Cicero was handing Dane his hot meal when bursting through the double doors was a young fairy child with a large excited grin on his face. He looked to be out of breath. He seemed startled to see us. His grin faded into a look of extreme disappointment. “Hey kid, what’s wrong?” asked Carmen. He folded his arms in a childlike pout, “I was hoping to find the Chosen Angels not a bunch of teenage losers,” said the little boy. The boy wore a camera around his neck and held pen and paper in his hands. The boy looked to be only six with tiny fairy wings on his back. “Why is there a kid here?” I asked. “Some of the Reciliux families live on base,” explained Cicero. “I’ve run around all over this place, and all I get are some puny humans,” the little boy was talking to himself as if we didn’t exist. “Who are you calling human,” growled Dane but the boy ignored him. I grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him up, “Who are you calling puny,” I asked. He started flailing about, “Let me down stupid human, I have no business with you,” the boy whined.
“Apologize,” I ordered, ignoring his annoying cries. “Do you realize who you are dealing with? When the Chosen Angels find out you picked on their biggest fan you’re gonna get it!” griped the boy. “Weak humans shouldn’t be here especially girls,” the boy continued his flailing. “Big talk for a little kid,” I continued to let him hang in the air. “Let me go,” he griped. “Apologize,” I ordered once more.
Approximately fifteen minutes later the fairy boy stopped squalling and swallowed his pride and said sorry. I dropped him and he landed on the floor with a thud. “Ow! You didn’t have to drop me,” he complained. “You sure are whiny,” I replied. “Stupid girl,” the boy muttered and started to dart for the door. I let my armor encase my body up to my neck, “Hey kid.” The boy turned and I saw his eyes grow wide. He pointed and started to stutter,
“You…you’re…you’re. Are you really? Goldenflame?” I nodded. In a flash, he was beside me taking pictures. “Can I have your autograph?” the boy thrust his paper and pen at me. I signed the paper and handed it back. The boy was delighted, but he looked at me skeptically and started circling me, inspecting my armor. “My daddy told me the Chosen Angels were men,” said the boy. “Past lives hun, we’re the updated version,” Carmen told the kid. “No one told me Goldenflame was so ugly,” said the boy. I glared at him who does that little punk think he is? “I think she’s pretty,” said Adam, everyone looked at him surprised by his response, “You know…when she’s not talking,” he shrugged. The boy looked at Carmen taking in her wardrobe. “So you’re the Jade Magician?” asked the boy.
“Yes,” answered Carmen. The boy instantly ran to her flashing his camera and begging for an autograph. His eyes sparkled in admiration. His attitude sure changed fast, I thought to myself. The fairy boy climbed up into Carmen’s lap and took a picture of the two of them together, “You’re my very favorite,” he smiled at her. The boy then looked around, “Where is Illusionist?” he asked. “Busy,” I answered before Carmen could answer. “But Komodo is over there,” I pointed to Adam. The boy made a face, “Mmmm Komodo Dragon is the weak one. No thanks,” and he hopped off Carmen’s lap. I held him in the air by his collar again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” the boy bowed his head to Adam and I set him down. I crouched down to talk to the boy, “Continue being rude to people, and the boogie monster will get you,” I made a spooky face and hand gestures. The boy grew pale and ran off. “That was mean,” chided Carmen. “But funny,” added Adam.
“It’s time,” announced Carmen. We all nodded in understanding. Adam unsheathed his sword, in turn making his black and red uniform appear. We started for the door. As Ulrica passed Dane she gave him a kiss, “Take care of the pack,” she told him. Her tight pink dress disappeared leaving only fur covering her chest and rear end. “Put more fur on,” I told her. She gave me a mischievous grin, “Why? Am I turning you on?” she questioned. I turned away in aggravation of her little games, “If you can’t dodge stuff, you need to wear more armor,” I told her. She smiled, “You are worried about me?” I didn’t Answer.
