Others were riding..... were riding what appeared to be giant lions, and, unless I was hallucinating again, they were acutally on fire!
Thier fur glowed golden while their manes and tail ends seemed to be ever burning tongues of crimson flames. They were all clad in scary dark red armour. I had a feeling that was the only way they could be ridden.
The endless stone stair way led as to the crest of the mountain, which was crowned by a giant circular stone pavillion, in many ways it resembled the open air pavilions we studied in history class. Only it was a circular.
Two men sat together on a bench eating buffulo wings and watching the summer Olympics final on tv. Except there wasnt a screen. A strange metal box sat several meters away form them and projected a giant holographic 200 square inch display.
I thought I'd find the girl I had faintly heard in my sleep here, but to my disappointment she wasn't around.
The man facing me was small, and boy was he ugly!
He had a big bulbous red nose, small mishapen eyes, and patches of lack hair stuch to hisbhead at random places. He looked overweight, yet he was frighteningly pale with large green veins bulging under his skin.
He looked like a science experiment gone very wrong.
Like one of the seven dwarves turned depressed and middle aged.
'That's Lord Pisces,' Vere cautioned. 'He's the Protector of the Godfall isles. Dont make him mad. And you already know Master Acacius…'
He pointed at the gestured at the guy sitting on the left side of the bench.
I hadn't seen him at first due to how disturbingly ugly Lord Pisces was. Then I
recognized the scruffy beard, the dark brown complexion, and the lingering scent of brownies.
'Mr Kamau!' I cried.
My art and teacher gave me his signature warm smile. His warm brown eyes were still as kind as ever, and his on his eyebrows sat the same endless patience I was used to.
'Youve woken, wonderful,' he said. 'Come watch the game with us.'
He invited me to take the seat between him and Lord Pisces, who looked at me like he was a cranky old man, and I was kid playing on his porch.
I could have sworn I heard him murmur. 'Damn Burrunjor, you had one job. Just the one.'
'Umm, thanks.' I scooted a little further away form what was likely to be a bitter, psychotic, dwarf.
'Esme?' Mr Kamau called.
Then the impossible happened. The surroundings visibly darkened and the air shimmered.
'CAW'
A murder of crows flew directly into the pavilion and condensed in into a person.
She took a few steps forward and Mr Kamau introduced us. 'This young lady nursed you back to health, Abel.
Esme, my dear, do you mind checking up on Abel's home? Perhaps the dwarves have completed it's construction.'
Esme replied softly, 'Of course.'
From the looks of it, she was probably way older than me, nineteen, maybe twenty.
I hadn't reacted to her presence yet. I was too frozen in shock.
The magic trick with the crows was weird enough, but what truly stunned me was how she looked.
She was statuesque and had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the 'wickedsexy illustrated swimsuit magazine, she had the kind of perfection you saw only in comic book heroines.
But that was not the reason why I couldnt look away. The features of her face... just didn't exist in real life. They were smooth, perfect, and irresistible — especially her dark eyes.
If there was one imperfection she had, it would be that she was perhaps a little too pale, as pale as chalk.
But even that seemed to provide a beautiful contrast with her dark hair.
She glanced Mr kamau briefly, then back at me. Imagined she she would say something like: 'I'm happy you're back on your feet. I'm Esme, I look forward to getting to know you.
Instead she said: 'You're cute.'
Then she ran her fingers along my chin and dispersed back into a murder of crows, leaving behind a scent just as memorable as she was.
'So,' Mr Kamau said, anxious to change the subject. 'You have been through a great deal, and you must have several questions.'
For one thing, my name is not Mr Kamau,' he said. 'You may call me Acacius.'
'Okay.' I tried to sound casual, I looked at the mishapen dwarf. 'And you are Lord Pisces right?'
Pisces put down the piece of chicken he was tearing through. He looked at me like he was upset I was still around. 'Yes young man, it's definitely not nice to meet you! And if you dont mind, I was watching a game!?'
'Oh. Right. Sorry.'
