The Adventures of Trina: The Two Islands - Part Four

     "TRINA!" Cassie screamed, waving her arms.

     "Get a ladder!" cried Linny.

     Only Evrilin had moved. After seconds passed, he burst out onto the deck from the cabin. "I can't find the ladder!"

     "Are you sure?" screamed Cassie, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

     "No, it might have fallen overboard!"

     After hearing what Evrilin had said, Pat was certain that there was no other choice for what she was about to do. The purple Shoyru flew out into the storm, down to where she had last seen the camouflaged Wocky.

     "Do something!" Cassie screamed again.

     Evrilin climbed up on the railing, and leaped into the watery void. Somehow, within moments, the Mynci was within reach.

      * * * * *

     Trina spied Evrilin's head bobbing above the waves.

     "Don't be afraid!" she heard him call with a mouthful of water. "I'm right here! Grab my hand!"

     It took a few tries, but Trina did exactly that. Evrilin held onto her with both hands, fighting to hold both her and himself afloat while glancing up at Pat in the air.

     The wind was causing Pat to fly extremely unsteadily. It was much too powerful for her to stay in the air for a few more seconds, so she dived under the waves. A blanket of silence encased the crew as they watched and waited. After a long sum of seconds, Pat emerged from under the waves with Trina securely in her arms.

     The first thing she saw above water was the captain in the distance. He was far away, yet his expression was clear. His face was stiff. His eyes were cold; colder than the freezing ocean itself. He only stood there; watching. He did not move even a finger to help save her. By the expression on his face, she knew that there was something he knew that she didn't; something evil. Finally, without a doubt, she believed what Pat had said. Do not trust the pirates, Trina thought to herself, followed by a series of coughs. Pat then returned to the sea to bring Evrilin to safety.

     The other pirates gathered and a period of silence among them followed, however, it was soon broken by the captain's hoarse voice.

     "Everyone, get back to work! The storm is still here!"

     * * * * *

     Trina leaned against the railing, dazing off at the sea's clear horizon. Five days had passed since the storm had swept her into the ocean. Never in her life had she ever desired to see land as much as she did now. Although she didn't want to doubt her decision, she couldn't help wondering if the island even existed in the first place.

     To distract herself, she remembered back to the moment when they had saw the first glace of sunlight. The ship had barely made it through the storm in one piece, and even if the captain had never said it, there was little chance that they actually would have. She had never felt so relieved in her life.

     The morning sun dwelled onto the flat sea, the ship sailing over it peacefully. Almost everyone was calm and things were going almost perfectly, aside from the fact that Mevin "accidentally" exploded Linny's breakfast; it took an hour to clean the soggy bread off of the walls. They all looked as if they will never have to worry again, except Trina. She had recently noticed that the captain had always carried around the sack with the book and a sword, no matter what he was doing. Why was this old book so important to the captain? The question bothered her every time the captain walked by.

     While she daydreamed into the distance, she noticed something. She opened her blue eyes wider just to be sure it was real. And it was. It was about the size of a pencil point, but it could easily be seen.

     Land! Unable to hide her joyful side, Trina jumped with her arms in the air. They could now restock on foods and repair parts of ship! Whether it was their final destination or not, she could proudly say she had seen land.

     The captain's booming voice was then heard from inside the cabin. "This is it! We will dock on shore shortly! Be prepared!"

     Trina was not sure what the captain had meant when he said "be prepared." She assumed it wasn't for her to worry about. She headed toward the storage room to pick up her things. When she got inside, she wished she had proven herself worthy to the captain so she could have slept in one of the empty rooms instead, but it didn't matter now, she decided. Once she slid her backpack on, she went to find her friends.

     With each passing moment, the shore grew. It was just like any other shore Trina had seen. A thick ribbon of whitish-yellowish sand made up its edges and a blurred wall of green stood behind it. Even though it looked somewhat like Mystery Island, she knew she would uncover secrets that couldn't be found anywhere else. By the time they had sailed close enough to the island to see its small features, nearly the entire crew was out on deck, staring at the wondrous island. The captain stood in silence for a brief few minutes, looking horribly at the shore. Trina wondered what he saw that she didn't, so she looked further out and understood his expression of disgust.

     "Pat, go get the plastic swords from storage. We'll need them."

     Pat opened her mouth to argue, but then dashed off once she noticed what Trina was looking at. On the shore where the harbor was, a whole line of angry Kacheeks blocked where they would have to port. Had coming to Arugahi Island been a mistake? If it was, they would have to find out the hard way.

