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“I don’t care if your decision is final! I’m not going!”
Ameril’s eyes opened. The young Light Faerie found herself looking up at her bedroom window expecting summer sunlight streaming forth, feeding her powers. Instead, the sight of rain tap tapping at the window greeted her while the memory of the dream quickly faded into oblivion in the back of her head, but not the feeling of guilt Ameril held towards going against the Faerie Queen’s order.
Yet, her mind struggled in placing where the guilty feeling came from, given the fact she didn’t remember at that moment the dream let alone the mission the Faerie Queen insisted she go on.
Instead, her hand touched her forehead lightly, contemplating the list of things she and her friends planned on doing for the summer. Her eyes closed, mentally noting how she and her friends planned on a road trip to the various cities in Neopia. Said plans included shopping for the latest trends in the various cities along with making a movie regarding their trip with a video camera Ameril managed to find.
A sigh escaped while she stared at the ceiling, contemplating how for her the trip didn’t feel like a trip of a lifetime, at least for herself, so she’d suggested the making of a documentary so the trip might not seem so vain and so empty in purpose. No matter how much she tried, the empty feeling she felt wouldn’t go away as the rain continued pouring outside of the house, feeding the feeling of dread regarding the summer vacation.
Eventually, she made her way out of bed and headed down the stairs, finding herself face to face with her mother and sister.
“Good morning Ameril. What are your plans for the summer?” her mother asked, catching Ameril slightly off guard.”
“Shopping. Traveling. Recording the trip.”
“Sounds boring.”
Ameril glared at her younger sister, wishing so much she didn’t agree with Arie. Something in her ached for adventure even as she reached for a piece of toast. “You almost had an adventure last summer, yet you went against the Faerie Queen’s order. You went against her order despite the fact doing so is unheard of, yet nothing happened. Nothing bad happened.”
“Well, I hope it goes well. It’s been raining all morning. You should pack some rain gear.”
“Yes, well – we’re not just hitting Faerieland boutique.”
“Still…”
Arie interrupted their mother. “Aren’t you aware of the attacks on some of the other cities in Neopia that have been on the news?”
“Yes.” Ameril glared at her sister, her eyes narrowing before turning towards her mother. “Look, I’ll take some rain gear with me.” She took a bite of toast and swallowed before speaking again. “I’m supposed to meet up with the others soon.”
Finishing her breakfast, she headed for the front door, pulling out the raingear which would protect her hair and keep her feet dry, all made from clear plastic before hurrying off to the small café she’d planned on meeting her friends at. As she did, her eyes drifted up towards the storm clouds and away from the satchel containing the video camera, but the feeling of dread wouldn’t go away.
The bell over the door of the café jingled and she found herself waving to one of her friends, Charil, who waited for her, glaring out at the rain which also affected her powers. Taking a deep breath, Ameril sat down across from her, looking out the window and leaning her face into the palm of her hand, wishing for the weather to change. To start a conversation, she said, “How are you doing?”
“The weather’s really messing with my hair.”
“Well, hopefully, the weather will be nicer wherever we’re going.” Ameril let out a sigh. “Otherwise this is going to be one boring trip.”
“What? Did you expect some kind of adventurous summer trip?” Charil looked up at her, glaring. “Maybe you should have taken on the Faerie Queen’s quest?”
“What…” Ameril wondered why her friend was suddenly so disgruntled with her.
“I mean, you were chosen for a quest.” She wanted to tell Charil the quest wasn’t worth it, only for her to cement the fact by saying, “I mean, it isn’t as if you were being sent on that ludicrous quest of finding male faeries which obviously don’t exist.”
“Where did that come from?” Ameril didn’t look her in the eye, wondering how Charil found out yet hadn’t connected the dots.
“It was just some silly rumor that’s even more farfetched than the rumor about the Dark Faeries looking for something. I mean, they’re always looking for trouble, but you know, a rumor is a rumor. It’s as bad as those rumors about someone attacking the other cities and causing major damage.”
“What else have you heard about?”
“Seriously, I really don’t want to talk about that lame rumor I overheard my mom talking about because such things don’t exist. If you’d have taken that mission on, you’d be so out of our circle of friends. I mean…” Charil rolled her eyes, continuing to speak despite the fact Ameril was no longer listening, hoping some of their other friends might show soon. She completely wished she’d not heard Charli openly state she would disown her as a friend had she taken the quest.
