Chapter Ten

"Well, I think we found the castle."

Tenchi gazed up at the rugged stone wall of the building, frowning as he ran his fingers over the outer surface. "So what now? How are we going to find Washu, without getting spotted?"

"Good question." Ryoko sighed, leaning up against the wall. "Getting down here was no mean feat, even when I did manage to teleport us back on target. But Tenchi, didn't it strike you as strange that there were no guards on duty as we came through that weird little cluster of huts? There's noone around. From being so keen to catch us - where have they all gone?"

"You think they're laying a trap?"

"Possibly." Ryoko grimaced. "Or preparing for something that takes priority."

"A sacrifice!" Tenchi whitened, and Ryoko nodded.

"That was my thought." She agreed. "We've wasted so much damn time, since we started looking for Washu. First we couldn't find the stupid planet, then we lost Tokimi, then we got sent off course by those guardsmen and now..."

She shrugged.

"It almost seems like they want us to come here." She added. "Perhaps we're being invited to their little murder-by-flame ritual."

"Murder-by-flame...Sasami's vision?" Tenchi bit his lip. "Then we have to find Washu as soon as we can. Standing around here is no good. If it is a trap, well, we'll just have to fall into it, I guess. We don't have much choice."

"Tenchi." Ryoko sent him a startled glance, then she grinned, nodding her head as she reached across to grasp him by the hand. "You and I are thinking on the same wavelength. So that being so, we're going in - forget the polite way, we're going to play pirates and sneak in through a less obvious entrance."

"Wait a minute, Ryoko, you're not going to..."

Tenchi faltered, as his fiancee pulled him firmly through the thick stone wall of the castle, closing his eyes against the disorientation as they found themselves inside the tall, austere building.

"Well, it's quicker." Ryoko sounded unrepentant. "Plus, I wanted to make sure my magic was feeling better. It is."

"You're saying that if it hadn't been, we might have been stuck in that wall for all eternity?" Tenchi's eyes snapped open and he gazed at her in alarm. "Ryoko!"

"Desperate times." Ryoko shrugged. "So, we're in."

"And there's noone here either." Tenchi narrowed his eyes, glancing around him. "It's like the place is deserted."

"It has to be a trap." Ryoko pursed her lips. "They must know you'd come looking for your sword, and that's how they're hoping to take us prisoner."

"We'd better hope they've over-estimated their cunning, then." Tenchi said darkly. "I don't know if I can summon the Light Hawk Wings twice in such a short space of time. And your magic is weak against whatever spell they tried to cast on you."

"If you ask me, that's another indication that this world is somehow a reconstituted Kihaku." Ryoko said darkly. "My magic has fifty percent Kii origins, and it would make sense...they weakened Washu the same way. It's like they can tackle Kii magic, because they understand it better than they understand Jurai's."

"The Kii didn't like Jurai very much, so I can't imagine we'll get a friendly reception if we're caught." Tenchi reasoned. "We should keep a low profile, and keep our eyes and ears open for any sign of life."

"I'm with that." Ryoko nodded. "Come on. This part of the building looks too fine to be associated with prisoners, but so far nothing has been quite what it seems. I vote we keep walking and hope we come across something that might lead us to Washu. After all, it's harder to catch a moving target."

"Should we tell Kiyone and the others what we're doing?" Tenchi wondered. Ryoko shook her head.

"No. They have their own concerns, finding Tokimi." She said. "And we don't want to draw attention to ourselves more than we have to, do we?"

"Guess not." Tenchi agreed. "Well, you're the pirate. I'll follow your call."

"Good boy." Ryoko's eyes danced with amusement, although Tenchi saw the faint flicker of gravity in their depths and he knew she was worrying about her absent mother. "Then let's move."

"This place really is amazing." Tenchi murmured, as they made their way along the high-arched hallway, glancing around him as he did so. "Don't you think so? I thought the Kii were primitive, but this is something else."

"It's an old pile of stones glued together." Ryoko said pragmatically. "That's all. Nothing smart about that, Tenchi. Any idiot can heap up building blocks."

"Yes, maybe, but still." Tenchi raised his hand to indicate the ceiling over their heads. "Look. So colourful, and so many pictures. Doesn't it seem even a little bit like a fairy-tale to you?"

"I'm a little old for fairy tales." Ryoko shook her head, pulling him to one side as she peered around the corner of the passageway. "Coast is clear. We're not house-hunting, so would you give it a rest? Ancient castles give me the creeps, anyway. It's probably haunted, and I've had enough experience of ghosts already in the past few years, thank you very much."

