"I just can't help myself …"
Mystic Prequel Fanfiction by: A J
(Standard Disclaimer Applies, Rated M!)
Chapter 6: "We're in this together"
The Guardians' Saturday morning started off even worse than their Thursday had. Thankfully, without classes to worry about, they headed right back into the fray without even trying to summon Astral Drops. Irma and the others were even more exasperated about Hay Lin than they had been the day before, especially after she showed up bright-eyed and raring to go after they'd only been back on Earth for four hours. The girls stepped into Meridian and met Elyon at the foot of the ramp leading up to her castle, and Irma groaned at the happy squeal Hay emitted when they first saw the young Queen.
"How can you be that chipper with three hours' sleep?"
"Easy!" the Chinese girl replied. "5-Hour Energy Shot!" she lied. Hay didn't think it was anyone else's business that she had discovered the ultimate rejuvenator: a good lover. At the other Guardians' murderous looks, she just said "What? I kept one in my dresser for G-mergencies. I thought everybody did."
"G-mergencies?" Elyon giggled.
"Yeah," Will chuckled. "We blame Irma for that one. Along with 'Going Guardian' …"
"Guardian up," Cornelia supplied.
"Candracar's Heavies," Taranee tittered, remembering Irma's newest from Thursday night, during cleanup at the Silver Dragon.
"Ooooh! My personal favorite!" Hay added with a mischievous grin. "Phobosbusters!" Taranee and Elyon both burst out laughing, while Irma just simpered back at her friends.
"It is way too early to waste what little energy the rest of us have catching your rotten brother … again," she said, trying to ignore Will and Hay chanting 'Who ya gonna call?' "Can't we stop in the palace for a real breakfast first, or something peppy to drink at least?"
"Oh, Elly, do you still have that divine pastry chef?" Cornelia blurted. "That one that made those lemon-drop cookies last time I visited?" Thoughts of a real breakfast, especially one prepared by the newest cook in Meridian suddenly overrode all thoughts of Phobos.
"Like I'd get rid of anybody that wonderful … unless they asked," Elyon answered. "Turns out she's just an apprentice chef, with a real knack for desserts. Her name's Alanna." The Queen of Meridian smiled. "She's barely a teenager, so she lets her sweet tooth do the cooking for her. Her words, not mine," she added. "She also admitted she saves her best recipes for my weekend visits. Apparently, my Chancellor isn't a big fan of sweets." Elyon was staying in Heatherfield during the week, determined to at least finish High School.
Her adopted parents wholeheartedly supported the idea, and maintained their Earth home – and their cover – as the Browns. Now that the war against Phobos had been won, they'd even relaxed and advanced into a real marriage. Thomas and Eleanor had 'renewed' their vows for Elyon's birthday party on Memorial Day, (The closest Earth equivalent to her Meridian birthday) and settled into their suburban lifestyle again.
"I've already had the cooks prepare us some meals to go," Elyon said with a grin. "I figure we could be searching all day, knowing my brother's sneakiness, so I sat with Vathek and the other rebel leaders and we came up with a list of possible hiding places he could be using. Not surprisingly, a bunch of them have volunteered to accompany each of us as ground support." She grinned ferally. "They really don't want him staying loose."
"Let me guess," Cornelia returned. "Caleb, Drake, Aldarn, Vathek, Raythor, and Julian, right?"
"Close," Elyon admitted with a smile, and waved the Guardians to follow her to the barracks nearby. "All four younger guys, some of their trainees, and … Miranda." She paused, to wait out the inevitable blast of noise that announcement was inviting, but when she turned back to check, all the Guardians just stared at her in blank shock.
"Mir … 'Ack-hmm!' Miranda wants to help?"
'Leave it to Irma to be the first one to speak up,' Elyon thought. "Yeah," she continued. "She's that worried about what Phobos will do to Cedric. Too crazy, huh?"
"OOOOH! You don't think ..?" Love-happy Hay Lin gasped out.
"What?" most of the other girls demanded, while Taranee, catching a glimpse of the thought that had occurred to Hay, came to her own conclusion.
