*****
Note: Yes, another AQ story. This one spawned from boredom. Not much to day besides that fact that Rae is changing a lot. Reading "The Truth" is highly recommended. I changed the format of this story as an experiment... Enjoy.
*****
There was a loud bang. Many of the amazons didn't even notice it. They had gotten used to Rae's newfound "banging" around the belltower. Ever since Queen Cyan had assigned Rae to run the Island Art Gallery, Rae had been working hard. Cyan was very happy to see Rae focusing her energy on something so positive like art instead of her negative memories. But sometimes…Rae was a little too focused…
"Again! I've done it again!" Rae shouted, clearly exasperated.
"What now?" asked Teflic.
Rae looked across the belltower at her guardian. "Don't mess with me, buddy."
Teflic raised his eyebrows and whistled. "Whoa… somebody's out to kill."
"No matter how much I try… I can't get the feet right."
"The feet?"
"For the life of me, I will never be able to draw feet!" Rae crumpled up her paper and tossed it out of the tower. "Hey!" somebody shouted below. "Sorry!" Rae called. "That wasn't intentional!" Then she went back to her work.
"You are overworking yourself," said Teflic.
"Yeah, well I've got nothing better to do I suppose."
"Well…" Teflic stared out of the tower. "You could take a vacation."
"Vacation?"
"Sure. I talked to my dad… He says that your dad's been wondering when you'll visit again."
"Heeeey cool! Come to think of it, I haven't seen my dad for a while. Let's go right now!" Rae packed up her supplies and got ready to descend down the tower. Teflic followed, making sure to become invisible. Only a few of the amazons knew of his true form. Once Rae got to the ground, she sprinted toward the palace. Teflic rolled his eyes. He would catch up…eventually.
"Queen Cyan, somebody to see you," a guard called. Cyan rose from her chair. "Yes, you may send them in." The doors opened and Rae burst in.
"Wow… somebody's energetic."
Rae smiled. "Yeah I know. Anyway, I've got no time to talk. I need access to the portals right away."
"Slow down a minute. What's the rush?"
"No rush. I'm going on vacation."
Cyan eyed her strangely. "Vacation?"
"Yup. I'm visiting my dad."
"You've hardly been back on island though."
"Yeah, well our last adventure was hardly a vacation."
Cyan chuckled. "I know what you mean about that."
"Anyway, I…" Rae was interrupted by the opening of the door. Vicky peered into the room.
"My Queen… oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were busy."
"It's all right, Vicky, you may come in."
The Princess came in followed by the Little Princess, Rissa. Rae smiled at Rissa. "Hey Rissa." Rissa looked at Rae with big eyes. Rae had been a bit of a mystery to the Little Princess since she was hardly around anymore. The conflicts the Rae had on-Island with Loa had scared Rissa greatly. But now she smiled. "Hi Rae."
"I hope I didn't interrupt something drastically important," Vicky was saying to Cyan.
"No, it's really all right. Rae was just discussing some more off-Island traveling."
Vicky looked at Rae. "Again?"
Rae shrugged. "Yeah I want to go see my dad."
"Oh you're going back to your home town? I've heard that it's beautiful."
"It is." Suddenly a light bulb went off in Rae's head. "I've got an idea. Why don't you all come with me?" Vicky looked at Cyan. "How about it Cyan? You need a vacation too!"
Cyan was thinking hard. "But I…"
"Come on," Rae pleaded. "You could even meet my dad!"
Rissa smiled and Vicky looked hopefully at Cyan. Finally, after a long silence, Cyan threw her hands in the air. "Fine, fine. Let's all go to Rough Cove for a vacation!"
After Cyan had given her permission for them to go, Rae had bolted back to her hut. She threw a bag together. Teflic had spoken of leaving early, so Rae wasn't surprised that he wasn't around. Once packed and ready, Rae, Cyan, Vicky, and Rissa stood at the portals. Cyan mad a motion with her hand and one of the portals opened. Without hesitation, Rae leapt into the portal. She was on her way home.
The crashing of the ocean told Rae one thing: she was truly in Rough Cove. The group saw their surroundings melt into a beautiful beach. "Wow," Vicky breathed. "This is so beautiful." Rissa pointed at the ocean. "Mommy, look! Dolphins!" Indeed, dolphins were playing out in the waves.
Cyan looked at the huge cliffs that rose above them. "This is really nice, Rae."
"It's home," Rae simply replied. "Come on. We've got to walk up a bunch of stairs to get to the city." Cyan let Rae lead the way. Just by seeing the beach, she could feel why Rae always wanted to return.
