Soon
When the Twin Suns finally emerged above the horizon, Shiri was already hovering above where the ashes of the fire smoldered, the tiniest cores of heat still hidden inside and making her image just a little more transparent. The thought crossed what passed for her mind to wake her companions up, but after some consideration, she rejected it. It had been a long night; she would let them rest.
Once again she looked over her shoulder, at the two bedrolls that Bism and Kya were curled up in. The Xi-Matoran's grey-feathered wings were folded tightly against her body; she was lying on her belly so they weren't crumpled. Bism's gloves were still on, hiding where the ebony claws retracted into his hands, but it was clear the two friends – siblings – had fallen asleep holding hands.
The thought made the former Toa of Light feel lonely. After all, this was not the dimension she had originated from, and surely there was no spirit here that was like her: bound to an object of power until it was destroyed. Her nature meant she could see the world in color – unlike other spirits, who could only see in black, white, and grey – but that still meant little.
Of course … her periwinkle eyes roved to the opposite side of the fire pit, where the thundercat still drowsed. The beautiful black cat was in a sort of half-sleep, so it was probably meaning to stay, and tolerated their presence. Of course, there was always the theory that Bism's talent with land Rahi or Kya's electrical roots was causing it to stick around, but that was rather unlikely.
Before the spirit could think of more plausible theory, movements behind Shiri announced that her Matoran companions had revived. Once they had awakened enough that they could process thought somewhat efficiently, Kya and Bism's attention turned to the thundercat. The Rahi was now wide awake, tail swishing lazily back and forth; Shiri didn't remember everything about the creatures, but so far there was no signal that it would start generating electricity, which was a sign of hostility.
"It could just not like its odds," Bism suggested, edging by it as he gathered up the things the gang had strewn about the clearing. "Thundercats usually don't go after Matoran unless they're certain they have the upper hand."
"Or it might want to stay with us," Kya pointed out. "You said yourself sometimes members of the Lightning tribe keep them as pets."
"They're usually taken when they're cubs, so they can be taught not to attack Matoran. Still, it might've been someone's companion once, which would explain why it's comfortable with us."
"There is a chance, then," decided the winged female, stretching her extra limbs. "I think it should be given a name. Any idea if it's male or female?"
Shiri abandoned her position over the ashes and took a closer look at the creature. "Female. This one has the tear marks on its face."
"Alright, let's call her Zee."
"Zee?" Bism looked up from the pack he had just hung on Xanthus' saddle. "What kind of name is that?"
"A good one. Besides, I can't think of anything better right now."
Shaking his head to display his disapproval – but not offering up any alternatives either – the Po-Matoran just continued to pack. Only when Kya hooked her bags onto Balius' saddle and made as if to put on her cloak again did he speak up.
"So, Kya – can you really fly? I mean," he amended, "have you ever learned to fly, or is it just something that was ingrained into you – the knowledge that Gukko have?"
"Watch," the female replied, a smile on her face at the thought. With that, she folded up the cloak, clipped her broach into the fabric, and – after stashing her things away – stretched out her wings. The grey feathers had been smoothed out sometime during the night; no longer appearing rumpled, the extra set of limbs now shone.
Folding them back to keep out of the way, the grey-armored female looked around for something to suit her purpose. Her green eyes finally settled on a very tall tree that stood fairly close to the road they had initially been traveling on. Darting beside it and beginning to climb, she found to her satisfaction that there were sufficient footholds and handholds all the way to the highest sturdy branch.
Perched high above the solid ground, Kya heard Bism's voice floating up, now sounding very worried. "Are you sure about this, Kya?"
Grasping the weaker branches for support, the Xi-Matoran peered down to look at the Po-Matoran's anxious expression. She tried to ease his fears with a smile, but she doubted it had worked; his expression didn't change as he stood beside his Serohes, holding them by their reins.
Only one way to get rid of them, no matter how it ends.
Steeling herself and drawing upon her instinctive knowledge, Kya dove off the branch. A split-second of fear – then her wings snapped open and she missed the ground.
