Varian's Tangled Trials

Never Too Late, Part 2

The trial chamber was darker now, the moon no longer high enough to shine down from the ceiling. Most of the sconces still burned on, but the primary light source was the portal, commanding attention at the far end. The Library's image shone from within its arch and cast long shadows across the floor.

Yong leaned over, eyes focused and fingers fiddling carefully with the rope. He had a group of limp soldiers all circled back to back as he finished tying them up best he could. "I think... this," he crossed the rope around, "is how Hugo said to do it... there!" He stood up, proud of his work.

Nuru, meanwhile, was walking past a few of the soldiers they had already taken care of, looking closely at their cargo until she finally spotted what she was looking for. "Ah ha!" She snatched up her stolen telescope. "Thanks for hanging onto this." She stuck her tongue out at the soldiers as she made her way over to the converter, which was still buzzing with energy even in its dormant state. There she began setting back up her equipment.

As they worked, the portal rippled and Hugo emerged from it.

Yong gasped excitedly and ran over. "You're back! You're okay!" Yong hugged Hugo quickly then pulled back, trying to look through the portal. "But where's Varian? Is he okay?"

Nuru followed, worry clear in her pinched expression and restless hands. "Is he, Hugo? Were you able to find him?"

"I was. I did," said Hugo assuredly. "He's fine. He's on his way." The tension in both his friends cut loose, and they sighed in relief. When Nuru raised her eyebrow in an unspoken question, Hugo rolled his eyes. "You'll be happy to hear that I took your sagely advice, and everything is okay now." He blushed slightly. "They're uh, really okay, actually." Nuru's eyes widened as Hugo tried to change the subject, looking around. "But uh, there's something we got to do. I need Donella."'

Nuru gestured behind her, back towards where Donella and Hugo had their confrontation. "She's right where you left her."

"What do you need her for?" asked Yong curiously.

"Gotta break a curse," he said enigmatically before striding off. "Come on. Gonna need your help."

Donella was now leaning back on the fallen pillar. She sat, quiet, head down, and arms crossed, her bad leg out in front of her set and bandaged as well as Nuru and Yong could manage. She didn't look up even when Hugo stopped in front of her.

"Time to get up," said Hugo. "There's an old friend in there that wants to talk to you."

"Old friend?" Yong asked as he and Nuru caught up behind Hugo.

"In there? You're taking her in the Library?" asked Nuru, concerned.

Donella, still refusing to look up, laughed. "Couldn't even if I wanted to."

"Hugo, what is going on?" asked Nuru.

Hugo kept his eyes on Donella as he responded. "We found Varian's mom. She's uh, kinda in desperate need of some socialization after eighteen years. Problem is she's trapped in there. We need her," he gestured to Donella, "to help get her out."

Donella grimaced. "Trapped," she spat. " As if she wasn't the one who cast the curse in the first place."

Hugo ignored this, turning to Nuru and Yong. "Help me carry her over?"

It was a bit awkward, especially with Donella being resistant to the whole idea. Still, they did manage to support her until they were finally back in front of the portal. They sat Donella right in front of it and the shimmery image of the Library. A moment passed, and they could make out a shadowy figure standing in the middle of the portal. It walked to the edge of the arch and a few seconds later, the figure became clearer as if a lens were being focused. Finally, they could see Varian, Ruddiger perched on his shoulder, standing on the other side. He seemed to be fiddling with something on the arch from his side of the gateway.