The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 5: The Last Pendant

Chapter 14: The Distance Between

Chapter 14

Shade, Star, Sam, Dan, and Bria made their way up the Iron Mountain in an uneasy quiet. Shade led the pack up the narrow path that wound through the jagged mount that was between the school and Walden Pond, hidden from Muggle eyes and undetectable outside of the protection of the charms that hid the school. Atop the Iron Mountain (which really wasn't a mountain, more like a large hill) was the old magic star map room called the Star Chamber. It was a relic of an ancient group of people who rode dragons. They had mapped out the stars in the sky and created the chamber as a way of determining their position. It was an ancient place; it predated much of the local history by thousands of years. It was mostly used now as a tool for the Astronomy class taught at the Salem Academy of Magic. Occasionally it was also utilized by the Salem Institute for Witches (which was located between Salem and Danvers) but they hardly utilized it. The students of Salem, however, were fascinated by it. When activated, the Star Chamber would illuminate with thousands upon thousands of tiny light orbs, all of them representing the stars in the sky, a means of figuring out the position of the stars and using parallax as a means of positioning one's self in the sky as one would stand (or ride a dragon) and wonder where they may be.
As they marched up the stone stairs, Bria and Star talked about how neat the Chamber was. Sam walked behind them all and kept gazing at the landscape as they escalated up the mount. Dan tried to keep pace with Shade as they ascended. Dan had a scowl on his face; he didn't turn to look at Shade at all. Shade kept looking over at Dan but Dan gave no hint of looking back. He looked back at Bria and Star, who both returned smiles to him. He looked back at Sam. Sam gave him an uneasy, small smile. She then looked away quickly, pacing herself so that she had a good distance between the others and herself.
Shade turned his head back to the ascending stairs and kept walking. "So," he said aloud to Dan, "How are things going, Dan?"
"Fine," Dan said without changing his direction or manner, "You?"
"I'm okay," Shade answered, "Surviving, I guess. I've been trying to get acquainted with stuff again on this side, you know?"
"That's nice," Dan spoke blankly.
Shade didn't speak again for a few moments. "So, how's school?" he asked.
"I didn't get to finish my Seventh Year," Dan answered, "We left Hogwarts to go find a Horcrux, battle Easter, and then find you."
"Oh," Shade said, "I'm sure that you can talk to the Ward Masters about everything and they'll work something out for you, given the circumstances."
"Thanks," Dan said, "I'll need to remember that."
"Um," Shade said, struggling to talk to the young wizard, "How's your family?"
"My dad's somewhere in Europe right now," Dan said.
"Oh," Shade said, "On business?"
"Negative," Dan answered, "He's hiding. Someone Master Wolf sent Modified his memories so that he doesn't remember me or know where I might be, just in case Easter's Embers were hoping to get a hold of him and try to torture him about me or the others. They changed his memories so that he's from some European country and has no recollection of me. They did the same thing to Sam's family, too, and worked it out so that they're not missed, like an extended vacation. I miss my dad. I want to talk to him about all this, but hey, no worries, right?"
"Oh," Shade said, "Right."
"They couldn't bring him here like they did everyone else," Dan said, "Because, you know, my dad's a Muggle and stuff. Bria's family showed up yesterday. And, hey, they managed to bring the real Digger Bronze over, too. He's still asleep, but he's here. Spirit's mom and sister arrived, too. Master Wolf's got everyone else here except the Muggle people."
Shade shrugged uneasily. "Well, there's the Statute of Secrecy," he spoke, "I'm sure his hands were tied about bringing the Muggles here. That had to have been a tough decision."
"You know all about tough decisions," Dan said sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shade asked.
"Nothing, man," Dan replied, "Let's just get up here and do whatever we got to do."
"No, tell me what's going on with you," Shade said, "You've been weird with me since we left Greenland. Talk to me, Dan."
"About what?" Dan asked.
"About whatever's bugging you," Shade answered. "Just talk to me."
Dan stopped abruptly and pointed at Shade. "You really want me to talk to you, after what you did? You have no idea what you did to Sam, do you? You just waltz around like you're the big deal when you don't even know what you did to-!"
"Dan!" Sam shouted out.
