Faerie Wings II: Rosia's Revenge - Part Eleven

      "Did you see anyone?" asked Alice.

      "No, I didn't," said Kira. "Did you see anything?"

      Alice shook her head. "I just wanted to make sure we weren't watched."

      "So, how should we enter the tower?" asked Kira. "Do you think it would be smart to go through the front door?

      "No," said Alice. "I'm afraid the only way we can enter the tower is through that window in the front. My idea was to have you fly inside and grab all of the bottled faeries Balthazar has imprisoned in there."

      Kira gave Alice a shocked expression. "Why do I have to enter the tower by myself?" she demanded.

      "Because you're the only one that could fly," Alice explained. "I'd rather stay out here and look out for Balthazar or his accomplices." She placed a hand on Kira's shoulder. "Please be careful, Kira."

      Kira nodded and flew up to the top of the tower. After taking a few short breaths, she flew over to the tower's open window and looked around the small, empty tower room inside. So far, so good, Kira thought as she cautiously entered the tower. As soon as she landed on the ground, she immediately scanned the tower room and noticed a wooden bookshelf crowded with various glass bottles, with some bottles giving off a fading glow.

      The bottled faeries! Kira thought anxiously as she ran towards the shelf. Without thinking, she immediately scooped up as many bottled faeries she could and, with a snap of her fingers, placed them in a clear tote bag she had just poofed up. Kira continued to place more bottles into her tote until she came across a fading bottled Dark faerie that was placed at the very back of the shelf. Just as she was reach towards the last bottle, she could hear the loud thumping sound of footsteps coming from outside the room.

      "I can't believe you girls!" a booming voice sounded from behind the door.

      Panicking, Kira lugged the tote bag to the corner of the tower and whispered, "Clear as Glass!" as she snapped her fingers twice, completely forgetting about the faded Dark faerie she wasn't able to save. By the time a mutant Lupe and three familiar-looking Dark faeries entered the room, the Top Air faerie was hiding behind a force field that made her invisible to the unsuspecting residents.

      "I can't believe you three twits haven't left for the Mystery Island yet!" Balthazar snarled. "Why are you all still here in Faerieland?"

      Daphne held up her sunglasses with two fingers. "Because these shades make my head look big! I need to find the new pair that I swore I left in this Snorkle-sty!"

      "Why can't you just use your faerie powers to poof up a pair?" Balthazar demanded.

      "Because I don't feel like using my magic right now; I'm too tried!" Daphne shouted. "So why don't you stop having a Kau while I–"

      Violet placed a daisy into her hair. "Does this look good on me, guys?" she asked.

      Velma rolled her eyes. "Come on; let's get out of here already! Balthazar, while we're gone you and Violet can–"

      "No, I will not! I QUIT!" Balthazar snarled loudly.

      "You're quitting?" Velma and Daphne shouted together.

      Balthazar nodded. "I've decided to leave you stupid faeries and return to my own faerie-collecting scheme! From now on, I will only be hunting faeries rather than be working with them!"

      "You jerk!" Daphne gasped.

      "Why would you choose to leave now? We're so close!" Velma insisted.

      As Velma and Daphne followed Balthazar out of the tower room, arguing, Violet looked around the room and happily skipped out through the door. After waiting for the shouting to die down, Kira closed her force shield down, grabbed her tote bag handle, and flew out of the window. I can't believe they didn't notice the empty bookcase! Kira thought as she flew towards the Faerie Woods, with Alice running below her.

      When Kira had landed onto the soft grass, Alice looked at the tote bag she was holding. "Are those really the bottled faeries Balthazar collected?" Alice asked as she admired the bulging bag.

      Kira nodded. "Yep," she said, trying to forget the bottled Dark faerie she had abandoned.

      "Do you know any spells that can take us to Jhuidah?" asked Alice. "I heard from my friends she's the only one that can free bottled faeries."

      "Yes, I know a great transportation, spell," Kira insisted. "Don't worry; we'll be there in seconds!"

