A place where I post blips of my writings-stories, songs and poems. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:47:00 -0500 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:47:00 -0500 It started out as a feeling Which then grew into a hope Which then turned into a quiet thought Which then turned into a quiet word And then that word grew louder and louder 'Til it was a battle cry I'll come back When you call me No need to say goodbye Just because everything's changing Doesn't mean it's never Been this way before All you can do is try to know Who your friends are As you head off to the war Pick a star on the dark horizon And follow the light You'll come back When it's over No need to say good bye You'll come back When it's over No need to say good bye Now we're back to the beginning It's just a feeling and no one knows yet But just because they can't feel it too Doesn't mean that you have to forget Let your memories grow stronger and stronger 'Til they're before your eyes You'll come back When they call you No need to say good bye You'll come back When they call you http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/720061/ Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/720061/ How long must I pray, must I pray to You? How long must I wait, must I wait for You? How long 'til I see Your face, see You shining through? I'm on my knees, begging You to notice me. I'm on my knees, Father will You turn to me? One tear in the driving rain, One voice in a sea of pain Could the maker of the stars Hear the sound of my breaking heart? One life, that's all I am Right now I can barely stand If You're everything You say You are Would You come close and hold my heart I've been so afraid, afraid to close my eyes So much can slip away before I say goodbye. But if there's no other way, I'm done asking why. I'm on my knees, begging You to turn to me I'm on my knees, Father will You run to me? One tear in the driving rain, One voice in a sea of pain Could the maker of the stars Hear the sound of my breaking heart? One life, that's all I am Right now I can barely stand If You're everything You say You are Would You come close and hold my heart. So many questions without answers, Your promises remain I can't see but I'll take my chances to hear You call my name To hear You call my name One tear in the driving rain, One voice in a sea of pain Could the maker of the stars Hear the sound of my breaking heart? One life, that's all I am Right now I can barely stand If You're everything You say You are Won't You come close and hold my heart. Hold my heart, could you hold my heart? Hold my heart. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/720060/ Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:40:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/720060/  Life soon becomes busy, and people drift away, Memories slowly fade, and colors turn to gray. We've lost the time we've spent alone Searching for what we already own. Deep inside, we have yet to realize That it's the people around us we should prize. Not every heart is made of gold, Nor every man always so bold. But when we stop and really look Behind every cranny and in every nook, We'll find that even they can bleed and cry. And when it is our turn to die, Will we expect the symathy we never gave To guide our spirits to our grave? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/686099/ Tue, 5 May 2009 20:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/686099/ Hello everyone. I have another blog through google now. I still intend to keep this blog here, but I am not sure if I will continue to post my story, as I have been having difficulties in doing so. My new address is: http://thestormblade.blogspot.com/ Please visit it and tell me what you think. I apologize for not being more in touch with everyone...it has been a difficult few months for me for several personal reasons. I will try and do better though...! Keep your swords sharp for Dargothia! Elizabeth http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/657418/ Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:17:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/657418/ The Stormblade It was night. The blackness surrounded the already nervous travelers as they moved in single file along the path through the Dark Forest, seeing only by torchlight. The travelers were Dargothian men, woman and children who were moving to the other side of the forest. They were hoping for a better life without being oppressed by the cruel king of Dargothia. They stopped, as one of the wagons fell on its side, one of the wheels having snapped. Five of the men rushed to repair it. Focused on the mild mishap, the rest of the people could not see or hear the figures that began to creep past them and take position on all sides. Suddenly, one of the children began to cry. The mother tried frantically to quiet it, but her attempts only made it cry harder. One of the men started to come near her with a dagger in hand, but the woman cried out, and the other Dargothians stopped him. The mother began to nurse her child, a boy, and at last he was silent. “He is too young.” Whispered one of the women to the mother. She nodded, tears in her eyes. “But how could I have left him?” she asked. The second woman bent her head to hide the tears that were streaming down her face. “I did.” There was nothing to say, so they fell silent, sharing the other’s grief. They traveled on, not stopping until dawn. The trees were bathed in a reddish light from the rising sun. They stopped for a meal, but ate it cold, not daring to take time or risk to light fires. Then, the black figures that had been following the group sprang on the little caravan, their swords flashing as they did their evil work. Blood spilled everywhere as the men fought and the women and children screamed and tried to run away. The woman that was holding the child held it even tighter as she tried to run. One of the enemy men, his face painted black, cut her off and waved his sword threateningly. The woman tried to plead with him. “Please, this is my only child. Kill me, if you want, but not him. Please!” she held her breath as his face gradually softened. “Give him to me.” He spoke with a thick accent. He eyed her as she hesitated. “Don’t worry. I will not kill him.” He said softly. She handed him over, weeping quietly. The man turned and walked away, the baby in his arms. She turned also, back to her people that were dying under the king’s swords.     Chapter One: The Medallion It was a hot summer afternoon; the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky, and Josh Talbot was sitting up in his tree house reading, as usual. One could tell from only looking at the wavy blond hair hanging in his eyes, and noticing his tense shoulders that he was lost in his own, private little world, and would not respond to reality until he had been jolted, quite roughly in his case, back into it. Down below, Ming Troy and Calvin Thompson rode their bikes on the dirt shoulder of Smith Rd. They coasted to a stop as they reached Josh’s driveway. They hopped off their bikes and slowly walked towards the house. Just then, Ming glanced up at the oak tree house and saw Josh’s legs dangling out of the doorway. Her brown eyes rolled slightly, though she smiled. Tugging on Calvin’s dark green shirt, she pointed wordlessly at the dangling sneakers. Calvin grinned and put a finger to his lips. Sneaking up the ladder, he peeked his head just above the tree house floor and watched Josh, who was still happily absorbed in his book. He jumped into the tree house with a yell, startling Josh out of his daydreams, and sending them both onto the hard wooden floor. Calvin laughed, almost hysterically, as Josh gasped in surprise. Calvin had succeeded in bringing him back to reality. “Hi, Josh!” Calvin greeted him enthusiastically, his face teasing. “How are you today, good buddy? Ten four, old man!” From the look on his face, Josh was about to spout off a mouthy answer, but he suddenly remembered something vitally important as he saw Ming climb gracefully into the tree house. He glanced frantically at his watch and then smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Oh no! I was supposed to meet you at the theater, wasn’t I?” He asked. He might have smacked himself again, if Ming had not stopped him. “It’s ok, Josh, really. Besides, Calvin found something really cool. Look-“ she gestured at Calvin, who smiled mysteriously before revealing an old medallion that was inside his shirt. “Yes Josh, we didn’t mind waiting for you for an hour at all,” he shot back in a mocking tone. But Josh wasn’t listening, he was instead examining the medallion. It was a smaller than a CD but bigger than his entire hand- and looked as heavy. A black leather cord was tied through a hole at the top, probably meant to hang around the neck. It was also covered in dust, but Josh could just notice the risen letters underneath. Josh could scarce take his eyes off from it. He started to reach for it, but Calvin held it just out of reach. “Like it?” he smiled smugly. “Yeah, it looks really cool, and really old, too. Where did you get it?” Calvin shifted from one foot to another nervously. Ming watched him with a frown. She had noticed his strange behavior even if Josh hadn’t seemed to. “Very old, Josh. I got it from my father and-“ Ming interrupted him. “But, Calvin, I didn’t know that you still had a father-you said he had died in a car accident.” Calvin looked at her sharply, about to reply angrily, but he caught himself and smiled; it was a fake smile, but neither Josh nor Ming seemed to notice. “Why, yes, Ming, he did.” he said patronizingly. “I meant that it used to be his, but my mother had it-she gave it to me.” “Wow, Calvin. It’s really nice. You sure are lucky. And your mom trusts you with it-that’s more than I can say about my mom.” Said Josh. Calvin winced. “I know. I was kind of surprised too. Would you like to look at it?” “Would I!” breathed Josh, in total rapture. He sat down next to Ming and Calvin, and studied the medallion. It was obviously old, and he had to wipe the dust from both sides. It a picture of what looked like a hurricane on the front while the back was covered in words. Josh began to read the words inscribed onto the bronze medallion. “Death only comes to the weak; The brave and strong know no fear. Come and find what you seek, The storm that rages is never meek.” He paused. “Keep reading!” demanded Calvin. Josh took a deep breath and began reading again. “Fulfill the prophecy by living the past Believe in a peace to come. You’re not the first, neither the last Merge together as one.” He finished reading the insignia and glanced up at Ming. “What does that mean?” he asked her with a puzzled look. Ming touched the medallion gently. “I don’t know-“ she stopped, and her eyes widened. Josh looked down at the medallion and realized that it was glowing a strange blue color. He gasped and threw it to the floor. “Whoa!” he stared at Ming. “What did you just do?” Ming was scared. “I don’t know!” she cried. “Touch it again.” Suggested Calvin. “Maybe it’ll stop.” She glared at him, but Josh encouraged her. “It wasn’t hot.” She reached down timidly and touched it again. They waited. But it continued to glow with its eerie blue light and now all three could hear what sounded like thunder in the distance. The slight breeze that had been lightly tossing Ming’s hair while she sat suddenly turned into a gusty wind. Josh jumped up and looked out the tree house door. His mouth dropped open in surprise as he stared. Ming, noticing his expression, also stood up to see. Calvin impatiently stood up beside her. Their eyes widened in surprise. A storm had risen and turned the clouds above them black. It began to rain. “Nothing to worry about.” Calvin said, his voice trembling a bit. “It was pretty humid out today, a storm was bound to break out.” Josh nodded slowly. “Still, we had better head inside; summer storms are always pretty fierce. We’ll come back out here afterwards.” “Let’s.” Ming’s monosyllable had enough power to break the trance they had all been slipping into. Josh left the medallion on the tree house floor and followed Ming and Calvin down the ladder. They had all barely reached the ground when the storm struck in full fury. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Josh ran towards his house, calling out to the others to follow him. He could barely see the patio’s glass doors through the blinding rain. Only a few more steps… But he never got that far. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind seemed to pick him up and whirled him into chaos. The wind whipped the rain against him so hard it felt like tiny ice pellets cutting into his face. He shut his eyes tightly and didn’t even dare guess what was happening. And then, as suddenly as it all began, it ended. Josh felt himself land gently on the ground, as though a giant hand had placed him there. Everything was quiet. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a blur of bright sunlight. He closed them again and mentally checked his whole body for any injuries. Finding none, he decided to sit up, slowly. Looking around, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t in his yard anymore. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere in his neighborhood; it occurred to him that he wasn’t even on earth anymore. He was sitting on the greenest grass he had ever seen, and the trees in the distance looked black. The flowers that surrounded him were blue and purple, and they were strangely shaped. He turned and saw that Calvin and Ming were lying beside him. They were also sitting up slowly, and Ming looked about ready to cry before she saw Josh. Josh stared at them. “What just happened?” he asked.       