One review + so many hits? Ahhh! If you are reading this fic at all please, please, please review. This story is something I've been working on for awhile and it's something that's definitely out of my comfort zone in terms of what I normally write. So at this moment, I'm really, really unsure about it. So please any thoughts you have would really help me out! REVIEW (or I might not continue)!
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah don't own a thing...
Across the World
Chapter 3: A world gone mad
. . . . . . . . .
"A DIFFERENT WORLD?!"
A piercing voice drifted over the desolate red plains echoing far and wide. A swift low growl instantly told the first voice to be quiet but it was too late.
"Do you hear that?" a rough voice asked, its owner looked up towards the west.
"Yes," his commander replied tersely, looking at the same point.
"What do we do?" a third man asked.
A leer answered his question.
"What else?"
Five soldiers instantly darted off, heading towards the source of the voice.
. . . . . . . . .
"A DIFFERENT WORLD?!" Inara yelped.
"Be quiet!" Jason hissed, "Keep it down you idiot!"
But Inara was staring at the leopard, her eyes bulging. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Susan however was distracted the sight of something glinting on Inara's hand.
"That ring," Susan pointed at the emerald ring on Inara's finger, the yellow one was back in its leather pouch, "That's the ring that Professor Kirke used right? To travel between the worlds?"
The leopard nodded.
"At great risk to Himself Aslan retrieved the ring from your worlds and changed them to suit our needs," the feline told her, "I, Zaru, was sent to help serve you as best as I can, your majesty."
"Majesty?" Elias's dark eyes flickered towards Susan who flushed under his scrutiny, "She's a little young to be queen isn't she?"
"I'm 1300 years old," Susan retorted with a small smile.
"And remarkably well-preserved," Elias grinned.
Jason rolled his eyes and climbed to his feet.
"How do we get out of this place?" he directed his question towards Zaru who gave him a feline shrug in return.
"We can't, not yet," Zaru said cryptically.
"WHAT?!" Inara's voice was deafening loud in the wasteland around them, "HOW THE BLOODY HELL DO I GET HOME?!"
Zaru smirked at her.
"Not my problem."
Inara flushed then paled then flushed again as her hands twitched as though she longing to wrap them around his neck. Susan hurriedly stepped in.
"Stop!" she scolded, "Leave her alone!"
"Actually," Jason spoke up, "I think it's better if the…"
"Leopard," Zaru supplied helpfully, "The most noble and majestic of all…"
"Leopard," the Seeker stopped him, "Tells us what is going on."
"The leopard can't tell us what is happening because leopard' shouldn't talk!" Inara looked around as if everyone around her had gone mad, "They growl or purr or hiss or do whatever but they don't talk! This can't be happening!"
"I. Am. Talking. See. Me. Talk," Zaru prodded her mercilessly.
Inara looked like she was about to keel over but Susan wasn't listening at all.
Her eyes had widened as she realised the shock of having found herself in a strange new world had blown all of the previous revelations out her head. She instantly paled as she remembered Aslan than Imar's words to her.
"My family! Caspian! Are they alright?" she demanded frantically.
Zaru looked at her gravely.
"They're alive but…" the leopard sighed, "All I know is what Aslan told me and bade me do in His steed."
"What did Aslan say?" Susan demanded, in the moment Elias could see the glimpse of a regal queen in her youthful face.
Zaru gulped but steadied himself.
"All he told is that a Darkness has been growing. One so powerful than it has spread to many others kingdom and worlds seizing control in each. Even now many has fallen under its sway," Zaru explained grimly, "Many have fallen. It now seeks to destroy Aslan and take Narnia for itself but the Great Lion foresaw this and prepared before He Himself was captured."
In that one moment, Susan felt her heart stop. The world around seemed to freeze for a split second as a sheer wall of denial was thrown up by those words. But it was quickly shattered under Zaru's piercing gaze. A maelstrom of questions and fears and an almost insane urge to break down flooded into her mind, clouding all thought. She swayed on the spot but Elias and Jason steadied her on either side.
Inara was still on the ground, her face a blank mask as she absorbed Zaru's words without comment.
"Captured?!" Susan choked out finally, "But Aslan… how is that possible?!"
