"Arielle."
"Bru..." I mumbled and snuggled closer to whoever was next to me. They smelled of lavender, and I couldn't help but smile at how comforting the smell was to my senses.
"Aww. She's still sleeping."
"She worried her pretty head all day and night yesterday. Magnor said she went to sleep near the morning."
"Makes sense. She really needs the rest. She can sleep a bit more. I don't think we're close yet."
It took me a few seconds to realize it was Gabriel, Noah, and Rainer speaking. I also noticed how warm the breeze was blowing against my face, making me wonder if we were moving or if it was just a windy day. Or night.
My curiosity got the better of me, and I slowly opened my eyes to Noah staring at me.
"Oh. We woke her up." Noah looked disappointed as he reached out to stroke my cheek with his hand. "Sorry about that, Arielle. Didn't mean to wake you."
"Bru?" I replied, still trying to recap what was going on and where we were.
I could tell from the close clouds passing by that we were moving, the sky beyond a multitude of pink, purple, and orange tones as the sun was setting.
"I think she slept too long?" My head turned over to see Gabriel, who was the one holding me against his body.
His dark purple to pink shoulder-length locks were blowing in the constant flow of wind as it drifted by, and the orange glow of the sunset made him look far too perfect.
My gaze wandered back to Noah, who had the sun against his back, but I could still see his handsome facial features. His dark purple to orange locks with gold highlights whipped all around him thanks to the wind. His bright amber eyes reminded me of the sunset and as they continued to linger on me, showing a level of adoration.
Glancing to my left, I saw Rainer sporting a broad smile on his face. His short, gold pixie locks only moved slightly from the wind compared to the others, but his emerald eyes practically glittered from the sun that shone halfway onto his face due to the angle in which he was sitting.
"Morning, Bru?" I mumbled, my brain still sluggish with sleep.
"Evening, Arielle," Rainer corrected. "You can go back to sleep. We're not there yet."
"Um..." I replied. "Are we flying? What time is it?"
"It's 6:45 in the evening, and yes, we're on top of Axel at the moment," Noah revealed.
"On top of Axel..." I trailed off, trying to remember what Axel was again.
Gabriel chuckled, his right hand playing with my long locks that were left down.
"Axel's a dragon familiar, remember? You were asleep when we woke up, and we didn't know when you'd wake up, so we decided to start the long journey."
"Oh, right. He's a dragon." My brain cleared enough grogginess away that I could remember Axel and the others’ familiar types.
Noah and Gabriel were phoenix hybrids; Noah was a phoenix-raven, while his younger twin brother, Gabriel, was a phoenix-dove. Rainer was a fairy familiar, Griffin was an eagle familiar, and Asher was an owl familiar.
Now that I was thinking about it, I lifted my head slightly off Gabriel's shoulder to look for where Griffin and Asher were.
"If you're looking for Griffin and Asher, they're in their familiar forms flying next to Axel to keep him company," Noah explained.
"That's nice." I noticed Magnor and Hellsin were sitting near the top. With a more concentrated glance, I made out Finn's pink hair that poked from the left side
I glanced down to look at the red scales that shifted between blue and purple depending on how the sun's rays hit them. "Axel's scales are so pretty. He's a really big dragon."
"His scales are normally red and orange during the day, and at night they shift to purple and blue. It's really mesmerizing," Rainer informed.
"Not to mention that Axel’s in his medium form," Noah added.
"Huh? Medium, Bru?!" I exclaimed.
I slowly sat up and looked around, realizing we were in the middle of his back. Turning to my right, I calculated that it would take at least ten more people before we reached the end where his long tail with dark purple and blue spikes were.
"Damn..." I commented. "Does his larger form depend on him having a Master?"
"Yes," Gabriel replied. "It's like how you can become bigger and stronger if Celestia uses her magic and orders you to."
"That's exciting. I bet Theo would be blown away." I stretched my arms out, trying to work out the stiffness. "Wait… 6:45… I slept the WHOLE DAY?!"
Noah smirked, and Rainer chuckled.
"You really needed it, Arielle," Rainer pointed out.
"You've been worrying way too much," Noah added.
