The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 4: The Pendant of Light

Chapter 27: Sherman's Fanny Pack

Chapter 27

     “The Shadow Confederacy was created years ago by several brave men who resisted the influences of Lazarus Easter and dedicated themselves to stopping him at all costs,” Alligus Crock explained to Rain Fox and Rouge. “Our founders were Jasper Bronze, Miriam Silk, Datrean le Fay and his brother Nicanor, myself, your father and your uncle, James Cloudstorm.”
     “My uncle?” Rain Fox asked. “I don’t have an uncle named James Cloudstorm.”
     “You don’t anymore,” Crock said, “He died a long time ago fighting against Easter and Leech. He saved your father’s life. Both he and Datrean died that day at the hands of Leech and Easter. Nicanor and I escaped. We spent years trying to convince the Ministry of Magic that the Embers of the Light were a major threat. The first time around they were more worried about You-Know-Who. The second time around no one wanted to hear from us. At the urging of the Order of the Phoenix we went into hiding. After Nicanor was killed I took his daughter and we hid among the pirates. That Pendant, the one you are wearing, was put around your neck by Datrean le Fay at the behest of your uncle James. He thought that, for certain, your father and the Six Nations would protect you. Apparently, that’s not the case, since you’re here and not under their protection.”
     “I was sent to Salem to hide from Easter and Leech,” Rain Fox said, “Though I didn’t know why until afterwards. They put us under the protection of Salem Academy.”
     “A lot of good that did, obviously,” Rouge muttered.
     Both Rain Fox and Alligus Crock gave Rouge a cross look.
     “I have been hiding Destine for many years now,” Crock continued. “When I heard that Shade was hidden among the Muggle foster care system I thought he might have a chance at surviving.”
     “That sounds like a stupid idea,” Rouge commented.
     “It worked out,” Crock remarked with a scowl, “So it wasn’t as dumb as you say it was.”
     “He’s right, Rouge,” Rain Fox said, “He never knew about his heritage. He only met his mother recently. He never even knew what his father’s name was until he met his mother.”
     “So you’ve spent all these years hiding from Easter?” Rouge asked. “Why haven’t you finished him off?”
     “Because, for the most part,” Crock answered, “The members of our little group are dead or are too scared to come out of hiding. Miriam Silk went into hiding and Easter found her and killed her. All my friends have died. Now I have just Destíne, Noctem (my deaf friend here), and this handful of pirates and wizards. We’ve kept under the nose of Easter by staying near his little island fortress on Meropis.”
     “Meropis?” Rain Fox asked.
     “Yes. It is a hidden island among the Isles of Scilly. They placed protective charms and concealing spells upon the whole island to keep Muggles and non-Embers away. We have been fortunate for the past decade to be so well hidden. As far as I know, Easter is not even aware of her presence. Now we have to change the game completely. Since you’re here, Ms. Cloudstorm, we need to change our game.”
     “Fox,” Rouge said. He tapped Rain Fox on the shoulder and pointed to the sky. “We’re heading west.”
     Rain Fox looked up at the sky. The sun was moving lower towards the horizon in front of them. The clouds were pushing behind them. “Okay. What does that mean?”
     “We’re heading west, Fox,” Rouge pointed out, “Not south or east.”
     It clicked with Rain Fox suddenly. She turned back to Crock. “Where are we going?”
     Crock looked to the horizon and nodded. “West. We’re heading to America. We are not longer safe on the open waters. We’ll head to the Americas and hide somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. Lots of hiding places there, and plenty of pirates that I can trust.”
     “No!” Rain Fox shouted out.
     Destíne looked to Crock and spoke to her in French. Crock replied back to her in French.
     “What did she say?” Rouge asked.
     “She asked why the girl seemed angry,” Crock answered.
     “I’m not angry,” Rain Fox said, “Well, not at you. I’m not going to let you hide us on this boat and live my life in fear! I’m going to take the fight to Easter head on!”
     “How do you suppose to do that?” Crock asked. “You don’t know how to get onto that island fortress of his. None of us do.”
     “I’m not trying to get onto some island,” Rain Fox said, “I’m going underwater.”
     Crock gave her a surprised look. “Underwater?”
     “Yes! A place where there are three distinct rocks sticking up from beneath! He’s got a whole city under the sea! That’s where he’s hold up! We can take the fight to his front door!”
     Crock looked to Destine and to Noctem the Deaf Man. “How do you know this?”
     “I saw it in a vision,” Rain Fox spoke, “I know it exists!”
