The Intertwined Souls: The Flower of Life (Book 1) [Unfinished]

 

Tablo reader up chevron

Chapter 1: The Flower That Glowed

 It was snowing. It always snowed. Even Olivia's snow golem, Harold, was getting progressively sick of it. Olivia had spent weeks tunnelling out an underground area that was big enough for her to make a farm. The wheat, the carrots and the potatoes hated snow, too. The pumpkins appeared happy with it, though it was hard to tell. Their twisted faces showed indifference to Olivia.

Olivia slowly, reluctantly, dragged herself out of bed. She wasn't in the mood for facing another boring day of farming, though at least it was warm down there; it was needed for the plants, of course. 

Olivia was a pretty girl with big blue eyes and long black hair. Though, she always thought, what was the point in being pretty if you only had a stupid golem to show off to?

Harold had a whole house to himself. He wandered in and out of the wooden shack as he pleased. It was covered in huge piles of snow, inside and out, which Harold had left behind him. Olivia loved him with all her heart, but she couldn't lie that he was quite boring and annoying, especially when he came round to visit Olivia's house and left a large trail of the white powder behind him everywhere, which Olivia was consistently having to sweep after every one of Harold's visits.

Olivia had just one visitor except Harold, and that was the newspaper boy. Richard Jones lived in the village near Olivia's home, with his father. He was different from all the other villagers as, unlike them, he looked like a normal teenaged boy instead of a long-nosed, green-eyed clone. He had blue eyes like Olivia's, though he had short brown hair instead of long black hair. They chatted for a few minutes every morning when Richard came round before Richard told Olivia he had to get on his way. 

Today, however, was different. Olivia was tending to her pumpkins when there came the sounds of crunching snow. Olivia looked up and smiled for a second when she saw Richard wading through the deep snow. Olivia's smile faded when Richard was close enough for her to see his face: it was a look of distress.

"Hi, Rick! What's up?" Olivia asked, but she barely had time to finish her sentence when Richard grabbed hold of her arm.

"I haven't got time to explain, Liv, but you gotta come quick! I've just found something!"

"Rick, is everything all right?" asked Olivia, shocked. "The village... you look worried!"

"No, the village is fine, but it's this flower that's getting at me! C'mon!" Richard tugged Olivia's hand, and she followed him in bewilderment.

Richard led Olivia deep out into the wilderness of the area's forest. The spruce trees towered them as Richard stopped in front of a very unusual flower.

"I was out cutting wood for my father when I spotted this," said Richard, bending down and cupping the flower in his hands. "I know you're best at observing plants. Have you ever seen a flower like this in your life?"

Olivia kneeled down, squinting at the flower, taking in all its details. It was purple, four-petalled, and was unmistakeably glowing.

"I'd be surprised if anyone had ever seen a glowing flower before," answered Olivia, stunned.

Richard blinked. "Glowing? Who said it was glowing?"

"Come on, Rick. Can't you see? It's bright as anything."

Richard was looking genuinely baffled. "Liv, I think I'd know if it were glowing. My eyesight's far better than yours."

This was true. Richard had inherited his mother's sharp eyes. His mother had been a hunter, after all, before one day her prey had got to her first: an aggressive wolf. However, when Olivia reached out to the flower, its purple glow appeared on her palm. She was not hallucinating it - she was sure of it. 

She stretched her hand further, and quite suddenly, almost accidentally, her fingers stroked a light petal of the flower. And, just as suddenly, the flower shone like a purple fire and started to dance. Olivia crouched there, stunned to silence, and even Richard gasped.

"My God..." he whispered. "I think I know what this is! Here..." Richard took the stem and twisted the flower out of the earth. The flower stopped dancing but did not lose its glow, nor did it droop. Richard picked a leaf off the flower, and slid the stem in Olivia's fringe, which he twisted around the flower. "There! You look beautiful. Now, come with me. My dad... he runs a library in the village. He'll be bound to give us a book on this!"

Before Olivia knew what was happening, before she could come over the shock of the reaction the flower had made when she had touched it, she was being pulled out of the forest and towards the village.