"Ah… yeah, but that's not fair to you guys. You had to keep an eye on me this whole time," I mumbled, feeling a little upset at myself for sleeping for that long.
"Arielle, it's not a big deal. Watching you sleep all day is very comforting." Gabriel ran his hand through his hair to untangle his locks that were getting twisted from all the wind.
"But… you guys don't have to be here. It's my duty to find Celestia," I countered.
"It's our duty to make sure our Arielle is happy and content. That means making sure you're reunited with your Mistress," Rainer acknowledged.
"And Gabriel needs to reunite with Orion too. Don't think that you're ever a burden, Arielle." Noah's loving amber eyes stared into mine, and I heaved a sigh.
Guess he's right.
"Okay, Bru. If you guys don't mind or anything." I gave them a sheepish smile before I yawned.
"Maybe you need another nap?" Rainer suggested.
"No… I'm okay." I yawned again and the guys all smiled. I pouted my lips and shook my head. "No more sleeping. Well… maybe later."
Gabriel stood up and stretched. "I think we should reach wherever Alpha Pure is soon. The air around here is very filtered. Can sense hints of magic too."
"Do you think we're going to have to fight when we get there?" Noah asked. "They kidnap people, don't they?"
"My instincts aren't sensing any danger," Rainer said with a shrug. "I doubt Magnor would be this calm if Celestia and Orion were in trouble. Even Hellsin has been really chill the whole trip."
"That's true," Noah mused.
"Not to forget, Magnor could have just teleported Hellsin and Finn if it really was a life and death situation," Gabriel suggested.
We nodded in agreement and I smiled, remembering Magnor's words from before I'd fallen asleep. Celestia and Orion should be okay. Especially if Alpha Pure is actually good.
"Magnor mentioned the reason I can't contact Celestia was because there's a barrier," I confessed.
"That would make sense. Any secure hold would put a barrier up to ward off Forsaken," Noah replied.
"I've tried a few times to contact Orion, but it's like a buzzing noise. It's definitely an interference due to the barrier," Gabriel added.
"We'll be there soon, so we'll get to find out," Rainer noted.
We were quiet for a few minutes and then Gabriel walked over to sit next to Rainer, while I shuffled over so I sat in front of the three of them.
It didn't take long before Noah moved over so that he sat next to me and placed his hand on top of mine, while we stared at the sky that was becoming bluer.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes, Bru. Not as worried as before. I still feel a bit tired," I admitted.
"You can go back to sleep? We'll wake you up when we're closer?" he suggested.
"Hmm. I kinda wanna spend more time with you guys. Plus, the sunset is pretty."
Gabriel and Rainer smiled, shuffling so we all got a better view of the sunset.
"When we get Celestia and Orion back and we return to Aslan, do you think we're going to go back to our daily routines?" Rainer asked.
I glanced between Noah and Gabriel, who were both quiet. I decided to reply.
"Won't the others still need you guys as familiars for the remainder of the year?" I inquired.
We didn't know how the rest of the year was
supposed to go after the trials. Since Celestia and Orion had been interrupted, I didn't know if they had even passed. If they had, the curriculum would move forward, which meant the others would be returned to choose another set of students. That's what I think anyway.
"I don't think so. We're usually there to assist with the trials and maybe one or two classes for those who didn't get a chance to demonstrate their skills with their designated familiars," Gabriel explained.
"Bruu," I hummed. "Well… whatever happens, maybe we can take a break or something together?! I mean, we'd still have to see what happens when we reunite with Celestia and Orion and return to Aslan, but we could take a little time off?"
"That would be really awesome!" Noah beamed, looking excited.
"I think we do deserve a bit of a break." Gabriel nodded.
"As long as Arielle is there, I'm down." Rainer grinned.
I blushed and watched Noah smirk. "I get another date with Arielle beforehand."
"Um, what?" Rainer gave Noah the side eye. "You had a date with her. Don't be selfish. We're going in order. You have to wait for the rest of us to get our chance before you get another date."
"Don't even bother explaining. Knowing Noah, somehow he's going to find a way to get alone time with Arielle," Gabriel replied, seeming unconcerned.
