Chapter 78 * Fantasmal Mountain *

“All right guys, let’s get back to it,” Becky called.

Again, everyone took the seats they were used to sitting in when they met for A&A, and the observers took seats around the wall, Sharanel taking the seat next to Franklin. She caught Henry’s eye for a moment, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

Becky immediately noticed the change in participants. “Is Fantasma not coming back?”

Franklin stood. “He was called away on business dealing with Davron’s pending attack. He also didn’t want to sway your decision about what to do.”

Tabatha smirked at this but said nothing.

Becky took her seat at the head of the table, Jandor behind her, leaning on the back of her chair.

“It’s time to get to what we’re really here for,” Becky said. “I could probably guess where everyone stands on what they want to do next just based on your stories, but I think we should have it on record anyway, at least as a place to start. There are really only three options: option one, go home; option two, stay here but not fight against Davron or the Book of War; option three, stay here and fight. So, we’ll do it similar to how we vote for trips. When I give the signal, hold up the number that you’re leaning toward. Sound good?” The others nodded or murmured their agreement. “All right, hands!”

Everyone at the table raised a hand indicating a number with their fingers. Becky looked around the table. It was exactly what she thought it would be: an almost even three-way split.

Wayne, Ashley, Amber, Tabatha, Terri, and Becky herself all wanted to go home. Henry, Melvin, Stephanie, Daniel, and Bernie wanted to stay but not fight. Ace, Jandor, Derrick, Ben, and Alyson, all wanted to fight.

Everyone looked around as Becky tallied the votes and there were varied reactions to who had picked which option. No one doubted that Wayne and Ashley would be in sync, but other close relationships were surprisingly split.

“So, where do we go from here?” Jandor asked as he started pacing around the table.

“There’s no rule saying we have to agree, is there?” Alyson said. “Those who want to fight can fight; those who don’t, shouldn’t be forced to.”

“I don’t know if it’s that simple,” Ace countered, “at least not for the twelve of us who have the mark of the seal. We need all twelve in order to get the book away from Davron; anything less, and he’ll be able to overpower us, especially since the seal is so weak. There was a reason why twelve were needed in the first place.”

“This is why we should all leave Mendala,” Tabatha said. “Do you really think Davron’s going to leave you alone just because you say you don’t want to fight? The Order of Nature should be proof that’s not the case. If you stay here, you’re going to end up involved, one way or another. And don’t think you’ll be safe even if you just stay here in Fantasmal Mountain. They’ve already had one incident here due to a spy.”

“What do you mean?” Becky asked.

“That whole translift mentant-bomb thing wasn’t just some random accident,” Tabatha told her. “Davron clearly has people working on the inside, so even this place isn’t safe. Going back to Earth is the only way to ensure he won’t come after you.”

“Going home isn’t that easy,” Henry said. “I’ve somewhat got quickening down, but I don’t know what it’ll take to get through the rift,” he gave a furtive glance to Sharanel.

“Henry’s right. The only reason Tommy was able to get through the rift was because we had the Sun Stone,” Sharanel said. “Without it, there’s no telling what will happen, especially since Davron’s quickener tampered with it.”

Tabatha shook her head. “See, this is what I mean; you can’t trust these people.”

Sharanel’s eyes narrowed at this. “Excuse me?”

“If you needed the Sun Stone to get through the rift, then how did Davron get the Book of War in the first place?” Tabatha reasoned. “His quickener was able to get through the rift on his own. Henry can too, with enough help. They’re just saying they can’t do it to trick you into staying here.”

Sharanel stood, her temper getting the better of her. “Hey, that’s not true. If it wasn’t for our help, Henry wouldn’t have been able to use his staff to bring you together. We’re not trying to keep you here. Rifts are just complicated and dangerous.”

Tabatha turned to face Sharanel, arm dangling over her chair. “Or maybe they’re just too complicated for you,” she countered, “but I’m sure a professional quickener who knows what they’re doing can help us. There has to be one somewhere in this mountain.”

“Shut up, Tabatha,” Henry shouted before Sharanel could retort. “You don’t know anything about Sharanel or her skills, so back off.”

