"But dearie, what if someone walks into us?" was Jhudora's response. "No, we're much safer on the stairs. Besides, I have some business I need to clear up."
"What business would that be?" asked Blanche worriedly.
"Never you mind, dear," Jhudora answered. "Not yet. Not now. Perhaps you'll work it out as we go along."
"But mum and-"
"Don't worry, we'll get to them. But it is absolutely essential that we figure out this mess first."
"Why?"
Jhudora stopped, turned and looked at her squarely in the eye. "The world goes on without your mother. But without the Faerie Queen, Faerieland could become a lawless mess. Imagine a war that could leave Faerieland in ruins... just like Maraqua."
Then she turned around again and continued up the stairs.
"For my first witness," announced the Techo Lawyer, "I call up Miss aussiejewel."
aussiejewel stood up gracefully and walked even more gracefully to the witness box.
"Are you Miss aussiejewel, the Brown Uni?"
"What do you think? Of course I am!"
"Fine then," announced the Techo Lawyer. "Miss Brown Uni, you were found at 5:26pm NST in posession of six stolen goods. Is this correct?"
"My name is aussiejewel!" answered aussiejewel.
"Miss Brown Uni, that is beside the point. Would you please answer the question?"
"My name is aussiejewel!"
"Miss Brown Uni. Is it true that you were found at 5:26pm NST in posession of a sack of stolen goods?"
"My name is aussiejewel!"
"Miss Brown Uni, it would do good for you to answer the question."
"My name is aussiejewel!"
"Oh no," muttered Jess desperately.
The stairs seemed endless to Blanche and BeatofSaint01, although Jhudora and tigger2002guy were still going strong. The group had been in silence several minutes, and they run up at least a hundred steps.
"Nearly there," Jhudora said finally, as she came up to the end of the stairs. There was no door or wall in front of them, merely a gaping rectangular hole to the long path held up high outside.
"This is there?" Blanche asked in disbelief. There was nothing there.
"Of course," Jhudora answered. She walked briskly over to a point on the bridge-type thing from one tower to the next. She stopped and knelt somewhere by the wall. As the three pets watched in awe and wonder she started muttering a spell they could not hear.
Blanche was the first to see it. "Oh look, look!" she cried happily.
Queen Fyora herself faded into view, regal even though she was unconscious.
"What was THAT?" asked tigger2002guy. "Another invisibility spell?"
"Yes," answered Jhudora. "The fool made a spell so only those involved with the plot could see her."
"And how were you involved with the plot?" asked Blanche, back in worry-mode.
"Stupid thing seems to think I started it," Jhudora said, then stood up.
"This is about the time," she said, "you need a laboratory."
"A laboratory?" asked Blanche. "What for?"
"Brewing a potion to revive Fyora!"
BeatofSaint01 couldn't resist gloating at Blanche, as if to say, 'see, she's not evil after all!'
"Your Highness. Can you please command Miss aussiejewel to answer the question!"
Five minutes later. aussiejewel had said nothing other than "my name is aussiejewel" for that long. Trust the opposition to choose the vainest witness, Jess thought.
"Miss aussiejewel, you will answer the question or be removed from this court and we will proceed without you," Fyora announced curtly.
"Fine," she grumbled.
"Miss aussiejewel," announced Techo Lawyer (for that was how Jess thought of him). "You were found at 5:26pm NST in posession of the following stolen items: a Faerie Queen doll worth 2 million, a Fyora's Looking Glass worth 2 million, a Mask of Coltzan worth 3.7 million, a Snow Faerie Doll worth .75 of a million, a Sunshine Shield worth .8 of a million, and a Jhudora's Crystal Ball worth 3 million, adding up to 12.25 million. Is this correct?"
"Yes," answered aussiejewel finally.
"Do you mind telling me," said Techo Lawyer, "how you get these items?"
"I... I bought them," aussiejewel replied.
"Who from?" asked Techo Lawyer laughingly. "They were stolen, then they're found with you in a brown sack!"
"I bought them from a Red Techo," aussiejewel said. Jess and Zoe both realised that aussiejewel was trying not to be biased, which was hard because Techo Lawyer was!
"Surely, if you bought them from a Red Techo, you know his or her name?"
"You... I don't know his name," aussiejewel conceded.
"Don't know his name?" Techo Lawyer laughed. "How are we supposed to believe you if we don't know his name?"
"I don't know his name," aussiejewel repeated, but then stood up and continued. "But I don't know his name, because it was YOU!"
aussiejewel leaped out of the witness box and over to attack Techo Lawyer. Fyora's eyes glowed fiercely and aussiejewel fell to the ground, instantly knocked out.
