Dark Enlightening

by Shawnna Lea

  "I'm not going to jail again, ESPECIALLY like this! We need to escape. Uh... quick! Throw us over the fence!" He yanked and pulled at Whisper who folded his arms with an amused smirk.

  "I think it's too late for that." Sylvia nodded her head up the hill. Lord Braddock was walking slowly toward them, looking shocked, followed by his guards and the owner, Darlene. Avic quit pulling, straightening his shirt and overalls.

  "Don't you dare kill my father, Whisper."

  "He threw me off a balcony. I could have broken my neck!" Lord Braddock stopped a few feet away, still staring. He looked from Avic to Whisper to Sylvia and back. Finally, he cleared his throat.

  "I am sorry I didn't listen to you before, son. I should have been more helpful. But look," he pulled a rolled paper from his overcoat holding it out, "I got you out of trouble... with His Majesty..." He shifted uncomfortably. Avic took the paper, skimming it.

  "Um thanks... this is good. I can definitely use this." Lord Braddock squatted in front of him, at a loss for words.

  "I don't even know what to say, Avic."

  Avic shrugged, trying to play it cool though inside he was screaming.

  "I figure a good wizard can fix this." Whisper snorted, and Lord Braddock stood, angry all over again. Avic stood between them, knowing now he was even less of a roadblock than before.

  "You're the whole cause of this! If you hadn't got him to go looking for this wizard in the first place none of this would have happened!"

  Whisper dropped his mouth open in mock surprise.

  "Me? I didn't force him, in fact, I was the only intelligent one in the first place. I didn't even want to go down the blasted hole. In fact, I didn't want to be near that cursed wizard in the first place!"

  "STOP IT!" Everyone looked down at Sylvia who stood there as if nothing had changed, wagging a finger at both of them. "Now is not the time! In fact, we have no time at all! We have to stop Traz. Now that he's even more powerful, we can't afford to run around from one point to another. We need a plan. So, Lord Braddock, stop throwing Whisper from windows and help. Whisper, stop arguing with everyone, it's unbecoming of a gentleman. We have to work together, understood?" Lord Braddock huffed but nodded. Whisper studied his fingertips, pretending not to pay attention. Avic rubbed his hands together, ready to get going now that it was all settled.

  "So we need a good, strong wizard." In a flash, Whisper was up the tree and over the fence. Sylvia ran after him, yelling that they needed him while the guards shouted and tried to follow. Avic just shook his head. They wouldn't catch him. And if by some miracle they did, Avic would make sure he had every opportunity to escape. Traz didn't need more power, and no one deserved to be enslaved. He turned back to his father smiling up at him. "He never claimed to be a gentleman. Is it time to go?"

  Chapter 18

  All the chatter was giving him a headache. They had a limited amount of time before Traz dropped the sky on everyone, and here they were, arguing out a plan that wouldn't work. Avic and Sylvia had both told them there was no sneaking up on someone who built the world you walked into.

  Master Ferock agreed. He couldn't even undo the spell on them. Traz had surpassed his power. Two days had passed, and they were no closer to a solution. Avic was just glad Whisper still had a third of the Dark Star,or things would be even worse. Not that it helped, since Whisper was leagues away by now, but at least it wasn't hurting either.

  He decided to slip out. Walking down the familiar castle corridor brought back fun memories. The prince and he were about the same age and had been close friends till matters of state had taken over his life and Avic had had to start learning his family's business. He stopped at the tall windows that looked over the cliff, pulling himself up to lean over. Water spilled far below, the wide, fast-moving river cutting around half of the castle. The noise of the city didn't reach this far, and he turned away from the peaceful scene. There wouldn't be any peace at all if Traz weren't stopped.

  He caught sight of Sylvia slipping into her room down the hall and shrugged. She was taking all of this hard. She was constantly thinking of ways that they might take Traz. It was stressing her greatly. But then, maybe if he had children of his own to worry about,, he would stress more as well.

  He didn't bother the servants but slipped quietly into his bedclothes and pulled the covers over his head. Perhaps in sleep he could escape some of the guilt. He'd helped Traz find that power, and that power was destroying him and everything else.

