Quest for the Omnistone

Chapter 42: The Awaited Divide

"Crystal!" I sent Danny and the others a warning look before making my way over to my sister. "What happened?"

"We got surrounded. I... I kind of lost my way when the darkness came over. Just kept slashing here and blasting there, trying to find you guys. I found Beatrice a little while later on the ground." Max and Danny took over helping Beatrice for Crystal and helped set her next to Johanna. "Met Elsa, Sandy, and the other Guardians on the way here after the fog dispersed."

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but her eyes caught sight of Johanna. "Jac! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Crystal knelt in front of Johanna and gave her a big hug.

"I'm fine, Crystal. Thanks for asking." Jack said with a smirk, coming up behind her. Johanna giggled at Jack's silliness.

Crystal pulled away from Johanna and tried hard (with little success) to frown at Jack. "Oh, shove off, Frost. Go and entertain Her Majesty." This made Johanna laugh a bit more for some reason.

Jack merely shrugged and gestured his staff at Elsa, who was now tightly embracing Anna and chastising her for leaving Sandy's side. "And ruin a little sister reunion? Nah. There's plenty of time for a snowball fight later." Jack then turned serious and looked at us. "What happened here?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, contemplating what to tell them. "The Knight of Misery almost destroyed our minds... In the end, it was Black Hood who defeated him."

Before Jack could ask, Beatrice spoke up. "I tried to hold him off for as long as I could. For a moment, it seemed like I was winning. But then..." she closed her eyes for a few seconds as if remembering what the Knight did to her. "All I can say is that the Knight of Misery is quite skilled at illusions."

"I'll say." Johanna muttered.

Crystal turned to her, a concerned expression on her face. "What's that supposed to mean? What did he do to you?"

"I... I saw Mom and Dad. On the ground. As if... y'know." Johanna said quietly, avoiding Crystal's gaze.

Crystal seemed to understand and gave her friend another hug before turning to Johnny. "I told you to watch her for me. It was so simple, Johnny!"

"But I—" Johnny began.

"Don't blame him." Johanna defended. "I wanted to help. Besides, you couldn't have expected Johnny to stay by my side in battle the whole time."

Bunny took that moment to notice the still-unconscious Pitch a few feet away, sand butterflies flying around his head. "Nice work, Sandy. Now what?"

"Now..." I trailed off. Apparently, the whole zombie thing had kind of short-circuited my brain.

As I racked my brain, I noticed Anna and Elsa talking quietly to each other nearby. The younger sister tried to sit on a rock, and... 'FSS!'

"Ow!" Anna yelped, abruptly standing up and holding her behind. "Hot!"

The princess's exclamation jolted us back to our senses. Crystal shot up almost as quickly as Anna did and muttered something to herself. "Jac, you'll be okay for the spell?" she asked, hauling Johanna to her feet. Johanna nodded, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Good. Now, repeat after me. El mun—"

"Ahem." Beatrice cleared her throat, interrupting Crystal. "Crystal, there may have been a little... confusion about the spell."

"Meaning?" Crystal asked impatiently, prompting Beatrice to speak faster.

"Johanna Clifford is not a Traveler, so she cannot perform the spell herself. You will have to do it for her." Beatrice explained, slowly standing up.