So naturally I'm spending the last day preparing for my Camp novel and-- oh wait. Actually never mind. I'll spend the last day writing Lando, editing, critique reading and farewelling all those procrastinating stuffs that might dare to bog me down.
Let's see if it actually works.
BUT I'M SOOOO EXCITED.
Ahem. Anyways this wasn't meant to be a Camp NaNo post so I shall not rabbit on about it any longer and will instead go straight onward to the story!!
:: Part One ::
:: Part Two ::
:: Part Three ::
:: Part Four ::
Note: Today we have another Titus point of view chapter! You guys get to find out what happened after the toadstool magic ring and everything. Where did they go? Why did the fairies kidnap them?
Read on to find out...
Titus jolted awake, his eyes snapping open. “Thomas?”
His twin mumbled something from beside him and relief seeped across his shoulders. He was okay.
Rubbing his eyes, he squinted around at their surroundings. Everything was glowing weirdly, causing him to squint harder against the light. Where in the world was he? Smooth, engraved pavers beneath his shoes, high walls of bright stone on all sides. It was a few moments before it clicked.
A courtyard.
And not just any random courtyard but…the courtyard of a fairy castle?
“No way,” he breathed, shoving his hair from his forehead and turning in a circle on the spot to stare up at the walls. “That architecture is amazing. This is like nothing I’ve ever—”
“Ti…” Thomas’s groan from below broke him off and he glanced down quickly.
“Are you okay?”
“Only if you stop about the architecture.”
“Oh yeah…” He scratched his ear and nodded. “Okay.”
Thomas stood up beside him, grabbing his arm. “People coming.”
“Dude no, those aren’t people.” Titus felt his throat go slightly dry. “I’m fairly sure those are, in fact—”
“Fairy,” Thomas finished.
“Yup.”
“We’re doomed.”
Titus braced himself as the fairies approached. There was at least seven of them, and all of them staring at him and his twin. The leader stopped two meters away, looking them both up and down, his bright blue eyes sweeping over them.
“Um…” Thomas shifted a little closer to Titus, clearing his throat.
“Hi…?” Titus added, hopefully.
The fairy stood, his expression a perfect poker face. “Watch and observe.”
A frown creased Titus’s brows. “Sorry…what?”
“See? They are completely harmless.” The fairy looked back at his companions and beckoned for them to approach.
“Okaaay, you’re not talking to us. You’re talking about us.” He nodded, shifting back half a pace as all the fairies moved in closer. “That’s…nice.”
“Fate’s rumours cannot be true, if these are real humans,” one fairy muttered, glancing at the others.
“Dude, of course we’re real humans.” Thomas crossed his arms over his chest. “And what else might we be?”
A low whisper ran through the group, all the men gazing at Thomas. Titus stepped forward in front of his twin. “Hey you guys need to chill. What’s the deal with bringing us here, anyway?”
Silence.
Titus frowned deeper. “Are you all deaf?”
The first fairy stepped forward again until he was within arms reach. “Zey Nabra D’feord lies. Clearly. Although these might have a strange way of speaking—”
“Hey!” he let out a protest, earning a sharp glance.
“—And perhaps are barbaric in their ways. They are not harmful.” The fairy waved one hand at them both, bowing to his fellow mythological beings.
Titus exchanged a glance with Thomas and then held up a hand. “Excuse me?”
The fairies looked at him, murmuring again.
“Why in the world did you abduct us to your…” He glanced around. “…Fairy castle? Is this fairyland or some such nonse—” he stopped himself at the last moment, deciding it mightn’t be a good idea to risk insulting their captors.
A moment of silence before someone from the back spoke up. “You have been taken in for observation. We must discover the truth behind the myths. If Zey Nabra is correct then you shall die with the rest.”
Titus froze, staring at the speaker. “Wait…”
“What?” Thomas gaped.
“Take the two humans to the guest room, and make sure they are comfortable, and under strong guard at all times.” The fairy leader turned away.
Titus took the moment to his advantage. Grabbing his twin’s arm, he spun and started running in the opposite direction. He wasn’t going to be some prisoner in an insane castle somewhere.
