Yikes! It’s my turn. I decided to turn this back around. “Reign it in” so to speak. That does not mean that the daughter cannot crop up again later if someone fancies her. Here we go!

18 – Jennifer M. Eaton

“What is your choice?” Jonasc spat, startling Yoran from his deepest thoughts.

Yoran steepled his fingers and paced the room. The disgusting bug hovered at his shoulder, beside him pace for pace. He pushed the hair back from his ailing daughter’s forehead. Her darkening lips brought a hardness to his heart almost too difficult to bear.

He breathed deeply. “I have no choice. What do I need to do?”

Jonasc flittered through the air, resting on the child’s pillow. Yoran resisted the urge to swat the vile creature where it lay.

“You must bring the child to the southern ridge. The bottom of the precipice.”

Yoran’s blood heated. His body shook as he took a step forward. “That is insanity! No one approaches the precipice!”

The contemptible bug’s lip turned up. “What? The mighty warrior has not the courage? His daughter’s life is not worth the risk?”

Yoran slammed the table with his fist and strode to the window. The precipice. How would he explain such a journey? He recounted the jagged rocks, the rolling waterfalls, and the unexplainable electrical charges. How many ships had exploded just by veering off course and into an unexpected atom stream?

He straightened. The clouds rolled back, revealing a brilliant full moon. The precipice… of course. Where better than to hide a mystical portal!

He turned to the revolting winged rodent. “When do we leave?”

The creatures lip turned up triumphantly. “There is one thing you must do first.”

Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it. A different writer adds a new 250 words each week. It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!

If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!

Part One – Jennifer M. Eaton