The Darkest Faerie Returns: Part Five

     Her eyes were filled with worry and fear. “I don’t understand what’s taking so long. Fyora told us that she’d meet us here. I think we should go after her.”

      Tor jumped into the conversation. “But she could have changed her mind. Maybe something came up.”

      Siyana looked at Tor with a look that clearly said, “Are you crazy?”

     “I doubt that anything could be more important than finding the Darkest Faerie. I have the awful feeling that she’s been found out and captured. I insist that we go to the castle.”

     Siyana took a break from speaking, hating to have to say what must be said, “And I think that we should check out a certain light Faerie’s room first.”

      Altador nodded. “Never has a Faerie of any kind been so unwelcome into our world. That is, no Faerie except for the Darkest Faerie. I find it hard to believe that any young light Faerie would be left alone. I have a feeling that most of the others felt that way as well.”

      Tor, always the eager Lupe, spoke up again. “Then let’s go find Fyora!”

      Siyana nodded. “I agree. This is not a time for extreme caution, this is an issue for time. We must not disregard the importance of caution, but right now we have to find Fyora.”

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

      “When she left, I heard her muttering about seeing Hope. I haven’t seen her since. Can I go back to my studying now?”

      Siyana muttered, “I suppose so.”

      After Siyana had closed the door, she motioned to Tor and Altador to come to her.

      “I’m now positive that Hope and the Darkest Faerie are one. I have no doubt that she’s no longer in her room, I would feel her if she was, but we must be prepared for anything.”

      “What do you mean?”

      Siyana hated saying it, but she forced the words out. “Fyora went to her alone. I don’t know what I mean.”

      Tor inhaled deeply. “Oh.”

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

      Fyora continued her yelling, not believing that nobody in the hall could hear her. She finally gave up, realizing that the Darkest Faerie must have done something before she had arrived. She sighed deeply, resigned to her fate, but worried about the fate of those that she cared about. She hated to think that something might happen to any of her Faerie friends, or any of the pets. She wasn’t particularly fond of the humans, but she would hate it if anything happened to any of them anyway.

      Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She knew that telling them to walk in would be pointless, so she waited for them to leave. But then the door started opening slowly, as if someone was afraid that a WereLupe would jump out at them.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

      When nobody answered Hope’s door, Siyana slowly opened it, afraid of what might be hidden behind the doors. What she saw was shocking.

      A defeated, miserable Faerie was chained to the wall, just looking at them with sorrow-filled eyes. That Faerie was the Darkest Faerie. At least, that’s what Siyana thought.

      “But, I didn’t feel you. But you’re here, but then Fyora... where could she be?”

      A soft voice came from the Faerie, “Right here. I was tricked. It’s me, Fyora. I can prove it to you; just test me. You must believe me.”

      Siyana warily eyed the Faerie. “Give me one reason to believe you.”

      The soft voice answered, “Well, if I wanted to, I could have attacked you already. Plus, who would chain me to a wall and leave me here? That’s not exactly my style, is it? Er, Fyora’s style.”

      Siyana murmured with a voice softer than the chained Faerie’s. “No, it isn’t... But how could this happen?”

      “I confronted her. Then she attacked me. I couldn’t escape, and I couldn’t attack her back. Suddenly, I thought I was going to be destroyed, but then I looked up. It was like looking in a mirror. I looked at myself, and knew what had happened. She switched us around. I am Fyora in my mind and power, but I look like her. She, no doubt, looks like me, but her mind has not changed, so therefore neither have any of her plans.”

      “I’m still not so sure. This could be a trap. It certainly wouldn’t be beneath her... or you?”

      Fyora was crying out now. “What must I do to make you believe me? Tell you that we’re sisters?”

      Siyana gasped. Nobody knew this except for the two Faeries; not even Altador knew this.

      Fyora winced; she had not meant to go that far. “Siyana, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to, I mean, it was an accident. I would never... I’m sorry. Dear sister, I am so very sorry.”

      Siyana looked at Fyora. “It’s okay. I felt like it was near time to tell Altador anyway.”

      Siyana looked back at the bewildered Lupes standing in the doorway.

     She chuckled softly. “Well, you see, we’re sisters. We never told anybody, though. It’s not that we were ashamed, certainly not. It’s just that something inside of us told us that we shouldn’t tell anybody until the right time. We agreed to never tell anybody, so we never did.”

      Siyana turned back to Fyora. “Sister, I know that you are here beneath your appearance. You must help us. How can we defeat the Darkest Faerie?”

      Fyora, with the help of Siyana, had gotten the chains off. Rubbing her wrists, she answered, “With one of her own plots. She once, a thousand years or so ago, told me that she knew how she could take over and harm only one being. The Faerie Queen. Luckily, the one who wears the crown is the queen, at least according to her plans, so by wearing my crown and looking like me, she is essentially the queen. In this way, we can defeat her for good.”

      Tor grinned. “Then all we have to do is figure out where to find these plans!”

      Altador closed his eyes. “To do that, we must find her lair. I believe that I know where it is. We must go to Altador. If you could all follow me?”

      Altador walked off. The others decided to follow. Fyora gave Siyana a look that asked her if she knew what was going on. Siyana shrugged, as if to say that she had no idea, and that they may as well follow Altador.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

      The Darkest Faerie strutted through the gates that led to the castle. She nodded towards the guards, who bowed before her. She grinned, once again showing off her beautiful teeth. Once she made it into the castle itself, she decided that she should go and see what kind of hole the queen lived in.

      After brushing up her memory of the castle’s layout in the library archives, she walked up to Fyora’s room. She saw the swirling portal that led to Altador and eyed it, unsure of how to react. After protecting herself, she walked through the portal and was astounded. She would know this land anywhere. It was Talador, but more accurately, it was now called Altador. After the noble Lupe himself.

      The Darkest Faerie snorted at herself for even pretending to call the Lupe noble. He had run away like the coward he was. He and Siyana. She would never understand the special bond that Fyora and Siyana had, but she didn’t want to understand it, either. Understanding it would mean that she had, in some way or another, experienced it. She didn’t want to answer to anybody. She was too good to have to answer to anybody. She never backed down from a fight; she was no coward.

      As she walked through, she reminisced about her rise, and fall. Though there was another Lupe that came into her mind, but that one she would not call a coward. It was true, she defeated him, but he had shown surprising valor. He wouldn’t back down. When it was the two Lupes and Siyana against her, he still didn’t back away. She wouldn’t have minded if he was on her side, but it would do no good to think about that now.

      As she looked at the city, comparing it in her mind to how it once was, she was surprised that nobody was there. While she was used to hearing those persistent and annoying cheery welcomes, all was silent.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

      Altador led Fyora and Siyana through the portal that led to Altador. They had to stay hidden, as it would be considered treachery if Siyana or Altador were to be seen with Fyora, who looked like the Darkest Faerie.

      After leading Fyora, Tor, and Siyana through Altador, refusing to answer their answers, he finally stopped at a rather ordinary-looking pile of rocks.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

     The Darkest Faerie continued walking through the city until she saw something that was altogether too familiar. She would recognize that pile of rubble anywhere. It was her pile of rubble. It had hidden the door to her lair for quite a long time, at least until she abandoned it.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~

     Altador sat in front of the pile, waiting for one of the Faeries or Tor to once again ask him where he was taking them. But they didn’t have to ask, they all knew what that pile was. Or more accurately, what that pile hid.

     Tor hesitated, but spoke first, “So this is it. This is where she planned everything that caused so much pain and suffering.

     Altador nodded. “It is. But in this same place, we will prevent even more pain and suffering. Follow me.”

To be continued...