Chapter Nine

~Kyra~

Near the borders of Prydain, Kyra and the prince were resting outside a grove of trees. While Gwydion attended to his steed, Kyra sat on a log and had her cell phone in hand, waving her arm around to try and get a signal.

'Stupid lack of towers.' She glared down at the phone. 'Looks like Operation Just-Call-Luke's-Phone was a bust.'

Her shoulders sagged as depression replaced her frustration. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. She was really worried about them. What if something happens to one of them and when she got there, it'll already be too late.

Kyra swallowed a thick lump of anxiety as she prayed, looking up at the sky, 'I hope Luke and Garnet are ok.'

For a moment, she stared at the clouds drifting across the vast of blue overhead. Then a streak of black and brown zoomed past her vision, almost hitting her face. She shrieked in surprise, fell backwards off the log and landed on her back. Gwydion whirled around at the noise, immediately seeing the hawk that flew over to him and landed upon his shoulder. Cawing the hawk pecked at its leg, indicating to the note tied there. The prince untied the note and read the contents. When he was finished, the edges of his mouth tugged down and his brows were furrowed. With a cry, the hawk took off. Kyra watched it for a moment from her place on the ground before turning to Gwydion.

"What was that about?"

"I have to get back to Caer Dathyl," Gwydion said, already getting the saddle back on his horse. "It's urgent."

Kyra scrambled to her feet, running up to him. "But what about Randy? You said you'll take me to him."

Gwydion rested his hands on Melyngar's back and sighed. Then he twisted his head to her, looking solemn. "I'll take you to the outskirts of the kingdom. From there, however, you'll have to go on your own."

Her shoulders sagged, but quickly straightened up. "I don't see why you can't take me all the way there seeing as I have no clue of which way to go and then ride heroically to your kingdom to banish whatever kind of evil they need you to slay."

"There isn't any time," he rebuked, finishing his work. "It's either I take you halfway, or we can say good-bye now. You're choice."

Kyra pouted, clenching her hands. She took a breath before giving in. "Fine, but there's something I want answered before we go."

"What's that?"

Kyra looked at him square in the eye. "Why are you scared of me?"

Gwydion's face showed surprise for a split second before returning to normal. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, don't act dumb," Kyra planted her hands on her hips, irritated. "I noticed the way you're always tensed around me. You keep glancing over your shoulder when I'm behind you, you had me sit in front of your horse, and back at the cell you sounded freaked out discovering I was from 'The Other Place.' I just want to know why."

Hesitant on what to say, the prince heaved a sigh. "I can't explain everything, but I will tell you this: Long ago, a group like you had appeared out of nowhere, just materialized from thin air. One was bleeding pretty badly. Before they could get help, the Horned King's men ambushed them and brought them all back to his castle. There, the Horned King discovered something about the Glows-what we call people from the Other Place-from the wounded visitor. The blood had some sort of special power in it. I'm not sure what, but it enhanced anything of magic and strengthens all kinds of spells."

"The Horned King began to experiment with the Glow's blood, filling buckets with every drop from his wound. He actually found a way to lengthened his lifespan-the Horned King was known to have used several different dark spells to stave off death. However, he killed the young man in doing so. It didn't matter to the Horned King, though. He still had plenty of Glows in his possession. What he didn't count on is the glows' escaping from the dungeons."

"Not long after their escape, word began to spread of these people who glow and with blood that powers magic tenfold. Within a week, most were captured by various villains, only four managed to avoid the torment their companions went through."

Kyra felt goose bumps prickled her skin with each sentence. "Didn't anyone tried to help them? One of your heroes maybe?"

He just gave him a seldom look, almost grave. "Some of us good did try, but it did not turned out well. The kingdoms and lands grew fearful of their knowledge of some of our greatest heroes' lives, and the glows themselves became anxious. They stole some weapons and disappeared in the dead of the night. It didn't work well, as I explain before."

"What happened to the ones that were caught?" Kyra asked, but she had an inkling of what their fates were.

Gwydion's eyes cast down. "They either bled to death, tortured to the last strand of their lives, or took their own lives. There were two that managed to escape, both driven mad. One of them almost burnt down a whole town, the other murdered a whole family. Meanwhile, with their boost in magic, the villains wrecked havoc and searched for the remaining glows. I can't begin to describe...it was horrific. The King of Disney Castle barely defeated them with the help of his loyal friends. We managed to stop the deranged glows too, trapping them in a barn and setting it ablaze."

