Chapter Twelve: Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead
Heatherfield's sewer system was a complex maze much like an old forgotten city under the actual city. It was like the Infinity City, only much smaller, of course. And more disgusting. And much more like a sewer.
Elyon frowned. Fine, maybe it wasn't that good of a comparison but she needed something to occupy her thoughts as she walked through the sewers.
"Why would the Eye target Avani of all people. And how were they able to seize her? From what I heard, her powers grew colossal during the last six months. "- the Queen began, for the umpteenth time. She had so many questions. So many theories and concerns. "And if they didn't target her... if they just used the opportunity when Will left that portal open in Heatherfield, are they-"
"I closed that portal myself to stop Will from returning to Beta-Meridian. They've barely had an hour or so to carry everything out and seize Avani. And that's definitely a disquieting achievement."- Nerissa interrupted her, eyes focused on the distance as they walked side by side.
Elyon was much shorter, the top of her head barely reaching the other woman's shoulders. She was dressed in normal Earth clothes: a pair of skinny jeans and a beige top.
Nerissa was casual as well- as casual Nerissa could be... Wearing asymmetrical black trousers, heels, and a jaguar print silken shirt.
They had been walking for over ten minutes now. Still no sign of the Matchmaker's envoy. The Matchmaker. Nerissa squinted her eyes with challenge and contempt. Who was this ridiculous person and what gain did they have from all this? She would find out soon; very soon. She wasn't going to let the Eye of God or anyone else best her in anything this time.
"Over there!"- Elyon whispered and they both stopped.
A few feet away stood a hooded figure wearing a shaggy-looking cloak that covered their entire face and body.
"Are you-"- the Queen began again but the figure interrupted her:
"Yes. I am here to receive your answer."- the messenger confirmed in a tense manner. "So, talk. "
Nerissa squinted her eyes again as she studied the figure. It didn't look tall. Its voice sounded male but also as if he was altering it. Exaggerating it. It looked like the figure was just a boy.
"Your master sure has peculiar ideas."- the ex-guardian noted derisively, taking a step towards the messenger.
He pulled back three:
"D-don't come any closer!"- the messenger stammered. "Pass on your answer and leave or else! Or else the Matchmaker will know that you refuse her-"
"Nerissa."- Elyon hissed warningly.
"OK, OK."- the brunette exclaimed and held her hands up as if to show she was giving up. But the small smile never left her lips:
"Tell me, little envoy."- she went on. "If we do agree to...partake in this alliance with your mistress, how will it go from then on? Is she going to continue avoiding us, is she really this afraid? And if her identity is a problem, do any of us know her?"
"This alliance is for your own good."- a new, fourth voice interjected.
Elyon and Nerissa turned around in unison just in time to see the Matchmaker. So, she had appeared after all... In person, her neoprene costume and that faceless mask were even more grisly.
"But if you do agree to work with me you ought to stop trying to cheat and bend my rules."- the Matchmaker noted scathingly, holding something up for them all to see. "We said that you will stop digging but you tried this? What is this? A tracking beetle, a hybrid?"- she went on, angry, holding the small insect she had caught between her hands. "You wanted to follow my messenger around and that's a violation, not to say I didn't expect it! But that was the one and only free pass I had for you. Another such try I will not tolerate a second time! I will not have you try leading me by the nose!"
"Well."- Nerissa scoffed. "You don't really have a nose, now do you?"- she added mockingly, throwing a belittling glare towards the Matchmaker's faceless skin-colored glossy mask.
The Matchmaker didn't reply to that, she just crushed the insect and dusted her hands off. Then she teletransported her "messenger" away.
"Listen, Mage."- she went on. "You better stop playing games. This matter is more serious than you can imagine, more serious for Earth magic than any other event since the Salem trials! If you continue to disregard it and lose time fighting me, Earth will pay the price from the hands of the Eye of God."
"Listen, we're distrustful of you because of the way you want to handle things."- Elyon took the word before Nerissa could. "Even if you have Earth magic and magic users' best interest in mind, you're making it hard for us to trust and help efficiently because you-"
"Because you clearly have a personal agenda as well."- Nerissa snapped. "You could spare us all the trouble and come clean in due course without haste. We're not just here on Meridian's behalf, do not forget I'm from Earth also. And I'm precisely convinced I've been around before you."
"We know the Heart of Earth."- Elyon added, encouraging. "She's my best friend's sister, I've watched her grow up! If we can all work together, then maybe we can evade the Eye's attacks and put them back in their place-"
"For Pete's sake, don't lose my time! I do not have enough time for your ponderings to reach a conclusion point!"- the Matchmaker interrupted, obviously irked. "If you're not ready to vow, thus agreeing to my conditions for good, take another day! Waste another day, why don't you. When the Eye takes advantage of your stupidity, don't come to complain to me."
Elyon was about to say something but the former guardian stopped her. She shook her head.
No, you will not give another disarming vow out of helplessness and gullibility, Elyon, she thought bitterly. Not like you did with your brother at the Mage Ball...
Nerissa tossed her hair back before turning to the Matchmaker:
"Fine then. We refuse your so-called alliance and you. Go to hell."- she hissed. "We don't need you to lead our battles successfully."
The masked woman was taken aback.
"You don't know what you're doing!"- she almost screamed. "You're-"
"I know what you're doing though."- Nerissa cut her off again. "You're trying to throw dust in our eyes. You're trying to fool all of us and take advantage of us along the way to your personal goals and agenda, you want to use us as leverage and keep us away from whatever it is that you're after."- with every next word, the distance between them was shortened. Eventually, hesitant and vexed, the Matchmaker saw herself compelled to start taking steps back...
"Who knows."- Nerissa murmured dangerously. "It might be the full power of the Heart of Earth that you want. Why not, right? After all, this is why you insist to be anonymous! You're just a sleazy Earth magic-user trying to make it big, aren't you, wretch?!"
"That's enough! This meeting and all our interactions are over with!"- the Matchmaker barked. "Let's see you dealing with this on your own, you arrogant hag!"
Nerissa's eyes glistened dangerously in the dim sewer ambiance and then she raised her hand, relentlessly, firing at the other woman.
"I will deal with everything and with you!"- she roared. "I will make sure to show you your place! So that you never even think of interfering with my matters again!"
The Matchmaker struggled to repel Nerissa's magic with her own. It was hard, her green energy flickered when against the quintessence. In the end, she pushed up instead of against, her spell attracted that of Nerissa like a magnet because of the inertia, shifting the focus of their collision to the ceiling. Heatherfield shook from underneath and Nerissa gasped, stopping her spell before it could blow up a hole in the pavement above them.
Nerissa swayed on her feet and nearly tripped back, and the masked figure used the time to make a run for it.
"Don't just stand there like a tree!"- she yelled at Elyon. "After her! We must apprehend her! She's a threat!"
Elyon blinked in distress and started running after the taller woman who was following the Matchmaker. They couldn't fly here because of the disgusting vapors that made the warm air opaque after the Matchmaker's last spell. She was doing this to slow them down. Everything had just happened so suddenly. And Elyon couldn't really react properly, her mind was with Cornelia who had problems of her own...
"Damn it!"- Nerissa roared when they reached a dead end and the Matchmaker was nowhere to be seen. They had been tightly after her before the last turn but she had evaded them somehow. Perhaps she had teletransported...
"Now what."- Elyon asked breathlessly.
"Nothing. For now..."- Nerissa growled. "Let's get out of this fetid dump."
In another part of Heatherfield...
