Chapter 5: Pride Goeth Before... -------------------------------- Driel looked up from her book to see that Locke had entered the room. She smiled warmly at him. "So, did you find any of your friends?" He shook his head, looking a tad bit disappointed. "No, no one's here. Maybe they got together in Jidoor." Despite this, he still seemed to be in a very good mood. "I should at least find some clues as to where they might be." He grinnned at his own comment. "I, Locke, the world's greatest treasure hunter, am about to embark on a journey to seek out the world's greatest treasures: my friends!" He chuckled at his own comment. Driel laughed. "So, you travel the world searching for lost gold? Sounds exciting." "It is, when you aren't being attacked by some foul beast with long, jagged teeth." "Uh, yeah, I guess that could dampen your fun." She struggled to contain a yawn that seemed rather out of place. Locke just smiled to himself. "Am I boring you?" She sat up, trying to keep her droopy eyelids open. "Oh no, I'm just a bit tired, is all." Locke sat down on the bed. "In that case, you'd better get some sleep, since we leave early tomorrow." She nodded, stood up, and walked out the door. After she had left, Locke noticed that she had left her book behind. On the cover the title was written in gold letters: "A Synopsis of the Third Age". Shrugging, he set the book back down and lay back on the bed. They set out nice and early the next morning, with clear blue skies and the promise of a fine journey. Driel searched the skies for any signs of bad weather in the next few days, and found none. The seagulls cried out overhead, which to Driel was a good omen. As noisy as they were, she had missed them when they had vanished from the skies. Since Driel was able to swear that it would be a safe journey, her brother was in a good mood and had only argued for half an hour before allowing Locke on board for free. After they were out a ways, Driel sought out her brother again, and found him leaning against the bow for a brief rest. She walked up to him and said, "Hello there, Jared." "Hey there, Driel. So what's on your mind?" She fidgeted. "Well, I was hoping to ask for a favor." He raised an eyebrow at her. "I haven't given you enough lately?" He watched her squirm under his gaze for a few moments, then laughed. "You might as well ask me, since I can't refuse a favor I haven't heard." "I was wondering if I could have a bit of a vacation once we reached Jidoor." "Sure," he shrugged. "Really? Thanks!" "Yeah, we'll be in port there for about two weeks, you can relax then." She frowned. "I, ah, meant for longer than that." He turned his gaze back on her, only much more intense. "Longer? How much longer? And where would you be going?" "I don't know. I don't know the answer to either question. I'm just feeling restless." He laughed. "Feeling restless? You've been at sea for five years, travelling the world, and you're feeling restless? I'd say you have the opposite problem." She grinned weakly, then laughed with him. "Nevertheless, I am leaving." He shrugged again. "Whatever. It's inconvenient for me, but you are free to do what you want, sister." With that he walked away, yelling at the crew members once more. Driel stood there for a while, unsure why she felt so guilty and upset at getting what she wanted. She looked over and saw poor Locke trying not to throw up on the other side. She was about to go talk to him, but she was called over to help with some heavy duty lifting. Unfortunetly, her tasks kept her busy all day, and she was too tired that evening to strike up a conversation with Locke. she thought. The next day, the skies remained bright and sunny throughout the morning. By early afternoon, though, there was a peculiar shift in the winds. Driel noticed it almost without thought, but she dropped her task after another minute. She tested the direction of the wind, and felt the cool tang in the air. "There's a storm coming," she muttered. With that, she picked up her task again. After another five minutes, Driel suddenly realized that all the light had disappeared. At the same time, she felt something stab her. At first she thought it was something she tripped on, but she realized that it was not a physical pain. Her eyes grew wide and she yelped when rain started to pelt her. She stood, stunned, for a second, as she was drenched in rain and lightning cut through the sky again and again. She swore rather loudly, but no one heard her over the dowpour. If she concentrated, she could hear someone's voice over the rackous. she thought. She walked towards his voice, trusting her sea legs to carry her there. Unfortunately, the ship was then rocked by a powerful surge of water. "Whoa! she shouted. "That's some wave!" Briefly she noticed that Locke was struggling to remain on board, as yet another wave lifted the ship like a toy. Torn, she almost went to help him, but unfortunately her brother needed help or the whole ship could be lost. And so she tried to keep her ground, and repeated a spell she had once read about. Unfortunately, it required a good deal of serenity and concentration, two things she was lacking. She didn't even get a fizzle. And so she resorted to cursing whoever designed the spell, since most people would not be calm in a storm. As she muttered to herself, she looked up in time to see several crew members being tossed like rags into the choppy waves. Fortunately, her brother managed to stay on board. As the next surge hit the boat, though, she watched him get thrown off the ship. And then something hit her on the head and the world ceased to exist for her.