We left the Reciliux underground base to stand on the rooftop of one of the city’s many buildings. The pouring rain beat down on us as we watched troops retreating and being replaced by more Reciliux troops. The dimension doorway was just as how we left it. “Hop on,” I told Adam. I stood on my staff hovering in the air waiting for him to jump up. Adam landed on the staff behind me but was having trouble keeping his balance. “Hold on tight,” I told him. He wrapped his strong arms around me and held me to him. Carmen used her magic to carry Ulrica. We were ready. The four of us flew straight into the doorway. The rain was heavy, but the rush of air felt good against my skin. The doorway was bright and fiery as we got closer. I could feel the heat of the flames within, so I made my helmet appear. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I felt a strange energy letting me know that we had entered the doorway. My insides went cold and I lost my balance. I stumbled off my staff and landed on solid ground beside Adam. Carmen must have felt it too. She lost her concentration and dropped Ulrica who of course landed on her feet…show off. We were soon surrounded by ten fire demons. This must be the source of the fire balls. I also noticed five other demons positioned at five opposite points sending sparks to the edges of the circle. The magic based demons preventing the witches from closing the doorway. I knocked out three of the doormen with my staff. Three Fire Eaters then entered the doorway. They were Master Tio’s soldiers. Adam took out the other two magic based demons by slicing off their hands with two quick swings of his sword. Without their hands, they could not produce magic. Ulrica and Carmen dealt with the ten fire demons that were now unconscious. We let the Fire Eaters suck the fire from them. With the doormen gone, the doorway closed almost instantly. “This was easier than I thought,” I told them. “This was just the beginning,” said Carmen.
I wasn’t sure where we were. The heat was intense since we were surrounded what felt like to be an endless amount of flames. They were slowly being extinguished by Tio’s Fire Eaters. My vision started to get cloudy with ash which sent me into a coughing frenzy. “Emma clear away this smoke,” said Carmen. I coughed in response but did as she said. I held my staff in the air and whipped it round and round until the smoke began to clear. Ahead of us was a dark forest with glowing orbs in various places hidden within the trees. Carmen ordered Tio’s Fire Eaters to remain here in case there was an attempt to reopen the doorway. “Are those lights…eyes?” asked Adam. “That must be what’s left of the monsters who were preparing to jump through the doorway,” answered Carmen. “Oooooh a welcoming party,” grinned Ulrica. “Let’s go play,” she said, flexing her claws and leaping into the trees. Carmen rolled her eyes and sighed, “Do not go after her,” she told us. Carmen sat down on the ground cross legged with her eyes closed. “You taking a nap?” asked Adam. “No twit head I’m getting rid of the demons the easy way,” Carmen retorted.
Adam and I listened to the sounds of branches breaking and bones cracking. Carmen ordered us to stay put, but Ulrica was in there fighting by herself it didn’t seem right. I took a step towards the forest when suddenly it quieted. The fighting appeared to have stopped.
