Weeks passed and the frost that had developed between the girls due to the Avalon incident slowly began to thaw even as the weather itself grew colder. It helped that the girls had apologised to Bloom, citing their worry for her as having been the driving factor for their actions, making it hard for her to stay mad at them. And if she'd noticed that Tecna was particularly quiet during the apology then she didn't comment on it. It became an unspoken agreement within the dorm not to mention Avalon at all, and the girls pretended not to notice that Bloom was spending more and more time in his office, pouring over old history books and family trees. As it was, between Avalon and Sky, Bloom was spending so much time out of the dorm that it gave the girls plenty of time to discuss the situation, not that they were making much progress though.
"I think we need to bring the guys in on this," Stella said for the umpteenth time.
"No way," Tecna shot right back. "We can't tell Sky because he'll tell Bloom right away. And do you really think Brandon's going to be okay with keeping this from Sky?"
Stella sagged back into her armchair, unable to dispute the other girl's point. It was the same argument they'd been having for weeks and yet they never seemed to reach a conclusion that satisfied everyone.
"Maybe Stella's right," Flora said. "We need to do something different, we've got no new leads, no ideas about how to figure out what Avalon's really up to, nothing."
"And it just sucks having to keep this from Brandon," Stella frowned. "It feels like lying and after everything that happened last year we promised to always be honest with each other."
"This is different, sweetie," Flora said, taking her hand and squeezing it.
"Yeah, maybe."
Musa frowned, also looking unhappy. "Maybe we should reconsider, are we sure Brandon wouldn't be willing to keep Sky in the dark? Or even that Sky wouldn't be on our side if we explained how worried we are for Bloom?"
"It's possible, I guess," Tecna said, sounding unsure.
"But can we risk it?" Layla jumped in. "We need to be one hundred percent sure because if Bloom finds out we're still on this, it's going to be bad."
The others mumbled their begrudging agreement and lapsed back into silence, each completely stumped on what to do next and unaware that the subject of their discussion was currently trudging her way up the hallway towards them.
Bloom had started the day halfway towards a bad mood after a night of alternating sleeplessness and nightmares filled with disembodied laughter and her sister's voice crying out for her over and over again. A bad mood that had only gotten worse during her meeting with Avalon where she'd poured her heart out about not feeling any stronger despite all the extra work she'd been doing. He'd been patient throughout it all, sympathetic, telling her that he understood, that she'd come out of the course stronger than when she began. She'd almost felt better by the time she left half an hour later. Almost.
Bloom would have been approaching a good mood as she made her way back to the dorm if it hadn't been for the strain in her arms from the stack of books she'd hauled from Avalon's office or the headache that was hanging around behind her eyes. She cursed when her phone went off, juggling the books as she fought to free the device from her pocket but brightened when she saw Sky's name flashing on the screen.
"Hey," she said, a touch breathlessly as she tucked the books under her arm. "I'm glad you called. I've been meaning to ask if you wanted to go to the magi-rink with me, maybe this weekend?"
"I would love to see you this weekend," Sky said over the phone, an unfamiliar note of apprehension in his voice. "But I was actually calling to see if you'd maybe come to Red Fountain instead. Tomorrow?"
"Uh, sure." Bloom couldn't help the concerned frown that came over her face as she finally made it to the dorm. "Are you okay? You sound a little funny."
"Yeah," he said as she anchored the phone between her shoulder and her ear and struggled with the doorknob. "Yeah, I'm fine."
But he sounded anything but. On the contrary he sounded worried. Headache growing worse, Bloom stepped into the dorm, waved distractedly to her friends, and elbowed the door shut.
"But you want me to come to Red Fountain?" she repeated, walking slowly towards the living area where her friends were waiting.
"Yeah. To be honest, I think we need to talk about a few things."
"Talk about what?"
Sky hesitated. "I don't want to get into it over the phone."
"If something's wrong I'd rather know now."
At her words, her friends looked up in alarm, but she ignored them in favour of pressing the phone tighter to her ear.
"It would be better in person," Sky insisted.
Not if I'm going to freak out about it all night, Bloom thought privately but refused to voice out loud. "Alright," she said, forcing a breezy tone into her voice despite her inner turmoil. "I guess I'll just see you tomorrow then."
"See you then."
They hung up with each other and Bloom returned her phone to her pocket.
"What was that about?" Musa asked immediately.
"Nothing," Bloom said, avoiding her gaze. "Sky was just asking if I could come to Red Fountain tomorrow. Apparently we need to talk."
"Uh-oh," Stella said darkly, confirming Bloom's worst fears.
"No," she muttered anyway, weaving between the armchairs and coffee table as she beelined for her room. "I'm sure it'll be fine, it'll be just fi-"
The toe of her sneaker caught on the leg of the table and she pitched forward, books tumbling from her grasp and landing in a mess on the ground.
"Shit," Bloom exploded, practically stomping her foot in frustration, while her friends could only stare in shock. "Shit, shit, shit." She rubbed her eyes and forced herself to drag in a deep breath and let it out again. "I- I'll just-"
"You just sit," Layla said, jumping into action.
She took the redhead by the shoulders and guided her into Flora's recently vacated chair, the other girl having also gotten to her feet to gather Bloom's books up. Once they were back in a pile, Flora bustled off to the small kitchenette, returning in a matter of moments with a steaming cup of tea.
"Another headache?" she asked worriedly, as Bloom stopped rubbing at her eyes long enough to accept the cup gratefully.
"Yeah," Bloom breathed, folding her legs beneath her.
"So, did Sky say what he wanted to talk about?" Tecna asked once they were all settled again, ever the one to work things through logically.
"Nope." Bloom breathed out, long and steady, before taking a sip of Flora's tea. She frowned despite the pleasant taste, wondering why it wasn't having the instantaneous effect it usually would. "Just that he didn't want to get into it over the phone and that it would be better to talk about it in person."
Musa ducked her head, but not before Bloom caught the grimace on her face.
"He's so breaking up with me, isn't he?" Bloom groaned, abandoning her tea on the coffee table. It wasn't doing any good, in fact she felt worse. She tilted her head back against the armchair and stared up at the ceiling. "How can he be breaking up with me when I'm not even completely sure we're dating now?"
Stella gave a cackle of laughter. "You're not even sure you're dating? Girl, you're with him whenever you're not with-" she stopped awkwardly. "You spend pretty much all your free time with him," she said instead.
"Doesn't mean anything, Stella," Bloom muttered, glaring up at the ceiling now.
"You need to DTR that asap," Stella muttered and Bloom could practically imagine her shaking her head in disapproval.
Bloom finally lifted her head to look at her friend. "DTR?" she repeated, arching an eyebrow.
"It means 'define the relationship'," Musa answered, clucking her tongue impatiently.
"Been having your own DTR chats with a certain broody specialist?" Stella wanted to know.
"Mind your own business," Musa snapped.
"How about we focus on one relationship at a time?" Flora said soothingly.
"Unfortunately, we can't even do that," Tecna said apologetically, checking her watch. "We have that workshop with Griselda in ten minutes."
"No," Bloom groaned but stuck out her hand regardless for Flora to pull her to her feet.
"Can someone remind me why we signed up to do classes in our free time?" Stella asked as they gathered their things and headed out into the hallway.
"Because it's mandatory?" Tecna answered, arching an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that bit."
Stella was still grumbling about having to sacrifice her Friday afternoon when they reached Griselda's classroom and found the professor standing in the doorway with her arms folded and an unimpressed look on her face. The girls gritted their teeth and hurried forward.
"Class was due to start two minutes ago."
"Sorry, Professor," they chorused as they hurried inside and found their seats.
"I thought being a sophomore was supposed to come with more perks, not more classes," Stella whispered to Bloom as she slipped into the seat beside her.
