"Will's only seen Elyon's worst side," Cornelia told me as we walked through Heatherfield, huddled under her umbrella. We probably looked like an odd pair: her tall and elegant in a skirt almost brushing the snow that had fallen over the last couple of days, me shorter with a woollen hat and heavy parka.
The snow looked very pretty through a window but I hadn't expected that it would be so cold.
"I suppose you've seen even less," she admitted. "But Irma and Hay Lin knew her before all of this happened. I'm sure they'll understand."
"I want to understand. She... scared me," I admitted. "But I don't think she's evil, just... I don't know. What was she like before?"
"She was a sweet girl and a good friend." Cornelia's face was wistful. "We used to share everything - she'd come to see me ice skate and show me everything she drew..."
"Artistic then? Like Hay Lin?"
"Yes! And we'd talk about boys for hours."
"There's that much about boys to talk about?"
Cornelia laughed. "Some of them, yes. You'll learn."
"Well she's got a boy now. Cedric. Now him..." I shivered and not because of the snow.
"If we could just get her away from him..."
I put my hand over hers on the handle of the umbrella. "I don't think any of us disagree that it would be better if she came back, Cornelia. But Metamoor sounds dangerous. How often have you been there?"
"Twice?"
"And didn't someone get captured both times you were there?"
"What would you do if they'd captured Will?"
I frowned and took my hand off the umbrella. "I see what you mean. It's like that is it?"
She nodded.
Up ahead was Sheffield Institute. It seemed fitting that the Guardians of Air and Water would be out in the snow, although it wasn't for fun. They had both been persuaded to sign up for an extra-credit class taking advantage of the weather and were tramping around the campus with cameras and the supervision of one of the teachers.
I fell back as Cornelia folded her umbrella and went in to explain her proposal to the other two. Crouching by a tree I scraped some snow off with my gloved hand. It was strange. According to Will it was all frozen water - like ice but less so. Quite amazing, although she didn't think so.
"Very good idea, Corny!" Irma told the blonde girl. "If you want Cedric's thugs to attack you, this is definitely the right plan!"
"She's right," agreed Hay Lin more seriously. The lightly built girl was almost swallowed up by an immense, heavily padded blue coat.
Cornelia huffed. "Never mind. I understand you don't agree."
"Hey, I just don't want to spend Christmas vacation in a Meridian prison!" Irma said with a grin. She elbowed Hay Lin. "What about you?"
"Not really."
Cornelia whirled away abruptly, hair and coat streaming behind them as she strode away. Hay Lin couldn't see the pinched, determined look on the other girl's face but she started after her anyway only to be called back by the teacher.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be taking you to meet Lillian," Cornelia told me.
I fell in behind her, stretching my legs to keep up. "Why not?"
"I'm going after Elyon."
"Alone? Right now?"
She nodded. "You'd better go home."
"No."
"You can't talk me out of this."
"I'm not going to try. But you're not going alone either."
Cornelia stopped. "It's too dangerous. You're not a Guardian."
"These would be the same dangers that the others are warning you about. The ones you're planning on taking on alone?"
"They've made their decision."
"I've made mine." I spread my hands. "You aren't the only one with questions for her, Cornelia. So either you agree to me coming with you... or I'll follow you anyway."
She sighed. "Are you sure you're not Will? You're as stubborn as she is."
"Well we are sisters. We would have some things in common."
"You've got the annoying little sister routine down well. Alright. But you're not going to like where we're going."
She was right, I admitted, twenty minutes later was we looked at the store front of the apparently closed Ye Olde Bookstore. This was not somewhere that I wanted to come back to.
"You think she's here?"
"This is where Cedric invited her to, the first time they met. If there's anywhere I can find a way too her, it'll start here."
I squinted through the window. "If there is anyone here. Or anything to find."
"Let's find out." Cornelia took the heavy brass door knob and turned it. The door opened smoothly. Perhaps no one had locked it again after the attempted invasion the week previous.
We tiptoed inside and closed the door behind us. It was dark and shady, filled with the musty scent of old leather bookbindings. Much as I remembered it.
