Chapter 19
The following weeks were a whirlwind of intensive training for Chad.
Under the guidance of Bas, Brianna, and the other members of the L.A.W.
, he honed his Word Warrior abilities with a newfound sense of urgency.
The looming threat of the Aether Pirates and Professor Emerson's declining health cast a shadow over everything.
One crisp morning, Chad found himself in the L.A.W. mansion's library, surrounded by ancient tomes and magical artifacts. He was poring over a particularly dense text on interdimensional theory when Brianna burst into the room, her face pale with worry.
"Chad," she said breathlessly, "you need to come quickly. It's Professor Emerson."
Chad's heart sank as he followed Brianna through the mansion's winding corridors. They emerged into a small, dimly lit chamber where Professor Emerson lay on a narrow bed, his face gaunt and ashen. Bas stood nearby, her expression grim.
"Chad," Emerson said weakly, reaching out a trembling hand. "I'm glad you're here. There's not much time left."
Chad rushed to his mentor's side, clasping the outstretched hand. "Professor, you’ll recover. You have to.” He looked over at Bas, unable to hide his alarmed reaction.
“I know we thought I had about 3 years, but something must have changed.”
“What can I do?"
Emerson's eyes, though clouded with pain, still held a spark of their usual intensity. "Listen carefully, my boy. The Aether Pirates... they're closer than we thought. The barriers between worlds are weakening faster than anticipated. And I’m weakening too."
Chad felt a chill run down his spine. "No, I refuse to accept that.”
“Chad,” Bas said, gently, “We’ve done everything we can.”
“Well, I haven’t!” Chad almost shouted. “Professor Emerson, I demand you get well, immediately!” His growled words carried the resonance and conviction of his Word Warrior abilities, reverberating around the room.
Chad believed Bas when she had said he might be able to heal as well as harm with his words. Well, now was the time for healing, and he couldn’t have wanted anything more.
Emerson took in a deep, gasping breath. He sat up, unassisted, and swept his feet over the side of the bed. Once his feet were on the floor, he rose, somewhat shakily, but then his posture straightened, and he smiled. “Damn, my boy. You did it!”
Bas’s jaw dropped. “I’m amazed. We tried all of Magda’s remedies with only limited success.”
Emerson chuckled, his voice stronger than it had been moments ago. "It seems our young Word Warrior has surpassed even our wildest expectations."
Chad stood there, stunned by what he had just accomplished. "I... I didn't know I could do that."
Bas approached, her emerald eyes scanning Emerson critically. Then she passed her hands over Emerson’s torso, like a Reiki practitioner—or an X-ray machine. "This is remarkable. The cancer seems to have gone into remission. Chad, your abilities are growing at an unprecedented rate."
Brianna beamed with pride, squeezing Chad's hand. "I knew you could do it!"
But Emerson's expression suddenly turned serious. "While I'm incredibly grateful, Chad, we can't lose focus. My illness was a distraction… perhaps even engineered by our enemies."
Chad's elation faded, replaced by a renewed sense of urgency. "What do you mean, engineered?"
“Exactly what I said. If they can’t get their bodies through yet, that doesn’t mean they can’t project their thoughts through our barriers.”
“Thoughts? You mean, they don’t even need spells or words?”
Emerson sighed gravely. "If the Aether Pirates possess abilities beyond our full understanding, and their thoughts alone can influence our reality, they could cause illness, accidents, or even alter the fabric of space-time itself."
Chad felt a chill run down his spine. "So, they could be influencing any of us right now?"
"It's possible," Bas interjected. "Which is why we've been working on strengthening our mental defenses as well as the physical barriers."
Emerson placed a hand on Chad's shoulder. "Your ability to heal me with words is a testament to the power of your intentions, Chad. It's this same power that we must harness to combat the Aether Pirates."
"But how?" Chad asked, feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before him.
Brianna stepped forward. "We've been developing a plan. It's risky, but it may be our best chance at stopping the Aether Pirates before they can fully breach our reality."
Chad looked at her expectantly. "What kind of plan?"
Bas moved to a nearby table and unrolled an ancient-looking map. "We believe the Aether Pirates are targeting specific weak points in the fabric of reality. Nexus points where the barriers between worlds are thinnest. The Library of Congress, as we've discussed, is one such point."
