A/N – Sorry that this one took awhile, I spent many sleepless nights desperately trying to figure out what should happen. Ok, not actually, but you know what I mean. I am deeply saddened to say that I think we are getting down to the last bunch of chapters…maybe four or five more. Not that I don't like it anymore…I love it!…but if I keep adding on more twists and turns it will turn into this epic story and no one will like it anymore. I am pretty sure I'm going to start another story afterwards, so don't give up on me! And review as much as you can! :) Love you all! ~Emma~
Chapter 24
Venitia weakly opened her eyes. She found herself staring up at a great blue sky. Suddenly, she saw a flurry of color out of the corner of her eye, and she sat up quickly. Except, she just barely move. She felt like a great weight had been put on her body. Straining her eyes, she managed to let out a yelp of shock.
A large, magnificent bird with red and gold plumage was resting on her stomach, staring at her intently with fiery eyes. She felt her own eyes widen in not fear, but pure shock. The bird cocked his head and took on what appeared to be an inquisitive complexion. Venitia felt herself smile at the bird's strange behavior. She slowly sat up against the rock behind her, and desperately looked around. She seemed to be sitting on top of an extremely large rock, and, squinting into the sun, also seemed to be very high. The bird chirped to get her attention and it flew toward the edge of the rock. With great effort, Venitia managed to crawl across the rock to the edge, and yelped again in shock.
She was on the mountain. She was looking straight down, far, far below to the valley, and she could just barely see the camp.
"How? What? When?" she began to stutter. Then it all came back to her, as did the pain in her many wounds. The fight, of course. But how did she get up here?
She looked suspiciously back at the bird, who was sitting behind her with its eyes closed, seemingly basking in the sun.
"No don't be silly," she said to herself. "A bird could not have dragged you all the way up the mountain." But then again… this was a strange world, filled with magic and wonder. "That's crazy!" she said to herself. She slowly flipped onto her back, and squinted into the sun. She was not in a good situation. She was on top of a mountain, which she had no idea how in the world she got there, she could barely move, was in extreme pain, and had no idea how she would be able to eat or drink until either someone found her or by some miracle she could move.
By this time, the bird had trotted over to her and laid its head on her stomach. She sighed; this was definitely a new predicament. But what had her father always said? When you're stuck, sometimes the way out is the simplest way of all. Think simple, Venny, simple, she coaxed herself.
But nothing came. The bird certainly wasn't helping; all it did was sleep, it seemed. The day passed, and Venitia was beginning to forget about her pain and focus on her extreme hunger and thirst. By night, she was weary, although all she had done all day was think.
She was lying there, trying to think of way out, when suddenly, the bird flew up. It soared straight up, silhouetted against the full moon.
"Don't leave me!" Venitia said stupidly. But she watched the bird intently. It flew slowly in a circle, and then made its way down to the valley. Venitia flipped back onto her stomach, and watched by the moonlight as it descended.
Then, when she couldn't see it anymore, she heard that music; that creepy, ominous music…except now it didn't seem so ominous anymore. It sounded more woeful and sorrowful. She knew her mouth was hanging open, and she actually felt a tear in her eye. She brushed it away, but was still tremendously puzzled. Why had that music seemed so sinister before, and now it was heartbreaking? She watched intently as she saw the shape of the bird form again from the darkness, and it flew up and settled again beside her. She stared at it with a smile on her face; it looked up at her and met her gaze.
"Nehipox," she mumbled.
The bird chirped. She chuckled, and ran a hand through its feathers. It's eyes closed sleepily, and it dozed off. Her brain still reeling in shock but completely deadened, she too fell asleep.
*******
"Your highness! Your highness?"
Venitia woke with a start the next day. Someone was calling her, but they sounded far away, as if she was listening through a tunnel. She opened her eyes wearily, and gazed unseeing at the sky.
"Your highness?…Venitia?" someone was saying.
"I'm here," she said, disillusioned.
"Your highness…I am so sorry…"
"For what?" she still hadn't bothered to figure out who was speaking.
"We were so caught up in the caves and the valley…the general is going insane, he's ready to resign, he keeps saying he's failed the king…"
Finally, Venitia craned her neck sideways and found herself looking into the extremely worried face of none other than Dorian. He was staring at her attentively, as if to make sure she wouldn't disappear again.
"That music…" she said.
"What about it?"
"It was coming from him!" she said, pointing at the spot where the bird had been. "Where did he go?" she cried.
"Here, I will carry you back down," Dorian said, and went to pick her up, but she yelled in pain.
"Your highness!" Dorian cried as he looked down at her many wounds. "How did you come by these?"
"Well…" and she launched into her story about the goblins, and the wolf-horse things, and how she had fallen off the cliff. Dorian cried out at this.
"And to think! We were just sitting over there, twiddling our thumbs!" he said. He seemed much more anguished than Venitia would have guessed.
"But I have no idea whatsoever as to how I got here," she said, gesturing around at the rock. Suddenly she noticed a burst of color, and the bird was trotting carefully out of the safety of the trees.
"Him!" Venitia whispered savagely. "He was making the music!"
Dorian peered at the bird curiously. The bird stared serenely back at him, and Dorian let out a chuckle.
"He seems harmless to me," he said finally.
"I know…and when he sang again last night, it sounded more…sorrowful than anything else," Venitia said pensively.
Dorian let out a thoughtful "hmm".
"Well, how do you propose-" Venitia was cut off by Dorian letting out a choked gasp.
"What? What do you mean?" he said quickly.
"I was going to say, how do you propose we get me down from here?" she said, looking at him quizzically.
"Oh." She could tell he was blushing, even underneath the helmet. "Well, can you stand?"
She held out a hand from him to help, and with great effort, they managed to pull her up.
"Now, if I hold you like this, does it hurt?" he asked, putting an arm around her.
"No…" she said, but was thrown off guard by something else. His arm seemed extremely familiar, especially when it was placed around her like that. She shrugged it off, and they began to walk at a snail's pace down the mountain.
Sometimes the way out is the simplest way of all.
****** The next one won't take as long, I promise. But we are getting down to the bare wire, so don't take it for granted! Review! Hehe. ~Emma~