Cornelia started as a rustling noise came from further back. "Who's there?" She advanced fearlessly and I hastened to keep up. "Whoever you are, come out now!" she called as we went into the back room. "I know you're there!"
This part of the shop must have been caught up in the attempted invasion - shelves had been knocked against each other and the floor was littered by heavy books. Cornelia picked her way across the room without hesitation only to make a startled noise as she peered around one bookcase. "You!" she exclaimed a second later.
Swirls of green magic exploded around Cornelia and I backed up as the figure of my friend was replaced by someone even taller and more elegant, delicate leafy wings emerging from between the strands of her long hair. Her warm winter clothes were replaced by a mid-riff- and shoulder-bearing top, silky lavender skirt slit to the hip and high-heeled purple boots. "Vathek!"
Taller even than Cornelia and at least three times as massive, the man facing her was bald-headed and bundled in a heavy overcoat, sturdy pants and shirt that wouldn't look out of place anywhere on the street outside. He even wore a long woollen scarf in concession to the cold. However, his pale blue skin and patches of ivory scales made it clear that he was no human, even before I saw the clawed fingers and the pointed ears. "I wasn't expecting this, finding you here," he exclaimed, raising one massive hand to indicate her.
"Get ready to fight with the powers of the Earth!"
He turned away, striding back through the shadows of the shop. "I won't fight you."
Cornelia blinked. "You won't? Hey! Wait!"
"Isn't this the guy who was leading the invasion last time?" I asked, moving forwards to join her.
She nodded. "He was..."
Together we followed after the Metamoorian. "Cornelia?"
"Yes?"
"Is that skirt glued on?"
"What!"
"Well it's got that sort of spiral bit around your belly button..."
She folded her arms across it, defensively. "...it's magic."
We found Vathek behind one of the fallen bookcases, sorting through the books that had fallen from it. At first I thought he was just tidying up but he was checking the titles and I realised he was looking for something specific.
"I've seen what Cedric has done," he told us as we watched.
Cornelia crouched next to him. "What do you mean? Don't you work for him?"
The blue man looked sheepish. "I've had my eyes opened. My people have been suffering for a long time because of Phobos. I couldn't keep following Cedric after I understood that. I'm helping those who fight to bring joy and peace back to Meridian."
"Then what are you doing back on this side of the Veil?" I asked.
He looked up at me. "You... aren't the Keeper, are you?"
"Keeper?"
"Of the Heart of Kandrakar." Vathek lowered his head slightly and scratched the back of his neck. "Then you must be her astral drop."
"Her sister." I folded my arms. "And you're avoiding my question."
"I'm..." He paused and scooped up one of the books. "This. Caleb sent me to find this."
Cornelia swayed slightly and pressed one hand againt her forehead. "Caleb?"
"Are you alright?"
"I... I think..." Then to my relief she steadied. An uncertain Cornelia was much more worrying than Vathek.
Vathek! I turned back and saw that he had loped off to one of the still standing bookshelves. It was bare of books through and to my astonishment he lifted the heavy piece of furniture and tossed it aside.
I reappraised my judgement over which of the two was more worrying.
The bookcase had been covering a hole in the floor and the Metamoorian hopped down it, landing with his shoulders more or less level with the ground. "Goodbye, Guardian, young lady."
"Wait!" Cornelia sprang to the hole just as he ducked his head down it. "If you're going back to Meridian then take me with you!"
"Us," I reminded her as she jumped down after him.
She ignored me. "If you have changed, maybe Elyon has changed too," I heard her say as I scrambled after them. Beneath the hole was a broad, dark spiral staircase. I had had no idea that there were tunnels like this under Heatherfield. Or was this portal.
"Don't count on it," Vathek warned. He lifted a short length of wood that had rags wrapped around it and under his gaze flames sprang to life in the rags, lighting up the stair. "She has all but enslaved herself to Cedric."
Cornelia simply stared at him.
