Everyone gathered in the physician’s room. Shamrock untied Alfalfa while Clover untied Piñole.
“What happens if we keep our jewels?” Shamrock asked, looking directly into Macrae’s eyes.
Ceciliate translated the message for her brother. Macrae grimaced. “You want to renege?”
“He wants to know why you’re going back on your word,” Cecilia told Shamrock.
“I’m not going back on anything. I said I wouldn’t give the jewels inside Arle’s dream. I said we’d figure out what to do next here. Clover and I have had these jewels since we were little kids. Why should we hand them over now? What if we don’t want to give them to anybody?”
“That’s right,” Clover said, walking over to Shamrock. “We can use these jewels to help other people. Why should we give them to you?”
“What are they saying, Cecilia? I don’t like this.”
“I just need to convince them,” Cecilia told her brother.
“What’s this all about?” Piñole asked. “What’s this about handing over jewels?”
“By the sound of your voice,” Shamrock said, looking to Piñole standing at the other side of the bed, “you want to know what’s going on. Bernard here–Macrae–wants to take all six jewels, and he plans to use them to his benefit until your family lists work it’s had other families do for it.”
“And he’ll send you and Arle to blue continent in the meantime,” Clover added.
“So, it really is treason,” Piñole said to Macrae with a scowl. “We shouldn’t settle this here. Let’s take it to the back woods. We’ll settle this in the woods behind the palace.”
“Fair enough,” Macrae said. “I’ll see you there.” He waved his arms up into the air, and he vanished in a flash of red and orange.
In the back woods, Macrae appeared. He pulled out the yellow and violet jewels. He gripped them in one hand, squeezing tightly. “The power of these jewels is mine.” Yellow and violets flashed from between his fingers. A glow surrounded his hand, the yellow and violet lights fighting each other as they spread up Macrae’s arm. The yellow spread across his chest, the violet across his back, the colors clashing at they met at his other side. The colors enveloped Macrae. Red and orange glows spread out, joining the yellow, overpowering the violet.
After the light died down, Macrae stood, feeling a bit out of breath from the spreading of the glowing lights. His hair had turned orange with red and yellow streaks, his eyes orange with red and yellow specks. Red and yellow hand-sewn threads held his orange outfit together. A hint of violet appeared at the roots of his hair.
“Macrae!” Shamrock called out as Piñole led the group to him.
Macrae’s eyes moved directly to Clover. He leaped high into the air, landing behind the group. Before anyone could react, the ground split open, a column of dirt pushing out, lifting Clover up high. With another jump, Macrae lifted himself up to the top of the dirt column. Looking down, he could see the others, over two stories distance away.
Clover tried to back away, but the column didn’t allow room for moving around.
While Clover looked back to make sure she wasn’t about to step off the edge, Macrae reached out, grabbing Clover’s brooch. He gave a push, Clover falling back, and the brooch pulling from her shirt. As she started to fall, Macrae’s eyes focused only on the green jewel in his hand.
Falling through the air, Clover became Sarah. A gust of wind briefly slowed her fall, then Shamrock appeared, holding on to her. Shamrock landed on the ground, but stumbled, the two falling over. Arle hurried to them to ensure the two were all right.
“This jewel is now mine,” Macrae said to himself. He squeezed the brooch in his hand as it transformed back into a sole green jewel. The jewel lit up, a green glow spreading out. As the green light spread, red and orange glows extended out from Macrae, engulfing the green, suffocating it. The green glow snuffed out, leaving only a few green roots among the violet in Macrae’s hair. “One more.”
“This isn’t good,” Alfalfa said, looking up the pillar of dirt, unable to see Macrae. “In the past, the Seamróg family ruled with the jewels by giving two to each family withing the palace. They specifically paired certain colors together, and more specifically kept certain colors apart.”
“Why would they keep them apart?” Ceciliate asked.