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 2: The Intertwined Souls

 Olivia had not visited the village in months. Ever since winter had come, it had blown blizzards too strong for her to battle through to walk a mile to the village. Richard had chosen a perfect day to take her; it had stopped snowing, and the sun was shining through the thinnest of clouds.

The village was a quiet place, despite its many villagers. It was tradition for everyone to work in silence. Everyone worked in the large farming areas, except the few lucky villagers who had got jobs as blacksmiths, tailors, hunters and librarians. 

The library was one of the largest buildings in the village, which actually wasn't saying much, since the only building larger than any of the other buildings was the witch's tower. The rest were tiny.

Long rows of books met Olivia's eyes, stacked to the high ceiling. From thousand-page, dusty volumes to thin paperbacks. Olivia was not into reading herself, But even she was taken aback by the high quantity of books.

There was only one person in her besides Olivia and Richard: a villager that was sitting at an armchair, poring over a particularly large novel. Richard clearly recognised him, but spoke to him cautiously.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, hoping the villager would look up. He didn't. He continued to read.

"Er..." Richard struggled. "Um... hello, Dad."

"Yes?" The villager finally looked up, wearing a face of annoyance. "What do you want, Ri-?"

He suddenly stopped, his emerald eyes clapped upon Olivia. He sat still for a moment, before he slowly rose, not taking his eyes off Olivia. Finally, once he was almost nose to nose with Olivia, he whispered, "Olivia... S-Star?"

Olivia nodded, wondering what Richard had told his father.

But this man did not seem to recognise Olivia from his son. He suddenly clapped his weak, wrinkly hands on Olivia's cheeks, and a wide, toothless grin spread across his face.

"Olivia... to be meeting you at last is a great honour. So great, in fact, I feel I must bow to you."

He backed away slightly, and bent his back. He bent it a little too much, and nearly toppled into Olivia, who caught him just in time.

"Whoops," he said, steadying himself. He gazed at Olivia in awe. "Thank you, Olivia Star. I apologise for my lack of stability," he said, as though speaking to royality. 

"It's fine," said Olivia, smiling, though she was bewildered. "How - how do you know my name?"

"My dear, only from a majority of the most incredible recent history books! I'm reading one now. Come and see..."

Richard's father led Olivia and Richard to the armchair where he left his book. He folded his page over so as not to lose where he was, and flicked through the dusty yellow pages until he stopped.

"Here y'are," he said, handing the book over to Olivia and seating her in the armchair, which was lucky otherwise Olivia would've dropped the heavy book on her foot. She looked down at the page. The first words were in large, old-style writing: "The Intertwined Souls".

"The Intertwined Souls?" said Richard blankly. He was reading over Olivia's shoulder. "What's that?"

"Read on, m'boy. Read on!" said Richard's father, waving his hand. 

Olivia and Richard obliged.

"The Intertwined Souls, more commonly known as the Triplets, are three completely different. However, they share one very special similarity: an unknown power. How they recieved this power is unclear, as is what this power is. A prophecy was made of the Triplets, which you can listen to by placing a finger on the black circle on the following page."

Olivia looked at the next page and saw, as the words said, a small black circle imprinted on the paper. It looked very plain, but even so Olivia touched it. 

A low, hissy voice issued from out the book. There was no visible mouth, but it still spoke clearly.

"Of the three young souls who trespass into this humble world, one shall be banished again. That soul will be the one to save the world from he who possesses eyes as cold as ice, yet as hot as fire. Of the three Triplets, born with the names Kayla White, Marcus King, and Olivia Star" (Olivia's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her own name) "one will possess the Flower of Life. One will be granted of full immortality. And one will have the greatest power, the power to destroy He Who Carries the Lightning Stick."

Olivia removed her finger from the circle, and craned her neck around to find Richard reaching a finger out for the circle. They met, but no voice issued out of it this time. It clearly read the fingerprint, and showed itself to whose fingerprint it belonged only.

Eventually, Richard removed his finger. "Well, there you have it," said his father.

"B-but... what does it mean?" asked Olivia, wide-eyed.

Richard's father suddenly looked serious. "I have been studying this prophecy for eight years, and I believe I finally understand it. This information could be vital, so listen to me carefully.

