Sanctum of the World

Amethyst is impressed by how intact the greenhouse appears. There are a few large fruit trees equidistant from the long metal and glass structure. The greenhouse frame is elaborately decorated. Nothing like the utilitarian greenhouses she’d read on the Human’s Internet. Inside she finds an orderly self-watering hydroponic system that grows the herbs and roots the mages need for their spells and potions. The hydroponics are an interesting blend of magic and Human technology. The curved shelving and ornate supports hint at Elven influence. Her mind wanders back to the day she watched the Elf Druids help the Arcanists build this growing place for Sanctum. Her fingers graze an ornate support beam that houses some hanging planters.

“So much has been lost. At least this piece of their history survived,” she mumbles to herself. Amethyst turns as the others join her. “This looks intact. What’s wrong with this place?”

“Open the door to the rest of the complex,” Adam offers. “This isn’t even half of it.”

She opens the doors opposite the entrance and notices the corridor is empty with nothing growing. The hairs stand up on end as she steps forward. Curious, she leans down, feels the dead soil, then looks up, confused.

“It’s safe to stand here now, but the charged air prevents anything from growing. It doesn’t get better,” Adam’s face is grim, motioning forward.

Amethyst’s brow creases with worry as she turns around. That original sense of unease grows as she flutters down the wide barren hallway. “This used to be where they grew and studied root vegetables,” she mutters to herself.

The mages noticed that Sanctum’s environment changed plants from Earth. The strong magical essence that weaves and permeates the Realm tends to alter or evolve plants. It ‘awakens’ them as one Druid called it, making them potent storage vessels for magical use. Potions and spell components from the Sanctum were considered masterwork supplies with their enhanced traits. Non spell component food grew larger and plentiful, holding a larger array of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Sanctum food was more filling, tastier and satisfying. She’s drawn back to the present. The way the hallway twists slightly like a corkscrew increases her worry. As she opens the doors at the end of the hall, she gasps.

“What in the Elements has happened here?” she whimpers as she feels the Arch Mage approach her.

“We don’t know,” Adam replies sadly. “Some sort of explosion, from what we can tell of the debris. We figure one or more Druids made their last stand here.”

Beyond the door lies the shattered and twisted ruin of what used to be the larger half of the greenhouse. Gnarled roots and warped plants keep everything from floating away. It appears as if there had been an explosion in the middle, followed by a fire. The charred remains still ooze and seep as the plants tried their best to heal from the magical attack, but never succeeded.

“We don’t know where to start in cleaning this up,” Adam comments. “It used to be worse. Elphaba and her Pixies helped remove the worse of the arcane residue, so it’s safe to stand here.” He motions, “The rest is so twisted and grown into each other, we don’t know how to tame the plants without the whole place coming down on us.”

“Oh dear, we have our work cut out for us,” Feren comments as she quietly flutters up to them. She turns to her brother. “Leaglin, return home and call for at least a dozen Pixie tenders. We’ll need help to tame this place.”

The Fern Sylph nods and turns, slipping past his Greenleaf cousin. Feren shoots him a glance and Tundo raises his hands. “You won’t get any argument from me on this. I’m with the Arch Mage. I’d have no idea where to start with this mess.”

Feren studies the area for a moment. “Let’s start with the damaged plants, then work on taming the warped wood.”

“Watch out for awakened plants and Assassin Vines. The Druid who took their last stand here might have left traps for the unwary,” Tundo cautions, gently touching the nearest plant. “So much pain! So much sorrow,” his brows crease in worry. “We’ll make it better,” he caresses a leaf, noting that it follows his hand. He frowns, “Back up.” Feren glances at him, confused. Then her eyes widen in surprise as a mass of vines shift and move. “Back up now!” he shouts.

Adam reaches out and they’re suddenly teleported back into the hallway. Vines reach out to them and he casts a barrier in front of the group. The vines recoil as they touch the arcane shield, whip at it a few times to test it, then retreat, closing the doors to the shattered portion behind them.

