Chapter 8 Kingdom in the Sky: Part 1 The Gray Dove
Safely from the prison and our cuffs, we began to venture to a nearby town.
When we reached town, Vayu hid his wings for Harpies weren’t treated well in human towns.
We reached a good restaurant and discussed our plans while feeding ourselves good food instead of prison slop.
“So where is Wrulthsta anyway?” I ask.
Vayu stop eating for a bit and said, “The Sky Kingdom. May I finish first?” He then finished his food to prepare for my future questions. Wow he must be starving.
“The Sky Kingdom should basically tell you what it is.” He said when he finished.
“But how high are we talking?”
“Mmm, about half as high as the prison.”
I was shocked, “How?”
“They build it on clouds.” He said so naturally. He looked over to see I was shocked. “Oh, right, I forgot. You have no idea of the Harpies’ actions. Well, when we first came here, we tried making nest on the top of the mountains, but since we were human, we had terrible adaptability to the new environment.” He said with a little annoyance.
“So you made a kingdom?”
“Sort of. One day, a harpy found a piece of solid cloud that could hold weight and object, despite their weight, wouldn’t fall through. We soon started a village that prospered into a kingdom. Queen Lynette ruled over us for a good two decades than that woman found us.” He looked very angry.
“She storm the village and the castle, neutralizing our forces and few of us manage to flee to the place where the prison is.”
“After that is when the Queen went back to strike a deal and in it, Wrulthsta got to keep the castle and control the villages. Soon, harpies began to disappear. Rumor has it that Wrulthsta is keeping them in a cage to be sacrificed for something.”
“Well then let’s go to the Kingdom.”
“Well, that is the problem and the question.” He said staring off to the blue sky.
“What is?”
“Only those who can fly by their own way can reach the Kingdom.”
“Can’t you carry me?”
“One, you are too heavy for that long of distance and two, your ‘own’ way, if you used me you’d probably fall out of my talons.”
I was thinking over it and shivered then something hit me both mentally and physically. A bottle hit the back of my head.
“Hey, we don’t serve his kind here.” said the bartender said who pointed at Vayu.
I got up rubbing the back of my head. I manage to put a barrier before impact, but still it hurt.
“Fine.” Vayu said. He got up and left while I paid for the food.
Once we were at the outskirts of the village, Vayu spread his wings. “That’s better.” He said.
“Now like I was saying how did Wrulthsta get up to the kingdom?”
“We aren’t sure, but we believe she levitated somehow.”
“Hmm…Oh well we’ll figure it out later. Right now, how do I get there?”
“Good question.”
Then a random guy came up to us. “Couldn’t help but over hear you guys. You looking for a way to fly?” He said while pointing his finger at me. I nodded. “Well I know a way, but it is tricky.”
“Oh really?” said Vayu.
“Yes, it is the legendary Gray Dove.” He said.
“The Gray Dove?” I asked, but Vayu brushed it off.
“It is just a myth of a bird who can give its wings to others.”
“I tell you, he exist. He lives over where a lake as reflective as a mirror is.”
“Sure, sure, lets go, Nobody.”
“Wait, why not?”
“It is just a fairy tale.”
“So you were just a legend a century ago.”
He was about to say something, but then stopped and then said, “Fine, but only this one time.”
He jumped into the air and I grabbed his talon.
We sailed the sky till we found a reflective pool surrounded by a bunch of bushes and what seem to be a tablet.
As soon as we landed, Vayu commented, “See that old man was crazy. Lets go.” He went to get a drink from the lake.
I looked at the tablet fitted with an inscription:
Ye who wishes to fly free
Must past my test of three
First is to catch the wind
Lead me into your hands
Second, you must find what you can’t see
Sometimes looking down is just as good as looking up.
Third, you must kill me to gain my feathers.
Beware though
The Truth isn’t as it seems.
- The Gray Dove
A test?
“Vayu come look at this.” Vayu went to look at the inscriptions.
“Okay, either this is real or that old man is playing a trick.”
Soon, something was behind us and shook the bush.
“What the-?” Vayu went to strike it, but whatever the thing was it jumped into another bush.
Vayu began to chase it and it jumped from bush to bush.
I thought about the inscription. “Lead me into your hands. Lead me…hands…!!”
“Vayu lead him over to this bush.” Frustrated as he was he nodded and started to lead the blur towards a single bush. Once Vayu lead it towards that direction, I moved towards where it would jump and as if on cue and landed in my hands.
It was a gray dove.
“Amazing.” I said. Vayu looked at it then it jumped and disappeared into the clouds.
“Oh great.” He sighed and flew after him, but after a few minutes he came back down.
“I lost it.” He said trying to hold it in.
“Let see what the tablet said about this.” We went over and looked at the next part.
“Looking down to look up? I hate puzzles.”
I thought about this one more. I began to pace.
“Why are you doing that?” Vayu asked.
I looked up. “Oh when I think I just pace sometimes.” I went back to thinking.
I looked at the water. Seeing my mask staring back. I wondered what Hikari was doing and how things were.
I looked over the lake and saw a bird in the water. I looked again to see it was actually in the sky. “Looking down, clever.” I turned to Vayu.
“Vayu, fly right there.” He did and when he saw the bird, he grabbed it and brought it back down.
“Got it. Now, we have to kill it. That seems harsh.”
“No we don’t. We just have to defeat it which we did. The last line ‘The Truth isn’t as it seems.’ Killing is a lie since the others are true.”
“That is correct, but you missed the last lie.” Said a voice.
We looked to find the source of the voice. Then we looked at the bird which responded, “Boo.”
We both jump back and drew our weapons.
“Relax, I am friendly.” We questioned it, but sheathed our weapons.
“Now for your last test, a fourth one, is to answer what my wings will be used for.”
“I will if you explain yourself.”
“Ahh, yes well it turns out few people had so much animal blood in us we turned into the animal, but kept out minds and a few other things. It also allowed us to give our traits to others with conditions.”
“So depending on my answer determines the conditions?”
“Exactly, but the more specific and limited, the better the use.”
“Then my answer is to use these wings to take down Wrulthsta, save Queen Lynette from her grasp, and return these wings back to you.”
“I like it. The wings are yours.” A light shone and gray wings came out of my back. The dove turned into a human.
“I stay like this till the end of the contract.”
“Ahh.” Vayu and I responded.
I tested out my wings and flew high and far with good control.
“Okay Vayu, lead the way.”
He nodded with a smile and we flew up towards the sun.
To be continued in: Caged Heart
I'm the person you never want, but always need. I'm Nobody, and i will be here for you. (P.S. Not Emo) Read the Nobody of Twilight Chronicles on My Deviantart or my Journal on Gaia.  Nobody of Twilight · Wed Dec 30, 2009 @ 03:04am · 0 Comments |
