Disclaimer:
Ginny and Draco aren't mine. Everything else, as well as the plot, belongs to me.
Author's Note:
You guys had given up on me, hadn't you? Don't lie - I know you did. But I'm back now, because one of my pet peeves is when people start stories and then leave the people without any closure. So either I'll finish it, or if I decide I don't want to, I'll post a little epilogue telling everything I had planned on writing. But I have a definite idea of where it's going, so I think I'll be able to give you more than that.
Ginny collapsed onto the soft mattress at the first chance. Upon arriving, everyone in their party had suddenly realized how extremely tired the day had made them, and wasted very little time in finding the small inn that they would be staying in. Ruby and Cressida were going to stay outside, no doubt on the exact opposite sides of the town.
She had said goodbye rather tearfully to Ruby, as that would most likely be the last time they met, but the others had muttered their good-byes without a second thought. Cressida, who hadn't stopped eyeing him angrily since they had met, didn't even say goodbye. She gave a sharp nod of her head and watched him walk into the crowd of the open market until they entered the Sleepy Flea and she lost sight.
Cressida had then paid the innkeeper for two rooms, one for Ginny and Pemmy, and one for Timmy and Draco, and a cup of hot cocoa each. Ginny had refrained from advising Cressida against putting a Gryffindor and Slytherin together to sleep, thinking that if Timmy and Draco both annoyed each other to death it would serve them right.
Her and Pemmy's room had turned out to be rather nice and cozy. There was a merry fire burning in the grate. Two cozy chairs, overstuffed in the same manner as in the Gryffindor common room, were placed on either side of the fire, most likely for the purpose of reading, and on the small table next to each bed there was the promised mug of hot cocoa. The canopy beds did not have drapes around them, but other than that were very much like the one's in their dormitory. Soft green sheets and a flowered comforter topped the image.
Ginny fell asleep immediately, before having too much time to think. She had a very strange dream. She was standing in a clearing, wearing the clothes Gladys had given them and holding her sword. In front of her was Draco, dressed similarly, and holding his sword also, although he did not face her. They were both watching for some reason a mountain range in the distance.
To Ginny's amazement and fear, one of the mountains, which was apparently a volcano, erupted sending a rush of lava into the air. The lava gained the shape of a snake, and instead of falling to the mountainside, it stayed in the air and rushed, hissing, at her and Draco. It got closer and closer, but Ginny felt no urge to run. She held her ground firmly as it came nearer and nearer, and seeing Draco raise his weapon, followed suit. The snake now entered the clearing several feet above the ground and charged Draco. His sword plunged into the molten lava and had no effect. The next moment it had consumed the white-haired boy and was heading for Ginny. She abruptly sat up in a cold sweat.
The clock on the wall read 2:30. Flowered sheets were drenched and tangled around her, and her hair was plastered to her head. Calming down slightly at the knowledge that it was just a dream, she straightened her sheets and closed her eyes. But she found out very quickly that she was not going to be able to fall back asleep while she was so sweaty and uncomfortable, and decided to try to find the kitchens to get a glass of water. She walked to the door, not taking much care to be quiet - she knew that Pemmy slept like a rock.
The halls were deserted, but in the distance she could hear drunken calls and songs from the Sleepy Flea's not-so-sleepy customers. She followed the noises, hoping that she could get a glass of water from the tavern.
She found it easily, and was about to order from the bar when a person sitting in the back corner of the room caught her eye. Draco was sitting at a table for two with his hand on a glass of something-or-other, watching her. She asked the bartender for some water, which he provided her with shortly, and then she headed over to where he sat.
"Why are you up so late?" he asked suspiciously.
"I should be asking you the same question!" she retorted, equally suspiciously.
"I couldn't sleep," he answered simply. "Your turn."
Ginny sighed. "I couldn't sleep either. Nightmares. I was just getting a glass of water."
They both looked at each other for an awkward moment, and then Ginny shrugged and turned around. "I'm going back to bed now. You should do the same." She then walked out of the room, resisting the urge to turn around and wave, or acknowledge him in some way. It was the moment filled with the least animosity that they had shared sense arriving, and it was slightly awkward for her.
*
"Ginny! Ginny, get up!"
Ginny opened her eyes slowly to see Cressida standing hunched over her, shaking her shoulders violently.
"What the . . ." Ginny whispered, glancing at the clock. It was 5:30 in the morning. They weren't supposed to leave until that after noon. Why did she need to get up now?
"Come on, Ginny, we have to go!"
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked fearfully.
"I'll tell you later. Get dressed and meet me in front in ten minutes," Cressida said in an urgent voice, standing up straight and walking over to Pemmy's bed where she did the same.