The three teens paced the ground as they tried to put together what had happened. “Ming, when you touched it…” started Josh “I know; it lit up,” replied Ming. “I don’t know how, we don’t even know for sure that it was me that made it do that!” Calvin, who had been muttering the word ’impossible’ over and over again, began to rant. “It was!” he said angrily. “The question is: how did you do that, and can you do it again?” Ming whirled on him with a flash of spirit, her long black hair tangling. “Fine! It was me! But I don’t know how, and even if I could do it again, where’s the medallion?” Calvin and Josh fell silent. Where had it gone? “Besides,” Ming continued. “Josh was holding it. Did you press a button on it or something?” “It was a medallion, Ming, not a control panel.” Josh rolled his eyes. Just then, Ming happened to glance up. Her eyes widened, and she bit her bottom lip as she tried not to scream. Her normally pale Asian skin went a shade whiter as she pointed wordlessly at two figures that were approaching cautiously. As Calvin saw them, his jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Lovely, a welcoming committee; I don’t think we should stay here, guys. Those people make me nervous.” He was biting his bottom lip. Josh rolled his eyes. “Dude, I am nervous. Somehow we went from Kansas to Oz. Except instead of munchkins, there are tall, freaky people dressed in gray.” “Get a grip, Josh!” Calvin exploded, his face turning red. “This isn’t Oz! Do you see the swords they are carrying? Do you want to be skewered by one of those?” Ming held her head up high. “They’re coming, it’s too late to run. We might as well stay and find out who they are and what they want. Especially since we don’t have anywhere to go to.” She added under her breath. There was no time to say more, as the two figures came into view. A tall man dressed in a gray cloak and a woman appareled in the same came close, slowly, and then stood in front of them. The man spoke first, in a different language. His green eyes were narrowed as he looked at them, and his finger caressed the hilt of his sword. Josh tried to speak, but his voice cracked, so he tried again. “We-speak-English.” He spoke slowly, so that they might understand him. The man and woman exchanged glances, a smile playing on both their lips. “Obviously.” Commented the man dryly. He held out his hand. “And so do we. I’m Ventural, by the way, and this is my partner Dilaylin.” He waited, his hand outstretched, but Josh could only gape. Ventural lifted is eyebrows. “Do you not understand the custom of shaking hands?” he asked, a little sarcastically. Ming elbowed Josh hard, breaking him out of his trance. He started, and blinked. “Oh, Yeah, I-“ he shook hands, berating himself for being so dumb, while he shook his head in disbelief that he was on another planet, shaking hands with ‘aliens’. “I’m Josh-Talbot. And these are my friends Ming Troy and Calvin Thompson.” Ming shook hands, but Calvin ignored them. Ventural eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and then seemed to dismiss him. “So, how did you land up here-I can assume that you aren’t from Dargothia?” He added. But Ming heard him mutter under his breath, “They must have found the medallion.” Josh nodded once. “Yeah, um, we aren’t exactly sure how we are here,” he glanced at Ming. “But-we are planning on finding our way back home, and then you’ll find that we won’t bother you again.” He smiled, seemingly pleased with his negotiation skills. But the smile was quickly replaced with an open jaw as he listened to Dilaylin speak. “We are sorry to say that as much as you want to find a way out of here, you won’t be able to-right now, at any rate. We have specific orders to see any strange beings safe to Dargothia.” Ming’s voice trembled as she spoke. “What do you mean? Who would order you to bring us to them, when we only just arrived? And how are we strange?” “And where is Dargothia?” threw in Josh, for good measure. Ventural smirked. “Just look at you, of course you are strange-where did you pick up such strange apparel anyway?” He fingered Ming’s sleeve for an instant, then snapped back into a business like attitude. “He knew you were coming, of course. He ordered us just yesterday to find any unusual beings. You, my friends, qualify as ‘unusual’. You are to be taken to Dargothia and questioned. On exactly what, I have no idea, but my orders were perfectly clear.” Calvin’s face was livid with rage. He exploded. “And you think that we‘ll just come quietly to who knows where with a couple of weirdo's?” Ventural grinned, but he also put his hand on his sword hilt and moved closer. “Yes, I do. Would you like to know why?” His voice was dangerously soft, and he continued to speak, as if to distract them from the fact that he was moving closer, while Dilaylin closed in behind them. “You see, we have the upper hand, having weapons and all, but in case there is a chance that you might be persuaded not to give Dilaylin and I any grief, let me remind you that it is the king who wishes to interrogate you. If being important enough to require special attention does not appease you, perhaps the fact that he needs you alive for a time might.” Ming had started to back away in horror, but she bumped into Dilaylin, who quickly grabbed her arms. She tried to twist away, but the Neptunian woman held her tight and put a dagger near her throat. Josh, seeing her struggle, started to go to her defense, but Ventural whipped out his sword and held it close to Josh’s neck. “You move, you die.” He warned, as Josh froze. “My sword is sharp-I hone the blade every day.” So they stood there, Josh and Ming with blades at their throats, and Calvin with an upset expression. “Hey,” he said, “Listen, you don‘t need to do that; we’ll do what you want, but we don‘t have the medallion anymore.” “Shut up!” Ventural hissed. “When we want your advice, we will ask for it. And I know you will all do what we want; you have no choice. As for the medallion,” He added, “That will be taken from you in due time.” Calvin started to retort, but a shout cut him off. He whirled around as two men, wearing black, ran towards them waving swords. A woman with long blonde hair was behind them, and she held a bow and arrow. She carefully took aim, and then fired. The arrow flew gracefully through the air before landing a hairsbreadth away from Ventural’s foot. He cursed as he hurriedly released Josh and signaled Dilaylin to do the same for Ming. They took to their heels and ran away. Calvin watched their rescuers for a moment, and then turned to Josh and Ming. They were staring at him. “You just told them about the medallion?” Josh was dumbstruck. “That was rather stupid!”                                                                                                                          “Sounds like they were after our lives, if you ask me.” shot Ming. “And how did you know that they wanted the medallion?” “I read it, in a book!” Calvin said quickly. “A book?” Josh just stared at him. “I know, I know,” he spoke desperately. “Look, I’m sorry, really, I know this is partly my fault. But please don’t mention the medallion to these people. I’ll tell what I know later, I promise. But I’ve got a really bad feeling about all this!” “You have a bad feeling about this?” asked Josh incredulously. “And you think that we don’t?” He had time to say no more, as their rescuers arrived at that very moment. Calvin shot him a pleading look, but remained silent. “Well! They sure had you about skewered, didn’t they?” One of the men spoke. He was tall, and handsome. He had short black hair and strange light gray eyes. He sheathed the sword he had been carrying and grinned. “I’m Fox Stormblade, by the way, in case you’re wondering.” The woman spoke, and looking at her, Ming realized she was pregnant. “I am Reba, and this is my brother Drake.” She said, gesturing to the tall, quiet, glaring man behind her, sporting a long scar on his right cheekbone. Ming shivered involuntarily; she thought she saw a strange darkness surrounding him. “Drake doesn’t talk much, and he’s one for winning staring contests, if you know what I mean.” Fox winked at Ming, having caught her shiver. “But I assure you that it is quite possible, though sometimes quite difficult, to get along with him. He won’t give you any trouble. Reba, on the other hand,” he grinned at Drake as he wrapped his arm around her. “Now, she’s something to watch out for. Killer aim, killer looks …man, she’s one heck of a woman!” Reba smiled at him, her blue eyes gazing up at him with obvious love. Did they marry in this weird, whacked out world along with the swords and clothing from the Middle Ages?Josh didn’t know, and he really didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out. “Excuse me,” he said, frowning. “This is all very nice, but can you help us out, here? We don’t know how we got here, except that it might have to do with a medallion, but now the medallion’s gone, so we have no idea how to get back.” Calvin opened his mouth to speak, but Josh stared him down. Fox nodded gravely as he exchanged glances with Drake. He held up a hand. “Yes, yes, I know. We’ll help you, eventually. Right now, we’ll take you all into the forest, and we can discuss what just happened there, where we don’t have to worry about anyone coming after us.” He grinned again. “Trust me, you’ll want to know all the details. And then,” he paused, as though unsure what to say, then continued softly, “And than, maybe you can help us.” Josh wasn’t too concerned about the ‘you help us’ concept. Surely one could expect it in this primitive world. What worried him was ‘all the details’. “Wait a minute here, we just met you and you want us to follow you into a creepy black forest?” Fox shrugged. “Or you can stay here and let Xavier’s minions find you again.” “I’m going with them.” Ming said a matter of factly. She tried to convince Josh. “Well, they did just save us once, if we can’t trust them even a little after that, I don’t know who we can.” Josh took a deep breath and looked at Calvin. “Guess she’s right. Let’s go.”The three teens followed their rescuers into the looming trees. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon behind them. The shadows deepened, and swallowed up what remained of the light. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/646040/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:44:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/646040/ The Stormblade It was night. The blackness surrounded the already nervous travelers as they moved in single file along the path through the Dark Forest, seeing only by torchlight. The travelers were Dargothian men, woman and children who were moving to the other side of the forest. They were hoping for a better life without being oppressed by the cruel king of Dargothia. They stopped, as one of the wagons fell on its side, one of the wheels having snapped. Five of the men rushed to repair it. Focused on the mild mishap, the rest of the people could not see or hear the figures that began to creep past them and take position on all sides. Suddenly, one of the children began to cry. The mother tried frantically to quiet it, but her attempts only made it cry harder. One of the men started to come near her with a dagger in hand, but the woman cried out, and the other Dargothians stopped him. The mother began to nurse her child, a boy, and at last he was silent. "He is too young." Whispered one of the women to the mother. She nodded, tears in her eyes. "But how could I have left him?" she asked. The second woman bent her head to hide the tears that were streaming down her face. "I did." There was nothing to say, so they fell silent, sharing the other’s grief. They traveled on, not stopping until dawn. The trees were bathed in a reddish light from the rising sun. They stopped for a meal, but ate it cold, not daring to take time or risk to light fires. Then, the black figures that had been following the group sprang on the little caravan, their swords flashing as they did their evil work. Blood spilled everywhere as the men fought and the women and children screamed and tried to run away. The woman that was holding the child held it even tighter as she tried to run. One of the enemy men, his face painted black, cut her off and waved his sword threateningly. The woman tried to plead with him. "Please, this is my only child. Kill me, if you want, but not him. Please!" she held her breath as his face gradually softened. "Give him to me." He spoke with a thick accent. He eyed her as she hesitated. "Don’t worry. I will not kill him." He said softly. She handed him over, weeping quietly. The man turned and walked away, the baby in his arms. She turned also, back to her people that were dying under the king’s swords.       Chapter One: The Medallion It was a hot summer afternoon; the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky, and Josh Talbot was sitting up in his tree house reading, as usual. One could tell from only looking at the wavy blond hair hanging in his eyes, and noticing his tense shoulders that he was lost in his own, private little world, and would not respond to reality until he had been jolted, quite roughly in his case, back into it. Down below, Ming Troy and Calvin Thompson rode their bikes on the dirt shoulder of Smith Rd. They coasted to a stop as they reached Josh’s driveway. They hopped off their bikes and slowly walked towards the house. Just then, Ming glanced up at the oak tree house and saw Josh’s legs dangling out of the doorway. Her brown eyes rolled slightly, though she smiled. Tugging on Calvin’s dark green shirt, she pointed wordlessly at the dangling sneakers. Calvin grinned and put a finger to his lips. Sneaking up the ladder, he peeked his head just above the tree house floor and watched Josh, who was still happily absorbed in his book. He jumped into the tree house with a yell, startling Josh out of his daydreams, and sending them both onto the hard wooden floor. Calvin laughed, almost hysterically, as Josh gasped in surprise. Calvin had succeeded in bringing him back to reality. "Hi, Josh!" Calvin greeted him enthusiastically, his face teasing. "How are you today, good buddy? Ten four, old man!" From the look on his face, Josh was about to spout off a mouthy answer, but he suddenly remembered something vitally important as he saw Ming climb gracefully into the tree house. He glanced frantically at his watch and then smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Oh no! I was supposed to meet you at the theater, wasn’t I?" He asked. He might have smacked himself again, if Ming had not stopped him. "It’s ok, Josh, really. Besides, Calvin found something really cool. Look-" she gestured at Calvin, who smiled mysteriously before revealing an old medallion that was inside his shirt. "Yes Josh, we didn’t mind waiting for you for an hour at all," he shot back in a mocking tone. But Josh wasn’t listening, he was instead examining the medallion. It was a smaller than a CD but bigger than his entire hand- and looked as heavy. A black leather cord was tied through a hole at the top, probably meant to hang around the neck. It was also covered in dust, but Josh could just notice the risen letters underneath. Josh could scarce take his eyes off from it. He started to reach for it, but Calvin held it just out of reach. "Like it?" he smiled smugly. "Yeah, it looks really cool, and really old, too. Where did you get it?" Calvin shifted from one foot to another nervously. Ming watched him with a frown. She had noticed his strange behavior even if Josh hadn’t seemed to. "Very old, Josh. I got it from my father and-" Ming interrupted him. "But, Calvin, I didn’t know that you still had a father-you said he had died in a car