Dawn and Twilight
A/N: All I can say for the effort of this chapter is, I made the valiant attempt. Twelve pages isn't bad, right?
First, the conversation that begins this chapter is actually several conversations at once and not at all in any recurring order. Enjoy that.
Midnight: Ah, that's ok Mid, I like having Hail as a muse. Better than some others I could've gotten.
Hail: 'R else.
Right
Jupiter Sprite: Well, double cliffhangers would be the only evil thing I haven't seen in a fic until now. So that's what I did.
I'm only gonna say that little bit because this chapter is long enough as it is. READ IT! I didn't do all that work for my health, you know…*rereads last sentence and dissolves into insane laugher*
Chapter Six: The Price of Leadership
"You know, you can always just leave. It's not like anything's about to happen anytime soon."
"What do you mean? As soon as Isaac comes back we're going to start building this village!"
"Oh, sure it will. Lots of things happen around here, haven't you noticed?"
"With what, might I ask? We can't exactly cut down the trees or anything—we don't know how to build things that way."
"Where'd Isaac go anyway?"
"And it's not like you'll be building anything anyway."
"He went to find Dulo and Riali and whatever Venus Adepts know plant Psynergy."
"And why not?"
"How many do you think that is?"
"Did you consider that maybe we're supposed to be being quiet?"
"Because you're about the size of an apple."
"Probably a good twenty or so. Maybe more."
"Why would we be?"
"Wow, really? That's a lot. Considering we've only got eight, usually."
"Who cares what size I am? I want to help them!"
"You would."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"But they've got about two hundred, total. Compared to that, twenty's nothing."
"I don't know, maybe because your Adept is still asleep and you're about to wake him up!"
The sound of Mia's voice froze Fever, Scorch, Coal, Ember, Forge and Mist in mid-speech. Slowly, they turned to look at her, conveying as much fear as it was possible for them to convey—except Mist, who only looked mildly shaken.
"Mars Djinn, get back in my head," Garet mumbled, rolling over and running a hand through his wild hair. "What time is it, someone?"
"Eleven," offered Ember.
"In the morning?"
"That'd be the one."
"Who let me sleep in?"
"Well, we weren't really given a choice," grumbled Fever, glancing Mia's way. "A pair of Mercury Adepts and several Venus ones were constantly telling us to shut up."
"Go back to sleep, Garet," Mia said sweetly, though somehow her words still carried the undertone of 'or I'll hang you upside-down by your toes in the well.'
"I don't think so," he said, and the Djinn disappeared back into his mind, as did Mist into Mia's.
"I do think so," Mia argued, her eyes taking on the glare that was rivaled only by Jenna's. Garet remained unfazed for what was probably only the third time in his life.
"What happened to deathman?" was what he asked, rummaging through his bag for a shirt in the process.
"Korain? He isn't dead, if that's what you mean. Garet, if you think you can distract me—"
"Mia, leave him alone," said Isaac, walking into the tent/hut thing with a distracted smile on his face. "We have things to be doing today, and it's going to require everyone's help."
"Isaac, you know I love you dearly, but…are you crazy?" Mia asked. "You can't seriously think that he…that we…"
"I've never known you to stutter, Mia," Garet snickered.
"Shut up, Mars Adept."
"I think that was supposed to be insulting," Garet said dryly. "Look, just because you…that you can…"
"Now who's stuttering?" Mia shot back, smiling smugly.
"Both of you stop it," Isaac said calmly. "Look. The idea here is to build these homes somewhere safe from potential enemies. We were thinking, how about in the trees?"
"That's certainly safe," Mia agreed.
"How, though? I mean…none of us has Psynergy that's good for growing things," Garet observed.
"Simple," said Isaac confidently. "We switch Djinn."
"How did I know it would come to this?" Garet groaned. "What am I going to be this time?"
"Bane says if we each take three of each others' Djinn, we'll all have plant-related Psynergies."
"Why can't the two of you just switch and get Growth?" Mia asked.
"Because then where would you be?"
"Elsewhere."
"That reminds me," said Garet, looking thoughtful. "Where's Sheba?"
"You've seen what she's been like these past few days. Comes back late, leaves early. Almost like she's worried about something," Isaac added.
