~ Spooky Fyre
A/N: Okay it's late, I know. But hey it's here and roughly nineteen pages or something like that. Anyways, sorry my updates are taking so long but life sucks and doesn't allow for much free time now a days. I shudder to think of college…I'm thinking ITT Tech but hey nothing is written in stone right?
If anyone's wondering, yes I'm going to try to fit that whole Tir-tickling-Gremio-while-he's-cooking scene in somehow. I know one nice reviewer caught that there was a lack of scene. But I promise it'll get put into the story, I just need to find an good time scene.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer.SYS not found….Story halted. (Or not…I don't own anything.)
One last thing, I'm not happy at all with this chapter, I think it blows on levels not known by man. But I felt I needed to get it out so here it is with all it's imperfections:
Notes:
Refer to chatper one, two, or three because I'm not typing it again. So sue me I'm lazy.
Chapter 4
The Soul Eater
The grim reaper like symbol represents the True Rune of Life and Death often called the Soul Eater, the Cursed
Rune. It is said that this Rune is one of the more difficult Runes to bear in that it is said to cause great pain to
its Bearer. Whether this is on purpose or not is unknown, as is the nature of the pain, or why the Rune would cause
it's chosen Bearer pain at all. This Rune is one of the most mysterious of all the Runes and its Bearers are notoriously closed lipped about what powers the Rune posses…
- From Myths of the 27 True Runes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A group of dirty, weary travelers stood outside the huge, imposing gates of the Imperial Palace; they had traveled through the night to reach the capital city of Gregminster at the nagging of their commander. Now their commander stood before them, a look of distain gracing his lumpy features. "This is as far as you have to come. I will report to Commander Kraze." His beady eyes inspected his soldiers critically, "You can all go home and rest. And be sure to bath and scrub all the dirt and blood off you. Honestly, your unkempt appearance would make a child cry." He smiled at them, flashing his yellow teeth. "I'm such a nice guy."
Pahn scowled, "Yeah, so nice it makes me cry. He's planning to take all the credit for himself."
Cleo ran a hand through her greasy and windblown hair, "Let it go Pahn. It wasn't such a big accomplishment anyway." She stretched her arms above her head, relishing the relief she felt when her back pop. "I'm exhausted, I just want to go home, sleep, eat, and bathe. Not necessarily in that order."
Gremio looked back at the slender, dark haired youth behind him, "Young Master, we've been away from home for a long time. I'll fix something special to eat."
Ted shifted his quiver of arrows on his back and beamed at the older man, "Great Gremio! Your cooking's terrific."
Kanaan's head snapped back to the party, his eyes focusing on Ted. "Ted you'll have to come with me."
"Huh? Why?"
"Oh, nothing much." Kanaan told the boy nonchalantly, shrugging his thick shoulders. "It'll be over soon. Come along now."
Ted eyed his commander suspiciously for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head. "Fine then." He turned to his young friend, "Tir, go on home. I'll see you later." His voice dropped to a whisper and Tir leaned closer to hear, "Besides, I have something to tell you."
Tir nodded, "I'll save you some food."
"Thanks."
"Let's go Ted." Kanaan ordered, leading the way into the Imperial compound.
Cleo watched as the two disappeared behind the thick walls with a frown, "What could Kanaan possibly want with Ted?"
"Beats me." Pahn replied with a jaw splitting yawn. "Who cares? He'll be back later so why don't we go home and eat something."
Ten minutes later Tir unlatched the door to his father's home and stepped into the familiar stone foyer and he felt himself automatically relaxing in the homey atmosphere. Home sweet home, he thought. I can finally take a bath, change my clothes, eat good food, and clean all the sap from the forest off my damn Wolf Fang Staff. Not to mention I'm now Kanaan-Kraze free until our next assignment.
"Finally," Pahn exclaimed, stretching weary muscles, "home sweet home."
Gremio removed his stained green cloak and hung it on the coat rack behind him, "Young Master, I'll prepare some food right away."
"Thanks Gremio." Tir called, already half way up the stairs to the bathroom where the promise of a warm bath awaited him.
"Tir don't you dare use up all that water!" Cleo called after him, knowing that the small water container on the roof their home held only half of its capacity thanks to the lack of rain in the past few days. The top of the container was opened via a lever in the attic during a rainstorm, filling it with water. The water was then stored there (with the lid closed to keep insects and such out) until a person turned the knob above the bathtub which slid the stopper in the storage unit away allowing the rainwater to run through the pipes and into the bath. A hot brick placed into a tiny groove designed especially for a warming brick heated the water. It was a clever design that had been installed when Master Teo moved in after the defeat of Geil Runger during the War of Succession.