Bria and Star had stopped in their tracks. Sam walked between them and stepped up to face Dan.
"Dan," Sam said gently, "I can fight my own fights, boy. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself, thank you very much."
"I know, but he has to know-" Dan began.
"Don't you worry none about me, Dan," Sam said, "I'll handle that in due time, boy. Y'all don't worry none about it." Sam put a hand on his face to calm him.
Dan sighed. He nodded. "Fine," he grunted.
Sam turned to face Shade. "When the time's right," Sam said, "We're gonna have a chat, you and me, okay?"
Shade nodded. "Okay," answered.
"Good," Sam said with a smile and a nod. "Now, if y'all 'er done actin' like a couple o' whiny lil' witches we can get to the top o' this dang staircase and meet up with the Ol' Pup." She resumed walking up the stairs and took the lead. Dan followed behind her after giving Shade a scathing look.
"This is fun so far," Bria chuckled.
"Is that what you call this?" Star asked.
"Something like that, mate," Bria replied.
Shade took a deep breath. He started again up the stairs, this time bringing up the rear of the group.
"Hey," Star barked at Shade, "I got something to ask you."
Shade hurried up to walk beside Star and Bria. "What's up?"
"Did the Baxia scream at you today?" Star asked.
Shade shook his head. "No, not today."
"Me, neither," Star remarked, "When we showed up the other day, they screamed at us like the Caterwauler bus times ten. But when I crossed the field today, nothing. They didn't make a peep."
"Why would they scream at you?" Shade asked.
"I thought they were screaming at me when we got here," Star said.
"How funny," Shade said, "I thought they were screaming at me."
"Why you?" Bria asked.
"Because I thought that the ritual Easter did to get me back here somehow tainted my soul or put some kind of evil curse on me," Shade answered.
"Dude," Star said, "I thought it was because I had been turned into a vampire! Looks like we're both off the hook, then! Phew! I was worried for a minute!"
"That is curious," Bria remarked. "If neither one of you set off the Baxia, then what did? You think Iggy did it? Her werewolf curse might've done it, you think?"
"I doubt it," Shade said, "They're a tribe that embraces wolves into their culture. A werewolf curse is an honor in their tribe. They have the Dire Wolves, too. I would think the Baxia would howl at the Dire Wolves or at the Animagus warriors in their tribe that turn into Dire Wolves. They really love wolves."
"You don't think one of the parents are imposters, do you?" Bria asked. "Like what they did with Digger? You think?"
"I don't think so," Shade said, "They were looking directly at me. The parents were to our right and behind us."
"I was standing right next to you, dude," Star said, "I thought they were howling at me."
"That is odd," Bria commented, "You both think you were the cause of their hollering, yet neither one has set them off since. It is a mystery, to be sure."
"Maybe it was Sherman," Star offered up.
Shade and Bria gave her a funny look.
"Not bloody likely, mate," Bria laughed. "Sherman being evil is about as likely as the Chudley Canons winning first place in Quidditch."
Shade laughed. "True," he smiled, "And you're right: It is a mystery; one we will have to examine later."
They finally reached the summit of the Iron Mountain. The summit had been flattened out like a butte, with the entire topside walled by a short stone wall made of large and medium rocks that were stacked upon each other. It formed a rim around the top of the mount, encircling it. The place formed a courtyard with stone statues of dragons of different varieties throughout. A small grass lawn was in the center, cut in half by a stone walkway that led to the black iron doors of the dome. The Star Chamber rose, a great stone and iron dome that looked like a snouted igloo. There, before the black doors, levitating a few rocks in the air, stood Master Wolf. He wore his Bishop Ward robes, decorated with the emblems and symbols of his tribe, the Seneca, the same tribe as the Cloudstorm twins.
Master Wolf rotated the rocks in a strange way: He had four small stones rotating counterclockwise around a larger spherical stone. He didn't look at the newly-arrived group as he spoke to them. "Funny that it took so long for Muggles to widely accept that the Earth was not the center of the universe. The wisest among them were so convinced that the universe revolved around this singular planet; that it was at the center of all Creation. They resisted the notion that the universe was vast, deep; deeper than their petty minds could comprehend. They resisted it mostly because, if the universe didn't revolve around them, then this planet was not the center of universal attention, and therefore their science, hard work, and understanding had all been built upon a lie, a falsehood. In hindsight, we can see that all they did was resist the truth. The truth was out there, right in front of their collective faces, and yet they resisted it. Who knows how many years of torture and debate were wasted just because those supposed 'wise' men could not face and embrace the truth right in front of them."