Groggily, Ginny sat up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up weekly, holing on to the post for support. She took a sip of her not-so-hot chocolate remains from the previous night, which woke her up a bit more.
Cressida had finished with Pemmy, and rushed out of the room to go arouse the boys. As soon as she had left the room, Pemmy had fell back on her bad and began snoring loudly. Although Ginny felt an urge to do the same thing, she felt a sense of responsibility to Cressida and went over to wake her up, which she did with much difficulty.
As promised, ten minutes later Ginny and Pemmy entered the lobby of the inn. Draco and Timmy were sitting there already, Draco looking awake but uninterested, and Timmy with puffy red eyes and clutching a mug of tea. Cressida had been pacing the floor anxiously before their arrival, and as soon as she had caught sight of Ginny and Pemmy, she had been out the door motioning for them to follow. Hauling with them their saddlebags and knapsacks, they proceeded.
The air was crisp and chill outside and the sun had not yet risen. With the light of the lantern on the inn's porch and the few rays of the sun sneaking over the horizon, they could see the four horses waiting to be mounted. Slowly and wordlessly, the four moved to the beasts they had ridden the previous day and pulled themselves up, Timmy with some difficulty. Still without speaking, they began moving, the pace set at a light trot by Cressida.
Several times Draco began to speak, but Cressida hastily turned around and harshly put her finger to her lips.
After moving in that manner for several minutes, they left the town. When they were a good distance from the last home, Cressida stopped and turned to them.
"I'm sorry," Cressida said, "But we had to get out of there quickly and unnoticed. I know I said we'd leave around noon today, but this morning I received news -"
"This morning?" Interrupted Pemmy with a yawn. "You mean you were up and around before 5:30 am?"
Cressida shot a slightly dirty look at Pemmy and answered annoyedly, "Yes Pemalea, I always am. Anyway -"
"Jeez!" Pemmy said defensively, "I was just asking . . ."
"ANYWAY, I received news that the Queen's army had been through a city just south of here - right in our path. By 'going through' I mean 'destroying.' They can never make it through a city without rape, plunder, and pillaging. To the point, there was nothing left of it. Yesterday, when I had to leave you guys - it was to go check out the damage she had done to another city southwest of here. It was several days journey from here, so I wasn't very worried. I assumed that before we met, she would have changed paths. But the fact that she was in Lairainne yesterday means that they're heading in this direction. Kleedor could even be the next city in their path. I left a message with the innkeeper, an old friend of mine, to warn the villagers when they woke up. The army could be anywhere near here - we must avoid them. I'm sorry for the urgency, but I'm sure you understand."
*
The sun isn't as hot today as it was yesterday, Ginny noted to herself. The previous day had gone by in a rush. They had ridden at the quick speed they had left the town at for the main part of the day's trip, and it had been scorching the entire time. They had spent the night in the middle of the woods since they had not been near a town.
Pemmy had had something to say about that. The blanket was not thick enough, the pillow not soft enough, she had gotten a twig in her hair, it was crawling with bugs, and she swore that there had been a bear stalking the camp bidding his time before he attacked. The bear part was impossible, as the others knew, because they had a fire that would have driven any animal away. But Pemmy insisted that she had heard him walking while everyone else was asleep.
Ginny had actually enjoyed sleeping out of doors, as Cressida had predicted. It was nice to have nothing but clean air going in and out of your lungs, and to be able to see the stars.
The only bad part of the night had come after Ginny had drifted off to sleep. She experienced another nightmare like she had had the previous night, except this time she saw herself and Draco walking into the clearing, side by side. Draco drew his sword, and Ginny followed him, and then the dream mirrored the last one. Once again, Ginny woke up just as she was about to be engulfed in flame, and she sat up abruptly.
Ginny had taken in her settings very quickly, checking that nothing was wrong. But something was wrong - the bed where Draco had been sleeping was empty. Ginny debated with herself whether or not to tell Cressida, but was relieved of her internal battle when she saw Draco soundlessly emerge from the brush surrounding their area, and lay back down in his blankets. She though about asking him where he had been, but decided it wasn't that important.
She had fallen back asleep within minutes.
The next morning they had gotten up quite early this morning with the help of Cressida's internal alarm clock, and, after a quick breakfast of beef jerky and bread, been off. After that, they rode for another long period of time, halting only briefly for lunch, and then a bit later because Pemmy was complaining about a cramp in her leg.
They now had the horses walking, as they had covered more distance that day then Cressida had figured, and therefore had extra time to reach the village they were planning to stay near that they could rest. The horses hadn't seemed to mind traveling so quickly all day (although Pemmy had), which Ginny thought might have something to do with magic.
