Chapter 29 — Spirited Away


"Full dark," Jeb announced, more to fill in the empty spaces between conversation — which had dwindled to nothing — than informing them of anything less than the obvious.

Despite not wanting to clue the young man in on what had happened between her and Cain earlier, DG walked alongside the Tin Man, their hands close enough to brush against one another every few steps. He clearly had steeled himself to keep from looking at her too often, but she noticed even in the growing dark that the slightest tinge of pink touched his ears when they came into brief contact.

"Left up here," she directed, and they turned the corner into an open section of the maze, where a field of white flowers sat in a rectangular span of grass, its perimeter outlined by smooth cobblestones brought from a river, or perhaps one of the lakes. Their smooth surfaces reflected the moonlight onto the blossoms, which swayed ever so slightly as they passed.

"Gale lilies," Cain supplied when DG's eyes passed over them with wonder. "They were Dorothy's favorite, back when she was still alive. Very rare now — don't see 'em but in the marshes lining the Black Mountains. Ironically, they don't take too kindly to strong gusts."

DG laughed, bending to look more closely at them, ignoring Jeb's huff of impatience. The others had waited long enough, but a few more minutes couldn't hurt.

"I wish I had my sketchbook," she mused. "I wanna remember these for later." Her glance up at Cain revealed him smirking, already reaching into his jacket pocket.

"That's a wish I can grant," he teased, holding out the book for her to see. "But we don't have time to draw now, Princess. Why not grab one and press it between the pages?"

"You—" The idea was sound, she had to admit, but when and where did he get hold of her sketch book? Tamping down on her curiosity, DG grabbed the volume and studiously opened it to a blank page, reaching out with delicate fingers to pluck the nearest lily from its stem, arranging the petals just so before carefully closing it inside. To accentuate her suspicion, she let a bit of her Light spark from her fingertips, shaped it to form into a belt with a lock across the cover that obscured the Gale symbol; crude, but it would work in a pinch. It was probably too late if the Tin Man had gone snooping already, but she wouldn't make the same mistake with anyone else.

She supposed it was okay that Cain had seen them; there wasn't anything outright embarrassing, but… well, it was her sketchbook, her vision of the world. Some things were meant to stay private.

"Can we go now?" Jeb tapped his foot, inching toward the nearest exit.

"Yeah, yeah, stop your whining, kid," she blew a raspberry at him, skipping ahead to the next turn, which happened to be a different path than the younger Cain had anticipated. "Let's go — we're not far now."


DG stopped suddenly to listen. "Do you hear that?"

Cain grimaced, but halted. "Princess, it's never a good thing when you say that."

"No, really, Cain, I don't think it's in my head this time."

Jeb cocked his head. "She's right. I've been wondering why we hadn't run into any Longcoats after being chased in here before, but I am hearing something outside the maze."

A rapid report of gunshots spurred her into action.

"The camp's under attack! We gotta help!"

"Hey!" Cain grabbed her arm. "Hold on there, DG, we don't know what we're runnin' into!"

Fixing him with a defiant, fiery glare, she waved her hand and three shields popped into place, one surrounding each of them as nearly transparent golden bubbles. "Happy now? Come on!"

She charged ahead, leaving the men cursing as they hurried to keep up with her.


"RAW! Get Ella and Kern out of here!" Ahamo yelled as the affected villagers began marching through the trees, the yells of Longcoat commanders urging them onward.

They'd had almost no warning. The cold realization that without emotions, Raw couldn't even sense them left the party scrambling for cover when the first round of gunshots sprayed through the brush. They were frankly lucky that no one was struck by the deadly volley. Drawing his pistol and watching Kern do the same, the Seeker shoved the alchemist back towards the maze. "Go! Just go!"

"But the plan—"

"To hell with the plan! Get to safety, dammit!"

Kern hesitated, but then a bullet whizzed by his ear and forced him to duck. He didn't need further encouragement after that, turning tail and running full-tilt to the maze entrance. It drew the Longcoats' fire, and Ahamo breathed prayers of apology to the skies as he took aim and fired into the crowd, hoping to wound rather than kill, but he couldn't afford to die here and now.

