Chapter 9

Nyx

Chapter 9

            Nyx was flying. Her wings were working in perfect unison, guiding her through the dancing winds. Snow covered mountains passed below her, and she could see the moonlight glittering off the ice. The cool crisp air breathed life into her lungs, and a sense of belonging settled in her heart.

            Lights could be seen in the distance, filtered throughout the forest. As if controlled by some greater force, Nyx felt herself drawn towards them. Wonder and happiness flowed through her mind as she got closer to the lights. They resolved themselves into houses and buildings, settled within the forest. Some nestled among the ferns, others attached to the very trees. A light snow dusted everything in sight. It was cold, but a sort of warmth radiated from this place.

            Happiness and smiles could be seen on all the inhabitants in this hidden town. Strangers would greet each other with a laugh and a hug. Children ran through the forest, lost in their own adventures. Dogs barked, weaving through the legs of the town’s inhabitants, much to their amusement.

            She bumped into someone, startled and offering an apology. The man turned around, a proud smile decorating his features. Nyx gasped, clapping her hand to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.

            “Welcome home Nyx.” Her father wrapped her in a tight embrace, protecting her from the outside world. She felt him wrap his strong wings around the two of them, the smell of fresh pine tickling her nose. She melted into his embrace, lost to everything else, just never wanting to let go of him.

            A distant sound disturbed her peace. Her father pulled away, a sad smile on his face and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. A muffled voice was speaking behind her. Nyx grasped at her father, willing him to hold her one more time. The forest began to fade. The people and children had disappeared, and she could no longer hear the sound of barking dogs. Everything faded to white, and she cast one last pleading look at her father. He smiled, nodding to her then faded from sight.

            “Oh thank heavens, she’s back.”

            “We need to put a leash on her…” Someone muttered. Nyx rolled over, curling into a ball, trying to capture the last remnants of her dream. Someone gasped and pulled at Nyx’s injured wrist. The girl flinched in pain, losing all contact with her dreams.

            Soft morning light streamed through the windows. Three girls stood before her bed, dark circles under their eyes, and worry clearly on their faces. Nyx blinked away the lingering traces of sleep, and stretched as Autumn unwrapped the bandage from her hand.

            “Nyx, what happened? You just disappeared! What ha-” The fiery haired girl gasped as she caught sight of the deep gashes on her hand. They were partially healed, no longer bleeding, but still looked quite serious.

            “Whise, get me the medical kit. Lyric, grab that green jar on my desk.” The two girls hopped to the command issued forth by their leader. Nyx was pulled out of her bed and made to sit in a chair at the center of the room. Autumn inspected her black eye, from where the thug had punched her.

            “Nyx. Explanation. Now.”  Nyx looked into Autumn’s steely eyes. There would be no getting out of this story, she observed.

            “I was attacked by an Ursa, while in the woods… one of my daggers broke in my hand during the fight. I… um… lost the other dagger.” She didn’t want to bring the smith into the story.

            Autumn added some ointment to her partially healed cuts, and wrapped it in a fresh bandage. “And where did you get the black eye?”

            She paled a little. How was she going to explain that? “Um… I ran into a wall…”

            Whise laughed at that. “I sincerely doubt that. Walls don’t punch back…”

            Lyric looked at her sadly. “Why aren’t you telling us the truth? Don’t you trust us?” Nyx’s heart seized in her throat. How could she tell them the truth? They wouldn’t understand how could they? Would they understand the joy she felt at meeting another of her race? At the sense of belonging she felt when he gave her advice, or the memories of family he evoked when he scolded her. Lyric’s eyes continued to bore into her soul, and Nyx sighed and looked away, least she spill her deepest darkest secret.

            “I got into a fight at the market… After killing the Ursa, I stumbled into town for medical help. I stayed overnight. The next morning I was trading the teeth of the Ursa for some new clothes and I um… bumped into this thug. He punched me, and I stabbed a dagger into his foot.”

            All three girls looked horrified. “You… stabbed him in the foot? That um… that seems a little extreme…” Whise said.

            “Well I stabbed after he drew his sword on me… we actually fought for a few minutes. I was fighting for my life! What did you expect me to do, ask him politely to stop?”

            “Ok, enough arguing! Nyx, stop getting into fights! …can’t believe I just said that… and since when do you get into fights anyways?” Nyx stayed silent, gaining a sudden interest in the floor. Autumn sighed in exasperation, and went to put away her medical supplies. “Just promise you won’t run off like that anymore okay? …Nyx?” Autumn turned around, but Nyx was nowhere to be seen. “DANGIT!!!”

            Nyx sprinted down the hallways, a giggle escaping from her mouth. Classrooms streaked by in a blur as she made her way to the front door of the academy. She felt like a ninja, darting this way and that, occasionally sneaking past other students. As to why she was sneaking, Nyx really didn’t know why, or even care. It was all part of the game.

            The castle hallways gave way to the winding branches of the forest. She followed the path to town, wishing for the umpteenth time that her wings were in working order. As she ran, her mind began to wonder back to her dream. It was all so familiar. Nyx knew in her heart that she had been there before. A smile lit her face as she remembered her father hugging her. She ran on, the familiar scent of fresh pine following her.