The earth raced up to meet him as he arched his back and glided perpendicularly over it. He flailed his legs wildly just before touching down then stumbled upon contact, coming to a stop by falling headfirst into the sand.
He groaned as he sat up and took in his surroundings while brushing sand from his face. The night was quiet and still. Not even a light wind was stirring.
He stood up to admire the lake and how it reflected the stars above perfectly. It was like a portal into heaven.
He turned to face the solitary mountain in the distance. He often came here to see the lights that emanated from it. They started off slowly at first with a single ball of light that would rise up from the mountain, followed by a second and a third, until the night was filled with balls of lights zipping about haphazardly, then abruptly ending their wild maneuvers to begin forming geometric patterns. The shapes they created ranged from circles and squares to more complex octagons and tetrahedrons of intricate detail.
He came here for many reasons, one of them was that it was the last real connection to his mother that he had. He also came because he felt compelled, as if the lights were trying to convey a message to him that he needed to decipher. It seemed as if they were pleading with him to understand their meaning. He didn’t have a clue what they were trying to say.
He had tried to approach the mountain many times before while flying, but each attempt would result in a crucifying pain that would make him plummet to the ground.
He had also tried walking but would be forced to turn around as vertigo would set in, while simultaneously the balls of light would rush back inside and never come back out again for the night.
So, he would do what he was doing now and stand along the shoreline of the lake and watch in awe at the spectacular light show before him as brilliant balls of light raced across the sky trying to speak to him in a language he did not understand.
He watched as they created yet another spectacular geometric pattern as they swished and swirled across the sky. They would line themselves up in straight lines, and then rush toward each other to intermix and form triangles and squares or spirals and circles that spun like pinwheels.
A solitary light caught his attention from the corner of his eye. It hovered high in the night sky as if it had just descended from the heavens. It began to glow brightly as it drew closer to the balls of lights. The balls of lights ceased their gyrations as if they sensed the newcomer’s presence. The solitary light began to pulsate and change colors, slowly at first then with a rapid intensity.
The balls of lights responded by lining themselves in a straight line. They too began to pulsate rapidly and change from red to orange, then blue to violet, before merging into one and bursting outward in a soundless explosion of white light and disappearing. The light show was over, and the mountain continued to hold on to its secrets.
Breeze scanned the night sky for the solitary light but couldn’t find it. He shrugged. It was time to head home. He had school tomorrow, and he hadn’t even started his homework that was due from last week.
Once again he went through his routine of shutting his eyes and holding out his arms. He went into a trance and forced himself to concentrate. The rush of air across his face was the signal that he was airborne. He glided away from the mountain as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes so he could better read the nav-compass lashed to his wrist. Meanwhile, a light trailed him from behind.
He rocketed across the desert landscape as the ground below became a blur. He had never flown this fast before; he was beginning to lose control.
Ahead on the horizon was the glow from the town lights of Conception. He wanted to slow down to begin his descent, but any attempt to control his flight only made him race ahead even faster. He whooshed over the town and set off a sonic boom that rattled windows and doors of the homes and buildings below.
Panic swept over him as he barreled through the sky at a frightening speed. No matter what he did to regain control, any attempt to slow down only increased his speed. When he tried to descend, he would rapidly ascend.
It became too much. The slipstream of air rushing into his face made it difficult to breathe while his uncontrolled ascent into the upper reaches of the atmosphere made him shiver violently from the cold.
He started to lose consciousness. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he passed out.
He dropped like a stone, plunging through thick white clouds as he hurtled toward the desert floor below.
He woke up and was back home sitting at the kitchen table. Mom was making breakfast while Dad chattered endlessly about something. His mother was dutifully listening to him, nodding her head as she cracked eggs into a hot skillet.
He looked around the kitchen, soaking in the cozy feeling of a home that was alive with the sound of family. He heard a giggle and turned to face a little boy smiling at him. He looked familiar but couldn’t remember his name.
“Breeze, play with me?” the little boy said with innocent eyes.
Breeze opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
The little boy spoke again. “Breeze, you need to wake up before you go splat.” He pointed at the ground.
His eyes opened and he was greeted by the sight of the earth rushing up to meet him. He yelled in panic as he desperately willed himself to slide horizontally. His efforts were not in vain as he ceased his descent only to burst forward with incredible speed, setting off multiple sonic booms as he streaked over the land.
He could make out the looming presence of an approaching mountain range just ahead. He knew he would impact them based on his heading and altitude. He needed to do something, and fast.
Drawing upon willpower like never before, he forced himself to descend. To his growing distress and panic, he ascended. He strained as he tried to angle down and felt a sense of triumph as he slowly descended toward the desert floor. Buoyed by his success, he tried to slow down only to burst forward again with incredible speed.
Then, with a sudden lurch, his body felt as if a giant hand had grabbed and flung him into the ground. The last thing he remembered was the ground rushing at him like a blur while the air before him shimmered and crackled as if he were looking through a window that was about to shatter.
