“All of you meet me back at the shop” he says. And with no further explanation, the Port spins around and disappears into thin air.
“Jay, Glide with Emmy. She shouldn’t fly after hearing Miku’s song. Is everyone else good to go?” Marcus asks.
Without a word, the twins and Ameana take to the sky.
“You ready, baby girl?” Jay says to me.
“Yeah.” Jay picks me up and before he takes off, he sees Marcus cast a concerned glance my way.
“Yo, I got her” he says.
Marcus nods reluctantly and takes off.
Gliding with Jay takes some getting used to. It feels like my body is being yanked through time. Normally, there’s a slight chill that runs down my body from the swift movement. But since it’s already cold and wet, by the time we make it to The Sage’s shop, I am frozen to the bone.
Jay puts me down in the middle of a small fish shop. There is an old Asian lady with a round face and pleasant demeanor waiting for us. She smiles warmly and jesters for us to follow.
Of all the places to live, I never would have thought The Sage lived here in the back room of a fish store. But I can’t ask about it. I can’t do anything but shiver as we make our way down the small barely lit hallway. The lady leads us into a room filled with antiques from different parts of the world.
There are exactly six plush red velvet chairs that form a circle. In the center of the circle stands a globe the size of a giant beach ball. The globe is exquisite. Each continent is lined in gold and silver.
On the table off to the side, there is a red and black flower-printed tea set. Judging from the aroma coming from the teapot, I would say its peppermint tea. I would die to have something warm inside me and peppermint is my favorite.
Then I spot an antique table in the corner that holds a large black and white chess set. The pieces are all angels and demons. One of them looks just like Reese.
“That is because it is a representation of him,” The Sage answers. I always forget he can read minds.
“Most people do” he says. Great now I have to watch what I say and what I think.
“I hope you do that regardless of who’s listening,” The Sage says.
Luckily for me, we hear the others make their way down the hall. The rest of the Guardians have arrived.
The Sage hands Miku a first-aid kit and a white t-shirt.
“Miku will see to your wounds,” he says.
“Th-th-that can wait. I don’t want to miss anyth-th-thing,” I say, hoping the chattering is not really as bad as it sounds.
“You’re freezing Emmy,” Miku says.
“I’m f-f-fine.”
“I promise we will wait for you before we begin. You are actually essential to what is about to take place,” The Sage adds.
“Okay. Be right b-b-back,” Miku and I go to the restroom where she gently applies alcohol to the scratches on my chest. They aren’t too deep but they burn like hell.
I try and limit my flinching and stand still.
“I’m sorry I sang to you. I had you keep you from killing Jay,” she explains.
“I’m glad you did. It was so weird to have Chaos in my head. I could think of nothing other than hurting Jay.”
“There, all done” she says.
“Thanks.”
She hands me the shirt.
“It’s like he knew I would need it,” I say to her.
“Who?”
“The Sage. When we got here it was all ready: The kit, the shirt, and even the tea on the table.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“So, he’s “all-knowing” for real?”
“Emmy, it’s been months now. Does that still surprise you?”
“No, I was just hoping that there are things he isn’t always right about.”
“Like you and Marcus?”
“Kind of.”
She looks up at me. There’s a sadness in her eyes that wasn’t there weeks before.
“Emmy, he’s not wrong. You two know that. Stop acting like this is new information. It’s not. The two of you being together will cause us to fail this mission and humanity will pay the price. And they won’t be the only ones.”
“You hate me?’
“Angels don’t hate.”
“But you don’t like me anymore.”
“I’m trying here, Em. I’m trying to understand your decisions but I can’t. I can’t understand how you and Marcus could just say screw the world and let everybody down.”
I have never seen Miku so upset. I knew she disapproved of our decision to go out. But I didn’t know just how deeply she felt about it. She used to be my friend. Now she can hardly look at me.
“We don’t want to end the world. We just want to be together,” I say, sounding very much like a child. I wish my voice had been stronger. I wish I was stronger. I would stay away. I tried. Omnis knows I have been trying since the day I met him. I have failed at every turn. And now they too will fail…
Miku hands me the shirt and heads out the door.
I call out after her, “I miss you.”
She smiles sadly and joins the others.
I take a deep breath and I wash my face. I go on autopilot. I focus on the task at hand: changing my clothes. Otherwise I may start to cry or scream to the high heavens. And well, that wouldn’t really change anything, would it?
So I take off my clothes and put on the shirt. It’s about twice my size and comes down just passed my knee. When I get out of the rest room, the lady is waiting. She takes my wet clothes from me and guides me back into the room.
“You okay?” Rio asks.
“Yeah, I’m great,” I flash them by best fake smile. No one is buying it, least of all Rio.
He sends Miku a warning glance. Marcus is too busy looking at me to notice. He doesn’t even have Rio’s power but he knows something is wrong.
I try again to convince them I’m okay by being causal, maybe too casual.
“Can I have some tea?” I ask The Sage.
“Peppermint okay?” he asks.
“Yeah that’s my—”
“—favorite?” he says as he pours me a cup.
