The only word to describe the flight to New Zealand was awkward. Edged in the middle seat between a snoring Warren and a sniffling Owen was not exactly Seth's ideal plane ride. He couldn't blame them, Warren had endured a lot the previous days, and Owen had been separated from the girl he loved. Seth couldn't relate to that so much. He'd never been in love before. He guessed thinking Sarah was pretty wasn't exactly the same thing.
He was relieved that he had found his sister in one piece and they had made it through Soaring Cliffs together. He was so happy they had found one of the gems they needed to find. But he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled inside him once they had departed. He worried for his sister and he couldn't explain why.
Sighing, he shrugged it off to nothing more than overprotectiveness.
Seth heard the beeping of the plane and the flash of the seat belt warning up above him. The pilot came over the loudspeaker. The plane would be landing shortly.
Seth bumped Warren with his elbow and the man stirred awake. Yawning and stretching he came to as Seth began to feel the dissension of the plane as they began to travel to the grounds of New Zealand.
After a few minutes of gathering himself, Warren leaned into the two boys, "If you want out of this, this is your time to speak up."
Neither Owen nor Seth spoke.
Getting off the plane and retrieving their luggage was the usual tedious process. Seth couldn't help the smile creep on his face as he spotted Vanessa and Tanu waiting by the terminal gates for them.
Seth ran over and gave Vanessa a hug. The woman chuckled, "It's nice to see you too Seth."
A huge smile spread across Warren's face as he took Vanessa into his own arms and kissed her on the face. Seth caught the reddening of her cheeks as she buried her head into Warren's shoulder.
Yes, Seth was sure he had never felt anything like that before.
Tanu let out a cough, "And who might this be?"
Owen stood awkwardly behind them, unsure of what to do. Seth grabbed his arm and pulled the older boy forward. "This is Owen, we thought we might need some extra help."
Vanessa smiled warmly, "Welcome Owen, I've heard a lot about you."
It was Owen's turn to blush. He dipped his head in acknowledgement and stuck his hand out to meet Tanu's firm grip.
"Let's head to the car," Vanessa said. "We have much to discuss."
Heading out the airport doors, Seth followed the adults to a distant parking garage. Seth could feel Owen's nervousness like a lurking shadow. He understood why the boy was feeling that way, but it was putting Seth on edge himself.
"You good dude?" Seth asked.
Owen swallowed, "Yes. It's just- all of this is so new. And I'm kind of just realizing I agreed to travel across the world with a bunch of strangers."
Seth tried to smile at him, "Well second times a charm, right?"
"Sarah was with me before. And I think it's usually the third."
Seth didn't have anything to say to that.
They slowed to a stop in front of a large black SUV. Vanessa popped the trunk and unlocked the vehicle. Seth threw his gear in and hopped in the backseat squished between Warren and Owen. A familiar situation at this point.
"Being my size has its advantages," Tanu said from his spot in the passenger's seat. It was a no-brainer that Vanessa was driving.
"Let's just have a nice, relaxing car ride. The hotel isn't too far away. We can talk then," Vanessa said as she put the car in reverse and began backing out of the parking space.
They drove and drove and Seth looked out the window, staring at a brand new country. To a place that he had never been before and maybe would never go again. He supposed for a kid his age he had been to many many new places. He had seen many parts of the world that people five times his age had always longed to go but had never been able to. He supposed he was meant to feel lucky. But for some reason he didn't. After all, it wasn't like he was sightseeing.
They drove for what felt like forever but in the grand scheme of things wasn't even two hours. Warren and Owen both fell asleep and at one point Tanu dozed off as well. Though he and Vanessa both remained awake, conversation was scarce. Seth didn't really feel like talking. He hadn't been feeling up to much of anything since he left his sister at the airport. They did finally pull up into what was recognizably a hotel. Seth knew the drill. He woke Owen and Warren and the group of them unloaded the car and began the process of checking in and getting settled in their rooms.
Warren and Vanessa, of course, would be staying together and he, Owen and Tanu would get the conjoining room. It was a process he was all too familiar with. He felt as though he had done it hundreds of times.
Seth had an hour to pull himself together, take a shower, relax a little before it was game time. The group needed to recap all that had happened together and analyze the mission as a group. They all needed to be on the same page in order to come out of Titan Valley alive. And they had to come out alive. Seth knew that if they died in Titan Valley, Celebrant very easily could have the gem in only days. And with Celebrant free from his cage...Seth didn't even want to imagine it.
"Where to start," Warren rubbed his hands together and gestured to Owen and Seth, seemingly to ask if they had anything to offer. "We could start with the most important part," Seth said. "How we are going to keep Celebrant at bay."
So they caught Vanessa and Tanu up. Warren told his tale of Agad and the gems. How if the three gems were melted together the three sanctuaries would truly collapse beyond repair. They told them of their journey to Spain, how they had encountered Kendra and Gavin. How they had met Sarah and Owen.
"So Gavin is under the control of Kendra," Tanu interjected skeptically.
"As far as we are aware. And there was no indication in our time spent together that would suggest otherwise. He seemed to be at her every command," said Warren.
"They almost seemed friendly even," Seth added.
