Crossroads and the Dominion of Four by C. Toni Graham
“That’s exactly what happened! She was copying me––uh, I mean jinxing me. At first, I didn’t get it, but then I realized that crazy chick was actually trying to look like me.”
“Hopefully that’s the last time we have to see that freak show!” said Conner.
Seneca described the nuisance of the actual transformation. She spoke of how the dupelene’s body had twisted and gelled into her likeness. Most disconcerting had been listening to her own voice being mimicked. Once she’d recovered from the shock and realized what was happening, the first thing that had come to mind was to stop her.
“I started yelling and screaming, and she would just copy whatever sound I made. She wasn’t exactly subtle in her plan either,” said Seneca. “She bragged about how she was going to take my place and then destroy each of you––one by one. I wasn’t about to let that happen!”
Seneca pulled her legs beneath her and sat up straight. She explained that regardless of what happened, she would not reveal her wings. She’d been barraged with pain and ridicule, but she’d remained steadfast. “I just kept slowing my breathing and focused on what Rileau would be serving up for lunch,” she said softly. Her mind drifted to the most horrendous parts of the attack. She had never experienced such terror. She took in a deep breath of relief.
“Leave it to Seneca to think about food while she’s getting her butt kicked.” joked Conner.
“I had to do whatever I could. She made it clear that my wings were the essential thing she needed for her deception to really work.”
“I would have been so scared,” Shayna said softly. “It’s amazing you hung in there.”
“I was scared, especially when she tried to persuade me by saying she could end my suffering quickly. Otherwise, my death would be one of slow suffering.” Seneca shook from the memory.
“I’m sure, given the circumstances, it was a tempting offer,” Rileau said. “Cruel remarks intertwined with physical pain would certainly be a motivation to surrender for most.”
“It was tempting until I got a glimpse of her,” replied Seneca. “That’s when I realized that all her talk was a bunch of nonsense. You saw her, so you know she was definitely suffering. I knew I had to hold on as long as possible. I wasn’t about to let her see my wings in full action.”
Seneca described how seeing the dupelene had given her a renewed amount of strength to fight harder to keep her wings hidden. She could only hold them tightly for so long, and then she’d have to flex them before she could withdraw them again.
“It was a real workout, worse than doing a hundred crunches!” Seneca said with a smile. “She couldn’t keep up or figure out the timing of when I would open and close them. She got really frustrated and started raging like a psycho.”
“You were doing the ole fake and bake. The rope-a-dope and the famous snooze-and-you-lose routine,” said Conner in an animated voice.
“I guess,” Seneca said. She was a bit confused but figured out the point he was trying to make.
“That’s probably why she looked like a poor version of you,” said Shayna. “At first, I thought you’d been roughed up beyond recognition.”
“She couldn’t duplicate my wings completely, because even when they would appear to block her attacks, they weren’t fully out or lit,” replied Seneca. “The most she was able to do was copy my face and body size. She got angrier by the second because I wouldn’t give in.”
“But what about the ice balls she was hurling at us?” Conner asked.
“That’s the strange part, actually,” said Seneca. “She had been hitting me with fireballs like the ones Brigara used, but for some reason, when she started turning into me, she wasn’t doing it anymore. When I realized they weren’t coming anymore, I thought it was my time to retaliate. But before I get into that, I’ve got to tell you this first. I’m getting ahead of myself.”
Seneca stood up to reenact what had happened. She showed how she’d charged across the floor with her wings in full spread, ready to create a wind that would knock down the dupelene. She’d come to an immediate stop once it spun around to face her.
“She was half Brigara and half me!” said Seneca, her voice shrieking slightly. “Way too creepy for me to even begin to explain—totally creepy!”
“That would definitely be on the top of my creep-out list,” said Shayna.
“I only got a quick peek before I would retreat back under my wings, but each time, I was just as shocked.”
“She obviously saw your wings in full spread,” said Jake. “What did you do?”
“You bet she saw them! She was super-spastic excited, but when I realized she was turning into me, I made them disappear. It was like a game—I just had to time it right. She would get furious and then hurl another fireball at me. Thank goodness my wings were faster than she was. At one point, the fiery spheres started sputtering out before they got halfway across the room. That just fueled her wild rage even more,” Seneca said. She twitched as she thought about all she had endured. She wiped away a few tears that rolled down her cheeks.
