Previously on The Crises in Three Worlds...
Arkhanta's land was dying, but Ari, its king, had worries he considers far worse - his son's mysterious "illness".
After a mission in Aridia that involved Caleb and Blunk, the Council of Kandrakar decided they should be replaced by Orube, a warrior from Basiliade. Caleb and Blunk, meanwhile, are to return to Meridian to help get it back in order after both Nerissa and Phobos messed it up.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Irma is crushing on the new computer instructor, Sylla, and Will's dad is getting married to Serena.
Chapter 02: Getting Along with Change
When Will woke up, nothing felt different.
She gathered the facts from last night – okay, Hallinor called them, introduced Orube of Basiliade, fired Caleb and Blunk, and sent them back. Was that correct? Oh, right. Will was torn between her parents, again, and even if she wished for their happiness, why was it that she herself felt so empty and sad?
Will stood in front of the mirror, and blew a stray strand of hair away from her face. A few small bolts of lightning appeared on her head, and she bumped her forehead against the glass. Man. She knew she had a good night's sleep, but why was she feeling so tired? Mist formed on the mirror and she wiped it off. Ugh, why did it look like she had large bags under her eyes?
She didn't understand how she made it through breakfast or to school, but either way, it felt better to be away from home right now.
"Hey Will!" Will looked around and saw Matt waving at her. "Man, you look tired! You want soda or something?"
Will smiled. Matt was so caring and attentive and patient; she wouldn't ask for anyone else. As soon as he got close enough, she gave him a mega-hug. "No," she grumbled into his shoulder, "I need a hug."
He chuckled. "One hug, coming right up." He reciprocated the hug, even holding on tighter. "Duty calls?"
"Nah, not really." Will released her hold, and Matt followed suit. "Though it is kind of a bummer. Caleb and Blunk are kinda out of commission. Kandrakar told them to serve Meridian, and, honestly, that is a valid reason. But, also honestly, I don't know if we'll be able to get along with our new teammate."
Matt nodded. "What? Too bossy? Too suspicious?"
"Neither. Just… different."
"Was it a boy?"
"No, a girl. An older girl." Will let an image of Orube flash in her mind. "Kind of, um, like a senior, but um, college age, maybe?"
"I see. Maybe the age difference is a little bothersome? I feel giddy around older girls too."
"Maybe. Or, maybe it's because she isn't from any world I know of."
"Oh, well. But, no matter what, I'll continue to support you in any way I can."
Will smiled, but as she and Matt shared a meaningful stare, they were tackled to the snowy ground.
"Good morning, Sheffield!" Irma yelled into their ears, "And good morning, you pink perky poopy pumpkins! Love is in the air, but don't let it ruin your record!"
Irma got up and ran into the building. Sigh. Will got up, sparks appearing at the top of her head.
"Don't let it get to you," Matt said, "And she's right. Let's go in. We can talk about things later."
Will nodded. Oh, she hoped they can talk later, alright.
The birds sang tunes over the sky, and the winter weather was ever so magical. But Caleb's mood was already sour, and he'd already raised his voice to three of his men. It didn't help that the last guy was only asking if he wanted to eat; Caleb hadn't eaten anything for breakfast. His father was even confused at the unusually ill behavior.
But, who could blame him? He was bored of all these paperwork, mostly reports from the different villages comprising the kingdom. He's read the same things over and over - requests for more aid, more donations, more everything that Queen Elyon couldn't provide, especially during wintertime when food was bound to be scarce. Oh, and everybody seemed to be panicking. That didn't help anything at all to their situation, not when thieves and bandits ran rampant.
Phobos did an excellent job scaring everyone into this dishonorable state. Where were the people who celebrated the Queen's return? Were the citizens of Meridian not happy that the rightful heir is on the throne? When could he return to listening to boring hugong land feuds, instead of hearing (or reading) about this madness?
Caleb stood from his chair, and stomped out into the halls. No one attempted to make conversation with him, as he made way to... wherever he felt like heading to. Honestly, he wanted to go to Earth and stay with Cornelia. She could be crazy enough to do something like going into Zenith mode again. But, Earth was off-limits for now, Kandrakar said. But yeah, how was he supposed to solve the problems here in Meridian when its people didn't want to cooperate with Her Majesty's rule?!
"So, it turns out that Count Haseldorf was behind the bandits this time."
Caleb overheard something interesting as he passed by a room, so he took a few steps back and peeked. Raythor, Drake, Aldarn, and a few other men were around a table. At the end of the table, Tynar and some others were keeping a man tied in a chair. He was probably the so-called Count Haseldorf, judging from the way the others looked at him, the way he looked himself. A bright red cape hung from his shoulders, and there were numerous jewels hanging on his vest.
"I'm not!" cried the fugitive, "I was taken hostage!"
Drake slammed the table. "Don't try to reason with us, Haseldorf," he growled, "I heard the bandits talking. Also, those jewels on your chest match a few of the missing jewels in the treasury." At the mention of the jewels, Aldarn grabbed them off the man's clothes.
"The Moonstone Amulet, the Greenest Envy, the Crest of Gwendolya…" Aldarn listed the ornaments one by one as he examined them. "Man, you must be pretty important."
The fugitive shrieked. "Well, I can't be held responsible for them! Prince Phobos gave them to me!"
"All the more reason to throw you into the prison."
"You can't do this! I'm the biggest and best provider of hugongs!" Aye. Didn't Caleb wish to hear about hugong feuds? Well, this one was a hugong merchant, or breeder. Whatever. Ha-ha.
Aldarn sighed. "And we're sure you only got there because you bribed and destroyed the other hugong farmers. Take him away."
The man squirmed and kicked in his seat, but to no avail. Tynar and his men dragged the fugitive away, towards the dungeons of the castle. The soldiers were a bit shocked to see their commander standing by the door, but they merely gave Caleb a salute before they left. Sigh. Word did get around. He walked inside the room.
"Oh, Caleb!" Aldarn greeted with a smile, "I thought you were doing paperwork?"
"Yeah, but I got bored," Caleb answered, and turned to Raythor. "What's the latest update? Besides, you know, the usual. Where everyone's asking for us to provide what we can't give them? I mean. What's your latest on the bandits thing?"
Raythor read from a paper. "So far we've identified two major bandit groups. One, of course, led by Count Haseldorf. He is one of Prince Phobos' biggest supporters. We're yet to determine if there is some sort of recruitment process."
"Woah, wait." That sort of reminded Caleb of something. "Like the rebellion?"
"I'd call it a revolution, Sir." Raythor smiled. "But yes, it was like that."
"We detect a pattern in the second group's movements," Drake reported, pointing to a map on the table, "They move from town to town. In each of the towns, they recruit a few men, attack the town, then move again. However, their choice of towns seems to be very random."
"There isn't anything alike between two consecutive towns, and they are not next to each other either," added Raythor, "There isn't a shape being formed by their movements, and we can't predict where they would attack next."
"We've only caught three of their grunts, and we haven't gotten anything useful out of them yet."
Caleb hummed in deep thought. "Have you tried interrogating the other bandits? How about Count Haseldorf?"
"The others don't seem to know about this group, and Haseldorf is only interested in making himself rich. Why would he want to make a rival group?"
Caleb nodded. Damn it. There wasn't much progress everyday, and the Queen was in danger of getting dethroned again. He needed to get this quickly over with, so he could go back to Cornelia's side. He shouldn't keep her waiting for so long.
