Chapter 10: Henna Strikes

-Tuesday, June 17, 2003, 5:15PM-

Henna looked at the dispatches and made a point of *not* killing the messenger. It was getting harder and harder to recruit people as the mercenary circles were starting to blacklist Henna – she had lost a lot of men and women over the past year. She was only attracting the young and desperate. Unfortunately, they also tended to be stupid. "Let me get this straight," Henna started. The nervous young man nodded his head. "The plane never landed." Another nod. "It flew all the way from Shanghai to the Japanese coast and turned around to Jeju."

"Yes, Mistress," the mercenary agreed.

"And there were no reports of parachutes or anything like that in the plane's flight path?" she prompted.

"No, Mistress."

"And at Jeju, the South Koreans seized the jet and took everyone into custody," Henna stated. The merc nodded. "What about the contents of the craft?" she asked.

"Also seized, Mistress. But there was no sign of Queen Mizu anywhere. We checked. There were only five people on board, too. The plane was capable of holding thirty people. Somehow, they must have sky-jumped at night. They must be in Kagoshima, so we have Mages watching the ferries and the highways into Shimonoseki," he said to her.

"Leave me now," Henna told him.

"But…"

Henna snatched him by the front of the shirt and dragged him to her so she could stare him in the face. "Get. Out. Now."

"YES, MISTRESS!"

Henna released him and he ran away. She sat on her throne for some time in silence. Finally she got up and started to walk toward her workshop. "So, the Sprite is on her way to Nerima," Henna began. "The last sacrifice awaits. Somehow, she'll die in the presence of Mizu and banish Mizu. Then Akari will somehow return from the dead like Ranma and Akane. The Storm will end and the Balance will be restored. All nice and neat and everyone gets their Happy Ending." Her voice dropped to a low gravel tone. "Everyone but me…"

She marched down the stairs. "But the Council wants me to go to Nerima, don't you? Then I leave my house undefended and you destroy that. Drive the Amazons out or have them renounce me. End the Covenant between Water and the Amazons and I fail as well? A nice two pronged attack."

She paused in front of her work bench and said: "Think you have it all figured out do you? Think the timing's perfect? Think the victory's assured? Think again. I've figured it out. I know who the Council really is now. The fact that there were six of you instead of seven threw me, but your alliance always was uneasy."

"It's admirable though. You suckered the underlings in the Council. All those alliances you made – all so you could eventually betray them probably. Even when it started to go wrong and some of them rebelled, your plan against me still went on," she muttered.

Her voice firmed though. "But I'm not done. This isn't over. I have your Names on the Soul Contract. I can figure out which of the Seven you are. You're in my world – where you're not supposed to be. I know you now and I can attack you. I can gut you; I just need the weapon. I need to make a new Hearth Stone and fill it with souls this time – lots of souls."

Henna began to pull things together on her work bench. "I need a globe of pure crystal," she thought. "I have natural crystals big enough to shape. I also need a pure living heart. One of the Tribe's children will do; there's no time for anything else…"

She paused then and looked at the photograph of Shampoo. She reached for it and said out loud: "And you my dear…You don't get off that easily. You think you can escape me in death, do you? I'd speed up the Anathema if I could just to teach you, but I have a better idea…don't plan on keeping that appointment with Miss Tendo…"

-Wednesday, June 18, 2003, 5:35PM-

Twenty-four hours later, Henna stood on the cliff over her house with a large glowing orb in her hands. Off in the distance, the Village was mourning a child that had died mysteriously in her sleep (Henna had already paid her respects). Henna was sure they would never notice the girl was missing something vital; autopsies were against the beliefs of the Village and the child was unmarked.

The witch raised the globe high in the air and began chanting in a high screeching voice in an unearthly tongue. Below her, the house began to glow. "Come!" Henna commanded. "I have unbound you, but not released you. Demons from Hell have invaded our world. If left unchallenged, they will turn our world to Hell. You will be my weapon against them. You have no choice! Come!"

Slowly, the spirits trapped in her house began to untangle themselves from the house and rise toward the glowing sphere. One by one they rose, leaving the final remains of their earthly lives behind. The house in the chasm began to dissolve into sand and sludge as they left. Henna watched coldly as thousands drifted toward the globe to eventually enter it. The sheer number was staggering, but Henna was uncaring towards them as she had been when she slew them one by one. The only emotion Henna felt was dismay at the ruins of her once glorious mansion. She gave an annoyed sigh as she finally dismissed even that. "I'll have plenty of material to rebuild it once the wars start," she thought.

