Chapter 9 – Lost Daughter
Unknown Time
Ledgerdomain
-(X)-
Gwen staggered at first and was grabbed firmly by Charmcaster's steadying hand. The nausea was brief but intense. Less than a minute later, it had passed and she felt the hand on her arm relax.
"What was that?" asked Gwen slowly. "Does the door always do that?"
"It wasn't the door," said Hex in a voice so low it sounded like a growl. He hadn't sounded like his cheery, megalomaniacal self since he was sprung from the Null Void again. Even a few days on the inside of that prison was probably enough to break a lesser person. Gwen assumed Hex was made of sterner stuff, but she might have been wrong. "It's you."
"Me?" asked Gwen. "What about me?"
Hex rolled his eyes and then reached into one of the voluminous pockets on his long coat. He held out a mirror in front of Gwen's face.
"Woah," gasped Gwen as she stared at her reflection. She was sparkling. That was unexpected. The sparkles were pink too, making her look as if she were made of glittering rubies.
"Get a hold of yourself or you'll bring Adwaita down on us," grumbled Hex as he pocketed the mirror again.
Gwen was taken aback by the request, never had to deal with such an issue on Earth it was not a skill she'd ever learned. But since she was the only Anodite around, she figured netiher would be much help in coaching.
Closing her eyes, she calmed her breathing and drew on the meditative kwans of Taekwondo. She visualized the three samje and pulled them into herself, focused on the in. Several deliberate breaths later she believed herself to be in better control and opened her eyes again.
"Better?" asked Gwen.
Charmcaster looked annoyed but nodded. "Yeah." She shook her head and turned to walk down the stone path before them. Hex followed immediately afterwards, but Gwen stopped and stared at the world around them.
Ledgerdomain was weird.
They seemed to be standing on a floating stone platform with jagged edges, no railings, and not much of any other features other than gray rock. Above, beside, and around them the "sky" was a light purple that reminded Gwen of the color her mana constructs took on when she formed them. Floating like balloons in the air were other rock formations, some small, others huge winding and twisting with pathways that turned sideways and upside down at times. Even the path they stood on seemed to slowly tilt to the left, though Charmcaster and Hex in front of her didn't seem to notice as they walked.
Gwen let her mind experimentally reach out toward the world around her. Charmcaster had said this was the essence of all mana and that, in some way, her anodite form was derived from this domain. She gently allowed her astral presence to peek out—
And then she was on her back, breathing heavily and sweating. Hex and Charmcaster were leaning over her with mixed reactions that wavered between angry and concerned.
"What happened?" asked Gwen, blinking.
"Hex TOLD you to control yourself!" scolded Charmcaster. "You nearly formed your own city with the power you were taking in. Hex had to drop you to stop it."
"Drop me?" asked Gwen as she sat up and rubbed her head. There was a suspicious gap in her memories now. She had the notion that a couple minutes had passed but she couldn't be sure what had happened during that time.
"I bound you back into your corporeal form," said Hex sternly. "It's a mild curse, but you'll have trouble accessing your astral presence until it fades."
As soon as she said it, Gwen could feel the numbness in her core. She was normally hyperaware of the world around her, and had been ever since learning of her Anodite heritage, but now she felt like one of her senses had been cut off. She couldn't feel the mana infused in her own body let alone the oceans of it swirling around them. It was strange and very unsettling.
"How long will this last?" asked Gwen, looking at her hand. It appeared the same but it wasn't. She couldn't feel like she should.
"An hour or so," said Hex. "You don't want to be using your abilities here. It'll bring the wrong kind of attention to our presence."
Gwen checked her watch. The hands had stopped. "How do you track an hour in here?" she asked quite plainly.
"Don't think about it," said Charmcaster. "It'll make your brain hurt. You can influence your own time here, though uncle is probably overriding us."
"I am," said Hex.
"Once we reach Krakkas there'll be enough inertia to our existence that your watch will work again," added Charmcaster.
"How much time is actually passing outside?" asked Gwen, finding this concept of personal time to be hard to grasp.
"Don't think about that either," said Charmcaster with a smirk. "The door will sync us all up when we return."
Gwen did not like that answer but decided to stop asking questions about it before she became any more unsettled. "Krakkas?"
"The seat of leadership in Ledgerdomain," said Charmcaster. "Like a capital."
"Isn't that where Adwaita would be?" asked Gwen.
