Princess Mind-Reader: Part Five

      It was just Deliluk’s thoughts during his sleep.

      Miss V is rather nice...

      I wonder what’s for breakfast tomorrow? Miss V makes such good food. An image of a Mutant Acara flashed in Deliluk’s mind, and Victoria was reminded of Vira.

      She is hated, yet she is kind! Why does anybody hate her? Such a tragedy; such a tragedy indeed.

      She likes Onas.

      She likes Onas? Who was Miss V, anyway? An image of a cottage, and walking toward it was Deliluk. He knocked on the door, and the Mutant Acara answered. She was saying something, and let Deliluk inside. Rain pounded against the cottage roof.

      After all, she did let me spend the night. Deliluk was sighing in his head.

      Can you tell me what’s going on? Victoria thought loudly. An image of Deliluk jumping flashed in his mind. Look, do you think you can trust this ‘Miss V’ anyway? It was strange, telling Deliluk was to do. I mean, she’s a stranger. Looks and acts can be deceiving.

      Deliluk’s shadowy waves flickered. Dude, Vicky! Why’d you come into my head?

      You’re an idiot, and you leave without saying good-bye, that’s one explanation. Aaaand you won’t let me inside your head! Don’t shut me out!

      It was too late. Victoria felt like there was a brick wall crushing her, and she forced herself out of the way. Pain electrocuted her, and she was angry. Why did she have to give herself away? She needed to find Deliluk. At that very moment.

      Taking a piece of paper, she left a note on her bed, saying: Gone to find Deliluk. I’ll come back, even if I scare the stars out of your fur, so you’re just a plain blue Kau. Good luck. I’ll be back. She picked up a backpack and made sure to pack before she left. She had too many bad experiences when she didn’t have a pack. Victoria had nearly died on the way to find a home at Kauvara’s.

      As she swung open the door of the Magic Shop, she looked around what was Victoria’s beloved home. She didn’t want to return to such Princess royalty. The Magic Shop was where she belonged.

      Victoria had made her choice. It was too late to change anything.

     ***

      Deliluk stretched. How dare Vicky get into his mind! After all this time... she found out about Miss V! Had she seen the Mutant Acara in Deliluk’s head? He stretched and looked at the clock. It was nine o’clock already. He jumped out of bed. He touched his ring around Deliluk’s neck, the sign of an Usul. He closed his eyes and thought of the Faerie Wocky, his best friend. He was selfish, leaving her. He should have said good-bye first. This journey might be the end of Deliluk.

      A knock on the door jolted Deliluk from his thoughts. It wasn’t his door, however, because he heard the swing of a door and Miss V’s voice sweetly say, “Greetings, traveler!”

      Concentrating hard, he broke into Miss V’s mind. He saw the image of Victoria! She was here! When Deliluk broke free of her mind, he was sweating.

      “Is there somebody else here, staying?” Vicky’s voice rang out from the front door, perfect and high-pitched.

      Deliluk jumped to his door and opened it. There stood the scarred-pawed Faerie Wocky, looking dirty and yet well-fed. He smiled. “Vicky! You came for me.” An awkward silence filled the room. “This is Miss V. She’s been taking care of me.”

      “Huh.” Victoria turned back to Miss V. “Do you have a shower I could use?”

      As the Wocky fluttered away, her dress billowing as she flowed elegantly to the shower. Deliluk turned to Miss V, who was smiling widely. “I’m glad to be of service,” she whispered, her eyes gently following him, “but don’t you want to be handsome?” She held up a mirror.

      Suddenly, Deliluk looked away. This was Vira! It was a trick! Deliluk called, “Victoria! This is” – he broke off as the Mutant Acara drew a rubber, wide band around his mouth, gagging him.

      Vira smiled, an evil smile. “I was glad to have such a handsome face,” she said softly, “but won’t you stay with me longer? It would be nice, you and I, together, without her.” She threw her horns in Vicky’s direction. “She can live on, the petty princess, with your stupid brother. Come on, won’t you take a look? We would be perfect, you and I...”

      The impostor had been kind... and her voice was beautiful, irresistible. Deliluk turned his head to look at the mirror. Just a peek wouldn’t hurt...

      “NO!” Vira dropped the mirror, clutching her forehead. Deliluk heard a voice whisper, “Look, Deliluk, look...” but it wasn’t Vira’s voice. The mirror was speaking.

      Flying out of the air, the Faerie Wocky was quickly sending... something at Vira. Victoria grinned at Deliluk. “Why do you always trust the wrong people?”

