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When legends are lost, who is to remember the ones that created them? |
| [Introduction]
Thosands of years ago, three sorceress' of magnificent powers Ruled the Elven Nation - and all of the civalized world. Their rule brought prosperity, but it also brought greed into the hearts of those who did not see magic as a way to weive and create peace and heath, but money. The sorceresses condemend these actions, saying that it spelled defeat for their people, but they would not listen. In anger, the sorceresses left their people to their devies of corruption. Only legends remain. But they were immortal. And memories remain......
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| "Ah creator have mercy on our souls" The old woman whispered, staring out at the barren feilds. she was aged beyond her years, her hair was white and fine wrinkles meshed her face. The wind whipped dust across the face of a young woman shanding beside her. The woman pulled her hood over her head against the dust. "If your creator has any mercy at all he'll make it rain, Grandmama." The old woman turned, walking back to the building behind them. "He is your creator two, Annilina." The young woman scowled. If the Creator was real, he wouldn't let this drought do this. He wouldn't let their crops and animals die. There friends die. She was dressed in geens and browns, a light tunic and leggings. After her fathers death, she had taken over his job. His death was only the begainning. One by one, Lina had watched her family die. Now there was only her and Grandmama, and not for very long. She could fell the knawing pain of hunger, every present now. "If the creator cared, He woundn't have let them die." lina spat bitterly. Grandmama spun, her white hair a coud aboud her. She reached under Linas hood and snatched her hair, tugging it hard. Her eyes were feirce. "If I ever - ever - ever - hear you say that again, you will be very very sorry." Lina swallowed. She had never seem grandmama so made. A strage light danced in her eyes. "i'm - I'm sorry Grandmama." |
| Grandmama stared at her for a few moments, her eyes hard as flint with disaproval. Then she snorted and let go. |
| Lina cast her eyes down at the barren ground. She had never seen Grandmama so angry. It didn't seem like her really. But everyone had changed since the drought had come. Herself to. Perhaps they had changed more then they realized. "Lina! Lina M'tail! Over here!" A lanky figure shruggled towards her through the winds. "Daran!" she cried. "Why are you here?" Daran was the son of the shopkeeper in the village and rarely ventured out the surronding lands. He pulled up beside her, sheilding his eyes. He wore no cloak, and the fine linen he wore was useless for anything else but standing behind a counter. The wind threw his fine hair about. "I need to talk to your Grandmother." He turned to where grandmama had stood, only to see her leaving at a brisk pace. He ran to catch up, Lina keeping up. "Mistress M'tail! Mistress M'tail! I need to talk to you!" She stopped abrutly, her face set. "Go home boy. This is not the place for the likes of you. Go home to the village." Lina saw his face redden sligtly, but he continued anyway. "There has been a Council called, Ma'am. I was sent to fetch you." Grandmama was a member of the council, and had been ever since Lina was born. Probally longer. "A council meeting!" Her Grandmother snorted. "What on earth do those stuffed shirts want this time?" Daren was silent, knowing that any comment would earn him a sharp remark. She stalked off in the direction on the village, not even bothering to change her shawl. Lina couldn't imagine that she had aggravated her so much with one simple comment. "What is it being held for?" she asked Daren, as they watched grandmamas retreting back. Daren shrugged. "I would say the drought, but I'm not so sure. Four travellers arrived today. They stopped in at the inn." "Travellers?" Lina said unbelivingly. "No ones stopped by here for years. Why come here? Our wells almost dry and the creeks nothing to speak of." Daren shugged again. "Its only what I know. One of the men, he was dressed real fancy, like a knight or something. He carried a sword." Lina raised her eyebrows. "Honestly. The other man looked like some sort of woodsguide, with a bow and the fullest quiver you ever seen. The women were dressed real strange. They wore pants." Lina gave him a look and he reddened, looking down at her leggeings. "Stranger. Er, um, well, they wore pants." he said, his face blazing. "Baggy ones that were bright collored. Made of silk." "Have you ever even seen silk Daren?" she asked scathingly. He nodded. "Papa ordered some awile back, for Faile Neverts wedding dress. It was silk. They wore veils, but the ones that you could see through, not the ones that hid your face, and they were some kind of gossamer fabric, the same color as there pants. Lina could feel her curiosity rising. "Lets go see them." she said. She was not one to beat around the bush. "I dunno. Those men seemed pretty dangerous...." he trailed of as she glared at him. "Alright, Alright. But don't do anything stupid, okay Lina?" "Stupid?" he could hear the menace in her voice and sighed. "Never mind. Come on, lets go," |
| Lina marched purposly towards town with Daren trailing worriedly behind her. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to come to their town, especialy if these people were as well off as Daren seemed to think they were. Definetly something worth investigating. It was a depressing walk from Lina's farm to village. They had to pass other farms that were doing as bad a Lina's. Feilds that had once been full of corn or cows were now only bare stretchs of dust. A few scruffy crows cawing angrily as they hopped around on a fence post were the only living things to be seen. All the other birds had left. Lina pushed down memories of a happier, more prospurose time, and walked faster. It did no good to dwell. Soon the pair had reached the village. It wasn't a large village. Just a few buildings that had popped up when the farms had been doing better. There was a smithy and a shop that sold the things that th farmers couldn't provide for themselves, there was the old church, and council hall, and of course the inn. Lina picked her way towards the inn. Nodding every so often to some one or other. She noticed that an unusual amount of the farmers were in town and seemed busy asking questions. Word traveld fast. And of course travelers would have been a novelty at anytime, now it seemed a miracle. Lina walked up to the villages inn, The Wild Horse, and strolled in without hesitation. The common room was well lit and clean because Mrs. Plimley refused to allow any slacking in the staff, even though the inn hadn't seen much business in a while. Mr. Plimley stood behind the bar counter pollishing a glass and smiled at her as she came in. Lina had always thought of Mr. Plimley as a jolly man, but today he seemed almost exctatic! " Lina!" He said jovously. " Ah and Daren too!" He mostioned them to take a seat at the bar. Lina looked around and saw that all the tables were empty except for one in the corner which was occupied by a man Lina had never seen before. " See! I told you Lina!" Daren whispered to her as they sat down. Lina nodded and eyed the stranger suspicously. He was tall and had dark hair and eyes. He was lounging in his chair with his feat on the table, busy with a mug of beer. Lina also noticed a rather large bow leaning against the wall. " Ah Miss. M'Tail! I am so glad to see you!" Mr. Plimley said warmly. " No doubt you've heard of our visitors and why they've come!" Lina blinked at him in surprise. |
| "Well, the village has been without travellers for so long, they must be here for something important." she said, choosing her words carefully. She could feel the eyes of the man watching her, but when she galnced behind her, he was involved with his mug again. Unnerverd, she turned back to Mr. Plimley. She didn't feel comfertable talking about the stranger in front of him. "Indeed!" he cried, and his eyes twinkled. "They booked the best rooms two, the very best!" Lina thought that Mr Plimley looked like he was about to dance. She surpressed a giggle at the mental image that popped into her mind. "Very fine people they are, very fine! I say, why don't i introduce you young people to Master Sliverthush over there?" Darrens face paled, and Lina blushed a furious red. "Sir, I don't think that thats nessisary, sir." she spat out lamely. He clapped her on the back so hard she lost her footing. "Nonsense! Follow me!" Darren gave her a scathing look which Lina ignored. Okay, it had been her fault, but she wasn't going to show him that. "Master Silverthrush! I am pleased to introduce you to two of our most upcoming villagers!" he cried. "Annilina M'Tail and Darren Nitsk." The man looked up, and Lina swallowed hard. He was in his mid twenties, his face framed with dark brown hair. "Charmed, I'm sure." he said softly. He had a nice voice, but Lina couldn't help looking at the longbow agaist the wall. It was a goot three feet taller then her, and she doubted that Darren and here could draw it together. "Won't you take a seat?" Darren and Lina sat down nervously, galncing at the innkeeper, hoping that he would say something. Mr Plimley opened his mouth, but the sound of the doorbell tinkling drew him away. Nervously, lina studied her hands, wisheing that she had never came. "Nitsk." the man said to Darren. "Thats not a local name if I know anything, now is it?" "No - no, Master Silverthrush," Darren stammered. "My father and i came here years ago, when I was a baby." "Please." the man said. "Call me Ryann." He seemed to realize that his attentions were causing Darren disconfert, so turned the conversation to Lina. "You were born here, no?" "Yes." Lina said, forcing herself to look into his eyes. "I live with my Grandmama. The rest of my family died as result of the drought." she refused to let her voice shake. The man was silent. "I extend my sympathies," he said, and he did see to care, "My own family was also taken from me." |
| " Oh. I'm sorry." Lina said lamely, feeling stupid for bringing the subject up. Ryann shrugged. " Say Ryann! What have you got here?" A cold voice asked from behind. Lina jumped and mentaly cursed herself for it. She turned around to find a tall figure looming over her. This man had blond hair and serious blue eyes that were examining Lina and Darran coldly. He was wearing armour and Lina noticed a sinister sword strapped to his belt. Ryann looked annoyed and was about to say something when another voice spoke up. " Don't be rude Garret! And don't scowl at me like that! Ryann get your feet off the table." A short women with flowing red hair pushed her way past the hulking figure of Garret and eyed Ryann with disaproval. Ryann immeaditly sat up straight and tried to hide his mug with his hands, all the while giving the women an innocent smile. The women sighed and shook her head. " What am I going to do with you two!" She asked with a dramatic sigh and poorly hidden smile. She than turned he attention to Darran and Lina. Lina was struck by how beautiful an reagal sh looked. Both Darran and Lina immeaditly felt out of place and didn't now what they should say to such a lady, or even if they should say anything at all. The womn seemed to notice their uneasiness and gave them both a warm, brilliant smile that for some reason made them feel better. " Who are your friends Ryann?" She asked. " This is Mr. Darran Nitsk, and Miss. Annalina M'tail." Ryann explained. " Local residents. Friends, this is Evania Rai'Tourn." Ryann made the introductions. " I'm very pleased to meet you both!" Evania said kindly. " Would you mind if I joined you?" She asked. Darran and Lina both scrambled over each other to ashure her that they didn't mind. " Wonderful!" Evania enthuesed. She then gave the man called Garret a meaningful look. Garret rolled his eyes and pulled out one of the chairs for her, although not without muttering a great bit. Evania ignored this and continued to smile as she sat down. " Miss. M'tail, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you by any chance related to a Mr. Cyan M'tail ar you." Lina stiffened a bit. " Yes." said quietly. " He was my father." Evania glanced at Ryann who gave her a meaningful look. " Oh I see." She said sadly. " I'm so sorry, I wouldn't have mentioned it if I'd known." Lina shook her head. " No it's alright." She assured her. " But how do you know him?" Evania pursed her lips for a second and seemed to b considering something. " We heard rumors that there was a man in this village by he name of M'tail who could unlock Faerie Stones." She said finally. " You see we have one that we would like unlocked." Lina nodded in understanding. " I see. Well I'm afraid you're a few years to late." " So than he could unlock them!" Evania said in sudden excitement. Lina felt a sudden flare of anger. " No need to get so excited! He's dead so you'll just have to go somewhaere else!" She snapped. With that Lina jumped out of her seat and started for the door. " No wait!" Evania cried. But Lina ignored her but the women was almost inhumanly fast. She was on her feet and had Lina's arm in a gentle, but solid grip before Lina knew she had moved. And for someone so small she was strangely strong. Lina was stopped in her tracks. " Please wait!" The women said depertley. " I meant no offense! It's just that it's terribly important that we have this stone unlocked!" " I don't know what you expect her to do Eva!" Garret snorted. " Let her go, she's of no use to us!" Something in the way he said it infuriated Lina even more. She would have left right then if she'd been able to get out of Evania's grasp. " Shut up Garret." Evania said calmly. She then gave Lina an intense look. " Did your father teach you how to unlock the Faerie Stones? The ability is said to be passed down through families." " I doubt she's ever even seen one!" Garret snapped. " I knew it was a waste of time to come to this village." Well that did it! Lina lifted her chin and stared Evania straight in the eyes. " As a matter of fact he did tell me how it was done. But I'm not sure I'll be able to help you. Rudeness always seems to hamper my abilites." She said coldly with a meaningful glare in Garrets direction. She thought she heard Ryann chuckle from his place at the table. Evania smiled in relief and pulled a large black stone from her pocket. The stone was smooth there were small flecks of white all over it that made the stone look like it had been cut out of the night sky itself. " Don't pay any attention to Garret! He's like this to everyone." Evania assured her. " If you can unlock the stone we will b greatly in your debt!" Lina stared at the stone for a few seconds before carefully taking it in her hand. To be honest Lina really hadn't eve seen a Faerie stone before. The ones that had been found in the woods had been found years ago when her father had been a young man. Faerie stones were remnets of a lost era. From the times of the Elves. They were sai to be shards from much larger stones that had been used by the Elves to preform great feats of magic. Supposidly two were still intact and were gaurded by the Royal families of Graonden and Aquenios. But the smaller peicies were highly prized for their supposed ability to bring luck to it's owner. As well if they were unlocked some would play music or show images. Some gave off endless amounts of light. But that was all the magic they possesed. She couldn't imagine why one, even one as large as this could be so important. Lina suddenly wondered if she should ven try. Her father had always said that it was easy to unlock them, yet it was a very rare ability. Sh couldn't bare to think of how smug that Garret man would look if she failed! Then again..if she succeeded... Lina closed her eyes and tried to remember what her father had told her. He'd said that the stones were inhertintly magical and almost alive in a sense. He'd said that all you really had to do was clear your mind and listen. Lina ran her fingers over the smooth surface and tried to clear her mind. Listen to what? Lina could hear the sounds of the inn all around her. Several people who had wanted to see the strangers had come in and were whispering amoungst themselves. Mr. P;imley wa busy trying to sell them something to drink. She was sure she could hear a clink as Garret tapped his foot impatiently. An somewhere...Yes! Somewhere close by she could faintly make out the sound of music. Close and yet far away and muffled. Lina's fingers gently probed the surface of the stone. It seemed to Lina that it was coming from the stone. She could almost feel the stone pulsing as the music struggled to get out. But it needed to be let out. Someone had to give it permission. In a kind daze Lina smiled and told it to sing. Suddenly the room was filled with a soft sorrowful music. Lina blinked as she realised that everyone else could here it to. Evania's face was alight with excitement. Lina noticed smugly that Garret looked more than a little shocked. But her smugness was soon washed away by the song of the stone that seemed to be filled with soul leveling depair. The music spoke to everyone in the room of the hardships they had endured and of all the hardships that where to come. Several people in the room broke down and cried. Despite herself Lina felt tears running down her cheeks as she remembered her family. Evania gently took the stone from Lina's hands and placed in a metal box. Once he'd shut the lid the music stopped. Evania handed to box to Garret who took it grudgingly and then turned back to Lina who was desperatly trying to pull herselft together. " You have no idea of the wonderful thing you have done." She said quietly. But then her bright smile was back and she shook Lina's hand gratefully. " Thank you so very much! And don't think that your favour to us will go unpaided! If you'll excuse me for a second." With a wave to Garret to follow Evania hurried up the stairs tthat lead to the inns rooms. Lina stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds in a stuned silence until she realised that someone was laughing. She turned and found Ryann, still in his original seat, chuckling madly. " What's so funny!" She demanded. Ryann smiled at her. " Didn't you see the look on Garrets face?! I owe you a favour just for that!" Lina smiled weakly slightly as she remembered it and went back to join Ryann and Darran. " Wow Lina! I think those rumors about there being elven blood in your family must be true!" Darran cried in awe. Lina blushed a bit. " It was nothing she said modestly!" " Say! What was that weird word you said? Right before it stard playing music!" Darran asked. Lina frowned. She didn't remeber saying anything weird. " What are you talking about?!" She demanded. "All I said was sing!" " Oh no you didn't!" Darran insisted. " You stood real still for a few minutes and than you said some strange foriegn sounding word. Started with a k..Um..Kriendth! That was it I'm sure of it!" Lina stared at him in shock. Than she looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her! People she'd known her entire life were looking at her like they'd never seen her before. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and decided to change the subject. " So Mr...I mean Ryann, why do you travel with that hunk of walking tin if you don't like him?" She asked. Ryann shrugged and fingured a ring that was on his fingure. " To tell you the truth I've been hired as a sort of guide." " By Miss Rai'Tourn?" Darran asked. " No." Ryann said after a moments hesitation. " Actually both Evania and Garret have also been hired by Mr. Bungle." Ryann smiled slightly to himself. " Thats just what we call him. He gave us some long unpronouncable name. Not that it matters, it's not his real one." Lina frowned and was about to ask what he meant but Ryann kept on going. " He works for some rich broad. You'd think she wa Queen of the world the way he talks about her!" Ryann shrugged. " Well thats why I'm here. And Sir. Rusts Alot isn't that bad once you get to know him. Or so Evania tells me." He than lapsed into silence. Lina wanted to ask what they needed the stone for, but felt that Ryann had said all he was going to. " Well I'd better be getting back to the shop." Darran said after a few moments. " I suppose I'd better be going too." Lina agreed. Ryann nodded as the two got up. " Er..It was nice talking to you." Lina offered. " Anytime." Ryann said. Mr. Plimley tried to get them to stay a little longer and prehaps have a refreshing drink but they declined. Lina was almost out the door when a tentitive voice asked. " Er..Miss! Miss M'tail?" Lina turned around to find a short man in plain close nervously rubbing his hands standing behind her. " Yes?" She asked. She couldn't help staring at the poor man. He looked like a frightened rabbit and stumbled over his words as if he wished to change them as soon as they left his mouth. And he ha strange eyes! Lina couldn't think of why they were strange but they were! As if... " Er. Um. Yes! Miss M'tail. I can't thank you enough for helping us! Evania tells me that you were most generous!" As he'd been speaking he'd been rumaging in his coat pocket, and kno he pulled out several gold coins and placed them into Lina's palm. " For your er, trouble!" He explained. Lina stared at the coins in disbeleif. " Seven gold amperials!" Sh breathed. " Sir I can't! It's to much!" The man that he was assuming was Mr. Bungle looked sumwhat dismayed. " No Miss! It, it's a fair price! And I must pay youn sum somehow!" " But.." Lina tried again. |
| "Oh, oh, this will never do... never do!" he cried, wringing his hands. She will be very displeased with me if i don't pay you miss! Very displeased!" "Displeased!" Lina cried, "Who?" The man seemed to stare off into space. "The greatest lady in the four worlds miss. Oh I must pay you, I must." he seemed truly distraught. "You'll be a good girl and take the money, won't you?" he looked pathetic and nervous. "Bad show, taking and not giving, always give, thats her motto, always give, except when to comes to chocolate......" "What!" Lina cried. She was begainning to feel that this man was off his rocker. "Chocolate? Listen sir, i can probally buy two hundered villaged with this money." "What, of course girl, you go do that, you go do that." She looked at Darren for help. he just shrugged. "Some help you are," she mouthed. "No sir, i cannot take it. My services are not to be bought." she pushed the money back into his hands. "Not to be bought girls hum, not to be bought, why your very clever Miss, very cleverm never let them buy the gift from you, never let them buy it." his hands dug in his waistcoat pocket and he pulled out a gold singet ring. "Not to be bought then, hum? A gift them, and it is very bad manners to refuse a gift." She took the ring and slid it into her pouch at her belt, not wanted to argue with the man anymore. "I am honored," she said, with a small bow. He returned it, bobbing up and down nervously. "Honored, honered hum? Very pleased to hear that miss, very pleased." he paused. "Your the daughter of Cyan M'Tail hum?" "i was his daughter sir." "Was, am, samething. Very fine man, very fine indeed. Not surprised that such talented young woman like you is his daughter. Very fine, very fine." |
| " What! You knew my father?!" Lina cried, but Mr. Bungle had already turned around and was heading back to the stairs. " Hum? He asked over his soulder. " No. Not really. Um. Good day to you Miss." And without another word he scurried up the stairs and was gone. "Wai...Er!" Lina cried in exasperation. " I've had enough of these people!" She turned and stamped out of the inn. " Wait Lina!" Darran called as he hurried to follow. " Why didn't you take the money?" He asked her once he'd caught up. " That was seven gold amperials!" Lina shrugged. " I didn't want to rob the poor man." she snapped. " He's obviously got enough problems as it is!" " But you can't say that you didn't need the money!" Darran muttered. " Maybe!" Lina said quietly. " But...I don't know! I just didn't seem right!" Darran sighed. " Anything you say Lina. Look! I need to get back to the shop. My dad will have my hide as it is! I was only supposed to deliver the mesage to your Grandmother not socialize with the visitors! " Lina nodded. " I should get home to. Goodbye then!" " Goodbye Lina!" Lina started back to the farm in a comtemplative mood. What had happend in the inn disturbed her. It had been like she'd gone to another place while she held the Faerie Stone. Lina pulled her cloak around her against the wind and remembered to ring. She reached into her pouch and pulled it out to examine it. It was a slightly tarnished ring, but Lina was sure it was made of gold. The signet showed a rose. " Hum! A golden rose!" She muttered to herself. " I wonder if it stands for anything?" Idely she slipped it on to her finger. It fit her like it had been designed for her. " Strange." she muttered. " Annilina!! Miss Annilina stop!" Lina turned around in surprise and found the villages smith, Robert, running up to her like the hounds of hell were at his heals. " Robert what is it!" Lina cried as he caught up with her. She'd never seen his face look so grim. " Lina! It's your Grandmother! You had better come quick! Mr. Bungle sat quietly on his bed at the inn holding the metal box carefully in his hands. The girl had done a remarkable job! Even through the Electrum casing he could still faintly hear the stones mournful song. It would work marvously! Carefully he placed the box on to a small table by the bed and stood up. From underneath his coat he with drew a large golden medalion with the golden rose of his mistress masterfully carved onto it. He held it flat in his hands and let his mind wander. Quietly he spoke the ancient words. Then he waited. Nothing happened at first, but then the darkness in the room expanded and deepened to become something else. " Ah my faithful servant! And right on time, as usual!" A rich feminane voice sounded in his head. Mr. Bungle bowed deeply. " It is done my Mistress! The last stone has been activated and I have given the girl your ring! Now I need only deliver the last ring to the one in Lindell!" " Very good! I knew I could count on you!" The voice cooed. " But tell me! Is the girl likely to go to the city?" Mr. Bungle considered this for a moment and then replied. " Yes! I beleive that has already been taken care of." " Excellent! Well cariey on! I'll be watching!" " Of course, Oh Mistress!" Mr. Bungle murmered. And than she was gone. Mr. Bungle carefully placd the medalion back under his shirt and lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. For now his work here was done. He could afford a short rest. |
