16: Returning
Hours had past in Kandrakar while the girls had been away on the various worlds on there missions. People had come and gone in visiting. Security throughout the fortress had also been increased, guards of a verity of species were scattered throughout the corridors and chambers, constantly checking rooms for anyone unwanted in them. The whole time Yan Lin remained in the central chamber, uncertain as to what was going to play out. Will had returned to her room to properly tidy it up and get a little rest. Luba stood in the auramere chamber, a small chamber hidden in the main chamber that contained a small white table with above it 5 orbs about the size of tennis balls flying around, each matched the colour and had the elemental symbol that went with each guardian power.
Eventually a fold opened in the middle of the chamber, Yan Lin gave a slight sigh of relief, knowing that only the heart, the special orbs that she gave the guardians and personnel of the council can only open folds into this chamber, something that was added a long time ago due to constant intrusions any fold by people or items not part of Kandrakar can fold to inside the castle those folds would appear outside on a path to the main door. Considering that all council members were already in Kandrakar, it would be the guardians. She walked over from where she had spent her time meditating on the raised platform down towards the fold. As she approached she signalled to the guard in the room to stand down as it was about to draw their weapon, clearly prepared to deal with any unwanted intruder.
After a few moment Amy walked though carrying in her arms her unconscious sister, followed by the spirit of Cornelia. Yan Lin look on a little surprise to see someone beyond the guardian coming though, she had been prepared for the spirits of the other members of witch to come through, but the person Amy was carrying was not expected at all. Behind them the fold closed.
"What is going on?" Yan Lin asked curiously, then spotting what Janet wore she spoke a little more aggressively "Is that one of Demal's?"
Amy just seemed to ignore Yan Lin as she carried her sister over to the side of the chamber, placing her down on some benches while Cornelia floated over to Yan Lin to explain. "She kind of was one of Demal's, but not by her own will" Cornelia softly spoke. "She was possessed by a Dolgag, something I don't remember them ever being able to do in my days. We both managed to force it out, but it took the key part with it after using her body to separate it from us."
"Only because I let it happen" Amy angrily spoke back. "If I wasn't distracted by the fact this is my sister that wouldn't have happened."
"I told you, It wasn't your fault. And you made the right decision to put her protection before the key part" Cornelia spoke trying to calm Amy down "If you had gone for the key part the Dolgag could have either re-entered your sisters body or harmed it badly, and I don't think you would have been capable of living with that, I knew I would never have been able to live on if anything bad had happened to my little sister back in the days of living."
"Sorry" Amy said as she calmed down. "I know it not your fault, it just like you said I couldn't cope if I lost my sister to Demal, who now I really want to have him meet my fist up close."
Yan Lin looked over to the guard in the chamber "Summon Will here immediately." The guard just nodded and walked out the room, she then turned to the hidden door under the raised area and called out "Luba you will be needed her too." She then walked over to Amy and rested her right hand on Amy's left shoulder as she stood over her sister. "You have a right to anger but you can't let it control you."
Amy smiled as she had a tear come from her eyes. "You are right" She sighed. "But is there anything you could do to help her? I have tried but I don't think she is physically in problems."
"I will try" Yan Lin replied as she placed her other hand on Janet's head, a blue glow surrounded her body.
While Yan Lin had gone over to Amy, Luba had come out of the room she had been in, closing the door behind her and went over slowly and stood next to Cornelia, only giving each other a nod of acknowledgement before Will's voice was heard a little exited as she entered the room. "Cornelia!"
Cornelia looked round and smiled as Will jogged the best she could in the robes she wore across the room. "Long time isn't it" Cornelia replied. "And I heard you are now the overseer."
"Have been for about 180 or so years now" Will smiled to her as she got to where Cornelia was. "Ever since Tibor left to move on to the afterlife I was given the position."
"Still congratulations are in order for you now having such a key role" Cornelia smiled to her.
"What is going on over there?" Will asked spotting Yan Lin with Amy and someone else.
