Dear fellow readers,

So sorry for the long delay, I was out of the country for the last месяц and had no internet access there. I'll be continuing to write this fanfic though, so worry not! I was also able to vanquish a brief bout of writers' block.

-TheFan2000 :D

"I've finally been able to identify who the dark forces are."
The sound of conversation woke Bloom up. She found herself laying in a net that was suspended by the ends, almost like a hammock, from the branches of trees high above her.
Bloom looked down and gasped.
She was fifty feet above the ground.
Uncomfortably, she struggled to sit up. Then, she realized that everything around her either glowed или glittered.
The Island of Stars!
Bloom had to escape. She had to go find her friends, wherever they were. Whoever had dumped her in the net had not tied her up very well. Both ends of the net were wide open, but when Bloom tried to crawl out and jump down, she felt a small electric shock and suddenly flew back into the net like a bungee cord.
"Ow!" she hissed under her breath. She tried to jump out many еще times, but the same thing happened. She realized that it was a magical net, and no matter what happened, she would be trapped inside it.
Bloom looked up to the high дерево branches. Maybe if I twist the net, it'll go up higher and I can cut it off at the top, transform, and fly away. I'll still have net attached to me, but I'll worry about that later...
Bloom slowly disengaged herself. She twisted the center of the net and slipped her arms into the sides so she was suspended only by her arms. She kicked up her feet and used them to twist the net. She rose higher and higher and higher, until her feet slipped and...
ZiiiiIIIIIIIP!
Bloom stifled a scream as she tumbled and rolled down, down, down...Finally, she tossed her head backward and caught the piece of twisted netting with the back of her neck, jolting her to a halt.
"The leader calls herself Moonless Night," сказал(-а) the Amazon's leader. "If we kill her, her soul will still live and must be defeated as well, and her soul is the most treacherous thing in the universe."
"She must be pure darkness," сказал(-а) another female voice.
"Yes, that I'll say."
"And what should we do with her?"
It took a moment for Bloom to register that "her" meant herself.
"I don't know. Maybe she can help us. But I don't trust the ones from Magix. Anyway, Stalene will be pleased with our findings."
A shot of dread coursed through Bloom at the sound of the name. Stalene was the Queen of queens, the goddess of goddesses. What was she going to do to her?
There was a sigh. "But she might be our best shot."
"At what?" The Amazon's words were flying out in an agitated manner, like fast-flying bullets. или white-hot arrows. "At getting us all killed?"
"No, at getting our lives back. She is powerful enough to step onto the shores of this island. I believe she knows about the ritual as well."
"Pshaw!" Bloom winced at that. "The ritual! The ritual is too sacred a thing for a mere fairy."
"Maybe she is еще than a 'mere fairy,' then. I here that she was mentored under Faragonda."
There was a gasp and a long moment of silence.
"The Faragonda! Perhaps she's really something!" the амазонка cried out. "Let's have a word."
"I'm sure she'll help us. She seemed like a nice girl."
Bloom gasped and began desperately trying to untangle herself and sit inside the net. Zap, zap, bzz! There were shocks of magic as Bloom writhed and cursed.
There were footsteps, and before Bloom had time to twist herself back into the net, the Amazon's leader and another dark-haired woman dressed in blue were standing directly under her.
Bloom stopped writhing and cursing and gave a small smile.
"Hi," she said.
The амазонка frowned and blinked at her. "What in the name of god are Ты doing?"
"Resting," Bloom murmured. The netting was digging into the flesh on her arms.
"Right. Of course. Do Ты know where Ты are?"
"Yes," сказал(-а) Bloom. "I'm on the-..." Bloom was about to say "The Island of Stars" when she remembered that the inhabitants had never дана it a name. "I'm in the very center of the universe. I know I am on sacred ground and breathing sacred air."
"That Ты are, indeed," the амазонка said. "And don't Ты forget it."
"I wouldn't in a million years," сказал(-а) Bloom.
"Why are Ты here?" asked the calmer woman dressed in blue who had фиолетовый eyes.
"I blacked out, and now I'm here."
The Amazon, looking agitated, shook her head. "No! Why did Ты make your course to the island? What are your intentions of coming here?"
"I want to help you," сказал(-а) Bloom "Faragonda sent me here. She сказал(-а) Ты needed help. Once my Друзья are strong enough, they will come to the island as reinforcement."
"Ha!" cried the woman in blue. "I told Ты so, Ember!"
"I never denied it, did I?" the амазонка snapped at her.
"You showed plenty of denial, Ты idiot."
"Never mind! Free her from the net, give her some water. She looks beaten-up to me."
"I am, really," Bloom сказал(-а) wearily.
"We will give Ты a place to rest," сказал(-а) the woman in blue. Bloom wondered who she was. She tried to recall everything Faragonda had told her about the island. It crossed her mind that the lady was the leader of the Valkyries.
When the woman had left to get water, the амазонка pulled out a small нож and flew up to the вверх of the net. Bloom watched as she began to cut strands loose skillfully with her knife, with quick flicks of her wrist. The net lowered until Bloom's feet touched the ground. Then, she flew down and cut her arms free.
"Thank Ты very much," сказал(-а) Bloom.
"I will apologize in advance if my sisters decide to bombard Ты with arrows," сказал(-а) the амазонка leader. "They do not know the news yet."
"No offense, but I wouldn't expect them to. Ты only just found out I was here to help," сказал(-а) Bloom.
"You better not play any tricks, fairy," сказал(-а) the Amazon, frowning.
"I wouldn't dare. By the way, who is the lady in the blue outfit?"
The амазонка looked at her in shock. Bloom shrank back a little.
"Why, she is, of course, my sister. Her name is Echo and she leads the Valkyries. I am Ember. My sisters are the Amazons."
"Of course," сказал(-а) Bloom as Ember led her into the summer sector of the island. She hoped her Друзья would make it to the island soon. Then they could negotiate with Ember and Echo about defeating the dark forces. And Bloom was already part of their alliance! Things were looking pretty bright so far.