The Council

by Phoenix Willow

  Jewel fell against the base of the tree and let out a wail so loud and so full of power that the very ground shook with her grief. She couldn’t come to terms with what had just happened. Her mind couldn’t begin to process that Winter was really gone, but Jewel had been there. She had seen it happen. Winter had been innocent, and because of Jewel, she had lost her life.

  Jewel laid under that tree for what seemed like hours, curled into a ball and grieving the loss of someone who had been like a mother to her. Wanting nothing more than to lay there and sleep to try and chase the pain away….at least for a little while.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Zebra Stripes

  Jewel had fallen asleep under the tree at some point, and when she awakened it was night. She heard a voice calling her name, but she didn’t want to be found. From the second her eyes had opened, the pain and realization that Winter was gone hit her all over again. Jewel felt numb. Numb to caring. Numb to anything other than the all-consuming pain she was experiencing. Wanting nothing more than to reverse time and trade her own life for Winter’s. Or to take Ella out of the equation before anything bad could have happened to begin with.

  Ella. The one responsible for what had happened with Winter. Ella. The one who would have killed Jewel if not for Winter’s sacrifice. Jewel sat up as she thought about the Elemental responsible for Winter’s death, and little by little, another feeling started warring against Jewel’s grief, and that feeling was pure and unadulterated rage.

  Jewel sat up and knew that what she was going to do. She was going to find Ella and make her feel the same type of pain that she had caused with her ignorance. If it went against the Prophecy or if it tarnished her spirit in some way, then so be it. There was no way that Jewel could peacefully live in any world knowing that Ella still breathed when Winter no longer did. It was clear what needed to be done. But getting everyone on board was going to be an issue. It didn’t matter though. She knew that at least Rain would be, and that was good enough for Jewel.

  The voice calling Jewel’s name got closer, and the closer it got to her, the more Jewel allowed the rage she felt to overpower the grief, hardening her heart to a point where she was at least able to breathe a bit more. The grief was stifling, and unless she pushed it down- way, way, down- she would never be able to avenge Winter. And avenger her, Jewel would.

  “There you are, Green.” Galadriel breathed a sigh of relief. “We’ve been looking for you for hours.”

  Jewel shrugged apathetically. “Well, here I am.”

  Galadriel narrowed his brown eyes, and held out a hand to help Jewel up, but she didn’t take it. “O-kay. Mind telling me why you’re acting so weird.”

  “How should I be acting, Trickster?” Jewel challenged, tilting her head to the side and quirking her eyebrow up in question. “How should one act in this type of a situation?”

  “I mean, well, there’s no right or wrong way, but I know you and you are not yourself right now.” Galadriel observed.

  “Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that someone I loved deeply, someone that was like a mother to me just died.” Jewel said, her voice monotone as she tried her hardest to not feel anything but the anger. The grief was trying to overpower it, but Jewel couldn’t let that happen. If she did, she would curl into a ball and not be able to function, which was less than helpful.

  “You’re planning something. Something to get back at Ella.” Galadriel stated as he sat next to Jewel. Letting out a long sigh, he continued, “I understand how you’re feeling, Green. I do. But you’re not the only one hurting right now. Rain is beside herself with the loss of her mom and now she’s worried about where you’ve gone. She doesn’t blame you, Green. No one does. And I know how much Winter meant to you. The level of pain you’re experiencing has got to be off the charts but remember that you still have a family that cares about you. You have all of us. We all know the risks of being here, but it doesn’t matter. You are loved more than you know.” He said, pausing for a moment. “Remember, Winter did what she did because she loved you. Not because she was a Protector, and not because it was the right thing to do. She did it out of love.” He stated, and Jewel felt her resolve to feel only anger melting just a bit. “It isn’t your fault that there are Gertrude’s, Shade’s, Manti’s, and Ella’s in the worlds, Green. They are the ones with the problem. They are the problem, and we will do everything in our power to help you in making that problem go away.”

  “Ella has to die, Trickster.” Jewel said, her voice choking a little. “I can’t let her live knowing that she killed Winter. I just can’t.”

