20/2/07

Title: The care and feeding of flying boys

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Ten – Closing the Gap

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Authors Note: Apologies for the delay, the computer has been in the shop more times than at home this month, plus I lost my first version of this chapter through a stupid mistake on my part. I also have to apologise for my websites being down. I have no idea why it is, other than something is very wrong with the server, so please be patient and I'm sure they will all be back up and running asap. In the meantime I will endeavour to get the next chapter out in a more timely fashion and post it here for your enjoyment.

To those that have given feedback and comments, you are much beloved by this author and the reason I am still writing, after three years, in this genre. You make it all worthwhile. Thank you.

Now...read on!

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Closing The Gap

Stretch squatted in the shade of a tree, Grub and Harry beside him while they waited for Squid to indicate their next move. They'd tracked Wendy and her abductor across the blackened wasteland, avoiding the Ashbeast by the simple ruse of making a large enough bonfire to keep the beast happy while they crossed it's domain unmolested. They had found the campfire and seen the marks of the Wolves, Squid pronouncing gloomily that they'd be lucky to find much more than scraps if they caught up with them.

"Look how many were here," Squid pointed at the ground, " 'undreds of them. They're dog tucker for sure!"

"There's not blood, no ripped clothes," observed Harry, staring around the campsite.

"I've never seen a wolf, Squid," said Grub, awe evident in his voice, " 'ave you?"

"Nope. We don't hunt them, they don't 'unt us. It's the law."

"Then where does the Indian's get the pelts?" Stretch asked, " 'cos I know Peter's bed is covered in them, ain't it."

"Ask the bloody Indian's, I don't know. I only knows that if we leave them alone, they leave us alone," Squid growled, his eyes never leaving the pattern of paw and foot prints on the ground.

"But we have to follow them, if we're to find the Wendy Lady." Happy pointed out, Stretch and Grub nodding their agreement.

"True...so keep your eyes pealed, and yelp if you see anything move," Squid ordered, waving them forward to follow him. "It'll be dark soon and they'll have the advantage, so move fast and quiet-like."

"I don't want to be dog tucker Squid,"

"And ya won't be Grub. Remember – fast and quiet."

The small party of Lost Boys made good time, the tracks of the wolves and their captives clear in the mud and dust of the woods, Squid barely needing to glance down to see the way to go. Soon they were standing in the shadows of the trees bordering a great meadow. They could see off in the distance the forms of wolves moving between several raised mounds of dirt. Apart from the distant barks and yips of the wolves, there was not evidence of a human among them. Squid had out his spyglass, the small tube held to his eye as he searched the meadow.

"Nothin' but pups and females, far as I can make out."

"Well, that's a relief. They're not likely to attack us, are they?" Harry asked. Squid lowered the glass and gave the younger boy a scathing look.

"Females are the most vicious, 'specially when defending their young."

Harry, Grub and Stretch all swallowed, sweat breaking out on their palms and foreheads as they waited for Squid to finish his reconnaissance of the wolf meadow. Still holding the glass to his eye, Squid spoke again.

"Don't see no males. Reckon we circle around, down wind of that lot and see what we can pick up on t'other side. Maybe they took 'em somewhere..."

"Maybe they ate them already," Stretch moaned, barely ducking in time to avoid Squid's fist.

"Shut your cake hole." Squid ordered, glaring at the others in turn before motioning them forward. "Follow me and keep your 'eads down."

Bent double, the four Lost Boys sped through the thick grass, its rank height keeping them hidden from the wolf families up ahead. Squid held onto his collection of weapons to stop them jangling together as he ran, the others doing something similar as they raced to reach the trees without being detected. Once more in the shadows of the forest they rested before sending Stretch up a tall tree to get a better view over the meadow. He shimmied down and joined the others, sprawling his long frame out and fanning himself.

"Still nothing but pups and bitches, far as I can tell." Stretch reported, swatting at an insect.

"Good. We still 'ave 'ours before dark, let's make the most of them. Stay downwind, an' keep low until we gets higher up the hill. Look out for tracks 'cos I reckon they must have gone up, if they was here."

"Right you are Squid," "Right O Guv'nor," replied the others getting to their feet and hurrying after him as he stomped off between the densely packed trees.

