Journey to Kamargo
"I hope this is the right way," Cubbi Gummi muttered as he made his way
through the forest, trying to avoid the briars and the branches. According
to the map, he was going the right way and, after all, not just any wanderer
was supposed to be able to find this path, so it made sense that it was
overgrown and unruly. Still, it would be nice if it was just a little
easier to navigate. He focused on his destination, hoping that would help
his feet to move a little faster, but, instead he came to a dead stop as he
wondered, for the millionth tim,e if he was doing the right thing.
Many years ago, what seemed to Cubbi as a lifetime ago, a gummi had
traveled to Gummi Glen. Upon finding there was only six gummies (Gusto
would not be around until later), he decided to travel on to the Great
Gummies. This traveler, who was named Chummi, had explained that he, like
Cubbi, had been the youngest gummi in his group and he had ended up being
alone because of it. Chummi had offered to take Cubbi with him and Cubbi
almost went. In fact, they had traveled to the ocean before Cubbi had
changed his mind and stayed. Still, what Chummi had said about being the
youngest and eventually being alone stuck in Cubbi's mind.
Outwardly, he dismissed it. Sunni was just a little bit older than he
was, so he didn't really think that he would end up the way Chummi had.
Besides, once the glen was safe, the Great Gummies could return. He
convinced himself, on one level of consciousness, that he had nothing to
worry about. Of course now, it was no longer a worry. It was a reality.
In the years that followed, Cubbi grew older and stronger as he
helplessly watched Zummi and Grammi grow weaker. Eventually, Grammi lost a
battle with pneumonia and Zummi passed on shortly later. It was a hard time
on them all. Sunni tried to take on Grammi's jobs of cleaning and cooking.
All of them tried to make things as it had been before, but it was a
fruitless quest. Then, Sunni caught a strange virus from Dunwyn. The day
she died, the world began to grow a bit darker for the rest of them.
Through sickness and accidents, more deaths followed until, one
morning, Cubbi awoke in the glen and said, "I am alone," and the emptiness
around him echoed his statement. His worst fear had come true and no one
was even around to comfort him. Cavin and Calla were still around and would
have listened, if they had the time. Since King Gregor's death, Calla was
ruling the kingdom as the Queen. In a unorthodox, but unsurprising move,
she had married Cavin and together they worked to keep Dunwyn in order.
Cavin was still Cubbi's best friend, but was just too busy anymore to visit
Gummi Glen very often or talk to Cubbi if he visited. Even when she wasn't
busy, Calla had never visited the glen since Sunni's death. Cubbi knew she
still mourned her friend's death.
Cubbi had walked the empty hallways for many nights as he wondered what
he should do next. He wanted to leave, but it wasn't that easy. Alone or
not, it was still his responsibility to guard the glen and the Great Book.
Besides, Duke Igthorn was no longer a threat, but had raised two children, a
boy and a girl, who were carrying on his schemes. No one knew exactly if
Igthorn had kidnapped the children or if they were orphans, but the results
were the same. The girl in particular had grown up to be almost exactly
like her 'father'. She called herself Duchess Emilia Igthorn, although she
actually held no rank. Her brother, Marcus, was not nearly as cruel as his
sister, but his plans were more intricate and intelligent that Duke
Igthorn's had ever been.
Lady Bane was still around, thanks to countless spells she used as a
fountain of youth. In fact, she hadn't really changed much at all in
physical appearance. She still longed for the Great Book and all of its
magical secrets. She wasn't giving up soon, but Cubbi knew that no matter
how great of a sorceress she was, she would never be immortal, so it was
merely a matter of waiting her out.
Yet, there were just so many ghosts here, he was beginning to feel like
a ghost himself. Then, one day why he was straightening up Zummi's library,
a piece of paper fell out of a book. He picked it up and was surprised to
find it was a map leading to the Great Gummies. He had known approximately
where they were at, but now he knew exactly. After thinking long and hard,
he finally came to a decision: he would leave this place and all its ghosts,
but he would take the Great Book with him so it wouldn't be left unguarded.
With his mind made up, he set his plan into motion. First, he built a ship
using some preliminary plans that Tummi had used to make the boat he had
built once, but expounding on the original design to make it a bit larger.
He didn't want to make it too large, because he couldn't afford being
spotted, and the original had made it across the ocean. Finally he packed
up a small portion of his belongings and the Great Book into a small
knapsack he would wear on his back. Both Cavin and Calla had met him by the
shore, despite their busy life, to say good-bye. Cubbi waved to them as he
sailed away, wondering if he would ever see them again and realizing he
probably would not.
He had followed the map, once he reached land, and that's what had
brought him to this overgrown part of the forest, which seemed to be more of
a jungle. He was just beginning to think he must have misread the directions
on the map when he came to a clearing. He pushed a branch aside and looked
around.
Immediately, he was struck by the beauty of the area. In contrast to
the forest he had just traveled through, which was severely overgrown, the
clearing appeared to be well kept. There was a gently rolling knoll covered
with grass that appeared to be as rich and luxurious and green velvet,
dotted with various colored wildflowers. An ancient tree with thick
spreading branches, like loving arms protecting the earth beneath, grew at
the top of the knoll. Beneath the tree, a small stream trickled past,
sliding past stones that were worn smooth long ago. At one point the stream
deepened and widened to form a small pool were tiny minnows gliding
effortlessly, their tiny, silver bodies gleaming in the sun. It was by this
pool that a gummi was sitting.
She looked as lovely and natural as any part of the landscape, dipping
her foot into the pool and slowing moving it around to create small ripples.
Her fur was a soft silvery gray color and her hair, which hung down to her
waist, was only a shade darker. She wore a simple, light blue dress and
seemed to be so at peace that Cubbi found himself staring at her. He
stepped forward to get a closer view, but tripped over a small rock and fell
into the clearing. Great way to make an entrance, Cubbi thought, angry with
himself.
In response, the gummi immediately jumped to her feet and looked,
fearfully, toward the source of the noise.
