"No!"
Bloom didn't remember making the conscious decision to move, but one moment she was standing, watching in horror as Stella leapt from the rock, and the next she was running after her, completely ready to follow her friends over the side. Her boots reached the edge, the rock crumbling a little under her boots, and her muscles tensed, preparing to take the plunge when a strong arm banded around her waist and yanked her backwards.
Her breath left her in a woosh along with a strangled sound of protest. She clawed at the arm around her waist, throwing her entire weight into breaking free, and helping Stella and Brandon. The owner of the arm - Sky, it had to be Sky - grunted, but didn't let up, slowly starting to drag them both back from the edge.
"What are you doing?" Bloom screamed, thrashing in his arms. "We need to help them!"
"They're gone," he said, and his voice sounded oddly choked, but in that moment Bloom didn't care why. All she cared about was that Sky was stopping her from helping their friends. "They're gone, Bloom. And I am not letting you go after them."
Bloom saw red at his words and a slew of obscenities flew from her mouth as she redoubled her escape attempts. She had to be hurting him as she scratched, hit, kicked, and did whatever she could to make him release her, but he never let go, moving them steadily backwards until they were in the tunnels once more. Once they turned the corner and the cavern was out of sight, he pressed her up against the rock wall, gentle and firm all at once.
"They're gone," he said again, sounding as if he couldn't quite believe the words he was speaking. He shifted his weight a little, keeping her pinned with one hand while he smoothed her hair back with the other. The action cleared her vision, and she got a better look at him. She was surprised to see his cheeks were wet, and even more to realise that her own were as well.
"They're not gone," she choked out, but already she could hear the conviction fading from her voice. "They're not," she whispered. "They can't be." The energy drained from her and she slumped forward, her forehead tilting against his so she felt as Sky took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Maybe-" he began but cut off when they heard a sudden scream for help.
For a second Bloom's heart leapt. Maybe, she thought desperately, maybe that was Stella and Brandon. Maybe they'd survived that insane drop. But as another yell sounded, she realised that the scream hadn't come from the cavern but from an adjacent tunnel.
Sky's head lifted, and she could see the visible effort it took him to push away his emotions as resolve overtook his face. "We have to help Layla," he muttered, before glancing back at her. "Maybe, maybe they'll be alright. We'll find a way down to check, okay? But I have to help Layla first."
He took a tentative step back and Bloom immediately slid down the wall, mindless of the way the rough surface scratched up her back.
"Stay here, okay, Bloom?" Sky said, clearly hesitant to leave her alone. "I'll be right back." He reached his hand towards her shoulder, and it hovered there, an inch away from making contact before dropping away. Squaring his shoulders and drawing his sword from his belt, Sky hurried down the tunnel and towards Layla, while Bloom hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face against her arms.
Stella couldn't be-
Brandon couldn't be-
Because if they were-
Bloom hadn't been there when they'd pulled Asterin from the rubble but she'd heard enough of whispers for a horrible image to come to mind; Brandon's eyes wide and vacant, Stella's normally tan skin pale and cold, their chests still and lifeless. A ragged sob burst from Bloom's throat and she sunk her teeth into her arm to bite back the rest that threatened to follow. She had to be strong, she had to believe they were okay, because if she let herself dwell on the possibility that they weren't, she knew she could very well lose her grip.
There was something stiflingly empty about the dorm without Bloom, Stella, and Layla there. Flora hovered in the doorway to Stella and now Layla's room, fiddling nervously with her bracelet, twisting it back and forth as she thought about how weird it was to see Stella's room so tidy. So accustomed to having people to tidy up after her when she was on Solaria, within a few days of returning to Alfea Stella's room usually looked like it had been hit by a particularly nasty hurricane spell. But this time she'd barely had time to unpack let alone make a mess of things before she and the others had left.
Sighing a little, Flora finally left her bracelet alone and pushed away from the doorframe, stepping back into the common area of the dorm. Her eyes fell on Tecna and Timmy where they sat on the lounge together. It had taken the better part of the school day for Riven and Timmy to drop the others at the Under Realms and then fly back, so they'd come straight to Alfea to debrief them and Faragonda. Musa and Riven had disappeared shortly afterwards while Tecna and Timmy had set up in the dorm, alternating between tracking their signal through the Under Realms on Tecna's computer, and staring at Timmy's PHA waiting for it to alert them that the others were ready to be picked up.
Flora wavered for a moment, debating whether to join them on the couch or make herself scarce. They were sitting close together, heads bent towards each other as they talked, shoulders brushing, and it was the most settled Flora has seen Tecna since the departure of their friends.
Making her mind up, Flora turned abruptly and made a beeline for her and Bloom's room instead. Much like Stella's room, Bloom's areas were strangely untouched, and it made Flora shiver and cross the room straight to the balcony, where she pushed open the doors and stepped out into the mild air. The weather seemed to be still clinging to the final traces of summer, something that made Flora smile, if only briefly, as she leant against the railing and watched the sun sink in the distance.
"Saladin should have sent me instead of Brandon," a voice muttered darkly from behind her.
She gasped, hand flying to her throat, as she spun around. Riven was balanced on the wide, stone railing, tucked up against the sandstone wall, and partially obscured by the open glass door; clearly he'd been hiding out there.
"We'd already be back by now."
Riven avoided Flora's gaze as he spoke, but she could see the open worry splashed across his face, despite his grumblings. The wall he usually kept up between himself and everyone else had momentarily dropped, surprising Flora so much that the usually eloquent fairy couldn't think of anything to say except, "I thought I was alone out here."
Something in Riven's expression hardened, and that wall slammed back into place. "Sorry," he groused, and moved to leave.
"No, I- I guess I just thought you'd be with Musa."
"Musa," he said. speaking slowly as though he liked saying her name. "Why would I be with Musa?"
Flora hesitated. She'd hoped that Musa and Riven would have gotten their act together over the break and admitted that they liked each other, but it seemed they were still doing the dance of avoidance.
"Because I thought you left together," Flora finally said, before throwing caution to the wind. "And because she seemed upset, and I'm sure she could use someone to talk to."
Riven glanced over his shoulder like he could see through Timmy and Tecna were sitting together through the layers of stone, but didn't move.
"I guess I'll go find her and see how she's doing," Flora blufed with a sigh, and made to head back inside.
Riven slid smoothly from the railing and stepped in front of her. "I'll go," he said moodily. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to tell her? That everything's fine? It's probably not." Despite his words, Riven was already stepping into Flora and Bloom's room, walking away with purpose.
Flora smiled a bit and turned back to the sky; her work was done.
Stella would like to have been able to say later that jumping off the ledge was a thought out decision, that she had a plan, that she felt her energy returning and thought she would be able to grab Brandon and transform. But really all that was going through her head in that moment was 'I don't know if I can survive losing him'.
She plunged through the air, her eyes screwed tight against the rushing wind, and mouth open in a terrified scream so that she had no chance to brace before she hit the water below. Inhaling on instinct, Stella gagged and forced her eyes open. The river was moving fast, already pulling her downstream but she managed to kick herself upwards, head breaking the surface a second after Brandon's.
"Stella?!" he yelled, brown hair plastered to his face.
"I couldn't just let you go on your own," she called back, the joke covering the relief she felt at seeing he was alright.
Brandon's lips turned up in a humourless smile, and together, without needing to discuss it, they both tried to swim against the current. In Solaria one of the few places to escape the heat was the water so Stella liked to think she was a pretty strong swimmer, but even she was no match for the strength of this river. A quick look around told her that Brandon wasn't faring much better and they had much bigger problems to contend with. Because despite how hard they were swimming the rushing rapids were dragging them further down the river, right towards a large rock that emerged over the surface of the river.
"Brandon," she called out warningly.
He glanced over, and then behind him at the approaching rock, grimacing.
"Try and grab it as we go by."
Stella nodded and ceased her fruitless swimming. They both just focused on keeping their heads above water as they drew closer. Then, when the rock was in striking distance they separated and each grabbed a side. The rock was rough and jagged and tore at Stella's palms and nails but she didn't let up, digging her fingers in to combat the strength of the rapids.
