Grey Spatium 34

We reached the top with a small jerk and stepped out onto the walkway. A cold wind blew down from the mountains, cutting across the top of the Wall with a noise like a howling mana beast. Sylvie was already up there, gazing out at the Beast Glades, her mind elsewhere. Regis manifested from me, stepping up out of my shadow and hopping up to place his front paws on top of the crenulations flanking both edges.

We all stood in silence for a bit, looking out over the Wall and the Beast Glades beyond. “You all know what to do, then. I need to see to the other locations, and then I’ll be back.”

Jasmine squeezed my arm. Helen, grinning, reached up and tousled my hair.

Suddenly, Angela Rose jumped forward, pulling me into a crushing hug. Memories of my first time meeting her with the Twin Horns surfaced as I looked down at the top of her head pressed against my chest.

When did she get so small?

“You tell your mom we’re going to take good care of you, all right?”

I returned her hug, ignoring the jealous pang seeping into me from Regis. “I will.”

I finished my farewells with Jasmine and Helen as Sylvie rose up into the sky. Regis melted back into my body as I turned away, violet lightning wrapping around me as the aetheric paths lit up in my view. I resisted looking back, not confident I’d be able to give them the genuine look of reassurance that I knew they wanted to see. I took a step up high up into the air, the Wall over a hundred feet below now.

Leaning forward, I began to fly.