Finding Jeff..
1017 Words
Chapter 13
As Anderson roamed the forest, he wondered where he was headed. The trees all seemed to point towards an unfamiliar direction. He just had to follow his heart. The strange man smiled, watching him with the globe in his hand.
"Just what do you want from him?" Jeff asked.
"Oh, Anderson is completely innocent," the strange man replied. "It's his father's score I would love to settle."
Jeff sighed, feeling helpless and trapped. The strange man had lured Anderson into the forest, where he and Princess Aria were being held hostage.
"We need to do something, we need to help him," Jeff said.
Aria scoffed and laughed. "How are you going to be of any help? You are just a human."
Jeff coughed, his mother had warned him to keep his powers a secret. Did that promise still stand, even now? He needed to find a way, as his head ached.
As Anderson walked through the forest, a strange man came out of the bushes, stunning him.
"Who are you?" Anderson asked.
The strange man fell on his knees in pretense. "I am nothing, but I know who you are. You are the prince, aren't you?"
"How do you know?" Anderson asked.
"I know everything," the strange man replied. "In fact, I know why you have come here. I sensed your presence; you did not find me, I found you."
Anderson stared at him, unsure if he could trust him or not. But with the spy's unexplainable absence, he had no choice.
"If you take me with you to the palace, I will restore Eryndor's glory," the strange man said.
Anderson thought for a while before nodding. If there was any bit of truth in this man's words, then he must trust it.
On the other side of the forest, Jeff and Aria's lips were tied, and they couldn't speak but could only mutter. It dawned on Aria that she shared a mind link with the spy. How could she have forgotten something so important? She closed her eyes and focused on her servant.
"Where are you?" Aria thought, trying to reach her servant. "Can't you tell when I've gone missing?"
There was no response, and she became worried. This had never happened before; the spy had never ignored her. Something must have happened.
Jeff saw the worried look on her face and just ignored it. He watched the strange man and Anderson's conversation and could do nothing else but think.
"I am searching for my servant, sorry, my friend," Anderson said. "He is more than just a servant."
Jeff's eyes widened, and he felt hopeful. At least something good came out of all this.
"I'm sure you didn't risk your life and that of everyone in the palace just for some silly servant," the strange man mocked.
Anderson ignored him and kept walking deeper into the forest. The strange man looked on in surprise.
"Why are you going?" the strange man asked. "I am your helper, I am the city's savior."
Anderson turned around and stared directly into his eyes. "My gut is never wrong, and something tells me you're good for nothing."
The strange man sneered. "You will get lost without someone showing you the way."
Anderson moved deeper into the forest, preferring to get lost and die trying than trust that disgusting-looking man.
The strange man returned to the place where he had imprisoned Jeff and Aria, his face furious and filled with rage. He hated it when his plans failed.
"I'm telling you, if you kidn*pped me just to make me the prince's weakness, you have made a huge mistake," Jeff said, after the strange man untaped his mouth. "You should have kidn*pped his Uncle."
The strange man's face turned red with anger. "You think you're funny, don't you? No one mocks me."
Jeff had a plan in mind, but it involved something tricky. He needed to trick the sorcerer into releasing them; that was the only way out.
"What do you even want?" Jeff asked.
"I already told you what I want," the strange man replied. "Revenge."
"Oh, please," Jeff said. "We both know it's more than that. So can you quit the drama and tell us what you're really after? That's our last wish."
Aria stared at him, her mouth still taped shut. She was afraid he would cast a spell.
"You are right, this is your last wish," the strange man said, laughing. "For your Aria, after I seize your powers, you will be good for nothing. As for you, servant boy, I would derive no pleasure in your death. You can go back to whatever it is you do. But before granting your wish, I will love to watch you suffer and beg for your lives."
The next morning, the sun's heat beat harshly on Jeff and the princess. They were still in the forest. Princess Aria was extremely thirsty; she couldn't even move, and she closed her eyes.
Jeff became worried about her. "Aria, can't you do something? Why isn't your magic working? Can't you cast a spell with your eyes or something?"
Prince Anderson was exhausted, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. The strange man taunted him, "Tired, thirsty, hungry? You know you can make all this extremely easy for yourself and ask for my help."
Anderson ignored him and limped forward, but he didn't know how long he could keep this up. He just hated that man for no just cause.
After an hour, he fell to the ground, gasping. Just when he was about to give up, he lifted his eyes and saw a small village up ahead. He smiled.
In the palace, everyone was safe, and the people were too scared to even leave the palace walls. The King's brother was disappointed, his plan to bring the Kingdom to its knees had failed. He was only grateful to be alive. If he couldn't ruin the Kingdom, he needed to find another way to ruin the peace of everyone here. And he knew just what to do.
- Writer
