Part V
The sky was coated in the blackness of night, the moon and stars were the only thing illuminating the shadow of darkness of the early morning hours.
It had been two days since Jasmin's disappearance and everyone was in hysterics, particularly Taffi and Gusto.
Gruffi and Gusto walked into the Glen cold and exhausted after many hours of searching for Jasmin.
The cubs were in bed but everyone else had remained awake searching or awaiting the other groups. Gruffi and Gusto were the last group and the gummi's were relieved to see them return. They had searched all over the forest and around Dunwyn and Drekmore and had just been heading back to the Glen when Gusto asked whether they could go by where he'd taken Jasmin a couple of days ago. Gruffi had agreed since it was on their way back to the Glen and they were glad they did because had they managed to find Jasmin's necklace.
Gusto walked into the Great Hall where the others were waiting with the necklace clutched tightly in his paw. Tired and frozen as he was he knew he must show Taffi this before he went to bed or there was no chance she would sleep. He walked over to Taffi who was sat in a dark corner all by herself. When he stood infront of her she looked up revealing her glassy eyes with tears noticeably unshed. Gusto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his paw, but held the other containing the necklace out to her. When she saw it she gasped and with shaky hands took it from him, she began shaking as she silently cried.
"What does it mean to you, Taffi?" asked Gusto.
"It means what I feared is true" she choked.
"What's that?" said Gusto sincerely hoping it was not what he suspected.
"Ramsin, has her" whispered Taffi as fresh tears threatened to spill.
Gusto sat down on a chair next to her as she began crying again and let her cry on his shoulder. As the others departed soon after Gusto realised Taffi's breathing had slowed and steadied, she had cried herself to sleep. Gusto picked her up in his arms and carried her down the corridor to her room. He laid her down on the bed and covered her up then turned and blew out the candle next to her.
"We'll get her back" he whispered before walking out of the room to his own to get some much needed rest.
Gusto woke early next morning so he decided to get up and see whether Taffi was up. He walked down the corridor and peered around her door to discover the room was empty. He sighed and walked into the Great Hall and spied her by the fire, she sat on the floor rocking herself slowly and embracing her knees. As Gusto approached her he noticed her dirty tear stained face.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
That seemed to snap Taffi out of her little trance because she turned to look at Gusto and said "Excuse me"
"How long have you been here?" he repeated.
"Oh, about an hour or so" said Taffi looking down at the floor.
"You need to sleep, Taffi" he replied.
"I know, but I can't help worrying" said Taffi.
"Worrying isn't going to bring her back and your going to need your strength," said a voice.
Taffi looked up with heavy eyes in the direction of the voice. She knew who it was and deep down knew that they were right, but was too stubborn to openly admit it.
"I'll be fine, I'm strong enough" retaliated Taffi getting up.
Taffi instantly regretted it her vision was blurry and her head was pounding. She stood where she was slightly swaying from dizziness and grabbed the back of her chair to steady herself. She rubbed her stomach in an attempt to stop the nauseous feeling over come her.
"Sure you are" said the voice again.
"Oh, shut up" she snapped back.
The room went silent and Taffi took a step trying to get to her room, she stumbled and reached out to the table to steady herself. Gruffi stepped out of the shadows and walked up to Taffi.
"Come on I'll take you to your room"
"I'm quite capable of getting there on my own, thanks"
"I'm going to help you whether you like it or not "
"You are not," said Taffi starting to walk away slowly with the support of the table.
"You are to stubborn for your own good," he said scooping her up in his arms.
"Put me down" protested Taffi.
She continued to protest until she was out of the room and Gusto still sat in his chair and quietly thought //Please be alright Jasmin//
*****
Jasmin lay paralysed on one of Ramsin's many dungeon floors. It was so cold like being in a prison of ice it was so cold. The dark loomed in from every corner closing in on her, but she couldn't see the sorceress's spell still held Jasmin trapped in her mind reliving her past and making her remember. It had been two days since she'd been taken prisoner and she had remained in this state since the spell was first cast.
Screams of agony could be heard through the walls as Ramsin's other victims were being tortured, but Jasmin did not hear them she just continued to stare up at nothing just drifting through the rivers of time.
Streaks stained her face as she cried yet again clearing away the dirt and grime from her face as the image of one her friends taking an arrow meant for her flashed infront of her eyes. She remembered now Finni a childhood friend not as close as Taffi and Gusto, but a friend all the same had died taking an arrow meant for her shot by Ramsin.
A couple of hours later a glimpse of sunlight streamed in through one of the cracks in the wall, it was sunrise of the third day.
Jasmin blinked and slowly saw where she was and took in her surroundings. She was laid on a stone floor with a wall infront of her. She turned her head slightly and saw that the other three sides of her cell were made of iron bars and a wall beyond that with the entrance to the dungeon, a big circular door.
