THE KEEPERS RISE

Chapter 13 - End of the Tunnel - Part 2

*Remember to click the play button to listen to the soundtrack as you read!*

Finally leaving Quin's ship was an exhilarating experience for Velda, and she could tell that her feelings were shared. As they stepped out of the depths of the Dark ship and into the light, the other Keepers sighed in relief and amazement at the flagship's brilliance. At least, most of them did. Titus and Iyan were still out cold, and two mages clad in white had taken the liberty of hoisting the two Keepers onto their shoulders. Velda noticed Dameon's meaningful look towards her and Will'ym, and after taking a peek back at the other Keepers to assure herself that they wouldn't be missed, she followed him to a nearby hallway.

Ozul watched Dameon guide Will'ym and Velda out of the hangar and decided to pursue them at a safe distance. It's not exactly fair that they could get information that the rest of us won't, he explained to Hesykhia as he stepped into the shadows of the Dark ship. He took a few seconds to cloak himself before dashing ahead to fall in line with their footsteps. Airtight doors hissed shut behind them.

"You must be proud to have made it this far on your own," the Councilor was saying. "The tale you two told of Quin and Trycho's actions made my blood run cold."

"Councilor Quin wasn't being possessed by Councilor Rohana, right?" Velda asked, though she already knew what the answer would be.

"Fates, no! Laryssa did her very best to stop him. She returned to the Council as soon as things went sour at the Border, and though I had no more command over your captors than she did, I prayed for your eventual rescue. There was no more we could do, as we had no way of knowing where the Dark mages had taken you." The Councilor paused in visible confusion, and his pace slowed slightly. "Whatever gave you the idea that a Light Councilor like Laryssa would possess a Dark one? The factor of distance alone would make such a thing impossible."

Will'ym hesitated, glancing behind them before responding, "Trycho tried to convince us that Laryssa Rohana had possessed Quin, but I knew that something didn't add up."

"We're still not sure what Quin and Trycho were trying to do, though," Velda added.

Dameon smiled gently. "There's no need to worry about any of that now. You're safe with the Light Council, and we'll deal with those rebels just like we've dealt with all of the others. I should have known that Trycho was behind all of this," he muttered, eyes narrowing.

"What are you talking about?" Will'ym asked. A door slid open to their left and Dameon led the way into what appeared to be an office, inviting them to sit across from him. Ozul tiptoed inside as quickly as he dared.

"Trycho happens to be a revolutionary. He rejects the peace that the Dark Council has worked to establish with the other Continuums for so long and instead seeks to continue their ancient plans of conquering the Light. We suspect that he plans to do it with Purity Crystals, though we have no proof of him finding any. I assure you, if we did, I would have already collected them from him." He chuckled, crossing his arms with a hint of disappointment. "I know I wouldn't trust such leaderless rebels with that kind of power."

Velda considered telling Dameon about the two Purity Crystals that she already had, but decided that it would be better to let the Councilor continue. He seemed to have plenty to say. She only replied, "There's no knowing what they would do with them."

Dameon appeared to focus on a spot far in the distance. "I'm amazed that you and your team managed to bend Trycho to your will. He's very sly. I suspect that the entire bridge fight was a facade on his part, especially since you told me that nobody was harmed in the end," he said, abruptly looking to Velda.