Amulet of Quietus
Disclaimer: I know the drill. Nope, don't own it, but I do lay claim to Anya, her village, the amulet, the ring , the necklace, the three sisters, the fire sprits- It keeps going!
Setting: Wouldn't you like to know… I'm afraid I can't reveal it in this chapter, sorry.
Chapter 4: Capture of a Stubborn Sprite
Anya knew the day was a strange one when she had first awoken. The sun wasn't shining, a rare thing where she lived. A storm was rolling in, she could see it. But there was also an awkward stench to the air. Something like mud mixed with unnamable items. The smells were unfamiliar, so she couldn't place her finger on the names of them even if she wanted to.
When she had gone to gather the younger girls, they had all avoided her eyes. Apparently, everyone knew she was leaving, and to them she was already dead. The better to acknowledge something was dead if you ignored it. Some of her closest friends would hold on to her before she left, and would shed tears for her, but everyone else would turn to the next day, imagining that she'd never existed.
Then on the walk to the food pools, Anya could have sworn there were eyes on her again. She almost turned to look, but resisted the urge. She knew it was just her senses playing cruel games on her. It was just her nerves, jumpy about the upcoming trip, that's all.
When they arrived at the pool, Anya had avoided the group and gone to a nearby tree to rest. The previous night she had barely slept. Too many things had been skimming across her mind to allow for sleep.
Marium called to her, asking her to come and examine something she'd found. Probably some stupid rock, again. Anya waved her hand, a clear sign she didn't want to know what this was about.
"Anya, please come look at this. I think it's important!" The girl's voice was high with excitement. Giving in with a sigh, Anya walked over to her. In the water was something resembling a large footprint, only it was oddly shaped. It was rounded, like the person had worn little disks on their feet.
Anya whistled and placed her foot inside of the print. It was quite a bit larger.
"Whoever did this must have had large feet." Marium said. She was always jumping to conclusions about Mud men invading their village. Everyone laughed at her, even Anya sometimes. But this was different. Marium had proof that an unknown person had been here. And recently, looking at how complete the print still was.
Looking more closely at it, Anya noticed several more marks, traveling to the north. They then faded into the forest greens, where the land was ever so dry. Knowing something was up, Anya turned to warn Marium.
The girls expression was what startled Anya first. It was one of terror. The cold terror, not one that could easily be faked. Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide. There seemed to be words on her tongue, but they were stuck in her throat, which had suddenly seized up.
"Marium? What is it?" Anya grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her gently. The girls arm came up, grasping her own, and then her other arm pointed. To the forest.
Fearing what she might see there, Anya turned, knowing it was something bad. And it was.
There was a man. No, a boy. He wasn't very tall, only about five feet, with dark hair and eyes. Although Anya found him attractive, she could hardly think about that right now. Behind him was a creature of such small stature that she didn't notice him until he moved. It was a dwarf, she recognized it by the beard.
Anya did the only thing she could in her state of shock. She sounded the alarm. It was a small shell about her neck, used for many years to communicated a warning to the village. When the elders heard it, they would pull everyone out of the small town and into the forest, where an escape river lead to a safe place. The guards, like herself, would stay and defend their people. Or try, at least.
As the naiads around her fled, Anya pulled forth her walking staff. It could serve well for a weapon, seeing as it was made from the hardest wood around. Hickory, one of the best. Placing it before her at a forty-five degree angle, Anya spread her legs out for better balance. In her peripheral vision, she could see Marium doing the same. They were ready.
The boy was walking forward at a well kept pace. It wasn't to fast or slow, but moderate. The dwarf seemed reluctant to follow. Anya set her sights on the human, deciding to take him out first. Just as she was about to leap forward, she heard it. A sound, betrayed by a boot. It was behind her.
Anya knew it was a trap then, and took to the last result. It was ever spirit for herself, and Anya meant to take that saying well. She turned to her left, fleeing the scene. If Marium knew what was good for herself, she'd do the same, but in the opposite direction.
Looking back briefly, Anya noticed a man of considerable size. He was holding a silver thing in his hands, and pointing it at her, but she was in the trees before he could do anything more. It seemed her only chance was to flee into the land of man.
Butler sighed, knowing it was worthless to fire now. He could hit a moving target, but not one surrounded by trees. It was time to pursue. Leaving Artemis to his own plan, Butler took after the girl on foot. It seemed she thought to get away. Not likely. He'd see to it that she was in that tank with in the hour. That was his job, after all.
Anya was winded. She'd been running for twenty minutes now, knowing that every second she didn't move that mountain/man got closer. Up ahead was a waterfall, one of the tallest in the land. She had been here before.