The group stood silent, watching the Old Pup take his wand and flick it. The stones he levitated fell to the ground, breaking apart as they hit it. The big round stone split in two.
"I'm not so stubborn," Master Wolf said. He turned to the group and walked towards them. He approached Star and looked at her with kind eyes. "I'm sorry for my attitude the other day, young Ms. Saoirse. It was wrong of me to attack you like that."
Star gave a small smile. "It's okay, sir," she replied, "Master Bullavin was an amazing sorcerer."
"That's an understatement," Master Wolf commented. "He was the most gifted sorcerer I've ever met. He knew the nature of evil that resides in all men, Muggle and Magical. Yet, despite his dark and fearsome exterior, he was sincere and very caring. He always put the needs of others before his own. He never took risks he hadn't calculated ahead of time. His most annoying quality was that he was always right and so darn confident about it. He was my blood brother, my best friend. Forgive me, young ones, for my pain at his loss is great."
Star nodded. "He told me about how he loved the princess Anastasia," she said, "How he had always loved her, and how he never stopped loving her."
Master Wolf nodded as well. "Yes, the great love of his life. It was that love and the guilt he carried that made him surrender his anger and help take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald under Professor Dumbledore's tutelage. It was that love that led him to teach alongside me. It was that love that led him to care for you, children. In my anguish I had forgotten that. For that, I am sorry." He reached into his robes and withdrew a wand; the wrought-iron handled wand that had been Master Bullavin's, taken from Star when they had arrived days earlier. "I have examined it. I saw what he did. I saw what he did for you. He was right. I was wrong. Take it, Star. It truly does belong to you, now. It was what he intended."
The Old Pup held the wand out. Star took it gently from the hands of Master Wolf. When she put her hand upon it, she felt a sudden sense of gladness, as though her hand and the wand rejoiced in reuniting once again. It gave a small spark from its tip as she took hold of it.
"Apparently," Master Wolf said, "The wand feels the same way."
Sam smiled big. "Well, ain't that somethin'."
Master Wolf stepped to Shade and stood before him for a brief moment. The next moment, he embraced Shade in a hug. Shade was caught off-guard by it.
"Master?" Shade asked.
"I didn't get to tell you that I'm glad you're back, young Shadow Glow," Master Wolf said.
"Oh," Shade said. He hugged the Old Pup back. "Thank you, Master."
Master Wolf broke off his embrace and looked at the others. "Ms. Meadows, Mr. Titan, Ms. Brightwater," Master Wolf said, "I am very pleased to see you all alive and well. Your bravery in the Frozen North is noteworthy, and we will figure out the logistics of making sure you get completion credits for your absence from Hogwarts at the end of your Seventh Year."
"You'll be proud of them, especially, Master," Star said, "If it weren't for Sam, Dan, and Bria, we would never have gotten as far as we did! Bria figured out Merlin's first puzzle, Dan figured out the second one, and Sam did the third!"
"Really?" Master Wolf replied. "I will need to hear about it soon. Not now, however, children. I summoned you here for a purpose. There is something I must show you all, and a riddle that only you can help me solve. Come, into the Star Chamber we must go." Master Wolf took a key out of his robes and unlocked the great black doors to the Star Chamber and opened them.
The group followed Master Wolf into the Star Chamber. It was dark within the small hall leading to the main chamber. He opened the second set of doors with a charm and pushed the doors open. The Star Chamber was lit, however not with the tiny orbs of the star map. Instead it was lit by a single large orb in the center of the room, much like a miniature sun, though the room was not hot with its heat; it remained relatively cool. Across the chamber, sitting on a cot with a single blanket, a pillow, and a small bag beside it, was a man. He looked sad, weary, and had an unshaven face with much stubble upon it. He looked as though he had been there for many days.
"Shade?" the man called out, "Is that you? Is it really you?"
