Free Immortal by Lacy Armendariz Page A

where they had left them. She brought them down next to the fire, and they fell back asleep. Staysia tilted her head and looked at the two of them. She smiled.
    Her clothes were drying and she was feeling famished by the time she finally heard Jasper.
    “I’ve caught one! I did it! I caught a fish and it’s bigger than yours!”
    Staysia laughed and went down to the lake to have a look.
    “You did! And it is bigger than mine! Good job, Jasper!”
    After they ate their fish, it was getting dark. Staysia was propped up against Isis and Jasper was lying on a Nero flower.
    “Staysia,” Jasper began.
    “Yeah?” Staysia stared at the sky.
    “What do you plan on accomplishing by doing away with the murderer of your parents?” he asked.
    “Jasper!” She sat up and pulled the tooth out of her bag and held it up. “I am doing what they want me to do for them. This tooth was left behind for a reason! I must get revenge for them!”
    “I’m just saying, Staysia, it’s not going to bring them back!”
    “It will not, Jasper, but it is what they want me to do. Besides, he deserves death for what he did to them! They did nothing to him!” Tears began to well in her eyes.
    “It won’t take the pain away,” Jasper said.
    Staysia buried her face in her hands and began to cry.
    “Now look what I’ve done! I’ve made you cry.” Jasper hobbled over to her and sat next to her. “I just want you to be sure that this is what you want to do.”
    “Well, it is!”
    “That is fine then, Staysia! It is up to you.” He rubbed her back. “Please don’t cry.”
    Staysia lifted her head and wiped her tears. “I’m fine.” She laid her head back on Isis and stared at the star filled sky. “You know, I went camping with my parents many times. My father—” she paused and laughed. “My father would always tell us stories of his travels and the troubles he had encountered, but somehow, he always made it through. That’s what keeps me going. I know I can get through anything that comes my way. You should think that way, Jasper. You are a lot stronger than you think you are.”
    “Tell me one of his stories, Staysia.”
    “You want to hear one of his stories? Okay, I will tell you one. Let me see here.” She put a finger on her chin. “Okay, I got one! The night was dark and stormy. My father Warrick, rode upon his black unicorn through the dark forest,” she began.
    “Black unicorn?” Jasper asked.
    “Yes, haven’t you ever seen one before?”
    “Never.”
    “Well, his was black. He rode through the dark forest. He was headed for Misho Island. He was on a quest to save the people of the island from a Sea monster. The monster was making the island quake. My father had the power to defeat it, and the people of Misho Island were awaiting him. My father Warrick, was the only one who had the Sword of Drake. Drake had lived on Misho Island centuries ago. Drake had defeated the Sea monster called Shiime years and years before. My father had found his sword in a cave.
    When he found the sword, the sea whirled around in circles and the Sea monsters wailed in fear. The sword had been dead until my father found it. It came to life again on the night he found it. The people of Misho were awaiting my father—”
    “You already said that, Staysia.”
    “Hush, Jasper. The people of Misho awaited him, knowing he was their only hope. They stayed inside their homes, where they felt it was safe. When the monster growled, they would hear the fish men and woman screaming. The whales sang deep inside the ocean. The island critters scattered about, and crashed into the walls of their caves, fell out of their trees, and scurried into their holes. The Sea monster’s growl stung the ears of the people of Misho Island. When morning came, the restless residents would open their eyes knowing not that morning had come. The shadow cast by the monster left the island in total darkness. My father Warrick, was nearing Misho when he heard the