Rae led the amazons through the city. People stopped to stare for a moment. They knew of Rae, and loved their princess very much. Still, she was never around often, so the people felt honored that she had returned. Rae returned the stares with smiles and small waves. Rissa looked as if she was having the time of her life as she pointed out the sights to her mother. Meanwhile, Cyan was observing Rae carefully. She knew that she really was the only one who knew of Rae's story. She knew that of all the amazons, Rae trusted her the most. It was a refreshing change to see Rae this happy. Rough Cove poured a new light into Rae. Cyan gasped, realizing that she had seen it before. The way Rae was acting now… had been how she used to act when her mother was alive and when she and Loa were friends. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rae saying, "Look, there's the castle!"
The castle was truly a sight to behold. It rose majestically over the city, yet cast a gentle feeling. As they neared the castle, they heard a shout.
"Rae!"
Rae glanced up. Teflic was standing on one of the towers, waving. Rae waved back.
"I'll be down in two seconds!" And suddenly, Teflic was standing before them.
"How do you do that?" Rissa asked, in awe. Teflic smiled at the little princess. "Magic. Rae, your father is so excited to see you!"
"That's the truth," spoke up another voice.
Teflic looked over his shoulder and smiled at the man standing there. Cyan eyed the man carefully. He looked like an older version of Teflic…his father?
"Hunter!" Rae cried. The man knelt.
"Princess, it's good to see you again." He stood.
Rae hugged him. "No, it's good to see you!" Then she turned to the amazons. "This is Teflic's father, Hunter. Hunter, I'd like you to meet Queen Cyan and Princesses Vicky and Rissa."
Hunter bowed his head. "It's a honor to meet you." Cyan and the princesses nodded in respect. "Your father is waiting, Rae," Hunter said.
"Follow me," Teflic added. The amazons followed Teflic. As Cyan passed Hunter she noticed the palm of his hand. Another 'M'.
"Then you're a dog-man too," she said.
Hunter's eyes widened. "How did you…"
Rae placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. She knows."
Teflic led the group down the many halls of the castle. They were all silent, for one reason or another.
Vicky nudged Cyan. "Is this the place where Jade lived before she became an amazon?"
Cyan nodded. "I'm sure of it."
"I felt it."
"Yes, I figured as much. I also feel her presence greatly."
Finally they stopped in front of the hall. "The throne room," Rae said. "I'm so excited!" Teflic pushed the door open. Rae dashed inside. The amazons followed, as did Teflic. They looked at the man across the room, whom Rae was running to. He was tall. He had the same brown hair and green eyes as Rae did…and as Jade did. The man was Rae's father, King Austenair. "Dad!" Rae said, her voice filled with joy, and threw her arms around him. "Rae, I've missed you!" They hugged for a few minutes. Then Rae turned. "May I introduce to you Queen Cyan, Princess Vicky, and Princess Rissa of the Amazon Island." Austenair stepped down. "Welcome to Rough Cove. I am Austenair." "We're happy that we could visit," Cyan said.
"I've heard a great deal about you amazons. It was you who kept my Jade from harm all of those years?"
"Yes."
"And it is you who is raising and protecting Rae?"
"We amazons all help each other. We've been looking after Rae since Jade passed on, but she doesn’t need much looking after," Cyan replied.
Austenair nodded. "I am honored to meet you all. Please stay in my kingdom for as long as you wish. I'll ask for some rooms to be prepared for you all."
"Thank you," Cyan said.
Rae smiled happily. For the first time in a long time…she was at peace.
Cyan and Vicky had stayed in the throne room to talk to Austenair. Now that Cyan had met Rae's father, there were many things that she wanted to know. Meanwhile, Rae and Rissa had decided to go to Rae's room. Rissa was very curious about the castle.
"Rae, is this where you live?"
Rae laughed. "Yes, when I visit here. You see, Rissa, I have two homes. One is this castle and the other is the Island with everybody."
"I'm happy that you live on the Island, Rae."
"Thanks Rissa."
They reached Rae's room. Rae opened the door slowly. Rissa's eyes widened. "Wow! It's so pretty." She began looking around the room as Rae set her bag down.
"This is your mom isn't it?" Rissa asked. She was looking at a painting on the wall.
"Yes, this is my mother."
"I remember her. She was a good mom…wasn't she?"
Rae smiled fondly. "Of course she was. I love her very much."
"I love my mom too. And Cyan and the amazons too! I hope I grow to be as strong and pretty as my mom!"