Tir turned and looked back, sticking out his tongue out at Cleo before jogging the rest of the way up the stairs. She heard the door to the bathroom slam shut and she scowled, muttering darkly, "If there's no water left for me Master Teo going to return home to find himself sonless." She glared at Pahn when he began laughing at her. "I'm serious," she insisted.
"Whatever." Pahn turned to the front door. "I'm going to run down to the items shop and buy some more supplies since we used most of our supplies up today."
"It's almost dark." Gremio noted. "Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow."
"Why? Kraze will just send us off on another pointless mission." Pahn replied sourly. "I'll do it now, if I hurry I can get there before they close for the night."
"I guess I'll go and unpack." Cleo muttered as she wandered through the door to the back of the house.
Gremio stood in the empty foyer for a brief moment before he shrugged and headed for the small kitchen in the back of the house to begin dinner.
***************************
Twenty minutes later Tir stood in his room in a clean set of clothes, tucking his gloves and bandanna into his belt more out of habit then necessity. He ruffled the damp strands of his dark hair, encouraging it to dry faster as he shoved his feet into one of his older, more worn pairs of boots.
"Young Master!" Gremio called from the other side of his bedroom door, knocking on the solid wood. "Dinner is ready."
"Coming!" Tir yelled after the retreating footsteps before hurrying out of the door and to the dining room. Cleo and Pahn were already seated and Gremio was pouring stew into four bowls. "Ted hasn't come back yet?"
"No. There hasn't been any sign of him yet." Pahn answered around a mouth full of bread.
"Don't talk with your mouth full Pahn!" Cleo scolded, her nose wrinkled in disgust.
"Why?" Pahn swallowed. "We're all family here."
"It's disgusting and rude! What would Master Teo say?"
"Absolutely nothing." The man said promptly.
Cleo made a sound of disgust and turned to her soup, picking up the spoon and eating silently and rather pointedly.
Tir looked out of the window at the dark streets of Gregminster. "I'm kind of worried."
"I'm sure everything's fine Young Master." Gremio pulled Tir's seat out. "Now sit and eat, I'm responsible for your health you know."
Tir smiled, "Skipping a meal would hardly hurt."
"Such a thing to say Young Master!" Gremio chided. "You're skin and bones as it is."
Tir looked affronted and opened his mouth to retort but his stomach rumbled and he closed his mouth with sheepish shrug and dug into his food.
A few minutes later Pahn pushed his bowl away with a satisfied sigh, "I'm stuffed." He looped his arms over the back of his chair and chewed absently on a toothpick. "Sure beats the dried meat we've been eating. Finally some food fit for humans."
Cleo snorted, "What are you talking about? We only had to eat jerky when we stopped to rest, it's not like we've been eating it for days." The corner of her mouth titled up in a smile, "Besides you'd eat anything to fill that cavernous void you call a stomach."
"You've got a point." Pahn admitted with a shrug. "I've got a motto: Always eat when you can because you never know when you next meal will be."
Cleo rolled her eyes, "Oh please, we work for Master Teo, remember? It's not like we're ever going to go hungry."
"And we'll always have Gremio," Tir added with a laugh, "A good thing too since he's the only one of us who can actually cook."
Pahn and Cleo murmured their agreement just as the swinging door to the dining room opened and Gremio backed in, a tray with five teacups and a kettle held in his hands. "Young Master, I've made some tea." He quickly set the tray down and frowned, "Drat! I forgot the cream and sugar. Oh well, guess I go back down to the kitchen to get them."
Tir pushed back from the table and stood, "Don't worry about it Gremio, I'll get them."
"Young Master I must insist--"
"Let the boy get the cream and sugar Gremio." Pahn advised. "We don't want him to get spoiled after all."
"Yeah, we don't want Master Teo to come home to find the Young Master a spoiled, sullen brat now do we?" Cleo laughed.
Tir quickly walked out of the room, pushing down a surge of irritation as he went. They always say they're looking after me for my father but…the boy shook his head, banishing his traitorous thoughts to the back of his mind before they could complete themselves as he jogged down the stairs.
As he reached the landing his eyes lighted upon a crumpled figure just inside the front door. Tir stopped dead, the blood draining from his face as he recognized the bloodstained clothes. "By the Runes," he gasped. He ran forward and turned his friend over gently, conscious of the terrible jagged wound in Ted's shoulder. Tir felt bile rise in his throat and he pushed it back down stubbornly.
Ted groaned and raised his hand weakly, smacking Tir in the face before allowing it to fall back to his chest.
"Gremio!" The cry was torn from Tir's throat in sheer panic as he watched Ted's breath become shallow and ragged. He won't stop bleeding, he thought absently as he began to slip into shock.
A door slammed and booted feet pounded down the stairs, "Young Master, what in the--" Gremio cut himself off with a horrified gasp. Suddenly he was there beside Tir, his hands hovering over the young man's wounds. "Cleo! Pahn! Give us a hand!"