"I do not know, this Darkness has taken Aslan and your family and his Majesty King Caspian and trapped them across the worlds it controls," Zaru replied quietly sorrow roughening his voice.
In that one horrible second Susan realised why.
"This… Darkness," she said slowly, "It has taken all of them… to strip Narnia bare of its champions and protectors… there's no one left to bind all of Narnia to fight against it. It's preparing for an invasion"
Zaru laughed bitterly.
"That's what Aslan believed as well. But even He could not prevent it from happening even though he foresaw it," Zaru shuddered "Aslan came to me before all this and bid me be your guide for the first step of this perilous journey. He told me that you are to visit all the worlds and defeat the hold of the Darkness in each one."
Through the sheer flood of horror sweeping through her thoughts, one thought pierced through and slammed into the forefront of her thoughts.
"But Narnia! Can't we just go to Narnia now?" Susan demanded frantically giving voice to her inner mind, "And what about me?! How come I wasn't taken?"
The faces of her family and Caspian flittered through her mind as bile choked her throat. Susan's whole body seemed to seize violently but she viciously pushed the feelings down, summoning every ounce of control in her body not to collapse.
Zaru was shaking his head sadly
"I do not know why you were not taken as well," Zaru told her, "As for Narnia… the power of the Darkness is concentrated there. It is impossible to break through to enter that world. We must travel to the others and break its hold there. Once the Darkness is weakened and then and only then may we return to Narnia."
"How about us?" Jason growled cutting, "What if we want no part of this quest. What if we just want to go home?"
"Yes!" Inara cut in, "Why the hell were we chosen for this suicidal mission?"
Zaru shrugged.
"That is not my concern. I am here to guide you and protect Queen Susan," Zaru growled, "All else is secondary."
"So are you saying that there is some sort of… darkness here and we must defeat it?" Elias demanded.
Zaru nodded.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Where is this darkness?" Jason demanded.
"Oh, come on!" Inara protested, "You can't be serious? You're actually believing the talking kitten about this Darkness stuff?"
Zaru opened his mouth to snap at her but that's when they struck.
There was a thunderous roar than utter mayhem. The leopard was instantly bowled over as three strong bodies slammed into him.
"The women!" a harsh voice barked, "Our God demands more women! Grab them!"
Elias was struck in the temple and he dropped like a stone as Inara let out a cry of horror.
Susan caught a glimpse of metal weapons gleaming crimson in the blood-red sunlight, and steel visors wrought into horrific demonic faces as she dove to the left avoiding grasping hands.
She hit the ground and rolled, bringing her bow up. She paused for a split second as she caught sight of the design on their attackers' tunics and shields: an image of a bizarre squat-human like figure with blazing eyes and fanged mouth emblazoned on a black background.
"PWHIP!"
Gritting her teeth, she fired an arrow and one of the armoured men fell. Jason was fighting against another, grabbing the man's wrist as he swung at him but two more fell on him, crunching him into the ground.
"DROP HIM!" Susan roared as she swung around, ready to fire another.
"BEHIND YOU!" Inara screamed at her.
A rock-hard fist slammed into the back of Susan's head, smashing her into oblivion as the bow fell out of her hands. Her attacker roared in triumph as the Queen of Narnia hit the ground and knew no more.
. . . . . . . . .
Elias opened his eyes with a low groan and sat up. Gingerly he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the edge of his sleeve, grimacing at the tangy iron taste.
Slowly he looked around.
"They're gone," Jason said flatly.
The cowboy was crouched on his haunches, Zaru by his side. Both of them were staring across the desolate red plains before them.
"What happened?" Elias demanded.
"An ambush," Jason said simply.
Elias grimaced.
"Another one? It seems we've been victim of a few of those already," he slowly climbed to his feet, shuffling unsteadily forwards, "Where are the girls?"
The leopard let out a mournful cry that echoed all around them. He whipped around to face them, eyes blazing with fanatical light.
"Queen Susan and the other girl have been taken!" Zaru said frantically, "We have to rescue them!"
"Why?" Jason asked bluntly, "I have no interest in your Aslan or whatever scheme he's dreamed up."
