Magistrate: a civil officer, such as a judge.

Gauntlet: a severe trial; an ordeal.

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"This is…unbearably cool."

The wind was rushing through my hair as I leaned out to look over Crepuscule's shoulder. My sight was impeded every so often by his flapping wings, but that just added to the experience.

We had to be over a thousand feet above the landscape, soaring over the brown and green land that was studded with hills and brush. It was an incredible feeling, so exhilarating.

I wonder if birds feel this way when they first begin to fly? Maybe I'll ask one day.

Crepuscule's back was just right. It wasn't so narrow that I was clinging for dear life, and it wasn't too wide that my legs were uncomfortable. I had my hands twined into the ropes around his neck. That hurt a bit, and they would probably be bleeding again when we landed, but I wasn't complaining. This was the best way I've traveled in a long time.

I squinted at something at the ground then leaned back towards his ears.

"What's down there?"

"The Quicksand Gauntlet!"

"That's the Quicksand Gauntlet?!"

Down below, the landscape had changed drastically into drifting sand and pits. Every so often, a spout of sand would splurge up out of nowhere, and stop as soon as it started. Crepuscule lowered a few hundred feet, moving with the wind, which seemed to be getting a little rough. It gave me a good view of large rivers of sand all moving one way.

"What are those? Rivers of quicksand?"

"Yes. Anything that dares walk a foot into them never comes out."

"Wow." I'm very glad that we happen to be flying. This would have been impossible to cross.

The wind was getting agitated. It was a little gusty. I held on tighter to Crepuscule's ropes and hunkered down to take some of the bite of the sandy wind off.

Scattered across the desert scene were shadowy patches of land, which turned out to be little caves when I looked closer.

"Do things live in those caves?"

"Yes."

"What kind of things?"

"Sand dragons. They look vicious, but they will only feast upon the carrion unfortunate enough to meet they're demise here."

"Oh." It's a good thing I have him, or I might be completely lost.

Oh wait. Too late for that.

A good gust jarred us.

"You can fly us out of this, right?"

He didn't answer right away. I felt a little nervous. "Right?!"

"My skills in flying may be matched, but they are exemplary."

"You aren't answering my question." I pointed out. Something out of the corner of my eye caused me to turn and look.

"Uh…we…might want to go just a teensy bit faster."

"My lady, please, if I go any faster I may not be able to control my balance against the wind."

"Crepuscule."

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Look behind you."

He snorted a little and curled his head back a little. Then he saw what I was seeing and snorted in panic and we really started to move.

Apparently the one thing he forgot to talk about in this place are the giant cyclones of sand that rip across it. 

He tucked his feet under him and stretched his tail and neck out. I ducked down farther, lying flat across his back and keeping my head level with his shoulder. He was trying to make his body streamlined so he could move faster. I've seen birds do it.

And faster we went.

Suddenly we were rocketing across the sand so fast that piles of sand were being kicked up by our wake.  His glide suddenly hit an angle and it felt like a rollercoaster going through a side loop. We scooped out fast around several hills of sand, barely even clearing half of them. He was trying to move around the cyclone, to get behind it and out of danger. He cut it too close however, and he had to barrel roll to get out of the vacuum of wing gusts. I clung on as I felt the world spiral out of control, then jerk back into a sweep as he pulled left out of his roll and swung side to side, finally centering himself a few hundred feet ahead of the twisting wind tunnel.

"Please tell me this is part of some great plan that will miraculously save our lives."

"I would My lady, but then I may be lying."

"You're supposed to lie! So I feel better!"

"Oh. In that case, everything is in control, we should be getting away any second."

"That doesn't make me feel better." I gritted as he made another breakneck turn and tore sideways, trying to move out of the cyclone's path.

"My apologies." He really did sound apologetic. It was incredible.

Sand stung my bare legs as we twisted back and forth, trying to get enough speed to move out of the vacuum and enough momentum to carry us out of the path of the cyclone.

