And now we have a new chapter! Mwee—vacation has done wonders for rejuvenating plot bunnies. I don't have that much to say this time around, but this update is a teensy bit longer to make up for my absence. Also, I'm laughing at the title of this chapter.
Thank you to everyone who has been following, reviewing, and reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Jean Claude eyed the crowd that was milling about the front hall. Behind him was the throne room, the large space converted into a chapel for today's special occasion. The previously empty room had been lined with twenty elegantly carved wooden benches and an altar in front of the throne. Gorgeous summer flowers hung in every corner of the room, white cosmos with bright pink carnations intermixed—Jean Claude had picked out the colors himself. The room had been decked out in white lace with gold-trim thread.
In only an hour the wedding he had dreamed of for so long would begin. He'd have a kingdom, a beautiful wife, and nothing could stop him. That miserable idiot Jousef was probably nothing more than a slobbering stupid beast by now, and his sister would die without his beloved knowing. While he would be away on his honeymoon he'd have Jou's remaining guards, as well as those in the dungeon, executed.
He turned to the mirror and studied his reflection. He'd had some of the old king's wardrobe refitted, so that now he was clad in pure white leggings, a tunic with large, gold trimmed padded shoulders, and boots. He wore a long red velvet cape, and at his side hung his sword; the final addition to his wardrobe aside from the pink carnation pinned to his chest was the orichalcum pendant.
He frowned when he realized he had not yet seen Ishtar that day. The Enterran, who had been skulking about so sullenly for the past few days, had suddenly seemed to cheer up over night; he had not said why, only that he was now excited for the wedding to begin. Strange, since the man had not seemed to care one way or another, but then that was the enigma named Ishtar. He'd let him be for now.
Jean Claude straightened his cloak one more time, then he looked to the musicians in the hall and motioned for them to start playing their music. Gentle, sophisticated music rang through the hall and the nobles, sensing this was a cue of sorts, began to file into the throne room to take their seats.
In another twenty minutes, Jean Claude decided, the wedding would begin.
"I was wandering the grounds one day when I fell against a loose grating and found myself in these tunnels," Jou explained as he walked through the dark. "After I clued Tristan in we started mapping. It was hard to explore because most of them were threatening to cave in, and we had to keep track of where we had been. We had to fix it on our own, basically, but it was worth it. We can get to almost anywhere in the castle."
"You mentioned earlier that you couldn't get in from outside the walls. Why is that?" asked Marik with a frown.
"You could at one point," Jou snorted with some annoyance. "That passage goes from the throne room and under the moat, though, and my dad didn't bother maintaining the tunnels. That path flooded last spring—we had to block the passage so that the moat didn't flood out the other tunnels."
"And the architects were magically absent?"
"Hiring them cost gold. Because after all, good ale is better than letting the men who are supposed to fix the tunnels do their jobs."
"Look, I don' care none 'bout these stupid tunnels or your daddy issues. I jus' wanna know 'ow far away we are from gettin' out," Valon called out from behind them, an edge in his voice. The combination of his inherent fear of small, dark places and his concern for Raphael was severely testing his patience.
Though a small scowl crossed Jou's face he did not comment. He could understand Valon's concern; his own worry for his younger sister had been growing steadily, setting in the moment he had crossed the drawbridge into his home. It was all he could do to stay their current course, rather than beeline for the north tower. Three months ago he might have charged straight in, but hard-earned experience had taught him that he needed to be slightly more patient. Besides, the potential of a trap laying in wait for them was far too great.
Jou halted and lifted the torch higher, revealing a three-pronged crossroad in front of them. They noted that a little ways down the left path there was nothing but cobblestone completely filling the passage; the group assumed that was the flooded tunnel, for they could see a small pool of water gathered at the base of the barricade. That left two passages to them, and a moment later Jou made a small noise of triumph.
"This way," he said decisively, taking off down the right passage. "Only a couple more minutes, and then we'll be there. It'll let out into a cell, so hopefully no one is occupying it. Otherwise, we're out of luck and we'll have to find another way in."
After they had traveled up one last narrow winding stairway (much to Valon's discomfort), the group found themselves being led into a small cell, dimly lit by torches outside in the hallway. Once Jou had made sure the passage door was shut, he carefully pushed on the cell door, holding his breath as he pulled on the ring. Oh please be unlocked, don't be locked, please please pleaaaaase…
To Jou's great relief, the thick oak door creaked open and he relaxed, turning to give a thumbs up to the others. "Door's open," he said in a low voice. "I don't know about guards down here, so be careful coming out."
Jou eased the door open to prevent the hinges from creaking, moving to the wall to allow everyone behind him into the passageway. It was a narrow passage, with cell doors spaced evenly to their left and ending behind them in a small cul-de-sac; the passage abruptly turned to the right, hiding the rest of the cells from view. Unlike the roughly hewn stone that formed the underground catacombs beneath them, the dungeons were built with the same stone that the rest of the castle was, though considerably darker than the stones above them. Aside from the flickering torches overhead, there was no other light.
"So where to?" Valon asked, but Marik motioned for him to lower his voice. Rolling his eyes, the Aurosian continued with a whispered, "Jou, where do we go?"
"This wing remains mostly unoccupied if I'm not much mistaken, because it's so distant from the entrance," Jou responded with a frown, trying to remember. "Up ahead there's a common room that acts as a hub to the other three passages. I don't know how many people Jean Claude's thrown down here, though…we'll have to check each cell."
Valon noticed an opening in the wall, and when he wandered over to examine it his eyes fell on an anvil sitting on a small wooden cart; there was also a giant metal sledgehammer leaning against the anvil. On the surface of both the anvil and the hammer was what looked like flakes of dried rust.
