Chapter 27: Ari's Foray
"...she, a guardian of the Heart and an unstoppable force for order, had just been bested by one ordinary farmer and his belt of borrowed tricks."
The Veil was known to be a unique creation of powerful spells and energies, crafted by powerful spellcasters with many different abilities of their own. Kandrakar had raised the said mystic veiling around Meridian for the second time. The first time, they had encircled each and every single planet, every kingdom and place in the vicinity of the Metamoor, as to limit any evil that could spread from one place to another. Now, years later, when only Meridian and planet Earth were behind the divider's curtains, the other worlds were able to continue their international, political ways of life and communication. Kingdoms could exchange goods, knowledge, and develop better and more successful foreign economies.
Yes, there were many perks of being free of the divider, which many saw as a sentence to impoverishment. Even though the magical barriers were created with noble purposes, many suffered behind them and were more than happy that this time they had been spared from this kind of "protection". Most of the numerous worlds that were under Kandrakar's patronage (or at least those of them, neighbor to the Metamoor), had faced serious difficulties in the past, primarily because of Meridian. Now, as per usual, the nodal point in the galaxy district was having a crisis. A crisis which the Council of the Fortress of Infinity had decided to quarantine within the borders of Meridian. Thankfully, as most foreign rulers that had the sad disadvantage of being neighbors of the troubled realm sighed with relief.
Ari of Arkhanta was not one of those who had suffered because of Meridian's fate. As a matter of fact, during the years of the first veil, he had barely even acknowledged the existence of the almost adjacent realm, in spite of the fact that Meridian was pretty much-considered capital of the entire Metamoorian district, in the borders of which Arkhanta found itself. No, back then, the king had had problems of his own that had nothing to do with a psychotic prince terrorizing an entire planet. Thanks to his banshee and the wishes which she had granted him, Arkhanta had been organized for decades to come. Agriculture, health care, education, and all other sectors important to his people were at such a high level that no layer of society was interested in the foreign economy. And while Arkhanta couldn't boast about providing a fortune for each and every family, like Coronia, for example, inter-planetary relations were unlikely to ever be needed. Or so had Ari believed up until that Philip had come to his palace. Philip and his contradictions about new order in the Metamoor. Ari hadn't believed a word the strange prince had said. But after the disappearance of Asa (in chapter 16), the former farmer had seen himself forced to become a part of this new conflict of interests that was arising in the Metamoor. He had to step in and make a statement. And since he had failed in doing that peacefully, thanks to the divider and Kandrakar's refusal to be bothered, he had taken manners in his hands.
The portal opened somewhere in the fields, which were naturally unknown to the foreign ruler. He had never before been on Meridian, but after more than a month of countless tries to break through the divider, and a portal had successfully opened, Ari didn't plan to waste any more time. His whole retinue, on horseback, successfully passed through the mystical blue portal. There were probably more than two hundred men, all trained to fight hand-to-hand and duel with all kinds of cold weapons. There were also ones to take care of Meridian Magic-Users, if Ari's discourteous claim for an audience with the Queen didn't produce the desired results.
One thing, however, was for sure- Ari was furious. The only thing stopping him from declaring war on Meridian at that moment were Kandrakar's guardians, to whom he was grateful. They were the ones that had saved his son from a life of catharsis, and hence he would always bow down to them, even if he sincerely hoped that they were still as righteous as he remembered them. Darn Phillip and his contradictive words... The King had not yet been able to contact them and hear their explanations of the unacceptable situation in which he and his people had been put without any justification. But nothing would stop him from bringing Asa back to where she belonged, and from claiming Arkhanta's neutrality in this entire madness with the Unified Dimensions. Neutrality, which he was ready to assert even with hostilities.
"The Meridian Palace is in that direction, your Majesty."- the royal navigator said as he approached Ari on his horse. "We go when you give the sign, King Ari."
Ari nodded solemnly and looked behind himself. His son's golden stallion lined up with his gracious auburn mare. Their horses were one of the most extraordinary and beautiful in the entire small army that had made its way to Meridian today.
"Maqi, my son."- Ari boomed. "Fear not. We will be given answers. We will get Asa back. By all means necessary."
Maqi, who had by now matured into a handsome, broad-shouldered levent*, nodded his head full of luscious sun-blond hair firmly.
"By all means, father. We shall fight till our last breath if we have to, but we're not to go back without Asa. Stand to, men! Gee up!"
"Tell me again, why is that Aram dude living on the bottom of a lake? I know spirits have their own preferences. Don't look at me like that, Corny, I'm personally glad that he didn't choose a typical haunted house."
"Oh, my God, just get to creating the damn bubble-thingy!"- Cornelia rolled her eyes but smiled instead of lashing at Irma, as she usually did when the water-witch cracked jokes at an insensitive and inappropriate time.
They were all going the extra mile, not only for harmony-related concerns but because they were trying to help Will restore her usual views on life. She was still glum, despite the time that had passed and all her friends noticed it. That was why they were looking forward to finishing with this mission. The sooner they gathered answers from Aram, the faster they could get back to investigating the condo corpse case, which was threateningly soaring over Will and Susan.