accident." Calvin looked at her sharply, about to reply angrily, but he caught himself and smiled; it was a fake smile, but neither Josh nor Ming seemed to notice. "Why, yes, Ming, he did." he said patronizingly. "I meant that it used to be his, but my mother had it-she gave it to me." "Wow, Calvin. It’s really nice. You sure are lucky. And your mom trusts you with it-that’s more than I can say about my mom." Said Josh. Calvin winced. "I know. I was kind of surprised too. Would you like to look at it?" "Would I!" breathed Josh, in total rapture. He sat down next to Ming and Calvin, and studied the medallion. It was obviously old, and he had to wipe the dust from both sides. It a picture of what looked like a hurricane on the front while the back was covered in words. Josh began to read the words inscribed onto the bronze medallion. "Death only comes to the weak; The brave and strong know no fear. Come and find what you seek, The storm that rages is never meek." He paused. "Keep reading!" demanded Calvin. Josh took a deep breath and began reading again. "Fulfill the prophecy by living the past Believe in a peace to come. You’re not the first, neither the last Merge together as one." He finished reading the insignia and glanced up at Ming. "What does that mean?" he asked her with a puzzled look. Ming touched the medallion gently. "I don’t know-" she stopped, and her eyes widened. Josh looked down at the medallion and realized that it was glowing a strange blue color. He gasped and threw it to the floor. "Whoa!" he stared at Ming. "What did you just do?" Ming was scared. "I don’t know!" she cried. "Touch it again." Suggested Calvin. "Maybe it’ll stop." She glared at him, but Josh encouraged her. "It wasn’t hot." She reached down timidly and touched it again. They waited. But it continued to glow with its eerie blue light and now all three could hear what sounded like thunder in the distance. The slight breeze that had been lightly tossing Ming’s hair while she sat suddenly turned into a gusty wind. Josh jumped up and looked out the tree house door. His mouth dropped open in surprise as he stared. Ming, noticing his expression, also stood up to see. Calvin impatiently stood up beside her. Their eyes widened in surprise. A storm had risen and turned the clouds above them black. It began to rain. "Nothing to worry about." Calvin said, his voice trembling a bit. "It was pretty humid out today, a storm was bound to break out." Josh nodded slowly. "Still, we had better head inside; summer storms are always pretty fierce. We’ll come back out here afterwards." "Let’s." Ming’s monosyllable had enough power to break the trance they had all been slipping into. Josh left the medallion on the tree house floor and followed Ming and Calvin down the ladder. They had all barely reached the ground when the storm struck in full fury. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Josh ran towards his house, calling out to the others to follow him. He could barely see the patio’s glass doors through the blinding rain. Only a few more steps… But he never got that far. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind seemed to pick him up and whirled him into chaos. The wind whipped the rain against him so hard it felt like tiny ice pellets cutting into his face. He shut his eyes tightly and didn’t even dare guess what was happening. And then, as suddenly as it all began, it ended. Josh felt himself land gently on the ground, as though a giant hand had placed him there. Everything was quiet. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a blur of bright sunlight. He closed them again and mentally checked his whole body for any injuries. Finding none, he decided to sit up, slowly. Looking around, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t in his yard anymore. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere in his neighborhood; it occurred to him that he wasn’t even on earth anymore. He was sitting on the greenest grass he had ever seen, and the trees in the distance looked black. The flowers that surrounded him were blue and purple, and they were strangely shaped. He turned and saw that Calvin and Ming were lying beside him. They were also sitting up slowly, and Ming looked about ready to cry before she saw Josh. Josh stared at them. "What just happened?" he asked.       The three teens paced the ground as they tried to put together what had happened. "Ming, when you touched it…" started Josh "I know; it lit up," replied Ming. "I don’t know how, we don’t even know for sure that it was me that made it do that!" Calvin began to rant. "It was!" he said angrily. "The question is: how did you do that, and can you do it again?" Ming whirled on him with a flash of spirit, her long black hair tangling. "Fine! It was me! But I don’t know how, and even if I could do it again, where’s the medallion?" Calvin and Josh fell silent. Where had it gone? "Besides," Ming continued. "Josh was holding it. Did you press a button on it or something?" "It was a medallion, Ming, not a control panel." Josh rolled his eyes. Just then, Ming happened to glance up. Her eyes widened, and she bit her bottom lip as she tried not to scream. Her normally pale Asian skin went a shade whiter as she pointed wordlessly at two figures that were approaching cautiously. Calvin saw them and half turned the other way. "Lovely, a welcoming committee; I don’t think we should stay here, guys. Those people make me nervous." He twitched. Josh rolled his eyes. "Dude, I am nervous. Somehow we went from Kansas to Oz. Except instead of munchkins, there are tall, freaky people dressed in gray." "Get a grip, Josh!" Calvin exploded, his face turning red. "This isn’t Oz! Do you see the swords they are carrying? Do you want to be skewered by one of those?" Ming held her head up high. "They’re coming, it’s too late to run. We might as well stay and find out who they are and what they want. Especially since we don’t have anywhere to go to." She added under her breath. There was no time to say more, as the two figures came into view. A tall man dressed in a gray cloak and a woman appareled in the same came close, slowly, and then stood in front of them. The man spoke first, in a different language. His green eyes were narrowed as he looked at them, and his finger caressed the hilt of his sword. Josh tried to speak, but his voice cracked, so he tried again. "We-speak-English." He spoke slowly, so that they might understand him. The man and woman exchanged glances, a smile playing on both their lips. "Obviously." Commented the man dryly. He held out his hand. "And so do we. I’m Ventural, by the way, and this is my partner Dilaylin." He waited, his hand outstretched, but Josh could only gape. Ventural lifted is eyebrows. "Do you not understand the custom of shaking hands?" he asked, a little sarcastically. Ming elbowed Josh hard, breaking him out of his trance. He started, and blinked. "Oh, Yeah, I-" he shook hands, berating himself for being so dumb, while he shook his head in disbelief that he was on another planet, shaking hands with ‘aliens’. "I’m Josh-Talbot. And these are my friends Ming Troy and Calvin Thompson." Ming shook hands, but Calvin ignored them. Ventural eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and then seemed to dismiss him. "So, how did you land up here-I can assume that you aren’t from Dargothia?" He added. But Ming heard him mutter under his breath, "They must have found the medallion." Josh nodded once. "Yeah, um, we aren’t exactly sure how we are here," he glanced at Ming. "But-we are planning on finding our way back home, and then you’ll find that we won’t bother you again." He smiled, seemingly pleased with his negotiation skills. But the smile was quickly replaced with an open jaw as he listened to Dilaylin speak. "We are sorry to say that as much as you want to find a way out of here, you won’t be able to-right now, at any rate. We have specific orders to see any strange beings safe to Dargothia." Ming’s voice trembled as she spoke. "What do you mean? Who would order you to bring us to them, when we only just arrived? And how are we strange?" "And where is Dargothia?" threw in Josh, for good measure. Ventural smirked. "Just look at you, of course you are strange-where did you pick up such strange apparel anyway?" He fingered Ming’s sleeve for an instant, then snapped back into a business like attitude. "He knew you were coming, of course. He ordered us just yesterday to find any unusual beings. You, my friends, qualify as ‘unusual’. You are to be taken to Dargothia and questioned. On exactly what, I have no idea, but my orders were perfectly clear." Calvin’s face was livid with rage. He exploded. "And you think that we‘ll just come quietly to who knows where with a couple of weirdo's?" Ventural grinned, but he also put his hand on his sword hilt and moved closer. "Yes, I do. Would you like to know why?" His voice was dangerously soft, and he continued to speak, as if to distract them from the fact that he was moving closer, while Dilaylin closed in behind them. "You see, we have the upper hand, having weapons and all, but in case there is a chance that you might be persuaded not to give Dilaylin and I any grief, let me remind you that it is the king who wishes to interrogate you. If being important enough to require special attention does not appease you, perhaps the fact that he needs you alive for a time might." Ming had started to back away in horror, but she bumped into Dilaylin, who quickly grabbed her arms. She tried to twist away, but the Neptunian woman held her tight and put a dagger near her throat. Josh, seeing her struggle, started to go to her defense, but Ventural whipped out his sword and held it close to Josh’s neck. "You move, you die." He warned, as Josh froze. "My sword is sharp-I hone the blade every day." So they stood there, Josh and Ming with blades at their throats, and Calvin with an upset expression. "Hey," he said, "Listen, you don‘t need to do that; we’ll do what you want, but we don‘t have the medallion anymore." "Shut up!" Ventural hissed. "When we want your advice, we will ask for it. And I know you will all do what we want; you have no choice. As for the medallion," He added, "That will be taken from you in due time." Calvin started to retort, but a shout cut him off. He whirled around as two men, wearing black, ran towards them waving swords. A woman with long blonde hair was behind them, and she held a bow and arrow. She carefully took aim, and then fired. The arrow flew gracefully through the air before landing a hairsbreadth away from Ventural’s foot. He cursed as he hurriedly released Josh and signaled Dilaylin to do the same for Ming. They took to their heels and ran away. Calvin watched their rescuers for a moment, and then turned to Josh and Ming. They were staring at him. "You just told them about the medallion?" Josh was dumbstruck. "That was rather stupid!" "Sounds like they were after our lives, if you ask me." shot Ming. "And how did you know that they wanted the medallion?" "I read it, in a book!" Calvin said quickly. "A book?" Josh just stared at him. "I know, I know," he spoke desperately. "Look, I’m sorry, really, I know this is partly my fault. But please don’t mention the medallion to these people. I’ll tell what I know later, I promise. But I’ve got a really bad feeling about all this!" "You have a bad feeling about this?" asked Josh incredulously. "And you think that we don’t?" He had time to say no more, as their rescuers arrived at that very moment. Calvin shot him a pleading look, but remained silent. "Well! They sure had you about skewered, didn’t they?" One of the men spoke. He was tall, and handsome. He had short black hair and strange light gray eyes. He sheathed the sword he had been carrying and grinned. "I’m Fox Stormblade, by the way, in case you’re wondering." The woman spoke, and looking at her, Ming realized she was pregnant. "I am Reba, and this is my brother Drake." She said, gesturing to the tall, quiet, glaring man behind her, sporting a long scar on his right cheekbone. Ming shivered involuntarily; she thought she saw a strange darkness surrounding him. "Drake doesn’t talk much, and he’s one for winning staring contests, if you know what I mean." Fox winked at Ming, having caught her shiver. "But I assure you that it is quite possible, though sometimes quite difficult, to get along with him. He won’t give you any trouble. Reba, on the other hand," he grinned at Drake as he wrapped his arm around her. "Now, she’s something to watch out for. Killer aim, killer looks …man, she’s one heck of a woman!" Reba smiled at him, her blue eyes gazing up at him with obvious love. Did they marry in this weird, whacked out world along with the swords and clothing from the Middle Ages? Josh didn’t know, and he really didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out. "Excuse me," he said, frowning. "This is all very nice, but can you help us out, here? We don’t know how we got here, except that it might have to do with a medallion, but now the medallion’s gone, so we have no idea how to get back." Calvin opened his mouth to speak, but Josh stared him down. Fox nodded gravely as he exchanged glances with Drake. He held up a hand. "Yes, yes, I know. We’ll help you, eventually. Right now, we’ll take you all into the forest, and we can discuss what just happened there, where we don’t have to worry about anyone coming after us." He grinned again. "Trust me, you’ll want to know all the details. And then," he paused, as though unsure what to say, then continued softly, "And than, maybe you can help us." Josh wasn’t too concerned about the ‘you help us’ concept. Surely one could expect it in this primitive world. What worried him was ‘all the details’. "Wait a minute here, we just met you and you want us to follow you into a creepy black forest?" Fox shrugged. "Or you can stay here and let Xavier’s minions find you again." "I’m going with them." Ming said a matter of factly. She tried to convince Josh. "Well, they did just save us once, if we can’t trust them even a little after that, I don’t know who we can." Josh took a deep breath and looked at Calvin. "Guess she’s right. Let’s go." The three teens followed their rescuers into the looming trees. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon behind them. The shadows deepened, and swallowed up what remained of the light.   