  Galadriel placed his arm around Jewel’s shoulders and pulled her close. Jewel let her head fall on his shoulder, and the tears that she had tried so desperately to keep away started flowing freely once again.

  “I can’t let anyone else get hurt because of me. Don’t you see Galadriel? This is my worst fear. That someone I love will get hurt or worse because of who and what I am. And that is exactly what keeps happening. My Dad sacrificed himself for me and he’s living in a tomb of ice. Winter sacrificed herself for me and she’s gone now. Who’s going to be next? Because make no mistake. Anyone who is around me will eventually end up in the same predicament. It’s inevitable with as many that want me captured or dead.” Jewel said as she held her head in her hands. “Maybe Ella was right about one thing……….how can I be the one from the prophecy, the one to unite the worlds if I cause so much division along the way? I really think that everyone might have it wrong.”

  Galadriel turned to face Jewel and recited the prophecy, line by line.

  “Two in One, impervious, unmatched.

  Born in a time of division, that she alone can quell.

  Darkness and Light will war against the other both outside and in.

  Struggle, conflict, loss, and heartbreak,

  Endured by One as she is hunted by those with tarnished hearts and minds.

  Trust in a few, but do not overlook the signs, for friends may be foe, and foes may be friends.

  Choices will have to be made along the way,

  Whether they are wise or foolish, selfish or kind, or made purely for personal gain will determine every worlds’ fate.

  For each decision made will affect all and result in the peace or the destruction of worlds.”

  “I know the prophecy, Galadriel.” Jewel groaned.

  “I know you do, Green. So how can you have doubts about the fact that you are the one that the prophecy is referring to. Seems pretty cut and dry to me.” Galadriel said, his eyebrow lifting a bit. “It clearly states that you are going to experience struggle, conflict, loss and heartbreak. I’d say what happened with your Dad and Winter’s death more than qualifies as that. It states that you will have to go through it because of those with tarnished minds and hearts. Again, I think it’s an obvious nod to individuals like Gertrude, my Dad, Manti, Ella, the Dispatchers, and the list goes on. But what you have got to know, Green, is that I will stand with you no matter what you decide to do. And so will everyone else in our group. And I’m not going to tell you what you should do, but I will offer something for you to think about.” He said, turning to look Jewel directly in the eyes, before lifting his hand and running his thumb over the gem shaped mark under Jewel’s eye. It reminded Jewel of what Winter had done only hours earlier, although unlike Winter, the way Galadriel was caressing the mark was definitely not in a motherly or brotherly way. Jewel was too shocked by the way that Galadriel was cupping her face as he rubbed the spot where the mark was to say anything, and she was captivated by what he might say next. He wasn’t one for a lot of serious chit chat, but it felt like he was going to impart some knowledge that Jewel needed to be open to. Dropping his hand, he looked Jewel directly in the eyes and said, “Make your decision based on what is best and not what feels the best in this moment. I know you want to kill Ella for what she did and believe me when I say you’re not the only one. But…..if that creates a ripple effect that makes it
impossible to bring peace and unity to the worlds as the prophecy states, won’t that diminish the sacrifice Winter just made?”

  Jewel sat back and mulled over what Galadriel had said. Her first reaction was to lash out and destroy Ella and anyone else who posed a threat to her or her friends, but the more she sat and thought about it, the more she realized how selfish that would be. Her Dad and Winter had made a sacrifice so that one day Jewel could help bring peace to the worlds, and the only way to do that was to do the right thing, which was extremely hard, make no mistake. Because if Jewel wanted to, she could just take everyone out that might be a problem, but that would make her unfit to lead because it would make her no better and put her in the same category as Gertrude and Shade.

  With a sigh, Jewel shook her head. “I know what you’re saying is right, but I just don’t know how to move forward from this. Winter was the glue that held us together. She was the one that had me second guessing my impulsive decisions before I could do something stupid, and now she’s gone. And I don’t know how to let Ella live after what she’s done. She deserves to die, and it’s not as if we can just put her in the Pentadentiary. We have no access and besides that, Shade would just let her out.”

