On Falling In And Out Of Storyside...

Part 7

            Eris, Counsel Supreme to King Daniel and perhaps the most calm, logical and level-headed fairy in the whole realm, furiously dealt Naomi another magic jolt of pain and repeated her question. "Where is my brother, you ungrateful sprite whelp?"

            Naomi, her teeth set on edge with pain, could not answer for a few moments. She took this time to think. Why anyone thought Naomi'd want to keep up with Eris' kid brother Erik was beyond her. Erik had had the type of crush on Naomi that stalkers reserved for their victims. She had continually spurned his affections because, simply put, he was ugly.

            That was when Erik had decided that he'd prove his love for Naomi by showing her he could turn everyone she knew against her.

            He'd attempted to do so, succeeding in using his magic to make everyone believe that Naomi was someone they all wanted to kill, which had resulted in Naomi having her wings yanked out by Daina, of all people. It had taken months of corrective surgical magic and tearful apologies from Dee to get the wings to respond again and even longer amounts of exercise to get them back up to par. By then, Erik, apparently realizing what he had done and fearing retribution, had disappeared and Naomi had had no problems leaving that mystery alone.

            Now, for some stupid reason, Eris was deciding to blame Naomi for her beloved psycho-brother's disappearance.

            "You been holding me in here for nearly 12 full hours and I've given you the same answer each time," Naomi said, breathing heavily at the bottom of the giant bubble she was trapped in. "I don't know where Erik the Ugly is and I don't particularly..."

            Before she could say the word "care", Eris laid her hands on the bubble again and Naomi was sent into another bout of painful contortions.

            "You know and you will care because if you don't, I'll turn you into crystal myself!" Eris snapped.

            "What a perfect little stone you'll make in my jewel box, Naomi," simpered Temille, the fairy whom had ratted Naomi out to Eris in the first place.

            Eris let go of the bubble and Naomi's body relaxed abruptly, as if an electric current in her body had been shut off. When Naomi could speak again, she hoarsely gasped out, "Does Daniel know you're doing this?"

            "Of course he does!" Temille retorted for Eris, whom had suddenly gone silent. "Doesn't he?"

            "Then why all the secrecy?" Naomi asked. "I know these dungeons like the back of my hand and I know you've got me way away from all the normal criminals. Besides, if he knew I was here, he'dve come and got on me personally about this."

            "King Daniel has given me permission to find my brother by whatever means necessary," Eris spoke up authoritatively.

            "Then why haven't you told him I'm here?" Naomi asked. "This place has standards and rules of justice just like anywhere else and you're violating my..."

            "Shut up!" Eris hollered, leaping at Naomi to charge her with pain again.

            "You're wrong!" Naomi forced out before she fainted from the agony. "You...know you're wrong...you...know..."

 

 

            "Somebody's in there," whispered Jerry. "Three somebodies and one's hovering over the ground in this big bubble."

            "I wanna see!" Mia begged, crowding her way in front of Jerry to stand on tiptoe in front of the food slot. Jerry hoisted her up to the slot where she could see in.

            "That your friend?" he asked.

            "Naomi!" Mia shouted. "They're hurting h...!"

            Jerry clapped a hand over Mia's mouth and hissed, "They'll be hurting us, too, ladybug, if you don't shut up!"

            "Jerry's right, dear," Magbert added, to make sure she didn't rebel against the human. "If we cause a scene now, we may not get the chance to save her."

            "Got it?" Jerry asked. Mia nodded and Jerry set her down gently.

            "Now, what was going on in there?" Magbert asked.

            "Two fairies are torturing this other one in a big bubble. One of them's kinda fat and the other's real skinny. The one in the bubble..."

            "Naomi!" Mia inserted.

            "...is not doing so hot," Jerry finished. "She was yelling something about them being wrong and telling King Daniel."

            "Well, what do we do?" Mia asked, in a whisper.

            "Magbert, can your magic do anything in here?" Jerry asked.

            "It's the whole dungeon, Jerry. I'm afraid I can't do anything without rendering myself useless," Magbert shrugged. "But, heightwise, you are a much more foreboding character than I. Besides, seeing a human this size in here might give them the impression that you are a great wizard."

            "Yeah, right!" Jerry snorted.

            "Really!" said Magbert. "Only a great sorcerer would be able to get himself fairy size and slip unnoticed past all the magic spells and guards into the capital city all the way into the remotest dungeon."

            "You think I did this to myself?" Jerry asked incredulously.

            "No, but they might," Magbert nodded.

            Jerry was stuck on that one. It didn't help when Mia, with classic childlike charm, clung to his arm and begged, "Please, Jerry, you gotta help her. Please?"

            "Foul!" Jerry frowned, pointing at Mia. "Unfair use of helpless waif!"