He sprinted across the courtyard, the shouts behind him sending fear prickling down his spine and urging him faster. Thomas started drawing ahead, but he managed to keep up the pace still. He reached the wall just behind Thomas, his twin shoving open a door and lurching through.
Titus scrambled after him, kicking it shut and bolting up the stairs behind Thomas. His breath panted in his chest, but he ran as hard as he could, skipping stairs in his speed.
A few moments later they burst out onto the top of the wall surrounding the castle courtyard and stopped short, almost falling over each other. Finally able to see his surroundings properly, Titus felt the blood drain from his face.
They stood on a wall looking out over the island, bright grass rippling out on either side of the castle, dotted with patches of flowers. Sunlight flooded out across them, sparkling off the water of the river.
But that wasn’t what made them stop.
It was more the fact that the island was floating in the air.
Beyond the edge of the land, there was nothing. Just air. And a few clouds. Then a little way along, the lump of another island.
Titus swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. How in the world could they possibly get away from this? He turned to Thomas, but his twin yelped aloud and grabbed his arm, dragging him into a run along the wide wall.
“What—?” he managed a gasp before almost tripping and falling on his face.
Thomas sprinted ahead, fingers clasped firmly around his wrist and pulling him along as well. “Dragon.”
Titus jolted and they both threw themselves flat at the same moment, narrowly avoiding the grabbing claws of a dragons as it swept over above.
“Please don’t be Zana, please don’t be Zana,” he mumbled the words over and over, picking himself up to his hands and knees with a wince, the palms of his hands stinging painfully.
“Come on,” Thomas whispered frantically, starting to stand but then fell back, letting out a cry.
“Thomas?” His heart rate jolted and he scrambled to his brother’s side. “What’s wrong?”
Thomas gripped his knee. “I think— I whacked my knee— a bit hard on the landing.”
Titus shifted forward, grabbing Thomas’s arm and lifting it over his shoulders, pulling him upright. “Lean on me.”
They started running again, but barely got more than a few meters before a pop of light flashed up from below, splashing into them. Titus tripped, but managed to catch himself on his hands again, Thomas landing on top of him.
“Stupid— fairy— spells—” Thomas grunted, rolling off Titus and starting to stand.
A rush of air and Thomas was snatched from the wall, soaring upward in the claws of a dragon. Titus shoved to his feet, panic gripping him. “Thomas!” he yelled but the dragon dived in a grey blur, disappearing beneath the rim of the island.
He stared at the last place he’d seen his twin, something going cold inside. No, no, not Thomas. Not his little brother.
Another pop came from below, and he ducked, the ball of light barely missing him. He needed to get a dragon and get out of here. Spinning, he started running again, sprinting along the wall. There had to be some other dragon somewhere here, surely? Fairyland would have more than one dragon.
As if on cue, a whoosh of air swept up behind him and he ducked. The grey dragon swept over him, turning at a steep tilt and diving back down at him.
He braced himself. Thomas was there. He needed to get to him. If that meant he had to be run down by a dragon… Fine then.
A heave of air almost sent him tumbling backward but a hand grabbed his arm, hauling him upward even as the dragon swept across over the courtyard and then beyond the edge of the floating island.
“Ti, it’s okay,” Thomas pulled him up until he was lying across the back of the dragon, hanging on for dear life. “It’s Lando’s mum!”
He scrabbled for grip on the rough scales and managed to get himself in a safer position. Raising his eyes, he caught a grin from Thomas and then perched in front of him and leaning low over the neck of the dragon, Rayna Erif looked over her shoulder and nodded at him.
“What in the world?” he gasped, the wind snatching his words.
“Hold on boys,” her voice came over the rush of air. “We’re going to find my son.”
- - -
Hope you enjoyed that! Now, go and do some last minute plotting. *nods* It'll be a good idea, trust me.
*whispers* I'll see you on Monday...
And never fear! I will still be doing Lando stories in April. Because my amazingness has foreplanned and written (or rather, is writing) them already and it'll just be a matter of remembering to do something about them.
Is anyone else excited for Camp NaNo??
(I AM, just in case no one had picked that up already. xD)