"I'm sure you will," Rae replied. "I'm very sure that you will."
The hours passed. Night had fallen and now Rae was in bed, falling asleep. As her eyelids drooped, she drifted off into dreamland. Little did she know… that she was about to fall into something much more…
"Rae," a voice hissed. That voice…was familiar…in a horrifying way. Rae was in a dark room. She was dressed in a long white gown.
"Rae," the voice said again. "Rae Kione Merquise…" She turned.
"I know that you remember me. You can't forget me. We are destined, Rae."
"Show yourself!" Rae shouted.
"Gladly." The source of the voice came into view. Rae wasn't at all surprised. She had recognized the voice immediately.
"Iber Finely."
"We meet again."
"So you didn't die."
"No. I am here to rob you of everything that you love… everything that you cherish. I am here to take your life. You can't escape me. I will always follow you. You can run… but you can never hide."
"Cut the crap."
"Don't you realize how serious I am?"
Rae wouldn't admit it, but Iber sounded deadly serious. "You can't do anything."
"I will kill you."
"You couldn't before."
"That was then…" Iber snapped his fingers. "But this is now." Their surroundings melded together and then reformed. They were floating above the land.
Rae gasped. "The Amazon Island!" She glared at Iber. "You don't know where it is. You can't find it! Not even the gods can!"
Iber laughed evilly. "What if I…was above the gods? We are destined, Rae."
"Quit saying that!"
"You can't run from it. Because if you run…" Iber pointed to the Island. Suddenly it was up in flames.
"Come closer," his voice hissed. The scenery flashed before Rae. The amazons…dead?
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" she screamed. "They're immortal while on island! You can't kill them."
"The wonder of Hind's blood…and black magic can kill even an immortal," Iber said. "Magic that reaches beyond me and you…beyond the gods…"
Rae's stomach churned. The Island was red with blood. Then Rae looked down. "My hands!" she cried out in shock. Her hands were stained with blood. Her dress…was drenched in it.
"What have you done?" she shouted. Iber grinned.
"Nothing. The correct question is… What have you done?"
"Noooooo!" Rae screamed.
"Until next time," Iber said. Then everything went black.
Rae bolted upright, breathing hard. "A dream… It was a dream. By the gods!" She got out of bed, knowing that sleep wouldn't come anymore that night. "Was that a premonition?" she muttered. "Mother… mother…" she said. Something pinged in Rae's mind. She left her room and started walking… to the other wing of the castle.
Rae entered the dark room quietly. A feeling of warmth surrounded her. Her mother's room… Rae knew that once she was with her mother, she'd feel safe again. "Mother, I need your guidance. I'm very confused." A shimmering light appeared. When it faded, Jade's spirit was standing before Rae.
"My child," she said.
"I've missed you, mother."
"Your taking the legend very well, I see."
"That's what I need to talk to you about. Tonight Iber Finely came to me in a dream. He said… that he's higher than the gods. He said that we're destined. And then…he showed me a vision. Oh, mother, the amazons were either dead or wounded seriously in that vision! Then I was covered in blood! I'm afraid that I might be the one to…"
"Rae, do you remember the things I told you about destiny? You have a destiny. We all do. It's what you choose to do that will shape it. If you truly walk the right path…the path that you yourself create, then destiny will shape itself around that."
"So that means that this might not happen?"
"Exactly. It is a possible future, but not a set one."
"Thank the gods. I'd be lost without the amazons."
"I can tell that you do speak from the heart. You always have. In the meantime, I will be watching over you and the amazons. They are dear to my heart. I will protect the Island with any strength that I have."
"Queen Cyan would be glad to hear that," Rae said.
"Yes," Jade agreed. "But the sun's almost up. My time here is limited. I must return to the spirit realm."
"Thank you. I love you mother."
"I love you too, Rae. Always." Then Jade disappeared. Rae closed her eyes. Things were going to be all right. She would make sure of it.
After speaking with her mother, Rae went to the art gallery. So many beautiful paintings… of the kingdom, her family, herself…
"I thought I'd find you here," Cyan said. Rae turned. Cyan was standing in the doorway.
"How did you know?" Rae asked.
"I just knew."
Rae nodded. She looked at one of the paintings. It was of her mother and Hunter (in his dog form). Her mother was about her age in that painting. Cyan looked around the room. Both amazons were silent. Finally Rae sighed.
"What if…" she said.
"What if?" Cyan repeated.
"What if the fate of those you loved…the fate of the world… rested in you? What if one decision you made was the decision that would change everything forever?"
