Chapter 15

Wow! I never thought I'd get this far. And yet it feels like I have written much more than 15 chapters (oh yeah! All the chapters I rewrote! lol) Anyway, this one took so long because my laptop broke, I got a job, and had finals all in the same week yay! Rar for sugar!!!!! Okay, so here it is. Enjoy and leave as much feedbakc as humanly possible and I may or may not love you for ever and ever and ever....(twitch)....


Chapter 15

The golden wings beat furiously at the warm, night air, straining as the wind ruffled through the feathers. The cool moon light illuminated the sacred space between the pale blue clouds and the obsidian sky, where the lone eagle was cutting through the atmosphere. It glided for a few seconds then flapped again, gaining more speed. The eagle’s heart beat furiously, not only from the pumping blood, but from the anxiety that was growing deep inside of it. It had a message to deliver, and it had no time to waste.

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In a place of utter darkness, where evil grew and fear dwelt, where even light itself could not shine, a figure moved. The long crimson robe seemed to caress the ground as the person passed over the broken world. Where the footsteps fell, the rocks seemed to groan and die.

There were already two others at the gathering place, one in a grey robe and the other in a black one. The three stood there for a few moments, the air itself very tense with anticipation for what was to come. The darkness itself was unnerved with expectation. Then she stepped forward. Dressed in a long silvery robe, she stepped out of the nothingness and all felt the very marrow drain from their bones.

“My children.” came her soft, motherly voice which sent a chill down every spine. “It seems, we have two prodigals in our family.”

There was a long pause, none daring to speak as they waited to make sure she was finished.

Finally, “They must be destroyed before they give the key to those who would appose us!” called the ebony cloaked one.

“No dear child.” And the sable figure seemed to visibly shake with dread at being so softly reprimanded, “They will see the error of their ways. We must give them time.”

“What of those who appose us? The ones who seek the key and the treasure.” The ashen cloaked one spoke, not challengingly but with reverence, like one consulting an oracle.

“The Duke and his new friends?” She spoke, her voice suddenly low and contemptuous, dripping with anger and hatred, “As for they who would stop us! They will feel my fury and my wrath like none have ever felt it before!”

Here again there was silence while they three waited to make sure she had finished speaking and were desperately trying to stop the icy fingers of dread from running through their veins.

“Would it not be better to monitor them?” Spoke the crimson one, the only one who would ever dare to challenge ‘her’ word. “At least for a time. If we could get one of the Circle into their group, they may lead us straight to the treasure.”

The black and grey cloaks both held their breaths. Neither wanted to see what would be the reaction to this challenge. Both just wanted to be done with the meeting so they could leave ‘her’ dreamplane and return home. After a few minutes of consideration, she spoke.

“Very well. Since you have set forth this plan, you will be the one to undertake it. I must return to my watch and you three must return to your stations. Farewell my children.”

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The early morning sun had not yet risen and the grey dawn was silent and cool. Nicholas and Ivan were loading the large pile of luggage onto the carriage. Both were still rubbing sleep from their eyes, having been up late the night before. Holly, Liam, and Oronus were inside the house gathering the final supplies.

“Heads up Iv!” Called Nicholas as he tossed up another bag to his friend atop the carriage.

Ivan caught the bag but didn’t center his weight right and so fell backward in the pile of luggage, one of the trunks popping open and spewing its contents all over him. He noticed the clothes were Holly’s and blushed as he tried to avert his eyes while stuffing it all back into the trunk. Just as he stood up another bag came flying upwards knocking him over.

“Hey! Easy there Klaus or Nicholas or whatever you’re name is now! I was still fixing the other trunk. You nearly knocked me off the carriage!”

But Nicholas gave no reply. He was staring straight at the misty sky, squinting as he saw the large dark shape begin to materialize. Ivan turned around just in time to see the large golden eagle drop completely beneath the clouds and into him. He was knocked flat on his back on the dirt road, the large golden feathery body nearly smothering him. It was almost as big as him and its wings were five times as long as it’s body.

