The Rise of The Floating Isles - Part 1

A "short" story

Floating isles, due to seismic activity, a mysterious stranger, and a conflict of magics return that was thought to be lost. Prompt the “Power up Prompts” by

Bradley Ramsey

In a single day and night, my world was shattered. The cracking and groaning of the earth was so loud it startled me out of a dead slumber. The sound was deafening as I scrambled out of bed, falling to the floor with the jolt that rocked the very foundation as I frantically tried to regain my balance, raging against the seismic activity to rush to my mother in the other room. Stumbling, I latched onto the beam of the doorframe, just in time to watch the other side of my house crumble, my mother with it, and disappear into the night. Now, where a lush forest should have been, all I saw were moonlit clouds.

My breaths came in quick succession. There was no time to mourn her, but I could feel the frigid air on my skin, burning like ice where my tears fell as I pivoted and raced towards the front door, bursting through it and catching myself as I saw the clouds race past me as a sea of gray fog. Panic began to settle in, but I fought to contain it, holding my breath and gritting my teeth as I maneuvered carefully around the edge of my house. One wrong move, one slip, one tremor, would send me to meet my mother. How tempting that thought was.

Finally, I reached solid land, if you can still call it that, and my stomach lurched to my throat as the early morning rays of sunlight filtered into the sky. There, as far as the eye could see, breaking through the clouds, were what are now called The Floating Isles.

No one quite knows how or why the world shattered that day and rose up into the firmament, bringing with it whatever was upon it and leaving what was behind to its fate. But we all agree. It was magic. Magic that had been outlawed centuries ago, and now was lost to time. Deemed too dangerous, too volatile, too wild to control safely.

All I know is magic killed my mother. But if it killed her, maybe it could bring her back.

It’s now been ten years since The Rise. What we’ve taken to calling the day that we came to be floating above the world. No one has come or gone in that time, but bridges were built between isles using the roots of the earth, and whatever materials we had available to us on our literal pieces of heaven. Or hell.

The wood creaked beneath my feet as I fought the urge to look down at the incessant clouds that shrouded the world that was surely far beneath my feet. This never got easier. With sweaty hands, I grasped onto the woven vine railing as the wind caused the bridge to sway back and forth, the act making me want to vomit, but still, I soldiered on as I made my way upwards towards the main island that served as the town. It was the largest fragment to break off in The Rise, where most of our community resided, and life continued on.

I pulled myself up over the bridge with a groan, my long blond hair in a braid over my shoulder as my fingers dug into the earth before I heaved and rolled onto the grass with a sigh and laid down, arm over my eyes and giving my heart a chance to catch up with my breathing.

“Windy day?” The voice came from above me and I smiled dispite my exhaustion at the turmoil of crossing that damn bridge.

“Just a bit.” I laughed, sitting up to look into Jason’s eyes, who now crouched before me. His dark hair was shaved on either side, but the longer strands fell loosely about his face as he looked down at me with those captivating blue eyes.

“You’ve lived most of your life here, you’d think that you’d be used to it by now.” He chuckled as he offered me an arm up, which I gratefully took. “What are you now, 15, 16?” He joked, knowing very well how old I was.

“19.” I clapped back in good humor.

“Ohhh, thats riigghht! It’s your birthday today huh, I completely forgot!” He replied with a smirk that went straight to my heart. But we both knew that was a lie. He was my first crush. My first kiss. My first love. But…something always kept us apart. Mainly Josephine, I thought as I fought the irritation swelling inside of me at the mere idea of the bitch with black hair and her radiant condescending smile that served to piss me off. But still…he was my best friend.

“Don’t worry about it.” I grinned as we walked towards the main thoroughfare of the city. “I’m sure you’ll make it up to me.”

“Mmmm? And how might I accomplish that?” He asked, one eyebrow raised in mock consideration.

