A/N

Sorry about the delay, I got sidetracked by father's day and work, but I'm back, and I wrote a longer than usual chapter for you, I hope you like it!


We got out of the forest a day after we left The Blue Lights clan. It was actually smaller than I expected, in a way. When I first saw the forest, it seemed so expansive, so massive, and at times totally unnavigable. But looking back, it really isn't as bad as my imagination led me to believe.

We had left the forest and come out to a large, grassy plain, full of rocks and pits that one couldn't see until they were right on top of it or had fallen into them. Which led to several hilarious push me pull you scenes when one of us got stuck.

Crepuscule was keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings. Never know what could pop up out of nowhere in these places.

"It's hot, and when are we gonna rest?" Rahne asked, almost panting.

"We will rest in a few hours, Miss Sinclair, until then we must be pressing on." Mr. McCoy told her sternly.

"Oh man." She whispered under her breath.

I had to admit, it was rather hot. Really too hot for someplace so green. And there was no running water in sight.

We kept on trudging for the better part of an hour when Mr. McCoy finally called us to stop and rest. The heat was getting to be too much. Even the background noise had begun to quiet to an almost indiscernible buzz.

We found shade under this little outcropping of rocks, but it wasn't very much. We all tried to relax and ignore the pounding sun.

It had to be over a hundred degrees. What was going on?

Rahne and Kitty were fanning themselves with their hands. Their faces had begun to look an unhealthy shade of red.

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. No animal was showing its head above a grassy knoll or outside the holes they had dug themselves into to keep cool. There was a discontented murmur that I could barely hear, and couldn't quite understand.

Farther beyond that, there was the muttering of underground creatures as they dug and found themselves at odds with a barrier they couldn't fathom. And somewhere beyond that was the muffled whispers of birds.

The birds seem to be enjoying themselves, though muffled as they were. It must be cooler where they are.

I stood up abruptly. Jean gave me a quizzical look. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going someplace cool. You're welcome to join me if I can find a way in."

Immediately everyone was on their feet and following me.

"How do you know there is someplace around here, Danny?" Mr. McCoy asked me.

"They complain really loudly. They're trying to get in underground, but they can't, and they're upset about it. But the birds are happy, and they shouldn't be, it's too hot to be happy for birds, they'd be sleeping or trying to keep cool, especially with the rising temperature."

There was an immediate silence after my little explanation, and I felt like rolling my eyes. "The animals said so."

"Oh." Was the only thing that came out of Kitty.

I kept walking straight on ignoring the murmurs of annoyed rodents when a mutant stepped too close to their holes.

My feet didn't stop until I was right above the mutterings of the angry underground dwellers.

There was nothing, except an oddly colored shimmer in the air, something someone would miss unless they were looking closely.

Magic.

I reached out my hand and pressed it against the shimmer. It felt like glass was hovering in the air in front of me, but I couldn't really see it.

"It's a big bubble." I said to them, halfway expecting them to be staring at me. They were. But that was beside the point. Mr. McCoy came up and tapped the shimmer. It sounded like a spoon hitting the out side of an empty coffee can.

"Incredible." He murmured.

"Yeah but how do we get in?" Jubilee asked.

The birds were watching us. I know they were. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there.

"Maybe we can, like phase through it." Kitty suggested.

"I wouldn't try it." Jean said. "We have no idea how it reacts, and it may hurt you."

"Why don't we dig?" Rahne suggested.

"Danny already said that things under the ground can't get in."

Good to know they listen. The birds were sending me an odd image.

"Maybe they didn't like, dig deep enough."

"Perhaps this, force field like occurrence has some sort of weak spot we can open with our mutations."

That was a strange symbol.

"Like, he's right! Maybe you can give it a psychic blast Jean."

How very interesting…

"Yeah, her powers are good to go, but what about the rest of us? Beauty and brains only get us so far, and Mr. McCoy only has brains and brawn, so how's that going to help us break it open?"

"You are such a killjoy Jubes."

I touched the shimmer with one finger and began to trace the symbol just as the birds had recited to me. First a circle…

"I'm just trying to be realistic."

Then a square inside the circle… kind of an oddly shaped square…

"Realistic? Nothing about this place is realistic."

Outside the circle draw five points…

"We shouldn't argue. It's taking up energy."

"Rahne's right. We need to stay focused.

