A Price Too Dear
By Red Blaze 16
Disclaimer: I do not own He-Man or any of the Masters of the Universe.
The Choice
Deep inside Snake Mountain, an evil man plotted. Too many times recently, He-Man and the Masters had won. Skeletor grew impatient with his desire to rule Eternia. He knew that the key to finally defeating He-Man lay in taking control of Castle Grayskull and the magic that was within.
"Skeletor."
Looking up from his throne, Skeletor glanced at Evil-Lyn.
"What now, woman?" demanded the lord of Snake Mountain.
"A stranger seeks an audience with you," she said sneering. "He said he has some useful information."
"Useful?" demanded Skeletor. "What is it?"
"He says he will only speak with you," replied the evil witch.
Sliding down into his throne, Skeletor tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair.
"Of course, I could loosen his tongue, if you want," continued Evil-Lyn with a grin. Her eyes widen and glitter with imagined torture. "Perhaps I could find out what he knows. Everything he knows."
With a sinister chuckle at the mental image her words formed in his mind, Skeletor enjoyed an almost sexual thrill at the thought of torture. While he rarely desired female companionship in the bedroom, he always sought one out after a torture session, usually with Evil-Lyn, unless the torture involved rape. Sadly, the stranger was a male, so Skeletor would not be able to enjoy his favorite form of torture.
I will listen to what he has to say. If it's not important enough, I can always entertain myself with his blood and pain later, thought Skeletor. Waving a hand at Evil-Lyn, the lord of Snake Mountain sat up in the throne and leaned forward.
"Send him in," said Skeletor. "If I don't like his answers, we can always torture him after."
Smirking at Skeletor, Evil-Lyn left the room. A moment later, a stranger, dressed in a dark gray cloak stood before the throne that Skeletor sat upon. Staring down at the man, Skeletor strained to see under the cloak, but the shadows covered the face of the man.
"Who are you?" demanded Skeletor.
"Who I am doesn't matter," replied the other man. His voice was soft and cold. "Only the information I can share with you is important."
"I decide what is important," retorted the Skeletor, standing up from his throne. He strode toward the smaller, cloaked male.
"You seek a way into Grayskull," whispered the stranger, which stopped Skeletor in his tracks.
"What of it?" demanded the Dark Lord.
"You have used force and it has not worked. You have used trickery and it has not worked," continued the cloaked male. "I suggest force of a different sort. Give the Sorceress an ultimatum."
"What sort of 'ultimatum'?" demanded Skeletor. His interest peaked.
"The female Master, Teela, is important to the Sorceress," replied the stranger.
"Why?" demanded Skeletor.
Laughing quietly, the cloaked man shifted left than right. "Again, it does not matter. What does matter is that she can be used against the Sorceress. You can force the Sorceress into giving you Grayskull."
Pondering the information, Skeletor turned his back to the cloaked stranger and walked back to his throne. Sitting down, he glanced toward where the man stood, but found that no one was in the room with him. Standing up quickly, Skeletor scanned his throne room.
"Evil-Lyn!"
Hearing her leader's call, the dark witch entered the throne room.
"Where is he?" demanded Skeletor.
"Who?" she replied.
"The cloaked stranger," said Skeletor, waving a hand at the empty room.
Glancing around the room herself, the witch could plainly see that they were the only two people in the room.
"I don't know," replied Evil-Lyn. "But he did not pass me, as I was just outside the throne room."
Frustrated at losing the cloaked man, Skeletor sat on his throne and considered what the male told him.
…...
Just after the mid-day meal, Teela and Adam walked across the Palace grounds. Adam was scheduled for an early afternoon practice and Teela meant to make sure that the prince did attend that training.
"I don't see why I have to practice every day," whined Adam, as he walked next to the Captain of the Guard.
"Maybe your father, the King, wants to know that you can defend yourself," replied the red haired warrior.
"But every day?" demanded Adam. The whine was still clearly heard.
"Practice makes perfect," said Teela, with a laugh.
Noting her easy going nature, Adam couldn't help but smile. The last battle with Skeletor and his men had been days ago and people were beginning to relax and enjoy the respite, knowing that it could end at any time.
Entering the open dueling courtyard, near the palace, Teela walked over to where the training swords were kept. Grabbing one, she turned to hand it to the prince when she stopped. Noting a dark shadow in the sky, Teela stared at it a moment.
"Teela? What's wrong?" asked Adam, as he turned to look into the sky. It took less than a second before he also saw the the shadow moving quickly toward the palace.
As the shadow drew nearer to the palace, she realized it's not a single shadow, but multiple.
"We're under attack," said Teela, pointing toward the shadows that, on closer inspection, was Skeletor's men on skysleds. "Adam, sound the alarm and take cover."
Tossing the sword aside, Teela ran for a nearby skysled and got on it. Starting it, she took to the skies to defend Eternos.
Dashing to a nearby building, Adam pushed the alarm button. A blaring noise screamed through the Palace, letting the guards and Masters know that they were under attack. Satisfied that help would soon arrive to aide Teela, Adam glanced around before raising his sword and calling on the power of Grayskull.
"By the power of Grayskull..."
Where a moment earlier the Prince of Eternia stood, He-Man now stood. Noting a green shadow by the door, he pointed his sword and shot magic at his ever faithful and cowardly tiger, Cringer. With a roar, a red plated tiger, Battle Cat, left the shadows and rushed to join He-Man.
"Let's help Teela, Cat," boomed out He-Man.
"Right, He-Man," growled the cat.