"What have you done to my pet?" Jess demanded.
"She was about to commit yet another violation of the law," Fyora patiently explained. "It is just a simple pacifying spell; it should wear off in the next two hours."
"TWO HOURS?"
Blanche stared out at the clear nighttime sky sadly. The real Fyora was unconscious and with them, while the fake Fyora was presiding over a court hearing her mother, sister and two friends. All in all, it was a rotten night.
"How much longer?" she turned and demanded of Jhudora. "This is the longest night I've ever been through!"
"Shush," Jhudora said, as she conjured yet another cup of water.
"What're you doing now?" tigger2002guy asked.
"Trying to use Water of Life," Jhudora answered.
"But you're a Dark Faerie!"
"I've already cast Shadow Health," she replied. "I can only try for this one. If I succeed, she'll be revived much faster."
"What if you don't succeed?" tigger2002guy asked curiously.
"We'll have to try the old icy water trick!" she said. "Please be quiet now."
She muttered a spell to try and turn the water into the mystical Water of Life. Nothing happened.
So she muttered the spell again, more fiercely. The water started to bubble, but then boil. She threw the cup away fiercely.
"Oh no!" cried Blanche, annoyed - and worried again.
"What now?" asked Jhudora frustratedly, as she conjured another cup of water.
"Look!" Blanche pointed to the sky, and Jhudora looked up.
Silhouetted by the moonlight, dozens of purple flying motorbikes soared through the air spectacularly.
"An air performance?" Jhudora suggested. "A crazy Faerie Cloud Race?"
But no. The flying motorbikes turned and soared straight towards them.
"What do we do?" asked Blanche, worried again. "We have the unconscious Faerie Queen with us, remember!"
Jhudora stepped away from Fyora and walked slightly towards the wall, so she was two metres away from it. She watched as the purple motorbikes landed spectacularly, one by one, in a straight line along that wall.
"What do you want?" Jhudora demanded.
"Glad to see you're here," said one of them. "Now if you'll step away from her..."
"Step away? You don't know what you're dealing with, Maelstra! You're so young and naïve. You think you can just replace the Faerie Queen and have no one notice?"
"No one has yet," Maelstra replied. "And why should they? Jahanara is a perfect duplicate."
"Duplicate? Shallow too! I'm not talking about looks, I'm talking about the fact that there'll be a war, you know! Neopians will flood up to Faerieland as warriors, determined to save the day and be a hero... but REALLY, they'll leave Faerieland in ruins! I mean, come on - we're a country in the clouds!"
Jhudora took a step towards Maelstra. Blanche felt sure she would have stamped her hand on a table if she had one handy.
"War," Maelstra laughed. "Neopia has certainly had a war before, sweetie. Remember Meridell? Besides, darling, you're assuming one very important thing."
"And what assumption am I making?" Jhudora said softly, for she was a foot taller than Maelstra.
"You're making the assumption that," Maelstra explained impatiently, as though this were the thousandth time, "people are going to find out."
"Of course they will," Jhudora said. "The Faerie Queen is beloved by many - I'm sure some know all about her, much more than Jahanara!"
"Stand aside, please," Maelstra wasn't known for her patience at all.
"You can't make me!" Jhudora cried obstinately.
"You're right," Maelstra replied cheerfully. Then she winked. "Ta-ta, dears!"
The crowd of motor bikes flew away at once, rather surprisingly.
"At least the Faerie Queen is safe," Blanche sighed happily.
Jhudora gasped as she turned around.
"The Faerie Queen... she's gone!"
"Gone?" asked Blanche. "Surely... she can't be..." Blanche turned around, horrified that it might be true. "she's gone!"
"What's happened?" BeatofSaint01 asked.
"Transportation," Jhudora said angrily. "Normally used for inanimate objects. It takes a great deal of power to transport animate ones, like faeries..." she shuddered.
"What? What is it?" tigger2002guy asked.
"What if..." she thought, her mind obviously coming up with some sort of theory.
"What if WHAT?" asked Blanche impatiently.
"What if," replied Jhudora, "They were draining away Fyora's power reserves, to Maelstra? Fyora couldn't defend herself, after all... what if they were draining her power to Maelstra... and what if Jahanara's merely a puppet queen, to be disposed of when the real Faerie Queen is a Grey Faerie?"
"What if this is much more than a matter for Faerieland?" Blanche asked, having caught on to the train of thought.