~ The Misadventures of the Twins - Short Story - Part 1 ~

Chapter 1 – The Device of Plane Shifting

The breeze whistled calmly through the rigging of the ship ‘Lychen’s Fiddle’ as it cut through the green-blue waters of the sea. Twins, but ten years of age played on deck near the entrance to the crew’s quarters.

“Come on, Groyven. You can get through this door.” Said the young girl.

“I really don’t feel like getting in trouble again today, Tiffaniel.” Said her brother.

“Trouble? Why? How?” she said.

“Your little idea of making the handles of the wheel hot.” He reminded her.

She looked at him sheepishly.

“The helmsman has blistered hands from that famous idea. Selera knew it was me.”

Tiffaniel tapped the door to the captain’s quarters.

“Please?” she said.

“If you so badly want to stick your nose where it shouldn’t be, you can open it yourself.” He said.

She huffed to herself, mumbled a few words and touched the lock. A faint clicking noise came from it as she turned the handle, and the door opened. She peered into the room.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Said Groyven.

“I just want to look, I swear I won’t touch anything.” She said as she slipped into the room.

Groyven followed and closed the door behind him gently. Turning, he looked around the room curiously. Tiffaniel stood at the captain’s desk, maps and sheafs of parchment lay open.

“Groyven, isn’t this the transporting device that Selera was taking to the Enclave?” she asked Groyven.

He came over to the table and glanced at the strange device that she was pointing at.

“Yeah, just don’t touch it.” He said. Poking out her tongue she picked it up.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just look at it and put it right back.” She said.

Shrugging his shoulders he looked at the maps laying open on the desk.

Tiffaniel inspected the dragons head, “this one is different, Groyven!”

“Different?”

“It is different to the one back home.” She said as she touched the gold, her fingers brushing over the sun that was held in its jaws.

Her brother, Groyven, looked from the map that was lying open on the captain’s desk.

“Different? But there are only two worlds. I am sure of it.” He looked at the sun caught in the dragon’s jaws, “This means there are more than two, there is a third. Another world.” He got closer to the device in Tiffaniel’s hands, his eyes noticing something unusual. Looking into the flames of the golden sun he couldn’t quite make out what had caught his eye, almost as if it were hiding, not wanting to be seen. A shaft of light speared through the window as the deck shifted sharply beneath them.

Groyven turned away from the device, his eyes catching a dark shape through the window, riding the waves, its black sails billowing strongly in the wind.

“Brother, what is happening?”

“I do not know.” Groyven said, his eyes wide.

Chapter 2 – Chase on the High Seas

The deck tilted steeply away as the ship steered heavily, the captain’s orders cresting the sounds of the sea breaking against the prow of the ship. Spray flew thick in the air as their pursuer gained. The sails strained in the growing wind, the masts groaned, the lines sung a haunting melody. The captain stood at the helm, hurriedly glancing over his shoulder, the black sails were gaining.

Narrowing his eyes he glared. Turning he pulled upon the wheel, steering the ship closer to the wind. The howl of the lines grew, as his trusted crew worked the sails, drawing the best from them.

“Men! Unload the cargo, we need more speed!”

Those that could be spared ran along the heaving deck to the cargo hatches. Throwing them open they went to work, soon the ship’s precious cargo was being thrown overboard, making them lighter, allowing them to gain more speed.

The dark ship continued to gain, as it drew into bow range the first few arrows thudded into the decking, the sound of a window breaking reached his ears.

“Selera! I think now would be a good time!” the captain roared.

A lone woman stood at the prow watching the waves calmly as the ship and its men strained behind her. Hearing the captain’s voice she smiled, a beautiful smile. A few strands of her midnight hair slid from her hooded cloak. She ran gracefully along the deck, the first few words of a spell on her lips. Power grew in her right hand, blue light streamed from her fist. Her voice rose from the whisper as she continued to run towards the stern. She sang the language of magic, the final words coming from her as she pirouetted and dropped to one knee placing her right hand onto the deck. A great thunderous noised split the air as the blue light soaked into the timber.

