Hey there, sorry about the long wait. Things have just been a little busy lately.
I hope you're all doing good and staying safe during what I'm sure is a really crazy time for all of us.
Here's the next chapter...
Chapter 17: Courtly Traditions
Eric blinked as a familiar face stepped closer, holding what resembled a wand in her hand. She looked down at the warlocks sprawled on the ground and the frozen witches and her lips curved into a smirk before she turned to the rangers once more. "Well done Commander, I knew I was right to trust you."
"So you knew what was happening all along?" he asked, an edge creeping into his voice even as he eased his stance.
"Not quite. I had my suspicions of what was intended for tonight but I'm afraid the spell cast over the city took me by surprise too."
"What's going on here?" Taylor demanded looking from Eric to the woman.
"I will explain everything. But we really are running out of time," she replied as she looked at her watch, the hands ticking closer and closer to midnight. "Prepare yourselves," she called out as she raised her wand, pointing it towards the sky. Swirls of thick green smoke shot out of the tip, growing larger as they surrounded them.
"Here we go again," Lucas grumbled as the other rangers closed their ranks. But before anyone could ask what he was talking about they were completely engulfed by the smoke.
"Welcome Rangers," a loud voice echoed, forcing them to look around with wide eyes as the smoke cleared, leaving them standing in a dark room with thick white smoke covering the floor. The first thing they noticed was that their helmets were missing and that they were lined up behind some kind of railing just as the warlocks and now unfrozen witches were across from them. To their left was a tall pillar, against which lay the unconscious humans still trapped in the warlocks' bodies and to their right was a high table shrouded in shadows.
Standing in the centre of it all was Officer Greene who traded her uniform in for a poofy black dress and a pointed hat. Her skin had also turned a deep shade of green but there was no mistaking the determined look in her eyes.
"Who are you?" asked Danny
"A friend," she assured them. "You rangers did a commendable job in capturing these fiends. Now it's my turn to ensure that they never hurt anyone ever again."
"What is all this?" Eric demanded
"And where are we?" Ashley added.
"No!"
A frustrated cry from across the room got their attention and they turned to find Kazak leaning against the railing, glaring at the witch with glowing eyes. "How dare you?!" he growled, leaning forward even as his brother placed a hand on his shoulder to reel him in. The witch scowled and flicked her wand creating a large bubble around them. Kazak continued to stomp and shout but they could no longer hear him.
"Much better, that one talks way too much," she stated before turning back to rangers. "Now where were we, yes. My name is Selestra and I am an apprentice Court Witch of this, the Halloween Intergalactic Court."
"Halloween Court?" Danny echoed as the other rangers shared a look.
"Yes," Selestra replied, her eyes lighting up as she continued, "It is a pocket dimension that exists beyond space and time where fiends from across the realms are tried for crimes against innocents and punished for them."
Lucas blinked and rubbed the back of his neck as he asked what they were doing there. "My team and I need to be heading back home before our boss decides to start prepping the memory eraser."
The witch chuckled and told him not to worry as time did not flow inside the court. "You are here as my witnesses," she explained. "You see Kayn and Kazak were once judges of this esteemed court but after a while they began using their power and influence to sentence innocent beings to terrible fates and collecting favours from the rightful criminals. They were discovered, stripped of their position and the new court banished them to the realm of the forgotten. This Hallow's Eve marked the end of their banishment, allowing them to cross between worlds once more."
Eric looked across the room where Kayn had succeeded in calming his brother and was urgently whispering instructions to him and the witches. Their eyes met and the warlock's lips curved into a smirk taking the ranger by surprise.
"What made you think they were going to try something tonight?" he asked as she turned back to Selestra.
"For years I have been hearing whispers of them returning to claim the favours they were owed but I never had proof so I could not bring it to the court. But if they were going to act, tonight was their best chance and your realm, the most vulnerable and the most underestimated. No one would expect an attack from your realm after the veil had closed."
