* * * Chapter Two: Mirror, Mirror * * *
Golem stared into the blazing fire, the warm flames no longer seeming as bright as they had been before. The stone giant's face was tear-stained, just like the faces of all of the other remaining rebels, except for Tiger of the Wind, of course. An unnatural silence hung over the glen, broken only by occasional sobs from either Holly or Mocchi. The two were curled up next to Golem, and Holly's arms clung to a couple of his stone fingers for comfort.
I can't…believe it, Holly thought, tears misting her eyes as she tightened her grip on Golem's fingers. I never dreamed that… Chestnut eyes wavered, then closed in silent agony. Suezo…how could you betray us?
The unspoken question hung over the group like a pall; nobody needed to give it voice to know that it was what the others were thinking about. Mocchi's entire body shook as the tiny pink monster cried into Golem's leg, and Holly bit her lip to keep herself from doing the same.
I promised myself…that I'd never cry again…
And I also promised Suezo that we'd never be apart, no matter what. What has that amounted to?
The girl's shoulders quivered, and she let her soft brown bangs fall over her face, masking her expression. Everything happened so quickly…the battle went so well for us. There was no warning.
For what wasn't the first time that night, her mind replayed the images that had seared themselves into her memory. Images of Suezo, but not the funny, loyal companion she had known ever since she had unlocked him over two years ago. Instead she saw him with his teeth buried in Hare's fur, leering at her with a bloodstained mouth, floating beside Vanity above her and the others, his eye always the same chilling shade of unfeeling green-gold.
Hare! Suezo!
Genki glanced over at Holly as she buried her face in her palms, her shoulders shaking convulsively. His clear brown eyes were filled with tears, and the boy stubbornly wiped them away.
Doesn't anything ever upset you, kid?
Suezo had asked him that, right after they had narrowly escaped the crash of the Iron Bird. He could still remember the disgusted, exasperated expression the eyeball monster had on his face as he asked that.
Nah! Even if it did, I'd just cover it up with a laugh. Ha ha ha…
A sad smile played over Genki's lips as he remembered his reply, and how he and Mocchi had started laughing so loudly that the others had all sighed in disbelief. He wiped away his tears again with the back of his hand, but his eyes still wavered as he stared back up at the star-filled sky.
We have to find a way…to get our friends back. Both of them.
* * *
Vanity stretched luxuriously as she danced around in her throne room. She had changed into one of her favorite outfits, a flowing silken robe of purest white that billowed and swirled around her shapely body. She felt that it suited her beauty very well, and always wore it during special occasions. The pixie hybrid swayed and danced, her short blond hair waving and swirling gracefully as she moved, her ivory dress fluttering around her form.
Not far away, Suezo watched her with a strange expression on his face. While, from a distance, it seemed as if he was admiring her dance, if one could get closer to him, they would realize that no emotion showed in the glassy surface of his eye. If one gazed deeply enough into it, one could see the faint, greenish-gold tinted reflection of the dancing pixie in the blank, pupiless eye.
Vanity's dance was almost finished, and the pixie hybrid slowed to a graceful stop, ending in an alluring position. Brushing golden blond hair away from her face, she walked past Suezo with barely a glance toward him. Instead, her eyes were focused on the smooth surface of the crystalline wall directly behind her throne. One of the sections stretched up from the floor to just above her head, and a raised border sparkled around the area, singling it out. Vanity placed her hands up against the smooth, gleaming crystal wall, and she chanted an incantation under her breath.
"Crystalline spire, greatest of mirrors, allow me to see past the reflections and reveal to me the secrets hidden behind your beautiful illusion."
The surface shimmered, then rippled like a pond with a single stone cast into its glimmering depths. As the glowing ripples faded away, Vanity's hands now rested on a translucent crystal wall, and she could see into the small chamber that was hidden behind its depths. Smirking, she tapped on the glass-like surface, trying to attract the attention of the small, brown-furred figure that huddled in the corner farthest away from the mirror entrance.
Hare looked up at the sound, his expression half-hidden by his long, drooping ears and the dark fur that fell in bangs over his face. Still, even at this distance, Vanity could clearly see the unmistakable loathing and fear that shone in his dark, wavering brown eyes. His knees were up against his chest, and his arms were wrapped around his legs as he stared over at Vanity. There was no longer any sign of the bite that Suezo had given the rabbit at her command.
