Chapter Ten
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Long ago, Trigon had told the two children under his care some thing about the Book. That it was mysterious and held raw power, that it was dangerous and quite alive with its own mind, and that that mind was dormant in a sense. But it being dormant did not mean that it was powerless. No, it only meant that the power the Book chose to use was limited, and when completely "awake" would it be powerful beyond and possibly without control. It was alive like they were and it used others in any way it saw fit. It cared not for others, but it also had pride. Only those whom it deemed worthy were accepted by it, and were given great power. If held by a weaker user, the Book could overpower and control him, like a puppet, a marionette.
"It is dangerous in the hands of the foolish, in the hands of the weak." Trigon said. "But I am powerful, and as for the two of you, under my tutelage, you will become powerful as well." He paused, peering at them. "But, not yet. In any case, you must not use the Book in any way without my explicit permission and under my supervision. We wouldn't want to cause a catastrophe, now would we?" he asked. The expectant children shook their heads no. Trigon chuckled. "Well, not yet."
He cleared his throat. "Though it is a tool, keep in mind it has its own agenda. Anything it does will only serve to fit its purposes and nothing else. Is that clear?" The children nodded. "Now, let's go test your battle skills. Perhaps you have finally learned something from your lessons." He led them away to the one of the training arenas within his domain.
That was one of the reasons that Trigon kept the Book away from them and forbid any contact with it. They were young and inexperienced. In another word, weak. Or so, that was what he thought. But Raven was of Trigon's blood, and even happened to recall that Elliot was powerful in his own way.
"Ahh, so you recall something. I had wondered why I sensed nothing out of you when I first came into your line of sight. Most others would have had quite the reactions, I assure you."
Raven spun around, surprised by the voice in her dream. It was not a friend, but neither was it a stranger. "Where are you?" She demanded. "How are you able to enter my mind?"
The laughing voice unnerved her. "Where am I? Stolen away, of course. And as for the other question, what do you think? I am the Book. That in itself speaks for much." The voice was arrogant, overly haughty. Raven noticed that she was still shroud in darkness on the plain of her mind, no one in sight but her and a few barren trees.
Her voice took on a more confident tone. "If you can speak with me then why have you not done so from the beginning? Or better yet, why do you not speak with my father? After all, he is the reason that we have begun this search."
It scoffed at her. "Idiot. What challenge is that? None and that thought coming out of your mouth makes you a weakling. I expected more from you. Use that brain of yours to answer your own question. Or can you not even do such a simple task as that?"
Raven heard the voice dwindle as if it were receding, and she felt her body begin to panic though she was not sure why. If it left now, perhaps they would never have the opportunity to find it again. But it hated weaklings. She could not afford to let out a cry and sound like one.
"Then what are we to do?" Raven asked aloud. "We have absolutely no clues. If you want to be saved then give us at least one. Asking for help is no weakness; it is a piling of strengths. You came to me, but isn't it true that you could easily come to others as well, such as my Father and Elliot? Surely you have not intended for solely me to find you. Or do you think I am the weakest out of the three and so plan to take control of me?"
"I'm hurt." The voice of the Book drawled out sarcastically. "But yes, you make a rather good point. Obviously you need clues. I'll give you two: Necras and poison. But until you figure out those two, don't expect any more from me." The voice was haughty and after a moment silence reigned in Raven's mental world.
She didn't exactly know how she knew, but she could tell the Book had left, leaving her alone.
Now what do I do?
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Raven awoke to the sounds of shouting outside her room. Her body was sore because she had rested by leaning against the side or her bed with her head resting on her arm that rested on the bed. Groggily, she moved her body, glancing at the glowing red numbers of the time on her bed stand. It had been less than an hour since she last had her dizzy spell. From the look of the clock, it was beginning to descend on evening. Even though it was probably a good time to get up so she could eat something, she really rather preferred for her waking to be in more quiet times. She was used to the rowdiness of the Tower—it couldn't stay silent for long with Cyborg and Beast Boy in the same residence—especially when the other Titans came to live in the Tower with them. It made Raven nostalgic for the past days when it was just them, the original five Titans, the Founding Five. Though she could not dismiss the fact that it was livelier in the Tower, she still felt stifled and sometimes more tense than she needed to be, simply because she needed more space than she could acquire in the tower that was jam-packed with Titans.
Raven sighed as the shouting broke her out of her thoughts. Time to dispel the quarrel. Raven slowly got up, straightening and composing herself before she opened the door.
"How could you eat it? My pie, my pie!" Melvin yelled loudly at Timmy Tantrum. "It was mine!"
"Mine too!" Kole shouted. "Why did you have to eat my pie too?"
"I was hungry!" Timmy retorted stubbornly.
"Well you should have asked!" Kole yelled.
"You wouldn't have given it to me anyway!" Timmy screamed.
"You don't know that!" Melvin yelled.
"I do too! You never give me anything!"
"Yes I do! But that pie was special!"
"What was so special about it?"
"It was—"
At that moment, Raven, who had gotten enough of the shouting, finally spoke up. "What's going on here?"
