That ridiculous runt of a Jedi was causing problems for Harkun. It had been months now and Mordivai had faced down every challenge Harkun had thrown at him, refusing to break or give in, still clinging stubbornly to his precious Jedi Code. He was clearly educated and combat trained already, and his string of successes rankled the other acolytes. Harkun had done his best to fan their jealousy until their hatred of him was a conflagration, making sure that Mordivai's every moment was hell. There was a deep well of anger in the young Jedi, Harkun could feel it, but Mordivai released it only in tightly controlled bursts in the combat ring, and only when driven to duress. Mordivai was committed to the light, but he was touched by the dark side - a skeleton in his past? - although he seemed aware of it and well-schooled in keeping it in check. The dark side in Mordivai was like a star coiled inward on itself, dense and deep. The right trigger was all that was needed to set it alight. Harkun was growing desperate.

Lord Zash needed a new apprentice and expected Harkun to provide one. Ffon was the obvious candidate. Presenting Zash with anything less would be an insult, and a Jedi, even a former one, could never be allowed to come out on top in the end. If Ffon didn't learn to best Mordivai in the ring and out, it would be an embarrassment for Harjun at best, and possibly the end of his career at worst. Mordivai was a barrier to Ffon's success, and Harkun had pinned all his hopes on Ffon.

Harkun had taken to giving Ffon extra training sessions, dueling him in practices himself, in the hopes of giving Ffon the edge he needed. Ffon was the only acolyte who could meet Mordivai head on in the combat ring and it was frequently a draw between them. The little Jedi runt was as quick as a whip, willowy and slick like an eel, twisting away from blows that would have caught an average opponent, while sneaking in unexpected attacks of his own. Once, unexpectedly, the girl Rabinya had come close to besting him, but she had done it by playing dirty, a tactic which Harkun didn't disapprove of, but Mordivai had recovered far too quickly just the same. Harkun decided that he would consider Rabinya as a suitable back-up apprentice for Zash if needed.

"You called for me, Overseer?" Ffon stepped into his office. Harkun missed the days when acolytes like Ffon were the only ones accepted into the academy's ranks. How could the Jedi boy have even made it this far?

"Mordivai cannot continue to compete with you. He must be eliminated."

"You want me to kill him?" Eagerness lit Ffon's eyes, even though his face remained impassive.

"You can't kill him outright. But if an accident should befall him in the tombs…I don't care how you do it and I don't want to know. Enlist the help of the other acolytes if you must. They will band against him with someone to lead them."

"It will be done, Overseer."

00o00

The great tomb of Naga Sadow was quiet and cool as Mordivai approached the innermost chamber. He had encountered little resistance on the way in, other than the usual scattering of giant k'lor' slugs. In past missions, Mordivai had stumbled upon the occasional acolyte also in search of ancient artifacts. Sometimes they ignored each other, but once he had been attacked without warning, and eventually the student had run off once he realized that he was losing the fight. This tomb, however, was out of the way and empty of all sentient life.

He was here to retrieve a map. Mordivai had no idea what the map's significance was, only that a Sith named Lord Zash wanted it, and that she was watching the latest crop of acolytes carefully, looking for an apprentice from among them. Like many of the ancient Sith tombs, this one was said to be sealed with dark power, and according to the lore, had never been breached. The library held other clues about this place, and it was from there that Mordivai learned that four "keys" were required to enter the sanctum of the tomb. The data translation he had studied also mentioned some Force-eating monster guarding the innermost sanctum. Mordivai had never heard of such a thing, however, even from his mother, and so he decided it was likely a bogus threat.

Mordivai stepped down into a sunken room. Cracks in the ceiling provided the only light, faintly illuminating four large kneeling statues, each bowed forward with their hands on the ground as if making some offering. Three walls of the room were made of the same stone as the rest of the tomb, but the farthest wall had different textured stone in the center with an obvious crack around it. A door.

Mordivai was as prepared as he could be. He had the four keys, rods actually, made from some ancient metal, and he knew that the tomb held another secret as well. There were two entry doors, but only one led into the tomb, whereas the other was false. Mordivai hoped now that he had the correct one. The four rods in the bag slung over his shoulder were getting heavier by the moment. He pulled out the first one and inspected it. It tingled slightly when turned in his hand, as if the jostling stirred up some dark energy stored inside. Mordivai approached the first statue.

Behind the statue were two metal posts with u-shaped ends, clearly designed to cradle a long object the size of the rod. Mordivai laid it into the holder and it snapped in place, accompanied by a sudden but fleeting flash of light which stung Mordivai's hands. He moved about the room, positioning each of the rods in place.

In the center of the chamber was a raised platform. All the statues appeared to be bowing toward it, but if there had once been a fifth statue it was long gone now. Mordivai stepped onto the dais and ran his foot over the smooth stone. There was no sign of roughness, or any indication that anything else had ever stood here, and Mordivai revised his theory. Perhaps the dais was some kind of altar, but if so, what was supposed to be offered on it?