"Did you talk to Halinor and her elders about it? I mean, there has to be something you can do?"
Cornelia made a face. A few days had passed from her Birthday and the events that had taken place in Flamboyant Gardens. She and Matt were walking down the coastline of Shell Beach.
Many memories from over the years tied her to this place; today was a chilly day for May but the sun was finally shining through the clouds and she barely needed her shall anymore.
"Halinor's Council is hardly ready to function yet. Then again, the previous Council didn't ever function accordingly despite its long run. Anyway."- Cornelia snorted. "I talked to her about it. She basically repeated Lillian. Will is the Keeper of the Heart because she was chosen by the Heart itself and the Nymph. And even though she reassigned it to me willingly to protect it, she didn't completely give it up and now we're both kinda tied to it. And she's, you know. With the advantage. It likes her better."
Matt sighed as the blonde crossed her arms on her chest. Normally, he'd be all about Will claiming her position and power back. They all would but in this case and in light of the latest events...
"So, when she saved me from that unaccountable magic blast, the Heart obeyed her and now, she may be able to claim it back against my will if she wanted to. She's the boss. She's always been and even though she's demented now, we can't really do much about it."
"But when Cassidy and Nerissa-"
"Halinor said that Himerish had them all help trick Nerissa into giving the Heart to Cassidy back in the day and even with that, it didn't keep Cassidy safe. It remained attached to Nerissa."- Cornelia recounted. "She gave it up because she was fooled. Will wasn't, she just gave me authority. Temporary authority, as it seems."
Matt fell silent again. Everything was so complicated nowadays. Too complicated in aspects he had been so sure in for many years...Things he had put all his trust into were now shaking. Will. What was going on with them and was it actually real? Couldn't it just be a bad dream, a nightmare he'd soon wake up from... Where would things end up if they just left them to their natural course? He was scared. Scared of losing her and her love...
"There she is, I knew it!"- Cornelia exclaimed and elbowed the man, ushering him to duck down and hide.
He did, following the blonde and then her gaze. From behind the large rock, they had hidden behind, he could see them. Will and Phobos. They seemed to be walking down the coastline as well...
"She took him out again. Now she can't say it wasn't her!"- Cornelia raged. "God, keeping that asshole in Heatherfield keeps pissing in our faces-"
Matt shushed her and tensed his ears. They eventually heard some of what was being exchanged between the redhead and the prince:
"The noose is tightening."- Phobos remarked, hands folded on his chest. "Every next day brings them all a step closer to another assassination attempt. How many death-threatening ideas of your friends' can you save me from? What do you think? I don't necessarily insist to be alive either way- "
Sure you don't, you manipulative shit, Cornelia thought angrily from behind the rock. She stole a glimpse of Matt's face and shivered. He looked heartsick, as always when observing his girlfriend and the prince.
"Cut the bul, will you?"- Will interrupted, annoyed. "You can't die. And you won't."- she added stubbornly. "I just have to find a solution to all this tension...God, this is why I was so afraid of coming back here with the truth. I knew that this would happen..."
"I think that you already know what it is...the only way to go."- Phobos murmured with an odd spark in his eye.
Will met his pale green eyes and nodded, downhearted but determined:
"Yes, I do. I know what to do and I will, even if it kills me on the inside...I have to free them of me. Of the burden, I am right now because of our sidereal connection and all the changes in our life. I have to disappear again..."
Phobos shook his head in cold but content approval:
"When?"
"Tonight...I used some of the Heart's power to tamper with one of the twelve original passageways between Earth and Metamoor... Cuz I can do that now. We'll go to the fundraiser event just to be sure that they'll suspect nothing. We get to Meridian tonight. Then we'll get a bean and find a way to really disappear this time."
Will had barely finished her sentence when a tall wave of sand suddenly curtained both her and Phobos, blocking their senses and giving them harsh coughs. The Earth element was angry with her as it seemed. Or perhaps it was the Earth guardian...
"And I think that was our cue."- Will puffed, one minute later. "What, you wonder if it worked?"- she suggested, looking at Phobos's expression. "I don't know, we'll have to wait and see-"
"That's obvious, I meant that you should keep it down."- the man said so that only she could hear him. "Someone else might be following us as well-"
"Right, shoot. I'm nervous, that's all. If we fail to prove a point, we'll just have made matters worse for nothing."
"Nothing is completely pointless."- the man declared. "At least that is what I'm telling myself as I endure being forced to follow the sorceress around and do her bidding. I'm hoping to uncover answers for myself too-"
Will nearly laughed out loud. Nerissa investigating the Eye of God and their matters with Phobos behind her was probably her favorite part of this entire fiasco.
"Speaking of her, we have to get you back before she's realized you're gone."- the redhead strained, throwing a glance at her watch. "You said that the spell I cast can confuse her Seal for a short while, imitating your presence, but what if she decides to drop by-"
Phobos nodded in agreement. Then he stopped his eyes on her. Wilhelmina was rather beautiful. Full of ideas and warrior spirit. Talkative, even witty from time to time. Good to be around in general. She was like no one else who had been part of his life before and that was starting to grow on him and his selfish heart.
"Don't pout, Bill. It's Sheffield Benevolence Day and we have to do our part."- Susan Vandom-Collins said as she tied her dark hair up in a ponytail and then put on more lipstick.
She wasn't in her 30s anymore; she had to put extra effort to look good, even in denim overalls which she wore today, with a dark T-shirt underneath for the sake of the activities that their 'part' consisted of.
"Couldn't we just donate to a charity like everyone else."- William snorted, putting his hands in his pockets. He hated being here and he hated doing this.
"But they didn't, buddy. Look around, everyone's here!"- Dean Collins exclaimed as he fastened his painting belt.
Sheffield Benevolence Day always came around with a different initiative, this year the middle schoolers and their parents were going to be painting the basements of the Institute - old forgotten rooms that hadn't been used for years but were now about to become functioning again.
"You're doing a great job, Collins family!"- Mrs. Violet Martens Knickerbocker approved, about thirty minutes later, while she was going around, checking in on the volunteers. "This room is almost ready, bravo!"
"We're trying our best, principal, everything for the new food places."- Dean joked. "Maybe we can do another program with local chefs like we did with the Lins?"
"Dean."- his wife reprimanded him jokingly. "More paint and less talk. We have to do the ceiling as well!"
Violet smiled at the couple, holding the clipboard she was carrying close to her chest.
"Maybe we can, Dean, why not. After we have this part of the basement premises ready for use, we will have many options to choose from. William, you can take a little break, if your parents approve, of course."- the principal smiled. "There are some of your friends here today, maybe you can catch up with them."
"I think that it's OK for a while. Go do that, honey."- Susan smiled at her son.
William hesitated but eventually shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving his brush near the paint bucket, following the principal.
She was right, some of the teen's closest friends were here with their families, just doing different rooms.
Ian Cromwell, a 6-foot dark-haired 13-year-old with blue eyes and unruly bangs was the first to notice him:
"Hey, Billy!"- he yelled, ushering him with his hand. "Come here."
William joined his friend, and the other three gathered around the young captain of the middle school wrestling team, dragging his feet all the way. Apart from Ian, who always had his back, William had three other people he could actually talk to in this school.
Coen Rivers, Portuguese descent. He had bleached hair and green eyes, medium height. He smiled at William as usual. Next to him was Casey Darling - born as a girl but identifying as a boy. He wore his baggy clothes and kept his brown hair very short. He just nodded at the new arrival. Last but not least, Adam Walker the nerd of the group, one year older. He wasn't your typical nerd though - with his chocolate skin, amazing smile and strong physique, almost everyone from their classes wanted a shot with him, including Coen, but that was a story for another day.
