Thundra's scream of rage drowned out Hilaljafir's roars. The very earth rumbled, and lightning exploded and flashed around them as she shot into the cloudy sky. Luke collapsed from being struck in the head by a rock, and Jess had no choice but to drag him behind a boulder to protect him from the flying debris. Standing out of cover during Thundra's storm of rage--no pun intended--was basically the equivalent of watching a nuclear blast at close range. Jess didn't see what happened, but judging from the agonized roars and the furious screams, Thundra was probably ripping apart the dragon with her bare hands. The next explosion was punctuated by a roar of fury and pain, which was abruptly cut short. The flashes of lightning finally dulled, revealing that the entire amphitheater had been reduced to rubble, and Hilaljafir, the unkillable Guardian of the Book, was slumped on the ground, dead. Thundra knelt on the ground, overcome by sheer exhaustion and sadness. Next to her was the broken, battered body of her brother. The wounds were even beyond Raj's healing powers. "Is he...?" Maia whispered. Thundra was literally glowing with a pale, electric blue aura of fury and grief. She nodded weakly, tears beginning to stream down her face. "My only brother...my only family left...he's..." Thundra stuttered, and completely broke down. While the others came out to comfort her, Jess focused on trying to revive Luke. He had a bloody welt on the side of his head, and was covered in cuts and bruises. She had seen Hilaljafir's tail smash into Luke, so his ribs were probably broken. Jess pinched him. "Hello? Wakey wakey. I've got Pringl--" He groaned and opened his eyes. "Can I have some?" Luke muttered. Jess smirked. "I lied. Sorry if I fooled you." Luke's face twisted into a pained scowl. Jess managed not to laugh. "I still hate sand." he muttered. Jess snorted. "Can you stand?" she asked. "I think," Luke replied, and staggered to his feet, and almost immediately stumbled. There was a small meow. "Looks like Millie made it," Jess remarked as the Storm kitten limped over and nuzzled Luke's hand. He smiled. "Y'know, she's probably the most adorable pet I've ever had." Jess got up, and rummaged through Maia's pack until she found another healing potion. Luke gratefully drank it. Maia was soothing Thundra, while Lily was pegging the dragon's scales with arrows. Chris sat to the side with a glum look on his face, Becka was attempting to bandage her arm, and Raj was reviving Fircone. Jess limped over to a pile of rubble that seemed to be glowing. She pulled a few rocks out of the way, revealing the Book. Jess picked it up, running her fingers across the leather. The Book was humming with power in her hands. Maia's words came back to her: If these Books were to fall into the wrong hands, the entire world could be in mortal danger. Jess slipped it into Maia's pack. After a few hours, they managed to set up camp and cook some food (which took a while in their current injured state). They all stood around Matthew's grave as dusk settled over the hollow. Thundra still hadn't recovered, and there was a grim sense of despair hanging over the group. "In the morning, Fircone, you'll pull the Voyager III back out and we'll go home." Maia said drearily. As they settled down to sleep, Jess couldn't sleep. She'd witnessed two of her friend's deaths in one day. It seemed that she was too tired to sleep. Everyone else was out cold, and Jess tried to ignore Thundra's snores, and Fircone muttering to himself in his sleep. Millie was still awake, mewling and whimpering. Jess picked up the kitten and placed her in her lap. She stroked Millie's fur. The kitten continued to whimper. Jess sighed. Remembering a lullaby she'd learned years ago, Jess sang:
"Moon on the meadow,
Bugs in our ears,
Smoke in our eyes,
Wet wood and tears,
Up on the meadow,
Water somewhere,
We were the only ones there."
She couldn't remember the other verses. Millie stopped whimpering. The kitten seemed to have fallen asleep. Jess leaned back, gazing at the stars. They appeared much brighter than in the cities Jess had grown up in. Stars, Jess thought. They say when you die you become one. If that's true, there's two more in the sky tonight.
⍟⍟⍟
The next morning, everyone was still in a glum mood. Luke couldn't help but think: Well universe, there's really not much you can do to make things worse. He just hoped he was right. As they packed up, Thundra lingered by her brother's grave. She was obviously having trouble recovering. Luke couldn't blame her. He had brought his father back from the dark side, only to let him die sacrificing himself for Luke. Thundra had only been reunited with her brother about a week ago. Fircone had pressed the button on the side of the shrunken Voyager III, expanding it back to full size. This time, they went back at sub light speed. They reached HQ in less than a minute. They walked off, heading for the hospital wing to get their injuries treated. Luke, however, remembered something. "Damn it!" he yelled. Maia whipped around. "What?" she asked. "We forgot the Book! Stupid!" Luke slapped himself in the forehead, and was greeted by the world swaying dangerously. "Nope," Jess remarked. "I shoved it in Maia's pack." Maia frowned. "Uh, okay. We need to take it to the containment center as soon as we recover." Luke winced. His head was still spinning, but he was feeling a lot better. "Yeah. I'd kill for some painkiller right now." Jess laughed. "No pun intended," she added
YOU ARE READING
The Magical Quest
AdventureFifteen-year-old Jess has no idea that she's unordinary. She spends most of her time trying not to fall asleep in class, hiding in her room, and eating Pringles. She's not exactly Mrs. Goody Two-Shoes, either. Little does she know that her life is a...
