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Chapter 26
Farewell
Taylor stood near the edge of the veranda, her arms folded across her chest looking out at the night sky. It was a cloudy night but she could still make out a few stars. The night air was cold but she didn't care she just stood there determinedly staring at the sky. She was trying very hard not to think about what had happened but couldn't quite do it. In fact the more she tried not to think of it the clearer it became.
They had left Cole, Cam and Dana to talk to the Terralians while the rest of them went to search the woods, she had been sure she had heard someone in there before and the footprints she found proved that someone was there, they followed them up to a point where they just disappeared. The footprints clearly belonged to a woman but from what they gathered from Persephone before they left was that there was no one but the drizzards. She deduced that whoever it was probably stayed within the woods while the drizzards attacked and the necklace was probably brought there, but then that meant the drizzards weren't acting on their own and whoever those foot prints belonged to was calling the shots meaning things weren't as simple as they thought.
She had returned to the place where she found the necklace and realized that from where she was she had a clear view of the land beyond the woods and was certain no one could sees her, a perfect place to hide. She was about to dismount and investigate when she froze, she had just hard Bloom's voice in her head screaming followed by images of a path, some kind of forest, a giant rock, a crystal room, creatures trapped in crystal columns and another room with a single column and shattered crystal fragments scattered everywhere, in quick succession as if a movie were being fast forwarded.
She wasn't sure about what just happened but she knew that Bloom was sending her a message and that she needed to go to wherever it was that she showed her. She pulled on Fawkes reins steering him back, he offered no resistance seeming to know exactly where she wanted to go even though she didn't. They sped through the woods not bothering to tell anyone where they were going but were forced to stop when they almost ran into Eric and Flare.
"Whoa Tay, where's the fire?" he asked as he steered Flare away trying to avoid a collision. She didn't answer at first but the look on her face told him that something was clearly wrong.
"Tay what's wrong?" he asked cautiously
"I'm not sure, but something's happened, its Bloom she uh... well she called out to me and well sent me uh…I'm not sure what it was that I saw but I think she wants me to go somewhere, all I know for sure is that something's wrong"
Fawkes neighed as if to support her.
"What's going on?" asked Ryan as he and Tori came riding up to them.
"We're not exactly sure" replied Eric. But the expression on Taylor's face convinced him that something was definitely wrong, it was not one she wore often.
"Tori, come with us, Ryan keep searching, once the others are done in there head back"
"Sure, but where are you going?"
"We need to check something out; we'll call if we need backup"
Ryan nodded and steered Jolt so that they were out of the way
"Alright Tay, lead the way"
"You heard him boy" she said gently patting Fawkes who took his cue and raced forward with Flare and Vapour behind him.
"So where exactly are we going" Tori called out
"No idea"
"What?"
"I'll explain when we get there?"
They continued to ride in silence for a while; they soon neared a forest which even at a distance looked dark and foreboding but Taylor's heart lightened when she saw it, it was the very same forest Bloom had showed her. Within moments they were riding through it, slowed by the trees that grew unevenly, but were still close to each other.
"This place is creepy"
"I think it's called the Absidian forest, Cam told me about it…"
"What was that?"
They had just heard a loud snarling sound coming from a distance.
"Tay are you sure we're gong right way"
"Over there"
The three of them found themselves in a clearing standing beside a huge rock covered in etchings at the very centre.
"Whoa what is that?" asked Tori
"Not sure" said Taylor as she dismounted "But this is where Bloom wanted us to come"
The three of them examined the rock and remarked at the etchings on it.
"What now?"
"I think we're supposed to go inside?"
"How?"
Eric wasn't sure how he knew what to do he found a groove cut into the rock and instinctively created a small flame in his palm which burned into the rock before running all across the rock like many ribbons of fire lighting up the symbols etched into the rock. A small part of the rock then slid away revealing a secret entrance.
"How did you do that?"
Eric only shrugged before following Taylor inside.
"What is this place?"
They had entered the crystal room that Taylor had seen
"This way" she said leading them past the crystal columns through an open doorway, in the next room Tori and Eric stopped to eye the various creatures contained in the crystal columns but Taylor moved straight ahead. She was about to open the door when it slid open and a large ball of blackish-purple energy came sailing threw forcing her back into the wall and narrowly missing Eric and Tori who had dived out of the way just in time, however they could not escape the shower of crystal fragments. Through the haze of crystal dust Taylor could make out three figures leaving the room. One was large and bulky definitely male who appeared to be carrying someone and the third was a slender female figure; she saw her face for only a second before she darted out of the room and was stunned.
