Hello, everyone. I hope you're all doing okay, as always. In this chapter, we'll see what happens with the search for Faragonda, from Tecna's point-of-view.
Also, I posted a directory with all the classes the girls are taking; this way, you don't have to go back to that convoluted paragraph in chapter 5. You can refer to their classes much more easily this way.
CHAPTER 14: THE KEEPERS' VAULT
"Tecna, we need to talk."
Tecna opened her eyes and stared vacantly from her bed. Bloom was staring at her, a worried expression on her face. Stella stood behind her, her arms crossed.
"What?" Tecna asked weakly, sitting up. Her head was spinning and her eyes were halfway shut. What do they want? Bloom sat down on her bed and sighed.
"We know something's up," she said. "You just haven't been yourself lately. At all. You've been leaving your food untouched, and been staying up till odd hours of the night. So tell us what's wrong."
"Nothing," Tecna insisted. "Nothing is wrong."
"Don't give us that line," Stella snorted. "Your hair's limp, your smile's thin, and your eyes are so dull. Hell-o! You're in need of a complete makeover, girl. And you don't even complain to me about how messy my room is! You never fail to complain about my lack of efficiency!"
"We care about you, Tecna," Bloom added, stepping in front of Stella. "We have to know."
Tecna's head was swarming. Why did they have to pick now of all times to talk? She was so exhausted – she'd only just finished her weekly assignment of two-thousand sets, and she was beyond exhausted. She was relieved Digit had gone out with the other pixies to look for Faragonda; otherwise, she'd never had heard the end of it. But it looked like she hadn't escaped at all.
"Tecna?" Bloom asked softly. "We're waiting. I'll have you know that Digit told us she's been doing all your homework for you."
"She did what?" Tecna asked, outraged. She promised she wouldn't tell! Wait until she comes back home… She clenched her fists.
"Don't blame her," Stella said instantly. "That's something I'd do, not you! Seriously, what's going on?"
Tecna fell back down on her bed and stared limply at Bloom and Stella.
"I'm tired," she said shortly. "We can talk about this in the morning."
"Heck no!" Stella exploded. "We're talking about this, and we're talking about this now! We're not leaving here until we find out what's going on!"
"Shut up, Stella," Tecna fired back. "You may be a princess, but that doesn't mean you can expect me to answer to all of your" –
A shrill ring drowned out her voice. Startled, Tecna looked towards her phone, whose screen was flashing red. EMERGENCY DISTRESS CALL.
What? thought Tecna, staring. Whoever could be calling them? In confusion, she picked it up.
"Tecna," the voice on the other side called. "We need your help!"
"Flora?" breathed Tecna in confusion. "What's happening?"
"We're trapped in Cloud Tower," Flora cried. "The Trix ambushed us and locked us in this room, and we can't open it from the inside. We need you guys to help us out!"
"What?" gasped Stella in shock.
"Where are you?" Bloom demanded.
"In the north wing of the school." That was Musa's voice. "You've gotta hurry, Tec. We don't know what's going on!"
"Don't worry," Tecna said firmly. "We're coming." She switched the call off and glared at the other two girls. "Coming?"
Bloom and Stella looked at each other nervously. They nodded.
"All right," Bloom answered. "But we're continuing this conversation as soon as we get back. Don't think we've forgotten."
Tecna zoomed towards Cloud Tower, her triangular wings giving her maximum speed capacity as she barreled towards the castle. Stella was in the lead, and Bloom was behind her. They flew towards the entrance, landing at the steps of the castle.
"Let's go," Bloom said, pushing the door open. They walked into the hall.
As they walked, Tecna wished they'd had time to make a plan. After all, planning was her specialty. There had to be some smarter way of doing this than walking through Cloud Tower's front door.
But Bloom and Stella didn't seem to trust her very much now. In fact, none of the Winx did – except for Flora. The rest of them all were intent on getting into Tecna's business and nagging her all day long.
I hate how they do this, thought Tecna, clenching her fists. They don't even know the circumstances, yet they try to act. If they don't know what's going on, they should just stay out of it. I don't poke into their lives! She gritted her teeth. I don't –
An electric bolt hit her in the back, and she screamed, falling. ELECTRIC HEX, flashed across her screen. Bloom and Stella ran up to her.
"Are you okay?" Stella gasped.