"Hey, Billy what did Martens want from you?"- Ian nodded towards the end of the hallway the principal had walked by a minute ago. "You're not in trouble again, are you?"
"Yeah, you're not being a menace again, right?"- Coen added teasingly. "Like when you almost got Riley killed?"
"No, no..."- William shook his head. He wished he had almost killed Riley. Sometimes he wished he had killed him for real. Bogus-William, that was, his Altermeere who had taught the school bully a lesson while posing as William. "It's nothing like that. She actually...suggested I come to you guys. I don't know. Maybe she's on her good days."
"Like she has any good days."- Casey snorted. "All the older kids have been telling us how we dodged a bullet when Knickerbocker retired but this lady is a cunt- "
"You're not just saying that because she's not an avid LGBT supporter, are you."- Coen rolled his eyes.
Casey gave him the death stare:
"L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+"- he corrected. "That's the full name, learn it already. You of all people-"
"I don't do labels, girl."- Coen purred in his friend's ear. "I just go with the flow!"
"Guys, shut up for a moment."- Ian took the word, being the natural leader in the group. He then focused his attention on William who almost shrunk in his overalls when the jock said: "Billy boy, how are we progressing with our thing? Are we ready to start it tonight?"
For a second, he felt numb. Like something in him was protesting against this unified decision, against their goal. He met Adam's eyes and for a second, just a for a second, he thought he saw the same thoughts plaguing his mind too. But Ian's expectant throat clearing made him snap out of it and nod:
"Tonight. At the fundraiser, we're ready."
Phobos snarled barely audible. This was taking them nowhere. And Cedric's old bookshop, really? She expected to find something crucial here? Well, maybe she wasn't wrong. But he was growing tired of this investigating...
"One of the twelve original passageways, back from our guardian days is here. A passageway between Heatherfield and Metamoor. That is why it wasn't too hard for your myrmidon to establish that inversion point here all these years ago. I'm assuming this is why he chose the spot in the first place. Because he wasn't the first one to discover its outstanding nature."
He stopped turning books and turned to her once again. Nerissa met his eyes and frowned:
"But you already knew that, didn't you."
"I suppose."- the man replied dryly, crossing his arms on his chest. "I didn't gather that it's possible for a Metamorian to have crossed between the dimensions and what? Jotted down crucial mementos related to the Eye of God, is that what you hope to find around this sad little place?"- he almost mocked, throwing her a hard look.
"Gellman Fisher."- Nerissa declared self-gladly. "He worked and lived here back when this place was a local library, 60 years ago. He was cross-bred, used partial glamouring to blend in on Earth. We are going to find him. Dead or alive, he will be of assistance thanks to my power."
Phobos estimated her with another caustic glance:
"Kandrakar's archives and the Forbidden Wing-"
"Are quite poor on information when it comes to the Eye of God because they've been disregarding their importance forever."
"Arrogant and demeaning as always."
They had reached the hidden ancient passageway in the back of the bookshop. Nerissa summoned her Seal - a tall scepter of fine wood the top of which weaved beautifully around a blue-crimson egg-shaped crystal, bedecked with jewels. The prince eyed it somewhat envious - it was her signature Seal, like the one he had been able to claim years ago because it had contained the Heart of Meridian... Now it was two other, totally different Hearts in it, but it looked relatively the same due to the sorceress's magical pencraft.
"They weren't wrong. The Eye of God has never interfered with Kandrakar before. Never been global enough for Himerish to take notice of it and act against it."- Nerissa pursed her lips as she activated the passage. "Or at least all sources point towards that. Himerish is not among us anymore. And even if he was... can one ever know with him."
Phobos decided not to say anything to that. Conversations with Nerissa were never beneficial to him anyway but he was stuck with this fate for now.
When he opened his eyes again, they were in Metamoor for sure. His vast knowledge of all kingdoms that formed the space district of Metamoor, alongside Meridian, immediately kicked in. The flora, the temperature, and the position of the stars in the sky, visible even during the day:
"Rowana."- Phobos noted as he looked around himself. "Astonishing...the ancient passageways can take one not only to Meridian but to every other kingdom in Metamoor?"
Nerissa turned around and smiled cryptically but derisively:
"If you know how to work them."- she just said before teletransporting them both after the pile that floated in front of her;
Once they teletransported, Nerissa gave him her back again and kept walking forward.
Phobos narrowed his eyes but followed her. She, in her turn, was following a pile of old things, as he had already noticed; he supposed those were things that belonged to the man they were looking for. The sorceress had most probably gathered them from the bookshop and had bewitched them with some sort of locating spell. The teletransporting was to shorten the distance.
Temperatures on Rowana were freezing throughout the entire year. Half of the planet was overtaken by everlasting winter and the other, the one they were in now, was even colder, even if it wasn't dominated by snow like its neighbor half.
The ex-guardian used magic to equip herself with a large black fitted fur coat. Phobos wasn't offered anything but he didn't ask for anything either. He wasn't going to beg the witch. She would only enjoy his helplessness even more. He just walked, hard eyes pinned on her back.
They had walked a good couple of minutes before they reached a remote cottage that would've probably taken an ordinary traveler days to reach if they were to start at the ancient passageway.
They saw an old man carrying wood; he was heading back inside.
"Gellman!"- Nerissa's voice echoed in the distance.
Not only was the old librarian still alive, but she had also been able to find him rather easily. She could've thought of him earlier! If she had, she would already be closer to setting the pointer somewhere...
No matter, Nerissa said to herself. I am here now and I have a perfectly good feeling that Gellman will have something useful to share...
But Gellman's face, half of which was covered in ice became even paler at the sight of the tall brunette. When he saw the fair-haired prince behind her, his agitation doubled:
"No!"- he cried. "It cannot be!"
Nerissa knitted her brows in confusion.
What the...
A strong blast of ice magic split the air, flying towards the pair.
"Whatever it is that you want, villains, I will not oblige! I will never help either of you!"
"What are you talking about, senile fool?"- Phobos demanded as Nerissa effortlessly drove the attack back with her Seal.
"Gellman, hear me out."- Nerissa insisted, growing irritated as she repelled his spells again and again. "I am Nerissa from Heatherfield! My friends and I used to come to your library!"
"Oh, indeed, I think he gathered that."- the prince murmured coldly before one blast finally hit him and threw him to the ground, covering his arms and legs in ice.
"Serves you right for talking back to me!"- Nerissa sneered at him but immediately pulled back, as she couldn't afford to get distracted.
"I know who you are, I also know what you did to get revenge and best the new guardians, these young girls!"- Gellman's voice sounded somewhere around them. "You trapped the Council of Kandrakar in their veil and now you've finally come for me..."
He was a skilled magic user, he disappeared and appeared again, attacking in surprise, blending with the environment like a gust of chill...
But she was the Mage.
"Enough!"
A large beam of lightnings came down from the sky in the bat of an eye, striking every moving piece of energy that the old man used for his magical attacks at the same time. He was thrown down on his back, overpowered and dazed, trapped in his own ice which he was now unable to even shake because of Nerissa's dark magic.
"I will not be corrupted."- Gellman insisted in despair when her thin heel stopped next to his head. "I will n-not be used for evil..."
"So, one half of you is that of an ice spirit. Native to Rowana, of course. That would explain the warmth intolerance and the constantly cold palms."- Nerissa smiled down at the man. "Gellman, many years have passed since I trapped the Council in their veil. That Council doesn't even exist anymore in the formation it used to be... I have different agenda now."- she assured him. "I came here to ask you for information, not for service. Let's continue this conversation in a more civilized manner, shall we?"