Instinct made her look up, her eyes expecting to see one of their friends approaching the café.
Instead, she saw a strange figure rushing past the small café with something she couldn’t’ make out clutched to their chest. At that moment, Ameril found herself no longer leaning against her arm and instead of staring out the window at the street, quite perplexed by the figure running past until the glass suddenly shattered, the blast knocking her and Charil out of their seats, but the explosion made her lose her breath for a few moments.
Eventually, she sat up, pushing herself from the ground while Charil did as well. In the back of her mind, she was quite sure Charil caught a glimpse of the Dark Faeries flying past the window as another explosion rocked the entire area. Charil frowned. “What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know.” She then said something she perhaps shouldn’t have. “I’m going to go and see what’s going on.”
“Are you crazy? Charil grabbed onto her arm, attempting to drag her back into the shop. She then paused. “No. Scratch that. We’re not staying here.”
Tugging Ameril’s arm, she dragged her from the place and in the opposite direction the Dark Faerie headed. “Charil…”
“What?”
“Did you notice that person passing by the café before it exploded?”
“That would likely be whoever they were after and the person we absolutely want nothing to do with.”
“Yes, but…”
“We’re getting out of here.”
“My mother and sister are in that direction.” Ameril tugged her hand away, her eyes having taken in the carnage the two Dark Faeries left in their wake. Even more, striking was how absolutely nobody was doing anything but attempting to make their way away from the place if they could, but her eyes couldn’t help but register some of the Faerie Neopets shivering as the rain poured down and they attempted to find shelter. “I’ve got to go do something.”
“Are you crazy?”
“That’s the second time you asked that.”
“I had the feeling you were wanting to look for trouble, to go on some kind of adventure. It’s been this way since you turned down that quest, that you’ve wanted something more than your life here when it is all perfectly fine here.”
“Do you call this fine?” Ameril snapped. She then shook her head, turning into one of the alleyways which would lead back to the house. “I can’t sit back and do nothing!”
“Ameril, our powers are useless in this storm, something I imagine the Dark Faeries intended.”
“I don’t care. My mother and sister are still out there, and honestly…” Ameril wanted to say something about what Charil said earlier, yet shook her head. “Never mind. I’m going.”
Thus she found herself hurrying through the alleyway, hearing the ensuing panic erupting through the entire place. In truth though, she didn’t rightly know which direction to head, what with certain paths being cut off by the explosions and also not wanting to take to the skies lest the Dark Faeries see her, not to mention the fact the rain would make her wings heavier than normal.
Somehow, she found herself by a bridge that went over a river of water which normally flowed through the clouds which served as a substitute for the earth in the city the Faerie called home, but her eyes caught a glimpse of the shadowy figure hurrying into the shelter of the bridge. Without thinking, she headed after them, ducking in while keeping an eye out for Dark Faeries.
Arriving under the bridge, she found herself watching the boy carefully, tilting her head slightly. “Do you need help?”
The figure startled, glancing up, their entire body stiffening while pulling whatever they held in their arms closer to their chest but also pulling the cloak which surrounded them tighter. “Help?” The person shook their head. “Why would you want to help when you didn’t help before?”
“What…” It was then that Ameril saw what, or whom the person carried. In their arms was a small, pink Ixi, but even more striking than the color was the fact this particular Ixi didn’t have any horns. “Wait. You’re…”
“One of your quest companions?” They backed away. “Don’t forget you told the Faerie Queen you absolutely would have nothing to do with it. So why…”
“I’m a Light Faerie,” Ameril held up her hands.
“That’s actually even more reason for me not to trust you. Not when…” What he said made absolutely no sense.
“Mm… Chase?”
The small Ixi speaking drew his attention downward. “Nixi?”
“I can heal her!” Ameril stated, making him startle. “Actually, that’s about the only thing I’m good for right now and then my elemental abilities will be well spent.”
“Why are you…” Chase took a deep breath. “Why are you telling me that?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because…” There came another pause. “You just shouldn’t. If you knew, you’d know it wouldn’t make sense.”
