The Shadow Wanderers

Chapter 27

It was as if the world had gone quiet. Calista waited for something to happen, as though a part of her anticipated for the Cliffs to resist them. She waited for the mist to become poison, as though they would inhale it and drop dead, unable to breathe.

But none of that happened, and they glided gracefully amidst the thick fog. Calista noticed an eccentric pink color to it once they were inside it; and when she stretched her hand out to feel it on her hands, she felt her skin go cold. There were tiny dew drops on her skin when she pulled it back.

Zayden and Calista loosened their grips on the griffin as they stared with awe. They could see nothing, but the abyss gave them a strong sense of peace, their hearts expanding in their chests. In utter delight at the scenery, Zayden glanced back at Calista and caught her eyes. He smiled at her and Calista's heart fluttered.

As quickly as they were plunged into the mist, they got out of it. Calista turned to look at the scenery in urgency, as it was nothing like she'd ever seen before.

It was a different world altogether; with the tallest trees she'd ever seen and a big river flowing between pink and golden-colored hills. It was the same river that fell into Vakenes as the Mighty Waterfall. She could see tiny creatures roaming around on the surface, not yet able to see their shapes clearly. Calista couldn't imagine how this beautiful place could hold the horrors everyone had been warning her about.

The griffins all started to descend to the surface, when all of a sudden, a huge vine appeared out of nowhere. It surfaced from beneath, moving with a purpose. It made a beeline straight toward Zayden and Calista's griffin, but Zayden steered it out of the way in time.

"Hold on!" Zayden yelled at her and Calista's grip tightened on his waist, her heart pounding in her chest. The sudden movements of the griffin were making her bile rise in her throat, her head dizzy.

The rest of the griffins scattered, trying to move out of the vine's way, when a giant clawed hand grabbed ahold of one of the griffins, crushing it and the two soldiers riding it into its fist. Seeing the sudden commotion among the shocked soldiers, Calista looked in their direction to see something rise from the ground. It kept rising until it stood at its full height, almost touching the mist in the sky that separated this world from Vakenes.

Calista couldn't decipher what it was but it looked like a giant lizard with incredibly big black eyes and whiskers on its dreadful face. The vine that had aimed at them earlier wiggled behind the creature, attached to its back like a tail. Zayden steered their griffin until they hovered in the sky, facing the creature.

Calista took a moment to admire the creature in all its glory; the black scales all over its body, the huge fangs protruding from its mouth, and the smug look in its eyes when it stared at all the griffins in the sky, appearing like mere flies in contrast to its size.

"It's a Scogon. A smart creature, very deadly. No wonder Father banished it in the cliffs," said Zayden.

"What're you gonna do?" asked Calista, slightly unnerved but overwhelmed at the stakes of the situation.

"It might be strong, but it's no match for the power of a Serafiel," said Zayden, the smug look returning to his face. "Ransley!" he called out, trying to spot the Serafiel on his griffin.

Ransley's gold skin shimmered as he looked back at the king. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips as he got the king's message. He let his griffin dive in a straight arc toward the Scogon, his arms outstretched.

"Is he going to kill it?" asked Calista, suddenly panicked that she was going to witness such a marvelous creature being slain in front of her.

"Just inflict enough damage that it can't pursue us. Otherwise, it won't let us pass," said Zayden, his tone calm.