The Eldritch Guard:
Later Is Now
Chapter 1
Long Time
By Nick Maro
Twelve Years Ago:
Sitting in the study at the Xanthos Manor, Jetta waited patiently for her friend, and fellow mage and musician, Phoebe Ashe, who is known to the world at large as Rapture. She checked her phone for what seemed to be the fiftieth time that hour. There was a text from Roxy that she left unread due to not wanting to get into an argument again. She stood and gave a little stretch as she walked to the window and watched the Chosen practice outdoors. She was happy that most of the Chosen who had their magickal powers awaken, during what was now known as the Soulweeper Incursion had remained at the Manor to be trained.
The door to the study opened and a hurried Rapture entered looking apologetic. "I am so sorry that you had to wait like this, Sheila. I swear I'm usually better with my time, but today has been somewhat hectic." Rapture did not look like one of the most powerful mages in the world. She wore a simple t-shit and distressed jean with sneakers. Her blonde hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. She looked like she had got home from running errands or just finished her laundry.
"It's quite alright, luv, I was enjoyin' watchin' the new recruits train." Jetta smiled and hugged her. "Ever since David and Kaori's memorial it's been a little chaotic on me end, too." She sat on the opposite end of the couch by the window when Rapture did. "So, what did you need me for?"
"Well," Rapture began after letting a breath out, "I was contacted by the Earth Defense Command in Autobot City last week. They're looking to expand the Earth Defense Force to include a mystical defense and asked me to head the new branch. They wanted to call it the Earth Mystical Defense Force, but I have a better name The Eldritch Guard. The Guard would answer to Marissa Faireborn. She's a newly promoted Commander in the EDC who believes that the EDC should also defend against other worldly dimensional attacks.
"The Autobots watched the whole Incursion on their Skyspy satellite," Rapture sat forward a bit with her forearms on her knees. "I already asked Maeve if she could become one of my commanders in the Guard. She agreed immediately, which quite frankly, made me happy to hear. I asked Devin and Marla, but they're happy just being teachers and mentors here. Honestly, I don't blame them at all. Marla still has night terrors about the Soulweeper and Tolliver."
Rapture moved closer to Jetta and gave her a pleading look and gently held her hands. "What I'm asking is if you could become my field commander of the Guard. You're confident and completely fearless, plus you have the respect of everyone here. And if my father, Richard, was right, you're potentially the most powerful mage of our generation." She gave Jetta's hands a soft squeeze. "Please, I don't know if I can do this without you."
Jetta studied Rapture's face. She looked like she knew she was over her head, but determined to make things work. Taking a sip of her water, she thought about the proposal. Finally after a long minute of silence she just smiled a little. "I need to think about this. I definitely need to talk it over with Rox. She's not gonna love this idea at all. In fact, I know she's gonna outright fuckin' hate it. You know how she is with me usin' me powers and all. She hasn't had a nightmare about the Soulweeper in ages." Jetta turned her head and chewed her lower lip in thought. "Give me a week to discuss things with her."
"That's all I ask, Sheila. Take your time." Rapture stood after Jetta had and followed her to the door. "It was great seeing you again. Give Roxy my love, okay?"
Giving her one time rival a hug and kiss on the cheek, Jetta gave her a bigger smile. "I will and I'll get back to you as fast as I can. You take care." She walked to her car in thought of how to ask her girlfriend about getting involved in something that terrified her.
"C'mon, Rox, just open the door!" Jetta pleaded as she leaned against the closed door of the bedroom she shared with her girlfriend and fellow Misfit. "I just want to talk this over with you, okay?" She let out a sigh and played with a lock of her black hair. "I didn't say yes, y'know." The bedroom door opened unexpectedly, causing Jetta to lose her balance, she caught herself quickly by grabbing the doorframe.
A furious Roxy stared at Jetta. She pointed her finger at The Misfits' drummer before bringing it down and looking away. "Sheils," Roxy spoke slowly, "I love the ever loving shit outta you. But this is the one thing," she brought her index finger back up again for emphasis, "The one fucking thing that I can't deal with. I cannot and will not go through anymore magickal bullshit!" She pushed her way past Jetta while putting her phone and keys in her jacket pockets. She put on her cycling helmet and her ear buds into her ears. "I'm going for a bike ride. I'm way too pissed right now."
Jetta watched Roxy put on her cycling gloves and slammed the front door shut. The whole car drive home she had a feeling Roxy would react this way. Sighing as she sat on the couch, she turned on the television to wait for the love of her life to come home.
