Chapter 13
A/N: Here's the last chapter! Wait, no, almost the last chapter (te he). Does "almost finished" dance. After this it's one more chapter, then the Epilogue. I swear!
The Charmed reference last chapter was the spell Rachel read to conjure Rick. It is commonly used by the Charmed Ones to call dead relatives, such as their grandmother and mother.
B Oots: You should get a medal. I think you reviewed every single chapter. Thank you for sticking with this long, dragged out story. I hope the ending does not disappoint you.
Rockerbaby43: Wow, someone new! I'm glad you love it! You got the Charmed reference right gives you a cookie. I heard rumors that So Weird is coming out on DVD, but they're only that – rumors. I hope they're true, though!
"Well?"
"I don't know if it worked, Aunt Rachel," Jack said honestly. "Nothing happened."
"Really?" Rachel slowly opened one eye, then the other. She had shut them when Fi and Irene started casting the power activation spell that was in the book. All she knew was that she didn't feel any different. Actually, now that she thought about it, her body felt all warm and tingly. Strangely, she felt something else too. "I'm thirsty."
The others looked at her incredulously while Fi asked, "You're thirsty? You've just been given a huge power boost and all you can say is that you're thirsty?"
"No, you don't get it, Fi. I mean extremely thirsty. If I don't get some water soon I'm going to faint." Without waiting for them to respond, Rachel bolted out of her chair and ran into the kitchen.
Not knowing what else to do, everyone else stayed in the living room and waited. Carey finally suggested, "Maybe the spell didn't work. Like, what if you two don't have enough power." When the witches glared at him, he quickly added, "I know, you guys have more power than all of us put together, but I'm just saying…"
"Give it up, dude." Clu stopped his brother before he got himself turned into a toad or blasted with a fireball.
"You know, Fi, he might be right." Irene said after a second. Then she dropped her head and said sadly, "If only Molly were here…"
Luckily she didn't have to finish her thought. A scream came from the kitchen. Fearing another demon attack, the six dashed out of the living room. They skidded to a halt when they got to the kitchen, bewildered and slightly amused by what they saw. Rachel was pressed up against the wall by the door, trying unsuccessfully to prevent the onslaught of water coming from the sink. She was already soaking wet, her hair and clothes plastered to her body. Noticing the others, she screamed above the roar of the water, "Make it STOP!"
Ned made his way over to the sink, attempting to keep as dry as possible. Carey followed, and soon the two were examining the faucet. However, it seemed that no matter what know they turned or handle they twisted, the water kept shooting out at full force. "We can't turn it off!" Ned shouted.
"Try to move to over here!" Fi called to her aunt. She, Irene, Clu and Jack backed away from the doorway, but not too far so they could see what was happening. Amazingly enough, it seemed that the water moved with Rachel as she inched toward the door. This gave Fi an idea. "Aunt Rachel, tell the water to turn itself off!"
Rachel managed to stare at her niece unbelievingly through the water. "Are you serious? My own secretary didn't listen to me. What makes you think water will?" Still, after seeing no other option, she commanded, "Ok, you…water. CUT IT OUT!" With that, the stream decreased in pressure, and soon enough there weren't even drops coming out of the faucet. Rachel regained her composure and started in vain to squeeze the water from her hair. "That was a coincidence."
"Come on, did you see how it followed you around and turned off when you told it too?" Fi asked. "Obviously your power is that you can control the water."
"Or the elements in general," Irene added, a thoughtful look on her face. "I have an idea." She formed a fireball in her hands, this time keeping it down to a manageable size. She put her arm back as if she was going to hurl it at Rachel.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rachel screamed, putting her hands in front of her face as she ducked.
Irene laughed. "Oh, come on. I just want to try something. If you can control the elements, you can control fire."
"And what if I can't?"
"Duck." Irene joked, then said seriously. "Ok, stand up against that back wall." When Rachel timidly did so, she continued. "I'll throw it at you, but I'll make it so it will travel very slowly. You try to get it to stop. If you can't, you'll have enough time to move out of the way and let it hit the wall. Got it?"
