Knowledge is Power!
Kind Hearts and Cowelled Heads.
"Makoto's here!" The young boy looked past her to see the other
girls lined up outside the caravan steps. "And she brought her
friends with her!"
"Hi Maki," Makoto said with a grin as the long haired eight year
old jumped down the steps to her. "How have you been?"
"We drove off another gang of soldiers," Maki enthused, sounding
proud of himself. "I heard you fought four soldiers all on your own!
Daddy said you were strong!"
Makoto smiled weakly and squatted down to the young boy's height.
"Heh heh, it was only two, but I did fight them both at the same
time."
Maki didn't seem to think it made any difference. "Wow."
"Makoto!" said the boy's mother as she emerged from the caravan.
"I'm so glad you are safe. Please tell me you will stay for dinner.
I've wanted to see you since we left that dreadful manor, but we have
had so much to do, what with the fighting and stopping to trade.
Please, who are your friends?"
Makoto just smiled at the woman's friendly, rambling speech. As
usual her surrogate mother had obviously been up to her elbows in
dough again, as she wiped her floury hands on her bright blue apron.
"These are my close friends Ami, Minako, Haruka and Rei. Guys, this
is Juriere. She took me in when I stumbled across them."
"The poor dear was exhausted and half starved when we found each
other," Juriere explained, as if she had known Makoto for years. "Why
you girls were wandering the countryside I have no idea, but it
turned out for the better in the end."
She tucked a strand of her slowly greying hair back into her bun.
That hint of grey was the only thing that betrayed her forty five
years. "Now Maki," she said to her son, "take them off to our fire
and I'll put a second pot on to boil."
At the back Ami let out a small whimper at the thought of another
meal she couldn't bow out of, despite her hunger, and Rei gave her a
sympathetic pat on the back. "There there, Ami-chan."
"Follow me," Maki said, taking Makoto's hand, "ours is this way!"
"Why didn't you tell us you were from the gods' land?" he asked
at they trotted over to the fire. "Mum and Daddy knew you were
special because you learned so fast, but I thought the Seraphi would
be scarier than you. The gods' land must be a nice place if you are
all from there."
"I don't know if that's quite how it is," Makoto replied, trying
not to dash the boy's hopes without lying outright, "but our home is
very nice. Most of the time anyway."
"Mmm hmm," Minako nodded, taking a seat. "There people fly like
birds and can talk to each other even when they aren't together!"
Maki stared at her with wide eyes. "It must be so amazing there!
Can you fly Miss Minako?"
"Umm, not right now," Minako said, sweating slightly under the
question. "We can only fly when we're back home."
"Nice save, Mina-chan," Rei whispered dryly, for once agreeing
with Desir's sentiments.
"Thank you Rei-chan," Minako whispered back through her strained
smile. Children were adorable, but sometimes she wondered how anyone
could live with them when they used logic like that!
"Come now girls," Juriere said as she waddled up to the fire with
another huge pot, switching it for the one that bubbled over the
fire, "sit down and make yourselves comfortable already. I've missed
having girls around since Makoto left, and I haven't nearly the time
to get together with the other mothers with these two to chase
after."
The girls looked up to see another boy beside his mother, also in
minimalist, brightly coloured clothing. He looked around thirteen or
fourteen, and Minako thought that with enough gel, his hair would
have made a good mohican. However, he seemed to lack the outward
confidence of Jiyu or Maki.
"Come on Rin, say hello to them all," Juriere prodded as they
both sat down.
"Nice to meet you," Rin finally said, but he didn't raise his
eyes to meet theirs.
"It's just me Rin," Makoto said. She knew just how quiet the boy
was, but this was a bit much even for him.
"But you're the Seraphi," Rin replied respectfully.
"Don't be silly, Rin," his mother said, ladling out a bowl of
broth and passing it to Haruka. "That's does not mean that you cannot
be friends any more."
"Doesn't it?" Rin asked. After all, how could you be friends with
someone who was sent by the gods? It just... wasn't right.
"Life would be pretty boring without friends," Minako chipped in
with a smile. "Even for Seraphi."
"Whether we're these Seraphi or not doesn't matter," Rei said as
she took her own bowl of food. "Mako-chan is our friend, and she's
your friend, so that makes us friends anyway, right?"
"Mako-chan?" Maki asked, puzzled by the modern Japanese dialect.
"That's me," Makoto told him. "It's kind of my nick name."
Across from them Rin looked up. "Alright," he said with a small
smile. "If you are sure."
"Aren't Jiyu and your husband joining us?" Ami asked as she sat
cross legged on the grass.
"Their father is out on watch until sundown," Juriere replied.
"And Jiyu, he is gone so much you would never know he was mine unless
somebody told you. It is a mother's fate to lose her children
eventually. This one is soon to leave the nest, I'm sure," she said,
motioning to Rin.
"What is it you want to do?" Haruka asked.
Rin didn't reply a first, but Makoto gave him a gentle push.
"You're going to be a swordsman like your brother, right Rin?"
Rin nodded seriously over his meal. "I want to protect everyone,
like Jiyu and Tachi do."
"And Kimiko," Maki jibed with his mouth full of mutton.
"Be quiet," Rin growled back, making Makoto start. Rin wasn't the
type to get riled.
"Who's Kimiko, Rin?" Makoto asked, both encouraging and curious.
After living with the boy for several weeks she had never thought he
had showed much interest in romance. "Is she pretty?"
"She's the girl I fought with against those soldiers," Rei said,
remembering the dour, sceptical teen in question. "She was a great
shot with her bow."
Rin nodded, sounding downcast. "But everyone likes her."
"So?" Makoto asked. "That doesn't mean you should give up. Not
until you know whether she likes you too or not."
"And an older girl would be good for you," Juriere agreed. "You
need a strong girl, not just a home maker."
Maki chuckled at that. "Rin would be a home maker too, because he
cooks cakes and everything!"
"I said shut up!" Rin growled again.
"That's not a bad thing," Rei said, managing to ignore Desir's
giggling in her head. "Sometimes a girl likes to be treated,
especially if she can't cook, right Minako-chan?"
"Right!" Minako agreed with a hearty nod, before realising just
what Rei meant. "Hey! You can't cook anything either Rei-chan!"
That caught Rei full on, but even so it had the desired effect,
and Rin actually laughed at the raspberry war that started between
them. "You're strange if you can't even cook!" Then a thought seemed
to strike him. If she hadn't learned to cook or do the things a woman
normally learned then... "Are you really a sorceress? Is that why you
didn't learn it?"
A sudden silence fell over them as spoons and bowls stopped
clinking and the conversations around the neighboring camp fires
came to a halt. "R-Rin, really..." Juriere said, but she didn't get a
chance to finish, and she hadn't wanted one. It was something that
everyone had whispered about in hushed tones, but no one had ever
thought any of them would have brought it up with the girls
themselves.