Ginny had noticed that the people of Noecah had magical powers in their own way. It was nothing like the magic that was done at Hogwarts - more of a fairy tale kind of magic. But then again - this was a fairy tale, so that wasn't all too absurd of an idea. They had come to terms with the fact that they were in a book, and figured that when it was over, they would be able to leave. Along those terms, the only thing they could do was play it out.
"What are you thinking about?" Cressida asked Ginny, falling into step with Midnight.
"Not much," Ginny answered with a sigh. "How much further is it to the place we're staying tonight?"
"Dinsdale should be coming up any time now," came Cressida's reply. "We'll finally be able to rest. It's been such a hurry the past days. Its lucky we haven't heard any more about The Queen wrecking cities. I was afraid we'd walk right into her if we weren't careful. But I think that the army ended up going west east instead of south. I'm pretty sure we're safe."
"Oh."
Cressida smiled at her. "Are you sure that there's nothing wrong? You seem pretty detached."
"I don't know . . . I guess I miss my family. I've never been this long without seeing any of them . . ."
Cressida's frowned. "I'm sorry about all of this. We didn't know that we would be bringing children here. Not that you are children," she added hastily.
"That's okay, I don't mind. Draco might mind though, I wouldn't call him a child to his face if I were you. Although he acts like one sometimes." Ginny sent a short glare in Draco's direction.
"Well, I'm terribly sorry anyway. Summoning people is very tricky, one of the oldest and most complex forms of magic we can perform. The magic works on its own, after the spell is cast. It searches for a time and place where there is a great concentration of magic, and draws anyone from there. It doesn't go for anyone in specific. A more powerful fairy could have done a better job, but there you have it. It's too late for reversing the spell now."
Well, that made sense to Ginny. She had been wondering why if they had been searching for someone with great power she had been summoned, not to mention Pemmy, Draco and Timmy. She didn't know Draco well enough to know how good he was at doing magic.
"Ah!" Cressida exclaimed, her eyes straining through the forest. "That's Dinsdale, if I'm not mistaken.
Everyone looked up, and sure enough, far in the distance lay a small town.
The first clue that something was wrong was the fact that the streets were empty. The second clue that something was wrong was the fact that the forest surrounding it was filled with tents, a camouflage that disguised them from being seen earlier.
Upon her first sight of the tents, Cressida rushed in front of Draco who had been leading the procession, held a finger to her lips, and held out one hand as if to tell them to stay. Draco began to ask her what was wrong, but the look that she gave him could have killed. He shut up. Cressida then turned, and swiftly and silently rushed into the woods and toward the encampment.
"Oh great," Pemmy began loudly, "Not again -" but she was cut off by Ginny who furiously hissed,
"Shut up, Pemmy!"
Pemmy rolled her eyes, but didn't continue talking.
The sat there in silence for several minutes, when Cressida returned once more. She motioned for them to follow her without speaking, and started walking in the direction they had been headed. The others followed.
They hadn't gone very far when Cressida turned off of the path that they had been following and into the woods. Deeper and deeper into the trees she led them, until finally she stopped next to a boulder in front of a cliffside going up about ten meters.
"This is where I always stay when I come to Dinsdale," she whispered, speaking for the first time since she had returned. "We'll be safe in here." She then proceeded to push the boulder aside as if it hadn't weighed anything, revealing a dark cave.
Ginny was the first to dismount her horse. "What should I do with Midnight?" She asked Cressida in a hushed tone.
"Just let the horses wander. They're smart, they know who to avoid and when to come back."
Ginny nodded, and then let the beast go after taking the bag that had been tied around his waist off, the others following suit.
Cressida produced four candles from her bag, which she lit and placed at each of the corners of the cave which happened to be perfectly square, and sufficiently large enough for the five of them to fit. It was obvious that it had not been naturally formed due to the shape, and the neatly formed shelf that cut into the cave wall.
Sitting on this shelf was a stack of candles, one of which Cressida promptly lit with a match from somewhere on the table.
The room was immediately lit up in a quantity of light you would have not expected to come from such a small candle. Ginny expected that it was another demonstration of Noecah-en magic, and eyed the candle with interest, looking for something remarkable about it. But it just looked like an ordinary candle.
Meanwhile, the others had bustled in and began to take out their blankets for the night's bed. Pemmy was grumbling about how about how her neck would feel the next morning from having slept on the rock floor. No one was really listening; they were all too used to her complaining to even take notice of it anymore.
*
Dinner had been a not-so-pleasant meal of bread, cheese, eggs, and water. Since it had taken a while to prepare (Cressida had not been able to get the water to boil over the meek fire they had created) after dinner, it had been late. Cressida had suggested that they go immediately to bed, so they would be able to get up before the Queen's army and avoid them. They all agreed to this; the day's trek had made them weary.
