stretched in front of him, like he was begging. Curled around him was a dragon, cowering with its head on the ground. In the human statue’s hands was a silver bell, the metal shot through with soft purple-grey.
   “We were meant to come here,” Ada breathed.
   “How do you know that?” Mark said skeptically, looking at her. Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at...the stone ceiling of the structure. He followed her stare...and saw it.
   There were letters carved on the stone. For the six of our future, it read. The two of Fiery humor, the two of the gentle Rain, the two of the darkest Midnight. Spread your wings and ring this bell.
   “It’s too much of a coincident.” Ada rubbed her neck, her hand trembling. “How did they know we were coming here?”
   “We shouldn’t ring the bell,” Mark warned. “We don’t know anything about it, it could be dangerous.”
   In a trance, Ada pulled her eyes from the words. “Spread your wings...” she murmured, eying the statue. Before Mark could do anything, she had snatched the bell from the statue’s hands.