Alright, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. I was busy studying for exams and completing final projects for the symester. I'll try not to take so long for the next one. BUT I would like a few more reviews, I'm taking, comments, concerns, suggestions and story ideas. I'm starting to come up with blanks again, so please help me out here! This story may depend on it.
Chapter 4
"She's waking up." Someone hissed by my ear. Oh man did I have a splitting headache! I groaned a little, very much involuntarily.
"Good." Sneered another voice, "Let's see what little miss pretty has to offer." That voice got louder and I could smell rancid breath right in my face. I'd had a hangover once (enough to put me off alcohol until the end of time) but it was nothing compared to this. So I did exactly what I'd done that time I'd woken up with said hangover.
I threw a punch. It was very satisfying I must say, particularly to hear the crunch of bone and a cry of indignation and pain that came from stinky-breath. I opened my eyes at that point and bolted upright into a sitting position. Big mistake on my part. My stomach churned and my head spun, I'd be willing to bet that I turned a peculiar shade of green. One hand went to my spinning head and the other to my stomach, however, I still managed to take note of my surroundings.
I was in a very dark room without windows that was lighted by a rather vulgar and ugly looking chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. I was on the floor, still in my sister's nightdress. The guys surrounding me were dressed in dull grey armour. There was another one, not in any armour but in fine silks with a chancellor's gold chain around his neck was hoping around screaming through his hands, which were cupped around his nose. There was blood gushing down from under them and between the fingers.
"Ohw! OW! Wat duh WHELL was dat?" he yelled indignantly, "Estain 'er!" he yelled, however, it seemed that the others didn't understand what he was saying. Actually, neither did I at that point, we all exchanged frowns of confusion.
"Estain 'er! 'Estain 'er!" he yelled again. There was a general murmur of 'Oohhhh, restrain her.' Before they turned on me. I jumped to my feet. Again, big mistake. It was not going to be pretty if I kept on doing this.
"I'm warning you." I said as menacingly as I could while holding back an intense wave of nausea "Don't touch me!"
"Ha! What are you going to do your highness?" one of them sneered "Projectile vomit at us?" another wave of intense nausea washed over me and this time I did gag, though nothing came up yet
"Don't." I said unsarcastically with a shake of my head, "Don't tempt me. What was in that stuff? What I drink? Uhhhhh." I groaned
"Dou didn't drink endyfing." The wizard said as he took out his wand. We all gave him the same critical and confused expression and said "Huh?" he removed his other hand and I felt quite smug at my handiwork. His long, bloody and rapidly swelling nose was at a marvellous angle. He tapped it with his glorified stick, making the swelling die down and the blood flow slow, though his nose was now crooked.
"Ahh. That's better. You didn't drink anything, my dear." He said smoothly
"Okay, lets get one thing straight," I said with more confidence then I felt at the moment (You try feeling anything other then miserable when you feel like you have the flu) "I'm nobody's dear." Suddenly his face fell
"Oh no." one of the guards moaned, "We've got the wrong one!"
"Say what?" I asked. Hmmn. A smart guard. This I hadn't counted on, or expected for that matter. Actually, it was kind of sad that he figured it out before the Wizard, who was supposedly intelligent in order to have past the trials and mastered the spells in order to become a magic user. Then again, he was probably a magic-school drop-out who thought he could do more.
"What is your name?" he growled
"You first!" I snapped when another unpleasant lurch racked my stomach, sending my hand flying to cover my mouth "Uh-oh…in a minute…no wait, never mind I'm good." I groaned, again managing to swallow it. Not pleasant "So…what d'you mean?" I continued, feigning surprise rather poorly.
"Great, I knew she had a sister, I didn't know the sister looked like her!" the Wizard moaned. I snorted and gave up the pretext. They knew I wasn't Ella. I guess our similarities are mostly skin deep.
"Alright, seriously, if you're going to abduct someone at least do a thorough background check first!" I tell them.
"What's there to know?" One of the lackeys asked, "She's rich, she's beautiful, she's a queen!"
"Okay, One: stop drooling over my sister. Two: What the blazes is going on?"
"As if we would tell you." The Wizard scoffed "Well, it's a shame she isn't the queen, but heroes work too. Boys, take her to the dungeon. Make sure it's nice and scary."
"Hey bub, you're dealing with a professional, remember? And I am NOT going until I have some answers." I snapped, adrenaline kicking in and overriding any last nausea I still felt as I crouched into a fighting stance.
"Yes, you will." The annoying little Magician replied. He snapped his fingers and the guard closest to me whipped out some kind of strange sphere. He pressed it and gas came out. I knew enough to hold my breath, but they barred the door and were holding cloths dipped in something over their mouths. My screaming lungs won and I inhaled the stuff, immediately noticing my vision blur and my knees go weak.
"You cowardly son of a…" Unfortunately I didn't get to finish my insult, for I hit the stone floor hard.