With a sigh, the man turned and gestured the direction of travel. "Well... we can hope." I hastened my steps to catch up and the three of us began to walk side by side towards the portal that would take us to the strange world of Metamoor. "Who knows? Maybe Elyon really has changed..."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
The snow looked very pretty through a window but I hadn't expected that it would be so cold.
"I suppose you've seen even less," she admitted. "But Irma and Hay Lin knew her before all of this happened. I'm sure they'll understand."
"I want to understand. She... scared me," I admitted. "But I don't think she's evil, just... I don't know. What was she like before?"
"She was a sweet girl and a good friend." Cornelia's face was wistful. "We used to share everything - she'd come to see me ice skate and show me everything she drew..."
"Artistic then? Like Hay Lin?"
"Yes! And we'd talk about boys for hours."
"There's that much about boys to talk about?"
Cornelia laughed. "Some of them, yes. You'll learn."
"Well she's got a boy now. Cedric. Now him..." I shivered and not because of the snow.
"If we could just get her away from him..."
I put my hand over hers on the handle of the umbrella. "I don't think any of us disagree that it would be better if she came back, Cornelia. But Metamoor sounds dangerous. How often have you been there?"
"Twice?"
"And didn't someone get captured both times you were there?"
"What would you do if they'd captured Will?"
I frowned and took my hand off the umbrella. "I see what you mean. It's like that is it?"
She nodded.
Up ahead was Sheffield Institute. It seemed fitting that the Guardians of Air and Water would be out in the snow, although it wasn't for fun. They had both been persuaded to sign up for an extra-credit class taking advantage of the weather and were tramping around the campus with cameras and the supervision of one of the teachers.
I fell back as Cornelia folded her umbrella and went in to explain her proposal to the other two. Crouching by a tree I scraped some snow off with my gloved hand. It was strange. According to Will it was all frozen water - like ice but less so. Quite amazing, although she didn't think so.
"Very good idea, Corny!" Irma told the blonde girl. "If you want Cedric's thugs to attack you, this is definitely the right plan!"
"She's right," agreed Hay Lin more seriously. The lightly built girl was almost swallowed up by an immense, heavily padded blue coat.
Cornelia huffed. "Never mind. I understand you don't agree."
"Hey, I just don't want to spend Christmas vacation in a Meridian prison!" Irma said with a grin. She elbowed Hay Lin. "What about you?"
"Not really."
Cornelia whirled away abruptly, hair and coat streaming behind them as she strode away. Hay Lin couldn't see the pinched, determined look on the other girl's face but she started after her anyway only to be called back by the teacher.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be taking you to meet Lillian," Cornelia told me.
I fell in behind her, stretching my legs to keep up. "Why not?"
"I'm going after Elyon."
"Alone? Right now?"
She nodded. "You'd better go home."
"No."
"You can't talk me out of this."
"I'm not going to try. But you're not going alone either."
Cornelia stopped. "It's too dangerous. You're not a Guardian."
"These would be the same dangers that the others are warning you about. The ones you're planning on taking on alone?"
"They've made their decision."
"I've made mine." I spread my hands. "You aren't the only one with questions for her, Cornelia. So either you agree to me coming with you... or I'll follow you anyway."
She sighed. "Are you sure you're not Will? You're as stubborn as she is."
"Well we are sisters. We would have some things in common."
"You've got the annoying little sister routine down well. Alright. But you're not going to like where we're going."
She was right, I admitted, twenty minutes later was we looked at the store front of the apparently closed Ye Olde Bookstore. This was not somewhere that I wanted to come back to.
"You think she's here?"
"This is where Cedric invited her to, the first time they met. If there's anywhere I can find a way too her, it'll start here."
I squinted through the window. "If there is anyone here. Or anything to find."
"Let's find out." Cornelia took the heavy brass door knob and turned it. The door opened smoothly. Perhaps no one had locked it again after the attempted invasion the week previous.
We tiptoed inside and closed the door behind us. It was dark and shady, filled with the musty scent of old leather bookbindings. Much as I remembered it.
Cornelia started as a rustling noise came from further back. "Who's there?" She advanced fearlessly and I hastened to keep up. "Whoever you are, come out now!" she called as we went into the back room. "I know you're there!"