Hay Lin and Irma joined their powers and soon, the five guardians were under the surface of lake Calasea, a relatively small water basin, in the perfect center of Western Forest, a few hundred miles away from the Capital Town Square. Getting to here had been a challenge by itself- they hadn't exactly visited before, therefore they couldn't teletransport. They had flown on their way to Calasea. And now that they were here, they had to dive in and find the ghost of Aram.
"Don't say ghost! Say spirit. It sounds more respectful."- Hay Lin advised her girlfriends as they submerged deeper in the lake.
"Really, Hay Lin?"- Cornelia eyed her with annoyance. "When was the last time you had to talk to a ghost. I'm sorry; spirit."
"I haven't. I'm just saying that we should be respectful."- the bubbly girl shrugged. "Wait, yes I have! It was long ago, but remember that mission on..."
"Girls!"- Taranee scolded them. "Less talking, more looking around! We have to get to the bottom and then use our energy to summon the spirit to us. Nerissa said that we will only manage to evoke him if we maintain full harmony."
"Agreed."- Will tucked a red strand behind her ear. "Ghosts, spirits, whatever. Zen and concentrate."
Heatherfield...
"I still can't believe that we're doing this."- Halinor whispered guiltily. "We're behaving like criminals! No one has ever done this before-"
"I have."- Nerissa objected calmly. "It's not that hard, dear. And unfortunately, it was the only possible way."
Halinor and Kadma had arrived at her son and daughter-in-law's house in Heatherfield while everyone else from her household was on Meridian, practically making the place empty and ideal for the first step of her plan to extract more information about the phantom room in the Coronian Palace.
Nerissa was getting ready before opening up a passageway to Kandrakar. Yes, she had sent the guardians on a misleading trail as to get them distracted and away from herself as long as she acted, but she had her justifications. Thankfully, her friends had agreed to join her mission:
"You know what they say: if you want something done, do it yourself."- Nerissa narrated, as she powdered her face in front of the vanity in her bedroom.
The room was well-kept and glamorous, carrying both her and Cornelia's personal style. The big dark drapes and the semi-modern furniture went well together, Halinor noted as she looked around herself. It wasn't the first time she was here, but she noticed new details each time. Maybe because new things had appeared over the months. For example, the painting above the master bed was new.
"And I didn't lie to WITCH because I underestimate them or because I don't think that they're capable of this achievement. On the contrary, I sent them on a fool's errand, exactly because I know what they're capable of. None of them would have approved my idea to storm the Forbidden Wing on Kandrakar, and that's the right thing for them to do. As active guardians, such a transgression on their part would be quite serious. You two, on the other hand..."
"Don't talk us out of this, Nerissa."- Kadma said in a warning tone as she fixed her violet langa*. "I do understand that your intentions are good, that's why we eventually agreed to join you, but your approach is as always catty and- "
"Oh, my sweet Kadma. How do I ever explain to you that this type of approach is the only way to be ahead of your enemies."- Nerissa interrupted her in a dramatic fashion. She sprayed some more perfume behind her ears and then turned around to face the two women with a confident smile on her matte red lips.
"I know that the two of you aren't fans of my little...tactics, but I swear on my son's heart, I do all that I do because I want to do good. I've always wanted to help people, regardless of the ways and costs. That's why I was a guardian. Why, at heart, I still am a guardian."
"We know that."- Halinor interrupted her softly and took her hands in hers."But, honey, don't you think that lying to the girls is unhealthy for your relationship with them? Lying to them about something like that will tarnish your image in front of them yet again. Why did you have to make up a whole entire story about a person who never existed?"
"Yes, Nerissa."- Kadma joined in. "And while I'm always ready to back you when it comes to defense from Kandrakar's injustice, this time we're going to be the ones that will violate the rules and ethics. We're going with you because we believe in you and you said that it's extremely important, but I don't want that to become a routine."
"Oh, Aram wasn't entirely fictional. He did exist once, Rease has talked of him."- Nerissa appeared to be amused. "He did exist, a good couple of centuries before I started living with her... It's just his ghost that I made up. I appreciate your concern, but they're not my team. You are."- and Nerissa held one hand of each friend, looking at them with benignity. "And while Cassidy and Yanny can't join us because of obvious and tolerable reasons, I'm beyond happy that you're going to come along with me. It is just like back in the day, when we would go on a guardian mission. And don't worry, Kadma, I will not turn dragging you along in my messes into a routine. Just this once. For the good old time."
"Oh, my God, that's exactly what you used to say each time before getting us into a mess for the umpteenth time!"
The three women burst out in laughter after the ex-Earth guardian's reply, cherishing the memories and celebrating their friendship. Many years had passed, but the young girls in them had never left their souls and neither had the spirit of friendship and unity. All of these things had just been buried deep inside each of them, but thankfully, after the most recent summer, everything was out in the open again.
"Anyway, setting the fact that you cannot deny how fun it was aside."- Nerissa began, releasing three little orbs from her Mage ring.
