Nita's stomach was growling louder than ever. The pains shot up
through her chest with the need for food. The Lone One had given her a
measly portion of bread and a tiny cup of water a few days earlier, to keep
her alive, but now that was all gone, and she was in more pain than before.
She was beyond hunger; she was at starvation. Her stomach churned with
acids that burned through her empty insides. But Nita thought if she ate
anything, she would barf it up. Nita pulled her knees up to her chest and
wrapped her arms around her body, rolling onto the wall behind her. Nita
groaned as another wave of pain overtook her body, and she had the impulse
to scream, but she didn't. Then, she rolled again and felt something hard
underneath her. It was the glede.
'A lot of good that'll do me now,' she thought angrily, shoving it aside, as she lay down once again on the hard, stone floor.
***
Kit breathed in deep breaths, but could not calm himself. Doing magic without that strong other voice at his side felt unnerving. And he was supposed to trust himself with pulling this off?
'What if she's not even there? What if the Glede doesn't help her? What if time runs out? What if the Lone One killed her anyway? What if.?' Kit shook himself out of these dazed thoughts. Ponch was looking up at him mournfully.
(Should we go?) He asked with unease in his voice. Kit sighed, and nodded.
"Yeah, we'd better get this over with. One second." Kit told him. He sat back down on the chair, and thought, 'Dairine? Are you there?' There was a hesitation, and then a reply.
'Yeah?' Dairine's voice faltered. Kit gulped, listening to her hopeless voice.
'Tell your parents that- that-' Kit couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. 'Tell them that Nita will be home today.' Another pause.
'Kit?' Dairine's voice came back to Kit's ears.
'Yeah?' Kit answered.
'Try to bring Nita home. I don't know what I'll do if she-' Dairine broke off, but Kit understood anyway.
'Don't worry. She's coming home.' And Kit broke off the connection, standing up once again.
"Ready?" Kit brushed himself off nervously. Ponch gave Kit the impression of a shrug, and answered,
(Yep.) Then, Kit opened his 'pocket' of otherspace, and pulled out the spell for the wizard leash that bound them together. Dropping the long string of syllables in the Speech over them, Kit braced himself for the journey that lied ahead.
(Do we find Him first?) Ponch asked wonderingly. Kit shrugged.
"Do you have His scent?" Ponch gave him the look of a nod, and Kit shrugged.
"Go for it then." And soon they were walking in the darkness. Kit looked around, recognizing this place.
"Why are we here? Is this where he is?" Kit asked. Then, he saw a shadow looming in front of him. The person drew closer, and Kit peered through the thick darkness at the person. Then, he recognized it- it was the Lone Power, a handsome man with red hair. But this appearance didn't fool Kit for a second. Finally, he stepped closer, and said,
"Fairest and Fallen," he began with a deep breath, "greetings and defiance." The Lone Power stared at him silently. Kit glanced back at Ponch, connected to him with the long string of glowing syllables that was the wizard leash. Without waiting for a reply from the Lone One, Ponch began to transform the Lone Power's inner landscape into a universe.
Kit felt the darkness closing in around him, and the silent stillness enclosing him as the emptiness rang in his ears with no sounds that accompanied it like usual. Kit squeezed his eyes shut, not able to move more than that as the darkness folded around him like a thick blanket. Everything stopped.
Finally, Kit found himself in a dark cave, hoping this was where Nita was. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness that engulfed him, and finally he saw a curled up, shivering figure on the floor of the cave. Kit rushed over to her, and shook her awake.
"Kit- how did you get here?" Nita croaked. Kit answered,
"No time to explain. I've got to give you some thing. Here," Kit reached out his finger into the air to unzip his pocket, but nothing happened. His finger didn't catch on anything- it was just empty air.
"What the-?" Kit cried out, astonished. Ponch hurried up and looked from Nita to Kit, asking,
(What's wrong? What is it?) But Nita understood what Kit was doing.
