Makenna Delling felt the same great disturbance as Merlin and Gina. Ash did too, but he refused to admit it. He had to keep blending in.
“Do ya still feel something unsettling right now, Makenn?” he asked.
Makenna removed her hands from the waterfall they had been under and answered, “Oh, Ash, I’m scared.” She reached for her head, “I feel nauseous, like something terrible just happened. We have to find that Wizard Fairy right now.”
“But he first said to search for that so-called scroll.”
“I know, but I can’t leave Tracey alone for much longer! He’s going to be dead before I know it!”
“Makenna.” With Silvey’s feelers wrapped around his leg, Ash took a step closer to her, “Breathe. Calm down. Listen to me. Do ya think it’s wise to throw yourself into the fray right now even though you have not seen the Wizard Fairy yet?”
“No.” Makenna shook her head.
“I think so too,” continued Ash, “You need to learn to be patient. Why don’t we work together to quickly, but not too quickly, find the scroll and our way to the Wizard Fairy? Ya have me with ya, Makenn. I’ll make sure ya don’t miss him. After all, he and I are best friends.”
“I just don’t want to be too late.”
“It’s not. It’s never too late. That’s what my friend would say.” After Ash said that, for a second, Makenna looked up and stared at him. Their blue eyes met, and another gust of wind blew the wingless fairy’s sideburns.
Finally, Makenna shook her head and asked, “If this is where the scroll is supposed to be, then how do we pinpoint it?”
Ash turned mute again for a bit. Reaching back, he grabbed the hilt of Crusader and pulled her out. The young man pointed her tip down and offered her to Makenna.
“A sword?” she asked, “Do you need a sword?” Her fairy instincts told her she and Ash were heading down the right path. This was strange though. How did Ash have an idea of what to do? Sure he knew his friend pretty well, but still. The young Metamorphic Fairy shakily reached forward and took Crusader off his hands. She gestured for Ash to wait for her and next followed her fairy instincts to the sculpture. Makenna brushed her hand across it and thought for a moment. Ash couldn’t wait for her, and before long, he and Silvey stood next to her again.
Noticing them, Makenna let out a frustrated sigh, “I’ve got this, Ash, okay?” Did she though? Makenna knew she needed the fountain and a sword, but what the heck was she supposed to do from there? She spent about five minutes trying to think of something.
Ash finally made a wild guess and pointed at the concrete flowers the fairy leaned against, “Did ya try the flowers?”
Makenna gave him a funny look. She then glanced in the direction in which he was pointing and noticed something quite interesting. The sculpture’s fairy actually was leaning really far forward in order to reach the flowers. Her arms created a huge hole a sword could fit through.
“Oh! I get it!” Makenna suddenly called out. She dragged Ash’s heavy sword to the fountain and glanced back at it. The young fairy tried to lift it and slip it through the hole the fairy’s arms created, but it was difficult.
“Do ya want me to help?” questioned Ash.
Makenna shook her head no. It was her fault Tracey had run away, so she had to do this herself. The sword was way too heavy for her to lift though.
Eventually, Ash had to slip in and help. He grabbed one side of Crusader’s hilt with both hands and gently pushed Makenna to the other side. Silvey took a few steps back and sat down in front of one of the waterfalls. When Makenna noticed Ash had slipped in, she glared at him, but he simply gave her the You can’t do this without me expression, and she was given no choice. Together, the two fairies tightened their grips on Crusader’s hilt and lifted her. Ash nodded at Makenna, and she nodded back. Then, BAM! They dropped Crusader through the fairy’s open arms and stabbed the concrete below. As tough as it was, the sword didn’t break. With their hands continuing to grip the hilt tightly, Ash and Makenna watched as it glowed up a bright, blue color. Ash was forced to close his eyes against it because the light hurt his head. Behind the statue in the direction of the wall behind the two, the ground gave way and revealed a secret staircase. Makenna, Silvey, and Ash’s eyes landed on it. “Now that is spooky.” Ash admitted. Makenna thought the exact opposite. That wasn’t spooky. That was amazing!
She curiously approached the staircase and asked, “I wonder where it goes.”
Ash shrugged, “Ya can’t know unless ya try it.”
