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When we exited the tent I turned left instead of going straight, which would've taken me to the stables. Santana trailed closely behind me, much to my irritation.
It was then it dawned on me that I had no idea where Amber was. I had been so upset about what Neeva said, I hadn't noticed her slip quietly away from us into the night.
The blue medical tent soon came into view. I stood outside it and listened for a moment. I couldn't here any of Henry's cries coming from inside it. I poked my head inside. Things look calmer than I had left them.
I turned towards Santana who looked a little bit more rested after her nap, but still, her blue eyes were dull and not completely focused.
"Wait here!"
Some of the Nurses were still up and about, but they were tending to other patients. I passed by the nurse who had kicked Amber and I out of the tent which, now really thinking hard about it, made no sense. The nurse had her back to me now and was standing in front of a shelf that contained jars of various liquids.
I had been wearing my hospital gown at the time so I had ever right to be in there. If anything, she should've told me to get back into my bed. What kind of nurse would do that unless... she wasn't actually a real nurse, to begin with?
Her head turned towards my direction and I quickly ducked down before she spotted me. She held a needle full of yellow liquid in her hand and walked behind the curtain. Shortly afterward I heard the sound of a short struggle and the sound of a body hitting the floor. I jumped up from my hiding place and rushed over to find Amber standing over the limp body of the nurse. She dusted off her hands and glanced up at me.
She saw the obvious question on my face and she looked down at the unconscious nurse again. "She was a spy for Greta, they're a lot of them planted in this camp. That's what my mission was, to discover the identity of the mole's and weed them out. Now say goodbye to my brother, I know where you are going after this."
"Ah okay," I said and my eyes landed on something lying beside the nurse on the ground, "What was in that needle?" I asked Amber, pointing to the needle that still held its yellow content that now laid on the ground.
"Don't know," Amber replied, but then added darkly, "But whatever it was, I'm going to use it on her and find out what exactly it was supposed to do to Henry. Whenever I'm done interrogating her that is," she picked it up and then glared ominously down at the unconscious nurse.
Two men entered the tent and lifted the women, who I was assuming was a fake nurse, and carried her out of the tent, while Amber and I watched. The way they moved was smooth and precise and I had no doubt they had no trouble blending in with the shadows outside.
Amber crack her knuckles and stretched arched her back for a quick stretch "Excuse me I got to get going , she was one of three that need to be immediately dealt with," she said and began to walk out of the tent, "Goodbye and don't go crazy on us," she called over her shoulder and then she was gone.
"I'll try not to," I said softly after her and walked behind the curtain and over to the bed that contained Henry's still body.
I bent over him and touched his face just under his eye. I slid my hand across his cheek all the way down to his chin and felt the prickle of his three-day-old stubble. His skin was cold and clammy under my touch.
I brushed some damp hair away from his head and lean down and kissed his forehead. "Goodbye," I whispered. I paused for a moment and my eyes were drawn to his lips, where his breath whistled in and out of.
Why not? Henry wouldn't mind and I wouldn't get to do this for several lifetimes. I leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. That's when I began to cry, not hard, but I felt my eyes become wet with tears.
I yelped when he suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand. I withdrew my face from him and his blue eyes snapped open and he looked at me with alarm.
"Don't go there Violet!" he said with great urgency and looked up into my face, "I saw what you are about to do, don't!"
I stared down at him in confusion, but I slowly pieced it together. He had had a vision of my future. My mouth drew itself into a tight line. "I have to," I said and pried my fingers free from him.
His eyes began to roll back in his head, but before he slipped once again into unconsciousness he managed to mumble, "I'm fading again, but when I wake up again in a second, I'm stopping-" he didn't even finish his sentence before his eyes snapped closed.
I looked down and his sleeping face for a couple more seconds to see if he would wake up and say something else. When he didn't I once again joined Santana who had been patiently waiting for me outside.
"Who were those people and why were they carrying an unconscious person out of the tent? If something was wrong with her shouldn't they be carrying her in like that isn't normal," she said.
"No, it's only normal in my life, don't worry about it, and come on! We want to leave before the sun comes up!" I said and noted the graying sky.
We made our way through the mostly sleeping camp again and to the huge stables that my mother had taken me to the other day. When we approached the mist reindeer and pegasuses, most of who had been lying on the ground, but stood and greeted us with a few whinnies and a couple snorts at our approach.
My father was waiting for us in front of the two massive doors. In is had he held a brown leather bag, which he handed to me. It was heavier than it looked and I struggled to hold it up. He held out his other hand to me and I took it. I felt something cold and metallic being pressed into my hand. I looked down to see I now held a golden whistle in my hand.
