XIII

Bad News

———

Amy patted Airie's head with her right hand.

"Stay alert, honey," Amy said to Airie. Amy thought of what she should do now that Sheloin is gone. The Portland Goldens may suffer the loss of the Wizard. She had a loathsome feeling in her stomach that commands her to panic. In no time, she panicked while breathing heavily.

Amy held her right hand high and her left hand supported it, forming the positioning of hands in making the Communal Portal. She recalled the ambience of the Generals' Base then lights came out of her hand. But it disappeared even though Amy has her hand widely opened. She tried to make another Communal Portal but she failed again. Airie whinnied with a sharp jump.

"Calm down, Airie." Amy whispered to herself, "you too, Amy."

"Hyah!" Amy yelled and Airie ran real fast. Amy turned Airie's head to the wide street of the towns. I need to get to my team, she thought and she commanded Airie to run by yelling again.

"Hyah!"

---

"Everyone, I've got a bad news," Amy said, trying to keep calm in spite of the loss. She went down Airie's back.

"What is it?" General Phillip while making himself ready of the news.

"Wizard Sheloin is not there in his house," Amy said. "I have seen strange things right after I have entered his house."

The rest kept as silent as a tunnel. Their ears and minds are willing to listen.

"I've entered his house without knocking because his door is swinging open," Amy continued and took the hat of Sheloin from Airie's saddlebag. "I've seen his hat on the floor. I am not yet sure if he's really captured or what but he wouldn't just leave his door and hat like that."

"No way," Lance mumbled.

"We should find him," Amy said. Amy's friends agreed. Some of the armor parts of her teammates, such as wristbands and headpieces were already off but they managed to rapidly put them on. Amy, on the other hand, did not notice that her headpiece is off so one of her teammates reminded her.

"Amy, your headpiece," Lance said when he was looking at the head of Amy. Amy returned the hat of Sheloin in the saddlebag then quickly grasped her headpiece. She briskly wore the headpiece.

"We're through," Amy said to General Phillip. She looked at him but General Phillip's attention was on the other Generals' conversation. She walked to General Phillip but the conversation is already done. She walked back to her team and waited for their General to come.

"The news about the loss of Wizard Sheloin was spread like wildfire," General Phillip said. "It is a good thing that everyone knows it. They should be alert nowadays. And it is confirmed that Wizard Sheloin is taken by the Kininvas who were commanded to do so."

"We're ready to find him, General," Lance responded.

"No, we'll get two other teams. You stay here," General Phillip walked away.

"We'll come!" Elise tried to call.

"No," General Phillip just continued in walking slowly.

"Please. We'll report it to you if we need help," Amy said. "We are even better than what you know. We can do it."

"Fine, but I'll let your families know, okay?" General Phillip convinced them back. "Be safe. Those were just Kininvas. They have signals, you have minds. That is everything you need."

"Please make sure that my Mom wouldn't worry, General," Amy said and climbed Airie's back. "Let's go, Juniors!"

They rode on and on. All on a sudden, something bothered Elise.

"Amy, what's our plan?" Elise confusingly asked.

"We don't know where's Wizard Sheloin so this will take a long time. All we need to do is to stick together as we explore," Amy said and everyone nod. "And remember to keep your weapons, horses, and everything with you. We will use our dialers to communicate to all we needed to talk to."

It actually took them half an hour to reach a forest they've never been into. They didn't stop walking until a heavy rain poured.

"Uh-oh!" Then William groaned in disappointment.

"We need to find a place," Lance said and looked at the surroundings.

Fortunately, they found a cave. They went on and checked the cave out. It gave them a good umbrella against the rain.

"It's getting darker," Lance said. "Good thing, we're not too wetted by the rain."

"Let's go get some woods, boys," William said, being himself – partly mature.

"Be careful," Amy said as the boys walked away and said something she heard a while ago. "Be sure to come back."

Elise, Amy, and Sally led the horses inside the cave and cleaned them up.

---

Meanwhile at the another secret base of the Kininvas, Sheloin is at a cell. He tried to cast away the handcuffs thing his both hands together.

"Let me go!" Sheloin shouted in his long-lived voice.

"No, we'll not," the Kininva, standing beside his cell, monotonously and sarcastically said.

Sheloin exhaled and cried clandestinely. He thought of few names who were closest to him. Two names came out of his head, Phillip and Amy. Then he involuntarily whispered

"Amy, help me," Sheloin whispered as he helplessly laid down the uncomfortable bed in the jail.

---

"We're back!" Tom said while swinging the woods he has sideways.

"That's zippy," Sally commented and examined one branch of wood from Tom's arms. "Why are the tips of the wood frozen?"

"Lance impatiently took the branches off the tree with his sword. He even made ice crystals on the tree," Tom narrated.

Sally arranged the woods and shoved her blazing sword into the fixed woods. A campfire was made in no time.

"I'm sleepy," Tom said.

