Chapter Twelve
Maybe the Beach was a Bad Idea
Walking through the hall of the estate towards Phobos' room, Will was intent on asking him to join them all for breakfast. It felt like a good idea. Hay-Lin, Irma, and even Taranee, somewhat, were now open to the idea Phobos could turn a new leaf. Irma seemed to make a good impression yesterday, and Hay-Lin mentioned taking him food and him asking her name. Only Will knew what that really meant. That they were making progress.
And, if her friends were really on board with Phobos, that would make things a lot easier when things escalated between them. Will felt a little giddy. She never got to start an intimate relationship as an adult, so the norms were definitely different from when she started one with Matt years ago. Before, a stolen kiss was enough to say they were 'going steady'. Yet, with Phobos, there was still ambiguity after that asshole caught her off-guard and cleaned up some ice-cream very creatively. He made his conditions clear she was not to sneak around like she was ashamed of being seen with him, and she was making it clear that he needed to initiate some physical interactions. While she doubted she could date him, like on Earth, spending time with him was growing to be a top priority for her as the days passed.
The Heart sent a strong warning, snapping her into focus, and Will turned invisible in response, looking around for the danger. Seconds later, Elyon and Caleb were rushing around a corner, dressed in Earth style clothes. Two clear words hit her ears, and Will was rushing after them. All she heard was 'Phobos' and 'frog', but that was enough.
Nothing was more important than Phobos and a frog.
A frog.
Elyon and Caleb ran past Vathek and Julian, guarding the door to Phobos' common room, and she entered after them unnoticed.
Will turned visible as she entered after Caleb, seeing Raythor with his sword pointed at Phobos, who had a little glowing yellow orb on his shoulders. It stopped glowing, sensing her and reading her mind, skin now a bright green, resembling a dainty Morelet's tree frog.
"You're so cute!" Will cooed, shoving Caleb aside, accidentally making him stumble from her strength, and rushed at Phobos.
Phobos' face twisted into a panic at the sight of her. But, as she was for once not interested in him, she quickly scooped up the cute little frog off his shoulders. Still, the look of utter panic on his face was bizarre, and so was the chorus of 'no' that ripped through the room behind her back.
"Geez, ya need to calm down, it's a frog," Will said clutching the little frog protectively in her hands to her chest as she looked at the group.
"Will!" Elyon tried to rush to her, but Caleb stopped her, grabbing her shoulders. "It's a moon opal frog! Give it back to Phobos! Quick!"
Will, now possessive of frankly the cutest frog she's ever seen, turned away. "What? I'll give it back! I just want to see it."
"They are deadly!" Caleb yelled, panicked as he tried to keep Elyon behind him. "Give it to Phobos!"
Deadly? It was sitting on Phobos' shoulder. If it was so deadly, why not save Phobos from it? They had to be mistaken.
Will opened her hands to see the little frog was now glowing a shimmering pink, like it was made of the same glass as the Heart. It closed its eyes and suddenly she felt a burn, now knowing this was a mistake.
She realized the Heart had been protecting her, as she felt the frog eat away at the magic layer. The burn spread like fire, her body unable to move, the frog shimmering a new color, the color of quintessence, getting brighter and brighter.
Will felt her face twist in pain, unable to drop it, unable to move.
"Phobos! Take it! Now!" Raythor yelled.
Elyon gasped, nodding as she added, "Take it! Take it quick!"
Phobos leaped at her, grabbing the frog. It croaked, black eyes looking up at him, and jump on him, where it settled at the junction on his neck and shoulder. He made no move to brush it off, only backed farther away from them.
Elyon was next to Will, catching her as she collapsed, magic from her life-force slightly drained, body still feeling numb.
"Whoa, what the fuck was that?" Will said as she slid to her knees. Shaken at the feeling of her magic being sucked away. The Heart was burning away the remains of whatever the frog left that were making her feel sluggish.
Elyon crouched next to her, pulling her into a tight hug. Caleb was standing over them, eyeing the frog, now with a dagger in his hand as he said, "That's a moon opal frog. They eat magic and excrete a toxin that freezes the victim so they can't escape. I had thought they were eradicated on the Farshore."