"Jiyu told me," Rin added, but unlike so many around them he
didn't seem frightened by the prospect. He was quivering inside, but
nothing showed as he waited for his answer.
"Yes, I am," Rei replied simply. The silence hung for a moment
longer as everyone waited for the other shoe to drop.
"Seraphi must be really powerful," Rin said, "because normal
sorcerers can't make friends. I think that's why they are evil."
Rei gave him a smile. "Maybe you're right."
That seemed to be enough to break the tension and the air soon
filled with talk again as the families around them slowly went back
to their conversations. Rei was sure that the little interrogation
had not done her any favours, but no doubt it had done her a lot less
harm than it could have, had the circumstances been different.
"Well," Juriere said, quietly thankful that her son hadn't got
himself into any real trouble, "eat up everyone. The light will not
last and your beds are waiting."
"Aww, Mum!" Maki moaned, but Juriere remained firm.
Ami just looked down at her bowl. While the others had each taken
another ladle full as they had talked she was still only halfway
through her first. She wouldn't have minded having to excuse herself,
but after this woman had done so much for Makoto she didn't want to
seem rude.
It hadn't escaped the attentions of the others either. "Come on
Ami-chan, you do need to eat a little more," Makoto said, sounding
little worried. "You didn't have breakfast either."
She wasn't the only concerned one either, but Juriere seemed to
pay it no mind. "Don't worry in the least Ami, I know what it is
like. I suffered the most terrible sickness with my boys."
Ami and Haruka both spat out their mouthfuls when they heard
that. Haruka stared at the woman for a moment, as if she had just
grown another couple of heads, while Ami tried to string a coherent
sentence together. "I b-beg your pardon? Umm, I'm not pregnant
Juriere-sa - Miss Juriere."
"Come now," Juriere replied, "I'm not so blind to miss the signs
between the pair of you," she said to Haruka and Ami.
Rin just gave his mother an odd look. "Mum, what are you talking
about? Miss Haruka is a girl."
This time it was him that Haruka found herself staring at. "You
can tell?" she asked, more than a little surprised.
"Uhhh, yes?" Rin replied, not knowing why that should be such an
issue.
If the truth were told Haruka didn't either, but it still
unsettled her somehow. "In any case, that's how it is."
"And Haruka-san and I are not a couple Miss Juriere," Ami
justified. "Just close friends."
"I... I see," the mother of three replied, rather wrong footed
and even a little sceptical. "Please excuse my presumptions."
"Don't worry," Makoto assured her, "everyone makes that mistake
about Haruka-san. It took us ages to find out ourselves!"
"And it's just the kind of food here," Ami added, "it doesn't
seem to like me, no matter how hungry I am!"
Beside them Minako suppressed a sigh. Still, she was as worried
for Ami as anyone, and the sooner Ami was better and Makoto could
fill her full of real food the sooner things might stop seeming so
awkward.
***
There seemed to be an unusual quiet settling over the camp the
following day. As they rode across the open country the usual banter
between caravan drivers, and between the children who leaned out of
the ornately carved windows, seemed curiously absent. What little the
girls could hear as they rode in their open backed coach was only the
snippets of hushed stories as they passed other families.
'Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut,' Rei thought to herself.
At least one of the tales they had overheard concerned evil magic.
After coming out and saying she was a sorceress could she really
blame them if they were more than a little concerned? The nomads were
a very accepting people, but they were also superstitious.
Desir didn't seem in the least concerned though. 'Now now, little
Rei, you could have told them you were from Mars and they would still
have other things to worry about now. What's one hungry demonette
whom they haven't even seen compared to a whole tower of Warlocks?
And I am hungry by the way."
Rei mentally growled at her. 'For the sixth time, I'll find you
something to torch when we stop for dinner. A hare or something.'
'Ooh, fresh meat. You're spoiling me! And was that some spunk I
heard there? I'm proud, talking back to your demonette that way. I'll
make a real sorceress of you yet!'
Rei frowned again. It seemed to be an expression that she wore
quite a bit these days. 'Don't push it. I've smacked Usagi-chan for
less.'
'Ahh, poor Usagi,' Desir sighed. 'I'd love to meet her. You two
seem so close. You'd better be careful or Makoto will get jealous.'
'There you go again,' Rei grumbled. 'Just shut up about Mako-chan
already.' Rei also saw the chance to change track. 'And what was that
about a whole tower of Warlocks anyway?'
Desir rolled her eyes. 'Who do you think those 'Masters of the
Arcane' that the old codger told you about are? Each province in
Seiji has at least one cabal of them, and the one for the lowlands is
on a hill by the south east border. About a day and a half from here
I'd think.'
'But why would Warlocks help?' Rei asked, now genuinely confused.
'They don't care about anything but their 'Art'. They never even come
out of their towers. Why would they help with this revolution the
nomads want?'
Desir shrugged. 'Maybe they're bored? They would be powerful
allies, for a handful of humans anyway. No doubt the old codger has
something to offer them once he's got what he wants.'
Rei finally broke out of her internal dialogue and looked up to
the other girls. "Haruka-san, do you think the Warlocks you stayed
with would be able to help us?"
Haruka blinked at the sudden question. "Maybe, I guess. We could
try asking them if the nomads can't help."
Rei smiled dryly. "We won't have to wait. We're heading their way
now. They are the nomads' supposed allies."
Minako looked at her with confused blue eyes. "I thought you said
they didn't like anyone. They're like... magic using super-geeks."
"Hey, they aren't like that," Haruka tried to justify, though she
didn't really succeed.
"Well," Makoto said, "a lot of the nomads are scared of them.
Juriere told the boys and me a ghost story about a Warlock who was
driven mad by the 'Dark Art' and went out killing people, then
turning them into monsters. They're like the nomads' bogeymen, but if
Grandpa thinks they can help then they can. He wouldn't be taking us
there otherwise."
"But I thought that Warlock magic wouldn't be able to help us
after all," Minako said. "Haruka-chan spent all her time looking for
it in the library, but she found even less than we did."
"I can cast their magic," Haruka explained, "but that doesn't
make me a Warlock. Not even close. I tried to look up what I could,
but they would know far more about what to look for than I ever
would. I don't know how their magic could get us back home, so I
didn't push to go there, but that doesn't mean they can't help."
Across from her Makoto gave Haruka a reassuring smile. "Don't
worry. Even if they can't, maybe they know someone who can. Never
underestimate medieval networking!"
Next to Haruka, however, Minako didn't even smile at the joke.
"But what if they don't?"
Ami had been keeping quiet so far after feeling a little better
again that morning, but on the opposite end seat she finally spoke
up. "Minako-chan, what do you mean?"
Minako just shrugged and gave her lame smile. "I mean what if
they can't help? What if there is no way back? I just thought, would
it be so bad?"
A stunned silence fell over the others. "Mina-chan," Makoto said
eventually, "you don't really mean that, do you?"
