Of Forgotten Dreams (Book 1) [NANOWRIMO 2022]

Chapter 19

Yun was not really sure about how she had managed to make her way out of the garden. Her feet were moving, but she did not remember telling herself to walk. She followed the girl in front of her as she put one foot in front of the other, and the moment that the polished stone became smooth brick, she fell forwards, suddenly getting closer to the ground.

Pain shot up her hands, the sand scraping into the skin of her palms. Ying was suddenly beside her, pulling her up to her feet with one swift motion.

"You're not alright, are you?"

She sighed. "Come on, lean on me. We're going to walk a bit."

Yun was already leaning on her completely however, one arm hanging limply over Ying's shoulders. She felt her breath coming short, and inhaled through her mouth and exhaled heavily out as well.

"You're not fine." Ying concluded. Yun felt herself turning around as Ying glanced around her.

"Hold on tight."

Ying stomped on the ground, and somehow, Yun was lifted up as well as Ying begun to take steps upwards. Stepping on the thin air.

Yun felt herself waking up now, her heart pulsing faster as her feet were completely airborne. The wind tugged at the fabric of her dress and the loose strands of her hair. It roared in her ears.

She wasn't too sure what she was looking like, or what was expressed on her face, but she heard Ying's voice in her ear over the whipping wind sounds. "DON'T TENSE. YOU WON'T FALL."

Yun nodded, but chose to keep her head held high as they rose, making their way completely across the sky. A cloud was in front of them, and Yun closed her eyes as they passed directly through it. A thin sheet of moisture clothed her, causing her body to become damp, but as she passed through them, she felt that the breath she held was released completely, and the cold brought her back to her senses.

A tingle in her palms alerted her to the wounds on her hand, and as inconspicuously as she could, she tilted them to her, seeing immediately that her healing powers were still in effect. She quickly put her palm down and turned her head back to the front, but she saw that Ying was already looking her in a different manner.

Rather than commenting on it however, Yun felt them slowly speed up, and clutched Ying even tighter. She found herself slowly adjusting to the feeling of being in the air and she felt a sense of freedom in flying. The feeling was familiar to her, but she never thought she would experience this in her own body.

It had seemed too soon when they landed, coming to one of the palaces. They slowed down until Yun felt her feet touch the ground. She took a few running steps forwards, as did Ying, but she stopped in a poised manner rather than the clumsy, stumbling the way Yun did.

"You can fly?" Yun exhaled, turning over to Ying.

"I can, but I would get into a lot of trouble for doing so." She shrugged, and started walking down a random path. "You better be worth the trouble."

Yun quickly followed her. "What do you mean?"

"There are people interested in you, Yun. Or, maybe not only people, that are also interested in you."

"But, are you not a person?"

"I look like one. But do you think a normal person can fly?"

I am a normal person. And apparently, I can heal myself.

"You will be seeing Lord Xu Heng." Ying said, as they rounded a corner and stepped into view of the main building. Here, Yun saw that there were many people that were bustling around. Most of them were young, but she saw a few well into their mid-ages. And they all wore their hair in the same style, with the same light blue robes despite their gender, although there were more males than females.