"Well," Kyto growled, ducking his head at the entrance to the vined chasm of trees and overgrowth and allowing Bobble to scramble off. "This is it, fairy. The gateway to the Shrieking Silence. This is as far as we dragons are willing to go. Are you sure this is how you want your tale to end? I've warned you of the dangers that wait inside. Fairies enter, but none return. This road is a death wish. You must be absolutely sure this is what you really want before it's too late."
"It is," he answered firmly. "If Scarab's inside, I have to save her."
Youare not the hero, the words rang in his ears. You are not the special one.
Not good enough.
Not the hero.
Not the Protector of anything.
What did that make him then? He couldn't be death. He wasn't Shade. He refused to be, for that would mean all of his best efforts would have been for naught, that no matter what he had done to prevent it, he was always going to be the problem, the mistake, the disaster Clarion had feared he would grow to become.
He's too much like Shade, she had telepathed once, before she had learned of his abilities. Too eager to fit in and too eager to please. Every day, he reminds me of him more and more. Perhaps Shade was right. Maybe it is too dangerous for tinkers to have magic after all.
And I'm scared.
Scared that I will lose another fairy to this darkness.
Scared that the Hollow will never accept him.
Scared that he will never find his place.
He'll become just like Shade, and this time, it will be all my fault.
No, no he had found his place. He had found fairies who accepted him, quirky magic and all, and now he had to prove himself worthy of their friendship. Terrence was right. He hadn't earned it. It didn't matter what he had done in the past; the summer on the mainland and the snowmaker amounted to nothing now. He'd hurt Tink and all those fairies with his fire, he had to stop it now before anyone else had to suffer.
Kyto huffed, drawing away from the entrance now, the golden gleam of his eyes flashing uneasily between the dark forest and the fairy below him. "Fairies," he snorted again. "It seems the stories are all true. You are exceptionally loyal creatures. I cannot understand it for dragons do not share this sentiment, however, I do know what it feels like to desire something. If I could, I would do anything to bring back my tribe. Go," he growled, tossing his head toward the darkness. "Save your friend. You spoke of being a hero. Perhaps that is exactly what Neverland needs right now. After all, you saved me, didn't you?"
Bobble smiled weakly. "I did," he agreed. At least he had done one good thing in the midst of complete chaos and despite Scorpion's warnings, he believed Kyto. The dragon was going to keep his word. The Hollow would be safe. Both sides had suffered long enough from the bitter rivalry. It was time fairies and dragons learned to live in peace. "Thank ye, Kyto. Thank ye for everythin'."
Kyto snorted. "Don't get used to it, sparrowman. I only upheld the end of my deal so I would not be in debt to you any longer than I was forced. I want nothing to do with your kind."
He had expected nothing less. "Well, thank ye anyway."
"Hmmph. You're welcome, weird little fairy. Good luck. I hope you find what you are looking for." And with that, Kyto spread his wings and launched himself back to the heavens. In moments he was nothing more than a speck on the horizon, a blur of red disappearing beyond the clouds and drifting for the coast. Perhaps the pirates would find themselves troubled enough to leave Neverland at last. They rather deserved to have a dragon chasing them around the island in all honesty.
He couldn't help but chuckle at that, but his amusement quickly melted away as he twisted back to his destination and he gulped, clutching the bracelets tightly as he nervously stepped across the border, the shadows instantly engulfing him. His wings sparkled to life, the only light source for miles around. Even the sun could not shine here, the canopy too thick to permit the beams.
It truly was a forest of evil.
Why would Shade come here? Was he somehow not affected by the dangers of the environment; or did he maybe create them instead? Was it garden-talent grown out of hand? It wasn't impossible. He recalled Zarina's first attempts to manipulate the plants around the Hollow. This had the same kind of unnatural feeling-like someone who was not accustomed to their own abilities had tried to make this place.
The Shrieking Silence, what kind of horrible name was that?
Well, it was effective anyway. There was very little shrieking, but there was a lot of silence.
Too much silence.
No voice in his head to guide him.
No Scarab to help him.
