Chapter 46: The Knights of Nature
"Until you realize how easy it is for your mind to be manipulated, you remain the puppet of someone else's game."
The Royal Meridian Palace...The sun hadn't even begun to rise and illuminate it yet. It was very early in the morning. The plains around as well as the area were desolated. Utterly unguarded.
"Unguarded."- a male voice said with open enthusiasm. "Look around. Early in the morning, the castle is unguarded, we can take advantage of that, father. We ought to be fast, we cannot waste time- "
"The guards are not only people, Emery."- the older man said calmly, baffling his son. "You'd be surprised what the locals are willing to uncover for some gold. Some local people have witnessed the guardians and the former guardians putting special magical defenses all around the Palace. So that even when the veiling around the castle itself is shredded, Leonida and Phobos remain prisoners as long as possible."
"And so that we can't assist their escape."- Emery finished grimly and his father nodded again. "Curses! What kind of defenses? How shall we get past them? We need the deluded royals out so that we can harness all of their power and have them use it for us. For the gold-blooded..."
"Keep your voice down!"
Emery looked down in shame. He was indeed being too loud and if they were to be heard or caught trespassing the big veil, everything could be damned...
"This is one of the weakest links of our plan. Weakest points to get past. Look, son, we're safe from most eyes, but we can still be heard, hence I ask of you to keep your voice hushed."- Visser narrated calmly, as he started to make circles around his son. Their magic long dark blue mantles with hoods made them unrecognizable. Right in that very moment, the old man looked like a dark-blue gust of wind flowing around a shadow...
"Of course, father, forgive me- "
"-there's nothing to forgive you for. Elemental golems, Emery. The guardians have created elemental golems to guard the palace even when their breathing soldiers are resting. They've concealed themselves with the flora around, but they're here. Under the earth. In the air...the ember flying around from the village fireplaces, the smoke and the water droplets on the leaves of the plants...
*FLASHBACK*
"...Our elements are all around us. Everywhere the eye sees and beyond it! We can still do a lot with that. We shall make sure that no one, no matter how powerful and strategic, will ever be able to unbridle the two scumbags that are locked in there with all that stolen power!"- Kadma declared fervently. Her long side braid flew with the wind as she levitated above the plains.
"Until they've mastered all the stolen power and break out on their own."- Will added grimly.
"Think positive, Will, that is inevitable."- Halinor said. "Remember the books said it and we planned it together. That, however, doesn't mean that we have to make it easy for the enemies to get to more success."
Will sighed but nodded. She was right.
"Let's do this."- Irma agreed. The other guardians nodded as well. They were ready. They were ready to create an army of their own.
"It will be tiring and draining, girls. You will need your rest once we've assembled..."
"We know."- Cornelia interrupted the older blonde. "But we have to do this. We have to assemble an army before Phobos and Leonida have."
"Leonida sent Nerissa away, she and her cult are responsible for our mishaps, troubles, and that of many others! But we will never allow her evil to thrive at the expense of our lives and the future of our worlds."- Kadma shook her head with unimaginable hatred but also determination. "We will now create soldiers of our powers! An army made of the elements! Water, fire, earth, air, and quintessence! Elemental golems that are powerful and strong enough to hold fronts and prevail in wars!"- everything around them started to shake as the seven women wielded their powers at the same time, aiming at everything they could get to, giving it shape, form, and purpose...The golems circled the plains around the Palace, expanding and multiplying in number, aiding each other and growing individually...When it was almost complete, when they stood before them in all their glory, a good amount of time later and after a lot of tiring hard work on the guardians' part, a triumphant yell escaped Kadma's throat:
"Behold, Meridian; the Knights of Nature have come to protect you!"
*end of FLASHBACK*
"Nature is among the most powerful forces, Emery. And these golems are the knights of Nature. They never lower their guard."
Emery thought about it for a second:
"How are we- "
"We lay low and scheme, son. We wait for the felicitous moment to take our puppets out of the palace."
"But how are we to take them out of the palace if these golems are a constant presence here?"- the young man insisted. "If our army stands no chance to these creations..."
"Their power is fueled by two hearts, when Leonida masters the control over all worlds united with Phobos' magic contracts, united willingly, that is, we will have much more than two mystic hearts on our side."- Visser summarized for him. "Until then, however, we are no match for them."
"And the Heart...the Heart of Coronia, father?"
"Oh, that will be our main guerdon."
"OK, I had a bad thought."- Cornelia announced after getting to their table at "Golden's" garden zone. She and her friends had just met there for breakfast and she had returned to the table bearing more than bagels and coffee.
"Don't you hate the new self-service policy that "Golden" introduced because of the stupid plague?"- Irma murmured under her nose, reaching for some of the food which the other woman had just brought.
"Well, it's our responsibility to keep the "plague" out of town, Irma." - Taranee pointed out. "It's much easier to do that by limiting social interaction which isn't tested beforehand. We really don't need a deadly virus to add to our problems."
"She has a point."- Will nodded making Irma roll her eyes:
"Please, when does she not have a point- "
"You guys!"- Cornelia demanded their attention, slamming her fists against the table. "I said I had a bad thought about the night of the fashion show, can we not bring global world problems into this? It's freaking 9 am!"
