I FINALLY understood how format the story in YAY:) As always, thanks for the reviews, they make my day!
Enjoy the new installment! (and sorry for my english... Any Beta Reader volunteering out there:P)
Maeve was now sitting in Cairpra's home, with Dermott perched behind her.
"So... how is my husband, Maeve?" the woman casually asked before sitting in front of her.
"He's ok. He misses you..." the redhead smiled ankwardly. It wasn't easy to talk about her mentor in front of his wife, who has been waiting to see him again for years.
"Did you tell him that dinner got cold?" Cairpra smiled, easing the mood.
"Aye..." the sorceress giggled, recalling the moment when she told to her mentor about them meeting his wife.
"Good... now, back to less pleasant facts. We are running short of time, my dear..."
"What's happening? How did I escape to the Island of Eyontil?"
"Rumina's magic backfired... she didn't destroy Dermott, and she freed you."
"She wanted to destroy Dermott! - the young woman shrieked - I'm so going to kill her..." she added in a growl.
"At ease, child... now you have something more urgent to do... as I said, Rumina didn't only set you free today..."
"What else?"
"She found out that a prophecy about her is still risking to fulfill..."
Maeve shook slowly her head, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm afraid I don't know any prophecy about that witch..." she confessed, trying to remember anything in her training about it.
"Because it wasn't time for you to know it. Turok had two daughters, Maeve. Rumina, that you know so well... and Brianna."
"Brianna?" Maeve whispered shaking slightly her head.
"Yes, Brianna. She born out of a troubled relationship of Turok and a witch coming from the north. When Brianna came to life, along with her came a prophecy, directly from the most famous Dark Seer..."
"What did it say?"
"Come with me child, I'll show you..." Cairpra only said, standing up and pointing to a door with her head. Maeve nodded, before turning to Dermott.
"Stretch your wings, my brother... keep an eye out for anything..." she smiled, stroking gently Dermott's feathers before the hawk flied out of the house.
"LAND HO!"
Sinbad was pacing back and forth on the deck, shouting orders to the crew while the Nomad approached the docks of Basra.
"It has been months since last time we got here..." Firouz observed staring to the familiar places.
"I so hoped we would have come back for better reasons... - the fat man muttered - even bigger troubles, uh? You just had to say that!" he asked quirking and eyebrow to their resident inventor.
"Not my fault... is routine!" Firouz defended himself, while Rongar just shook his head.
"Do I have to land alone or is anyone coming to help me with these ropes!" Sinbad sarcastically asked, shooting daggers with his eyes in the direction of his big brother.
"Sorry little brother... coming!" Doubar quickly said, leaving the tiller to Firouz and running near Sinbad.
"About time..." he grumpily muttered.
Cairpra took Maeve in a smaller chamber, full of books and dimly enlighted by a draped window.
"This used to be Dim Dim Room..." the elder woman said, skipping through a pile of books in the corner. Maeve looked around her in respect, staring to the gatherings of her mentor.
"Magic Books?"
"Most of... and they are yours, child..."
"What?" Maeve stuttered.
"Dim Dim is not going to use them in the near future... - Cairpra shrugged with a hint of sadness in her voice taking a small book with a crimson leather cover - here..." she added, opening hit for the younger sorceress.
Maeve came near her, taking the book from Cairpra's hands and reading the page. She read quickly the lines, before staringwide eyedat Cairpra, awaiting explanations.
"Brianna is the girl involved in what the book said, Maeve..."
"Brianna... as... Bryn? The girl travelling with Sinbad." the redhead asked finally making connections, while Dim Dim's wife just nodded.
"Rumina got her. And you have to free her..."
"What? You're kidding? Cairpra I... I don't think I...- she sighed, before placing a lock of hair behind her hear and staring troubled to the woman in front of her - I mean, killing Rumina to free my brother was something I could do, but this is a little bit different! I can rescue her somehow... but..." she pointed out, shaking the book.
"One step at time, Maeve... let's begin with getting Bryn free..."
They were interrupted by someone knocking hard at the door.
"You expecting someone?" Maeve asked, standing up and staring nervously to the door.
"No, child... but I highly doubt that Rumina would knock - Cairpra chuckled - have a closer look to the book, I'll go to see my visitors..."
"Ok... but if there's any trouble..."
"I know where you are..." the woman said, closing the door behind her.
Sinbad knocked again at the door, not able to wait.
"Sinbad... maybe she's not home..." Doubar tried to intrude calmly.
"Yes, there's no need to crash down the door..." Firouz objected with a nervous smile. During the last year, he learned it was no use to make the captain reason when he was on edge. Sinbad glared at both of them.
"Captain Sinbad..." Cairpra smiled amused, finally opening the door.
"Cairpra - he answered, bowing slightly - long time no see..."
"Aye, Captain... any reason for you to pull down my front door beside losing Bryn?"
"You know it?" Sinbad asked wide eyed.
"I know... but I didn't expect you coming there. Come on, enter, have a sit... I believe I've something for you..." Cairpra misteriously said, letting the crew in the house.
"Cairpra, don't want to be rude but... we are in hurry... if you know where Rumina took Bryn, just spill it and we are going to save her!"
"At ease, Captain... how do you think to defeat Rumina and her father without any magic?"
"Well, we... " Sinbad began, but he fall silent when he registered what the woman said.
"Her father? Turok!" Doubar asked.
"He's back to the living, thanks to Scratch magic...!"
Sinbad breathed heavily, looking to his friends.
"I'm not stopping just because Turok is back. Bryn needs us..."
"But she needs you alive, so you have to plan accurately your attack... and take with you someone who knows powerful magic... the exploding sticks of our Firouz won't be enough..."
"And I suppose you can suggest who we should take, don't you?" Sinbad ironically asked, cocking an eyebrow. Cairpra shoot him again that annoying amused smile.
"Perhaps... perhaps..." she said while Dermott came straight from the window and landed on a chair near Sinbad.
"What... Dermott!" the captain managed to say, before a door behind Cairpra opened, letting a woman out. The whole crew froze, staring at her, but the captain was still focused on the hawk.
"At least you're ok, featherbrain... you scared the hell out of us..." he said with a relieved smile. Doubar tugged gently to his vest.
"Little brother..." he said.
Sinbad turned to see what was troubling his brother, noticing the silence in the room for the first time. He followed the stunned look of his friends... and his heart skipped a beat.
"Hi..." Maeve whispered, smiling shily.