The Council

by Phoenix Willow

  Jewel looked at Queen Nerissa like she had grown an extra head. She had no idea what anyone was talking about, and she felt like if someone didn’t tell her soon that she was going to explode. She looked at Alki and Callidora, both of whom were staring back at her with equal amounts of disdain and disappointment.

  “Care to fill me in on why everyone is so angry with me?” Jewel asked the two whom she had seemed to get along with the best on her last visit.

  Callidora snorted. “As if you didn’t know.” She said in an accusatory tone.

  “I really thought you would be the one that could help us.” Alki said, his head dipping down just slightly before shaking back and forth slowly.

  “Someone had better tell me what’s going on right now.” Jewel demanded, her temper getting the better of her. “We have just been through a literal Hell and all I want is to get the potion you promised me to fix my Dad, so someone start talking or we are all going to have a problem.”

  “More threats.” Alki growled, slamming his hands on the table. “Is that all you are capable of? Threats of violence and violence itself? And now you have brought that same energy to all our worlds. You are no unifier. You are a destroyer.”

  Callidora, however, got up and made her way to Jewel cautiously, her lithe figure once again making it appear as though she were floating instead of taking actual steps. She cocked her head to the side as she bent down and looked directly in Jewel’s eyes. Callidora’s pale blue eyes swirled and she gasped a second later, staggering back a few steps and shaking her head back and forth in what Jewel could only assume was disbelief.

  “You really got rid of the Ancient Corruptible?” Callidora stated in a questioning type of way.

  “Yes.” Jewel said exasperatedly. “Which is why I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  “She has been to the Peak and before that in the Human world. There’s no way she could have been doing what we have seen. And she has been in contact with the Guardians of the Light. We have been deceived into thinking she is a monster. She is still on our side.” Callidora announced, looking at Jewel with a bit of an awe-struck expression.

  “You can’t be serious!” King Jazere began. “You expect us to believe that that girl was visited by the Guradians of the Light? You truly think that what we have seen with our own eyes is not true.” He shook his head. “You have been tricked by this abomination. Not once, but twice, Ghoul Queen.”

  Callidora’s face morphed into one of pure rage. “I may have been tricked, but it wasn’t today. My powers show me truth, and the truth is that Jewel has not done any of what we thought she had. She hasn’t even been to the locations where things have been going awry.”

  “Are you certain?” Alki asked hopefully.

  “I am.” Callidora stated.

  “You are both fools, and I won’t allow that evil, conniving girl to leave here today.” King Jazere stated as he stood.

  “Nor will I.” Queen Nerissa agreed, standing next to King Jazere. “Not after what she did to my Finley.”

  “And we can’t allow you to keep her here, and we won’t.” Callidora said, facing off against Queen Nerissa and King Jazere.

  Alki moved around the table and placed his mountain-sized body between Jewel and the others. The only one who hadn’t moved was the woman in the cloak, opting instead to pretend as though nothing was happening which Jewel thought was both weird and annoying.

  “I believe Callidora. If she says it is not Jewel, then we are in even more trouble than we thought. There is an imposter and they are completely filled with Darkness. It won’t be long before Gertrude and Shade are able to complete the spell, binding the darkness to all our worlds and placing Malum as ruler of all in the process.” Alki stated.

  “Don’t you dare say that name here. You know that to say his name is as good as calling upon him.” King Jazere said, fear showing in his eyes.

  “Yes, well. I’m merely stating facts.” Alki shrugged.

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. Jazere and I have already granted Gertrude her request at an alliance. She has promised to keep our worlds out of the melee, should we agree. We don’t even have to fight. We only have to stay out of things, and although she may have some ways about her that I don’t personally agree with, the alternative is no option at all.” Queen Nerissa said as she motioned to Jewel.

  “But you can’t!” Jewel said, moving around Alki’s muscular form. “You can’t do that! Gertrude doesn’t care about you. She only wants more power and control so she can get revenge on everyone and everything. She won’t hold up her end of the bargain. She can’t be trusted.”