"All right, all right." Tenchi grimaced, but he nodded his head. "I was just observing, that's all. You've seen more of space than me - these things are still a novelty."

"Well, enjoy them a little more quietly." Ryoko admonished. "We might be walking willingly into a trap, but there's no reason to make it worse."

"True." Tenchi acknowledged, obediently muting his tones.

"There is something eerie about this place, though." Ryoko murmured, as they crept between hallways and through arches. "Don't you think so? Completely devoid of life...yet the walls...have you noticed? How they glitter when you walk past them - as if they're some kind of remote detection system?"

"Do we think that there's more technology here than we anticipated?" Tenchi looked anxious. "I hadn't noticed any glittering...am I being dense and Earthling again?"

"No more than usual." Ryoko frowned, raising her fingers to touch the stone. "Just...it's since we took that last turning. Look...don't you see it?"

She ran her palm over the brick, and Tenchi's eyes widened as he saw specks within the stone shimmer with an odd blue light.

"That is weird." he agreed, reaching out his own hand to brush the wall, but as his fingers made contact with the stone, nothing happened. "And that is even weirder. It doesn't seem to like me. Maybe the castle is talking to you, because you're part Kii. What do you think?"

"I think I'm getting creeped out." Ryoko confessed, touching her fingers to the stone once more. "How's that possible?"

"Shards of something, embedded in the rock. Like some kind of jewel." Tenchi peered over her shoulder, reaching past her to pry a loose chip free of its base. "Here. Look. That's what's glowing. Some kind of mineral or something - I guess it's probably a way of lighting the corridors of this place, since they don't seem to have electricity."

"Let me see." Ryoko held out her hand, and Tenchi dropped the fragment into it. As it touched Ryoko's skin, his fiancee gasped, clutching it more tightly as her eyes widened in surprise. She swallowed hard, stumbling back against the wall, and Tenchi hurried to steady her, alarm flooding his features at her strange reaction.

"Ryoko?" He asked anxiously. "Ryoko, drop it! If it's going to hurt you like those people did...drop it. I'm sorry, I should have..."

"No." Ryoko seemed to get a grip on herself, shaking her head. "No, Tenchi, it's not that. It's like...it's like something rushing through me. No wonder I feel creeped out in this place - it's this stone. It's making all my emotions heightened inside of me. But when I touched this piece..."

She faltered, biting her lip.

"Tenchi, I know where Washu is." She murmured. "For a moment, I saw her thoughts and I knew...I knew exactly where she was. And more, Tenchi...she has your sword!"

----------------------

"The offerings are ready, Father."

Tokimi knelt before the shrine, twitching her hands into a gesture of reverence before turning to offer her father a smile. "Everything is. I managed to find the best flowers, too. This will be the best summer ritual we've ever held - I just know it will."

"Tokimi-chan." The priest raised his head from where he had been offering prayer, giving his adoptive daughter an approving grin as he did so. "What I'd do without you these days I have no idea. This planet is lucky to have you - lucky that your people were wise enough to leave you with me to grow and develop in all the ways you have. One day you will make a fine healer, of that I have no doubt - following in the path of your ancestors and keeping their skills and memory alive."

"I hope so." Tokimi's eyes sparkled, although there was a faint gravity within their unusual depths as she contemplated the thing that remained unspoken between them. "Father, you know that I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. Whatever you ask of me, you know I'll be there to do it. No matter what."

"Yes, I know." The Priest got slowly to his feet, a wistful flicker crossing his green eyes and for a moment Tokimi wondered if he was thinking of his absentee daughter. "Well, no sense hanging around here. We have much to do, and..."

"Shinpu-sama!"

At that moment the door of the temple was flung back and as one Tokimi and her companion turned, taking in the newcomer's appearance with some surprise and alarm. The man was breathless, red in the face from his hurried flight across the town and his clothing, ragged and scorched in places, was stained with the unmistakeable taint of blood. About his waist, his sash hung torn and loose, and the Priest's brow knitted together in consternation, crossing the floor to where the man stood.

"What has happened?" He said softly. "Why are you here like this, Masoto? What's wrong?"

"The Settlers, my Lord...the Settlers!" The man drew a harried, rasping breath into his exhausted lungs, gripping the Priest tightly around the wrists. "They've risen up against us, with weapons from the devil! Please, Shinpu-sama - you must come. You must come!"

"The Settlers?" Tokimi's eyes opened wide with alarm and fear, and Masoto nodded, bowing his head to his companion in a gesture of respect.

"Yes, Tokimi-sama. Already people have been killed...their weapons are like nothing on this World, and we don't know how to defend against them!"

