"A Walk in the Clouds"
Zeel awoke. His
first thought upon waking was to lie very still, not wishing to alert anyone to
his awakening. He remembered all too well how he had been set upon by the
monstrous Eliwan, seizing him and then casting some sort of spell over him.
Now, he was sure they were watching him. He listened carefully. There was a
strange sound, almost like some kind of music, coming from somewhere very
nearby. The music stopped for a moment, and heard the inhalation of a breath.
Someone was there! One of the monsters!
He still and
silent, trying to determine how many of his captors were nearby, but he could
only hear the funny music which had now resumed. Slowly, he began to become
more aware of his body. His aches and pains had vanished, although he assumed
they would return all too willingly the moment he tried to move. There was a
strange sensation in his tentacles, a slight…itching…but also a refreshing
sense of coolness.
Finally, he
could stand it no more. He cracked open his great ocular just the tiniest bit
and peered out. Again, he was lying eye up on some soft surface. The ceiling
above him resembled the one he remembered awakening to before, embedded with
glowing specks of light that danced and whirled in slow patterns. Although he
loathed to admit it, he did find the display rather appealing. Sort
of…soothing.
The odd music
was sounding from somewhere just above his tentacles. He could sense movement
there, although nothing was touching him directly. Suddenly, a pale face was
staring at him. The music ended suddenly. "Ah! You’re awake!" came the words
from the monster’s obscenely fleshy lips. Zeel snapped his eyelid shut, knowing
it was too late and feeling foolish, but unable to stop the instinctive response.
There was a
tapping on his eyelid. It’s touching me! Zeel panicked. What do I do?
He squeezed his eyelid tighter, flinching away from the touch. There was a soft
liquid sound that didn’t seem like speech. Then the voice moved away and began
to make the music again. The cool feeling washed over his tentacles once more. What’s
going on? Is it…could it be?/i>healing me? The thought was strange to
Zeel, yet he couldn’t deny that he no longer felt any of the terrible pain he
remembered from his previous awakening.
Suddenly,
another thought slipped into his mind. Maybe they’re healing me up so they
can start torturing me all over again! Now his mind reeled in fear. He
remembered once seeing a GOH commander bring a broken AGA to the presence of a
KEW mage. The AGA had been punished almost to the point of annihilation. The
GOH had forced his troops to watch as the KEW healed the AGA’s wounds, only for
the GOH commander to begin "punishing" the unfortunate AGA all over again! No!
I have to get free while I am still whole and sane!
Zeel’s great
ocular popped wide open and he emitted his best ear-piercing screech. He
charged his tentacles and hovered quickly up into the air, brushing the
ceiling. Looking down, he saw the Eliwan monster holding its flabby fleshy ears
in response to his high-pitched wail. The supersonic war screeches of the AGA
soldiers were well known for setting an enemy off guard and creating chaos and
confusion within enemy ranks. He soon ran out of air and had to take a breath.
In that moment, he turned and zipped toward the still open window of his cell.
Just before he
dove through, a large Eliwan bearing massive feathered wings was there,
blocking his path. He screeched again, putting all his might into the sound.
This time, however, the results were different. The monster looked distressed,
but it was apparently not disturbed enough to flee from the sound. It began
shaking its head and shouting something to him. He could hear its words as his
air ran out again.
It was saying,
"No! No! Not this way! You could be hurt!"
Those were
unexpected words from a monster. What did it care if he was hurt? Ah, he
thought, they do not wish for me to hurt myself! They want to save that
pleasure for themselves!
But now the monster was saying something else,
"Please! If you wish to go outside, use the door in your room!"
Eh? What
Eliwan treachery is this? Surely this monster cannot mean that I am free to
leave whenever I wish? Confused, he pivoted to look back to the Eliwan who
had been healing his wounds. Its hands were held out toward him, but not in a
menacing pose. It was speaking softly, "There, there. Don’t be afraid. We will
not harm you."
Sensing a trap,
he thought, More Eliwan lies! They underestimate my intelligence! Very well,
then, I’ll play their game for now. Zeel fervently hoped that if could just
get outside, he could find a way to escape. Perhaps he might even find a way to
contact his people, to let them know what had happened to him. That thought
made him pause. And just what would I tell them? he wondered. And who
would I tell that would even care about one mere AGA? Suddenly feeling very
depressed and very alone, he let himself drift closer to the floor.
