Chapter Four: The End of a Journey………..or is it?
Yukito yawned as the 'flying bowl' started on its way to the crystalline mountain that lay in front of them.
"Tired Yukito?" Umi asked, still concerned about him and the other two Knights, even though Selece's light had healed their wounds.
"Yes. This adventure is proving to be every bit as exhausting as I thought it would be." Yukito replied, as he reclined on the edge of the bowl. Before anything more could be said, the sky suddenly darkened and black clouds filled the horizon.
"What the……….?! Mokona! What's going on?!" Umi asked, only getting a confused 'puu' from Mokona for a response.
"Look!" Fuu shouted, as she pointed at something that was appearing from the gloom. As they watched, a huge holographic image appeared before them. It appeared to be a man clothed in black armor, with long ebony hair and icy purple eyes. He smiled maliciously down at them, as lightning arced around him.
"Who are you?!" Hikaru asked, as the other Magic Knights stood warily next to her.
"I am the High Priest, Zagato. I must say that your skills and your ability to get this far impress me. But this is as far as you will go. Farewell, Magic Knights." The man said, as he held a hand over them and unleashed a spell. The four Magic Knights screamed in pain as white-hot light enveloped them and they disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. Then something unexpected happened; another flash of light countered the true effects of Zagato's spell, forcing the High Priest to shield his face when his magic mirror shattered into a million pieces. Zagato scowled; he knew who was at fault now.
"You saved the Magic Knights, didn't you?" Zagato accused, as the dainty, golden haired princess looked up at him.
"Please stop, Zagato. Please." Emeraude begged, tearfully. Zagato merely stood where he was and glared at her.
Ferio sighed as he looked around the empty tavern. Things were definitely not normal around here.
"I would like to know the way to the nearest town. By the way, I've noticed that everybody seems depressed around here." Ferio said, noticing the air of despair around the place. The tavern keeper sighed.
"Monsters attack almost every day now. And there's…………." the tavern keeper trailed off, preventing himself from saying anything else.
"What?" Ferio asked, curiosity piqued.
"N-nothing!" the tavern keeper stuttered, before faking laughter and rushing off, leaving Ferio standing there, scratching his head. Moments later, Ferio was on his way again. He wondered how the Magic Knights were doing. He smiled when he remembered Fuu. But the smile vanished when a familiar roar sounded, signaling the arrival of a monster. With ease only befitting someone of Ferio's stature, Ferio took out the monster, ready when two more attacked.
"That tavern keeper was right! There are more monsters about!" Ferio muttered, before it started raining.
"Oh great!" Ferio groaned, before running off to find some shelter. When he'd found some, he sat down and started drying himself off, grumbling complaints under his breath as he did so. He stopped when he felt something pulsate against his chest. Reaching into his tunic, he brought out the orb he hadn't given Fuu and looked at it.
"Ferio! Ferio!" a girl's voice called from it. Ferio froze; he knew that voice!
"Ferio, this is Princess Emeraude!" the voice implored, desperately.
"Princess Emeraude! Where are you? Tell me where you are and I will come and rescue you right now!" Ferio shouted, suddenly very alert.
"Go to the lake on the outskirts of the Peerless Village. You must help the Magic Knights! They need your help! Please rescue them, Ferio!" Emeraude begged, before her voice faded and the orb went quiet.
"Princess Emeraude! Wait I……………!" Ferio trailed off when he found that it would be useless to continue talking to the orb. Silently, he started walking to where he knew the lake to be. When he'd arrived, he paused and looked down. He was stunned when a light appeared and, when that faded, left the four unconscious Knights lying there.
"Fuu!" Ferio yelped, as he kneeled down next to her and lifted her part way into his arms. She uttered a gasp and opened her eyes, looking startled at seeing Ferio kneeling there.
"Ferio? What're you doing here?" Fuu asked, as the other three Magic Knights roused up, none the worse for wear.
"Ouch………what a shock! Oh, hello Ferio-kun!" Yukito greeted, good-naturedly.
"Hey! What happened to you guys?" Ferio asked, noticing the slightly singed appearance of their clothes.
"We nearly got fried by that jerk, Zagato!" Umi said, looking about ready to pop in her frustration.
"No kidding. Come on, there's a town nearby. The least I can do is get you all a bite to eat." Ferio said, as he helped them all to their feet and led the way back to the town. When they'd arrived in the town's tavern, they all sat down, grateful for a rest. Poor Mokona, on the other hand, wandered aimlessly around, still knocked silly by Zagato's blast.
"So, Ferio-kun, how did you know that we were going to turn up near that lake?" Yukito asked. Ferio was immediately taken off guard.