Elias gaped at him. The scientist was stunned by the callousness of the Seeker's words. But Jason was unrepentant, his gaze steady, betraying no remorse or regret whatsoever.
"What kind of man are you?" Elias spat, "Are you just going to leave two innocent young girls in mortal danger?"
"Seems like the Queen can take care of herself," Jason replied laconically, "She's handy with a bow that one."
He calmly readjusted his fedora.
"I just want to go home," he said firmly.
Zaru let out a low gruff chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?" Jason demanded suspiciously.
"You can't. There was two rings in the leather pouch the loud girl took from me," Zaru smirked at him, "The green one takes us here… the other one, the yellow one, gets us out."
Jason glared at the leopard who continued to smirk at him, eyes dancing with mirth.
"Looks like we have to rescue them then," Elias said with a small chuckle.
Jason rose to his feet, his face contorted in a fierce scowl.
"Fine," the Seeker pointed at the dirt in front of them, "They left a huge trail. Let's go."
Zaru and Elias exchanged amused looks as Jason stalked off, cursing darkly under his breath. The two of them jogged to keep up as Jason expertly picked up their enemy's tracks.
The Seeker was on the hunt… all enemies beware.
. . . . . . . . .
A sharp jolt knocked Susan's head into the side of something hard and the Queen of Narnia instantly shot up, a cry of alarm flying from her lips.
Instantly a small hand clapped across her mouth, silencing her. Susan stared into Inara's pale and tear-streaked face.
"Shut it," Inara hissed into her ear, "I've seen what these men do to the criers. You really don't want to get their attention."
"Criers?" Susan looked at their surroundings and instantly blanched.
They were in some kind of huge metal cage covered by some coarse heavy fabric, small slits in the cloth allowed slants of red light to pierce into the gloom of the prison. The grunting of horses and the jolting movement of the cage told Susan they were being dragged to some unknown destination.
Other women were in the cage with them, some weeping bitterly whilst others just sat on the floor of the cage, staring blankly into the space, bleak despair written across their pretty faces. And in one corner there were a bundle of filthy rags. Susan stared at it, confused, until a low pain-filled moan rolled out of the broken huddle and swept across darkness of the cage. The other women shuddered but refused to even look at the source of the sound.
The rags moved and a pale limb streaked with blood and bruises fell out of the mass. Susan sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the women's shattered and twisted fingers.
"She tried to fight back," Inara whispered quickly, "They… they…"
A note of hysteria entered the teenager's voice but she seemed to gather herself and a glint of steel shone through.
"They taught her a lesson," she finished in an emotionless voice.
"What happened?" Susan whispered back frantically.
"We were ambushed… again," a familiar hint of dry humour entered Inara's voice, "Obviously, this time they succeeded. They were after us."
"Us? In particular?" Susan looked at her incredulously.
Inara shook her head.
"No, just us… women," Inara replied softly, "They knocked out the others and grabbed us. They then stuffed us in this cage with the others. They said they were taking us… to the Capital."
The girl shook her head.
"I can't believe this is happening," she said in a small trembling voice, "None of this makes sense. None of it… how is this possible? Different worlds?"
Susan opened her mouth to reassure her but suddenly a burst of blaring trumpets rattled the sides of the cage. The sound went on and on in a long repeating pattern, Susan frowned.
"It's a herald," she murmured.
"What?"
Susan looked at her bleakly.
"Whatever this Capital thing is… we're there."
Inara's eyes widened just as the fabric on the cage was ripped off. Bright crimson light spilt into the once-dark prison as all the women cowered away, whimpering in the fright.
A guard with his emblem of a strange human-like beast stamped on his armour, guffawed at their fear.
"Ladies… ladies," he cooed, "You should be glad. You are being led away to live in luxury under the watch of the High Priest. Most girls would kill to be in your position."
"Please Sirrah!" one of the women shrieked at him, "I have children! Please don't let them be motherless!"
She flung herself at the cage, grasping at the bars in a white-knuckled grip. She cried openly into the guard's bored face. Without even blinking, the guard reached inside and slapped her viciously in the face with casual cruelty.
