Notes: If there's anyone who's been waiting awhile to read this, I'm really sorry. I've been bad, neglecting
my fanfics, but I've finally picked 'em up again. Enjoy.
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I made Truffle run a lot faster than he liked that day, and I don't believe that Bud or Lisa particularly liked the bumps… if Lisa was conscious. I had no way of knowing how aware she was; her eyes were stuck open and she was breathing, but who knew if she could hear me giving her brother terse orders.
Bud was worried for his sister, but at one point in the afternoon (we were heading across the outskirts of Madora beach towards Polpota Harbor, the nearest town to Etansel, the Jumi City) he begged for me to stop so that he could relieve himself. It was then, waiting for him, that I remembered Alexandra's note.
I picked it up, cautiously, and read over her neat script.
"Do not inform Blackpearl that I am here."
I sighed. I understood why she didn't want Blackpearl to know, but that made things a lot harder for me. I figured, though, that I could still talk to Elazul about it when I got there.
Bud got back in the cart, and we drove on.
"Is Lisa going to be okay?" he asked, timidly. At that point we were on the final stretch--we'd be at the Bejeweled City within the hour, but it was bitter cold outside and all of us were suffering from the wind. It looked like snow.
"I hope so, Bud," I told him, shivering.
"What happened to her?" he asked. "She's breathing so slowly."
My heart lurched; was there enough time left to save Lisa? Just as the many tiers of the city came into view, it began to lightly snow. Usually a light snow like that would be considered a gift from Undine, but now I felt like she was cursing me. I swore, and drove the cart further.
We finally reached the city, but I could no longer feel my hands. Shivering, I let go of Truffle's reigns, and approached the entrance. It was evening; the sun had just gone down and I could see fires burning inside the city.
"Hello!" I called, best as I could. I stumbled up the first flight of stone steps, and continued to cry out, but no one came. Finally, I reached somebody's door, and knocked on it. I couldn't quite feel the door I was knocking on.
The door opened slowly, and I saw a Jumi man wearing blue robes peer out at me. I recognized him vaguely--he was Mr. Sappho and the keeper of the gates.
"I need a guardian," I told him, trembling from the cold. "I need a guardian right now--"
"Calm down," he said, his blue eyes piercing mine. "Leora, something must be wrong for you to come out here at a time like this, but please, stay calm. Why do you need a guardian?"
"Lisa, in my wagon, at the entrance," I muttered. "Please, help her."
Sappho sighed. "Come in," he said, beckoning to me. Inside the large room there also sat another Jumi man. His core was golden-yellow. "Antonio," Sappho said, "Would you please fetch Elazul and Pearl? The knight-guardian pair who live on the third tier?"
The Jumi Antonio looked confused, but obeyed. Sappho also left the little house, leaving me along.
I stumbled over to the fireplace, where a large fire was crackling merrily. I slowly held out my stiff hands, hoping that the feeling in them would return.
Mr. Sappho came back a few moments later, carrying Lisa. Bud was at his heels.
"It is the Jumi's curse, is it not?" he asked.
"Yes," I murmured. "I need to have a guardian look at her--and I need to talk to Elazul…"
"You also need to calm down," Sappho said. "They will come, but perhaps you should sleep."
"No," I protested, but I let him lead me through a tunnel and into a room with a little couch on it. I even let him give me some hot tea, and I think that pushed me over the edge. Before I knew it, I'd tumbled into a dreamless sleep.
When I awoke, I became immediately aware of sunlight streaming in a window over me. I knew it must be late morning, so I sat up quickly. Then, I remembered Lisa.
That thought made me jump off of the little couch completely, and storm into the next room (seemed like I was myself again). My eyes traveled around the room, but they found only one person sitting there, and he was not Bud or Mr. Sappho.
He looked a bit different--his lapis--colored hair was combed much more neatly about his head and shoulders, his mantle had been washed, and the suit he wore had been replaced; it was not nearly as threadbare. A leather belt across his middle sported the sheath for a one-handed sword.
"Leora," he said, smiling. "It's good to see you."
Elazul.
"And you," I said, feeling more cheery already. I made my way over to the seat beside him and sat down, trying to make happy conversation. "How have you been? And Pearl?"
"Pearl is with Lisa," Elazul said, seeing right through my cheerful facade. "We're pretty sure she'll be all right… Diana and Florina are with her, as well."
"Thank you," I murmured, hanging my head. I felt like I needed to refresh myself; my hair certainly needed to be put up again. "But I need to talk to you some more, preferably in private…"
"Of course," Elazul said. "Diana and Rubens and everyone have been alerted of course." He helped me to my feet. "The Jumi's curse is a serious one, Leora…no one's known that one for thousands of years. And you arrived here in such poor condition… you were out like a light by the time Pearl and I arrived here last night."
I nodded. "Where can I talk to you? I feel…so restless here…"
"Let's take a walk, then," suggested Elazul.