DERRICK'S POV
Derrick awoke to a strange smell during the night. Something wasn't right. He bolted into a sitting position and sniffed the air, keeping an ear out as well. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but no, something was wrong. He wasn't sure what, but he just knew it. With narrowed eyes he reached for his scabbard and belt, pulling it around his torso. HE had to synch it a little tighter than normal since the comfortable black cotton pants he slept in didn't have any belt loops. Quietly, he slinked out of his room, not bothering to put a shirt. His first thought was about his nephews and niece, after all children were so vulnerable and young princes and princesses were always targets. However, as he passed the hall with his sister's room he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. There was some kind of eyrie light within the room and something that sounded strange, a sort of whooshing sound. The smell was the same as had woken him up too.
Immediately he called the one thing that would be guaranteed to wake everyone up,
"FIRE! FIRE IN THE QUEEN'S ROOM!" okay, so a bit of a fib, but there was smoke coming out now. He kicked in the door just in time to see a strange little man floating in the air by the window controlling the strange black mist that gripped the young woman and was levitating her off the bed.
Derrick's eyes widened as he recognised the petite young woman with her blonde hair braided and swinging slightly. He let out a snarl of rage as he lunged for her, hitting the stone floor hard as he missed.
"NO!" He cried, slamming himself onto the window ledge and leaning out with his hands stretching as far as they could and grasping nothing but air. The Guards arrived characteristically late. Right behind them was the King, and to the Guard's surprise (but not Derrick'), the Queen, who was tying the sash of her dressing gown closed as she arrived with her husband.
"What's happened?" Eleanor asked
"What do you think?" her cousin-in-law snapped as he charged off, "Where's that Witch? Maybe she can lend me her carpet!"
"We're right here." Said a voice with a heavy Lockland Accent (A.N: AKA Scottish Accent) "And Sherry is a little busy at the moment."
"What is going on?" Conrad demanded "I insist that you tell me this instant!" They all moved as a sort stampede past the Dwarf and into one of the many Drawing rooms. Inside were Sherazade and Lucinda. The Exotic Witch was floating in mid air in a sitting position, a crystal ball was hovering in front of her. Several of her charms were glowing. Lucinda was standing next to her and gazing into the sphere.
"Where is she?" Derrick stormed, getting right up in the Godmother's face "Where's Chrystal?"
"Shh!" The Godmother hissed "She needs to concentrate. Come with me." She pulled him outside the room and shut the door
"Alright, what the-" the Prince stopped and looked over to a large potted fern where two little boys were crouched behind and stopped himself from swearing with considerable effort, "What the fudge is going on?"
"Look Laddy," Humphrey began, "Firstly, calm down, let us explain a few things."
"Get on with it then Dwarf."
"A'right a'righ. Look, for the past few months there has been a rash of disappearances from all across the world. Magical creatures, Royalty, Heroes, you name it. We had reason to believe that this kingdom would be next on the list, specifically one of the Royal Family such as the Queen or one of the Princes, or even the baby Princess." Lucinda continued. Ella gasped
"So that's why she wanted us to take the room next to the childrens'!"
"Aye." Humphrey nodded "And why she took your normal suite yer 'ighness."
"So you used her as bait?" Derrick fumed
"Bait is such a strong word…" Lucinda began
"Besides, it was her turn." The Dwarf added
"And her idea, not to mention her decision." Lucinda put in. "You see, we—meaning the Magic Counsel—are trying to track this thing that's been doing all of this abducting, and we could use an operative from the inside. Chrys is a big girl Derrick. She knows how to take care of herself."
"But we don't know what kind of a madman we're dealing with! For all we know, he could be sacrificing people to a dragon or something!" Ella exclaimed
"As overdramatic as that may be, my cousin is right! We have no idea what they could be doing to her!" the Prince cried
"Laddy, it's not like she hasn't done this before." Humphrey said "I remember one time she got herself captured by this--" he stopped at the Godmother's warning glare, "Oh right. That was one of the one's I'm not supposed to tell."
Just then Sherazade appeared at the door.
"I got as far as the High Mountain Pass before I hit a magic scrambler. I cannot track them any further."
"Just what does that mean?" Conrad asked
"It means, that we have no idea where she is." The Witch replied
"Oh no. You were right Sherazade. I'm sorry." Lucinda breathed
"Wait, just because I couldn't continue tracking the magic, doesn't mean we can't find her at all." The dark-skinned woman pointed out. She looked over at Derrick, "We could always go on a quest, that act in itself has a certain amount of subtle magic behind it by very way of Tradition."
"Hold on a second." Chrys's boyfriend exclaimed "Are you telling me that Chrys has become a damsel in distress and you want me to go rescue her? Talk about a twist. I'm in though."
"Hey, you aren't leavin' us behind!" The Dwarf exclaimed, "She's our partner, after all."
"You comin?" they asked Lucinda.
"I cannot. My roll is to assist when most needed. However, I can start you off on your noble journey." Said the beautiful Fairy Godmother, much to the exasperation of the worried boyfriend. Upon seeing his face, she waved her wand in a tight circle. Golden sparks issued from the tip and gathered together, forming some kind of object which she lowered into the Prince's outstretched hand. He stared down at the small object he was holding and frowned. However, when he looked up for conformation, Lucinda was already glowing and fading away as she magically transported herself out of the Castle. Sherry rolled her eyes at this
"Drama Queen." She muttered.