The spy watched in shock as Henna's house slump into muck. Then he watched stunned as a helicopter appeared over the ridge and landed near Henna. Henna boarded the copter and it took off flying into the east.

"Not possible," the spy thought. He stood stunned for fifteen minutes before his wits returned to him and he pulled out his radio. "I need to call General Xie and let him know what happened," the soldier said out loud.

Suddenly, Ba appeared before him and flicked the radio out of the man's hands. The demon then grinned at the soldier, causing the man's eyes to roll back in his head and fall to the ground. Ba's grin faded to a smirk as he quickly searched the man for any other communication devices. The red-skinned monster found a phone and a second radio. For good measure, he took the man's watch. Then the demon retrieved the first radio and placed everything on the ground. Ba raised a hoof and began to smash the electronics, grinding everything into the dust. Finally, the hell-spawn was satisfied at the destruction. He walked over to the soldier and grudgingly placed a sleep spell on the man; the demon wasn't allowed to hurt humans but the spell should do just as well for stopping the soldier from raising the alarm.

-Wednesday, June 18, 2003, 8:00PM-

Zeltrum of the Ruling Hex looked away as the scrying glass faded to black. He pondered everything he had seen at Nyucheizu and then nodded thoughtfully to himself. Slowly he got up from his chair and debated his course of action. Like Altrus, he was clean shaven, bald, and solidly built at two-and-a-half meters tall. On his face was an intricate design almost like orange smoke. As always, he weighed betraying his brothers, but decided against it. He still might need them. Briskly, he strode off to the Council hall. When he got there, he threw open the doors. The other five (Altrus, Beltrus, Galtral, Deltran, and Epltrin) were sitting down, drinking from chalices filled with a thick red fluid. "Henna has made a new Hearth Stone," he pronounced.

"How?" Deltran demanded. "The Earth Elementals won't obey her any more. She cannot Bind them."

"Who would she give this one too?" Galtral laughed. "The Stone Oni is gone. No other creature would dare wield it."

"She'll wield it herself," Zeltrum said. "And she created it from mortal souls."

"Preposterous," Altrus scoffed. "Such an Artifact would quickly grow unstable. The souls are not elementals – they would fight her constantly."

"She's strong enough to dominate them for a time," Zeltrum said. "She has. Now she's flying off to the east."

"The Earth Sprite Daichi is dead," Beltrus stated. "He died when Ryoga Hibiki died. Besides, you cannot trap a Sprite with human souls – it has to be elemental spirits."

"I think she means this one as a weapon," Zeltrum countered.

"So, she's attacking Nerima now?" Altrus asked, his eyes lighting up. "Then it's time to attack her house and raze it to the ground…"

"She has already done that," Zeltrum cut in. "She destroyed her house herself. That's where she got the spirits for the Hearth Stone." Consternation and quarrelling broke out at his words as the rest tried to glean the witch's motivations.

Finally, Altrus brought a massive fist down on the Council table. "Enough! Obviously Henna foresaw us attacking her house and has devised a means to take it – and her power – to Nerima. We've obviously telegraphed our moves. Now she attacks Nerima. The question is: 'Do we go to Nerima?'"

"And which side do we help?" Beltrus prompted.

Altrus looked thoughtful. "Valid question," he said. "Henna might win now if she brings all her power to bear on Nerima. But if she does, she'll be in bad shape. We may be able to force Armageddon once more. The witch may win the world, but we may be able to take it from her. Who cares if she keeps her soul when we get everyone else's."

"I CARE!" Galtral burst out. "She made a fool out of all of us! I want the witch!"

The six of them argued that very point for over an hour when finally Altrus called them to order by shouting: "Fine! We kill the witch, but first we let her wear herself out! Let her burn Nerima to the ground if that's what it takes, but we'll be the ones who collect the souls. Let the Storm take the world then!"

A high cold laugh filled the hall. "See my precious ones. I told you. They're here for all of you as well as me." Henna voice echoed from everywhere. "They were going to pull you out of the house once I was gone." There was a flash at the far end on the room and Henna appeared, holding the new Hearth Stone which was glowing fiercely and crackling with soul energy. She looked at the Ruling Hex. "Oh, so clever, my little demons. Did it amuse you to pass yourselves off as a force of 'Good'? And for the last five hundred years, you were using your allies just so you could cut their throats."

"Wait, Henna," Altrus started. "We can cut a deal here. We're willing to share."

