The Council

by Phoenix Willow

  “I honestly can’t tell you how it happened. One second, I was in that other plane of existence, cut off from my physical form, and the next I was awake and cold, but completely healed. I didn’t see anyone, and I was chilled down to my bones, so I made myself a warm bath.” Steele began. “Which-” He started before clearing his throat awkwardly. “-which is when Jade over there found me. Fortunately, I had used quite a bit of the vanilla scented bubble bath, so I was covered, but it was awkward nonetheless.”

  Jewel stole a glance at Jade, and saw that her cheeks were crimson, which only made it harder for Jewel to stifle her laughter. She could picture the whole thing in her mind. Jade walking in to check on her dad and bam! There he was enjoying a bath.

  “What happened next?” Jewel asked, attempting to diffuse the tension.

  “Jade screamed and ran out of there so fast I couldn’t even reassure her that it was okay.” Steele laughed. “And there I was, limbs completely relaxed and quite hard to use as I’d been frozen for a good bit of time, trying to climb out of the bath which didn’t work too well as I slipped onto the bathroom floor, sloshing water everywhere as I did so. I was lucky though, because I’d just managed to get the robe around me when Frost arrived. If not, he certainly would have seen much more than he would have wanted to.”

  The entire room was laughing at this point. Well, aside from Frost and Jade that is, but even they seemed to be smiling at the memory.

  After the laughter subsided, Jewel’s memory was jogged, and she shook her head as she finally understood what Ariel had been referring to back on the Peak. “I know how this happened.” Jewel smiled. “I met a Guardian of the Light on the Strangest Peak when I was getting rid of Slayer. You see, I had a deal with the Council, well some of the Council because not all of the Council was in attendance, but we had a deal that if I traveled to the Strangest Peak and got rid of Slayer, that they would then give me the potion that would have saved you. I did what they asked, but what I hadn’t expected was to meet two Guardians of the Light. One was named Ariel and the other one was named Xander. It’s why I don’t have the necklace on that you gave me.” She said to her Dad. “Well, it’s the reason I don’t need it anymore, to be more precise. Ariel gave me a truth stone, and she healed me of my ailments. I had to sacrifice the necklace in order to remove the chest that Slayer could be held in, but that’s a different story for a different day.”

  “Yep. Get back to the point, Spitfire.” Rain jested as she poured chocolate over a bunch of berries she had somehow found.

  “Well, anyway, Ariel also told me that I had another gift that I would find when I got back here.” Jewel paused. “I think that the gift she was referring to, was you.”

  Steele nodded his head. “It would make the most sense. Only a Guardian would have been able to heal not only my wound, but also get rid of the poison from that stupid dagger Shade stabbed me with. In fact, when I run across him, he may feel something akin to what he made me endure.”

  Everyone shot a glance at Galadriel to see if he was going to react, but he just shrugged. “Hey, don’t look at me like I’m going to stick up for my dad. Yeah, that’s my dad, but there is no love between us. He tried to have us imprisoned, he did imprison my mom, and he’s tried to kill Green, so as far as I’m concerned, he is nothing more than an enemy.”

  Steele looked at Galadriel with an unreadable expression. “Be that as it may, I’m still sorry that it may come down to a fight with you two on opposite sides. I’m grateful for all the help you have given my Daughter, including that ring you bestowed upon her, but it is still very sad that you must fight against your family in order to protect her.”

  “It is what it is.” Galadriel frowned. “He chose his side, and I’ve chosen mine. And I wouldn’t change my decision for anything in the world. Green is too important.”

  Jewel felt eyes on her, and her cheeks were burning. She was grateful for Galadriel, but she was becoming more and more confused as to what his true feelings for her were, and she could tell by Frost’s ridiculously pronounced scowl that she wasn’t the only one.

  “So, can someone please fill us in on what’s been happening, because everyone is acting extra strange when it comes to Spitfire. I know she did that spell, implanting the memory of seeing her in different places to anyone’s mind that was loyal to Gertrude and Shade, but this seems to be much more than that.” Rain said before popping another chocolate doused berry into her mouth.

