W.I.T.C.H. doesn't belong to me. I'm just doing this for fun.
Many thanks to Aesop for his help in editing and consulting with ideas!
Set shortly after the end of Season 2.
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Heatherfield:
In a dark stretch-limo outside of the Hale's apartment building, a lone man inside the automobile waited.
"Commander Red to Dark Prince," the voice on the radio finally called. "All troops are in position. Awaiting further instructions."
Hexin tapped his fingers patiently on the rich leather upholstery of his limo, before answering. "Proceed!"
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Meanwhile, from up above on the building next door, another conversation was going on.
"Why didn't you tell us all this before?!" Cornelia shrieked at Nerissa.
The former Guardian just shrugged. "I already told you, there was no need. I had explained that Hexin needed a Mystic Heart to fuel his spell to get the Heart of Kandrakar, and that they needed to stop him at all costs. They understood that, so what need had I to tell them the rest?"
"Maybe my sister's life doesn't mean anything to you, but it does to me!" Cornelia said, glaring at her.
Nerissa, until then passive and seemingly uncaring, glared back at the Earth Guardian, her golden eyes flaring brightly, as her entire body crackled with electricity. "Listen here, you spoilt brat!" she all but snarled. "If I didn't care then I wouldn't be here right now checking up on your sister! And just as a point of fact, if you and your friends had let me take your sister's power in the first place, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Cornelia scoffed. "Don't play that old tune again, Nerissa! We've already danced to that song. I trust you less with that much power than I would Hexin."
Nerissa looked as if she was about to continue yelling at Cornelia, but was interrupted.
[BOOM!]
The two jumped, startled, and looked back at Cornelia's home. From across the street, through the windows of the Hale's apartment, they could see a group of men dressed in black military-like armour storming the Hale residence.
"What on…?" Cornelia started to say, but Nerissa beat her to it.
"Hexin's men!" she cried out, and before Cornelia could ask her anything further, the dark haired beauty tele-transported herself, vanishing from sight.
"Thanks for the help!" she shouted, but wasted no further time, and transported herself back to her family.
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"Who are you?!" Elizabeth Hale, Cornelia's mother, demanded, as she stood with her bathrobe on, a towel wrapped around her dripping wet head, glaring at the intruders to her home. "What do you think you're…?!"
"Silence!" one of the men commanded, holding his rifle up to her nose.
Elizabeth gulped nervously, swallowing her protests for the moment.
"Where is she?!" the man demanded.
"Wh…who?" she asked.
"Your daughter! Where is she?!"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! What do you want with my Cornelia? She hasn't done anyth…"
"Not your eldest daughter!" the soldier shouted, brandishing his gun in her face. "Your youngest! Lillian Hale! Where is she?!"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "She's…she's not here," she stuttered. "She's staying over at a friends for the night…"
"You're lying!" the man said, glaring at her through the red visor on his battle-suit. "We know she is here, and if you won't tell us where she is, then we'll just find her the good old fashioned way." He signalled to his men, and they immediately began searching the apartment, tearing up every bit of furniture in their way.
"NO!" Elizabeth cried out, and lashed out at the man with her fists. "Stay away from…!"
She didn't get to say anything further, as the man belted her on the back of her head with his rifle, knocking her unconscious. "Sweet dreams," he said snidely.
"You shouldn't have done that," a young sounding voice drew his attention.
By the time the soldier lifted his head, he could feel himself being picked up and flung into the far corner of the living room, his head striking the wall hard.
"Sweet dreams to you, too!" Cornelia said to him. Although she was not in guardian form, she still had some of her Guardian abilities, such as her telekinesis.
"Hold it right there, missy!" one of the other soldiers ordered. "Hands above your head, right now!"
"Whatever you say," she replied, and did as she was told. She used her telekinesis again, resulting in the second man being flung into the kitchen behind them.
After he was taken down, Cornelia went straight to her mother. She was still out cold, but otherwise seemed to be all right.
"Greetings, Miss Hale," another voice called to her. She looked up to see four more men standing in the doorway to her apartment.
"Oh great," she said. "More playthings!"
"Before you do anything that we'll all regret," the man at the front said. "You might want to take a moment, and see what we've brought you."
Cornelia wanted nothing more at that moment than to mentally throw this guy to the far corners of the Earth, but unfortunately, it turned out this guy had a backup plan.
"Cornelia?" her father said weakly, as the three other men manhandled him roughly into the room, three guns aimed directly at his head.
"Unless you want your daddy's brain splattered all over your…nicely decorated apartment by the way…then I suggest you back off and do what I say!"
Cornelia tightened her fists, her eyes glaring daggers at them all, but finally she relented, sighing in defeat, and lowered her arms to her sides. "I give," was all she said.
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Kandrakar:
Will, Irma and the others all stood passively, as the Oracle and the rest of the Council continued discussing the Hexin problem. Something they had been doing for the better part of the last hour.
"I don't see what good we're doing here!" Caleb snapped. "We should be out looking for Nerissa, or at least checking in on Lillian!"
Will looked at him, sighing. "Look, Caleb. I'm all for a reason to take Nerissa down again, but Taranee and Hay Lin are right. The oath that Nerissa took prevents her from directly doing anything that could harm us, or steal another's power away. Cornelia was just panicking. She'll be back before you know it."
