AN: So, since I haven't been planning too far ahead when doing this, I've made more than a few mistakes. One of which was with the Dark Court. My only explanation for why they were caught so easily last time is because the area where the Court meets must restrict dark magic so no fights occur. North explains that a little in this chapter. Sorry for the screw up and feel free to message me if you have questions.
Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG. Also WARNING. DESIRE MAKES A REAPPEARANCE AFTER I SWITCH TO JACK'S POINT OF VIEW. THERE IS NOTHING EXPLICIT BUT IT IS SLIGHTLY SUGGESTIVE. DO NOT READ IF THIS IS TRIGGERING.
Summary: Mother Nature and Pitch talk finally and the Dark Court makes its first appearance.
"I never studied on fighting demons, but that don't mean I aim to let this one defeat us. The dark ones have their share of limitations too," Erik Bundy.
"He's steady," Bunny announced, stepping back from the unconscious Pitch.
Sandy listened to the constant beat of the man's heart, trying to let it ease away the anxiety that had been gnawing at him since the moment they found him bleeding out by his lair. It had been a couple hours since, but the words the man had spoken were still resonating within him mind.
'The Dark Court is coming.'
The golden man clenched his hands into fists, fighting back the surge of fear that was trying to make itself known. They had prepared for it, but now that the time was now, he could already tell they were woefully unprepared.
Sandy whipped around as he heard a loud bang in the direction of the window. Within the span of a heart beat, he had sand weapons ready, prepared to take out a horde of spirits. But it was only a single one floating by the pane of glass. Mother Nature.
Jack moved forwards, unlatching the window and swinging it wide. He nodded to her, face blank of any surprise.
"What happened?" she demanded, voice high and expression tight.
"It was the Shadow Court," the teen explained quietly, casting a glance back at the unconscious spirit behind him. "They seem to have sent him as a warning."
Iris was silent for several moments. She pursed her lips and knit her eyebrows together as she took several deep breaths. Her gaze was fixed on her father until she managed to break away with what looked like extreme force of will. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked softly.
In that moment, Sandy was recalled to a time millennia before. He had heard the high, scared voice of Clara when she was only a child. It seemed that when your family is hurting, you are forever too young to be able to handle it. And when your loved ones are hurt, anger tends to go out the window pretty quickly.
"He's going to be apples," Bunny interjected, tone weary. He was leaning against a wall as if it was the only thing holding him up. The healing had taken a lot out of him.
"Good," Mother Nature declared, then straightened. Her expression seemed to drip like water from her face as it smoothed out to its previous unlined state. "Glad to hear."
"Ve vill be in the other room. Sorry, but ve need to go over strategy," North stated in the sudden silence. He inclined his head towards the door.
Sandy nodded as well. It was the perfect excuse to leave Iris alone with her father. However, he was stopped by her voice calling out to him and Jack. She waited though as the others filed out.
"What has … what has he been like recently?" she bit her lip but crossed her arms over her chest as if trying to rid herself of the vulnerability.
Like he was so many years ago, Sandy answered, trying to give as much comfort with his eyes as possible as Jack translated his words. She locked gazes with him as if trying to puzzle out the truth in his words.
"He really has been different," the winter spirit added. "Confused, apologetic, noble. … He's helped me, more than once."
She gave the teen a soft smile that loosened her expression. "That is good to hear." Mother Nature called out again though as Sandy and Jack turned to leave. "I don't … I don't know what to say to him." Her multi coloured eyes were swirling with confusion as she tracked onto the dream maker. "Can you …"
Sandy nodded. I will stay if you wish. He exchanged a glance with Jack who then flashed Iris an encouraging smile before heading out.
The head seasonal blew out a breath as she paced around the room with clipped strides. "It's true then what Jack said?"
The dream maker nodded, a single precise movement.
"Do you know when he will wake?"
He showed a clock with the minute hand advancing only once or twice.
She nodded back, drawing herself up to her full height as if preparing to engage in diplomatic discussions or dive into battle. Neither was a welcoming stance with which to greet one's father.
All Sandy could do was watch, unable to give her much comfort or advice. It was something he had struggled with since coming to Earth. Not everyone could understand his way of communicating and translators were not always on hand. It had resigned him to watching most of the time, being a silent observer to the goings on of the world. Even with the Guardians, it was only since Jack had joined that they had really started to learn with him the distinctions between all of the symbols and tones.
Pitch groaned, interrupting the dream maker's thoughts. Mother Nature tensed as she watched, eyes going wide as she seemed to hold her breath. It was one moment, then the next until the man moved slightly. His eyelids fluttered as the drugs they had given him seemed to be reluctant to release their hold on his consciousness.
Suddenly, the nightmare spirit shot upright as his eyes tracked onto his daughter. He put a hand to his chest though, letting out another groan.
Easy, Sandy jumped in, putting a hand out to stop the man from making another movement. You are at the Pole right now. We stabilized you and gave you some pain killers but you don't need to agitate any of the stitches so soon.
Pitch nodded, shuffling to a proper sitting position with only a few more grunts of pain. Once there, he lay back against the pillows with his eyes on nothing but his daughter. "You're here," he murmured after a charged few moments.
Iris just nodded, seeming to drink him in as well. "I'm here."
Sandy just managed to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. Now that they had gotten past that mutually obvious statement, perhaps they could get on to hugging and making up. Somehow, he doubted it would be that easy.
"I," the two spirits said at the same time and paused together as well. "You first," they continued in unison.