“What’s going on?” Marcus asks him.
“Before we get to that, did all of you notice the increased intensity of the Akons’ attack?”
“Yeah, Rage’s fireballs just wouldn’t die out. Usually I can fly around and it diminishes, but this time, I was knocked out by the first blast,” Marcus replies.
Ameana shifts her weight slightly and avoids looking anyone in the eye. What’s going on with her? That’s a stupid question. She is forced to stay in the same room with the person she hates most on this planet—me. So, of course she’s listless.
“I followed Frenzy to the floor of the river. The water should have affected his powers but he was stronger than I’d ever seen him,” Miku says.
“He had me on the ground in one jolt,” Jay adds.
“Their powers have been enhanced by the new source of help they’ve just gotten,” The Sage says simply.
“And who’s that?” Marcus asks with an impatient edge in his voice.
“The Council has changed the rules.”
“How?” Ameana asks.
“They have granted the Akons help from a new source of evil.”
“It’s supposed to be Akons against Guardians. That’s the deal.”
“It was until the Council learned that Julian has not, in fact, lost his memory.”
“What does he have to do with this?” I asked.
“Julian was supposed to have no recollection of his past. But he does. That means that he is able to help you. So, that leaves an unleveled playing field for the Akons.”
“Julian has not helped us. He hasn’t told us a damn thing!” Marcus shouts.
“And whose fault is that?” The Sage asks.
“Wait, you can’t blame this on him,” I fire back.
“Yes, Emerson, I can. Marcus is reluctant to get information
from Julian because to do that he would have to push you to deal with your issues concerning your father.”
“He doesn’t know where it is!” Marcus says jumping to his feet.
“You don’t know what he does and does not know. You are afraid to do what it takes to get the answers. And, the truth of the matter is, we simply don’t have time for you to take the long road. You must make her talk to Julian.”
“He can’t make me do anything. I’m not his child.”
“No, you’re his girlfriend. A role I told you would have dire consequences,” The Sage retorts.
“Who did The Council allow to help the Akons?” Rio asks.
“The Hun.”
Everyone is silent.
“But the Hun is the most evil being after Atourum. He was made to be destroyed because he was so evil,” I pled.
“Hun had invented the Zin before he was killed. A Zin is a box that is able to keep a soul alive.” The Sage offers.
“She saved his soul and now she can just place him in a new body?” Ameana inquires.
“She has already found a body,” The Sage informs us.
The tension in the room is palpable. The Twins exchange a look of alarm. Jay curses under his breath. Marcus clenches his fists and I put down my cup. The warm feeling I got from the long sips of tea have turned into a small pool of ice in the pit of my stomach.
“C’mon, how the hell can the Council let her get away with that?” Jay barks.
“Atourum says that she has killed the Hun and technically, she did,” The Sage replies.
“Great, so now the Akons are getting help because we have help from Julian. Only, we don’t really have help because he’s waiting on this father/daughter movement that is not gonna happen. Yo, that’s great, son. That’s classic.” Jay spits bitterly.
“Jayden, I know things have been difficult for you of late,” The Sage says softly.
“Difficult? I’m gonna get thrown off Tamara Falls in a matter of weeks. And my leader has decided not to think with his head but to think with his—”
“—Jay” Marcus warns.
Jay is about to reply but then upon seeing the look on Marcus’ face, he backs down.
“I’m not gonna let them kill you,” Marcus says, clearly not for the first time.
“What can you do? You can’t even get your girlfriend in the same room with her father even though billions of lives depend on it.”
“Could you guys stop talking about me like I’m not here?” I ask.
“Oh, we know you’re here. Trust.” Ameana says with an icy glare.
Rio puts a calming hand on Ameana’s shoulder.
I turn to see Marcus. He looks as if he’s connecting puzzle pieces in his head that only he can see. He’s no longer the guy I was nervous about going out with. Now, he’s the first Guardian and that would make me just part of the mission. I hate feeling like that. I hate feeling like Emerson, the clue and not Emmy, his girl.
But he never said I was his girl, did he? He just broke up with Ameana and he asked me out. That doesn’t make me ‘his’ anything.
“Where is the Hun now? What does he look like?” Marcus asks the Sage.
His answer is official and to the point.
“You don’t have to worry about finding him. He will find you. You two will be out looking for the same thing: The only living witness to where The Council has hidden the Triplex.”
********************************
CHAPTER SEVEN: CHECKS AND BALANCES
Marcus moves with such rage and anger towards The Sage that all of us stand at alert. But we are too late. Marcus now towers over the boy. His lips form a thin white line. His fists are so tightly clenched that it would take an act of Omnis to get them to open.
“You never said anything about a witness!” he roars.
The Sage is unfazed by Marcus’ stance. His voice is calm and collected.
“I was not allowed to say anything.”
“Marcus, be cool” Jay advises him.
“You should have told us there was a witness,” he demands again.
“Marcus, you are under a great deal of stress. I have taken that into consideration. That is why you remain standing. But do not push your luck with me, Guardian.”