Caleb moaned, but nodded, seeing the logic in what she was saying. "I know," he admitted. "I just wish…"
"What?"
He frowned. "I dunno… I've just got a feeling in my gut, saying that something isn't right!"
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Hale Residence:
Harold Hale, Cornelia's father, was shoved to the floor, next to his eldest daughter and wife who lay besides them, still unconscious. "It's alright, honey," he said re-assuredly to his daughter. "Everything will be okay. Don't worry."
She sighed thankfully in relief, as he hadn't noticed her use her telekinetic powers against the armoured men.
"What do you want with us?!" he demanded, only to be ignored.
"Check the kid's bedroom!" the first man ordered.
"On it!" one of the others replied, and Cornelia watched as he headed for one of the bedrooms, looking for Lillian's.
'Oh no,' she visibly squirmed. 'What am I going to do now?' She didn't know how she was going to be able to fight these goons, not without revealing her powers to her parents, or at least her father. She had a pretty good idea of how he'd react to her mentally kicking these guy's butts by just thinking about it. He'd either think she was some kind of mutant, like those comics she read, or she had some kind of disease.
She would have to tell him about Kandrakar, Meridian, and everything…not to mention Caleb, her boyfriend. That alone would have him shouting the walls down! Plus, she might reveal everything to the rest of the girl's parents, too.
She couldn't say for certain what the reactions of the others' parents would be, but she knew Hay Lin's would no doubt send her off to boarding school or something, to keep her safe, as they had always tried to do since she was born. She always felt those people were way too possessive and over protective of Hay Lin!
The goon kicked down one of the bedroom doors, the one to her room. Lillian's was right next door to hers!
Feeling panicky, she twisted her head from side to side, looking for something, anything, that she could use to fight these men with, but so far, all she saw was how screwed she was. Then she remembered something…
'Napoleon,' she thought.
The cat in question was even now in Lillian's room, where he had been having a nap, when suddenly…
[BANG!]
Lillian's door banged open, and a man in dark armour stood before him, holding a gun aimed inside the room. A moment later he shouted out to someone behind him, "No one in here, sir. Just a cat."
"A cat?! Shoot it! Ask questions later!"
Before Napoleon could ponder what these men were after, the man had already taken aim on him and was pulling the trigger on his gun.
Screeching, he leapt out of the way, jumping onto the bed, then the desk, Lillian's trunk, and then onto the top of the wardrobe. The man's gun thankfully had no bullets, but some kind of darts, and seemingly he had plenty of them for ammunition.
"Okay then, bud!" Napoleon, his voice rough and angry, said, startling the man out of his skin. "You wanna play…"
He leaped back down to the floor, and before the man had a chance to blink, the small feline started to glow…and grow! When the light had dimmed, where there had once been a small cat, there was now a large man-cat, muscles bulging beneath his fur-pelt, and a nasty expression on his face.
"Let's play!" he finished, and leapt upon the intruder.
The soldier jumped out of his way, pulling back his gun to deliver a crack to the side of Napoleon's head, but Napoleon was too quick. He grabbed the gun, and tried to yank it out of the man's hand. The man was no weakling, though, as he pushed back against the cat's strength.
"You're good," Napoleon admitted, only for the man to slam his foot down on his tail.
"Geez, some people just can't take a complement!" Napoleon wheezed, fighting back the tears in his eyes.
From outside the room, the rest of the men heard their comrade scream, followed by the sound of breaking furniture, and a loud feline snarl, similar to that of a lion.
"What on Earth…?" Harold Hale said.
"I knew it," the commander, the first man, said, shaking his head. "Never send a boy to do a man's job." He adjusted the strap on his gun. "Watch these three," he told the other two of his squad, and made his way over to the room.
Cornelia smiled, wondering how long this guy would last against Napoleon.
[BANG! BANG! BANG!]
Not that long apparently.
From inside the bedroom, Napoleon stared at the second man who had just appeared in the doorway, also holding a gun, but who had not wasted any time and shot him three times, each dart finding its target in his chest. He looked down at the three red darts stickling out of him, and hastily pulled them out, throwing them away from him, and turned to glare at the shooter.
"You're going to wish…you… hadn't…. done that…" Napoleon began to feel the room turn.
The shooter smirked. "Nice try, Regent," he said, putting the emphasis on Napoleon's title. "But as powerful as the magic that you have is, you're still only a cat. And like all cats, you can be put down!"
He fell to the floor, grunting as he desperately tried to stay awake. As he did, he tried summoning the magic of the Heart of Earth to aid him, but the drugs in his system made it impossible for him to concentrate. Too dizzy and weak to focus, he felt his hold on the magic loosen, as his body began to quickly shrink back to its normal size.
"Ahh nuts…" he slurred, his head banging on the floor.
The commander went to check on the first soldier who had come in. He had been battered around the head, but was otherwise okay. "Have our man in here taken out and sent back to HQ!" he called out. "And has anyone found the girl yet?!"
"No, sir!" another man replied. "We've searched everywhere! She's not here!"
He cursed. "Bitch must have escaped before we got here. Okay, everyone clear out!"
Two of the men came in and carried the unconscious soldier out, while the commander went out to address the Hales once more. "Sorry for the intrusion," he said sarcastically, talking as though he had just interrupted them to sell them a new insurance policy.
