Pearl did just fine staying at my home. She got along well with Bud and Lisa, and was kind enough to help me out with a lot of things that they were too small for. She loved making popcorn from the cornflowers and feeding it to my pets. My Rabite, Athene, especially enjoyed this treat, and Truffle the Chocobo even let Pearl ride him after a few days.
She, however, was still lonesome for her partner. "I wonder where Elazul went," she mused, one day. "I suppose he told you not to tell me so I wouldn't follow him."
I nodded, meeting her gaze.
"He was right in doing that," she admitted. "I'd just get lost… and captured by the jewel hunter…"
I shuddered. "Don't say stuff like that, Pearl."
"I hope Elazul's okay," Pearl continued. "I wish I could talk to him…"
"Why not write him?" I suggested. "I'll take it to him. I need to go on a shopping trip anyway."
Pearl's eyes lit up. "Would you, Leora?" she asked. "Oh, I'll go write him a letter now!"
I smiled. Though she missed Elazul, she was so much happier here on the whole, rather than on the run with her partner, avoiding the jewel hunter at every turn, not knowing if she'd be alive the next day… it must be horrible to live like that.
By evening, Pearl had finished her letter and sealed it into an envelope. I promised to take it to Elazul the next morning, by which time I was all packed and ready.
Before Pearl was awake, I took Bud and Lisa into the corner and consulted them. "I'm going to Geo," I told them, "and I might be gone for awhile. Tell Pearl that, but don't tell her where I'm going! She'll follow me and get lost."
"Why can't she go with you?" Lisa asked.
"Someone's after her, that's why she's here. But you can't talk about it, Lisa. She'll just get sad."
"I want to go to Geo!" Bud piped up.
"Later, Bud," I told him, slightly annoyed. "I know you used to live there but this is important. Take care of Pearl while I'm away, all right?"
The little twins nodded, and I was off.
Geo is so far from Domina! I'd barely arrived when I collapsed at the local café/inn. The next morning, I awoke, feeling kind of dirty. I took advantage of the shower facilities and let myself stay in as long as I liked. After that, I brushed out my hair, put in the pipes, and dressed. Finally, I set out to the city to look for Elazul.
It was a warm Aura day, and the city was fairly quiet. Geo hosts the most prestigious magic academy in Fa'Diel, and there was obviously a class today. Only a few kids from the academy walked about the streets.
In the center of town, near the café, I noticed a large jewelry store. The two displays in the window showed sleek, foreign-looking people, decked out in silk and gems. The door was framed by large silk curtains with an immense, fake sapphire in the middle. It looked almost like a turban.
I remembered the jeweler, Alex, I had met in Gato and wondered if this was his shop. I stepped in the door and was met by the cold environment so typical of a jewelry shop. I also saw Alex, dressed in his purple and blue outfit, and none other than Elazul. I was only mildly surprised. It might have been a bit of a risk, but a jewelry shop was the place where people would take a lot less notice of his core.
"Oh, Leora," he said. "What are you doing in Geo?"
"I've got a letter for you," I said.
Elazul raised an eyebrow. "Wanna go together to the fruit parlor and talk there? It's a nice day outside."
I agreed with him. There were one too many sets of ears in here.
We walked to the outdoor terrace, where there were tables set up, shaded by umbrellas made of dried-out palm fronds. No students roamed around-one of the teachers at the academy, Kathinja, frequents the bar. She teaches on Aura day.
Elazul and I both ordered drinks and sat together at a table. "Here's your letter," I said, handing him the envelope. "Pearl insisted on writing to you, so I said I'd deliver it."
"Is she all right?" Elazul asked.
I nodded. "She's fine, and Bud and Lisa are the next best people I know to leave with her."
Elazul smiled, and tore open the letter. He read it over once, then pocketed it. "Did you really come all the way out here just to deliver the letter?"
"Actually, I have some shopping to do as well," I admitted.
"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," Elazul said. "It's rumored that jewelry shop used to sell our cores. The jeweler now seems friendly enough, but I'm not sure of this place."
"All right," I said, getting up. "I'm after minerals mostly."
We were about to leave the fruit parlor when there was a flash of light. Suddenly, a girl dressed in the exotic clothing typical of this region, with bright green hair appeared in a flash. Right after that, what would appear to anyone as a circle of stained glass teleported in. I recognized him to be Nunuzac, a teacher at the academy. From what I'd heard, his true body was trapped in a different dimension, and he used the magic circle as his body to teach at the magic academy.