The three froze at the sound of her voice, their eyes turning to land on her. Then, as sudden as the silence lapsed, it disappeared as all three tried to argue their point.
"Quiet." Raven's commanding voice stopped the blabbers. "From what I can tell, Timmy ate Melvin's and Kole's pies."
Melvin and Kole nodded fiercely.
"Timmy, why did you eat their pies?"
Timmy looked away with a pout. "I was hungry and there was nothing to eat. But then there were two pies on the table and I was hungry so I ate that. But then these two meanies came in and started yelling at me!" He glared at said two. They glared back at him and the three ensued in a death-glaring match.
"Stop it."
They turned to her.
"First, Timmy, you shouldn't have eaten it without asking permission." Raven looked at Timmy sternly and he nodded under her gaze. Melvin's and Kole's faces became triumphant.
"However, you two shouldn't have left your pies alone. At least label it like I told you, especially with the amount of Titans occupying the Tower." Raven turned her gaze upon the two and their grins disappeared under Raven's strict gaze.
"Well, apologize to each other."
The three did so reluctantly.
"Okay. Now let's go find some food." Raven walked off with the three children trailing her.
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The kitchen was, surprisingly, deserted. Not a soul could be found, which out Raven on guard. Before, she would not have worried, but with the increase of members, she was too used to finding the kitchen always occupied by someone, unless everyone was out on a mission. Now, she was wary of a problem. However, half of her reminded her that this silence was good thing—after all; it had been so long that she had heard any since the Tower became crowded. Still she needed to ask.
"Melvin, Kole. How long ago has it been since Timmy ate your pie?"
"Uh, not that long, why?" Melvin responded, giving her a curious look.
"The kitchen looks empty, that's why." Raven opened her senses to find the life forms in the room. There was the four of them . . . and Teether under the table! Quickly, Raven bent down and sure enough, the baby was there, fast asleep. She gathered him into her arms. "Melvin, Timmy, what was Teether doing under there?" Raven asked with a frown.
"Oh, he's just napping." Melvin said offhandedly.
"Yeah, he crawled under there and fell asleep." Teether said.
"Well, make sure he has a better place to nap next time." Raven walked over to the fridge. "Now, let's see what we can eat."
At first glance, the fridge was empty, but Raven was not to be deterred. Rummaging deeply with one arm, she uncovered some cold pasta hidden at the way bottom of the fridge. Unfortunately, it was covered in some kind of green fuzz and emitted a bad smell when she unwrapped the plastic covering it. Timmy, Melvin, and Kole all held their noses and screwed their faces tight as Raven walked by them to empty the plate into the trash.
"I guess you're right, Timmy. There really is nothing to eat. Maybe that's where they all went to." Raven shrugged. "So I'll order some pizza. Everyone okay with cheese?"
"Can we go out to eat?" Kole asked.
"Pretty please?" Melvin begged.
"If you promise to behave . . ." Raven began, and smiled when she was met with a chorus of agreement. "Okay, everyone follow me."
So they went out of the tower, flew into the main part of Jump City, and ate at the pizza parlor. Everyone was on their third slice of pizza when Raven's communicator began to beep. She motioned for the children to continue their meal while she answered the call. It was from Speedy, and she sighed, but answered it anyway.
"What is it now, Speedy?"
"Herald and I found that bookstore you sent us to. Blathorne Books and Antiqua, right? Well, we just talked to this old lady in the store, and she mentioned that there was an antique book auction in the next hour at Pestro's Bar. She also mentioned that she saw a man in a trench coat with a dark green book under his arm, but she couldn't make out the title or what it said on the spine."
"How long ago was this?"
"Believe me, I already asked. Unfortunately, I am no speedster, so I didn't exactly give chase. Hours had passed, actually. She only remembered him because he asked about some strange things. And, his mannerisms were a bit queer. Do you think he's worth investigating?"
"Possibly. Report this to Robin—he'll put the rest of us on lookout, but don't focus too much on him. It could be a false trail."
"Yeah, we know. Anyway, what do you think about the auction?"
"It's a good start." Raven admitted.
"So you want to come?" Speedy asked.
"I can't, the kids are with me." Raven replied.
"Well, can't someone else watch them? Come on, we don't want to get the wrong book."
"We'll see." Raven replied. "I'll contact you in a couple of minutes." She ended the communication and looked at the children who were still eating but looking at her with interest.
"Who was that?" Melvin asked with a mouthful of pizza.
"Speedy." Raven said, and bit into her own slice.
"What did he want?" Kole asked curiously.
"He found something related to the mission, but it could be a false trail."
"Are you going to meet up with him? Can we come?"
Raven frowned, shaking her head. "I'm afraid not. I don't want you to get hurt."
"But you're so strong! You'll be able to protect us! And Speedy and Herald will be there too!" Melvin exclaimed.
"We'll behave, we promise!" Kole said.
"Yeah, take us with you! Besides, we're strong too!" Timmy declared.