Cyan was silent for a moment. She remembered feeling that way many times. "Well," she said slowly, "We all have days when we feel that the weight of the world is on our shoulders." Rae faced Cyan, her face expressionless.
"What if it really was?"
Cyan didn't know what Rae was getting at. "Did something happen?" she asked.
"No."
"If something did, then…"
"Nevermind," Rae smiled. "It was one of those philosophical moments. That's all. I was just thinking about it." Cyan nodded, not totally convinced. "Let's go eat breakfast," Rae said. She started for the door. "I'm right behind you," Cyan said. Just as she was about to leave the room, something stopped her. Cyan turned and looked back at the painting that Rae had been looking at. Something about that painting… Cyan studied it. "Jade and Hunter," she read. Then she gasped. Was it her imagination? For a moment… Jade looked just like Rae… the symbol of the Merquise carved into her hand…
At breakfast, Rissa had asked if they could go to the beach. She wanted to see the dolphins again. Austenair had some work to finish up, but promised to meet them later. Cyan, Vicky, Rae, and Rissa went down to the beach. All the while, Cyan was observing Rae's behavior. Rae's sudden questions that morning had alerted her. Rissa had taken Rae's hand, and now both were walking ahead of Vicky and Cyan.
"Cyan," Vicky said.
"Yeah?"
"Is it me or is Rae a lot more lighthearted here?"
"So I'm not the only one who noticed."
"She seems like…how she used to be. Except for the soldier outfit. Rae has smiled more in the past two days then she has in the past two years."
"I know. It strikes me funny too. She goes without her guardian… Usually they stick together."
"And she's not carrying a weapon."
Cyan disagreed with that. Rae wasn't carrying a visible weapon, but she was sure that she had something up her sleeve. The amazons reached the beach. The beautiful ocean spread before them. It was a fairly calm day with only a moderate wind. Rissa immediately dashed down to the water.
"Stay close to the shore!" Vicky called.
"I will!"
Rae sat down in the sand. Cyan and Vicky still stood.
"Nice day," Cyan commented.
"Why do you think that they call it Rough Cove?" Vicky asked.
"I guess they've had some pretty bad storms here."
Meanwhile, Rae watched the water. Something felt wrong. That dream was still nagging her in the back of her mind. Rae's eyes darted around. Rissa was playing happily in the small waves. Cyan and Vicky seemed to be immersed in conversation. Rae took off her shoes, stood slowly, and walked to the water's edge. She let the cool waves run over her feet. Suddenly there was a shriek. Rae snapped to attention. Rissa… She was being dragged out into the ocean by something. "Rissa!" Rae screamed and dove into the water. Whatever had Rissa wasn't an animal. Rae was sensitive to water creatures and she didn't feel any. Vicky and Cyan were alerted by the scream. "Gods!" Vicky shouted and ran into the water. Cyan followed. But they could go no further. A barrier of some sort was blocking them. "Rae!" Cyan shouted. Rae was swimming as fast as she could. Rissa was still screaming. Finally she reached her. Suddenly Rae had the frightened little girl in her arms. "Riss, are you all right?" Rissa was speechless, her eyes wide. "What was that…" Rae muttered. The waters began to churn. Rae held onto Rissa. Then a huge wave rose into the air…and engulfed them both. The last thing that Rae saw…was Iber's face. He was grinning madly.
Meanwhile, the other two amazons were on the beach. Vicky was screaming hysterically. "Something took Rissa! Cyan, what happened to them? Rissa…" Teflic has sensed a disturbance and now Cyan could see him sprinting down the stairs. He reached them, out of breath.
"Where's Rae? What happened?"
"Rae and Rissa were dragged out. Then they disappeared," Cyan said.
"We need to form a search party or something. My baby's out there," Vicky said frantically.
"There's no need," Teflic said.
"What?"
Cyan placed a comforting hand on Vicky's shoulder.
"What happened was no accident," Teflic continued. "I sensed something this morning. Actually, late last night I sensed it too."
"Something's happening with Rae?" Cyan asked. Teflic nodded.
"I knew it," she muttered.
"Anyway, Rissa will be safe with Rae," Teflic said.
"You're certain?" Vicky asked.
This time, Cyan nodded. "She'll be safe, Vicky. I know Rae. I know that she'll lay down her life before she'll let anything happen to Rissa."