"Erm………….uh…………." Ferio stuttered, then noticed that all eyes were on him.
"Yeah, Ferio, how did you know?" Umi asked, while she and Fuu moved in to better hear his explanation.
"Well…………….the orb I gave Fuu……….and the orb I still have………..they are not exactly wishing jewels." Ferio said, reluctantly.
"WHAT?!" Umi exploded, forcing poor Ferio to hide under a table.
"Hey! Don't kill me!" Ferio shouted, as Umi looked venomously at him. Fuu, on the other hand, blushed furiously.
"Then you heard their wishes, didn't you, Ferio-kun?" Yukito asked, looking slightly amused about the situation.
"Yeah, I did." Ferio said, from his safe haven under the table across the room.
"Then you heard my wish………..?" Fuu asked, her voice barely audible. Ferio blushed and nodded. Yukito chuckled while Hikaru looked completely lost.
"What does that have to do with this?" Hikaru asked, looking to Yukito for advice.
"I think Ferio-kun's about to explain………from the safety of his shelter." Yukito replied, laughing when Umi circled the table Ferio was hiding under.
"Princess Emeraude contacted me by the orb and told me where you would turn up. I don't know how she knew though." Ferio replied, seriously, but still from within the relative safety of his hiding place.
"I get it! That thing's some sort of cell phone isn't it?" Umi asked, getting the anime sweat-drop from her friends for a response.
"What's a cell phone? Some kind of monster from your world?" Ferio asked, looking very much confused.
"Never mind, Ferio." Umi said, as she sat down and Ferio got out from under his table. They were all about to settle down and eat when the doors were thrown open and several men charged in, all of them armed with swords and spears.
"Not again!" Umi yelped, as she and her fellow Magic Knights armed themselves and faced the townsfolk.
"It appears that we are unwelcome in this town!" Yukito shouted, as he parried a blow with his sword and landed a kick to his opponent's stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of him.
"Sure looks that way, Yukito-san!" Fuu said, as she dodged a blow from another man. In the midst of the melee, Ferio spotted the tavern keeper, ran over to him, grabbed him, and held a knife to his throat.
"All of you stop right now! If you don't stop, I will kill him!" Ferio shouted, getting the attention of the men. Within moments, the situation was under control.
"Why did you attack us?" Hikaru asked, stunned by what had just happened.
"If we hadn't, she would have killed us and destroyed the town." The tavern keeper said, sadly.
"She? Who is 'she'?" Ferio asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. The tavern keeper averted his eyes.
"She's a minion of Zagato. Her name is Caldina." The tavern keeper said, somberly.
"Caldina, eh?" Ferio muttered, his golden eyes taking on a sly appearance.
"How many minions does Zagato have, anyway?!" Umi asked, already sick and tired of facing minions of Zagato. Ferio ignored Umi's ranting and went back to interrogating the tavern keeper.
"Does she have any particular weaknesses?" Ferio asked.
"Why? Are you thinking of fighting her?! You're insane to even consider it!" another man exclaimed, aghast.
"I'm not thinking of fighting her, I just need to know if she has any weaknesses, that's all." Ferio said, calmly.
"Well, she does have a weakness for money, sir." A youth who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen said, quietly.
"Money? Does she like to gamble as well?" Ferio asked. The youth nodded.
"In fact, before you came here with those girls and guy, she was willing to forget that we had weapons in this town if we paid up in gold." The youth said, matter-of-factly.
"Thank you for telling me. Now I think I can get the Magic Knights out of here." Ferio said, then looked at the youth.
"What's your name, kid?" Ferio asked.
"Syaoran. I'm the son of a knight who went to fight Zagato and did not return." The youth replied, gripping his sword's pommel and looking up at Ferio proudly.
"Do ya have any relations around here, Syaoran-kun? Aunts, uncles, grandparents?" Yukito asked. Syaoran shook his head.
"How sad. You're all alone." Umi said, sympathetically.
"I'm never really alone, though, I have a fairy that travels with me, but she's hiding right now." Syaoran replied, bravely.
"You travel a lot by yourself, don't you, Syaoran-chan?" Hikaru asked. Syaoran blushed slightly and nodded.
"I'm on a quest. I intend to become a knight, just like my father." Syaoran said, with pride.
"I'm sure you'll make a great knight!" Hikaru said, with a smile. Syaoran nodded, encouraged by the red haired Magic Knight.
"Do have an idea to save the town, Ferio?" Fuu asked.
"Yeah. But you'll have to leave quickly after I distract Caldina." Ferio said, calmly. Fuu started to object, but was prevented from doing so by Ferio, who gently placed a finger to her lips.
