Chapter 14:
It was a while into their ride that Jack and the others encountered the Guardians again.
"Hey, isn't that the Tooth Palace below us?" Jack called to Death as their steeds cantered through the sky.
"It is indeed," Death answered. After a quick glance down, he said, "And it looks like the Guardians are in a bit of trouble down there."
"What? Really? Seriously?" These and similar comments ran through the ranks of the Reapers. Death, sensing everyone's curiosity, laughed and began guiding his steed downward to follow North's sleigh. War rode right next to him, undoubtedly eager to see how the conflict would turn out.
The second they came level with North's sleigh, Bunny did a double-take upon seeing Jack riding a flying horse.
"Frost?! What in the blazes are you…," Bunny started.
"Duck!" Jack yelled, doing the same himself as what appeared to be a horse went charging past him, chasing several miniature tooth fairies. The second it came into contact with one of the Reapers, Ming, it exploded in a cloud of black sand, leaving Ming and her horse spitting and cursing rather inventively in their respective languages.
"Not powerfully bound, are they?" Famine mused while Bunny and North exclaimed in shock and the Sandman conjured up a sand umbrella to shield himself.
Jack, meanwhile, quickly stood up in his stirrups and snatched something out of the air. Sitting back down, he opened his palm to reveal a small, shivering tooth fairy.
"Hey, little Baby Tooth. Are you okay?" Jack asked softly.
The fairy nodded and smiled weakly. Jack smiled back and tucked the creature into the pocket of his blue hoodie, where she would be safe from the creatures attacking her fellows.
Jack, the Horsemen and Reapers followed the Guardians into the Tooth Palace; many of the black horses, upon sensing the approaching tide of Reapers, immediately broke off their attack of the fairies and began galloping madly toward any darkened patch they could reach. War and her steed chased several of them, War whooping exuberantly while her stallion nipped at the creatures' flanks, making them whinny in sheer terror. Famine giggled at their antics, while Death and Pestilence both gave the impression of wanting to roll their eyes.
They all gave a collective wince when North's sleigh crash landed on one of the lower levels of the palace, but their attention was immediately drawn away from the three disgruntled figures in the sleigh to the frantic fairy on the upper terrace.
"Tooth! Are you alright?" North called as Jack brought Mei to land on a balcony just behind and below the one Toothiana was on, beside Death and Famine.
"They… they took my fairies, and the teeth, all of them! Everything is gone!" Tooth cried as her fellows leaped out of the sleigh to her side. "Everything!"
At this despairing cry there was a fluttering in Jack's pocket. The little tooth fairy Jack had rescued earlier chirped happily as she whizzed out of his pocket, flying quickly over to Tooth.
Tooth's face lit up upon spotting the little fairy, and she reached out to cup it in her hands. "Oh, thank goodness! One of you is alright!"
"I have to say, this is very, very exciting. The Big Four, all in one place. I'm a little star-struck."
"Oh, wonderful. Tall, dark and creepy again," Solriss muttered as the shadowy form of Pitch Black materialized on a balcony above the Guardians. Tooth immediately began shouting at him while the Reapers snickered at Solriss's comment.
"I'm going to take a leap here and say he calls those new creatures of his…," War began.
"Nightmares!" Jack and Aditi said together.
"Ridiculously unoriginal," Death said, once again giving the impression of rolling eyes without actually having eyes to roll. Jack snickered.
"Wait a minute. Is that Jack Frost?"
Jack's head immediately snapped up, but Pitch's voice was echoing all over the palace. It was impossible to determine where it was coming from. Mei snorted, pawing at the ground.
"And on such a lovely steed, too. Since when are you all so chummy?"
"We're not," Jack muttered, looking warily around him.
"Oh, good." The voice was no longer echoing, and now was coming from behind them. Jack whipped Mei around to face Pitch, who was lounging on a pillar just opposite them and looking utterly bored.
"A neutral party. Then I'm going to ignore you," he said, beginning to turn away.
Jack could hear the smirk in Pitch's voice when he said, "But, you must be used to that by now."
"Ditto," Jack chirped.
The Reapers and Horsemen cackled. Death's steed whinnied his approval of the comeback while War's did his utmost to defy his rider's wishes and bite off the Boogeyman's arm. Jack grinned innocently when Pitch turned to glare at him.
"Want some ice on that burn?" Jack asked, again managing to sound like an inquiring child.
The Reapers cracked up again while Sandy laughed silently along. Bunny let out a single "HA!" before quickly covering his mouth with his paw while North gave him an odd look.
"I can see why no one acknowledges you now, Frost. You're nothing but an annoying little winter sprite, aren't you?" Pitch said, grinning like a shark now.
"Name-calling. You must have really struck a nerve," Death stage-whispered to Jack while Bunny, infuriated by that last dig of Pitch's, went to attack the Boogeyman. Jack giggled into his hand while the Reapers snickered.
Jack jumped when suddenly Pitch reappeared directly in front of Mei's nose, eyes focused on the horse.
"Such a beautiful girl," he smiled again, though less predatory now. Mei pinned her ears, throwing up her head in a clear threat. Jack, upon glancing up, realized that Pitch once again had the Guardians chasing after an echoing voice. For a moment Jack considered calling out to them for help.
Then Death shifted in his saddle just the slightest bit, cuing his horse to move ever-so-slightly-closer to Pitch, and Jack decided against it.
"Careful, she bites," Jack grinned while Mei attempted to do just that.
"I can see that," Pitch said dryly, moving deftly out of the way. "Where on Earth did you get a spirit horse?"
"We just sort of… ran into each other one day," Jack grinned.
"Do NOT start punning, I get enough of that from Solriss and Famine!" Death groaned while aforementioned pair cackled.
Pitch rolled his eyes, then shouted in alarm when a black, feathered bird whizzed past his head.
"Raven!" Jack cried in delight when said spirit came to light on his shoulder. "Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in nearly a decade, you trickster you!"
Raven's face, however, was grave. "The Necromancer has struck again."
The smile fell from Jack's face. The Reapers went rigid, and as one all heads turned toward Death.
"The Necromancer? What nonsense are you on about now, bird?" Pitch snapped, not noticing the way Jack and Raven were both staring at something that was apparently not there.
"Ming, go with Jack back to Burgess. Raven, lead me to where you found the ghouls. War, Famine, Pestilence, find the other Elder Spirits. Tell them to be on their guard," Death dealt out orders in rapid succession.
"But…," Jack said, then remembered they had an audience. He bit his lip when Pitch looked at him like he'd grown a second head.
"Loneliness getting to you, Frost?" Pitch sneered once he'd recovered.
Jack glared. "You wish," he spat, turning Mei about to follow the departing Reapers as Raven launched himself into the sky to lead Death. "I have to go. Good-bye, Pitch."
Pitch grinned again as he watched the frost spirit dig his heels into his horse's side. The horse leaped into the sky with a whinny, and Pitch's grin grew into a smile as he watched the frost spirit get smaller and smaller against the darkening sky.
"Until next we meet, then. I'll see you soon, Jack Frost."
Neither Pitch nor Jack noticed the tiny little streak of green zipping off after the disappearing frost spirit.
Death sensed it, but he got the distinct impression she would be needed in the days ahead.
And here's a new chapter, everyone! It's a bit of filler, but I wanted to get something posted so you guys weren't waiting a whole month until I can get my butt back in gear again. I've had a bit of writer's block with this story recently, so if you guys have any suggestions I very much appreciate them! I have a general idea of where I want to go, but I'm not entirely sure how to get there! R&R, and thank you so much.