The Big Four

Chapter 13

Ow. Ow. Owowowowowow….
After a few minutes, the thudding pain calms down. I look up at the present company.
“Sorry,” I say weakly.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Jack says quickly. “Rapunzel, do you… Do you remember anything?”
I shake my head slowly. “Not much. I remember you. And Merida and Hiccup…” I nod at each of them in turn. “I don’t recognize him, though, sorry,” I mutter glancing at the Wind Spirit.
Jack just nods.
JiA steps in. “Walk with me,” she says with a smile, again gesturing to include everyone.
As soon as we’re out of HayOO’s earshot, JiA starts speaking rapid-fire. “You can’t escape now; they’ll kill me and RaiA -- or Rapunzel, whichever you’d like to call her -- will be left to fend for herself. There are strong magical ties that keep her here, so she won’t be able to leave unless I let her out -- killing myself -- or she regains her memory. You’ll have to escape yourselves later. JoiOO and KendOO -- Jack and… What do you call yourself now? Kayden? -- will be totally free of the magical boundaries. You two mortals can only leave accompanied by a spirit, but with Jack and Kayden, you’ll be fine.”
Merida forges ahead to catch up with her. “Why are you telling us this?”
JiA rolls her eyes. “Do you want to get out or not?”
Merida hesitates. “Not without Rapunzel,” she finally says.
JiA raises her eyebrows. “You all know her that well, do you?” She glances back at me. “You’d better try to get her memory back quickly, then.”
I clutch at my sides. These people don’t deserve this. If they stay… Well, JiA can’t take on more than one Spirit at a time, according to the Ancient laws. It makes me feel awful. I can’t just make my memory appear. I don’t want them to have to stay here forever, same as I! It’s not right.
Then again, nothing seems to be right on this island.

---

So we have to stay here. We don’t really have a choice.
I throw Rapunzel a reassuring grin, but she doesn’t respond. She looks really upset, but I decide it’s best to leave her alone for awhile.
Jia leads us back to the earthen prison. The guard waves us over. Inside, another tribal dude with a humongous stick hat is standing, arms folded across his painted chest.
“I am Kee-oo,” he says. I can’t decide which is more strange -- the accent or the name. “I am the chief of this island. I have consulted with my fellow JhuigOanS, and we all agree that you should stay. The two Spirits will go to JoiOI right away. The other two…” He frowns at Hiccup and I. “I shall question them. Hay-oo, take the Spirits away. Jia, go with Ray-a to your home. I shall take care of this matter.”
Everyone obeys almost instantly. This guy seems to radiate power and fear. I shudder.
He turns to face me. “I am the Spirit of Spirits. I am the only member of this island with my memory intact. I sense in you both the Spirit of Freedom and the spirit of a Haunted.”
The Haunted thing I got. The other thing? “Um, I’m confused. And you know our language? Why was anyone speaking… Joo-ee-goansee or whatever in the first place?”
He sniffs like he smells something bad. “Because two Spirits were conversing in their natural tongue! Now, Girl, explain to me why you seem to be partially Spirit.”
“I--” I glance at Hiccup, confused, then force myself to look away. I really don’t know where I stand with him after today’s ‘confession.’ “I really, honestly have no idea. I had a Haunted attack awhile ago, which probably explains that… But yeah. I have no idea what you’re talking about with the other thing.”
Kee-oo turns to Hiccup. “And you? You have the scent of a Spirit, too. Explain.”
Hiccup shifts nervously. “I don’t know, either. Maybe it’s from traveling with Jack and Kayden for so long?”
Kee-oo shakes his head. “Perhaps you did not know, but you are the son of the Spirit of Courage.” He turns to me. “And you are the daughter of the Spirit of Freedom. Both were punished because of affairs with mortals.”
He pauses for a moment to let this sink in.
I laugh incredulously. “I am not the daughter of a Spirit! My mom and dad are--” I stop. I don’t even know my real parents. I was abandoned as a baby.
Kee-oo nods, almost as if in satisfaction. “You have the blood of the Spirit of Freedom,” he confirms. “And you, Viking, what of your parents?”
Hiccup hesitates. “My Dad’s the captain of a Viking Warship. Are you saying that…”
“Spirit of Courage is your mother,” Kee-oo confirms.
I take a deep breath. This is not the kind of thing that happens every day. “It can’t be,” I murmur.
Kee-oo smirks at me. “But it can. And it is. Now, come with me. You must rejoin your companions at JoiOI now.”

---

I shake my head. Back again. It can’t be. I haven’t been here for hundreds of thousands of years -- ever since I regained my memories and entered the world as Wind. I left and never looked back.
And yet here I am again. Why? Because Jack and Merida and Hiccup won’t leave without the stupid girl.
I’m not staying.
“LorOO. You can’t keep Free Spirits here, can you?”
Jack gives me a dirty look, but I ignore him.
LorOO hesitates, then nods. “You can leave at any time. You are a Free Spirit.”
I grin. I’m off.

---

Seriously? The minute he got the chance, he abandoned us. At the worst possible place, too.
I scowl as he flies off.
LorOO and HayOO stand nearby. The entrance to the JoiOI is a few feet away, but I plan on staying here to help Merida and Hiccup navigate the tunnels when they get over here.
“You should leave now,” LorOO says. “If you don’t, you’ll be here by choice and you won’t be able to leave again. It’ll be just like back when you were an Infant Spirit.”
I scowl. “I’m not going anywhere without Rapunzel.”
He shrugs, surprised. “Suit yourself.”

---

This can’t be real. I’m not half Spirit. I’m a human, through and through.
Probably.
Maybe.
Not.
I wring my hands and follow Kee-oo. I finally spot Jack up ahead, hanging out near a rock wall with a door carved into it.
Kee-oo smirks at him. “Leave now, JoiOO, or you won’t leave again.”
Jack straightens. “I know what I’m doing. I’m staying.”
Kee-oo’s smirks is simply malicious. “Wonderful! Now, let’s get below then, shall we?”