Cruor Stilla: Part Six

      Dreams were enjoyable to Jhudora because indulging in hers was the nearest she could come to success before it actually happened. Just a few days, she reminded herself. A week at the most, giving time to build the city. Be patient. Zackwel had said, in his own special way, that things were going perfectly, and she trusted him.

      It amazed her how much he was like her when she was his age. Which, granted, was hundreds of years ago, but she remembered it well. He wouldn't settle for anything unless he knew exactly what was going on, always finding out for sure what his role was in anything and what he would get out of it before making his decision. She had meant it when he said he wasn't like the others. After all, it's only one in a million that someone reminded her even remotely of herself.

      When she finally did get to full power, she would be sure to thank him. Usually, she would just send the idiots packing, but he wasn't an idiot. She'd treat any Neopet fairly if only they weren't so stupid to believe her in the first place. That's what decided for her in the end whether she should betray them or not. But Zackwel was one of the few who wouldn't experience her anger at the world; he was worthy of better, in her opinion.

      She finished up the potion and downed it, welcoming whatever dreams might come to her next, and knowing that some day she would make them reality, whether the rest of the world liked it or not.

      Ruby was, for once, not awoken by the sun. It was gray and rainy outside that day, and Delia had to come upstairs and wake her. "Time to get up, dear," she said brightly, not letting the dullness outside dampen her mood. "Zackwel and breakfast are waiting and ready for you downstairs."

      She got up and threw on her white peasant dress, then went downstairs to find-as Delia had said-Zackwel and a breakfast of gruel with meat chunks waiting at the table. Zackwel was eating it with a hardly suppressed grimace on his face. Apparently Jhudora had provided better food, too.

      "Enjoying your meal?" she asked sarcastically.

      He nodded weakly with his mouth full, his eyes watering.

      Delia was in her room, so Ruby could speak freely with Zackwel. "Today we need to figure out the first thing we should do. We really need to get the faeries on our side before Jhudora manipulates them, because they're the ones who can build Faerieland."

      Zackwel swallowed the last bite of his meal. "Well, they always gather around powerful beings of their species, so we couldn't do much. They'd favor Jhudora's voice over ours, so even if we did somehow miraculously get them on our side before Jhudora gets to them, they might just convert to her side when she asks them. She could think something up to convince them, I'm sure. It'd just take more time than she'd like it to, so she planned on using me."

      "Great, so basically we've bought ourselves more time before she takes over the world. That means we have to act as soon as possible. Now, think. Is there any way to keep Jhudora away from the faeries?"

      "Well, let me see…we could defeat her in battle, but here I was thinking that would be the obvious answer."

      Ruby blinked. "Do you think that's possible? I mean, even if we got the Royals on our side, like that last Neopet did, they weren't strong enough to take her out that time. All we could do is capture the rest of her minions, she'd get away and think of something else. Not only would she get away, but she'd know you disobeyed her and would want revenge-wait. You said they gather around strong ones in their own species. What if we could find someone like that?"

      "Oh, that reminds me. There's a light faerie that Jhudora is always grumbling about. Her name is Fyora, and from what Jhudora has said she seems really powerful."

      Ruby looked at him exasperatedly for a moment, then said, "You might've mentioned that earlier. Anyway, that's perfect. We could get them all on our side if we convinced that one faerie to help us, and you could continue spending time with the Royals and get them to capture the rest of the Mutants. Then we can turn them to our side somehow, and-"

      "Okay, slow down," interrupted Zackwel. "How are we going to find Fyora?"

      Ruby thought for a moment. "I don't know," she admitted. "But we'll think of something."

      "There's no need for that," said a female voice, coming from a place that Ruby couldn't pinpoint. Then a ball of light the size of a strawberry fell gently from the ceiling. The light died down a little, making it possible for Ruby and Zackwel to see that it was a small, thumb-sized woman with tiny wings sprouting from her back. "I am Fyora," she introduced herself. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help eavesdropping the other day when you were talking about Jhudora's plans. She and I have a negative history with each other, and I know what evil potential she possesses. So, I followed you here and have been waiting to see what you would decide. I couldn't help making my presence known when you were looking for me, however, and I must say that I'd be glad to help you. It's why I followed you here in the first place, after all."

      "Well," Zackwel began, "that takes care of that. So, you'll round up all the faeries and get them to side with us?"

      "I'll do my best to get that done as quickly as possible, and you should continue your attempt to get the Royal family on your side. The plan is perfect, Ruby. You thought of everything."