“Um, Klaus, a little help.”

As Nicholas came near, he wasn’t sure if the creature was breathing or not. He laid a hand slowly on its head and the large golden pupils snapped open. He drew back as it opened its mouth. But no ear piercing screech came forth. Instead the creature spoke.

“Water.” The creature definitely sounded female, and spoke with a proud and intelligent voice. “I am…in great need of…water…before I can…continue…”

Nicholas got up and sprinted inside. A few moments later he came running out with a pale full of water and the whole group following close on his heels. As he ladled water into the thirsty creature’s mouth, Ivan finally wiggled out from beneath the feathery bulk.

“Thanks for the help guys. Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m fine!”

But no one paid him any attention. All eyes were on the magnificent creature as she slowly stood to her feet and scanned them all, recognition registering on her face as she looked from person to person. Then addressing Ivan, she spoke again.

“My apologies, able seaman Ivan. With the low cloud cover I was not able to stop my decent in time to avoid impacting you. I offer my most gracious apology.”

“Well, that’s alright I gue…wait a second! How do you know my name! How did you know I was an able seamen! Have you been following me around? Speak up! I’m on to you birdie!”

The eagle’s eyes flashed fiercely as she spoke, “I have long observed your insolent manner towards those who you would do well to respect, however I did not realize how deeply your foolishness went. As for you questions, now is a most inopportune time for me to answer them. We must make haste. The two witches plan on sacrificing the girl.”

“Bella!” cried Holly, Ivan, and Nicholas.

“Milady, did they say when they planned to act?” Asked Liam quickly stepping forward and pulling out a whistle from his pocket.

“No milord duke. Though I have never known a witch to act during the daylight and certainly not when it concerned something as important as a sacrifice. No, I would think they will act tonight, for surely tonight the full moon reaches its zenith and their terrible rituals will be most effective.”

Liam blew on the whistle though no sound could be heard then spoke. “Then there’s not a moment to loose. Are they still in Aconite’s Hollow in the Republic of Firplice?”

“Aye, milord. It’s almost a full day’s flight away, and by carriage nearly twice as long.”

“But that means there is no way for us to stop them!” Yelled Nicholas in frustration.

“I am not capable of stopping them…yet. However, the Duke can, but we will have to depart immediately. You will have to ride on me.”

And saying this, the great eagle began to glow with a bright golden yellow light. Her feathers seemed to rustle and float around her. Soon she was engulfed in a swirling mass of light filaments and feathers. There was a chanting of voices on the wind and as the swirling died down, before them stood a proud and golden griffon, with head and wings of and eagle and body of a lion.

“Make haste, milord Duke.”

“Wait!” Called Nicholas, “I want to come too!”

“I am sorry, brave Nicholas, but if we are to reach them in time, the Duke must come alone. Anymore and I would not be able to fly fast enough. Do not fear, you will soon see your share of battles. I can sense it.”

Before Liam got on the Griffon, his hawk Skree dropped out of the sky and landed on his coat arm. He quickly pulled a rolled up parchment from his coat pocket and placed it around Skree’s leg, then whispered some instructions to the bird. Then he placed a second one around its neck and whispered more instructions. With a mighty heave from Liam and the large white wings unfolding the bird had soon disappeared in the rising sun.

“Alright then. You lot, take the carriage and meet me in Firplice. I will stop them from making the sacrifice but I may need your help if the battle draws on too long.”

Then he hopped on the Griffon’s back and was off. The large animal, the size of a horse trotted up the lane as her wings spread out, nearly four times her body length. Then with a mighty leap and a flap of feathery wings they were gone.

“Alright.” Said Holly grabbing the last of the supplies. “We need to get going. Everyone inside!”

They all clamored inside and Holly got up and got the carriage moving. As they were going Ivan leaned out the window and called to her, “Holly, why did you ask for that special recipe this morning?”

