I don't own W.I.T.C.H., it's from DISNEY.
11.
'She never failed. She learned very early that the Dark Lord's fury was something much more terrible than any pain she had ever faced in battle.'
"You failed." Rifel said.
Will stood in front of her master, motionless. She felt her blood dripping slowly from the wound on her shoulder, drop by drop. Her power allowed her to resist from the moment, she couldn't show any fatigue, but sooner or later she should have been cured or the blood loss would have been too much even for her.
"I beg your pardon, my Lord." She said. "I won't fail anymore. Next time nothing will stop me."
She felt her hatred for the ex-Oracle boiling in her veins, increasing her power, she could feel it lingering on her fingertips. Rifel noticed that and nodded:
"Yes, Will," he said, "it's hatred that make you strong. The disdain, the rage, give you the strenght to keep on standing up even when everyone abandon you.
Now the Yellow Orb is in Kandrakar's hands. Impossible thinking to get it. Luckily for us, to penetrate the Fortress we only need two on three Orbs, but this means that the next Key will be vital for us. If we fail, years of work will be wasted.
The end is near. It's time that the King now make his move. It's time that also I take the field."
Rifel would have fought too? Will looked at him... and shivered. The Mage noticed that and smiled:
"You fear me? It's right. Although strong, an obedient servant always fears his master. But now let's get back to you, Will, and to your punishment."
Rifel waved his hand with indifference and instantly Will felt that every muscle of her body contracted painfully and violently. She cried and fell face down on the floor, feeling in her mouth the taste of blood and the floor's cold stone. The pain kept on increasing mercylessy and she couldn't think to nothing except from the pain. She would have given everything to stop that torture, she couldn't bear it...
From an enourmous distance, she heard Rifel talking:
"Pain is like a noose, Will" he said, "it narrows to people's neck inexorably. Pain and suffering break any hero. They'll cry until their voices fade, but in the end they will give up, like everyone else."
The Mage towered on her and ripped her tunic on her back, where a dark rune pulsing with reddish light had been impressed. The rune pulsed stronger and Will's cries filled the room.
"Do you want me to stop?" Rifel asked.
"Y-yes…" Will gasped, "I beg you… s-stop it… please…"
Rifel quietened the rune and Will's muscles relaxed. The girl remained without moving at the Mage's feet, panting.
"Will you disappoint me again?" he asked in a low tone.
"N-never more." She answered.
Rifel smiled and took of his mantle. He let it fall to cover Will:
"Very well. Now recover, because we will leave soon. It's time to put an end to this story."
He turned and left the room, leaving at his back the streched figure of Will, who tried to stand up with difficulty:
"Y-yes, my Lord..." her words echoed in the empty room.
Kandrakar.
In Kandrakar, the girls had been summoned again urgently.
"Not even the time to breathe!" Irma commented, "a poor girl doesn't have time to say 'Kandrakar' that she already has to go back!"
"Technically 'Kandrakar' is not so easy to say," Hay Lin pointed out, "you should have thought about something else."
"Himerish!"
"Well, we'll get it then. It doesn't seem that much easier." The Air Guardian continued.
"No, Hay Lin, I mean that Himerish is here!" Irma sighed, pointing to a point behind the girl. They turned and saw that Himerish had actually come back. He was heading toward them together with Yan Lin:
"Girls, come with us."
The Oracle led them to the place where the Yellow Orb was kept. The Key shone with dull light as if it had no more energy.
"So this is the Yellow Orb?" Cornelia asked. "Why is it here? I thought it was kept in Basiliade."
"In fact, it was" Himerish replied, "but apparently neither the enemy lost time. Our mysterious thief was already there. Luckily I managed to stop her before she had the time to steal the Orb."
"So she's female?" Taranee asked. Himerish nodded.
"Female warriors are always the best." Irma said.
"Shut your mouth, Irma, do a favour to the world." Cornelia snapped.
"Why?"
"So if we manage to rescue the third one" Taranee interrupted the two girls, " the Fortress will be safe?"