Seconds later Cleo was also beside Tir; he hadn't even heard her come down the stairs. "By the Runes," she gasped, her green eyes wide and startling in her pale face, "all this blood." She knelt next to the motionless body and lifted Tir's hand from the seeping wound briefly before allowing the teen to reapply pressure to the jagged hole. "This wound, it's not natural. Magic?" She received no answer but her mind had already turned to another task, reviewing all wounds she had ever seen during her career as a soldier. I've never see anything quiet like this.
"What are you doing?" Gremio's voice cut into her thoughts sharply. "Help me bring him into the back; we'll use your room."
"Yes." The woman replied instantly.
"Young Master?"
Tir didn't reply, his thoughts were frozen and he stared helplessly down at his blood soaked hand and the crimson stain that was pooled beneath Ted body. Oh Runes, what am I suppose to do?
"Young Master!"
Tir started and glanced up at Gremio with glazed, vacant eyes and a tear streaked face. "I don't understand," he choked out desperately.
The older man's scarred face softened. "Young Master, give us a hand."
He nodded woodenly, really noticing for the first time the people around him. Cleo kneeled near Ted's feet and Pahn hovered indecisively near the stairs, as if he was unsure of what he was expected to do. Gremio crouched opposite of the Tir, his lips set in a grime line and his brows furrowed in concentration.
"Ready?" The former bandit asked. At their nods of agreement he carefully slipped his arm beneath the slight shoulder and lifted Ted into a slumped sitting position. "Put you hand on my shoulder Young Master. Cleo, Pahn you take his legs."
Together they created a kind of stretcher with their arms, holding his shoulders, lower back, and knees steady as they made their way to Cleo's small room. The trip through the small hall was painfully slow and the group's arms were trembling with strain by the time they made it to the narrow bed.
Pahn noticed the boy's eyelids twitching and he moaned low in his throat like a wounded animal. "He's coming around."
Blue eyes blinked blearily, wide and unseeing. Then Ted jerked violently, crying out wordlessly as he fought the hands that held him pressed down. Grimly, Cleo and Gremio snatched the failing arms while Pahn pinned his legs, Tir pressed down on his chest in an effort to keep Ted from reopening the wound that had finally begun to clot.
"He's freakishly strong," Pahn grunted as Ted pulled one of his legs free and kicked him solidly in the shoulder before the older man was able to re-pin it.
"W-where," Ted rasped out hoarsely, "where am I?" His distant, unseeing eyes snapped into focus. "Where are they?" He asked frantically teetering on the edge of blind panic.
Slowly, gently they released their hold on his arms and legs and stepped back until only Tir was left kneeling next to his friends left shoulder. "Who Ted?" He asked gently.
"The Imperial Guard, aren't they here yet?" Ted turned his head and stared at Tir with despair in his eyes. "Help me Tir."
"Relax," Gremio soothed, running his hand over the wounded boy's hair like did for Tir when he was a child and had woken up from a nightmare. "Everything's fine, tell us what happened after you calm down and get some rest."
Ted shook his head rapidly, "Gremio, I…" He trailed off and he stared hard at Tir's concerned face for a long moment before reaching out and grasping his friend's arm in a vice-like grip.
Tir gasped and would have fallen to his knees if he hadn't already been kneeling. He squeezed his eyes shut as the room faded from view and a new room reformed before his mind's eye.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tir opened his eyes and found himself looking at the marble floor of the Imperial Palace but he wasn't there. It's like I'm viewing a scene, like I'm watching a play. He didn't recognize the room, which wasn't surprising since he had only been in the Throne Room and the military part of the sprawling palace. An unwounded Ted stood inside the empty room, tapping his foot impatiently. Inside the doorway, just enough to block the younger man from trying to leave was Kanaan. His beady eyes watched the boy with odd expression, as if he had bitten into something sour.
"Hurry up, will you? I'm starving." Ted groused. "Why does the Court Magician want to see me anyway?"
"Keep quiet and wait." Kanaan snapped irritably. "Commander Kraze is seeing Lady Windy right now."
From behind Ted a heavy wooden door opened and Kraze stepped into through the door. "All right Ted, follow me."
"Okay, okay." The blonde muttered crossly to Kraze's back. "Keep your gaudy pants on." Kraze shot him a dirty look over his shoulder as the three stepped into the next room.
The next room was just as bare as the first room; there was no furniture to speak of except for a small table the sat along the far wall. A beautiful woman stood strong and erect in the center of the room, long blonde hair glinted in the candlelight as she turned to face him.
Ted froze in horror as her sharp, cold eyes pinned him in place. Some long dormant, primal instinct swelled up in alarm. Predator.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it little man?" Lady Windy smiled coldly. "You haven't changed a bit in three hundred years." She laughed and smoothed a hand over her long locks. "I'm a bit envious."