"Sorry," Cubbi mumbled, "I guess I tripped." He stood up, and dusted
himself off, still a bit embarrassed.
Her face relaxed a bit, but it was still hard to read her emotion.
"That's okay," she responded in a soft voice.
Cubbi walked into the clearing, and was surprised to see his
destination just below him. He had finally made it! He couldn't help but
breathe a sigh of relief as he turned back to the girl, who was still
staring at him. Cubbi couldn't help but wonder why she looked so guilty.
He took a few steps toward her.
"Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier," he said, "my name's
Cubbi."
She looked at him for a moment, as if she didn't understand what he had
said. "I'm Jenna," she finally replied, softly.
"Jenna," he repeated. He pointed to the Gummi city below, "Are you from
there?"
She looked to where he was pointing as if unaware of her location,
"No." she replied.
"No?" he echoed, his surprise turning it into a question.
"No," she repeated, "I'm a nomadic gummi."
For a moment, Cubbi couldn't think of what to say. He had heard of
nomadic gummies before in stories, but he didn't think there were still
around. However, Jenna seemed to a contradiction to this belief.
"I don't really come from a city," she said, offering the information
voluntarily for the first time, "I'm just traveling through here."
"Where are you going?" Cubbi asked, hoping he didn't sound too nosy.
"Kamargo," she answered.
"I've never heard of Kamargo before."
"It's an ancient city north of here," Jenna explained slowly, as if
speaking to someone much younger, "All of the world's magic is supposed to
have been born there."
"Interesting, but why do you want to go there?" he questioned.
"I'm searching for answers," she replied, simply.
It was obvious she didn't want to say anymore, so he decided to drop
the subject. He once again began to admire his surroundings. "This sure is
a beautiful place," Cubbi declared.
"Yes," she agreed, "I found this place yesterday and I just had to stay
for a while. It really is quite lovely.
"I would like to go with you," he stated, suddenly changing the
subject.
"What?" she asked, surprised.
"I really don't have any place to go," he admitted, "That's why I was
traveling. I would really would like to travel with you.
"But, it might be dangerous," she insisted, "maybe even deadly."
"I don't really care about that," he said, "but I would like to go, if
you would allow me to."
She dropped her eyes and Cubbi fully expected for her to say he was not
welcome. "Okay," she said, raising her eyes to look at him, "You can travel
with me, but only 'til we get to Kamargo. My business there is personal."
"Fair enough," he agreed.
She reached behind a tree and pulled out a small patchwork back, which
she slung over shoulder. "It's best to go this way," she said, pointing to
a path that led to another part of the forest and away from the city below.
Cubbi took one final look at his original destination before nodding
and following her down the path. His journey had begun.
**********************************
As they walked through the forest, in silence, Cubbi began to question
why he had really wanted to come. It was true what he had told her about
having no place to go, but he was so close to finally seeing the Great
Gummies. Then, when he finally got close enough to see the city, he decides
to travel to some place called Kamargo with a strange gummi whom he knew
almost nothing about. She had almost refused to reveal anything about
herself, yet, here he was, tagging right along with her.
He really didn't have to search deeply to find the answer. He had
known all along why he had wanted to come along. From the moment he saw he,
he could see the loneliness he felt inside reflected in her eyes. It was
peculiar, but he couldn't describe it as anything but a bond of common
feelings. He felt that deep down, they understood one another. Now, if
only she talk about herself.
The silence continued, only broken by the sounds of the animals in the
forest. Cubbi decided it was up to him to start the conversation because it
was becoming obvious Jenna wasn't a big talker. "I've heard about nomadic
gummies before," Cubbi began, "But I still thought you traveled in groups."
She turned around to look at him in surprise, and nearly tripped over a
root. "I used to be part of a small clan," she said, when she had regained
her balance, "but things happened. I'm the only one left."
"I understand how you feel," Cubbi replied.
"You do?" she asked, not chancing to look back again.
"Yeah," Cubbi said, "I used to live at Gummi Glen. There was a small
group of us there and I was the youngest...." To his surprise he told her
the entire story, including each of their deaths. He never would have
dreamed he would have told someone whom he knew so little about, so much
about himself.
"That's so sad," Jenna sympathized when he had completed his story, "Is
that why you said that you really had no place to go?"
"Yes, it is," Cubbi admitted, "The glen was so haunted, and I was
beginning to feel like a ghost myself. Is that what happened to you?"
"Similar," she stated, not willing to elaborate, "But why did you want
to come with me instead of going on to the Great Gummies?"
Because I saw the same loneliness I've been feeling reflected in your
lovely eyes Cubbi wanted to say, but didn't. "I always wanted to find
adventure, and the trip here was kind of dull," he replied. It wasn't
exactly the truth, but it wasn't a lie, not entirely.
"Oh," she responded, sounded somewhat disappointed. Cubbi hoped he
hadn't hurt her feelings, so he decided to keep the conversation going.
"So why Kamargo?" he asked, "Why do you think you'll find answers
there, if I may ask?"
Silence followed for several minutes before she finally answered. "Our
small group of gummies had a leader at one time. He said he had to lead us
to an ancient city, but I'm not sure of the whole story. When he died, I
found a map to Kamargo in his pocket and I realized that's where he had been
leading us, so I decided that I should go and maybe find out why we were
heading there in the first place."
Her explanation was the most she had said at one time so, when she
became silent once more, Cubbi didn't push for any more answers. They spoke
few words as they traveled the rest of that day and the times they did speak
it was along the lines of "look out for that branch" or something similar.
They continued until the sun slowly began to sink from view and the sky was
covered in its starry blanket.
They choose a grassy spot near a small pond to spend the night, since
there were no signs of rain and it was comfortably warm. Jenna fell asleep
almost as soon as her eyes were closed, but Cubbi, who had chosen a spot
about six feet away, remained awake, staring up into the sky. He wondered
why Jenna was so secretive and how he could help her open up. Just wait he
heard a voice softly say Sometimes someone has to figure it out for
themselves before they can talk to you about it. Cubbi smiled, remembering
those were Grammi's words.