But, he should keep his cool. As a commander, he had to, so his men would find confidence and courage to move forward and do their tasks. "Alright. Just keep it up. I'll have to consult a few things with her Majesty later."
However, Caleb could only keep his temper for so long. He had to drag Aldarn away from his examination of the stolen jewels, while simply saying, "Gotta get sparring with my best friend! Can't get rusty now!" as an excuse. Surely, both Drake and Raythor were confused by their commanders' actions. Argh. Caleb was so out of rhythm today. But, who was to blame him? He only wanted to be with the one he loved with all his heart and soul!
"This isn't good."
The Oracle declared, as soon as he dismissed the view-fold. The talk did not go well, and even the other elders were whispering among themselves behind him. The man on the other end of the fold was not too willing to negotiate.
"We can't simply send the guardians," Hallinor argued, "They represent Kandrakar and the Oracle. Why would that man want to see them?"
"Come on! That man doesn't even want to listen to us," Kadma said, "The girls will do just fine. I believe in their ability."
Tibor added, "They're young. I'm sure he won't treat them with such impudence."
"This isn't a task for them," Luba disagreed, "And have you no shame? We here should know what's for the best! And yet, we can't even persuade a single man! What can we expect out of these youngsters who represent us?"
The Oracle sighed, and joined the conversation. "It wouldn't hurt to try, Luba. We cannot upset him with our persistence."
"Sir, you can't—"
"We have put them in more dangerous situations than this one," the Oracle explained, "Surely, we can trust them with this task."
The Council grew silent. Things were wordlessly agreed upon. It was a logical decision, and an acceptable one.
The school bell rang, which signaled the end of classes. Teenagers in need of sweet, sweet freedom ran out the doors, and so did Irma, who was in need of watching Sylla play with the boys before she went home. On the way to the basketball court, she bumped into Cornelia.
"Oh, sorry!" Irma apologized, "I kind of have something to do. I, I don't mind if you guys go on ahead. I... might take a little long, haha! See you!"
Cornelia hadn't even said a word or fully understood what happened, but Irma quickly dashed off. It didn't take a while for the blonde to put things together, and it certainly didn't take her a while to storm off and start complaining to their friends.
"Sylla this, Sylla that, I'm so tired of it!" she yelled. Matt and Will gave her a goofy smile.
"Keep it down!" Taranee hushed, "If his groupies hear you, they'll start bullying you!"
"So what? It's not like they know better! You like him; that's fine. But you gotta shout it at the top of your lungs? Or if you stalk him around and squeal and celebrate all the times he notices you? Ugh! Give me a break! I need the old Irma back, even if she calls me by stupid names. She's more bearable!"
"No can do," Hay Lin said, "You're a changed person when you're in love!"
Matt and Will smiled at each other. However, the boy suddenly remembered something. "Really?" he said, very much in disbelief, "Then how about Cedric?"
"Ew!" "Gross!" "Um, no?!" "Ugh, Matt." The girls were pretty much unanimous in their opinion. Matt regretted asking.
"Take it easy, girls!" He tried to lighten up the mood. "I was just asking. I think they aren't that serious, you know."
"No, no!" Cornelia stopped him, "We are NOT talking about it! No! Ew! End of discussion. Zip it."
"Okay, okay, okay! Wrong turn." Matt tried to think of another topic. "Oh right! How about your new teammate? We didn't really get to talk earlier, Will. I'm sorry about that."
Will shook her head, remembering how Matt was dragged off by his friends just as she started to tell the events from last night. "It's okay. Wreck 55 can't do without their lead."
"So yeah. About, what was her name again? Oro... Orube?"
"She's okay, I guess. She's a cat, and I'm more or less okay with cats as long as they keep to themselves." Cornelia shrugged, and frowned. "What's not okay is that I don't get to see Caleb again."
"I'm sorry about that."
Taranee said, "I appreciate Caleb's concern about us and Zenith mode, though I think the Oracle was more or less right. He does belong in Meridian, after all. He's the commander of Elyon's royal guard. But, the way that he was dismissed from the team was, well, a little rude for me."
"I guess I didn't miss anything, then!" Hay Lin giggled. "I was worried that I might be fired next."
They all laughed.
"Oh, Hay Lin!" Will gave her friend a pat on the back. "I don't think the Oracle would do that just because you were tardy. He isn't the principal!"
Hay Lin's imagination worked a little too hard. "Oh gosh, I just imagined him in Mrs. Knickerbocker's uniform!"
"Now that's disgusting!" Matt faked a vomiting sound, and that made everyone laugh a little harder.
Suddenly, they heard what seemed to be the sound of something glittering, glowing, and pink – the Heart of Kandrakar! It was calling to them, and it was trying to get out of Will's bag. Will grabbed onto it and covered it with her hands. She scanned the surroundings for prying eyes. Luckily, there was no one.
"Matt," she instructed, "Go get Irma. Meet you…" Will looked around again for a good hiding place. "In the alleyway behind that bookstore, ASAP."
"Okay." He dashed off, and the girls went to the place Will directed them to. The bookstore… seemed really, really familiar.
"Of all places, why did it have to be Cedric's bookstore?" Cornelia questioned. "This place still gives me the creeps, and his act weeks ago isn't exactly forgettable! Remember?!"
"Don't!" Hay Lin yelped, "Don't say it! Please don't! Please!"
"What's more gross than spiders?" Taranee recited, "Spiders dating snakes."
"Ewwww! Taranee!"
"Heh." Will chuckled. "Let's just hope that Irma gets here ASAP!"
Meanwhile, Irma was cheering right next to Sylla. The teacher chose to be today's coach for Nigel's team, which meant that Irma could see him up closer. Sylla noticed her, and called her over, much to her glee. She watched him tell Nigel and his friends some neat techniques, tips, and tricks, and even taught them some maneuver to get a sure three-pointer.
However, much to her annoyance, just as Nigel tried out the move Sylla taught him, Irma felt a hand grab her leg and missed watching the shot. She yelped and kicked the perpetrator in horror, but she was even more horrified when she saw that it was Matt – that he made his way through the snow and the crowd's feet, and that she had kicked him on the head.
"Matt!" she yelled, "What are you even doing?!"
"Woah, take it easy there!" Sylla said, "But, Mr. Olsen, what are you doing by a lady's feet?" Irma's heart jumped at being called a 'lady'.
"Hey, I'm sorry!" Matt answered, rubbing the spot Irma kicked, "I couldn't find you at the back, but everybody was pushing each other. I had to take another way."
"Couldn't you just have… I don't know, called me or something?" Irma groaned, "Thanks to you, everyone was distracted, and nobody saw if Nigel scored!"
Matt immediately regretted doing what he did to get Irma's attention, but knowing how much she ignored everything when she was on 'Sylla Fan mode', he knew that nothing would be better. Nigel's "It's okay, man! I made a mistake and the ball bounced off the ring," didn't really assure Matt, nor did Sylla's confused face, and definitely not Irma's very annoyed expression. But, the memory of the other girls waiting for her, told Matt that he shouldn't be wasting time regretting things.
"Irma, the girls," he said, as he stood up, "The girls need you. G-talk," which was code for 'Guardian stuff, need you ASAP', and made Irma's eyes widen, "ASAP."
"Oh, where?" she asked.
"Bookst—" Matt paused. There were several bookstores in Heatherfield, and the one that Will pointed to seemed closed for business. Too suspicious. "Argh, I'll lead you there!"
