The Council

by Phoenix Willow

  But before Jewel had a chance to answer Ambrosia, who now had one hand on her hip while tapping her foot impatiently, a form jumped down from one of the gemstone trees.

  Jewel grinned when she saw that it was Galadriel. He was smirking as he walked towards her, his brown eyes twinkling in amusement. “Yeah, and not to mention the fact that you two are out here going on adventures and you didn’t invite me to come, Green. I’m hurt.” He said, running his hand through his ebony hair, and feigning offense.

  Jewel chuckled, but Jade turned a light shade of pink and attempted to smooth back the copper wisps that were being unruly. Jewel looked at Jade with a ‘what are you doing’ expression, but Jade turned a bit redder and her aura turned a bright yellow, so Jewel decided to leave it alone- at least for that moment.

  “Well, Trickster, was there anyone else up there with you? Or are the three of you the only one’s stalking Jade and I?” Jewel asked, half-way joking but kind of wanting a straight answer.

  “Nope. Just the three of us.” Galadriel answered happily.

  “Yeah, and we-” Ambrosia said before motioning to herself and Sage a couple of times, “-had no idea that he was there.”

  “Yep. Now, if you want to learn how to be stealthy, you can just ask me.” Galadriel said smugly. “I’ve been stalking those two who were stalking you two without anyone being the wiser.” He said before turning to Ambrosia. “Oh, and don’t worry- your secret is safe with me.” He winked.

  Ambrosia turned beet red which was in stark contrast of the yellow aura that now surrounded her frame. And for the first time since Jewel had known the Vampiress, it seemed that Ambrosia had been struck speechless.

  Sage laughed loudly. “Yeah, well, Jewel’s known that particular secret for a while now, so you’re a bit late on that news.”

  “Ohhhhh…….so that’s why you two were really out here on this early morning.” Jewel said teasingly to a very abashed looking Vampiress.

  “I am so lost.” Jade stated.

  “That’s okay. I can fill you in.” Jewel began, smirking at Ambrosia all the while. “You see, Sage and Ambrosia like-”

  “Exercise. We like exercise.” Ambrosia interjected quickly.

  Jewel and Galadriel looked at each other and lost it right then and there. They roared with laughter and fell out onto the Lost Meadow’s mossy ground, unable to stop themselves. Even Sage was having a hard time keeping his snickers to a minimum, but Ambrosia looked at him with a ‘don’t you dare’ expression that seemed to be keeping him from joining Jewel and Galadriel altogether. Jade looked completely befuddled and Ambrosia pinched the bridge of her nose while she waited for Galadriel and Jewel to pull themselves back together.

  After a few more moments of laughter and tears running from their eyes, Galadriel helped Jewel back to her feet.

  “Exercise, huh?” Jewel said teasingly to the Vampiress.

  “Not. Another. Word.” Ambrosia warned.

  “Alright, alright.” Galadriel said as he made a kissing motion with his lips.

  Sage coughed to try and cover up his laughter, and Ambrosia rolled her eyes.

  “Well, if you’re quite finished, I’d like to get back to the matter at hand.” Ambrosia stated.

  “Yes, by all means.” Galadriel retorted with a waggle of his eyebrows.

  “Ugh. You really are impossible.” Ambrosia fired back. “I don’t know how Girlie puts up with you.”

  Galadriel shrugged. “Eh. To know me is to love me. Right, Green?” He said, nudging Jewel with his elbow.

  “Jury is still out on that one, Trickster.” Jewel stated, causing Galadriel to chuckle as he slung his muscular arm over her shoulder.

  “Well, I’m still waiting to hear what exactly these two are attempting to do. It’s no secret that neither one of you is very interested in potions.” Sage pointed out.

  “Or plants.” Ambrosia added.

  “Or researching.” Galadriel said.

  “Ugh. Okay, okay. Just stop already.” Jewel said, holding her hands up in a ‘I surrender’ type of way. Jewel took a deep breath as she took the books from Jade. “Well, you know I haven’t been able to sleep very well, since the whole Shade incident, and Jade and I have been spending our mornings down by the river. But, Jade was able to procure-”

  “You mean steal, but go ahead, continue.” Galadriel interjected with a smirk that caused Jade’s cheeks to redden.

