Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Hi! I'm here to tell you a secret. Pheo The Flame doesn't own Beyblade! I know, right? It's crazy!


"I think she'll be okay… I think." Alicia's words were the first Scarlet heard, but she didn't open her eyes. She couldn't; she was much too weak from loss of blood. In fact, she was still bleeding.

"Do you think the arrow was poisoned?" That was Tala; Scarlet would recognize his voice anywhere. "Or enchanted?" Scarlet twitched her head, pain exploding in her skull. She gasped in pain, and her eyes shot open.

"Where are we?" She asked, closing her eyes again. It was bright, abnormally bright for a snowy evening. Unless… "How long have I been out?" She asked.

Alicia answered quietly. "About… maybe ten hours? The storm's passed over, so we had to find somewhere else to stay, where no one would see us, and Wolborg offered to take us up to the cave… so, yeah." Scarlet tried to open her eyes again, but could make out no more than silhouettes. Two of them.

"Where's Kai?" She asked, sitting up despite the throbbing pain in her shoulder. She looked at it, and saw that it was still oozing blood, but was wrapped in her scarf.

"I don't know," Tala answered, "He said he had to be somewhere."

"Asia," Scarlet said, amazed, "I'd totally forgot! The rest of the Bladebreakers are there." Tala nodded.

"That makes sense. We should probably get going too… but if you're not up to it, we can wait." Scarlet shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said, "But I won't be going anywhere for a while. There was something wrong with that arrow. Not poison, exactly, but… Alicia, how long have you had Isis?"

Alicia looked out towards the cave entrance. "I've had her for years… ever since I can remember. She's always been a part of me, until last night. She's never disobeyed an order, or even a request." Scarlet saw a tear drop from her eye.

Dranzer, please tell me what happened, she thought. Instantly, her throat burned, and Dranzer began to speak.

"When I was born," she said, "When the world dawned, I had two siblings. My brother Janus, the seer, and my sister Isis, the warrior. I was the sun, forever condemned to circle the earth, always at the opposite side of the earth from Driger, who used to be the moon. We were opposites, yes, but we loved each other. But you see, Isis loved Driger too. And she could find him wherever he went, while I could only see him for a little while every day, when the moon and the sun were both at opposite horizons. But my brother, Janus, foretold that Isis and Driger would never be, and Isis, in her sorrow, convinced herself that if she could get rid of Janus…" she stopped suddenly, as if recalling something painful. "It happened at night. Driger saw, but he didn't- he didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Isis had Janus fly into the air with a flaming target… so that she could see it, I suppose she said. But she wanted to see him." Dranzer's voice became hard. "He was the target. He fell to the ground with an arrow through his neck. And Driger… ran the nights so fast trying to get to me, to tell me, that he broke our curse, and for the first time I flew in the sky without the sun."

"Wait," Tala interrupted, "What kind of bird was Janus?" Dranzer fixed him with Scarlet's stare.

"Janus," Dranzer answered slowly, "Janus was a wolf. Do you never wonder why a phoenix could turn into one? I am honoring my brother. But as I was saying, when I found Driger, he'd run so hard his paws were bleeding. He told me about Janus, and I swore…" she closed her eyes. "I swore that I would kill Isis. I swore that I would kill her for what she had done. And now, even now, I am held to that promise by an honor that is no longer known to humans. But Isis has sworn to kill me. And one day, our paths will meet." She opened her eyes, and they were silver, completely silver, without pupils or whites. "One day, but not soon. Because if I die, so does the sun. And although you wouldn't think it, at least, Isis hasn't, if the sun dies, the moon does too." Scarlet's throat burned again, and she regained control of her voice, and her eyes switched back to one black, the other silver. She had heard Dranzer's tale, and felt, however slightly, a spark, deep inside of the phoenix, the spark that still tied it to the sun.

"Alicia," Scarlet said, "Something Dranzer told me, a long time ago… bit-beasts can disobey a direct order if, and only if, a promise holds them to something else. It wasn't your fault, but Isis's decision." Not sure if she was making things worse, Scarlet stopped talking.

"I-" Alicia stopped suddenly. "Get back, both of you." She darted, crouched over, to the back of the cave. Tala followed, Scarlet refusing his help and following at her own pace, only a bit slower.

