Clemen
"Buttercup, the trail ends here." Gaia was at her wits end with her old friend insisting that they had to keep going until they found Lonara. "Your daughter is probably fine. But," she added sharply, "WE won't be if you insist on walking all night. You took the same classes as I did. You know we won't find her at night, and she won't keep going either. We need to take a rest."
"No!" I insisted.
"Yes."
"No!"
"Let's set up camp."
"I hate it when you decide to be sensible."
Gaia sighed. "Yes, but usually that isn't a problem."
Nechtè rolled his eyes. "If you ladies are quite done."
I glared at him. "YOU may set up camp next to that berry patch. Don't eat any, they would put you to sleep. Us 'ladies' are going to fence. We wouldn't want to be out of shape for.whatever's out there. Dragons or whatever."
Without another word we took out our swords. Gaia and I put all our attention into the fight. In doing so, however, we failed to notice a shadowy figure slip into the clearing.
"Like mother, like daughter." Gaia spun around. There, sitting calmly on a stump, stood Clemen.
I smiled coldly. "Clemen. I might have known that you would be at the bottom of this."
Clemen sighed. "So beautiful, yet so cold. You haven't changed, Buttercup."
Nechtè stepped forward. "What do you want, Clemen?" he growled, ignoring Gaia's warning hiss. "Still jealous? You can't take your revenge on me.I mean us."
Clemen's smile was colder than ever. "Indeed. You two together are too strong for me to overcome. But tell me, do you know where your daughter is?"
Gaia inhaled sharply, then regained her composure. I blanched, but continued, "Our daughter is home in bed, of course. The hour is too late for her to join us on our walk."
"Are you quite sure that she is home?"
Listening to his voice sent a chill down my spine. Clemen must have kidnapped Lonara!
Anger and hate coursed through Gaia's veins, making her irrational. "What did you do with her?!" she screamed. "Where is she?"
"Now Gaia-that is your name, isn't it?-be reasonable. I found a child eating berries. As I watched, she sank onto the moss, asleep. The berries over there, as you have already noticed, generate sleep. I merely took her to my house and gave her a nice place to sleep until I could return her to her mother. And I knew who her mother was, because of the runes on her necklace. No matter what you think of me, you ought to realize that I took the same classes as you and can read the runes. 'Lonara, Buttercup and Nechtè's daughter' is what the runes read. Lonara is quite safe with her mother's old school 'friend'.for now."
"Buttercup, the trail ends here." Gaia was at her wits end with her old friend insisting that they had to keep going until they found Lonara. "Your daughter is probably fine. But," she added sharply, "WE won't be if you insist on walking all night. You took the same classes as I did. You know we won't find her at night, and she won't keep going either. We need to take a rest."
"No!" I insisted.
"Yes."
"No!"
"Let's set up camp."
"I hate it when you decide to be sensible."
Gaia sighed. "Yes, but usually that isn't a problem."
Nechtè rolled his eyes. "If you ladies are quite done."
I glared at him. "YOU may set up camp next to that berry patch. Don't eat any, they would put you to sleep. Us 'ladies' are going to fence. We wouldn't want to be out of shape for.whatever's out there. Dragons or whatever."
Without another word we took out our swords. Gaia and I put all our attention into the fight. In doing so, however, we failed to notice a shadowy figure slip into the clearing.
"Like mother, like daughter." Gaia spun around. There, sitting calmly on a stump, stood Clemen.
I smiled coldly. "Clemen. I might have known that you would be at the bottom of this."
Clemen sighed. "So beautiful, yet so cold. You haven't changed, Buttercup."
Nechtè stepped forward. "What do you want, Clemen?" he growled, ignoring Gaia's warning hiss. "Still jealous? You can't take your revenge on me.I mean us."
Clemen's smile was colder than ever. "Indeed. You two together are too strong for me to overcome. But tell me, do you know where your daughter is?"
Gaia inhaled sharply, then regained her composure. I blanched, but continued, "Our daughter is home in bed, of course. The hour is too late for her to join us on our walk."
"Are you quite sure that she is home?"
Listening to his voice sent a chill down my spine. Clemen must have kidnapped Lonara!
Anger and hate coursed through Gaia's veins, making her irrational. "What did you do with her?!" she screamed. "Where is she?"
"Now Gaia-that is your name, isn't it?-be reasonable. I found a child eating berries. As I watched, she sank onto the moss, asleep. The berries over there, as you have already noticed, generate sleep. I merely took her to my house and gave her a nice place to sleep until I could return her to her mother. And I knew who her mother was, because of the runes on her necklace. No matter what you think of me, you ought to realize that I took the same classes as you and can read the runes. 'Lonara, Buttercup and Nechtè's daughter' is what the runes read. Lonara is quite safe with her mother's old school 'friend'.for now."