Ailemea vs. Jenna: Part Nine

Also by jeanaet

When they got down they had to dodge Ailemea spraying the walls around them. "Just marking bigger where we started," she explained. Jenna examined her markings and found a curlicue 'J' and 'A'.

     Ailemea finished and turned to Fyora. "Lead the way."

     Fyora smiled and started down the maze. The two Xweetoks followed, noting that as they went along they became more and more drowsy. Shaking herself, Ailemea continued to color the walls with her spray.

     The journey grew worse and worse. Fyora had trouble leading them through dizzy mist, and often had to stop to try and remember her way. Ailemea's Reptillioritis was finally taking affect, and she had immense trouble keeping from scratching her fur. Everyone was irritated, scared and, well, lost.

     Jenna was actually beginning to watch for Demonica waiting around the corner, when Ailemea burst out, "It has to be this way!" They saw her red-tinted paw point dramatically down the only path they hadn't marked with blue fur-gel.

     Fyora frowned. "But I can't recall..." Then she closed her eyes. "Of course, what I remember doesn't matter. Let's go." They all plodded through the cloud maze, hoping their path was the last one.

     Not only was the Reptillioritis making the poor blue Xweetok itch, but also it was making her doubly tired in the mist. Luckily however, it didn't have too much effect on her thinking skills because they came to the end of the path to find a gate.

     Jenna sighed, glad to finally see something that wasn't cloud or blue. "Is this the exit?" she asked Fyora hopefully.

     Fyora looked up from trying to encourage Ailemea to stare at the gate. "I can't believe it," she breathed. "Yes! This leads into a tunnel which takes all the way up to my mother's study, a preserved room in the highest tower." Her shining face suddenly saddened. "Or at least - it WAS preserved."

     Jenna wanted to know more about Fyora's mother and her study, but there wasn't any time for that now. Ailemea had already rushed for the gate, dragging Fyora by the hand behind her. Jenna dashed after them, filled with triumph. They may not be out of danger yet, but they'd duped Demonica at last...

     She hoped.

     Ailemea rammed into the gate to no avail. "Locked," she whispered, defeated.

     "What about Haelee?" Jenna asked quickly. Ailemea blinked and pulled out the sleepy Ditsy.

     "No," Jenna moaned. Haelee looked blearily up at her. "She's out of it!"

     "She's always like this," Ailemea said, handing the makeup brush to Haelee and pointing at the gate. Blinking tiredly, Haelee started to work.

     It seemed to take Haelee an extremely long time to finish, but at last she pulled out a rather bent brush and tried to push the gate open. It wouldn't budge.

     Jenna and Aile came to the petpet's aid, pushing at the gate with all their might. It groaned and screeched in protest, obviously rusted over with age. But finally, with Fyora's help, they opened the gate just wide enough for all of them to slip through. The Xweetoks collapsed with exhaustion, completely overwhelmed by the mist's power and exertion from struggling with the gate.

     Fyora gently lifted them both up into her arms. "We're almost free," she whispered. "Once we reach the study, I feel things will be better."

     Ailemea sighed and relaxed. It felt good to be held again. If she just closed her eyes she could almost convince herself it was Jeanie holding her.

     Jenna smiled up at Fyora and the Faerie Queen slowly continued on their way, carrying the Xweetoks. Haelee followed obediently behind gazing at their surroundings with mild interest.

     Jenna soon fell into a light doze in Fyora's arms...

     Familiar faces flashed in front of her eyes; Rain, Lindsey, Lailani, Kiara and then Jeanie and her pets. All of them were blank-eyed like Oreh. And one by one, Jenna saw the scarlet-haired faerie drag them away into the darkness, leaving Jenna crying out in vain.

     "They're not coming back!" Demonica taunted. "They're mine now. You're mine. Don't you like your new home? Your new world?"

     Jenna screamed and kicked, but she was chained, "I HATE YOUR WORLD!" she shrieked, "I HATE YOU! For what you've done to my family!" Ailemea walked past, and Demonica took her by the arm. "No! Don't take her as well!" Jenna cried, desperate.

     "Too bad!" Demonica laughed. "You're helpless, friendless and alone... WITH ME!"

     Jenna screamed again. "NO!"

     Then she woke up, twisting and writhing on a - sofa? She looked around fearfully. Fyora was holding her tightly... just like Rain used to when Jenna was first created. It soothed the striped Xweetok, and she began to wipe the cold sweat off her face. "Where are we?" she asked.

     "We're in my mother's study," Fyora said softly. "I knew it'd be untouched because of the neglected gate."

     "We hurried up as fast as we could," Ailemea said uneasily. "Because you started screaming in your sleep. It was crazy!"

     Jenna looked down. "Just a nightmare," she muttered.

     Fyora frowned, obviously disturbed. But she said nothing.

     The trio agreed that it would be best if they just rested for a few minutes before setting off.

     "We can't lose the element of surprise," Fyora said urgently. "Demonica is too strong."

     The two Xweetoks nodded firmly and they relaxed for a moment. Jenna, still shaken from her dream refused to let herself fall asleep. Aile however slipped right into it.

     Jenna watched enviously as a smile touched the blue Xweetok's sleeping face. "She's certainly having a pleasant sleep," she muttered. Fyora moved away from her watch at the door to rouse them to come.

     Gently, she touched Aile's shoulder. The Xweetok snapped awake instantly yelling, "I didn't steal the cookies!" The Faerie Queen and Jenna blinked. Ailemea bit her lip. "Well, I didn't..."