An hour later and they had picked up the trail again, Grub spotting the imprint of a bare foot in the soft earth, Stretch reporting a mass of wolf paw marks shadowing the human trail.

"Reckon they went willingly?" Harry asked, looking back down the hill, the meadow no longer visible but still making him nervous.

"At least they're still alive," Squid grunted, taking the lead and waving the others onwards. The dense thickets gave way to woodland, and eventually thinned to hillside pasture. The sun was well down in the sky when Squid called a halt, raising his arm and signaling for the others to get low.

"What is it?" Harry asked, exchanging worried glances around the open area, the tall grasses seemingly dotted with large rocky outcrops.

"Don't you smell that?" Squid asked, tilting his head and sniffing the air. The others did the same, Grub screwing his face up with the effort.

"Smell what?" Harry asked. Squid shook his head and flattened himself on his belly, the others following suit. There were few trees this far up the slope and the sun was starting to sink, highlighting the cairn of rocks at the summit.

"Wolves," Squid hissed, easing his bow off his back along with an arrow, the others exchanging uneasy looks before doing the same. Grub lifted himself up enough to see over the heads of the others, his quick glance noting a quantity of large black rocks scattered over the ground ahead, like marbles tossed carelessly about.

"There's nuffin there but a bunch of old rocks," Grub whispered, shrugging when Squid shot the young boy a glare. As they lay in the long grass, the last of the sun warm on their backs, the four boys heard a noise that made the hair on the back of their necks stand straight up. The first haunting howl was quickly joined by a chorus of others, the air suddenly full of unearthly sound coming from all around the small huddle of Lost Boys, the last of the sun leaving the rocky outcrop above and casting the hillside into long shadows and gloom.

"Squi-i-id?" Harry's tremulous voice cut through the sudden silence following the departure of the sun. A flash of lightning suddenly rent the sky, making all of the jump, the sky suddenly black with cloud. Another flash preceded a downpour that soaked everything on the hillside in seconds. Squid started to curse under his breath, the rain flattening his hair and making it drip into his eyes. Like a tap turning off, the rain suddenly stopped, the sky clearing in a way that only happened in Neverland.

As if the rain had been a signal, the rocks devolved into the dark shapes of massive wolves, the black mounds surrounding the small huddle of wet boys in an unbroken circle. The fierce looking beasts walked forward, a growl from one alerting their prey only a second before they were surrounded, Harry letting out a shriek when one creature suddenly snapped at him, seizing the boys' bow and splintering it in two.

One animal stepped forward from the pack and opened it's mouth.

"This is no place for Lost Boys," growled the animal through it's frightening teeth.

"Did that-that wolf sp-speak?" Stretch asked, his eyes as wide as saucers. Squid ignored him and answered the leader of the pack.

"We're lookin' for someone. We saw tracks and followed 'em."

"The one you seek is in the Cave of Dreams and beyond your reach. Go back Lost boys," the wolf growled, its dark eyes gleaming in the half light.

"We can't..." Harry started to say.

"Only the Pan can enter the cave. If you won't leave you will stay with us and wait. Surrender your weapons." The leader growled more forcefully, the other members of the pack baring their teeth in a frightening array of white, pointed fangs.

"Reckon we should do as he says Squid," Stretch muttered, edging back and bumping in to Harry and Grub.

"Reckon so." Squid agreed, dropping his quiver and knife onto the grass at his feet. "Hand over ya stuff boys..."

With the Lost Boy's disarmed, the pack started to melt away, leaving only a few to guard the boys. The sky was now clear and covered in stars, the black rocky outcrop at the summit framed by diamonds on a velvet cloth.

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Wendy swayed, her feet almost dancing over the rocky floor, the music leading her ever onwards. The figures beside her urged her onwards, flickering like flames over the rock face as they frolicked and cavorted on the painted stone canvas. So absorbed by the experience, she didn't notice when the passageway opened into a round cavern, the music leading her to dance in a circle, Wendy spinning faster and faster until she was breathless and dizzy, laughing for the sheer joy of it. Abruptly the music ended, the figures on the walls fading into nothing and leaving their captive standing in the center of a rocky room. Wendy stared about her with some surprise, the rounded entrance to the cave now replaced by a wooden door set into a stone frame, each of the six doors sporting a different design carved into their surface. Shiny brass door knobs invited investigation and Wendy stared at each door in turn before making her choice. She was a little fearful of being enclosed in the round room, but the ceiling was so high she didn't feel shut in, a light infusing the walls and casting no shadows as she stood hesitating in the center. Looking down at her feet she could see what looked like six different paved pathways leading one to each door, radiating out like spokes from a central circle in which she stood.

