They weren't in Heatherfield. Well...they were in a heather field, but they weren't in Heatherfield. Will checked and reassured herself that she still had the Heart of Kandrakar. The glowing jewel bathed her and the area in its light. Davira was nowhere to be seen. Will's stomach clenched. Her mother was there, with Professor Collins and Mrs. Alcott. Cornelia had come too. Susan was staring into the distance, unable to absorb all that had happened. Professor Collins was checking on Cornelia. Cornelia's shoulder had an egg shaped bruise on it. So everyone was alright.

"I guess the bullet didn't go in because I'm getting super tough!"

Professor Collins laughed. "No Miss Hale. These bullets ricocheted so they lost a lot of energy by the time this one made it to you. Ricochets very rarely penetrate thick skin like your shoulder. Most ricochet injuries happen in thinner skin, or where there's no skin at all, like the eye."

Cornelia blushed. "Oh, well. I just thought, since every once in a while, my powers get stronger, you know..."

"Powers..." said Susan, her expression distant and vague. She turned to Will and her eyes widened. "How could you keep something like this from me?"

Will felt her heart sink somewhere into her stomach. "Mom, I'm sorry. I just wanted something normal to look forward to every day. None of us told anyone. We were all afraid of what would happen if you knew."

Dean said, "Will, Cornelia, I think your parents would want to know something like this. I certainly would."

Susan said, "Something like what? I'm still not even sure what we've seen." Susan turned around, taking in her surroundings. "What have we seen? Where are we?"

Will wasn't sure what hurt worse, the guilt at having lied to her mother for all of this time, or the helplessness she heard in her mother's voice.

"They are the Guardians of the Infinite Realms," said Mrs. Alton. "It is their job to make sure the evil of the worlds of all reality do not cross the rift to each other."

Susan's face turned red with anger. "I'm sorry? Their jobs are to go to school, grow up, and have a normal life."

"The Guardians are chosen as they come to womanhood, which if you know your biology, happens at about eleven or twelve. Someone must shoulder the responsibility." Mrs. Alcott had a smug look on her face as she spoke, clearly believing she had knowledge above anything Susan could imagine.

"And I had no say so in the matter?" Susan's voice became low and dangerous.

"Begging your pardon, Mrs. Vandom, but nobody has a say in matter. The Heart of Kandrakar chooses which five will assume the task; five girls whose talents embody the four elements of nature and the fifth element that binds them together."

Susan stared at Mrs. Alcott blankly and said, "The Heart of what?"

Dean put her hands on Susan's shoulders. "Look Susan, we have no idea where we are. The sky doesn't look like any sky I've ever seen. It might be better if we try to understand this later."

"No, Dean. We are going to understand this now! We are here because of...whatever has happened."

Will said, "Look, I'd rather be the one to talk to my mom about this."

Susan didn't take her eyes off of Mrs. Alcott. "No! This is my daughter. You don't just get to take her and throw her into something dangerous and I don't even have a say in the matter."

Mrs. Alcott said, "I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

"How it is?"

"Do you think Moses asked his parent's permission when he led the Hebrew to freedom? Did Queen Boudicca have her parent's permission to sacrifice herself driving the Romans from Ireland? Did the United States government get the permission of the parents of millions of soldiers when they sent them to put a stop to Hitler's reign of terror? Children don't get to choose when they grow up, and just because they are young, that doesn't mean they get a reprieve. The old Guardians were no more, either elderly or dead, and a new generation was selected. We don't choose who. We don't get to let them wait until they are older. The Heart of Kandrakar chooses, the Guardians are always drawn to Heatherfield where the five elements are strongest on Earth, and when that happens, all that any of us can do is guide them, and while they are protecting us, if we are able, we may occasionally protect them."

"This is what happened to my daughter these past two months, isn't it?" Susan screamed.

Will said, "Mom, it happened. I can't change it, but I'm alright and I'm going to fix it. I'm not going to back down from this. I'm going to face it on my feet. I've faced worse and I always come out on top."

Will could see the changes in her mother's mood as understanding sunk in. She did not know what her daughter was, but the secret was revealed, and Susan was beginning to understand that it was beyond her power. Far from protecting her daughter from the world, her daughter was protecting the world. Mrs. Alcott looked at Susan with an expression of utmost sympathy. Will put a hand on her mother's shoulder, almost expecting her to shy away, but she didn't. Instead, Susan put a hand on Will's.

