i dont own Phil and Balise only the plot. Have fun!
Dragon Days
Chapter two: Recruiting A Lost Witch
Blaise stared at Phil and could think of nothing to say. That was another first. What in goddess' name was wrong with her? "Well I was." Phil said folding his arms "and its easier dealing with the Night Worlder's this way." "I would guess." Balise said sitting down.
"Now that they've gone you can explain what you're doing here and why my sister needs help." Balise nodded. There was no point keeping it from him. Besides she had discovered that she was further out her depth than she had realised and she needed his help.
Daybreak had gone to ground and the select few that knew about her mission had missions of their own. She could call in Thea and Eric but she didn't think that was a good idea. They were co-ordinating more than one operation and so for the moment she was on her own.
And she didn't want to be.
"If you've been keeping up with the Night Worlders then you'll have probably have heard whispers of Circle Daybreak." Balise said deciding that was probably the best place to start.
Phil regarded Balise Harman with detachment. She acted nothing like the Balise Harman he had heard so much about. She was said to be a party animal and serial dater whose actions caused the guys she was dating to do insane things and many of them never were the same again.
Phil wasn't fooled. It wasn't just her sex appeal although damn it if that wasn't strong enough it was her magic. She was a Harman, one of the witch royalty almost after the Crone, Mother and Maiden. Phil might have told James that he was leaving the Night World alone and he was, but he had also researched it.
The Harmans were the direct line straight from the witch queen Hecate and her daughter Hellewise. And it was a good job he had too because since James had left there had been a lot more Night World activity and Balise was right when he thought about it. He had heard whispers of Circle Daybreak.
Circle Daybreak.
Any mention of it was either met with hostility, no response or in some cases whispers and secretive excitement.
Phil looked at Balise. Now he was confused. What did that have to do with anything? "Yeah, I've heard of Daybreak but what has that got to do with why you're here?"
"Everything." Balise said.
"Daybreak is a separate organisation from the Night World it allows human/Night World relationships something the Night World never allowed. The breaking of the two cardinal rules was always reinforced with death."
Phill heard the words but he was seeing something else entirely. Seeing James and Poppy having to leave. James explaining that he had broken the two most important rules in Night World law.
Over Poppy.
"…In Daybreak its totally different. Our organisation allows human and Night World relationships and believes in the soulmate principal being one of the biggest sources of this type of relationship."
Phil nodded numbly accepting was Balise was saying yet still unsure of what it would mean.
Balise looked at Phil stopping in her lecture about the Night World. He looked Shell-shocked. She couldn't blame him. He had wanted to steer clear of all of this. And he was still getting dragged under.
"This still doesn't explain why you need my help or why Poppy and James might be in danger." He said looking at the floor rather than looking at her. "Daybreak found out about a prophecy." Balise said.
She wondered how would be the best way to break the news and decided to just tell it like it was. She had never been good at being subtle. She had never needed to be and she didn't intend to start now.
"The prophecy was about four teenagers born seventeen years ago. The prophecy said:
One from the land of kings long forgotten
One from the heath, which still holds the spark
One from the Day World where two eyes are watching;
One from the twilight to be one with the dark
Those would be the ones that would have the power over Blue Fire and be able to stop the darkness that would engulf the world as the millennium battle approached."
"They would stop an apocalypse." Phil said it wasn't a question. He had figured it out. Balise nodded anyway.
"We found them. One is Jez Redfern she's half human, half vampire. Delos Refern is a vampire prince from the Black Kingdom the longest line of vampires, Illiena is the Witch Child. A direct descendant from Hecate the witch queen herself and the last is Kaitlin Drake. Or Aurora Drache princess of the First House of Shapeshifters. They are all that stand between us and total destruction when the darkness comes. But there are people who want the darkness to come."
"I have to stop them but I can't do it alone. I need help." Phil looked up. "What about your cousin Thea?" Phil asked. "Her and her soulmate Eric are co-ordinating several missions at once, Daybreak has gone to ground. We have a mole four of my friends are on their tail."
"And of you what are you doing?" Phil asked. "I have to go after the dragons. Someone woke them up. I have to stop them." "Dragons?" Phil asked sure he'd heard wrong.
"Yes dragons. The witches and dragons fought thousands of years ago and we managed to put them to sleep. We left one awake and they were the ancestor for the modern day shapeshifters. But now one has woke up and made an alliance with someone they shouldn't have done."
"I have to find out who that is and what it means and put the dragons back to sleep. It's my mission."
Phil felt like his head was about to explode. He didn't want any of this. He didn't want to be part of this. But some part of him reluctantly conceded to the fact that he had been for a long time and now was well in past his depth.
"Why are you telling me this."
The question stopped her. Blaise wasn't sure why she was telling him all this at all. Balise wasn't a person that generally asked for help or even allowed it yet within an hour of knowing this guy she'd split all of her mission.
Yet she trusted him with it.
Startling yet none the less true.
"Because you're the only one who can help me and I need you to help me." Balise said hating herself for asking for help but knowing she would never get through this mission if she didn't.
Phil arched an eyebrow but said nothing. "Please Phil I'll never complete this mission if you don't help me." "What about Poppy and James?" Phil felt compelled to ask.
He and Poppy often spoke over email and on occasion the phone but he hadn't heard from her in a little while.
"Poppy was hurt, not seriously, but enough in the last mission she and James and a few others are on mission control." Phil felt his heart in his mouth.
"Is she ok?" He demanded. Balise had been expecting this and nodded. She is fine now, annoyed that she's been assigned to control duty but otherwise fine."
Phil nodded. That sounded like Poppy never satisfied doing the boring jobs she had to be doing something active.
"Alright." Phil said caving. He knew Balise's reputation. He knew that stood in front of him was the party animal and human hater of the century but right now that was all an image. She needed his help.
El Camino was crawling with Night People looking for her. He couldn't leave her. If she said that this mission was important then it was important. He wouldn't leave her when she obviously needed his help.
This mission sounded important but it was more than that. Phil wasn't sure how he knew that but he did. It was more important to her than anything she'd done before.
"I'll help you."
Balise hardly heard the next few words all she knew was she wasn't a complete failure. She could still do this. She would still do this. And she'd do it with Phil's help.
"Where are we going?" Phil asked.
"North Carolina." Balise said. "What?" Phil asked and then shook his head. "Ok. It's a good job school is out." Balise laughed.
Ten minutes later he left a message for his mum and step-dad that he was going a way for a few days and would be back later. Then he and Balise made their way back to the car.
Balise couldn't believe it. She'd roared into his life without so much as a word of warning but when she'd gone for him for help he'd agreed to help her. Phil drove first taking the winding roads through El Camino to loose any tails they might pick up and then they were on the highway going back towards their destination.
Balise was thankful to him.
He hadn't wanted this.
He hadn't wanted to be part of the Night World but he was helping her. She had recruited the lost witch.