Darkness at Dawn Part 8

They called her the Bitch of Hell, and she was immensely proud of that.

Dorothy Catalonia was the best of the best, and she knew it- she was second in command to General Ramar. The Army feared her- it was disgustingly pleasing to see the humans of Jirol cowering and darting from her path as she moved. After all, they were only humans!

She opened the door to the royal bedroom without any ceremony or bothering to knock- if Ramar was using his human, there was no reason to be shy about it. Dorothy liked sex, both watching and participating.

The General smiled at her coldly as she took in the room- various pieces of furniture were broken and battered, and she could hear someone sobbing in a corner of the room- yes- it was the human whore. Relena had one massive bruise on her left cheek and was huddled as though in a great deal of pain. Dorothy made a mental note to send a healer in after the General was done with her- it would not do to damage the toy beyond repair so early in the game!

"You summoned me, sir?" Dorothy asked, with a raised forked eyebrow.

Ramar waved her over and patted the bed next to him- she dutifully sat. His smile was beautiful, as always, but she sensed that something was bothering him, underneath it all. It intrigued her. She was young, as yet, born after the great battle, and thus she had never seen her Master fall at Shinigami's hands. In truth, she had never seen him even vaguely put off by anything at all. And now this... So he has weaknesses, after all.

Ramar carefully hid his mind from his subordinate- he was perfectly aware of what she was thinking, and it annoyed him terribly to see his servant so full of herself. He would have dearly loved to teach her a quick lesson... but that would have meant putting off her current mission, and he would trust no other with it.

He could deal with her when she returned. Break her in... again.

"Something in New Port City is blocking me, Dorothy, and I need to know what," Ramar said carelessly. "Find out."

Dorothy bristled a little at his tone. "If you can't figure it out, I'm not certain I will be helpful."

He shot her a cold look. "You will do it."

Dorothy was smart, and she knew it was time to back off. "As you wish, sir." She followed his lust-filled eyes as they trailed to the human woman huddled in the corner. It sickened her vaguely, but she smiled as she backed out of the room.

Her smile vanished as she made her way out to the courtyard. The whole army was talking about it by now- their General was well and truly smitten with his pet human! Even if she was only his plaything, it was inconceivable that he pay so much attention to her and neglect his position as their leader. Not that Dorothy wasn't perfectly happy to step into the gap and gain that much more power, but still...

It wasn't right. The human woman was a distraction... and that simply wasn't allowed.

~*~

Wufei couldn't believe the rush he was feeling as he faced off with the Dawnchild again!

Duo had surprised them all that morning when he appeared and handed Deathscythe to Wufei with a smile. The Captain had bit back a cry as he came into contact with the blade, but he understood less than a moment later and exerted his mental control over the blade.

Duo drew a second blade and paused for a moment to charge it with enough power to withstand an attack by his own sword before he turned to face the oriental man. His smile had been challenging and encouraging at the same time. "If you really want to wipe my smile away, give it a try. You currently have the advantage."

Wufei had been astounded- the Dawnchild had known what he had been thinking! He knew... and still he was doing this? Advantage... right! He could still probably toast me from over there! Nonetheless, he lifted the heavy sword in his hands and began to concentrate, drawing on the power he had discovered...

There had been four gasps- three in surprise and one in pleasure- as the sword responded to him and began to glow a bright gold in his hands. Duo's bright smile reached epic proportions as he charged up his own blade and the combat commenced.

The Dawnchild felt his adrenaline pumping as he faced his own blade. There was still relatively little chance that anyone but Heero could hit him, yet he hadn't survived the Elder Wars by being careless! Duo's eyes never left his opponent, and he circled before he attacked.

Wufei felt a flash of fear- the Dawnchild had pulled yet another trick, masking his power and his energy signature until the last possible moment before unleashing it brutally as he charged. It was... more power, this time. Fiercer, farther from human. It was nothing short of terrifying, regardless of the blade in his hands. He blinked out of his stupor at the last possible moment and managed to block Duo's strike with Deathscythe.