Susan hissed in fury and rose to her feet ready to defend the woman but Inara yanked back her down, shaking her head frantically. Susan glared at her but Inara refused to let go.
The two teenagers stared at each other a battle of wills sparking between them.
"The High Priest will not be swayed by the mutterings of you wretched women," the guard hissed unaware of the silent argument going on, "Do not try again!"
He banged on the cage with his sword.
"Take them to the Shrine!" he barked.
There was crack of a whip and the cage was dragged forwards once more, moving on its uneven wheels. The women in the cage began to wail in distress as the caged wagon rolled on towards its final destination.
. . . . . . . . .
Jason crested the final stony hill and stopped.
"Huh," he said, his eyes wide with amazement.
"What is it?" Zaru leapt up lightly next to him, far behind was Elias, huffing and puffing as he struggled up the slope.
The leopard looked across the last red plain and his jaws dropped. Spread about before them was an immense stone city, each house was built of the same dark red stone that littered this world. Long winding roads separated the houses into blocks but it was the centre of this huge sprawling city that drew their eyes.
Four massive buildings anchored the corners of a mammoth stone truncated pyramid that soared up into the blood-red skies, its immense bulk towering over the whole city. Fire torches, immense to be seen at this distance, flickered along its stone step culminating in a flat square plateau lined with iron bowls, each with eerie white hot flames that danced in their confines throwing flickering shadows all over the platform.
"What is that?" Zaru whispered, awed.
"It looks like something that existed long ago in my world," Elias wheezed having finally reached them, "Temples built by ancient civilisations that worshipped the sun."
Jason merely grunted, clearly unimpressed by the scientist's information.
"There seems to be no gates or guards around the perimeter," the Seeker said gruffly, his dark blue eyes surveying the situation, "It should be easy to sneak our way in."
"Than what?" Zaru demanded, "In a city so big it'll be impossible to find her Majesty!"
"They were taken by guards and from what they were shouting it seems to be a commonplace thing," Elias said quietly, "I believe there would be some kind of central holding area for the taken women."
"You mean like a market?" Zaru grimaced, "What kind of place is this?"
"Hell," Jason replied morosely.
He straightened his back and checked his dagger was strapped to his hip. Pulling his fedora tightly over his head, he turned back to his companions.
"Come on, light's fading," he said roughly, "We better get this over and done with."
He quickly began to scurry down the slope, angling his run towards the city limits as Zaru effortlessly took off after him, his claws digging into the compact soil giving the leopard easy purchase.
Elias grimaced.
"Not again," he moaned after his breath.
Squaring his shoulders, the hefty scientist began to gingerly pick his way down the slope as high above the fat red sun hanging in the sky began to arc down towards the far eastern mountains.
. . . . . . . . .
The wagon pulled to a stop and almost at once and with ominous synchronicity the heavy sound of beating drums rumbled in the air.
The women cried out in fear and curled up into themselves as Susan and Inara looked around wildly.
"Well, this doesn't seem good," Susan noted dryly as the drums got louder and louder.
The beats were like the throbbing of a heart, resonating through the air in a regular tattoo.
"Well, well, well," the same guard as before slithered up to their cage, smiling unpleasantly, "Looks like you are just in time to see the sacrifice. And with front row seats as well."
He laughed with nasty humour and moved away. Inara and Susan glanced at each other before slowly turning around.
They both let out twin gasps of shock at what towered before them, an immense blood-red pyramid, the heat of the hundreds torches all over its stone body rolling over them in an oppressive, stifling wave.
"No… no… no…" one of the captive women whimpered, "Please no… I don't… oh please!"
She broke down into the choking tears but no one moved to help her, their eyes glued fast on the pyramid.
All around the base of the pyramid people began to gather. Susan let out a low gasp as she spotted animals amidst the human throng, their intelligent eyes staring up at the top of the pyramid.
"Talking Beasts," she whispered in delight, "They're here as well!"
"Yeah but unless said beasts are willing to help us out it means jack," Inara said bluntly.
Through the rolling of the drums came a word, spoken by the crowd, which grew louder and louder swelling into a single roar.
"Shift. Shift. Shift. Shift. SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT!" the crowd roared over and over again.