"I don't know if we'll be safe, but at least we will prevent them from getting here." The warrior said.
"But where is the third Orb kept?" Cornelia asked.
"In a place that you girls know wery well." Yan Lin answered, "In Meridian."
"Meridian! Cornelia exclaimed, "but if the Orb is kept there, then why Phobos didn't try to use it to get here?" she asked. Himerish answered her:
"Phobos goal wasn't Kandrakar's achievement, girls. He wanted to conquer Earth because he knew that Elyon was hidden there, his sister and potential source of a huge power. Maybe if he had managed to obtain her, only after that he would have thought to attack us. But without the power of the Light of Meridian he would have had no hope. I believe that Phobos knew this, this is the reason that led him to not to act."
"It is essential to keep safe the last Orb." Yan Lin said.
"Yes," a voice continued, "the last Key must be protected." The girls turned and saw that Endarno, warrior and Kandrakar's sage, had entered the room.
"I'm glad to see you're fine, Guardians." He greeted them, "I heard about the young Keeper. I want you to know that once we have removed this threat I'll try my best to help you in your friend's research." He said.
"Thank you, Sir." They answered, grateful.
Endarno turned toward Himerish and Yan Lin: "Basiliade's chosen warriors ar at your service." He said, "They will help us in protecting the Blue Orb."
"Perfect."
"Yan Lin," Taranee asked suddenly, "can I ask you something? Why this Orb looks so... dead?"
"It fell asleep." Yan Lin answered. "It sleeps because Himerish used its power to save the life of its protectors. Now it will take a long time before its power could return.
You have to know that each Key has a power, girls, each important to guide those who own them to Kandrakar:
The Red Orb, the Destruction, opens a forced passage toward Kandrakar. The passage is unstable and dangerous, just a faux step to get lost in other worlds.
The Yellow Orb, the Healing, stabilizes the passage making him easier to cross.
And the Blue Orb, the Comprehension, gives you the skill to chose the right path toward the Fortress without getting lost.
All three together form the door to get to Kandrakar safely, owning only two Keys increases the risks, but it is still possible."
"Girls," Himerish spoke, "we will go together to Meridian. Queen Elyon has already been informed of our arrival. We will protect the Orb; Endarno and Orube with their soldiers will join us as soon as possible."
Meridian.
"Elyon! Good to see you!"
"Girls," Elyon smiled with joy as she rose from her throne, "you can't imagine how happy I am to see you!" She descended the stairs that separated her from the four Guardians and rushed toward them, hugging them happily.
"But where's Will?" she asked, "Why she's not here?"
Cornelia turned incredulous toward Himerish: "She doesn't know?" she exclaimed with a hint of reproach against the warrior.
"I'm sorry." The other replied, "We thought that it was better is she knew from you."
The explanations were concise. At the end Elyon, shocked, said:
"And so she's... gone? You haven't found her yet?"
"No... she's still... missing." Taranee said.
"You'll have all my help." Elyon affirmed regally. "I swear you, girls, I'll help you with all myself."
"Thank you, Ellie."
"Elyon please, guide us to the Orb." Himerish said. Elyon nodded and told them to follow her. They left the throne room together to pass through the entire Palace, until they reached the underground's entrance. They kept on getting deeper and deeper until they came to an enourmous door:
"Wow" Hay Lin commented, "This door is spatial!"
"And you haven't seen the inside yet." Elyon answered opening the door.
It was the biggest room they had ever seen. All the room was enveloped in a warm blue light, giving them the feeling to be immersed in a dream. And from the huge ceiling hidden in the dark flowed multiple cascades of pure energy which throwed in a small river that ran along the entire room's perimeter.
"This is the Key's Room." Elyon said, "Come with me, there's someone you have to see."
"They got in the room and saw that many soldiers intent on polishing their weapons and setting up tents were camping there: the guards chosen by Elyon to defend the Orb.
The Blue Orb was kept on a pedestal in the middle of the room. At each side stood two figures that the girls knew very well:
"Caleb! Vathek! You're here!"
