Chapter 6 Loyalty tested

A few weeks had passed since my confusing meeting with the Banshee. There had been no buzz from the Heart or a surprise fold to Kandrakar during those weeks. If anything I'd thought of them to be eerily quiet. Whatever Kandrakar was discussing about, it was taking them a lot of time. Especially for a fortress that could presumably be in and out of time.

I guess I shouldn't complain too much. It gave us a lot of time to work on everything else. But before I indulge in the numerous training sessions we had and the progress made, I first want to reflect on my relationship with Matt. After I'd texted him about Elyon and once again received a short reply, I visited him. Matt could hardly avoid me in his own house. I was therefore surprised to find his mother and grandfather at home, while he was out. His grandfather had told me that he'd sent Matt to the pet shop to pick up some things he'd forgotten and he invited me in for some coffee and biscuits. While I abstained from the coffee – I've had some bad experience with caffeine – I accepted the biscuits. I was questioned about school, with Matt's mom sometimes asking suggestive questions about our relationship. She must have noticed something was off. Matt's grandfather had waved her questions away, saying it was something for me and Matt to figure out. Instead he asked me when I could take up my old job at the pet shop, which I'd temporarily quit during the whole Matt-Shagon affair. Just when I'd promised him I would start next week, Matt entered.

By the look on his face it was obvious to me he had not expected me in his house. His whole body shrunk a bit as he looked away, saying he'd left his grandfather's supplies in the kitchen. A silence fell between us wherein Matt refused to look at me. During this time I'd felt awkward, annoyed and ashamed. I was only aware that the shame did not belong to me. I'd grown certain that my powers had developed towards empathy, giving me insight into the emotions of those around me. Which made my encounter with Matt only more difficult. Mr. Olsen left us, taking his daughter-in-law with him to the kitchen. He spoke loudly about the animals in his shop and I grinned at the old man. He knew how to read the situation.

I looked at Matt. He was inspecting a new hole in his jeans. Great to see which one of us was taking the initiative. Even so, I remained silent. I watched him as he slowly looked up. When our eyes met, I could see a few emotions swirl behind his. Anger, discomfort and exasperation. I merely raised my eyebrows whilst smiling slightly. I was not the one who started this circus.

"So….. Is there something you want?"

For you to man up, I thought bitterly. To stop acting like a child. I pushed those thoughts away. They wouldn't help me get my point across with Matt. I took a deep breath and flexed my hands.

"I noticed you've been rather short with me lately," I said.

"Really?"

Irritation bubbled within me. He shouldn't act like this was news to him. I closed my eyes temporarily and breathed deeply again. He was not going to get the better of me.

"Really," I said.

Matt looked at me. Was he expecting me to continue? Did I really have to ask him why he was being a child? Another deep breath left me.

"And I was wondering why? Are you still hurt that I didn't tell you about my training with Caleb?"

I could see his eye twitch. Annoyance flamed up within me, as well as injured pride. At least I was certain that wasn't mine. Instead of letting those emotions get the upper hand of me – which would probably result in me yelling at him – I took my fourth deep breath in a short while. I tried to calm myself, accepting that those emotions were there and that they did not belong to me. The feeling ebbed away slowly, while I kept my eye contact with Matt. Now it was his time to take a deep breath. He finally moved from his spot next to the door and sat across from me. His face was knitted in a look of frustration. His hands fidgeted with the hole in his pants. When he finally looked at me, his frown deepened.

"I'm not just hurt Will," he said. "I feel betrayed. I thought we could tell each other anything? Yet you kept that a secret from me."

"Like you kept that contract with Kandrakar a secret from me?"

I shouldn't have said that, but I refused to be made out a hypocrite. Now I know that Matt had his reasons for keeping it a secret as much as I had about my training. However that logic kicked in only a second too late as I saw Matt's face redden. A new bubble of anger welled up and it took all my willpower to not react when he got up. He glared down at me.

"You know that is different. The contract had nothing to do with you. It was a decision meant for Earth's Regents. That was about the safety of the planet."

"And I trained for my own safety. Before I knew you as I do now," I said.

"You can't compare your safety with that of an entire planet!"

It hurt. Those words actually did hurt. For a moment it felt as he was placing Earth…No his powers above me. I looked at him. My eyes pricked but I refused to let a tear out. I would not break now. Instead I swallowed and looked away. My hands were balled upon my knees and I felt my nails dig into my palms. I didn't need this right now. I needed him to be supportive. But how would he react if he knew that I was keeping yet another secret from him? Would he end it? I couldn't risk his safety to keep this relationship. How much I wanted to. No, I just had to make sure he would not learn of it. Instead I nodded slowly, my hair hiding my face.

"Y…You're right," I said.

My voice quivered a bit. He was right. A planet full of people was more important than one life. I just wished he hadn't said it. I looked up and saw him looking surprised. He even became unsure when he looked me in the eye. He'd probably seen the beginnings of the tears.

"Let me make it up to you," I said. "Raythor and Julian wanted to help me learn a style in hand-to-hand fighting. Why don't you join our training again? They might help you with a style as well. And then we'll practice together?"

To be honest, a part of me wanted that training to punch him hard. Just so he felt the pain his words had inflicted to me. But a larger part wanted to make up. I didn't need more strife in my life. If anything, I could use a set of arms in which I could leave my worries behind. A listening ear for my problems, otherworldly or not. And he wouldn't be that if we continued this meaningless quarrel.

