Part 2
Battlecat
ambled up to the massive jaw bridge that was lowering before them. They stood
outside the immense castle of stone that is said to hold the power of the
universe. He-Man motioned Battlecat to move on as the bridge came to a halt.
Inside
the castle they passed through a long corridor only lit by a few torches on the
wall. When they came to a stairway, He-Man dismounted Battlecat and led the way
upward. The stairway curled around and was again lit only by torches on the
wall. As they approached the end they saw two of the castle servants.
He-Man
and Battlecat passed by them. The guards never said a word and were never
anywhere in the castle except when the Sorceress needed something. He-Man
stopped wondering about them long before though. He didn't want to know too
much more than he already did about the castle. It already laid an immense
shadow on his destiny.
The
room they entered was the throne room where they always met the Sorceress. At
the end of the room before the two great eyes of Grayskull was the huge throne
in which usually sat the Sorceress. However, she was not there now.
He-Man
then noticed her standing in front of one of the great eyes of Grayskull
staring out into the midst. "Sorceress, I came to see what you know about
what happened in the village tonight."
The Sorceress didn't move.
"Battlecat
and I haven't found a clue about who the monster could be."
"That
is the problem He-Man," said the Sorceress turning to face him.
"Neither do I."
"What
do you mean Sorceress? I thought you sensed this. Isn't that why you summoned
me to the village? I just arrived too late."
"No,
He-Man. It was I who was to late. The murders came to me in a dream as they
happened. Almost as if someone had met for me to see them." The Sorceress
said taking a seat in the throne looking nearly mesmerized in thought about her
last statement. "But yet I never saw a vision of the killer - not even an
arm flinging that horrid ax," added the Sorceress as her face fell in her
hands in tears.
"It
wasn't your fault Sorceress. You had no way of stopping whoever it was,"
He-Man said trying to comfort her.
Her
head then rose from her face now very solemn and without tears. "All I saw
was a unusual miasma. It was a very strange, almost mystic green, and yet it
seems almost familiar."
"I
think you should go back to your bed and rest. Try to forget about what has
happened for now. I'll go see Teela and get the Eternian forces to help out
when day breaks. I'll be back here sometime tomorrow to see if you have found
anything."
"Take
care, He-Man," replied the Sorceress as He-Man and Battlecat walked
towards the stairway.
"I'm
really starting not to like this, He-Man," said Battlecat as he followed
He-Man down the twisted stairway.
"I
think I may have to agree with you on that one, Cat. Maybe we'll find some good
reason why anyone or thing would want to kill that couple. I'm really not even
sure if it's a person anymore with the way the Sorceress was talking."
§ § §
"Teela,
wake up," He-Man said entering the head of the Eternian Army's room.
Teela
turned over in her bed. "Who turned on the light at 4:30 in the
morning?" Teela said as she looked up to see the powerful, muscle bound
body of He-Man. "Oh, He-Man. What are you doing here?" Teela said
suddenly springing up in her bed.
"There
have been some murders in the village. I'm going to need the army's help in
looking for some evidence," He-Man answered as his eyes wondered down from
Teela's face.
Teela
quickly pulled up her bed sheet and saw the slight smile on He-Man's face.
"Ok, give me a minute to get ready, and I'll get a troupe ready for the
investigation."
He-Man took the queue and shut the
door to Teela's room.
§ § §
He-Man
walked through the village market along with Battlecat as the villagers were
just as lively as ever. The village was animated with people scrambling about
buying food and other supplies they needed. Of course, every conversation was
about last night's murders.
The
town was still on edge about the killings. The danger was made even more
evident that morning when a decree from the palace was sent out. All the
villagers were ordered to be in their houses by sundown.
He-Man
passed through the crowds without being bothered. The people knew where he was
going and didn't want to be any part of it.
"I've
never seen the village in such a frenzy," snarled Battlecat as he was
almost overrun by a passer by.
"I
don't blame them," replied He-Man as they turned the corner towards
Timiña's home. "Whoa. Looks like everyone packed up and left this street,
Cat."
Battlecat
turned the corner and looked down the deserted street. They paced down the road
and arrived in front of the home. Bloodstains still covered the front of the
house. Reaching up, He-Man opened the wooden door in front of him.
He
was surprised to see a fairly cozy dwelling. He-Man looked around the front
room and noticed an unfinished knitting sitting in a rocking chair in the
corner and an untouched dinner on the table. There was no sign of disruption in
the house at all.
"Well,
Cat. I don't think anything happened in here." He-Man said walking back
around the small table in the middle of the room.