"Hold on, my Lady. Our egress is made presently." He said suddenly.

"Egress? Is that a bird?"

My jaw cracked painfully down on his shoulder as the wind hit below us, shooting us straight into the air like, well, one of Kitty's muffins when they get left in the pan over a burner that's still on.

That's pretty fast and far. We flew straight up, and the cyclone tore on underneath us, passing us totally by. And we were still going up.

The land became small and the large cyclone that had threatened to snuff out our existences became a small swirling dot.

Our ascent slowed dramatically, and we hung in the air for a moment, and then came the drop.

"Oh my…" The only reason I didn't scream on the way down is because I bit my lip suddenly at the sight of how high we were at the beginning of the fall and the pain distracted me.

And the amazement that biting my lip would distract me from the fall of death, but that was something else entirely.

My heart leapt to my throat as we fell like a stone.        

I don't like to fall. Heights are fine…but falling is bad.

Suddenly Crepuscule pulled out of his rock-like descent and used his momentum to shoot across the sands. He was going so fast that the wind was pushing my hair straight back.  I few wing beats, and we were sailing across the sands, aiming for a patch of land much safer looking. Beyond it was scruffy looking mountains and what looked like some sort of glinting light in the distance.

We had made it past the Quicksand Gauntlet.

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It took almost fifteen minutes for me to get my fingers untangled from the ropes around Crepuscule's neck.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the fact that I got my fingers caught in the ropes, it was more the fact that my fingers needed all of my concentration to get them pried off.

I really don't like falling.

I massaged my hands.  They stung painfully and I was having trouble bending my fingers. Thankfully, they weren't bleeding.

I squinted and looked at the place that Crepuscule said we could get information at. I turned to look back at him.

"I thought you said this was a town! It's practically one of the biggest cities I've been in!"

"My lady is not in it. And this is considered a town because of the permanent population, not because of its size, my Lady."

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me Lady? My name is Danny. Say it!"

"Lady Danny."

"…Fine. Have it your way." I rolled my eyes.

The glint I had seen when we moved past the gauntlet was actually light reflecting off the side of metal walls in a gigantic city full of oddly colored spirals and towers, ringed with metal walls with roads paved with metal, which, luckily, was not hot.

Very good for people like me, who were running around without shoes. The road must have been enchanted. The sun was high in the sky, so it should have at least felt a little warm, but it was as cool as a rock hidden by the shade.

I was dusty and dirty, and probably looked horrible and strange, but I walked up right to the doors of the city with the big monster tailing me. I was about to knock tentatively at the door, but before I could they swung open.

"Did you tell them we were coming?" I whispered back to him.

"The doors immediately open to visitors and strangers. It is the main source of wealth that people that live here gain."

"Oh." I walked in with a little more confidence. In reality, it was a little creepy, to be so trusting.

"We must be careful here. A many great disputes happen here everyday, and a great many criminals wander the side streets."

That made me feel so much better. "Don't they have any sort of police?"

"Police? You mean magistrate? Yes, but they cannot deal with all that happens. It is too much for them. And as long as it happens out of their sight…"

"So it's like all those really bad B movies with the corrupt cops."

"Beg pardon?"

"Nothing. Just an obscure reference to back home."

"I…see." It was obvious he had no idea what I was talking about, but that was okay.

Inside the city building towered high above us. I was surprised to see that there was no one in the streets.

And then they poured in.

Dozens of shapes and sizes, colors, and voices filled the street as people rushed to and fro. I saw women with antlers, men with spikes on their shoulders, small lizard-like beings, animal people, and beings that just defied description. They were everywhere.

And I felt very plain.

I walked past some Bug people clicking at some sort of trader, who looked like a sasquatch. Apparently they were arguing over the contents in a cart. I quickly went my way when I saw all the flies around it. Whatever it was, I didn't want to know.