"Amy's sister was taken by Demal and used against us, we managed to get her back but she isn't in good shape mentally I think, and a Dolgag got away with the key part I had kept." Cornelia went on and explained everything that happened.
"That was a very cold move for him to do" Luba commented once Cornelia had finished.
"And something that should never be done, no-one has the right to use the body of another like that, especially through possessing someone against their will. Mind slaving someone is just as bad, but least normally they don't remember it, possessing can often be remembered." Will added as over with Yan Lin the glow around Janet stopped, she looked at Amy and gave a smile as she then walked back to the others to discuss things with them and hear what had been going on.
Over with Amy, she held her sisters right hand between both her own hands. "Come on sis, you are far stronger than me, so you can come through this." She muttered to her as she kept watch on her. "Please come back."
As Amy stayed with her sister and the others discussed the events on Zambala another fold opened before them and out of it flew Terri and Irma. Terri landed on the ground with the end of her tail lying limp against it, still not recovered from earlier. After a few moments that fold closed.
"Sorry Oracle, 3 Dolgag's ambushed us and took the key part" Terri apologised.
"3 of them!" Cornelia exclaimed a but surprised. "That would explain why only having the 1 that was possessing the body came to my hiding world, because when I was told of 4 I was wondering where the other 3 were."
"What do you mean by that Corney" Irma teased. "Because I doubt that having to deal with 3 at once with only 1 guardian could work well."
"Try Demal having the possessed one being in the new earth guardian's sister" Cornelia quietly replied. "She didn't take that very well."
"Well that would explain where the forth one was" Terri sighed. "I had been wondering why 3 of them came to where we were with no sign of the forth around."
"What happened to you?" Will asked noticing the way Terri's tail was just hanging straight down and lying on the floor.
"Took one of the Dolgag's fireballs straight on the tail" Terri replied before sighing again.
"They did cheap shot the pair of us to start with before swimming off with my part, and gave another one when she tried to get the part back" Irma informed the others.
"Seems Demal is determined to finish what he started then if he is using such extremes" Luba commented.
"Not just that, the Dolgag's seem far stronger then I remember them being" Irma added, a little confused as to their stronger powers.
"And that possessing ability was new to" Cornelia pointed out.
"I have investigated about the stronger nature of them while the new girls were away finding you lot" Yan Lin spoke only to be interrupted by another fold opening and Emma, Hay Lin and the raven came though before it closed behind them.
"Grandma!" Hay Lin called out happily as she flew over and tried to hug Yan Lin, only for her to pass through. Her raven flew up over head and just circled the room. "Sorry, I can forget I can't interact with people normally when I get excited."
"It is good to see you after all this time my dear" Yan Lin happily spoke to Hay Lin. "Have the centuries treated you well?"
"As well as they could" Hay Lin smiled back before turning to face Will. "So you need to explain this evil twin thing fully to me as because of her not only did I give her my key part thinking she was you, I almost took the new guardian and a vassal to possess and I would have gone and attacked the others."
"Oh grate" Will sighed. "She came to you, typical using my memories to know you would have just trusted me for being there and all she would need to say would be a couple of things from the past and done. So sorry for her, but Demal used me and the new quintessence guardian to create her to get the key parts it seems."
"Well your twin was busy then if she had sent forces come to our locations for Demal and possess someone before going to Zambala where Corney was" Irma was a little surprised about the clone thing when she had been told.
"Why is it that it is always you the guys are after anyway?" Cornelia complained. "While I was happy with who I had, it would have been nice to have more guys after me."
As the 3 spirits, Yan Lin, Luba and Will discussed stuff Emma walked over to Terri and spoke "You all right there T?
"Just annoyed, I had the key right before me, only to lose it just when it was within my grasp" Terri sighed a little frustrated. "What about you, doesn't sound like you got it either."
"No, the overseers twin had beaten me there and managed to lie to Hay Lin about me so she was able to take the key part while I faced the chance of becoming possessed and being used against you lot" Emma replied as they walked a little to 1 side, Terri's tail was starting to move a bit.