It was completely dark by the time they reached their destination in the Dark Forest. It was a makeshift camp, made up of dozens of tents and campfires. Drake immediately stalked into the nearest tent, flinging the cloth door shut behind him. Fox raised his eyebrows at Reba expressively, than smiled as he noticed Ming watching him. "Sorry." His tone was apologetic. "I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but I’ll talk to him later. Meanwhile," he clapped his hands. "Let’s eat!" They followed him to a campfire where a deer-like animal was roasting. A young dark haired woman silently served them, her small hands wielding a knife to cut the meat. When she had finished serving them, she too walked away. Ming whispered to Josh when she thought that no one was looking. "Why do you supposed Drake wouldn’t talk to us at all? Even that woman barely looked at us." She blushed as Reba caught her eye. "Please forgive them." Reba said. "He didn’t mean to be cold, truly. And our people are very quiet. We do not usually show our emotions. The woman you saw, her name was Jade. She is waiting for news of her husband, Kiroten. He went as a spy to serve in the king’s palace. If he is caught, they will kill him." Ming and Josh listened with their mouths opened in shock. Calvin seemed indifferent as he bit into his meat, but Fox’s eyes narrowed as he heard what Reba said. "And if he dies, another will take his place." He said coldly. "We are almost ready for a revolt, we must not cower or stop getting information now. Besides," he added, taking another bite of his food. "Kiroten knew the risk when he volunteered. He did it for Jade-and for the child that he wants to let grow up in freedom." "What are you talking about?" interrupted Josh. "What is this ‘freedom’ that you are talking about?" "The freedom to live as we please." Answered a deep voice. Ming looked up. Drake stood behind them, leaning casually against a tree with folded arms. "The freedom to speak without fear of instant punishment. To be able to declare what we believe without dying. To have a government that cares for its people, and not a cruel king that wants every Dargothian on this planet dead. That is what type of freedom we wish for, work for, and die for. And may God help those that would stand in our way." Fox nodded. "Also, we are fighting for a freedom just to live! Everyday, more and more of us are killed by the king. He hates us." "Sounds like Hitler." Mumbled Calvin around a full mouth. "What?" Drake asked. "Who is Hitler?" "I’m not great with history," Said Josh. "But in our world he was a pretty mean guy. He hated everyone that wasn’t German, and he killed thousands of Jews." Drake grunted. "That’s Xavier all the way. He thinks that Neptunians are the ‘purebloods’ and that any Dargothians who refuse to serve him should all be killed." "That’s awful!" exclaimed Ming. "How could anyone possible do that?" Drake shrugged. "I suppose for the same reason your Hitler killed all those Jews. For power, for the thrill of being like God-deciding who lives and who dies." Reba spoke up. "But soon we Dargothians will be free of his tyranny. And his people, the Neptunians, will also be free." Drake whirled on her, his eyes ablaze. "Why should we spare his people? They are the ones that carry out his orders and take pleasure in destroying us!" "They obey orders, just as we do here." Reba replied harshly. "And it’s not only Neptunians that carry out his orders. There are Dargothians that are in his pay." "Very few Dargothians would consent to be under Xavier’s authority. Those that do deserve the fate that they will receive." Spoke Drake angrily. "And those that have no choice?" Reba countered. "How many Dargothians have we come across in our patrols? How old are they, Drake? Do they look happy? Most of the Dargothians that serve under King Xavier were threatened with their families very lives!" "It would be better to die than to serve under him!" Drake scoffed. Fox interrupted him. "For us, this is true. But there are those that would like to keep their and their families lives. Can you truly blame them, Drake? They are young, almost children. They do not know how to rebel. And if they try to run away, they go back to their houses and find only ashes and bones. Can you truly blame them for simply wanting to survive?" he repeated. "Wait just a minute," Josh interrupted. "What exactly is the difference between a Dargothian and a Neptunian?" "The difference!" scoffed Drake. "We are not even alike!" Reba held her hand up to silence him. "We’re all humans, Drake, remember that." Drake pressed his lips together and looked away. Reba continued. "The Dargothians are what you might call the locals of this country. We are the ones who have existed here since time began. We are a hardworking people, and we strive to carry out what we believe is right. There used to be some of us who were royalty, and ruled this country with love and understanding, not fear and an iron fist. The Neptunians, on the other hand, are outsiders. We don’t know where they came from or how their clans grew so large, but one day they just, took over." She stopped, overcome with grief. Fox continued for her. "That day was a virtual slaughter. The Neptunian leader, Xavier, insisted that every Dargothian bow their knee to he and his people. Of course, they refused, and Xavier took our city by brute force. He forced the survivors to serve him as slaves. That was two decades ago. Now, our people have risen in numbers and in strength. We will storm the city and reclaim it as our own once again. No Neptunian tyrant will rule our country if we have anything to say about it." Calvin butted in with an arrogant attitude. "What is so wrong with this Xavier dude being king? A king is a king, no matter his bloodline. Surely he rule just as well as anyone that you would put on the throne." Ming was surprised that Drake managed to restrain himself from throttling Calvin then and there. Though Fox’s glare forced him to remain still, his rage still burst forth. "Xavier is a tyrant! He kills our people for his sick pleasure; he is constantly inventing new ways to torture us!" Drake’s face was twisted in pain. Ming suddenly wondered if the scar that ran down his face was the cause of one of Xavier’s ‘tortures’. "He hates us as much as we hate him. His sole purpose in life is to have control, to have power. I have spent my entire life working for the fall of this man simply because he wants every one of us dead. That is why he cannot and will not remain on the Dargothian throne." Drake held his sword hilt as if he could crush it. Calvin was silent. There was barely anything holding Drake back now, and he had no wish to tempt fate. Ming listened to all of it in silence. She felt compassion and pity in her heart as she heard of the pain that the Dargothians had to suffer. She nudged Josh gently and spoke up, hoping that he would take her cue. "Is there anything that we can do to help?" Josh gaped in astonishment for a few seconds before he recovered enough to protest. "You, what? But, you can’t-" Fox leaned forward eagerly. "That’s why you’re here!" he interrupted Josh. "You can help us in a way that nobody else can." "Which is how?" asked Calvin. Drake glared at him in disgust. Ming saw that there was now an instant dislike, maybe even hate, between the two. "By joining us." He said. "Joining you!" Calvin exclaimed. "Why?" Fox sighed. "I know that none of this makes sense right now and I’m sure you find it all stupid, or crazy. But if you joined us, if would give our people hope that there are others supporting us. But, please, it’s been a long day today, and you don’t have to decide now. Perhaps things will make more sense in the morning. Reba," he added, gesturing to her. "Please show them their tent." He rose and bowed stiffly to them, from the waist up. "Good night." He and Drake turned and walked away. Reba got up. "Follow me; I’ll get you all settled." Josh looked at Ming and shrugged. They set down their food and followed her. Halfway to the tent where they would stay, a short, bent over old man shuffled near them. He studied them with his head bent slightly sideways. He chucked, a queer dry sound and then spoke. "Outworlders! What a surprise. And might I ask just why you are here?" Reba answered politely, though she obviously did not wish to converse with him. "Greetings to you also, Thoran. If you will excuse me, I have to escort these ‘outworlders’ to their tent." "Ah, have you no need of healing, my young friends?" Thoran questioned the three, who glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. "Surely you are weary from your long journey, step inside my own humble tent and I will gladly relieve you from any pain that you may possess." Reba made to step past him, but Calvin suddenly spoke up. "Well, now that you mention it, my back kind of hurts. It’s actually been bothering me for quite a while, you know?" Josh stared at him suspiciously, but Thoran crackled happily. "Yes, yes! I will heal your back. Come, come!" He led Calvin away, assuring Reba that Calvin would be returned shortly. Ming looked at Josh and shrugged. Reba watched the two until they disappeared into a black tent further back near the woods, then she sighed and shook her head. "Come on." She said to them. "He’ll be along later."       After Calvin had returned from his back ‘healing’, and the three were alone in the tent, Josh turned to him and spoke coldly, his resolve strong. "All right, you’ve got exactly five minutes to tell us what’s going on here. How we got here, why we’re here, and why you didn’t want us to tell these people it that our presence here has something to do with the medallion." Calvin backed up, his hands in front of him. "Josh, please. Just calm down; we’ll find a way back." Ming stared at him. "What do you mean, ‘find a way back?’ Do you mean that we’re stuck here?" "No, no." answered Calvin hastily. "Not at all. We can go back anytime we want, but we just have to find the other medallion to do it." "What!" Josh exclaimed. "Maybe you’d better start from the beginning." Calvin sat down. "Ok, fine. Last week I was up in our attic. My mom and I had put a bunch of boxes up there when we moved in last year. I was looking in them for my old roller blades. ‘I opened up one box and there was a chest in it. I didn’t remember packing it, so I lifted the lid. Inside, I found the medallion I had you both look at this afternoon. I didn’t think much of it at the time, since I don’t get into that sort of stuff, but that night, I began having weird dreams about the attic. ‘I finally decided that perhaps I was dreaming about the attic for a reason, so a few days later I went back up and opened the door. As soon as I stepped inside, that box with the medallion had a really bright blue light shining out of its cracks. I was totally freaked out, but since my mom was at work, I had to check it out on my own. ‘I went over to it, and as soon as I touched it, it sprung open by itself, and I saw the medallion. It stopped glowing after a few moments, so I picked it up. There was a big book underneath, so I pulled that out too, and looked at it. It was really cool!" He added, his eyes wide with excitement. "It had pictures and the whole history of that medallion. I read the whole thing, and it said how it came from a place called Dargothia, and-" "Wait a minute," Said Ming. "You knew all this, but you didn’t tell us before it shipped us here?" Calvin winced. "Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting that, and I was going to tell you, but I didn’t have enough time." Ming glared at him. "Calvin, we are on what seems to be another planet, apparently out of our galaxy, and you are just finding time now to tell us how we got here?" She was furious. "Calvin, your medallion didn’t light up until Ming touched it." Josh said. "Did your book explain that?" "Welllll," Calvin winced again and shifted uncomfortably. "Kind of, but not really..." Josh waited. "I knew that the medallion could be used as transportation." Calvin finally admitted. "But the book said that that could only happen if the one who touched it had royal blood, Dargothian royal blood." Ming gaped. "That’s ridiculous!" Calvin shrugged. "Maybe, but we’re here aren’t we?" "Fine, we’re here." Ming snapped. "How do we get home? The medallion didn’t come with us." "I know. But I think I know what to do," Calvin replied. He laid down on the cot he was sitting on and sighed. "I talked to that healer, Thoran. He used to serve in the king’s palace as a spy. He said that eighteen or nineteen years ago, his former wife stole a medallion to get even with him for dumping her for another woman. Apparently, there are two medallions, and only two. Somehow, the Xavier’s wife activated the one she had, and took it to earth with her. And while I hate to believe that it was that little piece of costume jewelry that got us here, I do believe that Ming really did do something to it, royal blood or not. Do you practice witchcraft or anything?" he asked her curiously. Ming glared at him. "No." she stated frostily, offended. Calvin shrugged. "Anyway, I struck a deal with Thoran. He said that the second medallion is still in the palace, and if we found the medallion and gave it to him, he would make it take us home." Josh scowled. "How do you know that we can trust him?" Calvin shrugged. "Like you said earlier, you have to trust somebody." "How do you know about there being only two medallions?" asked Josh. "It was in the book." Calvin said sheepishly. "And when I talked to Thoran, he said the same thing." "I think you are crazy." Josh stated. "He seems like he may be, doesn’t he?" asked Drake, stepping into the tent. Josh started, and Ming gasped. Calvin stared up in shock. "How long have you been listening?" he demanded, his face turning red. Drake grinned, mildly amused. "Long enough to find out how you got here." He narrowed his eyes. "You know about there being two medallions do you? Did you ever wonder how the second one just happened to show up at your house?" Calvin didn’t say anything, apparently, the idea was still sinking in. "What are you implying?" Josh asked angrily. "That Calvin‘s mom is Dargothian?" "No." Drake shook his head. "If that were so, the medallion would have sent him here as soon as he touched it." He turned to Ming. "How old are you?" Ming looked startled. "Seventeen." Drake looked thoughtful. "Interesting," he mused. "Very interesting." He stalked outside without another word. Calvin looked over at Josh. "Now what?" "It‘s not my issue!" Josh flipped out. And, despite Ming’s efforts, he did not calm down for a long while.       