They exchanged rough blows, the Dawnchild holding back enough for the human to get a handle on using the old, heavy sword. Duo felt a sense of elation as Wufei seemed to become accustomed to it, though- the human wasn't angry at him for this. In fact, Wufei seemed to be enjoying it.

The Captain felt a momentary flash of confusion as he met Duo's eyes and caught the bright smile there. He could hear the other creature's voice in his head- Lord of Air, I know what you are feeling. Try it! You know you want to... It was a hypnotic idea. It was true- the sword seemed to whisper to him of things that he would be able to accomplish if he only gave it a try...

His aura exploded violently as he tossed back his head and yelled, swinging Deathscythe dangerously as he charged his opponent, each swing of the great sword generating wind currents that flared into being around Duo, his braid whipping around him wildly.

Duo let out a whoop as he called more power and beat back the Elemental wind that assaulted him, winking as he executed a neat flip to get out of the trap Wufei had set for him. Good! Nice job, Air, but don't rely on the sword- use it as an extension of yourself. Remember, the power you use is inside of you...

Wufei recognised the dark gleam in Duo's eyes by now, and he took a moment to gather his defences as he watched every move the Dawnchild made like a hawk. I won't let it be so easy for you this time, Dawnchild...

Duo charged like a descending demon, eyes flashing menacingly, braid flying out behind his black-clothed form like a banner as he moved, the sword in his hands glowing an even brighter, colder green...

The other four cried out as Duo brought the weapon around, and Wufei instinctively brought up Deathscythe to block. Duo's sword shattered on impact.

Captain Chang barely had a second to feel his fear as he realised that the tricky Dawnchild had never meant to use a sword against him, to begin with.

Duo's laughter filled the small courtyard as fiery bands burst forth around Wufei, encasing him in hissing serpents of flame, elemental sylphs holding him still and helpless as Duo froze and fixed him with a smile that left him wondering if he was truly ready to face his maker...

Duo was somewhat disappointed, actually. He hadn't expected Wufei to fall to that trick- it was the reason he had chosen the Captain for this particular lesson. And now...

Duo yelped in surprise as Wufei's eyes glinted merrily. Deathscythe lifted by a fraction and the Dawnchild's eyes widened as air elementals were called into being surrounding him, grabbing at his arms and legs to immobilise him and pull him down...

He laughed and punched the air as he spoke to the creatures in Dawnspeak and they disappeared, his own fire sylphs disappearing as well. He surged forward-

Wufei would have blocked had he been able to, but as it was, the Dawnchild's form collided with him, and he was utterly surprised to find himself encased in a tight hug. He smiled as he tentatively returned it.

The Captain felt his heart lighten as they pulled apart and he went along with it, even though he knew he was merely feeling the after-effects of the Dawnchild's emoting again. "What was the hug for, Duo?"

Duo smiled brightly and motioned the others forward as he re-sheathed Deathscythe. "I knew you'd be able to do it, that's all! You called on the Elementals! And they obeyed!"

Trowa looked confused. "Elementals? You mean those creatures we saw?"

Duo nodded, his bright eyes swivelling to fall on the green-eyed youth. "Yes- each element has a... well, you'd think of them as spirits, but we call them elemental sprites. They like to play, and they usually are behind strange things that happen- water splashing up in your face from a calm pond, a sudden wind that blows your hood down in a rainstorm, that sort of thing. As Elemental Lords, we each have a certain amount of... control over them. They will obey your commands."

Wufei gave it a thought- sure enough, something seemed to grin at him as it lifted Duo's braid straight into the air and began to swing on it back and forth. The Dawnchild laughed as he caught the small creature from the air and it materialised in his arms, grinning up at him before leaping over to Wufei and hugging him around the neck. Before his astonished eyes, it winked and disappeared.

Trieze couldn't help the laugh that broke from his lips as he looked at his friend's face- the Captain looked like a small child who had received the toy he wanted more than anything upon his birthday.

