Revenge
Chapter 14: Injustice
Marion tried to open her eyes but even that was too much of a strain. Her head pounded dully as she attempted to open her eyes again.
"Are you sure she is okay?" a familiar voice asked.
"Yes, she is fine, David," another voice answered, "You and your brother get some rest. Hovering around her isn't going to fix anything."
"Mother?" Marion murmured.
"I'm here Marion."
Marion felt her mother's hand squeeze her hand tightly.
"What happened?" Marion asked weakly.
Why couldn't she open her eyes? She was so tired... so very, very tired....
"Long story..." this time the voice sounded like a female's "But all well that ends well eh?"
"What are you doing?" Rosemary asked sharply, "you should be resting your leg."
"It's fine."
Suddenly it hit her. Samantha. The kidnapping. Lily. The Sunstone Tower.
"Samantha. Lily. Are the all right?" she asked frantically trying to open her eyes.
"They're fine," her mother murmured to her softly, "They're sleeping as you should be doing."
Marion nodded weakly. She lay back as the throbbing in her head subsided and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Karl peeked into Samantha's room. Rosemary was sitting beside the bad, her back facing the door as she held her daughter's hand tightly. Karl turned to leave quietly not wanting to disturb this private moment.
What a minute... Rosemary's shoulders were shaking. Karl
stopped. Was something wrong?
"Matriarch?" he called softly.
Rosemary turned around startled, her eyes red. She looked worn out and miserable. Even to Karl it was obvious that she had been crying.
"Are you all right?" Karl asked concern.
Rosemary smiled sadly at him.
"I'm fine..." she stopped.
"No, I'm not," she admitted with a worried look at her daughter.
"What's wrong?"
The Matriarch of the Earth Farm smiled at him bitterly. Her usually placid and kind face was gone replaced by a mask of anguish and regret.
"I'm the Matriarch," she began, "I'm a leader. I have to care for all the people who depend on me. But how can I be a good leader when I can't even care for my own daughters? My own flesh and blood?"
Karl stared at her not quiet understanding. Rosemary looked up at him, her eyes bleak and glistening with unshed tears.
"I envy normal mothers," she laughed bitterly, "they have to freedom to care for their children properly but I can't. I have to put the greater good before my own family. My marriage fell apart because of it and I'm losing my daughters because of it. Maybe it's time for me to stop. To give up."
"But you can't!" Karl protested, "Samantha and Marion both love you very much. They don't hate you when you seem indifferent to them. They admire and respect you! Everybody does."
Rosemary smiled at him. This time her smile was genuine.
"Hearing you say that gives me hope," she smiled softly at the sleeping Samantha, "I must try my best to be a good mother."
"They don't expect anything more of you," Karl told her firmly, "Neither does anybody else."
Karl turned to leave.
"Thank you, Karl."
"Are you sure you are fine?"
"Yes, mother," Cherry drawled hobbling along on her crutches, "It's fine. After tonight it'll be gone."
"Sure?"
"Yeah of course, I get stacks of nasty bruises all the time."
David had sighed when the stubborn girl had refused to lie in bed for another day. Why was he nagging? He knew it would just make her even more stubborn.
"How are you Marion?" Cherry grinned at her friend as she opened the door.
She blinked in surprise. Lily, Zippo, Karl and 26 were already there sitting around Marion's bed. David growled under his breath when he caught sight of Karl holding Marion's hand. Cherry elbowed him and shot him a warning glare.
"I'm fine," Marion smiled slightly as Zippo began fussing again.
"Lily? Are you okay?"
Lily smiled shyly and nodded her head.
"I'm all right."
"What happened to you?" Marion asked Cherry curiously.
"Oh this?" Cherry laughed, "I got some bruises. Nothing big."
26 chirped cheerfully as Karl flushed. Cherry managed to hide a snigger as her emerald eyes began dancing wickedly.
"Oh really?" she said innocently, "I didn't know that."
"Know what?" David demanded.
"Oh, nothing..." Cherry smiled sweetly.
David noticed Karl's blushing face and knew whatever 26 had said it had something to do with Marion and Karl. Cherry's evil grin confirmed that. He sighed and felt a headache coming on. At least everybody had recovered from the kidnapping and the pterandon attack on the Earth Farm.