All the bones below his elbows were broken multiple times, to the point where the bones splintered and came through his skin…
You weren't the one who dropped both a hammer and a freaking anvil on my arms.
The Aurosian backed away with a noise of disgust and horror. Jou turned and saw the anvil as well, his own expression darkening with anger. Before he could speak, they heard footsteps and loud voices approaching. Judging by Jou's expression the other group was not to be considered allies.
Marik shot a look to Rishid before turning to Jou and Valon. "Leave them to us," he whispered. "Move further down this passage. Douse the torches as you go."
"But—!"
Marik silenced him with an almost predatory smirk, one that caused the hair on Jou's arms to rise. "Rishid and I grew up in the dark. We're more at an advantage when the light can't reach us," he continued quietly. "Go."
Jou and Valon exchanged glances before the brown-haired man reached for a nearby torch and dropped it into a nearby barrel of water, the flame vanishing with a hiss. Jou followed suit, and within minutes the entire passage was filled with nothing but oppressive dark. Neither Jou nor Valon could see their hands in front of their faces.
Marik, on the other hand, welcomed the darkness like an old friend. His eyes instantly adjusted to the darkened passage, and he knew Rishid could already see as if the torches had not been put out. The two of them waited calmly, almost patiently, as the footsteps drew nearer.
There were three guards, Marik noted as they turned, not any one of them wearing armor. The torches thankfully were spaced out enough so that the last torch was further away from the turn of the passage, and as the men rounded the corner they halted in confusion. Marik could see their laid back attitude vanish as they registered the absence of light, uneasily hesitating in the passage.
And it was then that Marik and Rishid moved in tandem, silent predators in the dark.
Marik caught the first one off guard, dazing him with an elbow to the jaw. He turned on the second quickly, going for the man's windpipe with a quick punch. It was not enough pressure to kill him, but the man went down clutching his throat in panic. Marik then rounded on the first man, noticing that he was already rising to his feet. Remembering what Valon had said about the diaphragm, Marik kicked hard in the guard's middle. He heard the gust of air leave his target and his opponent soundlessly collapsed.
He looked over his shoulder to see if Rishid needed help, but his brother was standing silently over the unconscious guards. "They are all subdued, Master."
Marik bit back the annoyed and often repeated retort, instead looking down the passage. "The coast is clear," he called softly.
As they heard Jou and Valon move slowly up the passageway, Marik glanced at Rishid before rounding the corner. "Stay there and wait for them."
Marik came to the first torch he could find, grabbing it and lifting it out of the iron grating it was in. As he moved past another cell door, however, he heard a startled gasp and his head turned sharply. He caught a pair of dark eyes watching him from behind the bars on the cell door.
"I'm a friend, I promise. Do any of you know Jou?" he asked then.
The other person stared soundlessly at him before vanishing from sight, and he heard the sounds of a fiercely whispered conversation begin. He waited to see if anyone would come to the door, but when no one returned Marik made his way back to the corner where Rishid was waiting; Jou and Valon had nearly reached the older Enterran, though Jou was bending down to grab three sets of key rings off of the unmoving guards.
"There are no more guards up this way, but there are people in a cell nearby," Marik reported. "I saw someone come to the door as I passed. Dark blue eyes, black hair, blue cloth across his forehead…sound familiar?"
Jou grinned. "Yeah," he said, sounding both relieved and surprised. "I can't imagine why he's down here, though. Let's go say hello, but before we do we'd better hide these guys," he continued, nudging one guard's head none too gently with his boot.
The men were placed in an empty cell, chained to the wall, and for good measure the three of them were gagged; it would not be in their favor if the alarm was sounded. Once the men were secure, Jou turned the corner and, after listening for the whispers, moved to the cell door.
As he came up on the door, he heard more than one familiar voice in the cell and he put his face to the window. He could not see in the small space all that clearly, but then Marik came behind him with a torch and illuminated the interior of the dingy little room.
The person Marik had seen had his back turned to the door and was speaking to three figures smaller than he was. Jou winced when he saw that the prisoner still had on a blue sleeveless shirt, tan shorts, and straw sandals. The dungeons were cold and damp—wearing such clothes could not be a fun experience in such a place.
Jou knew this person. This was Mako, a fisherman who often came into port along the river. He was unaware of Jou's true identity, counting him as one of the few friends Jou had outside the wall. Sometimes when Jou had sneaked out of the palace he'd meet with Mako; it had been the fisherman who had taught him how to swim.
To Mako's left was a mint-haired young teenager, wearing a shirt that was an eclectic mix of pink with black stripes and pale colored pants; a short, white cloak sat on his shoulders, and his straight hair hung to his shoulders. To the right of this individual was a blue-haired young man with glasses, distinctly shorter than everyone else. On Mako's right was a short man with long brown hair, the bangs oddly colored lavender; he was wearing a long green jacket with a yellow tunic underneath it, khaki pants tucked into ankle-high boots.
Realizing he was being watched and after seeing the light on the wall, Mako turned. A grin split his features as he processed who was peering at him. "Jousef, my friend, it has been so long since I saw you last!" he said eagerly. "We were worried!"
It seemed that Mako had not been placed under a gag spell, for he had just used his full name. There was not a gag spell on any of the others, for he did not see anyone stiffen with trepidation when Jou's name had been mentioned.
"So was I, friend. As the prince, I say you're all pardoned from whatever bogus excuse Jean Claude had for putting you here," Jou said with a wide smile, unlocking the door. "Out with you."
Weevil and the brown-haired boy—Rex, if Jou was not much mistaken—were the first to hurry out the door. They had been messengers for the former king. While Rex grudgingly liked Jou, Weevil flat-out disliked him. The feelings were mutual. Neither of them knew Jou's true identity, as there had been no time to formally introduce himself as the prince.