Jasmin sat up very slowly, she was stiff after not being able to move for so long. She was sore and ached all over due to the cold of the castle. Jasmin's thoughts drifted off to what she'd seen and she quietly began to cry as she remembered the events. She had now remembered everything in her life up to the point where she was a young teen and Ramsin had just killed her mother. She understood everything now why Ramsin had shot at her but Finni had taken the arrow instead and why all the traps and humans had been in the nearby woods and around her village. Ramsin wanted her to forfil and ancient prophecy and for that he needed the Crystal and dagger she had stolen from him when she broke out of prison after he had killed her mother. She remembered him telling her that in her cell the night he'd murdered her mother.
A ceremony would take place at an altar, but the altar lay on an island far away an forgotten by man and gummi, only Jasmin knew the way. Somehow she'd been born with the information, which was prophesised and she would lead the way, but to obtain the power she secretly and unknowingly possessed a ritual had to be done at the altar and it involved her as a sacrifice.
Jasmin had her back pressed against the mouldy, cold wall, which sent shivers down her spine. She had been silently crying for some time and now began to heave she was crying so hard. She couldn't contain her sorrow and misery any longer she let out a wail and curled up embracing her knees to give her feeling of security and warmth. It hurt seeing those images and she knew that if Ramsin's sorceress had anything to do with it the worst was yet to come. She was lonely and wished more than anything to be with Gusto and Taffi when an icy voice broke her from her thoughts.
"Hurts doesn't it"
Jasmin said nothing just peered out to look at the evil smirk plastered on Ramsin's sorceress's face.
"Do you remember me?" she said cooly the smirk on her face widening.
Jasmin gave a small nod in answer but her eyes remained fixed on Ramsin's sorceress.
"What is my name then?" the sorceress demanded.
Jasmin sat there a minute or to thinking over what she had remembered but nothing came about the sorceress and in a small choked whisper she said, "I don't know"
Jasmin had remembered seeing the sorceress in her visions, but she didn't actually know anything about her except that she worked for Ramsin.
The sorceress's eyes narrowed and her lips curled back into a snarl she lifted her hand up and a small white ball with blue mist surrounding it appeared in her hand.
"Clearly you do not remember enough then," she said throwing the ball at Jasmin.
Jasmin tried to move, but she couldn't her body froze disobeying her will to move. The ball hit her in the chest and burned a hole in the front of her dress it was so cold. The ball eventually dissolved into her body leaving her chest badly burnt. It ran through her veins like ice and she screamed in agony, fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. Her body convulsed and she fell forward hitting the stone floor hard, blood trickled down the side of her face, but she couldn't feel it the world had already been blocked out to her as the images once again began to run through her mind.
*****
"JASMIN!" Taffi screamed.
Taffi woke with a start and sweating.
Another vision she was getting worried she only ever had them when Jasmin was it great danger or pain.
She gazed around the room quickly as she panted heavily. Gruffi and Grammi were in the room by her bedside not looking to pleased with one another, which probably meant they'd been arguing.
Taffi stared at there worried faces a moment before looking down at her lap and thinking over what she'd seen.
Jasmin had been lying on a stone floor in a cell and had just recovered from a regain memory spell, when Ramsin's sorceress walked in and started questioning her. Then she got angry and threw a more powerful regain memory spell causing Jasmin's chest to burn and for her to scream in agony.
//No, Ramsin's sorceress wouldn't be that cruel would she? // She thought.
She came back to reality when she heard someone talk to her.
"Taffi, dear what did you see?"
"How did you know about…" Taffi started before she was interrupted.
"Gusto told us," said Gruffi.
Silence filled the room again and Taffi zoned out once again thinking about Jasmin and the sorceress. Her eyes filled with tears remembering what she'd seen a single tear escaped rolling down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away. She looked up again and saw they were waiting for her to tell them what she'd seen. She sighed loudly then began to tell them what she'd seen. By the end she was silently crying, but hid it as best she could because she didn't them fussing over her.
A knock at the door made everyone look up and Gusto entered.
"Hey, Taffers what's up?" he said seeing Taffi obviously distraught.
Gruffi spoke before Taffi had time to answer and explained the situation to him. Gusto's happy, cheery look soon turned serious as he heard what had happened then turned to Taffi. He walked over to her and sat down on the bed then opened his arms to which she promptly collapsed in and silently cried into his shoulder. Grammi and Gruffi quickly left the room feeling it would be better to leave the two alone.
Taffi cried long and hard into Gusto's shoulder occasionally saying things like "I'm scared Gusto. I don't know how to help her" or "They're hurting her Gusto and there's nothing I can do"
Eventually her crying subsided and her breathing became steady, she'd cried herself to sleep again.
Gusto laid her back down in her bed and covered her up then whispered "We'll get her back Taffi, I promise"
TBC…