"I apologize, I am not for sale." I glanced behind me. Crepuscule was wading through a bunch of little lizard people only two feet high.  They were chittering at him and pointing at his legs and such. He got annoyed and snorted loudly, scattering them for a few seconds. But they came back and started again.

I walked back, waded through the little people and grabbed his ropes. "Sorry, he's spoken for, and I'm not selling him."

"Are you for sale?"

I stared at the little lizard that spoke. Then I started glaring.

"Absolutely not."

They got the idea and backed off. We resumed our leisurely walk down the street.

"You handled that quite well." Crepuscule commented. I didn't answer, I was still a little steamed about the little sales…lizards.

"So, where do we go from here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"We must find someone in the business of selling information."

"The stoolpigeons?"

"…Another obscure reference?"

"You catch on fast."

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"I'm telling you, it was a human that could fly!"

"Heinous!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Jackpot." I whispered conspiratorially to Crepuscule. We were standing under an overhang, on top of which some bird people were talking. They looked like some cross between hawks and humans, with creamy feathers covering their bodies and long wings on their backs. Their hands were tipped with menacing looking claws, but well manicured. Obviously they were upper class. So were their clothes, which made me wonder how they could fly with robes like that on.

It had been total, blind and random luck. The sun had been getting hotter, and we took a break in the shade of an overhang on a building. I had been to the point of nodding off when I heard some thumping above, and when I peeked out, I saw them. I was going to ask Crepuscule about them, when one of them told the other he had remarkable news, about a fire haired girl that could make the rocks move by gesturing at them and stop a bird in its tracks. 

It didn't take a genius to figure out the similarities in this equation.

"And where exactly did you see this…flying human." The bird person's voice was in contempt. I was waiting for the name of a place where we could go.

"In the Rushing Marshes, just past the Field of Silent Flowers and the Wolves' Forest."

"Past the Wolves' Forest?" There was a derisive snort. "Even if she could fly, there's no way she'd get past that."

I'd heard enough. I turned to Crepuscule. "Do you know about where they're talking about?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"Can you take me there?"

"As soon as you are ready."

"I'm ready now. Let's go!"

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A/N

Holy cow, it took me forever to update. But I'm tryin', I'm tryin'.  Expect updates to get even sparser until about Sunday. Then I'm free!

Anon(girl): Heh, thank you very much, I'm glad you thought it was cute. It took me forever to come up with a good name! At first I wasn't going to call him anything. I'll try to update the other stories as soon as I can!

Laureate: Yummy! I love those candies! Hmm…yeah, that's what I was trying to go for. I totally revamped from the original Squinky ideas, as they were first seen in Two Cents.  From ninjas to jungle people. Heh. I'm glad you like it!

Raliena: Oh my. Two pounds of cake shouldn't be good for anyone. Thank you very much!

CrypticIdentity: Thank you, I thought that was pretty funny myself, and I promise to keep writing, even though there be gaps in the updates. I like it too much to stop.

Chrissy: Heh, that orange was about as big as he was, it'll feed him for a week. Anyway, thank you very much!

Rogue77: I'd like to point out that your review rhymed. Whether or not you care I don't know, but I found it pretty interesting. Anyway, thank you very much!

Aicha: Haha, I don't mind that you play favorites. It just brings into light the fact that I've completed my goal of making characters that people can pick and choose as their favorites. If everyone just liked one character, then that would mean I spent far too much time with them rather than developing other ones. Oops, I appear to have rambled, sorry. I don't even know if what I typed makes sense.  Oh well. Anyway, I'm glad she's becoming one of your favorites, Arcane too. I'm glad you like it!

Arain Rowan/Anee/Arin Ross: Oh dear. I don't think I have any of that to give. If you want an easier name to refer to the ferry beast, call him Twilight. That's what his name means anyway.  Anyway, glad to see you back! It's not everyday that I have three reviewers in one review, or whatever you choose to represent yourselves as.  Anyway, I'm glad you like it, and I hope you like this chapter as well.

Herman shall take the reviews. Bat toys, anyone?