Chapter 77 * Fantasmal Mountain *

“Sir, thank the heavens you’re back,” Honsmordin said the moment the group appeared in the quickener cave.

“Honsmordin, we have a lot of work to do,” Fantasma said by way of greeting.

Rockwall nodded in agreement. “I’m headed to the fort to start coordinating now. May I borrow Sharanel until Isabelle returns? We’ll need to draft the civilian quickener network to start sending lookouts.”

Fantasma gave only the slightest hint of hesitation before nodding. “Of course. Sharanel, Rockwall will catch you up. When you’re done, come find me.”

Henry gave Sharanel’s hand a surreptitious squeeze before releasing it. “Let me know if you need any help, Chief.”

She smiled and followed Rockwall out of the cave.

“Jandor, a lot’s going on,” Ace said. “We all need to talk as quickly as possible and figure out what we’re going to do.”

“I agree,” Jandor said, looking around. “Where can we go?”

Honsmordin, who was in muttered conference with Fantasma, heard the question. “Lily is on her way; she can get you what you need.”

“You’ll be safe in the mountain,” Fantasma assured as he and Honsmordin started for the exit. “I recommend you stay here until we have a better idea of what Davron’s planning. Pathos, Karmandrian, Alice, let’s go.”

The three guardians followed him and Honsmordin out of the quickener cave just as Lily arrived.

When the young elf saw Tabatha, she immediately rushed up to her. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Tabatha gave her a brief hug. “Thanks, this whole thing has gotten out of hand, but amazingly, everyone’s alive.”

“Lily,” Ace said abruptly. “We need a place we can talk, preferably somewhere with a long table. Do you have something like that?”

Lily pondered for a moment. “Sure, there are a couple of options, just give me a bit.”

“As quickly as possible,” Ace said, clearly impatient.

“Hey, back off her,” Tabatha snapped.

“No, it’s fine,” Lily said cheerily before Ace and Tabatha could start arguing. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Could we get some food?” Bernie asked. “We haven’t really had anything to eat since breakfast.”

“I’m hungry too,” Ashley added, “we left right before dinner.”

“Time shifts are always problematic.” Lily chuckled. “Come with me; I’ll take care of everything.”

The group followed Lily from the chamber with Jandor and Lori bringing up the rear.

Lori suddenly stopped as they reached the threshold. “Oi, I just realized, we’re in Fantasmal Mountain.”

Jandor gave her a questioning look. “Yeah?”

“I wonder if ol’ Uncle Frank’s around,” she mused.

***

Franklin Stokenshire entered a conference room where Fantasma was meeting with Sorinson, head of the guardian council, and Honsmordin. Karmandrian, Pathos, and Alice were also there.

“This won’t be like before,” Fantasma was saying to Sorinson, “I want every guardian we have available working in tandem with the Fantasmal Forces, and we’ll require civilian resources as well. We’re leaving nothing to chance; I won’t have a repeat of Gilmore. We have no idea how much time we have, so move as quickly as possible.”

Sorinson nodded. “I’ll have the guardians gather in the fort and I’ll meet with Rockwall to plot out a strategy.”

“I’ll start gathering up the logistical resources we need as well as additional healers,” Honsmordin added.

“You three,” Sorinson called to the guardian trio. “I know you’ve already had a long day, but we’ll still need you. Eat and rest for now, but when the time comes, I expect you back out there.”

“Yes sir,” they said in unison.

Honsmordin and Sorinson left the room as Franklin approached Fantasma, who was preparing to leave as well.

“Sir, if I may have a word,” Franklin said.

Fantasma stood, adjusting his robe. “What is it, Frank? I’m very busy.”

“I know,” Franklin said, his tone calm in response to Fantasma’s curt reply. “I’m aware of the failed raid and the looming threat of attack.”

“Then you know that we’re teetering on the edge of another Great War and I—”

“I’ve also heard,” Franklin continued undaunted, “that the Daughter of the Sun and the twelve warriors’ descendants have been brought safely to the mountain.”

“If this is about having them join the fight, there’s no way I’m going to conscript them, not now. We have no idea what they’ve been through or what their state of mind is.”

“Exactly,” Franklin said. “Neither do they. They’ve all been apart and just recently brought together. I hear that they’re meeting even as we speak.”