"This all sounds too uncanny to me but I have no choice. If you are going to indeed let me be after this debriefing, then so be it."
Gellman poured tea in three old cups and sat around the small table last, ten minutes later, when they were all in the cottage. He couldn't help but flinch whenever Nerissa stirred the Seal in her hands. He still didn't completely trust the two former villains that were now sitting at his table but as he had said himself - he had no big choice.
"Many years ago, I was asked to keep an eye on the ancient passageway in that library in Heatherfield, like many others were put to guard the other eleven, in a way. We guarded them from humans and... humans. We were tasked with that huge responsibility by the Oracle himself."- the old librarian narrated. "These passageways were created by the raw power of the elements, the four elements that meet in your city. The reason Heatherfield is so special...But when Kandrakar harnessed the elements and put them under control as much as they could, Kandrakar obtained control over who can and can't use the twelve portals or passageways, as we started calling them when the real portals appeared with the veil."
"But custodians were still needed in front of each and every one of the passageways."- Phobos pointed out, hands wrapped around the warm cup.
"Yes, because despite Kandrakar's magic, when unguarded, the passageways can be tampered with by creatures with malicious intentions."- Gellman coughed. "Like your lord Cedric."
Phobos's face remained unchanged at the mention of his old friend but his eyes darkened.
"When he first came to Heatherfield I had...other worries too. I couldn't fight on two fronts; I knew the new guardians have been chosen and that was why with the hope that they'll deal with the evil, I left. That night was the last I was in Heatherfield. I left everything behind and never came back."- Gellman looked down as if ashamed of himself. "I betrayed Kandrakar but they never held me accountable... I suppose the veil stopped Cedric from completely- "
"It didn't, really."- Phobos interrupted him. "Cedric just had visions of his own. But you certainly made it easier for him."
"You said you couldn't fight on two fronts."- Nerissa interjected, shutting the fair-haired man with a spiteful glare. It didn't matter even if he was right. And the veil? Kandrakar was the only thing that it had stopped efficiently. "What is that supposed to mean, Gellman?"
The old librarian looked uneasy again.
"I am a scrivener by profession. I've always worked with papers and information, which I synthesize for other people in a shorter and tighter form. Kandrakar's Council was not the only commission I was part of. I was also a part of an Earth-based convocation."
Nerissa's eyes lit up at that.
"The Prodigium."- she murmured. So, Halinor's guess was brilliant as usual. The Prodigium, the official and biggest council that handled Earth magic somewhere in London. Gellman was a part of it.
The old man met her eyes, surprised, and nodded:
"Yes..."- he confirmed, throat dry. "They invited me to be a part of them about 16 years ago...I-"
"26 years."- Nerissa corrected him, staring into his soul.
"What?"- the old man didn't understand.
"They invited you to join them 26 years ago. Around the time the present guardians were born."- she shook her head. She didn't have time to explain this right now. "The last ten years or so seem to be in fog for you. Why? I noticed when you attacked and thought I were here to enthrall you, but now you confirmed it a second time."- Nerissa demanded. "What happened ten years ago, Gellman? Did it have anything to do with The Eye of God?"
At the mention of that, the old man's pupils began dilating and contracting like crazy. His mouth twitched and his hands trembled:
"Gellman!"- Nerissa insisted, shaking him in a sobering manner. "Think, Gellman, did The Eye do something? Tell me everything you know about them; this is extremely important! I don't have time to lose, answer before me, or I'll take you to Kandrakar to face trial for the abandonment of your duties!"
That made the old librarian collect himself without further delay. He took a deep sigh and began narrating again, this time in a voice devoid of any positive feeling:
"Up until a decade ago or so, there was an educational institution... a school built on a remote island, far away into the Pacific. They called it the Hecate, after the ancient Greek goddess of witchcraft...its sole purpose was to offer shelter and guidance to Earth magic-users and cross-breeds between humans and Earth mystic races. Witches, vampires, shape-shifters, etcetera."- Gellman stopped for a moment as if uttering all this brought him immense pain.
"Under the Prodigium's hegemony, the Hecate functioned for many years while the Heart of Earth, the source of Earth magic, remained lost. Earth magic-users have struggled for centuries as technology and nonmagical reality overtook what it once was, so the Hecate was much needed. It helped shape and teach young magic descendants to live in the new world, but even though magic on Earth abated so very much over the centuries, there still are people afraid of it. Non-magical nutcases like the E-eye of God. Unfortunately, many members of the magical guild were equally as afraid and that lead to a catastrophe around the same time you had your battle with Kandrakar, trapping them in the veil, and...that was the last I ever heard. I couldn't bear it anymore after what happened in the Hecate. I isolated myself here, away from everything, and devoted myself to hermitage-"
"What exactly did happen in the Hecate around the time I was carrying out my revenge for Kandrakar."- Nerissa insisted, eyes focused on the heavily breathing man.
It made sense, all he had said. It also explained why he was so confused about the years; he had fled to this cottage because he could no longer take the pressure from the two mystic councils, he was part of, and all that they expected of him...Perhaps he had lived through a personal tragedy as well because of it all. Still and all, Nerissa needed to know more.
"The Eye has kidnapped my daughter."- Phobos interjected icily, staring deep into the old man's eyes. "Any information might help get her back and punish those fanatics."
"If the Eye have your daughter and she is of magical descent which she most probably is..."- Gellman began, his panting increasing. "The Eye...do horrendous things out of hate for the different."- he restructured his thesis when Phobos's death glare pierced him even harder. "I've seen them in action with my own eyes. Their monstrosities have followed and slaughtered magic users on Earth for hundreds of years due to the lack of mystic Heart to sustain them and make them more powerful... it was only natural for the magic representatives to respond with a horrific act to defend themselves...it was just a matter of time."
Nerissa was frustrated hearing all this. It all made sense and it was mind-boggling to her. How she had known some of these things or suspected them her entire life and still, not once had Kandrakar made them help out Earth magic-users. Not once in all their years had they interfered with terrorists like the people from the Eye, even though they had the power to vanquish them as guardians. And why? Because it didn't fit Kandrakar's philosophy or because Earth was one of the most biased realms in the Universe when it came to forces mankind didn't understand? It was too sad to her. This was what she had always wanted to fight against, eternal injustice, war, and pain.
"What did-"
"What happened that day really doesn't matter. The daughter of the Head Councilor and her friends stopped the abominable plan to use other magic-users as slaves in a war against people like the Eye. After the final battle, everything went back to normal for mostly everyone. But not for me."- Gellman shook his head. "Because the woman I loved was one of those plotting the terrible act against the Eye and I lost her to it. That is why I really fled and chose lonesomeness... The daughter of the Councilor became the new Head of the Prodigium. She even became romantic with a wizard boy raised by the Eye of God. She was making a change and everything was looking better for Earth magic for the first time in a while. Then, all of a sudden, everyone lost their powers almost completely. Earth magic just left their bodies..."
"It returned to be with her. With the source."- Nerissa murmured under her nose. Of course...
"I don't follow."- Phobos called in. "Every magic-wielding being just lost their power. Then why did the Eye of God keep being a threat? Did they at all?"