"Looks like we did it!" the girl declared, smiling.
"Hey!!" Nunuzac yelled. "How many times must I tell you, dirt!?"
The girl's smile faded. "But I…"
"You're just dirt!" accused the teacher.
"Hmph!" said the girl, and teleported away again, her teacher right behind her.
Elazul's core gave off a bit of light. "That girl? No, it couldn't be!"
I looked at him. "You think she's a Jumi?" I asked.
Elazul closed his eyes. "I can feel it," he told me. "Is she a student here? Where's the academy? I want to meet her."
"Slow down," I told him, smiling. "I'll take you there."
We walked back through the streets, past the jewelry shop, then up a flight of stairs. There, the academy stood before us. Seven-hundred years of quality instruction and counting. I led him inside to the one classroom, where a handful of students stood in rows, watching the teacher, Kathinja, give her lesson. Among these students was the green-haired girl.
When Kathinja finished talking and gave the class a five-minute break, we approached her.
"Hello!" she said, pleasantly.
Elazul's core gave a glint and a chime, and, as expected, the girl's followed.
"Ah, a Jumi!" Elazul said, pleased. "I am the Lapis knight, Elazul. I'm on a journey looking for other Jumi."
"Wow!" the girl exclaimed; a bit too loud.
Kathinja looked up from her post. "Say, over there!" she yelled at Elazul. "Save picking up girls for your days off!"
The girl grimaced. "Ahaha," she laughed nervously, "don't worry about it. I've got a class today. Let's meet at the library some other time! Maybe on a Gnome or Undine day. Oh, and I'm Esmeralda. Nice to meet you."
Elazul and I left the classroom then. "At least it won't be long," Elazul said. "I'm anxious to find out about her. Imagine, my first stop and I've already found someone!"
We stayed at the inn until one of her days off rolled around, then went back to the academy. As promised, the emerald girl was waiting in the library; unfortunately, Nunuzac was with her.
"Oh!" she cried when we arrived. "Elazul!"
"Quiet, dirt!" Nunuzac commanded. "This isn't war… you don't have to yell."
"Dirt?" Elazul asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Useless dirt!" declared Nunuzac. Jumi cores were once valued for their magic. The mages vied with one another for these cores, but they were all useless!"
"Wait!" Esmeralda told him. "Not in front of a guest."
Nunuzac appeared to not have heard. "The ancient texts talk of their incredible powers. Such as great magical forces and powers of healing. This is my sweet little apprentice, but she is just a worthless clod of dirt."
"Why, you!!" Elazul yelled, losing control and becoming angry. He made a move to attack the teacher, who teleported away.
"Whew…" Esmeralda murmured.
Elazul glared at her. "Are you really a Jumi?" he asked. "Why don't you defend yourself?"
"Because it's the truth," Esmeralda shrugged. "And fewer people will be after my core!"
"Hmph," Elazul said, not agreeing with her.
"There's something I want to ask," she said, changing the subject. "In your travels, Elazul, did you see anyone that looks like me?"
"No," said Elazul, shaking his head. "How about you, Leora?"
"No, I haven't seen anyone," I told her.
"Oh…" Esmeralda said, looking very disappointed.
"Looking for someone?" Elazul asked.
"Sorry," she said. "Let me be alone for awhile."
Elazul sighed as we left the library. "Let's go see her again tomorrow," he said.
"We can't just interrupt her class," I reminded him.
"We'll be careful," he promised. "I just want to find out about her. See if she can join together with us. I wonder if she's a knight or a guardian…"
I wondered, again, whether or not he really would abandon Pearl. I know he cared about her safety, but now she was just fine where she was…
At any rate, we stayed another night at the inn, and went back the next day to see Esmeralda.
"You looked troubled," Elazul told her, as soon as there was a free moment in the classroom. His core gave off a touch of soft light.
"Yes…" Esmeralda replied. "I have a favor to ask… of this person."
"Me?" I asked.
"Of Leora?" Elazul confirmed.
"Come to the library, Elazul," Esmeralda told him, simply, "on a Gnome or Undine day."
It was extremely bothersome having to stay two more nights at the inn, but Elazul was determined and I was behind him all the way. In the meantime, I shopped while he hung around. A few times, I stopped him from getting into a fight in the nick of time. Phew.
When the next free day rolled around, we couldn't have gotten to the library fast enough. Esmeralda and Nunuzac awaited us, as usual.
"Thank you so much for coming!" she said, pleased.
"So, what can I do for you?" asked Elazul.
