If you wish you charrie to be shipped, please say with whom. if not say no shipping please

Part V

Delilah knew she had to sit down. It was too much. She felt like she was drowning in information. Lianna grabbed her hand. “Delilah. Are you okay?” But then she shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t be asking you that.” As the other girl gave her hand a squeeze, Delilah could feel raised lines through Lianna’s fingerless gloves. Scars.

Meanwhile, Khaira had also sat down, untying and retying her scarf. Luila was next to her, fingering her bandanna. They were whispering to each other. “I can’t believe it.” That would have been Khaira. “I know,” Luila said back, but distractedly. She got up and walked around the group, agitated. 

Khai glanced quizzically at Raymond, who shrugged at her and stood up to raise an eyebrow at and walk toward Luila. Taz looked utterly confused. And who could blame him? It wasn’t like anyone had explained properly. Maybe she should. Ashei seemed to be signaling for her for some reason. “Get Lianna- and explain what’s happening to that one.” She jerked her head in the direction of Taz. “As the more… senior, shall we call it… members of this organization, I’m trusting you not to give away too much information.” After Khaira nodded, Ashei continued, speaking quickly. “I need to speak to the girl.”

Lianna saw Khai walk up to her. She heard Khaira whisper something in her ear, and, nodding, she gently released Delilah’s hand and followed her. The Explaining had begun- in more ways than one. While Khai and Lianna explained to Taz, Ashei explained to Delilah. And while that was happening, Luila was explaining to Raymond.

“Hey,” he’d said. “What’s up?” he’d asked, because like most best friends, he could tell something was up. 

“Oh… nothing.” She was lying.

And he knew it.

And she knew it. 

A trace of a smile played on Luila’s lips. 

“Oh, fine. It’s just…” 

“Yes…?” Raymond prompted her.

“You know how you were saying the Aelaanians looked like me?”

“Oh, that?” 

“Yeah.” 

She didn’t say it, but Luila and Raymond had been friends long enough to understand each other without talking.

“It’s bothering you, because it makes no sense that someone from Aelaas should look like you- unless that’s where you’re from. And then, Delilah just discovered something completely crazy about her past, but you still know nothing,” he guessed.

“Something like that,” Luila mumbled.

The two lapsed into silence, which was broken only when a voice called out, “Attention!” It was Ashei, so, naturally, everyone’s heads snapped up, their eyes found the speaker, and they sat up straight. “Before you receive your new assignment, I would like Miss Delilah Karma and Mr. Tazandyr-” 

“It’s Taz.” Ashei shot him a disapproving look and continued, unfazed.

“-Meindor to please step up front. You are going to be given a choice. You may either join our organization, and accompany these four on their assignment as a training mission, or you may decline my invitation and I shall assign you an escort to safety. So: which is it?”

Delilah stepped up first, and although her eyes were still wide and her steps slightly wobbly, her expression was steely determination, and her posture was straight, unflappable. “Ma’am. My mother was imprisoned for this cause?” 

“She was.” Ashei said it quietly. Sadly, even. But respectfully. 

Delilah nodded. “Then I will join, and I will fight- for my mother.”

Inclining her head in Delilah’s direction, Ashei looked at Taz, her eyes unreadable. So were his, for that matter. When he said nothing, she told him, “I do not want to scare you, but you seem undecided. Do not join on a whim. Think it through. Because it will be dangerous. Sacrifices… will have to be made.” 

“You’re probably right. But since we’re probably all going to die-”

“We’re not all going to die, Taz,”  everyone said at the same time.

“-better to go down fighting. Now for the dangerous mission,” he concluded with a groan.

With a faint smile that was rather… sad for some reason, Ashei gestured for them to sit down.

“My sister is the ruler of Halieka. Her title is Jei. She wishes to make Halieka… I don’t know how to say this. Here is a better explanation. You-” she pointed at Taz and Delilah- “are Aelaanian, yes? Well, people are always going on and on about Aelaas’s importance. They were right. Aelaas was a special place- it gave hope, inspiration, strength, even made people feel good, just thinking about it. For a while I wondered why- because strangely enough, it was true. And then I realized that it wasn’t the place. It was the people. Anyways, now, my sister, Jena, wants her people to… take the place of, I guess, Aelaas’s people, who’ve lost hope.”