"Am I supposed to choose?" She asked out loud, turning full circle, "is that what you want me to do?"

No one answered her, despite her repeating the questions and waiting for an answer for several minutes. She stayed standing in the center, almost afraid to step out of the circle, staring at the doors and trying to make out the carvings. It was as if a veil drew over her vision every time she tried to focus, the images remaining elusive until, she supposed, she decided on which door to try first. As if to help her make up her mind, the light in the cavern dimmed and only remained around one of the doors, a faint light now appearing to come from behind it.

"So you want me to try this door," Wendy chewed her lip for a second before stepping on to the pathway that led to the door outlined in light. Above the door, carved into the stone lintel were words.

"A future to consider" Wendy read aloud, "what could that mean?" Feeling incredibly nervous, Wendy reached out her hand for the round brass door handle, the metal cool to the touch. With a quick twist and a pull the door opened outward, the view beyond the door obscured by a swirling white mist. Drawing in a steadying breath, Wendy stepped through the doorway and into the mist.

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Jack paced his cage like a tiger, the bars not moving when in a rage he gripped them in both hands and tried to shake them loose. Frustrated he went back to his pacing, the stone walls closing in on him, raising a sweat that beaded lip and forehead. He'd awoken on the stone floor, his head aching to find himself alone and caged like an animal. He'd shouted for someone to free him for the first hour, then spent the next searching for a way out, only to be left hoarse and exhausted at the end. Now, after a rest, he was pacing again, a flickering pitch torch his only companion. He turned away to walk the few steps to the back of the cell, and when he turned he found himself facing the old man that looked as alike to be Chief Talagumpa twin.

"Hell...where did you spring from?" Jack yelped in surprise, taking a quick step back. The old man smiled enigmatically as he thumped the end of his staff on the stone floor. At once the metal bars faded away, leaving the two of them standing in a cave with no entrance or exit. Jack felt sweat trickling down his back, his fears starting to make his heart thump and his hands go clammy. Clenching his fingers into fists, he fought the urge to beg the man for release, instead glaring balefully at the man to hide his growing terror.

"You have had a taste of what will become of you if you do not change, Black Jack. You have no reason to fear or envy Peter, he is not your enemy."

"What can you know about anything?" Jack shouted, leaning forward and poking a finger at the man's chest. "I should be the Pan, not him, and I would have been if I hadn't slipped. I was winning..."

"You would never have won, it was not your destiny."

"Peter's weak...he doesn't deserve to be the Pan," Jack cocked his thumb at his own chest, "I was stronger, faster. Look at him now, mooning over this girl...weak and not worthy!"

"Who are you to decide who is worthy Black Jack. You were quite prepared to sacrifice that girl to destroy all of Neverland...or so you believe."

"And I would have succeeded if those damn dogs hadn't intervened."

"You should be grateful Jack, the wolves may have saved your life."

Jack snorted and ignored the older man, swinging away to glare at the stone walls.

"I am not Talagumpa, as you must realize, but I am connected with the Chief. What he knows I know, and what I know is passed to him. You could say I am the heart, and the Chief the eyes and ears. In that way the good of Neverland and its life source are kept in check and balance. You tried to stamp your own mark on a process you know nothing about. If you had succeeded did you think you would escape the consequences?" His robes swirling around his legs, the old man circled Jack and came to stand in front of him once more. "Are you not interested in what your destiny might be?"

Jack had his arms folded over his chest in a futile defiance of the words battering at his senses. The old man smiled serenely at him, his dark eyes holding a wealth of secrets and wonders as well as a strange sense of peace and trust. Slowly Jack started to relax, some of the anger leaching out of him as he held the old man's stare. "Where's the girl?" He asked at last.

"Wendy Darling is facing her own trial. If she is to stay here in Neverland, she must fully understand what she is giving up and taking on. A choice you were going to take away from her, from all of us."