This was where Anya had first gone when the other spirits had though her missing for those three wondrous weeks. Though the area she had covered while on her own that one time was very minimal, it helped her navigate now.
She jumped into the pool before the slow flowing river. This river fed right into the fall, and yet barely moved at all. It was because the land under the water was at a small incline, meaning the water had to collect before it could travel up and over.
As she was catching her breath, Anya heard movement in the forest. No way that a mud man could have caught up with her that fast. Had they even followed her? She stood stock still, waiting for the inevitable.
A bird shot from the trees, squawking over something. Most likely, it had found another bird in its nest, or its eggs had been eaten. Sighing in relief, Anya turned back to the pool and sunk into it. Feeling immediately at home, she began to slow her breathe. The water ceased to exist, as did her body. They were one, combined in the relaxed pulsing of the liquid.
Crack! Her eyes shot open. Anya knew it wasn't a bird this time, or anything native to this forest. Nothing that lived her could make that great a sound, even by accident. Everything here was too small for that.
Pulling herself partly from the water, the girl looked back at the forest. She saw the man at the same time he spotted her. They starred at each other, one in horror, the other in wonder. Not hard to guess which was which.
Coming from the shadows, the man made to be imposing. He stood two and a half feet over Anya, and even from a distance of ten yards, she could see his eyes. Cold, with out mercy. He was ready to do anything to nab her. The human took a step forward.
Anya stumbled backward. The distance they were at was fine, why did he insist on making it smaller? With every step forward he took, Anya crept back another. Still, the man took larger steps than her, and was soon in the water. She was nearing the falls.
Realizing she was trapped, Anya decided to talk to him first. Her throat stuck for a moment, but she coughed it clear. A shaky sound erupted from it.
"What do you want, human? I have caused you no harm. What is it you seek from me?"
The man, in the least, seemed surprised. He stopped for a moment, considering whether to respond or not.
"It's not what I want. It's what Master Fowl wants. At the moment, I believe that would be information on the Amulet of Quietus. And you know where it is."
Should she try lying to him? Anya voted against it. Her face already told the truth. He knew, and she knew that he knew. That's all there was to it. So she decided instead to devise an escape plan.
"Not like I'll tell you anytime soon. And, besides, I can't even touch it, and neither can you. So, what's the point?" The human's eyebrows went up. Anya knew she'd just given away vital information.
"Well, that sure is news. I'm sure you know something more about it though."
"Oh, is that so? What makes you think that?" And idea popped into her head. It wasn't a very good one. Her chances of survival were slim, but better than anything she'd come up with so far.
The human smiled smugly. "Well, your face says it, for one. And your voice, for a second. You should learn to hide those type of things." He stepped forward, pulling out the shiny stick from before. Slowly, the man brought it forward.
Anya beat him to it. Before the man could do anything, she used what little magic she had to throw that water at him. A small wave overtook him, throwing the man down into the water. Anya turned, knowing this was a bad idea. The jump had to be a hundred feet, if not more.
A shot rang out behind her, and an intense pain formed on her left shoulder. Obviously, the human had recovered. Anya could feel whatever it was he'd used taking effect. Her mind was slowing. Black began to form in her vision, the insidious color ensnaring her.
Behind her, the human was splashing forward, hoping to catch her before she fell of the edge. But he was too late. Anya turned to him, smiling in her little triumph. And she jumped from the waterfall. Or rather, she fell from it head first.
The fall was zipping by, a blur of crystal and blue. And then the water was on her. As she was floating downstream, she hit a rock. That, and the sedative from the human sent her to a place of lasting darkness.
Butler almost cried out when the nymph fell from the edge. This wasn't good. Artemis wouldn't like her too damage. He had been caught off guard by the wave, which had given her the time she needed to jump. Mulch apparently had forgotten to mention that water sprits had magic too.
He stepped forward to the ledge, starring down. The girl's body was floating downstream. She hit a rock and was jammed between it and the shore of the river. Perfect, just where he needed her. All he had to do now was find a way down.
The light in the cave this time was much brighter. Anya could see her mother clearly, and the Amulet too.
Anya, my daughter, what are you doing here? The humans, they will find your body if you don't return soon. Her mother looked worried.
What was the thing I was hit with? It caused me to lose my conscious mind. Was it magic?
Hardly. It was a fluid, a drug, used by humans, to keep other people calm. It seems they don't know that much about the Amulet though. Hopefully, you didn't tell them anything.
Gulping, Anya avoided her eyes. I told one of the men that they couldn't touch it, and neither could I, but he didn't seem to worried about it.
Her mother sighed. It was to be expected. This was what happened when people were ignorant.
I'm going to awaken your body now, child. When you wake up, run with the steam. It should take you away from the Mud men. Please, be swift my daughter. Future generations depend upon it.
