So someone commented that they missed my longer chapters and I wanted to address this. As a fanfic reader, I understand why the long chapters are fun. They allow the reader to immerse themselves more fully in the story and spend more time there. I chose to do shorter chapters for this season because they are easier for me as the writer. 16k word chapters are long to write and require a lot more concentration to edit (even if I do kind of half ass my editing). During most of s1, I was not working or working very little, so I had the time to write long ass chapters and update frequently. If I were to do long chapters like that regularly now, I would only be able to update every 3-4ish weeks, as opposed to every week-week and a half. I chose the more frequent updates because I know that as a reader I hate the wait. There will be long chapters that are similar to s1, and short chapters like the last chapter too, but most will likely average out between 6 and 10k.
I hope you all understand why I chose to do it this way and, respectfully, if you have an issue with it, keep it to yourself. I just don't have the energy to write 16k word chapters and being told that you "miss my long chapters" only serves to upset me and make me want to write less.
Thanks.
Chapter 4: To Shadowhaunt
Sky took the green banner out of a crack near the tunnel they'd just left, swapping it for a red one. It had been a dead end and they'd had to backtrack out. They'd come across a lot of those. The green banners were to identify the path they'd taken so that they could find their way back once they'd rescued the pixies. The red ones were to identify tunnels that had led nowhere so that they didn't waste time on the way out.
"This place is super creepy" Brandon commented, ducking into the next tunnel. Stella followed him in, groaning as her arm brushed the side of the wall and marked it with dirt. When she had insisted on going with Bloom, her main concern was making sure that her best friend was safe. She hadn't been expecting where they were going to be... this. "And dirty" she mumbled, brushing the dirt off her arm.
"It's a cave; what were you expecting?" Aisha grumbled behind her.
"First: I didn't know we were going to be in a cave-" somebody had failed to mention that. "- and two: I did say that I didn't like caves, didn't I?" In all actuality, the caves were, surprisingly, not as bad as Stella had expected. Sure, they were far from a good time, but they weren't complete misery either. They were dark and filled with dirt, but they didn't stink or seem to be filled with creepy crawlies. When they'd been told caves, Stella had pictured the tunnels out of the palace in Solaria – the ones no one was supposed to know about – that were muddy and filled with spiders.
"Actually, I believe your exact words were: oh wonderful, I love caves."
"Shut up, Bloom. You know I was being sarcastic."
"You didn't have to come, you know." Stella could feel Aisha losing patience with her, but frankly, she couldn't be damned to care. They were supposed to be studying – or not – and making stupid jokes right now, not wandering through caves and trying to find some pixies that were dumb enough to let themselves be abducted. And they would be doing what they were supposed to if Aisha hadn't come along and tricked Bloom into helping. "I didn't, but I'm not letting my girl do this on her own."
"We're here?"
"Whatever, Sky."
"You're such a big softie, Stella" Bloom gushed jokingly, pulling her into a tight hug. Stella rolled her eyes, but happily accepted the hug. A growling sound ripped through the cave causing Stella's hairs to stand on end and Bloom's head to shoot up, eyes wide, in the direction the sound had come from.
"Did anyone else hear that?" the redhead asked hesitantly.
"Uh huh."
"Damn it. I was really hoping I was losing my mind."
A solitary creature appeared. It looked like a grey spaghetti noodle twisted up in Stella's opinion, but the growl it emitted, and its utter lack of eyes was enough to make it a threatening noodle. She slid the ring of Solaria off her finger and conjured up the staff. She swiped the monster away with one easy blast, joking that it was in serious need of some sunlight. "Seriously, a tan would have done it some wonders."
"We should keep going" Sky said, not laughing at Stella's attempt at humour. Stella shot him a quick glare but didn't comment on his lacking sense of humour. She was, she thought, hilarious.
They walked in near silence for a few minutes before the tunnel split into multiple – close to a dozen – paths. There was brief discussion of how to proceed before it was decided to just choose at random and hope for the best. The tunnel they chose led to a canyon. Multiple ledges poked out along the wall where they'd emerged overlooking the river a dozen or two feet below.
"Brandon! What are you doing down there?" Sky shouted across the canyon. Stella looked over to find Brandon on another ledge a few feet down. He explained that he'd turned around because he thought he'd heard something and must have taken the wrong tunnel.
"Maybe your marker was placed between two tunnels?" Bloom suggested.
