| My goodness, Clara thought, feeling a little ashamed. All this for having to take off my clothing. She struggled to regain her composure. "Well, now," she began, struggling not to look down, "that wasn't so bad, was it?" Salem looked at himself as Clara handed Tiaro his clothing. Kat even covered her mouth to hide a slight smirk. "No, I suppose not, Clara," he said, smiling. "Thank you for your favor." "We will have all your clothes promptly devoid of any stains," Mithea said. "Let it be known now that all three of you are beautiful, naked beings. Come with us; you can stay with us for as long as you like." "You should also take a moment to rinse off your wounds," Tiaro suggested. "Once you've done that, we will treat the injuries." For a few minutes, Kat, Clara, and Salem sat in the pond, scrubbing the blood and dirt off of their bodies. Eventually, Clara's prolonged nakedness would become disinteresting to Salem; thus, he felt unstimulated. Tiaro and Mithea brought Kat, Clara, and Salem, now freshly bathed, to the settlement of nudists, while the rest of the party followed closely behind them. The little village was full of people who watched intently as the travelers were escorted into the village. All around them stood more men, women, and children, waiting to serve them. "Where are we going?" Clara asked. "We're going to feed you and heal you all," Tiaro said. "We'd also like to know where you've been," Mithea added. "Surely there's an explanation for all the blood on your clothes." Kat, Clara, and Salem enjoyed a meal with Tiaro and Mithea while some of the other villagers cleansed and repaired their clothing. They sat crossed-legged in a circle together, eating off of wooden dishes on a slab of stone. "So please tell us what happened just before we found you," Tiaro said. "We were traveling into a cave in the mountain, the Peak of Mir'Adash," Kat began. "We were confronted by hundreds of little monkey-like monsters with no discernible features; they chased us through a corridor and were all crushed to death by the converging walls that we narrowly escaped." "What in the world were you doing in such a place?" Mithea wondered. "Maybe we should start at the beginning," Clara suggested. "My name is Clara, and this is Kat and Salem. Kat and I are lifelong friends; we once lived together in the city of Lamuth on the Plains of Clay. That was until only days ago, when a divine wind came and swept away our whole village, sparing no one and nothing except the two of us. We met Salem only a day or so ago, along with his parents, whom we met by means of a clergyman. Kat, Salem, and I are all followers of S'Allumer, and we have been chosen by S'Allumer, as the survivors of his killing winds, to restore beauty, grace, and harmony to this universe." "Astonishing," Tiaro said. "Of course, it is natural for things to run towards chaos," Kat said. "There is, however, hope that, with what mortal strength we possess, we can yet return the state of the world to one of a utopia before the planet is irreparably scarred." "We've just survived a tumble down a long river in the mountain," Clara continued, "and it spit us into that pool you found us in. Thank goodness we lived!" "Well, we might have something that can help you," Mithea said, "on this dangerous journey you have decided to undertake. Let us bring you to the cliffs." "What cliffs?" Clara asked. Tiaro and Mithea brought Kat, Clara, and Salem outside the village to one of the cliffs of the mountain. There rested a large vehicle, a crude flying machine with great canvas wings that spanned a distance of at least 40 feet. The reinforcements for the wings, as well as the frame, were all made of wood. In all, it seemed like the flying machine was essentially a frame of wings suspended above a boat-shaped "basket" of wood that would accomodate a few passengers. "What is this?" Kat asked. "This is our flying machine," Mithea said. "It has been used here for ages; we have used it for such things as flying to the next cliff to gather fruit from the trees, or to rescue fallen warriors from difficult locations." Clara looked closely at the wings. "Wait a minute," she said. "How do you power this machine? I don't see any way that this could fly." Indeed, there was no mechanism for flight. "It's powered by the mind, not by any engine," Tiaro said. "When you want to fly it, you must first rest your head on each wing, one at a time. You will feel a magic pulse rush to your brain; that is the signal that the wings have been imbued with your thoughts and senses. Once that is done, you simply get into the basket. The airship will lift off the ground and take you where you want to be. If you change your mind, it will redirect itself." "If we first imbue it," Kat began, "are we certain that it will not immediately take off without us?" "You can be certain," Mithea said. "If no one or nothing is inside the basket, it will not fly. It is our most powerful relic; we hope it will aid you in our quest." "We hope it will," Clara said. "Then it's settled," Tiaro said. "In the morning, you will be off. We will have your clothing ready promptly." Kat, Clara, and Salem were escorted back to their quarters for the evening. In the morning, they would start a new chapter of their adventure, only this time from the air. Back to Stories Back to "TAOK&C" Back to Home |