"What do we do now?!" she yelled to Brandon over the sound of the water.
Brandon, clinging to the other side of the rock, looked like he was thinking hard. But unfortunately there weren't a lot of options. The river had already swept them out of the cavern and into a low ceilinged tunnel, the water washing right up against the rock walls. Waves were slamming into the rock they held onto, pulling at them and weakening their grip and they both knew that with their diminished energy they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"I don't suppose you can fly yet?"
Stella shook her head grimly; any strength she might have built back up after battling the monsters had been sapped again by the fall into the river.
"Maybe we could-"
But Stella never found out what they might have been able to do because just then another wave, this one bigger than any of the others slammed into the rock and this time they didn't have the strength to hang on and were swept away.
The urge to just lie down and curl up into a ball hit Bloom so suddenly that she almost did it.
It would be easier, a little voice in her head whispered. You wouldn't have to deal with any of this if you just laid down right now and had a little sleep. You wouldn't have to think about losing Stella or Brandon, or fighting any more monsters, or saving the pixies. You could just lie down and sleep for a while.
Bloom listed to the side a little, eyelids drooping. The idea sounded so good, to just lie down and close her eyes instead of facing the horrible possibility that Stella and Brandon might be-
A short scream followed by a yell from the adjacent tunnel had Bloom jolting upright, eyes snapping back open. Sky, her brain provided sluggishly. And Layla. Fighting monsters.
Bloom rolled awkwardly onto her knees and lurched into a standing position, stumbling towards the entrance to the other tunnel. Part of her still wanted to drop to the ground, shut her eyes, and just block out the world for a little while, but she forced herself onwards.
Stepping into the tunnel Bloom saw that Sky had already dispatched the remaining monsters, their carcases littering the ground. She waded between them, watching as at the other end of the tunnel Sky tried to help Layla where she was pinned up against the wall. It looked like one of the monsters had spat it's bile at her, which had in turn turned into a rubber-like substance that seemed impossible to escape. Sky stood in front of her, gritting his teeth as he tugged at it.
"Please, Sky!" Layla begged, sounding near tears as she shifted back and forth in discomfort. "It burns!"
Sky didn't respond, but tugged even harder, and it finally gave way, Layla tumbling from the wall and into his arms. Sky caught her with a noise of surprise and held on as she got her feet back under her. An odd feeling shot through Bloom at the sight of them together, but she attributed it to the lingering emotions over Stella and Brandon, and brushed it away as she closed the distance between them.
"Thanks," Layla was saying to Sky gruffly, who nodded and let her go.
"No problem. You okay?"
Layla's expression was still pained, no doubt from the bile that was still clinging to her skin, but she nodded firmly. "I'm fine." She glanced at Bloom uncertainly, but the redhead still felt too off-kilter to determine why.
She forced herself to smile and step closer, picking away a bit of the bile stuck to Layla's shoulder. "That stuff looks gross," she said lightly, and flicked the clump away.
"Yeah." Layla brushed at her skin quickly, but the bile was stubborn and most of it remained in place. "Are Stella and Brandon-"
"They went over the edge." Distantly, Bloom noticed that her voice had grown hard and cold, and that Layla and Sky were watching her with concern, but she couldn't bring herself to care in that moment. "We need to go find them."
Layla bit her lip but didn't argue. Good, Bloom found herself thinking savagely as she turned on her heel to lead them back down the tunnel and towards the cavern. She was surprised by the vehemence of her thoughts, but she couldn't help but think that if they hadn't been here to save Layla's friends, Stella and Brandon wouldn't be hurt right now.
Sky kept pace with her as they hurried along the tunnel, and Bloom glanced sidelong at him, wondering if she should apologise for her earlier actions. Stella was Bloom's best friend and in her panic it had been all too easy to forget that not only was Brandon Sky's best friend, but also that they'd known each other a lot longer; she wasn't the only one hurting here. She opened her mouth to say something but wavered, unable to find the words so she settled for reaching over and slipping her hand into his. Sky didn't say anything but he did squeeze tight as he put on a burst of speed and led them out onto the ledge.
Layla joined them, and together the three of them peered over the side. The sliver of sky visible high above them did little to light the cavern so they could only see so far below them before the rest disappeared into the gloom.
"We have to get down there and see what's happened."
"But how? I've still got this bile stuff all over my wings." As if to demonstrate her point, Layla tried to flutter her wings but they could only move lethargically, gunked up by the rubbery bile.
"And I still can't transform either," Bloom added. "So we can't fly down."
"Luckily you have a specialist in training with you." Sky pulled his PHA from his belt and held it up. "This has a grappling hook attachment. We dig it into this rock ledge and one of us rides it down to the nearest ledge. They send it back up and the next person comes down. Once all three of us are on the next ledge I'll pull it free and we start all over again."
"That'll take forever," Layla argued.
"Yeah, but without your powers it's the only way."
"And not going down there isn't an option. We need to see what happened."
Bloom knew there was a blatant challenge in both her voice and her eyes as she stared at Layla. She wasn't usually so confrontational, but the Under Realms had gotten to her head, hurt her friends, and taken her powers, she was sick of being pushed around.
For a moment she could see the indecision in Layla's eyes and she seriously thought the girl was going to turn around and disappear back into the tunnel to look for the pixies. And Bloom thought a large part of Layla probably really wanted to, but finally the advantages of sticking together won out and she held her hands up in surrender.
"Alright. Let's do this."
The process was as slow as Layla had warned it would be. Sky first had to find a good place for the grappling hook extension to dig into the rock, and then go down first and scout out a place for them to land. Once he did he would send the PHA back up and it would be Bloom's turn. It was a terrifying experience, dropping slowly in the middle of the massive cavern so she spent most of it with her eyes tightly shut until she felt Sky's gentle hands touch her waist and guide her onto the ledge. Layla would bring up the rear, handing the PHA to Sky once she'd landed so he could pull the grappling hook free, often dislodging clumps of rock as he did, and they would start all over again.
They were lucky that tunnels opened out onto the cavern the whole way down and almost all of them had some kind of outcrop for them to land on, even if it was a little tight. And so finally they reached the bottom of the cavern.
It was pitch black down there, and Bloom tried to breathe deeply and not feel claustrophobic as she craned her neck back to see how far they'd come. It was impossible to remember which ledge they'd started at and the sliver of sky she'd once been able to see had grown so small as to be miniscule. Shaking off the disorientation, Bloom looked down again and was relieved when Sky hit a button on his PHA and it started emitting a soft light, illuminating the dim cavern base.
Heart pounding in her throat, Bloom looked around trying to orient herself. They quickly found the remnants of the ledge that had felled Brandon and hurried over. Most of it had been reduced to small rubble from the force of the fall, which they kicked through, looking for their injured friends but finding nothing much to their relief. The largest pieces still intact had fallen on the monster Brandon had been fighting, killing it.
It was Sky who finally said it. "They're not here." His voice was shaking, as was his hand as he brought it up to run through his hand distractedly. He didn't seem to know whether to be relieved that they hadn't found them gravely injured or worse, or worried because they still didn't know where they were.
"Then where could they-"
"Wait," Layla said softly. Her head was cocked to the side, pale eyes unfocussed as if she weren't really seeing what was in front of that. "What is that?" she murmured more to herself than the others, and suddenly looked to the side. She gestured for them to follow her as she moved along the cavern wall over to a spot where the ground dropped away.
"You don't think-" Bloom began.
Layla never looked away from the river down below. "I think they fell in there and were carried off," she said grimly.
Stella resurfaced for a second time, coughing and spluttering, Brandon doing the same on the other side of the river.
"Well, this is less than ideal," he called. He was hugging close to the wall, trying to find any ridge or ledge to hang onto to slow down. Stella did the same on the other side. Gloves weren't usually her style but right then she wished she had some like Brandon as the rough walls tore up her palms even further.
"You think? I feel like I've drunk half this river."
"Just think of it as spring water without the bottle."
Stella threw him an unimpressed look as well as she could while clinging to the wall. He gave her a tired smile in response, which faded as soon as he saw what they were heading towards.