“That’s your conundrum to unravel, not mine.” I laughed as we walked along the main cobblestone streets of the bustling marketplace, waving at everyone we passed. Everyone knew everyone, and gossip was the main pastime now. If someone had an affair, or so much as smiled at the wrong person, the whole of The Isles would know about it within the hour. There was no such thing as privacy or a secret anymore. So I wasn’t surprised when everyone started saying happy birthday and bringing me small gifts, meats, cheese, juice, and a new knife.

“Well, aren’t you miss popular?” Jason chided as Mark handed me a bottle of wine to my great enthusiasm, now a rarity and a luxury.

“Oh, don’t be jealous. When it was your birthday, you were showered with gifts too, so don’t start.” I jested, elbowing him in the ribs as we passed by fresh-baked bread, the smell wafting on the breeze, leading me to trade the juice for a loaf before continuing on.

“True, Josephine gave me a new bandolier, so I’m happy.” He chuckled, but the comment made my stomach turn. I fought to conceal the look that must surely be plastered on my face, and turned my head to gaze down the way at the stalls. Then I stopped dead in my tracks.

There, a cloaked figure was talking to Margaret at her dried meat stall. He traded something for it, but instead of taking the enormous bag of meat she tried to offer him in return, he held up a hand, instead taking a fraction of it before turning and walking back the other way.

“Here, Kelsea,” Jason said, nearly making me jump out of my skin as he tied a woven bracelet to my wrist. “Happy birthday.” If this were any other time, I would’ve been ecstatic, but my eyes were trained on the stranger as he meandered down the cobblestone street, before stopping at another stall.

I grabbed Jason’s arm, pulling him close to ask, “Jason, who is that?!” In as measured a tone as I could manage as I not so subtly pointed at the hooded figure. Jason shook his head in bewilderment as he, too, finally noticed the man.

“I had heard there was a stranger in our midst, but I thought it was Chris playing another one of his pranks…I don’t know who that is…” He stuttered, trying to come to terms with what he was seeing. I, on the other hand, was already moving. Practically running to Margaret’s stall, startling the old woman out of her trance as she quickly hid what she had been staring at.

“Oh! It’s only you, Kelsea!” The old woman said as she visibly relaxed after my abrupt appearance.

“Margaret, who was that?” I inquired under my breath as I nodded to the hooded stranger who slowly maneuvered to another stall.

“I…I have no idea…” She stammered, “I’ve never seen him before…but he gave me this.” She added as she pulled the item from her apron that she had hidden upon my arrival. My breath caught as I stared at it. A golden bracelet with dazzling rubies that refracted the light. I had never seen such a beautiful thing in my life.

“What did he say?!” I pressed as I examined the item intently.

“Nothing really, he just asked for some dried salted meat, and handed me this! He wouldn’t even take the bag I offered him! This is worth more than the whole of the Isles put together….” She shook as she trailed off, fighting the tears of joy that were springing to her eyes. “Here, Kelsea, it’s your birthday, right? Why don’t you take the bag?” She asked as she held up the large bag of meat for her.

“Margaret, don’t worry, just save it. I…I have to go.” I stated, before pulling myself away and abruptly turning, and running right into someone.

“Oh! I’m so sorr—” I began, but my words died in my throat as the man caught me by the waist, dropping his items in the process as his gloved hands held me firmly but gently so I wouldn’t fall, and I saw who I had unwittingly bumped into. The stranger. I looked up into his golden eyes, his features striking. Otherworldly. Confined only by the hood that shrouded him from the rest of the world. But not to me in this one moment. He smirked, cocking his head to the side as his smile widened into a laugh. A laugh that sent shockwaves throughout my body. He had a short beard and short dark hair peeking out from under his hood.

“Are you alright?” He asked, his voice as deep and true as the ocean I had heard so much about. The way he spoke those three words sent me diving into the rapture of the unknown and the kindness that seemed to be rooted there. Three words. That’s all it took.

“Are you alright?” He asked again, his face shifting to one of concern as he began to study me. My face, my body, for any signs of harm. The unbearable weight of his scrutiny is what sent me out of my delirium. My trance that seemed to begin and end with him. I shook my head, then nodded as I smiled radiantly up at him.