      Deliluk growled. “Look, Vicky, I was about to spend eternity with Vira!”

      “You wouldn’t want that!!” Victoria growled fiercely, her dress blowing backwards as her wings pumped air. “She is an evil neopet, Deliluk! She just wants others to feel her pain! She won’t spend even a lot of time with you! Once you’ve been transformed, she’ll throw you out like garbage and you’ll be hated.” Trying to keep her eyes of the mirror, she sighed. “Trust me for once.”

      All of a sudden, Vira knocked Deliluk aside. The ugly face stared up at Victoria and she said, “Savuk didn’t do his job years ago. I’ll finish it for him!”

      Victoria closed her eyes and burst into Vira’s mind. She imagined a dagger, sharp and pointy, scrape Vira. Had it worked?

      “Ow!!!!” Vira quickly stumbled backward. Victoria was sweating. She couldn’t keep this on forever. Vira screamed, “Your powers are immense!! But ours are stronger! We will get our revenge on Neopia.” Her eyes burned with hatred. “We will!”

      Flying straight at Vira, Victoria grabbed Deliluk’s arm and took him with her. She dodged a sharp shard of mirror that Vira was throwing at her. She turned around and entered Vira’s mind again.

      If I just reach that pillar, I can make that side of the house collapse. Vira’s beautiful voice seemed ragged in her mind. She was going to make the house fall!

      Quickly Victoria flew for the window just as Vira pushed the pillar hard. She was only inches from death as she shattered the window, and with Deliluk in her paws, flew off so that the cottage wasn’t in sight. At last Vicky landed, breathing hard.

      Deliluk sighed as his sides heaved for air. He said, “I was heading for Brightvale to tell your father that you were alive. I think that you hurt him; you ‘die’ and then you never come back. He loved you, Vicky. I think it would bring all of Brightvale to joy to see that you were living.”

      “So you’re stupid and you march into some stranger’s house?” Victoria asked fiercely. “That’s not how heroes do it. They’re careful.” She kicked a stone aside, and with a plop it landed in a small river caused by the rain. “So, are we going to continue or not?”

      Her friend stared at Victoria. “Look – I know I was stupid, but we know that Vira knows that we’re on the run, obviously she’ll send some of the... others after us.” The others were Savuk and his friends. “So we don’t continue.”

      Victoria scowled and shouted, “We DO continue!! We’ve gone this far! Are you saying that you went this far, went into a stranger’s house, and nearly got yourself killed for nothing? We are going, Del. End of story.”

      Del. Victoria could tell that Deliluk didn’t like the nickname, but he was stuck with it. As she shook mud off herself, she continued to walk forward. Deliluk didn’t want to get left behind, so he scrambled up and took his place by the Faerie Wocky’s side.

     ***

      Angrily Vira picked up a piece of splintered wood and threw it at the broken window. Half of her house was destroyed for nothing! Master would not be pleased...

      Wait. Vira had excellent tracking skills. She’d find which way they went, and send some of the MNO after the stupid Faerie Wocky and the Shadow Usul. What a shame that the Princess had taken away Vira’s chance to have a nice companion. Vira heard a knock on the door.

      “Who is it?”

      “Draig.”

      Vira swallowed. Draig, Master of the Mind Ninja Organization, had come to her cottage. She cleared away rubble and opened the door.

      The Darigan Eyrie didn’t look like he was in his best mood. Draig looked around. “Holy Neopia, Vira. What happened here?”

      Swallowing, Vira said in a shaky voice: “The Princess, sir” –

      “The PRINCESS?” Draig turned to look at Vira with angry eyes. “You LET the PRINCESS GO?”

      “She was not alone,” Vira said quietly. “Her friend, Deliluk, a Shadow Usul, stayed here for the night, and she came to look for him. I tried to transform him, but the Princess was too fast. I tried to exterminate her, but she did that to my house and” – her voice seemed to falter – “got away.”

      Draig was not pleased. It wasn’t often somebody powerful escaped from his grasp. Vira would need some questioning, but he’d need to call his troops and track the two before they protected the kingdom that Draig wanted to rule. Brightvale was nearly his now...

      Then, Vira added coldly, “I could track them, and then hold them down while some of your troops got to them.”

      It was as if Vira had read Draig’s mind! Draig smiled. “I shall accompany you. If you would like to challenge somebody of such power, you would need my help. Bring your mirror, and you can transform the Shadow Usul like you intend to.”

      Vira smiled. She’d get the handsome Usul after all. She looked at Draig and said, “It’s done.”

To be continued...