“Even from the outside, those vines will attack any attempt to rebuild the greenhouse,” Adam frowns.

“Definitely have our work cut out for us,” Feren frowns. “Thank you, cousin.”

“Not to boast, but my specialty is in awakened plants. It’s what keeps our vale safe from outsiders,” Tundo replies. He turns to Susan. “I need access to an alchemy bench and a cauldron. I can whip up something that will tame the vines so we can reach the nest.”

“Right this way,” she motions. He follows the Human Druid as they head back to the college.

“Let’s see if we can tackle this from more than one angle,” Amethyst muses. She turns to the Spring Fae. “Help me create safe land around the greenhouse. While we can manage this work in flight, the Humans with us won’t.”

“Yes, Earthen Mother,” Feren bows.

“You call her Earthen Mother,” Luke remarks as he follows them, curious as to what they’ll do.

“We teach most Sylph to remember and respect our origins,” Feren replies, mildly annoyed. “She is the Earthen Mother, the creator and mistress of the Earthen Realm, the Plane of Elemental Earth — as your magi call it. Have you Humans forgotten so much of your history that you do not recognize one of your creators?”

“One of my creators?” Luke blinks, then looks down at the two pale Fae.

“After the Three created the Material Realm, my sisters and I watched over the worlds and guided their development, young Master Goodson,” Amethyst returns a disarming smile. “We aided in the birth of your solar system. Sol, Gaia, and her sibling planets could be considered some of our children. You are Gaia’s creations, Her children. You ask why I have vested interest in Earth and what humanity does. You can think of me as the grandmother of your existence if you like. Though I prefer the term Mother; Grandmother makes me sound so old,” she smirks. The comment leaves Melody and Feren to giggle.

“You know, I warned you not to tell me of the history of my creation,” Luke retorts, shaking his head, causing Ciël to giggle. He raises a finger…

“We will have plenty of time to refresh your knowledge of the Outer Planes and its history later, High Magus. We have other, more pressing concerns to worry about,” Amethyst cuts him off.

“Yes, Earthen Mother,” he returns in a playful tone and bows.

“You are fun to have around,” Amethyst returns a playful smile. “Let us make some more ground to stand on. How close can we approach to what’s left of the greenhouse before the vines attack?”

“No more than a meter or two,” Adam remarks. “Today was the furthest we’ve managed so far. Now that the vines are on alert, though, it’ll be difficult to move closer.”

“Noted,” Amethyst nods as they exit the greenhouse.

She turns left, and they follow her as she makes her way around the building. Unlike the main island, there is no drop-off where the land ends here. The ground gradually becomes more unstable as they walk toward the ruined half. The ground is bouncy, suggesting it’s not entirely solid. About halfway to the floating ruin, it’s clear the ground won’t hold up one, let alone all of them.

“We’ll need Tundo here unless you girls are good at meshing root systems,” Amethyst remarks.

“I can help stitch the roots to form a web of ground cover or carpet of moss,” Feren muses. “We will need Tundo here for something more solid, but we can manage a temporary lattice for now.”

“I can help,” Penny offers. “I can spread grass and thin roots with the spells Susan taught me.”

Amethyst nods. “Melody, my Weaver, do you still have telekinetic abilities?”

“I do, Mother. What do you have planned?” Mélodie raises an eyebrow.

“Help the boys and I move the debris together. Penny and Feren can stitch the rocks together with roots to lend us firmer footing. We should be able to make a floating nest of vines and stone a meter or more thick so that we can walk around without falling through.”

Mélodie glances at Adam and Luke who nod. “Yes, Mother, let’s get started,” she smiles.

They’re rounding the greenhouse by the time Susan and Tundo rejoin them. The vines are active, but don’t reach beyond the shattered glass and bent frame. Tundo begins to carefully spread the powder he brought back, and the vines retreat even more.

“The vines are reacting as if this is some sort of acidic powder,” Adam remarks.