The last individual was someone Jou was not familiar with. "Who's this?" he asked Mako, gesturing to the newcomer.
"His name is Espa. He's a clairvoyant who's also training to be a healer," said Mako. "He has four younger brothers, but they were placed in different parts of the dungeon. What did you mean by you're the prince?"
"Long story behind that one. Do you know if anyone else was thrown down here with you?" Jou asked.
Mako glanced to the others, all of whom shrugged. "I am afraid not, old friend. We're a lot more isolated down here than you realize. A few days ago we heard that the former captain of the guard had been put down here—the guards gossip all the time—but we are not sure where."
Valon perked up at that bit of news. "Is 'e alive?" he asked urgently.
Rex answered with a clouded expression. "I heard he was a couple days ago, but it's hard to keep track of things. We barely know what day it is."
"Did you happen to overhear where they were keeping him? The captain," Jou clarified when Rex shot him a baffled look.
This time it was Weevil who answered. "West passage," he said almost lazily. "By the entrance into the castle. I heard that's where they kept the more important prisoners, though we're just as important don't you think? We should be up front to be recognized—"
"Shut up," Jou groaned, smacking the back of Weevil's head. He then looked over to his friends and said, "Up ahead there's a common room. Wait for me there. I've got to get these guys to safety."
Once Valon, Rishid, and Marik had disappeared from view, Jou then turned to Mako and the others. "I'm going to show you where to go. You've got to stay put, but we'll be back soon. Are there any other guards down here?"
"No," said Mako promptly. "All the other guards were called away this morning to help with something going on in the castle. I heard them complaining about it when they passed by us earlier."
As Jou led them back to the cell with the passage in it, he listened as the former prisoners told him how they had come to be in the dungeon. Weevil's and Rex's stories were almost the same, in that Jean Claude had imprisoned them simply because they could not be trusted to stay free.
Mako had walked in on Jean Claude gloating about disposing of the former prince quite by accident, when he had entered the throne room to renew his annual permit to sell fish in the markets. When it had become obvious Mako could not be bought, he too had been imprisoned.
Espa and his brothers, however, had been kidnapped from a neighboring village. With the threat of harm coming to his family, Espa had been forced into caring for Princess Shizuka in the tower—something that had instantly piqued Jou's interest. He waited until he had shown them the cell with the passage in it before he called Espa aside. "How is Shizuka faring?" he asked, hoping desperately for good news.
"I'm really not supposed to discuss it with anyone but her kin—"
"I'm her older brother," said Jou. At Espa's doubtful look he scowled. "I'm not lying."
"Prove it."
"Shizuka has a birthmark in the shape of a dove on her left shoulder. That's why her name means 'peaceful one' in the old language," Jou said promptly.
Espa instantly relaxed. "All right, that's proof enough for me. She said the exact same thing when I asked her about it."
The shorter boy assumed a grim expression. "I had a friend of mine in my village that had the same illness your sister had, but he died before he turned thirty. I have some knowledge of how to keep such a terrible condition at bay, but it's still worsening."
"How is she?" he asked anxiously. "I haven't gotten any specific news on her in months."
"Her sight's been almost completely obliterated. You can't even touch her now without nearly breaking one of her bones. I was with her until two days ago, but she was alive then," he said. "I've told those idiots to take her out of that drafty tower and place her back in the castle, but they won't listen. They really need to move both of the women out of that tower, especially because of the handmaiden's condition. She won't be able to help your sister for much longer."
Jou's heart sank at the news. Shizuka's bones had grown more and more brittle as time had gone on, and moving was sheer torture for his sister after a certain point. She had been confined to her bed after taking a step one day and snapping her ankle. Though there had been steps to curb it, no one as of yet had been able to fully get rid of the malady. His sister had not yet reached the permanent stage of the disease. There was time to heal and restore her to a healthy young woman—if he reached her in time.
He thanked Espa quietly, promising to find Espa's younger brothers, then he instructed the four of them to remain in the cell until his return (something both Rex and Weevil loudly objected to). He did not watch the door close as he moved down the hall and toward the common area.
While Jou had hung back to discuss his sister with Espa, Valon had surged ahead of even Rishid and Marik. He exercised caution as he came to a large common area in the dungeon, briefly pausing to make sure he did not walk headlong into a trap. He waited impatiently until the others caught up to him. "Jou, where?"
Jou, who was bringing up the rear, tossed him a set of keys and pointed to Valon's left. "That way. Go."
Valon did not even wait for Jou to finish speaking, already disappearing from view. Jou looked at the two Enterrans. "Both of you take a passageway. Free anyone you encounter and make sure they meet in this room," he ordered, and then he followed after Valon. The brown haired man had already gone halfway down the hallway, barely stopping to check inside the cells.
"Give me the keys if you're not going to look!" Jou called in a low voice.
Valon turned and tossed the keyring back to the other man, and Jou started looking through the cells far more thoroughly; there was not anyone in the cells he passed. It seemed Jean Claude had mostly banished everyone who posed a threat—he'd had to check with Rishid and Marik to see if they had found anyone.
It was not until Jou rounded the corner and the castle entrance came to view when he peered into a cell and saw a figure with a hood over their head. There was only one reason that someone would have their identity obscured in such a manner—they were someone easily recognized.
Jou unlocked the door and hurried into the cell. At the sound of the door opening the slender figure jerked, an angry but muffled shout rising; when Jou approached, several frustrated kicks were directed at Jou's shins and he backed away. The prisoner's arms had been chained over their head, preventing them from moving too far, but he did not want to be in range of those kicks.
"It's me, Tristan," said Jou with mild exasperation, reaching down to yank the hood away.
The other young man—no older than Jou, sporting brown hair and hazel eyes—stared up at him with a disbelieving expression. His words were lost behind the gag over his mouth, but Jou recognized the reverently spoken curse. He kneeled and pulled the gag down before he started working on the manacles.
