Chapter 40

Altaduna

Stormy stared blankly at the boy in front of her. Of all the ways she had thought she would find her brother, this was absolutely unexpected, she almost didn't believe it. And neither did Darcy.

- Donnie? - she said, and the boy smiled recognizing her.

She had changed a lot in six years, he remembered she was shorter.

Stormy regained the use of words.

- What are you doing here? -

Donnie took a curl off his eyes.

- I'm the professor's apprentice, I've been living here for three years now. Anyway, where's Icy? –

- Sadly, here. - said the little fox.

It was a very low blow for her pride to be seen in such conditions by "little" Donnie, but at the same time she was happy to see him, and she was happy for Stormy.

"So close for three years and I didn't know it" thought the witch of storms, keeping back the tears and holding from hugging her brother.

Donnie got pale seeing Icy, then he told Stormy:

- We need to talk, but you have more important things to do now. -

- Yes, indeed. - mumbled Xavier, who had taken a book from a shelf and was quickly turning the pages, - There's enough time for family problems, but not for your friends. So, what you need is a magical artefact gifted from the Great Dragon to the magical races, used by its legitimate owner. The easiest to find is Solaria's scepter, the current owner is... -

- Me! - exclaimed Stella.

She was so happy that her ears and tail were up, but Xavier put out her enthusiasm.

- Princess Stella? Oh, it's a disaster. -

- Why is it "a disaster"? - Francesca asked.

- Who falls victim to the spell can't break it. Objectively, how could she cast a counter-spell without her powers? - Xavier replied.

- The goblet gifted to Earth then? - asked Donnie, earning a surprised glance from Stormy.

- Don't tell me it's the Graal. - Cassandra said.

- Yes, they call it that way. - replied the boy.

- Unless you know where it is, forget it. We've been looking for it for centuries. - Roxy said.

- Don't think in terms of physical distance, Donnie. - Xavier scolded him, - Even if I had the goblet in the cupboard in the living room we wouldn't know who should use it and how. No, I think the Charming Flute is their only chance. -

- Where is it? - asked Bloom.

- It belongs to an ancient family of mage merchants from Altaduna. It's easy to find it, the problem is that they're rather venal. You'll need to find a way to persuade them to help you. - answered the professor.

- Altaduna uh? - said Stella.

Flora smiled.

- Is this family in good terms with Selim Mustakar? - asked the fairy of nature.

- Do you know Selim? - the professor asked surprised.

- Oh, yes. - giggled Stella, - And he will be willing to help us, after what we did for him. -

- Is there a planet where you don't have friends? - asked Francesca.

- Luckily for us, no. - replied Darcy, - We must to leave, now, there's no time to lose. -

Xavier nodded, then said:

- Whatever happens, I'll wait for you here. I want to know what you know about the Mystérion and why you're involved with that book. -

The girls promised to return as soon as possible, in their human form preferably, then followed the landlord to the door. Bloom noticed a detail, so she sped up her pace to walk by Xavier's side.

- Professor, - she said, - you never said the name of this spell. -

The professor sighed.

- Because I don't know it. Sadly, the Mystérion is an ancient book that lived through many adventures, and its conditions aren't optimal. Some pages were ripped, others burned or wet, or nibbled by mice and moths. The text's structure is very schematic and tidy, and sadly of the first page that regards this spell the part with the name is missing, and there's no index to look in. -

-This isn't a total disadvantage for us, is it? If some spells miss important parts Valtor can't use them either. - Cassandra said.

- It's true, but I can only think of a few cases of this happening. - replied the professor, - Say hello to old Selim for me, and remind him that he still has to send me the results of his studies on lamps. - he added.

Flora and Tecna burst out laughing. Since everyone was confused, Flora explained:

- His experiments had an unexpected outcome, rather uncomfortable I'd say. I think that's why he never sent anything. -

Xavier lifted an eyebrow.

- This is another story I'd like to hear, miss... -

- Flora. -

- I'm sorry I was so rude, but there isn't much time and presentations require too much of it. We'll think of that when you will all have your body. Now go, and good luck. -

Andrea echoed the professor's wish, while Donnie said, looking at Stormy straight in her eyes:

- Come back soon. -

- I hope you guys like warm weather, because our next stop is Altaduna. - announced Roxy when she got on board.

Takeshi was taken aback.

- But we need the principals' authorization, and the coordinates for the interdimensional gap. - he pointed out.

- I'm already sending the coordinates to your computer, regarding the authorizations give me the time to make a call. - said Tecna, already working on her phone.

While she summarized the news to Aisha and the other girls in Alfea, Stormy sat in front of the computer and, careful not to touch any button, rested her elbows on the desk and her chin on her fists. Flora put a hand on her shoulders.

- Do you want to go back to Alfea? - she asked kindly.

The witch slowly shook her head.

- No, but give me five minutes to let it sink in. It was a shock to see him after six years, like this. -

Flora smiled at her comprehensively and walked away keeping an eye on her.