Leaping onto the tiger, He-Man rushed out to join the other Masters.
…...
In the air, above Eternos, Teela locked sight on Mer-Man. Firing her weapon, she hit the villain's skysled and, noting the smoke as it rolls off the back of the skysled where her shot landed, Teela decided that Mer-Man wouldn't be in the air much longer. Glancing away from aquatic henchman, as he struggled to control his failing skysled, Teela noticed two more of Skeletor's men, but this time on the ground, in the trees, not far from the Palace wall.
Quickly, she scanned the area to see if any Masters were nearby. Finding none, Teela spotted a small clearing to land the skysled in. Touching down, she powered off her ride and taking a blaster from the skysled's holster, Tella followed the enemy through the woods near the Palace. Sliding through the trees, unnoticed by the men she stalked, Teela caught up to the Skeletor's men.
"Hold it right there, Trap Jaw and Tri-Klops," demanded the red haired warrior She raised her blaster to cover both men.
Stopping in their forward motion, the two men turned slowly to face the woman behind them. Carefully, they raised their hands. Focused completely on the men in front of her, Teela doesn't notice as Beast Man approached her from behind. Taking a final step toward the woman, Beast Man raised his club. Just as he stepped down, a twig cracked under his foot.
Hearing the twig snap, Teela whipped around just as Beast Man swung the club down and struck her on the shoulder. Falling to her knees under the blow, Teela raised her blaster to fire on Beast Man. Quickly, he swung the club again, catching Teela on the side of her head. The second blow knocked her to the ground and unconscious.
"Get her to Skeletor," growled Beast Man.
Reaching down, Tri-Klops picked up Teela and slung her over his shoulder. Quickly, the three men turned away from the Palace and the battle.
…...
At Snake Mountain, in the dungeon, Tri-Klops deposited the still unconscious warrior into a cell. Closing the door, he stepped aside as Skeletor approached the cell door. Stepping up to the bone bars, Skeletor's eyes raked over Teela. Laying on her side, in the middle of the floor where Tri-Klops put her, she was unaware of Skeletor's gaze.
"She doesn't seem like much," sneered the lord of Snake Mountain, though his eyes paused a moment on the curve of her hips.
Realizing that Skeletor truly wasn't talking to him, Tri-Klops said nothing.
"It doesn't matter if you think she's important," replied Evil-Lyn, striding up behind Skeletor. She glanced into the cell to look at the woman. "She's just a tool to be used against the Sorceress."
"Used and disposed of," said Skeletor, with a laugh.
"Of course," replied Evil-Lyn with a grin.
Turning away from the cell, Skeletor pointed his havoc staff and called on his magic. Opening a portal, Skeletor stepped through it and arrived at Castle Grayskull. Waving his staff at the portal, it closed as Skeletor waited for the Sorceress to notice him. As he waits, he stared longingly toward the castle and the power it contained.
Sensing a dark and evil presence, the Sorceress quickly used the magic given to her by Grayskull and searched the grounds near the castle. Finding Skeletor through her magic, she sent out a telepathic call to He-Man.
He-Man! Skeletor is at Grayskull!
As she waited for his reply, she approached the balcony window.
"Sorceress!" shouted Skeletor.
I will come at once.
Stepping up to the window, the Sorceress stared down at the evil man.
"You have no business here, Skeletor," said the Sorceress.
Raising a hand, a glowing magical ball formed in her hand.
"Leave now!" she demanded.
Laughing, Skeletor raised his havoc staff and a purplish glow surrounded the skull of the staff. Quickly a stream of energy shot off of the tip and formed a circle of purple in the air. Inside the circle, an image formed. Distorted and wavy at first, the image solidified quickly into a image of a red haired woman.
"I have a prisoner," announced Skeletor.
Staring into the magic circle, Sorceress' heart skipped a beat as she realized that the prisoner Skeletor spoke of was her daughter, Teela. Rapidly, her eyes swept over the image. While the Sorceress had never been inside Snake Mountain, she could only assume that that was where Teela was being held.
"I've been told this one is...important to you," said Skeletor.
Dropping her eyes from the image, Sorceress stared at the evil man. Does he know? By Eternia, let him not know she is my child, thought the Sorceress.
"All of the Masters are important," she said, forcing her eyes to stay on Skeletor and not stray back to the image of her daughter. Relaxing her will, the ball of magic disappeared from her hand.
"But are they equally important to you?" demanded Skeletor. While he waited for her to answer, inside Skeletor seethed. Why is she important? Damn the stranger for not telling me!
"Yes," replied the Sorceress, as she glared at the man.
Raising his havoc staff, he sent another blast of magic at the image. The circle of purplish magic grew larger and the image expanded. Slowly the image moved closer to the Sorceress. Saying nothing, Skeletor waited until the image was within touching distance of the Sorceress.
"Then is shouldn't matter if one dies," said Skeletor. "There are always more Masters."
"You will release her," demanded Sorceress. She kept her gaze on Skeletor. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted by Teela.
"No," replied Skeletor, with a laugh.
Unable to stop herself, Sorceress glanced at the image again. Now, so close, she couldn't help but see a darkness on the side of her daughter's face. Obviously a bruise from when she was captured.
"I will give you a chance to let her live," he said, as he watched the Sorceress stare at Teela's image.
Jerking her gaze away from the image, Sorceress glared down at Skeletor.
"I will return at sundown with her," said Skeletor. "When I return, you will either open the drawbridge and welcome me into Grayskull or I will kill the woman. The choice is yours."