Courage
The Thieves were fleeing fast over the rooftops
but their pursuer was close behind.
"I don't like this! He's gaining on us.
He must be a Thief - they're onto us!"
The other Thief snarled and closed his
fist around the Talent Orb.
"Damn thing, I don't know how to use
it. Otherwise the talent of flying might be helpful!"
One of the pair drew a small object from
his belt. It was a Tiki Gas Bomb - not often used but guaranteed to knock pets
and people cold. Every Thief was equipped with one, in case of emergencies.
As they approached a long flat roof,
the Thief pulled the pin out and threw the bomb behind them. He heard it skitter
across the roof and then a big flash of light from behind. Stopping, the two
went back to where the prone body of their chaser lay.
"Yeah, it's a Thief all right. Young
one too."
"One of the Old One's apprentices, I
bet." He nudged with his foot the symbol of a Thieves' Code follower, which
hung round the still Aisha's neck.
"What shall we do? Leave him to cool
off in the night air?"
"No. I have a better idea. We'll bring
our victory home to the others - the ones who wouldn't listen. We'll leave this
one by their back door."
The two Aishas slung the body of the
other over their shoulder and padded off into the darkness.
***
Neopia was in uproar. Every Neopian was up and about. Already, less than pleasant
citizens were selling people "genuine" Talent Orbs. More enterprising citizens
were selling Talent Orb T-shirts. Flye and Kiara ran through it all. Lord Tanqueroy
was now in a stable condition at the general Neopian Hospital and Flye was relieved
of the burden of watching over him. The pair realised that futile searching
would get them nowhere. They flew up onto the nearest roof and sat there, just
watching the pets and people and petpets jostle and push each other below.
They had not noticed the Shoyru behind
them until she tapped them on the shoulders. She was an unusual Shoyru with
a night black coat covered in fire coloured stars. She put a finger to her lips
and took them aside.
"I know where the ones you seek are,"
she said simply. They followed her blindly, trusting this strange Shoyru. They
were led through a maze of rooftops, alleys and tunnels, twisting and turning.
Finally, they came to a large cavern deep under the ground.
"Tunnels run through Neopia and enable
the Thieves to get about. I discovered this place by chance but, once I learnt
more of the Thieves, I see fate meant it to be. I have my own quest for the
Thieves - this is yours. Retrieve the Talent Orb. Once you have it, your heart
will guide you. Remember what matters most. Fyora's luck, my friends."
The Shoyru gave Flye a sorrowful glance
and he knew she had seen through him and beyond him. He knew then that Kiara
would change and he could not stop her, but that they must complete this task
while their friendship held true. Then, the Shoyru melted away into the shadows.
"Odd," remarked Kiara. Flye kept his
opinion quiet.
"We have to get that Talent Orb," he
said. "I think the Thieves will come through this way. We must get the Orb but
we must remain true to each other to succeed."
Kiara laughed. "You've gone all deep and
mysterious, Flye. Let's just go."
The two prowled to the largest entrance
to the big cavern. They had come through a smaller side tunnel, of which there
were many, but they both felt that these Thieves would do everything on a grand
scale.
***
The two Thieves abandoned all caution. They knew they were the elite, the
best. They possessed the Talent Orb and it was time to drag the Aisha Thieves
out of the shadows. Too long the Thieves had been reclusive - with the most
powerful item in Neopia, they would rule.
The pair got close to the end of the
long tunnel and smiled. They had heard the two Neopets long before they'd seen
them.
***
As the Thieves emerged from the tunnel, Flye and Kiara threw themselves on
top of them. They both missed and hit the ground heavily. The Thieves spun round,
dumping the small Aisha Thief they were carrying and holding a dagger to each
pet's throat. Flye and Kiara were pinned to the spot. From behind, Flye saw
the Thief they had carried get up from the ground, grinning triumphantly. In
the Thief's eyes burned a mad desire. He would sacrifice these two Neopets to
retrieve the Talent Orb and glorify the Code. Flye braced himself and gripped
Kiara's paw.
***
For the Thief, it was all within reach. He had faked unconsciousness to be
given a better shot at the Talent Orb. He cared not for the two Neopets at the
mercy of the Thieves' blades; he cared only for the Code and the mission given
to him by the Old One. He sprung, landing on one of the Thieves' backs, grappling
for the Talent Orb that lay in one paw.
***
Flye heard Kiara cry out beside him and the knife at his throat slip away
a little. He kicked out hard with his hind legs and the Thief landed further
away. Leaping to his feet, Flye saw the smaller, supposedly unconscious Thief
was now awake and trying to wrest the Talent Orb. Kiara was on the ground and,
as she got up, he spotted a piece of timber on the floor. Scooping it up, he
slashed at the struggling Thieves, who fell apart.
