Everan's body tightened around mineandAdhara as the wind whipped into our faces. Danutians waved and shouted at their goddess, rushing to line the cliff and the circling courtyards of the castle as we flew by. King Dranalt lifted a hand to us in gratitude and our Southern knights lifted their fists in salute, but I wasn't about to release either of my hands to wave back.
Adhara turned toward the Southern Kingdom and flapped her massive wings mightily. We soared toward home and the Heart of Air, the Kingdom of the West passing beneath us. All looked calm from up there, even the wind was warmer now, but I knew it wouldn't last. Soon enough, the magical cycle would pull more of that asha-shield into the Western Kingdom. Then the storm would start again.
I had to make sure that the asha it pulled on didn't create chaos.
The Caironn Mountains came into view and instead of heading down toward Sylene, Adhara veered up toward the peaks. The air grew thinner and cooler but not cold enough for snow; these mountains weren't as tall as the Vicanesse Range. We flew past waterfalls and plant life that clung to crevices, but mostly, it was barren rock up there. Adhara flew to the highest peak and landed. Unlike the others, this peak was topped by a plateau, and on that plateau stood a large gathering of transparent people. All of them knelt as Everan and I slid off of Adhara's back.
The Sylphs looked like Sidhe except that their bodies were clear. Beneath their transparent skin, something similar to clouds billowed. But then they got to their feet and stepped forward and as they did, color flowed over their bodies and settled into opaqueness. By the time they reached us, they looked like normal Sidhe.
“Great Adhara, we have heard your cry,” one of the men exclaimed. “What is your bidding?”
“Tell them what you need,” Adhara said to me.
“I thought they could understand you?” I countered.
“They can't hear my words as you can, they can only sense my meaning. Being specific can get difficult.”
“Like the Bargests with Kolltean?”
“Yes. All of the other races can hear their gods in this manner,” she confirmed. “The Sidhe once heard us as well but they lost that ability when they gave up most of their magic.”
“We will always be grateful to the Sidhe for their sacrifice,” the Sylph man said, proving that he could sense Adhara's meaning fairly well. “She wants us to help you, Your Majesty. What is it you require?”
“I need your asha, just a little of it. You will be able to regenerate it, but there is a small risk that the magic inside your asha could be taken as well,” I said. “Someone has stolen asha from the Heart of Air. It has shielded itself to stop the magical cycle but that shield is of the wrong nature and has already caused an imbalance in the Air magic. I need to adjust its colors to create a more stable barrier. I don't think I'll be strong enough to do this without help. I'll need your asha to sustain me but, as I said, there is a slight chance that the heart might take your asha and its magic through me. If it does, you may never get that magic back. It's unlikely but I want you to know the risks before you—”
“We would do much to save our realm,” the man cut me off. “The Sidhe created it for us and now, it is our turn to sacrifice something for the realm. We are more than willing to do so. Take what you need, Your Majesty. If the Heart of Air takes our magic, so be it.”
“Thank you,” I said in relief. “It shouldn't be too much.” Then I turned to Adhara. “Where is the heart?”
“Follow the stairs.” She waved a wing forward.
As Adhara motioned, a rectangle section of the plateau crumbled inward. A passage opened beneath it, with stone steps leading down into the mountain.
“The Heart of Air is in a mountain?” I asked in surprise.
“As if we'd just leave it sitting on a mountain top,” Adhara huffed.
“Very well. Into the mountain it is.” I headed for the stairs and Everan fell into step beside me.
“You assured me that you wouldn't be in danger,” Everan muttered beneath his breath. “But now you warn the Sylphs.”
“I'm in a very small amount of danger,” I whispered back.
Everan glowered at me.
The Sylphs glided down after us, their footsteps absolutely silent. As we descended, we left the light behind and shadows enveloped us. Everan lifted a hand—to do what, I'm uncertain because I stopped him.
“Wait. Look,” I said and pointed at a faint glow a few steps down.
We followed the glow and it brightened with every step we took until we entered a chamber. This cavern was about the same size as the one that housed the Heart of Fire and looked very similar, with the same glossy walls that reflected the citrine glow of the orb that hovered in its center. The reflection didn't pick up the neon/pineapple shade of the asha-shell—that could only be seen by Everan and me—but instead showed the true color of the heart.
There was one difference between the two chambers, though. Beneath this orb, the mouth of a shaft yawned wide. I assumed that the columns of the heart—the vein and artery, if you will—normally extended down that shaft. But there were no columns there now, not even a thin trickle of asha. The heart's barrier had drawn back into itself now that I'd calmed the storm and was holding firm for the moment. I stepped up to the edge and looked down into the shaft—and down and down until my eyesight failed me. And my eyesight is impeccable.
“Perhaps it would be best if you stayed away from the edge, Shalani,” Everan suggested as he eased me back.
“You're probably right, darling,” I said nervously. Then to the Sylphs, I said, “You'll feel me pulling on your ashas. Try not to resist but if you start to feel weak, step back and allow someone else to take your place.”
“Understood,” their spokesman answered for them.