"Ouch that doesn't sound nice, but I also am guessing that the copy had arrived before you as you should have made good ground flying" Terri smiled to Emma.
"About that, I wasn't able to fly when I got there, I may have gotten a little ahead of myself in the beaten my fear things" Emma shyly replied. "But Hay Lin has taught me how to overcome it properly." She smiled as the raven flew down and landed on her head. "Doing so allowed me to save her familiar here, think he likes me too."
"Well that is something I guess" Terri smiled more and Emma smiled back. She then turned to look at Amy. "How is she doing?"
"Think she is starting to come round" Amy managed to say, she was still rather upset by the whole event of Janet being used against her. Janet's eyes were slowly opening. Both Emma and Terri walked over to join Amy.
As Janet came back to her senses she looked up seeing her sisters face and the marble ceiling of the chamber she was in. "Sis, that you?"
"Yes it is" Amy happily replied back. "You are safe now. I know this is soon but can you remember what had happened to you? Anything you can remember."
Janet slowly stat up as she spoke. "Umm, I was on my way home from being with some friends for a afterschool meal, then some creepy guy in a brown cloak jumped me, he said something about how I will be useful, there was some strange creature that was with him, he launched some black energy at me and that creature jumped at me. I only have vague things from after that. My body doing things, yet I wasn't in control...And we were fighting."
"Umm about the fighting that did happen" Amy shyly replied. "Look there is some stuff you should know." She along with both Emma and Terri (who was able to explain in more detail) explained about what has happened to them over the last week, with Amy also telling Janet that she was used as a weapon against her. "So after the Dolgag got away with the part I went to retrieve, me and Cornelia brought you here where it is safer." Amy finished.
"That does explain the strange clothing you are wearing, and nice wings too sis. And also explains why I wasn't in control, but did that guy really have to make me wear something like this, it is rather uncomfortable on the bark" Janet complained as she was clearly uncomfortable.
"I will help you with that" Luba spoke over them having wondered over. "Come with me and we can try and find something more suitable for you."
"What about the aurameres?" Terri asked.
"They will be safe with you all here, and we won't be too far away" Luba smiled to Terri before turning to Janet. "Shall we?"
"Sure, the sooner I get out of this thing the better" Janet said as she stood up and then followed Luba out of the room.
"Least she took it well" Amy sighed. As the 3 of them then walked over to join the main group.
"So if we had the Dolgag's and the copy, you don't think..." Emma thought out loud.
"You thinking that Demal went to where Taranee was aren't you?" Hay Lin sighed.
"Or Jessica, as she wasn't where any of us were" Amy added.
"Considering her nature as a mind salve he probably would want to be around to keep her that way as we have seen the effect can be weaken if the controller isn't in proximity, allowing for the person to break free from whatever spell is allowing the controller to control them" Will mentioned a little concerned for the others.
"We also seen she will obey your copy just as well as Demal for orders" Terri commented.
"Shows how well she was created to be loyal to Demal, because she claims he actually transferred half of his powers to her permanently" Hay Lin added to that. "And she seems to actually love him, must be part of his twisted mind effect on her."
"Seems he did create his perfect copy" Yan Lin sighed. "Completely loyal to him with free will, and because she is this way it is probably why she is given shared control over anything that is a mind slave to him.
"Nice to know that even a evil me does still possess a sense of loyalty, even if it to someone evil" Will seemed a little disappointed still with her copy, but before she could say any more Luba and Janet walked back into the room. Janet now wearing a loose grey jumper with elbow length sleeves, dark grey 3-quater length skirt and some white trainers. She and Luba walked over to join the others.
"Better in that sis?" Amy asked as she looked her sister over.
"It isn't quite what I would normally go for, but it will do" Janet smiled.
"Well we don't stock much else away from whites and greys" Luba giggled a little. "So what have we missed?"
"Just discussing how Will's copy despite being evil is loyal still" Irma joked, before sounding serious. "But there is the matter of the way Demal does seem to have stronger Dolgag's then I can remember him having all those years ago when we originally took him on."
