The Adventures of Tarin and Zeke: The Dark Book - Part Two

      Tarin opened his eyes and felt stunned. He had just been buried under boulders, in a dark cave. Now he was in a warm, soft bed with white sheets and pillows. The walls were not cave walls, but they seemed to be made of clouds. And there was light in the room, not darkness, but it wasn't a very bright light, either. There was even a small stand next to the bed, holding a glass of clear water and a small vase of flowers. His back pack sat next to the stand.

      Tarin looked at himself and saw that his arms and body were bandaged in a few spots. They had been carefully wrapped in soft, white cloth. He closed his eyes again, then he heard a gentle voice.

      "How are you feeling?" asked somebody. Tarin quickly opened his eyes and looked around. He received another surprise. A faerie was sitting to the left of his bed, smiling at him.

      This faerie was beautiful. Her hair was violet and about waist-length, and her wings were pink with purple around the edges. She was wearing a beautiful pink and purple dress. In one hand, she held a blue staff with a purple sphere at the top, and wore a light blue tiara with a purple jewel in the center. Tarin knew who she was.

      "Your Majesty!" Tarin said, beginning to get up. He did not want to seem disrespectful by staying in bed.

      "Ah ah! Lay back down," said Fyora, giggling a bit. "You're hurt."

      Tarin blushed and hastened to obey. "Where am I, your Majesty? Is Zeke okay? What's-?"

      "Calm down, Tarin," said Fyora, gently. "You're in my castle. This is a sort of, well.... I wouldn't call it a hospital. But I think you get the idea. Your friend is here too. Don't worry, he's doing well. He's sleeping right over there. Neither of you seem to have serious injuries."

      Tarin slowly nodded. "That's great...." he said. And he remembered something. "Who was that dark faerie? The one that stole that book?"

      Fyora sighed. "She is Narcissa," she said. "She is a dark faerie, and quite cruel. Worse than Jhudora, which is saying something, since Jhudora will create storms when she's in a foul mood. I really don't have much trouble with Jhudora, though. She remembers that she is in Faerieland, and if she did something seriously evil, she'd have to answer to me.

      "Narcissa, however, was banished from Faerieland years ago. I don't know where she is now, but when she went to that cave in Neopia Central, I sensed her there. I knew she was up to something, and I hurried there to put a stop to it, but I was too late. I found you buried under those rocks. You were both unconscious. You said she took a book from that cave, right?"

      Tarin nodded. "Yes, your Majesty. She said it would help her with something."

      "That's what I was afraid of," said Fyora. "You see, that book is full of dark magic and horrible spells that could do the worst things. With that book, Narcissa would have the power to turn swords against those who wield them. She could hypnotize people to do her bidding. In the wrong hands, that book could destroy Neopia."

      An awkward silence fell. Then Tarin spoke up. "Does Katie, my owner, know where I am, your Majesty?" he asked.

      "I sent letters to her and David with a trusted knight," said Fyora. "They'll know by now. They're coming to visit you both tomorrow."

      Across the room, Zeke sat up, rubbing his head. "Where?"

      "I'll leave you to explain everything to him," said Fyora, standing up. She left the room, and Tarin told Zeke everything.

     ******

      "So, that faerie, Narcissa, could destroy all of Neopia with that book?" asked Zeke later, as he and Tarin each ate a bowl of hot, creamy soup.

      "That's what she told me," said Tarin, fishing a potato out of his bowl with his spoon.

      They ate in silence for some time.

      "I think we should do something to stop Narcissa," said Tarin, after he finished his soup.

      Zeke looked up at him. "Seriously?"

      "Seriously."

      "You realize we'd be risking our necks?"

      "Yeah."

      Zeke shook his head. "You're crazy."

      "No, I'm not," said Tarin. "I feel like- like this is something I have to do. I want to stop Narcissa before something awful happens."

      "I understand," said Zeke. "No, you're not crazy. You're right."