"Okay plan B." He kicked off from the wall and crossed the river in a few strokes before colliding with Stella on the other side. She looked over his shoulder and shrieked.
"Seriously?! Aren't we dealing with enough."
She could see now not only why the current was so strong but also what it was pulling them towards. For in the distance the tunnel walls opened up into another cavern into which the water was spilling; a fall they were about to take as well.
Brandon's hand dived under the water, re-emerging with the PHA. He wasted no time clicking one of the buttons. A grappling hook shot from it and latched onto a ridge in the wall, bringing them to a temporary halt.
"Now you pull that out?" Stella yelled accusingly.
"I was saving it for an emergency."
"I think this qualifies," Stella muttered into his shoulder, before pulling back to get a better look at him. "Brandon?"
He met her gaze. "Yeah?"
"Don't let go of me?"
They stared deep into each other's eyes and for once Stella didn't care that her hair was probably limp and stringy from the water, or that her makeup had run, or that she looked exhausted from being in the Under Realms. When he looked at her like that none of that stuff mattered.
"You got it, sunshine."
He leaned in, Stella doing the same, but before their lips could meet, they felt a jolt. They both looked around in horror to see the rock ledge the grappling hook was lodged on starting to crumble.
"Brandon-"
"Hold onto me!"
The rock gave way and the current immediately began to pull them towards the waterfall. Stella buried her face against Brandon's neck, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, then they only had time to take a big gulp of air before they were going over the side and falling into the unknown.
"Right," Bloom said briskly, and began looking for a place where she could climb down.
Sky reached out and took her arm to steady her when she slipped a little on the loose rocks, but it was Layla who said, "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Bloom said without looking at either of them. "I'm gonna climb down and jump in."
Neither Sky nor Layla answered and finally Bloom stopped long enough to glance back at them. Sky looked like he wanted nothing more than to jump in alongside her but something was holding him back. Layla was looking in the other direction, eyeing the tunnel that the water was emerging from.
"We really need to be going that way," she said softly. "The river leads away from the pixies."
"Maybe Layla's right."
Bloom stared at Sky aghast. To his credit, Sky looked like he hated the words coming out of his mouth.
"I know Brandon's a strong swimmer, and Stella's from Solaria so she probably is as well; they'll be okay."
"And the pixies have been in the Under Realms for days now, they won't last much longer. We can rescue them and circle back to find Brandon and Stella."
Bloom looked between them. "Anything could happen to them in that time."
Layla's eyes narrowed and an edge of impatience crept into her voice. "And anything could be happening to the pixies while we stand around arguing."
"Let's sit down and talk it out," Sky said, clearly trying to be diplomatic. "But whatever we decide, we need to stick together. It's too dangerous to split up even more."
"We can talk if you want, but I'm not going to change my mind."
Bloom glared at Layla's back as the fairy wandered away, before shifting her attention back to Sky.
"You're seriously taking her side?"
"This isn't about sides. It's about weighing up the pros and cons and going with the plan that makes the most sense."
"And you can compartmentalise like that? You can just forget that our best friends need us? And ignore that if the situations reversed they would definitely prioritise us first."
Bloom regretted the words as soon as she said them, as hurt fractured across Sky's face.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, looking away.
"No, you're probably right," Sky said, his voice sounding thick. "Stella and Bra-" Sky cleared his throat. "Stella and Brandon probably would come for us first. But we can't send Layla off on her own either. It would be suicide."
Bloom couldn't look at him. "It's just- she's always been there for me. And now I can't do the same."
She felt a hand touch her arm hesitantly, before sliding around her shoulders and drawing her close when she didn't resist. And without stopping to think about whether it was a good idea or not, Bloom turned and rested her head against Sky's broad chest, taking comfort in the solid feeling of his body against hers.
She felt his chin rest lightly on the top of her head. "I know, it's so hard. It's the same with Brandon for me, he always-" Sky broke off, shaking his head. "We'll find them, Bloom. I promise." He sounded like he was making the promise to himself as much as he was to Bloom.
"Okay." Bloom let herself take one more minute before pulling back with a firm nod. "Okay," she said again. "Let's do this."
Sky's eyes skimmed over her face before he held out his hand to her. Managing a small smile, she slipped her hand into his and together they went to join Layla to start figuring out how to get out of this cavern and find the pixies.
"How did you know where to find me?"
Riven wasn't surprised that Musa knew it was him without even turning her head. With the superior hearing all Melodians had, she'd probably recognised the tread of his feet the second he'd started walking up the stairs towards the tower classroom.
"You mentioned over the summer that this was where you come whenever you're upset."
Musa stayed turned away from him, shoulder and hip leaned up against a pillar of the open air classroom as she looked out over the lake.
"Who said I was upset?"
Riven shrugged and came to stand next to her. He didn't look at her, not sure if that was because if she was crying he knew she wouldn't want him to see her like that, or if he was worried about how he would react if he saw her tears.
"I guess you're not then."
"No, I'm not," Musa said, and out of the corner of his eye, Riven saw her jut out her chin stubbornly. It made him want to smile. "And I'm not worried either."
"Okay." Riven thought this might just be the most agreeable he'd ever been in his life. He wondered what it was about this pint sized fairy that brought it out in him.
"Should I be?" she asked, and Riven heard the first note of doubt creep into her voice.
"Well, yeah." Riven had never seen any sense in sugar coating things and he wasn't about to start now. "Those guys probably screwed everything up."
A strangled sob emerged from Musa's throat, surprising them both. Neither knew who moved first, whether Riven reached for her, or Musa turned to him, but one moment they were standing apart, not looking at each other, and the next she had her head against his chest, and his arms were around her. For a moment they simply embraced, Musa's sobs coming in earnest now, but then she pulled back, pointing a finger at him and still managing to look threatening despite her tear streaked face.
"Don't you dare tell anyone I cried."
She managed to hold back her sobs only long enough for him to nod, and promise, "I won't," before her face crumpled again and he pulled her back towards her. "I won't," he said again, pressing his lips to the top of her head.
Down on the quad, Flora watched them together before sighing and looking away. She hadn't meant to spy on them or anything; the dorm had simply too much for her to bear, so she'd gathered up Kiko - who she was looking after while Bloom was away - and taken him down to the quad so he could run around somewhere that wasn't the girls dorm for a change. And then by chance she'd glanced up and noticed Riven come to join Musa and she'd been too entranced to look away.
Flora didn't begrudge her friends their boyfriends, even if they couldn't quite admit that that's what they were yet, seeing them together just made her ache for Liliana. Or maybe, she corrected herself as she rubbed her fingers over Kiko's soft fur, she just missed what Liliana represented. Someone closer than a friend, a confidant, a shoulder to cry on, someone to hold her when she was sad.
She was lonely, Flora realised with a jolt. She was lonely, and Flora thought she might have been that way for quite some time now.
"Hey." A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped. But it was just Tecna, her friend sinking to the ground beside her.
"Hey, where's Timmy?"
"Going back to Red Fountain." Tecna tried to smile like it wasn't a big deal but Flora could sense that the peace she'd found with Timmy was already starting to abate. "You nervous for them?" Tecna asked before Flora could say something to try and ease her worries.
Taken aback, Flora remained silent, and Tecna inclined her head to Flora's hand. Without even realising it, she'd accidentally grown an entire crop of daisies, methodically plucked them, and she was just finishing assembling them into a flower crown. Flora's mouth opened a little in surprise and Tecna chuckled. The brunette shrugged to herself a little and reached up to settle the crown atop her friend's head. Tecna, looking bemused, reached up and touched a hand to it, but didn't remove it.
"They'll be okay," Flora said, sounding more confident than she felt.
"Yeah," Tecna agreed, and they both ignored the way her voice shook a little.
"Of course they will," Musa said brusquely as she flung herself down beside them.
Flora turned to her in surprise, and over her shoulder caught sight of Riven walking across the quad towards the front gates. Musa didn't turn to watch him leave, in fact the girl looked for all intents and purposes like whatever had just happened at the tower hadn't happened at all.
"I wonder where they came from? They must have come over the falls."