"Maybe" Sky shrugged. "Just come join the group. We don't want to get split up."
The next minute – might have been two – happened so fast. Brandon turned to join them only to have his path blocked by some creepy. He took a step back to put space between them, landing on a weak part of the ledge. The ground split underneath him sending the brunet falling into the water below.
Stella found herself screaming for Brandon over Sky's pleas for her to remain calm. Bloom said something, but Stella registered none of it. Her Brandon was in danger and all they wanted was for her not to panic when they should be panicking too. Well fine, if they weren't going to save him, she would. "I'm coming Brandon" Stella cried, taking a running leap off the cliff into the freezing waters.
Plants were, by some twist, not making her feel better. At any given point in her life, Flora had been able to walk into a greenhouse or garden, get her hands dirty and feel better, but it just wasn't working this time. She'd tried to bury herself in dirt and flowers or prepping ingredients for potions, but her mind kept flitting back to her friends on their second dangerous mission without her in less than a year.
Eventually, she accepted that the plants were just not going to work their magic. She could study, she thought, but that would probably just be worse than gardening had been. It was lucky that she ran into Mirta on her way out of the greenhouse. They had only briefly seen each other before the dance and hadn't had the chance to catch up yet, and Flora was curious to know how she was finding Alfea. Plus, the former witch would be a welcomed distraction.
"I spent all summer learning about how fairies connect to their winx in preparation for this year. It's such a huge change from the way witches connect to their powers, but it's really fascinating. I think I'm doing pretty well at it too; I've already gotten my wings"
Mirta beamed as she spoke. Flora's heart soared knowing that Mirta was doing well with the transition from Cloud Tower to Alfea. When the redhead had first announced it to her last year, she'd been so excited for Mirta to be joining them and, she hoped, thrive in an environment that was much more suited to her personality. It was only upon reflecting on it that she realised that the differences between fairy and witch magic might be difficult for Mirta to adapt to – especially since all her formative years had included training as a witch – and that the fairies might not be so accepting of a former witch.
"So, classes are going well then?"
"Yeah! I'm really looking forward to all the cool things that I'll get to learn."
"And how are your classmates?" Did she sound too much like her mother? Mirta was the same age as her and here Flora was talking to her the same way she would talk to Miele. Her worries were confirmed when Mirta's face fell. The redhead admitted that it had been a tough adjustment. Word had gotten out about her time at Cloud Tower and the girls were hesitant to associate with her, likely for fear that she still had affiliations with her former classmates.
"Just give them time. They'll realise what a sweetheart you are." Mirta gave her a forced smile. "Until then, you've always got me. And the rest of the girls too."
"Thanks Flora." Mirta hugged her tightly, realising a second later that she'd jumped on her. She pulled away, apologising for surprising Flora with the hug. Flora laughed her off, pulling her back in. "How's your year been? I sa-"
"Mirta!" A girl not much taller than Musa with shoulder length bright green hair stood a few feet away with a ball in hand. "We're playing a game of soccer. Come join us."
Mirta looked back at Flora hesitantly, but the nature fairy waved her off. She wanted Mirta to make friends and turning down opportunities was not going to get her anywhere. They could catch up another time. With Mirta gone, Flora headed upstairs like she'd initially planned to. She spotted Musa on one of the benches at the far back, but the fairy was wrapped up in her music and Flora didn't want to be a bother. She was on her way to feed Kiko – which she had almost forgotten to do until she saw his food sitting out on the kitchenette– when a movement caught her eye.
Their balcony was a small one, just big enough for a tiny table and some folding chairs which were mainly used by Stella. Flora had expected to find Tecna outside – a rare occurrence, but it was entirely possible – but found herself looking at a certain grumpy specialist instead. "What are you doing here?"
Riven looked up from his spot at the table with wide eyes. Had he not expected one of them to be on their own balcony? How had he gotten up anyways? Their door was locked. "H-hi... are you al-"
"Musa's in the garden."
He raised his eyebrow questioningly. Why did he insist on acting as if that wasn't what he was asking? Flora was a smart girl, certainly quite good at reading social cues and figuring people out (now), and he knew she knew. Did he really think she would just pretend he wasn't so obviously constantly searching for the songstress?
"She looked worried -" Flora had no idea if that was true, she hadn't been close enough to see Musa's face. Given that Brandon and Stella – both people Musa had grown very close to – were on the trip, Flora figured there was a good chance that Musa was incredibly worried. "You should go see if she's okay."
