Part 7.5

Hardest to write ever!  But it is done.  Ish.  There’s a part in the middle where, if you ever find one, I might move a flashback from a different part to.  Go read part 8 afterwards!

Rermia gave me a glare, as if to say, “We’re having a moment here, please leave!” but actually ended up saying a whole lot harsher.  “Child, you do understand that you are probably going to die today, so your life is no longer significant.”

“Rermia!” scolded her sister, “Every life matters!”

“That is where you are wrong yet again,” she pointed out, “Neither nothing nor no one stands in my way to victory.  And child, I see in your mind that you are very confused, but it should hardly matter to you.  No matter how many times I will tell you, you must understand that there is nothing you can do to change your fate.”

With these harsh words, a whirling ball of magic collided with me, and I lost my balance.  I fell off the boom, and watched the sky fall away from me, my hair streaming upwards.

So this was how I was to meet my fate, colliding with the ground at a million miles an hour, squashed like a trinana.  Wonderful.  The two faeries seemed to be ascending into the clouds, and it felt like the wind was at my back.  I really thought that Mayella Chester was going to die.  And she did.  But I am still alive.

I felt something, like a warm presence, pushing me up, and stopping my descent.  It set me down on the deck of the ship, and I realized that this must have been Yyro’s doing.

I could see the identical twin faeries in a fierce argument, perhaps over my survival or something else.  I was unable to catch most of what they said, though I did hear a few words.  “Banished,” and “Fyora” were the two words that I caught most of the time, but I did catch two words that I did not know: “Illisisy” and “Artemis.”

The two of them flew at each other in an angry rage, and it was all that I could do to watch them, swords drawn, as they collided against each other.  I’m really not quite sure what happened to them, for a blinding flash of light infiltrated my vision.  When I brought my arm away from shielding my face, all that remained were two swords and faerie dust, blowing through the wind.

I found myself turning back towards the crowd.  Only then did I realize how little was accomplished from the destruction of their leader.  There was no clouds clearing, no sky brightening, no cliché bowing as I was like “Hey guys, stop fighting!  Rermia’s gone!”  Nope.  They kept right on fighting, like nothing had happened.  Of all things, a martyr had been created, which would only fuel their wish for revenge upon the rest of Neopia.  And so, my grip tightening on my magical stick, I joined the fight.

***

I was thinking of putting a flashback here, but I would have to move it from somewhere else.  Any suggestions?  I have nothing new to write here though, so sorry.

***

            I gave a cry, and sprinted into the crowd of angry pets who only wanted revenge.  Revenge on bullies, revenge on siblings, revenge on old enemies.  And maybe, if I actually made it out of this, me as well.

            The first pet I was confronted with was a yellow Tuskany with orange hair.  Like the rest of the army, he wore the classic uniform, except that he also held a spear in one of his flippers.  He charged at me, or tried to, as he did have flippers after all.  I ignored him, looking for a different.

            That was when I heard a Whoosh! go by my ear.  I spun around quickly, only to find myself, yet again, face to face with that really tall faerie.

            “Let’s try this again,” she said with a sigh.  “I’m taller then you and certainly not a child, and you certainly don’t seem to be able to hunt anything any time soon, so simple deduction: me huntress, you child I’m supposed to kill.  Only the huntress should make it out of this, if the prophecy was interpreted right of course, but the child dies.  So let’s keep this simple, shall we?”

            “Who are you?” I asked her, changing the subject in hopes of getting away.

            “Ah, so you wish to know who your demise it?  That would be the master of spies, Jessalia Wick!”

            “You’re Evre’s sister?” I said in surprise, slowly backing into the Tuskany, who shouted at me, waving his spear in the air.  I jumped forwards and almost into Jessalia’s sword.

            “Yes, I guessed that you had met my bumbling sister.  That child certainly does not understand the concept of “Secret Organization” as she has blabbered everything about us to you that you should ever need to know.  And now, since you must know magic, we duel.”

            As she began collecting magic in the palm of her hand, I readied myself with my stick in hand.  But suddenly a thought struck me, as I was experiencing some serious déjà vu from a couple of minutes ago.  “You know, I think that the whole huntress battle happened to me,” I said, and Jessalia eyed me, “I already did defeat Rermia, y’know.”

            Jessalia stared at me in surprise.  “Then you most certainly cannot be the child, for the child is supposed to be innocent of all blame.”

            “Maybe I was,” I said, “Once.  When I was only your average orphan with nothing to live for.  But I’ve learned something over these past few days.  Everyone has something to live for.  I’m not losing my one chance.” 

            “Hmm,” said Jessalia, “Perhaps you are not the child.  Well, that doesn’t mean that you won’t die anyways.” I raised my stick as fast as I could as the first fire ball flew at me.  They rampaged, flying at me faster then they had before, and I jumped, ducked, spun, as if in some kind of crazy dance.  And you know what?  As scary as it was, I actually felt kind of happy, as if this was where I belonged, and this was what I was meant to be doing.

            All could have gone on fine and dandy for a while, but I suspect that you have to acknowledge the fact that we were in a closely packed crowd.  For though I could dodge the fire speeding at me, others couldn’t.  There were shouts behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see that a tree had caught on fire, and pets and faeries were running and screaming.

            As the fire spread, a couple of water faeries had joined together with the Neopia Central Fire Department (NCFD) to try and put it out.  But the magical fire kept spreading, and I gave a shout as a flame licked my boot.

            I guess my shout brought the angry fire faerie back to reality, and she looked at the tree in horror.  She paused; her mouth and eyes wide open, and then, with a flick of her wrist, disappeared.  I looked about, only to see that others in the Fyr were disappearing as well, in puffs of smoke.

            I kept looking about myself, and gasped as the S.S. Primmella caught aflame as well.  The captain was certainly not happy about that.  That was when I saw Jessalia again, standing on the ship, overseeing the safety of the army.  I sprinted towards her, probably in a rather fool heartedly manner, but nevertheless climbed aboard the ship.

            “Our battle wasn’t over, you Peadackle!” I shouted.

            “Oh, you’re just sore because you lost!” she shouted at me over the roaring flames that leaped like graceless ballerinas.  In response I stuck my tongue out at her.

            “You just called a retreat because your leader is dead!” I exclaimed, and hefted my sword.

            “We just need to regroup is all!” she said, seemingly offended.

            I waved my stick at her, using it like a weapon.  She looked like she was about to throw another fireball at me, but quickly thought better of it.  She glanced over her shoulder, back at the ground, and smiled.  “Well, that’s the last of them, so I guess I’m off then.”

            She cackled, and I feared that she might vanish like the rest.  No, I thought, that wont happen.  I did the first thing that popped into my mind: I stepped on her toe.  Hiking boots + bare feet=pain, or so I have learned now.  She ululated, hopping backwards, and tripped over the edge of the boat, falling into the flames below.

            I ran to the railing, and looked down.  All that remained was the fire it’s self, and I wondered what had actually happened to Jessalia.

            I looked up at the dark sky, and as if in response, it began to rain.  And then I learned the truth.

            Only the tears of hard work can triumph in the end.  Rain over fire, quenching its thirst, work over revenge.  I may still have no idea of what had happened to the Fyr, but man, since then, my life has gotten a whole lot better.