Enlmoon

Sorry it's so long...couldn't sum it up with the same effect...
*~*~*~*~*~

Will Robin stared at the grobdenite chains around his ankles. His face was smudged with dirt and mud from the wooden planks he had been sleeping on for the past few days. His bedraggled hair felt like it had grown half an inch longer and his clothes had multiple tears and rips in them from being rubbed across the rough, wooden floor. The cell that he shared with Levi and Render seemed more and more like an in-escapable prison that was only good for locking them up until they were sentenced to death. They had all realized it by now. Once Flint and Slyth were done with them, all three riders would likely be disposed of. The villains would have no further use of them, and the riders would probably be the only ones able to stop them. Why should the cruel men let them live? Question was: what were they to be used for?

Will glanced up from the grime on the floor and stared at Levi. Levi didn’t look any better off than Will. His clothes were also dirty and ripped, a bit less than Will’s simply because they were Elven-made. He whispered words continually to himself, muttering and shaking in the cold.
Will turned away from Levi and observed Render. His hood was drawn over his face, as he was prone to do as of late. The days had been trying on all of them, and they had each become silent and sincere. His black clothes and boots hardly had any noticeable flaws, but that was because he never lay down to sleep, and he hardly moved at all. Will frowned and wondered if Render even slept at all.

“Render?” Will whispered. His voice had become rough from not being used. They were all so consumed by despair that they had nothing to say to each other. The shadows were long and clung to every wall, and a particularly long shadow fell over Render’s form that was huddled against the door. His hood swung in the direction of Will’s voice, but the manner in which he did it made Will shiver.

“Yes?” rasped Render’s hoarse voice. Levi looked up for a moment, ceasing his chanting but continuing to shiver and rock back and forth.

“Can you tell us what you know of Enlmoon?” requested Will. Render sighed. He shifted his position and removed the hood from his face. Will tried not to change his expression as he noted Render’s eyes were darker than they used to be. Dark circles were apparent under his them, showing a definite lack of sleep. Levi saw his brother was going to launch into a story and crawled over to sit next to Will, facing the storyteller.

Render began to speak in a low, hoarse voice. It only made the words he had to say seem more alive and haunting than if he had spoken normally. “Enlmoon is a forest of mirrors on an island,” he began, “And it has stood on the surface of the earth for as long as time itself has been in existence. No one really knows what it looks like on the inside because no one has ever gone into it and come out alive. The few that have journeyed there, gazed upon it, and returned say the most terrible, awful things about noises – shrieks, screaming, pleas for mercy. It might have been grown, like trees and vines would. The mirrors themselves are arranged in strange, twisted shapes. I have heard rumors…stories…that some kind of ancient temple or shrine has been hidden in the heart of Enlmoon. I’m not sure where the stories came from, or how true they are. It is said that the legendary army of the dead sleeps there, waiting to be awakened.”
Here Render paused and glanced up. All three prisoners cast fearful eyes toward the doorknob of the brig that was being rattled. The door opened and Flint strode in. His green-ish eyes had a menacing gleam in them, and he clenched the Delkanis stone in his fist. He grinned at the riders as he motioned the guards aside.

Will crawled over to the bars and shouted, “Let me out! Please, Flint, tell us what’s going on.”
Flint smiled and raised the stone above his head. All three riders tilted their heads back while their eyes rolled back into their sockets. When they rolled back forward, they were the all same milky white. Flint’s grin widened and he laughed, turning to the dragons in their cage. Ancalagon snorted and reared his head back, but slowly he grew still. Clesseath attempted to blow fire, but he soon was also under the influence of the stone. Baladon was the last to go, and he used the last of his free will to let out a bellowing roar that shook the ship. Once all of the prisoners had been subdued, Flint’s laughter increased and rang about the brig like water rushes into a hole and fills empty space.

“Now come, puppets. Let’s see what treasures lay in store for me,” he said, licking his lips and walking out of the room, not waiting for the train of dragons and their riders he knew would follow him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“She’s sprung a leak! She’s going down!” Screams. Shouts. Someone’s shoulders shaking nearby. Strangled cries. Bodies moving all too quickly. Darkness clouding the very edges of a vision regrettably real. A short, inhaled breath. Something lurching underneath and sending everyone tumbling to the floor.

“Where’s Bonnie? We have to swim! Cless said it was a five-minute’s swim to the closest shore!” Marina? A flash of black cloth whizzed by amongst the many people trying to abandon ship. The scrambled mind failed to combine the feelings and impulses – to bind them together into common sense.

A familiar voice answered, “She’s by the wheel! I’ll get her; you get ready to jump first.” Chair. Footsteps. A hand on the right shoulder. “Time to go,” whisper words bound to echo in the mind’s silent contemplation once the horror of the moment stills and quiets to become a lost memory. Jerking, blindly stumbling to clumsy feet. Someone leading quickly.

“We haven’t got much time! Can she swim?” Marina again. Glazed eyes searching for the voice. The body’s unconscious reminder issues to breathe out.

“She has to! It’s sinking, fast! Follow Cless as he and Moss fly in the sky. I’m right behind you. Now, jump!” Splash! The sound of water being disturbed from its tranquil sleep. Two hands on the back. A push. The plunge into icy water. Numbness and disbelief surface, just the necessary movement to survive. Gasping, wheezing, panting. Then the command rises above the white noise in a confused head. “Swim!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Flint Kidd marched triumphantly up to Slyth Brady. The day was just beginning, and the sunrise brought with it a heavy fog that concealed the majority of the island. Slyth seemed annoyed and irritated.

“What makes you so happy?” he asked. “I can’t see the bloody island in this mist.”

Flint held up his index finger. “Reason number one why dragons are so useful…” he pointed toward the South, and the riders mounted their dragons. The great, flying beasts took off in that direction. As they went, their magnificently colored wings blew the fog away and cleared a path. Eventually, land could be seen.

“You fool!” exclaimed Slyth, grabbing the stone from Flint’s hand. The dragons turned around and flew toward the ship again. “You have to be careful when you control them that they don’t get too far away. If they go more than a certain number of feet your hold on them weakens.” Slyth fixed Flint with an icy glare than froze the smile on his face until it gradually melted away.

“Fine,” he mumbled.

Slyth turned away from him and nodded toward the shore. “We’re almost there, but I think I should keep the stone with me for now to make up for your lack of common sense.”

Flint scowled. “Fine. You have the stone but I command all my fighters.”

“Of course,” replied Slyth. “How else do you expect us to get past the undead army of the temple? Did you expect us to just waltz in? Oh, or maybe we could just drop by for a cup of tea. Zombies of the occult love tea, you know.” Flint growled and placed his hand on his sword, but then controlled his temper and decided to storm away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

With a gasp, Marina grasped a chunk of grass and hoisted herself up onto the muddy banks of Enlmoon. Charity soon joined her, panting and coughing out water. Marina couldn’t resist giggling at her because her hair was dark and plastered to her face. Cless landed next to them, pulling Moss out of his pocket because the tiny dragon had become exhausted on the way over. Bonnie soon joined them. She had fallen behind because her shoulder hindered her from swimming as fast as them. Once they were all lying on the damp earth at the island’s edge, they decided they were too exhausted to move, so Cless and Marina said a few words and got a nice fire going. Bonnie tried to be helpful but found that she only got in the way, so she sat down next to Chair with a dazed expression, still recovering from a brief stage of shock at the Golden Dawn’s death.

Charity wrinkled her nose and slowly sat up. “Grody,” she remarked, disgusted at the layer of mud caking her clothes. She and Bonnie moved closer to the fire. They took out any small items they had that needed to be dried, like their pistols {the gunpowder was no good wet} and Bonnie’s hat, and set them on flat stones surrounding the fire.

“I’ll clean that up for you, later,” promised Marina as she made a face at the matching stain she had coating her clothes.

“Thanks,” replied Chair. “So…where are the mirrors?” she asked. Cless yawned. “Farther up the island. We can get moving again once you all feel up to it.”

Bonnie stood up. “Can we go now?” Her friends turned to her with puzzled expressions. “The faster we get there, the faster we can find the others and they can make my arm better, right?” she asked after explaining the logic behind her thinking.

Charity walked over to her friend and made her sit back down. “Not if they haven’t gotten there first. Let me look at your shoulder,” she commanded.

“I’m alright,” Bonnie insisted.

“Bon-Bon, I need to see it to make sure it’s not infected,” Charity said softly, rolling up Bonnie’s sleeve. The gauze wrappings were still in place. “Alright…this might sting a bit, if your skin has started to scab up. I don’t think it would have, though, given it hasn’t had enough time,” Charity told Bonnie. She ripped the sleeve to make it easier to work and began slowly unwrapping the layers of red cloth. Old blood stained each layer and Charity found it hard to look at the bindings.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you all,” admitted Cless. He took the opportunity to fill them in on a few details. “These mirrors…they’re enchanted. They display in them many shadowy images of … well, whoever looks into them. I thought you all should know that, before we go in. Nothing you see in the mirror-glass is real. The things in the maze…they get inside your head and mess with your thoughts. It’s kind of the forest’s hunting mechanism. It searches for weakness and then uses that weakness to…rob you of your sanity.”

“Cless,” started Marina, “You speak of the forest as if it is alive.” There was a heavy silence.

“Ugh! Sick!” exclaimed Charity, turning her head away from Bonnie’s shoulder. Her wound seemed deeper, longer, and darker than it had before. Tendrils of dark pigment extended from the enflamed hole like black ink. Marina stared at the hideous wound.

“That’s not normal,” she informed them.

Bonnie blinked. “No way!” she said sarcastically. She sighed and stood up again. “I’m sorry…I just want to get moving. Can we go now?”

“As soon as you let me re-wrap that gash,” stated Charity, pulling Bonnie back down and proceeding with the said task. Moss sat on Marina’s lap and stretched. Soon he was asleep. Marina stroked his scales as her mind wondered where on earth Levi, Render, and Will were, or if they would ever even see them again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At this moment in time, the three young riders were being led through the mushy, flat land on the other side of the island. Chains of grobdenite bound their hands together and also bound them to each other in a single line. Flint walked ahead of them and Slyth trailed behind. Following him, the crew of undead fish men made up the end of the grim procession. The island was plain, flat, and muddy for as far as the eye could see, which was not far because of the dense fog that concealed everything ten feet in front of them. The fish- pirates were very nervous and constantly glanced around them as if fearing something would emerge from the mist and consume them.

