Darkness at Dawn Part 24
Roth shook slightly as the huntress entered his tent. There will be no going back- I am committing an act of treason against my Lord... He shook himself from his fears as the figure approaching him finally stepped into the light.
Berani Huntress was small, but extremely powerful. Golden skinned and dark-haired, she moved with the grace of a leopard, her strange golden eyes missing nothing. She bowed to him in a sign of deference. "You sent for me, my Lord?"
Roth forced himself to remain calm. "Yes, I did. I need you to run a message for me, and I need to be certain that the General never catch wind of it."
She smiled. "Truly. I always knew you had more spine than to be his lackey."
He closed a strong hand around her arm and squeezed hard to get her attention. "This is no game, Rani. If and when he finds out, I will be executed, and probably you, as well. Messily. Painfully."
"Your point?"
His eyes caught hers and held them as he looked deep into her mind. Berani Huntress was arguably the best of her kind left among the Darkchildren, and as such had been forced for long years to bow to Ramar's every whim and fancy. The Hunter tribe had once been strong and proud. It had once had a future.
Berani had once had a daughter to pass her skills to, but the girl was now dead, and the greatest huntress still left alive would now die without an heir, since Ramar had forbidden the birth of another child, knowing only to well how powerful the Hunter clan would be, had they another leader to follow Berani.
She would never forgive him for the death of her child. Many accused him of the deed, himself.
He sighed deeply. "I knew I chose the right person for the job." He pulled a letter from his tunic sleeve and handed it over to the Huntress, who looked it over carefully before securing it in her own tunic. "That letter needs delivery to our enemies, Rani. It needs to go directly to Quatre Raberba- to only him or his cousin, Shinigami. Do you understand that?"
Her eyes glowed fiercely with an angry light. "It will be an honour, sir, to do this."
Roth smiled finally and released his grip on her arm, fingers soothing the bruise he had caused. "Very well, then. Do not fail. Please."
She bowed again. "I will leave as soon as it is fully dark."
~*~
Trowa stared down at the mirror-like surface of the cut bit of stone in his hands. It had been as easy as building a sand castle for him to cut the stone and polish it- rather, to ask the Earth Sprites to do it for him. The result being the scrying stone in his hands...
Staring at the polished surface, he cleared his mind and sent out a silent call. ~Quatre!~
The answer was almost immediate. ~Trowa, thank the Guardians! We all felt something happening in those cursed mountains, and my kinsman's power spiked, I couldn't raise him...~
~Calm down, little one! He's fine. We're all fine.~ Trowa smiled at the image of the distressed blond. ~Or... well... Duo made it away from the trolls, but scared us all to death in the process, and the Angel hugged him first, then knocked him out with one punch.~
Quatre's musical laugh graced his ears. ~A well-deserved shot, then! I was so worried!~
Trowa laughed as well. ~I hope everyone in your family is not as crazy as he is!~
~As in most things, he is quite the individual, Trowa.~ Quatre's eyes narrowed, though, as he stopped to look the other young man over. ~You got hurt.~
Trowa shrugged, trying as hard as he could to blanket the pain and exhaustion in his mind. ~Nothing bad, just a few scrapes and bruises.~
Quatre quirked an eyebrow and gave a mock glare. ~I don't believe you, Trowa. You'll have to try harder than that.~
The green-eyed youth gave up all pretenses of comfort in defeat, rolling his eyes. ~You have no idea how frustrating this is, Quatre! Duo stayed out there longer than any of us and came away without a scratch! Not a scrap of armour on him, either...~
~Try to keep in mind who and what he is, Trowa,~ Quatre reasoned gently. ~Besides, he fell to a single punch. He must have been far more weakened than he was letting on. He claims to tell the truth, but you won't find a better actor when it comes to his own well-being. Keep that in mind.~
~Is that a direct quote?~
Quatre's image smiled, aquamarine eyes glowing faintly. ~I learned to read with Iria's writings.~ His smile slid, though, and his eyes grew darker with emotion. ~I was so worried for you! Those trolls...~
Trowa didn't bother trying to hide his revulsion to the small creatures. ~It was sickening how they just kept coming, kept dying and no one cared. By the Guardians! I wish we had never come near these mountains!~
~Any ideas on how you're getting out?~
Trowa shook his head. ~Duo's our guide, and he's out cold. I suppose we could try to continue, anyway. Cree could lead us.~
Quatre's face drained of all colour as Trowa spoke, and he leaned forward towards whatever surface he was using, gripping something in his hands fiercely. ~Don't ask me why, Trowa, but I know you must keep moving. Put Duo on Shadow's back for now, whatever it takes, but do not stop again until he wakes! They... oh, by the Guardians...~ Trowa felt a flash of fear as Quatre's eyes rolled back into his head and the vision abruptly came to an end.