  “Then maybe we have to look into an alternative. Some sort of holding cell for those we capture that can’t be allowed to walk free.” Galadriel said thoughtfully.

  “But where?” Jewel asked.

  “Not sure, but I bet someone in the group might know. Maybe the new guy, Storm.” Galadriel shrugged.

  “Wait. Storm? Storm Smith? He’s here?” Jewel said, jumping to her feet.

  “Uh, yeah.” Galadriel stated as he stood up.

  “But why? And how? And wh-” Jewel started, but Galadriel put his hand up to stop her.

  “After you disappeared, quite a few things went down. Rayon and Brutus left with the Pixie and his wife. They gave Foster a crystal that is supposed to be able to help us locate them if we need their help. Rayon said the first thing he is going to do is find Iridessa and start formulating a plan to fight Shade and retake Faeville. Brutus is going to help him with that and then with the help of the Fairies, is going back to the Elven world to reclaim his throne. The Pixie man and his wife are going along for the ride so to speak. The Pixie wife seemed much more excited than her husband, however.” Galadriel chuckled, brown eyes twinkling in amusement. “She kept going on and on about how wonderful it was to be a part of such an operation. And how eager she is to get revenge on the Pixie Monarch for his mistreatment of her husband and the Pixies in general. Ryker, Zekiel, and my Mom left a little while ago to get Storm and to bring him here.” He said, pausing, a bit of uncertainty crossing his features. “They brought him here to induct Frost into the Protectors, Green.”

  “Oh.” Jewel said, feeling as though the air had been knocked out of her. She had known it would happen eventually, but to happen so fast was a bit shocking, not to mention the fact that Galadriel had just confirmed another Protector’s identity that she hadn’t known about before. “I see.”

  “It’s not a bad thing, Green. I mean, I’ll be doing the same thing at some point, you know, when my Mom steps down from her position.” Galadriel said. “It doesn’t change anything, well no I guess it does change some things, but it will give Frost an extra boost of power, so he’ll be able to help keep your Dad in the frozen state that Winter had put him in until we retrieve the rest of the ingredients for the potion.”

  Jewel sucked in air. Her Dad’s condition hadn’t even crossed her mind, but thankfully Frost would be able to help keep him frozen. Losing Winter and her Dad would have made it impossible for Jewel to keep going, or to keep going in a rational way. But on the flip side, she felt a little sad for Frost that he had agreed to become a Protector to begin with. She had never been sold on the idea that either he or Galadriel should become a part of the group, but it seemed that reality was going to come much quicker than anticipated. And Galadriel saying that it wouldn’t change much was completely untrue. It changed everything. It wasn’t like a 9 to 5 job that you could come and go from as you pleased. It was going to consume every aspect of their lives, and Jewel never wanted that much responsibility to be placed on her friends. But knowing the two boys, she knew they would probably do the same things anyway, so it wasn’t an argument she wanted to have with Galadriel at the moment. No. She would wait until another time to try and at least convince Galadriel that he shouldn’t become one. No need to talk with Frost, because what was done was done……not really anything she could do at this point.

  “We should probably get back.” Jewel said quietly, closing her eyes as she breathed deeply. She couldn’t avoid the inevitable. Better to rip the bandaid off quickly, because it was going to be painful either way.

  “We can stay longer if you want.” Galadriel offered.

  Jewel shook her head. “No. We don’t have time.” She replied as she removed a few clusters of gems from the tree. “Ella knows where we are. She can come back at any time, and she’s met with one of Shade’s Dispatchers, so there’s no telling if and when she would let him accompany her here. We can’t take the chance, so unfortunately this will probably be our last day here.”

  “How do you know this?” Galadriel asked, his dark brown eyes narrowing as he collected a few clusters of gems.

  “I saw it when I read your Dad’s mind back in the Pixie forest. It was a memory of him eavesdropping on a conversation between Ella and a Dispatcher that I recognized from the fight at Trellis Manor. I was going to tell Winter about it, but I never got the chance.” Jewel said, choking up at the mention of Winter’s name.