“Will,” whispered Levi, who was the last one in their single-file line. Will, who was directly in front of him, tilted his head to signify that he was listening.

“The dragons are being taken to the mirrors ahead of us. I heard one of the guards say so when we first got off the ship. Do you think once we re-unite with them they could help us to escape? Grobdenite doesn’t affect them since they don’t use magic,” continued Levi, trying to keep down the excitement rising in his hopeful tone.

“Levi…” Will paused and thought a moment. “That just might work.” An eel-headed guard twisted his head around backward to look at them.

“You lot shut up or I’ll silence you for good,” he commanded.

“You can’t do that,” boasted Render. “They need us alive. You kill us, Flint or Brady will be really mad.”

Eel-face snorted. “Not for long. Once he uses you and your dragons to enter the temple of the dead, they won’t be needing you.” Eel-face took out a long, crooked knife and laughed wickedly. “I got dibs on you, boney.”

Render shouted as the pirate turned away, “I’m still faster than you, fish face!”

Eel-face didn’t like that at all. He whipped around, ran over to Render, and held up his knife to the elf’s face. A few other pirates mutter something under their breath and gathered closer around the two enemies, eager to watch the fight should one arise. “You won’t be needing your eyes for what Flint is going to use you for.”

“Stinky!” shouted Flint, turning around to see what all the commotion was about. “Shut up and stop harassing the prisoners! The only reason we’re letting them walk is so they can store up energy. Don’t make them waste any on insulting you,” he addressed the eel-man.

With a hiss and a glare, the eel turned away, but not before whispering, “I will make you suffer,” under his breath in Render’s pointed ear.

“Is that a promise…Stinky?” Render couldn’t resist taunting him one last time. Will and Levi pondered what had just gone on silently. Now they knew why they had been taken, but they still didn’t know if their escape plan would work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“How much farther?” asked Charity. Her feet were growing numb from the cold and they were tired from walking so much. They had left their cozy fire and decided to find the maze of mirrors, but the journey there was longer than anyone had expected. Truthfully, Cless was going in circles. The mist concealed everything and made them feel like their clothes were still damp. The muggy air made Marina cough, and her lungs were starting to hurt from all the effort.

“Well, we should have arrived there an hour ago,” he admitted. He stroked his chin and glanced up at the sky. “It’s almost sunset. We need to reach the mirrors before night falls. Hopefully we’ll beat Flint there. Otherwise—” He fell over backwards.

“Cless?” asked Charity. A second later, she abruptly slammed into a hard object. Moss, who had been flying at her side, flew into something tall and hard. He slid down with an irritated squeak.
“Are you alright?” asked Marina, helping Charity up. Cless rose to his feet and used his wings to blow away some of the fog.

“Ladies,” he murmured, “The forest of Enlmoon.”

The girls stared at what his wing-wind had revealed. Marina raised her eyebrows. “A mirror.”

Cless frowned. “How can I show you the overall view of this thing…maybe...?” He closed his thoughtful eyes and started to chant. Slowly, like a great sea wave, the fog rolled back away from the single mirror. On either side of it were two other mirrors, and on their sides there were two more, and on each side of them, still more mirrors abounded. They weren’t all straight and tall and narrow. Some were circular, like trees. Others were short and squat with distorted reflections of the other mirrors around them. Many mirrors were broken and shattered. Still different ones were bordered with wild ivy vines, their neighbors also claimed by the leaves of nature’s twiggy fingers. The mirror directly in front of them had been tainted black on each corner. Cless turned to the awe-struck girls.

“This is only the beginning. Literally. There are thousands more. Millions. And the passages have not been tread upon in years.” They fell into silence.

“Do you think they’re here?” asked Charity. Marina and Cless closed their eyes.

“Can’t sense them,” Marina told Charity.

“Same here,” Cless added. “Although they may be in there already with mental barriers up. If that’s true, we can’t afford to sit and wait for them to show up when they’re already inside.” Suddenly a pair of vines lining the top of two mirrors joined together and the mirrors opened up like doors.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” asked Bonnie, a small smile on her face. “A strange, random doorway opens up before us and we’re standing here blabbering on like four year olds at a birthday party. Let’s do this.”

“Wait—” Cless urged, but she had already walked through the doorway. He immediately went in after, shouting over his shoulder, “I’ll fly above so I can see that path and direct you that way. Place your hand on the person in front of you so we don’t get separated.” Charity placed her hand on Marina’s shoulder without asking questions. As soon as they passed the threshold, the mirror-doors closed behind them. The fog was ever-present, and it pressed against their faces. The cold was also unable to be escaped, and they shivered and shook inside their boots.
Marina swept her gaze from one side to the other. She watched her reflection that had been reflected already and magnified in two mirrors. So many versions of her were present; she hardly knew which reflection was closest. There were dozens of Charities and Marinas everywhere she looked. She wondered how Cless knew where he was going; she herself seemed rather dizzy.

“What was that?” Marina suddenly shouted. She reached for her swords and pulled both of them out as she assumed a fighting stance. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen something that shouldn’t have been there. “There it is again!” she exclaimed. Goosebumps rose on her arms, but they weren’t from the cold. Charity reached for her own sword.

“What is it? What do you see?” she asked.

“In the mirror to my left! No, now it moved and it’s over there!” There were mirrors all around them, but the mist cleared a bit and revealed two sets of pointed teeth. A shriek pierced the air. Something moved on Charity’s left. The teeth were gone. Another scream pierced the thick air. Something brushed up against Marina. The mist thickened and it seemed to grow darker.

“What’s going on?” yelled Charity. She began to spin around in circles and breathe faster. The ground underneath them shook. “Marina?” she shouted. Turning and twisting, Charity realized she had lost sight of both Cless and Marina. “Cless!” she called. Eerie and low laughter began to her right. She backed up against a mirror and tried to steady her nerves. It was then that she saw it.

Directly across from here, there was a plain mirror. It didn’t distort her reflection as much as the others and it only had a few cracks around its edges. But something about it was different. Her eyes narrowed and she forgot about the screams, the teeth, and the laughter. She wasn’t reflected in the mirror. Slowly, Charity walked toward it and stood silently. As she watched, another face surfaced in the mirror, but it was farther off like it was distant. Her emerald eyes widened and she placed one hand against the glass. “Flint?” Flint was indeed portrayed there, normal and innocent, as he had seemed before he changed into a fish man. She spun around, trying to find where the reflection had come from. “Flint?” she asked again, running over to another mirror and staring into it. He didn’t say anything; he only stared at her with eyes that suggested he needed help. Suddenly, a second face popped up in the mirror. “Will!” she exclaimed.

Charity started to run down the silvery hallways. The mirrors made her very confused, for she would think she was only one step away from finding them when she would run into another mirror. Sometimes she would pass her two friends from a different angle. She’d be running behind them, or running towards their sides. It seemed no matter where she went she still couldn’t get to them. “Where are you?” she demanded to know. Soon, two more people joined the silent group. “Levi! Render! Can you hear me?”

Levi looked at her. She seemed closer to them now. If only she could turn round the corner…approaching the bend, she was discouraged to find yet another reflection. “Dang it! Where are you? Why can’t I find you? Please…please, let me help you!” she pleaded. Her hands reached out in front of her to the empty mist that concealed her friends from her. Her eyes fell upon a moving train of black cloth. Eagerly she chased after it as she focused on avoiding the gaze of the silent, sepulchral figures. The piece of cloth was part of a long, shabby robe. Charity squinted as the shadowy cloak moved closer to her friends; she could only see his back. Running down a path sharply to her right, she faced them. The sight froze her to her bone.

The being wasn’t tall, nor was it particularly wide or round. The black material fully encased it in drab ruffles and worn layers of cloth. The cloak was hooded and the face was hidden completely from view. It clutched something close to its body underneath its robe, but Charity couldn’t make out what it was. Fear began to build inside her. This whole environment gave her the creeps, and the freaky thing in black wasn’t particularly encouraging either. But she couldn’t be afraid now. “Who are you?” Charity challenged the creature. She was approaching them from the side. One corner more and she was farther away than she had ever been before.

The same deep chuckle she had heard earlier emanated from the fog around her. Her sword was still drawn and she turned one way and then another with it pointed out in front on her. “You don’t know me?” rasped a voice. Or was it two voices? It seemed almost as if a very high voice and a very low one spoke together in haunted harmony. The cloaked figure approached Flint. The folds covering the object it was holding fell to either side and a sword was clearly being held in a hand white like bone that had been stripped of flesh. Panic mingled with her fear and she felt her insides rising up to her throat. She watched helplessly as the thing stepped nearer to her brother.

“Who are you?” she softly inquired. Her constricting throat couldn’t force out the words as loud as she wanted. More laughter. The sword was raised. “Stop! Please! I’ll do what you want! Just don’t hurt him!” No use. “Please!” she tried to scream. Her fist slammed into the closest mirror just as the sword swung and sliced her brother in half. “No! Not again! I lost him once already…” Hot tears rose and threatened to overflow onto her cheeks. “Who are you?” she questioned.

“The better question…” the voice began in the same mismatched duet, “Is who are you?” The sword floated closer to Render now, guided by the same skeletal hand. “Are you the kind of person who could watch a friend die while it’s in your power to stop it?” Render didn’t move. He only stared at Charity, not blinking as the robes of mangled black glided toward him. “Or are you the kind of person to turn your head away? To look the other direction? To pretend like you haven’t seen anything?” The sword pulled back before it was thrust forward to embed itself into his body.

“NO!” screamed Charity, closing her eyes and pressing her lips together. “Stop!” she yelled as she opened them again and Render’s reflection was lying motionless on the floor. Levi didn’t flinch. Charity pressed her hands against the glass and called his name over and over, pleading and screaming and trying to make herself heard. She watched as the figure sliced off the rider’s head. Will was the last one standing. Charity began crashing into mirrors now. As she ran around each corner she would deliberately ram into a mirror, shattering the reflections she was beginning to fear more and more. The laughter began again. “Will!” she tried to shout. The creature stood behind him now with its sword touching Will’s pale neck.

