Jade snorted. “I’m sorry, but did you just say blah, blah, blah to the fact that almost everyone wants you captured or dead?” She asked rhetorically. “You really are something else, Hybrid.” She finished with a shake of her head.
“Well, it’s not like it’s new. It’s been that way for a while.” Jewel stated simply.
“Yes, but if you get captured or killed, then the prophecy won’t be able to come to fruition and I, for one, don’t want to have a hand in that occurring.” Sage retorted.
“Okay, so what would you suggest then?” Jewel asked. “That we just stay here, twiddling our thumbs, and sitting idly by while forever discussing the multitude of reasons as to why we shouldn’t leave?” She said, crossing her arms against her chest.
“No.” Sage answered with a smirk. “But I think that we at least need to have some sort of plan as to where we should be looking for the ingredients we need for the potion and who we can go to in order to get rid of that evil thing.” He said, pointing to Jewel’s belt where Slayer was sheathed.
“Agreed.” Galadriel interjected. Jewel’s pursed her lips in his direction, but he continued. “You know Sage is right, Green. We need to be strategic about this, so we can do what we need to do with minimal casualties and little to no risk.”
“Yep, and I know you aren’t going to like this, but I think we are going to need more help if we have any chance of succeeding. Even with Ambrosia, there are only five of us. We’d easily be outnumbered if we ran into trouble. I think you need to tell your bestie and Frost, Hybrid.” Jade added.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” A voice sounded from behind Jewel.
Jewel whirled around to find a very angry Rain donning a bright red aura, a very irritated Frost with a mixed bumblebee colored aura, and a very worried-looking Zephyr whose grey eyes were shifting wildly between the two while his own aura pulsed a neon yellow. Jewel’s jaw dropped a little, unsure of what to say or where to start her explanation, but it was of no consequence, because Rain didn’t seem to have that same problem.
“So, this is the big secret, huh, Spitfire?” Rain seethed. “A big get together in the middle of the Meadow at the crack of dawn?” She said with a dubious expression. “You know, we have both been through quite a bit this past year, so I thought you knew by now that you can trust me. Not to mention the fact that I kept your secret about being an Immune long before anyone else aside from Manti knew. So, why didn’t you tell me that you’re a Keeper of Tempus, and why didn’t you include me in whatever it is that you four are doing right now?” She asked, clearly annoyed, as her arms were now folded across her chest and her foot was tapping impatiently as she waited for Jewel’s response.
Jewel bit her lip, feeling a mix of guilt for not including her friends and a bit of indignation that Rain felt that Jewel somehow owed her an explanation. “First of all, I had every intention of telling you about what we’ve been up to, Raindrop, but frankly we haven’t been spending much time together since the incident at Shade’s.”
“Facts.” Galadriel pointed out, earning him a withering glare from Rain.
“Secondly, yes- we have been through a lot this past year, so I didn’t want to burden you with anything else. You’ve been spending most of your time with Gusty, which is fine with me. But, in a way, I’m grieving. There’s only so much you can do for me right now.” Jewel added as Rain’s glare began to soften and she started shifting from one foot to the other. “And third- I wasn’t going to tell anyone about being a Keeper of Tempus because I didn’t even know that that’s what I am. I knew I could freeze time, but I’m already dealing with a lot and I didn’t want it to become yet another thing that I would have to be forced to accept right now. I haven’t been able to sleep for months, so instead of just laying on my cot, unable to rest, I’ve been coming down to the river and spending my mornings down there. Jade doesn’t sleep well either, so she’s been keeping me company. And before you say that you would have, let me cut you off.” She said, and Rain’s mouth snapped back shut. “You don’t have to convince me that you would have stayed up with me every night. You don’t have to state your case that you would have kept me company. I know you would have. But for once, I wanted to try and protect you. At least from losing sleep, that is.” She said, adding with a jesting tone, “Not to mention the fact that if you don’t get sleep, you are almost as bad to deal with as you are when there is no chocolate around and that, is saying something.”
“Facts.” The group stated simultaneously, before breaking out in a fit of chuckles and snickers.
