Page 75 of In Between Darkness
I don’t have to be in close quarters with them to know that they scoff at my remark.
“Are you sure?” they call out in disbelief, rightfully worried about leaving me alone in an enclosure full of beasts.
I make a silent prayer to the Gods that they are all still grazing in the northern valley. You never know when an elion can make an appearance.
“Yeah, honestly. I won’t be five minutes.”
My cheeks redden. Even I am embarrassed by my excuse. Congratulations, Asha. One small step back for womankind. I watch as they nod their heads reluctantly and continue towards the stairs.
I am a crazy person. There is a phantom voice beckoning me, and I walk towards it… What in the Gods name is wrong with me?! Although I think I passed crazy in the rearview mirror when I created a portal to a land I had never heard of. My boots scream with trepidation as I make my way slowly back towards the podium to keep up the ruse of searching for my forgotten item.
“Hello?” I whisper, looking around the valleys. The wind picks up around me, but I cannot see a single soul. This is really starting to frustrate me. If someone is messing with me, I would rather they just admit it.
“Up here.”
My head snaps up in response. I scan the sky but still see nothing except clouds. The sun seems to be retiring behind them. My gaze is blurred by the cotton candy clouds obscuring the view. I let out a slight chuckle at the irony. The sun decides to let up now after watching me for hours, sweating and aching. I squint my eyes and blink a few times, hoping to blink the clouds away and clear my vision. Nothing. I don’t see a single thing.
“Stop playing games with me; this isn’t funny!” I whisper-shout, still conscious of the boys seeing. I wait for a response, but fail to get one. Maybe this is a bad idea. Something just feels… off. I look back at the guys who are almost at the floating steps and reach the podium to pretend to pick up something off the hook, then spin back around and continue walking back towards the stairs. I’m clearly not going to get any answers, so I pick up the pace to catch up with them.
The grass squelches with every other step I take as my black boots sink into the brown mud a little as I shift my weight. It must have rained last night. Another cold chill runs down my spine, causing me to look back again. My senses are drawn to the clouds above me, and the feeling of being watched unsettles me. I trudge a little faster, and now I am close to the steps. A sigh of relief escapes my rosy lips…
But it is short-lived.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Asha… WATCH OUT!”
Jaxon’s voice squeals, causing me to panic climb the unstable staircase. I get around two steps up when his face distorts into a terrified expression, making my body grow colder. A sudden tight grip squeezes around my waist, making me wince, as needle-like points dig into my skin. I try to scream, but the air is drained from my lungs. My vision blurs, and I start to feel lightheaded seeing Jaxon and Elijah watch from the viewing platform with horror on their faces.
Their faces, contorted and shocked, get smaller and smaller as I’m lifted faster than I can blink. Their figures now resemble the ant-sized holes in the nets we laid earlier as I see them rushing back into the taming quadrant, hopefully to get some help. My neck is crooked at the angle I’m being held; pressure builds as I’m carried like a rag doll. I swallow down the saliva welling in my mouth and try to analyse my surroundings, but everything is moving too fast. The ride has me violently swaying like I’m on a rollercoaster, causing my hair to whoosh uncontrollably over my eyes, blocking my view. The grip around my waist loosens a little, allowing me to breathe again, and my lungs huff in my chest as they fight for the air to replenish them.
What is happening?
With a gust of wind, my hair escapes from my view, and I can see again. My head snaps to the grip on my ribs, rough yellowishscales encircling me with dagger-like claws. I know those claws. I am in the deadly grip of an elion.
Panic strikes me, and my heart races almost as uncontrollably as my hair in the wind. Calm down, Asha. Breathe. I take a deep breath to control myself, remembering what Mr Knight had taught me. Find my anchor. I picture Ryder in my mind until I feel my skin tingle. My mask is up, my thoughts are clearer now. I grab the long, scaly claws and push at them, trying to escape the grasp. The elion retaliates and squeezes tighter, knocking the wind out of me again. I am trapped.
“Stop squirming, child.”
The husky voice interrupts my panic. I look up in disbelief. The voice, it’s… the elion. I didn’t notice through the panic and struggle that the elion gripping me tightly is Craize. I can see the underside of his large frame, his white fur shining brightly, reflecting the sun’s rays, the scar that harshens the right side of his face. I can see the pulsating of his chest as it moves up and down in synchrony with his heavy breaths, a rumble vibrates in his throat, and I am relieved to see that his teeth are still hidden in his mighty jaws. Hesitantly, I look down, and I swallow sharply when I cannot see the ground below. I am now soaring above the clouds. The sun’s rays are emitting golden shimmers on the pearly white clouds, making them look ethereal. An involuntary smile forms on my face. I have never seen a view quite like it. It showers me with courage.
“Are you going to eat me?” I ask, accepting my fate.
If I am going to be eaten, I might as well take in the scenery first. I hear a deep chuckle. Is something funny?
“I’m not going to eat you, young one,” the voice says, making me exhale a loud and shaky breath. “Try to relax.” He catapults me upwards, making me free-fall into the Earth’s atmosphere. I scream, imagining myself falling to my demise, and flail myarms around. Craize swoops under me, so I land on his back. My hands grip his fur for dear life as he plummets back towards the ground through the clouds. His feathered wings flap ferociously on either side of me. Water escapes the corners of my eyes with the force of our descent, and I can see the podiums coming into view as we head back towards the enclosure.
After what feels like a lifetime, Craize gracefully lands on the platform and tilts his wing ever so slightly, encouraging me off and onto the bed of fresh hay. I shakily shift and slide down, holding onto his fur for balance, until I reach the safety of the hay I’d just laid. Placing my hands on my knees, I bend over to catch my breath. I feel my legs vibrate with terror as they regain their stature after being jellylike. When satisfied, I stand tall, my eyes drowning in Craize’s ocean eyes.
“Some warning would have been nice… I thought I was going to die.” My voice trembles as I stare up at him.
He leans his head in and burrows himself in my hair.
“Apologies, I did not mean to scare you,” he says, but I don’t see his lips moving or hear clicks escape his fanged mouth.
“Wait? How am I talking to you right now?” I take a step back, astonished. “I-I can understand you.” He shifts into a more comfortable position and sits down in the corner of the platform, his left leg hanging off.
“You hear me because I am bonded to you… Star Child.” He gives his coat a lick, and I walk closer to him.