He didn't remember the entire incident, but Cavin had been upset, yet
every time Cubbi had tried to talk to him, Cavin refused to explain what was
going on. Cubbi had gone to Grammi, telling her what was happening, when
she advised him to just give Cavin time. "But, Grammi," he had said, "He's
my best friend, and he won't even talk to me." That's when Grammi had given
him those words of wisdom. "Just wait," she had advised, "Sometimes someone
has to figure it out for themselves before they can talk to you about it."
Cubbi had reluctantly taken Grammi's advice and had realized she was right.
Later, Cavin apologized for the way he had been acting and explained to
Cubbi the situation that had him so upset. Cubbi couldn't even remember
what it was that had Cavin so upset anymore, but Grammi's words remained
with him.
Jenna cried out softly in her sleep and Cubbi turned to look in her
direction. The moonlight illuminated her sleeping figure, making her appear
to be an angel who had lost her way. She cried again, and moved her hands
like she was trying to push something away. She's having a nightmare, Cubbi
thought. All at once, a wave of pity washed over him. At times, he grew
aggravated at Jenna's silence, but now he only wanted to hold her and
convince her that everything was all right. Yeah, he thought, just depend
of big, brave Cubbi, the defender of 'damsels in distress'. The thought
sounded so corny, he almost laughed aloud. Still, as he watched her fight
off her night demons, he wished that he could close the gulf between them
that stretched on past the six feet that physically separated them. It
stretched for miles and miles. Finally, Jenna seem to relax and drift
deeper into sleep.
"Good night, Jenna," he whispered softly, as he closed his eyes. Yet,
a final thought drifted through his mind as he fell asleep: I wonder if we
are both lost and searching or if we both are just running.
***************************************
Sunrise came all too early for Cubbi. Yet, when he opened his eyes and
looked around, Jenna was nowhere to be found. For a second, still somewhat
sleepy, he wondered if he had just dreamed their entire thing. Then, he
realized, he wouldn't be in this unknown place if he hadn't been with Jenna.
"Jenna," he called out softly, "Where are you?"
"I'm right here," she answered from behind him. He turned and realized
that she had been up for some time. In her arms she carried some
fresh-picked berries, their breakfast no doubt. She had also pulled her
hair back in a long braid that hung down her back. It was a pretty style
for her, especially since several strands had already pulled loose from the
braid and were now curled about, framing her face. "I thought you might be
hungry," she said.
"Thanks," he replied, as she brought the berries over to him. He ate
slowly, as did she, both occupied by their own thoughts. Finally, he
decided to ask her about the nightmare that had haunted her sleep during the
night.
"You must of had some nightmare last night," he begin, "You were acting
like you were trying to fight something off."
"I don't remember having any nightmares," she said, "I slept fine. How
did you sleep?"
"Fine," he replied.
"Any nightmares?" she asked, somewhat sarcastically.
"I don't have dreams," Cubbi responded.
"You don't have dreams?" she questioned, the sarcasm gone and replaced
with curiosity.
"None that I know of," he answered, "I haven't had any dreams for
years."
They continued to eat in silence. Finally, Jenna picked up her bag, as
if ready to leave.
"Wait," Cubbi said, "I was just wondering; how much farther is it to
Kamargo?"
"Well," she responded, pulling out a map from her bag and straightening
it on the ground, "If I'm correct it should only be 2 to 3 more days."
"That's all?" Cubbi asked, disappointed.
"Yeah," she replied, "not too much farther to go." She placed the map
back into her bag. "You ready?"
"Sure," he said, as he fell into step behind her. He walked with less
enthusiasm than before. Some adventure, he thought, it was an entire 3,
maybe 4 days long, counting their first day of traveling together. At least
it won't take me too long to travel back to the Great Gummies. Yet, as he
looked at Jenna walking ahead of him, he knew that every step of the journey
so far had been worth it. He hoped that when she got her business taken care
of, she might come back with him and give up being a nomad. It was no fun
being alone, and that's something he knew from personal experience.
He followed her as they journeyed into a grossly overgrown forest,
similar the one Cubbi had fought through on his way to the Great Gummies,
only this place was worse. It was rather spooky, even to Cubbi who didn't
frighten easy. "Why are we going this way?" he asked Jenna, "Isn't there
away around this mess?" Just as he finished his question, he tripped and
landed in a mud puddle. Jenna came back and helped him back to his feet.
Makes twice I'm tripped over something in front of her, Cubbi thought, she's
going to think I'm a real klutz.
"The only other alternative is to go through a town," Jenna explained,
"This is safer. Besides, we're not very likely to accidentally meet up with
any travelers going this way."
"I can understand why," Cubbi grumbled, but was thankful that Jenna was
so resourceful.
Another day passed, this one much slower than the previous one and both
gummies said at the base of an old gnarled tree, exhausted and sore. "I
hope we didn't lose too much time try to make it through this forest." Jenna
said.
"I hope we don't have to travel through many more places like this,"
Cubbi complained and he leaned back against the tree.
"Night's setting in fast," Jenna said, eyeing the sky, "We should try
to get some sleep."
Cubbi nodded, and was asleep this time before Jenna had even a chance
to get comfortable leaning against the other side of the tree.
***********************************
Cubbi had lied to Jenna, but not intentionally, when he said he didn't
dream. The truth was that Cubbi dreamed every night but had carefully
practiced to never remember dreaming. In fact, he had been unable to
remember any dream for a long time. It was just easier that way. Yet, that
night he had a dream that he was sure he would never forget.
In the dream, he was back at Gummi Glen, but it looked different then
when he left. Roots grew up through the floor, the ceiling had caved in
places, and all their furniture lay in pieces. He wondered through the
rooms, navigating around the damage as best he could until he heard a soft
noise behind him.
There the others, his friends stood, staring solemnly at him, yet it
wasn't really them. He could see directly through their bodies at the wall
behind and their eyes were no more then black holes that looked at him. He
couldn't think of anything to say or do. He just stood there looking.
