Part 18, Lost and Found

Miya! Where was she? Bonnie reached out with her mind frantically as she stood up. Cless, Levi, and Will all had grim faces. “Why can’t I sense her? Why is everything black?” she asked. She looked around desperately. Render, who had fallen over, got up and stood silently near Ancalagon with a "what-just-happened?" face. Luna and Charity were watching Luna’s dragons fly around, checking behind ropes and barrels. They were on the Golden Dawn. Bonnie rushed around the deck, groping out to Miya with her mind, but she was only met with darkness.

“She might be too far away,” said Render, trying to sound encouraging. “Where was the last place you saw her?”

“The island,” said Bonnie shakily. A few minutes later they were back at the island. The shores seemed cold and sepulchral, not at all like they had the day before. They searched mentally and physically for the little lost dragon. Moss, Levi’s minor dragon, was searching everywhere his tiny eyes could see. Miya and Moss had become very good friends in the past few months. Cless made a sound and they rushed over to him. Something small was flying around in the mist near some trees. Bonnie jumped to its mind but was met with a mental jolt and stab. Suddenly tiny creatures were all around them, flapping long wings and jabbing the travelers with sharp claws. They shrieked and the travelers dropped on their hands and knees, covering their ears. The high-pitched squealing continued as the creatures pecked their unprotected legs and arms. Moss and Luna’s dragons flew to meet them and spat in their faces. The spit seemed to dissolve parts of them, for soon they were flying away, taking their high-frequency noises with them.

Charity stood up and turned to Cless. “What were those things?” His face looked worried.

“Holips,” he replied.

“They’re small, winged creatures vaguely resembling clawed bats that produce deafening sounds when disturbed or trying to protect their home,” finished Render. He looked around and Ancalagon jumped into the air, parting the mist with his wings. Stepping closer to the trees, he peered upwards. “We’ve got a nest here!” he exclaimed. Levi joined him and climbed the tree, looking at the cocoon-like formations. Bonnie’s face lit up with a sudden idea.

“Are holips like birds…do they like shiny things?” she asked, walking to the tree. Render nodded. Bonnie approached one cocoon with a large hole in its side and peeked inside. She made a small sound, stuck her hand into the nest, and pulled out an un-moving red dragon. “Miya!” she exclaimed, then stroked her back. Her tail twitched.

“She’s unconscious but alive,” said Luna. Bonnie cradled Miya as they walked cautiously back to the ship.

“I’d guess she was in their nest looking for shinies and the holips found her…” said Bonnie.

“Shinies?” asked Will, an eyebrow raised.

Bonnie made a face. “That’s what Miya calls them…shiny stuff.” They reached the ship and Miya stirred, making a small noise. She blinked and Bonnie began scolding her immediately for being so adventurous alone, but she was also glad Miya was ok. After a while they had dinner, which was very good. At the end of dinner, Render stood up and looked at the faces around the table.

“I think we’ve tarried here long enough. We need to save Alagasia before it’s too late. Levi, Cless, and I can weave the time gateway with the scepter of time by tomorrow morning. Everyone should be packed and ready to go by sunrise.” The attentive faces upturned toward him nodded with determination and excitement. They clanked their mugs together and had one last drink before going back to their quarters and packing. The morning came with mist and a rising glow in the East. Seven people gathered on the deck of the Golden Dawn around a glowing, circular hole in time and space. They all exchanged excited glances, but Cless reminded them to be wary and alert. Cless and Render went in first. Then Luna and Levi. Will, Charity, and Bonnie went next, and then all the major dragons.

When they emerged on the other side, they were in a large alleyway surrounded by brick and stone walls. They rushed out of it and into the bright streets. “This is the city Silthrim, before it was destroyed,” said Render. Charity gaped at the awesome structures and buildings before her. “This day is one week before Borom takes over. That gives us time to figure out his plan and stop it from ever happening.” They spent a few minutes simply looking at the city. Charity was amazed at how great the city was. The ventured into the marketplace, hoping to glean some information from the people there.

“Stay close and don’t wander,” whispered Cless to the pirates who had never been to Silthrim before, “There are many people here interested in all manner of trade…even if it’s not legal.”

“What do you mean?” asked Will.

“Slave traders,” Cless said mentally to all of them. They began to grow wary and cautious, nervously looking at the faces in the crowd. The dragons were hiding outside the city, but Will wondered if they would be able to make it in time if an emergency arose. They began tapping into people’s minds, and were surprised to find many of them strongly guarded.

“They seem to have a lot of magic users here,” Levi remarked. Render approached a tall, old man hiding behind a stall in between two buildings. The man was a member of Borom’s spies, put in position here to work with the palace guards and get information that way. His mind was guarded heavily. Cless decided to question him, but carefully, for if the spy knew who they were he would call re-enforcements and maybe even Borom himself.

“What are you selling?” asked Render, trying to sound inconspicuous. The man glanced up at him then had a double take seeing his pointed ears. His eyes darted around all of their faces and he peeked into their minds though he was instantly thrown out. He jolted at their barriers.

“Rope, weapons, and barrels,” he stated in a low voice. Cless fingered some of the items on his small stall.

“Petty items. Why should we buy any of this?” he asked.

“Petty items?” exclaimed the man, drawing back as if hurt. “I’ll have you know that these ‘petty items’ are requested by the king, and I bring them to him personally every Tuesday in a cart –” he tried to stop himself but it was too late.

Here they had a man working for Borom who had access to a cart that traveled inside the castle, directly to the king, every week! How easy would it be for someone to hide in the back of the cart and kill everyone in the castle once Borom ordered? Borom was the king’s adviser, and if he could smuggle in enough men this way, he was sure to conquer the castle. They realized this and also the fact that next Tuesday was in one week. The man saw understanding on their faces and took off at a run down the path between the buildings. They followed him, eager for more information. On the other side of the buildings was an empty square. The man ran into an old, run-down house like all of the other empty houses in the desolate square. Suddenly, people poured out of the houses, surrounding them with weapons. The people didn’t make a single sound, and they circled the travelers, immediately pushing and shoving them apart.

“Slave traders!” someone shouted, and they began fighting against all the people surrounding them. Their faces were covered with black material and they held their weapons up to their throats. Slowly, the travelers began to be carried by the crowd in separate ways. Chains made of grobdenite were thrown over the riders. The friends’ voices were raised, but someone immediately covered their mouths before they could utter a whole sentence.

“Render!” someone called.

“Will!” shouted another.

“Chair! Where are y—” the phrase was never finished.

“–promise we’ll see each other again!” another voice called. They were silenced with gag cloths, and separated into groups of two. The hands and faces crowding around Charity were so many she couldn’t see the sky, and suddenly all was dark.

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner
*Link to the next Chapter coming soon, after Render writes it *glare* jk...no glaring. Not nice.