Morph
26. Spit

Daelortoze’s feast went very well, everyone welcomed him just like we went over and him and he behaved to our favor. Now that we have one problem out of the way, we have many more, five more to be exact. Four little creatures running around and a cave we need to open. Gemini was reluctant when we told him that the corner wants in the cave too, but eventually he agreed and decided it was best for us to come to the cave without him.

Now to focus on the biggest problem of all- the cave itself. We’re here now despite the manor needing us, Daelortoze promised to tell his siblings steer clear of the manor, for now, so we have time.

Its freezing here it feels like its almost zero degrees even though it looks like summer. Flowers are growing all around the cave and insects flying as well like its not nearly freezing point. Libra calls for me and I make my way to the entrance of the cave to stand beside him.

In all honesty, you wouldn’t know it was even sealed unless you tried to go inside. It looks like a regular cave only you can’t see whats inside and when the general tried to get inside it, she flew back like a giant had pushed her.

“If you feel numb let me know.” Libra says. “All of you. These temperatures can be fatal to us since we aren’t of these lands.” Aisha and Satchel nod, its only us four up here but we’ll make the best of it. “Once Blaze arrives we can get started.”

I don’t question who Blaze is figuring I’ll replace out soon enough, we study all that we can about the cave replaceing nothing irregular about it, its just a cave. its thirty o so minutes before a gigantic bird perches down on the cave and even though I’m getting use to fantasy books coming true here, I don’t think I’ll ever get use to things as big as this. I jump back and Libra steadies me by placing his arms on both sides of me. “Its a means of traveling love.” He says, I nod and shake his hands off me before I get to comfortable with the warmth his hands offer.

I watch the bird carefully, it doesn’t move, well not until someone gets off it and pats it on the back twice. It takes off full speed, leaving who I’m guessing is Blaze behind. Unlike us, he doesn’t have layers off clothes on from what I can see, only a simple grey long sleeve and matching joggers. He turns and from here I can’t see his face fully, but the red on his head stands out like a sore thumb.

“Blaze lad, how long has been?” Libra greets, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Libra, how can I assist you?” A matching smirk plays on his lips as well as he drawls closer. I’d thought he was a Detomin because of the bright red of his hair but his skin isn’t the shade of paper, its a creamy brown and his eyes glow a dimmer shade than most Detomins. His eyes looks almost burgundy and glow only slightly, his hair is cut lowly on the sides with a litter of bright red curls flowing messily on top of his head.

“Blaze.” He holds his hand out to me and only now do I realize I was staring, a blush of embarrassment creeps up my neck and he smirks as his eyes trail there.

“Serenity.” I nearly forget my own name as his gaze fixes on me, his eyes glow brighter for a slight second then he drops my hand and I replace it odd that I miss how his felt in mine immediately after.

“Nice to meet you Serenity.” Blaze says softly.

“Nice to be met.” I mumble dumbly, he chuckles showing rows of pearly white teeth. Libra coughs and I’m glad he does because I almost just found myself staring at this strangers smile as well, he’s gorgeous in a dangerous way.

“Love.” There’s hostility behind Libra’s tone as he holds his hand out for mine, I place my hand in his and his grip tightens on me like I’m a small child who likes to run to the rode, I don’t say anything about it as he begins barking demands.

“General, all your good for is keeping watch.” I’m taken aback by his tone as well as his words and I see that Aisha is as well, but all she does is nod and make her way to the edge to start keeping watch.

“Satchel, you know what your good for, chant the place up a bit.” Libra’s eyes don’t even go to Satchel as he speaks, Satchel looks to me for some kind of reassurance and I nod.

“I’ll meet you in a little bit to help.” I tell him, Libra’s grip only tightens at this.

“No you won’t, your with me.” He says, I can tell he’s trying to suppress his anger and him being angry is never good, we need to get something done.

“And I’ll come back to you.” I assure him hearing the double meaning in my words, his grip on my hand seems to ease up at my words. “Just let me go for a few minutes, I need to help him. We’re all in this together, right?” I slip my hand slowly out of his, he looks down at me and his frown slowly starts to let up.