| "What is it? Whats wrong?" Lina cried agian, but she could not seem to get a strait answer. "What happened? Where's grandmama?" Robert didn't answer, but contiued his brisk pace towards the village Hall. he was a powerful man and Lina had to Jog to keep up to him. "Robert, whats wrong?" He shook his head. "Best you just follow me Annilina. Hurry along." Worry begain to press up inside her, and possiblities begain to swirl in her head. What had happened? They reached the hall, and Lina noticed the crowd about it. No one ever crowed around the old Hall, becasue no one cared about the politics that the council dreged up. "Mis Marple"! she called to the village seamtress "Mis marple what happend?" Mis Marple just shook her head and didn't even meet her eyes. "Miss marple!" Robert steering her into the building. "What happened?" she shreiked, finally at her wits end. "What happened! i won't go a step further if you don't tell me what happened!" she planted her leather boots on the rough wooden floor and stood her ground. "You'd best tell her." Robert said grimly, folding his huge arms on his chest. The remark whas directed to Mr. Cuninway, the Head of the Village council. Right now he was cowering in a corner, and shaking his head vogourously. "Of no no no no no no no no! I can't! You must tell her Robert! Your stronger!" Robert sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He shot a murdourous glance and the thin liitle man in the corner. "Annilina, Your grandmother was found in one of the anterooms. She was dead." Lina felt like she had been doused into a bucke tof ice water. Her body went numb. What? she tried to say, but the words would not come out. "How?" she croaked out. "They found her just a moment ago. Dr. Morgan is in there now. But we all have our suspsions. The people in the hall nodded grimly. There was onlt one person who was in here, that had no right to be." "What?" lina stammered. "You - you - mean she was..." "Murdered!" Mr. Cuninway hissed from the corner. "He's being held in the back room." Robert said consolingly. "We'll find this out." A deep, rough voice, assailed them from the room beyond. "Mad! you people are all mad! I didn't kill the old hag! Let me be!" Lina could reconized the voice form a mile away, and she found it hard to breath. It was Sir. Garret |
Lina sat in a stunned silence at the High Council table. She supposed she should feel honored but she really didn't care. She'd had to sit down and this had been the only available place. Lina still couldn't beleive it. She'd known that Grandmama probably didn't have much time left, but MURDERED!!! She could never have been prepared for this! The village was so small that the only crime they normaly had to worry about was the occasional fox trying to steal the chickens! And why would anyone want to hurt Grandmama?! Why would Sir Garret have wanted to kill her?!! The evidence seemed clear! Sir Garret had left the Wild Horse only a few minutes after Lina's work on the Faerie Stone. People in the street had said that he had seemed very angery and had been muttering to himself. He'd had no reason to go to the Council Hall and yet he had! And only moments later Grandmama had been found dead! And as Robert had said, Sir Garret had been the only person there that had no right to be. Lina shivered slightly and hugged her knees. It was so aweful!!! She still couldn't belive that it had really happened! And know she was really alone. Suddenly there were the sounds of an intense arguement coming from one of the anterooms. Lina raised her head to listen. She could recognize the voices, and they were speakig loud enough for her to hear, even through the thick oak doors. " This is obserd!!" She recognized Evania's slightly musical voice. " You have absolutely no proof!!! There were at least two dozen other people in this building, anyone of them could have done it!!!" " Now see hear!!! There's nothing but good, decent, hardworking people in this village, and I won't stand for you suggesting that any of them could have done such a..such a monsterous thing!!!" Lina heard Mr.Cunningham yell. " You are only acusing Garret because he's a stranger! You have no right to hold him here!!!" Evania yelled back. There was a loud thump of someone bringing their fist down on a table hard. It made her jump. " That's enough!" She heard Robert roar. " Both of you sit down! We are going to continue this conversation in a civilized manner." There was a pause where Lina imagined the other people in the room sat down grudgingly. " Now, Miss Evania!" Robert continued in a level voice. " Everyone else who was in the building at the time have established solid alibys! Sir Garrets explenation to his presince, however, is... well lets just say it leaves something to be desired. And to be frank! We know everyone who was in the building couldn't have hurt a fly, let alone murder someone they'd known all their lives!" " Well I know Garret! And I KNOW he would never murder anyone!!!" Evania snapped. " Frankly, we don't know you either Miss." Robert said calmly. " Well of all th..." " Miss Evania! Please! Tha..thats enough!!!" Mr.Bungle's ditinctive voice pleaded. There was another pause, and then Mr. Bungle coughed a few times patheticaly. " NnnNow, Mr. Cunningham. You said there would be an investigation." " Of course! We're not UNCIVILIZED!" Mr. Cunningham practicaly snarled. " Oh..Er..Um Yes. Very good! Who Sir is to be in charge of the investigation? If if I may ask!" " Oh..Well Robert here will be in charge of it!" " And is Mr.Greenwood qualified?!" Evania asked icely. " Qualified enough miss." Robert replied. " Oh er good. Yes yes I'm sure you'll conduct a..a very fair investigation Mr.Greenwood! And of course Sir Garret will be entitled to representation at the trial?" " Of course Sir!" Mr.Cunningham snapped. " Know if you would excuse me! I am very busy! The trial will comense as soon as Robert completes his investigation. Sir Garret will be held here until then. Good day!" " I'll be leaving to!" Robert announced. There was the sound of heavy footsteps, and then the click of the door closing behind the to men. " Oh dear oh dear oh dear!" Mr.Bungle said nervously. " This is all very worrying!" Evania snorted. " Of course it's worrying! They've already made up their minds that Garret's guilty!" " Now Evania! I'm sure these people will conduct this investigation unbiestly, and get to the truth." " Well then you're a fool!!!" Evania yelled. " They don't even have a proper sherif for gods sake!" " Where are you going!" Mr.Bungle cried. " To talk to Ryann!" She snapped. Then a door slammed. " Oh dear oh dear!" Mr.Bungle murmered to himself. Lina listened to him pacing for a few moments and then got to her feet. She didn't know what to beleive. But she knew she was going to have to decide this for herself! She went to go talk to Sir Garret. |
| Lina pressed herself up aginst the wall, peering around the corner to where Mr. Valut, the thacher, stood guard by the door of the only room in the hall that didn't have a window. It was usally used to hold young boys who'd had too much to drink untill there parent came to pick them up, or the ocasional brawler. Never anyone else. She lent back agains the wall and took a breath. She didn't know why she was doing this. This man had murdered her grandmama, the only living relitive that she had in the world. And Lina had been so rude to her... and now she was ... dead. She swallowed as a lump rose in her throat. She remebered Evianas insisance that he was innocent. Of course, Eviana could have been in league with him but - well, As much as Lina disliked the knight, she didn't really think that he could have done this to a woman that he knew nothing about. He couldn't have even known that the woman was her grandma. Steeling herself, she slipped around the corner. "Annilina!" Mr Valut, said sympathtetically. "Never fear, the varmit is safe within these walls. He won't hurt anyone else." Lina rung her hands. "Thank you," she muttered. "I was wondering....." she trailed off. "Yes child?" he asked, "I was wondering if I could have a word with him."she spat out finally, and watched his face contort with horror and confuison. 'Miss Anillina, that is entirly unnessisary. The culprit is locked away. It would be hazordous to allow you to enter." "Please?" Lina tried. It didn't hurt to ask. Mr. Valut shook his head. Lina sighed inwardly. It was time for her back up plan. "Oh!" she cried, as she started sobbing viciously. It wasn't hard to do, with all the pent up sorry inside her. "oh! He he he he killed my Grandmama! He MURDERED HER!!!!" she screamed, the epidamy of a hystarical female. "And, and and, I want to look him in the face and tell him that HE"S GOING TO HELL! And I want to tell him what he's done, and what he's runined, and I HATE HIM SO MUCH!" she choaked, tears flying. "Please!" Mr Valut looked shocked. He wasn't sure how to deal with someone whose caregiver had just been murdered. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he said weakly. Lina nodded her thanks as he unlocked the door and let her in, tears streaming down her face. Sir Garrent was sitting on a wooden stool in the corner, with bemused expression on his face. "Thank you!" she sobbed, slamming the door in the thachers face. The minute the door closed, the tears stopped. she wiped her face with her sleeve and ixed him with a steady stare. "You, and me," she said softly, her voice level, and unwavering. "We have some talking to do." Sir Garret shook his head in disbelief. He must have heard the entire thing throught the door, Lina relized. "You again." he said. "Now why do i find that i'm not surprised?" |
| " Now listen!" Lina continued in a steady voice. " I'm want some answers. I want to know why you were in the council hall. And I want to know what happened." Lina folded her arms across her chest gave Garret a determined stare. " And you had better give me some straight answers!" Sir.Garret, who wasn't used to taking orders from young peasent girls, almost choked on his pride but was smart enough to realise it would be worth his while to try and convinse her of his innocence. Still, that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. " It's very simple!" He snapped. " My employer asked me to come down here and inform the mayor that our party would be leaving in the morning. I was told the mayor was in a meeting with the council members and wasn't to be disturbed. I wondered around a bit until I got sick of waiting. I was trying to leave when a bunch of those idiots grabbed me and said I was under arrest for murder!" Sir. Garret snorted in disgust. " Murder! I'd never even met the women, what possible reason would I have to kill her?!" " Perhaps thats true." Lina muttered. " But Dr. Morgan says my Grandmama died from a sword wound! No one in this village owns a sword!" " And how would this doctor know what a sword wound looks like!" Garret snarled. Lina hesitated. That was true. Dr. Morgan had learned the trade from his father and had neve left the village. Still she was inclined to trust his judgement. " I'm sure it's not very hard to recognize!" She said coldly. " Look!" Garret said some what desperatly. " I don't know what killed your Grandmother. But you have to beleive that it wasn't me!!!" |
| Lina looked at him hard, noticing that their was no sword in his scabbard. It was empty. "Where's your sword?" she asked, examining his weapon belt. Sir Garret shook his head. "They took it from me. Can't blame them really, If they actually thought that i did that crime, they have every right." "Who took it from you?" "Your village doctor. He said that he needed to take it in for examining, since he was an expet with blood and such." "Was there blood on your blade?" "No!" Sir Garret cried, "no listen, i know that you are probally the very last person who cares what happens to me but I never did it. i never killed your grandmother. I never even removed the sword since we arrived here. i had no reason to!" Lina nodded. She would have to see the weapon for herself. She didn't know why but she really belived the man, as disagreeable as he was. "Alright. I'll be back soon." she pinched herself hard on the wrist to start the tears agin as she opened to door. Mr. Valut was waiting in the hall, and watched her as she ran out of the room, slamming the door behing her. "I HATE YOU!!" she screamed at the closed door just for effects sake. She ran through the Hall and through the village, still crying. It was amazing how no one tried to stop her, as they would have had she simply been wlking dry eyed. Her leather boots punded on the wooden porch of the doctors thatched home. He wasn't there, she knew that for a fact, but the door was unlocked. No one ever bothered to lock there doors. She looked around, serching. Sir Garrets Longsword was not very hard to find - you usually didn't store five foot tall weapon in the dish cupboard. She wonderd briefly why it was hidden there. She pulled it out, staggering under the weight of the thing. The blade was clean, and she could see her face reflced in it, red and puffy. There was no blood. Nothing. The door slammed behind her and a figure looked sillouetted agaist the window. Her heart leaped into her mouth and she clucthed the hilt of ther sword close to her. "Hell - Hello?" |
| The figure stood still and stared at her. Then it moved into the light. " Lina!" Dr. Morgan said brightly, Lina immeadietly relaxed. " My you gave me a start! What are you doing here?" " Well I..." Lina tried to quickly think of an excuse. " I..I.. Just wanted to see the weapon that evil man used to slay my poor Grandmama!" Lina tried to make the tears come but couldn't this time, she was nervous. She'd always thought of Dr. Morgan as a kindly man, everyone in the village trusted him completly. But this was all wrong! There was no blood on the sword and Mr. Morgan wouldn't have been stupid enough to whipe it off! " I see!" Dr.Morgan said in a sickly sweet voice. " You poor dear! This entire experience must be very hard for you! In fact I would wager your a little disoriented! You had better give me that sword Lina! You wouldn't want to cut yourself!" For a second the kindly exterior dropped and there was menance in his voice. He reached for the sword but Lina immeadietly drew back. This wasn't the man she'd known all her life, if that man had ever really existed! Lina was filled with sudden anger that made her brave. With great effort, she managed to raise the sword in front of her and pointed it towards Dr.Morgan. " Keep back." she said levely. Dr.Morgan hesitaited a moment and then the kind smile returnd to his face. " Now Lina! What are you doing? Don't you trust me?" " Why isn't there any blood on this sword!" Lina demanded. " Lina your not yourself! It's a result of the shock! You should..." " Theres no blood on this sword Dr. Morgan!!" Lina yelled. " You said this is what killed her so there should be blood!!!" Dr.Morgan paused again, and than the corners of his mouth lifted in a mirthless grin that sent shivers down Lina's spine. " You're absolutley right my dear! Lets see if we can correct that!" Lina's mouth went dry and her hands began to shake. " Don't you da..." Before she could finish the threat Dr. Morgan made his move. With surprising speed he darted past her defenses and hit her in the side with his fist. The force of the blow was extrordinary, Lina was thrown off her feet, hit the floor hard and slid up against the wall. Lights danced across Lina's vision and spliting pain seared across her side. She tried to get up again but collapsed out of dizziness and pain. " Best lye still Lina! It will all be over in a minute." Lina looked up and saw Dr.Morgan coming towards her with the sword in one hand. It had taken all her strengh to lift that sword and she'd still had to use both hands! This man hefted it with ease! " Don't come any closer or I'll scream!" Lina threatened, using her last resorse. But Dr. Morgan only laughed. " No you won't my dear! You'll stay absolutely still and won't make a sound." Lina opened her mouth to show him she'd do nothing of the sort, but no sound came out when she tried to yell for help. Terror gripped her and she tried to crawl away but found she couldn't move either! Dr. Morgan chuckled as he stood over her. " Nice try little girl! But I'm afraid it was for nothing!" He raised the sword. " Saba kornot carniath!" He said solemly. " Good bye Lina." Lina shut her eyes and waited. Suddenly there was a rush of hot air and a crackling sound! Lina heard Dr.Morgan give a blood curtling scream and smelled something burning. There was large clang as something big and Metalic hit the floor near by. When the screaming stopped Lina took a chance and opened her eyes. She immeadietly wished she hadn't. Lying beside her was the horribly burned and mangled body of Dr, Morgan. Lina quickly closed her eyes again and tried to shut out the image. Finding she could move again she ignored the pain in her side and quickly cralwed away from the chared corpse. " I knew it!" She heard someone say from the doorway. She immeadietly recongnized the voice as Evania's. " This town practicaly reaked with the stench of Marinor! And know the whatchers will know where we are! We had better leave know!!!" Evania seemed quite concerned. If Lina hadn't been so busy trying to keep from retching she might have wondered what she was talking about. |
| The sound of leather boots on Dr. Morgans front porch made Lina look up. "Did you get him?" she heard Ryanns distintive voice ask. Evania smirked. "Deader then a doornail." Tightness creapt into her voice. "We have to leave. Now. They've found us, I'm sure. Probally every single goddamn lackeys of his knows by now and they won't take there time in finding us." Lina looked down at Dr. Morgans corpse, laying prone in his own living room. Dead. This was a man that she had known for her entire life. And now he was dead. he had tried to kill her. And these stangers - people that she knew next to nothing about - had saved her life. Evania grunted as she pulled the sword from the dead mans grip and dragged it to Ryann. "Here. Take this. We'll get it to him as soon as we can. Go pack our stuff. Were gone." Ryan passed the sword easily from hand to hand. "What about the old tin can? You plan to leave him?" Evania scowled. "Of course not!" the scowl dropped from her face. "But i don't see how I can get him out. I mean, now that the muderer is dead, its not like we can prove anything." Lina swallowed as she got to her feet, totally ignored. she tried to shake the fithly feeling that was crawling over her skin, but it seemed as though it had sunk right in. "I can help you." she said, although she didn't know waht she could do. "I know that he's innocent." Ryann smiled. "Thanks, we'd appreciate that, but i don't know how you could. I mean, other then taking his out by force, we have little options." Lina frowned and took a step forward. The world tilted as she doubled over in pain, retching. It took all she had to stay standing. They both watched with concern. She wiped the sheen of sweat from her face and took another step, to see if she was alright. She wans't. The floor slammed against her face as she lost her footing. "Annilina?" Evania asked with concern, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Lina bit her lip to keep from cring out. She nodded. "I'm fine. He just hit me." Out of the corner of her eye she saw ryann grab the womans wrist. "He touched you? He touched you? Where? How hard?" Lina watched in bewilderment as the color drained form Evania's face. "Oh now Ryann. You don't think - it just couldn't be!" He tighted his grip on Garrets sword. "Well theres only one way to find out." he said with false cheerfulness. "Miss, would you mind showing us if theres a bruise?" Lina shugged as she pulled her tunice out of her belt and lifted it up ouve her side. In the dimness, she heard Evania cry out. "Oh! Oh! Ryann! What do we do!" Confused, Lina looked down at her side. a dark black mark larger then her fist displayed itself there, with eight wavy spokes that made it look like a bad drawing of the sun. Except that it was pitch black. Worry started to rise in her throat. "What is it?" she asked, but it came out as only a horse whisper. Ryan shook his head. "It's known as the Shadow. It is Marinors Mark. A promise, if you will." Lina didn't have to ask to see from the look in there eyes what that prominse was. Death. |
| The setting sun cast long shadows over the town. It was an old superstition that after dark, Siracats would walk the cite of a murder untill the victims soul had been put to rest. A very old superstition that no one really beleived anymore. Even so the streets were deserted. Annilina was helped, or rather carried, along through the town by Ryann and Evania. Both were tense and their eyes darted back and forth. Lina knew they were trying not to be seen, and yet the two seemed reluctant to step into the shadows. Come to think of it Lina didn't want to be in the shadows either. She could almost swear that the shadows where moving. Lina tried to tell herself that she was just disoriented because of the pain. It didn't help. " Alright." Evania whispered, mostly to herself. " We'll get into the inn through the back door. Hopefully that way no one will see us." " Are you going to be able to help me?" Lina asked softly. Evania looked at Ryann and then back at her. " I don't know." She said quietly. She then reached down and gave Linas hand a squeeze. " But I'll do everything I can!" This wasn't a large comfort, but it was some. " This way." Lina pointed and the three ducked into an alley that Lina knew led to the "Wild Horses" back door. The three sped up to clear the shadows. The made it to the door, which was unlocked. Even inlight of what had happened, the people of these parts were not used to locking their doors. Ryann drew a knife from his belt and opened the door slowly. Lina found herself holding her breath. Which was childish she berated herself, because nothing was going to jump out at them! She was still extremley happy when nothing did. Ryann led the way, with Evania supporting Lina close behind him. They tiptoed through the hallways until theyed reached Evanias room, Ryann insisted on going in first incase something was waiting for them. Lina didn't want to know what he meant by something. Evania and Lina waited outside patiently while he looked around. After a few seconds Evania got impatient and pushed her way in. Ryann was busy looking under the bed suspicously. " Oh Ryann! If a something was in here it would have bitten your head off by now!" She said in exasperation and helped Lina over to the foot of the bed. Ryann didn't happy. " You can never be too careful when dealing with Marinor." He muttered darkly. " I'll go get our employer and inform him of whats happened." Ryann silently left the room. " Now you just sit still Annilina." Evania told her as she began rummaging through a drower. " Where is it!" she muttered to herself. After a few moments of searching she pulled out a small bag and from that a tiny green vile. " Here. Drink that!" Evania commanded. " It will ease the pain. Lina drank it, even though she felt it tasted like horse piss. At that momment Ryann came in followed by a flustered and retched looking Mr. Bungle. " Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear! This is simply awful!!" He practicaly wailed. " Oh Miss Annilina! I am so so sorry!!!" " Yes yes." Evania sighed in annoyance. " However sir, this is hardly helping! Now I need you to get packed and sort out how much we owe the inn keeper." But Mr.Bungle didn't appear to be listening to her. He'd reached into one of his many coat pockets and pulled out small bottle. " I'm so sorry Mmmiss Annilina! Maybe this will help!" " What's that?" Evania asked suspicously. She snatched the bottle out of Mr.Bungles hand before he could finish stuttering his protest. She uncoarked the bottle and gave the contents a cautious sniff. Evanias eyes widened. " Fire ointment!" She breathed. " Why didn't you say so!" She splashed some of the contents on to a cloth and knelt beside Lina. " I need to rub so of this on your side." she told her. Lina nodded and lifted up her tunic again. " Well well well." Ryann said with a small smile as he and Mr. Bungle were poilitley looking elsewhere. " Fire ointment?! Aren't we full of surprises?" " Well..Um.. My Lady deals in many things." Mr. Bungle said uncomortably. Ryann nodded. " She must be a very great Lady indeed to have access to Fire Ointment." " Will this save me?" Lina asked as Evania rubbed th ointment on her side. Lina began to see how the stuff got it's name as heat pulsed up her side. " No." Evania told her. " But it will greatly slow down the effects!" " She'll have to be treated by a priest of Ornex to be cured." Mr. Bungle said quietly. Ryann gave him a penetrating look that made Mr. Bungle squirm. " There isn't a temple of Ornex for many miles." He said finally. Mr.Bungle said nothing. " We'll worry about that latter." Evania said briskly as she finished treating Lina. " First we have to save Garret and get out of this town." Lina touched her side gingerly. The pain was only a gentl throbe now. " I think I have an idea." |