"You used the Phoenix's Tear to heal yourself," she said, more a statement than a question. Hare made no response, his eyes locked on Vanity's sneering face. Knowing that he would not answer, she continued, "What other powers can you command?"
Hare's expression hardened, and he suddenly leapt to his feet and leveled his paws toward her face. A stream of crimson fire flashed out and streaked toward the pixie hybrid, only to reflect off of the mirror entrance. Vanity watched with a pleased expression, her emerald eyes gleaming as the flames ricocheted away and faded into nothingness. She swung her gaze back toward Hare, calculatingly, while the rabbit slumped back down to the gleaming crystal floor, struggling not to show his obvious disappointment.
"Interesting," she mused, smiling. "No wonder Naga is so intent upon retrieving you." Hare blanched at her words, and she smirked as she noticed his fear. "Well…maybe I'll hand you over to him…and maybe I won't."
That caught Hare's attention, and he raised frightened eyes to stare at her as she mused, "If I hand you over to Naga, then that reptile will convince Master Moo to promote me to being one of his Big Bad Four. You do realize, of course, that Master Moo is recruiting new generals to take over those…vacancies you and your friends created?" When Hare didn't answer, she shrugged and continued, "But…if I hand you and the Phoenix's Tear over to Master Moo himself, and tell him of Naga's plot to overthrow him, then he may be so pleased by my loyalty that he'll make me his betrothed. We could rule this world together…"
She sighed, her expression longing and lovesick, and Hare shuddered at the mere thought that anyone could be attracted to Moo. I bet she loves his power, not him. Still, the look on her face seemed to be genuine, and the rabbit nearly gagged at the sight of her apparent adoration of the evil master. After a moment, however, she suddenly frowned, and added, "Of course, I don't know exactly how Moo will react. He may decide that I am a traitor just like Naga, and kill me as well…" She grimaced for a moment, then shrugged again and said, "Well, I'll take some time to think about it. After all, I hold all the cards now, and nothing's going to happen until I command it."
She turned away, and as the illusion reappeared again, concealing the entrance once more, Hare hugged his knees to his chest and began to tremble. Tears ran down his cheeks as he thought about the last few moments that he had seen his friends, and what he had learned from the haughty Vanity after she had brought him here.
"Leave…leave my friends out of this…please," he sobbed, his voice soft and pleading. "Don't drag Suezo and the others into this, please…Leave them alone…"
* * *
"We have to go rescue them," Genki said.
"But how? We don't even know where they went," Holly told him, raising her tear-streaked face to look at the boy.
"Holly…the Magic Stone…" Golem said slowly. Holly glanced up at him, her fingers straying to her pendant even as she shook her head.
"But…it won't work…it can only find mystery disks…"
"In Grey Wolf's fortress…" Golem gently reminded her. Genki, Tiger, and Mocchi stared at the two, not understanding what that meant, even though Holly got the message. Nodding, she pulled out the Magic Stone from under her tunic.
"I…I'll try," she faultered, then she wiped away a tear and closed her eyes to concentrate. The Magic Stone levitated over her outstretched hands, and the familiar glow came over it, but no image appeared. The girl's face became solemn with concentration, she prayed with all her heart that this would work.
* * *
Hare stopped sobbing for a moment and opened his eyes. There was a familiar warmth at his chest, and he quickly uncovered the Phoenix's Tear. The pendant was glowing brightly, and Hare wrapped his paws around the gleaming crystal, smiling sadly despite the tears in his eyes.
The others…are coming. I should have known…
Closing his eyes, Hare tightened his grip on the Tear and mentally reached out toward where he could just barely make out the presence of the others.
Here…I'm here. We both are.
* * *
"It worked!" Genki cheered, seeing the familiar image flickering in the Stone. A relived grin came over Holly's face, and as she broke off her concentration, she hurried after the others, who had already turned in the direction that the Magic Stone had indicated. Naturally, Genki soon raced into the lead, his legs pumping hard as he skated forward, Mocchi clinging to his back. Tiger of the Wind was right beside him, a blue-and-white streak of fur, and Golem brought up the rear, Holly in his arms.
A glittering eye watched them leave, then swiftly vanished.