"Yeah. Ok, let me have it." The fireball in Irene's hand started coming toward her, at the promised slower pace. Rachel concentrated on it as hard as she could. About a foot away from Irene, it stopped in mid-air. "Hah! I did it!" Her celebration was cut short, however, as the ball picked up speed and again nearly missed Rachel as it hit the back wall.
"Ok, so you have to work on a few things," Jack said dryly.
"Way to be supportive, dude!" Clu admonished. Then he asked, "Now how are we going to turn her power into the ultimate demon-fighting machine?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it right there. I can barely control my powers yet, and you already want me to learn how to kill a demon? I just learned that demons existed an hour ago, for crying out loud! Don't I get a break?" Rachel exclaimed in one breath.
Irene cut off Fi and Jack before they could protest. "Guys, as much as I hate to admit it, she's right. I know you're all eager to go rescue Molly, hell, I am too. But, Fi, you know it took you more than a month to get a handle on her powers. Even now they're somewhat shaky. If we're going to do this right, we need to give Rachel at least a week to even get her identity back."
A little less angry, but still anxious, Fi cried, "But we might be too late! What if we're…already…" Fi couldn't continue, for fear that she would burst into tears for what seemed like the thousandth time that month. She hated not being able to do anything to help her family. Seeing Daddy and learning about Aunt Rachel's powers had given her a shred of hope that they would be able to get her mom back home soon, safe and sound. But now that she had to wait…she didn't know if she could take this constant tumult of emotions anymore. Not wanting to do anything else at the moment, she leaned her head on her brothers shoulders and wept silently. He immediately put her arms around her, feeling exactly the same way.
Suddenly feeling very guilty, and getting some feeling of what had been going on in this house for the past month and a half, Rachel said, "Look, I realize what you must be going through right now, especially you two." She nodded at Jack and Fi. "Trust me, I've been through this before."
"You have? How?" Ned asked, since the others were too emotional to say something.
Rachel lowered her eyes. "Before Rick and I drifted apart, you see, he…went away a lot. You and Irene probably know this. He would go missing for weeks at a time; we assumed he was out chasing ghosts, or one was chasing him. At one point Molly stopped calling the police because she knew there were too many questions she couldn't answer. During those times, it would be days and days of constant waiting. Just…waiting, not being able to do one thing. Sometimes I would live here more times than at my place to keep Molly from having a panic attack or something."
"Oh my God," Irene whispered. She sat down next to Rachel, who had sat on the circular bench a few minutes ago. "I…we, had no idea. She never told me that he was missing a lot. I mean, I knew something was up, of course. She always said that he was on a business trip. Which was ridiculous – I was their manager. If there were any business trips, I would know. I never pried, but in a way I think she wanted me to know what was going on but couldn't tell me for some reason. For the longest time I thought he was having an affair. I never imagined it was…that."
Rachel nodded. "That makes sense. Rick had sworn her to secrecy, saying that it was dangerous for anyone else to know what he was doing. I found out about all this, which was the only reason I was 'allowed' to know. I honestly thought he was crazy. I didn't realize how serious and risky all the things he investigated were. I guess I'm a little relieved now, in a way. I now know my brother was a good, courageous man." She sighed and got back to her point. "What I meant for you to get out of all this is that I know what you're going through. I mean, sure, I haven't been around that much in the past, but please don't think of me as some distant relative who never cared about you guys." She looked directly at Jack and Fi in the eyes. "You've always been my favorite niece and nephew, and I would do anything for you. But you have to put yourself in my place. I doubt any of you would be calm and without hesitation."
"We know, Aunt Rachel, and we're sorry," Jack began on behalf of the group, "We've all just been on the edge of our seats lately. At first it was just the Protector and his threat. Now it's as personal as it can get. We might never see Mom again."
Rachel got up and encompassed Jack and Fi in a big group hug. "It's ok. And I swear I'll do my best.
"Ok, Aunt Rachel, give me all you got!" Carey exclaimed. He stood on one side of the Phillips' backyard, his legs spread apart and his arms spread out, as if acting as a target. Which he was.
Rachel laughed. Clu and Carey had taken to calling her "Aunt Rachel" after hearing Fi and Jack say it all week long. She personally didn't mind – it was endearing, and she could always use more relatives. The only bad thing was that she probably would feel better about pelting someone with dirt clods who wasn't considered family. "Carey, are you sure about this? According to Ned, the last rock I 'threw' was going 70mph before it made a hole in the ground when it crashed."
