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 | | From: | Teserk | | Subject: | [Tribond] Part 31 - Resolution | | Date: | Thu, 23 Dec 2004 19:03:42 GMT |
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 | [Mara]
Deep in the darkness of Mara's mind stood five figures in a
small circle, bathed by an eerie light. One was a Black
Dragon, its wings and tail tucked tight against its body.
Standing across from the Dragon was that of a Phoenix, a
bird of fire, its body made up entirely of red and yellow
flames. Three smaller figures stood between the two mystical
creatures, a young child, innocent and sweet, and two older
girls who looked to be twins were arguing with each other.
"Now look what you've done," young Mara said. "You've spent
every bit of energy we had in trying to kill Carriac. We're
as weak as a kitten now, vulnerable to any attack. You knew
about his powers, his ability to mold things with his mind.
Yet you walked right into his trap!"
The assassin side of Mara started to grow angry, her lips
drew paper thin, her eyes narrowing with each word. "I
didn't see you helping! All you wanted to do was love up on
him. Then when he went too far you stepped aside and let me
take over. I did what I had to do!"
"Would you two quit fighting," the child side of Mara spoke
at last. "It was no one's fault. We all underestimated him.
He's been controlled by…something, or someone. Can't you see
that?"
"He seems to be set on freeing the man behind the wall," the
Dragon whispered, her head bending down to speak. "This
Carriac called him...brother. Could it be that this entity
that has entered your friend's mind might be a part of the
creature trapped? I sense a great evil near."
"He is more than evil," the Phoenix said. "He is a
Shadowlord, an evil creature bent on destroying this world.
That or he will twist it and all that live here, to be used
for his own personal enjoyment. He must not be allowed to be
set free."
"That's all and good but how are we going to do that?" young
Mara asked. "She has spent every bit of energy we have in
trying to kill Carriac." She pointed to the assassin. "You
know once we spend ourselves we pass out."
The Phoenix nodded, a soft smile played across its face.
"Yes, but you must remember the blood of a Phoenix courses
through this body, along with that of the dragon. We
sacrificed ourselves so that this one may live. At the time
of our death she was young and innocent. We are just as much
a part of her as you three are, though in different ways."
"Such as?" the assassin side asked, her hand reaching up to
scratch her chin. "I've been curious about how we all came
to be here."
"It was magic," the child whispered, "Dark magic that has
split us into who you see before you. I am the child, the
one they captured in the woods that day. You are the older
child, the one that grew up while they experimented on the
others that died. You, you are the assassin, the one that
was trained to use the powers the Dragon and Phoenix blood
gave you. We were split when the final spell was cast. The
spell should have killed me and the older Mara you see here,
but it only spit us apart. We are and will remain like this,
waiting in the shadows of this mind until the time is needed
for one of us to appear."
"Correct, little one," the Dragon said. "My blood keeps this
body from being destroyed, healing it when the need arises.
The Phoenix's blood causes this body to…flame up as it were,
just like a real Phoenix. Between us, we keep this body whole."
"Yes, and that is the key to our salvation. You must
understand that being a Phoenix has its downfalls. We do
die, but from our ashes arises a new Phoenix. Now that this
body has used up all of its energy, it has in all words
died. Now is the time for her to be reborn."
"You can do that?" the child side asked. "If that's so then
none of us will remember this conversation. As I mentioned
before, we will remain hidden from each other as before,
only to be awakened when the body has need of us."
"Yes," the dragon hissed. "It's only fair to have one in
control at a time. All five of us awakened would only cause
the body harm, so long as we fight with each other. Perhaps
there will come a day we will become as one. But until that
time," and the dragon slowly stepped out of the circled and
faded into the darkness, "we will remain hidden."
"She is correct," the Phoenix said as her flames started to
grow brighter. "I will set things in motion."
"About time," the assassin side whispered before she to
faded into the darkness, along with the child, leaving the
older Mara standing beside the Phoenix.
"Go to him now! He needs you…."
Suddenly the darkness faded as a bright light erupted in
Mara's mind. Slowly she opened her eyes, her senses reeling
by the smell of torn flesh and the anguished screams of the
Shadowlord. She felt a new surge of energy flowing through
her body, a new sense of life, feeding her with the strength
she needed to stand.
"C..Carriac? Traveler," she whispered as she stood on weak
and shaky legs. "W..What has happened here?"
Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the bright light once
again she spotted Traveler where he was once imprisoned,
laying on his side on the cold hard floor of the cavern,
breathing softly. But the air around them still smelled of
burnt flesh and clothing. Turning she spotted a bloody form
near the prison that held the Shadowlord.
"CARRIAC! NO!"
Staggering over, Mara knelt down, seeing for the first time
what he had done to keep the Shadowlord sealed in his
prison. The crystal was still intact, but it was splattered
with fresh blood, blood from Carriac's missing limb. Beside
Carriac laid the kitten, a stone fist grasping its middle.
It had crushed the very life from the small creature, giving
her a moment to pause. Tears fell down her cheeks as she
started to reach over and touch Carriac's bloody shoulder,
her hand shaking while watching the man's blood pooling
beside him.
"You stupid fool," Mara cried, "you stupid brave fool."
Her hand ignited in a blue white flame as she brought it
down against Carriac's torn flesh. He failed to respond as
she touched exposed bone. She moved her free hand to his chest.
"Hold on...please! It will only hurt for a moment or so.
