A/N: Updating frenzy! Sometimes a story just seems to move on its own and the author has no choice but to follow. Especially when there are about a million other chores waiting to be finished… Paradoxical as it may sound, this busy college life is actually doing wonders for my creativity, so I guess I'll enjoy it wile it lasts XD

Roll the tape!

Chapter 25: Stumpy is the Empress?!

"Oh no," I groaned when I saw a red dot bolting out of the cave, followed by a larger black dot that was gaining on it quick.

"We should hide," Crow suggested.

"I can't just leave him," I protested, then turned red when I realized how that had came out. "Not like that! We joined forces because both of us have business with the Empress! At least… I used to have business with her…"

The two dots were getting bigger and heading right for us. I nervously looked back at Crow.

"You should leave this world," he said.

"But…"

"The Dahaka will kill you if you stay."

"And you'll be next in line! If I have to leave, I'm taking you with me!"

"I do not belong in your world. Will my presence not spawn another Dahaka?"

"No, we don't have demons or magic… we have electricity instead. It's much more boring and you have to pay for it too."

"Still, my loyalty lies with you, not with him…" he said, narrowing his eyes at Prince who was getting closer, the Dahaka hot on his tail. He slowly took out his sword, but I quickly stopped him.

"Oh no, don't even think about it! No bloodshed while I'm around! If you want to travel with me, you're going to accept him as part of the full package. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he's still my friend!"

"And if I make it swift?"

"NO," I glared at him. "Sorry, but sandboy is part of the deal. Take it or leave it."

He grudgingly nodded, then looked at me again, raising an eyebrow.

"And you believe he will accept me as well?"

"Well, we're about to find out… RUN!!!"

Prince and the Dahaka had finally reached us. Prince went bug-eyed and though he was out of breath, he did manage to send me a extremely nasty scowl.

"I'll… we'll explain later," I said before I was forced to start running as well. The three of us were now running alongside, with me in the middle and the Dahaka following close behind. I made sure to keep them separated or all hell would break loose. If it had not already. Prince was glaring daggers at both of us and the look on Crow's face was anything but friendly. I realized perfectly well that asking those two to get along was like asking Captain Picard and the Borg Queen to put on frilly pink dresses and discuss their differences over a cup of Earl Grey.

Another roar from the Dahaka snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked sideways and noticed Prince was clutching his side and panting like a horse. My eyes widened when I saw blood running through his fingers.

"Prince! You're injured!"

"Thank you so much for noticing," he spat, gritting his teeth. "If it had not been for your timely warning, the Dahaka would surely have… oh, wait a minute, that's right! You didn't warn me because you were too busy betraying me in favor of that foul…"

"I'm sorry!" I panicked. "It's just that…"

"Save it," he barked, then closed his eyes shut in pain and began to slow down. "Gods…"

"Oh no, you don't!" I protested, putting his arm around my shoulder and dragging him along.

"We need to find a Portal Room!" I turned to Crow.

"So you two can finish me off in peace?" Prince groaned, his voice dripping with bitterness.

"You're still my friend, Prince! He joined us, not the other way around. I'd never hurt you! And neither will he, will you Crow?"

"…"

"Crowwwwwww…."

"By her grace only, I shall let you live," he finally said to the injured royal, though his eyes told a different story. I made a mental note to sleep with one eye open and sigh these two hotheads up for therapy.

"Ridiculous…" Prince shook his head in disbelief. "This whole situation is… ridiculous. I have no other words for it."

He sighed and I saw his eyelids becoming heavy. He was losing a lot of blood and was on the verge of passing out. I turned to our new hesitant ally and cast him a worried look.

"I understand," he nodded and he went to Prince's other side, supporting his other arm. The royal uttered a few weak noises of protest but lacked the strength to fight back. We had to find water and we had to find it fast.

"I believe there is a Portal Room ahead," my avian friend noted, and thank Buddha he was right. We rushed to the waterfall and dived through, barely escaping the Dahaka's grasp. He looked at us, then roared in disappointment and vanished into thin air.

Crow (who had turned into his bird form and back) leaned against a wall, still disoriented from passing through the water, and Prince was lying on the ground, pale as a sheet and out for the count. I couldn't find a vase, so I ripped off a piece of curtain, drenched it in the fountain and wrung out the soaked cloth above Prince's mouth.

As soon as the water touched his lips, the gaping wound on his side began to heal and color started to return to his face. I looked at the process in awe: I guess this was how it felt to be happy and creeped out at the same time.

"Farah…"

I jumped at his voice, only to realize that he wasn't talking to me, or anyone in particular.

"No Prince, just me," I calmed him down, getting him some more water while Crow watched us passively.

"You remind me so much of her…"

I blushed, though not sure whether he had meant it as a compliment. His eyes snapped open and slowly he sat up, letting out a small groan.

"She was just as bighearted… as well as naive."

"Hey!"

Prince ignored me and looked up at Crow, who stared back. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop and I was afraid that even breathing too loud would trigger one of them into jumping out of their skin and fly at the other's throat.

"Why?" Prince asked suspicious, slowly reaching for his sword but not unsheathing it yet,

"She thinks of you a friend."

Prince got up and took a step closer to the avian demon, arching one eyebrow in a mix of curiosity and doubt. His muscles were tensed and his hand was still hovering near the handle of his blade. Crow was looking calm on the outside, though I knew he was mentally preparing for battle and just waiting for Prince to make the first move.