"He told me you were dead," Tristan said hoarsely, one of his now-free arms dropping to his side. "He even showed me your sword to prove he was telling the truth."
"Did you believe him?" asked Jou with raised eyebrows.
Tristan shook his head, a small smirk quirking his lips. "Of course not," he replied with a broadening grin. "You're too stupid to stay dead."
"If you didn't look like crap I'd hit you."
"Aw, going soft on me?"
"Hardly. You'd just whine about me hitting a man while he's down."
"Actually, I'd make some smart-aleck comment about the timing of your arrival—like 'you're late'."
Jou paused at that, his smile disappearing instantly. "You warned me not to go, and you were right."
Tristan rolled his shoulders, beginning to massage his wrists. "Notice how hard I tried to stop you. We'll just call this a favor—next time there's a dangerous epic quest to go on, leave it to me, huh?"
Jou laughed and held a hand out, and Tristan clasped it firmly before hauling himself to his feet. He did not release Jou, however, and instead pulled him into a brief hug. "I'm really glad you're not dead."
There was a small pause, and then Jou and Tristan parted awkwardly. "Promise I won't mention the girly hug if you won't," said Jou gruffly.
"You got it." Tristan hissed as he wobbled uncertainly on his feet. "I'm out of shape. Jean Claude's been keeping me here in the dungeon, trying to get me to talk about the secrets of the kingdom or how the coronation works. I wouldn't tell him anything," he said somewhat proudly. "Unfortunately, he took that a signal that I wanted to be thrown into a cell without any range of movement."
"Did you manage to wound him?" asked Jou hopefully.
Tristan looked regretful at the question. "I wish. He came into the throne room one morning, as bold as you please, and asked if I would be oh-so-kind to get off his throne. I was not so happy to see him, so when he came at me with a sword I naturally fought back. That was when I saw your sword, and when I let my guard down…I don't know how else to describe it, man. One minute I was in the throne room, the next—"
"You were in the dungeon, without any memory of what happened. That's a recurring issue circling this kingdom as of late," said Jou tiredly.
"I wish I wasn't so shaky!" Tristan burst out angrily, trying to regain his balance. "I haven't been able to walk since I got thrown down here."
"Take a few moments to regain your feet. I understand—this is the first full day I've been human," Jou replied sympathetically. At Tristan's confused look he said, "There's a longer explanation coming, but simply put I've been a dragon for the past few months."
Tristan paused, looking briefly surprised before sighing. "Now why couldn't I have been cursed as a dragon while you had to stay in the dungeon cell?" he lamented.
Valon was not far ahead of Jou, though he had slowed once he realized that he was barely able to see into the next few cells. He saw Jou vanish into one and he nearly doubled back to see who he'd found, but when he heard an unfamiliar voice come from inside the cell he turned around and continued on his way.
He arrived at the last cell in the block and paused, peering in hopefully. "Raph?"
At first he did not get an answer, but as his vision adjusted he spotted something moving in a corner and a familiar outline. His breath came in a sharp gasp. He had found Raphael.
Valon turned his attention to the keyhole, but cursed when he remembered that Jou still had the keys. Without another word he brought his leg up and kicked as hard as he could along the lock. A few more powerful kicks, followed by one attempt to break the door down with his body, caused the door to give way with an ear-splitting crack. Valon winced at that—so much for stealth.
He moved into the cell without any further thought, his first concern for the older man. He pulled off the sackcloth on the man's head, blond hair coming into view almost instantly. Raphael's chin was resting on his chest, and even in the dark Valon was alarmed by the almost alabaster hue his older friend's face was. Raphael's eyes were closed, his breathing just a shallow wheeze.
"Raph?" Valon asked, using the back of his hand to tap Raphael's cheek gently. "C'mon, fella, wake up."
Raphael's eyes slid open weakly, looking at his rescuer. It was quite apparent, however, that while he was semi-conscious the tough man had no idea what was going on around him; the gaze being directed at Valon was going through him, not focused on him.
"Give me jus' a bit, Raph. I'll be righ' back," he promised, rising to his feet.
He half-jogged out of the cell to return to the one Jou was in. He saw the other young man soon enough with someone he did not recognize, but he paid no attention and instead ordered sharply, "Give me the keys."
Without asking Jou tossed the keyring back to Valon, who then turned on his heel and sprinted out of the cell and back into the one Raphael was in. He reached the strong man's side in seconds and started undoing the cuffs. At least no one had re-opened the injuries inflicted by the whip, though Valon felt guilt when he saw the inflamed and infected cuts on the brawny arms.
As he freed Raphael's right arm his body slumped at an angle, and when it did the younger man caught sight of the back of Raphael's neck. A chill of horror ran down his spine when he saw the blue-purple bruise that had blossomed across Raphael's neck, like a grotesque spiderweb. A cursory glance down the back of Raphael's shirt revealed that his entire back was one giant bruise; someone must have slammed Raphael into a wall, and because of that foul potion the bruise had grown unchecked.
No wonder his oldest friend was so dazed—not all wounds bled on the outside.
It took him only moments to free Raphael's arms, and Valon was pleased to note that the older man was starting to revive. "Let's get you taken care of," he said grimly, pulling out the potion vials.
The moment his eyes went to the vials Raphael weakly shook his head, attempting to turn his head away. "No," he mumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion and confusion. "Don' wan' it."
Valon instead forced the first bottle into his friend's hand. "I know, Jean Claude was a git 'n' gave you a barmy potion, but you've got t' take this one or you're not gonna make it."
When Raphael continued to stare blankly at him Valon gripped his shoulders and locked eyes with him. "Look, you're my best friend 'n' all, but if you don' take the stupid potion I'll kick your big dumb arse across the room!"
