It was. Someone had just collapsed at the edge of the valley of thorns. The amount of luck for not just Bremira to see something, someone that might prove that the Airborn might not be alone and for this person to be seen near death; collapsed in defeat was astounding.
A few seconds of being in absolute shock went by before it hit Bremira that maybe she should be helping whoever they were instead of staring at them through a telescope. In a flash, Bremira jumped off her roof, her wings jutting open as she glided down to the front door of her house and flying in as quickly as possible. Samuel was waiting for her at the front door with a slightly worried and frustrated look on his face.
"Where were you?" Samuel asked furrowing his brow.
"I was on the roof and you won't believe-"Bremira started excitedly, eyes wide. Samuel cut her off.
"Before you go any further I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have said that. I was just so frustrated with how easy you made it seem. You can ask people out easily but I get really anxious about stuff you know? I just-"
Bremira shouted cutting him short "Someones dying!!"
"Oh my god, what!?" Samuel shouted, jumping at the news.
"Where!?"
"Follow me!"
Bremira flew back out and up to her telescope, Samuel followed close behind.
"Bremira, what the fuck is happening exactly? Why are we up here?"
"There!" Bremira pointed motioning Samuel to look through the telescope.
He anxiously walked to the telescope and looked at the area she was pointing at. Samuel saw the body on the ground slowly being coated with sand by the evening breeze.
"Holy shit that's a person!"
"I know right!?" Bremira shouted
"Do... Do you think they are one of us?
Bremira replied, "Let's find out."
The two began flying in the direction of where they saw the person. Worry was slowly building up in the pit of Bremiras stomach. Would they be alright by the time they reached them? Who were they? What were they doing beyond the land of thorns? Could they be dangerous? Bremira made a note that she'd send Samuel back if things started looking like a trap.
She looked over at Samuel who was flying in silence next to her probably having the same thoughts.
"I... I wanted to apologize too."
Samuel snapped out of his thoughts.
"Why? I was the one who wasn't thinking about your reasons. I just went off without thinking like I always do."
Bremira shook her head. "I was the one doing that. I assumed it should be as easy for everyone as it is for me, I shouldn't have thought of it like that. I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did, the day got to me down so much, I just felt bitter. The festival and all the work. And sometimes seeing families that are happy and fine just... Get to me."
Samuel nodded. "They get to me every day."
He looked back up at Bremira. "But then I remember that we're a family and I don't feel as bad anymore."
Bremira beamed "You're right, we're the coolest family. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken out my frustration on you."
"It's okay, are we cool now?" Samuel asked lifting his fist up.
"We're always cool" Bremira fist-bumped him. The two smiled.
They reached the edge of the land of thorns. Bremiras breath hitched.
The grave of my parents. Her mind began racing and the anxiety heightened within her.
The thorns were giant, they grew jaggedly out towards the sky like agonized souls. Black, sharp spikes shot out in every direction. Nothing could live in there the only thing that its painful embrace promised was death.
It sent a chill up her spine. Samuel looked over at Bremira.
"Are you going to be fine with this?"
Samuel knew why she looked sick, she had told him everything including where her parents had died. He knew this had to be hard for her.
Bremira took a deep breath. "Nope, but we don't really have a choice."
She began flying again. Samuel looked on worriedly before following after. Bremira tried to look ahead and avoid looking down. As if when she'd look down she'd see the corpses of her parents rotting away.
"Your shaking," Samuel said.
Bremira looked at her hands, she indeed was shaking. She hadn't even noticed when she started.
"I guess I am."
Samuel thought about how to make this better for her.
"We're almost there. How are we going to get them back?" Samuel opted to make a distraction.
Bremira up until now hadn't put any thought into that. "Um... We'd have to carry them back."
"Here's to hoping they aren't heavy" Samuel tried to joke, but the realization that they did have to carry them back began to worry him.
The two finally flew out of the thorns and Bremira breathed out as if she had been holding her breath the whole time. The light was dissipated into the night but there was still just enough to see the figure covered in sand feet below them.
"There!" Samuel pointed.
His wings stopped moving as he dropped straight down, the wind pushed against his hair and feathers as the ground rushed towards him. Just as he was about to hit the ground he opened his wings lightening his impact and sending sand scattering around him.
Bremira who had been taking her time to recover a bit circled the two gliding down until she softly reached the ground. She looked at Samuel and they trekked over to the body. Bremira knelt down and began to brush the sand off the body. Samuel did the same.
The clothes the stranger was wearing were tattered and ripped. It was hard to tell if the clothes were naturally brown or if it was just that dirty. A strong odor rose off of them.
"Whoever it is fucking stinks," Samuel said grimacing from the smell.
Bremira rolled her eyes. The person's face was covered b a hood and scarf, slowly she removed the scarf, she could already tell that this person was very hurt. Their golden skin was etched with small cuts and their skin was peeling from being in the sun for far too long. Then she pulled back their hood.
"It's a man"
Samuel looked over. "Fantastic, a full grown man, he'll be super easy to carry!"
