justice

Chapter Sixteen

"Alright, ladies. Disembarking at the Geyser Api is really hard. For one, neither of you are fire spirits, which means you could be burned at any moment.

So, here is what you are going to do. I am going to stop the boat, hopefully before the rapids, and you guys are going to tie yourselves to the ships' line and jump onto a vent, the only safe place to land because it has moisture, thus it regulates the temperature better. Then, you will have to untie yourselves before the geyser explodes. Understand?"

Just and Nellie were standing rigid with their mouths open. "Are you serious!?" they said together.

Semangat nodded and walked into the wheelhouse to steer the boat closer to shore. Just and Nellie exchanged a wtf look and tied a rope around their waists and shoulders. Holding their satchels tightly, the two balanced on the guardrail.

"Hang on! It's coming up!" yelled Semanagt. Just and Nellie leaned out the side to peer at the huge geyser pits. Nellie and Just grabbed each other's hands and braced their legs.

"Imna miss you guys!" yelled Semangat. 

Nellie yelled back, "So will we!"

Semnagat nodded and dragged the boat as close to the shore as he dared. The bank seemed to be still a ways away.

"NOW! JUMP NOW!" yelled Semangat. Just panicked; the shore was still ten feet away! She turned to Nellie, who was strangely calm. She squeezed Justs' hand and yanked her forward. Unbalanced, Just managed to push off with one foot. Nellie lept with two, and together, they plummeted towards the lava.

"NELLIE! DO SOMETHING! DO SOMETHING! DO-" Just stopped yelling as the air left her lungs. She was falling...up? Just looked at Nellie in confusion, and gasped. Nellie had her other hand outstretched, and was using her wind powers to lift them up!

They landed on their feet in the shallow pit and frantically untied the now-unyielding rope from around their body. After chucking it in the direction of the Kepantasan, and jumped out of the geyser pit. As soon as they did, a stream of lava burst forth from the ground.

Panting, the two helped each other up and consulted Justs' map. If they headed east, they would hit the river in at least a day.

"Alright, we should get going," said Nellie.

"Agreed. And thanks for the save back there! I would not want our journey ended so soon." said Just.

"Ah, your welcome. Trust me, neither would I." replied Nellie. The two started walking with the sun at their backs, skirting around the lava pits. As they went, Nellie fiddled with the sword Just had given her, and Just practiced making Lemmy a spear, then back to a necklace.

Once they were clear of the lava pits but not of the gritty lava sand, the two opened their satchels and spread out the cloth they had found at the druid docks. Each turned an eye as the other took off their sweaty clothes and changed into the long, silky cloaks they had stuffed in their packs before leaving Tee. Then they built a small fire and roasted some of the fruit.

When they had sat down to eat, Nellie inspected her food and said, "Just, I meant to ask you: before we were beckoned by Toodles, you seemed to seize up at the mention of my mother. Why was that?"

Just stopped eating and stared into the flames. She contemplated how much to tell Nellie of her complicated feelings.

"Well..." she tried. Nellie nodded, and Just looked away.

"I know now that I was put on Earth after I had confronted the Evil. But before that, I have nothing of what my life was like. Obviously, I hung out with you and Tee..." Just trailed off and decided not to tell Nellie about her latest encounter with Cloak.

"When you talked about your mom, it made me sad because I have no memory of ever having any parents. Even on Earth, I was adopted by my older sister, Vicky, and then adopted my younger sister, Hope. When you described the sheer amount of love that your parents gave you, it made me so sad that I never got to - and might never get - a chance to feel that kind of maternal love."

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Just!" exclaimed Nellie. "I wouldn't have probed so much if I had known!" Nellie set her food down and gave Just a big hug. Just accepted the hug and continued munching on her food. Nellie sat down and did the same.

Once they had both finished, they used their satchels for pillows and laid down. They didn't need any blankets; it was very very hot outside. Both girls soon fell asleep, to the soft lull of the distant geysers.

The trees slapped her as soon as she stood up. But they didn't slap her face, because it was covered...

"Aah! Get it off, get it off!" she yelled, clawing at the fir-green hood that was stuck fast to her skull. She looked around wildly, her eyes settling on Cloak.

"Oh hey, Just! Welcome back," said Cloak, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Just ran towards him, but he held out his hand and stopped her. Rocks flew from the ground and covered her feet, rooting her to the spot. Cloak shook his head.

"Wow, Just. You really thought you could escape? That's just sad. Pun intended." Cloak released the rocks and Just fell to the ground. Cloak walked around the fir tree clearing, running his hands across all of the tree trunks. By the time Just staggered to her feet, Cloak had made a full circle. He returned to her side and smacked her hard across the face.

Just fell back to her knees and clutched her face.

"Why kind of a monster ARE you!?" she said angrily. Cloak squatted down next to her and grabbed her chin. Pulling her face towards him, he said, "I'm not a monster, Just. You know who is?"

As Cloak opened his mouth to tell her, a horn sounded in the distance. He turned and surveyed the horizon, then turned back to Just. Shaking his head, he let go of her and walked away. But he threw one last comment over his shoulder.

"Better get your act together, Justice."

Just awoke to Nellie shaking her. Something about going on back to the forest. Just nodded and got ready. If they stayed there any longer, the ibli would finally come over and investigate. The two walked for about an hour before Just stopped.

"Nellie, can you use your wind powers to make a propeller?" asked Just. Nellie nodded, confused. Just grinned and shouted, "Serang!" Lemmy lept from her neck and onto the ground, from which he flattened and rose into a thirty-centimeter wide hovering platform. The girls clambered on, and Just felt a mind message from Lemmy. 'I will need your help to carry both of you.'

"Nellie! Shoot wind out behind us...now!" At the same moment that Nellie thrust a tornado from her fists, Just squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on keeping Lemmy airborne. Once she had concentrated for a full minute, she whispered through clenched teeth, "Tinggi." When Just opened her eyes, they were speeding along, and Lemmy was doing just fine. Nellie was also looking problem-free.

"Wahoo!" she yelled, pumping her fists in the air as the two sped towards the river. Nellie laughed behind her.

"I wonder what the River of Tears will be like," Just wondered aloud.

"Yeah," said Nellie. "Will we actually cry?" she asked. Just looked towards the river, and said, "Maybe. But if one out of two did not scream at the Chasm of Screams, then perchance the same will apply at a River of Tears?" Nellie thought for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah, that makes sense. As long as we don't swim in it, I think we should be fine..." The girls both nodded and Just felt Lemmy jiggle a bit as well.

"Lemmy, we are close now. Can you let us off? We should walk the rest of the way." Lemmy obliged and slowed down. Both clambered off, and Just softly said, "Kalung," spiriting Lemmy to her throat. Nellie drew her sword, and the two walked towards the River of Tears.