Amazon Princess, chapter 8
Before I start this chapter, I'd like to make one small change.
Rayak and Winnowill were changed to humans for my story previously, and
I would like to change that back. They are elves. Rayak is as he became
after he took Winnowill's spirit during the Rogue's Curse ElfQuest
story arc. Winnowill is as she was before Lord Voll was killed. If you
aren't an EQ fanatic, don't worry, it doesn't really make all that much
of a difference.
Another note. *...* means mindspeak.
Door sat, his eyes staring blankly at the wall of stone
opposite of his seat. He could feel the two close behind him, only a
thin shield of rock between them. One, his mind absently registered,
was Winnowill's half-breed son. The other was a stranger, but the
familiar presence of Two-Edge put the corners of Door's mind at rest.
More immediate were the intruders that had suddenly appeared in the
entry cavern just minutes ago. Had Door the freedom to act, he might
have alerted the Lady Winnowill, or challenged the strangers. Door's
only purpose was to control the rock portal he sat above though, only
the corners of his mind having the freedom to pay attention to the
world around him. If he had been able to, he could have told Lady
Winnowill of every passage and nook the troll-elf Two-Edge had within
the walls of their false palace. But Door continued to sit in his seat,
his eyes unblinking, his flesh like the stone he shaped.
"That statue is beginning to freak me out," Venus mumbled to
herself. Her eyes narrowed at the man on his seat above the circle of
smoothed stone wall. "Why would they build a statue like that anyway?"
"My readings say it is a magic focal point in this area. It
seems to be more then just a statue. I think it has control over
something."
"That is Door." The two sailor senshi whipped their heads
around, their eyes meeting those of the speaker. She appeared to be
almost six feet tall, and was dressed in a black gown that trailed
behind her like a river at midnight. Her black hair shimmered with
purple and green in the faint light as it fell to the floor. Her ivory
white skin appeared almost unnatural, only the faint pink tinge to her
cheeks proving she lived. A man, the same who had kidnapped their lost
princess, stood a step behind the woman and to the side. They took
their first true look at him, as he had been too far away to truly see
before. His skin was much darker then the woman's, and his black hair
fell to his shoulder blades in soft waves. His clothes were made of
scraps of leather and cloth, but gave him the appearance of a lord. His
eyes were cold as they met those of the intruders. Large, pointed ears
and eyes marked both, assuring all those present that human blood did
not race through their veins.
"Nani?" Venus tentatively asked after several moments of
silence. The sailor senshi and their two companions continued to hold
their ready stances, in case the calm demeanor of their hosts were to
suddenly collapse. The woman's small smirk did not reassure them that
it would last.
"His name is Door. He controls the opening between the outside
and us. But I sense that is not what you have come here for."
"Where Usagi?!" Shampoo shouted in her heavy accent. Her eyes
narrowed in anger as they met the woman's unflinchingly.
"Usagi?" The woman turned to her associate slowly,
questioningly. Without waiting for a reply to her question, she turned
back, recognition in her eyes. "Ah! I had forgotten. The reincarnated
Princess Serenity. She is quite well. She and my son are becoming
acquainted."
*What are you doing Winnowill? I am beginning to wonder if
perhaps your thoughts are as shallow as a preservers, judging the rate
you change your plans,* Rayak sent, his eyes still on the sailor senshi
and their friends.
*Soul brother, can you not see? We worked so long to gather
enough energy to reach the palace, while the answer was in front of us
the entire time!*
*You cannot mean...*
*I do. We only need them to cooperate. With their princess in
our grasp, I doubt they would deny us a simple trip.*
"Where is she taking them?" Usagi asked, her head crammed next
to Two-Edge's so she could see below.
"A place we cannot go because of her damn rock shapers." Usagi
turned her eyes to her guide. His voice was low with anger and his eyes
narrowed.
"If she's your mother, won't the rock shapers listen to you
too?"
"They only recognize her. Even if they were to recognize
others, they know my status." A sneer curled his lip as his eyes
followed the tall, dark woman out the chamber.