"They didn't. They disappeared too. Apparently, it's been over 10 years already and I have not accounted."- Gellman shook his head. "That's why I was taken aback when you mentioned them. When I remembered their horrendous crimes... I thought that Earth magic has died for good after the Prodigium announced dissolution. But if the Eye of God has shown up again...I am just baffled. It wouldn't make sense for them to challenge Kandrakar or other dimensions, their goal has always been purging Earth. They're afraid of driving more magic towards the planet. What they're after must be related to Earth magic..."
"The Heart of Earth."- Nerissa nodded to herself, now completely certain. The Matchmaker's words finally made sense. "It was never about Meridian, the guardians of Kandrakar. They want Lillian Hale."
Gellman had no clue what she was talking about. He asked who Lillian was but Phobos just rolled his eyes and turned to Nerissa:
"Astounding. And what does any of this have to do with Avani?"
Nerissa held his cold eyes with her own and curled her lips, reluctantly admitting:
"I don't know..."
"But I intend to find out."
"How?!"
A few hours later, back in Heatherfield, Nerissa tossed her long hair back and determinedly showed something on her phone to Will.
Will blinked in confusion and just pressed her arms against her red-sequin gown. It was almost time for the fundraiser night in Sheffield, as always on Sheffield Benevolence Day. They were all going to attend and they were ready, but this was a new stumbling block to what she had imagined would be a night of big revelations. Still and all, the revelations that Nerissa strived to make were pretty important as well hence the redhead watched the video that the other woman played for her. It was an interview, obviously taken not more than an hour ago, of her, she was standing in front of Sheffield Institute with Lillian by her side:
"Mrs. Crossnic, what are your hopes for tonight? What numbers do you think that this fundraiser event will reach?"- the reporter asked. "How much are you going to donate to the children in need?"
Nerissa ran a hand over her her voluminous, perfectly parted on the side hair and smiled, sticking out even more in her dark green strapless maxi gown.
"I am certain that everything will go perfectly tonight and the numbers aimed for will be reached easily; it's only natural with so many elite members of society joining us at this special event at the school, myself included. We all are hoping for the best of it. In the spirit of Benevolence Day, we have to give not only on this night but every other possibility we get. You know what they say, give to receive, and that is something I stand by in profit and in charity."- she spoke charismatically. "In fact, I wanted to use the opportunity this interview gives to tease everyone about another charity idea me and my young friend here have."- her hand then touched Lillian's head in a patronizing yet soft manner. "This is Lillian Hale, a future journalist and a young sensation born here, in our lovely city, but I'm sure you already recognize her from the socialite scene... "- Nerissa smiled again, holding all the cameras' attention. "Nevertheless, me and Lillian were given an opportunity to work together on a new project and donate all gainings to a worthy cause, which we will inform you of once the details around the project are set. That is why I want to use the chance to once again invite our future partners. You know who you are."- she added meaningfully. "Come to the fundraiser tonight, Lillian and I will be there. Bring your main producer Avani along as well and let us get some final clarity regarding this matter. And who knows? Perhaps by the end of tonight's event, we might have hammered ourselves a deal that will benefit both parties and evade any unpleasantness in the future. You know why. For the children. For Earth."- she concluded softly and nodded at the cameras one last time.
"What the hell!?"- Will exclaimed once the video was over, gawking at the taller woman's poker face. "Did you really just publicly address a guardian matter like that!? Nerissa, this is madness-"
"This is our best chance at getting somewhere."- Nerissa argued. "Think about it! This is what those trash bags from the Eye want anyway. I'm sure they'd have asked for something along those lines had..."- she bit her matte lips and threw her head to the back. "Never mind. I am certain that this is the right path to take. There is simply no other, Will."
The Silver Dragon was closed and empty, they were the only ones in it right now. Will, Nerissa, Lillian, and Phobos.
"They are everywhere around us, Will. Stooges of the Eye. I mean look at Martin. I'm sure they've heard this interview. If I'm the reason for their implementation in Heatherfield, then I have to find a way to settle everything and make it go away. Personally."
Will turned around to meet her eyes. The blonde was taller than her but not taller than Nerissa, despite the platform heels. She was dressed in a dark blue formal jumpsuit with shorts, fishnet stockings, and an oversized blazer in black.
"I'm sure they've seen it already, Lillian, I'm just not exactly sure this is the "right path" to go..."- Will sighed.
There was another reason she was reluctant to go through with this now. It was cockblocking her plan to reveal whoever was setting her and Phobos up ever since they were back in Heatherfield.
"It is worth a try."- Phobos himself called in from behind.
He was standing at the bottom of the room, dressed in his dark gray tuxedo, looking handsome but overwrought. His fair hair was tied in a slow ponytail but a few strands were still going down, framing his face alongside the well-shaped beard.
"Avani's abduction is still puzzling because it doesn't fit the Eye's motivation and overall narrative."- Nerissa began again, voice almost clinking with decision. "Maybe she did something else we're unaware of. Maybe she knew something she wasn't supposed to know. It wouldn't be the first time, really."- she scoffed and met all three sets of eyes one by one. "Tonight, we will get at least some feel of clarity. It's a golden opportunity for both parties and even though I do not expect to solve the case completely, it's better than sitting in the mundane wait, I posit."
Will was still a little dithering but in the end, she nodded. It really was the most they were doing for this problem they had known of for weeks, so there was that.
"OK, can we just not tell Cornelia and the others about this, please?"- the redhead asked. "If they know it will totally overshadow what I wanted to do and earlier today will have been in vain."
"What?"- Lillian blinked at her, puzzled. "Why? What did you want to do, I didn't get it-"
"Not enlightening the rest will lower our chances of dealing with any possible situation."- Nerissa crossed her arms on her chest. "What is this about?"- her insightful eyes darted between the redhead and the prince: "Does it have something to do with your royal soulmate?"
"Yeah it does, actually."
Will looked over at Phobos who nodded, annoyed. It appeared that nothing could go around here without the Mage sticking her nose in it.
"I'm all ears."- Nerissa clicked her tongue and tilted her head.
"I purposely made Cornelia and Matt think that Phobos and I are going to skip town tonight, at the fundraiser."- Will began carefully. "Knowing Cornelia, I am sure that she'll gather the others and work some kind of strategy to thwart us but I was hoping that someone else will slip and finally get exposed...OK, I didn't want to say it because a part of me kinda thought that it could be you."- she admitted in a huff when she got just stares from the other women.
"Obviously it was just my paranoia- "
"Excuse me?!"- Nerissa exclaimed, hand going to her waist. "What exactly am I being accused of?"
"Ah, this is so bad."- Will groaned. "I'll just be straightforward. Someone is messing with me. With me and Phobos, and our bond, someone is trying to exaggerate our relationship and I don't know why. That whirlwind that blocked us inside your house so that we could think Phobos was trying to escape?"- she started listing. "The stray portal that opened in my room when Phobos was locked in the Tower of Mists; I admit I would've never thought that could have been a setup but when we woke up naked together in Flamboyant Gardens it was too much. We both knew that someone is messing with us, we're not that demented yet. Unfortunately, the culprit, whoever is doing all this to turn everyone against me, is someone close to me. That's the only way it makes sense."
"Oh, my God, that's terrible."- Lillian exclaimed. "Who would do such a thing-"
"And you thought that I would waste my time like that? On you and your prince?"- Nerissa mocked her. "If it were my goal, I would've taken care of the matter in a much more different and efficient way."
Will rolled her eyes. She could've seen that one coming.
"I don't know, Lillian."- she turned to the younger woman instead. "But I hope that we can still find out. Tonight. That's why I don't want to tell Cornelia and the others about the other thing with the Eye. If everything goes the way I predicted it, maybe whoever is behind this will slip tonight."
