justice

Chapter Eight

When Just came too, she was back in the fir-tree forest. The same man in the cloak was standing a few feet away from her.

"Tsk, tsk, Just. I tried to give you a stone, but you did not accept my gift! And then, AND THEN, you destroyed my top agent, Miles!"

Just rubbed her eyes. How had she gotten here?

"Ugh, c'mon, Just. Give it up! You shouldn't even be here! You should already be in the Realm of Fire."

"I got held up, jerk!" said Just. Then she rubbed her temples and sat down. Speaking had drained her energy.

"Just, stop. You know you can't do it. Even Tee has a better chance. A lowly tree spirit has a better chance than you. And you know why?"

Just started crying, because she knew exactly what he was going to say. He was going to say what every kindergarten teacher, camp counselor, and babysitter had ever told her when she couldn't ride a bike, couldn't spell, couldn't tell the difference between sugar and salt. He was going to say what every kid on the field trip, clerk at the store, and librarian had ever looked away for when she didn't have a water bottle, didn't have a registered library card, didn't know you needed money for things.

"It's because YOU don't have parents."

"Just! JUST! Just, are you awake?"

Just opened her eyes and sat up groggily. She dimly remembered the fight with the raksasa, and the sword Tee had made. She remembered being thrown off of said raksasa, and her talk with Cloak. Remembering that, she started crying.

"Just! Oh no, are you hurt?" asked Tee worriedly.

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine." said Just, waving away his worried face.

"OK..." said Tee. Shaking his head, he took an apple out of Justs' pack, and started eating it. "But I really think we should keep moving. That raksasa could not be alone. And if we stay out here much longer, ibli might start attacking."

Just nodded and sat up, cringing. She ached all over, but was determined not to show it. She stood up and continued walking towards the bridge. Tee followed her, and together, they stepped onto the bridge.

Immediately, they realized why it was called the Chasm of Screams. As soon as they stepped onto the bridge, wails and moans echoed from the depths of the chasm.

"Aiyaaaaaaah!" said Just, grabbing onto the sides of the robe bridge as it started to shake.

"I think the screams are weakening the infrastructure!" yelled Tee, above the screams. Just tried to nod, but the movement caused what felt like a charlie horse in her neck, and she screamed.
"Just! Don't scream! You shouldn't scream, the screams down there might meld with the screams up here..." Tee stopped talking and cocked his head. Then his pupils shrunk, then got bigger, then shrunk again. Tee screamed.

Meanwhile, the neck charlie horse was gone, so Just stood up straight. Looking at Tee, she yelled, "Tee! Stop!" but he kept screaming. What is going on? She wondered. Were the screams magic or something?

"Tee!" she tried again. Still nothing. Just gave up and looked across the bridge. No one was wobbling it from that end, and no one from this end... So, were the screams really what was the issue?

"Aaaahhhhh!" Just tried. That did not do anything, maybe because that was a normal, self-imposed scream? Just stopped, and shook her head. What was she even doing at this point?

Then she heard it.

"HELP!" "HELP ME!" Just whipped her head around, trying to distinguish these noises from the others. They seemed to be coming from the other side of the bridge. Just tried to take a step towards it, and was amazed to see that the bridge, underneath her feet at least, was not moving anymore. Neither was a patch of the bridge a few feet away. Taking a deep breath, Just let go of the sides of the bridge and jumped. As she landed on the next unmoving piece, something happened.

The boards behind her started to crumble! But not as you would see in the movies, where Indiana Jones has to run so he can escape the falling bridge, but more of a falling-in-uniform sort of crumble. In fact, they seemed to be falling into the shape of stairs! Just approached the board-stairs cautiously and peeked down. Was that...was that a door?

Just put one of her feet down. The red cuffs of her boots still touched the top of the bridge, so the stairs were not that steep. Just breathed out, then boosted her satchel on her hip and walked, slowly, down the stairs. The door was fifteen feet away...now ten...now five...now she was right in front of it.

Just reached out and ran her fingers across the door. It was completely smooth-no handle or lock. So then how do I get inside? Wondered Just. She pushed on the door, and it didn't open. Hmmm.

"Open Sesame!" shouted Just, throwing her hands out towards the door. Nothing happened. "Abracadabra! Alakazoo! Alohomora!" The door was clearly not impressed. Did the door actually care what she said? Probably not.

"Pretty please?" she asked. Still, nothing happened. Argh! What? WHAT? Wait...

"If you don't open right now, I will get out the matches in my satchel, and I will burn you to the floor! Ya hear me?"

The door quivered on it's hinges, then scratched a single word onto its surface. MATCHES?

"Oh. Um, you have fire spirits? Yeah, matches are something that are, well, tiny sticks and then, you, uh, you use fire magic and then there is poof! Lots and lots of fire!"

The door quivered again, then swung open.

"Yes!" said Just. After mentally high-fiving herself, Just stepped through the door.

She expected to see maybe an old cronie, or an old hag who was scratching the words onto the door. Or maybe a gang of college kids pulling a prank.

Instead, she saw the most beautiful woman in creation.

She had long, flowing hair, and eyes that made you want to lay down and do whatever those amazing lips of hers asked you to do. She had amazing skin and the most beautiful long silver gown. Her hands were covered in what looked like glitter, and she was sitting on the back of a huge turtle who had a pile of gemstones for a shell, and huge feathery wings. Strapped to the turtle was a pouch filled with the same glitter that was on her hands.

"Hello, Just!" said the woman energetically. Just smiled and waved, too stunned to realize that she had extended her hand.

"I am so excited that you have come to visit me! Robert does not let many people inside."

"Robert?" said Just. Turing, she said, "The door?"

The woman nodded and sighed. "Yes, Robert used to be my betrothed, but my father cursed him into this fiendish door. However, he still guards me as loyally as he did when he was in spirit form!"

"Ma'am...who are you?" said Just.

"I am a water spirit. My name is Cantik, and that is my would-be husband, Robert. My father, the King Aire of the Great Deep, disapproved of me marrying an earth spirit. He said that such a distinguished lady should marry well. He wanted me to marry one of the thousands of airies throwing themselves at my feet. When I refused, my father locked me in this enchanted room, below the Chasm of Screams, until I agreed to marry one of the other water spirits. But I will never."

Cantik ended this last statement with a strong face. Just realized with a start that she had been so caught up in the story that she had forgotten all about Tee!

"Excuse me, Cantik? Can I somehow help my friend on the bridge? Maybe that powder?"

Cantik laughed. "Of course, the powder will fix it. But first, you need to earn it."

"Earn it? How?" said Just.

Cantik laughed, and raised her arms.

"YOU MUST DEFEAT THE IBLIS I HAVE IN MY BACK ROOM!"