Pearl

Why was Bdubs here? I glanced up as Ren and Bdubs entered the clearing. Ren had not stated why he left, only that it was important. Without him there, it was eerily quiet. Those under the control of the Watchers did nothing but stand there in a sentry-like position.

"I have returned" Ren announced. The Watchers suddenly materialised out of the ground to appear next to him.

"What is this?" Aiqaz hissed, "Is he a hostage?"

"Indeed" Ren nodded, "we will use him to lure Etho in so you may take his mind once again".

"Etho won't give himself for me" Bdubs spat, "he knows it's not worth it".

"Oh I think he will" Ren grinned, "I see how much he cares for you. He'd leap into a pool of lava if you asked him to". Bdubs said nothing, glaring furiously at the man who had captured him. I watched him sympathetically.

"Hmm," I glanced to my right to see Doc, also watching with a cold expression on his face. I sighed and turned back to Ren. I noticed he was beckoning me over. Making my way over carefully, I smiled nervously.

"You wanted me?" I said.

"Are you ready to prove your loyalty?" Ren said seriously, waving a hand at Bdubs.

"Of course" I tilted my head with confusion, "what would you like me to do?"

"I would much prefer we did it," Aiqaz said saltily.

"Hush now, this is an excellent chance for Pearl to prove herself to us" Ren waved his hand in dismissal, "Pearlescentmoon, I want you to take his mind". I couldn't tell who was more shocked, me or Bdubs. Take his mind? Could I do that? Should I do that? My mind was chaos, struggling with whether this was right or wrong.

"I don't know how" I managed to say, "doesn't he need to say yes before I can do that?"

"Only when the person is uninjured and mentally strong enough" Ren shook his head, "otherwise you can take them easily enough". I looked into Bdubs eyes. I could tell he was wondering what I was going to do. I wasn't even sure of that myself.

"Pearl, don't do it" Bdubs murmured.

"Go on" Ren elbowed me roughly, "do you want to hit him or shall I do it?" I could begin to see that there was no way out of this. Either I obeyed Ren, harmed Bdubs and took his mind, or I ran away and betrayed him. Neither of those options seemed appealing.

"Well?" Ren nudged me again, "Why the hesitation?"

"Oh- nothing" I said quickly, "I just don't know how to do it".

"It's done like this" Reijo snarled, grabbing my wrists. I jumped at the sudden uncomfortable contact. The Watcher's skin was strangely smooth, like silk. But they were also cold and filled me with an uneasy sensation.

"You take those pretty hands of yours, use your magic and strike him" Reijo hissed, "then simply place your hand on his face and you will know what to do".

"But I don't want to harm anyone-" I quickly clamped my mouth shut, glancing at Ren. His gaze was hard, watching me thoughtfully.

"You don't get a choice" they laughed, "either you do it yourself or I will make you do it".

"Calm down, ∷ᒷ╎⋮𝙹" Aiqaz murmured, "give her a chance to compose herself. She is weak and unwilling".

"Ren..." I met his eyes, feeling conflicted, "do I have to?"

"Do it" Ren said coldly, "you trust me right?"

"Pearl don't listen to his mind games" Bdubs spat, "he did the same thing to me. Don't fall for it".
I gazed vaguely over, barely hearing what he said. Ren had given me a command, and I had to listen.

"I'm sorry Bdubs" I whispered, raising my hands. Reijo let go of their tight embrace, letting my arms free. I let energy crackle down my arms to the palms of my hands. Swinging my arm around, I let it go. It flew forward before striking Bdubs square in the chest. The mossy man was blown backwards, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. He rolled a meter before coming to a stop about ten meters from his original position.

Oh no, did I kill him? I felt my stomach twist with guilt. If I killed Bdubs, Etho would never forgive me.

Not that he'll forgive me anyway, not after what I just did, I amended dryly.

"Well done" Aiqaz hissed in my ear, "now finish it".

I approached Bdubs slowly, taking time with my movements. Bdubs raised himself to his elbows wearily, gazing up at me with defeat. He had clearly struck his head as he landed. One of his eyes was already darkening to a bright purple and a small scratch was on his cheek. A large scorch mark was visible on his chest. The fabric had blackened and begun to burn away, revealing burnt flesh underneath. Bdubs opened his mouth, muttering something I couldn't quite make out.

"What did you say?" I asked simply.