"I would be too, if I might have finally found my home. Maybe she thinks they'll want her to stay, if they find out she's from Pajaros," Mia said.
"Alright, I'm awake," Garet said after a moment's pause. "Neither of you are going to change it, so would you mind giving me a little privacy?"
Mia and Isaac looked at one another, shrugged and left. Of course, not five steps away Mia stopped Isaac, grabbing his shoulder in a grip of steel.
"That's a bit tight," he commented, turning to face her.
"Come off it!" she hissed. "You know very well that after yesterday Garet's in no condition to be climbing things and building things and using any Psynergy at all, especially one that isn't his!"
"Will you relax?" Isaac asked quietly, prying her fingers from his shoulder and holding her hand in both of his. "I think in some backwards way you just insulted your own abilities, and mine, and Iasa's, just then. Look, this plan works, alright? I promise."
"Alright, Isaac," Mia said, sighing. They turned, hands still locked, as Garet came out, looking tired but strangely happy.
"Well, at least you saved it until you were outside," he offered cheerfully. "Come on, if we're going to switch things around we might as well get it over it."
"The leader thing hasn't gone to your head, has it?" Isaac asked, genuinely curious.
"Nah. It's more the living thing. Good to be here and such. I probably wouldn't even mind a swim in the river, if that's what it took."
"No, I don't think that'll be part of building tree houses."
"That reminds me. If we're going to mess with the Djinn, better do it now," Garet said, and six Mars Djinn appeared on the ground in front of him. "Whoa…sheesh, I forgot what it was like with only three Djinn."
"So did I," Isaac agreed as six of his Djinn popped out as well. Reluctantly, six of Mia's showed up too.
"What was it Bane said we should do?" Garet asked, looking at Isaac.
"Three of each," Isaac replied. Instantly, three Venus and three Mercury Djinn joined Garet, three Mars and three Mercury joined Isaac, and three Venus and three Mars joined Mia. The three of them took a few steps backward.
"I feel…different," was all Garet would offer. "Like there's something there that shouldn't be."
"Venus Psynergy, for one," Isaac said. "We're at the same class, and let me tell you, it's odd having Blast—the Fiery Blast version—sitting in the back of my mind waiting to be used."
"Point. It must be…Thorn or whatever. How are we going to build them homes with thorny walls, anyway?"
"I think it's more of just using the plant Psynergy to…sort of get the trees to build things themselves," Mia said. Isaac and Garet stared at her for a few quiet moments.
"How did you come up with that?" Isaac finally asked.
"It just sounded right in my head," she said, shrugging.
"What are you?"
"She's a Diviner," said Bane, appearing on Mia's head.
"Bane! What are you doing over there?" Isaac asked, rather shocked.
"Having a friendly chat with Balm, Dew, Sleet, Flash, Torch, Ember, Ground and Vine," he said. "Also, taking a break from your head, boy. It gets stupid in there."
"Oh does it?" Isaac asked threateningly.
"Yes, boy, and put your Dragooneering attitude away, before I come over there and do it myself."
"Dragooneering isn't a word," Isaac muttered. Bane huffed and disappeared again. "Are we going to build a village or not?"
"Something's still not right," Garet grumbled, following Isaac and Mia to the site where Pajaros was to be rebuilt. "It's nagging at the back of my mind, and I don't know what it is."
Then look harder.
Oh no. Not you. What are you doing in my head? I'd think you wanted to stay with Isaac.
No, no. I'm stuck here, with you, by some odd and totally awful twist of fate, muttered Quartz. Garet had to agree—he and Quartz worked together about as well as oil mixed with water.
If you hate me so much then why tell me to look for something?
I hate no one. And I tell you to look because I will relish your reaction when you do figure out what it is that's hiding back there.
In that case, I won't be looking anytime soon, Garet thought angrily.
Don't worry buddy, said Scorch happily. I'll fry that little Venus bugger the minute she gets out of here!
I heard that, magma-brain! Quartz cried
At least I've got a brain, Scorch retorted.
Hardly.
Wanna say that to my face, stone-head?
I just did.
Both of you stop it! Not another word! Garet yelled. Quite unusually, his Djinn did indeed shut up, leaving him with a few moments' peace in which he tried to get rid of the feeling that there was something his mind didn't want to tell him.
