by Lady Lilium
Sian and Lucas moved forwards. Indigo lifted his head towards them as they approached the scene. He wiped the sweat from his brow as they stopped before him. Lucas glanced past him and towards Lauralie, who was crying and holding Diz in her arms as they sat on the steps before the home. Diz seemed to be in shock. His bright blue eyes were wide in fear.
‘What’s happened?’ Lucas whispered.
Moments later, Lauralie and Diz were ushered away from the door. Sian lifted her hands, using the magic she had inherited from the aberrant Culture, who now slept forever. Great streams of fire she descended upon the house, engulfing the entire building and setting it ablaze. The fire swiftly took hold; soon it became a roaring inferno, consuming everything within.
‘Come on’ Indigo prompted, ‘we’d better make ourselves scarce before others turn up to put out the flames.’
‘It would be too late by then anyway’ Sian sighed.
The light from the fire cast tall shadows of each of their profiles upon the ground.
‘This place is tainted with an evil touch’ Siren hissed.
‘They died in the fire’ Indigo told her. ‘Nothing more.’
Crystal was saying a prayer before the house, head bowed, eyes closed and hands together.
Her breathe came out as fast inaudible mutterings. Sian lifted her hands a final time, the power of her magic grew, and the air around them became hotter as the fire blazed brightly. Reuben and Venom both lifting their hands to shield themselves as their skin began to burn in the heat, even from the distance they stood.
‘Crystal’ Indigo called to her.
She raised her head to his voice.
‘Come away now.’
Crystal followed at his command, and the group moved away from the roaring inferno that had taken the building now firmly in its grasp.
‘Where shall we go?’ Ebony asked the others as they gathered on the road between the other houses.
‘My brother’ Sian realised in a raised voice. ‘I left him, what must have been hours ago.’ She glanced to Reuben. ‘I grabbed the back of your shirt as you vanished into magic; after we watched Lauralie and the brothers’ dance’ she explained. ‘I left Kyle behind; it feels like so long ago now. So much has happened since.’
Beside her Lauralie stood with her arm around Diz. Still he had not said a word.
‘Is this our fate, for Crystal and me if we are caught?’ Ebony voiced suddenly, glancing towards the house where the bodies of four innocent people lay to rest.
Indigo turned his back on the fire, facing Crystal and Ebony.
‘It is’ he said, giving a slow and steady nod. ‘If we do not get you to safety soon.’
In the dark, sirens began to sound, alarming the world around them to this terrible disaster.
‘Quickly’ Indigo hastened, ‘we must leave.’
‘I want to go back to where we were before’ Sian told him quickly. ‘I need to find my brother.’
Indigo nodded. He and Siren joined hands, indicating the others to do the same.
The strange group disappeared from view, just as the fire engines were pulling up.
They found Kyle where he had been left. He had waited for his sister to return for hours, and when she finally did, he was less than impressed by her disappearance.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ he demanded of her.
‘Oh Kyle I'm so sorry’ Sian exclaimed. ‘The most shocking thing has happened. I've changed.’
‘Such things cannot be seen by none-magical folk’ Indigo butted in unhelpfully from beside her. He was unheard by Kyle of course, and unseen. ‘Nor can they be understood’ Indigo went on. ‘So save your breath.’
The group drifted away from Sian and Kyle as they began to argue.
The two philosopher’s stones, Crystal and Ebony sat on a bench together with Siren. Indigo who remained standing, watched the others as they took seats on different benches in the area.
‘You should not have gotten involved in all of this’ Indigo snapped after a time.
Lucas glanced up at him from his seat beside his brother. ‘What?’
Indigo cast his eyes over Lauralie and Diz, sitting together on their own. Lauralie was still holing Diz, who was silent as ever.
‘The life of a guardian is filled with war and suffering’ Indigo went on. ‘You should have stayed and lived your normal life like everyone else around you.’
‘Lived a normal life?’ Lucas echoed.