The older blond blinked once or twice, processing the words for a few seconds, and then Valon saw a spark of recognition light Raphael's eyes and he attempted to straighten up. "Valon?" he asked, and this time his voice was sharper than before.
Valon grinned, pleased that Raphael was finally coming out of the dazed state he'd been in. "Who'd you think it was, the Grim Reaper?" he teased. "Now tha' we've established you're not hallucinatin', mind takin' the potentially gross tastin' potions now?"
Raphael did not seem to hear him. "You aren't supposed to be here," he said with some consternation. "It's not safe."
"Drink this," Valon ordered impatiently, shoving the green potion bottle into Raphael's hands. "N' yeah, I figured tha' somethin's goin' on once I found Alister."
Raphael had finished the first bottle with a quick gulp and a grimace, but at Valon's comment he stiffened. "You…found him?" he asked slowly, his expression unreadable.
Valon pressed his lips together and looked away. As much as he wanted to tell Raphael that their red-haired comrade yet lived, Ryou and Alister both had advised him against it; their sole advantage lay in keeping Alister's whereabouts in the dark.
The older man looked away, taking Valon's silence as an answer. "I see," he said, and Valon caught both resignation and grief in the quiet sentence.
"Why didn' you fellas jus' come back to the forest anyways? Alister wouldn' 'ave ended up the way 'e did if you'd come home!" he burst out angrily, and his eldest friend started at the shift in tones. "Why the 'eck would you choose t' stay 'ere? You hate castle life, Raph, and yet…gettin' yourself 'urt, tangled up in this nonsense with tha' Jean Claude git. It's downright stupid! I know, I know," he added impatiently, not allowing the blond speak. "Kid sister in trouble, you couldn' ignore it. I know, but I wish for once you'd been a bit more selfish 'n' came back 'ome!"
There was a brief pause, during which Raphael took the second potion. Valon did not trust himself to talk, though his breathing was heavy and came in angry huffs. It was not until Valon saw the cuts healing in Raphael's arms when the older man finally spoke.
"I'm starting to wish the same thing," he said heavily, catching the teenager off guard by how blunt he sounded. "If I'd known in advance, I would have just left with the others. This was more trouble than it was worth, and because of my reckless decision she's been put in danger and Alister's dead."
Valon did not have to ask who "she" was, but he latched onto the second half of the sentence. "Tha' reminds me," he said roughly. "Why didn' you tell me you were in the forest? If you'd jus' told me t' stay away I would've, you know I would've!"
"I didn't want to lie to you!" Raphael thundered, looking both frustrated and guilty. "I wanted to warn you that it wasn't safe to be around us. But Gurimo found you first, and almost immediately after we got you away from him Jean Claude showed up. I knew Gurimo would only want to cause you even more harm by lying. I took advantage of the fact you were out cold. It was not safe for you to be around us at all—I just didn't want one more person I cared about getting killed."
There was a pause, and then Valon felt the anger die out of him. The other man's intentions had been genuine and made with Valon's safety in mind. He was still resentful over what had transpired, but Raphael had not abandoned him and neither had Alister.
"At least you're still alive. It was bad enough findin' Alister…I didn' wanna think I'd lost both of my chums," he declared gruffly, looking away.
After a moment of hesitation a large hand rested gently on the boy's shoulder with a reassuring grip. The tension eased out of Valon's shoulders at the touch. Raphael did not say anything, but at this point he did not need to—the gesture was enough for the teenager.
"I asked you earlier but you didn't answer. How did you get here without anyone seeing you?" Raphael asked after a beat of silence.
Valon did not get to reply. A new voice, sounding somewhat sheepish at intruding on the conversation, answered Raphael instead.
"That's because he talked to me."
When Valon had gotten the keys from him, Jou had known what it had meant. After briefly explaining to Tristan who Valon was, he helped the steward back down the hall and into the common area. Marik and Rishid had waited patiently for his return, having only found ten others in the dungeon; five of them had been former guards, one an elderly butler who had waited on the king, and the remaining four identified as Espa's imprisoned younger brothers.
Leaving the steward in the care of the two Enterrans, Jou had then returned down the hall to check on Valon and the man he had left in charge of the guards. He had come into the last cell while Valon and Raphael had been talking, though he had waited until the conversation had turned in his direction before speaking. Raphael looked awfully pale and haggard, though color was washing back into his features and his gaze was alert. He was recovering, at least.
Almost immediately after Jou had spoken, Raphael froze, his face going ashen as his eyes rounded. When his sharp gaze found Jou standing at the back of the cell he half rose, stunned into silence for several long seconds.
"You're alive?" Raphael asked at last. Valon had finally helped the older man to his feet once he realized his companion had no intention of sitting down any longer. "Where have you been?"
Jou flushed and looked away awkwardly. "Yeah, um. About that. Don't suppose you remember the black dragon you used catapults on?"
A look of mortified horror crossed the older man's features, but all he managed was a faint, "Oh."
"How are you holding up? Are you all right?" Jou asked then.
"I'm getting there," Raphael replied. He did not look anywhere near as shaky as he had been when Valon had come into the cell, and thanks to Ryou's potions he was nearly himself again. If he could banish the abnormal weakness still permeating his body, he'd be inclined to say that all was well.
"You'll feel better once you've got this last one in. Looks like you're drinkin' blood," Valon added with disgust, handing the flask to his older friend. A similar look crossed Raphael's features at the sight of the crimson liquid, but he still drank the last one. He stoppered the empty flask with a shudder.
"I'm sorry about this," Jou apologized, catching their attention. He felt like he had been apologizing all day, but it still did not take out the genuine note of sorrow out of his voice. "I should have just let you go home, Raphael."
