All things considered, maybe Immy was a little like a mom to him. He certainly always looked up to her like one.
Whenever his own was sitting in that chair like a permanent fossil, Immy would always be nearby ready to cheer him up. Even if that meant embarrassing him to no end. Like the world’s most annoying sibling. Staring at her photo, he could feel all those emotions coming back to him. What would he even say to her after all this time? How would explain everything that happened? How he got a new job. How he was wanted by gangsters. How he forgot about her.
“Pixie!”
Giu looked up from the picture.
Oh. Guess I must have jinxed it.
Tea sat up as well, both watching as a familiar concession of bears came running up to the house.
Redge and his boys all came to a halt, three of them panting while the brown bear himself chugged a stamina potion. It should have been even slightly intimidating, but Giu’s mind was too wrapped up with Immy to care about another random fight. And evidently, the same was the case for Tea.
“Can’t you see we’re busy, Redge?” the pixie groaned. “Raincheck.”
Redge finished his potion, smashing the glass on the ground.
“No way, pixie,” he roared. “You and I both know we’re still tied. This doesn’t end until one of us is in a body bag or a wheelchair. And I don’t see you flying funny.”
The pixie’s ears twitched, Giu’s gaze moving over all of the exhausted-looking bears. And the larger concession of soldiers he could see approaching in the distance.
“I think you might be needed elsewhere,” Giu said.
Redge didn’t understand at first. At least not until his ears picked up the sounds of clattering metal. A wave of fear seemed to wash over every one of the bears then.
“Redge!”
“Crap!”
“Son of a-“
Redge immediately whipped out a bottle from his pocket, tossing it to the ice bear.
“Every time with guys,” he growled.
Both Giu and Tea watched as the bears turned in the direction opposite to all the approaching guards. Most of them at least. The ice bear remained, finishing his drink and launching a wave of ice into the air. Of which the guards blew apart with fire spells.
“Son of a-! This isn’t over, pixie!” Redge was shouting. “Canine, you’ll get yours too!”
The ice bear ran after his escaping comrades, leaving frozen tracks in his wake. By the time the guards were passing by, Redge and the gang were blips on the horizon. Not that it seemed to hinder the pursuing lizards in the slightest.
“Excuse us, citizens!”
They called as they passed.
Tea sighed, returning to lying back on the deck. Giu in turn found his attention falling onto Immy’s photograph. It wasn’t long before any notion of the bears was forgotten, James eventually stepping out of the house in full steel armor.
“Alright,” he said. “If you two have second thoughts, now’s the time to voice them. I don’t need anyone slowing me down.”
The two partners exchanged glances. Not that they needed to.
“We’ve been waiting for you the whole time,” Tea said.
“You’re the one who knows where she is,” Giu chimed in.
James smirked.
“Yes. I’d imagine so.”
He slung his sword around his hip, Giu and Tea following him to the waiting Fang.
***
For better or worse, finding where the photo was taken seemed easy enough.
The image had a clear depiction of flowers and waterfalls. And there was one place in the city where they could see plenty of the latter, Fang crawling along the edges until it brought them to the epicenter of the massive chasm.
Water poured down all sides, leading into the ever-flowing river that seemed to stretch on for miles. To the vast expanse Giu couldn’t even see the bottom of. If there was a bottom. Fang fidgeted at the edge, clinging to the vines, but refusing to go an inch further.
“It’s alright, Fang,” Tea said, rubbing the twimono’s head. “We’ll take it from here.”
It gave a snort in response, eyes shifting between the two of them. Was it actually worried? Fang of all creatures. Giu climbed off the cart, petting the twimono as well.
“We’ll be back, twin horns,” he said. “That’s a promise.”
It gave another snort. And a sound which Giu didn’t quite recognize. Something half-between a gurgle and a yelp. Whatever it was, it brought a smile out of Tea.
“I doubt it would be safe for it anyhow,” James said, staring down the edges of the ravine.
He kicked down a rock, the stone plummeting into the vast abyss.
Giu waited for the inevitable plop. But it never came.
“Why don’t you go first,” Giu said. “We’ll catch up.”
James nodded, wasting no time in diving within. Once again Giu waited for a plop. Or a scream. At least if he got the latter he’d know they wouldn’t be falling for eternity or something. Then again, the silence could also mean he died on impact…Giu groaned, waiting at the edge.
“Are you two coming or not?” James’s voice came up to them.
Giu relaxed a bit.
Great. So I can rule out death by cliff-jumping today.
He glanced to Tea, the pixie lingering on the edge. Given they could fly, he half-considered being lowered down just in case. But then, if he did that, he figured he’d just make James suspicious. More suspicious, in any case.
“You noticed it too, huh?”
Tea looked up in surprise, Giu frowning at the chasm.
“Probably can’t hear anything down there,” he said. “Not with all these waterfalls and crap.”
He glanced around, the loud crashes of the water making it hard enough to hear James from down there. And he’d probably only reached the entrance given the photograph.
“Yeah,” Tea said. “That’s right. My guess is, we jump down there and there’s gonna be some kind of ambush waiting. I wouldn’t put it past this whole thing being a trap.”
“You mean with Immy...or…”
Tea only looked at him. He stared down at the chasm.
Given the choice between knowingly walking into a trap or possibly missing his master…He shrugged, jumping off the edge, much to Tea’s surprise.
“Gi!”
“Race ya’ to the bottom!” he called.
The pixie shouted something back before they flew in as well, Fang staring after them from the top of the ridge.
Up close, the chasm was a lot louder. And brighter. As they passed what felt like miles of waterfall, the darkness was replaced by a pale yellow glow from below. As if the sun were shining down from wherever it was they’d found themselves. Giu relaxed, though Tea seemed to narrow at it. As they came to the bottom, a bed of flowers was there to cushion the fall.
“Huh.” Giu patted the ground. “Softer than I expected.”
He brushed himself off, Tea still giving the area a careful watch. James wasted no time in moving ahead.
“I have a feeling she’s a bit further in,” he said. “C’mon. We shouldn’t waste time.”
Giu nodded, though he made it point not to rush after the fox. Not when he could practically feel the hostility in the chasm.