"Where's Lillian?!" Cornelia yelled, shocked and disheartened that Napoleon hadn't been able to dispatch them.
"Believe me, I'd love to know," the commander quietly replied. "When you see her, be sure to let her know I'm looking for her."
Cornelia glared hatefully at him. "If you so much as…"
"Spare me the threats, honey!" he said snidely. "I've heard it all before. Besides, it's not me you have the beef with. But then again, you already know that, don't you."
Cornelia closed her mouth, staring at him and his arrogant eyes.
"Did you really think that after hunting those of your kind for so long, he wouldn't be prepared for you…or your sister?" he added, smirking.
Without another word, he and the rest of them left, leaving Cornelia to stare at the front door left open in their wake, while her father frantically searched for the telephone to call the police and an ambulance for her mother.
"Lillian, where are you?" Cornelia whispered in fright.
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Half an Hour Later:
From across town, at The Silver Dragon restaurant, a Fold opened up, depositing five teenagers in the restaurant's cellar. Will, Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin and Caleb all instantly made their way up the stairs, to get to the nearest phone to call Cornelia.
The Council of Kandrakar had basically been going around in circles, thinking up new ideas to deal with Hexin, only to end up right back at the beginning. There was no power in Kandrakar that could contain him, not if he was the legitimate heir to its throne, which meant their powers were useless. Obviously the Guardians could not fight him, for as Nerissa warned them that would be exactly what he wanted, so he could get his hands on the Heart.
"Well, that was a waste of time!" Irma moaned, as they walked into the main dining area.
"Well, at least now we know who we're up against and everything," Hay Lin added hopefully.
Irma scoffed. "Somehow, that doesn't help, Hay Lin."
Hay Lin moved past her to go use the phone at the reception, but was stopped by her grandmother.
"Girls, where have you been?" Yan Lin almost cried out.
"At Kandrakar, where else?" Will said, shrugging. "Not that it would have mattered. The guys there are just the same as any other politicians. Talk, talk, talk, and yet not come up with anything."
"Never mind that now," the former Air Guardian told them. "You need to get to Cornelia's place, like yesterday!"
"Why?"
"Seems Hexin's goons stormed the place, tried to snatch little Lillian."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"Did they?" Hay Lin asked fearfully.
Yan Lin shook her head. "No, that's the good news. The bad news, though, is that no one has any idea of where she's gone. She disappeared right when the goons showed up. The only one who could have seen her last was Napoleon, and for the moment he's out for the count."
"Huh?"
"Hexin's men shot him with a tranquilliser dart. He's still sleeping it off."
Will moaned. "Perfect."
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Hale Residence:
Harold Hale was pacing the floor of his living room, running his hand through his hair so much that Cornelia feared he would be bald before this night was through. He was talking to the police now, trying to give them any information he had about the men who had broken into their home.
"They were dressed in black, and had their faces covered!" he all but shouted at the police offer in charge. "How the hell am I supposed to know whether I knew them or not, when I couldn't even see their faces?!"
Cornelia, meanwhile, stood by her mother, comforting her. Elizabeth Hale was hysterical. She had regained consciousness, only to discover that Lillian was missing.
"Where is she?!" she bawled, begging someone, anyone, to tell her. But, alas, no one knew, except for her eldest daughter who knew far more than she could let on.
Cornelia felt dreadful at that moment. She had always enjoyed keeping the secret of her Guardian powers, and what she did with them. It had made her feel special, like a super hero. But now…now it felt like the worst kind of weight she could ever carry.
She knew who those men were, and she had a fair idea of who had taken Lillian, yet she could not say anything.
'Secrets suck,' she thought.
"Cornelia!" a welcome voice called out to her. The Earth Guardian looked over to see Will, Irma and the others rush in through the front door.
"Are you all right?" Will asked urgently.
"I'm fine," she said assuredly, though inwardly she was anything but, however, she could not say so in front of everyone.
"Irma?! How did you girls get here?" Tom Lair, Irma's father, said in surprise. "Heck, how did you even know about this? My squad and I only got the call less than half an hour ago."
"Umm…Mrs Lin at the Silver Dragon told us," Irma explained to her father. "I think she heard it from mom or someone at your precinct. We were worried about Cornelia, so we came right over."
"But…how did you get here so fast?" Tom asked, confused. "The Silver Dragon is at least a good 20 minutes away."
"We hitched a lift," Irma replied, but knew from the look on her father that he was not going to be satisfied with that.
"Who wi…?" he started to say, but before he could finish…
'Everything's fine. We're here, we can stay with Cornelia!' Irma's thoughts shouted into his head.
He paused for a moment, and then smiled. "Oh well, long as you're safe then. I'm actually glad, because your friend Cornelia could use all the friends she can get at the moment."
Irma nodded gratefully, and then turned back to her friends, joined by Cornelia, who had left her mother with her father. "Okay, so what happened here?" she asked.
"Hexin!" Cornelia hissed below her breath. "He sent some goons for Lillian."
"He knows Lillian's the Heart of Earth?" Will asked in alarm.
"I imagine so, but it's worse than that." Cornelia looked troubled, almost scared. "Nerissa was here, too."
"What?!"
"She said she was only here to keep an eye on Lillian. I don't know if she was telling the truth or not, but that isn't what's got me scared."