He placed his hand on my knee, his face already closer to mine than it had been in weeks. He wore a small smile and his thumb brushed my cheek. I swallowed again and tried a smile in return. I only felt my lips quiver, but it seemed sufficient for him. He pulled me into a hug. Honestly, I didn't feel like hugging right now. I wanted to pound his chest and tell him he was being absolutely unreasonable. One moment he was distant and now he was hugging. But I let it go. Being angry with him now would only plunge us back into the fight we came from.

"I'm sorry. I just…. Disliked the idea of you not needing me," he said.

The worst thing was, I didn't need him. Not in battle. I could handle fine on my own or with the girls. I just needed him for the 'boring' usual boyfriend stuff. I finally returned the hug.

"I don't think there's ever a time when I won't need you," I said.

Our hug was cut short when Mrs. Olsen walked in with a new plate of biscuits. Matt and I blushed furiously while Mrs. Olsen cooed about how cute we were. The day went on like Matt and I had never argued and so had the rest of our days.

Matt had joined us for training again, though at first he only focussed on his hand-to-hand training. He'd been lazy when it came to practising and so, Julian made him train extra hard to make up for lost time. But after a week – in which Matt went to Meridian every day – Matt could join me for our first basics in a Metamoorian martial style. Julian and Raythor, while neither true experts, were well versed in multiple fighting styles of Meridian. They both knew the standard Meridian style, as well as some styles from North and South Meridian. Julian was also acquainted with styles from a few other countries, such as Galthos and Threbe. Raythor was more acquainted with the styles from the country of Felin and the nomadic tribes. It took both me and Matt a while before we found a style that fitted our way of moving. Julian decided to take Matt under his wing, teaching him the Giant style from Galthos, while I got Raythor as my teacher. Ironically the style he would teach me was called 'The Guardian', which he'd picked up in Felin. Irma had been terribly amused, stating it was only obvious as it was literally named after my profession. And how blind I'd been not to notice it before. Her amusement dropped when Caleb announced that he would teach the girls the basics in hand-to-hand fighting.

As for the rest of our training. All I could say is that it went well. Irma's mind control had no longer any effect on us. Hay Lin had managed to keep a poker face for over an hour since last week. Cornelia had practiced on the ill and wounded in Meridian to further her healing. During our last training, Taranee had managed to create Greek Fire, though it had only been there for a minute. It had drained her considerably, but she'd managed. Irma hadn't been far behind, as she'd managed to form ice seconds after the Greek Fire had been blazing. The ice making too had quite a draining effect on her. I'd learned I could share my energy with the others. It had happened accidentally while I'd been praising Taranee and Irma for their efforts. I nearly drained myself at that point when I'd touched their shoulders. I was glad I realized my mistake and was quick to release them, or I would have probably fainted on the spot. That was something I could practice next session. In addition to that rather shocking surprise, I also increased my control over golems. I could now control two golems of an element without Taranee or Cornelia pulling them away from me. I also managed to make a compromise with the water and air element. While I still could not create a pure water or air golem, I could create a mix. The idea came to me when I was skimming the dictionary for a synonym for my homework. The word 'fogdog' was written down and it had inspired me to try just that. So with the help of Irma and Hay Lin, I indeed managed to create an actual fogdog golem. An elemental golem, consisting out of air and water. Both Hay Lin and Irma had been elated by the golem and I'd learned it was even more difficult to control than a pure elemental, as now two Guardians could pull my control over it away from me. It also had a habit of ignoring my commands every once in a while. The sad thing was that it didn't survive for long. It ran around for about ten minutes before it dissolved into mist. I figured it was because I was not powerful enough to control two elements. It was certainly something I would train on in the future.

And so our weeks had passed. School work had been rather normal. Sylla had praised me one or two times during our lessons and my grades in history weren't too bad. It really helped having Collins over at dinner. The school had announced an exchange program for the second and third years as well. At first I was rather interested, but when I learned that we had to make a test and that only the top twenty could go, my interest dwindled. I was not fooling myself. There was no way I would make the cut-off. Irma too had given up hope when she'd heard the news. Cornelia, Hay Lin and Taranee's enthusiasm lowered considerably when they realized we couldn't come along. It was the first time I'd heard Taranee wilfully offer to botch a test. I dissuaded her. Taranee was a brilliant girl and I would hate myself if it was because of me that she did not have the chance to go to Redstone Academy.

Redstone Academy was a prestigious school on the other side of the country. It was close to the beach, but unlike Heatherfield, the winters were warm. Going there would be a great experience and so, despite feeling a little uneasy, we still took the test.

The test was last week and as our school day ended, the results were still unclear. It didn't matter much to me, as I was quite sure I wouldn't make it. But Cornelia and Taranee were both slightly growing more and more restless. I was glad our weekly trip to Meridian was scheduled right after school. We trained twice a week, once on Earth at an abandoned construction site deep in downtown Heatherfield and once in Meridian. And with our trip to Meridian, Cornelia would have Caleb to distract her even more.

When we arrived, we first worked on our elemental control. The training didn't take long, as Caleb insisted that the girls would practice their hand-to-hand combat. Raythor was on a mission and Julian was busy with Matt. Which gave me some time alone. I'd first watched the girls practice, but quickly became bored. I preferred to act instead of watch and so, I left them at it. I'd wandered into the palace, unsure what to look for, when I stumbled upon the library.

I'd forgotten the size of it. The last time I'd been here, Caleb and I were on a rescue mission to get the girls back. I fondly remember pushing a bookcase on top of Phobos. A small smile graced my lips as I let my fingers trace one of the bookcases. Phobos had glamoured the girls and Matt as bookcases when we'd tried to capture Nerissa. I frowned as I thought back to that moment. I never understood why I had to pose as the old woman. Surely he had better options. My frown deepened as my thoughts lingered on the wayward Prince. If anything, he'd acted peculiar in those days he'd been with us. And his actions…I still couldn't make much out of them.