What the teens didn’t know was at that moment, Drake was arguing with Fox. They had been doing that a lot lately, and their relationship was tense. Fox had recently married his sister, Reba, and Drake was unhappy about it and jumped at every opportunity to let Fox know it. "They are a threat to all of us!" he hissed. "The boy who found the medallion, Calvin, already wants to find the medallion and give it to Thoran, that crazy medicine trader. If Xavier gets his hands on any of these outworlders, especially the one who activated the medallion, he will be able to use her for his pleasure-mainly to destroy us. You need to send those children back where they came from!" Fox held up his hand. "They are not ‘children’ as you call them, and I would not send them home even if I did have the other medallion." He said calmly. "They are here for a purpose; Xavier has not been able to activate his medallion for nearly two decades, but three teens could? It is Dargothian fate." "Fate!" scoffed Drake. "What do you know of fate? It wasn’t fate that got them here, Fox. Somehow Xavier found the medallion and used it! Did he not have scouts out searching for them? You must either kill these beings or send them back, and get on with destroying Xavier and giving us our freedom!" "Enough!" Thundered Fox. "You will have your ‘freedom’ soon enough. Meanwhile, you are under my command, and you will do as I say, and not as you feel! You know as well as I do that Ming may be the missing heir of King Hayden. If she is, then we have every chance to win this war, once and for all! These teenagers hold the very fate of Dargothia in their hands. ‘The outworlders are to be treated with respect. Do not even speak to them again if you cannot do it without acting like a fool. Do you understand?" Drake glared at Fox; there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Aye." he said finally, quietly. He turned and stalked away, his back straighter than a steel rod.     Fox watched him stalk away, and he shook his head and sighed. He did not want to make Drake into an enemy, but Drake was already headed that way. And as much as he did not wish to follow through with it, Drake had given him what seemed to be a very good idea. He headed towards the tent where the teens were. He stopped outside the tent flap and cleared his throat loudly. The flap opened slightly, and Ming’s anxious face peered out. "Fox!" she greeted him. "Come in." Fox almost smiled at the irony-invited to come into his own tent. Nevertheless, he stepped inside. He cleared his throat again, nervously. "Are you comfortable?" He asked, taking advantage of the Dargothian habit to beat around the bush. "Yes, fine." Answered Josh hastily. Calvin glowered in the corner. Fox fidgeted with his knife hilt. "Drake was just telling me what Calvin said, and I think that we can help you. I, and our people, of course," he added hastily. "Hoped that you might join us. It would be quite convenient." Josh glanced at Ming and glared at Calvin. "Well, see, we don’t know how to get home now." "Just a quick question," added Fox, hoping to sway their decision in his favor. "I heard that the medallion had words; might I know what they said so that I can be sure that the other medallion I know of is a match?" "You know where the other medallion is?" Calvin exclaimed. He fell silent when Ming turned and glared at him. "I know where A medallion is, yes." Fox replied. "But I am not convinced that it is the same that you need." "The words?" questioned Josh. "Let’s see, oh yes, I can remember them: ‘Death only comes to the weak; The brave and strong know no fear. Come and find what you seek, The storm that rages is never meek. Fulfill the prophecy by living the past Believe in a peace to come. You’re not the first, neither the last Merge together, as one." "It is the same then." Fox spoke after an awkward pause. "The medallion you seek is in Xavier’s palace." He hoped that they wouldn’t see through his lie; anybody else who knew anything about his war would have. After all, if Xavier had the medallion, he would have used it long ago, and not just to call three children to Dargothia. "The very place where I plan to attack. If you help us, you can find the medallion when this is all over." Ming took a deep breath as she turned to Josh. "Josh, I think we should listen to him." "What?" asked Josh. "Why should we help rebels?" "Why not?" she retorted. "They’ve already explained their cause, which I agree with. It seems to me that we won’t get another chance to find that medallion if we refuse this one; I don’t trust that Thoran. Besides, Josh, we are in a totally different world! Don’t you want to explore it even a little?" Calvin spoke up. "I don’t see why we shouldn’t. It’s not every day that you get the chance." "You stay out of it, Calvin." Ordered Josh. "You’re the one that got us into this whole mess;" he suddenly turned, his brow furrowed in confusion. "And you were just dealing with that Thoran dude, why do you suddenly want to break that and join Fox?" Calvin shrugged. "The deal with Thoran is off, and I don’t see the harm in following Fox, after all, he’s our only chance out, now." "He’s right." Ming intervened. "I’m going to stay anyway." Fox smiled, hiding his guilt, while Josh simmered. "Fine." He said. "We help them, explore a little on the way, find the medallion, and go home." He glanced at Fox suspiciously. "So, what exactly can we help you with?"     "Moral support?" Fox suggested lamely, after watching the teens try to handle a sword. They had tried valiantly, but failed miserably in the attempt. Calvin was the only one who had any potential with a blade, and he had trouble even lifting it. Ming was actually doing quite well with a bow and arrow under Reba’s instruction. Fox was still trying to find Josh’s strong point. "Here." He said, handing both boys a javelin. "Try this." "What is it?" Calvin asked, while Josh just looked at it doubtfully. Fox stared at them. "A javelin. Don’t you have them in your own world?" "No…" they both answered. Fox sighed. "All right. Hold it like this," he demonstrated. "And throw it towards that target. Simple." He winced as both javelins floundered to the ground, still many feet from the target. He rolled his eyes as he heard a snort behind him. "That’s the best you can do?" Drake asked in disbelief. Fox turned around slowly. "Drake…" he said warningly. Drake glared at all of them before turning on his heel and walking away. "Why does he hate us so much?" Josh asked innocently. Fox let out a deep breath and avoided eye contact. "You aren’t the first outworlders that have come to Dargothia." He replied. The teens tried to get him to say more, but he refused.       Drake stalked into his tent and flung the door shut behind him for the second time that night. He unbelted his sword and threw it on his cot angrily. He muttered to himself as he poured himself some shala out of a canteen and then sat down heavily into a chair. "How could he dare expect these children to help us?" he seethed. "He is putting every one of us in danger." Reba, who was sitting in the far corner of his tent, spoke quietly. "Drake, you need to calm down." Drake became silent, but his eyes still burned with anger. "Let it go, Drake." she continued. "It's not worth it." Drake finally exploded. "It is worth it! Fox doesn't know what he's doing. He brings children into our camp, and expects them to help us, who knows how! And supposedly, the female, Ming, is the heir of Hayden!" "So I heard. But couldn‘t it be true?" questioned Reba mildly. "It is possible." Drake admitted reluctantly. "The ages definitely match up, but seriously, Reba! The chances of a female earthling coming here and claiming to be our future queen-" "Is no more of a chance than three teenagers appearing from nowhere and claiming to have held a missing medallion." She interrupted, coming to sit on the arm of his chair. "Besides, you know that there is no way to activate one of those medallions unless someone touches it and has royal blood flowing in their veins." Drake looked up at her, his face softening somewhat as he saw his sister's beautiful face. "Perhaps. I am not convinced. How would a medallion have ended up on Earth anyway? After all, it ‘disappeared.’ We have yet to see what brought them here." "Because that is where Sailee took it." Reba answered, cocking an eyebrow and ignoring his mocking. "Sailee?" Questioned Drake, incredulously. He thought it over for a moment. "Yes, it is possible, and yet another thing to worry about besides! If Calvin found one of the medallions on earth, supposedly in his attic, how much does he know? His mother must have known Sailee well, for her to have been given the medallion. And if Xavier believes she’s alive, or that one of the teenager’s is Hayden’s heir, we are all in danger! And Calvin said that the medallion belonged to his father, so he must know more than he is telling!" "Do you think that Xavier could be his father?" asked Reba. Drake stood up abruptly. "I don’t think so," he said flatly. "That would mean that Sailee, Hayden’s daughter would be his mother. And if that were true, then why couldn’t Calvin activate the medallion? Why Ming?" Reba slid into the seat of his chair. "Then why did he say that it belonged to his father?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "It seems to me that there are a great deal of questions that are being asked, and no one to answer them." Drake handed her his cup. "So it appears. And Hayden’s heir or not, I think that Fox should get rid of them as soon as possible." he said firmly, and exited the tent. Reba raised both eyebrows at Drake's display of determination. She sighed. If Drake and Fox became enemies, whom would she choose? Her brother or the man she loved?     Ming and Calvin were arguing furiously as Josh sat nearby, rolling his eyes. "And just who is this, King Hayden?" she demanded. "Who is Sailee? And why does everyone suddenly seem to think that I am Dargothian?" Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparked. Calvin groaned. "I told you already!" He still remembered almost everything he had read from the book. "King Hayden was the last good king. He had a daughter named Sailee who ended up in an arranged marriage to Xavier, who is currently the tyrant king." "And I come into this, where?" "Well, Sailee really loved another guy, I forget his name, and ended up cheating on Xavier." "Sounds like a soap opera." Josh commented. Calvin shrugged. "It is what it is. Anyway, she got pregnant and ran away before Xavier had a chance to find out and kill her. She stole his medallion; again, no one really knows why, maybe cause she wanted revenge for her forced marriage or something." "I‘m sure." Ming retorted dryly. "So my mother is really a Dargothian who somehow found her way to Earth and made a living for herself after having me?" Her voice trembled. "Even if that all was true, Calvin, how does that explain the medallion in your attic, and me being adopted?" "I don’t have a clue." Calvin snapped. "All I know is, the only way to activate the medallion was to have someone with royal blood touch it. The instant you touched it, Ming, it lit up like a beacon. If that isn’t saying the obvious, I don’t know what else would!" Ming burst into tears and ran out the door.       Ming sat by a campfire, her knees drawn up to her chest, sobbing. She didn’t understand this place or its people. She didn’t know why everyone thought that she was one of them, and she didn’t believe that it was possible. Years of pain washed back over her as she remembered her mother telling her not to cry, a long time ago, when she was very young, as she was handed to a complete stranger. She couldn’t understand why her mother was giving her away. She had never understood why every home, every family that fostered her, for there had been many, had never kept her longer then a year. She had known that she was pretty, but never flaunted it, only hoped that it would help her find a family who would love her. But it hadn’t. Even the family who fostered her now was showing the signs of wanting her out. She was alone in the world, and knew that that was how it would always be. Just then, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up slowly, not bothering to wipe away her the tears that ran unchecked down her face. Reba sat down beside her. "Why are you crying?" she asked. "Has someone hurt you?" She looked concerned. Ming turned her face away. "A long time ago." She answered, in a moment of self pity. "Your mother?" Reba queried knowingly. "How do you know about her?" Ming asked in astonishment. Reba smiled. "Sailee is a well known legend to every Dargothian. She had the courage to defy Xavier. If you are indeed her daughter, there will be no trouble in putting you in your rightful place as queen of Dargothia." "But I don’t want to be a queen!" Ming cried. "I just want to be normal, to be loved, to go home!" She started to cry again. "Shhhh." Reba hushed her, patting her shoulder. "It will be alright. If you truly want to go home, we will find a way to send you back, but rest assured," She looked deep into Ming’s eyes. "Whatever your mother did to hurt you, I don’t believe that she did it for any other reason then to protect you. No mother is capable of hurting their own child on purpose." She patted her belly. "I should know." Ming did not quite believe her, but she was grateful for Reba’s caring attitude. "Thank you." she glanced at the tent. "I should probably go and apologize...." Ming wiped her eyes and they both stood. A bond was forged between them as Reba smiled. "Think about what I have said, at least." She said. "I know that you cannot yet accept it, but maybe someday?" "Maybe someday." Ming replied, unbelieving, and walked away.       