“Is this too much for you?” asked Jake. “You can stop anytime.”
“I’m okay. I was just thinking about how desperately I wanted to stop her, but I didn’t know how. I knew without a doubt she’d be coming after you guys. I just remember feeling so helpless.”
“Please continue, Seneca. It is important for them to hear the rest,” said Rileau in a flat tone.
Her eyes sparkled as they caught the light. She whisked away the tears that continued to flow. She tilted her head slightly and took a deep breath before she spoke. “I know you guys found me pretty quickly, but it seemed like I was stuck in that house forever. The dupelene regrouped and started creating fireballs like crazy. My timing sputtered, and she almost took me down a few times. I finally wrapped myself in my wings and kept them dim. She was definitely interested in their light. She said that without the light, they were no better than the wings of a moth.”
“That pretty much describes how she looked,” said Jake.
“Yeah, a moth that got too close to a flame,” added Conner with a snort.
“I was taking hit after hit. Those fireballs were scorching hot. I started telling myself that I needed to stay cool and focus on being cold,” said Seneca.
“Why would you want to cool down?” asked Shayna.
“With my wings wrapped around me so tightly, it was like being in a sauna. When it seemed like she was getting her second wind, my priority changed from ‘Stay cool’ to ‘Don’t pass out.’”
Seneca elaborated on how she’d begun to imagine anything cold. She’d pictured herself ice-skating, having snowball fights with her brother, getting brain freeze from iced drinks, and biting into frozen carnival snow cones.
“I could feel it working,” she said. “At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But then I started to shiver. I relaxed and thought about warming up—and I did! I could actually control my body temperature.”
“Wow, so what did you do?” Shayna asked. She was intrigued and fidgeted nervously.
Seneca described how she’d begun timing the assault of the fireballs, and she’d switch to a freezing reaction when they came. Her body had stopped overheating. Her wings had acted as a shield of ice, which had given her enough confidence to make an effort to defend herself.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t really think that strategy through very well,” said Seneca with a frown. “I hadn’t considered her countermoves, which totally went against what Wren spent so much time drilling into my head. Now that I think about it, Wren’s training was probably a waste of time.”
“I hope not. That training was brutal!” Shayna said. “Sorry to interrupt.” She shot a look at Rileau, anticipating a reaction of disappointment. She braced to accept his criticism but received no response. He remained steady and showed no signs of what he was thinking or feeling. She
thought she detected a slight release of smoke, but she couldn’t be sure.
“What happened next?” Conner asked. “Don’t keep us in suspense!” He eased down the wall and flopped onto the floor. He was prepared to probe until he heard every detail.
“What happened? I made a huge blunder. That’s what happened! I thought I was being clever. But all I did was give her yet another weapon to use against me.”
“That is the way of the dupelene,” said Rileau. “Your strategy was flawed.”
“What happened?” Conner asked.
“I thought she just wanted to copy my wings or how I looked. I didn’t know she could take my powers too, even the powers I didn’t know I had. But I fell for it,” Seneca said.
“Yeah, Rileau explained that, but of course, you couldn’t have known,” Jake replied sympathetically.
Seneca explained that she’d been convinced her wings could guard her against the fireballs. She’d believed that if she got close enough, she could take her down. The disfigured dupelene had seen her making an approach and hurled a fireball directly at her. Seneca’s wings had responded not as a cocoon but as a sculpted armor of ice. They’d glistened as they wrapped around her tiny frame. The fireball had smashed hard against the frozen wings with a sizzle, dissolving into fragments of ash. Instinctively, Seneca had spread her icy wings behind her. The tips had transformed into daggers that glowed an opaque electric blue. She’d cupped her hands and held them out. As she’d stretched her fingers far apart, an icy, rapidly spinning orb had taken form. She’d glanced at it only for a second before she’d hurled it across the room. The dupelene had hit the floor as it whirled just over her head. The frozen sphere had slammed into the wall. An imprint of a frosty scorch mark had been left behind as melted ice crumbled to the floor.
“Don’t ask me how I did it or how I knew I could do it. I just did,” said Seneca. “I didn’t aim too well, but the orb was magnificent!”
“That explains why the floor was so slippery,” Shayna said as she rubbed the bump on her head, which still throbbed.