“Oh…Yes!” I managed to breathe out before remembering myself and quickly began to pick up the items he had dropped. “I’m sorry, I should have watched where I was going.”

“Don’t worry about them. It was my fault,” He replied, chuckling as he too crouched down to help collect the items. There was so much here. The contents ranged from a sword to food to all manner of trinkets. It seemed he had bought something from every stall.

“Who are you?” I asked suddenly, as I picked up the last item, a beautiful ring with wings on either side rising in the middle to hold a dark black stone that sparkled magnificently in the light. I moved to hand it to him, his eyes glinting with something along the lines of curiosity, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he cupped my hand in his own.

“Keep it.” He said softly with a smile.

“But I couldn't—”

“Ah, but you can.” He replied as his features, young but with the dignity of an old soul, radiated an air of calm that wrapped me in a blanket of peace I hadn’t felt since before my mother passed away.

“At least tell me your name,” I said, as a quirky grin tugged at the edges of his mouth.

“If I do, you must breathe it to no one. Not one living soul,” He stated, his grin widening as though I had piqued his curiosity.

“I won’t,” I replied firmly, keenly aware of the blush that had surely taken over my features. At that, he bent down, taking me aback, but I fought the urge to move as he whispered into my ear, his breath hot against my skin.

“Credence.”

The name rippled over me, and it was all I could do to remain upright. It was as though the very particles in the air were charged.

“Kelsea!” Jason snapped as he grabbed my shoulder, hauling me backwards as he moved between me and Credence, who towered a good four inches above him. “Who do you think you are?” He snapped at the stranger, whose smile had vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced with a grim visage as he leaned in to meet him snarl for snarl.

“Jason, stop it!” I cried as I fought to get between them, but he wouldn’t have it, shoving me backwards and sending me falling to the cobblestone street. He didn’t mean to hurt me, but Credence didn’t know that. This was echoed in the punch he delivered to Jason’s face that sent him flying backwards four feet. At that, Jason shook his head, enraged as I had never seen him before. He flew at the stranger, his fist balled and aimed at his head, but Credence didn’t bother moving. He blocked the blow with his forearm, then caught Jason by the wrist, whirling him around to pin his arm behind his back before sending him to the stone, his knee digging into Jason’s back as he cried out. Then he growled low enough that only Jason and I could hear him.

“If you ever touch her again, I will throw you off this island so fast you won’t see the earth before it becomes your grave. Are we clear?” He snarled, and Jason shook with rage, but he didn’t dare counter the statement. Finally, Credence released him, and Jason stood with a huff, dusting himself off as I ran to see if he was okay. Instead, he brushed me off, walking past me as a ghost, not even deigning to meet my eyes as he limped away.

“It was an accident,” I explained softly to Credence, but he shook his head. His hood had fallen in the bout to reveal a tattoo on his neck, the design of which was a circular sigil with a roaring dragon at its center. Then I saw his pointed ears. He quickly drew up the hood about his head, and it was only then that I realized the entire market had come to a standstill around us, only to erupt into chaos as everyone surged forward, each asking questions. How did you get here? Where did you come from? Who are you?

I grabbed his hand and we ran. Ran as the entire town chased us, shouting questions, questions that the man—or being, beside me, was the only one who could answer. And I knew they would try to get them by any means necessary.

We dove off the beaten path into the woods I knew like the back of my hand, weaving through trees and jumping over logs until we reached the bridge to the desert isle. I scuffed the sand around it, and threw my loaf of bread that I had bartered for earlier that day onto the wood some distance on the bridge, then led Credence in the other direction as I heard the shouting coming towards us. I didn’t wait to see if my trick had worked. We kept running, my lungs and legs burning with the effort as Credence jogged easily at my side, and I caught a wry smile at me out of the corner of my eye as he watched my chest heave.

Finally, we made it. I couldn’t go home. That would be too obvious. So I brought him to the place no one dared to venture. The Isle of Ruins.