Bloom snickered under her breath but didn't get a chance to respond before Griselda was shutting the door and striding to the front of the classroom to begin the lesson. Griselda as a rule didn't offer many classes, choosing instead to help Faragonda oversee the entire school, but the classes she did offer had previously only been open to seniors. Now all of a sudden there was a mandatory workshop for the sophomore class.
"Welcome to your first master combat workshop," Griselda boomed, hands on her hips as she looked out at the students.
Tecna raised her hand hesitantly. Griselda peered sharply over the top of her glasses before calling on her.
"Sorry, but how will this be different from Professors Lysippe and Palladium's classes?"
"Professor Lysippe teaches you how to survive without magic or to supplement your magic with physical attacks, while Professor Palladium's class teaches you to survive specific scenarios. I will be expanding on what you learn in those classes by teaching you specific defensive and offensive spells that are tailored to your magical source. Now," she said, clapping her hands. "Everyone on your feet, I believe in learning by example."
"You called for us?" Icy drawled as she led Darcy and Stormy into Darkar's throne room, thumb rubbing over the sapphire pendant in her necklace.
Darkar lounged as always in his throne, scratching his clawed talons along the arm of it. Icy wasn't sure if they were meant to be cowed by the gesture but she didn't let her shoulders slump or chin dip. Darkar stared at them for a beat, his eyes lost in the darkness within his helmet, seeming to decide if calling her on her petulant tone was worth it or not.
He must have decided it wasn't because he straightened marginally and said, "Red Fountain should have lowered their defences enough for you to breach their Veritas chamber. now"
"Finally letting us out of our cage?" Icy snarled, fed up after weeks stuck in Shadowhaunt.
Dacy and Stormy stiffened on either side of her, anticipating that Darkar might not be so forgiving of this insolence.
And they were right.
He didn't react outwardly, didn't make a single move out of his sprawl, and yet Icy felt herself fly through the air and slam into the stone wall of the chamber. Phantom claws clenched around her throat, slicing her skin and cutting off her oxygen as she was forced to stare at Darkar. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Stormy and Darcy snarling and attempting to reach her but whatever magic holding her was keeping them rooted to the spot as well.
Darkar slowly unfolded himself from the throne and walked casually towards her. She struggled against the magic but those invisible talons only dug in deeper and she choked.
"You'll do well to remember," he said silkily when he reached her. "That I can return you to your real cage any moment I feel like it."
Icy was being held at the perfect height to stare into the bottomless depths of Darkar's visor and she swore that whatever lurked within was completely soulless. A jolt raced through her and she wasn't sure if it was of terror or something else; if his was a darkness that she wanted to run from or be embraced by.
"I can send you back and won't think twice about leaving you there to rot. Understand?"
Darkar lifted a hand and it took everything inside Icy not to flinch back from it as he brought it to her face, stroking a talon along her jaw and down her throat. He leaned closer and her skull ground against the stone as she tried to back away.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes."
The word wheezed from her, his claws still restricting her airflow even without touching her and yet, despite her answer, still she hung there, at his mercy, for another long second. Then the magical hold vanished and she slipped down the wall and back to her feet, knees buckling but managing to stay upright.
His hand moved towards her face again, another ghost of a sharp touch, and this time she managed to hold firm, gritting her teeth and staring resolutely up into his hidden face.
"Do as I say and you'll be rewarded beyond your wildest imagination. But don't forget what I can do if you disobey."
His hand retracted but not before one of his talons sliced along her skin adding another cut to the collection already forming a ring around her throat. He moved half a step backwards and flung a hand towards the door which burst open as if by a violent wind.
"Now go."
Icy, eyes smouldering with frigid fire, moved slowly out from between him and the wall, before inclining her head fractionally and leaving, her coven-sisters joining her as they left. None of them dared speak until they'd made their way out of the twisting halls of Shadowhaunt and were standing at the cliff overlooking the cavern.
"What-" Stormy began but Icy held up a hand to silence her.
"Don't."
Once again her hand found the blue pendant around her neck, trying to ignore the way it thrummed, as if alive, beneath her fingers. Her fingers left it and slid upwards, touching the still stinging cuts, barely noticing as her hand came away wet with blood. Instead of saying anything she just let her magic lift her into the air and carry her away from that place, her sisters by her side as always.
As soon as the class had scrambled out of their seats, Griselda swept the classroom furniture to the side with a wave of her hand. The students gathered in a small group in the centre of the room while Griselda stood at the front, hands behind her back, as she surveyed them all.
"Now, imagine you are up against an enemy that is much more powerful than yourself. What spell do you use first? Miss Salgueiro?"
Flora's mouth fell open slightly in surprise at being called on. "Uh…" she began, clearly thinking hard. "Well, um-"
"Too slow," Griselda barked and Flora practically jumped out of her skin. "Your enemy just attacked you first. You need to think quickly, ladies," she continued, pacing back and forth now. "You need to know your enemy, and know which of your spells will be the most effective against them, and you need to know that information at a moment's notice. Magical combat is all about knowing your strengths and refining your instincts so that assessing your enemy and deciding on your course of action becomes second nature. Now, a demonstration…"
Griselda's eyes swept across the class, before finally settling on Stella. "Miss Haleigha, you can go first."
Stella didn't move an inch beyond crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "What exactly am I doing first?"
"Showing us how developed your battle instincts are. And mind the attitude or you'll find your afternoons occupied with detention for the next two weeks."
Stella sucked on her teeth but didn't retort. Instead she just stalked forward while the class shuffled backwards to give them room. With a bright flash of light, Stella had transformed and had her sceptre in her hands, swinging it back and forth lightly. Griselda smirked a little and didn't even bother transforming, standing completely still.
"I'll even let you attack first, Miss Haleigha."
Stella narrowed her eyes at the obvious challenge in Griselda's voice and gripped her sceptre a little tighter.
"You asked for it," she growled under her breath. Quick as a whip she raised her sceptre and an orb of pure sunlight exploded from its centre, throwing beams of light around the room as it rushed towards Griselda.
The crowd gasped and threw up their hands to shield their eyes, almost missing Griselda casually holding up a hand and blasting Stella's attack back with a protective shield of green magic. Stella's orb rebounded and caught her in the stomach, throwing her to the ground with an audible thump. Growling a little, Stella launched herself back to her feet, wings flapping to propel her into the air as she swung her sceptre, blast after blast of concentrated sunlight raining down on Griselda. But once again their professor just smirked slightly and swept the attack aside with a causal wave of her arm.
"You're attacking with brute strength instead of analysing my weaknesses and using the most effective spells against me. Now, all of you, attack together!"
Any reservations the students had about attacking their teacher were dispelled by the smugness radiating from her. So without any qualms, all twenty-five girls rose into the air and delivered their best attacks. But Griselda once again conjured that green barrier and soon enough the girls were screeching and ducking for cover as their attacks turned on them.
"Let's go, Bloom," Layla said, the two of them being the only ones who hadn't attacked in the first wave. "Bloom?" she called when her friend didn't answer, too busy looking out the window with a pensive look on her face. Bloom startled and seemed to come back to herself before nodding.
The two fairies rose in the air and split apart, Layla sweeping her arm and sending a wave of water rushing at Griselda's right side, while Bloom fired a ball of flames at her left. Griselda flung out on hand, halting Layla's wave in its arc and forcing it to collapse into a puddle of water on the floor. At the same time she caught Bloom's fire in her left hand and absorbed it instead of sending it rebounding back.
"Better," she said, the barest hint of approval in her voice. "There still wasn't much thought to the attacks themselves, but to have Miss Asherah distract me with a wave on one side, while Miss Peters attacks from the other… well, it's an improvement, even if it didn't work."
Griselda had them de-transform, re-take their seats, and spend the rest of the lesson brainstorming the strengths and weaknesses of their magical sources.