"Quatre! Quatre, come back, please!" He gripped the stone in his hands harshly, bending every strain of his mind on the blond King, and the obsidian darkness swirled once again-
A dark-haired woman was scooping the blond into her lap, crooning over him even as her hands began to shake. He couldn't make out the words, but he watched in silent awe as she bent over him and pressed a cool hand onto his forehead, chanting softly-
And hissing in pain as she snatched her hand away. She looked up, apparently aware of his presence, somehow. Her eyes were wide and tragic, filled with worry and fear.
Trowa gasped as their minds touched. ~Go! Don't waste another moment, Trowa! They are coming for you again, and my kinsman cannot help you now. Go!~
~I will take care of him for you, now go!~
Trowa only paused to give her a gentle smile. ~Thank you, Princess. The Guardians watch over you all!~ Breaking the vision, he roused the camp quickly.
~*~
Wufei smirked as he tightened his grip on the Dawnchild on the horse in front of him and kicked Shadow into the pursuit of the fleeing form of a golden eagle. Cree seemed to be honestly concerned for his unconscious master- it was for that reason that Wufei now rode ahead with him. Heero had tried, but the bird had dove at him with an angry cry, as though it was angry at him for hitting Duo in the first place...
A light nicker from Shadow echoed Wufei's thoughts. He found it strange to think of animals holding grudges, especially at an angel, but he forced himself to accept the fact that any creature that had been in Duo Maxwell's company for a prolonged period of time had to be special in some way.
According to what little he knew of these mountains and where he thought they had to be, Cree was leading them up into the Groth Pass. From what little Duo had been willing to tell them about these mountains, he knew that 'groth' was the word for 'evil' in the troll language, and he wondered with some trepidation just what that was supposed to mean about their destination.
He slowed Shadow to a walk and patted the horse's neck as they stopped altogether, waiting for the others to catch up. "Good boy."
Cree swooped down as well and landed gracefully on a nearby tree branch, his eyes fixed on the silent figure of the Dawnchild Lord. Wufei watched in fascination as the bird hopped as close as he could get and began cooing at his silent companion, almost as though pleading with Duo to wake up. "He'll be fine, bird. I'm certain that Heero would never have done anything to cause him true harm."
Golden eyes swivelled to look at him, and the bird let out a musical set of chirps and squawks that sounded much like the bird-talk he had shared with Duo in the past. Wufei shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't understand your language, bird. Maybe Trowa will translate for me when he catches up to us."
"He said that he wished he had the same confidence in Heero that you have, friend-Wufei," a groggy voice informed him.
"Duo!" Wufei's eyes swung down to focus on the Dawnchild's face as violet eyes blinked open slowly, looking extremely confused. "Duo, thank the Guardians you're awake!"
The Dawnchild attempted to sit up straight, but groaned and clutched at his mid-section in pain. Wufei gently helped him to sit straight in his saddle, and he gave the Air Lord a warm look. "My thanks, Wufei. Ah- um, how long?"
"At least nine hours," came a crisp reply, and Duo grimaced again. Nine! By the Guardians! Remind me never to play a practical joke on Heero, if I can help it! He absently patted Shadow's flanks as his eyes swung around to focus on Cree, and he chirped something to him.
Duo's eyes swung back to Wufei. "He says we have something following us. What is this?"
Wufei quickly filled him in on the situation. Trowa and Quatre, the hurried packing and flight up the mountainside... "He's leading us where?! Cree, we can't go that way!" Duo cried, his eyes flashing in distress as the bird watched and chirped something back at him.
Wufei felt the Dawnchild's wiry form trembling slightly against him, making his blood run cold. "Why not, friend-Duo? What is up there that frightens you?"