‘How can we live a normal life being what we are?’ Reuben argued. ‘How can we live as others do?’
‘You should have stayed away from Ebony, from both the philosophers stones.’
‘No’ Lucas said rising, anger boiling within him. ‘Even if I knew what she was, how could I abandon her to her fate?’
Indigo snarled, turning away from him and muttering. ‘You should not have gotten involved.’
He walked away from them, coming to a stand on the edge of the pool of light created by the street lights above them. He stood with his back to them, visible only as a silhouette.
‘You may be right’ Siren spoke up, loud enough so that Indigo could hear her. ‘But it does not change the fact that either way, it would not have stopped Lagoon from blocking the portals.’
Indigo only gave the slightest indication that he had heard. A slight tilt of the head. He didn’t speak, but his shoulders were slumped, and he appeared to relax somewhat.
‘I'm sorry’ Siren said to Lucas. ‘He gets carried away sometimes. Mother always said he was too emotional.’
‘Can I ask you something?’ Venom spoke up.
Siren nodded to him.
‘What’s Lagoon?’
‘Not what’ Siren replied to Venom. ‘Who?’
‘Who is he?’
‘He is another guardian’ Siren explained. ‘He is the reason we’ve been working to tirelessly in tracking down the philosopher’s stones. Though Crystal succeeded in eluding us, we followed her trail from town to city to forest and back to town again. For many months we searched.’
‘How did you know about Crystal in the first place?’ Reuben asked.
‘It started only as a rumour’ Siren replied vaguely. ‘Soon Lagoon found out, and then the race began. A very slow winded, tedious and boring race. Who would find her first? We were only lucky.’
‘So those people….’ Reuben said, ‘the ones that hurt Drake…’
‘They work for Lagoon’ Siren nodded.
‘And what happened at the house?’ Venom asked tentatively.
‘Probably Lagoon’s order’ Siren replied. ‘It’s unlikely he did it himself, it’s not really his character.’
‘You know him?’ Lucas said in surprise, straightening up.
‘Know is not quite the right word’ Siren said shaking her head. ‘Let’s just say he is notorious in our world for causing trouble. He has already found one philosophers stone. It has given him much power.’
‘How?’ Venom asked slowly.
‘It was his turn back then to be lucky’ Siren replied. ‘But we think that stone was weak, perhaps very young. It has not given him that much power, but enough to hinder us. Very few guardians have the ability to block a portal. But he has. As we have seen.’
‘So he is trapping you all here’ Venom said.
‘Or so it would seem.’ Siren shifted uncomfortably on the bench. ‘The philosopher’s stones are not safe until we reach the Ancient World. But we can’t do that if Lagoon is blocking the portals.’
‘So….’ Lucas spoke slowly.
‘We must kill him’ Siren finished.
Lucas’ face remained impassive.
‘I'm guessing that you’ve tried’ Reuben offered.
Siren hunched her shoulders, becoming irritated.
‘The last stone he obtained has made him powerful. But not powerful enough. He is strong enough to kill many guardians with ease, but not yet strong enough to be a threat to the king and his lands in the Ancient World. That is why
this is so vitally important. The stones can give you new powers and strength…and unthinkable….limitless…’ She sighed, glancing towards the philosopher’s stones beside her as she slouched back on the bench. ‘Crystal and Ebony, between them they would have an extraordinary amount of power. If he caught them….’ she shook her head. ‘I would hate to think of what might happen.’
‘You know a lot about philosophers stones then?’ Venom asked Siren.
‘A bit. They are powerful beings, but cannot use their own magic to their full extent. It can only be used by someone else after….’
‘They have been killed’ Ebony finished, staring vacantly away from the others. ‘What will happen to us if we follow you to the Ancient World?’
‘You will be protected’ Siren replied. ‘By the king.’
‘Forever?’ Ebony asked.
Siren gave her a curious look, but didn’t answer. Perhaps she understood Ebony’s doubts.
