FULL NOVELXO Chapter 22: A Safe Place
Molly slowly removed her fingers from her eyes, one by one. She could not remember a time in her life when she had been this frightened. When Jar-Ed waved the wand for the last time, she felt a cold blast of air, nothing more. They had all disappeared, she knew, but she was somewhere. Telling herself that she seemed to be alive, Molly pinched her arms until she felt pain.
“Are you alright, Molly?” It was King Simon, his voice filled with concern, his hand held out to help her up.
She stood, relief spreading over her when she realized that Hoddi and the king seemed perfectly normal. “I think I’m fine,” she replied, surprised.
“I feel as if I just woke up,” Hoddi told her, grinning from ear to ear. “I guess disappearing is not so bad after all!”
They discovered that the yellow cloud was gone. The three could see no trace of it anywhere nearby.
“Where are we?” Molly asked, slowly turning to look around her. “This place seems familiar,” she said, puzzled.
“Where have we disappeared to?” inquired the king, looking about with great curiosity.
“Look!” cried Hoddi, his voice excited as he knelt in the grass a few feet away. “What have we here?”
Hurrying over, the king and Molly watched in amazement as Hoddi picked up a piece of red stone.
Surprised, Molly realized where they were. “We are back in Fielders Forest!” she exclaimed. “This is the very place where I first discovered you, King Simon!”
“Yes! You told me this is where you found me when I was so badly wounded!” affirmed the king.
“A safe place, Molly. Didn’t I tell you?” It was her father’s voice and she cried out in joy as he came toward her. The survivors from her village followed, their faces beaming. Tears ran down the fairy’s face, she was so thankful to see her father and the others had survived the disappearance spell as well.
“But how did we get here with all the evil intentions Jar-Ed thrust upon us with that little black wand?” Bewildered, she waited for her father to share his wisdom as usual.
“That’s exactly it, my daughter. That little black wand is untested and untamed or it wouldn’t have acted against us. Someone or something interfered with it before it was completed.”
“Jar-Ed, of course!” cried Molly. “He told us he removed it from the mystic receptacle!”
Jackson spoke thoughtfully, “I’m wondering if it really is a Spungle wand. I have never seen or used a black wand before. They’re very rare. However, something brought us here, back to Fielders Forest.”
“The red stone?” wondered Molly.
“Well, I for one am tremendously glad to be here,” interrupted Hoddi. The others could not agree more.
“A big relief,” agreed the king, “Everyone seems to be safe.”
“Everyone except Ran-Da,” said Molly, tearfully mourning the fate of her beloved red dragon.
“Poor Ran-Da,” said King Simon. “He was a fearsome dragon!”
“I wonder where he disappeared to and if he survived that horrible explosion?” muttered Hoddi, not wanting to upset Molly.
“I hope with all my heart we see him again and that he managed to survive the disappearance spell as we did.” Molly said quietly.
“Now,” said Jackson Spungle, “What do we do next?”
“I think we need to get our hands on that black wand,” said King Simon. “Since it is not stable or tamed, it might possibly make matters even worse!”
“That’s true,” agreed Hoddi, smoothing the wisps of hair at the sides of his head. “It’s not only Spungles he will use it on!” he said warningly.
“That means we will have to go back to the village,” returned Molly, looking worried. “That’s the only way to find out what that evil character has planned next.”
“That’s if there is any village left,” remarked the head of the village officials. “He might be destroying what little is left of our homes as we speak.” It was decided the villagers would remain in Fielders Forest with Jackson so they would be safe.
After spending some time swimming in the river to wash away the smoky ash and cinders from their clothes and hair, Molly and the others headed once more toward the village. They were secure in the knowledge that the Invisible Divide would not pose a barrier to their entry, since both worlds were a part of each other and connected. Molly felt there would be no problem.
As they neared the village, the pungent odor of stale smoke soon began to burn their nostrils. The place remained as they left it, covered in ashes and soot. The charred building which housed the village officials was still silently smoldering. Clouds of smoke still billowed and they covered their faces before they entered. Keeping a wary eye out for any sign that the wicked Jar-Ed was still in the village, the three searched, finding no one. Viewing the scene of the destruction of her home, Molly’s unstoppable tears flowed down her face, dropping on the red stone of her pendant. In an instant a flash of light burst through the smoke and the entire village vanished.