The Lost Tribe

Chapter 7

The next morning, Delta came to the jail cell to check on Aria. She knocked on the door loudly.

"Rise and shine, kid!" Delta shouted. No response. She knocked on the door louder this time. "Kid! Get up!" Still no response. Clampers peaked out of Delta's hair.

"Hey! When my aunt says get up! You get up!" Clampers growled. Delta peaked through the bars of the cell door. She gasped when she saw Aria lying on the ground, completely lifeless.

"Dangity doodly..." Delta and Clampers both said with shock.

***

Poppy was headed to Lonesome Flats with her dad and Branch to introduce King Peppy to Aria and prove once and for all that she wasn't dangerous. Branch was still wary about trusting Aria again, but King Peppy on the other hand, seemed positive about meeting her. Suddenly they noticed Delta running towards them.

"Queen Poppy, thank goodness you're here!" Delta panted. "It's the Lost Troll!"

"What happened?" Poppy asked. The three trolls followed Delta to the jail cell where there were a few country trolls gathered. The door was wide open and the three trolls saw Aria's lifeless body with Hickory checking her pulse. "Ari!" Poppy cried as she ran over to her. She was barely breathing. Branch ran to Poppy and he knelt down beside Aria. He put his big pointy ear against Aria's chest to listen for a heartbeat.

"It's very slow, but her heart is beating." Branch stated. Poppy shifted Aria's lifeless body onto her lap.

"She said she couldn't survive without Echo." Poppy remembered as she turned to the other trolls. "We have to get her gem back!"

"The necklace?" Delta asked.

"That gem is the only way she can get to her guardian." Poppy explained. "She can't reach her guardian, she can't reach her soul, leaving her lifeless." Branch put a hand on Poppy's shoulder then he turned his head to face Delta.

"Delta, do you know where her necklace is?" Branch asked. Delta thought for a moment.

"I gave it to King Quincy." Delta said. "To keep it protected and away from trouble."

"Hickory, Dickory, you guys go to Vibe City and get that necklace back." Branch ordered. The two yodelers nodded and rushed away.

"We should have listened to her." Poppy sniffed. "She wouldn't be in this condition." Branch held her hand.

"She'll be okay." Branch reassured her. Poppy looked up at him then back down at Aria. Branch felt bad for what he said to her about not trusting her. "I'm sorry, Aria." He said sincerely. King Peppy watched in sadness at his daughter, he knelt beside her and looked down at Aria.

"I think this is why our ancestors called the Lost Trolls' power a curse," King Peppy sighed. "If separated from their dem-...guardian, it can cost them their life."

"You should have seen the magic of her guardian." Poppy said. "I had never seen anything like it. It was so enchanting." King Peppy wrapped an arm around his daughter.

***

A few hours later, Hickory and Dickory came running with the necklace. The other troll leaders had also heard about what had happened and followed the yodelers to the scene.

"What took you guys so long?" Branch asked.

"Someone was too aggressive when asking about the gem." Hickory explained, referring to Dickory.

"Nein! How was I remotely aggressive?!" Dickory yelled.

"You screamed 'magic crystal' in the faces of every funk troll!" Hickory argued. "I'm not even going to mention what you said to King Quincy and Queen Essence." Branch and Poppy looked at each other blankly.