"Mom, I didn't want to tell you because I thought I could keep you to myself. I thought that we could keep things they always were. And I didn't want you to be scared." Will looked at her feet. "But things haven't been the way they always were, have they? Things just keep getting messed."

Susan turned and drew Will close to her, and hugging her she said, "You promise me we'll talk about this and you explain this to me, okay?"

Cornelia said, "Just who are you? How does a social worker know about this?"

Mrs. Alcott looked at her apologetically as she said, "When Luba was killed by Nerissa, I was placed in charge of guarding your aurameres."

"Orube!" Mrs. Alcott transformed into a cat like creature. Susan screamed and jumped five feet back.

Will couldn't believe it. "You're my social worker?" Both Will and Cornelia could not contain themselves. They ran up and hugged Orube.

Orube said, "You're auramere vanished. When it did not come back, I became concerned. I came to Earth to try and protect you, but I could not return to Kandrakar. I posed as a government employee named Karen Alcott-you would not believe how pathetic their security is."

"What do you mean, my auramere vanished? How could it vanish, and how could I still have my powers?"

"I do not know. I came to find you to try and solve that mystery."

Will sighed at just another problem she had to face. "Why did I think you were a monster when we first met?"

Dean said, "You mean she's not?"

Cornelia said, "Hey, be nice. She doesn't look that bad."

Orube shot Cornelia a nasty look and then turned back to Will. "I'm sorry, Will. I had to be convincing so your mother wouldn't think anything was wrong."

Will asked, "When did my auramere disappear?"

"Four days ago."

"And how do you know about any of that stuff you just told my mom?"

Orube smiled. "It is thanks to the years of teaching you and your friends gave me about being human. I learned a joy for reading."

Something even more absurd occurred to Will. "How do you know about the Muppet Show?"

Orube laughed and shook her head.

Will and Cornelia exchanged meaningful looks. That had been the day before she returned to Heatherfield with no memory of what happened after being captured. Will looked back at her family. She used the Heart of Kandrakar to try opening the rift. "Okay, how come that isn't working?"

"When Phobos took the throne back from Elyon, we sought to once again contain his evil. The Council of Kandrakar tried to lower the Veil onto Metamoor, but Phobos was ready this time. He has placed talismans to try to force the Veil open."

"So sometimes I can fold, and sometimes I can't. Let me guess, portals will work?"

Orube shrugged. "You can try."

Will tried to open a portal, to no avail. Again, she tried to open the rift. No luck. "I guess we walk."

Sarina asked, "Where are we?"

Will said, "Metamoor."

Cornelia said, "So we can't get back. Wonderful. Hey, didn't Caleb say Phobos has pretty much taken over everything here?"

"Yeah, it might be in our best interest to find an entrance into the Infinite City."

Back in Heatherfield...

It looked like a tornado had gone through the Vandam's apartment. Their living room was destroyed. The neighbor's kitchen had suffered the same degree of demolition. The only sound was a broken pipe spraying a geyser of water where the neighbor's kitchen sink had been. Taranee lifted a piece of sheet-rock off of her, surprised by how heavy it actually was. Hay Lin had been underneath it too and when she found herself free, stood up and brushed herself off.

A television laying on its side-it must have belonged to Will because it moaned-said, "Oh...I think I sprained a transistor."

Irma flung a pair of couch cushions off of herself. She stood up and surveyed the carnage. There was a hole in the outer wall, a giant orifice that opened to a several story drop. "Wow, now's the time to install a balcony."

"Irma," said Hay Lin, "This is serious. Will and her mother, and Professor Collins went through a fold."

Irma said, "I'm serious too. Half the work is already done. Think of how much money it'll save them on construction."

Taranee said, "It'll be okay. Cornelia's with them."

Irma thrust her thumb to the right, indicating a moaning pile of rubble. "Hey, Taranee, I think a couple of loose ends are waking up. I'll take care of their memories. Can you give us evidence of a gas explosion?"

Taranee held her arms out and a burst of fire emanated from her, washing over everything, not damaging anything, but adding soot and singes to everything in its path, including Irma and Hay Lin.

"Ow!" said Hay Lin. "Be careful. I'd like to keep my eyebrows."

"Quit complaining," said Irma. "We can't pull it off if we look pristine. Speaking of which, Taranee, you need a bit of a fire makeover, too."

Within seconds, Taranee was covered in soot and the edges of her clothes were singed. It wasn't a moment too soon because Stevens and Alvarez were getting to their feet.

Stevens said, "Are you kids okay?"