      It was like something was burning inside Tarin. Something that made him want to take action against evil. He was nervous about it, but he had to do something. But then, what would Katie say? Or David? Their owners would never let them go.

      "I say we go anyway," said Zeke, after Tarin had explained this to him. "After they visit."

      "I heard that," said Fyora, looking serious, entering the room. "And please, stay in bed. You need your rest." Zeke blushed. He was halfway up. He sank back into the bed.

      "I really don't think that Katie and David would appreciate you running after a dangerous Dark Faerie like that, you know," said Fyora.

      Tarin didn't know what to say.

      "They would not want you to go without permission," Fyora continued. "You should ask them tomorrow. Something tells me that they will be willing to let you go, however." She smiled.

      Tarin looked at Zeke. He did not want Katie to worry about him when he left. But he didn't seem to have any other choice but to ask. Zeke seemed to feel the same way.

      "So, you're going to ask them tomorrow, right?" asked Fyora.

      Tarin nodded quickly. "Yes, your Majesty," he said. He didn't dare argue with Fyora.

      "On second thought, I really do think that you are the ones who should go on this mission, however," said Fyora. "Yes, you are. In fact, you're going. Unless you want to stay, of course."

      "I'll go!" said Tarin, taken by surprise by this sudden change of mind. "Zeke?"

      Zeke nodded, too. "We'll both go, your Majesty!"

      "You're still going to see your owners, though, got that?" Fyora added. "They should know where you're going."

      "We will," said Tarin. Either way, their owners would worry about them, but Tarin and Zeke agreed later that they should go after Narcissa and stop her from using the book.

     *****

      They left the following morning, around eleven, their back packs on their shoulders, Tarin still thinking about the conversation that he and Zeke had with their owners and Fyora.

      Fyora sat down in a chair and surveyed Faerieland. It was a bit early in the morning. The sun had just risen. She looked over at Jhudora's Cloud to see if she was up to anything. No, everything was peaceful.

      Tarin and Zeke walked out onto the large balcony where Fyora sat and bowed.

      "Good morning," said Fyora. "Please sit down."

      Tarin and Zeke sat down in a couple of chairs. Tarin looked around at Faerieland. It was very beautiful. The sun was rising and the sky was a deep shade of blue. To the West, the skies were still dark.

      Below, Tarin saw a Faerie Ixi leave its house and began walking towards the city. A few other Neopets were waking up. A young Faerie Lupe was playing outside.

      "It's beautiful," said Tarin.

      Fyora smiled. "I think so, too. Oh, your owners should be arriving shortly."

      Soon enough, after some time, Tarin and Zeke's owners, Katie and David, were sitting in chairs on the balcony next to their pets.

      David was about fifteen, and he had brown hair, like Katie, and dark eyes.

      Fyora explained everything that had happened since yesterday afternoon, when Tarin and Zeke had left for the park. Near the end of the story, Katie looked a bit worried, and David was frowning.

      Fyora retold how she had rushed to the cave when she sensed Narcissa's presence, and how she had found Tarin and Zeke buried under all those rocks. She told them that she had brought them back to Faerieland (with help from a knight), and how they had made a swift recovery. Then it was decided.

      "I really...." began Katie, but she stopped. "I'm not-." She wasn't sure if she wanted Tarin to go after the Dark Faerie.

      "She's right," said David, who rarely agreed with her. "I don't know...."

      "We'll be really careful," said Zeke to Katie, who was staring at the sky. A Faerie Acara flew over them.

      "I do think that they're the ones who should go," said Fyora. "That is, if they want to."

      "I do want to go," said Tarin.

         So it was decided that Tarin and Zeke would go on their mission to stop the Dark Faerie, Narcissa. Tarin had given Katie a hug before he and Zeke left, Tarin riding on Zeke's back. They were not sure where exactly to go, but they thought they should start searching in Meridell.

To be continued...