Pitch ran a hand wearily through his hair. "May I?" When she nodded her consent, he seemed unsure what to do with it. There was a frown pulling down his features, a slight pained slump that could not be entirely from his injuries. "I'm sorry Cla- Iris. I know it may never mean anything to you but I am so incredibly sorry." His voice broke on the last words, leaving them a raw painful mess of emotions.
She laughed, a dull watery sound that was in no part amusement. "Ya, well me too. I wasn't exactly nice the last time we met."
The nightmare spirit shrugged then winced in pain at the movement. "You had reason to be. I … I've done terrible things that I will never be able to make better. I'll never earn forgiveness for them. And I'm not the father I wish I could be." He hung his head.
Sandy watched, feeling like he should leave them alone to their moment, as Iris struggled with those statements. There was a quick flash of disbelief like an automatic response before it got tempered with grief. Slowly though, it started to turn into pity. Her eyes gleamed as she looked into the dream maker's and she gave him a slight smile. There was understanding in that gesture.
"But the fact that you wish you could says something," she countered and Pitch glanced up sharply as if disbelieving. "Do you remember … do you remember anything?"
"I remember everything," he whispered, eyes going suspiciously shiny. "I remember singing that lullaby you loved that had to do with the stars. I remember teaching you the rhyme about how to find a way home. I remember Marian," his voice broke again. "Her smile, her laugh."
Iris was in tears as well but there was a frown playing at her features. "Do you remember …"
"Killing her?" Pitch questioned, tone going hard. He looked down though and seemed to drop the guard of the Boogeyman he often wore. What was written on his face was pure grief. It was the kind that made you look older than your years, got written into the lines of your face, that drained the life from your eyes. "I'd do anything to take it back, kill myself before I touched her or anyone else." His voice was raspy as he spoke. "It would have been better if I had died."
"No," Iris murmured, a hand going to her mouth. She took a step forwards but seemed to freeze for several moments. Then, she took another and again until she was standing right in front of her father.
He looked up at her slowly and they could see the tears that were making their trek down his face as sentinels to his torment.
Mother Nature took a gulping breath that seemed to signal her own tears on their way to falling. It seemed a moment of pure feeling before logic as she scooped the man into a hug, almost falling into him.
Pitch's eyes widened, tensing slightly at the contact before he wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her back gently as her shoulders jumped and she buried her face in his shirt. "Shh," he murmured, although he did not assure her that everything was okay.
Sandy nodded to his old friend who caught the gesture. I don't think she needs me here anymore.
Pitch nodded back, mouthing a thank you over Iris' head.
Don't thank me, thank Jack. For he was sure it was the teen who had called her here. Even though he hadn't seen the boy do it, he was beyond positive. This moment of caring and understanding that concern could erase anger had Jack's name written all over it. He seemed to know that their best hope for forgiveness or at least acceptance was in this moment. The boy really was something else.
Speak of the devil, the teen was waiting down the hallway, glancing anxiously in the direction of the infirmary. He bit his lip as he spotted Sandy. "Are they okay?"
The dream maker nodded. It seems they are working towards forgiveness.
Jack took a deep breath, the tense set to his shoulders relaxing. A smile toyed with the corners of his lips. "Good."
Now, let's go see what we can do about that strategy meeting.
They didn't accomplish much, other than agree that they needed to call their allies together. For a while, they wondered over the Dark Court's plan in sending Pitch as a message, but no concrete conclusions were reached. Reluctantly, not even half an hour later, they were trekking back to the infirmary to talk to the two there.
Sandy went first, knocking softly on the door to warn the father and daughter that they were coming. Both looked up sharply. Mother Nature had been standing, staring out the window as if lost in thought and Pitch was staring at her with such love that it wiped away the Nightmare King from his features completely.
May we come in? We have some things we need to discuss, Sandy asked when he had their attention.
Both of them nodded him forwards and he gestured for the Guardians to come inside.
"Vhat happened?" North asked the Boogeyman, jumping straight to the point. They didn't have the luxury of tact and time with the threat of the Shadow Court hanging over their heads.
Pitch shrugged, then winced at the movement. "I have no idea. I was coming back to my lair after a night out when they attacked me from behind. I think it was Pain first because I got hit with a wave of agony. Circe was there too and I'm not quite sure why she didn't take me out, but she restricted my magic while Ebony cut me open," he gestured vaguely to the deep wounds in his chest. He pursed his lips a moment, considering but seemed to come to no conclusions. "Right before I passed out, they told me that the Court was coming."
North gripped his hands around his sabres before throwing them up in the air. "It makes no sense," he declared.
Sandy couldn't help but agree. Why not just kill Pitch when they had the chance instead of send him as a warning? There had to be something that they were missing.
"It has to be some sort of misdirection," Bunny contributed, a grim expression fixed on his face.
Tooth turned to Iris. "Any chance you can get ahold of any of the seasonals who have agreed to be our allies?"
Mother Nature dipped her head into a nod. "Absolutely. I have four who have already agreed."
As the two females exchanged the necessary information, Sandy got distracted by another conversation.
"Jack," Pitch called softly, immediately attracting the teen's attention. He nodded towards his daughter. "Thank you."
The teen just inclined his head. "I just gave her information," he replied.
It was suddenly quiet in the room and the dream maker turned to see that Mother Nature was staring towards her father, seeming to have caught that brief conversation. Her reflective eyes were filled with emotion that wouldn't settle on a single one. "I should go arrange the spirits to come here," she managed, addressing the room but talking to Pitch.
He nodded back at her. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For giving me a chance," he replied, giving her the tiniest of smiles.
Iris returned it with an equally tentative gesture. "Take care of yourself, Pitch."
The nightmare spirit just fixed her with a disapproving glare, mouth set into a line. There was exasperation written in the tiny sigh that escaped his mouth.