| The Marinors. Few knew of their existence, but those who did would shudder at the name. All but three. It is a sunny day at the beach. The ocean sparkles an inviting, rich blue under the gentle, yellow sun. A beach of smooth white sand temptingly calls out to one's naked feet with all the lure of a siren. Yet, the beach is strangely deserted. As a breeze blowes through the palms, making a seductively luring sound, one can't help but wonder why this paradise is so deserted. But wait! A young woman runs across the sand, sending sprays of it in all directions. Who is this creature, who does not so much as stop to study the beauty of her surroundings? Who is this cold stranger to paradise? Why is she the only one on the beach? Does this dress make me look fat? "Curses! I'm late. She'll kill me...if she doesn't turn me into something really weird first." She stands at a narrow stretch of sand that extends into the ocean and removes a small shell shaped much like a conch. The warm ocean breeze blows her hair out to the side, along with her tattered cloack. Putting the shell to her lips, she takes a deep breath and exhales. A loud booming sound escapes the seemingly tiny shell, the great sound rolling across the waves and sending sea birds into startled flight. She stands proud and tall, keen eyes expectant, searching the waves. She stands there for thrity seconds. Then a minute. Then five. After fifteen minutes, she begins to wonder. "Where the hell is she?" She mutters in ill humour. "Leave it to her to be late." Suddenly, a gigantic dark shape appears beneath the surface of the water. Floating rapidly towards the surface, it suddenly smashes through the barrier between water and air, sending up a great spray of white foam. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" The woman screams, suddenly finding herself under a sizeable wave. When at last the water calms down, we find an absolutely soaked, ill-humoured young woman sitting in water that is up to her elbows. The great whale, responsible for the disturbance, turns to face her. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG. YOU WERE FIFTEEN MINUTES LATE." The whale said. "Like hell I was. YOU were fifteen minutes late!" The woman disagreed. "NUH UH!" "Uh huh!" " |
| "NUH UH!" "Uh huh!" "STUPID HUMAN!" "Blubber brain!" "TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE!" This argument continued on for a longer time than it took for the whale to arrive. Finally, the woman who had been watching them loses what little patience she has left. "Enough!" The voice is not loud, but hold a power that instantly silences the two. "Duckie, let her in. We are behind schedule enough as it is." "FINE. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU SAID SO." The whale mutters. "It's not like I want to go in your great, dirty mouth." She gives the creature a glare. The whale opens its rather cavernous maw to reveal a startling scene. Past the tongue, a lawn of grass is growing. Seated comfortably atop the green is a lovely Victorian Mansion. A gentle breeze blows through and a cheery sun greets the young woman, who has just stepped into the whale's mouth. "Ah, young Annagail. I see you are right on schedule. Except for the five minutes you were late, the fifteen minutes it took for Duckie to arrive and the forty-five minutes you spent arguing." A woman who appears about twenty-two steps from the porch of her house. "Please, forgive me, Mistress." "I am in a good mood only because Maurice made me some teriyaki chicken." The woman cautions her. "That and some french pastries and a milkshake. Oh yes. And an after-dinner mint." "I am happy to hear that you are well." Annagail smiles. "So, you have come on the advice of the ancient legends to seek out the enchanted sorceress who can tell you the history of your Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother? Blowing into the whistle that has been cast into doubt and awed fear since ages beyond even her times?" The woman smiles knowingly. "No. I just talked to your kindergarten students." Annagail admits, destroying the drama. "Yes, they are very bright. The hope of the future." The woman looks dreamy for a moment. "So, they finally figured out that I live in a whale?" Annagail nods to confirm the woman's suspicion. "It's a marvel. No adult would have ever though of that." "If you please, I wish to know about my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother." Annagail brings the subject back on course. "Ah, for you think you have found one of them. A fairy stone? The Final One? And you want to travel back to her time so that you can learn the skills from her?" The woman guesses, a shrewd look on her face. "Yes! That's exactly it!!" Annagail leans forward, eyes shining with excitement. "I can't just mess around with the fabric of space time! Are you quite sane, child? It could have disasterous effects!" Annagail's face falls. "That's what I would have to say if I was a responsible practitioner of magic. But..." She smiles. "There was one other thing. A word I heard that I do not understand. Marinor." "Hmmm....yes. That word is not known by many. Their barbaric cult was forged on the very night that the dark prince of the underworld was banished forever. Into his most trusted servants, he divulged a great amount of his power and secrets, things that would easily corrupt men's souls. And on every night on that horrid anniversary, trusted ones are allowed to become a member while the untrusted ones are killed in cruel sacrifice. I will not een begin to tell you the worst of their deeds, having neither the time nor desire to speak of such things." "Thank you for that...rather.....vivid recount." "Not at all, my child. Now, we shall return to the time of your...oh, I don't want to go through that again. You know who I mean!" She raises her arms high in the air and chants words that Annagail could not hope to understand or repeat. Within the whale, the colour changes and the ground shakes and rumbles all around them. The two women are thrown off their feet. When at last the shaking dies down, Annagail nervously tried to righten herself. |
| "What an awfully frightful thing travelling through time is!" Annagail cast a fearful look about her. "No, actually, I'm afraid that Maurice fed Duckie been burritos again. I've TOLD him not to. Usually time travel is quite smooth. Now, we must embark on our journey to find your...to find Anilina." Annagail suddenly looked quite pensive. "Is something the matter?" The old woman asked. "Something doesn't feel quite right." Annagail admitted. "Oh, that was just the change in perspective. You see, we are in the past now, so everything will be in past tense. You've been living in the world of present tense and..." The woman suddenly realized that Annagail would not be able to understand. "I mean, it's....ummm....the....er...oh, never mind! Come along, Fern, we have a journey to embark on." A small platypus waddles up beside the woman, looking rather delighted and energetic. "We have much to do. First, we must pay a visit to two of my friends and then we will be able to search for Anilina." Annagail nodded dumbly in response and hurried after her. She found themselves in the middle of a desert, the whale now swimming in sand as if it were water. "Don't just stand there! We've miles to go!" And so, their journey began. |
| Ryann stared moodily into his mug of mead. It was horrible stuff, city swill really. grimacing, he pulled another swig, and then attempted to gag. The girl was dying. There was no other word for it. She was slowly and steathly slipping away form the world. No matter what his bungling master said, or did, it only slowed the dying process, only dampend the pain. Marionrs Mark... He took another swig. Earlier today she had been fine, but only hours before, she had seized up, coughing black fluids and losing conciousness. At the same time Evaina had fallen to, in pain, crying out indeciperable sentances, that seemed to distress Mr Bungle emmesly. He felt his eyes burn as he swallowed again. 'Time has been folded - cut back on itself!' she had screamed. That was all that he could make out before she had hit the ground in a dead faint. Time has been folded. How could time be folded. And why had it hurt her so much? Why was it killing the two women? Angerly, he pulled back from the wooden table and left the mead on the table. Cut Time.. Evanias scream drifted down from the room that she shared with Lina and it cut a gash into his soul. Marinors work no doubt. No decent person would have any reason to mess with time. No decent person indeed. |
| Annagail looked at the manor in amazment. It was a large white building in a design that even the more brilliant archetects of her time would have found astounding. And every bit of it glistened in a perfect pearly white. Even more amazeing were the trees and the lake that surrounded it. Especially since they were in the middle of the desert. As if reading her thoughts the woman nodded. " Yes I know, a little conspicous isn't it? Well I suppose this is the sort of thing someone would expect from a sorceress. Cecilia's a bit of a romantic, and she doesn't like to disapoint people." Annalina nodded nervously. Ducky was now skimming above the grass with out a care in the world. " An odd name Cecilia." Annagail said in an attempt to distract herself. She was CERTAIN she'd seen a silver deer jump into the woods just then! " Yes, a very ancient name." The woman agreed. Annagail glanced at her and wondered what HER name was. So far she's seemed to see no need to disclose it. Ducky settled down in the lake with a sigh. " Well we're here." the woman announced. " Lets get moving, no dodeling now Fern we're already late." Ducky swam up to the edge and allowed them to get off. Without appearing to hurry the woman moved swiftly across the lawn with Annagail and Fern scurrying to keep up. The doors to the mansion were large and made of what appeared to be a type of red oak. Roses were ornately carved apon it. The door swung open as soon as they reached it. Annagail was a little disapointed when she saw they'd been opened by a tall, lean man in his mid-forties and not by magic. " Goodday Albert!" The woman said brightly. The man nodded politly. " Good day Lady. It is good to see you again." He glanced at Annagail. " Should I inform My Lady that you have brought a visitor?" " Yes please do. And tell them that we will be right up." Albert nodded. Annagail followed the women down a hall and when she glanced back Albert was gone. " Who was that man?" Annagail asked. " One of Cecilia's servant's. She's had him on for years! Him and his wife Cassia who is head maid." " What does a sorceress need servants for?" Annagail asked. She was glancing around at all the finary that ordained the halls. Tapestries and priceless vases. As she tried to take it all in she noticed some rather tacky looking cat figurines intermixed with one of a kind peices of art. " We all try to keep a low profile." The women explained. " This is just where Cecilia lives when she's being a sorceress. She has an estate in the human world where she maintains the aliby of Lady Cecilia FaiLoron, owner of the finest coaco and coffee refineries in the modern world. Of course she has to fire all of her servants every twenty or so years to keep them from notecing the fact that she doesn't age. Only Albert and Cassia know her true identity." " Wow." Annagail murmered. " This is quite different from the way YOU live." the woman smiled. " Yes, I prefer a much simpler life." Anagail hardly thought living in a whale with a platapuss, a gourmae cheff and teaching kindergarden in ones spare time was simple but refrained from saying so. She was distracted by the black cat that had just sauntered infront of them in any case. The cat was lean and black as night. It sat down in the middle of the hallway and stared at them with green eyes that looked far to intelligent for Annagails taste. It then proceded to start to wash itself. " Oh Rueben, you are such a nuisance!" the woman muttered and started to go around. " Um..Isn't that bad luck?" Annagail asked. She was sure stuff like that had a lot more bearing in a place like this. " What? Rueben? No, he's good luck if anything." Annagail failed to hear the sarcasim in her voice and followed. The cat called Rueben watched them go with distached interest except for a tail flick of acknowledgemnt for Fern. The women didn't show it but that cat tended to make her a little nervous. She usually quite liked animals but that cat was to smart by half. Which was probably why he was still alive. Poor Cecilia had the worst luck with cats. All the life extending work she did made no difference in the end. Usually it was because she pampered them until they were so fat that they couldn't move out of the way of falling bookcases or outrun escaped dragons. She'd had more cats then husbands but Rueben the 13th had managed to stay alive for... was it 300 years now? No more! My how the time did fly! Annagail was finding the home fascinating. It was bright and airy and full of color. Being a sorceress did seem to have it's advantages. But then they came into a different hallway. A hallway that despite the many windows seemed dark. The walls were lined with black framed paintings of men. Bellow each painting was a small table with a vase of flowers. All the flower arangments were different. Annagail didn't know why but she felt like she was walking through a grave yard. She was very happy when they'd left that passage behind. Finally they came to a stop in front of a blue door. The women turned to her and her face was serious. " Annagail before we go in there is one thing, and this is VERY important! If you're asked about your marital status you are to respond that you are engaged to your childhood sweet heart named... lets say Richard!" Annagail stared at her. " What?! But I ...." " Good! Here's your engagment ring." The woman took a ring with a diamond alomst th size of Annagails nose and rammed it on her finger. " But I don't even..." " I know! But trust me! This is a very necacary safety percaution!" She than turned back to the door. " Well then! If that's taken care of then lets go in!" She pushed the door open. Mr.Bungle sat quietly on the edge of his bed. Time had been folded? This news was unexpected and very disturbing. It could only mean one of two things. Either Marinor was experimenting again. Or one of the others had done it. He knew it wasn't the work of his mistress, and the Shana would never play around with time. That left the other one. This also troubled Mr.Bungle. She'd always struck him as clever then she was letting. It bothered him that she might being doing something he wasn't aware of. But of course he could not use his powers here, and he would not be in contact with his mistress again until he'd delivered the last ring. Mr.Bungle touched his medalion for comfort. One good thing about his was that the disturbance in time should put off Marinors minions for a time. But they still had to leave quickly. Evanias condition complicated things however, and the Fire ointment wasn't having as much affect on Annilina as he'd expected. Apparently Dr.Morgan had been a higher agent then he'd thought. And there was still Sir Garret. Mr.Bungle considered several options and decided that the best course of action was to do nothing. He took out a cloth and began to polish the medalion while quietly humming to himself. He had a feeling that Ryann would not remain idle while Evania suffered. |
| Annagail could feel the tension building until it was like a think mist, wrapping its tendrils around them as they stood before the door. Finding it ludicrous to be asking at the time, but finding herself doing it all the same, she turned to the woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties. "Who are you?" She asked. She inhaled deeply and shook her head with an almost sad amusement. "My name pretty gives away who I am, and where would be the fun in that? But, I suppose I've dragged you far enough..." Annagail suddenly frowned. "What do you mean? This was all some elaborate plan of yours??" She laughed nervously. "Well...yes. I conveniently planted clues to lead you to me so I could take you back here. I realize that I appeared to take it lightly, but what I did was fold time. That in itself is one of the most dangerous things, but I really had no other choice." "All right. Explain yourself. Now." Annagail demanded. "Let's go inside first." She put her hand on the doorknob and the door swung back on silent hinges. "CECIIIIIILIAAAAAAAAA!" She called out in a booming voice. "Coooooming!!" Came the reply. Annagail's twinge of apprehension returned, five times stronger. She was still confused about the rather large diamond ring rammed onto her finger. A beautiful young woman flounced towards them and enveloped the other woman in a hug. The two seemed to contrast each other. While one had dark hair, featrures and a demeanor bordering quiet, the other was fair haired and energetic. "What brings you to this time? I know you are not one to take time travelling lightly...most of the time." There was a slight edge to her voice. "Yes, yes, I'll explain that in all due time. First, I'd like to introduce you to Annagail." She smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Why, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Lady Cecilia FaiLoron." Having dispensed with the pleasantries, she changed the topic back to the most pressing matter. "So.... ....Are you single?" Annagail balked. "Excuse me-!" "Actually, she's engaged." The woman swiftly lifted Annagail's hand to show off the ring. "T-to Richard." Annagail said, almost numbly. Cecilia pursed her lips. "Oh, really Dear, you've got to do better than that to fool me." She laughed airily. "Saw right through it, eh?" "Nothing can compensate for the tone in one's voice when they speak of their love. It is something that I have trained my acute ears to pick out that has no substitue. Well, that and the fact that everytime you've presented a young lady to me who's engaged to either Tom or Richard, they wear the same ring." Cecilia grinned. "Oh, but it's really a very popular design, you know." The woman teased. "Would someone please tell me what's happening and who that person is?" Annagail sighed, starting to feel ill. "How rude of you!" Cecilia chided the other woman. "This woman who stands before you is the illustrious Andante Morendo Nocturne." Andante gave a small bow and turned back to Cecilia impatiently. "Illustrious my foot." She muttered. "Her name gives away who she is." Cecilia continued, ignoring the rather flustered woman. "But what it doesn't give away is the reasoning for why you came here and more dangerous, why you brought her here." "Ummm...Excuse me, I'm dangerous?" Annagail piped up. "Yes, dear. We live outside of time. The only time it is truly dangerous is when we bring mortals along for the ride. They are the ones who affect the timeline the most." Andante explained. "Oh! You'll both have to excuse me. I'm getting a message from Mr. Bungle." Cecilia quickly walked off to a hidden room. Andante snickered. "What's so funny?" Annagail asked. "Mr. Bungle. First of all his name and secondly the fact that he can never figure out what I'm up to. Oh, how it annoys him." She grinned mischievously. "Which reminds me. What ARE you up to?" Annagail asked. "Unfortunately for both of us, you'll see in due time." Any other questions Annagail could ask were interrupted by Cecilia bustling back into the room. Her expression had an odd effect on Andante, who suddenly tensed up, a dark look on her face. Cecilia looked a strange mix of panicked and flustered. "What is it?" "I recently sent Mr. Bungle on a mission to recruit some people to retrieve Annalina. It seems that some unexpected complications have arisen. First of all, your bringing her along has created a fold in time that is harming Evania. You know what will happen. If this girl gets too close, they would both be destroyed." Cecilia shook her head. "But... then that means-" "Yes. It would appear that Evania is also existing out of her proper timeframe.Does this shoot your plans to hell?" "No. It just...inconveniences them." Andante had a look about her that suggested what she had just said was a major understatement. "There's something else, something that was in that town that shouldn't have been." Andante paled slightly, apprehensive. "It's not....Spam...is it?" "Well, almost that bad. Unfortunately, Marinor was there." Andante's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Marinor." She hissed, literally shaking with rage. "He marked her." Cecilia imarpted the final news. Annagail had no idea what it meant, but it caused Andante to become submerged in a deep dark pit of inky black rage. She was seething and could barely keep herself in control. "That....that...He DARED to mark her? Her of all people?" She drew herself up to her full height, bristling and looking most formidable. "We've tried too long to reform him and now he's gone too far. I will destroy him." She gave Cecilia a meaningful look. "...You realize that if you do that you'll-" "It was my foolishness that started this, I'll be the one to end it." Without so much as another word, she abruptly spun around and stormed out, Fern following in her wake. Annagail began to follow. "Not yet, little one." Cecilia stopped her, firmly taking her arm and leading her further into the room. "What is all of this? What's going on?" Annagail asked, wondering if she'd actually get an answer this time. "She's never been the same. Not since Marinor rose to power." Cecilia shook her head. "Who is she?" "She's an unfortunate child of fate, doomed to die despite her immortality. She's known it ever since she became an immortal." "But doesn't immortal mean you can't die?" "Well, miss 'I swallowed a dictionary' it just so happens that sometimes there are exceptions. Marinor was once a colleague of ours and he'd been going steady with Andante for a few hundred years. I didn't really think it would work out, but this time I wish I'd been wrong. Marinor was rather ignorant as far as our kind go, and he would often study from books with Andante when she lived in her cottage. As soon as he learned what he could do, he was corrupted. After that, it was sadistic rituals and amassing a whole lot of followers. It was a real migraine. Andante took it as a personal insult and has since lost faith in all adults, instead turning her attention towards educating children in some vain hope that it will never happen again." Cecilia went through the rather lengthy story, a masked expression that betrayed nothing. "How do you know she'll die?" Annagail was finding this quite hard to believe. "She was given a first name by her parents and inherited their sirname. Her middle name was given to her by Marinor as a vow of commitment. Andante liked doing things differently, and giving each other a middle name was like being given an engagement ring. After he betrayed us, she didn't drop her name. She bears it as a reminder of something she still blames herself for. Her name, Morendo, means dying away in tone and time. She didn't know it at the time, but it was a curse and a promise. A promise he makes to all he touches. A promise of death. She bears a dark mark with her name and as time passes, she fades away until the day she will die. Like a flower that wilts, as my dear 63rd husband would have said." She looked wistful for a moment. "However, the fact that Annalina has a dark mark as well is terrible news. I know part of her plans was to have you heal Annalina, but I'm not sure how things are going to go. Evania's condition is also an unneeded complication." Annagail's head was starting to spin. Now, not only did she have that woman Andante's sob story, she also had some sort of hidden talent she didn't know about and she was positive that hundreds of more little nasty things would continue to pop up. She felt her mind reeling. WHY Me? "Now, about your being single. There's this nice young man I know of..." She walked through the desert. The news Cecilia had imparted onto her made time of the essence and gave her little choice. She never was one to play by the rules if she could help it, and this was going to take some serious rule-breaking. "Fern, I need you to go to the third of us and deliver her this message." She tied a piece of parchment to his back. The platypus made a sound of acknowledgement and the parchment suddenly sprouted wings. With another loud cry, the platypus took off into the sky, flying at high speeds to get to its destination. She then turned to the fields of sand all around her. The winds were whipping the granules in all directions, but she was oblivious. She raised her arms above her head, uttered words that seemed quite undecypherable, and vanished from the sands, bound for the small travelling party with big troubles. |