So they had immediately stretched out on the floor, and within minutes the cave had been filled with the noise of Timmy and Pemmy's snoring. Ginny couldn't sleep, although she knew that she should. She was part of the problem was that she was afraid of having another nightmare, and part of the problem was that she was just plain not tired. Of course, it didn't help that Timmy was snoring so loud that it sounded like there was a train going through their tiny cave, and that every few minutes Pemmy would mutter about Olivia drowning in the lake and how she had to finish her Transfiguration homework.
It was dark in the cave, but not so dark that she didn't notice when Draco slowly pulled himself up after Ginny had been trying to sleep for what seemed like hours. She watched as his dark form stood up slowly, pushed the boulder out of the way a crack, allowing cold air to rush in, and squeezed his way into the darkness.
Ginny watched with an immense sense of curiosity, and finally got up and followed him.
He was almost out of sight by the time she had closed the rock behind her, but she had seen the direction he was headed, and she ran in that direction as quietly as she possibly could. He wasn't running, which gave her the advantage. She took the quick pace until she was several meters behind him, making sure to keep in step with him so that her footfalls wouldn't aware him of her presence. She planned on eventually asking him what he was doing, but wanted to know where he was going first.
They had been walking for several minutes when she realized where he was leading her. Not very far in front of them was a large fire, around which a group of about men sat - the tents surrounding them being the same ones they had seen earlier that day. Ginny was struck with terror, and almost turned back to get Cressida and tell him Draco was a traitor when he stopped in the underbrush at a squat, and watched them through the small openings in the thick bush.
Ginny stopped behind him, wanting to be certain that she didn't shock him and cause him to cry out.
"Draco!" she hissed, keeping her voice as low as possible.
His head snapped to the side and he glared at her, but motioned for her to come forward next to him so she could have a view of the scene before them. She crept forward.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"Gathering information."
"What if they see us?! And since when do you care about 'gathering information'?"
He shrugged. "It's not really any of your business. Now go to bed, before you get us caught."
She eyed him angrily. "No. I'm gathering information too, and keeping an eye on you. You'd probably tell them where we were the moment I left anyway."
"Whatever. But at least stop talking."
She wanted to shoot back some retort, but figured that he was right. She had to stop talking before they were heard. She turned to the bonfire and watched as the men sitting around it continued in what seemed like a heavy argument.
"We HAVE to head east tomorrow!" a dirty man in a professional looking but soiled red coat and trousers. "The Queen expects us to be there in three weeks. If we don't arrive by then . . ." He drew a finger across his throat, indicating that they would be beheaded.
"But if we hurry to finish our business at Magharibiah station, we can reach the castle in just over two weeks from there," a man in blue sitting across from him argued. "All we have to do is go several days out of our way - I can't imagine it taking more than five days to reach Magharibiah."
"But we can't risk it!" another man in red interjected. "If we don't get there in time . . . Queen Darmmhia isn't exactly lenient."
"Besides," a like dressed man added, "She didn't send us out here to raid western towns, she sent us to gather an army."
"Coward!" the man in blue hissed.
The man in red who had just spoken jumped up at that word, his sword drawn. "Say it again," he demanded dangerously.
"Coward!" he yelled.
He lunged on the man who had insulted him, but it was obvious that the man in blue was a better swordsman. He drove his weapon into his chest, and the challenger fell to the ground dead. He pulled his sword from the body. "Any other opponents?" he asked ominously, rounding on the other men in red. They shook their heads in unison. "Good. Tomorrow we head for Magharibiah station." The men all nodded.
Ginny prodded Draco's arm. "Let's go. Now."
He glanced back at the fire and then agreed.
It all happened very fast. First Draco was carefully moving from the sitting position, and next thing Ginny knew, his foot had snagged on a rock and he had fallen onto the forest floor covered with dead leaves. He had grabbed a hold of Ginny's hand so that she had fell forward too. Altogether, they made a very loud noise.
In moments they were surrounded by men dressed in red and blue, and a rough voice laughed, "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
A/N: Cliffie! Yes I know, evil I am. But I wanted to end it there, and I really wanted to post this. Please review, this chapter took a lot of work for me, and I want to know that it was worthwhile. I'm sorry its shorter than my other chapters, but I wanted to get it out ASAP. And I have the whole next chapter outlined, so expect it relatively soon. That's all for now. And go check out 'The Art of Seduction,' my other fic, if you haven't. I'll be updating that one soon too. Okay, that's it. See ya later!
