Author:
Angie / Jeff / Gwen
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Date Posted: 16:50:45 08/23/03 Sat
In reply to:
Alexis/Monet
's message, "Re: The Mountain Pass" on 14:12:10 08/23/03 Sat
Angie glanced at the pale girl and shrugged non-committally. ::If I talked and talked for a thousand years, I'd never finish tellin' you all that I saw over there. What's the point in saying it, anyhow, when you're gonna see it for yourself in a few days?::
She saw Alexis's look of severe disappointment and rolled her eyes with a world-weary sigh. ::Look, it depends on which part you're in. Down south it's all desert, and sometimes the whole world shakes and cracks and the ground splits into giant chasms and cliffs all over the place, so it's dangerous to build big cities. That's where I grew up. But farther north, where we're headed, there's a lot of forests...but not like this one,:: she clarified, jerking her head back to indicate the land they had come from. ::The forests you'll see there are close and dark and dangerous. It's not safe to go in without a good guide. 'Course, I've explored all over them by myself,:: she added with the same old arrogance. ::That's where the unicorns live---where it's close and quiet and secluded.
::Where there aren't trees, there are great, rolling plains, with grass up to your waist that ripples like water, and little rivers in the valleys. That's where the pegasi run, and the Silent Paw. Fuzzy's liren---she's a Silent Paw, you know. They're all like her, giant cats with long ears and huge, glowing eyes, and their coats are all different colors and patterns. They don't have a home, but are always traveling in great tribes. They know how to build fire.
::If you keep going east, though, the dirt turns sandy and you go downhill and downhill till the earth meets the water. And I don't mean a river, or a pond, or even a lake.:: She raised her head, looking toward the peaks of the mountains, and her eyes gleamed. ::It's called the sea, and it's the most beautiful place in the world. More beautiful than even the dragons' crystal eggs, or the unicorn's call on the evening air, or the dances of the Silent Paw tribes. The water is always gathering itself up and slamming into the earth, and it sends up great clouds of foam like diamonds. And it never ends. At least, no one has ever been to the other side. That's what I want to do, someday. I want to sail across the sea.::
For a moment her face seemed to shine in the dim light of the rising moon, and her sharp features softened. The silver light cast a pale glow on the fire of her hair and in that instant she was lovely, almost elven with wild, noble beauty.
But then she lowered her head, and the image passed. Once again she was a malnourished girl with darting eyes, a mouth too inclined to frown, and a whirl of flaming hair that gave her the appearance of an imp in the dusk.
::That's where the elves live,:: she continued, as though nothing had happened, ::by the sea. And all manner of creatures live in the sea, too---ones that never have to breathe air. I've spoken to a few of them, and they tell stories like you wouldn't believe, of all the wonderful things below the waves....
::But anyway, up north the mountains curve around and they keep going north for a long way. I tried to make it to their northern end, but the Dinbuim stopped me. I guess you'll find out who they are, if we stay in the East long enough. Anyway, the dragons make their eyeries in the mountains; sometimes alone, but most of the time in groups, and they hollow out an entire mountain to store their treasure in. They're big, girl, bigger than you'd imagine. You and Fuzzy and me could all sit inside one of the crystal eggs, if we took a fancy.
::Lots of other things live out East,:: she said, pausing to frown at a long, lightly bleeding scratch on her lower leg. ::I guess we'll see them all, soon enough. But that's what the East is. What it's like, though...that's a whole other story.::
- - -
Jeff stumbled again, catching himself and scraping his palm. He scowled at it and rubbed it with the cleanest part of his shirttail, grumbling about traveling after dark. Suddenly, he started, staring ahead at Alexis and Angie. They were walking silently, and yet the pale girl kept turning to stare at the imp with great wonder in her eyes, sometimes a delighted smile or a quiet, awestruck gasp.
And when the boy looked off to one side, he could see, in the corner of his eye, a glittering thread hanging in the air between them. It wasn't there when he looked directly at it, but in his peripheral vision it was perfectly clear.
What's going on? he wondered, suddenly afraid. Am I hallucinating?
- - -
Gwenneth's eyes grew distant. ::The Guardian,:: she breathed. ::Dol'eira. Oh, Monet, he was so close! Power incarnate, touching me! If not for these scratches, and the feather that I carry, I would scarcely believe the encounter to be real at all. I...he had me pinned, I couldn't see him well, but.... I remember the scent of feathers, and the colors of fire, and his eyes....:: She shivered slightly. ::His eyes, Monet, were like the base of a very hot flame, or the core of an iceberg, or the peak of the sky's curve on a blazing summer day...but none of these come close! Henceforth I shall call nothing blue, save those eyes.::
She glanced thoughtfully at the spots of blood on her shoulder. ::It does not hurt,:: she told Monet. ::But thank you for your concern.::
Gwenneth raised her head suddenly, looking at her boy. ::Monet---look at him. Why should he look so strange?::
((LOOOOONG post! Sorry. Couldn't help myself. *grins*))
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