"First, let me explain," Esmeralda smiled. "I ran away from the Jumi city and was taken in by the academy."
"Why did the Jumi city die out?" Elazul asked of her. I realized he must have left looking for allies earlier than that.
"Florina, the only one who could heal, was kidnapped," was her reply. I had the feeling she was throwing in these other details for my sake.
"Healing…Florina…" murmured Elazul, lost in thought.
"It was too risky to stay together in the Jumi city…" Esmeralda continued. "Because the power of healing was no more… In the chaos, I was torn from my sisters."
"So, that Nunu-magic-guy… he's been interfering, eh?" Elazul muttered, casting a nasty glance at the teacher.
"No," Esmeralda told him. "Mr. Nunuzac has taken me in. In exchange for his instruction in magic… I promised I would stay until a knight appeared."
Elazul's eyes brightened. "So I should be your knight, eh?"
"No, Elazul," Esmeralda said, her voice stern. "You already have a guardian, right? Mr. Nunuzac says that's two-timing."
"But knights and guardians aren't lovers or anything," Elazul protested.
"The most one can do is protect himself and one other," Nunuzac boomed. "Stop showing off, Jumi boy."
"You underestimate me," Elazul shot back; he turned back to Esmeralda and I. "Well, what now?"
"Mr. Nunuzac said maybe I should ask Leora."
I raised my eyebrows. Me, a knight?
"Of course!" Nunuzac said, his voice jolly. "I do like those exotic hair-pipes!"
"Well, what do you say, Leora?" Elazul asked me.
I smiled. "What can I do but accept knighthood? I'd be honored."
"Thanks, Leora!" Esmeralda cried."
"Well," Elazul said, "I'll head to the jewelry store. Call me if you need me. I hope we can find her sisters." With a final glimmer from his core, he was off.
I turned to Esmeralda. "Can you describe your sisters?"
She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then recovered. "Don't worry. My sisters will be drawn to my core. We'll see them soon."
"Are they all in Geo?" I asked.
She nodded. "They should be…" her voice trailed off. "I fear they were stolen from me when I arrived."
I felt a chill as I realized we were only hunting for their cores.
"Let's check out the school, then," I suggested. "You'll feel them, right?"
She nodded, and smiled. "There aren't any here or in the classroom, I know that."
"Where else is there to check?" I asked.
"Just the principal's office," she said. "Come on."
We entered the door to the office, and I caught a glimpse of all the funny statues and devices the academy's principal had scattered about the shelves.
"I think there's one here," Esmeralda whispered.
"Hmm?" Mephianse, the principal, turned around and gave us a quizzical look.
"Uh-oh!" Esmeralda said, and ducked out of the door. "Let's wait," she told me, "until the principal is teaching class on Dryad day!"
I nodded. "All right," I replied. "Where to, next?"
"I'm thinking we should check the Palace of Arts," said Esmeralda. "Madam Kristie wouldn't steal anything, but if it fell into her hands, she would surely keep it in a safe place."
"Okay," I said. "Lead the way."
You could see the Palace of Arts above all the buildings in the town. The style and period of the old building did not match the rest of the town; but it certainly wasn't an eyesore. The palace had been recently restored, and the white of its walls shone brilliantly in the summer sun.
Esmeralda led me into the main hall, which was filled with statues of heroes from days past. I recognized a few. She also pointed out Madam Kristie, a beautiful Naga with rich lavender hair; and Mr. Sotherbee, the small, dog-faced palace steward.
"Hi," Esmeralda said, approaching Kristie where she sat. "Have you ever seen a jewel like this?" she gestured to her core.
"Well?" Kristie asked, turning to her servant. "Have you ever seen a jewel like it, Sotherbee?"
"I saw one in the wawehouse bewow!" Sotherbee exclaimed. I tried not to laugh at his manner of speaking. Sotherbee was truly just a little child.
"Take a look in the warehouse," Kristie told Esmeralda in her smooth voice. "I'll give you the jewel if you need it."
"Thanks!" Esmeralda told her.
Sotherbee looked at his employer. "Why?" he asked.
"A Jumi core will only bring you misfortune!" Kristie whispered. I don't know that Esmeralda heard her, but I did.
The warehouse was a cluttered bunch of discarded artwork. A disturbing statue at the door made me rush down the stone steps to the level below. I saw a few empty coffins, and some statues. However, one statue caught my attention. Esmeralda gasped, and I realized this was no statue. A tiny woman stood upon a pedestal. She didn't move at all, save for her mouth, and I figured she had to be under some kind of spell. Most interesting about her, however, was the large diamond that she sported at the chest.