"Fifteen years ago, I met a man called Steve when he had brought a child into the hospital where I worked. But this was no ordinary child, oh no. When they examined it, the doctors concluded that this child was able to transform into a fox."

"What?" Olivia and Richard yelled.

"Yes," said Richard's father. "The bitch was harmless enough, but the doctors attempted to seek out an expert to check the case, but Steve refused, saying he would take the girl back to her mother at once before making any further arrangements. Steve took the baby out of the hospital - and I have not seen her since.

"After studying this chapter on this book, I realize that the Intertwined Souls are similar ages: two of them sixteen, one seventeen."

"I'm sixteen!" said Olivia.

"Indeed," said Richard's father. "I knew that, from the moment Rick mentioned your name, you lived nearby. And because you were clearly no older than two when I first saw the girl in the hospital, I have been wondering..."

It took Olivia five seconds to realize what this man was getting at; the shock of the whole "Intertwined Soul" thing had driven almost everything else out of Olivia's mind.

"You think... I was the one able to change into a fox?" she asked in amazement. But then she stopped abruptly. "But what evidence do you have? You think this Steve has something to do with the Intertwined Souls?"

"I don't think so. I know so," said Richard's father sincerely. "Do you know why? Because I know Steve as another form as well as the one I first met him in. Back then he was Steve, a young, slightly flustered, very friendly gentleman. Now he is something completely different."

"What?" asked Richard, who was on the very edge of his seat. 

"He is a monster," said his father. "A monster whose only desire is to destroy what he finds a waste of space of a world. According to the prophecy, the Triplets are the only three who can stop this monster."

"Who is he?" Olivia and Richard asked eagerly at the exact same time.

Richard's father looked the two teenagers directly in their eyes as he muttered the word like it was tabooed.

"Herobrine."

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 3: The Rogue Squids

 Olivia and Richard stayed silent as they processed this in their minds. Eventually, Richard said, "Dad, are - are you sure?"

"Almost positive," said his father determinedly. "He who carries the Lightning Stick? That thing's legendary! Taken the lives of thousands! And I know the only man who has it.

"What's more, he will do but nothing to stop any foe standing in his way. Olivia, although you must save the world, you cannot do it alone. And with only Richard at your side, you really don't stand a chance. What you must do is find Kayla and Marcus and unite under the same roof. One of you will possess the Flower of Life - that's you, Olivia." ("So that's why you can see the Flower glowing but the rest of us can't!" Richard exclaimed to Olivia, amazed.) "One of you will be granted full immortality. And one of you will stop Herobrine."

"Stop Herobrine from doing what?" asked Richard, at the same time as Olivia asked, "What's a Flower of Life?"

Richard's father answered Olivia's question, but ignored his son's. "A Flower of Life is a healing flower, Olivia. It holds power that can cure you of any mild illness in its petals, and power to heal lethal maladies like infections or poisons in its nectar, and even holds the Elixir of Life inside its leaves."

"Its - leaves?" Richard said, gulping. 

"Yes. Why?" His father suddenly looked suspicious.

"Well... we kind of had a leaf on this flower..." Richard looked from Olivia to his father. "And... well... I picked it off." 

Richard's father sighed.

"Funny, isn't it, that such a magical object can seem so ordinary and useless?" he said, shaking his head. "No matter. Hopefully that leaf will not be of any use."

"Excuse me," interrupted Olivia. There was a question in her mind that was fighting to get free. "But you say I was taken into hospital by the same person who wants to kill me. Why would Herobrine take me for medical services if he wants to kill me?"

"It wasn't medical services," answered Richard, looking surprised as the words left his mouth. "He was examining you. Making sure you were-"

"I was... what?"

Richard looked at his dad for help.

"...you were decent enough to help him." Richard's dad completed Richard's sentence without a moment's hesitation. 

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Help - him?" Olivia stared at Richard's father in utter disbelief. "Why would I even consider helping him?"

"No one knows for sure," said Richard's father. "Our biggest bet is that Herobrine planned to abduct you immediately after he left the hospital and raise you to help him, but you somehow managed to get away from him. If that is so, he will be hunting you down as we speak."

"I suspect he'll be after me whether or not your theory's true," said Olivia. "But... but what should I do? How can I find Kayla and Marcus? And, more to the point, how do I find them without Herobrine finding me first?"

