They had been walking for about five minutes before Caleb noticed a small beeping noise coming from beside him.. Will.
"You're beeping?"
"Yeah? Oh. Sometimes I don't notice over the sound of my.. It's my phone." Caleb watched as Will pulled the device out of her front trouser pocket.
"You're phone is beeping?" Hay Lin's phone rang. Though both seemed to make an undertoning buzz.
"Yeah, funny how they do that sometimes."
Caleb narrowed his eyes at that. He could hear the sarcasm in her voice, but didn't quite know what there was to be sarcastic about. "Who could possibly be calling you?"
Will turned around and rolled her eyes, "Well, a) Thanks for your opinion of my ability to make friends, and b) It's probably a very angry mother of mine."
"A mother? How many do you have?" It was his turn to be sarcastic, in return she raised her finger to her lips, pressing a button on the small machine.
"Shht!" Caleb obliged and watched as Will placed the phone over her ear, "Talk to me... Oh, hi! Um... Yeah, I know you still have the... Really? That's awesome! Thanks!"
She pressed another button and shoved the phone back into her pocked, gleaming. He smiled inquisitively, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Your mother isn't mad?"
"No, I just got the best news all day - there's space at the pet store, so I don't have to take the dormouse yet. I was starting to feel guilty about not getting back to him about i-"
"Him?" Caleb had certainly heard enough from Irma and Hay Lin to deduce who she had been talking to, "Matt?" Will seemed to perk up at the mention of the name.
"Yeah. You know him?"
"I know of him."
...
Will was glad when they started running. It was awkward enough when he'd caught her for the second time, and she'd been waiting for an insult, a scolding, but he'd only made a joke. And then her phone had started beeping. Apparently she got reception in the Metaworld. If this was it. Caleb had not been sure; making her feel very young when he'd pointed out that you got books on both sides of the viel and that it could just be a spell on the bookstore.
They reached an end to the wool, and apparently an end to the maze, running straight for a large arc of greenish light, which seeped through the large window. Suddenly Will became very aware of a familiar face in the room. Phobos.
"Aaah!" Will shreiked, "Caleb! Get back!"
"No!" Caleb pulled away from a hand she hadn't realized he'd been holding and ran towards the enemy, "Never back!" Caleb jumped onto a sliding ladder, the momentum pushing him toward the Prince. Will stumbled backwards; he obviously had no idea who he was trying to attack. Phobos would kill him in a second.
As if to prove her unspoken thought, Caleb threw himself at Phobos, who only raised an outspread hand to the boy and Caleb was suspended in the air. A swish of the prince's wrist threw Caleb across the space and he crashed past a heavy wooden chair; sliding across the stone floor.
Phobos approached Caleb and Will instinctively flew up, behind the shelf closest to them.
"Den eímai dikós sas!"
Will pushed herself against the bookcase, knowing it was unlikely to budge. She stepped away and threw herself onto it again, causing it to tumble, and istantly she twisted around to see Caleb roll out of the way. She pulled him up with ease; running on adrenaline, and ran towards a door. "Come on!"
"Mmmy Lordssship!" Caleb had pulled the door closed just as an unfamiliar man's voice began talking.
"CALEB AND THE GUARDIAN KEEPER!" Will pushed on, ignoring the coldness she felt when she realized that Phobos knew Caleb by name. He must've really pissed the prince off if he'd made that much of an impression on him. She was pretty sure the only reason he'd referred to her as Keeper was to inform the voice that she had the Heart on her.
...
"The other guardians must be near." Cedric was rather surprised and bowed low when he realized that the Prince Phobos had left his throne room for the Library of the Castle.
"Send out the tracker."
...
A large fire crackled and children danced around to a calming melody played on flute. Trill neared the four Earth girls that sat on a huddled group, picking at the meals they had been provided. The darkest skinned looked up, "This is wonderful food, but I'm afraid we couldn't eat it all.
"Once you told us you were the guardians, everybody brought something." Trill couldn't help herself, as curiousity overcame her, "Em, why did you come all de way here; from Earth, in human form?"
"Well," The smallest of the girls, and the only one eating properly spoke, "We were looking for a history textbook."
Trill smiled, "Hm, let me refill your drinks."
She knew that the guardians were taking pity on them; as she walked away the littlest spoke again. "Why isn't anyone else eating..?"
Trill listened and turned to subtly catch the authorative blonde lean forward, "Um, Hay Lin, I think this is all the food they have."
"Kind of puts a lost essay into perspective.."
Trill picked up the water and returned to the girls, "When Phobos took the throne, a light went out over this land. Our men are jailed. Our crops are stolen. We have no security. Nothing for ourselves, but our dreams." Trill looked around to make sure no one would overhear. "I hear things in the castle. They say Phobos has a sister on the other side. Could this be true?"
The girl's eyes widened and they exchanged looks. Clearly they could not confirm the news. "A sister?"
"They say she doesn't know her identity, or even that she was not born on Earth." The brunette whispered something that Trill didn't catch, so she continued on, "Perhaps you could find her first! For years, we have suffered under Phobos. Forced to work in his kitchens, in his castle. His stables. His mines. We always have hope, but sometimes I fear we hope in vain."
"We'll find the heir and get her back! We promise you!" Trill wondered about the validity of the promise as the blonde, who she suspected was their leader's brow furrowed.
"I don't get it though. Why would Phobos try to find someone who might replace him?" Trill never got a chance to reply as everyone stopped the festivity. A roaring beast. She wondered if it would be a lurden with an officer to send them back to work, but what she saw scared her more.
"The Tracker!"
Den eímai dikós sas - I am not yours/I do not belong to you