"Yes I'm sure! Hit me!"
"Come on, Rachel, do it," Irene encouraged. "It will make up for all the times I wanted to telekinetically hit him with dirt."
Rachel again couldn't keep a straight face. Everyone had been trying their hardest to make learning how to control her powers fun, and more productive, for her. She suspected it was mainly because of her little outburst a week ago. Since then they had discovered that she could, in fact, do what Irene thought she could do – control the elements. She had gotten a pretty firm grip on water and fire, and there hadn't been another windstorm since Wednesday. For two entire days, Friday and Saturday, she had been trying to master the last element, which was earth. She had taken to it pretty easily, especially with all the other practice, but she knew she had to work on this one until it was perfect. It was the only way she would be able to protect herself when battling demons in the cave – by hurling massive chunks of dirt and rock from the floor and walls at an offender. Sure, she could use fire, but Irene might not always be available to give it to her. Closing her eyes and deeply inhaling, then exhaling, Rachel said, "Ok, I'm ready."
"This is going to be sweet!" Clu whispered excitedly to Jack, who happened to be standing right next to him. Those who weren't involved in the "test" stood along the edge of backyard, safely out of harm's way.
"Yeah, I am so glad I didn't volunteer for this," Jack whispered back, "It's a lot more fun to watch."
"I heard that!" Carey called, pretending to be offended.
Smiling as she opened her eyes, Rachel held up her hands. Suddenly stricken with an idea, she waved them up. A mound rose from the ground, taking the shape of a giant earthen tidal wave. It kept getting bigger and bigger until it reached Carey. It then collapsed over him, the end result being Carey looking like a giant snowman, on which the snow had been replaced by dirt. Completely humiliated and unable to move, Carey exclaimed, "Not funny!"
"Oh, yes it is," Fi laughed along with the others. It got to the point where both Clu and Jack were lying on the ground, clutching their sides. Fi would have made an effort to stop, but she knew the type of guy Carey was. He would probably be the first one to tell it to Molly when this was all over.
"Ok, it is. Now can someone help me before I turn into a mud man?"
"Sorry about that, Carey. I just wanted to see if it would work. Apparently it does." Rachel called out her apology. After a few seconds of concentrating, she managed to create a giant wind that blew away most of the dirt. He would still need a good shower, but at least he was able to move.
"Thanks."
"So…everyone set?" Ned asked. It was the next day, Sunday, exactly one week after the incident. Now they felt they were ready to take the Protector head on. At least, as ready as we'll ever be, he mentally added.
"Yeah," Irene answered for all of them, "Does everyone know what they're supposed to do?" She asked as she adjusted her fitting black sweater. Last week had made them realize that preparation was key. They had all had a good night's sleep, ate a satisfying breakfast, and dressed accordingly. The guys had donned sweaters, jeans, and sneakers. The girls had done the same – no one even dared to mention wearing shoes with heels.
Rachel, Clu, Carey, and Jack responded positively. Through a strategy meeting the night before, it was decided that Irene would transport everyone inside the cave. Since she now knew where it was, there would be no need to walk around aimlessly in the woods. Clu, Ned, and Carey would go look for Molly, while Jack, Fi, Rachel, and Irene would fend off the hoards of demons that would undoubtedly attack. The boys would then get what was sure to be a severely weakened Molly to safety while the witches had a final face-off with the Protector. Unless of course Molly was perfectly fine, like Carey, and had been used as bait, again, like Carey. Then she would help. There could possibly be only one problem. "Guys, I was thinking…" Fi started.
"Here we go again," Jack muttered to himself. Fi overanalyzed every single plan they came up with. I guess that could be a good thing, he thought. But at this point all of the "what ifs" were getting to be annoying.
Ignoring her brother, Fi continued, "Do you think we might be too late?"
"What do you mean, Fi?" Jack responded, now concerned.
"What if Mom's…I mean, what if he…her, already." Fi stammered, not able to say it. "If you think about it, why wouldn't he?"
