Taking another breath, or what counted as one, Cubbi tried again. Tried to focus, tried to calm. It wasn't clearing the mind, at least that's what Aldi had said. He said he needed to stay calm to keep the entire environment from going nutso and then they could work on the actual "feeling" part. Cubbi found, once again, that he wished he had been able to learn all this when he was younger. Couldn't really blame his clan though. After all, there were so few of them how were they supposed to teach him somethin' like 'talking' to lost spirits and stuff like that when they hadda worry about surviving every day?
"Focus." Came Aldi's voice again. "You're driftin'."
Focus…right. Keeping his thoughts straight was hard but imagining that Emi might be taking this very moment to ready an attack against Plucki was enough to push his attention. Taking another breath, the environment calmed again, settling to a simple light blue shade without wind or swirling. Okay, so there was that. Not letting his mind move from that moment, he eyed the fleeting spirit of Aldi who never was very far from him. Still a little unnerving to have the dead son of his mentor coaching him but..
No! Focus!
The blue sky swirled some but did not change.
"Okay, Aldi." He said softly, trying to keep his emotions and thoughts steady, "Now what?"
Aldi frowned, "Well, do you feel what this feels like?"
"Huh?"
"In your center…do you feel that emotion, what it feels like?"
Cubbi looked hopelessly lost and the muggy environment shifting just served to frustrate him, accumulating into a low groan from him and a deep sigh from Aldi. "Sorry, Cubbi. Papa is so much better at explaining this than I am. He was the one that showed me."
Blinking a little, Cubbi eyed his tutor, "So do the same thing."
Now it was Aldi's turn to look confused. "Eh?"
Cubbi felt the environment suddenly warm as he felt a spike of enthusiasm. "Never was a good learner, Aldi." He paused, "I guess you were?"
"Loved school, loved to read." He replied simply, waiting to see where Cubbi was going with this.
Oddly enough, this pleased Cubbi. It reinforced, even if it was just subconsciously, that he was loved by Plucki for being Cubbi and not for being like Aldi. Heck, it seemed like they were quite different actually. Wonder how Plucki felt about that sometimes…okay, okay, focus! They were running out of time and if something happened to Plucki…no! It would NOT happen!
"So…see, I don't learn easy," Cubbi explained a little, trying to keep his emotions in check, "I have to SEE it. So…you say this place responds to a spirit order and feelin'. So SHOW me."
Dunwynian Countryside
Clever.
Emi slipped out from behind the tree, watching the carriage drive away into the horizon. She probably could have utilized invisibility but it was needless to waste energy on a complex spell when simple camouflage would suffice. Almost the majority of espionage, of stealth, was simplicity. She had regained her strength, her youth, but it took time to recover from such a swift transformation. Worth it, however, in her opinion. Those children were simple enough to conquer, to trick. Such foolish things, children. She had never understood the intrigue of children. They only got in the way but in this case, their youth proved to be invaluable. No matter that it had taken several of them. Draining them dry until the bodies decayed into dust had given her far more energy from each one than a longer youth spell would have. More draining but just look at the result.
Back in her prime! 18 years of age! Her muscles were tense, firm, strong. Her eyes sharp, her reflexes fast. She would need time to recover but it had been worth the sacrifice. With such vitality now hers again, she had time. She could make time. She could create time. If there was one thing she had learned to utilize well, it was time, patience and planning.
She would need help for her coming attacks but she needed something close, something accessible to her target. Something that was hard to fight but not hard to control. She couldn't afford to waste energy on commanding a lot of spells at once. She was much more dangerous with concentrated attacks. If you could limit your power to simple spells, they became all the more potent and oh, how she was going to make them potent! She was going to make her presence known in such a way that…
Not yet. She coached herself, stilling her emotions and silencing that faint protest in the back of her mind. Still the eagerness that wound its way about her spirit. Time. Settle your position. Wait. Then attack.
500 years. 503 years to be precise. She could wait a little longer. Delaying those two gummi messengers would be simple enough. Weather worked wonders against even gummi travel devices, never mind the primitive ways of human transport. A little extra rain, some wind, a little bit of fog…she didn't even have to speak a verbal spell to get the results she wanted. Clouds rolled in, the wind began to pick up. It was slow enough to not be seen as unusual but within an hour, the rain would come down in sheets and the fog would eliminate any hope of road travel. It would give her the time she needed to get into that city, into Gummadoon, into the palace. Set up her game plan…ready her pieces. To create such a spell was pure child's play, yet she knew so many that would take the more complex approach. Simpler always served her better.
As for how to slip in, as she knew well enough they would be on guard, the simple glance she had received of those two leaving gummies was all she needed and they knew next to nothing of what was happening. Those informed would take even greater precautions! They obviously heralded from Gummadoon, the knight's uniform gave that away. Gummies were not fools and Lady Bane was one so with that combination, it was logical that they would take precautions. Wards, guards and probably other levels of security; she was well informed but one did not keep a city protected by letting out all the secrets.
The wards were the biggest dilemma. She needed secrecy. Yet, despite their complexity, there WERE ways to fool a ward. It was hard, difficult and would require the perfect timing and planning but it was doable. Most times, when doors were warded, they were cast specifically to allow one, perhaps two people in at a time. There was a reason for that; it allowed space for someone to be thrown out or to collapse if they were rejected. Therein also laid a weakness for her to exploit. If she were to enter with multiple gummies beside her, at least five or more, then it would be unable to detect her, what with so many gummi bodies rushing through. Given the large doorways of Gummadoon (she remembered the trial room well enough), this was a perfectly reasonable strategy. All that remained was to find a way to get several gummies surrounding her without arousing suspicion.
She had the perfect means to get to that point as well.
Focusing on changing form took a lot of energy but it was a necessary expenditure right now. Changing genders when you took on new forms took even more energy but for that reason, disguises that were different genders than the suspect were not put under quite as much scrutiny. Given that she needed time and opportunity, it would be worth the energy required. She would have time to infiltrate, to prepare, to attack. It was all a matter of patience, of timing, of utilizing her resources.
The pain as her body stretched, changed, grew and shrank was immense but she relished it. Having felt nothing for so long... This? This was nothing. The agony she welcomed, for it meant an even more delicious feeling to come: revenge. She could have numbed the pain but that took far too much energy and transformations, while exceptionally painful without the dulling magic, were also swift. Just because she was coaching her patience did not mean she had all the time in the world. Time, and timing. A fine art she had honed over the centuries.
As the draining magic faded away and blessed relief from agony followed she slid to her knees in the dirt. Her transformed body was weakened but she refused to give in and collapse. She summoned the strength to stand and that is when she looked down at herself: green fur, black hair, larger shoulders, and firm biceps. To any who were passing by, it would look to be a nude form of Sir Timothi of Gummadoon, even down to his voice. That had been the most important factor. It was easy to copy an appearance but to copy a vocal tone took more energy. She preferred to spend her power on that than on strength or clothes. Contrary to popular belief, clothing did NOT just appear with transformations. It took energy as well and that was not something she found to be important to waste it on. Especially since, to get the reaction from the Gummadoon guards she needed, she was going to have to put this body through quite some trauma. No point in summoning clothing she would be ruining. Wasteful.
Taking a step forward, she waited until the area around her was empty of passerbys, of any lingering ears, before starting the hardest part. She needed to damage this body but it was a body built to be strong and durable. Not just a mature male gummi but a mature male gummi fully trained for war. However, she needed injury, she needed gashes, she needed broken bones on this body to create enough pity and compassion to override reason. She had seen it, so many times before and those weak hearts would fall for it again. Always did.