"You left us," they said together, seemingly in one voice, "And you
left your responsibilities."
"I had to go," he replied, "I couldn't stay here."
"It was your responsibility," they insisted.
"But I'm alive," Cubbi cried, desperately, "And you're dead. Among the
dead is no place for someone who's still living."
"Cubbi," said a voice nearby and he turned to see Sunni was now
standing next to him. She touched his arm with her hand, which felt
surprisingly solid. "Cubbi," she repeated.
Cubbi's eyes jerked open and the ghostly face of Sunni was replaced
with Jenna's. Even in the darkness he could see the fear in her face.
"Cubbi," she whispered, "We have to go."
"What?" he asked, still somewhat disorientated from the dream.
"Sshh, just follow me. You have to be quiet." she whispered, taking
him by the arm and leading him into the forest. Silently, the made their
way to a small stream, where Jenna stepped into the running water.
Confused, Cubbi did the same and they continued once more. Finally, they
came to a tree with branches that hung low over the stream. Jenna tried to
reach one of the branches, but she wasn't tall enough. Cubbi pulled the
branch down a bit and Jenna climbed on to it as well as Cubbi. Quickly,
they climbed high up into the tree and hid behind some leaves on a branch.
Cubbi had no idea what was going on, but Jenna was frightened about
something, so he decided to wait. In the meantime, he admired the
peacefulness of the night. The frogs and the crickets were joining in
together to serenade the moon which hung overhead. No breeze was stirring,
but there were the quiet sounds of the night animals searching for prey and
trying to avoid becoming prey themselves. Everything was as it should be.
All at once the peace was shattered as two peculiar creatures burst
into the clearing. The ragged moon shed little light as to exactly what the
two creatures were, but from Cubbi could discern, it wasn't good. They were
about 3 feet tall and even a lot longer than in length. Every inch from
their flaring snouts to their spiked tails seemed to be covered in scales.
The only thing that they even remotely resembled was small dragons, except
they walked and moved more like some sort of canine. Even from their perch
in the tree, Cubbi could heard the ragged sounds of their breathing.
Behind the scaly creatures, two figures moved slowly in the moonlight.
The first was made similar to a human, except that she, like the two
creatures, seemed to be covered in scales and had a reptilian-like tail.
She was dressed like a warrior with high boots and a long cape. A sheathed
sword hung by her side, against her thigh. The second appeared to be human,
but it was impossible to tell for she was dressed in a long robe, which hid
most of her features. The robe was white with strange scale-like patterns
along the hood and tail. It hung so long, hiding its wearer's feet, making
it appear that she was gliding rather then walking.
Jenna moved over a bit closer to Cubbi and he could feel she was
trembling. Silently, he put his arm protectively around her as they watched
the individuals walk below them and deeper into the forest until they
disappeared. Still Cubbi could feel Jenna trembling and knew they would not
sleep anymore this night. Yet, neither of them dared to speak. Cubbi wanted
answers, but he would wait for morning.
**********************************
When daylight broke, Jenna quietly, yet quickly climbed down from the
tree, with Cubbi following closely behind. "Who were they?" Cubbi asked
her.
Jenna did even act like she had heard the question. "We need to get
going," she said.
"Jenna!" Cubbi cried, exasperated. He walked up and took hold of her
arm. "Talk to me!"
"Let go!" she yelled and Cubbi obliged. She straightened the strap of
her sack on her arm and began walking away, much to Cubbi's annoyance. He
ran up to her again, but made no move to touch her.
"Please, Jenna," he said, "Why won't you ever really talk to me? Who
were those things we saw last night?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because how do I know what I'm up against here if you won't talk?" he
responded, "How can I protect you?"
"I never asked for your protection," she said in return, "nor do I need
it. I didn't even ask you to come along."
Cubbi stopped walking, dead in his tracks. "No, you didn't," he said
softly.
She turned around to look at him and saw the pain in his eyes. "Oh,
I'm sorry Cubbi," she apologized, "I shouldn't have said those things. I was
just so upset over what happened."
"I understand, I guess," he replied, "But you've been so secretive. I
just wanted you to answer me straight, just one time."
She paused for a moment, before walking back to him. "You really want
to know?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, she raised her eyes to
look at him directly. "The robed woman, calls herself 'Bianca the Dragon
Priestess'," she began, "But no one really knows how true that is."
"You mean no one is sure if she really is a Priestess?" questioned
Cubbi.
"I mean no one is sure if she's even human," Jenna replied, "She's
been following me for some time now."
"Why?"
"She keeps saying something about needing more magic."
"There was a sorceress like that back home," Cubbi said, "Lady Bane."
"Trust me," Jenna insisted, "She's worse than this Lady Bane
character."
Cubbi thought that was a strange thing to say, especially since she
hadn't even seen Lady Bane, at least to his knowledge, but he didn't
comment. He wanted her to finish her story.
"The two creatures are of Bianca's own magical invention," she
continued, "She calls them Zargs. Something like a dragon and dog mixed
together. They help her track down things; like me."
"What about the other creature?" Cubbi asked.
"She is called Brontaine, although I'm not sure if that's what she is
or if it's her name," Jenna replied, "I'm not sure if she's the only
lizard-person that works for Bianca, but she's the only one I've ever seen.
She acts something like a guard to protect her 'priestess'."
"You say they're after magic," Cubbi stated. Then he remember he had
the Great Book, the very thing that Lady Bane had always been after. "Do
you think she knows we have the Great Book?"
To his amazement, Jenna looked at him quizzically. She has to know
what the Great Book is, he thought to himself, nomadic or not nomadic. She
has to know. "I don't know," Jenna said at last, "She was following me
before I met up with you."
"She was following you're whole clan, wasn't she?" Cubbi asked.
"In a way," she replied, a bit surprised, "That's why I have to make it
to Kamargo. Our leader was taking us there when we found out what she was
up to. There must be something there that can stop her."