A loud gong echoed through the room forcing Selestra to free the witches and warlocks from the bubble as she turned to face the high table. The table lit up with a fiery, orange glow as dim white lights sprang to life illuminating the floor, the dead trees that surrounded the table and the banners behind the table, each bearing the image of a scale, a jack-o-lantern and a scroll with stars respectively.
A green glow drew their attention to a large cauldron to the far right of the table while a blue glow illuminated a pyramid of stones on the far left. The sound of footsteps followed as two uniform clad figures stepped out of the fog and took their place on either side of the table.
"Are those mummies?" Ashley asked in a whisper forcing the other rangers to take a closer look even as green smoke erupted from behind the cauldron as another witch materialized, dressed just as Selestra was with the addition of a purple patch on the front of her dress that matched the lining of the cape she donned.
Finally, three flames erupted from the stands on the table, each taking the shape of a wrinkled jack-o-lantern as it died down. The glow of their eyes and mouths flickered as they spoke as one, "Who approaches the court? "
"Honoured judges," said Selestra as she bowed to the jack-o-lanterns. "I bring you a case against Lords Kayn and Kazak, former judges of the court and the witches Callista, Callico and Camryn and ask that they be tried for crimes against mortals and plotting against the court. As my witnesses, I present the Power Rangers, heroes of the mortal realm, who were instrumental in capturing these villains."
"The jack-o-lanterns are the judges? I don't get it," Lucas whispered, his eyes fixed on the table where the pumpkins stood.
"Nothing about this makes sense," Eric added, keeping his eyes fixed on Kayn who didn't appear bothered by the proceedings in the least.
The lights within the jack-o-lanterns flickered as a soft buzzing sound echoed around the room but before the judges could speak Kayn cleared his throat and spoke up and addressed them, "Honoured judges, my friends and I have been wrongly accused and forcefully brought here by the machinations of this ambitious apprentice. In light of this, I evoke the tradition of Lucidium Culpae."
"That doesn't sound good," Ashley whispered as Selestra turned sharply towards Kayn, her grip tightening around her wand before slowly turning to face the judges, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes. "Definitely, not good," Taylor echoed as the buzzing resumed.
The judges eyes intensified as the one in the middle spoke in a booming voice, "Request granted, the court will hear both sides and that which is found guilty shall be punished."
"What are you playing at?" Eric shot at Selestra but she just turned to him with a stunned expression on her face, shaking her head slowly.
"What just happened?" asked Danny.
"We're not witnesses anymore," Taylor pointed out. "Either we prove that they are guilty or we're the ones that are going to be sentenced."
"Can they do that? Is that even legal?" Lucas exclaimed.
"They just did, so whatever law Mr. Know-it-all evoked it's legit," Ashley grumbled as Selestra vanished in a puff of smoke only to reappear beside the cauldron where she received a stern glare from the other witch. The jack-o-lanterns flickered once again as they spoke in unison, "The Halloween Intergalactic Court is now in session."
"Court Witch, begin the proceedings," the jack-o-lantern on the left ordered in a high-pitched voice. The witch stepped away from the cauldron and took her place between the two railings before bowing to the judges. "Present the charges!" she declared turning to Selestra.
She looked over at the rangers before taking a deep breath and clearing her throat. Confidently she addressed the court stating that the witches were accused of using their magic to turn mortals into the costumes they chose to wear for All Hallow's Eve and were working with Lords Kayn and Kazak, to stay in the mortal world after the veil had closed to plot an attack on the Halloween court.
The Court Witch blinked, fixing her apprentice with a stern gaze that was met with a confident stare. Slowly, she turned to the warlocks and asked, "And how does the accused plead?"
"Not guilty"
Danny scoffed and pointed out they switched bodies with humans, "It doesn't get much guiltier than that."
"Silence!" the Court Witch exclaimed. "You may speak when it is your turn."
Taken aback, the rangers watched as Kayn soothed down his shirt while Kazak folded his arms and threw a smug look at them while the witches stood back offering them wicked smiles as the Court Witch turned back to the judges.