She just rolled her eyes in return. "Alright, Father. We will talk another time."
He nodded then. "I look forward to it Clarabella."
With that being said, she scanned the rest of the Guardians before her gaze fixed on the winter spirit. "The spirits coming will be well behaved, my child, I promise that. I did not pick any with animosity."
"Thank you, Mother," he returned.
She just smiled back at the term before flinging herself out the window.
Sandy couldn't get over the relationship between these three. There was no way he could wrap his mind around the fact that in some strange way, Pitch was Jack's grandfather. He assumed that they would not be talking about that any time soon.
They were rushing around, preparing weapons when there was a knock at the entrance to the Pole. Sandy was the first there and threw the door open to see four spirits, the ones from Mother Nature. Quickly, he looked them over, noting that they were two from summer and two from fall. One of them he knew as well.
Sandy gestured for them to wait a moment before flying away where he encountered Jack. The representatives from Mother Nature just arrived. Can you go tell the others?
The teen nodded wordlessly and headed off to do just that. He came back moments later with the others trekking down the hall towards them. As he came into sight of the other seasonal spirits though, the teen froze. "Lucille?" he questioned.
"Hey Jack," one of the fall spirits called back cheerily, a wide smile on her face and dark eyes twinkling. Her hair was styled into a sharp bob of chocolate hair. She ran forwards to greet him, nearly bouncing on her toes. "You absolutely won't believe what happened to me. Go on, guess." When he was about to, she cut in excitedly, "No don't guess, you'll get it right and I want to tell you. I got the position! I'm an Officer of Summer."
The teen smiled back with a grin the opened up his features to boyish happiness. "That's great," he exclaimed. "I knew you could do it."
Suddenly, Lucille threw her arms round the winter spirit's neck, drawing him into a tight hug.
Sandy noticed that Jack tensed a few moments, eyes widening with surprise before he tentatively hugged her back. The dream maker was floored by the exchange, not knowing that the teen had friends in the spirit world outside of them and Mother Nature. He smiled though, extremely glad for this turn of events.
She let go with a wide grin stretched across her features. "Sorry, I'm just so excited. It only happened a couple months ago and I don't think I've stopped smiling. And I have you to thank for your advice."
Jack ducked his head slightly, shy, as he twirled his staff. "It was nothing," he murmured.
Another voice called out, this one deeper and slightly stern. "Lucille, I didn't know that you knew Jack."
The fall spirit turned back to the other seasonals with a sheepish glanced.
Jack though started and stepped slightly away from her. "Forrest?" he half questioned, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. "You're one of our allies?"
The head fall seasonal gave back a nod and an amused smile played at his lips. He stepped forwards as well to talk to the winter spirit. "I'm glad to see you better. It's been a while."
"Ya … yes it has," the teen replied, tone somewhat unsure.
Forrest took the pressure off the clearly uncomfortable winter spirit though as he turned to his subordinate. "You never told me that you knew Jack."
Lucille shrugged but it was the teen who answered. "I think I told her the first time we met that she would be better off not telling anyone about me if she wanted a better position in the Court." He looked down and shrugged as well. "No one really likes me so it definitely wouldn't have helped her."
Sandy could see that the grey eyes of the head fall spirit were softening with pity as he glanced at the boy. He dropped his head a little, bending slightly as if to get on level with Jack. "I'm just glad that the two of you met. It seems that you hit it off."
The boy looked up, eyebrows rising for a moment before he smoothed out his expression. At the other spirit's smile, he managed to return the gesture. Then, Jack turned to the other two seasonals who had been standing awkwardly closer to the door.
There was a man and a woman, each tall and fierce looking, probably frozen somewhere in their thirties. The male carried a finely crafted sword strapped across his back while the woman had daggers in sheaths around her waist.
Jack moved forwards and stopped before them, inclining his head in their direction. "Thank you for coming," he greeted. "You are officers of summer, right? Ameet and Mitch?" he asked.
"Yes," the woman, obviously Ameet, answered, her eyebrows raised with surprise. Her voice was slightly deeper than expected from her tall, slender figure. "How did you know that?"
The teen just shrugged sheepishly. "I can feel your power. And I had lots of time to listen to what was going on around me at meetings so I heard your names."
North stepped forwards then, clapping his hands together to draw their attention. "Thank you all for coming. Ve all very appreciate you helping in this battle. However, if you vant to walk away at any time, ve understand."
His speech was interrupted by a faint pop as two further spirits materialized into the room. It was Ethan and Shadow, hands in each other's as they smiled at the Guardians. However, they disengaged the connection at seeing the unfamiliar spirits.
"Hello," Shadow greeted, blue hair as wild as ever.
"Nice to see you," North returned, nodding his head towards them. "I see you got the message. Thank you for coming."
"Of course," the man returned.
The Russian turned his head from one set of allies to the other. "Shadow and Ethan, meet Lucille, Forrest, Ameet and Mitch. Now that ve are all here, ve can discuss."
They all walked down the hall, somewhat uneasily as they sized each of the others up.
Sandy smiled fondly as Jack fell into step beside him. What do you think?
The teen's blue eyes swept from one group to the other before tucking his staff under his arm. He signed back to the dream maker. It's very strange to have everyone here. It's like so many different parts of my life have been thrown together all at once.
The dream maker gave the boy a searching glance, looking for any signs of relapse or severe unease. Jack was just shifting slightly, eyes wary but otherwise seemed to be okay. He breathed with relief before nearly shaking his head at the teen's resilience. It was incredible. You are doing great. Just remember that everyone is here to support you and fight the Dark Court together.
