Savak: The Medallion - Part Four

     Last night's dream made things all the more complicated for Savak. He found himself in that cloudy mist again, his feet resting on nothing but clouds. Feeling this place to be as lonely as before, Savak did what he did before. He called out.

     "Hello? Is anyone out there?" The familiar words seemed to die away too quickly. Then Savak saw a light moving through the clouds. It was blurry at first, concealed by many layers of mist. But it soon took shape and, as it drew closer, it started to look more and more like what Savak had expected to see: a faerie.

     "Hello, Savak," the light faerie said. "I am Jearii. I was told of your previous visit to my sanctum, but I was unable to contact you for several days. I apologize for the delay."

     For a moment, Savak was both dazzled by the faerie's brilliance, and his utter bewilderment about the recent events and how she tied in with them. Finally, Savak managed to spit out a few short words.

     "What's going on?" he asked.

     When the faerie smiled sweetly at Savak, he wondered if she was going to answer his question at all. Then, she spoke. "There is far too much to tell you now," she started. "So I will stick to the important parts. The medallion you possess is a powerful tool, designed both to protect its bearer, and when focused, to nullify any mind spells effecting surrounding Neopians. I created it to counter the effects of another medallion, one crafted by a dark faerie, which allows its bearer to control the mind of whomever he or she chooses.

     "After my first confrontation with this dark faerie, both medallions were lost. I managed to subdue and contain the dark faerie, but I could not locate either medallion for some time. Then, they were both found. The Medallion of Light was found by a young Lupe on the Neopian Plains, and the Medallion of Submission was found by a vengeful Kougra. Before I could intervene, the Kougra discovered the power of his treasure and quickly put it to use. It was only when I contacted the Lupe that he moved to confront the Kougra. There was a fierce battle, but the Lupe and his pack finally overpowered the Kougra and the minions he controlled. After the battle, the Medallion of Submission disappeared yet again. Knowing it was only a matter of time before it resurfaced, I left the Medallion of Light in the care of that Lupe and his pack. Since then, the medallion has passed from leader to leader as a symbol of their rank. The last leader to wear the medallion was Murgoh. But you say he has been captured?"

     "T-that's right," Savak said.

     Jearii nodded sadly. "That old red Lupe always had a knack for getting into trouble before he grew up, but I never suspected his leadership would end this way."

     "Red Lupe?" Savak asked. "I…I thought he was white."

     "Just like you thought you were red," Jearii pointed out. "Never mind. That's a strange aspect of the medallion that I could never figure out. It turns any Neopian who wears it white. Just like the Medallion of Submission tends to turn its bearer black," she added darkly. She shook the thought from her head and turned to Savak once more. "In any case, you have the medallion now. I congratulate you on your new status in the pack, as leader."

     "It's only temporary, right?" Savak asked. "When I find Murgoh, he can take over again, right?"

     "I'm afraid that the title is permanent," the faerie said. "You have the medallion now. The fate of the pack rests on your shoulders." She stroked Savak's head for a moment before turning to go. "I'm afraid that this is all the time I can spare. Speak nothing of this to anyone." She waved her hand in the air before continuing. "We will meet again, Savak."

     "Wait, I…" was all Savak could say before he found himself on the floor, next to his bed, wrapped up in the top sheet.

     It took him a moment to reorient himself, and about a half an hour to contemplate what Jearii had told him. He spent most of that time looking out the window, which is where he was when another voice interrupted his thoughts.

     "Are you at that window again?"

     Savak turned to see Heysha standing at the door to his room. She had been checking up on him every few hours, sometimes bringing him a snack. Ordinarily, he'd find such constant attention annoying. Somehow, it was different with Heysha. Savak was starting to grow fond of the Lupess.

     Jumping from the bed, Savak padded over to the blue Lupess. He caught sight of his white-furred reflection on a wall-mounted mirror. He could never get used to the fact that he was no longer red. Though, he had to admit, the white fur was very becoming. "Just admiring the view," he said, turning from the mirror. It was only a half-truth.

     "I see." The look Heysha gave him made him think she knew. She turned away, changing the subject. "Lukas was looking for you. He was wondering if you'd like to walk with him."

     "Walk?" Savak asked. "Where?"

     "He didn't say." She glanced at Savak before looking back down the hall. "It's strange. He hasn't picked on me all day."

     "That is odd," Savak said. Only yesterday, Lukas was trying to get Heysha to wrestle with him. He spent a good ten minutes harassing her until she finally walked off, leaving Lukas lying on his side, rubbing his jaw where she hit him, and Savak on the sofa, trying to hide his amusement. This was only one of a number of "incidents" that Lukas had created in the past two days. The fact that he had let off on Heysha was unusual.

     "Maybe he has something on his mind," Savak suggested.

     "It's possible," Heysha said, a little uneasy. "But it's more than that. He…he was out all night last night."

     "Why?"

     "I don't know. He goes out sometimes, and never tells me why. But I don't think he's ever been this silent before."

     Savak nodded silently. "Alright, where is he?"

     "Right here," Lukas said, coming down the hall. As he approached, he watched Heysha with an unreadable expression. "Heysha," he started. "You told me you saw Savak in the kitchen."

     "I guess he left. Excuse me," she added, slipping past Lukas and down the hall.

     Savak and Lukas both watched as she left. Savak thought Lukas was going to say something about her, but instead, he turned to Savak.

     "I've been digging up some information recently," he started. "And I think I've picked up a lead."

     "On what?" Savak asked.

     "On your pack," Lukas said simply. "At the moment, the facts I have are very vague…"

     "Go on," Savak said. The mention of his pack had grabbed his attention.

     "There's an old factory," Lukas explained. "On the north side of the city. It used to produce plushies before the owners decided they needed a larger facility. Now, this is a seldom-traveled part of the city. And yet, every few nights, a truck drives into the factory." He leaned closer to Savak. "The past few nights, some nearby pets have heard howling coming from the factory. There are Lupes in there. I'm told that these howls are mournful, as if pleading for help."

     "How did you get this information?" Savak asked skeptically.

     "I have a few friends," Lukas replied. "And my friends have good ears for information like this. Look, I'm just trying to help. You would have probably lost the trail when you entered the city anyway. Cars, trucks, busses…they all smell alike. If my information is correct, I'll have saved you weeks of searching."

     Savak nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I won't forget this."

     "You're not leaving now, are you?" Lukas asked as Savak walked past him.

     "Why not?" the Lupe asked, looking over his shoulder.

     "You're still not up to full strength."

     "I'm strong enough," Savak said sternly.

     "What if you get in a fight?" Lukas asked. "Whoever's in that factory is stealing wild Neopians. More likely than not, he's got thugs too."

     "I'm still going," Savak said. "I can sneak by anything."

     "So you say." Lukas sighed. "Alright, if you're going, I'm going with you. Just stay there a moment, will you?"

     Before Savak could respond, Lukas bounded off down the hall. He returned moments later, wearing a pair of clawed gloves. "In case we run into trouble," he said, brushing past Savak. "Come on," he called. "You're going to find it hard to get to the factory on your own."

To be continued...