"Why not?" Minako replied. "Maybe we're kidding ourselves. Maybe
this is it. Do any of you want Rei-chan to die? Because she's
probably the only one who could cast that spell to do the inverse
portal thing anyway, and it would kill her! And even then we don't
know where we'd end up!"
"No!" Makoto shouted back. "And why would it have to be Rei-chan
anyway!"
"Think about it Mako-chan," Ami replied in a quiet voice. "She
summoned something from another world. None of us can do any kind of
spatial manipulation besides that."
"If that's the only option," Minako finished, "would living here
really be so bad? We've managed so far."
"No."
All their eyes fell on Rei as she sat there beside Makoto, her
fists and teeth clenched, staring at the rocking wooden floor. "I'm
not going to stay here. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life
WITH THIS THING LIVING IN MY HEAD!"
"Rei-chan, it's okay," Makoto soothed, wrapping the girl in a
hug.
"I'm going to get back home," Rei said with deadly gravity, "or
I'm going to die trying."
That only made Makoto hold her tighter, "Rei, listen to me, it's
not going to come to that, right guys? I won't let you cast that
stupid spell."
"Mako-chan's, right," Ami agreed. "If they could design a spell
like that in the first place, there must be something to get us home
too. That spell isn't supposed to be fatal, or there wouldn't be any
point in it."
Minako felt a tear roll down her cheek. The idea had been
outvoted before it as even considered, and they would keep chasing
their invisible goal for the rest of their lives. That wasn't living,
but she knew, no matter how much she wanted to, she could never
abandon her friends. Not like this. She would keep following blindly
until there was nothing of Aino Minako left.
"Haruka-chan?" she asked, wiping away the tear with the palm of
her hand.
"I..." Haruka hesitated. She didn't want to hurt the girl any
more that they already had, but what could she say? "I'm going home
to Hotaru-chan and Michiru." She gave Minako a hug as she crumpled
into her arms. "I'm sorry Minako-chan."
A heavy silence fell over them then, and it lasted for longer
than any they had endured since coming to this world. None of them
had realised just what kind of worries Minako had been having, but
they couldn't offer any kind of reassurance to ease her mind. They
were searching blindly after all, with only faith and the desire to
get home to keep them going.
'Jeez, you guys really can argue,' Desir thought to Rei a little
while later. For the first time since re-working the pact, Rei
smacked her. At least they could all be miserable together.
***
It really was as black as pitch when Minako heard someone
stumbling out of the camp site behind her. She had always thought it
was just another saying, and not a very good one at that, but if
pitch was black then it must have been very black.
Despite the cloudy sky a faint glow began to edge up and over
her, illuminating the delicate material of her shirt. She didn't know
whether she really wanted the company or not, but she lit up a little
ball of iridescence in front of her, reaching her fingers into the
dim edges of the creeping torchlight and twisting them until they
hovered there.
The stumbling paused, then the footsteps made for her light. "I
think we're even now," came Haruka's voice as her vague silhouette
dissolve away to leave her standing there in her kimono. "Whatever I
stepped on out there stung me something rotten."
Minako looked up at the tall, boyish blonde. "You should wear
kimonos more often Haruka-san. They make you look very pretty. Your
hair is starting to get long too, like Ami-chan's has."
Haruka reached up to her neck to feel the straw coloured hair in
question. Ami's short blue locks reached her shoulders now, but her
own weren't that far just yet. "Thanks, but I'd rather not be pretty.
It just isn't me. I got the Warlocks to cut my hair before I came
back. I guess I'll have to ask them again when we get there."
"I think I'll keep my hair where it is too," Minako said, staring
off into the night. "I've got used to hip length now, and it makes
things easier."
She sighed. "Are they really mad at me?"
Haruka shook her head. "No. They're not like that, remember? None
of you are. It's just too soon to start thinking the way you have
been. Maybe, one day, I might agree with you, and I think Ami-chan
would too, but not yet."
Minako nodded, willing herself not to tear up again. "Things were
easier being the leader."
Haruka wondered about that. "Really? The leader has to make the
hardest decisions, even when no-one wants to hear them. That's why
Usagi-chan is my princess, but not the one I can take my orders from.
She doesn't have the heart for it."
"That's not it," Minako said with a shake of her head. "Usagi-
chan has too much heart for it. And I guess I don't have the will for
it. I can't live like this Haruka-san, just traveling, studying
ourselves sick and chasing after every shadow and every rumour. Look
where it's got us already. Chased by soldiers and turned into
figurines by these people."
"Figure heads," Haruka corrected, without even realising. "So
this isn't the kind of fame you want?"
Minako sighed heavily. "I want people to like me. Praise me. I
want them to think I'm worth something. Being Seraphi isn't fame.
We're just here to help rally people so they'll join our fight. I
think these people want to do the right thing, but it's like medieval
propaganda."
"The end justifies the means." Haruka said it like it was the
most simple thing in the world, but once the words had left her lips
she felt bad about it. Not just bad - she could feel the discomfort
wrapping around her insides.
Minako also felt nauseous at those words. "You can't still
believe that, can you? It would be worth anything at all?"
"If it's not..." Haruka stumbled over her words. 'I don't know,'
she thought. 'Once I knew about our talismans I could take my own
life to make sure you had my sword, but if Michiru had still been
alive I don't think I could have taken hers. Not when it came down to
pulling the trigger.'
The memory of her last fight flashed through her mind, and her
hesitation to use the 'Art'. Was the quick, easy fight worth the
terrible sickness that followed? Using that power had changed her,
because each time she did she became that bit more cautious - that
bit more aware of her victims' pain. Surviving the battle was
important, but using the Warlock's magic for that end could
eventually drive anyone mad. Was a life of insanity worth surviving
for? If she met such a person, who had lived through death and pain
to the point that it had become all they knew, she would have put
them down without hesitation.
Even in her right mind, she herself had taken the life of her own
adopted child because that was the means to their desired end. In
hindsight, she had long since seen that if that wasn't evil, then
what was? Recently she had felt closer to redemption than she ever
had, but that weight would always be there.
She sighed. "I guess you never know. You have to decide when the
moment comes, and pray that you made the right choice. What else can
you do?"
"Haruka-san..." Minako said, slightly in awe. Haruka really had
come a long way since their teams had first met. Even though she was
a woman, and Minako had known it for years, there had always been
something that attracted her, and many other girls, to Haruka. "I
don't really know yet whether I go that way, but if I do I think I
could love you, given a chance. But," she added before Haruka had a
chance to reply, "I know the score. Michiru-san and Ami-chan are
lucky girls, but I can be happy being friends instead. I think I need
all the friends I've got right now."
She sighed and raised a hand for Haruka to pull her up. "I do
want to get home," Minako admitted as she hugged Haruka. "I really
do. I just can't see us getting there any more."