“I have bought us some more time, Captain.” Selera said as she stood beside him watching the pursuing ship. Another flight of arrows darted towards them, but seemed to hit something that stood in their way, an invisible wall of magic.

“Can you conjure any wind to speed us?”

“Yes, that I can do. ” She smiled again, and gestured to the sky, the wind grew steadily, the lines shrieked angrily in response as the sails strained.

“Will they also have this wind?”

“No, I…” Selera stopped suddenly, bringing a finger to her lips as she frowned. “No” she whispered in disbelief, her eyes flared angrily.

“Did you lock the device away?”

“It is on my desk, in my cabin.” The Captain said.

Turning, she ran, as the sound of a tearing sail split the air.

Chapter 3 – Black Sails

The children cried out in shock as the window smashed behind them. An arrow lay on the floor with glass all around it. Groyven peered out the smashed window, there was a black ship, and it was close. Suddenly there was a great booming noise that sounded through the ship. Tiffaniel grabbed his hand as she joined him. They both noticed barrels and luggage floating behind them.

“I think we have been hit. Groyven, what are we going to do?”

“We are going to stay here and wait for Selera.” Groyven noticed the device in her hand. “Please sister, put that back on the table. We do not know where it will take us.”

“But we can escape! Something hit us, look!” she pointed at the cargo floating past. “She might be dead!” Tiffaniel said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Groyven’s eyebrows came together in the middle as he frowned. Selera couldn’t be dead. The deck heaved under them again as the sound of tearing cloth filtered down to the cabin. He looked at the device, still held tightly in his twin’s hand. Quickly stepping to the table he rolled up the map and slid it into a leather case. As he scooped up a pair of quills, a small vial of ink and a small compass from a draw the deck fell away again, knocking him from his feet. He lay silently on the floor.

Tiffaniel crawled to his side, sobbing and put her arm around him. “What should I do, Groyven?” she said quietly.

She looked around the room and then at the golden device in her hand.

“We have to escape.” She said to herself as she twisted the device. Turning the sun, a golden light poured from it, flooding the room in a soft glow. The sound of a door being smashed open and splinters meeting the floor barely broke through the almost deafening roar that came from the device. Looking to where the door was only moments before stood Selera, her hand outstretched, reaching; her black hair flying. Tiffaniel reached out also, but her hand passed through Selera’s, as she and her brother started to disappear. She could hear Selera’s screams of frustration as she tried to grab hold of the both of them. Then they were gone.

Chapter 4 – A Plane of Shadows

Tiffaniel sat quietly at her brother’s side. He had lain still for a long time. “What have I done, brother?” she said to herself. “She wasn’t dead.” Looking at the device of Plane Shifting an idea came to her.

“I will use the device again, we should go right back.” Standing over her brother she twisted the sun in the dragon’s jaws yet again. A slight golden haze washed over them and around them. She smiled through her tears. A strange noise came from the device, the roaring stopped, the golden haze fled like smoke on the breeze. Tiffaniel started to cry. It had failed.

A pair of hands took the device from her, blinking away her tears she saw her brother inspecting it. “This one only goes one way, sister. There are two parts, we only have one.” He slipped the device into a pocket. “We are stuck here.”

He looked around in the half-light. They seemed to be in the middle of a forest. It seemed to be night. Gathering some sticks and small branches from the forest floor he laid them in a pile. Whispering a few words under his breath, he snapped his fingers and the pile of wood burst into flame. He ran a hand through his short, white hair; gingerly touching the lump caused by his head hitting the table.

"Groyven?”

“Yes, sister?”

“Selera is alive, I saw her, she tried to stop…” He interrupted her “Then we have some hope.”

They both turned suddenly as they heard the mournful cry of a wolf in the distance.

“It is a long way away, I am sure of it.” Tiffaniel said.