"And if there isn't?"
"Then I don't know what I'll do," Jenna admitted, sadly, "Now, we need
to hurry. There is only one more obstacle we have to make it through before
we reach Kamargo."
She walked away, and Cubbi, as always, followed just a little bit
behind. We're going to meet up with that Bianca woman again, I just know
it, Cubbi thought, and I don't know if any magical town will be able to stop
her.
********************************************
At dusk, they reached the edge of a small town. Cubbi was amazed
because he had never seen a place quite like this one before. It was built
into the side of a cliff. One side of the town was bordered by steep peak,
that looked impossible to scale, and the other side ended in a drop-off that
looked to be several miles deep.
"How are we going to get around this place?" he asked.
"We're not."
"What? I thought that to get to Kamargo, we had to get past this
town."
Jenna smiled, a bit mischievous. "We do have to get past this town,"
she said, "But we have to through it."
"What?" Cubbi asked again, his eyes growing wide in amazement. "You
can't be serious. We just can go through the town. What if we're spotted?"
"There's really no other way," Jenna insisted, "It's too dangerous to
climb the mountain and know one really knows how deep that drop-off is.
Plus, I've done this before." She reached into her bag, pulled out two dark
cloaks, and threw one to Cubbi. "I always kept a spare in case one got too
dirty or wet or something. Now I'm glad I was prepared. We're wear these
cloaks and, when it's night, we'll sneak through the town. Okay?"
"I guess so," Cubbi grudgingly agreed.
"Good," Jenna said, her smile growing wider, as she put on her cloak,
"Now wait here for a moment. I'll be back in a little bit."
Cubbi nodded and watched her leave. Once he was gone, he stared into
the rapidly darkening sky. Who is this girl, he wondered, she knows so
little about our traditions and it's hard to believe that even a nomadic
gummi wouldn't know what the Great Book is. Why is that Dragon Priestess
following her? Her story makes sense, but I just don't believe her. Cubbi
was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't hear Jenna return until she
tapped him on the shoulder.
He jumped slightly, but tried to hide it. Then he noticed that she was
carrying a pie in her hands. "Where did you get that?" he asked in
amazement.
"From the town," she calmly answered.
"You stole it?"
"No," she insisted, "I paid for it." As if to prove her story
truthful, she reached into a pocket of her dress and pulled out a handful of
coins.
Cubbi couldn't speak for a moment he was so surprised. A gummi bear
with money! He had never heard of such a thing. "Where did you get the
money?"
"You sure are suspicious all of a sudden," Jenna declared, a bit angry,
"I was able to sell a few belonging a while back. I wore the cloak and
pretended I was a child. That's how I got the money. I left some on the
windowsill where this pie was cooling. The family will be able to buy 2 or 3
pies with the money I left."
This satisfied Cubbi as being the truth, but he was still amazed.
However, he managed a smile, which she returned. The two dug into the pie,
which just happened to be Cubbi's favorite: cherry. By the time it was dark
enough to leave, the pan was empty and their stomachs were full.
"Ready?" Jenna asked.
"Yeah," Cubbi replied, but he was still unsure if he would ever be
ready.
Jenna nodded and they silently made their way to town. It was eerily
silent. All the houses were shut tight and no one was about. Cubbi was
relieved as he glanced around at the quiet street. Unfortunately, he should
have been looking where he was going.
All at once he tripped over a loose stone in the street. Before he
could think, he cried out and tried to catch himself by grabbing a nearby
cart. Instead of stopping his fall, the cart, which had been a bit top
heavy , fell with him, it's contents crashing to the ground. Jenna spun
around, horrified, as the townspeople began to wake. She ran back
and grabbed Cubbi by the arm. "Come on," she whispered, urgently.
Cubbi needed no more encouragement. They ran quickly, as the doors to
the homes began to open, their occupants dressed in nightclothes and candles
in their hands. "What was that?" someone asked.
"Must be some sort of animal," said another.
Luckily for Cubbi and Jenna, no one noticed the two dark figures
hurrying away. Silently and swiftly they ran. Finally, they stopped when
the town was no longer in view. All at once, Jenna burst out laughing.
"What is it?" Cubbi asked.
"What is that?" she questioned in response, "The fourth or fifth time
you've tripped since we've been traveling?"
"Third," he replied.
"Sorry I'm laughing," she apologized, "But I was just thinking that you're
not exactly graceful."
He started to reply back, but began laughing himself. "I guess not,"
he admitted. Both of them continued laughing. Cubbi was glad to hear her
laugh. He had never heard her before, and her laugh was melodious in a way.
"I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves," an icy voice said from the
shadows.
Both gummies whirled toward the voice and watched in horror as Bianca
the Dragon Priestess emerged from the darkness. Brontaine stepped out, just
behind Bianca, and the two Zargs stayed to either side of their mistress'
feet. Bianca's lips, which was about the only portion of her face that was
visible in the dim light, curled into a cruel smile. "Now what do we have
here?" she asked in her frigid tone.
Cautiously, Cubbi slipped off the knapsack that held the Great Book.
Suddenly, he handed it to Jenna, who was too surprised to refuse, and pushed
her towards the dark forest. "Run!" he yelled, and turned back to face the
woman who stood before him. He knew that he really had no chance against
these odds. He knew no magic and he had no gummi berry juice. The secret
of making had died with Sunni.
Bianca's evil smile grew wider. "So brave," she said, "but it really
doesn't matter. This won't change a thing." She motioned with her right
hand, and both Zargs started toward Cubbi, growling. Cubbi stood his
ground, but he knew this might be the end of him.
All at once, a ball of light erupted, brighter than the sun. Cubbi was
blinded, momentarily, and when he could see again, he couldn't believe his
eyes. Another figure floated above them, waves of light pulsating from her
delicate body. She wore a long robe, like Bianca, but her's was soft brown
in color. A few strands of black hair escaped the hood of the robe and
floated about the woman's head.