She readied herself for the pain, focusing to numb her mind to the body slightly. It was a popular technique used by those in the military to survive torture and it would serve her here until her task was done.
The rocks at the base of the nearby tree would snap the tibia easily enough.
Lady Bane's Palace
"Is that it?" Sir Kai folded his arms, not stepping out of arms' length from the possessed young Lucki. He didn't like this and neither did any of the others. The troggles had hardly been trouble. Fast creatures but not very intelligent. Sleep sand condensed into small handheld capsules that exploded on impact had swiftly rendered them unconscious. Sleep sand from the horns to create the mist worked well for large amounts of creatures or for slow adversaries and the troggles had been neither of those. Condensed sleep sand was harder to create, they had limited amounts of it but in this case, it was necessary to use. They had no time to be messing around with these ridiculous troggles. They would awake with no permanent damage, as was the case with all their sleep sand and it would last for several hours, more than enough for them to get in and get out.
Oh, he had not missed the sneer, the knowledge pass over Lucki's eyes, observing, watching. None of them had missed it. Lady Bane was learning far too much. It was not to be helped however. They needed to return to Gummadoon and if Lady Bane was going to be stubborn about it, they would indulge her. Then, maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to free this poor boy from her clutches. THEN, they would make certain she would not intervene with their lives anymore!
Lady Bane, sitting within Lucki's mind was salivating at the sight of her book, so close. Stepping up and onto the boy's tiptoes (Gummies were so ridiculously short) she fought to keep her thoughts secret. Oh, she had no doubt the gummies knew she would use this against them but she didn't need them to know how or when. It would be so easy once they became distracted, occupied. For the moment, she replied, "Yes," short and simple to the knight by her side. No need to elaborate. She doubted they would understand some of the magical properties in any event.
You'd be surprised, the boy sharing the body insisted. We understand and know a lot more than you.
Be silent, she hissed,I don't have time to argue with you right now.
Oh? His tone was accusatory.I'd say you have nothing but time. Why should my talking bug you now? You've gotten pretty used to it. She caught the boy's suspicion, his thoughts racing. He was smart, too smart. As much as she tried to quiet her thoughts, the boy's ability to peer into them was growing by the hour! As was his ability to take back portions of his body. She still had yet to realize what had changed…what WAS changing. All the more reason that she needed to move quickly. Despite being in the situation where they had a common enemy, the fact remained…she needed to regain her advantage. Perhaps…perhaps now was a good time? When there was still the chance…when there was not outright magical warfare being thrown about…
She held the ability to do so right in her hands. As she turned, forced those small legs to walk down the hall, she stroked the book's cover. Oh, it would be so easy…she knew exactly what page it was on. It would take less than a minute to render these fools no longer a threat. So easy to devise a way to slip back to Gummadoon, to take the chance to gain what power she needed and be gone again. Time to prepare her own defenses and render this walking meat sack a memory to regain her own beautiful form.
Except she couldn't, she was stuck. Somehow…someway, she was stuck. As much as she loathed it, it was simple fact. The gathering threat did not sit well with her and being without her own flesh made it even worse.
Especially if those journals…she didn't know what to make of them but she didn't like it. If she, no, if these fools! kept up this idiocy, not only was her grasp for power going to be lost but she didn't even want to imagine what miseries Emi had in store for her. For anyone. No, she had to act! She had to at least take advantage where she could.
Her fingers began to slip into the book's familiar pages.
No! Lucki's voice screeched loudly. No betrayal!
Be quiet! Lady Bane screeched I have no time for alliances. Your people are doing nothing but slowing us down. I don't need them to figure out these journals, I don't need them for anything. I will not allow myself to be killed because of your people's incompetence. _I_ will not be conquered by your corrupt ancestress! It's time you remembered who is in charge here, brat!
You aren't! Lucki declared sharplyAnd you said you were going to help us, he accused, you said yourself that you aren't enough to handle her on your own! You can't…and I won't let you hurt them! His tiny voice seemed so powerful with that simple statement, so much older. It was an amazing thing. He was a baby bear, nothing more and yet his words carried tremendous weight.
Lady Bane's will paused a moment, she pushed back at the doubt. The cub spoke the truth, much as she hated it. She was grasping at a foolish mist dream. She needed more power than she currently had and as much as she would like to dream, she did not have the ability, currently, to find and master all the gummies' secrets in the time they had remaining. Not right now. Not with an annoying gummi child monitoring her every move. She needed to get back some control. At least enough that she could have some say over what occurred. Hmm, if not conquering these gummies with a spell then maybe a message of sorts? A reminder of the kind of power she held without damaging her current transport…
You're being an idiot! Lucki's annoying voice entered her consciousness again You're just telling lies to yourself. You're going to get yourself killed by that stupid arrogance. But you're NOT killing my family in the process. You said you were gonna help us and you ARE! I'll _MAKE_ you!
What happened next happened so fast that none really knew how to react. Lucki, with a proficiency that made Lady Bane gawk, lunched at Sir Kai and snagged a sleep sand pellet from his belt, crushed it in his hands and inhaled it deeply. Within seconds, his vision swirled and the world went dark, all the while Lady Bane cursed as her book left the now limp fingers and the yellow furred counselor lost no time in claiming ownership of it. Damn brat….was all she could manage before consciousness left her as well.
Gummadoon
The return of the group from Gummi Glen was met by Sir Blastus about mid-way up the stairs. Before any of them could say a word, Corvi was plowing past them and throwing himself into Blastus' arms. He did not cry, no, he had done his share of that already, but he needed that strong presence, that comfort. Sir Blastus responded in kind, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy, saying, softly in French, "Calmes-tu," he intoned, stroking the boy's sweaty blond hair, "C'est bien, mon petit enfant. C'est bien." Corvi nodded against his chest but did not release him nor elaborate. Blastus shifted his eyes from his squire to his two brothers, inquiring.
"They're alive." Sunni finally spoke out as no one else seemed willing to. They didn't have time for this. Yes, it was horrible but they needed to move on, they needed to do what they needed to do! "But they're trapped…Cubbi and Tavi."
Closing his eyes at the horrible pain that cut his heart at that thought, "Mon dieu…and Emi…?"
Gruffi sighed and crossed his arms, "She's loose. Gum knows where but she's loose. And she's trapped Cubbi and Tavi where she was'posed to be."
Plucki raised a hand for quiet, which stopped Zummi in mid-sentence, "Let's not discuss it here. Too many loose ears running about. Blastus, let's regroup in one of the council chambers and we will catch you up."
Gumlittle fell in step by his brothers as Blastus shifted Corvi to walk beside him. They were discussing something in French, too fast for him to catch but it must have been about Corvi's father because Blastus' teeth clenched and he cursed Emi in his weird Latin-French mixture that he fell into when he was angry. Then, just as quickly, he was back to his jovial, calm self which was what Corvi needed right now. As they walked, Ramsei leaned in close to Plucki and Gumlittle, "Should we still be including Corvi in this? Has not the boy endured enough already?"
