Chapter 20 “The Room”

With the fight over, Odrian succumbed to his exhaustion, falling into the settling waves below. As he nosedived into the water, he held Verona as tight as she could.

'I can't-' Odrian thought as he neared impact.

His body slammed onto a block of ice first, so Verona wouldn't be injured. He just had to make sure that she wouldn't be hurt any further. Sarah watched from where she stood. Her efforts drained her of her energy. Although she couldn't move, she was glad the battle was over. Meanwhile, Victor was helping Landon stay on his feet.

"Odrian!" Sabrina arrived with Ziggy, not too far behind. She went in to check if he was still breathing.

"Is he?" Ziggy looked at Sabrina for an answer.

"He'll be fine… But, this could've gotten them killed. I wish I could've turned it back before this."

"But they thought on their feet, didn't they? And turned what back?"

"Never mind that, and also that's not the point? What would've happened if they were killed?"

Ziggy looked around to see everyone exhausted from battle. They fought hard, and indeed they could've lost their lives in the process. It was a notable custom that Xerbians often fought to the bitter end. That's how Ziggy and Sabrina were raised. There was no room for being soft in a fight. Ziggy felt this to be a necessary stepping stone.

"I'll make sure they don't all drift off," He placed his hand out towards all the blocks of ice, stopping them from moving.

Victor wanted to know what he did but couldn't put his thoughts or words together at the moment to even be able to ask.

"Hey Ziggy, you think you could grab Landon. I'm kinda all out of energy here." Was Victor’s last words before his descent onto the surface below.

Ziggy grabbed both of them and placed them down onto the ice.

Sarah flew over to Sabrina with the little bit of energy she had left. She was placing Arachnia down and rested on her mother's shoulders.

"I did good today rig..." Sarah asked, trailing off as she succumbed to sleep.

"You did amazing today, my little one," Sabrina rubbed her forehead. "I couldn't be any more proud." She laid her down and stood back up to continue where she let off with Ziggy.

"I told you they weren't ready for this," Sabrina whispered. Her anger was present in her critique. She left Sarah and Odrian there to confront Ziggy. "Look at them, all passed out and injured."

"They won, right?" Ziggy seemed dismissive of the results of the battle.

"They might've won, but we can't expect them to travel like this anymore... They won't make it at all, and you know this." Sabrina said, a look of concern on her face marring her beautiful face.

"You think they'll be cold when they finally wake up?" Ziggy made an attempt to lighten up the situation. It didn't seem to work as Sabrina walked away, her comment ringing out.

"I don't know, would you like to sleep on a block of ice tonight?"

Ziggy immediately knew he would be going to bed alone if he didn't do something soon.

"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll give them a free pass this time," He said while pushing together all the blocks of ice they were on. Once one block touched another, they sealed together.

"We can't expect them to train like this the entire way." Sabrina made her last statement.

'Ah, I screwed that one up, huh?' Ziggy finished fusing all the ice together. He gave the newly made block of ice a slight push towards the direction of the elven city of Tilore. Placing his hands forward again, he whispered,

"Amplify."

The sheet of ice began moving forwards at the speed of a corsel before accelerating, moving at the speed of a speedboat. Ziggy flew over to the moving land of ice and then walked over towards Sabrina, who was watching the sky.

"We should be there before they wake up," Ziggy informed her as he stood by her. "It'll be nightfall by the time we get there. I'd love for them to see the entrance."

"It's definitely beautiful," Sabrina responded in a more calm tone. "I know a place close by the shore we could stay at. But, it's a little more to the south of the city though."

"Say no more, babe."

Ziggy immediately rerouted their destination.

A few hours later, Odrian awoke on a comfortable bed inside of a large modern room; it was painted white with wooden floors. Everyone else was sound asleep in their respective queen-sized beds—a black obsidian dresser in-between every bed. Looking off to the other end of the room was an all-glass wall that provided beautiful scenery of the sea. There was a sectional couch off to the corner of the window, facing the landscape. Next to the window was a glass table. He stood up and walked past everyone's bed to look out the window and saw the melting sheet of ice over by the edge of the land that was connected to the sea.

"How long have they been docked for?" He wondered.

Looking toward the others that were still asleep, he could see star-like ceiling lights throughout. With nothing else to do, he went to have a seat, waiting for everyone else to wake up.

'What the hell happened?' Odrian thought as he laid on the sofa. 'The last I checked, we were out at sea, and we just beat that serpent. I'm sure mom and pops are going to tell me soon… But this room is amazing! I wonder if we're already in the city.'

Odrian grabbed the remote controller from the glass table, noticing a unique design holding up the rectangular glass in place. He clicked a button, and the window turned black and began displaying an image of a starry night sky with celestial winds flowing.

'Oh, this place is nice,' Odrian leaned his head back and closed his eyes to relax while listening to sounds of the ethereal wind. He wondered where his parents were at.

As he slowly began to fall back asleep, he felt a weight on his abdomen and someone's head resting on his chest.

"Mind if I stay here a little?" A familiar voice reached his ears. It was quite alluring in her tone.

"Arachnia?" Odrian questioned, struggling to open his eyes. "Sure, but just for a little bit."

"I always seem to catch you at all the right moments. There's always beauty surrounding you."

"Morning, I see you don't waste any time."

Odrian heard another voice come from behind his head as that part of the sectional couch sunk a little. It was Victor.

"Hey, Victor," Odrian greeted exhaustedly. "How’re you feeling?"

"Everything aches," Victor tilted his back on the couch, both his arms laid across the top.

"Are you sure everything hurts?" Odrian laughed, implying something pervy.

"Oh, I see you've got jokes!" Victor grabbed a pillow and threw it at his face.

"Sorry! Chill, I'm hurt too," They both laughed together. "Plus, I'm too tired to hit you back."

"Even better," Victor lowered his voice.

"Can I join in?" They all heard in a sweet and relaxing voice.

"Morning, Verona!" Odrian gently tapped on Arachnia's shoulder. She sat up, allowing him to adjust. Now, both Verona and Arachnia could both lay on each of his legs.

"Thanks," Verona said as she slid over the couch to lay beside Odrian. Victor slid down to the end of the coach, allowing them some leg space.

"Where are we?" Landon emerged and sat next to Arachnia's side.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Odrian responded.

"It must be Dad's doing."

"Yup," They all agreed and shared a laugh.

"The only one left is Sarah," Landon looked over to his sleeping sister.

"What are you guys talking about," Sarah disappeared from her bed to be found laying her head on top of Odrian's Afro. "I've been awake this entire time."

"Hey, sis, you're gonna dent my hair," Odrian warned.

"It'll be ok. I'm usually the one to fix it anyways."

"Even after a fight that tough, you still manage to use your powers this early in the morning," Victor sighed.

"I can't get better without constant practice," Sarah disappeared, now leaning over Landon's shoulder.

"Hey!"

"It's too early, Sarah."

They all sat there for a couple of moments, looking out the window. They were taking a breather, basking in the glory of the victory they had achieved. Everyone wanted to go downstairs, but none of them tried to move, not just yet. They had no idea what was awaiting them.

Right now, though, if they had the chance to, they would rest while they could.