Vanished

     Deep in thought, the Aisha trained her eyes to the floor as she made her way towards the council rooms. The cold marble tiles had been well traversed, worn smooth in the middle over time, and were marked with the outline of recent footprints. She could hear the sound of voices over the loud click of her boots, and realised that she was the last to arrive.

     Frowning, Jerdana raised her head as she entered the hall. It was a vast, spacious chamber that always gave the impression of luxury. Light streamed into the room through tall arched windows, flooding it with sunshine. Intricate carvings decorated the walls and the chiselled, gold-inlaid pillars that soared to support the high ceiling.

     Twelve benches had been arranged in a half circle in the centre of the space. Of these, ten were occupied. A hush greeted Jerdana's approach, and the blue Neopet felt the other councillors' eyes on her as she took her seat next to the king, nodding crisply to them in greeting.

     The twelfth chair would remain empty, Jerdana knew. From their prolonged silence, she could tell that her colleagues' thoughts were focused in much the same direction as hers. It was why they had assembled, after all.

     She shuddered, causing the Lupe beside her to clear his throat. Rising, Altador stood and surveyed the group with a solemnity that Jerdana was unaccustomed to seeing in her friend. The king was clad in his usual attire, armour, but the gravity of his bearing lent the suit a significance that it had never had before.

     "Friends," Altador said quietly, "we are gathered today to discuss the matter of the Betrayer." The white pet's expression was calm, almost serene, but his dark eyes flashed when he pronounced the last word.

     The Betrayer, huh, Jerdana thought. Her gaze returned to the vacant seat in their midst as her mind flew, sifting through memories. The sheet-draped chair had belonged to a dark faerie who had, once, served as the twelfth member of the Altadorian council.

     Tensions had arisen when the faerie, Ravenna, began to consider herself superior to the Neopets on the council because she was immortal and they were not. She'd plotted against them, ultimately seeking to seize independent control of their city.

     It had been Jerdana who had discovered Ravenna's schemes. Jerdana had never quite trusted Ravenna, seeing in the faerie a darkness she wasn't comfortable with, but had regretted the pain that her peers had felt at Ravenna's betrayal. She'd wished that she had been wrong but, sadly, she hadn't been.

     Blinking, the Aisha refocused on Altador as he continued his address of the council. "I've been informed that... the Betrayer... remains in a location in Faerieland." He paused to give the statement weight and, around the room, heads nodded at Altador's words. The king had banished Ravenna from their city when her plans were exposed.

     Pacing, the Lupe went on, "However, I have received intelligence from Fyora that worries me." He stopped next to a slender, bright-haired woman a few steps along and motioned to her expectantly. "Siyana?"

     The councillor scanned the chamber. "Yes. We've had reports that give us reason to believe that she's amassing support for an attack."

     Siyana's gaze met Jerdana's and, in her lovely eyes, Jerdana perceived the dewy glint of genuine fear. She was, by far, the most optimistic member of the group but even she couldn't hide how concerned she was about the situation. It was a sentiment echoed in the whispers that filled the room and in the chill Jerdana felt. Ravenna's actions – her warmongering – could threaten the harmony they'd established in Altador.

     The hall was quiet for a while before their king spoke again. "We must consider what measures we can take to counter the threat."

     Earlier, Altador had asked Jerdana to investigate what could be done to improve the city's magical defences. Ravenna's prowess in magic was fearsome and it was logical to expect that it would form a key part of any assault she engaged in.

     It was Jerdana's belief that they should fight magic with magic. She was a sorceress, having been trained in the paranormal arts from a young age, and knew all too well how potent a weapon they could be. Speaking up, she said as much to her fellow councillors.

     Siyana's look was curious. "What do you have in mind?" the light faerie asked intently. She smoothed out the folds in her creamy silk dress before she rested clasped hands in her lap.

     Oof. This was a good question and one that Jerdana had both anticipated and dreaded. "I'm considering a couple of options," she admitted, "but I haven't decided on the wisest course of action." It was her duty, she felt, to weigh the choices before her and consider their merits carefully. She couldn't rush into decisions, allowing haste and apprehension to influence her.

