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"Look! The cave gets a lot brighter up ahead!" I yelled.
I could just feel it in my bones that we were near our destination.
"Come on then," Zana said rushing ahead. "Let's
just get this over with!"
I caught up with her and we jogged the last
few feet into the lit cavern together. It was huge, with an extra long rock
platform jutting out from the far ends floor, to almost where we stood, and
it was from that platform that I first glanced eyes upon her.
"I have been expecting you, Dorono." A whimsical
voice echoed across the cavern. "Though that your friends would follow, that
is something I didn't presage."
"W-who are you?" I asked trying to get a glimpse
of the one talking.
"That, Dorono, you should already know."
"Valvex?" Zana said looking up towards the platform.
"Yes, young Zafara. That is my name." And with
a laugh, she appeared to us. She was a beautiful white Eyriess, with wonderful
emerald eyes. She was not pure white though, for she had several sky blue markings
across her body. A couple of stripes upon her beak, and on her front legs too.
She also had a few lines under her eyes and on her cheeks were two triangles
of blue. She was tall too, larger then ever Herupah and Decorah, the black Uni
twins. Her wings were also large, at least twice her size. She was magnificent.
"My name is Valvex, and I am the mistress of
this isle. Whatever comes and goes, I know of. Like the return of Elecwator,
and that sword that you carry Zana Taru."
"How do you know of our names though?" Zana
asked the great Eyriess who in return smiled.
"That was not something I originally knew. That
was told to me by a good friend." And with her paw, she pushed out a smiling
Elecwator.
"Well, it seems that he got here before us,"
Heshrou said rolling his eyes.
I tightly closed my eyes, and then looked up
at Valvex, opening them once more. "I cannot waist time," I said. "Do you know
of where I could find the Flower of Trinifucus."
"To save your partners life. Yes, I do know
of where one might be found."
"Well, then could you tell us of its location?"
I kept getting an odd feeling about this Eyrie in front of us.
"I can do better then that, I can show you where
it might be found." And she jumped from the ledge down to our feet. "Follow
me." And we did.
As we walked on, the torchlight became thinner
and thinner, yet we could still see fine, because the walls emitted off an iridescent
blue glow. "It's beautiful," Zana said rubbing her hand along the walls.
"Thank you. I harvested the algae that make
that glow for years trying to cover my walls. I someday hope to get all the
torches replaced by these," Valvex said with a smile.
"Algae?" Thiowa said with an odd look to her.
"Yes, a cave is the perfect place to spawn algae.
It has just the right temperatures and they seem to like the darkness."
"Okay," she said, and then shrugged it off.
We walked foreword past al of the glowing walls
until we walked into another room, yet another large cavern like room. But what
really caught my eye was what was in the center of the room, inside of a glass
jar. It was a golden flower; even the stem had a golden look to it. "The Flower
of Trinifucus…" I said with tears in my eyes. "We've finally found it. We can
save Zarrel Charmain and Kowl."
I started to walk towards the case, but as I
approached it, it lifted itself into the air, and floated over to Valvex's paw
"I cannot let you leave yet. Not until you find out the truth."
"The truth of what?" I asked looking at her.
"The truth of your origin," she said softly.
"Who are you?" I finally asked. "Not just your
name, but who are you really?"
"Many years ago, your egg was found in the shade
of a tree. It was I who placed it there, with hopes that you would grow up true
hearted," she smiled down at me.
"So you're Dorono's mother?!? Wow…" Zana Taru
said looking up at Valvex. "But wait a second. You hardly even look a year older
then him. How is that!"
"It is the magic of this island," she said.
"One who lives here does not age. Not that I would anyway, being the mistress
of dreams."
"Okay," I said. "Before we go on any farther,
lets get an explanation about that!"
Valvex laughed, "You see, I was the first Eyrie
on this world of Neopia. I lived on this island, never ageing, and always watching
the world as it evolved more and more. I sat and watched as the Tatsus took
flight and the Eyries replaced them. It was then that I realized that I was
different from the others, that I had a special gift. You see, Dorono, I can
control dreams. It doesn't sound like much, but it really is. This whole island
is made up of the dreams of Neopians."
"Well, how do I come into this?" I asked.
"You, you were actually an accident on my part.
Your ancestor, a warrior Eyrie from the south, washed up to my island's shoreline
one day after a huge storm. He was actually the first Eyrie that I had had contact
with from the outside world, so naturally, I was curious. We got to know each
other, and eventually fell in love, but then when hearing that his homeland
was under attack, he decided to return back there with a single promise of returning
once the war was over, and so he flew off, leaving me with an egg, yours. I
waited a year for him to come back, then another, and yet he never came. I fear
the worst befell him. So after that I put a spell on your egg, making so that
it would not hatch until someone worthy found it, and I laid it in the outside
world underneath a pile of leaves beneath a single tree in the forest."