"Then I must come." The Priest said quietly. "Tokimi-chan, I want you to stay here. I don't want you putting yourself in harm's way."

"No, Father. You know I can't." Tokimi's eyes were big with fear, but she shook her head. "If people are hurt...maybe I can help them. I have to try. And I know you can drive the Settlers away from our land - so I have to come with you! I must!"

"Tokimi, I'm not joking." The Priest said gravely. "Masoto-san, please, stay with my daughter. Afford her as much protection as you are able. I must go and placate this threat to my people."

With that his aura glowed and shone with a strange blue light, and he flickered and disappeared from the shrine complex.

Tokimi sank down onto a bier, biting her lip as she eyed Masoto in consternation.

"Have many people been harmed?" She whispered. Masoto nodded, settling himself on the floor before her.

"Sadly, enough." He replied gravely. "My village and the one to the south of it have been entirely destroyed, with people fleeing for the hills. The Settlers truly have weapons from Hell - weapons that could destroy us all."

"No, Father will stop them. Father will." Tokimi said with certainty, though a shiver ran down her spine. "I know he will. He'll protect everyone - that's what the Priest does."

"I have faith in him too, Lady Tokimi." Masoto nodded his head. "Forgive me. I have seen family slain already today...I am not thinking with a clear mind."

There was pain in his voice, and Tokimi sent him a horrified look.

"Family?" She echoed. "Ojisama..."

"My mother and father, and my little sister all." Masoto said softly, and Tokimi could tell that he was holding back tears. "I was away from the centre when it happened, and when I returned..."

He faltered, shaking his head, and despite herself, a wave of indignation welled up inside Tokimi's young heart. She got to her feet, moving across the shrine complex to where the flowers she had gathered still lay, awaiting the beginning of the religious ceremony.

"Tokimi-sama?" Masoto sounded concerned, and she turned back towards him, clutching a handful of blooms to her chest.

"I must follow Father." She said softly. "I must go help him - him and anyone else who has been hurt. I can't save your family, Masoto-san. But maybe I can make a difference. I am the last of the Inoue - there is noone else who could. I must go."

"Tokimi-sama, your Father would never forgive me if I let harm befall you." Masoto shook his head, moving to bar her way, but Tokimi was resolute and she gently pushed him aside.

"You are exhausted and struck with grief." She murmured. "But you know that I must do what my people were born to do. I must try, Ojisama, even if it means I die. My mother and father gave me up to the Priest for this purpose, I know it...the World meant me to be here for this. To help our people, when our enemies attacked."

"Tokimi-sama." Masoto's eyes glittered with respect, and he held up his hands. "Then I will hope your father forgives me for letting you pass. I have never heard you speak with such determination before, my Lady - but it brings me comfort to know that you do. The World chose well, when it chose to spare you from the famine and war of your people."

"I hope you are right." A faint smile touched Tokimi's lips. "Thank you, Masoto-san. And if...if we don't meet again, make sure that you serve my Father in all ways."

Masoto bowed his head, and Tokimi pushed back the wood door, hurrying into the street. A dark cloud hung over the sky to the West, and as she headed in that direction, she became aware of glittering flares of light coupled with the fire and smoke of burning village homes. As she drew nearer, she recognised the sheen of a protective shield, and as she raised her gaze to the sky, she saw her father positioned between the Settler antagonists and the cowering, frightened population of a half-devastated village. Beneath the glow of his forcefield, the townsfolk watched in terror, some praying, some crying, some tending to their injured as the Settlers renewed their attack, aiming for the centre of the Priest's shield. Tokimi faltered, watching as the shimmering aura around her father's body strengthened and clarified, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the unmistakeable shadow of blueish wings spread out across the sky around him, cloaking him in the light of the Eagle.

"The World's spirit." Tokimi whispered, pushing her hands together in a gesture of reverence as she stared at her father's glittering body in awe and wonder. "Protecting his people, just as we always knew he would. Father, Washu was wrong...she was so wrong. You and this World, you have so much power. So much strength. To serve that Eagle - what could be more than that?"

As she watched, the Priest drew his hands together, sending out a glittering blast of blue and amber light, and in spellbound silence, Tokimi saw the Settler weapon explode into a flare of bright light, shards littering the landscape like shrapnel as despite themselves, the attacking forces drew back. Above their heads, lightning split the sky as grey clouds began to mass over their heads, rain falling to put out the village fires and create a mass of soggy ash from what had been a death-trap of smouldering timbers. Watching the scene unfold, Tokimi knew that the World was angry because her Father was angry, and inwardly she quaked at the amount of energy that crackled through the atmosphere. As the Priest prepared a second bolt of energy, a bright white light shot out from one of the Settler contraptions, catching him square on and he let out a cry, the Eagle wings fluctuating and fading out of focus for the briefest of moments.