Fantasma sighed. “Frank, get to the point. I have little patience for indirect discourse right now. Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Very well,” Franklin said with a nod. “I’m headed to see this meeting of the current seal bearers, and I suggest you do too.”

“Why? I don’t have time for—”

“Because they’re the key. They are where your focus should be.”

“This is ridiculous, I have an entire planet on the brink of peril. I can’t just stop what I’m doing to listen to adolescent prattling.” Fantasma walked past him to the door.

“You are making the same mistake as your predecessor,” Franklin called.

This caused Fantasma to pause and turn back to the aged librarian. “What?”

“I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading these past few days. The Fantasma during the time of the Great War had a similar mindset as you: so focused on sending his armies to fight the threat and completely ignoring the twelve that went on their own. If he’d been able to see past his own preconceived notions, perhaps the Daughter of the Sun wouldn’t have been lost to time on another world. I suggest you rethink your priorities before it’s too late.”

Fantasma smirked at this. “You have quite the gall to question the actions of the Fantasma. If you were anyone else—”

“You are neither omnipotent nor infallible,” Franklin said flatly. “You are the Fantasma: servant of the Almighty. Do not forget what that means. It’s not your job to solve every problem, quash every foe, or beat every enemy into submission. It is your job to serve, and it’s my job to remind you of that when hotheadedness threatens to send you off in the wrong direction; a job you gave me, I might add.”

Fantasma was stunned into silence, his bravado now gone.

Seeing this, Franklin continued, his voice calm, but also stern. “Ever since this began with the discovery of the Book of War’s return and the uncovering of the rift, we have been walking along a path that smacks of the prophetic. The time we are in now will undoubtedly mark the start of a new era, just as the Great War did for this one. The last thing you want to do is ignore the one group of people who objectively must play a role in this. They are marked with the power of a supernal seal; the only ones that can defeat the creatures of the Book of War and help lock it away for good. They should be your highest priority right now.”

Fantasma let out a long sigh, releasing his pent-up stress and frustration. “Okay, you’ve made your point, so what would you have me do?”

Franklin smiled knowingly. “Let us go and meet these young would-be warriors. I believe you will find insight in listening to what they have to say.”

Fantasma pondered this. “Fine, I’ll go, but once Rockwall is ready to mobilize, I plan to join him. I can’t stay behind while I send all of my people out into harm’s way, not with the stakes this high.”

“Very well,” Franklin said with a nod.

“Excuse me, sir,” Alice said timidly.

Fantasma had completely forgotten that the three guardians were still there. “Yes?”

“If it’s not a problem, I’d like to come as well.”

“As would I,” Pathos agreed.

“And me too, I suppose,” added Karmandrian.

“We’ve all been a part of this in one way or another since the very beginning,” Pathos said. “It would be nice to see it through.”

Fantasma nodded at this, his usual calm demeanor returning. “Of course, come along.”

The guardian trio followed Fantasma and Franklin out of the conference room.

***

“This is perfect, Lily; thank you,” Mrs. Guardman said as she opened the doors to a medium sized conference room. In it was a long wooden table with twenty seats, which mimicked the table in the Guardman basement.

As Jandor’s group walked in, they instinctively went to the places that they would normally sit during A&A meetings, while Mrs. Guardman removed the extra chairs from the table, pushing them to the wall for herself, Sherrilynn, Lily, and Lori.

Several white-robed members of the hospitality team brought in trays of food and pitchers filled with teas and juices, setting them around the table. Those who were hungry grabbed plates and started to dig into the various foods which included several types of smoked meats, multiple potato dishes, steamed vegetables, thick soups, and numerous pies. Many talked excitedly with friends they’d reunited with, and Becky bustled around, gathering information from each of the members and writing down the notes she needed in a notepad she found in her mother’s bag.

After twenty minutes, Becky sat down at the head of the table and called the meeting to order. “Okay guys, from the little bit that I’ve gotten, it seems like more than half of us arrived at different times in the past ranging from a few weeks, to several decades, with Jandor, Wayne, Ashley, Henry, Mrs. Guardman, and myself all arriving in the present. Now of course, since you don’t age when you quicken back in time,” she smirked at this as it was one of the first things she’d learned on Mendala, “we all look relatively the same, but many of us have gained a lot of experience, whether it’s in fighting, mentus, or just knowledge of this world.”