  “Ah, yes, that.” Steele paused. “Well, you see, there is a new player in this whole thing that has only recently come to the forefront. And I guess that he’s not exactly new as it appears that he’s been plotting this whole thing for years, but his name is Malum, and he is as bad as they come. Probably the strongest and worst that history has ever seen, and that is really saying something. His agenda is simple. Divide and conquer. Gertrude and Shade are merely minions of Malum’s. I don’t think they’ve ever truly run the show, and I’m not sure why they are following someone who is so evil, but they aren’t the best characters themselves and you know what they say about birds of a feather.”

  “But what does that have anything to do with me?” Jewel inquired.

  “They have a group of beings that are very loyal to their cause, and they belong to a magical group called Transmuters. They can shift into anyone using their own powers, and unfortunately, they have decided to change into you and a few of your closest friends.” Steele answered.

  “Me?” Jewel said in shock. “Why me?”

  “Because the easiest way for Malum to make it seem as though you are the true enemy and to gain more allies in the process is to make everyone truly fear you. And these imposters have done just that. They have traveled to and around the D.E., wreaking havoc, hurting random individuals, and causing an overall sense of panic. Now, if anyone had their wits about them, they would see that the Transmuter pretending to be you isn’t using any powers that you are known to have. In fact, the entire unit rarely uses any power. They instead use the threat of the fake you, using your pain power or your mind control power to either hurt the communities or make individuals go crazy. Not to mention they keep setting fire to anything and everything they can, destroying entire communities who try and stand against them.” Steele explained. “Their tactics have, unfortunately, proven to be quite effective for their side.”

  “But that’s ridiculous. How can anyone believe that?” Galadriel chimed in.

  “Because they were already scared of Jewel to begin with.” Steele frowned. “This only adds to their fear, which Malum can manipulate as enhancing fears is one of his powers. And to make matters worse, Gertrude and Shade have now gained more support since they are claiming to want to protect everyone from Jewel.”

  Jewel shook her head. “Well, I guess I understand now why the Council was so upset.” Her head dropped down. “It’s always something. I don’t understand why we can’t seem to catch even one lucky break.”

  “You have, Hybrid.” Jade said. “You have your Dad, and you have all of us. It’s going to work out. You’ll see.” She finished, giving a small smile.

  “Thanks, Troll. I needed that.” Jewel said, giving Jade a lop-sided smile before turning to the rest of the group. “Well, alright then. Does anyone have any suggestions of what we should do now?”

  “I believe that the safest and most effective course of action would be to gather as many individuals who are willing to fight against Malum, and who are willing to see the truth about you, Daughter.” Steele stated. “We can fight the pockets of Dispatchers everyday but that will get us nowhere and we all know that Gertrude and Shade aren’t really the one’s pulling the strings at this point, so we need to get to the source and cut the head off the snake, so to speak.”

  “And that snake is Malum.” Jewel nodded.

  “Exactly. He’s not just evil, but he’s sneaky too. Based on our intel, he actually resides in the Human realm. An island in the Atlantic that has been riddled with countless spe
lls so it’s not only very protected, but it’s also very difficult to pinpoint. We have been working with Rayon and Brutus to try and pinpoint its location, but the blasted thing seems to keep moving.” Steele said in frustration.

  “Where in the Atlantic is it located?” Sage said, finding his voice for the first time since Steele’s reveal.

  “It’s pretty far up north from what we’ve figured out.” Steele answered.

  “Then my guess is that it’s not an island, so to speak. More likely that it’s an ice shelf that has broken off or that Malum himself has broken off with magic.” Sage pointed out.

  “I hadn’t even thought of that.” Steele shook his head. “It’s really good to have you here, Sage. Now perhaps we can work smarter…..” He paused, obviously waiting on Sage to finish their old mantra.