Henna laughed. "Hear that my precious ones! A deal. They want to make a deal." The orb in Henna's hands began to grow brighter. "That's right. Let me live another eight hundred years – No! Eight thousand years! All I have to do is let you butcher mankind." Her voice dropped as she added: "Let you butcher my brothers and sisters."

Beltrus pulled out a hunting horn and blew into it. The note sounded loud and clear.

"It's too late music maker," Henna told Beltrus. "I killed everyone else in the complex. Then I gathered their spirits and I did something terrible to them – I told them the truth about who you are. I told them that you were six demon lords I had tricked long ago. I told them that you were here not just for revenge on me, but that you were here to take as many souls as you could. That you had tricked them into betraying their peoples. Do you know how angry that made them? Do you know how angry they are right now?" The Hearth Stone grew brighter yet.

Galtral made some odd gesture, but nothing happened. "Oh no," Henna said. "Your own Contract prevents you from harming me directly. That's why you created the Council…" Then she hissed. "Too bad it doesn't work both ways!" At that, a bolt of energy leaped from the Stone and struck Galtral. He was thrown back against the wall. Henna advanced on the six disguised demons. "By the way, I threw a Circle about the room while you were arguing." Around the room, the doors all shut, slamming with a dreadful finality. "So, there's no escape."

Altrus puffed out his chest and adopted a high and mighty stance. "You're being a fool, Henna," he blustered.

"Sorry, Ademus – and you are Ademus; only you would try that trick," she replied with a light laugh. "Sorry," she continued. "But cheer up. I'm sure you can build a new form after a few thousand years. In the meantime, I need your heart." Altrus/Ademus looked surprised. "I need all your hearts actually. You see, there's this thing stuck in the Pacific and I'm going to free it. But I need sacrifices to do it; big powerful sacrifices. I figure six Dukes of Hell should do it." Henna held up the Hearth Stone. "Shall we begin?" she asked the now astonished demons.

Altrus answer was a bolt of energy that screamed across the room to smash into the ceiling above Henna. Quickly, Henna pulled from the Souls in the Hearth Stone and created a Shield about herself as the ceiling dropped on her. Altrus watched as she blasted her way out of the wreckage like a bomb. "Aww…" he said mockingly. "Too bad you didn't sign a Contract with the ceiling, little witch. As for my Contract with you, there are these things called 'loopholes' – such as what happens if you attack me directly. I will enjoy eating your Soul."

"NO!" Galtral shouted out as he struck Altrus. "She's mine!"

Altrus struck back at Galtral even as Epltrin ran at Henna. Zeltrum dove and intercepted Epltrin. Henna fired a blast at Beltrus who was also running at her unopposed, but her strike drove him into the ground. Deltran threw fire at Henna trying to blind her even if the fire couldn't hurt her directly. Zeltrum muttered something guttural and Epltrin was thrown off of him.

Meanwhile Altrus pulled a wicked looking knife from a hip scabbard and stabbed Galtral. "YES!" Henna rejoiced silently. "Throw a penny among thieves!" she thought as she brought the Hearth Stone up and focused it on the hole in Galtral's side. She sent the Hearth Stone power screaming into his side. With the demon's shape breached, Henna wrapped her spiritual fist about Galtral's black heart and squeezed. The monster collapsed on the floor and lay still.

Deltran yelled at his brothers: "Stop or she'll win!" Altrus stabbed him next though. Beltrus took out his own knife and ran at Altrus. Epltrin also took out a knife and attacked Henna. She dodged the strike and pushed him back with power from the Hearth Stone. Zeltrum grabbed the Council's table and hurled it at Henna. She ducked under the throw and aimed her next strike at Deltran who was trying to heal his wound. The witch managed a clean shot at the demon, and he dropped to the ground. "Two down, four to go," she thought.

Beltrus and Altrus were now dueling with knives, but Epltrin and Zeltrum were focused on Henna. "So, who's going to win me?" Henna shouted at the two closing in on her.

"First kill you, then fight over you," Epltrin announced, but Beltrus stopped fighting long enough to fire a blast and dropped the ceiling on Epltrin and Zeltrum. Epltrin's knife went flying. This left Beltrus open to Altrus, who promptly stabbed Beltrus in the chest. Henna took Beltrus's heart as well.

Now Altrus literally flew at Henna with his knife swinging in the air. Henna ducked under the blade and ran after Epltrin's knife. Epltrin and Zeltrum exploded upwards from the floor. As Henna grabbed the knife, Altrus closed on her again. She used the Hearth Stone as a shield, blocking Altrus's knife and attacking with her own. The weapon she held was evil, no doubt about it, but Henna shielded herself from the knife's power even as she wielded it – the Hearth Stone made this possible.

