Okay, I have 2 more days to try and finish this before my big trip back to America, so I'm working around the proverbial clock to get it done! I'm almost there, too! So please bear with me until then, and thanx a whole lot for staying with me! I know y'all have other stories to read, but it means a lot that the few of y'all keep coming back to see what happens!
Raya: Thanx, as always. You'll soon see how the spell played out… And Jimmy and Wesley are just about to get themselves into a heap of trouble, if you know what I mean, but I won't ruin it for you!
chyp: Yeah, sorry that last one was slightly short. I was trying to find a good place to stop the chapter and I felt like that was the best choice. If it makes you feel any better, I made this one a little longer!
In a matter of moments, the Book of Light appeared in Matthew's hands in a blaze of light. Matthew smiled at his accomplishment; something had finally gone in his favor. However, as he went to open it, it vanished again. Sabo threw the basement door open and calmly walked down the stairs, holding the Book. He glared at Matthew for a minute before regaining his stature.
"Do not try that again," Sabo warned. "Remember, you are in my world. You should be thankful that I am letting you live as long as you are. Do not test my patience."
"Why don't you come down here and say that to my face," Matthew challenged with a distinct look of determination on his face.
"You dare challenge me, witch?" Sabo spat.
"Think of it as a warning," Matthew answered. "Either way, you'll be dead at the end of the day."
Sabo said nothing else. Instead, he walked down the stairs, the very same ones that Matthew could not climb, and approached Matthew very casually. Matthew rounded back to throw his fist, but in the blink of an eye, Sabo had twisted Matthew's arm and forced him to the ground, still holding onto his arm. He grinned as Matthew groaned in pain.
"This," Sabo said, "is not even a sample of my true power."
"Maybe," Matthew said in between grimaces, "but the same goes for me."
Matthew's arm suddenly became transparent as Matthew phased out of Sabo's grip, temporarily throwing him off guard. Matthew immediately followed up with a stern kick to Sabo's stomach, causing him to reel over. He delivered a solid uppercut to Sabo's face, making him jerk upwards. He then kicked Sabo's chest, which made the demon instinctively throw his arms in the air, releasing the Book of Light. Matthew jumped up and caught the Book and ran to the opposite end of the room, wanting to put as much distance between himself and Sabo as possible.
"Is that the best you can do?" Sabo asked.
"Not even close," Matthew replied, panting.
"Give me the Book," Sabo ordered, "or I will take it forcefully. You do not want me to take it forcefully."
"I'll take my chances," Matthew said. "Besides, you can't take what you can't touch."
Matthew grinned as he became transparent, along with the Book. If he couldn't get out of the house, he figured, he would at least keep this demon from having his and his brothers' most prized possession.
"You forget," Sabo said, "that I have powers you cannot even begin to imagine. Your sideshow trick means nothing to me."
Sabo held out his hands and the Book of Light suddenly flew out of Matthew's hands and landed into his own, no longer transparent. Sabo turned around and walked up the stairs out of the basement. Matthew ran after him, but Sabo turned back around and his eyes flashed red. Matthew suddenly found himself flying through the air. He slammed into a wall and slumped to the floor as he heard Sabo close the door behind him, bringing him back to square one.
James, Wesley, and John all wiped the sweat from their foreheads as they finally vanquished the last of the demon guards. They had had to fight through dozens of evil minions in order to reach their target destination, but they had managed to make it through. Where they stood now was a very ambiguous looking area. They had suddenly gone from what may have been a cave to a mysterious place that seemed to have neither a beginning nor an end. They were completely surrounded by rock and stone. How they suddenly got there, they had no idea.
"We've been waiting for you," a voice called from above, causing the three to look upwards.
Before they could react, all three vanished from their spots. They were roughly deposited onto a hard surface. When they stood up, they noticed that the room they were now in was extremely dim; only a very few torches provided light for them to see. The ground, like before, was covered in a thick fog-like smoke that looked never-ending. To their immediate left was a large table, shaped like a pentagram. At each of the five corners sat one member of the Council. Wesley did not have to know where he was to know what had happened. He was behind James and John in a split second.
"Welcome," Tenebrion said as he and the other Council members turned to face their visitors. "We finally meet."
"We're not here for formalities," James said boldly, stepping forward. "We have something in common."
"Duly noted," Mastiphal said. "We also cannot help but notice that you are missing one sibling. Is he hidden away somewhere, waiting to ambush us?"
"Or has Sabo taken him hostage?" Ardad asked, tapping his fingers against the table.
"What?" John exclaimed. "How did you know that?"
"We have eyes and ears everywhere," Andras replied. "We know of everything you do."
"So you must know that any 'eyes and ears' y'all might have had protecting y'all have been taken care of," James said with a smirk.
"You did not think that we would make your trip here an easy one, did you?" Anamalech asked.
"But since you made it alive," Mastiphal continued, "shall we get down to business? As we are all aware, there is an unidentified evil entity who has proven himself a threat to both sides. We have the means to vanquish him, but unfortunately, we require the assistance of the most powerful good."
"Which is you," Ardad added.
"So for the time being," Andras explained, "you will have to work for us."
"What makes y'all think we're that willing to work with y'all?" James asked.
"Because," Tenebrion said, "you are at a serious disadvantage. Your brother is missing, which means that you do not have your Complete power. We can help you get him back, which would allow us to work together and destroy Sabo. Therefore, I believe that we, not you, have the upper hand."
"They're right," John said to James and Wesley. "If they know how to get your brother back, then we have no choice but to do as they say."
"We're gonna talk about it first," James said to Tenebrion and the rest of the Council, "and we'll let y'all know."
"Remember," Mastiphal reminded them, "we do not have very much time."
Matthew had begun to wear a small trail in the off colored floor of the "basement." He had been pacing back and forth in the same place for what could easily have been hours. He was completely out of options; he couldn't make up another spell because Sabo would only see right through it and figure out a way to counter it. He couldn't take Sabo by brute force, either, as he had tried earlier. He couldn't use his powers to phase the Book out of Sabo's grip. Whatever was going to happen now was not up to him anymore. The best thing he could think to do was to buy as much time as he could. Wherever his brothers were, he thought, they were surely working on a plan to free him. Then, together they could take on this demon and get back to their normal lives.
But nothing had worked so far. Any ideas he had had before had either backfired or just plain not worked. He wished he could just get out of that place once and for all. It served as a painful reminder that although he was technically home, he was still worlds away from his real home. Besides that, the off colors of this alternate realm were giving him a headache. But he just sat and waited for his brothers. They had to find him; things always worked out for the three of them. Why would this time be any different?
Oh no! The brothers might have finally found themselves in a situation that they can't escape! And now Wesley and James are actually talking to the Council, face to face! Things just look horrible!