     "The Kacheek Acrobats are trying to have us cornered," the Captain warned, clutching a longsword. "All must be ready for battle NOW!"

     Trina, Cassie, Linny, and Pat hurried behind the storage shack unseen to begin their plan.

     "When the fight starts, we'll slip from the battle and run onto the island," Trina said.

     "What if a pirate sees us?" Linny asked, worried.

     "It doesn't matter as long as they don't follow us," Cassie replied.

     They all nodded in agreement as Pat handed out the toy swords, their only weapon besides Trina's quick wits. Trina switched hers with Linny's because she remembered hers had a deep scratch across it. When the ship sailed close enough to the Kacheeks, they all sprung onto the ship with great force. They caught sight of the exit, but three Blue Kacheeks leaped in front of them from out of nowhere. They were surrounded, and from what Trina could see, there was only one option. She lifted her plastic sword above her waist and rushed toward them, almost ruthlessly. With a plastic sword, why hold back? Many Kacheeks were forced on their backs from the sword's quick force, others barely managed to move out of her path just in time. Shortly after, Cassie and Pat copied Trina's plan, heading for an opening at the front of the ship, but they were not unnoticed. Unfortunately, the captain was watching from afar, and he added a wide, menacing grin to his face.

     There were so many Kacheeks on the ship; it was hard to tell where the crewmembers were. Trina watched a Kacheek spring from the sails. They were so nimble; it was as if they were flying, or dancing on air. Through the sounds of battle, Trina heard the captain yell at his crew and frowned.

     "Crew, stop them—they have the Ancient Book of Code!" he shouted, pointing his sword at Trina and her friends. All heads turned in her direction. Right away, as if the acrobats were never in conflict with the pirates, every one of them pursued after her. They tailed just inches behind the rush of pirates following their orders. The acrobats left the captain of the ship completely unguarded, letting the traitorous captain sneak off into the cabin.

     So Trina ran, but it wasn't enough. In mere seconds, the Kacheeks and the crew had them completely surrounded. A rush of fear tickled her pelt uneasily. They were outnumbered by who-knows-how-many and there wasn't even the slightest opening to make an escape. They would be captured, all at the hand of betrayal by their so-called crewmates, her so-called new comrades.

      * * * * *

     Hours had passed as Trina and her friends hiked on the island. Since the start of the trip, she had been determined to explore this new land, but as a guest—as a prisoner just took all of the fun out of it.

     The acrobat Kacheeks marched at all sides, forcing Trina to tread forward with her head down, and threatened to knock her unconscious if she did not do as told. With each minute, she only grew more nervous, so to distract herself, she decided to lift her eyes from the moving earth below her to examine the scenery for the first time.

     The trees were a lush green that stretched over the tall, dazzling grass below that waved in the winds like thin, delicate threads. The sky was a bright blue with few white clouds which floated peacefully overhead. A cold wave of wind brushed her fur gently, serene beyond anything she could have imagined. Mystified, she kept her eyes glued to the scenery. How could a place so beautiful, so relaxing, so unbelievable, be unknown by the rest of the world?

     When they emerged from the forest, they were led off into a valley. Not far from her view was an ocean of a glossy, clear blue which greeted white sands in a slow rhythm. Slim coconut trees swayed back and forth with the breeze as white Weewoos carrying vivid flowers lay atop its enormous leaves. Abundant green shrubs surrounded the roots of trees, covered in dazzling, yellow blossoms. Her desire to slow down to stare at the scenery faded when the Kacheeks urged her to keep walking.

     A few minutes later, she noticed that the once bright, welcoming scenery had darkened. Unlike the trees she had seen at the beach, they looked like there was no life left in them. A few trees had leaves a shade of dark brown; the rest were completely leafless. Their branches were as dark as chestnuts growing in a summer's night, but that wasn't the worst part. Many tree trunks were scattered in the dirt on their side, engulfed by the forest's empty presence and thin, lifeless vines. What had happened to this place?

     It was all the scenery she had seen until they eventually made it to a small village, completely silent. They crossed over dirt roads and passed small huts, ignoring gawking residents—tired Lutaris, Kaus, and Lennies—that were doing garden work in their dreary yards. They kept on until a massive stone building appeared from the distance. It looked somewhat like a castle, except without elaborate designs and statues.

     At the front gates, they were approached by four blue Techos who excused the Kacheeks from their duty. Then, he coldly escorted the four friends inside the building. As the rusty gates screamed shut, she wondered if they would ever come out.