“What recipe?” Nicholas called from inside the carriage.

“The water based explosive recipe I learned at Einri.”

As Ivan finished his sentence suddenly a loud explosion echoed from behind them. All looked back to see the house engulfed in a gigantic fireball as a column of dark black smoke ascended into the sky. From inside the carriage the three suddenly burst into a melee of questions.

“Be quiet!” She called as she pointed back. “Look in front of the blaze! See those dark figures running about? They’re Pontus’ henchmen. I saw them arrive this morning. They were probably sent to capture us and find out who we’re in contact with. Now there won’t be any clues for them to follow.”

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In sun was getting lower in the sky. The Griffon and Liam spoke infrequently and briefly as they prepared for their confrontation. Below them forests gave way to open plains, open plains gave way to rivers, and river gave way to farms dotting the landscape. Towns, villages, and cities all came and went as they flew onward, over boundaries of lands and mountains and rivers to reach the Republic of Firplice.

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The two witches, one in a long brown cloak, the other in a white one, glided along the streets of Firplice until they reached the alley. They made their way through the darkness and refuse as the setting sun painted the world in hues of orange and blue. The two drew near to the back of an old wall, where there was a crack. The white cloaked one slipped through first, then held out her hand towards the brown one.

The brown one dropped a small bluish glassy ball into the palm of the white one’s hand, then tried to slip through the wall herself. As she was half way through, she felt herself come to a slow grinding halt. She couldn’t move, either forward or backward.

“Hurry up Laburnum! We must be reach the grove afore full darkness!”

“I kant mof! I’m shtuck! Pull me out de uder side!”

“Pull yer self out. I aint missin the ritual on accounts of ye.”

But before she left, Laburnum popped out of the hole none too gracefully, her thick dark unibrow scowling at her sister. The two trudged on, winding through the thick woods that grew right next to the city. They walked along a trail until they came to an enormous open enclosure with a large, uncut stone in the center.

“Alright. Twilt be night soon. Once yon moon rises we’d best be performin’ the ritual as soon as possibl’. No tellin’ who will try an’ stop us.”

Here Laburnum seemed to begin to shake with terror induced convulsions as she spoke, “You mean…‘she’…vhil kom…” Dread settled on both as a sickening feeling flooded their veins.

“Silence yer prattle! Don’t even be thinken ‘bout…‘her’. Otherwise, ye’ll be given her a way inter yer mind!” Spat Aconite as she scanned the edge of the woods. She knew that no other witch would dare enter her domain. But if they were all to come against her, she and Laburnum would not be able to hold off the entire Circle. Especially if ‘she’ came with them. The very thought caused Aconite to feel the hairs on her neck begin to stand on end.

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Nicholas’ eyes snapped open.

“They haven’t performed the ritual yet!” He called to Holly and Ivan who had joined her on the front of the carriage.

“Are you sure?” Asked Holly calling back over the rattle of the carriage and the clacking of hoofs on stone.

“I’m sure! They’re waiting for moonrise!” Nicholas yelled back.

“That doesn’t give us much time!” Ivan called as he was jolted in his seat. “Keep monitoring their’s and Liam’s progress.”

“Alright!” Called Nicholas as he slipped back into the carriage and closed his eyes.

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Nicholas sprinted through his dreamplane and jumped into the dreamscape. The stars swirled around him and he looked once more for the faint dark red stars. The two were barely noticeable. He grabbed them and quickly entered the vision dream.

He saw the sky and a treeline in front of him. The moon was barely peeking across the trees and casting a thin sliver of silver light into the grove, right over a large uncut stone. Aconite stood before him, holding a small bluish glass ball up to the moon light. The ball began to glow slightly, and cast a blue light onto the uncut rock.

Suddenly the blue area on the rock took form. It was like a curled up frog or cat. Then Nicholas realized that it was a small girl. It was Bella. The magic slowly drained off of her and her body began to revert from its ethereal state. The wispy haze that surrounded her seemed to melt away and she lay there, completely unharmed.