Shifting the gears on her bike, Roxy sang along to the music that was blasting through her ears. She found that riding her bike helped her burn off her anger and energy and that it brought with her temper. Not having any destination in mind, Roxy just pedaled harder and faster. The bike trail that was recently built by her home was one of the things she loved, a trail that stretched for twenty miles and was still getting expanded.
Finally stopping after an hour of hard riding, Roxy swore under her breath. She forgot to bring a couple of water bottles with her. Wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her glove, she rode slowly to a convenience store, locked up her bike and bought two bottles of water. She drank the first bottle quickly and put the other in the bottle cage on her bike frame just below her seat.
Sitting down on the bench next to her bike, Roxy pulled her phone out and checked her messages. Her longtime friends and fellow members of their heavy metal band The Misfits had sent her a message. Checking her GPS, she found a quick route to the Gabor Manor. It had been a few months since she had seen either Pizzazz or Stormer. Unlocking her bike, Roxy followed the quickest path that the GPS had plotted out for her.
Riding through the gates of the Gabor Manor, Roxy left her bike by the side of the house. She walked up to the door and debated if she should just enter the mansion or ring the bell. Opening the door as she knocked, she announced herself, "Hey, Phyllis! I'm here." Roxy walked by the kitchen first seeing if her two friends were in there on the way to the entertainment room. She thought about the decision she had made on her bike ride. She wasn't happy about it, but deep down knew it was the right choice.
"Where the hell are they?" she mumbled to herself. Roxy pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and checked the messages again. "Oh," was all she muttered. "Teach me to leave my phone on silent." She went through the rear door in the entertainment room to the pool house. Inside she found Pizzazz and Stormer relaxing by the pool while Chip and Riot raced each other in the pool. Roxy smirked to herself and entered the indoor pool. "So is Chip kicking Rory's ass again?"
Running up and giving Roxy a hug, Stormer giggled lightly, "You know it! It's great to see you, Rox." She looked behind the white haired woman and gave a confused face. "Sheila in the house or something? I thought you two would come together. And why are you so sweaty?"
Roxy chuckled softly after hugging Pizzazz. "No, I was on a bike ride when I got your message. Sheila and I had a fight and I needed to blow off some steam." The two women had a concerned look on their faces when Roxy waved them off. "It's wasn't that serious, she just told me something that I got upset over. I'm going to talk to her when I get home. Just didn't want to overreact. See, I'm maturing." She gave her best smile.
"How about we discuss it after whatever it's whatever Phyllis and Mary called us over for, yeah?" Jetta walked into the pool house and hugged Roxy tight. She whispered very softly in her ear, "I'm sorry I upset you." Roxy nodded on her shoulder.
Pizzazz handed Riot his towel as he exited the pool while Mary did the same for her boyfriend Chip. She cleared her throat and sat down putting her legs on Riot's lap. "I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but there was something I wanted to discuss with you. I inherited David's home and I wasn't sure what to do with it. After discussing things with Rory and Mary, we decided that you two should get it. I know David and Kaori would've wanted that."
The look of shock was apparent on the two women's faces that quickly turned to joy. Roxy and Jetta hugged and tackled their friend in a hug that knocked her off of her seat. They then tackled Stormer in a hug that knocked them each into the pool.
Walking into the bedroom while still towel drying her hair, Roxy sat on the edge bed as Jetta laid on her side watching TV and moved over a bit. She slipped an old t-shirt on and snuggled up behind her girlfriend. Roxy moved Jetta's hair away from her ear and kissed behind it. They both sighed at the same time and Roxy spoke softly, "I thought about what you said while riding today and I've come to an answer. Tell Phoebe you'll do it. I could tell this was something you wanted to do. But I have a few conditions before you agree."
Jetta turned around and nodded. "Name them and I'll agree."
"The first is that you be absolutely fucking careful in whatever you're going to be doing. I cannot lose you." Roxy watched Jetta as she nodded quickly. "The second is that we do not move into that fucking mansion. It feels too much like a cult for me. I know it's a school, but I'm so fucking uncomfortable there. Third is that you do not tell me about whatever you've done when you come back. I can't take it. I still have PTSD over what that motherfucker showed me." She wiped a tear from her cheek and tried to smile.
"Of course." Jetta kissed Roxy's forehead then gave her a longer kiss on the lips. "I'll talk to Phoebe in the morning. And thank you for understanding. I know how hard this was for you." She hugged Roxy tight as they talked through the night about how they would handle things in detail.