There was a crackling noise from around him and Mordivai felt the hairs on his head rising as if the air was being charged in an electric current. The four rods were glowing, becoming increasingly bright as if heated, until they began to spark. Realizing the danger he was in, Mordivai started to jump from the dais.

Four bolts of Force lightning hit him at once, rooting him to the floor and turning his vision into a wash of blinding white. He would have screamed but he was paralyzed, forced to endure in silence the agony of pure dark power surging through him. It was building, creating an unbearable pressure, and he felt like he had become a vessel that was not nearly big enough to contain the power that was pouring into it. Force energy roared through his mind while tension stretched his body. When at last he could take no more, he was cut loose and thrown into blackness. He fell to the floor.

The pain was gone, but in its place was a buzzing in his ears, and when he opened his eyes his vision appeared shattered and distorted, like peering through broken glass. He was kneeling now, his hands on the ground in the same posture as the statues. He looked down at his body, half expecting to see the burnt wreckage of his flesh, but he looked normal. No, not quite. Ribbons of lightning darted across his skin, torso and hands, snaking through his body like a trapped and desperate animal. Mordivai felt a terrible sense of intrusion. This foreign power did not belong in him, and suddenly he was certain that it would tear him apart from the inside if it were not released.

With every ounce of motivation he possessed, Mordivai stood and gathered himself for a monumental push. He threw out his hands in the direction of the door and the lightning surged forth, cascading out of him like a dam that had broken. Whereas before he had felt agony, now he was bathed in ecstasy. He was soaring, euphoric, omnipotent. He was a god. There was a momentous crack and the door came unsealed, breaking open and tipping forward, until it crashed onto the floor, still intact. Mordivai collapsed on the dais as his legs turned to water beneath him.

He lay there for a while, spent, staring at the ceiling. As his energy returned, curiosity overtook him and he got to his feet. There was a gaping hole where the door used to stand. Something wasn't right, however.

He stepped off the dais and his feet were swallowed up in a pile of sand. Sand? He wobbled through it, becoming increasingly concerned as he came closer to the open doorway. He stepped over a ledge and his feet sunk in even deeper. The entry was barely the size of a shallow closet, ending abruptly in another solid wall, and the space in between had been filled with earth.

"No." Mordivai ran his hands along the wall. He pushed it. There was not even a sign of any door here. The wall was nothing but unbroken rock. It was a false entrance. Mordivai slumped against the wall, feeling defeated.

"There you are."

Mordivai looked up. Balek was there, nonchalant, his hands in his pockets. Gone was his usual playful smile. His face was long and grave.

"What are you doing here, Balek?"

"I'm sorry," Balek said, and the words dropped like stones, empty of emotion. "I liked you. Really, I did." Balek's pale hands emerged from his pockets and he held them out apologetically. "But he promised me and my brother that we could go home." His voice turned wistful. "No academy, no slavery, just...home."

Before Mordivai could ask what he was talking about, Balek turned and called through the doorway. "I found him!"

A moment later, Wydr emerged, followed by Rabinya and Ffon.

"What are you all about? What's going on?" Mordiavi stepped forward, a tingling of unease passing through him. "Ffon?"

"You're done here, Mordivai," Ffon said. "You are not a Sith, and never will be." He glanced at his companions, his voice taking on a darker edge. "Seal him in the tomb."

Then Ffon's hand shot out, and Mordivai was thrown into the air.

His skull cracked against the back wall of the tomb, and then Mordivai fell to the floor, getting a face full of sand. He bounded to his feet and scrambled for his vibroblade, thrusting it in before him as a streak of Force lightning arced towards his face, nearly blinding him in its brightness. The vibroblade was no lightsaber, however, and it only blocked part of the blast. A sizzle of pain crawled up Mordivai's arms and he gritted his teeth, working to keep his grip on the blade's hilt. He pushed forward, and when the barrage stopped, he sprinted ahead, his blade at the ready. Rabinya was in his sights, but before he could swing at her, his feet were kicked out from under him and his back smacked against the stone floor.

For a second he was disoriented, but the sight of a boot slamming towards him brought him back to his senses. He could hear Ffon yelling angry instructions, and he caught a glimpse of Wydr's crazed and determined countenance before rolling away. But there were four of them and only one of him, and even though he thrashed and swung like a madman, they were quickly gaining the advantage. He was lifted off his feet and held in stasis, then pushed back towards the tomb once more, until he saw the dark sides of it obscuring his vision. The tomb's enormous door began rising from the floor as three of the acolytes stood concentrating around it.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Ffon was urging, and Mordivai felt the power of the paralysis fading. Mordivai gathered every bit of Force energy he could muster and hurled it outward, breaking Ffon's hold on him. The blast knocked Rabinya down and took Balek off his feet as well. Wydr roared in frustration as he struggled to hold the giant stone aloft by himself. For the briefest moment it wobbled in the air over Balek's prone body. Then it fell.

There was a colossal thud, and Balek's scream was cut short as he was crushed beneath the stone's weight. A horrified yell tore out of Wydr, his eyes bulging and his face stripped of color. He gasped a moment and then screamed again.