I go over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.
It takes several seconds for him to pull his eyes away from The Sage.
Finally he backs down.
“Why weren’t you allowed to tell us about this witness?” Ameana asks.
“Everyone have a seat,” he instructs. Everyone does as The Sage asks. But Marcus needs a nudge from Ameana to take a seat.
The Sage begins speaking. His voice sounds far away. It is as if he is in his own world.
“I did not lie when I said that neither party is allowed to know where the Triplex containing the map is. But while Atourum and Omnis don’t know where it is, there is one person that does, the witness.”
“Each cycle has one Witness who watches the Triplex being hidden on earth. That is to ensure that the Council placed it in a place where good and evil both have equal access. I did not mention it because both sides are strictly prohibited from contacting the Witness in any way. If contact is made, the side that breaks the rules will lose.”
“So why are you telling us about it now?” Rio asks.
“Things have changed. The Council never imagined that The Hun would have figured out a way to keep a soul alive for centuries. But with the Zin box, he did just that.”
“Hold up, Fate had no idea?” Jay asks.
“The Hun invented quicker than the Council could regulate. Many of his inventions were so evil that they had to be banned. But the thing that made Hun so dangerous wasn’t his inventions. It’s his mind. He doesn’t think like others do. He has somehow managed to weave patterns that Fate cannot follow. He’s brilliant in a way of which the Council has yet to conceive.”
“That is why they had him destroyed; ultimately they were afraid that he and Atourum together would one day overthrow the Council.”
“Atourum can’t go after the Witness because he is constantly monitored as is Omnis. But Hun is unpredictable. By the time the Council figures out what he is up to, the Witness could be dead. It is your job to find the Witness and protect him.”
“Why don’t we go after the Witness and get him to tell us where the Triplex is?” Marcus counters.
“He is only there to assure that the Council places the Triplex in a balanced place. The Witness is off-limits.”
“Atourum isn’t following the rules, why should we?”
“What makes you different from the Akons, Marcus?”
“I’m a Guardian.”
“So are Akons. They Guard things on behalf of evil. They have powers, you have powers. They fly, you fly.”
“So?”
“So, the only difference between good and evil is that good has to care about the consequences of their actions. If you find the Witness and beat the location out of him, then you are just an Akon in disguise. The Witness was picked at random. He has helped the Council and he should not have to lose his life.”
“What makes you think Hun is going after this Witness?” Miku asks.
“A Traveler intercepted a message given to one of the Akons.”
“You want us to find this witness and do what?” Ameana asks.
“Find him, bring him here.”
“This witness guy knows the location of the item we need, but we are not permitted to even ask?”
“No Marcus, you are not.”
“But Atourum can send out Hun to find him and torture him until he gives it up?”
“Yes,” The Sage states simply. Marcus clenches his teeth and verbally attacks the boy.
“All this time, I thought that the Council was impartial. But that’s a damn lie. All of you have every single thing stacked against us. You are making it so that evil has no choice but to win.”
“How is that?”
“Y
ou hide things from us. You use Emmy as the clue to finding the Triplex except she knows nothing about where it is. You give Atourum free reign to do what ever the hell she wants including bringing back the greatest evil. And I have to pick which member of my team will die for helping save some kids? You and the Council don’t give a damn about these humans.”
Marcus strikes the chessboard and all the pieces go flying to the ground. The woman appears at the door. The Sage smiles and tells her everything is okay. She reluctantly closes the door.
“Ameana,” The Sage calls. And without moving, Ameana lifts all the chess pieces up in the air and back on to the chessboard.
“Sit, Guardian,” The Sage instructs Marcus.
“He’s absolutely right, Sage, the Council is clearly favoring evil,” Ameana says in Marcus’ defense.
“You don’t really wish to speak on the subject of favoring evil, do you, Ameana?” The Sage asks Ameana pointedly.
The two of them exchange a look that is too quick for me to catch. Rio on the other hand looks very intrigued.
“What are you talking about?” Marcus asks him.
“You are correct in that your jobs are far more difficult than that of the Akons. But being good is not about what is easy. It is about what is right.”
“How is it right to stack things up against us?” he asks his guide.
“Let us be fair. You have stacked the cards against yourselves. You can’t lay this all on the Council. Is it the Council’s fault you were too involved with your love life to stop Rio from breaking the rules?”
Marcus cast his head down.
“I should have been able to resist,” Rio says softly.
“It is not a crime to want to save someone, Rio. Goodness is in your nature. But Marcus was to be there to help you fight that temptation.”
“He was too busy fighting his own temptations,” Ameana can’t help but add.
“It’s not fair to make him have to choose which one of them dies. It’s not fair!” I plead.
“Is it fair that you two are going on dates while the world is in peril?”
“You were going on a date?” Ameana asks Marcus unable to hide the hurt in her voice. I squirm in my seat. I’ve never heard her sound so affected, so…human.
“Well, we…look, it was just a trip…” He takes a moment to steady himself. Then addresses the room.