Plucki was in agreement with that but he also agreed with Gumlittle when he said, "Are you going to be the one to tell him to leave Blastus when he just found out about his father's spirit being trapped?" Ramsei gave a deep sigh and shook his head, no, no, they could not do that. That would be needlessly cruel. The boy needed Blastus right now and unfortunately, they needed him as well. So, Corvi was just going to have to be roped into it. Truth be told, he was going to be needed anyway; with Lady Cressi gone as they had just learned, that meant the sole gummi in all Gummadoon who could speak fluent Old Gummi was young Corvi. Likewise, the magical book only responded to children and seemed to have accepted Toni in Cubbi's absence. As they walked, he saw Martinni dart by, pulling that large blue Glen behind him who only gave his clan a few looks as he was yanked past. He could faintly hear Flynn's voice inquiring in one of the rooms. A deep sigh escaped his throat again. It seemed that the boys had become permanently entangled in this mess, regardless of how much they wished them not to be. As much as they would love to let Blastus take Corvi off to a private room to cry, to comfort him, to ease his heart, they were low on time. They had no such luxuries right now.
The clouds rumbled, announcing the coming rain.
Dunwyn Countryside
"Do you know when it will pass?" Sarrani struggled to keep her voice calm.
The driver of the carriage shrugged, sitting down beside the parked vehicle. "Apologies, m'lady." He smiled up, trying to calm her nerves. It was an odd thing, to suddenly be transporting creatures that were thought to be imaginary but what he had found was that every gummi he had encountered had been kind as could be. Nervous and anxious at first, but kind. "The fog is far too thick right now. The rain is not helping. I'm afraid we may wind up in Drekmore if we tried to continue."
Sarrani nodded, "I'm sorry, good Sir. I trust your judgement, I am just anxious to get back and check on our families."
"Have you a large family at home, m'lady?" he inquired as Sir Timothi pulled his fiancée close in a hug. "Aside from your fiancé?"
Sarrani nodded, "Not large but a family nonetheless, my older sister, Sarrika."
The gentleman, he has said his name was Jackson, nodded, "No parents, m'lady?"
"They've since left this world," she said simply, leaning into her love. "As have Tim's."
Nodding, Jackson took a puff of his pipe; he offered it to Tim who quickly shook his head no and tried not to cough and gag at the smell. No point in being rude but he did not see why humans poisoned themselves so. Gummies did not indulge in such things. Still, the man was pleasant enough so the two of them scooted back a little to allow the smoke to dissipate but still maintain the conversation. "As have mine, dear knight, dear lady." The man coughed but resumed his smoking, "And my little Jaxon and Mary. Lost the two of them three years ago to the plague." He smiled, sadly, to himself, "Too young to be taken."
"We share your grief for your loss," Timothi replied softly, "No child should be taken so young."
Jackson nodded, took another puff, saying, "What plagues your families at this time?"
Sarrani frowned but replied, "Truthfully, we aren't sure. There is some kind of magical attack happening. We're hoping our families can shed more light on it."
Jackson nodded, his short black hair bobbing with the movement, "I wish you luck with that. Magic has been used far too often for nefarious purposes. Oh, the stories we used to hear as children of sorceresses, of wizards. You have no such tales?"
"Not dark ones," Timothi clarified. "Our stories always told of wizards and sorceresses doing good, of striving to educate, to protect, to heal."
"I 'pose that's a big different between our races." Jackson admitted with a dry laugh, "We humans focus far too much on the dark and wicked. Grew up hearing all kinds of tales—about Zorlock, about Bane, about Celina, about Medea." He shook his head, "Medea was the worst of those stories…no morals in her at all."
"The name sounds slightly familiar," Timothi admitted, "Like maybe I heard it a long time ago in passing." He frowned, "Can't recall anything beyond that though."
"Consider yourself lucky," Jackson replied, "We tol' her stories for years. No one knows when they started to be told, except they were talking about her in Rome when Saint Peter began the church." He shook his head, "Supposedly, she was already old then but it's all rumors and hearsay. No one can even recall what she truly did and what people SAY she did. 'Cept seems like death avoided her for some reason." He chuckled, sadly, "Truthfully, I was never a fan of those stories, tried to block them out. Heard tales of Celina too, she was more recent. Wantin' magic and power, trying to get it anywhere she could."
Sarrani nodded, "I recall that name a little better. I believe she had a few talks with some of our old wizards before they determined she was too dangerous to continue to work with." She frowned, thinking "But I must admit, history was never my strong point."
Timothi cut in "No, I remember the name too. They never said much about her though, just that alliances with her fell through and that contact ceased. Never knew what happened to her."
"Probably for the best," Jackson remarked, taking a final whiff of his pipe before putting it out, "Some dark things I prefer to forget about."
"Maybe," Timothi remarked "But that doesn't mean we should."
Cubbi's Prison
"Is that them?"
Aldi nodded to the bright lights that had become visible. It had taken some time, some trial but Cubbi had finally felt the spiritual link, the spiritual connection that truly let you see in this place. He;d been right. Once Aldi had settled and started to demonstrate, talking about what he was doing as he did it, encouraging Cubbi to feel and listen, the cub had been able to mimic it. So, they were making progress.
Cubbi willed himself upward, towards the closest of the lights. It was bright, almost like looking into the sun but as he drew closer, it didn't burn his eyes. He wasn't even wincing. As he willed, waited, the white light died away and he found himself staring into Gummadoon! He was at the library! Just inside it! Gum, was this a way out?!
His fingers pressed against the brightness and stopped cold. Like hitting a stone wall. The whiteness gave, just some, like he was pushing on a tapestry but it refused him entry. No pain or anything, just an inability to pass through. He was right here, he could see the halls! See those rushing by, see those familiar corridors and yet he couldn't get to them!
"Aldi!" he called, desperate and the room began to swirl into darkness. "Aldi, why can't I get out!"
A moment later, Aldi's presence was at his side, "it's more complex than that. It's run on emotions too. So…there's some kind of emotional key."
Frustration produced itself in the form of fire and hot air, "An emotional key? Like what?"
Frowning, Aldi replied, "I'm not sure." He admitted, though he certainly felt like he had an idea. He did not want to give false hope though. As for Cubbi, his entire spirit seemed to give a sigh of misery and the landscape began to pour rain in response.
"Great," the pink cub mused aloud, "We're finally here, literally right here and we can't get through. _I_ can't get through." Tears welled up "Not fair." He choked out, "Not…fair."
He felt so heavy, like he weighed a thousand pounds. He felt lost, angry and not just at the situation but at himself. Granted, that he had possessed the best of intentions when he had gone with Tavi, he had been trying to help her and she had only been thinking of her brother but the fact remained that they...had gotten themselves into this mess. It was because of their impatience, their refusal to get the others before taking off, that they were here.
Oh and releasing the worst enemy against gummies...ever.
How could he ever face Sir Plucki after this? He had unleashed Hell on his race. She was probably plotting as they lingered here. He had no means to tell how long they had been here but it must have been some amount of time. Daring a glance around, he saw his own emotions were taking command again. Not in the good way though, Cubbi's current state just brought up old memories of failure. Times when he had not been there to help Cavin, times when his adventures had caused more harm than good, when he had let Zorlock take command, when he had nearly killed Tavi and attacked Plucki.