     Jenna suppressed a giggle. "Is there anything we should take with us before we leave?" she asked Fyora.

     The faerie queen immediately went to the shelves that lined the study's walls. "I was hoping to find some cures in here for Aile's - ah here we are." She pulled down a small can and handed it to the blue Xweetok. "This will sting for awhile, but it'll help with your rash."

     Aile took the cure gratefully. Jenna wished she could stay a bit longer in the forgotten room, full of memories from Fyora's mother.

     But again, she knew there was no time. "We need to get our powers back as soon as possible," she reasoned as Ailemea began rubbing in Cactopus cream. "And also some weapons... can you take us to your armory?" she asked the Queen.

     But Fyora shook her head. "My castle has been raided. We need to get to Demonica's ship."

     "How are we going to do that?" Ailemea asked through gritted teeth as she applied the cream. It felt like a thousand bee stings, but at least she was looking blue again.

     "Fyora can't fly," she continued. "And neither can Jenna without her powers. What are we supposed to do - steal a pod?"

     Fyora and Jenna smiled.

     ~*~

     The three made it out of the study without detection. They were soon hidden in a forest of clouds, spying on the fleet of pods.

     The aircrafts were anchored on an island of clouds not far from the castle gates. "Only one of us should try and steal one," Jenna whispered. "No use risking all three of us getting caught."

     The three looked between each other, contemplating who should complete the dangerous task when they all realized Haelee was no longer with them. Instinctively they looked towards the pods and found the Ditsy slinking up to the nearest craft.

     "Where did she learn all of this stuff?" Jenna asked wonderingly as the petpet crawled into the pod. Ailemea blushed, coughed, and looked away without replying.

     The Grundo guarding the fleet of pods didn't even notice the intrusion until the engine rumbled, the lights winked on, and Haelee's tiny cardboard head could be seen through the bullet-proof windshield.

     The Grundo, as well as Fyora and the two Xweetoks, stared in astonishment as the Ditsy-maneuvered craft slowly rose into the air. Then it glided away to where three companions were hidden in cloud.

     The Grundo aimed, lowered his gun, raised it again, and then scratched his head. After all, how could he shoot his own pod, even if there was a petpet stealing it?

     Haelee presented the stolen craft with pride to the others. "That is SOME Ditsy," Jenna commented.

     Fyora laughed. "It is indeed," she agreed with a wink at Ailemea. "All aboard, everyone!"

     Ailemea picked up Haelee, and the three entered the aircraft. Fyora and Jenna sat in the pilot and co-pilot seats while Haelee and Ailemea strapped themselves into the passenger area.

     Fyora pressed a button, and the windshield tinted itself against wandering eyes. Now no one could tell who was flying. In no time at all, the group was flying towards the large space shuttle: Demonica's Keep.

     "Will they require any code or inspection before we can get in?" Jenna asked worriedly as they neared the looming ship.

     Fyora smiled. "Yes, but I have a way to get around that." She pushed another button.

     Immediately the ship and everyone on it vanished into thin air.

     Jenna looked down only to see Faerieland far below. "What the - ?!" she gasped.

     "HELP!" Ailemea shrieked, and Haelee barked in fright.

     "Calm down," Fyora said calmly. "I designed these pods. We're only invisible. Convenient, isn't it?"

     Jenna swallowed.

     The flight went smoothly enough, though the two Xweetoks kept their eyes shut tight throughout the entire ordeal. Fyora landed them as quietly as possible on the spaceship's surface, secluded in a now cloudless sky, "Did you have a pleasant flight?" she teased the relieved Ailemea and Jenna.

     "If you mean stomach turning, then yes," Ailemea said grumpily, depositing her Ditsy into her backpack. Jenna nodded in agreement.

     Fyora just smiled. "Come on, we have a world to save," she said, leading them away from the pod.

     Jenna remembered trying to save the world when she and Ailemea had hunted Fyora's castle corridors, in search for the queen. She hoped this escapade went more smoothly.

     The three companions soon found a door into Demonica's Keep, small but still a door. It was locked of course, but not for long with Haelee's help.

     Then they all crawled into a narrow chute, barely big enough for Fyora to squeeze through, "We're in the vent system," Fyora observed. "Listen."

     They heard voices and saw thin slants of light ahead. They also noticed that the small door they'd just entered opened from the chute side, giving then two ways to follow. Jenna instinctively headed for the light. "Let's see what we're up against," she muttered.

     The two Xweetoks silently peeked through the ventilation gaps in the side of the wall and looked down into the room below them.

     Three Grundos and four faeries stood before a very angry Demonica. "What do you mean they escaped?" she shrieked with fury.

     "When we went to give them their supper, my Lady, we found the cell door wide open and they were gone," one of the minion faeries said weakly.

     Demonica's red eyes seemed to flash with fire at the news. "They couldn't have disabled the alarm," she said in a cold deadly voice. "Check the maze! And meanwhile double the shuttle guard," she added turning away. "If they escaped they're bound to have found their way here."

     As her minions bowed and made their way out of the room, Jenna turned to the others, "She isn't easy to fool," she observed.

     Fyora shook her head in agreement, a grim smile on her sad face. "No. She, unlike Sloth, thinks before she acts."

     They all turned to see Demonica leaving the room, muttering to herself as she went. When the room was quite deserted, the three moved on and passed the vent slants unseen, deciding that chute exploring was the best way to avoid detection.

To be continued...