Between Light and Dark 2

Fear.

If there was anything more powerful than a child's fear it was that of a Guardian's. When that Guardian was a child it became one of the most powerful substances on the planet. It filled the shadows, echoed through the darkness and rang through Pitch's underground palace with the force of the most harsh winter wind that it nearly knocked Pitch off his feet. There was only one being with such power, only one who would call out to him in such desperation that for a moment Pitch could not fathom the meaning behind the call, but his Fearlings did. They leapt into the shadows ahead of him, ready to feast on such potent fear. Pitch dove in after team a heartbeat later, no to feast on the fear, as tantalizing as it was, but to stop the Fearlings before they swarmed the boy.

They arrived in the thick forests of Taiga. The reek of smoke filled the air and thick snow cushioned the ground. The Fearlings immediately swept down on the lone figure laying against what appeared to be a sleigh. They nuzzled his face, chest and hip then nipped at his barely visible shadow, eating at his fear. The child gave a soft whimper, curling in on himself more but did nothing to stop them.

Pitch shoved them aside with a warning growl. This child was not meant for them. Worry filled him when the boy continued to whimper, his eyes closed tight and tears streaking his pale cheek on to freeze midway down. "Jack," he said gently, kneeling before the boy. He ran a grey hand through snowy white hair, brushing it away from his brow. He paused in surprise. Bright red blood was frozen over his temple and bangs. He took a better look at him. Jack was holding his left arm. Gently prying his fingers covering the injury, he inspected it. There was burn in the shape of a hand on the arm. The sleeve of his sweater had been burnt through and the flesh beneath a bright red and the burn had blistered to the shape of the hand. What could have caused it, he wondered.

Gathering the child and his staff in his arms, he looked about the small clearing. The snow cover sleigh was a rich red with intricate cravings and a rather large globe at the front. North's sleigh. Where was the Russian? Why would he abandon Jack and the sleigh? If he learned the Guardian, who had sworn to protect and treat the boy as his own son, had simply abandoned Jack he would tear the man from stem to stern and none too gently either.

"Find North and the Guardians," he instructed the shadow creatures. They fled to the shadows as he carried Jack through the woods in search of the other man. There was evidence of a great battle. Trees were torn in half. Scorch marks littered the ground where it was bare of snow. A number of colorful feathers could be found here and there as well as golden sand. A boomerang had been lost in the high branches of one tree and there, standing in the ground, was one of North's magical swords. Pitch stared at it all in wonder. The Guardians had been in a fierce battle that they had obviously lost. Neither North or Bunnymund would have left without their weapons, not willingly at least. But who would have taken them and why not Jack? Then he spotted what appeared to be a hastily built shelter. He glanced back at Jack's injuries. No, the boy would not have created this. One of the other Guardians must have hidden him. Whatever had transpired the Guardians had made sure to protect their youngest the best they could. Interesting.

He would have investigated more but Jack's injuries needed to be attended to and once the child was conscious he could answer Pitch's questions far better than what little evidence he had to work with. Summoning the shadows to him, Pitch returned to his dark palace. The shadows gathered up the lost weapons and sleigh as well. They may prove handy at a later date.

Years ago, when Pitch had decided he wanted Jack by his side, he had created the child his own room, deep within the palace where he would be safe. Jack had lived there the better part of a year before they revived the Guardians and battled the Chaos demon. And despite moving in with North after Pitch had been presumed killed in the battle, this was Jack's home. At least in Pitch's eyes. It was kept cold but unlike the rest of the palace it was brightly lit, once dark walls had been painted a light shade of blue. There was a bed, dresser and closet, both filled with clothing, a desk and table. Books and toys sat on the table, left there from the last time he had spent the night almost a month ago. The child didn't visit nearly as much as he should, but then in all truth Jack was a child of light not darkness, no matter how much Pitch wanted it to be the other way. That was why he was sent to North. A winter sprite belonged in his element not some dark, dank underground cavern.

He lay the child in the oversize bed and quickly undressed him, tossing the torn clothing to one corner be disposed of later – he truly hated hoodie and the fact Jack constantly insisted on wearing one when he had a closet of perfectly good, and far more fashionable ones in not only the closet and dresser at the palace but also in Santoff Claussen. Seemed no matter how much he and North tried the boy simply loved hoodie and jeans – now that his old deerskin trousers were gone. Pitch had so much as threatened the child would have to walk around naked for the rest of his life if he didn't wear the clothing he had provided. It was a battle of wills that Jack had eventually won. Teenagers were the most stubborn and unpredictable beings in all creation. Jack being an elemental only made things worse.

Pushing aside Jack's sense – or lack thereof – style, he focused on cleaning his wounds. The gash to the head wasn't nearly as deep as he feared but it did take some work to get the blood out of his hair. He rung out the cloth and sent it and the bucket off with one of the Fearlings as a fresh bucket of warm water was brought to him. Now came the tricky part. The burn on his arm was extremely bad and growing with every passing minute. Fire spirit, he wondered. Fire and Ice were never a good mix. Their powers ate at one another and could kill. Carefully he pierced the blister, letting the built up fluid drain and then cut off the excess skin. Under normal circumstances he would leave the blister to burst on its own but considering the cause he needed to treat the skin underneath as quickly as possible. Once it was uncovered he used his magic to draw out any possible infection. When the swelling and redness decreased he placed a folded cool cloth over it. Jack whimpered in his sleep when the cloth touched the injury.

"Shh…little one," he cooed softly, covering him with a sheet. "You can tell me what happened when you awake."

He left the boy in his room and walked to his throne room. The Fearlings he had sent to search for North had returned to report the Guardian was not in his workshop. The others reported the same of the other Guardians. They had swept across the planet and even deep under its surface to search. The Yetis had not seen or heard from North since he and Jack left earlier that day. Punjam Hy Loo was filled with frantic fairies trying to locate their Queen. The eggs of the Warren were in disarray and even Sandman's island was deserted but for a few mermaids. Of course Sanderson would be the hardest to find but there wasn't even a strand of dreamsand to be found. It was as if the Big Four had vanished from the face of the planet.

Pitch was puzzled. Where could they have gone? What could have been powerful enough to capture them and be able to hide them from his shadows?

Something flickered to his right and to his surprise he watched as a handful of lights went out on his globe. What once would have brought him great joy now sent his stomach plummeting to the ground. Children were starting to lose belief in the Guardians all over again.