This part of the shop must have been caught up in the attempted invasion - shelves had been knocked against each other and the floor was littered by heavy books. Cornelia picked her way across the room without hesitation only to make a startled noise as she peered around one bookcase. "You!" she exclaimed a second later.
Swirls of green magic exploded around Cornelia and I backed up as the figure of my friend was replaced by someone even taller and more elegant, delicate leafy wings emerging from between the strands of her long hair. Her warm winter clothes were replaced by a mid-riff- and shoulder-bearing top, silky lavender skirt slit to the hip and high-heeled purple boots. "Vathek!"
Taller even than Cornelia and at least three times as massive, the man facing her was bald-headed and bundled in a heavy overcoat, sturdy pants and shirt that wouldn't look out of place anywhere on the street outside. He even wore a long woollen scarf in concession to the cold. However, his pale blue skin and patches of ivory scales made it clear that he was no human, even before I saw the clawed fingers and the pointed ears. "I wasn't expecting this, finding you here," he exclaimed, raising one massive hand to indicate her.
"Get ready to fight with the powers of the Earth!"
He turned away, striding back through the shadows of the shop. "I won't fight you."
Cornelia blinked. "You won't? Hey! Wait!"
"Isn't this the guy who was leading the invasion last time?" I asked, moving forwards to join her.
She nodded. "He was..."
Together we followed after the Metamoorian. "Cornelia?"
"Yes?"
"Is that skirt glued on?"
"What!"
"Well it's got that sort of spiral bit around your belly button..."
She folded her arms across it, defensively. "...it's magic."
We found Vathek behind one of the fallen bookcases, sorting through the books that had fallen from it. At first I thought he was just tidying up but he was checking the titles and I realised he was looking for something specific.
"I've seen what Cedric has done," he told us as we watched.
Cornelia crouched next to him. "What do you mean? Don't you work for him?"
The blue man looked sheepish. "I've had my eyes opened. My people have been suffering for a long time because of Phobos. I couldn't keep following Cedric after I understood that. I'm helping those who fight to bring joy and peace back to Meridian."
"Then what are you doing back on this side of the Veil?" I asked.
He looked up at me. "You... aren't the Keeper, are you?"
"Keeper?"
"Of the Heart of Kandrakar." Vathek lowered his head slightly and scratched the back of his neck. "Then you must be her astral drop."
"Her sister." I folded my arms. "And you're avoiding my question."
"I'm..." He paused and scooped up one of the books. "This. Caleb sent me to find this."
Cornelia swayed slightly and pressed one hand againt her forehead. "Caleb?"
"Are you alright?"
"I... I think..." Then to my relief she steadied. An uncertain Cornelia was much more worrying than Vathek.
Vathek! I turned back and saw that he had loped off to one of the still standing bookshelves. It was bare of books through and to my astonishment he lifted the heavy piece of furniture and tossed it aside.
I reappraised my judgement over which of the two was more worrying.
The bookcase had been covering a hole in the floor and the Metamoorian hopped down it, landing with his shoulders more or less level with the ground. "Goodbye, Guardian, young lady."
"Wait!" Cornelia sprang to the hole just as he ducked his head down it. "If you're going back to Meridian then take me with you!"
"Us," I reminded her as she jumped down after him.
She ignored me. "If you have changed, maybe Elyon has changed too," I heard her say as I scrambled after them. Beneath the hole was a broad, dark spiral staircase. I had had no idea that there were tunnels like this under Heatherfield. Or was this portal.
"Don't count on it," Vathek warned. He lifted a short length of wood that had rags wrapped around it and under his gaze flames sprang to life in the rags, lighting up the stair. "She has all but enslaved herself to Cedric."
Cornelia simply stared at him.
With a sigh, the man turned and gestured the direction of travel. "Well... we can hope." I hastened my steps to catch up and the three of us began to walk side by side towards the portal that would take us to the strange world of Metamoor. "Who knows? Maybe Elyon really has changed..."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.