Dulaque P.O.V.
"Jade, darling, it's time to come home now." I said in a sing-song type voice.
"I am home." She said, if I didn't know better I would've thought she meant it...
"We have a wedding planned to King Darren, now I've put it off a while... But the crowds grow restless... It's time to take your place as Queen of Atlantis." I insisted.
"I don't want to marry King Darren." She pouted. Are all children this resistant to what's best for them?
"Why?" I asked, as if it really mattered what she thought. She would marry Darren and I would recieve the trident. It was all planned, she didn't have any say in the matter when we planned it and she didn't have any say now.
"I don't love him." She stated as if this was an important part of marriage.
"Jade, my dearest, you don't love anyone. You don't love King Darren,the guards that feed you, you don't even love me!" I reminded her patiently.
"I love Ezekiel." She told me like she was revealing a large secret everyone but me knew.
I looked from her to the child standing with her, she was clutching his arm like she was afraid he might take off. The boy from my study, the one she had left with. I reached his eyes, they were angry, ready to attack. It occurred to me that she might be holding on to him to prevent him from harming me. Me! Like the little creature could even come close without falling on his face. I'd hardly have to lift a finger and he'd be dead at my side. Children can be so foolish. If I'd told her once I'd told her a thousand times.
"Jade... What have I told you of love?" I waited for her to recite what I'd drilled into her since she was born. But it didn't come.
"Lies. Nothing but lies." She hissed. She was getting angry now.
"Alright, then. Tell me what you think you know of love. What have these simpletons been telling you love is?" I gestured to the other librarians who watched me uneasily, ready to stop me if necessary, but letting me talk with my daughter. I'm sure there must be some rule somewhere about not hurting anyone during a peaceful negotiation.
"Love is... Defending someone you just met, from someone you know and trust." She looked at the boy she was clinging to.
"Love is knowing someone so well that you know how to help them when no one else can." She looked at two of the librarians to my left, a male and Cassandra the girl who mananged to betray her friends to us and still be welcomed back. The male hovered close to her, close enough he could catch her if she fell but far away enough he could easily dodge an attack by her.
"Love is stabbing your father. Love is leaving everything you know. Love is being scared of everything happening so fast, but not wanting it another way because another way would mean I wouldn't be with Ezekiel. Love is... Undefinable. Anyone who tries to define it, doesn't have it..."
It was like she really believed what she was saying. At this point she probably did. Librarians... They manage even to ruin my own flesh and blood with their fanciful ideals. My head went into my hands briefly and I looked up, my eyes resting on the child she had attached herself to. Ezekiel, she called him. It was time to cut her ties with the librarians.
"This child you cling to cannot protect you. He can not even protect himself." I pulled my sword from its sheath. The librarian drew his sword, ready to defend his little pet. I was only interested in Jade today, not getting rid of the ever present pain in my neck.
"Father, no!" Jade cried.
Poor child, so confused, so naive... So completely fooled by recent events, thinking that anyone could take care of her like I have. Setting her up with King Darren was beneficial to us both. I gained the trident and she lived a happy life being adored by her subjects. If she couldn't see that, I would make her see. I swung my blade towards the boy, the librarian attempted to stop me but was far too slow for my experienced swing. Just as I was about to reach the child's neck I heard Jade scream again.
"No!" Her voice seemed to distort and echo as my vision faded and a slight pain in my hand caused me to drop my sword.
When my vision returned I was lying on a beach my sword nowhere in sight. I spit out a mouthful of sand. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but I knew who to call. I dialed the number.
"Lamia! I need a ride..." I huffed.
"Sir? Are you still at the annex? Is Jade with you?" She sounded worried. Well, as worried as Lamia could be. She had told me not to go alone. Next time I'll listen.
"No. On both counts." I grew bored.
"What? Where are you?" She acted like she was accusing me of a crime...
"Let's just say... Returning Jade to her position by my side... Will be more difficult than originally anticipated... Use the GPS in my phone to find me..."
I clicked off the phone and sat in the endless sand. I had some thinking to do... Some reconsidering... Some planning...
Ezekiel P.O.V.
As he swung for me I instinctively put my hand on Jades hand that held my arm.
"No!" She screamed as if she was the one about to die. As she screamed Jack darted from her wrist and whacked Dulaque in the arm. He dropped his sword and vanished. Just gone. On the floor was a green sticky blob where his feet had been. Flynn examined it closely.
"Is he dead?" Stone asked bluntly, not caring much for Jade, who was whimpering by my side, now with both arms completely wrapped around my arm.
I tried to pry her off to get a closer look at the blob, but that only caused Jack to wrap around me holding me in place. I knew she was only half in control of his actions but... Seriously?
"No. I don't think so. I think this is some sort of transportation residue. You know how when you go through that door, and there's kind of a stick? It's small, and you easily get used to it, don't even notice it any more. But that first time you go through? You kind of feel it. Anything you touch when transporting will have a little residue on it..." He picked up the sword Dulaque dropped.
"Yep. This is sticky too... Jade transported him. Incredible... Just out of curiosity... Where did you send him?" He looked at Jade, who had calmed considerably.
"I, I don't know." She sounded confused.
"What we do know, is he will be back. He's not just going to give up." Jenkins stated coldly.
"And next time he's going to bring friends..." Baird commented.
"We need to analyze what it is he wants in order to take that away from him." Flynn began. "So let's start with the basics... He was here, why did he come here?" He questioned us.
"To get Jade, obviously." I stated.
"Why does he want Jade?" Flynn continued.
"He doesn't love her. He doesn't believe in love." I scoffed.
"Okay, he doesn't love her, Dulaque doesn't operate on love. He really doesn't care about her so he needs her for something, something to aid him in the goal of returning magic to the world..." Flynn almost muttered to himself.
"Her marriage to King Darren! If she married him it solidifies their partnership to overtake King Titans throne. She's what makes Dulaque stand out against anyone else who could aid them." Baird said what all of us were thinking.
"With her gone, so is King Darren, and Dulaque loses his chance at the trident, which he wants for whatever reason. It's not going to be a good thing whatever he's getting at." Stone said.
"You can't stop Dulaque." Jenkins mumbled.
"No, but we don't have to. We just have to stop the wedding to King Darren. If Jade can't marry Darren, the agreements off right?" Flynn countered
"But, like we keep saying, you can't stop Dulaque and he'll take Jade and force her to marry this Darren guy." I looked around the room, everyone seemed to know something I didn't. And then I got it...
"Um. No. Nope. Not happening." I resisted.
"Come on, man, it's just a piece of paper..." Stone said.
"What? Are you crazy? This is not happening." I backed away from the group and Jack let me go.
"Simple. A small ceremony, sign the documents and it's over quick!" Flynn insisted.
"Is anyone listening? This is not happening!" I cried in vain.
"No, because it's not Dulaque we are fighting, it's King Darren. We don't need secrecy and speed, we need a large open ceremony that will make it undeniable that they wed and will stop anyone from disqualifying it, so King Darren will never be able to find a loophole to use to marry her anyway." Jenkins said like I wasn't even there.
"Hello!? Do I even exist anymore?" I yelled desperately
"What's going on?" Jade looked at me for guidance, the only one in the room not planning my wedding.
Suddenly a strong hand grabbed my shoulder and thrust me towards the backdoor.
"Come on, Jones. You need to find a ring." Stone pushed me forward.
Before I could protest I was being thrown through the door to lord knows where. Just as the doors closed behind us I heard Jades confused voice.
"Cassie, where is Ezekiel going? And what does he keep saying "is not happening"?"