Duo fixed them all with wary looks, though. "One caution about sprites, though. They will obey your every command, and they will warn you if you are in danger. But they have very little concept of personal danger and have been known to get themselves into a great deal of trouble before, simply in order to carry out a task. Be careful when using their aid! They can be harmed by our enemies!"

He turned and his eyes lighted on Treize, with a bright gleam to them. "Do you feel up to a little test now, Lord of Water?"

The ginger-haired man felt a return smile forming, as much as he tried to hide it. "Whenever you're ready, Fire."

~*~

Noin's face split into a wide grin as she darted through the trees like less than a shadow. Nothing had ever felt this good, and she knew that her abilities were getting stronger by the day...

"Gotcha!" She turned and had a spare moment to gasp in surprise before a blond form seemed to shoot out of thin air and tackled her to the forest floor. Her breath was forced out of her lungs in a whoosh as Quatre Raberba pinned her down. "Nice try, but I felt you coming. Try it again!"

He always feels us coming! Damned empathic senses of his! It seemed like they had been training for half of forever on this one point, and she was slightly annoyed that she still couldn't get it right! But Quatre was adamant about it- if they could feel her magical signature, they would know that she was a descendant of Iria and Quazer Raberba, and they would kill her viciously... therefore, she had to learn to cloak her energy signature. If only it was as easy as it seemed!

She gave him a light-hearted push as she rolled away and bounced back to her feet. "I was so close to making it..."

Quatre spared his sister a smile. "You were, and you've been doing a great job, Noin. But we have to keep practising..."

Rashid's voice interrupted them, "Not right now, you don't! you won't be able to see out here in another half hour."

That much was true- dusk had fallen, and the already darker light of the forest was beginning to show signs of fading to blackness. Quatre gave his Captain a bright smile. "Right you are! I hadn't even noticed..."

He sighed as they walked through the gathering darkness. "Have we had any news from either Jirol or New Port City?"

Rashid frowned. "Same report as before, except our courier says now that the army at Jirol is almost ready to march. No one has seen Lady Relena, either, in a rather long time."

Quatre cursed under his breath. "Damned fool of a woman! She had no idea what she was getting into..."

Noin let out an exasperated snort. "Oh- she knew! She knew that she was messing with things beyond her understanding, and she did it, anyway."

Quatre nodded to the gatesmen as they snapped to attention when he passed. "She didn't understand, Sister. I'm willing to wager that she's regretting it now."

They all stopped as they heard an airy laugh and a form stepped from a lit doorway. "So forgiving! You won't feel so charitable towards her when that army turns this way, little brother."

He snorted irritatedly. "Probably not, Une, but it doesn't change the fact that she's probably in hell right now. I can't help feeling bad for her."

The tall woman raised one eyebrow. "Bad enough that you regret not marrying her, brother mine?"

He made a sour face. "Not quite that bad!" He felt himself blushing and couldn't control the little smile on his face. His sisters knew perfectly well that he preferred men to women, and they loved to tease him about it.

And the teasing brought back his last trip on the Mind Roads. He had heeded Duo's warning and avoided them- indeed, he knew that the Dawnchild and his human counterpart had stayed behind to cover his retreat.

The youth called Trowa was now often on his mind. There had just been that something in those green eyes, in the sound of his voice, the feel of his aura... Quatre's empathic abilities made it difficult not to be drawn into his emotions, and what he had felt as he met the Lord of Earth... He couldn't deny the attraction.

He stopped abruptly, realising that someone was waving a hand in front of his face. "Hello! Earth to the King!"

He swatted Noin's hand away good naturedly and threw her a mock glare. "Don't you think you've teased me enough for one day? A King is supposed to be dignified..."

She laughed out loud. "Save it for people who didn't change your diapers, little brother! You were thinking about him again, weren't you?"

Quatre sighed, trying to control the rising feeling that he should never have told his sisters about the meeting on the Mind Roads. They had seen through him immediately. "I should try to contact Duo again tonight."

"And Trowa?"

A light flush touched Quatre's cheeks. "I'd definitely talk to him if he was there."

Noin leaned and kissed his cheek before running off to her room. "Good luck, Quatre!"