Will leaned on Elyon as she looked up at the calm frog, happily snuggling against Phobos.
Rude little jerk. It clearly could read her mind. Why attack her? Was it because she grabbed it from Phobos without warning? Also, everyone screaming at them had to scare it, too. Poor little guy was probably just protecting itself.
"Why isn't it affecting Phobos?" she questioned, watching the little frog that was nestled so perfectly in the crook of his neck.
Damn, it was a cute sight for a couple of reasons now.
Phobos was looking down at her, blue eyes still filled with concern, even as he tried to compose himself in front of the others.
"He," Elyon said, pausing and glancing down. "He can't die from poisons or toxins."
Will frowned. Why did she seem so sure of that?
Wait.
"Your hair!" she gasped, now paying attention to non-frog related things.
Phobos' long hair was short and choppy, like it was hacked off. Will tried to stand again, to go to him, but her legs were weak.
"What happened?" Will asked, as she was still stubbornly trying to stand. Caleb took pity on her and helped her to her feet.
Phobos was just staring at her, not saying anything. She then looked at Raythor, who avoided her gaze.
"Phobos, where did that frog come from?" Elyon questioned, now looking over at the prince.
Caleb, still looking alarmed, interjected, "Does it have anything to do with two days ago? When you were missing and Elyon couldn't scry you?"
Will stiffened, remembering exactly why he was missing. But she wasn't aware they had trouble locating him when he was with her. She had the Heart continually active during their trip. It was possible it blocked Elyon if she didn't know to adjust for the interference of an opposing Heart.
Phobos actually laughed, face dead serious, sound hollow. "I am so happy you finally asked, as I'm sure the Keeper would like to know how this little frog was the latest assassination attempt."
"Quiet!" Raythor barked. Strangely, Phobos closed his mouth, but he was still looking at her, eyes flashing.
Will forced herself away from Caleb and walked to Phobos. "What do you mean, the latest assassination attempt?" she demanded, eyes narrowing. Only Phobos didn't answer, so she turned to Elyon, who had a sunken look on her face.
"Again?" the queen muttered, voice low.
"Elyon, what is he talking about?" Will asked, only for Caleb to answer.
"It doesn't concern you, Will. It's Meridian business. Just go join the girls at breakfast. We will handle things here."
Caleb had to know he had lost his mind as her jaw dropped.
"Excuse me, buddy? Did you just say its none of my business that someone tried to kill someone? While using a frog as a weapon?" Will was in complete shock as Elyon and Caleb seemed pretty unfazed, just worried about the frog harming the group. Elyon looked sad but not shocked or disturbed by the news. "Why am I the only one here upset about someone in this building freaking attempting an assassination!"
"Will, calm down. We are going to look into it," Caleb said, raising his hands in a peaceful display. "It will be fine."
"Do not worry," Raythor spoke up, voice grim. "They are dead. Victims to their own plan." He nodded at the open door behind her. The three newest occupants turned and looked into the room.
Two still bodies laid on the ground, one still gripping a long, silky braid. She had seen them around a lot, so she knew who they were without asking; Phobos' private guard. Near the door, she noticed, was a large hole near chest level. The bed had streaks of blood.
Will paled, a frigid chill down her spine, backing away as her gut twisted.
Will looked around at the far too calm faces of the other three.
Why were they so calm? Two people were dead after trying to kill Phobos. After doing gods know what to him, cutting his hair in the process, making him bleed. They wanted to humiliate him. Strip him of his dignity. His identity as a person. His hair was his last sense of who he was, his free self.
The Heart flickered, feeling her fear. Fear of what happened in there. Will knew they bound Phobos' magic, but what else was chained? Because for someone to hold him down and cut his hair…
There was a ringing in her ears.
If the frog's toxin didn't work on Phobos, there had to be another reason he was helpless against the guards.
A reason Elyon didn't seem surprised.
A reason Phobos was so quiet.
He wasn't as free to make choices as she had thought.
He never left his cell, did he?
The revelation made her dizzy; the Heart filling her with its magic to replace what was lost, giving her strength.
