The Secrets Of Droon: Prince of Jaffa

2: A Bit About Pain

Neal and Julie dodged the first round of arrows.
Eric wasn't so lucky. When Neal leaped to the side, Eric got knocked right into the path of one of the arrows. He managed to twist himself around so that he wasn't directly impaled, but it still got his shoulder, re-opening the wound given to him by the ice dagger. He cried out in pain.
Julie tried to help him up, but just then, the stairs beneath their feet faded. And they were still at the top. They fell, grasping at thin air.
"Aaaah!" screamed Neal. "We're gonna die!"
"Yeah!" said Julie. "Really, really die!"
A voice inside their heads spoke: Fly, you idiots! Save yourselves! Better one dead than all three of us! It was Eric. He shut his eyes and tried to do something Urik, son of Zara - and, by the way, Eric's great-great-great grandfather - had taught him. Eric imagined himself as a bird, flying in the sky. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't flying, not quite. However, his fall slowed.
He managed to pull up just before he hit the ground.
Eric's ankle hit the ground though, very hard. It flared in pain. He knew at once it was broken. The pain made it harder to concentrate, but he pictured himself flying over to his friends.
The three flew to the ground, a patch where the Ninns couldn't see them from the sky.

Julie spoke first. "Eric, how did you do that?!" she asked.
"Yeah, dude, that was epic!" said Neal. "Where did you learn that?"
Eric gasped in pain. "Urik", he managed. "Sore ankle", he added.
Julie looked at it. "It's really swollen", she worried. "It's clearly broken..."
Eric nodded.
Just then, a call came from nearby. "Over here!" The voice spoke in hushed tones. Julie and Neal grinned. It was Princess Keeah!
She came over to their small hideaway. "It's so great to see you guys!" she exclaimed. Then she saw Eric. "Oh... what happened?"
Julie told her the story with Neal butting in at times with "I'm such a klutz!" and "yeah... I did that."
"What can we do to help him?" Julie asked. Just then, Eric sat up.
" 'Him' has a name, you know."
"Eric" cried Keeah "you're okay!"
"Hey, I try", he replied. "What actually happened?"
"You don't know?" said Neal. "Dude - we thought you were gonna die!"
Eric winced. "I'll be fine. It' s not that bad", he said shakily. Keeah raised her eyebrow at him but said nothing."
Julie spoke "We should see Galen, he will know what we have to do to stop Sparr".
"No need", replied Keeah. "I think Eric here knows what we need to do". She gave him a look that said tell us what you know or else! 
"Yeah", Eric said, giving Keeah a confused look. "I know what to do. We have to go to Bangledorn Forest. I don't know how I know, I just know". That was true. Like a voice whispering in his mind, he knew.
Keeah smiled. But there was something wrong about it. Eric wasn't sure what it was, but something was wrong with Keeah. The way she smiled...
"Dude, you coming?" asked Neal.
"Sure", said Eric, hurrying after the others into the bright mass of land.