He had finally managed to focus, to not let the blasted place play memory after memory, but now…so close and yet so far, he gave in the desperation again and the memory flowed, in full color and imagery. The cries and shouts and screams of times when he had not been strong enough, when he had been foolish, when he'd been selfish. Times when he had proved he was not worthy to wear Gummadoon's uniform. Folding in on himself, he lost himself in tears. He usually didn't give into a desire to cry but what could he do here? They had set out to save Lucki and failed. Not only had they failed but they had released Emi from her prison. Now, they had come so close to an exit only for that to be denied as well. Cubbi knew that knights didn't give up but he felt so alone, so depressed, so angry, so full of so many not-feel-good emotions that he wanted to burst.
"I bet that's why you can't get out you know."
Lifting his head, his vision clouded with tears and the atmosphere full of rain, the cub blinked, staring at the pink cub that hovered in front of him.
"What're you talkin' about?" Cubbi demanded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He didn't like how this sounded.
Aldi smiled a little, shaking his head "Just what I said. All these." he gestured around him to the thundering storm reminiscent of Cubbi's turbulent emotional state. "Remember what you learned 'bout the prison? They made sure it wouldn't release her until it was safe. It wouldn't let her out because she had all kinds of bad thoughts towards others—"
"I'm not thinkin' like she did!" Cubbi snapped, his eyes flashing, "I don't think like that!" He was full of anger suddenly and his eyes fired that emotion directly at Aldi.
Unfazed, Aldi drifted closer, put his hands on Cubbi's shoulders, well, as much as a spirit could. In this emotional and spiritual plane, it was more like having a faint mist blowing in your face, forcing you to pay attention to it. "No but you're thinking bad 'bout yourself! That's just as bad!" Aldi scowled, "Papa used to scold me for it just as much as if I'd broken any other rule."
"You blame me?" Cubbi countered, "How can I not think that way? After what I did?" He grasped his ears tightly.
"You didn't come here to release Emi" Aldi reminded him, "You came here to help Tavi save her brother. Emi just took that emotion and ran with it!"
Shaking his head, Cubbi turned away, "You say that like it erases what happened. Emi's still loose." He refused to turn back and look at Aldi, "Still my fault…"
Gummadoon
"So, that's our plan?"
Plucki nodded to Gruffi's inquiry. "We are as fortified as we can be for the moment. Our next order of business is freeing Cubbi and Tavi. From what we know, the exits are areas of great memory and importance."
Gumlittle gave a grim nod, "There could be quite a few of those about." He admitted, "Our city is quite old." He was trying to stay as focused on the task at hand as he could. Blastus had informed them of the splitting of the other groups, including Lucki going with a team to Lady Bane's palace. As breakable as he was, as vulnerable as he was…Gumlittle wanted to just rush out after them and pull him into his arms but that would not solve anything. Likewise, Toni was fortified in the main council chamber, guarding that sacred book. As much as he understood why a cub was needed to do so, the fact that it was such a dangerous position did not escape him. Martinni was rushing about, delivering messages from knight to knight. Such brave lads, all his trainees yet the inability to keep them from this horror cut at his heart. No point in lamenting over it though. No lives saved that way. Best thing to be done was to focus on freeing Cubbi and Tavi and preparing as best they could for an assault. If they were lucky, perhaps the rescued children may have gained some information. If not, then at least they knew they were safe. The sooner they retrieved them from that dark, horrific, soul-sucking atmosphere, the better.
Zummi eyed the knights, "So, we should separate and each oeek out son…er, each seek out one." He advised, "While we are not residents of Gummadoon, I could still sense places of strong magic." He eyed the knights "And I must contribute somehow."
"Just tell us what are the most likely areas," Sunni cut in, standing up "You must have SOME idea!" She was ready to go, ready to act. Something had to be done and sitting here wasn't accomplishing anything.
The knights nodded and Ramsei spoke out, "Yes, we could narrow it down to the top most likely areas. However, I don't like the idea of our guests being about without some back up, some protection." He gave Sunni a small smile, a rare one, "As strong as you've shown yourself to be, Sunni Gummi, we are dealing with a threat beyond what you've experienced."
"Sunni'll stick with me," Gruffi cut in, folding his arms, "Ain't nothin' gettin' past me to get to her." It was rare he made such a declaration as he didn't think of himself as a fighter but he meant it. Cubbi had already been lost, he wasn't losing another cub too. Tummi, as soon as they had pried him from Martinni, they'd sent to help Lady Ivori with the cubs. Tummi, as always, did as he was told. Seemed a bit happy about it actually. He always did have a soft spot for cubs. One reason Cubbi could wrap him around his finger if he wanted to. The cubs, naturally, were deep in the keep of Gummadoon. That meant Tummi would be too and that eased Gruffi's heart considerably.
"Be that as it may," Plucki replied "I'd feel better if Ramsei went with you as well. He knows the city well and if our first target doesn't seem to be the answer, Ramsei has enough knowledge of the city to seek out a second." Plucki frowned, "In the marketplace, there's the foundation stone, where the first stone of the city was laid, that may be a good starting point. It's fairly large and many fountains about it, commemorating starts and beginnings."
That seemed to pacify Gruffi who took Sunni by the hand as the blue knight came to stand by their side.
"Blastus," Plucki turned to his younger brother, sitting silently with Corvi laying against his side. "You and Zummi should seek out the possibilities in the old council chambers, the original ones at the base. There are several and memories of triumph will linger there." The old council chambers had been converted into storage rooms and greenhouses when the need for larger space because evident but the old emblems remained. "Corvi may be able to provide some translation if there are any clues remaining that may be useful."
Nodding firmly, Corvi stood with his mentor as the old gummi wizard rushed to their side.
Gumlittle eyed his brother, "I'll take over the fortifications," he informed his Captain, "Blastus has done most of the work but it won't hurt to add a second pair of eyes to catch any weak points."
Plucki nodded, "Agreed. I'll seek out any possible clues in the libraries." He paused, trying to keep his thoughts focused. Becoming emotional and panicked would do little good, even if all he wanted to do was scream at the unfairness of this all. Who knew what Cubbi was enduring in that prison? Or Tavi? If the prison chambers they had visited had been any indication…he shuddered to think of it. Cubbi had such a bright, beautiful spirit. Spending time in a place like that…would it crumble it? Smother it? Strangle it? Imagining that poor cub, spirit broken…it turned Plucki's stomach and his arms ached, longing to hold the cub in his arms to make sure he was safe, he was well.
Like they often ached for Aldi…it was the same longing, different child but same intensity. Plucki would not rest until he knew Cubbi was safe. He would not. Could not.
"Dismissed."
Forest Outside Gummadoon's Gates
Emi Gummi took a final look at herself. The shape shifting spell had worked wonders and her handiwork had done the rest. She had put the body through hell—broken a leg and an arm, torn the fur and skin to shreds in places so that he was coated in blood and even delivered a black eye. All and all, it was a believable state yet not one that would demand panic that he was going to perish. It was an excellent damaged-but-alive state. Anyone who stumbled across him would think him to be a victim of some vicious attack and if there was one thing predictable about all gummies, it was their compassion.
Taking a breath to ready her act, she stumbled from the forest edge, towards the gates ahead. She wished she knew the knights by name on the wall as it would be more convincing but there turned out to be no need. She had barely gotten out into the light and breathed a "hel-" before shouting and cries erupted and gummies became clambering down the city barricades, rushing at her. "Tim! Tim!" they cried and she hid her smile. Oh, yes, as predictable as always with that compassion.
"Tim!" the first knight that reached her facade, a light blue knight, swiftly knelt down and put his arm around the left shoulder, "Tim, what happened?!"
"…attacked." 'He' wheezed out, "Sarrani…did you…see…Sarrani?"