“True.” Makenna took a step closer to the first stair but stopped just before she touched it. Now that Ash had said it, it actually was a bit spooky. Young Makenna soon backed up and pushed him forward, “You know what, how about you go first? You’re a Wizard Fairy. You’re also armed with weapons.” Ash let out a small chuckle and patted her shoulder. Makenna held onto his own shoulders as they together started down the staircase. Behind, Silvey lifted her paw and rubbed her face down.
In her head, she told herself, “You can do this,” and followed the teenage fairies.
Once they were halfway down the stairs, Makenna built up her confidence and slipped in front of Ash. They led to a large, torch-lit room that looked like a mini living space. It was decorated with bookshelves, old chests, furniture – including a couch, and an enormous rug.
“What is this place?” Makenna asked when she, Ash, and Silvey made it to the last stair, “Is that scroll really here?”
Ash glanced at the chests and questioned, “Do ya think it’s in the chests?”
“Maybe. How about we split up, Ash? I’ll look in the chests, and you can investigate the bookshelves.”
“Sounds good.” Ash smiled at the sight of Makenna taking the lead. This was a good sign. When they parted ways, Silvey went with her.
Ash looked around the room with a nostalgic look on his face. It was as if he knew this place. The young man approached the couch on his way to the bookshelves and ran his hand across its smooth head. His bright, blue eyes then landed a chair, and his smile grew. Approaching the chair, he sat down and held his hands in front of him like he was reading a book. Just like the person who used to stay here, he loved to read. In his free time, Ash would grab a book from wherever, plop down on his chair at home, and read to his heart’s content. No wonder he knew so much.
Soon standing from the comfy chair, young Ash approached one bookshelf and pulled out a nice red book. He blew dust off its cover and coughed through it. Just seeing this book, his smile evolved into a grin. It quickly died though when he learned he couldn’t read it because of his brain injury. Just like the words on the scroll, he could not make out the title of the book. The letters floating in outer space returned, and his head burst into searing pain again. Ash didn’t yell because he didn’t want to distract Makenna. He just closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The book fell from his hands when he reached for his head and landed open on the stone floor.
Tears appeared in Ash’s eyes, not just from the pain but also from the fact he couldn’t do something he loved – reading. He fell to his knees next to the book.
Makenna Delling didn’t hear him. She was too focused on finding the scroll so she could seek out the Wizard Fairy and save Tracey. She continued to follow her fairy instincts.
The Metamorphic Fairy approached one chest and glanced down at it. “This has to be it,” she whispered, and Silvey nodded from down below. Makenna took a deep breath and gripped either side of the chest’s top. Carefully pulling it up, the chest opened with a creak and revealed a bunch of papers inside. She cracked a small smile, “This is it. I know it is. The scroll’s probably at the bottom.” She excitedly called to Ash, “Dude, check this! I’ve found the chest the scroll is in! Victory is just around the corner!”
Where Ash was, he was too depressed and angry to congratulate her. Makenna knew something was up when he didn’t answer.
Turning, she and Silvey glanced at him. “Is something wrong?” asked the Metamorphic Fairy, “Does your head hurt?”
Ash still didn’t answer. Instead, he did something Makenna’s never seen him do before. Reaching into his gray tunic, he pulled out Breena’s slingshot, which was now tied to a leather necklace cord, and tightly gripped it. Lowering his head, he told Makenna in a cool voice, “The Mincing has definitely started.”
“The Mincing…?” Makenna started to ask, but she jumped when Ash suddenly let out a frustrated yell. He ripped Breena’s slingshot off his neck and chucked both it and the book he dropped all the way across the room. They passed Makenna, so it looked like he had thrown them at her. She was forced to duck under the book and slingshot so they wouldn’t hit her. Sniffing, Ash rubbed his nose and pulled his knees up close.
Makenna narrowed her eyebrows to an angry position and asked, “Why did you throw those at me?! All I asked was if something was wrong!”
Ash peered up to her and questioned, “Don’t you see, Miss Delling?” in a choked voice, “The Mincing has started! Our two worlds are on the verge of destruction, and you’re treating it like a joke!”
“A joke?!” Makenna angrily asked, “Now listen here, Mr. Know-It-All, I care just as much for these measly worlds as you do, but seeking out the Wizard Fairy and taking on Poseidon is something I must do alone! Since we’ve started our journey, you’ve turned into nothing but the annoying little brother you used to be! You’re following me all over the place, which is really getting on my nerves! How is it that you think I’m your only friend?!”