Alvarez said, "Where did she go?"

"Where did who go?" asked Irma.

"The one who started this, something Davira?"

Stevens shook his head. "No, there wasn't anyone here except us, these girls and Will's family."

Irma felt a knot forming in her chest. Her powers of suggestion weren't working on Alvarez.

Alvarez looked from person to person. "Someone's playing a trick on me. It was that Davira woman. She did something. She pulled something. She attacked us and made this mess, and she took off with Will, one of your friends, and some of the adults."

Taranee and Hay Lin looked at Irma accusingly. All Irma could do was stand looking helpless. As Alvarez emerged, Irma said, "Really, this looks like it was probably a gas explosion."

Alvarez narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Looks that way, but the video will tell us one way or the other." He pulled a recording device out of his pocket and disconnected a tiny camera from his shirt collar. "I know what I saw."

Irma's expression fell. "Video?"

Taranee and Hay Lin exchanged looks. Alvarez was going to be a serious problem. Taranee's voice was in Hay Lin and Irma's minds. *We need to make sure that video is erased, lost, or both.*

Irma and Hay Lin nodded their agreement. It was clear now. Will and Cornelia were trapped with problems, probably in Metamoor, but it was Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin's job to make sure that home was safe to come back to.

This would take some planning.

In throne room of Meridian...

Phobos sat upon his throne observing the two before him. One was his minion, Davira. The other was the Alchemist, a partner that Phobos hadn't particularly wanted. The Alchemist had made a deal with Phobos: she would help him gather hearts so long as they had equal shares. She had been a prisoner, and once his greatest enemy but what she had promised had been too good to turn down. The Alchemist had begun her task three days ago. Phobos already possessed the Hearts of Meridian and Ulnra, and the Alchemist was in possession of the Star of Cassidy, and he had some suspicions regarding how she might have acquired it without the Heart of Kandrakar. That was already three hearts between them.

Having known where they were, the Alchemist returned almost a day later, in possession of the Shadow Heart and the Heart of Zambala, and she presented Phobos with the Heart of Iridia. Now, as soon as she procured the Heart of Kandrakar for him, Phobos would relieve her of her burden, and rather than kill her, he would reward her for her help. He would imprison her next to his now helpless sister. What Phobos didn't know was that the Alchemist only needed one more Heart to complete her plans. Seven Hearts with the awesome magical power of the Seven Points. It was the most potent magical combination there was, and Phobos would be too greedy to honor his part of the contract.

"Davira," said Phobos, "your task was simple. You were to secure the Heart of Kandrakar, and failing that, the Heart of Earth. How hard can it be with my power fueling your efforts?"

"My Prince," she simpered, "I sought the Heart of the Earth first. The girl had bequeathed the power to three regents, all of whom knew the awesome power they wielded. As for the Heart of Kandrakar, all five guardians were there, and the Earth police proved to be competent warriors. I was overwhelmed, but the Heart of Kandrakar is on Metamoor. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. Only one other guardian is with the girl." She shot a sidelong glance at the Alchemist. "Her mother is here too." This statement had an effect on the Alchemist. Still, she recovered from the information.

Phobos smiled and looked up at his sister, who looked forlornly at the Alchemist. Phobos looked back down at Davira. "It seems you have the foresight to ensure that your failures can be corrected." Phobos stood and walked down the stairs from the throne. "Alchemist, Davira, come with me."

He walked down and down. Out of the throne room and into the corridors leading into the kitchens, down into the cellar, and down into the dungeon, and down into the Abyss of Shadows, where Phobos' Whisperers waited. "My servants always prove to be such disappointments. Perhaps it is me. Perhaps I place too much confidence in them. Davira was once a ruler, who has lowered herself to my servant. Such a sacrifice will not go unrewarded. The Alchemist is my equal. She has proven it, and she possesses the power to maintain it. What I need are henchmen I can rely on, that you can use, Davira, to help fulfill that which I mandate."

Two Whisperers appeared from the Abyss of Shadows, carrying between them a wretched young boy. "Davira, the guards found this whelp stealing from the castle food stores. I had ordered him placed in the dungeons for a year, but that is such a wasteful solution. I think he would serve you much better. You see, I have the power to not only take over his mind, but to replace it completely." Phobos extended his staff containing the power of the three Hearts, and energy fired from it into the young boy. Armor appeared from the aether and attached itself to the boy. He was growing inordinately, and soon, his chest was a muscular mass of spiked steel. His arms as large as the Alchemist and the top of his head was covered with a helmet in the shape of a torpedo. "Indestructible, living only for devastation, I name you Juggernaut! You shall be the Bane of Earth!"