Crystal on the end of the bench sat utterly still and relaxed as if in meditation, holding the dragonfly Cid gently in her hands. She gave no indication that she heard anything of what the others said at all. She appeared to be in a world of her own.
All this suffering…and it’s all for my sake. If I allow them to catch me, perhaps I could save Ebony, perhaps they will forget about her…
Crystal subtly peered towards the others out of the corner of her eye. More than the rest, she noticed Diz, silenced by the shock of losing his entire family so violently, the sight of their bodies...
Perhaps I could slip away Crystal thought. Perhaps I can end this suffering and grief by myself…before anyone else gets hurt on my account.
It was sometime later that Lauralie left Diz’s side, perhaps to be alone with her thoughts. Siren gave her a moment before joining her. Behind them Kyle and Sian had ceased their conflict, now resting on a bench like the others, in silence.
Siren came to stand by Lauralie, who had detached herself from the others.
‘Are you alright?’
Lauralie managed a flickering smile that quickly faded.
‘Better than….’ She trailed off.
‘It must have been awful what you saw.’
‘Is this…’ Lauralie asked tentatively, ‘what's it’s all about then? The life of a guardian?’
Siren’s pained expression told the whole story.
‘Those who fight’ Siren explained in a gentle tone, ‘see many things. We are soldiers of the king, we are guardians. We protect.’
‘Would you change who you are if you could…..would you change the past?’
‘Nobody can change the past.’
‘Would you try’ Lauralie asked, ‘can some things be undone?’
Siren didn’t answer. Instead she changed the subject to Diz.
‘How is he?’ she said glancing towards him.
Lauralie took a long while to answer. ‘He still hasn’t said a word.’
‘It is’ Siren said, thinking carefully of the words she should use, ‘not unknown for one to have seen something terrible to fall silent.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He may not speak for a while. It may even be months….but…in time….’
‘Will he ever be the same?’ Lauralie asked in a pleading tone, as if Siren could have done something to help.
‘I don’t know’ Siren replied, her heart wrenching in her chest at the pain in Lauralie’s voice. ‘I wish I could do something, I really do.’
‘I don’t know what I could do to help’ Lauralie whined. ‘I haven’t really known him for that long; I don’t know what would make him happy. I don’t know….but I really love him.’
‘He needs you now’ Siren told her. ‘More than ever.’
Lauralie nodded slowly in understanding. She took a deep breath. ‘You don’t just give up when things get tough’ she said huskily, voice breaking.
‘I know’ Siren mumbled.
‘Let’s hang in there…..let’s…let’s hang in there’ Lauralie said to herself.
‘Time…’ Siren told her, ‘heals all wounds. Time’ she said. ‘Just give him time.’
Sometime later, Lauralie tried again to make him speak.
‘Diz?’
Lauralie tenderly lifted his chin, forcing his eyes upwards.
‘Please say something’ she whispered in agony. ‘Please…’
Diz stared silently back. His face a carved statue, his expression showing none of the grief he surely must be feeling.
‘Diz…’ she pleaded, ‘why won’t you speak?’
‘He’s in shock’ Indigo explained behind her, chewing on a stick of wood. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much. He’ll talk when he’s ready.’
‘When?’ Venom demanded, talking for the first time in a long while.
Indigo lowered the stick irritably. ‘Do I look like I know?’ he shot back.
‘Sian’ Lucas said suddenly.
She raised an eyebrow to him.
‘You’ve inherited Culture’s power. That aberrant. He healed me once, when I was injured. You yourself healed Reuben when he was on the verge of death…and Venom too. Perhaps there is something you can do for Diz?’
She lifted her chin at him, answering shortly.
‘I can’t.’
Lucas looked taken aback.
‘What? Why?’
‘I can only heal physical injuries’ Sian answered. ‘Diz’s injuries are psychological, I cannot help him.’
‘But you have magic’ Lucas protested.
‘So do you’ she countered with a glare, daring him to continue.
