Chapter 111Of Mountains and Valleys

The night was young enough to travel quite far, leaving the town far behind us. I secretly cheered in glee as we flew low over fields, rivers and roads. The world passing us by smoothly. It surprised me that even at this low altitude the sounds were much different then on the ground. Some were clearer, some where almost inaudible or heavily distorted.

We crossed another highway, even at this hour the sound of cars racing by. Afentis had a direction for us and I didn't mind. In fact it was nice to have a goal without knowing where we were going. Of course soon my playful nature started to tickle me for attention, when we had free space again I wanted to try some stunts.

Afentis smiled silently as I flew low over trees, touching them with my fingertips. Getting used to flying with great precision. I even managed to build up my reaction-speed by flying almost through the trees, avoiding branches and leaves by keeping focussed at what was in front of me.

Water sprayed up later when I let myself drop from a greater height and caressed the surface of a lake with my fingertips. It was cold, but so amazing to feel. It was nice to allow my thoughts to wander. A thought entered my mind as I went upward again, seeing in the corner of my eye the lovely pattern of ripples that my fingers had caused, distorting the reflection of the dark sky.

"Where are we going?" My voice swept away by our speed.

"A castle not too far from here. A friend." Afentis smiled warmly.

In fact, his smile was warmer then most smiles he showed. Like he really was happy about something. It wasn't me, was it? No, it had something to do with the person in the castle. Perhaps he was happy to see him again, presenting me or having two of his friends meet.

Perhaps I would find out when I finally met his friend.

Fortunatly I was still enjoying flight very much, over the slopes of the landscape and almost wishing for mountains with cliffs and caverns to navigate through. It was amazing, a light movement could change my path and it was getting easier and easier to adjust my flight. Still, I wondered why I was even able to fly at all. I had no grip...

"Air."

"What?" Surprised that Afentis even answered.

"Air, you lean on air. Like swimming in water. The focus makes your body able to swim through air and compress the air so that you can fly forward." He waved his hand in the air as if he was swimming and turned.

My eyes just gazed at him. "Air... Like water?" I thought on this and tried to imagine.

Slowly, I became aware of a minimal amount of pressure around my body. It was like a soft current, like someone moved a hand through the bath you're sitting in. It was something I certainly wanted to focus on at a later time, practice would make perfect.

There was an expression admiration on his face as he looked at me. "Why are you staring?" It was out before I knew it.

Afentis laughed a little. "I apologize, you're just so simple and yet so complex. You learn fast, but in a way there are things you never learn. It's fascinating."

I blushed.

"We're here." Afentis pointed to a big mansion ahead.

It may not have looked like much from a distance, but it was quite big and it definitely was big enough to be called a castle. Also, it had an inner courtyard which made it look very old and prestigious. Well kept and not at all gloomy, despite of what my mind had expected. Even if I wasn't sure what that was exactly. The windows were covered on the inside with thick curtains on most of the rooms but still showed some light shining from inside.

The faint smell of wood burning greeted us as we arrived, touching down before the gate to avoid any suspicion. I didn't want to say anything and stayed slightly in the back while Afentis pressed on a bell near the gate.

"Who's there?" It was a woman's voice.

"A teacher." Afentis winked at me while speaking into the speaker box with a dry voice.

The woman laughed. "Come on in."

The gate opened silently, obviously electronic, and allowed us passage. The small courtyard had two simple cars parked there and various doors leading to different parts of the castle. A door on the far end opened and showed a silhouette standing in the light. A young woman.

Although... She must have been a young woman for very long, there was an age in her eyes that was disconcerting me a little. She was about as tall as me, perhaps slightly taller, and had the most beautiful golden-blond hair I had ever seen. It even curled ever so slightly and simply gleamed in the light coming from behind her. Her face was incredibly kind and open with her deep blue eyes and thin, pink lips. Where was she from? She looked vaguely south European.

"Welcome Afentis, you've brought a friend?" Her voice was like that of a young old woman. It was so hard to judge her age.

He smiled at her. "Faith, this is Amy." He looked at me. "Amy, this is Faith."

I welcomed her warmly. "Nice to meet you, Faith." And shook her hand.

Afentis continued. "Amy, Faith is my daughter."