Haruka held the shorter girl gently. "Just give it a little more
time," she replied. "We'll find something."
***
The tower of the lowland Warlocks could be seen long before the
caravans even got close to the hill it sat upon. It had the same
sense of presence that the Great Library had had as the girls had
made their way there a week ago, but because, rather than dominating
the surrounding buildings, it was the only man made thing to be seen
for miles.
Even three hours away the sense of foreboding among the
traveling families was palpable as the men and women driving the
horses called their friends and loved ones out to see the huge stone
pillar. It didn't taper to a tower room, nor was it festooned with
all the spikes, castellation and hanging turrets that they all had
expected. Instead it just sat there, tall and round, pock marked with
windows and reaching for the sky, standing at least as tall as the
highest tower of the Great Library. What little the once-Senshi could
glimpse of it from their own sparse caravan impressed them all. They
had become used to houses of two stories being the exception after
their months in Seiji, and here the roughly hewn stone rose for what
must have been eight floors or more.
"It looks kind of perverse, doesn't it?" Makoto said, breaking
the silence that they had traveled in since daybreak. It must have
been quite a feat to build, but she couldn't help but feel that it
felt wrong and out of place somehow.
"Not the image I really want of these people Mako-chan," Rei
replied sourly, though there was no real annoyance in her voice.
After Desir's mood following yesterday she had had to find a rabbit
to shoot to appease the demonette, and since then the she-devil had
once again been too chatty for her liking. The stories of Warlocks
that she told would have been interesting, but they were far too grim
and gory for her tastes, which was doubtless why Desir did it.
"You don't need to worry about that," Haruka said as lightly as
she could given the subdued mood. "If anything they're too romantic
instead of too perverted. They don't have many women there, so we'll
be treated better than some."
"How long did it take for them to find you out?" Makoto asked,
also trying to help lighten the atmosphere.
"When you can pour your consciousness into another person's soul
you find out things like that pretty quickly," Haruka replied dryly,
remembering how the master of the cabal had said it would be nice to
have another woman among them. She might not have minded so much, but
he had only just met her moments before to hear her request for
tutelage. Of course back then she had known little of their magic
besides the fact that they were a group to be avoided unless the
worst ever occurred.
When they did finally get there the bulk of the camp stopped a
healthy distance from the tower and set themselves up for their short
stay just clear of the hill's lower slopes. Up that close to it the
girls couldn't help but fear that it might come toppling down on
them, and no doubt the nomads themselves had similar fears. However,
several of the caravans rode on to the bottom of the slope. After
all, if their elder, their best soldiers and the Seraphi appeared
afraid then what would that tell the normal, hard working men and
women there?
Still, looking up at it only Haruka was fully at ease. Standing
there, watching the cowelled figures line up at the top to meet them,
Makoto finally realised what it was that made her nervous about the
place. With no carved gargoyles, battlements or impaled figures, the
tower's plain walls were completely unassuming. Such an imposing
landmark felt just too *plain* to be trustworthy. She shook herself
as the others started to walk up to meet their would-be allies. Maybe
the nomad superstitions and stories had worn off on her a bit too
much.
The Warlock master, a kind of school principal as Haruka told it,
was flanked by four others, two women and two men, as they stood in
front of the huge double doors that lead into the tower. That was,
apparently, the entire female constituent of their cabal, but they
did at least try to give their few brave visitors a somewhat
approachable reception.
"You could have fooled me," Minako said under her breath as the
nomad elder greeted the hooded master with a careful handshake. She
had actually expected the Warlocks to be much older men, especially
this 'master' of theirs. The man before them was greying well if his
bushy eyebrows were anything to go by, but he could not have been
more than forty-five years old. By contrast the nomads' elder was
probably pushing sixty, and the people of Seiji rarely seemed to live
to see their seventieth birthday, if ever.
"While we are pleased to have such intriguing visitors," the
master said, after the nomadic grandfather had made his greeting,
"and in such numbers too, I do hope you do not expect our order to
house your entire troop." He smiled amiably and those thick eyebrows
rose up beneath his brown hood.
The elder shook his head, not sharing the master's amused mood.
"We fully intend to take care of ourselves. You need only have beds
laid for those of the Seraphi that want them."
He gestured over to the girls and the master finally turned his
attentions to them. "Ah yes, the misfits."
The girls all blinked at that, even Haruka, who already knew the
Master's rather capricious sense of humour. "We're what now?" Minako
asked, slightly offended.
"I simple mean that you do not fit," the master clarified. "We
have long since known of your Haruka's displaced spirit, and I would
assume that it is a characteristic that you all share."
"Why didn't you ever say?" Haruka asked, confused.
"Would it have changed anything?" he replied. "And to be the
Seraphi I would have expected a trio, not a quintet, but that is a
debate for another time. I am Master Daltass, and as companions of
Miss Haruka we warmly welcome you."
Ami made a mental of his unusual name. It had sounded atypical
compared to the structure of names used both by the nomads and by
more 'normal' folk, as if the Warlocks were part of an altogether
separate society or linguistic background. Given who they were and
how they probably lived, that simple yet extreme supposition might
not have been far from the truth.
"I would not be so quick to judge," the elder said, a little more
of his knowing wisdom in his voice. "These six are made of far
greater material than even their eclectic appearances would suggest."
"Six?" Master Daltass repeated, again raising a bushy eyebrow as
he shook Ami's hand. "There are sorcerers among you?" Suddenly Ami
felt a slight tingle run through her as if someone had just walked
over her grave. She jerked her hand back, purely out of reflex, and
the master blinked widely a few times, as if he had just recovered
from being slapped.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ami said, realising what she had just done,
"but..."
"No apologies are necessary my young girl," Master Daltass
replied. "Such contact is simply a matter of course among us, and my
curiosity got the better of me. If you do choose to accept our
hospitality it is something that will likely happen a lot, though I
can assure you that nothing sensitive can be learned, and normally
you should never feel aware of it." He smiled at them. "Consider it
nothing more than us expressing our desire for your wellbeing."
Minako pondered that. "Then, can you make Ami-chan well again?"
The master looked at Ami, "That would be you Miss? I did sense
something discomforting, but I must admit it was not what I was
looking for. Perhaps later one of us might help if we can."
Ami smiled back weakly. "That would be very kind." However, she
didn't know if she was completely comfortable about the ease with
which he had decided to use his magic, especially if she was not
normally suppose to feel anything.
As the master shook hands with the rest of them, albeit with some
hesitance from Minako and Makoto, at the back of their group Rei
could only give half her mind to what was being said.
'Rei, he already knows. Just let me out and no-one needs to get
hurt.'
Rei couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'Threatening us isn't
going to get you anything - especially not get you let out so you can
actually do any damage!'