"You can't get it open here. I tried." Kit groaned, and told her,
"I'll have to leave, get it out, and then come back. It won't take long." Kit replied, spinning around. He saw the large hourglass, and stared at it.
"You don't have much time Kit," Nita told him, noticing his gaze. There was hardly any sand left as it tumbled down rapidly.
"But- but I bought more time!" Kit cried out. "Unless it doesn't work here! Oh man!" Kit groaned, and turned to Ponch. "We've got to go quickly." Kit told him. Ponch's eyes widened, and leaped at Kit, who dove after him into the grim darkness. Nita watched, as the last few grains of sand began to fall, thinking it was too late for her.
Kit reached out into the darkness and yanked open his claudication. He pulled out the Macao, and hurried Ponch along to go back to the cave. Finally, they were spat back into the dark cave, where the last grain of sand fell down to the large pile below it.
The Lone Power appeared in the cave beside Kit and the weak Nita on the floor.
"Well?" the Lone One hissed at Kit. "Will you give me my information, or will you kill your partner?" he asked maliciously. Kit stood his ground, and tossed Nita the Macao.
"What is this?" she croaked, and Kit fell to the ground in search of the glede.
"Looking for this?" the Lone Power held up the glede. Then, the Macao shot towards the Lone One as well, landing in his open hand. Kit held his breath as he watched the Lone Power take the large end of the dragon horn and press it up against the glede. The dragon eye let a bright white light shoot out from it, as bright as the light of Time Heart, the kind of light that mortal eyes could not handle. It blasted through the darkness and Kit was blown back, shielding his eyes from the light, but it only grew stronger. The glede hung in midair, letting out a furious blow of air that pushed Nita to the wall as well as the Lone Power, who was flung onto the floor behind him. The glede finally faded, still glowing dimly, and dropped to the floor beside the empty Macao. Kit lunged forward by the snarling Lone One, grabbing the glede and holding it out in front of him, not knowing what to do next.
Kit squinted in the sudden darkness and looked to Nita, who was moaning on the floor. He reached down to help her, but the Lone Power chucked the hourglass to the stone wall, shattering it and sending sand spewing in all directions.
"Your time is up. It was a good attempt, but it didn't work." And he raised his hands to kill Nita.
'A lot of good that'll do me now,' she thought angrily, shoving it aside, as she lay down once again on the hard, stone floor.
***
Kit breathed in deep breaths, but could not calm himself. Doing magic without that strong other voice at his side felt unnerving. And he was supposed to trust himself with pulling this off?
'What if she's not even there? What if the Glede doesn't help her? What if time runs out? What if the Lone One killed her anyway? What if.?' Kit shook himself out of these dazed thoughts. Ponch was looking up at him mournfully.
(Should we go?) He asked with unease in his voice. Kit sighed, and nodded.
"Yeah, we'd better get this over with. One second." Kit told him. He sat back down on the chair, and thought, 'Dairine? Are you there?' There was a hesitation, and then a reply.
'Yeah?' Dairine's voice faltered. Kit gulped, listening to her hopeless voice.
'Tell your parents that- that-' Kit couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. 'Tell them that Nita will be home today.' Another pause.
'Kit?' Dairine's voice came back to Kit's ears.
'Yeah?' Kit answered.
'Try to bring Nita home. I don't know what I'll do if she-' Dairine broke off, but Kit understood anyway.
'Don't worry. She's coming home.' And Kit broke off the connection, standing up once again.
"Ready?" Kit brushed himself off nervously. Ponch gave Kit the impression of a shrug, and answered,
(Yep.) Then, Kit opened his 'pocket' of otherspace, and pulled out the spell for the wizard leash that bound them together. Dropping the long string of syllables in the Speech over them, Kit braced himself for the journey that lied ahead.
(Do we find Him first?) Ponch asked wonderingly. Kit shrugged.