~Manissetan
Ginny and Draco aren't mine. Everything else, as well as the plot, belongs to me.
Author's Note:
You guys had given up on me, hadn't you? Don't lie - I know you did. But I'm back now, because one of my pet peeves is when people start stories and then leave the people without any closure. So either I'll finish it, or if I decide I don't want to, I'll post a little epilogue telling everything I had planned on writing. But I have a definite idea of where it's going, so I think I'll be able to give you more than that.
Ginny collapsed onto the soft mattress at the first chance. Upon arriving, everyone in their party had suddenly realized how extremely tired the day had made them, and wasted very little time in finding the small inn that they would be staying in. Ruby and Cressida were going to stay outside, no doubt on the exact opposite sides of the town.
She had said goodbye rather tearfully to Ruby, as that would most likely be the last time they met, but the others had muttered their good-byes without a second thought. Cressida, who hadn't stopped eyeing him angrily since they had met, didn't even say goodbye. She gave a sharp nod of her head and watched him walk into the crowd of the open market until they entered the Sleepy Flea and she lost sight.
Cressida had then paid the innkeeper for two rooms, one for Ginny and Pemmy, and one for Timmy and Draco, and a cup of hot cocoa each. Ginny had refrained from advising Cressida against putting a Gryffindor and Slytherin together to sleep, thinking that if Timmy and Draco both annoyed each other to death it would serve them right.
Her and Pemmy's room had turned out to be rather nice and cozy. There was a merry fire burning in the grate. Two cozy chairs, overstuffed in the same manner as in the Gryffindor common room, were placed on either side of the fire, most likely for the purpose of reading, and on the small table next to each bed there was the promised mug of hot cocoa. The canopy beds did not have drapes around them, but other than that were very much like the one's in their dormitory. Soft green sheets and a flowered comforter topped the image.
Ginny fell asleep immediately, before having too much time to think. She had a very strange dream. She was standing in a clearing, wearing the clothes Gladys had given them and holding her sword. In front of her was Draco, dressed similarly, and holding his sword also, although he did not face her. They were both watching for some reason a mountain range in the distance.
To Ginny's amazement and fear, one of the mountains, which was apparently a volcano, erupted sending a rush of lava into the air. The lava gained the shape of a snake, and instead of falling to the mountainside, it stayed in the air and rushed, hissing, at her and Draco. It got closer and closer, but Ginny felt no urge to run. She held her ground firmly as it came nearer and nearer, and seeing Draco raise his weapon, followed suit. The snake now entered the clearing several feet above the ground and charged Draco. His sword plunged into the molten lava and had no effect. The next moment it had consumed the white-haired boy and was heading for Ginny. She abruptly sat up in a cold sweat.
The clock on the wall read 2:30. Flowered sheets were drenched and tangled around her, and her hair was plastered to her head. Calming down slightly at the knowledge that it was just a dream, she straightened her sheets and closed her eyes. But she found out very quickly that she was not going to be able to fall back asleep while she was so sweaty and uncomfortable, and decided to try to find the kitchens to get a glass of water. She walked to the door, not taking much care to be quiet - she knew that Pemmy slept like a rock.
The halls were deserted, but in the distance she could hear drunken calls and songs from the Sleepy Flea's not-so-sleepy customers. She followed the noises, hoping that she could get a glass of water from the tavern.
She found it easily, and was about to order from the bar when a person sitting in the back corner of the room caught her eye. Draco was sitting at a table for two with his hand on a glass of something-or-other, watching her. She asked the bartender for some water, which he provided her with shortly, and then she headed over to where he sat.
"Why are you up so late?" he asked suspiciously.
"I should be asking you the same question!" she retorted, equally suspiciously.
"I couldn't sleep," he answered simply. "Your turn."
Ginny sighed. "I couldn't sleep either. Nightmares. I was just getting a glass of water."
They both looked at each other for an awkward moment, and then Ginny shrugged and turned around. "I'm going back to bed now. You should do the same." She then walked out of the room, resisting the urge to turn around and wave, or acknowledge him in some way. It was the moment filled with the least animosity that they had shared sense arriving, and it was slightly awkward for her.
*
"Ginny! Ginny, get up!"
Ginny opened her eyes slowly to see Cressida standing hunched over her, shaking her shoulders violently.
"What the . . ." Ginny whispered, glancing at the clock. It was 5:30 in the morning. They weren't supposed to leave until that after noon. Why did she need to get up now?
"Come on, Ginny, we have to go!"
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked fearfully.
"I'll tell you later. Get dressed and meet me in front in ten minutes," Cressida said in an urgent voice, standing up straight and walking over to Pemmy's bed where she did the same.
