The Sought, the Sister, and the Sorceress: Part Two

     I watched her face as she slowly recalled the previous night. Then she turned to me and said, "Sam, where are we? Where are my traitor friends?" I stretched as best as I could, being bound under our shabby lean-to beside "Sheila" and company's tent.

     "First of all, those aren't your street gang friends," I said, gesturing at the lumpy figures behind the tent's material. "They paid your 'friends' to avoid you one night so they could capture you. Yoraki took the place of Sheila, Akkom took the place of Tony, Lori took the place of Kate, and Tyrol took the place of Alex." I knew this all from one night.

     "Why did they want us anyway?" whispered Kari.

     "Correction: they wanted you. I just followed you from behind, but I was found out. Apparently, you're the Chosen One." Kari blinked. "It's true," I insisted. "Some Faerie sorceress prophesized this:

     "The One with

     Lightning Sky fur,

     Dwarfed Size,

     Born when the

     Fifth month dies

     Will Vanquish

     The Earthen One's

     Rival. Born when

     The Fifth Month

     Dies…"

     Kari stared at me. I explained, "Jhudora hired these guys to bring you to her so that she can….uh, well…" I couldn't bring myself to say it. She looked so terrified. But she understood.

     And she burst into silent tears. She flowed a river, but without a sound. Finally, she took a shaky breath and stopped. About that time our captors rose and stretched. Yoraki saw us and grinned evilly. Kari's face showed slightly more fear than contorted rage.

     One by one the other three got up, Lori last, looking reluctant. I was beginning to like Lori, but I still didn't trust her.

     They unchained us and locked us into a Uni trailer to look less suspicious and we began the long journey up Terror Mountain, against our will the whole time. "Sam, are you scared?" asked Kari.

     That made me think. Ohh, yeah. I was scared. But come to think of it, Kari must be feeling a thousand times worse. What are the odds that you wake up to find yourself kidnapped and wanted by one of the most hated Faeries in Neopia? But I just said, "Yeah. I'm scared."

     "Sam, if they don't need you, you're not 'the Chosen One', too, why haven't they gotten rid of you?" Kari asked. I knew she was looking for a loophole, or something to prove that she wasn't the Chosen One. But I couldn't help but admire how she could just say things straight out and not make her or anyone else feel uncomfortable.

     "They're planning on training me to be assistance to Jhudora," I explained. "That'll take a while," I grinned, and so did she. Weird. We're in high enough spirits to grin when we're being brought on a silver platter to Jhudora.

     "Why are we going to Terror Mountain?" asked Kari thoughtfully, looking at the beginning patches of snow in front of us.

     "Jhudora's meeting us there," I said, slightly uneasy. Sure, I was afraid. The Haunted Woods looked like Cute City in my mind right then. But why was I so calm?

     As if to answer my question, Kari said, "I suppose we're so calm because we half believe this is just a dream." I nodded. Yes, I half-believed this was all a dream. Suddenly there was an outburst from the front where they steered.

     "I've been guarding them all morning, Lori! It's your turn," complained Akkom.

     "Have I mentioned lately that I still don't think this is right?" said Lori.

     Yoraki answered, bored, "Yes, Lori, exactly 19 times. You better be careful," she said, a sudden tease in her tone. "Or Jhudora will think you've gone soft."

     Lori said nothing. But we heard her move to the small deck behind the trailer. Suddenly there was a big BUMP! "Whoa!" I toppled over into a bale of hay. Lori, apparently forgetting she had wings, smashed into the back of the trailer's door. There was a commotion everywhere until Yoraki yelled, "Enough!"

     "Take a chill pill, guys; we just started climbing the mountain," she said. I couldn't see her face, but she sounded disgruntled. Kari attempted to remove herself from the hay net.

     We were getting closer and closer to the Ice Caves on Terror Mountain. We were in past the Ice Crystal Shop…. past the Neggery… past the Scratch Card Kiosk… past the Snowager… back into one of the many caves. I shivered, but not entirely from the cold.

     The cave we were in was vast and spacious. Standing by a purple and green tent, clad in a purple coat, was Jhudora. She grinned evilly when we drew near. Yoraki and Akkom threw open the door and soon our chains held fast.

     "Well, Neopians," began Jhudora. "My last mistake was letting the psychic Lily the Gelert escape." She once captured the Great Lily? "And trust that I will not make that mistake again." She laughed her famous maniacal cackle. Then she turned to Kari.

     "You are the Chosen One that was prophesized to overthrow me. Well, little one, I've waited a long time to find an enemy I could respect as an equal. And I'm still waiting." She and her cronies, all except Lori, laughed at this. Kari's hazel eyes were wider than Draik Eggs. The Dark Faerie saw me and said, "Who is this? There are not TWO Chosen Ones."

     Tyrol piped up, "We have brought you a gift, mistress. We caught this-ah-charming Wocky spying upon your plans. We have brought her to you to train as an assistant." Jhudora examined me like you would examine a Faerie Queen Doll: with great interest. She cupped my chin in her hand and tilted it up to look at my face. I snarled and was SO close to biting her.

     But she just laughed for the umpteenth time. "This one has spirit! She'll make a fine assistant. Good work."

     I glowered and said, "I will not break easily." Every word dripped with pure venom.

     Jhudora merely hissed in her throaty voice, "I can already tell, little one. But I have my ways…"

     "Haven't you read all the old stories?" I asked coolly. "Evil never wins."

     Jhudora smirked and said, "Yes, in the old stories. But this is a new story. A fresh start. There is no possible way that you can escape." She gestured first at Yoraki and company, and then jerked her head towards a part of the cave I hadn't seen before. About fifty ugly Myncis and Skeiths were leaning against the icy wall or sharpening spears, looking like they would jump up at any moment at Jhudora's word.

     I searched vainly for a loophole in the guard, but could not find one. Our only hope would be of mutiny towards Jhudora, but that was like hoping for snow in the Lost Desert. Jhudora saw my crestfallen look. This time she merely chuckled and walked away, saying, "I'll execute 'The Chosen One' tomorrow." She spoke to Kari when she said, "Get a good night's rest, little one. It'll be your last." And, cackling, she turned a corner of the cave and was gone.

     As we were led away, I didn't know what to say to Kari. I didn't know what to do to her. But one thing I could just imagine was what was going through her mind.

      ~*~

     Suddenly I was awake. It was early. So early, in fact, that I could see no light. What woke me was a gentle but urgent shaking of my shoulder. I felt hooves. "Lori?" I whispered.

     "Shhh!" she hissed, sounding frantic. I watched her silhouette wake Kari.

     "Huzzbnhya…?" she mumbled sleepily. Lori shushed her.

     "There isn't much time," she said. "Your execution is in an hour." By now both Kari and I were fully awake. My eyes adjusted to the darkness. A turquoise light formed. It made me feel wonderful and afraid at the same time. The light illuminated the face of a Halloween Ixi. I looked closer and saw that the light was coming straight from Lori's hooves. she placed the light on my chains and they fell away. The same was with Kari's chains.

     Lori beckoned us to follow her. We went quietly out of the cave. "My real name is Lorelei," Lori began. "But I wish for you to call me Lori. It's shorter."

     I thought of her glowing hooves and asked, "Are you a witch?" She shrugged.

     "I'm more of a sorceress. I'm here to help. I'm a spy sent from Faerieland to find the Chosen One."

     She gestured at Kari and said, "I'm here to get you two back home. I'll explain as best as I can later, but right now we need to get as far away as possible." This was just weird. So I looked at Kari for reality relief. And for the first time, I saw the Chosen One in her.

To be continued...