Never Trust A Xweetok: Part Four

     The small Fire Faerie changed before her eyes into a blue Xweetok. With a smile, she answered, "The very same."

     "Kowe!" she yelled, and a red Eyrie head poked out from behind the wooden door. "Come say hello to your sister."

     Kowe came out from behind the door, and came and hugged Briette fondly.

     "His sister?" Briette asked herself. Aloud she asked, "Kowe is my brother?" She was still in Kowe's grasp.

     Illusen nodded. "It's a family reunion now. First me and Eithne, now you and Kowe. Things just keep getting happier."

     That reminded Briette of the reason she had come here. She freed herself from Kowe's loving grip, and told Illusen. "And now it gets worse."

     Illusen peered warily at Briette. "What do you mean by that?"

     "I was going to tell you this later, but I think I should tell you now. You probably know I have powers in three elements?"

     Illusen nodded.

     "Okay. Well, when Jhudora found out Eithne had disappeared, she went crazy and started chucking stuff around angrily. I was just sitting down, and there was a battle inside me between the goodness and the evilness. I think it might have something to do with the Earth power, because the Dark definitely wanted me to stay evil. Anyway, while I was sitting down, I thought of a plan. I wrote a note, and when Jhudora was still in her rage, I transformed into a Fire Faerie, left the note and flew here to tell you."

     "What was in the note?" Illusen asked intently.

     "I basically said that I was going to you to double-cross you and bring you to Jhudora so she could kill you. Oh, and I love one of the sentences in there. I quote this sentence directly from the letter: 'You will obviously be a bit angry at first, finding me gone, but I hope you will be proud of me doing something underhanded and sneaky.' Do you think she would be proud of me?"

     Illusen had a wide grin on her face. "I think she would be. All the way, Briette."

     Jhudora smiled. Things were going her way. That afternoon, a letter had come through from Briette.

     It read:

     'To the mighty Jhudora,

     I hope this reaches you in good health. I have gained Illusen's trust, and soon will bring her to your Cloud so you can obliterate her. Then the last obstacle will be gone, and you can rule Neopia, with its entire people as your servants.

     From your double-crossing servant,

     Briette.'

     Jhudora imagined herself with a crown on. She would look positively regal. With her purple and green robes, and Fyora as her maid. She rubbed her hands in glee.

     Absently, she glanced out the window. She could see a struggling Earth Faerie with green streaks in her hair kept captive by a scowling blue Xweetok, and a red Eyrie.

     Perfect, she thought. Illusen is mine.

     Jhudora ordered that the captive be let through as soon as she arrived. She smiled evilly. Everything was going to plan.

     As Kowe and Briette caught up, Illusen made preparations for the journey ahead. She excused herself and the two pets from the meeting, but asked Fyora if Siyana could help them. She granted permission for Siyana to leave as well.

     "Siyana," Illusen asked, "can you possibly transfer power to Briette for me?"

     The slender light faerie nodded. "Yea, it is possible. But at one cost - once this Xweetok's task is finished, she must abdicate her power."

     Briette nodded. "I'll be willing to sacrifice my power - all of it if need be."

     Siyana smiled. "Then thou are very brave, lady Briette. Most fear losing power, but thou are ready to already."

     "But, Briette!" Kowe gasped, shocked. "What about your magic?"

     "I don't mind, Kowe. It was a burden in the first place - as well as all these items." She withdrew from her pack the Orb of the Fire Faerie, the Staff of the Earth Faerie, and the Amulet of the Dark Faerie.

     Kowe's eyes widened, as he saw the three legendary items. Neopoints danced around in his eyes.

     Briette prudently stashed the objects away again, before turning to Siyana of Talador, so she could cast her spell.

     Light power infused Briette's body, before joining the skirmish between the Earth side of her and the Dark side of her. With the two forces on the good side, they shorted out the evilness in her immediately. Briette smiled, feeling better than she had in months.

     Siyana faintly smiled as she wished Briette, Kowe and Illusen good luck, and disappeared. Illusen ran through the plan one more time, and then they were off, ready to put one over Jhudora. Everything was going to plan.

     The three Neopians - one a faerie, the other two pets - came through the double doors of Jhudora's main hall. The faerie was struggling, but the two pets held her in check firmly. One of them was a scarlet male Eyrie, who was quite tall and muscular. The other was an average-sized purple and green Xweetok whose face had contempt written all over it.

     A Tonu guard announced, "Your guests are here, great one."

     Jhudora turned around, triumph showing in all her facial features. "So good of you to drop in, Illusen."

     The struggling Earth Faerie looked up at her captor. "I would have been as far away as possible if you hadn't sent these two goons to get me." She gave the two pets a hard glare.

     Jhudora smiled evilly, as thoughts churned in her mind. Who was this red Eyrie that was helping Briette? Her mind flashed back to when Fyora had separated the two babies, with the two twins' onlooking. One of the babies grew up to be Jhudora's champion, a blue Xweetok named Briette. But what about the other baby? It had looked like an Eyrie baby in its' cot. Could it be the tall, silent Eyrie who helped her servant now?