Seneca described how the dupelene had skillfully avoided being hit and dodged each new sphere of ice that she’d unleashed. The short demonstration of the new power was all the dupelene had needed to duplicate it. The dupelene had begun creating the icy orbs as masterfully as she had the fire spheres. The remaining resemblance of Brigara had vanished, and she’d taken on Seneca’s physique and mannerisms. The only thing missing had been the full transformation of her wings.
“I couldn’t stop her!” Seneca shouted. “It was a nightmare. She was better at it than I was. I tried to block the orbs, but she was relentless. She kept trying to force me to reveal my wings with their full light. It was all she needed to be completely me.”
“She would only have mimicked your looks and abilities,” said Rileau. “She could never truly become you.”
“That’s good to know. But instead of chancing it, I just wrapped my wings around me and took the hits one after another. I hung in there and did whatever I could think of doing to not let her become me,” said Seneca.
“She looked super creepy, especially her eyes,” added Shayna. “She was most definitely not you.”
“There’s only one Seneca. No way could she pull that off!” said Conner.
“But that doesn’t really explain your new look. It’s cute, but I’m not sure if you really want to go with the ice-princess look,” said Shayna as she scrunched up her nose. “You’re more of an Anna and not Elsa type, if you know what I mean.”
“Let it go!” Jake said. “I like the silver streaks; they’re cool. I’m not sure if I will still think of you as Gothic Tinkerbell, but it’s nice. I’d like to see your new wings. They sound really cool too.”
“Enough of the senseless interruptions! Continue Seneca, please,” Rileau commanded.
“Maybe I can show them later,” said Seneca. She eased back into the seat and rested her head on Shayna’s shoulder. She tried to hide her reaction from view as she took in a deep breath and continued with her story. She explained that her reaction to being hit with the ice orbs had been different from her reaction to the fire ones. She’d known fire would do damage, but somehow, the more ice blasts she’d endured, the more relaxed she’d become, and she’d been able to retreat into a dormant state.
“I felt numb but at peace. I knew the ice couldn’t harm me as long as I embraced it. That sounds strange, I know, but it was like a safe place for me. I remember the dupelene was hovering over me and screaming like a wild woman. I willed my wings to retract completely, and I collapsed onto the floor.”
“Is that the last thing you remember?” Rileau asked.
“Not exactly. It was like I went to sleep—like hibernation—except I was completely aware of my surroundings, as if I were in a capsule or chamber of cold. But strangely, I didn’t feel cold at all. I was actually pretty comfortable. I could smell gardenias, and the aroma relaxed me more,” said Seneca.
“When I picked you up, you were frozen, and you didn’t move,” said Conner. His voice was low and serious. “I thought we got there too late.”
“I know, Conner, but as you can see, I’m fine,” said Seneca. “Rileau explained it to me. I went through a metamorphosis sort of like a butterfly, except by freezing. The hair and the eyes are the new me, and clearly, my voice changed a bit too. It was like my initiation into being a druid. Apparently, it’s usually a slower process, but the trauma accelerated things.”
“Yeah, your voice is totally different, but it’s nice,” said Jake.
“We could hear the dupelene screaming at you, but we thought it was you screaming at yourself, because she sounded just like you,” said Conner. “I like your new voice, though. It helps me forget she was trying to be you.”
“But she looked nothing like you, not really. Well, at first, I thought it was you, but the fake you was holding one of those spinning ice balls, and it was freaky,” said Shayna. “I kind of like the new you.”
Seneca smiled as her friends urged her to continue retelling the entire experience. They in turn repeated similar comments and observations. They asked countless questions about her powers and transformation. Conner pleaded for her to create ice orbs. Although tempted, she resisted when she saw Rileau’s eyes narrow.
“I’m not so good at it. I’m going to need practice to perfect my aim and increase the velocity,” said Seneca, biting her lip slightly. She gathered Rileau was pleased with her response since only a small whiff of smoke escaped his flared nostrils. He brushed past them and headed toward the hallway. Jake caught a glimpse of two shadows in the hall before the door slammed shut. He heard muffled voices but assumed it was the staff. He turned his attention back to Seneca.
“Now, where was I? Oh yeah, those wings! She sure had a tough time copying them.”
“Oh, that’s so true. They were absolutely hideous!” Shayna exclaimed. “But she definitely had your voice pegged.”