Another knight, yellow in shade rushed to take the other side, "Sarrani? We've not seen her…"
"She…must be here!" Emi struggled, slightly letting the body's injuries inflict pain to limit the movement, even as she turned the eyes as if she were going to rush back for the wood, "She…has…to be…"
"Relax, Timothi," the blue knight stated, "We'll find her. I'll lead a search party myself but we have to get you looked at first! Gum, how are you even still walking?"
"…have to." She gasped out as they passed through the entranceway as one unit. A faint burning cut into her but it did not reject her, not with so many other gummies (as four other knights met them at the entryway) taking its attention. They made their way over the threshold and made for the palace.
She was in.
Cubbi's Prison
Aldi had stopped talking because Cubbi had stopped talking. What was the point of it? He had found an exit and he was blocked. He could see gummies rushing by. Could SEE them. That had been bad enough but then…
Plucki. He'd seen Plucki rush by. He'd screamed, yelled, pounded his fists on the barrier until his voice should have given out. The atmosphere about him had turned so cold, rainy, windy. As he pleaded, begged Plucki to hear him, to see him, to know he was there. To help him! The knight had heard nothing. When his form, that strong commanding form vanished from Cubbi's view, his spirits, what little that remained, had sank.
It was dark and yet not dark. Well, it was dark like a place looked when you turned out the light but every so often shapes would take form and become bright as day. There wasn't a floor per say and yet he could walk. Sometimes. At other times, he was falling, floating, flying. Then just as suddenly, he would stop, as if a force pulled him to a halt, a force that he could not see. He had given up fighting it. Just let it whip him about. Made no difference.
It seemed like forms come and went like the morning mist here. Dissolving and then reforming, dissolving and reforming. As far as Cubbi could tell, there was no rhyme or reason to it! He would see darkness then suddenly flashes of a library, or of a bedroom or some such. It wasn't like with his emotions creating storm or calm. This was different. It hadn't started until he'd been practicing that spirit thing with Aldi. Had that triggered something?
He did know that he felt cold. Not physically cold but a different kind of cold. The kind of cold that was internal. This place felt...lonely. Isolated. He knew that a prison was meant to teach but this prison didn't seem like it was doing much healing, which he knew was supposed to be the purpose. If anything, it carried the weight of loss, of pain. Did that just mean that Emi hadn't been trying to heal? It was a prison that was built on emotion, he had gotten that much from the limited information they had found and the crazy weather he'd experienced thus far. So, did that mean she had simply been focused on pain, on loss, on her victories? Had she not been LETTING the place heal her?
Cubbi frowned. Tavi and the magicians had said that emotion was the lifeblood of gummi magic. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the magic. They had been so scared, so desperate when they sealed her in here. Had that created an effect? Emotion certain seemed to dictate things here. When they had first been cast in here, Cubbi remembered distinctly feeling cold, alone, surrounded by spirits, feeling like he was going to suffocate under the weight of the emotion.
And the images...
He preferred to forget the images that had first popped up, surrounded him. When he had remembered himself enough to calm...the silent formless storms had been better. When Aldi had taught him about centering the emotion, about feeling with his spirit, that had calmed the atmosphere. It was only when that utter desperation hit him again that this dreary darkness had taken over.
Emotion had everything to do with this place. He'd seen that when he was frightened or angry, the place reacted. However, there had to be more to it than that. They'd made this place to heal Emi, right? So…did that mean he could see different images? Images that weren't those scary horrible ones he'd first seen? Could he focus on something positive, something that might help the soul? As Tummi was fond of reminding them, the Great Gummies had never done anything small and if this prison had been designed to not only contain but heal then there had to be more to it. Had to be.
To test his theory, he closed his eyes, focused on old memories. Happy memories. Memories of triumph. When he first met Cavin. The last Festival of the First Snow. His last birthday. Meeting Plucki for the first time. Plucki settling down with him at night, reading to him. Meeting the other squires, sharing a cake as they celebrated Toni's birthday a few months ago. So safe, so happy, so warm. Family. A sense of belonging, of celebration…
Cubbi opened his eyes and about choked.
The atmosphere around him was completely altered! He was standing in the main meeting hall of the Glen but years ago! He saw what had to be Tummi! But he was younger! Maybe...Flynn's age or so. Tiny, though still with a bit of a belly, standing on his tiptoes around a beautiful orange colored gummi woman, with long flowing yellow hair. A tall bulky male gummi stood next to her, bright yellow in color with darker golden hair and a small beard, smirking proudly. Cubbi took a step forward, realizing he could move but that the scene continued both around and through him. A giddy gummi lady walked right though him and he realized, after a moment, that it was Grammi! Younger but it was her! Looking around, he saw a purple gummi that had to be a younger Zummi and a gruff brown bear that managed a smile when the orange seated gummi lady punched his arm. Yep, that was Gruffi. And a handful of other gummies that he didn't recognize.
Creeping closer, he peered at the orange gummi lady and saw a bundled yellow cub in her lap. The baby cub opened her eyes and Cubbi instantly recognized Sunni's eyes! This was Sunni's birth! He focused on happy memories and the prison showed him this.!
And not just showed. He could HEAR them! All of their voices! Sunni's mother's voice was eerily like hers if a bit more higher pitched! Her father had a deep baritone, reminded him of Sir Gumlittle's tone. Tummi had a little kid voice, sounded weird to not hear Tummi's usual deep tone! This treble sounded like his almost! Plus, there was music being played in the background, on all kinds of instruments. No one played any instruments when he was a kid. Wow...they used to have some talented gummies.
He could SMELL the room, full of fruits and sweet meats and gummiberry cake. The wonderful feeling of family, of belonging, it absolutely smothered him.
Much as he wanted to stay, to relish this, he had to try again. He needed to see if he could direct the memories a little bit. He closed his eyes again as the images about him dissipated into mist of all colors and the sounds and smells vanished as with the dawn. He focused his memory, his thoughts solely on one person, on himself. It felt selfish a bit but he needed to see what else he could uncover. They were stuck here, for the moment, he could at least utilize it! So he focused on himself, on ...well, he found he was focusing on the memories he did not have access to. Gruffi always said that the Glen was "home to the gummies" and Grammi always said "home remembers."
Opening his eyes, Cubbi felt tears prickle in them.
In front of him was that dark violet colored gummi woman he saw in his dreams sometimes, pacing, with a wrapped pinked bundle in her arms. A dark blue colored gummi followed her, laughing like some kind of maniac. So, this was his mother and father, eh? He could see his build in his father, least a little bit, and his father seemed to have his energy but the rest of it. He saw it in his mother ten-fold. Her voice was a little coarse, not as feminine sounding as he had imagined.
He supposed he could have stood there for hours, just watching, observing. Memorizing how they looked, how they sounded. However, this was not where he was meant to be. He was still trapped and he needed to find a way out but beyond that, he still needed answers on Emi. They still needed to know why this incredible prison, with access to all kinds of memories had not healed her heart...
Cubbi frowned and the image around him disintegrated to dust. So, he could seek out memories based on his own emotions. So, did that mean he could seek out something about Emi? She lived here too! He didn't know how old she was but he knew she was old. He had been able to see Sunni's birth and he hadn't been born yet then. So, could he go even further back? Even if he didn't know anyone from when she was living here?