"I want you to spend the time until our next workshop thinking about ways you can be more creative with your offensive and defensive magic," Griselda told them when the workshop came to a close and they were packing up their things. "Brute strength has its time and place, but having a wider repertoire of spells could be the difference between life and death."
And on that chilling note, Griselda dismissed them for the rest of the afternoon.
Flora couldn't help but notice how distracted Bloom had been throughout Griselda's class, a distraction that lasted even through dinner right up until they were both climbing into bed and she was leaning over to switch off the lamp on her bedside table.
"Night, Bloom."
"Good night, Flora," Bloom said, still sounding as though she had a million things on her mind.
"Is something wrong? Is it this thing with Sky tomorrow?"
"It's just- we aren't even actually together, we never were, but it feels like he's breaking up with me- but with all the time we've been spending together lately, I thought he was going to- or maybe I could- I just don't know what I did…"
Flora bit her lip as Bloom trailed off, hating how sad her friend sounded. "Tecna's going with you, right?"
"Yeah, she has plans to study with Timmy, but…"
"She's not the most sympathetic person," Flora agreed, mind already spinning a plan. "Well, how about I come as well? I can say I'm studying with Tecna and Timmy but then if things go badly and you need some moral support, I'll be there."
Flora heard a rustle as Bloom pulled herself up on one elbow and peered through the darkness at her. "Would you really, Flora? You'd basically be giving up your Saturday for me."
"I don't mind," Flora said as an image of Helia's face appeared in her mind and she found herself wondering if the mysterious, new specialist would be in the dorm as well.
"You're a good friend."
She felt a pang of regret at unintentionally deceiving her friend, but quickly rationalised it; she was doing this for Bloom first and foremost, and if she happened to get to see Helia at the same time, that would just be an added bonus.
"You don't know that Sky's breaking up with you," Flora pointed out, trying to cheer her friend up.
But Bloom just huffed and flopped back down. "Yeah… maybe…" she said but they could both tell that she didn't believe it for a second.
Icy looked up at Red Fountain and smirked a little, just thinking about the destruction they were about to wage on the campus. It had been a blow to walk away unsuccessful from their last attempt, even more so that the damage they had been able to cause had been repaired so quickly. This time they were determined to obtain the artefact for Darkar, and, if possible, leave Red Fountain burning down to the ground as they walked away.
"Stormy," Icy said. "Are you ready to conjure the mayhem globes?"
"Of course," she replied, tossing her curls.
Their trio shifted so that Darcy and Icy were flanking their coven-sister and they each placed a hand on her shoulder, allowing their power to flow through them and into her. Stormy closed her eyes and held out her hands so they were shoulder-width apart, leaving them there until three orbs of maroon magic appeared. At first they appeared perfectly smooth, looking almost like glass, then, as the coven's power suddenly crested, they began to crackle with barely restrained energy.
Stormy opened her eyes as Icy and Darcy's hands dropped away, and all three of them grinned at the sight of the orbs. Stormy even went so far as to let out a cackle of laughter when an arc of lightning lurched out of one of the globes and struck a nearby tree, leaving it blackened and smoking.
"Go," she said softly, and waved her hand casually to send the globes flying away towards the school campus. The air thrummed in their wake, and the coven-sisters grinned at each other before allowing their magic to lift them into the air and fly slowly after.
"You okay, bro?" Brandon asked, watching worriedly as Sky worked out methodically nearby. They had a small gym set up in their dorm room, just a bench and some free weights, and Sky was using it to its full extent, having been working out for an hour already and showing no signs of stopping.
"Great," Sky huffed out, sounding winded, as his biceps strained under the weights.
"Really? 'Cause you've been at that for a while."
"I'm fine. Just trying to build up some more power behind my sword strikes."
Brandon blew out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. "Right, right, and nothing else is bothering you…? At all…?"
There was a sigh, then a clank as Sky set the weights down, and Brandon looked back over to see Sky sitting up and watching him with an expectant look on his face.
"Brandon?"
"You know, with this thing with Bloom today… I just wanted to make sure you know you can talk to me if you need to."
"I know I can," Sky said, his voice and expression softening somewhat. He picked the weights back up but didn't resume his workout immediately, staring into space instead. "I'm doing the right thing, right? Things have been so good, maybe I should just leave it."
Brandon cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Is 'good' enough though?" he said finally. "You and Bloom have danced around this practically since you met each other. Don't you want to know once and for all where you stand?"
A wry smile worked its way onto Sky's face. But he didn't answer, instead joking, "I guess, it's a good thing I'm such a good dancer then."
Brandon grinned and shook his head as he got up from his bed. He ambled past, shoving playfully at Sky's shoulder as he went, chuckling, "What a comedian."
"I know, I'm hilarious."
Sky laid back against the bench and restarted with his reps. But he didn't get far before something with the strength of an earthquake rocked through the school, making Brandon stumble, and sending Sky tumbling right off the bench. He twisted in midair, nimbly avoiding being crushed by his weights, and quickly pushed himself back to his feet, rushing, with Brandon alongside him, to the balcony attached to their dorm. In the next room they could hear shouts as their friends also felt the effects of the quake.
They made it outside just in time to see an orb of crackling red energy zipping around, bolts of dangerous lightning lurching out at random to strike at the campus. They were so intent on watching its progress that they almost didn't see the other orb heading right for them. Brandon gave a cry of alarm right before it struck, then he was slamming into Sky, knocking him to the ground and covering his body with his own. The orb struck, leaving a smoking, black mark right where Sky had been standing, before flying away again.
"By the Dragon," Sky breathed, as Brandon got up and hauled him back to his feet.
"Come on, we've gotta find out what's going on."
"Did you know," Tecna said conversationally, as she, Bloom, and Flora departed the bus outside of Red Fountain and started to make their way towards the platform that would take them up to the campus. "That almost 65% of relationships end in heartbreak?"
She looked at Bloom expectantly, as if waiting for her friend to be delighted by the statistic.
"And," she continued, when Bloom offered no response. "One study found that less than 10% of teenage relationships result in marriage."
"Are you saying that Sky breaking up with me makes sense?" Bloom asked dully, while Flora bit her lip.
"Well, statistically speaking anyway."
"Great."
Flora opened her mouth, perhaps to save the conversation, but broke off at hearing a sound in the distance. "Is that an alarm?"
Tecna and Bloom both looked up sharply, silence falling amongst the trio so they could hear the distant noise, familiar from the ceremony the term before.
"Come on," Bloom said urgently, and in a flash of light had transformed into her fairy form, the other two following suit.
They bypassed the platform that could transport them, and flew directly into the air to land on the grass lawn high above amidst a mess of specialists rushing to and fro. Within minutes they'd located the source of the chaos.
"What is that?" Bloom asked sharply, seeing the lightning strikes raining down in the distance.
"Mayhem globes," Tecna said grimly. "Three of them, looks like."
"We should go see if we can help," Flora urged, and the three of them hurried towards the scene of destruction.
The Red Wing ships were the smallest model in Red Fountain's fleet; small, nimble, and more an extension of the pilot's body than a ship, they were maybe Sky's favourite to pilot. Something that he couldn't help but think about as he slid into the pilot's seat of one and pulled the door closed. He hated that their new campus was being targeted once again, but he had to appreciate that it gave him a chance to fly a Red Wing, which he didn't get often.
Looking off to his left, Sky could distantly see Brandon through the windshield of the next Red Wing over. His friend turned, caught his eye, and grinned, while Sky brought two fingers to his brow, giving him a quick salute before both their ships were deployed.
Codatorta's voice filtered through the ship's radio. "Cadets, we're being attacked by unidentified mayhem globes. Senior Air Company, cover the north and east sides of campus, while Junior Company, you take the south and west sides."