Innocent people, all innocent, and killing the leaders won't do a thing if we can't command the masses to stop!

Glitch appeared to have the same problem, retreating expertly on two feet back to the Seeker's position. "Orders?"

Disgusted with himself, Ahamo pointed to the maze. "It's either in there or take the truck, and I don't like either option."

"Sir!"

Ahamo and Glitch turned as one, mortified to see Kern running back towards them, but pointing frantically to where he'd exited.

"What's going on?!" he demanded of the alchemist, who ducked behind a tree and pointed again to the maze, struggling to catch his breath. Ducking as a series of bullets pounded the tree trunks, he could only afford the briefest glance, and even that left them flabbergasted.

Three golden streaks darted from the maze, and just as swiftly a matching gilded bubble popped into existence around each of them.

"Get to the truck!" someone shouted over the din, a familiar voice, but the three of them hesitated.

"It's gotta be DG!" Glitch crowed with relief, punching his sword aloft. "Come on, let's go!"

And so they ran together, Kern and Ahamo firing off their own shots back at the approaching ranks, aiming for the Longcoats leaders for spite more than anything else. Once they reached the truck they leapt inside, where Raw attempted to comfort a shrieking, terrified Ella, but the two of them had a bubble of their own. Red Hat joined them moments later, followed by none other than Jeb Cain and Toto, who had reverted back to dog form in order to stay underfoot and more out of sight. Not for the first time, Ahamo envied him his ability to shape shift.

"Hold tight, Dad's gonna get us out of here!" the younger Cain warned, grabbing onto one of the rails bolted into the truck's walls. He blinked several times when he noticed that their ragtag band had grown several people in size, but took it in as much stride as his training would allow.

"Where's DG?" Ahamo gasped, frantic that his daughter hadn't arrived with them. "Is she with Cain?"

Jeb shook his head and opened his mouth to reply when a spray of bullets forced them all to duck inside. But whereas Ahamo and Kern had moved into the truck for safety, they realized too late that Glitch had vanished back into the fray.


(Several minutes earlier)

She didn't have time to explain, and so with a few instructions had shoved both Cains towards the truck and told them to gather the others. The Tin Man grabbed at her, tried to hold her back, but she dared the briefest kiss on his lips before hitting him with her highest wattage devil-may-care grin.

"I have a plan, I promise. I'm not going to be far, and I'm shielded. Go. Trust me."

"DG."

"Cain, go! Take care of Jeb! Look for a path!"

She darted off before he could argue further, pushing as hard as she could to make it across the camp. Gunfire drew her attention to one side, where three people huddled behind the trees for cover. Giving no further thought to it than she had to protecting Cain from an ancient witch, a flick of her fingers extended another set of shields on them, too.

For the briefest instant she wondered at the new reserves of power within her, but a pulsing against her finger gave answer enough. With a silent thought of thanks she continued on her path, barely noticing the projectiles bouncing off her glittering defenses.

She passed the truck, where Raw — Raw? — poked his head out and yelled her name. She shielded him, too. She didn't have time to think about it, continuing on, looking for it… there!

"Didja miss me, baby?" she laughed breathlessly, the insanity of both her words and jolt of endearment for the motorcycle oddly juxtaposed on a scene where bullets were flying and she and her friends were quickly being surrounded by enemies shrouded in darkness. Hopping on in a single fluid motion and checking over the machine for any nicks or bullet holes — and, miraculously, finding none whatsoever — prayed she had the gas for this, turned the key and revved the engine to a heart-stopping squeal of the tires.

Of all things, Hank's voice scolded her for not wearing a helmet. Her shield would just have to do — it did block bullets, so it could probably protect her if she flew off the bike.

Maybe. Best not to think about it now.


"DG!" Glitch called, punching an oncoming villager with his blade guard and expertly slamming his pommel down on another at the pulse point of his neck, blocking the flow of blood to his brain for a split second and triggering a lights-out response. Pleased with the move's success, he nearly lost the princess before remembering that she'd headed for her bike.