Usagi backed away from the peephole in fright as her
kidnapper's eyes suddenly met hers. She had encountered cold glares
from former enemies, but this man's eyes burned. He was after
something, and she felt like he saw her as the key.
Two-Edge continued to crouch by the hole. Though Usagi had
moved away and lost sight of the man, she knew the half-breed was
glaring directly back at him.
Ryoga felt like hitting his head against the wall. A dark part
of his mind laughed, thinking that perhaps it might correct his awful
sense of direction.
"Where the hell am I?!" His voice echoed through the twists and
turns of stone, but no reply came.
'How do you get lost if you're following other people?' he
asked himself.
'I don't know!' he answered. Sighing, Ryoga leaned up against
one of the walls in the passage. He knew if he started walking, he
would end up even more lost then he was now. He didn't have any of his
supplies either, having left them behind in Nerima.
"Guess all I can do is keep walking and hope I find someone
before I starve to death," he said halfheartedly. "I've always ended up
SOMEWHERE, and perhaps when I get there, they can help me get back
here." Looking in both directions the passage gave him, he sighed again
and slowly stood up. "Might as well hurry up. They might need my help."
"Who might need your help?" a female's voice asked behind him.
He jumped around, startled, noticing for the first time a third
direction that had been hidden in the dim light. Out of the shadows
stepped his tenshi, her golden hair up in a long braid and still
dressed in her nightclothes.
"U...Usagi?"
"Do you know me?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"He came with your friends," a lower voice said from behind
her. Ryoga squinted his eyes, trying to see who had spoken. As the
speaker stepped out, Ryoga's eyes opened wide in shock. The two from
earlier appeared almost human for all but their eyes and ears. This one
was clearly something else. His skin and shape reminded Ryoga of a
drawing of a troll he had seen as a child.
"How did you get in here?" Usagi's question brought Ryoga from
his shock. He turned towards her, imagining in his mind how she would
laugh.
"I don't know. I just got lost." The troll-man frowned at the
reply given, making Ryoga almost nervous. He put one foot behind the
other, proving balance he would need if he were attacked, but his
worries were needless.
"Winnowill has me trapped in here, her blasted rock shapers
seal up every hole I make to escape before its wide enough for my hand.
I can tunnel anywhere but out. By the High Ones, a person can't just
get lost and wonder in here!" Ryoga felt his cheeks begin to burn, and
he only hoped the scant light hid his embarrassment. He wasn't sure how
to reply, but was saved as he heard his tenshi's soft voice speak up.
"However he got in here, he's here now. Do you think you could
find your way back?" she asked hopefully. Ryoga shook his head, hating
himself for making Usagi sad. He marveled at how quickly her depression
slid away though, quickly changing to determination.
"Well, we've got to find a way out of here! Winnowill has my
senshi and Shampoo, and I don't even know what she wants yet!"
Endless rock. The part of him that was free hated it. That part
could only stand it when something was going on around him. But then
that was a very small part of Door.
*I've got to get out!* The sending hit Door like a wave,
startling him, as much as he could be startled. It was not Winnowill,
so he would naturally ignore it. But something about the sending made
him WANT to release the sender. He was only to respond to his Lady
though, so he ignored the request.
*I need to get out of here!* The second sending was even
stronger, and Door felt his order begin to collapse. Whoever the sender
was, they were powerful. As he continued to try and hold to his orders,
pressure from the sender began to build up on his thoughts. His eyes
opened widely, the only movement he could perform after thousands of
years of stillness.
Two-Edge sat against the wall, his eyes closed. He had hoped
there would be something in the human girl that he could use against
his mother. Hours later, there was still no sign. He would stay with
her for another day or so, guide her, make sure they kept as close an
eye on her friends and his mother as they could, but after that he
would return to his forge. If they didn't find a way out, they would be
stuck together for a long time anyway. Until his mother decided she
wanted them for her playthings.