"Is that why you said "freaking" instead of "fucking"? Morning shows?"- Irma teased, winning herself a handful of reproachful looks.
"Sorry, Cornelia, but your bad thoughts lately have been freaking all of us out."- Hay Lin admitted on everyone's behalf.
This time it was Cornelia's turn to roll her eyes before sitting down on the garden couch next to Taranee:
"Yes, I made an estimate of that. Whatever, the point is that I have a lot of free time on my hands. Maybe too much."- she made a pause to study all her friends' faces. They were studying her back. Altogether, as if she was a science project. Great. "I think that it's not a coincidence. It was not a coincidence I got locked in that dressing room just before someone messed with the video material."
"We...we already talked about that, Cornelia."- Taranee began carefully after a minute of complete silence post the blonde's utterance. "You said that already and we said we agree, remember?"
"Yeah, Corny, have you been losing sleep again?"
"No!"- Cornelia huffed and then sighed. "And yes. Just hear me out! I mean that Sondra wants to set me up or something. And I'm sure of it now. All the "special treatment" she has for me is beyond sketchy. Do you even know much more she paid me in comparison to the other girls' honorariums?"
"Did you ask them?"- Will inquired.
"Yes. I talked to them. All of them, actually. I made a virtual room and had a chat with the other models."- Cornelia nodded heatedly, rolling the sleeves of her elegant black blazer up. "I got twice their money for that one stupid event. Twice their pays! That's a lot of money, definitely not an amount someone like me makes for one fashion show that wasn't even that grand. And not only that, all of these girls have years of practice, they've all been active during the last five years unlike me. They have skills and recognition and names for themselves. They have to work hard to even be there and meanwhile that nationality-faking bag lady with duck lips, Sondra, tries to convince me that she just gives it all to me on a platter cuz we knew each other for three weeks a hundred years ago? Yeah, I might have bought that before that failure of an expose video she played at the show."
"Those are a lot of bad thoughts, Cornelia, but you're probably right. I mean you are, undoubtedly, someone is trying to expose us."- Taranee nodded once Cornelia was done with her long rant. "I just don't understand why would Sondra-"
"No, that's not the bad thought I had in mind when I began telling you all this."- the Earth guardian interrupted her. "I...I think that these are two different things or at least that there's more to it. More than just exposing our double identities to the general public and destroying our secret."
"More?!"- Irma repeated indignantly as if that wasn't enough:
"There's this rumor."- Cornelia went on again. "Two years ago, Sondra allegedly set up one of her models and whatever it was about, that girl is still in jail, refusing to say a word about what actually happened according to her sister. It's her sister who kept saying that it was a setup, directed by Sondra, but there was no physical evidence. They convicted that model for murder and Sondra got away with it."
Her friends' jaws just dropped at that part:
"Murder?!"- Hay Lin exclaimed in shock. "Whose murder?"
"How do you know that?!"- Will wanted to know.
Cornelia met their eyes and shook her head:
"I don't. I told you, it's a rumor. I wanted to get in touch with the sister of the convicted model, but so far, I've had no luck with that. Anyway, here comes the actual bad thought part: what if Sondra's an actual criminal who happens to look for sacrificial lambs to take the blame for her when the need arises. Her models, she has almost full control over them, they're perfect for that. So, she found me through the stupid agency and decided to pin something on me too. That's why she lured me into signing a contract with her brand and now showers me with these fake VIP privileges. She's just tightening the noose around my neck; what if she investigated me to see whether I fit for another sacrificial lamb and discovered something about us being guardians on the go? Something about Kandrakar? That would totally explain that creepy video they played at the show!"
"If Sondra knows about us and wants us to take the blame for something instead of her, we can't escape it."- Taranee came to realize, horrified. "Not if we don't take things into our hands now."
"Yeah, maybe the video was just to show us that she has the control."- Will added grimly. "If Sondra wants to blackmails us then- "
"Sorry to interrupt, but you're all sounding crazy today!"- Irma exclaimed, setting her coffee down loudly. "Come on, you girls, with everything that we already have to deal with beyond Heatherfield, how can you be creating more problems for us like that, here, out of the blue?"
"Irma, we're just talking possibilities over-"
"No, you're giving me a headache! Reality check, s'il te plait* ("please" from French) - Sondra's a stupid cunt and we have magic on our hands, if she tries to come and blackmail us, we turn her into a frog and call it a day."
Will and Taranee could just exchange looks, knowing exactly what was to follow:
"So mature of you, I'm connecting dots, trying to be a step ahead of the person who almost busted us two nights ago and you're sitting here, making stupid statements as usual."- Cornelia bared her teeth at the Latina. "Our magic doesn't make us invincible, Irmy."
"You did not connect dots, Corny, you jotted down enough ideas for an entire season of "Pretty Little Liars". You've been binge-watching again, haven't you? I can check on my Netflix-"
"If it were that easy to deal with everyone who doesn't have magic, Serena and Jessie wouldn't have fucked us over like they did!"