Gasping in delight, the Xi-Matoran powered her limbs, thudding up and down as she labored for altitude. For a while it was difficult – now she knew why Gukko ate so much – then she hit an early-morning thermal and shot up on a pillar of hot air.
Far below, Bism shaded his eyes and watched Kya become a smaller and smaller dot in the sky. Once his initial terror faded, his heartlight stopped flashing like there was no tomorrow, and he was convinced she wasn't going to abruptly drop out of the sky, he swung up into Xanthus' saddle and began leading Balius at a faster pace than they had been moving in the past few days. Kya's inexperience with riding anything had made them go slower than they could; while her flying wasn't a perfect solution, it made it possible to make better time. Privately, he thought they might be able to make it to the village by the end of the next day.
In the tree line, just within his peripheral vision, a graceful blur was weaving through the trunks: Zee the thundercat. It didn't look like she was going to attack – more like she was just following him – but Bism kept a wary eye on her.
XxX
Far away from that glen, Hecate and Tageria waited in their room of stone, frozen like statues made of solid metal. Both had donned extra Kanohi and armed themselves, waiting for Rarin to send the signal to them. Seated on her throne, the Virus Master stared deep into the scrying crystal; multiple images swam on the surface, but she ignored them: none were what she wanted to see.
Finally, the facets cleared up, replaced by a new picture: a forest clearing, a pit holding the ashes of a campfire. The Steltian was calling for them, giving an image to focus on when they teleported. Tageria looked hard at the depiction, internalizing it, but Hecate saw something below the surface, threatening to overwhelm what Rarin was giving them. "Go on ahead of me," she ordered, not taking her eyes off the crystal. The warrior-Makuta gave her a curious look, but obeyed.
As the former Makuta of Xia teleported to the Northern Continent, the Virus Master willed the image away: she would not need it to join her servant. For the briefest of moments, her expression twisted into a fond smile, before she addressed the face that rose up to dominate the crystal's facets.
"It's almost done," she said. "I'll be keeping my word to you."
"We certainly hope so," intoned the other. "It would be most … unfortunate if you did not."
Despite herself, the faintest of shivers rippled through the Makuta's antidermis. It wasn't fear of death that made her feel this way – it was the simple knowledge that they could make good on their implied threat if the mood struck them.
"I'll contact you when the time comes."
Without another word, the dark face melted away, leaving Hecate alone with her thoughts. Part of her wished she had never made this bargain – as Teridax had proved, getting mixed up with the universe's higher powers wasn't a good idea – but it was far too late to renege on her agreement, especially when she was so close to finishing her part of the deal.
Rarin and Tageria didn't know about this contract she had made, but they'd all get their rewards when she sealed it. Snapping her fingers, three Visotoran skittered out of the shadows and stood in a row, awaiting orders.
"Have everything ready when I return," she growled. The trio of her slaves bowed and left, and when the chamber was once again deserted, she took her leave as well.
XxX
At roughly midday Kya began to glide down for a landing just ahead of Bism, who reined in Xanthus and Balius to watch. He was glad she was coming back to earth: the thundercat had left the road for the forest, probably to hunt. Shiri had not spoken up since they had started off for the day, but he wasn't sure if he enjoyed the silence.
For a first-time flier, Kya managed to land somewhat gracefully. Rising up from her crouched position and folding in her wings, the Xi-Matoran's expression was split in a wide smile. "Had fun?" her companion asked as she walked towards him.
"You have no idea. That Makuta should've given you wings instead of claws." Climbing up in Balius' saddle far more gracefully than she had before, Kya dug through a pouch and pulled out some Bula; passing them to the Po-Matoran, she added, "Granted, I'm really tired from flying. How're things down here? Where's Zee?"
Bism shrugged. "Probably went off to hunt. Shiri hasn't spoken up since we left, so I guess we're still on the right track for that village."
"Actually, I saw something on the horizon while I was up there," the female Matoran offered. "If I get airborne again, we might actually make it to the place by tomorrow morning if we rest earlier and ride through the night."