Desir's essence huffed, crossing its would-be arms. 'Even a
magician like Minako can banish me if she's powerful enough and knows
how. A Warlock like him could do it without even passing out. If
you're the reason I get banished that's the pact broken, and I'll
make sure you and everyone here regrets it before he's done.'
Rei's stomach turned at the mental picture of just how the
demonette might do that. Rei knew that Desir had to be manifest to be
expelled back to hell, and she could spill a fair bit of blood in the
few seconds it would take for her to get forced into physical form
and then out of reality. In fact the only way to banish a demon
without giving it that chance was to catch it unawares, in its
manifest form, and have already finished the often complicated spell
without it noticing. The Warlock would know it too, but after
everything she had heard about them would he even care?
Rei had no choice but to relent, and she felt the air grow warmer
beside her as Desir flared into existence.
The Warlock master smiled as he stood in front of her, hand
extended and expecting her to shake. "I was wondering..."
Rei took his hand and felt the same tingle that Ami had spread
through her. She swallowed down the chill and waited, but the master
released her after no more time than he had any of the others. "It
must have been... vexing, for one such as you to be bound by pact."
Master Daltass said gently. "The dementia that sorcery brings is a
thing truly to be feared, and yet you remain all but untouched. For
one so young and inexperienced that is a wonder you should cherish."
Rei looked over to the others, and to Makoto in particular. "It's
my friends I have to cherish."
Master Daltass nodded, smiling. Then, to everyone's amazement, he
offered his hand to Desir.
The demonette just stared at him, her thin, burning eyebrows
twisted in annoyance. "You guys need a hell of a lot more of my kind
around if you think any of us would be stupid enough to touch you for
a second, even at the end of a ten foot pole!"
***
"Jiyu," Makoto admonished, "seriously, Ami-chan isn't pregnant.
And as handsome as she is, Haruka-san is female."
Jiyu and Tachi both looked at Haruka again, their faces stuck
somewhere between surprise and disbelief. "You're serious, aren't
you?" Tachi said at last.
Ami sighed, blushing furiously as she tried not to think about
it. "Yes. As kind as it was to make sure that the armour is
adjustable, I am quite sure I'm not pregnant."
"Yes," Tachi agreed, "but... he's a girl?"
Haruka shook her head and smiled slyly. "I don't need to strip to
prove it do I?" No-one had ever been quite so sure that she was male
after they had been told otherwise. It certainly made up for Jiyu's
amazingly perceptive brother in entertainment value.
Makoto sighed. "Haruka-san, don't offer things like that. They'll
take you up on it."
The girls all looked over to her. "Back when it was warmer it
took me ages to get used to everyone walking around half-naked,"
Makoto explained.
Minako put two and two together from that. "So that's why you
were walking around in your underwear when you first got back!"
"I told you she was nomad material," Jiyu said to Tachi, though
he wasn't convinced.
"The first time she saw you in just your loincloth, she
screamed," he replied, but Makoto was already tired of the attention.
Especially since it was to do with her comparatively minor
indiscretions.
"All right, all right, enough about all the exhibitionism. I was
just surprised," she said. "We're here for a fashion show, not to get
naked."
"You mean get naked *again*," Tachi teased, but Makoto and Jiyu
both bopped him one and the large young man settled down.
"Go on Ami-chan," Haruka encouraged, "let's see how it looks."
Ami swallowed and felt the blush re-appear for just a second.
"Okay, but you'll have to show me how Mr. Jiyu."
The nomad did as he was bid and in no time at all Ami was
transformed from a demure Japanese lady into a not quite so demure
looking samurai. The breastplate and shoulder guards of sloped
overlapping armour, along with the similar skirts and thigh guards,
made her look so unlike herself that Haruka cold have sworn that Ami
was another person entirely. Even without the samurai's posture the
shy you girl had an air of authority standing there, and the
overlapping plates that hung from the headband framed her face
surprisingly well.
Jiyu looked at it appreciatively as Ami tried to show herself off
as her friends asked. "It shouldn't be too heavy, we stripped it down
to the bare minimum to cover you properly, but don't try any
acrobatics while wearing it. You don't have the training that real
soldiers do."
Tachi nodded. "He spent most of the trip here cutting it up and
re-stitching so that it wouldn't drag you down."
Ami was surprised how light the whole thing was, though she
doubted she could run very far with it on. She had been expecting
something far more cumbersome, but she had plenty of space to move
around.
"Ami-chan, that's one serious look for you," Minako said
appreciatively. "And they even dyed it blue!"
Makoto gave a guilty chuckle. "I told them. You look amazing Ami-
chan."
Rei just nodded in agreement, smiling at how well the two guys
had turned it into something usable for her friend. "Samurai Mercury.
Believe it or not it's very you Ami-chan, somehow."
Haruka just shook her head, but it was her compliment that said
the most. "Who would have thought samurai could be beautiful?"
Ami just looked down, away from them, trying hard not to read too
much into those words. "Jiyu, Tachi, thank you very much. It is a
lovely gift." She smiled at them. "And certainly a unique one!"
"Well hopefully it will be of use to you when we come to fight
for real," Jiyu said. "We have also set up some targets over by the
edge of the camp if you and Miss Rei would like to practice your
shooting. I'm sure Kimiko would be willing to give you both a hand if
we asked."
"Actually that would be useful," Rei said, both surprised and
grateful for the thought. "I could use some practice if I'm to be any
real use."
Tachi nodded. "Then you two head over, and I'll find Kimiko. I
doubt she has anything better to do than watching her aunt sew!"
Haruka smiled to Ami and Rei as the two men left. "I should head
up there and say hello to them," she said, motioning to the tower.
"We can talk to master Daltass tomorrow, when he and their old man
have finished plotting."
"Yeah," Minako followed, "Mako-chan promised Maki that I'd show
him my sword dance, so have fun."
"And don't forget that Juriere is going to make dinner for us,"
Makoto added before they all split up. Then she turned to Rei. "I'll
be with Maki and Rin at their caravan if you need me, okay?"
Rei smiled and shooed her friend off, "Go on then, we'll live,
won't we Ami-chan."
Ami nodded, "Of course. Shall we go?"
However, even with Desir straining her nerves Rei wasn't
completely blind, and she didn't miss the small, wistful smile Ami
grew as they left together. Then, before she could voice her concern,
Ami started the conversion herself.
"Mako-chan's been very thoughtful, hasn't she?"
It wasn't the person or the topic Rei had expected, but she
nodded in response, now feeling slightly wistful and guilty herself.
"Yeah. That she is. I don't know what I would have done if she
wasn't. I just wish it wasn't always me feeling terrible and her
keeping me going. I feel like a leech."
"I don't think she minds," Ami replied, knowing much better than
Rei did how true it was. "And she knows how much you appreciate it."
"I hope so," Rei said. "I never knew how much it helped having
someone around until I was the one that needed it. You know that you
can come to Mako-chan or me too, don't you?"
"Me?" Ami asked, genuinely perplexed by Rei's shift in focus.