"Girls, keep it down, we don't want other people to hear this!"- Hay Lin demanded, making them lower their voices:
"Serena and Jessie were a mistake, OK?"- Irma growled. "It was a different situation; they didn't come trying to expose us for our Kandrakar business. But I get it, they caused us trauma. A lot of trauma. More for some of us than for the rest."- Irma sighed, her gaze floating over to Will. "In general, I get it no worse than you do, we can't afford to be exposed nor traumatized like that. And it will not happen again, especially not with that bitch."
"Irma's right about that. We will not let ourselves be caught by surprise or be turned into cornered rats."- Taranee pushed her glasses back. "Don't worry, Cornelia, this time we're all together in this. We will get things back under our control."
"That's all I need right now, honestly."- the blonde admitted, a few sips of coffee later, when she had made amends with the situation. She didn't even feel like fighting with Irma today. "A little sense of control back."
"Matt?"- Will wasn't surprised when she found her boyfriend in his car, parked in the hospital's parking lot. That was where he would spend all his free time ever since Herbert's accident.
"Hey, Will. What's up?"- the man tried to smile, he tried, but it was stronger than him. His worries and sadness...
Will sighed as she opened the door, got in the car, and closed the door behind herself.
"I brought you something for lunch."- she said cautiously, nodding at the paper bag in her lap.
Matt barely acknowledged it, he just smiled absent-mindedly.
"What did the doctors-"
"They said nothing. Everything's the same as it was this morning."- he replied starkly. "There's nothing that they can do, nothing that I can do, I-"
"Matt."- Will interrupted him and finally made him look over at her. When she would use that tone, she demanded attention and he was well aware of it.
"I spoke to Cornelia and she will come here today, with Irma, she'll try her healing powers on grandpa Olsen. We will try to get him past critical care, that's the least we can do."
"Will, I don't want to risk-"
"There is a bigger risk if we don't try magic."
She had interrupted him again. She sighed. She knew why he wasn't keen on trying magic to help his grandfather. Back when her condition had been serious, because of the poison Jessie had given her, Lillian and her regents had tried to help her but had ended up sending her to the ICU again. They had known it forever, but that had been just one good reminder that magic and healing didn't always work well together.
"Lillian's relatively new to her magic, it's much more than ours, she's literally an entire Heart...You know what Yan Lin and the others said, it's common for it to backfire like it did for me, that doesn't mean that it's always the case. Besides, Cornelia has special healing powers, she's been doing it for a decade. There's a difference."- the redhead continued. "Look, if you don't agree, we won't do it, but if you think rationally, it's pointless to just stand by when we have an actual opportunity to help-"
"When can she come and do it."- it was Matt's turn to interrupt her. He didn't look too convinced, but he was desperate. "Cornelia. I'm asking because I suppose that someone has to distract the staff in order for her to sneak in the ICU unit and- "
"In 5 hours. She and Irma will come together, they just have to run some errands around town beforehand. Don't worry, they will manage everything."
"That would be great."- Matt sighed and took her hand in his. He was eternally grateful for having her in his life. Having become a part of her life... A life of a guardian. They had had their fair share of ups and downs, breaks and hardships over the years, but they had always loved each other strongly.
"What are you doing today? We could go somewhere, take a walk outside Heatherfield or something. I could use the distraction."
"That sounds like an awesome idea and we can go right after I come back from Coronia."- Will smiled and kissed him on the lips.
"Oh, yeah, Coronia. With my grandpa being in the hospital you stopped updating me on that. How's it going?"- Matt wanted to know. He gently put his hand behind his girlfriend's neck, gazing into her eyes. "Are you any close to catching the cult people who've been supporting Leonida from inside the Palace?"
"I hope so, yes."- Will nodded. Now that she was thinking about it again, she wasn't so sure, but she could hope. "I'm going there with Taranee and Hay Lin in an hour. We have an opportunity which should not be missed."
Meanwhile, down in Heatherfield's luxurious "White Gardenia Hotel" two maids were making their way towards the biggest "queen" apartment in the building. Two maids - a shorter curvier one with a long black ponytail and a tall slimmer one with short platinum blonde hair that barely got to cover her ears. The two maids pushed a cart full of cleaning supplies on their way, as the soft material of their uniforms made an odd sound intact with their walking. The taller one turned to the shorter and glared:
"I can hear your stupid jacket ruffling, Irma, you've done a poor job with your glamour again. You're not supposed to just visually change- "
"Give me a break, will you, you should be grateful that I managed at the visual part this time."- Irma hissed. "Glamouring is not my thing."
Cornelia made a face but didn't say anything. They had reached the door of Sondra's apartment. She was just about to use her ID card when the door opened from the inside. Both women stared in perplexity:
"Oh, good, you've finally come."- Sondra exclaimed. She was dressed in Gucci from her shoes to her underwear, as Irma noticed by the bra under the see-through blouse. "I am going out. Get to work. You know what to do, lick it up. Don't make me get you fired like those last two maids, do your job the best way possible."