"Don't say I didn't warn you" Bdubs coughed, "he will kill you".

"Oh no, I'm so scared," Reijo said with contempt, "Pearlescentmoon, silence this fool".

Left with no other choice, I took a deep breath. I raised my hands again, letting them rest gently on Bdub's face. He didn't try to fight me, didn't try to negotiate. He lay there like he was transfixed under some spell. And when I released him, he stood up as though he had never been struck.

He was one of us.

Etho

I had no intention of waiting behind and doing nothing. I was going to find Bdubs, kill the person who took him and throw their body off the nearest cliff before taking Bdubs home. I waited until the others had begun to fly upwards before pulling out a vial of silvery liquid. I pulled my mask down. I uncorked the potion before downing it in a few gulps, gagging at its bitter taste before pulling my mask back up.

I glanced down at my pale arms, watching as they began to fade from view. Satisfied, I leapt into the air, following after the others. I beat my wings furiously in an effort to catch up. The top of the pit quickly came into view, light filtering in from the outside. I burst upwards before turning towards the nearest window. The wind whipped at my face as I flew on. I could see figures of people flying in the distance. As long as I stayed with eyeshot of them, I should be fine.

It felt like forever before they began to descend, even though in reality it had only been a few minutes. They glided down towards the forest floor, landing softly on the grassy surface.

As they landed I quickly ducked behind a tree, pulling out another vial of invisibility potion. I downed it before rejoining the group. I was met with the eyes of Cleo, staring right at me. Crap, I thought. Had she seen me? Apparently not, as she turned away without saying anything.

"They have to be around here somewhere" Cleo whispered, "if I scream loud enough someone will come look".

"We're trying to be stealthy" Xisuma hissed back, "we don't want them to know we're here".

"Can't I just light one fire and see who comes to check it out?" Cleo sighed, "you're no fun".

"I love your enthusiasm but we're on a mission" Xisuma quietly laughed, "where was it that you saw them?"

"It was just around here somewhere" Cleo replied, "but their camp must be hidden elsewhere".

"Looking for us?" I spun around to find Ren standing inches from me. I quietly peddled backwards, praying Ren hadn't sensed me. Ren's ears twitched, but nothing more.

"Ren" Xisuma hissed, "what have you done with Bdubs?"

"Where is Etho?" Ren ignored the question, sniffing the air, "I thought he would be here".

"We figured out what you were trying to do" Grian spat, "Etho isn't here".

Uh oh, I thought guiltily, I hope I'm not going to cause unnecessary trouble.

And then I saw him.

There was Bdubs, walking between the Watchers in strange unison. I felt anger like never before bubble inside me. They'd taken his mind. It took every ounce of self restraint not to throw myself at the Watchers and start attacking.

"You monsters" Katherine growled.

"It wasn't us" the Watcher's smirked, "Pearlescentmoon finally proved her worth".

Pearl. That bitch.

Before I knew it, my feet were moving. I quietly crept my way over so I was positioned behind Pearl. I had realised Ren's group sorely outnumbered us. If I had any chance of getting Bdubs back, I needed a hostage. And if they weren't willing to make the trade, I had no qualms with killing her.

I reached down to my belt and placed my hand on the hilt of the dagger I always carried. Once it had been used to harm Bdubs, now it would be used to save him. I had to move quick, my invisibility would run out in less than a minute. It was now or never.

Taking extreme care to not make noise, I walked closer and closer behind Pearl. The woman suspected nothing, simply standing there with her back to me. With one quick movement, I gripped her around the torso, using my other hand to place the blade of the dagger against her throat. Before she could even react, I hissed in her ear.

"Move or make a noise and this dagger goes through your throat" I whispered, "understood?"

Pearl nodded very slightly, not daring to move. I couldn't see her face from this angle but I knew she must be terrified. Surely she would have known this was coming? Her wings tensed, flexing away from her body. No one would know for another thirty seconds or so. Invisibility potions turned the persons and all of their possessions invisible. The only thing others might see is a slight dent in Pearl's neck where the blade rested. I spoke again to Pearl.

"If you try to escape, I will kill you" I murmured, "now I want you to walk forward". Pearl nodded sheepishly before taking a few steps forward. I saw Ren's head cock towards us.

"Pearl?" He frowned, "is everything alright?".

"Yeah of course" Pearl gulped before adding in a lower tone to me, "what are you doing?"