I shook my head. I had better things to do than to ponder about an arrogant man. I decided to skim the books on the shelves. Most of them had blank covers, though richly decorated. A few had words on them. Some were in a language I couldn't make sense off, as certain symbols weren't even in our alphabet. And then there were those that were in plain English. I reached for one that read 'Magick Beginnings'. The cover was a deep crimson with letters of gold. The volume was heavier than I'd expected and a soft huff left me as I caught it. I opened it at a random page. The page was illustrated, much like Taranee's little notebook, though it had better drawings. This page spoke of Summoning, a simple spell that should it be used correctly, could summon anything to the spell caster. I frowned as I read the page. These were clearly instructions as to how to use the spell. I browsed further through the book, my gaze lingering for a few seconds every time my eyes caught something of interest. Maybe I should ask Elyon if we could borrow the book. While it was not elemental, I was quite sure we could learn these spells as well. After all, teletransporting and glamouring weren't elemental magic either, yet we could use it.

As I was reading, I became faintly aware of something approaching me. It wasn't that my eyes caught something from their corners. It wasn't my nose telling me a Blunk was arriving. It was a feeling. One similar to when I was near the girls. Even so I startled when that someone cleared their throat loudly behind me. The book nearly slipped past my fingers. I grabbed it clumsily before turning to Elyon. Elyon had her arms crossed and looked from me to the book. I let out a sigh.

"Elyon! Sheesh, you don't have to scare me," I said.

A small smile fluttered in the corner of the young Queen's lips. It was pushed down quickly.

"What are you doing here?"

I shrugged sheepishly. "Reading?"

It was obviously not the answer she was looking for. Elyon placed her hands on her hips and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Why was I being subjected to a display of power? Was she being watched by that Lyonak?

"I thought you would be training. For that mission you have?"

My eyes widened slightly, before they turned into a glare. I reopened the book nonchalantly and turned my gaze back to it.

"That mission is currently on hold," I said.

She didn't take my dismissive tone as something to be heeded. Instead the book closed violently in front of my face and flew to her hand. It caused me to look at Elyon, who was trying to keep her stern look. There was concern bubbling beneath it though. I could feel it in my own stomach.

"Caleb told me of what happened when you departed so suddenly."

I rolled my eyes. Caleb knew nothing. I was impressed that he kept it this long from his Queen though. Maybe he had more brain than he dared to let on.

"Then you know it is not something Meridian should be concerned about," I said.

I tried to walk past Elyon. Perhaps returning to the training grounds would be a good idea. Elyon didn't allow me to. She took a step to block my way and I gazed down a little, looking her in the eyes.

"I think I am allowed to decide if Meridian should be concerned with this. Besides, you are using my best men to train for this mission. I think I am entitled to that information."

I nearly laughed. Elyon wasn't more entitled to know about it than Caleb. I suppose being a queen would make one bolder in making requests. She at least dared to demand. It was a shame that she had to make the same snooty face she did back in Sheffield when she wished to hear the latest gossips. It really took away any entitlement she could have had.

"If you think so, pick it up with Kandrakar," I said. "If you don't wish to have us here, we'll understand."

It was a very low blow of me. Elyon's eyes widened in surprise. Her head jerked slightly sideways, as if trying to tell me no. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"No…No, just…Promise you guys will be careful. It's hard enough to make friends when you're a queen. I can't lose the ones I have," she said.

I smiled sadly at her. She'd lamented many times about the work she had to do as a queen and about how people treated her. There was no denying there was something invigorating when people bowed to you and did your bidding. But what was life without some strife? Or someone to tell you to get off your high horse? I placed my hand on Elyon's shoulder.

"I promise," I said. "Don't worry. We've gone through a civil war. What could be worse?"

As if on cue, the Heart of Kandrakar began to light up. I closed my eyes temporarily, wondering if Kandrakar had deliberately waited for this moment to call upon us. I opened my eyes again and looked at Elyon. A spark of concern was visible in her pale grey eyes.

"Speaking of the devil. If you'll excuse me, I need to get the girls."

With that I teletransported away. While I could have run or walked to the training grounds, I thought it to be better to use the magical way. I had two reasons to do so. The first was that my teletransporting wasn't perfect. Every bit of practice helped me greatly. The second was that I doubted that Kandrakar wished to wait.

My appearance caused a slight surprise, though this quickly turned to dread when the girls noticed the buzzing Heart. Without a word of explanation I transformed us and opened the fold. One by one did the girls enter, with Cornelia being the last as to have a prolonged goodbye with Caleb. I took that same time to inform Matt that Kandrakar had called and to give him a kiss goodbye. I nodded at Caleb when Cornelia finally stepped through the fold and I followed, closing it behind me.

As we arrived in the Folding Chambers, we were greeted by Halinor. However, the way she looked when she greeted us meant nothing good. I'd never seen her look so glum. I daren't ask why she greeted us in such fashion, yet I had a gut feeling as to why. I pursed my lips and nodded. Halinor only nodded in return as she turned around to lead us to the Congregation Hall.

As we followed her, I shared a glance with the girls. None of them had spoken yet. They too realised what the verdict had been and what they were going to ask of us. I was telepathically bombarded with questions and pleads. None of them were ready for a new war. The last one had been guerrilla tactics with only two large battles, in which we avoided as many deaths as possible on both sides. I doubted we could use the same tactics this time. I assured them I'd think of something as the large doors opened on their own. I faintly heard Halinor announce us as I tried to telepathically shut the girls out. While I usually felt safe using telepathy, I felt uneasy using it here. We had a very limited view on the Oracle's powers, but the way he'd spoken to us made me believe he was capable of reading minds. I'd rather not anger him with entering the room with only thoughts of how to defy him.