"Sure," I agreed.
We began to make our way about the tiers of the city. It was still somewhat cold, so not many Jumi were outside, but the temperature was tolerable for me. "There's so much to tell," I said.
"Take your time," Elazul said. "When you're done, we'll go see Lisa and Pearl."
"Right," I said, my voice trailing off. "I suppose it all began when Lisa fell ill… she caught a sort of flu or cold, and I went to buy some medicine for her. When I got to Domina…there was a strange group of people there… they'd made a fire in the market square."
"Describe them," Elazul prompted me.
"There were some harpies--five or six," I said, "I don't remember, and there was a woman in a green cloak with her face hidden… and then there was their leader. She had skin… well, it was purple! It wasn't a natural shade around here!" Elazul seemed to stiffen a bit, but I continued on. "And she sang a weird song about angels and carriages and a mandala… then she insisted on using sacred cards for me, but I walked out. The only thing is, I was trying to leave. I told them Lisa was sick, but they wouldn't listen! So they tried to give me medicine--"
"Wait, slow down," Elazul said to me, seriously. "Let me make sure I took that in correctly. There were harpies, and a woman in a cloak, and a violet-skinned woman as their leader, correct?"
I nodded.
"And they read your cards, and gave you medicine?"
I nodded again.
Elazul pursed his lips.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said, but I knew he was lying. "Continue."
"It's not nothing," I protested.
"It can wait, then," he said. "I need you to tell me the rest."
"Right…" I said. "They gave me the medicine, but the lady in the green cloak slipped something in the bag before I left. So I went home and gave Lisa her medicine--"
"You administered it!?" Elazul thundered.
"Oh! No! I'm sorry, I bought her normal medicine and gave her that."
Elazul relaxed.
"But then," I continued, "I went upstairs into my room, and took the medicine out of the bag… and I smelled it and it nearly knocked me out! So I pulled the card out of the bag…"
"And..?" he prompted me.
"It read, 'this isn't medicine, it's a hallucinogen.'"
"Well, I thought as much," Elazul said.
"What do you know about them that I don't?" I asked.
"Not much," he said. "You'd better ask Rubens. Anyway, is there anything else?"
"Yes," I said, "but--you can't tell Pearl. At least not yet."
"Why?" Elazul asked, narrowing his eyes.
"The piece of paper that was in the bag… it was on very familiar stationery."
"That being?" Elazul asked, growing impatient with the way I was hedging around the topic.
"It was parchment…with…" I swallowed, and just said it. "It was Sandra's stationery. She warned me."
my fanfics, but I've finally picked 'em up again. Enjoy.
-----
I made Truffle run a lot faster than he liked that day, and I don't believe that Bud or Lisa particularly liked the bumps… if Lisa was conscious. I had no way of knowing how aware she was; her eyes were stuck open and she was breathing, but who knew if she could hear me giving her brother terse orders.
Bud was worried for his sister, but at one point in the afternoon (we were heading across the outskirts of Madora beach towards Polpota Harbor, the nearest town to Etansel, the Jumi City) he begged for me to stop so that he could relieve himself. It was then, waiting for him, that I remembered Alexandra's note.
I picked it up, cautiously, and read over her neat script.
"Do not inform Blackpearl that I am here."
I sighed. I understood why she didn't want Blackpearl to know, but that made things a lot harder for me. I figured, though, that I could still talk to Elazul about it when I got there.
Bud got back in the cart, and we drove on.
"Is Lisa going to be okay?" he asked, timidly. At that point we were on the final stretch--we'd be at the Bejeweled City within the hour, but it was bitter cold outside and all of us were suffering from the wind. It looked like snow.
"I hope so, Bud," I told him, shivering.
"What happened to her?" he asked. "She's breathing so slowly."
My heart lurched; was there enough time left to save Lisa? Just as the many tiers of the city came into view, it began to lightly snow. Usually a light snow like that would be considered a gift from Undine, but now I felt like she was cursing me. I swore, and drove the cart further.
We finally reached the city, but I could no longer feel my hands. Shivering, I let go of Truffle's reigns, and approached the entrance. It was evening; the sun had just gone down and I could see fires burning inside the city.
"Hello!" I called, best as I could. I stumbled up the first flight of stone steps, and continued to cry out, but no one came. Finally, I reached somebody's door, and knocked on it. I couldn't quite feel the door I was knocking on.
The door opened slowly, and I saw a Jumi man wearing blue robes peer out at me. I recognized him vaguely--he was Mr. Sappho and the keeper of the gates.
"I need a guardian," I told him, trembling from the cold. "I need a guardian right now--"
"Calm down," he said, his blue eyes piercing mine. "Leora, something must be wrong for you to come out here at a time like this, but please, stay calm. Why do you need a guardian?"
"Lisa, in my wagon, at the entrance," I muttered. "Please, help her."