These three little orbs she had taken from Taranee, Cornelia and Will's essence while they had all been emotional the other day. The perfect time to cultivate a pinch of someone's magical essence. It was going to help the three of them mask their presence on Kandrakar with the present guardians' energy that the mystic detecting spells of the fortress didn't recognize as intruding.
"It's time to go and find more information. There's something else which I didn't tell the girls. After long hours of searching through all my books and olden papers, bequeathed to me by Rease, I actually managed to make out two words from the message on the Coronian phantom door."
"What did they say?"- Halinor asked curiously, as she watched her friend take out her printed copy of the picture made by Taranee. She herself, had already looked at it after they had sent it to her via email. She hadn't been able to conclude anything, but that the language used was a dead language.
"You were right, these letters are from a cryptic alphabet that has been completely extinct for many years. It's an olden-Coronian writing system which was banned in the realm over a century ago."
"That's why it doesn't figurate in any magical papers. Not even those we have access to."- Kadma pondered out loud. "Why was it banned again?"
"I read a really short passage about it."- Nerissa shook her flat-ironed black locks. "The topic is so vague, it was the only thing which I could find, and believe me when I tell you I went through everything. But I have got to thank Will, I confess.
"Why?"
Nerissa smiled a little awry. It was obvious that counting her replacement's merits wasn't something she liked to do:
"She said the word "cult", during that meeting. It got sealed in my brain and I later dug out this little book about cults in the Metamoor and beyond. It was a good guess. That's exactly where I stumbled upon the passage about this old Coronian writing system."
Kadma and Halinor exchanged glances.
"They banned an entire language because of a cult resorting to it? That's rather too much."- Kadma knitted her brows. "Must be their idiotic philosophy meaning to keep everything all shiny and pretty... No place for stains on their golden reputation, whatsoever."
"Exactly."- Nerissa nodded. "A cult on Coronia can only be seen and perceived as an extreme disgrace. These people could never. After all, they're the golden planet. Pathetic fools! They've swept everything under the rug quite successfully because all information about this little stain on their reputation has been expunged. I've been going through all these libraries, but in vain. Neither did I find anything more on the topic in Meridian, nor on Coronia itself. Not a single line. Just that little cult-listing book in the Mage's goods... Kandrakar, on the other hand."- her eyes shone with thrill. "As you said yourself, Halinor, no outside person has even been able to break into their library. That leaves me positively believing that more information about this phantom door and its connection to the cult, will be found there. That's exactly why we're going to the Forbidden Wing of Kandrakar's library."
"I just didn't get what these two words were. The ones which you managed to translate with the Mage's book."- Kadma turned to her friend. Nerissa was just about to open a portal when that reached her ears. She frowned:
"I still need a key of some sort to understand everything written on that door. Why Magana put it there and what she wanted to achieve... I made the said two words out, because of the translated sentence devoted to the cult, which was included in the book. But as you can probably imagine, that sentence only offered a few letters from the banned writing system, the entire thing cannot be translated with it. However, the 'Dark Descendant' has to mean something. Something essential."- her green eyes, defined with matte brownish eyeshadow and dark eyeliner, shone again.
Halinor felt a bittersweet sensation hurl up her soul. She knew that light in her friend's eyes all too well. And while she was glad to see Nerissa's inner guardian, eager to do good and help, she also hoped that certain possibilities for an unwanted turn of events wouldn't wake up the sleeping demons in her.
"I don't understand Raythor. His reforming programs for those prisoners that have a chance to function in the new domestic system are laudable. But Frost? Frost of all people? It just seems like a miscalculation and a bad idea."- Julian voiced his thoughts in front of his son.
The two men were in one of the Palace's sitting rooms. They had just wrapped up a meeting with some of the royal engineers and their plans for the newest factories that were to open around Meridian. Julian was finishing off some of the paperwork that was left after the meeting, while the younger man was rocking his baby son in an attempt to put him to sleep. It wasn't a very easy job, especially today. Killian was in a grumpy mood since morning and with Cornelia being away on a guardian mission, and his grandma undertaking some business of her own, all the cares for him fell on his father. Caleb didn't mind that. He loved being a father and spending time with his son. The only thing that he didn't love was when he couldn't calm his son down. He felt incapacitated when he couldn't seem to bring the little guy serenity and comfort:
"I don't know, dad. At this stage, who cares about that barbarian. It's not like we lack much more serious problems waiting to be dealt with."
He had heard of the captain's decision to release the hunter and let him hunt again, even if under strict royal watch. Frost regaining freedom didn't matter though. Frost was and was forever going to remain, a brute with a pea-sized brain, who they could easily seize any time the situation called for it. As long as he wasn't under some smarter person's patronage, he was not really a menace.
"Howbeit, he has no proof that the brute has mended his ways. Your mother must know something more."
Julian abandoned the paperwork and approached Caleb, reaching for his grandson. The moment he took the baby in his arms, Killian's wailing softened a tad.
