“Very well, Father—I mean, sir.” Greg bowed.
He left with Samson, shutting the doors behind them. This man next to me was Greg’s dad. I looked at him, blinking a couple hundred times. That was such a cold greeting. He hadn’t seen his son in months. I couldn’t believe he had just dismissed him like that. There had been no emotion in the way they spoke to one another. It was all business. My dad would’ve been overjoyed to see me if I had been away for so long.
“I am Lord Steffen, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” By the way he looked at me, I think he was expecting me to say something, but I was lost for words, so he carried on talking. “Gregory has informed you of what is needed of you?”
I nodded. “Yes.” My voice came out as a squeak. I needed to get my act together. I cleared my throat. “I need to reseal Kadon.”
A stern-looking woman stood up at the other end of the table. Her greying brown hair was tied up in a tight bun. She looked like your stereotypical, strict head teacher. Everyone in the room turned to her when she spoke. “It is of great importance that you are able to do this. We understand that you are not very familiar with the magical world, but Gregory informed us that you were successful in learning sealing magic.”
I sank down into my chair, feeling out of place. “Yes.”
“That is good to hear,” said the stern woman. “I hate to put you on the spot, but do you think you could take a look at the tree now? Time is becoming scarce.”
“Um, sure.” I bit my lip. Maybe this was good. The sooner I did the spell, the sooner I could get away from here and go back home.
Steffen got up. “This way.” He showed me to a side door. I followed him, holding on to Matt and Victoria tightly.
“This is fantastic. Finally, Kadon’s dark presence will no longer be looming over us,” came a man’s voice behind us.
I clutched on to my guardians’ arms even tighter. Matt gave me an encouraging smile. Victoria rolled her eyes at me but let me keep hold of her arm. The other council members followed. We walked through another big room to another door, which led to a small garden. I walked outside and was hit by a dark shadow. It made me feel sick. In the centre of the garden was a dying tree, and dark shadows pulsated from it. This was the Tree of Time. Having Kadon inside was killing it. I tensed and took slow breaths. I needed to stay calm and not let the pressure get to me. I could do this. I had Victoria and Matt with me. What could go wrong?
“Hey, Mel, you okay?” Matt asked. “Because you’re crushing my arm.”
I didn’t answer. I was too busy staring at the tree covered in shadows. I had never felt a force like this before.
“Do you think you can seal it?” asked a water nymph.
“I only asked her to look,” came the stern woman’s voice, but I couldn’t see her. My vision began to blur. All I could see was darkness.
“Why wait?” said a different voice.
“Go on. Do it now,” said another, and then there was another voice and another. They were all pushing me to perform the spell now, but I couldn’t. Kadon’s darkness was too strong; it was overwhelming me. It made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to let anybody down, but the more they pleaded with me, the worse I felt. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t breathe.
“Just do the spell,” I told myself, but the incantation wouldn’t come. Everything I’d learned had vanished.
“Sorry, I can’t do it,” I shouted, pushing my way past them and running away.
“Mellissa, wait!” Matt yelled, but it was too late; all the pressure had gotten to me. I was in flight mode. I ran as fast as I could. Shutting my eyes, I pictured myself back home and teleported, only to be repulsed back. I fell face-first on the hard marble floor. I couldn’t get myself home. I was too far away. My heart was still racing, and my whole body was shaking. I needed to calm down.
I balled my hands on the floor and pushed myself up. I went through another archway, finding myself outside again but in a different spot. There was a water fountain with a statue at its centre. I read the plaque on it. It was a statue of Queen Freya. I looked up at her. How could I live up to her greatness? I sat on the edge of the fountain, staring at my reflection in the water. I had made a fool of myself, but I needed to go back. I smacked my reflection, causing the water to ripple. This wasn’t fair. Why did this have to be my responsibility? I sighed. Even though it was hard, I couldn’t turn my back on this.
