Snow
Chapter four: Cleon
By: Aeris
I don't own the Tamora Pierce characters or Tortall. I do own the Bat-Demons and i.e. Ateo, Queen Ratellciea and others, the Empire of Imp, Emperor Imp, the Wolf-Demons, and other demons. I own, made up, Buck and Myka the Shang Owl. If you wish to use them e-mail me at kurumi2244@aol.com
~*~
"That's not it, Neal I…" Kel began but Neal placed a finger on her lips.
"Kel, don't say anything you don't mean," Neal told her. "Than it'll just make things weird around us. I like being your friend, but I wouldn't mind being more." He admitted to her, Kel looked at his green eyes, and she saw something that made her tremble. A half smile came across Neal's lips. It seemed so wrong, but so right. She didn't know what to do, she wanted to let him take her in his arms, let him take away all the bad all the hurt all the pain; she also didn't want to ruin a perfectly good friendship. But won't you be better friends? A part of her argued in her brain. She wanted it to shut up, she couldn't love Neal, she just couldn't. But she did.
"Oh, Neal." She told him and let him take away all the pain.
~*~
Jonathan paced around his room. "Roger?" Numair just nodded. "Roger?" Numair nodded again. "Are you sure it's Roger?" Numair nodded again. "Can this get any worse?" Numair nodded again. "This is horrible, don't tell Alanna. She'll go nuts. She killed his twice already." Numair looked puzzled but nodded. "This is nuts. All of it, demons, Roger, Goddess! Why are they doing this?"
"Um, Jonathan, I think it is because of unsettled business." Numair told the pacing king.
"Unsettled business?" Jonathan blinked at his mage.
"King Jordan was a great King, but had one flaw. He was over confident that the demons wouldn't dare show their faces in Tortall- or the Human Realm ever again. He didn't put a seal on anything to keep them out and buried all the things his defense force stole. Gold, weapons, sliver, fleets--"
"He stole their armies?" The king asked surprised.
"Yes, like immortals they die of wounds, but unlike immortals they die of old age, usually around 1,000, or 2,000 years of age." Numair told him.
"So there are demons alive under ground?" The king wanted to know.
"Yes, and no. Some died." Numair alleged.
Jonathan sat down and put his hands to his temples and rubbed. "Well, no wonder their mad." He sighed, "Well, Mage Numair. It is late, you can go to bed we can talk about tomorrow." Numair bowed and left the room.
~*~
Cleon stared at the pool of water in the dark room he was imprisoned in. There was Kel, who he though was his, lying there with Neal's arm around her, both of them asleep. He mentally sighed and looked around his room. Surprised to find someone else was put in the same room over the night Cleon sighed once more. The one he loves thinks he's dead and apparently moved on, he was kidnapped, and now someone else was in the already small enough room. The person was asleep and Cleon stood trying to find a door that would get him out of this dark place. The person moved and jumped up, she was obviously a Shang studier.
"Who are you?" She asked and looked at Cleon, equally as surprised to find him there.
"I'm Sir Cleon of Kennan, and I was about to ask you the same thing." Cleon muttered still vainly in search of a door or window.
"I am Myka the Shang Owl." She told him, "I didn't see you in here, my apologies Sir Cleon."
"Why are you here, where ever here is?" The redhead asked.
"Someone's in a good mood. I was here because when the bat-demons attached I protected my family, and they took me here. And this is a prison cell, in the Empire of Imp, the Bat Lands to be more specific."
"Bat Lands? Bat Demons? All I know is I came here, and I can see what happens in Tortall in that little pool of water." A puzzled Cleon told her.
"It's a Talisman Mirror. See you wish what or whom you want to see and it shows you. The last prisoner must of made it and left it here." Myka told him, "Who's that?" Myka asked pointing at Kel.
"That is Keladry of Mindelan, and that lump next to her is Nealan of Queenscove." He muttered and told her about Kel.
"I'm sorry, but you must remember that she thinks your dead and she's probably grieving right now. You can't blame her about what she does when she thinks your dead." Myka told him.
"Whatever," he said and played with the rocks on the hard floor were they were sitting.
~*~
Over the last week Thayet had moved from the sweating stage to crying out to lost things. Lost items, family members that have dies, Jonathan, her children, and other things.
"Well she is okay father?" Roald asked as he sat next to the king.
"I don't know Roald, I honestly don't. But if she isn't, we'll still be a family. You, Kalasin, and me."(A/N, I don't know if there are any other princes or princess, so don't kill me!!) Jonathan told his son. "It'll be okay."
~*~
"Kel! Kel! Neal! Neal!" Seaver called running down the hall and pounded on the two doors. Kel tiredly walked out of her room, and Neal out of the adjoining door into Kel's room. Seaver went inside, panicked. "It's Merric!" Seaver exclaimed. "He fell under the sleep spell!"
"What?" Kel said suddenly awake.
"I think Merric fell under the sleep spell." Neal said yawning.
"Wake up you dolt! Our friend is in trouble!" Kel told him.
"Trouble, right, lets go." He said and walked to Merric's room were there was a cot pulled up for Seaver. Kel and Seaver at toe. Owen was there already Seaver must have gotten him. Merric was a pale color and was sweating; his blanket was pulled tight around him.
"We have to get him to the Healer's Ward." Owen said. The four carried their sweating friend to the ward. Others were there as well; crying over friends and loved ones that were dying under their very eyes, children crying over their moms and dads that were taken deathly ill.
"It's like the sweating sickness that happened so many years ago." Duke Barid told the four as he put Merric in a bed. "So many people dying and no one can do anything. Healers vainly trying to heal the already lost, it's depressing. You run along now, you don't want to see what has to be done." The four left their friend and returned to bed. Duke Barid rolled Merric on to his stomach and called out his power. A green light covered Merric making him glow. Merric barely noticed what should've felt like a thousand needles in his body. Duke Barid flipped him back over and touched Merric on a pressure point on his stomach and stepped back just as Merric vomited a green fluid. Barid nodded, satisfied at his work and moved on to the next patient.
~*~
Cleon sighed and looked at the mirror water.
"What is it?" Myka asked when she saw Cleon's face.
"My friend, Merric fell to the sleep spell." He told her looking up at her big blue eyes. She had short jet-black hair and about a head shorter then Kel was, she had tanned skin and big lips. She frowned.
"That's to bad, my da, he fell to it as well before I taken here." Myka confessed to him.
"I'm sorry," He told her putting his arm around her shoulder.
~*~
Her scarlet figure nails stretched and tightened over her cup. Her ruby-red lips and her pastel white skin glossed her wicked smile. The amber brown hair caressed her fragile skin and left man wondering. "Roger," she said each letter resting on her mouth.
"Yes my dear," The wicked man said touching her hands. His large hand captured her small one.
"It's a shame," She began.
"What is my love?" He asked her.
"That you'll die again." She told him.
"Oh, I'm alive for good this time my pearl."
"Didn't I tell you?" She asked not waiting for a reply. "Good bye." She slipped her sliver knife into his chest and watched him die. "There just isn't enough room for me and you here."
~*~
That it for chapter four! Review!! Thankies!
Preview of next chapter:
One more person that we know falls under the spell, who is it? You'll just have to read and find out. =) And what about Cleon? You'll have to wait and see too!