Lucas bit his tongue before it got him into trouble.
‘What do we do now?’ Venom asked Indigo.
‘The only way we can get back into the Ancient World is if Lagoon is killed’ the elder guardian replied. ‘After that, the others will be of little threat to us. With only Arran and his creature……they cannot hurt us.’
‘And then’ Reuben said looking towards them, ‘you will take the philosophers stones to the Ancient World, and leave our lives fore…’ he hesitated. ‘Where did Crystal go?’
Indigo whipped around suddenly at these words, wide eyes and staring at the spot she had been sitting beside Ebony not moments before. Even Ebony seemed shocked to see that Crystal wasn’t there.
‘God…DAMMIT! Indigo cried in fury, lashing out and striking the nearest lamp post in despair and rage.
‘She wants to be found by the others’ Siren realised, speaking aloud. ‘Well…she always was good at hiding.’
The dragonfly Cid flew above them then. Its buzzing wings loud in the silent night.
‘She’s putting a spell on us’ Indigo groaned, fighting in vain against the sudden exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him. Magic was descending upon them all, cast by the mechanical Cid.
Lucas stumbled, grabbing hold of the nearby bench for support. His eyelids drooped, and his mind began to fog, wavering already on unconsciousness. Very briefly he glimpsed his brother, collapsed asleep on the floor, and Lauralie beside him, easily recognised by her ginger hair. As he fell to his knees, he saw Siren and Indigo fall also, and then Venom.
His body slowly relaxed.
The last thing he experienced as he lay down, was the cold stone slabs of the street, touching and chilling his body. And then he felt nothing.
The next morning
‘You’ll be ok won’t you?’
‘For the hundredth time’ Drake laughed to his girlfriend. ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘I know I know’ Eleanor fussed. ‘I just worry about you sometimes.’
Drake stroked her cheek gently with his one hand. ‘I promise I’ll come and visit soon’ he told her. ‘But you had better go now, or else the train will leave without you.’
‘That wouldn’t be so bad’ she teased. ‘Then I could spend more time with you.’
‘Eleanor’ he frowned in mock irritation.
‘Alright’ she chuckled.
Eleanor stood on her
tip toes as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
‘You’ll come visit soon won’t you?’ she asked him.
‘Definitely.’
She grabbed her bag and pranced off towards the train.
Drake waved at her from the platform as she found a window seat from which she could see him, and she waved back enthusiastically, blowing him kisses until the train slowly began to depart. The train picked up speed, running faster and faster along its tracks.
Drake watched her go as she waved to him. He sighed, sad to see her leave, then turned and walked away.
The next Lucas knew was waking up feeling extreme cold.
He groaned, pushing his body off the ground and rubbing his cheek and shoulder where he had been lying uncomfortably on the solid concrete. It wasn’t fully light yet, and the sun still had not left the horizon, but even at this hour the streets were beginning to come alive. Many people passing by stopped to stare at the young guardians picking themselves off the floor, groaning in discomfort as they woke one by one.
Lucas looked around blearily, blinking several times to clear his vision as he drew a shuddering breath between his teeth, holding himself tightly. The cold had seeped through him to his very bones.
‘Have we really been here all night?’ he grumbled to himself.
He then noticed a figure standing very close by him, watching him blankly. As Lucas’ vision began to focus, he noticed the figure was missing an arm.
‘Drake?’ Lucas mumbled, lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the light that shone through the clouds in the pale sky.
Drake stepped closer so that Lucas could see him better.
‘I was just on my way home from the train station’ he explained. ‘And I saw you guys all lying here.’
Behind them the others were beginning to rise. Lauralie crawled over to Diz to help him up. Kyle was staring around him in confusion, uncertain as to what had happened and why he was on the floor. And Indigo, suddenly wide awake and jittery, let out a cry of frustration, balling his fists and throwing his head back.
‘What's wrong with him?’ Drake asked calmly.