"I... I wouldn't know what to say" Riven argued quietly.
"You don't need to say anything. Just let her know you're there."
Riven's eyes narrowed at her. He grumbled something that she didn't quite catch before pushing past her and heading for the main door. She shouted where exactly she'd seen Musa, but he was already out the door. Hopefully, he'd find her. And maybe they'd get over this stupid game they were both playing.
"My best friend just threw herself off a cliff after yours fell and you want me to stay calm?! What the fuck, Sky?" Bloom shouted. How could he be so calm right now? How could he expect her to be? Stella had just freefallen into the river that led God-knows-where. Brandon had fallen into that same river mere seconds earlier. He should be freaking out from worry. Hell, she would even prefer stunned silence like Aisha over his idea of remaining calm.
"It's our only option, Bloom. We ne- "
"Our only option?! We have to do something to help Bran- "
"What do you want to do? Jump in the river after them? That does us no good. There's no guarantee we'll catch up to them or that we'll even end up at the same place –" okay, maybe he had a point there. "- not to mention that we've got a mission that needs to take precedence."
"Sky's right. The pixies are already weakened and there's no saying how much longer they'll last."
"Brandon is smart. He'll get them to the meeting point. We have to have faith in him."
"Fine." She wasn't happy about leaving them behind, but Sky was right: there was nothing they could do to actually help. Stella and Brandon had been carried out of sight already and they had no way of knowing where they were going or how long they'd stay there once they ended up on land. She would just have to have faith that they would end up on land and make it out.
Reluctantly, she followed Sky and Aisha back into the tunnel. She stared off at the river one last time, hoping against all odds that she'd see Stella flying overhead. When she didn't, Bloom stepped into the cave. She tried not to imagine what would happen to Stella and Brandon, but her mind couldn't help but wander. Would the rapids tear them to shreds? Would they get lost trying to find their way back? Would they even be able to stay together?
"Shit" Sky hissed, coming to a complete stop just in front of Bloom. She stumbled into his back, gripping the side of his uniform to keep herself upright. Peeking around him, she noticed that the creature that had stopped Brandon was now waiting for them. And it had a friend.
The minute she entered her fairy form, she knew something was off. A surge of power would usually course through her, setting her stomach ablaze. There was power, but the blaze in her stomach was more like a faltering spark. With no time to worry about it, Bloom started throwing blasts. She and Aisha, who controlled some sort of plasma-type substance, managed to distract the creatures enough for Sky to sneak in and slash one of them. It had no blood, it just dissolved into a puddle of goo that was far too reminiscent of the tar from the army of decay for Bloom's liking.
The creature's friend whipped Sky with its tail, catching the specialist off guard. He landed against the cave wall with a heavy thud. Bloom turned her attention back to the creature just in time to watch it spit some sort of web at Aisha. It covered her skin and wings, forcing her to stop and try to free herself from it. Bloom gathered whatever flicker of fire she could and shot a burning ball at the creature. By some miracle, her shot landed and spread. Within seconds, the creature was ash on the ground beside its puddle of a friend.
Her headphones were placed on the bench beside her, music pumping out of them at a volume that Tecna would call concerning. Musa had tried to bury herself in music, but it wasn't working. She tried to play upbeat songs, but the only ones that came on were sad, and those were only serving to play up her worries. Every time some fucking song came on about lost love or friends, she'd start imagining being at any of their funerals. The worst were Brandon's. That stupid oaf had a soft spot in her heart.
Being outside with people around had been her half-assed attempt at not falling apart. She hated crying in front of people, hated being the poor little broken girl. There had been some logic to her reasoning; be in public, don't break down. Yet, here she was, seconds away from bursting into tears because she just couldn't handle the thought of losing one of the people she loved.
Musa dug the heel of her sneaker into the dirt then kicked it up. Maybe she should do something more active? She could go for a run – no, too much time to think. Maybe dance? That usually made her feel better. She had started pacing back and forth when footsteps behind her caught her attention. They stopped a foot from her. A quick glance over her shoulder – not enough to let him know she'd looked – confirmed her suspicions. Gods, how fucking pathetic was she that she was starting to be able to identify him by his footsteps? That she'd even looked for the rhythm and volume at which he walked. Hopeless.
"I'm not worried" she managed. It was a bald-faced lie, obviously, but she hoped it would be enough to dissuade him from pressing. Riven didn't do emotions. It didn't take a genius to realise that. She wasn't the biggest fan of them either.