"Thanks for coming with me, Rox," Jetta said as she held the door to the Xanthos Manor. "I know that Phoebe will be happy to see you." She held Roxy's hand as they walked to Rapture's office.
Roxy gave Jetta a gentle squeeze of her hand and smiled. "I'm doing this for you, y'know. I also want to show Pheebs that I'm absolutely okay with you joining her team. Hearing it from you is one thing, but hearing it from me is another." She took a deep breath and knocked on the closed office door.
After a few moments the door opened. Rapture broke into an excited grin and hugged Roxy tight. "Oh shit! I didn't expect you to come with Sheila!" She took a step back and looked at her friends. "You look amazing, Rox." She opened the door further and stepped aside to let the two women enter. "Please, come in and have a seat. If you haven't had breakfast yet I can have some brought up."
"That's quite alright you don't have to go to any trouble." Jetta sat on a couch near the bay window that overlooked the training area. She watched Roxy sit in an armchair by herself. She knew that she was hesitant about coming back to the Manor. "Roxy and I wanted to stop by in person to tell you that I'll join you. However, she has a few conditions that she wants to tell you first."
Standing up from the chair, Roxy began to pace the office when she finally stopped in front of Rapture and sighed. "Phoebe, you know that I trust you with my life, but now I'm asking you to protect Sheila, too. I don't want anything to happen to her. You're to make sure that she doesn't do anything too stupid because I know her and that she'll do something reckless. It's one of the things that I love about her.
"Second thing is that we're not moving in here. I used to look forward to my visits here, but ever since that Soulweeper bastard showed me whatever the fuck that was, I'm scared to be here." Roxy waved her hand at the ceiling for emphasis. "The last part is that I don't get full details of what you do on your missions or whatever you're going to call it. You can tell me that you went to place X and did this or that, but no details." She sat on the desk lip in the office and crossed her arms across her chest.
Looking from Roxy to Jetta and back to Roxy, Rapture just smiled. "You have my word that I won't let anything happen to Sheila. And I would never ask you to do anything you weren't comfortable with. That includes moving here. I know that you're not a fan of magick, so you don't have to worry about me giving you details."
"Thank you," Roxy said quietly and tried to smile.
"Hey Rox, I wanted to ask you something," Rapture took the woman's hands in hers and stroked the back with her thumbs. "Have you considered seeing someone about your PTSD? It's quite evident that you have some and it might help if you talked to someone about it." She went behind her desk and started searching through some business cards. "His name is Dr. Charles Mael. He's one of the mages here, but he runs a practice in Encino. I've been seeing him for a while now. He's helped me a lot." Rapture handed the card to Roxy after she found it. Roxy looked the card over and nodded.
"Maybe you should give him a call, luv. "Jetta joined her girlfriend by the desk and rubbed her back softly. "Maybe it could help, yeah?"
Roxy sighed and put the card in her jacket pocket. "I guess. I dunno." She moved away from her friends and started for the office door. "Thanks Phoebe, I'll give him a call later. I'm just going to wait in the car if you're going to talk or something." Closing the door as she left, Roxy walked quickly out of the Manor.
"Wow, I didn't expect this to be so hard for her." Rapture turned to Jetta with a look of concern on her face. "Is she really okay? She seems really depressed."
Jetta sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, she'll be fine. She's been having a rough time lately with the anniversary of David's death and all. I'll get her to call your friend when we get home. I just want me old Roxy back." She sighed again and gave a sad smile. "I should go I was only stopping by to give me answer. Jingle me later, luv." Jetta gave Rapture a hug and joined Roxy in the car.
Waking up with a slight start, Pizzazz found herself on her stomach with her head turned on the throw pillow on her couch. She tried to focus and blinked her eyes groggily while she slowly woke up. Wiping the drool from the side of her mouth, she sat up slowly and held her head. "Goddammit, I'm never having another drinking contest with Mary again."
Walking into the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge. She then searched it for a quick and easy breakfast. After a few minutes, she gave up and closed the door. She grabbed a blueberry bagel and ate it without toasting or putting anything on it. Walking up the rear staircase to the second floor, Pizzazz scratched the back of her neck and yawned.
