Rose of The West (pt. 2)

Part 2

Connie --

[Ronnie]

Ronnie lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Another day was over and done. His back ached. The overflow truck had come in today; and unloading 300 pieces of furniture had taken its toll on him.

But it was something he could live with in the long run. He needed the money. After all, Avalon wasn’t going to hold his interests forever. California called to him, singing its siren song through the sign just outside of town, ’12 miles to the state line.’ He sat at long hours sometimes and looked at apartment prices in San Diego, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, planning and scheming for the day he would leave this town.

A door creaked in the darkness and Ronnie sat up sharply. The pain in his back protested this sudden action. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, waiting for his affliction to subside. Then he slowly got up and walked over to the window. His sister Elizabeth was making her way out towards the ocean, her flashlight bobbing as she walked along.

Ronnie was perplexed. What was his sister doing? Did his mother know about this? He suspected Perry Weaver was behind this late-night sojourn. Elizabeth had been considering going out with him, though both Ronnie and Mrs. Pratchett had been opposed to it. Now it looked as though she was heading for a star studded rendevous.

The bed creaked as Ronnie got up, grumbling. He opened his dresser drawer and got his hunting knife out. If Perry was the one who was putting Elizabeth up to this, he would take care of it quickly.

Down the stairs Ronnie crept as quietly as he could. It would do no good to wake up his mother. Her prattling and her worrying would only hinder him from stopping what was about to take place. He wanted her to not ask him to hold back. He wanted to be able to make sure that Perry wouldn’t fool around with his sister anymore.

The back door creaked and Ronnie stepped out into the night air. Elizabeth’s flashlight was visible for one moment before it ducked behind a hill and vanished entirely. He struck out in that general direction, trying to keep up and be quiet at the same time. It wasn’t easy. Ronnie had never been one for stealth. He just hoped that the wind managed to hide most of his breathing.

The moon hung over him as his only observer. It cast his shadow in strange shapes. He did not notice them though. His only thought was on preventing his sister from doing something regrettable. If she were to meet with Weaver and something was to happen, Ronnie would never forgive himself.

There was the sound of breaking waves in the darkness. Ronnie knew that the ocean was near. Something was wrong. Weaver would have had Elizabeth meet him by the road. It would have been much easier to flee that way. Down here there was nowhere to run. Ronnie knew that Paul Weaver was a lot of things, but dumb was not one of them. Whatever this was, it was of Elizabeth’s own doing.

With slow steps Ronnie approached the edge of the cliff and peered down. The sight below stunned him. Elizabeth was standing waist deep in the surf. Her flashlight was nowhere to be seen, yet she was fully illuminated by some blue eldritch glow. Before her were five vaguely human shapes. Ronnie peered at them. Parts of them looked more like sea creatures than people. Dolphin, shark, octopus, and a couple of other ones that he didn’t recognize.

Ronnie watched for a long while. His sister appeared to be talking with these strange beings, though about what he did not know. Sheer fascination rooted him to the spot. Then, one of the creatures, the shark, looked right up at him and stared him in the eyes.

“Come down.”

The words were spoken in his mind as clearly as if they’d been said aloud. For a moment, Ronnie was fixed with sudden dread. Why should he go down? What would happen to him? Doubts plagued his mind and he hesitated. But the request kept a gentle pull in him. So at last he began to make his way down the cliff.

When he was about halfway down, he turned and looked over his shoulder. Elizabeth was watching him. There was an odd mixture of perplexment and frustration on her face. She clearly had not been expecting him, and would not have wanted him here had she been. This wasn’t news to Ronnie at all. Most of the time his sister hardly wanted to remember she was related to him. Were she not, he would have forgotten abut her just as easily. However, she was family. Like it or not, they were stuck together. He was responsible for her. It was the entire reason he was out here in the first place.

At last he reached the bottom of the cliff and began to walk towards the water’s edge. Down here, everything was quiet; unnaturally so. Even the waves that usually crashed and smashed with tremendous force were still and subdued. Ronnie suspected that the five beings were somewhat behind it. In his mind, otherworldy appearances heralded otherworldy abilities.

“What are you doing here?” Elizabeth asked when Ronnie was still a distance off. He did not answer yet. “I’m talking to you. Why are you here?”

“Elizabeth, peace,” said one of the beings, the vaguely dolphinlike one. “All will be made clear.”

“Why are you here?” Elizabeth asked Ronnie again.

“Could ask you the same thing,” he finally replied, now that they were within speaking distance.

“Don’t,” she said, unusually commanding.

An amused look crossed Ronnie’s face and he put his hands in his pockets. “Why are you here?” he asked.

Elizabeth’s face grew dark. “I’m not going to let this degenerate into your little games. Why are you here?”

“Elizabeth, peace,” the dolphinlike being repeated. “This is not the way.”