"You, boys, stay at the opening of the cave," Amy said and hung her bow on her torso. She led the six horses outside the cave. Anyway, the rain stopped pouring. She went back to where Sally and Elise laid distant from the others. She took the set of arrows and bow around her and laid it beside her.

They all laid on the oddly clean surface of the cave's flooring. They're fast asleep.

---

The sun shined on their cave but it only Tom was awakened.

"Good morning," he greeted and stretched.

"Wake up everyone! Wake up! Wake up!" he shouted but no one's awake.

"Look out! There's a Kininva!" Tom shouted at the top of his lungs. Amy was the first one to stand watchfully and aimed an arrow at the opening of the cave. She knows a Kininva is there.

"Calm down, it's just a trick!" Tom, laughing hysterically, said as he raised his both hands. All of them are awakened because of Tom's laugh.

"Tom!" some of them scolded.

"Why? We've got a lot of things to do!" Tom said.

He has a point, Amy thought as she strapped the arrow receptacles on her waist and back. She grabbed her bow sharply.

They all stood up and just like a miracle, their armors and uniforms have no dirt on those. They walked to their horses and found everything complete. The six of them rode on their horses and as time passed by, a big brown bear roared at them. Being the youngest, Tom screamed. They all looked at him and tried to calm him down. Once again, Amy looked at the bear and it ran away as coward as how the lion ran before.

"Again?" Tom asked and Elise shrugged.

The Juniors continued scrolling through the forest until they saw a pond.

"I'm starving," Lance complained.

"I'll catch fishes for us," Amy said. "This pond looks abundant in fishes."

Amy started to shoot fishes at the pond. Because the pond is healthily abundant in fishes, she had one fish for each of them. She thrusted an arrow through each fish, ready to be grilled. The boys took some woods for fire while Amy is catching fishes. After the woods are set, Sally combusted the woods for cooking.

"Please ready the fire," Amy said.

"Done," Sally said as she sat beside the fire.

They started cooking the fishes from Amy. While cooking, Elise stood up and picked some safe berries from the tree nearest to them.

"Dessert," Elise smiled and shared the berries. "I like the nutrients of the berries."

After thinking of what he could do, Lance drew his sword out and twirled with his hands. At the tip of his freezing cold sword, a thick glass made of ice was stuck. He pulled it off and made another five for his friends.

"Don't choke," Lance said and gave them one glass each.

"Thanks," almost everyone of them said and walked to the pond where the clear water is potable. After they finished eating, they washed their hands.

"We better move now," Amy suggested then walked towards the group of horses eating grass and drinking water by the pond.

"Come on, guys," Sally said.

The team rearranged the stirrups, saddles, reigns, and shoes of their horses.

"So, where do we need to go?" Tom asked and climbed his much smaller horse, fitting his squat size.

"As much as possible, we need to talk to everyone we see. They might have witnessed what happened," Amy explained and looked at everyone who were on their horses's back.

"So, do you mean we . . . need to go on an adventure so we can find him and find more help?" Elise asked.

"Yes," Amy replied shortly.

They were about to let their horses run but then some woman shouted at them furiously. She was the owner of the fish pond they used to think that was just a naturally plenteous pond.

"You wickedly scampish children of mischief, you pilfered fishes in my pond!"

Amy was commanding the horses to run when she heard the scold. The horses ran and Tom shouted, "we're sorry!"

"Oh, gosh," Amy looked at her teammates while trying to get good balance. "We just stole."

"There was no sign saying it's a private property," William replied. "We're not to be blamed."

---

The slow paces of the horses made them chat out of boredom. Exploring the forest, the Juniors found a small hut that was not too old. But the hut is undeniably younger than Wizard Sheloin's house.

"Let's go ask someone who lives here," Elise suggested.

"Yes, I think we should," Amy agreed.

The six of them went down the horses. They walked towards the hut and knocked.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here near my house?" That is what an old woman owning the house shouted right after she had opened the door.

"We're . . . the Juniors of the Portland Goldens," Amy mannerly answered.

"I have never heard about that!" the old woman said as a rejoinder.

"I think it's because you're living very far from our Kingdom," Sally faked a smile obviously.

"Watch your words," Amy whispered after she came nearer to Sally. "Please, Sally."

"Sorry," Sally whispered back.

"You still don't know my story, children," the old woman said.

"If you won't mind, can you tell that story to us? We do really need help in finding Wizard Sheloin," Amy pleaded.

"Wizard Sheloin?" the old woman asked.

"Yes, he's our wizard in the Portland Goldens," Elise explained.

"He's my brother," the woman said.

The Juniors only remembered one thing.

"Who is Amanda?" Amy and Elise asked all on a sudden.

"She is the sister of Wizard Sheloin. Witch Amanda was gone and never seen after her contribution to these lockers," General Phillip tapped the shoulder of Tom, who stands nearest to him.

"Witch Amanda?" The Juniors asked with one thing on their mind.

---