“Mel!” Matt shouted, jogging over to me. He was out of breath. “Man, you can run fast when you go into major freak-out mode. I lost you for a bit, but I’m glad I found you.”
“Matt, I’m so sorry.” I clutched the ledge I was sat on. “I don’t know what came over me. Everyone was talking at the same time, putting pressure on me, and I couldn’t remember the incantation. I panicked. I’m so glad you’re here.” Matt sat down next to me, and I leant my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He patted my back. “It’s all right. They were really pushy. I just needed to know you were okay.”
“What must all the council members think of me?” I covered my face with my hands. “I must look like a right idiot.”
Matt put his arm round me and squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I left Vicky to deal with them.”
That didn’t make me feel any better. I wished I could handle pressure better. If it had been up to Victoria, she wouldn’t have crumbled so easily. She would have taken charge of the situation, and Kadon would have probably been resealed by now. Everyone would be happy and rejoicing in her success. She might have been stuck up, really harsh, and rude at times, but she did have some good qualities—qualities I wished I had.
“You couldn’t remember the sealing spell?” Matt asked. I nodded. “Unfortunately, sealing magic isn’t really my thing. Maybe we should find Greg. He could refresh your memory.”
“But I don’t know where he is,” I said. “I don’t even know where we are.”
“Why don’t you just teleport to him?”
“Because, like I already said, I don’t know where he is.” Matt stared at me. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t understand why this mattered, so I explained further. “Well, first, I have to picture where I want to go, so if I don’t know where he is, I can’t picture it in my head, and second, I don’t know this place. I’ve never teleported somewhere I haven’t been before.”
“Basically, what you’re saying is that you have to know where you’re going. How about instead of picturing the place you want to go, you think about the person you want to see. So when you teleport, picture materialising in front of Greg.”
“That’s actually a good idea and worth a try.” I closed my eyes to test his theory. Then, I opened them again, quickly grabbing Matt’s hand, not wanting to leave him behind. I did just as Matt suggested and pictured teleporting in front of Greg, visualising his face, his hair, his know-it-all tone and captivating eyes.
I screamed as I fell backward and was greeted by a surprised shout from another person. It was Yuri, and beside her was Samson, looking just as startled. Greg was the only one unfazed by our entrance. Matt laughed behind me.
I got up. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Where did you guys come from?” Samson asked, picking up the chair I assumed I knocked over with my landing.
“Mellissa,” said Greg. “Why aren’t you with the council?”
I spun round and gave him a fake grin. “Long story—”
“Not really,” Matt said. “Dude, you should have seen it.” Matt put his hand on Greg’s shoulder. “Mel had a crazy moment back there and went into major meltdown mode. For someone that shies away from any sort of physical activity, she sure can run when she wants to. Don’t get me wrong, those council guys were proper pushy, like…” Matt explained everything while not really explaining anything at all—except for the fact that I was a crazy person.
“Gee thanks, Matt.” I made a face at him. “It’s not as bad as he makes
it sound. I think. Anyway, what actually happened was…” I went on to tell Greg, Samson, and Yuri what happened. Once finished, I realised it was as bad as Matt had made it sound.
“I’m sorry they put you on the spot like that. They are not usually that pushy. They are just desperate for this to be over,” Greg said. “How about we go over the spell again? You can do this. You just cracked under pressure.”
Maybe I could turn this around. “Thanks for understanding.”
He was completely right. I had performed the spell before during practice. I was just suffering a case of performance anxiety. Greg went over the incantation with me again and then a second time when I insisted. In the meantime, Matt took Greg’s place in the card game we had interrupted. At least one of us was having fun.
“Are you going to go back and talk to the council members?” Greg asked. “Maybe you could suggest waiting till morning, when Kadon’s power isn’t as strong.”
“Only if you come with me,” I said, holding out my hand.
“But I was dismissed. I can’t just walk into a council meeting.”
I crossed my arms. “I’m not going then.”
