'I'm just happy to have new clothes!' Violet remarked, twirling around in her vintage red dress.
She'd even had her hair done; brunette curls were hanging at her shoulders, and as she walked towards me, I couldn't help but notice the scent of cherries sifting through the air. She seemed to be wearing makeup as well; if I hadn't known her as well as I did, I'd have thought she was a different person.
'You look beautiful.'
Violet flushed. 'Your mom got me it. Aren't you going to say goodbye to her, Jake? She'll be crushed if you don't.'
I'd thought about it, but I could never bring myself to leave this realm if my mother's tear-wracked face was the last thing I saw. 'No, she'll understand. Besides, we need to make the most of what daylight we have left.'
'Understand what?' My mother asked, blocking my access to the front door. So much for my grand plan.
'We have to go.'
'Go where?' She demanded. I wasn't going to get anything past this woman.
'Jasper Farhorne and his family need our help, but don't worry; I'm taking Violet with me.'
'You'll do no such thing. Violet, if your parents found out that I'd let you leave, they'd have a heart attack. Just get that strange Inspector to go, Jake. It is his job, after all.'
Asher slid his backpack along the floor. 'You're not going anywhere without me.'
My mother had to stop it with her foot, and she wasn't impressed. 'You shouldn't even be standing, let alone moving about!'
'Mom's right.'
She was staring at me in shock. 'I never thought I'd hear you admit that.'
'I'm fine.' Asher insisted.
My mother scowled. 'The body needs time to heal; you may be fine on the surface, young man, but your brain knows that you've suffered a trauma.'
Asher pouted, looking to me for support.
My mother saw him looking my way, though. 'Jake, you know what I'm talking about more than anyone. Don't think I didn't notice those scars on your arm, not to mention what happened with Anya.'
I felt embarrassed; here was me thinking that I'd been subtle about the whole ordeal. My father once told me; time heals all wounds, but right now, I was failing to see how that could be even remotely true.
Asher stepped closer to me. 'I'm sorry, Jake. For my words, and for what happened to her.'
I nodded, not looking back at him. 'Anya left us no choice but thank you.'
I could tell that my mother had been trying to change the topic; the stubborn expression on her face said it all, and yet we didn't have the time for that. We would need to leave now if we were to make any difference. I'd have to find a way to convince her into letting us go, somehow.
'Mom, Jasper's a friend. How about we take a quick look, then come back?' I hated lying to her; I barely knew him really, but it didn't change the fact that his Protectors came to us for help, and not Inspector Garland.
'I'll come with you.' She suggested reluctantly.
'You can't. These people need you, and dad-'
'Don't!' The mere mention of my father brought her to tears. 'It's been too long already, Jake!'
'He will return, and if you're not here when he does...' I'd left off the rest on purpose, and now it was time to seize the moment. 'How about if we bring Avrae?'
Violet just glared at me.
I scowled back briefly; she wasn't helping. The fact was, we could end up needing the dragon's help over there. It was better to be safe than sorry.
'Fine,' My mother ground out. 'But if there's even the slightest sign of danger, you come back.'
I tried my best not to grin but failed miserably in the attempt; I was too excited. 'Avrae?'
My mom caught my reaction. 'I mean it, Jake!'
I nodded silently this time. 'Promise.'
'I'm not coming!' Avrae huffed eventually, not even attempting to move away from his cosy perch at the top of the castle.
I'd thought of something that might entice the dragon, with only a tiny chance of it backfiring. The last thing we needed was Avrae having another one of his tantrums. 'Rumour has it that Jasper's world is full of cattle and other treats that you might enjoy.' It was a blatant lie, but I saw no other way.
'Really, Jayk?'
'Yeah, and I do know how much you love a good hunt.'
Avrae roared before landing right next to us. 'What are we waiting for?'
While we all lost our footing as the ground trembled, my mother didn't jump with fright this time. 'Take care of them, please.'
'I will.' There was no trace of Avrae's usual sarcasm as he bowed before her. Could my mother have somehow tamed the great dragon?
I stared at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when Avrae saw me looking, he winked. He'd only told my mother what she wanted to hear.
'So where do we go?'
Violet rolled her eyes. 'The Protector's are waiting for us, remember?'
'Right.'
My mom already bore a look of regret, and now it was time for us to say goodbye. I leaned in for a hug; at first, she was hesitant, perhaps believing that by her delaying our departure, she'd somehow get me to change my mind.
'Okay, you can let go now.' She didn't, and I found myself having to wriggle free from her mechanical-like grip.
She was sobbing as I turned away, and I knew that if I looked back, I'd probably end up doing the same. That was the last thing I needed my friends to see.
'Oh, this dragon flew far and wide-'
'Stop it!' I didn't need my mother hearing the end of that song either.
We'd barely left the castle drawbridge when the Protectors appeared out of nowhere. Violet hadn't looked up yet, though. 'So how far do we need to travel, Jake?'
I tapped her on the shoulder.
'What?'
The Protectors surrounded us, with their robes creating a black blanket that was impossible to see through. Then they began to twirl around in a chaotic dance.
I could have sworn I'd heard my mother shouting after us, but there was nothing she could do as the world was starting to spin out of control. I'd been here before; we all had, only this time, we weren't going it alone. Violet and Asher were tucking in closer to me, and even Avrae seemed to be backing up slightly, with his tree-like legs brushing up against my side.
When the world righted itself, I noticed that we were standing in some faraway garden. Everywhere we looked, we could see giant thistles with sharp prickles that seemed to run from top to bottom.
'Ouch!' Avrae yelped.
Violet was tiptoeing around the tightly packed foliage. 'Careful, everyone.'
The Protectors were flitting around all over the place as they searched for something, and I couldn't help but follow their odd movements with suspicion. Suddenly they came together with a loud clatter that sent a shockwave thundering out in every direction.
Then the robed figures charged forward as one entity, although they didn't seem to be aiming for anything in particular. That is until they struck an invisible barrier with such force to flatten almost every thistle for miles.
The Protectors recovered quickly before coming back to float beside the three of us. Their demonstration was meant to draw our attention, and it had worked perfectly in that regard. The creatures had found the mysterious bridge, but they were unable to pass through for some reason.
We approached the phenomenon carefully, noticing that the Protectors had fallen in closely behind. 'So, this is why they needed our help.'
Every second felt like an age as we drew closer; no one wanted to go first, though. After what had happened to the Protectors on their attempt, I couldn't say I blamed them, and it seemed I would have to do the honours.
I could sense the powerful magic emanating off of the bridge; then it dawned on me that the Protectors must have tracked the magic here in the first place. It was a handy skill to have at our disposal.
I picked up the snapped stem of a thistle, holding it out in front of me as I leant in closer to the strange rift. Though, to my dismay, it continued to break, again and again, before folding into something much smaller.
'Maybe it'll work for us?' Asher asked sceptically.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I made to climb through. 'There's only one way to find out!' I wasn't tossed aside as I thought I'd be; instead, I found that something was pulling me further into the event horizon.
Then I heard an obnoxious howl behind when the Protector's saw that there was finally a way through. One by one, they leapt at us, clinging on as we scrambled through the open portal. Our only hope would be that the passage took us to the right place.