Jack just nodded back.
As they rounded the corner into the infirmary so that they could all gather together, Sandy realized they had neglected to take into account all of the other spirits' reactions to Pitch. It was too late to stop and warn them now though.
"What is he doing here?" Forrest hissed as he caught sight of the Boogeyman propped up in the infirmary bed.
Pitch jerked his head up, quickly looking over the spirits gathered before him.
Bunny stepped up to stop the autumn spirit from advancing on Pitch. "Woah, hold up there."
"What do you mean hold up? Why do you have the Nightmare King here?" He glanced to the winter spirit before throwing a disgusted look in the Guardians' direction. "He hurt Jack," the man added, dropping his voice slightly as if that would prevent others from hearing.
"Yes, ve are aware," North sighed, moving to stand in front of the Boogeyman as well.
"Then what the –"
"It's okay," Jack stated, cutting in to the angry statement. The boy moved to face the fuming autumn spirit. "He's changed, Forrest. He's not the same man that hurt me and he's not a threat to any of us now."
"How can you say that?" Forrest demanded, grey eyes still flashing towards Pitch who had ducked his head slightly. "How can the Guardians let him be here?"
"It was my idea," Jack returned. "Pitch was possessed by Fearlings and they made him do terrible things but he's better now. He's in control and we've … come to an understanding." He threw a glance back at the Boogeyman who avoided the teen's gaze.
Forrest looked to the Guardians, almost desperately.
They nodded back at him and Tooth responded. "Jack's right. Pitch isn't who we thought he was. The good in him was just overpowered by Fearlings until recently."
When there was several moments of silence, the Boogeyman's voice cut in. "You do realize I am right here, don't you?"
Sandy glared at him, only to realize that all of the Guardians were doing the same thing. It was almost comical.
"Shut it, Pitch," Bunny directed. "We are saving you from getting your arse handed to you again."
The man shrugged. "I would deserve it."
"Ya, you would."
Shadow jumped in, extending a hand to the Boogeyman. "Nice to see you again, Pitch."
"Same to you, Shadow," he replied, returning the hand shake. "You too Ethan."
The dark skinned spirit just nodded.
"Okay," North started uneasily, giving a quick, tense laugh. "Ve are all on same side now. Ve are fighting the Dark Court and I hope we can stick vith that."
Bunny nodded, stepping forwards. "Now that we are all here, how about we go through everyone's powers so that we know what weapons we have at our disposal."
Sandy listened intently for a while, sizing up their allies. It was a fair crew with some of the most powerful people in the spirit world. Ameet was a summer officer and therefore was very powerful with fire, light, heat and even growth. Although Mitch was also an officer, his specialty was more towards the fighting end of the spectrum and he was highly trained. Forrest, being the head of a season, was powerful, but although no one said it, Sandy could tell that autumn was not the strongest of seasons. His advantage was that as head of a season, he had a connection with the wind, although not as strong as Jack's. Other than that, he seemed to be good at creating shields and repelling attacks. Lucille, on the other hand, seemed to be more gifted towards the manipulation of physical elements such as vines, trees, colours and in a limited sense, other's perceptions. She was also said to have proven herself in physical combat.
When the officer of autumn had said her piece, Sandy watched as she moved to stand beside Jack, whose gaze was distant and unfocused.
"Hey," she whispered. "Earth to Jack."
"Shouldn't you be listening?" he asked her, adopting the same quiet tone. Finally though, his gaze focused on the present and he turned to her briefly.
"Shouldn't you?" she countered, giving him a playfull smile.
The teen shrugged back. "I already know all of these spirits and their powers."
Lucille pouted a moment, seeming not to have expected that answer. She shook it off quickly though. "So you and Pitch have really made up?"
He shrugged again. "As much as we possibly can. He really is different now, like he was in the Golden Ages."
"What did you tell me his name was?" she mused, putting a finger to her chin in classic thinking pose. "Kostomer?"
"Kozmotis," the boy whispered back.
"A general, right? With a family, too?"
Jack nodded.
"Huh," she exclaimed, "Seems that no one is as they appear." Here, she looked to the winter spirit with a smile which he gave back.
Sandy wondered at the exchange, the easy back and forth between the two of them. Maybe it was nice for each to have someone who was relatively close to their own age. They had at least that in common. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud protest by the Pooka.
"Absolutely not," Bunny declared, rounding on Pitch. "Ya can't fight today." When Pitch opened his mouth to protest, the Guardian just kept talking. "As your healer, I ain't letting you get up and ruin all of the work I did ta keep you alive, even if that means that Sandy has to knock you out."
The dream maker pounded his hand into his fist, giving a wicked smile. He could hear Pooka's protest of 'with the dream sand, you gumby,' with a roll of those spring green eyes. Sandy could have his fun though.
Pitch gave a weary sigh. "This is my fight too. They're after me just as much as Jack."
The teen stepped forwards after straightening slightly as he heard his name. "And they will get you if you fight when you are in no condition to do so. Plus you will just get one of us hurt trying to protect you."
The nightmare spirit finally dropped his gaze and threw up his hands. "Fine. It seems like I don't have a choice."
"No, ya don't," Bunny finished before turning back to the assembled group and resuming discussion on what they thought the Dark Court was planning. They tossed around the idea of trickery, slights and mischief. Also under discussion was the break down of the fighters and powers possessed by the members of the Court as well as who would be best to fight who and how to recognize each.
Jack suddenly jumped up from his position leaning against the wall, focusing back in on the conversation.
Sandy turned to him with eyebrows raised. What is it?