"Rory, are you still here? Why did you let me challenge Mary to that damned drinking contest? You know that woman is inhuman or something." She checked her bedroom to see if her boyfriend was in there asleep. The bed was empty and she didn't hear the shower running in her adjoining bathroom. "Where the fuck is he?" She went down the main staircase in search of her boyfriend. "I'm definitely installing an intercom system," she mumbled to herself.
Opening the door to the backyard, Pizzazz winced at the bright sunlight and immediately shaded her eyes. She carefully scanned the yard and stopped when she saw movement in the pool house. "Of course he's swimming. The man is part fish." Going back into the house, Pizzazz changed into a swimsuit and walked quickly to the indoor pool. When she opened the door she found Minx crying on Riot's shoulder. Her good mood instantly faded.
Riot looked up and waved her inside slowly not wanting to disturb his close friend. "Phyllis, have a seat, Ingrid just got a call that her mother passed away this morning. Her mother helped The Stingers out in our early days."
"Oh." Pizzazz sat on the opposite side of the blonde woman and tried to comfort her. "I'm so sorry to hear it. If there's anything that I can do, you only need to ask."
Hugging Pizzazz gently, Minx nodded and wiped her tears. "Thank you so much, Phyllis," the German accent was light and soft. "I'm going to need time off from the new Stingers album. I still have to call Phoebe. This is going to devastate her."
"I think all of us are going to take a break from the album," Riot told Pizzazz quietly. "I'm going with Ingrid to Germany to help with the arrangements."
"Take all the time you need. The album hasn't had a release date announced yet." Pizzazz hugged and kissed Minx on the cheek. "If you ever need to talk, my door is open for you. I'm not your boss, I'm your friend." She smiled when Minx nodded and quietly thanked her.
It had been a month since Jetta and Roxy had inherited the house that David and Kaori had built. Two weeks since they had moved and settled into their new home. Jetta insisted that they give Kaori's art table to Pizzazz in hopes that it would inspire her to paint again. Roxy suggested that the furnishings not change. She really liked Kaori and David's taste in furniture and home décor. Jetta figured that Roxy had just wanted to keep the massaging recliner that David bought.
Jetta stood on the back porch and stared at the building that was David's martial arts dojo. She had her hand on her hip as she looked at it in thought. "If you want to turn it into a practice studio I guess we can do that, luv. It would beat constantly drivin' down to the studio only to practice. And it sure beats usin' it only for storage."
"I knew you'd see it my way." Roxy draped her arm across her girlfriend's shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Besides, you already have a place to practice your magick at the Xanthos Estate." She gave Jetta glance out of the side of her eye. "And you agreed that I wouldn't have to deal with that shit."
"Yeah yeah I know." Jetta checked the time on her phone and went inside. "Speakin' of which, I gotta get goin'. The new mattress should be here sometime around two this afternoon. No more sleepin' on that damned sleeper sofa." She kissed Roxy goodbye quickly and smiled. "Love you."
Roxy returned the smiled and sighed happily. "Love you too. I'll see you tonight." She leaned on the door frame as she watched Jetta pull away. She waved when the car honked. Once Jetta was out of her view, she shut the door and started to move her musical equipment into the dojo.
Pulling up to the Xanthos Estate, Jetta saw that the grounds were a flurry of activity. After parking her car in her assigned spot, she walked inside the mansion while avoiding movers and mages. Jetta opened the door to Rapture's office and was surprised to find her back from Germany so soon. Rapture turned from talking to one of the movers and waved to her, Jetta gave a confused and questioning look. "I thought you weren't comin' back until next week."
Rapture held up her index finger to Jetta and finished her conversation with the worker. "Take the crates marked INFERNAC to this office and be extra careful with them." The mover nodded and ran past Jetta. Rapture finally smiled and hugged the confused woman. "I came back early because of what Ingrid's mother, Martika, passed on to me. It's a huge collection of potential magickal artifacts, books, scrolls and various other objects.
"Martika was an archeologist who collected this kind of stuff. I mean, there's a lot of it." Rapture leaned on her desk and looked out of the window where mages were helping movers bring the boxes and crates into the manor. "I really could use your help in cataloging all of it. I know this isn't what you thought you would be doing with the Guard, but this is definitely part of it."
Jetta sighed mostly to herself and moved out of the way of the door as the worker came through the door with a crate. "Bloody hell, Pheebs! Where are you goin' to store all of this?" She smirked when Rapture gave a confused shrug and chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Jetta slapped her palms on her thighs and looked around. "Where should I start? Wait until everything has been brought in or start now? You're the boss here."
