Red Sun Rising

Chapter 12: Locked

Crystal:

"Tell me that's not true, Jared."

My stomach plummeted even before he sadly shook his head. The facts were laid out in front of us.

I knew Lee hated his parents for what they did when he was a kid but... to the point of offering them to the multiverse's biggest evil? I never would have thought it was possible. I still can't believe it's possible.

An alert suddenly sounded throughout the room. At the same time, the gem on each Traveler's leather wristband lit up. I tapped at it as Jarvis sounded out a report.

"Sir, there appears to be a disturbance in the Kane Chronicles realm."

I nodded in agreement, the hologram of the realm projecting from my wristband. "My main realm... the one I shared with Lee. I'll go check it out and ask Camp Half-Blood to keep an eye out. Lee might have taken refuge there."

"We're going with you." Steven predictably said, frowning and tapping away at his com-link. "Hailow's supposed to be at Brooklyn House. We've had no word from him since he left to check the Chaos beast's trail the other day."

"You don't think he actually found the beast?" Max asked.

"But it was in Erebor when we got there," Benjin pointed out.

Malachi shook his head. "We do not know where it was before or after its appearance in Erebor. For all we know, it knew we were tracking it and decided to pick us off one by one." He turned to me. "I shall also go with you."

I got up from the seat he had summoned for me in my earlier shock, palms pressed to the table as I took a closer look at him. He was a little pale, clearly still recovering from the first summons of Lumina's Light, and not to mention the assassination attempt by... by Lee. Malachi was in no shape to fight so much as an enchanted tea kettle right now. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"You-"

"I've recovered enough." He cut me off, correctly guessing my thoughts.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He wasn't going to pull that off with me. "You need to stay here. With Shayera. You two should start practicing summoning the Light of Lumina. Who knows how long we actually have before Red Hood breaks out?"

"Which is why I should go with you now," he insisted, leaning against the table as well. "What if the prison breaks open while you're still there in the Kane realm?"

"Then I'll send for you. You should make better use of the time and train your skills to the last minute." I turned to the others in the room. They had been watching the mini-argument as if it were a tennis match-my Knights being the exception... well, it was actually hard to tell with their expressionless helmets. I raised an eyebrow at my brother and cousins. "If you're coming with me, you'd best get to the armory. I'm not waiting any longer than I have to."

"Right." Johnny sprang to action first, clearing his throat. Soon it was only us Travelers and Knights in the room, Steven sending my companions a weird look before going after our cousins.

Benjin forced Malachi into his seat, patting his shoulders overenthusiastically and earning a grunt from the silver-eyed Traveler. "Alright-y. You twins get to Light training and I'll watch over the Death Lady here."

I turned a narrowed gaze onto him. Choosing to ignore the new nickname, I said, "You're the last person he'll want to see, Benji."

"On the contrary, I'm the best person to see him in his state right now."

"What do you mean?"

"The guy's practically betrayed us for Team Chaos, Crystal. He hates me, so he doesn't care if I see him at his worst. But you..." he shook his head. "Didn't you see how quickly he ran away back at the infirmary?"