He found her cooing delicately over the machine, a stark contrast to the bloody advance of magically-altered human beings, now mindless slaves to the Longcoats. Calling her name again, her head snapped up, mouth agape at seeing him there.

"What are you doing?! Get to the truck!"

"Cain's got them," he shot back. "Why aren't you there?"

"I have to do something or they'll be overrun!" With a single motion she straddled the motorcycle, jerking the key in the ignition and coaxing the engines into the roar of life. "Well, don't just stand there, come on!"

"But I—" She'd reached over and yanked him over across the seat before he could finish his sentence, and grabbed her waist as they careened into a sharp turn and took off through the trees. A blast of icy air slammed into his face. Reeling, he yelped and flailed to hold on to something.

"TOO FAST!" he yelled over the wind, clutching DG's waist - the only safe place - tightly and not bothering to take the time to enjoy it. Way too much fear pelted into his bones, or maybe that was the rocks and dust clouds they kicked up.

"NO CHOICE!" she hollered back, and increased speed straight for the first ragged line of Longcoat commanders. "Gotta get a lead on Cain!"

Sure enough, the truck had already started closing the gap behind them, and countless projectiles slammed ineffectually against their combined shield. He couldn't imagine how DG managed to maintain all of this magic while driving; the last time she'd displayed such power was when she'd completely restored Finaqua in a handful of eye blinks.

"Come on, suckers!" she screamed as they barreled on through, curving their trajectory into tight donuts in the dirt before careening off straight into the next stream of bodies. Glitch squeaked and ducked his head against her back, only to cry out in warning as the next group of enemies leveled their weapons and rallied to pour all their fire into her.

Correction: into them.

Why couldn't I have chased after a sane princess?!


The next line didn't move out of the way, but DG had only so much time to make a path for the truck. She removed one hand from the handlebars to send a fiery blast into the rapidly approaching line, sending the people flying like bowling pins to either side of her bike, hard enough to knock them out cold but not to kill.

Release me! The Emerald called to her, calling up a shudder of hesitation. She knew that the effects of a drain would hit her soon. With Ozma's help, though, she might somehow maintain all of the shields on top of her offensive. As it was, she felt her second wind flickering away into useless glitter.

No.

Realization tasted coppery and wet on her tongue, tinted hunter green at its edge, but she swallowed it down.

Think. Think. If she could expand the shield to cover all of them in a single bubble, she could conserve her magic for more attacks.

She didn't need the Emerald.

She could do this.

She wasn't going to let go again.

"Here we go…" Her voice went unheard against the roar of the engine and the tempest blasting past her ears. Glitch gripped her waist tightly.

DG focused.

Time dilated around her, the world darkening to a painful crawl.

Sound expanded, then released like a breath into nothingness. Not even Jack's engines could penetrate her resolve now.

Over half a dozen different outflows of power were drawn back into her body. Gold edged in emerald, glowing brighter than the sun and nearly burning her retinas. Could they see it, too?

Condensing and reweaving into a tightly knit, more powerful pair of constructs, she extended the new shields over the motorcycle and truck.

She felt a painful twinge behind her eyes.

DG blinked, revved Jack, swung around to flank the other side of the truck.

A glint of blue nearly unseated her with its intensity, boring into the side of her head precisely as a drill. But she didn't have time to reassure Wyatt Cain.

Not yet.

Even so, feeling more than seeing Cain's frantic stare sent a fresh spike of adrenaline through her blood.

You won't last much longer alone! The Emerald shrieked, leaving an annoying buzz in her ears.

The crowds were thinning, but she needed just a bit more to clear away a clean path out of Finaqua. Gritting her teeth as her next blast made her stomach drop out from under her, DG squinted against the headwind, yanked the bike back into a wheelie, and let her voice mix with the howl within her mind.

"ENOUGH!"