“Hey, as future queen, doesn’t she have some sort of authority over you?” Matt asked without turning his gaze away from the cards in his hand.
“Well, technically, I guess she sort of does,” Greg replied.
“I wish I had known that when you were bossing me about during our magic lessons.” I smiled smugly, putting my hand out to him again. “Well then, with whatever authority I have, I order you to come with me.”
“It doesn’t quite work like that, but fine, I will come.” He took hold of my hand.
“And you, Matt,” I said, holding out my other hand. He threw his cards down on the table and hurried over, taking my other hand. I teleported us back into the council room where we had started out.
“What is with you and landing on tables?” Matt shouted.
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I replied more quietly than him. We had landed in the centre of the oval table all the council members were sat around.
“At least you didn’t break this one.”
“What on earth is the meaning of this?” cried a member of the council.
“It was all her,” Matt said, pointing at me. He was quick to throw blame on me.
I widened my eyes and gritted my teeth. Greg apologised to the council members for our unconventional arrival while bowing. He led us off the table and went on to explain how I had gone to him for assistance.
“It is good of you to return, Mellissa. Are you ready to proceed now?” Steffen asked.
“Yes. I mean…” I started. I was annoyed that my words were not coming as easily as I had hoped. “I’m sorry for running off like that with no warning. I totally freaked, but I found Greg. I had a memory lapse, so we went over the spell. I was thinking that maybe, like, Kadon’s presence is, like, really wow at the moment.” I spoke fast, slurring my words, explaining things just as badly as Matt had to Greg—maybe more so. They all looked at me like I was speaking another language. I hung my head.
Greg stepped forward. “Basically, what Mellissa is trying to say is that she will perform the sealing spell in the morning, when Kadon’s presence isn’t as strong. It is well known the moon crystal’s power is at its peak at night. This will also give me more time to go over the spell with her.” Why hadn’t I been able to say something like that? Instead, I’d rambled and added to their bad impression of me.
“This is ridiculous,” cried a water nymph. “We have camps of people all over the city on guard for if Kadon escapes. We’ve waited long enough. We need to get this done.”
“I know we are all anxious,” Steffen said, “but is it not better that it is done correctly than rushed?”
“Yes, we wouldn’t want the girl to make a mistake,” said another councilman.
They were talking about me like I wasn’t even there, making me feel worse in the process. The discussion was dominated by six council members, who had a golden broach pinned to their robes. I assumed this meant they had higher roles on the council. Greg had mentioned something about his dad being a senior member.
“Very well, you shall perform the spell after sunrise,” said the stern-faced woman from earlier. Her robes were more regal than the others. I assumed from this, and by the way she spoke, that she was in charge of the assembly. “We shall meet again in the morning, and there will be no running off this time. As you are here, Gregory, you can show the keeper and her guardians to their temporary quarters.”
“As you wish, Lady Gabrielle.” Greg bowed to her and then led us out of the room. That was Lady Gabrielle? But she had seemed so nice on Greg’s phone call.
Victoria rejoined us. As soon as we were out of the council’s earshot, she began insulting me. She was not happy about being left with the council members to answer all their questions and attempt to reassure them that I wasn’t completely insane, which she had found difficult to do as she wasn’t completely convinced herself. I apologised and told her it wouldn’t happen again.
We arrived at our sleeping quarters. They were pretty fancy, like the rest of the building. Victoria’s face lit up when she saw the four-poster bed. As Greg was showing the other two where everything was and what amenities were available, I peered out in the corridor and made sure we were all alone. Once satisfied, I shut the door. “Guys, we need to go seal Kadon now.”
Mellissa
They all stopped in their tracks and stared at me like I had just sprouted wings. No one said a word.
“We need to go and seal Kadon,” I repeated.
“What happened to waiting till morning?” Victoria asked. “I’ve had enough of your crazy mood swings.”
“I have been thinking—”
“It’s never good when you say that,” Matt said.