- Why don't you lick up my ass instead, you stupid-
- That looks like her laptop! - Cornelia alerted, interrupting Irma's pissed mental comeback. - We need her laptop, Irma, if she takes it with herself, we will have knocked these two maids out in vain! Do something!
Irma's eyes fell on the black bag in Sondra's hands. Cornelia was right. They had to take the laptop, after all, that was one of the main things they had wanted to go through...
"Hey, Mrs. Tecampo! Wait a minute- "
"I'm in a hurry."- Sondra frowned when Irma got in her way. "What do you want? Make it quick! I will decide whether I'll give you a tip once I inspect the quality of your work- "
"No, no, it's not that. I just think that you'd rather leave this here. You don't need it with you today."- Irma began, making sure to keep eye contact. "You want to leave your laptop and phone in your room. You want to go out and have some free time from all the work."
"But I need my electronics to-"- Sondra tried to protest, even though she was already under the influence of the water guardian's persuasive powers...
"No, you don't. You need to leave your laptop and phone and then take a long walk to the other end of town. You want to keep walking until you're there and don't get distracted. Just walk. Walk..."
"Walk..."- Sondra murmured under her nose, unwittingly letting Irma have her laptop and the phone which she had been holding. Then she just picked up and kept walking just like she had been told.
Irma watched her disappear from view with a smug smile before turning to meet Cornelia's raised eyebrows:
"What? I thought that we could as well check her phone too. We just need to hurry; I don't know when will she snap out of it. It may be minutes."
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go!"
The inside of the apartment was big and modern, luxurious and surprisingly clean. She had been to this hotel before, but never in the really exclusive apartments. Either way. Irma didn't understand what were they even expected to clean, assuming they were maids here for real. Then she tried getting in the phone, but Sondra had a six-digit password. The disappointing thought that the computer had a password as well soon caught up with them.
"She has a password for everything, now what."- Irma growled, sitting on the bed while Cornelia went around the apartment, opening drawers and doors. "Even the laptop has one, of course, why am I even surprised. Everyone puts some sort of security on their shit, what is left for a criminal mastermind."
"We have to take them to Martin or something. Maybe he can crack the passwords."
"We can't just steal her stuff!"- Irma exclaimed.
Cornelia turned around to give her a dirty look:
"Why not? You were soo pumped and smug about how she couldn't touch us and we could do whatever we wanted because of our magic."
"Because if something from her room goes missing, they'll press charges against the two girls which we put to sleep down in the staff room."- the water-witch shook her head. "Remember, the real maids I gave a dehydrating daze in order to knock out, take their badges, and pose as them?"
"Yeah, whatever, I got it, we're not stealing anything."- Cornelia waved her hand dismissively and then put hands on her waist in irritation. Irma was being thoughtful for a change, but she was just angry. Their plan to snoop around was suddenly looking useless. She wouldn't find anything while going through Serena's panties. Her secrets were most definitely in the two devices which were off-limits to her and Irma.
"So now what?"
Irma seemed to think about it for a second.
"Maybe we can-"
She had a brilliant idea, but she couldn't voice it to her friend, because there was someone at the door of the apartment. Someone that had just walked in with an ID card. Irma and Cornelia could only huddle next to each other as a relatively handsome man in his late 30s stopped in his tracks, practically checking them out:
"Not bad. I like that you kept the uniforms."- he snickered. "We have about an hour and a half left. Let's do this, kitties. Come to daddy."
- Ew, what the hell! - Irma raged, totally taken aback by that entrance. - Who is that gelled creep and how dare he think that I'll let him tap that booty?!
- That's...that's Mr. Tecampo. - Cornelia replied uneasily. - That's Sondra's husband.
- Huh?!
"Oh, you're being shy. Have something to drink, the alcohol is over there." - Mr. Tecampo laughed and pointed at the other end of the living room. "I have ordered more stuff; they will be coming shortly. I will just freshen up; you make yourselves comfortable."
And with that he started walking towards the Master bathroom, leaving the two friends alone and utterly stunned by the situation they had just found themselves in.
"What the actual hell. Why is the actual owner of the brand hitting on us?! His wife just walked out of here-"
"No, he's not hitting on us, Irma, I think... I think that he and these two girls have talked this through already." - Cornelia murmured. "That would explain why he acts like he knows us."
Irma needed a hot second for that to sink in. Then, having connected the dots, she made a face of repulsion:
"Oh, boy... Now, what do we do?"
Cornelia shook her head:
"We take the laptop and the phone and get the hell out of here. Now! Before that animal has come back and dragged us to his bed."
"But-"
"You said you had an idea how to do it! Hurry up, Irma, if you've changed your mind about that jerk Todd Tecampo, I haven't!"
Irma growled under her nose. Her friend could be too much, way too much, but there was nothing she could do to tame that in her. She knelt down with the two electronics and got to work...
"Are you two ready?"- Todd Tecampo came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, with a wide smile and a towel wrapped around his waist. "Are you hiding, you naughty maids? Come to daddy!"- he laughed and started checking around the apartment, but in vain.
It was empty, but the door hadn't budged. He checked once again because his irritation and confusion grew. Unbelievable... How had the two girls bailed on him, leaving the door locked on the inside?
