Part Two

Chapter Thirteen - Evendale Forest

Felix felt a gentle breeze of cold air kiss his forehead as he swam in blackness…he focused and slowly opened his eyes.

He was spread out on a small bed, next to him was another bed in which Cassandra was sitting, her back to him, looking the opposite way.

"Ah you're awake." A mans voice caused Felix to turn his head to see an unfamiliar man by the door. "Captain James wants you two to come up to the bridge now."

"Felix, ah you're awake!" Cassandra cried, turning to beam at him.

"Yeah…" Felix ran a hand across his face, he smelled of smoke. "What happened?"

"When the deck collapsed we were dropped into a burning room where we are all knocked unconscious by the smoke and gases, we would have probably all died, the knight included but Talim rescued us, she blew out the flames and rid the room of smoke. Hurin and Talim carried us here to recover, that was about…ten minutes ago?"

"Oh…" Felix nodded, standing up, rather shakily. "What about the knight, Galamore?"

"I dunno…" Cassandra replied. "We can ask James when we see him."

"Right" Felix agreed moving to the ships door (the crewman had gone). "We should get going then."

"Yeah…" Cassandra agreed moving to stand with him. "You sure you're alright, I still feel a bit shaky myself after the crash and everything."

"I'll be fine." Felix replied moving out of the room. "Just a little dizzy"

They moved out together into the ships corridor.

Everything was at a slight angle, bits of debris and wood littered the corridor, Felix could hear the crackling of flames around the ship and smell the smoke but it didn't seem close, as they walked down the corridor he saw a small portcullis and stopped to look out of it.

Outside he could see almost nothing, blackness was everywhere, tall, creeping trees obscured the night sky, the only light was that which was cast by the burning flames in the bow of the airship.

Felix shivered and moved on with Cassandra.

It was quite sometime before they reached the bridge. Several corridors had been blocked by falling wood and a fire was burning in another area which running crewmen pushed by going to with large buckets of water. Everyone had a dishevelled glaze to them; Felix wondered what was going to happen next.

Finally they reached the airships bridge that rose up over the rest of the ship, now it was tilted even worst at an angle making it somewhat disorientating to go up the stairs into the bridge. As they entered, Felix saw James standing with Hurin and Talim in the middle of what looked like a deep conversation. When Felix and Cassandra walked over James stopped talking to Hurin and waved them closer.

"Ah! I was wondering when you would get here." James nodded to them both, he smelled of smoke and his clothes were singed around the edges, it seemed he had been down in the ship fighting flames. "We are in a bit of a crisis." He finished looking somewhat mockingly out of the windows that allowed a view of the cracked hull of the theatre ship.

"No kidding…" Cassandra murmured.

"Did we at least get the crystal?" Felix asked Talim and Hurin. "Did you find the princess and get her off the ship before we took off?"

Hurin turned to Felix and for the first time Felix noticed the red sacs under his eyes, his black hair was singed and his jacket torn. "We couldn't find her anywhere before we took off!" He blasted Felix, almost shouting the words. "Myself and Talim were combing the ship even as we took off when that accused queen opened fire on the ship, we were hit and the ship shook wildly, we heard a scream from down the corridor that sounded like her. We ran to the room but it was bolted shut, Talim was able to break the door down and we rushed in…"

"…and?" Cassandra asked.

"There was nothing…" Talim stepped in, she looked tired. "The entire room and surrounding hull was torn away as the ship crashed into the forest, her body is probably trapped under rubble left behind in the airships wake."

"Is there no chance she could still be alive?" Felix asked James. "Maybe the entire compartment she was in survived the crash, even now she could be somewhere in the forest looking for us!"

"Most like she was running the opposite way, back towards Brimshare." Hurin grunted. "We did just abduct her after all."

"I hope not…" James replied looking out into the dark forest. "It's a long way back to Brimshare and one does not travel the forest at such a late hour without risks, in fact none do nowadays."

There was a moments silence as everyone dwelled on their own personal thoughts. We'll all be hanged… Felix thought morbidly, then he shook his head firmly. "We need to find her, if there's any chance she is alive we have to go and rescue her, it's our fault she's here, if things had gone smoothly she would still be back at the castle."

"And what do we do when we find her?" Hurin asked. "Apologise and offer to escort her back to Brimshare, back to a hangman's noose."

"You won't get any of my help." James turned his back to Felix. "Go if you want, I won't argue with the morals behind it but I have a ship on fire as well as a career and a quarter of my crew dead. I need time to burry them and plan our next move."

"What about that knight?" Cassandra asked suddenly. "He was with us when we fell through the deck, where is he now?"

"He was unconscious when we found you." Talim replied. "He's locked in a storage room right now without his weapons, he could probably break out if he tried but he suffered from the fumes more then you two so I think he's too weak to do anything about his situation."

"We are in quite a fix." Hurin admitted. "If you Felix still intent to try and find the crystal I'll come for the hell of it, we'd need to retrace the path of the airships crash and search, possibly for her body, it could take a while."

"Evendale forest is quite a dangerous place." Talim put in. "All traffic to Brimshare is now via the airways or sea routes because of the dangers in the forest. Many creatures and the like still linger here after the War of the Crystal, still surviving to this day. Also brigands and felons hide out here, there's even talk of villages nestled in the forest, lawless places where the dropouts of society fall to, the princess, if she is indeed still alive and wandering will not last long."

