|
|
Lydia was sitting on a tuft of grass that she had just so happened upon. She had been sitting and waiting all day, just like Susan had told her to. She wasn't sure WHY, she just ... was. It was rather uncomfortable where she was. Ettin Valley was usually cold and muddy, but the waterfall at Hand's End just added to the atmosphere. Lydia sighed and lay back, looking at her gray and dismal surroundings. The plant life was starting to wither and die, and assorted ants were dragging decaying objects back to their nest. One of them came up to Lydia, briefly looked at her, then bit her nose and ran off. "Ouch!" She squealed, rasing up quickly. Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and was only able to turn around briefly before being dragged off.
-------------------------------
"Hello!"
"Hi!"
"Haven't seen you in a while!"
These were the sounds of tired travelers, all seven of them, reporting back to Hand's End. But after a few seconds, greetings turned into:
"Where's Lyddie?"
"Golly.. Wasn't she suppose to wait here?"
"What happened to her?"
Among the assorted questions, a quiet giggling was heard in the trees. All of a sudden, everyone heard a little "Hey, I'm up here!". It was Lydia, leaning over the edge of a treehouse.
"Lyddie!" Karr called up to her. "What are you doing up there?"
Lydia giggled. "Poio took me up here!"
Kass walked up to Karr's side, and looked up to Lydia. "Who in the world is Poio?"
An elderly looking fox norn peered over the Treehouse ledge. "I am." He shouted down. "I'm the norn prophet. And, from what I've heard, I'm the third and last one you need to meet. Care to come up?"
If you need me to tell you what they did, then I'd like the number of your sanitarium. In a few minutes, they were all up in the treehouse, sitting conformably while Poio stood. "Now then," he began, "where to start.. where to start.. I suppose you're wondering why I was in care of Lydia."
Several nods took place around the room.
"The whole reason is explained best in a legend. A loong time ago, the very first norn ever in Albia, Abby, was playing in the garden. All of a sudden, a Grendel came up behind her, and brutally beat her. There was a great war, and Abby came out victorious, making her the very first Grendel slayer."
"Waait.. I watched that. Abby smacked the stupid Grendel once and it ran off." Katherine corrected.
Poio blankly stared at her before going on. "Anyway, the scriptures say that the youngest decedent of Abby will come back someday and help save Albia. That's where Lydia comes in. Looking at her lineage, I'm almost positive she's the youngest descendent. So, it's her job by fate to put the Arlington stone back in its place. Do you have the stone?"
Karr handed over the Arlington Stone.
"And the elements?"
Jenna, Ben, and Boggles handed him the elements they had gotten.
Poio affixed the three elements in the stone, but noticed a missing piece. "Where's the fourth element?" He asked.
Katherine shrugged. "The stupid Shee wouldn't give it to me."
Poio nodded. "I suppose it can go back like this. We don't have a lot of choice here." But very quietly, he sang to himself, "someone's gonna get it.."
He then handed the stone to Lydia. "Now, you have to go put this back, at the neck of the Shee. By yourself."
Lydia took the stone and cringed. She knew where she was going, but, did she have to go alone?
----------------------
Lydia stood at the feet of the Sheeian statue, clutching the stone. 'OK,' she thought, 'I'm here. What now?' Lydia saw a small indention in the Shee's neck. Taking a wild guess, she decided the stone must go there. She carefully climbed up the statue, which was a rather long climb, and placed the stone back in the slot. All of a sudden, she felt herself being knocked back, as a blinding light prevented her from seeing anything.
She then found herself in Poio's Treehouse.
"Did you do it?" Asked Poio.
"Gee.. I guess I did.." Lydia was rather dazed, and wasn't fully sure.
Poio smiled. "Now, you all need to do is get the fourth element. Go back to Hand's End and see what you find there."
Everyone, after waving good-bye and such, hopped on the elevator and rode back to Hand's End. As Boggles was standing there, waiting, he felt a claw on his shoulder. Whizzing around, he saw a Grendel Guard. "Hello, Prince Ungle!" it cried excitedly, "The King has been looking for you!"