'I must say, Abel,' Acacius broke in..and thank God for that, 'I'm gratified that you lived. All those months watching over you at Vida, It would have been a shame if you didnt make it.'
'About that, you came to Vida hust for me?'
'Yes my entire purpose there was to observe and protect you, to bring you here when you were ready.
We have wind sprites keeping a lookout, mostly. But Vere sensed that you were special the instant he found you, so I decided to come see gor myself.
It was easy to manipulate the mortals into offering me a job as your Art history teacher.'
Surprisingly once he spoke true about what happened, I could feel my memories shift in a weird way.
It was like a fog finally being lifted, and I remebered that there was another Art a d history teacher that had suddebly left the school for unknown reasons during the beginning of the school year.
Then, 'Mr Kamau' had suddenly taken the class. 'Honestly even though I stayed, I was skeptical about Veres report. We tried to convince your mother to let us take you, but she wouldnt budge.
We could have forced the issue but you were still so young. You would benefit by having a few years to yourself away from all the danger.
But I was wrong, and that was a grave mistake, nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the hardest part.'
'Vere,' Lord Pisces said with annoyance, 'If your just going to stand there looking stupid, then get me another bucket of buffulo wings?'
'Yes, sir!' Vere shouted a little awkwardly, then trembled as he immediately started running down the stairs.
I found it weird that he was so afraid of this annoying little man.
'You do follow the Olympics, right?' Lord Pisces asked.
'No, I do not,' I answered honestly said.
'Bah,' he waved his hands irritably, 'Of course you dont. With your generation its all about tictok and twerking. I swear its like you humans get dumber with every century.'
'Im certain the boy just hasn't had a chance to enjoy the games,' Acacius ameneded.
'Can we please go back to what we were talking about,' I said while massaging my forehead, 'What is this place? Why was I brought here?
Mr Kamau—Acacius, why would you travel to Vida just for me?'
Piscses the dwarf (ps. There is no way I'm calling him lord Pisces) snorted. 'You see, even the boy agrees with me.'
Then he turned back to the holographic display, yelling impatiently at one of the discuss throwers.
Mr Kamau smiled kindly at me, the same way he did when I got a failing grade in his class, like he knew just how much I stuggled and he was glad I put in the effort.
'Abel,' he said. 'Did your mother tell you anything?'
'She said…' I remembered the pain with which she spoke that night. 'She told me that she was warned that I wouldn't be safe anywhere else, but she couldnt bear to let go of me. She was afraid that my coming here would mean our parting ways forever.'
'Terrible decison to make,'Pisces said. 'Always ends in trouble.
ARE YOU F*CKING BLIND!!!
HOW COULD YOU MISS THAT?'
I nearly jumped, then I realised he had gone back to screaming at the athletes on the screen.
'There is indeed much to discuss,' Acacius said. 'But at least now we have a little time.'
'Well then lets start with what you do know,' Acacius decided. 'Well, Abel. You now know the legends I taught you in class are not merely lengends. You know your friend Vere is a wind sprite.
You know – he said with some amazement – 'that you have killed a Burrunjor. An unprecedented achivement.
But what you do not know, is that existence as we know it is sustained and protected by ancient immortals. Celestials – they were once worshipped by your ancestors as gods – and balance the forces of nature even now.'
I waited for the punch line. It never came. All I got was Pisces yelling, 'You f*cking nincompoop! All you had to do was jump!'
'Lord Pices,' Vere had come back with a bucket of buffulo wings, 'I got your wings.'
'Eh? Oh, it seems you are good for something after all Lad.'
Vere bit his lips like he was going to cry while he handed over the wings.
'Pause,' I told Acacius. 'You're telling me that gods exist!?'
'Well, not exactly,' Acacius said. 'They are not divine, nor should they be worshipped. They are like you and I. They live, they think, they feel, only they have been tasked with an eternal mission and hold unimaginable cosmic powers.'
'And they exist?'
'Yes they are quite real. The same ones we discussed in history class.'