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Sandy winced when the door slammed. The elderly woman standing in front of the closed portal scowled as she pulled on her gloves. Turning, she glared at the door briefly before stomping off down the lane. Floating alongside her on a cloud of dream dust, he regarded her with a touch of sadness. As a spirit he could easily identify with her exasperation of not being believed. The argument inside the house had drawn his attention as swiftly as it had attracted that of the children.
She wrapped her coat more tightly about her as she walked briskly along, the chill wind ruffling her hair as it passed. Coming quickly to a small shop tucked in amongst several brownstones, she pushed open the heavy front door. The old-fashioned bell hanging above the inside frame jingled as she made her way inside. Looking about, the older woman was confused. It had been some time since she had been out to purchase the spice herself. She generally waited for a delivery of the precious seeds, and her daughter had often tried to slip substitutes in on her.
The clerk greeted her, and seeing the somewhat lost look on her face, asked if he could be of assistance. She approached the counter with some apprehension, unaccustomed to seeing so many personal things on display as appeared to be available in this shop.
"I am sorry, I thought this was still George's place."
Smiling, the young man nodded. "Yes, ma'am. He still owns the store. Is there something I could help you find?"
In her bewildered state, she was certainly loathe to refuse any assistance she might be offered. She lowered her voice nearly to a whisper as she leaned closer to him. "I'm looking for Aniseed."
An amused smile slowly blossomed on the clerk's face. "If I may ask, ma'am, is there a specific purpose?" Seeing her brow beginning to furrow, he quickly clarified. "We've already applied the extract to lozenges, if that's what you need it for. Or, if it's as a … digestive aid, we have that extract available in a capsule." He held up packages of each as he continued with his explanation.
Sandy's eyes were wide as the ancient spirit took in all of the information. He carefully examined each product that the young man set up on the counter top for the older woman to consider. She declined each one, going so far as to wrinkle her nose when he offered the e-liquid.
After several moments of his continued prattling, she held up a hand to stop him. "Young man, I use the seeds for many reasons, but it is the seed itself I need, not its extract."
His shoulders dropped slightly. "I'm sorry to inform you then, ma'am. We haven't carried the seeds in several years. I don't know of many places that do. Most who use it for baking or cooking are content with the extract or one of the substitutes. And with this weather, there's certainly no possible way that any crop of it survived."
Pursing her lips, she nodded once and thanked him for his time. As she left the shop, Sandy slipped out with her, his eyes dancing with the delight of finally having a small clue. While she continued on her search for the spice, he raced back to his fellow Guardians.
Mad howls emerged from the evil spirit's cavern. It had not mattered that she had found two small children wandering alone in the woods and had drained them dry. She gained no solace from the soul of the suckling babe she had taken from the unattended pram. Her anger was too great to allow her comfort when she had spread the boundaries of the winter chill she was steadfastly creating outward another five miles. By the beginning of July, she would undoubtedly have England effectively frozen, and even that realization gave her no satisfaction.
Pitch had hobbled her once more. She had not had the time to fully enjoy the gift the energy stolen from the winter spirit had bestowed upon her before it was ripped from her. The essence leaving her form so forcefully had felt exactly as though her own claws were tearing into her own dark soul and creating enormous voids. Even as her eye had melted and oozed down her face, the witch had been focused on the absence of the energy more than the loss of sight.
Her anger at the injury manifested itself in physical rage once she had returned to her bower. Razor sharp claws had sparked as they connected with the granite floor of her cave, creating a deep chasm parallel to the one she felt was within her. Annis' fury seemed to have no end. She continued to move about her home, talons trailing against the stones as she seethed. Screams of resentment echoed off the rock walls, reverberating through the mouth of the cave. Had there been any wildlife to pass by, it would likely have been startled into death with the violence of her outbursts.
Though she did not require breath, her chest heaved and her shoulders rose and fell as she panted heavily. Hatred smoldered in her eyes as the witch's destructive rampage continued unabated. Even as her claws scraped a new crevice in the rock, she contemplated what method she could utilize to best attack the nightmare king for his betrayal. The Guardians – and even her ultimate goals – quickly diminished in importance as she attempted to contrive the best way to achieve revenge against the boogeyman.
Jack had been staring at his long-eared companion for more than an hour while Piers built a snowman underneath his brother's bedroom window. Bunnymund was not accustomed to being scrutinized for so long a period. His whiskers twitched and the fur on his back stood on end. Finally unable to simply sit and allow the other guardian to continue gazing at him with such intensity, he turned sharply to face the ice wielder.
"What?!"
