W.I.T.C.H

Chapter 18

Meet the New Boss

Heatherfield

Taranee sat at he desk, a small lamp lighting up multiple sheets of paper. She never had been able to go to sleep after a mission, and tonight was no exception.

After the Guardians had turned Jovi over to the Balsilidian authorities, Taranee had remained to hear his confession while the rest of the girls went back to Earth. It had bothered her that Jovi would be hired to kill Jantique for seemingly no reason. What was the motive?

She flipped through the page of notes that she had written on Jovi's confession. Despite her exhaustion, and the amount of work that she still felt she needed to do tonight, she smiled. Spread out in front of her was pure knowledge, and her brain was ready to soak it up like a sponge. She had to admit though; there were many other things she would rather be learning about. There was still so much on Earth she didn't know about, let alone other worlds. As a Guardian, however, it was doubtful she would have any time for Earth problems.

She shook her head and focused on the job at hand. Jovi's confession. Much of it was the same as what he had said under Irma's influence. He had been hired by the Hurlex Company to kill Jantique.

Taranee looked at the other sheets that were scattered across her desk. Taranee had requested and received information on Hurlex to try to better understand their motive. She smiled again. She was beginning to understand.

The Hurlex Company was owned by a much larger corporation call Sybarium. Sybarium was one the richest and most powerful businesses on Balsilide. Hurlex was just one of many small companies that they owned.

Hurlex itself was in the business of mining. They extracted many ores, such as Iron and Copper, as well as a very rare mineral called Revell. While not found on Earth, Revell was found on Meridian, where it was known as Threbite. Threbite was quite common on Meridian, and was used as a source of light in the mines.

Hurlex had sole rights to all the Revell on Balsilide, but if the mineral were found on Meridian, anyone with a shovel would have had equal access to it. If the portal had opened between the two worlds, rival companies would have had access to Threbite and would be able to start buying and using the mineral. Hurlex was willing to overlook the vast quantities of Threbite on Meridian in order to keep their monopoly. They had hoped that if a Balsilidian diplomat died on Meridian soil, the talks would have broken down, and Hurlex could continue to be the sole owner of Revell.

Taranee frowned. Something still didn't make sense. According to their records, neither Hurlex nor Sybarium made any product that used Revell. In fact, they didn't sell it at all, so why were they so interested in…

Taranee's thoughts were interrupted by her ringing phone, which she quickly answered.

"Hey, Will. What's up?"

"Kandrakar. Now." Will said.

"Now? But we just…" Taranee began.

"Trust me, not my idea." Will said. "But Kandrakar's got a new Oracle, and we've got to go meet him."

"Alright, alright. I'll be there in a sec." Taranee said.

She hung up the phone and sighed. Now what?

Meridian

Elyon paced back and forth across her room. Her room was slightly fancier then the one she had lived in on Earth. Silk curtains hung from the walls, while fine carpets covered the floor. Her bed was a testament to excess, with silk drapes covering the four sides, and a large, highly decorated headrest behind the two softest pillows in all of Meridian. It was a room fit for a Queen.

To be honest, Elyon had never quite gotten comfortable with the luxury in her room. She was more used to posters of rock stars and stuffed animals then fine art and fabrics she had never heard of. Not that she was complaining, mind you. The room was beautiful, but it just didn't seem like hers.

At this moment however, she didn't care about the beauty of the room. She was too mad. The source of her anger, Caleb, sat in front of her, squirming uncomfortably in a cold, wooden chair.

"What were you thinking?" she finally shouted, turning on Caleb.

"Vathek was in trouble and we protected him. No one got hurt. I really don't see what the big deal is."

This, as it turns out, was the wrong thing to say.

"You don't see what the big deal is?" Elyon shouted, her face turning red. "Do you have any idea what could have happened today? What if someone on the Honor Guard had of killed one of the R.E.G.? What if they had of killed one of you? We're talking interplanetary war here, Caleb! All because of what, someone challenged you to a fight? What are you, a schoolboy? Just ignore him, take the higher road!"

"I just don't see why I should be getting in trouble." Caleb said, trying to defend himself. "After all, we're the good guys."

"No, Caleb, not anymore!"

Elyon took a deep breath and sat on the end of her bed.

"Look, Caleb, you're not just my best warrior, you're one of my best friends, and I know you mean well, but you're not in the rebellion anymore. You're not fighting some evil tyrant; you're fighting governments and politicians. There are no good guys and bad guys. You can't just attack anyone you want and expect everyone to understand. This is a different game now."

Elyon motioned for Caleb to sit beside her.

"I hate to say it," Caleb said, "But this was way less complicated when it was your brother."