Her friend looked slightly concerned at the thought, but when he remembered what he and Kya were, and the powers they shared, he felt his mind be peaceful. "Alright. In two hours we'll look for a place to rest, and then we'll head out for Stiaye – hopefully for the last time."
XxX
"You have no idea how long it's been since someone talked to me in that way," Shiri said, as winded as a spirit could be as she entered the clearing that the other spirit had called her to. Sure enough, the thundercat was sitting inside, but the former Toa of Light knew that this was just a façade; a physical manifestation of the disembodied soul. She had felt that there had been more to this creature than her appearance had indicated ever since the previous night, and the call from the other spirit – who now shed the illusion of mortality – had confirmed her suspicions.
"No, I don't know," agreed the other female, looking and sounding amused behind her mask. "But I take it that the space between was larger than two years?"
"Far longer. If I might say so, you look well as a spirit."
"It certainly makes travel much faster," Stara admitted with a smirk. To Shiri, the Lightning spirit looked like the ideal warrior, a combination of all the identities she had adopted: in the spirit, she saw the primal cunning of the thundercat, the sly wit of a young Toa, the bitter experience of the exile, and the calm wisdom of the Turaga.
"Not like you ever needed to use your mask to move at those speeds," she pointed out.
"Again, true." The Lightning spirit's mirth faded, and she got straight to business. "Shiri, do you happen to know anything about these two Matoran that hold your shell?"
The Toa of Light shook her head. "No. I only know what they have told me, and nothing more. Stiaye is not far from here, but I doubt she would know anything either."
Stara looked disappointed, but set it aside. Looking up at the canopy, where slivers of the blue sky peeped out behind the young leaves, she said quietly, "The signs are more ominous than I thought. The stars indicated that the Nightborn would become false or corrupted – perhaps these two and their third member are what it means. They wouldn't be the true Nightborn even if their transformation was completed, after all."
"But how would the Makuta know of them, let alone work the transformation? The last time we saw of the Makuta's servant was in Va-Koro."
"I'm not sure, but we better stick to them like glue." Stara's spirit straightened up and then fell forward, reassuming the shape of the thundercat Zee and beginning to walk back towards where their traveling companions were last.
They found them in a camp they had set up, bodies huddled beneath a tree with Balius and Xanthus hitched nearby. The Spear was held tightly in Kya's grasp, and when its spirit began to move back towards it, her shape abruptly froze, her gaze fixed on the two Matoran. Do you see that? she asked Stara, pointing one misty finger at their shoulders.
Yes – their numbers are glowing. What do you think it means?
Shiri was quiet for a moment, then whispered, Call me crazy, but I think it means that the third member of Project Fury, Subject 39, is closer than we thought.
My sentiments exactly. And right now, I'm starting to get an idea of just who she might be.
XxX
The job had been finished, landing Stiaye and her group in the backwater village of Yumi. The caravan they had been protecting had collected a new set of guards to take their place, moving on to their true destination but leaving their money bags swollen with their payment. Stiaye herself was raring to keep going – after all, they still didn't know that the Spear was closer than they thought – but Japoro quite sensibly pointed out that they had no further ideas about where Hecate's servant had gone.
"If we take off without a plan, we'll waste time we can't afford to lose," he had pressed, firmly restraining one of her arms while Aeolus had held the other. "We should spend one night here; the locals might know something."
The Lightning Toa wasn't sure if anyone in the village – local or visitor – would have any info on the Steltian. However, both Aeolus and Amphitrite had voted in favor of spending the night under a roof, so they had gone on with Japoro's idea, booking two rooms in the Tollak Inn.
All four Toa – Lightning, Ice, Water, and Air – were currently camped at one of the corner tables in the inn's tavern, but Amphitrite was the only one drinking something other than water: straight-up Bula rum for her. The crowd that night was large and loud, with a bunch of rough types that looked like they had run some hard times lately and were looking to dredge their frustrations and sorrows in their mugs. Thankfully, it was like a Toa convention or something of the sort had decided to convene in the area: not counting the foursome themselves, Japoro had counted at least seven other Toa, including a black-and-white armored male whose element could not be determined. If push came to shove, there would be more than enough raw power available to bring the situation back to normal.