Libra says nothing, I take his silence as an answer and follow Satchel to the entrance of the cave. We sit and I wait for his instructions, he begins chanting and in no time we have tools that I don’t even know the name of as well as bottles that hold different liquids. There’s a comfortable silence between us for a while, but soon he breaks that. “I didn’t know you and Libra were..” he struggles for words and I know just the words he’s looking for.

“No!” I rush. “We’re not.” Its true, we’re not what Satchel is thinking we are, Libra just needs reassurance sometimes and I’m here for that. No one really knows what goes on in the world he’s in and I want to know, he only needs me to let him know that I’m not leaving him. No we’re not together but two people don’t have to be together for one to leave, we’ve grown pretty close despite the fights and disagreements and at this point in our friendship one of us could leave and have an impact on the other. All he needs to know is that I won’t be the one to leave, and I won’t.

“He seems pretty protective when it comes to you, he killed me in his head the other day in the hall, I’m sure of it.” Satchel says, picking up one of the bottles, I laugh as I picture Libra doing just that.

“Its vice versa at times.” I mumble as I think back to burning Ravania because of him, the jealousy I felt toward her because of him. Maybe he’s jealous of Satchel, but jealous for why? Satchel is far from ugly and his personality is always a plus, but I’m coming to see him as a brother of sorts, Libra has nothing to worry about.

“So I’ve heard.” Satchel chuckles and I cock a brow of confusion.

“When someone messes with Ravania, the world here’s about it.” He laughs again and shakes his head. “Her face was pretty scorched.” Satchel winces slightly and I try to hold back my laugh. “Libra was once the love of her life, what she wouldn’t do for him. People thought they were a power couple. I think they were just Lord Voldemort and Valdina.”

I laugh at his Harry Potter pun but the emotion that stems from him mentioning Ravania and Libra is heard in it. Satchel sees this and changes the subject immediately, I’m grateful for that. “This should heat up the surface around the cave, I don’t know the chant to breaking the spell however. Its no any book I’ve come across.” He pours steaming red liquid around the front of the cave but if we don’t have the spell, I know we’re screwed.

Aisha calls for me and I’m on my feet in seconds, running to her. A creature the size of Daelortoze floats above us, the only difference is her features and the fact that she’s a deep purple with clear eyes instead of his clear color and his purple eyes. I know immediately its his sister, Analexania, the one girl I set free. “Hello, you are a beauty. I expected a creature more dreadful to set us free, but I’m not complaining.” Her voice is smooth as velvet and she reminds me of Daelortoze in her every word.

“Guys!” I yell, frozen stuck as Aisha waits for any command to attack. “We’ve got a corner problem.”

Analexania giggles. “Oh darling, I’m no problem, yet. And honestly I’m not a corner if I’m not trapped in one, thanks to you.” Everyone runs up but with a wave of her small hand they all have a seat on the cold ground, me included. Its like all the wind is knocked from me and I can’t fight against sitting, she’s using wind. I know it all too well. “Have a seat please, that’s no way to meet your maker. Now,” Analexania floats down to our level. “Brother says you want to open the cave here, who wants the chant to unlock it?” Her voice is filled with excitement and her skin glows with it.

“How can you possibly help us?” Libra asks harshly, she looks at him for a split second before giggling again.

“I spit the morphers. Especially Emilia, she is my favorite. Do you pitiful creatures need help or not?”

“We do.” I speak and no one disagrees.

“Okay then.” With another wave of her small hand we’re all back on our feet. “Morpher, you’ll need a blade. The pixen will need to mix the breakage chant with the sealing chant and other than that none of you are needed.” She says, her cheery tone never faltering. “But the half-ling should heat the place up a bit, you poor souls look to be freezing.” She motions to Blaze who holds a blank stare and I realize he’s half human, that’s why his skin isn’t white.