Epltrin leaped in from the side and tried to grab the Hearth Stone, but the souls in it rejected him and blew him across the room. Meanwhile, Zeltrum sliced Altrus's throat. Henna backed up and collected her fourth demon heart. The Hearth Stone started to glow red and pulse. The sound of a heartbeat filled the room. "Congratulations," she told Zeltrum and Epltrin as the two demons closed in once more. "You finally learned how to attack in concert." Her face turned grim as she proclaimed: "But it's a little too late." With that, two simultaneous streams of red pulsing power howled out of the Stone and struck Zeltrum and Epltrin in their chests. Both demons dropped to their knees. Henna took Epltrin's knife and stabbed its owner in the chest. He dropped to the floor. Then she did the same to Zeltrum. The Hearth Stone continued to beat like a living heart. Henna threw the knife away from her.

"It's too much power to absorb into myself," Henna thought. "The Stone will shatter, killing me. But I don't need to do that." She used her power to haul the six corpses into a pile and then set fire to the bodies. "I can just weave the spell using Zeltrum's and Epltrin's hearts where they lay and push the other four into the pile." She concentrated and a red globe of magic began to form above the bodies. "Now to set the Storm loose on Nerima early and take advantage of the resulting chaos…"

-Wednesday, June 18, 2003, 11:55PM-

"Cronus!" Jakaro burst out as he stormed into the Observatory where Cronus was working. "Get your ass out here!"

"I'm up here!" Cronus called down from high up on the Machine.

"Rip out the Council's gears! Henna destroyed them! Our spies just confirmed it."

"Oh, hell!" Cronus muttered covering his eyes.

"Maomolin's letter was right," Jakaro said grimly. "Henna wiped out the remaining Council members including the Ruling Hex. That means he's probably right about her next move."

"Damn it!" Cronus swore as he climbed down a ladder. Then he strode over to a worktable and made some notes. Jakaro watched as the TimeKeeper adjusted drawings – modifying some and throwing out others. Finally, Cronus slumped into a chair dispiritedly. "It's no good," he said after a few moments. "Without the Council, things will get even more unstable all the quicker."

"O.K.," Jakaro stated. "Let's start there. You said they get more unstable. Why?"

Cronus was about to dismiss the question, but thought better of it. Instead, he got up and placed a few gears into the machine. One of them had a hand crank. "Help me with this," he requested as he gripped the handle. Jakaro came over and Cronus said: "Spin it with me until I say 'Stop'," he told Jakaro. Slowly, the two of them turn the gear and the Machine advanced. Suddenly, a knocking sound arose. "STOP!" Cronus called out.

Jakaro didn't obey though. Instead, he shoved the handle hard. There was a popping sound from the Machine somewhere above them and three gears fell out to land nearby. Jakaro turned to look at the gears. Cronus tried to grab him, but Jakaro brushed him off. "Thought so," Jakaro said in a satisfied tone. "You've been trying to save everyone." Cronus looked stricken. "My friend," Jakaro went on bluntly. "Not everyone is going to make it. People are going to die, including some of our dear friends." The Kitsune Lord sighed and his tone became gentler. "This is the way of the world and of the Balance. Some live, some die. Your job is to figure out how to save as many as we can, but you don't get to pick and choose which ones."

"I wasn't picking and choosing. I wanted to save them all," Cronus defended himself.

"A worthy – but impossible – goal," Jakaro said patiently. "You know your job is to find a stable configuration – the largest one possible mind you, but it has to be stable. Then you have to advise us how to get to it. This is it. Otherwise, countless others will die who could have been saved. Is that fair to them?"

"No, but is it fair to those who will die?" Cronus challenged. "Especially to those who've already given so much. Consider the three gears who were the first to fall out. What about them?"

"If they could be saved without costing others their lives, I say we save them," Jakaro answered. "But let me ask you a question: how would they feel if they knew a life – or lives – had been traded for each of them. Do you think they themselves would approve?" Cronus first looked troubled. Then he blew out a sigh. "Exactly," Jakaro continued. He turned away from Cronus and walked back to the door. "Again, save as many as you can, but get a stable configuration quickly. Henna attacked the Council for a reason. Maomolin's letter warned us she's going to release the Storm early. We have even less time that you think – Get a configuration!"

As he walked past one of the three gears on the floor, Jakaro stomped on it and broke it. "There!" he said firmly. "Now you won't be tempted. Good luck, my friend." With that, Jakaro walked out the door.

A/N: Next: Storm Rising