Dust (Of Dust and Darkness) - By Devon Ashley Page 0,80
air is cooler as it passes through my nostrils, more breathable than the stuffy, recycled air within the glamour. The spiggans’ huts are laid out before us. It seems Jack was right. I’m now standing in the exact same spot I was the first time I escaped this place. Hopefully this time, there’s no spriggan sneaking up behind me ready to knock me out. My head immediately snaps to the back…just in case. Any spriggan inside the prison wouldn’t have to exit where we did to make a sudden appearance up our backsides.
Relief washes over me as Jack pulls me into motion, tiptoeing along the backside of the huts, heading right. The campsite is clear of life. Seems even the insects don’t want to disturb the monstrous fae. With Jack leading me, I pay more attention to my feet, trying to avoid dried out leaves and twigs long dead on the forest floor; or anything else that may wake the guards.
Well, at least I can say I didn’t cause the commotion. Jack halts so fast I can’t help but bump into him this time. A loud screech pierces the air, causing my ears to ring long after it stops. I quickly peek over Jack’s shoulder as he takes a defensive stance between me and the furry masked creature. The raccoon seems as startled as we are, but all fae know raccoons are willing to eat our kind if hungry enough. Jack drops the lantern and the metal wing clamp, and they disappear underneath a thick layer of luscious ferns. He twists his body and squeezes my waist, his arms latching on to one another behind my back. With a quick jump, we’re airborne and leaving the furry creature behind, who falls back on two legs in an attempt to swipe us back down. It misses, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
My arm wraps around Jack for more support, and I glance over his shoulder and towards the spriggans’ camp. I gasp and catch my breath. Two spriggans now hurry about the site, searching our area with their eyes, pointing long daggers out before them. Luckily, they’re looking to the ground for the source of the noise.
“Spriggans,” I whisper. With silent understanding, Jack weaves in and around as many trees as he can find to hide us from their sight. After a few minutes, I can tell he’s beginning to struggle with my weight, dipping down unexpectedly, then fluttering his wings madly to recover against the loss of height. But it’s too exhausting for him, and eventually we’re barely flying over the ground. We land roughly and stumble a few steps, but our feet remain strong beneath us.
He releases me and bends over, his hands finding his knees for added support. I stroke his back and murmur, “Just breathe.” I fear any second he’s going to tell me that he’s gotten me as far as he can, and that’s it time for me to take off on my own.
“Pull the map out, will you?”
Not the best words to hear at the moment, but at least he’s not saying goodbye. Not yet… I pull the parchment out and unfold it. He’s walking aimlessly, his head looking to the sky. I follow him, looking for more access to the moonlight, so we can better make out the markings. I find it right where he’s standing. Together we hold out the map.
“Look, you see this drawing right here?” I nod, noting the cross with N, E, S and W each scratched at one of the four tips. “There are four main points to navigation. This is your navigation key. North is the top of this map, east the right, south the bottom, and west the left. Look up. See the North Star again?”
“Yes.”
“What did I tell you about the North Star?”
“That when I stand right in front of it,” I say, moving my body to do so, “that I’m now facing north.”
“Right. So if this is north,” he explains, pointing straight out in front of us, “and we want to go here,” he adds, pointing to the first trail on the map I’m supposed to seek, “which direction do we walk in order to get there?”
“East…so we go right.”
“Right!” He takes the map and folds it back up, stuffing it back into the bag slung over my shoulder. “I want you checking this map all the time, until you feel comfortable that you’re going in the right direction, alright?”