"Oh, what shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning?" Rae felt as if she was being tossed around on a boat. She certainly felt like a drunken sailor. She knew that she must have been drifting for a while because when she finally came to, there was sand underneath her. Rae sat up slowly in the waves, her eyes widened at the sight before her. It was a tropical island of some sort. The beach stretched down for miles, the water was almost clear. There was lush vegetation, a jungle Rae assumed. She stood up. Then it hit her. "Rissa!" she called. Had they been separated? What had happened? Rae stopped for a moment. How had she even gotten to the island in one piece? "Rissa!" she called again, and began walking up and down the shoreline. She looked over the water. Perhaps Rissa was still there. "Rissa!" Suddenly she felt something run into her from behind. Two little arms wrapped around her waist. "Rissa!" Rae shrieked, and hugged the child. "You're all right? Thank the Gods!" Rissa was all right physically, but it was obvious that she was scared.
"Rae, where are we? I want my mom!"
Rae saw a few tears begin to fall down Rissa's cheeks. She knelt down and smiled as best as she could.
"It's all right. We're on an island. It's just like the Amazon Island. I don't know how we got here, but at least we're both safe. And as soon as I can, I'll build a raft and maybe we can go looking for everyone. I'm sure that they're looking for us."
This calmed Rissa a bit. Rae knew that she had to act confident for Rissa's sake, but she was concerned inside. She had no idea as to where the island was located, and therefore, no sense of direction. If they did decide to leave on a raft, they might get lost at sea and perish. However, there was no way of knowing what inhabited the island either. And the only weapon that Rae had was her dagger. She breathed slowly.
"Well, Rissa, I guess that maybe we should explore this island. Do you want to see what we can find?"
Rissa's eyes lit up. She loved exploring. "Yeah!"
Rae laughed. "Let's look for fresh water first. Then maybe we can find food and shelter."
Rissa frowned. "But why?"
"Well, I told you that everybody's probably looking for us. But it could take them a few days. So, if they're being slow, at least we'll have food and water and shelter."
"Oh!" Rissa grabbed Rae's hand. "Let's go!"
The island, as Rae and Rissa found out, was not very big. It seemed uninhabited by humans. Still, Rae was cautious. There were many tropical birds and butterflies, as Rissa pointed out. The sun was very warm, and dried their wet clothes quickly. They had been walking for some time when Rissa stopped.
"Listen," she said. Rae listened. She heard running water.
"Wow, Rissa! You're listening skills are getting sharper every day!"
Rissa laughed. "Come on!"
She pulled Rae in the direction of the water. What they found was a small stream.
"Oh…" breathed Rissa. "It's pretty!"
Rae knelt at the water's edge and tasted it. "Not only that, but it's fresh."
"Yay!"
The stream was as clear as the ocean and only came up halfway on Rae's shins.
"Can we play here for a while?" Rissa asked.
Rae knew that they should be looking for ways of survival, but she decided that it could wait for a few hours.
"Sure. Just be careful in the stream."
"I will!"
Rae kept a close eye as Rissa waded in the stream. In the meantime, she took out her dagger. She snapped a branch off of one of the many trees and began carving. After a while, her creation was done. Now Rae took one of the tough vines that hung from the trees and tied her dagger to the stick. She had made a makeshift spear. Now they would be able to catch fish and defend themselves if it came to that. Rae noticed that the sun was starting to go down.
"Hey Rissa! We should go back to the beach!" she shouted.
"Wait! I found something! Come here!"
Rae picked up her spear and went down to the stream. "What is it?"
Rissa was holding up something sparkly. She handed it to Rae.
"By the gods! It's a diamond!"
"Really?" Rissa's eyes were wide.
"Yeah."
"They're everywhere!"
Rae scanned the stream. It was true. The whole bottom was littered with diamonds. This made Rae nervous.
"Come on, Rissa. We'd better get back."
"But I like it here."
"I know. Maybe we'll come back tomorrow."
"Oh, all right…"
The two went back to the beach. There was still some daylight left. They decided to look for shelter again.
"Look at this, Rissa," Rae said.
"What?"
"There's bananas in those trees."
"I'm hungry, Rae"
Rae smiled. She had a feeling that Rissa would be hungry by now.
"Well, I'll get some down for us."
She focused and took careful aim. Then she threw the spear expertly. It cut a bunch of bananas from the tree. Rae caught the spear in one hand and the bananas in the other.
"Wow," Rissa breathed. "How did you do that."
"Practice. Here, have a banana."
Rissa took one of the bananas and Rae carried the rest as they walked down the beach.
"A cave! A cave!" Rissa suddenly shouted. "Look, it's right there!" And indeed, there was a cave.