Taranee took another decisive step forward. The long golden corridor, pure marble floors, gem-encrusted walls, and diamond columns were painfully familiar at this point. They were in the Coronian Royal Palace. They had been here so many times by now, but the magnitude and royalty of the building continued to be as striking as always. The room they were headed for now, however, wasn't one they had ever stepped foot in. That was exactly why they had to get in it without appearing mannerless. After all, this room belonged to the Queen's second most trusted man in the kingdom.
"This is Visser's room, right, Dua?"- Hay Lin turned to the child with a friendly tone, hovering low enough to put a hand on his little shoulder.
Dua nodded. He was still a little bit uneasy, being taken with the guardians on a mission, for the first time without anyone from his family, but Hay Lin had done her best at keeping him calm. They needed him to be their tour guide to all those places where the others seemed to be unwilling to lead them to. Like Visser's room for instance...
"It's locked."- Will announced, but it was more of an observation than an actual obstacle. Seconds later, the guardian had witched the door and they were all successfully in, invading the old caretaker's personal space.
"I feel bad. He seems like such a good guy."- Hay Lin sighed, beginning to go through his room.
"Yeah. Maybe too good to be right."- Taranee murmured. "We've wasted so much time on trying to catch the culprit slash culprits from the Palace. Visser knows that. And I'm not the only one who's had the feeling he purposely hinders our progress."
"He does."- Will confirmed grimly. She opened drawers and moved objects around the spacious room with her powers. She wanted to have every corner of this place examined and overturned. "Whether it's because his principles insist he looks out for the good name of the royal court or because he has things to hide...we're yet to find out. When did they say he's returning?"
"They didn't know. Nobody knows where Visser and Emery are, even though they usually inform other exalted members of the staff."- Hay Lin shrugged.
She was a little anxious, yet she kept going through the old man's wardrobes. When around him, she could tell that he was not completely honest. About almost anything. Especially as of late.
"Grandma used to insist that they inform her personally."- Dua called in hesitantly. He looked down. Something about the little boy's childish presence and boyish innocence seemed to have died even more during these last months in which they were interacting with him again. After everything he had been through at such an early age, it was no surprise to Taranee who had sincere compassion and affection for him when she saw him so down. "But ever since she's gone, Visser began to go out more. Emery didn't even reside in the Palace anymore, grandma wasn't here to make him like before."
"Wait, what do you mean make him?"- Will wanted to know. "Your grandma made Emery live in the Palace against his will before her accident, is that right?"
They didn't want to spur the child, but they could use to hear all that he knew. And the more he trusted them and felt comfortable around them, the more he would confide to them. Apparently, that was now happening.
Dua nodded and went to snuggle in Hay Lin. He seemed to really like her. She smiled and fondled his head.
The three guardians looked at each other at the new piece of information.
"But why-"
"I don't know."- the boy admitted. "He just didn't. He didn't like it here. When grandma disappeared, he went away, and he and Visser had more time."
"More time? More time for what?"
Dua shrugged again.
"Their things. I dunno, I just think that you're right to suspect them. It's why I wanted us to see this room first."
Will felt her heart starting to beat faster. It wasn't even the fact he hadn't used the usual complicated speech that the young royals usually resorted to, something in her started screaming red flags. Red flags about Visser, which she had been oblivious to until now. But now she started to remember things...
The mysterious murder that had manipulated Elyon to get married faster. Emery had somehow become Andan's bodyguard just at the time. Then he had arrived to stir the pot at dinner in Meridian, dropping the bomb about the wedding, which Elyon and her parents had set a date for behind their backs. Then she vaguely remembered Emery being among the rioters who had demanded the wedding be held earlier before that...He had claimed he wanted to stop them, but it really could be that he was secretly ushering them to riot... Then again, no one had known he was Visser's son until Dua told Hay Lin and Taranee at that dinner, months after they met him first.
The engagement party. The one who had been restless to have all formalities in order - that had been exactly Visser. Then Visser had tried to stop them from taking Dua, when Elyon had called them the night of the surprising riot to inform them about Magana's hidden room, which only Dua could open. Visser was also the one who never had anything particular to say about Leonida and her short reign, ending with her being cursed and banished from Coronia. Every other staff member had comments, but he, he who had been a part of the royal court for over 50 years didn't?!
Will shook her head. No, they had almost been aiming at the dark before this, but now she was more than sure that there was something fishy about Visser and his son, and all the little things they had missed during the last months were evidence to that.
"Dua, has something particular happened as of late that you feel like made you think and feel all that about them?"- Taranee asked in a calm, cautious tone.
Dua seemed to think about it for a second and then he just walked to the big eastern wall of the room and placed his hand on it.
"What the-"
"An invisible glamour."- Will murmured under her nose as she and her friends watched a bookshelf appear on the wall which had been empty a moment ago.
"A few days ago, when uncle Andan took me to the Palace for my fencing practice I saw Emery walk out of a room. A room that appears to be hidden in this one. His father's bedroom."- Dua said. "This shelf, it disappeared behind him, but I can make it move. I tried to when I was sure that he was far enough. There is another big room behind it and there's no other way leading to it beside this invisible bookcase."