Everyone murmured their agreement. Just then, the double doors of the conference room opened again. Fantasma, Franklin, and the guardian trio entered. The hospitality workers bustled about quickly to find chairs for them as Becky continued.

“So, I think the first place we need to start is for all of us to tell our stories. Every single one of us had a different experience on Mendala, and I’m pretty sure whatever happened to you while you were here, no matter how long that was, has affected your opinion.” She gave a significant look to Ben at this. “The only way we’re going to be able to talk through what we do next is if we start by trying to understand each other’s point of view.”

There was more muttered agreement.

Becky smiled at this. For the first time in days, she felt completely in her element. She wasn’t a headstrong fighter or a powerful mentus user; she was the planner, the organizer, the strategist. No one questioned her role at the head of the table and even people like Ace, who’d been there for decades, seemed to naturally defer to her.

Becky picked up her notepad, “So if we’re all fine with that, I’ve figured out the order that we’re going to go, based on a rough timeline. We’ll start with those who were sent to the past, then after that, Jandor, Wayne, Ashley, and I will cover the last three days and how we found the others, then Henry and Mrs. Guardman will give their stories. Ace, you’re up first.”

For two hours, each individual member had their turn to tell their part of the collective story. In doing this, they realized a lot of common threads, multiple people had encountered epouranals, several had almost crossed paths, and most peculiar of all, it seemed that everyone at one point in their journey had met a Stokenshire, including Jandor, who had no idea that Lori was part of the famous clan until she spoke up during his retelling of events.

Becky had been right, everyone had wildly different experiences when it came to interacting with Mendalian society, from Ben and Ace, who had strong ties to the world, to Amber and Tabatha, who had nothing but contempt for it. She hastily wrote down all the pertinent information that everyone shared: the places they visited, the significant people they encountered, and their skills and abilities. The more she took in, the more she truly understood. With the pressure of trying to bring everyone together lifted, Becky found that she could easily comprehend a lot of the complicated concepts that she’d only glossed over in her travels.

For his part, Fantasma found himself more caught up in their tales than he ever thought he’d be. Several aspects of their stories shocked him: the rampant slave trade in the desert, the hellish nightmare of war-torn towns, the fact that a guardian and the Commander of Weather had both kept seal bearers a secret out of fear of the Fantasmal Government, and that at least four epouranals seemed to have insight into the situation, yet never spoke of it. However, the biggest shock was when Jandor revealed that animals could kill the creatures of the Book of War.

“How is that even possible?” he interrupted.

Jandor, who was walking around the table as he spoke, paused at this. “I’m not really sure how to explain it.”

Stephanie spoke up. “According to Silvet, it’s not that animals can kill the creatures of the Book of War because they’re special, it’s that people can’t kill the monsters because of some sort of curse on mankind that was brought about when the Book of War was created.”

“Fascinating,” Franklin muttered to himself, his mind racing with this new information.

The next surprise came during Wayne and Ashley’s shared recap, when Ashley revealed she had met Ester in the Waiting Room. At this, both Fantasma and Mrs. Guardman gasped.

“You’ve been to the Waiting Room?” Mrs. Guardman said in shock.

Ashley nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s what she called it. It was a big white room.”

“Wait, so you know of the Waiting Room too?” Fantasma asked.

“Yes, I’ve been there several times,” Mrs. Guardman confirmed.

“This is unprecedented,” Fantasma said in awe.

“Okay, we’re getting a bit off track here,” Becky said, “but this sounds important. What exactly is the Waiting Room?”

“I’m curious about this too,” Franklin added.

“Well, I thought it was a secret known only to the Fantasma and epouranals, but I suppose I was wrong,” Fantasma said. “The Waiting Room is a place between the heavenly and mortal realms. From there, it’s said that the Fantasma can obtain direct supernal insight, as well as view the histories of past Fantasmas.”

Ashley shrugged. “When I was there with Ester, she used the walls like a giant television to show stuff that I’d already done while on Mendala.”