"Uh... okay."
Why was he even here? He had paid her no mind at all since the school year had started up again. He also hadn't texted her once through the summer (or even given her more than a no thanks when she'd invited him to Wizardpalooza – the one time she'd texted him). She found it hard to believe he even cared that she was upset. And that made her all the more upset.
"Should I be?"
"Probably -" That was not the answer she wanted. "-those two idiots are probably gonna fuck everything up."
It was a cruel twist of fate that made him the closest place to hide when she finally broke. And maybe she wanted to be close to him; to have him wrap his arms around her.
He was warm – even without his arms around her, she could feel his heat – and smelled like some divine mix of aftershave and motor oil. She buried her face in his chest, trying as hard as she could to smother her sobs. Her hands balled into fists, clutching his shirt. She sniffled, and cried, and sniffled and cried. She heard his heart beating loudly in his chest, his breath finally release and then, by some miracle, his hand found its place on her back. It was awkward and uncertain, but it was there, pressing its weight against her and grounding her emotions.
She stayed there until the tears subsided into a general numbness. Then, very reluctantly, she pulled away from him. "Tell anyone about this and I'll deafen you."
"I won't" He whispered. His hand slipped away from her back. She wiped away the dried tears from her cheeks, keeping her eyes firmly focused on his shirt. The idea of him looking at her as she was falling apart made her feel like a zoo animal; like he would stare and laugh like kids did when monkeys did flung shit at each other. "They'll be fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah" Riven replied in the least convincing voice ever. Her eyes narrowed, darting up at him.
"You don't actually believe that do you?" She accused, irritation dripping into her voice. Something about the lack of conviction in his voice scratched at her, turning her worry into frustration. "Are you not the least bit worried?"
"What?"
"Or are you just pissed Saladin didn't choose you for the mission?"
"Fuck you" Riven fumed. His brows furrowed and his hands balled into fists. "I have my issues with Brandon and Sky, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried. You're not the only one with friends down there, Musa."
"I never sai-"
"Whatever. I just came to see if you were okay, not to get bitched at."
Musa almost called him back, but she stopped herself before the first syllable could pass her lips. If he cared, he had a shit way of showing it. All she'd done was call him out on it. How hard would it have been for him to just say It sucks that they're there and I wish they weren't? Fuck him. Whatever. She dropped herself onto the bench and forced the headphones over her ears before picking the angriest song she could find. At least now her mind was on something other than her friends being sent to Shadowhaunt.
What, from the cliffside, had looked like wide river had turned out to be a narrow river and blue-green sand. It was beautiful if not a bit misleading. She'd woken up on the beach sore, soaked and alone. That was about two minutes ago. Stella pushed around the bits of sand under her hands, focusing on the how surprisingly smooth they felt rather than how panicked she felt. She must have passed out at some point; her last memory was of her hand slipping from Brandon's before water and darkness took over. He'd made a joke, something about mountain spring water. She'd laughed halfheartedly. She should have laughed harder. For all she knew, that might be the last thing Brandon had ever said to her. The last thing he'd ever said.
"You're awake!"
Stella turned around, standing up so fast that her vision blurred momentarily and threw herself into Brandon's arms. He wrapped them around her, gently caressing her side with his thumb. "Where were you? I thought I was alone!"
"Peeing" Brandon replied slowly, pulling away from her a bit and pointing behind him. "Behind that rock. There's an unfortunate lack of toilet facilities down here."
"There's a distinct lack of everything down here." Stella grumbled. She would have killed for a smoothie right then. Or a cookie. Or a store. Some people. Anything, really. Sunshine, though, would have been best. The cave was really starting to depress her, and some sun would make her feel better; it always did.
"Yeah..." Brandon agreed. "Come on, we should try to get back to the meeting point. I f-"
"Shouldn't we try to find the others?"
"No, they could be anywhere by now."
"But there's the markers..."
"There's also the fact that we don't know how long you and I were out. Not to mention, we don't know how long it'll take us to get back to where we fell from -" Shit... she hadn't even thought of how they'd get back. "- I figured we could try following the river back and, if we're lucky it'll lead us there and there'll be a ledge not too far up, so we won't have too much scaling to do."