"I guess we should check it out," Rae said.
They neared the cave. "Stay close," Rae instructed. Rissa obeyed. Rae entered the cave cautiously at first. There was no telling on what could be in there. But the cave opened up into a cozy, dry space. "This is nice," commented Rae. From the look of it, the cave was uninhabited, like the rest of the island. The only animals that they had seen were birds, some insects, and some small mammals. There were also fish in the surrounding waters, but not much else so far.
"Can we sleep here?" Rissa asked.
"I don't see why not." The sun was almost down by then. Rae sat down and Rissa sat beside her. The little girl laid her head in Rae's lap.
"Will you sing to me, Rae?"
"What?"
"My mom sometimes talks about what a good singer you are. I never hear you sing though. Sing for me, please." Rae thought for a moment. A quiet song just might help sleep come easier.
"All right," she finally said. Rissa snuggled closer. Rae took a deep breath and thought of a song that her own mother used to sing. "In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed. When the sparrow's stopped it's singing, and the sky is deep and red…" she continued the song for a long time. "Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow. Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow. In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed. When the sparrow's stopped it's singing, I'll be homeward bound again…" Finally the song was finished.
"That was beautiful," Rissa whispered, and drifted off to sleep.
Rae smiled down at the little girl. Then her attention focused on their present situation as well as the events that had occurred within the last two days. She was sure that Iber was somewhere out there…and very much a part of what had happened. After all, she had seen his face just before she lost her senses. Was he trying to isolate her from everybody else? And if so, was it to kill her…or kill her friends and family? And why did he involve an innocent child like Rissa? Rae wasn't certain if Iber was involved now, but if he was, she knew that she'd have to keep close watch at all times. As she had been learning, Iber Finely was quite unpredictable. Though the sound of the ocean was calming, Rae fell into an uneasy sleep. She had a sinking feeling that something uncontrollable was happening.
The next morning, Rae awoke to the same sound of the waves. Rissa woke up as well and stretched. After eating bananas, the two decided that they would stay by the beach for now. Rissa wanted to play on the beach, and Rae was still apprehensive about the rest of the island anyway.
"Look!" Rissa shouted. She was pointing to something near the rocks where she had been exploring. Rae walked over to the rocks.
"What is it?"
"Little fish! Oh and there's a tiny crab! Do you see him?"
Rae peered at the rocks. "Yeah I do!"
Rissa laughed happily. "I like it here, Rae. It's almost like the Amazon Island."
"Not quite…" Rae muttered to herself, but nodded at Rissa.
"Hey, is this an oyster, Rae?" Rissa was holding up an oddly shaped shell.
Rae took it and examined it for a moment. "Yes, this is an oyster."
"There's lots of them! Do you think that they have pearls in them? Mom told me that oysters have pearls in them…"
"Well some do," Rae said thoughtfully. "It's a chance that you take, I suppose."
"Can we open some and look?" Rae shrugged. "Sure. We can eat the oysters anyway."
And so Rae and Rissa took as many oysters as they could carry and headed back up to the cave. Rae used her dagger/spear to pry the oysters open. The first five had no pearls. But on the sixth one…
"A pearl! We found a pearl!" Rissa shouted with joy. Rae carefully extracted the little pearl from the oyster and handed it to Rissa.
"Quickly wash it off in the waves, but be careful that you don't drop it." Rissa took the pearl carefully and dashed down to the waves to wash it off. When she returned, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"You keep that one," Rae said. "I bet it'll make a nice necklace or something." Rissa kept studying the pearl while Rae went back to the oysters. Later on, she found another pearl and let Rissa go wash it off. When Rissa returned she handed it to Rae.
"You keep this one. That way we'll both have our own pearl!"
Rae smiled. "Thanks Rissa." She glanced up. "Wow. The sun's high already. We must have been doing this for hours. Lets get some wood so that we can start a fire. Then we can cook these oysters and eat them." Rissa jumped up immediately and ran to find firewood. She returned with an armload of sticks.
"But how will we start the fire?" she asked.
Rae knew that she could start one with the little power that she had, but was a bit hesitant at first. However, there was no other alternative.
"Watch," she told the little princess.
Rae closed her eyes and extended an arm to the sticks. The "M" on her hand glowed red for a moment and then suddenly the sticks were on fire. Rissa was wide-eyed.
"You did that?" she asked, in awe.
"Yes," Rae said.
"How did you do that? What a cool trick!"