"You burned them to death?" Kyra exclaimed, astonished.

"We didn't have a choice," he defended grimly. "They were dangerous and needed to be stop."

"What about the other four?"

He was silent before he gave an answer. "They attempted to go back to their own world. A soldier witnessed the ritual proceeded. With the potions and charms they've stolen and drops of their blood, they performed the spell. An explosion of gray erupted from the fire they've encircled and then, a flash and it was all gone. The campsite, the magic charms, the glows. Vanished."

Hesitantly, Kyra spoke up. "So they made it back?"

Gwydion shook his head. "Nobody knows for sure. Maybe they did, maybe it killed them. All that everyone knew was that the threat of them and their ability to strengthen the villains' power was over."

"But not anymore," Kyra finished, a cold chill sweeping her body. "Because now I'm here. Along with my brothers. My brothers." She staggered back, a hand covering her mouth in horrible realization. If her brothers were in custody of the villains, they would be spilling forth blood like some kind of facet. Same as her if she hadn't escape the dark castle. She looked at the prince, understanding in her eyes.

"If that's why, then I can't waste any time." With purpose, she pushed past Gwydion and climbed up Melyngar's back, swinging her leg across the saddle. "Well, get on. You got a kingdom to get back to and I have to find my brothers."

Momentarily dumbfounded, Gwydion grinned a bit and swung himself on. Taking a hold of the reins, he instructed his steed into a gallop, directing towards the outskirts of Prydain.

~Luke~

The blistering sun sent down onto a barren wilderness rays of relentless heat. The sand that covered the land felt like molten lava and prevented even the smallest bit of vegetation from sprouting. Even the cacti laid horizontally, withered and brown begging for death to save them from this heat. A silence washed over the deserted plain like waves of water that seemed more like a myth with every passing minute. Even the soft whispers of a cool and gentle breeze were noticeably absent as the heat cunningly took its place in the air. This forsaken world was exactly where Luke found himself now.

After Mark separated from him, Luke decided to follow the train tracks in hope of stumbling across a town. However now, he was beginning to question his actions as he shielded his eyes from the torturous sun beams. Luke lost track of time all together, and wasn't sure if he had been walking for one mile or one hundred. His dry mouth was desperate for a drop of water and the rest of his body felt like a sponge that was left out to fend for itself on the frying sidewalks of a summer afternoon.

Luke's one leg ached and caused him to limp slowly, making him stumble once or twice. Luckily then, he recovered his balance and avoided a painful impact into the fiery sand floor. Unfortunately now, he stumbled yet again and was unable to regain his footing. He fell forwards, fighting gravity the entire way down. The sand was even hotter than he had imagined and it burned the side of his face when he hit the ground. His arms, that he pushed forward to break his fall, were sprawled out in front of him, pushing some sand up into little mounds around him.

Luke lifted his head up slowly and was sure he heard the skin of his forehead and cheeks sizzling like bacon. He was approaching his breaking point. He knew he had to find water soon before the heat fried his brain completely, or worse, he died of dehydration. After he brought himself back to his feet, he looked forward to view the rest of his journey and saw something that made him hold in his breath.

Luke straightened himself up back onto his feet, dusting off the sand that was clinging onto his pants. He looked up to ready himself for the remainder of his long quest when something caught his eye. He froze where he stood, holding his breath in surprise. In view straight ahead, was a small oasis of palm trees all huddled around a pool of crystal blue...

"Water!" Luke thought to himself, his head perked up at once and he made a dash for it. He pushed the green leafy branches obscuring his view to the side and out of the way. He had to bypass a few layers of the jungle until he found himself face to face with the one thing his mind desired at the moment. The pool was still. Unmoving and clear, it resembled a pane of glass masterfully crafted to reflect every shimmer and every glisten. Luke stood at the edge admiring it for a split second then closed his eyes and wrapped the length of his arms around his torso. He pushed off the ground, cannon-balling through the air. When he hit the ground, instead of the cool gush of water he was expecting, he felt heat. He opened his eyes and looked down confused. What he realized made his heart sank. The oasis, the trees, the water were all a mirage brought on by his dehydration. Where he had envisioned splashes of water, he only saw hot sand. The heat that it gave off, the heat he wanted to escape from surrounded him and ensnared him.

After Luke spent a few minutes sitting in the sand defeated, he stood up yet again and continued his quest to follow the train tracks. To his dismay, the temperature never ceased being unbearably high. It was getting to the point where inhaling felt like chugging down a pint of coffee.

