A/N: Well, chapter six is ready. As usual I own nothing except the Twist Sisters and my plot. Oh and the Power of Two which will be mentioned is a bit of my own lore, crafted by me so I own that as well, but I am trying my best to blend it with this world's established rules. So without further ado.

Chapter Six: Explanations and the Power of Two

Grace flinched backwards. "I...I can't."

Benny looked at her, incredulous. "You can't. What do you mean? You cast it. Did you use your three spells or something?"

"It's not as simple as that. I wouldn't expect an unenchanted to understand."

"Try me, go on. Please, just stop the chatter and explain."

Tom looked between Benny and the other girl, growing nervous. Spells, casting, unenchanted, what did this all mean? It sounded like his Mum's and Gran's stories, but stories were all they were weren't they? Gran always acted like it was real, but she was just a really good storyteller, that was it right? Why was Benny arguing with this girl about bedtime stories? He backed up until his back was against the door.

"Tom…" He flinched as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked over to see the girl, well old woman, looking at him in concern. The one that had went into the scary machine. "My name is Sara. That loony over there is my sister Grace."

"Hullo…" Tom whispered. "What, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story." Sara said.

"Did those aliens do it to you with the machine?"

Sara nodded. "The extractor. How much did you see?"

Tom blinked as it played out once again in his mind in cinemascope. He closed his eyes tight. "They said they were extracting magic...and then you… Grace said she was protecting me but how? What does it mean? Am I going to be put in that machine too? Benny said it was magic, what I did." Tom was stammering, the words were tripping over each other.

Sara sighed looking to her sister and the unenchanted raising her voice to a shout. "Oi, you lot! Stop your bickering for one moment!"

Grace and Benny fell silent. Benny looked over and noticed Tom was up against the door shaking.

"Tom…" Benny sighed running a hand over his face. Well done.

Grace looked at her sister who was glaring at her, and winced with every word that was directed her way. "Are you quite finished one upping each other? Because if you are, there is a confused and right scared lad over here that could use an explanation. As a matter of fact, we all could."

Grace sighed nodding.

Benny walked over to Tom, crouching down. "Tom...look mate, I'm sorry if I scared you. It's just...well, I'm scared too."

Tom nodded. "It's alright," Tom put a hand on Benny's shoulder trying to provide a small bit of comfort. "But will you tell me what's happening, honestly?"

"It's not exactly…" Benny sighed. "I'll try my best, but it's not exactly something I know a lot about."

Tom thought about it. "That's okay. You've got to know something. You were smart enough to get out of that prison room the first time even if you're mate's missing. That takes brains right?"

"More than that Tom…you have no idea." Benny replied, but gave a small smile. "Are we alright?"

Tom made a show of thinking about it, but then nodded.

"Good." He proffered a hand to Tom as they walked over to the sisters. "So what about this spell then?"

"First, a bit of a magic lesson." Grace said. She looked over to Tom. "How does that sound?"

Tom nodded. "You have magic too?"

Grace nodded smiling slightly. "Can you tell me what you felt?"

Tom screwed up his face, thinking about it. "It hurt. I was scared. They were gonna take Benny. My stomach...it was like I was gonna burst into pieces, and then the door did and I hit against the wall. It just came out." Tom made an explosion motion with his hands.

Grace nodded thoughtfully. That sounded about right for a first manifestation, though it seemed for Tom it was slightly stronger which is why he couldn't keep balance. That probably had something to do with the fact that his ability was that raw power of his older self, around eight or nine years of knowledge and strength. "Do you know why wizards use incantations?"

Tom shook his head.

Grace turned to Benny. "Maybe you can help with this part science nerd?"

Benny blinked at being put on the spot. "Excuse me?"

"You are the science geek right. You help with the techno bits and bobs and Nekross tech?" That's what Grace had heard in the reports of Tom Clarke's and Benny Sherwood's attempts.

"Er...I guess, but…" Benny thought about it, trying to remember how Ursula and Tom had explained magic to him before, and the connections he'd made. "Magic's energy." Benny tried to explain. "It bounces round and can be released and pulled back, but it needs something to direct it." He then looked to Grace and Sara for confirmation. They were smiling and nodding, so he guessed he got it right.

Tom looked up at Benny. "The inkatations"

"Er yeah...I suppose so." Benny said.

"But what are ink..incantations?"

"Words Tom." Sara said. "With the right words, you can do just about anything."

"Wow, can I try again?" Tom asked.

Grace shook her head. "There's a limit Tom. Wizards only get three spells a day."

"I only used one." Tom pouted.

Not actually. Benny thought. But the boy couldn't remember. "You'll be able to soon enough." He said.

"Except…" Sara turned to Benny and then to Tom. " If you try to attack the Nekross, it can't be direct. Magic doesn't affect them. That's why they have the machine."

