Brother in arms

"It seems unreal that Piper could ever be like Lady Ariel." Julian said after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"She can be." Ezrin said and gave me the eeriest look as wisps came screaming towards us. "And maybe even more."

"Yay, you freed us!" the wisps exclaimed darting every which way and yanking hair right and left. "Mean old Queenie stuck us in cages when we found Julian. But now we're free!"

The wisps then began darting around franticly. "Where is he?" they cried suddenly distressed. "Where is Keegan? Where did he go?"

Keegan is with our mother, Angel told them. They wanted to catch up on time lost.

"No!" the wisps moaned. "Playtime! Not time to talk to ghost. Play!" The swarm drooped to the ground and I caught one in my hands.

"We can still play." I told the one in my hand. "You and the others can still look for the rest of our friends and your playmates. It can be fun without Keegan."

"No!" the wisp squeaked with a stubborn stomp of its foot. "We only looked because Keegan asked." Before I could reply, all the wisps were up and gone in a flash.

"We're certainly up an unsanitary tributary with inadequate support." Julian muttered throwing up his hands in frustration.

"That's one way of putting it." Damon replied flat.

These guys needed a moral booster and I decided I was the one to deliver it.

"Come on!" I exclaimed struck with a crazy idea. "We can still get through this maze. We have Ezrin! He's been getting through without wisps."

Damon and Julian both looked at me as if I was crazy.

Angel patted me on the shoulder with sympathy. Why don't you go sit down and let us adults think.

I began shaking in rage. My parents thought I was just a pretty piece of fluff that they could control. Keegan thought I was some prize and my friends thought I was a brainless child. I had it!!!

"No, I won't let you adults think." I snapped. "If you've forgotten this is my fight. The winged drag queen doesn't want the blond vampire wanna-be." I turned my gaze to Damon next. "He doesn't want a vampire who still lusts after his brother's girlfriend."

"Or a slave aljinnu." I snapped at Julian then pierced everyone with my angry stare. "He wants me. So if you adults want to plan our next move without even consulting me, why I don't just take that final step and give into Raziel!"

Everyone was quiet. Not a sound could have been heard, no birds chirped, no bees buzzed. The only sound was my harsh breathing.

"For your information," Ezrin said quietly. "I swore to Lady Ariel that I would watch over any of her children that came to Niflheim. I will not break my vow to her."

He turned to Angel, "For your mother, I will guide everyone through the labyrinth until the wisps return or you reach the end."

Thanks, I think.

Now that was done everyone relaxed a tad and Julian slapped Ezrin on the back.

"Seems like old times. You and me, together again."

The older Shadow Man snickered, "You moping about some mortal and me stuck babysitting."

Julian chuckled, "I wasn't moping and I'm not now."

Ezrin rolled his eyes, "Sure. Believe whatever you like."

Damon cleared his throat loudly, "Sorry to interrupt your Kodak moment, Julie. But we still have Rob, Anna and your lover to find."

"And track down Keegan" I added before Julian could pitch a fit at being called Julie.

Keegan's fine, Piper. Angel said with a frustrated sigh. So stop worrying.

Ezrin smiled slowly, "Yes Piper. People will start thinking you might have more than friendly feelings towards him."

Next chapter: Madelyn, Keegan and a blast from the past!