Time's Tragedies- The Books Of Beginning [2]

27. Heroes Fall

Robert Lloyd smiled menacingly, taking in the sight of the children in front of him. Two smaller ones with black hair and wide hazel eyes, the boy mentally kicking himself for his arrogance that got them into this mess, the girl struck with paralyzing fear, hid. They peered at him from behind the third, the blonde haired eldest. He had heard rumors of these three, the next generation of Wibberlys, the children of his enemies. But their parents kept them safe and hidden. He hadn't expected to come face to face with them. This was indeed an unexpected, but not unwelcome surprise.

The littlest one trembled, and his grin only grew as he realized he was making her afraid. The other two, the older two, were pretending not to be. So he pointed his knife at the eldest, "so glad to finally make your acquaintance. You really do look like your parents, you know."

Abby whimpered. Jake reached for her hand and silently vowed not to be so arrogant in the future, if only to keep his sister out of scary situations like this.

"Stay away," Lili hissed, with a voice full of hate and repressed fright. It was a voice Eternity hadn't heard from the kind, introverted girl yet, but it was forceful. Or maybe the true force was the tempest swirling inside Lili as her magic sensed the threat and struggled to crack and break free. It was taking all of Lili's control to keep the unstable power from exploding.

Robert laughed, "you're in my fortress, trapped by my power-"

"It's not your power though," Eternity spoke up. She kept all signs of fear from her voice as Robert turned to her. She had never liked bullies, and she wasn't about to sit by and let this man frighten her friends. Who cared of he was bigger or older than her? He was still a bully and she knew how to hit him where it hurt. "Everyone says you're human. You have no magic of your own. So whatever you do have you must have forced or taken."

Lili gave Eternity's hand a squeeze, still focusing on repressing her magic. Robert's mouth curled into a sneer as his eyes flashed dangerously, "and just who do you think you are?"

"Eternity Time, it's an absolute horror to meet you," the teen drawled, "get locks that don't pick so easily when transporting prisoners."

Robert recognized there reference, Eternity could tell by the way his jaw twitched. She visibly smirked at being able to rile him.

"You won't escape this time," he growled, "and you'll regret allying yourself with these Wibberlys."

"Y'know, I don't think I will," Eternity commented in just the right tone of voice to be annoying. It was gutsy, sure, but she would rather be too bold than let this man walk all over her and turn her into a cowering ball of fear.

Robert didn't know how she fit into the family he sought vengeance on, this pink haired girl who seemed to delight in mocking him, but he decided he hated her just as much as he hated the company she kept. He turned his blade towards her, wanting to show just how much of a mistake making fun of him was-

"Leave her alone," Lili said, tone low and dangerous. A few crackles and sparks of her aura were now visible around her hands and head.

Robert turned back towards her and met her eyes. The loathing, the determination to protect a loved one, the way they were the exact same as that boy's, that Rafe's, the ghost turned flesh who had tried to send Robert to spend his life powerless and imprisoned. That sight sparked hatred and fear alike in Robert's empty heart.

"Do you children think yourselves brave? Do you think you can face the monsters?" Robert asked, warily watching the eldest Wibberly. "Because you should reconsider. I'm going to be your worst nightmare."

"Or you'll be a knockoff Dire Magnus who can't even buy decent locks for his prisons, but sure, let's go with that," Eternity rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the Dire Magnus," Robert said lowly, "I think you'll find I don't need children to seek out books of power for me. I don't need children at all to help me accomplish my goals. The only thing you all are good for, is revenge."