Long buried memories of fire and terrified screams flooded Ted's mind before he resolutely pushed it away as he rapidly backpedaled for the door. He spun on his heels and lunged for the door only to come up short as Kanaan and Kraze step in front of him to block the door.
Windy laughed mockingly as Ted turned to face her, a snarl twisting his lips, "You! You're that witch!" He fisted his right hand as it began to throb uncomfortably beneath his glove and held it close to his body, attempting to shield it from Windy's view.
"Well you remember me do you?" She asked, standing still as death itself, only her eyes moving as they followed Ted's agitated movements.
"Murderer!" He spat.
"You do remember," she crowed, "that please me. Of course you've never left my mind for a moment." The Court Magician's face twisted grotesquely, a queer mixture of yearning, malicious hate, and smug self-satisfaction. "Now give me the Rune you have on your right hand."
"No way!" Ted snarled, clutching his hand tightly. "I'd rather…" I'd rather die then allow it to fall into your greedy, bloody hands. Tir could practically hear Ted's thoughts as if he had said it aloud. His face hardened with resolve as he stepped back and raised his right hand, free of its glove, high above his head. "It's the Cursed Rune," he told the woman softly, "the 'Soul Eater'. It's power…"
"Don't be a fool!" Windy cried frantically, reaching for Ted as power enveloped him like a second skin, building until it became unbearably oppressive. Ted's face twisted in pain as the Soul Eater's power clashed against a foreign power. "If you use that here, you'll destroy yourself too!"
Darkness exploded from Ted as the Soul Eater shattered the opposite exerting force. Time slowed for Tir as he watched Windy scream in pain and fling out her hand. Ted began to flicker, teleporting away to temporary safety, just as a streak of blazing energy slammed into him, ripping a jagged hole in his chest. Time returned to normal leaving Windy standing alone over a blood splattered marble floor. Ted was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tir eyes snapped open, his breath coming in short gasped as he came back to himself and fell back onto his rump with a painful thump. He stared slack-jawed at his friend with brown eyes full of shock. My best friend is three hundred years old and he knows Windy? Something bad happened between them. I've got a really bad feeling about this…
Ted watched Tir with pained eyes, "Please, Tir…"
"Hey Ted--" Pahn began as Ted's head fell back against the pillows.
Gremio shook his head, "He's passed out again." He gaze switched to his charge, "Young Master, what happened?"
"I saw what happened," he began slowly, "when he got that wound. Ted showed me."
"How?" Cleo asked, her skepticism clear in her voice.
"I don't know." Tir told her truthfully with a shrug of his shoulders. "Windy gave him that wound. She blasted him with some kind of energy as he was teleporting away."
"He has a teleportation rune?" Gremio asked, his eyebrows rising up in surprise.
"No. He was using something he called the Cursed Rune, the Soul Eater." Tir looked up at them, deep lines etched in his young face. "Lady Windy is after him. What's more is that Kraze and Kanaan were there, in that room."
Cleo chewed her lower lip thoughtfully and pressed her wrist to Ted's forehead. "His fever is rising." She quickly wrung out the wet washcloth that floated inside the basin of water on her nightstand.
"What the hell is going on here?" Pahn practically shouted, running his hand through his hair roughly as he paced restlessly around the room. "It seems that the Imperial Guard was—is after him. But how can that happen?"
Gremio grabbed a fistful of Pahn shirt roughly and jerked him until they were face to face. "What are you accusing Ted of?" He snapped at his friend. "He's a good boy!"
"I don't know Gremio!" Pahn snapped back just as angry as the other man. "Maybe we'd better contact the Imperial Guard."
"Why? Ted would never do anything to harm the Empire!" Gremio's teal green eyes blazed at the older man. "Why should we call the guard?"
Pahn stared down at the floor, refusing to meet any of their gazes; if he had they would have seen the conflict in his expression. His loyalty was divided between his master and his master's son. "We can't cause problems while Master Teo is away." He insisted stubbornly.
Cleo folded her arms across her chest and watched Tir as he hovered over Ted's unconscious form worriedly. What are we suppose to do? If Tir lost Ted it'd be like him losing his own brother. She shook her head ruefully, it be like that for all of us, I think. "We'll wait until Ted wakes up." She decided.
"His fever isn't going down and I'm running out of water." Tir reported tersely as he dunked the now dry washcloth back into the bowl of water.
"Young Master," Pahn started hesitantly, "I'm going to go wakeup the shopkeeper and buy some medicine."
"Thank you." Tir replied gratefully to the older man as he slipped out of the room.
Minutes crawled by in tense silence, broken only by the pounding of the rain against the thick stone of the manor and Ted's low moans of pain. Thunder rumbled in the distance followed by a deafening peal that seemed to come from directly above their home.
"It won't stop raining," Gremio spoke up, breaking the silence.