They remained enthralled and only interjected when they wanted Seneca to elaborate on aspects of the story. She told them she hadn’t tried out her new wings, but she could sense they had changed for the better. The door suddenly swung open. Rileau’s large frame filled most of the entrance. The door closed behind him, and he strolled to the center of the room. All eyes were fixed on him. His jaw was tight, and his hands were balled into fists. They knew instantly that something was wrong.
“You have heard enough!” he roared. “The dupelene has been dealt with, and with Seneca’s transformation, she is stronger than before. This will serve you well. The battle to protect the source of magic has begun. You must now rely on your gifts without further training. Time is not on our side.”
Shayna and Seneca stood up immediately and exchanged worried looks.
“How are we supposed to do that?” asked Conner. “Me especially. Why can’t we have more time?”
> “There is no other choice. I have been informed that Brigara is in possession of the anointed Book of Grimoire. She has broken its seal of light and forged a bane of dark magic around it,” said Rileau sternly.
“Book of what?” asked Conner.
“Yeah, I didn’t get that either. Can you tell us what that means in our language?” Shayna asked.
“It means that she holds the book of magic that druids have used to record spells, potions, and incantations since the beginning of our way of life. It holds all known essences of magic derived from the light,” he said slowly and deliberately.
“Has she changed it to dark magic?” asked Jake.
“The book cannot be altered. However, the spells and chants it contains can be wrapped in darkness as long as the bane remains fastened to it. It gives her a considerable advantage—one that I did not anticipate. I can only conclude that a spell within the book was used to provide guidance to the dupelene. Brigara masterfully conjured this potent magic without being in the Otherworld. This concerns me greatly.”
“Now what do we do?” Seneca asked as the lightness in her voice carried through the room. She tried her best to maintain calm composure, but her knees rattled uncontrollably. She sat down quickly for fear of them giving out.
“This could mean complete devastation! She will use it to destroy all of the Otherworld—and more. We must change our approach now that she has the Grimoire,” he said in a graveled voice. “I must take a brief moment to contemplate how to proceed.”
Concern was etched across his face; he began to pace in contemplation. His tail was in full swing as it brushed back and forth with each stride. The tip of it caught a few chair legs whenever he turned. He knocked several chairs completely out of the way to create an unobstructed path.
“Brigara doesn’t even have to be here to wreak havoc,” said Jake, sure to keep his voice close to a whisper. He had waited until Rileau was on the far side of the room and staring out the window.
“I know. We need to get that book back!” said Shayna.
“Hopefully that’s the last time we have to see that freak show!” said Conner.
Seneca described the nuisance of the actual transformation. She spoke of how the dupelene’s body had twisted and gelled into her likeness. Most disconcerting had been listening to her own voice being mimicked. Once she’d recovered from the shock and realized what was happening, the first thing that had come to mind was to stop her.
“I started yelling and screaming, and she would just copy whatever sound I made. She wasn’t exactly subtle in her plan either,” said Seneca. “She bragged about how she was going to take my place and then destroy each of you––one by one. I wasn’t about to let that happen!”
Seneca pulled her legs beneath her and sat up straight. She explained that regardless of what happened, she would not reveal her wings. She’d been barraged with pain and ridicule, but she’d remained steadfast. “I just kept slowing my breathing and focused on what Rileau would be serving up for lunch,” she said softly. Her mind drifted to the most horrendous parts of the attack. She had never experienced such terror. She took in a deep breath of relief.
“Leave it to Seneca to think about food while she’s getting her butt kicked.” joked Conner.
“I had to do whatever I could. She made it clear that my wings were the essential thing she needed for her deception to really work.”
“I would have been so scared,” Shayna said softly. “It’s amazing you hung in there.”
“I was scared, especially when she tried to persuade me by saying she could end my suffering quickly. Otherwise, my death would be one of slow suffering.” Seneca shook from the memory.
“I’m sure, given the circumstances, it was a tempting offer,” Rileau said. “Cruel remarks intertwined with physical pain would certainly be a motivation to surrender for most.”
“It was tempting until I got a glimpse of her,” replied Seneca. “That’s when I realized that all her talk was a bunch of nonsense. You saw her, so you know she was definitely suffering. I knew I had to hold on as long as possible. I wasn’t about to let her see my wings in full action.”
Seneca described how seeing the dupelene had given her a renewed amount of strength to fight harder to keep her wings hidden. She could only hold them tightly for so long, and then she’d have to flex them before she could withdraw them again.
