Hey guys! Please don’t lecture me on how long it’s been since I’ve updated, ‘cause I know it’s been awhile. But I’m back and I finally have the next chapter ready to go. Okay, so last time, we had Califon kidnap Madison, take her back to his hideout and try to brainwash her, but that didn’t work. So now, he’s put a spell on her that is slowly draining her energy, but we don’t know yet for what purpose or where her energy is going. But fear not, everything will be explained here and now. Happy reading!

Chapter 7: Secrets and Lies

As the minutes passed, Nick’s worry over what kind of condition Madison might be in only increased. He could tell that whatever Califon had tried to do to her, she had resisted, which had brought him relief at the time, but now something else was happening. If it was possible, Madison was in even greater danger than she was a few minutes ago.

“Maddie, what’s happening to you?” he asked.

“What would happen if we tried to track down whoever told Califon what he knows?” asked Chip. “That version of the story he has is what’s at the core of all this. If we can find out who told him, then we may have a chance at finding him.”

“How do you figure that?” asked Xander.

“Whoever it was knew exactly what they were saying,” said Chip. “They knew how to tweak the facts so that Califon would believe the wrong story. But they must have had to track him down or meet him at his hideout or something. That person will know exactly where to find him.”

“But if that person was in Imperious’ inner circle, then how do we know we didn’t destroy him along with the rest of those dwelling in the Under World?” asked Vida.

“Maybe Itasis knows,” said Xander.

“I doubt it,” said Daggeron. “The Ten Terrors didn’t come into play until after Imperious was destroyed. She wouldn’t know anything about any of his minions.”

“Necrolai,” said Nick, quietly but loud enough to get their attention.

“What did you say Bowen?” asked Leanbow.

“Necrolai,” repeated Nick. “That’s who we should ask. She’ll know all about Califon. She’s the only one left who could possibly know.”

“You’re right,” said Vida, who was already halfway to the exit. “What are we waiting for?”

The rangers reached the Rock Porium in just minutes, thank the Lord for the trees. But when they got there, they were disappointed to find that Toby and Necrolai had gone out to lunch. Leelee was watching the counter, while they were gone, but realized something had happened when she saw their faces.

“Hey guys, what’s going on? Where’s Madison?” she asked.

“She’s missing,” said Nick. “Listen to me Leelee, this is important. Did your mom ever mention someone named Califon?”

The expression on her face told them immediately that she knew him. Suddenly, she was refusing to look directly at them, and she began stuttering as she tried to respond to Nick’s question. “Califon,” she said nervously. “Why? What do you want to know about him?”

“He’s the one who kidnapped Madison,” said Vida.

“What?” asked Leelee in total disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

“She is,” said Xander, and for once, he wasn’t being all flirty and charming. “What do you know about him?”

“You should ask my mom, she knows more about him than I do,” said Leelee.

“She knows more about whom than you do?” asked Necrolai, entering the story with Toby at that exact moment.

“We need to ask you about Califon, who is he? How do you know him?” asked Nick.

Necrolai just sighed. “I should have known he’d do something sooner or later.” She rubbed her forehead and sat down in the chair Xander normally occupied and said. “All right, yes I know Califon. In fact, I more than know him.” Knowing they weren’t going to like this answer, she took a deep breath and said, “I raised him.”

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Califon walked briskly into his study, the only room where he could just sit and think. This room made his hideout less like a villain’s lair, and more like a wizard’s library. There were shelves stacked with dozens upon dozens of spell books, history of magic, potions, incantations and sorcery. He walked to one bookshelf in particular and pulled a large, leather bound volume off it. He sat down in one of the large armchairs by the fire and began to read.

“Many years ago, the greatest battle of our time commenced. Darkness threatened to overtake our world, blocking out the sun completely, destroying everything that is green and good in the land. This darkness originated from the Under World, the very heart of all malevolence. Creatures called Hydiacs lived in abundance in this world, led by fierce generals and one supreme being, referred to as The Master.