"Alicia," Tala said, "What is this about?"

"Someone's coming," Alicia replied, "Someone from the abbey."

Dranzer, I need your wolf form, she thought to the phoenix.

That isn't a wise decision, Dranzer replied. Not in your weakened state.

I don't care! There's no time for worry. It hurt more than it usually did, but Dranzer turned Scarlet into the familiar black wolf. Scarlet ripped her scarf off of her shoulder, then carried it to the edge of the cave.

"What are you doing?" Alicia asked, "Someone's bound to see that!" Strangely, the cave didn't narrow as it went back, so she and Tala had sat down again.

That's what I want. Scarlet thought. She nodded her head when she realized the girl hadn't heard her. Isis must have reversed the brand, and she wasn't surprised.

"Are you crazy?" Tala asked. This time Scarlet shook her head.

What were the odds? She thought, I didn't know Brooklyn was from the abbey!

He's not. Dranzer said, Boris trained him and the rest of his team. They're his back-up plan.

Scarlet growled, and then dropped the scarf so that it fluttered outside of the cave entrance, and put a paw on it so it didn't blow away completely. Snow blanketed the ground like a great silver-white blanket, glittering like millions of diamonds. The tree that had been burning was now just a blackened stump. She parted her lips in a wolfish smile. Should I get his attention? She asked.

Sure, Dranzer said. I suppose you want to be dragged back to the abbey.

He wouldn't do that, Scarlet thought, and then howled. Brooklyn looked up, but Scarlet jumped before he could do anything else. She landed hard on her bad foot, and jarred her wounded shoulder, but from twenty feet up, it was still pretty impressive. Alright, I'll take my human form back now.

Dranzer did as she asked, and Brooklyn looked shocked. Scarlet rotated her shoulder, trying to loosen it, and said the first thing that came to her mind. "Why are you here?" She was hoping to catch him off guard, but she failed.

"Another tournament," he replied, "I thought you told me you were following them?" Scarlet shook her head.

"I'm stuck in a cave with an arrow wound," she said, "Does it look like I'm in any shape to be traveling?" She rolled her eyes like he was an idiot. Brooklyn shrugged.

"I thought your could turn into a falcon," he said, "Yet you were just a wolf."

Oh damn… Scarlet thought. What do I say to that?

Scarlet, Dranzer warned. You need to run. I'm going to turn you into a wolf, because your hawk form won't work with a bad shoulder. Get back up to the cave.

How? Scarlet asked. Why do you want me to run?

From the abbey, Dranzer replied. There's someone from the abbey nearby, and I can't tell who. Run as soon as you've got four feet. Instantly, Scarlet took on the familiar and favored form of a wolf, and took off. She howled a goodbye, but it sounded more threatening than 'I hope I'll see you soon'. She took a huge leap, and scrambled up the cliff face (Which luckily was rocky with plenty of small outcroppings) and once again grabbed the scarf between her teeth and dashed further into the cave.

"She's the one we're looking for," Bryan said, appearing from nowhere. "But Dranzer isn't an easy catch…" he trailed off, looking back up to the cave where the wolf had vanished. He had his own reasons for wanting to catch her, as did Falborg. Alicia and Isis, the girl and her bit-beast.

Master, Falborg said, Dranzer will fight us to the death if we can't subdue her. Let me free for a bit. She won't know what hit her.

"No Falborg," Bryan muttered. As much as he was tempted, he and Brooklyn had a plan. Of sorts. "We must wait."

"I swear," Brooklyn said, "It sounds like you're talking to yourself."

"Falborg's being impatient," Bryan replied, then winced as a bitter cold blast of air hit him. Brooklyn, however, shivered violently and turned to leave. "Where're you going?" Bryan said angrily.

"Somewhere the temperature is above zero," Brooklyn snapped back, "I hate the cold." It took all the self control Bryan had to not just kill him then and there.

The plan Bryan, Falborg said. Your so-called plan, remember?

Of course, Bryan thought back. And it will work.