"What's this?" Esmeralda gasped. "What's Lady Diana doing here? Diana!" She called out with her core, and received a response.
"Do not call me by that name," the woman said, elegantly. "I am no longer a Jumi."
Esmeralda scowled. "But why?"
Diana smiled sadly. "The Jumi are doomed. You should give up being a Jumi as well."
Something clicked in my mind, and I realized that this was Mr. Rubens' "love in Geo."
"Never!" Esmeralda retorted. "My sisters call me even without their cores! The others are the same! They're all waiting for tears of healing!"
"The last Jumi with the power to heal, Florina, is dead," Diana told her gently. "There is no way to bring us back."
"I won't give up!" Esmeralda said hotly.
"Take your sister's core and leave this place!" Diana said, her demeanor becoming sharp and cold. "The jewel hunter will come!"
"How come?" Esmeralda asked, shrinking back.
"Because I told the thief to come and steal my core," Diana explained. "I must decide this once and for all, as the leader of the race. I hope this all comes to an end with my core."
"No!" cried Esmeralda. "I can't let you do that!"
I shook my head in agreement.
Diana smiled at me, amused. "Who is this?" she asked.
"My knight," Esmeralda replied stiffly.
"You're no Jumi," Diana observed.
"No," I agreed, shaking my head. "But I've agreed to protect her."
Diana laughed then; a beautiful, cascading, musical laugh. "If you still have hope," she said to Esmeralda, "then live on as a Jumi. Your sister's core is right over here."
I saw a shimmer of light emerge from an old pot, and Esmeralda reached in and took it. It looked identical to hers.
"Sis…" she said to it. "I won't give up! The Jumi will cry again! I believe it!" she took my wrist. "Let's go!"
I allowed her to drag me out of the warehouse, casting one last look back at Diana. How could she sacrifice her people so easily?
I shook the thought from my mind as we walked back into town. Esmeralda wanted to check the jewelry store. I walked in and said hello to Elazul; Esmeralda dashed up to the counter.
"Don't run inside the store," Alex the jeweler chided.
"I'm sorry," the young Jumi apologized, "I'm in a hurry. Do you have anything that looks like my core?"
"Wait!" Elazul called over to her. "So your sisters are..?"
Esmeralda nodded. "Only the cores are left. They were taken by Deathbringer's army."
"Oh," Elazul said, in understanding. "so you're looking for the mememtoes of your sisters…" his face became closed and thoughtful.
"No," Esmeralda told him boldy. "There might be some magic left in their cores. If I had some tears of healing, I could bring them back!"
Elazul sighed. "The only one of us who can shed tears is Florina, and she isn't with us… Isn't your safety more important? Let me handle it and get back to class."
Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "What's that sword?" she shot back. "If you're a knight, don't talk like a sissy!"
Elazul averted his gaze and leaned against the wall. "You're so different from Pearl," he muttered.
"Um, excuse me," Alex cut in, nervous. "We don't deal in Jumi cores here."
"Well," Esmeralda said with a broad grin. "how rare. A courteous shopkeeper! And here I thought jewelry stores were the same as morgues." She stepped away from the counter and looked at me. "All right, let's go to the next one."
"I didn't know there were Jumi in this city…" the jeweler murmured.
We had to stay a few nights at the inn once again to wait for a Dryad day to roll around; in the meantime, we searched for the last core. Esmeralda was positive she had felt it somewhere, but it was so weak that she didn't know where it was coming from. When the sun rose on Dryad day, however, Esmeralda dragged me out of bed and to the academy. As she had said, the office was empty.
"Answer me…" she whispered, her core and eyes both shining. After creeping around the room, she tore open a file cabinet and removed another beautiful emerald from within.
"Found it!" she declared. Then she grew silent. "Does this make me a thief?" she asked, timidly.
I shook my head. "Not at all. That's your sister, Esmeralda."
"You're a wonderful knight," she complimented warmly. Then, she paused. "I always wanted to be able to say that," she giggled. "Thanks!"
We left the academy then. "One left," I said. "Do you think that it might be in one of the shops?"
"It's not in the jewelry store…" she mused, thoughtfully. "I suppose we could ask around in the café and instrument shop."
I took her to the café and she stepped behind the counter to talk to the Dove (the Dove are really just giant enchanted teapots) who worked there.
"Step up to the counter, please," she told her.