"No, he'll be at the chapel in Nis Virda," said Hex. "The Alpha Rune is there, and that's where his power will be strongest."
"So why Krakkas?" asked Gwen.
"Best place as any to find the remnants of Archamada," said Hex in a gravely voice.
Gwen chose to be quiet, despite her curiosity about the strange yet fascinating Ledgerdomain. Hex's statement reminded her that this wasn't exploration, it was a stealth mission. In fact, it was a mission with a very specific purpose: to incite a revolution against a tyrant. Memories of Ghostfreak ruling over Vilgaxia came to the surface of her mind but she tried to push them aside.
Ghostfreak was one of those horror stories she planned to tell future Plumbers to keep them in line. They'd listen, she was sure, but they couldn't know. It was one thing to fear an intangible menace that had conquered and infected a world. It was another thing to have memories of that ... thing controlling her mind and body.
It was ancient history now, Gwen knew, from the early days of aliens. She was only ten years old at the time, but in a way that made it worse. She had defenses now, she was capable. Back then she was helpless to Ghostfreak's possession. She remembered the terror she felt, the pin-pricks in her brain as he dug into her consciousness, the images of her body fighting Ben as Four Arms.
Gwen shivered. She didn't want to think about it anymore and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Krakkas. Archamada. Revolution. It was simple in theory. Time to see how it worked in practice.
"You okay?" asked Charmcaster.
Gwen nodded and motioned ahead. "I'll be fine."
They continued walking down the slightly twisting path. Gwen couldn't see a city anywhere and was curious if the place they were walking to even still existed. According to Charmcaster, neither she nor Hex had returned here in fifteen years. In a place shaped by the collective will of a people, a lot could happen in that time. Assuming that fifteen years on Earth meant anything in Ledgerdomain. She was still a little confused about that personal-time thing.
Eventually they made their way to a simple stone archway at the end of the path. It looked empty and beyond it was just more of the distantly swirling mana. Gwen could feel a tingling from it, hopefully a sign that the confining numbness was fading and Hex's spell was about to disburse.
Hex walked up to the archway and looked through it carefully. Then he frowned (more) and walked around it as well.
"This is bad," said Hex.
"It's not working?" asked Gwen.
Hex shook his head. Charmcaster looked at the archway and tilted her head. "It doesn't go to Krakkas. It should."
"What does that mean?" asked Gwen. "Someone changed the destination of the portal?"
"Moved it," said Hex. "And it's not a portal, it's a stepway."
Gwen raised a brow but said nothing.
"It either means Krakkas has changed so much I don't recognize it, or it's been destroyed," said Charmcaster. The last few words she spoke quietly, as if hoping to make them untrue.
"What do we do?" asked Gwen. She looked around but saw no other archways similar to this one around.
"We proceed forward," said Hex. "But be on guard. It may still go to Krakkas, just not one that I'm familiar with."
"Can't we get there ... you know, normally?" asked Gwen. "Walk or fly?"
"This is the normal way," said Hex. "Distances are mutable, only stepways anchor places together."
"Great," said Gwen. Nothing was normal around here, she was realizing. It wasn't just 'cosmetic' as Charmcaster had implied back at the manor.
-(X)-
Gwen wasn't sure what to expect from Krakkas, but it certainly wasn't a modern metropolitan city crossed with something out of the Pax Romana. Glass skyscrapers mixed with stone aqueducts and two story brownstones topped insulae with Opus Reticulatum. A historian would have had a field day. Gwen's above average knowledge of Grecian and Roman life was doing cartwheels. She wanted to plant herself in front of a stone obelisk – startlingly made from obsidian and granite - and just absorb what she was seeing.
But that wasn't what they were there for, so she tried her best to rein in her enthusiasm.
"This is new," said Hex as he stared as some of the taller buildings, several of which looked inspired by the boxy look of the Sears Tower and at least one by the towering spire of the Burj Khalifa. "There has been recent human influence."
"What could that mean?" asked Charmcaster as she looked around. It appeared, at east to Gwen, that she was just as bewildered by what she was seeing. Gwen wondered what stories Charmcaster had heard as a child and how they matched to the current vista.
"I don't know," growled Hex, his wonderment immediately submerged beneath his 'normally' gruff personality. "Adwaita doing recon? But I don't see how anyone allowed to leave Ledgerdomain under his rule would return willingly." He looked around.
