16.1 || Breaking the Seals
"WELL, I CAN'T say this is entirely unexpected, but wake up."
Josh tried blinking awake a few times before giving up. Sleep weighed on his eyes and muddled his thoughts with fog. A warm presence stirred at his side. He smiled without fully knowing why, a happy buzz stirring in his chest.
A sigh sounded from somewhere above him. "You have ten seconds before I shoot you two love birds in the knees."
The threat rolled over Josh's addled mind, but the next voice jolted through him. "Josh, we need to get up."
He opened his eyes fully to find Mara leaning over him, light shining above her. Memories trickled back as the fog receded. She'd kissed him, and then after he didn't know how long, they'd fallen asleep under the night sky, his arm around her while she lay on his chest.
Night sky. With stars. The light over Mara wasn't stars. They'd slept into the morning.
"Just couldn't wait and let me shoot him, could you?"
Josh craned his head back. Ioana stood over them, arms crossed. The grin on her face spoke of both amusement and exasperation.
"We have company," she said. "Get up and let's go. Oh, and Josh. Wipe the lipstick off your face."
Ioana snickered when he reached for his lips. Mara rolled her eyes and stood. Josh followed, rubbing at his cheek.
"Josh, I don't even wear lipstick." Mara chuckled, but a faint red blush lightened her cheeks.
"Oh." He dropped his hand and averted his gaze. "Right."
"Come along, kiddos." Ioana turned and headed toward the castle. Josh and Mara fell into step behind her.
He chewed on his lip as they walked, hand so close to Mara's but not touching. Did he take it? Had the kissing meant anymore than a night of, well, kissing?
Shut up and just take her hand before I crawl in that tiny hall and tail-whack you, Boomer grumbled.
Josh raised his eyebrows. What's your problem?
You two made sleeping in my usual spot way too awkward last night. Now if you want to grab her hand, just do it already.
Maybe Josh should have felt some guilt, but instead he had to bite back laughter. He gulped, glancing down at Mara's hand as he reached for it and entwined their fingers.
She twitched in surprise and looked down. Then, with a grin, she squeezed his hand.
The nervous worms erupted into fluttering butterflies. He returned the squeeze.
Boomer's eye roll could be felt through the bond. Weirdo.
Instead of stopping in the courtyard, they cut across it to the right side of the Sanctuary. They followed the same path Josh had taken last night, and within moments, they found themselves within Xander's office.
His desk wasn't empty, but Xander didn't sit behind it. A black woman peered down at a book, adjusting her glasses as she leaned closer. She could have been anywhere between her early forties and her sixties. Wrinkles cut the occasional line through her face, but her short, curly black hair didn't have a strand of gray. Even reading a book, she emitted a sense of strength and power.
"I should have invested in bigger text for these books," the woman murmured, not looking up at their arrival. "We forget what age can do to us until our bond is gone." With one last wry glance at the book, the woman sat up and interlocked her fingers under her chin. "So, who have you brought me, Ioana?"
"This is Josh Davidson," Ioana said, gesturing to him. "He's the boy that was there when the Shadow Knight kidnapped Xander. The young boy who they took also happens to be his brother. And this is Mara Avraham. She was with Josh when I found him."
"I see." The woman grinned. "Hello, Josh, Mara. I'm Imani. Please, have a seat." She indicated the couch with a wave.
Mara inclined her head in a small bow. Remembering Imani had been one of the leaders before Xander, Josh mimicked the action. They took a seat on the couch while Ioana sat in the chair in front of Xander's desk.
"Ioana told me what happened last night, but I would like to hear it from your mouth as well," Imani said. She spoke in a gentle way, like a grandma asking if her grandchild wanted cookies, but somehow each word seemed to carry an order with it.
Josh recounted the events for the third time. Mara tensed when he mentioned Peter. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the traitor accusations or that part of her surrogate family kidnapped Xander. Either way, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"'They are opening the seals,'" Imani repeated when he finished. She clicked her tongue in thought.
"Imani..." Ioana trailed off. She gulped audibly, then continued, "Did he mean Sheol's seals?"
Josh pursed his lips against the question that tried to escape. Sheol? As in the first Phoenix Dragon to bond Sheol?
Mara tapped against Josh's hand. When he looked over, she mouthed, Later.
"If Xander is correct... Then yes, he means Sheol's seals. And it would make sense why they would kidnap him."
Ioana's brows drew together, and Josh had a momentary flash of relief that he wasn't the only one confused for once. "What does Xander have to do with the seals?"
"It's supposed to be a secret, but nothing gained hiding it now, not when the Shadow Knights have already figured it out." Imani shrugged, more to herself than any of them. "To enter any of the Temples, one must meet certain requirements. One such requirement is to have the scale of Zargirus, the dragon of Aharon."
Ioana's knee started bouncing. She had been so composed during everything. This little action was her first show of impatience.
"When someone steps up to be leader of the Paladins, the previous one bestows upon them the scale."
Josh raised his free hand. Imani tilted her head, an amused grin spreading across her face.
"Yes?"
"Peter didn't seem to want Xander to give him anything. Just to get through the portal," Josh said. "If Peter wanted the scale, wouldn't he have asked Xander for that?"
"If the scale was physical, then yes, but the seals are to be nearly impossible to open. The requirements to open the Temples are guarded secrets and any needed items hidden as well as possible. To ensure the scale is hard to find, the Paladin leaders turned the scale into energy that they mixed with their own. So, when we transfer the scale, we give that energy away."
"And they kidnapped Xander to open one of the Temples," Ioana summarized. Imani nodded, and she groaned. "Well, this is a lot of great news."
"You're telling me."