"Weird." Tom shook his head. "I have magic, and there's a cap That's stupid!"

The sisters chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

"So what about the spell?" Benny raised his question again. "How do we fix it?"

"Well," Grace ducked her head. "The thing is…"

"Grace, come on, out with it." Sara said.

"I used the Power of Two, and I...turned back his time."

Benny and Tom looked between the sisters.

"What's turning back time?" Tom tugged Benny's sleeve. It sounded scary. "Is it magic?"

"Grace!" Sara groaned. "You idiot!"

"I thought we'd get out of this!"

"Erm...sorry, unenchanted here, not exactly following, but what is the Power of Two?" Benny asked.

"A tradition in the magical line of Twist," Sara said. "The line has been full of twin wizards, from our great great great grandfathers down to us. A Twist who invokes it, well it means they can't break a spell. Only their twin can."

"But you...you were…" Benny sighed. "You lost your magic."

"Therein lies the problem Darling Sister." Sara's voice came out sarcastically.

"There's got to be another way. There has to." Benny said.

"I put a parameter." Grace whispered.

Tom watched as Benny and the sisters talked. What was wrong with him? Was there something wrong with him? Why were they scared? Did those sisters do something to him?

"Other than only one person being able to break it you mean? This ought to be good."

" It's not the strongest time turn back spell. His memories...well they'll come through. He'll remember in time like coming out of amnesia."

"That doesn't exactly help if he's still stuck as a kid, and how long is that going to take?" Sara said.

"A week should do the trick."

"Fantastic." Benny threw up his arms. "Bloody brilliant, you've been immensely helpful, thank you. How are we going to find a way off the Zarantulus now? If we wait a week we'll be vaporized. Or worse, you all will be extracted. What am I going to tell Tom's Dad and Gran then?"

"There might...be something I can do…" Grace said. "Do you have a mobile?"

"Why would I give it to you?" Benny asked.

"Benny…" Benny felt a tugging on his arm. "We gotta trust them. We all gotta get out of this, please… don't fight right now." Tom was looking at him earnestly. "Please."

Benny sighed pulling his phone out of his pocket handing it to Grace. "I don't know what you think you're going to do, it's dead up in space. They're aren't exactly mobile networks."

"No, but there are mirrors."

"Mirrors, what…?" Benny said. "You mean you're going to try to contact the Chamber?"

"What's Tom's line?" Grace asked.

Tom thought about it. What was that thing Gran always said.

"Tom Clarke of …" Benny began to answer.

"Tom Clarke of the Magical Line of Crowe." Tom found himself reciting it. It seemed familiar somehow. Gran always said she was from the Magical Line of Crowe, maybe it meant something more than Gran's family name. Was that the line they were talking about?

Grace gave a small smile. "What'd I tell you Benny Sherwood? Bits and pieces."

"Yeah…" Benny was thoughtful. "I suppose so."

Tom watched as the girl, Grace, clicked her fingers and Benny's mobile suddenly began ringing. His eyes widened. "Well, someone's trying to reach you!"

Grace handed Benny back the mobile. "Go on and unlock it."

"Er...right...magic…" Benny gave a befuddled grin. He'd never quite be able to get used to this. He took in a breath and unlocked the phone. Let's hope he could trust these two.

Ursula was searching through the Wisdom of Crowe, and was having difficulty. She wasn't sure if it was her fog of a mind that wasn't quite as sharp as years ago or her worry for her grandson that was hindering her search. Perhaps both. Michael sat at the table beside her, trying to do his best to be helpful, bless him, despite being an unenchanted and having a very slim idea of what to be searching for.

"I don't see anything that looks like a deaging charm spell or what have you." Michael sighed. "Then again, this is all pretty close to Greek to me even with Moon's translation charm."

"There has to be something Michael." Ursula said. "If there is I'll find it."

She then stopped flipping pages as she noticed something. "Oh...oh my…." She'd found what had happened to Tom, and it wasn't good.

"Ursula, what is it?" Michael stood and walked over, trying to read over Ursula's shoulder.

"His…" Ursula was suddenly interrupted by a shout.

"Mistress Crowe, someone be a trying to speak through the scrying mirror!" Randal Moon rushed over nearly tripping over a pile of books in his haste. "It be a looking to be Benjamin Sherwood of the unenchanted! Quickly Mistress. Quickly."

"Benny?" Michael looked at Ursula. "How do you suppose...?" But he was up and following Ursula to the mirror nonetheless.

A/N: So next, Benny fills in Ursula, Moon and Michael as the three in the chamber decide to send someone aboard, and Michael nominates himself just before the Nekross take action of their own which will hinder further progress for our Wizard friends.