Waking Dreams

By: Zadien

Previously on Waking Dreams: After Cornelia unwittingly makes a pact with a dark faerie, the girls are dragged into a world full of court intrigue and mythical creatures more powerful than they can imagine. After battling the dark faerie Kerrigan, Cornelia is kidnapped and Will was sent into a deep sleep only to be awoken by Princess Aisling of the Faerie Court. Now that Will has woken up, youd think shed be more alert, but honestly, the girl is sleeping more than ever; until something scares her in the dead of night and causes her to jump into Calebs arms. They caught by Irma and Hay Lin who seems to be experiencing everyone elses intense emotions.

Meanwhile, Kerrigan, the dark faerie who stole Cornelia away, is making enemies in his own court by threatening them with iron. The Faerie Princess Aisling is intent on discovering the secret of the powers Will revealed in the dreamscape but shes coming up with nothing credible so far. And as for Elyon, shes getting more and more nervous as her upcoming Coronation and the fact that shell have to go to a hostile territory in order to get her best friend back. Things just dont seem to be going so well.

Now on with the story:

Chapter Thirteen: Wonderful Wizard of Awws.

Elyon flinched as yet another pin pierced her delicate skin. The seamstress kneeling g before her muttered a brief apology around a mouthful of needles, but other than that, she didnt acknowledge her transgression. She probably would have been groveling profusely if Phobos had still been in charge; actually she would probably be in the dungeons, so Elyon saw it as a great step forward that the seamstress only looked mildly irritated with her. People were beginning to think for themselves and even being their queen didnt stop them. Still they could be gentle.

She looked down at the dress for her coronation. Supposedly, this was the dress her mother had worn and her grandmother before her. Now, it was being made more grand for her to be crowned Queen of Meridian. And it was at times like these that she wished that her parents were alive to help her. She needed advice and there was no one to turn to because everyone was as out of place as she was. Julian may have been her advisor but before that he had been a rebel and before that he had been in the mines. He knew about as much as she did.

She sighed and shifted, earning a disgruntled look from her seamstress. Im sorry. She apologized half heartedly as she looked a small narrow window, at her lands below.

Where was Cornelia now? And how did they go about retrieving her? The Queen of Faerie was avoiding her and she had alienated, -what Quinn termed-, her greatest potential ally in one stupid move. So, now she and her guardians were going to enter a world where she felt ill prepared to negotiate. She didnt know their customs, she thought with a shake of her head. In fact, she barely knew how to act in her own parliament, but when she did make mistakes the people turned a blind eye; they knew she was only learning and she had made their lives better so they wouldnt hold one misdemeanor against her.

That sentiment allowed her to be more lax than she should be. She didnt act like a princess; she had been influenced too greatly from her years on Earth and she didnt treat people like her servants. That sort of behavior and idealism would be her downfall in a cut throat world such as Tir-na-nЈg. They would see her as naџve and take advantage of that; she wasnt innocent enough not to realize that. Her one saving grace was her friendship and allegiance with Quinn; someone who had been on the wrong side of the Faerie Court. He knew exactly how to act; his experiences had forced him to learn quickly in order to help him move up the ranks of the Faerie Court. And Aisling would be of assistance, when she wasnt putting her foot in her mouth; her years in the human world had shown when she had been faced with her brother.

Elyon couldnt allow that to happen; she would just have to be very careful when speaking and think two moves ahead.

Another pin jabbed her thigh and she winced. She missed jeans. She missed human clothes because getting tailored was the worst form of torture, but clothes formed by magic lacked a certain something and they chafed.

Her stomach fluttered nervously as she her thoughts turned to Faerie once more. What would it be like there? She would probably be some kind of freak in their eyes. A stupid mortal who ruled an entire magical realm but younger children than herself had ruled kingdoms before. She learnt about many of them from her history teacher but they also suffered many defeats and rebellions, and they had people to make decisions for them. She had that as well, but she was wise enough to see when those decisions were made for the right reasons, and when they were made for the wrong.

That was, at least, a minor consolation and the people she had at her side were people that she trusted with her life; people who cared about her and would make decisions with her best interests in mind. That was a comfort but they couldnt come to Faerie with her.

Which brought forth another problem. Just what would she say to her parliament? She couldnt just up and leave after the coronation festivities. Her people would know she was missing and not to mention her guardians. What would they say to their parents? Oh hey mom and dad, Im going to Ireland to rescue Cornelia? Yeah, somehow she didnt think so. What about Cornelias parents?

She groaned loudly, causing the seamstress to click her tongue and shake her head disapprovingly. Well it was ok for her; she just had to make dresses. Elyon was in charge of an entire world. She couldnt just up and go but she couldnt send the guardians alone. The mission required a certain delicacy that the guardians with their go in and kick ass approach couldnt accomplish. No she was most certainly needed, so how to make her government see that?

The Queen of England went away to other countries to form good relations all the time, maybe she could convince her country that way. Of course, England had been there for generations and their queen was mostly a figurehead of sorts but at the moment, so was Elyon. Her government made the majority of rules; she just had the final say on them. She could veto them if she saw fit but for the most part she agreed so the government was quite capable of ruling. She could leave Julian in charge of the palace, he was good at making sure the security was tight and the day to day running of things was handled by Keedy, the matron. There shouldnt really be a problem with her leaving but there was the matter of Phobos.

For the most part she wasnt too worried about him escaping. The mage was in charge of his cell and so were many of her trusted guards and none of them even had the power never mind the inclination to release him. However, there were a few people still at large who, if they heard rumors of her trip, may try to take advantage of things. Her people had only just got their lives back on track; she couldnt risk them being attacked because of her selfishness.

Unless When the guardians were away in Meridian, they used their Astral Drops to take their places in school and act out their lives. What if she did something similar? Only with a more developed sense of self of course. She couldnt afford to have an air head in charge of her country-

She broke off as the door to her small tower room burst open and Aldarn strode in, hand on his sword as his gaze swept the room. A common action she had come to associate with her guards. They were so suspicious these days especially since Cornelia had been taken; they seemed to expect her to be abducted at any moment.

Lifting her skirts, she shooed away the disgruntled seamstress and stepped off the podium to meet her guard. Is something wrong Aldarn?

Caleb is coming.

Elyon frowned in puzzlement. Already? Are the guardians with him?

Aldarn shook his head. No, he sent a messenger hawk to alert us of his arrival but he mentioned nothing of the guardians.

With a sigh, Elyon dismissed the seamstress with a wave of her hand and turned her back to Aldarn. Unlace me and then Ill go set up the parlor for his arrival. No doubt hell be hungry, so I must talk the chef into making some food-

Milady! You are not appropriately attired!

Unable to help herself, Elyon rolled her eyes at the outraged gasp. Sometimes people here could be so fussy about things. It wasnt like Aldarn was going to take advantage of her. He was like an older brother, the first rebel she had made a connection with when she had been under Phobos influence.

When she felt the tense silence, she looked over her shoulder and raised a brow. The two other occupants stood awkwardly behind her, the seamstress shooting Aldarn a dark look while the green skinned man looked uncomfortable.

Oh heavens sake, she wore less at the beach! Of course, try explaining that to people who lived in the dark ages. She scowled.

Is there something wrong?

This is-” Unable to find words to express her disgust the seamstress settled for flapping her arms and making unintelligible sounds.

Turning to Aldarn since the seamstress was obviously unable to communicate, she motioned to the back of her dress. I cant undo it myself.

Im afraid I wouldnt know how to begin. Aldarn stated plainly, a faint blush on his pale mint cheeks as he studied the intricate lacing.

This is despicable. Think of your virtue milady.

With an exasperated sigh, Elyon finally stepped away from Aldarn. Fine, you unlace me, and Aldarn, Ill be with you in a minute.

Aldarn nodded sharply before he bid a quick retreat. She almost would have laughed if it wasnt for the seamstress tugging impatiently at her in an attempt to undress her. Scowling, she shrugged out of the garments and stormed in her underclothes to the screen erected for privacy. Gathering her usual plain styled dress, she slid it and the petticoats up over her hips and pushed her hands into the sleeves, reaching around to zip it up behind her. Once the dress was in place, she slipped on her favorite shoes and ignoring the seamstresss pleas to wait, she exited the room.

Cornelia studied the emptiness before her with astute eyes. It seemed to be a labyrinth of pathways set off by large platforms and short suspended pillars. As far as she could see, it seemed to lead down into a deep bottomless chasm, only lit up by small balls of green flame, which lingered over the stone pathways. There didnt seem to be any doorways or portals to explain how she got there and there were no walls or perimeters that could be seen either. It was like the universe with the motes of light embedded in the vast darkness looking like stars in space.

Was that where she was? Space?

No.

No, Space didnt have rocky roads ribboning down into the emptiness but it had to lead somewhere. Everywhere led somewhere, but she had been walking for a while now and no matter how many roads she walked, she didnt seem to be getting very far.

It was so eerily quiet; she didnt like it but at least it was better than the school. Now that had been so realistic, she had almost believed it to be real. Now she knew better. It was some trick, some alternate reality that she was stuck in probably because of Kerrigan. Hadnt he attacked them in Wills home? And he had won, he had threatened to hurt Will; he had tried to hurt Will, she amended, remembering the way Wills body had flown through the air towards that wall. It was all she could do to enlarge that leaf to catch her body and stop it from hurting her dearest friend, but it had cost the last vestige of her strength, and when she finally woke up, she was here. Wherever here was. It had to be something to do with Kerrigan.

Hence, the reason why she was continuing to walk down the barren path despite the fact that it didnt seem to go anywhere; because sooner or later, like the exit from the school, she would find something. He couldnt keep her there forever. She had to help her girls; she couldnt even imagine what they were doing without her. What about Elyon? Did Elyon know she was missing?

Probably. No, of course she knew and was more than likely working on the best way to help her escape. Hadnt she been the one to tell Will all that had been happening in her dreams? There wasnt much Elyon didnt know; so there was no point worrying about the never ending abyss. In fact, she’d bet any money that, right now, Elyon was raising the troops to free her. Heck, she was probably kicking Kerrigans lily white ass. With Elyons powers, that wouldnt be hard at all. He wouldnt stand a chance against her.

With a smirk, she tugged a stone pedestal towards her and stepping onto it, she moved it over the large gap to the next line of stone. How long had she been circling down, she wondered, peering over the ledge and down into the infinite darkness. The only things down there were orbs of floating lights like rather large fireflies as well as a few more thin ledges.

Scowling, she decided that she didnt want to walk the entire way and summoning another floating pedestal from the middle of the air; she hopped on and commanded it to descend. At least this place catered to her element, Irma would have a real problem here and maybe even Taranee, even if there was fire here, there was nothing flammable.

She descended into the darkness taking in the unbearable loneliness that the realm exuded. What was this place and how had it been created? It was like a planet had exploded and the only thing left of it were the fragments of rock frozen permanently in midair. It made her wary. Nothing was ever this empty.

A flash of white caught her eye and she came to a sudden halt. That was the third time she had seen that white flash out of the corner of her eye, and there was no way to assure herself that shed made it up. Slowing her breathing as if to make herself as still as possible, she turned her head towards the flash of light and inhaled sharply.

A wolf? What was a wolf doing here? She swallowed hard and cautiously faced the creature standing on a stone dais not too far from her. It didnt seem to be threatening but it stood there, watching her with a shrewd knowing gaze. Its fur was pure white, almost seeming to glow in the strange darkness; it probably would make an amazing fur coat if fur wasnt so last century. It was gorgeously pristine though, considering the dusty rock it stood upon.

But how did it come to be here? It didnt seem to be the natural landscape for any animal never mind a wolf; didnt they like snow, and forests and the like? She certainly had never heard of any desert wolves, so one that lived in a dark chasm was unlikely.

Well, she decided, it didnt look like it wanted to attack her and it was all the way over there and she was a guardian of earth so

Suddenly the wolf turned its back on her and began bounding down the path. Part of her was willing to let it go its way but a bigger part of her told her that if the wolf had gotten in here, it probably knew a way out. Besides, if it attacked her, well she was the earth guardian and she was surrounded by chunks of rock; oh and she could fly. There was no contest. And this might be her only way out.

She followed the quick footed lupine, swerving in and out amongst the threads of rock and zooming over the larger rounded platforms. After a while she began to realize that the wolf wasnt running away from her, but leading her somewhere. Every time she fell behind, the wolf would wait patiently for her before surging forward.

Where are you taking me? She finally demanded, shoving her hair over her shoulder and wishing valiantly for a hair tie.

Further and further down, they continued, though if she didnt get the sense that they were moving, shed have believed she was on a perpetual loop. Everything looked the same and there were no landmarks to identify areas, she just had to rely on the wolfs sense of direction, and she didnt even know if she could trust that. But what other choice did she have? Going up hadnt helped. The further she had tried to ascend, the less rocks there were until there were none. So, really, down seemed the obvious choice.

Then suddenly out of nowhere loomed a large round platform that seemed the size of a small paddock and all roads led to it. However, what caught her eye was the intricate archway in the middle of the floor. It didnt seem to lead anywhere but when the wolf reached it, it stepped forward and then sat down right in front of it, looking back at her as if to say well, come on then.

Cornelia guided her stone down to the platform and stepped off onto the solid ground, looking around the empty piece of rock that seemed to stretch into the distance. Eyeing the wolf warily, she stepped forward to the archway, taking in the engraved shapes and the silvery brick work.

What is it? She asked the wolf.

The wolf stared at her but didnt reply, not that she really expected it to though she sort of did, a little conversation would be great for her frayed nerves. With a roll of her eyes, Cornelia stopped in front of the arch and looked through it to the other side of the rock.

It must lead somewhere, right? Otherwise, why put it here? She mused, tapping her fingers against her cocked hip. Do I just walk through? But theres nothing there, just air. If only Taranee or Will were with her. Theyd be able to tell her what to do. Will could make her a portal out of there or Taranee could tell her if the archway was a door to home. Even Irma would be handy to just shove her through.

She reached up to trail her fingers over a sign engraved in each brick along the doorway only to yank her hand back when she felt the symbol pulse underneath her fingertips. Pulling her fingers back and flexing them against the vibration, she looked up to see the lines now glowed with a deep blue light.

Ok, what is that about? she asked looking at the disinterested wolf. Youre not very helpful.

Suddenly the gap between the arches began to shimmer like water. Startled, Cornelia stepped back and closer to the wolf. Something was coming through.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. Rain, rain, rain, rain-

Blunk!

The small green creature halted and blinked up at his companion. Rain?

Stop singing that stupid song! Caleb growled gruffly, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as he inhaled deeply, struggling for some semblance of patience. What on earth possessed him to bring Blunk with him? Well apart from the fact that Blunk seemed to be the only one other than her that could seek out portals. You can be so annoying.

Blunk stared at the sullen boy before shrugging. What did he care if Caleb didnt like his song? Blunk liked it; Caleb was just being mister grumpy pants. Grumpy pants.

Caleb shot him a dark look. Yeah, whatever. At least I know what a bath is.

Blunk know what bath is, Blunk just dont like bath. The green goblin-like creature retorted, sticking out its rather slimy tongue and blowing a wet raspberry.

It wouldnt harm you to take one now and again. In fact its probably doing you more harm not taking one, it sure as hell is doing me harm. Caleb muttered, scanning the lush scenery of Meridians landscape. Usually the rolling green meadows and violet hazy mountains rising from the horizon served to soothe him in some way or another, but today his mind was unsettled and his temper was on a short fuse.

Caleb cursed.

What?