Obeying Codatorta's instructions, as soon as the hangar bay doors were open, Sky and Brandon piloted their ships towards the south-west side of the campus, nimbly avoiding the other ships in the squad as they positioned themselves between the globes and the school.
Sky pushed a button on the control panel and said, "Codatorta, Junior Company have visual contact on two of the globes."
"Forward Squad, engage," he barked in response. "Defensive Squad, remain behind and make sure no further damage is done to the school."
Sky and Brandon, both members of the Forward Squad, manoeuvred their ships forward and fell into formation with the other ships in the squad. The squad split in two, using the Red Wing's small blasters to fire at the globes in the hopes of dispelling the magic that comprised them.
Watching them from the control room, Codatorta growled, "Whatever happens, do not let this thing get inside the school. If it finds a way in, it will detonate! Try and draw it away and then we'll deal with destroying it."
"Yes, Sir!" The students of the Forward Squad responded, and they set to the task of drawing the two globes as far away from the school as possible. When Sky looked towards the north, he could see the Senior Company attempting to do the same with the third globe.
In the control room where Codatorta had set up shop with a contingent of students, he and Timmy were scanning the skies with their radars; they didn't want any more surprises. Behind them there was a whoosh as the elevator arrived and a quiet ding as the doors parted, and Riven stepped from between them, crossing the room swiftly.
"Sir," he said quietly, leaning down so he could speak directly to Codatorta. "The senior elite guard have been deployed to the Veritas chamber as ordered."
"Good. Now jump on one of those computers and help us monitor the area. The mayhem globes are likely probing our defences for any weaknesses; I don't want them sneaking up on us." He continued talking into the radio, "Cadets Traherne and Phillips, take point on trying to destroy these things. Do what you have to do."
"We're trying our best, Sir," came Sky's response. "But we're almost out of ammo."
Riven crossed to a computer and slid swiftly into the chair. "Sky," he said urgently. "You know those uninhabited caves to the west?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you draw the globes inside? If you can trick it into thinking it's inside the school, it might detonate and destroy itself."
"It's worth a shot."
"Good thinking, Cadets," Codatorta said, the barest trace of approval in his voice. "You be careful when navigating those caves, Traherne. They'll be a tight fit for the Red Wing."
"Yes, Sir."
Bloom, Flora, and Tecna ran into the main administration building of Red Fountain's campus, looking around desperately as though to find someone who could instruct them on how to help out. But the building was completely empty. They turned on their heel to run back out again only to run smack dab into Helia who was on his way in.
"Helia," Flora squeaked in surprise, a red blush already staining her cheeks.
"Flora," he breathed back, still holding her elbows from where he'd stopped her from toppling over. They looked into each other's eyes for a beat too long before Helia's flicked over to take in the other two. "Bloom. Tecna. What are you guys doing here?"
Bloom might have smiled if the situation weren't so dire. "We were on our way over when we heard the alarm."
"We thought you could use some help," Tecna added, while Flora looked totally lost for words.
"Yeah, of course, that would be great. I was just about to go to the control room, you should come with me."
He finally released Flora, who looked thoroughly put out by that fact, and beckoned them over to the elevator. From there they were taken to the level containing the hangars, armoury, and control room, the latter of which Helia led them to.
"Codatorta, Bloom, Flora, and Tecna are here," he said to his teacher when they entered. "I thought they could help."
Codatorta spun around in his chair. "For sure. Here's the situation: three mayhem globes are targeting the school, possibly as a distraction for another attack, the Air Companies are drawing them away from the school but we're still working on a solution as to how to destroy them."
"What have you tried so far?"
"Blasting it hasn't worked yet, although the Senior Company is making considerable headway by overwhelming one of them. The Junior Company is going to try and guide the other two globes into a cave so they'll detonate."
"Good idea," Tecna said approvingly. She crossed the room to lean over the back of Timmy's chair and look at the screen he was working off. The specialist glanced up at her, distracted by her close presence but she didn't seem to notice. "Mayhem globes have a rather rudimentary sense of their surroundings, it likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cave and the school."
"How are you going to get it inside the cave?" Bloom asked, she, Helia, and Flora joining the others by the computers.
"The cave is big enough for a Red Wing to fly through and there's an opening on the other side, so Sky's going to go in first and hope that it follows him," Riven explained, as he brought up a map of the cave on his screen.
"And hope that the mayhem globe doesn't detonate while he's still in there."
"That's very reassuring, Timmy," Bloom said through gritted teeth.
"He'll be fine," Riven said distractedly, as he also brought up the camera from Sky's Red Wing. "Sky's the best pilot in the grade. You with us, Ace?"
"I'm here and ready to go."
"Alright, I'm your second set of eyes from here on out; you focus on your speed and I'll let you know if you're going to hit anything."
"Very reassuring."
"There he is," Riven said to everyone in the control room, indicating a light that had appeared on one of the screens, before pointing to a second light that was tailing it. "And there's the mayhem globe."
"Looks like the globe's going for it," Timmy said excitedly, leaning in to watch.
They all watched the two lights speeding across the screen, while the Red Wing's camera showed the mouth of the cave rapidly approaching.
"It's so dark," Bloom said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself comfortingly. "How is he going to see?"
The Red Wing will provide a bit of light, but he'll have to rely on his instincts mostly. But that's why he has us."
"Here they go," Helia said, and everyone refocused on the screens just in time to see the Red Wing enter the cave with the mayhem globe zipping in afterwards.
Almost at once Riven and Timmy started talking, a barrage of information as Riven instructed Sky through finite adjustments to his course while Timmy tracked what the mayhem globe was doing. Bloom didn't know how Sky was able to keep track of everything they were saying, it was all blurring together in her ears, but to his credit, Sky didn't clip the cave walls and he kept the mayhem globe from closing the distance between them.
"You need to speed up," Timmy was saying urgently. "I think the globe is about to detonate."
"Watch your left hand side," Riven said at the same time. "It's narrowing."
"I'd estimate you've got about 8 seconds until detonation, you need to get clear."
"Alright, here's the part where your wings might get a bit scraped but just keep going."
"I can see the opening, almost there."
"Four seconds, Sky."
"Swing low as you exit, Ace, there's a bit of an overhang."
Then, before Sky had a chance to say anything else, a large boom rocked through the campus as they saw the globe detonate on the screen. Timmy cringed and pulled off his headset as feedback from the blast screeched through it.
"Sky," Bloom yelped, and grabbed the headset for herself. "Sky?"
"Red Wing #1, report," Riven called, suddenly on his feet. "Come in, Red Wing #1."
The Red Wing's camera, which had shaken violently with the blast gave way to grey static and Bloom felt as though she were about to be sick.
"Sky?" she whispered.
"Has anyone got eyes on Sky?" Codatorta growled into the radio.
"Negative."
"Not yet."
"Heading there now."
"Call off the search party, I'm here," came Sky's voice finally and Bloom nearly sank into Riven's chair in relief. "Got a little shaken up in the blast but I'm all good. Can't say the same for the Red Wing, it might need a few repairs."
"Good to hear your voice, Ace," Riven said, while Bloom shakily removed the headset and handed it back to Timmy.
"Just get yourself back to the hangar in one piece," Codatorta ordered. "Cadet Phillips, accompany him and be prepared to perform a rapid craft to craft rescue if necessary. Leave the second globe for the others to deal with."
"Yes, Sir," Sky and Brandon said in response.
"Uh, Codatorta, we may have another problem," Timmy said nervously, as he was suddenly distracted by something on his screen.
"What's that, Cadet?"
"Multiple alerts: there's been a blast in the north wing, but neither of the remaining mayhem globes are anywhere near there."
"There's a straight path from there to the Veritas chamber! We can't let them make it that far!"
"What was the other alert, Timmy?" Tecna asked, worry lining her face. "You said there was more than one."
