I gave a sign that I was okay with being alone with the Sage. Jay and the others left the room and waited for me in the hallway.
“Marcus Jason Cane. You know you are the youngest First Guardian ever?”
“I’ve been told the others were a year or two older.”
“Please have a seat.”
I did as he instructed. He motioned for me to look at the board.
“You see, the white is your side. The black is Atourum.”
“Who’s wining?”
“I let it play out.”
“You have any money riding on it?”
“I have as much need for money as you do paper and ink. So much has been lost for paper and ink,” he says sadly. At that moment, I see the age in his eyes.
“Yes, I am quite old,” he said. This reading my mind thing is something I can’t get used to.
“Don’t worry, I can block out your thoughts if you wish.”
“No, it’s fine. What do I need to do to find the Triplex?”
The old woman came in with a teapot and two teacups. She poured tea for the both of us. We said thank you. She left us alone again.
“The truth is, I don’t like tea,” the Sage said. “I’d rather drink whisky, but she says that’s not good for me. I’m a Sage. I should be able to drink what I want.”
I smiled. I didn’t think he’d be funny.
“Thanks, I try to keep things light. You know, considering.”
“Sage, what is the clue?”
He got up and went to the window.
“Akons.”
“Yeah, they’re waiting for us to come out. It should be fun.”
“I didn’t think I’d feel this way.”
“What way?”
“Sad.”
“We can take care of the Akons.”
“Yes, you are very capable.”
“Sage, I don’t mean to rush you, but…”
“Yes, we must get on to the business at hand.”
He came back to the table and took out a flat oval made of glass. It was about the size of a silver dollar. He placed it on the table. There were tiny specs of gold floating inside of it. He put it in my hands. I looked down at the flakes swimming around. There was no information on it anywhere.
“When you leave this room, it will show you what you need to know. The moment you find out the clue, the Akons, will find out as well. The clue will only appear if both sides are viewing it. I gave them the same Plate I gave you. As soon as you look into it, so will they.”
“I just look inside?”
“That is the answer to most questions, Marcus.”
“Anything else?” I wondered.
“You can ask me.”
“What?”
“That question which you are certain I am not allowed to answer but desperately want to know.”
“Will we find the Triplex?”
“Yes.”
I was almost lightheaded with relief. So, I actually wouldn’t end the world. Good, for a second there….
I did something I have not been able to do in a long while: I smiled.
Then I addressed the Sage. “So, we will be successful and the world will be saved. Good, thank you. That helps. A lot.”
“I didn’t say that you would be successful. Nor that you would save the world.”
“What? You just said we find the Triplex.”
“And you will.”
“Then that means we save the world. That’s how it goes.”
“No. Not this time.”
I try to stay calm. I hate this talking in riddles nonsense. It’s getting to me. How can he say we find the Triplex and still say we don’t save the world? That makes absolutely no sense.
“I know it doesn’t, not right now.”
“Is it that we don’t find the Triplex in time?”
“You will find it in plenty of time.”
“So, what is it? What causes the world to come to an end?”
“You.”
This was beyond irritating. This kid was just talking nonsense. “I need to know more. Why would I stand in the way of the mission I have been sent here to complete?”
“I will say this and then you must go and start your journey. You will find the Triplex but you will betray them all.”
“You’re wrong. I would never Turn. I would never betray anyone.”
“We will see. The information in your hands will be the beginning of your end.”
“That’s crap. I won’t Turn. I’m stronger than that.”
“In time, we shall see.”
“You’re wrong,” I shouted and stood up so quickly the chair fell to the floor.
“Perhaps,” he said calmly.
Then he reached for the remote. And before turning on the TV, he said, “What is Antarctica?”
Then he turned on the TV. Alex Trebek was addressing the contestants.
“The Adelie Penguin makes its home on this continent.”
None of the players buzzed in, so Alex answered it for them. “What is Antarctica?”
I hate Jeopardy.
