Part 4.5

Finaly!  It’s done!  Wooo!

Anywho, I’m hoping to have the whole story done by the end of March (checks off on calendar).  For now, STOP LAUGHING AT MY COSTUME.  I KNOW I LOOK STUPID IN IT, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT’S FUNNY.

            As we continued our way through the jungle, I became quite paranoid.  As we tromped slowly onward, each sound became a monstrous beast.  A small buzzing sound became a killer Veespa, a rustle in the bushes something that promised death.  At the slightest change to the atmosphere that surrounded us, I nervously glanced in every direction before continuing.

            That was when we came across the skeleton.

            I’d say it was big, but I didn’t especially want to be called “First Mate Obvious” by a certain blue wocky.

            As we approached it, Moht began getting out his camera.

            “Oh, these pictures are gonna stink,” he moaned.

            “Hey, well at least you’re alive.”

            “But I won’t be able to take any good pictures without my tripod.”

            “Well, then just put it on a flat surface,” I told him.

            His face lit up at this, “I never thought of that!” he exclaimed, and ran off to find something to put his camera on.  I smiled and rolled my eyes.

            “I believe that this is a cooty,” announced Lillian, “Or it was anyways.”

            I looked closely at the bones.  “I’ll bet that this is the world’s biggest skeleton ever!”  I said, as it seemed to easily be seventy feet long.

            “No, we’ve seen a lot bigger,” Roxton told me, “and those are the ones we really need to steer clear of.”

            I looked back at it.  It seemed pretty big at the time, though we did see much larger creatures on the island.

            “It looks like it’s been dead for a long while,” Kerlie muttered.  I looked over at him, and realized that he had been very quiet for a long time.  He glanced up at me from his book.  “Well, I mean, look at the splinters in the bones, and there isn’t really anything left on them, so it led me to the conclusion that it’s been dead for over twenty years.  At least I think so.”

            “You know, you’re really good at figuring things out,” I told him, and he got a little red.  Well, as red as he could with purple fur.

            I heard a loud clicking noise, and a quick flash of light infiltrated my vision.  I whirled around, expecting some giant mutant petpetpet, with laser eyes or something, but simply saw Moht, leaning over his camera, blinking furiously.

            “Whoa,” he muttered, “I seriously need my tripod.”

***

            After the quick break, we decided to start heading back.  It was about 4 o’clock, and we had to make it back by dark.  Wandering around the Lost Isle in the dark didn’t exactly sound like much of a picnic to me or anyone else.

            We hacked our way through the underbrush, rarely ever speaking.  We all had a lot to think about.  Me?  I thought about my miraculous save.

            I guess before that day I never quite pictured my self as courageous.  Actually, I don’t think anyone else did either.  It was odd, because I was afraid of spyders, but I was willing to risk my life to save others.  I honestly found it a little ironic.

            I was a little bit too wrapped up in my thoughts like a burrito so I didn’t hear the “Ca-caw!” until I saw it swoop down. 

            Whatever it was, it was light blue and white, and it plummeted towards us quickly.  “Everybody duck!” I heard Clara shout, and I immediately dropped to the ground along with everybody else.  Almost everybody else.

            “Ahh!” shouted Roxton as he was lifted into the air.  I now saw what it was: a cloud Pteri.  He or she wore what almost looked like a uniform, maroon coloured with a large metal helmet.  He or she struggled with the weight of the rather tall and struggling Lutari.

            “Roxton!” Clara shouted.

            “Get back to the boat everyone!” Roxton shouted as he was carried away.  “I can take care of myself!”

            “Roxton!” Clara shouted again, and she looked devastated.  I found that rather odd, as I was convinced that the two of them absolutely hated each other.  She turned to us.  “We have to save him!” she practically shouted at us.

            We glanced at each other.  “You heard what he said,” Lillian told her, “We should go back to the ship.  Besides, it’s getting dark.  We’ll come back tomorrow and see what we can do then.”