Five brave Mystic Warriors stood up against this evil, the bravest of them being the mighty Leanbow, one of the best wizards ever in existence. He commandeered the resistance against the Under World, aided by his allies and students. His wife Udonna, used her magic to aid him and when the battle drew to a close, her sister, Niella, The Gatekeeper, lowered the gate to the Under World, sealing all the evil there forever.

The battle also came with a price. Leanbow entered the gate alone and continued the battle from the inside, sacrificing himself for the safety of his people. Niella cast a powerful spell to keep the darkness at bay, a spell so great that it took all her life energy to cast it, resulting in her end as well.

Today, many remember their names in the great battle against The Master, and all who think of them honor their memories, and thank them for everything they have done against the darkness that would have destroyed our world completely.”

“Whoever wrote this had a very feeble history education,” he muttered bitterly. All the same, he was starting to doubt the version of the story he’d been told. Every time he heard people speak of the great battle, they all said the same thing, how brave the Mystic Warriors had been and how heroic Leanbow was to face the Master on his own. They all had the same story, yet he had a different one.

“I have to find Necrolai,” he said. “I know she’s still alive after that last battle. She’ll tell me what I need to know. But first…”

He replaced the book and left his study, quickly walking over to a small concealed room in the back of his lair. The door was concealed in the rock and could only be opened by the person who lived there, thanks to a nifty little spell he’d discovered a few months before. He opened the door and slipped inside. It was small, circular room, only about twelve feet in diameter, with rounded stone walls and a small hole in the ceiling. In the very center of the room, there was a podium and on top of it was a ball of energy, growing larger and larger.

“My Shadow Spell is almost complete,” he said, giving a small triumphant grin. It was a spell he’d been working on for some time, one that would erase the sun, and cover the world in shadows. All he’d needed to complete it was the energy of a person who was good and pure, and that was Madison. He had kidnapped her with the idea of using her life force to power the spell from the very beginning, and had offered her the chance to join him to try and cover it up. He knew she’d never join him, so he had the spell put on her the instant she entered his hideout. When it seemed like he was hypnotizing her to join him, what he was really doing was beginning to send her soul’s energy to the Shadow Spell.

“It’s coming along quite nicely,” he said. “Now to check on the girl.” He walked back to the main room of his lair. As he walked, he couldn’t help but think of the young girl awaiting her fate there. There was something very familiar about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

Madison was still lying on the same stone table, her strength waning even more rapidly than it had an hour before. She slowly turned her head to face him when she heard his approaching footsteps.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice rising barely above a whisper.

“Have you changed your mind?” he asked. “Will you join me?”

“I will not,” she said, quietly but clearly.

Califon ran one finger softly down her cheek, making her wince a bit. “It’s a shame really,” he said, leaning down so that he was speaking softly into her ear. “You’re such a pretty one, and you have great potential as a sorceress. You just need a little more refining and then you’ll be the most powerful enchantress in the universe. Doesn’t that sound good?”

“No, it sounds horrendous,” she said, gathering up enough to strength to raise her head up off the table a little bit. “Whatever your plans are, you won’t succeed, my friends will defeat you and they will rescue me. I know they will, and there won’t be anything you can do about it.”

“What makes you so sure?” he asked.

“It’s called faith,” she whispered, trying not to panic as she felt her heart rate slow by a beat.

“I’m consistently amazed at how people like you and your friends are suckers for faith. Every time something goes wrong, you keep up an attitude of ‘believe that things will go my way and they will.’ How pathetic.”

“What makes you so sure that faith doesn’t exist?” she asked him.

“Because I have never left anything up to faith,” he replied. “I don’t believe in chance or fate, or that if I believe in something, it’ll happen. I’ve always had to rely on just myself. You and your friends have always relied on faith and courage to get you by. And you know what? Someday, you’re going to run into a situation where that doesn’t come into play. Actually, that situation is occurring right here and now. Because in just,” he checked his watch, “two hours, you will be dead.”