You said hell. Thats a curse. Princess Elyon doesnt like her guards cursing. Its uncoot.

Uncouth and how would you know? Besides, its a phrase, not a curse. I didnt mean it as a curse. He grumbled, hunching his shoulders in a habit that dated back to his childhood when his father scolded him for sneaking out after curfew or whenever he did anything stupid.

Blunk shrugged amicably and skipped along beside his companion. Whether Caleb cursed or not wasnt any of his beeswax anyway. Hmm, beeswax, maybe he could get something and sell it.

We should be close now, just over this hill. It wasnt as though he needed to say anything; Blunk probably knew where they were as much as he did. They would have arrived much earlier if Blunk hadnt found such an out of the way portal. As soon as they had stepped through, they had almost ended up in the ocean because the portal opened up onto a cliff.

Blunks off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Awws!

Caleb palmed his forehead. Next time they were on earth, he was going to make sure that Blunk never saw any of the videos in the house, nor would he let Hay Lin drag the little green man off to show him those stupid moving pictures. They did nothing but cause him trouble and irritation, not the mention that Blunk just couldnt sing one note.

Blunk, Im warning you now. One more song and I will cut your tongue out of your mouth. It was an empty threat and Blunk probably knew it. There was nothing in this world that would force Caleb to touch that things tongue or go anywhere near his mouth. Goodness knows what hed catch.

Whys Caleb going to castle without girls? Dont Elyon want girls there at crowning?

Of course Elyon wants them there and theyll be there, later. I just have to talk to Elyon on my own first.

Bout what? Blunk wondered, crouching down to pick up a piece of grass to stick between his lips.

Caleb looked away from the rather disturbing image of Blunk chewing grass and instead focused on the top of the hill they were about to crest. To his left there was a bubbling brook hidden behind a dense line of trees and thick impenetrable shadows. The sky above them was a bright summer blue, so fresh and solid in comparison to the fluffy strips of clouds that floated lazily by. It was good to be back, he mused. Earth was interesting but he missed the freshness of the air, the open landscape, the silence and the sounds of birds and insects. In Heatherfield all he ever heard was cars and electronic buzzing and there was always so many people crushed around, he sometimes felt like he was suffocating. You couldnt suffocate in Meridian, at least not anymore. He could still remembered the way Phobos had choked the life out of the world and because he could, it made him appreciate the smaller things such as flowers and humming bees and clean water.

Caleb?

Its nothing important Blunk, I just needed to make sure everythings ready for the Coronation.

But cant Aldarn do that? Blunk miss girls.

Dont you miss Elyon?

Blunk miss Elyon too. Blunk wish all could live in big house, like castle, but with TV and the flushy pool.

Despite Blunks aversion to water and the bath, he seemed to be obsessed by the toilet and its flushing mechanism. Half the time they had been on earth, Blunk could be found with the dog in the bathroom, flushing the toilet over and over until Collins physically yanked him out by his collar and threatened to throw him in the shower. Even though Blunk wasnt sure what the shower was, he gleaned enough from the fact that it was a punishment and involved water to get the hell away from there. It had been amusing to watch him race past the girls on the back of the poor dog, much to Wills distress. After all, it was her dog.

You would like the toilet.

Mm-hmm, water goes woosh!

Unable to help himself, Caleb chuckled, feeling some of the dark thoughts from earlier lift their weight from his shoulders. He hadnt been completely truthful to Blunk. Yes, he wanted to check on the Coronation plans and he wanted to keep an eye on the dignitaries attending because despite Meridian having had several years of peace under Elyons hands, he still didnt trust some of the politicians (as Elyon named them) to hand over power easily. While he hadnt been able to prove their loyalty to Phobos, he suspected it of some of them. After all, how had they been able to host such nice homes while Phobos had been in power, taxing and governing the people to death?

However his main reason for being in Meridian was simply because he didnt want to be in Heatherfield in that house within reaching distance of her. After last night it was becoming clear that he couldnt be trusted around her. Whatever feelings he had once had for her were not as extinct as he had previously thought. The belief that they could be friends and nothing more, wouldn’t work if he was being pushed closer to her. It was better to gain some distance so he could get his priorities straight. He didnt have time for any mild flirtation nor did he want to lead Will on; he had his duties to his sovereign and he needed to help bring about Cornelias rescue from a foreign court. He didnt want to become entangled in some adolescent something or other. He didnt know what it was; all he knew was that something had happened last night, and part of him knew it was dangerous and couldnt be allowed to happen again. So, as soon as he had finished with his patrol of her home, he had set off with Blunk in search of a portal to Meridian.

He didnt know if they knew he was gone yet but they would figure it out soon and he would get Elyon to tell them. It was for the best. Besides, it would just be awkward and he didnt want things to be awkward, not when there was so much riding on all of them being able to work together.

Something caught his eye and he frowned, his head snapping to the left where the line of trees was thickest. Blunk?

Yes?

Can you see something in the trees at the bottom of the hill?

Nope, just trees and trees and grass.

What about smell? Can you smell anything that shouldnt be there?

He listened quietly, holding his breath while Blunk sniffed loudly.

Cant smell nothing wrong, wind blowing wrong way.

As his hair flew into his face from the warm breeze, Caleb cursed, he should have thought of that. If there was something there, it was smart enough to be down wind and it certainly wasnt moving now. Caleb sighed and turned back towards the castle which was just appearing over the brim of the hill. Keeping his senses attuned, he crested the hill and began to slowly walk down the gently slope. The long grass brushed the tops of his boots, depositing the dew gathered there while small insects fluttered up with annoyed buzzing as his footsteps disturbed them from their early morning breakfast.

In the distance he could make out the Castle rising up from the spread of meadows and small clusters of trees. It looked so different since Elyon had acquired it from her brother. Instead of dark, bare limbs and sinister atmosphere with the ever present cyclone of purple light it now looked inviting especially with the expanse of blue sky and lush greenery encompassing its gleaming white walls. It was close now, just a few hundred yards and theyd be home.

His eyes moved back to the line of trees once more and his heart leapt to his throat. There was something there! Some dark shadow moving amongst the trees, almost merging with the dark silhouettes of the boughs.

Shoot! he cursed harshly causing Blunk to blink up at him. Something is there!

Blunk see nothi-oh! Caleb right, something moving. Too dark to tell what something is.

Yeah its using the shadows. Dammit, its going towards the castle. Come on Blunk, we have to alert the guards. Caleb stated, picking up his pace, his footsteps heavy upon the soft blades of grass and delicate wildflowers that were crushed beneath.

Blunk cant run as fast as Caleb can. Blunk have little legs!

With a growl of irritation, Caleb scooped the small green beast up under his arm and began to race down the steep slope towards the castle of Meridian, jiggling the creature furiously as he hung horizontally. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out the quickened pace of the shadow gliding through the trees and suddenly it burst forth into solid form causing Calebs heart to thud and his pace to stumble.

What is that? He wondered out loud, his breath coming in quick spurts while Blunk gasped under his arm.

Horsey!

Caleb twisted his head to look at the creature as he reached the flat plain that would inevitably lead to the Castles gate. To his left, the road twisted and wound its path like a snake through the long, green grass but his path was straight as an arrow. To his right, the horse as Blunk had labeled it galloped towards the forestthough it was like no horse Caleb had ever seen, seeing how it seemed to be snorting flames from his nostrils and there was an oddly shaped hump on its back. A rider, he realized. There was a rider wrapped within a cloak upon the demonic equine.

He pushed himself to go faster. As captain of the guard, the creature could not be allowed to go any farther but for some reason, he couldnt shake the feeling that the rider was only playing with him; as if the reason he was pulling forward was because the demon wanted him to. He shook the idea from his head. He couldnt allow himself to be distracted.

He burst from the meadow and onto the dirt track that surrounded the moat upon which the castle was built within.

Captain Caleb, welcome back! An archer shouted from the walls, lifting his hand in a wave.

CLOSE THE GATE! Caleb shouted, Close the goddamn gate!

Caleb Blunk gasped, Shouldntcurse Tisbadmanners.

Shut up Blunk! Close the gates! He shouted again. Couldnt they see the horse? Was he the only one with his eyes wide open? Damn, he knew that the troops were becoming lazy with the growing peace in the country. He looked up as the outer wall loomed over him and spied someone familiar. Drake, close the gate! Close it now!

Years of training together meant that the man reacted immediately, disappearing from his spot and yelling to the nearby knights and squires to get to work on closing the gate. As Caleb closed in, he noticed the chains attached to the drawbridge shudder, slump loosely and then tauten until they began to lift the heavy oak door from the ground.

It was almost half way off the ground when Caleb reached it and making one desperate leap Calebs fingers barely closed over the top of it. His body fell against door as it continued to rise; his one hand straining to keep him hanging on.

Blunk, climb up my body! Get inside now!

Blunk nodded, wasting no time in squirming out of Calebs grasp and scurrying around to the boys back, clinging tightly with legs and arms as he began to shimmy up the boy and lunging for the top of the drawbridge, hoisting himself over and disappearing from sight. Though not from hearing because Caleb could hear the creatures squeal as he himself, scrambled over the top of the bridge and sliding down on his bottom. He hit the ground with a bruising thump and let out a low breath of relief as he heard the deafening clank as the door shut tight within the stone frame. His men stared at him in surprise but that was nothing compared to the yells of incredulity from above. Frowning, he ducked out of the awning and looked up at the sky just as a dark shadow swept over them.

Caleb cursed. The beast had just cleared the wall in one leap, soaring over the stunned faces beneath it before coming to a land in the centre courtyard, the hoofs clattering against the cobblestone.

The rider slid his sword free and held it up into the air as the horse reared up. He looked directly at Caleb though Caleb was yet to see a face, he just knew the look was aimed at him- and with a triumphant cheer, the rider whirled the beast around and charged into the inner court of the castle just as several arrows bounced off the walls around him.

Guards!

Protect the princess!

Man your positions!

Caleb shook off his daze and scrambled to his feet, looking around quickly. Raise the alarm! he shouted to a nearby stunned youth, The castle has been breached! We must protect the princess! Oh, and give me your sword!

Sir! The boy saluted, handing his sword over to Caleb; watching as the captain raced towards the castle quickly followed by Captain Drake.

What was that? Drake demanded as he pulled up beside Caleb, both men running full out into the castles inner courtyard filled with shocked gasps and crying children and the murmurs of anxious inhabitants.

I dont know. Caleb answered tersely. After all, he didnt exactly know what the rider was, but he knew his intention. Wheres the princess?

In her chambers- no! Wait, she was going to meet you in the parlor!

Good, well take the secret passage. We should get there in time.

Hopefully Vathek and Aldarn will have blocked off the doors.

Aldarn knows his duty, Drake, as we all do. Protect the princess at all costs, he said to himself.

Drake nodded and the two boys quickly charged up the steps to the castle, taking two or three at a time. Already the guards were running in their various troops to various parts of the castle, parting like the Red Sea as the two men ran through. They broke off to the left and ran down a small corridor lit with lanterns and small hole like windows. Upon the walls, tapestries and paintings, by the Princess herself, were hung in order to take away the coldness from the thick stone.

Caleb, here!

They looked up as Blunk appeared before them, pulling back a painting for them and revealing the inky darkness of a secret passage. Both men raced inside without hesitation as Blunk closed the door behind them. Inside, they stopped for a moment to grab a flambeau holding it out for Drake to light with his flint, as the fire caught and lit up the narrow, stone passage with an orange glow, both men were back on the move.

Irma was fed up waiting. She was fed up sitting on her laurels waiting to be summoned. She was a guardian of the veil, they never waited for anything. Well apart for the final battle with Phobos but the small little details and battles in between, well they hadnt waited for the bad guys to come to them. Oh no, they had made their own decisions. They charged in and saved the world; now they just sat on couches, watching morning cartoons and waited for something to happen. God, she hated waiting.

Irma, its not so bad. Hay Lin sighed, reaching over to pat her friends leg comfortingly. I mean, it could be worse. We could be fighting for our lives in a life or death battle!

Id rather be doing that. Id give anything for a kick ass battle. Heck, Im so bored Id go on a date with Martin! She scowled and slumped down further in her seat.

Malachi cleared his throat loudly and fixed her with a dark look.

Well, obviously I wouldnt enjoy it. Im just saying, at least its something to do thats more interesting than sitting here watching paint dry!

You could try to help me with some of these anti-faerie potion things.

Nah, cookings your thing, Taranee.

Washing ups more up Irmas street. The Chinese girl chirped with a teasing grin, ducking out of the way when Irma went to punch her. Ow!

You could try research. Malachi suggested but his tone hinted that he really didnt think Irma would be interested. He sat huddled over his laptop opposite her at the kitchen table, while Taranee stood at the food preparation area with aromatic steam rising out of simmering pots on the cooker and many empty jars gleaming wetly in front of her.

Research-mesearch. Total bore. Hey, Hay Lin, wanna watch me kick your ass in Tekken?

No thanks. Im doing work.

Ugh. Work for Hay Lin consisted of drawing pictures of Kerrigan; her reasoning being that they needed to be able to recognize him again and in case he tried a disguise, shed drawn pictures of him with glasses, a moustache and beard, a bald head, blonde hair, short haired and in a… dress? Irma turned away with a shudder. Hay Lin was so weird! If thats what you want to call it. So, boyfriend, turn up anything interesting?

Im searching forums on faeries. So far its a load of utter bollocks.

Let me see! She slid from her seat and skipped round to his side so she could peek over his shoulder, making sure to press herself up against him. Maybe if she could interest him enough, he wouldnt want to do research and he could entertain her instead. Hed certainly be better than Martin; then again, that wasnt really saying anything. Tch, I dont see any testicles. I thought you were on a porn site.

Ha, ha. He grumbled, scrolling leisurely down the page. Then his brow furrowed as he clicked on a link, unconsciously leaning back against her as she ran her hand up and down his back.

Over his shoulder, Irma scanned the page idly only really taking an interest when Malachi froze beneath her hand. Something wrong?

… Im not sure. Theres- Hold on. Pulling up another window with a few deft key strokes, she watched as he entered in a website address, something involving the name The Irish Times and then he pressed enter and waited for it to load.

Whats wrong? Taranee wondered, looking up from crushing a clove of garlic.

Malachi didnt answer; he was too engrossed in reading whatever news article had caught his attention, so Irma shrugged in response.

He wont say.

Shut up a minute. There was no bite to the words, just a quiet order for silence while the boy worked out what he was reading. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Irma stepped back, blinking slightly as the crass words spewed from her boy-toys mouth, almost as though they were venom. Mal?

Wh-” Hay Lin gasped and seized her chest. Oh, god. I dont feel very good.

Hay Lin? Taranee dropped her cooking implements and scurried to the Air guardians aid. Hay Lin whats wrong?

I feel so bad! Oh so bad!

Irma looked between Mal who had now buried his face in his hands as his shoulders shook and to her best friend who was shuddering herself, her face screwed up in anguish. Her mind snapped back onto the night before when Hay Lin had reacted with Will and Caleb and it clicked. Mal, come on, snap out of it! Calm down.

Youre projecting your emotions onto Hay Lin! MAL!

Malachi looked up, eyes bloodshot and distraught but as he caught sight of Hay Lins face buried in Taranees shoulders, he began to compose himself. Irma could see his emotions turning inward as he closed himself down. The only hint of what he was feeling was the tense line of his jaw and the white knuckles of his fists.

On the other side of the table, Hay Lin gulped in air and brushed the tears from her cheeks. Thank you, She finally uttered softly, still quaking gently.