* * *
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT THOSE SEARCHERS ARE COMING HERE?" Vanity shrieked at the unfortunate messenger that had relayed the news to her. The Suezo-type cowered, fearing her wrath. However, the pixie finally decided after a few moments of ranting that she would allow him to leave, and he hastily departed. The golden-skinned pixie flopped back into her throne, her eyes dark glittering slits of emerald light as she considered her next move.
"If I send out any of my warriors, I might be able to wear them down," she mused. But she knew from the stories that the tactic had already been done to death –literally– by those before her. She cared little for the lives of her warriors, but the last thing she wanted to do was suffer a major loss at the hands of the rebels. Master Moo might not look upon her as kindly if she lost a great number of his warriors, even if the worthless eyeballs did somehow manage to bring down the rebels.
No, she needed something a bit more unique, something the rebels would never expect. Her gaze fell on Suezo, who still lurked in the shadows near her throne, close to the concealed chamber…no, that was a bad idea. While the rebels might not enjoy fighting their friend, they would probably expect her to use that against them. Better to wait until the time was just right…then she would use Suezo to seal their fates.
No…she had a much better scheme in mind. Vanity smirked as the plan slowly came to her, and she reached out to take hold of her magic looking glass once more. She bid an image to appear, and soon a vision of Genki and the other rebels heading toward her tower faded into view. A haughty smile spread over her lips: yes, they would arrive soon. As soon as they entered, the real games would begin…
Her mocking laughter echoed through the tower, filling the chambers. Suezo watched her expressionlessly, while Hare raised his head as the sound came to his ears, his eyes wavering with sudden fear.
* * *
"Look at that, chi!"
Genki, Holly, Tiger, and Golem followed Mocchi's gaze, and the five stared in silent awe at the gleaming crystal spire that rose before them. Genki's mouth dropped open, Holly's eyes widened, and even Tiger looked more than a little impressed by the sight of the glittering tower sparking brilliantly in the starlight.
Genki recovered first, and he glanced back at the others as he asked, "Think they're in there?"
The answer was obvious. Holly and the three monsters nodded in unison, and the five travelers moved closer to the spire, looking for an entrance. The smooth surface of the crystal bore no marks, however, and there were no paths to mark any sort of doorway. Tiger sniffed the air, attempting to pick up on the scent of those that had gone before them, hoping to discover the way they had taken. After a moment, however, he lowered his nose and shook his head, golden eyes glittering with frustration.
"Nothing," he snarled, grimacing. "I bet that sorry witch just teleports herself and anyone else she wants to have visit in and out."
"Hey, what if Su…" Genki quickly shut up, but too late; Holly and the others already figured out what he had been on the verge of suggesting. The blue wolf's eyes gleamed with remembered outrage, and Holly's eyes wavered with barely contained tears. Golem just shook his head, a little surprised that the boy had actually forgotten for a second, yet his eyes shone with sympathy.
"Sorry…Holly, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," Holly insisted, turning away so the others wouldn't see the tears that brimmed in her eyes. "I just…got something in my eye, that's all…"
Yeah, they're called tears, Tiger thought, but he said nothing. Leave the attempts at humor to Suezo and Hare; that was the way things normally went. But the blue wolf didn't even want to consider the possibility that it would never be that way again.
* * *
"Interesting," Vanity commented, watching as the image of Holly in her mirror wiped away a tear. "So she puts a value on the eyeball, hmm? Perhaps…perhaps a little reunion is in order…"
Smirking, the pixie made a gesture with one slender hand.
* * *
Something flickered behind the group, just at the edge of their sight. Holly barely had time to glance toward it before the light flashed toward her, engulfing her.
"Hey–!" she exclaimed, the cry cut off as the light enveloped her and lifted her off of her feet. The others shouted with shock, and Genki screamed her name as he reached toward her. The silver light flashed violently for a moment, then was gone.
"Holly? Holly!" Genki called out. Tiger cursed, snarling as what had just happened sunk in. Mocchi grabbed onto Genki's hand, and Golem growled in outrage.
"Hey, look-chi!" Mocchi suddenly said, pointing back toward the tower. The others turned to stare in surprise as a section of the tower lit up, and a doorway formed. Genki and Tiger exchanged glances.
"What do you think, Tiger?" Genki asked.
