Rain had started pouring over the forest. It had now been a few hours since Eleros, Delvero and Saralin had escaped from the dragon. The three of them had gone straight to Naradan after their ordeal to explain what they had heard. Naradan was infuriated at their complete lack of obedience and had placed all three of them on a warning. But, even after defying the Head Nymph, it could not be overlooked that they had gatherered a vital piece of information, and reluctantly, Naradan had to commend them for what they had done.
"So what do we do now Sir?" asked Delvero.
"I'm not sure," replied Naradan. "This is a very serious matter and we need to be extra cautious in what ever action we take."
The four of them sat together in the small room around the earthy table. Naradan felt it best not to include Matrosis and the other Guardians in this impromptu meeting, as it would more than likely stir up all kinds of arguments.
"Did he mention the young nymphs at all?" asked Naradan, staring at the floor.
"Not their whereabouts," answered Eleros. "Only that he was still using them to harvest their powers. We believe he still has them somewhere in the castle, as he did mention he would require more power to fully regain his."
There was a silence. All four nymphs sat there, neither one looking at another. After about five minutes, Naradan broke the silence.
"Well, I feel it's time for rest now. It's been a hectic night for you three. I'd like to make it known that I'm still not happy about what you did, but I cannot deny that had it not been for your rebellion, we will not know the infomation we do now. For that, I thank you."
Naradan left the room and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later, Eleros, Delvero and Saralin left the room and departed to their individual huts.
* * *
Sandy woke early the following morning. The rain had eased and the sky was beaming a bright blue. It was now Sunday, so Sandy was in a some what sombre mood, as it was Monday tomorrow, and all though there was still a whole day left of the weekend, Sunday's always seemed miserable. It meant that she'd have the whole day to catch up with Eleros though. The past week had been a bit hectic helping Eleros sort out ingredients, and she really wanted to know how their trip to the castle went.
After breakfast, Mrs Drewett cleared the table as her husband put on his jacket to go to work to do some overtime. Sandy had ventured upstairs to retrieve a warm jumper before she left for the woods.
"Not too late today Sandy," called Mrs Drewett. "I know the days are getting longer, but the weather hasn't been as summery as we'd like recently. Don't want you getting ill if it starts raining again."
"OK mum," replied Sandy. "See you soon."
Sandy opened the cottage door to the lawn. The sky still shone a vibrant blue, and only a few clouds were lining the sky. Rain did not look likely today, and the sun shone high and cast a warming glow over the area.
Sandy reached the stream minutes later. She climbed over the stream and knocked on the tiny door. After a minute or so, Eleros answered.
"Hi Eleros, I...what's wrong?" Eleros looked awful. His eyes were dark and small bags were forming under them. He looked rather pale and defeated.
"Hello Sandy," he said whilst looking at the ground.
"Eleros, what is it? Asked Sandy, very concerned.
"We found something out about Diem," he replied. "Something rather terrifying."
Eleros spent the next ten minutes explaining to Sandy all about what he, Saralin and Delvero had discovered on their journey to the castle. Once he had finished, there was silence. Sandy was first to break it.
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
Fight of the Nymphs - The Master of the Dragons
Fantasia"Spread out across the bank, on the far side of the stream, were three miniature doors, all of which were identical to that of the one Sandy had seen yesterday. It wasn't this, however, that made Sandy stop in her tracks. It was what she saw sitting...
