Somewhere Not Over the Rainbow - 15/17
So I've been kind of an idiot and forgot (for a year) to post the rest of this.
::looks around:: Please don't hurt me.
If you need to catch up on what's gone down so far, there's the story index.
A big thanks goes to the most awesomest beta in the word, erinm_4600. Every one should shower her in chocolate and tatter tots and what ever else she wants 'cus she's that awesome (and her birthday is coming).
Toto followed DG and the Seeker for nearly an hour before he came to a dead end. He had seen the Seeker carry DG through a door, but it was now as solid as stone, so Toto turned to his nose.
There were so many strong, conflicting scents in the Realm that threatened to overwhelm Toto's nose, but magic had a scent that Toto had spent years learning, and it wouldn't fall him now. He found a nearby vent opening to the topside and wriggled up. Once in the free air, Toto breathed deeply. There, the sent of magic called to him and Toto took off at his top speed.
He found an odd-looking wood pile that just reeked of magic, both light and dark. DG had been here, but so had Azkadellia and her men. DG's scent led him down to the lakeshore, where it was joined by the smell of gas. Toto closed his eyes and sought to find that combination of magic and gas. It had taken to the air. But how? There was only one man Toto had even known who was a master of air travel. The man the Seeker was supposed to lead them to - Ahamo.
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The ride through the southern forest was the strangest hour Wyatt had ever spent. Wyatt had wanted to go after the Seeker, but Jeb's quietly-forceful words had stopped him. "The Seeker knows the Realm better then any of us. Even a ten minute head start will have given him enough time to completely disappear."
At the start of the ride, Jeb explained that his part of the Resistance had been tasked with watching the Longcoat activity between the Witch's Tower, Finaqua and the Forest. "There's some sort of magic force in this part. The Witch has had whole companies of men combing these woods for annuals."
That was an hour ago, and there had been no more then a dozen words said since then - not counting Glitch and Raw chatting away. But, there had been no time to talk. Jeb and his man, Zek, rode at the head of the group, Raw and Glitch in the middle, and Wyatt rode lookout in the rear.
Jeb and Zek pulled their horses up, and the other men followed suit. After a minute, four resistance fighters slipped out from behind the trees.
"Hunter, you're late," one said.
"Sorry, but we took a short visit to the Realm of the Unwanted," Jeb replied. "We managed to pick up some rather interesting information about the Witch's plans."
"So did we," the fighter said with a smirk. "You'll never guess who we found waltzing through the woods."
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The scent of magic and gas lead Toto around two lakes before showing him what he had been hoping for: Ahamo's hot air balloon. There had been so many warm, summer days at Finaqua that Toto had spent watching that balloon float overhead. Other Side magic, he had called it. An amusing use of science, Ambrose had replied.
Toto followed the scent of DG's magic into the woods and up to a strange door.
In the clearing before the door, Toto could smell not only DG and the Seeker, who Toto now believed was Ahamo, but also Azkadellia. Azkadellia and Ahamo's scents mixed with the smell of men and horses before going back into the woods, but DG's scent went back to the door.
The magic that was surrounding the door wasn't just DG's, but had the scent of age. This door had been made by someone a long time ago, and had been added to by several strong magic users over the years.
A soft cry reached his ears from behind the door. There was no way for him to get in there but, behind that door, DG was in trouble and he wasn't going to let her down.
Toto turned away from the door and ran off. As he passed the first lake, he had passed over a trail and caught the scent of Raw, Glitch and Wyatt. Now, to see if he could catch up to them in time.
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His boy was smart, Wyatt had to give him that. The stunt he pulled with Zero and the spoons was nothing short of brilliant. Adora had been like that. Was like that? Gods, if Jeb was alive, then was Adora?
Jeb stepped out from the tent where he had been talking with his seconds. "We're going to have to move out soon," he said. "Azkadellia’s plan must be stopped."
"Absolutely," Wyatt agreed.
