Dust Devil

  Skye’s foot sank into the spongy moss carpeting the cabin floor. It was purple, dappled like tiger fur with spots of jade and olive, and it coated everything, including the walls, and the ceiling. While it was soft and pleasant to the touch, Skye had a sinking feeling in his stomach about the need for such a thick layer of cushioning.

  In the corner of the cabin, the master crouched, inspecting the density of moss where the walls met. Apparently dissatisfied, he waved his cane, causing the plant to thicken and spread. With a nod of approval, he straightened. “I won’t be staying long, I’m afraid. My duties call me elsewhere tonight. Luccello and Pairi will take good care of you. I trust them.”

  Skye didn’t share the master’s confidence about Pairi. The fairy bird was currently entertaining Rico with an animated tale about saving a cursed platypus by swapping its nose and tail.

  This won’t end well, he thought, swallowing hard.

  “Luccello, if you please,” the master said.

  The alabaster ruff flapped his wings, gliding around the cabin. At each open hole in the walls, he released a burst of light, forming shimmering panes that resembled glass. Golden sunlight poured through, flooding the room in a warm glow. Lastly, a translucent barrier slid into place over the door, sealing the cabin shut.

  Pairi flitted to a thin branch near the cabin’s domed roof. “Alright, who’s our victim today?” he asked, rubbing his wings.

  “Victim?” Skye croaked, looking up at the bird.

  “Oh, don’t be such a jittery ladybug,” Pairi scoffed. “Have heart! It won’t hurt much, and you’ll probably survive.”

  Skye stepped back, not liking the sound of this in the least.

  The master stepped in, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Before you decide anything, it’d be wise to watch a demonstration first.” He guided Skye back toward the door with a gentle nudge. “Do we have a brave volunteer to showcase the storm cabin?”

  “Me! Me! Me!” Rico barked, leaping up with boundless energy, his tail wagging so furiously Skye feared it might snap.

  Outside the cabin, Skye stood with the master and Luccello, watching faint dust rain down around Rico. The parrot, positioned at the far end of the room, crouched low, his back arched as though ready to pounce on prey. Wings half-spread, he bent even lower, his face a mask of concentration.

  Above, Pairi flitted and twirled, scattering bluish dust in shimmering clouds that caught the sunlight, casting the room in a soft, ethereal glow. The fairy-bird whistled a merry tune, skipping and dancing as he summoned the glittering particles from thin air.

  “I should have made the barriers thicker,” Luccello muttered from his perch on the master’s shoulder. “That madbird’s enjoying himself far too much.”

  Skye held his breath as the glowing dust drifted lazily, like a cave-in in slow motion. When it touched the floor or walls, the moss absorbed it without a trace. Rico eyed the descending particles warily, inching forward, while above him, the dust curved away, as if sliding against an invisible umbrella.

  “What’s that glowing dust?” Skye whispered.

  “Shhh,” Luccello hushed him. “He’ll slip up soon enough. He always does.”

  Rico crept forward, each step separated by a long pause. Though his breathing was labored, Skye couldn’t tell what he was fighting against. Once again, he felt like the butt of a joke only he didn’t understand.

  “They’re testing your nerves,” Redeyes said, watching beside him. “And you’re failing.”

  A single speck of dust pierced the invisible shield above Rico. It drifted leisurely through the still air, heading to his wing. Rico edged forward, unnoticing, or perhaps uncaring. Wincing, Luccello covered one eye with a wing, while Skye bit back his urge to warn Rico, thinking, What’s the worst that could happen?

  As the speck touched the tip of Rico’s feathers, it exploded in a powerful gust of wind. Rico squawked as the gale hurled him sideways, straight into more glittering dust. In a violent burst, the particles detonated, creating a storm of cascading blasts that ricocheted him across the room. Thousands of torrents rattled the cabin, bending Luccello’s light barriers so hard they seemed about to shatter. Skye held his breath as the wooden walls creaked in cadence with the deafening explosions, thinking it’d never stop. When the last mote of glitter was gone, the chaos finally subsided.

