Wings of Arian

by Walls, Devri

  She looked up to the trees, squinting at the slivers of sun breaking through the foliage. “Is that you Malena?” Aleric had said she would eventually recognize individual threads, just as one would recognize a face upon seeing someone; but they were all so new to her still, and there were so many.

  A small creature no bigger than the palm of her hand flitted down on shimmering wings, her silver hair lying perfectly between them. She was stunningly beautiful; her eyes were big and blue with a perfectly sculpted nose and red lips— a contrast to Kiora’s dark hair, green eyes and subtle features. Malena’s striking features and pale silver hair were a perfect fit to her shapely, albeit, tiny body. When Kiora had first met her she had half expected the tiny creature to giggle and blush incessantly.

  “Kiora, Arturo is waiting for you.”

  Kiora stared at the ground, chewing on her lip. “I can’t do this Malena!” she blurted. “I thought I could, but I can’t.” A tear trickled down her cheek and she angrily brushed at it. “I can’t even watch evil, how can I possibly fight it?”

  “Kiora, it is the goodness of your heart that qualifies you for this calling,” she said gently. “This is also why it hurts so badly. Goodness is pained by evil. It is the way of things.”

  Kiora gripped her head, sagging. “I can’t Malena. I can’t stop this evil, “maybe there is someone else, maybe...”

  Malena interrupted. “There is no other, Kiora. You have been with us only a short time and it has already been proved time and again.”

  Kiora peered up at her through her hair, scowling, “What are you talking about?”

  “Levitation?” Malena prodded.

  Kiora snorted. “Levitation took me three days to learn. When I finally did get that stupid rock to move, it was because I was mad at Emane. I aimed it at his head.” she gingerly touched the bruise on her own forehead; it had almost faded in color but was still incredibly tender. “I missed.”

  Malena fought back a smile. “That is what you get for using magic in anger. Regardless, three days is miraculous. I believe Aleric said it took him a month.”

  “Really?” He hadn’t mentioned that.

  “More importantly, we were all most surprised to find you could speak to Arturo.”

  “Everyone can speak to Arturo,” Kiora said, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head with a defeated sigh

  Malena flew closer putting her finger under her chin, forcing her eyes up. “No Kiora, they can’t. He is telepathic as you know, but only a few magical creatures can communicate with pegasus. And humans? Well, you are only the second to have that ability.”

  Kiora stared at her for some time not sure what to say. “Who was the other?” she finally asked.

  “Arian.”

  “As in, the ‘Wings of Arian’ and the ‘Prophecy of Arian’?”

  “Indeed. He was the last Solus and the one who set down the prophecy concerning you.” She smiled, “He was also Aleric’s grandfather.”

  “Aleric’s grandfather? But that would make Aleric...” she trailed off trying to do the math in her head.

  “Older than most, magic keeps us young, Kiora.”

  Kiora reached down and picked up a pine needle twirling it absently between her fingers. “Malena, are you sure? That I am the Solus?”

  Malena turned her head to the side, “You do not believe it?”

  Throwing the needle away she sighed, “I don’t know what I believe.”

  “Kiora, whether we believe it or not is of no consequence, it is a choice you have to make. Our faith in you will not garner faith in yourself.”

  “Faith in myself.” she murmured. “It is hard to have faith in yourself when your own sister...” she stopped.

  Malena raised her eyebrows

  Shaking her head Kiora asked, “Is it always going to hurt?”

  Malena’s eyes filled with sadness. “Yes, it will always hurt,” she said, reaching out a tiny finger to Kiora’s cheek

  Kiora looked away, her chest aching and her eyes burning with the tears that had sprung up. She was so foolish to have hoped that Malena’s answer might be no.

  “Kiora, why did you accept this, in the beginning?” Malena asked gingerly.

  Kiora mulled that over, chewing on her bottom lip. “Because,” she ventured. “It explained everything. It explained the visions I would have, it proved that I wasn’t crazy.” And that my parent’s death was not my fault, she thought.

  “Sometimes things hurt Kiora, but we do them anyway. Your people are depending on you to stop Dralazar from overrunning them.”

  Kiora battled within herself. The pain of last night was still raw and the thought of enduring more or being acquainted with it on an intimate basis made her want to run screaming. But what of her people? Could she allow them to become the victims in this nightmare?

  “What are you thinking?” Malena finally ventured.

  “What if I try to save them, and I’m not good enough?” she blurted. “What if I fail and it happens anyway?”

  “What if you don’t try to save them at all?” she answered simply.

  “Malena, I have never been... anything.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous Kiora, we are all something. You just never knew what lay within you. Now that you know, you must choose. Will you ignore it and go back to pretending that you are nothing? Or will you embrace it and become the something that you were meant to be? You have been blessed with all the tools to fulfill this calling Kiora, you just need to find them.”

  Kiora fiddled with the torn edge of her pants, weighing what she had just seen with what Malena had said. “Being different has always been… bad for me. She thought of her sister’s disapproving glances and shuddered.

  “Being different will now be painful for you, but it will be worth it. One step at a time, Kiora,” Malena added.

