Quest for Cydonia

Gerard lifted the cloth of purple velvet off of the dark, glass orb before him. It seemed to swirl with black smoke inside, but he knew better. He placed one hand on its cold surface and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. The power began to flow through him within seconds. He began muttering a few words in an ancient tongue.

“The time is now, my son,” said a tired, raspy voice, echoing around his mind.

“I am aware,” Gerard responded aloud, careful not to break his concentration.

“You must bring the princess here by tomorrow morning. Then Cydonia can return to its rightful place as the most powerful kingdom…with you as its king.”

“Yes, father,” he said, nodding once out of habit.

Mikey watched the scene while remaining hidden in the shadows. He hated that Gerard was the only one who could talk to their now-dead father. It always sounded strange, as if he was having a one-sided conversation with himself. He would only tell a select few details about the plan to his adviser, something that only served to annoy his younger brother further. Mikey’s patience was wearing thin, but he dared not speak out against it.

He walked over towards his brother, somewhat against his better judgment. His footsteps echoed on the stone floor, causing Gerard’s eyes to fly open in sudden anger. Their gazes locked for several seconds. Mikey nearly shrank away from him; Gerard’s eyes had become a shade of red similar to that of freshly spilled blood.

“What?” he growled through gritted teeth.

“I need to know when you’ll be leaving,” Mikey said calmly. Gerard nodded and stood, placing the cloth back over the glass orb. He was somewhat frustrated that Mikey’s entrance had broken his concentration, but the conversation had been mostly finished, anyway. Gerard briskly paced down the hallway with his brother close behind.

“I want you to join me this time,” he said as they walked out into the cool, moist night air. Mikey was half surprised, but knew better than to ask why. That had already gotten him in trouble once. “I need to bring her back alive rather than dead. You’re better with people than me.”

They reached the stables, finding their respective horses already saddled and ready to leave. Frank was casually leaning against the wall, watching them with half-closed eyes and not saying a word. He looked tired, but Mikey knew he would be awake until their return. It was his nature; he always worried about the horses.

“You should get some sleep, Frank,” Gerard offered futilely. Mikey knew there were more reasons than one that he wanted Frank to be asleep upon their return. He didn’t want anyone to know before the time was right. Oblivious to this fact, Frank shook his head.

“I can’t do that,” he responded, suppressing a yawn. “These horses are worth more than most people as far as I’m concerned.” Gerard smiled and nodded once, then took his horse’s reins and led the animal outside. Mikey closely followed, nodding a goodbye to Frank. The full moon was shining down upon them with a silver-white glow, illuminating the cloud beneath their feet. They mounted their horses and took off at a gallop, leaping off the edge of the cloud and into the open air. Mikey caught his breath as the air blew his hair away from his face. The feeling was still something he had never quite gotten used to. He stole a glance at his brother as they plummeted closer to the ground.

Gerard was staring straight ahead as usual, completely focused on the task ahead of them. He hoped they could succeed without killing anyone, but if the need arose, he would not hesitate.
-
Princess Orchid’s eyes flew open suddenly as a gust of ice-laden air swept through the room. She sighed and sat up, having been propped up on several pillows as usual. She could never sleep lying down, for that was how the dead and the poor slept. She glanced toward the window, seeing that one half of it had blown open in the night. Moonlight passed through the closed half, casting a latticework of clear-cut elongated diamond shapes on the floor.

Sighing, she rose from the bed and walked toward the window, the shadow-outlined spaces of light covering her slender form like a blanket as she passed through them. She placed both hands on the windowsill and stared out at the horizon, able to see the moon’s light reflecting on the lake far away in the mountains. It shown a pale, brilliant blue, not unlike that of her eyes. Another breeze blew into the room and brushed aside her loose curls of warm brown.

A hand clamped across her mouth, muffling her cries and jerking her backwards. Another person stepped out of the shadows and appeared before her. He had dark hair that was a complete opposite to his skin, and his eyes flashed in the darkness.

“Good work, Mikey,” he said to the person holding her. She struggled to get free, but before she knew what was happening she was pulled through the window like she offered as much resistance as a rag doll. She tried to scream as they plummeted toward the ground, but only a slight yelp escaped her lips.

A strong gust of wind surrounded them suddenly, lowering them to the ground with ease. The men mounted their respective horses, and with a running start, the animals leapt into the air. Orchid tried not to look at the ground, harboring a fear of high heights. She suddenly realized she had not been tied up or restrained at all, and tried to escape.

“I wouldn’t do that,” warned the man she hadn’t seen. “If you were to fall now, you would certainly die.” She whimpered slightly in fear and clung to him. Gerard smiled to himself. She was terrified of heights. This would make his task even easier.

When the horses’ hooves met cloud vapor once again, they slowed to a stop just outside the stables. Gerard dismounted first, and Mikey second. Orchid was too afraid to move at first, but after seeing that they were able to stand on the silver fog, she attempted to step off of the horse as well.

“I wouldn’t do that, either,” Mikey warned, looking up at her with no hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“And why not?” she asked indignantly, folding her arms.

“Because you are not of Cydonian descent,” Gerard answered, taking the reins of both horses and leading them into the barn. “You would fall.”

“Then how can these horses walk on it?” she asked in confusion as their hooves began to echo on the stone floor.

“Their blood is finer than your own,” came Frank’s displeasured voice as he retrieved the reins from Gerard, practically shoving Orchid off of Modus’s back. The horse flapped his tired wings a few times in appreciation. Gerard nodded at Mikey, who created a swirl of wind beneath the princess’s feet. It lifted her a few inches above the floor. They began to walk back to the castle with their new prisoner.

Frank watched them walk – and float – away, and shook his head in disapproval. He disliked what he had seen of the plan, but knew better than to speak out. He was not royalty, and he wholeheartedly accepted it. Staying in the castle all the time didn’t exactly appeal to him.