"I hate being in charge so much," Rapture mumbled to herself. "Go look for the crates with the INFERNAC stamp and help bring them in. Martika mentioned them quite a bit in her journals, so I want to get those out of the way."
"You got it, boss," Jetta said with a smirk after seeing how much that nickname annoyed her friend. She walked quickly out of the room when Rapture brought up her hand and made a few bolts of eldritch magick jump between her fingers. On the way to one of the moving trucks, Jetta called Roxy and told her that she would be home late.
Roxy and Stormer sat in the waiting room for the office of Dr. Charles Mael. It was Roxy's first visit to the psychologist that Rapture had recommended a little over a month ago. She had wanted Jetta to join her, but she was busy with research with the Eldritch Guard. Stormer was more than happy to join her longtime friend. Roxy scrolled through her phone mindlessly while Stormer studied her text book on ornithology.
After a few moments Roxy cleared her throat and whispered to Stormer, "Thanks for coming with me. I was a little nervous and hesitant about doing this. You know how I am about opening up and trusting people."
"It's no problem. Therapy can be a good thing. It's really helped me with everything." Stormer closed her book and sat up a little more in the chair. "Not just with all of the stuff we went through the past few years, but with my childhood. I'm no longer on my meds, too. So that's a major plus in my eyes."
"Yeah, our lives haven't exactly been quiet or normal," Roxy chuckled quietly.
The two musicians turned when the office door opened and a man in his mid-thirties came out. He was slightly below six feet tall with black hair and wore reader glasses. He wore a blue button down shirt without a tie and faded jeans. He looked at the sheet in his hand and spoke softly yet loud enough to be heard. "Roxanne Pelligrini," he said letting the last syllable drag out as he looked over the rim of his glasses, "I'm Doctor Charles Mael, but everyone just calls me Chuck."
Chuck removed his glasses and slid them into his shirt pocket and walked up to Roxy with his hand out. He shook both of their hands in turn. "It's a pleasure to meet you and Stormer both." He smirked when the two women gave him a quizzical look. "I'm a fan of The Misfits and I've seen you at the Estate. This is just an introductory session, so if you both will follow me."
Roxy followed the doctor into his office and sat in the chair across from his desk when offered. Stormer sat next to her friend and offered a supportive smile. Sitting behind his desk, Chuck spread his hands on his desk and smiled again. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"Y'know, that really is a great question," Roxy said with a slight giggle in her voice. "I had this all rehearsed in my head last night and in the car, but now I'm just brain farting." Closing her eyes she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. When she opened her eyes the words had finally found themselves. "I suffer from PTSD after dealing with the Soulweeper Incursion. I was there when he," she choked back her sudden onslaught of tears, "when he murdered my friend Eric Raymond. Mary and I both were actually."
Stormer put her hand on Roxy's and gave her a light squeeze. Roxy cleared her throat and continued. "I was also there when he opened the universe to me and Sheila. It was frightening for the lack of a better word. I mean, how do you explain to someone that you saw how fucking insignificant you really are in the eyes of a god?" She stood and began to pace the room while she talked. "I saw what was probably the tiniest fraction of what the universe really looks like and it's fucking terrifying!
"I also saw eyes watching me in the space between the stars. Whatever is out there is frightening! I have no idea how the fuck Phoebe or Sheila handle what we saw. I still see it sometimes when I close my eyes." Roxy didn't realize that was gradually raising her voice as she explained things to the older man. Nor did she see Stormer's horrified reaction. "I still hear the Soulweeper's laughter in my dreams. It's been years and I know that Richard and Christine locked him away, but I still hear him mocking me."
Studying Roxy as she continued to pace, Chuck stood and stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I was there at that final encounter," he said with his voice calm and soothing. "It was horrible to see him there and I cannot even fathom what he showed you. Just know that you're here now, and yes to whatever is out there, you are insignificant but you're not to your friends and family." A faint glow emanated from his hand to her shoulder that helped calm her further.
Roxy pushed his hand away gently when she noticed the magickal glow. "Please don't use that with me. It's another thing that freaks me out. I mean, look at me. I'm in love with a woman who has a power that weirds me the fuck out. I'm such a goddamn mess." She sighed and leaned against a bookcase while wiping the tears from cheeks. "Thank you for listening, I've held that in for way too long. Mary can tell you how stubborn I am." She gave them both a smirk.