“Chocolate sauce. I’m not that bad without sleep.” Rain said with a roll of her eyes. Jewel gave her an incredulous look, and Rain huffed. “Fine. I’ll let this go. But….. no more secrets, okay?”
“Deal.” Jewel smiled.
“Well, I didn’t say anything about letting this go, Gem.” Frost announced, his signature scowl more pronounced than ever.
“Oh, come on, Snowman!” Jewel started. “Listen, I know-”
“No. You listen. Here’s what I know.” Frost said, cutting her off while also closing the distance between himself and Jewel. “I know that you are scared for your dad. I know that you are confused about all these new powers. I know that you are worried about all of us. But what I know most of all is that you are hurting, but instead of letting me do what I can to help- you just keep pushing me away. I want to be there for you, Gem, but how can I if you aren’t being honest with me?”
Jewel bit her lip, having no answer for Frost, because honestly, she wasn’t sure if she truly believed that anymore. Frost was hot-tempered and had a jealous side that made him colder than ice towards her. He had proven on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t even stick around to hear her explanation on things when push came to shove, and that wasn’t someone who she needed to wholly depend on. But on the flip side of the coin, he was still here with her, trying to help where needed and attempting to be there for her, so Jewel wasn’t sure what to make of it. She knew in her heart that Frost meant well, but for now, she was just going to listen and keep her guard up just a bit.
“I care about you, Gem. Let me carry some of the burden for you.” Frost asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he took one of Jewel’s hands in his own.
Jewel nodded, biting her bottom lip before speaking. “I’m sorry you two. I’m sorry for not saying anything sooner, but I really was just trying to keep you from having to deal with yet another problem from the Hybrid-Immune.” She said while pointing to herself.
“Yeah, well don’t. Any problem of the Hybrid-Immune’s is a problem of mine.” Frost smiled as he pulled Jewel into an embrace.
Jewel allowed her body to lean into Frost- peppermint, fresh linen, and winter scents immediately hit her senses with such a level of familiarity that it allowed her to relax further. And even though her guard was still up, she instantly felt like the weight she had been carrying on her shoulders was simply melting away with each thump thump of his heartbeat, and Jewel could have stayed in that one spot for a lifetime, but Galadriel clearing his throat brought reality rushing back. Jewel turned to see that Ambrosia had, at some point during her interaction with Frost, rejoined the group and was looking way more smug than Jewel had ever seen the Vampiress look before.
“Not that I don’t find all of this rather touching, but Girlie, I have some news for you.” Ambrosia said, smiling fangily.
“For magic sakes, Ambrosia. Next time you want to blur your way in, please give us some sort of warning. You nearly scared me half to death.” Jade said while clutching her chest.
Ambrosia merely shrugged, sat down, took out an exceptionally large book from her bag and began to open it. Jewel noticed an emblem embossed on the front cover that she had never seen before. There were four triangles strategically placed so that they almost looked like the four corners of a broken square. The triangles themselves had lines that running from each and meeting together in the middle which sort of connected the f
our. The border of the cover appeared to have vines and some sort of flowers, but what really captured Jewel’s attention is that the book seemed to have an aura of its own, pulsing between white and blue- which was definitely not the norm when it came to inanimate objects.
Ambrosia looked at Jade in amusement. “You should always be aware of your surroundings, newbie. It’s not as though an enemy will announce their arrival before they show up.” She stated, never missing an opportunity to impart some knowledge.
“Is that……what I think it is?” Sage asked, blue eyes alight with excitement and anticipation, his aura a bright silver color as he plopped down on the mossy ground next to Ambrosia and ran his fingers over the now opened book.
“It is.” Ambrosia said in a hushed tone.
“Um, not to sound less than excited or completely ignorant, but what exactly are you two so giddy about?” Jewel inquired.
“This, Girlie, is the Tome of Enchantment.” Ambrosia said reverently.
Jewel glanced at Rain, Frost, Galadriel, Jade, and Zephyr, but no one other than Zephyr seemed to recognize the name.