"It's a nasty rain," Cleo commented, rubbing her arms reflexively. "It gives me the shivers."
"He's waking up."
"Sorry to be a bother," Ted whispered hoarsely, struggling to sit up.
"Forget it." Gremio pushed him firmly back into the pillows. "What is the Soul Eater'?"
Ted ignored Gremio and focused completely on Tir, grabbing his wrist weakly. "Will you do something for me?"
Tir's reply was instant, "What is it?"
"My right glove," He raised his right hand between them, "take it off."
Tir nodded slowly and stripped the worn, tan glove from its owner hand reveling an unblemished hand with the exception of a tattoo on the back of his hand.
"What's this?" Gremio examined the tattoo closely with Cleo peering over his shoulder.
A black stylized grim reaper swathed in a tattered black cloak with a scythe held over its shoulder. Where have I heard of that? Cleo frowned. "No way," she gasped, remembering a passage in a book she had read once. What was the books name? Ah yes, Myths of the 27 True Runes. "It can't be. It just can't. Not one of the twenty-seven True Runes!"
Ted pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned back wearily. "Yes it is," he held up his hand to show the dark rune. "This one is called the 'Soul Eater', the Curse Rune. This is the source of all this trouble and the reason the Court Magician, Windy is after me." Ted grimaced and pressed a hand to his tightly bound wound. This Rune is the only thing keeping me alive and if Windy catches me she get me under her control before I can heal. Grandpa told me never to let Windy catch me, so did those travelers. The ones who saved me, the one who looked just like him…
"Why?" Gremio asked aghast, his mind whirling to find some sort of reason, a justification for what was happening. "Why Lady Windy? Why would she do such a thing?"
Why indeed, in all my three hundred years I still don't know why she's after me. Even when she first tried to kill me and take the Rune she never hinted at why she wanted the Soul Eater. He was no more enlightened now then he was that day that Windy wiped out his village three hundred years ago when he was a child of ten. "I don't know why," Ted admitted slowly, "but that witch wants this Rune. I've been wandering the world for three hundred years trying to escape from her." He laughed bitterly, "I never though she'd find me here. My mistake was using the Rune's power at Mt. Seifu."
Cleo's hand brushed the black symbol and Ted flinched, shuddering as the Rune prickled uncomfortably as it came in contact with Cleo's life force. "Is this what you used to blow away the Queen Ant?"
The Rune Bearer nodded weakly and tightened his grip on Tir's wrist. "Tir," he rasped urgently, "with this wound I'll never escape from that witch. I hate to bring friendship into this, knowing it will bring unhappiness." Ted could feel the Soul Eater stir in the back of his mind and it examined Tir closely. And approved. "You're the only one! Please, please protect this Rune!"
"Ted, what are you saying?" Tir whispered, his mind shrinking away from the implications of his friend's words.
"This Cursed Rune must never fall into Windy's hands." Ted traced the Rune's edges as it glowed eerily in the candlelight. "You're the only one I can entrust this to. Please. Take it."
Tir stared at Ted slack-jawed, his mind going completely blank. "Please," Ted repeated quietly desperately, "take this Rune."
"I can't," Tir whispered. "If I take the Soul Eater you'll die won't you Ted?"
Ted smiled at him, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Probably not. I'm just to wounded escape. I could try to escape and fail and then Windy would get the Rune." His smile vanished as fast as it had come; leaving the three hundred year old boy with a pain etched sober face. "The Guard is probably on the way and I can't escape with this," he gestured to his shoulder. "You know this Tir. So I want you keep it safe for me. I'll catch up."
Tir attempted to smile reassuringly but it didn't even come to close to reaching his eyes. "I'll take it Ted," he whispered. "I'll keep it safe. Don't worry."
"Thank you," he breathed. "This Rune ma bring you suffering and if it does, blame me. But you must never, never let it fall into Windy's hands," he instructed fiercely. "Promise me you'll keep it safe. Promise!"
Bring me pain? What kind of pain are we talking about and why would the Rune bring me suffering? Tir swallowed nervously and licked his suddenly dry lips. "I promise."
"Good." Ted sucked in a deep breath and drew heavily from some deeply hidden reservoir of power. "Give me your right hand Tir."
Tir reached out a trembling hand and grasped the pale hand of the friend he thought he knew so well but in truth knew nothing about. I never realized it before but this is the first time I've seen Ted without his gloves in all the years I've known him. And now I know why. He thoughts were bitter as he watched Ted's already strained face became even more pinched. Tir jerked and tried to reflexively draw back as his friend began to glow with a pulsating crimson light.
A sound, like thousands of whispering voices filled Tir's mind, his eyes dulled to a lackluster brown, as he was lulled into a trance by the seductive voices of the True Rune of Life and Death. Below his kneeling form, unnoticed, a six-pointed star formed and from it a column of bright red light surged upwards to the ceiling, obscuring Tir from view. Then as quickly as it had come both the star and the light was gone, leaving the Soul Eater's symbol to shimmer above the two boys before it to faded away.