“And the gatekeeper Zeta showed me Wayne,” Mrs. Guardman added.

“This is incredible,” Fantasma said, “While it’s conceivable that the Daughter of the Sun could have access to the Waiting Room, it still doesn’t make sense that you would,” he said to Mrs. Guardman. “I mean no offense, it’s just…who are you?”

“I get that question a lot.” Mrs. Guardman chuckled. “Trust me, I’m no one special.”

“I find that very hard to believe,” Franklin mused.

“Well, it sounds like Mrs. Guardman has a lot to share, but let’s stick to the order,” Becky said. “Go on Wayne.”

Wayne and Ashley finished their tale, then Becky and Henry took their turns. This left Mrs. Guardman’s story for last, with Sherrilynn and Alice helping her to fill in some of the details.

“What you all need to understand,” Mrs. Guardman said in conclusion, “is that the soldiers fighting with Davron are not evil, irredeemable people. They all have their reasons for joining him, and many have experienced great hardships. I can tell from some of your stories that you may have gained insight into the problems that plague this world: constant war, slavery, poverty, and a general lack of resources. This can drive people to do desperate things.”

“That may be true,” Jandor said, “but I’ve fought those monsters. They’re dangerous, even to the people who fight with them. The Book of War needs to be stopped.”

Mrs. Guardman conceded this. “From what your parents told me, there’s a corrupting evil inside the book, it grows and festers the longer a person uses it. Perhaps Davron had admirable motivations when he started, but the evil within the book has turned him.”

“So, if we can get the book and reseal it, will that change him back?” Jandor directed his question to Ace, who he’d determined to know the most about the seal.”

Ace reached into his white robe and pulled a sand-colored stone tablet from an inner pocket. It was about the size of a large book with jagged edges and ornate symbols carved into it. This was what remained of the seal of the Book of War.

“From what I understand, if we’re able to permanently seal the Book of War, then the rogue spirit of war will be trapped inside of it again, and peace can return.”

“Peace can return?” Becky repeated. “What does that mean?”

Ace shrugged. “I don’t fully understand, but the impression I get is that the temporary seal our ancestors put on it, only tethered the spirit to the Book to keep it from possessing someone, however it was still able to influence the world, causing war and strife to become far more prevalent than normal.”

“That would explain the uptick of wars that have happened over the last thousand years,” Franklin interjected, “and why the epouranals named this era ‘Terrius Argonon,’ or roughly translated, ‘the Years of War.’”

“Wait, but the Book of War has been on Earth,” Wayne countered.

“Yeah, well Earth isn’t exactly in the most peaceful state,” Ben said.

“Because of the rift, the Book of War has been connected to both Earth and Mendala,” Ace clarified.

“Still, I find it hard to believe that some evil spirit is the reason why there’s wars.” Becky scoffed.

“You’re quite right,” Franklin said. “The evil contained in the book may influence or magnify, but it is not the cause of all our strife, after all, there was plenty of war before the book was unsealed. However, it cannot be denied that things have escalated far faster in the past thousand years.”

“The point is,” Ace said tapping the seal, “it’s very possible Davron’s possessed by whatever’s in the book, since he’s the one using it. I don’t know what will happen to him once the book is sealed again.”

“Indeed, it’s said that the last user of the Book of War died when the twelve warriors attempted to seal it,” Franklin said.

“Wait a minute,” Tabatha interrupted. “This is all just speculation. No one was there when it happened, other than the ones who fought him. We don’t even know if this story about an evil spirit is true, or just some exaggeration made up to explain the Great War.”

Franklin was about to respond, but Mrs. Guardman spoke first.

“Actually Tabatha, we do know that it’s true,” she said with trepidation in her voice.

Tabatha turned to her, stunned. “What do you mean? I thought you never saw Davron when you were in Gilmore?”

“I didn’t, but that’s not what I meant. The Book of War was used one other time that no one here knows about. It’s what I was trying to tell you back when we were on Earth.”

The entire room went quiet at this.

Mrs. Guardman took a deep breath and started again. “Tabatha, your father was not a seal bearer, but he was part of our group—actually more like the leader of it—because his mother was the last Daughter of the Sun and we all thought that his daughter would be the next one. When that didn’t happen, he became obsessed with trying to figure out a way to seal the book permanently. The translift was in his basement, and he would visit the cave constantly, studying the book, trying to understand it.