Matt grabbed Irma's wrist, and they ran off. Irma waved at Sylla, bidding, "Bye, Mr. Sylla! See you in class!"
The teacher raised his eyebrow. Really, what now…
"Could you please excuse me for a while?" he said, and followed the teens.
"Why did we have to meet at Cedric's bookstore?!"
"Will, I know that the altermere thing scared you, but your mom's gonna kill you if there's no Will to come home to!"
"Oh, oh! I hope we get along!"
The guardians arrived, quite noisy and unaware that they were travelling to a place of tranquility. The Oracle took no offense from it; he interpreted it as a deep bonding between the girls. Behind him, Luba frowned, and Orube simply watched with little emotion on her face.
"Greetings, guardians," said the Oracle. The girls quieted.
"Hey Kitty~" Irma greeted Orube, but at the sight of the warrior's face crumpling, Will immediately pulled Irma behind her.
"Sir, what is the task at hand?" the Keeper asked.
The Oracle quickly cut to the chase. "As with last time, you need not fight. But, this task may come to you as a surprise, guardians."
"Last night was a surprise in itself," Cornelia whispered to her friends.
"Not really," Irma whispered back, "It could be cool to work with a kitty-cat. Plus, you and Caleb make out a lot."
"Oh, we do not!"
"Shh!" Taranee hushed, "Quiet, you guys!"
"As I was saying," the Oracle continued, conjuring up several images of simple villages, forests, and a palace at the top of a hill, "The world you will go to is called 'Arkhanta'. Arkhanta may be a small world with everlasting summer, but there's an enormous power dwelling in it. Humans coexist with various faefolk, some kinder than others, but the one in question is not one of those."
The image swirled, and change to that of a woman with green stones on her head, framed by long, disheveled greenish-blonde hair.
"This you see here is a banshee. Banshees are the most powerful and cruelest of all faefolk in Arkhanta." The Oracle paused, and an image of a man appeared. He appeared very old and weary to the girls. "However, a mere human has managed to harness the power of a banshee, and he is now challenging Kandrakar!"
The image swirled again, and it showed the same man, seemingly younger, ploughing the fields. "His name is Ari, and despite his looks, he is a young farmer. Like any other, he lived a plain life, filled with labor, toils, and simple joys."
The image changed, and now showed Ari and a beautiful red-haired woman getting along. "Ari had a wife, Jamayeda, a bright and cheerful woman, and he loved her more than anything else in the world." The image changed again, to that of Ari weeping by Jamayeda's bedside. An older woman, perhaps the midwife, looked on with tears as she tried to rock a crying baby to sleep. "However, she died giving birth to Maqi, their only child. Ari was devastated, but he was determined to give everything he had for Maqi."
The images flashed slowly - Maqi as a baby, as a toddler, as a young child. There seemed to be nothing wrong at first glance, but the guardians knew there was something off. The Oracle said, "Maqi is strong and healthy, as you can see, and Ari never failed in his duties as a father. But, as you can tell, Maqi is quite... different. He is more silent and solitary, whereas other children are lively and friendly. Ari's heart was tested, and he questioned himself if he'd done anything wrong. Believing it to be an illness, Ari tried everything to remedy Maqi's affliction."
Images flashed once more. Ari took Maqi on horseback to reach many different old men, all of which shook their heads at the farmer. "Wise men, physicians, scholars... but, no man could do anything for Maqi. With little hope in his heart, Ari decided to take a gamble, and turn to the faefolk for help."
"Fae… you mean, the banshees? But why the banshees?" Irma asked, "There's lots of other fairies around, right?"
"Yes, that's true," the Oracle answered. The image changed to that of a swamp filled with banshees. "But Ari's patience was growing short. As I've said, banshees are very powerful, but they can be rather cruel. A captured banshee will grant three wishes in exchange for her freedom, but she is sure to take revenge as soon as she is free again."
The image swirled, and it changed to that of Ari waiting among the swamp foliage. A banshee came into view, and using a long ribbon, Ari caught her. She struggled for a time, but found that her power could not work against him. "Ari studied forbidden books, and he successfully captured this banshee named Yua!" The images became visions of the past, and the guardians could hear the conversation.
"Three wishes for my freedom, son of man!" offered Yua with a brave face, despite having thrashed and trembled when she tried to get away. Ari's face brightened.
"One wish will suffice, banshee!" he said, "I want you to cure my son! I want to see him happy, like other children."
"What you ask of me, I cannot give you!" Ari's face fell. "Manipulating life and death are beyond my capacity."
The visions went mute, and the Oracle spoke again. "However, not even banshee magic could help his beloved Maqi, and Ari's world came crashing down around him. That is, for Yua and the other banshees could only grant material requests."
The image changed to that of the palace at the top of a hill. "And so, Ari's first wish was for a new house - the Scarlet Citadel, an enormous, marvelous palace in which Maqi could lead a tranquil life."
The palace changed to what seemed to be the Citadel's treasure room, filled with many gold coins, chests of various jewelry and gems, and other such items. "His second wish was for immense wealth, so that Maqi may have anything he might have desired."
"And, his last wish?" Will asked.
"That is where you come in," the Oracle said, and the image changed into a vision of the past once more.
"You will forever be at my service," Ari said, his voice void of any emotion, "To serve me with no question, to grant my every wish! Forever."
Yua's face paled. She struggled to get away, but the ribbon - no, bindings - prevented her. "Son of man! Did I not give you what you wished for? Why did you trick me?!"
Yua screamed and screamed, but Ari pulled on her bindings. The banshee gave a cry as the bindings choked her. Ari commanded, "Silence, banshee! Servants do not speak to their masters this way." Using the bindings, he dragged her away, and she fell to the ground, gasping for air, trying to resist with all her might.
The guardians were appalled at the visions they saw, but the Oracle quickly dissolved everything.
"He did not succeed in 'helping' Maqi, and he became even more sorrowful than before. But, with nothing else to do, Ari turned his focus towards Arkhanta. He went against nature - dissipating storms, calming the waves, solving the drought. He used Yua's powers to drive away faefolk from their forest homes, so people can start new settlements."
Taranee asked, "So, we have to ask him to step down?"
"No, Taranee." The Oracle shook his head. "You must leave the question of leadership to the people of Arkhanta, for they have survived without a leader before. But, you are correct in thinking that he cannot hold such power. There is no justice nor logic. He cursed my name; he cursed Kandrakar. Without anything else to believe in, he put blame in Kandrakar for his son's fate! You must convince him to free the banshee. Her imprisonment is simply unjust."
"Soooo, lemme get this straight," Irma recounted, "This Ari guy doesn't like that his son isn't like other kids, kidnaps this babe from the lake, gets his wish rejected, transforms the land, becomes supreme wise overlord overnight, and now you want us to get him to free the babe? Wait, did you say he hates Kandrakar, because if you don't see it, we're the Guardians of the Infinite Worlds, which you protect? So like, in essence, we represent you? Hello?!"
Luba frowned at the lack of respect in Irma's speech, but the Oracle only smiled. "The Council has tried, but he does not wish to bargain with me, the Oracle. Ari demands that his son be healed, and only then will he release the banshee. But, that is absurd. Kandrakar cannot give in to such a selfish request."
"I don't see why it's selfish for a man to ask his son be healed," Taranee reasoned, "But I guess it's a bit overboard if you ask the Oracle to do so."
