“Tell me Staysia,” Jasper said anxiously.
“What he found inside the dark cave were Sea trolls. There were a number of them, Jasper, and they weren’t exactly thrilled with the presence of my father. They told him to flee from their cave. Do you know what my father did, Jasper?” Staysia laughed briefly. “My father simply showed them his sword and they ran off screaming. He laughed to himself as the little trolls fled the cave.”
“Humans,” Jasper snorted.
“As he awaited the monster he could feel someone looking over his shoulder, someone breathing down his back. He turned to see who this someone might be. You know who it was?”
Jasper shook his head fiercely.
“It was a troll. This certain troll was called Greywacke. My father turned to face the troll. The two of them stared at one another, eye to eye. My father’s hand clutched around his sword, the troll’s hand clutched a trident. They were squinting their eyes at one another and walking around in a circle, staring one another down, when the Sea monster rose from the sea. The monster’s shadow cast over the cave and over the entire island. It was too dark for my father to see, too dark for Greywacke to see. My father turned to face the direction of the hideous monster and held his sword out high in the air. When he did this, the sword lit the cave. A bluish glow outlined the sword.
Warrick and Greywacke could now see the creature. Greywacke was quite a brave little troll. He did not go deeper inside the cave to hide. He did not tremble or cover his face in fear. He stood and faced the monster along with my father. The Sea monster became afraid, for he knew it was my father who carried the Sword of Drake. The monster began to tremble in fear. He swung his tail around and held it in his grasp. His lip began to quiver and he began to cry.
“Why is it that you are harassing the people of Misho Island, Sea monster?” my father asked the monstrous creature.
The Sea monster sniffled and hung his head. “I do not mean the people any harm! For I have grown too large,” said the Sea monster as he frowned. “I cannot catch food for myself. I cannot go from one end of the sea to the other without waking the people and causing a great ruckus. If I wouldn’t have grown so large, the people could look upon me with great awe and wonder. They wouldn’t wish me gone or curse the sea below them. I used to have a great time underneath the sea. I’d frolic here and there, and everywhere. Now, I have grown much too large in size. Could you tell the people that I am sorry for what I have done?”
My father felt bad for the Sea monster. Though he was very intimidating to look upon, the Sea monster had a heart of gold, and my father knew he had to help him out of the mess he was in. “Come closer,” he instructed. The Sea monster bent his long neck and held his head up, looking upon them inside the cave. His breath smelled of something awful. My father and Greywacke held their noses and turned their heads away from him. Finally, my father faced the monster. His eyes were a glowing red color. His teeth were as sharp as the sword my father carried. His nostrils were large and round. My father told me he remembered the creature to be green. Though his eyes were red, my father told me he could see a softer side of the Sea monster by looking into his eyes. That was the moment he made his decision. My father painted a picture in his mind of the monster frolicking about once again, and swimming from here to there. In my father’s mind he could see the people of Misho swimming with the creature and even allowing their own children to play with the creature. My father didn’t need to use the sword to slay him. You know what he did, Jasper?”
“What did he do, Staysia, What did he do?” Jasper asked her.
“Warrick ordered Greywacke to stand back. The brave little troll slowly crept away from Warrick, keeping an eye on the Sea monster, just in case something was to happen. The troll walked backwards with his hands out. Finally, he looked over his shoulder and sat on a rock that was behind him.
Warrick waved the sword in the air and wished the Sea monster a smaller size. And by the power of the sword, the Sea monster immediately shrunk to a more fitting size. The Sea monster was no larger than any of the other sea monsters who frolicked here and there at the bottom of the ocean. The people of Misho cheered and delighted my father with a warm meal and a glass of wine.
My father had painted the perfect picture in his head, because that is the exact picture that he looked upon when he traveled back to the island to visit. The Sea monster swam with the people and even the children of Misho Island. He frolicked from here to there, and romped at the bottom of the ocean without shaking the island above him. But that’s not all, the Sea monster was now the perfect size for the perfect female Sea monster. They had perfect children Sea monsters after that, and they all lived happily ever after.”
“The End?” Jasper asked.
“The End,” Staysia told him.
Jasper smiled as he looked up at the star filled night’s sky. “Your father was a good man, Staysia. He was a very good man.”
“Yes he was.”
With that, the two of them were out like lights for the night.
When morning arrived, Staysia stretched her arms and legs and turned to her side. She raised her arm and felt for Isis, who wasn’t there. When Staysia realized this, her eyes shot open. She spotted Barthesis asleep near a tree.
“Barthesis!” she called. The creeper smacked his lips and slowly opened his eyes. “Barthesis, have you seen Isis?” she asked him. She was now on her feet. “No, I haven’t seen Isis,” he answered briefly, and closed his eyes. “Ugh!” she said, obviously annoyed with the beast. “Of course you do not care!” she said as she threw her arms up and let them drop to her sides.
She turned and faced Jasper. She hurried over to him. She dropped to her knees and shook him. “Jasper, Jasper!”