Wide violet eyes focused on his. "Whatever it is, it is both alive and dead, and it hates all things passing through that can leave and continue living in freedom. It will scream and throw things at you, it will drive you mad, and then it will throw you off the ledge, where it gets so thin that only one person can pass at a time. And if you fall there, you can never leave again- your spirit will be stuck there forever."
Cree squawked again, and Wufei looked to his friend expectantly. "Well? What did he say?"
Duo's eyes lit with a grim fire. "He said that it's the only path open to us, unless we want to wander out of the mountains and straight into Ramar's hands."
"What?"
Duo grinned again, a flash of Shinigami's berserker gleam in his violet eyes. "Three passes, one destroyed almost completely the last time I came through here in a pitched battle. He's apparently counting on us using common sense and avoiding the Evil Pass, and he's sent soldiers to meet us." The gleam left and worry clouded those magnificent eyes. "We get to chose which evil we want to face. Aren't we the lucky ones?"
~*~
Solo's eyes opened as his Master's call came, ringing clearly in his mind. He tried to be grouchy about it, but he would not lie to himself- some part of his mind was terribly curious to know what sort of task the Dawnchild would set for him. He hoped it would be amusing and worth his while.
As he took to the air, he found that he was actually elated at the idea of being called back into action. He could not wait to see what the Fire Lord had planned for him!
~*~
Walker unconsciously moved closer to Dorothy as they moved higher up the mountain slope. The world was completely quiet around them- the last of the trolls following them had deserted their pursuit a few hours back, and no creatures dared to venture up into the barren, rocky wasteland they were entering.
The newly-christened Dawnchild shot him a piercing glance. "This place is dead, Walker. Can't you feel it?"
He nodded and loosened his sword in its scabbard. "Aye, and whatever is waiting up there doesn't want anything alive coming into its territory. It is waiting."
Her eyes flicked back to the stony cliff face they were approaching. "I've heard many stories of this pass, but I never would have believed any of them before, not before, but now..." Her voice trailed off ominously.
Jogging up to join them, Lucas put a reassuring hand on the young human's shoulder. "I agree with you both, but I refuse to worry overly much. Look at who is with us! However great he was in the past, I think the new Duo Maxwell is even stronger, and what terror does death hold for an angel? We will be in good hands."
"He is planning something- that much is as plain as the end of my nose," Dorothy said, her eyes straying to Duo's figure, his braid of hair wagging behind him with each step he took. "I wish I knew what."
Lucas gave her a slight smile. "Take it from one who has been on campaign with him before, Lady. You probably don't want to know until it happens, and he won't tell you, anyway."
Behind them, Niles scowled at the human's back and swallowed his growing anxiety. If he wasn't too preoccupied with keeping his beloved Angel safe, we would have fought our way out over the other pass. Shinigami has gotten pitifully soft, and now we've fallen to babysitting humans and Darkchildren!
The hand that came down on his shoulder startled him, and Niles was surprised to find that he had his sword halfway drawn as he spun to see who-
Otto was giving him a concerned look. "Are you alright, Niles? This place is getting to me, too."
He forced himself to smile and give a glib reply, but inside, Niles was seething. I don't need your pity or commiseration, human. How dare you assume to give me either!
As he kept walking into the gloom of the pass, he felt his heart growing ever more heavy with anger and hatred. You are not on our level- none of you are. And you will get what you deserve for presuming to become what you can never be!
~*~
The wind was picking up around them, and Heero was surprised at how difficult it became simply to place one foot in front of the other. It had come on so suddenly, too-
As though it was being ordered to bother them.
He shared a glance with Wufei- the Air Lord was having similar thoughts, and his golden aura burned to life around him as he momentarily sought to draw the slicing winds under his control. "Friend-Wufei, please be careful..."
"Oh, Guardians..." Treize gripped his lover's hand hard as the whisper fell from the young man's lips, his eyes closed in concentration. A tear leaked down a golden cheek, and he could hear a voice whispering in the back of his mind, a lassst warning to you- the living have no place here, Air Lord. Disssturb my ressst at your own peril. This place is mine, thessse winds are mine, and the livesss of all who enter my passss are mine...
"No, they aren't and we will never be!" Wufei cried, his eyes opening and glowing gold. "Calm, I order you!"