Following this announcement, Khaira interrupted, as per usual. “So you want us to help her, am I right?” Lianna slapped Khaira on the arm- not hard, just enough to remind her who she was talking to. “What? Oh, oops.” Ashei looked mildly amused.

“Well, Khaira’s right. That is what I want you to do. But before you say, ‘Wait, that’s very dangerous,’ in that sarcastic way- I’m looking at you, Taz- it is more dangerous than you think. Jena has a knack for… getting into situations, shall we call them? Her advisor, Leebin Mbila, feels rather strongly that this is a bad idea. He will definitely have spies, who will not hesitate to do you bodily harm. Do you understand me?” 

“Yes ma’am!” said six laughing voices.

“Then go.”

As they filed past her, she dropped a Heilona pendant into each of their hands. “Put it on in case of emergency,” she told them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jena stood silently at the edge of the forest. Her sister said she was sending four agents- all teenagers. When Jena had asked why teenagers, Ashei told her that age is a powerful disguise. Then she’d pointed out that Jena herself was a teenager. Well, she couldn’t argue with that.

Suddenly, six teenagers- although a couple  seemed older than her, more like young adults- came rocketing out of the trees. Jena blinked.

A girl with a colorful scarf wrapped around her head and no shoes on, about 15, stepped forward. “Are you Jena Adira?” Jena blinked again. “Um. Ashei?” Yes, Jena knew this girl wasn’t her sister. That was just the password. The girl’s face broke into a wide grin. “Actually, I’m Khaira. This is Lianna, Luila, and Raymond. We have been dispatched to aid you in your mission, and also to protect you from spies.”

Jena frowned. “I was told there’d be four of you. Who are those two?” She nodded her head in the newest recruits’ direction. Khaira’s eyes flitted where she gestured and back again. “They are Delilah and Taz. Members in training. This is their first mission.”

This isn’t a mission for beginners. Jena didn’t say it out loud, but she thought it.

She was going to be having a loong talk with Ashei- but later. 

“Oh, okay. Well, nice to meet you. We might as well use this time to become friends, because in order to sneak you into the palace, I have to pretend I know you really well, like we went to school together or something. How old are you? I’m seventeen, so at least one of you needs to be in my age range. The rest of you will split up and work in the public.”

I love it!  Really looking forward to the next part!

I’d prefer Lianna didn’t get shipped. 

RISE,

From the fathomless depths,

To the lofty heights,

Of the Chatterbox,

And may you stay there,

Gracing the TOP of the Chatterbox.

Forever. 

And here it is! The long-awaited (not really, it just sounds good) PART VI!!!! (6, and yes I do have an obsession with roman numerals [sort of, not really, I just like them])

Part VI

“I know, I know… it’s just…” Lianna didn’t finish her sentence; Khaira was looking at her like, “Really?” Lianna took a deep breath. 

“I’m still going to do it, I’d just… prefer if someone went with me.” 

Khai raised an eyebrow. “That’d mean taking Raymond as a little brother.”

Lianna looked relieved. Raymond looked less than happy. “What’s wrong?” Luila asked him. 

“Oh, nothing, I just…”

Taz opened his mouth to say something, probably teasingly, but Jena yelled something from fifty feet up the road, which sounded suspiciously  like, “Come on, you slowpokes!” Delilah hurried forward, speaking over her shoulder. “She’s not wrong, you know!”

They hurried to catch up. “We aren’t done with this conversation,” Lianna hissed in Khaira’s and Raymond’s ears. Khai didn’t give any sign she’d heard. Raymond internally groaned. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Lianna. She was really nice- but she wasn’t-

Luila shrieked. Loudly. “What are you doing?!” Jena hissed in her ear. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” she groaned. “I thought I was going to fall- EEEEK!!!!”

Raymond shouted, teetering on the edge of the large pit Luila had almost fallen into. 

Jena shoved the heel of her palm onto her forehead and groaned. “This was a stealth mission!”

Delilah burst into laughter. Taz grabbed Raymond’s arm and tried to pull him away from the odd hole. Raymond was knocked off balance, causing Luila to shriek again. Lianna smiled and whispered something to Khaira.

“Maybe he shouldn’t come with me after all- he would get himself into all sorts of sticky situations.” 

“Yeah, and I don’t think Raymond wanted to come anyways.” Lianna looked puzzled.

“Why not?”