“You don’t know who you are. Your greatest fear is who you are, or who you might become. Those single thoughts in the back of your mind – your hatred, your pain…Who would you be if you made one bad choice – one horrible decision? If you really did murder the whelp who insulted you at that port; if you actually had poisoned the drink of the man who locked you in the kitchen closet.” The voice began to rasp out terrible words once again. In desperation, Charity threw herself onto the ground and clasped her hands over her ears. She didn’t notice the small cuts and bruises she had given herself.

“Please! Don’t do this!” she pleaded. The figure’s hood pointed in her direction, and then the blade moved across Will’s throat and he joined Render. “No!” she whispered. Her eyes closed again and she felt herself sliding down to a sitting position and weeping. The last thing she remembered was opening her eyes to glare at the mirror through her tears and witnessing the robed beckoner of death lower its hood. It was Charity! She passed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cless frowned. It was quiet. He dropped down and peeked below the curtain of mist. There was no sign of the girls. “Oh great,” he mumbled. Without so much as a “thump”, he landed and folded up his wings. As his sharp, dragoon eyes scanned the fog, he unsheathed his sword and began to walk backwards. Any mental message he sent out was echoed in his mind. “Lovely,” he thought, “The mirrors reflect telepathy too.” A gust of wind blasted his hair back from his face.
“Cless,” a voice whispered. The whisper filled his head and echoed in his mind. A strange feeling awoke inside him that he had never felt before, and he didn’t know if it was good or bad. A giggle followed the voice. His blood froze inside his veins. He’d know that giggle anywhere. He began to sprint. Corner after corner of his own reflection met his searching gaze until finally his eyes rested upon her face.

“Luna!” he exclaimed. She was dancing through the mist. Disappearing and then re-appearing, she reminded him of a leaf fluttering on the wind that couldn’t cease rocking and moving. “Cless, do you hear the music?” she asked him. Her big, brown eyes looked up at him and she smiled.

“Luna, how are you here? You need to get out!” he stepped toward her. She disappeared again and he was left standing in front of a mirror. “Where—” he started to ask.

“Over here!” her voice called. He rushed toward her angelic voice, waving his hands in front of him to clear away the mist. “It stopped now. Cless, the music stopped. It’s cold.” Cless began to grow afraid. He didn’t want to risk walking around with his sword extended because he might accidently run into his sister, so he sheathed it.

“Luna, where are you?” he questioned. No answer. Silence. “Luna?” A scream pierced the air. “Luna!” he called. He ran in the direction of the scream. Another mirror stopped him. He was beginning to hate mirrors. His fist connected with the nearest one.

“Cless! Help me!” shrieked Luna’ high-pitched voice.

“Use your arrows! Do you have your arrows?” he asked, running faster toward where he thought he heard her voice. The mist cleared briefly and he saw his sister. Her back was turned to him and she was still. A creature stood in front of her. It had no face; only that of a skeleton, without eyes or nose or mouth. Its hand was frozen on the top of her head and its plain monk-like garb didn’t so much as stir in the breeze that made Luna’s golden locks flutter. Suddenly, Luna collapsed. In her place on the ground, there was a pile of bones.

Cless’ eyes hardened and they slowly began to turn black. “Who are you?” His voice was level, calm, threatening, and incredibly deadly.

“I am death.” The skeleton strode fearlessly toward him. “I am doubt. I am fear. I am pain.” The skeleton stuffed one hand into his sleeve and pulled out a sword. “I am the voice in the back of your mind that whispers to you at night. I am the wind you hear singing through the skulls of dead things. I am the movement you see when you turn your head away from a mirror – just for an instant, just for a second, I show my face. I am everything that darkness is.”

“You murdered her,” Cless accused, unmoved by Death’s words. “And now you are going to die.”

The mist-creature laughed. “You can’t kill me, idiot,” Death informed Cless. His empty jaw widened into what could have been a grin. “But that doesn’t matter; let the rage consume you. Let it swelter, build, and burn. Become engulfed in your hatred.” The empty sockets where eyes should have been were pointed at Cless as he finished, “Then…you will become like me.”

Cless wordlessly drew his fiery whip. Rage was building up inside him. Like fire, it consumed him. Every vein that carried blood in his body was infused with the warm passion of hate. It coursed through him so hard that he shook. His jaw set into a straight line and he locked his dark eyes onto Death’s face. “Fight me,” he dared the skeleton. Its elongated face and a sound like the wind passing through empty bottles suggested he might have been laughing.

“As you wish, boy. It’s your turn to battle with death.” Cless’ whip lashed out. Death evaded the blow and disappeared, quickly materializing a few feet off a second later. “Would you like to hear the last words of your friends?” Death asked in a taunting voice. The sword swung but it met only empty air. Cless was fast, and he used his wings to his advantage. “Do you want to know who went out with a great show of bravery? Or who ran and screamed and begged for mercy as they saw me drawing near?”

Cless roared, showing a pair of fangs and razor-sharp canine teeth. The sound bounced off the smooth glass surfaces and echoed a few times. He fully unfurled his wings and thrashed out his whip once again. Death took a step back. “I didn’t see it before.” His sword lowered just for an instant, but something told Cless to resist striking him. “Of course,” Death whispered. The darkness of his eye sockets seemed to widen. “You are a dragoon. The last of your kind. Your time has not yet come. We will meet again, but I dare not toy with the sisters Fate and Destiny; today is not that day. Consider yourself lucky, dragoon.” With that, he disappeared once more. Puzzled, Cless let out a frustrated breath. Looking around, he discovered the pile of ash that had been Luna had disappeared too. It was then that he realized she had only been a reflection all along.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“We’re here,” reported Flint. “Or, almost. Nearly. The scouts said it’s a ten minute walk from here to the South entrance of the forest.” He and Brandy were perched on a hill over-seeing everything before them.

Brandy looked at Flint with a face that suggested he was an idiot and said, “Flint…I can see the mirrors from here.”

Flint blinked. “Why did we send the scouts, again?”

Brandy slapped his forehead and rubbed his temples. “Ugh…because they were supposed to check to see if anyone else has been here. You’re useless.”

Flint crossed his arms. “If I’m so useless, I think me and my crew should leav—”

“No, no, no need for that. I’ll tell the riders to go ahead of us and kill everything in their path. If they fail, I’ll need your crew that can’t be killed to get us all safely to the temple. Clear? The last thing we want is unexpected guests,” Brandy insisted. He clutched the stone in his hand as fish-pirates approached the riders to unlock their chains.

Render, Will, and Levi stared at each other. They’d been kept away from their dragons and hadn’t had a chance to even talk to each other. Now they were at the edge of Enlmoon and about to enter the maze. There was nothing they could do.

“We have to stop them somehow,” muttered Levi.

Will sighed. “It’s hopeless. What can we do?” Brandy approached them with the stone.

“Goodbye, riders. Soon we won’t be needing you. Once we get past the threshold of the temple…” He trailed off with a grin and rubbed the stone.
White-eyed and under the control of Brandy, the riders stood absolutely still as the chains were unlocked around them. They began to run forward, screaming and letting out wild cries previously thought impossible to make.

“To the mirrors!” Brandy cried. Their small force flailed their weapons and followed the riders in a charge down the hill. “Kill everyone in your path! Leave none alive! Or else!”

“Brandy, what’s ‘or els—’” Flint started.

“Shut up! To the mirrors!!!!!” was the reply he got.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bonnie sighed and leaned against a mirror as soon as she had lost sight of the others. Her right hand slowly touched her left shoulder. The mist obscuring everything from view suddenly parted like a curtain being pulled back. “It’s hurting again, isn’t it?” asked a voice. She glanced up and found herself staring into a mirror at her own reflection. It looked like her, it talked like her, but it was different. Her skin was darker, her eyes were deep brown, and her hair was black as night. She was clothed in simple robes of various brown shades. Scars criss-crossed over one eye and strange markings covered her skin. “It’s been hurting more than usual lately,” the face told her.

Bonnie stared. For some reason, she found she couldn’t move. The shadowy reflection raised one hand. Bonnie’s right hand echoed the movement. She opened her mouth. The shadow raised her other hand. “Don’t speak,” she commanded. Bonnie’s mouth closed against her will. “Yes, that’s right, Bonnie. I can control you. I’m inside your head.” She listened to something Bonnie must have thought. “I will prove it. Your greatest fear is also what you hate most: dancing and mathematics. Your greatest desire is to be ‘the ear that listens, the shoulder to cry on’ and also to be brave and strong. The pain that makes you wish you were dead every morning when you wake up is divided: one is your longing for Maya and your regret that after promising her you would never leave her ever again, you broke your promise. Your second is the sorrow building inside you for the Golden Dawn, a part of you that is now dead inside your soul without hope of revival. Your third is the poison in your shoulder that continually spreads and the fear of losing it completely.”

Bonnie stared straight in front of her. “You’re not going to cry because you think I would know you are weak. But I already know, Bonnie. I know how weak and small you really are. Because, Bonnie, all you are and all you ever will be is a small, lost, lonely little girl.” The shadow in the mirror drew a knife. Bonnie followed her movements, pulling out her knife from her boot. Shadow raised the knife to her throat. Bonnie tried to resist, breathing heavily and feeling sweat trickling down her forehead.

“It’s no use,” the shadow informed her. “And now, Bonnie Ivy Spinner, you are going to die. No one can hear you or help you. No one cares. No one cares about the one-armed freak who lost her mind in a hall of mirrors.” The blade nicked her skin and blood dribbled down sickeningly.

In a flash, something small and green darted out of the mist and started attacking the mirror Bonnie was facing. It was Moss, and he was spitting his acidic spit at mirror. As soon as there was so much slime coating the mirror, Bonnie was free, and she threw herself at the glass. It shattered and the images in it were lost. “Thanks, Moss!” Bonnie said, smiling. She began to run, if only to escape the creepy mind-reading mirror. Moss chirped something in her ear. “Yeah, of course I’m alright. I’m always alright. Are you ok? Are you hurt? Did the mirror trick you?” Her landed on her shoulder and rubbed his scales against her cheek. “Good, good. Now let see if we can find the others.”