Sappho sighed. "Come in," he said, beckoning to me. Inside the large room there also sat another Jumi man. His core was golden-yellow. "Antonio," Sappho said, "Would you please fetch Elazul and Pearl? The knight-guardian pair who live on the third tier?"
The Jumi Antonio looked confused, but obeyed. Sappho also left the little house, leaving me along.
I stumbled over to the fireplace, where a large fire was crackling merrily. I slowly held out my stiff hands, hoping that the feeling in them would return.
Mr. Sappho came back a few moments later, carrying Lisa. Bud was at his heels.
"It is the Jumi's curse, is it not?" he asked.
"Yes," I murmured. "I need to have a guardian look at her--and I need to talk to Elazul…"
"You also need to calm down," Sappho said. "They will come, but perhaps you should sleep."
"No," I protested, but I let him lead me through a tunnel and into a room with a little couch on it. I even let him give me some hot tea, and I think that pushed me over the edge. Before I knew it, I'd tumbled into a dreamless sleep.
When I awoke, I became immediately aware of sunlight streaming in a window over me. I knew it must be late morning, so I sat up quickly. Then, I remembered Lisa.
That thought made me jump off of the little couch completely, and storm into the next room (seemed like I was myself again). My eyes traveled around the room, but they found only one person sitting there, and he was not Bud or Mr. Sappho.
He looked a bit different--his lapis--colored hair was combed much more neatly about his head and shoulders, his mantle had been washed, and the suit he wore had been replaced; it was not nearly as threadbare. A leather belt across his middle sported the sheath for a one-handed sword.
"Leora," he said, smiling. "It's good to see you."
Elazul.
"And you," I said, feeling more cheery already. I made my way over to the seat beside him and sat down, trying to make happy conversation. "How have you been? And Pearl?"
"Pearl is with Lisa," Elazul said, seeing right through my cheerful facade. "We're pretty sure she'll be all right… Diana and Florina are with her, as well."
"Thank you," I murmured, hanging my head. I felt like I needed to refresh myself; my hair certainly needed to be put up again. "But I need to talk to you some more, preferably in private…"
"Of course," Elazul said. "Diana and Rubens and everyone have been alerted of course." He helped me to my feet. "The Jumi's curse is a serious one, Leora…no one's known that one for thousands of years. And you arrived here in such poor condition… you were out like a light by the time Pearl and I arrived here last night."
I nodded. "Where can I talk to you? I feel…so restless here…"
"Let's take a walk, then," suggested Elazul.
"Sure," I agreed.
We began to make our way about the tiers of the city. It was still somewhat cold, so not many Jumi were outside, but the temperature was tolerable for me. "There's so much to tell," I said.
"Take your time," Elazul said. "When you're done, we'll go see Lisa and Pearl."
"Right," I said, my voice trailing off. "I suppose it all began when Lisa fell ill… she caught a sort of flu or cold, and I went to buy some medicine for her. When I got to Domina…there was a strange group of people there… they'd made a fire in the market square."
"Describe them," Elazul prompted me.
"There were some harpies--five or six," I said, "I don't remember, and there was a woman in a green cloak with her face hidden… and then there was their leader. She had skin… well, it was purple! It wasn't a natural shade around here!" Elazul seemed to stiffen a bit, but I continued on. "And she sang a weird song about angels and carriages and a mandala… then she insisted on using sacred cards for me, but I walked out. The only thing is, I was trying to leave. I told them Lisa was sick, but they wouldn't listen! So they tried to give me medicine--"
"Wait, slow down," Elazul said to me, seriously. "Let me make sure I took that in correctly. There were harpies, and a woman in a cloak, and a violet-skinned woman as their leader, correct?"
I nodded.
"And they read your cards, and gave you medicine?"
I nodded again.
Elazul pursed his lips.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said, but I knew he was lying. "Continue."
"It's not nothing," I protested.
"It can wait, then," he said. "I need you to tell me the rest."
"Right…" I said. "They gave me the medicine, but the lady in the green cloak slipped something in the bag before I left. So I went home and gave Lisa her medicine--"
"You administered it!?" Elazul thundered.
"Oh! No! I'm sorry, I bought her normal medicine and gave her that."
Elazul relaxed.
"But then," I continued, "I went upstairs into my room, and took the medicine out of the bag… and I smelled it and it nearly knocked me out! So I pulled the card out of the bag…"
"And..?" he prompted me.
"It read, 'this isn't medicine, it's a hallucinogen.'"
"Well, I thought as much," Elazul said.
"What do you know about them that I don't?" I asked.
"Not much," he said. "You'd better ask Rubens. Anyway, is there anything else?"
"Yes," I said, "but--you can't tell Pearl. At least not yet."
"Why?" Elazul asked, narrowing his eyes.
"The piece of paper that was in the bag… it was on very familiar stationery."
"That being?" Elazul asked, growing impatient with the way I was hedging around the topic.
"It was parchment…with…" I swallowed, and just said it. "It was Sandra's stationery. She warned me."