"It was a two-way decision," Raphael replied evenly. "You asked me to stay, but I was the one who chose to remain here. I'll accept your apology if you accept mine, for allowing Jean Claude to take the kingdom."
"Fair enough," said Jou, relaxing with a small smile. "Can you travel?"
"Definitely."
"Great, then let's get out of here. Never did like the dungeons much, and I can say you don't enjoy them either."
"Wait a moment," said the other blond, and when Jou turned it was to find Raphael rummaging in a small crevice in the cell wall. He grasped something in his hand before holding it to Jou. Even with as little light that he had, Jou still recognized the royal purple bag.
"Princess Mai was down here a few days before," the taller man explained. "She had her memory altered again, but she asked me to hide the gem inside this cell in case something went wrong. She had some sort of plan in place, but I don't know what it was," he finished.
Jou flinched at that. Mai must have known her memory would be erased again, so she had left behind the memory gem in the hopes that the right person would give it to her and restore her memory. That sounded like the Mai he knew, not like the simpering woman he'd seen when Sivya had spied on her in the castle.
"Thanks. I'll make sure this gets to her," Jou said gruffly, and then he turned out of the cell. "Come on. We've still got work to do."
When they returned to the entrance of the secret passage, there were a lot more people than the original four who had traveled it. At length, it was decided that Tristan and Jou would take the lead, with the former prisoners sandwiched between them; Rishid and Marik took up the absolute rear, while Valon and Raphael remained in front of the two Enterrans.
"So we're using the tunnels, then?" asked Tristan as they descended down the narrow staircase once again. "I figured that's how you'd gotten in without attracting attention."
"'e also wore this really girly dress. Legs wen' up a mile high, 'n' I think 'e even got someone to whistle at him," called Valon from the rear, grinning shamelessly when Jou turned and shook a fist at him.
"I'll come back there," Jou threatened.
Valon in turn gave him a very lazy and much pointed yawn. Marik in spite of himself snorted in amusement, and the action called Valon's attention to him. "Did Ishtar do anythin'?" the teenager asked then.
Marik's features darkened the same time Raphael's did. "No," replied the Enterran flatly. "He's still keeping quiet. I didn't know he existed until Rishid and Ishizu told me about him," he added when he noticed Raphael, correctly interpreting the other man's stormy gaze.
Raphael's mouth tightened, but he also glanced to Rishid. "So you found your family, then?"
"Yes, though Mai helped. She'll never let me hear the end of it when I see her next," said Marik gloomily. His eyes were alight, however, and so Raphael knew Marik was not entirely distressed about who had found his family.
Jou paused at a smaller tunnel to his right, looking over his shoulder at the servants behind him. "This lets out into a secret chamber adjacent to the kitchen. No one looks in there, so if any of you want to sit the upcoming battle out you can remain there. I won't forget and let you all out once the dust settles. I also won't think any less of you if you choose to go there."
He had been looking at Tristan pointedly, hoping that his friend would take him up on his offer, but Tristan remained steadfastly where he was. Instead nearly the entire group moved toward the stepladder; the loyal guards who had been in the dungeon, as much as they wished to join the fight, also knew their strength. Not one of them was up to the battle to come, as they had not been able to move in months.
When the last of the servants and prisoners had been helped into the room above and the passage way immersed in near darkness once again, Jou looked to Tristan with a scowl. "You were supposed to go with them, you idiot."
"Hardly," Tristan sniffed, sounding disdainful of the thought. "I have a score to settle with that imposter."
Jou shook his head ruefully. He had wanted his friend to have time to recover, but it seemed that Jou's return and the promise of avenging himself on Jean Claude had bolstered Tristan's weakened appearance. "Fine," he said with a sigh. "Just don't make me regret letting you come with me."
It was right around then when Marik's head felt as if it had split open and he sank without a sound.
Well hello, Marik. It's about time you arrived.
Marik grit his teeth and tried to push Ishtar out of his thoughts. In retaliation came an even stronger wave of pressure and pain and he whimpered, finally going to his knees.
It's not so easy to be rid of me, wee lamb. I'm here to discuss a small problem I have. You see, here you are in the castle and going about your business. I've held up my end of the bargain, but I've yet to see your side fulfilled. Tell me, now: where are the Shadow Items?
Concerned voices converged around him, the sounds cresting into another agonizing throbbing in his skull. He wished they'd stop talking, but he could not banish either the presence in his mind or the sounds around him and instead he focused on not passing out. His watering eyes caught Rishid's, but he held up a hand. If push came to shove he'd rely on Rishid to help push Ishtar back, but right now this was between him and the entity he had created.
Get…out…he growled at last. We did bring the wretched things.
Why can I not sense them, then?
Marik fought to conjure up the memory of Ryou in the passage, showing him the satchel that currently hid Yugi, Yami, and Bakura from sight. The memory was snatched away from him as it started playing back in fragmented, unconnected portions.
Satisfied? Marik asked sarcastically.
I'd be a lot happier if you came with me. How about it, Little Marik? Feel like coming with me into the darkness?
Feeling more than a little vindictive, Marik forced a memory of Rishid to the front of his thoughts, focusing especially hard on the scars on the man's features. A venomous hiss, followed by the tension easing out of his head, proved that Marik's little maneuver had worked—Ishtar was leaving.
You won't always have that man around to defend you. When that time comes, my dear counterpart, you will be mine.
As suddenly as it had come the pain vanished and Marik slumped dizzily, nearly falling face first before Rishid caught him. Unlike last time, the pain was not enough to nauseate Marik, but his stomach still rolled in unpleasant waves. "It's okay," he assured them when he opened his eyes. "He was just chatting."
The term had been light, designed to lessen the impact of Ishtar taking control from him for the second time, but Marik still felt a burning anger roiling inside of him. He despised having his freedom taken from him in such a manner, and he would be damned if he would allow it to happen again.
