The Warriors, page 24
part #3 of Wicked Series
From the little information they managed to gather, Mr Stark was either in Dante, Lastrala, or, some even said in Alast itself. The decision was made to sail to Lastrala next. They knew Mr Stark wasn’t in Alast. They would have known. Mr Stark would have made it known. Dante was such a long way away, and they didn’t want to risk wasting time if he didn’t end up being there. So that left Lastrala, which was a possibility with the battle. They would see what they could find, and go from there.
Early the next morning, they gathered their things, climbed aboard their ship, much to Grace’s dismay, and set sail for Lastrala; their home.
~
Erebus was furious. It had been four days since he’d lost the girl. Finally, after patiently waiting for so long, the Sorcerer was faring better, and then out of nowhere another spanner had to be thrown in the works. The girl had escaped. She’d escaped right under his nose.
He paced the length of the study, each step carrying him closer and closer to an outburst. What would he do? He had no idea where to start looking for her. Where would she go? She’d stay hidden, he knew that. But where to look to find her?
His paces grew longer and strides swifter, and he quickly found himself clenching and unclenching his fists, attempting to hold in the rage. It was no good though. He broke, sending lightening flaring straight into the flames of the fire.
The fire shot and sprayed in every direction and he soon found himself standing in a burning room. Papers caught alight, the curtains, the fabric on the chairs. With an angry grunt, he called for the guards and had the fire out in a matter of minutes.
‘Are you all right sir?’ One of the Wicked asked.
Erebus clenched his fists again and turned to his guards, fury clearly written all over his face.
‘Find the girl,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘I don’t care how many Wicked you have to send out there, I want everyone looking.’
‘But sir, you need Guards here to keep an eye on the Encha-’
‘I DON’T CARE,’ Erebus’ voice tore from his throat. ‘JUST FIND HER.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
Journey For Answers
Laura watched as the sun rose over the forest, the colours of red, orange and yellow staining the sky.
‘Coming?’ Elias asked.
‘Yes, sorry!’ Laura replied.
Turning away from the sunrise, Laura followed after Gemma and Elias. The wind coming off the sea was cold and blew through her hair as they hurried down the street.
They’d asked Elias about a ship; a strong, sturdy ship that could sail through the dangerous seas many supposedly never returned from. Elias, it just so happened, knew exactly where they could find one. He’d insisted on having them stay the night. After sleeping at sea, staying in a proper bed and eating a real meal was a luxury.
In turn, Laura and Gemma had told Elias about the war, the invasion of Alast, and their escape. Elias understood the importance of their journey, and could see how desperate they were to be on their way to Mist Roe the next morning, so he’d woken them early and led them out into the streets.
He took them down to the dock, and they followed him along the water’s edge until they found an enormous shed that seemed to be floating atop the water. The shed was larger than Laura had ever seen before, bigger than the size of a…. Laura’s breath caught in her throat. The shed was bigger than a ship.
Elias pulled a key from his jacket pocket and unlocked the door. He stepped aside, allowing the two girls to pass by first. When Laura saw what was inside, she grinned. The shed was built down into the water as she’d initially guessed, and floating inside it was, in fact, a huge wooden ship much like the pirate ships from the story books her father had read to her as a kid. It was huge, though nothing like the size of the cruise ships that existed, but it looked strong enough to take on even the roughest of seas.
‘Whoa,’ Gemma said as they stepped onto the jetty which continued into the shed, leading to the side of the ship.
‘You can take this. It’ll get you where you need to go. She never failed any of us,’ Elias told them, moving inside and closing the door.
Laura ran her hand against the outside of the ship, peering up at the masts which stood tall, almost touching the roof of the shed. She couldn’t believe the size of the thing; couldn’t believe she would at last be on her way to Mist Roe.
She turned to Elias. ‘Thank you. So much. You have no idea what a difference this will make to our journey.’
Elias patted her arm with a tender grandfatherly kindness. ‘It’s all right love. Keep yourselves safe. I packed food in your bags. And there’s still some tins on the ship.’
‘Elias, thank you. Honestly. Will you be all right?’ Gemma asked, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.
Elias had given them an extra sack each, full to the brim with food and water; all the supplies they would need already being in their own bags.
‘I’ll be fine,’ Elias promised. ‘I’ll stay in the church until help comes.’
‘We’ll make sure someone gets to you as soon as possible,’ Laura said.
‘Thank you, but you just go on your way. You have a long journey and don’t need to be stopping for my sake. Your people will come, and when they do they’ll learn what happened here from me. I’ll make sure we find everyone,’ Elias replied, his voice weak with emotion.
Laura smiled at the frail old man; braver than she could ever be. ‘Thank you again.’
She gave him a warm hug, then turned away before she became emotional herself.
She was already missing Drew, and the rest of her friends too. She was worried about Stella and Leo and everyone else still trapped in Alast. Her emotions were running high and anything would break them. She couldn’t deal with that. She needed to remain strong. Like her Father had told her only months ago.
She’d already came close, so, so close, to breaking when she’d said goodbye to Drew. She hadn’t realised just how much she’d come to rely on him. They’d been together, working with each other, for the past months, and to suddenly be apart… well it almost felt as though a piece of her was missing.