“What?” Madison gasped. How could the time have flown so quickly? Hadn’t he only just told her a little while ago that she had four hours left?

He smirked and said, “all that talking is zapping your strength. If you want to live to see your friends again, either stop talking or join my side. I can break this spell in an instant, if you just give me the word.”

“I won’t,” she said angrily.

He shrugged and said, “suit yourself,” before walking out of sight. All the same, as he walked outside his hideout, he couldn’t help but think to himself, “there’s definitely something familiar about that blue witch. But I’ll be darned if I can figure out what it is.”

Madison laid her head back against the table, realizing the terrible mistake she had made. Califon had forced her to talk more to make the spell progress more rapidly and she had fallen for it.

“How could I have been so stupid? I should have just ignored him,” she said silently. All she could do was stare at the ceiling and breathe heavily as the minutes until her final heartbeat approached.

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“I found Califon wandering in the woods when he was just a boy,” said Necrolai, beginning her story to the rangers. “It was during the great battle. A fire, caused by the Master, had swept across his village burning everything in sight, taking many lives with it, including his mother’s. Daggeron and Calindor had already had their little dispute as Phineas likes to call it. The poor boy was lost and confused, and being the creature that I was, I couldn’t help but take advantage of him. I brought him back to my vampire’s lair and raised him along with Leelee. He lived with us for years.”

“What happened then?” asked Nick, starting to get a little impatient.

“Just after the seal was broken, he ran away,” said Necrolai. “I don’t know where he went, and to be honest, I didn’t really care. He had always been something of a nuisance to me, always wanting to know more about his family, always wanting to go somewhere and do something, instead of learning magic in his study. He always had to teach himself magic, considering I never had any. Finally, when he was 18, I told him a slightly altered version of what happened between Calindor and Daggeron.”

“Slightly altered?” asked Vida. “He had completely the wrong picture in his head.”

“She’s right,” said Chip. “He wants revenge on us because we did the right thing and stopped Imperious. There’s nothing to get revenge over, he was a bad guy and we defeated him. It’s as simple as that.”

“And because of his mixed up idea, Madison’s life is in danger,” said Nick, angry that they were wasting precious time, time that could be better spent saving his beloved.

“Nick, stop it,” said Xander. “We all know you’re worried about Madison, but getting angry and edgy isn’t going to save her. You need to keep your head and we need to know where to look for her.”

“I wish I could help you there,” said Necrolai. “He ran away just after I told him the story. He didn’t make a single appearance during all of your battles, so I suppose he was building himself a little hideout. One day after I’d gotten back from flying over the city, all of his things were gone. It was like he wanted to erase any trace of his being in my home altogether.”

“So, why would he show up now?” asked Leelee.

“Because he thinks he’s finally ready to avenge his parents,” said Necrolai, rubbing her forehead as though she had a headache. “This is all my fault.”

“Yeah it is,” said Nick, on the verge of losing his temper. “Because of you, he thinks my father and Daggeron are traitors. Because of you, we may never see Madison again. Because of you…” he suddenly broke off and sharply turned his head to look at the door, his ears perked up for the slightest noise.

“What is it Nick?” asked Vida.

“I felt something,” replied the red ranger. Then he whispered ominously, “He’s here.”

“Yes, I’m here,” came a voice, but they couldn’t see the person speaking. “And soon, you’ll wish you weren’t here.” A loud blast came from behind them and everyone had to jump out of the way as shelves of CD’s and records were strewn everywhere.

“Not my store, not my merchandise, not my music!” yelled Toby, kneeling down and beginning to pick up the pieces of his business.

“Toby, leave it!” yelled Xander, grabbing his boss by the arm and dragging him outside, the others close behind.

“Come out and face us Califon!” yelled Nick. “Come out here and fight!”