"I think I just figured out why they sent Pitch as a warning," he answered quietly, not disturbing the rest of the conversation. It was Lucille who did that for him.
"Hey, shut it," she called commandingly. "Jack just figured something out."
The teen turned to her, mouth open slightly before he noticed the weight of the stares on him. He looked down as he repeated what he had said to Sandy.
"Vhy do you think?" North prompted.
The teen swallowed before looking up the toy maker. "I think they wanted us all to gather here so they could figure out who we had as allies."
"Damnit," Bunny swore viciously after a moment. "We played right into their hands. They know this is our base of operation and if we knew they were coming, we'd get everyone here."
"Guys," Tooth called and drew their attention to where he gaze was fixed, out the window. "The Dark Court is stronger at night, right?"
"Yes they are," Shadow confirmed.
"The sun set a few hours ago," she said.
Silence fell inside the Pole for a brief moment where Sandy could feel the electric tension that had just started. If they were right, the battle was imminent. What's the plan? he signed, leaving the symbols until North had seen.
"Okay, ve split up. One of their targets is probably the rest of the Dark Court spirits vhich are located in the basement of Pole. I vill send guard of yetis as last defence but I also need half of you to guard."
Bunny jumped in. "Ameet, Mitch, North, me, Forrest and Shadow can take the entrances to prevent them from coming in. Tooth, Sandy, Jack, Lucille and Ethan can guard the prison to make sure anyone who gets past us isn't a threat. Any objections?"
They shook their heads.
"Okay, now go."
Sandy took off with his assigned group, leading them down towards the prison where the rest of the Dark Court was located. Quickly, they sorted out what positions each of them would take from pathways to entrances to directly around the prison itself. Then, it was time to wait.
North turned quickly as the alarm was raised by Bunny. It had been a long few hours of waiting, nerves on high alert before relaxing and then tensing again at any movement or sound in the night. He was ready for the battle to begin already.
The Russian drew his swords out of their sheaths with a long satisfying slither of steel. The familiar grip was a comfort in his hand as he watched the Court approach. They seemed to be a roiling cloud of shadows that was descending towards the Pole. It was far from an unobtrusive entrance.
North felt only a shiver of fear before the battle began. It was a worming doubt that this Court had instilled in him. They had defeated these spirits much easier last time because of the element of surprise and the fact that all of the evil spirits' magic had been restricted by the sacred ground of their meeting spot. Now though, it was their powers that could be the undoing of the Guardians and their allies. North himself possessed little power and none that could be used for offense. In so many respects, they were outgunned.
Then, the doubts faded away as the haze of battle descended upon him. He fought Despair a moment before the man was blocked by another spirit. After that, he waded through other opponents with Desdomonde being an intense battle as the she spirit whirled and slashed like a mad woman. One thing was true was that she was highly trained. In that fight, he got pushed back through his hallways, ducking under her powerful sweeps of blades and managing to cut a deep gash on her arm. She retaliated with a quick slice to his cheek.
There was tumult around him as other battles raged in their own bubbles. Mitch was fighting with Ebony at one moment, then he saw Ameet with Ignatius. The next time he looked, they had swapped opponents again.
It made him wonder as Desdemonde disappeared into the crowd, taking off with her blonde hair streaming behind her. What were they trying to accomplish? It seemed as if these shadow spirits were toying with the Guardians and their allies, sizing each of them up.
North was taking a breather between opponents when he saw motion out of the corner of his eye. He spun quickly, swords already at the ready although they felt a little heavier in his hands than they had earlier in the night. With a soft tread, he crept after the figure, noting the man's features and trying to place him on a list of their opponents. Dark hair that was oiled back, robes that belonged to a much earlier time period, tall, pale. It was only when he heard the man muttering that he finally placed him. The accent was distinctly Russian. Rasputin.
"Vhat do you think you are doing?" North demanded, voice low and threatening as he stepped out from around a corner. He caught sight of a device planted firmly against the wall, wires sticking out from what appeared to be white putty.
Rasputin whirled around, sharp, angled features narrowing with distaste. "Jolly old Saint Nick," the man muttered derisively. "It seems you vill now go down with your house."
"Not a chance," North growled, advancing an angry step.
"I vouldn't do that if I were you," Rasputin warned, holding up a device with a large red button in the centre. "I have charms that vill save me from explosion, but you … I think you vill die."
The Guardian clenched his hands around his swords with barely suppressed frustration. Should he throw one of them, hoping it managed to impale the spirit before he could press the button? Would he have time to make it out if he ran?
"Tick tock, North. Vhat are you going to do?"
The toy maker had just decided to sprint for the nearest room when he heard the decided click of a button. As he was running, his feet were lifted off the ground with the force of the explosion but there was no searing heat as his back or tearing pain of shrapnel piercing his flesh. There was only a blinding flash of light and the rough jar as he hit the floor.
He managed to look up after several moments of blinking out the brights from his eyes to see Ameet standing over him, arms raised to hold the blast off. She had contained the fire in one direction so that the force had not expanded past a certain radius, right where he had been standing moments earlier. The external and internal walls of his home in that area were crumbling pieces of plaster and brick but he would mourn that later.
North got stiffly to his feet with a sincere thanks towards the summer spirit beside him. He walked forwards, right through the wreckage before he caught a shape lurking among the partially downed walls. With a rough grab at the other's robes, he hauled Rasputin down the hallway until there was a solid area to thump him into.
"You vill not be leaving vith your friends today," North promised. However, there was a buzz of electricity that made him lose his grip on the man before him.
