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The Planes Walkers
19. Stowaways

19. Stowaways

The three of them had to make sure they were there when Rujar said his goodbyes or their plan would be ruined before it could begin. But they also had to make it down to the proper scout's caravan without getting caught and before it took off. The plan came down to that they were going to wait for Rujar to leave their quarters and then try to follow him as quiet as possible.

The night dragged on. Jet couldn't get much sleep. His heart raced with the plan they had discussed. The littlest mistake could cost them their only chance to aid the Kingdom.

The room darkened after a few hours. Heyvl crashed out. Jet wondered if he felt at ease after writing to his parents. Irina stirred in her bed, and Jet watched her roll over a few times in the darkness. Sometime during the night, he thought she was gone, but he knew his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Morning eventually came and Jet felt tired. He didn't sleep much with the excitement of what they were about to do. He rubbed his eyes as Rujar came in the room.

"Hope you all slept well," he announced as he closed the door behind him. He stood near the door unsure of how close to get. Irina stood by the window, slyly eyeing the caravans. She was just as tired as Jet was.

"Well enough," Heyvl chuckled. The Lonavian was the only one who managed to sleep well. He could see on Jet's and Irina's faces that they didn't.

"Good, good. Well...I came to say goodbye. It was actually rather fun traveling with you three. I don't know why you wouldn't be, but I really hope you all stay safe."

Jet felt bad after that. Rujar genuinely wanted them to stay in the Kingdom for their own protection, but they couldn't. They had to make sure the Kingdom had proper support sooner rather than later, especially if Lonava couldn't supply it. Jet tried his best to act as if he was following Rujar's wishes. "We will. You be safe too." He meant it as well. Even though Rujar was over the age that Jet felt the most comfortable around, he considered him a friend. He had saved their lives after all.

"Thanks. When the time is right, you all will be able to return home," Rujar stated as he started to turn his back to them. "I wish you all well." And with that, Rujar was gone. His parting was rather sad. Jet could sense Rujar probably considered them friends as well, even if their journey was short.

After Rujar closed the door behind him, Irina whispered, "Uh, I don't think we have time to follow Rujar."

"Why?" Jet asked. He and Heyvl moved over to the window. They saw that the scout was already preparing to leave. They wouldn't be able to make it out of the castle in time.

"What are we going to do now?" Heyvl asked.

Thoughts raced through Jet's mind. The only thing he could think of was his Element. "Do you both trust me?" he asked swiftly as he moved closer to the window. His hands began to glow in the pale green aura.

"Yeah of course," Heyvl immediately replied. Irina hesitated but then stated, "Sure."

"I think I could use my Element to get us from here to the ground safely."

"What?!" the other two exclaimed.

"I know, I know. It sounds crazy, but I er...had a dream where I could switch places with my Element."

"You want us to trust you based on a dream you had?" Irina asked carefully. She didn't sound completely dismissive of the idea. She even recalled him doing it to save her before.

Jet didn't want to tell them about the Spirit Plane. They would think he was crazy. "You have to trust me. I think I know what I'm doing."

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Heyvl could tell that Jet was acting genuine. He knew that the Spirit Element held mysterious abilities, because it saved their lives already. "I trust you, Jet."

They both looked at Irina who looked uneasy. She nodded slowly. Jet grabbed one hand from the other two and climbed onto the window. "We have to jump to get close enough. The Element swap will disrupt our falling."

"I hope you're sure about this." Irina also climbed into the window. Heyvl got on the other side of Jet. The three of them then jumped out the opening.

The falling brought back a painful feeling. Jet could almost feel the glass cutting his skin from the Calbar castle window. His hands erupted further into the green aura. It felt similar to when the Plane was about to take him. He resisted the pull that the Plane had over him. If he had left his friends, they would have no doubt fallen to their deaths.

With the air rushing passed them, Jet sent out his Element to right behind the caravan. He focused on the green aura and then suddenly they were on the ground with only a slight thud. Jet blinked a few times. They were behind the caravan now. He couldn't help but smile in disbelief. "It worked," he mumbled.

"Come on, we have to get inside," Irina rushed as they gathered their composure once more. Jet nodded quickly as he knew she was right. The three of them scrambled into the back of the caravan that they suspected as the one going to the desert. The tarp-covered cart was full of crates of supplies and equipment. Jet was amazed that a scout would need so much stuff.

"Why would she need all this?"

Heyvl shrugged, but Irina replied, "Scouts have to remain undercover sometimes. She's posing as a trader."

Jet nodded as he understood. He had already imagined the scouts as quick moving and only bringing light supplies, but traveling to a foreign land that could be hostile to scouts would prove the need for cover. He wasn't going to argue much, as it gave them the cover they needed. The three of them hid in between several crates and barrels so that they would be hidden from either side of the caravan.

"I wish you all well," Rujar's voice said as Jet could hear footsteps outside. The caravan tarp was thick enough to muffle some sound.

"As do we your journey to Lonava," the male scout spoke.

Jet listened carefully as the four of them all said their farewells and good lucks. He could hear Rujar's plate armor clank into another cart, followed by one of the female scout's footsteps. Jet could tell by the way they talked and parted away from each other. The caravan creaked as the second female scout boarded. Almost immediately, they began to move. The tarp swayed slightly as they made their way through the city.

"How long do you think it'll take to get to the Empire?" Irina whispered.

"At least several days, depending how fast the scout tries to ride," Heyvl responded.

"I guess that means we'll be back here for a while, huh?"

Heyvl nodded. Irina let out a sigh and shuffled where she sat to get more comfortable. Jet knew it was going to be awhile before they could leave the caravan.

Jet and the others tried their best to keep as quiet as possible. Once the caravan got out of the city, they were sure to be heard if they started a conversation. Jet decided he was bored enough to start going through the supplies.

"What are you doing?" Irina whispered almost quiet enough to look like she was simply mouthing the words.

Jet shrugged to avoid saying anything. He turned to the crate he sat next to and slowly lifted the top off. "What are these?" he ended up saying. The other two looked at him because he spoke at normal volume. The three of them looked to the front of the tarp, but the scout didn't come back there or stop the caravan. He assumed she didn't hear.

Looking back to the crate, Jet examined the contents. Inside there were sharp and jagged pink crystals. "Oh," Irina whispered as she got to the crate. She picked one up carefully. It had a handle. "These are crystal swords."

"Crystal swords?" Heyvl asked, his interest rising in what exactly was in the crate. He too shuffled over to the crate. "Wouldn't crystal just break easier than metal?"

Irina shook her head. "Our Element is quite strong. When it is used to make armor and weapons, it sort of...changes."

Jet wanted a closer look at the pink sword. He picked up one himself. Almost as soon as his hand clasp around the hilt, the blade began to change to a pale green color. "Whoa," Heyvl mumbled.

"That's strange," Irina stated as she watched the green take over the pink fully. She reached her hand out for Jet to pass it to her. She was expecting it to change back to the usual Crystal Element color when she held it, but it didn't. It remained the pale green that matched Jet's Element. It looked as if it had been imbued with Spirit Element. "This has never happened before."

"Probably because Spirit Elementalists don't handle the weaponry much," Heyvl added.

"That's true, but I wonder if this happens with any other Element."

Irina handed the short sword back to Jet. He decided he would hold on to it. If Empire soldiers were to examine the trade goods, he didn't want the sword to be a hint that they were on board. "I've never used a weapon before, but we might need it where we are going," Jet told the other two. They returned nods. The Empire was going to be full of danger, especially if they expected war soon. Only time would tell.