The Council stared at us. The same cold atmosphere greeted us like it usually did. The Oracle nodded at us, his smile no longer on his visage. He looked sombre, as if he too did not like the outcome of their discussion.

"Guardians, I assume you know why we've called upon you?"

I nodded and took a step forward. A minor headache was forming at the side of my head as I felt the attempts of creating a telepathic connection hammer my mind. I stiffened my shoulders and balled my hands, only shortly glancing at the others. They all looked pleadingly at me. I frowned at them, having no time to silence them otherwise.

"You've come to a decision as to what will happen with Ari and Arkhanta," I said.

The grim ambience told me I was right. I steadied myself for the dreadful words the Oracle would say now.

"Kandrakar has decreed that Ari of Arkhanta will get one final warning. You will go to Arkhanta and relieve his son of his suffering."

It was as if a bomb had dropped. My innards turned to ice as the meaning of those words were slowly making its way through my mind. I blinked almost owlishly at the Oracle, hearing sharp intakes of breath behind me. He…He wanted us to… No. I had to find another way. This was in no way a warning. This was…

"That's an act of war!"

I closed my eyes. Taranee had spoken up again. The air around her had grown hotter. Fire was reflected in her glasses as she took a step forward. Irma, Cornelia and Hay Lin were close behind her. Their faces too showed their discord. The Oracle took his gaze off me and pointed it at my fellow Guardians. His steely stare made it apparent this was not up for debate. A fire of murmurs had once again started amongst the Council.

"Kandrakar has decided that Ari is unaware of the dangers he is leading his subjects to and thus shall be reminded off," the Oracle said.

And so they decided to take the only thing that Ari still had left. Ari would surely attack Kandrakar, possibly with more fervour than he would now. He would be a man without a cause. He would become truly dangerous.

I pained my brain. Surely there had to be another way. We couldn't kill the boy. I refused to turn the girls into killers, just because we were ordered to. To relieve Maqi of his suffering. I wasn't sure if he was suffering of whatever the curse did to him, but…

I raised my head. I was quite sure defiance shone from my eyes. I forced my lips to a thin line and looked grimly at the Oracle. Irma was about to say something in reply to the Oracle's explanation, but I cut her off.

"You wish us to end his suffering?" I said.

The Oracle took his eyes off Irma, who'd stammered to a halt when I spoke up. The Council grew silent, as if eager to hear what I had to say. I looked right into the steel grey eyes of the Oracle. I was almost sure he was probing my brain. I shielded myself as well as I could, balling my hands in the process. I did not break eye contact.

"Yes," he said.

"Are we allowed to use any means we deem necessary?"

I could see him discreetly raise an eyebrow. His eyes flitted over my face. I was fully aware he was trying to figure out my thoughts. I was also sure he noticed the massive block I was mounting in defence. I wondered if he would halt us now, or if he would let his curiosity take the better of him. I could see a very faint smile form on his lips.

"Yes," he said.

I bowed my head, trying as best as I could not to smile myself. We still had a chance.

"Consider it done. We'll leave immediately."

A chorus of four voices called out my name as I spoke. I threw my darkest glare at the girls, hoping I could convey that they should at least keep their mouths shut until we were gone. The reaction was immediate. Cornelia and Irma glared in return. I seemed to anger them just by my action. Hay Lin recoiled, unused to my seemingly sudden change in character. Taranee gave me a very thoughtful look, as if she was already trying to figure out where I was going. Confusion quickly followed and as she looked puzzled at me, I raised my hand.

"We've got our orders. Let's move," I said.

Irma and Cornelia were very close to exploding again, right in front of the Council. I did not want to cause yet another scene in these Halls and acted quickly. With a wave of my hand, I opened a fold behind them. Without a word I pulled both of them along. I didn't look back and with my strength, I had no trouble pulling two very reluctant Guardians along. We arrived at the same spot the Banshee had tried to drown us. I threw them forward, making the two stumble while Taranee and Hay Lin followed us. The fold closed behind them and I was left to face two angry Guardians.

Irma was the first to recover and to close the distance between us. She grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt and breathed heavily into my face. I had to refrain from wrinkling my nose in disgust. I could still smell her lunch mixed with the scent of sea. A pair of aquamarine blue eyes glared at me. She pulled me closer again, shaking me slightly.

"What. The. Hell. Is wrong with you?" Irma said.

"Have you lost your mind?" Cornelia said.

I briefly glanced aside, seeing that Cornelia had made her way to stand next to Irma. I frowned at the two of them.

"Mind telling me why you think that?" I said.

Irma shook me again.

"You've heard what they told us! You can't possibly think we could….That we would…" Irma said.

"Of course I do," I said.

Perhaps it was my confident way of speaking, but I caught Irma off guard. Her grip lessened and I pulled myself free. Cornelia stared at me like I was a complete different person. Irma looked as if I'd slapped her. Before either could recover, I explained myself.

"The Oracle told us to end Maqi's suffering. Which is what we'll do. He told us to use any means necessary. Which is exactly what we'll do to get rid of the curse that's controlling Maqi. With the curse gone, I'm sure his suffering will end as well."

There was another silence. The birds in the treetops whistled their strange songs while I had four pairs of stunned eyes look at me. Slowly I saw Taranee's lips curl up into an impressed smile. Hay Lin, who'd looked pale before, started to get some colour back to her cheeks as she too started to grin. That left Irma and Cornelia. Both had started to blush. Cornelia formed a shadow of a grin, whilst Irma stared at me with a smile that would fit in a toothpaste commercial.