  It felt as if he had barely fallen asleep when something heavy fell on him. He struggled, trying to scream, but whoever it was had their hand over his face. He quit struggling, hoping whoever it was didn't mean to suffocate him. The hand moved, pulling the blanket back, and Avic squinted into the dark, his heart racing. The large ears on this silhouette gave away his identity.

  "Whisper, you idiot!" He threw the pillow at his friend's face who dropped, missing the projectile by inches.

  "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

  Avic shuffled around, trying to light the bedside candle with no success.

  "Well, I'm not! You're going to get caught! I thought you'd be on the other side of the country by now!" His sparks finally landed where he wanted them, and he lit the candle, turning to study the assassin. He looked fine, so he couldn't be here for sanctuary.

  "I was on my way to AnchorRing, but the road out there is now a deep chasm made by another leak in the sky. So, I decided to see how you were doing."

  "Giving me a heart attack isn't the nicest way to find out."

  Whisper shrugged, rolling off the bed to his feet. He proceeded to look through every cabinet and drawer. "If you're looking for a drink, you should know it's been denied me. Goes right to my head." Whisper sighed, falling back onto the covers.

  "That's the worst thing I've heard all day."

  Avic scowled at him.

  "Then you're severely disconnected with the world. It's going to be destroyed, or have you forgotten?" Whisper rolled around unconcernedly, tangling up the blankets. Avic yanked on them to get his attention. "Did you really just come here to laugh at everyone?"

  Whisper smiled mischievously, and Avic dropped back onto the pillows. Why did he think Whisper would come back with a miracle?

  "As a matter of fact, I did give some thought to your predicament on my travels. Seems to me that we never found what we were looking for to begin with." Avic sat up, staring at him, feeling more than a little annoyed.

  "We were looking for a magic treasure. We found it. Turned out to be a disaster. Did you REALLY forget?" Whisper rolled over propping his head in his hands, his eyes laughing.

  "No, my dear Avic, we did not. What we found was a power sealed away behind a wall. What we were looking for is over that underground lake." Avic considered that. It made sense. Perhaps what they needed to combat this Dark Star was right beside it the whole time. He leapt up, bouncing Whisper off the bed. He pulled out his clothes tripping in his haste to put them on.

  "You seem in a hurry."

  Avic gave him an incredulous look.

  "We have to tell them!"

  "Tell who? Ferock? You really want to see him with even more power?" Avic paused. He didn't really trust Master Ferock. But who else was there? "We started off just the three of us and I think it should stay three."

  Avic's mouth dropped open.

  "Sylvia?"

  "Why not?"

  "Because she can't stand violence, and I doubt Traz is going to step down gracefully!"

  "But handing a man like Ferock means to even greater power is not what I would call intelligent. Sylvia, on the other hand, has been whining about other people getting hurt this whole trip. Even getting shrunk she's still more stressed about Traz destroying everyone than her own situation. She's perfect." Avic never thought Whisper would suggest that ANY magic wielder was perfect, but there he was, smiling like he and her were best buddies. But if they got her involved even more... if anything happened to her again, Avic could n
ever forgive himself.

  "She'll probably be more of the mindset to let Master Ferock do it." Whisper shrugged.

  "I'm not."

  Avic sighed pulling on his little boots.

  "What time is it anyway?"

  "A little past three." Of course.

  Avic glanced up and down the hall but there were no guards in sight. He motioned for Whisper and they both trotted down the hall, slipping silently into Sylvia's room. There was no light but what came through the window.

  "Can I jump on her too? Girls love it." Avic closed the door behind them, glancing toward the bedchamber.

  "No, you may not!" He lit a lamp while Whisper sulked. "Sylvia! Wake up, we need to talk." A few moments later, Sylvia came out wrapped in a blanket. It dragged behind her, and she looked terribly tired.

  "This had better be good--" She almost tripped as the blanket quit moving due to Whisper stepping on it. She spun around, a little worry flashing for only a moment. "WHISPER! How dare you leave like that! We needed you to--" He pushed past her beginning to paw through her cupboards and drawers.