"Shift…?" Susan glanced at Inara but the girl's eyes were fixed on the pyramid.
From the corner of her eyes, Susan caught a glimpse of black cloth and she twisted to look. A tall man, swathed in a long dark cloak had sidled up to one of the guards.
"The High Priest has deemed there isn't enough sacrifices," the man was saying, "We need one of the freshly caught ones."
"But the rituals…" the guard began.
The man cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Will be forsaken just this once. The sacrifice is more important."
The guard nodded and instantly unlocked the doors. At the sound of the rusty gate swinging open, all the women instantly recoiled away.
The dark-hooded man stuck his head inside, his pale eyes sweeping over the crowd of captured women dispassionately.
"That one," he pointed at one of the women at random, "She'll done."
The woman instantly let out a scream of utter horror.
"Please Sirrah! Please!" she begged, "Not me! I am unworthy! Please someone else! PLEASE!"
Susan felt her stomach roll as two guards reached inside and began pulling at the woman. She fought desperately, biting and spitting, grasping the iron bars with her fingers but it hopeless pitting her slender strength against those of two grown men.
"NOOOOOO!"
With a final piercing scream, the woman was wrenched out of the cage. The dark-hooded man calmly slapped her, silencing her screams.
"Take her to the top," he commanded to the guards.
The guards nodded and dragged the woman away as the man turned towards the women.
"You will be cleansed and you will be killed for the betterment of all. It's is a noble fate," he lectured them, "Do not lower yourselves by ignoring your duty."
With that he slammed the gate shut and hurried away.
"What is wrong with this world?!" Susan exploded seeing they were alone, "How can they just do that?! What are they doing to do to her?!"
She turned to Inara, her pale face red with fury. But the other women shrunk away from her almost as she was venom. Inara looked shell-shocked, grappling the cage for support as she tried to stop trembling.
"They throw the word sacrifice around a lot," Inara choked out, "Which doesn't exactly spell puppies and sunshine."
"SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT! SHIFT!"
Outside the roar of the crowd grew louder and louder until it seemed the very stone beneath them shook with the din.
The sunset plunging the world into the darkness but almost instantly the huge white flames on the top of the platform flared throwing the upper plateau into stark, glaring brightness.
Everything happening up there could be clearly seen as though it was daylight.
"SHIFFFFFFFTTTTTTTT!" the crowd screamed.
A small hooded figure appeared on the edge of the platform. The immense crowd went berserk, screaming and stamping the ground.
"SHIIIIIFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT!" they raged again.
The cloaked figure raised his hand and instantly the crowd went silent. The contrast was staggering. One moment violent ranting and screaming, the next utter silence.
The figure slowly pulled back his hood and Susan suddenly realised what the emblem on the guard's shield and tunic was.
It was this creature.
A small, squat wizened ape with a lined and utterly ugly face perched on top of the temple, staring down at them like an imperious emperor.
"High Priest Shift is here and He hears your word!" the ape called out into the silence, "He knows your suffering and He despairs!"
The crowd let out a single roar of his name but instantly fell silent again.
"He has spoke to the great Tashlan and Tashlan has promised one thing! The sky will be clear once more when and only when the traitors and non-believers and the Signless have been found and MURDERERD!" the ape bellowed, "WE MUST NOT GROW COMPLACEMENT! THESE TRAITORS MOST FOUL WAS THE ONES WHO POISONED OUR SKY TO BE RED AS BLOOD! THEY WERE THE ONE WHO SULLIED YOUR EARTH SO THAT NOTHING MAY GROW! WE MUST KILL THEM ALL!"
"KILL!" the crowd howled for blood, "KILL!"
"BUT TASHLAN IS MERCIFUL!" Shift screamed, "HE IS WILLING TO SAVE HIS HAND FROM OUR UTTER DESTRUCTION!"
"TASHLAN!" the crowd answered in a single unified voice, "TASHLAN!"
"BUT WE MUST SHOW HIM OUR DEDICATION WITH SACRIFICES!"
"SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE!" came the thunderous reply.