There was no bridge to get there. Why waste the resources on a place no one wanted to traverse? But I had played there as a child before The Rise. Had pretended to talk to the gods of the earth, sun, sea, and sky. Had danced with the fireflies. It was my own personal oasis. But I hadn’t been back since my mother was taken from me. In some way, I felt as though it was my fault. As absurd as that sounds. I had thought that I had somehow brought this calamity upon us. When I had discovered the Isle of Ruins, I noted that it was close enough to get to, and to get back without a bridge. I looked at it now, floating some six feet away, then glanced at Credence, who covered his mouth, laughing at some unknown joke.

“We’ll be safe there,” I stated as I pointed across the way, and he nodded, glancing back at me with an innocent sweetness that nearly made me fall. Without waiting, he took a running start and leapt across it in one easy stride before landing lightly on his feet and turning back to look at me.

“You coming?” He asked as I looked down at the white cloud cover below. I always hated heights. My body began to tremble, but I slowly backed away, and before I could think, before my body could object, I raced towards the edge and jumped. And came up short.

If a scream escaped me, I didn’t know; all I saw was the edge of the Isle, too far for me to latch onto. Then I felt Credence grab onto my wrist, and my shoulder burned as my arm was wrenched from its socket, and I hit the side of the Isle, and everything went black.

I woke to the sounds of a fire crackling and something cooking in a pan. The smell reached my nose, and I had to fight against the saliva that raged through my mouth as my stomach rumbled. Night had taken over the sky, and I looked up to see stars overhead through the trees. Then I saw him and I felt as though my eyes had betrayed me. His cloak was gone. He wore knee-high leather boots with black leather pants tucked neatly into them. A white tunic shirt peeked out from underneath an ornate blue and gold jacket, the finest I had ever seen. He did indeed have pointed ears, and his golden eyes somehow seemed more keen than before, glowing in the light of the fire. But that’s not what made my jaw drop. He was spinning magic. Wisps of blue light danced around us as he manipulated them with nonchalance. With an ease that only came from years of practice. He spun, creating garments of blue and gold, too small for himself but maybe…

He turned then, smiling as he noticed me watching him as he finished, and the fabric materialized in his hands. He walked over to me, and I shied away. Though the idea of magic was condemned, seeing it was another thing entirely, as no one had seen it in millennia.

He noticed my apprehension and slowed, crouching low before me instead, and offering me the fabric. Tentatively, I reached out, my hand shaking as though the clothing might burn me, but so tempted was I that I abandoned my fear and took it from his grasp.

It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. The fabric was so silky, so soft, so smooth, I thought it would melt through my fingers. However, it was strong, unlike the ragged clothing I now wore.

“It's for you. As a thank you.” Credence said, breaking me out of my inspection of the fine material to glance up in wonderment at him. “It will never deteriorate, and will make running…and jumping easier.” He added with a grin.

By this time, my head was spinning with one burning question at the root of my delirium.

“Who are you?” I asked again, and by the look on his face, he knew I didn't mean his name.

“That's…for me to know. I wouldn't burden you with such knowledge.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck where his tattoo resided.

“Then at least tell me what you're doing here. How you even got here. Do you have any idea what people would do to get off these isles? To go home?!” I felt my anger rising in my throat as I watched his face twist from sadness to resolute.

“Believe me. You're better off up here than down there.” He said the words with such conviction, I almost didn't argue. Almost.

“So you are from down there,” I stated somberly, fighting the rage that was beginning to burn in my chest. “I think it's up to the people to decide if that's what they want.”

“I think it's up to my willingness to offer them that chance.” He stated coldly. “Or rather…lack thereof.”

“Why do you have such disdain for us?! I snapped, standing and throwing the garment to the side as I stood over him, glaring down into his beautiful, golden eyes and fighting the urge to strike him.

“On the contrary…he started, slowly rising to his full height and taking his turn to look upon me with a cold determination that I scarcely thought possible. “I have no such notion for you or your people. I am saving you the curse of misfortune that plagues the lower lands, and as such!” He paused, visibly quelling his temper before he continued, “I intend to keep the blessed sacred. Those few who were chosen to live in sanctuary while the rest of the world burned to the ground deserve their refuge.”