"We can help you gain the Orb!" he shouted
at the Thief sprawled on the floor. "Together we can get it off him!"
But that Thief knew that, above all else,
the Code mattered. He cared nothing for pets who did not follow it - the Talent
Orb must be got but the Code must be adhered to. He leapt up and Flye panicked,
lashing out at him with the timber. The Thief fell back, this time truly unconscious.
Flye circled the last Thief, who had
the Orb, warily. The Thief snarled, flicking a knife his belt, darting in, striking
and slashing, and then moving out again. Flye clumsily blocked the attacks,
growing confused as the Thief gathered speed. Flye struck out randomly with
the wood, once, twice. The Thief crumpled and the Talent Orb flew out of the
Thief's paw, glittering as it rose and began to slowly fall. Flye launched himself
into the air, catching the Orb securely in his paws then rolling as he hit the
ground. He had the Orb now. It was all over...
Flye spun around as he heard the cruel
snicker from behind. The Thief he had previously sent flying when he held a
blade to Flye's throat was now holding one to Kiara's. Her frightened eyes rolled
as the Thief gripped tighter.
"What now? So you have the Orb, but I
have your friend. Fair exchange?" The Thief smirked.
Flye swallowed. He had been told to get
the Orb - his mission, now completed. But the strange Shoyru had also told him
to remember what mattered most. He knew, deep inside, his friends mattered far,
far more than the most valuable item. He took the strange Shoyru's advice -
let your heart guide you. He tossed the Orb over his shoulder, running forward
as the Thief released Kiara and chased the Orb. He held Kiara tight as she wept.
He had made the right choice but they still had the Talent Orb to get back.
***
The Thief wheeled around, the Orb now securely in his paw. He sneered at the
two pets. "I now have the Orb. I am its sole master and I shall rule with it.
But first, I shall teach you two a lesson." He raised the Orb, confident in
its powers but unsure what to do.
From behind, a huge weight hit his legs
and he felt a knife slid into his back. As he passed out, he closed his eyes
and opened his fist.
***
Flye and Kiara watched in horror as the former partner of the bleeding Thief
rose, clutching a dripping blade and the Talent Orb.
"I win now! My partner was a backstabber
- hogging the Orb's glory. Now I have stabbed him in the back! I win!" He smiled
coldly. "The Orb is mine!" He held the Orb aloft and surveyed the cavern.
"No one left. Just me, that unconscious
pet and my former partner - and you two, of course. I think it ends here!"
As he lifted the Orb, Flye's wings whirred
and he rose from the ground. Kiara flew alongside him. Together, they would
win. The two clasped each other's paws and swooped at the Thief, bowling him
over as they grabbed the Orb. The two landed on the ground as the last Thief
collapsed behind them.
Kiara held the Orb reverently in her
paw.
"It's beautiful!"
"Many nearly lost their lives for this
Orb. We end it here, Kiara."
She frowned and snatched the Orb away.
"What do you mean?"
Flye put his paw on the Orb and watched
as it opened up, unfolding itself. Inside, neat words were engraved.
"For as long as its purpose remains unfulfilled,
this shall live," Flye read out the words.
"So?" asked Kiara.
"The evil will continue, if we do not
use this properly. The Orb will not be destroyed!" Kiara smiled. "Good. We can
use it, Flye. Use it together to create a wonderful world - wouldn't that be
wonderful?"
"No, it wouldn't. The power of the Orb
is a selfish power - it is for one person and one alone. Good intentions will
not last, Kiara. This must go."
"No Flye! You've always longed for this
secretly. A painted coat Flye - haven't you always wanted to be painted, to
be different?"
Flye looked up, his eyes full of sadness.
"I've changed since then and so have you. I know now that to be painted would
make me the same, the same as you. I used to envy you, to admire your Faerie
colouring. But now, it stands for all which is driving us apart."
Kiara stood up, clutching the Orb to her
chest. "I will use the Orb's powers for good."
"There is only one way to use it for
good, Kiara. That is to help me destroy it." Flye extended his paw to her pleadingly.
"Will you accept it?"
Kiara stood still. Flye knew their friendship
would break but it must last through this if the Talent Orb was to be ended,
once and for all. This was it - for the Thieves, for themselves, for Neopia...
To be continued...
After a lot of changing paws, the Talent Orb belongs to Kiara and Flye.
The Thieves are out of it - but their future hinges on this moment. Will Kiara
and Flye survive the final test - of friendship? | 