Taranee studied them suspiciously. What just happened?

Hay Lin shook her head. I dont know. I just suddenly felt really rotten inside. All icky and disgusting.

The fire guardian absorbed that before turning to the only male. Mal?

It was just something I read.

What? Is something wrong? Did something happen to someone you know, or what?

Not someone I know but… He scooted his chair away from the laptop and motioned for Taranee to have a look, while Irma looped her arms around him from behind, rubbing her cheek against his hair in order to offer some kind of comfort. She did the same to her father but somehow it was different with Mal. Maybe it was because he smelt so nice. Not like the cheap colognes her father was famous for.

Taranee bent over the laptop and began to scan the paper on the screen only to yelp as a sharp smack stung her butt. Ow!

Sorry, Irma apologized cheerfully. Couldnt resist, you have such a fine ass.

A watery chuckle passed through Hay Lins lips as she ducked her head but not before catching the wink the brunette sent her. She shook her head weakly.

So whats the story? Alien abductions? Has Mals family finally come to take him back?

Irma nows not the time for stupid jokes.

Oh my god, youre turning into Corny. It must be a blond thing. Ill have you know that I am the queen of stupid jokes at inappropriate moments. I mean, Wills the leader, Taranees the brains, Hay Lins the artist, Cornys the… well blonde but well not hold that against her, so all thats left is stupid joke maker. All crime fighting teams need one.

Irma, please. This is serious. Taranee muttered as she straightened up and nudged her glasses into place. Malachi, do you think that those kidnappings, brutal murders and rapes have something to do with the fairies?

No. I think they have everything to do with the fairies. Its typical of them. Babies going missing in the middle of the night or some babies suddenly behaving differently. Young women of child rearing age going missing. Little boys and girls being stolen from their homes; theres never any evidence of them being taken, in fact it always looks like they left on their own. Men killing their brothers and raping their wives. It stinks of faerie interference.

Its also part of human nature. Hay Lin offered up quietly. Were always hurting people, out of love or hate but mostly out of a lack of respect for life and the living.

Irma quirked a brow in surprise; that was… insightful and a little too deep for the Hay Lin she knew and loved.

Aye, ok, human nature. But this is too much, in one town alone, there was seven suicides within six months, 14 young children went missing, 5 girls were raped, 3 wives were brutally beaten by their husbands, 5 men were attacked, 2 stabbed in the street in daylight, and 3 school girls reported being sexually harassed by varying school teachers. And thats just whats been reported.

Those are improbable odds.

Not only that, look here. He pulled up another window, revealing a map laid out before them with names and towns they didnt recognize. Thats the town right there, and that big gap is the entrance to Tќr-na-nѓg.

How do you know that?

I just do.

He knew that faerie girls sister. Irma dismissed their questioning gazes with a wave of her hand. But what about that town there? She asked, pointing to a town on the other side of the gap. “Donegal Town.

Im not sure how it works. I guess theres a portal that only faeries know about and the odd human has stumbled upon. Im just saying that theres a reason for that town being targeted. Its the closest but Im betting others have been hit, not as bad but still… it shouldnt be happening.

You think that by stopping the faeries, we could stop this? Hay Lin wondered, nervously chewing on the top of her pink colouring pencil.

I dont know but… Malachi trailed off, running a hand through his white blond hair. I just think we should try, you know?

Well do everything we can, you know we will. Irma told him, flashing him a trust me, Im a hero smile.

Irma, are you ok? You look sorta psychotic.

Irmas face flopped as she turned to glare at Will as the red head made her way into the kitchen.

So, whats up guys?

Im bored!

Were going to save Ireland. Hay Lin added.

“What, the whole of Ireland?” Will paused for a moment, before plucking two slices of bread from the bread bin. I dont think I want to know.

You dont. Irma advised, watching as her friend crossed to the toaster, her face looked pale and drawn, as if she hadnt slept well and her hair… well her hair was a total, bushy mess. Why dont you use straighteners on it?

Will shot her a tired look. I did, it didn-OW! God, Im really getting fed up with- Ow! It keeps shocking me… oh! I saw a blue spark, thats bad right?

Get away from it. Taranee ordered, scurrying over to physically pull the red head away from the toaster as she tried to take the bread from the appliance. Ill make you some toast. You go find an electrical appliance free zone.

Will sucked her thumb sulkily. Great, I cant even make toast anymore. Oh and Irma, the straighteners are fried.

Fried? Why fried?

Dont ask. Its this static thing.

Thats more than static. Malachi said, adding his two cents. Seriously, who fries a straightener with static?

Obviously Will-the-freak-girl does. Will grumbled, before looking around the room with a frown. Is Caleb not around?

I heard him and Blunk leaving earlier this morning. I think he said something about going back to Meridian. Taranee informed her absently as she went back to studying her notes.

Beside her, Malachi muttered something about the lack of a bad smell, but Irma was too busy watching Wills face collapse. As the red head trekked dejectedly out of the kitchen, Irma turned to Hay Lin and they exchanged a knowing look. The message loud and clear. Caleb and Will were avoiding each other because of the kiss they almost shared.

What?!

Both girls jumped guiltily to look at Taranee who stared at them. What what? They asked innocently.

You said they almost shared a kiss! Who?

Irma stared blankly at Taranee while Hay Lin blinked and Malachi frowned. Oh god, Irma thought her mind racing, Taranee knew. But, how? She hadnt said anything. And neither had Hay Lin.

But they’d thought it.

-

A.N. Well Im so unbelievably sorry for the long wait. This story is just something that can be hard to write at times due to the fact that I have nothing to inspire me to write for the genre. I have no Witch DVDs and I cant go to Youtube to watch them because my internet connection sucks so I write when I have inspiration. Sorry. Anyways, I know this chapter is shorter than usual but a lot of things happened. So I will try to get more of the story written soon. If therere any questions you have about the chapter, feel free to PM or email me.

REVIEW!

Sketches of the girls from t.v.’s “Witch” without shirts one!
Here is a very unique sort of W.i.t.c.h in shape of porn anime. Horny sluts of W.i.t.c.h XXX comic strip anxious to do their best to get all of your juices going We carry on with raw instances of anal, oral and traditional sex some powerful threesome scenes to top it all and

A.N. So you can thank Dunne Stores for their stocking of WITCH DVDs that allowed me to get the first two volumes which helped so much. I wasnt too far out with the girls characters but its nice that I know how pictures and DVDs I can consult whenever I feel interest in this story lagging. Also if I hadnt found Lacuna Coil, the last scene of this chapter probably wouldnt have come to me as easily as it did.

Chapter Fourteen- GAME OVER

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What?!

Both girls jumped guiltily to look at Taranee who stared at them. What what? They asked innocently.

You said they almost shared a kiss! Who?

Irma stared blankly at Taranee while Hay Lin blinked and Malachi frowned. Oh god, Taranee knew. But, she hadnt said anything. And neither had Hay Lin.

But they thought it.

The large airy kitchen was almost suffocating with thick tension. Malachi glanced warily between the girls. Hay Lin looked as though she wanted to throw up; her eyes were wide and large, her skin pasty with a green tint and her mouth agape as her gaze darted frantically from Irma to Taranee and back again. Irma, on the other hand, looked adorably confused, her mouth twisted into a grimace and her eyes narrowed. And Taranee just looked angry, almost betrayed.

He didnt know the girls incredibly well, not as they knew each other but he e knew enough of the group dynamics to know that Taranee hated being kept out of the loop. Considering she was the one who felt as though she didnt belong as much as the others, this probably played on her insecurities. The girls had a secret that she, and only she, wasnt privy to. He didnt count. He wasnt a girl and he wasnt one of them. Whatever the heck they were with their short skirts and wings, oh not to mention the elemental powers. He felt as though hed been plucked up and dumped into the middle of a girls manga.

We didnt say anything, Tar.

Yes you did. Taranee claimed matter-of-factly. I was standing right there, She pointed to the kitchen counter where the toaster was cheerfully humming as it warmed the bread shed placed in there for Will. My eye sight maybe faulty but my hearing isnt. In fact, its probably better than yours.

Ive heard that happens. Hay Lin mused earning a dark look from the other two who were facing off.

Look, I dont know what you heard, but you didnt hear us say anything about a kiss.

Are you calling me a liar, Irma Lair?

Liar, Lair; Lair, Liar. The Chinese girl chimed in before blushing hotly under the fierce glares. Sorry, Ill shut up now. But we didnt say anything.

I distinctly heard you. You said that someone was avoiding another person because of a kiss!

Look Taranee, I was sitting right beside Irma, she and Hay Lin didnt say anything. Malachi offered up. At least he hadnt heard anything, unless one of them had suddenly developed telepathy right there at the kitchen table. Then again, they had kept the whole turning into flying pixies a secret from him, who knew what else they were hiding.

But I heard-

Well nothing came from our mouths. Irma shot back, causing Malachi to narrow his gaze on her. That was an odd way of phrasing it. It might not have come from her mouth but maybe it came from her thoughts? No, now he really was being stupid.

Taranee, shes telling the truth. We didnt say anything.

And who could have kissed? Malachi asked. Apart from me and Irma that is but were not avoiding each other. Unless… He looked carefully at the three girls and his gaze landed squarely on Irma. …one of you is a lesbian.

What?! Just because I slapped Taranees ass doesnt make me a lesbian. She snapped, folding her arms and tossing her head in imitation of their lost friend. Ill have you know that Im completely and utterly… She paused dramatically. Bisexual!

Hay Lin palmed her forehead while Malachi rolled his eyes with a sigh. Taranee however remained unimpressed by the brunettes cavalier attitude. I heard something. And… Will. Will was in the room and she asked about Caleb, and when I told her he was gone, you said-

I said nothing! There was nothing said. And are you suggesting what I think you are? You think our Will and Caleb almost kissed?

Malachis brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend what was being said. Wait rebel boy with an attitude kissed Will? I thought he was interested in Blondie.

The band? Another mixture of bewildered and dark looks was aimed at Hay Lin and the air guardian sighed. Ok, Im definitely shutting up now.

I never said he kissed her! Irma snapped. I said almost! Her eyes went wide and her hand automatically slapped over her mouth but the damage was already done. Oh crap.

Ah-ha! I knew it! Taranee exclaimed, pointing her finger in accusation while Hay Lin began to hit her head off the table. Taranees jubilant smile suddenly dropped off her face. Oh wait… they almost kissed? As in… Will? And Caleb? But I thought… I didnt… Oh no. Thats… not good.

Oh, Wills going to kill me. Irma whimpered sinking down into her chair.

Malachi reached over to rub her shoulder comfortingly but his hand froze midair. But you didnt say anything. I mean, I never heard you. You never opened your mouth.

But I thought it! Irma snapped, covering her face with her hands. Oh Will really is going to kill me. Im a bad friend.

What do you mean she never opened her mouth?

Im a bad, bad friend. Oh shes going to static shock me to death. Ill be fried like the hair irons.

Irma cut it out! Taranee… Hay Lin sighed loudly. This is really bad. I think I should go contact Grandma.

Why? Because Irma told Taranee or because Will almost kissed Caleb? Malachi lifted a hand to his head. Wait a minute, will someone please tell me whats going on?

Irma looked up at him, eyes burning fiercely as she reached over and clenched his collar in her fists. Ill tell you whats going on! Wills going to kill me! Thats whats going on! Will is going to kill me because I cant keep a secret. Granted, she mused. Im not quite sure it was a secret. And I only told Taranee, -well and you-, but you dont count, and we wouldve told Taranee anyway, just not in front of you. So I didnt really break her trust and, yay, she cant kill me. Oh yeah, I rock.

Irma!

What?!

Hay Lin sucked in a breath before releasing it slowly, as if gathering her patience. Not that Malachi had ever seen her lose it, he mused, as he pried his girlfriend/friend-with-benefits hands from his shirt.

Taranee heard your thoughts, Irma. I think thats a little more important right now than whether Willll kill you.

Heard my… oh yeah. Yeah, that is kind of strange. Irma lifted her head to gaze at the dark skinned girl and quirked a brow inquisitively. You hearing any other thoughts? Do you hear thoughts much? Is that how you pass all those exams? Because thats technically cheating, you cheater.

No! Taranee shook her head slowly, her face pale under the dark pigment. I-I dont really know. I thought, I mean I heard what you… thought, as clearly as if you spoke it. I did think you said it out loud but… She sank into an empty chair and pressed her lips together.

Ok, thats weird. Hay Lin piped up, pulling a piece of hair into her mouth to chew on it.

Maybe your powers are increasing or mutating or something. Malachi added, his fingers running loosely over the keys of the laptop. Maybe he could look up telepathy to see if he could find anything helpful.

From throwing fireballs to hearing thoughts? Thats quite a mutation. Irma drawled, folding her arms and leaning back in her chair.

Not really. I mean, your mental capacity is bound to be expanding as you use your powers and change into your guardian form. It wouldnt surprise me too much if it unlocked parts of your mind that normal humans wouldnt use.

I resent the term normal humans. Theres no such thing. I mean, I get wings sure, but can anyone say that Martin is normal? Or Uriah? Or that guy who picks his nose at the back of the class? I dont think so.

Irma, solve the PC problems later.

Maybe I should talk to Will. She deserves to know. Taranee muttered, getting up and heading back to the stove. She took her pot off the stove and turning off the rings, she placed the pot on a safe spot and rounded the counter.

Hey Taranee, Hay Lin called as the short haired girl made her way to the door, we were going to tell you. Really.

Taranee studied her for a long moment; then she nodded with a smile. Yeah, I know you were.

The other two girls watched her leave before exchanging a long look; then Hay Lin sighed and pushed herself out of her chair. I guess Ill go phone Gran.

Why? Malachi found himself wondering. What could a grandmother know?

She was originally the guardian of air. She should know if there are other powers. At least I think she should, I hope she does because otherwise, were lost.

Irma waved to Hay Lin as she left before she rounded on Malachi, her eyes gleaming suspiciously.

So Mal, whatcha doing?

Mal raised his eyes to the ceiling. It didnt matter how big a drama unfolded with this girl, she never seemed phased in the least.

Elyon stood within the silent confines of her parlor; protected on all sides by large, burly soldiers armed with swords and shields. She suppressed a shiver, her eyes drifting over their backs to the small pockets of space where she could see the delicately embroidered fabric of her overturned furniture. She had been sitting calmly drinking her tea as she waited for Caleb when Vathek had charged inside, slamming the doors back on their hinges so hard she had visibly flinched in sympathy for the walls behind them. As she rounded to question him and as Aldarn had opened his mouth to reprimand him, theyd heard the horns sounding out the alarm and her heart had leapt to her throat. Her castle was under attack! Then Vathek had mentioned that someone, yes one person, had breached the castle walls and, now she was huddled away into the corner to be guarded by her men.

Her fingers tingled with power and light swam around their profiles as she dropped her gaze to the floor, her ears alert for any sound of fighting. Her guards shifted uneasily while Vathek clenched his fists together. While they were tense and anxious, she felt nothing but embarrassed. Here she was, the light of Meridian, being hidden from sight by large burly soldiers instead of being out protecting what was rightfully hers. What kind of Queen was she planning on being? She had taken down Phobos, hadnt she? She scowled sulkily; then flinched. What was she? Five? What kind of Queen pouted? No, she had to trust in her guards. They knew what they were doing.

She hoped.

Has any- She broke off, her eyes widening when one man physically jumped at the sound of her voice. Oh, sorry.

My apologies, your highness. Im just tense.