  “Not harder.” Sage finished, a broad smile forming on his face. “It’s good to finally have you back, Steele. I’ve missed our talks and I’ve missed having my buddy around. No one else gets as excited as I do when it comes to potions and gems and things of that nature. No one, but you that is. And before we go any further with this plan, I have to ask you a very important question.” He paused, before showing everyone the ring that he was planning to give Ambrosia. Jewel already knew about the proposal, but her heart still did a little happy dance in the anticipation of the happiness her friends were going to have.

  “If you’re going to ask me to marry you, Sage, I believe you might be barking up the wrong gemstone tree.” Steele said cheekily.

  “Ha, ha. Nope. Not asking you, but I would like you to be my best man at the wedding. That is, if you’d want to be.” Sage said hesitantly.

  “I would love that. You’ve become like a son to me in the short time we’ve known each other, and I would like nothing more than to be there when you make those vows.” Steele said, smiling from ear to ear.

  Sage visibly relaxed as he clapped Steele on the back and gave him a bro-hug.

  “Well, this is all very touching, but how about we get back to the matter at hand or there won’t be any wedding because the worlds as we know it will literally be upside down.” Frost spat out.

  “Chocolate covered nut clusters, Snowball.” Rain narrowed her eyes. “What’s up your element?”

  Even Jewel was taken aback from Frost’s response. He seemed angry that everyone had come back, and come to think of it, it appeared to mostly be directed at her.

  “What’s your deal?” Jewel said, not being able to hold back any longer. “Ever since we got here, you’ve been looking like you want to take someone’s head off. So how about it, Frost. Mind telling us why?”

  Frost’s face reddened and his gunmetal eyes flashed with fury. “I just don’t think that wasting time fantasizing about a future is in anyone’s best interest. The worlds are falling apart at the seams and unless we somehow find a way to stop it, we won’t be around much longer anyway.”

  “Isn’t that even more reason to focus on things like love and hope?” Steele said in an admonishing tone.

  “No. Because those two things make you weak. And weakness right now can get you killed. You of all people should understand that. If you hadn’t ever been with Rose, we probably wouldn’t even be in this situation right now.” Frost said, looking immediately sorry that he had said the words but too proud to try and take them back. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” He huffed. “You know what, I need some air.” He said before storming off.

  Zephyr let out a low whistle as he stood up. “I haven’t seen him in this type of mood in a long while. I’ll go and have a talk with him. He’ll come around. You’ll see.” He said to Jewel before leaving in the same way that Frost had.

  “Do you know what’s wrong with him?” Jewel asked her dad.

  “I have a pretty good idea. He has missed you, but he’s also angry because he can no longer show you how he feels. He’s taken an oath and become a Protector and because you’re the one from the Prophecy, it would break the rules if he were to try and pursue anything romantic with you.” Steele explained.

  “Chocolate cashews on the rules. Everyone knows they belong together, so who is anyone to say that it’s right or wrong.” Rain snorted.

  Steele shrugged. “He knew what he was signing up for when he became a Protector. There’s nothing we can do to change anything for him right now. He would have to be granted a special request from all the Protectors, and we’re currently having a hard time even locating everyone as many have gone into hiding.”

  “Seems like a bunch of hogwash to me.” Rain stated.

  “I agree.” Galadriel said, locking eyes with Jewel, his aura pulsing a bright red. “But I also think that if someone truly cares about someone else, that they wouldn’t let a stupid rule stand in the way. I know I wouldn’t.” He said aloud to the group, although it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was speaking directly to Jewel.

  Jewel furrowed her brow in Galadriel’s direction, more confused than ever about his exact feeling towards her. She had feelings for Frost. There was no doubt about that, but there was something about Galadriel that was starting to blossom as well. It could also have just been the fact that they had just gone to a literal Hell and back though, and emotions were running high. But that wasn’t to diminish the fact that there was something there, Jewel just didn’t know what yet, and honestly, she was emotionally too tapped to figure it out right then. Romance, or the lack of it for her would just have to wait. Frost had run off again, which irritated her, and she didn’t want to waste the energy on anything other than finding Malum and defeating him.