None of his friends to fight beside him.
And now Kyto was gone as well.
He really was all alone.
Still, he tentatively reached out, searching for the omnipresent voice of the animal-talent sparrowman. He didn't know why, perhaps it was just comforting to have someone there-even if he wasn't...actually there...and potentially trying to kill him. Yeah, that whole situation was still confusing.
There was nothing.
No sign of Scorpion.
No sign of anyone.
It's almost like this place blocks out all Protector's magic completely, he mused, ducking under a low-hanging branch and weaving close to a gushing stream. The roaring rapids seemed almost out of place amongst the deadening scenery and he nervously skittered away, sure he shouldn't get too close-not in a place like this. He had no idea how strong Shade had grown over the past year. For all he knew, the waves could, at Shade's command, leap out and drag him down into a watery grave at any moment.
No, better to stay away from everything until he was sure of what could or could not hurt him here.
The river veered away from view a few paces onward and he chose to push forward in the same direction. If there was some kind of hidden training camp nearby, it would have to be near the water. That was just common sense and the only thing that made any kind of sense in this backward and upside-down world.
And he meant that literally, for there were flowers growing on the trunks of the trees; flowers that had no right to do so.
Rosetta would be so upset if she saw those crocuses behaving like that, he thought, totally envisioning the southern fairy crossing her arms and glaring down at the little purple flowers with so much ferocity that the plants would immediately recoil and never think to grow there again.
But Rosetta wasn't there.
He frowned, sobering immediately, heart aching as he remembered.
Rosetta was with the others, searching for the bracelets.
The bracelets that he had.
The bracelets they were never going to be able to find because they weren't in the Hollow.
But perhaps they have realized that by now, he thought, desperately clinging to any hope he could muster. Maybe they're on their way to Torth Mountain now to ask Scarab what happened to them.
Only...they aren't going to find us there...or Kyto...because Shade has Scarab and I'm here and Kyto is long gone now.
They will have no idea what happened.
They won't know where to look next.
He crossed his arms, shivering fearfully.
Why was he alone?
Why was he always alone?
The forest floor suddenly came to an abrupt halt, driven away by the headlong appearance of a jagged cliff, rising high above his head and casting one thick shadow across the landscape. He swallowed hard, gazing up at the looming precipice. Behind him, the river slithered between the cracks and disappeared inside.
It was unnatural.
It was entirely wrong for the ecosystem he was in.
This had to be the place.
Scorpion, he whispered to the fairy he did not know if he trusted. I really wish you could tell me what to do right now.
The sparrowman remained silent.
Fine, what would his friends do in a situation like this?
He already knew the answer. They would pluck up the courage to be brave and it was exactly what he needed to do now, so, readjusting the strap of the bag one last time, he zipped up to the first ledge he could find and ducked inside the incision.
The dim lighting of the forest disappeared almost instantly and he called the light into his hands, carefully feeling his way along the tunnel's walls, being extra careful not to trip on the uneven surfaces and make too much noise. He wanted the element of surprise. He didn't want Shade to know he was here. He couldn't win in talent-to-talent combat. He needed to be smarter. He needed to be quicker.
Ahead of him, he could see where the narrow passage ended, dropping away to a large inner sanctum. Roaring water rushed to his ears and he could see the river pouring over a ravine across the opening, pooling down into a large underground lake. Vines and ivy clung to all the walls, blooming with iridescent white and blue flowers. It would be truly beautiful if it weren't such a life-or-death situation.
Shaking away the light-talent, he crept to the edge of the cavern, kneeling down at the opening and peering over the ledge to the cavern floor below to investigate what he would be up against.
No sign of Scarab. It looked deserted and-
"This is taking too long!"
Bobble gasped, drawing back from the edge immediately at the snarling voice echoing through the hollow walls.
Heavy footsteps alerted him to the Protector's presence long before he saw the dark gray cloak come sweeping into view. Heart thumping wildly, he pressed his back against the wall, praying Shade wouldn't look up and see him immediately.