“If you want to know, I saw you leave and I followed,” Ronnie said. “It’s not typical of you to leave the house at night. I figured something was up.”

“It is none of your business what I do,” Elizabeth said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

“Well, when it could involve Paul Weaver, it becomes my business.”

Now Elizabeth’s face was indignified. “So what if I had been? What would you have done about it?”

Ronnie simply pulled out his hunting knife and stroked the edge of it with his thumb.

“How could you even think of that? He’s a good person, and if...”

“Elizabeth, this is not the time for such a discussion,” said one of the beings that Ronnie was still confused by. “Other matters still loom. This trivial pursuit can wait.”

“Excuse me, but what is going on?” Ronnie asked. “I mean, obviously I was wrong about what was going on here, but I’d still like to know.”

“We are the Choir,” said the octopuslike being. “We have come from the Deep to see your sister.”

“Why is that?” Ronnie asked.

“Who said that you could know?” Elizabeth asked.

“Elizabeth, this is not the way that the Rose should act,” the dolphinlike Choir member said. “We have allowed your brother to join this. He will be invaluable. As a common human, his sensibilities will serve us well against the Xandus.”

“But you don’t know him,” Elizabeth protested.

“We know that he will not betray us,” another Choir member that Ronnie could not identify said. “You are tied to us, and he will not betray you for the world. Isn’t that right, Ronald?”

He nodded, though he wasn’t entirely comfortable with having everything laid out in the open like that. Elizabeth looked slightly annoyed, but said nothing.

“I’m still not sure of exactly what is going on,” he said. “I don’t even know what your names are.”

“Forgive us,” the dolphin-like member said. “I am Koomaroo.”

“I am Septim,” the shark like member said.

“I am Garnalan,” the octopus like member said.

“I am Trien,” the fourth member said.

“And I am Noxaso,” the last member said.

“Together, we are the Choir,” Septim said. “We have come here for a twofold purpose. Your sister has been identified as the next possible Rose of the West. The Xandus know this, and are here even as we speak.”

“You’re losing me again,” Ronnie said.

“Pay attention then,” Elizabeth said.

“The Rose of the West is a sentient individual who has signifigant powers of light,” said Trien, ignoring Elizabeth, “They are to be a key factor in battles against beings of great dark. Your sister has already demonstrated to us her mastery over her power.”

“All right,” Ronnie said. “So my sister knows magic of some kind. I can wrap my head around that.”

“Thankfully,” Elizabeth said.

“So what is the Xandus?” Ronnie asked.

“The Xandus are an interdimensional being that seeks to destroy the West, the last great Tower that binds the darkness,” Koomaroo said. “It feeds upon despair and uses it as a means of great power. They are evil, and it is near.”

“Wait, is there one of these, or more than one?” Ronnie asked.

“Both,” Garnalan said. “And yet, neither. The Xandus and beings similar to it are not easily definable to those who are limited to one universe.”

Ronnie accepted that as it was. “So, why is the Xandus here?”

“We do not know,” said Septim. “Our suspicions are that it has something to do with your sister. Though, anything at all is possible. The Xandus is not one with clear motives.”

“So what do you need me for?” Ronnie asked.

“We need you to protect your sister,” Noxaso said.

“What?” Elizabeth asked, somewhat indignified by this. “I don’t need protecting. I’m going to destroy the Xandus!”

“We are aware of this,” Garnalan said. “And that you will do. Ronald would not be able to attack the Xandus in any case. He cannot see it. They are only visible to those who have experienced great despair. However, the Xandus will have a human agent to act on their behalf. This agent may not be easily identifiable to you. It is our hope that Ronald will safeguard you from this individual.”

“How do you want me to keep her safe?” Ronnie asked.

“We shall leave that eventuality up to you,” Koomaroo said. “Be on your guard. Do not worry about knowing who the agent is. To you, his true nature will be obvious. Simply deal with him before he can hinder your sister’s efforts.”

“That’s it?” Ronnie asked. “Why can’t you just do it?”

“As the Xandus cannot directly interfere, so we cannot either,” Septim said. “We rely on you two, you most of all, Elizabeth.”

“We won’t fail you,” Elizabeth said, though she cast a sideways glance at Ronnie as she said it.

“We trust in that,” Trien said. The Choir nodded, then slipped beneath the waves. The blue glow vanished, leaving the two Pratchett siblings there beneath the pale moonlight.

“You had better not ruin this,” Elizabeth said. “And what’s with you? You’re taking this awfully well.” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Considering I thought this had something to do with Paul Weaver, almost anything else is kind of a relief,” Ronnie said. “Though, I suspect it’ll hit me later.”

Elizabeth huffed. “Just don’t ruin this,” she repeated. She turned and walked back to the cliffs. Ronnie followed after her.