Jasper opened his eyes and stared at her, trying to adjust his eyes and focus on her for a moment. “What is it, Staysia?” he asked, as he shot up from where he lay and hopped to his feet. He looked right and left and spread his arms and legs, doubled his fist as if he were getting ready to run.
“Isis is gone! She’s gone, Jasper!”
“No she’s not gone. She cannot be gone. We will find her!”
“Let’s look for her then. Come quick, let’s look for her!”
Jasper hobbled down the road. Staysia walked beside him. “Isis!” she called. “Isis, please!” She turned to speak to Jasper. “She wouldn’t do this. She would never just leave this way. She was taken, Jasper! She was taken during the night.”
“It is all my fault!” Jasper placed his palm on his forehead. “I should have stayed awake and watched out for thieves. Back home, we take turns watching for thieves and trespassers.”
“No, don’t you blame yourself. We all needed rest. We all desperately needed rest.”
“Isis!” she called again. She stared at the ground. She caught sight of her vial of red fairy dust that hung around her neck. A tear fell from her eye and dropped onto the vial. Staysia turned and looked down the road behind her. “Isis is gone! Gabriel is gone! I have lost them just as I have lost my parents. What was I thinking to ever come on this journey?” She turned and began to walk down the road. Jasper turned and took long strides to catch up with her. “Staysia, wait! You cannot just give up now!”
“Why not? It was you who told me that nothing would be gained from all of this anyhow. They aren’t coming back and now I have lost Isis as well!”
“I did tell you that they weren’t coming back, but still, you need to do this for yourself. I do realize that, Staysia. And I do not think you will be happy until you do.”
“Isis!” she called, before falling to her knees. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Jasper came up beside her and put his arm around her.
“There, there, princess!”
“I am no princess; I am a sorry excuse for a mortal!”
“Look Staysia!” Jasper pointed down the road at Gabriel’s horse, who galloped towards them. Staysia came to her feet and threw her arms around his neck as he ga
lloped into her arms.
She wiped her tears. “Where is Gabriel?” She kissed him on the nose and rubbed his mane. “That’s a good boy,” she said. “We must find Isis,” she said to Jasper.
“There’s the Staysia I know,” Jasper replied.
“Isis!” her voice echoed. “Isis!” she called with all her might, turning around in a circle as she called.
“Staysia, we will find Isis and we will find Gabriel. Just give it some time. Let me get my buggy and Barthesis, and we will be on our way.” He did just that, and in a moment’s time they were riding down the road, back on track as planned.
“Keep an eye out for Isis,” Staysia said.
“I will definitely keep an eye out for her, Staysia. Who would have taken her?”
“I do not know,” she answered. She thought of the immortal.
Jasper noticed she was hiding something from him by the look on her face.
“Staysia, you are sure you do not know?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“The look in your eyes tells me you haven’t told me everything.”
“Let’s just go face this ogre so we can get on with things, Jasper.”
“Of course,” Jasper replied.
The Son of Cove
The wind had begun to blow and the Dandelion stems blew in the air. A chill blew through Staysia’s hair. She wasn’t annoyed by the cold. It was more of a refreshing feeling.
How could I have lost Isis? She thought to herself. She knew the immortal was to blame for this. His cruel intentions could not just be waved away anymore. Though in her mind, she had ignored every word that the beastly immortal had told her—in reality, it had to be dealt with, and the absence of Isis wouldn’t let her brush it off.
The perfect plan would have to be put in place. There was no way out, but there had to be a way around this mess. Obtaining the map was inevitable. Where is the map? She thought. Is it back home in Caydence? It was much too late to turn back now. But how could she go on without Isis? Not knowing where her unicorn was, or how it was being treated would weigh heavy on her heart. It would soon become unbearable.
“You look very sad, Staysia.” Jasper said. “It is a beautiful day, the sun isn’t too hot—flowers abloom. Have you noticed the butterflies? Have you heard the birds? It is a beautiful day.”
“That’s easy for you to say, all of your friends are at home, safe and sound underneath the bridge.” She shook her head and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you are just trying to help. It’s just that Isis is gone now. She is all I had left.”
“I know it is difficult. Have you forgotten about the Mother? She is here with us every road we travel. These troubles we have encountered have not gone unseen. She knows about Isis and Gabriel, and she will not let us get in over our heads.”
Staysia’s jaw dropped as she turned to face Jasper. “I am impressed. I never thought I would hear an appropriate word come out of your mouth concerning the fairies.”
“I don’t imagine you would. I reckon they are alright,” he said.
“You do, do you?” Staysia had to laugh.
“Aha! I can make you smile!”
“Not only did you make me smile, but you made me laugh. Thank you, Jasper.”
“Eh, it was my pleasure. You know, it could’ve been the ogre who took Isis. They can become quite venturesome when it comes to magic.”
Staysia bit her lip. “There is something I need to tell you. I imagine I should, we are becoming close friends, right?”
“What is it?”
“When I arrived at the Grandfather Tree before, the moment I reached the Golden trees, an immortal confronted me,” Staysia began.