Tabatha turned back to Henry, giving him a withering look. “Oh, I see; so, she’s the reason you want to stay. Is that why it took so long for you to get us? You were too busy trying to—”

“Tabatha,” Mrs. Guardman’s voice rang out cool and calm. “No one will be willing to listen to your points, no matter how reasonable they may be, if you’re antagonistic.”

It was rare for Mrs. Guardman to interrupt, but she knew things would have continued to escalate if she didn’t intervene. She wondered if this is what was meant when they said people didn’t age when they went back in time. Some of them may have had years of extra knowledge and experience, but their emotions and behaviors still seemed impacted by their teenage hormones.

Tabatha took a calming breath at Mrs. Guardman’s words. “Look, I get that some people may want to stay. I’m just trying to point out how dangerous it would be, and as far as using the rift, well if Henry can’t do it by himself, we already know who can: Davron’s quickener, who’s being held by Fantasma’s army.”

There was a murmur at this new piece of information.

“What makes you think he’ll help us?” Ace asked.

“Why wouldn’t he? It’s a win-win; we get to go back to our world, and they don’t have to worry about us interfering with what they’re trying to do.”

“She has a point,” Becky said, “and it’s not like Fantasma needs us to fight. Now that we know animals can kill those monsters, they have a way of stopping Davron on their own.”

“Most of the order is stuck in Cirinian Valley right now, and even if they weren’t, I don’t think they’re going to be willing to just send animals out to join a large-scale war. It was bad enough with just the few hundred creatures we dealt with.”

“Well, that sounds like this world’s problem,” Amber said flatly. “They have a way to fight for themselves. If they choose not to use it, that’s on them. Besides, what’s twelve extra people going to do?”

“It’s not just about being able to kill those creatures,” Ace said. “The seal impacts us in other ways. It protects us and the people around us, and it enhances what we’re capable of doing. There’s a lot that most of you just haven’t tapped into yet, and like I said before: we can’t stop Davron and seal the book without all twelve seal bearers.”

“We’re not all seal bearers,” Ashley reminded him.

“And even if we are, that doesn’t mean we want to fight monsters or even know how to fight at all,” Melvin added. “I want to help but—”

“Hey, I did learn how to fight, but it doesn’t mean I want to go to war,” Bernie countered.

More people started to chime in, giving their own opinions and soon it began to get out of hand as they started talking over one another.

“Guys this is getting us nowhere!” Jandor called suddenly. He’d been watching the debate quietly up until that point, and everyone turned to look at him when he finally spoke. “Can I ask all of you something?” His voice was much quieter, and he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “I’m just wondering, don’t any of you want to fulfill the legacy that our parents, and grandparents, and everyone before them have been working toward? They were responsible for the Book of War for four-hundred years. Are we really talking about walking away from that?”

Many people fidgeted uncomfortably at this.

“We’re not all part of that legacy, Jandor.” Terri said quietly.

“Terri, I know you don’t have the mark of the seal,” Jandor said quickly, “and I know you feel like you’ve been dragged into this, but you’ve lived here six years. You can’t tell me you don’t feel any attachment to this world. Henry, you already said you wanted to stay, so there must be something here you feel is worth protecting. I’m not saying you should fight but being there to support us now that you know quickening will be really helpful, same with you being a healer, Terri.

“Ashley, you may not be a seal bearer, but you have a legacy that’s even bigger than ours. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have one of my distant ancestors come and tell me that I’m destined to help the world be a better place. I know it’s overwhelming, but you already started when you helped those orphans. Some part of you must want to stay and keep helping this world.

“I get that some people don’t want to fight, and I’m not saying we should all go running out and join Fantasma’s army on the front lines, but at the very least, I think we should all stay and work together. We can each help in our own way, whether it’s fighting, or strategizing, or supporting, or helping the people impacted by the war. Each of us has different abilities and skills, some of them pretty rare from what I understand.” He looked pointedly at Tabatha. “That can’t be a coincidence. We can use what we have to help this world, at least until the Book of War is no longer a threat.”

It seemed that his words had influenced many who were on the fence. The prospect of staying didn’t sound as bad, especially for those who’d already been on Mendala for years. Wayne looked to Ashley to see what she was thinking. She had a conflicted look in her eyes, but he could tell that she was considering it.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” he told her stoically.

She smiled before resting her head on his shoulder.

Amber smirked at Wayne. “Well, if you stay, I guess I’ll have to stay too. What would you do without your plucky sidekick?”

