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Untitled Document
Return of the Jewel
There was a low growl. Drushii had woken. Her eyes were
a mixture of flamed violet and uneasy purple, grief, rage and something else
had pooled into them.
"Sari?" she called softly, and I heard a soft
padding of paws. She walked towards me on unsteady feet. Sadly, I smiled at
her, wondering why it was always us that got mixed up in anger and violence.
I sighed, "I'm sorry Drushii."
Without any words, I pulled her into the hug.
Lae slowly walked over to us. Simply, I pulled her into the hug. None of us
moved, we needed the simple contact. The magic, or perhaps the simple act, was
broken as Lae spoke.
"What do we do now?" she asked in a small voice.
Slowly, I stood up.
"I'm going to talk to the Faerie," I said. "Go
inside, lock all the doors." Lae shot me a curious look, but I think she knew
that whatever happened, it would be between the Faerie and I. I was glad Lae
didn't say anything; I didn't even know how I would call the Faerie. I just
would.
"WHERE ARE YOU?" I yelled into the sky. "WHY
DID YOU LEAVE US? YOU KNEW HE WOULD BE TAKEN!"
"I couldn't prevent it Sari," a voice said from
behind me.
"You," I said, venom in my voice as I spun round.
"YOU!"
"Come," the Faerie said simply, holding out
one hand. "I will show you why."
For some reason, despite my anger towards her,
I slowly walked forward. "You'd better explain yourself." I growled, and clasped
her hand. Suddenly, the world blurred, I knew this feeling, and it was the feeling
of travelling faster than your brain could comprehend.
It was like standing by a highway, and watching
the cars speed past. You can see the rough shape and colour of the car but no
detail. I could see rough details as we sped past the Lost Desert, and suddenly,
we stopped. I was pitched forward, loosing my balance and landing on my face
with an audible "Oof."
"I see you have not regained any balance from
your last encounter, Sari," the Faerie said with a touch of humour. I stood
up with as much dignity as I could muster, brushing myself down.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, trying
to keep my voice from shaking. I was so angry with everyone, I was angry at
the Faerie for putting Jero in such danger, angry with Mr Brown for taking Jero.
But mostly, I was angry with myself - I should have realised they would strike
soon, and I didn't even help. I was almost shaking with rage.
"I can help you," the Faerie said simply. I
could feel my expression slacken from shock.
"You said you couldn't," I said quietly.
"I decided to go against the Faeries," she replied
in the same tone. "I will undoubtedly loose my wings for this, but I do not
care. Jeronik is worth it."
"Then bring him here," I said. "Bring him here
and let us go home."
"I cannot do that," she replied, grief pooling
into her face.
"You can't do much, can you," I said angrily.
"A fat lot of good it is being a Faerie, when you can't do anything."
"I cannot send him here, but I can send you
to Jeronik," the Faerie said. I studied her expression for a second, and I felt
my anger melting towards her. I knew, deep down, it wasn't her fault; it was
out of her control. But I felt the need to blame someone; the Faerie knew it.
If I didn't blame someone, I would blame myself, and I knew if that happened,
I'd never get Jeronik back.
"Can you bring Lae and Drushii here?" I asked,
"They need to be here."
"At once," the Faerie said quietly. She murmured
something, and with a flash of light, Lae and Drushii, looking confused and
nervous, stood in front of me.
"We have to talk," I said, sighing with the
stupidity of that statement. I suddenly realised why I had never become a public
speaker…
"Can she bring Jero back?" Drushii asked the
moment they walked over to me. I winced and they had their answer. Lae's face
almost fell to the ground before she composed herself whilst Drushii's face
flickered to an expression I had never seen before - grief before it was back
to her usual expression.
"No," I replied sadly. "But she can send us
to him. Or rather, to the place he's being held. But it's up to you two if you
want to go. I will, but I can't force you two." I paused. "It'll be dangerous,
and I don't know if we can even get Jero back. I'm not forcing you either."
Lae and Drushii looked at each other before
looking at me. To a bystander, they looked the same; two faces of haunted desperation
stared at me. But to me, it was something different.
Lae had a look on her face that wasn't unlike
the first time we met. Her eyes shone with determination and her features, despite
pale and rough, were hopeful.
Drushii was more thoughtful, already planning.
I could almost see her purple eyes think of a plan, then discard it. Her face
was emotionless, her eyes told me everything.
They both spoke at the same time, just two words
that filled me with hope, trust and determination. "We're in."
To be continued…
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