Jack looked down, suddenly overwhelmed with a sharp stab of shame. "I just want to leave this place."

"That you can never do Jack...your time in the real world is past and gone. Neverland is your home, your place. Either that, or oblivion."

"And if I choose oblivion?" Jack asked, looking up and meeting the old man's gaze.

"Would you not rather see what a different choice could give you?"

"How?"

"Just walk through that door Jack...a simple twist of a door knob and you could come out the other side a changed man."

"I like the man I am!" Jack retorted, some of his belligerence returning. The old Indian just smiled slightly and leant of his staff, his robes moving as if a breeze blew through the cave. Jack wondered at that as he felt no such swirl of air on his face. Puzzled, he turned to find a wooden door behind him, set into the stone wall as if it had always been there. A faint light rimmed the wood, the brass knob glowing as if in invitation.

"Will I see you again?" Jack asked, resigned to walking through the door. The old man beamed at the young man, his eyes crinkling up at the corners.

"Anything is possible Jack...remember that...anything is possible."

Feeling his fears melt away, Black Jack tilted his head up and straightened his shoulders. Without a backward glance he marched up to the door and reached out to wrench it open, the brass handle warm to his touch. The door swung wide on well oiled hinges, a soft white light bathing the young man. Jack hesitated a second, then stepped over the threshold and disappeared into the mist beyond, the door swinging slowly shut behind him. It then disappeared into the rock face as if it had never been. In the center of the room the rainbow clothed man with the staff stretched out his arms before tilting his head to stare up at the rocky ceiling.

"So let it be." Stamping the staff three times on the stone floor, a light started to glow around his head, infusing his robes and body until it appeared insubstantial, the light fading into nothing and leaving the cavern empty and dark.

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Wendy batted her hand to clear the fog in front of her face, her eyes opening wide when she saw what was in front of her. A path led through a grassed graveyard to a small church, the bell pealing out even as she stood hesitating at the church gate. The faint sound of organ music drifted out of the open doorway along with the raised voices of a congregation singing. Bemused, Wendy made to step forward, her legs impeded by the quantity of skirt now covering her. Staring down at herself she gave a gasp, her fingers smoothing over the white satin and lace of the bodice, before making a check of her head to find a flowered bandeau holding a veil in place. She was wearing a wedding dress, of all things, her feet no longer bare but shod in dainty satin pumps while her hands were encased in white lace fingerless gloves that extended to her elbows leaving a short stretch of skin before disappearing into delicate puff sleeves like wisps of cloud on her shoulders. The organ music had stopped and the bell was no longer ringing as Wendy started up the cobbled path towards the Norman arched doorway, drawn irresistibly inside. After the brightness of the sunshine, the dark interior blinded her for several seconds, her blue eyes blinking to adjust. The church was more of a chapel with only a few pews on either side of the aisle leading up to the alter rail, the wall behind pierced by narrow stained glass windows. The end of each pew was decorated with flowers and ribbons and everyone present turned as one to stare at Wendy as she stood at the end of the aisle, everyone that is except the man standing waiting for her at the steps leading up to the alter. He was tall and broad shouldered, but beyond that she could see nothing of his face or coloring Still bemused she started down the aisle, the peoples faces pale blurs as she tried to focus on the man standing still with his back to her. Her steps faltered when she saw a white robed priest approach and face her, beckoning her forward. At last the man who stood in the place of the groom slowly turned to face her, his face older than she'd last seen him, his long dark hair slicked back and tied in an old fashioned queue.

"Jack?"

"Aye, you were expecting someone else?" He reached out his hand but Wendy took a step back, her head shaking as she tried to understand.

"No...I can't marry you...this is all wrong."

"It's you that's wrong...everyone's waiting, come on."

"No...no...I can't...not you, never you..." grasping her skirts in her hands, Wendy fled the church, her thin shoes slipping on the slate floor as she darted out the door and back into the sunshine. An uproar followed her out, people shouting and calling her name, a few crashing chords sounding from the church organ as she fled down the path towards the gate. Her veil flew out behind her like a tortured wing, snagging on a hawthorn bush as she passed, her fingers fumbling with the gate latch. At last it let go and she flung it wide casting a glance over her shoulder as she ran into the road.