Tense silence followed. They hadn't talked about that yet. Not because it hadn't occurred to them. No, the possibility had been running though their minds ever since it happened. It had just been that none of them wanted to even consider that they might have lost Molly already - at least, not out loud. But now they knew they had to talk about it before they left. If she was, in fact, gone, it would be too much of a shock to handle during the battle. Clearing the growing lump in his throat, Carey said, "She has to be ok. Well, probably not as ok as I was, but still ok."
"But why would she be?" Fi countered. She wasn't trying to get the others to believe that her mother was gone. She just wanted one solid reason why she couldn't be. "I doubt he would use her as bait. He knows we're too smart to fall for that again."
"Maybe he doesn't," Irene reasoned. "And there are other things too. You have to remember that Molly doesn't give up without a fight. She might have even escaped already and is trying to find her way home."
Fi sighed. "I know I've been a pain in the butt about this, and I'm sorry. But I keep having this feeling that we should have went back as soon as we could. The Protector doesn't have any reason to keep her alive, and I think that the longer we wait –"
"Time doesn't have anything to do with this, Fi," Jack stated firmly. "He could have killed her the minute we left. We could have gone back the next day and still been too late. It's better that we prepared ourselves and are more able to fight. Now at least if we can't save Mom, we can save everyone else in the world." They stared at him, reverence in their eyes, getting a taste of what he had been going through this past week. He was a little surprised at himself. Sure, those exact words had been replaying over and over in his head every minute of every day, but he never expected to say it out loud. However, he had to admit he did feel a little better now, and that was enough to clear his mind and help him concentrate on the looming danger ahead. Although most of the guilt was gone, there was still sufficient anger and resentment there to keep him passionate about what was sure to be one hell of a battle. Noting that more time was passing every second they stayed here, he said abruptly, "Irene, you ready?"
Seemingly snapping out of a trance, Irene focused. "Yeah." She let out a deep breath. "I'm ready."
"Ok. You tell me how this happened," Ned whispered. He, Irene, Carey, Fi, and Rachel were being led down a dark, damp corridor by at least twenty demons. Their hands had been tied around their backs by some kind of super-rope. Neither Irene, Fi, nor Rachel could use their magic, and they were all feeling somewhat weakened.
Carey bitterly, but equally as quiet, responded, "I think Mom may have made a little mistake."
"Hey! Don't blame this all on me! You're the one who grabbed my arm just as I transported us here!" Irene angrily whispered back.
"How was I supposed to know that your powers are touch-sensitive?" Carey looked down at the floor, watching his feet shuffle along the packed earth. He should have known better than to break his mother's concentration like that. He had just needed a few more moments to mentally prepare himself, and when he realized he wouldn't get it, he started to panic. Unfortunately, his panic cost them. Instead of landing them safely outside the cave, they arrived right in the middle of it. They were immediately grabbed by demons, an easier feat since they weren't ready. Luckily, Clu and Jack managed to escape through the entryway during the struggle. The rest of them hadn't been so lucky. Now all they could do was hope that the boys would figure out some way to save them.
"Shut up if you know what's good for you," a nearby demon snarled. The captives nearly jumped out of their skin. They had forgotten how horrifying a demon's voice was. It was even worse this time, without Bricriu's accent to soften it. Not wanting him, or any other demon, to speak again, they complied.
After a while, the group rounded a corner, and came upon what looked like a mini-police station. A cell lined each of the two walls. However, there was only one prisoner at the moment. Molly.
Too shocked at the sight before them to protest, Carey, Ned, Irene, Fi, and Rachel were thrown into the cell where Molly was, one by one. The demons stayed a few minutes, making sure the cell door was sealed. They left shortly after. Despite the situation, Carey found it odd that none of them stayed behind to keep guard. Then he noticed it. The rope used to tie their hands a few minutes ago formed a frame around the gate. No one would be breaking out any time soon.
"Mom! Mom!" Fi broke the silence that had followed. She now knelt by her mother's side, trying to revive the unconscious woman. Molly looked like she had been through hell, which she probably had. Her hair was hopelessly disheveled, bruises and burns could be found on various spots on her skin, her clothes were torn and scorched. Fi instantly wanted to give her a big hug the minute she saw her, but Molly was slumped up in the corner, in no position to be hugged. "Come on, Mom! Wake up!" Fear striking her heart, Fi hurriedly checked her mother's pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief – it was still there.