     "Go on," Siyana prodded.

     Jerdana's first suggestion came to her lips easily enough. "We could assign magic users to strategic positions throughout the city." These gifted individuals could assist in the city's defensive efforts in any number of ways. "Of course, this includes placing a team along the city walls to combat magical attacks from outside our perimeter."

     Her second suggestion failed to rise on her tongue as effortlessly as her first.

     The Aisha's chief concern when Ravenna had been cast out was that her banishment was a barrier in name only. There was no physical deterrent that would serve to stop the faerie from returning, if she so chose, and this notion had caused Jerdana considerable disquiet.

     She swallowed. Her throat was as dry as the Tyrannian plains, and felt like sandpaper. "My alternate proposal is perhaps less, ah, straightforward." Jerdana had spent some hours that morning in the Altadorian Archives, browsing through the material housed there. She'd found spells that intrigued and some that disturbed her as much as they interested her.

     "I've been researching ways to make Altador inaccessible to Rav... the Betrayer. It's an extreme measure, yes, but I believe that we should consider physically removing the city from her reach."

     Next to Jerdana, the king straightened in his chair. "Explain."

     No longer able to sit still, Jerdana stood and walked meditatively around the council room. The detailed illustrations on the marble walls told of their city's great history: of its founding and its many successes. Altador had achieved much over the years and had grown into a thriving, peaceful metropolis.

     Her colleagues' faces were upturned, and their eyes tracked her every move. With a deep breath, Jerdana said, "I'm talking, friends, about time-travel."

     There was a reason why Jerdana had been reluctant with her response. The council hadn't yet gauged the true seriousness of the threat and, should the circumstances be dire enough, she could be forced to take drastic steps to protect Altador.

     -๏۞๏-

     Jerdana snapped her spellbook shut at the sound of a knock. She walked to the door of her study, and was unsurprised to see the pair who stood in the hallway beyond.

     "Ah, yes. Please come in," Jerdana said, standing aside promptly to admit them. She'd known that these two, as magic users, were the likeliest of the other ten councillors to have questions concerning the logistics of time-travel.

     The faeries who remained on the Altadorian council were both fair haired. Siyana's locks were a vibrant honey gold, reminding Jerdana of sunshine, while Psellia's were an icy shade of white-blonde. Yet the two were as different as day and night. Siyana's sunny looks and disposition were universes apart from her friend's quieter, more ethereal beauty and natural pensiveness.

     They took positions by Jerdana's desk. Psellia looked at Jerdana, studying her face in silence, and the Aisha nodded. The air faerie didn't need words to communicate that she wanted answers.

     "Out with it." Siyana was more forthright, and her bluntness brought a half-smile to Jerdana's mouth. It disappeared when Jerdana saw the glitter in the other councillor's golden eyes. Ravenna's actions had been tough on Siyana, who had experienced the destruction of her hometown, Talador, when she was young.

     With some trepidation, Jerdana made to speak. "I understand. Time-travel is an... unconventional solution but I believe that it could be a viable one." She drew heightened self-assurance from the faeries' attentive expressions.

     "Let me explain how it can be achieved. I want you to think about spacetime as a blanket that envelopes our world. It's made up of thousands upon thousands of threads that, well, connect everything in Neopia to everything else." Jerdana paused, mentally reviewing her words to ascertain that they made sense. "This blanket, spacetime, can be altered through pulling at these threads, so to speak, and, if we tug at the right ones, we can bunch up the fabric and move Altador someplace separate from the rest of Neopia."

     It wasn't the explanation that Psellia had expected. "So... to another dimension?"

     "You could say that," Jerdana replied, giving a brief nod. "It's difficult to explain but yes, Altador would exist in a different plane of spacetime, where time is slower, although it would still be part of Neopia." Seeing Psellia's frown, she said, "We could use another analogy, Clamade. The bubbles in the drink, pockets of air, exist in a space separate from the rest of the beverage. The same would be true of Altador and Neopia."