Isaac, Mia and Garet met Dulo, Riali and about twenty-five Venus Adepts with either Growth or Thorn Psynergy.
"Alright…I'm a Mars Adept, and whether I'm your leader or not, I'm not quite sure how this will work. Mia?" Garet pleaded, turning to look at her.
"It's a mind thing," she said, a part of her mind rather amazed that these words were coming out without her knowing where they came from. "So really, we need a handful of Jupiter Adepts as well."
"Do we?" asked one Venus Adept. "They know nothing about plants!"
"You expect to climb into trees with no branches low enough to reach?" Mia asked sharply. Said Adept shook his head adamantly. "Good."
A few moments later, about a dozen Jupiter Adepts joined those gathered in the trees.
"It is here that the village of Pajaros once stood," said an old, weathered voice. Jaldo emerged from the trees, looking around as he did. "Where is your Jupiter Adept friend?"
"She's off…wandering," said Isaac, offering the best explanation he could.
"The forest is dangerous," Jaldo said, shocked.
"Sheba can take care of herself."
The next few hours were quite complicated indeed. Mia fished from the mind of a Diviner an adequate explanation of what needed to be done in order to make the trees into homes. Construction began soon after, and continued until well past lunch. Around midafternoon, Garet called a break, and everyone readily agreed to this plan.
Isaac finally realized that Jaldo had emerged from wherever he'd been hiding, and the Venus Adept turned to the old man curiously.
"Does Sheba…did she…was she born in Pajaros?" he asked.
Jaldo closed his eyes for a long moment, then quietly gave his answer.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
"I understand the sleeping at night thing, but really, it's been all day! Get up already!"
"What?"
"You heard me! You've been out for about twenty-four hours and I'm sick of waiting!" Sheba blinked sleepily. She didn't understand why Gale was yelling so much. It wasn't like anything was going on—if there had been, someone would have told her.
"You don't remember, is that it?" Aroma asked in a quieter voice.
"What is there not to remember?" Sheba asked. Opening her eyes the rest of the way, she looked around. She was in some sort of cave, and there was the very loud sound of…of rushing water…
I was knocked into the river, and I was too out of it to swim and I went over the waterfall…Sheba's thoughts were an unusual confused jumble. One thought stood out from the rest of them, though, and she voiced this one aloud.
"And how did I get here?"
"Some quick planning on my part," said Gasp quite proudly. "I found this cave behind the waterfall and the nine of us sort of…um…"
"We threw you in here," said Gale above the roar of the water. "So you didn't end up floating somewhere at sea without a boat."
"This was yesterday?" Sheba asked, shocked.
"It was until midnight this morning," said Haze. Sheba sighed.
"Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I wonder if Isaac, Garet or Mia even wonders where I am…probably not, since I've been coming back late and leaving early every day…and I so badly wanted to help them build…"
"If they realize you're gone, doubtless they're out looking for you," Breath said consolingly.
"If they realize," huffed Lull. "This is a Venus Adept and Garet we're talking about."
"What about Mia?" Sheba queried.
"I don't mind her. She's got her head together." Sheba blinked. "What?"
"That's an odd expression."
"Hn."
"Go away, Wheeze," said Waft exasperatedly. "He's been doing that about once every fifteen minutes," he explained to Sheba. "It gets annoying after a day."
"It got annoying after an hour," grumbled Blitz.
"Point taken."
"You don't act like Felix is inferior," Sheba said to Lull.
"Felix…I owe him a debt," Lull said distantly. "He earned my respect."
"You talk as though your respect is something he needs," Aroma mumbled.
"What was
that?!"
"Oh, nothing."
Sheba shook her head, realizing with some frustration that she was still soaked. Of course, she thought. She was so near the waterfall it must be almost impossible for her do dry out.
"There's no exit to this cave," said Haze quietly. "It only goes back about fifteen feet from here, and just stops."
"You're saying that…that there's no way out of here?" Now there was something Sheba was truly afraid of—small, inescapable spaces. Any self-respecting Jupiter Adept disliked being in an enclosed space for prolonged periods, but with Sheba it had become a fear.
"There is but one way out," said Haze softly, "and it isn't one you're going to like." Nine sets of Djinn eyes and one set of Adept ones focused on the cascading waters that covered the cave's opening.