"Magic, I suppose," Rae said. "Now help me cook these. I'm getting hungry and I bet that you are too."
The day passed quickly and night had fallen once again. Rissa fell asleep instantly, worn out from all of the fun she had that day. Rae, on the other hand, couldn't sleep as easily. She was reluctant and quite antsy to be honest. Something in the back of her mind really bothered her. That something was Iber. She knew that she had to figure out what he was up to. Why was he talking of destiny so much? Then a light bulb suddenly went off in Rae's mind. He definitely spoke of good and evil. Rae had read that every good person had an evil counterpart somewhere. She thought that it had just been a story, but now remembered that she had witnessed it with Loa and Ming first hand. Loa was evil and Ming was her good counterpart. The yin and the yang. So, was it possible that she was the good half and that her evil half was in the form of Iber? That would mean that he was trying to kill off his good side so that he alone could stand in the world. Strangely…it sounded plausible to Rae. After much thinking, Rae decided to go to sleep. Everything was coming together…slowly and surely…at least, that's what Rae thought.
"Look at this!" Rae heard Iber's voice laugh hysterically. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
"Iber! I hear you. Where are you?"
"Right behind you."
Rae spun around and saw Iber. He was standing there in his black robes and she… was in white.
"Again! You've come to bother me again?" Rae asked.
"We are destined, Rae. We are…"
"All right! I get the point!"
"Look here…" He waved his hand. A city stood before them. It was familiar…very familiar.
"This is…" Rae muttered.
"Yes, it is." Iber waved his hand once again. The city went up in flames.
"Gods! Orelia!"
"Roasty toasty…" Iber laughed.
"What the hell is this? What's going on."
"Fate."
They zoomed in to the castle. Rae looked at Iber.
"Don't tell me that you…"
"I wouldn't have it any other way!"
"No!" Rae gasped. They entered the throne room. Keith was there…lying in a pool of his own blood.
"Gods!" Rae screamed. "No! Why? I don't understand!" Meanwhile, Iber was almost on the floor with insane laughter.
"Daemon…daemon!" He screamed.
Rae faced him. "You are a demon! And this is an illusion!" She snapped her fingers and they were back in darkness.
"Oh, nice one Rae. Very good."
"I won't be fooled by your illusions."
"It's no illusion though. It's the future."
"No. It's the future if you win. But I won't let you!"
Suddenly they were floating above the planet earth. A reddish black was slowly spreading over it. "If you lose," Iber smirked, "This is what happens. And you will lose because I will kill you."
"So why don't you just kill me now?"
"That would be too easy. I'll just leave to think about it. So long…"
Rae sat up quickly. Again… another strange dream. The morning light was streaming into the cave. And Rissa…was gone! Rae stood, alarmed. "Rissa?" She told herself to be calm. Perhaps Rissa woke up before her and decided to look for breakfast or something. Still, Rissa wasn't the type to run off without at least telling someone. Rae stepped outside of the cave, spear in hand. "Rissa!" she shouted. The girl was nowhere to be found. Rae took off down the beach. Rissa couldn't have gone far. Suddenly Rae heard a sound. She stopped to listen. It might have been the wind or the waves… no, it was a scream. It was Rissa. Rae picked up her pace as she headed in the direction from where the scream came. And there she was… Rissa was tied to a tree, clearly terrified. Rae's guard went up. The island…was supposedly uninhabited…
"Rissa! Are you ok?" she called.
"Rae!" the girl shouted, fear in her voice. "Help!"
"Don't worry! I'm coming!"
Rae advanced cautiously toward Rissa. Then there was a flash of light and Rae stepped back. Standing between her and Rissa was a man in dark robes.
"Iber!" Rae shouted, half in disbelief and half not surprised.
"Hello, Rae Kione Merquise."
"Iber Finely! Don't you ever go away?"
"Obviously not."
He stepped next to Rissa. "Isn't she just adorable?" he smirked. Rissa's eyes were wide. Rae shook her head.
"Don't touch her. If anything happens to her I will kill you and personally escort you to Tartarus!"
"You're quick to throw around threats…"
"Well, look who's talking!"
"Rae get me out of here," Rissa cried.
"Hang on, Rissa. Nothing's gonna happen to you."
"Let's settle this here and now," Iber said. "You and me, Rae. The girl won't get hurt. It's you I want. We are destined…"
"Ok, I get the idea."
"Good!" Iber reached out and clenched his fist. Rae went down.
"What are you doing!"