Rasputin turned and ran but North pursued him, drawing his swords from where they had landed on the ground. It took only a short sprint to come up beside the man and shoot out a foot to trip him. The dark spirit when sprawling only to quickly bounce to his feet and pull out a short sword.
North dropped one of his. He had to make this a fair fight after all. With a simple turn to his wrist, he blocked Rasputin's wide swing and the obvious feint. As the dark spirit tried to thrust his sword towards the Guardian, North just locked their swords, slid down to the hilt and twisted the others grip so that Rasputin dropped his sword. He drew his sword up to rest on the man's Adams apple, causing a line of blood to dribble down the other's neck.
The Guardian drew back and knocked the pommel of his sword into Rasputin's head so that he fell to the ground. North hauled him off to the main fighting area where they had a few ropes ready and waiting.
After he was through, he looked around to see a large swath of ashes scorched into his floor. There was a trail of them leading off to an adjacent room. With only a glance to see that Shadow and Bunny were holding their own, he went to follow the path of soot, heart beating quickly after his near miss and the rest of the battle.
Turning the corner, he froze with shock as he saw Ameet on her knees with a body cradled in her lap. There were tears shining in her eyes as she gazed down at Mitch's shuddering form.
"Vhat happened?" North questioned, rushing forwards.
The summer officer's auburn eyes snapped up to meet his with a wild, frantic look. "He – he, I don't know what happened," she nearly wailed, panic clear on her face.
"Calm down. Take a breath. Vhen you can, walk me through it," he said, voice calming and steady. The officer seemed to need it right now as her thoughts seemed to spiral with concern. There was something in this battle making all of their heart's beat quickly. He noticed that even still, it hadn't eased. It was almost a feeling of panic, the fluttering in his heart and uneven breath that could signal a panic attack. Damn it, that must be Panic's power at work. He could augment those feelings in large groups of people.
Ameet finally found her voice after steadying herself with several breaths. "I went to help you at seeing that spirit with the charge in his hand. When I came back, I saw Mitch … I saw Mitch fall to the ground. He was clutching at his head and he began to puke violently. I took out the spirit standing over him. Oh gods, Mitch's breathing was getting so slow and –" She cut off, words frantic.
North moved forwards, feeling for a pulse. He took a breath as he felt the weak beat under his fingertips. "He is still alive. Get him to the infirmary. I am sure it vas Pestilince who caused this. Ve vill help him."
She nodded resolutely, seeming to take comfort in his calm tone and direct words. With a great heave, she managed to get her companion over her shoulder before she began trekking through the battle towards the infirmary.
When North walked out, it was to Bunny and Shadow's spot by the open window gone and two other spirits pouring in. He ran headlong back into battle.
It had been going well, but he must have just spoken too soon. He'd given Gloom a deep scratch across his chest before the man managed to weasel his way past the Pooka using blinding shadows. Then, there were several others that filtered by him.
It was the bear that was hurtling towards him that finally manged to unnerve the Pooka. A bear, seriously? He tucked and rolled away from the creature, wracking his brains for who this could possibly be. It took a moment but he placed the spirit as she shifted into an eagle. This had to be Alethia, the shapeshifter.
The bird tried to scratch at his eyes but he deflected the talons with his boomerang, launching it at her as she tried to swoop away. The edge caught her on the return, knocking straight into one of the creature's wings. As she fell, she turned again, this time into a wolf. There was a slight limp to her step as she lunged for him, managing to knock him to the ground.
For several moments, they tussled together, the powerful jaws of the wolf trying to snap at his neck. As they rolled over again so that she was on top, her claws raked his arm and he felt it like fire. With a powerful push of his legs, he threw her out the nearby open window.
Bunny cursed as he stood, clapping a paw to his now bleeding arm. If only that had gotten rid of her for good but he knew better. She would just change as she fell, gliding back in when she was ready.
He looked around, noting a burst of flames glanced past him. The Pooka ducked out of the way, avoiding the fight between Ameet and Ignatius. In the other direction, Forrest was taking on Gloom.
It was later in the night when he felt a pull at his chest like something was drawing him inexorably forwards. He took a step then shook his head. What was he doing? As he moved to turn away though, he felt it again. There was something going on in that direction, something he absolutely needed to check out.
The pull got stronger like there was a current sweeping him up in its irresistible wake. It felt warm and he turned to it like a flower seeking out the light. Whatever he found would make everything better, would make the pain and weariness go away.
Then, he saw her and all other thoughts left his mind. She was beautiful but sophisticated, alluring but still virtuous. Her hair was a coppery red with perfect flowing waves that looked soft and silky. There was a darker tint to her lips that brought them out as plump and defined. Her eyes were a tantalizing mixture of all the colours that seemed to call to him to try to discern their mysteries. As for her clothing, it was equal parts modest and tantalizing, showing off the right curves while hiding others so that he was left guessing at her secrets that he couldn't wait to reveal.
"Oh," she exclaimed, a soft, delicate sound of surprise as her eyes tore away from him and it felt like part of his soul had been torn away. "It seems that I have more than one suitor tonight." Her luscious lips curled up into an innocent smile. "You boys are going to have to help me choose. How about, whoever survives is who I will take."
Bunny whipped around to see who this intruder was. Shadow. He growled at the man who gave an equally fierce look back. His vision was partially obscured by darkness but his keen senses let him block the swing coming his way with an upraised hand. He delivered a swift kick to the other spirit who stumbled back. Shadow retaliated with a greater darkening to the room and a punch to his jaw.
The Pooka shook it off. There was no way he was going to let Shadow win.
Jack was still smarting from his fight with Ignatius. The fire spirit had left him with a painful burn that had created a hole in his sweater. The teen had retaliated by encasing him in ice, making it as thick as possible so it would be a long time before the man could burn his way out.