And meet the five points in the middle.

"Danny? What are you doing?"

"I'm meeting the five points." I said offhandedly.

"What points?"

"I knew one of us was going to get sunstroke."

They couldn't see it, but I could. Only one more line to go and then…

"Holy cow! What did you do!?" Jubilee squealed.

The shimmer abruptly changed into a shining purple color. Then right where I was tracing my little picture, the air opened to reveal a paradise just a step away, where before there had only been a green grass field.

"Let us ask the question after we get inside." Mr. McCoy hurried the other girls in after me. Crepuscule followed at a more cautious rate.

Birds, beautiful, exotically feathered birds sat on the branched cooing at me and my friends. When Crepuscule leaped in through the portal, it hurriedly shut, trapping the awful heat outside.

Here it was cool, and there was a light spray of water issuing from a remarkable fountain. It was a gargoyle with all four paws on a pedestal with its neck craned back, shooting water for the birds to bathe in. The water in the pool beside the fountain was covered in some oddly colored Lilly pads, and underneath the water I could see small fish and some large toads with horns.

All over the place were flowers of every size and shape. I found the square flowers actually kind of amusing. I'd never seen flowers in the shapes of blocks before. My friends kept together tightly as we moved through this fantastic garden. The birds were chirping at me, looking me over as if I were something they'd never thought they'd see, which I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

A little red bird with an insanely long tale had decided it would perch on my shoulder and watch me as I walked along. I didn't mind. It didn't weigh hardly anything.

"Is this place on the map?" I heard Jubilee whisper to Jean. Jean shook her head.

"I didn't see it."

"Hey look, it's like, a tower!"

We all looked to where Kitty was gesturing. Right through the trees I could see a large stone tower. It looked like the stones were made of some sort of red stone, but it was absolutely covered in blue ivy.

As I moved around, trying to get a better look, I noticed some large platforms on the sides of the tower, looking like special last minute add-ons.

"We should go to see if anybody's home." Jean said decisively.

"But what if they aren't happy to see us?" Jubilee asked.

"Then we probably will have to apologize and leave, or we make sure they know we intend to leave." She said calmly.

I stepped back from them. I was no good in a fight anymore. Besides, why would I go just to be underfoot?

I walked back the way we came and stood next to the gargoyle fountain. I found myself wondering who would live in this place.

People are a strange sort. I'm not so good with them. People care about animals very much, but some people hate other people but still love animals. Some people love people but hate animals. Some people hate everything.

Some can't be bothered, and some love all.

And somewhere in there fits me.

And whoever it was that just decided to pop up behind me.

"Can I help you?" A slightly annoyed voice said behind me.

I whirled around to look at the person that spoke.

She was beautiful. Not in the princessly golden blonde hair and blue eyes way, but still she was gorgeous. She had brown hair that was pulled back tightly into a high ponytail, but after the tie her hair flowed out again, a little messy and very curly. She was taller than I was, by far, about six feet tall if I could estimate right. Her face seemed flawless, except the look she was giving me right now, and she was wearing this tan sundress, and in one hand she was holding a small pair of clippers, which were covered in some sort of purple substance, I'm guessing from the fruit she was holding in her other hand, green, but with a small dripping a purple juice. Her eyes were brown, the same as her hair, but they were the kind of eyes that expressed emotion exceedingly well.

And they were not very pleased.

"Are you going to keep staring at me, kid, or are you going to answer my question?"

"Uh…sorry. I just didn't hear you sneak up on me, that's all."

"I don't sneak in my own home. You and your pals are the ones that are sneaking around here. "

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to barge in, but it's really hot outside of this," I gestured the garden, "place, and we really needed to find some shade."

"So you just barge in on a sorceress's land. Are you stupid or something?"

"Well…actually ma'am, I have a tendency to do things without thinking, so I may very well be."

She just stared at me for a moment, taken back. She didn't look a day over twenty-five.

"Well…at least you're honest to yourself about these things." She said uncertainly. Then her expression hardened. "How did you get in here in the first place?"

"Uh…." I looked around, trying to figure out what I was going to say. Somehow, I don't think I wanted to cross this woman.

"Speak up and speak fast. Or do you want me to turn you into a permanent resident of this little garden plot?"

"No, but I don't know if you'll believe me."

She looked at me for a moment, then crossed her arms over her chest.

