Chapter VIII
*****
Floating, falling, sweet intoxication!
Touch me, trust me,
Savor each sensation!
Let the dream begin,
Let you darkest side give in
To the power of
The music that I write
The power of
The music of the night...
The Music of the Night, from the Phantom of the Opera
*****
Morgan swum deeper into the abyss. I must hurry... or Enzo will run out of time.
As she headed farther down, the gloom closed in around her. Morgan quickly muttered a command. Dark became light as a soft luminescence radiated from her body.
Morgan's feet came to rest on the bottom. Looking around, she quickly spotted Enzo's unconscious form. She swum over to him, and tried vainly to lift him up. But he was too heavy; Enzo was being weighed down by his cloak, sword, and large boots. Desperately, Morgan pulled off the burdening articles of his outfit. In the dim light, she saw that Enzo's face was a deathly pale.
Summoning all her strength, Morgan began to haul Enzo to the surface far above.
*****
Bob arrived in the clearing, panting slightly from his run. He found it empty. But according to Glitch, they're here, somewhere. Looking around, he noticed saw the log hanging by its ropes. Looks like they set off a trap.
Then he spied something green and brown near a large pit. Bob walked over and picked the objects up. It was some of Morgan's clothing and her weapons, and Enzo's hat, distinguishable by its red feather. Enzo, this isn't the time for this...
"Bob!"
He spun around, looking for the source of the shout. "Morgan? Is that you? Where are you?"
"Down here!"
The Guardian looked down into the crevice. "Are you all right?"
"Yes." As Bob gazed down, he could swear there was something different about Morgan. Maybe it was just the dim light. "Where's Enzo?," he called down to her. "Down here with me," she answered. "He's been hurt... I'm not sure how bad. I need some help getting him out."
"Here," Bob said, laying on his stomach at the edge of the pit and stretching down a hand.
"I can't; it's too far down."
Bob sighed. Standing up, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He pointed his hands down into the pit.
Morgan gasped as she and Enzo began to lift up out of the water. Focusing his energy, Bob lifted them up out of the crevice and deposited them carefully on the bank.
Now it was Bob's turn to gasp. He stared for a moment at Morgan, then shook himself out of it. As Morgan got up, he heard her mutter something. As she grimaced in pain, her scales and fins receded and she returned to her normal sprite form.
Morgan looked at Bob. "Come on we have to help Enzo."
She knelt down next to Enzo and rolled him over on his back. Bob kneeled down on the other side. They both noticed the younger Guardian's ashen pallor, and the large clotted wound on the side of Enzo's head, slowly trickling energy.
Bob leaned his head over Enzo's face, listening for a breath. Finding none, he grabbed the young man's wrist, he checked for a pulse. Then he looked up at Morgan, sorrow evident in his brown eyes. "I'm sorry. He's too far gone."
A single tear dripped down Morgan's face. She looked Bob straight in the eyes. "No."
"Morgan, I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do."
"*No*," she repeated firmly. "I won't let this happen."
"Morgan-" Bob visibly struggled to hold back his emotions.
"He will not die." Morgan moved closer to Enzo's body, and placed her hands on his chest, one on top of the other. She began to chant, in a language Bob had never heard before.
A faint glow began to form around Morgan's hands. As she chanted her strange mantra, the glow became stronger, brighter, as she became slightly paler. Bob watched in fascination.
Suddenly she ended her song with the only word Bob could decipher: "Transfer!" Energy pulsed in one great burst from Morgan, through her hands, and into Enzo. His body jerked, and he drew in a sharp breath. Morgan cried out, slumping to the ground. Both of them lay still, but were alive.
Bob looked up as he heard the voice of the system administrator: "Game over." Looks like Mouse won the game.
*****
The game cube lifted, and Mouse scrambled over to the three other sprites. As she approached, her expression changed from its usual grin to one of worry; she could see Enzo and Morgan lying on the their backs, apparently off-line.
"Bob!," she gasped, "What happened?" Mouse knew the two weren't deleted, for their chests moved up and down with the movement of the breathing in sleep.
The Guardian got up from his kneeling position. He looked at Mouse, an look of amazement on his face.
"Enzo died, and Morgan brought him back."
*****
"Oh my User, are they all right?" A worried AndrAIa stood outside the infirmary.
The wise and ancient sprite known as Phong reached and put a hand on AndrAIa's shoulder. "Morgan is in weakened state, and will need several minutes to fully recover." He sighed. "Enzo is currently in a coma. The longer he stays off-line, the less chance he has of waking up."
She wrung her hands in anxiety. "But what happened, Phong?," AndrAIa fretted. "Enzo has always been a skillful player."
"I am not sure, my child." Phong glanced to the doorway to see Bob walk in, with Matrix and Mouse. "Perhaps Bob will explain."
*****
The five sprites sat around a table as Bob explained all he knew. Dot was not present, of course, being busy with the duties of the Command.com. As Bob came to the part about Enzo's death and resurrection, AndrAIa's grip on Matrix's arm tightened, and Mouse let small gasp, which she tried to cover up with a cough.
When Bob was done, the group sat silent for moment.
AndrAIa looked up from the spot on the table she had until then found very interesting. "Why didn't Morgan tell us about these... abilities before? I didn't even know such things were possible!" Matrix could tell she was trying to keep the conversation from the Enzo's condition. He gripped her hand, seeking comfort, as he tried to give her solace. The others noticed also, but did not say anything.
Bob rested his head on his hand in thought. "I haven't heard of an... energy transfer of such extreme before, but the capability to shift forms; I have heard of that." The others looked at him curiously. "Where did ya learn 'bout somethin' like that?," Mouse asked.
"During my history class at the Academy, we had one whole semester over myths and legends. I read one story about sprites who could willingly change form to suit their environment, being system or game. There were two types: the full-morph, who could change into any form he wished; and the semi-morph, who could transform only into a gargoyle and a naiad. But I thought those were just stories. I never actually expected to meet one."
"Morgan most likely did not inform us of her abilities because she feared rejection, and hatred," Phong commented. "I suspect that her kind is rare." The others nodded in agreement.
"So what are we going to about her?," asked Matrix.
AndrAIa spoke. "I suggest we leave the matter alone for the moment. Let's wait until she wakes up; then we'll decide what to do."
"Good idea," said Bob. "I'm going to tell Dot what's going on."
The group got up and went their separate ways. On the way out, AndrAIa touched Phong's shoulder. "Please tell me when Enzo wakes up," she asked. "Of course, my child." He nodded and rolled off.