A Trek for Truth; the Tale of Zephyr Aryn (Ch.3)

Ch. 3

I headed out of town on a weathered dirt road. As I walked along, thoughts of self-doubt and failure began to creep in. What did I just get myself into? No one has ever dared to take the elixir of truth. Why did I have to open my big mouth? How on earth am I going to get past Nephythys?

It’s practically impossible to approach the gorpesus, Nephythys. It was bred by some incredibly stupid king from Azkaban. He bred a gorgon and a pegasus in order to create the most perfect guardian for his kingdom. It was a terrible creature that four legs, with a body covered entirely in slate gray scales. Nephythys had piercing amber eyes that glowed like coals in a fire, able to freeze any creature in a pillar of stone if they so much as looked into its eyes. It had large stone- like wings like gargoyles you see perched on cathedrals. The mane and tail were made entirely of venomous snakes that were about as deadly as the eyes if you got bit. True, it would make a good guardian, but why such a formidable creature as this? Unfortunately for them, gorgons happen to hate humans and are very destructive. With that instinct bred into its nature, you just know that it can’t be good. It ended up destroying his whole city. Azkaban still lies in a heap of ruins. Nephythys was just about to kill the king when he made a bargain with it. He gave Nephythys the elixir of truth in exchange for his life. The gorpesus still resides in the ruins of Azkaban, guarding the elixir.

I had been walking on the dirt road as I pondered these things. I was suddenly snapped back out of my thoughts as my feet struck sand.

The Inabrick River lay in front of me. How am I going to cross this? I don’t swim very well, and I don’t own a boat. Maybe it’s shallow enough to wade across. I started to wade across, but it became too deep too fast. It was up to my thighs only five feet from the shoreline. Almost ready to give up, I spotted a large fallen tree. What looked to be a large chunk of the upper trunk portion lay near the stump. Part of it must have cracked off when it hit the ground. I grabbed part of it and slowly dragged it over to the riverbank. I heaved most of it into the river. Straddling the log, I pressed my feet against the shore and pushed off into the Inabrick River.

As I got farther out, the current started to press harder at my side. I paddled my feet to try and keep moving toward the other shore. Without the riverbed under my feet it got harder to balance. The log was rocking back and forth a little as I tried to keep myself moving forward. Balancing became even harder. The current started to push more at my right side. Suddenly, it gave a nasty push. I leaned into it, trying to stay on top of the log. I must have overcompensated, because the log tipped me off of it into the middle of the icy river. The rushing current dragged at me. I struggled against it, but I was fighting a losing battle.

I looked at where the current was dragging me and realized that I was being drawn closer and closer to the river’s edge. Edge? Rivers don’t have edges like that unless…The edge had no sand bordering it. With a sinking feeling I began to hear the water cascading down to the rocks below. This can’t be happening!

I was only a couple yards away from Dead Man’s Falls. My supplies were soaked by now, and the food was definitely ruined. I lost my grip on the bundle, and my supplies fell over the falls. The edge of the falls loomed ahead of me. This is it! My stomach gave a sickening lurch as it jumped into my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t bear to look at the ground as it got closer and closer. I guess this is the end.

A sudden thought struck me as I fell. I forgot all about Kathryn’s gift! Is it possible for me to fly? Anything is worth a try. I pointed my hands at the water churning in the rocks below and pushed air out of my hands. It actually worked! I’m flying! I flew back up the drop and started back.

Feeling a bit dizzy, I got closer to the ground. I tried not to look at it as I flew back to the spot I thought I was trying to cross to. I hovered over the ground and stopped pushing air out of my palms, allowing myself to land.

I was so mad at myself. Right now, all I could do was sit there and feel stupid. Why didn’t I think of that before? At least I would have kept my supplies…and not gotten wet. I guess it’s just going to take a while to get used to this new ability.

I stood on the shore, soaked and huffing. Now that I wasn’t moving around, I could feel my heart racing inside of me. I’m wet, tired, hungry, unprepared… I don’t see how this could get any worse.

Unfortunately, it could get worse. I had no clue where Azkaban was, and the map was gone with the rest of my supplies. In the end, I decided to walk along a road I spotted nearby until I met some form of civilization.