  “So, okay- Malum is floating around on a possible ice shelf in the Human world.” Jewel said, changing the subject back to business, because frankly, business was easier to deal with. “What else do we know?”

  “Yeah, uh, that’s pretty much it, Hybrid.” Jade shrugged.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Rain rolled her eyes.

  “Nope, that’s everything in a nutshell.” Steele added. “We know his approximate location. We know that his two greatest allies are Gertrude and Shade, although Shade is even more off his rocker now than he was when he stabbed me and that, that my dear Daughter is saying something. I don’t know if the dagger had that big of an effect on his mind or if he has been spelled, or both, but he is starting to become more of a liability to Malum than anything.”

  “How do you mean?” Jewel asked curiously.

  “The last big fight was in Shiftsburg, and he must have gotten confused because he wasn’t just fighting against the rebel Shifters, he was fighting against his own Dispatchers too. He actually helped our side in that fight, and he definitely didn’t mean to.” Steele chuckled.

  “So, there are still pockets of rebellions going on?” Sage asked hopefully.

  “There are. But they are few and far between. Most of the rebels have gathered at Weatheropolis, which I think is a horrible idea- although no one seems to want to listen to me. We don’t have what we need yet to defeat Malum or his followers. Now, we have been laying false trails of where the rebel command center is, but it’s only a matter of time before Storm’s stronghold in Weatheropolis is found out, and if it is before we’re ready to take on Malum, he could wipe our entire army out at one time.” Steele shook his head. “He’s already gotten to the few pockets in the D.E., and one in Fangsborough.”

  “Not to change the subject, but just how long have you been awake? We haven’t been gone that long.” Jewel said, confused as to how her Dad could know all the things he was speaking about.

  “I’ve been awake for two weeks.” Steele answered, gaining a gasp from Jewel and Rain. “Time moves differently in other worlds, so you may not have realized how long you’ve been gone.”

  “That’s crazy.” Rain shook her head. “For us it’s only been a few days.”

  “Well, there you have it.” Steele stated.

  “Have you spoken with any of our group since you’ve been awake?” Sage asked.
>
  Steele’s eyes softened as he nodded. “I have, and everyone from our little band has made it to Weatheropolis. I hear that there were some injuries, but your Vampiress was able to help heal those, so for now- everyone is safe.”

  Sage let out an audible sigh of relief, but Jewel didn’t feel the same.

  “But you just said that it’s a bad idea for everyone to be in Weatheropolis together. I tend to agree, so wouldn’t it be smarter to have our group make its way back here where we can plan on how best to find Malum?” Jewel suggested.

  “I thought the same thing, but our group is full of the most stubborn and willful individuals I have ever met. They keep saying that they have everything under control, that they’ve gained more allies, and that they have a spy on the inside that is keeping them up to date, so they won’t be caught off guard.”

  “Spy? What spy?” Jewel inquired.

  “No idea.” Steele said. “All I know is that it’s a female that still attends the Elemental Academy. Her parents are some of Shade’s most loyal followers, but apparently, whoever this girl is, she doesn’t share their sentiments.”

  “It sounds like it’s time to go to Weatheropolis then.” Jewel said.

  “Did you not just hear your Dad say that we shouldn’t put ourselves all in the same place, Hybrid.” Jade said cheekily.

  Jewel rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I heard Troll. But, what’s the alternative? I don’t know about you, but the one thing we need above all else is numbers, strategy, and more spit-dirt before we go against Malum. We know he’s a Hybrid but have no idea what type. We know he’s powerful, but we have no idea just how powerful. And we know he wants to spread misery and darkness throughout the worlds, and rule over them, but why? What’s his motivation? It can’t simply be because he wants power, because based on what we do know- he has that in spades.”

  “So, what are you suggesting Spitfire?” Rain asked.

  “I’m suggesting that we need to get our group back together and strategize and the best at strategizing is Ambrosia. She’s also the one that can provide us with more of the spit-dirt, and with her and the rest of the group- we have more numbers.” Jewel explained.