"Say, do you have anything like this?" Esmeralda asked. Her core shone brightly as she showed it off."
"Who… who the 'eck are you?" demanded the Dove.
"Do you have any?" the girl repeated.
"No! Of course not!" For some reason, the Dove seemed very embarrassed.
Esmeralda shrugged. "I thought you might. Just a hunch, I guess." With that, we left the café. We entered into the instrument shop next door. While the Dove there was much more polite to us, we found nothing and left.
"There is the shed, the principal's office… and one more place where the cores respond," Esmeralda said to me. "I bet it's in the coffee shop! Let's go see!"
"We already asked-" I began, but she'd already run ahead of me. She ducked through the door and when I caught up with her, she was rooting through the potted plant in the middle of the shop.
"I knew it was here!" she cried, her core giving off flashes of light.
"Blimey!" the Dove yelled. "Wot's 'at yore doin'!? You bloody well stop that!"
Esmeralda's hand emerged, bearing the last Emerald. "It's here!"
"Oi!" exclaimed the angry shopkeeper. "That's me emerald!"
Esmeralda turned to glare at the fuming teapot. "This is my sister, and I want her back!"
I took a step back; What with the tempers of both Esmeralda and the Dove, things could get messy.
"Wot's 'at gibberish yore sayin'?" the Dove demanded. "You must be out of yore bloody 'ead!"
"Why, you sure say mean things for a Dove!" Esmeralda accused. She turned to me. "Come on! You're my knight! Fight for me!"
I shook my head. "Violence is wrong," I murmured, "I can only fight to defend you from harm, not to win you an argument."
"You musn't strike a lady!" the Dove agreed. "S'truth! Use yore noggin' for once! If you got something to say, I'm listenin'!"
"You're right," sighed Esmeralda. "I'm sorry. It's a long story. Will you hear me out?"
"Course," the shopkeeper replied. There was a slight edge to her voice that made me nervous. I wondered if she'd just listen and throw us out.
"…and that's why I'm here," Esmeralda said.
The Dove's ceramic eyes were spilling teawater all over the floor. "Blimey!" she cried. "Bein' killed for yore cores? That's terrible!"
"They're not exactly dead," Esmeralda comforted. "Ages ago, the Jumi healed their wounds with tears… So I think I could revive them if only I had some tears of healing."
The shopkeeper blubbered, "If you needs tears, take mine! Take all you want! They're just teawater, but they're good and pure! You can take them!"
"Regular tears won't do," the young Jumi explained. "It has to be Jumi tears."
"Can't you cry, then?"
"Nope." Esmeralda frowned, slightly. "Jumi tears are shards of life; that's why tears can heal a Jumi. Ages ago, the Jumi put life into their tears and shared them freely. But one day, we couldn't cry anymore… my teacher said that it might be survival instinct…"
"I don't rightly understand, but you really need 'elp! Go on, take it."
"Thank you!" Esmeralda smiled.
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it gently to the Dove.
Esmeralda and I walked outside together, my young guardian frowning. "That's odd," she mused. "Oh well. It must be because a Dove is an enchanted being…"
"What?" I asked her.
"Huh?" her large green eyes widened and looked up at me, suddenly remembering my presence. "Oh, it's nothing," she said.
I shrugged, and let it go. I guessed it couldn't be of too much importance.
As we walked back through the streets of Geo, something blew down in front of us. It was hard to see; it and the street were almost the same color. Esmeralda ran ahead and lifted up the object.
"Look, a note!" she said.
I felt icy fingers grip my heart.
"It says," she continued, "'The Lucky Clover will be mine.' What are we gonna do?" Her beautiful green eyes were now full of panic and fear. The Lucky Clover must have referred to the set of four emeralds.
"Stay next to me," I ordered.
Esmeralda smiled. "Thank you, Leora. But I should go back to the academy. Tell Elazul to be careful! And you be careful, too!"
Before I could stop her, the young girl left my side and ran through the streets. "Esmeralda!!!" I cried after her, but it was too late. I turned around and ran pell-mell back to the jewelry store.
Elazul looked up at me, questioningly. "Where's Esmeralda?" he asked.
"A note came," I gasped, out of breath.
"What?!" Elazul cried. "We should go find Esmeralda, now! Let's go!"
We left the store together and ran back to the academy, narrowly avoiding knocking down a group of students. When we arrived, I had a split in my side and Elazul's cheeks were pink. I stood, bent over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. When I looked up, I saw a welcome, yet very upsetting sight.