Richard's father had been expecting this question. "Down in the Underworld, there is a tunnel that will lead you in any direction you wish to go. The question is, how to find it. However, to our fortune I know just the man who might know its location. He lives in the Nether, in a large fortress. Just say my name and they will lead you straight to him. We were once very good friends."

"Oh, Mr Jones, thank you!" Olivia cried.

Richard's father chuckled. "Call me Percival, Olivia. Now, to business. 

"What I want you two to do is build a portal - you will be able to buy obsidian from the local blacksmith's - gear yourself up - I believe you have armour and weaponry in your house, do you not, Rick? - and brave the dangers of the Underworld. Oh, please do build your portal a safe distance from the village. You never know, the children here... they're a little curious of that kind of stuff and might investigate a little more than what we would hope for. Anyways, once you are in the Nether, use this map" (Percival handed Olivia a rolled-up piece of parchment) "to find the large fortress in the Underworld. My friend is king there, and a very wise King at that. Once you have found the tunnel, walk and keep walking and, while you are walking, repeat your destination aloud over and over until you exit the tunnel. With luck, the tunnel will have sent you to the destination you desire and not in the middle of a desert."

"There's that possibility?" said Richard, shuddering.

Percival ignored him. "It's always worth getting a bit more obsidian than you need... just in case. Remember that. I will see you out, now. Oh, and take this." Percival tapped the book on Olivia's lap. "No one ever comes in here to read that dusty old hardback. I never really understood why... but you... it may come in handy to you."

"Thank you, Percival," said Olivia, and pocketed the book in her inventory.

"And one last thing before you leave," Percival said, staring straight into Olivia's eyes. "Never give anyone your true identity. At times like this, you can never trust anyone, not even any citizen in this village."

Percival shunted Olivia and Richard out, and with a clenched fist dropped something in Olivia's inventory. "Don't tell a soul where you got these," he said, winking. "Good luck." And, with that, he walked back through the door and shut it on Olivia and Richard.

They looked at each other.

"Well..." Richard said, without the slightest idea what was to follow the word.

"Wow..." Olivia stroked the petals of the flower. "Seven years without a clue I was so special, then six days after my sixteenth birthday and my life just crashes in front of me."

"You had your sixteenth birthday a week ago?" Richard looked horrified. "I never knew! I could've celebrated it with you! The whole village could!"

Olivia giggled. "I gave up on birthdays a long time ago. Though Harold always surprised me with a lovely little gift like a bruised apple he found on the ground, or a baby snow golem he had built himself. The poor thing died when it was just two days old. Got a tad big too close to my fireplace. But yeah, Harold always remembered my birthday."

Olivia's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Harold... I didn't say goodbye to him..."

He wasn't the best of company, but he was all Olivia had had for the past few years. He looked after her. He treated her well. And now she was going to set off on a dangerous adventure from which she might never return without bidding him farewell?

Richard saw the look on Olivia's face, and clasped her hand in his.

"You can always write a note and give it to one of the villagers," said Richard. "They can give it to Harold."

Olivia nodded sadly. Secretly, she felt a note wouldn't be the same as talking to Harold in person, but she did not want to sound ungrateful. She vowed never to call a villager a "long-nosed, green-eyes clone" ever again. 

Olivia tried hard to forget about Harold as she and Richard made their way to the blacksmith's, being frequently stopped on the way by a villager hoping to make a trade. Percival had given her about thirty emeralds, and she didn't want to spend a single one on anything except the essentials. However, she did trade an apple for three pieces of meat, and thought she had got a bargain until she sniffed one of the pieces and realized they were poisoned. But she did not have time to tell on cons.

They reached the blacksmith's at sundown, and even before they opened the door they heard the clang-clang-clangs of someone working at an anvil. And sure enough, there was a short, burly villager hammering a piece of iron into a long, shiny blade. He didn't look up, even when he said to Olivia and Richard, "Whaddya want?"

"Please, sir," said Olivia. "We'd like to make a few purchases."

"Name 'em," said the blacksmith, still not raising his head as he lifted the blade to his eyes, peered closely at every angle, frowned slightly, and laid the blade back on the anvil, and started to hammer again. 

