and Emane that she hadn’t been looking ahead of them. They were flying straight at a massive pit. It was the size of a lake and twice as deep as it was wide. Figures of all shapes and sizes moved around, carrying dirt in baskets up ramps that had been cut into the side.
Drustan dropped his altitude to get a closer look, but Alcander shouted, “No! Higher!’ Drustan jerked, angling his wings to pull back up. “You’ll run right into it. Watch.”
Sure enough, large bursts of magic shot into the sky at varying intervals. Some flew nearly as high as they were and some lower, but all simultaneously. Had they been flying any lower, it would have been a miracle for them to avoid being shot.
“What are they doing?” Drustan asked, his head swiveling as he took it all in.
“And why aren’t they using magic to move that dirt?” Kiora added.
“We still aren’t sure. We tried to send spies in, but no one has come back out. This,” Alcander waved his hand toward the pit, “is where any rebel who survives an attack is sent. Obviously the Shadow is looking for something. They have been digging for years. As for why they aren’t using magic, it’s likely that whatever they are looking for is enchanted. They must go through every inch of dirt by hand.”
Kiora stared down as they flew over. Judging by the threads, there were more than just captured rebels working down there. There was also a heavy concentration of Shapeshifters, morphed into large creatures that could move vast quantities of dirt and rock. But what struck Kiora most was that this place looked strangely familiar, and she couldn’t put her finger on why it did.
***
THE GROUP HAD FLOWN all night, Drustan stopping to rest only twice. Kiora’s head was beginning to bob, her eyes threatening to close of their own accord. The sun broke the horizon. The flaps of Drustan’s wings were growing choppy and uneven from exhaustion. A salty smell, with an undertone of fish, filled the air.
“It has been a long time,” Drustan said between gasping breaths. “I didn’t think I would ever see this again.”
Kiora looked over Alcander’s shoulders and her mouth hung open in awe. The land dropped off into never-ending waters, the sun spreading its rays over top like a glistening orange blanket. When Alcander had said “the sea,” she had thought of the Sea of Garian, where the land on the other side could still be seen. But this was so much bigger than that. She heard the waves crashing into the cliffs, its power so different from the gentle lapping she was used to.
“What is that?” she finally managed to whisper.
“The sea,” Alcander said.
“The ocean,” Drustan clarified.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Emane said.
“Toopai is out there?” Kiora asked, pointing across the waters.
“Yes. An island, completely isolated from anything,” Alcander said.
Drustan’s head scanned the cliff ledge. “Where are we going? I don’t see anything.”
Alcander pointed downward, a little to their right, and Drustan swooped in, landing more roughly than usual.
Emane slid off, looking around. “There is nothing here.”
Alcander said something that was drowned out by a particularly large wave crashing into the cliffs below them.
“What?” Emane asked.
“I said, it wouldn’t be a very good place to hide if it was easily found, would it?” Alcander strode over to the edge of the cliff, nudging off some rocks with the toe of his boot into the waves below. Kiora came up next to him, looking down.
“Is the cave on the side of the cliff?” Kiora asked.
“What are you talking about?” Alcander asked.
“It’s always caves,” she said. “And since there is nothing out here, I assumed it must be down there somewhere.” She leaned forward as far as she dared before the fear of falling over the edge pulled her back.
Alcander half smiled. “It’s not a cave. The magic that conceals Lomay’s old home is powerful, even for him.
Drustan dropped his altitude to get a closer look, but Alcander shouted, “No! Higher!’ Drustan jerked, angling his wings to pull back up. “You’ll run right into it. Watch.”
Sure enough, large bursts of magic shot into the sky at varying intervals. Some flew nearly as high as they were and some lower, but all simultaneously. Had they been flying any lower, it would have been a miracle for them to avoid being shot.
“What are they doing?” Drustan asked, his head swiveling as he took it all in.
“And why aren’t they using magic to move that dirt?” Kiora added.
“We still aren’t sure. We tried to send spies in, but no one has come back out. This,” Alcander waved his hand toward the pit, “is where any rebel who survives an attack is sent. Obviously the Shadow is looking for something. They have been digging for years. As for why they aren’t using magic, it’s likely that whatever they are looking for is enchanted. They must go through every inch of dirt by hand.”
Kiora stared down as they flew over. Judging by the threads, there were more than just captured rebels working down there. There was also a heavy concentration of Shapeshifters, morphed into large creatures that could move vast quantities of dirt and rock. But what struck Kiora most was that this place looked strangely familiar, and she couldn’t put her finger on why it did.
***
THE GROUP HAD FLOWN all night, Drustan stopping to rest only twice. Kiora’s head was beginning to bob, her eyes threatening to close of their own accord. The sun broke the horizon. The flaps of Drustan’s wings were growing choppy and uneven from exhaustion. A salty smell, with an undertone of fish, filled the air.
“It has been a long time,” Drustan said between gasping breaths. “I didn’t think I would ever see this again.”
Kiora looked over Alcander’s shoulders and her mouth hung open in awe. The land dropped off into never-ending waters, the sun spreading its rays over top like a glistening orange blanket. When Alcander had said “the sea,” she had thought of the Sea of Garian, where the land on the other side could still be seen. But this was so much bigger than that. She heard the waves crashing into the cliffs, its power so different from the gentle lapping she was used to.
“What is that?” she finally managed to whisper.
“The sea,” Alcander said.
“The ocean,” Drustan clarified.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Emane said.
“Toopai is out there?” Kiora asked, pointing across the waters.
“Yes. An island, completely isolated from anything,” Alcander said.
Drustan’s head scanned the cliff ledge. “Where are we going? I don’t see anything.”
Alcander pointed downward, a little to their right, and Drustan swooped in, landing more roughly than usual.
Emane slid off, looking around. “There is nothing here.”
Alcander said something that was drowned out by a particularly large wave crashing into the cliffs below them.
“What?” Emane asked.
“I said, it wouldn’t be a very good place to hide if it was easily found, would it?” Alcander strode over to the edge of the cliff, nudging off some rocks with the toe of his boot into the waves below. Kiora came up next to him, looking down.
“Is the cave on the side of the cliff?” Kiora asked.
“What are you talking about?” Alcander asked.
“It’s always caves,” she said. “And since there is nothing out here, I assumed it must be down there somewhere.” She leaned forward as far as she dared before the fear of falling over the edge pulled her back.
Alcander half smiled. “It’s not a cave. The magic that conceals Lomay’s old home is powerful, even for him.
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