“It was a real workout, worse than doing a hundred crunches!” Seneca said with a smile. “She couldn’t keep up or figure out the timing of when I would open and close them. She got really frustrated and started raging like a psycho.”
“You were doing the ole fake and bake. The rope-a-dope and the famous snooze-and-you-lose routine,” said Conner in an animated voice.
“I guess,” Seneca said. She was a bit confused but figured out the point he was trying to make.
“That’s probably why she looked like a poor version of you,” said Shayna. “At first, I thought you’d been roughed up beyond recognition.”
“She couldn’t duplicate my wings completely, because even when they would appear to block her attacks, they weren’t fully out or lit,” replied Seneca. “The most she was able to do was copy my face and body size. She got angrier by the second because I wouldn’t give in.”
“But what about the ice balls she was hurling at us?” Conner asked.
“That’s the strange part, actually,” said Seneca. “She had been hitting me with fireballs like the ones Brigara used, but for some reason, when she started turning into me, she wasn’t doing it anymore. When I realized they weren’t coming anymore, I thought it was my time to retaliate. But before I get into that, I’ve got to tell you this first. I’m getting ahead of myself.”
Seneca stood up to reenact what had happened. She showed how she’d charged across the floor with her wings in full spread, ready to create a wind that would knock down the dupelene. She’d come to an immediate stop once it spun around to face her.
“She was half Brigara and half me!” said Seneca, her voice shrieking slightly. “Way too creepy for me to even begin to explain—totally creepy!”
“That would definitely be on the top of my creep-out list,” said Shayna.
“I only got a quick peek before I would retreat back under my wings, but each time, I was just as shocked.”
“She obviously saw your wings in full spread,” said Jake. “What did you do?”
“You bet she saw them! She was super-spastic excited, but when I realized she was turning into me, I made them disappear. It was like a game—I just had to time it right. She would get furious and then hurl another fireball at me. Thank goodness my wings were faster than she was. At one point, the fiery spheres started sputtering out before they got halfway across the room. That just fueled her wild rage even more,” Seneca said. She twitched as she thought about all she had endured. She wiped away a few tears that rolled down her cheeks.
“Is this too much for you?” asked Jake. “You can stop anytime.”
“I’m okay. I was just thinking about how desperately I wanted to stop her, but I didn’t know how. I knew without a doubt she’d be coming after you guys. I just remember feeling so helpless.”
“Please continue, Seneca. It is important for them to hear the rest,” said Rileau in a flat tone.
Her eyes sparkled as they caught the light. She whisked away the tears that continued to flow. She tilted her head slightly and took a deep breath before she spoke. “I know you guys found me pretty quickly, but it seemed like I was stuck in that house forever. The dupelene regrouped and started creating fireballs like crazy. My timing sputtered, and she almost took me down a few times. I finally wrapped myself in my wings and kept them dim. She was definitely interested in their light. She said that without the light, they were no better than the wings of a moth.”
“That pretty much describes how she looked,” said Jake.
“Yeah, a moth that got too close to a flame,” added Conner with a snort.
“I was taking hit after hit. Those fireballs were scorching hot. I started telling myself that I needed to stay cool and focus on being cold,” said Seneca.
“Why would you want to cool down?” asked Shayna.
“With my wings wrapped around me so tightly, it was like being in a sauna. When it seemed like she was getting her second wind, my priority changed from ‘Stay cool’ to ‘Don’t pass out.’”
Seneca elaborated on how she’d begun to imagine anything cold. She’d pictured herself ice-skating, having snowball fights with her brother, getting brain freeze from iced drinks, and biting into frozen carnival snow cones.
“I could feel it working,” she said. “At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But then I started to shiver. I relaxed and thought about warming up—and I did! I could actually control my body temperature.”
“Wow, so what did you do?” Shayna asked. She was intrigued and fidgeted nervously.
Seneca described how she’d begun timing the assault of the fireballs, and she’d switch to a freezing reaction when they came. Her body had stopped overheating. Her wings had acted as a shield of ice, which had given her enough confidence to make an effort to defend herself.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t really think that strategy through very well,” said Seneca with a frown. “I hadn’t considered her countermoves, which totally went against what Wren spent so much time drilling into my head. Now that I think about it, Wren’s training was probably a waste of time.”