Terri looked up at her brother, a proud smile on her face. “If you really think I can help then… I guess.”

“Whatever, I knew I was doomed to learn everything about this planet one way or another,” Becky quipped.

Tabatha looked around the table and it was clear everyone else seemed swayed by what Jandor said. “I don’t believe this,” she sighed. “Is that really all it takes for you guys, a rousing speech from the resident hero? Don’t forget, Jandor’s only been on this world for a few days. He doesn’t know anything about it. I’ve been here for five years. I can tell you; this world isn’t worth saving. It’s a rotten place with a corrupt government full of constant war. Even if you stop the Book of War, they’ll just be another war the very next day. It’s a never-ending cycle no matter what they say about some evil spirit influencing things.”

“You’re not the only one who’s been here a long time,” Alyson said. “I’ve been here seven years.”

“Yeah, holed up in Weather Mountain being taken care of by the Fantasmal Government,” Tabatha countered. “Bernie was down with the dwarves, Melvin in some secret monastery, Ben living some fantasy dream in Acumen. Most of you have no idea what it’s like in the rest of the world. It’s horrible out there.”

“What about me,” Ace said quietly. “I spent over thirty years going around the world before I was in Vinchu. I’ve pretty much been everywhere. I’ve seen the bad, I’ve seen the wars, and I’ve seen where the system has failed, but that doesn’t mean this whole world is irredeemably rotten. It’s just out of balance. The Daughter of the Sun has been gone for over a millennium, and whether you want to believe it or not, there are other forces at work out there. Spend a few decades carrying a divine object around and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.” Ace tapped the seal again. “Now that we’re here, we have a chance to help make things better, and I think we should.”

Tabatha rolled her eyes. “Sounds a lot like guardian propaganda to me; wonder where you could’ve gotten that from.”

Alice, who’d been quiet up until this point, seemed riled by this. “You know what, I’ve had about enough of your attitude and snide comments.”

“Well, no one said you had to be here,” Tabatha said lazily. “You’re not part of this.”

“Neither are you,” Alice shot back. “You’re not connected to the seal, and you’re the only one who seems to have a problem with our world. If you want to go so bad, then why don’t you go. Let the others stay and help instead of just poisoning them with your negativity. All you’ve done is make baseless accusations about the Fantasmal Government.”

Becky intervened this time. “Tabatha, you do seem to have some really strong feelings about this. You said when you first got here you had a lot of problems because of your melder ability, but after you got trained by that mind mage, everything seemed to be okay. You became a teacher and pretty much had no other troubles. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“I…” For the first time, Tabatha faltered. “I’ve just been to a lot of places. I’ve seen what war’s done; that’s all.” She looked around the table again and could tell at a glance that her words weren’t persuading anyone. “You know what, the guardian’s right. I’m not a part of this.” She stood.

“Tabatha,” Mrs. Guardman called out, but Tabatha waved her off.

“It’s fine; you all do whatever you want to do. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, she left the conference room.

* Lumarian Mountains *

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help you?” Jacob offered for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I’m fine,” Helena snapped irritably.

“Sorry.”

Helena put down the quartz crystal she was holding with a sigh. She turned to where Jacob was sitting on a boulder, looking bored and worried, and walked over to him.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she sat next to him on the large rock and patted his leg. “You’ve already been really helpful. You got me the traveler quartz I need; I just have to configure it properly so the quickener cave will work. There’s no way you can help me with that.”

“I don’t understand, I thought you could just put the traveler quartz around us in a circle and you’d be able to quicken,” Jacob said.

Helena chuckled. “It’s not that simple. In a normal quickener cave, the quartz is all over the walls from top to bottom, so it completely surrounds us. I can’t do that though, so I have to set this quartz up in a way that creates a temporary field, and then tune it properly with my staff to make it work.”

“You’ve been at this for a couple of hours though,” Jacob said. “Maybe we should try someplace else.”

Helena shook her head. “I don’t think we’re going to find a better cave than this, it’s small enough that I don’t have to do too much to make the field work. Don’t worry, I’ll get it.”

Jacob shrugged. “I just hate the thought of you being stuck out here because of me.”

“It’s not because of you,” Helena smiled at him. “I made this choice, and I promise I’ll get us out of here. Just give me a little more time.”