"Maybe Maqi's just shy," Hay Lin assumed.
"Or, you know, one of those so-called diseases that aren't actually diseases," Cornelia suggested. "Hm, maybe I should take up medicine in college. You never know when it might come in handy."
"Anyone else has questions?" Will asked. No one raised their hands and voiced any concerns, and Orube seemed satisfied with the information. "Alright, Sir. We're ready."
The Oracle nodded and waved his hand. A fold appeared next to the guardians. "Good luck," he bade, "May success be on your side."
The girls went in one by one, and Will was last to follow. Orube hesitated, but Will only stretched her hand out. "Come on." Orube nodded, and went in the fold, with Will after her. The fold closed, and the Council was left to themselves.
"What were we thinking?" Luba questioned, "Why would Ari listen to them, when he has turned us away?"
Hallinor nodded. "I'd like to agree with you, but I don't think we should doubt them now."
"They were chosen as the guardians," the Oracle said, "And even Orube is with them. There is enough reason to trust them."
Luba sighed. "I hope so."
"I hope it's just one bad day Caleb! Oof! You're doing too well for a – ack! – a sparring session."
"What?! Can't take a pounding?"
But, Aldarn was right. For a sparring session, Caleb was way too serious. It was as if the former rebel leader was in a real battle; he was too aggressive, eager, and perhaps, desperate. Their swords clashed and clanged; even the spectators agreed that Caleb was giving his friend a rough time. The temperature rose higher and higher, even as the snow outside started to fall.
Once again, Caleb out-maneuvered Aldarn, and a sword went flying in the air. The sound of the metal clattering on the ground rang louder than the hands clapping for Caleb's yet another win.
"One more round," he raised, but Aldarn shook his head.
"Oh, come on, Caleb. I'm glad you're back to take control of the army, but if fighting with me all day is your way of celebrating, count me out. You're exhausting me too much!"
"Darn it! Even you?!" Caleb threw his sword aside and stomped away. "If you don't want to, I'll just find some other guy."
"Okay, so where's all this heat coming from?" Aldarn asked himself. To his relief, Julian appeared at the door, and blocked Caleb from exiting the sparring hall.
"Caleb!" the older man said to his son, "What are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be sorting through some very important documents?"
The young commander scratched his head. "I was, but—" Caleb considered saying that everything was so boring, but he skipped over that detail. "But I went to check on how my men were doing, and now I'm sparring with Aldarn. He doesn't make much of an opponent today, so I'm off to find someone else."
"Do find someone else another day, Caleb. In your stead, I looked at the documents you were sorting, and I found that a page of a very important treaty got mixed up there. The Queen is heading to the people with whom she is having that very important treaty with, right now."
Uh-oh. Caleb gulped. "Oh. Um. Uh…"
"If you were doing your job, Caleb, you wouldn't have missed this document, and you would have given this to Her Majesty before she departed. I would scold you even more, but we're only losing time here." Julian placed the document inside a parcel, inserted the parcel in a pouch, and handed the pouch to Caleb. "Now, get going! We can talk again when you come back."
"Uh, uh," Caleb was at a loss for words, but he could not deny his father's words, either. "Yes, Father! I'll be going now!"
He rushed to work on his task, leaving Julian and Aldarn in the sparring hall. Darn it! Caleb let his emotions get the better of him and made him neglect his duty. He had to calm down. He had to trust the guardians, to trust Cornelia. He should not let the distance or the memory of Zenith mode bother him.
"I can do this! I can do this!" he chanted, again and again, and reached the stables. "Your fastest horse!" he told the groom, "I need the fastest horse for her Majesty!"
The groom fetched a white stallion for Caleb. The former rebel leader leaped onto the stud's back, and rode it quickly outside. Now, where to… uh-oh. He forgot to ask Julian where the Queen was heading, and he's reached a forest before he thought of it! He slapped his hand against his forehead. Dammit. No. He had to calm down. Calm down. Now, who could help him get to the Queen. Someone who might know where she was heading, or someone who could track her down…
"Blunk!" he screamed in delight, "I need Blunk!"
He slowed down his horse, and sniffed the air. Ugh, no Blunky Boo, as the passling's mother called him. Ugh. He already surrendered the walkie-talkies to Will, since Meridian did not have a way to, as the girls said, recharge those devices. Fortunately, Caleb knew how to draw that certain passling out. "Friend Caleb, calling Friend Blunk! Friend Blunk, do you hear me? Friend Blunk!"
He kept calling for Blunk, until heard branches crunching. The horse certainly smelled the passling, and started to get uneasy, stomping his hooves. Caleb sniffed the air – ah, yes, there was it. The passling smell… of garbage.
"Friend Caleb need Blunk!" the passling greeted as he jumped into view, "Do guardians need Blunk?"
"No, Blunk," Caleb corrected him, "But the Queen needs you. Come on, help me find her. We have a document to deliver to Her Majesty!"
"Okay! One Queen, Blunk find!"
The passling started sniffing the air, and went ahead of Caleb. Unfortunately, the horse was faster than Blunk, so Caleb brought the passling up onto the horse's back. Not a bad arrangement, though Caleb knew he had to explain to the groom why the horse needed extra washing. Ha-ha.
But, he'll do that later. Right now, he had to get a document to the Queen, and hopefully, he didn't have to pass the document right in front of the other party. Or else, that would be humiliating for both himself and Elyon herself!
"It isn't that hard to get in here, isn't it?"
True as Cornelia spoke. Will only had to ask a few Arkhantans, and the guardians and Orube already made it up the hill. Really. For a man who was this crazy, he sure convinced everyone else he wasn't. The Arkhantans were so happy despite their problem, and they welcomed their guests with open arms as they spoke of Ari so generously.
Even Will could see it – the bright smiles on their sun-kissed faces, the sweat down their wrinkled brows, the difficult tasks they face with so much positivity. She couldn't tell to their faces that they weren't here to praise Ari. It was true that she couldn't make up her mind whether he was good or bad, but she was sure that keeping a woman imprisoned for selfish reasons was just not right. The thing was, nobody seemed to believe it wasn't right.
"But, it might be hard to get him to change his mind," Hay Lin said, "You did hear what the people said right? That he's such a good person, wise and patient and very simple!"
"I can't imagine the guy being that simple!" Irma shook her head. "This citadel thing is huge. How can you not be hiring maids and guards for this place?"
"I know! What can you say, Orube?"
Hay Lin, being absent from the other night's 'meeting', had been attempting to socialize with Orube. So far, the Basiliadean warrior hadn't been very responsive, or even interested in talking about their mission. She merely shrugged at Hay Lin's prompt. That made Cornelia frown and whip her head around.
"Ugh," she complained, "I wish Caleb was here."
"Caleb again," Irma mocked, "Caleb this, Caleb that! You're so irritable these days."
"Well, if a certain blonde guy didn't exist, and if a certain guy was here, then maybe I won't be so… 'irritable', as you say it."
"Come on guys, don't fight now! We won't be convincing," Taranee instructed, "We have to stay united."
"Yes," Will agreed, "Nobody says anything offensive, not towards Ari, or his son, or Arkhanta, or even towards each other. Unity. We are as one. Oh! We're nearing the entrance now, look!" Will pointed to the large doorway, decorated by ornate golden carvings. There was no door, and only two guards stood there.