“Jade Magician, put me down this instant!” the scream sounded like Ulrica. “What did you do?” I asked Carmen. She couldn’t help but wear a smug smile as she stood up. “I drew power from the earth and captured all the demons…including Wolvina,” she answered. “That is so cool! Why didn’t you tell me you could do that?” I asked. “This is the first time I’ve had a chance to try it out,” said Carmen. We walked into the forest to find Ulrica, but it was so dark I kept bumping into trees and tripping over rocks. “Ow,” bump, thwack, “Ow,” Grrrrrr... “Why am I the only one bumping into things!” I griped. “I can see in the dark,” said Adam. “I can sense the plant life’s energy,” said Carmen. I had begun to pout when Adam grabbed my hand. “Just follow me,” he told me. It was aggravating having to navigate through this forest and since I couldn’t see, I was wary of my surroundings, but I trusted Carmen when she said she had taken care of all the demons. A small window of light slipped through the tree tops illuminating a clearing in front of us. That’s when I saw it. I instantly doubled over laughing. “Wolvina, baby, I’ll get you down don’t worry,” called Adam. Ulrica was hanging upside down being held in the air by a tree branch that was wrapped around her foot and she looked pissed. “How’s it hanging?” I called up to her. “Next time wait for my orders,” said Carmen. She placed her hand on the tree that held Ulrica and a minute later the branch released her. Adam went to catch her, but she merely landed on her feet by his side. “Listen well, Jade Magician, I am not a Chosen Angel, and I do not take orders,” Ulrica was headed towards Carmen at full speed, but I stepped in front of her which stopped Ulrica immediately. “It was just a prank, chill,” I told her. She looked at me and then past me to Carmen. I saw that her anger was gone, “Whatever,” said Ulrica. Without thinking I sniggered at her, “Girl, you bring a whole new meaning to the phrase tree hugger. They love you so much they just don’t wanna let go. You should have seen yourself! It was pretty great. That made my day. Oh dang, we should have gotten a picture. You were squirming like a three year old throwing a tantrum,” I laughed at her. Ulrica’s face had turned a bright red she, “Hmmphed,” then began walking ahead of us. “Hey its dark be careful,” I warned her. “I can see in the dark,” she called back. Great. I’m the only loser who can’t see. As if on cue, I ran into a tree, giving Ulrica reason to rag on me. Adam took my hand once more and we began walking out of the forest.
My eyes had gotten used to the bleak darkness so when we saw a light up ahead it was actually painful. It looked like after a few more feet we would be free of this forest. Adam seemed to understand that my eyes couldn’t stand the drastic change, so he covered my eyes with his hands so that I could gradually adjust to the new bright world that lay before us. After exiting a dark murky forest, we had now encountered a barren wasteland of red rocked canyons. “I hate this place already,” groaned Adam. I squinted into the horizon hoping to find some end to this desert when I spotted something strange. “This place has three suns,” I pointed to the sky. “Explains why it is so unbearably hot,” said Carmen. She had removed her cloak and wrapped it around her waist. “We might as well start walking,” said Ulrica. “You may not be able to see it, but beyond that gorge is a palace of some sort. I’m willing to assume that that is the strong hold of our enemy.” Even if it wasn’t our enemy we didn’t have much of a choice there was nowhere else for us to walk to. We started our journey at a fast pace, but as the three suns beat down on us and the day drew on our pace became sluggish. “How long do you think we’ve been walking,” I asked no one in particular. “Three hours,” answered Ulrica. By now Adam was dripping in sweat and Carmen had transferred her green cloak to her head to ward off sun burn. My armor was making it suffocatingly hot, but I didn’t want to let my guard down. Ulrica started to make a face. “No,” I told her. “What?” she asked. “You were thinking of getting rid of your armor fur and prancing around naked,” I told her. She made a face that confirmed I was right. “I don’t mind,” chimed Adam. “In my pack, it is perfectly normal,” she answered in her defense. “We are not your pack,” I retorted. Ulrica just growled at me in response. We soon came upon a ridge. “Looks like we will have to climb down,” said Adam. “Why don’t we just fly?” I lifted my staff preparing to jump up when Carmen yanked my arm to stop me. “What’s your problem,” I was pissed that she felt the need to push me. “We cannot use our powers this close to the palace,” urged Carmen. “She’s right,” said Ulrica. “They could have mystic sensors all over this region,” explained Ulrica. “Right now we are fighting in stealth mode. I can’t have you blowing our cover,” said Carmen. She made it sound like I was a child she had reprimanded for being a nuisance. I shoved her off of me, “Whatever,” I replied. “I can climb down no problem, but are you