     "A time-bubble," Psellia whispered. She reached up to toy, thoughtfully, with one of the tiny rosebuds that had been woven into the pale, gleaming coils of her hair.

     "Yes, indeed." Jerdana wasn't one to fidget but she found herself copying the faerie, fiddling with the amulet that she wore around her neck. Her talk with the two faeries had been exhausting, and not least because she was unsure about the prudence of the time-travel plan.

     It would have implications. The city would be cut off from its neighbours, losing its capacity to interact with the other Neopian lands. Its citizens would be unable to trade, exchange philosophies or ideas with the outside world and enjoy freedom of movement beyond its walls.

     Siyana put Jerdana's thoughts into words. "Your idea seems sound enough but I hope that we won't have to take it up."

     "As do I."

     -๏۞๏-

     A cup of Clover Cream Coffee eased Jerdana's stress. It was a rich, delectable hue of chocolate-brown and tasted every bit as divine as it appeared. Stirring her drink, the sorceress asked Siyana for a look at her latest correspondence with Fyora.

     The faerie queen had been in contact with Siyana for some time, keeping the light faerie informed of Ravenna's movements, and had promised the council her aid in the event of an attack. Like Jerdana, Fyora had always felt that there was something sinister and infinitely dangerous about the Betrayer.

     Siyana glanced up from where she'd been rifling through a stack of papers, giving her an understanding look. After Psellia had left, setting out to check on the city battlements, Jerdana had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon mulling over the situation. It was sensible.

     "Here." The other councillor pushed a wad of lavender-coloured paper across the rosewood surface of Jerdana's desk.

     Inclining her head, Jerdana unfolded the letter to see Fyora's loopy cursive stretched out across the page in violet ink. Her heart dropped when she scanned it. There was nothing that Siyana hadn't mentioned that morning, and, though she shouldn't have had hopes to the contrary, she was disappointed.

     "I'm sorry," Siyana told her, and Jerdana blinked. She'd forgotten that the faerie was still with her. "We have so little information, and it's frustrating."

     "It's not your fault." The Aisha's words came out sharper than she'd intended.

     "Still." Leaning forward, Siyana placed a hand on Jerdana's arm. Her pretty features radiated sympathy, and Jerdana didn't pull away. "This has been hard on all of us."

     It was true. Jerdana had always been close with their king, Altador, and it had hurt when he'd refused to listen when she first came to him with her suspicions about Ravenna. It had hurt just as much when she'd realised that he had valued his friendship with the faerie over his friendship with her.

     A tap on the window made Jerdana look up. Walking to the glass, the Aisha opened it to find a faerie Harris suspended outside. Psellia kept a number of these furry Petpets, and typically used them to send messages to her fellow councillors.

     "Oh!" Siyana's cry shook Jerdana from her daze. She followed the line of the faerie's arm, and saw the note tied to the creature's leg. "What does it say?" Siyana pressed, still pointing. There was an anxious undercurrent to the question.

     Reading the note, Jerdana felt as though her veins had turned to ice. Her breathing was erratic as she choked out, "Ravenna's outside the city. She's going to attack. Now."

     The other councillor's reaction was instantaneous. Seizing parchment, Siyana blotted down a quick message. "Do what you must. I'm going to send the Harris to Queen Fyora," she said under her breath, hastening towards the window, before she disappeared out the door.

     Left alone, Jerdana considered her options. Ravenna's appearance had convinced her that the dark faerie was a more immediate threat than the council had believed, and that she needed to take swift action to protect Altador. Common sense told her that there wasn't sufficient time to rally the city's magic users. That left only her only one choice.

     She wasn't at ease with the solution she saw but there was no point in avoiding the inevitable, and even less given the urgency of the situation. Jerdana had to be practical. Time-travel it is.

     -๏۞๏-

     The time for hesitation was over, and a wave of cold purpose washed through Jerdana at the thought of what she had to do.