  “I stand corrected,” Redeyes muttered.

  As calm returned, Skye rushed to the door, pounding on the translucent barrier. “Rico! Are you alright?”

  “He’s fine,” Luccello said, fluttering onto Skye’s shoulder. “He’s been through this many times before.”

  In the center of the room, Rico was huddled in a tight ball. Slowly, he unfolded, shaking out his feathers to reveal he was unharmed. Above, Pairi resumed his whistling as if nothing had happened, scattering fresh waves of glittering dust.

  “How’s he unharmed?” Skye asked, his voice incredulous.

  “He recovered in time and protected himself,” the master said, stepping forward.

  “Using a calm bubble? While being blasted around?!”

  “This is what experience looks like,” the master replied. “Failure forces reflection. Pain drives preparation. Now, watch. Rico won’t make the same mistake twice.”

  Rico bent low again, his tail stiff as a bone. With measured steps he advanced, the dust swirling harmlessly around him. Skye stared in disbelief. Whatever technique Rico was using to shield himself was invisible to the eye. After minutes of tension, Rico reached the door and tapped it.

  The light barrier dissolved.

  “Yay! Did you see that? I made it and only got hit once!” Rico celebrated.

  “You’ve done this training hundreds of times. You shouldn’t have triggered any of them,” Luccello chided, dampening Rico’s enthusiasm instantly.

  “It was an excellent demonstration nonetheless,” the master said, offering a smile. Rico raised his head at the praise, his tail wagging fast. The master turned to Skye. “Are you ready?”

  Skye’s heart raced, and he couldn’t reply. This was obviously a test meant for someone far beyond his skill level. He could already imagine the bruises he’d carry to bed this evening, feel his body throb with pain.

  “You can always walk away,” Redeyes whispered. “Ring your bell and vanish. It’s not as if everyone’s fate hinges on your progress.”

  “Do I get any pointers?” Skye asked, looking between Ku and Rico. “How did you do it?”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “It’s easy!” Rico chirped in. “All you have to-“

  The master raised a hand. “You have to come up with your own solutions for this task.”

  Skye clenched his jaw. The thunderous eruption still reverberated in his ears, but the feeling of Rierana’s ribbon in his hand steeled his nerves. He stepped forward. “I’m ready.”

  “Pairi, clear the room,” Luccello instructed.

  “Right away!” Pairi chirped, flapping his wings. All at once, the remaining specks detonated, unleashing a violent windstorm that sent Skye stumbling backward. Only the master’s steady hand kept him from falling.

  “Be careful!” Luccello shouted.

  “Here, clean as a cucumber,” Pairi announced cheerily.

  “That’s not… ah, forget it,” Luccello groaned, throwing up his wings in frustration.

  The pounding in Skye’s chest filled his ears as he entered the cabin. Behind, the door clicked shut, making him flinch. Sunlight streamed through the glass walls, unbearably bright, forcing him to shield his eyes. He felt like the duke must during his speeches, with the city’s crystals arrayed to blaze on him.

  “This’ll be as fun as the night my cousin Johnus died!” Pairi crowed, rubbing his wings to scatter the dust once more.

  Skye gulped, watching the shimmering specks drift down towards him. If Rico can do it, so can I. How hard can it be?

  “Famous last words,” Redeyes said.

  Listening to the song of his astrum, Skye tried to calm his breathing. It was impossible to avoid the falling dust as it covered the entire space. If he wanted to succeed today, he’d have to figure out Rico’s shield technique.

  “Pairi, ease up with the fairy powder. It’s his first time,” Luccello called from outside.

  “Anything less, and he won’t even break a bone!” Pairi shot back, shaking his head.

