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Untitled Document
Kiata flew hard, trying to discover where Jade was. She
had figured the Shoyru would stop somewhere at sometime but she couldn't figure
out where.
She looked up to see Faerieland growing nearer. "Why
does it seem so close?" she thought but shook it off. She continued to fly for
the remaining hours of daylight, until she veered off and headed for Krawk Island.
Kiata landed at the shores of the small island, searching
for an inn until she found one. Inside about fifty, mainly Krawks, Grarrls and
Lupes, however, there was at least one of each Neopet lounging at tables and
what not. Kiata flipped her hood over her head and walked around. Then she heard
a familiar voice.
"Harhar! I wonder where that pesky Shoyru and her friends
have gotten to. Curse them!" the voice said and took a swig of his drink. Silently
Kiata stood in the shadows, listening.
"But Captain, how did that Shoyru defeat you and your
entire fleet?" questioned a fierce looking Pteri.
"Well you see, Fror, she brought in thousands of Neopets
and destroyed me fleet!" the voice said gruffly, taking another swig of his
drink. Kiata smiled and stepped forward, staying close to the shadows and continued
to listen.
"We was just setting sail to go plunder when I smelled
the smell of fire ye know. I stood upon the mast and watched as me cabin was
set on fire. I looked down and saw thousands o' pets slashin an' detroyin' me
crew. I slid sown an' called out an' then I saws the back o' that little Shoyru,
Jade was 'er name. Bravely I ran up to ER and slashed ER back. She whipped o'round
an' threw me overboard. Isn't tha' right boys? Harhar!" Everyone in the inn
nodded nervously. Finally Kiata stepped out of her place and put a paw on his
shoulder. A hushed silence fell over everyone.
"ER harhar... Who're you?"
"Well, well, well," she said softly, "if it isn't the
Shadow Army's craftiest corsair, Mr. Captain Thrice."
"If it isn't Kiata the general of the Shadow Army.
Oh that's right, your status was lowered!" Thrice laughed. Kiata pulled her
hand away and unsheathed her sword.
"No need to get hasty now!" Thrice said as he jumped
up to unsheathe his scimitar. As he put his paw on the hilt the flash of silver
and blue swept by him like lightning. Less than a second later Thrice lay upon
the floor of the inn in a heap, unmoving. Before the crowd of onlookers Kiata
stood, holding her blade, which was stained red.
"Return to the Shadow Army! Go now, back to the Haunted
Woods!" she cried. From sheer terror of her wrath, each and every corsair and
Neopet fled from the inn. Tables were overturned, glass crashed to the floor
and spilled. Chairs were broken; paws were stepped on and cut by the shattered
glass. In the mad dash to leave the island some pets were trampled, and some
slain. Those that could fly took off at the shores, those that were lucky enough
grabbed a lift with companions. Others jumped into the ocean and swam as fast
as their limbs would go.
Kiata surveyed the abandoned inn and shook her head.
She noticed a staircase and walked towards it. There she climbed it and found
a room. Silently she undid the brooch around her neck and let the cloak fall
from her shoulders. She slumped on the bed and drifted off into a sound sleep.
***
Night seemed to take forever. Jade had had an uneasy sleep, often waking.
When dusk had finally come she had grabbed all her garments and items and gotten
ready to go. But before she had done so she had looked at Neopia and sighed
heavily. After that she had taken off into the night sky. To one far away, she
appeared as a jade star floating across the sky as the amulet around her neck
glowed brightly.
***
Jade landed on the fluffy clouds of Faerie Land, approximately 12:00 am NST.
She turned and gazed in the dark, at the highest point in all of the Neopian
World. She scanned Neopia for the last time before she reached Sakhmet. Down
in the ocean she could see many black figures, darker than the dark ocean itself,
silhouetted against both the sky and ocean. She stood and pondered as to what
it could be, but shook her head and turned away.
The flight to Faerie Land had been hard and fast. It
had taken Jade nearly half the time to get there and she was exhausted. Gently
and silently, she made her way by the Water Faeries Healing Springs, Jhudora's
Cloud and many other places outside the city gates. After a few minutes of running
along the winding cloud path Jade came to the gates.
"Who goes there?" shouted a voice, none other than
the Battle Faerie herself.
"Tis Jadestone!" Jade shouted back.
Slowly the gates opened, revealing a beautiful city.
The Battle Faerie stepped down from her perch as lookout and stood before Jade.
"Well if it isn't Jadestone, the one who freed many slaves and stopped Captain
Thrice," she said in hushed tones. Jade looked at her questioningly.
"Uh... Th-"
"Shhhhh!!!" the Faerie hissed. "You are to go straight
to the palace..."
"Okay..." Jade whispered. She scampered off into the
city swiftly. The Battle Faerie leapt up to the battlements of the massive wall
surrounding the city and watched the gates shut tightly. She nodded her head
in approval and gazed out into the darkness.
A pair of hawk like eyes watched the city and Jadestone,
through a large black orb. A black cloaked figure, the one watching, laughed,
"Ha Jade! I see your every move, where you go... everything! But... blast those
Faeries! For their magic prevents me from seeing beyond the city gates..."
***
Jade made it to the large oaken doors where two blue Pteri guards stood on
either side of the doors. They crossed their spears as she approached. "Who
goes there?" they chorused.
"Jade... the Battle... Faerie sent... me..." she gasped
and stood before them with her paws upon her knees.
"Oh. You're Jadestone. Please enter right away! As
you enter if you turn to your left there are many doors. The last door you come
across is a room sort of like an inn. You can rest there. To your far right-the
kitchen is down there-so if you need food then ask the cooks for something,"
answered the guard on the left. Then they leaned their spears against the palace
walls and clasped the large rings attached to the doors with their wings. They
pulled and slowly the doors opened. Jade entered and said her thanks. After
she had stepped in the doors closed behind her.
The entrance hall was huge. A west and east wing branched
off right from the door. The hall went straight and branched off again. Stairs
were located on either side leading up to the ramparts, which, if you followed
long enough, would take one to the barracks where the soldiers of the Queen
resided. If one continued a little ways north of where these two wings branched
off one would come to yet another set of large oaken doors; this lead to the
throne room.
Jade shook her head. "Big enough entrance hall?" she
said softly and turned to her left. She was too tired to go down to the kitchen
and get food, even though she was hungry, and instead headed down the west wing.
She passed what seemed like hundreds of doors when she finally came to the last
one.
Gently Jade turned the doorknob and stepped in. The
room was fairly big and there were at least twenty beds, ten along the wall
before her and ten to her right. A desk was set along the wall to her left were
five windows with deep green curtains hung closed. A little lamp was lit on
the desk and a Shoyru sat waiting. She turned, stood up, and bowed, "Hello Jade.
I've been expecting you. Can I-?"
Jade shook her head and slumped on the bed to her right.
She curled into a ball and drifted off into a deep sleep. Silently the maid
blew out the lamp and stood in the doorway. "You are something else Jadestone,"
she whispered and then walked out, closing the door behind her.
To be continued...
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