“However, the seal became weaker after Aiden died,” she looked to Amber as she spoke of her father. “Because of this, we think the book started to influence Ken slowly over time until one day he tried to take it from the cave. What he didn’t know was that one of your ancestors put a failsafe on the podium that held the Book of War. If it was ever removed, it would trigger an explosion, which is exactly what happened.”

“Is that what caused the explosion at the Wright house?” Becky asked.

Mrs. Guardman shook her head sadly. “No, Ken survived the explosion in the cave, but he was still being influenced—or maybe even possessed—by whatever was in that book, even though he couldn’t take it. He came back to the house and the others confronted him in the basement when they realized what happened. There was a struggle to restrain him, and he used mentus fire near the gas tank. That’s what caused the explosion.”

There was shocked silence for several seconds before Tabatha spoke again, her voice trembling. “But…how do you know all this? You weren’t there.”

“I wasn’t, but Illusion was,” Mrs. Guardman revealed. “He told the rest of us what happened after the fact. Apparently, they knew when the Book of War had corrupted Ken because they could feel it through their link with the seal, that’s why the others went to your house to confront him. Illusion was destroyed in the resulting explosion, but Marcus was able to bring him back, and most of his memories of what happened were intact.”

“What about my mom though?” Amber asked, her voice small. “Why was she there? She didn’t have the seal thing, right? It was my dad.”

Mrs. Guardman nodded. “She was just visiting Victoria at the time. The two had become friends since they were both spouses caught up in the secret. Unfortunately, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“It’s not true,” Tabatha said softly.

Mrs. Guardman stood and approached her. “Tabatha, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not true!” Tabatha shouted. “My father wasn’t possessed by some demon. He didn’t kill everyone. They’re wrong, that stupid dog doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

Mrs. Guardman wrapped her arms around Tabatha, who struggled for a bit before starting to cry on the matriarch’s shoulder.

Becky stood. “I think now’s a good time to take a break. Everyone, just take a breather, stretch your legs. We’ll continue in a few minutes.”

The participants at the table and the spectators sitting around the wall all stood with a loud scraping of chairs. Some milled about, talking in hushed whispers, some ate, and others went out into the hallway just to walk around or think.

Mrs. Guardman took Tabatha to a corner where they could talk in private. “I’m sorry I kept this from you,” she said after Tabatha finished crying. “I know you must hate me, and—”

“I don’t hate you Mrs. Guardman…I just…I don’t believe it. I can’t believe it. The whole thing just doesn’t make sense.”

“I can only tell you what I was told, and there could very well be pieces missing, but—”

“Until I see it for myself, this evil spirit or possession or whatever, I’m not going to believe it. For all we know, they just assumed something was wrong with Dad because this legend about an evil spirit just keeps getting passed down over and over with no proof. People just want to believe in all this spiritual stuff, but it’s just a dumb book with some weird powers. Davron’s not possessed and doing some spirit’s bidding, and neither was Dad.”

Mrs. Guardman smiled softly. “You may be right; I don’t know. Regardless, none of this means your father was a bad man. Even if there was no spirit influencing him, I know that in his heart, all he wanted to do was try to help. He just went about it the wrong way.”

Tabatha chuckled. “Sounds like him.” She took a deep steadying breath. “I’m okay now. I can deal with this. Thank you for telling me the truth about the explosion. I’ve been obsessed with the past for so long, but I can’t worry about that now. It’s time to focus on what I want for the future.” She glanced at Ace who was talking with Alice.

Mrs. Guardman gave her a long hug before stepping away. She saw her son still sitting at the table and approached him. “Wayne, I need to give you this,” she pulled a piece of semi-transparent quartz from her robe pocket. It was the zenith she’d obtained the previous day.

Wayne was momentarily confused but then seemed to catch on. “Is this what’s supposed to help with my…what did you call it?”

“Acceldermitis,” Mrs. Guardman said.

She’d explained the entire reason for her trip into the Lumarian Mountains during her turn. “You said you met a tailor: Franklin’s nephew. He should be able to turn that into a new hat, but for now just carry it with you, that should at least help alleviate your headaches.”