"Fascinating," a voice behind her said. "I can feel the negativity in this room."
Grimacing, Tecna forced herself off the ground. I feel so weak… She gasped as she saw Valtor materialize in front of them, his eyes gleaming.
"The only negative energy here comes from you!" Bloom fired an attack spell at him.
But he simply caught it in his hands. Lifting his arms, he sent two more waves of electricity at them, cold and blue. Bloom and Stella screamed as they were also attacked.
"That," laughed Valtor, "is an anti-convergence spell. You won't be able to converge your powers anymore."
"We'll see about that!" snarled Stella. She and Bloom linked hands and focused their energy.
As soon as they focused their energy, they were hurled apart. They yelled in shock, and Valtor roared with laughter. When it was over, his grin was wide and menacing.
"Your negativity made the job so much easier, really," he said. "If you three weren't arguing with each other, it would be much harder for me to cast that spell. But since you're angry and frustrated, you're simply slim pickings."
Don't talk like that… But Tecna was growing weaker and weaker, and she could only stare up. Bloom flew in front of him, snarling, "What'd you do with Ms. Faragonda?"
"That old woman?" Valtor snorted. "I wouldn't worry about her. I'd worry about you." He blasted a hole through the ground. "Follow me!"
Tecna, Bloom, and Stella screamed as they were pulled through the crack in the floor. Valtor let out a laugh. They fell to the ground, beaten and wincing.
"Now it's time to finish you off," Valtor smiled. Monsters began to creep in through the walls, moving into the center of the room.
Tecna watched with horror as the monsters surrounded them on all sides.
"Goodbye," Valtor laughed as he flew away, and Tecna winced as she got up.
Bloom sat up and hit a monster with an attack. It only laughed and moved forward. Cackling, the other monsters closed in, baring their teeth.
"Eww!" Stella screamed. "We've gotta stop them!" She shot another attack at a monster.
But the impact of the spell made her fall. As soon as she fell, Bloom rushed to help her up. She gasped as Stella's body electrocuted her, and she was blasted back.
"What just happened?" Stella asked in confusion. "Did I – shock you?"
"Was that Valtor's spell?" asked Tecna dazedly. She could barely understand what was going on at this point.
"So he didn't take our ability to converge – only to touch each other," Bloom realized.
"Okay, then whaddya say we slam these monsters down?" Stella asked, firing up. "We can do convergence without holding hands. It won't be as effective, but we'll do it!" She focused her energy hard.
"Solar beam!"
"Dragon fury!"
"Digital blast!" Tecna called, summoning her powers. Please, please work… Yellow light, red flames, and orange electricity joined together and rippled outwards at the monsters.
The monsters screamed as they were hit by the waves. And then they fell, stunned. Stella put her thumb up.
"Way to go!" she cheered.
"Okay, let's get out of here!" Bloom yelled. They zoomed down the corridor and into the hall.
Adrenaline coursed through Tecna again, and she followed her friends, her eyes determined. We're not letting them take us down…
They reached a hall. It was made of stone, the heart of Cloud Tower. Tecna stared at what was ahead of her, her eyes wide.
"Ms. Griffin?" she breathed.
The old professor was behind bars, grimacing. The lock on her door was electric, and she looked downcast. As soon as she saw the three girls, her eyes jolted up in surprise.
"Don't worry." Bloom landed in front of her cage. "We'll get you out of there!"
"It's too dangerous," Griffin answered, brushing her head. "There's a bounce-back spell on the lock."
"We can't just leave you," Stella pointed out. "Besides, you could help us look for Ms. Faragonda."
"What happened to her?" Griffin was immediately on her feet.
"She lost this major battle with Valtor," Bloom answered. "No one knows what happened to her. We're looking for her!"
Griffin sat back down, heavily. After a moment, she sighed. "I cannot help you. I will not be able to leave."
"We'll get you out!" Bloom insisted.
"Don't waste your time," Griffin said darkly. "Just look for Ms. Faragonda." She let out a sigh. "I am the first headmistress to fall. If Faragonda falls, it will be the end of us. She is our only hope!"
"All right," Bloom sighed. "How do we find her?"