            "Just pretend as though you are as powerful as they hope you aren't," Magbert reassured him.

            "You mean improvise."

            "If that is what they call it in your world, then that's perfect."

            "I can't fake the magic thing, man," Jerry said.

            "Actually, I think you'll be surprised at how well you can fake the 'magic thing'," Magbert nodded. "As for you, Mia, I want you to fly as fast as you can upstairs and find the Fairy King; no one else! Somehow, I don't think he knows about the little party in his dungeon." Mia flew off and Magbert leaned around Jerry, pounded on the door and announced. "Hark! The Dread and Puissant High Sorcerer Gerald, Defender of the Weak, the Meek and the Ill Treated and Protector/Champion of the Magic Folk demands you prepare yourselves for his portentuous presence!"

            Jerry whirled on Magbert, not sure whether to shut him up or be impressed at his impromptu discourse. Before he could make a decision, the door was flung open and the overweight fairy whom had been torturing Naomi, the one in the bubble, now stood imperiously in the doorway. Oh, God, Jerry thought, let my one semester of acting shine through in this extremely needy moment!!!

            "Ho, woman!" he began, clearing the squeak of fear from his throat. "What evil lurks in the heart of...er, this dungeon? Only I know and I find it appalling!"

            "Who are you?" the fairy demanded.

            "I am, uh..."

            "He is the Dread and Puissant High Sorcerer Gerald, Defender of the Weak, the Meek and the Ill Treated and Protector/Champion of the Magic Folk from ilk such as yourselves and you should be so lucky to have been told twice!" said Magbert, proudly.

            And you are extremely good!, thought Jerry to himself, giving Magbert a slightly amazed glance.

            "Well, Dread and Puissant, I am interrogating a prisoner and do not wish to be..." began the fairy.

            "And I am here to make sure you are following all the rules and regulations of the Geneva Convention," Jerry interrupted, pushing past her.

            "The what? I've never heard of..."

            "Ah, so you aren't following the King's express new rules, then! Your names, please?" he added, whipping out his address book to write them down in.

            The fairy he'd pushed past squinted at him as if not sure to believe him. "I," she began haughtily, "am the Lady Eris of Pyrope, Counselor Supreme to King Daniel himself."

            "And you?"

            "Temille of Pyrope, lord," said the thin fairy, obviously completely convinced of Jerry's "realism".

            "I see," Jerry nodded, looking officiously about the room. "And just what sort of interrogation are you running here, m'lady?"

            "I am...trying to get this know felon to confess to crimes she has committed."

            "Such as?"

            "She knows what they are!" Eris growled.

            "Well, since she is obviously not awake enough to tell me herself, then perhaps you'd better inform me, missee." Jerry mentally laughed to himself as he watched the discomfort the counselor was suffering.

            "Perhaps, my lord," said Magbert insistently, "we ought to take the prisoner and her interrogators upstairs to discuss matters with King Daniel."

            Jerry took this as a hint. "Yes, perhaps we'd better," he said, gesturing toward the door.

            "Ah, no, wait!" Eris said, suddenly looking rather hospitably nervous. "Surely a man as handsome as yourself wouldn't just up and strand a lady of the court without giving her a chance to redeem herself?"

            Jerry and Magbert exchanged knowing glances. "Well, certainly, this is more like it, m'lady," said Jerry, allowing himself to be led back into the room. "Now, perhaps you'd like to try explaining to me one more time what this is about."

            "In de-tail," Magbert added, his eyes flicking toward the door.

            "Well, my lord, it's rather simple, really," said Lady Eris, suddenly the picture of graciousness. "This sprite I am interrogating is part of a plot to murder our good King Daniel. I don't wish to alarm him, as he may become nervous and tip off this woman's co-conspirators."

            "I see," Jerry nodded thoughtfully. "Then why..."

            Before he could get out his statement, Mia re-entered the room, escorted by a guard. "I found this sprite flying around the stateroom, Lady Eris."

            "Sorry, Daddy, I tried," Mia said to Magbert sadly.

            "Daddy?" echoed Lady Eris, frowning.

            Mia looked from Eris to her father. "Oops," she whispered.

            Oops? Good cover, kid, Jerry groaned inwardly. This was falling apart faster than he could think.

            Apparently, it wasn't too fast for Magbert. Jerry caught a quick movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to find Magbert swinging a bag in his hand by its leather strap and the guard, along with Mia, fast asleep on the floor. He turned toward Lady Eris, swinging the bag, while Temille reached out toward him and Mia. Jerry grabbed Temille's arm just as Lady Eris was overtaken by the sleeping spell Magbert had cast...and just as Magbert and Mia disappeared at Temille's touch.

 

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