The wave of relief that washed over all in the Gummadoon knights' office set up an unseen but very much felt barrier of trust, support, and hope. Very much felt and very much needed. Cubbi didn't know what Corvi said but he recognized strength and conviction and the great sense of unshakable right carried in the message to bolster the relief of simply revealing all to their trusted mentors. Despite everything, a moment of clarity struck the pink-furred cub; a moment in which he saw past all the fear and felt that they were going to win.
"Yeah, what he said..." Toni chimed in. "And we've heard a lot of what the book had to say."
"It's more than that..." Cubbi spoke up through his miasma of clarity. "That book has the trial of Emi, sure, but it's a magic book. Whatever we wanna know, if it knows, it'll tell us. We just have to ask it. It's told us nearly everything we know. We know Emi wasn't born a heartless killer. We know who Emi's mom was, and that she was a powerful magician. What we haven't gotten to yet was how she was imprisoned and if there's any way to strengthen that prison again, or even where she's kept exactly. The book DID mention they were probably going to store her in Gummi Glen..." He couldn't help a shudder at the thought that, all this time, the only evil gummi ever to have existed had been housed somewhere in his very home. Was that why Gruffi and the others told them not to go snooping into old gummi passages and the Great Gummies stuff was to be left alone most of the time? Did Gruffi even know? Probably not. Even Gruffi wasn't that old. Was Grammi? Zummi?
Cubbi felt a hand on his shoulder, then another. Corvi was at his left, and Toni at his right. The support of his peers - and now his hero knights - made him smile, despite everything.
The silence from their elders was merely their way of processing everything so far divulged. "We can ask literally ask this book anything?"
"Sure. Give it a try." Cubbi answered Sir Plucki.
The knight opened the book to a blank page. "Who are you and where is Emi Gummi held right now?"
Cubbi and Corvi waited patiently. Everyone else waited impatiently. They hadn't seen the book appear words like he and Corvi had. Sir Plucki had just finished a sigh in which Cubbi was sure the knight would have called it a bluff of some kind. Cubbi didn't doubt what he'd seen with his own eyes but worried that the book would stop working for some reason and THEN what would he do? Then the rosy-hued glow appeared and inked script once more flowed beautifully across the page in two short sentences.
I am the embodiment of the knowledge of Wizard Merlinni Gummi and you are not yet ready for such an answer as Emi Gummi's current location. Please hand me back to Cubbi.
Sir Plucki blinked in astonishment at the words - stunned not just by the obviously powerful nature of the tool in his hands but that it appeared to be intelligent and was requesting something of HIM! Taken aback, the knight Captain handed the book over to Cubbi.
His two brother knights hurried over for a read just as Cubbi read it to a laugh, the cub let out a great grin. He turned the book their way for all to see the text and told his fellows and mentors, "See? Even the book knew you might not listen to us all the way. Yer too clouded, too scared. We get it, we do! But if we work together, lean on each other, then it'll all work out. I can feel it. We have an idea of what it took to defeat her last time but if we use all of our resources, and all of us, I know we can do whatever needs doing."
Sir Plucki glanced at his fellow knights and couldn't help a smile. Perhaps that's what was truly needed after all? Is that what they had to begin with that helped defeat her? Just a lot of faith in each other?
"And you say Tavi's heavily involved as well? Where is she now?"
"Talking with the Gummadoon Council." Cubbi hoped she was having at least as much luck as they were.
Gummadoon Council Chambers
The magical energy sparked from her fingertips as her emotions rose unbidden. Desperate fear had clamped hold of Tavi and it fed the power in unexpected and unwelcome ways, which only incited further fright.
Calmly, Councilor Wooddale took the cub's hands. "Tavi... Niece... It's alright."
Berribottom put a hand around the shaken young wizardess. Recognizing Wooddale's tactic to calm the young one, he added a smile. "And we're all ears."
Within three deep breaths and surrounded by open and listening adults, Tavi calmed and the abberant display of magic dissipated.
"Th-thanks. I... It gets to me sometimes, all of it." The cub hung her head at her inability to control her growing powers, let alone the rising situation necessitating the use of them.
Her Aunt Toffi let out a lofty laugh and hugged Tavi. "My dear, I am amazed still that you struggle less than we who have been through this before."
"Perhaps that's why we may need the young ones..." Councilor Berrybottom said in reflection. "We've seen, we've been through it all. We're... we're afraid of her in ways Tavi is not." He looked to the gummi girl and smiled. "Now, child, we're listening. Tell us everything."
A great breath of relief escaped Tavi. Finally. Finally, everything was beginning to look up.
Outside, the roll of thunder grew further and further away.
Lady Bane's Castle
Pouring over countless books and scrolls, actually studying the work of other sorcerers, Lady Bane's frustration grew to epic levels. Her poor troggles fled from her direct gaze but knew to flee completely would exact even greater wrath so they stood firm, but very much busy-looking.
Dodging a physically-hurled master edition of "Sorcerer's Compendium", a young male troggle literally dove out of its way.
"Incompetence!" shrieked the railing sorceress. "Mother can't have been the only one to perfect the technique!" Her mind awhirl, Lady Bane balled her manicured hands into fists. It couldn't be! Surely another look at Zorlock's pilfered manuscripts...
The dark sorceress rushed to her podium, flipped through one of her most valued posessions feverishly, only to come up empty-handed once more.
There had to be a way. If Mother could do it, so must she! The problem was that the damnable body seemed permanently linked to the original gummi's soul. Separating them completely was easy. Getting complete control over it was not so. It fought her very will, as if it knew she didn't belong but hadn't the means to kick her out so it simply gummed up the works; figuratively speaking.
That old echo of her mother's words came to her again. That she didn't understand the link gummies had with themselves. Mother said it shortly before her own presumed success. Presumed in that Mother never spoke of possessing anyone again after that - living or dead - and shortly after, she never saw her mother again. Disappeared but not missed and never forgotten...
Lady Bane shook out of the memory with a brief shudder. Never mind all that. She had to concentrate on this matter. She KNEW it was her way to get in, get back at them for all the trouble they'd caused, and perhaps even to surpass her mother. Oh, the gloating she'd concoct at such an accomplishment! Renewed passion and glee filled her but she knew it was a distraction, all of it a distraction! She must focus. Calm, focus...
The body stood in the center of the room. She looked on it with refreshed eyes, and perspective. A dawning idea poked up from her frustrated search. If... If the soul could not be completely severed - if the link was that strong... Was that the trick, Mother? Were you not perfect? Could you NOT sever the link? Was that the real trick?
A truly grand grin laced Lady Bane's mouth from one perfect cheek to the other. I have you, Mother. I understand and soon I'll have them and all their secrets.
The sorceress's gaze and evil grin turned slowly toward the trapped soul suspended from the crystal jar containing both it and the entrapment spell keeping it separated. Time to let a little seep out and see what happens?