And as if to add even more relevance to his words, the Heart appeared around Will's neck and started to flow and glow, as if attracted to the books like a magnet.
"It won't move though."- Hay Lin complained trying to push the bookcase to reveal the entrance.
"One of the books has to be the hidden key."- Taranee insisted. She started pulling the books, sending them to the ground, but nothing followed. "It has to! Crap, why isn't it working?"
"Um, Taranee, why are all of these books empty then?"- Will frowned. She opened every one which Taranee had thrown. There were no words in them, nor ink. Only blank pages.
"Because they're not real!"- Hay Lin exclaimed. The Heart pulsed its mystic light at her words and there were suddenly no bookcase nor books to be seen anymore. "This is another glamour!"
The three guardians were now standing in front of another mystic wall made of dark stone which had no knob, no handles, no locks on itself. Just a plain wall.
"It won't budge."- Will shook her head. "Something is-"
"I told you I can open it."- Dua called in again, perplexing the three women with his next statement. "Just like that door of grandma's hidden room. I just put my hand on it and it opens."
"Blood sorcery again."- Taranee murmured, her eyes going wide when Dua did put his hand on the wall and it did start to open in two. He was right. The kid's blood opened the door. But why? Why was it always Dua the key to all these hidden rooms around the Edifice?
- Why would Visser make Dua capable of opening his secret study...- Will began through telepathy, throwing a look inside the room they had just walked in. - ...when Dua is of royal blood. This means that anyone from the royal family could've opened the room?
- No, it doesn't. Andan couldn't open Magana's room (chapter 25).- Taranee reminded her.
- But Andan is Magana's son... - Hay Lin looked puzzled. - If Dua could open the room, why couldn't he? Dua is her grandson? Does it skip a generation, I don't get it...
- And why is Dua able to open this secret study just like Emery. Emery isn't of royal blood.- Will shook her head. - Moreover, what the fuck is this place? What is going on again?! We have to get answers, girls. I have a terrible feeling about all this.
Almost everyone on Meridian seemed to be ailing that day. Everyone in the capital and the surrounding areas, to be more exact. Where the Queen's defense was centered... People couldn't get up on their feet, what was left fight. After all, unbeknownst to them, the poison had been all around them for days now. Their soil. Their wells. Their foods and goods, everything they touched was marked with it. It had rained through the sky, a rain which was filled with a magical poison which none of them had seen before, not even the Mage, who wasn't present on Meridian, to begin with... It wasn't a normal viral disease; it wasn't even a magical one. It was enchanted poison created by a crazed man, many years ago. He had tried to use it in Coronia, but alas, it hadn't been successful. Now, decades later, his brother had used it in Meridian, seizing the entire capital and making them unable to try to stop the two tyrants from escaping the weakened veil around the Palace...
"I told you we should be waiting for a felicitous moment. And that moment has come. The Knights of Nature fought mightily, but in the end, they had to save their people from the effects of the curse which poisoned their water, fire, air, and soil, my son. Had we sent armies against them, they would've failed, no matter what. Nature is one of the greatest forces to exist...but it has to look out for itself and renew to avoid being destroyed. Living in a world full of harmful to the environment things, the guardians really should know that. That is exactly what happened here. Their invincible knights, the elemental golems, eventually left their positions. The water golems had to go fight the poison in the capital's water sources. The air golems must try to purify the air around the poor people who are suffering. Earth has to survive the poison in the soil and fire has to burn again, untouched by my brother's ingenious magic...And energy? Quintessence? Oh, energy always goes towards other energy. It had to get all other elements moving today when the Knights of Nature retreated in the name of a new battle, a battle that comes naturally to all of them. The battle of the defiled environment is, after all, much more serious than simply guarding the failing veil. And without the sources of their powers, the guardians, the knights made the only possible choice, they have retreated, Emery. Our mission here is complete. Nothing stops the tyrants from going out of the Meridian Palace anymore. Nothing!"
Emery looked at his father, absolutely thrilled and in awe.
"You've bested yourself again, father. I'm proud of you! You knew just what needs to be done. And you did it."
"We did it."- Visser smiled. The sun was setting behind the plains in the distance. Father and son hugged in front of the massive Meridian Palace. "All of us. Me, you, and our late brothers and sisters. The gold-blooded are the victors together..."
A tear of pure happiness rolled down the young man's face as he turned around to look at the Palace again.
"And now?"
"Now, our dear Queen and her Prince are going to join us in freedom, together with their little descendant. To serve our cause, that is..." - Visser pulled out the signal gun from his pocket and aimed it towards the skies above the castle. He fired it twice. He and his son looked at each other with smiles once more.
A few minutes later, the big grand entrance doors finally opened again, after weeks.
Leonida emerged out of the castle in a royal bronze gown, her daughter and a huge smile, followed by Phobos in his dark robes and smugness.
"Ah."- the prince mused dramatically, eyeing the two men like a sly wolf. "Freedom at last."
"Your Majesties."- Visser and Emery bowed down respectfully in front of the royal couple. "It's our honor to meet you here today!"