"Well, first of all we need blocks of obsidian," said Olivia. 

"'Ow many is you wanting?" asked the blacksmith, a tone of impatience in his voice. 

"Er..." To make a Nether portal, you would need to put ten blocks of obsidian in a ring, two blocks wide, three blocks high, though you could use anything for the corners. Olivia was just saying, "We'll need te-" before the memory of what Percival had said sidled into her mind.

"It's always worth getting a bit more obsidian than you need... just in case."

What had he meant?

But Olivia wasn't taking any unnecessary risks.

"Twenty blocks, please," Olivia said defiantly. "Trust me," she added to Richard, who had given her a look of contempt.

"You're willing to pay eighty emeralds, is that right?" asked the blacksmith gruffly, keeping his eyes low.

"Sorry - what?" Olivia couldn't believe her ears. "Eighty emeralds? Are you serious?"

"Twenty times four equals eighty, missy. The stage of rarity will determine how much your purchase is. Out of five, I'd say obsidian's a four."

"Hmph," Olivia muttered, feeling it would be a lot less hassle to dig into a lava pit hundreds of blocks below her feet and get obsidian from there than to gain the forty more emeralds.

Though, of course, unless the man had emeralds himself to give out...

"Well... how about forty emeralds?" Olivia asked. 

"If youse gots forty diamonds, then it's a deal," said the blacksmith.

Olivia and Richard rolled their eyes at each other. This was such a waste of time. 

"I saw that," the blacksmith hissed.

"How?" asked Olivia.

"How, you ask? I'll shows you, shalls I?" The blacksmith straightened up and turned to face Olivia and Richard.

They screamed.

"Okay, okay!" cried the blacksmith, wringing his hands and covering his eye with one of them. "Shut your gobs already or they'll be thinking I'm tryin'a murder you!"

The blacksmith's face was torn and burnt, but that wasn't the worst of it. One of the blacksmith's green eyes were missing. In its place was a literal black glass eye. What should have been the whites were purplish black and the iris was crimson. But the creepiest thing about it was it kept swivelling all around in the blacksmith's head.

"Can see anything from the back of my head to right through my insides, all the way into my... um... privacies. But that isn't the point! What is the point is how the heck you're gonna buy my junk if you haven't even got eighty goddamn emeralds! Whaddya think I'm running, a charity shop? Now ged outta my shop! Shoo!"

Olivia and Richard practically ran out, before the blacksmith started using the blade he was shaping.

"Well, Dad clearly didn't see that coming," Richard sighed. "So what should we do now? Ask Dad for more emeralds?"

"No way!" cried Olivia, as though that idea was out of the question. "He's already given us loads. We can't go begging him for more."

"He's my father! But all right. We'll see if we can get these emeralds. What have you got to trade?"

"Well, I got pumpkins," said Olivia, rummaging through her inventory. "And coal... and a bit of string... and... that's about it. Let's see if anyone will make a trade."

They searched around the village, asking villagers for trades, but had no luck until they reached an old fisherman down at the local dockyard. He reeked of salt and fish. 

"Hmph... young lad and lass," he said as Olivia and Richard approached him. "What can I do for ya?"

Richard whispered in Olivia's ear, "This is Barnacles. He's blind in both eyes."

Olivia nodded and cleared her throat.

"Hello, sir Barnacles..."

"Cap'n Barnacles to you, lassie," said Barnacles gruffly. "Now what's the business?"

"We were wondering if you would like to make a trade of some sort?" asked Olivia, opening her inventory.

"I'm wantin' nuffin' 'less it's ink sacks," grunted Captain Barnacles.

"Ink sacks?" Olivia knew ink sacks came from squids, and to find squids she'd have to go underwater. The trouble was, Olivia was a lousy swimmer. However, Richard said, seeming to have read Olivia's mind, "I'll go fetch them. How much will you pay for each sack?"

"For a real one, I'll give yeh ten em'ralds. No more," said Captain Barnacles. "Fer a fake 'un, you get a punch in 'a teeth. I don' app'rciate young 'uns poking out at me jus' 'cos I'm blind! Though if yeh fancy, I could exchange ten o' them em'ralds fer a trip on me boat ter Roid Bay! Beautiful place, is Roid Bay... me dad used ter take me fishing there. Proper quiet place, since there weren't nobody around!"