  "No, Sylvia, WE need YOU." She stopped, watching him for a moment before turning to Avic.

  "If he's looking for spirits, he's out of luck." Avic laughed, motioning to the couches.

  "It just so happens we MIGHT have a way to beat Traz. Maybe."

  Sylvia excitedly joined him by the long gone out fire. When he was done explaining it she jumped up.

  "Well, what are we waiting for! Let's go tell everyone!"

  "It's three in the morning."

  She gave Whisper an exasperated look.

  "So?"

  "What Whisper means is we're not so sure it's a good idea to let as power-hungry a man as Master Ferock have the opportunity." She looked back and forth between them as though they'd both gone insane.

  "People are dying, the land is being destroyed, the SKY is FALLING! We don't have time to be picky!"

  "I think you should do it."

  She stared at Whisper, shock apparent.

  "Me? I'm nowhere near as powerful as--"

  "But that won't matter once you have the other source. You'll even be more powerful than Traz because you'll have all of it where Traz only has two thirds of what was available. See?" She sat down hard, clearly overwhelmed.

  "But I don't know any magic to disarm him or anything! All I know is how to heal people!" Whisper shrugged unconcernedly.

  "It's not that hard. Besides, I think all you'll really have to do is undo whatever Traz does. You have a quick mind, and Avic will be there to support you all the way."

  "Thanks for voting me in, Whisper."

  He flashed a smile at Avic as he dumped himself on the other couch. Sylvia stared at her feet, flicking her toes ever so slightly.

  "What if I fail?"

  "What if you do? Can't be much worse than now. Except you probably won't have to worry about it anymore."

  Avic glared at Whisper. He didn't need any influence from the Dark Star. He was just a jerk. He patted Sylvia's hand, smiling at her when she looked up at him.

  "You won't fail. Want to know why? Because you care too much. And Whisper's right about one thing. I'll be right beside you all the way." Sylvia bit her lip then stood, pacing to the fireplace. It was a while before she turned back to them. "I don't think Master Ferock is a good choice either. I've decided I'll try."

  "Great! Now all we have to do is get out of here."

  Whisper rolled to his feet, taking the lead. "I got this."

  Chapter 19

  Angel handed them their packs as they came out of the tunnel in her room and immediately led them out the back way. Apparently Whisper hadn't doubted they would agree with him and as usual had their complete escape planned out in detail. How he had done so was a mystery. Angel and he spoke so quietly Avic couldn't make it out. When she threw her arms around Whisper and proceeded to kiss him passionately, he was glad he hadn't heard. Sylvia shifted uncomfortably in front of him, ready to go. Whisper joined them, swinging into his own saddle with ease.

  "I'll be back." Angel smiled, but there was a quality of sadness about it that made Avic rethink their relationship. Perhaps his friend had more than a fling going. Whisper led their horses at a brisk clip to the city gate where he handed a note to one of the guards in passing. No one stopped them, and Avic didn't question it. Soon they were in the grassy fields beyond the gate heading south east.

  They didn't stop all day, even eating in the saddle. They rotated between a walk and canter, the horses not tiring as quickly as Avic would have thought. When he asked Whisper where the horses came from he just smiled over his shoulder, refusing to answer. Night found them still travelling, trusting Whisper's eyesight.

  "Whisper, we have to stop. This is killing me!" Sylvia stretched in the saddle, squishing Avic a bit but he wouldn't complain. He'd already got a jab in the ribs once from complaining about her. Whisper shook his head.

  "Not for three more miles."

  "That should put us there! Wasn't that Nikton we passed?" Again, Whisper didn't answer, and Sylvia slouched unhappily. Finally, Whisper led them off the trail, stopping the horses by a familiar stream. They slid off the poor horse, Avic stretching to pat it compassionately. Both horses looked tired but not exhausted. Sylvia and he put together he doubted weighed even a hundred pounds and he knew Whisper was much lighter than he looked. His eye caught the brand on his horse, and he rounded on Whisper.

  "How did you get these horses? These are from the king's stables! Don't tell me he loaned them to you because I won't believe it." Whisper smirked.