  “Anyway, Jade got the journal from my Dad’s things, and the other book is one of Ella’s. Which by the way, please don’t tell her we have it, because it is really helpful and has all sorts of stuff that could be useful and-”

  “Save it, Girlie. We aren’t going to bust you. At least not yet, so what is it you’ve found and why are you out here comparing plants.” Ambrosia asked.

  “We’re trying to find the ingredients for the potion we found in Ella’s book. It’s a potion for getting rid of poison, so we thought that maybe it could help my dad.” Jewel stated.

  “Let me see this potion.” Sage requested, holding his hand out.

  Jewel quickly handed him Ella’s book, and waited on pins and needles as he read through it.

  Sage let out a low whistle, and handed the book to Galadriel, who also emitted the same response after looking through it.

  “This potion is hands down the most complicated that I’ve ever run across. And did you two read the actual spell portion of this whole thing?” Sage asked seriously, and the two girls shook their heads.

  Ambrosia rolled her eyes. “Of course, they didn’t.”

  “Ooohh, the palm trees are sprouting!” Galadriel snorted, his aura flashing a bright purple.

  “The palm trees are what?” Ambrosia asked, obviously confused as she was looking around the Meadow. “What palm trees?”

  Galadriel snickered. “It’s just my own special way of saying the shade is real. So you can, uh, stop looking for actual palm trees now. And I mean, come on Fangs. Give Green and Jade a break. They just want to help with Steele, and you can’t fault them for that……although- I will say that this potion and spell are very dangerous and therefore I must insist that you allow me to help.” He said, his chocolate brown eyes dancing.

  Jewel smiled at her friend and nodded.

  “Great. Well, there goes my beauty sleep.” Ambrosia muttered. Turning to Sage, she added, “You know we can’t allow these three to try and do this on their own, right?”

  “And why not?” Galadriel asked. “I’m a responsible adult. I can make sure no one gets in any trouble.”

  Ambrosia looked at Galadriel like he had lost his mind, and even Jewel looked at him dubiously.

  “Woooow!” Galadriel started. “I see how it is. Do you see this Sage?”

  “Yep.” Sage answered with a smile. “Palm trees everywhere, bro.”

  “Ugh. You two are like children.” Ambrosia said pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “It’s even more clear now that I will have to be the responsible one.”

  “Well, whatever the reason……I appreciate everyone’s help.” Jewel said sincerely.

  “Speaking of everyone……what do you think your bestie Rain and your smitten boy Frost would have to say about all this?” Sage inquired, his eyebrows knitting together.

  “I actually don’t know.” Jewel said thoughtfully. “Snowman would probably say that this is too dangerous, and Raindrop needs her sleep as much as she needs chocolate, so she would probably be willing to help, but not at these hours.” She joked.

  “So, why haven’t you told them about your early morning excursions?” Galadriel asked.

  “Because I don’t want the Protectors catching wind of this and shutting down this idea too. I know they’re just trying to help keep me safe, and I appreciate it, I do. But, I need my dad to be okay, and they haven’t exactly been very open to my ideas lately. Or ever, for that matter. The smaller number of people involved, the better. At least for now.” Jewel explained.

  Sage, Ambrosia, and Jade nodded
their understanding, but Galadriel quirked his head and said, “We can keep this a secret for a little while, Green. But you need to tell Snowman and Rain sooner than later. We all remember what happened the last time Snowman wasn’t privy to what was going on…..and in case anyone forgot, here are two words to remind everyone- ginormous igloo.”

  “It won’t come to that.” Jewel assured him. “Now. Can someone please help Jade and I find some of these plants? I really don’t want to end up with a rash.” She said, scrunching her face in the process.

  “No worries.” Sage chuckled as he studied Ella’s book. “Well……let’s get to hunting.” He smiled.

  And the five of them searched the Meadow for the next few hours before heading back to camp. They located two plants that were needed, and Jewel found out that the plants she and Jade had thought were the right ones were nothing more than a couple of leafy bushes. No use to be found in either.