They had the map out and were trying to decide where they should go next, but Amphitrite – who was sitting closest to the crowd – had only caught the first few words in Japoro's sentence, and then every fifth word after those. After trying to make herself heard over the din three times had failed, the Toa of Water had given up on asking her friends to repeat themselves, figuring that Stiaye could fill her in when they went up to their rooms that night. Right now, despite a severe itch on her left shoulder that she was doing her best to ignore and the little situation that their arch-nemesis' had the Spear of Ajax, she was actually enjoying herself.
Or rather, she would be if a knot of people – ranging from Menurins to Matoran to that black-white Toa – hadn't parked themselves at a table three bio away, at a table much too small to accommodate them and all their drinks, and brought all their tipsy noise with them, up to the point that she was seriously considering instigating a brawl just to deal with her growing annoyance.
Amphitrite was weighing the odds of just how much mayhem a water burst in just the right place could cause when a string of words crossed her consciousness and shut down her train of thought. More accurately, it was just two words: Steltian brute.
At the time, she had been raising her rum-glass for a sip, and once her brain had comprehended what that meant, the Toa of Water choked on her mouthful. Stiaye – who had been sitting beside her – and Aeolus, who was across from her, noticed her predicament, but when the Toa of Lightning thumped her back for good measure, Amph shook her head and pointed at the throng. "Listen!" she rasped.
"… so yea see," wheezed the speaker, an Onu-Matoran with more scars than a Kikanalo herd leader, "thze brute wan'ed uze teh cahtch zeez Matoran an' hold 'em."
"What, he couldn't do it himself?" jeered a Menurin in red armor.
"Why ya askin' me? I wuzn't the one to agree," scowled the storyteller. "De boss was, an' dat was one of deh stupidest t'ings he's done, an' he's done realleh stupid t'ings."
"Hear hear," said the Toa, raising his glass in a mocking sort of toast. "What was that stupid thing this time?"
"We wuz havin' fun aftah we caught 'em, and zen the whole fore't went nuts. Deh Sehroes an' de thunda'cat wen' wild, deh fire wen' crehzy, an' den" – the speaker paused for dramatic effect, and everyone that was listening seemed to lean in to hear – "dose Matoran wer'n't Matoran anahmore."
"Nonsense," scoffed the Toa. "Matoran can't be anything other than Matoran."
"Until they're Toa!" a Vortixx shot back with a cackle. The group burst out laughing at the Toa's folly, while he scowled at them all and then returned the attention to the Onu-Matoran. "How weren't they Matoran?"
They all fell quiet again, save for a few snickers, as he continued. "Whell, dey had des parts, Rahi parts: one had Gukko wings, an' deh ot'er had Muaka claws."
"You're changing the story; you said they were Rock Lion claws earlier!"
"Ah, shaddup!" snarled the speaker, and everyone glared at the abashed critic while the former swigged down more of his rum. "Az Ah wuz sayin', dey had doez parts of ehm, and dey let deh thunda'cat off its leash. It chased uz, an' I told deh boss, 'Now ya dun it; wen' an got de spirits riled up. Ah told ya dat funky spear wit doez carvin's wuz truble!'"
All four of them exchanged looks, brains whizzing to process this new information. Amph was looking faintly ill, but Stiaye couldn't tell if was from the choked-on drink or the news. Then again, this wasn't the freshest-smelling room they had ever been in, so that might have been a factor as well.
"You should go outside; get some fresh air," she said in the Water Toa's ear. 'We'll take care of this."
Nodding dumbly, Amphitrite stumbled out of her seat and towards the door. Aeolus and Japoro took their drinks and joined the crowd of listeners, ready to milk more information from the story-teller. After a moment, Stiaye followed them, casting a backward glance as her friend made her exit.