Five minutes weren't enough to think coherently, Stormy knew it. Everything she could think of was "Donnie", and every time she thought it, she tied a different thought to it. He was close to her, he grew up, he studied now and with a powerful magician, who knew if he had developed his powers, he had just discovered them when she left, now everything could go back to how it was before, no, it would never be like before, maybe he hated her because she had abandoned him, but he didn't seem to feel anger towards her, indeed, he seemed anxious to have his sister back, to talk to her, to talk with her about her and about him and of what had happened and of what was going to happen. He really was her Donnie, she missed him so much, but now that she had the possibility of talking to him she was terribly afraid of doing so, she didn't want to disappoint him, she didn't want to hurt him, she didn't want to be hurt. What did he expect from her, a witch that half the universe wanted dead, what could she give him?

While Stormy sank in her thoughts, Darcy listened absentmindedly to Tecna's videocall, her arms crossed. Like Flora, she watched carefully the girl with blue curls, but unlike the fairy she knew her well enough to understand to what point she was upset. After the initial surprise, she began to examine what Donnie's presence implied with her usual coolness, and she got to the same conclusion she had reached long before regarding Walter: getting close to him was dangerous for him. However, it was a whole other situation because Walter was a stranger, it was up to her to vary his neutrality, while Donnie was connected not only to Stormy, but to her and Icy as well. If Valtor managed to spy on them despite the Wildland's protection, for sure he would soon add the boy to his targets to hit them in their hearts. Since they needed Xavier's help, though, it was better to deal with it and give in to the fact that they would have to stick around, no matter what was best for his safety.

When Tecna had the permission and ended the call, Icy caught Darcy's attention and asked her telepathically: "Darcy, can you tell Lzzy where we're going and calm her down? I can't do it, I'm too weak here".

Darcy nodded and sat with the others while the motors turned on.

§§

Donnie heard the sound of a far away motor and looked out of the window just in time to see a shuttle rising over the trees and disappearing behind the clouds, then he went back to focus on the bar of titanium in front of him. His goal was to reduce it to subtle laminas and then bring them back to their original form, exercise that, even in the Wildland, he could execute without looking with iron, copper, silver, even gold, and many alloys too, but titanium was particularly whimsical. Or, if you listened to the professor, refractory to is magic. Uranium had this problem as well, or better, he had this problem with uranium too. Some metals escaped his control and there were moments when he thought the professor was wrong when he said that he would control them over time and he was overwhelmed with anger and discouragement.

It wasn't one of those moments. He didn't even try to do anything to that metal bar, he just stared at it for ten minutes, not knowing that Andrea and the professor stared at him from the door of his room.

Xavier slightly pushed the girl, whispering:

- Go talk to him. -

Andrea hesitated one more moment, then she walked quietly to the boy and sat by him on the fluffy carpet in the center of the room.

- Hey. - she said.

- Hey. - replied Donnie absentmindedly.

- How are you? - asked kindly the girl.

- I don't know. - Donnie sighed, - I'm happy I saw them again, I guess, but I'm really worried for them now. - He shook his head. - They are... or were... my sisters, all three of them, Andrea, and I still consider them as such despite six years have gone by since I last saw them. I care about what they did, but I also don't, you know it. -

It was true, as soon as he had known that the fearsome Trix were facing a trial at the Fortress of Light Donnie had followed the process closely, and when the trial ended he jumped around with joy. They were in Alfea, you see, they were close and sooner or later he would find the courage to stop by, to try and reconstruct his old family.

- I just want to know if it's the same for them. -

- I believe it is, Donnie. Stormy and Darcy looked positively surprised by your presence. -

- You think so? - he asked, looking at her with his hopeful green eyes.

- I'm sure of it. You know I have a sixth sense for this kind of things. - replied Andrea putting a hand on his shoulder.

- I hope you're right. - said Donnie, looking again out of the window.

§§

Lzzy read once again Darcy's text, annoyed and at the same time relieved of the turn taken by the situation. She didn't like the fact that the girls split up, nor that they went on a planet so distant that she couldn't telepathically talk to Icy, where, moreover, they had no spell to protect them from Valtor, but if anything they had a solution to the problem.

- Any news? - Joe asked her.

Of course he already knew what happened.

- They found a counter-spell, but it's very, very far away. - Lzzy answered.

Joe hugged her sweetly and Lzzy hugged him back, giving in to that sweetness that melted her fears.

- Joey. -

- Tell me. -

- I wanna tell my parents about Magix and everything else. In three weeks we'll leave for Europe and I don't want to go without telling them. We'll be overseas for months, I won't see them before June and I don't want to wait that long. -

- Talk about it with Arejay too. You still have time to do it, and don't worry. They will never be afraid of you. -

- I know. - she said, but in her heart she wasn't so sure that Joe was right.

§§

The oasis where Selim Mustakar lived wasn't too far from where the interdimensional gap to Magix opened, but it was still a solid fifteen minutes of flight. To Tecna, enough time to find out the name of the family that had the Charming Flute (Amer) and as much as possible on the instrument itself. To Stormy, enough time to think lucidly again. To Francesca, enough time to regret not taking a sunscreen with her. The sun's reflection on the sand dunes hurt their eyes despite the shuttle's solar screens being active.