As soon as she got herself together her first instinct was to go after them but she couldn't sense them anymore.
"Eric, Tori" she called out
Eric stirred from under a pile of crystal shards coughing because of the dust.
"What just happened?" asked Tori pushing the shards off of her
"You don't want to know"
She turned when she heard noises coming from the other room
"C'mon" she said leading the way into the next room.
This room was smaller than the others but looked exactly the same except that it had only one column which was now shattered.
"Princess" she exclaimed when she saw the princess fallen on the floor
"Taylor what…."
The three of them ran over to the princess and Tori held her up
"Princess wake up"
"Taylor can you…
Taylor caught hold of the princess's hand but at that moment she woke up and stopped her.
"Help Bloom" was all she said before she passed out again
"Bloom" Taylor whispered and turned around to where the other fairies were all gathered around her.
"Bloom" she shouted this time seeing the state her fairy was in, pale and barely alive, the fairies scattered allowing her to crouch down beside her, instinctively she raised her hand to heal her.
"Don't waste your energy" said Bloom in a weak voice
"But…"
"Its no use" said Draco
"Healing powers won't work" said Ariel
"They stole her life force" said Bre
Taylor didn't say anything but gently picked up the fallen fairy n her hands.
'Thank you for coming, I knew you would get my message, I never thought I'd have to say goodbye but this is it, it was an honor to have met you, you'll make a wonderful knight'
She closed her eyes and didn't stir again
"Bloom" cried Ariel, Flora, Icy and Techna. The others bowed their heads solemnly
"No" said Tori having come up behind them, her hand flying to he mouth tears welling up in her eyes.
Eric didn't say anything as he helped the now revived princess to her feet but looked at Taylor who showed no expression and whose only gesture was to pull her hands closer to her.
Later that day they were all gathered in the veranda, Bloom's lifeless body was floating in a sphere created by Draco. All the knights had sad looks on their faces.
"Do you have to go?" asked Cole
"Something like this…" began Flora but stopped to turn back and look at the sphere
"We must go" said Bre "It is essential that we return her to her homeland, we have our own traditions to follow"
"Bre's right" said Pick "Besides our queen needs to be informed of uh…" he cast a glance at the princess
"Of the situation"
"Will we see you again?" asked Madison
"Maybe" said Icy "But not for a long time"
"Why?" asked Dana
"Our powers are not like yours" answered Layla "travelling between realms requires great power, power we do not have"
"But…"
"We can only travel as one and a single journey alone is enough to drain us for a long time" said Techna
"Also" said Blip "We do not know if we will be allowed to return"
"It is time" said Lou
The fairies nodded as they formed a circle around the sphere which held Bloom, each sending forth an energy beam, when all eleven combined, they shot up into the sky as a single beam and opened a swirling portal.
"I am glad to have met someone like you" said Pick
"You too" said Ryan
"Remember to always let the music in your heart guide you" said Musa
"I will" said Kira her welling up with tears
Flora didn't say anything but flew up to Cole and kissed him on the cheek before flying off
"Take care" he called out
"Don't give up alright" said Blip
"Never do" said Ronny
"Be careful" said Lou
"We will"
"Try to have some fun once in a while" said Techna
"I'll try" said Cam smiling
"It was indeed a pleasure to meet you" said Icy
"The pleasure was all mine"
"You may not be what I expected but I am glad to have met you" said Bre
"Thanks Bre, you're not so bad yourself"
"I'll miss you" said Ariel
"Me too"
"So long" said Layla "I hope we see each other again"
"We will, for sure"
"Taylor" said Draco "I can't tell you what she would have wanted to say at this moment none of us expected something like this to ever happen. But I do know that she was proud of you and was very happy to have met someone like you, she learnt a lot from you as well and…"
"Thanks" said Taylor
Draco nodded and turned to Eric
"It was a honor"
Eric nodded not sure of what to say.
"Farewell, my friends" said the princess "And thank you"
The knights turned to the sky as they watched their friends fly one by one into the portal, they all looked sad some even had tears in their eyes. Only Taylor stood beside Eric, his arm around her, her face expressionless.
Once the portal had vanished they stood there for sometime till one by one they went inside, only Taylor was left and she still stood there even though night had fallen.
"Is the princess here yet?" she asked sensing Eric and Cole come up behind her.
The princess had returned to the castle as soon as the fairies had left promising to return later.
"She just arrived" said Eric
"Taylor…" Cole began but she didn't let him finish.
"Good" she said turning her hands falling to her sides clenched into fists
"She has some explaining to do"
I hope you liked it.
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