The girl, Usagi, had been thinking about what to do for a long
time now. Frustration clouded her expression. There was no easy way
out, and as far as Two-Edge was concerned, there was no way out. But it
seemed she believed she would find what did not exist.
"Kuso!" The shouted curse brought Two-Edge from his thoughts.
Across from him, where the one named Ryoga had been leaning, was now a
large hole. The brighter light from the cavern outside illuminated the
passage. Usagi's and Two-Edge's eyes opened wide in shock.
"What happened?!"
"I...I don't know," he said softly, stepping forward.
"Someone mind helping me up?" a grumbled voice said from
outside the opening. Usagi stood up and went to look out the hole next
to Two-Edge. They saw that the opening was not exactly level with the
ground outside. Ryoga had fallen and was now lying where the wall met
the floor, his feet reaching up for the hole.
"Are you alright Ryoga?" Usagi ask, trying desperately to cover
the growing smile on her lips.
"Ranma must have a hand in this. He always does," the poor,
upside down boy grumbled. Rubbing his head, he turned onto his side,
his legs hitting the ground. He stood up slowly, feeling the bump
growing below his hand. "Damn it hurts," he mumbled again, sighing.
"Pitiful," Two-Edge mumbled. The human had taken a small bump
on the head, and now he was moaning and groaning about it. There were
other things to think about anyway, such as the cause of their new
door. Two-Edge was about to jump out when, from the corner of his eye,
he saw Usagi glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, but said
nothing.
"Some of us don't have a rock for a head," she said, her voice
like the thorns on a rose. She jumped out the opening and, as he
watched, walked up to Ryoga and softly placed her fingers over the
bump. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice soft, no longer shaking
with laughter or thorny sharp.
"H...hai, Usagi-san." Two-Edge couldn't help but laugh at the
bright red blush that covered Ryoga's cheeks as he looked at the smaller
female.
"We don't have any ice, so we can't keep that bump down."
"I'll be alright, Usagi-san." Ryoga tried to force the blood to
leave his face, but instead he could feel them heat up even further.
Usagi stood so close to him, her fingers just now sliding away from the
bump on his skull. He felt a strange feeling rise through his chest,
her eyes holding him captive as she smiled up at him.
"Call me Usagi-chan, Ryoga-kun."
Water fell from one pool to the next in a series of small
waterfalls, the final one falling several feet before falling into a
large pool. Furs of several animals were laid on the floor around the
pool like a multicolored carpet. Steam rose from the surface of the
water, warming the air around them and fighting back the chill the
stone walls gave off.
Shampoo watched the several openings to the cavern. Along with
Sailor Mars, she didn't trust what was going on one bit. Mercury was
too involved in figuring out the strange energy aura to be disturbed.
Venus was too in awe of the beauty around her to be worried. It was
Jupiter who first noticed the missing party member.
"Guys, have you seen Ryoga?" Venus looked over at the taller
senshi, then around the grotto, shaking her head finally.
"When was the last time any of us saw him?" Mars asked,
stepping forward to be closer to her teammates.
"Shampoo see when we leave cavern."
"I saw him last when we rounded that first corner after the
first cavern. I looked back to see everyone was with us, and he was
right behind you, Venus," Mercury said calmly. The glint in her eyes
betrayed her worry, despite her relaxed appearance. First they had lost
Usagi, and now a nearly complete stranger. Things were not going well.
I know, not much of a cliffhanger, but after keeping you all on
your toes for like two months, I figured I don't have the right to make
a huge cliffhanger. Gomen minna! I didn't mean to take so long! I
wanted to focus on Son Usagi for a while before anything else. Finished
two chapters of that, and when Silver-chan started getting on my case
for another chapter of AP, I guess I decided it was time to change fics
for a bit.
Preview for next chapter (to make up for the lack of a real cliffie):
What is this palace Winnowill and Rayak want? Why does the
energy of the "false palace" match that of the ruined Silver Millennium
Palace? More secrets are learned as the truth behind the Serenity line
is revealed. There may be more of a link between Usagi and Winnowill
then either wants.