“What do you mean by immortal? There are many immortals,” Jasper said.
“Well, we have always called the gods immortals,” Staysia answered.
“Gods?” Jasper asked.
“Jasper, have you never known?” she asked in shock.
“Ah Staysia, I know who you speak of, but they are not known as gods to me. I have never had any business with them. I have never seen one. They will not so much as speak to a castaway such as myself. I am much too petty to bide their time. My question to you is: how can they be gods if they have never had any sort of effect on me for my entire existence?”
“Well, that is a good point, Jasper. You know there are a lot of good gods too, ones that will protect us. I do believe one of these days they will help all of you trolls if y’all would try being less cocky! You have been a great friend and I bet the good gods are smiling down on you. Somehow this evil god has some kind of business with my father because he had a map. It was a map to the Sea Child. This evil god told me that the Sea Child holds the key to immortality. He instructed me to find the map and bring it to him. He said if I do, he will grant me eternal life himself.”
“Yes well, it would be great if you would join me in eternal life, Staysia. You’d be an elf and . . .”
Staysia didn’t let him finish. “What do you mean I would be an elf, Jasper?”
“Unless you get eternal life directly from the Sea Child himself, you would have to become an elf, unless of course you would rather be a troll!”
“Jasper, I do not wish to become an elf or a troll, no offense, but I would like to stay just as I am.”
“Maybe you should just do as he asks of you, Staysia.”
“Why would a god like Nox need me to get the map for him? I just don’t get it. Why can’t he get it for himself?”
“Well if you think about it, it served a purpose in your father’s hands. Nox does not want that purpose fulfilled. He knows your hands are the safest place for it. If he makes a deal with you for the map, it is an agreement. No one can argue with that, can they? Then he can do what he wishes with it, which is probably to destroy it entirely.”
“Wow, you are brighter than I thought, Jasper!”
“Aha! You thought I was a thick headed troll, didn’t ya?”
“Ha!” She shook her head. “You just surprise me sometimes.”
Just then the sky grumbled. A gray cluster of clouds thickened above them. The forest darkened. The beastly immortal peered from the center of the clouds and said, “Staysia! If eternal life is not what you wish, then stay the way you are! No one can give you eternal life as a human, not even me, not even the Sea Child. Do you understand the words I am saying to you?”
A heavy gust of wind blew hard on Staysia and Jasper. Jasper was nearly hurled from his buggy. Staysia put her head down and held tight to the horse she sat upon. When the wind subsided, Staysia spoke. “I do not want to be anything but what I already am! What I want is my Isis. That is all. Give her to me and I will bring you the map.”
A white cloud slowly formed. Inside the fluffy white was Isis. She had her head down, as she lay staring at a stream. She looked sad. She looked like she missed Staysia.
Staysia jumped off of the horse and ran toward the cloud, but before she could get to it, it was gone, as was the dark cloud and the immortal’s face. Staysia dropped to her knees and threw dirt where the immortal had been. “Isis!” she screamed.
She turned, nostrils flared, her face was brave and determined. Her fists were balled. Staysia was angry and ready to fight for her unicorn. She threw her leg quickly around the stallion. “Let’s get past this ogre and find that map!”
No words were said between Staysia and Jasper until they were outside of Death’s Grip.
Staysia halted the horse. “We have reached Death’s Grip.” She drew her sword and held it out in the air. “You stay back!” She kicked the sides of the horse and left Jasper behind. She entered into Death’s Grip and called out to the ogre. “Come and face me, ogre! I am ready for you!” her voice echoed.
The stallion kicked his front legs and neighed as the ogre came into vision. Staysia jumped off of the horse and held her sword out in front of her. She was ready to fight.
The ogre was dirty and smelly. His clothes of leather were torn
and falling apart. He was tall and buff and hairy. Around his neck he wore the tooth of an ox. His nose was his largest feature. His voice was deep and raspy.
“Why have you come to Death’s Grip? You know I am the only one who resides here. See these mountains behind me? They belong to me! This road your horse galloped down, it is mine! Do you wish to brawl with me?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do!”
The ogre waved his large and heavy sword out in front of him. Staysia did not lose her bravery. She walked closer to the ogre.
“Are you sure you wish to battle with me? You know you do not stand a chance!”
Staysia moved her eyes across her sword, starting at the handle in her hand and ending at the tip. “Do I look like I am sure?”
“What the hell are we waiting for, then? Sword to sword!” They clicked the tips of their swords together and commenced their battle. “You humans are certainly homely!”
A bee began to buzz around her face. She watched it land on her hand and wiggled her sword. When the ogre caught sight of this, he quickly swung his sword at her and barely missed her head.
“You got lucky!” he snorted.
Staysia made her first move. She struck her sword at him, but missed him by a hair.
“You are a senseless fighter! A pig! You remind me of what I had for dinner last night! “Ha! Ha! Ha!” His deep laughter echoed through the forest.
He held his sword high above his head, and took three heavy steps toward her. She looked up at him, at his eight foot height. She stared at his heavy sword.
Immortal Page 7