Chapter 4 – Sharing (still Franz)

When the flames died, I found myself back in my home. Maria was probably snoozing upstairs. Clara probably went back to her house. I pointed a finger at the hearth and a crackling fire warmed the living room. I turned on my music player, a souvenir from my trip to 2010. I put on a disc labeled "2012 pop songs" and let the songs wash over me. I cranked up the volume a little louder.

Just then, a jingling of keys echoed outside the door. I waited. Clara came in, holding her game bag. Her bow was strung over her shoulder, and from her sweaty face I could tell she had gone hunting again. "When did you get here?" she asked me. "Not that I'm complaining, now, this is your house, but I thought I got your keys? When I went outside, you weren't at home. I believe I locked the door."

I stared at her.

"Oh, never mind, what's important is you're here." She put her game bag on the kitchen counter and emptied out the contents. I counted two rabbits, four birds, and a deer. She must be a really good hunter. Maybe if I...

I shook the idea off my head. No, that wouldn't be right. She wouldn't believe me in any way. And she's probably got a vicious streak a mile wide. I headed to my room upstairs when someone came knocking on my door. I froze at the top step.

"I'll get it." Clara said as she wiped her hands on a dirty towel. When she opened the door, a blast of cold wind threatened to knock me off my feet.

This is not good. This is not good.

I heard a voice, saying, "Hello, my name's Amelia. Is Franz there? I am a friend of his."

This is not good. This is not not good.

"Oh, he's here" came Clara's reply. "I'll call him."

Then she appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Franz, someone's here for you. Someone named Amelia."

I ran down the stairs to meet her. She was already sitting on one of my velvet couches, looking very awkward in a cotton dress and white gloves. Her tiara had morphed into a small ribbon, but the centerpiece was still empty. Clara went back to the kitchen. I waved a hand over her to keep her from hearing our conversation, because I know this will be something serious. Deadly serious.

Turns out I was right.

"Franz, when I looked into my crystal ball last night, just after the meeting, I saw something." Amelia began. "I saw Mount Silvesta, wrapped in a dark shroud of black clouds. It rose up, higher and higher like floodwater, reaching the throne room. Then our gems were there, and I saw the clouds surround them.

"I think this means something. I think this is something more serious than me losing my life gem." Amelia wrung her hands and sighed.

I was surprised to see her like this. This was the first time she actually asked me to help her. It was usually me who asked for help. "What can I do?"

"Tell your Quester to put up a good fight," she said. "Tell her that we will always stand by her side in every battle she faces."

"By we you mean..."

"Everyone. The entire Council."

I wished I could do more. "Yes, I'll do that." For a moment the pair said nothing, just stared at the crackling flames in the fireplace. I could hear Maria's deep breathing from the upstairs room. In the kitchen, Clara banged pots and pans as she worked her rabbi stew. Then Amelia straightened. "I have an idea. It's completely insane, but I do. It might help us stand against the Diabolicals."

"Then say it, dear." I said. "Say it."

She frowned. Apparently she didn't appreciate me calling her 'dear'. Nevertheless she spoke. "Once my life-gem has been found, we could unite our life-gems so that we could share each other's power. We could become a union. The Diabolicals will never stand a chance."

I admit, for a sorceress of Earth and Life, the thought that it came from her was pretty much bemusing. Still, it was full of loopholes. "If you were to tell Watson that, he'd probably say that you just want more power for yourself. He might even get suspicious."

Amelia placed her hands on her sides, hitting the couch with a small thud. "Well, that settles it. It was just an idea, anyway." She rose to leave but I grabbed her arm. "Wait, Amelia."

"What?"

"That idea of yours is possible. It's brilliant. But what could we use as a binder?"

"I've thought of that already. It's the Wand of Light."

I stared at her. "You want...the Wand of Light?"

"Yes," she answered defiantly.

I raised my hands exasperatedly. "Of all things, the Wand of Light? It could kill a wizard with the power it holds! It could make you drunk with power! It could―"

"I know what the Wand can do," Amelia said. "But we're not wizards, we're sorcerers. And I wouldn't be alone. All of us: you, me, Watson and Nerissa, will put our life-gems there and be bound together against the Diabolicals."

"And what about Time?"

Amelia bit her lip. The Wand of Light was the source of the Time Sorcerer's powers, Nicholas Flamel. If anything wrong happened to the Wand, it would be the end of him and his sorcery. Nicholas was the only sorcerer who had kept his mortality. The rest of us were immortal. If anything happened to the Wand, it could dispel all forces of Time in the universe.

"We'd just have to be careful," she said. Once again they were quiet. After a few moments, she spoke again. "So do you agree?"

"Of course I do. It's our salvation."

"Thanks a lot, Franz. This meeting has been...pleasant." She stood up and I followed her out the door. I glanced at the kitchen; Clara wasn't paying us any attention. Once outside, she turned around, looking back at me.

" Bye, Francis." She raised her hand and smiled.

I copied her move. "Same here."

The breeze picked up, and the Air Sorceress was gone.