He was about to run for Tooth as he had seen her fighting with Alethia in the hallway over. Then, he heard a high pitched scream from the other direction. His first thought was of Lucille and he barrelled towards that hallway. It was only when he had turned the corner into a room with no other exit that he realized the scream had sounded like his sister. He had run right into a trap.
The winter spirit turned quickly towards the two spirits making their way towards him and nearly cursed out loud. It was just his luck, wasn't it, or at least a very clear set up. Desire and Despair, the two spirits of the Dark Court who he had the most history with and could unnerve him. He could feel the memories tickling at the back of his thoughts, trying to draw him into a full blown flashback. That could wait until after. He shoved the memories aside as much as he could.
"Jack Frost, you really are as beautiful as I remember," Desire murmured, voice as low and sultry as ever.
It made the teen want to cower and run or burst into tears. He backed up a step as he shivered with fear. There was no way he could fight this man. The fear and shame were dragging down his thoughts and his gaze until he was looking at the ground.
"Pathetic, isn't he," Despair added in his dreary tones. "So much misery still though, it is absolutely delightful."
Jack could feel it, that lethargic sadness weighing down on him like a physical weight. Why was he hoping for a better life? How could he think that he was better off now with the Guardians? They would just hurt him. He saw the scenes of pain starting to flicker across his vision with whips and fire, water and chains. Then, there was the Guardians, tying him up and claiming him as their slave.
The teen shook it off. That had been a long time ago and they had done it to save his life. He looked to Despair. It was the man's emotional manipulation and that was all. Now, he could be happy with the Guardians. He had helped save Pitch from the darkness. He had believers, people he could talk to and no more pain. There was plenty of hope for the future, so much happiness he could now recall. Jack straightened.
"You lose, Despair," he declared in as confident of tones as he could manage.
The blue spirit frowned and his eyebrows wrinkled together as if in concentration.
Jack sent a wave of ice towards them, knocking both off their feet as the feelings of despair came upon him again. With resolution now though, he fixed the image of the him and the Guardians laughing in his mind, accompanied by a memory of Jamie. He had to do this for them.
Desire moved forwards, having picked himself off the ground as Jack was fighting through the powers assaulting his mind. "You were such a fierce one, my boy. I'd love to have so much fun again." He took another step and the teen took an unconscious one back.
The image of the Guardians was wavering.
"You've got more fire in you now too. I'd love to put that out again, use it up in a good way."
Jack's eyes were wide as Despair came at him, swinging his arm out as if to grab the teen. That snapped the winter spirit out of the cloying fear that was threatening to choke him in memories. He side stepped easily then nearly laughed as he swept his staff across the spirit's back. Whoever was making the plans for these two had neglected to consider one possibility: the possibility that Jack would fight back. Neither of these two were fighters and he was.
The teen blocked a clumsy jab from Despair and twirled away from Desire who tried to grab him from behind. Although that brought up a host of unpleasant memories that made his breath speed in his chest and his heart to perform all manner of panicky irregular beats, he just reached out with his ice and knocked the two of them to the floor again. There, he set bands across their chests and cuffs of ice around their limbs.
He stumbled out of the room, leaning heavily against the wall for several moments as he struggled to catch his breath. Forcibly, he repeated the mantras that the Guardians had taught him. He was safe now. He was free. He had the Guardians to help him. It eased his breathing but the oscillating hot and cold as well as feeling in his chest of being on the verge of a panic attack refused to go away. Damn Panic, he cursed.
Jack pushed himself off of the wall as his hearing tuned back in to the battle still raging on around him. He raced to the prison to see Sandy holding back Eamonn without a wrinkle of concern on his face. Even the dark, twisted shapes that the Keeper of Demons managed to conjure had no effect on the unshakeable dream maker.
The teen turned towards where he heard a shout in the adjacent hallway. Ethan was on the floor, clutching his head as if in agony while Lucille was backed up against the wall as a blonde woman attacked her with ease. Desdemonde.
The winter spirit shot a burst of powers towards the warrior advancing on Lucille, knocking the woman off balance. The brunette had a knife instantly in her hands and stabbed it down into the dark spirit's exposed side.
Suddenly, a low, keening sound rang out through the Pole so that it echoed back and forth between the walls. It was the deep reverberation of a powerful horn that had Dark Court spirits turning their heads and sprinting out of the place.
Jack made sure Lucille was okay before he turned to Ethan who sat up suddenly as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, or out of his mind. "Are you okay?"
The gladiator nodded slowly. "I can't explain it, but it felt like there was someone in my mind, twisting my thoughts and trapping them."
"Malik," the teen explained.
"Are you guys okay?" a voice called out and Jack whirled to see Tooth and Sandy, exhausted but standing. The former had a patch of feathers missing from her shoulder with a wound that looked like a bite that was dripping blood.
"Ya. How about you?" the teen returned.
Tooth nodded then jerked her head towards the stairs that led back up. "Let's go check on the others."
They found North first who led them steadily towards the infirmary.
Ethan rushed forwards as soon as he walked through the door, barrelling straight towards Shadow who was being attended to by Pitch. "What happened? Are you okay?"
The blue haired man put a hand gently on his partner's shoulder. "Just some bruises and a bit of a head wound." He gave a weak smile as he gestured towards the bleeding split in his forehead.
"Absinthe is a devil," Bunny growled from another bed on the infirmary. He was tying a cloth with his teeth around his forearm. At the rest of their confused looks, he gave a great sigh. "She enchanted me and Shadow. Made us fight each other to figure out who could get her."