"Try me, short stuff."

I let the last comment slide and took a deep breath. "The birds told me how to get in."

She just stared at me for a moment. Then she frowned. "I specifically told these birds not to talk to people using that magic. How did you convince them to help you?"

"I don't use magic. The most magic I've ever been able to do is to make sure my disappearing siblings reappear. I have this mutation, it allows me to speak mentally to animals."

"Mentally?"

"Yes."

"To animals?"

"Yes."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"No, but it's true."

"Then what is that toad thinking?"

"He's dreaming about…err…things that are incredibly embarrassing for me to think about."

"Hunh. Well, if that's true then let it be known I always thought he was a voyeur. So, tell me something only my birds would know. And if I see you using magic, you'll be using roots, understand?"

"Okay." I turned my head to the small red bird on my shoulder, thought better of it, then held my hand out to a large white bird with a long neck. It took the invitation eagerly and landed gently on my outstretched arm. His beak was much like a duck's and he leaned in close to inspect my hair.

(Hello.)

Look at this! This hair is so very strange, not much hair two colors! What is this voice? Ahh, you speak to Greego?

(Hello Greego. How are you today?)

Greego is pleased with the way the sun passes over but does not heat the trees. He feels sorry for those caught out in it's awful embrace.

(I know what you mean. Greego, could you please tell me something about this woman?"

Greego knows this woman. A very nice woman, found Greego in the old forest home and brought him here to live. Greego knows she travels around all of the time, so many different places! We all come with her, because she is lonely.

(Why is she lonely?)

No one loves the beautiful woman, only care for her powers and abilities as a sorceress. But we love her. Greego loves her.

(It's sad to never be liked for who you are.)

Yes yes, very sad. She like pretty flowers though, and she does not know how to cook. She gets magic to cook for her, and she sleeps in the high room of the tall tower.

(Anything else?)

Greego could tell you a lifetime. But one more thing. The Gargoyle at the top of her tower, hidden from view, lives. It is protector of her tower.

(Thank you very much Greego.)

So very nice, Greego appreciates that. Goodbye!

He jumped off my arm and flapped back to his spot in the tree.

"That was interesting." The woman was gazing at me, as if trying to divine answers she wanted from the way I stood. "Does it always happen like that?"

"Pretty much. No words needed." I stroked the little red bird's head before continuing. "According to Greego-"

"Who?"

"That big white bird I was talking with."

"He has a name?"

"I don't know how it works, sometimes they give me a name, sometimes not."

"Oh, well, please continue."

"You use magic to cook. You sleep in the highest room in your tower, and I'm guessing that you're living a somewhat hermited existence because sometime ago you decided people don't like you for who you are, only for your abilities as a sorceress. You like flowers and I'm guessing that you somehow move this entire place around when you want a change of scenery."

"That's…very good. But you could have gotten that from anyone that knew me."

"You have a real live gargoyle hanging out on top of your tower as a protector."

"Okay, now you're freaking me out. How did you do that without magic?"

"I'm a mutant. Back on my own world there are lots of mutants all with different powers. I'm just one of them."

"Back on your world."

"Yeah."

"Why are you here, then?"

"We ran into some trouble. Some guy snagged a bunch of my friends and dragged them here. Now they're scattered and I'm helping look for them."

She stared at me. I knew how ridiculous the tale sounded. Fact is stranger than fiction, ladies and gents.

"You really aren't lying, are you?"

"No." I shook my head.

She turned slightly away from me, frowning.

"Alright, I'll let you stay for awhile. But only a little bit. I don't cater to guests, I'm a sorceress and I have better things to do."

"Understood, ma'am."

"My name is not ma'am, country, it's Adelia."

"My name is Danny."

"Well alright Danny, I suppose I should free your friends from my spider vines. Come on, you all look like you haven't had a bath in a week."


This was a fun chapter to write.

Raliena: Glad you like it! Hope you like this chapter as well!

Asteria:I'm glad you like it! Beautiful and Deep, it's more than I would ask for, heh. I hope you like this chapter just as much!

PrincessOfWildfire:Glad you like Danny's attitude, I'm rather happy with the way this story is going myself. Glad you like the flower, and I hope you like this chapter!

Herman is gone for the moment…and a little stone gargoyle with 'review taker' is in his place! Well, you all know what that means!