Stella stared at the river. It was hard to tell where water ended, and sand began. It was just one big expanse of blue-green trapped in dull brown walls. It might have been a beautiful scene in any other place. Under a bright summer sun, the sand would shine, and the water would look refreshing. Here, it was just out of place. Like her, who also belonged under a bright summer sun. Not here. Not in dark caves, hidden away from the sun, fighting for her life and scaling cliffsides. Wait... "Scaling?"
"Yeah... It's the only way we're getting up anywhere unless we magically happen to find some tunnel that leads us that high up from here."
"But I got my nails done less than a week ago..." When she'd agreed to this, no one had told there would be rock climbing involved. Her manicurist was in high demand. Stella had booked all her appointments for the year as soon as it was confirmed that she was returning to Alfea. It would be impossible for her to be squeezed in if something happened to her nails. And there was no way she was walking around with a nail missing. Brandon gave her a pointed glance. "Fine. Let's go."
Her tracker had given up not too long after their friends had entered the cave. It had been just a few minutes after the spare tracker had been activated. They'd gone out one by one. First Stella, then Sky, then Bloom, then Aisha, then Brandon. It was quite literally the worst-case scenario. She had tried rebooting her system and reworking her coding, but without the trackers she didn't think there was much way for her to fix them.
She hadn't told the girls about the malfunction. They'd already had their doubts when she told them that the tracker hadn't been tested to the extent she would have liked. She also knew they were worried; Musa had barely slept last night, which Tecna knew for certain because she had also barely slept a wink. Even though Flora hadn't come into their room, Tecna had heard a bedroom door close and open multiple times through the night which she knew had to be Flora pacing the dorm.
As much as she would have liked to skip classes to focus on trying to re-establish a connection with the trackers, she couldn't. Her mind had only registered the parts of her classes that she'd forced herself to pay attention during – usually when the teacher was watching her or close to her desk. Otherwise, she'd been working on re-coding her program in ill-fated attempts to reconnect with their friends.
Timmy was over as soon as classes were out. She'd told him that morning when he'd texted asking for an update. He was far less angered than the girls would be, instead choosing to be adorably optimistic. I'm sure we can figure it out he'd said. Tecna, after having spent the better part of the last twenty-some hours trying to fix it, wasn't so sure.
They'd sequestered themselves in Stella's room, hoping that neither Musa nor Flora would come in. After classes, they'd gone to the library while Tecna had returned to the dorm under guise of trying to get some sleep. If Musa caught on that she wasn't there, she'd just claim that she hadn't been able to sleep and had gone for a walk. It was out of character, but not entirely unbelievable. If either of the girls came into Stella's room, though, well she'd have to come clean.
"I don't... I don't know" Timmy sighed after playing around with it for close to forty minutes. She'd already told him what she'd tried – or what she remembered trying; she'd tried so many things – to avoid them wasting time on the same things. Timmy adjusted his glasses and brushed his hand through his hair before returning his attention to the screen.
"I wish Faragonda had told me they were going into caves. I would have been able to test the trackers better if I'd known that." Granted, all of it had been rather last minute, but it still seemed like a detail that should've been mentioned.
"I'm really surprised she didn't. I feel like that would be pretty basic inf-"
"Tecna? It's Brandon. Can you hear me? Over."
Timmy scrambled over the bed to the bedside table where they'd left her headset. He knocked one of Stella's pillows over, though Tecna didn't think the blonde would notice, as he fumbled on the unmade bed's silk sheets. "Timmy speaking. Are you ready for pick up? Over."
"No. Stell and I got separated from the others. Do you have any info about them? Over."
"No. We lost connection as soon as you entered the caves. Over."
"How long have we been in the caves? Over."
"Just over thirty-six hours now. Are either of you injured? Over."
"No. Exhausted and sore, but no injuries. We'll call back when the others are out too. Over and out."
"Copy." Timmy removed the headphones and exhaled heavily. "Well, at least we have an update?"
"I think this is where we fell!" Brandon's voice carried over the rushing water, excitement contrasting sharply with how tired he looked. They'd been walking for what felt like years but was probably only a few hours. Her feet and legs were sore, her shoulders were sore, her neck was sore. Stella had never felt so shitty in her entire life. She would happily have taken the worst flu she'd ever experienced over this. She would take broken bones over this.