      ***

      "We have to hurry, Kira!" Alice cried a she ran through the thick rain forest. She was holding a handful of bottled faeries with her hands as she ran in front of Kira, who was flying right behind her.

      "Do you see anything?" asked Kira

      Alice shook her head a she pushed two vines away from her. "No, I can't see anything in this forest."

      After flying higher into the air, Kira looked down and shouted, "I see it! I see the Cooking Pot!" She swooped down to her friend and pointed straight ahead. "Alice, go straight and keep going in that direction! We're almost there!"

      Alice nodded and continued to run through the lush tropical plants and vines that stood in her way. She kept going until she found herself facing a giant cooking pot that rose high above a clearing. "Quick, Kira, throw your bottled faeries in first!" Alice cried.

      Kira nodded and flew over the Cooking Pot. She threw all of the bottled faeries she was holding into the sparkling orange liquid that bubbled inside the gigantic pot. "Now what?" she asked.

      "Where's the Island faerie?" Alice asked as she looked around the clearing.

      "I don't know. I don't see her anywhere," Kira reported, her heartbeat racing as she searched the ground for Jhuidah.

      "Well, who do we have here?" a voice sneered from behind.

      Kira turned around and was surprised to see Daphne flying beside Violet and Velma. "Why are you three here?" she demanded.

      "To get awesome tans, of course," Daphne sighed as she poofed up her pink-rimmed sunglasses and gazed up at the sun.

      Velma nudged Daphne with her elbow. "That was not what we're doing here, remember?"

      Daphne sighed and grabbed the fading bottled Dark faerie Violet was holding. After sighing loudly again, she flew over to the top of the Cooking Pot and dropped it inside. "It'll only take a few minutes," she insisted.

      "A few minutes?" asked Kira. "But why would you want to free a bottled Dark faerie?"

      "Because as soon as this pot does its thing, all of the Dark faerie's powers would be magically restored and the Dark Faerie Charm would be empty as it once was," Velma explained.

      What's a Dark Faerie Charm? Kira wondered.

      Before long, Daphne waved her hand over the cooking pot and smiled widely when a purple and pink coloured bottle few up into her hands. "See? I told you it would be ready," she said with a smirk.

      "Let's get out of here," said Velma. "That Grey faerie down there is looking at me funny." Daphne nodded and flew away with her two sisters beside her.

      Surprised by what had just happened, Kira flew over to the cooking pot, waved both arms widely, and was pleasantly surprised when all of the fading bottled faeries she had dropped were transformed into Tier 1 bottled faeries.

      "Quick! We must open all of the bottles in order to free them!" Alice shouted from below.

      Kira nodded and, with all the bottled faeries in her arms, flew down to the ground and placed all of the bottled faeries beneath her and Alice. After picking up one bottle each, the faeries began to open the lids of each bottle as quickly and as efficiently as they could.

      "Is it working?" asked Kira.

      Alice opened the last bottled faerie bottle and nodded. "Yes, now they'll be free!"

      "Yes!" Kira cheered as she took a deep breath. She looked around and smiled even wider at the various faeries, which were previously bottled, as they stretched their arms and looking around in confusion. She could recognize her friends Brillare and Illere; her classmates Marissa and Carrie; and Ms. Avalon and Ms. Aerial, two teachers who taught at Faeriewood Academy.

      Illere looked up at the trees and plants around her. "Hey... why are... we... in... Mystery... Island?" she asked as she gulped for air.

      Kira waved her hand over the group, which allowed each of them to breathe in enough oxygen to revitalize their bodies. "Is everybody alright?" she asked.

      Brillare stood up and gave Kira a warm smile. "Kira, you and Alice have saved us all! I thank you two tremendously!"

      Sirena stood up, too. "Yeah, you guys rocked!" she cheered. Illere nodded in agreement.

      "Oh, but isn't it a shame all of you will now be destroyed for good?" a voice called from above. Everyone looked up and Kira gasped loudly when she saw Rosia, and her three sisters, looking down at them.

To be continued...