~Jade Nova
moon_archer82@lunap.com
Before I start this chapter, I'd like to make one small change.
Rayak and Winnowill were changed to humans for my story previously, and
I would like to change that back. They are elves. Rayak is as he became
after he took Winnowill's spirit during the Rogue's Curse ElfQuest
story arc. Winnowill is as she was before Lord Voll was killed. If you
aren't an EQ fanatic, don't worry, it doesn't really make all that much
of a difference.
Another note. *...* means mindspeak.
Door sat, his eyes staring blankly at the wall of stone
opposite of his seat. He could feel the two close behind him, only a
thin shield of rock between them. One, his mind absently registered,
was Winnowill's half-breed son. The other was a stranger, but the
familiar presence of Two-Edge put the corners of Door's mind at rest.
More immediate were the intruders that had suddenly appeared in the
entry cavern just minutes ago. Had Door the freedom to act, he might
have alerted the Lady Winnowill, or challenged the strangers. Door's
only purpose was to control the rock portal he sat above though, only
the corners of his mind having the freedom to pay attention to the
world around him. If he had been able to, he could have told Lady
Winnowill of every passage and nook the troll-elf Two-Edge had within
the walls of their false palace. But Door continued to sit in his seat,
his eyes unblinking, his flesh like the stone he shaped.
"That statue is beginning to freak me out," Venus mumbled to
herself. Her eyes narrowed at the man on his seat above the circle of
smoothed stone wall. "Why would they build a statue like that anyway?"
"My readings say it is a magic focal point in this area. It
seems to be more then just a statue. I think it has control over
something."
"That is Door." The two sailor senshi whipped their heads
around, their eyes meeting those of the speaker. She appeared to be
almost six feet tall, and was dressed in a black gown that trailed
behind her like a river at midnight. Her black hair shimmered with
purple and green in the faint light as it fell to the floor. Her ivory
white skin appeared almost unnatural, only the faint pink tinge to her
cheeks proving she lived. A man, the same who had kidnapped their lost
princess, stood a step behind the woman and to the side. They took
their first true look at him, as he had been too far away to truly see
before. His skin was much darker then the woman's, and his black hair
fell to his shoulder blades in soft waves. His clothes were made of
scraps of leather and cloth, but gave him the appearance of a lord. His
eyes were cold as they met those of the intruders. Large, pointed ears
and eyes marked both, assuring all those present that human blood did
not race through their veins.
"Nani?" Venus tentatively asked after several moments of
silence. The sailor senshi and their two companions continued to hold
their ready stances, in case the calm demeanor of their hosts were to
suddenly collapse. The woman's small smirk did not reassure them that
it would last.
"His name is Door. He controls the opening between the outside
and us. But I sense that is not what you have come here for."
"Where Usagi?!" Shampoo shouted in her heavy accent. Her eyes
narrowed in anger as they met the woman's unflinchingly.
"Usagi?" The woman turned to her associate slowly,
questioningly. Without waiting for a reply to her question, she turned
back, recognition in her eyes. "Ah! I had forgotten. The reincarnated
Princess Serenity. She is quite well. She and my son are becoming
acquainted."
*What are you doing Winnowill? I am beginning to wonder if
perhaps your thoughts are as shallow as a preservers, judging the rate
you change your plans,* Rayak sent, his eyes still on the sailor senshi
and their friends.
*Soul brother, can you not see? We worked so long to gather
enough energy to reach the palace, while the answer was in front of us
the entire time!*
*You cannot mean...*
*I do. We only need them to cooperate. With their princess in
our grasp, I doubt they would deny us a simple trip.*
"Where is she taking them?" Usagi asked, her head crammed next
to Two-Edge's so she could see below.
"A place we cannot go because of her damn rock shapers." Usagi
turned her eyes to her guide. His voice was low with anger and his eyes
narrowed.
"If she's your mother, won't the rock shapers listen to you
too?"
"They only recognize her. Even if they were to recognize
others, they know my status." A sneer curled his lip as his eyes
followed the tall, dark woman out the chamber.