~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Marina re-gripped her swords. “Cless?” she risked asking out loud. “Chair?” she followed up her first question. It was quiet. Too quiet. The silence made her edgy. Something moved beside her. Instinctively, she struck out with her weapon. It met the air and sliced through the fog. A leaf crunched behind her. She ducked, rolling to her right immediately. She kicked at where she thought whatever was moving would be and then jumped up into a fighting stance. There was nothing there. Puzzled, she walked in a small circle. The mirrors around her followed her every movement.

“Pointy-ears!” a high-pitched voice called. Marina spun around as a shriek sounded near her left ear. Two eyes and bad breath met her curious face. “Iy-eeeeeeee!” It screamed. She stepped back, swinging her sword. It had already moved. “Night-hair, here’s a scare, die or dare; isn’t fair…” the voice let out a shriek again. Marina realized whatever it was, it was laughing. In her head, she pictured a monkey-liked creature with crazed eyes and long claws.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” she demanded. A rustle next to her made her jump that way with outstretched hands. They clamped around empty space.

“Ee-ee-ee-eeeee!” jeered the voice. “Great-wings is dead, Hat-head is dying, you lost your way, and Green-eyes is crying.” Marina felt a strange rage building inside her. That creature was obviously sent to provoke her.

“Have you seen my friends?” she inquired of the voice. A hand tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with a small man dressed in a brown shirt and torn trousers. He had a beard unkempt and long and eyes that were glazed over as if blind.

“Pointy-ears, pointy-ears, tell me all your greatest fears. Let me see inside your head. Soon you’ll wish that you were dead,” he squeaked out as he bounced up and down and swayed side to side. He was human. Or, at least, he used to be. She waved her sword in front of her and it made a swishing noise she hoped he would hear.

“Get back!” she commanded. He withdrew at the sound of her wind created by her weapon and twitched his head from side to side.

“Eep! Ahhh! The bite! The light! The keep of sleep, the breath of death!” He stumbled back and lay crumpled on the ground, shivering. Marina’s heart took pity on him. He used to be sane, after all. She glanced around her and felt that same uneasiness she had before when she looked at the mirrors.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Look, have you heard my friends?” she asked him in a softer voice. She crouched down and slowly wobbled toward him one step at a time.

He shook, as if he was frightened. “They- they- come…they hum…inside my head, when in my bed, they come,” he whispered between trembling lips. He looked up and cast frightened glances around the area.

“What’s coming? What is it?” Marina raised her sword and joined his searching gaze. The mist began to move. It gathered and shapes began to emerge from the shifting fog.

“They’re hheeeerrrreeeeeee,” he announced, his shrieking laughter ringing out again. There was an army of mist-people. They carried swords, axes, chains, ropes, bows and arrows, cutlasses, and staffs. Marina decided there were too many of them. She stood up and cast a sympathetic face back at the man.

“You’re sick. Let me help you. Come with me,” she insisted. He slowly stood up and his insane eyes gave her shivers. “I have friends who can heal you. Please. Run with me,” she urged. Marina held out her hand. His grimy fingers stretched out in front of him. Half of her wanted to pull away and run as fast as she could the other direction, but her better judgment made her stay where she was. He clasped her hand, and she began to run. His feet were quick for someone who couldn’t see, and he soon began to lead her. The creatures of the mist began to chase them and they gained ground whenever Marina stumbled or paused to breathe.

“This way! This way! Come to place of endless day! Yet death and darkness, solemn still will always reach and aim to kill,” he mumbled half to her and half to himself. Marina still had her sword in her other hand, and she began to swing it just in case one of the faster creatures caught up with them.

Randomly, three voices shouted out in unison. It stopped the man straight in his tracks and Marina ran past him for a few seconds until she realized he had stopped. She turned around just in time to see him with a fearful look upon his face as white, ghostly feet trampled him. Fear gripped her and she ran as fast as she could in the direction he had led her, hoping she would find whatever place he was talking about. Whatever made that noise must have been very powerful and wicked…

As she rounded around a corner, something tripped her and she fell to the ground. Rising to a sitting position, someone grabbed her and pulled her back into a mirror. A hand clamped over her mouth. “Be still,” someone hissed. Marina obeyed the familiar voice and watched with wondering eyes as Render ran straight past them. She tried to rise but the person held her down. The movement made Render turn. Eyes whiter than clouds hungrily surveyed the area. Marina’s breath caught in her chest and she dared not move.
Another blood-curling shout made him turn and run away from them. Ten seconds passed. The hand let go and Marina scampered upright. “Bonnie!” she exclaimed. The two girls embraced as Moss flew excitedly around their heads.

“Have you seen Chair or Cless?” Bonnie asked.

“No; you?” Marina replied. Before the other could reply, they both spotted red sparks erupting from a point they could easily navigate to. “A rider is there!” Marina declared.

“Wait. It might be Render, Levi, or Will. And as you saw, they’re not themselves,” Bonnie warned.

“But it could also be Cless, and he might need help. Come on. We’re armed and ready,” Marina insisted.

“Well…ok,” Bonnie reluctantly agreed. The two girls and Moss set out in that direction. Soon they found Cless huddled over something on the ground.

“Cless!” they exclaimed. “I’m so glad to see you-”

“Later; more pressing matters than salutations exist now,” he stiffly replied. They peered over his shoulder. Charity lay crumpled before him. Her skin was unnaturally white and there was a thin layer of foam coating her lips. “I found her covered with spiders,” he explained, “And I think she was bitten.”

“We have to get help. I met this man who said there was some kind of place where we could go to be safe. He said it was that direction.” Marina pointed. Cless nodded.

“I’ll fly ahead to scout for danger and to guide us through,” he announced, leaping into the air. Bonnie knelt down and with Marina’s help managed to lift Charity onto her back.

“Are you sure you can carry her?” Marina questioned. Bonnie nodded firmly. Marina’s Elven ears twitched and she glanced behind them.

“Mist-creatures!” she shouted.

“This way!” urged Cless. They followed him at a rapid sprint through the maze of mirrors. Marina drew her bow and arrows, placing herself at the rear of the party and firing at the ghostly beings that got too close.

“It’s going to be alright, Chair,” Bonnie whispered. “It’s just like when we were ten, playing piggy-back. You’re going to be ok.”

“Faster!” yelled Marina. They were getting closer. Her arrows would fly through the fog warriors, separating them for a few seconds until they materialized again. What was even more frustrating was the fact that their weapons were enchanted and could slice through anything. This fact was demonstrated when an angry mist-man screamed and threw his axe at the group of fleeing friends. They moved out of the way, but the mirror behind them shattered.

“I can see it up ahead! There’s a kind of palace!” shouted Cless. Their breathing was rapid as the mist people advanced upon them, waving their murderous weapons threateningly.

“Hurry!” Marina called again. Finally, they burst through a veil of fog and found themselves in a large clearing of mirrors at the center of which resided a large temple.

“Get inside! We need to find help!” commanded Cless. They rushed toward the stained glass door and burst in without a glance behind them. Tired, weary, and gasping for breath, they collapsed on the floor as Cless slowly bolted the door behind them. The only sound for a few seconds was their labored breathing. Then a voice spoke that made the blood drain from their faces. They hadn’t gotten there first.

“Well if it isn’t the faithful companions. We were expecting you; we even provided you with your own chains. It’s almost sunset…we wouldn’t want you to miss the show.”

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.

Chapter 17, the death of one held dear

Chapter … 17?

See Render’s “The Scepter of Time and the Tavern of Death!”

As Luna walked through the portal, her lungs compressed, the air was sucked away, and she felt she couldn’t breath. Dancing colors multiplied around her, blinding her from her friends. Just as she felt she would pass out from lack of breath, her feet felt wood, and her eyes snapped open to reveal a beautifully bright sky. She was standing on the deck of the Golden Dawn and as she looked around, her friends emerged from the portal behind her. A light breeze playfully tossed her light locks of hair about. The waves from below omitted a relaxing sound, for they were calm and tame. The dragons emerged and her thoughts turned toward the serious matter of Ancalagon’s injury.

“When is this?” asked Charity. They heard a sound from the other side of the deck, and turning, saw another portal…with them standing next to it. Then their twins disappeared into it.

“The day we left for Alagasia,” replied Render. The pirates began rushing around, hoisting the sails, yelling at the crew, and testing the wind. Charity climbed into the crow’s nest swiftly, spy glass in hand. Bonnie took the wheel and turned it in the right direction, immediately humming a familiar tune. Will turned to the remaining siblings.

“Would you like me to show you to your cabins?” he asked.

“No need,” said Cless, taking out a piece of cloth and moving it to a little unused corner of the ship. He placed it on the ground and Will watched as it unfolded into a tent.

“A tent?” he asked. “Honestly, Cless, we do have spare cabins—” he trailed off when Cless pulled on the flaps to reveal a magically enhanced interior with large marble columns, many drapes, couches, tables, a bed, and three large globes. “Ok…nevermind.”
The others made similar tents. Flint watched, choosing to go look at the cannons below deck.

The dragons chose to sleep, each kind of curled around Ancalagon protectively, as if that could keep the poison from spreading. Render sat nearby, his hood up, brooding over all that had happened. The minor dragons sat on Ancalagon, each trying to help in some way. It would take three days normally to get to the Isla De Murtagh. They hoped to cut that time in half. The sails were doing marvelously. Everyone was sure they would make it in time. In three days the poison might take its toll.

The day passed rapidly and the night began descending quickly, without warning upon the travelers. It was as if the sky were trying to drown them in its starry depths. The water swirling around the ship began to grow restless and fierce. Bonnie smiled a bit at this. Charity pulled out a long telescope and looked out over the dark waters. Will was helping with the sails again, for the wind had picked up and they had to re-adjust them. Luna walked over to the side of the ship, keeping her balance very well. She looked over the railing and into the watery depths. Her eyes opened wide. “There’s something in the water,” she said to Cless.

Flint overheard. “It’s called fish.”