"And where should we be?" Vathek laughed, "Our place is here, at Elyon's side!"
"Hello Big Boy, you're getting bluer and bluer." Irma said greeting Vathek. The big blue man smiled:
"And you are even more fascinating, little fairy."
"Ok," Himerish started, "now that we are all here let's begin to organize. Girls, guard the Orb's sides. Behind you will stay Elyon. Vathek and Caleb, you'll stay on the front with me!"
"Yes sir!"
They arranged as Himerish had ordered. They began to do duty guards, but all was calm.
Himerish had a strange feeling. He was sure that even this time his mysterious opponent would have come, but he could not get out of his mind that strange sensation. It was as if were vital for them to defeat her. As if their victory depended on that fact...
Hours passed. After about three hours Caleb whispered:
"Hey guys, don't you think that there is... a bit too much silence? The soldiers should do some noise."
Himerish frowned: "He's right. Go to see, Caleb."
The boy left the group and went out of sight, swallowed by the room's blueish light. For a while the silence returned in the room, but then his hurried footsteps signeling that Caleb was coming back quickly:
"All asleep, they're all asleep! They don't answer if I move them, they don't wake up!" he exclaimed, clutching the hilt of his sword.
"A spell." Himerish said, "They're here."
New footsteps suddenly broke the silence. The defender turned in the same direction all together to finally face their enemy.
Two figures were approaching. One was perfectly recognizable: it was the mysterious hooded warrior; she walked silently like a shadow and on her back she carried a long black-blade sword. At her side stood a tall man with long black hair without hood. The two stopped at about ten metres away.
"Himerish." Rifel said, speaking for first, "I thought that you were gone forever once you had given up your right to Oracle."
"Rifel..." the warrior replied half-closing his eyes, "I should have imagined it."
"But you didn't." The other provoked him, "Well, better for me, I should say. Oh, and I believe that you have already met my apprentice, havent't you?" he said, and the hooded figure stepped forward, pulling out her sword threateningly.
"This time won't be easy, whoever you are!" Cornelia exclaimed, "Damned coward, you'll get what you deserve!" Rifel looked at her amused:
"Guardians... you're four. But where is the fifth Guardian…? He asked them.
"Enough!" Himerish snapped. "You are here for the Blue Orb."
"Correct." Rifel replied, "And you certaintly won't stop me."
"You are outnumbered" Caleb exclaimed, "you have no hope to win."
"This is why I brought a friend..." the Black Mage replied in a calm tone, pulling out from his pocket a little black seed. He dropped it in the energy river, where it was engulfed by the golden liquid. For an instant nothing happened, then the liquid started to boil furiously:
"I don't like it..." Hay Lin whispered, "I don't like it at all..."
An enourmous black dragon emerged from the river roaring with fury. Ruby red eyes immediatly fixed in the Guardians. Enraged, the monster roared spewing out a powerful burst of fire in their direction. Taranee blocked tha blow and throwed it far away from them:
"C'mon, can't you do something better, lizard skin?" she asked.
The dragon opened the wings closed on its back and started to fly. With a powerful roar he pulled out its claws and nosedived against the girls, its mouth wide open and ready to devour them.
Lots of people care for Will. Everyone wants to help. But Will can't see them...
Yes, Will has a rune on her back. A nasty rune with all those nice effects, but I'll explain in another chapter why and how Rifel impressed it on her. :P
Many of you said: "Hm, now Himerish may figure out that is Will..." and I answer at this question with my opinion:
Well yes, he could find out something... but he doesn't. Because Will is supposed to have no power, and for another reason: they all thought bad of Will once, and now she's gone. They felt her sadness and they saw their mistake, so now they're feeling guilty. So guilty that they are not going to think again so easily that their friend is their new enemy. See that as mental block.
Ahah this time Will came with a weapon... she doesn't want to fail again :P.
Next chapter will be a total fight xD.
Number 12:Blue Key, Black Danger.