  Swallowing, she sighed. “Where is Arturo?”

  “He is waiting for you to call.” Malena smiled while brushing a wisp of dark hair out of her face. “You are extraordinary Kiora; you just haven’t seen it yet.”

  The little Guardian fluttered into the trees, her silver wings glinting briefly as the sun caught them, leaving her alone again.

  Arturo, she thought.

  Are you ready? The tenor voice reverberated, not in her ears but through her mind.

  No, she thought before she remembered he had just heard that. “Sorry,” she said out loud, “ready as I’ll ever be.”

  As she waited alone in the woods, the memories from the wings tiptoed back into the forefront of her thoughts. Shoving them back, she clenched her fists and pushed herself to her feet. “You could always go back home,” she growled to herself. “But you don’t want that either do you?”

  It wasn’t but a minute later that the low hum of Arturo’s thread announced his arrival. Shortly thereafter he flew in, landing a few feet away from her. He was always beautiful, but today in the sun he was glorious. The pegasus was not white but rather opalescent. When the sun hit his outstretched wings the colors danced and spun across them in a beautiful water ballet. Greens, blues and pinks swirled across each feather.

  “More training?” she asked out loud.

  No, more tools for more training. Climb on. We have a ways to go.

  Pulling herself on, she settled in front of his massive wings. He stretched them out, flexing a bit before he pushed into the sky. She grabbed at his mane, fighting to keep herself from tumbling backwards as he took off.

  Hold tight, he instructed.

  They exploded out over the canopy, the world stretching out before them. The mountain range surrounded them on all sides, marking the end of the world. The trees flew by beneath them and Kiora breathed in deeply, enjoying the moment.

  “Why can’t you talk to humans?” she asked after a few minutes.

  Pegasus’ can read the minds of anything that has the capacity to think. But to communicate with us they must be capable of telepathy, humans are not. You have something different abou
t you that allows you to hear me.

  “I’m different?” she wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Am I telepathic?” she asked.

  I doubt it.

  “Hmmm,” she mused. “I don’t know if I would like knowing what everybody was thinking all of the time.”

  I have never known any different, he answered simply.

  Looking down, the thick wooden areas of the forest were disappearing and were replaced with lone trees, grass, and rolling hills. A river wound its way back and forth looking like a snake wiggling through the valley. In front of her, the mountains pushed themselves up from the ground stretching into the clouds.

  The mountain range that surrounded the land gave it a rugged beauty that she had always treasured. There was just one dark spot in that mountain range; it was a source of continual visions for her. As well as a constant reminder that she was indeed, different. Just to the right stood a section where two giant peaks flowed down to meet each other almost at the valley floor.

  You have visions about those peaks? Arturo asked.

  Kiora started, and then covered it with a laugh. “Sorry I am still not used to the fact that you hear everything I think.”

  What did you see?

  “I always see a gate in between the two mountains, there.” she pointed. “It’s huge, the metal swirls and moves in a way I’ve never seen metal worked before. Anyway, they are affixed to the mountain blocking the pass, and locked in the middle. Sometimes in my visions, I would grab at it and rattle it, trying to open it.”

  And could you? Open it?

  Kiora paused; there was anxiousness to Arturo’s tone that was different. “No, there is always a man, with dark hair.” Even recounting the vision, she felt dark and cold inside. “He laughs and then he always says the same thing, ‘I shut it, but I could not have locked it without her help.’ I don’t know who ‘she’ is, and it feels like it’s important, but I can’t make any sense out of it.”

  Arturo was silent for a moment. Sometimes visions don’t always make sense at first. “Yes.” she took a deep breath, she did not want to let the past ruin this amazing ride. No more thoughts of visions, of wings or of evil, she told herself.

  Throwing her arms out, she laughed. “This is amazing!” she shouted into the wind. This type of experience was exactly what had allowed her to throw herself headlong into being the Solus. She looked out over the world, from Meros in the south, to the Sea of Garian in the east. Her world was edged with a barren rocky land that butted up to the magnificent mountains. In stark contrast to the mountains lay her valley; there was a forest of magnificent pines, grassy hills, small lakes and winding rivers. She could see the castle turrets poking up at the edge of the forest, glittering in the sun and marking where Meros began.

  On they flew, coming closer and closer to the mountain range. In fact, Arturo seemed to be flying straight at the face of the mountain without the slightest indication of deviating. Kiora’s heart thudded.

  “Where are we going?” Kiora yelled.

  Arturo did not alter his course, nor did he justify the question with an answer, but continued to fly straight at the face the mountain looming over the top of them, threatening them for their boldness. Kiora’s heart pounded faster as they were enveloped in its shadow. Arturo swooped in at the last second, pulling his wings back to slow them and landed neatly on a large boulder jutting out of the side of the mountain. He knelt for her to slide off.

  She sat there for a moment, her sweaty hands clenched firmly around his mane staring at the ledge.

  Don’t be silly Kiora. We just flew all the way here and much higher than we are now.

  “I know, but I trust you.”