Jou frowned. "About what?"
"The thing Ryou brought in the bag," said Marik, already starting to feel better. "He couldn't sense them. He wanted to make sure we brought them. I think he's waiting for us to move first."
Jou nodded. "Right, then we'd better not keep him or the others waiting. Let's go."
Tristan looked more than unsettled by recent events, as did Raphael, but Jou motioned them to his side and as they started walking the prince began explaining Marik's connection to Ishtar in an undertone. Rishid hovered next to Marik, ready to keep his younger brother standing if necessary, but as they advanced Marik felt more and more like himself. It had not been so bad this time.
Ryou was still on guard and waved at them cheerfully when he saw them, and after reporting that there had been no disturbances from above he led the way back up into the guardhouse. He had been alarmed by the news that Ishtar had communicated with them, but like Marik he too felt that Ishtar was conserving his energy for what was to come—it would not be easy subduing two Shadow Masters, both of whom were innately connected to their respective Items.
More than one person was relieved to see Raphael exit out of the tunnels. They had armed themselves with what they could; Gurimo had confiscated their weapons and most of their armor, but they had managed to squirrel away some pieces of armor and a few other items.
One of them was Raphael's sword, and that had been hidden inside a panel near the fireplace. Corda regretfully informed the much taller man that they had not been able to save the armor, but Raphael was secretly pleased. It had never fit him properly, as it had belonged to the castle, and he had been taught how to wield a sword without using heavy chainmail or the like long before his time at the castle.
Valon had not agreed with Raphael's decision to go without armor, given how close to death his eldest companion had been earlier, but he had no choice in the matter. "Still wish 'e'd at least wear chainmail," he grumbled to Marik.
Marik glanced at him, his head pounding. Ishtar was skulking in the back of his mind, but since Rishid was standing next to him Ishtar had done nothing so far. "Well then tell him as such," he said, somewhat irritable.
Valon did not have time to comment, because by then Jou had come over to them and had motioned to the passage. "We've gotta sneak into the castle through the armory," he explained. "You first, Valon."
The Aurosian groaned at the thought of more narrow tunnels but complied, vanishing reluctantly down into the passage. One by one, the guards followed after Valon; there was a brief moment of trepidation from the men in the house, fearful of activating Ishtar's curse, but thankfully nothing happened. By the time Jou came down there were at least thirty five men in the tunnel, waiting patiently.
The trek to the armory was a lot shorter than they expected, as they arrived at the entrance to the room within three minutes. Jou and Tristan moved up the stairs first, quietly passing down swords, spears, and armor; with the exception of the Enterrans, Valon, and Raphael, every one of the guards quickly but silently pulled on the armor and armed themselves.
While Tristan managed to find a suit of armor that would allow him to move quickly and shield him, Jou did not armor himself. Like Raphael, he had chosen to go in with nothing but his sword. His mother had given it to him for his seventh birthday, right before he had been taken. It had been forged from the volcanic rock that had surrounded him at the mountain, the blade the same shade that his scales as a dragon had been. It was light but durable, stronger than it appeared to be. Sometimes he swore it glowed with an inner fire when he used it for an extended period of time.
Armoring himself would only mean he would be slower than everyone else, he knew. He had trained extensively whilst wearing it, but he was still clumsy and unable to move as fast as he would like. Besides, he thought wryly, Mai despised what she called the "knight in shining armor routine". She would kill him if he rescued her in a full suit of armor.
Once everyone had suited up and had been armed, Jou motioned for them to enter the room one at a time. He peered outside the door, his eyes taking in the familiar sights of the castle interior; from the direction of the throne room came music, and it took him only seconds to realize what it meant.
"Okay, start lining up on the walls. Keep out of sight," he ordered quietly. Marik was the last one through the room, and after closing the door the group began cautiously moving through the castle, trying to stay as silent as they could and hoping they were not too late.
"It's going to happen," Mai whispered under her breath, already excited. Miho could understand the enthusiasm behind Mai's behavior, but she also noticed that her gaze seemed to be sweeping the crowd of nobles beyond them as if she was searching for someone. Miho wished her luck on that, for there were easily over one hundred nobles in the room. "Oh goodness, this is really going to happen."
Miho wondered at that comment, but noticed Jean Claude at the throne waving them over. She swallowed nervously as the music started and leaned to gather the hem of Mai's wedding gown. "We had best be going."
Mai let out an impatient sound before the princess turned and smiled. "Let's be off, then, Miho," she said, and they advanced into the room.
Heads already began turning, and as they cleared the doors two guards shut them, quietly bolting them into place to avoid anyone disturbing the wedding. Before the doors closed, however, Miho caught sight of someone turning the corner and she paused. Who was that? Mai had kept going forward, however, and Miho had to keep moving.
Jean Claude beamed at their approach, not seeming to notice the hesitation in the procession. As Mai moved across from Jean Claude at the throne Miho made to slip away, but a stern look from Jean Claude halted her.
The aging priest, who had been summoned earlier that day, waited until the music died before he began to speak. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Jou snarled, pushing on the door with all his weight. "Why did they lock the doors?"
"Gee, it couldn't be because there's a wedding going on inside," Tristan retorted sarcastically. He and the others had tried to help push open the doors, but they were too thick to budge and with the bolts in place entry was all but impossible.
Jou leaned back to study the door. He had spotted Miho going into the room right before the doors had closed, and he knew she had seen him. He could hope that she would find a way to get them inside, but by then it would be too late—Mai would be married and the defensive spell would activate.
"Come on, think. The tunnels don't lead into the throne room, the windows are outside and reinforced…" Jou muttered, his thoughts racing a mile a minute.