“Is it really?” Zephyr asked, hurrying over to Sage and Ambrosia.
“It is.” Sage answered. “And it’s way more powerful than I ever imagined it would be. You can actually feel the magic pulsing through the pages.”
“Great gusts of wind.” Zephyr mumbled. “It’s almost as if it’s alive.” He said as his fingers brushed the binding.
“Because in a way……it is.” Ambrosia stated.
“Chocolate covered cherry pits.” Rain said exasperatingly. “Can one of you three, kindly let the rest of us in on whatever this tome thingy is, and explain why you all look like you are two seconds away from offering it some chocolate?”
Ambrosia looked up, pursing her crimson red lips, and narrowing her lavender eyes. “This Tome thingy as you so eloquently put it, is the oldest book known in the magical community. I know what you all are going to ask, and yes, the book looks brand new, but it is the power the book holds that keeps it looking so pristine. This Tome holds more magic within its pages than any other book known in any community at any point of history, and it holds information on the rarest forms of magic. Be it powers, objects, potions, or spells- this Tome has it all.” She explained.
“Well, what I want to know, is how you found it. I thought it was stolen decades ago.” Zephyr inquired with an awe-filled expression.
“It was.” Ambrosia started with a nod. “And I wasn’t even looking for it. You see, I remembered that Jade found that other book about the rare spells and potions in Ella’s tent, so I was curious to see if there were any books about being a Keeper of Tempus in her collection since she left everything behind. Something in that room was radiating waves of power, so I searched and that’s when I found this.” She said, tilting the Tome slightly.
Galadriel stepped closer to the Tome. “Did you find anything in there that could help Green with the dagger?”
“Slayer.” Jewel corrected. “Its name is Slayer.” She added when Galadriel quirked his eyebrow and looked at her questioningly- probably wondering if she had finally lost her melon.
“You named it, Spitfire?” Rain asked incredulously.
Jewel nodded. “Sure did, Raindrop. I have my own dagger that Foster was nice enough to make for me, and there is no way I want this abomination on my belt and my pretty dagger to be placed in the same category, so Slayer it is for the evil thing.”
“Well, chocolate sauce, that actually makes a lot of sense.” Rain stated.
“O-kay…..well is there anything in that Tome about helping Green get rid of- Slayer?” Galadriel asked, cutting the girl’s bantering off.
“That’s in a different book I found in Ella’s tent. All about some weird chest and a ritual that would need to be performed in order to get rid of Slayer completely, but it’s vague, complicated and frankly, we would have to find the Council in order to even begin to get things in place to do it.” Ambrosia answered, taking a small book from her bag that Jewel saw was named The Worlds Around Us, and placing it on the ground next to her. “But what I wanted to show Girlie now is about being a Keeper of Tempus. We can look at the Slayer-other worlds-meet with the Council-thing later.” The Vampiress answered vaguely while delicately flipping through the Tome’s gold-trimmed pages. “Ah, here it is.” She said spinning the Tome around towards Jewel.
Jewel gingerly moved the Tome closer to her, so she could read its contents, but when her hand made contact a small jolt of power rushed through Jewel’s body. She removed her hand and hesitantly attempted to move the book closer to herself again, and this time the power was more of a thrum. It was an odd sensation, but Jewel tried to ignore it as she found the title, Keeper of Tempus, in the middle of the first page and began to read the contents. Jewel noticed a symbol right underneath the words, Keeper of Tempus, that was an hourglass shape with a horizontal jagged line cutting through the middle. She had no idea what it meant but could only assume it was showing how someone with that ability had the power to freeze time.
Jewel read on as the Tome went on to explain more about what a Keeper of Tempus meant and what it entailed. Jewel went through the pages twice, attempting to glean as much understanding as she could, and when she was finished, she used her telekinesis powers to float the Tome back to Ambrosia, her body feeling shaky from all the power she had experienced from the Tome. She could only compare how she was feeling to the aftereffects of drinking a gallon of the strongest coffee in the worlds in a very short amount of time.
“Well, Gem.” Frost began. “What does it say?”
