Daughter of the Nibrue House

chapter 22:where's Simba?

Naomi believed she was knocked out after that. She came to in a deep pit with no way out. She immediately looked for Simba. But he wasn't there.

"Simba!" she called, but all that appeared was her evil uncle at the top of the pit. "You," Naomi growled. "Why did you bring me here?"

Trad smiled down on her. "Well, my plan wouldn't have worked without you out of the way. Did you really think I could ignore all the sneaking around and finding things out when I am so close to finishing my greatest scheme ever."

"And what would be so important that you would kill your own brother?" Naomi shouted.

Trad smiled again. "The throne," he said and his smile grew wider. "All Lords and Ladies of the Magic Houses are in line for it, but deep down at the bottom. So far all the Lords have played into my hand. They are marching on the rebels who are about to get lost in a Destroyer Storm. And when the King comes to mourn his defeated Lords, an assassin will do my dirty work." He leaned as far into the hole as he dared. "But I can't do it with you constantly in the way!"

Naomi glared up at him. "And what makes you think I'll stay in this hole?"

Trad laughed. "Go ahead and try to magic your way out of here," he said. "I'd love to see that."

Naomi looked up. "Rise, rise above. To the arms of wind's wild love." She felt her feet leave the floor. She skyrocketed up to the top of the pit. That was when she hit an invisible force field. 

Naomi fell back to the bottom of the pit. She rubbed her sore arm. It was definitively injured during her fall.

Trad laughed even louder. "Now I must go summon that storm. And don't worry about you lion cub. He's much too small for the poachers, yet." And Trad left laughing loudly, leaving Naomi alone in the pit. When the sound of a heavy door slammed, the light left too. Now Naomi was all alone in a hole in the dark without Simba. Worst day of her life, without a doubt.

Naomi racked her brain for a spell. All that time inside the library studying spell books and her mind was blank when she needed spells. But all that came to her was a bat that flue down from above. And that's when it hit her.

If the bat could get in, that meant that the force field only kept things in. Which meant that she could get out by blocking the force field with things, creating a hole. Now that she had a plan, she remembered a spell for controlling animals. Of course now she remembered a spell. Naomi took a deep breath.

"Animals, hear my call. Answer my cries, one and all." Naomi looked up at the top of the roof above the hole. Hundreds, maybe thousands of bats, squeaked in answer. "Fly in a circle in the force field to let me out." As soon as the words left her mouth, all the bats flue down and did just as she said. 

Naomi whispered the flight spell. "Rise, rise above. To the arms of wind's wild love." Her feet left the ground and she soared above the ground. She braced for impact as she neared the force field. But she never hit it. 

Naomi tumbled on the floor of the little hut. The bats went back to their perches. That was when Naomi opened her eyes. 

By then, her eyes had gotten used to the light, or lack of light, and could see better. The hut was small, no windows and only one door. Naomi ran to it and pulled. Of course it was locked.

Naomi thought about an unlocking spell, but thought that Trad would be smart enough to put some charm on the knob or something. She looked around the hut.

Jars of spiders and snails and other strange things you could put in a jar. A large cauldron sat in the corner over a simmering fire. Something foul-smelling bubbled in it. Naomi hadn't tried to learn potions quite yet, but she knew it was one. Stubs of candles and large spell books all in Magic Tongue lay scattered on the only table, sheaves, and the floor.

Naomi didn't see how the bats could help now. She couldn't read Magic Tongue and didn't want to find out what happens when you drink the cauldron's contents. What could she do?

Naomi heard the sound of leaves crunching under the feet of a stranger coming right to the little hut. Naomi ran behind the cauldron and watched the door open. Turns out it opened out, not in, out.

A dark hooded figure came in with a cage that held Simba entered. Simba was yowling and trying to poke his paws, claws extended of course, through the bars of the cage. "Settle down, you troublesome cub. This is why I'm a dog person."

Naomi peeked out from behind the cauldron. Simba was no happy to be locked away. The dark figure struck a match and lit one of the candle stubs. His face was shadowed, but it looked familiar for some reason. Simba slammed his body up  against the side of the cage. He saw her. Naomi ducked her head back behind the cauldron, but it was too late.

Simba roared his squeak of a roar. "You're not scary," the hooded figure said to Simba. Simba kept making noises which Naomi felt like were aimed in her direction. "Stop it! What are you growling at?" Naomi felt like the figure was going to look over here.

Footsteps came to Naomi's ears. She scooted away from the noise. Then she ran to Simba's cage. 

A hand grabbed her hair. "So you did get out of the hole. Master said you'd find a way out," the figure said.

"Let go of me!" Naomi shouted. "I'm the Lady of the Nibrue House!"

"Not after tomorrow night. Then it will Lord Trad and Lady Victoria of the Nibrue House, then King and Queen," the figure said. "And you'll vanish forever, never to be seen again."

Naomi looked at the lock on Simba's cage. "Locks and doors, keys and knobs. Open for the clear and odd." She said. The lock sprung open and Simba dashed out, making a beeline for the hooded figure.

The figure went down. Naomi could see an armband on his thin wrist, one with the letters T and N etched on it. Proof that Trad was behind this! Naomi wrenched it off and ran. "Come on Simba!" she said as she pulled open the door. Then she saw where she was, the Nibrue family graveyard. Even creepier at night.

Simba ran into the trees and was lost in the shadows. Naomi looked behind her. The hooded figure was getting up. "Naomi!" He shouted. Naomi ran.

Naomi looked over her shoulder as she ran through the graveyard. The hooded man was chasing her and gaining. She held on to the one shred of proof she had. She had to get to her grandmother. Her foot caught on a root and she tumbled to the ground. The armband flew out of her hand. Naomi watched horrified as it dropped into the nearby pond. "No!" she shouted.

Something cold grabbed her arm. She looked over her shoulder. The hooded man had her. She started to scream, then she saw the hooded man's face. "Grandfather?"