Daughter of the Sky, Son of the Earth

Chapter Fourteen

Fire 

I was much closer than we thought. I could feel it. The hairs at the back of my neck seemed to rise with every step we took, and it took all in me not to shiver in discomfort. I didn't know who the boy was yet, but I could feel a certain bond to him and the same bond was telling me he was going to need me very soon. 

Alex and I had just woken up and it had taken a lot of strength to get up since our muscles were sore and tired. We had been walking for days, only stopping to eat and to sleep. Alex was having trouble keeping up with my pace even though she didn't admit it. It was evident in the way she clenched her jaw every time she took a step too fast. 

The forest had been lost long behind us and in front of us, there were only miles and miles of fields. To be honest, I preferred the forest rather than the fields. I felt too exposed out here and the air was much colder. 

I hadn't felt Andrew's pain anymore, but I was still worried. Whatever I had felt, I was sure it wasn't anything good. No minimal pain felt as powerful as what that had felt like. I wished I had a phone to call him on, but I didn’t, and I just needed to keep going so that I'd be able to see him sooner. I knew he was alive; I didn't think I would be able to feel his bond if he weren't. 

"Are you okay?" Alex asked as she eyed me closely. I quickly shook the thoughts away and plastered a smile on my face as I nodded. 

"Yeah, I'm just anxious to see where we're going. Do you want to rest?" I wanted to change the subject because I didn't want to feel Alex's pity for me. She wasn't able to help me find out what happened to Andrew. At least not soon. 

"I'm fine, don't worry. But I will admit, I want to reach wherever this boy lives soon. My feet are killing me!" She said with a chuckle and I raised an eyebrow. We stayed in silence as we kept on walking. I was glad we hadn't met any monsters on our way, but I still had my guard up. Barbara had said monsters roamed all around where humans weren't very present. 

It wasn't until I heard Alex's stomach rumble that I stopped to look at her. She was blushing. "Let's stop to eat," I suggested as she nodded. The sun was high above us now and that was enough to warm up our bodies pleasantly. Taking out two cans, we opened them and started eating. I tried to hide the disgusted expression on my face as I ate. 

"I am going to be really happy when we don't have to eat this stuff anymore," I murmured, and Alex chuckled but nodded her head as well. An hour or so later, we got back to our feet and kept on moving. 

The air seemed to change as we moved further into the field. Where it had been once very warm it was now colder than the nights. I wrapped my arms around me as Alex and I shared a look of worry. There wasn't anything normal about this. 

Suddenly, the wind began to pick up and I was glad I had my hair tied back into a ponytail to keep it from blowing into my face. Alex wasn't as lucky, and she had to hold onto it so she could see. "What is happening?" She called out through the loud wind.

Shaking my head, I responded, "I don't know!" 

The gust of wind suddenly stopped, and I could hear Alex panting next to me. I turned to look at her to tell her it was all over, when out of the blue, the gust of wind picked up again, this time stronger. 

The force of the air was strong enough to lift us off the ground and I let out a gasp. Without a warning, Alex and I were pulled up and I reached for my friend in midair. We held on to each other as the wind kept moving us higher and higher. I was beginning to feel nauseous as the ground got smaller underneath us. I wasn't scared of heights but a fall from here would be lethal. All I could do was pray to the gods that this thing that was holding us hostage wouldn't let us go and that if it did, someone would be down there to catch our fall. 

The higher we got; the dizziness grew as I felt the air get thinner. Alex looked pale but she had stopped screaming as she stared at me with wide eyes. We didn't move as the wind carried us and, over the clouds, my eyes could distantly make out the silhouette of a big castle. My eyes widened and I stared at it agape. 

The gust of wind suddenly dropped us on the cloud-like sky, and I heard Alex yelp in surprise as she extended her hands in front of her. We fell on the ground with a soft thud, and we bounced slightly as the cloud made us jump. When we stopped bouncing, I propped myself on my elbows and looked around. We were lying on a bug cloud, the wind was howling past us as if in a hurry, and the door to the castle was wide open. 