     Crock turned away and looked back at the horizon.
     Rouge grunted. “You know the place, don’t you?” he asked.
     Crock nodded. “There isn’t an inch of the sea that I don’t know in this region of the world.”
     “Except for the inches underwater, I take it,” Rouge added.
     Crock nodded again. “Apparently. The rocks you saw in your vision; they are the last remnants of a place called Lyonesse. It is a fabled island thought to have been the last place King Arthur set his feet upon. It doesn’t exist anymore. The sea claimed it.”
     “How much you wanna bet Easter claimed it back, just underwater?” Rouge asked.
     Noctem the Deaf Man nodded.
     Crock turned back to face Rain Fox and Rouge. “No. I will not turn the ship around. We are going to take Destíne to safety. I will not risk her life any more than I already have by taking you two on board.”
     Rain Fox grabbed Crock’s arm and spun him around. “Listen to me!”
     Crock broke her grasp from his arm and drew his sword. She reached over and grabbed the sword hanging from the scabbard of Noctem’s waist. She grasped the hilt and drew it. She swung and hit the sword in Crock’s hand but he returned a stroke and came around towards her shoulder. She parried it away and swung back with her own stroke, coming down upon him with fury and anger. She tried not to let her emotions get the best of her: She didn’t want to harm him. She merely wanted to get her point across.
     “I will not risk her life!” Crock shouted.
     “She will always be at risk!” Rain Fox shouted back, blocking his sword work. “She’s never going to be free of danger until Easter is stopped!”
     Their swords met and the two held them towards each other. She was pushed backwards into the mast by Crock’s stronger physical power.
     “You know nothing of this!” Crock spoke to her with gritted teeth.
     “I know all about hiding!” Rain Fox shouted back. “It’s all I’ve known! It’s all any of us know!”
     She planted her feet onto the mast and kicked off of it. Her added momentum gave her enough force to shove Crock off of her. She twisted like a corkscrew in midair and managed to fling his sword from his grasp. She landed, kicked his feet from beneath him, swept him, and pounced on top of him. She put Noctem’s blade up to Crock’s throat and held it there.
     Crock scowled again at her. “What are you waiting for?”
     Rain Fox stood up, the sword’s point still pointed at Crock’s throat. She shook her head and tossed the sword aside. “No,” she said. “Now we are even. You saved my life. I spared yours. We’re even now.”
     Crock nodded. “Apparently,” he spoke.
     She stood up but kept him down on the ground, her bare foot keeping him there. “All we have ever done is hide, you and I. Are you not sick of hiding? Are you not tired of letting fear dictate the rest of your life, and the rest of hers as well? We shall never be free of that fear as long as Lazarus Easter and his followers are allowed to do what they’ve been doing. It was children that stopped the Dark Lord Voldemort. I have had the privilege of meeting a few of them and you know what? They are not great warriors; they are not trained swordsmen like you and I. They are everyday witches and wizards. They are not you and I, Alligus Crock. Don’t you want to take your sword and thrust it into his evil, blackened heart? I know where the place is. I know we can find a way in. I know we can stop him, once and for all. Help me do this. You and I were destined to meet, Crock. Fate has brought us together. I know that, now. Are we going to cower in a far away corner of the world or are we going to finally put a stopper to our fears?”
     She extended her hand to Crock. He looked at her with curious eyes. Rouge, Noctem, and Destíne looked on as Crock seemed to gather his courage and nodded. He reached for her hand and took it. She helped him to his feet and smiled at her.
     “So what are we gonna do?” Rouge asked.
     Rain Fox looked at Crock and raised her eyebrows. “Yes, Mr. Crock: What are we going to do?”
     Crock looked to Destíne and Noctem. The two of them smiled. Rain Fox walked over to Noctem’s sword, picked it up, and handed it back to him. To her surprise, he walked over to a box and opened it up. He returned to her and Rouge and handed them back their wands, along with Shade’s sword and her blades.
     “Turn us around, Mr. Rowe!” Crock shouted to the man at the tiller. “Hard to port and bring us around! Set a course for the Three Lions! Make ready, boys! Battle preparations and keep your eyes upon the sea! This will not be a fun trip!”
     Rouge chuckled to himself, “Who says it ain’t gonna be fun?”
     Rain Fox grinned. For the first time in a long time, she felt more than just anxiety and anger in her heart. She felt courage again. She felt determination building up in her mind.
     For the first time in a long time, she felt hope.