            “Well,” said Kerlie, “Judging by the sun’s position, he went east.  And since we’re on the west side of the island, it looks like he’s being carried towards the centre.  I mean,” he said, glancing at his toes, “that’s what I think.”

            I grinned.  “Great!” I exclaimed, a plan formulating in my mind, “So we can figure out which side of the island brings us closest to the centre, and that’s where we can start tomorrow.  Good job Kerlie.” Kerlie turned crimson again, but I would just keep giving him complements.  I knew what it was like for no one to understand what you can do, in his case, how observant he was, so I felt rather empathetic.

            We agreed on that plan, and continued our way on back towards the boat.  I was a bit worried about Roxton I guess, but I knew he could take care of himself.  I had no idea why the Pteri had snatched Roxton at the time, but the truth was so much more sinister then anything I could guess.

***

            “Interesting,” mused Yyro as she looked through her magic window, “This was not the one I was expecting.  The prophecy told us of one who would give their life to another.  Imerdia!” she shouted this last part to a small kneeling magma Poogle who looked up when her name was mentioned.  “Please resume interpreting the prophecy.  For it says that this one should live to “See the end” yet also says “give his life to another” Tell me of your findings.  You are dismissed.”

            The Poogle bowed and scurried from the room.  Jessalia knew Imerdia well; she had been quite young when she first met the Fyr’s head interpreter of symbols and prophecies.  Imerdia had almost seemed like Jessalia’s nanny after her mother died.

            The throne room had now been filled with many smaller chairs for the great one’s advisors.  Glancing around the room, Jessalia saw General Everus, a Tyranian Krawk missing an eye, Lady Veskail, a royal Acara in charge of battle plans, Kolea, an air faerie that was the head diplomat, and Torazi, a ghost Mynci with a gift for public speaking.  And Jessalia, the master of spies.

            “Jessalia!” commanded Yyro from behind her curtain, her ever changing voice certainly stern, “Have a word with our newest prisoner.”

            “Yes, my lady,” she said, curtsying as she stood, and hurried her way out the door.

            War was coming.  She knew it would come, but now, having it right in front of her and immediate, jarred her from her everyday life.  Certainly, she had been preparing for it since she was a child, but it was so startling to actually have it happen.

            Jessalia remembered her childhood in Moltara very clearly.  She and her clan hiding in the caves for generations had been treated as amazing powerful spirits; the pets there had never even heard of faeries.  The citizens of Moltara left offerings for them, convinced that they would bring them luck.  This went on for a very long time, the Moltarian faeries happily living in peace with the rest of Moltara.

            Then everything stopped.  No more offerings, no more ceremonies.  Jessalia was sent out to discover what had happened.  And what had happened shocked them so much.

            Moltara had been discovered.

            Jessalia found the great doors wide wide open, and pets streamed in and out.  Hiding behind a stalagmite, she saw three pets that she would meet again, being interviewed by the press.

            “It was nothing!” exclaimed a tall yellow one, but he was quickly cut off by the not as tall but not short blue one, “Of course it was something!  We found a whole underground land.  Now that is something.”

            “And I got a pet!” piped up the shortest one.  The green one who was interviewing them laughed, and continued asking them questions, and they kept talking over each other.

            Jessalia felt her inner fire boil up.  Why had they done this?  Who did they think they were, barging into their home and bringing people in and out?

            She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and whirled around, to find a glowing orb of light in front of her.  It was another faerie, of this she was sure, but what type she could not determine.  The light was so bright that she could not see the faerie’s face. 

            “I can help you,” the faerie whispered, “But you must help me as well.”

            “What can you help me with?” Jessalia asked quietly.

            “I will assist you to dispose of these “discoverers” of Moltara.”

            Jessalia’s eyes grew wide.  “Thank you, but what is your price?”

            “I need you to find the other opening,” was all that the faerie said.  Then she was gone.  And Jessalia’s quest began.