My father pointed towards the door and I approached it and knocked three times again on the massive wooden doors. Again, there was the sound of heavy machinery clanking about inside, before the two heavy doors began to swing open slowly.
It appeared we weren't alone, though when the doors opened to reveal a sleeping girl sitting in the middle of the room, with a pink dragon curled around her body. She began to stir when the doors stopped moving with a loud clang.
"Emily?" I said and she started awake and her dragon took off into the air.
"Violet!?" she asked rubbing her gold colored eyes, which brightened suddenly. She ran over to me and gave me the classic accident Emily tackle huge and we both collapsed on the dusty ground. My bag when flying out of my hand, but I managed to hang on to the whistle.
"Oh, my goodness Violet I was sooo worried! You were out knocked out cold and your little sister is soooo cute! She has blonde hair like your mom, oh and my family is okay and what time is it?" she said in one breath.
"Very early," I told her and joined her on the ground. I sat there with her for a moment and watched while dragons of all shade of color possible jumped through the air above and around us.
"You should really still be in bed," she said seriously, "What are you doing here and not resting?" she asked, "No way you're up this early naturally you're practically a nocturnal..." she trailed off when she noticed Santana and Neeva watching us from just outside the doors.
"I can ask you the same," I said, drawling her attention back to me.
Her attention came back to me, "I'm here because I was worried about all the male dragons. I was afraid they got hurt when the griffons attacked and I just couldn't wait until tomorrow morning, to come here and check on him. That's when it's supposed to be safe to come back to the woods again, so I snuck out and came here. Turned out that he and the other dragons were completely safe, the gate kept them locked away all nice and cozy! "
"I'm here for companionship," I told her and stood from the ground and she got up too. I brought the gold whistle to my mouth and blew on it. The little black dragon seemingly swooped down from nowhere to land in front of me. When he saw me he began to growl. Was my dad sure this was a good idea?
I stared into its eyes, which were full of distaste for me and suddenly uncontrollable frustration bubbled to the surface, "Look, buddy, I'm not sure what your problem with me is, but you're about to spend a lot of one on one time with me! That's right you're scaly butt is coming away with me, so you're going to have to learn to like me pretty quick! Come with me I'm your master now, like it or not!" I dangled the gold whistle in its face and its yellow cat-like eyes narrowed.
I reached out and grabbed the reins dangling from its mouth and tugged him forward hard. Causing him to snap at the air in front of me, and I almost lost my nerve. But I remained firm and stared into his eyes and tugged at the reins again and this time he stepped forward. He gave me a look as if to say, I will cooperate, but don't push me too hard.
I nodded my head in agreement to our silent exchange, "Okay," I whispered to him.
"What do you mean he's going always with you!?" Emily said and I started at the sudden addition of her voice. I had been so focused on Deception that I had almost completely forgotten she was with us.
I gave her a sheepish smile and I could see dismay fill her golden eyes, "Yeah for another year," for you at least, it's going to bee 400 for me."
Emily's eyes widen"But-"
"Violet, we must do this right now," my father said interrupting us and stepped into the stable. Inside here will do, but it has to be now," he said, "Santana," he said and motioned her forward and she joined me and Emily.
I scrunched up my nose and looked at him in confusion. Why the sudden rush? I wanted to ask him but then I heard it. The sound of my mother screaming my name at the top of my lungs and another voice mixed in with it, a boy's voice. Henry? No, he would 100% find a way to stop me if he reached here in time!
"Um how do I do this," Santana asked him. I could tell by her voice that she was both freaked out and very unsure.
"Just close your eyes and focus, I'll help you open the correct portal. Sixth element user's abilities come second nature to them," my father told her, and put a hand on her shoulder and kept it there. Santana closed her eyes and immediately opened them, and I saw her eyes had rolled back into her head.
"Um, what is going on!?" Emily yelled, and screamed when a black hole crackling with blue lightning appeared in the space next to her.
"Violet," my father said and let go of Santana. He grabbed my face in his, "If you start to feel your sanity begin to fade, think of the faces of the people you love!" he said, "And like sixth element users, our abilities in time do arrive naturally, but at a far slower pace. Hone them and come back ready!"
"Okay," I said to him and before I could lose my nerve I grabbed the leather bag off the ground and ran into the black vortex, tugging Deception behind me and entered the purgatory, the gray world that laid between life and death where trapped souls spent their eternity."
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