Sheba shivered reflexively, then realized that, being wet, she really was cold. "Oh great. Stuck in some wet cave and ready to freeze to death."
"It won't get cold enough to freeze," said Blitz, though there was doubt in his voice.
"I wish I could believe you. What time is it?"
"Maybe…four in the afternoon. Why?" asked Breath.
"Oh good. Then you, Breath…if you can…go back to where the Pajaros are and tell someone that we're in here. Out here. Whichever."
The Djinn all looked at each other. Then they erupted into conversation.
"We're so stupid! Why didn't we think of that?"
"Speak for yourself, kid."
"Probably because we were too busy arguing the whole time."
"Hn."
"Shut up, Wheeze."
"…Hn."
"Shut up, Wheeze!"
Amidst the chaos, Breath flew at rapid speed through the waterfall and out into the air. Even flying, it would take her an hour to get back to the others, and at least two hours, probably more, to lead an Adept of any kind here. She only hoped she could find a competent one.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
Garet took a last drink and stood again, ready to get back to work. He purposefully ignored the voice of Quartz in his head, preferring to concentrate on exactly how to best utilize his new Mars Psynergy.
And really, Thorn isn't so bad, he thought. It's destructive enough…and sharp, too.
Isaac and Mia were on the complete other side of their designated building area. Isaac was high in the branches of a tree, trying with much success to will it to shape itself into a living home. Mia was lower down in another tree, tying ropes together to form a ladder.
Isaac paused and glanced down at Mia, smiling to himself. She looked so at home there—sitting with her back to the trunk of the tree and her legs stretched out on the thick branch, face serene and concentrated at the same time—a look he'd seen far too often for his liking, but loved all the same—as she tied complicated and long-lasting knots.
"Guess you pick it up, the knot-tying, as it goes along," he muttered to himself. "Knots that need to stay tied and such. I know I couldn't do some of those, and I spent several weeks as the captain of a ship."
"Do you always talk to yourself?" asked Mist, on his head and overseeing his work. Granite, having spent considerable time in Kolima, was present also, on his left shoulder.
"When I've nothing better to do," he said casually, reluctantly turning his attention away from Mia and back to the task at hand.
Mia didn't even notice Isaac looking at her—she was preoccupied with the knot, in the wrong place, that didn't want to come undone. It would make the ladder bend sort of sideways, which probably wasn't a good thing.
Her thoughts, though, were on Isaac—particularly the idea that she'd rather join him up in the high branches and build something than sit down here, at the right level for the wind to not quite drive away the heat—this place was amazing, hot during the day and freezing at night—and tie rope together.
Thus, it was Garet who noticed a faint purple spot zipping through the trees, squinting as it came closer and stopped in front of him. This only made him squint harder—he recognized this Djinni, he just didn't know which of the few he could recognize it was.
"Garet," said Breath (the voice identified her) in a sort of half-relieved half-groaning tone.
"Hello," he said, turning away and getting back to work. Breath sighed.
"Garet," she tried again, aware that she was wasting valuable time.
"Good for you, you know my name," he said distractedly. "Look, what does Sheba want? Because if it's about Jaldo, he's going to have to tell her himself, it was his information anyway, and I still don't entirely believe it."
"Garet, you aren't listening to a word I'm saying."
"That's right."
"But this is important! Put down those ropes and listen!" Garet was indeed doing much the same thing as Mia, only his work was much less complicated. He'd never been much of one for intricate things.
That'll be the death of you. Or someone else.
Go away, Quartz.
"Put down these ropes?" Garet asked aloud, astonished. "Do you know how annoying it is to try to tie the ropes properly without help? And, no one cares enough to notice, but they keep coming undone when I'm not looking. Say, you couldn't lend a hand—no I suppose not, you don't have any, and I doubt you've done this before anyway…how about a wing, then?"
"Garet…"
"And anyway, I'm leader of these people, you'd think that would garner some appreciation, but no, I'm still just one more extra pair of faceless hands…not that anyone's hands have faces, mind you, it was an expression…though, some of those timepieces Kraden had, they had both faces and hands, a face with hands, how absurd!" Here, Garet paused for breath. The Djinni with the same name seized the opportunity.