Timmy frowned as his fingers flew over the keyboard. "It's from one of the elevators; it registered some kind of error several minutes ago, it's stuck in the lower floors."
Codatorta slammed his fist into the desk and it creaked ominously. "The senior elite guard, they never reached the Veritas chamber." Codatorta looked swiftly at Riven, Helia, Bloom, Flora, and Tecna. "You five go and use whatever force necessary to stop the intruder! I'll free the senior guard and meet you there as soon as I can. Cadet Martin, you take point here and ensure the remaining mayhem globes stay far away from the school. Don't move from this room until they've been taken care of."
Riven and Helia saluted sharply, and led the girls over to the elevator, but Tecna hesitated, biting her lip and glancing back as if expecting, or maybe just hoping, that Timmy might say something to her. But he was intent on scanning his radar so she just sighed and followed the others.
The five of them approached the elevator, reaching it just as the doors slid open, and Bloom found herself face to chest with a Red Fountain uniform. She blinked and looked up to find Sky blinking down at her, apparently as startled to see her as she was to see him.
"Oh," he said. "Hi."
"Hi," Bloom murmured, acutely aware of how close they stood to each other.
Tension from their last phone call, and the reason she was here crackled between them, and yet she couldn't help but scan his face, looking for any sign of injury from the blast. Similarly, his eyes drunk her in, seemingly powerless to look away.
"I didn't realise you were already… I thought I heard… thought I was imagining… uh, hey."
It was the most frazzled Bloom thought she had ever seen Sky, watching as he nervously licked his lips, glanced away, and then back at her. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing for the future of their relationship. Or even what the nature of that relationship was.
The elevator doors tried to close, breaking the moment between them while Brandon shifted and cleared his throat behind Sky.
"We're supposed to go protect the Veritas chamber," Riven said, sounding pained by the awkwardness.
"Right," Bloom said, finally backing up a few steps. "Right, you guys should come help." She spoke to a spot just over Sky's shoulder to avoid looking directly at him.
"Yeah, okay."
Never had Bloom endured a silence so uncomfortable as the preceding one as the elevator descended, taking them to the Veritas level. Each second seemed to drag to the length of an hour and Bloom felt herself longing for their arrival so that she might be able to escape the oppressive quiet.
"One might be tempted to call this silence empty," Helia said suddenly, sounding thoughtful. "But I don't think this silence is empty, I believe it's full of answers."
Flora gave him a long, searching look, while Bloom and Tecna scrunched up their faces and turned to look at him. Sky, Riven, and Brandon, having grown used to Helia's strange turn of phrase in the past weeks of sharing a dorm with him, didn't react. Helia wore a serene, if not faintly amused expression on his face, as his eyes flicked between Sky and Bloom once before away again.
"I think we should all listen to the silence sometimes. It is the speech of love and has so much to say."
Bloom and Sky both blushed, unwittingly glanced at each other briefly before turning away again.
"We're here," Helia announced, before anyone could work out what to say in response, and they all gladly trooped out of the elevator.
"Come on," Sky said, instinctively taking command. "We're on the other side of the school to the entrance to the chamber, but if we hurry we might be able to beat the intruders there. Brandon, take Flora and circle around the other way, hopefully one of us can head them off."
"You got it."
Brandon and Flora turned and sped off in the opposite direction, while the rest plunged into the maze of hallways with Sky leading the way. He led them around corners and through crossroads without a moment's hesitation and it only took a few minutes to sight a blur of movement whipping out of sight up ahead.
The sound of their thundering pursuit must have echoed ahead because when they turned the corner it was to find the Trix waiting for them, the early glow of magic already showing at their palms.
"Looks like we have company, ladies," Icy purred, the only warning the others got before she attacked.
Her hand slashed through the air, and daggers of ice, lethally sharp, shot towards them. Sky reached for his sword, but Riven was quicker, weapon already in hand as he dove in front of the group and used his blade to deflect one, then two daggers. But even he wasn't quick enough for the third which struck home in his exposed side. A shocked breath escaped Riven, the only sign he'd been struck at all, but it was enough to draw the others up short, stopping in horror as Riven swayed on his feet.
"Better luck next time," Darcy taunted, and just like that the trio flew off.
Helia and Bloom rushed forward, following the Trix momentarily driven from their mind as they caught Riven and helped lower him to the ground.
"Location report, Brandon," Sky requested, speaking into a communication device at his wrist.
"Nearly at the Veritas chamber."
"Good. Three combatants heading right for you, need you to apprehend, we've been delayed. Be ready, it's the Trix."
"You got it."
Sky dropped his wrist away from his mouth and wasted no time in kneeling beside Riven. The other hero was holding his side, where blood was already staining his uniform, breaths coming faster than normal.
"Injury report," Sky demanded immediately, sounding every bit like a leader talking to one of his soldiers.
"Not that bad," Riven gasped. "My uniform mostly stopped it; didn't go too deep. I can keep going."
Riven tried to push himself up, face determined even as his boots slipped on the metal grating and he fell back against the wall. Grunting with impatience, he reached down to yank out the ice dagger, but Sky was quicker, seizing his wrist to stop him.
"Don't be stupid," he commanded, squeezing tightly to make sure Riven was listening. "You stay and wait for someone to help get you out of here. If you can walk, you go straight upstairs, sound the alarm, and get to the infirmary. Understand?"
Riven glared, furious and silent, up into Sky's face before finally clenching his jaw and nodding, when he realised Sky wasn't backing down. Sky released him and clapped him on the shoulder briefly, before standing and leading the others on.
Brandon and Flora sprinted through the warren-like hallways, him leading the way while she kept up easily, conditioned from her morning running. They didn't speak much, both too apprehensive about what might be waiting for them, and they only slowed as the entrance to the Veritas chamber came into view. Brandon touched the sealed double doors gently, before leaning in to listen for any noise within.
"I don't think they've been here yet," Brandon said quietly, looking in the direction the Trix should be coming from. "We can stay here and stand guard or…"
"Let's get them," Flora said firmly. "It's time we brought the fight to them."
Brandon grinned and gestured with a jerk of his head for her to follow him. She hesitated only long enough to transform into her fairy form with the usual flash of bright light. Then together they walked on, moving much slower and much quieter than before, now anticipating the Trix to be waiting around every corner.
Then all of a sudden there they were, flying right at them. There was a brief moment where both groups halted, looking surprised to see one another, then quick as a flash Darcy darted forward and threw a fistful of dark powder into the air. Brandon and Flora immediately drew back, each throwing an arm over their faces so they didn't inhale any of the powder. But it didn't harm them; instead darkness billowed from the powder, spreading until the entire hallway was pitch black.
Brandon swore and pulled out his sword, quick as a flash.
"Get down, Flora," he yelled, finding her shoulder and pushing her down. She obediently flattened herself on the ground while Brandon stepped forward and swung his sword, trying to strike where the Trix had been hovering.
But they must have had a way to see through the darkness, because they evaded his sword strikes easily, their laughter bouncing off the metal walls and echoing so it seemed as if they were coming from every direction. Brandon turned around, then around again, realising his mistake a beat too late as he realised he no longer had any idea where the Trix had been. A lightning bolt arced out of nowhere and struck him from behind. His shout of pain drew a cry of alarm from Flora, but before either of them could react further, Brandon was struck again and thrown to the ground. Flora scrambled to her feet, and lashed out blindly with vines, but, much like Brandon's sword strikes, they were easily evaded.
The gloom finally started to lift, the effects of Darcy's magic easing, and this time when Flora's vines attacked they found their target, wrapping around Icy's waist and immediately squeezing tight. But she wasn't ready for Darcy to reach out, invisible talons of darkness reaching into her mind and digging in painfully. The fairy let out a blood-curdling scream and her vines fell away as she stumbled backwards and clutched at her head. Brandon stirred feebly, trying to come to her aid, but a third lightning strike from Stormy kept him down. Darcy kept up the pressure in Flora's mind until the fairy could take no more and fell to her knees, then her side, curling up into a tight ball as if to get away from the pain.