"Very well," the jack-o-lantern in the middle boomed. "Both sides may present their case. The accused shall be the first to speak."
"What is his game?" Eric mumbled as they watched Kayn step up to face the judges, addressing them as brothers and acknowledged that he and his brothers had been banished by the court.
"We're about to find out" Taylor whispered as she folded her arms and sidled next to him.
"This Hallowed night marked the end of that sentence," Kayn continued. "We agree that our actions in the past were misguided but our time away has shown us the error of our ways and we were looking forward to starting anew. We chose to celebrate our new found freedom by partaking in the time honoured tradition of visiting the mortal realm. Our associates here we're simply providing assistance since we have been away for so long. I assure you we carried no ill-will towards the mortals and meant them no harm."
"Yeah right," Eric grumbled. "That's why most of Silver Hills has been running around like witches and monsters and whatnots all night."
The Court Witch turned sharply in his direction with narrowed eyes, effectively silencing him before she turned back as Kayn continued. "Yes, my brother and I are currently housed in mortal shells but it was at the request of the mortals themselves."
"That's insane!" Ashley exclaimed but the Court Witch simply called for her to be silent. Kayn met Eric's eyes from across the room before turning back to the judges. "You see they are special, and knew of our ways and our Hallow's Eve tradition, they wanted to experience this sacred night through our eyes and with the help of these lovely witches we were able to do so. It is however a temporary situation, we were to switch back before midnight, however we were unduly interrupted by these so called Power Rangers."
"What?!"
"Are you insane!"
"That's a lie!"
"They're unconscious. How is that experiencing Halloween?" Taylor argued alongside the others, waving her hand towards the near lifeless forms resting against the pillar.
"Enough!" cried the jack-o-lantern to the right. "You will not defy the rules of this court, for your insolence you will…"
"Honoured Judges wait!"Selestra exclaimed, ignoring the glare the Court Witch threw her way. "The Power Rangers are unfamiliar with the rules of the court, I ask that you please be lenient with them."
Kazak voiced his protest but the Court Witch turned to him and warned that while the Rangers were new to the ways of the court but he was not. "So be it the jack-o-lantern on the left crooned before accepting Selestra's request and turned its flickering eyes to the Court Witch.
She responded with a curt nod and pointed her wand at the pyramid, making the bottom level light up in red before turning to the rangers. "You have been granted ten chances. Every time you break a rule, you will receive a strike. Receive 10 strikes and you will be presumed guilty and be destroyed. Do you understand?"
"I don't ge..," Lucas began but Eric cut him off saying they understood.
"Then let the trial resume," the judges boomed.
"What gives?" Lucas hissed. "These guys aren't playing fair."
"I know," he replied. "But right now the only way we can get out of this is to play by their rules.
The Court Witch cast a glance at the unconscious figures before turning her attention back to Kayn, tapping her wand against her palm. "Although she spoke out of turn, the yellow ranger makes a fair point. How do you account for this occurrence?" she questioned.
"Did she just take our side?" Danny questioned but it was overshadowed by Kazak shouting that it was not admissible. The Court Witch agreed but pointed out that her question was, as was the unmoving forms the mortals were apparently contained in.
Kazak growled as he tightened his grip on the railing but Kayn remained calm as he explained that the magic was too powerful for the mortals and they succumbed to exhaustion. It was an unforeseen consequence.
"Present the evidence," the judges boomed.
Kayn nodded and gestured to Callico who stepped forward and bowed her Court Witch flicked her wand in the direction of the cauldron and the rangers took a step back as smoke began to rise from its mouth, forming a cloud overhead in which foggy silhouettes shifted creating an image that grew clearer and clearer.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ashley whispered as they watched what appeared to be the two men Kayn and Kazak had switched bodies with, flirting with Camryn and Callico in a crowded cafe decorated with black and orange streamers.