sure you three can manage?” sneered Ulrica. “Just try and keep up,” I stepped up to her challenge which only made her grin. The climb down was intense it took a lot of strength in my hands and arms once we hit bottom I was going to be sore. I was worried about Carmen. She was a long distance fighter that relied on magic, so she wasn’t as physically fit as the rest of us. As soon as this thought crossed my mind Carmen had lost her balance and was falling towards Ulrica and I who were the farthest down. I stuck my hand into a crevice and gripped it tightly. I waited for gravity to bring Carmen to me then snatched her out of the air. I heard the sound of her shoulder popping out of socket as she dangled under the hot sun. Her weight caused me to slide down the crevice several feet but we were ok. With one arm I managed to lift her up to my back. “Just hold on,” I told her. She wrapped herself around my shoulders and held on for dear life. I rolled my eyes, stupid pansy. “Just try not to choke me, ok,” I told her. I looked down; we still had a long drop. Ulrica began to show off. She swung from hand hold to hand hold sometimes dropping a drastic distance in the process. Adam was just above keeping at a steady pace. I wasn’t sure how long we had been climbing, but my muscles felt like rubber bands if I stretched them any more I was afraid I might snap. The three suns started to go down in unison being replaced by a single moon. The setting suns were full of beautiful colors I had never seen before. I wanted to stop and watch, but I was losing light and free climbing took a great deal of concentration. Before the last ray of light disappeared I had hit rock bottom. “If these canyons are anything like the deserts back on Earth the temperature could reach below zero,” said Carmen. Adam quickly healed her wounded shoulder with his sword. “I’m going to have to risk using magic to start a fire or we will freeze,” said Carmen. So it’s ok for her to use magic but not me? I grumbled. Since there were no trees to use as firewood to start our own fire we agreed that this was the best choice. The heat had been unbearable that day, but the night was so cold my teeth were chattering. We huddled closely around the fire for warmth. Even Ulrica had changed into full wolf form; something I had never seen before. Her body was completely covered in silver fur and her face had stretched to form a snout so that her entire facial features were all wolf. I couldn’t recognize a speck of human quality left in her save for her legs. Ulrica could walk on all fours but she could also walk perfectly fine with her two back legs. She circled herself three times then curled into a ball beside the fire. She looked like a silver puppy. It was so cute! “Emma,” said Carmen. “Hmm?” I answered. “Your armor will only intensify the cold you should let it down,” said Carmen. Reluctantly I listened to her advice, however I was still freezing. “We should try and get some sleep. We can take turns keeping watch,” I told them. “I’ll take first watch,” said Adam. Carmen and I bunched together to try and sleep.
When I woke at dawn the next morning I lay in Adam’s embrace. He had kept me warm all night. I escaped his hold without waking him up and quickly returned my armor. Carmen was already awake and staring at me. “Where is Ulrica?” I asked her. “She found a stream nearby so she’s catching us breakfast. We are going to have to find a way to carry water with us,” answered Carmen. “How about we make Adam cry every time we are thirsty?” I suggested. “Or even better, we’ll do a tribal rain dance,” said Carmen. I laughed then remembered something even funnier, “Remember that Robert guy in our psychology class?” I asked her. “Yeah,” said Carmen. “Well he used to go backpacking a lot. He told me that once he forgot his water pack at home, so he used a condom to carry water around,” I told her. “Adam!” Carmen woke him up. He rubbed his eyes, “What?” he asked. “Got any condoms on you?” asked Carmen. “I left those in my other ninja suit,” said Adam. “Guess not,” I shrugged at Carmen. “If I can find a rabbit or coyote I can use its skin as a water pouch,” said Adam. That sounded gross but the most logical solution so we agreed. “I think we should travel by night,” suggested Carmen. I frowned; I was the only one who couldn’t see at night.
“Who is hungry?” asked Ulrica. She came back after successfully catching four fish. Carmen was able to start a fire with her fireballs so that we could cook breakfast. I had never had fish this fresh before it was surprisingly delicious. It was a little burnt but it eased my hunger. “So if we are going to walk at night what are we supposed to do all day?” I asked everyone. “Well first we need to find some shade before we die of heat stroke,” said Adam. “After that I guess we can just relax?” I asked them. Carmen nodded, “We should get as much rest as possible. I’m not sure how far the palace is from here, and we have to be careful to consolidate water.” “And watch out for predators,” said Ulrica. “It is strange that we haven’t been attacked yet.”