It stood nearly nine feet tall. It was metal and rock. Red eyes glowed beneath the stone helmet. Davira shuddered. The Alchemist stood motionless, so disinterested, she might have even yawned. Phobos pointed to one of his Whisperers. "Take life, become life, and be the Bane of Life!" The Whisperer seemed to become an ethereal being, like electricity arcing in on itself. "You can come to and fro, unheard, unseen, and you feed upon life, you are Wisp!" This time, the Alchemist really did yawn. Davira knew her to be as powerful as Phobos, but to be so callous defied reason. Surely Phobos was powerful enough to punish such insolence, but if Phobos cared, he didn't show it. He seemed as indifferent to the Alchemist as she was to Phobos' creations.

Phobos said, "Now go! Find the Guardians. Kill the one that commands the earth but bring the Keeper of the Heart to me, alive."

Davira looked back to see the Alchemist's reaction, only to find that she had gone! Phobos smiled. The Alchemist's departure was only to be expected, and Davira's reaction was amusing. "Follow if you wish, Davira. You may find what you see to be of great interest."

Beneath Metamoor, in the Infinite City...

Will, Cornelia, Orube, Susan, and Dean trudged through putrefying water that was ankle deep. Ancient brickwork crumbled around them and air plants and tree roots hung from the ceiling. There were grates along the wall at knee level. Orube had found the entrance to the Infinite City an hour earlier. Cornelia had protested, repulsed by the smell, but as long as Phobos ruled the world above, Will reasoned that the sooner they were out of sight, the better.

"It smells like a sewer," said Cornelia, making a gagging expression.

Will said, "Cornelia, I think this is a sewer."

Dean said, "Well, we are certainly broadening our horizons. You know, an experience like this really helps you relate to what people throughout history have gone through. Just imagine the Jews hiding out in the sewers of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi occupation."

Cornelia said, "Professor Collins, I don't have to imagine it. I think I'm living it."

"My point exactly. I'm sure they complained about it too, but it was necessary to their survival, and it affected the course of history."

With each step, Cornelia's complaints grew more pronounced. The current in the water suggested a slope ahead, and when they came to it, Cornelia lost her footing, and slid down like in a water slide. As everyone else, carefully edged their way down, part sliding, Cornelia stood, covered in the horrid sludge and retched. "This sweater is Givenchy! It's ruined! The pants were Rachel Roy. The shoes were Gucci."

Will said, "I would comfort you, but I'm not hugging you while you're covered in that stuff."

When they came to an intersection, they decided to change direction. Making a right, they found their way to a place that silenced any further complaint from Cornelia. She said, "You know, it's stuff like this that puts a ruined shirt into perspective."

They had happened upon a village that had been settled on a large platform in a reservoir chamber of the sewer. The chamber was vast. They could scarcely see the other side. There were several hundred villagers living in homes so small they were little more than containers. Children played on the narrow paths that connected the platform to another platform on the other side of the chamber. There were more villagers there. There was a mill collecting water and people trying to purify the sludge.

"Don't take another step or you'll fall in," someone shouted.

Will looked down, but the water was so murky, there was no to tell deep from shallow. Will edged her way to the platform and felt her foot hover over abyss as it slipped over the falloff. She kept her balance, and putting her foot back on a stable surface, she keep moving and told everyone to follow her and stay to the right. As they made it to the platform, several women came to tend to Cornelia.

"We have to get you fresh clothes fast," one said.

Will said, "Don't you worry about the children?"

"Every moment," said another.

Susan looked as if she might cry. "Why are these people here?"

Will said, "There's no place on the surface for them. These are people who have angered Phobos. Most of them don't even know what they've done to upset him. If he caught them, he'd throw them in his prison, where the conditions are even worse than this, and most of them would starve to death, or would be fed to some of the more vicious animals that Phobos keeps." Will turned to the man who warned them away. "Why live here? Why not stay in the Infinite City?"

The man bowed and said, "Begging your pardon, exalted Guardian, but Phobos remembers a rebellion against him based in the Infinite City. He has released guards and other creatures to patrol the Infinite City. There is no place for us."

"But there's no known end to the Infinite City. He can't really cover the whole area, can he?"

"We search, even now, but so far have found no place that his guards do not watch." He stood and led them into the town. "Come, you must all be hungry and tired."