We all are. This is a very stressful moment. She bit back the urge to point out that it was stressful because they werent doing anything. She didnt like this idea of sitting quietly while she waited for the bad guys to come to her. But this would give her ample opportunity to practice exercising patience for her encounter with the Queen of faerie. The butterflies in her stomach flopped nervously like a fish out of whatever. But I was going to ask, Vathek, has anyone contacted the guardians?

No milady, we did not see any reason to involve them with this intrusion. It is just one minor breach, my Princess; we can take care of this ourselves.

Oh. Was this a hint of things to come? Would her guards resent the guardians protecting her? They were famous around the realms, according to Quinn. They were known as her elite guard. She could understand that her soldiers may be a little jealous of the prestige the guardians had won for themselves. However, the simple fact of the situation was that they would have to work together. They were her protectors one and all; she could not be seen to have any weakness or dissention among her people. Not in the Faerie court. Nevertheless, to reprimand Vathek now in front of his men would not help matters in the slightest.

She smiled wryly. Maybe she could actually be good at this ruling malarkey.

Where do you think it is, sir? A soldier asked; his voice cracking over the words as he nervously ran a finger along his collar.

Its probably already been stopped, more than likely it is simply a petty threat against the princess before the coronation; a scare tactic by some of Phobos loyal supporters. Aldarn spat out Phobos name as though it were a curse word, vile and loathsome, which she supposed he was. Her brother was nothing but a manipulative coward. A messenger will probably appear soon to tell us the threat is contained.

A clang of swords echoed outside and Elyon raised a brow at Aldarn, causing the green skinned man to flush lightly. A yell was heard amongst the fray, but quickly died off with a bleat.

Good god, theyre being killed. A soldier whispered, causing Vathek to snarl at him.

Manage your fear men.

A creak from behind them made them jump, -even Elyon herself- as the small door behind the fireplace opened and Aldarn instantly charged; his sword raised high over his head. She watched it glint in the light streaming through the small window as it swung down in a graceful arc towards the intruder only to shudder and release a metallic ring as it met with another sword and a blond haired man ducked out from behind the door.

Aldarn! Its me Drake!

And Caleb. A voice snapped from behind the door.

Caleb! With a rush of relief, Elyon broke through her soldiers and rushed to the man crawling out of the fireplace and kicking the door firmly shut behind him. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing out cobwebs and dust from his thick brown hair.

Ugh, I hate that passage. He muttered with a wrinkle of his nose; clambering to his feet and dusting down his pants and trench coat. His eyes swept over the people before him before locking onto Elyon; immediately he swept into a low bow. Princess. He intoned reverently causing her to scowl at him.

Oh, stop that nonsense. You, who are one of my oldest friends, should never have to refer to me as that. The same goes for you Drake, please do not stand on ceremony. Not now.

This spurred both men into action, Caleb taking over command as he regarded Aldarn and Vathek. Whats the situation? Where is he?

We have no method of communication. We have just been waiting here.

Caleb growled and ran a hand over his face before slipping a hand under the back of his jacket and emerging with two black boxes. His walkie-talkies, Elyon recognized with a sense of amusement. Take this and go investigate. He snapped the order to a young soldier who flushed to the roots of his hair at being singled out.

I will go with the lad. Vathek decided and Caleb nodded.

Good. Check on my father and Tynar. Both men nodded and saluted their captain before crossing to the door, unlocking it slowly before Vathek poked his head out to look around.

Looks clear so far. Right, lets go lad.

Both stepped out swiftly into the corridor, swords at the ready as the shut the door tightly and another officer rushed forward to lock it.

Caleb turned away from the door and fixed his gaze on Elyon who shifted nervously. Oh she knew that face. That was his you didnt do as I told you face.

Why isnt she in the secret passages on her way to safety? He demanded; his mouth suddenly thinning with temper as his furious eyes landed on Aldarn.

Aldarn simply rolled his eyes and waved a hand in Elyons direction as if to say ask her. Elyon paid him no heed, suddenly furious by the way her friend had just completely ignored her. Couldnt he have asked her? Boys! She isnt on her way to safety because she did not want to leave her home. She can make her own decisions because guess what? She is going to be Queen. That makes her in charge! And I would prefer if you did not refer to me as she. I am Elyon! And if you wish to ask something, you will ask me directly and not Aldarn.

Your snit is duly noted, milady- Caleb returned quietly.

Snit?!

Get into formation men; I will not have her dead because we didnt do our jobs.

Her, she! What was she, the cats mother?! And she didnt like what he was hinting at with that phrase but she acquiesced to their command, allowing them to crowd around her once again but only because Aldarn had given her that pleading look she could never resist.

Caleb, you saw the being? What does it look like?

She eagerly listened to their conversation, but gave off the impression of being lost in her own world. No doubt, according to them, this kind of news was not fit for her delicate little princess ears. In fact, they would probably fall off if she heard about such a danger to her poor, fragile health. She bit back the urge to snort derisively. And they wondered why she wanted the guardians with her?! Honestly, didnt she deserve a little bit of respect? And she would have expected so much more from Caleb. He was more than her captain; he was her friend, her right hand man. He had never treated her thus before. Was he angry with her because she left him in Heatherfield?

Her eyes slid up to him from under her bangs and they narrowed. Well it wasnt as if she could send any of her other guards. None of them had ever lived on earth for any length of time and the guardians were comfortable with Caleb. Werent they friends? Something was wrong, she decided and, once this stupid nonsense with her intruder was done with, she would pull him aside and find out what it was. She would not have him take out his frustrations on her.

A dark, cloaked figure on a horse. Caleb answered. I couldnt see its face and the horse; it was like a demon horse. Red fiery eyes and smoke coming from its nostrils.

It sounded like something out Lord of the Rings; then again, wasnt that based on mythology to an extent? Elves, faeries; they were pretty much the same thing in her book, but she doubted her guards would enjoy her telling them that their creature was a wraith looking for the One Ring. Idly she played with her signet ring on her right hand, watching it glint in the sunlight. Maybe if she offered her intruder this ring, hed leave her alone. Yeah, if it were a magpie.

Squawk! Caleb hiss! weve got a situationThe lower level guard fizzle! unconscious.

What? Vathek, repeat that again.

All guardshiss! lower level fizz! out cold.

That doesnt sound good. Elyon murmured. Why leave her guards unconscious and all of them? It had to be her intruder -unless her guards had all decided to have a group nap.

The doors slammed open and the group stiffened, swords raised while Elyon held her hands aloft just in case, only to drop them with a sigh as Aisling strode in, small and petite in a white dress gilded with gold etching and a shining white and gold breast plate to match the arm cuffs and boots. She clutched her sword loosely as she swept the room with her gaze. Elyon felt quite plain in front of her, dressed only in a plain blue summer dress lacking any accessories. She hadnt even remembered to put her crown on that morning. She tugged at the frayed cuff of her sleeve feeling dejected. Why shouldnt she have a nice battle costume made for her? She would, she decided, before she went to the realm of faerie; even if she had to conjure it, she would have one.

Suddenly Aislings glittering eyes landed on Caleb and she lifted her sword, pointing the sharp tip at him.

Oi! Why is Elyon still here?! You have a goddamn faerie in your castle taking out your men and youre just sitting here? Morrigan above, I can see why the faeries despise of humans. Do you need us to tell you everything? Ill make it simple. Get the fuck out of here! She snapped, golden eyes flashing furiously. If you value your lives that is.

Who are you-

Elyon placed her hand onto her captains arm and squeezed tightly. Let me deal with this, her eyes said. Your advice is greatly appreciated, your highness. However, I do not intend to leave my castle unprotected. This is my home and I will protect my people.

By standing here with the doors locked? Fat lot of good it will do you. Aisling growled.

Where is Quinn?

Hunting down your elusive intruder. Hes probably the only one who can stop him or her or whoever it is.

Then you believe it to be a faerie?

A rider on a horse breathing fire? Aye, Id say its definitely faerie. Sounds like one of the Dark Court; which means your plan to rescue your friend has really pissed someone off. For that, I might actually like you. The girl flashed Elyon a grin that lacked any discernable warmth.

Im so pleased.

Aldarn and Drake muffled their chuckles while Caleb smirked at her acerbic tone. Elyons tight smile warmed a little because of it, before she schooled her features to appear vaguely disinterested.

Fine. The princess of faerie sighed. Look, Im just here on Quinns orders. He says you should get out while you can. More than likely, this is an assassin and you dont underestimate them. Theyre dangerous creatures, believe me.

Ah, and well y would know, mo ban phrionsa, Aisling Nќ hAllain.

The princess froze suddenly, eyes wide as the air behind her shimmered. Elyon gasped sharply, as her men braced themselves, moving into their defensive stances, holding their weapons aloft. Elyon could only watch as the air behind Aisling solidified revealing a tall, lean man with brown hair, dressed in possibly the most bizarre costume Elyon had ever seen on a man; never mind an assassin. He wore a tight fitting navy blue, silk shirt with a darker shade of leather cuffs and a similar leather waist band that wrapped tightly around his lower torso. His v-neck collar was trimmed with thick white fur making his tanned skin seem browner. He seemed to be wearing long navy board shorts only in a much thicker material over dark navy, almost black matt rubber leggings. At least thats what they looked like and leather ankle boots with a curved tip. The most disturbing part was that he had a deformed sword aligned neatly over the faerie princesss neck and it would only take one careless swipe for her to be lying dead on the floor. Elyons stomach churned.

Release the princess. Drake growled.

Now, now. No need t get testy, boyo. I merely have a job t do and a message t deliver. Im sure, y can understand. Cant y?

Oh and what message may that be? Aisling ground out,

The man grinned brightly. Ah, now, wouldnt y be wantin to know? Seems y all ave ruffled a few feathers now, and ah, well cant be allowin that.

Excuse me; would you at least do us the courtesy of introducing yourself?

Oh aye, Aisling snarled. An invite im t tea while youre at it.

Well now, that would be quite a pleasure. Sure Ive no problem wit you, Princess Elyon, Light of Meridian.

Who are you? What do you want?

I think its quite obvious what he wants? Isnt that right?

The man considered Aislings words as he scratched his jaw. Well, since y put it like that. I guess it could be obvious enough.

Elyon didnt like where this conversation was going. She didnt like it at all. And whats that?

To stop you from going to Faerie, Aisling answered; her tone harsh and unforgiving as she stood stiff against the dark faerie assassin. If I were you, Captain, Id take Elyon and go!

Ah, now don be doin stupid tings. I aint runnin the length and breadth o da castle again.

Youre right, you wont. Youll fight me instead. Came the grim reply as Aislings very skin began to glow with an ethereal light. Stunned Elyon watched the swimming light coat the girls body and in two quick movements, she grabbed hold off the assassins arm with one hand and thrust her free elbow into the mans gut. Not pausing for a second, she used his surprise to wrench his hands from her and ducking under them, she kept hold of one and twisted to his side, delivering a fierce kick to his face. There was a shout of agonized pain as the dark assassin stumbled back, covering his face before slowly, he lifted his hands from his face, panting heavily as his dark eyes glittered manically.

Go now! Aisling ordered, not even hesitating, as she threw her right hand out to the side and flexed it. A splinter of light shot along her palm and solidified into a long sword, as she swung and charged at the assassin.

This would be a good time to leave. Caleb muttered over the clang of clashing blades and before Elyon could even formulate a reply, she was swept up into Calebs arms and he was ducking into the secret passage, the door of which had been opened by Drake. Through the din of noise, she was vaguely aware of her soldiers following her and the call of the assassin for her not to go too far. Somehow, Elyon didnt think her coronation was going to go off as peacefully as she wished.

Completely unaware of the plight of the Meridian Queen-to-be, Will Vandom sat on the floor of her bedroom contemplating on whether 30 seconds to Mars deserved to go to the front of her CD collection or to the back. If she went by her iTunes alphabetizing, it would go to the back but Windows put it to the front. So that left her with a conundrum, did numbers come before letters or did letters come before numbers? And really, did any of it matter in the grand scheme of things? Here she was worrying about her CD collection when Cornelia was lost somewhere in the realm of faerie.

She huffed out a sigh and rubbed her hands over her face. She might as well admit it, she sucked as a guardian. She couldnt even do the guarding part right. It wasnt as though she could blame Cornelias disappearance on not being aware of what was going on. Elyon had appraised her, shed given them the bad guy and all they had to do was defeat the bad guy and as a leader, she failed! She failed with a big, fat capital F with a red circle!

She couldnt defeat one faerie, how was she supposed to defeat an army of them?

It all seemed so possible when shed been younger. They swept in and they saved the day; the guardians to the rescue. Now the guardians were missing a key member and Caleb had gone walk about. And it was all her fault. Maybe she was being melodramatic blaming herself for the faerie situation, a part of her admitted, because realistically, she had tried her best. Shed thrown a big pink glowing ball at Kerrigan though out loud, that didnt sound very threatening, a Barbie pink ball of energy- but she had done her very best considering she had no powers for herself. But the Caleb situation, now that was definitely her fault. What had she been thinking?

Oh, there are Calebs lips, I wonder if hell mind if I fasten myself to them? Of course he minded! There he was trying to comfort her, being so nice about the fact that shed lost his girlfriend, and she tried to kiss him. She was a scarlet woman! She now had the attitude to match her hair. Just great.

She tossed the CD she was clutching to the side and groaned aloud. She was an idiot. A hormonal, teenage idiot. If Cornelia were here and not involved with Caleb- she would laugh at Wills utter stupidity.

She looked down as Toad dropped his head onto her lap. Toad, what can I do? She asked the dog, idly running her fingers through the thick, coarse black hair. She didnt even know where Caleb was but at a guess, she figured hed have gone to Meridian. Where else could he go? It wasnt as though he had any friends on earth apart from them ha, some friend shed turned out to be. At least Blunk was with him, that was some comfort. At least he wasnt wandering Meridian looking for a portal because Blunk could sniff one out for him.

A slight tapping on the door caught her attention. Come in. She called out, picking up her CD again and contemplating its cover art. Maybe alphabetizing her CD collection didnt matter in the grand scheme of things but at least it helped her keep her mind of things for a little while.

The door opened and Taranee slipped in, armed with a plate of toast and a mug of coffee, the steam rising in soft curls that made Wills mouth water. I brought you breakfast.

She smiled up at her fire guardian gratefully. Thank you so much Taranee. I didnt exactly want to break the toaster as well.

Taranee set the mug and plate down upon the chair by the vanity table before taking a seat on the bed, her eyes sweeping over the room before falling on a small pile in the corner. What happened here?

Those are the appliances Ive managed to break just by touching them Just call me Will the freak girl. She blew out a breath, ruffling the strands of red hair that obscured her vision. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on them.

Taranee picked up the hair irons and studied them. This isnt natural Will; maybe you should go see Elyon.

Wills eyes leapt up to take in Taranees expression before quickly lowering. Ah, no I dont think we should go to Meridian until Elyon summons us.

Is this because of Caleb?

The red head froze; her eyes fixed firmly on a spot in front of her as she quickly went ran through what Taranee could possibly know about her and Caleb. She didnt think Irma would say anything and yet, it would only be fair for them to tell Taranee. Still, what if they hadnt told her and she was just assuming? Wouldnt it be better just to feign innocence? I dont know what youre talking about.

And that right there is a blatant lie. If youre going to deny something, Will Vandom, at least make the effort to sound honest. When Will continued to say nothing, Taranee sighed and raised her eyes to the ceiling. Look, I heard it from Irma that you and Caleb kissed-

Almost kissed. We almost kissed. The almost was extremely important. The almost was the line she didnt cross. The almost meant that she hadnt completely betrayed Cornelia.