"Cedric and Miranda, sittin' in a tree …" she started the old schoolyard tease. Giggling, the others joined in one by one, but they were all hopelessly laughing too hard to finish the final verse. The courtyard guards within hearing range looked on nervously as their Queen and the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions succumbed to their inner teen girly-ness.
"O M G, I am so teasing her while we're out," Elyon managed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"So where are they all?" Will asked.
"Aldarn and Drake are bringing Miranda up now, and Caleb is trying to convince Blunk to lend a hand. Or in Blunk's case, his nose," the young Meridianite responded. "The rest are waiting for us in their all-new, freshly-constructed briefing room." She waved a hand towards the barracks, and the six girls headed forward again.
w.i.t.c.h.
Vathek was calling the troops to order from their own breakfast when the six girls entered. "Your Majesty, just in time," he said, catching sight of Elyon. "Volunteer scouts, to the front!" he called out. Thirteen young men and women stepped forward from the rank and file of the barracks. "Queen Elyon, your hunters await." Vathek gave her a bow, fist clenched over his heart, and the troops followed suit.
Elyon and the Guardians gave the volunteers a good look-over. The baker's dozen were teens and young adults, not much older than the girls, who'd all been among the rebels fighting against Phobos before. Nine men and four women, all looking eager and determined, peered back at the Guardians with as much curiosity. Since the last battle against Nerissa and Phobos two years before, the girls hadn't been to Meridian often, save to visit with Elyon, and those informal trips hadn't included much in the way of extensive traveling. So this was the first time many of these folks had gotten to see W.i.t.c.h. since the successful end of the rebellion.
It was also the first time the Guardians had seen some of these faces from closer than across a battlefield, or at all. Including two of the four women, blue-skinned like Vathek, with tiny bone-ridges instead of eyebrows, and short-clipped blonde hair in matching falls over their new Meridian City guard uniforms. They were standing apart, one of the southeast desert-province's red lizard-men between them, but Hay's artistic eye caught the subtle details.
"Hey, you're twins, aren't you?" she blurted to the two, and they sighed and hung their heads, while the other volunteers and some of the other troops behind them chuckled.
"My sister's daughters," Vathek beamed, coming to their end of the line of troops. "Bruyere and Acebo, two of my best new trackers, meet the Guardians. Finally," he added so low only Hay heard him. While the three girls exchanged handshakes, another Earth custom that Elyon and the Guardians had imported, Vathek continued under his breath. "Maybe now they'll start believing all my other war-stories, too." Hay giggled, and gave him a wink when the others were distracted.
The other volunteers all wanted to meet the Guardians better as well, and each of them seemed to have a favorite. Taranee found herself with three of the red lizardfolk, one of them female, all curious to learn more about her. She found out why soon enough. Hailing from the deserts near the volcanic eastern coast of Metamoor's central continent, their race had developed a resilience to heat almost as great as her magic granted her.
Elyon and her most frequent visitor Cornelia were circled by the former rebels the two had often run into around Meridian City, including the son of the baker whose shop was next to Aldarn's father Aketon's smithy. Koruk smiled good-naturedly at the familiar jibes about him and Aldarn having been switched at birth, his caramel skin-tone notwithstanding. He was a bear of a young man, and he took advantage of his familiarity with the Queen to pull her into an embarrassing hug that lifted her a foot off the ground, to Irma and Cornelia's amusement.
Irma had her own retinue of the green-skinned riverfolk from the north province, land of Aketon and Aldarn's ancestors. They maintained a long tradition of Water magic of their own, and Irma soon found herself in a lively debate over maintaining an air-supply versus adapting to breathe the water when swimming deeply.
Hay dragged Will over to meet Bruyere and Acebo, as the Guardian who figured most prominently in many of Vathek's stories. The last female volunteer stuck near them, the red-haired Leader noticed. While she was exchanging pleasantries with the twins, Will sent to Hay. "You're the friendliest, Hay-hay. See if you can find out what has her so scared."