Meanwhile, Fox was conversing with one of his men inside his own tent. "I think that it would be wiser to strike here, and then here." he said, pointing to various places on a table sized map that he had just unfolded. "What do you think, Balin?" he questioned the tall, older man beside him, the battle commander. Balin gazed at the map for a while before he spoke. "I think, lord," he finally said, slowly. "That to attack the city of Dargothia is foolish. We would never conquer it." Fox grinned wolfishly. "Exactly." he said. "That's what Xavier thinks. And if he continues to think that, than we do have a chance." Balin still shook his head. "A very small chance, surely not enough to risk men's lives for. Besides, Xavier 's palace is in Dargothia." "We have to take over that if we expect to win the war," said Fox. "It will be guarded better than his treasury," said Balin, pessimistically. "I have more informants in his palace than I do scattered all over Delmada." Answered Fox, non-deterred. Balin sighed. "And every one of them is dead loyal?" "Every one." said Fox firmly. "Than perhaps we can do it," said Balin, still staring at the map. "We can and we will, with you to head my troops," Said Fox, bowing slightly to Balin in a gesture of honor. Balin bowed back, deeply. "And when Xavier is conquered and dead, than it will be you who will rule Dargothia. And I will serve you until the day I die." Fox shook his head violently. "No! No more kings. I will not rule. Delmada has had enough of royalty. We will have a free government. The people themselves will rule; but I will not. I am content just to be a pillar holding up the structure." Balin bowed again. "It will be as you say, lord. But until then, you have my strength, my loyalty, and my heart." Fox nodded slightly, then bent over his map, in an attempt to find just the right place to strike in full force. Just then, Reba entered the tent and came to stand behind him. She put her arms around his neck. "Still plotting the destruction of Dargothia?" she teased. Fox turned around so that he was looking down into her face. "The end of Xavier’s reign, yes. The destruction of Dargothia, never!" Reba slipped out of his arms and toyed with the wooden figures he had placed on the map; they stood for Xavier and his army. "Do you truly expect these outworlders to be of any use to us?" she suddenly demanded, looking straight at him. "Have you been speaking to Drake?" he asked, ignoring her question. "Fox!" replied Reba, sitting down on a nearby chair. "Perhaps Drake is right and these children will only bring trouble. After all, the one named Calvin has possibly lied once already." "He has not." Fox said as he once again leaned over the map. Balin pretended that he wasn’t listening. Newly weds arguments were not his concern, "They can not even pick up a sword, how can you expect them to be of any use?" she asked again. "It is not for you or I to question Dargothian fate, Reba!" Fox whirled on her. "They are here because they are meant to be here. I don’t know what purpose they will serve, but I’m quite sure that there is one. And it is my duty as a Dargothian to protect them and I will not have you or Drake, or anybody else do otherwise! Do you understand me?" Reba’s eyes were wide at his sudden outburst, but she said nothing. Fox continued. "Right now, it is both of our jobs to focus on taking back Dargothia for the people. These children will help support the people by just their presence. If Drake doesn’t like this, he can deal with it! But neither of you will stop me from carrying out my duty." It was Reba’s turn to become angry. "All you care about is the people! What about me, or the baby?" Fox was taken aback. "Baby? What baby?" Reba was crying now. "Your baby, my baby, our baby. The baby that will be born soon." Fox blinked. "You’re pregnant?" "Yes!" Reba shouted. "I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby. But are you even going to have time for it when it is born? All you ever do is plan battle strategies and recruit soldiers. I barely even see you anymore." "I didn’t know you were pregnant." Fox was still stunned. "When did you get pregnant?" Reba glared at him. "See? You are so busy that you didn’t even notice! I’ve been pregnant for eight months." "Wha-?" Fox was dazed. His wife had been pregnant for eight months, and she had had to tell him? How could he have not noticed? How come nobody else had thought to tell him? He made a mental note to get mad at Balin later. "But, you do see me, you’re seeing me right now." He added in weak protest. "It’s not the same." Cried Reba. "I want to have a house, somewhere safe where we can raise this child and any more that come. I am tired of living in fear and in hiding." Fox went over and embraced her. Balin had conveniently disappeared several minutes ago. He gently pushed her chin up so that she was looking him in the eyes. "Reba, I’m sorry that we have to live in hiding. But I promise you that our child will not grow up as we have. The time to strike is almost here. We will win, and then, when Dargothia is able to survive on its own, you and I will find a little house somewhere, and we will raise all the children that you want. First, however, Xavier has to be defeated. If he is allowed to continue as he has, killing everyone who doesn’t obey him, and ruling over our people in tyranny, nobody will be able to live freely. But we will survive this, believe me." Reba sniffled and looked deep into his eyes for a moment. Then she nodded. "I believe you, and I am with you until the end." She caressed his face. "Whether we live or die." "So, uh, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant, like, seven months ago?" Fox ruined the romance of the moment. Reba sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, for the past six months I figured you knew, like the rest of the camp, and were just trying to ignore the fact. I didn’t realize that you couldn’t see what was right in front of your eyes!" "Ah." Fox replied. He shrugged. "I was busy." Reba let out a snort of disbelief and stalked away, but not before she smacked the back of his head, hard.   At dawn the next morning, Fox and a large company of men moved out. He had asked Reba to remain behind and gather herbs for any that would be wounded when they returned. She was still upset, of course, but she obeyed without protest, knowing that he was just trying to protect her and their child, now that he was aware of it. He also ordered Drake to alert the other rebel Dargothians in the forest, and join him later at a tavern in Dargothia. They would not attack until everyone was ready. Two of the teenagers he had agreed to let accompany him. He was not sure that they wouldn’t be a hindrance, as none of them had excelled very far in their lessons, but if it was Dargothian fate that had brought them, who was he to question their abilities? He had, however, insisted that Calvin remain behind. Fox frowned a little at this memory. Calvin had been quite perturbed when he had been informed of his decision. But Fox believed it was better for him to stay at camp, especially since he had yet to declare his loyalty to either side. He sighed, again. With a touch of luck, Dargothia would be free soon, than the teens could go home, while he and Reba would be free to return to the forest. Alone. He winced. Oh yeah. The teens going home….he couldn’t wait until they found out that he had lied about the medallion. He pushed the troublesome thought into the back of his mind and focused on getting into Dargothia.     Drake kneeled on the bank by the river, scooping up the cool water in his hands and splashing it on his face. Refreshed, he leaned back against the roots of a nearby tree and closed his eyes, basking in the warm sunlight that filtered through the branches above. He had been traveling fast ever since daybreak. It was now almost sundown. He had been careful to stay on the path, knowing that one step off from it could result in fighting and perhaps death. Without warning, a branch snapped. Drake’s eyes snapped open and he leapt to his feet, groping for his sword. He unsheathed it just in time to counter the first blow of his opponent’s sword. As they circled each other warily, he took the time to study his new enemy. It was a tall man with long light hair pulled back in to a ponytail, and dark eyes. He was dressed in a green meant to blend in with the surrounding forest. Drake frowned. This man was obviously not a Dargothian, but neither a Neptunian. A half-breed perhaps? Whatever the man was, he gave Drake no more time to think, attacking him ferociously. Though he handled his sword well, Drake easily disarmed the man and threw him to the ground. Raising his sword to drive it into the man’s chest, he suddenly felt a cold http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/646025/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:21:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/646025/ That is right, my friends! I said the words 'merry CHRISTmas!' And once again, I apolagize for my tardiness in posting. I just happened to scan down my story five minutes ago, and find out that half of it is missing and the other half is messed up. Yes, I did think to save all that I wrote, just on another computer. No, I don't really have the time to mess with this stupid blog! Can anyone tell me exactly WHY I can never get it to post right? Sigh. Oh well. Someday I'll fix it. Signing off for the holidays, Elizabeth http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/635047/ Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:59:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/635047/ Hello again everyone! Thank you so much for paitently waiting! I have finally written and edited everything I have so that you can all read it! I know its sorta long, but, its' the beginnings of a book! Its rather funny though, my book is now writing me. Whenever I go and change one thing, I have to go back all the way to the beginning and change everything in between. sigh. Well, read it, enjoy it, and please please give me some input. I would greatly appreiciate anything you have to say.  Elizabeth http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/619506/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:06:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/619506/     “You say this ‘Drake’, second in command to the Stormblade was killed, but he also sent one of my captains to his death?” questioned Xavier, king of Dargothia, as he stared up at the chandelier that hung motionless above him..  His chief advisor and second in command, Mingol, bowed deeply. “Removed forever, Your Grace.” He replied. “It is said that the man he slaughtered is the Dargothian traitor you made into the city bailiff, Rahn.” “Can you confirm their deaths with bodies or some article of clothing?” “No, my lord, but there is no way that either of them could have survived that fall.”  “Hmmm,” Xavier turned towards Mingol with a slight interest. His long red hair was bound up in a ponytail, his golden crown reflected the sunlight from the window high above where they both stood and danced in sparkling patterns across the walls. “So, the Dargothian was more loyal and eager to please than I first thought.” He mused. His white face was creased in thought.  Mingol sneered. “I think not, lord. It is well known that the bailiff and the Stormblade’s second in command had been mortal enemies for quite some time now.”   Xavier turned away. “It is no matter-they are both dead. Reward his family as you see fit, with gold from the treasury if you wish. And Mingol,” he added as Mingol bowed and started to back away. “Send a few officers with my regards. Have them try and comfort his grieving family. His son-Tuxor, is it?-might be persuaded to join our army. Do your best to have that happen, and do not let him join the rebel camp.”   Mingol bowed again. “It is as you say, Your Grace.” “And are you still keeping an eye on the Dargothian spy, Kiroten?” “Yes, milord.” Answered Mingol. “He has a wife and one child. They are currently in the rebel camp, but they will come as soon as they hear of his soon-to-be arrest.”   “Good. And he does not suspect?” Mingol grinned, not a pretty sight. “No milord.”  Xavier smiled also. “When they arrive, kill them. Kill them all. Even the child.” He added, anticipating Mingol’s question.  “At your command, my king.” Mingol replied. He disappeared through the grand doors.   Xavier sat in his throne and plotted the downfall of his own archenemy, Fox Stormblade.               The small group that had left Chad’s apartment ducked through alleyways and went inside abandoned buildings in order to avoid the Neptunian soldiers that marched through the streets, searching for them.  Slipping out of the city, they met up with Edar and his men. Delmar was not with them, and Ming asked where he was.  Edar sighed. “He remained in Dargothia, to rally the people there.” “But won’t the palace guards recognize him?” she asked.  “No.” Replied Edar. “Any who might have seen him will remain silent.” He did not say why they would not talk, and Ming did not ask. “Why didn’t Drake finish what he was supposed to be doing?” Josh finally burst out. “He was always saying how Dargothia came first; so why did he rescue Zaya when his job was to distract the people in the square?”   Zaya tossed her hair, and her eyes burned. “Are you saying Drake was a coward for rescuing me?” she demanded.   “Zaya!” Fox snapped, whipping out a dagger and waving at both her and Josh. “Why won’t you just shut up? Josh didn’t say that Drake was a coward. He asked why Drake did the very opposite of what he has always said.”   “And?” Ming questioned, eagerly awaiting his reply. Fox rubbed his forehead tiredly and sighed. “I really don’t know, Ming. I have no idea.” He glanced at Zaya. “He wasn’t in love with you, was he?” “Of course not!” Zaya sounded shocked. “We have known each other too long to be in love.”   “I know.” One of Edar’s older warriors spoke up. They all looked at him. He swallowed nervously, but continued doggedly. “Your man, Drake, you said that he always told everyone that Dargothia came first, yes?”   “Aye.” it was Zaya who responded.” “So, you are Dargothia.”   “What?” Josh’s brow was furrowed in confusion. “I think I know what he means.” Ming said slowly.    “Tell us!” the demand burst from more than one throat. Ming blushed. “Dargothia isn’t the city. It isn’t the forest, and it isn’t the palace. Dargothia is the people, Zaya, Fox, Edar, Chad…” she named them all, looking at each one in turn. “You are Dargothia.” She repeated. “You can destroy a city, you can burn a forest, but you cannot touch the people.”   “What do you mean, ‘cannot touch the people?’“ questioned another young Sivian. “I can thrust a sword through any one of them!”   “You can harm the bodies, and you can break their hearts.” Ming replied. “But you cannot touch their souls. Dargothia lives in every one of you, of us. Its fire cannot be quenched; its power cannot be destroyed. We fight for the people; we fight for Dargothia!”   It was the first speech Ming had ever made, and it surprised them all. Her chin was lifted, and her cheeks flushed, but she was smiling. And it put fire into every one of their breasts. Their eyes shone and their hearts beat a little faster. If they could have defeated the king and his men on courage alone, they would have won the war that night.   As it was, an old Dargothian victory song sprang to their lips as they hurried back to the Dark Forest, knowing that Drake’s death was not in vain; they remembered what their forefathers had fought for, and what they would win.     Later that day, when everyone had reached the camp, Fox went looking for Reba.  “Have you seen Reba?” he asked Jade. Jade shrugged. “She said that she was just going to take another walk. Actually,” she frowned. “She should have been back awhile ago. And, I haven’t seen Calvin and Thoran for a good while either.”  Fox’s face went white. “When did she go?” he asked anxiously. The answer was not comforting. “Several hours ago, before the noon meal.”   “But it’s almost dinner time!” cried Fox. He began running towards the woods. “Get Edar, and a few of his men to follow me. And the teens, too, while your at it. If she’s in danger, they might come in useful.”  