XxX
Outside the inn, the air still had the nip of winter chill, which was steadily being driven off by the dawning spring. The Twin Suns had set, and as the glow of their setting faded, the stars came into view, glowing like diamonds above the universe.
Once she had escaped the cramped, crowded confines of the pub, Amphitrite's mind cleared as if by magic, her tightened muscles relaxing as she entered the welcoming openness outside. Walking around to the back of the building, the Toa of Water closed her eyes halfway, body sagging against the wall in relief. Unconsciously, her right hand reached up to the opposite shoulder; the shoulder that had the metal patch on its plating.
As she knew already, the plate itself had a temperature just below that of her body, but the space just beneath the patch was hot, almost to the point of feeling pain. Ever since Stiaye had been defeated by the Makuta's servant, the area had steadily been growing warmer, like it was reacting to a signal that she didn't know about.
Sitting down in a hunched position and completely shutting her eyes, Amphitrite tried to dredge up the memories she had suppressed all these years, instinctively knowing that they could hold the answers she needed know. As usual, she managed to recollect the beginning and the ending, but the events that bridged the two together were still missing. She had lost count of just how many times she had approached beings with psychic abilities for help with recovering them, but aside from sharpening the memories that she already had, nothing had been accomplished.
Every story has a beginning, middle, and end, she thought as she remembered …
XxX
"This seat taken?"
The Ga-Matoran flicked her gaze up, trying to shake off her stupor long enough to focus, then shook her head in a negative. It was the end-of-season party in The Dweller pub, with the fishing fleet's crew effectively dominating the staff's attention. Amphitrite could hear the very off-key singing of Nareesha and Zriae as they and some of the other deckhands tried to help the band along and failed miserably. At a quieter table, in a back corner, the captains – including that of the Avalon, the ship the Ga-Matoran sailed on – discussed the season, profits, greenhorns, and various things she hoped she could one day discuss with them, when she herself became a captain of the fleet.
As the newcomer settled into the opposite chair, the Mahiki-masked female wished she hadn't imbibed in a third Hot Streak, as her preferred drink was called. Members of the Water tribe of Matoran were able to metabolize fluids faster than other tribes – unlike the Lightning tribe, who simply had a collective higher tolerance to alcohol – but even a sailor like her had their limitations.
"What the Karzahni," she muttered, knocking back another swallow of her drink. Her vision was getting dangerously blurry, but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't miss the confused look her new tablemate shot at her. Figuring that she knew what this confusion stemmed from, Amphitrite tried to indicate that she had been talking to herself. While he nodded politely (at least, she hoped it was polite), it was pretty obvious that he was still puzzled.
Sighing, the fisher pushed aside the half-empty tumbler and rested her head on her arms, wishing she hadn't come to the party. To her, end-of-season just meant she got her paycheck and a three-month break from ocean storms and heavy metal cages. Amphitrite just couldn't see how fellow sea veterans Nareesha and Zriae could continually find entertainment here.
Belatedly, she realized that her new companion had asked her a question, but she had a hard time understanding the words. The band had begun a new song, a melody with a deep beat, and over the clamoring voices, it was hard to hear someone who was talking right in front of her.
"The earth can see
The sky come down
The mountains all
Fall to the ground …"
"Does it pay well?"
It took a moment to realize that her tablemate had realized he was being drowned out and was repeating himself. Taking a few extra moments to string together a comprehensible sentence, she replied: "Fishing? Yea, well enough, for two months of around-the-clock grind on bad seas. Only problem – hic! – is that you gotta be stingy until next season …."
From across the table, the stranger waited, calmly and patiently, as the fisher's sentence devolved into a steadily incoherent string of curses, and then into nothingness muttered into a tumbler. The Ga-Matoran was undoubtedly teetering on the edge of being sober and not being sober, though he was fairly certain that she had a firmer hold on dazedness.
Amphitrite finally ended her colorful sentence and tiredly looked back up at him, eyes slightly unfocused. "But what do you care of a crabber's life? Unless you're offering me a job –"
"I am."