| “Saraa!” A mans voice screamed out. “Saraa, move!” The kettle of molten metal tipped away from the forge fire, glowing a heated red. The woman straightened, seemingly unconcerned, and wiped sweaty hair from her face. “Saraa! The man screamed again. “Easy Marron.” The roughly clad woman said softly. “Fear not what you see in the physical plane. You see to much with your eyes, and to little with your heart.” The molten steel tipped and sprayed everywhere, raining down upon the woman who had stood in its path. Steam rose as bits of it flew into the water trough, obscuring the onlookers view. Marron heard the apprentices scream, one broke down into tears. “Saraa!” he screamed. “Look with your heart?” she had wasted her life just to tell him to look with his heart? He swallowed the lump that threaten to rise in his thought. He had known Mistress Saraa for almost10 years, ever since she had taken him on as an apprentice. He had stayed here as a journey man too, it had never occurred to him to ever leave. “Saraa.” He choked, not believing that this was real, that this was happening. The steam cleared, the scene become clearer to the apprentices and journeymen who stood petrified in the forge. Clad in her singed leather pants and vest, with a rough undyed woolen long sleeved shirt, The Mistress of the force, was sitting on the ground reading what appeared to be a letter. A creature that looked like something that could have been made when a taxidermist got drunk sat beside her. Both were entirely unhurt. She looked up when she felttheir eyes on her and sighed. “When will you boys stop doubting me?” she mutterd under her breaqth. “Do you really think that a bunch of liquid iron would really do anything to me?” she paused shaking her head. Saraa always called them boys, though all of the journeymen and most of the apprentices were well away form that stage in their life. That was just how she was though. Marron had seen Saraa call men 50 years her senior ‘boy’ without batting and eyelash. She stood up briskly and wiped her pants off. “Get up.” She ordered sharply, to the apprentice that was crying. “What are you all looking at?” she snapped a the reast. “You have a job to do. Do it!” There was the sound of readily retreating footsteps as the apprentices raced for the door, trying to escape her murderous glare. She smiled as the door snapped shut behind them, and then looked at Marron, the only other one remaining in the forge room. “Pack your things.” She said briskly, crumpling the letter and shoving it into her pocket. “And grab me a rope on the way out.” Marron just stared at her. Was she releasing him? Was sh – “The rope!” she said irritatingly. Numbly, he grabbed her the rope that hung over the door. Saraa snatched it unceremoniously from his hand and then set to binding the strange creature head, foot, and tail, until it lay on the floor, trussed like a calf. She gave it a glare. “I never liked the real one.” She spat at it. “And I don’t like this one either!” She looked at him standing at the door, and sighed, as if she felt that an explanation was in order. “I’ve just received a letter from a friend.” She said calmly, as if letters from her friends were normally delivered by flying platypus’. “It appears to be urgent. She wishes me to leave immediately and come to her. I am leaving in an hour.” She gave him a calculating look. “I need a traveling companion. Will you come with me?” Marron felt his face flush before he could stop it. “S-sure.” He stammered, honored, terrified and confused at the same time. “Where are we going?” She frowned, crumpling the letter inside her pocket thoughtfully. “This letter gives specific instructions. Where we are to go, whom we are to meet up with. Of course, we will follow none of it. We will probably go in the opposite direction.” Marron drew his brows together. “But, why?” he asked, “If It was your friend, and she needs help-“ he trailed off as she raised a silencing hand. “It’s a fake.” She said simply. “My friend never wrote this. First off, it’s in Mymon, a tongue that she does not master, and only begun to study when we parted. She could never have written this fluently. Secondly, I know that she is currently in retreat with her boyfriend of hers, whathisnme – Marinor, what a twit, and this message came from the opposite direction of where she currently is. Third, this conglomeration of a pet could never have delivered it, because he is not in her possession right now.” She shook her head again. “If you look into the back room of my house, you will find the real Fern, the one that Andante gave to me to look after while she went into retreat with loser boy, exactly 4 and a half months ago. So this Andante is a fake.” Marron brushed his blond hair back form his face. “So, what are you going to do?” he asked simply, slightly overwhelmed by her analysis. Saraa gave a tight grin. “We’ll go to her cottage.” She said simply. “And but in on the little romantic retreat that she’s having with Marinor. Then we’ll tell her the problem.” Her grin vanished. “And then we’ll DO something about it.” She walked past him, out of the forge, and he caught her last sentence, blown back on a stray breeze. “They didn’t call me the Shanga for nothing. |
| Sir Garret impatiently paced his make shift cell with rising anger. Every so often he'd stop to pound his fist against the wall in frusration. This entire thing was ridiculous! Even Annilina seemed to be able to see that! Garret sighed, sat down, and leaned against the wall. They didn't have the time to waste with this matter. Garret ran his fingers through his hair and looked out the tiny window. He didn't like being distached from the group, unaware of what was going on. He tried to tell himself that they would get him out soon, but it was no help. He was useless in here! Garret idely wished he had his sword. Suddenly there was a rushing sound of wind followd by a cry of shock from the other side of hedoor, and then silence. Garret was on his feet in an instant and watched the door tensely. Something was coming! " Annilina please!" Ryann begged as he stood by the side of her bed. " We have to leave now and you said you had an idea of how to help Garret!" Annilina stared at him groggily with far off eyes. The poison was taking her so quickly! She seemed to drift back into sleep and Ryann shook her desperatly, hating himself for having to do so. " Please Annilina! Try to stay with us! Try to think!" Annilina moaned and her eyes seemed to focus a little. " Plan?" She mumbled. " Yes!" He encouraged. " Try to hold on to that thought. It's very important." Annilina nodded and or a few moments seemed to be her old self again. " Yes, the plan. Well the gaurds, they know me, and they think I hate Garret. I could take them food or something, my thanks for gaurding the man who murdered my Grandmama. We could drug it so they'd fall asleep and then we could take the keys and leave without a problem." Annilina's eyes dimned again. " My poor grandmama." she murmered. " Where was your creator to save you?" Ryann cursed quietly and let her gently fall back into the pillow. The plan might have worked but with Annilina in such terrible shape they'd never know. " So the old drug the guards trick." A voice said from the door way . " Always best to stick with classics I suppose." Ryann spun and had a knife in his hand in a second. There was a dark haired women standing in the doorway wearing an amuesed expression. " My you people sure know how to welcome friends!" she said sarcastically. " Now move aside and let look at her." Ryann was dumbfounded. " Who are you!" he demanded. The women shook her head. "A friend, like I said. But if you need proof, well I hope this will do." She stepped into the room and was followed by a rather shocked looking Sir Garret. Ryann's jaw dropped a little. " Rusty?! Whats going on here?! How did you get out?!" Sir Garret shook off his own confussion enough to regain some of his indignication. " Thats Sir Garret to you!" he snapped crossing his arms. " And actually I was hoping you could tell me what was happening. This women just walked into my cell and told me to come with her." Ryann glanced at the women again. She was now crouching beside Annilina and seemed to be examining her. Garret frowned as he watched her. " Whats wrong with the girl?!" he demanded. " And where's Evania and that idiot of our employer?" As if to answer his question Mr. Bungle suddenly ran into the room. Ignorring everything else his eyes fixed onto the women and the two regarded each other for a long moment with impassive expressions. Ryann was somewhat taken aback. Suddenly Mr.Bungle didn't seem to be so small and harmless. There was a strength and a confidence in the mans stance that Ryann had never seen there before. Something seemed to pass between the two people, and then the moment was passed. " Lady Nocturne!" Mr. Bungle fawned in his normal manner. " What a surprise to see you! Oh we are fortunate indeed for your arrival!" Ryann stared. The man seemed to have shrunk three inches all of the sudden. And his manner had changed. The nervousness, the uncertainess and he eagerness to please were all back. But Ryann remebered what he had seen in that breif instant. It had been like there was an entirely different person standing there. Ryann glanced at Garret who nodded. He had seen it too. " Well I was in the area." The woman explained. "And I remembered that Cecilia had said you were here! I thought I'd just stop by." She looked at Annilina. " And it looks like you've run into a bit of trouble." Mr. Bungle seemed to ignore this last bit and turned a beaming face towards Ryann and Garret. " This is Lady Andante Nocture. A friend of my Mistress." He explained. " Charmed I'm sure." Garret almost growled. " Now would someone please tell me what is going on?!" " Sorry, theres no time for that." The woman said briskly, standing up. " We must leave now. You," she pointed to Garret, " take Annilina. And you," this time she pointed at Ryann, " come help me with Evania." Mr. Bungle was nodding. " I'll pay the inn keeper and see to loading the horses." He disapeared through the door. The woman walked back to the door and then stopped and looked at them. " Well? Chop, chop and all that, we need to get moving." Ryann didn't trust this strange dark haired stranger but found himself following her anyway. They went to the room where Evania was. Evania lay in her bed sweating and occasionaly moaning in pain. Ryanns heart wrenched to see her like this. Her eyes opened as the two of them entered and they were torchered behond anything he'd ever seen. " Who are you?" She managed to gasp through the pain. " Ryann?" Andante placed a comforting hand on Evania's forhead. " I am here to help. Now rest Dear." Ryann was surprised to see that Evania closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. " Well you'd better carry her downstairs. We need to get her to help." Andante told him. Ryann gently picked Evania up and followed the woman out the door and down the stairs. " You did that didn't you!" Ryann demanded as the walked through the empty common room and out the front door. " My dear boy I have no idea what you are talking about." Ryann was about to protest when he suddenly felt all the energy drain from his body and his eyelids droop. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Andante raised a hand, useing the air, she carfully lowered Ryann and Evania's slumbering bodies to the ground. Garret and Annilina were lying near by in a similar matter and Mr. Bungle stood beside them holding the reins of the horses. He eyed Andante impassevly. She smiled at him somewhat impishly. " Mr.Bungle eh? My you do take on many names Ignacious!" Mr.Bungle ignorred to jibe and changed the subject. " The Temple of the Rising Sun?" He suggested. Andante shook her head. " No, I was thinking the Monistary of Rahdinor." Mr.Bungle shrugged. " Your desision of course." Andante raised her hands and the group was surrounded by a green light. They rose into the air and began to move towards the east and the mountains, picking up speed as they went. " What will you do?" Mr. Bungle asked as he waited or them to arrive. Andante shrugged. " At the monistary Annilina will receive treatment and the other two can rest. They will not be able to help Evania however. But it will take time for Annilina to heal. I will search for an answer to Evanias condistion durring that time and keep her asleep until I can help her." Mr. Bungle nodded. " Then durring that time I shall travel to Lindell. There is on more person who my mistress sent me to find." Suddenly Mr.Bungle sighed and Andante eyed him with a frown. " Something wrong?" she asked. He glanced at her and nodded. " It bothers me that we've had to take Annilina like this. The others may not know everything but they understand the danger and the need. They all joined our cause willinly." He glanced at Annilina. " But she is ignorant and now has little choice in the matter." " There was no other way." Andante said sadly. " We must get her to help or she will die." Mr.Bungle clenched his fists angerly. " I should have been more carefull." he muttered. " But you see that worries me as well. What was an agent, that powerfull doing so far into the west?" Mr. Bungle sighed again and looked at his feet for a moment before continueing. " You know I would never question the judgement of my Mistress. Or you." He added as an after thought. " But I fear we may have waited to long." |
| Andante sat at the table in her cottage, a book in her hand and the man she had come to care deeply about beside her. He was learning so quickly, she realized that Cecilia and Saraa had underestimated him by a great deal. He had all ready learned everything she knew and probably more from his trip to the Kessey Islands. Marinor slid closer to her and folded his arms protectively around her. Andante felt her face flush bright red and for an instant, she tensed. Having been a child of great magical power, she had been segregated by her peers and hadn't had a friend, much less a lover. Now, having just been made an immortal, she suddenly found herself with everything she had lacked before. Not posessions, but more important, people who loved her. Cecilia had warned her that she was taking this too lightly, that because of this sudden and pleasant change she had let her guard down, but Andante smiled a bit at the memory. Cecilia and Saraa didn't see in him what she did, but that was all right. They would come around eventually. "Is something the matter?" Marinor asked in the deep voice she had come to love. "No." She relaxed, letting him hold her. He chuckled and stroked her hair lightly. "What do you think I am, a cat?" She smiled impishly. He laughed again and she found herself joining him. However, for a brief instant, there seemed to be something different. It was only an instant, though, and she dismissed it, opting instead to snuggle some more. "Andante," he began, almost hesitant. "Yes?" She sat up and looked at him, with curious, round, dark blue eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're way too cute." He muttered to himself, but she grinned as she overheard it. "How long have we been together?" He spoke to her. She intertwined her fingers with his. "About a year and a bit." She smiled sweetly, "why?" "Well, I was thinking that perhaps....if, that is.....if there wasn't someone else you had in mind...that you might....." He trailed off, his nerve seeming to fail him. "What is it?" She asked, genuinely clueless as to what he was about to ask. "Will you marry me?" He blurted out. She was stunned speechless at this. Of course, marriage was a natual step after being together for so long, it just hadn't occurred to her. Yet, as she truly thought about it, she realized that she wouldn't mind spending the rest of her life with him. She shook her head. No, she was immortal now and so was he. They'd be able to sped eternity together. It was a very romantic thought, which to her surprise, didn't make her vomit. She looked up into his dark eyes and her lips parted into a smile. "Sure!" She exclaimed. They hugged and kissed in all their romantic clicheed glory. "I don't have a ring to offer you. The metal will wear through time and the ring will turn to dust." Marinor began. "Does it really?" She asked skeptically. "I don't know. I just thought it sounded poetic." He said sheepishly. "Oh, okay then." She smiled. "As a testiment to my promise to you, I will give something to you that is eternal. I shall give you a name so that a part of us shall be together forever." "As will I." She thought to come up with a name. "As a promise, I give you the name Aouru, which in my language means 'beloved'. This is my eternal promise of love." He nodded, his features lit by a warm smile. "And for you I will give a name that embodies my promise to you." A sudden darkness passed over his face and his expression became quite different. She could sense the change, the sudden chill in the room that eminated from his body. She tried to get away from him, but he held onto her hand in an iron grip. "Marinor?" He seemed so strange now. She wondered why she hadn't seen it before. "What is happening? Please let go of me." He rose to his feet, a torrent of wind whipping around him. It knocked books from the shelves and caused papers to spin around the room. Her hair whipped out behind her as she looked in a panic around the room. "What are you doing?" She yelled over the howling of the wind. He muttered incantations she couldn't recognize or understand in a deep voice that seemed not of an earthly nature. The torrent of winds surrounded her and froze her in place. They could not, however, freeze the panic that welled up inside. Confused and terrified, she felt tears running down her face. "Please, stop!" She yelled. She was now lifted up into the air so she was at the height of the top of her bookshelves. He levitated before her, only the shadow of who he had been only moments before. The winds suddenly stopped and there was a loud silence that spread throughout the room. She remained frozen in the air with him in front of her. He suddenly came closer to her and bent to whisper in her ear. "You remember what happened four months ago?" His voice was now hoarse and raspy. "I-I woke up in the middle of the night. You were away to visit some islands that were bordering on unfriendly territories. I knew that....I'd had a dream that you were dead." She said numbly, still confused. "You believed that I had perished?" He asked with a slight hiss. "I though you had. I was panicked and called Cecilia and Saraa. I was never wrong when I had dreams such as these. I was heartbroken and didn't eat for a week." Her voice faltered at the unpleasant memory she was reliving. "But then I came back." "I was very confused to say the least. My dreams had never been wrong in my entire life, but there you were. Beaten, bruised, but unmistakably alive. I was so relieved it was unimaginable. I supposed that somehow I had made a mistake." She began trembling. He nodded. "For on that day, I was truly born. I became Marinor." She paled. "He..." She had to wait several moments before she could speak again. "He unwittingly released you." She realized. "Yes. I consumed him. Now, the nameless horror that the immortals refused to name roams the earth once again. Reborn into one of their own, I am Marinor Aouru, the Beloved Demon." "I knew I couldn't have been wrong....it was too good to be true.....but I couldn't...." She choked back sobs. "And now, as a promise to you and all of your kind I will give you a name. I will give you the promise that awaits all those who oppose me." He extended his hand and she felt a slight tugging from within herself. As if by his bidding, a glowing white sphere emerged from her body. This caused extreme agony and she screamed when he took it from her, unable to stop herself. It enveloped him in the same white light and it suddenly faded. She felt incredibly weak after this and could scarcely keep her eyes open. The force which had been imprisoning her was now the force that kept her from crumpling into a heap. Suddenly, the winds stopped and she fell, hitting the ground with a dull thud. He knelt down to her. "I have taken a part of you, as you promised to me. Now if I die, you will as well." For a moment, he almost seemed to pity her. "He fought me well considering the hopelessness of the battle. He loved you until his last dying breath." More tears streamed down her face. "But that is ended now. I will give you what I have promised you. If I am killed, it ensures that your death will not be a quick one." His hand formed a claw shape and a dark, pulsing bubble of black energy formed. He touched her left side and the energy seemed to seep into the exposed skin like a viscous stream of oil. She looked at it in horror as it took shape into a black sun. His expression, which had been almost regretful, suddenly turned vicious. He clenched his fist and an intense pain shot through her side. She screamed until her vision finally darkened and granted her the respite of sleep. As he turned and strode from her little cottage, his last whispered words to her were almost lost to the gentle summer breeze. "Morendo, to you I give the promise of death." Andante suddenly flinched and clutched at her side, tipping dangerously over the edge of their transport. Mr. Bungle barely caught her before she tumbled over the edge. "What is it?" He asked. "Let me go." She mummbled. "What?" "Let me go." He looked at her in disbelief. She was crying. Andante had never cried in the presence of Cecilia or Saraa more than twice. Those two times were when she had thought Marinor was dead many years ago and later when he had betrayed and marked her. "Let me go." She said again. "Lady Nocturne?" He shook her a bit. "Hmmm? Oh, sorry. I must have dozed off. I was having the most terrible nightmare....about Spam." Her face darkened. She hadn't had to face those painful memories of Marinor in such strength for many years. She hadn't been prepared for it, being so close to it now. Any moment, Saraa would burst into the house and find her, thus completing her role in the timeline. Then, Andente would lie, as she herself had, never admitting that Marinor had been posessed and killed, never admitting she'd been too blind to see it. And she would begin the painful quest that she herself had not finished yet. "Say, Mr. Bungle. Things seem to be going swimmingly here. I'll take Evania and the one who loves her to Saraa's. She is out at the moment, but I know where to find her, although I don't require her services yet. I'll meet you at the temple and bring Annagail so that she may heal Annalina and we can begin to get this whole mess over with." She smiled cheerily. "Are you all right?" Mr. Bungle was feeling uncharacteristically concerned towards Andente. She usually unsettled him deeply for kicks, but something was obviously troubling her. This troubled him. It must have been some sort of twisted talent she had. "I'm fine. Meet you there!" She picked up the two slumbering forms and leapt from the transport, flying through the air. The man was not unlike herself. He had fallen in love with someone who was not what they seemed. She would have to ask Evania quite a few questions indeed. But now was not the time. She suddenly felt an agony in her side and plummetted from the sky, landing heavily on the sand while breaking the fall of her two charges. She lay there for several hours before she recovered, all the while cursing Marinor's sadistic idea of fun. Fearing that time was indeed running out for Annalina, she continued on her journey. |