He could hear the voice of the priest faintly through the door and he growled, his fist slamming into the wall. He looked up to the heavens and said angrily, "We could use some help right about now!"
Without any sort of warning his wrist ignited with hot fire. The obsidian pendant glowed like a charcoal, heat rising from inside the dragon pendant—Yami's enchantment was finally activating.
Jou yelped in surprise, stifling his curse as he fought to pull the leather strap off his wrist. He successfully extricated the pendant, but found that he could not hold onto the pendant for long and tossed it with some fury against the door. Stupid pendant, his wrist was now badly burned because of—
The pendant shattered and the world exploded in a cacophony of lightning and fire.
"I do," Jean Claude declared proudly, gazing fondly at Mai.
They had been nearing the end of the wedding vows when the smell of electricity and smoke began filtering through the room, an unseen charge and pressure beginning to rise. Jean Claude frowned but motioned for the priest to continue. It was not a fire, that was for certain—someone would have raised the alarm. But then what was going on?
"And do you, Princess Mai of Thystia, take Jean Claude to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish for all your days?" the priest asked, his mild gaze sharpening just a bit as his eyes landed on Mai. Jean Claude noted that Miho nearly moved to speak out but then flinched and looked away when she saw him looking at her. Good.
Before Mai could even speak, a draconic roar broke the reverent silence and caused the entire room to vibrate with the creature's fury.
Jean Claude's hands went to his sword, drawing it swiftly as he ushered the beautiful woman behind him. He should have made Ishtar do more than he had to keep that idiotic Jousef away! How had that boy gotten to Hermos without any sort of alarm being set off? Surely someone would have seen a huge hulking beast descending from the sky, especially in broad daylight—
A blow from beyond the throne room entrance forced the thick oak doors open, smoke hurtling into the room and rapidly taking shape. Wind followed after it, and with a powerful gust nearly three quarters of the benches were overturned. No one was immediately hurt, but there was more than one pained cry.
The nobles, both sitting and lying on the floor, were paralyzed with fear, watching as red-tinted lightning began racing through the aisles in tall pillars. The smoke rose to the balcony above the throne room, and there it took shape—claws came into view, teeth forming at the same time that scales shaped its form, and gleaming, proud ruby eyes began looking at the people below them.
It eyed them all haughtily for one moment longer before it roared again, a sound that deafened all who heard it and caused more than one person to sink to their knees. From within the smoke came a voice that echoed like thunder.
DISPULSO!
A powerful blast of gold and red lightning erupted from the dragon, aimed at the ceiling. Those in the throne room shrieked in alarm as the blast came into contact with a previously invisible barrier, one that crackled with menacing green lightning. Sparks danced from the two forces of magic, but the dragon's blast won out.
With the sound of shattering glass every spell fueled by the orichalcum broke. From within Jean Claude's pendant came the sound of a crack, and the man looked down in horror as the amulet split clean in half, the only thing holding it together being the gold surrounding the gem.
The dragon then took wing over the room, flying low enough to frighten all beneath it before flying through the nearest glass window. Glass shards rained down on the others beneath them, and Jean Claude threw up his cloak to shield the woman at his side. Once outside, the beast flew straight for the nearest wall and threw itself with one final cry against the only thing preventing magic from entering the castle: the barrier formed by Shadow magic. It vanished, but as it disappeared so did the magic-fueled shield.
In the immediate aftermath of the dragon's entrance there was no sound, everyone stunned into complete silence by what had happened. Heavy, dense smoke still hung in the air and the overpowering smell of lightning stifled the room; the flowers had been ravaged by the gusting wind, leaving nothing but petals in the room. In different parts of the room, the guests were shakily rising to their feet.
It was right around then when a voice, half choked by smoke, broke the silence.
"Dammit, Yami, you could have killed us with that, you miserable little pyronut!" a young man coughed out. "That's it! I'm never letting you give me a gift again! Never again! I was wearing that thing and it could have exploded? I was almost blown into bits, Yami you deranged lunatic!"
Several confused looks were exchanged as an affronted buzz rose through the hall, many turning their attention to the door. Mai peered out from under Jean Claude's cloak, violet eyes wide and startled, and Miho's eyes instantly lit up with joy.
Jean Claude, on the other hand, turned pale with dread.
The smoke suddenly dispersed to bring a young man with shaggy blond hair and brown eyes into view. While the man was still coughing, he was already standing tall as he realized that more than one pair of eyes was upon him; those closest to the doorway could see that this young man was accompanied by thirty or so armed guards behind him.
As the last of the smoke vanished from sight, Jou eyed the room with the same amount of affronted pride that the dragon had. There was a steely, flinty edge to his gaze, and as it landed on Jean Claude it shifted into white-hot fury.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen," Jou announced, his voice buoyant but hard, "I suppose you're wondering about what the absolute hell is going on here. Don't worry, I have no intentions of getting you involved. With the exception of that sniveling, pathetic excuse of a human named Jean Claude, everyone needs to leave. This is the real Prince of Hermos talking to you. I'm giving you five minutes to get out of this room. If you stay, I'm throwing you in the dungeon for being morons."
At that, Jou sidestepped the door and the others behind him followed suit, parting to expose the doorway. The bewildered, smoke covered, and downright frightened nobles instantly moved as one mass out of the throne room. Within seconds, the only ones remaining were Miho, Jean Claude, the priest, and Mai.
From two side doors of the room Jean Claude's own men were beginning to file in. Gurimo had snuck out once the dragon had entered and had rallied his men, and from behind Jou he heard his own allies entering the room in a fan. The nobles had gone by then—now, it was a stalemate between the two sides.
Jou waited only a moment before his gaze went directly to the priest, who instantly quailed underneath his flinty glare. "I'm not much for formalities. The wedding's off."