Stormer noticed that Roxy was starting to look like her usual sarcastic self. Chuck sat back down behind his desk and opened his appointment calendar. "I really want to see you again, Roxy. You just had a major breakthrough and quite quickly I may add. How does coming back in two weeks sound? No more using magick, I swear."
"Yeah, that would work for me. Do you mind if Mary comes with again?"
"Whatever makes you feel comfortable, I'm here to help you." Chuck gave her a smile that made her feel more at ease. He put her name in the appointment book and stood to shake her hand again. Roxy pulled him into a tight hug and thanked him quietly.
Carefully balancing the boxes of pizza, Pizzazz opened the door to the Starlight Mansion. She shut the door softly with her foot and made her way into the kitchen. "Hey Jerrica, I've come to spoil the dinner for the twerps!" she yelled as she set the boxes down on the table and laid out some disposable plates. The Starlight Girls each came running at the word pizza. Pizzazz quickly got out of the way of the girls as they each grabbed their slices.
"You gotta be quick around these girls," Jerrica said as she entered the room.
Pizzazz stared at her friend with eyes wide. "I think one of them tried to bite me as I jumped out of the way." She grabbed a couple of the remaining pieces for herself and Jerrica. "I stopped by to see how Madison is meshing with The Holograms sound. I know you said that she's a great fit, but I was hoping to get a sneak preview of her with them."
Swallowing her food, Jerrica nodded and motioned for her to follow. She walked down the hall to the small listening studio. "Oh certainly, Rio brought home one of the tracks today. He's in there now scrutinizing things as always. I love the man, but sometimes he's too much of a perfectionist. Go right in, he won't mind."
Upon opening the door, Pizzazz found Rio sitting in the small windowless room. He had his eyes shut as he carefully listened to the music on his headphones. The room had soundproofing foam on all four walls and the back of the door. It looked like it was once a small storage room that Rio and Jerrica had converted into his private listening room. Pizzazz watched the sound engineer for a few moments. She noticed that he had little facial tics as he listened.
Tapping him on the shoulder Pizzazz made Rio slightly jump in his chair. He put his hand over his chest as he looked up at the green haired woman. He removed his headphones and tried his best not to smile at her as he stood up. "It's great to see you, Phyllis. What brings you by? Aside from scaring the ever living shit outta me."
"I hadn't seen you and Jerrica in a while, so I brought the Starlight Girls some pizza and stopped by." She gave him a light hug and walked slowly around the small room. "I really like this set up," she said mostly to herself. "I also wanted to possibly hear how Madison is doing with The Holograms. Jerrica said that you brought home a track today."
"And you were hoping to get a sneak preview, right?" Rio chuckled as Pizzazz gave a little nod. "Yeah, you can. Have a seat and put these on. She's fitting in pretty well too. The woman has a set of pipes on her."
Pizzazz sat next to Rio on the couch and put on the headphones he had handed her. He began the play back and her jaw dropped. Madison really was a gifted singer. Deep down Pizzazz knew she was a star.
"Y'know Pheebs, I honestly thought that bein' a part of this mystical guardian force you cobbled together would involve more fightin' and less researchin'. It's been almost six months since you brought this collection back and we've barely scratched the surface." Jetta rubbed eyes and leaned back in her chair. "Ingrid's mum knew how to find the books, but she was shite at catalogin' them." She set the book she was reading down and stood to stretch her legs.
Rapture smirked as skimmed the book she was reading and nodded. "Martika was never that great at organizing things when I lived with her. I was always stumbling over either a crate or some ancient artifact. And I think it's time we took a break. I need food and something to drink." Cracking her back as she stood, Rapture went to the mini-fridge she kept in her office. She tossed Jetta a bottle of water. It always amused her when the other mage would catch it without looking. She opened her own bottle and took a long drink from it. "I've been meaning to ask, how's Roxy doing with her therapy?"
Looking through a closed crate Jetta gave a small shrug. "Better since you've last asked, I guess. She's been keeping it private, but she's definitely not as mopey around the house." She paused in looking through the crate and pulled out a thick leather bound book. The book slightly crackled with energy. "I think I might've found somethin', luv." The two women exchanged looks as Jetta held the book up as the title reflected in the light: Die Welt des Infernac.
Gasping as she choked on her water, Rapture translated the title from German, "The World of Infernac. Martika actually found one of the lost mystical tomes." Her eyes went wide as she studied the ancient book in Jetta's hands.
TO BE CONTINUED IN "GOT THE TIME"
CHAPTER 2 OF LATER IS NOW