Inspector Boyd, who I'd met in Gato, stood at the top of the stairs leading to the entrance of the academy. He didn't look happy at all. "We were too late!" he cursed. "Esmeralda's gone! She's been kidnapped by the jewel hunter!"
"You have to find her, Leora!" Elazul told me urgently.
"Where could they have gone?" I asked, desperately.
"I'm checking the town," Boyd ordered. "You check the outskirts and the palace of arts."
Once again, I ran through the dusty streets, Elazul just ahead of me. The palace of arts loomed ahead of me; it seemed painfully far away. On our way, unfortunately, we found no signs of Esmeralda nor her abducter.
When we finally burst into the palace, Mr. Sotherbee looked up, alarmed. "Has something happened?" he asked.
"Have you-" pant "-seen-" pant "-a girl with-" pant "green hair?" I gasped.
Kristie furrowed her brow, concerned, and nodded. "That kid went to the warehouse."
"Thanks," Elazul told her. We couldn't have gone down there faster.
"Esmeralda!" cried a voice. I vaguely remembered it as Diana's. It gave me a short stab of hope in my chest. We couldn't be far behind.
Elazul regarded the motionless woman on the pedestal. "A diamond Jumi?" he asked, surprised.
She smiled. "I am the one who was once called Diana, in the Jumi city. Young Jumi knight, can you save her?"
Elazul puffed up his chest proudly. "Of course!"
"Then, I leave it to you. They are downstairs."
I hadn't noticed the second set of stairs in the corner the first time I'd been here. They led down to a large, open arena. I suspected that there had once been battles for sport here, before that sort of thing had become frowned upon. We skidded to a halt, nearly tripping, when we saw the jewel beast that stood before us. It was the same as the monster Sandra had thrown at me in the Tower of Leires, save for this one's coloring was different.
This beast was also stronger and more experienced than the last. I found that it was difficult to hit, and at one point it threw me back into the wall. I cried out and didn't get up. I found I could open my eyes, and let them focus again.
Elazul gave a cry and slashed at the beast's head. It snapped at him, and I shut my eyes. The beast had visually wounded his arm. Luckily, it wasn't his sword arm. "My core is still whole!" Elazul declared. He performed the Laser Blade technique, and the beast stumbled back, obviously hurt from the bright beam.
I staggered to my feet. I couldn't do much, but my sword had enough energy in it to perform the Impulse move. I leaped up in the air and came crashing down, sending a shockwave through the floor. It knocked the jewel beast over, and I could only sit there and rest. Luckily, Elazul was there to finish the job, and the monster disappeared in a dazzling display of colors and sparkles.
We both looked around wildly, and saw a door leading into another open arena. It was there we found Esmeralda and Sandra.
"I can't shed tears…" Esmeralda was saying. "Not even for myself… not even for my sisters!" she looked very frustrated.
Sandra smirked over at us. "Looks like you're too late," she commented.
"NO!" I screamed. I dashed at the horrible woman, but before I knew it, she'd taken Esmeralda's core and teleported away. I fell to my knees as the young Jumi--the guardian I had failed to protect--disappeared in a pulse of green light.
"Dammit!" Elazul cursed. It was hard to tell which of us was hurt more by this development. By and by, we staggered back up the stairs to address Diana once again.
"I'm sorry…" Elazul told her.
"I knew it would happen," said Diana in her simple way. "I believe the jewel hunter wants to have revenge on all the Jumi."
"Revenge?" Elazul asked, confused.
"Bring your guardian here with you," Diana instructed. "I shall tell you then. I give you this as proof of my promise." A large, expensive-looking bar of silver rolled its way out from under her robes. "Allow me to return you to your guardian."
I closed my eyes, and Elazul and I allowed ourselves to be teleported. We found ourselves outside of my house.
"I want to cry," I confessed to Elazul.
His pupils shrank and his eyes widened. "No! Leora, don't!" he yelled.
"What?" I blinked, taken aback.
"You can't cry. You can't cry for us, or else…" Elazul's deep blue eyes connected with mine, and I knew he was serious.
We heard the front door open, and Pearl peeked out. Upon seeing her partner, she smiled and began to approach us.
"I must tell her about Esmeralda and Diana…" Elazul murmured.
"This house it so…nice…" Pearl said to him, in her high, silky voice. Her manner of speaking was almost like a lullaby to me in my state. "Elazul, over here…" she took his wrist and began to lead him inside. I followed.
"Not just yet," he said, completing his thought when Pearl couldn't hear. "She looks so happy."