The smirk on the mischief maker's face irritated him as much as it enthralled him. The rabbit shook his head, a smile alighting his lips. He should have expected the younger spirit to use any opportunity to create mayhem. A 'staring contest' was a bit of a change for him, though. Sadly, the mirth was short-lived. Melancholy settled over the younger spirit once more.
Noticing the change in the white haired guardian, North walked over and gently placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry, tovarisch. If she returns, we will be here."
"And if she goes elsewhere? What then?" Jack's eyes were downcast as he asked his question. Looking up, he met Bunnymund's gaze. The hare did not try to hide the anguish behind the verdant green eyes. None of them could claim any ignorance of what Annis was capable of doing. She seemed to be willing to go to any lengths in order to achieve her aims, regardless of any possible consequences. Like any starved predator suddenly allowed an abundant food supply, she did not see the danger in quickly picking off as many of her prey as she could at once.
The winter spirit's attention was diverted from his musings by the snowball that knocked against the base of his staff. Turning to face the direction from which the snowball had been launched, he found Piers grinning broadly at him. He could not help but smile at the boy's cheek, and quickly resolved to engage in the offered distraction. Content to watch from the sidelines, the Russian clapped a hand on Bunnymund's back.
"His moods seem more …." The Christmas spirit's brow was furrowed in thought as he considered the best description.
Picking up on his inability to express himself adequately in English, the pooka offered a suggestion based on his own observations. "Mercurial?"
"Da." Silence passed between the two spirits as they continued to watch Piers and Jack. Their attention was diverted within moments as a glittering exclamation mark formed in front of the tallest two Guardians. The symbol quickly morphed into an arrow, directing them to turn around. As they did, they found Sandy floating towards them rapidly on his sand cloud.
Without any preamble, the dream weaver began trying to tell them what he had learned. The sand shifted rapidly, forming a storefront, a young man, various types of mortal medicines, and finally the boys' grandmother walking away. Confused, the pooka shook his head, turning to see if North had understood the seemingly hysterical sand-babbling. The jolly guardian's brow was furrowed, displaying his lack of comprehension clearly. Sandy's mouth opened, his chest rising up and down as though heaving a great sigh.
He repeated the sequence again, the shapes congealing from the shifting dream dust much more slowly. Neither member of his audience seemed to be able to discern his meaning. The ancient spirit frowned, his finger tapping gently against his chin as he considered how he might be able to explain what he knew in a way that the others would be able to interpret. The giggle to his left followed by a laugh he had not heard for quite some time caught his attention. The sand formed a light bulb, and he raced over to the two.
His momentum carried him directly into the path of the snowball Jack had lobbed at Piers. The ice wielder's jaw fell slack. Approaching the ancient spirit, he swept the powdery precipitate from his body while offering apologies. The boy, while his play mate was attempting to avoid trouble, fell back into the snow, his body shaking with laughter. The winter guardian adopted a mock frown before joining in the raucous mirth.
Smiling at them both, Sandy formed a hand, palm extended outward, wrist down. Catching sight of the familiar symbol manifested in the dream dust, the pair ceased their antics. Slowly fashioning the same images once they had calmed somewhat, the golden guardian hoped that at least the boy would be able to provide some insight to the others. When he had finished, the boy looked up at him, his eyes slightly wide.
"Wow. You went to the store with gran. That must have been really boring." Looking about, he noticed that there were no footprints in the snow. "Which is probably why you're back here when she's not."
The dream weaver frowned at the joke, forming an exclamation point from the sand before repeating the sequence once more. Again, they did not understand what he was trying to show them. Irritated by their wavering thoughts and seeming inability to focus, he floated up to Conall's window, slipping inside. The others followed, arriving in time to see the sand form of the grandmother walking away from Sandy as she continued down the street.
Tooth's brow was furrowed in confusion, but Conall's eyes were wide. He asked the spirit to repeat the sequence, stopping the images' rotation as the various medicines were laid on the counter. Leaning in, Piers began to examine them with the same scrutiny that his younger brother was applying. His eyes opened and his jaw fell slightly slack as he realized what he had overlooked before.
"Do you see what I see?" Conall took his eyes from the dust illustrations, staring at his brother as he voiced the question.
"Yeah, I think so. Gran always told us that one spice she cooks with was good for a lot of things. It's what she kept in that pouch you found downstairs after she left." Piers began pacing as he tried to recall the name of the savory seasoning his grandmother adored.
Conall furrowed his brow in concentration. The conversation his older brother had overheard a part of while he was sleeping in the infirmary bed had involved spices, and this was likely whatever had been able to debilitate the witch. His eyes widened, his head popping up as the memory came back to him. "Any seed!"
Sandy nodded emphatically, pointing at the young boy. He said it a little differently, but it sounded like the spice for which the older woman had asked. Tooth's joyful clapping followed, her wings buzzing rapidly behind her. The boys both smiled, happy to have been able to assist the immortal spirits, and hopefully having found something which could remove Annis from their lives.