Satchel chants up a blade, handing it to me before he chants himself up a pen and paper, getting to work on writing immediately. “Brother will be so excited.” Analexania giggles again in that annoying way she does. “Morpher your blood needs to drip all over the entrance while the pixen mutters up the breakage chant it has to be done at the same time and half-ling, please get to it darling their spitting ice sickles.”

Blaze walks toward me and I can tell he’s uncomfortable with being called a half-ling, I’m uncomfortable with it as well. “Stay still.” He demands, placing a hand over mine immediately after. His eyes glow brighter red and warmth spreads throughout my entire body on an instant, I flinch at the feeling then welcome it. “Your welcome gorgeous.” My face heats up at his words and not from the heater his hands are, I pull away when I see Libra scowling from a distance. Blaze moves on to Satchel and so on until everyone is warm.

“Cut me.” I demand Satchel, ready to get this over with and most of all, ready to see what this crazy queen has stored in this cave. I hold out my arm to him after rolling up my jacket sleeve and he sighs.

“I honestly don’t want to cut you.” The cool blade plays on my skin for minutes as Satchel seems to be studying it and my agitation shoots through the roof.

“Just cut me damn it.” My words shock even me but I know where the harsh tone comes from, everything turns into anger now and we all know where that leads. “I’m sorry.” I apologize seeing the hesitant and almost frightful look in Satchel’s eyes. “I’m just ready to get this all over with, cut the palm of my hand, please.”

Without another word the blade pierces my skin, crimson forms a puddle from the stinging wound in the middle of my hand. “Start the chant.” I say hurriedly making my way to the edge of the caves entrance.

Satchel starts to chant loudly in an ancient language and as his voice booms I let my blood drip at the beginning of the entrance. As his chant continues and I only recognize words like ‘open’ and ‘once’ I leave a trail of my blood along the entrance of the cave, moving with every two or so beats of his chant. This goes on for a while, the cool air starts to bite at my wound as Blaze’s warmth seems to wear off.

I notice that Satchel begins to chant just the word ‘open’ and something about ‘once sealed’ and the winds pick up around us. “Everyone huddle together.” The winds become strong enough to pull one of us off our feet and Analexania simply goes on a giggle rampage at this.

“Open, what was once sealed.” Satchel says loudly before he goes back to the ancient language. He switches between the two as everyone huddles together and I hold onto a rock sticking out of the cave’s side in order to balance myself. My blood stops gushing from my hand and with it, the winds still on instant like god commanded it.

Satchel however, doesn’t stop chanting, his chants only get lower like a mumble while Analexania’s giggling and clapping gets louder. Slowly, a crisp white film desecrates from over the caves opening. It looks almost like tissue but thinner and it goes in little lines, just floating away into the sky, becoming one with the clouds. Little by little, all of it floats up into the sky and when this happens, I try and put my arm through the cave, it goes through with no trouble and with no force to push it back.

“Oh my god we did it.” I say in amazement.

“I did darling.” Analexania says, floating right into the cave like she’s not afraid of what could be in there, are maybe she already knows whats in there. I step in behind her, wanting to know what she knows but a hand grabs me and abruptly pulls me back.

“Not without me love.” Libra’s hands hold me in place. “That could be your death waiting for you in there.”

“Don’t you want me to die anyways?” I ask harshly, the agitation turned anger from earlier coming up my throat like vomit.

“I want whatever you want.” I feel him shrug, he lets my arms go and grabs my hand instead. Before I can object he pulls m through the entrance that would have sent us flying an hour ago. “Satchel and Aisha you both can battle, we need you.” I had forgot Aisha was even here, she hasn’t said anything after Libra was so rude to her. They nod and walk toward us but Blaze stays still, looking out of place or even confused, he stares at Libra for assurance that never comes.

“There’s a surprise in there, come on.” I nod to Blaze and he smiles at me, his eyes glowing lighter for a few seconds. Libra’s hand twitches in mine and I give his a squeeze, a silent little ‘calm down’. We walk into the cave, its dark but I remember something I’ve seen both Delaware and Libra do, and I try it. “Luce.” I command, the place lights up on instant and I stand amazed at this, but not for long as I finally see whats in the legendary cave of Emilia.