"I know that you're worried about DG, I'm sure you're thinking that we should have gone after her," Jeb said, but Wyatt cut him off.
"If we want the time to find her, then we need to stop the Witch, first. That's only logical."
"Then, why are you..." Jeb trailed off as he saw just what it was his father had been staring at. "I keep it to remind me," he offered, as an explanation for the tin suit's presents in the camp.
“I thought you were dead. The recording they played, it...” Wyatt's breath caught. “For six months, I was stuck in that suit, watching it over and over.”
Jeb put a hand on his shoulder as an offer of comfort. “They told mother and I that, after you had been executed." Jeb let his hand fall back to his side, "For months, I wondered if we hadn't told the Resistance about the suit, if you would still have been alive," he confessed.
"I haven't even asked..." Wyatt began, but didn't know how to continue.
"She died an annual ago," Jeb answered Wyatt's unasked question. "She had been working with the underground in Central City; she'd help pass along fighters, supplies and information." Jeb smiled widely, "For the last four annuals, her cover was as a Madam in the Sin District."
Wyatt head snapped around in disbelief.
"My hand to the winds," Jeb said. "All the girls in the house were with the Resistance and volunteered for the job. They ran discounted rates for Longcoats for months and no one ever caught on." Wyatt tried to picture Adora as a Sin Square Madam and, after a moment, he could see it. The mental picture made him laugh out loud and he was happy to hear Jeb join in.
"Oh, that's just like Adora to plunge in and help out however she had to," Wyatt said. "There was one time I brought up the idea of the two of you getting out of the Outer Zones until the war was over." Wyatt smiled again at the memory. "She slapped me and said if I continued to be so stupid, that the next time she would slap twice."
Wyatt was so glad to see Jeb laughing. It was something he had dreamed of back in Kansas, but had never, ever thought would actually happen.
"Wyatt! Wyatt!" Glitch's panicked yell broke into the moment he was sharing with his son.
"Wyatt!" Glitch skidded to a stop in front of him, panting. "Wyatt... Toto... DG..." Glitch pointed wildly over his shoulder.
"Slow down, Glitch," Wyatt said.
"What's this about DG?" Jeb asked.
Raw jogged into the gathering with Toto not far behind him. "DG in trouble," Raw said. "Needs our help now."
"What? Where?" Wyatt asked.
"When the Seeker took DG, I followed them," Toto said. "Azkadellia found them and has DG trapped."
"I knew we shouldn't trust the Seeker," Wyatt said roughly. "He probably was working with Azkadellia, all along."
"Oh, I don't think so," Toto said. "The Seeker was just an alias, his real name is Ahamo."
"The Seeker was the royal consort?" Jeb asked in a shocked tone of voice. "But, then, why would he... Of course." Jeb slapped his forehead. "He wasn't finding nobles for the witch. He was finding them and hiding them from the witch."
"We need to move quickly." Wyatt turned to Jeb. "The four of us can help DG. The Witch wouldn't have left her behind unless DG wasn't of use to her anymore, which means DG must have found the Emerald of the Eclipse."
"But if the Witch has the Emerald..." Jeb’s eyes went wide in shock for a moment before he began to yell orders.
"Zek! Get some horses tacked now! Hill! Assemble the men!" Jeb took off, running towards the center of the camp, "Morgan! Gather whatever explosives you can find! I don't care if we have to level the whole tower, we will stop the witch!"
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Toto ran madly to keep ahead of the horses; his heart felt as if it was about to explode and every breath burned in his chest, but they had to get back to DG. If she was hurt - or worse, had died - because he wasn't fast enough...
He ran into the clearing and scratched wildly at the door. Unlike the last time however, the doors swung open and Toto fell onto a hard, marble floor as DG staggered out.
Thank the gods, Toto thought as he let the coolness of the green marble soak into his poor, overworked body, she's safe.
After a moment, he felt a set of hands slide under him and lift him up. "Oh, Toto." DG hugged him gently and Toto felt a wave of magic surge into him, refreshing his aching body and restoring his stamina. DG set him down and Toto barked sharply. The race against time wasn't over yet.
