The Lost Soul

Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

They'd been walking for a couple of hours when Zalea collapsed to the ground without a word. 

"Zalea!" yelled Jack as he rushed to her side and lifted her head carefully off of the dry sandy surface. "Nick, get some water." 

After they'd tried to get her to swallow some water, Zalea stirred but didn't wake. 

"What is it? What's wrong with her?" asked Jack while Nick shook his head. 

"I've no idea. Perhaps she's over done it. Perhaps she needs to rest?" 

"Surely she wouldn't just collapse like this if that was the case? She would have warned us if she wasn't feeling right." 

Oprah trundled up to their side and put her head down to the faery's face. Sniffing, she gently licked her cheek and waited for a response. When there wasn't any, she lifted her head upwards and let out an extraordinarily loud long, deep groan. 

Jack and Nick both placed their hands over their ears and waited for her to stop. 

"What the hell was that?" asked Jack as Nick finally managed to get her to be quiet. 

"I don't know, she's never done it before." 

"Never? Not in the fifteen years you've had her?" 

Nick shook his head in shock. 

Turning back to face Zalea who moaned quietly, they watched her open her eyes, "Wh...what happened?" she asked. 

Both men shook their heads in disbelief as Oprah once again leaned forward and licked Zalea's cheek. 

"Ew... thank you Oprah, I think." 

Lifting her up so was she in a seated position, Jack cradled her until she felt strong enough to hold her own weight. 

"You just collapsed, and you wouldn't wake up. Well, you wouldn't until Oprah here managed to wake you. How are you feeling?" 

"Honestly, I think I feel fine. A little light headed, but otherwise fine." 

"Perhaps we should stay here for the rest of the day and let Zalea recuperate?" suggested Nick while he looked around at his surroundings. 

"No, I'm fine, really." 

"I have to agree with Nick. We should stay put for now." 

Zalea shrugged her shoulders and nodded, "All right," she conceded. 

An hour later, both Zalea and Jack were feeling a little strange. 

"I feel quite drowsy," said Jack, swigging water from the container Gwynethea had given him. 

"Me too," said Zalea before she collapsed on the ground behind him. 

"Oh God... it's happened again," muttered Jack, who felt increasingly weaker before passing out beside her. 

Nick rushed over to them while Oprah let out a low groan. His head began to pound and soon he was on his knees beside them. All three had lost consciousness. 

Oprah stood over them making loud groaning sounds until she heard movement from up ahead. Flying closer and closer were two of her own kind. 

The moment they arrived, they touched down on the ground in front of her and hobbled over to her side. A moment passed between them where they seemed to communicate silently before they hopped from one side to the other and bowed their heads down to one another. 

Then Oprah turned to Nick and shoved him eagerly with her nose. When there was no reaction from him, she turned and nodded to her friends. 

They each stepped forward, delicately taking the people's legs in their beaks before gently pulling them along the ground away from the spot where they had collapsed. After about 10 minutes, the creatures came to a standstill and carefully put their human and faery friends down. All three creatures began to groan noisily. Halting, they waited to see if they would get a response. When none was forthcoming, Oprah nodded once again and all three placed their beaks by their friends and gently shoved them straight into the flowing waters of the river and waited patiently. 

For a moment, the three bodies bobbed carelessly before they began to sink beneath the water. Oprah watched as they slowly disappeared from sight, letting out a low cry that soon became a desperate wail. Her two companions watched on before they turned away from her and ran away, taking to flight and flying off into the distance. 

Oprah sat waiting, her wails echoing in the valleys beyond.