Stella furrowed her brows at the voice but didn't open her eyes, choosing instead to burrow in closer to the warmth wrapped around her.
"Oh, look how tightly he's holding her, isn't that sweet?"
If the voice was talking to anyone in particular, they didn't answer. Only Stella let out a noise, groaning quietly at the continued intrusion; she didn't know who was in her room so early, but she was going to kill them for waking her up.
"I do hope they're still alive. Go on and poke them with your club, Abrupto."
The words barely had a chance to penetrate Stella's sleep addled mind before she felt something sharp poke her roughly in the side. Completely fed up now, her eyes snapped open, and as her surroundings came into focus everything came rushing back.
She and Brandon - for it was Brandon's arms around her - were lying on a sandy beach, water lapping gently at their feet. The sound of rushing water was still audible and when Stella turned her head she could see the waterfall had deposited them in a small pool, the motion from the falls no doubt being the cause for them washing ashore.
Those details hardly mattered however when she laid eyes on the two creatures standing over her.
"Brandon," she muttered, surprised when the word didn't come out as a screech. "Brandon," she said again, grabbing his arm and shaking it urgently. He uttered a quiet groan and started to stir, but not fast enough for Stella's liking.
The creatures, and Stella really couldn't come up with any other word for them, were humanoid in shape, with long limbs. Their faces were long and pointed, with large intelligent eyes, and small mouths. They wore little clothing, both wearing skirts that were hardly more than a few scraps of fabric and nothing on their chests, revealing their incredibly sallow skin. One was quite skinny with shiny red hair, while the other was stacked with muscle and wore his inky black hair in a top-knot.
"Brandon!"
Finally Brandon woke up and scrubbed a hand over his face groggily. "What's going on?"
He blinked a few times, still looking bleary as he glanced from Stella, to the thin creature, before finally settling on the muscled one. His gaze immediately zeroed on the large, studded club the creature held. Surprising Stella with his swiftness, Brandon's hand leapt to the sword hilt at his belt, but even he wasn't quick enough to draw it before the creature struck out with his club. He cracked it over Brandon's head, rendering him unconscious once more.
A scream burst from Stella and she attempted to scramble towards Brandon but the sand seemed to lurch underneath her hands and knees and it was all she could do to remain upright. To make matters worse, the creature levelled his club at her, and she drew still, lifting her hands in the air.
"Stay where you are," the creature grunted. Stella nodded carefully even as her vision swam, and kept her hands in the air.
"Don't worry about your friend," the other, thinner creature assured her, hurrying over to Brandon and checking his pulse. "Abrupto didn't hit him so hard. He'll wake up soon." Where the other creature - Abrupto - had a deep, guttural voice, this creature's was light and dreamy, and Stella realised it was his voice that had woken her up. "Now can you walk, Miss?"
Stella almost corrected him on instinct and told him that she wasn't a Miss, she was a Princess, but something stopped her; she didn't know who or what these creatures were, and as such didn't know how they would take to a foreign Princess on their lands. So instead, and eyeing Abrupto carefully to make sure he didn't attack, Stella attempted to push herself upright. She didn't make it halfway before her legs shuddered so hard and her stomach jerked so violently that she collapsed back into the sand. Abrupto watched her fall passively, not attempting to help her.
"No matter, no matter," the thinner creature said, still sounding perfectly happy. 'We'll get you back to Downland so you can receive treatment. Yes, don't worry, we'll take care of you."
As he spoke, the creature untied a bundle of sticks from his waist and began fitting them together in quick, practised movements. Watching his hands, Stella realised that he only had three fingers, rather than five. She shuddered and looked away.
"What are you? If you don't mind me asking," she added, trying to remember the diplomatic manners her mother had drilled into her.
The creature didn't seem offended by the question, if his delighted tone was anything to go by. "We're trogs, Miss. The native people of Downland. And my name is Sponsus."
"Oh," Stella said faintly. "Nice to meet you Sponsus."
"Here we are, Miss."
In a matter of minutes Sponsus had taken the bundle of sticks and a piece of canvas, conjured from Dragon knew where and constructed a makeshift stretcher. Sponsus offered Stella his hand and she tried not to recoil as she allowed him to help her to her feet and over to the stretcher. She stretched out, glad that lying down seemed to temporarily clear her vision, and watched on as Sponsus got Brandon's unconscious body situated on his own back. The trog had to be hiding some muscle somewhere because Abrupto didn't offer any help, leaving Sponsus to line Brandon and himself up back to back on his own. He then undid his own belt and looped it around both their torso's to keep Brandon in place. Finally, staggering a little under Brandon's weight, Sponsus came back over to the stretcher and picked up the handles by Stella's head, preparing to drag it along behind him.
"Okay," Sponsus said, only sounding the slightest bit out of breath. "Off we go."
Abrupto, who had so far been silent, turned on his heel and stomped off, Sponsus following along slowly. Stella, already woozy again from the renewed movement, tried not to think about what his silence meant for their future.
It was hardly the most comfortable journey Stella had ever been on. Sponsus could only lift one end of the stretcher she laid on, so the bottom dragged along the rocky ground. That coupled with her worry for Brandon meant Stella was almost glad to be dropping in and out of consciousness as they went along.
She was fading back in, her vision staying blurry for much longer than she knew was good, when she heard Brandon wake up.
"Wha- what's happening?! Stella?!"
"Just relax," Sponsus said soothingly, not stopping even as Brandon began wiggling around. "We'll be in Downland soon and then I can untie you."
"Untie me now," Brandon demanded angrily. "I can walk on my own."
"I'm afraid that's probably not true. The falls would have disoriented you enough without Abrupto's knock to the head."
"Where's Stella?"
"Your friend is right here, she just isn't feeling too well at the moment."
Stella summoned the energy to glance up and call out, "Down here, darling."
Brandon lifted his head, and looked down at her. "Stella! Are you okay?"
"Yep," Stella lied. "Just a bit dizzy from going over the falls."
"Just hang in there, Stel. I'm gonna get us out of here."
"There's no need to get worked up," Sponsus said patiently. "We don't get visitors very often but when we do trogs are very gracious hosts. Did you know you can tell the overall well being of Downland based on how brightly the hemian crystals are glowing?"
Sponsus nodded to the side, and Brandon and Stella looked over to see that the trog was right. Jutting out from the sides of the tunnel were bright blue-green crystals that were emitting a strong glow, lighting their way.
"The crystals have glowed extremely brightly ever since Queen Amentia took the throne."
"Oh, shove a rock in it," Abrupto grunted suddenly. Thus far, he'd been walking ahead of them silently, but something Sponsus had said had set him off. "The crystals don't mean anything. That's just something the queen and her ancestors made up." Abrupto turned back around and stomped on.
"You'll have to forgive Abrupto," Sponsus said to Stella and Brandon quietly. "He's been in a bad place ever since Queen Amentia decided he and his fiancee weren't a perfect couple. She has the final say over all marriages in Downland, and Abrupto's girl ended up marrying another trog, someone Queen Amentia thought was more suitable."
Abrupto gave a sudden roar and slammed his club against the tunnel wall, shattering a clump of crystals. "That's enough," he bellowed, striding up to Sponsus. "You may be in love with the Queen, but not all of us are. And if you want that head of yours to remain intact, you'll never mention her around me again."
This time Abrupto waited until Sponsus had nodded meekly, before he stalked away.
"So, you're in love with the Queen?" Brandon asked Sponsus in an undertone.
Sponsus watched Abrupto's retreating back carefully before nodding. "Queen Amentia is a vision of beauty. Like the hemian crystals, she glows from within. She's a bit of a perfectionist, but that's only because she's so perfect herself. She's pure as an underground stream, elegant as marble, and bright as gold."
"Wow, she must really be something."
"Oh, she's everything."
Brandon almost chuckled at the open adoration in Sponsus' voice before glancing down at Stella lying on the stretcher. Her face was pale, and her tawny eyes hazy and unfocused, and suddenly the trog's obsession with his queen didn't seem so funny anymore.
"Hey, are we almost there?"
"Yes. Look ahead and you'll be able to see the royal palace."