"The Unknown Sorceress!" Brontaine yelled, unsheathing her sword, but
making no move toward the floating figure.
Bianca's smile turned into a grimace of pure anger. "You won't always
be able to stop me!" she yelled, pointing at The Unknown Sorceress, "You
hear me! I will win!" In a burst of blood-red light, the Dragon Priestess
and her reptilian comrades disappeared.
Cubbi watched the floating figure, realizing that no doubt this strange
woman had saved his life, but he was still couldn't bring himself to trust
her. He jumped when a hand touched his arms and turned around to see Jenna
standing there. He looked back and saw that the image of The Unknown
Sorceress was fading, but she could still be seen. Finally, she faded into
nothingness.
"We'd better get going," Jenna said, "Kamargo is just ahead."
"Who was that?" Cubbi asked, still in shock.
"Well, Bianca called her 'The Unknown Sorceress'," Jenna replied,
"She's shown up a few times before. I think her and Bianca have been
fighting over something. I hope she's protecting me, because she appears to
be more powerful than even Bianca."
"You don't know anymore about her?"
"Cubbi, if more was known about her I don't think she would be called
The Unknown Sorceress," Jenna said, "Now, let's go. It's nearly sunrise."
Cubbi knew that Jenna knew more, despite what she said, but didn't want
to argue. He knew there were supposed to part ways at Kamargo, but he
wanted to get a look at the city first.
*****************************************
The sun had risen, and was guiding their way onward with its golden
beams. Cubbi was still confused over the earlier confrontation with Bianca,
but he was also excited. He couldn't help but wonder what secrets Kamargo
held.
Jenna stopped, all at once, and looked around as if puzzled. She
pulled out her map and studied it, the look of confusion remaining on her
face. She looked around again, and shook her head.
"What is it?" asked Cubbi.
"According to map, Kamargo should be right here," Jenna responded, "But
I don't see anything."
Cubbi walked up behind her and didn't see anything but more forest. He
was beginning to think they must of misread the map, when, suddenly, the
Earth beneath him seemed to open up and he felt himself falling. His trip
downward was not a long one, but when he landed and opened his eyes, he was
shocked by what he saw. It was like paradise; a perfect world hidden
beneath the imperfect one. It wasn't dark, like a cave, but it seemed that
this world had its own sun that illuminated and nurtured all that grew. A
forest, as lush and beautiful as any he had ever seen, spread before him and
just to the edge, a unicorn stood watching him. He examined the creature
intently. It's mane was an array of different colors, and it's hooves and
horn glimmered like they were made of pure gold. It pawed the ground a bit
before going back to eating and Cubbi was amazed for it didn't even seem
afraid of him.
"Cubbi!" Jenna yelled from above, "Are you okay?
"You have to come down here!" he yelled back, "You have to see this
place!"
"What do you mean?"
"I've found it!" he yelled in response, "I've found Kamargo!"
"What?" she asked in amazement, "I'll be right down."
She jumped down into the hole and landed on her feet, amazing Cubbi
with her agility. As soon as she looked around, her eyes grew wider and her
smile became almost as bright as the sun. "This is it!" she yelled, "Look
there are the stone columns and everything." Cubbi looked deep into the
forest and, rising just above the trees, there were four smooth stone
columns, shining in the sun.
"Just lovely, isn't it," a frigid voice behind them stated. For the
second time on this journey, Jenna and Cubbi whirled around to see Bianca
the Dragon Priestess.
This was the first time Cubbi had gotten a good look at Bianca. She
was a tall woman, with a proud bearing, and the looks of an aristocrat. Her
hair was golden blonde and her facial features were delicate. Despite the
fact her hood hung low, it was still possible to see her icy blue eyes
staring at them, evilly.
"Where are your reptile friends?" Cubbi asked, determined not to show
that he was afraid.
"How nice of you to notice they were missing," Bianca sneered, "They'll
be touched. However, right now they're guarding the entrance to make sure
that The Unknown Sorceress won't be able to show up unannounced."
"Are you sure of that?" another voice announced. Both Bianca and Cubbi
looked up to see The Unknown Sorceress floating above them. Despite the
light, Cubbi couldn't make out any more of her features than he had the
first time. She floated down to the ground, in front of Cubbi, facing
Bianca.
"How did you get here?!?" the dragon priestess demanded, "How do you
always know where I'm going to be?"
In response, the sorceress pulled back the hood of her robe. Because
he was behind her, Cubbi couldn't see what she was revealing, but it
startled Bianca.
"You!" she gasped, "But I didn't think.....I mean. Why would you come
up with such a disguise?"
"You know as well as I do that I'm more powerful than you," came the
reply, "but I had never used my magic as much. You was not afraid of me,
but I have a surprise for you. I have been practicing my powers. I used my
identity of The Unknown Sorceress to frighten you. It worked quite well."
"You never frightened me," Bianca insisted, "I just didn't want to
fight a sorceress who kept challenging me for some reason, unknown to me. I
was trying to stick to my original plan, you know."
"I know. Believe me, I know."
"But now, there's no reason to fight," Bianca continued, smiling a bit,
"I know who you are, and you know me. We could call a truce and join up
together. After all, together we have more power than this world has ever
seen."
"Together we would have more power than has ever been known," The
Unknown Sorceress agreed, "But after what you put me through, I would have
to be crazy to believe you now want us to join together. Once, long ago, I
would have gladly accepted a truce and allowed for each of us to go our
separate ways. But not now."
"Then, I guess you know where that leaves us."
"I've known for a long time."
They stood for a moment staring at each other, as if each was waiting
for the other to make the first move. As if taking the initiative, Bianca
brought her right hand up, palm facing forward. "I will not be defeated!"
she cried as a burst of bright blue light shot from her hand.
The Unknown Sorceress jumped up into the air, the light ball missing
her by several feet. It stuck the ground only a few inches from Cubbi's
feet. I should move out of the line of fire, he thought, but never made a
move to get out of the way.