"Don't worry. I'll be careful." Ferio said, gently. He then looked at the other three Magic Knights.
"By the way, how many Mashin have you revived?" Ferio asked, getting a confused look from the four Knights.
"One. Isn't that all we need?" Hikaru asked (by now the townsfolk had left the tavern). Ferio shook his head.
"According to the legend, there are four Mashin, one for every Magic Knight." Ferio said, backing away before Umi could go on a rampage.
"That would explain why we were heading for that floating mountain. There must be another shrine up there." Yukito murmured, thoughtfully.
"And another shrine means another Mashin………….that means that our quest has only just begun." Fuu said, still looking a little worried about Ferio.
"So the sooner you guys can get out of here, the sooner you can get to that Mashin!" Syaoran said, then added, "Don't worry, Sir Ferio can handle Caldina."
"We'll take your word for it, Syaoran-chan." Hikaru said, smiling when the young knight hopeful smiled back at her.
"Syaoran, do me a favor and help the Magic Knights get out of town. You know the woods, you should be able to get them out, unnoticed." Ferio said, as he left the tavern, prepared to lay the groundwork for his plan.
"C'mon. We'll go to the house I've been staying in till nightfall. Then we can use the back door to make our escape." Syaoran said, as he led the four Knights across the town's square. The moment Yukito had stepped through the door and Syaoran had closed it behind him, they were confronted by a something that had wings.
"Nani……….?!?" Yukito yelped, as the fairy ran into his face.
"Meiling! You know better than to attack visitors!" Syaoran scolded, as the fairy looked at him and gave him a sheepish look.
"Gomene." Meiling said, in a small, musical voice.
"No problem. You were just being protective, that's all. My name is Yukito." Yukito said, as the fairy smiled at him.
"Pleased to meet you!" Meiling chirped, then turned and looked at Hikaru, Umi and Fuu.
"Who're they?" Meiling asked, as she pointed at the girls.
"I'm Hikaru!" Hikaru said, cheerfully.
"My name's Umi." Umi introduced, as she 'shook fingers' with the tiny sprite.
"And I'm Fuu." Fuu finished, as Meiling approached her and looked closely at her glasses.
"I think she likes you four. She doesn't usually take to strangers." Syaoran commented.
"Maybe she was just shy. Ne, Meiling-san?" Yukito asked. The fairy blushed and nodded, before hiding in Syaoran's hair. Slowly, the hours passed and the sun dipped below the horizon. When darkness had fallen over the town, Syaoran poked his head out and took a look around. All clear.
"Okay, the coast is clear. Let's go." Syaoran whispered, as he led the group out of the house and into the starlit night. Ferio was nowhere to be seen, but they could assume that he was busy distracting Caldina. It took them several hours to get through the woods and onto a clear path again. By then, pale slivers of light were streaking across the predawn sky.
"Finally, the path." Umi muttered, stifling a yawn as she walked.
"Do you think we could stop and rest now, Syaoran-kun? Hikaru-san's already asleep." Yukito said, nodding at the slumbering girl in his arms.
"It should be safe enough. We're well away from the town, and they don't know which direction we took. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Syaoran said, as the four Knights settled down, sleep quickly overtaking Umi and Yukito. Fuu, on the other hand, remained awake, her worry for Ferio overwhelming.
"Ferio…………….." Fuu thought, as she gazed back at the forest they had left behind them.
"Hey, Fuu………can you hear me?" a familiar voice asked, from the orb she carried!
"Ferio!" Fuu yelped, rousing Umi, Yukito and Hikaru and startling Syaoran. She heard a chuckle from Ferio as she looked at the orb.
"My plan worked! You guys are free to go and find the rest of the Mashin. Good luck!" Ferio said, cheerfully.
"Thank you, Ferio." Fuu whispered, relieved that the handsome rogue was all right.
Meanwhile, far away, Caldina cheerfully counted the money she'd won from Ferio while they had been playing cards. She looked up when she heard the door open.
"Hey……" a boy's voice said, as its owner peeked into the room.
"Hey, Ascot." Caldina said, gently.
"Did anything good happen today?" Ascot asked, sounding sad.
"I got this money, but the Magic Knights slipped through my fingers. Don't worry, we'll get them." Caldina said, reassuringly. Ascot looked down at the boards that made up the floor he was standing on, looking almost ashamed. He no longer wanted to get the Magic Knights, but he couldn't bring himself to telling Caldina that.
"What am I going to do?" Ascot wondered, as he wandered back outside and gazed at the early morning sky.