"Others of your kind did not hesitate to strike when given even the slightest opening," the royal said slowly. "And neither did you during our first encounter close to the entrance of the fortress."

"Correct," Crow nodded. "When you invaded our island, I was summoned away from the Garden Tower by Shahdee and ordered to stop you from following her through the portal, but in the end I failed. Unfortunately…"

"Crow!" I hissed between clenched teeth, praying that Prince would let this one slide.

"Why should I believe this is not a trap?" he narrowed his eyes at the sand creature. "Before any of this, even the idea of a normal conversation with someone of your kind seemed absolutely ludicrous. You are all blinded by your loyalty to the Empress and ordered to kill anyone and anything that sets foot on these shores. Now a female has come along and I just have to assume that she somehow swayed you into embracing human emotions like compassion and even love, though all the Empress allowed you to know was destruction and death? Why should I believe such a preposterous tale?"

"Perhaps because, at second glance, we have more in common than meets the eye," Crow stated. "Through the Empress' visions, we have caught brief glimpses and fragmented scenes of your journey to India and the events in Azad. Did you not travel to the Maharaja's palace with death and destruction in mind? Did you not grow fond of the daughter of your fallen enemy? Did you not ally because of a common foe? Though our means may differ, our cause remains the same. To free ourselves from the Dahaka and keep the girl from harm."

"And I care about both of you," I said, looking at both of them with pleading eyes. "I could not stand seeing either of you hurt… or worse. Whether it be as a friend or something more, I love both of you dearly and if you wish to be with me, each of you will have to accept the other as well."

Both of them seemed to ponder this. I knew both of them cared about me, though perhaps in different ways. I would be lying if I said it wasn't at least a bit flattering.

"I'm going to regret this… I just know I will. But I suppose I could give that thing the benefit of the doubt," Prince glared at Crow.

"Though he brought that despicable black demon onto our island, I shall try to let the intruder live," Crow glared back.

"Glad you two social wonders are getting along so well," I said dryly while turning to the Portal.

"You guys coming?"

They nodded and took a step towards me, their shoulders brushing. They immediately exchanged vicious looks and it took me several minutes and a few whacks with the blunt end of my lion sword to get their attention again. At this rate, facing the Empress would be the least of our worries…

"There," I breathed a sigh of relief when I found a vase filled with sand and my clothes returned to their normal colors. Crow and Prince were still giving each other the silent treatment, but at least they weren't at each other's throats, which was more than I had dared to hope for. We walked through the Tower like an odd mockery of the three musketeers, though instead of 'all for one, and one for all,' the motto seemed to be: 'one for Alex, and I'll kill you when she's not looking'. Maybe we wouldn't have to fight the Empress: maybe we just had to show up, do a bunch of weird Power Ranger poses and she'd laugh herself to death. I know I would…

"The activation turnstile is up there," Crow pointed at a large clock mechanism. It would take us hours to climb up there, but there were certain advantages to having a winged demon in your team.

"Would you mind?" I asked him.

"I will see what I can do," he nodded and with a loud screech, changed into his avian form and flew up the mechanism and through a hatch.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to get used to that," Prince cringed, then turned to me.

"What were you thinking?! You truly love that thing?"

"Yes."

"What if he turns on us?"

"He won't."

"How can you be so certain?" the Prince argued. "He was created to kill any intruders! It is his sole purpose in life!"

"I don't know about you, Prince," I spat, "But I create my own purpose and I'm pretty sure he's intelligent enough to do the same. Are you?"

"But… the idea of allying with one of those creatures…" he shook his head. "It is unfathomable."

"What about me, huh?" I smirked playfully.

"That's different," he argued.

"How?" I asked.

"You are no threat," he grinned teasingly. That cheeky little…

"Hey, I could totally kick your ass! Now is just not a good time for me…"

He laughed and looked at the hatch where Crow had gone through. A strange, distant look appeared in his eyes. Almost… sad.

"I lost Farah because I failed to trust her when it mattered most," he said after a long silence. "As much as I despise that vile creature, I can't bring myself to talk you into making the same mistake. But still… he is no kind and gentle natured woman like Farah. He is a coldhearted warrior, a minion of the Empress trained to kill without feeling even the slightest trace of remorse. If, unlike Farah, his feelings indeed turn out to be false, the consequences will be much more dire. Are you absolutely certain you're willing to take that risk?"

"Without a doubt."

"Alright then," he gave in. "Just make sure he doesn't kill us in our sleep."

"Thanks Prince, You won't regret it," I smiled and hugged him.

"Something tells me I will," he mumbled but returned the gesture non the less.

Suddenly both of us had a brief vision of the giant door again. The second lock slowly opened and access to the throne room was finally granted.

"I guess this is it," I gulped as the birds returned and turned back into Crow.

"We must make haste," Prince stated. "It is vital we reach the Empress before the hourglass runs out."

He turned to Crow.

"I assume you have seen her before, demon. How will we recognize her?"

"Though she has powers beyond our comprehension, my former mistress looks very much like one of your kind. She has long, dark hair and eyes of an unnatural shade of green. She dresses in long red robes and her skill with the blade has yet to be matched. She listens to the name Kaileena, though only Shahdee, her right hand, was ever allowed to address her that way."

Prince and I froze, our mouths opening and closing like that of a goldfish. No way… it couldn't be…

"STUMPY IS THE EMPRESS?!"