| Dry leaves and grass cruched under Saraas feet, sucked of any mosture that they once might have possesed. She cared not for the sound she was making, or the things that the sound might attract. they were small worries, and nothing to be bothered with. Her mind drifted back to the letter, and who the sender of the letter could be. Not Andante, certainly, unless Adante had bought another platypus off another travelling taxidermist. And Saraa didn't think that even Adante was that stupid. Following more carefully behing her, wary of dry sticks and leaves that would make any sound to give him away, was Marran. Not that his caution was doing anything much, witht the racket that she was stirring up. He cast her ocasainally pained glances as step marched through the foliage, covering the trail as he went. She ignored him. The sun was low in the sky, she realized, and the shadows were lengthinging. she stoped in surprise. They had travelled the entire day without rest. So wraped up in the the puzzle of the letter, she had not even stopped at noon. She had not even realized that she was hungery. She cast a glance back at Marron, to ensure that he was not on his last legs, but the blond metal worker was as stotic as ever. A loud rumble cut the air, and she realized with mild intrest that it was his stomach. She shrugged. Ah well. If he made it this far, he'd make it a few more hours without food. It was a wonder that he hadn't said anything. The silence was almost refreshing. They were losesing light fast, and the tempertature dropped as they continued on the last leg of there days march. "Mistress Saraa?" She almost jusmped. Why was he talking after being silent the whole day? She sighed. It had ALMOST been perfact. "Yes?" She grumbled, not reliushing the unavodable anger that would evtally come rushing through at having been starved, overworked and underested. Saraa was quite familer with those letures. She had travelled with Cecilia. "Are, Are you alright?" he asked. She raised her eybrows. No explodsion of indigtion? She pulled a thoughtful frown. Perhaps there was more to this man then met the eyes. Or perhaps he was just stupid. "Why?" She didn't have to turn to see him shrug and look at his feet. "Its, its jsut that, well, your awfully silent. Its not really like you." "You mean that I usally scream yell and bitch at everyone, and your shocked 'cause i haven't directed my uncontrollable anger at you?" she said sarcasticlly. "Yes!" he cried, then with horror realized what he had jsut sid, "Er, no, that not what I meant, umm." he trailed off miserably, looking for an escape which wasn't there. She shook her head. "Stupid." she told herself. Then she pulled a half smile. "Maybe I'm being two hard on you. You do have a right to your own opioion, don't you?" He rose an eyebrow, puzzed. "Umm, no?" She took a check pace, and then stopped walking. "Oh thats right." she laughed. "You've just lived under my rules for why too long. Out in the rest of the world, your actually allowed to speak your mind." He stared at her, at a loss, not knowing if she was being sarcastic or serious. She sighed. "Your right, I have been to hard on you. Here." she threw her pack roughly to the trail and squtted down beside it, rummaging trough carlessly. Sarra's hands finally alited on what she was looking for. A square bundle, wraped in a rough gray cloth. Gently removing the cloth showed a elagant hand mirror, gold plated and with rubys set in the shape of roses. Marran rubbed his eyes, at the contradiction that he say before him. The mirror and his boss, they just didn't go. "This was a present." she said in explanation. "From a... friend, a very long time ago. This friend has many powers, and one of them is the ablity to see the puture and the past. This mirror is a reflection of her ablity." Saraa placed the delecte glass into his rough hands. "Look, and much will be explained." The mirror begain to distort, like oil on water. Saraa's voice came form far away. "Tell me, what do you see?" |
| Annagail stood wide eyed as she stared at the round oak table. It was so enourmass that it filled the ballroom sized study almost wall to wall. But besids it's size the table was also specail in that it was one of the few things in Cecilia's home that wasn't ornate and obviously very expensive. In it's design it was just an ordinary gigantic table. It was what was on it that was causing Annagail to gape in a mixture of wonder and horror. The table was covered with the peices of a half finished jigsaw puzzle of the universe. Each peice was smaller than a fingernail and there appeared to be billions of them. Cecilia smiled at the girl from the doorway. A telescope had been invented by Annagails time that allowed man to see into outer space so of course she understood the implications of what she was seeing. What fun! She didn't often get visitors from the future. Most people just thought the puzzle showed a bunch of pretty shapes. " Annagail my dear, there you are! I've had Albert looking all over for you." Cecilia gushed as she strode into the room. " Are you enjoying your stay here?" the girl gave her a weak smile. She was still eyeing the puzzle out of the corner of her eye. " Er, yes! Very much. Um.. whats this?" Cecilia shrugged as she picked up a box of chocolates from off the table. " Oh this is my jigsaw puzzle. I've been working on it for a very VERY long time." Cecilia took off the lid and examined the contents. " I'll finish it one of these days! But I'm afraid I havn't been able to find much time for it at late." Cecilia popped one of the chocolates into her mouth. Yum! Coconut! " So you mean... it's just a puzzle?" Annagail asked suspciously. " It's not magical or holds any kind of metaphorical signifigance?" Cecilia nodded. " Then why do you have it?!" Cecilia shrugged again. " I just like puzzles. They help to calm my mind." " Okay... Miss. Cecilia! When am I going to be able to help my very Great Grandmother? I've been here for..." Cecilia waved a dismissive hand at her. " Yes yes! Your time will come soon. But I've told you that there are some things that have to happen first. The party is not all togther yet." The girl stared sulkily at the floor but said nothing more. Cecilia smiled at her again. " Well, now that that's settled, have you had time to think about that nice young man I told you about?" Annagail winced visibly. " He's such a good looking young man! And owns his own farm! It would be no trouble for me to arrange for you to meet him. In fact..." " That's alright!" Annagail said quickly. " I would really rather you didn't!" Cecilia had expected such a reaction but pretended to be affronted. Guilt was a respected tatic in the match making business. " Very well then! I was only trying to help! No one ever appreciates my efforts." " Look! It's not that I don't...realise your good intentions. But I am perfectly capable of handleing my own love life!" Sure! Thats why you don't have one, Cecilia thought as she rolled her eyes and popped another chocolate into her mouth. But of course they all thought that the could handle their own love lifes didn't they? That was why the divorse rate was so high! Cecilia frowned. No, that wasn't this time period! She gave her head a tiny shake to clear it. These were trying times, and she couldn't afford to go all scatter brained. Cecilia looked into the chocolate box. There was nothing left but those yucky orange ones! Fruit had no place in chocolates! She was about to offer one to Annagail when something from across the room caught her eye. The only other thing in the room was her vision mirror. A long time ago Cecilia had made seven mirrors that were a reflection of her power. They allowed people to see things from the past present and future. She had made the full length gold mirror that stood in the far corner of the room to keep track of those mirrors. The golden roses that decorated it were glowing, showing her that one of the mirrors was in use. Cecilia frowned. But that didn't make any sense! She'd gotten all of her mirrors back! The only person now who had one was... Saraa!!! Cecilia swept across the room in a tyrant of rage. How DARE that women use her mirror!!!! She'd given those mirors away as tokens of friendship! Saraa had no right to use that mirror now!!!! Cecilia began chanelling her power into the mirror. Well she would show her! The mirrors could make the looker see whatever Cecilia wanted them to see! She would show Saraa exactly what she thought of her! Cecilia switched the view of the mirror to show her the holder of the mirror. She wanted to be able to see Saraa's face. To Cecilias immense shock Saraa was not the person holding the mirror. On the other end was a blonde, muscular man who appeared to be in his thirties. Cecilia stood stunned for a few seconds, not knowing what to think before she realized that she recognized the man. His name was Marron and Cecilia was to meet him in her future. Cecilia absently popped a choclate into her mouth, not caring that she found it revolting. This man was what her 5th husband had liked to call a wild card. Someone who's future was so uncertain that Cecilia couldn't see anything about it. Cecilia wasn't sure what part Marron had to play in the up coming conflict or if he would have any signifigant affect on events, only that he could. Cecilia pursed her lips. It might be interesting to know what this man would see in her mirror. Cecilia switched to view of the mirror again so that she would see everything that Marron saw. " I see.... I see a city." Marron was speaking in an awed tone. " What does in look like?" Saraa asked. " It's magnificent! The buildings are like palaces! Theres lots of gardens, and fountains, and different banners. And theres towers! Lots of white towers! And theres one really tall one in the centre of the city that reaches into the clouds! It appears to be made out of...out of crystal!" Marron exclaimed in disabelief. " It sparkles like a star as the sun hits it! It's..it's beautiful!" Marron said at a loss for any other words. Saraa nodded grimly. She knew of what city he spoke of. " The picture is changing." Marron told her. He squinted a little as he concentrated on the images in the mirror. " There's a bunch of people standing around, talking." Suddenly he gasped. " It's you! Your there Mistress Saraa! And your wearing a dress!!!" The boy looked ready to die with shock. " And it's a really expensive looking dress too!" Marron continued to blather. " And your hair is done up all nice and..." " Yes yes!" Saraa said impatiently. " I get the point! Whats happening?!" " Your... arguing with someone. You and two other women. You look very angery." Marron became more relaxed at this more familiar site, much to Saraa's annoiance. " And now you and the other two women leave the room. A couple of the other people follow you." A paused and then his eyes began to fill with horror. " It's switched again. The city.. it's under attack!" He swallowed. " Theres fire, and black lightening filling the skies. It's magic!" Saraa realised that Marrons eyes were filling with tears. " People are dieing! All around bodies litter the ground. I can hear their screams!" Saraa grabbed the cloth she'd kept the mirror wrapped up in and threw it over the mirror. " I think that will be enough." She said quietly. Marron didn't object as she took the mirror from his hands and placed it back in her pack. Saraa watched Marron wipe the tears from his eyes and felt a touch of sympathy, for she knw exactly what he had seen. She hadn't needed to look into the mirror to see what he saw. She could never forget those memories. " What was that?" Marron asked. " What did I see?" Saraa sighed. She really didn't want to talk about it but she supposed that it was neceicary. " The city you saw was Lorendenlar. Many thousands of years ago it was the greatest city of the elven empire. And home of the immortals. Immortals are timeless beings or imense power, though they are all but extinct now." Saraa turned to look Marron in the eyes. " I am one of the few remaining immortals." The mans eyes were as wide as saucers, but he seemed to be beleiveing her which surprised Saraa more than a little. " Back then the elven race was still strong and myself and my friends Andante Nocturne and Cecilia FaiLoron were it's stewards. We ruled the eleves fairly and there was peace and prosperity under our rule. But many of our brother and sister immortals were against us medeling in the affair of mortals. Most felt we should only be concerned with our own affairs." Saraa smirked a bit. " But the three of us were the most powerful and there wasn't much the others could do about it. The elves welcomed our rule and for a time life was good." Saraa's mood darkened as she thought back to those times. " And then and unknown evil began to sweep the land. To this day we are not sure where it came from or even fully know what it is, but it began covering the world in chaos. It was so frightening how quickly his power spread." " Cecilia, Andante, and I were not about to let our people fall into darkness. But this evil was greater than us all. So we called a council of all the imortals and beseached their help in combating it's magic." Saraa's dark mood deepened. " Although some joined with us half refused. They said that the nameless force was of no threat to us and that we should leave the mortals to themselves." Saraa shook her head. " The fools! In the end the evil destroyed them all." " Our force was not much more lucky. We took our final stand at Lorendenlar. We forged many great weapons of magic for the fight. Many of the immortals died in the making of these weapons, transfering all of their being into them. And many more died in combat against the evil. The fighting was long and bloody." Saraa sat quietly for a few moments as she remembered those hellish days. " We won...in the end. We trapped the evil and caged with in some islands far out to sea. The nightmare was lifted and the lands were free again. The cost however was high of all those imortals who fought in the war onlt three remained alive. Andante, Cecilia, and I. No other immortals are left." There was another few moments of silence as Saraa thought. " Well, except for Marinor now. I think he must be a descendent of one of the others that we never knew about." " Mistress Saraa?" Marron asked quietly. " What happened to the Elven Empire? Was it destroyed durring the war. " No." Saraa flt her fists clench in anger. " No the fall of the Empire came after. The elves wanted to use the weapons made durring the war, the weapons my brothers and sisters died to make for conquest and power! They had learned nothing from the war of horrible things that magic can cause! They were blinded by their own greed and woud not listen to us!" Saraa realied that her voice was rising and brought it in check. She continued in careful level tones. " In the end we decsided that we didn't want to rule such blind fools. So we abandoned them, and the three of us have been living out our seperate lives in secrecy. The Empire stagnated and eventualy fell and now is no more then a legend. And the immortals are completley forgotten." Marron stared at her. " Well I guess that explains a few things." he said weakly after a few seconds. Saraa smiled in aproval. He was taking this very well. " Well I hope so. Now come on! We have a ways to go and should keep moving!" " Miss Cecilia? Miss Cecilia are you alright?!" Annagail concerned voice came from behind her. Cecilia stared at the inky black surface of the mirror without really seeing it. " Yes dear." Cecilia said finally as she reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. " Yes I'm fine." |
| Marinor was a man of impressive build, standing well over six feet tall. He had handsome dark eyes and black hair that almost seemed to mask the cruelty that lurked beneath the surface. Almost, but not quite. There was no love in his eyes, only hatred from the burning desire for revenge. The man named Marinor was completely destroyed save for the meddlesome immortal essence that could never completely die. This weakened memory of the man could only serve to frustratingly try to show him morality and goodness. While it was too weak to ever be revived or take control, it was a nuissance. Oh, that he hadn't been an immortal and that he had been easy to kill. But then, he had needed to inhabit an immortal for the plan to work...and it was working stunningly. He clenched his fist with a twisted smile, taking delight in the pain he knew he was causing Andante. He enjoyed it all the more at the revulsion of the tattered ghost of a shell of the true Marinor's morals felt at what he had just done. He would make all of the immortals pay and then plunge the world into full darkness. While he fought against time, he was confident. Those fairy pebbles that they sought were rare and the only one who could open them he had attacked through a village doctor. Marinor smiled savagely. While the True One could give confusing riddles as to the whereabouts of the seven gater keys that were created with enough power to return him to his prison from the Ancients who had existed billions of years before this pathetic civilization had struggled into existence, he had little faith that they would be able to locate even the first one before it was too late. "Kaya'lrin, is there any word of the progress of Annaline?" He asked casually. A creature that appeared to be an elf shook his head. Long ago he had been an elf, but no longer. He was now a twisted half-being that did not even have a name. The elven civilizations had crumbled into anarchy with the inroduction of magic weapons. As with all things of this nature, they became consumed by greed and evil as the souls within the weapons turned against them. In the end, Marinor had chanelled his will into the thousands of weapons, destroying the souls and consuming the elves and creating the monstrosities that now existed. True elves had long ago gone extinct. Except for a woman. She had been adament in her refusal to accept the weapons and left to live among the humans. Her ancestor, with traces of elvish blood in her, had inherited the powers that true elves seemed to share. She could unlock the fairy stones. He mused that perhaps the true elves had been an offshoot of the Ancients, perhaps in a situation similar to this one. It was no matter, though. The only will he had was that of Lord Marinor. "Saia." Marinor said quietly. A tall gorgeous woman who had blood red hair seemed to materialize from the shadows to stand before Marinor. "What is it you wish of me?" She asked humbly. "You must take three armies of my creatures with you. Send one in the direction of Cecilia's house, one in the direction of Saraa who journeys through the lands and you will take the final one to Andante." She smiled, "Ah, it has been so long since I have drawn blood." "No. The intent of this is not to kill everyone." She seemed rather disappointed. "The army sent to Cecilia's house will attack by night, abduct the woman from the future and cause as much damage to Cecilia as possible. The army sent to Saraa will attack by day. Hurt Saraa as much as you are able and bring her servent here. As for the third army, attack Andante while she is in pain," he clenched his fist again, pausing to smile, "You will stab her where her mark is with this," he handed her a strange dagger, "and bring her here. Take Annalina to Cecilia's house and leave her there." "My Lord?" She seemed to doubt whether or not his plan was quite as brilliant as he seemed to think it was. "It is quite simple, really. Saraa is alone with someone who, despite her attitude, she cares for as all friends do. She never tells her friends out of pride that she cares in order to keep her weaknesses hidden. The psychological anguish at losing a friend without telling them that she cared will be unbearable. With Andante gone, she will be forced to deal with Cecilia, something that I do not even believe she will be able to do. With Andante, who is a meddler from the future to begin with, out of the way, Cecilia and Saraa will only have each other to rely on. To add insult to Cecilia, we will give Annalina as was according to their plans, but take away Annagail. If there's one thing she hates, it's being within reach of her goals but having it impossible to complete everything. I learned this when I gave her a double-sided cat puzzle that she could never complete, even when it appeared to have been completed. It drove her up the wall. Does this make sense to you now?" He asked with a superior smile. "Indeed it does." She grinned like a cat that had cornered a mouse. "It shall be as you have commanded." Marinor smiled again to himself as she vanished to complete her mission. Not even Cecilia's mirrors or prophet abilities could save them. He had made sure of that. Her attentions were focused mainly on the Marinor of the present, while he was of the future. He had spread his influence in order to catch the other unaware but somehow, Andante had known. He would take her out of the picture and cause her extreme suffering for her meddling. The dagger would not kill her, but it would come as close as possible. He held up a small hand mirror and looked at his human reflection. Cecilia had thought this mirror lost at sea, but he had found it and altered it so that it was a one-way connection. She was none the wiser and he had an invaluable source of information. Just to be certain, he blew some powder across the mirror's surface. The powder disappeared through the black glass and wafted through the large glass mirror Cecilia kept as 'watch' over the other mirrors she had created. The powder would blind her to his intentions and his existence until it was too late. She would be too busy worrying about his past self anway. He smiled. He liked it when he played games, especially when he was the one who would always win. He suddenly clenched his fist, laughing at the agony he could taste within his very being. Life was good. Saia arrived in a desert in a flash of light followed by an impressive army of dark, shadowy wraith-like creatures. Like all things created by marinor, they had no names. Finding Andante was not at all difficult, they had only to follow her screams. They came upon her clutching her side and moaning in agony, not looking at all like an immortal. She smiled at the prospect of what was coming next. "Andante Morendo Nocturn." She minced every word. Andante looked blearily up at her, unable to fully comprehend Saia's intentions. It was of little consequence. She clutched the hilt of the dagger, holding it poised. "Lord Marinor requests and audience with you." Andtente knew there was nothing she could do but lay there helplessly. No more than five minutes later, Annalina was being transported through the air in a flying box destined for Cecilia's house. With this phase of her mission completed, she teleported herself to the location of Saraa as the sun rose over the horizon. |
| Authors note: If the above passage seems to make little sense we're sorry and will fix it later. Mr. Bungle almost fell over in startlement as the gold medalion around his neck began to glow like the new days sun. Lady Cecilia wanted to speak to him, and it seemed that it was urgent. He stopped the magic platform that was carring Annilina, Garret, and himself and began the enchantment that would allow him to speak to his Mistress. Cecilias voice rang through the air like a bell. " Ignacious!" She cried, calling him by his true name. " What has happened!!! Evania just arrived hear in an enchanted box. Do you have any idea how close we came to loosing both her and Annagail! If I hadn't..." " Evania was with Andante." Mr.Bunle interupted his mistress for approximatley the third time in his entire life. " She was taking Evania and Ryann to Saraa's house. Something must have happened to them!" " Saraa's house! What was she doing taking them to HER house!" Cecilia nearly screamed. " Probably to keep Evania in a safe place while Annagail healed Annilina, but I did not question her." Mr.Bungle answered. A feeling of dread had fallen over Mr.Bungle. He could think of few people who could over power Andante and he didn't like the prospect of any of them being on the loose. " Well." Cecilia muttered. " I supose that makes sense... Ignacious I want you to see if you can find Andante, I don't like this one bit. And come back here with the others as soon as possible. I am going to see if I can fortell anything." " As you command Mistress." Mr. Bungle replied. " Please Ignacious, be careful." Cecilia said with intense worry. " And hurry!" with that the link was closed. Mr. Bungle tucked the medalion back under his shirt. With a snap of his fingers he started the platform moving again, but this time in the opposite direction. Mr. Bungle stopped the plateform and floated off it to the sand far below. A gentle breeze tossed sand in circles and sent his cloak billowing out behind him. Mr. Bungle knelt beside Ryann and gentley turned him over. The man was still under the sleeping spell and didn't appear to have a mark on him. Mr. Bungle looked around. There were deep inprints in the sand as if someone had been struggleing, or thrashing in pain. There were also deep footprints in the sand that the wind had not yet been able to cover. Mr. Bungle felt shivers go down his spine as he realized that they had been made by womns boots. That meant Saia! Mr.Bungle quickly stood up and flew back up to the plateform taking the slumbering Ryann with him. He started it moving again but not in the direction of his mistresses house. As much as it pained him to dissobey his mistress he knew there was something of the uptmost importance that he must do first. He could not leave the Panthekar where the enemy might reach him. Cecilia paced the halls of her house in a cold sweat. Where was he?! She had used her gift and had not liked what she had seen. Marinor had divided his forces. She could not see when they would strike but she had seen that a force had been sent for Andante, Saraa, and herself. And she had seen that they had taken Andante already. Cecilia whiped a tear from her eye and forced herself to stand still and take deep breaths. Morinor had Andante, but for the momment at least she was still alive. And she would stay that way if Cecilia had anything to do with it. Cecilia's eyes narrowed in determination. She would not let that horrid prophecy come to be. She would not let Andante die! Cecilia resumed her pacing. The only problem was that she had no idea what she was going to do. Suddenly Cecilia stopped and cocked her head to the side to listen. She could hear an eastern thrush singing. Cecilia had no such bird on her estate. The sound was a signal to tell her that someone had passed through one of her magic senteries. Cecilia smiled with relief and dashed towards the door. Throwing open the door Cecilia glided out onto the steps and watched as Ignacious steered a magic platform towards her. Cecilia frowned and squinted against the setting sun. There appeared to be four other people on the platform with Ignacious. Cecilia folded her arms as he landed the platform and she saw who the forth person was. " Hello Ignacious, welcome home. What kept you?" She knew very well what had kept him but kept her voice even and waited for him to