know that... and it looks suspiciously like a... like a....." he stuttered.
"Like a what?" she asked.
"Like a Pterodactyl. But that's impossible. They're extinct. They haven't been around for millions of years."
"In your world," corrected Zalea.
"Well, there is that, I suppose. I just wish I knew more about your world," he added, peering round to see the winged creature still standing in the same position.
"It's still there."
"Then let me approach it," she replied, pulling away from his grip and attempting to walk up to it. "See? It's quite all right," she said as it gently nuzzled at her hand.
Amazed, Jack followed, watching the faery giggle as the creature repeatedly licked her face.
"I see you found company, Oprah" said a voice out of nowhere.
Jack leapt to his right and scoured the area to identify where the voice had come from. Looking upwards, he saw a man on top of a ledge some 40 metres or so above them. The two watched in awe while he scaled down the side of the jagged cliff with absolute ease, his strong arms taking his full weight as he took the final few metres in a jump, landing firmly on his feet.
The winged creature hopped away from Zalea and headed towards the man, who patted it softly on the head with a smile. Both turned to face the strangers.
"I would ask 'friend or foe' but I can see perfectly well I have nothing to worry about. Oprah here is a good judge of character," he said smiling, approaching them with his hand outstretched.
"I'm Nickolaus Pryce, please... call me Nick," he said as Jack took his hand and shook vigorously.
"Jack Tulugaq and this is my friend, Zalea."
"It's really good to meet you Jack and Zalea," he said, eyeing up the beautiful pair of lilac wings that jutted from her upper back.
"I am a faery from the Moharth forest," she offered.
"Ah yes, of course. I've never spent much time within Moharth, Oprah here prefers to be out in the open. But I have heard of your kind. But you," he said turning towards Jack, "are not from around here. That I can tell... quite easily," he smiled, revealing a set of perfectly aligned teeth that were a little stained. "Let me guess... you're from the States? Or Canada, perhaps?"
Jack's eye lit up at the mention of his home, "But how... how did you know?"
"Because I, too, am from the States," he said with a wink, before adding, "How long have you been here?"
Jack's mind went into overdrive imagining how this man could finally help him get home. "Honestly, I don't know. I was trapped for some time before I was rescued by Zalea and her people. We've been travelling a few days now."
"And where are you heading?" he asked as Oprah nuzzled the ground between them.
"To the Nephilim caves," answered Zalea.
"Woah there. Are you crazy?" he asked.
"Possibly," replied Jack, "but we believe it's the only way to get home. How long have you been here?"
"Believe me, you don't want to know."
But when Jack continued to look at him with raised eyebrows, Nick's expression changed to one of sadness and he shrugged his shoulders,
"Maybe 15... 16... years."
Jack gasped, he felt winded and took a step backwards as if he'd been punched in the stomach.
Nick stepped forward, thinking he might have to catch him if he fell but dropped his arms to his side when Jack steadied his balance.
"Perhaps we ought to go and sit down and have something to drink?" said Zalea as the two men nodded in agreement.
"...and then when I woke up, I found myself here. Well, I found myself in those awful caves you're so desperate to find."
"But weren't you chained up?" asked Zalea, picking at the strange looking bumpy brown fruit Nick had given them to eat.
"No, but I did see others were in chains," he choked, "I saw those beasts, the Nephilim, taunting them. I don't know how I got there but I sure as hell wasn't going to stick around."
"So you managed to escape?" asked Jack eagerly.
"In a manner of speaking. I hid within those caves for days on end, trying to figure out
"Like a what?" she asked.
"Like a Pterodactyl. But that's impossible. They're extinct. They haven't been around for millions of years."
"In your world," corrected Zalea.
"Well, there is that, I suppose. I just wish I knew more about your world," he added, peering round to see the winged creature still standing in the same position.
"It's still there."
"Then let me approach it," she replied, pulling away from his grip and attempting to walk up to it. "See? It's quite all right," she said as it gently nuzzled at her hand.
Amazed, Jack followed, watching the faery giggle as the creature repeatedly licked her face.
"I see you found company, Oprah" said a voice out of nowhere.
Jack leapt to his right and scoured the area to identify where the voice had come from. Looking upwards, he saw a man on top of a ledge some 40 metres or so above them. The two watched in awe while he scaled down the side of the jagged cliff with absolute ease, his strong arms taking his full weight as he took the final few metres in a jump, landing firmly on his feet.
The winged creature hopped away from Zalea and headed towards the man, who patted it softly on the head with a smile. Both turned to face the strangers.
"I would ask 'friend or foe' but I can see perfectly well I have nothing to worry about. Oprah here is a good judge of character," he said smiling, approaching them with his hand outstretched.
"I'm Nickolaus Pryce, please... call me Nick," he said as Jack took his hand and shook vigorously.
"Jack Tulugaq and this is my friend, Zalea."
"It's really good to meet you Jack and Zalea," he said, eyeing up the beautiful pair of lilac wings that jutted from her upper back.
"I am a faery from the Moharth forest," she offered.
"Ah yes, of course. I've never spent much time within Moharth, Oprah here prefers to be out in the open. But I have heard of your kind. But you," he said turning towards Jack, "are not from around here. That I can tell... quite easily," he smiled, revealing a set of perfectly aligned teeth that were a little stained. "Let me guess... you're from the States? Or Canada, perhaps?"
Jack's eye lit up at the mention of his home, "But how... how did you know?"
"Because I, too, am from the States," he said with a wink, before adding, "How long have you been here?"
Jack's mind went into overdrive imagining how this man could finally help him get home. "Honestly, I don't know. I was trapped for some time before I was rescued by Zalea and her people. We've been travelling a few days now."
"And where are you heading?" he asked as Oprah nuzzled the ground between them.
"To the Nephilim caves," answered Zalea.
"Woah there. Are you crazy?" he asked.
"Possibly," replied Jack, "but we believe it's the only way to get home. How long have you been here?"
"Believe me, you don't want to know."
But when Jack continued to look at him with raised eyebrows, Nick's expression changed to one of sadness and he shrugged his shoulders,
"Maybe 15... 16... years."
Jack gasped, he felt winded and took a step backwards as if he'd been punched in the stomach.
Nick stepped forward, thinking he might have to catch him if he fell but dropped his arms to his side when Jack steadied his balance.
"Perhaps we ought to go and sit down and have something to drink?" said Zalea as the two men nodded in agreement.
"...and then when I woke up, I found myself here. Well, I found myself in those awful caves you're so desperate to find."
"But weren't you chained up?" asked Zalea, picking at the strange looking bumpy brown fruit Nick had given them to eat.
"No, but I did see others were in chains," he choked, "I saw those beasts, the Nephilim, taunting them. I don't know how I got there but I sure as hell wasn't going to stick around."
"So you managed to escape?" asked Jack eagerly.
"In a manner of speaking. I hid within those caves for days on end, trying to figure out
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