     Rushing after Siyana, the sorceress had followed the faerie to the outer rim of Altador. There, she had seen that most of the other councillors had assembled outside the city gates to confront the Betrayer. They were backed by two dozen soldiers but appeared to be outmatched. A cynical voice in her head whispered that Ravenna wouldn't be kept from the city for long.

      Edging closer, Jerdana undid the clasp that secured her amulet around her neck before cradling its ruby pendant between her paws. The round gem grew in mass as she stared at it, and she soon held a warm, fist-sized orb. She'd use it to better channel and focus her magical energies.

     Jerdana chanted softly as she projected her consciousness, seeking to establish a good mental grip on the city. Its citizens had been warned, in recent weeks, to remain within its grounds, and would be safe if they had complied. A relieved sigh escaped her when she realised that she could sense a tangible link between herself and the many civilians who lived within the city walls.

     The connection secured, she concentrated on separating Altador from the rest of the planet. Sweat dripped down her face as she fought to stretch the fabric of spacetime and create, in Psellia's words, a time-bubble in which their city could be hidden. Between her paws, Jerdana's orb changed from warm to hot.

     A sudden, all-consuming impression of emptiness was the first marker of her success. Wiping her brow, Jerdana hissed as she became conscious that she could no longer feel Altador behind her. It had vanished.

     "Thank Neopia." Jerdana sagged against a nearby tree, staring into the fields in front of her. It's done.

     This was confirmed when an infuriated snarl reached Jerdana's ears. Whirling, the Aisha turned to see Ravenna herself some metres away. The dark faerie had always been striking to behold but the contortion of her features obscured all traces of those looks.

     Nose twitching, Ravenna bared her teeth at Jerdana. It was was a ferocious smile, and reeked of madness. Faced with King Altador, she used her magic to trip the Lupe before she wrestled him to the ground. Her thick, blue-black waves of hair billowed about her shoulders as she fashioned manacles out of the air, fixing them to the king's wrists with a snap. Behind the Lupe, Jerdana could see the groaning forms of both Psellia and Siyana.

     Ravenna's eyes were lit with a vicious intensity when her gaze returned to Jerdana's. There was something about that dark stare, stunningly crimson, that made Jerdana want to panic. She knew that, around them, their forces were still locked in conflict but her world narrowed to a point where she could only focus on her foe.

     Jerdana had been so intent on protecting Altador that she hadn't given much, if any, contemplation to how she might protect herself. It had been a mistake to have thought that her troubles were over when she'd teleported the city out of Ravenna's grasp.

     Steeling herself, the blue Aisha forced her pounding heartbeat to calm. She was in a position of authority, she reasoned, and couldn't afford to give in to her fears when there were still things at stake. Her first responsibility might be to Altador but Jerdana had a duty to fight for herself and her fellow councillors as well as their soldiers and the other lands. She had no doubt that Ravenna was a danger to the wider Neopian community.

     A high, throaty bark of laughter reached her hearing. "Jerdana," the dark faerie called, taking a step toward her. "Just what have you done?" Ravenna's tone was velvety, almost amused, but there was a poisonous edge to the question. She didn't like surprises, and the city's disappearance had evidently startled her.

     Jerdana kept her answer short. "What I had to." Power crackled in the air surrounding her as she advanced. Calling to her magic, the sorceress allowed several bright ribbons of flame to curl around her arm as she braced for their confrontation.

     Ravenna's thin eyebrows drew together, and her pupils narrowed. Spears of ink-black energy lashed across the distance keeping her from Jerdana.

     Clutching her amulet, Jerdana countered the attack with a wall of flame. It hissed as it lurched into contact with Ravenna's magic and, just as she'd hoped, the darkness sizzled away.

     She kept pace with Ravenna, and met her strike for strike. Jerdana turned deaf ears to the uneven raggedness of her breathing, and disregarded the burn in her muscles that screamed to her in protest of their abuse.

     Two dagger-like bolts of raw power flickered in the faerie's hands. Stepping back, Jerdana moved to dodge the coming blows but, to her shock, found herself pinned in place. Fat, misshapen vines had exploded through the earth to wrap themselves around her ankles, taking her by surprise. She struggled in vain, and icy pangs of terror seeped into her body.