"Okay, from this point on," Will continued, "No one talks out loud. Everyone in the mental link, okay?"
Will heard Taranee explain a few things to Orube in their mental link, but the Keeper of the Heart chose to ignore it. The guardians and the Basiliadean warrior kept walking towards the doorway. One of the guards drew near; the other held his shield and spear up.
"Please state your business," said the guard.
"We come in peace," said Will, "We would like to…" 'Seek audience with Ari,' Taranee whispered through the link. "…seek audience, with your King, Ari."
The guard nodded and instructed her companion to draw his weapon back. She then turned to the girls and said, "Please follow me."
They went after her, Orube following behind them. The interiors of the palace did look tranquil; its beautifully-crafted walls of faint purple and pillars of pale pink giving an illusion of wide space. The large windows added to that glamour; its golden frames reflecting the sunlight against marbled floor.
'They're surprisingly… polite,' Irma commented, 'So unlike Phobos' guards. And this place doesn't look very evil to me, unlike Phobos' evil castle.'
'Phobos?' Orube asked, 'Of Meridian?'
'Yup!' Hay Lin answered, 'Everyone there was so mean, or told to be mean.'
'Mean…?'
'Mean, um, meaning bad! Everyone was bad, instructed to be bad, err, haha.'
"May I know who are they, who seek audience with our Lord?" the female guard said, sending the girls' focus out of their mental link.
"We are the Guardians…" Will paused, unsure if she should add 'Kandrakar'. She chose not to.
'Yeah, let's break the news to Ari himself.' Taranee agreed with Will's decision.
"And, um, our friend, Orube of Basiliade. We, um, the rest of us, uh, come from Earth."
'Ugh, Will! You shouldn't have—'
"Strange people from strange lands I've never heard of." The woman chuckled. "Nice to meet you! I'm Tala, from Urdath. You must be from the new towns, then. Your peoples are strange."
'The new towns?' Cornelia asked.
'The settlements Ari made from pretty much forcing faefolk out of their homes,' Taranee answered, 'Didn't you hear the folks earlier say so?'
'Oh. Really? Wow. That's disturbing. Ew. No.'
The group stopped before a large wooden door. Tala turned to them. "I will inform his Lordship, then I will call for you to enter."
"Okay." Will nodded, and the team was left outside the hall. Taranee pressed her ear against one of the doors, and immediately brought up, "Okay, timeout. Is Ari really as evil as we think he is? Nobody's here! Where are his guards?"
"Shhh, not so loud," Cornelia said, "And you, warrior. I mean, Orube. Is he on the other side of the door?"
Fortunately, Orube did reply this time, after a bit of sniffing in the air. "I sense the guard and a man on the other side of the door. No one else is within ten meters, except for a child… and a woman. But they are far beyond this door."
Before Irma had to chance to suggest it might be Maqi and possibly Ari's new wife, Cornelia spoke again. "How sure are you?" Irma elbowed Cornelia, causing the Earth Guardian to yelp.
"Don't mind her," Hay Lin told Orube, "She just misses her boyfriend a lot."
"Boyfriend..." Orube repeated, confused.
"You know, lover. Sweetheart. Romantic partner. Any of those words familiar to you?"
Orube thought for a while, and answered, "You mean... marriage partner?"
Hay Lin laughed. "I don't think they've thought that far. But, he's a potential candidate, and one she favors a lot."
"Marriage partner? Seriously?" Cornelia whispered to Will, "This girl is driving me nuts. First, she replaces Caleb and Blunk out of the blue. Next, she joins us on this mission like we're friends. Now, her language is driving me crazy!"
"Give her a chance, Cornelia!" Will scolded her friend, "I didn't like Caleb at first either. Besides, the Council had a point. Caleb does need to stay behind in Meridian. Didn't you have this discussion before?"
"Yeah! But this time, he gets to stay behind because of the Oracle! Not because he chose it. He's being forced to stay in Meridian!"
"I don't know, Cornelia. For all we know, he might be saving the day."
"Or rotting in boredom."
The door opened, disturbing the girls' discussions.
"He will see you," Tala said, and held the door open for them. The guardians cautiously walked inside. "Don't be scared. Ari is a kind and benevolent man. I'm sure he will listen to you." Tala had to urge Orube inside. Was she scared?
'Are you all right, Orube?' Taranee asked in their mental link.
'No,' Orube answered, 'This place… feels cold.'
Or maybe, it was just fear, as suspected. Will herself could feel a chill up her spine. Taranee gulped; they were about to face a very important man after all. Cornelia walked a more confident stride, eager to get the mission over with, but still had enough control over her emotions. Hay Lin considered controlling the wind to make it a little warmer. Irma tailed behind them as she watched Tala close the door and leave them inside; behind everyone else was Orube.
In front of them, at the end of the large room with lavish golden windows, pink pillars, a red carpet, and a simple wooden chair with only a cushion on it, was the man they sought. Ari. The dark and coarse-looking hair, the tuft of graying hair, the many wrinkles on his face, the tanned skin from working under the sun, and the tired eyes did not match the fur-lined jade-colored cape hanging on his shoulders, much like how the wooden chair did not match the rest of the room.
So, this was the… "simple" ruler, as the other Arkhantans mentioned. Simple, like how he only wore a cape to signify his rule, but still wore plain clothes of faded fabric; like how he chose to have only a wooden chair, despite a red carpet laid out on the floor. This was the throne room. It did not look like a throne room, for the wooden chair ruined the whole atmosphere, in addition to the walls being very bare and the fact that there was no guard standing near Ari. Only the carpet and Ari's presence suggested it was a throne room.
"Good day, guardians," the man greeted. His voice suggested that he was younger than he seemed. The labor of farming might have aged his face a lot. "Please, come closer."
The girls moved closer at his request. Really. Was he truly a cruel master to Yua?
"I have not heard of Basiliade, but I have heard of the place called Earth," Ari said, "Like Arkhanta, Earth is home to humans, too, is it not?"
"Y-yes Sir," Will answered.
"Humans, only humans can be Guardians of the Infinite Worlds, of Kandrakar." The name of the tranquil place was uttered with bitterness and hate – Ari certainly had a different tone when he said that. "Did you know that?"
"No… Sir…" Will answered, intimidated by the sudden change of atmosphere.
"In that case, now you know. I am certain that you did not come from this land, and by mere deduction, I can tell that you are, indeed, the Guardians of the Infinite Worlds. The five of you, I assume, wearing this funny-looking ensemble."
'Hey!' Irma complained, 'I like our costumes!'
"You were sent by Kandrakar," Ari continued, "The girl behind you, the one in white, is not your teammate, but I can tell she, too, is an ally of Kandrakar."
Will was getting even more and more nervous, the more Ari said Kandrakar's name.
"I see. So Kandrakar hides behind you. What pathetic cowards."
'Uh-oh,' Will cried out, 'Taranee! Quick! Give me a good line to say!'
"Your Lordship," Taranee muttered out and paused. "A-ahem. Your Lordship, if I may speak. We would like to request you, to give negotiations another chance. We came as Kandrakar's representatives, and we do not mean any harm."
"Personally, perhaps, you harbor no ill feelings," Ari said, "But, your presence here as representatives of Kandrakar does not sit well with me. I must ask you to leave."
