PANIC AND CONFUSION
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters of BTVS or W.I.T.C.H. and I earn no profit in writing this.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This takes place in the same continuity as 'I'm Done' but is not a sequel and stands alone quite well. If you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.
Maria stared, openmouthed, at the spot where the redheaded girl had been, before breaking into a run. There were a handful of people on the street, a few of which had been fairly close to Will when the spell had gone wrong. It shouldn't have made a difference. It certainly shouldn't have hurt her. What happened?!
"Will!" A female voice drew their attention upwards. Susan Vandom was standing at a window, staring in shock at the spot where her daughter had vanished. Maria blanched as the older woman caught sight of her. What was she supposed to do now? There would be questions she couldn't answer, some because she didn't know the answer and some she just couldn't, at least not honestly. On reaching the spot where the girl had disappeared, Maria went to one knee and began to examine the ground. There was nothing there, which was good and bad. At least, she reassured herself, there are no burn marks or ashes. Teleport, maybe?
A small crowd was gathering. She ignored them, and the confused babble coming from them, thinking furiously, until the sound of running feet caused her to raise her eyes.
"Poor kid," one bystander said. "I heard of this, but never thought I'd see it."
"See what?" another random stranger asked as Susan Vandom arrived on the scene.
"Spontaneous human combustion. She just… whoosh!"
"Don't be dense," Maria snapped at the man as she met Susan's tortured eyes. "Something like that leaves traces, ashes and burn marks. There's nothing here."
"I suppose you're an exp-. OW!"
"Beat it!" Danielle ordered, shoving the man away. "Maria?"
"I don't know, but I think she was taken somewhere."
"Alien abduction?" a woman asked. Danielle spared her a fierce glare and the speaker backed away.
"Dawn's coming," she told Maria, then turned to Will's mother. "I think we need to talk."
"Talk?" Susan demanded, her voice going shrill. "Do you know what happened? Do you know where my little girl is?"
"No," Danielle admitted, "but we'll help you find out. I promise." A siren sounded up the street, and a police car could be seen approaching. "Oh great. Who called the cops?"
Maria looked up and sighed. This was going to complicate things.
OOOOOOOOOO
The small farm wasn't much to look at, but it had been his family's home for many generations. His cousin still ran it, and it was at his cousin's bidding that he'd come. The message had been urgent, yet somewhat cryptic, and Aldarn had left his post at once, leaving his second-in-command to conduct the search of the neighboring Samar province. There had been a sighting of the sorceress there, and all possibilities had to be pursued.
"Bertel!" Aldarn grinned at the sight of his cousin coming out to greet him. They met in the front yard and embraced.
"It's been too long since you've visited, cousin."
"Strange and busy times for all of us," Aldarn nodded grimly. "I cannot linger, cousin, much as I might wish. My duty to our queen demands my attention right now."
"Then you should come inside." He led the way into the house. In a small bedroom at the back, Bertel's wife was sitting next to a bed in which lay a young human girl, unconscious. Aldarn recognized her immediately.
"Will?" He went to her side immediately and sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened?" he demanded. She didn't look well at all.
"We're not sure. She appeared through a fold yesterday morning, in the south field. She was screaming when she arrived, and for a moment the light from her necklace shone so brightly I thought she was on fire." Bertel shuddered at the memory. "When the light died away, she collapsed. She hasn't moved since. The village healer is a man I trust implicitly, you remember Umar? He examined her and can find no injury."
"You've kept this a secret?"
"Was it not a trusted servant of the queen who caused our current woes?"
Aldarn nodded. Many details had been kept quiet, but Trill's betrayal was general knowledge. "A sensible precaution," he allowed. "I can arrange to have the palace physician examine her, and I will send word to the other Guardians on Earth." Bertel nodded, relieved. "How did you-?"
"I saw her and the others battling Phobos' troops once, a few months ago." He glanced away, unable to meet his cousin's eyes. "They fought so bravely on our behalf…I…"
"You had your duty to our family, as did I," Aldarn assured him. It was an old source of friction between them. Bertel had always been the more reserved of the two. He was a farmer at heart, not a soldier, and had placed his duty to the family above his duty to their people as a whole. Aldarn had found fault with him for this in the past, but their arguments on that subject were long since over. In his own way, Bertel had kept faith, even if he could never openly support the rebellion.
"We have tried to rouse her, but her sleep is deep," Valsa, Bertel's wife, spoke up. "Umar advised us to simply wait."
"Probably for the best. I'll send word to the palace." The bearer of the Heart of Kandrakhar chose that moment to roll over and murmur in her sleep. Aldarn noticed the surprised looks on the faces of his kin.
"That is the most life she's shown since we brought her here," Valsa leaned forward, looking hopeful. She reached out to touch the girl's shoulder and gently shook her. "Can you hear me, child? Wake up."
OOOOOOOOOO
The human body is not physiologically equipped to remember pain. Will had read that somewhere, and she knew it from experience. One couldn't actually remember the pain of an injury after it had faded, and at the moment, she was profoundly grateful for that fact. All she knew was that she had never hurt so much in her life. The attack had come out of nowhere, and it had been all she could do to open a fold to escape. When she opened her eyes again, she was profoundly relieved to find she recognized a friendly face. "Aldarn?"
"Guardian," he sighed in relief. "I am glad to see you awake. How do you feel?"
"Give me a minute to take inventory and I'll let you know." She pushed herself into a sitting position and carefully stretched. No aches and pains. Good. There seemed to be no lingering after-effects of… whatever had hit her. Swinging her feet to the plank floor of the small bedroom she found herself in, she stood up. "I feel fine. Whatever it was doesn't seem to have done any real damage." The looks of profound relief on the faces of the other people in the room were a trifle embarrassing, so she decided to move on. "Um, where am I?"
"This is my cousin's farm. You appeared yesterday morning in the south field," Aldarn answered.
"Yesterday?" Alarm bells went off for her. "I was attacked on the street, in broad daylight. My mother may have seen it all!" She reached into her shirt and pulled out the Heart of Kandrakhar. "It had to be the sorceress. If she's willing to attack us in the open like that who knows what she'll do next. I should check on mom, but I need to speak to the Oracle." She frowned, uncertain of what to do.