"Is she still…?" Carey asked, not wanting to finish the question.
"Yeah, I felt her pulse." Fi confirmed. "And she's breathing."
"Thank God," Irene said, making her way through as she joined Fi on the ground. Not knowing what else to do, the others sat as close to the three as possible, trying to get a better look at Molly.
"I have an idea," Rachel said suddenly. "I know I can't create water, but I could do the next best thing. I can conjure up a big wind, like I did for Carey. It might get her to wake up."
"It's worth a try." Irene, Fi, and Jack scooted over. Rachel concentrated, and soon large gusts were blowing around the cell. Finally, it reached Molly.
The breeze played about her matted hair, lifting it around her face and brushing against her eyelids, which slowly fluttered open. "Fi…?" The voice was frail and raspy, but with a hint of hope. "…Jack?
"Mom!" This time Fi didn't hesitate to throw her arms around her mother. "You're ok!"
"Actually, that depends on the meaning of 'ok.'" Molly smiled weakly and sat up. She attempted to stand, but gave up after a few minutes and sat back down. "I can't feel my legs."
"That's ok, Mol. Take all the time you need." Irene soothed, looking back at the cell door, especially the just-noticed rope around it. "We're not going anywhere."
"Irene!" Molly exclaimed, just noting her presence. "Wait…Irene, Ned Carey?" She looked around the cell again, making sure of her surroundings. "This isn't good, is it?"
"Not exactly," Ned answered. "But it'd be even worse if Jack and Clu were here, too."
"They're not?"
"No, they escaped when we were captured. Let's hope they're trying to come up with some plan to get us out of here." Rachel spoke for the first time since Molly had awaken.
Startled, Molly stared at her sister-in-law. "Rachel? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in – "
"A couple of months, I know. I'll explain later." Rachel scrutinized Molly with utmost concern, seeing the many third-degree burns and deep scrapes. "But first – what the hell happened to you?"
"Before we go into that…" Fi trailed off as she started healing her mother, one cut at a time. Realizing the others were still listening, she said, "Ok, go on." Turning to Molly, she asked, "You don't mind if I do this while you're talking, do you?"
"Not one bit." Molly smiled as her pain started to slowly lessened with each healing. "Thanks, baby."
"Oh come on, like I ever wouldn't do this for you. You're my mom!"
Molly laughed, then cleared her throat. "Ok, here's what happened. When you guys left – "
"Which we're really sorry about, Mol," Irene apologized quickly. "We never would have left you, it's just that we couldn't get to you with all those demons there and…"
"It's ok, Irene. I understand. I saw you and Fi try to save me. I know, the best thing to do at that point was to go while you still could and come back later. No sense in all of you getting killed." Molly really did understand. Although, she had to admit, at first she was a little worried that they wouldn't come back. "Anyway, after you left, he immediately tried to kill me. Well, actually, that was later. The first thing he did was try to suck my powers."
"So, by the word 'try,' we can safely assume that he didn't succeed?" Carey asked hopefully.
"Yes, Carey. For some reason, which I'm thankful for, he couldn't get all of my powers. But he did manage to get some of them. For instance, I can't levitate things, or myself anymore, and I've completely lost the ability of empathy. Which is kind of a good thing."
"Hey, you know what's weird?" Fi asked. The others stared at her, obviously not believing that she asked that question. Rolling her eyes, she said, "I mean, about that? The Protector couldn't drain all of your powers, just like how Daddy mentioned that he couldn't erase his memory. It's like…"
"An immune system on steroids?" Carey joked.
While everyone laughed, Fi looked thoughtful. "Yeah, kind of like that. Is it our family, or something?"
"I don't know, sweetie. Whatever it is, I'm glad we have it." Molly smiled at her confused daughter, who simply shrugged her shoulders.
"So, Molly, that's only the first day. What happened the week we were home?" Ned asked.
"That's basically it. The whole time he kept trying over and over again to remove my powers. By some miracle, he hasn't been able to do it yet. He is very persistent, though. At least every few hours, he would come by, aim that scepter at me, and…"
"Oh my God," Irene whispered. "You mean to tell me that in order to get your powers, he had to hit you with one of those very painful-looking lightning beams that we saw him hit Rick with?"
