Chapter 23 #2
That evening, Chad paced across the room with his hands clasped behind his back. He had called a meeting of all the witches plus Dr. Emerson. As soon as the good professor arrived, he relaxed a little and stood behind the open seat at the head of the table—the one usually reserved for Bas.
“Is Bas coming?” Dr. Emerson asked.
“She’ll be here in a few minutes. She wanted me to start without her.”
Dr. Emerson nodded. “All right. What’s on your mind, dear boy?”
The term ‘boy’ rankled a bit, but Chad didn’t correct him. He would just have to show everyone that he’d finally become the man they all thought he could be. “I’m tired of going after each anomaly one at a time. There must be some way we can seal up our side of the rupture, all over.”
“All over?” Brianna’s expression was more puzzled than most. “Do you mean all over the world?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“Well, now I know why Bas isn’t here yet,” Joell said. “She didn’t want to tell you that you’re out of your mind and left us to do it.”
Chad frowned. “Have you ever dealt with anything like this before?”
“No, we haven’t,” Magda said, “And I, for one, would like to hear him out.”
Some of the other witches nodded their encouragement.
Chad took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "I know it sounds ambitious, maybe even impossible. But we've seen how these anomalies are spreading, popping up in more and more places. We can't keep playing whack-a-mole forever."
Dr. Emerson stroked his beard thoughtfully. "You're not wrong, Chad. A more comprehensive solution would be ideal. But the scale of what you're proposing is daunting, to say the least."
"I understand that," Chad said, firmly and with conviction. "But think about it. My Word Warrior abilities have been growing stronger every day. If we could somehow amplify them, and spread them across the globe..."
Brianna's eyes widened as she began to grasp what Chad was suggesting. "You want to use your words to seal the entire world against interdimensional intrusion?"
Chad nodded. “We’d need to use the ley lines. These alignments are not only tectonic, but they also hold spiritual significance since they connect us across time and space with our ancestors and their collective wisdom.
Dr. Emerson leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Go on, Chad. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, we know the Codex Temporis has immense power over time and space. What if we could use it to create a global ward? A barrier that would seal off our entire reality from the Aether Pirates?"
Murmurs of surprise, hope, and skepticism rippled through the room. Brianna's eyes widened, a mix of awe and concern on her face.
"That's... that's incredibly ambitious, Chad," she said carefully. "The amount of power required would be astronomical. And I’ve barely scratched the surface of the Codex."
“I know. But you could, with Dr. Emerson’s help, double down. Learn all you can from it. We may need to protect ourselves beyond just this timeline.”
“Whoa, whoa…” Joell interjected. “It’s one thing to try to megaphone the entire world, but to continue it through time?”
Chad nodded firmly. "Exactly, Joell. We need to think bigger. The Aether Pirates aren't just threatening us in the present. They're a danger to our entire timeline, past and future."
Dr. Emerson's eyes gleamed with a mix of admiration and concern. "It's an audacious plan, Chad. But the risks are enormous. Manipulating time and space on that scale... it could have unforeseen consequences."
"I understand the risks," Chad said, his voice steady. "But what's the alternative? To keep fighting these incursions one by one until we're overwhelmed? Or until they find a way to break through in so many places at once that we can't stop them?"
The room fell silent as the gravity of the situation sank in. Brianna stepped closer to Chad and placed a hand on his arm.
"Chad," she said softly, "I admire your determination.” Brianna bit her lip, her mind racing. "But the risks... One wrong word, one misplaced intention, and we could alter entire timelines. We could erase ourselves from existence!"
"That's why we need to approach this carefully," Chad insisted. "We'll need everyone's expertise. Brianna, your expertise is with time. That’s why you were recruited, right?”
“Right. But—”
“Bas knew the L.A.W. was going to need you at some point. I think this is it. One thing in our favor is the Codex. The pirates don’t have it.
Ask yourself why they wanted it so badly.
Breaking into the Library of Congress must have taken a lot of juice.
A rare smirk crossed his face. “My enemy made one fatal mistake.”
“What is that?” Joell demanded.
“He taught me that Word Warriors are much more powerful than I realized. I have been limiting myself simply by thinking certain things are impossible. He assured me I can do things most people couldn’t even dream of.
But I can’t do this alone. We need every advantage.
We need all of your skills. We need the Codex.
“Brianna and Dr. Emerson are the only ones who even know where it is.” He focused on them. “You have to study it. Understand it. And learn how to use it… as a weapon, if necessary.”
“What?” Brianna almost shouted. “A weapon? How? Why?”
“Through the ley lines surrounding the earth.”
Dr. Emerson rubbed his hands together. “And that’s why you were recruited, Chad! Not just because you’re a Word Warrior, but also because you see connections and possibilities the rest of us would miss.”
“You’re serious?” Joell asked.
“He is,” Bas said as she strode into the room.
“And I applaud his ambition. Now, we will all need to be at our best. I suggest you all reread your books of shadows and refresh your skills. This is going to take a tremendous amount of power. All of us together have that power, but we cannot have even one weak link. Not one doubter, so if any of you have reservations, speak now.”
Everyone turned toward Joell, expectantly.
She raised her hands in surrender. “I’m not going to object. I hope it can be done, and I know that we’ll have to be as prepared as we can possibly be. Time may not be on our side, so let’s get to it!”
“Excellent point,” Dr. Emerson said. “Maybe the Codex can help us do something about that.”
Victoria, who had been quietly frowning up to this point, raised her hand. “Are you talking about going back in time with the Codex to give yourselves more time to study it?”
“That’s one possibility,” Bas said.
“Well, don’t back us up before the Saks sale!” she quipped. “I got a great pair of shoes, and they were the last ones. I don’t want to use my powers to snatch them back from anyone who sees them before I do.”
The other witches laughed.
“Seriously, though, Brianna. Please don’t back us up before the last battle, where Damien pulled me over to the other side of the dimension.” He shivered, dramatically.
The other witches groaned.
“Don’t worry. I don’t want to live through that again. How about if Dr. Emerson and I get studying it as soon and as quickly as possible in this timeline?”
“Sounds good to me,” Dr. Emerson said. “I want Chad to join us too. Would you like to start tonight?”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan,” Chad said.
“Wait,” Crystal said. “Is there a plan B? What if the Codex can’t do what you think it can?”
Bas nodded. “Witches, you should also brush up on your witch flight. You may be taking a passenger around the world.”
Another collective female groan filled the room.
“Look,” Chad said. “I can ride a motorcycle, so I’m not worried about losing my balance and you dumping me off your broomsticks.”
A long, loud, belly laugh followed.
“Chad, my boy. You have yet to see all these witches can do. In the near future, you may be riding on the back of a motorcycle in the sky.”