Almost then. Taranee conceded, easing down onto the floor and settling herself beside her leader. Do you like Caleb? At Wills horrified look, she quickly raised her hands defensively. Im not judging you, Will, Im just trying to understand what happened. Things have beenabnormal to say the least recently and I just want a clear picture.

Will covered her mouth as her eyes searched the wall in front of her as if she expected the words to be written there. I dont know, I really dont know. I I care about him. Hes one of us. Hes always been one of us since the beginning but hes Cornelias. He loves her and she loves him. I wont do anything to jeopardize that. I wont do that to her, not that I could. She quickly added. After all, compared to Cornelia, she was just the dull friend.

I care about Caleb too but Ive never almost kissed him. Are you sure you just feel friendship for him?

Taranee She trailed off with a shake of her head. She knew that Taranee was just trying to understand and she appreciated it, appreciated the way the quiet member of their group would listen without casting any judgment upon her, which was a blessing she definitely didnt deserved. Can we talk about something else? I dont want to think about what happened. It didnt mean anything anyway, it was just a heat of the moment situation and lets change the topic, ok?

Ok then. Taranee murmured, biting her lip. How about we talk about how I read Irmas mind?

Sure we can talk you what?

Read Irmas mind. The fire guardian repeated quietly.

Will blinked. Taranee read Irmas mind? Why? She quickly shook her head, a bark of laughter bursting from her lips. Um, Im sorry. That was a stupid question, I meant how?

She watched as her companion shifted in her spot, a small furrow appearing between her eyes. Thats just it. I dont know how I did it. I wasnt actively thinking about Irma, I was actually thinking about making your toast and then it was like Irma had this bullhorn that spoke directly in my head. I clearly heard her say that you kissed Caleb. However, Malachi claims to have heard nothing, Irma swear she didnt say anything like that out loud and Hay Lin backs her up and well… you know, Hay Lin, shes worse than you at telling lies. So all Im left with is the theory that I heard Irmas thoughts in my mind.

Which is ridiculous! I deal with clear, logical facts. If I cant see it, I wont believe it. And yet I distinctly heard Irmas voice in my head. Irma, of all people. I mean, its bad enough Im hearing voices but for it to be Irmas voice?! I dont think I can handle having her thoughts in my head. Ill go insane from the disorder and- and-

I think the word youre looking for is perversion.

That too. Taranee muttered, her cheeks burning furiously while Will studied her.

Its funny, what youre saying is very disturbing and something we should definitely be worried about but I cant seem to find the energy to worry. In fact, Im very mellow. Can you hear my thoughts?

I told you, I only heard Irmas. Taranee grumbled, throwing her head back against the mattress. Great, Im officially a bigger freak than I was thirty minutes ago.

Heh, well youre in the right room. I think Ill name it, FA.

Eff Eh?

Freaks Anonymous. I can be Spark Girl and you can be Mental Girl.

I should be offended by that. Its quite an offensive term but I think Im more worried by the fact that at any moment, something Irma thinks could pop into my head. Did you know shes dating Malachi?

Did you get that from her thoughts?

No, I knew that already but I was thinking that I dont want any of her Malachi thoughts in my head.

Or my Caleb thoughts… aw crud, just forget you heard that.

Taranee raised a brow before snagging a slice of toast from Wills abandoned plate and sinking her teeth into it. I think were broken.

Well Ive broken everything else in sight; I dont see why I couldnt break you guys.

No, I mean, maybe were… Oh I dont know. This supernatural stuff just isnt my forte. I read the websites and think… Miss, your milk soured because you left it out on your window in the midday sun, it had nothing to do with Tinkerbell and her friends. And take Kerrigan for example, I saw him in all his badness and all I could think, was that he had to have a sock down his pants.

Will gaped at her before throwing her head back and laughing. Oh he really did, didnt he? I think Cornelia mentioned something like that… She suddenly sobered with a scowl. I hate him. Hes such a creep.

Worse than Phobos?

So much worse. If I used that pink ball of light on Phobos, hed run crying to his giant snake.

Taranee shuddered. Maybe we shouldnt use terms like giant snake after our sock comment.

Will nodded in agreement for a moment and then a grin began to furl her lips as the fire guardians eyes widened and she gasped.

Oh! See that was an Irma thought! I told you, shes infecting my brain. Im probably losing brain cells as we speak and then I wont be able to go to college and Ill have to work in a fastfood place with all that grease and Ill get acne and- She grabbed her leader by the upper arms, her eyes fierce behind her glasses. We have to do something Will. This cant go on. Im applying to Ivy League colleges and I cant afford to be linked up like this to Irma.

Will chuckled. Youre not linked up to her; shes just rubbed off on you. Weve all rubbed off on each other; thats a natural psychological thing. I think. Hey, thanks to you we all use bigger vocabularies.

Taranee smiled weakly and sucked in a breath. We need to find out whats going on.

I agree. I thought Elyon would contact us soon but all this waiting around is making me sick to my stomach. I can barely eat anymore. She gestured with her half eaten slice of toast, as if to emphasize her point. Come on; lets go see if we can talk to Elyon.

Both girls got to their feet, Will making a conscious effort not to touch her friend, before they headed for the door. Shed just set her hand on the handle, absorbing the jolt that kicked against her palm when she heard the cry and the earth-shattering clank of the plumbing pipes. A curse forced its way past her lips as she yanked open the door and sped towards the noise.

Cornelia couldnt believe her luck. Shed found the portal and all it had taken had been a few hops, skips and jumps over a sea of floating rocks to get there. Granted the wolf had been a little help but what had it done really? She would have figured out the way to the portal all on her own even if it hadnt shown up. She did a quick energetic happy dance before skipping forward to the portal with every intention of escaping.

The wolf behind her growled and she sighed, sending it a dark look over her shoulder. Look, nothings coming through. Weve waited for ten minutes now and nothings happened. Its just a portal and itll be fine. Well go through and see where we end up, hopefully itll be the real world… just dont eat me. Trust me, Im just skin and bones but I can find you something. How do you feel about passling meat? Its kind of stinky but, hey, sprinkle it with soy sauce and youll have a new delicacy. She stepped forward again, hand outstretched to touch the filmy surface. It looked like water so did it feel like water? Was it wet? Was it cold?

The wolf barked sharply and she scowled. What now? I told you, you can eat the passling, no one will miss it… well Hay Lin might. Ok, well my friend has a big scary snake man, you can choose what form you want to eat or, theres this little girl that can turn into a really disgusting spider. Youd have to pluck her but shed make a great appetizer. Trust me, no one would miss her. Snake mans pretty for an evil guy though so Elyon might like to keep him for eye candy.

She was pretty sure it would feel cold but she wasnt sure if it would feel wet. After all, it wasnt really water, was it? She tried to remember what travelling through the veil had felt like, cold and misty with that electric charge to it. This one would probably feel like something similar but without the electric charge.

Should she just walk through it or stick her head through it to see what was on the other side. Did it really matter? She obviously couldnt stay here in this barren labyrinth. It was too empty and there was nothing to eat but her lupine companion and seriously, she did not want to try eating it. All that fur… She shuddered. She might think fur was a great fashion statement but she would never wear it. Too much time with Hay Lin, she lamented. It had given her such a hippy outlook on life.

Are you coming? She asked, shooting the wolf a quick look. It wasnt as if she wanted it to come with her, after all, who wanted a wolf as a companion? But she couldnt just leave it there. It would starve and she didnt want the wolfs death on her conscience if she could help it.

The wolf barked if thats what you could call the sharp noise the animal emitted. Was barking reserved to dogs only, she wondered. Well if you are coming, you better get over here. Theres no way Im making a return trip if you get left behind and I cant stay here, you know. I have friends waiting for me, they need my help. I have to make sure Wills ok, can you understand that?

The wolf whined but stayed its respectable distance from the archway; its butt firmly on the ground with its head held high, golden eyes locked on her face. She shifted uncomfortably under its scrutiny. There was just something so human about its gaze that made her feel as if it understood everything she said. It helped her stay sane, she supposed, and prevented her from feeling like an idiot talking to it.

However, she couldnt force it to come if it didnt want to. So she sucked in a breath and took a step forward, her right hand reaching forward as if to part the veil like a curtain. Suddenly something seized her hand and she screamed, immediately digging in her feet and using her power, she pulled the earth up to seal her feet within it. Tugging with all her might, she pulled back her hand and stared at the object clamped around her wrist… a hand? What the hell?

She tried to pull her hand away but the hand wouldnt release its grip. The wolf whined and howled in anger as the pale hand tightened around her wrist, burning into her skin. What is this? Let go of me!

The wolf snarled, leaping to its feet, hackles rising in fury. Cornelia tugged at the hand clamped tightly around her own. She had to get away, she realized. She needed to back away from the veil; she was too close to it. If she got away, the person holding her on the other side would have to let go. But if she released her feet, would she lose her only anchor and be pulled behind the veil? What would be for the best? Dealing with the creature behind the veil or staying here and eating wolf meat?

Maybe there was another option. She swung her gaze from side to side, scouring her surroundings. There had to be something here, she was surrounded by stones and earth so she should be able to create some kind of weapon to get the hand removed from her and then shed face whatevers on the other side.

She flung out her free hand, keeping her body taut to prevent the hand from knocking her off balance and stretching her free hand, she cast out her power. She needed to find a weapon, any kind of weapon. Something sharp and something light. She closed to her eyes to focus, her energy aware of every rock in the strange world. Too big, too heavy, she rejected everything that would only damage her and sorted through the next batch of rocks closest to her. Not light enough, not good enough, none of them seemed to suit. And then she felt it, it called to her from the other side of the world, like a lone star twinkling in the darkness. She zeroed in on it and urged the strands of her power to wrap around the stake like object. It had been eroded from the side of the rock and remained attached like a small ledge. Yes, that would do it.

Come on Cornelia, you can do this. She murmured, a fine film of sweat breaking out over her skin as the grip around her wrist began to crush her very bones. It was too far away for her to get a good grip on it. She needed just a little more. Come here! she snapped, giving the rock one last wrench. It jerked free with a crumble of scree and dust and flew through the air towards her. As it came closer, she took full control over it. Now it was hers to do with as she pleased. She navigated it around the rocks that threatened to get in its way and her eyes opened and locked onto the arm in front of her. With a snap of her hand, her fingers jerked to the offending limb and she watched, fascinated, as the slice of rock stabbed into the hand, the spike at the end tearing into the flesh. Blood spattered against the ground and her face, her guardian outfit soaking up the spots of crimson as soon as they landed.

She swallowed and turned away, the sound of rending flesh and squelch of blood turned her stomach. There was an agonized scream from behind the veil and the hand was ripped from her wrist, leaving ugly welts and bruises upon her flesh. She watched the hand whip back behind the veil and she immediately scrambled back, forgetting the anchor shed formed around her feet so that she fell to the ground. Her hands caught her body and stung from the impact but she no longer cared. She tried to turn around as she shakily un-wove the earthen tomb from around her feet. She crawled back away from the veil, eyes wide as they locked upon its slippery surface.

What had she done? She had just harmed someone. She had just ripped a hole in a mans arm. It wasnt like the old days or how it appeared on the TV shows. That hand wasnt mutated nor did it belong to a lurden. That hand had looked just like her fathers hand, a mans hand, calloused palm and rough, warm finger tips with dark wiry hair covering the top part of the forearm. Oh god, what had she done? Shed just reacted without thinking. She hadnt checked to make sure the person was friend or foe, she had felt threatened and retaliated and shed just hurt someone, stabbed someone.

She moaned softly and crawled towards the edge of the platform. She was going to be sick. The wolf padded to her side and nudged her gently but she could only bat it away. It didnt understand; how could it? It killed to eat; it felt no remorse, no guilt. Shed just, quite possibly, destroyed someones hand. But she had to, didnt she? It had to be the enemy, right? So she did the right thing. She couldnt just let the person seize her. She had to be smart about this. But her stomach rebelled against everything her brain was telling her. It was one thing using her powers for the greater good but shed never seen the damage they could do.

Suddenly, the wolf began to growl louder and fiercer than before. Cornelia turned to it, a shut up jumping to the tip of her tongue only for it to fizzle and melt away as the portal rippled and birthed a new player into the surroundings. Her breath seized in her throat and ice cold fingers of fear began to trickle down her spine. Kerrigan.

Well, I certainly wasnt expecting that. The faerie was as beautiful as ever, Cornelia thought numbly, as she watched him lick his thumb before rubbing away the coppery stains on his pristine flesh. When he was quite satisfied that he was as clean as he could get, he tugged down his white shirt sleeve, complete with a lacy cuff. That, my dear, He sighed, looking down at her with amused blue eyes, is the second time youve made me bleed and I must admit that I dont particularly care for the feeling. Not to mention that it takes quite a bit of energy to fix these little abrasions you feel the need to brand me with.

You bastard. She choked out, pushing herself to her feet. Shed just about beat herself bloody, metaphorically, because shed injured him?! You bastard! A metaphysical wind began to gather, ripping through the strands of her hair like urgent, greedy fingers, and ruffling her skirt. Almost mechanically, -as if she wasnt really in charge of her body-, her hands stretched out, two fingers pointed to the ground. Beneath her, the clumps of rock began to dart around frantically with her steadily growing rage.

Why are you so angry Cornelia, surely you werent worried about me.

Ugh! I didnt even know it was you, if I did, I would have crushed your arm. God, what do you want from me?!

How interesting, He mused, stepping away from the arch way and perusing her at his leisure. Youre in full guardian uniform and, his brow furrowed with annoyance as he batted away a small rock that came at him from the side as though it were nothing more than a gnat, you have full control of your powers. Hmm, very interesting.

Im a guardian of the veil. The costume and powers come with the territory. She bit out, as she began to raise the rocks.

He sighed softly. Yes, yes, thats all very interesting but havent you learnt your lesson before. You cant beat me, beloved. Im a faerie, an ancient one and youre a teenager with a cute trick.

She snarled, eyes sparking with fury. A teenager with a cute trick? He had no idea who he was messing with. She wouldnt be scared off by his fancy words and she wouldnt be soothed by his placating tone. If you were so good, She seethed, a wall of rocks coming up to flank her. then you wouldnt have manipulated us to win! With that, the rocks hurtled towards him at a blinding speed.

Kerrigan rolled his eyes and slid his hands into his pockets, watching as the rain of rocks battered against his shield. Are we quite finished now? I have come here for a reason, beloved.

I am not your beloved! She shouted. Im not your anything.

Alas, thats true. You no longer belong to me, but to the King of the Dark Throng, He smiled cruelly, And believe me, beloved, you would rather be mine than his. Pity. You really do have such beautiful skin.

Cornelia swallowed the revulsion and just managed to stifle a shudder. What are you talking about?

Why dont you come with me and find out? His eyes lit up with a smile as they wandered to the left. Ah, Saoirse, befriending another guardian? The wolf growled at him and he laughed delighted. Oh, you wasted too much energy before. This is priceless. Youre here and theres nothing you can do.

Cornelia watched as the wolf snarled and lunged at the faerie only to collide with the force-field. Dont! Youll only hurt yourself. Leave him to me.

Cornelia, please dont embarrass yourself. Theres nothing you can do. Youre stuck here unless you come with me.