The baby in the young woman's arms started crying at the sound of their voices as if even she was aware of their true nature more than her oblivious, power-crazed parents, but Leonida just caressed her little head and cooed it away:
"Now, now, my sweet Opal. Don't cry. This world, just like many others will soon be under our thumb. You will rule over the United Dimensions beside your mommy and daddy, right? You need not cry; you need to get to know everything that belongs to us!"
"Visser couldn't have betrayed me! He...He is like a father to me!"- Queen Magana refused to believe it, even after being brought to the secret study behind the old man's wall. Even though she was sitting on a chair, surrounded by so many pieces of evidence to the man's true identity.
"Like a father or a father. What is the truth, Queen Magana?"- Halinor insisted.
"Excuse me?!"
Over three hours had already gone by in investigation and talking. The bewitched entrance to the study was destroyed, making it an ordinary room. Taranee and Hay Lin had returned to the study in the Palace, leaving Dua home with Andan and taking the old Queen and Elyon with themselves. Halinor and Kadma had joined them too, as everyone had to come together in order to decide what happens next.
"You're not excused!"- Kadma yelled in her face, slamming her staff in the floor. "So many years, the main branch of that cult has been living with you, like a father you say? But what is the truth! Look around yourself and answer our questions in full honesty and detail for once!"
"Queen Kadma, she's in shock, you can't expect of her to be sharp like an arrow in a moment like this."- Elyon came to the older Queen's defense and stood in front of her like a shield, much to Taranee's distaste. "Do you even know what coming to know that someone so close to you has betrayed you feels like?"
"I really can't say, have you forgotten what happened to us, the original guardians, 50 years ago?"- Kadma didn't remain obliged. She soared above Elyon and Magana and roared again: "Our close ones and kingdoms have all suffered enough, if we keep being undermined like that, we will never get the lost power and Nerissa and her family back, nor will we be able to protect our kingdoms from Phobos and your sick daughter! Coronia and Meridian's powers are in that baby now! And that caretaker and his son have directed everything under our noses!"
Magana sobbed. She seemed to be mentally trapped in a world of her own. Elyon, who was just as impatient and disturbed as everyone else, just maybe a little more collected when it came to her mother-in-law, knelt down and took her hands in her own:
"Now it's not the time to give in to despair, Mother Magana. Phobos and Leonida will soon be free. We have to act now before that has happened-"
"We have to set all cards on the table once and for all too." - Taranee interjected and went around the big table. "We can't afford to be surprised like that anymore. Please. We need to know the full story. Now."
"TALK, MAGANA OF CORONIA!"
"Kadma."- Halinor quietly put a hand on the other's woman's shoulder, before her yelling and anger could go out of control, creating earth activity capable to tear the study down. "Calm down."
"If you're talking about why Visser and Emery chose to betray the crown, why they support the Dark Descendant cult and why they've done all this, then I don't know! I have no idea, and I'm appalled by it!"- Magana cried and stood up. "I..I know that my mother might know more, I'm sure of it, actually, but she's gone now and-"
"We're talking about Dua and his connection to them, Queen Magana."- Hay Lin sighed loudly and looked at her in the eye. "Please. Tell us, is it possible that you're Visser's daughter, why was Dua the key to both secret rooms, what is it with his blood?! Why-"
"It makes sense now when I know that they're enemies. But it didn't back then, alright? I thought that I was doing the right thing!"
Magana screamed in agony. She tore her bun apart, pulling her hair and shaking her head frantically, further shocking everyone present. Her appalling screams echoed in the walls.
Kadma was close to slapping her back to her senses when the woman fell down to her knees and started crying. All this was too much for her. All the lies, all the deceits. Her ruined life... The more she thought of it, the more she realized: her life had been ruined by the man she used to think of as a father:
"...Dua is Emery's son. He's not Leonida's son. I replaced Leonida's son with him when her evil powers k-killed the baby."- Magana said in a tiny voice after all her desperate wails had wrecked her vocal cords.
"What!?"
"Her powers, her nature...They had already killed my mother. Later they killed her father. I thought so, I was sure it was true, it was so very devastating... I b-believed I was doing the right thing... I really believed that she killed all of them. I-I..."
"Mother Magana, please try to calm down."- Elyon was crying now too. So were Halinor and Hay Lin. Kadma and Taranee were in shock as the hazel-eyed woman went on with her horrific tale:
"O-one day, I found Leonida holding the dead baby. The son she had given birth to. She was too shocked herself; she didn't realize that he was no more. T-that he was dead... I was sure that she had done it because she is a curse, but I was trying to save her back then. I knew that she had to be stopped, so I talked to V-visser. His son had just recently had a son of his own, the mother had passed away during childbirth. Visser assured me. He, h-he believed that Leonida needs a child to save her from the darkness. So, we did it, secretly from everyone, even from Leonida's father. I took Emery's son, changed his name and permanently altered his appearance with the Spiritual Master's help, and presented him to Leonida as her son. Her Dua. The one I had thought she had killed...Visser didn't really help me, he helped himself and his cult.