Brandon glanced over his shoulder, mouth dropping open at the city spread out before him. The cavern the tunnel opened out onto was easily ten times larger than the last one, and was filled with blockish looking houses and buildings. The trogs had clearly put the crystals to good use, mining them and attaching them to the ceiling of the cavern and to the buildings to light the way and make everything glow. The most resplendent building however rose us above all the others, and was absolutely bedecked out in the crystals; this, Brandon guessed, had to be the mysterious Queen Amentia's castle.
As they made their way out of the tunnel and down the stairs, another large, muscled trog was coming the way. She nodded a greeting at Abrupto, then Sponsus, and stared curiously at Brandon and Stella as she passed but didn't object and entered the tunnel without comment. They reached the base of the stairs and turned down one of the city streets. Abrupto stopped at a house and without warning, shoved the door open and disappeared inside.
"Goodbye, Abrupto!" Sponsus called out cheerfully. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany you. Now," he said to Brandon, as he continued walking. "We can go back to my home and I'll tend to the girl. And then maybe, we can go visit Queen Amentia, she might be able to assist you in getting back to where you belong."
Sponsus' home was only a few blocks down from Abrupto's. The outside was like all the other's on the block, plain and made of a dingy white stone, but the inside was warmly furnished, with wooden floors and yellow walls. Once they were inside, Sponsus finally let Brandon down from his back, the specialist surprised to find that he was much more unsteady on his feet than he was expecting. Still he managed to keep his feet under him long enough to help Sponsus lift Stella from the stretcher and carry her over to a bed-like lounge in the middle of the room.
"I'm the palace physician," Sponsus told Brandon as he collapsed into a chair beside the bed. "But in my spare time I treat citizens of Downland as well," he said, explaining the set up.
He crossed the room over to a workbench and began gathering all sorts of things together. Brandon watched him warily for a moment or two, but figured the trog had had plenty of opportunities to harm them already, so he felt safe enough to turn his back on Sponsus and focus on Stella.
"Hey," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "Open your eyes for me, sunshine."
Stella stirred a little, and her head lolled around to face him, eyes opening slowly. She squinted against the glare of the lights, and brought a shaking hand up to shield her eyes. The lights in Sponsus' house weren't overly bright, but they were the most light they'd been subjected to since arriving in the Under Realms the day before.
"Hey," she said faintly.
"You're not looking so hot, how are you feeling?"
"Like I could for a spa weekend right about now."
Brandon managed a small smile; if Stella was still cracking jokes he knew she was doing better than he thought, but all the same he didn't like the greyish tinge that her usually tan skin had taken on.
"How long have I been out?"
"About an hour or so. And my best guess is we were lying on that beach for a few hours as well. It must be morning again."
"I had the strangest dream that we were captured by the most bizarre looking creatures."
Brandon winced, and glanced over his shoulder, hoping Sponsus hadn't heard. "Yeah, that wasn't a dream."
Stella's eyes widened and she tried to struggle upright, but her arms gave out before she could. Sponsus came bustling back over, and Stella's mouth fell open. Brandon squeezed her hand quickly and shook his head; as much as he cared for his girlfriend she had the tendency to say things without thinking sometimes and he didn't want to risk offending Sponsus.
"Hi," was all she said, voice small.
"Hello Miss. Good to see your eyes open again." Sponsus' big eyes moved to Brandon as he inclined his head towards the door. "If you would, please fetch the water vase over there, while I examine your friend."
Sponsus instructed Stella to lie still while Brandon got up to get the water vase. It was a large ornate piece sitting by the door, filled to the brim with crystal clear water. It was heavier than it looked and Brandon let out a quiet grunt when he picked it up.
"The Under Realms are sapping your strength at an alarming rate," Sponsas was telling Stella. "Something about the energy here affects fairies the most, it's why we don't get many visitors I'm afraid."
"It won't do any permanent damage will it?"
"Probably not. You just won't be at your full strength until you leave."
"Maybe if I could get back up to the surface for a little bit, and sit in the sun, I'd feel better."
"The sun is your core power? It certainly wouldn't hurt. But in the meantime, let me give you an energy potion. It'll make you feel better and will hopefully give you enough energy to get back to the surface."
Brandon arrived back with the water vase, dropping it beside Sponsus with a huff. The trog dipped a cup into it, before adding an assortment of herbs to it, occasionally stirring, and finally finishing the concoction off with a few sparks that emerged from his three fingers.
"Here," he said, handing the cup to Stella. "Drink all of this."
Brandon and Stella exchanged a fleeting worried look, before she shrugged and started to drink. If Sponsus was trying to hurt her, this was a rather elaborate way to do it. Brandon stayed and watched until she finished the drink to make sure sure she was okay, nodding in approval when the colour began to return to her face almost immediately. As she handed the cup back to Sponsus, Brandon picked the water vase back up to return it to its original spot.
"Make sure you put it back exactly where it was," Sponsus said mildly.
"Thank you," Stella said to the trog.
He turned back to her with a wide smile, and Stella thought that he looked slightly less alarming as he did, even if his eyes were still overwhelmingly large. "You're welcome, Miss. We are opposites, you know? I was just above ground, picking flowers for my queen, and I could feel myself growing quite faint. And if you stay down here, you will only grow weaker- no!" Sponsus yelled the word so suddenly that Stella jerked upright, and Brandon drew his sword, looking around for the threat.
"What is it?"
"That doesn't go there."
Sponsus pointed to the urn that Brandon had placed back beside the door. Brandon glanced down at it in confusion.
"What do you mean? This is right where I found it."
"No," Sponsus said, sounding impatient for the first time. "This is where you found it." He hurried from Stella's bedside and across the room, where he dragged the urn an inch or so to the right and settled it just so, so the handles were perfectly parallel to the wall. "Queen Amentia likes it here."
"Your queen sounds high strung," Brandon said without thinking, but Sponsus didn't seem perturbed.
"Oh, no, she's wonderful. And so kind. Why don't you come meet her and see for herself? Maybe she'll authorise a guard to escort you up to the surface and make sure you get there safely."
"What do you think, Stella?"
The blonde was sitting up on the bed now and looking much brighter. "Why not?" she said diplomatically. "I wouldn't mind meeting this Queen Amentia."
Sponsus only lived a couple streets away from the palace, so it was only a matter of minutes before they arrived and mounted the front steps.
"Sponsus," one of the guards monitoring the front courtyard grunted. "I wasn't alerted to a call for a physician."
"No call for me. I would just like to request an audience with Her Majesty, I have some guests I thought she might be interested in meeting."
The guard looked over Sponsus' head, tilting her head a little in confusion when her eyes settled on Stella and Brandon. Finally she shrugged. "I'll let Her Majesty know you're here."
"This could take a while," Sponsus advised them. "If Her Majesty decides to receive you out here, she'll wash her face, hands, and feet fifteen times before coming out."
"So, she's a neat freak as well as a perfectionist," Stella muttered.
Brandon chuckled and slipped his hand around her waist, drawing her close. "No matter how many times she washes her face there's no way she's as perfect as you."
"Aren't you just a charmer," Stella said, but she was smiling.
A sudden drum beat started up and Sponsus snapped to attention. Brandon and Stella followed suit as the wide double doors opened.
"Here come the ladies of the Court."
A trog with long purple hair stood on the top step, looking down on the courtyard. She was pretty, for a trog, Stella supposed, but there was still something off-putting about her pale skin, large, dark eyes, and three-fingered hands. She gathered the skirts of her lavender coloured gown and descended the stairs walking off to the right.
Another trog had been standing beside her, similar looking but with black hair, pale blue eyes, and a pink dress. This one paused a beat, before moving to the left. Lady after lady appeared at the top step before moving either left or right, twelve in total, until there was a line of six trogs on either side of the doors.
The first trog to have come down the stairs, cleared her throat. "Fall to your right knee!" she called loudly.
Sponsus, the guards, and all twelve ladies of the court immediately fell to their right knee, Brandon and Stella following awkwardly a second later.
"The one and only, immaculately beautiful, and fabulously perfect, Queen Amentia."