     "No!" Siyana's voice tore through the air, and, through dazed eyes, Jerdana shifted to observe the other councillor make a series of slashing motions with her right hand. It took Jerdana a moment to understand that the light faerie was helping her.

     Ravenna growled, and the pressure around Jerdana's feet decreased. Letting her body go limp, she dropped to the ground in time to avoid incineration. She pushed her sweaty bangs out of her vision, chest tight, and saw Siyana collapse back to the grass.

     Help, she thought. Someone, help! Jerdana felt ill with the sickening knowledge that, while her resolve hadn't faltered, she was too exhausted to be capable of a fight for much longer. Her time-travel spell had taken more out of her than she'd thought, and Ravenna chuckled.

     -๏۞๏-

     The air rippled. A sudden gust of wind made Jerdana shudder, and she turned with effort to see a lithe figure appear behind her in a flurry of amethyst sparks. The faerie's gleaming purple hair was long and unbound. Crystal staff in hand, she moved forward with the unforced elegance of a ballerina. It was Queen Fyora, and she regarded the scene before her with a thoughtful expression.

     "Your Majesty," Jerdana breathed. Belatedly, she realised that the faerie queen was flanked by a Harris. Fyora had received Siyana's message, and had portalled in to assist, as promised, with Ravenna. It was unbelievable. Help had arrived when she'd begun to think that defeat beckoned.

     A crunching noise drew Jerdana's attention back to the Betrayer. In Ravenna's eyes, Jerdana could detect the first real sign of fear she'd seen in the faerie. Without warning, Ravenna spread her massive wings and took to the skies.

     Sensing Fyora's intention to follow, Jerdana croaked out, "Wait!" She offered the gold chain of her amulet, allowing its circular pendant to glitter in the waning daylight. "Take this," she urged Fyora. The orb had been blessed with a dozen enchantments, and could be used to great effect by a gifted wielder.

     "Thank you." Queen Fyora smiled at Jerdana. "I can sense its potency."

     Jerdana couldn't fly. She couldn't continue to fight. However, she was quite capable of projecting her awareness in a way that would enable her to see what was happening among the clouds.

     Soon, the faeries climbed through the heavens to reach a height where everything beneath them was reduced to specks of colour. Ravenna spun, a scowl set deep in her features, and readied herself for battle.

     The queen held a disc of mauve-hued energy in her palms but Ravenna avoided the blast that sliced in her direction, diving out of its path. It was a smart move, and Jerdana's chest contracted. She'd done all she could but feared that, even with the orb, it wouldn't be enough.

     With a glare, the dark faerie balled her hands. Serpentine tendrils of smoke escaped her fists, coiling about her tensed form, as she lunged forward.

     Fyora blocked the assault with her staff, reaching for Jerdana's amulet with her other hand. Jerdana's chest contracted a second time when golden light burst from the gem, and she shivered. An odd procession of emotions flickered across the Betrayer's face as the magic encased her, the orb latching to her neck. The glint of anger in her gaze was succeeded by a look of childlike confusion and, finally, by the aghast, half-incredulous recognition of defeat.

     It had taken only seconds. The dark faerie had been turned to stone, and, stunned, Jerdana watched the Betrayer plummet into the sea below. There was a roaring in her ears as comprehension set in. She's... she's gone.

     Running to her king's side, Jerdana freed the other pet from his bonds. "Everything's alright, Altador. It's over," she gasped. The Lupe's yellow eyes blinked at her, and she smiled as she looked from him to the other councillors. "Siyana. Psellia! It's over."

     Later, she'd ask Queen Fyora to provide them passage home. It was strange to think that their city had vanished inside a time-bubble. Even so, she had hope that, one day, there would be a means to reconnect their home with the rest of Neopia.

     Jerdana regretted the need for the separation but not the fact that she had done what she believed was best. She'd always seek to protect Altador.

The End