::looks around:: Please don't hurt me.
If you need to catch up on what's gone down so far, there's the story index.
A big thanks goes to the most awesomest beta in the word, erinm_4600. Every one should shower her in chocolate and tatter tots and what ever else she wants 'cus she's that awesome (and her birthday is coming).
Toto followed DG and the Seeker for nearly an hour before he came to a dead end. He had seen the Seeker carry DG through a door, but it was now as solid as stone, so Toto turned to his nose.
There were so many strong, conflicting scents in the Realm that threatened to overwhelm Toto's nose, but magic had a scent that Toto had spent years learning, and it wouldn't fall him now. He found a nearby vent opening to the topside and wriggled up. Once in the free air, Toto breathed deeply. There, the sent of magic called to him and Toto took off at his top speed.
He found an odd-looking wood pile that just reeked of magic, both light and dark. DG had been here, but so had Azkadellia and her men. DG's scent led him down to the lakeshore, where it was joined by the smell of gas. Toto closed his eyes and sought to find that combination of magic and gas. It had taken to the air. But how? There was only one man Toto had even known who was a master of air travel. The man the Seeker was supposed to lead them to - Ahamo.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ride through the southern forest was the strangest hour Wyatt had ever spent. Wyatt had wanted to go after the Seeker, but Jeb's quietly-forceful words had stopped him. "The Seeker knows the Realm better then any of us. Even a ten minute head start will have given him enough time to completely disappear."
At the start of the ride, Jeb explained that his part of the Resistance had been tasked with watching the Longcoat activity between the Witch's Tower, Finaqua and the Forest. "There's some sort of magic force in this part. The Witch has had whole companies of men combing these woods for annuals."
That was an hour ago, and there had been no more then a dozen words said since then - not counting Glitch and Raw chatting away. But, there had been no time to talk. Jeb and his man, Zek, rode at the head of the group, Raw and Glitch in the middle, and Wyatt rode lookout in the rear.
Jeb and Zek pulled their horses up, and the other men followed suit. After a minute, four resistance fighters slipped out from behind the trees.
"Hunter, you're late," one said.
"Sorry, but we took a short visit to the Realm of the Unwanted," Jeb replied. "We managed to pick up some rather interesting information about the Witch's plans."
"So did we," the fighter said with a smirk. "You'll never guess who we found waltzing through the woods."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scent of magic and gas lead Toto around two lakes before showing him what he had been hoping for: Ahamo's hot air balloon. There had been so many warm, summer days at Finaqua that Toto had spent watching that balloon float overhead. Other Side magic, he had called it. An amusing use of science, Ambrose had replied.
Toto followed the scent of DG's magic into the woods and up to a strange door.
In the clearing before the door, Toto could smell not only DG and the Seeker, who Toto now believed was Ahamo, but also Azkadellia. Azkadellia and Ahamo's scents mixed with the smell of men and horses before going back into the woods, but DG's scent went back to the door.
The magic that was surrounding the door wasn't just DG's, but had the scent of age. This door had been made by someone a long time ago, and had been added to by several strong magic users over the years.
A soft cry reached his ears from behind the door. There was no way for him to get in there but, behind that door, DG was in trouble and he wasn't going to let her down.
Toto turned away from the door and ran off. As he passed the first lake, he had passed over a trail and caught the scent of Raw, Glitch and Wyatt. Now, to see if he could catch up to them in time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His boy was smart, Wyatt had to give him that. The stunt he pulled with Zero and the spoons was nothing short of brilliant. Adora had been like that. Was like that? Gods, if Jeb was alive, then was Adora?
Jeb stepped out from the tent where he had been talking with his seconds. "We're going to have to move out soon," he said. "Azkadellia’s plan must be stopped."
"Absolutely," Wyatt agreed.
"I know that you're worried about DG, I'm sure you're thinking that we should have gone after her," Jeb said, but Wyatt cut him off.