There weren't too many people on the streets, and those that were dressed more similarly to Hex and Charmcaster than Gwen. Even with her powers sealed, Gwen new their appearance was going to attract attention sooner or later.
"We must be careful," said Hex. "This far from Nis Virda, we should be relatively safe, but anyone could be a spy if we say the wrong thing."
"What did you expect when we came here?" asked Gwen, unable to resist knowing.
"Ruin," said Hex darkly. "I would not want to see the Cult of Archamada crushed, but I had thought they would have fought to the last. This... this reeks of acceptance."
"Acceptance?" said Charmcaster.
"They have gotten used to serving a dictator," said Hex. "They've given up."
"We don't know that," said Gwen. "Things could be more complicated than they seem."
"I would hope so," said Hex. He set off down the streets without another word, moving only slow enough for Gwen and Charmcaster to keep up.
-(X)-
A bar, of course. Gwen had thought there were strange similarities between Ledgerdomain and Earth – not the least of which was the people here were essentially humans, biologically speaking – but the universe had shown to her in the last few years that there was one constant upon which the universe turned it was this: if you're looking for troublemakers, look to the local drinking establishment.
Oh, the differences were there, Gwen easily saw them. The drinks were green and purple instead of amber and clear, and the bartender was squeezing one popular drink out of what looked like an orange gourd, but the message was the same. People drank mild toxins to sooth the worries of their lives and there were no people with greater worries than failed revolutionaries.
Even Hex seemed out of place here, to Gwen's surprise, but he did his best as he walked up to a hostess and asked a quick series of questions earning him an odd look and then a hip shake towards the back of the establishment. Gwen and Charmcaster, neither of whom knew the drinking laws, were trying to appear casual, sitting at a table with nothing on it at all. When Hex gave them the nod, though, the stood and followed him back.
The darkened alcove into which they followed the villain was not very large, and only really hidden by virtue of the minimal light directed towards it. It was still enough, however, to almost entirely conceal the two people sitting at the table there. Hex addressed them casually, but Gwen saw the muscles tightening in his cheeks: he was nervous.
"Brothers," said Hex.
One of the figures leaned forward just enough to expose a frock of blue-white hair – just a shade lighter than Charmcaster's and tinged teal instead of purple – and a slender hand that belonged to a woman. That hand reached for a tall glass of green liquid and lifted it slightly, then extended a finger to jab at the air in front of Hex.
"You're treading dangerous ground showing up here, Hex," said the owner of the hand. The voice was definitely feminine but was even and cool. "Why shouldn't we shove your face before Adwaita right now?"
"Cabra," said Hex. "You would turn over a brother to the enemy."
The other figure stirred and waved a fist at Hex. "You're no brother! You're a coward who stabbed our only hope in the back!"
"He was lost, Abara," insisted Hex with a forceful whisper. "There was only hope if we escaped."
Cabra spat. "Is that was you tell yourself?" She pointed at Charmcasters. "And her, is she your kin? Do you tell her your lies as well?"
Hex looked briefly at a confused Charmcaster then quickly turned his eyes towards the shadowy figures. "This is his daughter."
The figures went stiff and then, slowly, almost fearfully, they got up and stepped into the light of the bar. The woman was tall, very thin, and wearing a black top with silver trim beneath a long, deep red coat with no sleeves. Her hair was long and uneven, going long down her back and curtaining around her gaunt face. The man was similar in stature, slightly shorter than the woman, but a little more muscular. He was wearing layers of robes with V-shaped designs on them, aligning at his center and creating a series of arrows pointing at the floor.
Both looked at Charmcaster with awe. She, in turn, narrowed her eyes slightly and tilted her head.
"I...remember you," whispered Charmcaster. "When I was young you... you were always with my... mother?"
The woman, Cabra, smiled slightly, forming creases around her mouth as if she'd not done such a thing in a long time and was unused to the motion. "Charmy?" she said.
"We—we thought you lost," said Abara, his mouth hanging open but with the very edges of his lips turned up experimentally. Eventually the smile won out and he let out a pleasant laugh then lunged forward and gathered Charmcaster up into a hug.
"Er—o-okay?" said Charmcaster as she stiffened.
Cabra quickly joined in and gently wrapped her arms around Charmcaster and Abara together. "I can't believe it... it's like a miracle."
