Disclaimer: Does not own WITCH

Love is a Hearts Child: 3 – Two Halves of Dark Hearts

Chapter 8

It was right here, Caleb was sure of it so why would the wall not open, Caleb thought to himself pounding a hand against the wall as hard as he could. He knew it was right for him and Steven to have followed them. The guardians had walked into some arch in the wall and then it had suddenly closed behind them. Caleb had tried tapping brick like Irma had done so but he hadn't been able to see properly as they had been far enough back not to be seen.

Steven had tried teleporting through the wall but when that hadn't work had rushed away saying he would go get help leaving Caleb pounding on the door. He held back tear while he did so, he couldn't let his emotion overwhelm him. First his daughter, now his lover, he had to get them back. He wouldn't know how to cope otherwise.

Caleb saw the red flash out of the corner of his eye and turned to see who it was. "I've brought the cavalry." Steven told Caleb. Elyon stood on one side of him while Cedric stood on his other. "Took a while to convince the queen to be willing to work alongside me and Cedric." Steven added walking up to the wall were the arch had been. "And I'm still not pleased with idea." Elyon snapped. "Can you break through this wall or not. I don't have the power for that and it to sturdy to take down by hand quickly." Steven said thumping on the wall a couple times to prove the point.

"With ease." Elyon said raising hand. Cedric quickly stepped in the way between Elyon and the wall. "Think before you act. Steven said he couldn't teleport through it, it could be warded also." Cedric explained. "Let me examine it first." He said and waited. Elyon lowered her hand. "Fine, quick." Elyon ordered. Cedric stepped over to the wall. A few minutes he stepped back from the all and turned to the others.

"The wall is indeed warded, had Elyon attempted to destroy it, it would have reflected it back at her. However it is not immune to brute force. Something I can supply. Your Majesty?" Cedric explained, the title a question asking for permission before proceeding. He had no desire of Elyon shooting him in the back because he transformed without being told he was allowed to. "Just get on with it, Cornelia and the others could be in trouble." Elyon ordered. "Then would everyone step back, I do take up a lot of room and these tunnels are not as big as they could be." Cedric said and the other did as he asked.

It only took three double armed slams from Cedric in his larger snake form to smash through the wall and reveal the tunnel that the guardians had disappeared into. Shifting back he turned to the queen. "The enchancements to the wall should be as broken as the wall is, it should not be able to close behind us like this." Cedric explained waving a hand at the broken hole. "After you Cedric." Elyon ordered.

"Would you both just hurry up, no sense in wasting time." Steven said standing next to Caleb already inside the corridor, his hand dimly glowing with magic to provide a little light.

-

Taranee was having little luck with the door, and Cornelia was doing better however. "Any idea how long till one of you manages to get out?" Hay Lin asked. "I'm just about through, but I hope it's these cells that are weaken our power, because standing outside and breaking another door would take too long. I'd get found." Cornelia pointed through gritted teeth putting her all into making the concrete around the door move just enough to allow the door to open. "I don't think so; I haven't heard any guards out there." Taranee called back. "I hope so, because I think I've got this door OPEN! YES!" Cornelia shouted slamming the door open. "I think our problems may be bigger than we thought girls." Cornelia told them.

What she saw shocked her, it was a circle room and it was huge. No it wasn't huge she was small. The room had all kinds of trinkets and furniture, and two hulking forms searched through them. It was Will and Irma. "WILL. IRMA." Cornelia called out to them but neither seemed to hear her. She called again but nothing. Cornelia quickly explained what she could see. "They must be looking for us." Hay Lin hoped. "If they were they be calling for us, or at least talking they seem to be searching for something, and I think they just found it." Cornelia replied as Irma and Will teleported away, some of the items from the collection in tow.

-

Caleb and the others walked for some time, through the twisting hallway before they came across the room of the collector. "They ain't here." Steven said quickly looking around the room. "But this has to be it, there was nowhere else." Elyon said.

Cornelia shouted as loud as she could, she had been trying to break Taranee free when they had all arrived. "Can you hear something?" Caleb asked the others. "No I can't" Cedric replied. "I'm certain I heard something from ove…. Elyon get over here." Caleb called looking down at a miniature Cornelia. "Oh my." Elyon said carefully picking up Cornelia, and holding up to her ear.

"I'm so glad to see you guys. Taranee and Hay Lin are in the box thing on the table." Cornelia said pointing, even though Elyon couldn't see her do so. "Caleb that thing on the table the other are in there, open it carefully." Elyon pointed out the elongated box with multiply doors on. Caleb carefully broke each of the doors open, and eventually Taranee and Hay Lin walked out on to the table top. Elyon careful put Cornelia down to join them and crouched in front of the table and leaned in close so she could hear them. "Where are Will and Irma?" Elyon asked concerned.

Cornelia relayed what happened as quickly as she could. "Do you think you could find a way to turn us back to normal?" Taranee asked, being so small was kind of scary. "Cedric is the any way to turn them back to normal size." Elyon turned and asked. "One moment." Cedric replied and started searching the room before picking up a large black old fashion megaphone. "If this is what I think it is this will do the trick." Cedric said pointing it at the table.

"What is it Cedric?" Caleb asked. "It is the Matterphone. One of the items described in the dark collection book. Point it at someone and speak in to the large side, and the shrink. Turn it round and speak into the small size to return them to normal. Now please step back your majesty. I'm sure you don't wish to grow with them." Cedric explained, and the queen was quick to step back so it wasn't pointing at her. "GROW" Cedric voice was amplified by the device and three disgruntled guardians crashed to the floor in a heap.

The three girls rushed to get their feet, hugging each other glad to be back to normal size. "Now we have 3 people to find." Taranee pointed out, almost shouting. "But how and what where they doing?" Elyon asked. "I think I've figured it out. You were lead here by Irma, and then you get shrunk and stuck in cells while they don't. They must be working for the collector, only he could have told them how to find here. They must have known he took your daughter all along Caleb. He's keeping her hostage, for them to come here and pick up some stuff." Steven hypothesised.

"So how do we find them? Where did they go? What did they take? And why didn't he just possess someone and come here himself?" Caleb fired off question after question, starting to lose his cool. "With Steven. Earth. That would take too much time for me to figure out. He couldn't. Those seem like the most logical answers." Cedric answered Caleb question in rapid succession.

"Why wouldn't be able to, He possessed Steven before coming back to earth." Hay Lin told them. "No you guys took me back to earth while I was unconscious." Steven countered her argument. "Why earth, and how could I find them?" He asked Cedric. "Because if we choose to think that the collector couldn't possess someone and come to here, then he must still be on earth because that where the child was when she went missing." Cedric explained.

"As for finding them that is something I would rather leave till we are back on earth. Your majesty, if you are willing to listen to me I have a suggestion on what you should do next." Cedric said. "Go ahead." Elyon replied. "Get men together and have them search this room carefully for the collector books and then carefully deal with the items here. We however must return to earth to track down the collector and the girls." Cedric replied. "Steven take us home." Cedric ordered and all of them excluding Elyon disappeared in a flash of red.