"What the hell?" she questioned, temper flaring, head spinning. "Why are you all so calm?" Needing so many answers and not knowing where to start. "Do you guys… just not care because it-"
Elyon cut her off. "Of course I care! It's just not that simple-"
Will cut her off in return, "Not that simple? Are we looking at the same shit?" Waving at the dead bodies and the damage. "His own guards attacked him in his own bed under your care, Elyon!"
Caleb stepped forward, eyes heated, jaw tense. "This isn't your business, Will. You're from Earth. You don't get it. We can't afford to be soft, like you, and overreact. We have to plan every move calmly."
Caleb had always pushed her buttons. He was very vocal for a long time that he thought Will couldn't handle the duties of the Heart. That was part of the reason she was so eager to fight side-to-side with Caleb in the beginning, to show him even if she couldn't use grand magic like the other four, she was good for something. She could still fight.
"Soft?" Will repeated, staring wide eyed at Caleb. This again? Only there was no Matt to stop her. "Soft?"
"Will, Caleb, please stop," Elyon pleaded, growing frustrated at them both. "This isn't the time or place."
Will felt genuine fear at not only what happened to Phobos, but that it was an ongoing problem that had been happening right under her nose. It stemmed not only from her fondness for him, but from the idea someone in her life was experiencing such abuse when she was with them every day.
It also bewildered her at the other three's reactions, like they were desensitized to Phobos' plight.
She had traveled planets, fought wars and dark magic, and she still couldn't take a life. Dead bodies were sights she could never stomach. Her power was quintessence, the element of life. Seeing it drained away always pained her.
In the confusion of everything, she was growing pissed off. And when she was pissed, she ran her mouth. Her mother always told her that lashing out when she was angry wasn't productive. Will knew it was true, but she still did it. Over and over.
She took firm steps towards Caleb, out of the bedroom, hands in fists, Heart glowing, as she said, "Then what does that say about you? If I'm so soft why am I the one always bailing all of you out?"
Will was here on Meridian for them, for Elyon. She didn't want to fucking be here. She didn't want to see Matt every damn day. She didn't want to listen to Cornelia tell her not to throw away everything with Matt. Hear Irma tell her to just get it out of her system if she was feeling trapped. Have Hay-Lin treat her like she was breaking. Have Taranee edge her mind in worry.
The only thing she wanted on this whole damn trip was to spend time with fucking Prince Phobos, and she just realized they had muzzled him the whole fucking time.
Was he even able to talk to her like a normal person?
Was his new, calmer behavior just a trick of magic?
Did he actually have feelings for her? Or was he forced to act that way? Was that why it was so rare? That he was fighting it?
Will felt her skin crawl.
Was she… a monster?
"Bail us out?" Caleb said with a disbelieving laugh. "When have you bailed us out, Will?"
She glared, anger at herself flooding her and needing it to be directed anywhere else. "When? How about two damn times with Phobos and once with your fucking mom, Caleb? Those seem like pretty big bailouts to me. But I guess I'm just a soft human so those don't count."
At the mention of Nerissa, Elyon changed, real fury tearing across her face and hurt flashing across Caleb's.
"That's too far!" Elyon yelled, moving to stand between her and Caleb, fully back in the common room. "And, if anything, Nerissa was your responsibility, Will," she pointed out, trying her best to stand with her back straight and chin high. "You are her successor, in every way."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Will challenged.
There were two dead guards in the other room and this was getting a rise out of them? Her?
Caleb had been openly annoyed with Will on this trip. She had chalked it up to her breaking up with his best friend. But this seemed deeper than that. Like Will was a threat to him now.
"You think we need you for everything?" Elyon asked, sounding both hurt and angry. "That I need your permission on how I run my kingdom?"
What?
"I never said that-"
"And you cling to the Heart like-"
"Don't you dare!" Will snapped, knowing exactly what she was about to say. "Just because I don't toss the Heart away the first time someone ask, I'm now like Nerissa?" So that was what they were thinking. Phobos was right, and that was not a good thing. "I'm nothing like her! And I never will be!" she snapped, bits of static sparking her skin.
