A/N: I'm FINALLY back with the next installment. Hope you like it!
"Little brother, do you even know what we're doing?" Doubar asked his brother, grunting loudly as he blocked another one of the demon's attack.
"Not at all, Doubar. I don't know where we are but this island is sure well-guarded against visitors." Sinbad replied. "Bryn, have you come up with anything yet?"
The young sorceress looked up from her book.
"No, not yet."
Sinbad managed to duck just in time to avoid another attack.
"What are you doing then?"
"I'm going through a book, that's what I'm doing." Bryn replied, irritatedly. "Wait, I think I found something."
Placing the book on the rock she was sitting on, the brunette stood up. Looking down at the book, she muttered the incantation successfully. A lightning cracked above their heads and struck the demon on the head. In a less than pleasant squeal, the creature felt to the ground and vanished.
"Good job, Bryn." Doubar said as he put away his sword.
"Yes, good job." Firouz added.
Rongar simply gave her a thumb's up. Bryn's face lighted up with a smile.
"Let's get going, little Brother." Doubar said. "We need to find this porthole. Princess Leyla wasn't of much help."
They had met the princess on their last voyage. She had arrived in the pub where they had stopped to eat and drink, disguised as a peasant and had begged them to meet her at the port after the sun had set. Intrigued, Sinbad had agreed.
Later that night, they had met up with the mysterious girl just as planned. The girl had introduced herself as Princess Leyla and had requested their help in finding her little sister.
"We were separated three years ago and I never heard from her since then. Please you must help me. Go to the Isle of Mystery. On the island, you will find a porthole which will lead you into another dimension. You should be able to find my sister in that dimension."
Sinbad had frowned and had been able to ask how she knew her sister's location when a noise behind him startled them.
"I don't have much time." The princess had added. "I must go back to the castle before someone sees me. The Isle of Mystery is five days east of here. You will recognize it by the dark smoke that circles the volcano on the island. Find the porthole and save my sister."
Putting her hood back on her head, the princess had then sprinted off into the night, leaving the crew behind her.
"She did tell us where to find the island, Doubar." Sinbad reminded his brother.
With Firouz, Rongar and Doubar ahead, the crew began walking.
"So I did a good job?"
Sinbad turned to the young sorceress.
"Of course you did." Sinbad replied, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. "You're really getting the hang of it. I'm sure, with a little bit more practice, you'll be able to do every incantation in that book."
Bryn smiled.
"You've helped me a lot, Sinbad. You make me so hapy that it gives me the energy to do anything."
Sinbad forced a smile before giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head.
They had been walking for close to an hour when the crew finally stopped.
"I wonder where this porthole is?" Sinbad said as he looked around. "We've been around the island at least once."
Suddenly, a faint sound reached their ears. Sinbad motioned to them to remain quiet. He listened intently and thought he could make out what sounded like a waterfall. Frowning, he scanned the area. No waterfall in sight. Yet, he was certain this was the sound he was hearing.
"I wonder what's making that sound." Firouz said.
"Follow me." Sinbad whispered as he began to walk in the direction of the sound.
"There!" Bryn exclaimed, pointing to a clearing on their right.
The crew all turned in that direction. There, in the clearing, stood a tall stoned arch.
They were amazed by the beauty of the clearing the second they stepped inside. Birds were chirping, flowers of hundreds of different colors covered a great part of the area. The stone arch now seemed bigger and Sinbad immediately detected the watery film stretching from top to bottom.
"What's this say?" Doubar asked as he pointed to a weird inscription on the arch.
Firouz stepped closer to the stone and squinted.
"I can't read what it says. It's another language."
"Just try." Sinbad replied.
Firouz sighed.
"Okay. Here it goes. Erup straeh evah eht ytilibissop ot ees tahw eht krad straeh tonnac."
"I wonder what that means?" Bryn asked, intrigued.
"We don't have time to find out." Sinbad replied. "Let's go."
One by one, they stepped under the misty waterfall and crossed the porthole.
They stopped on the beach and decided to set up their picnic there. They'd take their time to eat before going off to explore the island. If Princess Leyla's sister was really here, they would need all of their energy to find her.
"This island looks empty." Doubar said as he looked around.
Suddenly, Dermott began flapping his wings vigorously.
"What's gotten into him?" Doubar asked, surprised.
"I don't know." Bryn replied as she unstrapped his legs from her glove.
Dermott immediately flew out of sigh.
"Maybe he just needs to stretch his wings."
"Maybe." Sinbad replied, not entirely convinced.
A movement on his left caught his eye, making his gaze snap in that direction.
"Look. Someone is laying on the beach."
They all turned in that direction. A good fifty feet away laid a little girl. From where they sat, Sinbad was unable to determine whether it was the little girl they were looking for or not. Yet, excitement washed over him and in an instant, the captain was up on his feet.
Motioning to his crew to follow him, he walked in the direction of the girl. As they got closer, he could see the blond hair waving gently in the soft wind. She was petite, making Sinbad put her around the age of four or five. The princess hadn't mentioned anything about an age.