"And how."- Nerissa's voice ringed, unimpressed.
Her apathy couldn't be more evident when the topic didn't interest her that much. She abandoned her standing position and pulled a small mirror out of her purse, deciding she'd check her makeup.
"Yes, what do you think that this person will do tonight and why tonight?"- Lillian wanted to know. She was much more interested, as it seemed. Her blue eyes stayed focused on the redhead who just shrugged.
"It's just a hunch but I'm rarely wrong about those."
She couldn't explain it. But she was sure of what she was saying. Tonight was going to be a night of revelations.
"I feel like whoever is working so hard for our defamation won't be able to resist 'helping' us skip dimensions once they come to know this is what we supposedly want. Cause they want the same. I am already sure of that. And I am sure that the news has already reached the one they were meant for."
Nerissa and Lillian exchanged looks. Will's words had an impact for sure.
"But how can you be so sure?"- Lillian asked again.
Will thought about it for a second.
"I just am."- she said simply. "The heart knows what it knows sometimes. It feels. And the Heart of Kandrakar? It definitely knows that I didn't undress Phobos and put him in my bed in Flamboyant Gardens for everyone to see. He didn't do it himself either; he couldn't have. He's powerless."
Phobos frowned harsher as he heard that part but remained silent. Will went on:
"Whoever is behind all this has motives of their own and I will not stand by waiting anymore, giving them more space for their ugly cobwebs."
"The Matchmaker! Of course..."- Nerissa suddenly nailed, her face distorting in a furious grimace. "I bet you it's her."
"Huh?"
Will was totally dumbfounded. She looked behind herself where Phobos remained stoic but unaware of what the ex-guardian was talking about too.
"Who's the Matchmaker?"- Lillian's eyes twitched in dismay.
"Oh, I will tell you on the go. Come on, there's no time."- Nerissa waved her hand and then grabbed her purse. "There's an Earth magic-user who's been trying to fool us and get her way, obviously she's behind the staged sex scene as well. She wants something from all of us."
"Who is she?!"- Will demanded. "Does anyone else know about her, I mean when did this person even come round? What does she want-"
"I will explain."- Nerissa promised. "But we have to get to the school now. If you're right and I am right, tonight we might get to kill two birds with one stone, my dear Ms. Vandom."
Sheffield Benevolence Day's fundraiser this year was carefully planned and executed down to the last detail by the PTA and their outside sponsors. The theme was springtime and new beginnings and it was beautifully put together around the entire school lot.
Decorations and arrangements of fresh flowers adorned the yards and the exterior of the building. Neat donation booths and sitting areas were placed close to each other, and the doors leading to the interior of the school, which was accessible to the public for the night, were open and garlanded with fresh tulips, gardenias, and lilies.
"It's so pretty!"- Hay Lin gushed as she turned around a few times, admiring the new look of Sheffield. "Everything's just wow! I've never seen the school so beautiful and fragrant-"
"Yeah, back when we were students it reeked of old gym socks and bad cafeteria food, and they didn't really bother freshening up when it was an event night either."- Irma remarked.
Hay Lin giggled at that as the Latina locked her arm around hers and kept walking. They had to mind their steps in the high-heeled shoes and long dresses which Hay Lin had designed herself. It was a formal event, after all.
"I guess that the new PTA is profitable."- Taranee pointed out. "The school got serious budget improvement in little to no time, don't you think? I mean, was this like that three or four years ago? I believe that the new principal is the main reason that-"
"Hello, who cares?"- Cornelia interrupted her. She stopped her three friends before they could go any further and mix with the rest of the guests.
"You know what we have to focus on tonight, right?"- she said seriously. Her long blonde hair was put up in a low, messy yet elegant updo with volume and texture in it. "We have to catch them in the act before stopping them. This may be our last chance."
The other three nodded in unison and then exchanged looks. They immediately became serious. They had no time to try shutting out the facts, not gain of it really. It was rather serious knowing that tonight they were supposed to not only catch their friend opening up to the darkness but also pull her out at the last minute.
"Nigel and Caleb are on their marks; they are going to be waiting."- Taranee reminded. "Once Matt can bail on the other people from the PTA he'll join them."
"I wish she could've fought it more."- Hay Lin sighed, eyes flowing into the distance. "Now she'll be in so much more pain. She'll be heartbroken..."
"Yeah, I thought so too but this is getting out of hand."- Irma huffed. "Bond or just plain physical attraction, we can't lose our Will to Phobos of all people."
"Which is why he must be forgotten tonight."- Cornelia finished in a grim voice. "No buts."
The event soon began and kept going swimmingly through the night. There was some kind of program that the school had picked for the night. Everyone was here, even Mrs. Kate Knickerbocker, the old principal, brought by, in her wheelchair.
Despite the leg problems that had put her in that chair, she was still the same full of life and energy, loud woman. She gave a meaningful speech for Benevolence Day and everyone appreciated it, even the older kids present, more than ever before when she had been their principal.
It was often like that with people, they only appreciated one another when the other was stricken by disease, death, or other misfortune, Taranee mused as she watched the old woman be taken down from the stage after her speech.
Then Nerissa and Cobalt Blue took charge and the entertainment went on.
Will was making her way towards the school gym, looking around herself at every next step just to make sure that she wasn't being tailed. But even if she was, it was OK. Because she was meaning to have a confrontation tonight. A confrontation that would reveal the truth to her friends who had already written her off.
She immediately hid behind the ajar door when she noticed someone moving in the dim-lit gym. She had known it! The person who was trashing her image and that of her relationship with Phobos were here and they were making their move.
Oh, you're early, Will thought to herself as she watched the figure kneel down in the center of the saloon. I might have to slow you down; the girls are falling behind schedule.
But before she could even decide on what she was doing, someone grabbed her from behind which was followed by a sudden and massive power failure in the entire school.
"Hey, what are you doing, pal?!"- the redhead raged and plunged her elbow in her attacker's face. "Let go of me or I'll-"
"That's enough, Will, calm down and don't make me use this!"
It was Caleb. Will blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the dark but she had recognized his voice. The tall, vigorous man that was in front of her was Caleb and he was holding something that looked like a crystal wand. And the one who had first grabbed her and was now holding her hands behind her back...
"Nigel?"- Will exclaimed. "Caleb? What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Saving you."- the tall brunette declared. "Now stay still or I'll have to strike with this, and I don't want to have to hurt you."
Will rolled her eyes. She had expected this, of course. She had done this to prove a point but where were the others and what had happened with the power. Then she remembered the figure she had been spying on before Nigel caught her off guard.
It was still in the gym. Lurking in the shadows, trying to remain undetected. She assumed that it was meeting her gaze in the dark. And in the middle of the room, it had left something that sparkled like a...
"Caleb, look over there. Don't you see that?"- Will almost hissed. "This person has been defaming me all along, I orchestrated tonight in hopes to catch them, now's our chance! Look, they left a magic bean over there! That's the culprit!"
"What are you talking-"- Caleb began but still turned around.
The figure made an abrupt run for it, now that it was noticed by both men as well. It ran for the small door at the end of the gym, leading towards the staircases for the basements.
"It's heading for the passageway under the gym!"- Nigel realized. "The one that Will and Phobos were going to use to escape Heatherfield."
"We have to catch it, that person is behind so many wrongly depicted scenes!"- Will insisted. "Let me go and let's catch up with that thing!"
But Caleb wasn't so sure:
"No. This is not part of our plan. How do we know that figure is not Phobos himself and you're not just trying to fool us."- he pointed out in a stern voice. "We're sticking to the plan, no caveats!"