Finally, Darcy let the magic ease off, but the fairy didn't attempt to stand and snickering amongst themselves, the three witches stepped over the prone pair and made their way towards the Veritas chamber doors. The doors swung open smoothly under their hands, not even requiring a burst of magic, and the Trix paused, puzzled at the lack of resistance. Then they stepped into the room, empty but for the grand set of golden scales and understood; the real obstacles were still ahead of them.
The Trix approached the dais holding the scales slowly, unconcerned even though they knew they still had pursuers.
"The scales are some kind of security system presumably," Icy mused, tilting her head as she took in the setup.
"I suppose balancing the scales will grant us access to Red Fountain's treasures," Darcy said.
"Oh, who cares?" Stormy snapped, already growing bored of their contemplation. "Let's just blow it up."
"I know it's hard to believe, Stormy, dear, but smashing stuff doesn't always work," Darcy snarked back, an infuriating air of superiority about her. "But please, go ahead and try."
After a quick glance at Icy, who did nothing to dissuade the idea, and needing no more encouragement, Stormy summoned all of her magic and struck the scales with a thunderous lightning bolt.
To absolutely no effect.
"Son of a bitch-" Stormy began furiously as Darcy wandered closer to the dais.
"Oh, wait, there's a riddle here," Darcy said, interrupting her, noticing for the first time the engraved plaque on the platform.
There was a brief humming sound from the scales then Stormy's lightning bolt reappeared, this time arcing across the room towards her, zapping her before she had a chance to throw up a defence. The energy from the bolt flung her across the room where she collided with the stone wall and fell in a crumpled heap on the floor.
"Fuck," she groaned.
Darcy and Icy glanced at each other, both raising their eyebrows in mild surprise.
"Interesting," Icy said before frowning at the scales once more.
"Sorry," Darcy called to Stormy, her sincerity utterly unconvincing. "I didn't see it."
"Care to read it now?" Icy asked her silkily while Stormy called her all manner of rude names from the ground.
"'What equals the weight of Red Fountain? Every time you choose incorrectly the scales will attack.'"
In a line behind the plaque was a number of strange items, including a large hunk of crystal, a finely crafted dagger, a carved statue of a robed man holding an open book, and a feather.
"What's to bet the attacks will get worse and worse every time we choose wrong," Darcy said.
She and Icy looked at one another again, both thinking how easily Stormy had been flung across the room. Only now was Stormy getting slowly to her feet. They both thought it unlikely that they would survive the attacks long enough to test each and every item laid out in front of the riddle. They would have to get it right the first time.
Darcy frowned and considered the scale and the angle it was tipped at. "It would take something heavy to balance that scale," she pondered aloud, considering the heavier items like the crystal and the carved statue. "But then this kind of thing always turns out to be a trick, so possibly the lightest item…" she plucked the feather and studied it carefully. "What do you think, Icy?" she asked, holding the feather out to the witch who had been quiet for some time now. "Care to pop it in there?"
Icy smirked and arched an eyebrow. "It was your pick, Darcy, so you should get the credit if it works. Just pop it in there."
Darcy gritted her teeth but with Icy and Stormy staring at her expectantly, she could see no way out of placing the feather on the scale. That is until a boomerang spun through the air and slammed into her hand, causing her to drop the feather.
All three witches spun around to find Sky, Bloom, and Tecna standing in the doorway, the latter two of whom had already transformed into their fairy forms. Helia had stayed behind to make sure Flora and Brandon were okay, meaning the fight was going to be a tight one.
"Step away from the scales," Sky commanded.
The Trix did not look cowed despite the thunder in his voice, and Icy even smirked, stepping tauntingly closer to the dais. "I don't think so."
Having learnt from their earlier mistakes, Sky, Bloom, and Tecna gave them no more time to prepare for attack and leapt forward in unison. Sky ran straight for Icy, swiping at her with his sword, while Bloom and Tecna used what they'd learnt from Griselda to take Stormy and Darcy on.
Bloom conjured a swath of flames beneath the two witches forcing them to fly up into a waiting net constructed of Tecna's magic. They both shrieked as they became entangled within it and tried to free themselves, hindered by shots suddenly firing at them by Timmy who had just run into the room.
"Timmy," Tecna gasped at his sudden appearance. "Nice going!"
"You think that's good?" Stormy growled. "Watch this!"
Even tangled in the net as she was, Stormy was able to free her arms enough to swirl them around in a circular motion, the movement conjuring a twister of grand proportions. The twister's winds blew Bloom, Tecna, and Timmy back so they collided with the stone wall, while even Darcy looked ruffled, like she was struggling to stay airborne in the violent winds.
The only two who seemed unaffected were Sky and Icy who stepped and twisted around each other in a deadly duel that looked more like dance than battle. Sky fought with his usual sword, while Icy was armed with a javelin of ice, but both seemed to be struggling to land a blow on the other. Sky had been able to nick Icy's shoulder, while she had pricked Sky's abdomen with the sharp point of her javelin, but otherwise the pair were unharmed and locked in what appeared to be an even battle.
Until, finally, Sky was caught by a particularly strong gust of wind from the twister and forced back a dozen stumbling steps.
He dug his feet into the ground, grunting a little at the effort and raised his sword, but Icy suddenly smirked.
"Watch this," she said softly to her two coven-sisters, looking eerily triumphant. She held up her hand and a cloud of blue magic burst from her palm, hanging in the air for a moment. But rather than forming into a shard of ice as Icy's attacks usually did, the magical cloud darted towards Sky and slipped right into his chest. Sky's eyes went wide as his body stiffened, and there was a long moment where the room went quiet and even the twister died away as a blue light emitted from Sky's chest, then he crumpled to the ground and lay very, very still.
"Sky!" the wretched, terrible scream ripped from Bloom's throat as she watched Sky fall and not get up again. She launched herself up from the ground, but rather than fly at the Trix, she raced to Sky's side and fell to her knees, hands fluttering uselessly as she gazed down at him.
"What was that?" Darcy asked, sounding impressed.
"Just a little something I've been working on," Icy said, looking very smug as she took in the terrified Bloom, and the shell-shocked Tecna and Timmy. "It's slowly freezing his heart. He's not dead yet but it's only a matter of time."
An agonised sound came from Bloom who had been trying to shake Sky awake. She slumped over his body, her own shaking with sobs, as her head rested on his unmoving chest listening as his heart struggled to beat.
"Just a little warning about what happens when you fight the Trix," Icy sneered, looking at Tecna and Timmy as if daring them to try and attack again.
Neither of them did.
"This is going to take some thinking," she continued, looking back at the scales now that she was apparently satisfied that the fight was over. "There are many types of weight. Physical weight, moral weight, magical weight, economic weight, social, military, the weight of knowledge or communication, weightlessness even.
"Crystals often symbolise magic, but while Saladin is a wizard, none of the rest of these losers are. They fight with their little weapons, so the dagger could be a possibility but that's a little obvious and whoever made this I'm sure would like to have thought they were so deep."
Icy hummed thoughtfully and tapped the head of the carved statue with a razor sharp nail. "Red Fountain do have all those strategy classes, they probably teach their students that they can beat anyone if they're wise enough." Icy gave a harsh cackle of laughter. "Something to make them feel better about their magiclessness."
Having convinced herself, Icy selected the statue with its open book, and carefully placed it on the scale. There was a moment, then the scales balanced themselves and the innermost circle in the tiled floor twisted and folded back to reveal a spiral staircase.
"Apparently, Red Fountain equals delusions."