  Jewel managed to sneak back into the tent that she shared with Rain without waking her up. She slid under the covers, feeling a bit more hopeful and a little less sad than she had been earlier that day, and without even meaning to, her eyes closed, and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep- the first in a very long time.

  Chapter Two

  A Keeper of Tempus

  Jewel was enjoying the best bit of sleep she had gotten in a long while when she was awakened by several loud, and seemingly angry voices outside her tent. She sat up and looked over, only to find that Rain was no longer on her cot. Jewel hurriedly pulled back her thick, dark, wavy hair into a quick ponytail, and changed into a fresh pair of clothes and the sandals Skye had given her when they had first arrived at the Lost Meadow. She double checked that the dagger was firmly in the sheath on her belt before heading towards the flap of the tent.

  She made no attempt to hide the fact that she was up and stepped out of the tent rapidly to see what all the commotion was about and was immediately met by at least a half a dozen stares in her direction.

  Rain’s ocean blue eyes met her own emerald one’s and there was a sense of irritation and question in them. Jewel couldn’t be sure if those emotions were directed at her or at the group of Protectors arguing back and forth, but Jewel thought it might be a little bit of both. It was no secret that they hadn’t been spending as much time together lately, and Jewel knew she had been more distant than usual, but there had been a lot on Jewel’s mind and to be completely honest- she had been anxious and even a little depressed over the past few months. Rain and Zephyr’s relationship had gotten much closer, but Jewel knew her friend missed her, and Jewel felt the same way. So, with a small smile, she went directly over to stand next to Rain, who had on a beautiful midnight blue sundress that shimmered in the light. One of Skye’s creations, no doubt.

  “What is happening?” Jewel whispered.

  Rain tucked a wisp of her platinum blue hair behind her ear. “Chocolate sauce, Spitfire. I’m surprised you slept through most of this.” She said with a shake of her head. “They’ve been fighting for at least an hour now. Ryker and Zeke are arguing that we need to stop hiding here, figure out how to get rid of the dagger, and search for allies. Which, of course, my Mom and Skye are totally against. They keep saying it’s too risky.” She finished with a purse of her lips, making her feminine features harden just a bit.

  A familiar face donning cherubic features, grey almond-shaped eyes, and silver spiked hair appeared to the right of Rain. “Yep. And frankly, I agree with Winter and Skye. We have got to be smart about this. Simply leaving without having a solid plan will not end well.” Zephyr said.

  “Yeah, but whatever we do will be risky, Puff.” Galadriel smirked. “Green’s very existence is risky for her, but we have to get rid of that dagger and we can’t let Gertrude or Shade get their hands on it, which, they eventually will if we can’t find allies who can help us destroy it once and for all.”

  “Great gusts of wind, Trickster. You just don’t get it do you?” Zephyr sneered. “If it was as simple as that, don’t you think the dagger would have already been destroyed. Think for once, before you speak.”

  “That’s enough.” Rain shushed. “Both of you. Listen…..Zeke has been doing that for the last ten minutes.”

  At once, both Galadriel and Zephyr stopped and the four of them turned towards the center of the arguing. There was Winter, her curly platinum blonde hair pulled back in a loose, messy bun and her ice-blue eyes narrowed dangerously in Ryker’s direction; Skye looked deceivingly calm as she appeared to be studying the sparkle of her gem-encrusted sleeve. Her white-blondish hair with strands of silver grey was braided and fell over her shoulder, and her stance was relaxed, but it was her dark, chocolate brown eyes that showed her true emotion- which Jewel believed was a mix between anger, and annoyance. Frost was standing next to Skye with his sculpted features set in his signature scowl, his midnight blue wavy hair blowing gently in the breeze, and his round gunmetal blue eyes blazing.

  And then on the other side of the argument was Ryker Mars, a Sorcerer and member of the Protector’s, and the former lead officer for Shade Sterling. His muscles were taut as he was obviously tense, and his dark eyes held many emotions, but none very positive. And then there was Zekiel Mangrove. He had been Jewel’s favorite teacher at the School of Sorcery and he was more than a little eccentric, which was only proven true by what he was currently shouting about. The only member of the Protectors that seemed to be missing was Ella Bane, which was weird as she was usually the one in the middle of everything.