Ash just stared at her. That was sour. Makenna raised her eyebrows, “Huh?!”
Standing, Ash shouted back, “I don’t! I just don’t want ya to get hurt! Makenna, you have no idea what you’re about to get yourself into! The problem with ya is that you think you can win this war alone! Well ya can’t, and if ya don’t believe me, try! You will never find the Wizard Fairy without my help!”
“I don’t need the Wizard Fairy!” Makenna snapped, “All I need is this transformation, my nails, and hair!” Right as she said this, her nails glowed up red.
“That’s not how it works!” yelled Ash, “Being a Metamorphic Fairy is not just about getting bonnie fairy wings every once in a while! True metamorphosis is not looks! It’s character! Why are you the only one who can’t see that?!”
“JUST SHUT UP!!” Makenna shouted.
Silvey made a run for it. She hurried to the corner of the room and put her paws over her ears.
Makenna’s “Just shut up” really hurt Ash’s feelings, more than they already were shattered. He said nothing more and just grabbed another book off the bookshelf. Plopping down, he turned his back to her and buried his nose in it with tears fountaining down his cheeks. Makenna knew he was in pain, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about any of this rubbish anymore. If Ash had a permanent brain injury, so what? When Dr. Snugglekins found that out, he would definitely take him to a hospital, which that would finally get him off her hands. That was if he found him at all.
Makenna Delling flapped her wings and lifted into the air, ignoring the rules of the game. She soared past her so-called friend and out the secret room. Once she reached outside, she did something very cruel, even for Makenna Delling herself. She trapped Ash and Silvey in the secret room. Cupping her hands, a bright, blue and pink light appeared in them, and she aimed it at the stone wall behind the fountain. The beam slammed into it and caused an avalanche. Barely missing the fountain and Crusader, the rocks crashed into the secret passageway and piled up. Ash heard them and slammed the book he held shut. Under his and Silvey’s bodies, the ground started to shake.
“What the?!” Ash asked, “Hey!” Fear flashed across Silvey’s face, and she leaped to her feet. Makenna Delling did not just trap her and Ash! The mini earthquake blew out one of the torches. It soon stopped, and the passageway’s entrance officially was blocked. Ash hurried up the stairs but was forced to stop halfway because of the wall of rocks. He smacked his palms on two of them and shouted at Makenna, “Let us out, you lying, slimy scum!” Silvey soon appeared behind him and whined.
Outside, Makenna reached for her head and shook it. Something stopped her from trying to get the two out. The Octopus Man had taken control of her brain like Tracey. He tried to drag her towards the ocean too. Ash had to save her before it was too late! How could he though? He was trapped. The Octopus Man forced Makenna to drop the rocks as an attempt to stop him from getting in his way.
Down below in the secret room, the Scottish fairy was furious, “Let us out!” He didn’t have Crusader, so he couldn’t use her to break the rocks. Grabbing a few, he started to dig his way through the wall. He rolled the rocks down the staircase, and Silvey quickly jumped out of the way. Ash yelled at her, “I’ll tell ya, Silvey, that wummin may be bonnie, but she’s such a wain! A brat! She’s bowfing – off her heid!” He didn’t hate her – he just wanted her to change and realize that metamorphosis wasn’t about looks. Deep down, he knew she was a good person. Ash soon removed his hands from the rocks and hurried down the stairs where he met up with Silvey. She watched as he passed her and hurried to another chest. Pulling it out, he opened it and dragged out a heavy axe. Silvey followed him as he hauled it up the stairs and used it to smack the rocks. He gave them each a heavy blow, but they didn’t budge. It wasn’t long until the axe broke, and Ash yelled in frustration again. He chucked the remains back down the stairs and hit a few of the rocks with his side. Still, he got nothing.
Eventually, Ash wore himself out, and his injured brain cried out in pain. Everything turned blurry. The young man slid his side down the rocks and begged, “Please.” He pulled his glasses off and hugged them to his chest as he flopped down on his side. A worried Silvey marched to him and nudged his head as an urge for him to get back up. Ash couldn’t give up. He was Ash. She knew he could get them out of there. Silvey told him this through telepathy. Her words of wisdom gave him a bit of confidence back. The young man soon opened his eyes and whispered, “You’re right, Sil. I can’t let this concussion slow me down. Makenna needs my help.” Silvey wrapped her feelers around his arm and helped him up.