“No, something bigger,” she said. Render got up and walked over to them. Cless and Levi stared into the darkness and told Luna to stay away from the edge of the ship. Their Elven eyes picked up movement. Something was there. Something very large, apparently, for a huge wave rose and fell that did not look at all like a sea wave. Render narrowed his eyes. Luna’s ears strained to pick up something in the silence. Charity had turned in her cramped compartment among the masts to try and see what they were looking at. Will, Render, and Cless drew their swords uncertainly and stood rigid on the deck. Bonnie’s grip around the wheel tightened and she struggled to keep her eyes on the sea ahead of her. Some of the crewmembers had drawn their weapons and stood, terrified. Levi tried to penetrate the mind {or minds} of whatever was in the water. His brow furrowed. He could sense nothing. He opened his eyes again. Slowly they edged close to the rail, their weapons stretched out uncertainly in front of them.

Another unnatural wave rippled in the sea. Everyone held their breaths. Charity leaned forward. She thought she saw something in her spyglass. She turned it to make it focus. There. A wave. A huge wave. She blinked. A very fast, large wave was coming straight toward them! She zoomed in and was speechless. She tried to utter a cry of warning.

“Crabs!” she shouted. Just then the wave struck the side of the ship and sent them all sprawling across the deck. As soon as the wave of crabs hit, they began scampering up the side of the ship. They made a sharp clicking sound with their claws, and soon they were swarming the deck. A few people nearest the rail weren’t fast enough and soon got covered in biting, scratching claws. Someone screamed. Bonnie tied the wheel down and joined in the fight. Render and Cless fought near their dragons, stomping on all the crabs they could see. The dragons {except Ancalagon} rolled on top of them, squishing as many crabs as they could. Will and Levi jumped on all crabs in sight. Flint took out his pistol and fired at the pesky creatures. Charity watched from her lookout place. She took out her glass. She saw something that made her face harden. The travelers were fighting on one side of the ship where the crabs were, but on the side they were blind to, something more hideous and dangerous than petty crabs was silently slithering up the ship.

“Quiss!!” she shouted to her friends. They turned and saw giant tentacles coming from mushy bodies reaching over the railing. The quiss were numerous and looked hungry by the speed they were approaching the friends, however it was very hard to tell because of their lack of mouths. A small quiss attached itself to a struggling crewmember. Will rushed to help as Flint screamed, the suction cups on the tentacles around his neck tightening. The quiss killed Flint to the resounding chorus of No’s arising from his friends. Luna drew an arrow and shot a nearby quiss. Levi killed one that had grabbed his leg. Render used Elven blades to kill several. Cless was still fighting the crabs, flying and flapping his wings to blow them over the side of the ship. The quiss kept coming. They never seemed to stop. Charity took out a blow gun acquired on a previous adventure and shot some. She could hardly tell where they landed; she was blided by tears for her brother. Cless joined them in slaying quiss now. Will sliced one open. His eyes narrowed and he bent down near the carcass. He rose and walked over to Bonnie, holding out two fingers dripping in quiss blood.

“Blue,” he said. Bonnie killed his quiss and looked at him.

“Blue blood?” she repeated with an astonished look. The quiss, as if at an unspoken signal, all stopped and slid over the side of the deck, gone as quickly as they had come. Render finished tying two quiss together and looked at what lay ahead. Levi glanced over the side of the ship also.
“Hey! Cliff!” he shouted. Bonnie rushed to take the wheel. Luna looked to where Levi was pointing. They were headed for a rock wall! A great cliff loomed up in front of them. “Steer away!” called Levi. But their course remained steady.

“You’re going to run into it!” called Luna. Will shook his head as they continued to head straight for it. Luna felt her heart beating two times faster than it should have been. They shut their eyes as they continued to hurl through the restless sea toward the unmoving rock. It was only a few inches away now. They were going to die. Darkness…
And yet…They could breathe. They opened their eyes. They were in a large cavern. Glancing behind them they saw a veil of moss covering the entrance to the cave they had just entered. Bonnie was smiling triumphantly. Will and Charity laughed. They all relaxed and continued down the river in the middle of the tunnel.

“The cave cannot be seen by day ~ it’s covered by water,” started Charity, “And by night it gets so dark that no one can tell the difference between the brown moss and the dark cliff.” Levi blinked and began chasing Will around the deck for not telling them. For about ten minutes they continued on their steady journey. Then the tunnel made a turn and they somehow began to sail upward. They came out of another cliff and into the open sea. Luna retired to her tent and fell asleep. Levi stayed with Will, who was showing him the different parts of the ship. Cless pulled out a book and read in his cabin, below deck. Render stayed close to Ancalagon, who was growing increasingly tired. Everyone was a bit edgy and no one had a good rest. Bonnie kept on the wheel, still humming a low song.

They drifted along the sea, the Golden Dawn creaking in sync with the waves. They were very close. An hour or two later they all woke up to lower the sails and the anchor. They climbed into small boats while it was still dark and rowed down a river. Dark trees lined the sides of the river. It was very peaceful and tranquil. Then they came to a house mounted on some trees. It was not overly fancy, nor was it shabby. They stopped and climbed up the ladder. Will knocked on the wooden door. There was a small sound from inside and the door opened.

Tia Dalma was a small, dark lady who wore a long dress and had many markings all over her body. She smiled at the sight of them and ushered them inside, her accented voice echoing in the room. They sat around a table. She walked around a corner, grabbed a tray with eight mugs, and sat down, distributing the warm mugs all around.

“I’ve been expecting you,” she said, a slow smile spreading over her features.

“Were the quiss really necessary?” asked Will. Her smile faded.

“The crabs were mine,” she said, “How da ye know de quiss are mine too?”

“Blue blood,” said Bonnie. Tia Dalma turned, as if seeing her for the first time.

“Safety precautions,” Tia Dalma explained. She looked at the Elves and Cless. “Ah…” She got up and looked out the window. “You ’ave a dragon.” She closed her eyes. “An’ ’im is dyin’…”

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner

Ok, so I admit this chapter isn't really ACCOMPLISHING anything new...So...your turn!


Mother's Day and Other Junk...?

Part 15, Birds Eye View

Chapter 15

I do believe this is Chapter 15. See “Week of Terror” on Render’s blog.

Charity, Render, Flint, and Levi had surfaced with their dragons from the tunnel they had been walking in. They still had one week to get to the city of Silthrim and after that the cave where the scepter of time was kept. They were running low on supplies and were growing weary. On their second day they decided they would like to stay in the city for one day to buy supplies and to get some much-needed rest. They were all looking forward to getting there. Render and Levi were the only ones who had been there in their travels, and they told the Kidd siblings all about the great city.

“The city is large, colorful, and bright,” started Render, projecting an image from his palm of pointed turrets and glistening towers. “It used to be the greatest city in all of Alagasia. I haven’t been there for a while, and I surely hope Borom hasn’t gained control over it, too. It’s the second largest city here and it’s the nation’s center of trade.”

Levi helped to show the city from a sky angle, and Flint and Charity felt as if they were flying over the great city and its many high, strong, buildings. The buildings seemed to be made of many shimmering, sparkling colors, contrary to normal whitewashed ones. There was a gorgeous marketplace, filled with sounds and smells that the siblings could smell clearly, as well as breathtaking fountains, intriguing sculptures, and enticing sights all around them. They could hardly believe it was not real. Charity reached out to touch a pear a fruit seller was selling and frowned when her hand only grasped the empty air.

The whole rest of the day was spent listening to them tell about this grand city. It was known all around the world for its food, silks, and fine weaponry. The people there were the greatest cooks, tradesmen, and warriors, and many of the best stories ever written were imagined and told by Silthrim’s story tellers. Charity could not imagine such talented people all living in one city together and that just made her more anxious to get there. They decided that the dragons should go around the city separately, for folks here had not seen dragons in years and had ceased to believe in them. Anything suspicious would be reported to the city guards, who reported to the shade. They would meet the dragons in a forest on the other side of the city. They were traveling over grassy hills, and with mounting excitement they raced up the last one, ready to finally see the great city itself. They held their breaths as they reached the top, but when they looked out over Silthrim they were astonished by what they saw.

Cless the Dragoon, Luna {his sister}, Will, and Bonnie made their way to the cave where the scepter was hidden. They had to travel through a forest and then a desert. The cave was near the outskirts of this desert, closer to them than to their friends traveling through the city. They had just stopped for lunch one day when they checked their supplies again. Bonnie frowned at the report that they had only a few rolls and fruits.

“Why is the chocolate always gone?” she asked sulkily. Luna looked up, head tilted to one side as if listening.

“Soldiers!” she said softly, “Soldiers that report to Borom!” They decided it would be worth their while not to kill them…yet. They were coming. The small group determined to hide in the trees and eavesdrop. Cless flew up with his dragon wings. Luna and Bonnie climbed a different tree and watched from high among the branches, swinging their legs slowly. The soldiers drew closer. Will climbed the tree and got settled just in time, watching as two figures on horses passed below the trees at a walk. One of them had dark hair and the other had light.

“Then what is this great plan he keeps telling us about? What is this ‘new age’ he keeps referring to?” asked the one with light hair.

“You don’t know?” asked the dark one. The light shook his head. “Slaves,” he said after a pause. The friends in the trees looked at each other, their expressions concerned, angered, confused, and a bit frightened. Will leaned forward to catch the next thing they said, but leaned to far and began to fall out of the tree. Cless reached out a hand and Will was suspended in the air, not daring to make a sound.

“He plans to appoint more captains and guards, harvest more troops, and force all his city civilians into submission.”

Cless held Will in the air, his muscles aching with the effort. Will tried not to make a sound. He wondered if he should move. He began to lift himself up with magic and toward the tree but the brown-headed soldier stiffened and looked around.

“Did you hear something?” he asked.

“No,” replied the other then proceeded to ask his question, “How do we fit into this master plan?”
His companion stopped looking around, much to the friends’ relief, and replied, “We would be superior. The civilians would live, breathe, and die trying to serve us. We wouldn’t have a single need in the world.”

Will desperately flailed his arms, trying to swim through the air to get to the tree. Cless grimaced as he moved to pull him with magic back into the tree soundlessly. They all released their held breaths.

“What about the armies in the North?” asked the first.

“Who says Borom won’t stop here? He’s going to conquer the whole of Alagasia! The North will be his too. No one can stop us now. Aren’t you glad you picked this side?” he asked. They both laughed a chilling laughed that made Luna’s stomach flip over. They passed below them. Once the soldiers were out of hearing range, they looked at each other, each not knowing quite how to handle this new information.