"You're smarter than your grades suggest," Irma said.

I snorted. Leave it to Irma to find a way to insult you while praising you.

"Won't that cause us trouble in Kandrakar? You know what they meant."

I looked at Cornelia. I had calmed her down considerably, but worry still swam in her eyes. I shrugged in response.

"We're doing what they told us. If they wanted us to do that, they should have said so," I said.

I figured that if they were too hypocrite to use the word kill, I could find a way to twist their commands. I looked at my four friends. Relief had settled in and they were grinning. It was almost as if we'd already managed to pull it off. Irma apologized, but I waved it off. I'd rather have her yell at me than follow me blindly. What now would be our greatest challenge was how we could get to Maqi without Ari inciting another attack on us. The second problem was how we could break the curse.

The first challenge was easily solved. Hay Lin would scout the palace invisible while we waited outside. After establishing the location of both Maqi and Ari, Hay Lin would return. We'd stage a diversion and enter the palace under the cover of Hay Lin's invisibility.

But breaking the curse. That was troublesome. We had no experience in breaking curses. Cornelia could heal, but the question was if it would work on a curse. The worst part was that we had no choice but to try. If Cornelia didn't manage, we had to think of something on the spot. Hopefully it would work out for us anyway.

Once we settled on our approach, we went towards the palace. Cornelia lead the way through the jungle for two reasons. The first was that she could lead us through her green speak ability. The second was so she would not continue to pester me about how flimsy our plan was. I never thought Kandrakar would choose for warmongering and thus I never considered thinking of a plan in case they did. This was the best I could think of in a short period of time. All that was left was hope and pray to whomever would listen to us that this would work.

At least our arrival at the palace went unnoticed. It took us an hour to get there, but that had been the easy part. The moment we arrived, my heart skipped a beat. A large platoon was standing outside the gates. Men ranging in age stood armed in front of the palace gates. They wore armour and stood rigid. I took a sharp intake of breath. This couldn't be an army, could it? My suspicions were confirmed when I heard someone call for attention. The whole platoon moved to do as they were told and here it was that I felt even worse. I know what a well-trained army should look like. Meridian had a decent one at the very least. They moved as one and reacted immediately to orders. This was not what I looked at. The men of this makeshift army moved clumsily. Several bumped into one another with their weapons. They were not in sync and some only reacted because they saw their neighbour move. This was a disaster.

I glanced at the others. Hay Lin and Irma were trying to repress a grin. Cornelia was looking at the army as if she was silently asking if she was looking at a joke. Taranee looked at me and I could read the same horror on her face.

"This will be easy," Irma said.

"This is a disaster," Taranee said.

"Why? Look at them. They are hardly trained. I bet a bunch of wayward Lurdens could take them on and win," Irma said.

Taranee shook her head. "That's exactly why it's a disaster. You do know what happens if Ari were to send those people to Kandrakar? And you know we have to fight for Kandrakar. The fight would be terrible."

Irma paled slightly as the realization came to her as well. Hay Lin shuddered ever so slightly. Cornelia still remained dubious.

"You can't tell me that you truly believe Ari would send them right now to Kandrakar?" she said.

Taranee shrugged, but I chimed in. "If we do what Kandrakar really wants, you can bet that will happen. And I don't want to bet on his temper either."

I got grim nods in return. Great to know there was more at stake than we first thought. I nudged Hay Lin, nodding at the doors. Hay Lin nodded and disappeared from sight. Even though she was no longer visible, I still felt like I had an inkling of an idea where she could be. I turned my gaze to the palace doors when I was certain she had entered them. Now all we could do was wait.

We watched the training of Ari's soldiers in silence. It was painful to see them bear swords and pitchforks. I was beginning to think that these people never had to fight at all. Or perhaps had forgotten how to do it. I wished we could get some more information about it, but approaching anyone here now would endanger our mission.

Hay Lin stayed out for quite a while. Irma was starting to get restless. I didn't show it, but I too was getting concerned. We hadn't had any contact with Hay Lin yet. Had something gone wrong? Or had I misjudged the Banshee and was she now interrupting our telepathy?

"Guys, found them. Ari is with Maqi in the throne room."

I let out a sigh in relief. My shoulders relaxed and I only realized now that I'd been pulling them up. I rolled them a bit while Irma complained.

"What took you so long?"

"Aw, were you getting worried?"

I rolled my eyes. Before Irma would take the bait to Hay Lin's playful jest, I interjected.

"Hay."

"What? The palace is a lot bigger than you think! I first checked where I thought were the bedrooms. I avoided the throne room in case there was a big meeting or something."

It made sense. I rolled my eyes at Cornelia, who grinningly made the comment that Hay Lin was invisible. Hay Lin's bashful response came back but got interrupted. She didn't react to our calls and remained silent. Suddenly the four of us stiffened, frantically trying to regain contact.

"The Banshee knows I'm here!"

I paled. I'd hoped she would stay out of this. Was she trying to pit Ari against us? Of course she would. That way she still had a chance to get her revenge. I cursed softly. I should have known.

"Ari isn't listening, but she keeps hinting at my presence. What should I do?"

"Return, now!"

My command was sent out within seconds of her question. I turned to the others.

"We need a diversion, pronto. Any ideas?"

It was as if I'd slapped them. They looked owlishly at me and I breathed loudly. I looked around feverishly. I should have thought of a diversion before sending Hay Lin away. We needed something that could keep the army away, but would be powerful enough to also coerce Ari out. I chewed my lip while Hay Lin's panicked thoughts ran through my head. We couldn't do the diversion. It would end the moment we turned invisible and Ari would easily put two and two together.