“I hope not. That training was brutal!” Shayna said. “Sorry to interrupt.” She shot a look at Rileau, anticipating a reaction of disappointment. She braced to accept his criticism but received no response. He remained steady and showed no signs of what he was thinking or feeling. She
“What happened next?” Conner asked. “Don’t keep us in suspense!” He eased down the wall and flopped onto the floor. He was prepared to probe until he heard every detail.
“What happened? I made a huge blunder. That’s what happened! I thought I was being clever. But all I did was give her yet another weapon to use against me.”
“That is the way of the dupelene,” said Rileau. “Your strategy was flawed.”
“What happened?” Conner asked.
“I thought she just wanted to copy my wings or how I looked. I didn’t know she could take my powers too, even the powers I didn’t know I had. But I fell for it,” Seneca said.
“Yeah, Rileau explained that, but of course, you couldn’t have known,” Jake replied sympathetically.
Seneca explained that she’d been convinced her wings could guard her against the fireballs. She’d believed that if she got close enough, she could take her down. The disfigured dupelene had seen her making an approach and hurled a fireball directly at her. Seneca’s wings had responded not as a cocoon but as a sculpted armor of ice. They’d glistened as they wrapped around her tiny frame. The fireball had smashed hard against the frozen wings with a sizzle, dissolving into fragments of ash. Instinctively, Seneca had spread her icy wings behind her. The tips had transformed into daggers that glowed an opaque electric blue. She’d cupped her hands and held them out. As she’d stretched her fingers far apart, an icy, rapidly spinning orb had taken form. She’d glanced at it only for a second before she’d hurled it across the room. The dupelene had hit the floor as it whirled just over her head. The frozen sphere had slammed into the wall. An imprint of a frosty scorch mark had been left behind as melted ice crumbled to the floor.
“Don’t ask me how I did it or how I knew I could do it. I just did,” said Seneca. “I didn’t aim too well, but the orb was magnificent!”
“That explains why the floor was so slippery,” Shayna said as she rubbed the bump on her head, which still throbbed.
Seneca described how the dupelene had skillfully avoided being hit and dodged each new sphere of ice that she’d unleashed. The short demonstration of the new power was all the dupelene had needed to duplicate it. The dupelene had begun creating the icy orbs as masterfully as she had the fire spheres. The remaining resemblance of Brigara had vanished, and she’d taken on Seneca’s physique and mannerisms. The only thing missing had been the full transformation of her wings.
“I couldn’t stop her!” Seneca shouted. “It was a nightmare. She was better at it than I was. I tried to block the orbs, but she was relentless. She kept trying to force me to reveal my wings with their full light. It was all she needed to be completely me.”
“She would only have mimicked your looks and abilities,” said Rileau. “She could never truly become you.”
“That’s good to know. But instead of chancing it, I just wrapped my wings around me and took the hits one after another. I hung in there and did whatever I could think of doing to not let her become me,” said Seneca.
“She looked super creepy, especially her eyes,” added Shayna. “She was most definitely not you.”
“There’s only one Seneca. No way could she pull that off!” said Conner.
“But that doesn’t really explain your new look. It’s cute, but I’m not sure if you really want to go with the ice-princess look,” said Shayna as she scrunched up her nose. “You’re more of an Anna and not Elsa type, if you know what I mean.”
“Let it go!” Jake said. “I like the silver streaks; they’re cool. I’m not sure if I will still think of you as Gothic Tinkerbell, but it’s nice. I’d like to see your new wings. They sound really cool too.”
“Enough of the senseless interruptions! Continue Seneca, please,” Rileau commanded.
“Maybe I can show them later,” said Seneca. She eased back into the seat and rested her head on Shayna’s shoulder. She tried to hide her reaction from view as she took in a deep breath and continued with her story. She explained that her reaction to being hit with the ice orbs had been different from her reaction to the fire ones. She’d known fire would do damage, but somehow, the more ice blasts she’d endured, the more relaxed she’d become, and she’d been able to retreat into a dormant state.
“I felt numb but at peace. I knew the ice couldn’t harm me as long as I embraced it. That sounds strange, I know, but it was like a safe place for me. I remember the dupelene was hovering over me and screaming like a wild woman. I willed my wings to retract completely, and I collapsed onto the floor.”
“Is that the last thing you remember?” Rileau asked.