     The hallway was made entirety out of stone. Faded self-portraits of various people dressed in fair attire filled the walls, lit candlesticks hung near them, illuminating the hallway. Cassie gave Trina an anxious glare along the way to an enormous wooden door at the end of the hall. Once there, one of the Techos knocked on the door; the repeated sound echoed the hall and bounced back into their ears again. The door opened as if it was moving in slow motion.

     "Why did you bring these pirates here?" a deep, female voice boomed.

     A royal Lupe stepped out from the doorway, wincing at their shabby apparel. She was tall—perhaps too tall. She was about twice the height of Linny, who was the tallest of the four by a few inches.

     "They were detained when the Dark Depths docked this morning," one of the Techos answered. "They are said to have the Ancient Book of Code in their possession. They appear to be new recruits."

     Was it that obvious? Trina thought.

     "Bring them in here," the Lupe ordered. Her pair of auburn eyes was fixated on Trina. "I will hear their side of story, whether they want to divulge it or not."

     Together, they stepped into the room. Two chandeliers hung from the ceiling, one was faintly lit. Normal chairs surrounded round tables across the room. Behind her was a throne covered in red velvet, with the exception of the rim. It was decorated with symbols and tiny flower deigns.

     "As the queen of this land, I order you to tell me your stories now," she said severely. "Leave anything out and I will make sure you will regret it. You are in no position to lie, or hold back any information amongst yourselves. Each of you is considered a prisoner until proven otherwise, so if I were you, I would choose your words wisely... and carefully."

     "I can explain," Trina began, stepping forward and taking a bow, "and I, Trina Willicks, take full responsibility for my actions, both intruding on your land, and for what I'm about to tell you."

     Promptly, Trina began to recount to the Queen on everything she remembered. She explained how they first saw the pirates in the forest in Neopia Central and how they desired to visit the island, ending at how they wound up in her castle. Her friends then filled in the parts that she had forgotten to mention, until they were interrupted.

     "So, she fell off the ship during the storm?" the Queen asked with a raised eyebrow.

     "I did," Trina admitted. "It was quite terrifying."

     The Queen looked up to her left, and then made a strange face for a few moments. "Interesting..." she mumbled softly, but loud enough for Trina to hear. "Please continue."

     Minutes later, the story was complete.

     The Queen's face remained strict, and Trina worried about her fate as she looked up at her. Luckily, she leaned back in her throne a moment later, and smiled.

     "I believe there is truth in your words, but please bear in mind I must still place you four under suspicion," the Queen said in a lighter voice. "My name is Queen Vioe of Arugamere Island."

     "Arugamere...?" Cassie shouted. "I thought this was Arugahi Island!"

     "This is Arugahi Island," Queen Vioe said sadly. "I would have been the next queen of Arugamere—that island adjacent to ours that mirrors ours geographically—but many things changed since then. None of my people could forget..."

     "Why can't they?" asked Trina. Truthfully, she was half excited to find out as much as she could, and half afraid of what she was about to hear. "Mind giving us a little history lesson?"

     "It's a long story, so I highly suggest you all take a seat," said Queen Vioe, pointing a finger to a nearby round table with chairs.

     Quickly, Trina and her friends dragged four chairs from behind them until they faced Queen Vioe's throne, forming a small semi-circle.

     Queen Vioe took a deep breath, and then spoke to the four.

     "Long ago—during the time we now refer to as the Ancient Times—this was once a single island discovered by two powerful Draik magicians. One went by the name of Aruaghi, and other by the name as Arugamere. They were brothers, yet so different in many ways. They named the great island Arugamerhi and led the city together with great power—literally and politically. The island thrived with so much life and harmony that seemed it would never end, until one day," she said with a voice so full of sadness, she had to take a short pause, "Arugamere changed."

     Trina and her friends gazed up at the Lupe in horror as she continued.

     "He began to care less about his people and used his great power for himself. As the island aged, Arugamere developed an unusual interest: the darkness. He would rather be active under the night sky then to be greeted by the sunlight each day. He was not long until he grew infatuated with outlandish ideals and unrealistic inventions. Eventually, he became more interested in power of the darkness than of everything else, even Aruaghi. During one dark night nearly three-hundred years ago, he had betrayed everyone on the island and unleashed terrible wrath on the western coast. Shortly after, he was confronted by Arugahi who warned him to stop, but he only laughed.

