The Dark Ages: Convergence (Prequel to the P.O.E. Chronicles)

Chapter 20 When all things fail

*Image of lions at Paris zoo*

"What do we do?" I ask Fleur. She surveys our surrounding; it's just me and her this time. I told Anastasia and Lionel what I'm going to do and they both agree to distract Cosette. Whatever Margot said to her before she passed away, it had kept her from demanding the necklace from me. But I'm not going to take the chance. The city needs protection and the world can do without a witch calls Cosette Gwinn.

"You wish to protect the city from the abominations."—Fleur taps a finger on her chin—"there are several ways to do it. We do not have to put a barrier up like I did last time."

"Pray do tell," I answer mockingly. But Fleur doesn't seem to notice my sarcasm. We don't have much time; I can only be gone so long before someone realise I'm missing from the front line. The barrier has caused the beasts to retreat, but they are regrouping outside. For now, they're weary, but once they realise we can't pull it off again, they'll attack.

"Get close to them if you can, I'll figure out the rest," Fleur finally says. I shrug. As long as she can make the city safe, I don't care how she do it. But there's a question.

"Will there be any consequences?" I ask. Fleur cocks her head to one side as she considers my question.

"Not in the sense that you mean," she answers. "Although I cannot guarantee nothing will happen. The Earth alone can decide what is and what isn't right."

There we go again. Riddles. But if she doesn't think anything will happen, I'll take it.

"About Margot," I start, wanting to take it off my chest before I decide against it. "What was the light that I saw?"

Fleur smiles wickedly like she's sharing an inside joke. "I don't know."

I frown at her. I might not fully believe in her craziness, yet, but I know that I saw it because of the necklace. Now she's telling me she doesn't know. It's like showing someone an unspoiled supermarket and telling them that they don't know the way to enter it.

"It's a gateway for Margot's spirit. That's where people's soul goes after they died. But I've never crossed over, so naturally, I do not know what's on the other side." Fleur explains. "It might be nothing, it might be heaven, it might be hell."

"Never mind." I sigh. Should have known better than to ask a witch hoping for direct answers. Maybe it's a good thing she's going to disappear to recharge after this. I'd like to have a necklace that's only a necklace.

"Just to get an estimate, how long will it take for you to recharge after this?" I ask Fleur. She has her hands raise up, ready to do her thing as she cast me one last glance.

"I'm not sure. It can be anything from a decade to a century," she answers before vanishing into a veil of white light. I feel my jaw slacks open at the disappeared form. I've barely gotten used to her presences ad now she's gone.

At least that'd stop Cosette from bothering me, I thought as I pick up the necklace. I turn it over and inspect it. It doesn't look any different from when I first got it. I quickly go back up the stairs and out of the building. Hopefully, I wasn't missed.

Nothing looks different outside. A few people greet me and I make my way back to the front line. I start to wonder whether Fleur did anything at all.

"Did you do it?" Lionel whispers as soon as I'm back. I nod and squint into the distance. The masses of beasts congregating looks the same as it did an hour ago. Admittedly they haven't attacked yet.

"Yeah," I answer. I don't know whether or not I've done the right thing, but I don't see what other choices we have. We need help, consequences be damned.