"Will. Golems."

I looked at Taranee, who whispered it slightly excited. I nodded. Those should work just fine. Taranee already had a large fireball in her hands. Within seconds a fire dragon of five feet was flying around us. It went to get some attention from Taranee before turning to me for orders.

"Attack the army. Lead them away from the palace. But don't harm them too much. No one may die."

"No one?"

I frowned, slightly concerned at the destructive nature of the golem. I shook my head and glared sternly.

"No one."

It nodded, but somehow I felt a spark of disappointment as it flew off. We watched how it flew high up in the skies before hurtling itself into the middle of the camp. The people all screamed in surprise and ducked out of the way. The dragon reformed and snapped at those closest to it. The effect it had was not something I'd counted on. Somehow I still expected that the soldiers would try to attack it and keep it away from the palace. They did the opposite. They scuttled away from it, afraid. I felt the euphoria of the golem as it gleefully flew close to a group that screamed in pure terror.

"Give them a chance."

There was a notable growl in response to my command, but it obeyed. I watched as it became slightly more timid, feigning fear for the weapons. This seemed to inspire a bit of courage into the men as they started to mount a counterattack.

I turned away from the fight. I knew Hay Lin was nigh, almost out of the palace gates. Now we needed a back-up in case the army and Ari would realize this was a diversion.

"Cornelia, can you build me a golem model? A tough one, if you please."

It took Cornelia a moment to react. I read something akin to awe in her expression as she watched the fire golem do its job. She snapped out of it before I had to repeat my question. Her hands glowed a light green and slowly but surely a buff humanoid statue formed itself out of the earth. The golem easily took to a height of seven and a half feet. For good measure she gave him a small crevice for a mouth and two black stones for eyes. I raised an eyebrow, but was only answered with a snooty flip of hair. I rolled my eyes in return. The earth golem came to life just when Hay Lin reappeared before us.

"Guys! Did you see the ruckus? Was that your fire golem? Isn't he hurting people?"

I turned briefly to Hay Lin, to find her paler than when she left. She looked at Taranee, who had an unmistakeable grin on her face. She also didn't seem to be paying full attention to what Hay Lin had been saying.

"Huh? What? No, it's not harming them enough to be serious, don't worry," she said.

Hay Lin looked temporarily at me. I nodded before turning to the earth golem.

"Stay here until the army has started to chase the fire golem. Follow them and prevent anyone from returning to the palace until I or Cornelia give you permission,"

As I gave the order, another thought occurred to me. I turned my attention to the fire golem, faintly registering the earth golem's acknowledgement of the order.

"Lead them away. But not towards a village. Keep the damage tolerable."

Another growl of irritation came from the fire golem. Taranee's smirk diminished ever so slightly as the fire golem moved away, trying to goad the army to follow him. As if on cue, Ari appeared. He was still in his regular clothing, but as he descended the stairs, we could hear him shout another wish to the Banshee. Within a blink of an eye did Ari's attire change. Personally I thought it to be a bit too bold. He was completely armoured in plate while brandishing a ridiculous sword. It however inspired his men as they all roared when their leader charged the fire golem. The dragon noticed the true danger this time and flew deeper into the jungle, away from us and the palace. As the army followed, so did the earth golem.

We stared silently as the earth golem of seven feet lumbered away. It was very unreal to see a plan work this well, especially one that had formed within seconds. It took me a moment to realize we should get going. Snapping the girls out of their amazement was easy enough. I was met with several grins. I was glad to see they were satisfied with how well our mission was currently going. I looked around one more time, ensuring that the army had truly left.

"Hay Lin?"

My question was met with a nod and a wave of Hay Lin's hands. The strangest sensation came over me. It was as if a breeze brushed my skin constantly, no matter which way I turned. I looked at my hands, finding that they had indeed disappeared. The rest of my body had followed suit and for the first time ever I realized how used I'd been to seeing my body. And how awkward I felt not seeing it.

"While this is seriously cool, how are we going to get into the palace without bumping into each other? Or losing each other?"

I turned to where Irma's voice had come from. She made a fair point. This made the plan a little inconvenient.

"We hold hands?" Hay Lin said.

I heard Cornelia groan and I was sure that if I could see her, she would roll her eyes. I merely shrugged. It was an idea and I certainly didn't have a better one.

"Let's do it. Hay Lin, can you dispel the invisibility? I rather not poke someone's eye out," I said.

With several snickers, the magic dispelled and we could see each other again. Without much ado, we linked hands. Cornelia's hand in mine, Taranee's in Cornelia's and Irma's and Irma held on to Hay Lin. The moment we linked hands, Hay Lin reapplied the invisibility.

When the first time had been strange, the second time was even stranger. Especially now that I was holding onto someone else. A shiver ran down my spine. Cornelia's fingers closed a little tighter around mine, as if to convey some sort of comfort. I returned the gesture.

"Hay Lin, lead the way," I said.

Slowly but surely I felt myself being pulled along as Hay Lin lead us into the palace. It was eerily quiet and once again I noticed the disturbing lack of guards. Maybe because I had gotten used to Elyon's palace and the numerous guards it held, but this just felt unnatural. Almost as if we were walking into a trap. Worst thing of all, I wouldn't be surprised if it were a trap.

We passed several hallways leading deeper into the palace. Suits of armour guarded each of those passages. Even though they were lifeless, I felt as if they were watching us. My nervousness kept me extremely alert. In such ways that I jumped every time that a sound caught my ears. Because every sound I heard, made me think of the Banshee. She knew Hay Lin had been in the palace. She would most certainly know we had entered the palace now. Would she alarm Ari now? Or would she wait and see? It made me nervous to think that the Banshee could play us easily. I just hoped we could go ahead with our plan. If not…Well, I hated to think what we would have to do if we failed.

