Never Trust A Xweetok: Part Two

     Maybe Briette’s not all she cracked up to be, he thought. Maybe she does know how to use Jhudora’s Wand, and that’s how she turned herself into a Dark Faerie. I need to talk to Illusen, and fast.

     The large scarlet Eyrie spun around, and flew off. Even though Briette, in her Dark Faerie form, was faster, the Eyrie had the advantage of larger wings. He swooped down to Meridell after around an hour. Kowe barged in to Illusen’s Glade, pushing the random questers out of his way. Finally he was at the front of the line. There was kindly Illusen, giving a Rose Shake out to a quester, for completing one of the prize quests.

     “Next, please,” she said tiredly. Her head popped up, and she said curiously, “Kowe? What are you doing here?”

     “I need your help, Illusen.”

     “Okay, then. Let me just put up a sign, and you can come in and talk.”

     Illusen materialized a sign out of thin air, and propped it outside where audible groans could be heard. She and Kowe walked inside.

     “Now,” Illusen said, dumping herself into her favourite chair, “what’s the matter?”

     Kowe took a deep gulp, and bravely said, “I was duped by one of Jhudora’s followers.” There. It was all out now.

     Illusen’s eyes widened and she jumped up in shock. “Jhudora’s minion?”

     Kowe nodded, ashamed. “She goes by the name Briette, and she is an explorer. I do not know how she came to be one of Jhudora’s, because she has never been to Faerieland before. I left her there, when we went up around an hour ago. She flashed purple and green, and then she went back to her normal Xweetok blue. Then she bade me goodbye, and transformed herself into a Dark Faerie,” he said, troubled.

     Illusen groaned. “There have been rumours of Jhudora coming down to the mainland. She probably sensed the same type of thing that I did with you – which you had to fight one of my sister’s minions.”

     “Sister's?” Kowe asked, one of his eyebrows popping up.

     Illusen nodded sadly. “We were twins, born on the first of Sleeping, many years ago. Both of us were Earth Faeries – that’s where Jhudora gets her green streaks from. We were closer than ever then, but Jhudora started studying dark magic when she was sixteen. I was completely against Dark Faeries, but Jhudora changed. Her beautiful leaf-like wings turned into a bright purple bat-like wing set, and her hair she dyed purple, but she left a streak of her previous hair, to remind everyone that she was also an Earth Faerie. So she dressed to match her hair, and she turned into what everyone knows know.” Illusen sighed. “I wish I could have turned her from this trail, but ever since she tried to banish me so many years ago, we were pitted against each other without a second thought.”

     Kowe gave a reassuring smile to the trouble Earth Faerie. “That’s where Briette probably gained her earthy aura.”

     Illusen regained her composure quickly at that point. “She had an earth aura?” she said unbelieving.

     “Yes. I think that Jhudora gave her her wand, as well as another trinket, as with me and your ring and your staff, and then she disguised her darkened aura with earth powers, so she looked like a normal Xweetok.”

     “Oh.” Illusen thought for a moment. “She probably sensed your aura as well, then. Curses! I should have gotten Psellia or another air faerie to gift you with air powers.” She rose from her chair and started pacing, annoyed.

     “Why?” Sometimes Kowe was a bit slow in thought, if you know what I mean.

     Illusen turned to face Kowe. “Eyries have an air aura, not an earth one. She probably sensed it and she could tell you were one of my followers. But what’s done is done. Now we need to make up for the mistake, and send you back to Faerieland like nothing has happened.”

     Kowe smiled, a smile filled with anger, apprehension, and even a bit of happiness. “Where do we start?”

     ---

      Briette, at the stairs at the bottom of Jhudora’s Cloud, changed herself back into her blue Xweetok form, and pushed herself through all the cowering pets, and all the avatar hunters.

     At a hypnotised sentry at the gate, she told him that she must see Jhudora at once.

     “Of course. But I need to see some identification.”

     Briette clicked her fingers, and her fur turned into the purple and green of Jhudora. At that moment the sentry bowed, and said, “This way, ma’am.”

     She smiled knowingly, and passed the disgruntled questers.

