Hour Of Darkness
Chapter Eight, Come Together
Ringo stumbled through the thick, dark woods, not really keeping track of where he was going. He staggered aimlessly, hoping to somehow stumble upon Paul. So far, it didn't look good.
The dragon was gone, at least. It didn't seem to want to follow him into the thick forest. He had heard it bellowing, but then a rush of air from dragon wings blasted past and he heard no more. Ringo twisted his arm to gingerly touch the wounds criss-crossing his back. They still stung, but not quite as much. They seemed to be healing quickly. Ringo then had an idea; perhaps there was some sort of healing spell he could cast to heal his wounds instantly. He stuffed his hands into is pockets, but came up empty. Frantically, he patted his back pockets; again, no book. Ringo wailed, clutching his head. He'd lost the book!
He turned around, looking in all directions to hopefully catch sight of where the field was. Off to his left, the forest got deeper and darker. So it seemed all around him. Ringo cursed himself for getting lost. He turned a full 180, hoping that if he went in the opposite direction of where he was going, he might be able to find his way back. He trudged off, still kicking himself for losing the precious book.
****
George landed softly on the ground, hopping on one foot. He sat down at the edge of the forest, keeping an eye out for the dragon. "Ringo?" he called softly. No response.
Maybe Ringo had run off through the woods. The guitarist couldn't figure out why his fellow Beatle would do such a thing, but at least he was safe from the dragon. George put his foot up on the opposite knee, inspecting it carefully. Nothing appeared to be too badly damaged; he could still walk. Two thick gashes traced across the top of his foot. He touched them gently, then winced at the stinging. He wiped his bloody hand in the grass, looking around for something to bind his foot. George hauled himself up, then limped off into the forest. He came upon a small bush of ferns, but was hesitant to touch them. With dragons and spells, who knows what a plant might do! He grabbed a nearby stick, poking it carefully, from a safe distance. Nothing happened, so George threw down his stick, glad that the others weren't here to witness his rather silly actions. He plucked a small fern from the bunch, sniffing it gingerly. It had a very normal leafy smell, so he took a tiny bite. It didn't taste like anything different from what they had on earth, not that he had eaten many plants before. He chewed up the rest of the fern, placing it on another leaf and then wrapping it around his foot. He tied it securely with a length of vine, then stood up carefully. It was still painful to walk on, but with wings, it didn't seem to matter. The makeshift salve seemed to be soothing his wounds somewhat. George looked around to figure out where to go next.
The sunlight was fading; for this, George was glad. The heat abated, and the sweat glistening on his bare chest dried. In the fading light, the forest seemed to get darker and more foreboding. Well, I'm not going in there, he decided. The trees were far too close to fly through, and he surely wasn't walking any great distances. The field was obviously not a good place to go; the dragon could return. Sighing, he sat down at the base of a tree about fifty feet into the forest. The other lads wouldn't return for another twelve hours; it was just getting to be nine o'clock now. He tucked his knees to his chest, wrapped himself in his soft wings, and soon fell fast asleep.
****
Ringo stumbled, falling to the ground. The sunlight was completely gone, almost no light penetrated the deep darkness of the forest. Ringo cursed and picked himself up. He checked his watch; luckily, he had one of those watches that lit up at the touch of a button. Half past midnight. He had been wandering in circles for the past three hours. At least his wounds had healed; it seemed that as a mage, his immunity and healing powers were upped quite a bit. Rubbing his back, he felt no scabs, no pain, not even the small lumps of a scar. He was completely healed.
Ringo continued to walk, sighing. Suddenly, he tripped over something very large…and soft…and warm.
Oh, shit. Ringo thought, scrambling away. It's prolly some giant man-eating rodent. Smooth, Ringo, me man. He ran into a tree, cursing loudly. To his surprise, he heard someone laughing.
"Having problems, Ring?" George's thick scouse accent permeated the darkness.
"George! Good god, George! You've got to help me!" Ringo quickly wove a light spell, a small gold ball of shimmering light appearing over their heads.
"Nice to see you too."
"I'm sorry; it's just, I've…misplaced…something rather important…" He trailed off.
"What, Ring?" George looked worried, the dim light framing his features in a shimmering halo. Ringo was reluctant, afraid George might get mad if he told him about the spell book.
"Oh, just…something. You'll know if you see it."
"Could it be a large, rather vicious man-eating dragon? It went that way…" Ringo laughed.
"No, that's not mine."
"Whose is it, then? Paul's?" George laughed, joking.
