Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter. I already gave a little snippet of this chapter and the next chapter on my other story on my profile page, and I'll keep doing that if anybody wants to check back on my profile for updates. Well, only a week left of this wonderful summer vacation before school starts for me. I'm getting the feeling that I'll start school right after chapter 20 which will leave you with the biggest cliff hanger yet. But please don't hate me if it comes to that, I'll update as soon as I can! Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! It really brings my spirits up with school coming and me not being able to write as often. Thanks a lot!
Chapter 19: Like a Puzzle
Phobos's POV
"YOU WHAT!" Phobos screamed while hurling a blast of magic in Cedric's direction. He recoiled in fear and pain as he writhed on the floor. Cedric caught his breath and squinted his eyes.
"It wasn't my fault sire." Cedric breathed as he tried to stand back up. "I followed her and she-"
"Escaped from you! Yet again! For the third time you weak worthless snake! And she doesn't even have any powers!" Phobos shouted and he hurled more magic at Cedric. Cedric howled in pain and transformed back into his true form as he couldn't hold his human form anymore with all the power against him. He winced and tried bear himself. Phobos knew that he didn't want to show pain and fear. Phobos liked to see him frightened and pained though. It showed that all that Cedric had done wrong was worth this punishment.
"But, but you said that you didn't need to kill her anymore to try and get the Heart of Candracar. After Hay Lin saved her, you said that there might be another way." Cedric hissed as he stood his ground. Phobos was raged and he threw a table that barely missed Cedric's head.
"There is no other way!" Phobos yelled. "The only way for you to get out of the Dream Catcher's midst alive is for someone to kill you, which you have already tried before the air Guardian saved her! If you kill yourself, then you get out but only to die a while later! You know this! The only other way out alive is to use the Heart of Candracar, but Will and the others don't even know that everything that is happening to them isn't real and I plan to have the Heart before they even find out!"
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that!" came an angry voice. Phobos and Cedric turned around to see Evil Will marching into the room with pure anger and frustration.
"What do you mean?" Phobos asked raising an eyebrow with curiosity. "They haven't figured out-"
"Oh yeah." She said smugly. "They've almost gotten it all figured out thanks to that stupid snake man over there not getting to Will quick enough!"
"You-" Phobos started as he stared down his servant again. Then he spoke from the corners of his mouth.
"What do they know and how did they figure it out?"
"Well, apparently just like I thought it would, the girls being locked up together fighting didn't last long before they would turn to each other for questions. Whose brilliant idea was that anyway?" she asked.
"It was mine." Phobos said angrily. "But we could continue to blame Cedric and those nosy Guardians if you please. Now get on with it."
"Whatever. Anyway, they were there for a few minutes, and then a purple mist came out of nowhere and we couldn't see or hear anything. A while later, they came out and started talking about everything and trying to figure out your plan. I'm wondering what happened to them in that mist that led them to start working things out!" Evil Will sniffed angrily. Phobos stared at her and couldn't keep the confusement out of his eyes.
"Show me."
Evil Will led the way to where the Guardians were hovering in the air with the purple aura keeping them up. Their eyes were closed and it seemed like an invisible wind was lifting their hair and fluttering their clothes. Their faces looked…peaceful. It seemed weird considering that they were in a living nightmare. Under their floating bodies, two large ovals were shown. One had four Guardians sleeping in a jail cell. The other one had the Keeper curled up under a tree as she tired to prevent herself sleeping. It didn't seem to be working well because her eyes kept closing until she finally fell asleep under the night sky.
"Ugh! Look at them. They're disgusting!" Evil Hay Lin said as she closed her eyes as if looking at something reproachful. "Sleeping in their little beds, peacefully? After all we've put them through."
"Exactly. After all we've put them through, they're worn out." Evil Taranee smirked. Evil Irma rolled her eyes and sighed.