“Not exactly. It was like I went to sleep—like hibernation—except I was completely aware of my surroundings, as if I were in a capsule or chamber of cold. But strangely, I didn’t feel cold at all. I was actually pretty comfortable. I could smell gardenias, and the aroma relaxed me more,” said Seneca.
“When I picked you up, you were frozen, and you didn’t move,” said Conner. His voice was low and serious. “I thought we got there too late.”
“I know, Conner, but as you can see, I’m fine,” said Seneca. “Rileau explained it to me. I went through a metamorphosis sort of like a butterfly, except by freezing. The hair and the eyes are the new me, and clearly, my voice changed a bit too. It was like my initiation into being a druid. Apparently, it’s usually a slower process, but the trauma accelerated things.”
“Yeah, your voice is totally different, but it’s nice,” said Jake.
“We could hear the dupelene screaming at you, but we thought it was you screaming at yourself, because she sounded just like you,” said Conner. “I like your new voice, though. It helps me forget she was trying to be you.”
“But she looked nothing like you, not really. Well, at first, I thought it was you, but the fake you was holding one of those spinning ice balls, and it was freaky,” said Shayna. “I kind of like the new you.”
Seneca smiled as her friends urged her to continue retelling the entire experience. They in turn repeated similar comments and observations. They asked countless questions about her powers and transformation. Conner pleaded for her to create ice orbs. Although tempted, she resisted when she saw Rileau’s eyes narrow.
“I’m not so good at it. I’m going to need practice to perfect my aim and increase the velocity,” said Seneca, biting her lip slightly. She gathered Rileau was pleased with her response since only a small whiff of smoke escaped his flared nostrils. He brushed past them and headed toward the hallway. Jake caught a glimpse of two shadows in the hall before the door slammed shut. He heard muffled voices but assumed it was the staff. He turned his attention back to Seneca.
“Now, where was I? Oh yeah, those wings! She sure had a tough time copying them.”
“Oh, that’s so true. They were absolutely hideous!” Shayna exclaimed. “But she definitely had your voice pegged.”
They remained enthralled and only interjected when they wanted Seneca to elaborate on aspects of the story. She told them she hadn’t tried out her new wings, but she could sense they had changed for the better. The door suddenly swung open. Rileau’s large frame filled most of the entrance. The door closed behind him, and he strolled to the center of the room. All eyes were fixed on him. His jaw was tight, and his hands were balled into fists. They knew instantly that something was wrong.
“You have heard enough!” he roared. “The dupelene has been dealt with, and with Seneca’s transformation, she is stronger than before. This will serve you well. The battle to protect the source of magic has begun. You must now rely on your gifts without further training. Time is not on our side.”
Shayna and Seneca stood up immediately and exchanged worried looks.
“How are we supposed to do that?” asked Conner. “Me especially. Why can’t we have more time?”
“Book of what?” asked Conner.
“Yeah, I didn’t get that either. Can you tell us what that means in our language?” Shayna asked.
“It means that she holds the book of magic that druids have used to record spells, potions, and incantations since the beginning of our way of life. It holds all known essences of magic derived from the light,” he said slowly and deliberately.
“Has she changed it to dark magic?” asked Jake.
“The book cannot be altered. However, the spells and chants it contains can be wrapped in darkness as long as the bane remains fastened to it. It gives her a considerable advantage—one that I did not anticipate. I can only conclude that a spell within the book was used to provide guidance to the dupelene. Brigara masterfully conjured this potent magic without being in the Otherworld. This concerns me greatly.”
“Now what do we do?” Seneca asked as the lightness in her voice carried through the room. She tried her best to maintain calm composure, but her knees rattled uncontrollably. She sat down quickly for fear of them giving out.
“This could mean complete devastation! She will use it to destroy all of the Otherworld—and more. We must change our approach now that she has the Grimoire,” he said in a graveled voice. “I must take a brief moment to contemplate how to proceed.”
Concern was etched across his face; he began to pace in contemplation. His tail was in full swing as it brushed back and forth with each stride. The tip of it caught a few chair legs whenever he turned. He knocked several chairs completely out of the way to create an unobstructed path.
“Brigara doesn’t even have to be here to wreak havoc,” said Jake, sure to keep his voice close to a whisper. He had waited until Rileau was on the far side of the room and staring out the window.
“I know. We need to get that book back!” said Shayna.