Olivia and Richard looked at one another, each having the same thought as the other: Roid Bay would be the perfect place for them to make their portal!

"I won't let you down," Richard promised. "May I borrow a boat?"

"Take one of the wooden row boats docked on the port side of the shortest dock yeh can find," replied Captain Barnacles. "Good luck."

And, before long, Olivia was rowing Richard in an old, mouldy rowing boat infested with cockroaches.

"See anything?" asked Olivia, stamping on a particularly large cockroach with the heel of her leather boot. Richard was peering over the side.

"No... nothing yet... THERE!" Richard yelled, pointing at the blue, eight-tentacled creature drifting under the surface. "There's one... two... three... four squids! Just the amount we needed! Wow, this is going to be a doddle! Anyways, I'm going in!

And, sticking his knife into a pocket in his belt, he took a deep breath and dived.

Olivia peered over the side of the boat, and watched as Richard surfaced again, gasping and panting.

"Damn! That water's cold!" he breathed, clinging onto the boat, teeth chattering. "Just give me a moment..."

And he took one more deep breath, and dived again. This time he swam level with the squids, who barely paid any attention to him whatsoever. Richard withdrew his knife, and sliced it through the squid closest to him. Black blood splurted out and drenched Richard, but that was the least of his problems, because it seemed squids weren't as harmless as Richard originally thought.

At once, the three remaining squids pounced on him. One wrapped its tentacles around his wrists, and another bound his legs together with its tentacles. Richard thrashed and screamed silently, large air bubbles rising to the surface from his mouth. Horror-struck, Olivia turned her head to shore and screamed out for help. However, the fishermen were too wrapped up in their own affairs to hear Olivia, whose voice was caught in the wind blowing in the opposite direction. She peered down at Richard again, and saw his struggles were weakening. If Olivia couldn't get help... she'd have to do it herself!

She kicked off her boots, drew out her sword, took a deep breath, and dived.

Richard was right: the water was ice cold. So cold, in fact, that Olivia couldn't stand it. Her head broke the surface, and she took a few more gulps of air before diving back in. She couldn't see much underwater, but she could just see the dark blue blur of the rogue squids. She pushed hard. Nothing seemed to be able to propel her to Richard. He was fast drowning. She had to get to him... she had to... but she was fast losing oxygen, fighting hard to get to Richard... her vision was slowly clouding over.

Suddenly, instantly, Olivia gained a huge burst of speed and flew through the water. Her vision was still foggy, but she could still see the squids, and they were right below her. One of them was about to bite Richard's head off...

Olivia reached for her sword, but for some reason found it hard to grip, as though her thumbs had fallen off. Perhaps they were just numb from the cold. She just about managed to wrap her fingers around it, but even they had shrunk considerably. 

She swung the sword hard at the squid about to kill Richard, and it split like a paper bag into black ink. She reached inside it with one hand while dealing with the squid who had hold of Richard's wrists, sticking her sword straight into it. She grabbed the ink sack from the first squid, and reached inside the second squid, her vision getting foggier, her mind going blank. She only vaguely felt the tentacles of the final squid wrap around her, binding her close to it. She was the one still alive... she would be the one that would taste nice...

Olivia just about heard a splash above her before she blacked out completely, deprived of oxygen...


"Where did it come from?"

"Search me! I just found it killing those rogue squids with a sword."

"With a-?"

"Hey, it's stirrin', look."

Olivia slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the men above him. She was breathing heavily and hugging herself.

"Hello, little fox," said one of the men. "Ain't you a beauty, eh?"

Olivia didn't understand what he was saying? Little fox? Did he mean what she thought he meant? If so, she instantly disliked this man.

Olivia slowly sat up, but for some reason she couldn't seem to sit up straight. Perhaps from exhaustion. She managed to sit with her hands holding her up, though. She did so, without taking her eyes off the men. 

"What happened?" she asked wearily, and the men gasped.

"Th-this fox talks?" one said.

"Sounds like it," said another.

Olivia felt annoyed. "Fox? Who said I was a-?"

