Agent of the Sway: Discovery - Part Four

     "I was told you may be of assistance," Hopesmeade ventured. "I am helping gather volunteers in an effort to try and find out where Sakhmet has disappeared to."

     "I have been expecting you, Duke Hopesmeade," she answered.

     The Wocky gave a brief stare to the woman.

     "You have me at a disadvantage," he said, fishing for her name.

     She did not provide it.

     "Good," she said. "I know who you are and why you are here - I know who you work for."

     "How?"

     She tapped the crystal ball.

     "It is, after all, my job," she said.

     "You're with the Order?" Hopesmeade asked.

     She provided a little unconscious smile.

     "Yes," she said. "For the time being, I believe our causes are aligned. I foresaw the return of Jazan - his actions will free Razul. We cannot allow him to rampage across Neopia. The Order take care of their own, Duke Hopesmeade. We'll make sure he goes no further once he appears."

     "Then you know how to stop him?" Hopesmeade asked.

     "Of course." She smirked. "There are enchanted weapons, forged with Faerie magic in eons past. They are hidden in Nuria's temple - they alone hold the power to thwart Razul. I intend to guide locals towards discovering them. Will you help?"

     "The scholars are excavating a Gebmid nearby in the hopes of converting it into a repository for scrolls," Hopesmeade explained. "I'm sure with a little creative massaging, we can make the scrolls in the repository point to Nuria's temple."

     "Excellent," the Kau said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to be working with you."

     Hopesmeade left, already writing a note to the Duchess. Something was off with the fortune teller - he expected duplicity. The Order, if so concerned with Razul's fate, would not have only sent one seer. They would have sent an army.

     Sure enough, a reply from the Duchess a few minutes later confirmed his suspicions.

     'My sources suggest no involvement with the Order - this Kau fortune teller is not a member herself. She has been seen conversing with a young potential entrant to the Order named Rasala - I believe you met her briefly on Terror Mountain. I suspect that they are working together to gain Razul's magic rings and heighten Rasala's chances of gaining an apprenticeship under Master Alshemar. Our goals are aligned, so work with her, but do not trust her. She will betray us at the final hurdle, and we must be ready for it.'

     With a glance back to the tent, Hopesmeade burnt the note, before heading off to the excavation site to talk to the foreman about design changes.

     ***

     Clayton was led back down into the Temple, back to the door he had been drawn to and the statue of the Faerie who now stood behind him.

     "Well?" she said, once they stood in front of him.

     "Well what?" Clayton's innocent response came.

     "Do not think I do not know when things are stolen from my temple, boy," the Faerie replied coldly. "I have protected this place from raiders like yourself for generations. You are not the first, and you will not be the last. Now return the dagger to its proper place."

     She clicked her fingers, and the slot in the statue opened up.

     "You're not curious as to how I got it out of there?" Clayton asked, taking out the dagger. "The thing only opens for a prophecy, doesn't it?"

     "Very well," Nuria said with a sigh. "How do you know the prophecy?"

     "Because it is coming true!" Clayton replied. "Jazan is walking the desert once more, seeking to marry Princess Amira of Sakhmet and lift the curse - Razul will rise!"

     "Razul is dead," Nuria said.

     "But not for long," Clayton added. "You know what the true nature of his curse is."

     "Impossible!" Nuria said, reaching out with her magical senses. "I would have noticed if Jazan had..."

     She trailed off, finally noticing something amiss.

     "By Fyora! Sakhmet! He's taken it!" she gasped. "You! You've taken up so much of my time leading you here that I didn't notice! The people of Sakhmet are suffering because of your act of petty theft! Now put the dagger back!"

     Clayton sighed. He knew this was a bad idea, but there was no other way to save the weapon - on the plus side, at least Nuria thought he was a common thief and not a member of the Sway. That made things easier.

     He swiped out with the dagger - it was clearly enchanted, the blade coming alive with magic as it swung. Nuria was fast, she got a magical shield up in time to deflect his blow, but it forced her back onto the floor. That was all Clayton needed. He stood on the trap door spot and jumped hard. It was enough, the stone gave way, sending him down into the magical portal.