"Gotcha, Will," the Air Guardian returned, and spent a minute shaking hands with the other troops nearby, trading names and smiles like only Hay could, until she'd worked her way around behind Vathek's twin nieces. As if by accident, she backed into the skulking maiden, and the two both whirled at the same time to face each other. "Oh! I'm sorry," Hay Lin started. "Wow, you've got to be a good scout. You're so quiet even I didn't notice you!" She beamed her standard megawatt smile at the slim girl with hair the color of slate.
"J-just part of o-our training," she answered, gawking at the personable Air Guardian. After a few silent seconds, Hay blinked, and the other girl did too, making her giggle.
"What's your name? I'm Hay Lin." Slate grey brows drew together for a second, then the girl laughed as well.
"Y-you won't be-believe me." She thumped her fist over her heart, and smiled. "M-my name i-is Zay K-klinn."
"Hey, Zay! We rhyme!" Hay chirped. She stuck her hand out, and when Zay took it hesitantly, Hay led her through a complicated gangsta handshake Eric had taught her from Texas, ending with a half-turn, a hip-bump and a European double cheek-kiss. Zay took the Air Guardian's antics stoically until the kisses started, then blushed furiously, which Hay noticed. "Awwww, Zay. I'm sorry. My friends always tell me I'm too much to take in large doses right away. My bad." She grinned.
"'s o-okay," Zay said. "I d-don't do well w-with lots of p-p-people." She smiled shyly back. "It's why I-I'm a scout."
"Hmm, well, how about just four other people? C'mon, I'll introduce ya." Hay wrapped a friendly arm around Zay and turned them both back towards Will, Acebo, and Bruyere. "Will? Meet Zay!"
Will gave the nervous young woman before her an appraising look. It was hard to say if she was more afraid of meeting the other Guardians, which was apparently Hay's intent, or Hay herself. The Air girl sure could be aggressively friendly. "Hi, Zay," Will said reassuringly, and held out her hand.
Zay shook it hesitantly, and Hay beamed at them both.
"Ooh, Irma!" she gushed, turning to the approaching Water Guardian and Elyon, with Cornelia and Koruk in tow. "Come meet Zay." Hay stepped back so the other Guardians could introduce themselves, and looked around for the Fire Guardian. She was deep in conversation with Hopa, the red lizardwoman, and two of Aldarn and Koruk's friends from town. If Hay's new relationship radar was accurate, Hopa and one of the pair of green men was a definite couple. Hay giggled as she turned back, and her radar noticed that while Zay was doing fine meeting the other girls, Koruk's proximity was making the poor scout's stutter twice as bad.
Vathek popped up behind Hay, stymieing the Air Guardian. 'How'd he get that close, without me noticing?' she worried.
"All right, I hate to break up this little party, but we've got to get moving so we can find our missing Prince," he said, loud enough to carry throughout the room. Hay winced right before him, and he rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, mistaking the reason for her jump. "Don't worry, Air Guardian. We'll get him."
The volunteers formed back up, distinct groups easy to see, just as Drake and Aldarn entered, a bound Miranda between them. The trio marched to stand in front of Elyon, murmurs following them the whole way. With salutes, Drake and Aldarn stopped, both saying "My Queen." "The requested prisoner," Drake continued, with a tug of the chord around Miranda's wrists, bringing her a step forward. The black-haired girl wouldn't lift her head.
Elyon looked at Miranda for a moment, aware of the hush fallen around them. She saw the metal band someone had snapped around the shapechanger's neck, a glowing red cabochon at her throat. 'An inhibitor collar,' Elyon realized. She took the final step to close the distance between them, and brought a gentle hand out to raise Miranda's chin. "Do you swear to help us without reservation in this mission?" she asked, looking into Miranda's eyes. She hadn't Taranee's range or practice yet, but with skin and eye contact, she could tell whether someone was telling her the truth.
Miranda nodded, her eyes red-rimmed but dry. "I swear it, on the blood of my enemies." She looked at Elyon steadily, waiting.
"Okay," Elyon said simply, and with a wave of her hand, Miranda's bindings fell free. "You're with me. Vathek? Let's divide and conquer."
w.i.t.c.h.