"No, that's something YOU would do. You'd be sneaky about it too!" Noah argued.
Gabriel grinned, looking unapologetic. "You're not wrong."
"Definitely the evil twin," Noah mumbled.
"The cooler, younger brother who looks older and wiser," Gabriel corrected.
"Ugh," Noah grumbled, and Rainer laughed.
"You two are too much. Make sure you remember I'm third, Arielle." Rainer winked.
"I remember your order." I giggled and shook my head at their banter. "Guess I should start working on that, huh?"
"If we do get a bit of time off, it would be a nice plan for our break. A trip together before individual dates?" Rainer suggested.
"That sounds fun," Noah and Gabriel said in unison.
"When you two talk at the same time, it's scary," Rainer mumbled.
"I know. Thinking alike with Noah is dangerous." Gabriel shrugged.
Noah groaned. "You're lucky Arielle’s between us or I'd punch you."
"Abusing your younger brother is bad siblinghood," Gabriel replied.
"I'm so telling Mom you're acting up."
"I'm telling Dads that you're being immature and leading your poor younger brother astray," Gabriel argued.
"This is so depressing to listen to." Rainer sighed dramatically. "Arielle, come over here and leave those two to their sibling rivalry. I'll watch the rest of the sunset with you in my loving arms."
"Fuck off, Rainer," Gabriel and Noah said together.
I laughed at their bickering and yawned. "I think it will be great if we enjoyed lots of time together! I'll have to clear it with Celestia and make sure she doesn't mind, but if she's fine with it, I'd love to join."
"Deal!" Gabriel and Noah replied.
"Fine with me. I'm sure Axel, Asher, and Griffin would agree." Rainer lay back as he replied. "In the meantime, let's enjoy the rest of the sunset and stargaze."
"You're not hungry, right Arielle?" Gabriel asked, and I watched him lie back.
"No. I should be good for a while." I wasn’t feeling the need to eat anything yet.
"I think we can all last until we get to our destination. Axel may be famished though," Noah mentioned.
"Hellsin reserved some of the smoked meat he'd made us for dinner for Axel. We'll be good," Rainer replied.
"Perfect. Guess we can just relax now." I let out a relieved sigh.
Rainer and Gabriel had smiles on their faces, while their eyes focused on the sky above.
Noah and I looked out to see the sunset, wanting to watch the last remnants of its warm rays disappear before we lay back as well.
Noah picked my right hand up and held it in his left hand, which made me glance over to look at him.
"I'm glad you guys came with me," I admitted quietly.
Noah smiled and leaned over to press a soft kiss to my lips. "We'd have it no other way."
With a loving grin, I leaned in and kissed him as the sun finally set.
To be loved is a great feeling.
"Hmmm. I don't think Axel can fit," I announced, allowing my flaming wings to keep me afloat as I stared at Axel.
"Grrr," Axel growled quietly, moving his head slightly to poke at my side with his nose.
"Hey. It's not my fault you can't fit."
He blew out a stream of warm smoke that hit me in the face.
I raised an eyebrow at him, and he made a sound that made me think he was laughing at me.
"So mean, Bru." I huffed and crossed my arms. I could see the happiness in his eyes, which diffused my anger. At least he's happy.
My gaze moved up to his head, noticing a sleeping Asher and Griffin in their human forms.
Griffin’s long red hair with gold locks covered the majority of his face as he slept on his right side. Asher was sleeping on his back, and his silver locks with blue highlights were spread across Axel's red and orange scales as he slept the day away.
We'd arrived at the entrance of what we believed was Alpha Pure, but from the looks of it, we'd have to leave Axel, Griffin, and Asher behind.
Axel didn't want to shift back since it would wake his friends, and as fine as it was to wake Griffin up, Asher would be a deadly game of Who Wants To Die.
From all the previous comments on Asher's sleeping behavior, I gathered it was practically lethal to wake him up when he was in a deep sleep. Even naps were far too dangerous to attempt.
A hand slipped into mine, and I glanced to my right to see Gabriel. My gaze shifted over to his large pink and white flaming wings.