Usagi backed away from the peephole in fright as her
kidnapper's eyes suddenly met hers. She had encountered cold glares
from former enemies, but this man's eyes burned. He was after
something, and she felt like he saw her as the key.
Two-Edge continued to crouch by the hole. Though Usagi had
moved away and lost sight of the man, she knew the half-breed was
glaring directly back at him.
Ryoga felt like hitting his head against the wall. A dark part
of his mind laughed, thinking that perhaps it might correct his awful
sense of direction.
"Where the hell am I?!" His voice echoed through the twists and
turns of stone, but no reply came.
'How do you get lost if you're following other people?' he
asked himself.
'I don't know!' he answered. Sighing, Ryoga leaned up against
one of the walls in the passage. He knew if he started walking, he
would end up even more lost then he was now. He didn't have any of his
supplies either, having left them behind in Nerima.
"Guess all I can do is keep walking and hope I find someone
before I starve to death," he said halfheartedly. "I've always ended up
SOMEWHERE, and perhaps when I get there, they can help me get back
here." Looking in both directions the passage gave him, he sighed again
and slowly stood up. "Might as well hurry up. They might need my help."
"Who might need your help?" a female's voice asked behind him.
He jumped around, startled, noticing for the first time a third
direction that had been hidden in the dim light. Out of the shadows
stepped his tenshi, her golden hair up in a long braid and still
dressed in her nightclothes.
"U...Usagi?"
"Do you know me?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"He came with your friends," a lower voice said from behind
her. Ryoga squinted his eyes, trying to see who had spoken. As the
speaker stepped out, Ryoga's eyes opened wide in shock. The two from
earlier appeared almost human for all but their eyes and ears. This one
was clearly something else. His skin and shape reminded Ryoga of a
drawing of a troll he had seen as a child.
"How did you get in here?" Usagi's question brought Ryoga from
his shock. He turned towards her, imagining in his mind how she would
laugh.
"I don't know. I just got lost." The troll-man frowned at the
reply given, making Ryoga almost nervous. He put one foot behind the
other, proving balance he would need if he were attacked, but his
worries were needless.
"Winnowill has me trapped in here, her blasted rock shapers
seal up every hole I make to escape before its wide enough for my hand.
I can tunnel anywhere but out. By the High Ones, a person can't just
get lost and wonder in here!" Ryoga felt his cheeks begin to burn, and
he only hoped the scant light hid his embarrassment. He wasn't sure how
to reply, but was saved as he heard his tenshi's soft voice speak up.
"However he got in here, he's here now. Do you think you could
find your way back?" she asked hopefully. Ryoga shook his head, hating
himself for making Usagi sad. He marveled at how quickly her depression
slid away though, quickly changing to determination.
"Well, we've got to find a way out of here! Winnowill has my
senshi and Shampoo, and I don't even know what she wants yet!"
Endless rock. The part of him that was free hated it. That part
could only stand it when something was going on around him. But then
that was a very small part of Door.
*I've got to get out!* The sending hit Door like a wave,
startling him, as much as he could be startled. It was not Winnowill,
so he would naturally ignore it. But something about the sending made
him WANT to release the sender. He was only to respond to his Lady
though, so he ignored the request.
*I need to get out of here!* The second sending was even
stronger, and Door felt his order begin to collapse. Whoever the sender
was, they were powerful. As he continued to try and hold to his orders,
pressure from the sender began to build up on his thoughts. His eyes
opened widely, the only movement he could perform after thousands of
years of stillness.
Two-Edge sat against the wall, his eyes closed. He had hoped
there would be something in the human girl that he could use against
his mother. Hours later, there was still no sign. He would stay with
her for another day or so, guide her, make sure they kept as close an
eye on her friends and his mother as they could, but after that he
would return to his forge. If they didn't find a way out, they would be
stuck together for a long time anyway. Until his mother decided she
wanted them for her playthings.
The girl, Usagi, had been thinking about what to do for a long
time now. Frustration clouded her expression. There was no easy way
out, and as far as Two-Edge was concerned, there was no way out. But it
seemed she believed she would find what did not exist.