The Unknown Sorceress crossed her arms in front of her face and a pure
white beam shot out. Bianca jumped away, as the beam struck the ground,
causing several chunks of dirt and rocks to fly up, hitting the dragon
priestess in the face. Bianca grabbed her cheek, which had been cut and was
bleeding slightly, her face a twisted mask of rage. She turned her eyes
toward Cubbi. "Maybe I should just get rid of your little friend here," she
said.
Cubbi took a few steps helplessly back as Bianca raised her hands above
her head. A red ball of light began to form, then to move as if it had a
life of its own. Cubbi watched in amazed horror, as it took the shape of a
dragon, yet it's body was still made of the burning red light. Stretching
its fiery wings, it flew up into the air and dived directly towards Cubbi.
The Unknown Sorceress suddenly appeared in front of Cubbi, protecting
him. "Listen to me, fire demon," she said, sternly, "I am the strongest
being, which makes me your master." The creature faltered for a moment.
"No, I am your master!" Bianca screamed, "I rule all the dragons and
reptiles of the Earth!"
"I am the one who is the most powerful of all," The Unknown Sorceress
calmly stated, "That is clear. You must do my bidding."
The creature screeched, as if momentarily confused, then turned back
and dived towards Bianca.
"You can't do this!" she cried out, but made no effort to move out of
it's path. In a burst of light the creature struck the priestess. Bianca
was knocked to the ground, stunned, her previously white robe singed to a
dirty gray. Finally she struggled up into a sitting position.
The Unknown Sorceress bowed her head as a soft white light began to
envelop her body. "Listen," she said softly, "Do you hear the voices?"
"What?" cried Bianca, but even as she did, the soft murmur of voices
grew audible. Even Cubbi could here them.
"These are the voices of my people," the sorceress continued, "Struck
down by greed, but they are not here to seek revenge."
"But there are my people too!" yelled Bianca.
"No, Ellistia," said the sorceress (Why was she calling her Ellistia
if her name's Bianca, Cubbi wondered.), "There are not your people. Not
only did you turn away, but you killed them."
Bianca's (or was it Ellistia's) eyes grew wide. "What are you going to
do?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"As I said before, we do not seek revenge, but you must be stopped.
Your evil must end here." As soon as she had finished speaking, she thrust
both her hands forward, and the white light rushed forward and enveloped the
dragon priestess. Cubbi could hear her crying out, as if in pain, but the
light was so bright he couldn't see what was happening. The light grew into
a bright ball, that seem to suddenly implode revealing two figures in the
center. The first was dressed as the priestess, but the face was old and
the hair white. She fell back upon the ground, obviously dead, and her body
slowly faded from sight.
The second figure was a small creature with tiny see-through wings.
She had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Bianca. She seemed be awaking
from a long sleep the way she slowly opened her eyes while shaking her head.
She looked down at her own form, a mixture of anger and surprise crossing
across her face. "What have you done to me?" she cried out.
"I've forced you to return to your own form," The Unknown Sorceress
said, "And returned your powers to the same level as they were before you
begin destroying my people."
"You can't do that!" the small creature insisted.
"I did," stated The Unknown Sorceress simply, "Now, I'll send you away
where you can't cause any more trouble." The creature started to argue, but
with a wave of the sorceress' hand, the creature disappeared from view.
Cubbi was amazed at what had just happened and turned around to see
what Jenna would say, but was amazed to find she was nowhere in sight. He
started to call for her, when the Unknown Sorceress turned around to face
him. All he had to do was to look into her eyes and he knew.
"Jenna?" he asked, but he already knew it was she.
"Yes, Cubbi," she admitted, "I guess you're really confused by all
that's just happened."
"That's one way of putting it."
She walked over to a large rock and sat down. "It's time for me to
tell you the truth. I should have a long time ago, but I just didn't know
how. Now, it's all over, and it won't put you in any danger to know the
truth." She took a deep breath.
"What is the truth?" Cubbi asked.
"I'm not a gummi or a sorceress," she began, "not really. I'm a
Jypsian Pixie."
"What?"
"A Jypsian Pixie," she repeated, "We were magical creatures that came
from right here at Kamargo. There were thousands of us. We had all the
magic of the Earth, but we shared it equally among ourselves. It was
balanced with a sort of equilibrium. If a Jypsian died, our powers would
all increase a bit and if one was born, all our powers would decrease
slightly, so basically, we all had the same amount of power all the time."
"For some reason, I suppose curiosity, we decided to venture out into
the world, away from the sanctuary of Kamargo. We did have enough magic to
protect ourselves and we could also take on magical disguises so that we
could look human or anything else we wanted. However, our powers were
limited so that we could only hold the disguise for a few hours. As we
traveled, we broke into small groups and separated. We didn't think it was
too dangerous because we did have a link to one another, because of our
magic, even when we were far apart." She paused for a moment, as if letting
all the information sink in.
"I'm not exactly sure how or even why," she continued, "But a Jypsian
named Ellistia became enthralled by humans and wanted to be human. She met
up with an old priestess called Bianca the Dragon Priestess. Bianca had
grown quite old, despite the fact she used magic to keep her looking her
young and to keep her healthy. She knew that the people still respected her
and counted on her, but she was just so tired. She knew that her time on
Earth should have been up long before. Anyway, somehow she met up with
Ellistia, who was disguised as a human. She quickly realized that Ellistia
wasn't human and confronted the Jypsian about. Ellistia confessed and told
Bianca of her desire to be human."
"Bianca took pity on Ellistia and decided to make her a deal. Bianca
was sick of being the Dragon Priestess and Ellistia wanted to be human. She
gave Ellistia her body and, in a sense, died. This way Ellistia was able to
be human and there still was a dragon priestess for people to respect.
Ellistia loved the way she was treated, and she felt that it was because of
her power, so she wanted more power. She began searching high and low and
became more and more obsessed with power. Greed took over her entire life,
changing the way Ellistia looked at things. Then Ellistia realized that if
she destroyed the rest of the Jypsian Pixies, she would be the most powerful
creature on Earth."