"Caleb!"- Will raged, growing desperate and angry at the thought that they were just giving her unknown enemy more time. "You don't listen! This is not Phobos, ask your mother, she knows that this figure's a third party with malicious intentions, maybe someone we all know! We have to catch them!"
"We have to do no such thing! You and Phobos, that's the problem we have to solve tonight!"- Caleb yelled. "And you're not going to make me change my mind with your words. After tonight, no third party will ever be able to take advantage of your deleterious bond with that tyrant because we're going to rid you of it for good!"
Will felt a cold chill running down her spine but her frustration took precedence. If they weren't going to listen to her, she'd have to take care of it on her own. She kicked Nigel in the balls and pushed him to the ground, then she bolted but Caleb was fast as a tiger, blocking her way:
"I don't want to hurt you with this thing!"- he yelled at her warningly. "Stay put and tell me where Phobos is, Will, immediately!"
"I don't want to hurt you either, Caleb, but you leave me no room for choice!"- the redhead seethed before zapping him in the air.
Her raw power was impeccable and her element was one of the strongest attacking forces.
The rebel crushed down in the other corner of the room and she just kept running towards the door:
"Will, wait-"- Nigel pleaded from the ground, but she was already at the door for the basements.
She was just opening it when a mystic white light struck her in the back, draining her energy like water from a sponge. She tried to fight it but it was nothing like she had ever encountered before. It was a magical object designed to weaken her and the man had just used it for its purpose... Will gasped and slumped to the floor, unable to move.
Nerissa made her way through Sheffield's dark corridors hurriedly yet stealthily, holding the skirts of her long dress in her hands. Most of the people who had attended tonight's fundraiser had already left after the power blackout had cut the program short, but not her. She was determined to achieve more tonight. More than just singing for charity.
The ominous noise of rattling wheels echoed in the otherwise quiet corridor. Nerissa stopped dead in her tracks and squinted her eyes as she watched the wheelchair coming her way. It wasn't empty, she was still in it, a look of horror sealed in her eyes...
"Kate."- the dark-haired woman murmured under her nose as she stopped the wheelchair and looked at the woman in it, a strange feeling overtaking her chest.
Kate Knickerbocker had once been a schoolmate of theirs. They were close in age yet now no one could even suspect that...No one but the anonymous callers that were breathing in her neck, threatening to disrupt her life and identity in Heatherfield, somehow even with Himerish's magic concealing her truth...
"T-they pulled me!"- the former principal cried in a tiny voice once Nerissa removed the duct tape from her mouth. "Everything was so dark...then they gave me this and just pushed me so hard, I thought I was going to fall down some stairs and d-die. I thought..."
"It's alright. You're fine."- Nerissa interrupted her and just ran her hand over the other woman's horror-stricken face, putting her to sleep with a spell.
She could use the soothing anyway. But Nerissa's attention was on the cylinder-shaped dark object in Knickerbocker's lap. Was it a modernistic envelope? Yes, and it was marked with the Eye of God's monogram...
The rumbling that suddenly neared made her turn around fast and glare. It was Phobos and he was being followed by the four guardians...
"Stop running, you pig!"- Cornelia's voice echoed in the corridor.
She was transformed and very angry. Phobos had managed to evade them on school property. And if Susan hadn't lost so much of her time with her talking back in the auditorium when the power went out, this wouldn't be happening right now! They would've caught the evil man already but no matter; they were after him now and they weren't going to let him slip away a second time.
"Some assistance would be great!"- the prince hissed once he noticed Nerissa at the next turn.
"Where were you?"- she narrowed her eyes dangerously but didn't wait for an answer.
She had to get rid of the guardians in order to open the message from the Eye and go to the next step of her agenda. Hence, she just quintessence-d Knickerbocker's wheelchair and offhandedly sent in towards the fast-approaching guardians.
As expected, it shocked them and made them stop abruptly before they could reach the end of the corridor. Nerissa used the opportunity to bewitch it with her hand with the Mage ring and the ring version of her signature seal.
"Mrs. Knickerbocker?!"- they heard Hay Lin exclaim. "What happened to her?!"
"Geez, I bet you Phobos pushed her our way."- Irma scoffed. "What a dick."
"Someone has to take her out to her family, they're probably outside the Institute. "- Taranee remarked.
"I will."- Hay Lin volunteered.
"Fine, go!"- Cornelia snapped. "And we'll catch up with that evil swine and destroy him. For good!"
"See you in the gym, Hay-Hay. And de-transform, OK?"
Then they parted and rushed forward only to go through Nerissa's invisible inversion curtain that would send them elsewhere and create another big setback, disappearing from sight...
"I was left behind."- Phobos turned to the woman once the WITCH girls were away. "By you, that is. I was trying to hide and escape them, they want to kill me because of Wilhelmina's plan."
"Yes, well, I thought I saw something strange and followed it out once someone killed the power."- Nerissa replied in a snarky voice. "And I was right, someone sent this in Knickerbocker's wheelchair."- she showed him the cylinder. "It's a message from the Eye."
"What did I miss?"- Lillian interjected, coming through the wall like a ghost.
"What an uncouth way of transporting."- Phobos remarked but Nerissa had already opened the cylinder and was now reading out loud from a list that started dissolving at the edges the moment it reacted with the oxygen:
"A deal can be both good and wicked, when magic feeds a darker secret, if Lillian surrenders whole, Avani will be free to go. The ancient passageway will witness the decision of the witches."
"A poetic soul wants to rid Earth of its magic source."- Phobos nearly sneered.
"The ancient passageway, there is one here at Sheffield, right, in the basements! Under the gym!"- Lillian exclaimed.
"Yes..."- Nerissa murmured furrowing her brows. The papers in her hands dissolved into nothingness but her mind was preoccupied. Something about this message was off but she didn't have time to process it.
"Let's hasten up a tad."- Phobos insisted and she nodded, materializing her Seal in its scepter form and then teletransporting all three of them.
"Caleb!"- Cornelia exclaimed, running towards the man. "God, you have her, thank God."- she sighed when she saw Nigel holding a dazed Will in the back.
They were in front of the ancient passageway under the school gym. It was hidden behind that wall and the space was only lit by the flashlights of the two men's phones and now by Taranee's portable fire light.
"Phobos managed to lose us, for a minute I was scared that they've both escaped..."
"They almost did."- Caleb shook his head grimly, showing her a magic bean between his fingers. "Look at this."
"A magic bean?! But how?"- Cornelia gasped. "Where did-"
"There was somebody else in the gym when Will came, she said it was some sort of ill-wisher who was painting her situation worse day by day."- Nigel interjected. "That person left the bean for Will and Phobos to escape because they believed that's what they really wanted when in fact it was just...a trick."
"Where's that person now?"- Taranee asked insistently but Caleb's expression was eloquent enough:
"Not here. We followed them but they were gone. I scouted the place, nothing."
"Hey, maybe whoever did that used the passageway and fled to Metamoor."- Irma suggested. "Maybe-"
"That's impossible, Irma, only the Heart of Kandrakar has the power to turn them on."
"Not quite."
"Mom?"- Caleb exclaimed when the three new people joined the setting. Then his eyes fell on Phobos and he immediately bared his teeth: "YOU!"
"Good, you have him!"- Cornelia approved and attempted to roughly pull the man towards herself only to be stopped by her sister:
"Not now, Cornelia, why are you all here?"- Lillian snapped. "We have a meeting with the Eye, you have to leave, I'm surrendering to them!"