Jack didn't know how to react but his eyebrows shot up without his consent. Bunny was the one who had hurt Shadow?
"Just lucky that our fighting wasn't its best with her spell," the dark spirit added, "Otherwise it would be worse than a few bruises and a head wound."
"Ya," Bunny grumbled, "Thank Manny."
"Ya fell for Absinthe?" Ethan questioned. "Really?"
Shadow shrugged sheepishly. "You know I'm bi."
The dark skinned spirit just looked away, crossing his arms across his chest.
"C'mon. Don't be mad. Trust me, without her magic I think she's atrocious, uncivilized and frankly just not pretty."
Ethan turned then and smashed his lips against the other man before pulling back slightly. "She better not think about touching you. You're mine," he growled.
Shadow leaned back in for a much gentler peck that turned into a slow, passionate kiss. They broke apart, breathing heavily. "And you're mine," he returned finally.
Jack turned away, giving the two of them their moment. He noticed with a start that Mitch was lying prone on another cot, skin ashen. "What happened?" the teen asked, turning to Bunny.
"Pestilence," the Pooka explained grimly, pushing himself off the bed. "Ameet's going to take him back to summer headquarters to that they can heal him there."
At her name, the summer spirit jerked her head up, eyes red and watery. "I think it is probably safe to do it now." She stood swiftly, head up straight and proud.
The teen stepped forwards shyly, feeling his head drop after all of the tumult and triggering of that night. "Do you … do you need any help getting him there?"
Ameet glanced at him sharply before smiling slightly. "Somehow I don't think it is a good idea for you to go to the heart of summer. It might be a touch too warm for you."
"I'll accompany you," Forrest declared, stepping forwards from his unobtrusive spot in the corner of the infirmary.
After a moment's hesitation, the officer of summer nodded and they braced the unconscious Mitch between them. With the help of the fall spirit's control on the wind, they took off out the window.
"Hey, mate," Bunny called, gathering the teen's attention. "Ya got burnt. Come here."
Jack obediently went to sit on the infirmary bed that the Pooka indicated and rolled up his sleeve to expose the burn. He looked down at the reminder of his pain written onto his skin in the numerous scars there. It was a memory he didn't need after tonight.
He couldn't help it, he flinched as Bunny went to grab his arm.
"Mate?" Bunny questioned and when the teen still didn't look up. "Jack?"
Slowly but surely, blue eyes made their way to find green with an effort. He could still feel the weight of despair putting creeping doubts into his thoughts. The memories of Desire, of the Shadow Court were dragging at him and flickering in front of his eyes.
"What happened?" Bunny asked gently. "C'mon mate, talk to me."
At the gentle insistence, the teen glanced down and licked his lips. Numbly, he could feel the other stares on him by the weight of silence around him. "Despair and Desire," he nearly whispered, not feeling able to speak any louder. "It seems Akeldama thought they could take me out."
"But they didn't," the Pooka stated.
Jack nodded slowly.
"Brought up some bad memories though, did they?"
Again, he nodded. There was nothing else to say.
"What happened to them?"
"I froze them. Probably still in the basement."
North stepped out and was grumbling to one of the yetis that was hovering outside the door. "Yetis say they found Desire, but not Despair."
The teen shrugged, it was only to be expected. It was Pitch though who voiced the thought.
"He must have shadow traveled out." As Jack looked up, those golden eyes glanced to him with their muted colours drowning in sorrow and guilt. The teen just nodded back.
"Who did we get?" Bunny asked, looking up to North.
"Seems like only him, Pestilence and Rasputin."
"All ones that can't shadow travel," Pitch provided.
"Damn," the Russian growled. "Ve need some way to restrict their magic."
Jack nodded along with them and listened silently to a more complete report on what everyone had done that night, the strategies and fighting patterns of the Court. It seemed like they had also tried to target Pitch but North and Forrest had stopped the dark spirits. Other than Mitch, none of their allies had been seriously injured which was a relief. The teen couldn't help but feel responsible for every nick and bruise. The Court was after him as one of their main targets.
Bunny's gruff voice cut into his thoughts. "One thing for sure mates, we can't stay at the Pole or we will be sitting ducks for another attack."
North nodded reluctantly, expression grim. "I can get portal to move prison somewhere Court won't find. But vhere else will we go."
The Pooka rolled his eyes. "The Warren, obviously mate."
The room went silent for several moments before Sandy started signing. We should all get some sleep before the second wave comes. It probably won't be until at least tonight.
North translated for the spirits who couldn't follow then directed others towards guest rooms.
Jack trailed after the group, heading to his own room. He flopped down onto his bed with a tired sigh, not having enough energy to even pull the covers up around him. Images kept flickering in his head of Despair, Desire, the fight, his years of torment. He pushed the memories away though, focusing on his new life and his new happiness. Those images were the ones that lured him towards sleep and he kept them fixed as firmly as possible in his head. If he let the fear, despair and shame prevail, then the Court would have already won part of its battle. One thought remained with him though as he finally drifted off to sleep. They would probably be doing this again tomorrow.
AN: So ... I don't think I've ever written any scene with that many characters in it and I definitely have never written such a large scale battle scene. Please let me know what you think as there will be a few more of these chapters and I'd like to correct things if you find there was something I didn't do well.
Also, Infinity Frost, I had completely forgotten that I had left the last chapter on a bit of a cliff hanger with Pitch passed out and bleeding. Since I already knew he definitely wasn't dead, I didn't even think it would cause any concern. I'm definitely glad that you feel for Pitch so much and that I have managed to turn your opinion around on him enough to care. I hope you are happy that he's still alive.