Okay, he needed a new plan and he needed it fast. From his vantage point, he had about a minute-two at tops-before Shade, or whoever he was talking to, happened to glance toward the waterfall and see him lingering nearby. Shade was the only one in sight. Maybe...just maybe...
Bobble quietly reached for the bracelets, fishing them from the bag and holding them out to the light, studying them for the first time. Each was designated with a different symbol. A flower for Spring, a sunflower for Summer, a leaf for autumn, and a snowflake for winter. The fifth was some kind of design that he did not recognize. Possibly an amalgamation of all of them?
No, no time to ask the questions now. Shade was there and he was not aware of the tinker's presence. This was his chance to stop him before anyone else got hurt.
"Patience," came a second voice, distorted, jumbled...wrong...from somewhere close by. "We need the bracelets. Without them, we can do nothing."
"You mean you can do nothing!" Shade argued, spinning around and plopping down onto a rock irritably. "You've already healed me, let me go and destroy the Hollow! That's what you wanted, right?"
"Yes," came the hiss. "But not like this. Wait. He wants so desperately to be the hero. He'll come and he'll feel the need to bring the bracelets with him. An insurance policy for a stupidly naive little boy too afraid to accept who he really is."
Bobble's hands clenched so hard around the weapons that his knuckles went white.
They knew...
They knew he was coming.
Kyto was right! They had been waiting for him! If he attacked now, he would never stand a chance! Their guard was up, expecting him to show up at any moment.
They had been right.
He had come to be the hero.
He didn't care what some weird and unhelpful voice in his dreams had said. He was the Protector, and by the Second Star, he was going to do something right to prove it!
"Hmmph," Shade vocalized. "I still feel you put too much faith in his incompetence. We all know how that went last time-"
"And this time, things will be different." An interruption. Angry. He could sense the raw power circling the two villains. "You can't see the whole plan, Shade, but I can! I have seen it from the very beginning! The snare was set long before you ever became a piece in this game!"
"I don't like chess," Shade remarked dryly, sounding almost...normal.
"No, but I know someone else who does. In fact, I think our pawn has just arrived!"
He had no time to react. In a manner far too similar to their first encounter, Shade seemed to realize exactly where he was a moment before he could register what the mysterious voice had said and the fire talent was already whistling for his head before he could blink.
"Yahhh!" he screamed, throwing himself out of the way, and tumbling across the ledge as the rock where he had just been perched exploded into rubble. This time he didn't lose the bracelets. He wouldn't. Not again.
"YOU!" Shade howled, swinging around to follow the tinker's sporadic movements. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU?"
Well, who else was he expecting it to be?
No time to muse over that now, only time to run, he snapped at himself, narrowly ducking under another blast aimed for his head. He was running out of ledge. He needed to fly. But fly where? The cave was just a big circle! He would be flying right back into Shade's attacks if he wasn't careful.
"Where's Scarab!" he yelled, zipping down to stand across the cave from the evil Protector. "What did ye do to her?" The bracelets clinked dangerously and succumbing to their desperate cries, he slid them over his wrists, magic shooting into his veins instantly. He felt stronger. So much stronger than he had ever felt in his life.
He hadn't been ready to fight the villain before.
He was definitely ready now.
Shade laughed. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the little hero! Come to save another damsel in distress, have you? How noble. Unfortunately, you've come all this way for nothing. Scarab doesn't need your help."
"Yer lying!" Bobble snapped, the words flying out of his mouth before he even thought them. "Ye took her! Where is she?"
Shade chuckled, his eyes drifting past the tinker to something lurking behind him in the shadows. "You foolishly came all this way to try and save her," he sneered. "But now tell me, tinker, who is going to come and save you?"
"Hello, Phineas."
The distortion melted away and the second fairy appeared from the darkness, very much safe, very much alive, and very much dangerous.
"Wha-" he began, trying to whip back around to face her, horror slamming into his heart as the horrible truth dawned on him.
The last thing he saw was her gentle smile as something clocked him in the back of his head and everything snapped to black.
The bracelets tumbled from his grasp.
He didn't even feel his body hit the floor.