Groggily, Ginny sat up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up weekly, holing on to the post for support. She took a sip of her not-so-hot chocolate remains from the previous night, which woke her up a bit more.
Cressida had finished with Pemmy, and rushed out of the room to go arouse the boys. As soon as she had left the room, Pemmy had fell back on her bad and began snoring loudly. Although Ginny felt an urge to do the same thing, she felt a sense of responsibility to Cressida and went over to wake her up, which she did with much difficulty.
As promised, ten minutes later Ginny and Pemmy entered the lobby of the inn. Draco and Timmy were sitting there already, Draco looking awake but uninterested, and Timmy with puffy red eyes and clutching a mug of tea. Cressida had been pacing the floor anxiously before their arrival, and as soon as she had caught sight of Ginny and Pemmy, she had been out the door motioning for them to follow. Hauling with them their saddlebags and knapsacks, they proceeded.
The air was crisp and chill outside and the sun had not yet risen. With the light of the lantern on the inn's porch and the few rays of the sun sneaking over the horizon, they could see the four horses waiting to be mounted. Slowly and wordlessly, the four moved to the beasts they had ridden the previous day and pulled themselves up, Timmy with some difficulty. Still without speaking, they began moving, the pace set at a light trot by Cressida.
Several times Draco began to speak, but Cressida hastily turned around and harshly put her finger to her lips.
After moving in that manner for several minutes, they left the town. When they were a good distance from the last home, Cressida stopped and turned to them.
"I'm sorry," Cressida said, "But we had to get out of there quickly and unnoticed. I know I said we'd leave around noon today, but this morning I received news -"
"This morning?" Interrupted Pemmy with a yawn. "You mean you were up and around before 5:30 am?"
Cressida shot a slightly dirty look at Pemmy and answered annoyedly, "Yes Pemalea, I always am. Anyway -"
"Jeez!" Pemmy said defensively, "I was just asking . . ."
"ANYWAY, I received news that the Queen's army had been through a city just south of here - right in our path. By 'going through' I mean 'destroying.' They can never make it through a city without rape, plunder, and pillaging. To the point, there was nothing left of it. Yesterday, when I had to leave you guys - it was to go check out the damage she had done to another city southwest of here. It was several days journey from here, so I wasn't very worried. I assumed that before we met, she would have changed paths. But the fact that she was in Lairainne yesterday means that they're heading in this direction. Kleedor could even be the next city in their path. I left a message with the innkeeper, an old friend of mine, to warn the villagers when they woke up. The army could be anywhere near here - we must avoid them. I'm sorry for the urgency, but I'm sure you understand."
*
The sun isn't as hot today as it was yesterday, Ginny noted to herself. The previous day had gone by in a rush. They had ridden at the quick speed they had left the town at for the main part of the day's trip, and it had been scorching the entire time. They had spent the night in the middle of the woods since they had not been near a town.
Pemmy had had something to say about that. The blanket was not thick enough, the pillow not soft enough, she had gotten a twig in her hair, it was crawling with bugs, and she swore that there had been a bear stalking the camp bidding his time before he attacked. The bear part was impossible, as the others knew, because they had a fire that would have driven any animal away. But Pemmy insisted that she had heard him walking while everyone else was asleep.
Ginny had actually enjoyed sleeping out of doors, as Cressida had predicted. It was nice to have nothing but clean air going in and out of your lungs, and to be able to see the stars.
The only bad part of the night had come after Ginny had drifted off to sleep. She experienced another nightmare like she had had the previous night, except this time she saw herself and Draco walking into the clearing, side by side. Draco drew his sword, and Ginny followed him, and then the dream mirrored the last one. Once again, Ginny woke up just as she was about to be engulfed in flame, and she sat up abruptly.
Ginny had taken in her settings very quickly, checking that nothing was wrong. But something was wrong - the bed where Draco had been sleeping was empty. Ginny debated with herself whether or not to tell Cressida, but was relieved of her internal battle when she saw Draco soundlessly emerge from the brush surrounding their area, and lay back down in his blankets. She though about asking him where he had been, but decided it wasn't that important.
She had fallen back asleep within minutes.
The next morning they had gotten up quite early this morning with the help of Cressida's internal alarm clock, and, after a quick breakfast of beef jerky and bread, been off. After that, they rode for another long period of time, halting only briefly for lunch, and then a bit later because Pemmy was complaining about a cramp in her leg.
They now had the horses walking, as they had covered more distance that day then Cressida had figured, and therefore had extra time to reach the village they were planning to stay near that they could rest. The horses hadn't seemed to mind traveling so quickly all day (although Pemmy had), which Ginny thought might have something to do with magic.
