by SpelCastrMax
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is no author's note for this chapter...so why am I typing this?
CHAPTER FIVE: FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS
Sinbad was the first to the side of the ship, ready to dive in after the little girl. Bryn stopped him. "Look," she said holding up a rope that had been secured to a post below deck and was attached at the other end to the very irate little sorcerer's apprentice who was attempting to keep her head above the water.
Doubar and Rongar pulled her in and Firouz gave her a blanket to dry with. Maeve pulled at the rope around her waist and fumbled with the knot she had tied.
The captain helped her, freeing her from the thick twine. "What made you think to grab a life line?"
The child brushed wet tresses from her eyes and panted from the excitement. She shrugged, "I just had this feeling like I've fallen overboard before. Funny, huh."
"Yeah, funny," Sinbad repeated giving a look to the other crew members, "Well, there should be a dry cloak down in my cabin. Go and get it."
"There you go being bossy again," Maeve said as she coughed out some salt water. She picked herself up and headed below deck. She returned a second later asking, "Which cabin is that?"
Firouz volunteered to take her. The cabin was no different from any of the others except the wooden case built into the wall for storage. There were artifacts collected from their voyages all set into places out of the way. Sinbad had a bunk in the room, but a hammock was hung up over it, indicating that he preferred the swinging rope bed.
Maeve hopped up onto the bunk in order to reach the storage cupboards. In the first one she found nick-nacks and various objects. Meanwhile, Firouz was poking under the bunk. As Maeve opened the second cupboard, Firouz produced a dark blue cloak from a dusty hiding place.
"Here we are, my dear. A little dirty, but nice and warm..." Firouz glanced up and saw the child staring into the cupboard. She pulled out a think brown bundle of material and a small leather book.
"Why does Captain Sinbad have a woman's cloak and a spell book in his cupboard?" she questioned, holding out the items to Firouz.
The items were Maeve's. The scientist just smiled. "Is that a spell book? We could never figure that out. There's some kind of spell on it so none of us can open it."
"I can open it," she replied and illustrated by displaying the pages to Firouz, "Look. Someone drew funny little pictures in here." The spattered, crude ink sketches were of different creatures and people that Firouz recognized from their journeys. The words on the pages gave a description of the villain and the opinionated comments of his crewmates. Firouz never thought Maeve would have been keeping her own log of their travels. He wondered if he should tell Sinbad. Then again, there may have been something written in there that adult Maeve wouldn't want the captain to see. He thought also of allowing her to read it in the hopes it would jog her memory, but once again, Firouz worried that it would prove only to confuse the child.
"You better just put it back," he told the girl as he began to beat the dust off the blue cloak.
Maeve reluctantly did so and then wrapped up in the cloak the scientist offered. "What is everyone trying to hide from me?" she calmly asked, "There's so many secrets on this ship and I feel like half of them are about me."
Just then, a confused voice above deck called out, "Land!"
Firouz almost choked at the sound. He didn't notice the little girl removing the book once again from the cupboard and hiding it in the folds of the cloak. "Impossible," Firouz kept repeating as he and Maeve ran back on deck.
"It looks like Rumina's Island," Sinbad explained with amazement.
"Impossible. We were no where near here only an hour ago," Firouz explained with astonishment.
"Maybe the cloud we just got away from was a time storm," the child suggested, "I heard Baroff talking about what a complicated spell it was when he was talking to the woman with the black hair. It was supposed to steer people off course."
Sinbad sighed, "Or take them exactly where Rumina wants. Well, let's pay her a visit."
Doubar and Rongar filled the long boat with supplies. Maeve sat at the front of the little craft with Bryn who was deep in telepathic conversation with the hawk on her arm. Firouz was busy reading a chart while Rongar was checking one of his many blades. The girl twisted her body around to stare at the ruins of the once skull shaped cave jutting out of the island as it grew closer the more Sinbad and his brother moved the oars.
Doubar at last broke the silence by coughing loudly and saying, "So...is it just me or is this sea calmer than usual?"
Sinbad turned to stare questioningly at his brother. Maeve, in the cool way that was character for the adult version, but they rarely saw with the child, "I wouldn't know. I've never been here before." She turned to face them all and with all the sweetness she had added, "Unless there's something any of you wants to tell me?"
Everyone tried to focus even more on whatever they were doing, especially Sinbad who began searching for invisible birds in the sky. The child looked at the island once again, muttering, "That's what I thought."
Nothing else was said until they had pulled the long boat onto the beach. They were barely on dry land before the girl was tugging on Bryn's arm and saying, "There's evil here."
"No kidding," Sinbad replied unsheathing his sword.
"I liked it better when she wanted to play tag," Doubar whispered.
They walked into the menacing cave in a single file line, Sinbad leading. Maeve fell behind, staring down at the dirt path and watching as they lost the light the further they moved into the cave. Dermott let out a squawk. Rongar lit a torch, then glanced backward to see the child slowly walking. He tapped Firouz on the shoulder.
The scientist thought about calling out to the captain to slow down. However, Sinbad was practically running though the dark passages. He turned back once again, but Maeve had vanished. "Sinbad!" he shouted until the others returned.
The captain and crew searched the area. There were no traps or secret catches for her to have disappeared into. Sinbad slapped his hands against the stone walls angrily.