In Asia

Kai couldn't speak with Dranzer, though it wasn't that he hadn't tried. In fact, he had still been trying to speak to her when he found the hotel the team was staying at this time. Why is it always a hotel? He wondered. Even in our home cities, we stay somewhere unfamiliar. He was walking up to his room now, remembering the insanely fast journey here. It hadn't seemed fast; he'd just called Dranzer and asked her to take him back to Asia, remembering what Bryan had said to him. He walked up the stairs, forgetting about the elevator. Scarlet would have taken the stairs, she was paranoid that way. That made him smile a bit, hoping she was safe. The arrow wound hadn't looked too serious, so he had left. What if it was poisoned though? He asked himself, unlocking his room. He stepped in and walked over to his bed, then flopped down on his back. There's no time to worry about that Kai, focus! The first battle of the tournament was tomorrow, and the team was probably out practicing. I should join them. He got up and left, grabbing Dranzer even though he knew the blade wasn't nearly as powerful without his bit-beast.

In Russia

"Scarlet, what were you thinking?" Tala asked furiously. "You could have been captured!"

"I knew what I was doing," Scarlet answered, rewrapping her shoulder. She'd let the scarf sit in the snow for a few minutes to clean as best as she could, and then set it just inside the cave to dry. "Besides, with Dranzer helping me, there's no way he could've caught me."

"But you don't know that!" Tala hissed. "I know for a fact that Voltaire's been working on fusing bladers with their bit-beasts! That's why I'm here right now, with you and Alicia!"

Scarlet's eyes blazed. "That's it," she snarled. "That abbey will be destroyed, and I will personally see to putting a sword through Boris's ribs." Alicia and Tala instinctively moved away from her.

"Scarlet," Alicia said, "You aren't well enough to travel yet. I think we should see if this cave here has a back entrance, and leave that way." Scarlet's eyes softened a bit, and she shook her head.

"No Alicia," she said, "I've been here before. It's a straight drop off a few hundred feet back." Tala looked at her.

"You've never been here," he said, "You couldn't have come here…"

"This was the last spot we stopped Tala," Scarlet said, "Where you…" she trailed off.

"What?" He asked. Why do I not remember?

"It's nothing," Scarlet said, "But when we were trying to live on our own, when Kai found us, we stayed here… and there was the cave in…"

I was pure back then. Wolborg said, I was your protector. Flashes of memories went past Tala's eyes. There were rocks collapsing; darkness, with the tiniest hint of sunlight; a wolf, clawing away at the rocks. He put his head back against the cool, rough stone, and sighed.

"I remember," he said, "Sort of." Alicia was feeling uncomfortable, she felt like she had no place in this conversation. She noticed that Tala's hair was falling out of the twin spikes it was normally set in, and it was falling just past his shoulders. (AN: I'm not actually sure how long Tala's hair is, only how tall. *Laughs quietly to self*) It looked strange, but not bad.

Alicia! Isis snapped, Focus, and we can escape!

What do you mean, escape? Alicia thought back, I'm not going back to the abbey!

But there it is safe. Isis said slyly. Have you thought of what you can eat here? Where you will stay when another storm comes? And you know you're being hunted… every moment you're out here puts you and Tala in danger… and Scarlet is leading you into it.

Isis, speak your mind. Alicia thought, I want to know what you're thinking about!

I think that you should go back. Isis said, I think you should forget about Tala and Scarlet. And I think you should release me. Isis's voice had a new layer to it. A beautiful, hypnotizing new layer that made Alicia want to do whatever the bit-beast said.

Let me ask Scarlet first… she ventured. Maybe she's planned for something like that.

No! Isis said, adding another hypnotic layer to her voice. Dranzer never plans ahead. You should sneak out tonight, when no one would expect. I can turn you into a bird, and we can fly back together.

I don't know… Alicia's thoughts were muddled now. Isis was slowly hypnotizing her, as Scarlet and Tala discussed the cave.

But I do. Isis answered. Her voice was so mesmerizing now she could stop a bull elephant in mid-charge. Take first watch tonight. When they are both asleep, we'll leave.

Alicia couldn't fight it anymore. Al- alright. She thought, But for now, let me rest. She closed her eyes, and even though she didn't feel a bit tired, she was asleep in five minutes.


AN: I'm so sorry this was so short, but I had writers block and then a social studies project and a book report due, and then I couldn't get to the computer… I'm so sorry! Please, please, please review! (Also, I finally learned how to put lines into my document! Yay!) (Yes, I am a bit slow sometimes.)