"We need weapons then." Cassandra asked James directly. "If the forest is such a dangerous place we need the means to defend ourselves, I think we should see if the knight will help us."

"What!?" Felix asked in disbelief turning to her. "Cassandra…he tried to kill us a while ago!"

"Yes, because he's loyal to the princess." Cassandra replied switching her gaze to him, her lips a thin line. "If we explain that we need his help to find and rescue the princess he'll lend his aid, he's that sort of person."

"And you are sure of this?" Hurin asked raising one eyebrow.

"Let me talk to him and I'll find out." Cassandra said firmly.

"Why not?" Talim agreed. "We could do with help and protection…but if we find the princess alive what happens next?"

"You could offer to escort the princess and the knight south to the town of Edea…" James offered still looking out at the smoking deck of the ship, he turned to face them all. "If you head back to Brimshare you will be surely executed and to head out of the forest west towards the Skhol Mountains and Vale would require many days of walking, it is unlikely you would make it. Instead head south from here towards the coast, perhaps a day of walking, south of the forest on the coast is the small Brimshare town of Edea, a real peaceful place. You can think of a way to swap the Brimshare crystal for the princess's safety, then at Edea she can catch a cargo airship (they regularly supply the town) back to Brimshare and you can catch one to Cartilge, simple."

"That sounds like the best course of action…" Felix agreed reluctantly. "Albit risky."

"No more risky then what we've done so far." Cassandra put in. "I'll go talk to the knight, if he agrees we'll meet down on the forest floor okay?"

"Wait, I'll come with you." Felix stepped over to her and she nodded. "Okay."

"We have few weapons and the like on the ship." James said looking them all over closely. "Nevertheless you are welcome to take your own selection from one of our armouries, oh and the knight is in the port storage bay, easy to find."

"We'll get the weapons then." Talim agreed. "Something for Felix, Cassandra and the knight if he joins us."

"Right, and we'll see if we can enlist the knights help!" Cassandra agreed. "Let's go Felix!"

"Okay, good luck captain." Felix inclined his head towards James who nodded gravely. "And to you all, me and my crew will probably strike out west, with our numbers we should be okay, I'll be in the air again before long, mayhaps we shall meet again."

"I hope so." Cassandra agreed and then she and Felix walked forth out of the bridge leaving the others behind them.

Indeed it didn't take long to find the port storage bay, a crewman stood outside the door a large wooden staff in his hand, when he heard that Cassandra wanted to see the knight he grinned.

"Yeah sure, go for it, a while ago he was banging at the door demanding to be let out but he subsided a while ago, it may be the effects of the fumes on him, see for yourself." Pulling out a set of keys he unlocked the doors. "I doubt he'll hurt you." The man grinned again despite the severity of the situation the ship was in. "If you need me just shout."

"Er…excuse me." Cassandra asked somewhat nervously, inching forwards. "Sir…Galamore was it? We need your help…"

The knight, Galamore slowly lifted his head out of his hands and looked at them with his eyes; there was a loss in those big eyes. "And why prey? Would I wish to aid those that have kidnapped the princess of Brimshare, I demand to be allowed to see her."

"That's just it." Cassandra replied. "There's been a problem, the princess fell of the ship as it crashed, we want your help to come with us and rescue her, if you agree to help we'll escape out of the forest to the south to Edea. It's a Brimshare town (as I'm sure you know) and you and the princess can then fly back to Brimshare from there."

'Not a chance that you mean those words' Galamore's brain began churning, 'think Galamore, think! What would the Queen want you to do…Rescue the princess, escape to Edea, there return the princess to Brimshare, yes and somehow deal with those that stole the princess, yes…if I can't bring them back to Brimshare to face justice I'll kill them myself…the queen will then reward me for my loyal serv…'

"Oy!" Felix's voice cut into Galamore's musings. "Every second wasted is a second in which your princess could be dying, we need to go help her now!"

"Oh, er…" Galamore blustered before suddenly he heaved himself up to stand, his armour clanking nosily. "Very well then! I Sir Galamore Artoir will assist you and help resuce the princess and return her to Brimshare!"

"Excellent!" Cassandra grinned. "That's great, well come on then, we're going to arm ourselves and then head out!"

"Understood!" Galamore moved over towards them. "Let us waste no more time, we must depart as soon as possible, her highness is waiting for us!"

Mwhaha, fools…Galamore thought as the two peasants led him out of his cell, they actually thought they could order him, Sir Galamore of Brimshare about? And they would arm him as well! He would teach them the folly of their ways and then, the justice of the Queen!

Far away, out of the forest in the lower levels of Brimshare professor Gast of Brimshare turned back to his creations, his three prototypes.

"You know what you must do, capture the princess alive and return her and the Brimshare royal crystal by any means necessary. Kill all who accompany her and suffer no resistance, do not fail in your mission."

Turning back away from his horrors he moved to a large closed window that looked out into the night sky, with a heave he pulled them open and stepped aside. "Now go!"

There was a rustle, and a sigh, and then three black creatures were gone into the night, black wings beating with the sound of evil.