Ted paled further but smiled weakly, "See it didn't hurt one bit." His eyes slid shut and he slumped back into his pillows. "And now I can relax."
"Young Master--" Gremio began but was cut off by a startling loud and intrusive banging noise. Is someone trying to gain entrance? At this time of night? He froze like a rabbit caught in a predator's gaze. The bottom fell out of his stomach. The Imperial Guard?
"Gremio," Cleo hissed urgently as she opened the bedroom door, "out front. Follow me." She slipped out the door silently and disappeared down the hall, followed closely by Gremio and Tir. Ted was left sleeping peacefully in the dubious safety of Cleo's room.
The three stopped just inside the foyer, facing a group of Imperial Guardsmen. Three individuals caught the trio's eyes, Kanaan and Kraze who stood at the forefront arrogantly, knowing that they were safe surrounded by six hulking, elite Guards. The third was—Pahn? Tir fell back a step in horrified shock. He turned Ted, turned us in? The thought was mind numbing and simply inconceivable, he simply couldn't understand nor accept his trusted guardian's betrayal.
Kraze's beady eyes swept the group, lingering on Tir's bloodstained arms. "So," he drawled, "Young Master McDohl is here too. Give us Ted, we know he's here." He smiled and it wasn't a pleasant smile, "Loyal Pahn here told us."
Pahn's jaw tightened and he started at the far wall, his face impassive and voice silent.
"Pahn!" Cleo snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "You!"
Gremio snagged Cleo's arm, keeping her from potentially rushing the Guards and making a fatal mistake. "Why Pahn?" His voice was even but his eyes were furious. "How can you do this?"
The betrayer turned away from his family, his face twisting in pain. "I can't allow any trouble to happened while Master Teo's away." He swung around, his eyes wild and pleading. "I can't lose his trust in me! Please, understand."
Kraze rolled his eyes impatiently and cut Pahn off with an angry motion of his hand. "Drag Ted out of there," he snapped to the Guards, who immediately marched forward.
"I won't all it Kraze." Cleo told the Commander firmly, the chill bite in her voice enough to make even the faceless soldiers shiver. Cleo placed herself resolutely before the hallway door, her knives in hand. "No one, not even a Commander of the Imperial Guard can enter Master Teo's home without a just cause."
Gremio's eyes lit up and he grabbed onto the obscure law protecting high-ranking officials from unjust seizures of property and invasion of privacy. "That's right! I swear upon my hatchet, I won't let you pass!" He too moved and placed himself before the door, subtly shifting to cloak the new Rune Bearer, but more importantly his charge, Tir McDohl from view.
Tir stood motionless with is right hand fisted at his side, he could feel the Soul Eater in the back of is mind, an unaware semi-sentient presence that had the cold feeling of power un-tempered by compassion. The two groups attempted to stare each other down in a tense silence.
Behind Tir the thick wooden door creaked opened and a weak voice broke the standoff. "W-wait."
The Commander of the Guard's eyes lighted upon the slim figure that leaned heavily against the doorframe trembling from exhaustion. "So, you're giving up eh?"
A ghost of a smile crossed Ted's face as he leaned in close to Tir to whisper in the younger boy's ear. "Tir they think," a cough cut off his words and he doubled over, his grip tightening spastically on the doorframe. "They think I still have the Soul Eater," he gasped, "I'll be the bait while you escape."
"Then what about you?" Gremio hissed back, over hearing what Ted had meant to be a private conversation.
Be the bait…I'll be the bait. Escape. You escape. Tir mind whirled, recycling Ted's words again and again. Keep the Rune safe. This Cursed Rune must never fall into Windy's hands. Keep it safe! Keep it safe! With his mouth set in a grim line he looked at his best friend. "All right."
Ted sagged in relief and replied quietly, "Thank you."
Gremio's breath hissed from between his teeth, "Young Master! With that wound Ted will never get away!"
"Quiet Gremio," Cleo hushed, "the Young Master knows it too. But he must keep his promise to Ted by leaving right away. Right Young Master?"
"Hurry!" The former Rune Bearer hissed as he slipped in front of them.
Gremio gaped momentarily before shutting his mouth and placing a gently hand on Ted's shoulder. "I understand," he told him gravely before he opened the door and slipped through. "Let's escape through the kitchen," he suggested to the others. Tir and Cleo nodded and disappeared though the door after him, unnoticed by the Guard whose attention was focused solely on the boy who they thought bore the True Rune.
"Thank you Tir." Ted murmured as Tir silently shut the door. "In three hundred years, you were my only--"
"What are you waiting for?" Kraze demanded. "Seize him!"