Jade shrugged as Fox hurried away. “Useful?” she said to herself. “I would think they might get in the way.” She reconsidered. “Well, maybe the girl wouldn’t….”       Chad gestured to Josh hurriedly. “Josh! Come on.”   Josh and Ming forgot their search for Calvin and Thoran.  “What’s wrong?” asked Ming. “Did you find Calvin?”   “No, but now Reba’s missing, and Fox wants your help looking for her.” Chad answered, hurrying away.   Josh ran to keep up. “She’s missing too? But, what could have happened to all of them?” “There are worse things in this forest than Neptunians, as I’m sure you’ve been told.” Began Chad. “One of those things is called the Dark Cinsors.”   “Who are they?” asked Josh. “You mean, what are they?” Chad corrected him. “They are, well,” he paused for a moment. “They are dark. They can be your allies, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You see, a long time ago, their leader, Hagridor, was Fox’s best friend. He lived in the Dargothia slums along with other Cinsors.”   “What happened?” Josh asked curiously, wondering what they were getting themselves into.   Chad hesitated. “Well, let’s just say that they came to a disagreement, and now Fox is Hagridor’s worst enemy.”   “So, how does that relate to Reba, Calvin and Thoran?” Ming queried. “I don’t know about those two, perhaps they’re searching for herbs too, but if Reba went out by herself and Hagridor found her, he wouldn’t hesitate to take revenge.” Chad said grimly.  “But Drake just died, Reba can’t die too!” Josh cried out. Chad didn’t answer.     Several minutes later, they burst out into a small clearing, and saw Fox bending over a figure on the ground. They stopped abruptly, and Ming gasped.   “Reba!” there was no need to say more. Reba lay on the cold forest ground, gasping for breath. Her chest was covered in blood. Fox was kneeling beside her, his hands poised over her, but they trembled, and he appeared helpless, not knowing what to do.  “No…” whispered Chad. “Not that way.” Ming glanced at him, distracted, wondering whom he was talking to.   Edar stood just behind Fox, but when Fox looked up at him, he looked away. Fox looked about to panic. “Who did this?” he cried out to Reba.   Reba managed to open her eyes a slit, and murmured something. Fox was in a rage. “I’m going to kill him with my bare hands!” he hissed between clenched teeth.   “Who?” Edar questioned. “Calvin.” Fox replied grimly. “She spoke his name. He must have stabbed her.”   “No!” Ming choked out, drawing attention to herself. “He couldn’t have.” “Surely we can do something to help her! What about a doctor?” Josh asked.   Fox came back to the present, looking up hopefully. “Did you ever find Thoran?” he asked. Chad glanced at Josh, who shook his head and unwillingly admitted Calvin’s supposed guilt. “We can’t find Thoran or Calvin.” Fox put his head into his hands and groaned. “Then are lost, we can’t do anything.”         “Fox, She‘s dying!”  Cried Josh. “You have to do something.” Fox stood in the dark forest, lost in memories even darker-torn between the past and the present.  “Fox, please!” Ming’s desperate cry added to Josh’s. “It’s too late.” Whispered Fox. In his imagination, he was kneeling again beside his mother and father, crying out the same words, begging his enemies to help him, to not let them truly be dead. But his words had fallen on deaf ears, the same as Josh’s were now.  No! The past must not be part of this-it must not effect the present. He must overcome his fear and prove himself to be what father wasn’t. He would help.   Fox roused himself, like a man awaking from sleep. Josh was kneeling next to Reba; he looked up at Fox and his eyes were desperate, pleading.  “I will go and get help.” The words croaked strangely out of his mouth. “She will live.” His speech became stronger as he set his mind.  Josh seemed puzzled. “Go and get it? Where?” he asked. “You said that Thoran is the only doctor, and Dargothia is miles away! There isn’t time to go there.”   “There is one place that is rather close.” Fox spoke slowly. “The Cinsors-Hagridor.”  Hagridor. The man who used to be Fox’s best friend, and now was one of his worst enemies, and the man who stood in dark shadows. Josh’s jaw dropped, but it was too late. Fox was already gone.           Fox ran through the forest, trying to cut out the memories-his parents, their enemies, the pain of his mistakes-that rushed through his head, and the fact that he was probably about to die. The branches whipped his face viciously, and the blood ran into his eyes. He ripped the machete out of his belt, slicing through the brush, and anything else that opposed him.   Finally, he made it to the Cinsors camp. He slowed down slightly, his eyes darting from side to side. He gripped his machete tighter as the startled Cinsors stared at him. Then, his eyes focused straight ahead on the large green tent that rested in the middle of the camp. Fox knew exactly how many steps it would take to reach that tent, but the question was, would he make it? Already, Hagridor’s men were beginning to rush towards him, weapons in hand.  Ten steps…shouting and yelling, arrows being put to the strings. Seven steps…an arrow pierced his shoulder, causing him to grunt.  Five steps…another, in the back, almost forced him to his knees. He cried out. Three steps…so close, a third arrow burrowed into the arm that held his machete.  He pitched forward onto his face. He started to rise, but slipped on the blood that was pouring from his wounds. He was losing consciousness fast. He tried to pull out the arrows and defend himself from the blades that were about to fall on him, but he couldn’t move. His view of the tent was gone, cut off by the men as they swarmed around him. He tried to speak, but failed.   Suddenly, there was no longer a throng about him. Only one figure towered over him-tall, dark: Hagridor! He was reaching down, studying him.   “Fox?” he asked doubtfully, his face creased in lines of puzzlement. .   Fox reached up. “Reba, she’s…” He started to speak, the pain coming in great waves, but Hagridor cut him off.  “Why are you here?” He asked. “You were tried, banished and condemned from this place. Half of my men want to kill you, including me!”   Fox smiled, faintly. “They already did, so that should take care of any past grievances. But Hagridor, Reba’s hurt, bad. Calvin-“ He had to stop. The blackness was all around him; he couldn’t focus on Hagridor’s face anymore.  Hagridor began to shake him violently, trying to keep him from sinking into unconsciousness. “Where is she? Is she alone?”   “No. Ming, Josh, Chad….in the clearing.” Fox mumbled, closing his eyes.  “Where?” Hagridor asked again, sharply.    Fox felt frustration building up inside him-enough to clear his mind for a moment. How slow was Hagridor, anyway?   “In the clearing, next to the river. Josh is with her. So is Ming and Chad. She is bleeding,” He looked down at the ground, where pools of blood were forming. “Maybe more than me.” The words exhausted him, and he began to black out.   Hagridor snapped orders, but Fox couldn’t understand him, and as Hagridor let go of him, he started to fall. Someone caught him and held him up again. His last thought was about Reba, then the darkness and images from the past surrounded him and he knew no more.        Hagridor did not wait to see if the men he had ordered to assist him were following. He ran in his hurry to find the clearing. He was extremely angry. Not only had Fox come back after convincing his sister to run away with him, he had the gall to return and tell him that Reba was dying! Hagridor seriously wished that somebody would stand in his path at that moment. He gripped his sword tighter and moved faster.   Finding the clearing in record time, Hagridor ran over to the place where Reba lay, pale and barely breathing. He shoved Josh away savagely, and beckoned to the camp physician. He glared at Chad, who began to shift nervously from one foot to another.   He looked up as the physician stood. “Well?” he asked sharply. The physician avoided eye contact. “She is…there is nothing I can do. The wound is too deep to deal with here, and she has already lost much blood.” He backed up in order to avoid Hagridor’s sword, which Hagridor slammed into the ground, point first.   “What do you mean, ‘nothing you can do!’? Surely there is something…can’t you ease her pain, at least?” Hagridor spoke sharply, with a dangerous show of temper.   The physician spoke softly, head bent. “Perhaps if we got her back to camp, then we could save her baby at least, and maybe we can bring her back.” He glanced up at Hagridor’s angry, pain-filled face. “It is her only chance.”   Hagridor turned away from him. “Put her on a stretcher.” He snapped. “She will come back to camp with us. I would give her that at least, a safe place.” He muttered quietly.   Chad, who stood at the edge of the clearing heard him and spoke up. “There is no safe place on Dargothia, Hagridor. If I had been you, I would have listened to Fox when he asked you to join him.”     He stumbled backwards, holding his hand to his face where Hagridor had vented his anger by punching him. He pressed his back into a nearby tree as Hagridor stepped towards him until only a few inches separated their faces.   “Understand this,” hissed Hagridor, waving a dagger in front of Chad’s face. “If Reba dies, it is you and Fox that I will take my revenge on.”  “Calvin was the one that stabbed her; how can you blame Fox for it?” Chad asked calmly.   “Because he stole her from me!” shouted Hagridor, holding the deadly blade under Chad’s chin and forcing him to hold up his head. “He lied to her, made her love him. She would not be here dying if Fox had left her alone! Fox is going to die; I will kill him myself. And whether Reba lives or dies will no longer make a difference.”   Hagridor longed to bury his knife into Chad’s throat; he was beyond rage. All he felt was a cold, deadly force inside him that propelled him to take his revenge. No, Reba wasn’t dead-yet-but what she must be going through made him want to destroy whatever had caused it.   Chad appeared to stay calm. “She did love Fox, and Fox loved her. Why do you think that he risked his life to find you? You were the only one that could help her-he put his life on the line for her.”   “As well he should have.” Answered Hagridor, flinging away his dagger, and shoving Chad aside. He spoke over his shoulder as he gestured for his men to follow him. “A life for a life. What I said still stands.” He gestured for two of his men to seize Chad while another three grabbed Josh and Ming, pulling them along roughly.  He paused in front of Edar and his three men. “You may come or go. The choice is yours.” And then he stalked away.           Fox opened his eyes groggily and tried to focus. The first thing that he saw was Hagridor standing over him. He grimaced.  “Am I dead?” he asked.   Hagridor’s face was stony. “Unfortunately, not yet,” he answered in tones of ice.   Fox grinned unexpectedly. “Man. That means that you’re alive too.”  Hagridor’s eyes flashed. “Watch it, Stormblade. Just because we removed a few arrows doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook. You still have answers to provide, and after that, I want to personally have the pleasure of destroying you.”  Fox raised his eyebrows. “Aren’t we violent? So, how long have I been laying here?” He spoke lightly. “Three days." Answered Hagridor.  Fox stared at him in disbelief and tried to sit up. The effort left him gasping for breath as the pain struck.   Hagridor pushed him back down firmly. “You may not get up yet. You have no idea how many stitches my physician put in there. I watched him,” He shuddered. “Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to exert yourself.”   Fox looked up at him curiously. “I thought that you hated my guts and wanted me dead-which is why you had at least a half dozen archers ordered to shoot me on sight. Why in the world would you care if I overexert myself?”   Now it was Hagridor’s turn to grimace. “I don’t. But I can’t have you die before you tell me what I want to know.”   Fox stared at him. “And, pray, do tell, what it is exactly that I need to inform you before my untimely passing?” he asked sarcastically.  “Everything you know.” Answered Hagridor with no emotion. “Ah.” Said Fox with a raise of his eyebrows, as if that explained everything. “If you knew half of what I do, you’d go crazy from information overload.”   Hagridor’s face remained impassive, though the muscles tightened quite a bit. “So you say.” Then, perhaps tired of dueling over words, Hagridor stood abruptly and started to stride out of the room.  Fox quickly forgot his pride and called out. “What about Reba?” Hagridor stood with his back to him. He did not turn around.  “What about Reba?” Fox repeated. “Is she okay?” Hagridor spoke in a whisper. “She suffers no more.” He walked out, his back straighter than a metal pole.  Fox tried to close his eyes, but the tears still slipped through.          Fox lay inside the tent on a cot, fully dressed. His memories swept over him like a flood. In his imagination, he could see Reba, still alive and untouched by the darkness that surrounded him. Then, another-Reba, lying on the ground, pale and barely breathing forever replaced that peaceful memory; the knife that had been intended for his heart buried in hers. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/619501/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:01:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/619501/    Drake kneeled on the bank by the river, scooping up the cool water in his hands and splashing it on his face. Refreshed, he leaned back against the roots of a nearby tree and closed his eyes, basking in the warm sunlight that filtered through the branches above.    He had been traveling fast ever since daybreak. It was now almost sundown. He had been careful to stay on the path, knowing that one step off from it could result in fighting and perhaps death.  Without warning, a branch snapped. Drake’s eyes snapped open and he leapt to his feet, groping for his sword. He unsheathed it just in time to counter the first blow of his opponent’s sword.  As they circled each other warily, he took the time to study his new enemy. It was a tall man with long light hair pulled back in to a ponytail, and dark eyes. He was dressed in a green meant to blend in with the surrounding forest.  Drake frowned. This man was obviously not a Dargothian, but neither a Neptunian. A half-breed perhaps? Whatever the man was, he gave Drake no more time to think, attacking him ferociously.   Though he handled his sword well, Drake easily disarmed the man and threw him to the ground. Raising his sword to drive it into the man’s chest, he suddenly felt a cold, deadly prick on the back of his neck.   