Within a few minutes we arrived at the throne room. If I compared the palace to Elyon's, I'd say it lay further to the back. It was better decorated though. Long drapes of rich red decorated the walls. Large windows gave the large room enough light and the natural light softened the ochre yellow of the floor. One throne stood tall at the end of the room, but my attention was caught by a lone boy laying on the ground. Several toys lay spread around him and he seemed to be drawing something.

"Hay Lin, drop the invisibility," I said.

"But Will. He'll see us. He might call for help or run!"

As Hay Lin said that, I noticed Maqi looking up. He looked straight at us and I stared into his lost eyes. He was aware of our presence, I was sure of it. He stared at us, motionlessly. I half-expected him to speak, but he returned to his drawings as if we were not interesting.

"Did he just…?" Cornelia said.

"Can he?" Taranee said.

"He shouldn't be able to…" Hay Lin said.

With that, our invisibility dissolved. I let go off Cornelia's hand and slowly approached Maqi. I was only faintly aware of Cornelia closing the doors behind us. My mind was focussed on the young boy on the floor before me. His blond hair lay messily on his head, his eyes still unfocussed as he drew something. But there was something else that concerned me. Anyone should have at least felt afraid with the sudden appearance of a group of people. Maqi had no reaction. I felt no emotion coming from him. I realized I was already trying to touch him, my hand inches from his head.

"Will?"

Cornelia's voice made me halt my action. I turned to see the others closing in on Maqi as well. There was concern written all over their faces. As well as something akin of a question. I shook my head.

"Something is wrong with him. Cornelia, can you?"

Cornelia nodded as she took her place beside me. Her hands glowed a bright green as she slowly placed her hands on Maqi's head. The reaction was immediate. Maqi recoiled as if in pain. Tears came to his eyes, but I still felt a lack of emotion. I changed my position. I moved behind the boy and took a firm grip on him. He struggled against my grip and never before had I felt so horrible. I usually refused to use my powers to harm the weak. Holding a young boy in place didn't really require my powers, but I still felt like a bully. Especially when I felt how his useless attempts started to wane. Like he was losing the will to free himself.

I looked at Cornelia, who gave me a questioning gaze. I could see the pain reflected on her face. She didn't want to hurt him.

"And?"

Cornelia shook her head at Taranee's question. "I felt an enormous block. This might take some time. And I might need some help."

"How can we help?" Irma said.

She had sat herself next to Cornelia, looking very concerned at Maqi. There was something in her expression I found mirrored in Cornelia's. A certain worry I could not place.

Irma didn't wait for Cornelia to answer. She looked determinantal at the Earth Guardian. "I could try to just send my energy his way? I don't know if it will work, but you might be able to do something with it?"

Both Cornelia and I nodded. The only times we'd used our pure energy was when we fought Cedric the first time we met him and against Phobos before his first incarceration. While the energy had been offensive, we had theorized it could also be used defensively. And no better time to try but the present.

"Send your energy to me," I said. "I might just convert it for Cornelia."

Irma nodded at me. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on my arm. Cornelia's green glowing hands were once again directed at Maqi and I was suddenly glowing with energy. Irma's energy was seeping into me and I tried to redirect it to Cornelia's healing magic. I was shocked to learn how easy it was. It might had to do with the Heart helping us along, but I was grateful.

It was not enough. Maqi struggled more and more in my grip. Moans now flitted his lips. I was only faintly aware of Hay Lin moving closer. My mind was more focussed at the task at hand. Cornelia was struggling and Irma wasn't looking that great either. Yet I had fate in them.

"Come on," I said.

"It's strong," was Cornelia's reply.

I noticed more energy seeping into me. It took me by surprise and I looked up, seeing now Hay Lin joining Irma in an attempt to break the curse. I smiled appreciatively at her. Hay Lin merely nodded. Her face was scrounged up in concentration, her eyebrows knitted together and wrinkles appeared around the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were solely focussed on Maqi and as I watched, I saw her mutter softly.

The new boost in energy became evident as Maqi started to thrash more. Whatever Cornelia was attempting, it was becoming more and more apparent that the curse was struggling to hold its grip on the boy. Something alarming caught my attention. Somewhere, very deep within the boy I was holding, I felt something stir. Almost as if there was a different kind of power buried within him. And it was struggling to get out.

"Master, can you hear me? It's your servant calling you…."

My eyes snapped wide open. I stared in pure horror at the others. Cornelia temporarily stopped her healing attempt. Hay Lin and Irma stared at me in shock, while Taranee – who had been guarding the door – now turned around, paling with every word we heard. I didn't want to believe it. The Banshee was going to ruin this one chance we had. All for petty revenge.

"It's Yua who implores you."

A short silence followed in which we listened breathlessly.

"Your enemies are here, sire! They've invaded the citadel and are attacking little Maqi."

"That bitch!" Irma said. Her cheeks were reddening quickly and by the way she was looking, I was assuming she was planning several unpleasant things for the Banshee.

"We have to hurry!" I said, gaining the attention of everyone. "All of us need to focus our energy. Taranee, leave the door. I don't want you to fight the Banshee's magic alone and we need every ounce of magic we can get."