"Then what is?" Taranee asked.
Cornelia trembled. "Nerissa, apparently, left some things out when she was telling us about Hexin and his plans for the Heart of Earth…bad things!"
"Like what?"
"The spell that Nerissa mentioned, the one using a mystic Heart to find the Heart of Kandrakar… It turns out he doesn't actually use the Heart's power, just the Heart itself, the vessel it's in. Namely Lillian!"
"Why?" Hay Lin asked, confused.
"Because the vessel of a mystic Heart is a being of…pure innocence and great power, and only someone like that will work for that spell Hexin wants to do."
"Well…" Taranee shrugged. "Nerissa may have left that part out, but it doesn't seem like much from what she's already warned us about. We already know he intended to use Lillian, or some other heart, to get our Heart back. What's the difference?"
Cornelia trembled again. "The difference is, how he intends to use Lillian to cast the spell, which is…by sacrificing her!"
"WHA…?!" the four of them cried out, pausing briefly to smile nervously at all the curious looks thrown at them by the adults in the room.
"Yeah, pretty much my reaction," Cornelia grumbled.
"Why the hell didn't Nerissa tell us this?!" Will demanded.
"She said she didn't think she would need to!" Cornelia replied angrily. "We only needed to know that we were to keep Lillian away from Hexin. She didn't see any point in telling us that he planned to kill her!"
"Well, part of that is true, maybe." Taranee said hesitantly. "But it would have been nice if she had clued us in more."
"Did Hexin get her?" Will asked urgently.
Cornelia shook her head. "No. From the way these men were acting, they were just as stumped as my folks and I when Lillian disappeared."
"So where is she then? Could she have run away before the attack?"
"Not unless my sister has become a first class Olympics runner in the last few hours," Cornelia scoffed. "I only saw her less than a minute before Hexin's goons swarmed in."
"Could Nerissa have taken her?"
"I'm willing to bet my life on it!" Cornelia said sharply.
"We don't know that, guys," Will hastened to speak, "at least not for certain. Maybe Hexin's goons were lying and took her anyway, or maybe Lillian did escape by herself? She could have run out while no one was looking…or possibly Napoleon sent her off somewhere, where she'd be safe."
"What does Napoleon say?" Hay Lin asked.
Cornelia shrugged. "Nothing at the moment. He's still too pumped full of that tranquilliser they hit him with. Dunno what it was, but it knocked him out while he was in his Regent form."
"Maybe a telepath might have better luck communicating with him?" Taranee suggested. "Mind if I take a crack at that?"
Cornelia nodded, and pointed the way to Lillian's room. The Hales were still busy talking with Irma's dad and the other cops, so they didn't notice them sneak off.
The girls found Napoleon where Cornelia had left him. While her father had called the police, and her mother had still been unconscious, Corny had hurried into her sister's bedroom to see what had become of the cat Regent. She had found him completely unconscious, and had moved him onto her sister's bed, leaving him there until he awoke. Sadly, though, it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon yet.
Taranee wasted no time, as she knelt down by Napoleon's sleeping form, touching the sides of his head with her fingers…
Napoleon, she said, mentally calling to him. Napoleon, can you hear me?!
Urrrr… a low moan came from his mind.
Napoleon, you have to wake up! What happened to Lillian?!
Ummm…
Yes?!
Ohhh, Miss Kitty…Yeah, play with my tail!
'Yikes!' Taranee yelped in her own mind, pulling back and breaking mental contact.
"What happened?" Will asked. "Did you find anything out?"
Taranee shuddered. "Nothing of importance," she replied. "And definitely nothing I'd like to repeat." At the others' inquisitive looks, she added, "I'll try again."
She placed her hands back on Napoleon's head. She had no real need to do this, as she could make telepathic contact with or without doing it. It just helped her to concentrate.
A few minutes passed, during which Taranee's expression had grown frustrated, indicating she was still having trouble trying to get Napoleon to reveal what had happened to Cornelia's little sister, until finally…
"Ah!" Taranee half-cried out in triumph.
"Did you get through to him?" Irma queried.
Taranee nodded. "Yeah…eventually," she said, as she shuddered.
"Well?" Cornelia begged.
Taranee sighed. "You want the good news or the bad news?"
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Meridian; Infinite City:
Nerissa carried the young Heart of Earth into one of her many hide-aways located throughout the Infinite City. Although the one near Phobos's cell, where everyone had always gone to ask for the Mage's aid, was her main home, it was not her only one. She had spent years exploring various sections of the ancient City, and had built a few alternative homes, in case her first one should ever be invaded, destroyed, or just become unsafe.
She had told no one of this, and as such was secure in the knowledge that no one would find them, for now.
Lillian dozed peacefully in Nerissa's arms. The sleeping spell Nerissa had put on her had worked perfectly, and should continue to keep her in slumber land for another few hours. She had thought it best, given the circumstances. Lillian didn't know her, and there had been no time for Nerissa to work her charm and convince Lillian of her best intentions. Not when Hexin's men were right outside her door, planning to come get her.
Napoleon had been another matter entirely. He knew her, and, considering their past together, she doubted he could be convinced to let her run off with his charge. There was no time for her to explain herself, so she had simply blasted him with a quick energy shot, and then run off with the girl, quickly opening a Fold to Meridian.