"Funny you should say that…"
****
Paul carefully navigated the stream, his bare feet chilled in the freezing water. Liryl stepped on stones gingerly, her tiny feet gracefully crossing the river as her hand held the folds of her flowing robe. Paul helped her jump to shore, where they rested on a small patch of moss. Paul sat down on a slippery rock, dropping his shoes at his feet. He slid his now dried feet into the black shoes, not even bothering to put on the socks he had hastily stuffed into his pockets. Liryl watching him with interest from where she sat on the stream bank. He looked at her and she quickly looked away, turning to the stream to drink. Paul sat down next to her, cupping the sparkling water in his hands. Neither spoke for a moment until Paul motioned for them to continue.
"Come on, Liryl. We have to go back to the field. I'll be meeting me mates there, and we need to get away from your little group of friends. I don't think they're particularly fond of me…"
"I don't think they'll be able to find us," she stated in perfect English despite the fact she obviously hadn't spoken for some time. "They will not harm us if I am with you. I hope." Such unwaverin confidence.
Paul nodded, bush whacking through a large clump of ferns. They continued through the forest, wolf howls echoing eerily all around them. Neither spoke, but both knew what the other was thinking; will they find us?
"Paul?" Liryl asked shakily.
"Yea, Liryl?"
"I am tired. I can't go on." She stubled at these words, Paul catching her wrist. She wasn't used to walking in human form. They stood for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Paul sighed. "C'mon. Get on my back." Liryl protested, but Paul insisted. He hoisted her up, piggy back. She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck as he continued through the woods, as far as possible from the eerie howling.
****
George just stared. Ringo shifted uncomfortably. "Geo?"
"HOW IN HELL IS THAT THING PAUL'S???" He shouted, clearly distraught.
"Just relax, George. Remember that ring he gave me for my birthday a few years ago? Well, a spell requires the owner's ring, and I assumed it was mine, but evidently it's still 'Paul's'. The dragon will only obey him. I think you handled that rather well, though, considering." George smiled as Ringo flipped through his spell book, which he had found at the base of the tree where he had sat earlier. George had told him the entire story of how he had beaten the dragon. Ringo turned to the page with the healing spell, then began unwrapping George's foot which was propped on his knee.
"I don't believe this! How are we going to find Paul before we get eaten??"
"Stop moving, will you?" Ringo said calmly, weaving a spell of white sparkles around George's foot. "The dragon is no match for my magic; I just wasn't thinking before. I could always weave an invisibility spell, if all else fails." George nodded dumbly, then looked on in astonishment as the white sparklers filled his wounds, healing them without even leaving scars.
"Thanks, mate." He patted Ringo on the shoulder. Standing, he tested his foot gingerly, finding it completely healed and painless. George smiled brightly at Ringo, who smiled back. Ringo carefully bookmarked the page with the ribbon and put the book carefully in his pocket. He stood, brushing himself off. They bantered back and forth for a few minutes about their mystical, magical experiences. A sudden twig snapping caused them both to whirl around. Ringo waved his hand, the golden light ball floating higer to give a wider veiwing area. There, emerging from the woods, was Paul with a large burden on his shoulders.
"Paul!" Ringo cried happily. He ran over, as did George. George, however, was not as excited. He was looking at the blond hair cascading down Paul's shoulders. Ringo's shouting awakened Liryl, who looked up with a yawn.
"So, Paul. Haven't even been here a day, and here you are with a bird already."
"Sod off, George." Paul was in no mood for it. He softly set Liryl down. "She was in trouble. I had to help."
"Yea, I'm sure."
"Listen, George," Paul said, raising his voice. "I'm in no mood for this crap from you. You would have done the same in my position, and you know it." He looked at Ringo. "What have you guys been doing?"
Ringo gladly accepted this change of subject. "Well, I got into some trouble with one of my spells, and George managed to help out a bit, but we need your help. See, I found George here sleeping on the ground, and…"
"Oh really?" Paul cut in sarcastically. "I would've thought he'd be hanging from some tree like the science experiment he is."
"Oh, you can't say fair'n that, wolfman!" Ringo couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop it!" He yelled, freezing the both of them in blue crystals. Liryl stared at the little man in front of her, astonished at his power. He sighed, sitting in the grass. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Don't talk." She abruptly closed her mouth. "I've had enough talking for one night. They'll be fine until the morning. They need to cool off. Get some rest yourself, luv." Ringo lay down, and Liryl, obeying so as to stay on the wizard's good side, lay down next to Paul's frozen form.
On to Chapter Nine!
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