She patted his leg again and then hopped off the boulder to return to her work. The two were deep in the Lumarian Mountains, west of the destroyed town of Gilmore. Thanks to Mrs. Guardman, they were able to escape being jailed by the Fantasmal Government, but the second half of their plan wasn’t going as expected. As Gamdon had warned her, getting back was going to be difficult since she wasn’t a fully qualified quickener and creating an ad-hoc quickener cave was very advanced.

Bored, and not wanting to bother Helena anymore, Jacob slid off the boulder and decided to stretch his legs. The small chamber they were in was part of a massive tunnel and cave network, most likely created long ago by mountain moles. They had only explored a small section of it before Helena settled on the space she wanted to use to construct her makeshift quickener cave. He started to wander around, going down one of the offshoots they had yet to explore.

Ten minutes later, he came running back into the room. “Helena! You’ve got to come see this.”

Helena had been so engrossed in her work, she hadn’t noticed that Jacob had left. “See what? Why are you out of breath?”

“I think I found what we need,” he said excitedly as he pulled her off the floor and dragged her down the tunnel he’d come from.

After several minutes of running, they reached a large cave, about three times the size of the chamber they’d been in.

“Whoa,” Helena said looking around. The entire cave was completely covered in traveler quartz.

“Will it work?” Jacob asked.

“Definitely. There must have been a rift in here at some point, but I don’t sense one now.” She turned and hugged him. “Great work Jacob, we can get back now.”

Jacob turned slightly red from the praise, but Helena didn’t see as she released him. She closed her eyes to focus on the marker, and within a few seconds, the duo disappeared.

***

Helena and Jacob were transported to another quickener cave. It was clear this was a manmade one, hastily constructed to hold the marker Helena’s staff was connected to, though unlike Helena’s attempted cave, this had been made by a quickener with some experience. She wondered if her grandfather had been the one to do it.

They stepped out of the small chamber and into a massive underground cavern with dozens of people milling about.

“Whoa, so this is the translift network?” Helena said in awe. “It’s incredible.”

The cavern they were in was just one of many inside one of the mountains about an hour away from Gilmore. The translift network was built during a time when mining towns dotted the surrounding area, making it a major source for several types of quartz. To make it easier to transfer massive amounts of quartz from the mountains, the towns worked together to create gigantic translifts that led to key points throughout the world.

However, that was centuries ago. One by one, the towns died, and soon the translift network fell out of use, leaving it lost to time until it was discovered by Davron and his comrades months prior. Since then, they took great pains to both repair the translifts and keep them hidden so that no one would find them or the caves they were connected to around the world.

As Helena and Jacob marveled at the sight before them, they were approached by Davron.

“Ah, Helena, I see you’ve made it. I was a little concerned since it was taking so long.”

Helena bowed. “I’m sorry, getting the traveler quartz to work the way I needed was much harder than I thought it would be, but thanks to Jacob, we were able to get back okay.”

“Well, I’m sure your grandfather will be glad to know you’re safe.”

“Wait, you don’t know?” Helena asked.

Davron gave her a questioning look. “Know what?”

“The Fantasmal Government, they got Granddad and Master Foy,” Helena clarified.

“Ah.” Davron nodded in understanding, though he didn’t seem surprised. “So, you saw it happen then?”

“Yes,” Helena said, her panic seemingly amplified by Davron’s calm demeanor. “Right at the end of the battle.”

Davron was about to respond when Jansdimion ran up to where they were. “Sir, the lookout just got back from Gilmore. Fantasma’s troops left about an hour ago.”

Davron nodded. “We have about two hours until midnight. Hopefully, he’s had enough time.” He pulled a small chain from under his shirt. There was a red quartz crystal on the end.

“Are you sure about this, sir?” Jansdimion asked hesitantly. “What about your spy? You could contact them and—”

Davron shook his head. “No, it’s too risky, especially since we don’t know where their loyalties are. This is the only way. I have to believe this will work. If not, then maybe I really did put my trust in the wrong person.”

Jansdimion gave him a commiserating look but said nothing.

Helena looked back and forth between them, confused. “Excuse me, sir. I hate to interrupt, but what about Granddad? Aren’t you going to do anything to help him?”

Davron came out of his own musings and gave Helena a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Gamdon is exactly where he’s supposed to be.”