He shook his head and sighed as he walked through the door Rashid was holding open for him, smiling at the large man in dismissal. For a moment, he let his fatigue show and sagged against the door with his head in his hands. He had no choice but to train his sisters- they were helpless targets, otherwise- but it took a great deal of time and energy, and then his duties as the reigning monarch...

Father, what would you do, in my place? I wish you were here... He was young for a King and he knew it. He was reminded of it almost daily, as his nobles attempted to slip their power games past him, scheming to break away from the Kingdom's control and thinking that they could get away with it, simply because Quatre wasn't yet old enough to wield his authority over them. He grimaced- he couldn't let it happen. Especially now, with this threat looming in the near future.

He quickly threw off his sweat-stained clothes and changed into something more Kingly, stopping for one last long look in the mirror before he bolted out the door. He always had some assembly to be at, someone to meet with, some place he had to be... And a family to protect by being as strong as his father ever was.

He would contact his Dawnchild cousin through the fire later. Maybe that would help to calm him!

~*~

The Healer tried to hide his shock as he looked down at the woman in front of him. Dorothy had sent a human to deal with the Lady, but had not told him what to expect. And this...

Relena had been beautiful, but it was hard to tell in her current state. Her long, honey-blonde hair was tangled and stringy-looking, flecked through with what looked to be her own blood. Her gentle face and delicate skin was disfigured by large, blossoming bruises, and to touch her anywhere seemed to cause her intense pain.

The Healer bit his lip. As much as he had joked with the others back down in town about how the Lady was only getting what she deserved, this was too much! No person, no matter what they did, could ever possibly deserve this! He laid her gently onto her back as he pulled a pouch from his sack and carefully measured out a portion of the leaves inside. "My Lady?"

She flinched back from the voice. "Please... please don't touch me... I can't..."

"Shh, it's okay, my Lady. He isn't here right now," he tried to soothe her, brushing her hair back from her forehead and frowning as he realised that she was running a high fever. "You are safe, for the moment."

Tears leaked from her eyes, though, at the words. "Safe? He will be back. He will come back for me..."

The Healer added some water to the mixture in his bowl and stirred it until the fine powder dissolved into it. "Here- drink this. It will soothe the pains in your body."

He cupped her head gently to help her to drink, grimacing as he heard her whimper of pain at his touch. Still, she swallowed the medicine and relaxed back onto her cushions, exhaustion showing in every feature.

He felt a moment of doubt. Could he really leave her there like that? That animal of a General would surely kill her if he touched her again...

His decision was made as he watched another tear leak from her red-rimmed eyes and trace down over her abused face. He leaned in close, under the pretext of listening to her breathing. "I must get you out of here, my Lady. You will not survive... Are you strong enough to walk?"

Pained blue eyes opened and pinned him sharply. "You... you'd risk that... for me?"

His eyes hardened as he considered everything the people of Jirol had endured since she had married their Duke. "You have brought us nothing but misery, Lady, but you do not deserve this. I wouldn't leave my worst enemy here. Can you walk?"

She grimaced, but forced her body to obey her mind as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, then dragged her body up, leaning on the Healer heavily. "I will do what I have to, good sir. My thanks."

He quickly tore his cloak off and wrapped it around her. "This will keep you warm and hidden, Lady. For Heaven's sake, say nothing until we get you out of here! Is that understood?"

She nodded to him, too tired to do anything else, and he set off towards the gates with a grim look. Who would have thought that I'd save her life? She's sending this after her own brother- she deserves to die...

He shook his head. He would not make such judgement on a fellow human being. No- he would take her to someone who could mend her many hurts. His duty to her would be over.

~*~

Heero didn't miss how the Dawnchild still flinched as he walked into the Great Hall of Zechs' palace for dinner that night. Most people had gotten used to his presence by now, but there were still some who had to turn and stare, or worse yet, glare evilly at the violet-eyed being, almost like staring at a vicious beast that had been brought into their presence. Something to be endured, but never accepted.

He found the Dawnchild's slender-fingered hand and squeezed it gently. Pay them no heed, Duo. They are just ignorant, they don't...