“Reactive Lyme. Try not to get any of this on your hands or organic clothing. It will cause irritation,” Tundo nods. “I’m not fond of these synthetic gloves I found in your lab, but they are better than having this on my skin. It also means the ground won’t keep plants where we sprinkle this, so be careful not to toss it someplace you need greenery.”

“This could be a potent bio-weapon,” Luke remarks as Penny prepares the next ‘dust bomb’ — as he calls the fragile globes in the bucket they brought back.

“I’m not sharing this recipe with humanity, and you are not to keep one of these globes.” Tundo narrows his eyes at Luke. He glances at Adam, “You limit the use of offensive spells and potions, do you not?” Adam nods. “Then you will treat this as a hazardous substance as well,” Tundo stresses.

“As you wish. Our relations with the Fae are tense enough. I would do nothing to hinder it,” Adam bows slightly.

“If we can trust you with such matters, my elders are discussing allowing some of our clans to attend those pretty new schools you’ve made,” Feren remarks.

“Fae attending our school would finally convince the Garou to join our schools instead of continuing to teach their pups at home,” Adam remarks. Tundo shoots him a startled look. “The Garou are tame packs of Werewolves. I would never place my students at risk trying to enlist a feral wolf into my schools.”

“Why not just enlist the Warlocks and Vampires while you’re at it?” Tundo rolls his eyes. Adam smiles. “What? You’re not actually thinking of enrolling Dark Magic users into those schools of yours, are you?” the Fae gasps. “What are you thinking?”

“That our community needs to be united if we are to save the world. The mundane society doesn’t take global warming seriously enough. We don’t even take it seriously enough, but we can at least try to make some kind of difference,” Adam remarks.

“The Arch Mage has offered we build a school in Hillcrest,” Penny remarks. “We just need to convince Melody’s master. Phan’s knowledge of history and the world would be an invaluable asset to our schools.”

“After the battle with the Vampire Collective, I still think you place too much trust in that my Master would agree to this offer, My Darling. I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Mélodie smiles.

“I don’t really trust your Master, Melody, but Penny is right. His knowledge of history, society, and natural sciences would be invaluable. It would mend the rift between your surviving Dark Council and the Council of Magi. We can’t continue to be divided like we are.”

“What if the surviving Vampire Collective will not agree to your terms?” Mélodie queries.

“They can’t all be evil, can they?” Adam argues. “Some must be pure of heart, like your Master and the family he has created?”

Mélodie returns a cunning smile, “I now see why my wife thinks so highly of you, Arch Mage. You can be such a clever man.” She draws a breath, “You are correct, about half of Blightwood is composed of Warlock and Vampire families that follow my Master’s banner. Some of them even have children.”

“Vampires can have children?” Luke glances at her, surprised.

“The afflicted cannot bear offspring naturally. Though some have turned children, we do not encourage it. The poor creatures are forever trapped in a young state and never age,” Mélodie scrunches her nose.

“I can imagine never finishing puberty wouldn’t be a pleasant experience,” Luke grins, causing Adam to chuckle.

“Warlock and Witch families differ,” Mélodie reaches out and Penny takes her hand. “Demon-blooded vampiric Warlocks are still living creatures. We can age and even have children. There are half a dozen families living in Blightwood that would have children old enough to attend this school Adam is looking to build.”

“What of the schools on the West Coast?” Feren probes.

“Seattle and Vancouver hold mostly Humans and a few Dwarves. We could double the student body if Fae and Garou would join them. I think it’s safer north for you. The school down in Del Rey Valley is primarily composed of children from Hollywood. The Humans are Bards, performers, Illusionists, and Artificers, with the occasional Dwarven engineer and blue-collar worker.”

“This Del Rey Valley school sounds more suitable for the Summer Court, not one of ours,” Tundo agrees.

“If you could reach out to the Summer Court, I’d appreciate it,” Adam smiles.