Stiffening, Drake glanced out of the corner of his eye. Another half-breed stood behind him with narrowed eyes, holding a naked blade to Drake’s neck.   Slowly, he rotated his head, peering into the forest around him. As he did so, a ring of warriors materialized, most of them pointing arrows aimed at his heart.         Breathing heavily from exertion, Drake hesitated. The bows strained tighter, and the blade at his neck pressed closer, drawing blood. Drake finally dropped his sword; two men broke ranks and seized him, pinioning his arms.  Drake struggled against them as the man with the sword stepped in front of him. “Who are you?” he asked, sheathing his sword and studying Drake.  Drake glared at him, but made no reply.   The man raised his eyebrows, amused, but not surprised. “My name is Edar. We are the Sivians. You are trespassing on our territory.” He said, gesturing to the forest around him.   “This isn’t anybody’s territory.” Snapped Drake. “Anyone and everyone have the right to travel on it. No blood is supposed to be shed here.” He added, straining against his captors.   “We recognize no rights.” Edar declared. “This land is ours.” “I’ve never heard of the Sivians.” Drake argued. “Who do you serve?”   Edar’s eyes hardened. “No one.” He growled. “I have to travel through here.” Drake tried again. “There is no other way; I cannot cross the Neptunian boundaries.”  “Then you are Dargothian.” Surmised Edar. “What is your name?” “Drake.” He said reluctantly. “Second in command to the Stormblade.”   “I have never heard of ‘the Stormblade’.” Edar remarked. “Well, if you insist on taking over this path, you’ll hear of him mighty quick-I assure you.”  Edar studied him once again, than snapped his fingers. The two Sivians released him hastily, relieved to be rid of him. Drake reached down and slowly picked up his sword, sheathing it. “You may continue on your way.” Edar finally said. “We will find this ‘Stormblade’ and bargain with him. We want no trouble with anyone, but we must have a place for our wives and children.” He raised his hand in farewell, and both he and his men vanished.   Drake took a deep breath. Where had these ‘Sivians’ come from? Would they be a threat in the future? And why hadn’t they killed him?     Drake reached Dargothia around midnight. He went to a house at the back of an alley, and slept there until noon. When he woke up, he tipped the woman who lived there, and began his search for Fox, Ming and Josh. They were waiting for him inside a tavern, positioned in the slums of the city.   Upon entering, Drake spotted Fox conversing with a figure dressed in green. It was Edar. Josh and Ming sat beside them. Drake allowed himself a stare of disbelief before he stalked across the room. Pulling up a chair, he sat down between them.   Keeping his face expressionless, he spoke. “You know what, Edar? I’m not even going to ask how you got here. Because I don’t really want to know.” He raised his hand, gesturing the waitress to bring him a shala.   Edar grinned. “We simply traveled straight to the city, through the forest, than asked around, looking for the ‘Stormblade.’ Everyone in the slums seems to know you, Fox.” He added in admiration.  “I used to live here.” Fox responded, looking into his cup and swirling its contents. “Several years ago, these people were subjects under the king’s cruel reign. There was no one to lead them in a rebellion. They were unhappy, upset, and dangerous.”   “And now?” prodded one of Edar’s men, who had just stepped up behind them. He was young, with a rust colored beard, and blue eyes that shone with the fire of youth. Ming looked up at him in awe.   “They are still unhappy, and still dangerous.” Fox answered quietly.  Drake tapped his fingers impatiently for a moment. “And we are strong!” he finally burst out. “When Fox became our leader, we realized that we could do something about their situation. So we moved into the slums, the dark part of Dargothia. When the time is right, we will rise, and Xavier will fall, along with any who support him.” He glowered at Edar, as if he expected him to declare himself loyal to the king.   Edar met his gaze levelly. “I was just taking to Fox-before you arrived, Drake- and he was telling me about your rebellion. Correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that there is not yet enough of you to make a difference in a battle, no matter how strong you might be in spirit.”   “Aye.” Drake replied grudgingly. “But surely only another hundred would be enough to turn the flow of the tide in our favor.” “Hmmm.” Edar speculated for a moment, than turned to the young man behind him who had spoken. “What do you think, Delmar? Should we make up the difference?”  Delmar gripped his sword hilt eagerly. “We are only fifty, milord,” he said to Fox, while trying not to stare at Ming, who watched him from under her eyelashes. “But we make up for our numbers with our skills. And if, because of us, you were to win, you could show us gratitude by giving us a place to live-our own territory.”   Drake laughed aloud, the stress lines about his face disappearing for a moment. “You have quite a bargainer there,” he told Edar. “You should listen to him, Fox.” He added.   Fox also chuckled. “What say you, Edar?” he asked. Edar stroked his chin. “I think that very soon I’ll resign from leading my people, and give the job to Delmar. But, for now, we will fight for you-if you will allow us to live in the forest in peace.”   “Agreed.” Fox said. “How shall we start?” “Why not the palace?” Delmar offered. “It will be the most guarded, but if that were taken, the rest of the city would not be hard.”    Drake grinned. “A man of my own heart.” He said. “I’m with him.” “So, you’re just going to attack a well guarded palace in hopes of being able to take it over?” Josh questioned in disbelief. Ming shuddered at the thought.   “That is what war is.” Delmar jumped to his leaders’ defense. “Don’t worry.” He comforted Ming. “It would be far more simpler and less dangerous than meeting them in open battle.” “But a palace?” argued Josh.   “It’ll work;” interrupted Drake, “If we can distract the palace guards first. Make them think that another part of the city is being attacked. And when they go out to secure that, we move onto the palace. Va la!”   “Great,” said Fox. “You distract, we’ll attack.” “What!” Drake exclaimed. “What do you mean, me distract?”   “Exactly what he said.” Answered Edar smoothly. “Delmar, you’re with him.” Delmar saluted hastily, obviously disappointed at not being able to join the ‘real’ fight. “Aye, sir.”   Fox glanced at him. “Don’t worry, Delmar. You’ll still get to be in a fight. Just do this first.”   Delmar saluted again, causing Drake to sigh disgustedly as he got up. “Shall we go now?” he asked Delmar.   “Yes sir!” he responded smarty, trying to impress Ming. Drake rolled his eyes.    Delmar took great pride in being the youngest Sivian warrior under Edar’s command. He didn’t realize that pride was a fault. He was disappointed at not being able to join the fight immediately, but one of the first things he had learned was to obey orders no matter the circumstances. He also knew that if they succeeded, Ming would surely be quite impressed; maybe she would run to him afterwards, her long black hair streaming out behind her. He would pick her up and….Delmar came back to the present with a jolt. He was following Drake through the winding streets, coming closer and closer to the city square. They were both dressed in black, with red capes swirling behind them.   When they reached the last block between them and the square, Drake pulled out his sword, and Delmar did likewise. Just as they were about to attract the attention of the bailiff and his men-who were lounging near the town’s stables-Drake tensed.   “What’s that noise?” he asked.  Delmar shrugged impatiently. “I don’t know. Sounds like a gathering in the market place. Probably somebody being punished.”   Drake sheathed his sword. “Let’s go see.” “Are you out of your mind?” Delmar gaped. “We don’t have time to deal with anything but distracting the bailiff.” “Oh well.” Drake replied. They hurried back the way they came, turning down new streets and alleyways until they reached the public whipping platform. There, tied to the post, was a young dark-skinned woman. Her long brown hair was knotted and tangled as it mixed with the blood oozing out of the deep cuts that covered her back.   Delmar looked at Drake and saw him working his jaw angrily. “Drake…” he started.    “Go back to the tavern,” ordered Drake, pulling out his sword. “Tell Fox to attack the palace from the rear. I’ll be making a distraction all right, but not where he wants it.”   “But,” Delmar tried to protest, but Drake got into his face. “Look, Delmar, I like you. Don’t make me kill you. Do as I say, and don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”  Delmar turned to run but then stopped. “Drake, let me help you.” He said, unmilitary-like, forgetting about Ming. Drake didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go!”           Zaya squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and braced herself, clutching the pole she was bound to. The excruciating pain from her bloody back almost blocked the sound of the whip strokes.  Between waves of unconsciousness, Zaya heard a loud voice speaking, but she couldn’t make out the words. The whip was still falling once, twice more, a third time. She willed herself not to scream in agony.   Finally, the whiplash stopped. Zaya did not dare to move, for fear of her back ripping open even more than it already was. Someone cut the ropes that held her hands above her head. She fell to the blood soaked ground, unable to stand.  A rough hand grasped her coffee colored shoulder and this time she did cry out, shrinking away and glancing up at the same moment. The face that came close to hers was blurred, but she would have recognized it anywhere.   “Drake!” she cried softly, rolling the r. He quickly brought his finger to her lips. “Shhh.” He whispered. “Save your strength. We have to get out of here.” Zaya scowled. I am not going to run from my enemies.” She argued unreasonably. “And you should be attacking the palace, not saving me!” “I know, I know.” Drake said quickly. “But we don’t have time for this. Here, get up.”       He stood up, helping her to her feet carefully. Zaya looked and saw a young man with a short sword fighting the king’s guards.   Zaya wanted desperately to ask Drake who the other young man who had suddenly come to her rescue was, but the pain from her back numbed her entire being.   “Just a little farther,” Drake kept whispering as he parried a sword thrust from a single guard and kicked him away. “Not much longer now…” She tried to keep on walking, to focus on anything but her back, but she failed, and slipped slowly into unconsciousness.       When Zaya fainted, Drake was at a loss of what to do. He knew that the palace would be finding reinforcements, and that Delmar couldn’t last much longer by himself. He didn’t have much time to do anything, much less find a place to hide Zaya.   Curse it all! What had she done to make them suspect her so? He gently picked her up, glancing down at her dark skin. He felt her warm blood cover his arms. He needed to get her someplace safe, where she could be taken care of, and soon!   He carried her down several streets, traveling down an alley until he reached a side door of the house he had slept in that morning. Already, he was beginning to hear shouts in the distance. Making sure that nobody had followed him, he kicked the door with his boot several times. After a moment, it opened a crack, slowly.   Exasperated, Drake stuck his foot into the opening and shoved it open brutally. The young woman behind the door gasped as she stared at Drake and Zaya. “What happened?” she demanded, finally finding her voice. Drake’s eyes flashed. “I do not have the time to tell stories.” He snapped. “Where can I put her?” The woman put her hands on her hips. “No one comes into this house and puts us into danger without a good explanation.” She said, lifting her chin a little, gesturing to the three young children that hid behind her skirts.  “Look,” said Drake desperately. “I’ll keep them away from your house if you’ll just help her. She’s already lost a lot of blood. Please tell me where I can put her.”  The woman glanced at Drake and than at Zaya in the agony of indecision. She looked at the children nervously, than finally sighed. “You can put her in the bedroom.” She said, leading the way. “I don’t know if I can help her, but I’ll try.”   “That’s all that I ask.” Answered Drake, setting Zaya down on the bed gently. He turned away. “I’ll be back, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”   The woman began preparing to wash Zaya’s back. “And if you don’t?” she asked, not looking up.   Drake hesitated. “I will be.” He lied, than hurried out the door, loosing his sword as he did.       It was growing dark outside, a dark cloud slowly moved closer to the city of Dargothia, a rising storm ready to break. Fox watched as Drake appeared from a nearby alley and in front of Rahn, the bailiff and his men. They started in surprise, giving Drake just enough time to turn and run towards the city docks. Fox cursed and followed inconspicuously, spotting Delmar slip away behind the soldiers, headed back towards the tavern. What had happened? Drake was going to get killed! The Neptunians chased after him, branching out and cutting off most of his escape paths. They cornered him at the pier, a platform built high above the ocean water, which tossed and crashed in the wake of the coming storm. A crowd had gathered to watch Drake’s failed attempt of escape. Rahn, slowly comprehending that he had his prey in his grasp, waved the archers to put down their bows, and stepped forward.   “Hello Drake.” He said coldly. “It’s nice to see you again.” Drake was silent as he stepped backward, closer to the edge of the pier and closer to the wildly thrashing ocean with the sharp rocks below.   “What is the matter, second in command to the Stormblade?” Rahn mocked. “Are you afraid?” Fox gritted his teeth at the words. If only he had more men, he would have risked a rescue attempt. As it was, Edar, warned by Delmar of their failure, slipped up behind him and grasped his elbow, indicating that Fox would do better to remain still. They both watched in silence.   Drake finally spoke, lightning flashing behind him. “Why would I be afraid of a traitor? Come and fight me like a man, if you have any courage left.” http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/619497/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:56:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Redwallfreak/619497/