Chapter 23: Slight Delay

                                    

                                          
Ash, the Phoenix, Liam, Taylor, and Isla flew over Petra, Littus, and Silvestria mounted on. Taylor sat at the start of Ash’s neck with Isla behind him and Liam at the far end, holding Isla for assurance that he nor she would fall.
As they flew just past the Petran kingdom border between Petra and the abandoned kingdom of Littus, Liam dared to look down to see a near dusty wasteland of old buildings and broken monuments he’d only read about in books. 
There was no sign of life anywhere. Plants that once flourished were wilted, reduced to fruitless branches. Not a soul could be seen..
-For the most part.
Liam could swear for less than a second that he could see slight movement from something down there. He just couldn’t tell what it was. “What’s that?” He pointed downward at what he’d seen for a moment.
“What’s what?” Isla looked in the direction of Liam’s pointed finger, but saw nothing.
“I– I don’t know. I saw something. It could be nothing, but I think we should check it out, just in case.”
“In case of what?”
“I don’t know, I feel like we should. Like I said, it could be nothing, but I feel like we should really check it out. Hey, Taylor, can you direct Ash down there?” Liam requested, but as soon as he asked ash flew downward without Taylor's addition in opinion. “Oh! Okay.” Liam exclaimed cheerfully.
Taylor shrugged, “Are you sure? We really do need to continue. It’s only been a week, we have three more weeks of flying to go. Should we really stop now?” He turned his head to look at Liam.
Isla gestured to Ash, “Well, I’m not exactly sure, Ash is really changin’ her mind about checkin’ it out. She’s flyin’ and headin’ for ground.” She called out as the ground grew closer as each second passed. “Brace yourselves!” Isla then folded her hands and mumbled something that Liam barely recognized as a language.
Just then, Ash’s flying graced them the heavy landing. Liam knew it wasn’t Ash that made sure of that. He wasn’t sure the landing would have been as smooth without whatever Isla had said.
Taylor exhaled exasperatedly, “Good thinking, Isla!” Then he mumbled something in a language much different from Isla’s mumbling.
Liam raised a coal-black eyebrow at it.
Taylor settled Ash and let her rest as they began to walk. “I suppose we might as well, now. It seems Ash had the same feeling as you, Prince Liam. Lead the way, where did you see what startled you?”
Liam nodded, “Okay, then. I think it was this way.”
Taylor met Liam’s pace ahead of everyone, leaving Isla thinking to herself and studying their surroundings.
Liam turned to look at Taylor. “What was it that Isla said right before we nearly crashed? I know, we would’ve, but the moment she said what she said, the crash was gentler.”
Taylor shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t. Do you know what language it was in? I’ve never heard a language like that. Same with yours. What languages did you guys speak in?”
Taylor chuckled. “You’re not exactly meant to understand it. They’re languages only we as individuals know. Isla told you about the Source, right? Omniscient being, needing to understand it before earning the ability to use magic, that?”
“Yeah. She said, I’d eventually acquire the words in which to perform it.” Liam nodded.
“Yep! She’d be right. What we said were in languages we don’t always decipher. We call them our Sacred Languages. Sometimes some of our Sacred Languages contain pieces from other languages but we get them from the Source. We have a deep understanding and relationship with Him. So He grants us our own language in which to speak with Him. If you continue doing what you're doing, then in no time, I have no doubt that you'll get your own language in which only you can speak to and with Him."