Brinnia laid in the bed. Her breath was steady, but she had yet to wake up. Lydia watched over her. A blanket draped over her. Her body was warming up after her battle with Leo. The Alon's blue stone cradled in her lap while Ishtar was curled up by her feet. She was told to take a rest. Well...I do feel tired. She admitted to herself. But it's Sagittarius I'm worried about. Lydia thought back to the distraught Crog.
He had poured his work into the ship. Barely saying a word to anyone. He would modify broken farm tools and engines from time to time, but he usually kept his distance. Rush, Eva and Akka were shocked with what Lydia had said of letting Sagittarius join them. However, it seemed to keep him out of trouble. Not only that, but it seemed ideal to just join him considering the state he was in.
Lydia nearly jumped as she felt Eva's hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see her and Rush at her side. "Oh...How's the state of the ship?"
"Doing good…" Eva said. She messed with her hair slightly. "Sagittarius found what caused us to crash." She pulled out a strange piece of melted metal. The face was hard to make out but it looked as if there used to be a digital clock. "Someone had put an explosive in the ship when no one's looking."
"Blow up the ship?!" Lydia gasped. "Surely you don't think the president would…"
Eva shook her head. "Not likely. He's crazy, but I'm sure he's not that stupid."
"But who would gain from sending you to the Crogs?" Rush asked.
"I don't know…" Lydia admitted. "All I know is that whoever did it must've wanted to kill us or the Crogs." She adjusted her glasses nervously. "Or both…"
"How's Brinnia?" Eva asked.
"Same as she was last time."
Rush sighed. "Alon couldn't heal her fully? He was able to bring rain and fix our rivers, but can't remove her poison."
Lydia fiddled with her hair. She could feel an ache on the sides of her skull. If only Mercu were here, she thought. It would make things so much easier. "I still need to learn more about the stones….If I can find someone like Mercu it might give us a clue."
"But we don't even know where to look." Eva stated.
Akka stepped into the room. He cleared his throat. All eyes were immediately on the prince. "The ship is fully repaired. It's time to go." He turned his attention to Lydia. "Are you sure it's a good idea of bringing Saggitarius along? You know what will happen if the president of the Earth Coalition will react if he sees him."
Lydia took a deep breath. "As much as the idea of a Crog being on a ship with us is scary...I know what he's going through. Watching someone you care about getting very ill and possibly..." She cupped her mouth. Dreading the words she wished to speak.
"I guess we'll have to be careful." Rush said.
Akka, Eva and Lydia all looked up in surprise. "You're coming with us?" Eva asked.
Rush hugged them. "Of course! You've done a lot on your own so far, but whoever is trying to kill you is still out there." He gave a big grin. "You're going to need a lot of muscle for this."
Lydia smiled. "Thank you, Rush. I'm sure Brinnia would appreciate this. But...Can you try not to fight Sagittarius?"
Rush grunted. "Hmph! I can't make any promises!" He picked up his chainsaw pickaxe and walked out of the door. "Better hurry and get over there before he causes trouble."
Sometime later, everyone soon arrived at the ship. Lydia gazed in amazement as all the Bryians came to say goodbye. She waved on as they cheered at her. Her cheeks took on a deep red color. I've never been this popular before, she thought. Might not happen again. As they ascended into the air, she held on to Ishtar and her bag. I hope I have enough time to find the orange stone before anything bad happens… Her heart hammered as she went into the ship. She mentally prayed that it wouldn't fall apart as they went through the atmosphere.
To everyone's relief, it remained to stay together. Even the fuel Sagittarius made was enough to get them to the next planet. An awkward silence hung in the control station. Eyes darting from one person to the next. All expressions are grim. The only things that could distract the strange crew were the beeps and rattles that went throughout the ship and G'dar making a few noises.
Lydia began to pull out the last stone she had yet to carve. The purple stone was light. Air currents seem to pulse underneath her skin. She closed her eyes. She tried to get an image. The three stones seem to represent an element based on color, Lydia thought. Blue for water, green for earth… An image slowly began to form in her mind. Guess the purple stone is to represent the sky. So of course I'm going to carve a bird. Her hand began to move with ease. Curves and edges began to take shape. But what kind? Eagle and Hawks are just overrated. Instead of a bird of prey...A Hummingbird? The beak began to elongate and the body began to become dainty. A strange presence soon sat at her hand. Begging for a name.