  Galadriel nodded. “Then you’re right. We need to go. And we need to go now.” He finished as he stuffed the gems into his pocket. He held out his hand for Jewel to take, and although she was hesitant, she did end up placing her hand in his. Galadriel’s aura pulsed a bright red and blue when she did, but there was no time to comment, because he teleported them back to the main camp without warning. The feeling of flight was brief, but glorious and it ended all too soon. It was one of those things that Jewel relished because it gave her a feeling of being free, if only for a little bit.

  The entire group froze as Jewel and Galadriel appeared. Rain met Jewel with an unreadable gaze. Tears were still streaming down her face, her eyes were puffy, and her aura was very similar to a zebra’s- white and black intermingling and showing Jewel that even through the pain that her friend had something up her sleeve.

  Jewel dropped her gaze, shame and a feeling of guilt smothering her as Rain moved towards her. She braced herself for what she knew was going to be an onslaught of wrath unleashed on her. Jewel felt as though it was deserved, however. Rain had lost her mom because of Jewel, so Jewel had every intention of taking whatever Rain had to dish out. So, imagine Jewel’s surprise when Rain not only didn’t let Jewel have it, but embraced her instead. Jewel tensed the first few moments, but once she relaxed into the hug, she broke.

  The two girls stood there and sobbed into each other’s shoulders. Pain wracking both of their bodies, and a feeling of absolute despair and grief being felt by both. Both knowing that nothing could fix this situation, and both knowing that they now lived to gain justice for a woman that they had both loved.

  Galadriel had excused himself during the girls’ interaction, and that was okay. Jewel knew he wasn’t that fond of emotional meltdowns and this was definitely more like an emotional explosion. Time ceased to exist as the two friends poured out their pain onto the other, and it wasn’t until someone cleared their throat that the two girls snapped back to reality.

  “I’m sorry to break this up, but I need to speak to Jewel.” A familiar voice said.

  Jewel turned around and was shocked to see Storm Smith standing there. Galadriel had told Jewel that he had come but seeing him was different and he was obviously more than a little affected by Winter’s death. His eyes were still the embodiment of his name, a deep grey color that one might see before a hurric
ane hit, and they were swirling with many emotions. His aura was white, black, and red, and Jewel wondered in that moment and not for the first time, just how close he and Winter had been.

  Jewel continued to gaze at Storm, feeling as though this moment was surreal but realizing that his presence made the situation that much more real. He looked tired. Haggard, even. There were shadows under his eyes, and even Storm’s man-bun was not as kempt as Jewel remembered it being. In fact, it appeared as though he had run his fingers through his hair several times. Perhaps he had out of his own grief.

  “I’m sorry again to interrupt, but I need to talk to Jewel about what happened regarding Ella. Skye’s son told us that you have important intel that we need, so again, I’m sorry to interrupt but it is of the utmost importance.” Storm repeated.

  “That’s okay.” Jewel sniffed, batting away a few tears that were trying to escape down her face. “What did you want to know?”

  “I need to know what was said and who it was said to.” Storm said. “And then I think we will need to leave this place. There’s no telling how soon Ella will try and return. At this point, she has got to know that what she’s done will negate her ability to continue in her Protector role. She’s probably gone back and tried to employ her own bit of protection, and we are not ready to be caught unawares.”

  Jewel nodded. “I can show you better than I can tell you, but I think it would be good for everyone to witness it. That way, everyone is kept in the loop and there’s no way to misinterpret anything.”

  “Agreed.” Storm said, motioning everyone over.

  Zephyr joined Rain, and Frost took his place on Jewel’s right side, taking her hand in his and rubbing soothing circles over her skin with his thumb. She noticed the chain around his neck that was neatly tucked under his shirt, and it made her a little sadder to know that Frost indeed had become a Protector. He didn’t seem different, but Jewel knew that the moment he had pledged his allegiance, that everything had changed.