     "Well, since you were so nice as to drop in, I might as well extend you the courtesies." With that Jhudora extended her hand, and a flickering purple ball appeared without a sound in her right hand. She started bouncing the ball of darkness.

     When that happened, Briette stepped forward, and extended her own right hand. "No, Jhudora, you can not annihilate her."

     Jhudora's attention turned to her follower. "And why not?"

     "Because I want to help you."

     Jhudora laughed, a chilling sound, which struck at the core of Briette's good heart. "You can then. Come up here next to me, and help vanquish this troublesome faerie once and for all."

     With that, Briette went and took her place next to Jhudora, and she purposefully changed her fur, so that it all looked real. The purple and green fur added a nice touch to the theatricality.

     The problem was that Illusen and Kowe were beginning to suspect the worst. All the preparations had been in vain. Briette was going to help Jhudora kill Illusen, her blood sister. But a small, discreet wink said that all their worrying had been in vain. Briette was going to do what she had come to do here. Help the forces of good defeat the tides of dark once more.

     Jhudora felt the aura of the Xweetok next to her. It seemed completely different, but that was probably normal, since the Fire Magic might have changed her aura. But there was a new power in her. One that made Jhudora quake in her boots. It was Light Power.

     Enraged, Jhudora spun around to face Briette. The smirk on Briette's face said it all. "I trusted you, you, you cunning Xweetok. I trusted you, and gave you powers. And this is how you repay me? Joining the ranks of Light? I think not. Prepare to be annihilated."

     The ball of darkness that Jhudora had been bouncing on her hand suddenly flew towards Briette. The devious Xweetok, however, conjured up a shield of Light so it went flying back to hit Jhudora. In the momentary confusion that had struck Jhudora, Briette drew on her power and the power of the legendary objects in her bag to forge a sword with one single mental word. This sword was unlike any that had ever been seen. It was about Kowe's height, and around a foot wide. And it was flaming a brilliant white-yellow. Despite all that, Briette wielded it easily.

     The magical capabilities of the blade, however, were beyond reckoning. Illusen suspected it was as powerful as the Aisha Myriad, and as dangerous. Kowe just knew it would get a lot of money, if it were sold.

     "Jhudora, I told you this was the wrong path to go down," Illusen said, and flew to behind Briette, who held the flaming sword with ease.

     "And I will never forgive you for stealing my sister's spirit," Kowe said, and launched himself with a few flaps of his powerful wings to flank the Xweetok as well.

     Jhudora's eyes widened. In a glance, she absorbed the blue sword, the magic it held, and the magic the party members held. She knew she could never cope with all that power. But still, she had to try. Try one more time to defy the Forces of Light.

     "Prepare to die!" she snarled, her lips grimacing, and with that she launched dark fireballs at the undefended Kowe. Briette, however, jumped in front of her Eyrie brother and sent the balls of darkness back at their creator. Jhudora had to shimmy out of the way to avoid being hit.

     Now it was Briette's turn, and she walked over to Jhudora, and drew on all the power in the room, including Jhudora's and Illusen's, and infused her sword with it. And she smote Jhudora with a swing of her sword. The Dark Faerie lay crumpled up on the raised dais.

     The battle between the foes had finished, and Briette had one thing to ask Jhudora. So she knelt down next to her previous mistress.

     "Are you proud of me?" she asked the fallen Faerie.

     "Why would I be?" Jhudora replied, snorting weakly.

     "Because I did something so under-handed and sneaky. You see, it wasn't Illusen I was double-crossing, it was you. And I have four last words for you. Never trust a Xweetok."

     And with that, Briette walked away from the powerless Faerie, and took the form of a faerie for the last time in her life. Two other figures joined her - Illusen and Kowe. They flew back in silence to Illusen's Glade, where they found the slender faerie of Talador, along with the Faerie Queen and countless other faeries of all the different elements.

     Briette immediately went over and curtsied to Fyora, before kneeling before the tall Siyana. "I am ready," she said.

     Siyana smiled. "Well then, Briette, I am grieved to refuse thy offer."

     Her head jerked up. "Refuse?" she asked, confused.

     Siyana nodded with a joyful smile on her face. "The Queen of Faerieland decided after the service that thou performed, that thou could keep thy powers. She is also granting thee the gift of the powers of Air and Water, in addition."

     Briette stood up, and unthinking, ran forward and hugged the startled Queen Faerie. "Thank you so much, your Majesty."

     And that is where the story ends. Briette and Kowe lived in harmony in a house in Brightvale, where they could visit Illusen occasionally, and had access to the libraries at Brightvale. The Wise King Hagan bestowed on them a title - actually Fyora bullied him into it. They lived in contentment in their house in Brightvale. At least, as safe as they could be while Jhudora was plotting and scheming against the one who had called her master.

     The double-crosser.

The End