"We fell from much higher than I'd thought, but it looks like there's an entrance not too far up. Hopefully that one takes us up to where the tunnels split." Brandon was already starting to take out the climbing equipment in their packs. Stella nodded mutely, finally coming up behind him. She'd fallen steps behind as her exhaustion started to weigh on her. For a few moments when she'd started to notice that she was falling behind, she worried that Brandon wouldn't, but he did. She'd seen him peer over his shoulder every few steps; at the spots where he couldn't because the passageway had been so narrow and taking his eyes off the ground could lead to being pulled into the river, he would call to her and wait for her answer before continuing. "It's gonna be an uphill trek, but that's better than climbing, right?"
"Yeah..." she sighed, leaning against the cliff walls. She rested her head against it, shutting her eyes for a moment. Sleep sounded so nice. She could go for a long, long nap. Maybe when she woke up, she'd be in her bed at Alfea.
"You okay, Stell?" Brandon asked for the millionth time.
"Fine" she mumbled. She didn't want to slow them down or have them be stuck in this nightmare longer than necessary because she was tired. She had managed to keep her complaining to a minimum – and she had a lot of complaints – and there was no point in telling him she was tired when he probably was too.
At Brandon's suggestion, they took a break to eat. It helped, but not as much as she'd hoped it was. What she really needed was sunlight or sleep. It hadn't even occurred to her that being out of the sun for... however-long-it-had-been would fuck her over this much. The scale wasn't easy – she broke three nails and almost fell twice – and the hike back up almost killed her. They'd run into two of those hideous creatures that, with Stella so weak, Brandon had to take out on his own. Luckily, they'd been two separate run ins. She'd distracted the monsters, but Brandon had done most of the work. And then, by some god's grace, they did eventually make it to the surface.
Never had the sun been so beautiful. It bathed the world in its golden light, making everything shine. Stella sprawled herself on the ledge where Timmy and Riven had dropped them off soaking in the sun's rays. If it weren't for the dirty, uncomfortable ground and the fact that it was at the mouth to literal hell, it would have been a perfect sunbathing spot. A cool breeze ran over her, chilling her in the most wonderful way. She hadn't realised until then that there was no air down there. Brandon sat cross-legged at her head, running his hand through her hair. He had grabbed the tracker from where Sky had hidden it and reached out to Tecna. Stella nodded off while he spoke, using the cadence and depth of his voice as a lullaby.
"Feeling better?" He asked after a while. Stella hummed happily, leaning into his touch as his hand brushed through the length of her hair and skimmed her cheek. When she opened her eyes, he was watching her with the sweetest smile. Stella pushed herself into a sitting position and caressed his cheek.
"We made a pretty good team back there."
"Did we?" she laughed. As far as she was concerned, she'd barely done anything to help.
"Absolutely. Imagine how amazing we would've been if we hadn't been so exhausted."
"Yeah" she relented. They would have made those creatures their bitches if either of them had been at full strength. "I guess we do make a good team."
"A great one." Brandon pulled her into his arms. She twisted around so she could lean her head against his shoulder and look out at the forest below with him. His lips made contact with the side of her head, planting a sweet kiss before he nestled into the side of her neck. "I love you, Stella."
"I love you too, Brandon."
They found the bridge. It was just as dull and unimpressive as she remembered, but with it came a foreboding feeling she just couldn't shake. Red eyes and clawed hands flashed through her mind. What would she do if he showed up again? Would she freeze? Would she fight back?
"Once we're over the bridge, do you think you can get us to where the pixies were being kept?" Sky asked as they approached the rope bridge. He stepped on it tentatively, testing that it wasn't going to give out under them.
"Maybe? The whole place is kind of a mess. I don't really know how I found the bridge in the first place."
"Alright then" Bloom groaned. She'd been short with them since Stella had stupidly decided to throw herself off a cliff for a boy. Aisha chose to be the bigger person – she'd figured out pretty easily that Bloom and Stella were best friends – and not react to her snide comments, but they were really starting to grate on her nerves. "Guess we're just gonna have to wing it."
"Hey, we've done pretty well so far." Poor Sky had been so good about trying to stay positive and balance out his girlfriend's shitty attitude. Aisha hadn't met him that many times – maybe four or five – but they'd been raised in the same circles. He'd always seemed like a decent guy; she'd hoped for his sake that the rumours of his engagement to Princess Diaspro were just that, rumours. For what little she knew about him, he was far too nice for that brat.
Aisha followed them tentatively onto the bridge. It was rickety and swayed with every step, but at least the boards weren't falling out from under their feet. She slid her hands along the ropes, terrified of letting go and falling back into that damned river.