"Garet-Sheba's-trapped-in-a-waterfall-cave-and-there's-no-other-exit-so-I'm-asking-you-to-come-help-get-her-out," said Breath quickly, without pausing for one herself.
"And he tried to pass them off as compasses, would you believe, except that didn't go over so well when we tried to head north at half past three, and we could never figure out exactly which way…did you say something about Sheba?" Garet asked, frowning at the Djinni.
Now you catch on. Smooth.
If you don't shut up I'll fry you.
With what?
My fists.
"Garet, you're not even listening to me!" Breath yelled. Garet flinched, then looked at the Djinni again.
"Alright, go over it again, and slowly." Breath did so. Garet frowned again, and if she hadn't been hanging in the air, Breath would have probably taken a step back. It looked almost like Garet was…thinking.
"Where?" he asked, and Breath gave a resigned sigh. "No, no, I don't mean tell me again, I mean show me where!" Garet cried, and this time the sigh was one of relief. Breath took off, above the height of the trees, then turned back around, realizing she'd left Garet behind.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
"I wonder if the sun's set," Sheba muttered. It certainly felt like it—it was freezing, and Sheba was still wet, and she really wasn't enjoying herself. The Djinn, however, were quite another story.
Blitz and Waft stood near the entrance, playing tic-tac-toe on the ground, using water to mark the grid and their moves. On the wall was a game tally—Blitz had won seven games, Waft nine.
Gale and Gasp kept challenging each other to races, from the waterfall end to the back end of the cave. And Gale kept winning. "I may be old," she said, "but the only Jupiter Djinn who could ever beat me was Zephyr." And she said this repeatedly.
Aroma and Lull were having a staring contest. As Djinn don't blink (not in the human sense anyway), this could have gone on for centuries.
Wheeze, knowing it was annoying and enjoying himself, kept saying, "Hn," to the irritation of Haze, who finally gave up and just said, "Have it your way, shorty."
"I'm not short," grumbled Wheeze.
"Sure you are. You're the smallest Jupiter Djinni."
"I am not! We're all the same!"
"Think what you want, like I said."
"Hn," Wheeze said, with sincere feeling this time. Haze sighed.
"So much for understandable sentences."
If Sheba hadn't been concentrating on anything besides the quickly worsening cold, she might have laughed.
The sun must be down by now, she thought. She shivered again. I wonder if I'll ever see it…rise…Somehow, this seemed immensely important, the rising of the sun. Sheba opened one eye and looked around. It was starting to feel warmer, she realized. Maybe it had been so long, the sun was rising. But that's silly, the cave faces south…and the sun rises in the east…
Words, in the form of voices of the other Adepts, were reaching her mind. Something about what she shouldn't do in this sort of situation.
I'll sleep on it, Sheba decided, feeling herself already drifting into darkness.
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
"It's getting late," said Garet, squinting into the darkening forest. "How much farther is it?"
"The river's here," said Breath, and Garet emerged from the trees onto the bank, bending to pick up the bag—obviously Sheba's—that had been left there.
"Ok, so we found the river," Garet said, putting her bag over his shoulder. "I am not, however much I would have liked to this morning, swimming in it and then dropping over the falls. There has to be another way in."
"There is," said Coal, appearing on Garet's head.
"No, there isn't," said Breath. "We looked."
"Consider this," offered Coal. "How did the air get in?"
"Through the waterfall, I expect. Any other way would have dried the place out."
"Enough air couldn't possibly get through there. Either you left Sheba in there suffocating, which I doubt, because from what I've heard she's been there for about a day now, and she isn't dead yet, or there's another air source."
"Yes, but there might have been a lot of air there in the first place."
"Look, all I'm asking is that you get in there and work out, somehow, if there's not maybe just a small hole, or a few small holes, that air can come through from up here. You things can see air currents, for Sol's sake!" said Coal. Garet had watched this exchange with only mild interest and extreme uneasiness at the thought of how much Coal resembled Jenna.
Breath dove into the water, surprising the Djinn as she burst back into the cave. She barely glanced at Sheba, who seemed to be contemplating something, and instead raced to the back of the cave, beating Gale on this most recent go-round, and sincerely looking for even the tiniest hole or opening.
And she found one. It was about Djinni-size, and she raced along it, around several turns and finally up, out into the open air.
