NOTM Bounty 15 - The Floating Island

Before I ever opened my eyes, I knew I wasn’t where I had fallen asleep. Instead of my own, very comfortable bed, I was laying on the hard and dusty ground. There was a cool wind blowing wisps of hair into my face as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The breeze cut through my thin shirt and I had to hug my arms to my chest, moving only to rub my toes to keep them from going numb. Standing up, rocks beneath my sock-clad feet made me wince. All around, glassless windows filled three of the four walls around me, letting in strong sunlight. Ahead was a huge doorway, at least twice as tall as me. Stepping carefully around sharp bits of stone, I headed for the door, taking hold of the freezing handle and twisting it. Pushing the door open took a great deal of shoving, to the point where I had to brace myself – hard to do in a pair of socks on a dusty floor – and shoulder the doorway just open enough that I could slip through the door.
As soon as I stepped outside, my stomach dropped to my feet and I crumpled in a heap. Stretching as far as the eye could see around me where hundreds of islands, hanging suspended in the air, some with trees, others with lakes, and some devoid of anything but grass. Farther away were islands like the one I was on, with ancient and ruined structures, framed with long overgrown bushes to the point where the bushes draped off the islands.
Without getting up, I inched to the edge of my island and nervously looked over the edge, letting out a little cry. There was ground beneath my island, but it was easily two miles below, mountains jutting up like spires.
Falling back, I crawled to the building, feeling safer beside it than pretty much anywhere else on the floating island. Drawing my legs up, I leaned against the building and closed my eyes. The cold wind made me shiver as I tried to pinch myself awake. This place was not where I had gone to sleep and I wanted to wake up – now! I sat still against the building, shaking with cold and a building fear whenever I looked up and saw I was still surrounded by empty air and floating islands.
Sometime later, the sun began to set and the air grew cooler. I considered going back inside the building and finding the warmest corner to get some sleep when the sound of heavy wingbeats met my ears. At first, I didn’t pay it any mind. Then, the sound got even closer and it sounded even bigger than I had imagined. I got to my knees and looked around, following the sound with my ears. It sounded…below me?
With a grimace, I inched back to the edge of my island. I tried to lean far enough forward without feeling as if I might simply fall over the side. Finally looking over the edge, I saw the same mountains far below, clouds starting to roll in. It was an odd feeling, to be above the clouds but the way the setting sunlight played off the tops of the clouds.
With a rush of air, something pale flew up from beneath my island, making me scream and jerk back. Above me was some creature, a beautiful cream colored creature that reminded me of a griffin but with the head of an eagle and four wings, each pair partially overlapping the other. The creature twisted in the air, plunging down to land easily in front of me. It landed almost without a noise, looking at me with the eyes of a predator.
Then a figure slipped down from the great beasts’ back, walking up to me. The young woman, it turned out, looked at me in confusion. She studied me with dark eyes for a long time before finally speaking. “How did you get up here?”
I gaped at her, my mouth opening and closing in silence. “What?”
“How did you get up here? You need a tahzak or some such winged creature to get here. And, on that note, why are you here? This is sacred land.” She spoke so quickly I could only stare. “Are you slow or something? And what in the name of the gods are you wearing?”
“I have no idea where I am.” I began defensively, stumbling to my feet. At her second comment, I looked down at myself. I was filthy and wearing only a pair of socks, shorts, and an oversized shirt. The girl looked far warmer in her thick boots, leather pants, and a huge poncho-looking top made of some thick wool like material.
“Alright, but how did you get up here?”
“I don’t know!” I screamed, the creature behind the girl jumping slightly. “I don’t know where I am. I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know what that thing is!” I motioned to the winged beast.
The girl’s eyebrows furrowed and she reached hand back to pat the beast’s nose. “She is not a thing, and her name is Shasta. Now, tell me what you’re doing on our sacred land before I get Shasta to fly you down and we can have this discussion with Razha.”
“Look, I would really appreciate it if you could get me off this island. Maybe then we could figure out how I got here.” I suggested.
The girl began to smirk. “The only way down is by Shasta.”
I looked to the beast and blanched. “Can you promise I’ll make it to the ground alive?” I asked.
The girl went back to Shasta’s side and hopped deftly into a saddle I hadn’t noticed before, as if she’d done it all her life. “Of course! But I can’t promise you won’t become addicted to the feeling.”
“What feeling?” I asked, moving closer to the girl while also trying to not get too close to Shasta.
“Flying.” The girl held out her hand with a huge grin on her face. I looked at her hand, then at her, and tried to figure out if this was really any sort of a good idea. Finally, though, I realized I had no other choice.
Taking the girl’s hand, I closed my eyes and pretended I was back with my ex-boyfriend Matt when he took me horseback riding for the first time. The girl pulled me up in front of her, like Matt had, and eased me down. Then, wrapping her arms around me, she gave a command to the creature and we lifted off.
It was as iff I’d jumped onto a rollercoaster in the middle of its run – my stomach tightened and I had to keep my eyes closed, clutching so tightly to the girl’s arm I was sure I left marks. I screamed when the creature lifted off the ground and plunged over the side of my little island, and floating island that suddenly seemed so safe and stable. The world pitched and I let out a terrified squeak of noise, my stomach so tight and high in my chest it felt as if I might throw it up with just the right jostle.
The ride was blissfully short and, when we finally landed, I collapsed to the ground, my legs refusing to support any weight whatsoever. I knelt there for a long while, the girl studying me silently. Finally, I looked up at her, practically green in the face. “Don’t ever make me do that again, please.”