Suddenly, it occurred to her. She remembered what Percival had said earlier on:

"Fifteen years ago, I met a man called Steve when he brought a child into the hospital where I worked. But this was no ordinary child, oh no. When they examined it, the doctors concluded this child could turn into a fox."

Immediately, Olivia stuck her hands in front of her. 

They were little furry white paws.

She gasped, and got to her feet. All four of them. She didn't seem to have the balance to walk on two. She twisted her head around, and saw a red bushy tail trailing behind her.

How had this happened?

When had this happened? Olivia couldn't remember much from before she passed out, except the rogue squids, Richard, her nearly dying...

Richard.

"Where's Richard?" Olivia asked the men fearfully. "Is he... alive?"

"Richard?" said one of the men. "The guy who jumped in for them rogue squids? Yeah, he's fine, just in the hut. He's out cold, but he's breathing. But the question is, who are you? And, more to the point, since when did foxes learn to speak?"

"Oh, I'm Oli- um... Alicia Stone," said Olivia, remembering what Percival had said about not sharing her identity with anyone at the last minute. "And I'm actually a person who can transform into a fo- into any animal I like."

"Really?" another man said eagerly.

"So why did you decide to transform into a fox underwater?" asked a third man.

Olivia shrugged. "Just the first thing that popped into my head." She was rather good at lying, having done it a lot when the local villagers asked her awkward questions. "But I can turn back... watch..." She was only saying this because she hoped she could. It would be a bit of a pain being stuck as a fox. Thinking this was a stupid idea, she willed herself to become human again and, incredibly, it worked. The men watched in awe as Olivia's fur shrank back into her skin, her black hair fell over her shoulder, and her tail disappeared. Soon, Olivia found herself on all fours. She got to her feet, and immediately felt in her fringe. The Flower of Life was still there, thriving. 

"What's that?" asked a man, pointing at the flower.

"Just a hair ornament," lied Olivia, and swiftly changed the subject. "I want to see Richard. Can you take me to him, please?"

One of the bulkier men led Olivia to a small, wooden shed that reeked of fish. It looked as though it had seen better days: the triangular roof was caving in, and the wood was frail and had obvious holes in. The door was so stiff Olivia wondered if it was boarded up at the other side as she threw all her weight against it - before the bulky man explained that it was a pull-door. Feeling foolish, Olivia pulled the door. It took her by surprise how easy it was to open that she staggered backwards and nearly fell over as the door swung open. They stepped inside

"Olivia! Olivia!"

Olivia was nearly toppled over a second time as Richard ran to Olivia and threw his arms around her.

"You're okay!" Richard cried. "This guy told me you had drowned when I woke up." He nodded darkly at a weedy man sitting on a stool, looking a little guilty. "I'll never forgive Barnacles. He was my dad's friend, and then he sends us out to our deaths for a measly ten emeralds! I saw you when they fished you out. At first I thought I was seeing things when they took out a fox, but then I remembered what Dad said! You knew how to do it?"

"Yeah... I mean, no, actually. It just happened! But I figured out how to turn back into a human. I wonder..."

Olivia willed herself into a fox - and it worked. Richard stared in awe as she shrank into her fox form, momentarily standing on two legs before she lost balance and fell on all fours.

"Sweet!" gasped Richard, then a sly grin grew on his face. "I always said you were pretty... foxy." He winked.

Olivia changed the subject at the speed of light, though the weedy man was sniggering. "Let's go get those emeralds now."

"One step ahead of you," said Richard, grinning and emptying his pockets of eighty sparkling emeralds. "And Barnacles said he'd take us to Roid Bay! All we need is a flint and steel - which I've got somewhere back in my house - and we'll be in the Nether before you can say 'Rogue squids are vile!'"

"Awesome!" said Olivia, and transformed herself back into her human form. "Shall we head back to the village now?"

Richard grinned. "I think you already know the answer to that one!"

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 4: The Portal

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 5: The Fortress

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 6: Dice

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 7: A Reunion

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 8: The Letter

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 9: Dice's Temper

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 10: The Wither

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 12: The Lightning Stick

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...

Chapter 11: The Rebirthing

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...
~

You might like Alicia Moonglow's other books...