Chapter 7: Escape from the Island

The fairies and human prince had recently left from the Evergrowing Archives Vault and were flying back to the shipyard. They did their best to fly as high above the heads of the ogres and trolls as possible.

"We should be safe as long as we're up in the sky like this." Pearl stated.

"Yeah, another thing that trolls and ogres can't do is jump really high or jump period." said Bismuth.

"All we have to do is get to the docks undetected, find a ship, and we're home free." Princess Lapis told everyone.

"Are you sure the trolls and ogres can't see us all the way up here?" Steven asked the rainbow-haired fairy worriedly. "What if our sparkly wings give us away?"

"We're thirty feet in the air and in broad daylight." she answered in a confident tone. "They'll never see us."

"If you say so." the pink boy fairy replied.

"Okay, the docks are just to the northeast of us." Stevonnie pointed out. "Let's go."

As the fairies were fluttering in the direction of the ship docks, something stopped Peridot dead in her tracks. She started quivering and said fearfully, "Uh guys, we've got a new problem."

"What is it?" asked Sapphire.

The green fairy didn't answer. Instead, she was shakily pointing at something coming up over the horizon and heading their way. Lapis squinted in the direction Peridot was pointing in and was shocked to find two frighteningly familiar figures approaching on a black storm cloud.

"Jasper and the fairy hunter?" she gasped. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"How did they know we were heading west?" Pearl questioned in distress.

"We cannot let them know we're here." said Ruby. "Let's just go find a ship and get out of here."

Down below, Jasper and her fairy hunter partner had touched down onto the island. She looked around at the grotesque creatures that resided here.

"Are you sure the princess and her friends got this far?" the fairy hunter questioned.

"Oh, they're here." the fairy witch assured him, confidently.

The fairy hunter had no idea how she could be so sure about her hunch.

"Listen up, you monstrosities." the wingless fairy barked. "We're looking for a group of nine fairies. Did they pass through here?"

Meanwhile up above, the fairies watched everything with worrisome expressions as they saw Jasper trying to get some information about their whereabouts out of the ogres and trolls.

"I sure hope trolls and ogres have poor short-term memories." Prince Jamie said softly to Lapis.

"One of these fairies in particular is a blue princess about as tall as a teenage human." the fairy witch also brought up. "And she's often seen hanging around a human prince."

The group of eleven decided that now was a good time to make tracks for the ship docks. Unfortunately, they weren't able to stay inconspicuous for long. A troll had caught sight of the fairies' shimmering wings from up above.

"Look!" he called, pointing at the princess and company. "There are some fairies up there!"

Jasper and the fairy hunter turned in the direction the troll was pointing and saw the very panic-strickened fairies and human prince.

The wingless fairy grinned a sickening smile at Lapis as the fairy hunter pulled out a loaded crossbow with a net in it and aimed it right the young princess.

"Let's move!" Bismuth ordered urgently as the fairy hunter pulled the trigger and launched the net. The fairies flew out of the way just in time. The fairy hunter growled in indignation and saw that the fairies were fluttering northeast.

"They're heading for the ship docks!" he said to Jasper.

"Attention!" the wingless fairy bellowed for all the trolls and ogres to hear. "The first ogre or troll to capture the fairy princess and bring her to us will be rewarded handsomely with all the gold you can horde!"

All the ogres and trolls within earshot cheered greedily. Soon, they were all chasing after the group of fleeing fairies.

"We've got company." Stevonnie announced, seeing the mob of ogres and trolls following them from below.

"I've got this." Lapis said as she used her magic to create branches that were low to the cobblestone street.

Since trolls and ogres had such big feet, they easily stumbled over the thick branches as if they were tripwires.

"That'll buy us some time to find a ship." the fairy princess stated.

"Impressive." Bismuth commented, marveling the blue fairy's great power.

Soon, the group of eleven had arrived at the ship docks and there was a plethora of wooden ships to pick out of the whole lot.

"Alright, now which ship should we take?" Pearl asked in deep thought.

"Well, we better choose fast!" Steven said, fearfully.

From around the corner, the wingless fairy, the fairy hunter, and their mob of monstrosities were charging towards the friends.

"Jasper's coming!" Lapis exclaimed. "We need to pick a ship."

"Quickly, get on." an unfamiliar voice called. The voice came from a particular ship whose deck was covered by a large tarp. Perhaps it was some kind of cargo ship. A hand from under the tarp was motioning Jamie and the group of fairies onto the boat.

"Should we trust them?" Peridot asked, feeling unsure.

"I don't think we have a choice." Garnet responded.

The human prince and the fairies boarded on the ship one by one. Lapis was about to join her friends, but then she noticed that Bismuth was hanging back.

"Bismuth, come on." the fairy princess urged.

"I think I'll stay here and make sure they don't follow you." the burly fairy decided.

"No way." Lapis refused, shaking her head. "We're not risking leaving a single fairy behind on this quest."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in doing any favors for fairies I don't even know." Bismuth said, crossing her arms.

"Bismuth, please." the young princess pleaded. "We need all the help we can get. If we don't stop Jasper, our world will literally be frozen and our kind will be doomed. Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Why would I risk my neck to help fairies who don't trust me?" the rainbow-haired fairy asked.

"Not every fairy thinks you're untrustworthy." Lapis assured her.

"Oh, really?" Bismuth scoffed. "Name one fairy who isn't skeptical of me."

"Me." the blue fairy answered. "You saved me from being tortured by the trolls and ogres. And without your help, we wouldn't have a map to the Iridescent Valley. I'd trust you with my life if I have to. Please come with us."

She held out a hand to the stubborn, brawny fairy. And after a few precious moments, Bismuth finally gave in and took the princess's hand and joined her on the ship with the others. The ship casted off from the dock and started to sail away.

The trolls and ogres stopped at the edge of the dock, but didn't jump into the water. Trolls and ogres couldn't swim, and Jasper and the fairy hunter knew this and gave the mob sour looks.

"Never send a troll or ogre to do a fairy hunter's job." said the fairy hunter, shaking his head.

"That princess is not going to get away from me." the fairy witch grunted, having no patience whatsoever. "Follow that ship!"

The fairy hunter found Jasper and himself a smaller boat of their own and set sail after Lapis and her entourage.

"You can fly, little princess." the wingless fairy murmured, sinisterly. "But you can't hide."