"Find the Keepers of Cloud Tower," Griffin answered. "They've undoubtedly been put under Valtor's spell, so figure out how to break that first. They're very keen observers, and they know everything that's happened in this area. They should tell you where Ms. Faragonda's" –
A roar behind them told Tecna the monsters had woken up.
"Run!" shouted Stella, leaping into the air. They zoomed down the corridor, the monsters behind them. They let out a roar and tramped after them, hissing.
"Where are we going?" Tecna gasped, fighting for breath as she followed her friends.
"I – don't – know!" Stella gasped. "We need to get outta here!"
"Look!" said Bloom, pointing ahead. An ice-wall was where a door had once been, and Tecna stared at it in confusion. Why do I feel that's not original? Bloom halted and turned around in horror.
"We're trapped," she gasped.
"Not if we can break the ice wall," Tecna answered. "That's our only way out."
"But the monsters!" cried Stella, pointing at the creatures, who were bounding at them at an alarming rate.
"Listen," Tecna said grimly, "I'll break it down, you face the monsters. Understood?"
Bloom and Stella nodded. "Winx Charmix!" yelled Bloom. The two girls converged their powers, focusing on the monsters ahead of them.
Tecna frowned, transforming into her own Charmix. She scanned the ice-wall quickly, with the results coming back to her: MAGICALLY INDUCED ICE-WALL, ENFORCED BY WIND- AND DARK-ENERGY.
Just as I suspected, Tecna thought grimly. The Trix have been here! Now how do I break it?
She searched online. Almost instantly, the answer came back to her: CAN ONLY BE BROKEN BY STRONG ATTACK SPELLS.
Let's hope I get it right. Using all the power in her Charmix, she focused her energy on the wall. "Digital breakdown!" she yelled, and an electric, light-blue ray shot from her Charmix. The ice wall began to slowly crack, breaking down.
"Someone's there!" a voice shouted from behind the wall.
Tecna continued attacking, focusing all the energy she could muster. Come on, come on… She sent her strongest wave of attack into the ice.
The barrier broke to pieces.
"Tecna!" a voice shouted. Someone grabbed her tightly, hugging her. "You came! I'm so glad you came!"
"Flora," gasped Tecna. Flora's hug was making it difficult to breathe, and she drew back. Behind her were Mirta, Musa, Layla, and… Lucy. "Why're you here?" she asked, staring at the witch-girl.
"I don't know," Lucy grimaced, scratching her hair. "Musa says she poured some of her fairy-dust over me, but I don't know what that means." She looked around the room and gasped. "What happened" –
"Valtor took over Cloud Tower," Mirta said, "and put you all under a spell. But you're safe now." She took her hand. "Come on, we'll take you to Alfea."
"I can't just leave," Lucy protested. "I need to be here with my fellow classmates. I need to stay and help them through this nightmare!"
"If you want to stay, stay, but we have to leave," Tecna said. "We shouldn't be here."
"But we haven't found Ms. Faragonda!" gasped Musa. "We can't just leave her! We have to keep searching!"
"Of course!" Tecna felt a surge of irritation rise within her. "Just not right here! Can you at least let me download a map of this place?" She pulled her tablet out.
She could feel the intensity of Flora, Mirta, Musa, Layla, and Lucy's confused stares at her irritability. Bloom and Stella were glaring at her. Ignoring them as best as she could, she found the map, finding their coordinates.
"We're pretty close to the Keepers' Vault, actually," she said. "In fact, we just need to go down that corridor and find them."
"The Keepers?" Layla asked.
"Griffin told us we need to find them, and they'll tell us where Faragonda is," Bloom answered. "Lead the way, Tecna." She spoke the last sentence warily, as if she somehow didn't trust her.
Gritting her teeth, Tecna led the way down the corridor and the other girls followed. They reached a spiral staircase, which they promptly flew down. A dusty, black vault awaited them, and Tecna couldn't see a thing. She frowned, focusing her scanner again.
DARKNESS HIGH, the scanner read back at her. OTHER PRESENCE DETECTED AHEAD. SPECIES: WHISPERIAN NORTHERN GRIFFIN. LIKELY SPELLED –
A screech appeared ahead of them. Something jumped out of the darkness, and Tecna gasped as it pounced suddenly on Bloom. A second one pounced on Mirta.
"Stop!" Flora shouted desperately.
"Now!" Layla, Stella, and Musa said together. They lifted their fairy-dust, circling around the two griffins.