Everyone was taken aback:
"Excuse me, you're what?!"- Cornelia exclaimed in shock.
"Umm, did I hear you right. You have a meeting with the Eye?!"- Irma looked at the three new arrivals as if they were talking amphibians.
"And you're surrendering to them, what are you nuts?"
"We have no time for this!"- Nerissa demanded, pushing her son towards the exits. "You must all leave! Only-"
"We're not going anywhere before you tell us what the fuck is happening again!"- Cornelia yelled aggressively looking sternly at Nerissa and Lillian. "You're not going to drag my sister into your messes!"- she said warningly. "And you're going to listen to me, you little shrimp, I know what's best for you, I'm your older sister!"- she then turned her attention to Lillian. "I'm-"
"You're a flippant crow, who pays no attention to the Heart of Kandrakar and its language!"- Phobos interrupted all of a sudden, drawing everyone's anger and attention to himself. "Look at it! It is obvious that it wants to reveal something, spread its glow around the room to do so!"
"I'm going to kill you!"- Caleb roared and attempted to tackle the other men but Lillian pulled him back:
"No, he's right!"- she yelled. "Cornelia, do it! Activate the Heart!"
"P-phobos?"
Oh, great. Now Will was coming to her senses. Cornelia glared down at the jewel around her neck, angry and confused, and did what they told her to. At first, nothing happened but then the mystic glow of the jewel intensified and its blinding light spread all over the underground premises.
When everyone regained their ability to see, they saw four others were in the room with them. Three boys and...a masked figure with a neoprene costume and a faceless mask...
"The Matchmaker! I knew it!"
This time Cornelia didn't waste a second, she raised her hand and used her telekinesis, sending the four to the wall behind them and keeping them pinned to it.
"Some...children are helping this creepy masked villain, is that it?"- Irma trailed, looking at the boys in perplexity and then at the masked.
"Who are you?"- Caleb demanded. "ANSWER!"
The boys were too stunned to speak. Or scared. Or both. They just exchanged glances and shivered in their long robes. Taranee and Irma exchanged glances at a complete loss.
"Let's see who the Matchmaker is."- Lillian shook her head in determination and walked over to the figure in the neoprene suit, unmasking it with a swift move of her hand.
"Oh, fab. Another teen girl."- Irma remarked sarcastically. "That explains it for sure!"
"I'm not a girl!"- the unmasked teen snapped, despite the fear in their voice. "I'm trans..."
"You're the powerful Earth witch who contacted Meridian and switched the messages? You?"- Lillian exclaimed angrily. "You?"- she repeated. "What was your goal? What did you want? What do you know about the Eye that you're hiding!"
"And why were you trying to make me and Phobos look more intimate than we are?"
Everyone turned to look at Will. Nigel carefully let her go. She was up on her feet again and she was conscious, throwing a hard look at the four young teens pinned to the wall. There was something familiar about them, she had seen them before but still...
They were interrupted by the cylinder-shaped object that came trundling down from the staircase all of a sudden. Everyone saw it but before anyone could react it opened and let out an explosive and thick toxic gas that threw everyone to the ground.
Only Nerissa holding both her hands up drove an invisible wedge through it and gradually dispersed it before it could envelop and smother them all.
"What the FUCK!"- Irma raged as she stood back on her feet.
"My poor lungs."- Taranee coughed, trying to wind the nasty smoke away with her hand.
"The Eye."- Phobos murmured in frustration.
"They're probably angry because I...because we haven't done our part yet."- Nerissa shook her head. "We have to hurry-"
And as the others, save for Will, looked at her, Lillian and Phobos in dismay, not knowing what was going on, the young Hale knelt down and noticed:
"Yes...it was another message."- she looked up grimly, holding Nerissa's eyes. "We have to go out in the backyard of the school. Immediately."
"Did you hear that?"- Susan turned to Hay Lin again, looking at the school in distress. "It sounded like a rumble, didn't it?"
Oh, it did, the Air guardian thought, it definitely did sound like some sort of an explosive being launched...
"No, I'm sure it was nothing!"- she waved her hand instead, forcing a smile. "Don't worry, Susan, I'm sure that William is alright. Matt went looking for him, right? And there is no actual emergency just the power blackout."
Hay Lin didn't know what to say anymore. She was tense herself and comforting Susan wasn't that easy. After she had taken Mrs. Knickerbocker out to her family, Susan had immediately taken hold of her hand and wasn't letting her go back:
"I don't know, Hay Lin."- the mother of two said again, distressed brown eyes traveling back to the school. "Where are Will and the other girls too, I didn't see them leave. Anyhow, you do have a point, it's just William... you already know he had his phase lately and him missing like that makes me anxious, I can't help it."
"Susan, it will be alright."- Dean, who had just finished talking on his phone intervened. "Will and the others are adults and I just talked to Billy."
"You did?!"- Susan exclaimed, gripping Hay Lin's hand. "What did he say?"
"Turns out he went out to buy something for a friend before the power outage and he just went home when they called him to tell him that fundraiser night is over. He was in the bathroom and didn't hear us calling him up until now. Don't worry."
"Oh, thank God!"- Susan exhaled in relief. "Thank God."
"See."- Hay Lin smiled at her. "Everything's fine."
Dean smiled too.
"On the other hand."- he began, looking back at the school. "This power outage is bizarre; the electricity people are still unable to fix it or even find what caused it. It's not a stormy night too. It just makes no sense to me how is this possible."
"It's as if all the power is being directed to another receiver."
Tom Lair nodded at them amicably as he and his wife joined them around their car. Tom was called to the place as the police had to write a report and open up an ongoing investigation.
"Ongoing investigation?"- Hay Lin exclaimed. "So, this is a crime someone's committed?"
"I'd say someone is stealing the school's power."- the man nodded. "The electricity department picked up a strange intermission and sent their reports to us. Something's changing the course of the charges, I've never seen anything like it. It's extra modern technology."
"God, who would use such resources just to steal the power of the school?"- Susan exclaimed.
"Yes, and that to charge up another receiver."- Dean added. "Like another building?"
"It's a smaller receiver."- Tom shrugged. "A lot smaller than a building. I don't know yet, folks. Just stay calm and go home if you can. This might be more serious than we all thought."
A night full of goals, promises, fears, and entangled decisions. So many thoughts and fates met in a bizarre way. Sheffield Benevolence Night was ending on a cliffhanger note.
Will, Phobos, and Lillian were the first to rush into the backyard of the school, followed closely by Cornelia and Nerissa, the others coming behind them.
Lillian was ready to make her move. She was about to take another step towards the empty basketball court when they saw her.
Avani.
Running towards them in her dirty royal clothes.
"Avani-"- came out of Phobos's mouth.
"Dad!"- the young Escanor cried, running towards him. "Dad..."
He had mixed feelings watching her approach but his relief prevailed. She was his daughter, after all. And she looked so happy to see him after weeks.
But then it happened. Before she could reach them. All electrical power of the school directed towards another receiver was released. It was released and transmitted through the robotic bracelet around Avani's hand, with a deadly impact.
"AVANI, NOOO!"
But it all happened too fast for any of their magic or interferences to make a difference. The terrifying charge consisting of the entire voltaic weight of the institute passed through Avani's body killing her on the spot. Her terrifying screams echoed in the distance but didn't last long.
Аs the lights returned to the building behind them, albeit for a moment, going out again due to the burnt wires and electrical connections, Avani's charred body slumped to the ground in front of their astonished eyes, disintegrating into components and embers.