Having their heads down as they bowed, neither Brandon nor Stella saw Queen Amentia when she arrived, her appearance left to their imagination until a simpering voice called for them to rise. And rise they did, their heads lifting so Amentia came into view, and it was all Stella could do not to make a noise of surprise. Brandon dug his fingers into her ribs warningly and her mouth clamped shut.
While the ladies of the Court might have been beautiful for a trog, the same could not be said for Amentia. If Stella had thought the other trogs she'd met were pale, then it was clear that Amentia had not seen the sun a day in her life. Her skin was so pale it was almost grey which was a shocking contrast to her long black hair. She wore a simple bandeau top with a long, draped skirt, which revealed her thin stomach, and willowy limbs. Her eyes were large like any other trogs, but were a dull copper colour and were made even more bizarre by the dark purple makeup she wore to match the purple and gold crown perched atop her head.
"By the Dragon. That eyeshadow is not a good look."
"Stella," Brandon said quietly.
But Amentia didn't seem to have noticed them yet. She only had eyes for Sponsus, or rather the bouquet of flowers he was holding out to her.
"Queen Amentia, as a thank you for the honour of your presence today as well as the perfect job you do in ruling our realm, I bring you flowers from above."
"How kind of you, Sponsus," she said. Amentia had a high, girlish voice that didn't seem to quite fit her appearance.
"It is my honour." Sponsus sounded happier than Brandon and Stella had ever heard him as Amentia descended the stairs and came to collect the bouquet of red roses. "It has been hard work tending to my garden on the surface, but it is worth it, so I might present these flowers to you."
Amentia took the bouquet, and sighed happily as she gently touched a finger to one of the roses. Then smiling widely, she lifted the flowers to her nose and inhaled deeply, her eyes drifiting closed.
"Such a beautiful scent. Thank you, Spon- wait!"
Sponsus stiffened, and when he spoke his voice had lost it's usual happy note, and was stuttering. "M- my Queen?"
Amentia's eyes had snapped open, and were now narrowed in anger, as she glared down at the flowers.
"One of the petals is wilted," she hissed, her voice shaking with barely repressed fury.
Brandon shifted nervously, and pulled Stella in closer to his body. He didn't go for his sword yet, in case it set off the guards, but he was ready to fight their way out, should the need arise.
"My Queen!" Sponsus cried, clearly aghast. "I'm so sorry! They were perfect when I picked them, I swear. But they wither so quickly in the dark."
Amentia let out a grating screech and tossed the flowers to the side, one of the ladies of the Court dodging them neatly as though this were a daily occurance.
"I have no use for wilted flowers!" Amentia bellowed, stopping one sandaled foot.
Sponsus dropped to his knees, pressing his head to the stone ground. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. Please, I beg your forgiveness."
Amentia cocked her head, furious tears drying up as her tantrum abruptly ceased. "Fine Sponsus. I suppose I can find it in my heart to forgive you, as long as it doesn't happen again."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Sponsus said, scrambling to his feet. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."
Amentia waved away his grovelling with an airy hand, and looked past him to where Brandon and Stella stood. "So it's true, you brought Upworlders to my palace."
"Yes, my Queen. This is Stella and Brandon. Myself and Abrupto found them washed up by the waterfall, and the girl was quite ill so we brought them back here to be treated. I was telling them how kind and generous a queen you are and how you might consider helping them get back to the surface."
Amentia was quiet as Sponsus spoke, listening impassively as she stalked closer to the pair. She circled them once, and then twice, taking in every detail about them.
"Your hair," Amentia said to Stella when Sponsus was finished. She reached out and took a lock between two of her fingers. "It's so ugly."
"Well," Stella said sharply, clearly doing her best to keep her cool. "I did just go over a waterfall, so I'm not exactly at my best."
"Oh, did the water turn it this horrid colour as well?" Amentia tossed her own shiny, black hair, smirking a little, when Stella's cheeks went an angry red.
"Excuse me-" she began furiously, but cut herself off when Brandon squeezed her side warningly.
"You're excused," Amentia sniffed, her eyes sliding towards Brandon. "But you. You're not nearly so bad."
Brandon coughed uncomfortably, but forced himself to smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"No," Amentia said thoughtfully, tapping her chin as she sashayed closer. "Not nearly so bad. In fact quite lovely. Has anyone ever told you that your face is quite harmonious? Almost perfectly in balance."
"Well, thank you. I take after my dad actually. But about that escort back to the surface-"
"Did you know, Brandon, I've been looking for a husband for some time now?"
"Oh," Brandon said, not knowing what else to say. "Really?"
"My Queen?" Sponsus began, sounding worried. "Please don't be thinking what I think you're thinking."
Amentia didn't seem to hear him, and behind her the ladies of the Court shifted a little, whispering amongst themselves as they watched on curiously.
"Yes, Brandon," Amentia simpered. "I've been looking for a husband, and I think you'll be the perfect candidate."
A lot of things happened in quick succession after that.
Stella let out of a screech of indignation and tried to summon her powers to no avail. Sponsus crumpled to the ground in the background, but neither Amentia, nor any of her ladies seemed to notice because they were all chattering loudly amongst themselves, and the Queen was too busy calling for her guards. And Brandon tried to go for his sword, but couldn't even get a hand to the hilt before two trog guards had appeared on either side of him to frogmarch him into the palace.
"Brandon!" Stella cried, trying to run after him, but more guards got in her way shoving her back.
"Stella!" Brandon bellowed back, trying to tear himself free of the guards hands. His efforts doubling when one of the guards pushed Stella to the ground. "You leave her alone!"
Amentia gestured for the guards to take Brandon inside before stalking back to stand over Stella. "You can leave now, your presence isn't required any more."
"You can't do this."
Amentia's smile was so smug, Stella's hand ached to reach up and slap it off. "Actually I can. This is my realm and I can do whatever I want in it. Now, you better get out of here before you waste away completely."
And with that last threat delivered, Amentia straightened and whirled away, practically skipping back into her palace.
Bloom was hardly feeling rested when Layla suggested they get an early start the next morning. They had found the tunnel that Layla swore would take them to the pixies the night before and had walked along it for hours until they finally had to stop for the evening - not that it felt much like night considering they couldn't see the sky. The night that followed wasn't particularly restful for any of them, as they swapped between guard duty and trying to sleep on the hard ground with only a thin sleeping bag to soften the rock.
"How are you feeling?" Sky asked Bloom, as he offered her a hand up.
Ready to go find our friends, she almost said before stopping herself. It wasn't Sky's fault that they couldn't go looking for Brandon and Stella straight away. It wasn't even Layla's fault. They just needed to go find the pixies as quickly as possible, then they could come back for their friends.
"Good. Ready to get moving," Bloom said instead of any of that, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her voice.
Sky looked like he could see straight through her facade, but he just smiled a bit, touched her elbow gently, and nodded, before indicating that she follow Layla who was already moving along the tunnel, while he brought up the rear.
Stella sat huddled up on the steps of Amentia's palace, trying to force her brain to think and come up with a plan. There was no way she had the power to storm the castle and rescue Brandon, even with the energy potion Sponsus had given her. She was just considering if there might be a way to sneak in rather than try brute force when something heavy poked her in the side.
She straightened with a jerk and glanced to her left to see a studded club retreating. The trog wiedling it, was wearing the armour of the palace guard, and was staring down at her from her tall height.
"You need to be going, Miss," she grunted.
Stella swallowed, trying to ignore how dry her throat was, and said, "I'm not going anywhere without my boyfriend."
Something like sympathy flickered across the trog's face. "Her Majesty won't take it too kindly if she comes back and finds you sitting here. Things could get nasty."
"Nastier than kidnapping my boyfriend and forcing him to marry her?"
The trog made a face at the volume of Stella's voice and glanced around worriedly, but the other guards weren't paying them any attention. The trog grunted a little and bent down so she could drop her voice.
"The truth is Her Majesty will likely grow tired of your friend within a few days and let him go of her own volition. But if you insist on fighting your way to him, like I'm guessing you're planning on doing, you're going to need more energy than you've got now."
