Darkness Binding 4: Part One

      By two in the afternoon, Yorvick was stricken with hunger. With a heavy sigh, he pulled himself out of bed and towards the kitchen. He was able to pull some amount of joy from the thought that he wouldn't have to interact with people between his bedroom and the kitchen. In the back of his mind, however, was the thought that his food supply wouldn't last him forever.

      When he opened the door to his bedroom, he jumped back from seeing a shadow move. After he recovered himself, he saw it was only from a tree by one of the windows. He felt irritated by that simple scare and hurried down the hall. In the kitchen, he went straight for a chicken leg to chew on. His mind was focused on getting done quickly so he wouldn't think about the shadows around him. After he quickly stripped it from the bone, he returned to his room.

      Yet again, he was in bed, thinking. Softly, he muttered to himself, "Where did it go wrong? Cray...Skotados...why did it have to happen like this?"

      His eyes filled with water and he rolled over to cry into his pillow. All the events overwhelmed his mind as they flashed through his head. Everything seemed alright when it all began. Within a day, everything appeared to be taken care of. It was all so simple until the first casualty. By five, Yorvick fell back to sleep with his tears still falling from his eyes.

      During his sleep, he tossed and turned the entire time. His nightmares were full of shadows as if he was the one in that plane. Shadows flew past him without any sense of noticing him. The eel-like entities sent a shiver down his spine each time he saw one. Upon his shoulder was a tap and he turned around to see Cray. Cray, staring blankly with his black eyes, whispered, "Goodbye." Immediately after that, Yorvick opened his eyes in the waking world with his heart pounding.

      It was about four in the morning when we woke up. His sleep, however, not being pleasant, made all the rest he had gotten seem more exerting than being awake. His body got more than enough rest, keeping him from remaining asleep. He wished for at least one night of decent rest. It was dark outside, which he hated because it reminded him of the darkness which made him suffer. At that moment, it dawned on him. What he needed to do was take care of the ones who complicated the matter. He had to gain retribution against the council of shadows. If they were any kind of guardians, they wouldn't have allowed the shadow to leave in the first place. They were negligent and his friends had to pay with their very lives.

      Yorvick stepped outside his house and shuddered at the slight chill of the night. Although his body was focused on the weather, his mind was focused on the council. If they were truly the guardians of the dark plane, they would never have allowed any problems to occur in the first place. How he would go about this problem, on the other hand, was an issue. The council's disciples already removed the mirror from Cray's house, and he had no idea where exactly the canyon was.

      He looked up to see the clouds drifting through the sky as usual. He wondered if it would be right to take their lives. That would be too unconscionable. Such a horrible act would plague him more than the deaths of his friends. Cray said they all had a history to place them as the guardians. Perhaps their life's work would be more fitting to take; their very livelihood. If he had to go through life miserable, it would make him feel better making theirs the same.

      For people who live in solitude at a secret temple in the middle of nowhere, how can he accomplish such a feat? It would seem his mission would be nothing more than a dream. He had no authority over darkness, or anything in Neopia, for that matter. He didn't have authority, but he did know who did.

      Yorvick took to the skies with a broad flap of his wings. He traveled through the sky with zealous to find the only ones who could help him. He continued to rise in altitude until he rose above the clouds. As fast he his wings could carry him, he flew for nearly two hours until he reached the floating city of the faeries. If anyone was above the council of shadows, it would be the dark faeries.

      When he arrived at Faerie City, he looked at his surroundings, since it had been quite some time since he visited. He knew one of the dark faeries stayed outside the city walls, so he didn't venture within the inner wall. Instead, he went to the Faerie Petpets store. The arched opening was lacking doors, allowing him to walk right in, as was the usual architect of the city. He was greeted by a kind Earth Faerie upon entering.

      Yorvick said, "Hello there, I need to know where the nearest dark faerie is. Can you help me?"

      The faerie answered, "Well, if you leave out the front entrance, Jhudora stays off to the right near the healing fountain. It's pretty easy to spot since that's where the clouds tend to get dark."

      With a bow, Yorvick headed outside. Sure enough, there was a dark spot far to the right. Green clouds rose from the home of Jhudora, which looked like a dark-purple cloud with swirling darkness energies over the top. Although it was unsettling to him, he didn't hesitate to fly over there.

      He landed on the cloud slowly so he could begin walking deeper into it right away. A greenish mist floated around him as it grew darker within. At the center of the cloud was Jhudora, faerie of darkness. She sat in her gold throne shaped like a large, fierce creature with many sharp points. Along the center was green satin to keep her comfortable as she stayed upon it.

      Jhudora herself was adorned in a green and purple gown, which complimented her purple skin and hair. To match her decor was a single green streak, which ran down the entire length of her hair. Her wings kept rested against her throne, but still gave off an aura of power. Her fingers were clawed with green nails, looking fashionable, yet dangerous if used.

      She seemed to wear an evil smile when she saw Yorvick walking towards her. In a deep, yet still feminine voice, she said, "Welcome to my home. Are you here seeking dark power beyond your dreams?"

      Yorvick stopped and replied, "Darkness only lies in my nightmares, even when I am awake. I am here on a more serious matter."

      Jhudora lightly chuckled and asked, "What matter is so serious that you need to come to me?"

      Yorvick declared, "It is my belief that the council of shadow has not been fulfilling its duty. They must be either replaced or disbanded for the deaths of at least two people of Neopia, and one of the shadow plane."

      Jhudora's expression soon became as serious as Yorvick's. She stood up from her throne and walked up to Yorvick. "You do realize this is a very serious matter involving people of great importance, right?"

      Yorvick nodded, "I have come to realize too much of the matter. If they continue to remain where they are in power, more will surely suffer."

      Jhudora sighed as she shook her head, "I don't think you know their importance. They are one of many groups dedicated to keeping balance. Everything they do is to keep the world from having either too much or not enough influence from the shadows. They were specially appointed by the faeries long ago."

      Yorvick stared into her eyes with his eyes still, "As full of prestige as they may be, lives were still lost due to their negligence. It is only fair that they face justice."

      Jhudora returned to her seat without responding. As she continued to stair at him, she thought on the matter for a few moments. Yorvick decided to break the silence with, "Please, as one of darkness you must realize the council must be one you can depend on."

      Jhudora sighed and told him, "Go inside the city. Tell Fyora I sent you and she will listen to your argument. If she finds it to be worth investigating, then she will have something done about it. Just keep in mind that the council has a lot of prestige, so your quest won't be an easy one."

      Yorvick bowed respectfully and left the cloud. His next stop was the Faerie Queen, Fyora.

To be continued...