For today’s post, there is more to it in my head, so I’ll do another part someday soon.
* * * * *
From beneath his feet, Blaine could feel the small creature’s movements. It’s bony back undulated and twitched rhythmically as it impossibly carried him above the jagged canyon surface hundreds of feet below. When Blaine dared to look down, a portion of its pale, fleshy skin could be seen poking out from under his sneakers, but for the most part it remained out of view.
Blaine looked back at his companion, Levy—a squatly little man of ample paunch, stuffed like sausage into what appeared to be an early 1900’s business suit; his jowly neck spilling out of the collar. Levy absently reached into his jacket and produced a gold pocket-watch, checking the time. He looked more like he was waiting for a train, than balanced atop a hairless little monstrosity hundreds of feet in the air. Blaine found himself looking at the creature below Levy and it met his stare. It gnashed its grimy, yellow teeth; flat like those of a human but impossibly large for its fist sized head. Blaine instantly looked away and watched Levy fight for balance, nearly dropping his watch. It dangled from its chain and swung like a pendulum aside his gray trousers.
“I would advise you not to rouse the flier, sir,” he said, nervously reeling up his watch. “It’s not safe. Especially in flight, as you might expect,” he added, sounding rather annoyed.
Blaine quietly grunted to himself and kept his eyes looking forward. Ahead of them, a spire of rock stood. Its flat top was no more than five yards across, Blaine figured, and they were heading right towards it. The surface was littered with sticks and small rocks that reflected whitely in the morning sunlight.
“Why are we headed for that column?” Blaine was careful to look directly at Levy this time.
“That’s the Judgment Stone,” Levy answered with a dismissive flick of his hand. “You were told all of this, yes?”
“Well yeah, I guess I was, but…it’s empty. Where’s the judges?” He was getting nervous now. As innocent as he was, Blaine had figured all this would be a simple formality.
“Oh my…you are a bit…confused, aren’t you, my boy.” Levy looked at him with what appeared to be actual concern. “Once you land, I assure you that I will do my best to make things as clear as I can.”
“That would be nice, Levy…” Blaine’s voice fell away, and he felt all hope follow with it. As they neared the spire, what appeared to be stones revealed empty black sockets as they lay strewn amidst a tangle of bleached and brittle bone.
∞
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