"There's just one problem." Jack's declaration had the group turning towards him. Bunnymund was standing directly behind the ice wielder, so when the winter spirit took a step back at the force of the attention directed at him, he almost placed his bare heel on the smooth fur of the pooka's foot. The white haired guardian muttered a brief apology before attempting to explain. "How do we get it?"
The dream weaver formed an image of the grandmother, to which Piers began nodding emphatically. "Yeah. Gran will get some. I'm sure if we tell her what it's for she won't mind giving it to us." Conall gave a decisive nod, supporting his brother. The Guardians' attention was drawn from the boys as a voice emerged from the shadows, the sibilant sound grating on Jack's nerves.
"Oh, how marvelous. Just ask her for it. And tell her you want it to fight an ancient spirit who's been consuming the souls of children across the land." He leaned forward, his arms stretched at a backward angle. The shadows parted from his face enough to allow his eyes, filled with dark intent, to show through. "You think she'll be so careless as to allow her grand babies to scamper off and pick a fight with a malevolent spirit? She's more likely to pat you on the head or scold you."
Jack's eyes narrowed as he glared at Pitch. "Why are you here?"
The nightmare king scoffed. "To talk some sense into you. Failing that, if none of you can see that a lozenge isn't going to end the horror she intends to unleash, I plan on leaving you here to rot in misery with the hag."
"Leave?" The ice wielder's tone had darkened considerably. His staff was gripped tightly in his right hand, glowing with the infusion of his power. "You still have something of mine."
The dark spirit laughed, the sound hollow and devoid of mirth. "Me, me, me. Is there nothing else that concerns you, Jack?" He paused, staring at his fingernails as though wholly disinterested in the conversation. "I have nothing of yours anyway."
The ice wielder snarled. He extended his wounded hand, freezing the water molecules in the air separating him from the boogeyman. Sneering, the elder spirit merely stepped to the side as the horizontal icicle approached him. "I mean my hand, Pitch!"
He narrowed his eyes as he stared back at the youngest guardian. "I'm well aware of what you meant. You do realize that this is not about you, don't you?" Jack straightened his stance, cocking his head to the left as the nightmare king continued his tirade. "Aren't you Guardians always spouting about the kids, and how important it is to protect them? Aren't you supposed to be the ones offering to go after that harridan rather than sending mere children to do your work?"
Bunnymund scoffed. "We weren't going to let them face her again. Such a deadhead." The rabbit was shaking his head as he graced the dark spirit with a look of derision.
"Then how do you plan to get your precious spice? The woman can't see you, and it doesn't matter whether you actually intend to let these children accompany you – there's no way that she would give them anything she felt would put them at risk."
Angered by the tension the boogeyman was creating by continuing to berate them without offering a solution, Jack growled a bit as he advanced on their nemesis. "You give me back the bit of my essence you still have, and I'll work on making her believe." Closing his eyes, he pushed back the sadness at the memory of how he had rekindled Jamie's faith in his fellow Guardians. Exhaling, he opened his eyes slowly, fixing the nightmare king with a glare promising pain.
"It's not about you, Jack! Whether you have your entire essence or not is moot. Don't you understand anything about mortals? Or do you stop paying attention once they stop having faith in you?" The winter spirit reeled back a bit as though having been physically struck by the words. "They don't risk their young – not if they're the kind of people who would walk about town for hours trying to find the one thing which has been seen to have an effect on the horrid hag. No." Slipping back into the shadows, Pitch raised his voice so the sibilant sound still carried to them. "That type of mortal goes out in search of the harridan, intent to face the witch and kill her. No thought will be given to the possibility that they will fail. No thought will be spared for how to right things once the hag's demise is secured."
"You see, it's not just removing her as a threat. It's restoring the land to vitality once Annis is no longer an issue." The white haired spirit's eyes softened as he recognized the truth of the nightmare king's words. "But besides all that, the old woman couldn't see me last night. She saw the hag – and when she threw the paltry amount of spice she had in that bag, she saw the witch writhe in agony. She doesn't know that most of that reaction was to my scythe." Tooth's eyes widened as she placed a hand over her mouth, understanding dawning on her as to the boogeyman's message. "She'll seek the harridan out – and she'll throw that spice on her. When it doesn't cause as much havoc as it did out in that street, she'll be too confused to run. And Annis will kill her for what she knows." Sparing a glance towards the boys, the winter spirit noted the tears streaming down Conall's face. Piers was studiously swallowing in an attempt to keep his own sorrow at bay.
"So, you see, Jack, it's not about you. This isn't about you at all."