Fourteen Moons

Chapter 13 - Kidnapped

Rings cover the interior of the newly-formed, spherical cave, gradually growing in size until they merge with the soft, wooden walls. A bright light hovers close to the center of the ceiling, illuminating the cavity, and revealing an orange tint within the wood. A single archway acts as the only entrance and exit.

I stand in the middle of the room and watch Revus. He takes a step with his right foot, then uses his wings to compensate for his missing left as he progresses toward the exit. Red liquid drips from his severed limb and, upon touching the ground, begins to disappear into golden dust. Stupid... Idiot. Revus exits the wooden hole and, before I take a step forward, turns around.

"One final thing," he states, holding out his arm, "I'm going to put up a barrier to prevent anything from getting in here." A barrier? "You'll be safe until we come back."

"Wait!" I blurt.

As I take a step forward, large, yellow crystal pillars jut out from the edges of the doorless archway and rapidly converge in the center. You're locking me inside!? I run to the translucent wall and bang my fist against it. "Revus!" I roar. He turns to Faraine, the blue-haired fairy, and says something. I can't hear. "Revus!" I shout. Faraine nods and they both rise into the air, flying back in the direction of the enōōfen. "Let me out!" I bellow, "Revus..."

I aggravatedly sigh, then mutter, "Idiot." I pound a fist against the yellow barrier, a jolt of pain shooting up my arm. "Why'd I have to get caught?" I lean forward and slam my head on the glassy obstacle. Ow... I chuckle, "I'm such an idiot." I turn around, resting my back against the wall, and slide down until I am sitting on the floor.

I curl into a ball and plant my face on my knees. Why'd I let you leave? You dealt with the besāād, rescued me, and we escaped... So why'd I let you go back? I lift my head and prop it against the wall, my eyes focusing on the glowing orb near the ceiling. You got hurt because of me and now you're going to hurt the enōōfen because of me... I sigh and close my eyes. What am I supposed to do if you don't come back?

"Revus," I mumble under my breath, "I'm scared."

Suddenly my stomach growls and I place a hand over it. I look down at my stomach. Even after all that, and you want food... I chuckle, look at the two bags resting along the left wall, stand up, and walk over to them. There should still be something in here. I dig through my bag and pull out a shriveled fruit with a leaf wrapped around it. I sit down, remove the green sheet, and begin to eat the dried, light-red berry.

As I eat, I glance at the glassy obstacle in the archway. I know he's trying to keep me safe and all, but isn't sealing off the exit a bit much...

I swallow, then sigh. No... it makes sense. I couldn't do much before but now I can't do anything... I wonder why my par- I shake my head. ...why would anyone bother protecting me? I continue to slowly nibble on the berry. I can't fly well. I can't grace my soul. I can speak Zoic but I still struggle with certain words... What's so good about me that I need to be prot- I look down at the half eaten, withered fruit, and clench it tightly. No... Maybe it's because I'm not good at anything that I'm being protected.

I stare at my food, then glance at my clothes. I turn to look at our bags, then shift my focus on the light inside the room, before staring back at the berry in my hands. Why... My eyes start to water. ...everything in here is all because of Revus. I really wouldn't have any of this if not for him. I wouldn't have learned to fly, or even that I had wings, so getting food would've been difficult. Even if I could get food, it wouldn't be as varied as it has been... I wrap the half-eaten berry back into the leaf, and place it back into my bag.