The other two snickered and followed Icy as she descended the staircase into a narrow but no less ornately decorated chamber. Countless shelves were set into the walls positively stuffed with piles of gold coins, fat jewels, thick books, beautifully crafted weapons, and dozens upon dozens of treasures. The Trix's eyes roved hungrily over the contents of the chamber, wishing they had the time to stuff their pockets. But they knew even if they'd scared those upstairs into submission, the same wouldn't be true for the reinforcements that were no doubt on their way.
So, with great reluctance, they forced their eyes to scan the shelves again, critically this time, until they found the item they'd been sent for.
Crammed amongst the other spectacular artefacts, the metal box was disappointingly plain but Icy knew the true treasure was what its contents would lead them to. So she plucked the box off the shelf and jerked her head at the other two to head back upstairs. Icy brought up the rear, stopping only to cast one final, longing look at the rest of the treasures being left behind, before she too returned to the floor above.
Timmy and Tecna, who had been talking quietly, still huddled by the wall, fell abruptly silent at their reappearance causing all three of them to cackle cruelly. Tecna shook with barely contained emotion, but a glance at Sky's unmoving body was enough to keep her on the ground.
Timmy was not so easily cowed, however, and pushed himself to his feet and reached for his blaster with shaking hands.
"Put that back," he said, trying to sound firm as he pointed his weapon at them. "I'm not letting you leave with it."
"Oh, really?"
Icy strode forward until the blaster was pressed against her chest. Timmy's hands shook harder even as his finger found the trigger but he couldn't bring himself to pull it.
"Timmy," Tecna said, but he couldn't tell if she was urging him to do it, or warning him against it.
"Go ahead," Icy whispered, her voice smug and taunting. "Do it. Do it, and you'll end up just like your friend over there."
Unwittingly, Timmy's eyes flicked to Sky, who had grown even paler in the minute the Trix had been in the chamber below.
"Do you want that, little hero?" Icy cooed. "Do you want to die like your friend?"
Timmy whimpered and shook his head.
"Timmy," Tecna said again.
But with trembling hands, Timmy was already lowering his blaster and backing away, refusing to look at any of them.
"A wise choice," Icy breathed, her eyes alight with cruel satisfaction. She glanced at Tecna who was glaring up at her hatefully, then to Bloom who was still clutching Sky's body as she cried. She smirked triumphantly and looked to her coven-sisters who were watching her admiringly. "We're done here. Let's get back to Shadowhaunt."
They rose into the air and flew from the room, Tecna watching them go. It was only once she was sure that they were gone that she allowed her eyes to go to Bloom and Sky. An unintentional noise left her and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Timmy reached for her but she backed away and pushed herself to her feet.
"I'll go get some help," she whispered, hurrying from the room. Timmy collapsed against the wall and buried his face in his hands.
Bloom was distantly aware of it all. She was aware of the Trix solving the riddle, she was aware of them taking something that she was supposed to be protecting, she was even aware of them taunting and threatening her friends. And she didn't care. She felt as though the Trix could be burning the world to the ground around her and she still wouldn't give a damn.
Not when Sky's chest was steadily growing cold beneath her cheek and his heart was struggling to beat.
Another sob wrenched from her and she felt as though it was her heart that Icy had attacked. But instead of being frozen, it was being ripped slowly in two. The pause between each of Sky's heartbeats seemed to be growing longer and longer and Bloom found herself whispering "please" every time, hoping and praying with every part of her that the next one would come. That this wouldn't be the end.
"Please… please… please…"
Finally the waiting became too much to bear, and she dragged herself up so she could look down into his face. Besides the unnatural paleness of it, he could almost be sleeping, his eyes closed and expression peaceful. Completely unaware that there was a frost slowly freezing his heart.
"Please, Sky," she begged, tears sliding down her face and splashing onto his. She wiped them away tenderly, taking a moment to trace his features. "Please, wake up. You can't- this can't be the end, not like this."
Distantly she could hear the sounds of people arriving, shocked cries, someone yelling out, a girl crying, but they seemed so very far away. There was only her and Sky, even as the people came closer, jostling and bumping into her.
"Not like this," she said over and over. "Not like this…" She couldn't recall making the decision to move her hands but all of a sudden they'd left his face and were pressed to his chest. "I won't let you… not like this…"
She could hear a guy crying nearby and the gentle sound of someone trying to soothe him, but she blocked it all out. A curious feeling was growing within her, not the white hot fire that sometimes exploded from her, but a gentle wind that she'd never felt before.
"I'm not letting you go…" she murmured. "Not like this…"
The wind was not just inside her now, but in the room itself, first rustling her hair, then growing stronger. The people around her were murmuring now but still she ignored them. A soft light appeared beneath her cupped hands, growing stronger like the wind, until it poured out from beneath her fingers, becoming so bright that everyone was forced to look away. Everyone except Bloom who let it wash over her, a soft smile spreading across her face.
The light and the wind held for a moment before dying away all at once.
And somehow, as Bloom slowly opened her eyes and looked down, she knew exactly what she was going to see. Sky blinked, dark blue eyes gazing up at her as a dazed smile crossed his face.
"Bloom."
"Sky."
And suddenly no matter what had happened between them, no matter what doubts or reservations either of them had had, no matter what he'd been going to say to her that day, Bloom knew there was nothing she wanted more in that moment than to lean down and press her lips to his. So she did. He was so warm and so very alive beneath her and she could feel him smiling into their kiss, his hand coming up to tangle in her hair.
Finally, after what could have been seconds or hours or days, they drew apart, but not far, just so they could rest their foreheads against one another. There was so much noise and movement around them; Codatorta shouting for healers, students rushing to secure the Veritas chamber, and Brandon with a tear streaked face clutching Sky's shoulder from the other side.
But through it all there was her, and there was him, and that was all they needed.
"You saved me," he whispered, ever so confident in her abilities.
"I think so. But I don't know how."
"Because you're amazing," he said simply.
Bloom chuckled wetly, and a wave of exhaustion passed over her. She wanted nothing more than to curl up beside Sky and sleep for a very long time. But now there were healers bursting into the room and rushing to lift Sky onto a stretcher and there was no way Bloom was leaving his side. He groaned a little as they moved him, still feeling the effects of Icy's spell, but through it all Bloom was there to hold his hand.
An hour later Stella, Musa, and Layla had arrived accompanied by Faragonda, all of them looking incredibly pale as they were filled in on everything that had happened.
"It's already everywhere," Musa said in disgust once they were done. She was scrolling through Connectix on her phone, reading the headlines that kept popping up. "Not the theft," she added, at her friends' alarmed expressions. "But Sky's injury and the Trix's involvement in it. 'Is Red Fountain Safe? Prince Sky's Brush With Death'," Musa read aloud. "And here you are, B, 'More Hidden Powers? Princess Bloom Saves Prince Sky From an Icy Death' and oh-" Musa broke off and smirked at where Bloom was sitting so close to Sky's bedside that she might as well have climbed into the bed beside him.
"What?" she asked curiously.
"'Royal Marriage on the Horizon: Will Sparx and Eraklyon Be the Magical Dimension's Next Empire?'"
Bloom and Sky both blushed a little but neither made a move to separate from where Bloom was holding one of Sky's hand in both of hers.
"That was fast," Brandon chuckled. He looked much better than he had an hour ago, when he'd walked, pale and shaking, beside his friend as they'd carried him into the infirmary, but Sky had a feeling his best friend wouldn't be straying far from his side any time soon.
"They usually are," Stella sighed from where she was standing behind Brandon's chair, her arms draped around his shoulders. She brightened after a moment, "You two are going to be such a power couple."
"Oh, shush you," Bloom said fondly.