Giving in and dropping her guard, DG let herself call on the green gem's energy, too late to stop the tide. It saturated her body with a cool touch, balm against the thrill of battle and the encroaching exhaustion that came from overexerting herself through magic use. Just a wall, the thinnest kind, a band-aid on the growing wound, but no time.

No time.

The bike surged forward, an extension of herself as much as her own limbs, snarling as it took down one line of the enemy, then the next, then the next, her entire silhouette and Jack's glowing a vivid green as she sped through, knowing without daring to glance back that Cain had floored it right behind her.


"What's going on out there?!" Ahamo had been the first to notice when the shields still hovering around them started to take on a lively hue not unlike the sun. Jeb whistled in appreciation, pressing his hand along the edge of his own bubble, then jerked back when a rifle round cut through the truck's outer shell like butter, only to bounce harmlessly off of his magical protection.

"Damn, she's good!"

"No, this is not good," Tutor's face had broken out into a sweat. "She's exerting far too much power!"

Just like that, the bubbles vanished, and all of them felt the tingle of magic dissipate, leaving them wary. But no more bullets pounded against their meager metal box, and Tutor turned to Red Hat, frowning.

"Guildsman, can we see what's going on?"

While several looked between them in question, Red Hat stumbled over to the wall of the truck and placed a hand against it. Instantly, a section of the wall became transparent, and they all clambered over one another to see the devastation DG had left in her wake.

"I don't see her!" the Seeker hissed, fists clenched. "Dammit, where is she?"

"Up ahead!" Jeb pointed. "Holy cow, where'd she get that bike?"

Surrounded in a glowing aura of her own, they watched the youngest princess release blast after blast of magical energy on either side of the truck, leaving fallen bodies and terrified Longcoats in her wake.

"She won't last long doing that, even with the Emerald," Ahamo breathed, fixated on his daughter as his insides turned ice cold. "Gods, she's going to collapse soon…"

Even as they watched the aura grew weaker, only to be replaced by brilliant verdigris scant moments later. But by then they'd broken through the swarm of enemies — and lost souls — home free at least for now.


"Glitch, take the wheel!"

Startled, he whipped his head to and fro looking for what she was talking about. "Wheel? What wheel?!"

"The handlebars, zipperhead!" she called back. "I've got to focus on the magic!"

Only then did he notice the glow that surrounded her, the bike, and even him. It felt… unnatural, but he didn't have time to do more than act on his princess's bidding. One hand at a time he reached forward to grasp the handlebars, sinking forward so that he pressed tightly against DG's back. The princess took no notice, her fingers weaving through green tendrils of power that she prepared to fling against the last round of enemies, a barricade of half a dozen trucks across the narrow road, and all of the remaining enemy forces that had time to shift and converge on their exit route. If she didn't act soon, they'd crash and burn with nothing left to bury…

"We're not going to make it!"

"SHUT UP AND DRIVE, GLITCH!" She released her magic into the barricade, the deafening sound of shrieking metal surrounding them as the trucks were hurled on either side of the path and into the trees.

Then, all of a sudden, they broke through the Longcoat lines and into open air, and DG let out a whoop fueled by adrenaline. Taking this as a sign to slow down, he pulled back on the throttle and veered off to one branch of the path, leaning back and forcing his muscles to relax.

"Can we never ever ever do that again?" he begged, finding with some concern that his hands had nearly frozen to the handlebars, but not wanting to loosen them at all until DG could regain control.

But she didn't reply.

"DG?"

To his horror, the princess fell limp against the controls of her motorcycle, nonresponsive.


The last of their enemies trailing far behind, DG kept the Emerald's energy coursing through her as much as it would allow, but slowed her bike and took the next turn at the fork. She could feel her muscles twitching from holding too much power within them for too long, her brain buzzing as though crashing down from a huge dose of sugar.

Just a little further… gotta keep them safe…

They are gone, it chirped at her primly, seemingly pleased by the destruction it had wrought in its wake. They are licking their wounds.

Great. Awesome. Just gotta…

She collapsed against Jack, her body giving out before she could safely stop the machine.