Shade approached the man slowly. The man got up and walked over to greet Shade.
"Oh my gosh!" Shade said, "Griffin? Griffin Thornback!"
Griffin Thornback got to Shade and wrapped his arms around him. "Merlin's Beard, man! You're alive! They said you were dead! They said you had died! Saints alive, I'm so glad you're here! Jumpin' Jarvey!"
"Okay, bro," Shade said, "You can let me go, now!"
"Sorry, Shade," Griffin said, letting him go. "It's just been a while since I've had some good news, you know? I've been here for a while and it's just been the Old Pup to talk to and no word about what's been happening out there."
Dan walked up and asked aloud, "Why are you here?"
Griffin looked at Dan up and down. "You must be Dan Titan, right?" he asked. "You look like your dad, Mr. Titan. I modified his memories so that he could hide in safety from anyone trying to harm him or you. He's just fine, Mr. Titan. I made sure he was taken care of, though he might come home being able to whittle a pair of clogs from wood when he does. Apparently, Muggles wear wooden shoes; how odd, right?"
"You did that?" Dan asked.
"Yes," Griffin answered, "And I helped hide Ms. Meadows' family, as well. That was no easy task, mind you. Your parents, Ms. Meadows, are Muggle law enforcers, right?"
"Darn skippy," Sam answered, "Deputy sheriffs, to be exact."
"Very clever Muggles, they are!" Griffin cheered. "Master Wolf had me collecting everyone and bringing them either here or hiding them in other places."
Shade pondered for a second. "Why were you gathering people here?" he asked the Old Pup.
"Because I don't trust people outside of these walls except a very small few," Master Wolf answered. "Between the Ministry, the Six Nations, and the Embers of Easter, there are too many agendas out there that are not serving the good of the general populace. I had Mared, Talon, and Griffin collecting people and bringing them here. Not just the families of the children either, but other Elemental Pendant Bearers, as well. The Embers were hunting them down and taking the Pendants for themselves. They've acquired many of them. I don't know how they were hunting them down and finding them, but they have proven very successful in doing so. I insisted to the Old Council to bring the remaining Bearers here but they thought I was pandering to the Ministry so they refused me. So I started acting on my own and had Mared, Talon, and Griffin bringing people here. I was one of three people who knew where the Sandpipers were hidden before they were killed."
"Who else knew where they were?" Bria asked.
"Only two others," Master Wolf spoke, "Herodian Fallborn and Castor Gray."
"Uh oh," Star said, "That ain't good. That means one of them betrayed the Sandpipers to Easter's goons."
Master Wolf nodded. "Now you know my dilemma. Both of them believe Griffin here was the traitor and insisted that he betrayed them. I knew better. I knew I had to hide him somewhere safe, away from their prying eyes."
"So yeah," Griffin said, "I'm stuck here until things get settled."
"That sucks, dude," Star said.
"Tell me about it, kid," Griffin huffed.
"That's not why I brought you here," Master Wolf told the group. "There was something I saw in the Priori Incantatum I performed on Master Bullavin's wand that I needed clarifying. You kids saw first-hand what happened up there when Bullavin and Star defeated Easter. I need to know what happened to him exactly as it happened."
"Oh," Bria quipped, "Well, sir, Easter was already in Merlin's innermost chambers under the Twisted Tower. He took us captive but Star was able to outsmart him. He took our wands from us, but she still had Shade's wand in her robes. He tried to perform the ritual to bring back Morgan le Fay with the four wands of the old Bearers, but it failed because Star did the old switcheroo. Then Bullavin showed up and defeated Graves (or Leech, gosh that's mighty confusing). Then Easter took Star and held her and threatened her, then she bit him, Bullavin Disarmed him, and then Star put the Pendant of Light around Easter's neck. It sucked his soul out of him and he was gone."
"Interesting," Master Wolf said.
"Easter's dead?" Griffin asked.
"Not quite," Shade said, "He still has a Horcrux out there. His soul is still attached to this side of life."
"Now hold on a second," Master Wolf said, "Tell us what you saw in Spirit's wand, Griffin."
"Oh," Griffin said, "Well, she was brilliant before she, well, you know."
"You were there?" Star asked.