Unexpectedly, Raythor spoke up sounding somber. "I had thought, too, you were beyond corruption, my lady. That your morals a beacon to light the way." He glanced at Phobos before looking at her and asking, face twisted in pain. "Did you frame me for Vathek freeing Caleb? With me being thrown into the Abyss of Shadows?"
Oh, shit.
Raythor didn't wait for an answer and went on. "And wasn't it your idea to have Hay-Lin approach me in my cell and use that as the reason I should forsake my oath to Phobos? Because your cause was righteous? Because I was unduly punished for a crime, not mine? A crime you framed me for? That I suffered months for? Clawing my way out of hell?"
Caleb paled, as he knew she had done that. A split second decision he later approved of when she told him. Elyon, though, was shaking. Fist balled up as she fiercely glared at Will.
"You did what?" she whispered, anger thick. "You framed him for a crime under Phobos! You knew what he was like! How cruel his punishments were! And you did that to Raythor?"
"It was before we were on the same side," Will defended, but Elyon cut her off.
"And that makes it okay? You sink that low because you weren't on the same side?"
Will felt her anger shifting, doubt at herself and her actions becoming overwhelming, but stared back as she tried to explain. "I had to make those calls! While you were playing princess, attacking us, I was fighting in a war! And even now, I'm fighting literally every fucking evil thing in the universe," she argued and then waved at Caleb. "Caleb agreed it was the right choice, because it was that or Raythor kept handing us our asses on the battlefield!"
Caleb shook his head. "No, that's not the only time. It was always tricks with you," he said, voiced strained as he couldn't look Elyon or Raythor in the eyes. "Always about outsmarting everyone. Proving yourself. Like with Phobos with the Book of Secrets or his vow to you." Phobos looked shocked, now realizing where his magic diary ended up.
Caleb went on without stopping, "Using the very crime you framed Raythor for to turn him. Using Napoleon as live bait, even when he was terrified. Willingly releasing Phobos to use him against Nerissa," he said her name with scorn. "Knowing he would turn, because it was 'worth the risk'. But we are the ones that have to deal with that risk. You are the Light of Infinity, you don't need to see the little things," he said, throwing her earlier words at her. "You don't have to stay and clean up after the battles. You get to leave. While Raythor climbed through the Abyss. While Elyon has to restraint Phobos every day. While I saw the kingdom I saved fall to the hands of my own mother. You got to leave." Caleb leveled the calmest look she had ever seen on his face at her as he pointed to the door. "So leave. Just like you left Matt. That's what you're best at."
Were they… right?
Was she really this monster?
Look at how she treated everyone around her.
Even Phobos.
All she did was use people and then toss them away, right? The moment Matt asked her to choose between a life with him or the Heart, she ended it. Didn't matter, she had returned from her last few missions bloodied and hurt. Didn't matter that the Oracle said others could wield the Heart, they just weren't predestined like her. So she could step down when she was ready to live her life on Earth. She could give it to Cornelia, like they all said. She had wielded all their powers before and she could handle it.
They just didn't understand.
The Heart was alive.
It was her friend, just like them, and it clung to her, loved her, chose her.
It needed her.
Suddenly, the Heart of Kandrakar floated from its place around her neck, making everyone step back as it glowed with magic. Will felt it fill her mind, calming her, erasing her distress. Her shoulders sagged as her eyes filled with magic, tears spilling at her friend's words.
Will grew limp, body sagging as the Heart lifted her, hair and clothes floating as her feet left the ground. Her head fell back, eyes blinded by magic.
She felt like she was going to explode.
She was such a coward.
Raythor had deserved the truth. To hear it from her.
What she did was wrong. Not only framing him, but using the deepest trauma of his life to just use him for a plan, one that Cedric outsmarted in the end. And for her to call him a friend after.
The Heart was angry at those around her.
Angry at causing her pain.
Wanting to protect her, it's chosen one.
But Will deserved it, every second of pain. She had no right to let the Heart coddle her. This was all based on her decisions.
The magic forced her to change into her zenith guardian form, large wings brushing the wall behind her, black gloves on her hands as she reached for the Heart.
She touched the pulsing crystal, needing to calm it. And then they were gone.