Firouz apologetically insisted, "I only turned my back for a second..."
"It isn't your fault," Sinbad put in, sighing, "She's here someplace. We'll find her." He leaned against a side of the cave giving an exhausted sigh. Suddenly it was as if the wall had opened up, he fell through. The crew leapt towards the place he vanished from only to find that the wall was once again solid.
"Little Brother!" Doubar desperately called out, "Sinbad!" No answer came.
Maeve's eyes scanned the cavern she had fallen into. It was decorated with fine draperies and expensive furniture. She didn't like it. She wanted to be back on the ship. She couldn't even remember how she had ended up in the tiny room. A noise startled her. Maeve spun about to face a boy, slightly older than herself, who wandered into the room. He was holding his head as if he were in pain and wobbled when he walked. His clothes were far to large for him and he kept one hand at his belt to keep his pants up.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know.
The boy squinted at Maeve, then the room. "What is this place?" he questioned, "How did I get here?"
The Celt child's heart went out to him, realizing he was lost just like her. "What's the last thing you remember?" she gently asked, trying to think of how the crew had handled this same situation when they had found her. As she motioned for him to sit, she offered a little smile.
"I was on my way to Master Dim Dim's…" the boy stated as his eyes wandered about the cavern. His gaze coming back to her, he added again, "How did I get here?"
"I don't know," she was quick to reply, "It probably has something to do with that woman with the dark hair. Who's Master Dim Dim?"
"A great magician. He's been a teacher to my brother and I for…"
A shadowy form interrupted the boy. He jumped up, making sure to keep a hold on his waistline and instinctively stood in front of Maeve. Rumina entered, her cat in her arms and a smirk on her face. "My, my, my. What have we here?"
Maeve glared at the beauty before them. Something about the sorceress filled the child's heart with rage. She had never known hate before that she could remember. He had greatly disliked Baroff and his death had been no loss, but the feeling she had when this woman came into her sight were nothing like that. Thoughts of murder, of revenge for a crime she couldn't recall, horrible thoughts all directed at this woman swept though Maeve's mind.
"Did you bring us here?" the boy bravely demanded to know.
The witch just laughed, taking a step towards them. The boy moved closer to Maeve who continued to accuse the woman with her eyes. "Such a valiant little boy," she commented, "Good. That will make this all the more fun."
"You're Rumina, aren't you," Maeve put in, a growl in her voice, "What do you want with us?"
Rumina put on a faux innocence. "Why nothing, little peasant wench. In fact, I'm going to let you go now."
The little boy beside her was cautious, but relieved by these words. The eight year old beside him was not as ready to go. "Why are you doing this? What do you want me for!"
Rumina lost her smile for a moment. "Even like this you are a little pain. Listen to me and listen carefully. You are only alive right now because I'm allowing it. I have a task that needs completing so I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity and get out of here before I change my mind."
The little boy nodded. "She's right. I want to get out of here and go home." He turned to Maeve with an insisting gaze until she at last began to follow him from the chamber though a door that Rumina's presence had revealed.
"Oh, just one last thing," Rumina called out when they were almost out of the room. Her eyes glowed and she pointed at the child walking beside Maeve. "Here's a little message for the crew of that pathetic little boat." A lighting bolt shot from her finger and struck the boy. He let out a yelp of pain before falling onto the floor.
Maeve fell down beside him, then began to run at Rumina. "You witch! Why don't you leave us alone!"
Rumina glowered, but said nothing. Instead, she waved a hand and a great whirlwind surrounded the two children. Maeve ran to the unconscious little boy to shield him from the harsh winds. When the strong currents subsided, Maeve realized she was just outside the mouth of the cave beside the long boat. The little boy was still with her, still passed out. She didn't want to leave him there, but she was desperate to find Sinbad and the others. Maeve began to cry, feeling as if she had missed an opportunity for something, like there was something she should have done when she faced Rumina.
Dermott sensed her crying and lead the crew back to the long boat. They found her there, barely noticing the small boy laying in the sand. Maeve ran to Bryn with tears in her eyes. "I was supposed to do something…I can't remember…Oh Bryn, I hate her."
Bryn tried to hold the little girl, but she wasn't quick enough. Maeve had moved from her grasp and plopped down into the sand to stare back at the cave they had left from.
"Hate who?" Doubar questioned, "What are you on about, girl?" He though about also trying to take her up in his arms, but decided against it after seeing the way she had reacted with Bryn.
Drying her eyes, she replied with a little voice, "Rumina. She let us go. I don't know why…" Suddenly, she recalled the boy and recovered from her shock. Crawling over to him, she shook his sleeping form while telling the others, "Rumina hurt him. Firouz, can you help?"
The boy stirred when Maeve rocked his body. Groaning, he sat up and looked around. "This is not a good day," he mumbled when he noticed the strangers staring at him.
"Are you alright?" little Maeve asked, anxiously looking at him for any signs of the lighting shot.
"Oh great," the boy muttered. He stood up and looked out at the sea. "I'm a long way from home, aren't I," he commented, "Doubar's going to be worried a…."
A gasp from the little girl caused the child to stop mid sentence. She stared at him with wide eyes. "Captain Sinbad?"
Oh, come one...you all saw that one coming, admit it!