"It
still feels pretty eerie in here to me He-Man." Battlecat said passing
through the shadows of the dim room. Battlecat then froze as heard something,
and He-Man's face sprung up to attention. The door began to creek open and
before Battlecat had time to see who it was he jumped out the door on to the
visitor.
"Battlecat, what are you doing?
Get off me you big lug!"
"Oh
sorry, Teela. Aaarrghh. I didn't know it was you," Battlecat said
perplexed as he got off of Teela.
"Well, Teela. You make quite an
entrance," chuckled He-Man.
Ruffled,
Teela got up off the ground and brushed herself off giving a stare to Battlecat.
Battlecat sensed he wasn't her favorite person at the moment and moved behind
He-Man.
"So where are the guards to
help look for evidence?"
"I'm
afraid we're not going to get any, He-Man. I had to send a great majority of
them to patrol the passages outside the village."
"Why did you send so
many?"
"Didn't
you see all the people in the market, He-Man? They are buying supplies because
they are leaving until this killer is caught. Almost this whole village is on
its way."
"I
wish I could help them more, Teela, but I have no idea how. I don't have a clue
what this person's plan is," He-Man said pacing outside the home. "It
doesn't look like they were after anything inside, and there is no relevant
reason why someone would want to kill them."
"Well,
let's go around the back and see if you two missed anything back here. Maybe
you need a woman's touch," Teela said taking control of the situation and
moving around the back.
He-Man
began to follow Teela around the home, and then they heard a sudden beeping
noise. Battlecat immediately strode up beside He-Man, "What's that!"
Teela
quickly moved away. "Back off, Battlecat. It's just my transmitter. No
need to get hasty again." Battlecat snarled and walked away.
"This is Teela. Come in"
"Teela,
this is the 3rd squadron on the Mernus Passage," said the frantic voice.
"We're under attack by Beast Man and Tri-Clops. The villagers are in an
uproar, and their possessions are being destroyed."
"He-Man
and I will be there soon." Teela said as she saw He-Man already getting up
on Battlecat.
"Hurry
up, Teela." He-Man called rearing back on Battlecat ready to move.
"Call Sy-Clone too. He's real close to the Mernus Passage."
"Right,
He-Man." Teela said as she ran to her sky-sled while transmitting the
message to Sy-Clone
§ § §
The
Sorceress stood on top of the northern tower of Castle Grayskull looking over
to the village where the killings had occurred. The village looked so small and
harmless. The images raced through her mind of the killings as she turned away
from the village. She had not been able to rest at all in the desolate castle.
She had to go somewhere else.
Her
arms spread out and her body started to shift. The feathered cloak transformed
into real wings, and the Sorceress now took the form of Zoar the falcon. Her
wings flapped as she soared through the Eternian skies.
Eternia
lay below her filled with arid deserts surrounding the castle. Looking forward
she saw her destination.
In
the distance rising above the mists of a fertile valley was Point Dread - its
rounded top setting almost as high as the uppermost Eternian peaks. Zoar glided
above the mountain that was home to Stratos and his people.
As
she came closer to the surface the bird morphed back into the body of the beautiful
woman, and her feet gently landed on the soil. She looked down into the lush
valley at Stratos' people hard at work at their daily routines in the valley.
She often came to this place while there was no one there to get away from
Grayskull.
She
moved along a sodden path with the Eternian sun shining on her while it set
from the earthy-colored sky while a warm breeze blew against her face. It took
a lot of energy for her to survive outside of Grayskull. She longed to be able
to walk freely across Eternia, but it was her duty.
Walking
to the edge of a cliff on the side of the mount opposite of the modernized
structures built by Stratos's people, she looked up to the sky and closed her
eyes in trance. She tried to summon the lost souls of Timiña and Lianna not
knowing how she could talk to them if she did find them.
Her
summons brought no response though. Strangely she received nothing at all - a
vision of an endless black void. She knew other sorcery had to be involved, and
she wasn't safe there.
Suddenly
she heard a snap behind her. She turned around and a familiar figure jumped on
her before she could transform back into the image of Zoar.
"I've
finally found you out of the hiding of the walls of Grayskull," said the
depraved voice of Evil-lyn. "There is no one here too help you now.
Ahhh!" yelled Evil-lyn as a surge of power from the Sorceress knocked her
off of the delicate being.
The
Sorceress quickly stood up knowing the small source of power she had away from
Grayskull wouldn't hold back Evil-lyn for long. "He-Maaaaannn!"
screamed the Sorceress half in trance to her hero.