“Alright. The mhoon be high enough now. Let the sacrifice be made! Bring forth yer blade Laburnum!”

Nicholas realized he couldn’t see what she was doing so he quickly exited her vision and flew through the dreamscape looking for Aconite’s. He found it and grabbed it, swallowing the star and seeing his vision flood with light. Then he saw her.

Laburnum stood over the girl with a large, glistening crystal knife, looking like it could be made of glass. It was an iridescent orange color though there was some dried flaky substance on it, like some kind of reddish juice. Or blood.

Aconite drew a white piece of chalk from her robe and began drawing a circle around the sleeping Bella, then writing strange characters and symbols around her. “Now! This girl, heir of the Alexandrian throne, descendant of the Great Emperors of Old, child born of the sacred line of Queen Alcision is presented to you, oh King of Darkness, a worthy sacrifice in the presence of the Full Moon, your great adversary! Let her blood drip from our altar and her screams give glory to our Order and to you! Let the key to the great treasure be revealed, that we may find the way to end our curse and rule this world with your might!”

The very woods seemed to fester and boil with insanity and darkness. There was a foul odor, like burning sulpher, on the winds, and screams seemed to come from the stars themselves at witnessing such a terrible act. The moon’s glow intensified, as if burning with rage at the wickedness of the witches. The knife seemed darker and more sinister. Suddenly, it began to hover above Laburnum’s hands. Then it floated towards the sleeping girl.

Aconite smiled and snapped her fingers. Bella’s eyes opened but she couldn’t move. She looked and saw Aconite and frowned. Then she saw Laburnum and stuck her tongue out at the ugly witch. And then, Bella saw the large, menacing knife floating in the air above her. The moonlight glistened off it as its razor sharp edge hung maliciously over her.

“Wait!” Cried Aconite, “I…I sense someone! Someone is watching us! Someone is watching through me!!!”

Then grabbing the white pearl that hung around her neck, she held it up to her forehead. Immediately Nicholas jerked awake inside the carriage. He couldn’t move and it took Master Oronus several moments to realize that he was no longer asleep and actually completely paralyzed.

“Nicholas! Was it Aconite?” He called as he didn’t wait for an answer and quickly administered a tonic to the boy.

“I…I have to go back! They’re about to kill her!!!” Called Nicholas.

“You won’t be able to.” Said Master Oronus, “She has sealed her dreamplane from us.”

“Then I have to go look through someone else! I’ll watch through Laburnum!”

“She’ll have sealed her off too.” Said Oronus, “Though…you could try watching through Liam or the Griffon.”

Nicholas quickly went back to sleep. He found the bright golden star and knew immediately that it was the Griffon’s dreamplane. He swallowed the star and felt the familiar warm light soak his mind. And then his eyes burst open.

Welcome Nicholas, her voice rebounded within his mind.

“You know it’s me?” He asked astonished.

Yes, she spoke again within him, now tell me all you have seen.

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The carriage rattled onwards on the road. Far ahead of them Ivan and Holly could see a port town. Ivan squinted at the town, then pulled out one of the Einri Maps he had. He examined them closely and looked at the road. Holly tried to ignore him as he kept looking back and forth. Then he turned the map side ways and immediately his eyes went wide.

“Oh no! Holly we took the wrong turn at the fork in the road back there! We’ve been heading southwest instead of due west!”

“Ivan! You told me to take the left one. I told you I thought that we were suppose to take the right one! Now it’ll take twice as long for us to get there!!!” Her face was turning red as she yelled.

“Well excuse me but it’s not my fault that the map was written wrong!” He fumed. He was about to make another retort when he spotted a familiar looking emblem flying on one of the masts in the town. “Come on! I have an idea! We might be able to make it on time to Firplice after all!”

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Nicholas saw the woods come up. Above them the moon shone down bright and intensely. The Griffon and the Duke were both poised for action. With one mighty swoop, the large animal dropped into the clearing and several things happened all at once. Nicholas tried to keep track of everything that was happening but he only saw parts of the battle.