Khaira shrugged. “I don’t know, he just didn’t seem interested.”

She turned her attention back to the large opening in the middle of the road, big enough and deep enough for something scary to be down there.

“What do you think’s down there?” Jena asked, somehow managing not to sound scared, annoyed, or angry at the holdup and the pit.

“Probably giant venomous snakes,” Taz said. “No, of course there aren't giant venomous snakes in there!” Luila said scornfully. “That’s a completely random idea to come up with!” 

She probably said it for Delilah’s sake, whose eyes were wide. Jena rolled her eyes. “Come on.” 

One after another, all seven hopped over the pit. Raymond sighed. “What’s wrong?” Luila asked him. “Is it the Zoo?” No, that wasn’t it, but it was true. Ashei had made him leave the dogs, birds, mice, and cat with her, because they would “hinder them on their mission.” So he just said “Nothing.”

Luila nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Let’s go, before Jena yells at us slowpokes again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally. They were here. Even just looking at the huge gilded gates, Jena felt smug. Mr. Mbila was in for the surprise of his life. He had no idea that she was going to end this war, starting here and now. He had no idea that she was saving the whole of Ayith from destruction by Likha. He thought she was just some silly seventeen year old girl, heiress to Jeiship through a mistake, that she would give in to anything. 

But she was more. And she would show him.

The seven ducked behind one of the two large trees on either side of the gates. Khaira, who seemed to be the unofficial spokesperson of the group, stepped forward and whispered the plan to Jena.

“Lianna will go with you, posing as an old school friend or whatever. Her job is to protect you from any spies or people wishing to harm or assassinate you. She’ll also aid you in whatever you need to complete this mission. Delilah, Taz, Luila, Raymond and I will split up and spread the idea around Halieka. When I give you the say-so, you will bring up the idea with Mbila again. Suggest a vote, maybe? At this point, the rest of us should have convinced enough people. If the majority rules- which it will- you will make a public announcement about Halieka taking Aelaas’s place. Then Likha will most likely use all their resources to target this place, but before they can actually launch their attack, your sister and the rest of the Heilona will figure out a plan to infiltrate and destroy the Vulture and her wake- the Empress and her empire. Any questions?”

Jena blinked. “No. This seems to be a well thought out plan, but ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,’ right?” 

Khaira sighed. “Can we just cross that bridge when we get to it?” 

Jena shrugged noncommittally. “Sure.”

“Right then. Let’s go!” Khaira said, a little too excitedly in Taz’s opinion.

Jena nodded at Lianna and they climbed the ivy covered stone wall, disappearing on the other side. “Wait- so I’m not going with her?” Raymond asked, not disguising the excitement in his voice very well. But a simple “no” was all that Khaira responded with.

As they headed off, away from the palace, Luila looked at Raymond. He’d acted and/or looked at her oddly before, but never this oddly. “What on Ayith are you so excited about, anyways?” she asked him.

“Oh, nothing,” was all she was rewarded with. She frowned a little bit, disgruntled.

Ah well. She’d find out eventually. 

wonderful. simply wonderful. i love this

Hurry-im woooorried 

sorry-ilomilo is on <3

but seriously, its really really really good ^O^ 

I love this!  I wonder how well Lianna will play the part of a sister.

Thank you to whoever topped this! Anyways, sorry this took so long...

Part VII

Lianna fidgeted with her coat sleeves nervously, wishing Raymond had come along. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Jena, she just didn’t have much faith in her acting skills. Why, why, why had she volunteered to go alone? Lianna groaned out loud.

Jena gave her a look, like “What is wrong with you?! SHUSH!!!” and to be honest, Lianna agreed. This was an awful idea! Why had she let Khaira talk her into letting her go alone? They hadn’t even been walking five minutes yet… she fingered the chain around her neck. Aha! 

Multi-use pendants were really an amazing idea on Ashei’s part. She squeezed the pendant so hard she thought it would break the skin of her palm. “Lianna?” a voice crackled through the pendant, as if it were a small telephone of sorts.

Interesting… Lianna hadn’t even known that they could do that. It was just an assumption- but then again, Ashei wasn’t one to underplan.

Fortunately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Khaira sighed, annoyed. Really, Lianna? Contacting me already? But Khaira probably would’ve contacted Lianna anyways. “Raymond! Shut it!” she hissed. He was sitting on the floor, back against a large pine tree, holding his toe, which he’d somehow stubbed on the tree, (like, what?!) and in the process showered the rest of them with pine needles.

