((This happens about the same time as Shadowdemon is shredding the note.))"C'mon, Eric," Sheila said after Zak had left the meeting. "We both know you were a little hard on her. Why don't you go try to smooth things over?"
"Humph. All right, so I shouldn't've yelled. But geez, she doesn't even know me except from some dumb story they tell on Earth. And she thinks I'm going to attack a defenseless fairy?"
"Eric, she was just worried," Sheila says placatingly. "She probably feels really bad but is just too proud to come back. If you went to get her maybe she would. C'mon, just get it over with, all right?"
Eric looked extremely grumpy about it, but caved in. It was awfully hard to refuse Sheila when she was being this reasonable. And after all, he DID tend to run off at the mouth sometimes. "All right. Tell her Highness that I'm leaving my sheild here so they don't think I'm running off. I'll be back in a few hours."
He went to Zak next, to see if she had any idea where the girl had run off to. Zak didn't know, but offered to doodle him a horse so his search would be quicker. Together they went out of the palace and to the gates, where she drew him a beautiful paper-white steed.
"Good luck," Zak said as he took off.
"Sounds like I'll need it," he mumbled as he cantered off.
Zak returned to the throne room, still waiting for the others. Unseen, Shadowdemon seeped back into the city, still smirking to himself.