“If it’s a fight you want,” said Califon, still not appearing in front of them. “It’s a fight you’ll get. Black Star Barrage!” A rain of black bolts came soaring down upon the rangers, just as they had done on Maddie. But this time, the rangers were quicker. When the smoke cleared, Califon saw the power rangers standing there, ready to take him out and get their friend back.

Necrolai, Toby, Phineas and Leelee had all taken shelter in an alley by the store, where they had a close view of the battle. They watched the rangers fight for quite some time and while they were doing a better job than they did last time, they also weren’t making any progress in defeating him.

“They can’t fight him,” said Necrolai.

“Why not?” asked Leelee.

“Because if they defeat him, they’ll never find out where Madison is,” she replied. “In my experience, someone like Califon or his father is completely defeated only when he’s destroyed. That’s how it was with Morticon, Imperious, and the Ten Terrors. And even if they manage to get him to withdraw his attack, they won’t be able to get him to disclose where he’s keeping Madison.”

“What do you propose they do then?” asked Toby. “They still have to defend themselves, don’t they?”

“I’m going to go talk to him,” said Necrolai, beginning to make her way out of their hiding place.

“Mom, are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Leelee.

“It probably isn’t, but what other choice do I have?”

She hugged her daughter, then squared her shoulders and walked towards the battlefield. Leelee and Toby watched her go, both of them with sinking feelings in their hearts.

“I came this close to losing her during the battle with the Master,” said Leelee, having to fight back tears. “I can’t go through this again. Phineas, hold me.” She turned around and hugged the troblin, burying her face in his shoulder.

“Honestly, can’t we all just talk about this?” he asked.

His attention was drawn to a shriek over on the battlefield. Vida and Chip had both been struck with one of Califon’s attacks and had been forced to power down. Xander and Nick were holding their ground, but both were beginning to run out of strength. Finally, they had no choice but to power down as well.

Califon walked towards them, ready to take them out once and for all. “Goodbye rangers,” he said triumphantly.

Necrolai stopped a few yards short of the battle. “I have to do this,” she whispered. “It’s me he wants, I know it.” She walked forward and said imperiously to Califon, “stop!”

“Necrolai, what are you doing?” asked Vida.

Califon looked at his foster mother incredulously, not daring to believe his eyes. “So this is what’s become of you Necrolai. When I heard that you and your pathetic daughter had switched sides, I thought the world had gone crazy. I have to admit I’m surprised at you, the Queen of the Vampires living among humans.”

“And proud of it,” snapped Necrolai. “I need to speak with you Califon.”

“And say what exactly?” asked Califon. “That you wished you’d done a better job of raising me? That you want to know where I’ve been for this last year?”

“How about why you’re doing what you’re doing,” she said.

“Surely the rangers have told you that already.”

“They have and I think we need to get a few things straight.” She took a few steps closer to him. “I have to tell you the truth. I shouldn’t have said what I said, but I can’t change the past.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

“I told you the wrong story about your father, Leanbow and Daggeron. They never worked for the Master. They did everything in their power to stop him. I told you what I did because I thought I could more easily persuade you into the Master’s service that way. But then you ran away and I didn’t think to go looking for you. Too much happened too quickly and it all shoved you out of my mind. I’m sorry.” She took two more steps toward him and said, “like it or not, I raised you like my own son, and I think it’s time I accepted you as my son, even if you’re not. Please forgive me.”

Califon couldn’t believe his ears. The person he’d lived with his entire life, the one who had raised him, had lied to him about his parents and was now coming clean about it. More than that, she wanted to take him in as her own son. A real familial bond was something he’d never felt before and the idea seemed more than a little scary at the moment. The whole thing was getting too confusing and too overwhelming. He had to get away, he had to think.

And that was when he just plain snapped.

Author’s Note: Okay, so that’s another chapter down. Was that a surprise or what? Necrolai was Califon’s foster mother. And we know what his master plan is, but now that he knows the truth, will he try and stop it, or will it be up to the rangers to defeat him, counteract the spell, and save Madison? Stay tuned!