“I can’t believe this!” exclaimed Bonnie, dropping out of the tree with a thud. Miya flew out of her cape and chirped in her ear excitedly.

Luna gracefully lowered herself and swung out of the tree, landing on her toes. “We need to get to the cave quickly. The faster we get there the faster we may be able to stop this all from happening.”

Cless flew out of the tree and Will followed him to the ground. Cless was looking between two trees and stared at what he saw.

Render frowned. Silence. Flint, Charity, and Levi could not understand either. They were looking at the city. They were looking at the great and glorious city Silthrim, famed and revered throughout all of Alagasia…and yet…it was hideous. They slowly walked down the hill and toward the city gates. The city was brown. No colorful, bright, shimmering turrets or towers could be seen anywhere. The walls were crumbling, not looking like the fortress walls they should have been. Trees that were supposed to be orchards had been chopped down, ripped apart, or had merely died. They approached the gates that were supposed to hold the millions of people back, but there was no one. Not a single soul rushed up to them to ask for an entrance toll. They entered the city silently. The walls on the inside were covered with mud, ash, and plants. All the magnificent buildings had been destroyed. The houses they had seen projected from previous memories were now no more than piles of rubble on the ground. Debris, rubble, trash, dirt, and wild ivy reigned free. A few deteriorating shacks had broken windows without doors. Noting the thriving vegetation, they guessed it had been deserted for quite some time.

Render slowly entered one. Broken glass, shards of pottery, and a few random forms that once could have been furniture littered the floor. He was careful not to step on those. Charity stood in what they had guessed to be a doorway, tears in her eyes.

“What happened here?” she asked, looking at the burned walls.

Render shook his head. “I don’t know. I would give anything to know.”

Levi called to them from outside the shack and they met him standing in what looked to be the center of the city, where a great fountain used to be. It was bare, empty, and silent. Not even a breeze ruffled their hair. It made them all edgy and uneasy.

Levi was standing in between some buildings partially sunken into the ground. He was crouched beside an item that Flint was investigating. “What’s that?” asked Render, joining them as Charity glanced up at the sky quickly. The skies were blue, an uncharacteristic color for a day so sorrowful.

“A bird cage…” said Flint.

“A bird cage?” repeated Charity. “Why would the people of Silthrim need birdcages?”

“Well, many of them had pets…” said Levi, as he glanced at the buildings around him once more. “Most of their animals were very healthy and lived abnormally long lives, some even longer than their masters.”

Charity blinked. “That’s it!” she cried, and began walking through the piles of rubble in an effort to get out of the city. The others followed her, curious.

“What’s it?” asked Flint.

“I know how we can see what happened here!” she said. They had reached the exit out of the city. There was a small forest that the dragons were hiding in and then there would be a large desert, at the end of which lay their destination. She hurried into the trees as the dragons flew over to them. She looked around, her eyes searching the treetops desperately. The others grew very excited. Levi looked at her face, then at the trees. Understanding spread across his face. Render and Flint soon caught on and began looking in the trees. Finally they found what they were looking for.

Cless’s face was unreadable. Luna looked over the trees with him. Will and Bonnie joined them, their eyes wide and unbelieving. Before them, so numerous they looked like sand on a beach, was a gigantic army. There were so many soldiers that the whole countryside looked black. Bonnie squinted. “What flag is that?” she asked.

Luna’s Elven eyes picked out a dark flag. “That…is Borom’s army,” she replied. They stared in utter disbelief.

“They weren’t kidding when they said he would take over the world!” exclaimed Will.

“We’ve got to do something. Now I see how imperative it is that we go back and stop all this from happening!” said Bonnie. Luna looked at Cless’ face.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“It all seems too easy. We’re almost to the cave and we haven’t encountered any enemies at all except for those officers. I’m starting to wonder if he doesn’t know we’re here after all. One would think that after he met us in the woods he would be more wary,” he said in a low voice. They reflected on that and for the first time took into consideration that there might be guards at the cave. They moved on, each submerged in their own thoughts.

Render had seen a small bird walking on the ground. Levi held it still with magic and Charity ran out from their hiding spot behind some bushes and brought it to them. Render and Levi worked together in sorting through its memories before they came to the right one. When they found what they were looking for, they projected the memory so Flint and his sister could see. They watched the fall of Silthrim play out before them.

The bird had been kept inside a cage, by a window. They felt it thinking about food. It was in a small, quaint little house with a lazy cat sleeping on the floor and a baby in a cradle nearby. The bird looked out the window and up at the sky. Merry folk walked by and obstructed his view so he chirped and whistled at them threateningly. The street outside was packed with people, making a loud ruckus that made the bird move his head as if trying to get the sound from his ears. Suddenly someone screamed so loudly that everyone stopped. The bird looked out the window but saw nothing but curious people. Another scream pierced the air along with the sound of thunderous voices and the loud clomp of hundreds of boots stomping on the ground. All at once the people began shouting and running, dropping their bags and leaving the people they had been standing with. Sounds of swords being drawn, arrows being fired, and glass being shattered echoed around the city. A line of Silthrim soldiers lined up outside the window, swords drawn. The door burst open and a terrified woman with dark brown hair rushed in. She opened the bird cage, shooed the cat out, and scooped up her baby with one hand. The bird hopped to the edge of the cage just as another figure ran into the house. It was a soldier, dressed in black with a bloody sword held high. The woman clutched her baby close to her, sobbing, trying to protest. The bird flew out the window just as a scream erupted from that house and a baby cried. The streets were full of these soldiers, battling away at everyone. Houses were burning. People were crying. Everything was being destroyed. This bird’s eye view was not at all like the previous ones they had seen projected before them. The bird flew away to safety among this forest, and it had stayed there ever since.

They withdrew from the bird’s thoughts. Charity was covering her eyes with her hands. Render clenched his fist. Levi scooped up the trembling bird and set it on a nearby branch. “That’s horrible! A whole city! Gone like that! Innocent people, their children, their animals! What kind of people would kill like that? What kind of people would have no disregard for life? Who were those heartless monsters?” asked Flint, enraged.

“I’d say they’re Borom’s troops,” replied Render. He stood up. “This has gone too far. We can’t delay. This world is crumbling. We need to make haste and get to the cave before all is lost. We have to do all within our power to stop this from happening again.” Charity looked up, still a bit horrified at the cruel brutality being drilled into the evil soldiers. They set out in the desert, trying to make up for lost time.

Will and Cless were walking ahead of the girls. Luna and Bonnie talked briefly of minor dragons, their own still sleeping in their hollows. Gradually the group came to a stop.

“Why are we stopping?” asked Bonnie.

“We’re here,” replied Cless. A huge cave stretched out before them. They walked to the entrance. A thin, purplish air seemed to be covering the whole entryway. “We can’t get in until they arrive with the dragons. Three dragons is the only thing that will break the barrier,” he said.
Bonnie sighed and said, “I wonder what’s taking them so long."

“I wonder if Borom has tried to stop them,” said Will. Just then Luna pointed to something in the sand dunes far off. Dragons were flying in the sky. They beamed. It would take them about ten minutes to get to the cave, but they were overjoyed at the sight of their friends. They watched as the dragons flew over the gigantic sand dunes and came closer. They were about five miles away. Their smiles soon faded. The sand behind their friends seemed to be growing larger…it seemed almost as if…Their eyes widened.

Charity glanced backward from the back of the dragon she was riding on and could hardly contain her fear. “Sand storm!!” she shouted. They all looked back to see huge amounts of sand building up, growing higher and higher. The dragons increased their speeds. Then, all at once, the sand collapsed and rushed out at them, as if trying to swallow them up in its great, sandy jaws. Faster they flew, yet faster still the sand waves gained on them. Charity turned around and closed her eyes. She could hear it, coming closer and closer.

The onlookers shouted and cheered, urging them on, although they knew they were not heard. They watched as the sand grew closer and closer.

Flint could feel specks of sand on the back of his neck. He looked behind and his eyes stung. He quickly faced forward. “Hurry!” he called. The rushing sound was painfully loud. A cloud of sand began to cover them. They were so close!

“Almost there!” shouted Render, then choked as he breathed in sand.

Their friends waited by the entrance, still whooping and hollering. Sand obscured them from sight. And then…all was silent.

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner

PS. Sorry if it was a little graphic…in describing the city…Render, your turn.

The Scepter of Time and the Cavern of Death

Chapter 14

{See “Chapter 13? Ellismera” on Render’s blog}

Chapter 14
“Where is the scepter of time anyway?” asked Flint. They were moving again, this time joined by their new friends Cless the Dragoon and Luna Moonarrow.

“It’s in the Cave of Calindide. To get there we have to go through the city Silthrim. That could be dangerous,” said Render as he walked.

Will nodded in agreement and added, “Most people here haven’t seen dragons for years. They don’t even know they still exist. If they see us they will start talking and spies will tell the shade. His name is Borom and he will stop at nothing until the whole world is under his power.”

“Then we can’t go through the city,” said Charity. “It’s too risky. Is there another way?”

The riders exchanged glances and said nothing. Bonnie listened in on their mental conversation, but only head the last words Cless muttered, “…the tunnels.”

“There is another way…” started Cless. Render gave him a dark look but he continued. “There are tunnels deep beneath the ground of Alagasia that are known only to a few dwarves and a handful of trusted Elves. In the tunnel system there is a route that runs directly under the city and pops out on the East side of the cave.”

“Great,” said Charity, happy to avoid unnecessary danger.

“What’s the catch?” asked Bonnie. Render kept his eyes on the road and replied, “The tunnels are made of grobdenite, the only substance known to mankind that can block magic.” Charity stopped and looked at him as he continued, “We’d be defenseless if anyone attacked us and we couldn’t even mindspeak!”

Luna walked slightly behind them with Levi. Her blonde hair was tied back loosely and her bright eyes were trained on her many minor dragons. A purple one flew near her shoulder but the rest stayed inside her hollows.

“I think we should take the tunnels,” said Levi, thinking about the possibilities. “It’s better to not have anyone know we were even here instead of risking it. Besides, no one knows about the tunnels anyway except for Elves and Dwarves. What threat are they to us?” They all agreed this was the best way to go but Render said nothing, only keeping his eyes on the ground.