  "The king didn't loan them to me. I doubt he knows they're missing yet."

  "You STOLE THEM? ARE YOU CRAZY?" Whisper scowled then put a finger to his mouth, pointing. Avic glanced that way, surprised to see Sylvia asleep on the grass not too far away. He glared at Whisper.

  "What? I didn't steal them." He pulled the saddle off his horse and started rubbing it down. "Captain Ternber let me borrow them. He said we'd get farther faster. And he was right. They're excellent horses." Avic stared at Whisper uncertainly. His stories usually made sense. This did not.

  "Captain Ternber. As in THE Captain Ternber? The one who leads the King's special forces? As in the one who's hunted you for years and years? That Ternber?" Whisper dropped the other saddle and began rubbing their horse.

  "I believe so."

  "He leant you horses? AND without letting His Majesty know?"

  "That's about the size of it."

  "Why are you always lying to me?" Avic sat by the water and splashed his face. He was exhausted but at least for once Whisper was doing all the work.

  "Why do you always assume I am? It just so happens I'm telling the truth. Ternber made me promise to do something, and in return, he's stalling the search for you two as long as he can. So we get the other power source, stop Traz, and all's well that ends well." He untied a blanket from a saddle, tossing it over Sylvia. Avic tugged out the other blanket, sitting next to him.

  "Since when do YOU just run into Captain Ternber and not end up in chains?" Whisper chuckled closing his eyes.

  "Since I made his very close cousin a very happy woman. I guess I did lie a little, though. Angel got the horses." Avic's eyebrows rose.

  "Angel is Captain Ternber's cousin?" Whisper sighed, getting a little annoyed.

  "Yes, and I've told him plenty of information to merit he and his men ignoring me a little through the years. I've known him far longer than I've known you. Now go to sleep. We're moving before sunrise." Avic knew it was useless to try to get him to talk any further after that. And he WAS tired.

  Seemed he'd only just shut his eyes when Sylvia was shaking him awake. He sat up, his eyesight still blurry. Whisper had a fire going, and Avic rolled over to it, yawning. Sylvia pushed some bread into his hands and checked what smelled like tea.

  "So we enter the mine again today. How are we going to get over the water?"

  Whisper shrugged.

 
"Maybe we could find a log or something to float on." Sylvia looked around their little campsite. There weren't any fallen trees of any size around.

  "Probably we'll have to walk around the edge like we had thought at first. And HOPE we don't fall in." Whisper stood, dusting off and began saddling the horses.

  "Wish he'd sent you with three." Sylvia scowled at Avic, sipping her drink. Whisper finished and started kicking dirt in the fire. Sylvia coughed. "Whisper! I'm not done! We can wait a little longer, I doubt they're going to catch up anyway." But he only shook his head, taking the blanket from around her shoulders and starting to quickly roll it up.

  "No time." Avic began rolling his blanket, mostly to avoid Sylvia's questioning look. He was sure Whisper wasn't telling them something but he doubted he would admit to anything.

  The horses climbed the trail up toward the mine opening. This was beginning to become a very familiar trail. Whisper pushed the horses all the way to the opening, with a couple close calls as their horses took turns loosing their footing. Whisper was first through the hole, lighting the lamp inside. Now Avic knew something was up.

  "Okay, Whisper, why are you so anxious to get there? I thought you hated this mine and thought it would fall in on us?" They had to hurry to keep up with him as he strode ahead into the dark.

  "It hasn't fallen yet. It'll last a few more minutes."

  "I know that. I just didn't know YOU knew."

  Whisper shrugged. The tunnel was soon over, and Whisper climbed first into the cavern. Sylvia snatched Avic's arm as he began to follow.

  "I don't like this. It's not like him." Avic sighed, looking through the hole where Whisper was already down by the water.

  "We don't have much choice. Maybe he just wants this over with." Sylvia didn't look convinced but climbed into the cavern, Avic following. They slid down beside Whisper who crouched at the water's edge. Avic's eyes were immediately drawn to the water and more precisely the raised trail all the way across to the other side.

  Sylvia glared at Whisper. "That's new. Where did it come from, Whisper?" He shrugged in response.