"And how exactly has he survived all this time" Hay Lin pointed out. "Me, Cornelia, Irma and Taranee aren't alive but our spirits remain because we had ourselves remain out of the afterlife to protect the key parts and Will is around because like both you grandma and Luba is bound to Kandrakar for her ability to still be alive."
"The only reason would be if he had bound himself to something magical, but as to what I am afraid I can't provide an answer, but it would have to be something powerful." Yan Lin spoke clearly trying to think. "As for the Dolgag's, it seems they all share a single magic aura that is spread evenly over any Dolgag. The more that exist the weaker the power each one can use because they are all accessing the same source."
"And back in our days because he had made a army of them that is why compared to now that were weaker." Taranee commented.
"So by making 4 allows them to be stronger, I will admit he is clever" Cornelia gave a slight sigh with everyone just staring at her. "Look I mean that in the not making as may thing, coming back was his mistake however."
There was a few moments of silence in the chamber before another fold opened. "That should be Holly and Rachel coming back" Terri smiled relaxing a little as she looked at it. Janet looked at the fold completely stunned, she had never seen one without being within a generator. After a few moments Holly, Rachel and Taranee emerged, all of them looking like they had taken a bit of a beating. "Hols, you feeling ok?" Terri asked.
"Where to begin, hit by a landslide, beaten around by both Demal and Jessica twice, apart from that I am feeling pretty good" Holly gave a little smile as she stretched a little.
"Unfortunately the whole event cost us our key part" Rachel sighed.
"Demal forced Rachel into a standoff and I sadly became a distraction for her, allowing him to attack her and take the key part I had kept all these years" Taranee apologised.
"Still Rachel managed to take on Jessica all by herself while I was trapped under the rocks from what I understand so that has to be something" Holly said trying to keep calm.
"Jessica may be nasty but as a mind salve she really isn't that much of a threat" Amy smirked.
"See how you like it when you see what she is like now" Rachel quickly replied causing everyone who wasn't on that planet to look at her. "She has been mutated I guess is the best way of putting it, she now has the same sort of wings like the overseer's copy does, along with claws, fangs and a tail with stinger on it, containing a poison I think."
"Seems he decided that if we are going to use non-pure humans then match us at the same thing" Luba sighed.
"Well sis looks like you are going to have a good reason to fight her now" Janet joked as she rubber her left hand on her sisters head. "Just remember you are not going it for payback, but to save her right, from what I understand she is a victim in all of this too."
"Is there some rule that big sisters have to ruin their younger siblings fun?" Amy asked as she frowned a little.
"Yes" Both Irma and Cornelia replied in unison, which only made Amy sigh disappointed.
"I was fine with my brother" Will muttered a little.
"The main thing now is that Demal has all the key parts. While I am certain all of you did your best to bring them back, it does seem Demal forced you all ended up with unfortunate situations that meant you were unable to retrieve the parts." Yan Lin spoke in a soft voice, clearly not wanting them to feel down about failing. "We need to prepared for him to try accessing the doorway again."
"So this door, you mentioned the guy who built it didn't use it" Terri spoke up.
"Phobos built it long before we became guardians" Taranee explained. "It would have by-passed the veil, a method of isolating worlds from the others, allowing access to another dimension which is made of pure dark magic energy. However the power it gave off even as it was built destroyed many lives and despite it allows access to the raw power of dark magic, it would have destroyed Meriden and every world in turn if the door remained open, which considering that anyone who would try getting close was destroyed it meant no-one was be able to close it for a while."
"There are stories that Phobos himself closed the door and originally hid the key, but at a cost to his powers meaning he had to find his sister, who was on earth, but at that time he didn't know that" Yan Lin added on.
"So we go to the door and guard it" Emma smiled.
"Not that easy" Luba shot down Emma's smile.
"But why not?" Emma was now like a little kid who had their favourite toy taken away.
"Because of one of the protections Phobos placed to keep the doorway sealed, despite his evil nature for him to be afraid of something was something he would keep hidden" Will informed before allowing Hay Lin to continue.