"If we want the time to find her, then we need to stop the Witch, first. That's only logical."
"Then, why are you..." Jeb trailed off as he saw just what it was his father had been staring at. "I keep it to remind me," he offered, as an explanation for the tin suit's presents in the camp.
“I thought you were dead. The recording they played, it...” Wyatt's breath caught. “For six months, I was stuck in that suit, watching it over and over.”
Jeb put a hand on his shoulder as an offer of comfort. “They told mother and I that, after you had been executed." Jeb let his hand fall back to his side, "For months, I wondered if we hadn't told the Resistance about the suit, if you would still have been alive," he confessed.
"I haven't even asked..." Wyatt began, but didn't know how to continue.
"She died an annual ago," Jeb answered Wyatt's unasked question. "She had been working with the underground in Central City; she'd help pass along fighters, supplies and information." Jeb smiled widely, "For the last four annuals, her cover was as a Madam in the Sin District."
Wyatt head snapped around in disbelief.
"My hand to the winds," Jeb said. "All the girls in the house were with the Resistance and volunteered for the job. They ran discounted rates for Longcoats for months and no one ever caught on." Wyatt tried to picture Adora as a Sin Square Madam and, after a moment, he could see it. The mental picture made him laugh out loud and he was happy to hear Jeb join in.
"Oh, that's just like Adora to plunge in and help out however she had to," Wyatt said. "There was one time I brought up the idea of the two of you getting out of the Outer Zones until the war was over." Wyatt smiled again at the memory. "She slapped me and said if I continued to be so stupid, that the next time she would slap twice."
Wyatt was so glad to see Jeb laughing. It was something he had dreamed of back in Kansas, but had never, ever thought would actually happen.
"Wyatt! Wyatt!" Glitch's panicked yell broke into the moment he was sharing with his son.
"Wyatt!" Glitch skidded to a stop in front of him, panting. "Wyatt... Toto... DG..." Glitch pointed wildly over his shoulder.
"Slow down, Glitch," Wyatt said.
"What's this about DG?" Jeb asked.
Raw jogged into the gathering with Toto not far behind him. "DG in trouble," Raw said. "Needs our help now."
"What? Where?" Wyatt asked.
"When the Seeker took DG, I followed them," Toto said. "Azkadellia found them and has DG trapped."
"I knew we shouldn't trust the Seeker," Wyatt said roughly. "He probably was working with Azkadellia, all along."
"Oh, I don't think so," Toto said. "The Seeker was just an alias, his real name is Ahamo."
"The Seeker was the royal consort?" Jeb asked in a shocked tone of voice. "But, then, why would he... Of course." Jeb slapped his forehead. "He wasn't finding nobles for the witch. He was finding them and hiding them from the witch."
"We need to move quickly." Wyatt turned to Jeb. "The four of us can help DG. The Witch wouldn't have left her behind unless DG wasn't of use to her anymore, which means DG must have found the Emerald of the Eclipse."
"But if the Witch has the Emerald..." Jeb’s eyes went wide in shock for a moment before he began to yell orders.
"Zek! Get some horses tacked now! Hill! Assemble the men!" Jeb took off, running towards the center of the camp, "Morgan! Gather whatever explosives you can find! I don't care if we have to level the whole tower, we will stop the witch!"
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Toto ran madly to keep ahead of the horses; his heart felt as if it was about to explode and every breath burned in his chest, but they had to get back to DG. If she was hurt - or worse, had died - because he wasn't fast enough...
He ran into the clearing and scratched wildly at the door. Unlike the last time however, the doors swung open and Toto fell onto a hard, marble floor as DG staggered out.
Thank the gods, Toto thought as he let the coolness of the green marble soak into his poor, overworked body, she's safe.
After a moment, he felt a set of hands slide under him and lift him up. "Oh, Toto." DG hugged him gently and Toto felt a wave of magic surge into him, refreshing his aching body and restoring his stamina. DG set him down and Toto barked sharply. The race against time wasn't over yet.