explain. The forth passenger who wasn't asleep hopped off the platform and looked around. He was a boy of about 7 or 8 with sandy coloured hair and large violet eyes flecked with gold. Cecilia knew him for he was the last member of the party Andante and herself had been constructing to save the world. His name was Ji'an and he was the last of the Panthekar and wasn't supposed to be with them yet. She kept her eyes on Ji'an as he ran across the lawn chasing a butterfly and waited for Ignacious to explain. " I beleive that Andante has been taken by Marinor." Cecilia gave him a nod to tell him that he was right and listened as he continued. " I found the place where she was taken an it didn't look like there was even a fight. I don't know how that could be possible but I wanted to make sure that it wasn't because they had Ji'an. When I found that they hadn't I thought that it best I took him with me. If Marinor got his hands on him it would be disastrous. I'm sorry if I've done the wrong thing but I could not stand the idea of you being defenseless against Marinor." Cecilia shivered. She didn't like the thought either. " No Ignacious, you're right. Best we keep the boy where we can keep an eye on him." She gave Ignacious a rueful look. " I was worried thats all. Next time tell me what you're planning. Well lets go inside. Perhaps Ji'an can help to heal Annilina." She turned back to the boy and was dismayed to see him playing near the lake. " Ji'an!!! Ji'an get away from there! Come here this instant!" Ji'an looked over at her and with a sigh of disapointment trotted back to where they were standing. Cecilia smiled at him and knelt down so she could speak to him at his level. It was hard to look him in the eyes. The Sorthankar of which the Panthekar were descended had been whipped out before her time but she still found the violet eyes with their flecks of gold disturbing. Of course there was also the boys power that made her all the more uneasy. " Hello Ji'an. My name is Cecilia and I'm very pleased to meet you." The boy smiled broadly and stuck out his hand for her to shake, a gesture that completly through Cecilia off balance. " Hallo Lady! Are you da lady Bungle Wungle works for?" Cecilia almost burst out laughing. " Why yes I am." She said as she took Ji'ans hand and shook it. " Has Bungle Wungle told you why he's brought you here?" The scowl on Ignacious' face when she called him Bungle Wungle made the entire agonizing wait worth it. " Yah. He told me that you were trying to save the world and that you needed my help." Ji'ans faced brightened considerably. " Is that true?! Do you really need my help?!" " Yes I do." she told him. " You're very important Ji'an." The boy swelled up with pride and thumped his fist against his chest in an attempt to give a soldiers salute. " Well you can count on me Lady Sorceress. Yes Siry." Cecilia saw Ignacious mouth drop open and realized that he hadn't told Ji'an that she was a sorceress. " I knew I could Ji'an but it's good to hear you say it." " Whatever ya need Lady I'm your man!" The boy was nearly jumping up and down in exitement. " I'm glad. Ji'an do you know about your special powers." Cecilia was surprised to see the boys face darken suddenly. " Oh. Thats what you want is it." Cecilia was worried by the boys sudden mood swing but didn't know what to do about it. One minute he was grinning like a possum the next he was a dark mask. " Ji'an." She said slowly. " Do you see that girl there." She pointed to Annilina. " She's very sick Ji'an. There's someone here who can help her but I think you can help too Ji'an. I'd really appreciate it if you'd try Ji'an." Some light returned to the boys face. " Oh. Okay. Yeah I'll help!" " Thank you Ji'an." Cecilia smiled again. " Shall we go inside?" Ji'an nodded. Then suddenly he ran up to Ignacious and launched himself onto his back. " Piggy back! Piggy back!" He cried happily. " What are you doing?!" Ignacious yelled. He tried to reach behind him but the boy was in the small of his back and he couldn't reach him. " Get off!!!" Cecilia giggled despite herself. " Come on Bungle Wungle be a sport." She teased him. With that she floated the other three off the platform and walked back into the house with the sleeping trio and Ignacious the newly appointed horse in tow. Ji'an had a bubbly personality and boundless amounts of energy. He was delighted by everything in the house and asked question after question. Most were questions she'd expect from a little boy, but some of Ji'ans questions surprised her with their insightfulness. It was a constant reminder that he was more than just a little boy. The Sorthenkar had existed thousands and thousands of years ago. They had been powerful beings of magic but they had been masters of a different kind of magic then the Immortals. The magic of the Sorthankar, a kind of Subtractive magic, was the exact opposite of the magic possessed by the Immortals. The Sorthankar and the Immortals had been blood enemies and they had fought bloody, ruethless wars until the Sorthankar were eventualy whipped out. Now all that were left of them were the Panthekar, a weaker and diminshed branch of this species. But although the Panthekar were weaker then their ancestors they still possesed a dark magic that allowed them to nullify even the most powerful of spells cast by an Immortal or someone possesing a similar kind of magic. And who knew what else they could do. Ji'an was probably the most dangerous person alive. But he was also an excedingly happy and sweet boy and Cecilia found her mood being lifted as she spoke to him. The procision came to the room where Annagail and Evania were. Evania was still under the sleeping spell and lay on the bed in a deep slumber. Annagail was awake and sitting in a chair by the bed with Rueben in her lap. Annagail leapt to her feat as soon as Cecilia walked in and stared at the unconsious people that floated in after her. Rueben gave an angery meow at being thrown on the floor and slunk under the bed to sulk. As soon as Ji'an saw the cat he launched him self from Ignacious back. " Here puss puss." He cried as he went down on all fours and peered under the bed. " Hello Annagail how are you feeling." Annagail whinced as she recalled the pain she'd been in that morning when Evania had gotten to close. If Cecilia hadn't responded so quickly both her and Evania would have died due to the bend in time. As it was the solution wasn't much better. Cecilia had placed both time travlers in to their own isolated pockets of time. This allowed them to be close to each other but it was also extremly dangerous because they were existing in two times at once. Unfortunatly there was really nothing else that could be done. " I'm fine now thankyou." Annagail said with a weak smile. " Good. Well dear I think It's time we wake up Miss Evania since we're going to need the bed." Cecilia cast a waking spell and Evania's eyes fluttered open. " Where am I." She demanded as she quickly sat up. " Who are...." The womens mouth dropped open as her eyes fell on Cecilia. " Miosha!" She breathed. Cecilia nearly jumped out of her skin to be addressed by her ancient title. Evania slid out of the bed and onto her knees before Cecilia where she kissed three of the knuckles on her right hand in a greating that no one living had known for centuries. " On your feet child." Cecilia said softly, still in shock. Evania stood up and it was then thar she noticed the three people floating in the air. " Ryann!!!" She cried and rushed to the mans side. " Are they alright?! What happened to them?!" " Nothing child it's just more convienent for them to be asleep right now." From under the bed there come a hideous growl. Ji'an had reached under the bed and was trying to pull Rueben out by his hind leg. " Ji'an sweety don't do that." Cecilia scolded him. Ji'an immediatly let go and stared at Cecilia guiltily. " I just wanted to pet 'em." Ji'an explained. " I now that dear but he's a grumpy old cat and it's best you just leave him alone." A growl of agreement came from under he bed. Ji'an got up and went to stand beside Ignacious. Evania, Cecilia noticed, was eyeing Ji'an like he was a viper. Who WAS this girl?! " Well I suppose interductions are in order. Annagail, This is Evania, Ji'an, Ignacious or Mr. Bungle as some call him. The three floating people are Ryann, Garret and Annilina." Annagail blinked " You mean this is my Graet great great gr...." " Yes and I think it's time you healed her." Cecilia announcd as she moved Annilina to the bed. " But I'm no doctor!" Annagail wailed. " I don't know what you expect me to do! I don't have any special powers!!!" " But you do dear." Cecilia reasured her as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. " You're decended from elves and just like Annilina you have some of their magic. But where Annilina has the power to controle the magic of faerie stones, you have the power to heal." " But I..." " Huss now child. You must beleive in yourself." Cecilia gently guided her to Annilina's side. " Ji'an and I will help you so don't worry." At hearing his name Ji'an perked up and skooted over to the bedside. " Annilina was touched by one of Marinors minions on her side here. The mark she bares is seaping poison into her body that is slowly killing her, but there is magic involved as well that makes it nearly impossible for the poison to be slowed or cured. That's where you come in Ji'an." Cecilia lookeD into the boys big violet eyes. " Can you stop the magic so that Annagail can heal her?" Ji'an nodded, his bright boyish face serious. " But I still don't know how to use my power." Annagail tried to protest once again. " That's why I'm here dear. To guide you." Cecilia turned back to Ji'an. " You first then sweety." Ji'an nodded and put his hands on Annilina's side, right where she had been touched. For one horrific momment nothing happened and Cecilia worried that perhaps Ji'an didn't know how to use his magic. A terrifing thought as Cecilia herself didn't know how it worked. Then Annilina began to glow. A black mist rose from Annilina's body and formed a twisted cloud above her. For a momment the cloud seemed to form a screaming face and then the cloud dispersed as if it where being blasted appart. " There you go Lady Sorceress. Magic all gone now." Ji'an said with a wide grin. Cecilia discretly probed Annilina with her own magic and found that he was right. " Good job Ji'an you've done well." she beamed at him. Ji'an beamed back and then scampered over to the bookcase in the corner and began pulling out books in search of ones with pictures. " Now it's our turn." Cecilia said to Annagail. Annagail swallowed. " Place your hands on her side. Now clear your mind. Relax and reach into the deepest part of your being and find the power that you've really always known you had." Cecilia could have just as easily cured the girl herself but Annagail needed to learn how to use her power. Most importantly though Cecilia had seen that it was Annagail who must heal Annilina. So using her own power Cecilia reached into Annagails mind and showed her how to reach her magic and how to direct it. Together they healed Annilina. Cecilia sighed in relief when it was done. " I.. I did it!" Annagail cried in disbelief. Cecilia gave her a warm smile and a pat on the back. " You did very well child. Now I suppose I'd better wake up ..." " Mistress!" Ignacious said sharply. Cecilia stopped ubruptley. Ignacious almost NEVER interupted her. And then she heard it. A thrush was singing. Cecilia and Ignacious both dashed out the door and down the hallway. They pushed open a door and ran out onto one of the balconies. Cecilia gasped at what she saw. A massive army of Marinors soldiers and monsters marched through the night towards her house. " Dear Creator." Cecilia breathed " I didn't excpect them so soon." " Who are they?" Annagail exclaimed as she, Evania, and Ji'an caught up with them. " More importantly what are they?!" Evania demanded as she stared at some of the monsterous forms approaching. " I've seen many creatures but nothing like those things out there!" " They're bad things!" Ji'an hissed as he clutched the rail with his tiny hands. " Very bad thing!" Cecilia wondered if it was just the shadows or if the boys gold flecked eyes were more of a black then a violet now. " There must be over a million." Ignacious muttered. " What are we going to do?" Cecilia whirled around to face him. " Get them out of here Ignacious! Get everyone out of here NOW while we have time! Once you're away leave Albert and Cassia somewhere safe. Then take the others to Graonden like we planned in the first place. The Faerie stones are still important." " I won't leave you to face them alone! Theres to many of them for you alone." " Ignacious I'll hear no objections!!! You have your orders now go!" With that Cecilia turned away and back to the approaching horde. She heard Ignacious growl with frustration behind her. " All right everyone you heard her! Lets go." He picked up Ji'an and tucked him under his arm as he used the other one to push Evania and Annagail ahead of him as he rushed back into the house. Cecilia said a quick prayer for their safetly and then put them out of her mind. Ignacious would look after them and she had other problems. Cecilia scanned the army with her magic and than grunted with indignation. The army was mostly just men and there wasn't one with the gift of magic amoung them! Did Marinor really expect her to be taken so easily? Albe it there were too many of them for Cecilia to kill with simple magic. Anyways those monsters Marinor had created with magic were the real threat. Cecilia began to quickly set traps for them. Simple ones really, illusions, fire mines, a swarm of angery bees. Just enough to slow the armies approach and too distract them. She saw the first of her mines go off as an unwhitting soldier steped in the right spot to trip the trap. The ground around him erupted in flames, burning him and at least ten of his comrades in every direction to death. Cecilia ignorred the screams and set up more traps till she was sure she'd done all she could. It was pointless to attack the army head on because that would use up too much of her energy and she'd need it for what she had planned. Cecilia watched a few moments too make sure the army didn't have any surprises in store for her and then turned and marched back into the house. Ignacious had done as he was told and the house was empty. Cecilia smiled in the knowledge that he and the others were safe. For now anyway. Cecilia hurried to her room. She was going to have to leave. Marinor could destroy her house if it gave him satisfaction but she would see that he gained nothing from it. Pushing open her door she stepped into her study where she kept her important book and magical items. Marinor wouln't get his dirty hands on any of it. Cecilia began to weave a spell. She began to make another pocket in time as only she knew how to do. She took the entire room and sealed it away in it's own little world where it would remain unchanging through all time until she opened it again. In this world the room had never existed. That done Cecilia reached under her bed and pulled out a beautiful rose wood box on which were ingraved the words " Ferimir Lorim so' cog'ra". Cecilia ran a hand over the box lovingly. There was no way she could leave this. Cecilia would rather have died then leave this to be destroyed. She whipped tears from her eyes as she carefully put the box in a bag that she always kept packed just in case. Cecilia swung the bag over her shoulders and headed back into the hallway. From down stairs she heard a crash. They had reached the house. " Oh Well, time to go." Cecilia said to herself. " Just one more thing to do now." Cecilia entered the room with her universe puzzle and stepped up to the mirror. Picking up a chair she then smashed the mirror into a million pieces. Cecilia felt regret that she hadn't been able to save her mirror but there just hadn't been time. Cecilia could smell smoke and hear a lot of shouting from down stairs and decided that she really had to be going. Just then she heard a questioning meow from at her feet. Cecilia looked down in surprise and saw Rueben sitting there. " Rueben?! What are you still doing here?" Rueben purred as she scooped him up into her arms. " Oh my poor baby! Thats just like Ignacious to "forget" about you! Well you'll just have to come with me and I'll have a talk with him later." With Rueben in her arms Cecilia dashed through the halls back to the balcony where she called back the platform. Cecilia climbed onto the platform and sent it flying through the air as fast as she could make it go. Rueben hated flying and burried his face into Cecilias sleeve and whinned pitifully. Cecilia stood and watched as her home of hundreds of years was burnt to the ground until it was just a dot of light on the horizan. Finally Cecilia turned her attention to where she was going and steered her platform to where she knew Saraa had last been. She had to warn Saraa that Marinors forces would be after her too, for even though she hated the women she needed her to rescue Andante. It infuriated her that she was reduced to asking Saraa for help, the women would be enraged that Celilia and Andante had broken the agreement the three of them had made years ago not to interfere with mortal affairs and that would make her even more impossible then usual. The thing that infuriated Cecilia the most however is that she had instinctively known that this was how it was going to end up. She hadn't needed to use her gift this was just always the way it went with the three of them. Andante was the smart, imaginative one who came up with the plans. Cecilia was the people person who made the plans work. And Saraa was the leader who fixed it when things went wrong. |
| Chirrit was a monakey. He lived in a small oasis in the middle of a desert next to a tall, grey castle...although to him, everything was grey as he was colourblind. He sat beneath a lofty palm, trying to crack open a ripe coconut on a rock. He'd been at it for hours and, while a normal being would have given up, he continued merely for the sake of survival. Alas, it was no use. All of the rocks had been either worn away or buried under the sand. The members of his tribe screeched at him, quite hungry. Since it WAS his turn to provide food for their small tribe, he would have to find some other way to get the coconu open. He glanced warily up at the castle, baring his teeth. They always avoided the man building whenever possible not just because it was built by men, but also because these were evil ones. He tucked the coconut under one arm and then carefully began to scale the stone walls. His aim was to get to the nearest window so he could smash the coconut open on the sill and then get out of there as soon as possible. Upon reaching his goal, Chirrit began to smash his next meal against a sharp corner. This was going to take a while... Before he had finished with his work, his brain suddenly noticed a faint aroma that had been present the entire time he'd sat by the window. Peeking inside past the bars, he was a figure slumped down on the floor. He felt his curiosity growing and wound up scampering against the floor to investigate. It was a human woman, seemingly asleep but obviously in poor health. He picked through her dark hair and, upon getting no response, shook her with his tiny hands and chattered into her ear. She didn't wake up. "It will be a long time before she wakes up." A deep voice spoke to him. It was a tall, dark and sinister-looking man. Chirrit screeched in response, overwhelmed by the sense of evil and malice. It was none other than the unspoken evil that had only ever been told of in legends or stories to frighten the small ones. Madly, he scampered towards the window and vaulted desperately up to the ledge. "The only thing you will ever find here is death." Chirrit suddenly felt like something cold had stabbed through his body although there was nothing near him nor any wounds. All the same, it felt as though... The monkey crumpled forward and died on the windowsill, bumping against the coconut. The coconut rolled off the ledge and toppled to the ground below, smashing open upon impact. And Marinor laughed. |
| There was a crash of glass breaking as the mirror shattered to pieces in Saraas hands. She cried out and dropped it in surprise. the fact that the mirror had shattered meant only one thing. Cecilia had broken her Mirror. Why, Saraa could only think of two reasons. One, because of the fact that Saraa had been useing the mirror against Cecilias wishes, and two, that something very bad had happened. "Oh Cecilia." Saraa moaned. What is it now?" She cast a glance at Marron, who was once again silent. She knew what he had seen and she knew its horror. She lived the horror. But never the less they must move on. "Lets go." Sarra said suddenly, collecting the shards of glass and placing them back into the golden frame, softly and carefully. Then she snorted at her actions and roughly threw the mirror into her pack, where the pieces made tingling noises as they fell. Perhaps it was just as well that that last piece of her old life had been taken from her. Beside her Marron stiffled. "We are not alone." he said suddenly, his voice muffled. Sarra tied her pack quickly and then crouched down, listening, eyes half closed. He was right. there was motion throught the woods, motion of many people. An army. She swallowed. Something told her that Cecilas mirror had been broken not out of a grudge, but an emergency. She swallowed. "They've found us." she whispered. Marron did not even question. "there are many of them." he whispered back "We'll have to hide." Saraa shook her head. "its to late for that now. I regret ever dragging you into this. You may still escape now, if you wish, there is time." He smiled. "I know that your capable fo taking care of yourself but i think your gonna need some help against these people." "You are correct there," an unfarmiliar voice spoke back, female, but rich and deep. "Even the Shana cannot stand alone in times of strife." Saraa looked up ad into the eyes of a tall buxom woman, with flowing red hair. Dark red hair the color of blood. She was idily playing with a wicked long knife and was surrounded by perhaps forty or fifty men, all armed, all dangerous. "i do not belive that we have ever been introduced." Saraa said lightly. "But you seem to know of my past well enough." The woman smiled. "Indeed I do. I was grown on stories of the Three Rulers. I come from a long line of warriors and my ancestors worked with you. Cecilia, Adante, and Saraa. Of the three I related most to you. You were, as you might say, a role model to me as a child. It is most ironic then, that i should be sent to eliminate you." Saraa raised her eyebrows. "Eloqute talk and a waste of breath. If you related so to me you would not waste words. Who sent you." The woman smiled. "The nightmare that you locked away two throusand years ago on a desert island." She felt the blood drain from her face. "No." she gasped. "Impossible." "We have captured Andante. My armies are besiging Cecilia in her own home. All that reamins standing of the immortals is the Shana. The black sun desires the souls of the Three Rulers to complete his final weapon. Theefore, i am ordered to capture you." "You're a moron." Marron spat. "She's going to kill you." Saraa smirked. He had a strong faith. Foolish man. "What is your name child?" she asked mildly. "Saia" the woman answered. "And now if we are finished with the formalities, will you challange me? or will you stand there looking pretty while I wait?" The woman pushed her loose hair over her shoulder and ran her tounge over the blade of her knife. "I will drink your blood." Saraa laughed. "You really are a moron." She released power in a vortex around her. The dried leaves about her whipped around her body. Saraa Ko'rti'na will not fall to a read haired whore in tight leather." She laughed again as she raised her hands about her head, raw magic swirling above her. "I may not have their ablities but I can channel more power then Adante and cecilia combined. I don't drink blood saia. I consume my enemies whole." She let the power explode around her in chaos and pain and she closed her eyes against the heat and the cries of men. Her isolationisum had ended. She was a sorceress once more. Damn. |