In the end she took them with her. After all, she had no idea where the other Titans were and she had to keep an eye on them. She was also fairly certain that she was needed to discern the Book from other books in the auction, should it be there. It was not that Speedy and Herald wouldn't know it at first glance, but that it might be hidden with magic and pass them by completely. So the five of them made their way over to Pestro's Bar where Speedy and Herald were waiting for them a couple of blocks away. Quickly disguising themselves in civilian clothes, the seven of them entered the bar outwardly casual, but inwardly alert. They were led inside and found themselves descending down a dark hallway with only dim lamps to light their way. This certainly was becoming shadier than they had anticipated, and the three senior superheroes wondered if this was really a simple book auction. They sat apart from each other; Raven with the triplets, Herald with Kole, and Speedy by himself. As more people filed into the building, Raven found herself wondering if she should have found one of the other Titans to watch the younger ones. True, they had faced off dangerous villains alongside her, but this was a more complex setting as civilians were involved and they were not quite experienced yet. She shook the thought out of her mind as the lights dimmed. There was no time for regret now. Besides, she was strong. If any dangers were to occur, then she would be able to protect them—she was certain of that.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" The spotlight revealed a man in a tuxedo behind a podium on the stage. "I'm glad you could make it to our event today. It is our twenty-second anniversary today, to which we are donating a third of our funds to the Jump City local orphanage and a third to the children's branch of Jump City Hospital, so let us have some applause!" The audience clapped accordingly. "One of sponsors has generously donated two thousand dollars to aid this event. And I'm sure you bookworms are ready for some great reads, so without further ado, I announce the start of this auction!"
A man dressed in black came from the stage's right wing and handed a novel to the host who promptly held it up. "First, we have a lovely book about birds. This copy of The Folklore of Birds by Edward A. Armstrong was written in 1958 and you would be hard-pressed to find more exquisite illustrations, especially since this is a first-year limited edition!"
Members of the audience oohed and the auction began. "Can I get thirty dollars? Thirty? Thirty? I have thirty! Can I get thirty-five? Thirty-five? Oh! Thirty-five! Anyone else? Thirty-five going once! Going twice! And SOLD! To the young gentlemen wearing yellow in the back!" He handed the volume back to the man who had carried it in, and while that man left, he beckoned for the next book to be brought to him.
The rest of the auction continued like this and before long, it was over leaving the present Titans empty-handed.
"Well, that was interesting." Raven commented as they regrouped together.
"Interesting?" Speedy asked with wide eyes. "That was a complete waste of time!"
"And who was the one who wanted to go there?" Raven asked with a raised brow.
"Hey, I thought it would help," he replied defensively.
"Guys, lets not argue. The kids are sleepy. Let's just get back to the Tower and call it a day. Sound good?" Herald, now playing the peacemaker, convinced them to leave.
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Cyborg greeted them on their return to the Tower. "Hey, Robin told me you guys had information? But, from your long faces, I'm guessing you had no luck, huh."
Speedy threw his hands up in the air. "Uh, it was boring! We thought we had a clue, but it turned out just to be some boring book auction. I mean, it looked shady, but oof!—" Speedy turned Raven who had elbowed him in the chest. "What was that for?"
She gave him a pointed look and gestured with her eyes to children she held in her arms. The triplets were fast asleep, exhausted from their excursion, and beside her, Herald held Kole's sleeping form.
"Oh, whoops." Speedy rubbed his head sheepishly which Cyborg chuckled at him softly.
Raven promptly left the room without a backwards glance and Herald on her heels. It was only after the door closed that Speedy let out the breath he held. "Phew! Man, is she tough! I thought she would have loosened up by now!"
Cyborg snorted. "Eh, well that's Raven for ya, kid. Our ever-serious-telepath. You'll get used to it."
"I suppose. Do we have anything to eat? I'm starved."
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"Have we got enough information on them?" The effeminate voice asked, a trace of bored annoyance in her tone.
"Not yet. I can't seem to find out what happened to Elliot." Another voice, masculine this time, replied.
"Is he even necessary? Raven is Trigon's daughter, that's who our focus should be on." The female hissed.
"That is not for you to decide." The other retorted sharply.
Stung, she said, "I'm only suggesting that your focus may be entirely unnecessary."
"And I'm telling you that it very well could mean the definition of our success as well as our failure."
She raised a slim eyebrow. "Is he really that important?"
"Perhaps not, but until we can discern for sure, I don't want to count him out." The male admitted.
"Fair enough, I suppose."
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A/N: So, its been a while, I know. I really appreciate your support and am happy that you guys continue to stick with this story. Happy news: graduation is well on its way, but not happened yet! I'm excited for it though! :) And, about the book auction scene-well, I'm not really that knowledgeable on those things, so I deeply apologize for not making it better. But, worry not, for there will be more to come! I am also planning to make the next chapter longer to make up for the wait time you have to deal with, for all future chapters, so that is one thing to look forward to.
Special acknowledgements to moonkitty717 and poison1234 for reviewing! Thank you for the praise-I appreciate it a lot. :)