"DG!" Slamming the brakes and not caring who got thrown where in the back, Cain shoved out of the truck's cab and dashed over to where she'd fallen off her bike, knocked senseless as the seething magic evaporated like smoke from her slender form.

"DG? DG?" he raised her head, finding her eyes open but completely blank, stabbing a deep-seated fear into the recesses of his heart.

The others must have recovered quickly, for they came pouring out of the truck to try and help. He kept stroking her cheek with his shaking hands, finding it too pale, too cold.

"Tin Man, let help."

Raw pushed through the small crowd, crouched in front of Cain, waiting as though he had all the time in the world. The Tin Man sat down hard on the earth, making room for the Viewer. He couldn't do more than stare, when all he wanted was to gather DG up in his arms and tell the rest of them where they could shove their concerns. The violent thought died before he could give it breath, years of training boxing it away, but the weight on his chest wouldn't budge, his heart stone, his eyes riveted on the princess.

His princess.

Raw cradled DG's head, growling softly as her glassy stare remained unblinking.

"Too much magic," he shook his head, sorrowful. "Did to save us."

"Bring her back, Raw," Cain whispered, prayer more than plea.

Tense seconds stretched out into minutes that could have been days for all they knew, and all held silent vigil as the Viewer tried to revive their fallen Princess.

No one expected her to jolt into a frenzied seizure, but Raw held her fast, a wrinkling around his nose betraying the strain as he fought to bring her back to consciousness. The green glow returned only to snuff out again, a lit candle lost to the winds. DG sucked in a breath that audibly cracked her ribs, released into a groan that resolved into a weak sob.

"DG…" Raw tapped her forehead with soft reproach, yet still offering her his gentle smile. Cain's hands fumbled forward for DG's, his thumbs fluttering over the pale skin of her wrists again and again.

"R-raw? How did you… am I in the dream again?" she murmured, and the Tin Man shut his eyes briefly, thanking Glinda fervently, whether or not she had delivered this miracle. After seeing Adora again and saying his goodbyes, and now this, he'd offer a bit more faith in the future.

"No, DG. Safe now."

"Wait, I —" she winced while trying to sit up, and Cain cursed under his breath.

"Easy there, Princess. Take it slow." Amazing how quickly his mantle of command snapped back into place, given how muddled and winded he still felt. Instead of letting her lift herself on her own, Cain wrapped his arms around her middle and hoisted her up to a sitting position, biting his tongue to keep from fussing over her in front of everyone else.

"Why do I feel a sense of crazy deja vu? And god, my head is killing me…" Sagging visibly against Cain, soaking in his comforting warmth, a heartbeat passed before anyone realized that someone had cleared his throat with more than a bit of restrained anger.

"Spitfire, you've got some mighty big explaining to do."

That made her tense, raising her head to meet the wild-eyed gaze of her father.

"Uh… Ahamo?"

Jeb snickered, knowing a fireworks show was coming, and even sooner than they all realized. DG opened her mouth to make some sort of reply, probably something stupid and off-the-cuff, but a bright light scorched to a landing among the trees and shattered outward, the resounding boom tossing them all against the trees as a child mid-tantrum might do with rag dolls.

The last thing DG remembered was Cain's anguished shout as the blast yanked her from his arms.


Hello, all, and Happy New Year (because I never got to say it before)!

It's been pretty crazy on my end, which is why you're only now getting the next installment. I won't go into all the details, but I can say that things will calm down starting next week. I'll do my best to knock out chapter 30 as fast as I can, but I'm not sure how soon - I'm moving in a few days.

Another semi-important thing I wanted to say — while this fic is listed as a romance and is also rated M, the two are not necessarily linked. I won't make promises one way or another, but I'm not typically one to write out explicit romance scenes; it's not my style. The rating was primarily given for the violence (read: Zero and Red Hat) that started showing up a few chapters ago, as well as references to Brynne's suicide.

I hope that that clears things up for some of my readers - remember that we as authors do appreciate your feedback more than anything, whether positive or negative. We just ask that you be mindful of how that feedback is framed.

Love to you all, and see you soon. ~Mekanikora