She again spoke to him telepathically, “Let’s get out of here together, Ash.” He nodded and slipped his glasses back on, leading her into the secret room. Heading over to the chest Makenna opened, he reached inside and started to dig around. Pulling aside papers, his hand grabbed something, and he pulled it out. What he held was the scroll he and Makenna were supposed to find. How did Ash know it was in the chest? How did he know this secret room overall? The scroll looked like any other scroll – wrapped and tied with a brown, leather string. It looked a little old and fragile, but Ash took good care of it.
He stuck it into a leather pouch he wore on his belt and told Silvey, “If this is the way Miss Delling wants it, then too bad for her. Her trial just got a lot harder.”
Silvey nodded in agreement, “That’s the spirit, Ash!” She followed him to the rocky wall where they together stood under a ledge.
Before climbing, the young man reached around the corner and dragged out a trash can full of weapons. He forgot all about the book he threw as well as his sister’s slingshot. Right now, he was desperate to get out and find Makenna Delling before The Mincing got out of hands. With a serious look on his face, the Scottish fairy reached into the trash can and drew a sturdy broadsword. He slipped it into the case on his back, where it joined his shield, and next drew a regular bow and quiver of arrows. Ash put those on his back as well. He now was totally prepared for whatever he expected beyond the secret room. After gathering his weapons, he hurried back over to where Silvey waited.
Ash climbed first. Still serious, he started up the wall and peered down on the fairy dog. She followed close behind and used her feelers to help her climb, although she slipped a bit. Ash soon reached down and grabbed her under her belly with his right hand. His dominant one tightly gripped the rocks. He was lucky since Silvey didn’t weigh much. The young, knight-like fairy lifted her up to the ledge and pushed her onto it. Animals came first and then people. In return, Silvey helped Ash up. They made a very good team. The fairy dog wrapped her feeler around his arm again and pulled. She actually was quite strong for a dog. Ash soon dragged himself onto the ledge, and he scratched her under the chin, “Good, girl,” pointing to the right, “Why don’t you grab that torch over there, and I’ll knock the rocks down?”
The ledge he and Silvey stood on faced a loose section of the rocky wall that led to another secret passageway. Silvey again used her feelers, this time to grab the torch her friend pointed out, and stepped off to the side. Ash worked hard but fast. He banged his side up against the loose rocks, which they cracked under his force. Before the two knew it, the wall broke and opened up the entrance to the passageway. Ash fell threw it but caught himself before he could fall over a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was the secret passageway, and it ran parallel with an underground river. Screeches were heard deep within it.
Ash soon pushed himself up and brushed his hands off, “All right, Silvey, we’re in. Now we just have to get down. Hold on to me.” Nodding understandingly, Silvey hopped up onto his back and wrapped her free feeler around his shoulders. The one that held the torch – she stretched it out.
With the fairy dog ready to rumble, Ash approached the edge of the cliff and like he was crazy or something, leaped off it! Silvey held on tightly. As they fell, the young fairy reached into his pouch again and pulled something out. It was a cloth glider. He opened it and cracked a small smile as he and Silvey started to glide. They landed next to the underground river right as a gush of wind blew through the area. Silvey leaped down from Ash’s back as he put the glider up. Strangely though, a look of worry flashed across her face. It wasn’t long until she put her feeler around Ash’s arm again, and she cautiously trotted behind him as he hiked the line of the river. They marched into the deep darkness of the passageway, and Ash started to sweat. There was something off. He felt like he and Silvey were being watched. There was no way he was going to get out of this emergency exit without having to face a little trial himself.
Poseidon himself had summoned more allies to stop those trying to help Makenna and Tracey, his main targets. Earlier when he said he had something very cruel planned for Ash, he wasn’t kidding. Right now was the perfect time to defeat him because he was hurt. Just before he and Silvey made it to the underwater river’s largest pool, the screeches were heard again – much louder this time and much closer. The sound of them even startled Ash, and he was Ash. He did not remember hearing that something was down here, but something was. As quiet as a mouse, he drew his sword and shield and escorted Silvey to a safe rock near the tunnel’s wall.
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