      "What, am I going to be excluded from credit?"

      "You were right to turn away from Jhudora's scheme, Zackwel, and you are being very helpful to our side now. Is that better?"

      "Good enough, I suppose."

      "I'll go do my part now. It will take a few days, but I'm sure I can get enough faeries to join me so that Jhudora won't be left with enough to build Faerieland. Zackwel, get the Royals' favoritism toward you as fast as possible, then lead an attack against the Mutants and capture them. Then the faeries I gather and I will fight against Jhudora. Toodles!" The light grew brighter for a brief second, then disappeared altogether.

      "That…was special." Zackwel said in amazement. "You gotta admit, things like that don't happen very often."

      "So, I guess it's taken care of…" she said disbelievingly. They took a moment to soak it all in, then burst into laughter. They didn't even think it was that funny, but they couldn't stop laughing. Things had worked out, just like that. Though Ruby supposed they still had a ways to go, she couldn't help but feel satisfied already.

      Once they had finished their little bout of laughter, Ruby said, "You should get going. You have Royalty to befriend."

      "Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled, and left to go to the palace.

      It was then that Ruby realized that she had no major part in the plan, besides putting it all together. I guess that's good enough, she thought.

      A few days later…

      Fyora had gathered approximately ninety percent of the faeries in the Haunted Woods, which was good enough to stop Jhudora from building Faerieland, and become close friends with the majority of them. Once she got to know them enough that they would trust her, she also told them all of Jhudora's initial plan involving them, and would be glad to fight against her if it came to that.

      Zackwel had become good enough friends with the Royals that they agreed to his suggestion of rounding up the rest of Jhudora's minions. After all, he had told them, you don't know what they might be up to-they could be planning another attack. So, he would lead them to where he knew the Mutants lived and they would ambush, this time taking all of the enemies prisoner.

      Jhudora figured out Zackwel's decision to betray her when he didn't come back that night, and began thinking of what to do next. She would find him eventually, and get revenge, but first she needed to find a way to realize her plans for Faerieland, so she set to work on another scheme.

     Ruby had been bored out of her mind while all of this was going on. With Zackwel busy, she had nothing to do but climb the tree a million times total and sometimes go exploring, though that got dull after a while, too. Fyora came to her at one point to update her, saying that the faeries were on their side.

     The next day Zackwel came back, and told her the news. "They're attacking them right now and arresting them all. I couldn't go because Jhudora might see me, but hopefully she won't be there at all."

     "Yeah. Have you heard from Fyora, too?" she asked.

     "No."

     "She's gotten the faeries on our side. Looks like everything's going accordingly."

     "Well, I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I have to get back and help them deal with the prisoners."

     "Okay…" said Ruby, as much as she hated to. Then she thought of something. "Can I come, too?"

     He thought for a moment. "I guess so. You'd be just as bored there, too, though." He whistled for Caelum and they took off.

     By the time they got there, Draik soldiers were already forcing prisoners in the castle and down towards the dungeons. The King was leading them, and upon seeing Zackwel he said, "Oh, good. You're back. More soldiers are still back in the Haunted Woods, but we should have all of hem within the hour."

     "That's good news," said Zackwel, smiling. He felt proud for finally getting away from Jhudora for good, and making more of his life. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him.

     That's when the entrance door to the castle burst open, flying off completely and cracking against the wall across from it. Entering through it was the dark faerie, Jhudora.

     "You," she hissed. "I should have known you would do something like this. You couldn't just trust me without full knowledge that I wouldn't betray you, so you went with the side of the idiots!" she shrieked at the end of her sentence. Her eyes gleamed, and a crooked smile reached her lips. "You know what?" she said, beginning to laugh. "You really could have trusted me. You, the only one who I would never lie to, betrayed my trust. Now, really. You know me. Did you think you could somehow get away with it? Thought I wouldn't be able to find you, that I'd be powerless without your help? You were wrong." Her voice became deadly quiet as she said the last sentence. "I've been working on this for the past few days," she said as if she were a tourist guide, "I made it specially for you, for what you did to me, when I trusted you not to be stupid like the rest."

     She stretched both her arms toward the ceiling and black thunder started striking in circles around her, as she muttered an incantation. All the lights in the room went off, but was illuminated again by fire burning everything the lightning struck, burning her, but not doing any damage. In fact, it seemed to be increasing her power, as if this were just a warm up.