"Where is she anyway? Cornelia and the girls went to Calasea, but mom? How do you do that."- the young man changed the subject, as he observed his son becoming more and more calm in his grandfather's arms. His crying had stopped for good. "I've been trying to soothe him for 20 minutes and you managed in seconds!"
"Come now, son. You know this by now. You're just absent-minded."- Julian chuckled, moving his eyes from the baby that was now playing with his beard, to Caleb. "You weren't holding his little head the right way. You have to place your palm under his scuff. Like that."
"Right... You're the best, dad."
With a smile, the older man guided his son's hand before gently returning Killian to him. Fully peaceful by now, the infant lifted his big blue eyes up and gifted his father with the purest, adorable little smile. Caleb couldn't help smiling too. Becoming a father was for sure one of the best things that had ever happened to him. It was a sensation beyond any words. Four were the highlights of his life, which he valued most: Finally seeing a free Meridian after years of fighting for its freedom, meeting Cornelia, making amends with his mother, and having Killian. Those were the four things that Caleb couldn't see himself living without at this stage of his life. He was truly grateful and felt extremely lucky, each time he thought about it.
"She said that she'll be meeting Halinor and Kadma. Then she'll come here."
Caleb looked at his father. Then he realized that the veteran rebel was answering his question about Nerissa.
"Great. Hopefully, when they all come here, some pieces of the Coronian mystery will finally be put together. I mean, you know... Before the Queen takes charge there officially."
"I'm not sure anymore."- Julian stated, rubbing his beard while watching his son put the baby in his stroller-basket.
Caleb turned to face him with raised brows.
"You know, Caleb, the way there's something new coming out to the surface every now and then ever since her Majesty's engagement, discourages me. These people have so many secrets that even now when Phobos and the mad princess are under arrest, I can't seem to shake off of the feeling that there's something twisted in Meridian's union with Coronia...I don't know, it might be because of the two of them, who started a union of their sort first."
"Trust me, I know exactly what you mean."- Caleb nodded grimly. "The golden planet is rustier than any of these people want to admit...Even to their selves. And that room Queen Elyon led us to is yet another proof of that. Don't know, dad...had it been for Meridian's financial state only, I would've tried to talk the Queen out of this marriage. Because it's too dangerous. Too misleading... But alas, with time, she has actually developed feelings for Andan."
Julian shook his head silently. Months ago, Miriadel and Alborn had been supporters of their daughter's marriage with two hands. They had managed to convince him too. The entire kingdom was enchanted by the Coronian ambassadors and their big words...Even Nerissa had approved of it. Then, all these dirty secrets of Coronia had started to reveal themselves. The true reason why Queen Magana was eager to get her son married, the fake death of her daughter, and her relationship with Phobos. Everything had been crumbling down ever since the engagement... And even though so much had happened since there was still so much in the unknown.
"Julian! Caleb! There you are! Did you not hear the horn?! To the front, now!"- all of a sudden, the doors of the room had been slammed open and a visibly out of breath Raythor was facing them expectantly. The emergency horn sounded from above, just now.
"What's the matter, Raythor!? What's happening?"
"There's no time to explain! We're under siege! I repeat, the Palace is under siege!"
Meanwhile on Kandrakar...
The Forbidden Wing was engulfed by dark violet light and shadows, making the three women's way around it quite difficult when it came to actually being able to see. The heavy, tall bookshelves, reaching to the ceiling, were all placed in a labyrinth-like scheme, which only hindered one's orienting around, but Kadma guessed that it was only fair. After all, some of the darkest spells and reading matters in the entire Universe were gathered here. Why, she couldn't wrap her mind around. Perhaps Kandrakar was keeping them away from the wrong hands by creating this wing in their fortress, then again, as practice showed, any guardian could easily break into this vault. Or maybe not any. After all, Nerissa was one of a kind in many matters... The former Earth guardian, herself, had never actually been here, but both her friends had- many times. Nerissa had frequently snuck in to learn about magic, back when they had still been in their teens, and Halinor had maintained some of the units, as a part of her job as a Kandrakarian elder.
But even though they had been here before, making their way to what they were here to find wasn't a piece of cake. Books and parchments in this library weren't sorted by any logical order. In fact, there was no order at all, as Halinor revealed. That was so because these books here weren't meant to be read. There was also no way they could go through each and every unit in searching for Coronian papers- it was simply impossible and would only take them a ton of time. Time which they didn't have...Because, even though the Oracle was in meditation, and they had supposedly masked their auras with that of the present guardians, sooner or later, someone would discover that the fortress has been invaded. Normally, even the guardians were supposed to state their business in Kandrakar; rooming around at will was strictly forbidden...