  “It is done, you evil piece of filth.” Queen Nerissa spat. “If you had any decency in you, which I know you don’t, but if you did you would undo what you did to my Finley.”

  Jewel shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Of course, you don’t.” Queen Nerissa rolled her eyes. “Jazere….I’m done talking.”

  “As am I.” King Jazere agreed right before he screamed for his guards and threw some cirrus cloud-looking matter at Jewel.

  The cloaked woman disappeared as Callidora began floating. She let out a scream that was such a horrible, ear-splitting sound that everyone began covering their ears. Alki pushed Jewel to the floor and flipped the table towards Queen Nerissa and King Finley.

  “Go, dear one.” Alki said with urgency. “Go and seek out the Seer that can only be found when one is split in two.”

  Jewel didn’t need to be told twice. The Council was in a full-on war between themselves, and Jewel could tell there was no more trying to talk. It was done. There would be no more ready-made potion to get for her dad, she would just have to get the needed ingredients herself. There would also be no more alliance with the Council as three of six were definitely working with Gertrude now. She did have Callidora and Alki on her side though, so that was something. And perhaps the cloaked woman would be a possibility, although by the looks of things, when the chocolate sauce hit the fan, she ran. But even still, Jewel hadn’t lost all hope. And with that last thought, Jewel opened the portal from Jinnia to the only place she had truly felt at peace- the Lost Meadow.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Seeking Truth

  “Uh, Green?” Galadriel said as Jewel closed the portal behind her. “Should we be here?”

  “Probably not, but I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.” Jewel admitted. “Sage? Can you check to see if we’re alone?”

  Sage nodded and said a few spells, smiling a few minutes later, as he announced, “All clear. Maybe Ella was too scared to come back.”

  Rain’s eyes flashed. “She should be.”

  “So, what now?” Zephyr asked as he placed his arm around Rain’s shoulders.

  “Now, we find the Seer and try and sort out what it is that has everyone thinking I’m the bad guy. Well, more than just the usual, ‘she’s a Hybrid and an Immune’ business.”

  Rain placed her hand on her hip. “And how are we going to do that, Spitfire?”

  “Well, it’s really not a matter of how we are going to do anything. It’s more a matter of me and what I need to do.” Jewel responded.

  “You can’t be serious, Green. I agree that we need to figure out what’s happened, but how is you going off by yourself going to help anyone?” Galadriel scoffed.

  “Because she isn’t going to go off by herself. She’s going to be right here, well at least her physical form will be.” Foster pointed out.

  “Exactly.” Jewel smiled.

  “Ah, that’s what the big guy meant.” Sage grinned.

  “Seek the Seer when one is split in two. Clever.” Zephyr mused.

  Seeing that Rain was two seconds away from losing her melon, Jewel explained. “I have to use my astral projection to reach whoever this Seer is.”

  Rain’s mouth formed an ‘O’ as understanding took hold, but Galadriel was obviously still not happy about the whole thing and was wearing
a scowl that could put Frost to shame.

  “At least you know the plan, Trickster.” Jewel said.

  “Doesn’t mean that I like it, but I guess this is as good a place as any to do something completely reckless.” Galadriel quipped.

  Jewel gave a half-shrug and sat on the spongy moss-covered ground. The potion she had ingested from the strangest peak must have still been working, because she somehow knew exactly what to do. Calming her body and clearing her mind of all the clutter took a few minutes, but once that was done, she allowed her astral projection powers to take hold. One minute she was sitting and the next she was looking down at herself and watching as the other’s looked on in worry and concern. All but Zephyr, that is, because he seemed more annoyed than anything else. She wanted to comfort the others and let them know she was just fine, but there wasn’t any time, and she couldn’t focus on Zephyr’s crazy mood swings either, because at the present moment, there were bigger fish to fry. She turned and walked through the Meadow, making her way to a place that held fond memories- the potion infused gemstone tree that her Dad, disguised as Hammond, had taken her to. Once there, she sat and waited, concentrating on finding the Seer, whoever that might be.