"The door is hidden somewhere in the south eastern Frakill mountains of Meridian, but the access will only appear once a year when the protection spell is weakened" Hay Lin told them.
"The spell is weakened by a once-a-year eclipse that happens, and when it does it weakens all magic on Meridian, and even with that it seems that the access tunnel moves around on the mountains, appearing in different area's each year, we know because we tried to monitor it for a few years after we originally defeated Demal" Irma continued.
"That event is due in a couple of days, but trying to track him down or the spot the tunnel will appear that leads to the doorway is something that will be near impossible with just the 5 of you" Yan Lin took over to finish.
"So we just go to Meridian and patrol the mountains then until one of them appears" Amy sighed a little.
"You will need rest, it has been a long day and once this starts you all will need to be at full strength to take him on to prevent him accomplishing what he started all those years ago" Cornelia spoke up.
"Then it probably best to get our friends, the Mechanax on this" Irma looked over to Yan Lin.
"Agreed, they have the numbers to make monitoring the mountains a little easier" Yan Lin spoke back to Irma before turning to the girls. "And Cornelia is right, go home to rest for you will all need to be at the top of what you can do for this."
"What about me?" Janet asked. "I understand why they were meant to keep it secret from everyone else, so now I know what is going to happen?"
"We can erase your memories of this whole thing if you wish" Luba looked at Janet's face.
"Sorry but after what I have had to endure, I don't exactly want anyone poking in my mind anymore" Janet spoke, clearly firm on her position. "But I am not just going to sit back and be concerned for my sister as she goes out and does things."
There was a few moments where Will, Yan Lin, Luba and the spirits looked amongst each other before Will then spoke out. "We can't exactly stop you without breaching your wishes or free will, and considering some of the non-powered people or those who had powers but weren't powers anywhere near the same level as a guardian's, we had with us at times, it is just be careful, but I will give you this that a good little friend had." Well held out her left hand and into it teleports a large tooth with a gold frame around the base of it with little jewels of different colours in it and on a gold chain big enough to go around the neck.
"You have that after all these years?" Cornelia looked on a little surprised.
"Well when Blunk wasn't able to travel to worlds because of his age he gave me the tooth, I made a promise to him that I will only pass it to someone who was right to take it in following the guardians around to help them" Will smiled as she looked to Cornelia before turning back to Janet. "This is the Tonga tooth, it allows the holder to open the folds between worlds, I am trusting you with this following the promise to that friend."
Janet carefully took the tooth in both her hands and she looked at it and then spoke "I will do my best not to let you or anyone down with this."
"Then go and take your rest girls, the event won't be till Saturday evening, but I recommend coming here in mid afternoon" Yan Lin spoke to them all as the 6 of them started to take some steps back and Holly summoned the heart into her right hand. "We will have the Mechanax on lookout very soon once we speak with them, but be prepared to come sooner if needed."
"We will be awaiting the call" Holly smiled to her as the fold to earth opened allowing all 6 of them to return home.
The fold opened in the grounds of the old industrial area that they had been using to practice. Once they all were through and the fold had closed, Holly used the heart to transform her and the other 4 guardians back to normal. It was late afternoon, and from a sign in the distance they could see it had been a day since they were gone as it said Thursday on it. The all quickly decided to go home and rest, tomorrow was a inset day from school so they can use the morning to rest, meeting up in the afternoon to do some more practice so they were ready. Each headed off towards where they lived, intercepting there astral drop copies and buy saying the words 'astral drop' they copies disappeared. Amy and Janet also found out that Demal had placed a spell on their parents, they thought she had been unwell for a day so she was in her room, deciding not to tell them that she had been missing she just said she had gone outside for some fresh air, it seemed that seeing the real thing broke the spell as their parents checked their bedroom and she wasn't in there like they thought. Night came and all of them went to bed, despite arriving back not feeling any effect for being up for a day, they were all feeling very tired.
Next Time: Hard training, a new arrival and darkness prepares.