See...I'm healing it. It's not that bad," she whispered in
his ear softly. The smell of fresh blood struck her nose,
causing her to look away while she did what she could. After
pulling her hand away, all that was left was a dark red
stump, what was once Carriac's arm.
Cradling the prone man in her lap, she brushed Carriac's
damp hair from his face, kissing his lips softly.
"I'm here my love...I'm here. We'll be okay now. No one will
ever harm us like that again. I...I promise. Traveler?
Traveler! Get up and help us...I beg of you, please!"
[Moiran]
The little ghost watched in silence as Mara tended to
Carriac. He had little hope for her success. He had seen
such wounds before, including those of his own body when he
had died. Mara could heal the flesh, but the shock to
Carriac's system was so severe that Moiran knew Carriac was
not going to make it.
As if in response to his thoughts, a mote of intense light,
stronger even than the holy light of the pillars, appeared
near Carriac. The mote widened until it formed a full
portal in the air. Moiran could make a corridor stretching
away from the prison chamber.
The doorway to the afterlife.
Any moment now Moiran expected that Carriac's soul would
leave his traumatized body and traverse the divine portal.
It did not happen.
*That is because the portal is for you.*
The voice was quiet, sounding as if inside of him, yet it
shook him to his core.
"Me?"
*It is not yet Carriac's time, dear one. It is, however,
well past yours. We have missed you. Come to us, dear one.
Come to us.*
Warmth and love flooded Moiran. He recognized the speaker
as his grandmother, dead some fifty years. Her voice
beckoned him.
"You're certain it is time? What of these, my friends?
What of the Shadowlord?"
*You have played your part, dear one. You have accomplished
your mission. You have saved the world from untold death
and destruction. Now it is time to come to your rest."
Moiran hesitated. He hadn't truly had time to know these
people. It had been only days since they had come into his
life. Yet he felt the truthfulness of his grandmother's
words. His time here was finished. It was time to rest.
He offered a whispered goodbye and stepped resolutely into
the portal. In a moment he was gone.
[Carriac]
The light.... The light was so sweet, so radiant, so
peaceful. It called to him. He desired desperately to join
with it, to let it infuse him with its warmth.
Then a voice intruded in his reverie. It was jarring in its
imperfection, but its words awoke in him a sense of self.
"I'm here my love...I'm here." Desire to join with the
light warred with desire to see the one who spoke with the
voice. It was a short fight. The light vanished and
physical feeling returned.
Every part of him hurt. His ears were ringing so loudly
that it was hard to make out what was going on around him.
He moved experimentally. Pain danced along his body, but
everything seemed to be working properly, except for his
left arm. That failed to respond.
Carriac opened his eyes and squinted in the light. He could
just make out a figure above him and belatedly realized that
she was holding him in her arms.
"Mara?"
His voice shook with weakness, but he saw her react.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
The effort was too intense. System shock overcame him then
and he was swallowed in merciful darkness.
[Traveler]
His consciousness had drifted away from this place and this
time. He was in the middle of his own desperate struggle for
life against his friend turned Foe, Thorr-kahn the white
minotaur. He had beaten his deadly foe, and was about to
land the killing blow when he suddenly lost all ability to
stand. Like a marionette with the strings cut.
Pain sliced through his mind and he stood before the strange
Great Stag, the Guardian of the wood. As he looked on the
image shimmered and changed to the tree guardian. The images
flickered back and forth sickeningly, until they vanished. A
bright light shown near him. He knew what it was, but did
not understand.
Suddenly his consciousness returned and he tried to sit up
at the sound of the voice of his beloved, no... It was
another it was Mara. He was trapped in stone. He was barely
able to breath and was on the verge of passing out.
[Mara]
With her hand still on Carriac's chest, she looked down, her
eyes full of tears that failed to fall across her cheeks.
"I'm here love," she whispered, brushing his now damp hair
back. Kissing him over and over, she wept, knowing that the
shock alone should have killed him, but she felt a higher
force at work there.
She heard Traveler moving, or trying to, causing her to look
back. Seeing how he was still trapped in stone, she thought
to burn the stone free, but decided that would only cause
him a great deal of pain. Slipping Carriac from her lap,
placing his good arm across his chest, she stood and looked
around, before finding what she needed to break Traveler
free. A broken stagtite sat near where Traveler was
imprizoned, as if it was waiting for her to pick it up.
"This may hurt a little," Mara whispered, before picking the
large stone bat up. With one mighty swing she struck the
base of Travelers prison, then again and again until cracks
started to form around the base.
"One.more.should.do.it," she said while sweat pooled on her
forhead. With one last surge of strength, she struck,
shattering her makeshift bat and the base of the piller of
stone. Larger cracks slowly started to form, dancing up
until the very stone gave way around Traveler, setting him
free.
"Traveler? TRAVELER! Don't you die on me, DON'T YOU DIE!"
Kneeling down, she rolled the man over, brushing dust from
his face and eyes. "Breathe! By the goddess of the forest
breathe!"
Pulling his mouth open, Mara bent down, placing her lips to
his and breathed in to his lungs with her own life giving
breathe. Once, twice, three times she breathed, taking a
very short break between them.
"You had better not be enjoying this," she whispered.
[Traveler]
His breathing was shallow. He was drifting in and out of
consciousness.
Someone was knocking on the door. No, someone was hitting him.
There was a crash of pain through his body, and a sudden
release. Then someone was kissing him. His beloved had found
him at last!
(to be concluded...)
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