Ginny had noticed that the people of Noecah had magical powers in their own way. It was nothing like the magic that was done at Hogwarts - more of a fairy tale kind of magic. But then again - this was a fairy tale, so that wasn't all too absurd of an idea. They had come to terms with the fact that they were in a book, and figured that when it was over, they would be able to leave. Along those terms, the only thing they could do was play it out.
"What are you thinking about?" Cressida asked Ginny, falling into step with Midnight.
"Not much," Ginny answered with a sigh. "How much further is it to the place we're staying tonight?"
"Dinsdale should be coming up any time now," came Cressida's reply. "We'll finally be able to rest. It's been such a hurry the past days. Its lucky we haven't heard any more about The Queen wrecking cities. I was afraid we'd walk right into her if we weren't careful. But I think that the army ended up going west east instead of south. I'm pretty sure we're safe."
"Oh."
Cressida smiled at her. "Are you sure that there's nothing wrong? You seem pretty detached."
"I don't know . . . I guess I miss my family. I've never been this long without seeing any of them . . ."
Cressida's frowned. "I'm sorry about all of this. We didn't know that we would be bringing children here. Not that you are children," she added hastily.
"That's okay, I don't mind. Draco might mind though, I wouldn't call him a child to his face if I were you. Although he acts like one sometimes." Ginny sent a short glare in Draco's direction.
"Well, I'm terribly sorry anyway. Summoning people is very tricky, one of the oldest and most complex forms of magic we can perform. The magic works on its own, after the spell is cast. It searches for a time and place where there is a great concentration of magic, and draws anyone from there. It doesn't go for anyone in specific. A more powerful fairy could have done a better job, but there you have it. It's too late for reversing the spell now."
Well, that made sense to Ginny. She had been wondering why if they had been searching for someone with great power she had been summoned, not to mention Pemmy, Draco and Timmy. She didn't know Draco well enough to know how good he was at doing magic.
"Ah!" Cressida exclaimed, her eyes straining through the forest. "That's Dinsdale, if I'm not mistaken.
Everyone looked up, and sure enough, far in the distance lay a small town.
The first clue that something was wrong was the fact that the streets were empty. The second clue that something was wrong was the fact that the forest surrounding it was filled with tents, a camouflage that disguised them from being seen earlier.
Upon her first sight of the tents, Cressida rushed in front of Draco who had been leading the procession, held a finger to her lips, and held out one hand as if to tell them to stay. Draco began to ask her what was wrong, but the look that she gave him could have killed. He shut up. Cressida then turned, and swiftly and silently rushed into the woods and toward the encampment.
"Oh great," Pemmy began loudly, "Not again -" but she was cut off by Ginny who furiously hissed,
"Shut up, Pemmy!"
Pemmy rolled her eyes, but didn't continue talking.
The sat there in silence for several minutes, when Cressida returned once more. She motioned for them to follow her without speaking, and started walking in the direction they had been headed. The others followed.
They hadn't gone very far when Cressida turned off of the path that they had been following and into the woods. Deeper and deeper into the trees she led them, until finally she stopped next to a boulder in front of a cliffside going up about ten meters.
"This is where I always stay when I come to Dinsdale," she whispered, speaking for the first time since she had returned. "We'll be safe in here." She then proceeded to push the boulder aside as if it hadn't weighed anything, revealing a dark cave.
Ginny was the first to dismount her horse. "What should I do with Midnight?" She asked Cressida in a hushed tone.
"Just let the horses wander. They're smart, they know who to avoid and when to come back."
Ginny nodded, and then let the beast go after taking the bag that had been tied around his waist off, the others following suit.
Cressida produced four candles from her bag, which she lit and placed at each of the corners of the cave which happened to be perfectly square, and sufficiently large enough for the five of them to fit. It was obvious that it had not been naturally formed due to the shape, and the neatly formed shelf that cut into the cave wall.
Sitting on this shelf was a stack of candles, one of which Cressida promptly lit with a match from somewhere on the table.
The room was immediately lit up in a quantity of light you would have not expected to come from such a small candle. Ginny expected that it was another demonstration of Noecah-en magic, and eyed the candle with interest, looking for something remarkable about it. But it just looked like an ordinary candle.
Meanwhile, the others had bustled in and began to take out their blankets for the night's bed. Pemmy was grumbling about how about how her neck would feel the next morning from having slept on the rock floor. No one was really listening; they were all too used to her complaining to even take notice of it anymore.
*
Dinner had been a not-so-pleasant meal of bread, cheese, eggs, and water. Since it had taken a while to prepare (Cressida had not been able to get the water to boil over the meek fire they had created) after dinner, it had been late. Cressida had suggested that they go immediately to bed, so they would be able to get up before the Queen's army and avoid them. They all agreed to this; the day's trek had made them weary.