“Certain colors just don’t go together. Shamrock and Clover worked well as a team because blue and green work together well. So do blue and violet, or green and yellow. And then there’s yellow and orange, orange and red. Red works with violet.”
“It’s red and green,” Shamrock said, holding Sarah in front of him.
“And it’s yellow and violet,” Alfalfa added.
“And orange and blue?” Sarah asked, sitting up in Shamrock’s arms.
“So what happens if he gets the last jewel?” Piñole asked, looking directly at Alfalfa.
Alfalfa started to open his mouth, but he hesitated.
“Never mind about slave versus royalty right now. Speak your information.”
The tall, narrow wall of dirt caved in, falling like the sand through an hour glass. As the top of the dirt reached the ground, Macrae descended, his arms out wide open. “What a glorious day! I see only to take the boy’s earring, and victory is mine. All mine. Never again shall the Medic family act according to the will of the Alsike family. I’ll banish them all to the violet planet.” He looked into Arle’s eyes and smirked. “Every last one of them.”
“I don’t like how he said that,” Sarah said. “Shamrock, we have to do something.”
“Please,” Alfalfa cried out, dropping to his knees before Macrae, “stop this. Please, Master. Your mind is being conflicted by the opposite powers of the jewels. It’s not too late. You can give the jewels back. You’ve made your point. Stop now, and I’m sure Lady Piñole will be very understanding.”
“Go away,” Macrae replied. He pushed out with his hand, and the ground slid away. The ground pulled Alfalfa away with it, holding him by the feet, causing him to fall forward, his body dragging along until the ground stopped by a few distant trees.
“Brother, you’ve never done such a thing to Alfalfa before. You must stop this,” Ceciliate implored. “Alfalfa has always been like a younger brother to you. You’ve always been such good friends, no matter what. Are you really willing to let all that go? Are you really going to give it all up?”
The ground pulled down from under Ceciliate’s feet. It sank, Ceciliate falling with it, until she was too far down to see anything but the funnel of dirt leading to the visible sky outside.
“Who’s next?” Bernard asked. “You, other Lucid Dreamer, how about taking me on?”
Shamrock stood. “Go with Arle and Piñole,” he told Sarah, his voice stern, his eyes not leaving Macrae. “The three of you go to Alfalfa.” He lifted an arm, and Ceciliate lifted out from the hole. She set down beside it. “Take her, too, and go to Alfalfa.”
Although reluctant to agree, Sarah didn’t argue or hesitate. She and Arle helped Ceciliate walk over to Alfalfa.
“You, too, Piñole. You’re in on condition to fight him, not without a jewel.”
Piñole backed a few steps, then turned and headed toward the others.
“Time for fight?” Macrae asked.
Shamrock touched his thumb and finger tips to his jewel.
“You are on,” Macrae said, placing a hand on his necklace. He lowered his hand back down a little as he watched Shamrock lift the earring into the air.
The earring sparkled in the light of the setting sun as Shamrock held it out. He dropped it to the grassy ground. “It’s yours.”
“You are wise fool.” Macrae told him as he lifted a hand, pulling the jeweled earring into his grip.
“Wise, indeed,” Shamrock said as he transformed back into Samuel. “At least, I hope so.” He turned and sprinted toward the rest of the group, as they watched in wonder at what he had just done.
Holding the blue jewel in his palm, Macrae concentrated on its pulse. The light of the jewel lifted from the jewel, wrapping itself around Macrae’s body. The orange light from within Macrae appeared, pushing away at the blue, but the green light joined the blue. Red and yellow surrounded Macrae, with violet adding to the mix.
“What’s happening to him?” Arle asked as Samuel reached the group.
Samuel looked back. “I don’t know. Whatever’s happening, I only hope the resolve is good for us.” He looked at Alfalfa sitting beside the tree. Samuel kneeled down beside him. “How are you feeling?”
“Like my best friend’s about to be torn in two. Don’t mistake my words, as I don’t blame you. I just can’t believe this is happening.”
