We take a break from the Underworld for a moment. This is a short chapter.
Clare shakes as she faces the man before her. He had come into Rootcore saying he was looking for Udonna, that he was a friend from before the Great Battle. Clare was skeptical from the beginning due to his dismissal of her. He treated her poorly and Clare was not a fan of that.
"This is the Xenatome?" He asked her as he approached the book.
They were alone. The rangers were facing a villain named Jester, she thought. Trouble in the city, of course.
"Yes," Clare replied. "How do you know of it? I thought that Mystic Mother gifted it to Udonna after the battle."
The man had laughed a hollow laugh, one that was filled with malice. Quickly, he cast a spell meant to hurt her, but in a moment of clarity, Clare cast a protective shield.
How did I? But there was no time for that. The man, Calindor as he had been introduced, began to morph in front of her. His humanity stripped away and he was a mummy like creature. She blanched. This was the Imperious creature that had attacked the rangers before.
"Foolish child!" He spat before casting another spell.
However, unexpectedly, Clare dodged his spell and rolled to the side.
Thank you, rangers, she thought.
The rangers may not have been able to teach her magic, but they began to teach her self-defense. She was not going to let this monster have the Xenatome without a fight.
"You're just as pesky as Niella!" He cried out, angry. Clare short a spell meant for vanishing at him, and he disappeared in a shower of golden light.
She glanced at the Xenatome, finding it unharmed.
Clare felt victorious for all of two seconds before she felt herself freeze, eyes still cast on the book. She tried to move, but found herself immobilized.
Imperious appeared from the air, laughing. "Your efforts were wasted. The Xenatome is mine!" He declared, reaching forward to destroy the book.
A shock of magic, light and burning, shook through his hands and he recoiled back.
"A protection spell. How annoying. No matter, the Rangers will be powerless once I've destroyed it."
And he set to breaking the seal over the book.
The barrier broke and Clare watched helplessly as the spell finally broke.
"At last!" Imperious cried, making a lunge to destroy the book once and for all.
A blast of golden magic sent him back, reeling.
A man stood with the rangers. Dark haired, wearing the clothes of an older warrior.
Clare felt herself free of her own spell and stood up quickly, ready to engage in another fight.
"Daggeron!"
"Calindor, you traitor!" The man barked, standing tall.
"I am now known as Imperious," he snarled.
Daggeron, as Imperious had called him, took a stance against him, but Imperious waved him off.
"This is not the time or place," he intoned before vanishing himself.
Clare made the man a pot of tea and offered him a seat at the kitchen table. It was late and the rangers had gone home for the night.
"Your name is Daggeron?"
"Yes. I'm a friend of Udonna's and was a friend of your mother's"
"Oh. I see." Clare set a tray of biscuits down in front of him and sat opposite.
Clare had set up the guest room for him to stay in, so it was official that he would stay in Rootcore. The old village had been torn apart by the battle, and no one that Daggeron knew still resided there.
She didn't want to think of why.
"Do you know where Udonna is?" He asked.
Clare shook her head. Then she corrected herself. "We're pretty sure she's in the Underworld," she said in a small voice. "There was an incident, and we couldn't save her."
"Well, what does the crystal ball say?"
"It shows darkness. And it has shown darkness since she disappeared."
"As long as it doesn't show white, it should be alright."
"What's that mean," Clare asked. "Isn't that her color?"
Daggeron looked down before stating, "it's the Mystic's color for death. It means other things, such as purity and heaven, but it also means death. When you die, and you've lived a good life, you're graced with the honor of wearing white garb."
"I didn't know that."
"Udonna wears white for her role as a white sorceress, don't worry. But if something were to happen, you would certainly see white in the crystal ball."
Clare also didn't want to think of that.
"I think I'm going to head to bed," she said softly before turning away.
Daggeron nodded to her and let her leave. There was no point in asking her more questions. It was obvious that she was anxious about everything.
"Good night, Daggeron," she called out, trying to sound hopeful.
Daggeron knew that tone. He had heard it too many times from Udonna whenever Leanbow went out to fight.