"Zarrel found me…" I whispered.
"A worthy one. Although I was surprised that
not only was she not an Eyrie, but an assassin too."
"If you have magic, do I too?" I asked Valvex.
"You do, though not even close to as much as
I do," Valvex smiled, and snapped her fingers, and then Elecwator ran in with
a staff in his mouth. It was of twisted wood, with the top carved in the likeness
of a cobra's head.
"What is this?" Heshrou asked looking at the
staff.
"It is a choice for you Dorono," she said. "Choose
wisely though, because you can only make one choice. You can either take up
the staff, and train with me, and become strong and powerful, or you can take
the flower to your friend, but never return here. Not ever again. It is your
choice only."
I looked at the staff, and my mother, and then
at the flower. I would never again be followed by the antics of promising power.
Not after it almost got not only me, but Zarrel Charmain too, killed back eight
years ago at the fortress of Jown. "I-I am sorry," I said. "I cannot stay here
if it means my partners, no, my friends death. I take the flower." And I reached
over, and took the case that held the flower of Trinifucus.
Valvex smiled at me, "You have passed my test.
You chose the right path Dorono; to choose friendship over power, for if you
had chosen the staff," she snapped her fingers, and the staff turned into a
vile looking reptillior, "You would have been walking in darkness, and so, not
fit to learn."
"So this was just a test of my valor?" I said
handing the glass jar holding the flower to Zana. "In that case I am not fit,
for you see, I have traveled the paths of darkness before. I almost killed my
loyal friends, who being true to me went to save me from the very one who I
had joined. I tricked them, and almost brought about their death." My ears flattened
back, I never would wholly forgive myself for that horrendous act of mine.
"Yet another reason why you are fit. If you
still were that way, you never would have admitted to it, you would have right
away taken the staff. After forsaking the paths of darkness, you have shown
that you are one of good heart, but now, your friend awaits your return. Save
her, you can always come back once you are ready."
"Thanks," I said smiling, and then I turned
my back to her. "Come on, the road is long, but if we hurry, we can be out of
this cave, and flying before midday."
"There is another exit for you to take Dorono,"
Elecwator said walking up to me, "That way to the right." And he pointed to
an entree way. "It was fun," he said, with his ears flattened. "Going with you,
but I have to stay here with Valvex."
"No, you don't," said Valvex looking at Elecwator.
"I release you from your bond to me. You can do what you want."
"Really?"
"Yes," said Valvex "You see," she said to us.
"Elecwator is yet another poor victim of the raging oceans. I found him several
years ago, washed up to shore. I even thought him to be dead when I first found
him, but he had a weak pulse left in him. Slowly, and against the odds I nursed
him back to health, and when I finally managed to get something out of him,
I found that he had no memory left of either family or home. After that, he
bound himself to me, taking me as his mistress, and even though he has helped
me much, I believe that he deserves better, and you Dorono, seem like a good
friend for him to have."
"Thank you, Thank you!" Elecwator said turning
circles, and prancing around like his feet were on fire.
Valvex leaned in close to me, "The truth I never
told him. You see, after finding him I, not wanting the burden, tried to figure
out where his family was. The truth is sad. He and his family lived in a small
village off the coast. Well, one day they were attacked, and the village being
made up mostly of fishers, didn't stand a chance. Elecwator's mother; his father…
were both killed trying to protect their family, and so Elecwator and his two
brothers were taken away by their host, led by a Halloween Nimmo named Dsupa.
As they left behind the burned village, a huge storm befell Dsupa and those
under him, so not wanting to be caught in the mists of that storm, they fled,
leaving their prisoners bound, and without hope, stranded on the beach. It was
one of the worst storms in ages, even hitting me hard, and it was centered along
that coast. The water rose, covering the beach and the helpless villagers, and
Elecwator's brother, having cut his bounds upon a sharp edged rock, gave his
life carrying his half-drowned little brother upon his back, and to a floating
piece of debris that could only hold the weight of young Elecwator. Crying out
to his brother, Elecwator leaned over, and was hit in the head by a branch,
caught in the wind, and then he remembered no more. I have never told him, because
some things are better left unsaid, and I fear that it would ruin such a happy
young pet to know of something like that." Valvex looked over at Elecwator with
teary eyes. "It really would…"
"Enough time have you already spent here," Valvex
said straightening up. "It is time you take off."
"So long," I said as we followed Elecwator who
was still explaining his excitement at all the adventures he was going to have.
"Until we meet again," Valvex whispered at my
passing into the dark exit way, "For it is destined that we will.…"
To be continued...
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