Macrae looked around. His eyes, growing a rainbow of alternating colors, focused on the group. Wind blew his rainbow of hair in different directions and Macrae lifted a few inches off the ground, then pushed through the air, landed on the ground beside the others. “Now this is power. I cannot be stopped.” His neck tilted, and his eyes took turns twitching. One of Macrae’s knees jerked a leg to the side, then back in place. “The power. I feel it flowing through me completely.”
“Alfalfa.” Samuel kneeled beside the boy. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know, but I think the jewels will fight one another until they’re pushed out all opposing jewels. I have no idea what will become of my Master in the process.”
Macrae started laughing hysterically. “No one can stand in the way of the Medic family now!”
“Listen,” Samuel whispered next to Alfalfa’s ear. “If I can take two of the jewels from him, blue and green, maybe he’ll be thrown off balance as the other others rush against the violet. That’ll be your chance. You’ll have to rush him, and take the other jewels.”
“Rush my master? I could never do such a thing!” Alfalfa cried out.
“I’ll do it,” Piñole said. “Just tell me when.”
Samuel took Sarah’s hand in his. “We don’t know what will happen next,” he said to her. “Bernard may be hurt by the jewels. He may not be. If he isn’t, he may hurt others. We’ve already seen him attack a friend and a family member. I hoped having the final jewel would overload him and he’d pass out or something, but that didn’t happen.”
The laughter stopped. “Why isn’t anyone laughing with me?” He watched as Samuel walked by, leading Sarah behind him. “Where are they going? Do they thing it’s all over? They should have given me their jewels sooner. They must punished!”
As Macrae turned to follow the two with his eyes, Samuel stopped walking, and Sarah stopped beside him. The two faced back at Macrae.
“You want to punished us?” Samuel asked. He tightened his hold of Sarah’s hand.
Sarah breathed deep, then out slowly.
“Then punish us,” Samuel said, looking directly into the color-changing eyes. “Are you ready Piñole? You’d better get ready now. Tell him to take us out for our insolence. Tell him we mock him, and the only way to stop us is to end our lives, one quick motion.”
“I can’t say something like that,” Piñole said.
“Do it!” Samuel demanded, still watching Macrae.
“How fascinating,” Macrae said, a wide, goofy smile across his face. “The more I hear, the more I understand. All the words I’ve ever heard of this language are coming back to me. I think I understand. I fulfill your request.”
Lights glowing all colors of the rainbow surrounded Macrae’s arms. He lifted his elbows, and pulled his arms back. Sarah leaned against Samuel, squeezing his hand harder back. Macrae thrust his hands out forward, rainbow-colored beams of light flashing out from his hands.
The lights filled the whole area, causing everyone watching to close their eyes, covering their hands over their eyes, and even then they could see colors flashing. When the lights stopped, hands went down slowly, and eyes carefully opened, blurry vision obstructing the view of everyone by the tree.
As her vision started to clear, Piñole could see Macrae standing, huffing and puffing. A few trees in his line of sight had disintegrated in the attack. Sarah and Samuel were gone.
“I think you’re supposed to attack me now,” Macrae spoke in perfect English. He tilted his head to one side as he looked over at her. “Are you going to risk–ah… Grr…” Macrae dropped to his knees. He grabbed his arm with his other hand. Green lights flashed around the gripped arm, then blue lights around his chest and stomach.
Without giving a thought, Piñole sprinted, then lunged, knocking into Macrae, and he cried out from the pain in his arm and chest. Piñole held Macrae down as he screamed, the pain moving around through his body. Piñole took hold of the necklace, giving it a tug, breaking the clasp on the back, and freeing it from around Macrae’s neck. Piñole lifted the necklace to throw it. For a brief moment, she could see six jewel. In a blur, the green and blue jewels vanished. Piñole threw the necklace as far as she could, and the necklace broke into four jewels as it hit the ground.
The lights withing Macrae left his body, returning to the jewels.