The trog held out a three-fingered hand to Stella who instinctively flinched away. The trog didn't react however and just waited patiently until the blonde took it, before helping her to her feet. Stella's head swam for a few seconds as she got her feet back under her, but Sponsus' potion was still working a little and finally her vision cleared.
"Go down these stairs and follow the main road out of Downland. It'll lead you to a tunnel entrance; if you follow the main tunnel along and don't go into the branches it'll lead you pretty much straight back to the surface."
"Thanks," Stella said, feeling bad for the way she'd flinched before.
The trog just nodded at her, gestured for her to start her trek down the stairs, before returning to her station. Stella took the dismissal for what it was and took a step towards the stairs before stopping and glancing back at the palace. Somewhere in there was Brandon.
"I'll be back," she promised in a quiet voice. Her bottom lip wavered a little at the thought of leaving him behind, and she could feel moisture begin to collect in the corners of her eyes, but both of Stella's parents had long taught her that a Princess didn't cry in public. So instead of letting those tears fall, she pressed her lips together tightly, and squared her shoulders as she turned away. She would be back, and once she was, Amentia wouldn't know what hit her.
Inside, Brandon was doing his level best to convince Amentia that despite his handsome face she didn't really want to marry him.
"Why would you want to marry me anyway?" he asked incredulously, as she stalked along a corridor, skirt billowing out behind her. "I'm a lowly squire," he continued, trying not to sound bitter as he spoke. "You need someone to help you rule."
Amentia scoffed loudly, sparing him the briefest of glances. "Hardly. I'm a queen in my own right, I don't need you to do anything but sit there and look pretty." She shrugged and swiped a finger along a nearby banister, smirking when it came back clean. "Well, and make sure the staff are keeping my palace in tip top shape."
"I wouldn't know anything about that. Like I said, I'm a squire, I'm usually the one being ordered around not doing the ordering, I wouldn't know the first thing about managing a palace."
"I'm sure you'll learn." There was something threatening in Amentia's face when she smiled at him. She gestured for the guards to open the doors ahead of her, which they did, revealing a grand throne room. She glided on through, Brandon trudging along in her wake. "I would think you'd be more interested in your new home."
"It's nice," Brandon said half-heartedly. "Look, I haven't even finished school."
Amentia didn't seem to hear him. "Come, see your new throne." She led him up a steep set of stairs towards a pair of thrones on a tall platform. Once at the top Amentia immediately turned around and sunk into her throne, regarding him with a smug smirk while Brandon shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"Look, I'm with someone else already. My girlfriend, Stella, remember?"
Amentia's smirk grew as she raised an eyebrow, looking completely unconcerned. "People change partners all the time. Especially when I tell them too."
Brandon thought about what Sponsus had told them about Abrupto and his fiancee and swallowed nervously.
"And besides," Amentia continued before he could speak, her face turning stormy. "If it's really that much of a problem for you, we could always bring that yellow-haired Upworlder back down here and take care of her. I'm sure she hasn't reached the surface yet."
Brandon's blood ran cold at the implication in Amentia's words. "No," he heard himself say distantly. "No, I don't think we need to do that. It would be my honour to sit by your side as your husband."
Amentia grinned, the grin of someone who had never been denied anything before and had just gotten what she wanted once again. "Excellent. Now come here." She went to rise from her throne and reach for him but Brandon stumbled back a hasty step.
"Uh no," he said, thinking quickly. "We're to be married soon, right?"
Amentia shrugged carelessly. "Tomorrow, maybe the day after. I don't like long engagements."
"Of course, neither do I. But see the thing is, where I'm from, Eraklyon, we have a custom where the bride and groom don't see each other in the week leading up to the wedding." Brandon chuckled nervously. "We're already breaking tradition."
Amentia surveyed him for a long moment, idly tapping a finger to her painted lips, and Brandon really thought she was going to say to hell with Eraklyon tradition and drag him to her kicking and screaming. But then she shrugged again.
"Fine," she said, and crooked a finger for the guards to join them. "Take him to his new quarters."
Brandon turned eagerly towards the steps and began to go down them, stopping only when she called his name.
"Brandon."
"Uh, yes, Your Majesty?"
She smirked. "I'll let you have your little traditions now, but tomorrow we will be married, and then there'll be nothing keeping us apart."
Brandon swallowed down a noise that might have been a yelp and managed a nod. Amentia leaned back in her throne, satisfied, and watched through narrowed eyes as Brandon scampered down the stairs and hurried from the room.
Stella knew she had to be close to the surface again by the way the tunnel was inclining at a steep angle and her muscles were burning in protest. Which was good because she had to walk with a hand on the wall to keep her balance and the orb of sunlight she was using to guide her way was growing dimmer by the second.
But she had to be close. She just had to be.
Through her hazy vision, Stella saw a distant sliver of daylight and put on a burst of speed. She forced herself to keep going until the daylight was more than a mere sliver and she was feeling sunshine all over her skin for the first time in twenty-four hours. She fell to her knees, a few sobs of exhaustion escaping her, and she rolled onto her back, already feeling the sun start to do its job and regenerate her energy.
"I think we're getting close," Layla told Bloom and Sky as they trudged along. "I'm serious," she said, a bite in her voice when the others didn't look convinced. "We should be well away from the river now, but look there's water dripping there. And there was water at the base of the cavern Shadowhaunt's castle is built into."
Layla stomped off ahead, but Bloom, feeling bad, bit her lip and hurried after her so she could keep up with the longer-legged girl. Layla had put out a hand and scooped up a handful of the water that was dripping from the cave roof, using her powers to twirl the water in a strand between her fingers, pulling at it and manipulating the particles.
"That's cool," Bloom said, noticing how Layla's fingers remained dry. "Do you never get wet?"
"I do. But I can repel water if I want to and am concentrating on doing it."
"Even if you're completely submerged."
"Depending on how much energy I have, yeah."
"Does that mean you can breathe underwater as well, because you can repel the water from your lungs."
"It doesn't work exactly the same," Layla explained, changing the water strand into a ball and tossing it from hand to hand. "I can repel water for as long as I have energy, but that doesn't mean I can replace it with air. So it's useful if I need to keep the water out of my lungs for a few seconds while I get back to the surface, but it won't sustain me underwater without additional underwater breathing spells."
"That's so interesting."
"Really?"
Bloom didn't notice the surprise in Layla's voice and nodded eagerly. "For sure. I'm still learning how my powers work, and there are so many different power sources, sometimes I feel like I'll never catch up. You all seem to just know what you're doing."
"We have had our entire lives to develop our powers, you've only known about your powers for a year, right?"
"Yeah." Bloom scuffed her boot against the rocky floor a little, like she was embarrassed by the admission, but Layla, on the other hand, was amazed.
"And you already have so much control over them? Not to mention took down three senior witches last year?"
"I had help," Bloom said, but she was smiling. "Thanks, Layla. Really. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, so it's nice to be reminded that I'm not messing absolutely everything up."
"Don't worry, you're not," Layla assured her, before hesitating. "And I'm sorry," she continued awkwardly. "About before. For snapping at you. I just-"
I just have never really talked to girls my own age this much before.
I just have never really hung out with girls my own age like this before.
I just have never really had someone I might consider a friend before.
"-I'm just tired from sleeping terribly on that rock floor. And being in the Under Realms for so long is getting to me."
"Tell me about it. I can't wait to get back to Alfea for a hot shower and a night in an actual bed. At least our powers are coming back now." Bloom's voice brightened as she conjured up a palmful of crackling flames.
Layla couldn't help but smile a little as she watched Bloom attempt to manipulate her flames in the same way she had done with her water. The flames flickered as they circled the redhead's wrist before abruptly vanishing when Bloom swore and yanked her arm away.
"I'm still working on not burning myself," Bloom said, her voice sheepish.
"You'll get there."
Sky appeared beside them from where he'd been tactfully lagging behind. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking Bloom's hand in his so he could see her wrist.
"Yes," she said, smiling fondly, when he ducked his head to inspect the wound closer. A few locks of blonde hair had worked their way free of his hair tie and fell in his eyes; Bloom itched to push them back, but held herself back, curling her fingers into a ball instead to resist the impulse.