  Despite Pairi’s protest, the dust fell slower and less concentrated than during Rico’s trial. They also glowed brighter, making them more visible, like falling cotton balls. Taking a deep breath, Skye channeled through his astrum, nudging the particles aside as gently as he could. Had he blown at them with his mouth, he’d have generated stronger winds. Now, if only he could keep them away until he reached that door…

  Two specks collided above him and detonated, slamming him to the floor with a force that knocked the air from his lungs. His head bounced against the mossy ground, then was slammed again as the initial blast triggered a chain reaction. Dozens of strikes rained against his back, battering him every time he tried to rise.

  “Are you alright?” Rico called from outside once things finally calmed.

  Groaning, Skye forced himself to his feet. Blood trickled from his nose, and his vision swam. He’d been in the cabin for less than a minute, and his body already felt like it had been trampled by a herd of oxen.

  This was not a challenge he could underestimate. He needed a plan, and he needed it now.

  “Watch out!” someone shouted.

  Skye looked up to discover that the dust hadn’t stopped falling. His eyes crossed as he noticed a faint blue mote drifting down right towards his broken nose.

  Nakais’s punches hadn’t been this strong.

  Backwards, sideways, and in every direction the exploding storms hurled him, smacking into walls, bouncing off the floor. By the time the room was clear again, every inch of his body throbbed with pain, and his mouth tasted of blood.

  “That was amazing!” Redeyes howled with laughter. “You should’ve seen yourself! They tossed you around like kids kicking a cat!”

  “Do you want to stop?” Pairi asked. “There’s no shame in giving up.”

  Skye pushed himself up on an elbow, trembling. “I can’t give up,” he wheezed. “Even if it hurts like hell, even if it’s too hard, I have to keep trying.”

  Luccello’s expression hardened. “It pains me to say this, but perhaps Pairi is right. This might be too much for you.”

  “It’s not!” Skye shouted, finally staggering to his feet. The master’s pained look revealed he agreed with the birds, but Skye stood tall despite his pain, defiant. “Look!” he said, raising his left hand to show his astrum was intact. “I kept my promise.”

  Despite being tossed around like a ragdoll, he hadn’t stopped channeling. He couldn’t protect his whole body, so he had shielded his left hand, guarding it with streams of wind as he hurtled through the air. It was all he could do to avoid an embarrassing early end to this trial.

  The master’s frown softened into a smile instead. He nodded at Skye. “Once you pass this trial, you’ll be halfway to the Avyhandouse.”

  Skye looked around, finding the lack of glitter insulting. “Why’d you stop?”

  “Oho, this is like Johnus’s funeral!” Pairi chirped, releasing more dust than before.

  I have to finish this. Now.

  As soon as Pairi released his mist of compressed storms, Skye unleashed a powerful gust upward, detonating all of them in a roaring tempest.

  Pairi squawked aloud, cursing, but Skye didn’t stop to check what happened to him. Taking advantage of the lack of dust, he bolted for the door, only to skid to a halt at the sight of a shimmering curtain of golden specks hovering before it. When he blasted those strange particles, they each exploded with the force of ten, flinging him across the room to slam against the far wall.

  “Coals!” Skye groaned, grimacing at the pain.

  “When I was your age, I got into all sorts of trouble playing rough,” Pairi said, his tone playful. “Your cheating is giving me ideas. Want to bet who can play rougher?”

  “Don’t attack the instructor!” Luccello yelled from outside.

  “What’s the plan now, genius?” Redeyes asked. “You’ll have to move those specks guarding the door.”

  Skye cursed again, watching the mines flood the space above. How did Rico do it?

  Unlike fire or earth, air was an invisible element, and Rico had barely moved during his trial. A thousand guesses popped into his mind about what Rico had done, and how he’d channeled, but the truth was the one conclusion he refused to face. Because it sounded impossible.

  I have to move them one by one, without letting them touch each other.

  The realization was crushing. Thousands of motes stood between him and the door, each demanding his full attention. Had Rico truly created thousands of miniature streams, shifting particles away with delicate care?