The animals halted as the three of them converged their fairy-dust, working together to break the spell. A brilliant white light filled the air. Then the light receded, and Tecna stared at the creatures.
In the dim light, she could make out their features had softened. They looked more like griffins, and were clearly friendlier. The first one nodded to the three fairies.
"Thank you," he said. "You have freed us from this evil spell, and we are therefore under your debt. Ask us anything you wish."
Bloom stepped forward.
"Our headmistress, Ms. Faragonda, has disappeared," she said. "She was in a battle against Valtor, and then suddenly vanished. No one knows where she is or what happened to her. Could you please tell us: where did she go?"
The second griffin nodded. "Valtor and your headmistress had a long, arduous battle. She fought valiantly, but in the end, he was too young and strong for her. Not only did he capture her, but he also imprisoned her, in the base of an oak tree."
"She's stuck in a tree?" Stella gasped.
"Yes," the first griffin answered. "We can give you her coordinates."
Tecna typed the coordinates he gave in her tablet. It immediately popped up.
"Alright," she said. "I'll message Digit instantly and tell her to meet us there."
"Is there anything we can do to free Cloud Tower?" Lucy asked desperately.
"With your headmistress trapped in the heart of the tower, it is nearly impossible," the griffin said sadly. "All you can do is wait for the UR to help."
"We'd better go and find her quickly," Bloom said. "Thank you, griffins."
The seven girls sped out of the vault and out of Cloud Tower. Tecna followed in the rear, her mind a daze. What happened to Ms. Faragonda…
"I can't believe it," gasped Musa, tears in her eyes.
Tecna stared ahead of her. A baby, gnarled oak tree was in front of them, its roots twisted and grotesque. But that wasn't the most horrifying part. She stared at the trunk of the tree, completely shocked.
Etched into the trunk was Faragonda's face. She had a horrified look on her face, one of imminent doom. Seeing her, Tecna backed away, closing her eyes in shock.
She was glad Mirta and Lucy weren't here to see this. Mirta had gone back to Alfea with the Pixies, to tell Griselda what they'd found. Lucy had gone to the Magix Municipal Hall to give the police a statement; she would be helping the Magix authorities in their bid to free Cloud Tower. She'd thanked Mirta for coming for her, and the two had tearfully embraced.
"Hold on." Flora walked up to the tree and placed her palms on its bark. A green aura formed around her, and she focused all of her energy into the tree. Stepping back, she turned to face the other girls.
"So, what's inside?" Bloom asked anxiously.
Flora nodded. "It is her."
"Our fairy-dust should have her out in no time," Stella declared.
"It's not quite so simple, Stella." Flora frowned. "The oak tree has grown around Ms. Faragonda's life essence. She is the tree."
"So… we can't hurt it without hurting her?" Layla asked.
Tecna's mind was spinning. This is absolutely bizarre… She'd never heard of anything like this. And completely illogical.
She tried to scan the tree. Nothing came up. And then she tried looking up a spell, any spell, that could've caused this. "There's no information like this on the Web!"
"Well, we've gotta do something!" Bloom declared, striding up to the tree. "We can't let Ms. F stay like this! Especially after everything she's done for us!"
Musa walked up to the tree, her voice barely an echo.
"Ms. Faragonda," she said, "I don't know if you can hear me, but don't worry. We're gonna save you."
I don't know how, thought Tecna. Especially when there's nothing in our database about this. She stared up at the tree.
As she stared, she wondered if Faragonda could see her right now from her prison. A severely ill girl, merely a shell of her former self.
Next chapter more stuff will happen. This was kind of a continuation of last chapter, which I used mainly to fill up some gaps. The chapters will definitely get more intense from here on.
Next chapter:
- Flora, Stella, and Musa head to Linphea.
- The girls head to the Black Willow, where they encounter the Trix.
- Miele makes her debut as a warrior-fairy.
I also wanted to add that I finished posting my other story, A Tale of Ice and Sorrow (ATIS), this Thursday. I encourage you all to read it! Although it doesn't follow canon Winx characters, it is set in the Winx world, after Season 5. I'd really like to hear your feedback. Plus, if you're bored during the quarantine, it's something to take your mind off of all the craziness around us. :)
That's all for now! See you on Wednesday!