The sudden calm on the winds was so unexpected that several members of the small group nearly fell over, but righted themselves at the last moment. They stared at each other in shock-
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A shriek came down through the air, as though it was the air. Terrified eyes cast around for the source of the terrible sound, but nothing could be seen. The sound was reverberating off the cliff walls around them, filling what space there was until it was ringing in their very bones, and they darted ahead, anything to break free from the sound-
"STOP!" Heero's shouted command arrested Zechs and Trowa, at the head of the group, in mid step. White energy crackled on the air around him and froze them all, a sense of calm pervading their senses, even as the screaming sound increased in its fury.
In the center of the group the Angel stood, glowing too brightly to look upon, but they knew he was there. "It wants us to rush- it wants us to make mistakes and die from them. We must remain calm and stay together."
The winds were beginning to come back to their former intensity, and Wufei trembled with the effort of concentrating on holding it in check and focusing on the calm permeating him from the touch of Heero's aura. "We need to keep moving. I won't be able to hold it forever."
Sweaty palms were wiped on trouser legs as the group made its way further up the mountain side.
~*~
"ssssssurrender to me..." Words hissed at them on the building winds as cold whipped down from the skies like a blast straight from the heart of space. Trowa shivered from the chill, but resolutely ignored the ghostly words. Shadow was trembling with fear at his side, and the Earth Lord patted the beast gently, murmuring to him softly. The blindfolded beast took another trembling step.
~Don't listen to it! Think of pleasant things, think of the love of your life, anything, but don't listen. We are almost there.~ Duo's voice was warm and soothing to Trowa's beleaguered mind, and he clung to the advice, forcing himself to take another step.
"come to me... give in to meee..."
Quatre. Think of Quatre. Think of Treize, and Barton, and Heero, and Wufei, and Duo... Don't give in, don't listen... His eyes slipped closed as he continued to move. fighting... why? Why do I fight it so? The pull is so strong...
"Brother, no!"
His eyes snapped open wide as he took another step and found that there was nothing under his foot. Yelping in shock as terror as the world pitched forward and all he could see was rock and sky below him, far below him-
"Trowa!" A hand gripped his wrist as he fell, and he clung to it for dear life, dangling int hat precarious grip, flailing madly-
"Stop moving- you're going to make me drop you!" Zechs yelled down to him, and he looked up-
The clear blue eyes of Epyon spoke to him- ~I will not let you fall. Not here, not ever, my friend.~ He stopped moving.
Hands were helping him up, and he was abruptly crushed to his brother's chest, the air driven from his lungs by the force of the embrace. "Trowa, I thought I'd lost you..."
"Treize..."
"Oh, please!" Everyone turned en masse as Niles spat out the words, shock and anger showing on each face.
Heero's eyes burned with cold anger. "I beg your pardon?"
The Dawnchild threw his hands in the air. "Isn't it obvious? We're all going through hell on this mountainside because Shinigami doesn't want to admit that it would have been fun to kill those soldiers sent to meet us! You've become so weak and pitiful that I can't believe I ever consented to come on this journey with you all!"
Duo stepped forward, and the others wisely backed away, feeling a backwash of energy coming off the Dawnchild lord. "You think I've become weak, Niles?"
The other Dawnchild stood his ground, even against the energy beating at him. "If you hadn't been too worried that your precious Angel could be killed by some Darkchild scum soldier, we would be safely across these accursed mountains and the enemy would be minus a few more men!"
Violet flames ignited around the Fire Lord. "And daring to care about another individual is weakness, then, to you? What about your own family, Niles? Do they mean so little?"
"Better to risk my neck for them than for some pitiful humans in whom the blood runs so thin they can't protect themselves..."
"ENOUGH!" Duo bellowed, the wash of power coming off of him hurling Niles backwards into the cliff face as though he were made of paper. Duo advanced, his eyes flashing with fury, though his voice sank into a low, menacing whisper that was somehow even more frightening than the voice that had been assaulting them on the air since they entered the pass. "You dare to make assumptions about things you know nothing about. If recovering my soul means I have become weaker, than I am glad of it. And as for the humans... they are fellow living, breathing creatures like you and me, and I will not stand by and let them be destroyed by something that I had a hand in creating! As for you- if you wish to challenge my authority, than stand and draw!" His own hand strayed to Deathscythe, slung across his back, and he slowly drew it from its sheath.