"Kuso!" The shouted curse brought Two-Edge from his thoughts.
Across from him, where the one named Ryoga had been leaning, was now a
large hole. The brighter light from the cavern outside illuminated the
passage. Usagi's and Two-Edge's eyes opened wide in shock.
"What happened?!"
"I...I don't know," he said softly, stepping forward.
"Someone mind helping me up?" a grumbled voice said from
outside the opening. Usagi stood up and went to look out the hole next
to Two-Edge. They saw that the opening was not exactly level with the
ground outside. Ryoga had fallen and was now lying where the wall met
the floor, his feet reaching up for the hole.
"Are you alright Ryoga?" Usagi ask, trying desperately to cover
the growing smile on her lips.
"Ranma must have a hand in this. He always does," the poor,
upside down boy grumbled. Rubbing his head, he turned onto his side,
his legs hitting the ground. He stood up slowly, feeling the bump
growing below his hand. "Damn it hurts," he mumbled again, sighing.
"Pitiful," Two-Edge mumbled. The human had taken a small bump
on the head, and now he was moaning and groaning about it. There were
other things to think about anyway, such as the cause of their new
door. Two-Edge was about to jump out when, from the corner of his eye,
he saw Usagi glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, but said
nothing.
"Some of us don't have a rock for a head," she said, her voice
like the thorns on a rose. She jumped out the opening and, as he
watched, walked up to Ryoga and softly placed her fingers over the
bump. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice soft, no longer shaking
with laughter or thorny sharp.
"H...hai, Usagi-san." Two-Edge couldn't help but laugh at the
bright red blush that covered Ryoga's cheeks as he looked at the smaller
female.
"We don't have any ice, so we can't keep that bump down."
"I'll be alright, Usagi-san." Ryoga tried to force the blood to
leave his face, but instead he could feel them heat up even further.
Usagi stood so close to him, her fingers just now sliding away from the
bump on his skull. He felt a strange feeling rise through his chest,
her eyes holding him captive as she smiled up at him.
"Call me Usagi-chan, Ryoga-kun."
Water fell from one pool to the next in a series of small
waterfalls, the final one falling several feet before falling into a
large pool. Furs of several animals were laid on the floor around the
pool like a multicolored carpet. Steam rose from the surface of the
water, warming the air around them and fighting back the chill the
stone walls gave off.
Shampoo watched the several openings to the cavern. Along with
Sailor Mars, she didn't trust what was going on one bit. Mercury was
too involved in figuring out the strange energy aura to be disturbed.
Venus was too in awe of the beauty around her to be worried. It was
Jupiter who first noticed the missing party member.
"Guys, have you seen Ryoga?" Venus looked over at the taller
senshi, then around the grotto, shaking her head finally.
"When was the last time any of us saw him?" Mars asked,
stepping forward to be closer to her teammates.
"Shampoo see when we leave cavern."
"I saw him last when we rounded that first corner after the
first cavern. I looked back to see everyone was with us, and he was
right behind you, Venus," Mercury said calmly. The glint in her eyes
betrayed her worry, despite her relaxed appearance. First they had lost
Usagi, and now a nearly complete stranger. Things were not going well.
I know, not much of a cliffhanger, but after keeping you all on
your toes for like two months, I figured I don't have the right to make
a huge cliffhanger. Gomen minna! I didn't mean to take so long! I
wanted to focus on Son Usagi for a while before anything else. Finished
two chapters of that, and when Silver-chan started getting on my case
for another chapter of AP, I guess I decided it was time to change fics
for a bit.
Preview for next chapter (to make up for the lack of a real cliffie):
What is this palace Winnowill and Rayak want? Why does the
energy of the "false palace" match that of the ruined Silver Millennium
Palace? More secrets are learned as the truth behind the Serenity line
is revealed. There may be more of a link between Usagi and Winnowill
then either wants.
~Jade Nova
moon_archer82@lunap.com