"I'm alright Rei-chan."
"Juriere wasn't lying about being able to tell, Ami-chan," Rei
finally said. "You do still like Haruka-san, don't you?"
Ami remained quiet for a few moments. She didn't want to talk
about it, because there really was nothing to talk about. But then,
at the same time, she couldn't lie to Rei. Not after all this. "I'm
trying not to think about her like that, but I do. I know how it has
to be though, Rei-chan. I knew then and I know now. I just have to
keep going, and live with what must be."
As they approached the targets, Rei put down her bow and laid a
comforting hand on Ami's shoulder. "Just remember, we're your friends
and we're here if you want to talk."
Ami smiled. "I know. Thanks Rei-chan."
Then from behind them Kimiko strode up, carrying her own bow and
quiver. "You're here already," she said, sounding like a teacher
already even though both senshi had at least a year on the agile
young scout. She turned to Ami and glanced at her weapon. "Do you
know how to fire a crossbow already?"
Ami shook her head. "I know the general principle, but I've never
actually used one."
Then, despite her dour demeanour Kimiko actually smiled. She
liked being proficient enough to teach others what her hard work and
practice had earned her. "Then it is the right weapon to begin with
for one who is not a fighter. Now, hold it like this..."
As Rei practiced Kimiko walked Ami through the basics of holding,
firing and loading the weapon, until Ami was ready to try actually
firing a bolt. "Remember, trace your sight down the line of the bow,"
Kimiko said, no longer supporting Ami's hands for her. "Then squeeze
gently. Ignore the circles for now, just concentrate on hitting the
target."
Ami took aim and fired, her mind focused and her body as relaxed
as she could make it. However it was plain the bolt would only just
clip the large wooden board, even if it hit at all. In that split
second, where others would have cursed, Ami's brow just furrowed and
her displeasure lashed out of her. Suddenly the bolt jerked mid
flight before burying itself in the black paint of the bull's-eye.
Ami smiled to herself, catching her breath, and beside her Rei
and Kimiko looked on stunned. "Great shot, Ami-chan!" Rei exclaimed,
while Kimiko just stared, suddenly not so sure that her sceptical
assumptions about these strange people had been right.
***
That night Makoto found herself once again lying in the
moonlight, staring up at the starry sky. So much had happened and so
much seemed to have changed since they had last worn their Sailor
Senshi outfits. It all felt a little overwhelming when she thought
back to it. Back then it had seemed so much simpler, but had it
really been any less hectic than the life they were leading now? She
dreaded to imagine what Ami might think if any of them brought up how
much schooling they all must have been missing back home. Assuming
that a day in Seiji was the same as a day in Japan.
"So much for star power now," she said as she lay on the
hillside, her limbs spread out lazily on the grass. "We're about as
fallen as a star can get."
"Don't say that," came Rei's voice from below her. "We're doing
okay. Anyway, it's 'crystal power' now, remember?"
Makoto looked over to see Rei sit down next to her. "Yeah, we are
doing okay. Can't you sleep? It's pretty late."
Rei lay back and smiled. "That's my line. I just couldn't relax,
and... I was wondering if Minako-chan has really given up."
"I don't know," Makoto replied, looking over to the friend she
had come to hold so dear. "I think maybe we shouldn't have assumed
she was okay. She's up there," she said, looking up at the tower that
loomed over them, "so I think she's okay. Ami-chan and Haruka-san are
with her. I'd rather just sleep down here, with the people I know."
Rei met Makoto's gaze. "With your family you mean. It's obvious
they mean a lot to you."
Makoto sighed, looking away from Rei's captivating eyes. "I
thought I was doing okay on my own, but it's nice to have people to
call home as well as a place. It doesn't matter though," she said
when Rei's eyes saddened, "I want to go back to my real life too.
I've got you. Everyone I mean," she clarified, suddenly worried about
the way that had sounded. "You're my family now."
Rei's eyes didn't lose that sadness though. "When I said I missed
Grandpa, you said you guessed you were lucky that way. Don't ever say
that, Mako-chan." she admonished, taking Makoto's hand. "How can
losing your parents ever make you lucky?"
Makoto just tried to smile to reassure her. "It's just the way it
is," she replied, letting herself give Rei's hand a gentle squeeze.
"I can't spend the rest of my life depressed about it. I could have
turned out a lot worse."
"Maybe, but you didn't. You became a very kind, selfless person.
I don't think I've said it, but I really appreciate what you've done
for me. All the meditation practice and silly little games. They
really helped, and sometimes they were even fun, despite having Desir
in my head. So thank you."
Makoto's heart melted at the kind words, and she tied to shrug so
as not to show it. She knew what she felt for the raven haired
priestess, but was it what she really wanted or was it just a nice
dream? Was it just because Rei had needed her, and she had wanted to
be needed? What were the chances Rei would even understand her
feelings, let alone feel the same way?
"Any of the others would have done the same," she said, her voice
cracking just a little.
"True, but it was you that did, so thank you."
Sometimes Makoto thought about things too much, but she also just
had to do what felt right when she got the chance. Like chasing after
her old sempai. Or dancing with Ami because neither of them had
dates. Or dying so that her friends could live on.
"I love you, Rei."
There was a long silence, filled with nothing but the still
night air. Makoto's insides had knotted up the moment she had said
it, but what was done was done. She didn't know what Rei would say,
but now, for better or worse, she would find out.
Rei wasn't feeling much better. She was glad she was lying down,
because she was sure that her knees had turned to jelly, and the
laughter echoing inside her head was deafening. "Say it again?"
Makoto felt as confused as Rei looked when she asked that, but
she screwed up her courage. "I... I think I love you, Rei." To her
the words sounded just as nervous as she felt, but at least she
hadn't made an excuse for herself.
Rei nodded. "That's what I thought you said," she replied,
suddenly very aware that they were holding hands as they lay there.
She let go and sat up on the grass, very aware of the starry sky they
sat beneath. "I think that is the most romantic confession I've ever
had."
Rei's recoiling had worried her, but that sentence gave her a
small hope that she had done the right thing. "Really?"
Rei nodded and gave a heavy sigh. "Yep. Desir said this was going
to happen, but I just thought she was being rude about you."
"I'll still be your friend, Rei, whatever happens," Makoto
assured her, "I just... I keep trying to find excuses to spend more
time with you, and you have the most amazing smile that I keep
wanting to see on your face. And I thought, if you kind of felt the
same, then maybe I wouldn't have to be making excuses after all."
Rei smiled at the compliment, but in all honesty she didn't
really know what to say. It wasn't every day that one of her closest
friends told her that she was in love with her, or that she even
liked girls at all. "So, what bit of me reminds you of your sempai?"
she asked. It was a little cruel she knew, but she would at least get
an honest answer.
"My sempai?" Makoto echoed her voice a little hollow. "I don't
know."