Cless found the nearest tunnel entry around noon that day. It was covered by magic and took Will, Render, Cless, Levi, and Luna just to uncover it. Once uncovered they were happy to find the entrance big enough for all the dragons to pass through. Cless led the way with a small light in his hand. Luna followed, a blue light emanating from her palm. Bonnie followed after them with Miya perched on her shoulder. Will walked behind her with another small light. Charity and Flint walked side by side and Render was last. The dragons stayed by their riders if their rider was not on them. They walked for what seemed like an endless eternity. Flint and Bonnie argued for a while. Will and Charity talked quietly, remembering old times aboard their ship. Render and Cless were silent yet on occasion they stopped, looked at the walls, muttered something under their breath, and continued walking. Levi and Luna watched the minor dragons and discussed everything that had happened since they had been separated. Bonnie joined them after a while.

“So how is finding this staff going to help us bring Borom’s reign to an end?” asked Bonnie.

“If we find the staff and time-travel, we can go back to the point in time where he gained power and stop it from happening,” answered Luna.

“When would that be?” asked Bonnie.

“10 years ago. It started there. Slowly, spies and slaves of Borom had become trusted guards and security agents in the castle. Borom himself was the King’s adviser. One night he murdered the king in his sleep and his minions killed all the loyal servants. They took over the whole castle and slowly, like poison, spread among the country, taking all they desired.” The group fell into silence, imagining what it would be like when they went back to the night when the king was killed.

Will walked by his dragon and looked at the walls. They were smooth and round, kind of a grey color with blue streaks running through them like veins. He noted a few holes, and when examined closely he found they were deep crevices. He could see ten feet into them and they were not smooth at all, for on the inside were formations that should have been in a cave. The tunnels had been mined out from the inside of a gigantic cave and some of the older tunnels that branched off were dangerous and rough because of that. The caves were dark and Will couldn’t even see the end of them. Fortunately for the travelers, they only had to stay on the smoothed paths.

It would take two weeks for them to arrive near Silthrim, and another week for them to reach the tunnel they needed to surface, and they would have to walk back for a day in order to reach the cave. They were about one twentieth of the way through the desired tunnel on day two.

“We’re a bit behind schedule so let’s try to move a bit faster,” said Cless as he led the way. Will {with Baladon in tow} and Luna followed him, talking quietly. Bonnie and Charity walked behind them, talking and laughing animatedly. Flint and Levi were discussing the best weapons to use in various battle scenarios, Clesseath walking alongside Levi. Render hung back. He still didn’t trust the caves. Without magic he felt like part of him was missing. Ancalagon also seemed a bit nervous. They continued in this manner for a while.

“Be careful here,” said Cless. They had come to a place in the tunnel with a low ceiling. There were two paths. One was the smooth path they had been following. The other was shaped roughly with formations poking out of the entrance. They crawled into it and stood up on the other side. Huge rocks and boulders had been pushed away to the sides of the cave to make a path. The roof was pointed with stalactites and the ground still had many stalagmites. It was dark so the dragons had to breath fire to light the way.

“As far as short cuts go, this is the worst one yet,” whispered Charity to Bonnie. They began the trek down. There was no wind and no light, which made everyone a bit nervous.

“Everyone needs to stay silent. The rocks above us are old, and if we are too loud or move too quickly with enough force they may fall down on us,” said Render, softly. Bonnie and Luna’s minor dragons were hiding in their hollows. Ancalagon and Baladon breathed flames lightly on the ground in front of them, lighting up the beginning and ending of the train of travelers. Baladon’s tail swept up a pile of dust. He pulled away but was not quick enough to evade the dust from flying into his face and up his large nostrils. He made a face, swiveled his head around, and blinked wildly. The friends stared then began moving away from him desperately. He sneezed, his roar echoing around the walls, fire erupting from his mouth.

The roof rumbled from the impact. The ceiling caved in. Rocks and stalactites fell on them. They barely managed to move out of the way. The noise caused more to fall. The whole room seemed to be collapsing. They threw themselves on the ground and covered their heads with their arms. A few minutes later the dust cleared and they cautiously climbed their way out of the rubble. Luna peeked through her hands and gasped. There was a wall of debris and rock in front of her. It stretched from ceiling to floor and wall to wall. Looking around, she found that Cless, Will, and Bonnie were on her side of the wall. They glanced at the looming boulders, foreboding and impenetrable. The dragons had flown to their riders and now stood near the wall, lowering their heads and trying to push the wall. The friends joined them in moving the rocks. The only opening they saw was at the very top and it was so small not even Miya could climb through it.

“Chair!” called Bonnie, reasoning that no more rocks could fall because all of them already had. No reply.

“Render!” called Luna.

“Flint!” yelled Will.

Silence. “Luna, can you climb to the top and peek through the hole?” asked Bonnie. Luna nodded and began the dangerous ascent to the top. Some pebbles fell down.

“Careful!” called Cless. She nodded and took another step. She slipped and slid a few feet down but caught herself, wincing as she felt her leg get scraped. She finally reached the hole and peered through. She could not see her friends, only rocks and wreckage like on her side.

“Levi? Are you alive?” she asked, searching for them with her eyes. She could sense them. Four beings were breathing. Slowly a rock moved and Render climbed out. He searched for the rest of them. Charity, Flint, and Levi were all unharmed and had survived with minimum bruises and cuts.

“We have to turn back. We can’t move these boulders without magic,” said Render.

“We will continue along the tunnel and reach the cave first. It should take you an additional day or two to get to the surface,” said Cless, loudly. Luna repeated what he said to the group on her side.

“But that means we’ll have to go through the city!” said Charity. Luna translated again, leaving out the worry she had heard in Charity’s voice.

“That just means you’ll have to be smart and careful,” said Cless.

“Looks like you’ll have more of an adventure than we will,” said Bonnie to Charity, sounding a bit jealous.

“What on earth do you mean?” asked Charity, confused.

“You guys get to go back and sneak through the city, hiding your true identities from spies, concealing your dragons, and evading all shades in the process. And I’m stuck in this hole in the ground.” Bonnie said. Charity almost smiled even though Bonnie couldn’t see her.

Will spoke to Flint. “Take care of Chair, ok?”

“Duh. Somebody’s got to,” He replied. “And keep your weapon sharp.”

“Of course,” Will said.

Luna looked down at her friends. “Levi says he’ll meet us a mile in front of the cave. On the night of the next full moon.” Cless nodded.

“We need to go now. We have already wasted much time,” he said in a low tone.

“I shall see you in time. Keep them safe.” He said to Render.

“Same to you,” replied Render. The riders, dragons, and pirates thus parted ways. Render, Flint, Charity, and Levi were bound to go back to the tunnels’ entrance to surface and go through the city with the dragons Ancalagon, Clesseath and Baladon. Cless, Will, Bonnie, and Luna were going to press on through the tunnels to get to the Cave of Calindide.

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner
The Week of Terror

Next Part {Of Shades and Elves}

Part…a lot. Like…12, right? Ok.
Part 12

*Scratching dried paint on pants desperately* Arg…IT’S NOT COMING OFF! *Glaring at Flint*…Oops. Hi. Ok…here we go. Go see Render’s post, “Leviticus and the Duel of Greatness”… Now. Here’s the 12th part:

The next day came rapidly, the sun springing up in the East as if trying to kill the travelers…or warn them. Its golden beams spread like liquid fire in the sky. Charity was watching the sunrise. Footsteps sounded behind her and Bonnie plopped down next to her friend, gazing at the scarlet sky.

“If the sunrise was music, I’m sure it would be the best song ever written,” she said slowly. Charity nodded and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her cheeks from the cold night. Bonnie looked at her. “Are you afraid?” she asked. Charity opened her eyes and nodded. It had been harder than ever to keep her secrets with Bonnie’s mind speaking ability continually growing, but the girls never really kept anything from each other anyway.

“Render says this is the last safe campsite we’ll have for a while,” Charity said. They looked at the sky in silence.

“Don’t worry,” Bonnie said, “That’s what friends are for. We won’t let anything happen to you.” Charity smiled. Flint popped down beside his sister.

“Hey you two. Will says it’s almost time to go and you need to help pack up,” he said, poking Charity in the stomach playfully. Bonnie put her hat on, looking up at him with a sarcastic face.

“You pack, we’ll supervise,” said Bonnie, remembering countless times he had told them that. Nevertheless they all rose and rolled up their sleeping bags. The dragon riders, Will, Render, and their new friend Leviticus, were all ready to go. They set out on a rocky trail surrounded by trees and shrubs. This was a large forest and before they went into it, Levi told them briefly that this was a popular place for shades and other creatures to hide and dwell. They moved silently and slowly, trying not to make noise and stick to the shadows. They all enjoyed their moonbeams cloaks, compliments of the Elves and Levi. They made them almost invisible in darkness. Flint stuck his hand out from his cape and immediately pulled it back in, for the air outside was humid. His cape kept him relatively cool. The forest had large trees whose trunks were so huge that not even Render could wrap both his arms around one of them. It seemed to them like no one had ever ventured here before, the trees looked so ancient and undisturbed. Will noted a few cobwebs in some of the branches. They could not see very far ahead of them, so dense and thick the trees were, and although the day was bright, the forest was dark and seemingly endless. Baladon, Will’s dragon, Clesseath {Levi’s major dragon}, and Ancalagon, Render’s dragon, all chose to walk instead of fly. They didn’t trust the skies here. Miya rode inside Bonnie’s cloak but she stuck her head out of the opening, observing everything around her. Moss, Levi’s minor dragon, stayed safely inside Levi’s cloak. Bonnie listened in on what the little dragons were saying. Miya was trying very hard to have a conversation with Moss, who was very shy.

“Do you think there’s a reason for the lack of animals here?” whispered Charity to Bonnie. She shrugged and realized her friend had made a brilliant observation. There were no birds or squirrels like there should have been. No small creatures played around the trees. Nothing flew, not even bugs.