The girl had been scared; to say the least, but a few quick words of magic had soon had her snoring.
Nerissa carried her into the bedroom she had set up there, equipped with a large bed, stolen from one of the demon nobles from Phobos's reign. The room also had a large fireplace, which even now burned brightly with a fire that had magically come alive the moment she had entered. There were various symbols and talismans decorating the walls, which had been put there as protection.
Nerissa didn't know if they would be strong enough to prevent anyone from finding them, except for Phobos, but they were the best she could manage. They had originally been put there to protect her from Phobos' magic, in case he had somehow managed to find her. She had not bothered to take the charms down after Phobos' imprisonment, and hadn't even been there in years since she had first made it up.
She placed Lillian on the bed, gently stroking her hair, as she caressed her soft face. "Everything's going to be all right, child," she promised the sleeping girl. "I swear to you…just as I've done before."
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Earth; Silver Dragon:
It had taken them a while, but eventually they were able to get Cornelia away from her parents. After what had happened with Hexin's men, and Lillian's disappearance, her parents were obviously not too keen to have their remaining daughter go off with friends. But Cornelia had told them that she felt safer with her friends, and that maybe it would be safer if she stayed at a friend's house instead of their own, in case those men came back.
After considering, her folks had reluctantly agreed, but on the condition that Cornelia would call them every hour on the hour. At that moment, Cornelia could not thank God enough for the invention of cellphones. She simply phoned her folks a short time later, to let them know she was okay, and tell them she was going to have an early night and sleep.
They had chosen to go to Hay Lin's home at The Silver Dragon restaurant, as it was the best place where they could sneak out unnoticed, since most of Hay Lin's family were busy with customers. Plus, Hay Lin's grandmother, Yan Lin, could help them if need be, whether by answering questions or by covering for them.
"I knew it!" Cornelia stated, as they all sat in Hay Lin's room, Caleb sitting by her side, trying to comfort her. "I knew that witch was involved!"
Will looked at her friend in sympathy. "We already knew she was involved, Cornelia," she told her. "But what we don't, for certain, is how she was involved in this caper. You said she was watching over Lillian because she feared Hexin would come after her? His men stormed your place, and she rescued her by transporting her away from them."
"Oh yeah!" Cornelia snorted in disgust. "After months imprisoned in a jewel, Hexin's goons just happen to attack on the night when she is watching out for Lillian?! Please! She was probably working with the guy from the start!"
"I'm not saying it isn't suspicious, Corny," Will explained. "I'm just saying we should explore the possibility. Nerissa already told us that Hexin was looking for Lillian, and maybe, just maybe, by bringing Nerissa out of stasis we unintentionally alerted Hexin to Lillian's presence. Plus, she did lose control of her power once, and Hexin already knows about us. He must have dug into all our backgrounds, so who knows what he knows about Lillian."
Cornelia clenched her fists, looking like she wanted to throttle something, but finally she calmed down, looking more frightened than angry. "It's my sister, Will," she said quietly. "I know she drives me batty a lot, but…I can't lose her!"
"You won't," Caleb said assuredly, putting his arm around her. "None of us will let you."
"So where do we go?" Hay Lin suddenly asked. "Where would Nerissa go with Lillian?"
"Meridian?" Taranee suggested.
Will frowned. "That would be the most logical place, but her home in the Infinite City's been compromised. She must know we'd go there first."
"So somewhere else then," Irma deduced. "But where? Heck, I don't even know where she was half the time when we weren't fighting her."
"Mount Thanos?" Caleb thought out loud.
"Same as with the City, too obvious," Will replied.
"Yeah, but the Infinite City's…well, infinite," Irma added. "Even if she's not back in her old place, she must know a million other places around the city to hide out in."
"Which brings us right back to the beginning!" Cornelia said, frustrated. "We haven't a clue where she is or how to get to her!"
The girls remained silent for a few minutes, as they all considered the possibilities.
"What about the Oracle?" Taranee suggested. "He should be able to locate Nerissa with his foresight."
Cornelia scoffed. "Hasn't exactly helped him in the past."
"That wasn't his fault, Cornelia," Will told her. The Oracle had been unable to foresee Nerissa and her attempt at a hostile takeover, not to mention Hexin's coming, because they each had powerful protection magic, shielding them from the Oracle's sight.
"Even so, if he wasn't able to find Nerissa before then why should he be able to now?!"
"He may not, but then again he may know of a way," Taranee added. "And either way, anyone got a better idea?"
The long silence that followed indicated that none of them had, so Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar.
"Guardians unite!"
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Kandrakar:
The second they arrived in Kandrakar, Cornelia had begun blurting out everything that had happened so far with her sister and Nerissa. It had taken the council several minutes and multiple attempts to calm her down, until finally she took a deep breath and remained silent long enough for them to get a word in.
"So Nerissa was there at your home?" the Oracle asked.
Cornelia nodded. "She was looking straight at us from the other building! Then Hexin's men dropped in on us, ransacked the place until they learned that Lily wasn't there!"
"And Nerissa was the one who took her?"
All of the girls nodded.
"Napoleon told us via a telepathic link," Taranee explained. "We don't know why she took her, but we have to find Lillian before Hexin does!"