Molly nodded. "Yeah. On the upside, he had to keep me alive, otherwise my powers would die with me."
"'On the upside'?" Carey repeated incredulously.
"Well, that's better than the alternative," Molly retorted. "It's that kind of thinking that has gotten me through the week. If he had thought that killing me would give him my powers, then…" She didn't need to finish her sentence. After a few moments of silence, she asked innocently, "So what have you guys been up to?"
"This bites, dude. Really, really bites." Clu paced frantically around the clearing in front of the entrance, clearly distraught. Not knowing what to do with his hands and arms, he flailed them about, breaking Jack's concentration every now and then.
Trying very hard not to show his annoyance, Jack said, "For the last time, Clu, panicking will not do anything or benefit anyone."
"I know, but what else are we supposed to do? We can't go in there! But wait, everyone's trapped in there…" Clu began having a conversation with himself, voicing his subconscious. "If we do go, then we'll probably get toasted by one of those demon dudes, or the big dude himself. That would be bad. But it's be worse if he got away with it and took over the world. That would be very bad. We could run away now, and avoid indescribable pain, but then we'd have to live without our families, and that would be indescribable pain in itself – "
"Clu, man, you're rambling." Jack got up from the log he had been sitting on and shook his best friend's shoulders, breaking his rant. "We have to come up with a way to get them out of there, and going on and on will not help."
"You're right, Jack, you're right." Calming down, Clu breathed in, then out, and looked at Jack expectantly. "So what's the plan?"
Jack was dumbstruck for a minute. What was the plan? In all honesty, he didn't have one. But he wasn't about to admit he was as in the dark as Clu was. "Well, uh, first, we have too…" Luckily, he was saved by something distracting in the distance. "Hey, what's that?"
Not facing the same way Jack was, Clu folded his arms. "Nice try, but you and I both know that you have no idea how we can – " He cut himself off when he realized that Jack wasn't just trying to get out of answering a difficult question. Turning around, Clu now saw was Jack was looking at. "Hey! That's that spunkie thing…what was his name?"
"Bricriu." Jack breathed in a deep, menacing growl. What's that thing doing here? He should be dead. Or whatever spunkies are when they're destroyed.
The boys tensed as the Will-O'-the Wisp made it's way to them, seemingly in a hurry. "Lads! Me heard the news and me really wants to know how me can help 'ye."
"Oh, like you 'helped' last time?" Jack seethed, anger evident in his tone.
The spunkie was unable to respond. Finally, it said, "I really am very sorry about all that. I never would have done it, but he made me! It was either help him or lose me life!"
"You could have told us what was going on as soon as you showed up! We would have protected you!" Jack shouted. "But now our whole families are in trouble, and it's all your fault!"
"Jack, give him a break, man!" Clu interrupted. Sure, he didn't like what Bricriu did either, but he could understand what position the spunkie had been in. "I mean, he had no choice – either help the Protector or die. What would you have done?"
Jack was about to protest, his mouth open. Realizing Clu was right, he abruptly shut it, and stalked off to the edge of the clearing. There, he plopped down on a fallen tree trunk, making sure his back was turned to Clu and the "traitor."
Then again, was he really a traitor? Jack pondered this. In actuality, Bricriu was never officially on their side. Fiona was the only one who almost trusted him. I guess it's really not fair to blame him for what's in his blood. Suddenly, Jack remembered a time from when Fi had been in that spunkie craze. She hadn't stopped talking about them, and it got to the point where neither he nor his mother could stand to be around her. Now, he wished he had taken time to listen to her. She said something about how spunkies only care about themselves. They only have two goals in life: self preservation and having fun, " fun" meaning tricking and endangering innocent humans. If that was the case, then Bricriu was actually going against his nature. Instead of willingly joining up with the Protector and maliciously guiding them into danger, he had tried to avoid harming them and rushing to the side of evil. And in his defense, it's not like we're his family or anything. He has no reason to look out for us. To him, we should be like any other human beings – opportunities for enjoyment.
Jack sighed heavily. He knew he should go apologize for treating Bricriu with so much contempt. However, never having been one to easily confess to being wrong, he stubbornly remained on the log. He wouldn't say he was sorry until he was ready, and not a minute sooner.