"Well it's something we should keep our eye on," said Vanessa. "It could very well be a trap but at this moment in time his help is useful. Especially to Kendra, but when we reunite we should definitely evaluate that situation with closer care."
"Agreed," Warren said, "Now for Titan Valley. If getting this gem is anything like the last one, it is not going to be an easy process."
"I wouldn't expect it to be," Tanu said. "But we aren't going in completely blind. Knowing the process in retrieving the other, we can better hypothesize as to what obstacles we will be facing to obtain the other."
"Emotional manipulation," Owen muttered. It startled Seth a little. It was the first time he had spoken throughout the entire conversation. "That's the best way I can describe what happened to us in the red rock cave. It was pure mental torture."
"And knowing what Gavin said about dragons and emotions, that makes a lot of sense," Warren said with a dazed look in his eyes, as if he were deep in thought.
"Maybe that will be to our advantage," Vanessa suggested. "After all you had an adult, a dragon, and four teenagers heading into Soaring Cliffs. There are three people with fully developed brains and emotions now. That sound makes our chances at survival look a little brighter."
Warren sighed, "I don't know if it's that simple Ness. I'd love to say it would be that easy. And of course we have lived longer so we have more experience on how to handle our emotions, but the force inside that red rock cave was something I've never felt before. It was smart, almost like a living thing. It could see inside of our heads with ease. It placed our memories into one another's head and made us feel as though we were the ones experiencing it. I don't think age or experience is going to give us much more of an advantage. I think the key is sheer willpower with these obstacles."
Seth couldn't help the bubble of shame that was forming in the pit of his stomach. Seth had dipped out of sharing his memories within the red rock cave within a matter of seconds. What did that say about him? Was he weak? Was he a coward? Did he have significantly less willpower than he imagined himself to? He wasn't sure, but he did know that everyone else lasted way longer than he did trying to get that gem and that wasn't something he was very proud of.
"Kendra and I were the only ones to make it out," Warren said quietly. "If we hadn't...well the six of us would all be dead right now."
"Her last memory isn't something I'm ever going to forget," Owen added, his eyes glued to the table. "The fact that she made it through that when the rest of us had given up shows how dependent willpower is."
"Everyone has had their trials," Warren said, placing a hand on the boy's back.
"Not me. Not like those girls. I can't stop seeing those men and what they did to Sarah. I can't stop seeing those images of Kendra, and I barely even know her. And that disgusting creature in the clip we saw in Seth's head I-"
"Wait," Seth interrupted, "all I've been thinking about since we left the cave is how I failed for checking out the soonest."
Vanessa responded before he could finish his thought, "Seth there isn't anything to be ashamed-"
"No, hold on. Warren, how have you been feeling since then?"
He scratched his neck uncomfortably, "Uh, I don't know. Worried? Been thinking about a lot of my decisions? Second guessing myself?"
"Where are you going with this Seth," asked Tanu.
"All three of us have had lasting negative impressions not of anyone else, but ourselves."
As he spoke the words Owen met his eyes with a spark of recognition. Seth's head was churning, he thought he might have figured out an essential part in continuing the search for the second gem.
"And those negative impressions will almost certainly lead to failure in search of the next gem, whatever the obstacle may be," Owen added.
"Exactly. Think about it. We all probably have so many memories that could have turned us against each other, but instead the cave picked the ones that most would turn us against ourselves and our weakness. My experience brought out my fear of being a coward and unhelpful. Owen has been feeling like he isn't enough and isn't doing enough, and Warren has been questioning his decisions. Things that we all value and are all insecure with assumably."
They ruminated in it for a moment. Seth felt electricity sparking in his brain. His theory had to be correct. All of the memories showcased in that cave had been specifically selected by whatever entity they had allowed into their minds, like some sort of super computer that had calculated the most emotional impact on the entire group. There couldn't be another explanation for what they were feeling.
"If it's true, that is some of the most advanced magic I've ever heard of," Tanu said. "These trials are no joke."
Warren scratched at his chin, "It makes a lot of sense."
"I think it has to be the three of us to go into whatever trial comes our way next," Seth firmly added, "We have the best chance of survival with this realization."
"Absolutely not," Vanessa exclaimed. "We aren't going to put you two boys through that again, especially since the two of you didn't make it through last time."
"I think I have to agree with Seth," said Warren. "Last time we had no idea what we were getting into. The experience, and the self-actualization will put us all in check."
"It's another way to keep the dragons out. If on the off chance they make it out of one of the first obstacles, they probably won't fully know how to process the emotions of what they are feeling once they move on. It makes the next one that much harder."
"It still seems a little far-fetched to me," she humphed.
"If anything, it's a good boost of confidence to them if they go into the next trial. As Warren said, they do have the advantage of knowing what the magic feels like. And leaving them alone with the three adults at risk of perishing doesn't seem like the best idea" Tanu agreed.
Warren took Vanessa's hand into his, "I know it isn't what you want, it isn't what any of us want, but I think it's the way it has to be."
She locked eyes with him for a good minute and Seth had to avert his eyes. Their moment seemed intimate, like they were speaking into each other's mind. Finally, Vanessa dropped Warren's hand, "Fine," she sighed, "We need to leave for Titan Valley early in the morning. Everyone get some rest. You never know the next time you're going to have a bed to sleep in."