"Gonna have to suck it up Samuel, he needs our help."
Samuel groaned.
Bremira put a hand over the man's mouth. He was still breathing but it was labored, she felt his forehead, it was burning up.
"Alright, we need to go now and get him back to the shop. He has a fever. Grab his legs and I'll grab his front and wings-"
Bremira stoped. She had been lifting him to carefully handle his wings but there were none. She almost dropped him from the shock.
"What?" Samuel asked.
"He... He doesn't have any wings."
Samuel dropped his legs and rushed over to where bremira was. He patted his back and there was no sign of any.
"What the fuck, is it a deformity?"
Bremira slowly walked over to the man's side where his bag was and opened it. She felt jars and strange unknown food and then touched the edge of a book. Her fingers wrapped around the spine of it as she pulled it out of the bag. It was smooth and leathery. She flipped it open to find a whole other language than her own.
"Advich." She breathed.
"He's a human."
"Bullshit" Samuel Laughed. "Those are legends. He's probably just a deformed Airborn and is into weird human myths like you."
"If he can't fly, then how did he get out here, to begin with? He has to be from somewhere in the desert, he couldn't have gotten out here." Bremira retorted.
"OR he was tossed out. He could be an exiled criminal for all we know! Maybe we should leave him here."
"No!" Bremira shouted. Samuel flinched.
"I mean, no. He needs our help, he could die."
"Fine." Samuel walked back over to his legs and picked him up.
Bremira reluctantly put the book back. She'd try reading it later. She hadn't practiced Advich in a few months and she knew she was rusty.
Bremira stood at his head and leaned down to wrap her arms under his and lifted. He was heavy. The number of clothes he was wearing and his bag wasn't helping.
"Bremira if we die trying to carry this guy back, I will haunt your damn soul forever." Samuel said glaring across at Bremira." She smiled.
"You've officially reached your curse word limit for the day"
"I'm 14! I don't need a stupid curse word limit anymore!"
Bremira snickered.
"On the count of three, we rise."
"One"
They began to open their wings.
"Two"
They aimed their wings up.
"Three."
They both beat their wings down, again and again until they were hoisted into the air.
Flying carrying someone felt incredibly unnatural to both of them. As they flew above the land of thorns Bremira warned.
"This is going to be the worst part. We can take a break once we get to the other side but if we drop him-"
"I know," Samuel grunted. "Let's just get this over with."
Darkness had descended over them and the sharp black thorns glistened in the light of the moon, threatening to ensnare them out of the sky.
Bremira took a deep breath before they began flying back over the land of thorns. Bremira tried to compose herself this time. The man's head was under her neck as she tried to hold on to him tightly. She couldn't be weak right now. She had to focus on him; not dropping him. She wouldn't let him die in here as her parents did. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to muster all her strength into flying straight."
"Bremira!" Samuel shouted
Her eyes snapped open and she looked down, they were so close to the thorns that one tore through the man's clothing, she felt the man shift in her arms.
"Fuck! He needs to stop moving, I can't carry him much longer!"
"You have to! Just keep going!" Bremira shouted back breathing heavily.
Samuel and Bremira sweat profusely as the lowered closer and closer to the thorns.
"Lift!"
"I can't!" Samuel yelled.
They were now fully immersed in the thorns now, they sluggishly tried to dodge past the giant vines and thorns. There were too many, their clothes kept catching on the huge spikes. Samuel yelled in pain as his arm was sliced on a thorn.
"I can't take it anymore, how much longer" Samuel yelled through clenched teeth.
"There's the edge, we need to lift him up!"
Samuel squeezed his eyes shut and yelled as he used every ounce of his energy to fly higher and lift him out of the thorns. Blood ran down his arm and stained his clothes. They pushed the man's body onto land as they lay gasping as the edge of the edge of the rocky cliff side. They pushed their bodies up and rolled over unto their backs in exhaustion. As they calmed down Bremira opened her eyes. The stars were out and the chill of the night slowly came back to her. After their endeavor, she welcomed the cool air.
"Are you okay Samuel?" She asked remembering how he had screamed.
He replied weakly, "I'm alright..."
She rolled over and crawled to his side. She saw the blood soaking his shirt. She instantly took out a knife and cut a strip of her dress off and rolled up his sleeve. She tied the piece of cloth around his wound just enough to suppress the bleeding.
"When we get back I'll take better care of that."
Samuel looked up at Bremira. He saw blood running down her face.
"You cut your face!"
Bremira put a hand to her cheek and looked at the blood on her hand. She must've not have felt it because of all of the adrenaline rushing through her while they were in there. She looked down at her dress that was sliced in different places all around. She checked on the man who's clothing was even more trashed then before but was luckily alright. She sighed in relief.
"I'll be alright, my cut is small, we can deal with this all when we get back. Let's wait a bit more."
They sat in peaceful silence for a little while longer before they got to their feet and grabbed the man and headed back out.
ns 15.158.61.7da2
