Finna

Finna screamed in the middle of the big vultures. Cobalt was eyeing her for the flesh. “So much flesh, yummy! I do not have to wait for dinner,” he thought excitedly.

Finna dropped the silver ring into the lava. The hot air pushed it toward the rocks next to the lava. She screamed for help while Cupcake was hiding in one of the caves.

Finna fell into the lava before Cobalt pecked. She saw the vulture’s blue eyes shining like sapphires. Her mouth moved. “Cupcake? Tell her I like her as a friend. Please. Bye, vulture!”

“Bye to Cupcake?”

“What is happening, Cobalt? You seem to like her well-being?” one of the vultures asked.

“I do like her being. She is saying Cupcake.”

“Cupcake as in dessert. I want desserts.”

“Bye!” Cobalt heard the last cry from Finna into the lava. The hot pool swallowed Finna’s body, and she was gone.

Cobalt was confused, “Cupcake?”

“Let’s go, vultures!” the first vulture flew away.

“Cupcake!” Cobalt’s peak opened wide.

He was the last to find the silver ring on the solidified lava rocks. He picked that up and flew to the castle’s window to show the prince. He was silent while he was there.

“Cupcake!” the lady woke up to the shout. She was sleeping on the chair. The computer was on, but she had not found the disconnection from the camera.

“Cupcake, are you still here?”

She wrote the paper with the amber rose pen, “I was asleep. Did you call me?”

“I did,” Prince Flame wrote on the bathroom mirror. “Bubbles went out again. I cannot find him anywhere in the Amber Castle.”

“Cherry would be upset.”

“I will look for him with my pet Scruffy. I think he will sniff him out quicker than me.”

“If you find him, write me back.”

“[Hugs you.]”

“Later!”

Prince Flame wiped the mirror with his hand. He breathed in and said, “Scruffy, go outside now!”

Scruffy woke up from the cushion. He was on four legs and flew away from the bedroom. Both went outside and stopped by Princess Ruby. She asked, “What’s in a rush?”

“I need to take a walk.”

“At this time?”

“Yes.”

She allowed them to exit the castle. She wondered what they were doing, so she stalked after them. They were at the edge of the Lava Valley, where icicles and the solidified lava were. Scruffy sniffed hard but did not find the ghost.

Princess Ruby sat over the edge to see the sunrise in the sky. It was hot and humid. While she waited for her older brother to notice her, she would hug him and ask him a question.

“Scruffy! Did you find him?”

The firebird shook his head.

“Really?” his face was scared not to find the ghost. Do not tell me he was trapped by…

Cobalt crashed into Scruffy. Prince Flame saw it and ran to help his pet out of the fight. Cobalt’s eyes were hypnotizing Scruffy. Prince Flame smacked his head. Cobalt flew away. The prince took hold of hurt Scruffy in his hands. He turned to the obsidian prince.

“I did not expect you here early, Prince Flame,” he said.

“Did you get Bubbles?”

“I did not see the ghost. Neither my pet Cobalt.”

“Stop playing innocent!”

“Is your pet hurt? Why are you not healing him?”

Prince Flame looked at his pet, who cawed a tiny sound. He healed his pet with his finger over the belly. His pet was calm, and he flew without injuries.

The obsidian prince took his older brother by surprise to touch his belly. “Surrender to me, Prince Flame.”

“I won’t.”

“Do it, or you get swallowed by the obsidian rock.”

“Does the rock activates? You are trying so hard.”

“It works. I will tell you later. Just surrender, now.”

“Do not take my place!”

“Surrender, Prince Flame. Bow to me!”

He fell to his knees and bent over his body to respect his younger brother. The prince smiled, “Now, follow me to my castle. I want to show you something great.”

Princess Ruby turned to the males, who walked. She stood and rushed to hug her older brother and her younger brother. She asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing,” Prince Flame said.

Then, she looked at her younger brother. “Obsidian prince, you look great.”

“Are you going to help me to stay away from us?”

She gasped. She had never heard him say to get away from him. He did at the Obsidian Castle. But his voice change, is it not?

She let them pass by her. Prince Flame held his hand out to her. His eyes say, “Help me out here, Princess Ruby.”

The prince ahead of him paused, turning to say, “Stalling, Prince Flame?”

Prince Flame hid his hand. Then, his face stayed the same, and his legs walked forward. Both went away to the Obsidian Castle in silence.

Scruffy was looking for his owner but spotted Princess Ruby. He landed on her shoulder and played with her hair. She said, “He was with our younger brother. I am not sure he will return to the castle before dark.”

Bubbles hid in the light area, where he saw two princes walking. He even saw Prince Flame. They passed him without a sound. They reached the third floor of the room, where the obsidian rock lives on the pedestal.

“Prince Flame, look at my obsidian rock. Is it more gorgeous and more powerful than other gems in the past?”

The prince’s red eyes stared at the rock. He was not feeling the cold or the chills, but he saw the rock grow larger. He said, “Your rock is big. Did you feed it?”

“I fed with a silver ring.”

“How did you get that?”

“The ring that Cobalt gave me was from the Lava Valley. Someone crossed the path.”

Prince Flame thought, “It could not be Cupcake. She did not wear a ring. But someone wears a ring.”

“Prince Flame,” the prince called him slowly. “Did you like someone there?”

“I have not seen but you and Princess Ruby.”

“The memory popped out when I touched the ring. It could be a girl named Finna. Her mother was Cherry. Cupcake was her friend.”

“What did you call their names?”

“Prince Flame, you look angry with me. Did you know them by any chance?”

Prince Flame stayed silent. The prince touched his crown. “Can I borrow that crown and feed it to the obsidian rock?”

“Why would you do that?”

“To test your patience. I like to see your true answer towards the girls.”

Unexpectedly, the ghost pushed the prince to the wall. He screamed, “Run!”

“Bubbles!”

“Just run.”