"What happened to those three pterandons?" Zippo asked curiously.
"We're keeping them locked up in the skybax roosts," David replied, "We sent a postal bird to both Waterfall City and Canyon City."
"Who were those pterandons?" Lily asked looking at David.
David looked at Cherry as the girl frowned and growled under her breath.
"Freefall and Sharpbeak told me that those three are from Longwing's flock," she said shortly.
"Longwing?" Marion asked staring at her.
Cherry sighed and retold her story about how she ended up in Dinotopia and her imprisonment by the crazy pterandon.
"This is to be kept a secret. Don't tell anyone," Cherry warned looking at 26 in particular.
26 looked back at her, the picture of saurian innocence. Cherry didn't believe her for a second. But she let it go since she didn't want to get into an argument for once.
"Does anybody have any idea who the kidnapper is?" she asked changing the subject.
"Welcome Oonu," Rosemary greeted smiling softly, "Sorry for making you return again on such short notice."
"I hear three pterandons attacked the farm," the Master rider said getting right to the point.
Rosemary's smile faded.
"Yes, but luckily Freefall and Sharpbeak managed to stop them."
Oonu winced at the name of Sharpbeak and withdrew a scroll from his pockets.
"I have permission from Mayor Waldo of Waterfall City to take all the pterandons to Waterfall City where they will await trial."
Rosemary nodded.
"Very well, you make take them away."
"All of them."
The Matriarch stared at him.
"All?" Rosemary gasped, "But he helped save the Farm."
"The Mayor commands it."
Rosemary sighed.
"Very well, let me inform David and Cherry."
"I wonder what she wanted?" Cherry wondered as she leaned on her crutches.
David matched his strides to Cherry's limping progress. He was silent, lost in his own thoughts. Cherry sighed seeing that he was brooding again.
David snapped out his brooding and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a soft voice called.
He opened the door and Cherry followed him into the large room. Cherry glanced around the room and noticed the rich tapestries decorating the stone walls. A huge woven rug lay on the ground, the gold treads catching the light drifting in from the windows. There were several bookshelves packed with leather-bound books and scrolls. All in all it looked very expensive and sophisticated.
"Sir," David gave the man standing in the room some kind of salute.
The man nodded his acknowledgement and fixed his gaze of Cherry. Cherry met it wondering who this man was.
"This Oonu, Leader of the Skybax Academy located in Canyon
City," Rosemary introduced, "he is here to deal with the pterandons."
Cherry nodded as Oonu began speaking.
"The Mayor of Waterfall City has given me permission to take all the pterandons to Waterfall City."
"So? Why did you want us?" Cherry asked puzzled as she looked at the Matriarch.
"The Mayor wants all of them."
Cherry stared at her.
"You're joking."
"Freefall as well?" David asked shocked.
"No," Oonu held up his hand to silence David, "Just the others."
"But you can't!" Cherry exploded, "What did Sharpbeak do? He help save this blasted farm!"
"Rest assured nothing will happen to him. They just want to trial him."
David winced as Oonu said those words. He knew Cherry well enough to know that she would probably go ballistic over those words. She didn't disappoint.
"TRIAL?!?" Cherry gasped, "How dare you! He escaped that murderous flock! He hasn't done anything wrong!"
"The Mayor does not know that," Rosemary explained calmly, "Once he knows Sharpbeak will be freed. In the mean time you should also go to Waterfall City. Do not worry you'll be close to him all the time."
Cherry glared at her.
"I cannot believe this," she growled.
Oonu looked at her evenly.
"For the sake of Dinotopia, Sharpbeak must be taken to Waterfall City. He will not be harmed."
"For the sake of Dinotopia," Cherry mimicked, disgusted, "You call this a utopia? A place where an innocent being is 'taken' for no apparent reason? I thought utopia meant equality and fairness. This is a utopia? Dream on!"
With that she swung the door open and hobbled out. Rosemary opened her mouth to say something but the door slammed shut cutting her off. They remained in the room staring at the door silently.
David sighed, he wish he could make Cherry see this was for the best. But he knew that she would ignore him. But somehow he had to get through to her... somehow...