My only true friend, Ted finished silently as the Imperial Guards cautiously closed in on him and the door behind him closed with an air of finality.
The next few minutes were blurred to the young Rune Bearer. He didn't remember leaving his home or the nerve-wracking trek through the torrential downpour to the relative safety of Marie's Inn. He blinked, snapped out of stupor when Cleo prodded him hard in the ribs. He found himself staring into the warm, maternal face of the Innkeeper.
"Oh my," Marie gasped, taking in their rain soaked clothes and Tir's shell-shocked expression. "Why, aren't you the young master McDohl?"
Tir mopped the water from his face with his hand and nodded, his wet bangs flopping into his eyes. "Hi," he rasped.
"What in the--" She sighed and tutted at them. "Never mind, come on in. Let's get you warm and dry."
Cleo shook her head, sending droplets of water flying into the air and then splattering onto the arm hardwood floor. "We need a room."
Marie's eyebrows shot up, "All right. There's on available on the second floor--"
"No," Gremio interrupted her. "How about the attic room? It's out of the way."
"But that's nothing but a storage room now!" The Innkeeper protested.
"Exactly. Marie please don't ask." Gremio begged as she opened to mouth.
"Okay," Marie said slowly. "Come on then, there's some spare pallets up there you can use."
Tir followed her woodenly, his mind still enveloped by a hazy, protective fog. He roused at Gremio's prodding and changed into a spare change of clothes provided by Marie. Some one sighed and two sets of hands pushed him onto his pallet, murmuring senseless words of comfort to him. He slipped into darkness eagerly; unaware of Gremio and Cleo's worried eyes watching him.
***********************************
Tir awoke late the next morning with a clear mind, the events of the previous night seemed distant as if it had happened to some other person. Whether it was the Soul Eater's doing or his own mind in an attempt to protect his psyche he didn't know, nor practically care. He was just grateful that his emotional pain had diminished dramatically. He looked around the barren dusty room and stopped. His Wolf Fang Staff leaned nonchalantly against the farthest wall. Tir frowned.
"I snuck back to the house and retrieved your staff, Gremio's hatchet, and my sword." Cleo told him.
"I didn't know you had a sword," Tir stared at the unfamiliar sight of a short sword belted at her side.
She shrugged and caressed the hilt of he plain wrapped weapon. "I don't use it much. I like my knives better."
Heavy footsteps thudded up the stairs and Cleo and Tir turned their heads while Gremio awoke with a snort. They all eyed the staircase wearily.
"What's going on here anyway?" A rich feminine voice muttered.
"Marie." Cleo breathed, relaxing visibly.
The motherly Innkeeper appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes worried as she glanced at them. "Imperial soldiers are running around," she scrutinized Tir's face closely, "while you came scurrying in soaking wet." She eyed them as they shifted uncomfortably and sighed, "Oh well, forget it. You probably can't tell me about it." She patted Tir on the shoulder and smiled at them. "Don't worry. You're welcome to hide out here. I'll put it on your tab."
Gremio smiled, his weary face lighting up, "Thank you so much."
Tir's stomach rumbled and he rubbed it idly. "I'm going downstairs," he announced suddenly, spinning on his heel.
"Young Master," Gremio called after him in a pained voice, "try not to wander about."
Tir grunted and waved his hand vaguely to Gremio as he disappeared down the darkened stairs. I wonder if Ted's okay? Tir ambled out into the common room, immersed in his thoughts. In the back of his mind the Soul Eater stirred and Tir looked up--- And stumbled back as an Imperial Guard roughly shoved into his shoulder.
"Watch where your going, you little runt." The soldier grumbled crossly. "I get called on duty on my day off, sent out to search for some punk kid all night, finally get a moment to rest and you come along."
Tir's eyes narrowed, he felt angry. No, he was furious. The kind of blind, undirected fury that lashed out at anybody and it was directed at the unfortunate soldier. "Shut up," Tir ground out from between clenched teeth, his fists clenching at his side.
The guard jerked as if he had been shot and stared at the boy in shock. "What? I'm an Imperial soldier, your protector!" The guard's eyes narrowed and he frowned, Tir McDohl has brown hair, will probably be wearing a green bandana, a red over-tunic, and yellow pants. He'll be traveling with his two guardians, a man and a woman. "Hey wait a minute!" He reached out and grasped the teen's shoulder. "You look familiar."
The anger fled Tir in a rush and he stepped back as he realized his mistake, jerking his shoulder from the guard's grip, only to be caught again as the guard gripped his wrist. "Let go of me!" He yelled, pitching his voice loud enough to reach up the stairs. The people in the common room turned and stared at the young boy and the guard who stood threateningly over him.
"Young Master, are you all right?" Gremio's voice floated down the stairs followed shortly by the man himself.