"Looks like we're being invited in," Tiger mused, a grin suddenly spreading over his muzzle for a moment. "Let's take advantage of this…"
And the blue wolf raced into the crystal tower, Genki directly behind him. Mocchi and Golem glanced at one another, then hurried to follow along. As the stone giant vanished into the darkness inside, the entrance vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
* * *
Vanity smirked, pleased. So far, things were going well for her. The rebels had no possible way of defending against her trap. As for the girl…she had special plans for her…
* * *
Holly's eyes fluttered open, and she propped herself up on her arms, confused as she looked around at glittering crystal walls that seemed to extend into darkness. Am I…in the tower? she wondered. There was no sign of the others, and she got to her feet slowly, looking for some hint as to where they were.
I'm all alone. There's nobody else here…I have nobody.
Holly shivered, biting her lip. Her hand found where her dagger hung at her side, and she wrapped her fingers around its hilt. The feel of the smooth metal under her palm helped her to relax, and she forced herself to take a closer look at her surroundings.
A staircase glittered nearby, beckoning. Taking a deep breath, Holly began to climb up it. Maybe she would find the others. Maybe she would find Suezo…
* * *
"Hare! Holly! Suezo!" Genki called, the echo of his own voice his only answer. He and the others kept walking forward, keeping their eyes open for any sort of passageway or sign of their missing friends.
"Stop," Tiger suddenly growled, coming to a halt. Genki glanced back at him, and the blue wolf stared past the boy.
"There's something there," he warned, motioning with his head for the boy to come back closer to the rest of the group. Genki obeyed, and lightning danced around Tiger's horns as he ordered, "Come out!"
Something sparked to life in front of the group, and Tiger gasped. He was staring at another tiger monster, one with dark blue fur, cold gold eyes…and a scar that stretched down the side of his face. As he gaped, the other tiger smirked back at him, energy crackling around his horns.
Other figures stepped out of the shadows, and the rebels stared at each of them in turn. A lumbering giant of gray stone, solemn eyes hard as granite as they locked with Golem's own. A small, rose-colored monster with bright, shining eyes and a playful smile, slowly walking toward Mocchi.
And a boy with wild brown hair and clear, gleaming eyes who skated forward, a grin on his youthful face as Genki gaped back at him.
The four 'rebels' –not the rebels– moved in, each singling out the one they resembled.
* * *
Vanity's haughty laughter rang out again, and the pixie hybrid sprung lightly to her feet, a sneer on her face. Turning back toward the wall where the hidden chamber was sealed away, she repeated the spell from before. As the portal flickered back into existence, still covered by translucent crystal, Hare looked up at the pixie, his expression betraying both anger and fear.
"Why have you revealed the chamber again?" he asked.
"Why, Hare," she teased, her eyes mock innocent, "don't act like that! I just thought that you would be pleased to see one of your friends again."
"What do you mean?" Hare demanded, getting to his feet and walking toward the sealed entrance, his eyes locked on Vanity's sneering face. He didn't like what he thought he saw glittering in those verdant eyes.
"I brought Holly into my tower," she informed him, grinning. "The girl's currently making her way here, no doubt looking for you and her dear friend Suezo. She's going to arrive soon enough. And when she does…"
Vanity trailed off into a laugh, and Hare's eyes widened with comprehension. Screaming in protest, he ran up and smashed his fists into the clear crystal, wincing as they crashed into the hard, diamond-like surface with no effect. He pounded on the wall, ignoring how Vanity simply laughed at his vain struggles, her eyes twinkling with amusement. After a few moments of mocking him, the pixie hybrid turned away, not the least bit concerned by his outrage. She knew that there was no way he could break the crystal; it was impossible from inside the chamber.
"Don't you dare drag the others into this!" Hare screamed, eyes wavering as he smashed his paws into the clear, impenetrable crystal. "If you try to hurt the others, I'll kill you, I swear it! Do you hear me? If you so much as touch Holly, I'll kill you!"
* * *
Holly reached the top of the glittering staircase. In front of her, a massive door stretched up into the shadows above her, its crystalline surface engraved with a breathtaking mural depicting a lovely pixie flying across a star-studded sky. The pixie's shapely figure was inlaid with streaks of gold, leaving little doubt of just who this was supposed to be a picture of.
Holly rested one hand against the door's surface, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. Her other hand tightened around the hilt of her father's talisman, her father's dagger…Slowly, she eased it out of its sheath. Opening her eyes, she glanced down at it, weighing it in her palm. Then, she raised her gaze back to the entrance and pushed the heavy doors open. Heart pounding, she stepped inside, letting the doors swing shut behind her.