Once we were done eating, Adam buried the remains of our fire and we began to walk along the gorge. The heat was intolerable, and I wanted nothing more than to lie in the safety of shade. Despite the heat, the canyon had its beauty. The walls were more than a thousand feet in height and varied in colors of red and gray. Through granite crags and steep slopes they rose to the surface. Being inside this vast desert made me feel small, yet we were still not at the very bottom but only about halfway down. Parts of the canyon walls were smooth where you could tell that it had been eroded by a now dried up riverbed while other parts were rough and scraggly. It was the walls full of crevices that we would be able to climb if need be. Once nightfall hit we would be exiting the canyon and stepping into a giant sandbox. It would be hard to walk on something so easily shifted. “Ew,” said Adam. “What?” asked Carmen. Adam groaned and took off his rubber soled boot. “It is starting to melt,” he frowned at it. I pointed to a large crevice on the side of the canyon. “Let’s stay there until nightfall,” I suggested. The crevice led to a small cave which was a great relief from the sun. It was a small space but we didn’t need much. A stir of rocks sounded from the opening of the cave. “It’s a coyote,” said Ulrica. “Probably looking for food,” said Adam. He pulled out his sword ready to slay the beast when Ulrica stopped him. “I cannot let you kill my brethren,” she told him. Adam hesitated. He didn’t want to upset Ulrica, but he didn’t see an option, “We need something to carry water in,” he explained to her. “I know,” she told us, then walked out of the cave. The opening was a bright light so it turned her silhouette dark but soon all that was left was the light.
It had been hours since Ulrica left. Carmen, Adam, and I were keeping ourselves entertained by playing hangman in the dirt. Adam was winning and the little man was almost done being drawn. “F,” I guessed. He put F as the first letter of his two word phrase. I had guessed the letters I E and R correctly I could only get one letter wrong for my little guy to die. “Finger Eleven,” guessed Carmen. Adam pushed the dirt to erase his picture, “You got it,” he told Carmen. We heard the sound of moving rocks from the cave opening again. Adam reached for his sword just in case. Through the light Ulrica appeared and she was carrying something. Whatever she held she tossed beside me and it landed with a slushy thud. I took a closer look at it. It was the skin of the coyote we had seen earlier. The skin had been sewed and wrapped into a ball. The slushy sound had come from the water it was being used to carry. Ulrica sat down across from me, “This should be enough water for now. Wake me at sunset,” she told us and handed Adam the meat cut from the coyote. I laid my head back against the cave and decided to rest as well.
My heart was racing and my muscles were tight with anticipation. Where was I? It looked like I was back at school, but the lights were off and the place was deserted. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that told me not to let my guard down. I found my locker which was also empty. I then went to my first period class out of habit and found nothing. I had never been in the school after hours, so I was a bit out of my element. The idea of graffiti or trashing the principal’s office crossed my mind. Someone was screaming!? The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I ran towards the blood curdling screams. A little girl was huddled in a corner of one of the classrooms. She was terrified and seemed to peer straight through me. The girl looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen her before. A figure appeared and started to walk towards the little girl. The girl was crying, “Please don’t hurt me. I want my mom,” she begged the figure. That girl…it was the same girl I had saved from a fire in downtown Pleasantville no more than a week ago! “Leave her alone!” I shouted. I threw myself between the figure and the little girl; ready for a fight. I was ready to tear this guy’s head off if he got any closer. The figure ignored me and pierced through me into the little girl. The weapon had gone straight through me as if I was air, leaving the girl a bloody heap in the corner. I was outraged and turned to scream at this figure holding a long narrow weapon like a stick with a blade at the end. When I turned I only saw my reflection. I stopped breathing…what? It had my face? The face stealer then acknowledged me. “You killed her,” it told me. I blinked and in an instant we were in a warehouse. I recognized this warehouse…oh God, Brody. I ran to the top floor where I knew I would find him but it was too late. I had killed him. This was the warehouse that some snake demons had kept Brody, my brother, after kidnapping him. Brody had gone through some torture, but I rescued him. Here and now, however, I, the face stealer, now spilled his guts out with my golden staff. I was filled with such rage and intensity that I could have clawed the other me apart with just my finger nails if I had to. “Stop it!” I screamed and leapt at her. To my horror I couldn’t touch her. “You are me…I am you,” It told me. “Why do you keep saying that?” I asked it. “I am a murderer, and I am you,” it responded. “I would never do these things,” I shouted back. We were now on Carmen’s yacht. It was empty save for Liz. “No, no you can’t. Don’t touch her please! Liz run! Liz, please listen to me. Run don’t die!” My pleas were pointless. Then it was me gripping the golden staff in my hands. The staff was plunged into Liz’s stomach and blood splattered onto my hands. The other me was gone, I was the only one holding the staff. “Why did you kill me Emma,” asked Liz. “Why? Why? Why?”