Fear ripped through her like dark arrow, piercing her heart and draining her of all strength. Susan could only slump against the bars of her prison and watch the demonic light in the eyes of the screaming humans and beasts in numb despair. In that split second, she knew that Zaru had been speaking true.
A Darkness was spreading and this… this nightmare was firmly in its grasp.
"LET THE BLOODLETTING BEGIN!" Shift seemed to dance on the spot in his fervour.
Inara almost threw up beside her.
"Oh god," she looked at Susan, her face sweaty and pale as the moon, "Oh sweet dear god."
Susan slowly wrapped her arms around her, drawing Inara close to her. The two girls leaned on each other, supporting each other as the nightmare continued.
. . . . . . . . .
"They can't be serious!" Elias gasped incredulously.
"Quiet!" Jason hissed, "Don't draw attention to yourself."
The three of them were hiding behind a building close to the pyramid base where the giant screaming crowd was gathered. The three of them had watched in horror as the ritual unfolded.
High on the pyramid plateau, there was a piercing scream and flailing limbs as a young woman was dragged into the harsh light of the white flames.
She screamed and screamed and screamed but the guards holding her heard and felt nothing.
Brutally, they threw rope around her limbs and dragged her to the centre where a giant round stone altar was built.
The woman was tied down, spread-eagled and helpless on this altar, her wrenching sobs echoing far into the quiet night.
Shift shuffled over to the central altar, he positioned himself over her chest, a hideous demon plucked out of the darkest of dreams.
He held out his left hand and a dark-hooded man placed a stone dagger into the ape's grip.
Shift held the knife aloft, his dark eyes glittering beneath his wrinkled brows.
"TASHLAN WILL FEED AND HE WILL FORGIVE!" he screamed, "HE WILL BE SATISFIED!"
The woman writhed and screamed as the white flames flickered and flared in a sharp breeze that swept the area.
Zaru growled low in his throat, his hackles raised, all the fur on his neck sticking up as he crouched down in a predatory stance but there was nothing he could do.
Jason watched, his face carefully blank as Elias gripped the wall to steady himself.
"FOR TASHLAN!" Shift roared.
"FOR TASHLAN!" the crowd replied.
The dagger flew down.
There was a choked scream.
Then all was silent.
Shift let out a long, hollering laugh.
"THE NEXT SACRIFICE!" he yelled.
"SACRIFICE!"
. . . . . . . . .
Susan and Inara watched on helpless as women after women were bound to the altar, flinching as the dagger came down over and over again.
"Monsters," Susan hissed, her eyes and face and throat wet with hot dripping tears, "Monsters."
Inara was silent.
There as another final scream accompanied by Shift's maniacal laugh.
Finally she spoke.
"We're going to die."
. . . . . . . . .
Author's notes: Okay to my one review, I am seriously in love with you! You raised some good points and questions so I'll deal with them in turn.
This fic is really heavily influenced not by Kingdom Hearts but Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, a Jap anime that talks about travelling between the worlds.
I'm really glade you love Jason and Elias as new OC. I really like writing them! As for Inara (no, I didn't really realise I used a Firefly character's name. It was more of a subconscious choice), I know you were a bit worried about her a being Mary-Sue.
I will be honest and say I'm a bit unsure of what I want to do with her character (your comment has really made me ask some hard questions about her). She has a planned storyline which is very typical in a Mary-Sue kinda sense but I am trying to make the storyline less cliche. If she does pick up any new skills there is going to a be storyline behind it and a reason. I know there is some traits at the moment that makes her a bit Mary-Sue-ish. i.e. she has a bad family life but it's like she's going to turn into EMO!Sue and the fic talks about what a bad life she's got and what a tragic person she is. Yes, I am well aware she's a normal 21st century girl and I think you would've noticed that she's not a hardcore swords fighter or anything like that because well... she isn't. I'm trying to keep it as realistic as possible. I am still sitting on the fence because I might decide to re-write her whole character
Also Inara isn't based on me in any way fashion or form. As embarassing as it is, I'd say she's more of a bit of Buffy/Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
So far from what I've written, I'd say that Susan is still firmly the main character and the others are just starting to come into it more. It's going to be balanced regardless even if new characters starting coming in.
Thanks for the review I loved it!