Well, to be fair, being inside the Forbidden Wing was already a violation enough. Unlike the blonde, Kadma wasn't intimidated by the idea of being caught at the crime scene. If confronted by the elders, she was ready to start a fierce scandal. None of these two-faced, canting fools had any power over her. She was Queen of Zamballa! Yes, that was what she repeated to herself, even though she painfully remembered the last time that hideous Himerish had put her to sleep in his fortress for an entire week during the last stages of Nerissa's redemption... That had been both a punishment and a demonstration...A punishment for her actions, going off the right way and declaring war on a villain in the process of redeeming themselves, and a demonstration that he had enough power to practice control over her. Himerish was a being Kadma openly despised, even after the reunion that had happened in her guardian team. A little too little, a little too late for her to ever consider forgiving him for letting them suffer for years. And in spite of all that, deep inside, she knew he was still Oracle, and she couldn't say she liked it. That truth about him. All that power which he would never use, but there was always that little possibility that he could. He could force his control and power on her if he decided she has gone too far. Especially when she was on Kandrakar; that he had already proved...
And that was the only reason why Kadma Starlighter carried a pinch of respect for the man who had observed her life fall apart all these years ago. Or rather imposed awe. When she was on his territory, though, and not anywhere else.
And while Kadma was busy with her thoughts of pure pride and inviolability, Nerissa was leading them with open striving. A striving to find the answers she was here for and use them to show everyone once again just what hell of a Mage she was. How underrated her work as a guardian had been, how they had forced the circumstances on her and made her the bad guy many times, not even willing to hear the ideas she had about making the Universe a better place...
Those were all old tunes though. She had long decided to concentrate on herself, her family, and Meridian, for which she was responsible. And in order to keep Meridian safe, keeping her promise to Caleb at the same time, she had to know every little thing that had remained buried between Magana's metamorphosis and Leonida's capturing...
"The seeking pedestal is near."- Halinor stated in a low voice. "That I remember full well, for I've polished it many times. But, Nerissa dear, don't forget that you can only say one keyword. Otherwise the Forbidden Wing may declare us as hostile elements and go ballistic- "
"I know, my sweet Hal, I've been here and done that before."- the brunette interrupted her softly and turned around for encouragement: "It will all be copasetic, trust me. We will have what we're here for and leave before you know it."
Halinor smiled with uncertainty. She wasn't too sure about that. But she was also prone to paranoia and she knew it.
"So, evidently, the keyword to be used when on that searcher platform is 'Coronia', correct?"- Kadma said.
"I'd say, yes, Kadma."- Nerissa replied. "It is the most logical option which should summon all materials on the golden planet at our disposal. We'll be able to pick the most suitable ones from then on."
"We should rather try 'Coronian Cults'."- Halinor objected. "Remember that being specific is out of great importance when standing on the seeking pedestal."
They were already standing in front of it by the time she finished that sentence. A small, typically Kandrakar-styled pedestal that lacked a book, of course, stood quietly in the middle of a large section of bookshelves.
Nerissa didn't waste time. Not waiting for Halinor's clarifications, she quintessence-d the pedestal, forcing it to work athwart its rules. After all, as she had already said, she had already used this magical object many times in the past. What could go wrong? Nothing. And if it did, it wouldn't be because of her...
"Coronia!"- the raven-haired guardian commanded, placing her hand on the engraved surface of the pedestal.
A deaf roar went off from all around the wing and almost immediately, books and scriptures, coming from every corner, began circulating around the three former guardians. They were very few, literally could be counted on the fingers of one's two hands. It was more than obvious that Coronia did all they could to ensure their kingdom's good reputation exceeds them, to the point where they had most probably destroyed the majority of their ancient dirty laundry...Halinor was in charge of skimming through each and every one of the papers, as it was essential for Nerissa to keep her hand on the pedestal. Removing it would reset the searching process.
"Well?"- Nerissa asked impatiently. The last book that flew in the circle of summoned objects around them was a fact. She saw its title for a split second. Something about diseases.
"So far there's nothing, Nerissa."- Halinor shook her head. "These are all about the minor mistakes made by the old dynasties, their system before the renovations, and all about their blunders before the Golden Spring shrouded the entire planet in the infamous protecting fog. Nothing about a cult, nothing about a banned lettering system."
Nerissa bit her upper lip. No one had said that it would be easy, but finding nothing even here, in the Forbidden Wing of Kandrakar, where some of the vilest, gruesome spells and stories were locked, was a little too uneasy for her taste. She had looked through so many libraries by now, that she felt sick each time her eyes fell on a bookshelf.
"No, there's nothing here."- Halinor concluded.
"That's impossible."- the ex-keeper snapped with disappointment. "This can't be happening. Neither can I turn Magana back to confront her, nor can I get anywhere near the true essence of Coronia's checkered past."
"I told you you should've tried 'Coronian cults'."- the other woman shrugged almost apologetically. She wanted to help her friend sort the problems that Meridian was facing, but alas. Apparently, this was not the place where that would happen. "But if that will bring you any comfort, I don't think that what you're looking for is here at all. If the Coronians destroyed everything about it centuries ago, as they've done with so much of their dark past, then I'm afraid that answers have most likely never made it here."