"Sir," Will said, "Permission to speak. Um. We came here because we thought that, um, we might be able to reach a better conclusion to this, um, the problems at hand. Please, if we can do something for you…"
"My decision is rather final, Guardian. But, if I may take your offer, then I'd like for you to return to your master." Ari turned around, and paced away. "I do not wish to be enemies with you, young girls. I've enough problems to deal with. Please. It's for both our sakes."
'Uh-oh. Come on guys, help me think!' Will pleaded. 'This man is about to attack Kandrakar!'
'This man, who's talking rather nicely to us?' Irma asked, 'Seriously?'
Orube stepped forward, and bowed. "If I may speak, Sire."
Ari stopped walking. A moment of silence followed, before he allowed her request. "…alright. Please."
Orube continued, "We would like to offer a bit of our service to you, if that will allow you to reconsider."
'What's she doing?!' Cornelia grumbled.
'Wait! Let her speak!' Hay Lin said.
"I heard the people talk of the illness spreading in the land, and of a town called Ledona, the only one which is not under your rule. I would like to make a bargain with you, Sire, if you allow me."
The girls panicked in their heads.
'When did she hear that?'
'Did you hear it before?'
'She has super hearing, remember?'
'What bargain?!'
Will tried to calm them down. 'This can't be harder than trying to defeat Phobos or Cedric, or trying to outwit Nerissa. Please, girls. Let's give her a chance.'
Fortunately, Ari agreed. "Alright. What is your bargain, girl?" He seemed amused. It eased Will's nervousness, even a little.
"If we could help your people and solve the illness, and additionally, convince Ledona to recognize you as its leader,"Orube said, "Then I would like for you to reconsider your stand on the matter. Kandrakar's request, I believe, was for you to free the banshee. The lives of all the Arkhantans, for one single life of a banshee."
Will thought that seemed fair, considering how unwilling Ari was to yield, but obviously, someone else had a different idea in mind.
"Are you crazy?!" Cornelia yelled at Orube, "We can't just solve the problems brought about by nature! And if we do succeed with this Ledona thing or whatever that town is, we're going to leave one entire town to the hands of a madman!"
"Cornelia!"
Too late. None of the other guardians could convince the Earth Guardian to stop. Will stared at the Ari and she could not tear her gaze away. His laugh started off dry, before it devolved into a howl and grabbed everyone's attention.
"Ha ha, a madman?" Ari repeated, "A madman? Me? Banshees are cruel creatures, Guardians. In fact, I'm doing Arkhanta a favor. I transformed the land, I gave the people livelihoods, and I saved this world. All because of the banshee. I turned an evil creature good, Guardians! If she were to keep her powers, she'd merely prank poor woodcutters who'd wander into their swamp by mistake!"
Will gulped. This was not good.
"And," Ari continued, "I think that speaks volumes, Guardians. It may seem like you harbor no ill feelings towards me, but I think you hide your real feelings quite excellently, until a while ago. Girl," Ari turned to Orube, "your companions are amusing, and I think, as all evidences suggest, you don't fit in with this group. How pitiful."
Will couldn't summon any strength to refute it. How could she? It was true!
"However, I'm afraid, that because they are your allies, I will not consider your offer. Now, run along, go back to Kandrakar, and tell your Oracle that your journey is in vain, and that you've failed."
Cornelia clicked her tongue. "No way! After all that trouble? Oh, no; I'm staying. If they want, they can go."
'Not this again?!' Will braced herself for what might happen next.
"How impudent, girl." Ari shook his head, his chuckle low.
"Oh, no, not me! Them! Right!" Cornelia pointed to her friends. "They are the ones who are impudent! Trusting a stranger to make a bargain with a madman who imprisons a defenseless woman in his house, and claims to be a super loving father to his son!"
Ari's expression immediately changed, from shock, then to anger, then to rage.
"You… you don't dare talk about my son!" He shouted, gesturing rather wildly about in the air with fists and palms. "What do you know?! What do you know about loss?! What do you know about pain?! You don't understand, and you'd never understand! Because you choose not to understand! Your Oracle cannot do anything for my boy, because he chooses not to!"
Somehow, Ari's appearance also changed. From a benevolent, wise leader, to a hideous monster inside the husk of a human. None of the girls could tell how or why, but there was suddenly something different about this man!
"He is deaf to my plea. He is blind to my son's fate. He abandoned Maqi! He abandoned Arkhanta! His biases deem him unworthy of his position, and that is why, I will destroy him for all your sakes!"
The mood in the air shifted, and Hay Lin knew from the expressions on her comrades' faces that they sensed it too – from its chilling tone, to a suffocating yet inescapable grip!
"All you see is the banshee being my captive!" Ari glanced at indefinite points in the ceiling, as he screamed. "Tell them, Yua! Tell them how I used your power for good! Tell them!"
A shrill cry came out of nowhere.
"Yes, Master!" The voice echoed in their ears. "I have never… thought. Of using my powers like this! But I… transformed the land! I gave the farmers… better soil. Calmer seas… for the fishermen. Fatter trees… for woodcutters. And for everyone… better weather!" The voice was weak. Perhaps forced. However, its pitch never died. "I have kept… my Master… and everyone safe!"
"Tell them, Yua! Tell them!" Ari demanded, "Tell them you're happy in your position! That freedom is an illusion, and will make you sway towards evil once more!"
The voice came once more. "I… I am happy… here! You… cannot free me… Guardians. For I… am free. I am already… free. Of hatred… of pain… of evil…!"
"Lies!" Cornelia called out, "You're only obeying your master!"
The banshee disagreed. "I am… not… just obeying him. These are my… real… feelings. Master, Master… they will… disrupt the peace!"
"You are right, Yua." Ari cast a wide, horrifying grin towards the guardians. "Show them out!"
In an instant, Ari disappeared from the room, and the walls and windows faded out of sight. The room suddenly went darker and colder, spotting hues of bruise-purple and red, instead of faded purple and pink. Tar-like figures oozed up from the floor. They did not take human shape, but the figures had faces and arms as humans did, and their overall structure was reminiscent of a man's shadow.
"Ragorlangs… little girls!" came the banshee's shrill cry once more, "How do you like… my pets?"
The Ragorlangs gave howling shrieks, full but empty, loud but silent. It was unlike any other noise they've heard before, but one thing was clear – they were surrounded, and that meant they had to get out of here.
"Fire!"
"Air!"
Taranee and Hay Lin quickly shot beams of fire and air, but the Ragorlangs molded their shape to let their elements pass through.
"I don't like them, alright," Taranee answered the banshee's question.
"They can change their shape to anything!" Hay Lin noted.
"Okay, so how about water?" Irma gulped, and tried the same as Taranee and Hay Lin, but with her own element. The Ragorlangs once again changed shape. "Okay, so that doesn't work."
Orube drew her sword. She swung it at one of the Ragorlangs, but moments after the monster was sliced in half, it reformed back to its original shape.
"Quintessence!" Will cried out, calling forth streaks of electricity. The Ragorlangs shriveled at the sight, but when Will directed the lightning towards them, their shapes molded once more to miss the attack. "Darn it! Nothing's working!"
"Fools!" cried the banshee, "I think… it's my turn… now! My pets… destroy them!"
The Ragorlangs moved closer, forcing the girls towards the center. None of the guardians knew what the monsters could do, but they would not take any chance of thinking that they could be easily defeated.
"So Orube," Cornelia scoffed, "I bet you've heard of them. Got any genius ideas?"
"Cornelia!" Will scolded her, once more. "This isn't the time! Get us out of here!"