He impacted with a mighty roar. Dirt and debris flew everywhere as he plowed a trench into the earth.
He came to a stop after what seemed like an eternity.
He groaned as he tried to raise his head. Blood trickled from his nose, mixed in with dirt that was smeared across his face. He tried to look up at the night sky, but could only see blackness surrounding him.
He passed out with his face planted into the ground.
He woke up gradually as a thin strip of sunlight poured onto him. He tried to move his arms and legs, but the slightest effort made him wince with pain. He slowly pushed himself up from the ground and stood up, only to lean against a wall of dirt to support his wobbly legs. His head was pounding like a drum and the smell of moist dirt filled his nostrils.
He looked around in confusion as he expected to see the wide expanse of the desert but instead found himself at the deep end of a trench made of dirt and mud that seemed to stretch forever in the opposite direction.
He tried to recall the events from his foggy mind that led him here, but could only remember flying to the White Mountain to see the lights, the struggle in controlling his flight back home then the sudden acceleration ending with him impacting the ground.
His head began to pound with a searing pain. He groaned loudly as he rubbed his temples and looked at the trench. He did this. How he survived the impact he couldn’t figure out.
He needed to get out. The longer he stayed, the more nauseous he felt. He turned to face the earthen wall he was leaning against. He dug one hand into the soft soil, then another. He jammed a foot into the dirt an
d stepped up. He managed to get halfway to the surface when his strength gave out, and he tumbled to the ground. He cried out in frustration and was rewarded with another searing headache.
Holding one hand to his head, he stood up and wobbled as he tried to maintain his balance. He thought about trying to fly out, but the mere idea made his head pound even harder. He couldn’t climb out, he just didn’t have the strength. He had only one option. Walk.
He turned to face the length of the trench and saw how it gradually sloped up to the surface far off in the distance. He grimaced and started walking when a flash of wisdom came to him. The beginning of a journey starts with a single step.
With that thought echoing in his mind, he pushed forward. He plodded along for what seemed like the better part of a day as the pain in his head slowly faded away, only to come rushing back the very moment he thought about trying to fly. He stopped occasionally to lean against the side of the trench and rest. He swallowed and felt how dry his mouth was and began craving a drink of water.
He looked up at the upper rim of the trench and could see blades of grass and roots from trees poking out. He had never really seen so much vegetation before. His world was a dry and arid land sparsely populated with harsh and scraggly trees weary from their endless quest for water.
He continued on, determined more than ever to get out the trench. After another hour of walking, the floor sloped up sharply, and he knew he reached the impact point. He trudged his way to the top and turned to survey the trench. It was a gash in the earth that stretched as far as the eye could see with toppled and broken trees on either side of it.
He turned away, not being able to believe what he just saw, or that he was even capable of doing it. He was tired and worn down. It was a time to head home, if only he knew which way to go.
He tapped the nav-compass on his wrist to activate it. It was unresponsive.
Disappointed, he stumbled forward with no real plan in mind except to try to find a road or a path, anything that would lead him to a town. He needed to find transport to get back home.
He walked through a forest in a daze. Though he had never seen such tall trees before, he was too exhausted to look up and admire them. The forest gave way to a field and he stopped to survey the land. He spotted a road that ran along the field and he crossed over to get to it.
When he arrived he stood alongside it and looked both ways. He had two options. Go to the left or to the right. What seemed like such a simple choice felt so incredibly difficult. For once in your life, he thought to himself, make a decision and stick with it.
He turned to the right and walked down the rock strewn road. The beginning of a journey starts with a single step, he reminded himself. He smiled weakly as he remembered that pearl of wisdom his mind had conjured up during his time in the trench.
Up ahead, he could see a town nestled in a valley below. He picked up his pace.
Later that day, an object high in the sky streaked over the area of the trench. It came to a stop and hovered for a moment, and then with a sudden burst of acceleration, descended rapidly without a sound and came to an abrupt halt just inches above the deep end of the trench. The object was a man, covered head to toe in a sleek black pressure suit. His face was expressionless, as there was no discernible mouth, eyes, ears, or nose, just a reservoir of inky blackness. The light that surrounded him seemed to fade as if he absorbed it.
He hovered for a moment, and then slowly descended to the bottom of the trench.
He tilted his head to the left then to the right as points of light appeared on his face. He reached out to touch the earthen wall where Breeze had tried to climb earlier and recoiled upon contact. He leaned in and noted the blood that was caked on the dirt. He slowly reached out again, but this time with a finger. A needle protruded from the tip of the finger. He vacuumed a small quantity of the blood-soaked dirt through it before retracting it.
He held the finger up to his face and stared at it as the points of light on his face become a maelstrom of swirling stars. They spun faster and faster, growing in intensity until his head glowed a brilliant white, then ceased and his face returned to an expressionless pit of darkness. He shot toward the sky and disappeared.