  “Ugh! For sparkle sake, Zekiel. Could you please give it a rest?” Skye implored.

  Zekiel scowled and started to pace back and forth. “The time has come, the time has gone, no we must go, hurry along. No time to waste, no time to waste, must find allies, in great haste.”

  Much to Skye’s chagrin, Zekiel repeated what he was saying a few more times, and each was in a different way. He did it in a sing-song voice, a deep voice, a high-pitched voice, and Jewel’s personal favorite- a mix of all three.

  Dream, Lyric, Jade, Ambrosia, Sage, Teagan, and Foster looked like they were having a difficult time not chuckling at the four Protectors and Frost who were going back and forth and looked like something out of a comedy. Winter was flailing her arms as she spoke, saying ‘for elements sake’ again and again; Ryker had his arms crossed over his broad chest and looked as though his dark eyes were going to pop right out of his head; Skye was pulling gems off a branch that was hanging down, saying how pretty they would be on a satchel, and how all the worlds needed was a bit more sparkle and everything would be better; Frost’s scowl had gotten much more pronounced, which was really saying something, and his elemental power must have been a bit out of control because it seemed to Jewel as though the temperature had dropped ever so slightly; And Zekiel looked as though he had been struck by lightning. His hair was disheveled and sticking out all over the place as though he had been electrocuted, and his honey-colored eyes held a crazed look as he continued to pace back and forth, shouting nonsensical things.

  “Quite the show, huh, Hybrid?” Jade asked as she joined Jewel, Rain, Zephyr, and Galadriel.

  “It’s ridiculous. They aren’t accomplishing anything.” Jewel said in irritation. This was the exact reason why her dad was still a popsicle and they weren’t any closer to defeating Gertrude or Shade. How in the worlds could they succeed if there was this much dissention amidst the group?

  “Well…..looks like we’re making a good decision by our morning outings.” Jade whispered quietly to Jewel.

  Jewel immediately stiffened. She hadn’t told Rain or Zephyr anything about her morning excursions, and she hadn’t really planned on doing so. Stealing a glance in Rain’s direction, she could tell that her friend’s stance had stiffened, so she could only assume that she heard what Jade had murmured. It wasn’t the time or place to discuss anything with her friend, so she turned her attention back to the Protector’s and immediately realized that she must have missed something, beca
use Skye was no longer calm and had begun to shout back and forth with the other three Protector’s.

  Not wanting to simply sit back and watch, Jewel interjected. “What exactly is the problem here? Why is everyone fighting, because from where I’m standing- it doesn’t look like there’s too much unity in your group right now.”

  Winter sighed and huffed. “Well. You would be right about there not being much unity, at least not right now.” She paused with a shake of her head. “Skye, Frost, and I believe that what Ryker and Zekiel are suggesting is far too risky for you to be a part of. But as you can see, no one feels as though they are wrong, and no one is wanting to change their decision.”

  “What do you think, Snowman?” Jewel asked Frost, stepping closer to him as she did.

  “I agree with Winter. I believe we need scouting teams, but how can we do that safely when we are such a small group? And there’s no way you can leave this Meadow. Not now. Not after what happened at Shade’s house. You’re obviously not dealing with things well, and we need you to be clear-headed.” Frost pointed out. “Not to mention the fact that we somehow have to find a way to permanently get rid of the dagger.”

  Ryker threw his hands in the air. “Exactly! That is exactly what I have been saying.” He exclaimed in exasperation. “Which is why we need allies. We need to find those that would fight on our side so we can form an alliance with them. There aren’t enough of us, as Frost has pointed out, and we need to do something other than just sit around here, arguing back and forth.”

  “Tick tock, tock tick, time is running off the clock. Must go, go, go, or get defeated by the foe, foe, foe.” Zekiel said, quirking his head from side to side as he did so and making a clucking noise as well.