A/N: Hey guys, new chapter. Yay!
No one's P.O.V.
Everyone stays silent as Jinx's words seep in. Jinx turns around and walks to the railing as she tries to keep herself from crying. The other guardians look at each other before Jack walks toward her. He arrives at the railing to see a blank look on Jinx's face, but he can tell that she's biting back the tears. He puts a hand on her shoulder and offers her a comforting smile.
"Jinx," The two turn to look at North."What will exactly happen to the people of the world if your mother returns?"
"Death, destruction, everything you know and love being destroyed in a fiery inferno and things of that nature. I however don't know what she's gonna do to all of you." Jinx says as she sits on the railing.
"Why would she do something to us?" Jack asks as he sits next to her.
"The original guardians are the ones who imprisoned her in the first place and I'm willing to bet that she's completely unaware that the original guardians are no longer in control."
"We are." Tooth says as realization dawned on all of them.
"So your mother…" Jack starts to say, but Jinx cuts him off with an annoyed look gracing her features.
"Please stop calling her my mother. Yes, she gave birth to me but she will never be my mother."
"Ok, so if The Raven doesn't know that the original guardians are out of business, she might mistake us for them and try to kill us?" Jack asks.
"That's the jist of it." Jinx takes off her hat and runs her fingers through her hair.
"Kid!" Shadow yells as she jumps up on Jinx's lap. "We gotta get back home. Echo contacted me and said something's very wrong." Without a second word, Jinx is on her feet conjuring a portal back to her home with Shadow on her shoulder. She is about to walk through when North stops her.
"Jinx, we are coming with you." North pulls on a big fluffy coat and a matching hat. Jinx is about to protest when Tooth cuts her off.
"And I would not suggest trying to argue with North. Once he has made up his mind, there's no going back." Jinx rolls her eyes but nods her head in agreement. Together they walk through the portal and emerge into the halloween world, except it didn't look like it did before. Jinx covers her mouth in shock.
"Who could have done this?" Tooth asks as Jinx walks around, trying to avoid the broken pieces of tombstone and marble.
"I don't know but the second I find out, he's going to wish he never stepped foot in my world." Jinx says with her eyes flashing a dangerous red and her voice sounding slightly demonic.
"Don't worry, Jinx. We will help you find who has done horrible deed." North responds as he puts a hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her calm. Suddenly there is a loud crash from farther up and Jinx wastes no time in flying over to the source of the sound with the others following in her tracks. When they arrive, they see her mansion up in a blazing inferno. It takes her a moment to react but she finally comes to her senses and puts out the fire.
"Everything's gone. Months of hard work and planning. It's all for nothing." Jinx says as she drops to her knees and looks at the charred mess of what was once her house. The other guardians share uneasy looks as if they're trying to figure out what to say to make Jinx feel better. Shadow walks over and rubs her head against Jinx's leg.
"We might still be able to make this work." Shadow tries to make the young witch feel better.
"How can we? Halloween is in sixteen days. There is no way we can replace a years worth of work in sixteen days… Especially not with what's going on with the Raven." Jinx lowers her head.
"Never say never, kid. We've done the impossible before and we can do it again." Suddenly something dawns on Jinx.
"Where is everybody?" Jinx stands up and begins to look around the cemetery.
"They must have taken cover." Shadow says as she tries to pick the faintest sound. Finally she focuses on something by one of the willow trees. "Kiddo, over by the willow tree." Jinx and Shadow take off toward the tree to see a little black ball near the base of the tree. The other guardians appear, looking confused. Bunny opens his mouth to ask something, but Tooth gives him a look that makes him think twice.
"Echo?" Jinx cautiously says as she takes a step toward the little black mass. The mass turns over to reveal Echo.
"Jinx?" Echo slowly flies over to Jinx's shoulder and snuggles into her neck. "Thank goodness you're alright." Jinx lets out a breath of relief as she holds Echo in her hands.
"What happened?" Jinx says as she looks into the bat's big black eyes that are rimmed with tears.
"It was a slaughter. Everything is gone. Everyone is gone." A tear leaks out of Echo's eyes and she wipes it with her wing. "We were almost done with the skeletons when a whole herd of black horses came stampeding through the cemetery, destroying some of the crypts and tombstones. All of a sudden it was utter chaos. Things were being destroyed and everyone was disappearing into puffs of black smoke." Echo is now full on sobbing.
"Wait, did you say black horses?" North asks as he leans down to the little bat who just finished wiping away some more tears.
"Yeah. They were black horses made of sand. I've never seen anything like it before. There was something else too. There was a man dressed in a long black robe and he had pointy teeth. He looked like a nightmare of a person." Echo explains.
"That must have been Pitch. He must have come through here with fleet of nightmares while Jinx was with us." North says as he rubs his chin.
"But why Hallo's Grove. Why not the Warren or Tooth Palace?" Jack asks as he kneels next to Jinx and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"He said he was looking for something… A book." Echo states. Jinx's head snaps up at this information and a look of comprehension appears on her face.
"Did he say what book?" Jinx says with the smallest hint of realization in her voice as she looks at her tiny sidekick.
"No…" Echo says. Jinx looks a little frustrated. "But he did show me."
"Echo, what did it look like?" Jinx asks.
"It was a big black leather book with silver writing on the front cover. It also had a lock on it." Jinx rolls her eyes.
"No surprised."
"You know little bat is talking bout?" North says. Jinx stands up and puts Echo back on her shoulder. Jack copies her motion as they turn to the other guardians.
"That book has the spell that is needed to resurrect The Raven." Jinx explains looking at each of the guardians, including Jack.
"Well we gotta find that book before that bloody showpony does." Bunny says.
"But where do we even start looking?" Tooth asks. Suddenly the four other guardians start discussing which quickly turns into arguing.
"Do they always act like squabbling children when there is a crisis like this?" Jinx leans over to ask Jack.
"Pretty much. After this it would turn into an actual fist fight." Jack says with a chuckle.
"Well we can't let that happen, can we?" Jinx smirks, causing Jack's heart to start beating faster. Jinx puts her fingers in her mouth and lets out a high pitch whistle causing the others to cease their arguing and look at her. "Alright, that's enough. We don't have to worry about looking for the book."
"And why is that?" Bunny questions as he hops over to her.
"Two reasons. One, the book is right here..." She motions to a little charm on the chain around her neck. "And two, the key for it is right here." She motions to the ring on her right index finger. "So don't get your fur in a knot, ya kangaroo."
"What did you just call me?" Bunny looms over her in a menacing manner, however she doesn't bat an eyelash.
"You heard me. Anyway, the only way to get these things off of me is to kill me. Jack try to take the ring off my finger." She holds her hand out to Jack. He looks at the other guardians who nod for him to do it. He slowly reaches for her hand and when he gets close enough, a large volt of electricity shoots at him. He gets blasted and lands a few yards away.
"Ow." Jack groans as he stands up and walks back over to the others.
"Case and point, the only way to get this ring and necklace off of me is to take them from my cold, dead body."
"Well that can be arranged." A chilling voice says from the shadows.