Quest (The Quest Saga)

6 - Understanding

The third sun finally set and the three had found a spot to sleep. They talked instead. Dean had discovered something very strange.

“When we were being lifted of the grass and I dropped my crystal. Zander stopped speaking English, I could only understand him when I had the crystal. He was speaking a completely different language.”

Taryn replied “That can’t be right, I heard him! He was speaking perfect English.”

“His lips didn’t match his words come to think of it.” Katherine whispered solemnly.

She thought now was the best time to read the book she had found back at her house. She reached into the bag she had brought with her. Inside was a book, with the word TEAM on the cover. She handed it to Dean.

“What's this?” Said Dean, looking warily at the cover. Katherine explained how she found it in her mums room.

Dean opened the book and Taryn and Katherine crowded round.

On the first page was a picture of three teenagers. Probably in their late teens. The oldest was a girl who caught Taryn's attention “Gran!”

Then there was a boy in the middle who caught Deans attention “Dad!”

And lastly was a girl, the youngest, who caught Katherine's attention “mummy!”

Dean quickly turned the page and the next picture was of a mountain and behind the mountain were three suns.

They all gasped in shock.

Next page showed a forest of blue trees and Deans dad climbing one.

Next page showed a castle, a tall monstrous building shaped like a hand, reaching up into the sky. The last picture was horrible; whoever was taking the picture was on the ground. And standing over them was a tall glowing ghost with an expression of pure hatred and disgust and vile Anger. The glowing ghost was taking a crystal out of the cameraman's hand. In the background was the mountain from the other picture.

Katherine wailed "Oh my gosh! That's... "

Taryn interrupted "You know that...it"

"It took my mum!" Katherine cried, she fell into Dean who comforted her.

Taryn quickly said "Me too!" but Dean didn't comfort her. Feeling rejected she sulked over to the book and turned to the last page, it was a hand drawn map of a place called Astran the writing was in Taryn's Gran's penmanship. She stroked the dry ink and followed her grandmother’s pronunciation guide.

"ASS-TRAN." She giggled at her Gran's cheeky yet unfunny humour.

Taryn shouted "Oi! Lovebirds! I know where we are." and faced them with her usual Taryn grin, the air of confidence that flowed from her had returned "say ‘Hola’ to Astran."

Having had little sleep and no food Katherine was in a bad mood. She refused to read the map in the book and she was moaning about having to walk a long way. Dean kept stopping to put his arm round her and tell her it was only a little bit longer, Taryn kept reminding her that they were all hungry and tired but it had little effect. First thing in the morning the three had decided to venture to mountain that they had seen in the book in hope of a clue or even better their parents.

Just as they were starting to make headway on the journey and Katherine had finally shut it to the relief of Taryn. Dean spotted a blue forest in the distance - hopefully the same one his Dad had been in. He dashed off. Katherine shouted after him.

When Katherine and Taryn finally caught up with Dean they got the fright of their life. Standing as still as a statue was Dean and hovering a metre away was a woman with amazingly long flowing ebony black hair. And the most beautiful face; fair, pale skin, blood red lips and rich, ocean blue eyes. She was bigger than the average human woman.   It was quite surreal. But the most confusing aspect was that instead of legs she had 'tentacles' that resembled jellyfish’s tentacles from the waist down, the tentacles were the same colour as the skin and didn’t hang down but floated weightlessly. It was extraordinarily beautiful; none of the three could take their eyes of her. Then she opened her mouth; a song so tender emitted from her perfect lips, a Serenade of heart touching beauty. Deans eyes glazed and he involuntarily stepped forward to the woman-being, her tentacles wrapped around him. Katherine wanted to do something, help him. Her legs however weren't moving. Her bag slipped of her shoulder, she couldn’t move to get it. The lady-thing lifted higher of the ground and took Dean with her, she flew up into the air and through the blue trees out of view.  

When the girls could no longer hear the song they snapped out of their trance.

"Oh my god! Quickly!"  Shouted Taryn as she and Katherine ran out of the forest and searched the sky for any sight of an evil tentacle woman and Dean.

"There!" Katherine yelled pointing to the sky. They ran.

The woman had stopped singing and now Dean was shouting at her.

"What are you!"

He wasn't expecting a reply but he got one.

"I am Latifa, I am of the Serenads. And you are human."

Dean tried to sound as if he wasn't terrified with a "so?"

"Humans must be eliminated, my orders."