Cubbi sighed, looked around the eternal blackness about him. He could not just linger here. Emi was free. Their loved ones were in danger. He had to get out of here. He had to warn them but beyond that, he needed to know what to do! The prison had not changed her in the slightest so what was the next step? They couldn't kill her. Despite how dangerous she was, the thought of killing her made Cubbi sick. He really didn't know why but something...something deep in his gut, told him that something else was afoot.
Well, his gut instinct about coming here without adult aid had proved to be spot on so why not investigate this thought as well?
Closing his eyes a moment to focus, he opened them, looked around, "I want to help her, I want to stop her. You're home, Glen. Can't you show me...tell me about Emi Gummi!"
For a moment, nothing then the landscape around him shifted and changed, becoming the room they had passed through into that hall but new. A small girl, about his age, sat on her bed, kicking her legs back and forth. Dark violet fur, so dark it was nearly black with midnight black hair to her waist. She held a look of utter frustration as she jotted down on a scroll. She spoke Old Gummi as she wrote and even without knowing the words, Cubbi understood frustration when he heard it. Her face and just…the feeling in the room.
"So…that's Emi," he breathed to himself. A young conflicted Emi but Emi…
And beyond that, he felt her emotions. Well, maybe not felt, but it was like the emotion in the room was put into a form he could understand. Not quite a translation of the words she was writing but a general gist-she had been talking with a human sorceress, named Celina. She enjoyed learning about human magic but the woman was getting more and more curious about gummi magic, it made her uneasy. The confusion and frustration was quite apparent. She was feeling divided, like she wasn't sure which way to turn. The way she laid her head onto her book at the end, not even bothering to consider she was now painting her face with ink, pretty much clarified that statement.
Frowning, Cubbi tried to reach out, emotionally, as weird as that sounded. He wanted to know how she ended this conflict with the human sorceress. He'd asked and apparently, the Glen was answering. If it was showing him this then there had to be something afoot. Something he was supposed to pull from this moment. What though? That she had been making conversation with a sorceress named Celina? He wished she could see what this sorceress looked like or know more about her but he was getting just her emotions.
"So…what did you end up doing, Emi?" he inquired aloud to himself. He closed his eyes, tried to reach out with his spirit like Aldi had been teaching him. To inquire, to wonder, to desire about the welfare of this gummi girl…
The room shifted again, though only to show the passage of time. It was the same room, though with clothes thrown about. He saw the same girl again, this time with a...with...a...
Well, Gum, it looked like a girl version of him! More so than even Tavi resembled him. Right down to the eyes! And Emi was calling her Naomi. So, this was the cousin that Emi ended up killing? It ...something else had to have happened! The two girls he was watching were talking and laughing and chattering like Sunni and Calla did all the time! Cubbi cpuld FEEL the connection between them! It was the same feeling he got when he was around Sunni or aroun Tummi! That closeness of siblingness, that sense of you're one of my dearest friends and no one is ever going to touch you! No way! What had happened? This Emi sounded NOTHING like the gummi the trial and stories talked about! The way she was lying on the bed with Naomi perched right next to her, covering his mouth, laughing. They looked…FELT like two normal gummi girls! What the heck…?!
Shift again.
This time, Cubbi recognized a library, or at least one that looked similar to the one he knew. Emi Gummi was pleading with her aunt (he assumed) to be allowed to learn a little magic, that it was in her blood. Her aunt, gently but firmly, refusing. Emi, being frustrated but still relenting but leaving in a huff. Oh, that emotion he recognized. That feeling of utter desperation, of rejection, of wanting to be heard, of feeling like you were screaming for someone to understand and o one was even glancing up. He had felt it a few times, being the youngest and he felt that from Emi now, that and a strong desire to show she was her mother's daughter, a desire to be proud of that blood she carried. A pride and longingness that drove her to leave the Glen…
…to seek out that sorceress again, despite a feeling of uncertainty about the woman that leaked off her. Once she left the Glen, Cubbi could sense nothing else.
"What happened?" he cried to darkness. "She hadda to have come back! What happened! I needa know what happened! She was happy, she was good! What happened?!"
When it shifted again, Cubbi had to fight to keep from being sick. Oh, it was not the murders or anything like that but when Emi entered the room this time, her face was different, cold. Not emotionless per say but darker, colder. She looked like she was his age or so now. So, a few years going by...but that was not what was bothering Cubbi. Oh, no. See, he could hear voices here. But, the spell picked up on emotions, not on verbalizations. So, he did not hear what was said per say, so much as what was felt.
And what he felt was:
Violation. Trapped. Prisoner. Helpless. Forgive me!
And a completely different emotion of triumph, of disgusting manipulation accomplished.
Cubbi knew that feeling. Oh, dear Gum, did he know it. The helplessness, the disgust at yourself, the frustration, the fear, the anger...
The force of the shock forced the image away. He sat there, on his hands and knees, panting. "So...that's what happened. It wasn't Emi at all..."
It made so much sense, so much sense. A prisoner, a victim in her own body, so much like he was and how long had she…but why didn't she fight back? He had tried, surely she must have tried. As angry as she had been, she had not felt hate for her family. She must have fought back…
A surge of so many emotions and images that Cubbi felt dizzy.
Attacking a librarian in front of the Great Book-pleading, begging, that sickening feeling of I'll-do-anything-just-stop-it-ness!
Attacking the leader of the Glen—No! No! Anger…frustration, pleading, pushing, such a strong attempt to force them away.
Yet with each attack, he felt the emotion of…of whatever that sorceress was as well—the cackling, the triumph, the power, but most disturbing of all, just an overall sense of-"I. Will. Break. You."
All those attacks, all those deaths, the ones that weren't connected to magical items or books, they were ALL to shatter Emi's spirit! To make her surrender, to make her give up! All that killing, she was trying to shatter her will…Cubbi's spirit felt ill, he wavered in image in response but then, that moment…that one moment he had hoped not to see.
Naomi.
Emi's screeching at the one holding her prisoner. Her yells of retaliation, of a promise of justice, her threats. That evil sorceress' laughing. Her utter, sickening joy. Poor Naomi's fear, her pleading, her thoughts of 'my baby, my baby' as Emi had wrapped her hands around her throat. Her cries, pleading emotions until her body fell limp. Emi's screeching, the pain of when one's heart and spirit shattered into pieces. Emi's sobbing, her broken, 'I'll-stop-fighting-I'll-stop-just-please-no-more-ness.
"Stop." Cubbi pleaded, clamping his hands over his eyes. "Stop it. I've seen what I need to see."
The emotions of Emi, of that sorceress stopped but not because of Cubbi's pleading. When he uncovered his eyes, the image was still there. "I said stop!" he repeated.
The image remained except now, he felt another emotion.
Determination.
Naomi moved.
But…wait…she was listed as one of the dead? She had been. In all accounts. So what was…what was the Glen showing him this for? Why? Was it…was threre something else? Something hidden? Something important? Why else would he keep having to see this? See this girl DIE?
She crawled. Pain, so much pain, and yet…joy…life. A baby crying.
So…her baby hadn't died? Cubbi's eyes went wide.
Pain and fear from that child. Losses, so many losses. Dead sons…over and over.
Then, finally…life…life that lingered at times but maintained. Life that preserved. Survived. A daughter.
Dark purple. Pink hair, laughing, far less feminine than he had thought with a blue colored mate and a pink son…
"STOP!"
The room shattered like glass and Cubbi crumbled into a ball.