“You’ve got to trust somebody, right?”
“I trust Nixi.”
“Who’s hurt right now.”
“And the Library Faerie.”
Ameril’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Isn’t she still in a coma?”
“That…” He glanced down. “I don’t trust Faeries. Not at all.”
“Because the Faerie Queen sent you on that quest?”
“Well, perhaps her and the Battle Faerie.”
“She did trust me to go with you on that quest.”
“You bailed.”
“Because male Faeries aren’t real.” Ameril waited for a response, then closed her eyes upon finding herself on the receiving end of mere silence. “Sorry. Why are they after Nixi?”
“They’re not…” There came more silence then he spoke again. “You’ll heal her?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ameril continued holding her hands up, stepping slowly closer until she was finally able to reach out and begin to use her Light Magic to heal the young Ixi. “Why…”
“She’s not the one they’re after.”
Ameril’s mouth twisted slightly, taking in what he just said when she heard Charil’s voice. “Ameril? Did you go in this direction?” He stiffened while Ameril sent a glare her friend’s way, though she did have reason to suspect she and Charil wouldn’t be friends after today. She focused her attention on the small Ixi, ignoring the other Light Faerie. “Why are you wasting what little Light Magic you have stored to help a complete stranger?”
Except, he didn’t feel like a complete stranger.
“Jhadaril.” The sound of Dark Faeries calling from somewhere nearby broke Ameril from her trance, but she noticed how Chase tensed up. “Jhadaril of the Talihmar, where are you?”
Charil turned, hissing. “That family of Dark Faeries?” The sound of disdain was quite evident. “Of all the Dark Faerie families, that’s not one you want to mess with. Ameril, let’s…”
“You’re…” Ameril found herself a bit taken aback by the realization in the back of her head while she continued focusing on using her magic to heal the small Ixi in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” Chase muttered. “I understand if you don’t want to help us anymore.”
“No,” Ameril noticed the Ixi stir. “I don’t mind helping Nixi out, or you for that matter. I was stupid to think a quest from the Faerie Queen didn’t matter. That it was just a
“Ameril?”
“There you are.” Ameril was close enough to Chase to see the fright in his eyes, but she also saw the Dark Faerie who spoke. “Who are you playing with now Jhadaril.”
“He’s the one they’re after. We should…”
“No,” Ameril muttered.
“They’ll break us! You know that!”
“She’s right,” Chase stated, pulling back the hood and gently placing Nixi into Ameril’s arms. “Nixi ended up hurt because of me.”
“Wait. You’re the human who entered the Faerie Academy last summer, aren’t you?” Charil was thankfully quite dense. “Why are they after you?”
Ameril quickly shoved the Nixi into Charil’s arms. “If you drop her, I’ll personally kill you,” she muttered before pushing past Chase, knowing full well she’s used up all of her magic. It was probably enough to remove the glamour so many of the Faerie used to move about society as well as bring out her wings, though that didn’t say much given the fact either truly needed magic to do. “You can’t have him.”
“Now’s not the time to be adventurous,” Charil muttered.
“What do you think you can do? You’re magic won’t work in this storm Light Faerie, but you should know that, right? Listen to your friend there.”
“I’ll buy time,” Ameril noted.
“Why? Why are you doing this given…” Chase paused.
“Given what you are?” Ameril continued glaring at the Dark Faeries. “If you were one of them, would you actually be trying to protect an innocent Ixi, particularly one without horns?”
“Are you going to let us crush this Light Faerie, Jhadaril?” The way the Dark Faerie, who was now joined by two others mocked her filled Ameril with fear
“No,” she heard Chase say, before feeling him now gently push her aside, stepping in front of her. “I’m not.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Mandrina…” For some reason, the other two Dark Faeries looked worried.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Chase said as his own glamour went down and the wings came up.
“What the fuck! He’s a Dark Faerie!” Charil’s voice strained. “What the hell are…”
What happened next felt like a blur. Whatever magic Chase planned on using felt as it backfired as it resulted in him flying back into Ameril, but somehow she knew said magic didn’t come from the other Dark Faeries. It sent them back into the clouds where the river should run, but instead of the clouds holding them, they started falling through.
Somehow, she managed to gain flight although the rain did make her wings heavy.