Garet watched her emerge from the stones on the opposite side of the river, and some odd reflex made him leap into the water and swim—quite well, actually—across to the opposite bank. "What is wrong with me today?" he grumbled to himself, glaring at the wet hair hanging into his eyes.
They stood there for a few minutes, studying the hole. Obviously too small to be an exit for anyone but a Djinni, Garet could only thing that something would have to explode to make it any bigger. Explosion was one of his favorite topics, but anything like one would be very, very bad for Sheba.
"Explosion could still work, though," offered Gel, joining Coal. "If you went about it the right way."
"The right way?" questioned Garet. "There's a right and wrong way to blow something up?"
"Certainly. If you were to freeze, or wet, an area of this…rock here, and then make it very hot very fast, you'd get about as controlled of an explosion as anyone is likely to get."
"How do you know all this?"
"I'm a Mercury Djinni," said Gel, as though this made all the difference.
"Good for you. Currently, I'm a sort of combo Venus/Mars Adept, Dragoon style, without anything that could freeze or wet rock."
"You've got Hail," Coal pointed out. Gel groaned.
"Aye, that ye do!" said Hail, appearing as though on cue.
"Once and for all, Hail," said Tonic, the last of Garet's Mercury Djinn and probably the most sensible, "you are not a pirate!"
"Ye can say whatever ye want to say, matey!"
"Spirits, it'll never end!"
"Yes, well, um, Hail," mumbled Garet, pulling the Djinni off his head with some difficulty. "See that hole?"
"Arr," said Hail. Garet took this to mean 'yes'.
"Go down that hole…and go straight, until you reach a cavern…and freeze an area about my size as you go along. Can you do that?"
"Aye, cap'n!" Hail said, leaping from Garet's hand and diving headlong into the hole. Garet put his hand on the rock and immediately pulled it away—it was too cold to touch.
In a few moments, Hail reappeared. "All set fer ya, cap'n!" she said. Garet sighed.
"What now, Gel?" he asked, but the answer came in the form of one of his own thoughts.
How can I use this new Mars Psynergy…
Now you're talking, dimwit, said Quartz's voice. She sounded…pleased.
I'm not talking, actually. I'm thinking.
Don't kid yourself.
"Alrighty," said Garet, rubbing his hands together and looking at the very cold rock. "Fiery Blast!" At his words, a ball of flame shot out of Garet's hand, connecting with and totally blowing apart solid stone.
Eight Jupiter Djinn practically hit the roof (in fact, three did) as a humongous chunk of…just rock…whooshed by and rocketed through the waterfall.
"Well that was interestin'," said Hail. Hail, thought Haze. They could hear Hail!
"Someone's here! Someone's here!" Haze cried excitedly.
"Go on, jump in," said another voice. There was a dull thud and a sudden yelp.
Garet was sliding down a rocky, rough, completely-not-fun tunnel, one that led down into the cave where Sheba and her Djinn were. And he wasn't enjoying himself. He landed hard, with a sort of grunt, and stood, brushing himself off. "I'm not doing that daily."
"You won't have to," said Quartz, visible this time. "Alright, smart guy, time to make the donuts."
"Donuts?" asked several voices, Garet's included.
"It's an expression. That means time to get to work, get started, get your rear in gear, that sort of thing."
"By doing what, might I ask?" Garet asked testily. "By Mars, it's freezing in here! How did you do it for a day?"
"We don't really feel the cold," offered Aroma. "Most Djinn don't, actually, unless it's…way sub-zero. Like that time in Prox."
"Do not go there," said Coal, somehow still atop Garet's head, though Hail and Gel were now absent. Tonic was on the floor of the cave with Quartz, and they, along with airborne Breath, were staring at Sheba.
"Something of interest?" Coal asked sharply.
"She's asleep," said Breath, a slight note of horror in her voice. Asleep in a cold room was so obviously not a good idea.
"Don't know why, either," complained Gale. "Slept all last night and through to around four in the afternoon. She doesn't need anymore, I say!"
"Garet," groaned Quartz. "Oh, in the names of Sol and Luna, why Garet? Why not…Isaac, or Mia, or even Ivan?!" she half-yelled.
"Well really. I did get us in here, you know," Garet sniffed.