     "She's gaining power!" Zackwel shouted to Ruby over the roaring of thunder, becoming ever more frequent. "We have to stop her before she reaches the main attack!"

     "How?!" Ruby yelled back. "We can't get near her!"

     Then Jhudora began to speak again, the volume of her voice multiplied by three, filling the entire room. "I may not be able to realize my dream just yet, but the least I can do is get my revenge on you. Do you remember when I talked about soul magic? How it can be used as the most destructive force available in any type of magic? Well, guess what this is?!" she said maniacally. "If I can't dominate this vile place, I might as well take it down with me!"

     Zackwel couldn't believe what Jhudora had just said. Soul magic involved preparing one's own soul for use in a magic spell, one that they could customize however they wanted because of the fact that their very soul created it. It was the most powerful force used in magic because of the user's will of it, and her will in this spell was to destroy Meridell, or even Neopia, from what she had hinted. But, in doing so, she would die also.

     "Jhudora!" he screamed, hoping Jhudora would hear him. "Don't do this! You can fulfill your plan later if you just wait! You don't have to die here! You're just furious right now, so you're making a stupid decision! Remember when you talked to me about that, too?!"

     Everything stopped. The lights came back on, the fire stopped burning, leaving ash in it's place. "How dare you use my own words against me," she said, glaring directly at him.

     "Hey, if you aren't going to listen to me, at least listen to yourself," he told her, knowing she would never undermine her own thoughts and advice.

     Jhudora breathed in deeply and sharply, and looked as if she were thinking of what she should do next. She ran out of time, however, as a great blast of color came crashing down on her from the ceiling. Drops of color in all shades of blue, green, yellow, purple and red falling like rain and shattering on the floor and leaving thousands of tiny cuts all over Jhudora where they hit her, and they would keep going until they tore her apart completely.

     "Stop!" called out Zackwel. And the rain stopped. Fyora appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of him as a full-sized human.

     "Why should we?" she said, somehow sounding as if she had hundreds of voices at the volume of one.

     "She can't die…" he choked, finding it hard to breathe after seeing what he just had. "I don't want her to." He started crying, not even fully knowing why himself, but not caring. "Especially not like this."

     He couldn't understand why he felt compassion for Jhudora. Maybe because she was the first to see him for what he was, even before Ruby had, and praised him for it. Even though he knew now that she had only done it so she could use him, some part of him couldn't let go of the thought that maybe she really did think he was special.

      But that didn't matter now. He didn't care for her especially, but enough to not want her to die in slow, agonizing pain, being torn to pieces before finally dying. "Just let her go for now," he suggested. "Leave her the way she is, even, she won't be able to do anything for a while."

      "Then what?" asked Fyora harshly. "She'll do something like this again as soon as she gets the chance."

      "Can't you…restrict her? With magic," he added, seeing her confusion. "Put a spell on her, then make her promise not to try anything. You can kill her if she won't."

      "Very well, I will try it."

      She recited an incantation for a spell of Binding and cast it over Jhudora.

      "Do you promise to do nothing that will harm any part of Neopia in any way for the rest of your life?" she asked Jhudora.

      Jhudora was silent for a few moments, then said "Yes" quietly. "I'm going now," she told them, and got up from the floor where she had fallen to her knees. A moment later she fell back down, and Zackwel asked if Fyora could teleport her back to her castle. She agreed to do so, just wanting everything to be over with.

      As Jhudora raised from the floor a second time, being lifted by the spell, her eyes widened at the sight of Ruby. She apparently hadn't noticed her before, she had been too focused on Zackwel. Then she smirked and gave a weak laugh, saying, "I can't believe this." Her voice was hoarse, and she sounded tired. "You even teamed up with the traitor to abandon me. I trusted you. She was looking at Zackwel with eyes half-closed from exhaustion, and Zackwel received an unexpected surprise as tears poured out of her eyes. "Never again…" she said before drifting off to sleep and disappearing, the spell being complete.

     Ruby felt the clasp on her necklace undo itself. It fell to the floor of the castle and shattered in a world she would never return to, and she was the second one to disappear in almost the same instant.

      The voice of Rose filled her mind, telling her something she had to struggle to hear over the rush in her head. Your job in my time is done, descendant. It seems my invention was a success, if you've come to this message I recorded into it. I'm sorry you were pulled into this, but I couldn't let Jhudora get away with what she had planned. I trust you found some way to prevent that from happening, so you can now return to your own life. Thank you for fulfilling my last wish in life. Goodbye forever.

The End