Emerson nodded. "But it's not the only one. There are others scattered across the globe, each housing powerful artifacts or knowledge that could be used to further weaken the barriers."
"So, what do we do?" Chad asked, studying the map intently.
"We need to reinforce these nexus points," Brianna explained. "Fortunately, we have the L.A.W. witches, Dr. Emerson, now that you’ve healed him, and you. So, buckle up, Buttercup!”
Chad looked at her and raised one eyebrow.
"Our plan," Emerson interjected, "is to create a decoy. A false artifact that appears to hold immense power, but in reality, will act as a trap."
Chad's brow relaxed. "A trap? How?"
Bas explained, "We'll imbue the decoy with a special enchantment. One that, when activated by the Aether Pirates, will seal the weakening barrier and trap them in a bubble attached to both sides.
“Aren’t they going to fight it?” he asked.
“Oh, hell yes. They’ll fight it tooth and nail,” Emerson said. “But won’t it be fun to watch them exhaust themselves?”
Chad stared at the ancient map spread out before them, his mind racing with the implications of their plan. "So, we create this decoy artifact as bait, and when the Aether Pirates try to use it, it traps them instead?"
Emerson nodded gravely. "That's the essence of it, yes. But it won't be easy. The decoy needs to be convincing enough to lure them in, yet powerful enough to contain entities from another dimension."
"And that's where you come in," Bas added, fixing Chad with her piercing gaze." Your Word Warrior abilities will be crucial in crafting the enchantment for the trap. Your words, infused with intention and power, will form the foundation of the spell."
Chad felt the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders. "I understand. But how do we know they'll take the bait? And what if they realize it's a fake?”
“And what if a flying saucer lands on your head?” Bas asked.
“What? A flying saucer?”
“I’m afraid that’s Bas’s sense of humor, Chad,” Brianna said. “If she says something ridiculous, she’s probably joking. Right, Bas?”
The powerful entity smiled. “Probably.”
Chad tossed his hands in the air. “Listen, this whole mission is ridiculous! How would I know the difference?”
Emerson placed a hand on Chad’s shoulder. “I know where you’re coming from, son. I felt the same way when I was exposed to the supernatural world at a young age.”
Chad nodded. “Well, thank you for trying to clue me in. I’m still feeling fairly clueless, although with Duke pointing me toward some of the L.A.W.
library’s occult texts, I’m beginning to see how a lot of magic has been lost to the mundane population.
So many magnificent, peaceful witches were killed in the Middle Ages that it’s no wonder their grimoires had to be carefully hidden or destroyed completely.
“Yes, and some of those that have been unearthed—so to speak—have been protected behind powerful wards.”
“Let me guess,” Chad said. “Some of these are in the Library of Congress.”
“Ding, ding, ding…” Emerson said, smiling. “Give the man a prize.”
“The only prize I want is getting myself and my loved ones out of this alive.” He winked at Brianna.
“Uh, yeah…” Brianna said. “About that. I’m about to go on another mission. I can’t tell you about it in case a veiled enemy could overhear us.”
Chad whirled around, scanning the area. Directing his gaze at Bas, he asked, “You think there are dark forces here?”
“No, the mansion is one of the safest places you’ll ever find, but you can never be too careful. These anomalies are getting closer and closer to breaking through.”
Brianna and Rayna crept silently through the darkened halls of the Library of Congress, their footsteps muffled by a silencing charm. The vast building felt eerie and abandoned at this late hour, with only the faint glow of security lights casting long shadows across the ornate architecture.
"Remind me again what we're looking for?" Brianna whispered, her eyes scanning the seemingly endless rows of bookshelves.
Rayna's voice was barely audible as she replied, "The Codex Temporis. It's said to contain powerful time magic - spells that could potentially rip open the barriers between worlds if the Aether Pirates got their hands on it."
“And we’d be overrun?”
“Yup. And like the pirates of old, we expect them not only to plunder, but to kill indiscriminately.”
“Oh, shit,” Brianna whispered.
“No shit,” Rayna whispered back.
They rounded a corner into a section filled with rare manuscripts, the air heavy with the musty scent of old parchment.
Brianna felt a prickle of unease run down her spine as they moved deeper into the rare manuscript section. The shelves loomed around them, filled with ancient tomes and scrolls.
