there's a spell on this space in front of me, and I'm afraid if I try to come through it, I'm going to get stuck like Tim."
"A true roommate would get stuck with me!" yelled Tim. "Prove your love! Live the roommate code of honor! Get spelled, Jayne!"
"I can't help you if I'm trapped too, you turd monkey! Just relax." I had never seen Tim lose it so completely, and it was distressing me to no end. It was worse than seeing a parent fall apart. I'd experienced that once with my mom during her divorce, and it wasn't pretty. But Tim, the brave, fearless, former spy and kickass pixie losing it ... definitely worse. I heard a quick succession of farts coming from his direction. Yeah. Definitely, positively worse. Level 5 Defcon bad.
"Oh, great. Now I have gas. I hope you're happy with yourself, Jayne."
"You can't blame me for your intestinal problems. That's all on you, dude."
"He's got gas even in the Underworld?" asked Tony.
"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY HANDICAP!" yelled Tim, his voice reaching crystal-shattering pitch.
He abruptly fell out of the sky and landed on his back in the leaves below where he'd been suspended.
"What the hell just happened?" I asked, totally mystified.
Tim stood up and brushed himself off, taking a few moments to fix his hair. He cleared his throat and then flew up a few feet, doing several barrel rolls and midair somersaults, appearing to be testing his wings.
"Yeah, okay. This works." He turned to me with a huge grin on his face. "Broke the spell!"
"Was it your farts or your lady-screech that did it?" I asked, only partially kidding.
"Who cares? Let's go," he said, flying towards the door.
I took a big step to follow him, and too late, realized the spell hadn't been totally broken. I felt the noose slip around my ankle and draw itself up tight. I was flipped back onto my ass and quickly dragged through the rotted leaves towards the center of the clearing. "Aaahhh!! It's got me!! Help!!" I tried to dig my heels and fingers in, but all I did was stir up and cake the black, loamy soil onto my body and hands.
Tim flew over, buzzing around my face, but there was nothing he could do. Tony and Spike didn't move a muscle, but Tony's face registered the shock that was coming over him.
"Jayne! Holy crap!" he yelled, his mouth hanging open as he watched me go.
I could see as I was dragged across the forest floor that he had a death grip on the edge of the door. It had a weird comforting effect, knowing he was so worried about me. He's going to help me. I know he is. Tony would never let me down.
My stomach almost dropped out of my mouth when I was suddenly yanked up high into the air by my feet. A second later, I was dangling high above the ground, upside down, the blood immediately rushing to my head.
"Oh, shit, I'm gonna barf," I said. It was like the worst amusement park ride in the world: the Drag-n-Hang. My stomach burned and churned, threatening to loose itself on the forest floor.
"No! Don't spew!" yelled Tim. "It'll go into your nose and then your breath will be bad enough to kill a dragon."
The smell of strong sulfur hit my face just after he said that, making me laugh bitterly with the irony. "Sounds like a good plan to me."
"The dragon is coming," said demon-Spike, fear in his voice. "I wish to come with you into the void," he said, staring at Tony.
"Of course, Spike. How'd you get over here anyway?"
"That's not Spike!" I yelled. "It is but it isn't. But he has to come with us anyway so we can get the real Spike back."
"I'm really confused right now, Jayne," said Tony, his voice shaky.
"Me too. I don't really know totally what's going on here; but I do know this - if you don't get the three of us into that void with you within the next thirty seconds or so, we're all going to be dragon bait."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TIM WAS FLYING ZIG-ZAGS in front of my face,
"A true roommate would get stuck with me!" yelled Tim. "Prove your love! Live the roommate code of honor! Get spelled, Jayne!"
"I can't help you if I'm trapped too, you turd monkey! Just relax." I had never seen Tim lose it so completely, and it was distressing me to no end. It was worse than seeing a parent fall apart. I'd experienced that once with my mom during her divorce, and it wasn't pretty. But Tim, the brave, fearless, former spy and kickass pixie losing it ... definitely worse. I heard a quick succession of farts coming from his direction. Yeah. Definitely, positively worse. Level 5 Defcon bad.
"Oh, great. Now I have gas. I hope you're happy with yourself, Jayne."
"You can't blame me for your intestinal problems. That's all on you, dude."
"He's got gas even in the Underworld?" asked Tony.
"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY HANDICAP!" yelled Tim, his voice reaching crystal-shattering pitch.
He abruptly fell out of the sky and landed on his back in the leaves below where he'd been suspended.
"What the hell just happened?" I asked, totally mystified.
Tim stood up and brushed himself off, taking a few moments to fix his hair. He cleared his throat and then flew up a few feet, doing several barrel rolls and midair somersaults, appearing to be testing his wings.
"Yeah, okay. This works." He turned to me with a huge grin on his face. "Broke the spell!"
"Was it your farts or your lady-screech that did it?" I asked, only partially kidding.
"Who cares? Let's go," he said, flying towards the door.
I took a big step to follow him, and too late, realized the spell hadn't been totally broken. I felt the noose slip around my ankle and draw itself up tight. I was flipped back onto my ass and quickly dragged through the rotted leaves towards the center of the clearing. "Aaahhh!! It's got me!! Help!!" I tried to dig my heels and fingers in, but all I did was stir up and cake the black, loamy soil onto my body and hands.
Tim flew over, buzzing around my face, but there was nothing he could do. Tony and Spike didn't move a muscle, but Tony's face registered the shock that was coming over him.
"Jayne! Holy crap!" he yelled, his mouth hanging open as he watched me go.
I could see as I was dragged across the forest floor that he had a death grip on the edge of the door. It had a weird comforting effect, knowing he was so worried about me. He's going to help me. I know he is. Tony would never let me down.
My stomach almost dropped out of my mouth when I was suddenly yanked up high into the air by my feet. A second later, I was dangling high above the ground, upside down, the blood immediately rushing to my head.
"Oh, shit, I'm gonna barf," I said. It was like the worst amusement park ride in the world: the Drag-n-Hang. My stomach burned and churned, threatening to loose itself on the forest floor.
"No! Don't spew!" yelled Tim. "It'll go into your nose and then your breath will be bad enough to kill a dragon."
The smell of strong sulfur hit my face just after he said that, making me laugh bitterly with the irony. "Sounds like a good plan to me."
"The dragon is coming," said demon-Spike, fear in his voice. "I wish to come with you into the void," he said, staring at Tony.
"Of course, Spike. How'd you get over here anyway?"
"That's not Spike!" I yelled. "It is but it isn't. But he has to come with us anyway so we can get the real Spike back."
"I'm really confused right now, Jayne," said Tony, his voice shaky.
"Me too. I don't really know totally what's going on here; but I do know this - if you don't get the three of us into that void with you within the next thirty seconds or so, we're all going to be dragon bait."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TIM WAS FLYING ZIG-ZAGS in front of my face,
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