The Eliwan
healer lowered its hands. Moving slowly, it sat down on the floating bit of
cloud that had served as Zeel’s resting place. It pulled its lips back, showing
gleaming white teeth that were uselessly blunt. Zeel wondered what this new
display was all about. Those teeth were certainly not frightening. Surely the
monster couldn’t be trying to intimidate him with those!
The Eliwan who
had blocked his path through the window had now entered the room. It stood with
its huge wings folded neatly back, their feathery tips just touching the floor.
It looked at him and then pulled its lips back too. Yuck, he thought. Those
teeth are really gross! Then the monster spoke once more, holding a hand
out before it and gesturing to the far wall. "Would you like to go outside?
Maybe a little fresh air and sunshine will do you some good."
There it was
again, the monster’s offer to enter the trap! Zeel looked about the far wall,
but saw no exit. Slowly, the monster moved past him, nodding to the one sitting
on the resting surface as it passed. It neared the far wall and touched the
fluffy white surface with its horrible bone-filled fingers. The wall briefly
flashed a soft golden hue and then melted away to reveal a long white hallway,
curving away out of sight. Zeel eyed the monsters suspiciously, and then moved
carefully toward the door. He was determined to walk through their trap with a
wide-open eye—keeping a close watch for escape opportunities.
The monsters
made no move to follow as he slid out into the hall. One wall was open to the
air, divided by graceful pillars that seemed to be made of slowly spiraling water
vapor. Beyond, he could see across a broad plaza, broken up by large and
elegant containers brimming with delicate plants and flowers. The plaza ended
in a stately park of low-growing trees, whose softly glowing fruits sent down
gentle showers of pink sparks to accumulate in glittering mounds upon the
fluffy white ground. In the distance, graceful white towers, minarets, arches
and bridges filled the near horizon just above the treetops.
Scattered
throughout the plaza and walking the paths of the park were many more of the
Eliwan. Some of the monsters bore great wings, which seemed to come in all
manner of shapes, colors and sizes, while others had none at all. As he slowly
floated from his room, he saw many of the monsters gasp in surprise, pointing his
way and murmuring quietly to one another. As if they didn’t know I was
coming out! They really must think me very simple!
Now the two monsters that had been in his
room emerged into the hallway behind him cutting off his retreat. He took a
deep breath, readying himself to make a wild flight for freedom as soon as an
opportunity arose. Cautiously, he flew out through the pillars, entering the
plaza beyond. The gathering crowd of Eliwan drew back at his approach, and he
enjoyed buzzing toward them and watching them retreat quickly, murmuring in
astonishment at his approach. I’ll bet you never thought to see the likes of
me! He chuckled to himself, picturing the gathered throng of
Invaders waiting down on El to swarm in and destroy each and every one of these
horrid beasts once and for all!
Now, he picked
up a little speed, and buzzed through the throng to enter the trees. With a
quick glance back, he noted that his two guardians had apparently blended into
the crowd for he saw no sign of them. He turned his attention back to the path
before him. The drifts of glittering pink sparks lifted and swirled with his
passing. There was a soft tinkling sound, as of crystal chimes, that seemed to
emanate from the trees around him. A slight perfume tickled the olfactory
wrinkles beneath the crooks of his paddled arms as he slid silently through the
delicate forest.
He was gliding
through a quiet glade, filled with a shimmering crystalline pool, when
suddenly, a monster stepped into his path from between the trees. It held up
one arm to halt his forward progress.
"I greet you,
friend. Welcome to the Sky Ring city of Arderial." The monster was of the
wingless variety. It wore flowing robes of a filmy pink material, complimenting
the delicate hues of the forest. About its ridiculously tiny head there floated
a circle of tiny stars. Perhaps this is a leader! Zeel thought with
dread. I’ve waited too late, now there will be no escape!
The monster spoke again, "I am Jaela, the Regis of
this city. Do you have a name?" It folded its hands and waited patiently for
him to answer.
A lifetime of training to react immediately to his
superiors swiftly kicked in and he replied in his buzzing voice,
"ZeelorAGAthim, Scout class, third rank AGA force four-eight-seven."
The monster pulled its lips back to reveal its
teeth in the strange gesture that Zeel was now becoming accustomed to. "I see.
A most impressive name, my friend. Does it have a meaning?"
