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Alli walked as swiftly as she could beside Aimè, trying to look as guilty as possible. The villagers mustn't know... they would panic. They must believe...
"I love you, Aimè." she cooed sickeningly, making it obvious that she did not want to be overheard. Villagers left and right rolled their eyes, snickering as the pair disappeared through the shadowed trees.
"Where?" Alli mouthed, careful to keep her words private. They were now far out of sight and sound of the villagers. He pointed to some bushes. She nodded and reached into her bag, pulling a small firearm from it. Aimè pulled his sword from beneath his cloak.
Suddenly raucus laughter burst forth from the trees, surrounding them like a swarm of Italian-sounding locusts. Alli crept through the strewn leaves and pine needles, crouched low and moving silently, her hand gun cocked and ready. Aimè held his sword dangerously, ready to strike. He circled the bushes from the far right.
Alli's scream broke the air when she was still a dozen yards from the shrubbery. Aimè's concentration broke and he ran to her. She lay spasming on the ground screaming, deaf to his words. He searched her for injury and found nothing. Finally a snake, long and perfectly harmless, slithered terrified from beneath her, undulating as far away as possible in as short a time as it would take a race car on steroids to travel around a two foot track. She had crept over top of it unwittingly and it had wrapped itself around her arm in retribution. Terrified of serpents, Alli had been able to do nothing but scream helplessly. She now laying sobbing, trying to breathe and not much accomplishing it.
Aimè gathered her into his arms and held her until she stopped shaking (which took an admittedly long time). Their opportunity had been lost. The flash of red and sound of Italian had disappeared into the forest by the time they were able to explore the area. They had lost Mario... they had lost such a perfect chance...
Now Alli leaned against a tree, hands braced on her knees. She could finally breathe, but she was ashamed of herself. The snake had been more afraid of her than she was of it, much though she wanted to deny it. She had lost them... everything.
"Not everything." came a Voice. Aimè jumped and looked around.
"It's just Illamatar." said Alli dejectedly. "He talks to me a lot. You know that. He's the one who told me that I'm a Seer. He's the one who gives me my dreams. He told me that you were innocent and that Mario was not. He told me... everything."
Aimè searched the air for a diety to bow to respectfully and failed.
"He'll not appear..."
"Too true." the Voice replied. "Alli, you mustn't feel sorry for yourself. Wallowing in self-pity is a bad excuse for action. You screwed up. Admit it and then go fix it. There will be time yet to kill Mario. In the mean time, revel in Sai's victory."
"Sai's victory?" Aimè muttered to Alli, confused.
"Yes." she answered. "She doesn't know it though. Illamatar told me. She made J.Lo. harmless. The diva had managed to contain the power of the full moon within... her posterior. Sai stole it from her for that Task. With the full moon gone... J.Lo. was rendered Ordinary."
"You mean... but you didn't tell me that J.Lo... I thought... Mario..."
"There are three, Aimè. Three. Now there are two. We'd have narrowed it to one... if only I hadn't--"
"Alli!" Illamatar warned.
"Come off it, Eru, you know perfectly well that I'm right. I screwed up. We could have... but now we can't... and you still haven't said who the third is."
"I'm not telling you everything. You must figure it out on your own. There is still time." With no change of scenery, the allies could tell that their Creator had left them. Well, not left them... but had left the area, if you take my meaning.
Aimè put his arm comfortingly around Alli's shoulder as they began to walk slowly back. "We'll find him. We'll learn the last one. We can do this."
"Yes... yes, we can." Alli sounded slightly less certain than she'd meant to. Aimè wasn't confident enough to reprimand her.
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