"Settling this." He rotated his fist. Rae felt it in her side… pain. Unbelievable pain…it couldn't be described. She thought that she had been hurt when Loa had killed her, but this… was ten times worse. Rae tried to hold her composure for Rissa's sake, but couldn’t help crying out in pain.
"Rae! Stop hurting her!" Rissa shouted at Iber. "Leave my friend alone!"
Iber focused on Rissa. "Well, little missy, you're really in no position to speak, now are you?" Rissa stuck out her tongue. Iber raised his eyebrows. "I see how this is going to be…"
"No!" Rae shouted and found her way too her feet.
"Well, Rae, I did tell you that I would eliminate everything that you love… And I shall start with this one here!"
Rae's heart leapt. She involuntarily raised her spear. One chance…if she missed then all would be lost. She'd be lost in guilt and regret. She would never be able to live with herself if she let Iber…
"Die! Die, Iber!" she shouted and threw the spear.
It hit Iber dead on… in the jugular! Blood sprayed everywhere. Rae ran to Rissa and covered her eyes. Meanwhile, Iber was screaming.
"You're ok?" she asked the shaken girl.
Rissa nodded, but Rae saw a few tears in her eyes.
"It's all right, Rissa. It's all over now. We're safe."
Hand in hand, they went to pick up the spear. Rae examined it. No blood…no blood at all. It was then that she knew that everything was far from over. Suddenly there was a shout.
"Rae! Rissa!"
"What?" Rae asked and looked over her shoulder. Teflic was running down the beach. "Teflic?" Rae shouted in disbelief. He stopped before them.
"But how did you find us?"
"I don't know," he said. "All of a sudden I could sense you guys. It's been a week, you know."
"A week! But we've only been here for a few days!"
"That's strange…" Teflic said, and pondered for a minute. "No matter now, let's get you both home. Everybody's been so worried."
Rae nodded. Teflic picked Rissa up. A portal opened. He stepped through with Rissa. Rae took one last look at the island…and followed.
Rae heard shouting as soon as they stepped from the portal.
"Thank the gods!" Vicky was saying as she ran to them.
"Mom! I'm so happy to see you!" Rissa said as her mother took her into her arms.
"What happened to you?" Rae heard Queen Cyan say from beside her.
Rae sighed. "Long story. We're all right though. I had a small confrontation with Iber…"
"Your legendary slayer?"
"Right."
"Were you hurt?"
"No. We're fine. I just had some unfinished business. I still do, but for now everything's ok."
"For now?"
"Don't worry about it."
Cyan nodded thoughtfully. She knew that Rae would tell her when the time was right. Meanwhile, Vicky was still hugging her daughter.
"I'm so happy that you're all right!"
"Oh mom, Rae's the best. She took care of me and saved me from a bad man!"
"Bad man?" Vicky looked at Rae, here eyebrows raised.
"We had a bit of a run in with someone on the island where we were stranded."
"I see. But you're all right?"
"Of course."
"No," Rissa said.
"What?" her mother asked.
"Look! Look at Rae's side!"
Rae looked, as did everybody else. There was a patch of red…blood…where Iber had been working his "power." That was the pain that she had felt. "Oh, I'm sure that it's nothing," Rae said.
"No, Rae, let me help you dress that," Vicky said.
"After all, you did take care of Rissa. Let somebody help you for once."
Rae laughed. "All right, Vicky. Whatever you say!"
Later that day, Teflic and Rae sat on one of the balconies. "So Iber was at it again?" Teflic asked.
"Yup. And it's a lot more serious than I thought. Did you know about it?"
"No… The Merquise legend is so complex that it's hard for most to learn. You must experience it yourself. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to help…"
"No, I think that this was a battle that I had to fight myself."
"It must have been."
"Anyway, it's over for now."
"You mean to say that it's not finished yet?"
Rae nodded. "Nowhere near."
Teflic sighed and leaned on the railing. "I'll fight with you until the end, Rae. It's my duty, but my promise as well."
"Thanks, Teflic. It's good to know that I won't go through this alone." Then Rae realized that her dagger was still tied to the stick. She slowly untied it. A glint in the sunlight caught her eye. Rae examined the dagger and gasped.
"What is it?" Teflic asked. Rae showed him the dagger. Clearly carved into it was something that hadn't been there before.
"Fatum?" Teflic said. "What's that mean?"
Rae looked at the dagger once again. "Fatum…" she said slowly. "It's a Latin word. It means… Destiny…"
She looked out over Rough Cove. And the wind whispered in her ear chillingly…
"Fatum. It's only just begun. We are destined…"