“The Summer Court won’t speak to the steward families,” Feren frowns. “We’ve tried! They see us as lesser clans and not worthy of their time or effort.”

“Someone will have to get through to them if we’re to have any hope of returning the seasons in balance,” Amethyst remarks.

“They may just listen to you, Earthen Mother, but they won’t talk to any of us,” Feren returns sadly.

“What of the Winter Court?” Amethyst probes.

“The remaining royal family is in hiding after the Vampires wiped out over half of their court in the past century,” Feren returns sadly.

“None of the remaining courts are strong enough. The Fall Court is in the same boat we are. The Vampires consumed the last of their royals recently. Is that not why you went to war with them?” Tundo glances at Mélodie.

“Word spreads quickly I see. It is why my Master wanted them thinned out, yes,” Mélodie nods. “The final straw for me, and where we became involved, was when they threatened my family.”

“So, you were just going to allow the Vampire Collective to continue consuming every mystical creature on the planet? You only became involved because they threatened you directly?” Feren gasps.

“My family does not involve itself with the Vampire Collective. It was none of my business,” Mélodie retorts.

“You selfish, sanctimonious…” Feren launches at Mélodie.

“Children, please, let us not argue,” Amethyst cuts them off.

“Yes, Earthen Mother, I’m sorry,” Feren bows to her, then shoots Mélodie a dirty look.

“Drop it, My Child,” Amethyst orders.

“Sorry,” she pouts.

“I know this pains you greatly, My Dear,” Amethyst lays a comforting hand on Feren’s shoulder. “We will help your people rebuild.”

“How?” Feren tilts her head.

“In time, you will see,” Amethyst returns a knowing smile. “Your people will find a Voice soon enough. Be patient, all will happen in good time.”

“Will this be within my generation?” Luke chides.

“Now that would be telling,” Amethyst winks playfully, leaving Luke to chuckle and shake his head.

“You rarely tell the whole story,” Luke digs.

“I will tell you what you need when it’s needed, young man,” Amethyst retorts. “To give humanity too much foresight is dangerous. It could hinder the outcome that is needed.”

“Or we could speed its arrival,” Luke challenges.

“All in good time, and not before, High Magus. Knowledge can be as much a tool as it is a weapon,” Amethyst pauses. “Your race has shown all too often how it leans to the latter.”

“She has a point there,” Adam defends the Fae.

“What do you know of all this?” Luke turns and narrows his eyes at his best friend. Adam returns a disarming smile. “You know something…”

“If you kept in touch with the magical community, you’d be more in the loop of what’s going on around here,” Adam teases.

“What are you scheming, Adam?” Luke pushes.

“You’ll see,” Adam sings playfully, causing the Fae to giggle.

“People wonder why I have trust issues,” Luke grumbles.

“As Amethyst says: all in good time, my friend,” Adam pats him on the shoulder.

“Says the half-centennial Arch Mage who looks no older than twenty-two,” Luke pokes at him.

“You still look nearly as young as me,” Adam shoots back.

“No, I look older than you; so that Angel still resembles my daughter, and not my sister,” Luke argues.

“Come now, we’re only third-generation Humans. We’ll see nearly five mundane generations pass before we even have a hint of grey hair,” Adam remarks.

“If we ever have grey hair,” Luke smirks. “My father had none.”

“How can you tell what is blond and what is not?” Adam digs.

“You’re just jealous because I’m more handsome than you are,” Luke returns smugly.

“I’m fine just the way I am. Your better looks come with a bigger ego,” Adam chides.

“Hey! I resemble that remark!” Luke retorts. The two glare at each other for a moment, then laugh loudly. This apparently is a long-standing joke between them as they clap each other on the shoulder.

“Are they ever serious?” Tundo frowns.

“I rather like this lighter side of Adam,” Penny smiles.

“Playtime later, boys, we still have much work to do,” Amethyst scolds them playfully.

“Yes, Earthen Mother,” the two magi intone together and bow, causing everyone to laugh.