On his left he saw Laburnum shoot a beam of orangey light at the pair, but the Griffon covered them with her wings, and the magic seemed to bounce of and run along the ground in sparks. The Duke leapt forward and landed with both feet on top of Laburnum’s large bulbous head, and she crumpled to the ground.

Aconite seemed to keep appearing and disappearing as she warped from one place to the next, hitting the Griffon with her hard, knobbed staff each time she appeared. Then Nicholas saw the hovering blade. It swung in a long arch towards Bella. His vision suddenly saw the Griffon pounce on Aconite and her large sharp beak come down on the witch’s staff arm.

Then a sickening thud filled the night air, and Bella’s scream echoed around the clearing. As the Griffon looked up, her head bumped against the pearl and Nicholas’ eyes opened again. He was greeted by a circle of unfamiliar faces.

“Hey, Ivan! Your friend’s awake!” Called one of the boys, who fixed his hair as a strand fell out of place.

“Klaus! What did you see?!?” Asked Holly and Ivan as they ran up. Oronus was behind them and he quickly gave Nicholas another sp of the tonic.

“I-I think Bella was killed!” He said hoarsely as he felt the hot tears begin to flow down his face.

“W-what?” Asked Holly shell shocked, “No, t-that can’t be! Are you sure!?!”

Ivan didn’t hear anything. He felt like none of this could be real. He felt like it was a bad dream and he was going to wake up any moment. He was faintly aware of Klaus crying and Holly yelling something about it not being part of the plan. But nothing felt real. Then the realization of Klaus’ words washed over him. He felt a scream of anguish tear from his throat.

“Nicholas. I know this must be hard, but I know Jullian and he wouldn’t have let this happen. You must tell me exactly what you saw.” Said a serious faced boy who looked slightly like Liam.

“And in the meantime, set sail right away!” Called the boy who had fixed his hair before, “Come on you Cuttlefish! We need to get to Firplice before sunrise! If we catch the evening tide we’ll make it!”

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It was a dark and dreary clearing. The witches stood breathlessly to one side, both staring at the gaping wound they had inflicted just moments ago. The echo of the dark crimson blood dripping into the small crimson pool rebounded around the clearing. The Griffon stood to one side with the Duke, both with a satisfied look on their face.

“So then, it is agreed. You will receive it as soon as I have time to authoritize it. It is more than sufficient payment.”

“Aye. It be agreeable to us as well.”

“Good, and you are bound to honor your word?”

“Oh aye. As long as you’ll be honoren yers.”

“‘She’ will never know about what proceeded here tonight.”

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The Cuttlefish sailed on the early morning current as they made their way into the main harbor of the Republic of Firplice. The crew worked meticulously as Holly, Ivan, Oronus, Nicholas, and Edric sat in the quiet cabin.

“Well, Nicholas, you didn’t actually see her die correct?” Asked Edric.

“Yes, but what else could have happened?” Asked Nicholas fighting back the tears again.

“You must not give up hope! There is still much hope for your little friend. Look, fate must be on your side. How else could it have been that we were anchored in the same harbor that you four pulled into? That was no mere coincidence.” Edric said, and his entire presence seemed to glow with confidence as the morning sun peaked into the cabin window. “I know she has a larger purpose to play yet. And so do you. Look, the sun rises and with it, hope.”

“Wait, it’s too early for sunrise!” Called Holly and as she hopped up everyone else followed her out of the cabin.

They ran out onto the deck and looked up into the early morning sky. Above the horizon a large golden object was flying, and the early morning sunlight was hitting its feathers and causing it to glow like the sun. They all squinted at it as it drew near. The glowing stopped as it dropped lower and a familiar figure materialized.

“Liam!” Edric cried out and waved.

