The Black & White Saga

Chapter 14 - Preparations

After Savana and Nimbus got tired of tormenting each other, the group of four decided to head to the school cafeteria for dinner.  Walking out of the atrium, the crisp cool night air greeted them along with the evening dew.  Next to Lunette, the panda looked up at the clear night sky.  The stars twinkled brightly and the moons shone gently with silvery light.  The darkness of space was sporadically decorated with indistinct patches of brightness in the distance.

“Wow, the night sky is so pretty,” the panda exclaimed, as she admired the view.  “I love the contrast of the lights in the darkness.”

“Yes, the night view is absolutely lovely,” Lunette added.  “I like the double moons the most.”

“For me, the small areas of brightness in the sky are my favorite,” said the panda.  “They are not as bright as the moon or the stars, but you cannot deny their existence.  They remind me to stay strong every time I saw the night sky when I was still in captivity.  I may be an insignificant existence in the grand scheme of things, but they can’t deny my life.  I swore to myself that I would be free one day.”

“The patches of light seen in the night sky, huh?” Lunette pondered.  “How about Nebula?”

“Nebula?” asked the panda, with her head tilted in confusion.

“For your name,” said Lunette.  “A nebula is the bright areas in the darkness in the sky.”

“Nebula…” the panda repeated.  “I like the sound of that.  My name is Nebula from now on.”

* * * * *

The day before Lunette, Savana, and Trey were about to head out, the group gathered around the fireplace in the living room.  As usual, the panda twins stuck to Lunette as she sat on the rug near the window.  She was playing catch with Skye and Gaia, with a small woven bamboo ball that had a bell inside of it.  Every time they hit the ball, a cheerful ringing sound rang in the room.  The others spread out on the big sofas around the room, or on the cushions on the smooth bamboo floor, around the low table on the rug.

“……. mangoes, blueberries, strawberries, apricots, and raisins!  Here’s all the packaged dried fruit,” Delos announced, as he handed the bundles in front of him to Cierra and Micah.

“Here are the fresh fruit!” added Sue.

“We’ve got apples, pears, and nectarines!“ Lulu declared.  Both wood spirits also added their goods to the low table where Cierra and Micah were working.

Sommer and Freya added the food boxes they brought from the kitchen to the low table.  “Here are the melons and some nuts.  We cut the melons into small pieces, and roasted the nuts, so they are all ready to eat,” said Freya.

“These are ready as well,” added Melina, after putting a large tray of capped ceramic jars on the low table.  For the past three days, Melinda, Lunette, and Savana worked tirelessly to make all sorts of medicines and concoctions from herbs and plants.  There were recovery pills to help restore magic powers quickly, healing pills and ointments for wounds, insect and snake repellant, drugs for various common ailments, and a couple of herbal deterrents for emergencies.  The ceramic jars were made from energy gem powders, so they help retain the drugs efficacy.

Cierra and Micah, were sorting all the items into three packages on the low wooden table.  Sitting on a couple of armchairs near the window, with a large map spread over the table in between, Savana and Trey were arguing over possible routes to take.  Nimbus, coiled in the light from the window on the table, occasionally chimed in to add his opinion.  The bright white scales on his back glittered in the afternoon sunlight.  He was cultivating his magic on Mount Maelstrom, when Savana called him back two days ago to inform him about their trip.

Nimbus’s electrifying violet eyes shone like stars, when he suggested, “Let’s travel through Etna!  This is the season for gooseberries.  Etna has the best gooseberry fields in all of Arcadia.    There is also a rare species of manchineel that grows in Etna.  The high level of toxins in the plant makes it this dragon snake’s favorite fruit.”  

Savana was inspired by Nimbus’s suggestion, and added, “Yeah, Etna is rich in its varieties of herbs and plants.  We can collect more herbs on the way to Xylan, so we will be prepared for any situation that comes up.”   Inside she was thinking, “baneberries, here I come.  Last time I was in Etna I could not collect any white baneberries for my experiments, but I will get you now.  I will conquer this poisonous plant soon….”

“You both are aware we are going on a mission with the Academy for the LOA, right?”  Trey asked with an exasperated look on his face.  “If we are late to the meeting point for the mission, there will be severe consequences.”

Lunette chuckled and told Trey, “It’s your fault for even bothering to consult them about the route to travel.  These two are notorious for getting sidetracked and going on detours.  Last year, when we headed back to the Academy for the yearly assessments, the one-week journey took almost four weeks thanks to this pair.  We almost missed our exams.”

“We must also stop by the Azure Sea on the Laustria Coast,” Nimbus said with excitement.  “That country also borders Xylan.  It also has a lot of seafood.”

“Ohhh, I love Laustria!” Savana replied with a sigh.  “They have so many oceanic lifeforms.  I could spend years there, and still have endless new specimens to work with.”

“Don’t forget about their sea urchins……” added Nimbus, almost drooling.

Trey felt a headache coming on as Savana and Nimbus came up with more and more wild ideas for their journey.  He looked at Lunette who was enjoying the show while passing the bamboo ball around with Skye and Gaia.  Putting his palms together in Lunette’s direction, with a pleading look on his face, Trey silently begged her for help.

Lunette saw the helpless look on Trey’s face.  Her senior brother sure knew how to use his looks to his advantage.  She decided to relieve him of the situation.  

“We can stop by some of the places on our way back home,” Lunette suggested.  “We do not have time to stop by anywhere before the mission.  Are you sure you want your master to find out that you were late to the mission because you were wandering outside again?”

Savana instantly wilted at the reminder of her teacher, who scolded her with a strict face for hours the last time they made it back to the Academy minutes before the exams started.  It didn’t stop at that.  After the exam, she was punished with detention in the school’s Discipline Hall for two weeks.  That place has several portals to micro worlds created by one of the school’s founders many years ago.  These micro worlds were designed to have harsh conditions to temper students’ characters and abilities, and also serve as punishments for students who do not follow the school rules.  Savana and Nimbus were sent to a space pocket that contained a desert inside.  Students who were assigned this punishment had to survive alone in desert conditions until their term was up.  If you collapsed during your punishment, the professor in charge would note down how long you persisted in the trial and and send you to the Healer’s Hall.  When you recover, you would be sent back to the Discipline Hall until you finish serving your punishment. 

“Fine,” Savana sighed.  “Let’s not get on the old lady’s bad side before the mission.”  

Nimbus remembered the desert punishment and gently rubbed his head on Savana’s hand in comfort.