Before they split apart at the north end of town, Will remembered the conversation she'd had with 'Mina two days ago, and turned to Elyon. "We should see to the movement of Crimson, Your Highness. The poor beast has had enough of Frost's influence, wouldn't you say?" Elyon goggled at her for a second, then composed herself. Leave it to the girl who worked in an animal clinic to think of that.
"Of course, Guardian. I know just the place. You others, stay here with her until I return. Miranda?" Elyon gave her dark-haired companion a nod, which the shapeshifter returned, and followed Elyon.
"Wonder why she took Miranda with ..?" Will murmured. Taranee snorted in bitter mirth.
"'cause of us all, Miranda's the only one who probably hates Frost more than I do," she said. "Apparently things weren't all wine and roses between the Knights of Vengeance."
"Whoa," Will breathed, just as the Queen and Miranda reappeared from a fold. "That was quick."
"Rhino's are easy to move with a little motivation, right, 'Randa?" Elyon giggled.
"Right … Elly," Miranda responded, remembering the nicknames they had called each other by when she had been the Queen's only friend in the Palace. Despite having chosen her brother's side in the following conflicts, she did miss some things from those days.
"And away we go," Will said, turning and leading the way west, into the Bog. Taranee kept up a mental count of their paces, and when she reached a hundred, Will gave the others a wave. "See ya later." She headed slightly left with Bruyere and three others, and the rest kept walking west.
After another hundred paces, Taranee gave the young Queen a reassuring hug, as much for her own benefit as Elyon's. "We'll get him, Elyon. Yell if you need us." She took her half of the remaining cluster of scouts, including Hopa and her boyfriend, and started towards the northwest, where the Eternal Stench got even worse in a bed of hot springs choked with sulfurous fumes. Elyon didn't envy her a bit.
"Alright, we're starting at that deadfall pass at the bottom of the Torrok Hills, right?" Elyon asked Drake, who nodded. "Let's get on with it then." She slogged further west, Drake, Miranda, Koruk, and Kaithi, one of the red lizardmen, following grimly.
w.i.t.c.h.
Irma, Cornelia, and Hay were leaving through the south town gate, scouts in loose formation behind them, when they spotted Blunk and Caleb. Former rebel leader and faithful passling squire were both checking the ground where a path led down into the Bog of Eternal Stench. Irma found herself feeling sorry for the desperate folks who had tried to use Bog-water when Phobos had sealed the Meridian City wells.
"Recent tracks, heavy feet, and somebody with … crutches, I think. Two of them were carrying a third." Caleb stood up.
"W-why do you n-need us?" Zay asked Hay, who giggled.
"'cause he's going with me," Cornelia said with a satisfied smirk.
"Crutches means Frost," Irma snarled. "Looks like Phobie didn't feel like stalling their flight to heal him first. Hopefully that means they're holed up somewhere taking care of it now, giving us a chance to catch up and reverse the repairs."
"Irma!" Hay gasped, dismayed. Cornelia wasn't nearly as moved.
"He's tried to do you in too, hasn't he?" she asked simply. Irma shook her head, to Cornelia's surprise.
"Worse," Irma uttered. She gave Cornelia a significant look, and the two girls shuddered. Acebo nodded gloomily behind them.
"Our uncle would not let us near the barracks while Frost was part of Meridian's forces. Vathek took pains to see we were never brought to the Prince's attention for the same reason." She traded a dark look of her own with Caleb, who nodded back.
"I'd heard as much from the few fighting women who deserted to the rebellion," one of their green companions said. His name was Diont, and he shook his head. His many tiny horns, encircling his face like a beard made of bone, shone in the early daylight. "My own sister Ghail was one of them. He has a taste for young women, Frost."
"Oh, I get it now," Hay Lin said. "He's a …" Irma clapped her hand over her best friend's mouth, and just nodded.
"Exactly. Not someone we want to leave loose at all. We'll catch him. And the others."
They separated into groups of five, a Guardian at the heart of each, and the three parties started into the Bog, slowly working their way apart to begin as systematic a search as one could in the gigantic swamp.