"Papa!" Tokimi leapt forward, as blood glittered through her father's clothing, spattering on the ground below. The Priest did not falter in his attack, however, drawing on his strength as he propelled a final, emphatic blast of light in the direction of the attacking Settlers. This time, there was no chance for withdrawal, as one by one the Settler contraptions exploded into nothing. Settlers who had stood their ground ready to fight blade-to-blade with the terrified Kii broke their formation, turning tail and fleeing for the safety of the Settler complexes and the bright domes that littered the Western landscape. In their confusion, they collided with one another, as the Kii villagers seemed to awaken from their stunned dazes. With a battle cry that could have rivalled any savage, they drew their own swords, charging at their enemy with renewed belief and Tokimi could see the fluttering green of the Ohira tribe leading the charge as they cut down fleeing men.

She bit her lip, making her way slowly down the hill towards the saved village as another bolt of lightning split apart the Kii skyline. As she did so, the glowing light surrounding her father's body flickered and faded from view and the Priest's body dropped like a stone to the ground below, falling with a heavy, awkward thud onto the scorched grasslands. Tokimi let out a cry of horror, hurrying forward as she grasped her Father's hands in hers, but even as she touched his skin, she knew beyond all doubt that he was past her help. Blood seeped through the teal of his tunic, turning it red to match his Hakubi sash, and as Tokimi put a hand against his pale skin, she realised that the final effort to drive back the Settlers had taken the last of his strength. Tears glittered on her lashes as despair washed over her, and she gripped hold of his hands more tightly, shaking her head as she struggled to come to terms with what had happened.

"Father." She whispered, her tears falling and mingling with the rain that soaked his lifeless, bloodstained body. "Father!"

"Tokimi-sama?" Masoto's voice from behind her made her turn, and at the sight of her expression, he dropped by the motionless Priest's side, making a gesture of reverence over the dead body of their leader.

"He died saving everyone." Tokimi choked. "He used all his strength, Ojisama. He...he saved Kihaku, but...but..."

She swallowed hard, dashing her tears away as yet more fell.

"But I didn't think that the Priest could be killed." She whispered. "I didn't think Papa could die like this...not like this. Masoto-san - what can we do! How can we ever...how can the World..."

Masoto was silent for a moment, touching the body of his master tentatively. Then he turned, and Tokimi could see the grief and anger mingled in his fuschia eyes.

"The Settlers must pay for this." He said softly. "For attacking our people...for slaying our Priest. They must be driven from Kihaku - they must be destroyed."

Tokimi stared at him in alarm, and Masoto nodded his head.

"I mean it." He said gravely. "If only the Priest's daughter had lived. If only..."

"Washu!" Hope glittered in Tokimi's eyes, and she scrambled to her feet. "Of course! Washu!"

"Tokimi-sama, Washu-sama is dead." Masoto said gently. Tokimi shook her head.

"Maybe...maybe not." She said unevenly. "Ojisama, take...take care of my Father's body. Do all the things that you've been trained to do, as Scribe of the Priest's Work. Take him and treat him with all the respect due a martyr Priest of this world...I beg you."

"Of course, Tokimi-sama - but what are you going to do?" Masoto looked non-plussed. Tokimi frowned, clenching her fists as the lightning split the sky over her head for a third time.

"I'm going to try and find Washu." She said softly. "And give Kihaku its Priestess."

Tokimi's eyes fluttered open, fear flickering in her sapphire eyes as she struggled to regain a sense of her environment. The vivid images that had haunted her dreams still taunted at her senses, teasing her about a lifetime that seemed so far away, and she shivered, tears glittering on her lashes.

"Father." She whispered. "Is that what happened? Tokimi was with you, but she couldn't help you? Tokimi is Inoue, but she could not heal the Priest?"

She hugged her knees more tightly to her chest, the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles digging into her skin as she glanced hopelessly around her dark, confined environment.

"And now Tokimi will die?" She murmured apprehensively. "Because Tokimi...Tokimi was the one who killed Kihaku? Is that true? All these things I see - are they true things, or just bits of dreams? I wish I knew...I wish I knew!"

The clatter of the cage door startled her at that moment, and she shrank back against the stone wall of the cell as the divide creaked open, revealing a man dressed in the same uniform as the woman who had taken her prisoner. Vaguely Tokimi remembered encountering him once before, when she had been brought before the demon and accused of so many horrible things, but in her frightened panic, she could not remember his name. He stepped inside, grabbing her roughly by the arm and pulling her to her feet. She stumbled, letting out a cry of fear, and the man's brows drew together as he landed a firm slap across her cheek.