We set back to work. Cornelia started her healing once more. Hay Lin and Irma were focussing their energies to me, while I redirected them to Cornelia. Taranee reluctantly left the door and sat beside me. Her energy flowed into me and as I redirected it to Cornelia, I added mine for good measure. Cornelia gasped shortly as the energy I sent to her got boosted. Her eyes flickered green for a short moment. It would have concerned me if I hadn't been paying attention to Maqi's latent energy. It swirled beneath the curse and was reacting so strongly to Cornelia's attempts at healing that I felt it. For good measure, I tried to aid it by coaxing it to me. To the outside world.

"It's time to end this battle once and for all!"

I didn't have time to look up as Ari's thunderous voice boomed through the throne room. It only increased my feeling of desperation.

I faintly heard him yell something about what we were doing to his son. I imagined it didn't look good anyway. I was restraining the kid while the rest was glowing faintly, with Cornelia glowing the brightest as her hands were placed on Maqi's head. My eyes temporarily left Maqi's pained visage and flitted to Cornelia. Her eyes flickered between the icy blue she usually had and a menacing green. Sweat rolled down her brow and her eyebrows were knitted together. She wasn't even aware of Ari's presence. I didn't want to break her concentration. So instead of edging her on, I amplified the amount of energy I was giving her. This elicited a shocked gasp from the others. I would apologize later. We had to do this now. I focussed on the latent energy within Maqi. The coaxing had helped but I did not have the time to be nice. Instead I tried to take a hold of it, similar as to how I now had a hold of the energy of the girls.

The effect was immediate. Maqi yelled out and we were caught in an explosion of power. I was forcibly pushed away from the boy. Ari's cry was intermingled with Maqi's scream. As I opened my eyes again, I saw Maqi glowing with a yellow light and floating slightly above the ground. The girls were spread around him, laying on the ground and only slowly looking up. Ari only watched in muted shock as his son slowly landed on the ground, his feet touching first. Ari immediately ran forward, catching Maqi as he began to fall.

I sat up straight and watched father and son hold on to each other. Ari was silent and caressed Maqi's hair, tears rolling down his cheeks. At first glance, I was afraid we'd killed Maqi. He didn't seem to move and the way Ari was behaving, pressing his face into his son's chest, made me think we had accidentally killed him. My stomach turned at the mere thought that we had obeyed Kandrakar's ulterior motive. And by the looks of the others, I knew they were thinking along the same lines. I looked down, ashamed. We had failed.

"Daddy?"

I looked up. It had been a tired voice, but a childish one. Ari had raised his head from his son's chest and looked at him, incredulously. Maqi was still very much alive and his bright eyes seemed so focussed now. He looked at his father and the faintest of smiles formed on his lips.

"You're talking! You're smiling!" Ari said.

He took his son closer again, hugging him with a passion only a father could show. Tears rolled down his cheeks and I could feel his happiness infect me. I grinned, while wiping a tear away. We actually did it.

"Sleepy."

Ari held Maqi, who yawned loudly. Ari didn't seem to be able to stop his tears. He rubbed through his son's hair, whispering over and over the same two words he'd said out loud. He finally kissed his son's head as Maqi started to lull back to sleep. I watched silently as Ari kept Maqi close, his smile radiating.

He finally stood up. I only now realized that I'd been sitting on the floor this entire time. As I rose, the others followed my lead. Ari watched me, but his face no longer showed any hostility. Instead I found gratitude.

"I…I was wrong about you. About Kandrakar," he said.

I wanted to tell him he was not wrong about Kandrakar. But edging him on, while a war had been averted, was not my intention. I smiled in return. I was just glad this whole ordeal was over. We only had one thing left to do and then we could return. We'd probably get chewed out by Kandrakar, but at least the boy was alive.

"How can I repay you?"

A wry smile formed on my lips. The telepathic connection between us had opened up and several proposals were made for me to say, including a banquet, a shower, a chance to visit on vacation and so on. I however, had another idea.

"Free the Banshee. With her gone, you will no longer be a threat to Kandrakar. You might even apply for a contract with Kandrakar. That way, we may help you in the future."

From the looks I was receiving, it was clear a few didn't share my opinion. While we had agreed upon freeing the Banshee, I'd never mentioned the proposal of a contract. Taranee's disdainful look burnt in the side of my head, as was Cornelia's pursed lips and raised eyebrow. Irma pressed her lips tightly together and crossed her arms while Hay Lin looked uneasily. I knew why they acted this way, but it was our only chance to appease Kandrakar a little. At least they would get a new contract out of this.

"Of course, I will do it at once," Ari said.

But before he could contact the Banshee, I stepped forward. "Before you do, I would like you to make one extra wish."

Ari looked puzzled at me, a look he shared with the girls. "You want me to…?"

I nodded. "I want you to wish that every w…"

The forceful opening of the throne room doors made me halt my sentence. I instinctively raised a barrier. From my long run of being in castles, I'd learnt that a forceful opening of a door seldom meant the arrival of friends. And God was I glad I did. Something collided with the barrier and I looked how it bounced back. That which had run into my barrier appeared to be a person, who'd landed graciously a couple of feet away. It was a woman, who I would estimate to be around her early twenties. She was dressed in a white embellished robe with shorts that cut above the knee. Her wrapped top was tight roughly by a thick course of pink ribbon. Her hair was tight into a high ponytail and any wayward hairs were pulled back by a pink headband. Her eyes were slightly slanted, giving off an Asian impression, but her eyes were a catlike yellow. They were squinted in a glare as she raised the sword she'd been brandishing. A snarl formed on her lips.

[A/N] Cliffhanger! And now you all will have to wait until I finish the next chapter I'm writing (Chapter 16). But no worries, it should be done in a jiffy!

As always, please review! Your reviews are what keep me going! And I really want to know your thoughts etcetera.