The moment seemed locked in time as Gwen watched, understanding – intellectually – what must have been going through these two's mind, but also more aware that they were starting to make a scene. She reached out with her astral presence to get a feel for their surroundings but again felt the numbness of Hex's spell. How long was that going to last?
Then, suddenly, the moment was broken and Cabra released her grip and then turned on Hex with a scowl on her face. "No, it's not a miracle. It was a kidnapping!"
Hex's eye went wide and he held up his hands defensively. "Now, calm down, Cabra—"
"You took her when she should have been ours to protect!" growled Cabra. She stalked toward Hex and balled her fists.
"I was her Uncle, I had just as much reason—" started Hex but then Cabra swung her hand around like a blade.
"VEKTIS!" Cabra shouted shortly and silver lightning erupted from her fingers and danced along the stone floor at Hex's feet. The target jumped to keep from getting stung. "You were a loveless Uncle, who hated her father!"
"Cabra! Stop yourself!" said Hex, trying to be commanding but also keep his voice down.
Gwen looked back towards the better lighted part of the bar and nearly everyone was looking this way. She swallowed nervously. Again she reached out trying to feel beyond the binding spell Hex placed her. She felt handicapped and it was making her skin crawl.
"He was my brother," continued Hex. "I loved him as any brother would."
"You were jealous of him," said Cabra. She raised a crackling fingertip and poked Hex in the chest. Small sparks jumped from her finger and snaked along his body, causing him to twitch once. "I wouldn't be surprised if you killed him!"
"I did no such thing!" shouted Hex, now completely ignoring the other people in the bar. "Yes, I was jealous of him. We share blood and yet he's the chosen one, the leader, the one with the greater gift. But he was still my brother."
Gwen could easily imagine this conversation happening at home, on Earth, between herself and Ben not too long ago. There were certainly times back when Ben had first gotten the Omnitrix when Gwen seethed with jealousy over her cousin's insane luck. Someone so unskilled, so undisciplined, and yet so successful despite his flaws. She could never rest on her laurels as much as him and get away with it. It infuriated her.
But then those days ended like... like they did. And now, in this recent era of alien fighting the stakes had risen so dramatically that Gwen didn't envy Ben at all. In fact, she realized now that it was Gwen who had been lucky not to touch the Omnitrix first. That Ben's haphazard ways were damning at times instead of rewarding.
Gwen shook her head when she heard the crack of lightning again. Capra looked ready to kill Hex right there and that would end their trip early.
"Guys," she yelled. "We can't do this here."
"I'll be done quick," said Cabra quickly aiming her outstretched fingers towards Hex's face.
"Cabra—sister, we are here now and we may have a path towards freedom if you let me explain."
Cabra narrowed her eyes at Hex and studied the lines in his white face. Gwen could see the shake in his hand, the effort he was expending to keep himself still. She wondered why Hex had not fought back at all, why he seemed fearful of this Cabra. Everything she remembered of Hex said he wouldn't have stood for this torment.
And yet, he had just called her sister. What did that mean? Was it because they were fellow Cult of Archamada members, or was she really his sister?
"Fine," said Cabra suddenly and turned away from Hex. "I can always kill you at home." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a squared coin and threw it on the table. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Abara, still clinging to Charmcaster who was wearing a mixture of fear and confusion on her face.
"Geeze, Abara, get a hold of yerself," said Cabra. She grabbed Abara from one of his collars and yanked him away from Charmcaster. "We'll talk at the Tristum." She then looked directly at Gwen.
"What are you?" she asked plainly.
"Gwen Tennyson," said Gwen with a half smile. She held out her hand. "I'm here to help."
Cabra regarded the hand then rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She looked away then headed for the door, blissfully ignoring the staring patrons.
Charmcaster shivered visibly then looked at Gwen. "What just happened?"
"Beats me," admitted Gwen. "But I think we're about to find out."
-(X)-
Once he had his head screwed on right, Abara turned out to be the more practical of the two locals that Hex had met at the bar, and that was quickly becoming a problem.
"Absolutely not," said Abara as they stood in the closed Tristum, a circular stone building with a smoked glass dome top and steel reinforcement located at the perimeter of "downtown" Krakkas. It was a mind boggling mixture of technologies that Gwen wasn't sure should have worked together if she wasn't looking at it doing so. "You want to introduce another monster into our world and just hope it doesn't end up worse than Adwaita?"