He wasn’t actually making any noise right now, but Khaira just needed to shush someone. Ugh, concentrate, Khai! 

“Lianna? What is it?” she asked. She could hear her fidgeting on the other end of the line, back in the palace. “Oh… can you send Raymond over?” 

“Sure,” Khaira snorted. Even though Lianna’s next words were distorted, her relief was audible. But before Khaira could say goodbye, the line fell silent. She turned to face the rest of the group.

“Alright then. Raymond. Get over the wall to the palace. You are now Lianna’s little brother. Understood?” 

“Yes,” Raymond sighed. Nodding, Khaira, in her “no-monkey-business-just-follow-my-orders” voice, said, “Go then!”

And he did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five minutes later, an out of breath Raymond was standing with the two older girls. Jena pretended to be annoyed about the delay, but she didn’t seem to actually care that much. As they headed up the stairs purposefully, no one said anything to Jena questioning why she had people with her. 

Raymond hurried behind Lianna, trying to look annoyed that he had to come with his “big sister” to stay with one of her “best friends”, who of course just happened to be Jena Adira, youngest Jei of Halieka- ever. Which was hard, because Raymond was so busy goggling at the sheer size of it all- towering gold pillars wrapped with silver vines, a tall ceiling decorated with sparkling mosaics of moments in Halieka’s history… He shook his head in disbelief.

Jena and Lianna both nudged him, reminding him of his mission. Oops. “Come- mph- on!” Jena hissed at the door she was trying to open. It was large and wooden, iron locks and reinforcements. It was covered in delicate leaves, flowers and stems, made of copper, some of it green with age. It was beautiful, but it also had a look about it that said, “Do you have permission?” which was odd, Raymond thought, because it was just a door. 

Jena hammered on it, clearly annoyed. “Open- up!” she muttered. Surprisingly, it did- with a big creak. Peeking his head through, Raymond saw that it was a garden, vibrant and beautiful. “Shhh!” Jena said urgently. Lianna jumped nervously. Raymond opened his mouth to say something in reproach, but Jena was already talking again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luila sighed in relief. Khaira was assigning groups, and (thank goodness) Luila had been assigned Delilah. She could handle a lot, but obnoxious, immature, rude boys were not one of those things. “Why do I have to be with you?” Taz had asked Khaira, insulted. “Because you need more supervision-” the other two girls had laughed at that one- “and because Luila looks like she’d much rather have Delilah for company than you.”

Luila blushed. Delilah giggled. Khaira raised an eyebrow and curved her lips into a faint smile. Taz said, “How dare you.” Luila shrugged. Shaking her head, Khaira told them to “Get moving!” or “We’ll be late!” She turned around to face them, all traces of laughter fading from her face.

“Delilah and Luila. That way-” she nodded to the right, where a large, bustling marketplace was visible- “Taz and I will go the other way. You know your jobs. If you don’t, well, ask Luila or myself. Good bye.” 

And with that, she sprinted away to the left, where another large bustling marketplace was located. Luila knew that Ashei had sent them to marketplaces because sooner or later, everyone had to go to the marketplace in order to buy food and other necessities. She just hoped it was sooner rather than later… they were running on a tight schedule.

Delilah elbowed her. “C’mon, we have to be done here by Saturday, right?” Yes. And it was already Thursday… oh no. Luila snapped to attention. “Yes. Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Raymond. Raymond! ARE YOU LISTENING?” Jena wanted to punch something. This was the third time he’d been distracted! He blinked. “Yes, but wouldn’t it be easier if-” 

“No!” she whisper-yelled. Lianna, for the first time, intervened. “You should hear him out. He usually does have the answer.” Well, if Lianna thought so… Jena sighed. Ashei trusted them. “Spit it out,” she told him. He grinned.

“Your plan is for you to get into the castle through the garden and smuggle us in that way too. But then someone’s going to ask how we got into the gardens in the first place. So, you need to go through the gardens, and then meet us at the front door, the normal place for one of your friends to meet you,” he finished, smiling smugly. 

