Quest For The Key

Chapter 27: Wind

As Pepper and Maple turned around they saw what looked to be a mob of angry bats flying their way but as they looked closer the girls noticed that they weren’t bats at all but more fairies.  They were grey and silver and wore no clothes. Their rib cage’s jutted out and their hair was long and dark and a tangled mess that flew and waved behind them. They had no eyes just deep empty sockets and had long terrifying sharp claws. The fairy’s  bodies that were boney and they all had tails that flapped behind them madly in the wind. Lastly they had four wings like dragonflies that were soot coloured and uneven.  Pepper and Maple took up speed as they were running and hoped there wasn’t a wall they would hit. Still they saw no light at the end of the tunnel when they hit a soft plush object.

“ ouch” a voice called out in the darkness and ack punched his sister in the darkness. Maple would have yelled at him but instead they pulled him along with them.

Then finally some faint came light at the end. All three panted, slowing down but the shadow demons got closer and closer. Pepper, Jack and Maple flat out sprinted when Maple slipped. Backwards she fell to the ground with a “THUD” of her head on the hard ground and she was out cold. Jack stopped but Pepper knowing there was no chance of saving her dragged Jack with her. 

“ Maple wake up!” he screamed as Pepper yanked on his sholder firmly. 

“ Maple!” he yelled and yelled and yelled. 

“Let go of me!” he told Pepper but she insisted. 

“ Jack, we can’t go back for her.” she said. 

“ Why!” said Jack. 

“Because” she replied. 

Finally Pepper pulled them into daylight.

The shadow demons couldn’t follow them into the light. Demons tried to come to a stop before they reached the light but one couldn’t and went soaring it’s body steaming as it burned. It fell and finally it’s high pitch shrieking secede and it lay burning red and black.  Jack stood staring into the tunnel as some shadow demons flew to where Maple lay , pick her up and flew back but he couldn’t move. Every muscle stopped and frozen, his mind numb and his eyes watered. Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder but Jack shoved it away and ran off.

After Pepper calmed Jack down he was never the same. The whole journey he was quiet and whispered to her about little things here and there. Mostly, they were things about Maple . How she had always been there for him and how she had stood up for him back home and stuff. Most of all, the water works never seemed to stop. He’d be fine one moment but then the next Pepper would make some little comment and it would set him off again.

When they had escaped from the tunnel Pepper had been expecting to see more forest but it turned out the light at the end was the shine of a giant golden gate. It seemed that the tunnel had somehow been tilted up so they had walked up high above the forest yet the ground still looked as though they were back on earth, flat as usual. This time no wind open the gate. There they stood waiting.

“King Russle” called pepper remembering what the riddle fairies had called him. Finally the gardener turned a corner  and saw them.

“ May I help you young ones” he called out.

Pepper nudged Jack. “ We need to see King Russle immediately sir.” called Pepper

“I do believe he will shew you away like the rest. He is very busy but it is worth a try and do please call me Joe.” the man replied with a chuckle. 

“ ok Joe” the two replied together.

Joe opened the gate and the two were staring at the largest castle they had ever seen. It was much bigger than castle of Obradome,  Arglass, Begannor, and Whendrop put together.  Two high columns made of grey brick rose on either side of another, slightly shorter golden gate and shorter walls attached to those creating the perimeter of the castle. There was a tall tower here and there along the outside of the walls but it was so high you couldn’t see in. Long red and purple banisters were hund on the walls to the right and left of the door. On them, large clouds blowing wind , and trees with shaking leaves. Surprisingly  heavy the door was not. It swung open without any strain and inside was amazing. As they steped through the air was warm as there was a high fireplace. There were slow burning logs on the hearth and glowing embers stuffed the cracks in between. An orange and red furry rug that was both long and wide was sprawled across the main floor covering most of the cold stone floor. The walls were made of a greenish grey coloured slate around the large open room. As for furniture there wasn’t much besides some  tables and chairs that seemed to be antiques and very old. The only new thing in the room seemed to be a pink silk sofa that sat along the wall on the  right side of the entrance door. Jack and Pepper didn’t see King Russle in this room.

Joe led them into another room. It looked similar except for several little changes. There was the same style of carpet but it was more long rather then wide to accommodate for the length of the room. It wasn’t even really a room but more of a hallway. In the hallway the walls had a touch of purple and brown to them. 

Finally the hallway ended and the walls out stretched again. There were chest along the walls over flowing with gold coins and somehow trees of light pink hues grew inside. The floor although still made of stone was covered over completely with fresh, soft green leaves and around the trees yellow pollen and pink petals surrounded their trunks and the base with it. As for the walls you could now see they were made entirly of a red kind of brick but only a tinge of the grey stones. Sun light shone through stain glass windows mounted high up in ton the walls. There wasn’t much furniture in here either but there in the center of the room at the far wall near the back sat a golden throne and in it Russle the King of the Wind.

“Wait here” whispered Joe.

He ran down the room and bowed to the king when he got there. Russle and Joe talked for a bit before he waved Pepper and Jack over.

“ Why have you come” Russle voice boomed around the room.

“ We are on a quest to destroy.” Jack answered

“ Speak up boy” boomed Russle again “ We are on a quest to destroy the key of death, of Arglass. That was forged long ago by John Woodmer for the prince Justin.” yelled Pepper “ surely you know of it.”

Russle thought for a moment then said more quietly then before, in a voice that would be a whisper if Pepper and Jack were giants like him.

“ The prophecy”with that  Russle he stood up. 

His feet shook the ground as her walked in his room to a tree in bloom. The sound echoed all around and the three covered their ears. All of them watched in amazment as without straine Russle peeled the front of the tree bark off like the skin of a banana. Inside they were all bewildered to see that a tiny stream of water flowed down a path of pebbles and little stones in the centre that disappearing into the earth. Russle then picked up a fallen petal and held it gently between his giant tough fingers. Then he dipped it into the stream. When he took it out Joe, Pepper, and Jack were amazed to see that the little pink petal had transformed into a triumphant black and gold feather. 

As he walked back and took his seat he gave the feather to Pepper.

“ This is the feather of “ The Great Griffin Ady” who was killed centuries ago by  a heroine named Braykath.  When it was killed they buried the body under the castle, This castle. Only the petal of a blossoming cherry tree and the water juice of it’s tree mixed with the spirit of Ady in it’s earth can produce th transformation of a petal to a griffin feather.  Ady use to be ruler of the sky and with that, the wind. This is the wind element I have pestode upon you. The prophesy has come true. The heros of our world would come to collect this one feather, as you see the trees blossoms only for this day every year and only once every 100 years can the griffin feather be summoned but today if the first a millennium that our saviours have come to claim it.”

 “ Um thanks” remarked Jack

“ Go with this and save us all.” commented Russle as Joe led them out.

Pepper and Jack were about to leave when Pepper remembered Maple and the tunnel.

“ oh, uh Joe before we go. Is there another way to get out of here besides the tunnel again” asked Pepper even though Jack would have wanted to go in and search for Maple.

“ Oh course” beamed Joe “ In fact I made it myself. It was my own creation. This way”. 

He walked them over to a patch in the garden where there was a minature crop circle and he told them to stand on it.

“Is it Safe”asked Pepper but she didn’t get an answer.

They were quickly jerked down and were falling threw the air. Suddenly they hit the ground and the impact threw them to both sides. Jack looked up to see the dirt circle rising back up into the air.

It appeared they were in the middle of nowhere but at least they had the wind element. Only one more to go.