"Interesting…"
Lydia nearly jumped. She opened her eyes to see Sagittarius loom over her. His golden eyes fixated on the stones. His shadow nearly covered her. Ishtar was on her lap, eying the Crog warily. Rush was behind him. The Byrian glared through his goggles. Thick lips forming a thin line.
"So that is how...Ishtar, is it? Came alive?" Sagittarius' ears twitched with intrigue.
Lydia went slightly pink with embarrassment. "Well...Yes...Kinda...I don't really know…"
"But...You managed to take down Leo."
"Only by luck and Alon." Lydia fiddled with the stone.
Eva put a hand on Lydia's shoulder. "Don't worry, Lydia. I'm sure you'll get it down in no time."
"Thanks." Lydia turned to Sagittarius. "What I do know is that I focus on an image and let my hand carve that shape. Then, I have to give them a name."
"What are you going to name that one?" Rush asked.
"I don't know yet." She put the stone creature away in her bag.
Eva began pulling up the map on the monitor. "Let's see where to go next." She began to look over each planet. Their ship is a small blob in the map. She smiled as she saw the closest planet. "Next up is Phils."
"That's good." Lydia said. She smiled as well. "This would be a good time to patch things up with Spirit."
Eva smiled. "Yeah. Though...I hope it won't be awkward."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Lydia smiled. "After all, this is coming from the queen of awkward." She got up from her seat. "I have to get to work before the president chews our ears off." She cringed as that image crept into her mind. Then, the mere concept of having to explain why Sagittarius is on board. "Gotta go, bye." With that, she left. Ishtar ran behind her. Once she made it to her room, Lydia collapsed on her bed. Her breath went back to normal as if she held it the entire way to her room. She went over to the book and started to try translating.
Each word was a bit tricky. Gruff and harsh. The pronunciations hurting her throat. However, some of the lighter ones felt familiar. As if she heard those words before. Lydia wrote down each word and what they could mean. Forming sentences to make sure they made some sense. Her thoughts lost in the bright pictures that danced in the presence of the Crog language. Her fingers tracing the female figure with admiration. Beautiful. Confident. Lydia soon began to droop. Her eyes grew heavy. An itching sensation crawled all over her as she laid down. Tired, she changed out of her travel clothes and into her pajamas. Once she was under the sheets with Ishtar curled up next to her, Lydia was asleep in minutes.
She found herself in a forest. The plants were glowing. Small bulbs attached to each leaf and petal. The night air was a greenish-blue color. Sounds of bugs and frogs entered her ears. Lydia kept walking until she saw a black shadow stand before her. It was simple red clothing with gold trimming. It glared at her fiercely. Lydia tried to say something but no words came out of her mouth. She began to run after it. Faster and faster. An energy began clicking in her soul. A wild and feral sensation in her blood. She jumped onto the creature.
"Unhand me!" The shadow commanded.
Lydia jolted upward. She took a deep breath. She looked to see Ishtar curled up next to her. She sighed. Her knees pulled up to her stomach. She shivered. What was that, Lydia thought. Who was that? Why does he remind me of- Her thoughts went back to Prince Scorpio. His silhouette against the light of the candle. His calming voice. She blushed until her entire face was red.
"Miss? Are you ok?"
Lydia turned to Alon. She sighed. The seahorse managed to gain enough strength to be the size when he first appeared. Her arms wrapped around him. "I'm fine. I just….had a dream...it was so vivid that it felt like a memory."
"Who's the stranger with the lightning bolt ears?"
Lydia went red again. "Oh! He's someone I met in a...private library…."
"What?!"
Lydia jumped. She nearly fell out of her bed. Her heart hammered. She looked to see Saggitarius look at her with shock. His golden eyes widened with shock. Eva behind him with an angered Rush close to her.
"You've met Prince Scorpio in his secret room?!" Sagittarius gasped.
"Prince Scorpio?" Lydia tilted her head.
Akka glanced at her. A grimace on his face. "I've heard he is the estranged son of the Crog Emperor. He specializes in combat and is notoriously smart."
"Not only that, but rumor has it that he had a secret library in the castle," Sagittarius added.
"I've been to that library!" Lydia's memory flashed to the books that she encountered.
"Then that means he'll hunt you down no matter what."
Lydia went pale. Her lips turned inward. Her eyes widened. "B-b-b-but why?! I didn't steal any of his books!"
"I don't know too many of those details, but I've heard the last Crog to steal something from the prince was severely punished."
Lydia felt her body give a fierce jolt. Her head ached. Her lower body increased with pressure. She curled herself up into a ball until the pain subsided. Why do I get into these situations?!