Only to find herself back in the round walled cavern, the wooden door slamming shut behind her as she skidded to a halt in the circle. Panting, Wendy looked down at herself, her wedding finery all gone leaving behind her grass stained and grubby Indian dress and bare feet. Passing a shaking hand over her eyes Wendy closed them briefly before turning back to face the door she'd so precipitously shot through. To her shock it was gone, the path leading only to an solid rock wall, the outline of the wooden door clearly visible, but of the wood planking with it's brass doorknob there was no sign.

"Oh thank goodness..." she breathed, her heart starting to slow from its hectic thumping. When her breathing had slowed, Wendy tried to understand what she'd just been apart of. It was unthinkable that she'd marry Jack, wasn't it? For one she was too young to get married, she didn't even like the young man in that way, did she? What exactly was she supposed to do? One thing she did know, Jack wasn't remotely the marrying kind, even if Wendy thought of him that way, which she didn't. "Oh no, I don't," she reiterated to the empty room, "and no one will convince me otherwise."

That dealt with, Wendy decided to choose another door, "for one must lead me back to the outside, surely."

Deciding to let fate choose, Wendy closed her eyes and slowly turned in a circle, stopping after a few seconds and pointing her finger before opening her eyes. It was childish and she blushed to think that anyone was watching, but it worked and she slowly made her way down one of the paths to stand before another of the wooden doors. This one also had a motto carved over the lintel and she read it aloud. "A future unwanted."

"Well that could have been that last one, if anyone had bothered to ask me." With only the faintest of hesitations, Wendy reached for the door handles and opened the portal, again finding a white mist shrouding what lay beyond. "In for a penny..." she muttered as she stepped into the swirling mass, the door closing slowly behind her.

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Peter awoke thinking his mouth had suddenly grown an extra tongue, and a furry one at that. Rolling on to his side he groaned, his body feeling strange and heavy as if he'd been fighting nonstop for days on end. The Indian tepee was gloomy but light was already starting to bleed in around the entrance flap revealing that he had slept in solitary splendor in a tent that usually housed entire families of the natives. Beside the sleeping pallet had been thoughtfully placed a pitcher of water, Peter grabbing the urn and upending it, tipping the entire contents into his mouth so that it spilled over and doused his neck and chest as well. It was cold and went a long way to waking him up more thoroughly. Tossing the jug aside, he managed to find his feet with the aid of the central pole, his body still feeling lethargic but the sensation starting to ebb the more he moved around. He looked down at himself, a little surprised to find all his leaves gone and a pair of leggings in their place. Also he was liberally painted with red and white daubs, streaked after the water and from him scratching at his chest. His face felt tight as well and he suspected that more paint was decorating his cheeks, flakes coming away when he investigated.

"I must look a mess," he mused out loud, his voice sounding odd in the empty tepee. Staggering a little, but feeling lighter with each step, Peter made his way to the entrance flap and pushed it to one side. Squinting, he left the tent and paused to stretch before walking a little unsteadily through the Indian camp. Everywhere was evidence that a great party had taken place the night before. Small fires still smoldered and gourds littered the ground while the camp dogs helped themselves to whatever scraps had been left out overnight. The sun was starting to rise, burning off the morning chill as Peter made his way out of the camp and into the trees beyond. Once out of sight of the village he leant against a tree for a moment, feeling a surge of energy reach out to him from the tree itself as if offering to help him. The sun speared a shaft of light through the trees and Peter stretched out his hands towards it, its warmth and strength adding to his energy levels and banishing the lingering lethargy in his limbs. While his body renewed itself and threw off any remaining after effects, his mind started to clear as well, memory flooding in and reminding him of the events of the last day or so.

"Wendy!" Her name rolled off his tongue and he felt his heart leap in response. Noises from the village behind him announced that others were stirring and he needed to leave now or be detained further by the Chief and his well meaning people. Keen not to be found, Peter started to run, his body feeling lighter with each step until he knew that he could fly once more, leaping into the air and shooting upwards like a meteor, the ground falling away until he halted his steep climb and hung in the air, looking back down at his island, his Neverland. Somewhere below him were his Lost Boys and His Wendy. He had to find both, but first he needed to re-equip himself and get a new suit of leaves. His memory supplied the location of a nearby cache of weapons as well as other needs, his body streaking back down towards the island in a blur of speed until he disappeared into the upper canopy of the jungle forest and out of sight.