"It hasn't been centuries, Magana has kept the ritual alive during her years of reign."- Nerissa argued, crossing her arms on her chest. The search could as well end, it hadn't brought any gain, anyway. "Whatever rite she practiced in that room, it was somehow linked to her daughter and her remarkable insanity which later resulted in her killing the king. Do you think that Queen Magana cursed her daughter to turn into a bird just because of that one crime? As terrible as it is, I don't see it as enough. Leonida has clearly had systematic problems. Serious problems that must have something to do with the cult."
"I'm not denying that, Rissy, I'm just stating some facts that I know for sure about Kandrakar."- Halinor placed a hand on her friend's shoulder compassionately. "Coronia hasn't had any ambassadors from Kandrakar ever since the golden protecting fog has come to existence, many centuries ago. I know for fact, as I was here, that the present guardians were the first guardians to ever be sent there after that. And if they haven't brought anything with themselves, which they didn't, then further intelligence about that cult has never been brought to Kandrakar at all."
Nerissa frowned. Halinor made sense, that was true. It was similar to what Himerish had told W.I.T.C.H anyway. Coronia was an extremely private and internally arranged kingdom. Even though they fell under Kandrakar's watch, there was barely ever any information that they shared with the Fortress of Infinity. The last recorded call for help from them, the first in thousands of years, had been when Will and the others had been called to retrieve the princess.
"Do you feel that."- Kadma suddenly said quietly. She hadn't spoken since the seeking pedestal had been activated. Now she appeared incredibly alert and on pins and needles, drawing her friends' attention in an alarming way.
"Feel what, Kadma? Are you alright?"
"Feel the presence."- the Queen of Zamballa said quietly, to the former Fire guardian's terror. "There's someone in this library with us."
This is terrible, Halinor switched to telepathy and turned to Nerissa. We must leave at once! We can't afford to be discovered here, not when we've already transgressed so many rules in the past-
Not before I've squeezed the last drop of information this place can give me, Nerissa retorted relentlessly and made her way to the pedestal once again. I'm not going to let this slide past me!
Nerissa, no!
You can't use another searching word this soon, Kadma joined in. The Forbidden Wing will expose us!
But Nerissa wasn't ready to give up, nor listen to her friends' pleas. She had always been like that, even on their guardian missions. Kadma shook her head. They had clashed so many times in their youth, many times exactly because of this relentlessness of hers, but she couldn't bear to argue with her now. She knew that if this had been for Zamballa's sake, she'd be acting the same way. Nerissa stubbornly approached the seeking pedestal and uttered quietly:
"The Dark Descendant!"
The semi-invisible wave, the startup of the search process, descended from the pedestal and swept through the entire library. The sparkles slowly died down and then there was silence. Silence that lasted almost a minute ...
Nothing's happening. We must go, Halinor was just saying in the telepathic conversation when they started flying towards them. Thousands of charred books, like a swarm of angry bees.
"What the..."
Kadma saw herself forced to create an invisible dome of telekinesis around them as to protect them from the furious books, aiming to slam into them and strike them down. The entire wing had gone ballistic, just as Halinor had envisaged...
"We must leave!"- she insisted. "The library will betray our location!"
"No, don't you see!"- Nerissa exclaimed, absolutely indifferent to the fact that they could be caught any minute now. "The Dark Descendant is a word combination with extra protection placed upon! It's a taboo! Therefore, it is something of high danger and risk! That is why the library is trying to oust us and conceal the truth..."
Halinor shook her head. It was true that Kandrakar placed additional protection spells on very few writings and scripts, even in the Forbidden Wing. But that presence that they had felt in the library with them, fueled her anxiety. The last thing she wanted was for her and her girlfriends to be caught trespassing the Fortress...
"This means that the authentic writing that all these coaled books are trying to keep in the unknown, will come flying with them, does it not?"- Kadma out-yelled the roar that the swarming books created. "We just have to get it!"
"Exactly! It has no choice but to obey the seeking pedestal."- Nerissa replied, focusing her energy on that piece of information which she was striving to get her hands on. And when she had her heart on something, she never let it go without a true hustle. "I'm tired of looking like an amateur because of the pathetic Coronians. I'm not leaving here before taking it! Not even if the Oracle himself comes to confront me."
Back on Meridian...
Ari watched his men fight from on top of his mare. The way things had turned out, in the end, was not the most sought-after approach, but his son's happiness outweighed everything. Even his gratitude to the guardians who, just like the Queen, were absent.
The thing with that was, that Ari didn't believe that Queen Elyon was truly somewhere else. Her people were hiding her. For all he had heard, she barely ever left her kingdom, and if she did, she was most probably on Coronia. On Coronia, where Ari was slowly starting to believe, some sort of propaganda was actually taking place. Maybe there was a dose of truth in Phillip's words after all. Maybe Kandrakar and its pawns were planning to unite dimensions under one person's reign to control life on all these planets easily. Maybe some people did have the tyrannical ideas that the prince had warned him about.
When he saw the Mage's son in action, these views of the former farmer were confirmed once more. The way that young man fought with such onrush and fervor, scattering the Arkhantian soldiers on his way, defending the kingdom, made it easy to believe that he had what it took to command an entire union of dimensions. Phillip's words and the sentences from that book he had left him with, echoed in Ari's mind as he observed the fight he had started.