Zeel pondered the question, wondering what sort of
trickery the Eliwan was up to. "It means that I am an AGA of the family
or-thim, called Zeel."
"Ah," the monster called Jaela said. "Zeel. May I
call you Zeel?"
He buzzed a short affirmative which the monster
apparently understood, for it continued, "Zeel, will you accompany me for a
short way?" It held out its hand and motioned toward the path. Stranger and
stranger, he thought. I fear I may not understand the nature of this
trap in time to avoid it!
"I am pleased to
see that your recovery has been swift. Do you feel well?" The monster walked
along slowly beside him as he hovered along the tree-lined pathways.
"I? Zeel
hesitated, unsure he wished for this monster to know his state of health. "I
am…unsure." Inwardly, he flinched. Surely this monster would see through his
hesitation and punish him swiftly. Among the AGA, anything other than immediate
compliance to a request for information was met with punishment. He felt
himself beginning to blush blue, as his inner guilt assailed him.
Oddly, the
monster pretended not to notice his obvious attempt to evade her question.
"Well, friend Zeel, you may stay here as long as you wish. We will help you in
your recovery in any way that we can."
Zeel didn’t know
how to respond. He remained silent, although his thoughts were spinning. What
is this game they play? Why does this monster seem to take such a personal
interest in a mere AGA? In his experience, personal interest in an AGA
meant only one thing—punishment.
Suddenly, he was
overcome with a sensation of heaviness. Ah! Here it comes, he thought. They
spring their trap! But the monster merely watched him as he gasped in
sudden exhaustion. Soon, he realized that he was merely tired, perhaps not so
recovered as he had initially thought.
Jaela spoke,
"You still need rest. Also, we should see that you have food and drink." The
monster seemed to hesitate. "Do you…can you eat the food we have here?" It
gestured to the glowing fruits upon the trees.
Zeel realized
that he was very hungry indeed. The fruit looked delicious. He slid over
and up to a heavily laden branch, lifting one of his paddle arms to sniff the
dangling fruit. It certainly smelled edible! Still, he hesitated. What if their
intention was to poison him, to watch him die in slow agony as their poisoned
fruit destroyed him bit by bit?
The monster was
looking at him intently with those dreadful beady eyes. Then, it reached up and
plucked a fruit from the branch and bit into it. He watched as it chewed and
swallowed, and then pulled its lips back to reveal its teeth again. It held the
fruit out to him. Suddenly unable to resist, he snatched the fruit from the
monster’s hand and stuffed it into his mouth whole. His mouth exploded with a
taste as exquisite as it was exotic. Greedily, he snatched another from the
tree, and then another. Soon, he was full and his weariness returned in full
force. He felt as if he could drift off to sleep where he hovered!
The monster
spoke softly to him, "Perhaps we should let you rest now. Would you like to
return to your chambers?"
Zeel buzzed
sleepily, his eyelid beginning to droop. "Sleep," was all he said. Suddenly,
the two monsters from his cell were there, baring their teeth and holding out
their hands to him. One of them raised its arms and made some strange motions
in the air. Casting a spell, Zeel thought wearily, too sleepy now to
resist. It’s too late. They have me now. And then he was fast asleep. He
never noticed the gentle arms of magical wind that cradled him and guided him
quietly back to his chambers, settling him once more upon the resting platform.
v
"Are
you quite sure about this Regent?" Delia’s tone was concerned. Jaela nodded,
her expression grim as she looked upon the small group that had gathered about
her the moment the Invader had been whisked back to its chamber. Each had
received the healer’s signal that creature was conscious and seeking to go
outside just in time to hurry toward the gardens. Delia, along with Nimbulo and
Shimmer, had been waiting just within the trees for the Regent’s staged meeting
with the Invader to come to an end.
Jaela
had made every effort to appear as calm and friendly as possible toward their
"guest", although she had found herself repulsed by its appearance and the
terrible grating buzz of its voice. "I truly believe this to be our best course
of action," Jaela informed the scholars and the adept. "It has every reason to
fear and distrust us…and it may well have ulterior motives of a sinister
nature. But, as evidenced by its terrible injuries, it would seem that it is
the victim of some mishap. This places us in an opportune position to be its
benefactors, in the hope of gaining its trust." Jaela paused, looking at the
ground, absently sliding one slippered foot through a drift of delicately
glowing starberry pollen. "I believe that it will soon attempt to escape," she
said, looking up.