I ground my teeth as the words came from the deepest recesses of my soul before I could stop myself. “Then what about my mother…”

“I don't understan–”

“MY MOTHER! MY MOTHER, who when these cursed islands were raised, PERISHED in the process!” I screamed at him, my throat raw and burning with the effort as the tears sprang to my eyes without warning, and I turned, unwilling to let him watch them fall.

My vision blurred. I felt his presence behind me, both daunting and comforting and…something more. A hand came to rest on my shoulder, but in my ire, I shrugged it from my person. The next thing I know, his hands were upon me, whirling me around to face him fully, and then, his lips were on mine. Ravenous and unyielding as I too devoured him until my face was cupped in his hands, and a soft whisper left his lips that broke my body and soul.

“I'm sorry about your mother.” He breathed, his eyes locked with my own, searching to the depths of the deep blue my mother had gifted me. “I have no doubt she would be proud.”

As I studied his face, my heart screamed for the answer that I could only theorize before.

“Can magic bring her back?” I asked, and what hope I had was crushed under the weight of his ashen face. He didn't reply. He didn't need to.

“Magic can do many things, but when it comes to creating organic living matter, it cannot construct it. It can manifest something that is non-living if I can picture it. It can teleport an item to me as long as I know where it is, and it can be woven like that garment I made you, but as I said, it cannot create life itself. That is why I was buying meats and other food items at the market, gifting gold and jewels because I can make them, but the food I cannot.”

“Is that why you were so willing to give me this?” I asked, holding up the ring with a black stone in the center held up by two wings meeting in the middle. He paused briefly, looking at the stone, then meeting my eyes before scoffing slightly.

“That…happened to be my most cherished possession. It was my mother's…and when I saw you pick it up, I thought…how fine.” Whether he was talking about the ring or myself, I scarcely could tell. Maybe both. “Unfortunately, I must leave before the first light crests over the horizon…” He added as my face turned from curious to mortified.

“Leave? How? Where will you go? Why?” My questions, I’m ashamed to say, became more frantic as I realized this man, this magic user, was a stranger to me. Someone who, for some reason, I most desperately didn’t want to be a stranger. I felt like part of my soul was being ripped apart in my chest as I watched him pack what belongings he had into his bag. When he saw my face, he stopped what he was doing, rushed to my side, and held me so tightly I thought for a brief instant he was going to stay. Or perhaps…take me with him.

“I must go, or those who gave me leave to be here for the one day I was allowed to walk among you will follow. That is not something I can condone. You must not come after me or else…you all will be in danger.” His face turned grim as he said the words.

“Will I ever get to see you again?” The question was a whisper in the back of my throat, and I didn’t dare to meet his gaze, but I heard him heave a sigh as he cupped my hands.

“I…don’t think so. But I wouldn’t change a thing, for having met you has been the highlight of my life.” He said before he kissed me again. “Stay here.” His voice was firm, clear…commanding, then, before I could stop him, he tore himself away, leaving me on the outskirts of the ruins.

I could see the signs of the sun on the horizon, but he merely stood in the center of the circular stone pattern. I watched him curiously, and then scoffed to myself as I realized I had brought him to the place where he had come through. No wonder he had laughed when I gave this place as an idea to hide out. For this is how he got here. By using the ruins to his advantage somehow. As the rays of the sun began to crest through the trees, before the light could touch his face, it was as though he caught one of the sunbeams in his hands. He was spinning it, twirling, and weaving it, as though he could bend it to his will. Suddenly, the stones around him began to glow, and the patterns in the floor illuminated as he continued the ritual that would surely bring him to where he was supposed to be. Then…A thought occurred to me. I quickly donned the dress he had given me as I watched him, and I waited until I could feel the magic in the air, the bubble of built-up energy about to burst, and I watched him look up at me with one last sad smile, as though he knew he would never see me again. Then I jumped just as the portal opened, and everything went black.