“Hey, hear me out. I was thinking about what happened earlier. You guys were right. It’s not that I don’t know the spell; I just cracked under pressure. All those council members watching me was the problem. Also, that water nymph was right—the sooner we get this done, the better. I think now is the best time to act, while everyone thinks we’re in bed. I can do this with you guys as my backup, but only you guys.”
They looked at me. All that filled the silence was the clock ticking on the wall. I knew the council thought I was crazy, but hopefully my team hadn’t lost faith in me. Victoria had a point—I was all over the place, and my decisions lately hadn’t been the best, but I was sure this time. Now was the time to act. Without the overbearing presence of the council, I could do this.
Victoria rolled her eyes as she walked toward me. “Annoyingly, your logic makes sense.”
Matt took hold of my arm. “If it’s what you want to do, I’m in, so let’s get teleporting.”
Victoria took my other arm.
“You’re all crazy,” Greg said with his arms folded.
“That is hardly news,” I replied. “Are you coming?”
“I’m not one of your guardians.”
“Since when has that stopped you from saving me?”
The side of his mouth twitched, as if holding back a smile, as he came to join us. Holding onto everyone, I teleported us back to the garden, where the Tree of Time stood at its centre.
Instantly, we were hit by a dark shadow. I couldn’t see what was in front of me. The dark energy had grown significantly in only a few hours. Strong winds blew us back. Shadows whipped around the courtyard. I screamed as one caught my hand, sending a burning sensation through my body. A barrier appeared around us. Greg stood with his arms stretched out.
“Kadon must have sensed your presence earlier and is putting everything he has into escaping,” yelled Greg over the swirling sound of the wind.
This was my fault. I had taken too long to get here. Kadon was about to escape. Cracks began to appear in the barrier. “Mellissa, a little help,” yelled Greg. “I can only hold this on my own for so long.”
&nbs
p; I shook my arms out. Now wasn’t the time for beating myself up; I had to act. I threw my arms up and reinforced the barrier, just how Greg had shown me in the past. We pushed our way through the darkness. As we approached the tree, the barrier began to crack again.
“The barrier won’t hold much longer,” I shouted.
“Just be ready to grab that tree and start the spell,” Matt yelled. “We’ll protect you.”
Victoria and Matt stood on either side of me, hands out, ready to strike. As the barrier cracked, heat erupted at my left, and ice exploded from the right. I lunged forward, placing my hand on the tree. The coldness of the tree sent a shock wave through my body. As I began the spell, a circle of light appeared around my hand and at my feet. It swirled around, forming shapes I’d never seen before. This wasn’t at all like what happened in practice. I was halfway through the spell when something curled up my outstretched arm. I screamed as a shadow burned my skin. I was yanked away from the tree and thrown to the ground. Pain surged through me. I had to keep going. Using my good arm, I pushed myself up.
“Look out!” yelled Matt.
I cried out in agony as I was shoved to the ground again, landing on my burned arm. Matt’s body covered mine, then suddenly, he was gone. I scrambled to my feet. A giant shadow hand was dragging Matt into the tree. I froze on the spot. A creature was emerging from the tree. Ice flew through the air. The creature was knocked back into the tree. Victoria jumped over me, throwing more ice, freezing the tree. The shadow disappeared, and Matt fell to the ground. Victoria went running toward him, but the ice shattered. The shadow hand returned, slapping Victoria across the courtyard. It grabbed hold of Matt again. I couldn’t let it take Matt. I screamed in frustration, and a pulse of light shot out of the Heart Crystal. The creature withdrew from the light. The shadows stopped whirling and came hurling at me all at once. Greg ran to my side and threw up a barrier, but it wasn’t enough. As it shattered, we were both thrown to the ground. My head smacked hard on a rock. My ears buzzed, and my vision blurred. The only thing that fazed this thing was my light. I had to do something. My hands began to heat. I pushed myself up and ran at the tree.
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