TWO
BREEZE WOKE UP IN a terrible fright. He looked about wildly and was overwhelmed by the unfathomable darkness that surrounded him. His back was pressed against something hard and jagged. He stood up and turned to touch the rough surface he slept against all night. It felt cold and damp. He backed away and his heel snagged a sharp object. He fell back with a yelp.
Lying on the ground, he looked up and saw a sprinkling of stars through a narrow gap. He got up slowly, taking ragged breaths as he spun in a circle, hoping his eyes would lock onto anything familiar. He looked up again at the stars for guidance and saw leafy branches blocking his view. He tapped his nav-compass. Its glow faintly illuminated the area where he saw tree trunks everywhere he turned. He realized now he was in deep in the forest.
He tried to remember the events that led him here. After he had plowed the trench into the ground, he didn’t trust himself to fly home on his own accord. He found a road that led to a town but upon arriving, discovered the entrance to it was blocked by a fortified gate and guarded by hulking men covered in heavy armor and carrying swords and axes. He hid amongst the trees, while daring himself to approach them but thought better of it after spending hours watching disheveled men, women and children entering or leaving the town being harassed or even assaulted, by the guards. He had never seen anyone who looked or behaved the way the citizens of this town did. They reminded him of books his aunt read to him as a child about kings, queens and knights, and the peasants they ruled over. He also noticed there were no signs of hover vehicles or aerocraft anywhere. The townspeople seemed to get by on horse-drawn wagons. He had never seen anything so odd. He waited for night to arrive so he could skulk away.
He spent the next several days walking down roads that cut through forests, eating berries he found growing on wild vines, and the occasional apple from trees he stumbled across along the edge of a field. All the while he hoped to find a town that was less hostile and strange than the one he had left behind.
He stopped often to admire the trees. He had never seen so many clustered together and so great in height. They were in short supply back home in the desert. What few trees they had were ragged and dry. Rarely were there ever more than two together. They stood out as oddities in the flat desert landscape. Even the surrounding mountains were barren of any significant growth of vegetation.
He traveled by day along roads and paths made of dirt and stone, occasionally checking his nav-compass to ensure he was heading west. He stopped several times to look at the tracks he saw on the ground. Wheeled vehicles did travel here, but he never once saw one or heard a motor.
At night, he would sit and lean against a tree close to the road. He was too afraid to go into the forest. The wind would blow and make the leaves on the branches rustle loudly as the trees groaned and creaked. He wasn’t used to hearing so much racket. He was accustomed to the serene desert nights.
Some nights he would wake up to the sounds of rustling along the forest floor, accompanied by a pair of glowing eyes hovering off in the distance. He would then scramble to his feet and run down the road in the faint moonlight until he collapsed from exhaustion.
But tonight he awoke and found himself surrounded by incredibly tall trees, their canopies swaying back and forth with each gust of wind. He wondered how he got this deep into the forest. He remembered hearing a howling noise that chilled him to the bone as he slept along the roadside when something dark streaked past him and barreled into the forest. A flash of light erupted seconds later, which brought the howls of the creature to an end.
That was enough to send him running down the road until it came to an end. His fear of the howling creature overw
helmed his reservations about the forest, and he leapt into it. As he crashed through the thick branches, he remembered checking his nav-compass to obtain a bearing, figuring if he ran to the west, he might reconnect with another road. His hopes were dashed when he saw the needle spinning wildly, and the display flashing random numbers. He continued running until his legs burned with pain and he collapsed from exhaustion. He crawled along the forest floor in the dark until he bumped against the trunk of a tree. He leaned his back against it while struggling to keep his eyes open in the overwhelming darkness of the forest. He eventually surrendered to fatigue and fell asleep.
All of these events led to this moment. He knew he had to leave the area and quickly. He didn’t want to try to walk out of the forest to find a road. He didn’t know what direction he entered it, and his nav-compass was still behaving strangely.
The trees groaned and creaked louder with each gust of wind. The forest was unfamiliar territory for him, and he was feeling claustrophobic. This was nothing like the wide open expanse of the desert. Then he realized there was a way out and it didn’t require waiting for daylight to arrive.
He looked up and focused on the brightest star he could find through the thick branches. With his arms outstretched, he willed himself to rise.
He felt his body become light as a feather. He rose slowly, carefully weaving his way through interlocking branches as they rustled and scraped against one another yet his eyes never wavered from the bright star he was focused on.
He broke through the leafy canopy and hovered over a forest that stretched out endlessly in all directions. The moon was beginning to rise, allowing him to see in the distance a narrow gash that snaked its way through the forest. He knew that was the road he needed to follow. He looked up at his guide star and almost fell into the forest when he saw it drift away.
He hovered until he felt confident enough to nudge himself forward. He glided over to the road and followed its course. He snuck a glance at his nav-compass to confirm he was heading west and was relieved to see it was working again.
Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter Page 3
