another eternity

AMALIA

Leaving along the flower-strewn path, the girl is still awash in wonder, adrenaline and exhaustion setting her nerves into a wired, vibratory state. She could fly back to the sky, touch clouds, she thinks- or she could fall into the sleep of the dead. Her bare toes are cold on the evening grass despite the summer warmth, and she wraps her arms around herself to keep warm, pulling her dark blue tunic tighter against her skin. Jyoti spins and trills around her, swimming merrily on currents of air, but Amalia is quiet, thoughtful, musing, thoroughly exhausted and utterly bemused.

As soon as the tulmhainar freed her from his mind, Amalia's thoughts returned to her friends. The night has waned in the girl's absence, and the moon now hangs low in the sky, mysterious and distant as it stares down on the woods. Somewhere, Kiada and Adam wait, still unaware of their future fate. She had not meant to leave for so long, to abandon them to wonder; but she has not found a way to free them, either, has failed in her attempts to reason with the fae.

Returning to the edge of the pit, Amalia lets out a large, loud yawn. Feathers have sprouted around her shoulders, flecks of white within her hair. She looks around briefly for Delah, hoping to once again entreat that her friends be freed before descending back down underground. Kneeling, Amalia turns owl eyes to the bottom, calling down in a carrying voice to the ones below.

"Kiada? Adam? Are you okay?" Beside her, Jyoti's sparkling nose peers into the hole in the ground, great eye spinning to investigate the bottom without quite flying over the lip.

You are flesh and blood
And you deserve to be loved
and you deserve what you are given
And oh, how much