"I know." Elyon said with a smile. "But you represent something bigger then a rebellion now. You represent this world, this city, and you represent me."

Caleb looked like a child who had just been caught doing something wrong.

"You're right." He said. "I made a mistake. It won't happen again. Forgive me?"

"Of course." Elyon replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of paper work to do because of you."

Caleb got up and was headed for the door when Elyon stopped him.

"Hey Caleb," She said, "Remember that talk we had a couple days ago? The one about you relaxing and having more fun? What ever happened to that?"

Caleb faced her with a grin.

"Elyon, that fight was the most fun I've had in years! You should have seen us!"

He started to laugh as he headed down the hallway. Elyon could do nothing but shake her head. She had learned and experienced a lot since coming to Meridian, but one thing was for sure. She would never understand Caleb.

Kandrakar

Halinor once again waited at the gates of Kandrakar as a blue fold appeared. When the girls had been summoned for Himerish's judgment, she had been there as well. The group of girls that exited the fold this time, however, looked nothing like the ones that had come through only a few days ago. Then, the team had been well rested and ready for action. Now, the Guardians were disheveled, unenthusiastic and exhausted.

"Guardians, welcome to…" Halinor began until Will cut her short.

"Skip it. The faster we get this over with, the faster I get reacquainted with my bed, so let's not waste time on the front steps."

The girls sauntered past Halinor and headed into the fortress.

Halinor knew she should be angry at the Guardians lack of respect, but she wasn't. She had been a Guardian once too, and she knew the sacrifices it entailed. She hoped that the decision made today would change that.

The Guardians entered the council room and took their seats silently. Hay Lin did a quick scan of the room and found both Yan Lin and Yan Lin's altermere sitting across from her. Her heart sank as she realized that it was unlikely that Yan Lin had become Oracle if she was sitting with the rest of the elders.

Will's glare could have melted steel and was aimed directly at Minnio, who hurried to the platform to begin the ceremony.

"Thank you all for being here." Minnio began. "As Minnio is sure you all know, Kandrakar has chosen its newest Oracle! And it is Minnio's honor to present him to you!"

Hay Lin's sighed. Him. That definitely ruled out her grandma.

"Without further delay, please welcome the new Oracle of Kandrakar. Endarno!"

From the doorway of the council room entered Endarno. He was met with a standing ovation from the elders of Kandrakar. The Guardians were less enthusiastic.

Endarno was dressed in a beautiful red and black flowing robe. Will noticed that the mark of Kandrakar had now appeared upon his forehead, but he was otherwise unchanged physically. He step onto the top of the platform and shook Minnio's hand.

The next hour was filled with rituals and ceremonies designed to confirm Endarno's role as Oracle. Irma tried unsuccessfully to stifle several yawns during the process, but Endarno seemed unbothered by the interruptions. While Will was slowly getting more and more frustrated with the length of the procedure, she had to admit the Endarno appeared to be doing everything he could to speed up the process. Eventually, he donned the traditional robes of the Oracle and stood alone in the center of the council room, where he was once again treated with roaring applause. It was clear that he had won the position by a landslide.

"Thank you." he said. "And thank you, especially, Guardians. I know it must be tough to be here given your busy day, but I do appreciate it."

Will simply nodded, unsure what to make of Endarno's concern. After all, she was not used to the Oracle having any concern over their well-being.

"It is also very important you are here, for I am about to make my first official order as Oracle, and it will be your next mission."

Will got to her feet to protest, but Endarno stopped her.

"Now hear me out. I know that you are tired, so you will not have to complete this mission tonight, or even tomorrow. I simply would like to let you know what it is ahead of time, so you can prepare accordingly."

"Oh." Will said, sitting down. "Well, uh, thank you. That's very considerate of you."

She meant it. If they had a couple days notice before going on a mission, they could make sure that they didn't miss anything important when they were gone, like their mother's birthdays.

"I'm glad you appreciate it." Endarno said with a smile. "Now, to business. There is a distant world with a solitary ruler. This person is in charge of every aspect of her world, from financial and political to the military. She controls everything."

"Let me guess. Another evil tyrant that you want us to take care of?" Irma said.

"Not quite." Endarno replied. "Her morality is not the issue, it's her age. She is less then sixteen years old. It is not right for anyone to have that much power, let alone someone so young."

"Makes sense to me." Will said, eager to get out of their.

"A kid?" Irma said. "Who has a kid for a ruler? And who lets them have that much power?"

"I'm glad you feel that way." Endarno said.

"So we should introduce ourselves to her, and remove her from power?" Taranee said.

"Oh, you won't have to introduce yourselves," Endarno said, "you already know this person quite well. You see, your first mission is the immediate and total removal of Queen Elyon from the Meridian throne."