Hex shrugged and simply gestured to Charmcaster with a look of defeat. Gwen shook her head at the lack of support from the villain.
"I've watched this guy through two centuries," said Charmcaster. "He is strong, but easily surprised. Adwaita is nothing like he's seen before. He'll fall for it."
"Then what?" asked Abara. "Adwaita has another victory for his crown?" He shook his head. "Charmy, mere power is not going to topple him, not while he has control over the Alpha Rune. I don't know what Hex has told you-"
"It has less to do with power and more to do with attention," said Charmcaster. "With Brozz distracting Adwaita it will give us enough time to cast Diaspora."
Cabra laughed loudly. "Diaspora? Did you even read that spell it—"
"Is a simple spell, I know," nodded Charmcaster. "But it has no upper bound on power, it will do the job if we throw enough behind it."
"There weren't enough Archamada when your father was alive to power a simple Diaspora to destroy Adwaita, much less now. You need a more complex spell with a talon or two, and probably more than one focus to get the concentration you need and that means time. Days, not moments." Cabra shook her head.
"We don't have days," said Abara. "Either your monster will adapt to ours or ours will simply crush yours. It won't last that long."
"We can do it with Diaspora," said Charmcaster. "And some anodites."
"Oh, we're relying on legends now?" laughed Cabra. "I wasn't aware the mana itself was on our side."
Charmcaster looked towards Gwen. "Gwen?" she prompted.
Gwen looked surprised at the turn of the conversation, and wished that Charmcaster had given her some form of heads up ahead of time that she was going to do this. She looked towards Hex expectantly to which he simply nodded silently.
With a breath, Gwen closed her eyes and tried to bring forth her true form again. She still felt numb, but it was fading enough that she could blunder her way through the shedding of her physical shelf. With practiced moves she slowly allowed the 'spark' within her to be exposed.
With a rush of excitement she felt her body turn to mana and expose her glowing purple core. She opened her eyes to see her radiance reflect off the stone walls and glass ceiling and the wide eyes of Abara and Cabra.
"By the founders..." said Cabra with a hollow voice. Gwen imagined the turmoil going through the man's head. It probably was much like the first time she had encountered aliens back as a ten year old girl.
And yet, she had been an alien all that time. She never once forgot how strange her life had become.
"Enough," said Hex suddenly and held out his hands.
"I've got it," Gwen waved him off and then concentrated on brining back her physical body. It took a lot more effort than normal, but within a minute she had returned to non-glowy normalcy. She was still under the after effects of Hex's spell and she was well aware of it. The last thing she wanted was for Hex to throw another binding spell on her.
"Y-you're an Anodite?" said Cabra.
Gwen nodded. "I am. And I'm trying to rally my people to help us. I hope I can."
"Surely the might of one Anodite is enough," said Abara.
Gwen tried not to blush. "I wish I was that strong, but I'm still learning control. I could end up losing myself if I push too hard while in my true form. I need my family to help."
"You have a whole family of gods?" asked Abara.
Gwen laughed lightly. "It seems like that sometimes. But, no, in the physical world Anodites are strong but not akin to gods. At least, not the ones I've run into. Grandma Verdona is pretty impressive though."
"Then... we are saved!" said Abara cheerily.
"No." Charmcaster very quickly interrupted. "We need to cast Diaspora."
"But the gods will—"
"We're not gods," said Gwen.
"And it's not enough," said Charmcaster hastily. "They're the power, the fuel, we need to give that power structure and control. We need to have anyone and everyone who has the talent to help cast the spell. Just the four of us won't be enough."
"How do you know this?" asked Cabra. "You haven't been here since you were a little girl."
Charmcaster looked towards Gwen and suddenly seemed guilty. "It's too much power," she said before looking back towards Cabra. "Even one Anodite on Earth is enough to tear a spell caster to pieces. I can only assume here in Ledgerdomain, it would be well beyond any of our ability to control."
Gwen suddenly realized where this plan had come from, and why Charmcaster thought it would work. Because it wasn't too long ago that Charmcaster had stolen Gwen's powers and used them to augment her own.
But based on what she'd just heard, there must have been unintended side effects of that transfer she never mentioned.
"It can be done," Gwen spoke up, feeling she had to say something given her revelation. "We've tested it small scale, and your spells are capable of using the energy of an Anodite. I don't know if it will rival your Alpha Rune but it should be substantial, given how I feel right now."
