SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘈 𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴. 𝘈 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
Xanthiene Vivenca, af...
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They found Cyrdel sitting on a rock, overlooking a barren sand field.
After a few hours of tromping through the untouched forest beyond the Palace, Xanthy, Nyxis, and Ravalee came into a clearing. Was this Zalgend? Nyxis dipped his head. "Well, that is my cue," he gave them a mock bow before trotting further north, leaving Xanthy and Ravalee in the middle of a hazy wall of tree trunks guarding the border between the two cities.
Xanthy turned to Ravalee and nodded. Together, they went east, following to where the forest led them. Grass, bushes, and algae-infested boulders clumped together in bunches guided their walk from all knowable directions. Sweat beaded on Xanthy's forehead and soaked her front and back. Was it getting hotter?
Colorful birds, critters with beige fur and clicking claws, and the rustle of leaves were their only companions as they walked. A wind blew from the east. When it slapped Xanthy's face, she could swear she felt a few light scratches on her skin made by a number of strange particles that reminded her of the Disfavoreds' dusty roads.
Where were they heading, anyway?
Xanthy's breath was knocked off from her chest when a carpet of golden sand appeared through the thinning line of trees. Was that...?
Lanbridhr. Ravalee's voice tore once again into Xanthy's head. The Fire Sprite territory.
A lump formed in Xanthy's throat. She remembered the fire sprite she saw with the merchants passing through Cardina. She didn't want to come across one. Her attention was commanded by Ravalee when her half ran towards a part of the clearing that hosted more boulders than the other clumps they passed through. On the biggest and lowest one sat Cyrdel.
Xanthy watched Ravalee run parallel to the visible line dividing the green and the orange until her half came to Cyrdel's side. The prince had a long branch in his hands which he used to weakly prod the mix of clay and sand beneath their feet. He gazed at the desert, his face void of any expression.
Xanthy stayed where she was, the scratchy forest air shuffling her hair which she neglected not tying back. It's probably for the best that Xanthy had accompanied Ravalee here. This was the first time in weeks she had some quiet.
It made sense why Cyrdel would go here when he was upset. With the shifting cold winds from the forest alternating with the dry, scathing breeze from the desert, it's the perfect chaos to let one's thoughts rage with. Sometimes, at the eye of the chaos, that's where one would find peace.
Xanthy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, unwittingly inhaling some sand particles. Ugh. When light flooded back into her eyes as she opened them, her gaze landed on Ravalee and Cyrdel, signing with their hands and laughing together.
It was as if a thousand varichriais let themselves loose on her stomach. A curse filtered through Xanthy's lips. Why was Xanthy like this? Ever since she saw Cyrdel and Ravalee, her heart hasn't stopped wrenching with this kind of strange emotion that she couldn't quite explain. Xanthy didn't even have the right to feel whatever that was.