“From what I read, I think there are four main points.” Jewel started as she counted off on her fingers. “The first is that freezing time can be tricky and how far and how long will depend on the Keeper’s level of power and control. The second is that a Keeper of Tempus can not only freeze time, but speed it up. However, there’s a warning about doing that due to the third point I gathered from what I read- which is that a Keeper can freeze or speed time up, but has no power over rewinding time, or visiting the future. So, in the event that I was to try and speed time up, there would be no turning back the clock, pun fully intended, and at that point, the future would be the present. Yeah, I think I’ll try really hard not to do that. I’d kind of like to experience my life in normal speed. Pretty sure everyone else wants to as well.”
“Agreed, Spitfire.” Rain said. “So, o-kay- no speeding up time and time travel’s a no-go.”
“Yep.” Jewel agreed.
“What’s the fourth point, Green?” Galadriel asked, his brow furrowed.
“The fourth point is that a Keeper of Tempus doesn’t just give someone the power over time. It also gives the power over space, which means that a Keeper will have the ability to access portals and travel between worlds.” Jewel finished.
“And that, Girlie, is why I’m so excited. You, being a Keeper of Tempus is how we are going to get rid of Slayer and gain some allies in the process so that we can defeat Gertrude, the Horde, Shade, and his Dispatchers.” Ambrosia said excitedly, her fangs showing clearly through her smile. “Which brings us to the next book.” She said as she picked up the book that she had placed next to her a few minutes prior. “This book, The Worlds Around Us, has information about the worlds that are separate from ours. The authors, Willow and Sienna Vistore traveled to the worlds outlined in this book, and they recorded everything from landscape, to inhabitants, to customs and traditions, to portal locations, to types of government, to cuisine. It’s all in here.”
“Well, that’s great, but how exactly is that going to help us gain allies?” Zephyr asked dubiously. “It’s not as though our group has a lot to offer, and how do we know that the beings in these other worlds will sympathize with us? For all we know, they might agree with Shade or want to absorb Jewel’s powers like Gertrude. We could be walking into a much more dangerous situation than we are already facing, is my only point.”
“T
hat’s true, but how do we know unless we try.” Jade pointed out.
“I agree with Troll.” Sage said, sending Jade a wink. “And who knows? We might even find some of the missing ingredients to the potion for Jewel’s dad while we’re in those different worlds as well.”
“Not to mention the fact that we might be able to get rid of Slayer once and for all while we’re at it.” Jewel quickly said. “That’s where this elusive Council is supposed to be, right? In the other worlds, and they’re the ones who lost Slayer in the first place, so I say we take this stupid thing back to them and let them deal with it.”
“I think it’s a no-brainer then. We study the book, find out how to open the portals to the different realms, and see what happens.” Jewel stated, seeing that almost everyone was nodding in agreement. Everyone but Frost, Rain, and Zephyr.
“I personally think this is a horrible idea. We should stay here where it’s safe until we can come up with something more solid.” Zephyr stated, folding his arms over his chest as his aura pulsed yellow.
“I know you’re worried about Raindrop, but this is the best plan we have. We can’t continue to hide here.” Jewel replied.
“Well, I’ll agree to this, but only if everyone in the group is privy to what the plan is.” Frost announced. “I think it needs to be a decision that everyone has a part of.”
“But, that is-” Jewel started before Frost held his hand up for her to stop.
“I know what you’re going to say, Gem. And I understand why you feel the way that you do but give the Protectors a chance to prove that they can stand behind your idea.” Frost said.
“And if they shut it down? What then?” Jewel asked, quirking her head to the side. “Will you stand with us, or will you try and stop us?”
“Either way it goes, I am with you Gem.” Frost said sincerely. “I’m always with you.”
Jewel gave him a small nod, turned, and looked directly at each member of the group that was present. “And how about everyone else here? Does everyone agree to this plan of traveling to other worlds? It could be dangerous as we have no idea what kind of welcome we might get so I would completely understand if some of you decided to stay back, but I need to know who is with me before I speak with the Protectors.”
The Council Page 4