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17
CORA
My mind goes blank at the words, and I stare at the demon in shock. Floating island. Those words separately make sense, but together, I can’t understand them.
“Yes,” he says with a boredom that I can’t understand.
I’ve witnessed a lot on Protheka, all types of magic that my brain can’t make sense of, but never have I seen a floating island or even so much as a floating building. How powerful are these creatures to have an entire city above the planet?
Laura’s face flashes behind my eyes, and with this new information, this new impossibility of escape, I know that I need to help her. The only problem is I know nothing of this city. I didn’t even know that it isn’t on Protheka!
Rationally, I know that there is nothing I can do for her until I get more information. I wouldn’t know where to look, and even if I found her, I wouldn’t know where to run to escape. How do you leave an island that has no surroundings?
There’s no hope to disappear into the forest, no option to commandeer a boat. I can’t even fathom how to start planning, so I push back my rising urgency to seek out my sister, and instead, try on something new.
Compliance.
My eyes size up the monster before me, and I consider my options. I could make a hasty escape and risk running into something much worse than him. Or I could ask him to show me around and get a bearing on my surroundings.
I suppress a grin as I size him up. He is definitely my best considering he seems to be all bark and no bite. I’m almost shocked considering how brutal he was when he captured me compared to now. Maybe he won’t hurt me too much because they need us for something?
I can use that to my advantage.
The only problem is I doubt he’s inclined to give me anything I want. I can be seen a little as a troublemaker, and considering he just had a blade pressed to my throat, we might be in rocky territory.
In an effort to smooth things over, I offer him a small smile. “I’m Cora.”
His eyes narrow slightly, and the air still feels charged between us as he tries to decide my motives. I can see it in the way he’s evaluating me that he thinks I’m playing a game, but finally, begrudgingly, he grinds out, “Giroth.”
In a small voice that doesn’t feel entirely befitting of my defiant nature, I ask him, “Do you think you could show me around the floating island?” I try to bat my eyes at him, but he doesn’t seem impressed.
“No.” His voice is flat.
I try again, keeping my tone gentle. “Please? I just want to know where I am.”
He heaves a sigh. “It’s not a good idea. We’re not used to having humans here. It won’t be safe.”
Safe. There it is again. I shouldn’t be hurt. It gives me a boost of confidence as I stick out my lower lip and pout. “I’m not scared. I just want to look around.”
“I really don’t think--”
“I’ll behave.”
Giroth rubs at the back of his neck, and I can tell he’s getting agitated. “Fine,” he grumbles, and I smile brightly. “I need fresh air anyway. Just stay close to me, and don’t get in anyone’s way. I am not in the mood to deal with any more crap today.”
I nod diligently, and he turns away from me, leading me out of the building. I’m not sure what I expected but as the light hits us and my eyes adjust to being outside, my jaw drops open.
The buildings shoot up into the sky, coming to multiple spires. Many of them twist as they reach toward the clouds, piercing them with three or four curved spikes that look like a torture device. They seem to be crafted out of black, shimmering stone, and I’m almost entranced staring up at the windowless buildings. Or maybe the panes are tinted so dark I just can’t see them.
Now that I can see clearly, I also realize that the entire island is shrouded in dark clouds. There is some light as the sun tries to fight through, but it’s still dim, though not nearly as dark as the cells, and keeps a gray shadow cast about the city.
My head is tilted back to take them, so much so that I’m not paying attention to where I’m walking. That’s why I almost don’t see the demon before me before Giroth jerks me back.
My eyes dart down to the demon I nearly ran straight into, and I jolt back as it turns to face me. It’s massive, bigger even than Giroth. Actually, almost double his size. Wings that look like they’ll stretch out to be twenty feet hand loosely from his body.
I feel like I can’t breathe as I take in the muscle corded around his body, no clothing on his upper half. A thick tail trails behind him, and it’s covered in armor and spikes. I recognize it from my home, the one who destroyed all of the buildings with the fiery horns that are now smoldering.
As he looks at me, I notice smoke start to rise from his horns, and it looks like there are embers flickering within them. Will they catch fire?