Another barrage of rocks battered against his shield which didnt even ripple at the force. I can force you to do my bidding. He told her firmly. I dont want to and it wont nearly have the same effect but I will do it if you continue to try my patience. I dont understand why you wont accept it. You lost. I won. You belong to the Dark King now and he will do with you as he pleases. Theres nothing you can do, beloved. Not you and certainly not your guardian friends.

Dont talk about my friends. She hissed, eyes frantically searching for some kind of weapon. How could she possibly fight him without a suitable weapon? She had nothing but rocks to work with and they didnt seem to do anything.

Teenagers. The faerie groaned. Always so hard-headed, always so unwilling to listen to reason. You, my dear, dear child, have lost. You cannot possibly conceive a victory so why do you continue on with this nonsense? His temper rose at the final word as he sent out a rippling wave of air that collided with Cornelias stomach with the force of one of her rocks. She expelled her breath with a cough and doubled over, wheezing from the pain. She dropped to the ground, crumbling in upon herself. Oh she hurt. That really, really hurt. Her hand clutched her stomach as she tried to get to her feet. She suddenly felt so weak.

If only you would listen to me. Youre in Ireland and theres nothing you can do. Your precious guardian friends cannot help you because there is no way for them to defeat the Sidhe. It would be suicide. This is over, I won. Accept it for if you dont, you will suffer the consequences.

The wolf leapt between them as he advanced, its lips vibrating over its teeth as it growled deep in its throat. Kerrigan simply shook his head. I grow weary of these pointless interruptions. He swept out his foot and catching the beast in the chest, sent it spinning through the air. You never listened to me, Saoirse and for once I wish you would. The King of the Dark Throng is gaining power, tell your lover to forfeit himself and maybe he and your sister will live to see another morn.

Cornelia sucked in a shuddering breath through her clenched teeth. Her ribs stung and ached viciously and red pain flashed like fire along her veins. He must have cracked a rib. Dark spots danced before her eyes as she tried to get to her feet. She needed to do something, fight, anything. She couldnt allow him to take her again.

Cornelia, Kerrigan sighed, kneeling before her. She reached out to try to summon some last vestige of energy but she felt too weak. Why cant you just surrender yourself to me? Would it really be so bad?

Yes. She hissed, panting shallowly.

You have no idea of your importance in this plan. You will be worshipped.

She snorted. Funny enough, being worshipped didnt seem that tantalizing anymore. Id rather die.

Melodrama has always been one of your most unattractive traits, Cornelia. Kerrigan stated as he crouch beside her. She wanted to shift away, she wanted to push him back but she was too busy trying to breathe and stay conscious. Her arms ached from the strain of trying to hold herself up because she knew that if she collapsed, that would be it. Her body wouldnt be able to hang on anymore and the wave of tiredness would swamp over her and that would be it. It would be over and he would win. She couldnt fight him if she was unconscious.

Your force of will is admirable, Cornelia but surely even you, as hard headed as you can be, can see the fruitlessness of your plight. Just give in to me and all will be over.

I wont give up. She bit out through chattering teeth. It was cold, it was so cold. Her body was becoming numb except for the fire in her arms and chest. Dizziness swept through her and her head felt so light yet so unbelievably heavy, she could barely hold it up. I wont give in. Theyll find me, they always do.

Against lesser villains, true. He lifted a hand to caress her hair but she couldnt even find the energy to bat it away. But we are immortals; we are the descendents of gods. His voice was so soothing, lulling her into his trap. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the struggling figure of the wolf, desperately trying to rise to its feet to come to her aid. The silent, stifled air was filled with the low echo of its growl but Kerrigan paid it no mind. It couldnt hurt him, nothing could.

Why me?

His cool fingers slid along her jaw and tilted her face to look at him. For the first time since she had met him, there wasnt a trace of arrogance in his expression; instead it was filled with tenderness and warmth. Because youre the one. Only you can lead our people to greatness.

Ill lead… your people to hell first. She couldnt bite back a whimper as a streak of hot molten fire seized her chest. Her vision swam and she trembled but she clung to the solid energy of the earth beneath her. She wouldnt falter. She couldnt.

So beautiful, so fierce. You are like a goddess.

Flattery will… get you… nowhere. It was such a chore to speak. Her vision was graying around the sides and the stone was spinning or she was… something like that. She could taste the coppery flavor of blood and figured she must have bitten her tongue sometime. It didnt hurt, maybe it should have. It was getting harder to breathe, harder to think, harder to live.

Give in, Kerrigan whispered in her ear, his lips touching the strands of her hair as one hand stroked up and down her back. It should have been comforting, if he hadnt been her enemy. You have been so strong but it is time for you to wake up and face your destiny. He breathed.

She wanted to sneer at him, to call him sick for becoming so ecstatic with her lessening strength. I dont want… to wake up… I dont… want…to see…you. Just…leave me…alone!

I cannot, He murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck and she squeezed her eyes shut. It burned against her ice cold skin like a white hot poker. I wish you could understand. But it is time, give yourself to the King and you will suffer no pain. You will be worshipped and idolized.

Corny! Were coming! I swear were coming, dont give up. Dont you ever give up! Were coming!

Cornelia turned her head and gave Kerrigan a bitter smile as he frowned. See, our bond… its bigger than anything you can imagine. You can be… immortal but our bond is forever. Were… were W.I.T.C.H. and they… She paused to catch her breath, wont forget me. So bring on your King… and your immortal whatevers; well kick their asses. Breathless, she spat out a mouthful of blood as she fought to remain conscious. She couldnt get enough oxygen into her lungs and her eyelids felt so very heavy.

You and your friends are truly remarkable but, Im afraid, there is nothing they can do, my sweet. It is already over and for them to come here would be suicide. I dont tell you think to frighten you, my pet, but because it is the truth. I am a faerie and we cannot lie. Now come, He murmured, shifting his grip on her so he could scoop her up in his arms. She offered him little resistance, she didnt have the strength to push him away from her and it felt so good to let him carry the burden. She was too far gone to care, all she wanted to do was to sink into the darkness and be free. She could hear his heart pounding methodically under her ear, a reassuring sound because if he had a heart, surely he could be killed. Even vampires could be killed if you destroyed their hearts, right? Something soft and ghostly yet warm brushed her lips and they tingled in response. Did he kiss her? Or was that something else? So beautiful. His words sounded so far away, was he still carrying her?

Kerrigan!

They werent moving anymore; at least she didnt think they were. She tried to pry her eyelids apart but it was just so hard. Slowly they parted and through her blurred vision she spied a column of blue topped with yellow at the edge of the platform.

Kerrigan, release her. She is nothing but an innocent child; do not turn her over to that blackguard. You know what hes doing is wrong.

Saoirse, Sear-sha? What was Sear-sha? The wolf? Was he talking to the wolf? And why did he sound so tired? He is my liege; I am his sworn protector and servant.

Do not do this. He is not the true king.

Ha! You expect me to follow Quinn? And you call my King a blackguard. Quinn is nothing but a fool, a weak pathetic child who follows humans around like a worthless puppy and you expect me, a descendent of the gods, to bow down to him? He plays at something hes not and he mindlessly kowtows to the Shining Throng. If he was a true Darkling, why would he do that? For you, for his pretty princess? He will destroy us all and what we stand for. I will not stand by and watch my people lose what we are.

What you are? Your king is a murderer, a pedophile.

Human words. I thought you understood. We are above them. They are vermin, sowing their seed recklessly to spawn more and more of their decrepit young.

And thats why youre cradling that human girl in your arms so tenderly? Because you think theyre disgusting and useless? You are being used, Kerrigan and that is not like the Kerrigan I once knew. He would not stand by and be any Kings lackey. What has happened to you?

If you do not know that, then you never knew me at all. Kerrigan growled and something in Cornelia wanted to soothe the awful pain in his voice. He sounded so torn, so… angry and confused. Was he capable of feeling those emotions? I beg your pardon, Banphrionsa dOiche but I must take my leave. The Dark King is waiting for our fair prisoner to awaken from her sleep.

Give her more time, Kerrigan. She is just a child, Cornelia frowned. Who was that woman calling her a child? She didnt sound that much older, even if she spoke like shed just emerged from a Regency romance novel. You know what will happen to her, she will be used and then she will die.

She will give her life for the Kings most wonderful gift to us all.

You dont believe any of that and what of Aisling, do you care naught for her? She trusted you.

She is a princess of the Shining Throng, she needs nothing from me. She has your Quinn.

You utter… imbecile. Is that what this comes down? Your hurt pride? You are willing to sacrifice such a beautiful child who shows such promise for the human race because your ego is wounded? Kerrigan… then if you will not think of Aisling and you will not consider Cornelia or her friends, then will you please consider Darcy, shes your cousin.

She felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her more firmly against his warmth but her mind was spinning. Who were all these people? Aisling, Darcy, Quinn? What had they to do with anything? Darcy has nothing to worry about, if she gives up her foolish pursuits, she will be welcomed back into the throng.

As what? A chambermaid? A harlot for them to use as they wish? Can you stand by and watch that happen to her?

She made her choice, just as you made yours. Now, please, Saoirse, save us both the agony of these reminiscences and let me be. I dont know why you worry so, theres naught you can do and should a war break out, it wont affect you anyway. Youre dead, my dear and nothing, short of possessing your sister, will bring you back.

If there was anything said after that, Cornelia never heard as she could no longer hold onto her consciousness by her fingernails and she finally let go, sinking down in to the depths of the darkness.

Kerrigan awoke slowly from his travels, his eyes burning as though they had been open for days rather than closed for hours. He felt exhausted and his limbs were heavy with the weight of fatigue. Slowly he sat up and turned his head to study the slumbering figure on the cot beside him. He sighed heavily, lifting a finger and trailing it over her features. Such a beautiful child, yet cursed with so many flaws, he mused. So vain and arrogant and yet, so focused and determined. She was a cacophony of contradictions all merged into one very luscious body, it was no wonder she attracted such attention from the humans and faeries alike. Hed already caught a few of the younger males in the fort spying upon her and he counted himself fortunate that he had been clever enough to place a few extra seals upon the door to bar their entrance otherwise the Kings wrath would have fallen upon his head. He was responsible for the Earth Guardian and nothing was to soil her before she came to the King.

It was her own fault. If she hadnt been so powerful and so desperate to show that power, the King wouldnt have seen the need to possess her. Unfortunately her affinity for the element of earth made her a worthy acquisition and the King always liked to own the most valuable of objects.

He cast his magic like a cloak over her and swept her body with a quick check up. She was suffering from nothing but a lack of energy, all the wounds received in the dreamscape were moot and void in the real world. The only things the dreamscape could cause were exhaustion; for the victim to go into a coma through a loss of self, or even death through a lack of energy to keep the body functioning properly. Even Kerrigan could suffer the effects of remaining too long in the Dreamscape. He snorted with amusement; had she put up any more of a struggle, he would have failed in his mission to extract her and that would have angered the King terribly. Kerrigan hated to anger the King.

Slowly he rose to his feet, his gaze remaining on the slumbering girl as he retracted his power from her body. She looked so soft and vulnerable lying there, it would be so easy just to sink his hand into her chest and squelch her heart. It would be the merciful thing to do but his King would have him killed for such treachery. He could have him killed for such treacherous thoughts but alas, it was hard not to pity the young impressionable human. She could not be completely held accountable for her faults, it was the world in which she had been brought up in, it catered to her vanity and her belief of self importance, making her believe she was better than others. At least now she would finally serve a greater purpose.

He leaned down and brushed a soft, tender kiss upon her chilled lips and a frown flickered over his impassive features. The room was too cold for her, he would have to see that she got warmer bedclothes; the outfit she was clad in was certainly unsuitable for her stay in the dungeons, no matter how becoming the lace concoction was on her comely body.

With a sigh, he turned on his heel and stepped quickly to the cell door, his hand resting over the seal on the door to open his personal locks. As they clicked open like tumblers in his mind, He threw the bolt across and pried open the heavy metal door, cringing at the stench of iron that had been mixed into the bronze gate. Stepping out, rubbing his fingers against the fabric of his pants, he inhaled deeply before grimacing. The dungeon was always prone to damp and rot but over the years, it had gotten steadily worse, mixed with the scents of fear and blood. Personally fear had always served as a great aphrodisiac for him but recently, the scent held little appeal. He was becoming jaded in his old age.

Lord Kerrigan.

Kerrigan turned his attention to the two large men standing before him. Its done; shell awake in two hours.

Milord, the King-

Give her two hours to recover her strength; then the King can do with her as he wishes. I wash my hands of this.

Very well, the King will be most pleased with your result.

Kerrigan felt disgust and anger well up inside him but he kept his mask of impassiveness fixed firmly over his features but it didnt quite hide the way his eyes turned hard and glacial. Part of him wanted them to see his loathing for his predicament but he was too good at court politics to make any costly mistakes. They could take what they want from his tone, from his attitude but he wouldnt betray himself. Not with his life at stake. Not even he was that careless.

He turned back to the door and inscribed the ruins and charms he felt were necessary to keep the girl safe from harm and without another comment, he strode down the corridor towards the dark shadows that lingered just out of the lanterns reach.

Will wasnt ready for the scene that confronted her when she and Taranee burst into the den. Part of her had been expecting Kerrigan, nothing else could have caused as much of a ruckus unless Phobos had escaped and had come to earth with the intention of ambushing them when they were at their weakest but he had never had cause to leave Meridian before. But it wasnt Phobos or Kerrigan. Instead, she was confronted with Irma thrashing on the couch against Malachis restraining grip as she screamed hoarse and incoherent words while Hay Lin lay comatose on the floor.

Malachi? What are you doing? She shouted, racing over to pry his hands off her water guardian.

She just freaked out! He shouted back. His face strained with the challenge of holding down the spry girl. I dont know whats wrong! I cant let her go, Will, she tried to punch her fist through the coffee table!

Hay Lin?! Taranee yelled, throwing herself to her knees beside the prone air guardian. The Chinese girl was lying on her side, her knees pulled to her chest, her face twisted in agony as she breathed in raggedy breaths, cringing against the shudders that wracked her body.

Whats going on?

Will shook her head at Taranee. She didnt know. She didnt know why her guardians were acting like this. The pipes were clanking loudly making it hard to think as it combined with cacophony of screaming and whimpering. Her eyes flicked to the glass topped coffee table where water lay in a puddle, dripping slow and methodically to the wooden floor. On the TV screen the words GAME OVER stood out in stark contrast against the black background.

Hay Lin, wake up! Come on, Hay Lin, you have to wake up. This isnt the time to sleep. Taranee coaxed, her wild eyes darting to Will with a sense of hopelessness. I cant wake her.

CORNY!

Irma, please, stop this. Cornys not here. You cant- He broke off with a gasp as Irmas knee grazed him a little too close for comfort.

Will stared in shock, her mind in a whirl. What was she supposed to do? Cornelia would have known what to do. Cornelia would have already fixed the problem. What was she supposed to do? Her hair stood on end and she thrust her hand into the opening of her top, pulling out the pink glowing orb dangling from the fine silver chain.

GUARDIANS UNITE!

Hay Lin really wasnt sure what had happened to leave her lying on the floor gasping for breath, her lungs feeling constricted by an iron band squeezing and squeezing as if it could turn her lungs to mush. She was cold, her teeth chattering adding another layer of hysteria to her wheezing breaths.

It was strange though. She didnt remember anything attacking her and she was very sure she wasnt bleeding but she was oh so scared and she hurt all over. It was like she was dying and her vision was graying and in the distance, as if from far away, she could hear someone screaming. She wasnt sure who though, but it sounded like Irma. Had Kerrigan attacked again? Somehow she didnt think so and yet… she felt as if he had.