Cornelia scoffed. "Why else would she take her? She…"
"Corny!" Will interrupted harshly. "I know you're worried, but we've already gone down this road! Maybe Nerissa could find a way to bypass the oath she made to us, but not within a day. She had no time! As weird as this sounds to me…maybe Nerissa did take Lillian to save her from Hexin?"
The Oracle nodded. "Even if she had an eternity to search, I doubt she would find anything. I have lived for thousands of years, and I have never heard of anyone ever being able to break a magically binding oath."
"But then why?!" Cornelia demanded. "Why would she suddenly grow a conscious and want to save Lily? Up till now, all she's cared about is her power!"
"I don't know! But right now that isn't our priority. Finding Lillian is!" Will snapped, looking at her friend intently. Thankfully, Cornelia looked down, seeming to accept her friend's advice.
"We came to you for help, Oracle," Will told the head council member. "We have no idea where Nerissa took Lillian, and we know she has found some new way to being able to travel between worlds."
"What way is this?" he asked.
Caleb stepped forward. "My father and I were with her when she escaped Meridian," he said ashamedly. "She used some kind of pendant that acted as a Fold between worlds, like the Heart of Kandrakar."
"Describe it."
"It looked to be no more than a green stone on a gold chain. I only saw it for a few seconds, but it didn't seem to have any markings or anything on it." He thought for a few more moments. "Oh, but wait…I recall her mentioning its name when she found it… I think she called it…the Pendant of Ma'blos."
The Oracle closed his eyes briefly. "Ah yes. That would explain a lot."
"Err, mind cluing us in?" Irma requested.
"Ma'blos was one of the first Mages of Meridian, back when the ancient empire was young. It is said he was the one who first found a way for the Meridians to cross over from one world to another. Legend states that he created a number of mystical items for such a purpose. Obviously, this pendant you saw is one of them."
"So it's like Phobos' Seal?" Will asked.
"Similar, but not quite. The Seal could open portals to Earth without any risk to one's self. This pendant, because of its small size and not being as powerful as the Seal, requires a lot of energy to fuel it. So it takes it from the only place available to it…namely the person using it."
"It kills them?"
He shook his head. "No, or at least not right away. The effects are the same as when Nerissa uses her powers when not drawing from an Auromere. Without another source of power, like the Heart of Kandrakar, they use her life force instead, and over time it gradually drains her. It is the same with the pendant, only more severe. If you use just one too many times, it drains your life completely."
"Why would Nerissa use such a dangerous talisman?" Hay Lin asked in wonder. "She's crazy and mean, yeah, but she's not stupid."
Taranee nodded. "That's right…unless…she was desperate enough?" She thought for a second. "Does the pendant only fold to Earth?" she asked the Oracle.
He shrugged. "I couldn't say for certain," he replied. "I have never seen the pendant for myself, nor paid any real attention to its legend. In fact, until you just mentioned it, I thought it nothing more than that. But I assume so. Considering how much power it would need to fold to Earth, if Nerissa attempted to fold to anyplace else, she would long since be dead."
"So Meridian is our best place to search for them first then?"
"Most likely, but there is an easier way."
The girls looked at him.
0000000000
Earth:
Matt sat on his bed, playing with his door-mouse Mr. Huggles. He had just come back from a gig with his band, and was feeling particularly ecstatic. The crowds had been cheering non-stop, the manager had been pleased and even gave them a bonus.
The only thing missing was a call from his girlfriend Will, to congratulate him on his big night's success. He had tried phoning her, but there was no answer.
Thinking she might be at one of her friend's places, she had called Irma and Taranee, but again no luck. No one seemed to be at home.
'Where is everyone?' he wondered, as he began dialling the number for Cornelia's apartment.
[FLASH!]
He looked up in surprise to see a Fold open right in the middle of his room, followed by Will, in her Guardian outfit, rushing through it.
"Will…?" he started to say, but she cut him off.
"No time!" she said quickly. "Got an emergency. Need to go now!"
She grabbed his arm, tucked Huggles under her own, and raced back through the Fold before it could close, with Matt following her, with a shocked look upon his face.
0000000000
Kandrakar:
Matt listened closely; his expression grave, as Will and the others explained to him what had occurred that night.
"You don't need to say anything further," he told them. "Nerissa has Lillian, and that's all I need to know!" He remembered all too well what had happened the last time when Nerissa had kidnapped someone, and it had not been a pleasant experience for him.
"Okay, so we've got Matt and Huggles," Cornelia declared to the Oracle. "Now what?!"
"Matt and Huggles are Lillian's Regents," the Oracle explained. "They are vessels of her power, and are therefore forever linked to her. Finding her should be easy for them."
Before he said anything else, Matt started to groan, and before another second had passed, he and Huggles are already assumed their Shagon and Kor forms once again.
"What do I do?" Matt asked.
"You merely have to seek Lillian out with your mind. Your powers will then lead you to her."
Matt frowned, as he closed his eyes (not that you could see them closed), and concentrated. "I can't…" he started to say.
"Don't try looking for her," the Oracle said, smiling. "Just do it. The senses will come to you naturally, if you allow them to."
Matt didn't fully understand the Oracle's words, but he tried doing what he suggested, by closing his eyes and simply thinking about Lillian.
