A Resolution

"You ATE his daughter?"

Jaleesa glared at him. "No, I did not eat his daughter. I said I have his daughter. She is very much alive."

"Then where is she?"

Jaleesa stepped aside, revealing the room that was behind her. Lubic and Azalyn saw the massive ruby, prominently displayed on a pedestal in the centre. A figure dressed in khakis and a safari hat was cowering behind the pedestal. And beside the figure, the air seemed to be caught in light; it shimmered, vaguely suggesting a humanoid figure.

The witch pointed a slender finger at the ruby. "Her soul is safely kept in the gem. That is how she has stayed alive all these years. She is not immortal."

"But if her soul is there, then where is her body?"

"I did not eat her body, if that is what you are really asking me. I magically animated her body. There was no sense in having it lying around, cluttering up space. So her body does the menial work around here. I find it a very beneficial arrangement."

"Look everyone, as fascinating as this is, I’d really like to get out of here," Azalyn spoke up. "So Lubic, if you wouldn’t mind hurrying things up a bit?"

Lubic grinned sheepishly. "The only question I really wanted answered was ‘who is Jared?’"

Both women glared at him. "Then why is time still stopped?" Jaleesa demanded.

"How should I know?"

"Alright Lubic, then why don’t you just finish up this business here, and then hopefully time will sort itself out," Azalyn told him.

"Oh, like the witch. How should I do that?"

"Just tell her how things are going to be from now on. Make it a law."

"Hello? I can hear you two. I am still here!" Jaleesa said angrily.

"A law? What do you mean?" Lubic asked, ignoring her.

"Whatever you did to stop time, try to do that again. But this time speaking about the witch."

Lubic turned directly to face Jaleesa. "Don’t eat anyone anymore."

"Lubic! Try to put a bit more thought and energy into it!" Azalyn rolled her eyes. "We’re going to be here for a long time!" she muttered.

"Alright," he frowned. "Ummm, Jaleesa, you -"

"Before you say anything," Jaleesa cut him off, "Perhaps we can make a deal of some kind! Do not kill me! I can help you!"

"Well, how can you help me?"

"I know how to divine almost anything. Whenever you need some information about a situation or a being, you can come to me, and I will get it for you!"

"Lubic, be careful!" Azalyn cautioned.

"Alright Jaleesa, I think I can live with that. You’re help whenever I need it, and I let you live. Not that I wanted to kill anyone," he shook his head. "So from this . . . moment forward, you will not eat the souls of anything ever again! "

"But how will I practice my magic then?" Jaleesa protested.

"You need to eat souls to get magic powers?"

"Yes!"

"Well then, you will not eat the souls of anything ever again, but you shall retain whatever magic you have to this point. And your immortality, I guess. Is that okay?" he asked, turning back to Azalyn.

Azalyn felt the telltale shiver; the universe had a new law. "Well Lubic, she’s your witch. You have to deal with her as you see fit."

"Oh, that reminds me," he turned back to Jaleesa. "And you will not be able to interact with anyone I care about ever again. I’m not having you pull something over me like you did Jared."

"That sounds good to me," Azalyn agreed.

"And you will release Jared’s daughter, to return to whatever family she may have left. And that other guy in the room, he is to return to his family as well." With that, the ruby shattered into a million pieces, and the figure vanished.

"So now, what about the time stop?"

"Oh yeah, the time - " Lubic began to say as he himself vanished.