The winds roared around them as the full fury of the blade's song beat into Niles' mind, and he sank to one knee, shivering and trembling as Duo brought the tip of the blade down and rested it against his throat. He went completely white as Shinigami stood over him, head cocked to the side. "Never, ever, dare to pass judgment on things you don't understand, Niles."
He pulled the sword back and resheathed it in one swooping motion, turning his back-
"NO!" Lucas screamed and dove forward.
Duo spun and caught the Dawnchild in his arms, his face drawn in distress. A knife protruded from Lucas' chest.
A knife that only a second before had been sheathed on Niles' belt.
The voice on the wind rose in shrieking laughter, and something began to take shape, swirling in a breeze that Wufei had no control over-
Heero turned on Niles with a dark light in his eyes. "Traitor..."
"Guardians... everyone get moving. Now! Everyone, let's go!" Dorothy yelled, her eyes riveted on the swirling mist that was fast convulging on them, wide with apprehension.
Duo didn't stop to think- he scooped Lucas into his arms and turned to scramble along the uneven path, refusing to look either left or right at the sheer drops on either side of the path. The laughter was getting louder and surrounding them.
"Niles, come on!" Dorothy shrieked, but the Dawnchild was just standing there, staring at the hand that had released the dagger in shock, eyes unfocused and unseeing-
Dorothy gasped as a strong arm arrested her as she tied to turn back for the Dawnchild. "Dorothy, no, don't even think about it!" Zechs shouted over the shrieking laughter. "It will get you, too..."
"Niles..."
Both human and Dawnchild stared in horror and grief as Niles was engulfed by a swirling darkness so deep and murky that it seemed to be sucking the very air into it. Niles' eyes snapped to Zechs' face at the last moment, and he mouthed, 'I'm sorry.'
The human forcibly turned Dorothy away as Niles' shriek split the air, and he pulled her, unresisting, after him down the path. Whatever it was was right behind them, chasing after them and gaining on them-
Zechs shoved Dorothy ahead of him, his eyes flying wide as he felt something tugging at him from behind, as though sucking him back...
White light pierced the air, like an arrow shot flying back into the darkness gripping at him, and Zechs cried out in relief as a shimmering figure yanked him forward, energy flowing into him from the Angel's grip on his forearm.
The Darkness shrieked again as the white light hit it, and it shuddered violently, the voice raising in a blood-curdling scream. But Heero stood tall against it, retreating a step at a time across the narrow footpath, his eyes locked on the patch of darkness bearing down on him.
As he reached the halfway point, though, winds buffeted him in all directions, and the darkness screamed again, enraged. "Come back and sssave your friend, if you dare..."
But it was clear that it would follow them no further.
Turning their backs on the path, everyone shivered as another shriek split the air and faded into nothing.
~*~
Lucas blinked his eyes. Wherever he was, he was warm and comfortable, and...
He winced as he tried to move. He was alive. So far so good.
"Duo, he's awake!" Walker's face slid into view, looking both relieved and apprehensive at the same time. "Thank the Guardians you've come back!"
But before he could reply, two figures joined them, and Angel and Dawnchild smiled down at him. "Thank the Guardians. I thought we would lose you, for a while."
"My Lord..."
Duo shook his head. "I knew he was troubled, but I had no idea it was quite so bad. And now we can do no more for him..."
Lucas' head lolled back against whatever it was that was cushioning him. "Niles is dead?"
"Whatever that thing was, it got him, yes," Duo replied sorrowfully, his starry eyes going glassy again in his grief. "We barely got Zechs away from it."
"But he tried to kill you..."
"Oh, Lucas," Duo chided softly, "you know he couldn't have done a thing that would have truly harmed me. He wasted his life and ended it so horribly, so filled with pain..." The Dawnchild shuddered.
Heero prodded at the bandages covering Lucas's chest, frowning as the Dawnchild whimpered slightly in pain. He gave him an apologetic look. "You're no longer bleeding. Good."
Lucas looked around, but all he could see in the firelight were trees and distant stars. "Where are we?"
"Outside of the pass, friend-Lucas, so do not let yourself be troubled. Sleep," Duo commanded, his voice somehow overriding Lucas' will. The last thing he saw was Duo's face as sleep claimed him again.
TBC...
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