The instant he did, he found his mind being invaded by a mass of images. It took him a moment or two to make sense of them, but gradually he could make out a picture of Elyon's palace on Meridian, and then he felt himself fall below the castle and saw nothing but polished green stone. "The Infinite City!" he all but cried out. "She's at the Infinite City!"
"Then that's where we're going right now," Will replied, and held out the Heart of Kandrakar. "Fold open!"
0000000000
Meridian; Infinite City:
The Fold opened and closed, depositing Matt, Huggles, Caleb and the girls right in the heart of the ancient city. Unfortunately, as they all noticed, there was nothing to see.
"Well," Cornelia moaned, looking around, seeing nothing but the endless hallways of the Infinite City. "This hasn't helped!"
The city was the same everywhere that anyone looked, with nothing but limitless hallways and columns, sculpted from polished green marble.
"Corny, hush!" Will told her, and then looked to Matt. "Matt, do you know where they are?"
Matt frowned, as he closed his eyes again. The moment he did, he felt himself being mentally guided through the long hallways, passing by endless columns that were all exactly the same, until he saw her.
"That way!" he stated, pointing.
0000000000
Earth, Heatherfield;
Hale Residence:
Napoleon moaned, as he stretched out on the small pillow on Lillian's bed. The drugs those men had pumped him full of had finally started to dissipate.
He knew Lillian was gone, as he couldn't sense her anywhere near, and he vaguely remembered something about one of the Guardians asking him where she was.
The Regent cat swore, as he shook his head furiously, only to immediately regret it when his head started pounding in protest. Clearly, the drugs may be on their way out, but they were leaving a strong imprint on his health.
He gave a long loud meow, calling for anyone, his throat begging for water, but no one came. The senior Hales, who were now the only ones of their family still left on Earth, had gone to the police station to answer some questions, and had left Napoleon behind, not even knowing that he had been drugged. Cornelia hadn't seen fit to tell them of that, as why would a group of armoured goons tranquillise a cat?
He moaned once more, as he tried to lift himself up from the pillow, but couldn't quite manage it as he flopped back down again. "Bet those guys weren't SPCA approved either," he groaned, his head still clouded from the tranq-effects.
Just then, the front door opened, and Napoleon could make out the footsteps of someone nearing. 'That must be the folks back,' he thought, glad that someone was there, as he hated being left alone for too long.
The door to Lillian's bedroom opened, and Napoleon painfully lifted his head to give the returned folks a happy grin…and froze.
"Hello again," the man who had first attacked him said. "Miss me?
0000000000
Meridian; Infinite City:
Nerissa sat reading one of the few books that she had left behind in her temporary headquarters. It was a book of magic, though nothing of the extra strength destructive variety that she was used to. It contained protective spells, in case the ones surrounding the room didn't hold.
Lillian lay where she had been left, gently snoozing in the bed by the fireplace, as it burned brightly, warming the room. Nerissa looked at her, giving a warm smile.
Before she turned back to her book though…
"NERISSA!" a shrill voice screamed out to her from beyond the rooms' barriers, making her jump slightly.
She cursed quietly, instantly recognising the voice as that of the Earth Guardian Cornelia. "So much for protection," she mused, getting up and going to the wall on the other side. She waved her hand before it and said "Xin Jing sent me".
The room had required a special password, for the door to open, and that had been the best thing she could think of at the time. The second she spoke the word, the wall shimmered and faded away, revealing seven severely ticked off youngsters behind it.
"Hello, Caleb," she greeted her son dryly.
Her son's only response was a hate-filled glare, but if he had anything he wanted to say to her then he never got the chance to, as his girlfriend beat him to the punch.
" . ?!" she demanded, glaring dangerously at the black-haired witch.
Nerissa sighed, and pointed behind her, revealing the young Heart of Earth sleeping peacefully in bed. Cornelia rushed past her, running straight to her sister.
"Lily!" she said urgently to her younger sibling. "Lily, wake up."
"That won't do you any good," Nerissa told her. "I had to put her to sleep. She won't wake up for at least several hours."
Cornelia snapped her head around to face the ex-Guardian, and immediately Nerissa felt what seemed like the beginning of an Earthquake occurring, as the room started to shudder.
"You planned this all along, didn't you?!" Cornelia said accusingly. "You and Hexin! You were both in it together from the start!"
"Oh yes," Nerissa said sarcastically. "I calculated that you and the Council would awaken me right at the time when Hexin and his forces would storm your home, and try to kidnap your sister. Give me a break!"
"She's got a point, Corny," Taranee suggested, but paused at the hot glare her friend threw her way.
"Why then did you take her?!"
"I have to admit, I would like to know that as well, Nerissa," Will added, folding her arms, staring at her predecessor. "And why'd you put her to sleep?"
"What was I supposed to do?!" Nerissa snapped. "Like I told Cornelia here, I knew what Hexin had planned for her sister, and I've already told you what will happen if Hexin should ever get his Heart back. I was merely checking out her apartment, just in case. As for the sleeping spell, Lillian wasn't exactly in the right mood to expect strangers, and I had no time to explain the situation to her. So I placed a small sleeping spell on her. When she awakens, she will remember nothing of what happened."
"And Hexin attacking was just plain coincidence?!" Cornelia asked snidely.
