Everyone ran into the kitchen where Wesley lay on the floor in front of the stove, drenched in a dark red liquid and looking very unamused. Jordan stifled a chuckle, while James went to help his youngest brother up.
"What the hell happened in here?" Matthew asked, not knowing whether to be concerned or to laugh.
"I thought that this crap would make a small bang only when I put the blood in," Wesley moaned while James lifted him to his feet. "Right when I threw in the sage, there was this huge explosion, and it kinda caught me off guard."
"So the potion's okay?" Benjamin asked.
"Yeah," Wesley replied nonchalantly, "but I'm fine, too. Thanks for asking."
"Knock it off," James said. "You almost done in here?"
"Just about," Wesley said. "It just needs to cool down to room temp, then add a few more things and finally the blood."
"Good," James said, turning to Matthew. "Find out anything useful?"
"Yeah," Matthew said. "We'll scry for her, since she's so elusive. And with Benjamin here, it should work perfectly since they have a direct connection."
"Alright," James said. "So we find her, get some blood, and get the hell out. Got it?"
"What do we do after getting the blood?" Wesley asked sarcastically. "There were so many instructions I couldn't keep up."
"Funny," James said.
"What do we do if somebody gets hurt?" Wesley asked.
"I think I can help with that," a voice called out ubiquitously.
The five witches turned around just in time to see a figure glimmering into existence behind them. It was a young man who appeared to be no older than Jordan, and stood about Wesley's height. He sported full head of dark brown hair that extended down to his shoulders. He stared back at everyone with his deep brown eyes.
"You're not Matt's son, are you?" Wesley asked, rolling his eyes.
"Hardly," the young boy answered. "I'm Chyp, your new Guardian."
"Oh, c'mon," Matthew sighed. "At this rate, we're going through Guardians like napkins. And on top of that, they sent us a kid!"
"I've actually been a Guardian for quite some time," Chyp responded. "I'm a lot older than I look. However, that's beside the point. I've come to help you with your latest mission. I've already been briefed on your plans."
"Briefed?" James asked. "By who?"
"By whom," Chyp corrected. "And to answer that, by the Superiors."
"The Guardians' bosses," Wesley clarified.
"I assure you," Chyp said, "that there will be ample time to discuss everything later, but time is of the essence here. The longer we wait to find the Akum, the more difficult it's going to be to locate her."
"Wow," Shelina said in surprise after hearing her daughter from the future, Sarah, explain to her various things about the future. "You even kill the Complete? You must be pretty powerful to have done that!"
"I'm not one to be modest," Sarah said, grinning. "I have you to thank for it, though. You did a great job in raising me, or…will do a great job. Only if we hurry."
Sarah continued to fill her mother in on Jordan and the Complete. She told her all about her last confrontation with the son of the oldest brother, about how she had come so close to finally obtaining the infamous Book of Light to have it destroyed right in front of her. She talked about her mock relationship with Jordan and how it was only to get close enough to kill the witches. Shelina found the entire story fascinating, all except for the part concerning her own death.
"Which is another reason why I'm here," Sarah explained to her mother. "In my time, when the witches finally figure out what's going on, they manage to get to you before I can. I'm banking on hitting two birds with one stone by coming here."
"Good," Shelina said. "What's your plan?"
"Honestly," Sarah said, "I don't know, but we have to focus on the fact that they probably aren't expecting me to be here. We'll have to use that to our advantage…"
In their living room, Matthew cleared the large coffee table, putting all of the magazines and other ornaments either on an end table or on the floor. James, meanwhile, placed a large map on top of the table. It was visibly old and worn, but still in good condition. Their parents, Erik and Lauren, must have used it countless times before. Matthew pulled out a medium sized crystal attached to a string from his pocket. The crystal was actually a piece of clear quartz that had been shaped on one end as a pointer. That edge was quite dull from having been used for so long, but still ended in a clear point.
The brothers had only used this technique once before since becoming witches. It involved hovering the crystal over a map to locate the target of their desire. In most cases, scrying required an object related to the target. The closer the relationship to the target, the more powerful the connection would increase the power of the scrying, yielding quicker and more accurate results.
"I can't believe you still use this old map," Jordan commented as James spread the map onto the table.
"We've only used it once before," James said.
"And until Mapsco decides to donate one to us," Matthew added, "this one will do."
"Potion's ready," Wesley said, coming out of the kitchen. "Well, it just needs the blood."
"Just in time," Chyp said. "You'll need to be Complete for the best chances of this working. Let Benjamin hold the top of the string, and you three hold on right below him. Hold it over the map and…"
"We know what we're doing!" Wesley snapped. "We're competent at this."
"I am only doing my job," Chyp said, "of guiding you."
"Okay," Wesley shot back, "guide this."
Wesley flicked his hands at Chyp, who immediately stopped all movement. Wesley had frozen him in time. Jordan chuckled a bit, while James and Matthew paid no attention.
"Typical Uncle Wes," Jordan noted.
"Let's get on with this," Wesley said.