Sight: Part Four

     "Thank you. Thank you so much."

     She just nodded with a smile, and said, "The effect will only last for about two or three hours. Now be off! Slygor could hurt my paintings at any second."

     I looked around the room and gasped. The paintings were amazing. Pictures from all over the world were in this room. There were pictures on the walls, the ceiling, and stacks of paintings eight feet high. Images of valiant Lupes, wise Aishas, playful Myncies, and reliable Gelerts adorned the walls. It was truly an astounding sight. I could tell why Mrs. Prenderghast was so fanatic about her possessions.

     As soon as we left the room, I noticed my other senses had diminished quite a bit. My ears didn't hear the consistent hum that I was used to hearing before. My sense of touch also was weakened. I couldn't feel the textures of my wings as well. What's more, I found I couldn't calculate how many steps it took unconsciously. If I wanted to calculate strides, I would have to deliberately count them. My elation of being able to see again was lowered a little bit by these facts.

     "There's always a trade off," I thought to myself.

     "So what's it like?" Aylie asked. "Being able to see again, I mean."

     I looked at her. I never realized how much I missed her smiling face until now. "I love it. I've always wished I could see again. There's so much I've missed. I hated the darkness so much. It frightened me. I don't want to be blind again." I don't know why, but I didn't tell her about the fact my other senses were lowered. I guess I didn't want to mention there was a good thing about being blind.

     She looked at me with a knowing glance. I think she might've suspected I wasn't telling her everything.

     As we walked down the stairs, I realized I didn't have the feeling that someone was watching us. Whether that was because I could see again or whoever was watching us had left, I wasn't sure.

      We left the Prenderghast manor and headed down the path Nerlizzia described. It was a worn trail with overgrown weeds and shrubs. Walking down it with Aylie next to me was a pain. As I thought about it, I realized there was a really simple solution. Without saying anything to Aylie, I hooked my feet under her arms, spread my wings, and took off into the sky. Aylie screamed, but I didn't care.

     It was exhilarating. It had been so long, and so painful to lose my chance to fly. My smile was as wide as my wingspan as I rose into the sky and flew in large spiraling circles. I was so invigorated.

     "Lage! You do know we've got something to be doing now, right?" Aylie screamed as she held on for dear life. I snapped back into focus and scanned the terrain for any sign of a rundown cabin, like Nerlizzia had described. I found it after a few minutes of searching, and just to scare Aylie, I abruptly changed directions and headed towards the shack in a nosedive, grinning when she shrieked. I landed on the ground with a thud, breathing hard.

     "Lage, you are such a jerk sometimes!" Aylie told me. "Don't ever do that again!"

     My smile suddenly shifted into a frown.

     "I probably won't be able to."

     She looked up at me.

     "Oh, Lage, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

     "Don't be. It's just something I know will happen soon. Now let's get going," I said, eager to change the subject. Aylie nodded, and we looked towards the hut I had spotted earlier.

     It was small, about the size of the entrance hall in the Prenderghast mansion. One window had shattered, and the door was hanging on one hinge. It was obvious no one had lived here for at least a decade. I was wary of what we were going to find inside. I didn't know if Slygor was in there or not. But there was only one way to find out.

     I stood up, and walked to the broken window. I didn't see anybody, but I did see one thing that made my heart lift: the paintings! I knew for sure we were in the right shack now. But, I didn't see Terlizzia or Slygor.

     Gathering up my courage, I walked to the door and swung it open. Aylie followed me with a concerned look on her face. I immediately went to the paintings to make sure they were safe. They seemed to be in good condition. I was relieved. I knew Mrs. Prenderghast would be too.

     Now, my priority was to find Terlizzia. If we could find her without Slygor returning, we would be much safer.

     "Terlizzia?" I called. "Terlizzia, are you here?" I searched around the room for any sign of her, but I couldn't find much.

     Then, Aylie called, "Lage! Look at this!" I rushed over to find a latch cut into the ground. I picked it up and was just about to pull it when I heard a voice.

     "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

     ***

     The minute Terlizzia heard her name being called, she looked for a way to alert her rescuers where she was, but there was absolutely nothing in her cell. She tried jumping to reach the ceiling, but she was a few inches short. She tried yelling, but apparently they didn't hear her.

     Then, she heard a lot of movement. She had no idea what was going on, but it sounded like a fight. There was a scream, and then all of the movement stopped. Terlizzia was worried.

     ***

     I looked up at where I thought the voice came from. It was a rough, scratchy voice.

     "I'm over here now," said the voice. I turned towards the sound again.

     "Slygor?" I asked him. Silence. That confirmed my suspicion. "How are you doing this, Slygor?" I asked.

     "Shouldn't that be obvious, kid?" His voice now came from behind me. It startled me. If my hearing were better, I'd have heard every move he made. That's when it dawned on me.

     "Hey! You attacked me the other day!" I said with anger.

     Slygor laughed. "'Course I did, kid. I've been watching every step you guys have taken."

     "So you were in the hall earlier? When I thought someone was watching us?"

     "Yep. But you still haven't guessed my trick," he said with a mocking voice.

     Aylie spoke up for the first time since Slygor appeared. "You're painted Invisible, aren't you?"

     "Aye, I am. Smart sister you've got, kid."

     I was amazed. If I were still blind, I'd have been the only one to realize there was someone there. With my sight, I was oblivious to the fact that someone was following us. But there was still another question I had to ask.

     "Why, Slygor? Why theft? And kidnapping to boot?"

     "Because Nerlizzia robbed me of my love in life! Why should she get all the credit for something we both worked on! I couldn't handle it, so I hatched a plan. Obviously, if I had waited until you had left the house, I would've carried out the plan like it was supposed to be! I guess I was just a bit too angry, so I attacked you. Oh well. That problem will be solved right now."

     Suddenly, I felt a pain on my beak. He had hit me without me even knowing he had gotten closer! This was frustrating. Aylie screamed. Obviously, he had crept up on her as well.

     I had to solve this problem, and fast if we were going to make it out of this unharmed. It seemed the only way to do this was to know when he was coming, and that's when it hit me. I quickly closed my eyes tight and listened for any sound of danger.

     I heard a flutter by my left wing, and quickly reached up to where I thought Slygor's arm would be. I caught it in midair and smiled. He gasped. I caught his other one, which was soaring toward the right side of my face. Another gasp.

     "Aylie!" I shouted, my eyes still clamped shut. "Come running this way and tackle the air right by me!"

     "Are you sure?" she asked, cautious.

     "Yes, positive!" I told her, still struggling with Slygor. Seconds later, I heard a grunt, and, after I opened my eyes, I found Aylie hovering a few feet off the ground, an unconscious Slygor underneath her.

     "Great!" I exclaimed. "Don't move. I'll find Terlizzia." I walked over to the trapdoor and wrenched it open. I fluttered down into the darkness.

     "Terlizzia?" I called.

     "I'm here, Lage, I'm here." She seemed to be crying, but I couldn't tell. It was awfully dark in the room. I rushed towards the sound and felt around.

     "Help me up, I'm very weak," she told me. I picked her up and flew toward the trapdoor's opening. When we emerged, I gave out a dismayed cry.

     My eyes were open, but all I saw was darkness. The potion's effect had ended.

     I was blind again.

To be continued...