  More than you trust your own feet?

  “At this height, yes.”

  Arturo snorted and stayed as he was, waiting for her to dismount. She slid down slowly, placing her feet carefully and wiping her hands on her pants.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked, turning her eyes away from the ledge.

  I cannot help you with this. Arturo said settling himself onto the rock ledge. Clearly he expected them to be here awhile.

  Placing her hand on her hip she scanned where they were. They were surrounded by rock on three sides; the fourth side was just a lip of stone that stuck out over the cliff. The view was magnificent, although nothing of any magical importance struck her eye. Leaning against the rock wall, she crossed her arms and stared out into the world, wondering what the point of it all was.

  “Why does everything with magic always have to be cryptic and horrible?” she pouted.

  You don’t believe that, you have been thrilled with your magic, he corrected.

  “I was, before the wings.”

  People may do whatever they wish with magic Kiora, that is what makes it horrible, not magic itself. You know that, you can feel that. And much of what you saw in the wings had little to do with magic and everything to do with evil.

  It was true, evil threads did feel distinctly different.

  “Fine, but it’s always been cryptic. Aleric always left me nearly without any instructions when we were at the castle.”

  The pegasus smiled to himself. Because if we showed you everything, you would learn nothing.

  “Come on,” she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. “You fly me up the side of the mountain, strand me here with nothing and then tell me to figure it out?”

  Kiora, have I ever told you how exhausting it is to project into a humans mind?

  “No. It is?”

  No answer, just a look.

  “Fine,” she huffed, pushing herself back up. “You know, I could still learn if things were explained. For example,” she said walking back and forth along the face looking for anything that might justify their trip here, “you could have just explained threads without having me traipse through the forest all day.”

  But you learned. Arturo pointed out.

  “Yes, but I could have learned faster if you would have explained what I was feeling.” She had stood there forever looking into the forest with no idea where to go. But then she had felt it, the thread. Something poked its way through her heart vibrating like a guitar string that had been plucked.

  Perhaps, but what will you do when there is no one to help you and you must rely on your own feelings?

  “So, I am looking for a feeling?” Kiora pressed.

  Arturo looked at her with an almost parental glance of disapproval before he fell silent again.

  “Alright, alright.” She nervously tip-toed closer to the edge of the rock, she laid down gingerly, pulling herself the final few inches to peer over the edge. The loose rocks dug into her thighs and stomach, but she was not going to look over this edge standing. At this height, even lying down made her dizzy. She closed her eyes to clear her head and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes again she scanned the valley below. It was breathtaking: the river crawling around the base of the mountain, the trees spotting the countryside going on for miles. However, beside the obvious beauty, she could see nothing else. Not one sign of civilization, magical or otherwise.

  I must be missing something, she thought. She was slowly learning that in magical lessons the answer was never obvious. She stared intently, except for the breeze rustling the trees below she saw nothing. Not even a bird soaring above the treetops. She finally rolled over and looked at Arturo. Who appeared to, once again, be smiling at her.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked sitting up to brush the rock bits off her palms.

  He just shook his head and turned to look at the back side of the rock face.

  Kiora stood up and walked over to where Arturo was looking. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Arturo. There is nothing here!”

  She walked back and forth looking for anything unusual.

  “It would be really helpful if you would just talk to me and let me know what it is that you want me to see.” Her voice trailed off as she felt a low hum coming from the side of the mountain. “What was
that?”A gust of wind blew her hair into her face, nearly obscuring her view, she pawed it out of the way wishing she had braided it.

  She walked back and forth again in front of the rock face. As she passed by the middle she felt it again, the same low hum, similar to Arturo’s but without his pulsing. “Is that magic?” She looked at Arturo.

  He nodded his head again towards the area she was looking at.

  “I know. I feel it. I still don’t know what to do though, it’s just rock.” She turned to look at it again with her hands on her hip. Cocking her head to the side she noticed something. Squinting, she looked closer. Some sections of the rock were not as crisp looking as the rock surrounding it. They looked... fuzzy around the edges. She frowned as she slid one hand across the rock face, it all felt like stone.

  “Arturo! What is it?” She slammed her hands against the rock in frustration. As soon as both her palms hit the wall, it evaporated before her eyes. Then she was falling into a large stone room slamming her hands and elbows into the floor.

  Kiora moaned in pain, pushing herself back to her feet.

  Arturo trotted by her into the cavern as if to say, it’s about time!

  “Thanks, Arturo, glad you’re concerned.” She brushed off her pants, tucked her now tangled hair behind her ear, and looked around. It was bare with the exception of a very old looking wooden table in the center of the room. On the table sat a large book, candlestick, an inkbottle and a quill.

  She gingerly brushed off the dust and cobwebs that encased the book. Placing one finger under the cover she carefully opened it. It smelled of dust and old paper. Inside, set on top of the bound pages was a loose piece of parchment with very small precise handwriting. She pulled the piece out and squinted trying to make out the words.

  “I need light,” she mumbled. And with that, the candlestick ignited. Kiora shrieked and jumped back, nearly dropping the paper.