"Are you sure? I can bandage it for you."
"Thanks, Nurse Sky, but I think I'll survive."
Sky smiled ruefully, like he knew he was overreacting a little, and let her hand go. Bloom found herself missing the contact almost immediately, but forced herself to turn to Layla, who was watching them. When she saw Bloom looking back, Layla glanced away and inclined her head towards the tunnel.
"Should we keep going?"
"Yeah-" Bloom began, but broke off, when she heard the distant growl of approaching monsters. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she could tell by the expressions on Sky and Layla's faces that they had heard the noise as well. "Yeah, we need to get out here," she said, and they immediately broke into a run.
They hurtled along the tunnel, Sky's torch lighting the way a little but not enough to stop them from stumbling over the uneven ground and stray stalagmite. They were running as fast as they could but even so they could hear the monsters gaining on them, and knew that soon they would be upon them.
"Bloom, can you transform yet?"
Bloom tried in answer to Layla's question, but all she got was a flicker of her fairy form before it disappeared. Her powers were coming back but not fast enough for her to put up a decent fight. Layla's solemn head shake told her that the other girl wasn't having any luck either.
"There's an opening up ahead!" Sky yelled from behind them, where he was still bringing up the rear.
They all put on a burst of speed, passing through the opening. It wasn't an escape route like they'd all hoped, but it was a slightly larger, defensible room, lit by crystals embedded in the rock, so at least they could see what they were fighting. They ran for the far side of the room so they could set up their attack with their backs to the wall, but the monsters had finally caught up.
One shot a mouthful of bile at Sky, who dodged it neatly and withdrew his favoured long sword, but Bloom wasn't so lucky. She was still making a break for the other side of the chamber when the other monster shot a dozen spikes at her. One caught her in the leg, and she fell to the hard ground, yelping in pain.
"Bloom!"
Bloom gasped out a breath, trying not to focus on the pain as she attempted to push herself to her feet. But her leg fought the movement, her muscles spasming against the intrusion of the stone spike that was stuck deep into her flesh. She fell back to the ground, letting out a sob.
"Bloom!"
"Sky!"
The spiked monster lunged for Bloom where she lay defenceless on the ground, but Sky leapt between them with a yell, swinging his sword with brutal accuracy. The monster's thick, rocky exterior meant the blade glanced off but the attack was enough to give it pause.
Layla, in the meantime, was facing off with the long-necked monster, desperately trying to think up a plan that would save her from being drenched in bile once again. Her powers hadn't returned enough to put up a fight against the monster, and she was struggling to come up with any other ideas. She patted frantically at the pockets of her shorts, before pulling out a nondescript white package.
"What?" Layla murmured, before realisation dawned on her. "Faragonda's seeds." She glanced up to see the monster quickly advancing on her. "Worth a shot," she said, before ripping open the package and scattering them on the ground between herself and the monster. "Let's see how you like that." Layla smirked triumphantly at the monster, while backing up a few steps.
Her smile slipped however when the seeds did nothing but lie there, before disappearing completely as the monster took a step forward and crushed a few of the seeds beneath it's massive foot.
"Uhh-"
'When you activate these seeds with a burst of magic they give off a very bright light that will drive the monsters away.'
Layla clutched a hand to her forehead, unable to believe she'd forgotten such a vital piece of information. The monster took another step towards her and she skittered backwards again, her brain already scrambling for another plan when a familiar voice suddenly spoke.
"Need a hand?"
Stella, surrounded by an aura of gold magic, came flying into the room, wings out and sceptre in hand, clearly ready for a fight. She tossed a smile the way of her friends, delighting in their clear shock, before zapping the seeds with a neat jet of sunlight.
The effect was instantaneous; the seeds burst open, iridescent plants growing from them, the branches crusted with illuminated leaves that shone brightly. They grew bigger and brighter, until eventually they all, except Stella, had to look away. Which meant they didn't see the retreat of the monsters, but they certainly heard the pained shrieks they left out, and then the thundering footsteps as they hurried away. Faragonda had been right; after living their existence in the darkness of the caves, they just couldn't handle the brightness of the light plants.
"Bye now," Stella said smugly, waving after the monsters.
Job done, the plants began to wilt almost immediately, drooping before withering away to almost nothing. Their short-lived existence might have been sad, had the others not been so happy to see Stella.
"Stella!"
"You're okay!"
"Where's Brandon?"
Stella permitted a fleeting hug from Sky, waved at Layla, before hurrying over to her best friend who was still on the ground, unable to get up with her injured leg.
"Darling!" Stella exclaimed, sinking to her knees beside her. "What have you done to yourself?"
"Who cares about me, where have you been?!"
"And where's Brandon?!" Sky asked urgently, joining them.
"Well," Stella said, expression growing grim. "You'll never believe the trouble Brandon and I managed to find ourselves in."
Brandon and Stella's trouble with Amentia and the Downlanders was nothing to the trouble that was coming their way however. For Lord Darkar had been following their process and he was none too happy about the ease with which they'd driven away his monsters.
"How dare they," Stormy shrieked, looking between the magical image of Stella, Bloom, Layla, and Sky, and Darkar sitting on his throne.
"They need to pay," Darcy agreed.
"Let us go to them," Icy began. "We'll-"
"Silence," Darkar hissed.
Never ones to take being treated like sidekicks, the three witches almost bit back at him, but something in them kept them quiet. Darker's helmet covered his face and it made it impossible to read his expressions, and they were still learning to judge his moods from his voice. And besides they still felt some gratitude for the way he'd broken them out of Light Haven. They could play the part of the dutiful minions. For now.
"They made sport of my monsters," he said, voice low and shaking with barely repressed anger.
"Yes," Icy purred. "Yes, they did. What are you going to do about it?"
Darkar leapt from his throne and took a step, then another, before unleashing a deafening roar of pure fury. A roar that seemed to shake the room.
But it wasn't just the throne room that shook, but all of Shadowhaunt, a tremble that raced from the corners of Shadowhaunt and into the Under Realms nearby.
Stella was just telling them about how she'd awoken after her exhausting journey to the surface feeling completely rejuvenated and had immediately come to find them when the tunnel around them began to shark and quake.
"What's happening?" she yelled over the sound of the rocky walls shifting and cracking. She snatched up her sceptre from where it lay on the ground beside her, but there was no enemy for her to attack.
"Feels like a quake!"
"We need to move," Sky said, noticing how the walls and ceiling were already beginning to crumble.
Bloom tried to push herself to her feet, but her leg was no longer just sore, but also stiff. There was no way she was getting anywhere fast.
"You guys go!" she yelled to her friends. "I'll follow as fast as I can."
Sky didn't even bother to entertain the notion, and immediately slid one hand under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her into the air. He held her tight to his chest, and jerked his head to indicate Layla go first.
"You lead, Layla. We can't stay here, and we don't want to go the wrong way."
"Okay," she said, voice hard with determination. The room branched off in three directions, and Layla glanced around once before pointing to the right one confidently. "We need to go this way."
And without stopping to consider what might happen if they were wrong and the tunnel caved in behind them they all plunged into the tunnel. They just had to hope that it would lead them closer to Shadowhaunt.
Hey fam,
Another day, another chapter. I have to say this was one of my favourite to write so far this volume, and I think it showed in the length (30 pages in google docs and almost 14k words). Even though it feels like this part of the season can drag on sometimes, I really like all the storylines because it has a nice balance of filler and plot stuff. You also get a lot of nice character moments while they're all wandering around caves, as well as all the fun Brandon/Stella stuff of course.
We kind of saw a bit of a development in the Layla/Bloom friendship, which I'm hoping you picked up on there. There's still tension, but also a nice bonding moment that I'm hoping to build further on later. It wasn't really an intentional thing but I really like how it came about, so I'm hoping you guys liked it as well. Plus there was quite a few nice Bloom/Sky moments for all the Skloom shippers out there.
As always thanks everyone who reads, leaves kudos, bookmarks, and sends me asks about my fics. You can leave a comment here or send me an ask gins-potter on tumblr - I try to answer all of them asap. Please let me know what you thought about the chapter!