Wayne stood, giving his mom a hug as he accepted the zenith quartz. “I can’t believe you did all of that, got yourself captured and everything, just to get this for me.”

Mrs. Guardman smiled. “Of course I did; you’re my son.”

Wayne chuckled. “I think I get my relentless need to take care of people from you.”

“Just make sure you take care of yourself too,” Mrs. Guardman said, tapping the hand that had the quartz in it.

She gave him another hug before leaving to check on other members of the group; listening to concerns, giving advice, and offering comfort to anyone who needed it.

Outside the conference room, Franklin and Fantasma were having a private conversation away from the others. “I find myself saying once again that you were right, Frank. I needed to hear all of this.”

“I’m glad you agree, but now the question is, what are you going to do?” Franklin asked.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I don’t think this changes much as far as what we’re doing to hunt down Davron, but it does change my viewpoint on these teens, or rather…well I don’t know what to call them.”

“They’re our allies, and we need to treat them as such. I think their stories alone prove that they have been through a great deal, even the ones who arrived in the present. They’ve seen things about our world that we haven’t seen, and they’ve been burdened with a heavy responsibility. To treat them like children would be a disservice.”

Fantasma nodded slowly. “I can agree with that. Ultimately, they have to make the decision as to whether or not they want to help. I won’t force them, but I also won’t turn them away. In fact, truth be told, I can see how they could be an invaluable help. Many of them seem to have gained a great deal of power, and the experiences they’ve had so far show that most of them are quite capable. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that some were sent back in time to learn the skills they did, if the encounters with the epouranals are any indication.”

“Yes, I do see divine providence in much of this, but we must not be complacent. If we want their help, we need to show that we’re worthy of it, and I can tell there are a few who do not believe we are.”

“Our world is not a perfect place, and I see clearly where the Fantasmal Government has had some failings, but surely they know that the Book of War isn’t the answer.”

“Indeed,” Franklin agreed, “but that’s not what I mean. It’s not about whether or not we’re in the right. It’s about whether or not they see this as a world worth fighting for, worth wanting to help make better. I’m certain that is what will be up for debate in the next half of their meeting. That, I believe, is the true reason so many were sent to the past, so that they would be able to make that determination.”

Fantasma thought about this. “I see, whether to stay and fight, or go back to their world and let us fend for ourselves. After hearing their stories and putting myself in their place, I could see the merits in both. We can only hope that all the seal bearers will want to stay. For one thing, it would seem we need all twelve seal bearers to fully suppress the Book of War.”

“Perhaps,” Franklin said pensively.

“Oh, you think it can be done with less?”

“No, it’s not that. In the accounts I shared with you from my ancestor’s journals, High Mage Gilenhall said that the seal provided by the twelve warriors was to be a temporary solution until the book could be dealt with once and for all. This suggests that there’s something else that needs to be done after we get the Book of War from Davron. Elsewise, the seal bearers would continue to be stuck protecting the book for generations to come.”

“So, what’s the permanent way to seal the Book of War?” Fantasma asked.

Franklin shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll need to do more research.”

“Sir, they’re almost ready to start again,” Lily said from the threshold.

Fantasma was about to follow Franklin into the conference room when Sharanel and Honsmordin came around the corner.

“Sir, General Rockwall has asked to see you,” Honsmordin told him.

Fantasma turned to Franklin. “Go on without me, I should see what this is. Besides, it’s probably best that I’m not there during this debate so that I don’t unduly influence their decision.”

“I will let you know if I learn anything else of note,” Franklin said as he headed back in.

Sharanel peaked into the room, curious. “Just let me know if you need anything else,” she said, deciding to stay and watch.

Fantasma followed Honsmordin down the hall to the nearest translift. “What is it that Rockwall needs? Has Davron started attacking? Do we have a location?”

“Unfortunately, we still have very little information,” Honsmordin said. “The scouts in the mountains didn’t turn up anything. Rockwall’s been trying to question the prisoners you brought from Gilmore, but he thinks the only way to get anything out of them is if you do the questioning instead.”

“I don’t see how that would be.”

Honsmordin gave him a troubled look as they reached the translift. “It seems that Master Foy will only talk to you.”