Duo's mental laughter cut through his stumbling words. I know- and I don't mind it as much, anymore, Angel. I will be just fine, so do not worry about it!

Zechs hailed the five with a wave, and they slowly made their way through the maze of tables to his side. Even Wufei's eyes were wide at the sheer number of people; Zechs was calling in every alliance and favour he had outstanding, in the effort of protecting the people. They had taken King Quatre's prophecy for real- already, five convoys of people and goods had left for the mountains and the relative safety they provided.

It still wasn't fast enough.

Zechs smiled at the five- he had taken some time from his day and watched their practice that day and, needless to say, he had been impressed by what he saw. Awed by the amount of power they seemed to command. And if even that could not hold back the army that would be bearing down on him so soon... "How went your preparations today?"

Wufei gave his Lord a deep bow. "Well, my Lord. I apologise for being lax in my duties to you..."

Zechs gave the oriental man a wry look. "I do believe, Wufei, that doing exactly what you have been doing these past days will serve me better than holding my hand as I oversee evacuation procedures." He looked over to the Dawnchild and was relieved to see that the violet-eyed creature looked both alert and strong. Wufei, Treize and Trowa had told him of what had happened the day before and told him of the battle they observed. He still shuddered to think about it- he knew that he had no way of understanding just how painful reliving those memories had been.

He waved them to the seats that had been prepared for them. "Sit and eat! You could all probably use it, after training so hard all day..."

Duo gladly stretched out his legs under the table as he took a seat, smiling happily as he felt Heero take the place next to him. The previous night... he hadn't meant to kiss the angel, but it had just happened, and Heero didn't seem to mind in the least... Duo wasn't going to pretend that he didn't enjoy it. "I've been thinking about something."

Heero shot him a look, and Trowa, on his other side, leaned in closer. "I hope it didn't hurt you too badly," the green-eyed young man quipped, with a gleam in his eye.

Duo's braid whipped around as he turned his head and matched the stare he was receiving from his friend. "Cute, Earth, but I've been practising the witty remark for much longer than you! No- I was thinking- we should try to contact King Quatre, my cousin."

Heero raised en eyebrow. "Why? Isn't it quite a risk to do that? The Mind Roads are closed to us..."

Duo's grin brought a flush to the angel's cheeks and a smile to his lips. "Through the fire, Angel! Didn't the Great Guardian teach you anything?"

The angel scowled at his friend. "Baka."

"Whatever. Back to what I was saying, though- Quatre probably has more spies in Jirol right now than we do- he might be able to give us some useful information." Duo winked at Trowa.

The green-eyed young man couldn't help the little smile on his face. "I suppose- sure, why not? How do we do it?"

Duo grinned. "After dinner, I'll show you. For now- let's eat! I'm starved!"

~*~

Zechs watched the five and shook his head. He was placing an awful lot of trust on them, and it wasn't that he didn't believe they deserved it, but he still had misgivings. Worse- he could tell already that these newcomers commanded Wufei's attention and allegiance in a way he couldn't hope to equal, and that hurt. They had been the best of friends since their youth, when the oriental man had been just another soldier in his father's army and he had been the Captain, a brash, young boy of a fighter. Wufei had been the only man in the bunch who dared to cross swords with him, even in practice. He had been the one Zechs turned to when he fell in love for the first time; he had been the one he drank and laughed with until the small hours of the night. He had been his best friend.

And Zechs could tell, even from watching at this distance, that a certain ginger-haired traveller was quickly taking his place.

He sighed into his cup. If they could save as many of his people as possible, he would never complain about it. It was obvious that he could not play in the same league with these people, even more obvious that his own well-being had to be second to theirs. Well, he would give his life for Wufei, for any of them, if he had to.