"Do you have His scent?" Ponch gave him the look of a nod, and Kit shrugged.
"Go for it then." And soon they were walking in the darkness. Kit looked around, recognizing this place.
"Why are we here? Is this where he is?" Kit asked. Then, he saw a shadow looming in front of him. The person drew closer, and Kit peered through the thick darkness at the person. Then, he recognized it- it was the Lone Power, a handsome man with red hair. But this appearance didn't fool Kit for a second. Finally, he stepped closer, and said,
"Fairest and Fallen," he began with a deep breath, "greetings and defiance." The Lone Power stared at him silently. Kit glanced back at Ponch, connected to him with the long string of glowing syllables that was the wizard leash. Without waiting for a reply from the Lone One, Ponch began to transform the Lone Power's inner landscape into a universe.
Kit felt the darkness closing in around him, and the silent stillness enclosing him as the emptiness rang in his ears with no sounds that accompanied it like usual. Kit squeezed his eyes shut, not able to move more than that as the darkness folded around him like a thick blanket. Everything stopped.
Finally, Kit found himself in a dark cave, hoping this was where Nita was. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness that engulfed him, and finally he saw a curled up, shivering figure on the floor of the cave. Kit rushed over to her, and shook her awake.
"Kit- how did you get here?" Nita croaked. Kit answered,
"No time to explain. I've got to give you some thing. Here," Kit reached out his finger into the air to unzip his pocket, but nothing happened. His finger didn't catch on anything- it was just empty air.
"What the-?" Kit cried out, astonished. Ponch hurried up and looked from Nita to Kit, asking,
(What's wrong? What is it?) But Nita understood what Kit was doing.
"You can't get it open here. I tried." Kit groaned, and told her,
"I'll have to leave, get it out, and then come back. It won't take long." Kit replied, spinning around. He saw the large hourglass, and stared at it.
"You don't have much time Kit," Nita told him, noticing his gaze. There was hardly any sand left as it tumbled down rapidly.
"But- but I bought more time!" Kit cried out. "Unless it doesn't work here! Oh man!" Kit groaned, and turned to Ponch. "We've got to go quickly." Kit told him. Ponch's eyes widened, and leaped at Kit, who dove after him into the grim darkness. Nita watched, as the last few grains of sand began to fall, thinking it was too late for her.
Kit reached out into the darkness and yanked open his claudication. He pulled out the Macao, and hurried Ponch along to go back to the cave. Finally, they were spat back into the dark cave, where the last grain of sand fell down to the large pile below it.
The Lone Power appeared in the cave beside Kit and the weak Nita on the floor.
"Well?" the Lone One hissed at Kit. "Will you give me my information, or will you kill your partner?" he asked maliciously. Kit stood his ground, and tossed Nita the Macao.
"What is this?" she croaked, and Kit fell to the ground in search of the glede.
"Looking for this?" the Lone Power held up the glede. Then, the Macao shot towards the Lone One as well, landing in his open hand. Kit held his breath as he watched the Lone Power take the large end of the dragon horn and press it up against the glede. The dragon eye let a bright white light shoot out from it, as bright as the light of Time Heart, the kind of light that mortal eyes could not handle. It blasted through the darkness and Kit was blown back, shielding his eyes from the light, but it only grew stronger. The glede hung in midair, letting out a furious blow of air that pushed Nita to the wall as well as the Lone Power, who was flung onto the floor behind him. The glede finally faded, still glowing dimly, and dropped to the floor beside the empty Macao. Kit lunged forward by the snarling Lone One, grabbing the glede and holding it out in front of him, not knowing what to do next.
Kit squinted in the sudden darkness and looked to Nita, who was moaning on the floor. He reached down to help her, but the Lone Power chucked the hourglass to the stone wall, shattering it and sending sand spewing in all directions.
"Your time is up. It was a good attempt, but it didn't work." And he raised his hands to kill Nita.