Anya could feel her mother receding, and real light approaching…
The water was running past her. It flowed much freer down here than it had up on top. Forcing her arms beneath her, Anya attempted to stand. Failing, she tried again, this time with her legs. Though they seemed rather weak, Anya's legs worked well enough to get her from the river to dry land.
It seemed her mother hadn't woken her up soon enough. Anya spotted the boy, the one who had served as a distraction earlier. He was still accompanied by the dwarf, and both of them were standing not twenty feet away. So, where was the mountain?
Deciding not to worry about the big man, Anya stormed forward to the boy. He was startled by this behavior, it showed in his eyes. Although he didn't move, Anya knew he wanted to run.
As she approached, the naiad noticed the adult human. He was running down a path the led to the waterfall. Apparently, he had trouble finding a way down and was running a little late.
Anya knew she wouldn't be able to outrun them again, and knew she was going to be caught. But that didn't mean she couldn't make one of them regret this plan.
"You've chosen the wrong day to mess with me, boy." Before he could respond, Anya heaved back and punched him square in the nose. Said human flew backward, and landed on his rump with a thud. His hands flew to his face, blood pouring down it from the wound.
Smirking, Anya turned to the other human. He wasn't there. She gasped when a muscular hand grabbed her hair, the other snaking around her neck. Her hands seized the arm around her, looking for a grip and finding none. That's when it tightened.
Butler expertly executed the Falcon grip on the girl. In less than three seconds, she'd be out cold. If he kept going for around ten, her body would cease all functions.
Although the sprit was grappling his arm in a death grip, it was not going to stop what was coming. Very slowly, the girl relaxed, until she finally slumped into his arms. He dropped her, and went to Artemis.
"Are you alright, Sir?" Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he dabbed the kid's nose, assessing the damage. It wasn't broken, but he'd have a headache in the next few hours, and one tomorrow. He offered his hand to his employer.
"I'm fine. Just make sure our friend can't get at me again. I hate to think what she'd do a second time." Artemis took the offered hand and stood. He held the cloth to his nose in hopes it would soon stop gushing forth bodily fluids.
The manservant took another syringe of sedative and inserted it into the troublesome sprite. Then, whilst still bent down, he threw her over his shoulder and stood. Artemis wouldn't be flying tonight, so he figured it was his turn. Turning, Butler began the long trek back to the plane.
Two hours later, the jet was within their sights, Artemis was complaining of a headache, and Mulch was flat out complaining.
"It's hot. Why don't we get a fan? There's a bug on my clothes. And a rock in my shoe. When we get in the jet, can I have something to eat. Is there a shower? I'm sweater right now than I was while working in the desert last fall. Man was that one sweaty time of my life!" As the neared the jet, the dwarf was talking more and breathing less.
Only after Butler threatened to tape him to a chair with his mouth tightly sealed did the dwarf stop. When they did reach the plane, Butler unlocked it and took the fairy to the tank.
It was a large rectangular tank. Made from glass, it was about ten feet across, six feet high, and five feet deep. It was halfway filled with water from a garden hose, but it also had rocks for the creature.
Butler used a small step stool to deposit the girl in the tank. Then he found the lid, a wire mess that would keep anything her size and bigger locked up. With screws and a screwdriver, he nailed her cage shut. Escape wouldn't be a problem, seeing as they'd be home before she woke up. But it never hurt to take an extra precaution.
When Artemis had taken two Aspirin and Mulch had settled down watching TV, Butler took the controls and started for home. It would be a long night, but they had succeeded. The Amulet would be theirs soon.
With that happy thought in mind, the miniature jet took off into the night, scarring all wildlife in the vicinity.
Author's Note
Well, that was fun. Another chapter up and done. What's next? Ah, who knows? Lol, well, I do actually. But that's info for me to know, and everyone else to figure out in the near future.
As to my knowledge on the Falcon grip. Well, I took martial arts and they attribute to this stuff. I can imagine whole battle scenes in my head. Half the time though, I forget them or never use them for anything. Oh well, can't hurt to know extra stuff.
Also, I wrote an angst one-shot on Harry Potter, if anyone wants to know. It was a hit amongst my friends. One of them started crying in the middle of our second hour class. At least she can show emotion though, right?
Well, I've gotten reviews, and I thank the TWO people who actually took ten seconds to tell me how I wrote. How kind of them…
Dr. F. Roy Dean Schlippe, the grammar freak like me. Rock on my grammatically correct friend.
snailthewhale, thanks for the review. I have yet to look that mistake up, but will should that character ever come into this story again. Not likely, but hey, can't shoot me yet.
Finelley