Suddenly he took a very large step back. A pile of information had just flooded his mind, and it terrified him. Worse than Jenna and Mia combined. Somewhere a part of his mind laughed at that ironic thought.
"No," he said in a meek voice. "No way. Never. I can't!"
"Sure you can," said Quartz in a much gentler voice. "Really, I thought I'd enjoy your reaction to this bit of information, but I think I would have preferred more favorable circumstances."
"But…Isaac didn't say…"
"Isaac wouldn't have noticed. He's used to it. The reason it felt odd to you, back there this morning, is because it's totally against your nature in more ways than one."
"I've never…tried…if I mess up…why can't you do it?" Garet cried, looking quite horrified.
"Look, Mars boy," said Coal, having studied the knowledge Quartz had given him, along with instructions of a sort and come to the conclusion that it was either this way or the highway. "Quartz already explained to you why neither she nor Breath can handle this. So make the darn donuts and get it over with!"
"If I mess up Sheba could die!" he yelled, surprising all present and nearly deafening them with his echoes. "I can't use healing Psynergy. I leave that up to Isaac and Mia and Felix and Picard."
"And Jenna," added Forge's voice.
"You are ever so helpful in these situations. Thank you very much."
"Welcome."
"Garet! Stop stalling! Or else…we'll do it the hard way!" Quartz's voice had become its usual annoyed self—the way it always was when dealing with Garet.
"Hard way?" Garet asked. "I'll take that!"
"Oh no you won't!"
"Oh yes I…" Garet stopped suddenly. An annoying little voice—not Djinn this time, but his own sort of inner voice—had sprung up in his mind.
You're a leader now, aren't you? Sometimes, they have to do things that they just don't want to do, but they do them anyway, because it's for the good of the team. That's what it's about, Garet. Not just power and glory and being number one. It's about doing what's right, even against all the odds, even if your own heart says you can't possibly pull it off. That's the price you pay for the title; it's a package deal.
"…Alright," Garet said, in a calm, collected, totally un-Garet voice. "I…I'll do it."
"It isn't hard," offered Tonic consolingly.
"It isn't all 'just say the words and let it happen,' either," he said, unknowingly almost quoting Quartz herself. With every sensible part of his mind screaming for him to not even dare, Garet sat beside Sheba and tried to shake her awake.
"You knew it wouldn't work," said one Djinn or another. Garet couldn't tell the difference, not right then. Something odd had happened, somewhere in his mind—he was…concentrating, he realized. Without even trying. The faint blue light around his hand repulsed him; he knew it was Mercury Psynergy.
Placing that hand on Sheba's shoulder, taking a deep breath and willing himself to not back down from this, he whispered the words, "Pure Ply," and felt a sort of all-over twitch, or shudder…it felt as though every nerve in his body was…laughing.
It took no more than five seconds for Garet to come to himself and stand, rubbing his hand on his shirt—it still felt odd. With his other hand, he used a trick that Isaac had employed once, calling up Thorn to bring plants from the ground and using a concentrated Blast to light them on fire. It got steadily warmer in the cave, and drier too.
The Djinn had all disappeared, he realized. All but two. Coal lingered still on his head, and Quartz looked up at him, contemplative, calculating.
"Well done," was all she'd say, giving a short nod. "Waft!" she said, and the Djinni appeared and waved his wings at Garet, who for the second time that trip fell over in Djinni-enhanced sleep.
"Even I didn't think he'd actually pull it off," Coal commented.
"You think I did?" Quartz asked. Still, a smile was in her voice.
"You respect him now, is that it?"
"As much as I ever will. And he is still a dimwit."
************************************************************************
Well.
*Voice* Deep subject.
Oh stop it.
*Voice* I don't have to. I'm an omnipresent, all-powerful, perfect disembodied voice.
If you were perfect, you wouldn't have ended that first sentence in a preposition.
*Voice* Oh, bugger.
Now then…after twelve pages I don't think there's much more I can say, is there? Except that, somehow, the sixth chapters of both SS and DT have ended up being…long and quite…erm…important.
Well then. Off to review, I hope.
*Voice* You'd better be.
You know, you remind me of Kaede…
*Voice* I've been found out! (You're talking to me on the phone you dimwit)
So now you act like Quartz. Funny…never saw that likeness in my mind…
Push button. Now. Must do so if want the end of story.