| The forest was quiet. Nothing moved for miles around the battle site, everything that hadn't been consumed by the magic flames had fled and now nothing remained. Cecilia prodded the black husk of a tree with her foot and it collapsed into a pile of soot. She had sensed the massive amount of raw power being channeled even from the distance she had been from the site. Traveling as fast as she could it seemed that she had still arrived a couple of hours too late. She looked around at the empty, dead clearing Saraa had created. Nothing, not even bones, remained of her attakers. " Well Rueben, looks like we needent have hurried after all." Cecilia said airily to the cat perched on her shoulder. Rueben responded by starting to clean his whiskers in an aloof manner. " Well Saraa's long gone." Cecilia continued. " No worries though, I know where she's going." " Merrrow!" Rueben complained as Cecilia took to the air again. Saia limped through the forest, blood gushing from the chared stump of where he right arm used to be. She should be dead she knew, should have blead to death a long time ago. But she was one of Marinors most powerfull agents and death did not come easily to the followers of the black sun. And Saia refused to die. Not at the hands of that woman. Hate filled her breast as she continued forward, stumbling through the trees. The Shana had been even more powerfull then the legends said. Saia had used all of the magic Marinor had infused in her body but it had been nothing to the maelstorm of power that Saraa had thrown at her. Saia's henchmen had all been insinerated almost instantly and she had barely escaped with her life. It had cost her dearly however Saia thought bitterly as her fingers tightned on the stub of her arm. Ignorring the pain and the blood that flowed threw her fingers as she squeezed into her own flesh, Saia cast her eyes towards the sky. " You shall pay for this Saraa!" She screamed her challenge to the heavens. " You have not seen the end of me!!!" She took her hand away from her wound and licked the blood from her fingers. " I will drink your blood yet." She wispered as a malicious smile spread across her lips. " You're from when?!" Ignacious demanded. It was several hours since they had been forced to flee Cecilias house and the party had come to a stop in a small clearing of a forest. No sooner had they come to a halt had Ignacious started grilling Evania about her mysterious appearance in this time period, and he didn't seem to like the asnwers he was getting. Annagail sat quietly on a log with the stange boy named Ji'an watching the exchange. " I am originally from the Golden Age of the Three Rulers reign of the Elven Empire." Evania repeated impatiently. " Just when the Nameless had began their scourge of the land." " That's not possible." Ignacious stated firmly. " There were barely any humans around at that period in time and they all lived in the wilderness in small tribes. There's no way you could have come from that time period." Evania raised her chin in indignication at his comment and continued in a more haunty tone. " You're correct that most humans at the time were uneducated and lived simple lives." Ignacious snorted at that but Evania ignorred him. " However I was orphaned at a young age and on of the immortals took pity on me and took me in." " Really." Ignacious said dryly. " And pray tell me which Immortal was that." Evania crossed her arms across her chest and very calmly replied. " Barnabus the Prophet." Ignacious frownd. Annagail could tell from the way he'd been talking that Ignacious hadn't beleived a word Evania had said. But now his manner appeared less certain. " What? Who's that?!" Annagail asked glancing from one person to the next. " That was my Mistresses teacher." Ignacious muttered. " He too had the ability to see through time and taught her much about her ability." He paused for a momment, eyeing Evania carefully, before continuing. " Once he realized that his pupils powers surpassed his own he left the Immortals for a life of solitude in the wilderness and not much was seen of him after that. I suppose it is possible that he could have taken you in durring that time Evania, and he certainly possessed the ability to send you into the future... But why? For what purpose?" Evania's face turned serious. " I was sent to warn the Lady Cecilia." she said quietly. " Warn her! Of what!?" Ignacious demanded. Evania sighed and sat down. She suddenly looked very tired to Annagail. " You no doubt know that long before the Nameless threat came into being that your Mistress made a prophecy of the evils return. She spoke of a band of heros that would be needed to save the world from his threat." She glanced at the three people lying on the forest floor still unconcious. " A guide of clear vision, a master of steel with a heart of ice, a traveling magician ( me of course)," her gaze shifted to Ji'an as she continued, " a child of the darkness, and of course," she looked at Annagail, " A daughter of the elves who holds the keystone and her ancestor who would rekindle the magic of the soul weapons." With this last remark her gaze finished on Annalina. " Yes of course I now all that." Ignacious said impatiently. " Thats how I found you all." " Well, one day while we were living in the wildernss, Barnabus and I were attacked in our home by the nameless evil. Although we were able to escape Barnabus was gravley injured. So injurred that he did eventually die from it. However on his death bed he had one last prophecy. It was the same prophecy that Cecilia had had many years before, but what he saw disturbed him so greatly that with the last of his strength he sent me into the future to warn Cecilia." She looked up then to meet Ignacious's gaze. " Your Mistress made a mistake. Barnabus saw that Annalina won't in fact use her powers to help reseal the enemy. That she will in fact release it." Annagials mouth dropped open in surprise. Her Great great great great great great great great Grandmother work for the enemy! That was impossible! " That's a lie!" Annagail yelled jumping to her feet. " Annalina would NEVER do that." Evania just looked at her sadly. " I didn't want to beleive it myself when I met her. She seemed like such a nice person. But really, do you really know anything about her?" Annagail opened and closed her mouth over and over as she tried to think of what to say. She'd never even really met Annalina but somehow she knew she was a good person. It was as if while she had healed her she had seen into her soul. But how could she explain that to them? " Why didn't you say anything about this before?" Ignacious asked Evania calmly. " There wasn't any time." Evania sighed. " I spent many years searching for a trace of the immortals when I came to this time period without success. When you came to hire me I only joined when I saw the medalion you wear with your Mitress's insignia on it. I had hoped to be able to meet her and tell her but now it seems too late." Evania fell silent and stared at the ground. Inacious stood with his arms crossed and said nothing. " You don't beleive her do you?!" Annagail demanded after what seemed like forever. " I have served my Mistress for a very VERY long time." Ignacious replied. " And she has never been wrong. Your warning is noted Evania but I trust my Mistresses judgement." Evania nodded as if this is what she had been expecting. " Then we shall continue on our quest or the farie stones?" " No Annagail has brought us the last one." Ignacious said. " We will go to Graonden. There we will see what we can do about securring the soul weapons that remain intact." " What are faerie stones?" Ji'an suddenly piped up. Annagail jumped. He'd been so quiet she had almost forgoten he was there. " They are shards of three of the five soul weapons that were originally used to seal the evil away all those years ago." Ignacious explained. " They were broken to keep them from being used to realise it again. But now that it has Marinor as a pawn it could use them in just that manner. We're going to reasemble the weapons in order to reseal the enemy away before Marinor gets his hands on them." " Soul weapons..." Ji'an murmered but said nothing more. " What are we going to do about them?" Annagail asked, pointing at the prone figures on the floor. Ignacious sighed. " Well, I suppose I best wake them up. There's a lot of things that will need to be explained." |
| Saraa lurched through the forest, feeling the spinning feeling in her head. She felt drunk - a feeling that was rare indeed. Magic coursed through her veins for the first time in centuries, racing, burning, screaming for release. She fought it with all the self control that she had. The force that she had sent against her advarsary was nothing short of overkill - and yet the woman had survied. Saraa had let her flee. She was sure that the woman would receive a far greater punishment from the Black Sun when she returned home empty handed and without her troops. Saraa and Marron had not yet cleared the circle of massive destruction repead by her realese of raw power. She grimaced. Throusands of years old and she still had never learned control. "Do you think we'll be followed?" Marron asked quiety. He had said little since the incident, since determining her idently. She frowned and paused. "I don't know. I should check." the magic in her bloood cried in agreement, cried for relase. She threw her head back, eyes closed and extended her arms, palms flat towards the charrend, dead ground. Power raced from her palms, flying out around her through the forest. Not even a squreill was alive in the area, nothing, nothing. noth- ** Rueben yowled in agony, his back arched. "what is it baby?" Celcia asked, stepping over a charred log towards her familier "whats -" A tidal wave of raw power hit her full force, threatening to bowl her over, threatening to rip her apart. She groaned in pain, staggering under the weight. she managed to through a sheild up just as she collasped on the forest floor. ** "Cecila." Saraa hissed, as her magic diffuesd. "Cecila is following us." Marron cast her a queationing look. "Cecila was one of my ... friends. She was One of the Three rulers. I have not spoken to her since the - the battle of Lorendenlar." "Of Lorendenlar?" Marron asked, but that was-" A long time ago" Saraa said softly. "I know. I know." "so.." "Cecilia exists outside of time, like all of us. However, she has the abilty to see the world all at once - the past, the present and the future. If she is following us, it is to fufill somesort of destiny. She might be a whiney pansy fluff, but she knows what she's doing." "I see." "Lets get moving. I want to get to Adante's before tommorrrow. Lord knows what kind of visiters she's had already. And now I'm certain who sent that fake message and platywhasamacallit." she pursed her lips, feeling the tinging of magic in her fingers. "the black sun." ** Annilina opened her eyes to a canopy of green leaves. she was lying on the forest floor, feeling the dried twigs and sharp rocks pressing into her body. She blinked, trying to clear her head of the fuzzyness that seemed part of her. Where was she? What was happening? Who were these people? She searched for her last memories but all she came up with was the image of Dr Morgan and a black spider... black spider.. marinor, death... pain, and a strange woman. "Am I dead?" she asked bluntly to the people above her. She could feel the stone pressing into her. she she knew at least that she was concious in some sort of world. "Oh my! Definalty not my dear!" a familer voice exclaimed. "You're very much alive - at the moment" Her vision came into foucs. "You?" she exclaimed, looking at the short, weasly man that has tryed to buy her off for her services. "Damn. Now I DO wish I was dead." "Why, my lady, I take very much offense to that very much indeed if you knew exacly how much trouble we went through for you how much pain and agony, how much was lost, how many were lost-" "Hi! I'm J'ian!" a small high voice piqued up comepletly interuping Mr Bungle. "Whats YOUR name?" Annilina started as a huge vioet eyes flecked with gold peered over her face, framed in a childs face. "How old are you?" the boy asked. "I don't remeber." Annilina muttered, rolling over and sitting up, feeling the pain in every limb of her body. "probally around six hundered years old." "Wow!" the boy exclaimed. "I didn't think that you were that old! Are you an elf?" "Shhh, J'ian." A womans voice murmed, "leave her be." "Where are we?" Annilina muttered again. "Just outside the gates of the Temple of the Rising Sun." The female vocie said. "We have taken you to get healed. You were injured very badly." "I know." Annilina muttered. "I remember." She could never forget. "There is only one toll that the Temple extracts from the people it aids. You must walk through the gates on your own." Annilina sat up, slowly, painfully. Directly beside her loomed the metal rough gates. "Well you didn't make it to hard on me did you." she mutterred "Can you make it?" A voice sneered. Lina looked up. "Oh, hello Mr convict." she said dryly to Sir Garrett. "I see you finally managed to break out to that plasted walled prison of yours." She stood up, and heaved, trying to empty and already empty stomach. The world pitched about her. she took a step and collapsed, just inside the gates. "That better count" Lina muttered, and then she passed out. ** "You what??!!" Marinor snarled. Saia groveld at his feet, "You let her beat you?? You let Saraa beat you? The most unskilled, the least talented one BEAT YOU?? THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE? HOW MANY MEN DID YOU WASTE???" "150, my lord" saia muttered. "The force was not adaqute to take her." "150??" Marior screamed. "Where was the reast of your men? MY ARMY? were were they?" "They are beseiging Cecilia in her own home." Saia said defensivly. "Indeed. Do you know of the outcome of that mission?" "No My Lord." "Cecilia ESCAPED! The FOUR ESCAPED! The house was empty you imbecile! empty! EMPTY! EMPTY! EMPTY!" "I brought you one my lord!" she wailed "I brought you adante!!!!!!" "ADANTE WAS MINE ALREADY!" he screamed "you have failed me and for that you shall pay!" "Forgive me my lord!" she cried, "forgive me!" "The Black sun forgives no man or woman. I will give you three days. In this time if Saraa and Cecilia are not brought to me I will hunt you down and kill you - in the most unpleasent manner possible. Now get out of my sight!" Saias leather boots clacked against the stone floor as she beat her retreat. Marinor spat at her retreating figure. And then he clenced his right fist. |
| " So... This is it." Marron stated simply as he and Saraa stood in front of their destination at last. It was a picturesque scene of a snug little cottage nestled among a stand of pine by a laughing brook. Rose bushes of every color grew up the sides of the house and a large hunk of metal that had been Adante's attempt at a bird feeder which she know called 'creative art' decorated the lawn. A family of squirrels had taken up residence there and now spent their days driving away curious birds and tormenting house guests by throwing pine cones at them. Besides that the scene was peaceful and happy and made Saraa sick. " Yes this is it." She said sourly. " And no sign of enemies any where! How... unusual." Saraa took a momment to survey the surrounding forest and then went so far as to carefully scan the contents of the cottage with her power. It took a lot of concentration for her to make the probing more gentle then before, but she managed. There was nothing. There was one person in the cottage who she confirmed to be Andante. Besides her the only living things around were a pair of deer further up stream and the usual swarm of insects that occupy a forest. These small crawly creatures were sadly too weak to withstand the strength of her probe and prompty all exploded, but Saraa didn't let that trouble her. " Well everything seems okay." She finally admitted. " I guess I'd better go have a chat with Andante. See if she has any idea what's going on." She glanced at Marron. " Would you mind waiting out here while I go talk to my friend. It has... been a long time since we've seen each other and I'd like to see her alone." Marron nodded. " I understand." Saraa gave him a rare smile and then walked up to the house and knocked on the door. It immeadiatly opened and she stepped inside. " I hope she's not long." Marron muttered as he dodged a cascade of pine cones that hurtled towards him from the territorial squirrels. " Hello!" Saraa called impatiently as she hung up her coat on the hanger by the door and took off her muddy boots. There was no answer. Slightly annoyed that Andante was playing games with her Saraa stomped her way into the living room only to find Andante sitting on a couch staring blankly at the wall. " Andante?" Saraa asked uncertainly. " Are you okay." There was a lengthly pause before Andante replied, " Yes I'm fine." in a serene and far off voice. " Alright." Saraa said, rather unsettled. Andante was many things, but none of them was serene. " Say. Where's that Marinor fellow you've been seeing?" Saraa asked more out of need for something to say then of actual curiosity. " He's gone." Amdante replied eerily. Suddenly it all made sense. " Ah! So you two split up did you? Well you're better off without him, he was such a pussy." " Ha!" Andante barked bitterly causing Saraa to start. Andante suddenly rose to her feet to face her. " I'm sorry." Andante said in horrible forced cheeriness. " I've been a terrible hostess. Would you like something to eat? You must have had a long trip." Saraa, quickly recovering from her earlier uneasiness, shook her head. " No I've no time for pleasantries. Something resembling that horrible beast you have me babysitting appeared at my door step with a message supposedly from you. I knew it had to be a trick so I came to see you and along the way I was attacked by a band of hoolagans claiming to serve the Black Sun." Saraa paused breifly in her narrative but the news didn't quite have the effect she had expected. Andante simply continued to stare at her blankly. " Anyway I ... disposed of them and came straight here." She paused again but received no reaction from her friend. " Well?! Do you know anything about this?!" There was another long silence and then Andante finally spoke. " They must be a group of fanatics. Don't you worry about it. I'll take care of it!" On her last statement a look of such resolution swept over Andante's face and she looked alive for the first time since Saraa had been there. " Well I wouldn't dismiss this so easily." Saraa said pointedly. " But if you want to take this on be my guest. Keep busy, that's the best way to get over your problems." " Yes." Andante said quiety. " Well I don't mean to kick you out but I have a lot of work to do." " Oh don't worry, I had no intention of hanging around here all day. I'll see you later." Saraa made her way back to the door and collected her things. She was just about to leave when she paused in the door way. " Oh one more thing. There's a woman in that band of fanatics. Her name is Saia. Save her for me!" Saraa said dangerous look in her eye. Andante nodded and with that the two parted. Saraa stood a moment outside the cottage as the door swung shut behind her to collect her thoughts. "Well that was strange." she muttered to herself. " You have no idea." a musical voice said lightly. Saraa whirled as Cecilia detached herself from the shadows by the wall she'd been leaning against just a few feet away. " If you think that was bad you should have seen the state she was in when I got here." She continued lightly as she placed Rueben on the forest floor. She then looked up and there was nothing of the light cheeriness in her face that dripped from her voice. Her face was hard and her eyes flintly as she faced the women who had been once been like a sister to her. " Saraa." She said iceily. " Cecilia." Saraa responded with equal coldness. While the two super powers stared at each other in an epic stand off Rueben managed to root out one of the squirrels from it's nest and then, instead of eating it, proceed to go drop it in the brook in order to satisfy a sick fasination on wiether or not squirrels could swim. Perhaps more importantly Marron, who was completley baffled as to how he'd failed to notice the woman before, jogged up to them. " Do you know this woman?" He asked uncertainly. " Unfortunatly." Saraa muttered. " And this is Marron is it?" Cecilia asked with a flip of her hair. She looked him up and down and then a wicked smile spred across her face. " Well he certainly is handsome. I will say this for you Saraa, your taste certainly has improved." Marron's mouth fell open. " What!? No... We're ... We're just..." He started to stutter out an explanation but Saraa interupted him. " Oh well aren't we witty." Saraa snorted. " You act like we're still thirteen." Her insult having backfired Cecilia turned red in the face and her barely repressed anger boiled to the surface. " Friggid bitch!!!" Cecilia snarled. " Air - headed whore!!!" Saraa screamed back, her composure gone. There was another pause where the two glared angerily at each other. Rueben stopped tormenting the squirrels and watched with mild interest. Marron looked worried but did nothing. Finally Cecilia seemed to compose herself. " Well as nostalgic as this is I didn't come here to fight. There's something important I need to discuss with you. " I'm listening." Saraa said harshly. " Just now, before you arrived, Andante was attacked by a minion of the Black Sun. He is trying to reserect the evil that remains nameless but for that code name." " I was also attacked, as I'm sure you know." Saraa put in. Cecilia nodded. " So was I. What you don't know is that before you came Andante and I came up with a plan which Andante has know come from the futre to fufill." Saraa sighed. " Ugh. I hate time travel loops. Well! What "wonderful" plan did you two come up with?!" For the first time Cecilia looked uncertain and hesitated. " Well... We broke the pact." Saraa went very still. " You WHAT!!!!!!!" |
| Lina opened her eyes for a second time to an unfamiliar ceiling. A buttressed stone ceiling stared back at her. She was laying on a hard bed, under tight sheets, her arms pinned to her side. Her side throbbed. "Hello?" no answer. "Hello?" she pushed the sheets off carefully, noting that she was no longer wearing her own clothing. She was clad instead in a rough, undyed wool tunic that reached mid knee. "Hello?" She was in a long room, full of neat stark beds like hers. All were empty. Candles burned cleanly in brackets. No one was in the room. She swung her legs of the side of the bed, and lifted her tunic to inspect her wound. It throbbed dully, by not unbearably. At the ends of each leg of the spider like shape was now a small silver star, in the center of the spider thing was a rune she did not know. Magic had been placed on her, yet she was not able to wonder at its oddness. She had no idea where she was, who she was with or what they wanted from her. She had been... kidnaped, Lina realized. Her grandmama dead, her town attacked. her very existence had been changed by these people. Lina was comfortable with her existence. She didn't want it changed. especial by these people. The flagstones were cold on her feet, and she found that she could stand. She tugged the rough wool down around her knees and strode towards the exit. She would soon find out if she was a prisoner. The door was ajar. she pushed it open to a stone corridor. A man stood against the wall outside the door, clad in golden robes. "Welcome to the Temple of the rising sun. Your have paid your price. You have 13 months to live, one for each of the rays to the black sun. In that time, if the sorcerer whom placed that curse on you dies, the curse will be lifted. If he lives, you die." "The sorcerer that put the curse on me is already dead." "Indeed?" "Indeed. He was cooked to a fine crisp." "That is most unfortunate. Either he was being used through another or you are simply an unlucky person. And any ways, you still have 13 months." The man spoke blandly, piously. "How far is it to Mellone?" "Where?" "Mellone. The village where I live. It is in the northern half of the province." "Province?" "Andoria?!" she exclaimed. "Your in Demonare, 50 miles from the capital city." Linas face paled. "DEMONARE! That's not event the same country!!! How did I get here???" Her hopes of running back home paled. Demonare! It would take her months! The man gave a thin smile. "You arrived with an interesting entourage of people under interesting conditions. Did you not know?" Lina gave him an equally thin smile. "Which way is it to the capital?" The man shrugged and gestured. "South east." She bit her tongue at the ridiculousness of this place. Perhaps it was just the one man who was like this. She could not imagine a building full of people like him. "My clothing?" He shrugged. She snorted and stalked away down the hallway, entering directly into a large grand hall. The entire entourage was standing there. "Crap." she muttered. ** Saraa felt her head swirl. "YOu meddled in the affairs of the world again? Are you suicidal? or no, I forgot - your a busybody who enjoys meddling in other peoples lives, meddling in other peoples lives until it kills you. Because it will. And it will kill me too! and Andante! and future Andante too, if what you say is true!" her voice lowered and she sat down on the ground. "What did you do? And why?" "For your information I NEVER meddle with peoples lives!" Cecilia spat. "I simply, influence them. It is better then anything you can boast! Separating yourself form the rest of the word and feasting on your shrived bitter heart! You you enjoy watching them destroy themselves?" Saraa sprang to her feet. "What if i do?" she hissed. "What would you care? When have you ever cared? I am not the one with the bitter heart!!" "I stand corrected." Cecila said, her beautiful face hard, blue eyes glistening. "You have no heart. You never had one. I learned that at Lorendenlar." Saraa recoiled like she had been slapped in the face. "You did not come here to bicker Cecilia. You are not as petty as you would make out. How did you break the pact?" Cecilia drew a breath, recomposing herself. "We are collecting the Syndacate. We must. If we do mot it will spell our own destruction." "When has that ever mattered?" Saraa snapped. "I have lived long enough to die a thousand deaths." "Stop being so selfish and think of others for just a moment! They have only one life to live! Is it fair to take that from them?" Cecila cried. “They were the ones who wished this life apon themselves!!!” Saraa yelled. “Then why dio you live among them?” Cecial asked softly, so sofly that the contrast made Saraa’s hair stand on end. “Why do you live among them?” Saraa took an involunary step back, away from the pure hatred in Cecilas eyes. “Why Saraa?” Cecila hissed. “Why?” For once Saraa found herself at a momentary loss of words. Because i love them” Sarra said hardly. “Ilove them even as they tear themselves apart. And living with them reminds me that I can never ever break the pact. Never. Do you wantanother Genocide War Cecila? Is that what you wish for? Do you remeber the Elves? Wiped off the face of the planet. The Pantkear? purged. The immortals? Dead to the last. There is only us left. Are you that unhappy that you wish to join our comrades? or are you simply as stupid as you look?!” “How dare you!” Cecial screeched. “You heartless, discusting bitch! I wish that you hadn’t been so selfish and locked your soul in one of your weapons instead of better people!” Saraa’s eyes flew open and her fists clenched. “I termintate this conversation.” she spat. “I regret ever hanging onto memories of you, of the past. I close this chapter of my life, finally, completly. Meddle as you will, i will have none of it. YOu will destroy the worlf with your pettyness, your stupidiy. It is fine with me. I am ready for death. I only hope that if you are deemed worthy to spend the afterleifein heaven, that i am sorted into hell!” they glared at each other. There was no sounds in the forest around them. No birds chirped, no wind blew the leaves. The only sound was adante, weeping bitterly in the cabin. |