Shimmer
nodded. "And you want me to place the Farsight Gem on Yeepo and send her to
keep an eye on it when it leaves?" Her tone indicated her doubts about the
wisdom of this plan. Jaela nodded.
Nimbulo
sighed, "But what if you are wrong, Regent? What if it doesn’t return of its
own free will?" His voice sounded sad and even a bit hurt. "Just think of all
the important information we could learn from this beast! It could all be lost
if we let it go wandering off on its own!"
Jaela
looked Nimbulo squarely in the eyes and shook her head. "As it now stands, we
cannot trust anything it tells us. We must see where it heads when it makes a
run for it. It may be that there are others of its kind not far away! And if it
truly is alone here, if its coming here was some kind of mishap or accident,
then we need for it to decide, all on its own, that it needs us!
Even then, we can never be sure it will be honest with us."
Nimbulo
shook his head, but did not argue further. The Regent was well known for the
strangeness of her ways, but she did have a tendency for being right most of
the time. Delia elbowed him in the ribs, "Let’s go old man, we’ve got plenty to
keep us busy getting the Farsight Gem charged up and attuned to the Mirror.
It’s been a while since anyone used it." She turned and headed up the path, not
waiting to see if Nimbulo was following. Nimbulo nodded respectfully to the
Regent, and afforded Shimmer a slight smile before following his peer to the
Hall of Scholars.
When he had
shuffled out of sight, Shimmer turned to Jaela, her face full of concern.
"There are lots of dangers beyond the Sky Ring. The Invader may not be familiar
with our world. It could be seriously hurt."
"I will be sure
that a competent Guard will never be far away from our little ‘friend?. Jaela
looked tired as she began to slowly walk down the path at Shimmer’s side.
"We’ll be sure it doesn’t know it’s being followed. As for Yeepo, are you sure
your vellup is up to the role of spy?"
Shimmer smiled,
"Are you kidding? She’s going to love it!"
Jaela smiled
wearily, "And you, young adept? How do you feel about all of this?"
Shimmer
considered her feelings carefully before replying, "You know, Jaela, this may
sound sort of strange…but, even though everyone seems afraid or confused
or…greedy for knowledge…I can’t help but think that no one is thinking about
how the Invader is feeling." Jaela’s brow furrowed, as if she didn’t understand
the adept’s words. Shimmer continued, obviously struggling with her own
emotions, "I mean, it’s been hurt badly…and is surrounded by people who must
surely be as strange and frightening to it as it is to us. I wonder? she
hesitated. "I wonder if it’s scared and lonely. Maybe all it really wants is to
be left alone. To get back home, or whatever."
Shimmer stopped
and turned to the Regent, taking her arm. "Jaela, what if it isn’t really some
monster from our past? What if…deep down inside…it’s just the same as the rest
of us? Wants the same basic things? Has the same basic hopes and dreams and aspirations?"
Jaela nodded,
finally understanding Shimmer’s point. She patted the adept’s hand and replied
in an earnest tone, "If such can be proven, my friend, then we—the people of
Arderial—will do right by this creature. I promise you that. But? Jaela looked
Shimmer directly in the eyes, her voice assuming the weight of the Regency, "we
have a duty to discover the truth, or as much of it as we can. We cannot afford
to be blinded by compassion.
"The Moonlands
are in a state of great turmoil these days. There are dark times below, as you
well know. The Dark Twins have stolen the Great Library of Naroom, Cald has
recently attacked both the Weave and Orothe, and the Bograthians have just been
routed from the jungles of Paradwyn. So far as we know, the remaining Shadow
magi are still on the loose. It seems that we have been lucky so far in staying
removed from the turmoil. Then this…archaic anomaly appears in our midst, and a
few nights later we all suffer that terrible plague of nightmares that still
has the scholars puzzling, and…and? Jaela seemed truly frustrated,
searching for her words. "Now—I can’t help but wonder if our turn has come at
last. Perhaps Arderial’s own dark times lie just ahead."
The Regent’s words were carried away by a sudden gust
that bore a chill promise of the cool night to come. Shimmer remained silent,
lost in her own thoughts, as she and Jaela meandered out of the forest.
What happens next? Read Part 6 "Freedom" |
Magi-Nation and all properties shown on this page is © Interactive Imaginations 2000 - 2010. All Rights Reserved.
All artwork on this site are copyright their respective owners.