Silently they settled beside the fire, Groyven took out the map he had taken from the captain’s desk and looked at it in the flickering light of the fire. It was a map of their world, with lines marking their voyage on the sea. Turning the map over he looked at the blank side, this is where he would chart their journey. Dipping the quill into the vial of ink he held the map up to the light, peering through the parchment he could just make out the lines on the other side, finding the final spot the captain had marked on the other side, he marked a fresh spot. Placing the map down he drew some trees around the spot. This was the start.

Taking his eyes from the map he noticed that Tiffaniel had fallen asleep. He took out a figurine about a finger’s length in height. It was a griffin, it was so detailed that it looked like it could fly from his hand.

“Come my friend, come Hendosfyre.” He stepped away from the fire and placed the figurine on the ground. It moved. It started to grow, and grow, getting larger by the second until it stood proudly. Taller than Groyven himself, the griffin stood, with the head, wings and front legs of an eagle and the body and tail of a lion. Opening its eyes it glanced at Groyven and winked. It looked around at the trees, confused it looked at Groyven quizzically as the boy bowed.

“We are in trouble Hendosfyre, I do not know where we are but we have travelled to another place using this.” Groyven showed the griffin the Device of Plane Shifting, the griffin’s strangely intelligent eyes narrowed. “Will you watch over us tonight?” The griffin bowed its head in acceptance.

Chapter 5 – Hendosphyre

Sunlight cut through the curtains of darkness as the sun touched the horizon, spreading its inviting, warm gaze over the land. Tiffaniel stood and stretched. The fire from the night before had burned down to cinders that glowed red in the low light of dawn. She looked at her white robes, and brushed some leaves from the black edging. She could hear the sound of water in the distance, and the quiet sounds of her brother sleeping. She couldn’t hear anything else, no birds or animals awakening to the morning. But something large was moving in the forest. Something very large, the ground shook slightly with each successive thud. She glanced around nervously, a spell ready on her lips as she turned slowly. The sharp sound of a twig snapping from behind made her jump, turning quickly she shouted the spell, “Icel-gavail!”

A burst of freezing wind, from the heart of a blizzard shot towards the sound of the breaking twig. Icicles quickly grew on branches and anything in the wind’s blustery path. She side-stepped, the wind she guided whipping her black hair around her face. The last remnants of the fire hissed out. Dropping her hand the gale subsided. She could see movement in the trees. Raising her hand again she was ready.

“What is it Tiffaniel?” she heard her brother’s voice from over her shoulder.

“Something in the trees. It was watching us.” She said.

“Where’s Hendosfyre?” said Groyven.

“You summoned Hendosfyre?”

“Yes, to watch over us last night.” Said Groyven.

“Oh, no… Hendosfyre, is that you?” Tiffaniel called.

The large griffin stalked towards them, they could see frost covering the wing he had shielded himself with. He glared pointedly at Tiffaniel.

“I’m sorry, Hendosfyre. There was something big in the forest, you scared me.” She tried to touch him, but he stalked past and stopped in front of her brother. He dropped fruits and berries that he had cradled in his other wing. Groyven spoke softly to the griffin as he thawed out the wing, steam rising from his hands as he ran them over the frosted feathers.

“She didn’t mean to, Hendosfyre. Was there something in the woods, something big?” the griffin nodded. “Can you take us to where you saw it?” Again the griffin nodded. Finished, Groyven reached up and stroked Hendosfyre’s beak. “Thankyou for the food.”

The griffin turned and walked to Tiffaniel, nudging her shoulder with his beak. She looked up and hugged his thick feathery neck.

“That spell of yours is getting more powerful, Tiff.” Said Groyven before he bit into a fruit resembling an apple. He nodded his head and gathered the rest off the ground, stowing them in pockets in his black robes.

“Hendosfyre saw something in the woods. Something big. He’ll take us there.” He said as he handed his sister an apple.