  Jewel didn’t have to wait too long, as a man appeared a few feet away mere moments after she had sat down. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and had the most beautiful ebony skin tone. His eyes were light brown, and his dreadlocks, even pulled back, were hanging down to the back of his knees. “This had better be good. I was just about ta win against my sister in a game of scrabble. I had tha perfect word too. Would ya like ta know what it was?”

  “Uh, sure.” Jewel answered, not really knowing what else to say.

  “Harmony.” The Seer smiled; His voice thick with a Caribbean accent.

  Jewel grinned back. “That is a great word to win with.”

  “It is indeed.” The Seer nodded. “But scrabble is not why ya have sought me out. So, let’s get straight ta it.”

  “I need to understand what has happened that has made everyone think I’m a monster. And I need to know how to stop the Darkness.”

  “Na, ya don’t.” The Seer stated simply. “What ya need is an understanding of why tings are unfolding as they are. Only then will ya truly know how ta keep tha Darkness from completely taking over. Ya see, there is a bit of Darkness in all of us. It is what tha Humans refer ta as ‘Human nature’. It is why there is crime, sadness, and rage. But when someone allows tha Darkness ta rule their lives, then that’s when it takes ova.”

  “But isn’t that what’s happening now?” Jewel asked in confusion.

  “Wit some, but not all. Tha Light still shines bright. But it will not continue ta do so if Gertrude succeeds in her task for Malum, which is ta make him ruler of all worlds- Human and Magical alike.”

  “But why is she trying to do that? What does she stand to gain?” Jewel asked.

  “Her world, which is power and Shade Sterling, himself. Now, it wouldn’t be true love by any means, but she would gain tha things she wants tha most, as would he.”

  “Because he wants power and she wants him.” Jewel muttered.

  “Exactly.” The Seer nodded. “But in tha process of gaining what they want, they will ultimately destroy tha worlds. Tha only way to stop them is ta keep them from completing the quest that has been given ta them. You have put a hitch in their plans by getting rid of tha Ancient Corruptible, but there are still other ways ta spread the Darkness. They seek to do Malum’s bidding, but I tink they truly believe that they will be able ta overthrow Malum when all is said and done. However, Malum may be many things, but a fool is not one of them, which Gertrude and Shade will find out, sooner or later.” The Seer paused a moment, his eyes glowing before continuing on, “I See two separate outcomes, both of which are based on a form of sacrifice. And both, I’m afraid, are laden with loss.”

  “Whose loss?” Jewel asked tentatively.

  “Yours.” The Seer said with sadness in his light brown eyes.

  “What can I do to stop them?”

  “Fight against tha Darkness, no matter what ya learn in tha coming days and what transpires. It will be difficult, but if ya let tha Darkness take over, tha worlds will be doomed.”

  “How can I fight something with little to no allies? The Council is a mess and they are supposed to be the one’s who can help us.” Jewel said in frustration.

  “Not everyone on tha Council is a foe, if I’m correct. Find tha allies that ya can, for in order ta break through tha Darkness, you will need much Light, and tha Light I refer ta is something that can only be found witin. Find those with Light within and when ya face against those with Darkness, ya will not lose. And don’t believe everything that is said ta ya, because Malum is just as powerful at deceiving as he is wit spreading discord.” The Seer said. “Now, I’m afraid I must be getting back. My Sister is known to cheat.” He chuckled. “Good luck, Sovereign. I am lookin forward ta seeing how this plays out.” He winked before disappearing.

  Jewel allowed herself a few minutes to sit under the tree, pondering everything that had been said and everything that she was going to need to do. A plan came to mind. It was risky and would involve the entire group, so she quickly made her way back to her physical form and allowed herself to become one again.

  Ending astral projection was always a jolting experience, but Jewel wasted no time filling the others in on what the Seer had said.

  “Chocolate covered potato chips.” Rain said, crunching on exactly what she had muttered. “This whole thing just keeps getting deeper and deeper doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it does.” Jewel said quietly. “And honestly, I feel like we’ve only encountered the tip of the iceberg.”