     "Aruaghi fought bravely to protect his people. In the end, he used all of his remaining magic to divide the island in half. By separating the two sides, he stopped the terrible curse from spreading. But the dark curse cast on Arugamere Island never faded. Recently, we have received signs that told us Arugamere's magic will return with a fury none has ever witnessed, and they are becoming clearer with each day that passes us." She lifted her furry head as her voice grew louder, and it was obvious she was trying to conceal her anger with some shaky breaths she took between words.

     "Many who have heard this story of our history live in fear from sunrise to sunset, night to day. Lately, the pirates have been taking control over more of our land and water sources which have forced us to live in less than half of this island. But as long as we have hope, we will remain strong. It is hope that keeps us here, but more hope is lost each day, and little is gained. It is hope that reminds our hearts not to look back into darkness, but to look forward to the light—a brighter future."

     Trina stared at the Queen with awe. This island had gone through so much, and yet not a soul knew about it. This is an island that deserves to be acknowledged, and deserves to be helped – no, more than that: saved. There were so many questions to ask, but she didn't know which ones she should ask first.

     "Those pirates should be called the Arugamere Pirates," Queen Vioe went on, unable to hold back her disgust any longer. "They do not deserve to bear the name of a hero they are against, and they never will!"

      "What do these pirates seek, anyway?" Linny asked.

     "Based off recent reports, they desperately seek the Ancient Book of Code. I've been told that it contains secrets to recreate magic that was as powerful as Arugamere himself."

     Trina sprung up stiffly from her seat and rushed words from her tongue. "What color was it?"

     "Our island's researcher told me it's a shade of red of some sort," Queen Vioe replied.

     Trina gasped.

     "Was that the book you told me you gave to the pirates?" the Queen clamored.

     All four pets nodded in unison, terrified. Again, she had let her enemy get away and put not only the people closest to her, but other innocent people in danger! And for what? Only so she could have fun exploring an island! Everyone was in danger because of her, and there was no going back. She made a fist and stomped in place until her mouth found words to say.

     "Why..." Trina began. She got to her knees, throwing her arms on the floor and avoiding eye contact with anyone. Drops of silver gathered on the stone floor that her hands continually beat against. "WHY DO I ALWAYS MAKE MISTAKES?"

     "You didn't make any mistakes, Trina!" Cassie shouted as she came to the sobbing Wocky's side. "We had no way of knowing how important it was!"

     Queen Vioe jumped up from her throne and opened a large door on her right. Then, she gave orders the nearest blue Techo, who was standing just outside of the door. "Tell the other guards to inform Master Iko at once! Tell him that he has visitors!"

      * * * * *

     Trina was the first to step inside the old hut. Inside, many lit candles were placed in the center of three round tables. There was a bookshelf on the room's far side next to what seemed to have once been a tall potted plant, now withered and hanging down. Two dark colored sofas with a long tear through its fabric were against the wall, one covered with books and the other scattered with lose papers. The atmosphere of ancient knowledge was deafening, yet Trina could not find any enjoyment in it.

     "I got word from Queen Vioe that you were coming here," said a raspy voice from under a table beside Trina. "Now, what could possibly be so urgent? Did the world finally crumble?"

     "Something happened," Cassie told the voice.

     "Something big," added Linny, trembling.

     Trina jumped to the point. "The pirates have the Ancient Book of Code."

     With that statement, a Mynci, who murmured something about losing his glasses, sprung up from under the table and slammed his head into the table's flat underside. He was very elderly and was wearing long, silk robes covered with elaborate purples and gold patterns. Trina guessed that his name was Master Iko, judging by what Queen Vioe said earlier.

     "Just how did that happen?" he snapped at Trina. "How? How? HOW?"

     The Mynci twitched when Trina replied. "I... I sort of... gave it to them. I didn't know how important it was then! I'm so sorry—"

     "You did WHAT with the book? Oh my..." the Mynci yelled and then fell over.

     Cassie and Linny rushed over, offering a hand. A few seconds later, he got to his feet.

     "I apologize. You can imagine there are quite a number of things on my mind these days."

     "Do you want to hear what happened?" Cassie asked, holding back giggles and bringing back a serious face.

     "Tell me everything, young ones," the Mynci walked up to his sofa, shoved a stack of books to the floor, and rested on it. Anxiousness appeared on his face. He knew that whatever words were to be said, it would not be pleasant to hear, and hence the fact that Queen Vioe sent them.

     After what felt like a few hours of storytelling, the four friends practically knew every breath of their tales by heart.

     "So, what can we do now?" Pat asked him.

     "The only thing that can still be done," Master Iko said harshly. "You must retrieve the book."

To be continued...