She moaned pitifully and brought her knees to her chest, as if by curling up she could escape the pain; hide from the darkness threatening to consume her. Where were the others? Were they ok? What about Malachi? Hed been sitting with Irma on his lap in the den as they watched her battle Seymour an easier bad guy in her opinion. Then something had happened, she couldnt remember what though.

Had Irma screamed?

There was a loud clanging and banging sound coming from somewhere, as if someone was hitting the pipes with a spanner. Maybe someone was. Great sounds could be made out of the most unlikely things. She liked to take a wooden spoon to a pot; it made music so much more exciting. But this didnt sound like music and it didnt lift her spirit, no it hurt her head and crushed her chest. Oh but it hurt.

She could hear screaming… no not screaming, shouting but panicked shouting. As though the person was trying not to scream and instead was shouting themselves hoarse. She wished they wouldnt.

Was Irma ok? She felt as though she shouldnt worry about Irma but there was something cold and acrid at the back of her tongue, she could taste it and she didnt like it. It didnt taste like home cooking, but mixed in with the horrible taste, was a flavor that seemed uniquely Irma-ish. If Irma had a taste that is. Shed never actually licked Irma, why would she? But this tasted of Irma… like pear flavored water?

GUARDIANS UNITE!

The words echoed through the dark fog surrounding her and then, with wide eyes, she watched a swirling blue orb penetrate the darkness, like a really large firefly, zipping and swooping through the black backdrop before it found her, hovering over her face as if it were making sure it had the right person. She smiled at it, it was so cute. Like a little puppy only not puppy shaped or solid, it was after all just a blue orb of light. Then it flew up, arched and then plunged into her chest causing her to arch her back and throw her head back.

Ooh. She moaned, her head becoming dizzy from the euphoria spreading out in comforting waves from her chest. She suddenly felt lighter than air and yet, as energized as a sea breeze and strong, so strong. The caressing fingers of air began to brush past her, twirling her in its grasp as it lifted her out of the darkness and into the embracing blue light. She closed her eyes, soaking in the power buzzing through her veins. She suddenly felt so good. The darkness was banished and the coldness that had chilled her veins had been swept away by the summer zephyr.

Joy lifted her heart as she threw her arms wide to embrace the energy flowing through her and with it sanity returned as it blew out the emotions she knew werent hers. A sense of security and peace seeped into her. She felt her lips curve as the transformation finished off, leaving her dressed in her usual purple flowing skirt, her teal green top, striped socks and long hair she never had short hair when she transformed.

THE HEART!

WATER!

FIRE!

…

AIR! She frowned, turning to the other girls. It wasnt the same transforming without Corny. Her timing was off too, she mused with a pout.

Do you always call out that stuff when you transform and pose? Malachi asked dryly as he slowly got to his feet, his left hand reaching behind him to rub his back as though it ached. It was on the tip of Hay Lins tongue to say something about old age when her memories came rushing back.

Oh!

Thank god youre ok! Taranee blurted out, flying over to seize the youngest guardian in a hard hug before pulling back just as quickly, hot color blossoming in her cheeks. Oh sorry.

Yeah, good to see you guys back and sane, Will smiled; then she folded her arms and tapped her foot. But, do you mind explaining what just happened? We left you for fifteen minutes tops and when we come back, we find the plumping about to break, you, She pointed to Irma who was quietly hugging herself but the crazed look had left her eyes, are being held down by Malachi and screaming like a crazy woman and you, She turned to look at Hay Lin who sheepishly flushed, are on the ground curled up in a ball and whimpering. If you were a guy I would have guessed youd been kneed in the nuts but youre female Hay Lin unless you have something youve been hiding. So please, enlighten us… so I can give Michael a reasonably good excuse as to why the bathrooms are flooded.

Flooded? Hay Lin squeaked, head snapping to Irma. Wow.

Irma groaned and flopped dramatically onto the couch behind her. Great, Ive turned your whole house into an indoor pool. Despite the words, there was something decidedly flat about the tone.

Yeah, mind explaining why you did that?

I… have no idea. One minute Im talking to him and the next…

I spilt water. Hay Lin blurted out, the image playing back in her mind. I was fighting Seymour and man is he a toughie if you dont use the right tactics and there I am, using my Reflect spell and trying to shield off his Flare attacks which do mucho damage and Tidus is trying to Haste everyone and Yunie keeps dying, which I didnt understand because she had Reflect too. And every time she died, I had to recast Haste before I could cast Reflect… oh thats probably why she died. Seymours such a git-

Hay Lin! Will called. I know youre the air guardian, but please, breathe and focus.

Yeah, maybe you could, you know, try to stay on topic? Taranee suggested with a shrug as she tugged the hem of her top suspiciously. Hey do you think this has shrunk? I really dont remember it being so tight. You dont think it could crush my ribs, do you?

Malachi simply stared at her before inching closer to Irma. The girl might have just scratched him up as well as punching him and giving him a few well aimed kicks, but at least he felt more comfortable with her odd topics of conversation. And at least being close to her gave him a chance to look her over. You scared me, He whispered softly, stroking a hand through her hair. Instead of pushing him away with a dry, witty quip, she turned into him and gripped his t-shirt tightly in her fist.

On topic, Taranee. Will advised mildly, waving her hand when the girl flushed and began to apologize. Seemingly the crisis was averted but she was still curious as to why shed just walked in on her cousin restraining the screaming water guardian while her air guardian wept on the floor. Hay Lin, you said you spilt water? Is that what caused this?

Im still not sure what this is but… I remember spilling the water because I was reaching for something… um the Pringles. They were there- She pointed to a spot on the coffee table though the Pringle tub was now lying on its side on the floor where it must have rolled during the situation. -and… She shook her head. I dont remember. I just felt cold and it was so dark and- her hands jumped to her chest. my ribs, they hurt. It was like having my lungs squeezed by a really big iron hand. Like, like Collosus, you know from Xmen, the metal guy, squeezing my chest.

And boy does that sound perverted. Will mused before shaking her head. That was such an Irma comment she was surprised the brunette hadnt said it… her eyes latched onto her water guardian and her red brows quirked in surprise at the way Irma curved under Malachis arm, as if seeking comfort from him. That just wasnt like her Irma. Had something else happened? Keeping her eyes on Irma, she addressed her next question to Hay Lin. How do you feel now?

Uh, great. Kinda… I feel warm again and my ribs dont hurt…but they do. That doesnt make sense.

Phantom pains, Taranee offered. When you feel something intense, your mind remembers the pain even when your body has full recuperated. Its pretty normal.

Oh, good. I think. The air guardian nodded cheerfully though her eyes werent as bright and an aura of confusion seemed to surround her as her eyes flickered to Irma and back to the others.

Ok, what about you Mal, what do you remember?

Malachi stretched his neck and wasnt quite satisfied until he heard it pop much to the disgust of Taranee who grimaced at the display. He had a vague urge to grin at her but feeling Irmas shaking body under his arm seemed to drain all the humor out of situation. He admired the girls and their ability to stay strong after facing so much danger but each of them had to have a breaking point and he was afraid that Irma might have reached hers.

Well, we were talking and Hay Lin was playing until she knocked over the glass.

What were you talking about?

Malachi looked down at Irmas head as if expecting her to say something but she remained lost in her thoughts, staring down at her fingers. About Taranee hearing her thoughts. She was trying to figure out if Taranee could read minds or could she project her thoughts… He trailed off with a shrug. Then Hay Lin spilt the water and Irma leaned forward to clean up the mess with her powers and she just stared for a moment before she… freaked out. Again he looked to his girlfriend, wondering if she was going to protest his comment. She kept screaming for Cornelia and when she started to try to punch through the glass top I… he trailed off with a shrug. I had to stop her.

Will nodded agreeing, but her eyes were wide on her friend. Strong and witty Irma, the first to jump into danger and the one who always tried to see the lighter side to the big evil, was now cowering on the couch. Irma, she whispered, crouching down, needing to see Irmas face. There were dried tracks of tears down her face and her eyes were blood shot but she was quiet and reserved now as she sat close to Malachi. It broke her heart to see her friend like that. She wanted to touch her but the way her body was acting recently, that might not be such a good idea. Especially since Irma was the air guardian.

I dont know what happened Will, but I do know that Cornys in trouble.

Uh, no offense Irms, but we already knew that.

No! Like right now shes in trouble. I saw it I dont know how but it wasnt a dream.

You werent sleeping. Malachi murmured. You looked into the glass and started screaming-

Yeah, well you would have too if you saw Cornelia battling Kerrigan in some kind of strange world of darkness.

The dreamscape.

Irma blinked and looked at Will. I wasnt dreaming. She reaffirmed sharply.

A world of darkness with nothing but starlight and rocks, right? Like ancient buildings-

No there were no buildings, just tons of floating rocks and darkness and an archway.

Thats the dreamscape. Will sighed. Thats where Kerrigan put me before Aisling saved me. The archway is where Kerrigan enters but thats the only way he can enter.

Yeah that sounds right. And there was a wolf, a white one.

Oh! Like White Fang? Hay Lin chirped.

Will frowned. Saoirse.

Yeah but she was actually a woman and-

Saoirse? Malachi gasped. But shes dead.

A ghost. Will explained. Ok, so Cornelia was in the dreamscape and you saw in it in the water? What happened then?

She fainted. He took her through the arch and then I cant remember much else.

The girls and boy fell into silence as they tried to work out everything in their heads. Cornelia was in more danger than they had believed. If Kerrigan was fighting her, how could she stand against him. She was strong but even she had her limits and Kerrigan was so strong.

Oh, of course. Water! Taranee blurted out.

What?

I read it on one of those sites. People can use water to scry, uh I mean, see things. Its like a supernatural TV where you can see someone or something happening right then and there or something thats going to happen.

So you scryed? Isnt that a real witch thing? Hay Lin queried, peering closely at Irma who rolled her eyes as she shifted away from Malachi and pulled her knees to her chest, not minding the way her short skirt inching up, the tights hid everything anyway.

Our powers are changing. Will mused, tapping her lower lip as she took a seat on the nearest chair. Taranee can read the minds of well Irma so far. Irma saw something in water. Hay Lin you must have been feeling what Irma was feeling or channeling Cornelia. Youve done it before.

Yeah but only in dreams- oh last night. I wasnt sleeping then.

No youre beginning to do it awake too. The red head leader sighed.

Oh. Hay Lin whispered, rubbing her chest uneasily. She didnt think she liked that power much. It hurt. At least this power wasnt nearly as destructive as her air powers- another thought occurred to her. And Wills acting like we did when we first got our powers. She added.

What? Will gasped.

Think about it. Whenever we first got our elemental powers, we caused all sorts of chaos. Irma squirted anyone every time she was near water. I sneezed once and destroyed my room. Every plant around Cornelia found a new lease of life and Taranee was a regular fire starter. Youre acting the same way only with lightning. I think it might be time for you to embrace it.

Lightnings not an element. Taranee told Hay Lin pointedly.

Well in the Chinese elements, air isnt an element.

Is lightning?

Thats not the point. Wills obviously got some kind of power trying to get out anyway it can. If she doesnt use it the way we do then shes going to hurt herself.

Hay Lin, its not like that. Its just a side effect of my time in the dreamscape. I used Lightning to kill to destroy a giant spider.

Ha, see you used Lightning. You used it because its your element!

If it was her element, Irma mumbled, then why didnt your grandmother tell her to use it when we first transformed? We could have had a better advantage against Phobos. Her eyes were closed so she didnt see the way her friend flinched at the callous mention of her weakness during their battles in Meridian.

But what if she wasnt ready to use it then.

Hay Lin. I dont have the power of lightning. If I did, wouldnt I have been able to use it when I transformed? The red head tugged at her skirt, indicating her change from normal girl to magical winged warrior.

Hay Lin pouted and sighed. I guess

Get my iPod, Hay Lin.

Hay Lin opened her mouth to say something but relented and nodded, scrambling to her feet and scurrying over to the mantelpiece where the small black apparatus lay harmlessly. The other three watched warily as Irma took it from her friend and with deft fingers, she accessed what she wanted, plugging the earbuds into her ears and then the loud buzz of music drowned out everything else. Irma closed her eyes and slumped back into the couch, the music running along her frayed nerves and soothing each coarse strand. So Kerrigan thought he had beaten them, did he? Well theyd show him. They werent the guardians for nothing. Hadnt they defeated Phobos? And that was without any practice. They were stronger now, they were gaining strength each and every day. They could and would destroy Kerrigan and theyd take Cornelia back.

We cant stay here. She finally said, opening her eyes as the vocalists from Jimmy Eat World shouted in her ear. Were not getting anything done and with every hour Cornelia grows weaker.

Will nodded. Shes right. We tried playing by their rules but thats achieved nothing.

But- Taranee opened her mouth to protest only to close it. Youre right. Cornelias in danger. Playing by the rules is just going to get her killed.

And a dead Corny is bad. We cant be WITH! Thats a stupid name.

If youre going, Im going with you. Despite the fact that he pitched his voice loud enough to be heard by the others, it was obvious to all of them that his words were directed at Irma.

Uh, no youre not. You dont have any powers and we cant-

Malachi fixed his dark eyes on the girls before him. I know my way around Ireland and Im not incapable of protecting myself.

If we cant fight one faerie together, then youre in really big trouble. Will pointed out.

Im still going. Im older than you will so dont dare try to pull rank. Even if by some feat of accomplishment, you manage to get me to stay here; Ill follow you as soon as I can. And I know where the gateway to Faerie is, something you four dont.

Ugh, you just know hes going to follow anyway.

Will sighed at Irmas words, silently agreeing but before she could say anything more, her hair stood on air and suddenly the room was filled with a highly charged atmosphere. A slight wind picked up and the girls glared accusingly at the air guardian who shook her head. It wasnt her and the light that had suddenly begun to glow out of the corner of their eyes didnt belong to her either. Will whipped round and gasped, stumbling back as Elyon formed before them. She wasnt solid though, they could easily see the couch behind her.

Elyon!

Hey Elyon! Hay Lin greeted cheerfully, waving manically as if she was unsure the princess of Meridian could really see her.

Guys, I need you to come to Meridian immediately. We have a problem!

Bout time. Irma grunted, jumping to her feet and flexing her fists. She was ready and willing to kick ass. Just point her in the right direction.

How do we get there? Will asked.

Ive opened the network. Youre free to come through anywhere, anytime. Just please, hurry. I need you guys. The plea in the girls voice, the imploring look in her soft blue eyes pulled at their heartstrings.

Well be there.

You can count on us Elyon.

Thanks Hay Lin. See you all very soon.

She disappeared faster than she arrived and with less dramatic effect; one minute she was there, the next minute she winked out.

Will turned to the girls. You ready for this? Then lets do it.

Hold on, my potions and stuff. Taranee yelped.

TARANEE!

Hurry and go get them. Then were going to Meridian and then well go save Cornelia. And with that Will held out the Heart and opened a portal to Meridian. It was time to finally do something.

To be continued

A.N. Well I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Really writing this story can be so complex because I have so many points of view to touch on in this story and all of them can be so exciting. Again if you have any questions feel free to PM me or review and ask and Ill reply to them as best as I can.

Oh and Im looking for a BETA, someone wholl proof read my work and help me with the plot whenever Im struggling for inspiration. If youd like the job PM me or even email me both can be accessed on my profile.

Im going to be starting uni next week so hopefully Ill be able to find some time in between assignments to write but no promises Im afraid.