"No noise." He instructed, even as the tears began to stream down his captive's cheek once more. "Come with me. Your fate is decided, and confirmed by Yuzuha-sama. As the traitor Priestess of Kihaku, and as the one responsible for insurrection on Rikishouki, you will be made an example of. Your death is upon us, Tokimi-sama. It will be less painful for you if you don't fight."

He spoke in derisive, sharp tones, and Tokimi swallowed hard against the rising sense of hysteria as she found herself forcibly dragged from her cell and along a dark, narrow passageway towards a cluster of other guardsmen and women, each standing to attention. As her escort approached, each saluted him sharply, and he returned the gesture with little ceremony, giving his prisoner a harsh shove as she fell heavily to her knees.

"Here is the one." He said coolly. "Yuzuha-sama would have her taken to the usual place, to be bound to the stake and given to the flame, just as those have gone before her. We must make an example of the one who claims to be the cleanser Priestess of Kihaku. Yuzuha-sama has made her wishes clear. This wretch and all who support her on this World must be dealt with, as examples to the rest."

"Yes, Captain Isao." One of the men stepped forward, eying Tokimi hesitantly for a moment, then, "Captain, is she truly...the one? The one in the legend - the one who slew our ancestors and cleansed our World when the Settlers came?"

"She claims it, and Lady Yuzuha seems to believe it." The man, who Tokimi now knew was Isao nodded his head. "Are you afraid, guardsman? Will you defy the orders of your mistress, because of some ancient superstitious legend? Kihaku is dead, and so is the power of the Eagle that resided within it. So Yuzuha-sama has assured all of us - what power can a weak wretch of a girl have over any of us now?"

He reached out with his foot to kick Tokimi, as if to emphasise his point, and she gazed up at him with uncomprehending, reproachful eyes. "You see? She is ineffective. Driven mad, Yuzuha-sama believes. Follow your instruction, else you will be punished according to the Priestess's will."

"Yes, Captain." The man agreed hurriedly, reaching down to haul Tokimi to her feet. "The cart is ready. We will do as you instruct - tell Lady Yuzuha that everything will be ready for her at the usual time."

"Good." Isao jerked his head in acknowledgement. "Do not fail in this - the Priestess has not been pleased by the loss of one of her people last night - she seeks to take full vengeance this morning and she will not tolerate any inaccuracies or failures. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Captain." The man saluted again, and Isao offered Tokimi a cold smile, bowing towards her mockingly.

"We will not meet again." He said quietly, and something in his tones filled Tokimi with icy dread. "I trust you will make a good death, Lady Tokimi. One which befits a Priestess - it is time you went to join the World you were once so keen to destroy."

With that he was gone, and Tokimi found herself hauled up onto an unsteady cart, pinioned between the man who had answered Isao's orders and a woman of similar age and build. She gazed around her in fright, unable to hold back her tears.

"Nii-chan." She sobbed. "Where are you, Nii-chan. Where are you!"

At the sound of the unfamiliar, Galactic Tongue words, her companions reacted, exchanging fearful looks, and the man who had taken charge of her grasped her tightly by the hand.

"You will stay silent." He said quietly, and though there was a firm note in his tones, Tokimi was aware of something more than coldness in his manner. "It will be easier for you, if you are."

"Am I going to die?" Tokimi asked fearfully. The man nodded his head.

"Yuzuha-sama has decreed it." He said heavily. "Noone can oppose the will of the Priestess."

"But Washu is Priestess of Kihaku." Tokimi protested. "Yuzuha is demon! She is bad! She is demon!"

"Hold your tongue, girl." The woman shook her head admonishingly. "You are already marked for death...it will be a more traumatic process for you, if you continue to speak against the Lady Yuzuha in this way."

Tokimi bit her lip, but obediently fell silent, glancing between her captors with a mixture of fright and uncertainty. Although they obeyed their orders, and she had no doubt that they would carry them out to the letter, they seemed almost reluctant in their manner, and with a jolt, Tokimi wondered if they really wanted to hurt her at all.

"But they will, because the demon says so." She told herself sadly. "And Nii-chan...Nii-chan isn't here to save Tokimi from Yuzuha. Tokimi did bad things, and Nii-chan...Nii-chan doesn't want her any more. Not now he knows...Tokimi made him do wrong things, and...and he can't forgive. Nii-chan...will you be glad when Tokimi is dead? And Washu...where is Washu? If she is not Priestess - is Washu-neechan already dead too?"