"It's a good thing that they were worn out because I was getting sick and tired of hearing them mutter about figuring out our plan-"
"Phobos, Cedric, Will." Evil Cornelia breathed and she stood up. "We were just-"
"I know." Phobos said quickly. "What have they found out? How?"
"Well, they know about the Dream Catcher, but they don't exactly know what it did to them or that they are in a different reality." Evil Hay Lin explained. "They're on to it though, and they know that you must be behind it, Phobos."
"They explained all of the stuff that happened to each of them that the others had missed. Cornelia was the most confused, and she fell asleep shortly after the explanations." Evil Cornelia told them. Evil Will showed a satisfied smirk as she remembered the earlier events too.
"Yes, but at least I have gotten to Will." She said slyly. "She thinks that it's all her fault. I would have to agree with her considering that I warned her about them going through this nightmare if she didn't give up the Heart of Candracar. Oh well, more fun for us."
"There's nothing fun about me not having the Heart of Candracar!" Phobos yelled. He looked back at Cedric again with hate. "Especially since I would probably have it and the Crown of Light by now if all of your jobs were done properly!" Evil Will lost the glint in her eyes and stared him down hard.
"Excuse me. May I remind you who thought of this plan in the first place, Phobos?" she said angrily.
"Well I-"
"Would still be in the Tower of Mists if it weren't for me! Wouldn't have any powers if it weren't for me! Would never have gotten to Will if it weren't for me!"
"Well who had the clever plan for the Dream Catcher?" Phobos asked slyly.
"That was the only thing you've done. You remember our deal, why do you keep acting like you are going to keep the Heart of Candracar?" Evil Will spat. "I get the Heart, and you get the crown, and then we can take over Earth and Candracar together!"
"I remember." Phobos growled. His voice went softer though. "Together, I know. You know, I find you strangely attractive. Your spunk is familiar though." Evil Will's smile grew larger.
"I know. I might be familiar because Will and I think alike, that's why I know that she and her friends will figure everything out unless we act quick enough for them to not be able to stop us. I will get the Heart from Will."
"And I will get the crown from Elyon." Phobos said reluctantly.
"Oh I don't think so." Came a new voice. Phobos turned around to see Elyon staring at him angrily. Phobos chuckled at the sight and motioned for Evil Will to follow him. They walked up to the prison that held Elyon and Phobos sneered.
"So little sister. You are denying that I will get my crown?"
"No." Elyon said simply. "I am denying that you will ever get my crown. And you won't get the Heart of Candracar." She added as she glanced briefly at Evil Will. Anger was stirring deep inside his body and he could feel heat within his icy eyes. Evil Will started on her first though.
"You're so stupid little girl. Of course I will get the Heart of Candracar. Will is such an easy target, so weak."
"She's not weak, and neither are the other Guardians." She lifted her chin and looked straight at Phobos with a deep answer. "And neither am I." Evil Will was getting very frustrated.
"I will get the Heart! It belongs to me!" she yelled. The other four Evil Guardians pulled away from the boring scenes of the girls sleeping to this new scene with interest.
"Wrong again! It's Will's and never will be yours and-"
"Shut up!" Evil Will yelled. She muttered under her breath and marched to where the other girls were standing by the large oval pictures. She stuck her hand in the one with Will angrily. Phobos turned back to his sister. He knew that that was just another attempt to get to Will. She's not weak, Phobos thought in his head, but she is getting weaker along with her other friends. By being exposed by great fears, they have weakened themselves greatly. It wouldn't be long now before everything was put together and they could go in for the kill! Elyon's voice broke his train of thoughts.
"So, are you thinking of a way to get the Crown from me? If you are, you are wasting your time."
Phobos looked down at his sister's determined face. She knew her place and was not going to let Phobos torture her people again. That's why she wouldn't give up the crown. But he knew that she would have to act to save her own life, and the lives of her friends. But how long could she hold the information of the crown's whereabouts? Phobos was about to find out.