"No, no, no." He repeated to himself. "I…that's…"
Naomi's son had lived.
Her son had raised one daughter, with five sons dying before they reached adulthood.
His daughter had lived a short time but long enough to marry her mate and bear a son.
A pink furred son with a spirit full of adventure and desire for knighthood.
Him.
Shaking, crying, Cubbi whimpered, "Plucki…" he felt so lost, so lost, so lost…
Gummadoon Library
Plucki poured over book after book, tossing them haphazardly aside when he was done. Their original targets had proven without product. They were no closer to finding their lost ones. Ramsei had called upon some of their historians and they were all currently exploring the options those gummies suggested. As for himself, he had opted to seek out their books, their records of accomplishments, for clues, for possible places that they may have overlooked. Lumina said the exits were here. So where were they?! Where was Cubbi?!
Plucki had spared whatever knights he could and sent them on similar searches when the first attempts failed. As it was, most of Gummadoon's force, even if they were patrolling, were looking. It was rare for Plucki to utilize his power as Captain of Gummadoon's forces but he was utilizing them in full force now. He had to find Cubbi. He had to.
Cubbi and Tavi were alive, they had not been killed, that much had been determined but that prison…that prison that lingered in that dark…heartless chamber… that was not acceptable to him. He WOULD find his squire. He would—
"Sir Plucki, take a moment. I'll take over."
Plucki turned, nearly growled at his brother-in-law. "No. Any news, Sir Ramsei?" His tone was sharp clipped, as he pulled open another record book, searching for another possible hidden exit. They had exhausted so many already that he had to dismiss a lot of what he found because they had already tried there. Tried and with nothing to show for it!
"None yet, Captain," the knight replied, with a touch of concern in his voice. "But we are looking. We've contacted Historian Kedi. He may have some other ideas and we are ready to pursue them as soon as we know of their locactions." Ramsei stepped forward, a hand on his Captain's shoulder. "Plucki, take some time. You are going to destroy yourself with this obsession-"
"Don't." He spat poisonously at his fellow knight, "Don't say it, Ramsei. Just don't." His eyes were dangerous, more dangerous than Ramsei remembered them being.
"Plucki-"
"It's getting to the point where I can't help it, Ramsus." The golden furred gummi admitted, shrugging off the knight's hand on his shoulder. "It's not healthy, I know. My son is dead. But when I look at Cubbi...I'm beginning to see the son I lost. And I fear for him as if he were my own son, reborn."
Ramsei looked ready to protest, to screech that this was what he had been fearing, been warning, but what could he say? His brother-in-law was being truthful and one had little control over their hearts. He saw pain there, in his Captain's eyes. Pain he had not seen in years and pain he had no desire to see ever again. Pain he HAD to take away.
"I…have to find him. Cubbi. My Cubbi. I have to.." Plucki set his elbows on the table, buried his face in his palms, allowed himself one moment of weakness, one moment to weep in utter despair.
The blue knight approached, took his brother in a strong embrace, saying, "We will find them, Plucki. I swear it."
Cubbi's Prison
Cubbi had taken to rocking back and forth, silently sobbing to himself. Oh, to have seen it. To have felt it, felt all that pain, that agony. And he couldn't tell anyone. Emi had finally been stopped from killing, stopped from causing all that pain and feeling all that misery and he had let her out, let that sorceress free to torment her all over again. To torment her race…HIS race. All his fault. While he was grateful to have learned so much, it had done nothing to make him feel any better. If anything, he felt even worse. Like he deserved nothing more than to linger here forever. Served him right. His fault, his fault…
Aldi's spirit appeared, silently at his side, frowned, asked, softly, "You think Papa will hate you for it?" He tried. Cubbi's depression was spreading. If it happened for much longer, he might not be able to get out of here at all! He HAD to save him. He had to get him out of here! Aldi could not see everything Cubbi had seen but he had seen that the cub had uncovered something. Something that had led to the entire landscape turning ice cold and pouring sleet. Something that made the brave boy curl into a fetal position and sob.
Jerking at the accusation from his mentor's fallen son, Cubbi's voice caught and Aldi interrupted him before he could answer, "That's stupid, Cubbi, Papa won't be mad at you. Isn't your fault."
Not his fault. Yeah right. How could…he had let her out. He hadn't stopped Tavi in time! He had not listened to his heart, like he was supposed to! All these things he had done and it had cost his kind dearly. He probably had just signed his race's death warrant. And knowing what the REAL Emi was probably going through now…
Not convinced, Cubbi made no response so the son of Plucki and Illsi frowned, thinking. "Why don't you ask Papa yourself?"
"..Say what?" Cubbi's heart skipped a beat, just briefly.
Aldi shrugged. "Gummi spirits can call to one another you know." he spoke it like it was common knowledge. "Papa calls to me and Mama every so often so we'll come and just hug him. Makes him feel better." Aldi drew away a little but kept a hold on Cubbi's hands. "I betcha that you could talk to him here. Just call to him." He smiled, "Remember how I taught you to center your emotion and 'talk.' Like that!"
"Call to him? Aldi, ...that's different than how this place works. I mean, sorta the same but…. I dunno how to call to spirits!" He frowned. He had called to the Glen itself but he had tried to call to Plucki before, when he first found that exit. Nothing. "Remember when I tried to call to him before?" he reminded Aldi, "Didn't work then."
Aldi rolled his eyes, "You weren't doing it right. You were trying to call like the flesh call. You have to call like the spirit call."
Cubbi looked at Aldi, eyes wet and red, so desperate, so scared, so lost. Aldi wanted to pull him out of the prison himself but he had no ability to do that. Trying to stay focused, the son of Plucki, stated "You...just focus on them. Think about my Papa. Think about wanting to connect with him. Your soul should do the rest...I think." He really didn't know how else to describe it. He was just so used to doing it. While they didn't do it a lot, when he'd been alive, he and Papa would go to the burial grounds some times and relish in Grandpa's spirit. Hearing that Cubbi had no idea was a shocker though after how hard it was for him to learn to focus his spirit, maybe it shouldn't have been. Perhaps this would be good in more ways than one.
"Great." Cubbi commented with a sneer but it was a lot more than he had before. He felt cold suddenly though. What if Aldi was wrong? What if he called to Plucki and felt so much anger and disappointment and...
"What if you don't though?" Aldi asked simply before vanishing away, like dew in the morning sun. Ghosts liked to do that and Aldi was no exception, but it had left Cubbi with something to consider. He was afraid, deeply afraid, but he wanted to...he DID want to see Plucki again. He NEEDED to see Plucki again! Needed that comfort, that protection…
He didn't want to be stuck here forever and if he could talk to him, just a little bit, maybe he could warn him or...
Trembling a little at the prospect of being utterly rejected by the knight who was so dear to his heart, Cubbi shivered as the landscape around him turned snowy and icy to reflect that mind numbing fear. But...he was a knight to be. Knights didn't run from fears. Isn't that what Plucki had taught him? Couldn't he honor that?
Closing his eyes, Cubbi focused, as much as he could, nearly starting to cry again, but tried to think of the knight. Of his looks, of his voice, of his scent, of the overall...feeling...he got when the knight was around him. He would think it would be hard but surprisingly, it came easily. He could almost feel the knight right next to him.
"Sir Plucki, please..."
