Shimmering-Sky: The way I interpreted your review, you thought Tom's friend was Dimitri because the chapter said it was Dimitri...? The "this" is kind of obscure. And I know Randall's not stupid; his logic is pretty decent. Though I can't say whether Claire's dream will become reality...that would be giving away too much.
Hollyshadow the medicine cat: -flails arms in the air as well- jelly spaghetti! Oh, and thanks for your continued support.
RavenGoesToHeaven: Maybe it's foreshadowing, maybe it's not! It wasn't really a denial rant...more like stating Randall's logic is possibly flawed, should anyone type a review pointing out all the little errors in it. And no, I'm not taking Claire's appearances away, she just won't be appearing for a while.
This chapter is another letter chapter! *reader groans* Hooray! I probably/definitely should have put this together with Chapter Nineteen, but I suck at writing, so I don't care. Enjoy! Or don't. Next chapter, we enter a new part of the story.
Chapter Eighteen
Randall's Letter
To everyone:
I bear news of a most tragic and untimely demise.
Yesterday, shortly after leaving Hershel's house, I decided to explore the Cthlin Chasm, a location supposedly of no historical significance whatsoever. As I was on my way through the woods to reach said location, I was restrained and blacked out, probably due to chloroform or some substance of that nature.
When I awoke, I was in a tiny little cage, with a sort of barrier around it. Shortly after, the barrier dissipated, revealing Tom, who apparently had come to rescue me, and a hooded figure. The events that follow I will never forget for the rest of my life.
"Now, Tom, I will play a little game." As he said this, the hooded figure pulled out a rectangular device with a single button. "When I press this button, this cell that holds your friend will start to shrink. It will continue shrinking over the course of an hour until it is a one-foot cube. You will notice there is a sensor on one of the bars. The cell will stop shrinking and break apart when the sensor only detects one person within a forty-foot radius, that person being the one inside the cell. Unless you wish to subject your friend here to a somewhat gruesome fate, I suggest you escape that radius very quickly."
I think it was then that both Tom and I realized what the Emissary was planning.
"Tom?"
"Yes?"
"...just...let me die. It's my fault you're here anyway." I truly did not wish to die, but there was no choice.
Tom sighed. "You know I can't do that. Besides, you will be vital if we are to stop this man."
"How!?" I asked. "You're the Time Guardian! You know the most about all of this!"
"Randall...have I told you how a Time Guardian is chosen?" Tom still stayed unnaturally calm for someone who was about to either die or watch his friend die.
"No."
"Well, I owe you an explanation. You see, if a Time Guardian dies and has no children, someone else randomly becomes the Time Guardian. It's easy to tell when that happens: they glow blue and are knocked unconscious for several days, which is generally why Time Guardians marry and have children; so other people aren't really, really confused when that happens. Regardless, there will still be a Time Guardian. So it's not a great loss if I jump off the edge of this cliff here."
Tom's last instructions to me were to tell all of you of his death and of the hooded figure, called the Emissary. He also stated to divide ourselves into our groups, as the Hellspawn are on the way. We need to find the Oculus, and we need to eliminate this threat to the safety of the world. We may even be able to use the Oculus to stop this threat.
Unfortunately, that may require having to hurt or kill a human or Hellspawn or two. I know the adults will not have as much of a problem as the children doing so, but I fear that children's minds may not react positively to such traumatic scenes. If any of you wish to back out of this now, please do.
To everyone that remains, let us all meet at the Ledore Mansion in Monte d'Or. I have made a startling discovery that I believe will be of paramount importance.
And finally, I quote he who still lives on in our minds:
Rei' sina cante.
-Randall