"Where is it then since it's obviously not with you?" Phobos asked strictly. He was getting very tired of asking her over and over again.
"You know what's funny." She replied. "You actually think that I'm going to answer."
Phobos had had it! It was enough that he couldn't have the Crown of Light now, but his sister was trying to play games with him! Phobos was not the one to play with!
"Evil Guardians!" he yelled. Their faces turned from Evil Will who was busy with Will's mind again to Phobos with wonder.
"Try and see if you can get an answer from my sister! I dare say that you'll have plenty of fun!" Phobos stormed over to Evil Will and the real Will in the oval. The Evil Guardians smiled with pleasure.
"This is going to be fun!" Evil Cornelia laughed as she made vines come to life and squeeze around Elyon tightly.
"Very." Evil Hay Lin said as she smiled and made a tornado of wind topple her.
"And the best part is, she can't do anything to stop us." Evil Taranee exclaimed as she shot fiery darts at Elyon and watched her recoil in pain.
"And, we will get the Crown of Light in the process!" Evil Irma yelled cheerfully.
Phobos stared at Will in the oval twisting in her sleep. Was Evil Will doing her job? Was everything working? His answer came as Evil Will's eyes snapped open as she pulled her hand back and yelped.
"Ow! That little brat bit me! I can't believe she bit me!"
Phobos couldn't decide if he should laugh or not and hid his laughter as he asked her what happened.
"Well, I was holding her back so that she couldn't blast me back like last time, not that she really could because she's gotten weaker and I've gotten more powerful since then. But I didn't want to take that chance so I held her against a tree while I spoke. Then, she actually bit me! Why that little-"
"But what happened?" Phobos asked frustratedly. Evil Will's face fell.
"It went okay, well, until I said something that reminded her of something. It's not exactly good."
"What is it?" Phobos yelled.
"I kept talking and then I think I said, 'If you won't give me the Heart of Candracar, then death is your only option.' Somehow, that reminded her of something. She muttered something about 'Serenity' and 'death is the only way out.' When I demanded that she tell me what she was talking about, she bit me and started running away. And yes, she's awake now." Evil Will said as she looked at the oval pictures again. Will was rubbing her eyes and looking around before she got up and started running. Phobos knew that there was no doubt that she was heading toward her other friends. But what had she figured out?
"Hold on. The Guardian who died in the Dream Catcher, I think her name was Serenity." Phobos said thoughtfully.
"We've got to hurry Phobos. I think that she has figured something important out!"
Phobos listened closely to the yelps of Elyon and to Will's frantic panting in the image as she ran.
"I know. But there is one more piece of this puzzle that needs to fit before it is complete and ultimate glory is before us. The water Guardian is next, then their ultimate fear will come. This is just like a game, a puzzle. We have to follow through with the plan. But be quick."
"I will." Evil Will answered. She walked over to a chest and opened it cautiously. A dark shadow came out and swirled around above her.
"What are you doing?" Phobos asked with shock. "How are we going to get the Heart that way? What about the plan?"
"I made up the plan. I know what I'm doing. Trust me. The only other way out besides dying is to use the Heart of Candracar, and I intend on having it on my exit!" the Dream Catcher swooped in on her and covered her completely in darkness. Phobos automatically looked up and saw her in the same purple aura that held the Guardians. A new oval image appeared.
Phobos was wondering what she was planning to do. He had a hunch, but it was too risky. How would she do it without ruining the plan? Phobos started to get frustrated again as he watched Evil Will run off into the night. She must know something, he figured. She must succeed and so shall I. I need to get that crown. Then we will be one step closer to controlling the universe! Phobos stopped his thoughts abruptly and he spun around so fast when he heard Elyon's cry.
"Cornelia!" she screamed.
And suddenly, Phobos knew what she meant.
Okay, done with this one then. I'll leave you guys to try to think about what both of those things mean and what I'm planning to do. Next chapter, things are about to get very bad but interesting. Please send reviews!