Charmcaster nodded, but refused to look at Gwen. She instead focused her attention on Abara.
"Do you understand what we need?" asked Charmcaster.
"You want us to root out anyone left with the talent and teach them Diaspora," summarized Abara. "That will put us at considerable risk, you know. There are those with the talent who work for Adwaita."
"How is that possible?" said Hex angrily. "Working for Adwaita? Willing? What traitors are these?"
"It's not that simple, Hex," said Cabra. "All of us have had to make sacrifices to survive."
"Allying with the enemy?" asked Hex.
"How long after an enemy conquers your world before he's simply a fact, Hex?" asked Cabra. "There are younglings who have never known life outside of his decrees. And the prospering of our cities came after his domination. It's hard to explain that to the youth."
Hex crossed his arms and looked away. "They still should know what we suffered at his hand."
"You need to know what we suffered, Hex, because you were absent for nearly all of it," said Abara abruptly. "Adwaita had no concern of cults or the differences between Archamada and the normals. We all suffered, and those of us with the gift suffered more in an effort to break us to do his bidding. Those that had it worst, those that fought back, they are the servants you see now at his temples. Empty shells who do only what asked because it hurts too much to think anymore."
Abara shook his head. "Our youth don't need to hear those stories, Hex. They don't need to endure what we did to make this world livable with Adwaita at the top."
Hex sighed but locked his eyes squarely on Abara. "Of course they need to hear those stories. How else will you get them to rise up again and seize what is rightfully theirs?"
"To what end? To be squashed by Adwaita or worse? To go through all that once more when acceptance is painless?" Abara pointed a finger between Hex's eyes. "You who pined away at your brother's position, sniping at the corners, trying to undermine him. You who had no hope of succeeding him unless the unthinkable happened. You say you loved Spellbinder. Well, was it worth it? Is this world worth your power?"
"I didn't cause this!" said Hex.
"No, but you would have if you could," said Abara. "Don't think for a minute I don't understand you. If it could be you with the Alpha Rune around your neck it would have been. And I wonder just how much worse it would be than this."
"I don't have to listen to this," snapped Hex. "We came here to help!" He turned and stormed out of the Tristum.
Charmcaster watched him go and Gwen could see the conflict on her face.
"Why did he really come here?" asked Cabra softly.
Gwen waited for the response then looked up and realized that the woman was talking to her.
"Uh, well," started Gwen. She wasn't sure how much to say, worried the full truth might destroy their hope of gaining support for the plan. Though the plan was seeming less and less clear cut by the minute.
"Conditions of his bail," said Charmcaster, removing the need for Gwen to decide. "He helps us find you, and he gets an opportunity to escape us and flee."
Gwen's eyes widened at this admission, but Charmcaster rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't start. You know that's why he did it," she said. "He's not going to go back to the Null Void if he can help it."
Abara turned with a look of mild surprise and approached Charmcaster again. "So... you know? About your Uncle, I mean. His... 'nature'?"
Charmcaster nodded slowly. Gwen could see the weight on her shoulders increase exponentially with each nod. It was painful to watch. She was glad that her family were largely good people, if occasionally a little bratty.
"There hasn't been time, but... do you know who we are?" asked Abara.
Charmcaster was still for a moment. "I have images, flashes in my mind of you two, always with my mother. I don't know what they mean. I guess you're my Uncle and Aunt."
Abara smiled warmly. "I am your Uncle, and Cabra is your Aunt and your father's sister."
"And Hex's sister," said Cabra, angrily. "Fat load of good family relations did me."
"We were with you a lot growing up," said Abara, ignoring Cabra's grousings. "Your father, Spellbinder, was a member of the Edenar, our leaders, and prominent within the Cult of Archamada. Which left him away most of the time so we helped your mother take care of you."
"My father was Edenar?" asked Charmcaster, sounding surprised. "But... he was Archamada."
"Not everything is so simple," said Abara. "Spellbinder knew of the hate towards us, but was aware that the hate wouldn't be resolved overnight." He shook his head. "At least, not without a tyrant conquering our people and instituting new directives. But, he was hoping to allow for the gradual change of people's opinions towards Archamada so that we could one day be allowed to freely practice."
"He couldn't just make it happen?" asked Charmcaster. "I mean, he was Edenar!"