She seemed lost in her thoughts. Laying on her stomach, chin resting on her crossed arms, she stared at the sea ahead. She jumped up on her feet at the sound of Sinbad's voice.
"Hello there." He said gently.
Lya jumped up. Her heart still racing, she looked up at the man who had just spoken. Suspicion immediately overtook her. In the couple of years she had lived here, never had she seen strangers on the island. Dim-Dim had never had visitors and had warned her to be cautious if she were ever to see newcomers. With his long hair, facial hair, tight clothing and sword, Lya figured she had a good reason to be suspicious.
"May I ask your name?" The stranger asked her.
Lya remained silent.
"Maybe she doesn't talk." Firouz said, after a few seconds of silence.
Offended, Lya replied:
"I can talk. I just don't talk to strangers."
"We're not strangers." Doubar said.
Lya's gaze snapped from Firouz to the tall, big man beside him.
"I've never seen you in the island."
"Could you tell us where we are?"
"On an island." Lya replied.
"I got that already. I mean, which island are we on?"
Lya shrugged.
"I don't know. It doesn't have a name."
"Really?" Sinbad asked, surprsied.
"Really."
"Do you have a name?"
"Yes. I'm Lya."
"Well hello Lya. This is Firouz, Doubar, Bryn, Rongar and I'm Sinbad, captain of The Nomad. We've sailed..."
"Sinbad?!" Lya asked, cutting him off in mid-sentence.
Sinbad nodded.
Lya's eyes widened. Could it be? No, it couldn't. Dim-Dim had said no one was able to enter this island for the other realm. But there was definitely strangers here today and one of them was named Sinbad?
Memories of a particular night came rushing back to her. Maeve had mentioned someone, someone who had the same name as the man standing in front of her. Lya's eyes grew even wider as thoughts raced through her mind.
"Are you okay?" Firouz asked, worried.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Do you live here alone, Lya?"
The child turned back to Sinbad.
"No. I live with my master and his apprentice."
"And what are you?"
"His other apprentice."
"You're a sorceress?" Bryn asked, surprised and excited.
For the first time, Lya noticed the brown-haired woman beside the curly man. She had seen this woman before but couldn't remember where.
"Yes." Lya replied, as she continued examining the woman's features.
Where have I seen her before?
"Where is this master of yours?" Sinbad asked.
"In our house. I can go fetch him if you'd like."
Sinbad nodded.
"Make yourself comfortable." She told the crew. "I'll be right back."
And before any of them had a chance to reply, Lya took off running in the direction of the woods.
"That is one weird child." Doubar said, as he watched her go.
"I can't argue with that." Sinbad replied.
Memories from a couple of months ago crossed her mind as she ran in the direction of her house. Maeve had been really sad and had gone to the beach to think. Lya, curious as ever, had followed. She had found her friend sobbing on the beach. Lya, unsure of what else to do, had wrapped her arms around her neck and had tried to console her. She had asked her why she was crying and Maeve had then told about her brother, the crew that she had been forced to leave and about Sinbad, her captain.
"Do you love him?"
Maeve had simply nodded, more tears forming in her eyes.
"More than you love Dermott?" She had then asked, innocently.
"It's a different kind of love."
She hadn't understood how Maeve could have love Sinbad differently than her brother but then again she didn't understand much of the adult world.
It didn't matter today. Sinbad was back, if it was him of course and now Maeve could be happy again.
She rushed through the kitchen and the living room then out the back door and out into the garden to find Maeve sitting on the ground, her eyes closed, with Dim-Dim standing behind her.
"Maeve!" Lya cried, oblivious to the state of concentration was desperately trying to achieve.
The sorceress immediately came to herself. Sighing in frustation, she looked up at the child.
"What is it, Lya?"
Panting loudly, she tried to speak.
"Calm down, child." Dim-Dim told her. "Catch your breath first."
Lya nodded. A few seconds passed before the young girl was finally able to speak once more.
"There are people. On the beach. They want to see you."
Dim-Dim's expression changed.
"Who?"
"He said his name was Sinbad."
Dim-Dim and Maeve exchanged glances.
Had she seen right? Was the Sinbad on the beach the same one Maeve had known before she came to stay with them?
"Lya, I want you to go back to the beach and bring the visitors back here."
"Are you sure, Master Dim-Dim?"
"Yes, child. Maeve and I will prepare everything for them. You just go back to the beach."
The child nodded before taking off in the direction she had just come from.
When she was out of earshot, Maeve spoke.
"Do you really think it's them? And how did they get here?"
"I think they've found the porthole. Which is pretty curious considering no one was supposed to find it."
Maeve frowned.
"The porthole to this dimension is somewhere in the other world. I, myself, tried searching for it for years but never succeeded. To have found the entrance to our dimension, someone must have told them."
"But who?"
"The only person in their world who could know about the island is Leyla."
Maeve frowned once again. She had never heard of Leyla.