"How are they doing that?" Danny added but Taylor held her hand up signaling them to be silent.
"I've always wanted to try that," the blond man said before lifting his glass and throwing Callico a flirty smile only to receive a scowl in return. "That's one way to celebrate Halloween," his friend added. "And I'm all for it."
"How do you propose we do that?" Camryn asked sweetly as she leaned forward, gently caressing the dark haired man's hand with her fingers. He blinked as a red flush crept into his cheeks as he just stared at her. "Let's switch things up," the blond suggested. "I think it'll be a lot of fun."
His voice echoed as the image faded away leaving the rangers dumbstruck as the warlocks turned to them with smug grins. "There is no way they agreed to that," Danny whispered urgently. "I saw their faces, they were terrified."
"Yeah, something tells me that's not what they were talking about," Eric huffed. "This is definitely not going to be a fair fight."
A loud ding echoed through the room drawing their attention to the pyramid as another level lit up in bright red. "Perhaps this will teach you to observe the rules," the Court Witch pointed out, earning an eye roll which she ignored as she turned back to Kayn telling him to speak.
"As you have seen honoured judges, the transference was initiated by the mortals. We are innocent. The only crime committed on his Hallowed night was against innocent beings of the alter realms at the hands of these so called heroes."
Ashley and Lucas gasped as he pointed at the five of them. "Are you crazy?" the blue ranger yelled. "We would never hurt the innocent," Ashley added, slamming her hands against the railings
"Silence!" the Court Witch roared even as another ding announced another strike against the rangers.
"You're friends' silence should be proof enough," Kayn continued as he locked eyes with Eric. "But allow us to present the evidence for the benefit of this court."
"What is he talking about?" Ashley whispered turning to Taylor, Eric and Danny who had all stiffened.
"They couldn't know? Could they?" Taylor mumbled, ignoring her fellow yellow ranger.
"They definitely know what happened," Eric pointed out. "But they weren't around to see any of it."
"So it all depends on how exactly this evidence thing works?" Danny asked as they watched Callista step forward, placing a finger on her amulet as she bowed her head.
Shapes shifted within the smoke once again but this time as the image became clearer Ashley's eyes widened as she watched a red haired version of herself knocking down zombies with her batons. But before she could ask what was going on the image shifted to Eric firing shots at a pirate and a knight before moving on to him fighting the gremlin horde.
"This is not good," Danny whispered even as Lucas asked when all this happened. But they were silenced by the image shifting to Taylor knocking Wes down but just as she was about to stake him, the scene moved to her fight with Jen where another near stake moment was interrupted by a shift to her heaving Frankenstein's monster through a doorway.
"Hold on, did you try to kill Wes and Jen? And Joel too?" Lucas asked, turning on her with wide eyes as the image faded.
"Technically yes," she shrugged. "But I was only conscious for that last one."
"An admission," Kayn pointed out. "Does the court need any more proof of their wrongdoings?"
"That's ridiculous," Eric yelled, ignoring the ding of another strike. "You know they were under a spell when that happened. They had no idea what they were doing."
"Even if that is true, you certainly were not affected, were you? You were in complete control of your actions and yet you harmed those innocent creatures."
"They attacked us," Danny countered, wincing at the familiar sound of another strike being counted against them."We were defending ourselves."
"And how do you explain this?," Kazak added.
The image in the smoke changed, showing Ashley, Lucas and Danny each attacking the three witches before Lucas froze them with his badge. It then shifted to Taylor throwing Kazak into the side of a cliff and attacking him with her sword followed by Eric knocking Kayn to the ground and brandishing his blade at his throat.
"You all seemed perfectly conscious of your actions," Kayn observed, rendering the rangers speechless as they stared wide-eyed at the images of what appeared to be a one-sided fight.
"You see," Kazak shouted. "We have done no wrong. We are the victims here, brutally attacked by those who would accuse us of harming innocents. It is not us but the power rangers who deserve to be banished for all eternity."
That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it.
Till next time...