Clu watched Jack's retreating figure, and choose to let him have a few minutes to himself. He'll come around when he realizes we have more important things to worry about. Turning to Bricriu, who was hovering next to him, he asked, "So what happened, dude? I thought the Protector, like, completely roasted you!"
Bricriu pushed aside his rare feelings of concern for Jack and answered, "I was able to leave the demon's body before it was turned to ashes. I doubt the Protector thought I survived, but even so, I tried to throw him off track. These past few days I've been every place me could think of, hoping the trail would be harder and harder to follow. Me was just about to go to Fi's house and check on 'ye when me saw 'ye and Jack standing out here."
"Wow, man, that's harsh."
Slightly confused by Clu's American terminology, Bricriu simply said, "Ya…what have 'ye lads been up to?"
"Well, you see, when you, you know, left us, the Protector got rid of Mr. P…"
"Ye mean Rick?"
"Yeah. Anyways, we fought our butts off, and finally we all got out of there. Except Mrs. P, I mean. She got trapped and is still in there."
"Me can conclude that 'Mrs. P' is Molly?"
"Yeah. We tried to get her back, but there were too many demons, so Mom took us back to the house." Bricriu didn't say anything, and quietly assumed that 'Mom' was Irene. "The next weekend, Fi's aunt, Rachel, came, and she found out she had the power to control the elements – you know, earth, wind, air, fire, and water? Anyway, with her help, we came up with a plan, which is sort of what we're doing now."
"Oh," Bricriu said, not really sure what to make of the explanation. "Alright, then – where are the others?"
"Oh, right, well, Mom zapped us into the cave by accident, so they were captured in, like, two minutes. Jack and I barely escaped. We have no idea where everyone is now."
"Obviously." The spunkie stayed still in the air for a instant, thinking. "I don't know how I can help ye, but it'd be me pleasure to help ye when ye do come up with something."
"Which may be sooner than you think." Jack left his log and came back, seemingly somehow enlightened. "Guys, not to use a cliché, but, I have an idea."
"That's great, but before we hear that…" Bricriu made a noise equivalent to the sound of a person clearing his or her throat. "We have some business to take care of?"
"Oh." Jack looked down at his sneakers, his face reddened. "Yeah. Look, Bricriu, I'm…sorry that I yelled at you. I could have been a little more understanding. I guess this is a tiny bit hard for me – I'm not used to dealing with flying balls of light."
"Apology accepted. And for future reference, the proper title for me species is 'Will 'O the Wisp,' or if ye must, 'spunkie'. 'Flying balls of light' is not the most flattering, no?"
Jack laughed. "Right, sorry about that too. Now, do you want to hear my plan or not?"
The Protector sat in his "throne," as he lovingly called it, discontentedly twirling his scepter around in his large, shadow-like hands. This was not supposed to take so long! He sighed heavily, causing one of his minions to look up at him in panic. Not wanting to disappoint him, the demon pointed the scepter at the servant, and flicked his wrist. A beam shot out, hitting the less powerful demon and causing it to burst into purple flame. The Protector's smile was filled with satisfaction as he heard its screams. His smile widened when his other minions scatter to the far corners of the cavern. Ah, that's better.
But it wasn't good enough. He would not be completely happy until he had totally destroyed the Phillips'. However, this past week has shown that that is not the easiest thing to do. For one thing, that witch (he thought he heard one of the others call her "Molly." Eh, not like it mattered) must be indestructible. He'd never seen anything like it. No one, among the dozens he had tortured, had ever been able to survive that many blasts. He would have to figure out some way to get to her, and now the other witches, soon. He couldn't wait for world domination one more day.
"U-h, Master?"
"Who dares interrupt me?" The Protector aimed the scepter at the fearful demon, ready to strike.
"W-we found two intruders just outside headquarters." The demon shakily stepped aside, revealing Clu, holding Jack's hands behind his back, as if Jack was a prisoner. Clu had a serious countenance, not showing any of the fear he felt inside. His grip on the struggling Jack was strong and firm. "What do you wish we do with them?"
Ignoring the servant, the Protector commanded, "You, boy, come forward." He watched with suspicious eyes as the blonde-haired human appeared to drag his captive closer to the throne. "Explain."