Cubbi interrupted her. "You mean, she decided to kill her own people
to obtain power? That's crazy."
"I agree, but it obviously made sense to Ellistia," Jenna explained,
"but remember, I only heard this story second-hand, so I'm not sure how
accurate all the details are. Anyway, she began convincing people that we
were evil and suddenly hordes of humans began to track us down to kill us.
I don't know how many that Bianca killed by her own hand, but I've heard she
had no mercy. Eventually, only our group was left alive. Now, we didn't
know what was going on, but we knew that others were dying. Bianca came to
us, in her Jypsian form and told us she knew what was happening to our
people."
Cubbi shook his head. "I guess she did know," he said, bitterly.
"More than any of our group could have guessed," Jenna replied, "We had
been heading to Kamargo with the map I was using. It was our home and we
thought it might protect us. Plus, if we had to, we could give up our magic
here. We could return it to the Earth."
"That's what you're planning on doing here isn't it?" questioned Cubbi.
She nodded her head. "Of course we believed Ellistia because we had no
reason to doubt her. She told us to meet her in an old barn deep in the
forest at sunset and that a few others of her group would be there as well.
We agreed of course. As sunset approached, I was hurrying towards the old
barn when I found a small child in the woods, crying. Using a human form, I
approached her and asked what was wrong. She explained that she had been
chasing a butterfly and had gotten lost. I knew it would make me late for
the meeting, but I couldn't just leave the child. I led her back to the
town and then I hurried on to the barn. It was dark when I was nearing the
place and I smelled the smoke. I ran up to where the barn had been and only
found the smoldering ashes."
"Wait," Cubbi said, "You mean she burned them."
"Yes," Jenna replied, sadly, "She got them to all go inside and then
cast a spell so they couldn't leave. With them all trapped, she set the
barn on fire. I had escaped by mere accident."
"If things had gone as they usually had, that would mean that me and
Ellistia, who was now calling herself only Bianca the Dragon Priestess,
would have all the power of the Jypsians equally divided between us, but
that's not what happened. For some reason only about one-fourth of the
power went to her, and three-fourths went to me."
"Do you know why?" Cubbi asked.
"I have some ideas, but I'm not sure. I think that's it's either
because Jenna was in a human form when she killed the others or the very
fact she was actually killing her own people. All I know is that I had more
power. Ellistia was outraged and became determined to kill me. I was more
powerful, but I had never used my magic that much before, so I was scared.
I decided to disguise myself. Do you know what magical conductibility is?"
"No," he replied, "What is it?"
"Magical conductibility is the your ability to be able to use and
perform magic. It's determined at birth. It's why some people do not have
to train hard to be great sorcerers and others can train for years and not
be able to get past the simplest light spell. A Jypsian can see the magical
conductibility of others so that's why I couldn't disguise myself as a
human. My magical conductibility was too high for any human to ever
ascertain. However, a gummi's conductibility is much greater than a
human's. I would still have a high conductibility, even for a gummi, but
not an impossible one. I lived for a bit in the very gummi city you were
heading to and I learned about the 'gummi way of life'. Because of my great
power, I was able to hold the form for as long as I needed and they were so
nice to me. I learned a little bit about the culture, and at night I
practiced my magic. Then I felt that Ellistia was coming for me, so I
traveled far from the city, in the opposite direction of Kamargo ,until I
found her. I 'introduced' her to The Unknown Sorceress, because I knew that
she would be afraid of her. Yet, I saw she wasn't giving up, as I had
hoped, so I decided to leave and go to Kamargo. I'd rather give up my power
than to give it to her. I came back to the knoll and looked at the city and
then, I sat at the stream for a moment, dipping my feet in to cool off.
That's when you came to the clearing. Now, I have been honest with you, be
honest with me. Why did you want to come with me?"
"I was so lonely when the others died," he admitted, "and when I came
upon you, I saw the same type of look in your eyes. I thought that perhaps
you could understand what I was feeling. Plus, I thought you were so
beautiful."
She looked at him, surprised, before dropping her eyes again. "It's
time for me to do what I came here for." She got up and walked deeper into
the forest as Cubbi watched. He was so disappointed in the ending of this
journey. He finally understood her, but now they were probably going to
part ways. "Cubbi," she said softly from behind him, after a few minutes.
He turned around and he couldn't believe his eyes. There stood Jenna,
as a gummi. "But I though you were giving up your magic," he said, amazed.
"Well," she began, "I had always heard that whatever form you were in
when you gave up your magic would be the form you would keep forever I was
hoping that would be the truth and it seems it is."
"You mean..."
"I may have been born a Jypsian Pixie, but I'm now I'm as much a gummi
bear as you are."
Without thinking he rushed over and embraced her, but she didn't
resist. "Wait," he said, stepping back, "What about Ellistia? Will she be a
problem now that you don't have your magic?"
"Don't worry about her," Jenna replied, "She won't be able to do much
because she only has a very small portion of magic."
"That's great!" he exclaimed.
"Now, let's go back to the city," she said.
"I've got a better idea," he stated, "How would you like to go home, to
my real home. I have a feeling we belong there, together."
"I'd love to." she said, smiling warmly.
************************************************
The trip back seemed to take forever, but, finally, they made it back
to the glen. Cubbi hadn't been gone quite a year and the only real
difference was a thick layer of dust coating everything. "What do you
think?" he asked Jenna, as she looked around.
"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.
"We can continue on with the traditional Gummi ways," he said, "Well
most of them. We still need to tend the gummi berry bushes, but I don't
know how to make the juice."
"I do."
"What?" he asked.
"I do," she repeated, "That's one of the things that I learned in the
gummi city I was staying in. I know the secret of how to make gummi berry
juice."
"This is great!" he exclaimed.
"I'm glad you're happy," she said, smiling.
Cubbi returned the smile. The place no longer felt haunted, but he
could feel the spirits of all the others there, smiling and welcoming him
back. I've returned, he thought to himself, I'm home.
The End