The dark figure aboard the large Griffon waved back and circled towards them. As the Griffon landed on the deck, the large feathers folded around her and the glowing whirlwind of feathers and light quickly encircled them. And as it died down, Liam stepped forward, and behind him stood Bella.

“Bella you’re alright!” Cried Nicholas running forward and embracing the small girl.

Ivan joined the hug and Holly seemed to smile with relief, then she noticed Liam clutching his side as he limped forward. “Liam! What happened?”

He smiled ruefully then said, “Oh nothing much. I guess I must have hurt myself a little.”

“No, it was the witch! There were two of them. They had a big knife and they wanted to chop me into likkle pieces!” Bella spoke excitedly, “But then Silver came and saved me.”

“The dog?” Asked Ivan smiling but puzzled.

“Well, in a manner of speaking.” Said the small tabby cat that now stood where the Griffon had been a few moments ago speaking in the same intelligent voice as the eagle, “It was mostly thanks to the sacrifice of the Duke who placed himself between the blade and Princess Bella.”

“Wait a second!” Ivan cried in amazment, “You were the dog the whole time!”

“Yes,” Smiled Silver, “I have taken many forms during this journey in order to watch over Bella until she was placed in the Duke’s care.”

“So the horse tracks in the woods…” Holly began.

“I had taken the form of the Sedna, the caribou people of the land of Teaul.” She said smiling. “Now see to the Duke. His wound is very grievous and will need prompt attention. Master Oronus should be able to aid you, young master Jack.”

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All the day they sailed on towards Hestia and the home of Liam. As they sailed they passed Einri Naval Academy and the coast of New Firplice. Then they continued on northwards and the air became colder and the leaves faded to autumnal colors as they neared the land of Hestia. It was near dinner time before they reached the docks of Liam’s estate.

He was bandaged up and had a curative poultice in place to seep the evil of the wound out as he hobbled around on his crutches. The crew were cheerful and happy and the weather amiable as they pulled into the pier by Estaté de Hestia. From the small pier they followed the tree lined path of stepping stones across a small still pond lined with willow trees and old white marble statues.

Then they walked on through beautiful orchards all in full fruit with large pomegranates, apples, and grapes hanging thickly everywhere. Across the distance they saw a shepherd of Laim’s estate herding a flock of curly haired goats to a new pasture. And in front of them stood the great manor house. It had two large solid oak doors, with a large marble statue on each side. The front of the house was made up of large windows and was built with a white stone that shone in the sun. The top tiles of the roof had been painted deep blue, along with all the door and window frames.

“Holly!”

The cried rent the air as Holly was knocked over by several heads of curly black and blond hair. From inside the manor house an aged butler stepped out. He walked over and shook his head as he spoke to Liam.

“Excuse me young Master, but the Collinses received your message and immediately set out. They arrived this morning.”

“Thank you Roster. Did the other guest arrive yet?”

“Yes. She’s waiting inside right now.”

After introductions went all around the large group made its way inside. There a somewhat pudgy old woman dressed very well and with her snub nose in the air greeted them.

“Mrs. Forester! I hope we have enough food to feed all these people!” Called Liam laughing

“Why, yes we do sir, if I don’t say so myself.” Came the thick reply. “though heaven knows we won’t if they decide to stay a forthnight!”

“Wonderful!”

The laughter echoed down the marble halls as they group walked to the dining room. There a figure in a large turquoise robe took of her hood and turned to the party. She bowed to Oronus, Ivan, and Nicholas and then another round of introductions were made.

“Alright everyone!” called Liam, clapping his hands to get their attention, “Let’s progress to the dining room so we can talk as we eat!”

This was met with a rowdy cheer and laughter as Nicholas, Holly, Ivan, Bella, Silver now in Caribou-person form, Tethys, Oronus, Edric, Jack, Coniglio, Tal, Dale, Wick, Dare, Rabb, Tinneas, Tirs, Bron, Orgile, and Liam all made their way to the dining room. Amid the chaos and confusion, laughter and song, old friends were reunited and new ones quickly made. As it grew later, Tinneas, Tirs, and Ivan played a lively jig as laughter and merriment filled the warm night air.