I jolted upright gasping for air. I
frantically searched the area to find out where I was. Adam lay a hand on me, “Its ok, you were dreaming,” he told me. I was still gasping for breath, but I leaned myself back against the cave wall in relief. It was just a dream. That’s all it was… a dream. “I have bad dreams too,” said Adam. That’s right. Adam had dreams of his past lives battles. Our past lives must have been pretty gory because they kept him up late at night. It’s sad to think he is probably used to it by now. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here,” Adam told me. Adam wasn’t the mushy type, so I knew he was sincere. I ignored him. I sat against the cave wall hugging my knees to my chest and pretending that I was alright. From the looks of it the suns would be setting soon so we could start moving.
Adam went to wake Carmen and Ulrica so that we could start our journey. “Emma, take it off,” ordered Carmen before we exited the cave. I removed my armor as she said. I knew the armor would probably make me freeze to death, but I felt better when it was on. Adam had to hold my hand again since I couldn’t see where we were going. We all took turns carrying our coyote water jug so no one would get tired. I felt as if I was walking through dry pudding. My steps were uneven and sloppy. My weight would make me sink into the sand so that it took more work into moving forward than it would have if we had been on solid ground. My mind had lost focus and my body had learned to act out of repetition. This routine continued for several days. We slept during the day and walked at night. I was no longer sure how long we had been in this desert, only that I had to keep walking. I simply walked on without a care as to my surroundings. I was cold, shivering, and ungraceful in the shifty sand. I decided I hated the desert. However, I had to admit the moon and stars sure were bright. I started to wonder about constellations. I decided I would learn them, and if I saw a shooting star what would I wish for? The moon? “Hey Ulrica?” I called out. Suddenly she was by my side, “What is it?” she asked. “Well I was wondering where the myth about werewolves needing a full moon to change came from. Since you obviously do not need one,” I asked her. She laughed at me. It was strange hearing her talk while she was in full wolf form, “Newbie’s need a full moon, but when you learn to control it like me you can change anytime you like. I had just turned eighteen when I was bitten in 1659. The very next day I became pack leader,” she told me. “So soon?” I wondered. “No one attacks me and gets away with it. Women of my time period were taught to be obedient and quiet…I obviously didn’t fit in,” she grinned at me and I grinned back. I found this very fascinating, but my thoughts were interrupted when I bumped into Adam. “Why did we stop moving?” I asked him. “I heard something,” replied Ulrica. I hated not being able to see. “Oh crap,” I heard Carmen say. “What is it?” I asked, but no one answered which made me irritated. I tugged on Adam’s arm. “There is a sand storm headed straight for us,” he told me. I had read somewhere that when people were caught in sand storms they were supposed to cover themselves in a blanket and wait it out…unfortunately we were fresh out of blankets.