"Shut up and do as I say, I only have a few seconds left" I snarled, "or you'll lose your head".

No one was watching. I glanced down at my arms, noticing they were starting to become visible. I looked up to meet Grian's eyes. The fellow Watcher's eyes widened with shock. I narrowed my eyes, praying he wouldn't say anything. Suddenly grabbing Pearl more tightly, I dragged her out in front of Ren and everyone else. Every single person stumbled back in shock as I came fully into view.

"Give me back Bdubs" I snarked, "or she dies". To my surprise, Ren barely even twitched. His ears flicked slightly, but no emotion ever showed on his face.

"I thought I smelt you" he smiled, "so were your friends lying? Or did you just disobey them? Tsk tsk, very reckless thing to do, don't you think?"

"I'm not here to talk to you" I spat, "either you free Bdubs, or I kill Pearl".

"Ren-" Pearl stopped her sentence as I pressed the knife harder against her throat.

"Etho don't kill her" I heard Xisuma plead from behind me, "she may have betrayed us but I don't believe she's evil".

"It would be a real shame if you were to kill her. She's been a real friend" Ren nodded, "however, I can offer you a much better deal".

"And that is?" I raised my eyebrow sceptically.

"Give your mind to us, and I will release Bdubs back to them" Ren jerked his head at Xisuma, "a mind for a mind, it's only fair". I glanced at my friends behind me, filled with uncertainty. Cleo shook her head. I turned back to Ren, filled with determination.

"No" I said calmly, "you don't get to dictate the deal when it is I with the knife to the throat of one of your most important allies. Either you give me Bdubs or she dies. Simple as that".

"Interesting" Ren flicked his tail, "I think you forgot I have no qualms about killing Bdubs. How about you release Pearl, and I don't kill him?" No one moved except Bdubs. Taking the sword from his hilt, he raised the long blade to his chest. I realised they could easily make Bdubs kill himself, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"I don't trust you" I told him, "how do I know you won't just kill him anyway?"

"He is much more useful to me alive" Ren said dismissively, "believe me, I would've killed him long ago if he wasn't a vital part of my plan".

"What even is your plan?" Cleo ran forward, "why? What made you turn away from us?"

"I-" Ren stopped, deep in thought, "that is none of your business".

I suddenly noticed something. Doc was there, jerking his head at me. I frowned. Doc's mind was free, meaning either he'd betrayed us or was somehow hiding among them. Doc positioned himself so he stood directly behind the Watchers.

I understood what he was going to do. He was going to create a diversion so we may escape. There was no hope for Doc, his mind already belonged to the Watchers but my allies and I were free.

I was coming to the realisation that rescuing Bdubs may be impossible. Xisuma could free his mind, but it was far too risky with the Watchers in such close vicinity. Ren had said he was too useful to kill, so maybe he would be safe for a bit? I didn't want to think about it. Abandoning Bdubs? But it was looking like there was no other choice.

Bdubs made the choice to abandon me when it was needed most, now I must be strong and do the same. It's too risky.

"Well Etho" Ren smiled warmly, "what will it be?"

"1.. 2... 3..." Etho counted under his breath. Suddenly chaos exploded. Doc used all his might to punch one of the Watchers in the skull before aiming for the other one. The other Watcher barely got out of the way in time before Doc's fist came sailing towards it.

Not feeling a single ounce of guilt, I took the dagger and let it slide across Pearl's throat. It wasn't deep enough to kill her, but it would certainly create a diversion. Hot blood trickled out with a sickening gurgle. Pearl gasped before sinking to the floor. If she was treated quickly she would survive, but if she didn't... well I wouldn't mind that at all.

"Come on, let's go" Cleo grabbed my wrist roughly, dragging me away.

"Do not let them escape!" One of the Watchers shrieked.

"Stop them! Kill them if you have to!" The other cried.

"Pearl!" Ren had run forward, taking a small rag and pressing it against her throat. I watched gloomily before turning my attention back to Doc. The creeper hybrid was roaring with fury as he struck at the Watchers with force, surprisingly holding his own.

But then he stumbled back, and his body began to twitch. I knew it was time to get out of here. Giving one last forlorn look to Bdubs, I let myself be pulled away. As we all leapt into the sky, I had one furious thought on my mind.

I will save you, no matter who I have to kill or what I have to destroy.