Magana rubbed her red eyes.
"He never cared about Coronia and me, he never loved me, he beguiled me and successfully turned my daughter into a monster! I-I have been so foolish. Everything I accused her of, everything I thought to be Leonida's evil it was...it w-was..."
"...it was a setup. A sick setup."- Elyon sobbed at the thought and shook her head. This really was one of the worst and most vile things she had ever heard in her life. And she had been through a lot...
"Visser and the cult. All the murders were probably committed by them and then pinned on Leonida so that they could turn everyone against her and turn her into their pawn. A perfect pawn and weapon to execute all their big plans."- Taranee felt the bitter tear streaming down her cheek. She was in absolute shock, but she was also furious. Such injustice...They had to stop it once and for all. They had to destroy the sick cult of the Dark Descendant, and in that moment, she was grateful they had gone with the mystic books' plans because they had to destroy the root of all this and that was the only way.
"Queen Icona, the baby, the king..."- Hay Lin cried. "None of them were really killed by Leonida, oh my God! This is...this..."
"Absolute anathema."- Kadma was shaking.
All this, all she had just heard and realized had gotten the better of her. She would even admit that not being under Kandrakar's watch for so many years was one of the biggest flaws that had led to all this. "We cannot spare these people. Visser and Emery are even eviler than Phobos. Leonida, who is mostly brainwashed. They must be destroyed!"
Halinor rubbed her back. She was absolutely devastated by everything she had come to know as well. She was crying soundly. But something in the other end of the room caught her attention and she walked towards it. Something which was about to lead to a new terrible realization. It was a book holder. An empty book holder.
"Girls!"- she exclaimed, terrified, drawing their attention. "The first changing book."- she demanded. "The changing book! The one which we don't have! It was here. I can feel its essence, I know these books like the back of my hand by now! It was here! In this very room! It was in Visser's possession. It still is! H-he he moved it! He has expected to be exposed soon. This...This means... "
"If all this is a big diversion, then-"
They all stirred in their places, horrified. Visser had allowed them to reveal his secret in order to do something bigger. Something more important.
Why else wouldn't he just destroy the study if he knows we're on his tail, Hay Lin thought angrily. He's mocking us...
"That monster, he took his important stuff and left everything else as his trophies. His demonstration. He wanted us to see his life achievements."- Taranee shook her head. "Unbelievable..."
"But what is the more important thing to him now? Why give us all this evidence of who he really is? Unless Phobos and Leonida..."- Elyon answered her own question just when Kadma felt it. The Heart of Zamballa flickered vividly:
"The spell on the Knights of Nature, our combined spell. It's broken..."
"How?!"- Halinor and Taranee gasped in unison.
"What's going on?"- Magana and Elyon wanted to know.
The cacophony that had just begun was greater than it had ever been before. Everyone was talking over each other. Everyone was demanding answers. Secrets and strategies, old truths resurfaced and new questions arose, but one thing was sure:
"Phobos, Leonida, and their baby are no longer trapped by the mini-veil. We have to get to Will and the others immediately. The actual war is beginning..."
"Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit
Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss
And it's so hard to say goodbye
When it comes to this, ooh, ah"
In Heatherfield, Will and Matt were impatiently waiting in front of the ICU unit. Some time had already passed, but nothing. No development, no nothing. Zero.
"I have a good, positive feeling. Cornelia will help him."- Matt smiled and kissed his girlfriend. "Grandpa will be out of the ICU today, Will. I can't wait!"
"I think so too."- Will kissed him back and pressed her nose against his.
"OK, I'm going to grab sandwiches and I'll be right back."- the man decided. "Five minutes. Tell me when they manage to get past the doctors and help my grandpa."
"Alright."- Will patted his ass and he left down the corridor.
Once she was alone, the redhead took a deep breath and prayed in her mind. This would work. It had to. She had a positive hunch about it as well.
Please be better already, grandpa. Please, I need one piece of good news today.
"...I would hold you in my arms
I would take the pain away
Thank you for all you've done
Forgive all your mistakes
There's nothing I wouldn't do..."
Finally, she got the signal. Irma and Cornelia were in. Yes! Yes, finally...Now they would use their magic on him and he would be better. Hopefully, before Matt was even back. Will crossed her fingers and closed her eyes.
The next three minutes were one of the longest in her life. For real. When the doors opened and she saw her friends' faces, her heart was going to explode:
"That was fast! Hey, did anyone see you? Did it work, how is he? Why are you removing your mask, Irma?!"
"Will..."- the water guardian began in a dismal voice. "Will, we just got here, but they had...They had already..."
"What? Was he out of critical care already? Did they move him or something?"- but Will's insides felt like scalded after Cornelia's tearful reply came:
"He is out, but he is already down there, Will. We heard the nurses putting it down in his report. Mr. Olsen is down in the morgue. He p-passed away almost two hours ago."
Two chapters this month, so happy with myself. I hope I will do at least 3 for July. ;) Btw, I know this was kind of a heavy chapter, but things have to happen. I promise better times are coming for the characters. Well, for some of them, anyway. Stay tuned &lots of love from me to u