Jena hated to admit it, but… “You do have a point,” she told him grudgingly. His smile widened. “But don’t you go getting a big head about it!” she muttered under her breath. “Okay. Um. Let’s go then, I guess?” he said, a little sheepishly in her opinion. She ran into the large garden, the door scraping shut behind her. She ducked behind a hydrangea and slipped off her black dress, revealing the ornate white one she usually wore beneath it. She silently opened the small wooden door, painted to look like the stone walls and disguised by jasmine hanging over it.

Running up the dusty steps, her footsteps echoing through the narrow hallway, Jena smiled to herself. She opened the next small wooden door and found herself in a familiar blue and white decorative pot, just big enough to fit a person as long as they sat and ducked their head. It was bolted to the ground, so it didn’t shake when Jena poked her head over the top and clambered out. She ran to the front door, miraculously not running into Mbila or anyone else.

She opened the big door, trying not to make noise, even though it creaked. Jena stuck her head through the doorway, peering around each pillar, trying to find Lianna and Raymond.

Fifteen minutes later, even she had to admit it. They were gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Delilah groaned. Just their luck! Trip over the curb just as you enter the marketplace. Everyone stopped to stare at the two girls. Luia turned bright pink and grabbed Delilah. “Change of plans,” she hissed. Delilah groaned again. 

“Of course. I knew it. Can we get out of here before we start scheming again?” she asked. Raising her voice, she shouted, “Everything’s fine! We’re fine! You can all go back to your- er- shopping…” her voice died down at the end, but it was fine because people had already started talking and exchanging goods and money again. Except for one little old lady who was still staring at them.

“Maybe we could start with her?” Luila said, a little uncertainly, Delilah thought. But since she didn’t have any other ideas, “Sure.” Both of them nodded and helped each other up. The lady looked nice, but who knows the reception they would get? 

Delilah straightened the hood of her dark red cloak- Ashei had apparently given them to Khaira to hand out as needed, and Khai had decided that as they didn’t want anyone reporting them to the government (meaning some jerk that Jena had spent a lot of time harping on about called… Mbila, was it?), they ought to have adequate disguises.

Meaning cloaks. No one liked it: Delilah wasn’t thrilled, because it meant ditching her flowers, Khaira had to leave her scarf, Luila her bandanna, and Taz just didn’t like it because… well, he was Taz. The pessimist. “The cloaks might make us trip and then fall off!” he had complained. If only he knew how close his prediction was to reality… she was absolutely NEVER going to tell him.

“What are you smiling about?” Luila hissed at her, fingering the edges of her blue disguise. Delilah jumped. “Oh, nothing,” she said, hurrying towards the woman. “Give her the flyer, quickly!” Luila whisper-shouted. Delilah dropped the flyer.

The old woman picked it up. “Here,” she said, in a quavery voice. The two girls shook their heads. “Thanks, but you can keep it,” Luila said hurriedly. Then they rushed away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ugh,” Taz grouched. “Shut it,” Khaira told him without looking up, “we’re doing a good deed.” Taz rolled his eyes. She didn’t notice, as she was still peering through a set of binoculars, her green cloak flapping in the wind. Those cloaks! They irritated him to no extent… 

“Come on, Taz,” Khaira said excitedly. So she’d seen someone. He sprinted in the direction she was pointing, for once needing no cajoling to do something. They had already posted a flyer on the marketplace bulletin board, and it had a slogan (which Taz did not approve of. He didn’t know who had created it, but it was awful!) and a phone number “for more information.”

Now they just had to hand out the rest of the flyers… Easier said than done! This marketplace, while usually bustling, was running out of customers. The owner seemed to be a runaway Likhan, and after what happened to Aelaas, people just didn’t want to associate. Which Taz understood, but it wasn’t that guy’s fault he was Likhan! At least he’d had the courage to get his butt out of there. 

“Taz. Over here, I’ve found someone!” Khai’s disembodied voice came from far up in the trees. HOW on Ayith did she get up there? Looking up, he saw her perched unsteadily on a large branch. “You’re going to fall,” he told her. She ignored him. He shrugged and quickly climbed up the large pine she’d chosen, probably for its location, which was right on the edge of the marketplace. 

As Taz reached the top, he saw Khaira sway precariously. “Be careful…” he said warily. Khai rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.” He shook his head. “You grew up in Kazadeh. Desert. Not a lot of trees. I don’t think you should be as confident about climbing as you look,” he pointed out.

“I’m FINE,” she insisted. And then she teetered, swayed, lost her balance… THUMP… fell.