Later that night after stories had been swapped and everyone’s cheeks were sore from laughter and smiling, they all sat around the large fireplace in the cavernous parlor on overstuffed goose down pillows. As a stillness settled over the large group, Liam looked at Silver, then at Holly as he cleared his throat and spoke to the gathering.

“My friends, new and old, tonight we celebrate the return of Bella, Princess of Alexandria and of our triumph over the witches Laburnum and Aconite. But our battle is far from over. The prophecy regarding Bella states that she has within her the key to unlocking the treasure, but nothing more is said. So, before anything is done we will have to go and seek out the wisdom of the Seers of Insular. Sage Larson has already done so but has passed beyond the veil of any of our sight. This journey will be dangerous and so Bella will not accompany us. However she must be kept out of harm’s way. She needs to be taken into hiding to protect her from any other witches.”

There was silence as the group digested the information. Then Bron spoke up, “Well, she can come live at our house. That way we can tell everyone she is really the girl the judge sent to live with us. No one would be able to find her, we live so far form any main cities.”

“But what about guarding her? You and your brothers can guard her physically well enough inside your home, but she will need someone who can guard her spirit as she sleeps so they can’t uncover her hiding place.”

“I will accompany them.” Said Tethys with a resolute smile, “Every night I will weave a web of silence and dreamlessness over her so that they will never find her dreamplane or learn her location.”

“Good.” Said Liam smiling appreciatively. “The rest of us will go aboard the Cuttlefish and sail for Insular. We sail at first light so everyone should probably go to bed soon and get some rest.”

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The next morning two groups of people said farewell as they parted ways. The Collins boys and Tethys had Bella with them in the carriage that set off for Giv. Everyone else was aboard the Cuttlefish, which has been expanded that evening to now have not only the main cabin room, but a men’s sleeping cabin, woman’s sleeping cabin, mess cabin for meals, and several large canons, outfitted from one of Liam’s father’s old ships. It also now had three large sails and a new crow’s nest. Wick smiled proudly at his handiwork as he gave Edric the signal.

“Alright everyone! All aboard for the Island of Insular, and more specifically the land of Gwaylen.”

“Isn’t that part of Laim’s name?” Asked Ivan discretely.

“Yes it is!” Said Edric excitedly, “My cousin Liam’s mother was a princess of Gwaylen and that’s important. There, everything is about parentage. If we want to get allies it will be our best tool.”

“So is that the place where those men attacked us during the night?” Jack asked uneasily.

“Well yes, but that was because they’re the Southern Wild Men, the Picts. The rest of Insular is quite civilized. Well mostly.” Said Edric smiling.

And so the ship set sail across the deep blue ocean. Foam capped waves carried the sturdy vessel across the mountains and valleys of water, onwards to their destination. Ivan summon Zephyr to carry them along while Liam and Edric talked about the best landing spot. Nicholas was on the bow, looking outwards towards the sea.

“What are you thinking about?” Asked Holly coming up behind him and sitting down next to him.

“Home.” He said, scanning the depths for answers, “And yet, I feel like my home, our home, was never really our home.”

“You mean your parents, don’t you?” Said Holly smiling reassuringly, “It’ll be okay. Don’t worry. For now, go along with the adventure and enjoy the quest. Soon the time will come for answers and you’ll know more than you bargained for.”

“What?” Asked Nicholas puzzled.

“Never mind. To everyone else you may be Nicholas, but to me you’ll always be Klaus.” She said smiling.

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End Chapter


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Okay! So I did the math and turns out my story is comrpised of three quests. They each take about 15 chapters so this was the first, The Quest for Bella. Now she's safe and it's on to the next quest! Oh, and just in case you were wondering, my location changes every seven chapters of so and I'm not sure about new characters but we'll see. Until next post!

Hasta La Vista