They all began to followed Helen out of that room. Dairniss was holding his side and limping heavily.
"Are you alright?" she asked him.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine," he said with the confidence he did not have.
"Are you sure?" Vyndi asked walking toward him.
"I'm...." he stopped and looked at Helen, then collapsed on the floor.
"Daniel!" Helen gasped and kneeled next to him.
"Helen..." he said softly, "forget it."
"No...I'm a life witch, remember? I can heal anything." He smiled at her and caressed her cheek.
"Not yet..."
"I can..." she said and took both his hands into hers. "Heal..." she said softly. Nothing happened.
"Helen you can't...this one is irreversible," he told her softly feeling his strength leaving him.
"No!" she said determined, tears began to gather in her eyes, "there must be a way...after all we've been through I won't let you die..." she repeated what she had done before to no avail.
"It's hopeless," a new golden voice said from behind them. Surprised, they all turned to see the new comer and saw a woman dressed in silks with long, curly, silver hair and amber eyes walking toward them.
"Dyana!" Gaia gasped excitedly and run to greet her old friend. Dyana smiled, then turned to Dairniss.
"His wounds are inside, they cannot be reached from the outside, my child." Helen felt like her world was falling in pieces all around her.
"No...it can't be, we can finally be together and fate tears us apart!" Helen cried.
"There might be a way," Dyana told her, "it won't be easy..." Helen closed her eyes and thought, a ray of possibility entered her mind. Helen looked down on Dairniss and smiled.
"You will survive," she told him. Dairniss let out a long sigh.
"We shall see..." Helen placed her fingers on his eyes.
"Rest..."she whispered softly. Dairniss closed his eyes and slept.
******
They left the castle solemnly. Vyndi had created a wind current under Dairniss to lift his limp body and carry him out. They exited the way they had entered. The sound of talking could be heard as they reached the last room, the one Dyana had been frozen in. Helen saw a world of familiar faces as she entered the room.
"Leila!" she cried out and ran toward her.
"Helen! You're alive!" her old friend said hugging her.
"Yes...what happened to you?" Leila looked down on Dairniss and her expression darkened.
"Why do you carry the wizard's brother like if he were a hero? He betrayed us all. In punishment, we were trapped in these walls," she said pointing around them.
"No...he knew what he was doing..." Helen said softly. "He saved us all, actually."
"Really?" Leila said stoically. "How?"
"It's a long story, I'll tell you later...I'm not sure if I can save him though..."
"If anyone can, that's you. Come. Let us get out of this miserable place. Doris must be worried sick...or rather thinking us dead," she said, smiled at Helen, called her husband, and turned to exit the castle. Helen turned to the witches and motioned for them to follow.
"We'll take him home..."she smiled, "I can't wait to see the look on mother's face."
"I'll properly dispose of this," Gaia said looking at the black pearl.
"I don't trust you...what are you going to do with it?" Aysh Ra asked her.
"I shall plant it in the roots of a greiar tree, it's dryad will guard it."
"Not enough...I'll instruct two dragons to keep the dryad company," Aysh Ra said. "I'm not taking any chances."
"You won't and neither shall I," Marina added. "There is this small island in the middle of nowhere with a deadly coral reef and...exotic marine life...that's where you'll plant the dryad.""
"You guys won't leave me out of this," Vyndi told them. "I'll put...let's say...impossible wind currents surrounding that island. Deal?"
"Yes," Gaia said smiling at her friends. "He'll have a hard time getting out of there." She chuckled at the thought.
"What are you guys doing?" Helen said walking out of her house.
"Us? We're making sure our dear little friend has a good babysitter," Aysh Ra told her.
"How's Dairniss?" Vyndi asked her.
"Not good...he hasn't improved any since last week he only seems to worsen, I'm not sure what to do," Helen said sadly.
"If any one can save him, that's you," Gaia reassured her.
"I don't know...I'm still not used to this...you should have seen the look Jessica gave me when I told her. Not to mention my parents," Helen told them with a wain smile.
"They'll get used to it, as for you... you'll have time, you'll see," Gaia told her with a mysterious smile.
"Believe her on that!" Vyndi told her.
"What about those creatures?" Marina asked her thinking of their attackers on the castle..
"They returned to their land. They new the way so the moment they found themselves free, they were off." She then frowned. "What if I make a mistake in something?" Helen asked them worried.
"Ha! None bigger than mine," Marina told her, "I wanted to send pleasant currents full of fish and good for sailing to a coastal city because I was in love with a guy there. Since I was also getting used to the witch thing...I didn't really know the power I had so instead of sending helpful tide I...well...I accidentally sank it."
"Oh my goodness!" Helen gasped. "What was that place called?"
"Atlantis." Marina told her sheepishly.
"You're not helping the poor girl, Marina, rather scaring her to death!" Aysh Ra said to her angrily.
"Helen, the only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes, like any normal person." Gaia told her supportably.
"Thanks you guys...you've really helped me and my village."
"No," Gaia told her. "Thank you for helping us."
"We have to get going," Marina told them. "We'll reach the island in the morning...that is if Vyndi can give us a lift."
"No problem!" Vyndi said happily. "Thank you Helen, drop in on us when ever you want."
"Yes. Do come visit," Aysh Ra told her.
"Don't forget your armor for that," Marina said jokingly looking at Aysh Ra.
"I will," Helen told them smiling.
"If you need anything," Gaia told her, "you know where I am. Oh, I almost forgot." She gave Helen a small sack. "These are healing herbs. You'll need them, just in case." Helen smiled and took them.
"Thank you," she told her. They all gave her a brief hug then got lifted by a breeze into the clouds.
"Good bye," Helen said softly. She turned and walk inside to see if her love had awaken.