He stared in shock as the Dawnchild looked up from his conversation and suddenly pinned him in his violet gaze. He began to feel distinctly unworthy as he felt he compassion and fire in those eyes bleeding into him, even at such a distance. He relaxed a moment later, though, as he heard Duo's voice in his head, like a soothing breath of cool air on warm skin. I'm sorry you feel left out. We need Wufei right now and, believe it or not, his loyalty still belongs to you, Lord Zechs. I promise you- you will not give your life for us. I will not let that happen, and Wufei wouldn't allow it, either.

He turned away quickly, but not before giving a slight smile and mouthing the word 'thanks.'

~*~

Quatre nearly spat out his food as something popped into his lap.

It was fire-red and grinning at him maniacally as it tried to run its short arms around his waist to hug him.

The young King suddenly smiled as he realised what the creature was. "Well, sprite, I suppose you're here for a reason?"

It nodded and gestured to the fire in the centre of the room, whose flames threw dancing lights on the tiled walls. He raised an eyebrow. "The fire, eh? Did my cousin send you here?"

It smiled and nodded yes. Quatre could feel the happy warmth rolling off the small sprite at the mere mention of Duo, and he could only guess that this one was a close personal friend. "He want to talk to me?"

It again nodded yes, and patted his leg affectionately before popping back away. Quatre looked up, praying that no one had seen the small creature... He was fortunate- it seemed that no one had seen the little exchange. Good- they won't have any reason to think I'm any stranger than they know me to be already! He could feel a pull on his mind, and he smiled in anticipation of meeting with Duo again.

He looked into the flames and cleared his mind, allowing it to open-

He could just make out the Dawnchild's features as they danced in the flames. Quatre! How are you doing? How are your sisters?

The blond laughed- even through the fire, he could feel the infectious cheer in his cousin that Iria had written so much about. Greetings, Duo. We are all well here- I have been instructing some of my sisters who share... my abilities.

Duo's eyebrows shot up. Really? Be careful- they will be a target...

Quatre gave a small smile. I know, that's why I have to train them. How are your charges coming along?

Duo smirked- he knew precisely who Quatre wanted news of! I only wish we had longer to learn! They will be ready when the time comes- they have to be.

Quatre frowned- he could sense, even at their distance, that something was not right with his cousin. How about you? Are you willing to face the Shadow again, Shinigami?

Duo's eyes swam with feelings, but he swallowed bravely and gave a small nod. Ramar is my enemy, Raberba. I will defeat him for good this time, or die trying.

I doubt that. Quatre felt a tingle of doubt in his mind- was it possible that Duo had never actually read the prophecy of his own birth? Didn't he know?

If he didn't, this was no time to spring the news on him. Quatre forced the thought from his mind. Our spies have sent couriers from Jirol, cousin. The Army of Shadows will be ready to march very soon.

Duo nodded and gave the blond a piercing look. Thanks- I will share that news here. We will have to evacuate the people faster! And I will have to train them harder.

Do not be afraid of harming them, Duo- they are tougher than you give them credit for, Quatre admonished, reading the Dawnchild's thoughts from his face. Besides, if I'm reading your mind correctly, the Guardian's Hand will not allow any harm to come to them until he can't prevent it, and he will be at your side.

Duo's eyes went wide as he stared at the smiling blond in shock. The human had read his mind that deeply? And he hadn't noticed? His face split into a bright smile. I see I must handle you with new respect as well, cousin! Very well- I'll play rough with the humans. If you hear anything else, please contact me! My friends will take messages.

Quatre barely contained a giggle as the small red sprite popped into being again in his lap. He patted it on the head. I'll keep that in mind, Duo. Go now! Take care!

He smiled to himself as the Dawnchild's image disappeared and the small creature in his lap gave a sigh if disappointment. Messenger, right! He wanted one of his spies here to make sure that no harm comes to us! He looked down at the sprite. "That's why you're here, isn't it? He wants you to keep an eye out for me and warn him if Ramar comes after us."

It just winked at him and pinched his leg before it de-materialised again. Quatre's eyes were drawn back to the fire, and his smile faded slowly as he stared intently into the dancing depths. Very well, cousin. I will permit this, if only because of what Iria has written about you. But I fear... I fear that you shall need my help before long. The Guardians protect you all!

TBC...

 

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