"That was awful! And it's freezing!" Said Alex as she got to her feet with her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. I hadn't realized how cold the air was considering my body produced its own heat and I was almost always warmer than the average human. Opening my eyes widely, I looked at my friend. 

"Here, let me help you warm up." She instantly walked towards me and I wrapped my arms around her as she shivered. 

Her teeth were chattering slightly in the wind. "I think we should go inside," I suggested. 

Alex's eyes widened as she looked at the big white castle. She quickly shook her head. "No way. We don't even know what's in there," she said quickly. 

"There's only one way to find out and you're freezing up out here. Besides, there's no way out of here. Unless you want to jump," I said with a raised eyebrow as I pointed at the edge of the cliff. 

Alex stiffened and pursed her lips together before shaking her head. I nodded and began to lead us towards the entrance of the castle. 

No guards were standing at the door and I found that a bit strange. Inside, it was less cold, but it was still cold. The doors flew shut behind us and Alex let out a yelp as I scanned the room. It looked like a winter wonderland. All the furniture inside was colored white or sky-blue and the stairs looked to be made out of ice. The typical snowy shimmer covered every corner of the room as if it were glowing.

"I think I know where we are," I whispered slowly as my body stiffened. 

Before Alex could say anything, the doors at the top of the stairs and a figure walked out. It was a tall man wearing what looked like white fur along this back like a cape. His white suit seemed to shimmer under the light and made his silver eyes sparkle. His white hair was cut short along with his matching beard. He walked stiffly towards the railing as he looked down at us. 

"I was tending my duties when I came across your presence under my kingdom. I am curious to know, what is an Elemental Child doing on her own with a human in the middle of nowhere?" He asked and his voice seemed to echo throughout the room. 

Alex stiffened next to me, but I didn't move as I stared at the lord of the winds in front of me. Barbara had talked to me about them. They were cold beings that never cared much for anything but keeping check of the winds. Occasionally, when they fought, that is when they would make themselves present amongst the human world where hurricanes and tornadoes would destroy anything in its path. They were impatient beings. 

"We were just passing through. We didn't mean to draw any attention to ourselves. Don't worry, we're not here for you Lord-" I spoke confidently but trailed off at the end. 

"Lord Eurus, child. And I sure hope not. I have no bad blood with your father or mother. His realm is not mine to check on and Artemis is a fine, respectable Goddess. I would hate for us to get on bad terms," his voice boomed, and I stiffened. 

"How do you know they are my parents and that I am the Elemental?" I asked slowly as I felt my face pale. 

Eurus shrugged and walked down the stairs towards us. "Your presence is powerful, very intriguing like your father's. And you look exactly like your mother." I inhaled sharply as he reached us and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now, I'd like you to tell me why so many furies have come to attack my palace in the last few weeks. Is there something going on that I must know?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he scanned us. 

"Furies?" Alex asked slowly. 

The lord looked at her as if she were a kid who didn't understand, and he nodded his head. 

"Yes, furies. They're the goddesses of vengeance but they are not to be messed with nor should you interfere with their duties. They can be very... volatile. Anyway, as I was saying, they have been flying too close to my kingdom and I'd like to know why. Do you know the reason, children?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Alex opened her mouth to respond when I quickly stopped her. "No. We do not know anything of the sort. As I said, we're just passing through," I said tightly. 

The lord looked at me skeptically and then nodded his head. "Very well, and may I know where you're heading? I might be of help," he said more warmly now.

This time Alex jumped to answer. "We're heading south to a cabin. Maybe it's in your kingdom and you recognize it," she said as she pulled out the compass and showed the lord the picture of the small cabin on it.

The man seemed surprised to see such a sophisticated artifact in the hands of a human. He eyed the compass, and I could tell he knew what it was. "Interesting, you have Athena's compass. Does that mean you know Andrew?" He asked thoughtfully.