"Dark waters rise
And thunder pounds
The wheels of war
Are goin' 'round …"
At this point, the cobalt Matoran was so far gone that she was barely able to grasp what was being said. "H'wa? Job? W'a' kinda job?"
Her tablemate smiled knowingly. "If you don't mind, I'd rather we didn't talk of it in here," he said conspiratorially, leaning forward so he would be audible in a low voice. "How about we talk outside, where it isn't so loud?"
Amphitrite's fingers by now seemed to have lost all feeling in them, making her knock over her tumbler and crash to the ground. The din caused no one in the bar to notice, but she nodded dumbly, eyes guttering like a drowning candle flame. "Yeah," the fisherwoman muttered.
Gently, her companion helped the Matoran out of her chair, letting her lean on him: she hadn't realized before just how much bigger he was in comparison. Her memory faded after that, with only the last lyrics of the off-key tune remaining.
"Now on the day
You come for me
Someday when Time
No more shall be
I'll say 'Oh Death
Where is your sting?'
You shelter me, love
Underneath your …"
XxX
"Amph?"
The Water Toa opened her eyes again when she heard Stiaye say her name. The Lightning Toa was standing in front of her and to the left and peering down in concern. The sky was far darker than it had been when she had started recollecting – while she couldn't tell, she was fairly certain at least half an hour had passed since she had left the Tollak.
"Guess I dozed off," she muttered, climbing to her feet with the song still echoing in her head. "What happened after I left?"
"We talked to the group – took a while to get them sober enough to give coherent answers, incidentally. The Matoran said that he was part of a gang that was hired by that Steltian to capture a couple of travelers, on one of the roads connecting Yumi to Va-Koro, but they managed to fight them off."
"How?"
"He was too drunk to tell us – anything that made sense, that is. He said something about fire coming to life and woodland spirits, but you know gangs."
"So he's here? Close to here?"
"Close enough. We'll head out in that direction tomorrow morning. Japoro and Aeolus already went up to sleep; we'll talk strategy tomorrow on the road."
Stiaye had already begun walking away as she finished talking; dumbly, the Toa of Water followed. The noise from the pub had quieted enough that by the time they entered their room and locked the door, only the occasional cry of surprise or dismay could be heard.
The silver-gold Toa seemed to fall asleep the moment her head hit her pillow, but Amphitrite sat up on her bed, looking out the window and turning over her thoughts. One hand unconsciously reached up to her shoulder, two fingers touching her patch.
What does it mean? she wondered, feeling the burning sensation of the metal. The reason I fear Hecate's servant is because of these memories – the ones that I've lost and those before them. But why does my pat- my mark burn? Without thinking, the Water Toa's lips began to move, mouthing the song her crewmates had been singing that fateful night.
"The earth can see
The sky come down
The mountains all
Fall to the ground …"
The tips of her fingers dug under the ridge of her patch. She hesitated, then tore it off with ease – not really metal, but adhesive and a synthetic metallic cover. Without it, what had been hidden beneath glowed dull red.
"But I will fear
None of these things …"
Satisfied for now, the cobalt female crawled under the covers and closed her eyes decisively. Whatever would come, she would no longer hide what was in the past. In the darkness of the room, burned into her shoulder plate years ago but glowing like it had been seared that very day, was the Matoran numeral for 39.
"Oh, shelter me, love
Underneath your wings."
XxX
A/N: People that saw that coming, raise your hand. *raises because she wrote this* =P
(And now I can finally say this: Let the fun times begin! (For me, anyway. Dunno if Japoro's too thrilled about this.))
Mood Music:
Shelter Me ~ Buddy Miller (modified version was used in this chapter; I used the Sons of Guns version) (this chapter's theme)
Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) ~ Jamie Foxx & Will. feat. Anne Hathaway
Face Me ~ Edsim & Malta
Mother Father ~ Dave Matthews Band
The Other Side ~ Bruno Mars feat. Cee Lo Green & B.o.B
Disclaimer: The black & white Toa mentioned in the bar scene was Kini Hawkeye (sorry it took so long to cameo you)