The conversation turned to the artefact the Trix had stolen but Musa couldn't help but notice the way Riven's expression shuttered and he seemed to withdraw from the group. He stood stiffly, having refused both bed and chair while his wound had been bandaged tight and she could tell he blamed himself for not being there to help more. She wanted to go to him, reassure him that the Trix were so determined to get into the Veritas chamber that nothing would have kept them from it. She was just about to move to his side when he abruptly walked away to stand at the window with Helia. Feeling rejected even if Riven couldn't have meant the slight, Musa settled back into her spot and busied herself with her phone.
Riven crossed his arms and leant against the windowsill, glaring out at the forest that surrounded the school.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said quietly to Helia when the other hero went to say something.
"I… wasn't going to say anything," Helia said placatingly.
Riven snorted. "Yeah, right, as if you weren't going to spout off some zen wisdom crap to try and make me feel better about not being there to help my friends."
Helia seemed amused by the description but didn't argue. "Why would it bother you to talk about that? It wasn't your fault you got hurt."
"Save it," Riven snapped, looking away. After a moment though he looked back at Helia and squinted at him suspiciously. "All that crap you said in the elevator about silence and listening to it. Did you actually mean that?"
Helia's dark eyes flickered with knowing but he allowed the change in subject as his amusement grew. "It's possible that I thought that they needed a little push." He glanced at Bloom and Sky and smiled. "Of course, I couldn't have anticipated that Sky would nearly die and Bloom would use a hidden power to save his life. That worked much better in getting them to admit they wanted to be together, I needn't have bothered with the zen wisdom crap as you call it."
"So you were fucking with them? You don't actually mean it?"
Helia just smiled enigmatically, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Musa, before moving to stand beside Flora. Riven stared after him, purposefully not looking at Musa, whose presence he felt much too strongly.
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Faragonda and Saladin who had been discussing the events of the day in his office.
"We'll need to be heading back to school soon, girls," Faragonda informed them. "But before we do, Saladin and myself have decided that you deserve to know more about what transpired today. I tried to shield you from it, given everything that happened last year, but it's time you learned the truth, the entire truth."
They all sat up a little straighter and looked around at one another. Faragonda had told the girls about Darkar's past, which they had, of course, shared with the guys, but they had also known that there had to be more to the story. More to know about what Darkar really wanted.
"I take it you remember all that I told you about Dakar last term? And that you shared those details with the boys." She smiled when the girls reluctantly nodded, not mad in the slightest. "Good. Well, as I'm sure you've all guessed, there was something I kept from you, something about what Dakar is truly after. If you remember, in the past he used an old spell book to access the realm of Realix; after he was defeated the first time it was decided that it was too dangerous to keep the book intact in case he or any other tried to access the Ultimate Power again. So the book was separated and the four pieces that contained the spell to open the portal to Realix, the four pieces of the codex, were hidden in four different, secure locations so as to prevent anyone from gaining entrance to Realix ever again. The metal box that the Trix took today contained the first piece of the spell, confirming what we feared: Lord Darkar is once again attempting to gain access to Realix and take the Ultimate Power for himself."
A chilled silence swept over the room. The news wasn't exactly a surprise to any of them in the room, but to have it confirmed that Darkar was once again attempting to attain one of the strongest known power sources in existence, and was even a step closer to it now, was terrifying.
"Headmistress?" Tecna asked. "Where are the other pieces of the codex?"
Faragonda and Saladin exchanged swift glances before answering. "They're hidden at Alfea, Cloud Tower, and the pixie village in Herrolan Wood."
"That's why he captured the pixies," Layla breathed, realisation striking her. "And why the pixies are staying at Alfea. You can't risk them leading him to it."
"That's correct," Faragonda said gravely. "Only the pixie elders are aware of what is hidden in their village and they agreed that, unfortunate as it is that the pixies cannot return home, this is a risk we can't take. The consequences would be too grave."
"So, what happens now?" Bloom asked, leaning forward.
"Nothing," Faragonda said firmly. "Nothing has changed. You are still to leave this to the professionals at the Guardian Network. We have only told you this so you are fully aware of the situation and know what is at stake and what lengths Lord Darkar and the Trix will go to. You are not to engage with them unless it's strictly necessary to defend yourself. Do you all understand?"
Faragonda's eyes flashed with resolve and swept over them until they all meekly agreed. It was only then, when she was satisfied that none of them would be following this further, that she nodded and announced that they'd better get back to Alfea. The other girls, as well as the guys, filed out of the infirmary, but Bloom hung back, wanting to have a moment with Sky.
"You'll take it easy, won't you? Until you're fully healed?"
Sky grinned at her. "You're cute when you're worried."
"Shut up, I'm serious. Now that we're finally… I don't want you doing something stupid that messes this up, okay?"
Sky's expression softened and he brought her hands closer so he could kiss her knuckles. "You got it."
Bloom sighed a little and smiled before reluctantly pulling her hands free. She leaned down to kiss him softly before straightening. But something tugged at her memory and she paused before leaving.
"Hey, what did you want to talk to me about by the way? When you asked me to come over?"
"Oh, that," Sky said, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, I actually wanted to talk about… you know, what we were, if we were together."
Bloom arched an eyebrow. "And you had to nearly die to do that?"
Sky shrugged, grinning at her. "Apparently."
"You're kind of dramatic, you know that?"
"So, I've been told. Hey," he said when she made to leave. "Come here."
Bloom laughed and shook her head but nonetheless went back so she could perch on the edge of the bed. And she certainly didn't resist when Sky tugged her down so he could kiss her one more time.
Helloooooooooooooooooooo,
I'm back! Oh my god I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back posting again and how excited I was to finish this chapter and get to share it with you all. I didn't realise how long it had been since I last posted (I thought it had been October, but turns out it was actually August) but honestly, while I had to take the time off for life reasons, I think it also just did me the world of good in terms of my excitement for this fic. I was a little burnt out towards the end of last year, but I was legit so excited to be back working on this fic that I actually got emotional. So I'm looking forward to bringing a lot of passion to my writing in 2022!
So a little life update about me just to explain why it's been so long since I updated. As many of you know, I was doing an Honours year at Uni last year which took up a lot of time. Well I finished my project and submitted it and ended up being awarded an Honours Second Class Division 1, which is basically the second highest grade you can get (the only one above it is First Class). So I did pretty well and I'm very happy with myself. Very shortly after that I interviewed for a job and got it! So yay. I already had another christmas job lined so I was working two jobs for a while but now I'm down to just the new one. It's only retail but will continue past christmas which I'm very happy about (the last two years I've only been able to get christmas jobs which is very stressful as I have to save most of my money and hope it lasts). So a new job that leaves me a decent amount of time to write, yay! I do want to get into some other freelancing writing (not fanfic related) but that's something to work on over this year.
As for this fic, I'm really hoping to get back to updating at least monthly given that I don't have uni taking up time this year (thank god, I'm honestly really ready to be out of uni). I won't make promises that I'm not sure I can keep, but I really will be pushing to update at least monthly.
With this chapter specifically, I enjoyed writing it so much. I wrote the first half back in December in between working, and then if you follow me on tumblr you'll know that I got into the zone and absolutely smashed out the second half in one day. It was a really good feeling tbh. It's an episode I really love, it has such great Bloom/Sky moments, but if you're looking closely you'll also notice some other ship moments that are setting up for things later. I really really hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Make sure you let me know what you enjoyed in a review!
And I just want to round off this author's note but saying how much I love and appreciate each and every single one of you guys. So many of you reached out at the end of last year and the start of this year to wish me luck with my honours, ask how it went, and just in general see if I was doing okay. It meant so much to me that people did that, and let me know how much they were looking forward to the next chapter, without ever pressuring me into working on it. And just how patient you've all been, and that you've all hopefully come back to check out this latest chapter. It just, yeah, really means a lot. More than I can describe.
So ending on that sappy note, thank you all so much for reading, please please please feel free to leave a review telling me what you loved, didn't love so much, want to see in the future, and even just what your life has been life in these last few months. Stay safe lovelies xx