"Believe it or not, yes! But it's hardly surprising, is it? He already knows all your identities, so chances are he would have found out about your sister, too!" Nerissa visibly shuddered, as though trying to suppress the anger within her. "If I had known you were gonna end up a Guardian, I would never have…!" She stopped.
"Never would have what?" Taranee asked suspiciously.
"Never mind!" she snapped. "It's not important! What is important is that Hexin now knows about Lillian, which puts her in mortal danger, along with the rest of all creation!"
"She's right," Will said sadly. At everyone's incredous looks, she added, "Hexin now knows about Lily, which makes her one of his number one targets. With her, he can complete that ritual thing and get the Heart of Kandrakar."
"How'd you find us here anyway?" Nerissa then asked curiously.
"Blame me for that," Matt said with a grin. "Call me Regent Radar, at your service!"
Nerissa snorted. "Should've known you'd be able to track her down. I just hope you didn't allow any of Hexin's people to follow her."
"To another world?" Irma asked sarcastically.
Nerissa glared at her. "As I've told you repeatedly, water Guardian! Do NOT underestimate Hexin!"
"So what do we do now?" Hay Lin asked. "If Hexin now knows about Lily, how can we protect her?"
"Simple," Nerissa said, shrugging. "She'll just have to remain off Earth for the moment. This place is safe, but she can stay at the Palace if you wish."
Cornelia stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "Have you flipped your wig?!" she stated incredously. "My folks are frantic! I have to bring Lillian back home right now!"
"You are the one who's flipped your wig!" Nerissa shot back. "If you dare consider taking Lillian back to Earth, with Hexin now knowing about her!"
"Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do with my own sister!" Cornelia shouted. "You have no right!"
"I have every right! I have been looking out for Lillian long before she ever came into your life, Earth Guardian!"
"What's that supposed to mean?! Like back when you were trying to steal her powers for yourself?!"
"I only did that because Lillian's powers had manifested themselves far too early! Most mystic Hearts don't start using their powers until they're at least in their teens, and with the way she was using them it was only a matter of time before Hexin caught onto her! I wasn't about to let 8 years of hiding go down the drain!"
'Hiding?' the rest of the group all wondered the same thing.
"What are you talking about?!" Cornelia demanded. "What do you mean 8 years of hiding?"
Nerissa seemed to freeze, as though she had just suddenly realised she had let something important slip. "No…nothing!" she insisted. "I only meant…"
"No!" Will suddenly spoke up, staring intently at her one time foe. "Something is not adding up here, Nerissa. You claim you were only after Lillian's powers to protect her, but why? The last Heart of Earth died without an heir, and yet Lillian is now the next one. Hexin was searching for the Heart for centuries, so how could he have not known about Lillian or her family. All this, and you're right in the middle of it all!"
"Will's right!" Taranee agreed. "Something stinks, and I have a feeling you know exactly what it is!"
Nerissa now appeared visibly nervous, as she looked at all the staring faces of the Guardians and their friends.
"What are you hiding, Nerissa?" Caleb spoke up, staring straight at his mother.
"It's nothing that…"
It happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that no one saw it coming, not even Nerissa herself. But the moment she had started to speak, Cornelia had suddenly stormed forward, racing faster than even Hay Lin could move, and slapped Nerissa right across the face.
Nerissa could only stand where she was, staring in amazement at blonde girl, not knowing whether to be enraged or amazed at the young girl's boldness. The rest of the group were also flabbergasted, as they just looked at their friend in shock.
"You said Hexin is after Lillian, so that he can perform that ritual that will get him his Heart back, but kill Lillian at the same time," Cornelia said simply. "And tonight, my home was invaded by his men, my parents scared to death, and Lillian only escaping by the skin of her teeth." She stared straight into her enemy's eyes. "I don't have time for your games, Nerissa! Tell us everything you know about Lillian now! No matter how small and trivial!"
"That goes double for me!" Caleb agreed.
"Me three," Irma added.
"Us as well!" Will spoke up for the rest of them, the others nodding in agreement.
Nerissa glared at them all for a few moments, until finally she bowed her head and sighed. "Very well," she said, seeming to relent. "I will tell you everything, but I warn you…you won't like what I have to say."
"We'll take our chances," Cornelia replied. "Now talk!"
She sighed again. "I knew Lillian was the Heart of Earth long before her powers emerged. I have been watching over her since her birth."
Everyone's eyes widened, except for Cornelia who just laughed. "Nice try," she said. "But if that were true then…"
"Then I would know that your sister Lillian is not your natural sister," Nerissa finished for her, though it was doubtful that was what Cornelia had intended to say.
"Wha…?" Cornelia said, shocked.
"Your sister is adopted, correct? She's actually the daughter of some distant relatives of yours who died, and social services got in contact with your parents, who agreed to adopt her."
Now, Cornelia's eyes were wider than all the others put together. "How do you know all that?!" she demanded.
"I know a lot more than that… I know how it is that Lillian is the Heart of Earth, when the former Heart died long ago, leaving behind no living relatives. I know about Lillian's biological parents, where she comes from, and also why."
"How?" Taranee asked, more fascinated than shocked.
Nerissa looked down for a moment, seemingly in a struggle with herself, until finally she looked up at all of them. "Because…" she revealed, "…I am Lillian's mother!"
To Be Continued…