Draconia Offline vol. 2

77.2. Sense of Direction - Part 2

I tell Vermiel to position the guards further away because I want to try my divine speed. Vermiel doesn't like it at first, but he has to admit that nothing could ever hit me when I'm flying that fast. I wink at Gotrid before I fully spread my wings, flap them mightily and use the air itself to propel me upwards.

It's chilly and tranquil when I emerge above the clouds, but my sporty robe is warm. I left the guards below me (I overdid it again), so I tell them telepathically where I am and wait. They catch up in a few moments, I get scolded by Vermiel and we continue our flight.

They took my yesterday's order very seriously and finally agreed that we can venture beyond the city. It would be impossible just two weeks ago but since then all the guards mastered the shield spell. Confident that they can protect me anywhere now, Liana okayed long-distance flights.

"Your Majesty, we're getting too far from Prague," the Guard Captain warns me. "We've been flying in the same direction for thirty minutes now, we should return."

I look down and realise that what I'm seeing under me are fields and greenery. My first thought is to ask Vermiel if we can land and enjoy some nature, but that urge disappears as quickly as it appeared. It was just a momentary whim, I don't feel like landing and I don't need to rest my wings just yet. I feel most comfortable here, up in the sky.

"Let's return, love, we will be late for lunch," Gotrid says.

I nod and we head back. I have no idea which direction we came from because I never pay attention to my surroundings when I fly. Strangely, it seems everyone in my flock is generally good at telling cardinal directions even without looking at their GPS. I really suck at it, no kidding. I once read that birds possess some kind of internal compass and the same is apparently true for Celestials as well, but I have literally nothing.

"Gotrid, do you feel where to go?" I ask my partner because he doesn't look at his navigation either.

"Yeah?" he answers. "You don't, hon?"

"Nope," I sigh. "How can you tell?"

"The north is there and we left Prague from north-west, so...," he starts to explain.

"Wait, how do you know so precisely?" I frown.

"I just feel it somehow I guess?" he shrugs and flies playfully around me.

"I don't feel anything," I bite my lip and try to focus more. Maybe it just doesn't come as naturally to me as magic does. Still, I get nothing even with intense focus.

"Where would you head if you didn't have us?" he tests me, intrigued that I'm not good at something for a change, especially because it's supposed to be natural to Celestials.

"There?" I point, uncertain.

"Why south?" he tilts his head.

"It just feels interesting," I say vaguely. "Like an adventure. Like a rift opening."

"You feel a rift opening nearby, Your Majesty?" Vermiel panics because he overheard part of our conversation.

"Our Emperor was just being imaginative," Gotrid calms him down. "Let's speed up, I'm getting hungry."

We head back, but I can't shake off that weird feeling that I would like to fly south. It's faint, but I even feel my body getting battle-ready. Maybe I just had too much coffee in the morning? An anxiety-prone person such as myself shouldn't overdo the caffeine.

We land on the balcony closest to the Royal Office. I feel a slight emotional disturbance in Draconians, so I go to the Royal Office straight away without changing my clothes.