  “Oh, come on ladies!” Galadriel stated, passion in his voice. “You both need to see the silver lining here. We have a name. We know who’s pulling the strings. We are rid of Slayer, and Green can go anywhere now without having to worry about wearing a potion necklace. I say we’ve done pretty good and have a lot to smile about, so turn those frowns upside down.”

  Jewel couldn’t help but smile at Galadriel who was now making goofy expressions. “Trickster’s right, Raindrop. We gotta look at the positives here.”

  Rain forced a smile but swatted at Galadriel who tried to dip one of the potato chips into her can of chocolate sauce. “Oh, I can do that. But what I’m most positive about is the fact that Trickster is going to lose that hand of his if he tries to steal my chocolate sauce again.” She said with a smirk.

  Galadriel laughed, and put his hands up in an ‘I surrender’ type of way.

  “Okay, so what next, Spitfire?” Rain asked before popping another chocolate covered chip into her mouth.

  “Next, I think we need to head back to Frost and Jade and check on my Dad. Then, we need to head to Weatheropolis, because we are going to need to gain intel and a lot of allies if we are going to take on Malum. Gertrude and Shade were bad enough, but now that we know they aren’t even the leaders of this whole thing, we are going to need numbers on our side, because I don’t know what all Malum is capable of, but we know he is some kind of Hybrid who uses an individual’s fears and darkest desires against them, and I have a feeling that his power is much more controlled than mine is right now.” Jewel admitted.

  “Then back to the Hospitable Suite we go, Green.” Galadriel said.

  “And then to Weatheropolis.” Sage added, a dreamy expression forming on his face.

  Galadriel snorted. “Yeah. That too buddy, although I have a feeling that you’re more excited to go there because a certain Vampiress is waiting and not because you want to help rally the troops.”

  “Well, it’s not as if I’ve been able to be with my romantic interest this whole time like some other’s I know.” Sage said, shooting Galadriel a knowing look that made Galadriel temporarily mute.

  Jewel just rolled her eyes and reached out her hands for everyone to grab. She was ready to get back and check on her Dad, that was tru
e, but she missed Frost. Everything about Frost, his smell, his scowl, and mostly the way that when he held her, everything bad about her world simply melted away. Yep. The saying absence makes the heart grow fonder, had proven itself to be true. He had been with her through thick and thin, and she knew there was more there than just friendship- at least for her. She would just have to get the courage to ask if it was more for him too, because he was hot and cold and even with Jewel’s empathy powers, he was still hard to read when his emotions said one thing, but his actions screamed another.

  “Uh, before we go, I had a question for you.” Sage directed to Jewel.

  Jewel dropped her hands and waited for Sage to continue. He fumbled around in his bag, until he pulled something out that had Jewel gasping.

  Sage held up a beautiful ring. It was a gold and silver mixed band that was woven together like rope, and at the very top it had a beautiful piece of amethyst that sparkled in the sunlight and glistened as the potion inside swirled around. “I made it for Ambrosia. I want to give it to her as an engagement ring.” He paused, a shy smile forming on his lips. “I want her to be my wife.”

  “Oh, my buckets! I think that’s amazing, Sage.” Jewel said, her heart overflowing with happiness for her friend standing before her and for Ambrosia who had no idea yet what was about to happen.

  “Well, the reason I’m telling you this now, is I wanted to get your permission to ask for Ambrosia’s hand.” Sage explained.

  Jewel paused, unsure of why he was asking her. “I’m not really sure what to say? Aren’t the parents supposed to be the ones who give permission for this sort of thing?”

  Sage nodded. “Yes, but Ambrosia’s family was killed by the Horde and you are the Sovereign and throughout history, royals and leaders of nations and worlds have been given the opportunity to give their blessing for countless men- Human and Magical- to ask their loves for their hand in marriage.” He explained, before pausing a moment. “Now, I know others have said it, but I really do believe you are the Sovereign. I believe you are the one that will bring all the worlds together, because quite frankly, I don’t think there is anyone else that could do the job. And aside from that, you are like family to both myself and Ambrosia, so I feel like it’s only right to get your permission to move forward.”