The Shadows

9

"What in the bloody world were you thinking?!" Sam exclaimed as soon as Rose came to. Jerome had pulled her to surface and carried her to the bank. Jack had her in his arms, warming her up from the rapidly cooling dusk air. Rose saw that his eyes were full of worry. 'He really cares.' She thought.

"I was j-just trying t-t-to help." Rose shivered. Jack stretched one of his monstrous wings out and curled it around her, warming her up.

"Please don't ever do something like that again." Jack whispered into her ear. "I don't know what I'd do if I had lost you." Rose nodded and leaned into his shoulder. She felt tired and it was as if her lungs were filled with sandpaper. She slowly drifted off to sleep, oblivious of everything else.
*******
"Wake up, sleepyhead." Rose heard Jack whisper in her ear. She blinked open her eyes to find herself laying against Jack where she had fallen asleep. He stood, then helped her up. They walked away from the rocky part of the beach where they had slept to a campfire that had been made a few feet away.

"Finally! You're awake." Scar exclaimed grumpily. "We can get on with the whole searching thing now." Thalia handed Rose and Jack a handful of berries each and they ate them in silence as they walked towards the awaiting Draco. Jerome mounted his steed, a sooty gray mate named Ash, and pulled out the compass.

"That's odd." He muttered. Rose looked over to that the compass was glowing blue again. "It's pointing towards the ocean again." Rose just ignored this and walked over to Flare. Just then, she looked down to see that her satchel, faded rainbow one she had gotten from the Boxes, was glowing with an intense blue light.

"What the-" Rose was cut off by Scar who jumped off of Blu and ran over to Rose. She grabbed the satchel and swung it off of a surprised Rose. Turning it upside down, Scar emptied the bag of all of its contents. Two small packages tumbled out, one of which was pulsing with the blue light. Scar tore into it, and soon found a glowing blue shard.

"Why didn't you tell us you had these?!" Scar exclaimed. Rose just stood there, confused.

"I-I had forgotten they were in there." She stuttered. It was true, she really had forgotten. Scar just shook her head and shoved the satchel and second package into her hands, stalking over to Jerome. She gave Jerome the piece, who then inserted it carefully into a pouch at his side, along with the compass.

"We will have to go back to my hiding spot to grab the other pieces, but then we can go to the Mountains." With that, everyone mounted up, and they headed towards where the other pieces were hidden.
*******
"Have you found them yet?" Rose asked. She was getting tired of just standing there, in the cold, dark cave while Jerome searched every nook and cranny for the other pieces.

"Actually, " Jerome said with a smirk as he walked out of the darkness of the cave. "I did." He held three bluish crystals in his hands. Carefully taking out the compass, he inserted the five pieces into slots that lined its outer rim. Seconds after Jerome inserted the last one, the whole thing started pulsing in an intense blue light, filling the cave with light.

"Vwat ze heck is zat?" Quick asked, obviously startled. Jerome laughed and shoved the pulsing star into the leather pouch.

"That my friend is the key to our escape."
*******
Rose was filled with excitement as the majestic mountains came into view. The pulsing star had become even more intense as they neared the mountain, and soon it was now as bright as fire. Jerome instructed them to land on a certain cliff. There, the Draco would leave them, for they didn't like the mountains.

The Draco let out cries of farewell as they flew away from the mountain cliff they had dropped their riders onto. Rose waved goodbye to Flare, a tear escaping from her eye. She would miss the Draco.