An hour later he re-emerged from the forest tree tops once more clothed as Peter Pan and ready to start his search. He felt renewed and invigorated, his hair taking on the glow of sunlight, reflecting the sheen of vigorous health evidence in his bronzed skin and honed muscles. It was as if he'd been newly minted, the energy of the trees and animals of his island buzzing through him and making him stronger and faster than he'd ever been. The wounds from his fight with Hook were fully healed and barely visible, his mind clear and fully focused on only one thing – to find where his Wendy was and bring her back.

A bright light bobbed up beside him and he looked to his left, grinning at the tiny sprite rubbing her eyes as she hovered beside him.

"Mornin' Tink."

Loud chimes met his greeting, the tiny fairy grumbling at him for not waking her and leaving her behind.

"Well, you're here now, so let's get going." Another chorus of tinkling chimes answered him and he laughed.

"Yes I know what I'm doing Tink. No more delays or distraction. If the pirates attacked the south end of the camp, then we start our search at the north end. Now keep up, or you'll get left behind." With a cheeky grin at his fairy companion, Peter swooped down and darted between the trees, Tink struggling to keep up as he wove a fast paced path through the forest, back towards the Indian village to the trail that circled northwards. Alighting on the path, Peter soon found where the pirates had been stupefied by Black Jack, Tink finding the break in the jungle that showed the path leading off at an angle, the same one taken by Jack and Wendy, and later by the Lost Boys on Peter's behalf.

"Well done Tink...let's be off!"

Like a hawk following its prey, Peter over flew the trail leading up to the monoliths and further until he reached the boundary of the Ashbeast. Here he landed briefly to check where the trail led before leaping once more into the air, his keen eyes following the clear tracks in the sooty ash coating the ground. Over the next ridge he picked up the trail and found the small fire where Jack and Wendy were found by the wolves. With Tink in close attendance Peter walked around the campsite, noting the paw marks as well as the footprints left by the Lost boy's following Wendy's trail. Peter didn't know who had taken her, but from his footwear and other evidence it was obviously one of the pirates. The only thing Peter knew for sure was that it wasn't Hook himself that had her in his clutches, plus the fact that whoever did was traveling away from where the pirates and their ship were currently berthed.

"The wolves have them Tink...time to reacquaint myself with the pack. It's been awhile..." Taking a second to check his weapons, Peter once more leapt into the sky, Tink right behind him. The sun was high in the sky, its warm infusion giving Peter a surge of confidence that he'd soon be reunited with Wendy and everything would be the way it should be. He would soon dismiss all her misgivings and convince her of the rightness of them being together. It all seemed so simple now, he just had to tell her how he felt and everything would be alright. Buoyed by his happy thoughts, Peter flew like an arrow along the well marked wolf trail until soon the broad meadow appeared before him.

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Inside the cave of dreams time had no meaning. Sitting cross legged on a flattened boulder, an old man in a rainbow colored robe drew his staff back and forth in the dust of the cave floor, drawing intricate patterns that briefly flared into life, coiling and writhing for a few seconds before returning to just inert scratchings made by someone passing the time. Walbassa stared thoughtfully at the ground, his fingers letting go of the heavily carved staff, the magic spell continuing without his guidance with new pictures drawn even as the old ones disappeared back into the dust. With his hands free he pressed them together as if in supplication, his eyes closing, his mind flying free of the cave and its confines and ranging over the world outside. He saw Peter arrive at the broad meadow, the boy landing among the grasses and carefully approaching the wolves and their pups.

"Yes Peter...I would be cautious. It's been some time since you visited with them." Like a bird freed from a cage, Walbassa left Peter and the meadow and flew further, circling back after some time to the rocky outcrop and the two held within. He dwelt briefly on the girl, now entering her second dream, the images blurred and requiring him to concentrate harder to see them clearly. Grunting to himself, he left her and focused on the young man he'd sent on a journey into the Never Realm. He knew what was truly in the boys' heart and was sure that in the end he would make the right choice. Satisfied that everything was going as it should, Walbassa released his hold and came back to himself, the staff ceasing it's independent movement and falling comfortably back into the old mans hand when he reached for it.

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to be continued...