"Forget Balek!" Ffon cried. "Just forget him!"

Mordivai lunged at Ffon, but Ffon waved a hand and Mordivai felt the energy draining from his body. His momentum chugged to a halt and he stumbled to his knees. Ffon grabbed him by the arm and dragged him across the floor, the brittle stones catching against Mordivai's clothes. Ffon shoved him into the tomb and then gripped him by the shoulders and pounded his head against the back wall. Mordivi looked up to see Ffon's eyes glowing with Force power, his face pinched in a grimace. Lightning streaked from his fingertips, freezing Mordivai in place and sending flames of pain shooting through his limbs. There was a final, brilliant burst and Mordivai was left stunned, helpless to even move. The others had lifted the giant stone door once more, and it was closing in, blocking out what little light remained in the tomb. Mordivai tried to yell but he couldn't will his voice to obey.

The stone was grinding into place. Through the crack Mordivai could spot Wydr with his arms outstretched, willing the stone back into position. He was sobbing openly over his lost brother, his face ashen and streaked with tears.

"Almost there!" he heard Rabinya cry. "Keep it up!"

Mordivai's limbs became his own again and he surged to his feet. The stone was close now, close enough that he could lay his hands on it. He pressed his palms against it, using Force power and his own might to counteract its motion, but he could feel his feet sliding in the sand. He hurled his whole body into the stone, panic welling inside him. It was growing dark.

"I will kill you for this!" His voice sounded hoarse and tight within the confines of the tomb. "I'll kill you all!"

Rabinya laughed. Only a crack of light was left. Mordivai began screaming incoherently, but stopped when a sliver of Ffon's red face appeared.

"Maybe in your next life, Jedi. But certainly not in this one." Ffon barked out a short laugh and the light blinked out.

Mordivai was plunged into blackness. He hollered at the door, demanding to be let out, calling out threats and screaming obscenities. He yelled until his voice broke. He pushed against the door, willing the Force to help him. His foot slipped on the sand and he fell forward, skimming his forehead against the rock and drawing blood. The taste of sand was in his mouth and clogging his throat. He pushed himself off the floor.

His breathing was loud in his ears and his eyes played tricks on him, showing him spots and flickers of light that were not there. Mordivai held his breath and listened. The tomb outside was empty. The only sound was the stuttering of his own heart.

He began pounding against the stone and sending waves of Force energy at it once more, but it remained immoveable as the sun. How would anyone ever find him here? Who would even care to look? His fists stung but he kept up the barrage, finally switching to slamming his shoulder against the stone when his hands couldn't take the beating any longer. He screamed and clawed at the walls, dug through the sand and felt for cracks. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Just this darkness, this silence, this death-filled place, this tomb.

Lightning shot from his hands, staining his vision with floating spots, and he watched it fizzle around the edges of the door. Useless. He hit the door with Force energy again and again, not caring anymore from where he drew his power or how it manifested. He was weakening, however, for most of his energy had been used up on the ritual that had unsealed this false door. Trapped. Was the air getting thinner? He paused every now and then to gasp for breath, but the silence smothered him and soon he was screaming once more.

He was seized by a deep, primal terror. It was a beast tearing at him from the inside, clawing and shredding its way out of his skull. The tomb was shrinking, and the beast was expanding, crowding him out, squashing him under its weight and suffocating him. His thoughts scattered and fled in its wake. Then the beast was there, huge and unstoppable, and Mordivai was swallowed whole into its gullet, lost in the endless pit of what must surely be madness.

00o00

Grit in his eyes and hair. Hands coated in sand and fingers covered in blood. He was too exhausted now to to cry or sob. He lay on the floor of the tomb. Still and silent.

Until the floor shifted underneath him.

He pushed himself up with his arms and it moved again, jerking suddenly downward. He shoved aside handfuls of sand, his fingers questing along the floor. The floor! A quiet shirring sound accompanied the feel of sand as it slipped through unseen cracks. There was something underneath him, a hole, or a chamber maybe.

A way out.

Because it had been covered in a thick layer of sand, Mordivai had not noticed the floor. It was not made of stone. It was something else, something brittle and ancient, and when he pounded his fist against it pieces of it snapped off against his hand. Mordivai tore at it for a while and then pulled together what Force power he had left and directed it at the floor.

There was a loud crack and the floor fell out from underneath him. He tumbled down a hard edged surface - stairs, his mind told him - rolling down down down. Finally he came to a stop at the bottom, his vibroblade clattering to the ground at his side and sand spreading out around him like a wave.

The air currents here told him he was in a large room. He breathed deep. This place could have been stale and untouched for thousands of years, but to him it was a verdant garden. He was slowing bringing himself to his knees when he heard a sound.

A shuffling along the floor. The clicking of clawed toes against stone. Mordivai's heart stopped beating as a voice, ancient and deep, came out of the darkness.

"You stink of fear, little Sith. And I am hungry."

A/N: Thank you all for reading! Next chapter: When Chains Are Broken