She only hoped they would see each other soon. But the missions came first. Defeating Erebus and winning the war came first. Then, when it was all over, she would have time for herself. And she would make sure she got it, too.
She and Gemma climbed aboard the ship and Elias opened up the shed door with the automatic switch. Gemma sailed the ship from the shed, the two of them waving to Elias as they went, and Laura felt a pang of regret within her. She hoped beyond hope Elias would succeed in finding the Humans who had lived in the town. And that he would be safe, himself.
~
Oscar and Caspian found themselves at sea for another long week before Zerch came into view. Oscar was steering the boat when, in the distance, rising out of the water, was land.
‘LAND HOH!’ Oscar shouted with a grin.
He was pleased when Caspian raced out from the cabin beneath the deck and to the front of the ship. He watched as the wind rustled Caspian’s blond hair, pushing it back from his face. Then, he laughed as Caspian turned and it all flew forward into his eyes.
It had been an easy trip with Caspian. He was funny, and good to talk to, which Oscar enjoyed. But more than that; he’d been continuing to teach Caspian more of the Mariadies techniques, and he’d come to enjoy the way Caspian appeared to be genuinely interested in learning.
When he’d returned to Alast, ready to take up his position as head of the Guardian Guild again, he’d put in a request to have some of the Mariadies’ training methods implemented into the system for all Guardians. The Grand Court’s had knocked back his request though; and for a short time he’d become rather unpopular with his fellow Guardians.
The Mariadies were well respected, sure, and some like Logan and himself admired them, but many of the Enchanted still hadn’t found it within them to move past what had happened. They simply didn’t approve of the way the Mariadies had left the Enchanted to fend for themselves, departing to make their own lives for themselves.
Oscar couldn’t understand why they didn’t see the reasoning behind the Mariadies decision. After hearing the stories, he nearly wanted to join them and leave himself, but instead he’d been determined to return to Alast and pass on their knowledge in the hopes of pushing the Enchanted to accept the Mariadies again.
So, having Caspian so willing to learn their ways, so excited to be taught the best of the best fighting techniques, was almost like a blessing for Oscar. Not only that, but it allowed him to see that there were still good people in the world; people who didn’t care about the past; who accepted others for who they were; who didn’t discriminate and bully.
Caspian climbed the ladder and was soon standing beside Oscar. Oscar felt a small thrill rush through him at having Caspian so close again. In his time with Oscar, he’d not only come to respect and appreciate him, but he’d grown to like his company immensely.
‘How long ‘til we hit land do you think?’ Caspian asked with his smooth, sing-song like voice.
‘We’ve got to sail around the edge until we reach the Barak Range. Then we’ll dock,’ Oscar replied, keeping his eyes set firmly on the sea.
For some reason unbeknown to him, he’d begun to feel almost… shy when he was around Caspian. Whenever the young man was close by, he felt as if he wanted to show he was worth giving attention to. It was a new feeling, one he wasn’t use to, and he couldn’t quite make sense of its reason for appearing. Maybe it was because he wanted to prove himself to Oscar, who was braver than he could ever be. Maybe it was that he didn’t want to lose the blossoming friendship between them. He didn’t know, and with their mission close it wasn’t something to be worrying about either.
Another three days passed before they reached the Barak Ranges, and when Oscar laid his eyes on the familiar mountains, he felt a calming sense of peace wash over him. He’d been growing more and more anxious the closer they had come to the mountains. Knowing he’d be seeing the Mariadies again; the people who had become his family; the people he felt closer to than his own, excited and worried him at the same time. Would they remember him? Would they treat him the same as they had? Or was his leaving them a bad mistake?
As his gaze traced the line of the mountains, he felt Caspian’s eyes watching him. His cheeks grew hot as he turned and caught Caspian’s eye. Caspian was smiling; a bright, radiant smile, his golden hair shining in the sun.
Oscar grinned back. He knew then that he was home.
~
Gemma laid back on the ship’s deck, drinking in the sunlight. It felt good to be able to relax for a moment. Part of her felt guilty as she rested her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, but then the rational part of her reasoned that she needed the rest.
The pain in her stomach had disappeared completely. Even the dull ache had diminished over time. Knowing she was back to herself – that when the time came, she could stand her ground without fear of causing further injury to herself, was a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. She knew she still had to be a little careful, of course, but she was almost at the end of her road to recovery and it was time for her to get back in the swing of things.
Laura was steering the ship, giving Gemma her much needed break after hours of being slumped over the wheel. It had been nearly a week and a half since they’d set off for Mist Roe. They’d not long before passed Wilis Island and were closing in on Istha. Soon, they would be through the channel between the two continents, then they would be straight on to Mist Roe.
So far, their trip had been smooth sailing besides a few scary nights where the rain pelted in and the waves were bigger than the ship, but Elias had been right. The ship would take them where they needed to go.