“It’s as if something evil is lurking nearby,” said Flint, trying to scare his sister. Charity rolled her eyes but that thought echoed in the back of her mind. Bonnie said nothing, trying not to frighten Charity, but she silently agreed with Flint. It was almost like the very creatures in the area avoided this forest like the plague. It soon grew darker as they progressed into the forest and Levi’s staff produced a small light that they followed. All the riders made other lights in their hands and they moved themselves between the others. With the darkness came a mist, a haunting, chilling, mystifying mist that made it hard to see. They decided to form a line and place a hand on the shoulder in front of them so as not to get lost. This strange mist sank to the ground from the sky, and as it increased they began to feel tired. Gradually they began to breathe slower, drinking in the intoxicating fumes, not quite knowing what was happening. Even the dragons nodded off and drowsily sat down. Before anyone quite knew what was happening, they were all asleep. If Levi had not tripped and landed where the mist had not yet fallen, they probably would not have woken up. He blinked and looked around him.

There was a noise. Not noise…music. Music was playing somewhere in the mist, but he could not see where or even quite tell what direction it was coming from. Its soft lullaby was so tranquil, so peaceful, that he almost fell asleep again on the spot. He thought that must be the source of the enchantment. He spoke to Clesseath and woke him up. Levi explained to his dragon that music was coming from the mist, and both the music and the mist were dangerous. Clesseath let out a roar and flapped his winds. With three flaps the mist was completely blown away, along with the enchanting sound. He roused his friends.

“Pretty music…” muttered Will, rubbing his eyes. Render sat up, blinking. His face changed.

“Of course,” he said in a low tone, looking around at the waking forms around him.

“Shades,” agreed Levi. They stood up and searched the area mentally. Their faces changed to ones filled with concern.

“We’ve got to move. Now!” said Render, pulling Will up. Charity and Bonnie rose to their feet, still recovering from intense dreams.

“Wha--?” said Bonnie, sleepily yawning. The area darkened. The dragons rose up from the ground. Considering their essential need for speed, they decided to ride but would not fly. Levi and Flint rode Clesseath, Render and Bonnie Ancalagon, and Charity and Will Baladon. The only light they followed was emanating from Levi’s staff. The dragons moved quickly, weaving in and out of the trees with surprising agility and grace. Bonnie held out her hand in front of her face. She couldn’t see it at all, not even a dim outline. She looked around her but could see nothing except Levi’s staff far ahead. She looked back. Nothing. She turned her head away but then snapped it back. Was…did that shadow just move? No…no, it couldn’t have…She turned around and looked to her left. There! She was sure something was there now! Something was moving around them in the darkness, or maybe multiple somethings…She reached out with her mind. Shades! Lots of them! That was extremely unusual.

“Render,” she said to his mind.

“Shades. I know,” he replied, “We’ve got to outrun them. I’ve already told Will and Levi.”

“But is that enough? Can they outrun dragons?” She asked, feeling her new Elvish knife to make sure it was still there.

“Looks like we’ll soon be finding out,” he said. Ancalagon sped up. The wind almost swept Bonnie’s hat off, but she held it on. The other dragons were also speeding up. They had formed a single file line with Levi leading and Render bringing up the rear. The passengers looked around at the forest nervously, trying to find the invisible terrors. The darkness was cold and the night was starless as the dragons ran as fast as they possibly could. Then from somewhere in the dark night, a scream echoed around the forest. Shivers ran up and down Bonnie’s spine.

“What’s the quickest way to kill a shade?” she asked, pulling out her knife and holding it at her side. A gust of wind rustled her cape. Miya was terrified and hiding inside it. She thought she heard breathing in the wind.

“There’s only one way to kill a shade,” said Render, “And that is to stab it through the heart.”

Another gust of wind. They were gaining speed. With this gust she thought she saw a form passing by quickly. Something whispered nearby. Bonnie turned around, looking every way. Render urged his dragon to go faster, to follow the others. Another scream erupted in the silence. This one was nearby. They were going at a break-neck pace. She wanted to call out to her friends. She opened her mouth but her words were drowned in laughter. The evil laughter from invisible lips enveloped all of them. Multiple tongues mocked them, for the shades were close. Bonnie looked down at the ground passing below them. Then a voice spoke from behind her in a foreign tongue. She whipped around, her knife aimed at whoever it was. Yellow eyes glared at her. That was all she could see. Her knife was stuck, her hand was held in one position in the air.

“Render!” she shouted. He turned and saw them, throwing a knife at the shade. The knife evaporated in midair. Bonnie found she could move again and pulled out her other knife while Render took out his dagger. They began to attack but the shade disappeared. They looked around but the yellow eyes were gone.

“Be alert,” he said out loud, sending a mental warning to his friends. Laughter continued to echo around them, reverberating off the trees and growing louder. Ice cold hands wrapped around Bonnie’s throat before she could utter a word. She was being lifted by unseen hands and she fell to the ground, landing so hard the wind was knocked out of her and for a moment all she saw was black. She struggled and reached for her knife, rolling on the ground in hopes of the shade letting go. A muffled sound came from right next to her. Her fingers fastened around her knife and she stabbed the arms holding her neck. Once free she took two steps away, turned, and began to fight with the shade, aiming for his heart. Next to her, Levi had been dragged off his dragon in a similar fashion and was fighting another shade. Charity, Render, Flint, and Will were no where to be seen, not to mention the dragons.

The shade was tall and had red hair, his yellow eyes now changing to a deep shade of purple. That was strange. She charged him then briskly turned, ducked, sliced at his feet, and jumped up on the other side of him. He was faster, however and blocked her blows. This carried on for a while, each strike being blocked. Then the shade began to fight back, each hit more powerful than the last. Bonnie met his blows, determined to win. Miya flew out from her cape and the shade was so taken aback that when Miya spat her venom into his eye he didn’t know how to react. Bonnie took this advantage and pierced him through the heart. He looked at her and then evaporated like smoke.

She turned and watched as Levi used his staff to disarm his shade and used his sword to strike against him. The shade blocked him with magic, however. Fire burst out from Levi’s sword, and he continued to attack with renewed energy. Bonnie drew her sword and joined him. Miya chirped to Moss, but he remained hidden. Levi struck him on his shoulder, dropped down and tapped his knee, swirled around, and drove his sword through the shade’s heart. The shade looked at the sword in his heart and gave a wicked smile, reaching out a hand to choke Levi, but he melted into the ground and disappeared. Levi and Bonnie both stood, panting, for a moment. They looked around. Their friends were gone. The night was silent.

Screams came from the trees and Levi lit his staff. They set out in that direction. Charity met them, running from something. She was flustered and her hair was in such disarray it would have been comical if not for the present deadly circumstances. Two shades were after her. Then from their left came the sound of swords clashing against each other. Will and another shade soon came into view, the shade pressing him back. Everyone fought fiercely. A gunshot sounded and Flint came out from behind a tree, his pistol drawn. A shade reappeared behind him and knocked it out of his hand. Flint stepped on his foot and drew his sword. Render came into the scene, breathing heavily and looking a bit pale. He wiped a thick substance from his blade and joined them. The friends unconsciously made a circle, with the shades circling around them. More shades joined them. It seemed like they were outnumbered. Bonnie was in between Will and Charity. They briefly exchanged glances, each half-doubting themselves.

Then the dragons came down from the sky. As if that was some unspoken signal they had all been waiting for, the forest became alive with the sounds of weapons clashing. Charity and Bonnie worked as a team. They fought well and hard, Bonnie using her newly acquired mental advantages and Charity using her dancing skill to maneuver around them so quickly they didn’t know what hit them. Render fought on his own, using magical weapons and the nature around him to his advantage. He bent a tree and made it fall on one of them, but while the shade was moving out of the way he threw a dagger into his heart. He turned and ducked the blade from the other shade, rising up and continuing to fight. Levi also worked alone, lighting his staff on fire to illuminate everything. He managed to make glass on the spot, shatter it, and send the pieces flying into the two shades he was fighting. One piece of glass found its shade, the other shade stopping the glass before it reached him. The shade laughed and tried to freeze him but Levi made a circle around the shade with fire. The shade disappeared and re-appeared behind him. Levi stepped backward, driving his knife into the shade’s heart. Flint’s pistol had not been found in the darkness so he used his sword to slice away at his shade. The shade bent down suddenly, pistol in hand, and pointed it at Flint. He pulled the trigger. The bullet shot through the air, bounced off the protective layer on his hat, and embedded itself in the shocked shade’s heart. Will raised his arms and his dragon swooped down and picked up his shade. Will shot him with a flaming arrow as Baladon released him to fall to the ground.

The fight lasted for quite some time. Soon there was only one shade left, but this one was bigger, better, and smarter. He kept evaporating and re-appearing somewhere else. It was his laughter that echoed around the trees in the cold, dark night. He had a malicious smile on his face as he darted around, his weapon flashing with reflected firelight.

“Why have you come here?” Render called to it. It had disappeared.

“Death…death to all who dare try to stop Me!” he said, reappearing, “This is my forest! Enter here and you shall die! One day I shall rule all of Alagasia! One day—” He was cut off as a multitude of voices came from the trees. He disappeared quickly as a volley of arrows came at him.

From the trees came Elves, about ten of them. Each Elf had pointed ears, a long face, and delicately chiseled features. Their hair was long, some dark and some light. They seemed to float over the ground, so graceful and light they were. Five Elves were female, wearing long dresses that almost touched the ground. Their hair was let down over their shoulders and their eyes sparkled. The other five were male, and they were clad in rich green fabric. They had light cloaks and long bows on their backs. Their hair was also long, but it was tied back somewhat. All of the Elves were tall and beautiful, and suddenly the travelers had nothing to say at all. Finally Render and Levi bowed, the others following suit a second later. Render and Levi spoke a few words in a different language, everyone looking on with interest. The Elves smiled, said something back, and began to lead them through the trees that now seemed light, as if these Elves illuminated everything in their path. Miya briefly translated everything they had said to Bonnie, for she had the gift of languages. It was simply an elaborate salutation.

As they walked, Bonnie could not resist mentally asking Render, “How many did you kill?” He hid a smile.

“Three and a half,” he said softly.

“How do you kill half a shade?” she asked, looking at the bright forest, pretending to be observant and watchful.

“That last one didn’t count,” he replied, “But given more time I could have finished him.” Bonnie smiled. They continued to be led by the Elves to a place where they could rest for the night, their dragons walking behind them and the Elves around them in a protective circle.

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner
{See Render’s blog for the next part} Chapter 13 Elismera