Chase, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky, but given the fact he likely only had use of his wings for a year, it didn’t surprise her that flying in rainy weather wasn’t something he was used to. More importantly, she found herself heading down, attempting to grab onto his arm to prevent him from crashing into the ground.
It didn’t help that he was panicking, but the next thing she knew she heard branches breaking and then felt herself land roughly on the ground as the clouds above started parting. Brightvale, she could see off in the distance, but she also saw Chase crumpled on the ground. She hurried over, nudging him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said, pushing himself up only to wince. “Actually, I think… don’t worry about it. Where’s Nixi?” From Ameril’s point of view, Chase didn’t seem alright as he attempted pushing himself up from the ground where he landed, but his eyes widened despite the pain as he looked around. “Where is she?”
Ameril took a deep breath, feeling the sun not only dry her wings but also soak into her skin. “We need to move you to a different location.”
Chase attempted pushing himself up from the ground before letting out a yelp which resulted in him toppling back to the ground. Letting out a grown, he muttered under his breath. “Not without Nixi. She’s family.”
“I understand…”
“Ameril! What the hell just happened?” Ameril turned her head, seeing Charil land nearby. She was far from pleased. “You now have Dark Faeries after us, and what? To help a Dark Faerie? We should just hand him over.”
“A bit late for that isn’t it.” Ameril glared at her. “And aren’t you the one who said she would defriend anybody who was sent on a quest to find a male Faerie?”
“Yes. I did say…” Charil’s already pale skin paled even more, while one finger went up and twisted the blond hair all Light Faeries seemed to have.
“Where’s Nixi?” Chase asked.
“Here. I knew Ameril wouldn’t ever forgive me if I dropped her, but I’m not so sure…”
Ameril glared at her. “You know that we’re supposed to protect the Neopets and the humans who find themselves in our world.”
“Whereas he was masquerading as a human,” Charil glared at him.
“I didn’t ask to be a Dark Faerie,” Chase snapped, glaring at her.
“Chase? Chase, are you alright?” Nixi moved, the little healing Ameril did seeming to have a positive effect on the small Ixi, but then she also remembered the Ixi being far more energetic than she was even now.
“I’m fine. Good to see you perky again.” Chase smiled, yet Ameril didn’t think he looked alright given the long scrape running down his arm having torn the clothing, but there was also the odd way he held his arm and the way his wing stuck out, not to mention the fact she couldn’t stand on his own two legs.
The worst part – she didn’t know what kind of effect her healing magic would have on a Dark Faerie. She turned and looked at Charil. “They didn’t follow you?”
“Well, no. Whatever he did knocked them back, but they made that Dark Faerie that was leading them retreat.”
“For now,” Chase muttered, his eyes closing. “I really hate heights.”
“He’s afraid of them. It was really hard getting him down from the cloud and then back up, but we thought Faerieland was the only place left.” Nixi was definitely much spunkier. “You healed me? Can you heal him as well?”
“I don’t know,” Ameril pushed her lips together. “I’ve some money, so I can go and get supplies in Brightvale.”
“Ameril, you heard that he’s of the Talihmar family.”
“I’m not…” Chase muttered. “What does that even mean?”
“The Darkest Faerie was from that family.”
“You mean …? Chase said, his eyes blinking in confusion.
Ameril blinked, turning her head to look at Chase, noting how his mouth continued moving after the first two. “What did you say?”
“…” Again, his mouth moved, but nothing came out.
Charil laughed. “Your mouth is moving, but nothing is coming out.
“When you’re referring to the Darkest Faerie, you mean …, right?”
An alarm when off in Ameril’s brain. “Chase…”
“What is the matter with you…” Charil shook her head. “… that you can’t say that one word?”
“…, …, …,” Chase said, yet nothing came out.
“Charil, please.”
“What? He can’t say, what was the name?”
Chase opened his mouth, quite irritated with what she said, his eyes narrowed. “Jhana, her…”
A loud cracking sound was heard off in the distance and Ameril swallowed. Charil turned her head, looking in the direction of the cracking sound. “Did that come the direction of Maraqua?”
“Yeah. It did,” Ameril swallowed.
“Isn’t the Darkest Faerie statue…”
“Yes, it is.”