Plucki would have normally contributed the feeling to being stressed, to being so worried, to being nearly sick with so many emotions but something felt familiar about it. Hard to put his hand on it but it definitely felt like he'd felt this kind of call before. Plucki was one to preach quite often that a knight's heart was their greatest attribute and that it will guide you if you take the time to listen to it. So, while he had every intention of plowing through another collection of books before seeking out if there had been any success with the other teams looking for answers regarding his squire and Tavi (despite Ramsei assuring him that he would be the first to know if something was uncovered) when he felt a tug at his heart that he couldn't explain, he set about isolating the cause.
Thus far, he had wandered the halls, simply going where it felt the strongest. He finally stopped in front of that blasted tapestry. That was where he was feeling this tug. It wasn't Emi, that never even occurred to him. This was a familiar feeling, like when you see someone again after a long time and while their name may escape you, all those good memories still remain. He _knew_ this presence.
Oh…Gum….could this be…
The knight reached out, daring to hope, touched the aged threads and closed his eyes. His heart took care of the rest.
Cubbi fell backward (or would have had he been on solid ground) when the landscape in front of him shifted, changed. Winds of snow and ice still blew as rain still fell and he still felt so heavy and lost but...then, in front of him, though it was translucent and faint, much fainter than when he had seen Aldi, was his mentor!
"Sir Plucki!" he cried, reaching out for his mentor, only for him to pass right through him. He swiftly jumped back to his knees and turned back around. Oddly, the image dissolved and then seemed to reform in the state of strong arms around his body.
"Cubbi, Great Gum…Cubbi?!" The knight's tone carried panic, relief and...yes, no anger! None! Oh, please let it remain so...
"Plucki!" The cub sobbed, whole-heartedly and wished more strongly than ever that he could touch this form. He could feel the knight's arms around him but if he tried to respond, he passed right through it. "Emi's..."
"We know, lad." Came Plucki's soft tone, comforting. It sent a warmth though Cubbi's body that shook some of the wetness and ice from his bare fur. Hard to describe...imagine the warmth you get from a fire on a chilly snowy day when you have a hot cup of chocolate only it comes from inside and spreads through your entire form. That was what it felt like. "She's free but she has not attacked yet. We are on the alert-"
"But it's my fault!" Cubbi screeched again and the winds around them began to roar, dropping so much rain that Cubbi's hair draped into his eyes, soaked through with water. "I...I didn't stop Tavi in time. Emi tricked us. We shoulda gotten you! We shoulda told you what we were doing! We shoulda-"
"Shh," Plucki's tone was gentle. No anger, no hate. Just that gentle understanding that was reminiscent of the brave knight's persona. "Calm yourself, lad. Look at me."
Lifting his face, stained with tears, Cubbi sniffed and wiped his nose with his forearm. The Gummadoon Captain smiled at the boy, filling Cubbi's heart with that pride, with that sense of acceptance. Despite the faintness of the knight's appearance, he still reached out and wiped at the tears in the boy's eyes. "No tears, my boy. Calm. Deep breath for me."
Nodding, Cubbi obeyed.
"Again."
Cubbi complied and the raging winds seemed to settle.
"Once more."
With the third breath in and out, the storm calmed and Cubbi had to admit, he felt much more settled. Weird that simply breathing could do that to you.
"That's a good lad. Now," the knight's words, again, were gentle. "Talk to me." Again, those half-mist like arms settled about him. Oh, how he wished he could truly lean into this embrace. Gum, he needed it!
"T-tavi said that she had found a way to save her brother. Said she had to go now. Said Destini tol' her and that it was in the Glen." Cubbi took a breath, inhaled, wished again he could smell the knight's strong scent but he found he had another comfort. A soft yet strong presence that seeped through his body, apparently from the spiritual form of his mentor. It...was...well, when he was sick, Grammi used to stroke his hair to comfort him. This presence that spread throughout him was quite similar.
"I see." Again, no judgment from the knight, just acknowledgement.
"She...she was so scared Plucki, so worried. I couldn't...I couldn't just let her stand there and cry. So...I went with her. I shoulda...we shoulda known it was a trick but we thought...maybe that because it was something so powerful it was close by to keep Emi contained. I shoulda talked to you. I tol' Tavi somethin' didn't feel right. You always tell me to listen to my heart and I didn't. Well, I guess...I guess I did but I listened to it too late. I...Gum, I'm sorry, Plucki!"
"Shh." Plucki's voice was different than before. It sounded similar to when Cubbi had rushed to him with that nightmare of becoming Zorlock. Strong, yet gentle. Comforting. He felt the knight's presence about his head and wondered, if they had been truly solid, the gummi most likely would have been cradling him into his chest, holding his head. Plucki seemed to do that when something was afoot. "Shh, calm your heart, my boy. I'm not angry. You should not be either."
"But we let Emi-"
"No." Plucki argued. "You followed the most vital aspect of a knight's duty-to help others. Is it not the duty of a knight to defend others, to save those that cannot save themselves?" He inquired softly
"Y..yeah." Cubbi agreed.
"Yes, you are correct in that you should have informed us before leaving but answer me this-would Tavi had waited?"
"N-no." Cubbi shook his head, "I don't think so. And...she...she looked so scared Plucki, so worried. I _HATE_ those eyes!"
"Because you have the knight's heart, lad." Plucki's voice reassured him again. "You strove only to help her, am I right?"
"Y..yeah." Cubbi agreed. "I just wanted...I wanted to make that fear she had go away."
"Noble, my lad. A noble motivation that some of my adult knights have to remember some days. Yes, you made a mistake but it was a mistake born of love, born of devotion." Plucki stroked the boy's head again, softly, saying, "I cannot be angry at such an act. Your heart acted before your mind. That is a flaw that I wish more had."
Closing his eyes, Cubbi relished in the feel, the sensation of the his mentor holding him so close. Relished in the knowledge that he was not reviled, that he was not hated, that his mistake was not going to haunt him for all time. "I'm so sorry Plucki..." he said again.
"You are forgiven my boy." Plucki said firmly, gently. "I see your devotion, your reasoning. I've already told you that it is a mistake born from good intentions. Do not dwell on it."
Like a weight was suddenly lifted from his chest, Cubbi fnally smiled. To hear Plucki say it...he...he had done the best he could. Granted, he'd made a mistake but he couldn't have known it would have such dire consequences. All he had wanted to do was help Tavi, to make her stop hurting. It had gone horribly wrong but Gum, he wasn't bad for wanting to do that!
He gave a yelp of surprise as the entire landscape about him turned bright white, so white that he couldn't see. But Plucki's arms tightened around him, firm, steady. And his scent was comforting, strong, made him feell...
Wait, he could smell him?
Blinking, Cubbi opened his eyes and looked around.
Gone was the emptiness of the landscape. He recognized Gummadoon's hallway, by the library. Jerking his head behind him, he saw that blasted tapestry, with a faint white glow about it, slowly fading away. Looking down, he saw he was no longer that odd floating aura of himself but solid. Naked and soaking wet but solid. Gaping a bit, he looked upward.
His favorite knight was right there, arms still around him.
Blinking, in shock, Cubbi felt at the arms that were wrapped around him. Pinched them lightly, hit them lightly with his palms. They did not give under his touch. Fur met fur and flesh met flesh. Shaking, a little, he reached up, touched the knight's face with his hands, grasped his palms into that golden fur, let his fingers seep through that familiar beard a moment, before saying, feeling that odd raspiness that came when your throat-your actual physical throat-dry from not enough water: "P-plucki?"