"Father."- Maqi's voice sounded behind him, as the boy turned visible again. An invisibility charm from the banshees. It was one of the charms which they had taken with themselves on this mission. "I went around the entire palace and the surroundings. The Royal forces are coming from the east, but it will still take them time to come here and aid the warriors present. They exceed us in numbers, but we took them by surprise. The Palace is weaker without the magic users. Now is the time to carry off with the son of the Mage, so that we can have a bargaining chip for Asa and our requisitions."
"Well done, Maqi."- Ari approved and activated the charm on himself. "We tried peacefully, but it appears that Phillip knew what he was talking about. There's no other way for these people to hear us out. Maybe when we tie the rebel leader down, Meridian will take us seriously."
"This is ridiculous, who do these scums think they are."- Raythor growled from the watching tower. "I've barely ever heard of Arkhanta before! Let alone this girl they're searching for. How did they even make it through the veil?"
"I can't tell you that."- Julian retorted darkly as he watched the battle himself. Caleb was currently fighting on three fronts, managing to take down three soldiers with each blow. But for how long? "All I know is that the guardians and the Queen are unreachable, and we can't wait for reinforcement. I have to help my son. He and Alborn can't keep up on their own. The Arkhantian army uses magic."
"Wait, stay here. Someone must remain in the observation post."- the captain said. "I'll go help Caleb. By the time Miriadel and Drake return with their troupes, the Knights of Vengeance included, Nerissa will have sensed trouble here with her ring, she'll come and-"
"There's no time to talk or prognosticate, Raythor."- the veteran rebel interrupted the other man. "What are you trying to say? You think that I can't fight efficiently anymore? Need I remind you we come close in age- "
Raythor just shook his head. He didn't even get into the long debate about the differences between an Escanor human and a half breed. In fact, what he did say, caught Julian by surprise:
"I'm just looking out for you, mate. You know? So much time of your life you've fought. Fought, suffered, and ran on the right side, unlike me... I want for you to now have time to spend with your family. You deserve to. Anyway..."
Julian blinked. No, there had never been much of a liking between the two of them, but now he considered the captain's words touching. He could openly say he considered him a friend...So much had changed.
"And I appreciate that."- he said earnestly. "Your concern. But I also want to aid my son, myself. Surely you can put yourself in my shoes, Rayhtor. You stay and observe. Everything will be fine."
Raythor nodded somewhat reluctantly, but he couldn't keep insisting. He returned to his post and let the other man head for the battlefield.
What Julian didn't know, however, was that he would fall down before he even made it far enough to join the battle. He was on his way when a spear took off, as if out of nowhere, piercing his shoulder deep...
"Dad!"- Caleb yelled and pushed off the two men he was currently dueling. His heart raced when he saw Julian fall to the hard ground.
Alborn, who was battling another Arkhantian near, also let out an exclamation of shock and surprise, but the battle wouldn't die down just because.
Caleb immediately rushed by his father's side and knelt down, lifting his head up carefully.
"Dad, you'll be alright."- he said, trying to suppress down his shock and fear. He had seen his father injured before, but that didn't help these dark feelings go away. "Take my father to the hospital wing!"
"I'm afraid that won't do, rebel Caleb. You see, the tip of that spear was dipped in a special poison, only I have the antidote to."- a new male voice declared.
Caleb turned around abruptly just in time to see Ari become visible nearby. His expression was dark and unreadable. The young man immediately aimed all his anger and hatred at him:
"Who the hell are you, you dirty bastard?! And how do you know my name? Why did you do this to my father, why did you attack Meridian at all?!"
"Easy. Take it quite easy."- Ari held his index finger in a pointing gesture. "You'll hear everything once you come with me. Come with me and I'll provide your healers with the antidote your old man needs to survive."
"Caleb, I'm fine."- Julian wheezed from the ground. Even though he was still holding good, it was evident he was in pain. "Do not listen to this man, the guardians will soon be here. I will be fine."
"The guardians better be here soon, because they have a lot of explanations to give me."- Ari interjected. "Now, Caleb. Come with me and we will sort this entire mishap through. I will restore your father's health and I'll stop the battle with your soldiers. All you have to do is get in that carriage and come to Arkhanta with me. At once."
Caleb clenched his teeth. He was ready to do what he was told in a heartbeat, as it was for his father's sake and that of Meridian. He wasn't afraid of going with the King of Arkhanta, he was just furious with the situation...Julian's hand was holding onto his wrist as to stop him from obeying Ari. But before Caleb could say or do anything else:
"King Ari! Look out!"- one Arkhantian soldier yelled as an entire storm of electricity came down from the sky.
In the matter of seconds, the battle was ended. The Meridian side left unharmed and the Arkhantian- compared to the ground. The powerful magic did what it was expected to. As the high-voltage lights died down, Ari barely managed to stand on his feet, having suffered being thrown off his dazed mare's back.