So they had immediately stretched out on the floor, and within minutes the cave had been filled with the noise of Timmy and Pemmy's snoring. Ginny couldn't sleep, although she knew that she should. She was part of the problem was that she was afraid of having another nightmare, and part of the problem was that she was just plain not tired. Of course, it didn't help that Timmy was snoring so loud that it sounded like there was a train going through their tiny cave, and that every few minutes Pemmy would mutter about Olivia drowning in the lake and how she had to finish her Transfiguration homework.
It was dark in the cave, but not so dark that she didn't notice when Draco slowly pulled himself up after Ginny had been trying to sleep for what seemed like hours. She watched as his dark form stood up slowly, pushed the boulder out of the way a crack, allowing cold air to rush in, and squeezed his way into the darkness.
Ginny watched with an immense sense of curiosity, and finally got up and followed him.
He was almost out of sight by the time she had closed the rock behind her, but she had seen the direction he was headed, and she ran in that direction as quietly as she possibly could. He wasn't running, which gave her the advantage. She took the quick pace until she was several meters behind him, making sure to keep in step with him so that her footfalls wouldn't aware him of her presence. She planned on eventually asking him what he was doing, but wanted to know where he was going first.
They had been walking for several minutes when she realized where he was leading her. Not very far in front of them was a large fire, around which a group of about men sat - the tents surrounding them being the same ones they had seen earlier that day. Ginny was struck with terror, and almost turned back to get Cressida and tell him Draco was a traitor when he stopped in the underbrush at a squat, and watched them through the small openings in the thick bush.
Ginny stopped behind him, wanting to be certain that she didn't shock him and cause him to cry out.
"Draco!" she hissed, keeping her voice as low as possible.
His head snapped to the side and he glared at her, but motioned for her to come forward next to him so she could have a view of the scene before them. She crept forward.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"Gathering information."
"What if they see us?! And since when do you care about 'gathering information'?"
He shrugged. "It's not really any of your business. Now go to bed, before you get us caught."
She eyed him angrily. "No. I'm gathering information too, and keeping an eye on you. You'd probably tell them where we were the moment I left anyway."
"Whatever. But at least stop talking."
She wanted to shoot back some retort, but figured that he was right. She had to stop talking before they were heard. She turned to the bonfire and watched as the men sitting around it continued in what seemed like a heavy argument.
"We HAVE to head east tomorrow!" a dirty man in a professional looking but soiled red coat and trousers. "The Queen expects us to be there in three weeks. If we don't arrive by then . . ." He drew a finger across his throat, indicating that they would be beheaded.
"But if we hurry to finish our business at Magharibiah station, we can reach the castle in just over two weeks from there," a man in blue sitting across from him argued. "All we have to do is go several days out of our way - I can't imagine it taking more than five days to reach Magharibiah."
"But we can't risk it!" another man in red interjected. "If we don't get there in time . . . Queen Darmmhia isn't exactly lenient."
"Besides," a like dressed man added, "She didn't send us out here to raid western towns, she sent us to gather an army."
"Coward!" the man in blue hissed.
The man in red who had just spoken jumped up at that word, his sword drawn. "Say it again," he demanded dangerously.
"Coward!" he yelled.
He lunged on the man who had insulted him, but it was obvious that the man in blue was a better swordsman. He drove his weapon into his chest, and the challenger fell to the ground dead. He pulled his sword from the body. "Any other opponents?" he asked ominously, rounding on the other men in red. They shook their heads in unison. "Good. Tomorrow we head for Magharibiah station." The men all nodded.
Ginny prodded Draco's arm. "Let's go. Now."
He glanced back at the fire and then agreed.
It all happened very fast. First Draco was carefully moving from the sitting position, and next thing Ginny knew, his foot had snagged on a rock and he had fallen onto the forest floor covered with dead leaves. He had grabbed a hold of Ginny's hand so that she had fell forward too. Altogether, they made a very loud noise.
In moments they were surrounded by men dressed in red and blue, and a rough voice laughed, "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
A/N: Cliffie! Yes I know, evil I am. But I wanted to end it there, and I really wanted to post this. Please review, this chapter took a lot of work for me, and I want to know that it was worthwhile. I'm sorry its shorter than my other chapters, but I wanted to get it out ASAP. And I have the whole next chapter outlined, so expect it relatively soon. That's all for now. And go check out 'The Art of Seduction,' my other fic, if you haven't. I'll be updating that one soon too. Okay, that's it. See ya later!
~Manissetan