"I was behind her, but we were being chased on brooms," Griffin said, "I tried to stave off the Embers but some of them caught up to her. She was already a ghost when I finally got to her. I was too late. All I could do was examine her wand. I saw who she fought with."
"She said Argent killed her," Star told him.
"He dealt the Killing Curse, yes," Griffin said, "But someone else brought her down. He had different robes than the other Embers I've seen. He had a mask on, too. In the echoes of her wand, it looked like he had a sun or a star or something on the forehead of his mask. I couldn't tell who he was, but he had a gross, groveling voice. He took her down while Argent did her in."
Master Wolf took his wand and said, "Flagrante." He used his wand to draw a symbol in the air with floating flames; a sun with rays radiating from it. "Did it look like this?"
"Yeah!" Griffin said, "That's what it looked like in the Priori Incantatum."
"You said that Leech took over the soulless body of Easter, correct?" Master Wolf asked the children.
"Yes, sir," Dan replied.
Master Wolf pointed to the symbol still aflame and floating. "This is an Anti-Sunshine Charm," he pointed out. "Ironic, isn't it? Why would someone in the cult of Light wear an emblem that repels sunshine? They have been using a very thick Fog Hex when they attack people lately. Why do you think they would do that?"
The group, including Griffin, were clueless; everyone except Star.
"Dude!" she shouted out. "I got it! I bit him!"
Master Wolf grinned.
"I bit him!" she hollered. "When he had his arm around me, I straight up bit the nasty punk! I bit him with my vampire teeth!"
"You really are a clever witch, Ms. Saoirse," Master Wolf remarked.
"You're a vampire?" Griffin asked.
"Yuppers!" Star laughed.
"She is right," Master Wolf said, "I needed to hear it from you what happened to Easter, but now we know."
"She cursed Easter's body with a vampire curse," Shade said, "Good going, Star!"
"Thanks!" Star replied.
"What does that mean for us, though?" Sam asked.
"It means he's going to be desperate," Master Wolf explained. "It means Leech is in the cursed body of Easter. It means he can't anchor his soul like a vampire would."
"Why not?" Dan asked.
"Horcruxes," Master Wolf answered, "Leech has used them before, which means he can't anchor his incomplete soul to another as an anchor. You have to have a complete and undivided soul to attach it to someone. Horcruxes divide the soul; it splits it up. If Star were to make a Horcrux then try to anchor her soul, it would not work. You need a complete soul to do it."
"What does that mean, though?" Dan asked.
"It means he won't be human for long," Star answered. "He will turn into a Vampiri. He's cursed. Unless you anchor your soul or put it into something like my Nebula Orb, you turn into a Vampiri. When that happens, you're done: You lose your mind and turn into a mindless, wild Vampiri, like Antipater did right before he got dusted."
"Again, you hit the mark, Ms. Saoirse," Master Wolf spoke.
"I kinda became an expert on all things vampire, sir," Star answered.
"I don't know how he's kept himself from becoming a Vampiri this long," Master Wolf said, "But he can't stave it off forever. It means he will be desperate and ferocious and merciless. He's hunting the Pendants, and I mean he's hunting yours, Star, and yours, Shade. He's hunting Rain Fox and Echo. He wants them. The power of the Pendants are incredible. He will want them desperately now."
"Wow," Sam muttered, "No pressure or anything."
"So we just stay here and wait for Easter to come at us?" Dan asked.
"Or we just wait until he turns all nasty and let him take a walk on a sunny day," Star said slyly.
Shade winced and grabbed his side. Everyone took notice of it.
"It's not that simple," Shade told them through gritted teeth. "I need to get to the Fountain of Fair Fortune. My life and Easter's and Leech's final end depends on it."
"The Fountain of Fair Fortune?" Master Wolf asked. "If you want to read the story, Mrs. Mothshead in the library has a few copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard you could read."
"No, Master," Shade said, holding his side, "The real place. It exists. It is the only place that can save my life and where the one thing that can end Easter and Leech is located."
"What do you mean, 'Save your life?'" Sam asked.
Shade straightened himself out and looked sincerely at the group. "The Blackwell Toxin is still inside of me," he told them. "I'm dying."