Cleo lips twisted, "Hey you! Who do you think you are?"
"Who the hell are you?" The guard snarled. "And what's with this 'Young Master' business?" He jerked Tir closer and stared at his turned and bent head. "You!" He shook the teen roughly, "Show me your face! You look like that fugitive, the McDohl kid."
Gremio leapt forward and jerked his charge from the soldier's grasp and stepped before him, blocking him from the probing glare of the Imperial Guardsman. "What did you say?" He asked, his voice dangerously low.
Cleo grabbed a fistful of his cloak as he stepped forward, "Any more fuss and we're in big trouble," she warned.
"Young Master," Gremio didn't even turn his head, focused as he was on man across from them, "get away while we hold them off."
Cleo pressed Tir's staff into his hands and patted him on the shoulder before she took up position beside Gremio.
"That's enough, young fella." A deep, rough voice drawled from their left. "You too, Imperial big shot." A shaggy man stepped up beside them. His dark hair slapped his face as he shook his head and his impressive arm muscles rippled as he shrugged his shoulders. "Use you heads. Would a fugitive from the law still be hanging around here? They couldn't be that stupid." The man didn't miss Gremio's wince.
The guard hesitated, "Well, I suppose you're right." He shrugged sheepishly, "Just wanted to be sure, you understand."
"Well stop it, you're scaring them," Viktor scolded. "Leave it to me to kick them out." He stepped up behind the group and gave them a shove, herding them out of the Inn.
"Hey!" The guard yelled after the group. "Wait a minute!"
Outside the man shook his head and laughed at their stunned expressions. "Don't worry. There's no reason why we should by loyal to the Empire all the time."
"Thank you very much." Gremio told the taller man gratefully.
"No big deal," the man shrugged. "Name's Viktor. I was just wondering how to pay for my meals, and---"
Gremio blinked, "You mean--"
Cleo blinked, "You did that just to bilk the--"
"Come, come, let it go eh?" Viktor grinned good-naturedly. "Well then, thanks for helping me out. Though I'm pretty good at sneaking out of things on my own." He turned and strolled down the street whistling, his hands in his pockets. He smiled and mentally ticked off the seconds in his head, three, two, one--
He's good a sneaking out…Hey wait a minute! Tir bolted after the man with Gremio and Cleo hot on his heels. "Wait! Hey Viktor, wait!" The shaggy bear of a man turned and raised an eyebrow inquisitively as Tir skidded to stop in front of him. The young teen stared up at him, his face drawn into a frown.
"What's the matter?" Viktor asked, leaning his hip against the brick wall casually. "You look troubled."
"I--" Tir shut his mouth with a snap, at a loss for words. How do I ask for his help without telling him who I am? Can I risk being caught? Man, this sucks on a level never experienced before.
Viktor laughed and patted Tir on the shoulder, almost causing the teen to stagger. "I know who are, no worries. You're that rebel McDohl kid, right?"
Gremio's reaction was instantaneous. "We are not rebels!" He snapped.
Viktor shrugged his massive shoulders, "I couldn't care less either way. Incidentally, how do you plan to escape this place?" He grinned roguishly, "I have an idea, if you care to listen, and I'm used to these kinds of things. Interested?"
Ah, what the hell. Tir shrugged, "All right, help us out."
"Leave it to me," Viktor said as he pushed himself off the wall and straightened to his full height and towered over Tir; a lofty six foot three compared to Tir's own five foot six. "I have on condition."
"Here we go," Gremio muttered.
"Hey, it's no big deal," Viktor replied defensively. "If we succeed in escaping, I'd like you to meet someone. A small request, right?"
Tir nodded decisively, "Okay, no problem."
"So it's a deal." Viktor and Tir sealed the agreement with a handshake. "Well, let's hurry then." The Bear, as Tir had begun to think of him as, rolled his shoulders and set a brisk pace, heading straight for the city gate. "First we've got to go the city gates."
"But the guards--"
"Don't worry I won't turn you into the Imperials. I give you my word." Viktor assured them. Tir didn't know exactly why but he trusted his word.
*********************************
"Lady?"
"He's found another." Leknaat smiled, "Tenko, the Lone Star."
Luc frowned, his eternally young face slightly irate and confused. "Are you talking about the Gathering?"
"Yes, my young student." Leknaat's hands hovered over her luminescent crystal ball and the scene contained within.
"Why do you manipulate their lives so?"
Leknaat smiled secretively, "I merely watch and guide them to their destiny."
Luc watched her dubiously, "If you say so."
*****************************
A/N: Ah the end of a well rounded crappy chapter. Ra, ra. Hey did anybody get the disclaimer joke way up there? You know the .SYS one? If nobody got it (and tell me they didn't get it) I'll explain it next chapter. Even the mildly computer savvy should get it… Yes, I'm a closet computer geek now be quiet.