"How dare you."- her voice echoed. "How dare you treat my family like that, you lack-all farmer?! I will see you dead."
Nerissa stood in front of her son, in all her glory, glaring spitefully towards the King. The deadly spell was already beaming in her lethal hand...
"Good job, Maqi! Mage, I'm so sorry."- Ari smiled smugly, as the young man that had just turned visible lined next to him, fearlessly. "But that's not how we're going to solve this problem."
"Maqi..."- Caleb, who held his drifting away father, trying to keep him conscious, thought. Why was that name so familiar? The guardians had had business with this man and his son before, that was right...But what exactly...
Nerissa glared at the boy that had just splashed the contents of a flask all over her. What a moronic thing to do! She then looked down at Julian and her heart ached. She had to cure him immediately:
"You have one second to give me that antidote before you learn what a real problem looks like, fools! Quintessence!"
But to her shock, nothing followed. No tingling sensation going to the tip of her fingers. No waves of static electricity feeling in her hair. No nothing. Nerissa looked down and her hands in dismay:
"My powers!"
"Yes, this time you won't have the opportunity to rely on your destructive powers to get out of the situation. I read all about you. Thanks to that book, I knew better than to underestimate you."- Ari declared triumphantly. "My son splashed you with banshee labor waters. They neutralize any spell caster, element wielder, and being resorting to witchcraft, from temporary being able to do so. Now you're just an ordinary woman, Mage. You have no choice but to cooperate."
Nerissa felt a fit coming up. She was about to lose it. What book was this spline talking about? What did he want...Whatever! She glared right up at the Arkhantian ruler's eyes. If there was one thing which he didn't know about her, it was that she had never been an ordinary woman. Never.
"Caleb!"
Caleb understood what his mother wanted without her having to finish her sentence. They were going to take the antidote by force. And as he tackled Maqi, who was nearer to him, Nerissa grabbed Julian's fallen sword and attacked Ari.
Caught by surprise, Maqi was knocked out cold with just one hit. Caleb slugged him so hard, that the young boy fell down. That fueled the anger of Ari, who albeit baffled by this moment, battled the woman with his own sword.
"You will be sorry for this!"- he yelled and reached for the bags full of charms on his belt.
He threw some sort of dust at Caleb before he could rush to help his mother and then disarmed her. Seeing her son immobilized by magic, Nerissa was still not ready to give up. Even without a weapon, she leaped towards the King with contorted in angry malice face.
"Listen to my claims, demonic woman!"- Ari shouted as he struggled to push her off. "That's the only way to save your husband's life!"
"I will end your life!"- the ex-guardian spat in his face and reached for his belt of charms.
The Arkhantian army had come to their senses, they headed towards their ruler, as to aid him, but Alborn, who was watching the scene closely, finally saw a felicitous moment to interfere. On his command, the Meridian soldiers were sent to halt the enemies and the battle began once again. He himself would go help the Mage fight off the King of Arkhanta while he was unguarded...Miriadel and the others were almost here, he knew...They could win this battle.
Ari's painful exclamation stuck in his lungs, as Nerissa kicked him in the groin. She triumphantly tore his belt off, but he caught her wrists and it fell to the ground...
"Let go of me! I will DESTROY you!"- she demanded fiercely, but his natural male superiority was in the brute strength. The last thing which Nerissa managed to do, before he swung her, turning her back towards himself, was scratch his face with her manicured nails.
Ari roared with pain, but he was still capable enough to press the raging woman's hands behind her back and bring the blade of his, previously fallen sword, in a threatening position in front of her neck.
"Not another move, you darned witch!"- he hissed. "All of you, stand where you are if you wouldn't like to see your Mage beheaded! Stop at once!"
Alborn stopped dead in his tracks. All the soldiers also stopped fighting. By his master's sign, one Arkhantian healer nodded and rushed towards the unconscious prince. Ari looked around himself, careful not to give Nerissa a chance to escape, and then smiled wryly:
"Peace at once. Believe it or not, we're not here to be hostile, Mage. Now, when all this is sorted out, we have about 15 more minutes to strike a deal and save your husband's life. What do you say? Now, will you finally choose to listen to me?"
Nerissa struggled to free herself in vain, as the hateful expression on her face started to melt into defeat. The entire soldier squad stood in their places, unable to give her a hand. Her son was paralyzed near her feet and her husband was on the verge of dying...And she? She tried numerous times, but she could still not do a thing about it. She was powerless.
The former guardian swallowed the humiliation and insult, ready to acknowledge the inconceivable reverse. She, a guardian of the Heart and an unstoppable force for order, had just been bested by one ordinary farmer and his belt of borrowed tricks.
FYI: Phobos started this mess with Arkhanta when he sowed the seeds of doubt in Ari and kidnapped Asa, in chapter 16. Now Ari's blinded by his anger and the desire to keep his positions, without even suspecting that he has already agreed to Phobos's terms. Stay tuned!
Trivia: levent* (from Turkish)- handsome young man
langa*- a traditional dress worn mainly in South India by young girls. It is also known as the two-piece sari or half sari
