The Cure

I look at Kathrine sleeping against Isabell.

"Will she be ok?" I said.

"She'll be fine," says Isabell. "When she overuses her magic she just knocks out."

I jump down and open the carriage to find Ralf and Glenn still unconscious.

"Guys?" I said slowly.

I shake Ralf.

He doesn't react.

"Guys wake up!" I shouted now desperately.

Nothing.

I spot something on Glenn's neck. A tiny spike is sticking out. Her skin around it is purple. I reach out to take out the spike.

Just as I'm about to touch it, Isabell quickly grabs my hand saying, "Don't!"

I turned to Isabell, startled, "Why?"

Isabell picks up a piece of grass and places it on the spike. As soon as it touches, it begins to turn purple and crumble.

My eyes grow in horror as she lets go of my hand, "We have to take it out then!"

"It's no use," says Isabell. "It's already in her system. It will slowly grow until she dies."

"How long will that take?"

"We have until next morning."

I clench my fist, "How do we heal them?"

"I don't know," says Isabell. She looks up. She grabs my hand, pulls me up onto the driver seat, and points, "But I'm sure someone in that village."

I look at where she points to spot a village in the distance.

We hurry into the village.

Someone goes up to us saying, "What brings you here travelers?"

"We need a doctor!" I shouted.

His eyes open wide now knowing the situation, "Our doctor lives over there."

I jump from my seat and dash towards the front door. I slam it open shouting, "I need help!"

The doctor, dressed in a white coat and glasses on top of her looks up at me confused, "You'll have to make an appointment."

I grab her collar, "IT'S URGENT!"

She nods slowly.

I drag her out of the building and straight to the carriage.

I place her down.

She adjusts her glasses and inspects Glenn and Ralf.

"Hmm," she says.

"So?" I said.

She looks up at me, "I can cure them."

My face lights up.

"But… I don't have an ingredient to cure them."

"Where do I grab this ingredient?"

"It's a flower located on the side of the dark forest."

I turn quickly.

"Wait!" the doctor says. "It's surrounded by flowers that make these spikes. One spike directly from the flower will kill you in a quarter of the time."

"I won't touch them then."

"It's also guarded by thieves from the forest."

I ignore her and run to the dark forest. I look up to see the sun now set as the sky turns orange.

"I have to get there fast!"

I arrive at the location with the moon shining above me. I examine the area to see purple flowers surrounding a patch of white flowers in the middle. I look back and forth, no thieves.

"Ok," I said. "All I have to do is not land in the purple flowers."

I carefully walk avoiding the purple flowers. I'm halfway until I hear the sound of an arrow. I quickly jump into the air as the arrow pasts me. I carefully land and turn in the direction of where the arrow was shot.

My jaw clenches, it is the leader of the group of thieves.

She looks at me astonished, "I wasn't expecting to meet you again. Especially here."

"Leave me alone," I said angrily. "I only came for the white flower."

"I don't think so," she says as she pulls back her bow. "You have to die here."

She releases the arrow. I snatch it out of the air.

"You won't kill me with an arrow."

The leader snaps her fingers. Her gang appears on the outskirts of the flowers with bows.

"Are you sure about that?" she says. "Fire!"

I jump into the air as arrows fly from all directions.

How do I get out of this?

I land right on top of the white flowers. They fire again.

I take out my staff and extend it. I quickly twirl it around me as I block arrows.

"Interesting," says the leader as she holds up her hand stopping everyone from shooting arrows. "I have an offer. Join our band of thieves."

"Join you guys?"

"Yep."

"Before I answer you, did you see a little girl pass through the forest?"

"Yes actually. We spotted a little girl passing through our forest. What is your answer?"

"After poisoning my friends? Did you honestly think that I was going to join you?"

The leader sighs, "Oh well then."

Just before they fire again, I hear Isabell's voice in my head, "Stand still!"

The arrows fire. They suddenly begin to slow down and drop down to the ground.

I spot the spikes from the flowers slowly lifting into the air. They fire in all directions hitting the thieves and the leader. All the thieves drop to the ground except for the leader.

"This… can't… Be…" says the leader as she begins to shake. "If I'm going down…" she dashes towards me with her knife. "I'M TAKING YOU DOWN WITH ME!"

I block her knife with my staff, "It's over!"

She grins, "Is it?"

She drops her knife to her other hand. I try to react quickly but watch as the knife stabs into my left arm.

The leader drops the ground.

I wince in pain as I take out the knife. I watch as purple starts to spread from the wound.

"Foster!" shouts Kathrine.

I look up to see Isabell and Kathrine standing from the sides.

I look back down at the white flowers, grab them, and yank them out. My vision begins to get blurry.

"You're going to die!" shouts Isabell.

"I don't have enough magic back to pick you up!" shouts Kathrine.

I try to jump but collapse to the ground. I look at my staff.

An idea pops into my head.

I shrink my staff and place it down against the ground.

I grab tightly against the end.

"Extend," I said slowly.

The staff flings me into the air and over the flowers. I'm caught by Isabell.

I look up at both of them.

"Save them," I said slowly as I passed Kathrine the white flowers. Everything turns black.