Chapter the Twenty-Second

She writhed around on her side of the bubble. Pain, burning, uncontrollable limbs…….
Iraella groaned as she forced herself upright, the pain fading. Something had just happened to Baeddan. Automatically, Iraella shifted over and shook Barden, who rested in the middle of the bubble, awake.
“Whatizit?” yawned Barden, squinting up at Iraella’s concerned face.
“Something’s happened to my friend, the one that I’m questing for,” whispered Iraella worriedly. She glanced across Barden to make sure that Mabon still slept. He appeared to be.
“We’re questing for, you mean,” Barden corrected gently.
Iraella glanced away from him somewhat guiltily. “No, Barden,” she said quietly, still not looking at him. “I’m questing for.”
Barden sat up and brought his hand to her face, gently turning her head back toward his. “What do you mean?” he whispered. Iraella looked down at his knees instead, swallowing.
“I can’t put you or Mabon in danger, Barden. Once we get to the forest, Mabon will bring you back to Pora,” she whispered, only now looking up into Barden’s brown eyes.
Barden looked furious. “So, I’ve just come along to keep you company?” he asked in a dangerously low voice. “You don’t think that I’m any help? You think I’m too weak to fight?” his voice was steadily rising.
Iraella had never seen him this way. Usually he was so calm. She scooted away fearfully, her eyes wide
“No, of course---”
“SO YOU THINK I’M JUST USELESS THEN, AM I?!” shouted Barden furiously.
Iraella flushed red. “Barden! Calm down!” she said sharply, shocked.
“Wha’ tis going on?” demanded the now wide awake Mabon from the corner.
They ignored him. “THEN WHY WON’T YOU TAKE ME?!”
“I told you, Barden. Nobody else needs to get hurt!” Iraella cried, trying to hide the tremor from her voice.
Barden, still breathing heavily, slowly unclenched his fists and spoke in a voice of forced calmness, “Iraella, the only reason I came was so that I could do something worth while. I only came to help you. I didn’t come not to do anything.”
“Oh, really. Please, Barden. I don’t want you or Mabon to get hurt. Please go back,” pleaded Iraella, her eyes shining.
Barden’s eyes softened a little. “Please let me come,” he asked softly, grasping Iraella’s hands.
Iraella looked into his eyes. No, she couldn’t. She couldn’t stand to lose another great friend. She looked away. “No,” she said, her voice barely even a whisper.
Barden let go of Iraella’s hands and Iraella looked up. He was smiling, but it seemed forced. “Okay. I won’t go,” he said calmly. Iraella smiled slightly.
“Wha’?” asked Mabon. Iraella had almost forgotten he was there. She looked past Barden’s shoulder.
“Once we get to the forest, you are going to bring Barden back to Island Out On Sea,” said Iraella.
“I am?” said Mabon, seeming puzzled.
“Yes, you are,” said Iraella sternly.
Mabon shrugged. “But don’ you wan’ our---”
“That’s what we were just talking about,” said Barden. “She---er----doesn’t want to put us in danger.”
Iraella nodded. Mabon raised his eyebrows. “We can put up with more than----”
“Mabon….” said Iraella in a dangerous voice.
“Agggh! Okay, okay. It tis morning, le’ us go. We are only probably an hour or so away,” Mabon sighed, consulting the map.
An excited rush ran through Iraella, then a slight feeling of dread. Was he…..She knew something had happen, she just didn’t know what. Iraella shook those unhappy thoughts out of her mind. They were almost there.
The threesome departed not long after that.
“I’m starving!” groaned Mabon pitifully, grasping his stomach.
“Me too,” mumbled Barden moodily.
“We need to hurry. We’ll get better food once we’re in the forest anyway,” said Iraella snappishly. She didn’t feel like lagging.
She noticed out of the corner of her eye Mabon giving a questioning glance to Barden, who shrugged.
“Look, we just need to hurry up,” said Iraella sharply. Barden nodded more stiffly than usual and Mabon tilted his head solemnly.

Sixty minutes………Sixty-seven minutes……..Seventy minutes…….Iraella kept counting in her head. She could see the land not too far above her.
Seventy-two minutes……They climbed ashore. Barden sighed.
“Might as well enjoy it,” Mabon murmured to Barden, who sighed and mumbled something that Iraella couldn’t decipher. Barden glared pointedly at her.
“Barden!” said Iraella exasperatedly. “I’m sorry! This is something I have to do…..Alone.”
“I know,” replied Barden stiffly. Iraella felt color rising to her cheeks, and how she gritted her teeth as she marched angrily towards him, until her face was only inches from his.
“Look here, I really care for you…..And Mabon,” she added hastily, thrusting a finger at Barden’s face. “I would rather that no more of my friends get hurt! I can do it on my own.”
And Iraella stalked off, still fuming. She went up to Mabon and thrust the map in his hands, hugging him quickly.
“Good luck,” she murmured as she released him.
Mabon smiled faintly at her. “Can we just follow you part way through the forest, till you are sure tha’ you know where you’re going?” he asked.
Iraella smiled. “You actually want to stick with me longer?” she laughed, flattered. “Okay, you and Barden can, if you would like. But when I say go, go,” she added sternly.
Mabon nodded, grinning at her. He walked up to Barden, who seemed to be much happier to at least go part way, and they set off.
They wandered for a long time. Iraella couldn’t help being paranoid—the Darks could pop out any second. “What are you thinking? They won’t they’re probably busy---No! Don’t think of that!” Iraella kept thinking to herself. If they were busy, what were they busy with?