And please review. Its so disheartening seeing 20,000 hits for the story and then only get 8 reviews for a chapter. I work hard on the story; itd be nice if some of you lurkers would review occasionally instead of just adding the story to your favorites list.

There are these W.i.t.c.h characters that cannot suppress an overpowering desire to have sex any longer and get into wild hardcore fucking adventures!… Naughty episodes are there for you for you to drool over! in her soft hairless pussy and . W.i.t.c.h porn sluts are some well-known fuck dealers at riding full speed on some thick cock giving their partners and themselves the sperm-soaked orgasms!

Will loves her boyfriend so much that she will have threesome with him and her and… her mother!
In this pic, Lilian (Cornelia’s sister) is giving Matt a blowjob.
It’s time for special edition W.i.t.c.h retold in erotic key. These W.i.t.c.h hentai hookers are anxious for some hot sex – they gets screwed in all possible places stick long, hard cocks in… See the sexiest characters from famous series being undressed and in the way that you have never seen before …

This is another both WillxMatt WillxShagon story. But, what can I say? I like the concept of both Matt and Shagon having feelings for Will.

So, onward then!

Disclaimer: I dont own WITCH, Disney does, yata-yata-yata

The Two Sides of Me

In a deserted part of Heatherfield, a battle went on. It was between five winged guardians and a man who had a dark-angel appearance.

So, guardians, give me a little more of that hate! Its delicious! Shagon, the dark angel, said tauntingly.

Nothing the guardians threw at him would work. There was always some anger in them against him for the horrible things that he had done in the past. These things were just unforgivable, especially for Will, the guardians leader.

Shagon didnt ever really dive into details, but he had admitted to doing something to Wills boyfriend, Matt. It did enough damage, for Will constantly enraged when she was in battle with him. Shagon, on the other hand loved the taste of Wills hate as she constantly tried to fight him into telling her what he had done to Matt.

In this particular battle, Shagons new plan was to attempt to fatally injure one or more of the other guardians and see how he fared with Wills new hateful rage. It would just be more entertainment for him.

Does it seem like demon-boy over there is trying to injure us or is it just me? asked Taranee, guardian of fire.

It seemed like that ten minutes ago! Irma, the water guardian, yelled.

Man, you guardians see past everything dont you? Shagon said again in a teasing voice.

Ignoring his comment t, Taranee continued, Yeah, but it seems youre targeting Will, um lets say, not at all!

Getting over-analytical arent we? asked Shagon. Though, I guess thats how the genius-girl of the guardians will act. Does that mean you have an IQ of 300?

Taranee disliked being teased about her intelligence and furiously threw a huge orange fireball at Shagon. He easily deflected the powerful fire.

Hes almost unstoppable, Will thought, but still, hes got to have some kind of weakness. Little did she know, she was about to find out soon enough.

Shagon saw the perfect way to enact his plan as Will was immersed in her train of thought. He saw an old support beam for one of the unfinished construction projects nearby (they were in an old lot). It was barely balancing over the heads of the guardians. His eyes glowed as he prepared to shoot a laser beam at it.

The guardians saw as he prepared to attack but did not know what he was targeting at. They thought to dodge the laser as it shot out from his eyes, but were surprised to find it wasnt going toward them.

It hit the middle of the support beam and the enormous chunk of metal was about to come crashing down on the guardians. There was no time to fly away from where they were. This was it. They were about to die.

But Will wouldnt have that. She quickly detransformed all of the guardians except for herself. Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin dropped roughly to the ground, but not too painfully.

For this moment, they mattered most to her. They mattered more than her own self, which at this point, was completely in the path of the falling chunk of metal.

A loud crash was heard and a blood-curdling scream as well. After the beam had crashed down, it made a huge cloud of dust and dirt. After the cloud cleared up, everything could be seen clearly. The untransformed guardians had dropped out of the way, but barely. And underneath the heavy metal was Will, unconscious and fatally injured.

This all had been a shock to Shagon. He hadnt expected Will to jump in this way. He thought that she out of all of them would be smart enough to know that she could have easily escaped while the rest of the guardians met their death.

WILL!!!! screamed the rest of the guardians, as they saw their leader now in the worst state possible.

You bastard! screamed Cornelia. This is all your fault!

Cornelias anger, so overfull with her dispassion, had been absorbed, but ignored by Shagon. He flew down from where he was and walked towards Will.

Dont you dare touch her! ordered Irma. His reply was a dangerous laser beam towards all of the now untransformed guardians. They were barely able to avoid it, but they did so quickly enough.

He silently pulled at the half support beam and roughly tossed it off of Wills body. He silently transformed into his disguise as Matt and picked her up into a bridal carry. He could feel her weakened body and sensed that she had broken bones.

Where are you taking her? Stop! screamed Hay Lin.

I dont think youre in any position to stop me, he said simply. He walked away into the fold that had come for him as it always did after every battle. It sealed itself as he walked into it.

The guardians had tears in their eyes for their leader and friend. After being fatally injured, she had been taken away by their most hated enemy. And now, without the powers of the Heart of Kandrakar, they couldnt even transform. They were utterly helpless.

Wiping the tears from her eyes onto her arm, Cornelia said, So, what do we do now?

Taranee, gulping a sob, replied, I think we should tell Yan Lin and then find a way to get to Kandrakar.

They all agreed and helped each other up as they walked the way to the Silver Dragon Restaurant, which was not too far away. They choked back tears and tried their best to hold on to each other as they could not walk steadily.

They would stop for a few seconds so that one or more of them could burst out a sob.

So thats how they were once they had reached the Silver Dragon. Yan Lin was sweeping up in the front and was surprised to see four of the guardians with puffy eyes and blotchy faces, holding onto each other because they could barely stand up by themselves.

Girls, what happened? Wheres Will? said Yan Lin in a concerned voice. And all four girls started speaking at once:

(Irma) While we were fighting Shagon-

(Taranee) He was intending to kill us.

(Hay Lin) He tried dropping a heavy metal support beam on us.

(Cornelia) Will de-united us and got us out of the way.

(Irma) But then the beam fell on her!

(Taranee) And then Shagon got her out from under the pile of metal-

(Cornelia) And took her away!

Girls! Girls! Calm down, Yan Lin said. Try explaining it to me clearly. Though from what she had already heard, Yan Lin was certain that there was trouble.

Taranee stepped forward to communicate their story. Shagon tried killing us by dropping a metal beam on our heads. Will got us out of the way by detransforming us, but then the beam fell on her and I believe that it fatally injured her. We were about to run to try and dig her out, but then Shagon flew next to her and got her out and left with her.

Oh, oh, oh God, Yan Lin said. You four do realize that without Will and the Heart that you cannot transform into your guardian forms?

The four girls looked down and sighed as this truth came to them.

And if Shagon presents Will and the Heart to Nerissa, then Cornelia began this, but decided to stop and not finish the thought.

Something tells me he wont be handing Will over to Nerissa so soon, said Yan Lin. First of all, with that injury, the Heart will probably enter Wills body to try and fix the damage done. Dont worry, it is possible, it shall only take a while.

But how are we supposed to get her back? Hay Lin asked.

That, dear, will have to be answered by a visit to Kandrakar and Luba, Yan Lin answered.

Shagon carefully carried Will into the solitary room that was where he spent most nights sleeping. Well, most nights when he wasnt terrorizing the city

He laid her down on the bed but a sudden knock on the door made him jump. He threw a blanket over Will and yelled, Who is it?

Its me, dear heart. That sickly-sweet voice had to be Nerissa.

Oh, damn, he thought. He quickly used a glamour to make Will invisible and sat down on the bed, trying to act as natural as possible. Come on in, he called.

Shagon, Im afraid its nearly that time of night where your other self takes control over your body, Ill need to lock you in for the rest of the night, said Nerissa.

What Nerissa had meant was that every night, for a certain period of time, Matt had the power to retake control over his body. It had been a flaw that Nerissa had not intended, but that hadnt shaken her.

But she hadnt realized that Matts take over of his own body had happened early tonight.

Yes, this was the actual Matt, not just Shagon in a glamour. But the fact that Will was with him now meant that he couldnt try and escape this time.

So he had to answer, Yes mistress. He had disliked referring to her as such, but could do nothing at the moment that would blow his cover.

Nerissa left the room and locked the door behind her, leaving a frustrated Matt.

Maybe I should explain how Matt had gotten early control over his body for the time being.

During the battle, it had pained Matt to see the destruction Shagon was causing and he was nearly seething when Shagon had told him of that little plan hed had to injure any of the other guardians just to feed on Wills anger.

But the sight of Will mangled beneath a heavy piece of metal was what had done it for him. He could feel Shagons shock at the fact that Will had risked her own life for the rest of the guardians. But that didnt make it right.

Hed shouted curses and insults to Shagon for what he had done and then found himself able to take control all of a sudden. Hed used this to his advantage. But he decided to not communicate this predicament of his to the rest of the guardians and simply took Will back with him. He knew going anywhere else would get Nerissas attention and suspicion. This was the only way to be safe now. Of course, he wasnt sure if Will being close to Nerissa was such a safe thing, but as long as he could keep this glamour going, he hoped that itd be enough.

But he knew that he couldnt escape with Will at the moment. He probably could take her somewhere else, despite her injury, but it would be dangerous for her once Shagon retook control of his body. There was nothing else that he could do.

He carefully crawled into the bed next to her. He stroked her head, not knowing what else to do for her.

One of his eyes glowed green, more specifically, his left eye. A conversation began within his mind.

Shagon, this is by far the lowest youve gone. Because of you, Wills nearly dead! Matt said angrily.

Yeah, dont you think I know that? Shagon said bitterly.

That doesnt cut it! What drives you to hate her so much? Matt said.

I never said that I ever hated her, Shagon said simply, turning around.

Matts eyes widened. Then, if you dont hate her, then you

All right! I love her! Ill admit it! I love her every bit as much as you do! Shagon said. He was obviously disturbed with admitting this.

Matts shock didnt last for too long. His eyes were full of anger now. Then if you love her so much, why do you constantly try to hurt her?

BecauseI dont know! Its the way I was created! I was born from hate and that attitude just stays with me! Everything you love, I hate! Except for

Will, Matt said knowingly.

The only reason I treat her as I do is to try to rid myself of that one feeling that I shouldnt have. But hurting her just weakens me! It gives more power to you because youre the one who cares for her more! Shagon said. Admitting his weakness was getting more difficult for him by the second.

So is that it, then? Matt said, a bit of coldness evident in his voice.

The two remained silent for quite a while. Matt finally spoke up.

Maybe were more alike than we think, he said. Maybe, were actually the same.

Shagon laughed for a second. I guess youre right. Too bad were pretty much enemies for life.

Nothing else was said. Though the conversation was mostly simple and straight to the point, a new bond had been able to form. The bond between two unbalanced sides of one boys soul.

Matts eye had stopped glowing. He was now fully himself, physically and mentally. A smile of triumph was on his face.

He held Will in a loving embrace. Somehow he knew that she, and everything else, would be alright.

End of story

Well! Thats done*sigh* I love this pairing. But anyways, earlier on, I was thinking of adding some more stuff in, such as the other guardians going to Kandrakar and whatnot. I was even considering letting Orube into the story. But, I decided that it was unneeded. It would have just made the story sort of lag on.

Wellplease, if you do read this story and enjoy it, then please do me a little justice and review. I do appreciate being favorited as well as having the story favorited, but I would really like to know the thoughts and reasons behind this favoriting. Im not demanding reviews; Im just saying that theyd be nice.

And even if you didnt like it, please tell me your thoughts. I would like to know why you dont like after all. And please, no flames or spam, thats just wasting yours and my own time. Criticism is accepted.

PS-Just in case you couldnt tell, I got that concept of Everything you love, I hate! from Magic Knight Rayearth. But, considering how not everyone may know that, Id just like to point it out.

EDIT: I just realized Id written Shagons power of absorbing hate as absorbing anger. Ive changed a few things in order to correct this, but other than that, everything is pretty much the same.

I dunno why Im
doing this. I mean, I originally meant for this to be a one-chapter
story. sigh But, I felt that for this to work out, I need to show
Wills point of view of the whole story. Yeah, again, Im not
sure why Im doing this. But, I had it on my mind some time ago to
do something like this, so ne.

Disclaimer: Dont
own WITCH. If I did, the whole Will-Matt-Shagon story would be much
darker.

Her
Sight, One and the Same

I am tired of all
this. The repeated fighting. Why wont he leave us alone? Though, I
suppose if he did, then he wouldnt be doing his job. But still,
thats no excuse for what he has done.

He has constantly
tortured me with his taunting words. He knows that they will make him
stronger. Perhaps he is stronger than I am

I just dont
understand. Why? Why did he take away the one most precious to me?
Why does he continue to pursue me in the sick way that he does? Why
am I the target of his twisted ways?

I ask myself all
this as I am in the midst of battle with my friends. He taunts the
rest of them. And I wonder if there is any real way of defeating him.
Its not like we can reach out to him, weve tried that already.

But then, someone
points out that, in fact, this time, he seems to be targeting them
more and me a little less. Why is he doing this? Isnt it me he
wants? I just wish I knew

There is a large
creaking sound coming from above. I can hear it. And I know what it
is. It is the death that he is preparing for them. But, I wont
allow that. Because now, they are most important. I wont let him
hurt them anymore.

And like that, I fly
in and I release the rest of them from their transformation. They
land rou ughly, but safely on the ground. That is all I need to be
assured of.

And then, the heavy
piece of metal fallsI feel pain bursting throughout my whole
bodyBut then, soon after, its all gone. Everything
feelspeaceful, now.

I can hear them
shouting and crying out my name. Im sorry that they have to see me
like this. But, its all right. I feel fine. But, then again, I
have no sense left in my body.

And then, all of a
sudden, I feel that heavy pressure lifted off of me. Im being
raised off of the ground. So, is this what death feels like? I dont
know. I know nothinganymore.

More yelling and
screaming. Perhaps Im not dead. I can still hear them. And it
doesnt sound like they are fading away.

And then I hear his
voice. Or, is it the others? I cannot tell any longer. The two
have morphed together. The one I love and the one I hate.

Wherever he is
taking me, I have no idea. I remain senseless in his arms. Which is
really quite comforting. I am most probably not fully senseless, as I
can tell of his scent and I can feel him supporting me.

I am with him. He
cannot leave me. And I dont want him to leave. And how I know
this, I fail to understand.

But, as soon as I
assure myself of this, I can feel him let go. But I still sense his
presence with me. He again comes back close to me.

And just as he does,
I hear that voice. The wicked, cruel voice that is of the one that I
most fear. No, does this mean-? He couldnt be handing me over to
her, could he?

But, she leaves just
as quickly as she came and I am safe with him, again.

I can feel him. Hes
with me. Hes right next to me. He touches me

And suddenly, it is
like Im pulled into his mind. I can see it now. The real truth. He
has always loved me as I love him. In every form.

Yes, it is true,
they are one and the same. The one I love and the one I hate

End

Yes!!
Im glad I finally decided to add in Wills POV. I think this
shows more of the Romance side of the storyYeah.

Maybe that Magic
Knight Rayearth thing was too ridiculous last chapter. Though, it
would be kinda funny to see Matt as Hikaru and Shagon as Nova. XD

then will and irma swapped made out partners. then will and irma made out with taranee as hay lin made out with cornelia. then cornelia made out with will and hay lin made out with irma and taranee. then will,cornelia,irma,taranee, and hay lin out their pussies together. then they all cummed and finished by will and cornelia, irma, hay lin, and taranee were making out with each other.

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