Laura had been quiet for the most part, although the silence between them was comfortable. It was a rarity for Gemma, feeling comfortable around other Enchanted. Laura had a calming presence about her, and Gemma had long ago learned she could trust her. It had been strange, the way she’d truly begun to see Laura as a close friend. It wasn’t that she didn’t think so before the invasion. She’d grown to like and respect her after she’d saved her life. But since setting out on their journey, she’d come to realise that Laura not only held her own, but she had a genuine goodness about her that made Gemma feel better in herself.
She’d made an effort to understand Gemma, which she appreciated, and they’d learned to share a whole thought with each other in a single look. The only other Enchanted Gemma had that level of friendship with were Grace and Logan. She liked it, though. She liked having Laura as her friend. As someone she could talk to, or just be with without having to talk at all.
She realised quickly that another face flashed into her mind; a face of someone who had grown to know her, to understand her, and to appreciate her. Mitch. In remembering him, something changed within her. She missed him, she realised. She liked their banter, their easy back and forth chatter and joking. She liked the simple way they were able to be around each other. She liked that they were equals. As good as each other, but teaching each other different and important things too.
Did he think about her too? She wasn’t sure exactly what they meant to each other, or if it was all one sided on her part, but she knew she was being stupid if she genuinely believed she didn’t at least like him. Just a little. Kind of. Maybe a bit more than a little.
She hoped he was doing all right. She knew Grace, Drew and Logan would be looking out for him, but he was still vulnerable after losing Robin, and they didn’t know him as well as she’d come to. She trusted them though. They would be there for him if he needed, she was sure of it.
Gemma settled back comfortably against the wood, loving the salty smell of the sea around her.
‘Gemma?’ Came Laura’s voice.
Gemma sat up quickly, sensing an urgency in her voice. ‘What is it?’ She asked, readying to climb to her feet.
‘No, no nothing, don’t get up,’ Laura said quickly.
Gemma sat back down, peering across at Laura.
‘Then what’s the problem?’ She asked, confused.
Laura sighed, and Gemma saw a look of turmoil on her face.
‘I was just thinking. And I don’t know, I guess I need to talk it through with someone, you know? To get it off my chest and make some sense of it.’
Gemma furrowed her brow. ‘Sure, okay, what is it?’
‘Well, I was thinking about Mum and Dad… and I realised, there was no one else in our lives. It was just us three, you know?’
Gemma did know. She’d been close with her own parents, despite their travelling for work.
‘I mean, Dad was an only child and his parents, my grandparents, died before he met Mum. And even my Mum’s family were never in the picture. I asked about them, but was always told that they lived too far away. And now, I’m just thinking about it. I never even thought to question it. Thought to ask around. But what if Mum’s parents are still out there? What if she had siblings?’
Gemma could hear the way Laura’s voice choked up at the simple idea of still having real family out there in the world. Was it possible? She’d never asked either, and Stella and Leo had never mentioned anything about the Westmill family. Perhaps Laura did still have a family out there?
‘Do you think it’s possible? That they’re still alive?’ Laura asked quietly.
Gemma knew Laura was hoping, and hoping could be dangerous. But she didn’t want to take that hope away from Laura. For all either of them knew, they were still out there.
‘I think anything’s possible,’ Gemma replied, presenting Laura with a small smile of encouragement.
Laura smiled back, and the simple gesture lit up her face.
‘What about you?’ Laura asked after a while. ‘Are you close with your Grandparents?’
Gemma felt that coldness that always accompanied the memory of her family seep into her veins. But, unlike when others asked, she wanted to tell Laura about her family. About the dark days and the bright ones. Maybe it was something about Laura that made her want to tell, maybe it was their newfound closeness that had her willing to share. She didn’t know, and she didn’t care to analyse it either.
‘My Mum’s brothers weren’t always close with us, so I guess when Mum and Dad died neither of them were too keen on taking me in,’ she started, ensuring her voice remained even for she didn’t want to sound as if she were seeking sympathy. ‘And her parents were both too busy to visit often. It was understandable, I mean, we were always busy too. We just never really crossed paths. Every time they had free time, we didn’t, and when we did, they didn’t,’ she shrugged. ‘And my Dad lost his Dad when I was only a baby. So I never knew him. And I never knew my Grandmother either. She left them when Dad was only very little. Just walked out as if they were nothing, as Dad would tell me. He didn’t have any siblings either. So I guess I just didn’t have anyone else, much like you. It was just the three of us. Well, and…’ she trailed off, not wanting to speak the name of the man who had betrayed them, who had killed her parents. The man who had once been like a second Father to her.
Laura peered over at her, and Gemma could see the understanding on her face. Not pity, like Gemma so hated to see, but simple understanding.
‘Have you ever thought about getting in touch with your Mum’s family?’ She asked Gemma.
Gemma shrugged again. ‘Not really. They clearly didn’t want me.’
Laura’s face was grim as she turned back to the sea, and Gemma felt a pang of sadness within her at recalling the letters and emails sent to her Grandparent’s and Uncles after her parents funerals, begging them to take her in. In a way, she was glad they had responded so quickly, informing her they didn’t have the time or space. She’d found a family of her own, and it was one she loved with all her heart. But there was always going to be a part of her that wished for her real family to at least still be in her life, even if it meant staying at the Manor.