***
When I got out into the hallway, they all turned to look at me. My team. My family. The ones that, according to the Sage, I would betray. Should I tell them? No, why mess with their heads? It wasn’t going to happen. The Sage made a mistake. I’m not gonna put that on them. They have faith in me and I will not give them a reason to doubt me.
“What’s the clue?” Meana asked.
“It’s someone named Emerson Baxter. We have to find him.”
“The clue has never been a name before,” Reese remarks.
Miku responded, “He’s right. Past cycles have always had a place or an object. I’ve never heard of any Guardians having to look for a person.”
“Well, we’re looking for one now,” I snapped. They look at me, taken aback by my reaction.
“The clock has started. Let’s go,” I said in a softer tone.
I didn’t want them to know how utterly pissed off I was. But that was all pointless ‘cause the moment I walked out of Sage’s room, Rio picked up on my mood. That’s why he had been quiet. He knew I’d probably bite his head off given the color I was radiating.
As we headed out, Meana came up to me. “What’s wrong?”
“Besides being in charge of saving the world, having twice as many rules as evil and half the help?” I said bitterly.
She was about to say something, but I called out Rio’s name so that we didn’t have to get into a conversation right now. Not that Mena was likely to get distracted in a battle. I just didn’t feel like repeating what the Sage said, not now anyway.
“How many of them are out there?” I asked.
“All six; Mayhem, Chaos, Frenzy, Agony, War, and your favorite first, Akon, Rage,” Rio said.
“Where?”
“Rooftop across the street.”
“Let’s not keep them waiting.”
We walked through the front door. Rio walked out ahead of us with his shield out. Just as he said, the Akons were lined up on top of the building across the street.
Chaos had used his mind control powers to get about thirty or so people to leave the New Year’s Eve celebration and stand in front of us with improvised weapons. They formed a small but very determined mob, carrying broken glass bottles, box cutters, and makeshift bats.
“Are they all Pawns?” Miku asked her brother.
“Yes, they all have souls, so try not to hurt them.”
The Pawn at the front of the line shouted something and launched at us with a metal rod. Mena used her eyes to lift the rod up and over his head. She had taken all their weapons and floated them high in the air where they couldn’t reach them.
From the rooftop, Chaos silently ordered them to attack us even without weapons. This was an even better plan because we could not hurt them, and the Akons knew that. The humans punched, clawed and pushed us. More than trying to protect ourselves, we mostly tried to block the blows. Not that they would have hurt us, but humans are so fragile compared to angels. They come apart fairly easily. If anyone of us hit them in the wrong place, they would seriously get hurt.
“I’ll get Chaos,” Miku says as she slipped past the mob and flew up to the roof where the Akon had stood a second ago. I ordered Jay to go and help her take him out. Until Miku got Chaos under control, the mob would continue. Ameana lifted several humans in the air and into a nearby dumpster. Reese Blinked behind them and knocked them out.
The biggest guy in the mob was focused solely on me. No doubt it’s Chaos’ doing. The human swung a makeshift bat at me. I ducked every time. I looked around for something to hit him with that wouldn’t cause too much damage. There was nothing.
Finally he took a swing at me and it grazed my head. He was expecting blood and guts to come pouring out. When that didn’t happen, the shock made him pause for a second. That was all I needed. I took the bat from him, cracked it in two and threw it to the ground. He lunged at me; I moved out of the way causing him to lose his balance and land on the floor.
I stood over him. I finally got a clear look into his eyes. I saw his fear. I reflected it back. I can’t reflect at full force because it would kill him, but I reflected a glimpse of his nightmare back to him. He cried out and covered his face with his hands.
Meanwhile, Miku had started singing to Chaos. He held his ears as if they are being stabbed. Miku can’t kill an Akon with her siren song. She can kill Runners, Pawns and humans (that is, if we were allowed to). But she can distract Akons by causing immense pain. And she did that very well. Chaos was on his knees, screaming.