"I wonder if that's the same river St-" Bloom's words were cut off when a shard of ice flew past her face. It narrowly missed the rope, shooting into the river. Aisha's eyes followed the shards path backwards. Above them, standing on one of the tower's ledges, were three girls that couldn't be much older than them. Bloom and Sky gasped. Aisha just stared.
The girl on the far right, the tallest of the three with dark curly hair, brought her hands up and swung them back to her sides in one swift motion. Thunder struck from nowhere, hitting the bridge near their destination. It started to crackle, a small flame lighting on the boards. Sky was quick to start yelling at them to retreat. Aisha and Bloom followed orders just as quickly.
"What the fuck are they doing here?" she heard Bloom shout behind her.
"Who are these three?" Aisha hissed once they were safe. Whoever they were, Bloom and Sky clearly knew them. Maybe they would be able to explain why the girls weren't really attacking, just standing there smirking down at them.
"Did you hear about what happened in Magix in March?"
"Yeah, I don't live under a rock." In a tower, sure, but not under a rock. She got all the news of goings-on in the magical dimension; she just wasn't allowed to socialize with anyone her parents didn't deem worthy. Or do anything she considered fun. Or act in any way that wasn't befitting of a princess.
"That was them." Aisha looked back up in surprise at Bloom's words. Minus the whole attacking them thing, the girls looked just like normal teenagers. The media hadn't published their images, opting to deny them the notoriety they so clearly seeked. Their names had been published and world leaders had been sent their pictures as a precaution but given that they were supposedly locked up in Lightrock, Aisha hadn't been shown those pictures.
It was at this point that the three witches chose to take action. One of them, the one with long brown hair sent a strike at Sky, hitting him square in the back. Bloom and Aisha changed into their forms, blasting with at much accuracy and strength as they could given their weakened magic and exhaustion after hours of near non-stop walking and a very brief and uncomfortable sleep. Sky tried to help, but given his flightless, magicless state, he wasn't all that much help. Aisha had been right that the other three girls would've been much more useful. The curly-haired one managed to get another hit on him and it knocked him out almost instantly.
"How are they keeping up so well?" Aisha wondered aloud. She and Bloom had flickered in and out of their forms multiple times now and the witches had barely broken a sweat. If this place dimmed magic, shouldn't it dim all magic? So why were they still so strong?
"New accessories" the ice witch chuckled, motioning to her shining pale blue necklace in the same way that a model would show a prize on one of those stupid game shows the head housemaid liked to watch. "Courtesy of our lord."
"The... the bird man?" Aisha questioned aloud. The idea that anyone would worship that... thing was terrifying. How twisted did someone have to be to think that that creature was a worthwhile god?
"Doesn't matter to you losers, you won't get to meet him." The one with long dark brown hair spoke in a low, sultry drawl that made Aisha shiver. She smiled at the princess, a pleased, disconcerting smile.
A pain struck Aisha's back and she fell. Her fairy form flickered out. She forced herself to her knees, knowing full well that she was seconds away from collapsing. Her eyes found Bloom laying on the ground not too far from her, locked in a staring contest with the ice witch. Aisha let her head loll over to the three, watching them with an all too smug look, just in time for a bright light to shine from behind them and send the witches flying across the cavern onto the landing that she had fallen from the last time she'd been here.
When the light faded, a paladin flew a dozen or so feet above them. His wings fluttered powerfully, creating more wind than Aisha had thought possible. He looked dignified and wise, like he'd be a teacher or politician in his day-to-day life. He had a powerful square jaw and long blue-black hair tied tightly at the nape of his neck.
"Who are you?" Bloom managed to ask, though her voice shook and sounded uncertain.
"You'll find out soon enough." He nodded to the girls before flying off leaving them even more baffled than they'd been before his arrival.
"What the hell was he doing down here?"
"Forget that" Aisha dismissed. They had much more important things to worry about than the mystery paladin. As grateful as she was that he'd saved them, she wished he could have helped the pixies because she was pretty sure that they couldn't now. "How are we going to get the pixies with the bridge gone?"
Sky came to as Bloom was getting to her feet. He joined them in staring at the burned bridge, repeating the same question Aisha had just voiced. Bloom was in the middle of saying that there must be some other way across – another bridge somewhere or a path up – when a tiny voice calling her name drew their attention. Seconds later, multiple pixies were in Aisha's space, clinging to her tightly.