After they had eaten, Will explained as much of Metamoor and the people of Meridian as she could to her family. She and Cornelia told them about Elyon's royal origins, and about how Mrs. Rudolph had brought her to safety on Earth all the way from Metamoor. Elyon was the last of her kind and the rightful ruler of Meridian.

Dean said, "Wait a minute, our Mrs. Rudolph was from here?"

Cornelia said, "Her real name is Galgheita. She had to change her appearance to hide on Earth."

"Change her appearance?"

"She's the nicest lizard person we've ever known."

Will said, "Cornelia, that's not nice."

"But it's true. She's a reptile and she's a totally awesome teacher."

Dean shook his head and put his fingertips to his temples. "I'm going to have to wrap my mind around all of this."

Susan said, "Will, please tell me about you. What is all of this, and what do you have to do with anything?"

Will closed her eyes and said, "I'll start at the beginning."

Long ago, when the world was young, man was new, and the face of the Earth was different, dragons ruled the sky. There were no rivers; just the great Eastern Sea. There was the Red Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon, and the Pearl Dragon. One day, they heard a plea for help. There was a great drought and the people could not grow food. Soon they would starve. The Jade Emperor had the power to help them, but he would do nothing. The Yellow Dragon, who loved earth, told the other dragons what he had seen. They wept for the people and begged the Jade Emperor to help them. The Emperor did not welcome them, demanding to know why they had left the clouds.

The Dragons made their plea and the Jade Emperor told them that he would see to it and that they were not to bother him again. Ten days passed after the Emperor's promise, and for ten days, it did not rain. The dragons decided to take matters into their own hands. With the sea, they had all the water they could want. So the four dragons scooped the water into their mouth and sprayed it into the sky so that it would turn to rain and water their crops. Hundreds and hundreds of times the dragons sprayed the water into the sky and so they ended the drought.

But the Jade Emperor was not pleased. He had them arrested and brought before them. Brought before the Emperor in chains, he prepared a terrible punishment for them. They plead that they only did what was right, but the Emperor had no pity for them. He ordered the mountain spirit to lock them away so that they may never escape. But the Emperor's daughter, the nymph Xin Jing was very angry with the emperor. "Your cruelty is equaled only by your arrogance," she said, and she cast her most powerful spell. She bound herself to the dragons and absorbed their essence into her. The four dragons turned into four rivers, and all that was left of Xin Jing was a crystal amulet.

Will held out the Heart of Kandrakar and said, "And here she is. The Heart of Kandrakar chose me as its Keeper."

Susan laughed uneasily. Dean said, "But that's an old Chinese legend. It can't be true."

Cornelia said, "Every word of it."

Will said, "Even Phobos wouldn't challenge it."

Sarina said, "So then, you..."

"Our job was to keep Phobos' evil contained. He had intended to take over the universe. But Elyon was our friend, so we fought him and imprisoned him. It was the only way to save her from him. When Phobos was defeated, Kandrakar lifted the Veil that separated Metamoor from Earth."

Susan said, "So...have there been people...attacking Earth?"

Will nodded, "Our first year in Heatherfield was the worse. Phobos was trying to drain the power from his sister and he knew we were her friends so he worked double time to get rid of us."

Susan looked as if she suddenly understood everything. "That explains everything. All of the strange behavior, the sneaking out..."

"It hasn't been easy for me either. I've gotten into a lot of trouble over this."

"It explains your grades. God, you must be exhausted half the time."

Cornelia said, "At least we get our exercise."

A roar echoed through the tunnels and all eyes turned to the north. Will, Cornelia, and Orube stood. Will said, "Orube, do you still have your powers?"

Orube's said, "No warrior would enter the field of battle unarmed."

Cornelia said, "I assume we're not hiding anymore?"

Will gripped the Heart of Kandrakar in her palm and said, "Guardians unite." Her family saw the transformation. It was as impressive as always, except now that Will and Cornelia were older, the physical change wasn't as pronounced, but they were still clearly older. Orube was the only one who did not change. Even during her brief time as a Guardian, she did not change then. Still, even without wings, she could fly. Will turned to her mother and said, "Stay here." Without waiting for a response, she, Cornelia, Orube flew in the direction of the roar.

At an entrance to the Infinite City, they met a Titan. The creature was rock and metal and easily towered at nine feet tall. There was also some kind of electrical creature that flitted around the cavern. There was Davira, grinning sadistically. "Girls, meet Juggernaut and Wisp. They're going to kill you."