Rei smiled and nodded, satisfied, and her voice softened. "Good
answer. Since when have you liked girls Mako-chan?"
Makoto sighed inwardly. So that was it. "Since I realised how
much I liked you."
Rei felt herself mewling inside when she heard that, like a
basket of kittens. "That's sweet, Mako-chan. I fooled around once,
with a girl at college, but we were both too drunk to do anything but
giggle. I've never really felt that way about a girl," she admitted.
'At least, not one that could ever be mine,' she added to herself,
remembering those few, brief times when Usagi had shown who she
really was beneath her childish exterior.
"But," she added, taking Makoto's hand and smiling gently into
her eyes, "that doesn't mean I can't find out, does it?"
"You mean, you're okay with that?" Makoto asked, almost
astonished that Rei had indeed said they could try and see. Suddenly
her face felt very hot, and something was blurring her vision just a
bit.
Rei felt herself soften a little inside when she saw the moisture
in Makoto's eyes. "Come on, you don't have to cry about it," she
said, reaching up to wipe the slowly forming tears away. Makoto just
let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding as she
closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. Rei leaned forward as
well. 'After all,' she thought, 'this should be my first test.'
Makoto couldn't believe it when her lips were brushed with
something soft and she found Rei caressing her cheek into the kiss.
There was nothing else she could think about, and she didn't even
try. There was no doubt about it. Even after their rough nomadic meal
Rei still tasted sweeter than anyone Makoto had kissed before.
Rei and Makoto both found themselves unable to do anything but
smile as they parted, neither of them entirely able to believe they
had just done that. After a moment Makoto couldn't stop the giddy
giggles from escaping. Not only had Rei just kissed her, but it had
felt like she had enjoyed it.
"Makoto," Rei finally said, biting her lip guiltily, "do you want
to do that again?"
Makoto just nodded and they embraced each other, kissing gently
beneath the starry sky. Nothing much more happened that night, but
right then neither of them cared. Whatever might happen from then on,
they could find out in their own time.
***
Even though she knew nothing of the 'Art', Ami had to admit that
being under its spell did have a spiritual feel to it, just as Haruka
had said. It was the same kind of otherworldly tingle that she had
felt as a child when visiting a shrine with her parents. It had been
a sensation that had fascinated her, but one that had waned as the
years had gone on. School and learning had become her passion, but
she hadn't forgotten the sensation. Only rationalised it.
Master Daltass had a vacant yet concentrated look on his face as
they sat facing each other, and it was strange, even disturbing to
think that the middle aged eccentric was floating as some sort of
tangible essence throughout her body. Still, it would be worth it if
he could settle her stomach.
She had woken up that morning barely aware of the world around
her. It was the first time she had shared a room with Haruka since
they had been prisoners. At least out with the nomads they had each
had their own small canvas to curl up beneath, blissfully unaware of
the others aside from their occasional snores. However, no matter how
she had squeezed her eyes shut or which way she had lain last night
she had not been able to sleep. Then, as if sensing her fatigue, she
had only been given just enough time to find the toilets before being
ill again, despite still feeling better than she had at the beginning
of their trip with the nomads.
As such, none of their friends would let her off, no matter how
she insisted that she was getting better. As soon as the nomad elder
and Master Daltass had finished with each other for the day she had
been sent to see him, to be treated personally. It seemed the man was
rather fond of Haruka as a student, so when she asked he had happily
agreed.
That day had been something of a strange one, she had thought.
Rei had been in the best spirits she had been since coming to Seiji,
and yet she and Makoto had spent most of they day together, away from
everyone else. Minako, Haruka and, Juriere had all commented on that,
and Ami dared to hope that Makoto had taken her initiative after all.
She had kept what she knew of Makoto's feelings to herself, since she
didn't know anything for certain, and if the pair had anything to
tell them they could do so when they wanted to. Still, whatever the
reason, she felt happy for them.
Minako had also perked up a little, much to their relief. Both
Juriere and the Warlocks had recruited her to help them out with odd
jobs when she had nothing to do. Now that they had arrived at their
destination, rather than just travelling during the daylight hours,
she could actually find herself a reason to be there. Even several of
the warlocks had come out to watch when she had volunteered to
participate in the nomads' midday entertainments. The duet she and
Rei had sung had received a standing ovation!
Ami's reminiscences were cut short when the unusual tingling left
her and she looked up to see Master Daltass settle himself. "I've
done what I can to ease your discomfort my dear." He looked over to
Haruka who sat by their side, trying to look like she wasn't
hovering. "She should feel in proper fettle after a good night's
sleep."
He turned back to Ami as he got to his feet, dusting off his
hands, as if there were anything to dust off. "Your own guess was
right my dear. You really aren't used to normal food, are you? I
would suggest you stick to bread and liquids for tomorrow, just to
keep the strain off your system. All the meat, cream and suchlike got
your stomach in a fix, and overexerting yourself the way you
obviously have been doing just stopped your body from keeping up."
Ami wasn't surprised that her recent diet was to blame, but she
didn't think she had been pushing herself that much, if at all in
fact. "Overexerting myself? I really haven't been doing much, Master
Daltass. If anything these last few days have been very calm, at
least in that regard."
Master Daltass sat down at his large armchair and shook his head.
"I don't think you fully understand just how much stress your own
magic puts you under. Telekinesis requires more energy than any other
magical discipline, which will have been why you felt so hungry, even
when unwell. You should have been resting and allowing yourself to
acclimatise to this new fare. Instead you used your energy to fuel
your magic. You have used it recently, haven't you?"
Ami nodded, realising how much sense that made. She had used it
every now and then in her crossbow practice again today. "I see.
Then, thank you for helping me this way. And for the advice."
Haruka smiled, glad now that Ami might have an easier time just
getting through the days here. "Bread and water... that's tough.
Still, at least you won't get everyone thinking you've a baby on the
way now!"
To their surprise master Daltass gave a low 'humm'. "You know,"
he said, pondering the idea, "it would not be impossible for you to
have a child. The 'Art' is not designed for such things, but it could
be done."
Haruka and Ami just stared at him for what seemed like an
eternity. "It's possible?" Haruka eventually asked, breaking the
heavy silence.
Master Daltass, nodded. "It would make you very ill though, using
the 'Art' like that."
Again the silence fell. Under any other circumstances Ami would
have been intrigued, but the insinuation was clear. For Haruka it was
something she had never considered, thanks to her own personal
preferences. But to be able to have a child of her own like that. The
idea would have galled her before, but having lived with Hotaru as
her own daughter for the last few years, it would have been worth it.
The problem was...
"Master Daltass," she said, lowering her eyes, "however we may
seem to you, I am unable to accept that offer. Back home I already
have an adopted child of my own, and a woman that I love."
Master Daltass nodded in realisation, losing his air of affable
good humour. "I see. You both have my apologies, and my sympathies.