"It should be here somewhere," Rayna murmured, her eyes scanning the spines of the paper books, even though they were looking for something so old that it might be written on papyrus. "Look for anything that seems out of place or gives off a magical aura."
As they searched, Brianna noticed a faint shimmer in the air near one of the shelves. "Rayna," she whispered urgently, "I think I found something."
They approached cautiously. As they got closer, Brianna could make out the outline of a book that seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
"That's it," Rayna breathed. "The Codex Temporis. It's cloaked, but you found it. Your abilities to sense magic have grown! Congratulations!”
“Don’t congratulate me yet. We’re supposed to bring this back to the L.A.W. library, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, anything could happen between here and there…” As if she’d just initiated a self-fulfilling prophecy, she hissed, “Wait,” holding up a hand.
"Do you feel that?" Brianna paused, extending her magical senses.
There was a faint vibration in the air, barely perceptible but growing stronger with each passing moment. "The anomalies?"
Rayna nodded grimly. "They're getting closer. We need to hurry."
Suddenly, Brianna froze. "Rayna, look," she whispered, pointing to a large but faint shimmer in the air near one of the bookshelves.
Rayna's eyes widened as she saw it too - a barely perceptible distortion, like heat waves rising from hot pavement. "An anomaly," she breathed. "They're getting closer."
As they watched, the shimmer grew more pronounced. For a split second, Brianna thought she saw a face pushing through, its features twisted in a malevolent grin, before it vanished.
Brianna felt her heart racing as she stared at the spot where the face had appeared. "We need to get out of here. Now."
Rayna nodded, her expression grim. "Grab the Codex. I'll cover our escape."
With trembling hands, Brianna reached for the shimmering book. As her fingers touched its surface, she felt a jolt of energy course through her body. The Codex solidified in her grasp, its cover warm and pulsing with barely contained power.
Just as Brianna secured the Codex, a loud crack echoed through the library. The anomaly was expanding, the air around it warped and twisted unnaturally.
"Run!" Rayna shouted. All pretense of stealth abandoned. She raised her hands, muttering a quick incantation that sent a burst of protective energy towards the anomaly, only instead of protecting them, Rayna’s burst of energy ripped a hole in the fabric, allowing someone’s arm to penetrate the Aether and reach into the Library of Congress. “Shit!”
Brianna swiveled to see what had happened. She clutched the Codex Temporis tightly to her chest as she and Rayna sprinted through the darkened library. Behind them, she could hear someone grunting, like the sound of something forcing its way through the expanding anomaly.
"We need to seal it!" Brianna shouted as they ran.
Rayna nodded grimly. "Once we're clear of the building. We can't risk trapping ourselves in here with whatever's coming through!"
They burst out of the library's side entrance, the cool night air a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere inside. Rayna whirled around, her hands glowing with magical energy as she began to chant a sealing spell.
But it was too late.
A female figure emerged from the rip, her form flickering and distorting as if she had not fully materialized in this reality.
“What now?” Brianna cried.
Rayna worried her lip. “I’m out of ideas. What have you got?”
“Time manipulation? We can go back to before you threw your energy grenade…”
“My— Never mind, just do it!”
Brianna grabbed Rayna’s wrist and yanked her back inside the library.
She closed her eyes and concentrated hard on the moment she’d grabbed the codex and felt it solidify in her hands.
A moment later, they were back in the magical archives, with Brianna holding the codex. “Now we run and don’t look back.”
Rayna didn’t need to be told twice. She ran behind Brianna, just as she had before, but this time she waited until they were out of the library before she whirled toward the anomaly and uttered her sealing spell. Then she slammed the door shut.
“How do we know if it worked?” Brianna asked.
Rayna leaned over, hands on her knees, as she panted. “We don’t, but I’m going to pretend it did.”
“Pretend?”
“Okay, I used the wrong word. Believe. You need to believe in your magic for it to work.”
“Yeah. I get that. But now we should probably get our butts back to the mansion. Will the Codex be safe there?”
“Oh, yes. Duke has a couple of sections of the L.A.W.’s occult library cloaked and warded. No one knows where those are, except for one other person.”
“Bas, I’d guess.”
“Nope. It’s someone he knows who we’re not aware of. The less any of us knows, the safer we’ll all be.”
“I get it. Nobody to torture the information out of.”
“Exactly.”