Josh jumped. An olive-skinned man in a black suit stepped in. He had black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He looked like he had just stepped into a business meeting, and because of that, Josh had an idea of who he was before Ioana spoke.
"Welcome back, Joel. Have you discovered anything?" she asked.
The Sage leader glanced at Josh. "Should we be discussing this in front of lower-ranked Paladins?"
Ioana smiled pleasantly. "This 'lower-ranked Paladin' is the one who provides our information."
"Joel," Imani cut in, making the man drag his eyes away from Josh. "I believe the Shadow Knights are trying to unleash Sheol."
He swore under his breath. "So I wasn't wrong. Boy, you're the one who was at the scene?"
"My name is Josh," Josh said, matching Joel's hard tone. "And yes, I was the one there."
"Was there ever a moment you felt out of control?"
Josh glanced at Ioana. She nodded, and he turned back to the Sage leader. "There were moments in which I couldn't feel Boomer—I mean, my dragon, and I couldn't move."
"If I'm right..." Joel trailed off, his lips downturned. "Give me your hand, boy."
Resisting the urge to correct him again, Josh held out his hand. Joel grasped it between both of his and closed his eyes. A chill ran up Josh's spine. Joel's grip tightened when Josh tried to jerk away. He felt naked, like his very soul had been exposed to the Sage.
A presence brushed against Josh's own, searching, grasping. The Sage. Deep, slow breaths. He was fine. Joel meant him no harm or Ioana would be at his throat already. Everything was fine—
At the same time Joel murmured, "I knew it," Josh's thoughts exploded with a wave of fear and memories. Flashes of the ogre attacked him, each one like another blow by the beast itself.
Joel jerked away with a yell. The memories cut off as quickly as they began, leaving Josh gasping, his freed hand clenching the shirt over his heart.
"Hey!" Ioana sprang to her feet. "What was that about?"
"It was Sheol, wasn't it?" Imani's words were whispered, slow, as if unsure they wanted to be heard.
"At least some Paladins think before they yell," Joel grumbled, rubbing his hands. "I sensed a dark influence on the boy like I've never seen before, especially when searching the energy most attached to his emotions."
"And you felt something similar in Jodas?" Imani prodded.
Joel hesitated, his hands freezing midair. Then, reluctantly, he said, "Yes.
"Sheol?" Imani repeated.
Again, a small pause. "I cannot imagine any other dragon being able to influence without possessing."
Imani sat back in the seat and closed her eyes. They darted behind the eyelids, connecting lines unseen by any of the others gathered. "Xander is resourceful. Too resourceful for a single Shadow Knight with a hostage to have the advantage. Sheol must have been influencing Xander, young Josh, his brother, and Jodas—even if only for a short time each. To do so..."
"At least three of the five seals in our realm must be broken. It would explain the recent possessions," Joel supplied.
The Sage leader and Paladin ex-leader muttered about that possibility, and as they did, the brunt of their words struck Josh like a punch. He hadn't frozen out of fear. Sheol—a big bad dragon that had something to do with seals—had manipulated his emotions and shut his body down.
The failure still remained. The knowledge didn't save Eli or Xander. But it had been from weakness against a dragon that even bested Xander, not from Josh's own nonsensical fear.
Then again, fear would have been Josh's issue to face alone. Sheol was a terrifying force everyone would have to deal with. Josh's heart dropped, and he slouched into the couch.
"You can leave if you wish," Ioana said. She leaned toward them with a small, exhausted smile. "I think that's all we need from you, Josh. Nobody else to tell the story."
Josh remained seated, gaze flickering between everyone. This room bore a tiring weight, but it provided him with information. To walk out meant walking out on allowed eavesdropping.
The only sign Mara gave she was about to stand was a tug on his hand, and then she was on her feet. Josh did the same a heartbeat later.
"Thank you for allowing me to stay," Mara said, dipping her head in Imani and Ioana's direction.
"It was a pleasure to meet you both," Imani said, then added, "And before you go, children. I think the best book for you to look at is A History of Dragonic Battles. A riveting read, really."
Mara smiled sheepishly, proving she at least understood what Imani meant. "Thank you, ma'am."
Imani winked before fixing her stare on Joel. "Now, young man, will you sit down already? Your constant standing makes me nervous."
Josh shut the door after they exited. The trio's voice drifted from the door, too quiet to hear. It would be so easy to sit outside and listen, but he let Mara guide him down the stairs.
"If she doesn't like people who stand, she would hate Cale," Josh mused.
Mara snickered. "He's always been like that. I think he believes sitting makes him unprepared. Joel just wants to stick out."
She turned them deeper into the right portion of the castle. She led him to a normal staircase, not one that ended in a room like the one to Xander's office.
"So, where are you taking me?" Josh asked.
"Did you not hear Imani? We need a book," Mara replied.
"So, we are going up here because?"
They stepped out onto the second floor. "Because this," she said, heading for the door across from the staircase, "is the best place to get books."
And with that, she pushed open the door.
Fun Fact: When I played Mighty Dragons as a kid with my brother as a, well, LARP I guess(?), we changed stories and worlds all of the time. A common factor between them though was always temples we had to go into for one reason or another. Well, not always, but very often. I guess he played too many Legend of Zelda and Japanese RPGs? XD
So, writing a scene with an Imani, Ioana, Josh, and Joel... That was fun xD And speaking of fun, more Sage involvement! Who doesn't love that? XD Josh. Josh doesn't, not when it means his soul being invaded shortly, but it seems that wasn't the first time. I'm sure nobody expected just regular PTSD, and you were right. More magical means to mess with Josh because, really, when isn't he being messed with at this point?
Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!
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