Now, be off to bed and have your rest. It is late and I still have
thoughts to think if I am to help you get home."
Both girls got to their feet and bowed. "Thank you Master
Daltass."
Both of them smiled a little when he actually bowed back from his
chair. "Sleep well, and dream good dreams."
However, as the pair left Ami slowed until Haruka realised they
were no longer walking in step. "Ami-chan?"
Ami just looked down at the floor, a sad honesty of her face.
"Haruka-san, if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep out with Rei-chan
and Mako-chan."
Haruka blinked but her face didn't betray her emotions. "Why? If
I'm making you uncomfortable..."
"No, it's not that," Ami lied. "I just think I would like the
air. And besides, Rei-chan has no choice since Desir refuses to come
up here, so I can show her a little support as well."
'Not that she really needs the cheering up after today,' they
both thought, but neither of them could begrudge Rei a good day after
having had to live with so much.
"Okay," Haruka replied, her voice slightly more subdued. "I'll
see you tomorrow then."
Ami nodded and closed the distance between them, but when the
time came they both had to restrain the urge to give each other the
hug. It would have been natural for them as friends, but just then it
wouldn't have been right. "Sleep well," Ami said, not meeting
Haruka's eye even thought they stood only inches apart.
Haruka nodded, cursing how unfair their situation had become.
"Sleep well," she replied, before they parted for their separate
restless nights.
***
To say that Comte Damyo had become an unhappy man would have been
akin to saying that Sailor Pluto was given to occasional moments of
mysteriousness. In the last days he, now holding the reigns of his
Margrave's entire province, had been called upon to deal with an
attack on his house masterminded by the nomads, the loss of some very
precious guests, the deaths of a full ten men from his personal guard
and no less than seven riots among the proletariat.
To make matters worse that common rabble had become inspired with
the notion that the Seraphi themselves had returned to Seiji, and
that whisper had spread like wildfire through the province. Fuelled
by the promise of their return the proles were now making trouble
over the most minor of issues, where before they would not have
thought twice about accepting what they were told.
He had no doubt that his once guests were the source of such
rumours. After fighting off his guards they had made a statement that
few in their day and age would have done. Now, with the tale of their
'heroic escape' from his hospitality they had become heroes, even
though none would know them to look at them! And worse, he and his
soldiers were being painted as the villains of this dramatic farce.
They were being blamed for keeping the peace and protecting these
people against themselves.
Even the other nobility - the soldiers, barons and families of
court - had begun to worry. Why would the Seraphi have returned, and
who would they dispossess if they had indeed come to re-create their
country as they had done so many centuries before? The emperor, as
always, was remaining calm in his northern home, willing to accept
whatever their saviours devised for him. Needless to say though, his
subordinates were far less acquiescent.
Damyo, on the other hand, has seen these girls, and was not moved
by the rumours. They were barely women, and he remained adamant to
himself that if not for the coloured vagabonds he could have swayed
them to his service.
However, the damage was done, and still being inflicted if what
his information gatherers told him was true. He would have to win
these girls by force now. Show them the error of their judgment and
hopefully turn these rumours upon the rumour-mongers themselves. And
such drastic intentions called for drastic measures.
Lord Himora, usurped Margrave of the lowlands, laughed as
heartily as his ill heath would allow as Damyo drew his katana and
made his demand. "So scorpion," Himora rasped, a glint of wicked
humour in his eye, "your poisoned food has proven inedible after
all."
Damyo remained rigid and resolute. "Call your seer old man. Now.
Remember that you are still Margrave by name, and it will be you they
string up and cut open if your wretched vagabonds are truly
marshalling against us. I swear, our grandfathers should have cut
them down and fed the soil with their blood when they first turned
away from us!"
Himora chuckled to himself again. "You described my researches as
weak, but had you carried them through then perhaps the nomads would
have been making peace now rather than war."
"I have no time for 'perhaps'!" Damyo spat, sheathing his sword
again. Obviously the old man was not to be cowed, and Damyo needed
him alive should things come to the worst. "I will meet this threat,
and I will overcome it. Send for your seer."
"You can come in now, Kaori," Himora said, having already sent
for her.
Damyo looked around in shock to see the well dressed young woman
enter the room and take up her place by her master's bed. "The slave
girl?" Damyo asked in astonishment. "The Margrave's personal seer is
a serving bitch?!"
"Of course," Himora replied, "as was her mother, and her mother's
mother, her blood flowing from the legacies of the Seraphi of old, as
does that of all seers. Now mind your mouth and ask your questions,"
he added with a caustic tone, "and try not to swallow your forked
tongue."
Damyo bit back his reply, knowing he could say nothing in return
that would not shame him to the grave. "Tell me of the girls of
power, these new Seraphi, and of the coloured vagabonds. Have they
allied against me?"
Kaori just sat, her eyes shut and her hands folded neatly in her
lap as her mind exploded into the chaos that truth, prophecy and
destiny really were. "They have. Already the coloured ones call upon
the children of the sun, and the masters will heed the calling of
their destiny."
"Masters?" Damyo asked. "The true Seraphi?"
Himora smiled grimly and shook his head. "Warlocks Damyo. They
who mastered more than the trades and callings of common magic. The
few men and women the Seraphi trusted with the power of life itself!"
Damyo thought that it could not have got any worse, but he had
been very wrong. "Will they come for me? Why should they ally
themselves together in this way?"
Kaori nodded, her serene face still masking the cosmic cacophony
that she saw. "Yes, they will come. The coloured ones wish
rejuvenation. The masters wish harmony. The children of the sun wish
for destiny. The chaos wishes freedom. And with their power combined
the dispossessed will tear the world apart."
For one of the very few times in their lives, both Damyo and
Himora fell under the same weight. This had not been the way Himora
had expected the prophecy to end. He hoped he would have enough time
and power left to avert such fate, but he knew all too well how
skilled Kaori was.
Damyo himself had gone white, just staring at the slave girl as
she sat quietly in the wake of her seeing. "I am not responsible..."
he whispered under his breath. Then, suddenly, in one motion he left
the room, striding out through the halls of his manor and barking out
orders to his attendants. "Call half our soldiers from the northern
and eastern borders! And call my personal guard to assemble! I'm
sending them all out! Leave only enough men to protect myself, the
Margrave and our staff. Send all my guests through the northward
provinces to the Emperor's capitol, to my estate there."
He finally strode out onto the grass, staring out to the horizon
as the sun began to rise over the country. "My men will give you your
chance," he proclaimed to his distant enemies. "If you choose
defiance I will have them cut you down to the very last man. Your new
Seraphi will be mine regardless, and your plots will come to
nothing."
He looked up to the sky, and the moon still hanging there as
blackness gave way to blue. "And, if I must die, I will not dance in
time to your tune. I will not be remembered as the villain when the
curtain falls."
***
To Be Continued...
***
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