"If he tried, he would have been overthrown," said Abara. "Rebellion works both ways, and he knew that. He was ... slow working, but was trying his best." He sighed. "Hex never understood that."
"It meant squat in the end," said Cabra. "If he had at least created a safe harbor for us we could have been better prepared. But no, Binder was always about order and process."
"When Adwaita attacked, we thought you were with Binder when he... revealed himself," said Abara. "Adwaita saw his strength and focused on him. The collateral damage was huge."
"I was," said Charmcaster. "I was with him." She looked absently to the ceiling for a moment. "But ... father gave me to Hex and ... told us to run." She shook her head. "It's hard to remember, Hex told me stories about that time that wasn't true. I'm not sure what I remember truly and what was just tales."
"He was a great man, your father," said Abara. "The best of us."
Charmcaster looked down and said nothing.
"Can you help?" asked Gwen. "The fate of two worlds is affected by this plan. We need your help plus my people's to stop Brozz and Adwaita."
Abara nodded. "We'll help."
"Then what?" asked Cabra. "What do we do once Adwaita is gone? What do we do about the younglings who won't understand?"
Gwen struggled to come up with an answer for that, knowing so little of this world's story as she did.
Charmcaster once again came to her rescue. "Maybe you can continue what my father started then." She looked calmly at Cabra. "It has to be better than to continue living under his thumb."
Cabra opened her mouth to reply but then hesitated, and said nothing.
-(X)-
Charmcaster and Gwen stood at the stepway at the edge of Krakkas looking sullen. They had technically succeeded in getting in contact with people who could help and had communicated the plan to them. But for some reason, Gwen felt like it hadn't been a victory.
"Use this when it's time," said Abara, handing over a slip of paper to Charmcaster. "That's the signal for us to start the spell. Give us time and we'll be as ready as we can be."
"Thank you," said Gwen as Charmcaster wordlessly took the paper.
"Just don't take too long," said Cabra. "Once we start talking to people, sooner or later we're going to run into a servant of Adwaita and that'll stop this rebellion in its tracks"
Gwen nodded and then looked at Charmcaster's downtrodden body language. Cabra must have noticed as well because she moved up to hug her tightly.
"Charmy, knowing you're alive gives me hope I haven't felt in ages," she said. "Please, don't let my brothers' problems become yours."
Charmcaster sighed. "They already are," she said. Then she raised her arms and hugged back. "But we'll fix them."
"I don't know about Hex," said Abara. "But you're certainly welcome home any time after this is over. You don't need to leave again."
Charmcaster nodded and the stepped away from Cabra to hug Abara.
Gwen turned away, feeling like an intruder. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of Hex after he left earlier and given what Charmcaster had said, she wasn't surprised. He had done the part that neither of them could have done alone, find people who could help them. Gwen figured that if this plan worked, then he'd have earned his opportunity to escape.
"You must tell me about your people some day," said Cabra.
Gwen was startled to realize she was being addressed and turned back to see that the hug had ended. "Uh, sure, I'd love to," she said. "Well, what I know. Maybe Grandma Verdona would be better, she lived on Anodyne after all."
Cabra shook her head slowly. "A planet full of gods."
"We're not gods," said Gwen sternly.
Cabra smiled, but Abara spoke. "There is a reason why those with the talent became hated, and it had nothing to do with the purity of mana. We had always been similar people, but the talent gave us power far beyond those without. In the old days, we were viewed as gods. But we are as vulnerable as anyone to attack and it wasn't long before we were resented for our gifts. Those without the talent always outnumbered those with, and it is always easy for a large group to overcome the advantages of a much smaller one."
"But the point is," continued Abara. "That it is the difference in power that set us as gods once, not our capacity for sweeping change. You are quite different from us."
Gwen wasn't sure how to respond to that and took a page from her cousin's book. "Just don't start resenting me and we'll be fine." She grinned.
"So long as you don't forsake us," said Abara. "We'll be waiting for the signal."
"Thanks again," nodded Gwen uneasily.
"Come on," said Charmcaster standing by the stepway. "The sooner we leave the sooner we can come back."
Gwen turned away from Abara and Cabra and followed Charmcaster through the stepway. The rush of nausea hit her as they crossed the threshold but it was far less intense than in the other direction. She still stumbled slightly as her foot touched Earth again, and steadied herself before looking up.
Brozz looked down at her.
Then his fist came down.