With a slight Scottish accent, Clu stated, "Sir, I beg of you, let me join your troops. I cannot take good anymore – it sickens me. As proof of my commitment, I offer you my former best friend, Jack Phillips."
The Protector's expression changed the minute he heard the name "Phillips." "Wait, you're telling me that this boy is of the Phillips family?"
"Yes. He is the son of Richard and Molly Phillips."
Smiling like he never had before, the Protector looked down favorably at the boy. "What is your name, human?"
"Cluette Bell."
"Well, Cluette, I commend you on your deed. As your reward, you may take him to his cell. One of my minions will show you where it is."
"Thank you, Master." Clu attempted to pull off a solemn, yet pleased smile, then turned and exited through the left side of the cavern.
"That was way too easy," Jack laughed, patting Clu on the back. "He had no idea! Even I thought you might go over to the dark side!"
"You did? I was?" Clu violently shook his head, trying to remember the past few minutes of his life. He then nearly lost balance on the uneven floor of the tunnel. He was also slightly put off by the demon passed out against the wall a few feet behind him.
"Yeah, definitely." At first, Jack thought his best friend needed a confidence boost. Then he recalled that people don't recollect being taken over by a Will 'O the Wisp. More to himself, Jack murmured, "Oh, right…"
"I'll pretend that your previous compliment was directed towards me," Bricriu said, a little ticked off. "Since I did all the work."
"Not true! I was very convincing!" Jack argued. "Besides, the whole thing was my plan in the first place." It was a good tactic. And it worked like a charm. His original strategy had been what had just occurred – Clu claiming to want to be evil and offering Jack up as sacrifice. That way, they would both get in, and the Protector wouldn't suspect a thing.
There had been only one problem – Clu couldn't do it. Or at least, he thought he couldn't. He was afraid that he would be too nervous and not brave enough. Bricriu then suggested that he possess Clu, which Jack had immediately objected to. After a few minutes, Jack relented, figuring he could always say Bricriu's name if he stayed in too long. So, they resolved their arguing, and went in. The Protector fell for it, and they walked further into the tunnel until they were a safe distance away. Then, Jack and Bricriu had taken out their escort, and Bricriu had promptly gotten out of Clu's body. Which brought them to where they were now.
Getting impatient, Bricriu spoke up, "Come on, we have to get the others. There isn't much time."
"Right," Jack agreed. Then he spotted something in the corner of his eye. "Bingo." While Clu and Bricriu stared at him, bemused, he ran over to the demon, bent down, and grabbed the rusted gold key that had fallen out of its pocket. Smiling at the others, he jogged over to them and said, "After you."
With that, the three started down the hallway. It was then that they realized that they should have waited until the demon had brought them to the cell. The tunnels were like a maze. They would turn one way, only to have to go back and try again. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Clu called out, "Hey, guys, I think I found them!" He had just happened to glance down a side passageway. He was glad he did.
Jack and Bricriu backtracked to where Clu were standing, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the rest of their party locked in the same cell. The boys dashed up to the cell door. "Are you guys alright?" Jack asked. His heart broke in to a million pieces when he saw the condition his mother was in.
"Well, as alright as we can be in this situation," Molly responded as she uneasily picked herself off the floor. Fi and Irene held her arms to steady her.
"Oh, God, what did he do to you? I swear, I'm gonna kill him…"
"Jack, cut the dramatics," Carey interrupted. Then he squinted his eyes, as if making sure he was seeing something. "Jack, please tell me that's a key in your hand."
"Yes, Carey." His smile wide, Jack pushed the key into the padlock that was on the cell door. He vaguely noted the rope tied around it, but dismissed it as the knot undid itself when he turned the key. The cell door magically slid open, and its inhabitants came out slowly, each giving Clu and Jack a big hug. Jack gave his mom the biggest hug he had ever given anyone in his life, as did Carey to Fi.
As she pulled away from her son, Molly asked, "How did you get in without getting captured? And…what's Bricriu doing here?" The rest of the group looked at where she was staring, obviously just noticing that Bricriu was there.
"We'll explain everything later, Mom. Right now we gotta go kick some demon butt." Completely energized, Jack led his family and friends down the corridor, excited cheers coming from behind him.