He walked and walked for what he assumed was hours...maybe days. He couldn't recall if it was ever night though, the blistering sun seemed like it would continuously spew out onto him heat rays of agony. Maybe he had ventured into a land of no night. No water. No break from the endless torment of the sun.

He walked along, thinking about how he was beginning to get sunburn on the back of his neck when, for a brief instance, there was a break from the light. A shadow came across him, shielded him, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Luke looked up to the sky to see, but nothing was there in the bright cloudless sky. He shrugged to himself and continued forward; tired of the games the desert was playing. That same darkness washed over him, but this time it remained, making Luke actually feel slightly cold in the absence of the sun.

Luke looked up to see his savior. Flying high above him was a bird enormous enough to be mistaken for a plane. It started to descend towards him and Luke could just make out its sharp talons outstretched for him. It was a hungry-looking vulture, excited to finally see something for it to eat. Luke was about to hit the ground running, but then remembered the oasis. Thinking this was just another mirage; Luke ignored it and started walking again. The piercing shrieks of the bird grew louder as it got closer, causing Luke's ears to hurt and him to rethink this whole "bird-is-a-mirage-so-you-won't-die" thing.

The bird was almost upon him, so close that Luke could see himself in its pupils. At the last moment, Luke decided that, mirage or not, he better make a run for it. He leapt out of the way just in thin, the monstrous talons clenched tightly close on empty air. The bird let out an angry cry and chased after Luke, cawing at him relentlessly. Between Luke's hurt leg and the vulture's impressive speed, the bird definitely had the upper hand, and knew it. A smug grin came across its face as it itched closer and closer to its prey. It was just about to snatch up its lunch when it flew into a cactus.

CRASH!

Luke chuckled under his breath as he turned his head to view the discombobulated creature. Something shinny caught the corner of his eye and he slowed his pace. He turned his glance towards it and saw that it was an empty glass bottle. He turned back to face the bird which had recovered it position in the sky and headed towards him. Without thinking twice, Luke ran to the empty bottle which, oddly enough, was big enough for him to fit inside. The glass barrier protected him from the vulture, which gave up after ten minutes of clawing at the bottle with its talons. It flew off to look for something else to eat that wouldn't give him such a hard time about it.

~Kyra~

Dwarf Woodlands.

That's the name of the land where she will find Randy. Truthfully, Kyra found the name ridiculous, but what can she expect from a place full of talking animals and evil sorcerers. She climbed down from the horse, letting go of Gwydion's hand once her feet touch the ground.

"So I guess this is where we say goodbye?"

"Not without giving you this." He tossed down a knapsack, it landing into her arms.

She glanced down at the bag before looking up at him. "Is this some sort of parting gift?"

"It's some supplies for your trip," he explained, bemused. "You didn't expect me to leave you with nothing, did you?"

Kyra struck her tongue at the inside of her cheek before answering. "Yeah, pretty much."

Gwydion shook his head, chuckling a bit. Then he pointed behind her into the copse of younger trees. "Head straight until you reached a stream. From there, follow it down to its source and you should found the cottage of the dwarves."

"Should?" Kyra inquired, quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, you'll make it," he assured her, sitting tall. "I have faith you will."

"So I guess this means you're not scare of me anymore?"

"More like for you. I wish I could take you the rest of the way myself, but my kingdom needs me."

Kyra shrugged. "I get it. And, um, thanks for your help. I appreciate it."

Gwydion smiled at her and nodded. "Farewell and good luck!" He steered Melyngar around and clicked his heels into the horse's sides, urging him into a gallop. Kyra as the prince raced away on his white steed until he disappeared into the cover of the trees, off to aid his home. Heaving a sigh, the girl faced the forest behind her, the one she would have to trek through to find Randy. She just hopes she doesn't encounter any monster trees or an old crone like Snow White did.

Feeling the scratchy cloth between her fingers, Kyra looked down and untied the thread around the neck of the bag. Opening it, her eyes widen. The supplies inside, included the last thing she ever thought to receive in her life: a sheathed dagger.

"This isn't California anymore, Kyra," she told herself. "If you're gonna survived this, might as well have the right tools."

Gathering her wits, she pulled the weapon out, stuffed the bag into her handbag, and tied the dagger to her belt at the side of her hip. Armed, she took a deep breath and strolled into the forest, determined.

"I'm on my way, guys."