"I would, but I don't feel like helping you. You took her side, remember?"
"Argh!"
"I hate to break the moment guys," Hay Lin said, "But these beasties look like they're going to eat us."
True as the Air Guardian spoke! The Ragorlangs stretched their bodies to tower over the girls. The girls flew or dashed away. They wouldn't let this hinder them.
Once again, the guardians, sans Cornelia, tried to use their elements against the Ragorlangs. Blasts of energy were thrown at the monsters, but once again, they reshaped themselves. As if finding confidence in their invulnerability, the Ragorlangs made their way to attack the girls. Orube dodged all of them, leaping about in the air as the creatures tried to tackle her. She swung her sword, but they quickly-re-formed.
"What will happen if we were caught?" Irma wondered out loud, as she tried to pry an approaching Ragorlang with water. She wasn't taking any chances, though, and she quickly ran to the other side before it could… do something to her.
"I don't want to know." Hay Lin answered her, only successful in driving a few Ragorlangs towards her. "Yikes! They really, really want to be friends with us!"
"Try… enemies!"
Cornelia found herself faced with two Ragorlangs, and she summoned walls around her, using the floors. The monsters tried to pry into her barricade, but they found an opening at the top. Cornelia shrieked when they peeked at her, using rock formations from the floor to pry them away. The bodies of the monsters molded to dodge the rocks, but while they were busy with the rocks, Cornelia took the opportunity to fly away.
Seeing what her friend did, Hay Lin shouted, "Will flying help?"
The guardians tried the suggestion – to fly and keep being in the air. The Ragorlangs wouldn't reach them. Taranee and Will held their hands out to Orube, and all six of them were now in the air.
The monsters, however, didn't look like they were going to give up. With a loud howl, their forms retracted and launched themselves at the direction of the guardians. The girls dodged as best as they can, but the Ragorlangs were relentless. Where the girls went, the Ragorlangs did, following them immediately, wherever the guardians flew away from.
Soon, they were cornered. There were Ragorlangs in every direction; some of them attached to the walls and slowly sliding to the guardians' position. No physical attack and no magical attack would get to the monsters.
Will couldn't think. There was no way any of their attacks were going to be successful, not when the Ragorlangs could take any shape to evade everything. It was as if darkness was about to consume her and her friends. She remembered how it went, when she had little memory of herself and was alone in the darkness, right after Zenith mode. No. No! If, if this was going to be like that…
"We have no choice," she admitted, "We screwed this one up!" Ari wouldn't talk, and Yua's Ragorlangs were out to eat them. She took the Heart of Kandrakar into her hands, and opened a fold behind them, on the very corner of the walls. "Let's get out of here!"
"Oh right! Look who's a coward!" Cornelia mocked again. "EEP!" But Irma shoved her into the fold first.
"Sorry about that, Orube," the Water Guardian apologized to the warrior. "She's just having a bad day. I'm sure she didn't mean anything she said." Irma went ahead towards the fold, followed by Taranee.
"Come on." Hay Lin held her hand out to Orube; the warrior took the Air Guardian's hand. They went through the fold, and Will went last.
As soon as the Keeper of the Heart was through, she made sure to close it. She turned around and her eyes fixed on the Oracle's sad face. Behind him, Luba was shaking her head in disapproval.
"The evidence speaks for itself, Guardians," the Oracle said, "You have failed."
"I wonder why." Cornelia glared at Orube, before turning around and flipping her hair, releasing another batch of fall leaves.
"We are disappointed in you. We trusted that you could talk with him, and be as civil as you can. However, it seems that your actions even provoked him!"
"Not my fault!"
"Cornelia," Kadma called the current Earth Guardian, "I thought I could think better of you, but your attitude right now displeases me. I know that you place little trust in your new companion, but she is there to stay."
"Kadma is right, Cornelia," the Oracle added, "In fact, I believe that not so long ago, you behaved similarly in a battle against Nerissa."
"But that's different!" Cornelia reasoned, "You just took my boyfriend out of the team, just because you wanted it so! I'm beginning to believe Ari that you're just being selfish and selective!"
"We sent Caleb back to Meridian because we do not mean to be selective. If we continue to use his services, it would seem that we favor Meridian a little too much."
"Oh, but she," Cornelia pointed to Orube, who seemed disheartened and confused, "can be in the team, and would make you look un-selective?!"
Will decided that she was having no more of it, but her body acted faster than her mind could stop it. In a flash, her hand went and hit Cornelia's cheek. The Earth Guardian was taken aback at the sudden action, and even the Council of Kandrakar was surprised, but, despite the guilt throbbing on her palm, Will knew she had to make a point.
"I… sorry for that, Cornelia, but, right now, I think that you're being unhelpful. Instead of welcoming our new ally, you reject her. Instead of thanking her for whatever she could do for us, you even complained about her. And, instead of being one with us, you just… ugh! You just had to go and ruin it! She bravely took the reins when I couldn't control the situation. She should be commended, not condemned!"
Will paused to take a brief look at Orube. The warrior's expression seemed to calm, thank goodness. Will looked at Cornelia again.
"And you… I know you didn't like it when they sent Caleb and Blunk back to Meridian, and I don't exactly like the way they were dismissed, either. But, like it or not, they're going to be there until the condition on Meridian stabilizes… or when they need our help once more. And, right now, Orube is doing what their jobs were once. It's awkward, I know, but I was once the new girl before too, you know! So I know she's confused right now, and the way you act, it just… it doesn't help, okay?"
Cornelia cast her gaze on the ground. Will was sure that her friend felt so humiliated right now, but the Keeper of the Heart knew that humility must be learned to work as a team. Will then turned to the Oracle.
"I think that we need to go back to Arkhanta, and fix whatever can be fixed," she proposed, "We can't allow Ari to terrorize us, and I believe our actions made it even worse for you… and all of us."
The Oracle thought for a moment and nodded. "So be it. But, you will have an additional task. Tibor, if you please."
The mentioned elder revealed a key in his hands and gave it to Will.
"A key?!" Irma announced.
"It isn't any key," Tibor said, "It's the key to Mrs. Rudolph's house! She entrusted it to us shortly after Cedric's attack on Earth. She expressed her desire to place her house at your disposal, but she trusts you to not take advantage of that place for your selfish reasons."
"Alright!" Hay Lin cheered. "New hangout, plus a new secret hideaway? Awesome!"
"As of today," the Oracle spoke, "That will be your new home, Orube."
That shocked Cornelia out of her thoughts, and she gave a shriek. Taranee assisted her when the Earth Guardian almost fell over. Irma and Hay Lin shared looks. Well, what better way to know each other, than live closer to each other, right?
"You will take on the identity of Rebecca Rudolph," instructed the Oracle, "And for everyone in Heatherfield, you will be the niece of a well-known and beloved teacher, Mrs. Rudolph. You will go there, under the guise of entering tertiary education, or in Earth terms, college."
"Oh, she's old enough to be in college," Hay Lin whispered to Irma.
"Or at least, old enough to appear like she's in college," Irma joked, "Hey, for all we know, she's ages older!"
"Like, um," Hay Lin paused to gulp, "Miranda?"
"Ew, no! For all we know, Spidergirl could be younger!"
"Eeeeew."
Shivers! Will was thankful that the two turned to the Oracle once more.
"Living in Earth will help you understand the guardians," he explained, and turned to Will, "Just as it would help you, Guardians, to understand Orube. I hope that, by doing this, you will all learn to act like a team."