     Briette walked up to the throne of Jhudora, and prostrated herself on the floor before the powerful Dark Faerie.

     “I have come, as you have commanded me, Jhudora.”

     The purple eyes of the nefarious Dark Faerie regarded the purple and green figure on the floor in front of her. She grinned evilly.

     “Finally, you have come, Briette. I suppose you have filled your mission?”

     The Xweetok nodded her head, answering from her position on the floor. “I have done what you have wished, mighty Jhudora. I have been everywhere, assessing the weaknesses and strengths of each location, so you can target each place and overrun it easily.”

     Jhudora smiled, anticipating the words of glory the Neopets would bring her. “You can rise now, Briette. You have performed a deed of honour, and it will not go unrewarded. Here is your reward.” She clicked her fingers, and two guards brought in a weakly struggling fire faerie.

     Briette stood up, and brushed the dust off her fluorescent purple fur. She smiled as evilly as Jhudora, recognizing the Faerie at once. It was Eithne, the fames Mystery Island faerie.

     “Ah, Eithne, would you be so good as to bestow your powers onto this faithful Xweetok of mine?” Jhudora asked the captive, gesturing to the green and purple Briette.

     Eithne shook her head stubbornly. “No, Jhudora. I will not let you succeed.”

     Jhudora’s smile faltered for a second then grew wider. “Are you sure?” she asked, making a flicking motion at the prisoner.

     The two Tonu guards who had brought Eithne to the room understood Jhudora’s gesture. They twisted her arms backwards, so it put her in searing agony. Even though her arms hurt, she gritted her teeth, and shook her head defiantly.

     Jhudora’s large smile turned into a frown. Under her breath, she muttered a spell, which left Eithne gasping for breath. She had withdrawn the oxygen from around her.

     Eithne couldn’t stand it any longer. “Stop it! I will do what you ask!” she shouted helplessly, trying to conserve the air she had left.

     Jhudora’s evil smile coated her face again, as she muttered the counter-spell which allowed Eithne to breathe again.

     “Fine then. Do your thing.”

     Eithne took a deep, shuddering breath, and started to recite the spell which would effectively gift Briette with all her powers. When she was finished, Briette felt herself grow. In fact, her height grew a few centimetres, and a fire now glowed in her eyes. The fire was purple, though.

     “Thank you Eithne,” Jhudora gracefully thanked the faerie. “Take her back to the dungeons, guards.”

     Struggling again, Eithne was withdrawn from Jhudora’s throne room.

     But on the way, Eithne had enough power left to chant a spell which would knock the guards unconscious, and she used it.

     When the guards were sleeping peacefully, she broke a window and flew out of it, her destination Illusen’s Glade.

     Meanwhile, Jhudora was giving Briette the knowledge of the Fire Faerie magic which now inhabited her. Briette now felt more powerful than ever, and she knew she would defeat Kowe easily. She had the benefit of three elements, he only could use one.

     Jhudora popped out of open air three powerful artefacts. The Amulet of the Dark Faerie, the Staff of the Earth Faerie, and the Orb of the Fire Faerie.

     With acquiring each of these, her power magnified thirteen fold. Briette was now the most powerful pet that had ever lived.

     As Jhudora started to tutor her in the art of Fire Power, a shrieking pet entered the hall, yelling, “There is a window broken!”

     Jhudora turned to face the hysterical Lenny. “WHY ARE YOU INTERRUPTING US?!?” she yelled.

     The Lenny cowered. “Well, your greatness, there are two Tonu sentries sleeping next to a broken window. When I arrived on the scene, there were burnt orange sparkles cascading down. I thought you should know.” The Lenny turned, and started running out of the hall, not wanting to anger the testy faerie any more.

     “Wait a minute,” Jhudora said to the Lenny. Her eyes blazed a brilliant purple, and she had a deceptively calm voice. The Lenny turned around. “You say there are two Tonu guards sleeping next to a broken window?” The nameless Lenny nodded. “And there are orangey red sparkles floating around?” The Lenny nodded again.

     Jhudora had grasped something so quickly that it had eluded Briette. She let out a high pitched scream which probably the whole of Neopia had heard.

     “EITHNE!!!”

To be continued...