My eyes widened and I stiffened. I didn't like how much this god knew. I thought our existence was some sort of secret amongst the gods' world.

"Yes, we know him. What about it?" I snapped a bit harshly. 

Alex flinched and stiffened as she looked at the god, waiting for him to snap as well.

Instead, Lord Eurus smiled and shook her head. "Nothing at all. I was just curious, young princess. You have a lot of fire to you. That's good," he said as he turned to face Alex.

"Yes, I have seen that cabin before, it is close to the edges of my realm and I can get you closer. Or I can just leave you here and you'd have to walk two more days to reach it," he said with a shrug.

Alex's eyes widened and she shook her head. "We'd prefer if you left us closer, Lord Eurus," she said before I could say anything. I nodded my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest. 

The man nodded his head and smiled. "Very well. Consider this a favor, princess, I sure hope you'll repay me one day."

The gleam behind the man's eyes made me shift my weight uncomfortably. I didn't like the way he looked when he said those words, but I didn't think we had a choice. We needed to get to that boy as soon as possible. Something big was about to happen. 

"Fine," I said with a shrug.

Without a warning, the castle jolted to the side as it moved through the air. Lord Eurus had raised his hand slightly and stood his ground whilst Alex and I fell to the ground.

A couple of seconds later, Lord Eurus stopped the movement and smiled.

"A little warning would've been nice," Alex murmured in annoyance. She looked about to throw up and pass out. 

"Here we are. You're free to go out. Just make sure you grab a piece of cloud before you jump. Otherwise, you'll have a very painful fall. It was nice meeting you girls," the Lord said as he turned his back to us and started to head back up the stairs.

I had a feeling Alex, and I wouldn't be welcome here a moment longer and I quickly grabbed her arm and began to lead her outside. 

The air was cold, but I shivered as my body felt the cold breeze. Quickly, I pulled out a piece of cloud just like Eurus had said. It came off like cotton candy and I couldn't help but smile. 

Alex followed my lead and her questioning eyes looked at me once we had a piece of cloud in our hands. 

"Now what?" She asked nervously.

A sudden thought crossed my mind and my insides began to tingle with nerves. I looked at my friend and instantly knew she wouldn't like the idea.

I placed the cloud underneath my feet and moved towards the cliff. "Now, we jump," I said, and I quickly closed my eyes and moved forward.

Alex screamed behind me as she stared at me with a horrified look on her face. 

I hadn't been sure if my plan would work but when I opened my eyes, immense relief filled me when I saw I was floating. I smiled at Alex and chuckled. "Come on, it's safe," I called from afar.

"Are you crazy?!" She called back.

Rolling my eyes, I shrugged. "It's the only way we're going to get down there."

Alex pursed her lips and sighed. "Alright. Fine."  

I watched as my friend closed her eyes and jumped. She yelped slightly and when she opened her eyes, her cloud was moving towards me. I smiled at her and said, "come on. It's just like skateboarding like when we were kids."

Together, the two of us flew through the sky as we neared the ground. I didn't know if humans could see this, and I didn't know if there were any present close enough to see but I didn't care. I felt free and happy. 

The cabin came to view a couple of meters away and I slid in that direction with Alex on my heels. The small cloud on my feet gracefully lowered me to the ground and once it was close enough, I jumped off. Smiling, I watched Alex do the same and once we were both off, the two clouds began to ascend once again and they got lost in the sky amongst the other clouds.

"That was way cooler than skateboarding," Alex said cheerfully and I nodded my head.

"Let's look at the compass to see if we're in the right cabin," I said after a moment, returning to reality. 

Alex nodded her head and quickly opened the compass. As I looked at it, it was still pointing out and a questioning look reached my face. We still had to keep going.

Sighing in frustration, I looked at Alex. "Come on, let's go before nightfall catches up to us," I said as I noticed the sun about to fall. We had been in Eurus's kingdom for more time than I thought.