"Wow..." I trailed off as I continued to stare at them. Gabriel seemed pleased at my transfixed state, and he moved over to float in front of me.
"You can stare at my wings all you want on our way to see your Mistress," Gabriel reminded.
"Right, Bru!" I replied, tugging my eyes away from his wings and staring into his pink eyes which wasn't helping me focus more.
Gabriel noticed and chuckled. "Focus, Arielle." He reached out to stroke my head soothingly.
"My bad." I giggled nervously.
A gust of warm steam hit the both of us and we turned to Axel who returned to his quiet chuckle fit.
"He's having fun." Gabriel sighed but was smiling from ear to ear. "Axel's easily amused when he's a dragon."
"He does that often?" I asked.
"All the time. Noah hates it. That's why he's all the way over there with Rainer." Gabriel pointed to our left and I could see Noah and Rainer sitting on the ground cross-legged.
Noah must have sensed his twin's gaze because he turned to look up in our direction and waved. I waved back, and Rainer lifted his head and gave us a small wave.
"They'll stay behind and make sure Axel doesn't burn anything."
Axel huffed another cloud of smoke at us before he slowly lowered his head to the ground. After curling into his large frame and slightly adjusting his head while making sure Asher and Griffin remained in place, Axel closed his eyes.
"Is he going to sleep? And why would he burn something?" I asked.
"He's allergic to certain bushes and leaves which make him sneeze and that leads to fire coming out of his nose." Gabriel winked, and I blushed.
"I'm not allergic to anything."
"I never said that." Gabriel chuckled, and I casually punched his arm. We slowly lowered to the ground, the soft grass cushioning our landing.
"You ready?" Gabriel asked. "I can sense they're close up ahead."
"Yes… I'm happy the journey wasn't as long as I expected and there were no issues," I noted.
"Let's hope it stays that way. Magnor, Hellsin, and Finn are waiting." Gabriel squeezed my hand that was still in his and we began to make our way to where
they were standing.
Finn smiled at us as he ruffled his short pink locks. "You two ready? We'll be slightly behind since we're walking. You two are flying, right?"
"Yes, Bru!" I replied, flapping my flaming wings that continued to burn from my back. Being in half form was a bit more work, but the necklaces Faelia had made for us to remain human helped ease the magic burden of half shifting.
"We'll warn you if we see anything dangerous," Gabriel assured the others.
Magnor nodded and Hellsin smiled.
"Let's get going? The sooner we reach the gate, the faster we can come back and pick these guys up," Hellsin encouraged.
"Okay," Gabriel and I said together. I took a glance at Magnor who gave me a warm smile and nodded his head encouragingly.
I smiled at in return and looked to Gabriel who squeezed my hand.
"Let's go?"
"Bru-Ree!" I replied with excitement that made him chuckle. We pushed off the ground in unison and began to make our way forward.
It would take us a few minutes before we passed through the barrier, but Magnor had placed a spell on each of us and that was one of the reasons we had to wait.
With the spell initiated, we'd be able to fly right through the barrier. I didn't know if it was as visible as the one at Aslan, but Magnor had assured us that if we passed it, we'd be able to contact Celestia and Orion immediately.
We silently continued to fly forward, and I noticed Gabriel's eyes were on me.
"What, Bru?" I replied.
"Nothing. Just appreciating your beauty."
"Such a sweet talker," I mumbled as I blushed.
"I speak the truth, so technically that isn't sweet talking," he argued with a grin.
"Are you excited to see Orion again?" I asked.
"To be honest, yes. It's a bit weird because I don't want to get my hopes up," Gabriel admitted.
"You guys really like Celestia's lovers as Masters," I concluded.
Even though they hadn't said much, I could tell the difference in them the few times we'd gotten the chance to hang with the others in familiar class before the crazy trials got more intense.
When I thought about it, I could see their side. Most of them had been there for two years and had yet to get a Master to bond with them. It would be disappointing to have hope with each semester that you'd get a chance at finding a Master, only to be left behind once more and start from the beginning with the next set of students that would need a temporary familiar.
Arielle Rainbow (Familiar Blessed Chronicles Book 2) Page 2
