Sage Hill and the Stones of Power

Chapter 6

I glanced at Zack, who, I could tell was about to teleport.

"Please, give me five minute to explain, this is so much bigger than you think."

Zack looked to me this time, I shrugged. Julian had said something about a spy that I wanted to know more about.

"Make it quick." Zack replied.

"Okay, this might take a while. Zack, I'm sure you remember the sarcastic little brat sitting next to me,"

"I'm right here!" Julian protested, but Cam just held up her hand for him to shut up, which was pretty much what I wanted to tell him.

"And you probably also remember that he left with Cynthia around two years ago. They had a bit of a falling out and Julian left that group, or, more precisely, he left to join another one."

"Another other group?" I asked.

"Yes, the only reason Everlasting Gem holds the majority is because they have main stones, but there are others, three that I know of."

"Two now," Julian corrected her.

"Right, one of these groups profoundly hates Everlasting Gem, it's made up of recruited, over powerful kids from Everlasting Gem, who feel like they're not welcome because they're too powerful."

"I'm sorry, but seriously? We take everyone, why would someone who was powerful feel like they didn't fit?!" Zack said defensively.

"You obviously wouldn't understand, but I think Sage knows what I'm talking about. Anyways,-"

"No, not anyways! What is that supposed to mean 'I wouldn't understand?' You don't even know me! Who are you anyways? Some outcast from both groups, who doesn't fit in anywhere?" Zack had a fantastic way of making a bad situation worse.

"I know enough." Cam snapped. "You're exactly who they want, leaders who are powerful but don't push themselves, who are proud just because they can do what the person before them did. That's what that means. You could be so much more. But you're not, so get over it if you want to help the one person at Everlasting Gem who is."

"Do you have any idea-"

"Zack..." I warned, we need to hear what they knew.

"No, Sage. Do you even hear what she's saying?! We're leaving. Now."

"No we're not. I am hearing what she's saying and I need to listen, because it could mean the difference between it taking two weeks and three weeks to find Cynthia and if you haven't forgotten, I don't have that extra week." I said forcefully, glaring at him. I took a breath and tried to change my tone, "What was it that you were saying about other groups, Cam?" She was fuming, you could practically see the resentment radiating off of her, but somehow, and I will always admire this about her, she kept going as though nothing had happened.

"So this other group forms and they're the first with personal stones so that they can leave, but they do it secretly so no one knows where they've gone. You get there and you prove yourself to the leaders, you're in. They want to reform the structure of Everlasting and put themselves on top. They've been training years to do this and they're finally taking action. They tracked down Cynthia's group and overthrew it, violently. They're planning to do the same to my group, then yours. Now I don't care much for Everlasting Gem, but I sure won't let my group be taken over by a bunch of power hungry tyrants."

"Your group, where do they lie in all of this?" I asked.

"I could talk for hours on that, but you need to make a choice, Sage. You can come with us to our temporary base we've set up and I'll tell you anything and everything we've managed to figure out, or you can go back and start your search with just the information we've given you."

"Oh no, Sage isn't going anywhere with you." Zack said instantly.

"That's not for you to say." I replied.

"Sage, seriously? They're practically saying the same thing as Cynthia and this time you're just going to go with it? What just happened?"

"What just happened is you're upset because you were offended. I appreciate your concern, but if you're really worried about it, come with me, if you're not willing to do that, don't try to stop me."

"Fine." And then he was gone.