  If that wasn’t enough of a nightmare, how was he supposed to keep the streams from colliding and canceling each other? Even if the master had taught him the channeling at range trick, it wouldn’t be enough.

  As the dust loomed closer, he shifted lower, deciding to act. Standing still won’t get him anywhere, and one mistake could trigger another disaster. He couldn’t form a shield like Rico, after all, and adjusting his trajectory once he was airborne was almost impossible.

  This will hurt, he thought grimly, bracing himself.

  **********

  The light filtering through the glass turned a sharp red and purple hue, and so did large patches of Skye’s skin. He could barely stand with his ankle twisted, make a fist with his broken fingers, or see thanks to his swollen eyes. Yet he stood nonetheless, glittering dust falling around him, ready for another attempt.

  “That’s enough,” Luccello said, dissipating the protective glass. Pairi dismissed his specks just in time to prevent the breeze from hurling them at Skye.

  “I can still do another round!” Skye croaked, his voice hoarse. The master had long departed to his vault, so there wasn’t asking him for an extension.

  Pairi flew down, hovering next to his head. “While I enjoy kicking dead horses as much as anyone else, I don’t relish pounding ground beef with my feet. A marvelous first try, my young apprentice. I pray you manage to save your city.” With that, he darted through the window, disappearing into the night.

  “Wait!” Skye called after him. “I can—”

  His knees buckled, and he yelped as he collapsed, scraping already raw skin. His body was nearly out of fantasia, even though he’d recharged twice after the master had left. The contamination played strange tricks on his senses, leaving him tingling and weightless yet unbearably heavy at the same time. Every thought came sluggishly, as if wading through a swamp, and each breath scorched his throat like fire.

  Worst of all was the sight of his astrum. The little iris on his hand was smashed, its petals torn, and its song reduced to a muffled moan.

  This day had been a failure. He’d barely made any progress or earned anything but bruises. So much hinged on his success, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach that door.

  “I disagree,” Redeyes said, looming overhead. “You’ve evolved… from wasting your own time to wasting your tutors’ as well.”

  Skye gritted his teeth, attempting to rise, but his legs gave out. Rico swooped down in time to catch him, larger than usual.

  “Sit on my back. I’ll take you inside,” Rico offered.

  Unable to refuse, Skye muttered his thanks as he climbed onto the bird’s back. But he had to cover his eyes for the whole ride. He wasn’t crying because of the pain, but because he’d genuinely gave it his all and still failed.

  In his final attempts, he’d thought he’d cracked the puzzle, only for a stray speck to ruin his run each time.

  “Look at you. So pathetic, crying in shame in front of others.” Redeyes spat liquid fire at his feet.

  Inside the treehouse, Luccello insisted that Skye shower and clean his wounds before heading to bed. Blessedly, Skye managed to undress and climb into the tub on his own, wincing at every movement.

  Afterwards, Rico returned with dinner, and Luccello stood firm until Skye ate every bite. Alongside the food came a collection of medicines—pills, syrups, creams, and ointments that seemed to outweigh Luccello himself.

  “I’m sorry I failed,” Skye said as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

  “There’s no need to apologize, lad,” Luccello said. “Rarely does anyone succeed on their first try. But few try as hard as you did, or make it as far. You’re a fast learner, and you’ve performed well for your level. With all these medicines, you’ll be as good as new tomorrow. Sleep well and don’t overthink it.”

  “I’m sorry I made it look too easy,” Rico added. “I’ve been training for years to get to where I am now, so don’t feel bad.”

  As Skye lay in bed, he couldn’t but worry he didn’t have years to complete his training. Green Eve was less than three weeks away. At this pace, he’d never cross the forest in time.

  He closed his eyes, but Redeyes’ fiery skull burned bright, and when he looked at the pyroxos, he found him grinning.

  ?????Days until Green Eve: 18?????