| “ You!” Annilina cried pointing an accusatory finger at Mr. Bungle. “ You kidnapped me!” “ Now, now Miss Annilina. Kidnapped is such a harsh word.” Mr. Bungle said soothingly. “ No I’d say kidnapped pretty much sums it up.” Ryan said thoughtfully. Mr. Bungle gave him a side ways glare. “ Contrary to what you may believe you are not being helpful.” Ryan flashed him a toothy grin. “ You people are crazy!” Annilina yelled in frustration. “ I’ve had nothing but trouble since the moment I met you! Well no more! I’m leaving and I dare any of you to stop me!” There was a short silence when everyone turned to look at Mr. Bungle and Annilina got the distinct impression that she was missing something. “ No one’s going to try and stop you miss if that is what you want.” Mr. Bungle said quietly. “ But I’m afraid you’ll run into considerable difficulty if you try and leave without us.” “ What do you mean?!” Annilina snapped. “ Well this place is not called the Temple of the Rising Sun for nothing.” Annilina stared at him blankly for a moment before her rage erupted again. “ What kind of answer is that! Stop wasting my time. Either start making some sense or get out of my way!” Mr. Bungle simply shrugged, not the least bit intimidated by her outburst. This was getting annoying. Since when was he so confident? “ Perhaps it would be easier if you saw instead of having me explain it to you.” Mr. Bungle suggested and motioned to a window. Cautiously Annilina stepped forward to the window which was little more then a hole in the stone work. She gasped at what she saw and what little bit of hope she had of escaping back to her old life died then. Stretching out in every direction for hundreds of miles, seemingly without end, was a vast desert. Rolling sand dunes in every direction and a scorching sun that was so bright it hurt her eyes to look outside. She stepped back from the window. “ But how can that be!” Annilina sputtered. “ How can a place like this exist in the middle of a desert!” “ Magic.” Evania said simply. “ Yes.” The man in the gold robe confirmed. “ Our position gives us access to a certain kind of magic that allows us to survive here in the desert. It also allows us to do the kind of healing that…” “ Are you guys still trying to take credit for that!” A girl Annilina had never seen before snapped. “ Ji’an and I did all the work!” Annilina barely heard them. She was staring at the floor in a sort of daze. What was she going to do now?! She looked up to find Mr. Bungle staring at her and she was surprised to see there was pity in his eyes. “ I am truly sorry that it had to happen this way Miss Annilina, but there was no other way. Not if we were going to save your life.” Annilina made no response. After a moment Mr. Bungle continued. “ Miss I now this is a lot to take in right now, but we need your help! We are trying to stop the man who put that curse on you but this goes far deeper than you know. Not only your life is at stake but the fate of the entire world!” He paused for this to sink in and then continued. “ If you truly wish to return home I will take you there but ask yourself, What do you have to go back to?” She wanted to answer him, she wanted to be angry that he would even ask that, but she couldn’t. He was right. Her entire family was dead now, and, with the drought, chances were the village wouldn’t be around for much longer either. She had nothing to go back too. “ So what’s your decision?” Mr. Bungle asked. “ Do you want to go back to Mellone?” Annilina looked at him and then at the rest of the assembled party. Then she made her decision. “ What?! And leave my fate in the hands of you and your band of idiots? I might as well sign my own death warrant!” “ I resent that.” Ryan muttered. Annilina shook her head and then gave Mr. Bungle a critical look. “ So you’re trying to save the world huh? My Lord! Who was stupid enough to put you in charge of something that important?!” “ Hell?” Cecilia asked quietly. “ What do you know of Hell Saraa? I’ve watched every one of my husbands die and every single time I tell my self this is it. I can never do this again. My heart can’t take it. Every time I wish I could just die too, instead of having to go on alone. But I do go on and in time the pain lessens and it isn’t an effort to get up every morning. Then, in time I find I can love again.” Saraa was angry and didn’t want to listen to anything more Cecilia had to say but she hadn’t seen Cecilia open up like this in a very very long time and almost out of a sick fascination she stayed and listened. “ But there are some pains that never go away and I still have to live with them every day. But no matter how much it hurts I can’t stop myself from caring! So yes I broke the pact! But this isn’t the elves and the destruction that threatens mankind is not of their own creation!” She looked at Saraa then and there was hatred in her eyes but this time, Saraa realized, it wasn’t directed at her. “ It’s back Saraa!” Cecilia said intensely. “ The evil we stopped all those years ago has returned. It used Marinor as a puppet and now he’s released it and it’s resumed its plans to destroy the world! I won’t let it Saraa! I can’t! I can’t let all those who died to help us the first time have died in vain! Can’t let it destroy all I love on this earth! I can’t let him fulfill that promise to Andante!!!” “ What?! What promise to Andante?!” Saraa cried interrupting Cecilia’s emotional tirade. “ The promise he would have made to her today! A promise of death!” Saraa’s blood went cold. “ What.” “ He has already captured future Andante somehow! This I why I came to you for help! Please! If you will do nothing else just please help me rescue Andante, you owe her that much!” Saraa blinked and turned to look at the cottage, There were no sounds coming from it now. “ You’re right.” Saraa said softly. “ I do.” She turned back o Cecilia. “ Alright. I will help you with this much, but after this you have to clean up you own mess!” Cecilia nodded. Saraa sighed inwardly. This wasn’t going to be an easy partnership. You owe me big time for this Andante! She thought to herself. She turned to Marron. “ Looks like I won’t be coming back for a while. When you get back tell everyone that I…” “ I’m coming with you!” Marron said simply interrupting her instructions. Saraa was surprised but realized a part of her had been expecting this. “ It’s too dangerous, I can’t ask you to come with me.” She tried to explain. “ You didn’t ask me. I decided on my own.” Marron pointed out with a smile. Saraa hesitated. Glancing at Cecilia she noticed the women wore a thoughtful expression. Did she see something? Well if Marron was meant to come along who was she to stop him? “ Alright then.” She turned back to Cecilia. “ Well I hope you know where Andante is being held otherwise this is going to be very difficult.” Cecilia smiled wryly. “ Don’t worry, I know where we need to go. But it’s still going to be difficult. Very difficult!” |
| Mists floated around with bright colours, brilliantly flashing in and out of existence. Each individual colour was unique and seeing every single one was a joy and when it flashed out of existence, a woe. It was with this duality that Andante watched the flashing colours before her, her eyes cracked so that they were barely open. The mists gently piled upon themselves, the colours increasing in numbers and density. Andante reached into the mist and felt its coolness wrap itself around her hands and felt the warmth of the lights around her. They were all so beautiful and she loved them all. She loved that they were all so different and she loved that they were all there together. The lights continued to build until her field of vision was filled with a gorgeous single light of varying colours in a dazzling colliadescope of beauty. The mists turned dark and soon a few patches of light flickered and grew dark. Suddenly, there was deep shudder and all of the lights disappeared and all that was left was darkness. They were all alone now. Crying out, she reached into the mists. "No! Bring them back!" The mist dissipated and she was suddenly thrust into a strange world of nothingness. Standing before her stood a humanoid being. It was a strange looking female being with pale white, luminous skin with flecks of blue and elongated fingers. An elegant sort of tentacle grew from her head and came down to the ground. "Who are you?" "I am that was long ago." The being replied from her small mouth in a voice of thirds. "You are that was?" Andante repeated, not too sure about the grammer of that statement. "We were killed by him. You are killed by him." The being clearly had no sense of grammer in the language she was speaking, but Andante came to reason that her desire for grammatical clarity would not be an appropriate priority for this conversation. "I'm not dead. I can't die because I am an immortal." "You are killed by him, not by which you lose life, but by which your life is lost...forfeited." "What are you talking about?" Andante frowned in frustration, never one for riddles. "It lies within you," the being pointed to her side, causing Andante to flinch with the awareness of pain, "and forfeits your life." Andante frowned again, but not in confusion. She looked at the being again, its almost pearly complexion and contemplated its strange voice. She could recognize parts of its body as being almost elvish in appearance, but what was the rest of what lived in its blood? "We were slain long ago, and I live only by its will. It forfeits your life. You let it do so. Now, because of this, you let history repeat itself. You are weak." "Now hold on just a second!" Andante roared. "Do not think for an instant that all those push ups I do are in vain! I can bench press 120 lbs! And I'll be damned if I'm going to let history repeat its..." Realizationg dawned upon her. "Oh heavens." She breathed. "You're an elf wraith." She stared at the being in horror, a great sadness welling up insider her soul. The elf wraith nodded. "We were that was. You let history repeat itself." Such a thing was only supposed to exist, that after a being poured their soul into a weapon and was killed, their soul merged with that of the weapon and they lived inside it as a creature that would only take out its master's will. But how could she be able to see an elf wraith, moreover one that was certainly trapped within a weapon. "How can I see you? What is your name?" Andante warily demanded of the creature. "I am that was, but now I am called Promise. I am what you see because I am for you." Andante snarled. Everything snapped into place. The being that stood before her was the combined soul of Mistral and the weapon. Mistral had been a young elvish woman that she had deeply cared for and had a strong friendship with and it had been a horrid day indeed when Andante learned she had poured her soul into a weapon. Worse still that Mistral had fallen into battle and that her soul would never again wholely exist. Later, she had kept the small pearly dagger as a remembrance of their friendship. "That bastard." Andante seethed. Marinor had stolen the dagger and profaned it with his touch! He had named it Promise with his twisted desire to destroy her as an immortal and now she knew. Promise had told her. The dagger lay in her side, infused with blasphemous magic to keep her from waking. "If that's the best you can do, 'Darling', then you've got another thing coming!" She roared into the endless sea of nothingness that was her current purgatory. "Mistral, please! I need to return to my body. The entire world is at stake! Surely you wouldn't wish what happened to your kind upon those who now inhabit the world." Andante pleaded with the twisted ghost of her former friend. "We are not Mistral, we are Promise." The being corrected her. "However, what was Mistral wishes to help you, while what was Weapon wishes to harm you. We will lead you, our one soul wishes it most strongly. However, we must warn that we will not guarantee your safety in this place, nor shall we help you because of subserviant Weapon's soul. We do not think your soul will survive, but if it is your wish we will lead you." The being coldly regarded her. Andante looked at the wraith, finding it a cruel joke to Mistral's true memory. "I have no intention of turning back. I must return to my body, I WILL NOT LOSE." The wraith hardly acknowledged her reply before she began to take off into the mist. Determined to take her revenge on Marinor and prevent the world's destruction, Andante followed in her wake. |
| "So the fairy stones are really pieces of an ancient weapon?" Annilina asked. "Exactly. Many of the ancient races including elves had the ability to bind their souls to objects, usually weapons. This allowed someone to harness the power of their soul and as a result create something of great power. However doing this splits the soul and makes it impossible to lead a full life ever again. Most beings that separated their souls like this didn't live for very long afterwards but people did it anyway to gain power in battle. A foolish few did it as an attempt to gain immortality, for a part of them would live on in the weapon forever. They didn't realize that they were dead the moment they completed the binding." Mr.Bungle explained. The party was resting on the side of the road. They'd left the temple a couple of days ago and were on their way to the city of Graonden, a rich city state who’s royal family protected one of the largest fairy stones known in existence. Annilina was trying to get up to speed on the situation but was having trouble. For starters almost everyone in the party barely knew anything more than she did. Evania at least seemed to know a few things about the history behind what was happening now. From what Annilina had been able to learn from her she’d learned of a war that had been fought between the elven race and an unnamed enemy, thousands of years ago. The elves had triumphed and their enemy had been sealed away using weapons of massive power that had been wielded by three queens. Evania was sketchy on the details of the war and of anything that happened after the sealing. From the hints dropped by Evania and Mr.Bungle Annilina had pieced together that the woman Mr.Bungle served was some how related to the queens. Probably a descendant of some kind but Evania seemed uncomfortable discussing her and Mr.Bungle always deftly changed the subject whenever she was brought up by waving some tantalizing tidbit of information in front of her. Annilina was beginning to realize that he was incredibly manipulative and anything but what he appeared to be. And for some reason he was the only one who REALLY knew what was going on. Evania’s knowledge was greater than the rest of them but it was still extremely limited. There were layers underneath the surface of what was happening that Evania had no knowledge of. Ryan and Sir Garret seemed completely clueless and on top of that didn’t seem to care that they were. Annilina couldn’t understand their attitude, but the ones who bothered her the most were the two young ones that had joined them at the temple. Gail and Ji’an, as they called themselves, were all smiles and innocent looks but they knew more than they were letting on. Annilina trusted them less than she trusted Mr.Bungle, at least he was honest once in a while. That boys eyes really creeped her out on top of it all. Those couldn’t be natural. That was why she was pressing so hard for information. If she was going to keep ahead of these people she needed to knowledge. And Mr.Bungle was the only one who had any of that. “So what kind of people gave their souls to create these weapons?” Annilina asked. There was a lengthy pause before Mr.Bungle answered this. “A- A great many people gave up their souls completely in order to create these particular weapons. They were destroyed after the war so that those peoples sacrifice would never be used for evil. Unfortunately, thanks to the foolish actions of some young man named Marinor, that enemy is being released again. This is why we need to gather the pieces of the weapon together, so that we can use them to reseal the evil away. “What is the “evil” anyway? Why does everyone just refer to it as the enemy?” “Well no one really knows what it is.” Mr.Bungle at least had the grace to look a little embaraced as he said this. “You’re kidding me right? I mean, how could you not know what it is?!” Annilina demanded. “Well…that’s something best left for another discussion.” Mr.Bungle said with a smile. “Right…another time.” Annilina muttered. “Hey Mr.Bungle.” Gail piped up suddenly. “I just had a thought. Are the royal family of Graoden going to just let us use their prized heirloom.” “Well why wouldn’t they?” Annilina asked. “I mean they’re on our side right? They side of good?” “Eh…Well that’s a little tricky.” Mr.Bungle admitted rubbing the back of his head a little uncomfortably. Annilina frowned. “What do you mean?” “Well the old Duke of Graoden was backing us in our plan. He had a bit of a thing for my Mistress you see so he was very supportive. But he recently passed away and, well, I’m not so sure of where the new Duke stands with us.” “So what? We’ll just find out when we get there?!” Annilina demanded. “Pretty much.” Mr.Bungle smiled. “Wonderful.” Annilina sighed. At that moment Ryan and Ji’an came running towards them from the lake where they had been getting water followed by a furious and sopping wet Sir Garret. “You idiots!!! You think it’s funny pushing them someone into a lake when they’re in full body armor?!!!” He demanded a bloody look in his eyes. “What if it rusts!” “Ummm… what about the fact that you could have drowned Garret?” Evania asked as Ryan and Ji’an tried to hide behind her. “That man should really lighten up.” Annilina muttered. “He’s been really abrasive lately. Well more than usual I think.” “He’s just not thrilled about our destination.” Mr.Bungle said casually. Annilina looked up at him quickly. “Why?” she asked. “Oh it’s really not my place to say.”Mr.Bungle said with a smile. Annilina scowled back at him. Right, as if he’d ever offer up any information that wasn’t necessary for her to know. |
| Taking advantage of the commotion caused by the "men folk" bickering, Annalina, fed up with prying information out of Mr. Bungle, decided to just talk to Evannia. She knew little about the woman, in fact she knew little of any of her companions since they had been thrust into this misadventure, but perhaps if she were to befriend Evannia she might at least get some partial answers. She could tell from Mr. Bungle's guarded facade that it would be wishful thinking to assume they'd ever get a friendship like that. As Sir Garrett yelled at the hooligans who had caused him to soak and Mr. Bungle yelled at Sir Garrett for being too loud, while also adding more yelling about the threat of exposure if they were to still be out at night fall, Annalina shook her head and approached Evannia, who was packing their supplies from the short rest they had taken. Wisely, she hadn't smothered the fire yet, as Sir Garrett potentially would need use of it to dry his clothes...and he was in enough of a mood already that it would have been enough to earn a tonue lashing. She sighed and sat down heavily next to Evannia. "Doesn't take much to set him off." She opened conversation. "Hn." Evannia gave a non-committed response, obviously not taking well to the comment. Annalina decided to backtrack a bit in order to get onto friendlier ground. "So where are you from?" "The Eastern Continent. Probably no place you've heard of, no offence intended, but it's definitely far away from here." Her pleasantly vague answer came. "Ah. What's it like over there?" "It's wonderful." She got a faraway look in her eyes. "Communication and travel lines are much faster there than here, and the land is covered in rich, green forests. The wildlife is relatively tame and when the sun rises, the trees shine like jewels and the forest looks like it's on fire." "That sounds lovely." Annalina sighed. "Growing up in a desert certainly makes you appreciate everything that isn't. The first time I went to the ocean, I was amazed. This place is even wonderous to me. I can't even begin to comprehend what you speak of." Evannia smiled in a friendly way. "Maybe someday you'll be able to travel there. If, for whatever reason, it's along the way, I could even act as a tour guide. I've learned a lot about the Easter Continent over the years." Annalina's eyes widened. "It's incredible to know a whole continent so well! You must be very smart." Evannia seemed to blush a bit at the compliment. "It's nothing really...just enough to get by." She laughed. "Well, I'm glad to see you two are having so much fun." Sir Garrett muttered, still in a bad mood. "Look, Sir, maybe you should dry your clothes over the fire. Evannia even left the fire going so you could dry off." Annalina tried to calm him down. Sir Garrett looked uncomfortable. Annalina raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? You like getting kidney infections?" "It's not that...it's just that I haven't a spare change of clothes and I cannot decimate my knight's honor by stripping to my skivvies in the middle of a forest." He said, rather huffily. "Normally I would agree, but we are still a fair ways away from Graonden and, as I said before, I am not interested in the trouble it will cause when you begin to come down with exposure." Mr. Bungle showed no sign of backing down. As the two engaged in another not so constructive argument, Annalina nudged Evannia in the ribs. "Hey, if he really does decide to dry off...wanna spy on him?" She whispered. Evannia turned positively crimson. "What?" She whispered harshly. "Are you crazy? Besides...we'd get caught." She added, almost as an afterthought. "Not if we go via the tree tops." Annalina pointed to the dense canopy. "Hmmmm..." Evannia seemed like she was seriously considering this prospect. "All RIGHT!" Sir Garrett sighed in frustration. "I'll dry off." "Very well. I shall walk beyond visual range with the children and women. Ryan, you stay with Sir Garrett and keep watch." Mr. Bungle decided with a pointed glance in Annalina's direction. "Oh darn. I guess he heard us." Annalina pretended to be disappointed. Evannia looked mortified. "My. God." "Can't I come with you?" Ryan protested. Sir Garrett was one of the last people he wanted to spend time with. This prospect was all the more unpleasant at the prospect of said knight's nudity. "You will stay and dry my armor." Sir Garrett gave him a dark look. "Fine." Ryan muttered. "So long as I don't have to look at you." He added inaudibly. "Now, if the rest of you would be so kind as to follow me, we have a berry-picking of loose figurative sorts to embark on." Mr. Bungle signaled and was followed by the rest of the party. Once he had led them a safe distance from the camp, they sat down on some large rocks. Mr. Bungle then abruptly climbed the nearest tree. "Oh, so he won't let US peek, but he's all for it." Annalina laughed at her own sarcastic remark. Evannia suppressed a small laugh, more curious as to what Mr. Bungle was actually up to. Moments later, he descended from the tree carrying several large branches. He dropped them in a pile before the four seated people. "Mr. Bungle?" Gail gave him a questioning look. "Arts and crafts time, boys and girls." Mr. Bungle clapped his hands together. He rummaged through a bag and pulled something out after a while. "We are going to be making these." Annalina looked in confusion at the arrow. "Wazzat for?" "Like I said before, I am unsure as to the current Duke's disposition, not to mention what his attitude towards our request will be. I favor precaution." He sighed, looking a little nervous. Evannia shrugged her shoulders. "Be prepared." She took out a small knife she carried with her and grabbed the nearest branch. Five minutes later saw them all working dilligently together, carving arrows out of the dying bard of the tree. |
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