Will looked at Orube, then at the elders. She could see the very intimidating face Luba made, but the guardian chose to ignore it. Focusing on failure was of no help to them.
Caleb was panicking. He would never forgive himself if he failed at this task. One piece of paper, that's all he needed to hand over, then he could finally rest. But, the sun had gone down, and still, the Queen was nowhere in sight. The snowfall was getting heavier by the minute. Just how far was the town she was heading to?
"Bluuuuuuunk!" he whined, "Are you sure we're heading to the right place?!"
"Yes! Blunk sure!" answered the passling, "Close! Very close!"
"Really?! That's awesome, because I think our horse is getting really tired now!"
The stallion charged ahead, but all Caleb saw were trees covered in snow and darkened sky and lit villages in the horizon, just as he saw for the past few hours, save for when he had to stop to let the horse rest and drink some water. Please oh please oh please… Caleb started to mentally list all the things he'd do, just so he wouldn't have to do this again.
"I promise I won't abandon my paperwork again! I promise I'd go easy on Aldarn next time and next and next, whatever sparring sessions we have! I promise I won't be impatient, even if what I want to do right now is be with Cornelia!"
"Ooh, interesting!" the passling commented, "Who Caleb make promise with?"
"Myself! Um, what else, I promise I'll check the documents. I promise I'll work harder on the bandits case. I promise I'll be patient, until—huh?! It's Vathek!"
The sight of the blue giant came in view. He was on a horse, and it seemed like the Queen and her escorts were resting by a river that they thawed out.
"Vathek!" Caleb called, stopping his white stallion, and jumping off towards his friend. "Vathek! Haah… Vathek!"
The blue giant turned, wearing a wide smile. "Caleb!" he greeted, holding Caleb by the shoulders to stop the commander from crashing into him. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the palace?"
"Parcel! I mean, uh. Treaty! Document!" Caleb held up his pouch. "Mix up! Aldarn sparring, and then Father saw, had to rush here, Blunk, horse, river, hours… man, I don't know where to start!"
"Caleb!" a girl's voice called out. Oh, the Queen! She called him over to the carriage window. Caleb had to drag his feet to get there.
"For you, Your Majesty," he said, handing the pouch over. Elyon took it and opened it. She took the envelope, and looked inside. She gasped.
"The treaty?!" The Queen picked up another envelope, assumingly the documents she took with her, and examined the contents of that other envelope. "Oh my gosh, you saved me! I didn't know—how did—where? I didn't know I was missing a page, really! Thank you, Caleb!"
"It wasn't me, your Majesty." Caleb's tone shifted from excited and relieved, to sad and disappointed. "My father was the one who found that mixed up with the reports on my table. I… I abandoned my duty, because I was, being kind of selfish, and impatient. I don't think I deserve to be the commander of your army."
"No, Caleb." Elyon smiled. "The fact that you ran all the way here just to give this to me, proves that you're just the man for the job. You have your shortcomings and your mistakes, I know, but I know you just care for Cornelia and the others, just as you care for me and Meridian. You weren't afraid to admit your mistake, and to correct it. I hope that you learn from it, and make use of this experience to get better."
Caleb felt relief once more. "I will! Thank you, your Majesty!" He dropped to the snow and promptly fell asleep. Blunk went over to wake 'Friend Caleb' up, to no avail.
"Um, Caleb?" Elyon called, "You okay?"
Vathek and the other soldiers laughed. "I think he's just fine," Vathek said, "He just needs some rest, that's all."
The key twisted, and the door was opened.
"Go on, Orube, make yourself at home," Will said to her companion, urging the warrior inside. Behind them, Matt followed. It was good that he was there. Cornelia had quickly stomped away, Taranee had some commitments with her family tonight, and Irma wanted to be home early to get her beauty sleep (for Sylla, again). Hay Lin had accompanied them earlier, but a sudden phone call from Yan Lin made her suddenly unavailable halfway through. Grandmother problems, she said.
Will took another look at Orube. The large ears, the tail, the stripes down her back… Will instructed Matt to use a glamour on her, but she didn't appear any more human to Will. But, that would make Orube appear very human to all other humans. That also made it easier for them – that was, Will, Orube, and Hay Lin before Yan Lin's call – to go to an apparel store and buy a few outfits for her. It just happened that majority of Orube's wardrobe were crop tops despite the cold weather, but it came off a surprise to Will. The other girl, after all, wasn't quite a girl anymore, and more like a woman. Will had to bite her insecurity down, for the sake of Kandrakar.
It was also a bit of a surprise to Will when Orube removed her head ribbon, or headband, whatever. Her hair fell to her shoulders, and it look so darned soft. She also chose to wear a coat, a red sweater, a denim skirt, stockings, and boots – she looked so beautiful in her chosen outfit. And she had stripes! They looked like tattoos. Would Matt suddenly—
"Um, do you live in places such as these, as well, Miss Will?" Orube asked, calling Will back to Earth. Orube was so respectful – she'd called them with titles and insisted on it. Will smiled.
"More or less!" She shrugged, placing the bags of clothes down on the floor.
"It's really different."
"I'd imagine." Matt walked towards the fridge – since when had they made it to the kitchen? "Bet you never saw a fridge before either." He opened the refrigerator door, and the huge appliance let out short streams of cold air.
"Fridge," Orube repeated, perhaps to familiarize herself with the word, "So this is called a fridge?" She walked towards it and touched the edges. "It's cold."
"Yeah, to help us preserve food. We store food here."
"But, it's… empty?"
Matt shared a look with Will as he closed the fridge. 'Help me.' Will could tell from his face. She giggled, and said, "Nobody uses this place, so naturally, there would be no food here. But, you could easily fill it up. We can stop by the grocery and do some shopping…"
"Grocery? Shopping?" Orube looked at her and repeated the unfamiliar words again. "So, is the grocery a shop?"
"Kind of, for food, that is! Lots of food!"
"If that's so, can we do that now? I feel hungry."
Will and Matt shared a look again. No, grocery shopping when hungry made people even hungrier. "Um, could you excuse us for a while?" Will asked with a nervous grin.
"Sure." Orube shrugged and turned to explore the cupboards (also very empty). Will took the chance to set Matt aside and whisper to him. Hopefully, Orube wouldn't hear.
"Let's just offer her dinner," Will suggested, and took her wallet out. "We can't leave her with an empty stomach! Besides, she's our guest!"
Matt agreed, "You're right. And, let's just order extra for tomorrow. We'll figure something out." He took his own wallet out. Hopefully, their combined spares would be good for pizza. A few bills and a few coins – yes, that would do the trick. They went back in the kitchen, where Orube was trying to figure out the oven.
"Here, Orube!" Will said, presenting the money, "We don't have much, but we hope that—"
Before Will could react fast enough, Orube grabbed hold of one of the bills and took a small bite out of it. Matt and Will watched in utter horror and disbelief as the Basiliadean forced herself to chew and swallow.
"This doesn't taste good," Orube said with a frown, placing the bill on the countertop, "I think I'll eat the rest later."
Matt rushed about to find the phone and place an order for pizza, while Will lead the very confused Orube out to sit on the couch and lecture her on paper currency. This task, this additional task of theirs, was not going to be an easy task…
Meanwhile, unknown to all of them, across the street, a man with glasses hid in the shadows, using what light he can to write details on his notebook…