Chapter 22
The moon was just rising over the horizon. Marco was all alone in his cave again.
"I'm sorry Lilia". he whimpered quietly to himself. He wished she was there to hear it, but he could only blame himself for that. "I'm sorry." he repeated. He kept going, trying to picture what her compassion and forgiveness would feel like. But he couldn't pretend she was there. He only had himself to apologize to. But unlike Lilia, he would never forgive himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Papa had come back to check on him. "What is it?" Marco asked with a sigh.
"I'm very worried about you. You haven't moved from that spot all day."
"I should have saved her but I couldn't."
"You shouldn't dwell on that, and you still can save here."
"She's already at the castle. There's no way I can get her out now. It's probably for the best anyways." Marco said with resignation.
"I'm afraid not. She could be in grave danger. That potion she drank wasn't meant for humans."
"What?! So if I don't get her back she'll die?"
"Most likely yes. You will have to rescue her from the castle of Engor."
"Yes, but they have knights there." his deep voice trembled as he spoke.
Papa sighed and pulled out a small glass vial. "I guessed you would be reluctant. So I made this." He held up the vial showing a purple fluid inside of it. "I made one more potion from that book. This potion will make you invincible. But only for one night."
This was a glimmer of hope. But could he get to the castle and free her before the night was over? He looked back at the remains of their ruined wedding. Pale moonlight fell upon the alter, glimmering off of something gold. Marco turned away from Papa to inspect it. The glimmer was coming off of Lilia's wedding ring. He had vowed to love and protect her always. He couldn't give up on her! He looked back at Papa filled with determination. "I'll do it!"
As soon as the potion was spilled onto his tongue, Marco could feel it working. His muscles tightened and his senses raised. He could take on a whole army now!
"One more thing," Papa began. "You'll have to fly to make it there in time. She could die by the time you walked there and back."
Marco's confidence fell again hearing that. He was still racing the clock, but he couldn't give up. He looked down from the ledge outside his cave. Pebbles were pushed over the edge by his approaching feet. Their fall appeared as if they were floating in the air growing smaller. The only thing to compare them to in size were the boulders that looked like mere skipping stones from this height. Quite a few seconds passed before he heard the faint click of the rock hitting bottom.
Marco’s stomach seemed to be twisting itself as the dread creeped over him. Would the potion protect him from a fall like that? But he had to remember why he was doing this. He was going to rescue Lilia. The thought of falling to his death in a crash became less troubling as the memory of her being taken away by those knights came to mind. If she was gone because of him, those rocks would be a well suited fate. He put away all thoughts, and closed his eyes. This will all be over soon one way or the other, and delay would only make things worse. He jumped.
Everything was dark. Marco refused to open his eyes, yet he could hear the air rushing over him and could felt the chill pounding streaking over his scales. His wings along with the rest of his body were frozen with fear. But he remembered he could do this. If not for him, he would do it for Lilia. She always wanted him to fly. He thought back to when he was doing that training. He had to put full faith in his wings, spread them wide and… something else maybe. He now wished he had checked his memory before he jumped. He opened his eyes now. The ground was rushing towards him to meet his acquaintance. He had to fly, no time to screw up now.
Something twitched. At least that’s what it felt like. Something in his mind kicked into gear and his wings snapped away from his sides spreading themselves wide. Almost instinctively he flexed his wings to pull him up. The ground shifted its movements from a direct approach to a swift passing just underneath of him. He could almost smell the grass as it raced in the opposite direction under his face. No, that couldn’t be. He looked up now and saw the land move past him. It was him moving, not falling, but flying. Before his mind could even wrap around the idea, he knew he had to get away from the ground. His wings obeyed his wish and pulled him up. Astonishment gave way to joy and excitement as he pulled up even higher. His wings carried him to the clouds and above. He could see the Castle of Engor off in the distance below. He couldn't wait to mop the floor with those knights now. Lilia could watch him finally be the hero he had always wished he was. He had figured out how to fly, and he was invincible. Truly nothing could stop him.
As he neared the castle, one last thought came into his mind. How was he supposed to land?