Following Flora's instructions, they landed a few meters away from the low earth house, then they got down. As soon as the catwalk opened, heat took over the shuttle.

- Rather chill, uh? - joked Vanir walking down.

- Yeah, I'm almost cold. - echoed Misha.

Behind him Bloom got down. Heat didn't bother her at all, indeed, she felt absolutely at ease and when her scaly paws touched the scorching sand, she had no reaction. The others, instead, seemed to have problems walking. Giunia tried to walk down the catwalk, but after just one step she had jumped back, whining. The soil was too hot for her, as it was for Icy and Ioanna. Stella, instead, sank in the sand but could take the heat. Francesca and Cassandra picked up their friends, while Icy gave up and accepted Darcy to carry her around.

When Tecna knocked at the door, a tanned man with white beard opened, his hair hidden under a pale green turban. He smiled recognizing Tecna and Flora.

- Hello, Kemal. - said the fairy of nature, - Is Selim home? We need his help urgently. -

- Of course, of course. Come on in, you and your friends are welcome. - replied the butler, leading them to the room where Selim Mustakar kept the ingredients for his potions.

The wizard was busy rearranging the content of ampoules, vases and vials.

- Kemal, how many times do I need to tell you not to disturb me while I'm working? - grumbled the wizard when he heard the heavy door opening, without even looking.

Stella couldn't help herself.

- Some things really never change. -

The wizard stopped.

- I would recognize that irritating fairy voice anywhere. Stella of Solaria. - he said, turning around, - But I can't see you. -

Stella moved a few steps.

- Yeah, well, I think I'd have a hard time recognizing myself too right now. -

Selim raised an eyebrow.

- My laboratory isn't a good place to talk. Follow me. -

Mustakar lead his guests in the living room, where they sat on silk pillows. Icy got the chance to observe him. The wizard had the same dark complexion of his butler, but his beard and his long hair were both black like the eyes. His face was slim and sharp, and a constant expression of disdain was carved into it, underlined by his pointy chin and hooked nose. Like Kemal, he wore a turban, but his was of a darker green, like a palm leaf, and a gem and a blue feather embellished it. He wore traditional clothes in red and green with golden inserts.

Once introduced to their situation, Selim caressed his chin.

- I can see why you turned to me, you remembered the way Ibrahim, the merchant of spices, cooperated the last time. The problem is that Ibrahim is a superstitious fool who doesn't understand magic, while the Amers aren't only the most important merchants of fabric of the region, but also powerful magicians. They will definitely want something in return, and I'm afraid they won't settle for my anti-moth potion. In this language their name means "full" and believe me when I say they are full of avidity. However, I'll see what I can do. - he said.

- Thank you mister Mustakar. - said Roxy.

Selim told his butler:

- Kemal, while I'm gone I expect you to guard this house and everything that is in here, especially my potions. And you better not be fooled by thieves this time, or you can say goodbye to your salary. -

Kemal mumbled something, but nobody payed attention to him because Ioanna and the others fainted.

- Oh no, not again! - Francesca said, unable to help.

The five bodies glowed and changed form.

- It must have been six hours. - said Darcy.

The transformation ended in a few moments. Ioanna didn't have the yellow feathers of a chick anymore, but green with white spots on the chest, and she was bigger than before. Giunia and Icy had now the proportions and the elegance of adults, a thicker fur and longer limbs, just like Bloom, whose size had more than doubled and had bigger and sharper bony crests, and her wings were bigger too. As for Stella, she simply grew.

- It could take them hours to wake up, we need to go now. - Tecna said.

As Tecna had foreseen, when they got to the oasis where the Amers' palace was the five of them weren't yet conscious, so they decided to split up in two groups: Roxy, Francesca, Stormy, Misha and Takeshi would stay with them on the Owl, while the other six would go with Selim. Stormy didn't like that at all.

- If Valtor decides to attack us directly, we make his job easier by splitting up! - she kept repeating, until Darcy shut her down.

- We have no choice Stormy, forty hours aren't a lot. -

- We'll keep in touch telepathically and via satellite, and we'll come back as soon as possible. - added Tecna.

- Be careful. - said Roxy, while the door closed behind them.

Selim lead them through the dusty streets of the city, that looked like they came straight out an illustrated version of One Thousand and One Nights, with small arched windows and wooden poles that supported colored tents suspended over stalls full of merch, that broke the monotony of yellow and brown. The inhabitants barely looked at them before going back to their business, only kids followed them for a while laughing and observing the oddly dressed strangers, then joining their friends playing with a ball or crowding around a candy stand. There was a curious contrast between the flat color of the buildings and the showy clothes of their inhabitants, who put together conflicting vivid tones, almost in an attempt to create a flowery garden in constant movement. As they moved from the downtown to the center of the city, the buildings became bigger and displayed decorations of painted ceramic around the windows, but soon those small color notes where outshined by the green of a lush garden surrounded by a tall confinement wall. Selim pointed at the palace that rose between the plants.

- That is the Amers' palace. We're here. -