     He emerged back out into the desert, hitting the ground at a run. He got only a dune away before Nuria exploded out of the Temple entrance, fire licking the stone as she flew on a direct collision course for Clayton.

     She hit hard, both rolling to the floor. Clayton felt Nuria's hand grab his wrist - she held it like steel. She forced him up.

     "The dagger," she demanded. "Now."

     Her eyes drifted towards the dagger in his hand, but caught sight of his ring - the Sway signet ring.

     She narrowed her eyes at it for a moment.

     "I know that symbol..."

     Then a gasp, and she recoiled from him, releasing her grip on his hand.

     "You!" she spat. "You're no thief! You're... You're one of them! Fyora thought we were rid of your kind with the Darkest Faerie, but you're still here, working against Neopia! So what is it, you're helping Razul? Stealing the only weapons capable of defeating him!?"

     Clayton remained silent. She already knew too much, no sense in revealing more. Instead, he took out the thing all Sway agents were issued with, a small book, no bigger than the palm of a hand. It was a magic book, written in a long dead language, and served as an emergency flare when the correct words were spoken. Only to be used in the gravest of situations.

     "Directive One," he said to it.

     A bright green flare shot up from the book, exploding high in the air.

     "What was that?" Nuria demanded. "Some magic trick? You're not going anywhere - Fyora must learn of your survival."

     "I was calling for reinforcements," Clayton answered simply.

     Out of the sand came agents, the reinforcements the Duchess had sent teleporting closer when they saw the flare go off. There were dozens, converging on Clayton and the Faerie in a rapidly closing circle.

     "You think you can stop me?" Nuria laughed.

     "We don't need to stop you," Clayton replied.

     The circle of agents pounced, a pile of Neopets holding down Nuria while one took out a potion, forcing it into her mouth. Whatever magic she had been preparing fizzled out, as she fell sound asleep.

     "She'll be out for a few days," the agent that had administered the potion said. "And she'll wake with no memory of the day."

     "Best to get her away from the desert, just to be sure," Clayton instructed. "Take her to the port, get her on the first ship sailing to Mystery Island."

     ***

     Hanso watched as the Rukis began to move the furniture into the excavated scroll repository.

     "Well, that's it then," he said.

     "What?" the Bruce asked.

     "Sakhmet's gone, there's no sign of any of Razul's treasure, and this repository is about to be filled with worthless scrolls," Hanso explained. "You're looking at the most valuable things in the desert at the moment, and I'm not returning to Kanrik empty handed."

     "You're suggesting we steal the furniture?" the Bruce asked.

     "You have a better idea?" Hanso asked.

     The Bruce shrugged.

     Together, Hanso and the thieves descended the dune towards the repository.

     ***

     Hopesmeade left Hanso to his business. He thought it better to keep the thief busy, and in the end all they did was slow down the progress rather than stop it completely - the Rukis were capable of building replacements. Better still, with their fill of furniture, Hanso and his thieves left the desert to return to Kanrik, removing one obstacle.

     Clayton returned later that night with the news that Nuria, another obstacle, had been similarly dispatched.

     The local scholars were busy attempting to decode the fortune teller's tablet with help from the repository a few days later when Sakhmet finally reappeared. Oldnose filled them in on the details when the Sway agents returned to the palace.

     Amira had been saved from the fate of marriage - the Ixi, called Nabile, had used the other teleportation ring in Qasala to return to Sakhmet, and volunteered to marry Jazan in Amira's place. With the deed completed and her royal ancestry revealed, Jazan and Nabile headed off to rebuild Qasala. They believed the curse had been lifted, but Hopesmeade and Clayton knew better. The Sway agents readied themselves for an attack on Sakhmet, but strangely, none came. For a brief period, it seemed as though Razul's arcane magic had failed, and he had not returned from the grave.

     They were wrong.

To be continued...