A/N - Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows!
This is the final chapter for Part 4. The next update will be the first chapter of an interval story. The events between parts 4 and 5 were only briefly mentioned in the original, and I wanted to give them more attention. So you can look forward to brand new content! =D I've also almost finished Part 5 and Harlequin's backstory. So hopefully I'll have this story wrapped up before Christmas! Uploads should continue as normal until the concluding chapter is posted!
57 - Message on the Wing
Enigma groaned. Spots danced before his eyes and he screwed them shut again. Wind whipped through his fur, tearing at his mane. He stretched his feet, expecting to feel the ground but all they met was air. He snapped his eyes open again, sucking in a sharp breath. Deadly talons fastened around his chest, burning through his fur with searing dark energy. He scrabbled at them with his claws but they only tightened, digging into his flesh.
"I'd stop struggling if I were you," Ilana crooned. "Unless you want me to turn you over to Lord Hydreigon inside-out?"
Murkrow soared around him, cawing raucous laughter. Enigma scowled at them and turned his glare onto the Shadow Lands. The towering thorns of Hydreigon's castle drew closer and closer. But Ilana had no interest in landing there. She tucked in her wings and swooped towards the stone wall surrounding the Shadow Lands. She gave a series of loud caws, echoed by the rest of her flock. Enigma recognised it as the murkrows' victory cry. It had resounded through the Shadow Lands many times.
Yurlik looked up from his perch in the old tree, his wicked red eyes fixing on the scrawny form of Ilana. She landed beyond the wall, slamming Enigma into the floor. Using her wings for balance, she pinned him down with her one good leg. The other was tucked beneath her, hovering near the banette's eyes, its claws glinting in the dim light of dawn.
Yurlik dropped down from his perch and fluffed out his feathers against the cold. His head moved with jerky avian movements from Enigma to Ilana and back. "What is this?"
"One detained rebel as requested." Ilana clicked her beak and narrowed her eyes. "I think Lord Hydreigon would want to see him?"
"And what about Harlequin?" Yurlik scoffed.
"You didn't ask for Harlequin." Ilana dug her talons into Enigma, drawing out a hiss. "Now, perhaps you can spare some more murkrow from the breeding pens to flesh out my flock?"
"I shall do no such thing," Yurlik barked. "You had what we could spare. It's no fault of mine if you lose any."
"You told me if I brought back Enigma I could have more girls for my flock." Ilana narrowed her eyes. "I followed through on my side of the deal. Now give them to me."
Yurlik stared back silently, his beak quivering.
"Lord Hydreigon wants that whimsicott," Ilana told him. "You must know how strong it is. I've been so close! I've had that fuzzball in my talons!" She raised her head. "I need more power if we're to win."
"Fine," Yurlik spat, but he didn't meet her eyes. His feathers ruffled in what Enigma could only assume was embarrassment.
"Thank you." Ilana's words were laced with sarcasm. "Now. Do you want to take him to the castle or shall I?"
"Oh no!" Yurlik spread his wings as he strutted closer to Ilana. "Females never have an audience with Lord Hydreigon. I shall take it from here. You go and finish your job!"
The large honchkrow swept Ilana aside with his wing and snatched up Enigma in his shadowy talons. Enigma grunted and lashed out with his claws, scraping Yurlik's belly. Yurlik squawked and swerved into the air, swinging Enigma forwards until red welts rose up from around his wicked claws. The banette howled, and Yurlik's eyes glittered with malice.
As Enigma swung back, hanging limply, Yurlik spoke near his ear. "You dare do that again, I'll pluck out your eyes."
Enigma gave an audible sigh. He had no choice. He'd have to hope Yurlik let his guard down and escape then. The honckrow swooped towards the castle and slammed Enigma into the stone stairs with en explosion of his bell. Enigma breathed in damp rock as Yurlik rapped his beak on the castle door. Enigma barely heard the voice of the weavile on duty. Yurlik swept him aside before he could speak, but Enigma met the weavile's eye as he was dragged across the tiles. The weasel pokemon watched, speechless.
Enigma's heart raced as the world blurred around him. He could hear Hydreigon's deep voice speaking with some other visitor. Before he knew it, the dragon was bellowing at Yurlik to enter the room. The second the door opened, Enigma was thrown unceremoniously before the hulking dragon. Released from Yurlik's talons. But he froze as terror gripped his body. Hydreigon's crimson stare burned into him, along with the cold fire of a pair of icy blue eyes hovering at Hydreigon's shoulder. Enigma stared at the towering bird. Rivers of red trailed like blood along its glossy feathers, yet its face was oddly draconic. Enigma's heart pounded and he groped at the floor, forcing himself to stand. His head jerked back as claws snagged in his mane, and he growled over his shoulder at the honchkrow.
"Enigma?" Hydreigon purred with an air of delight. "So you caught the renegade, Yurlik?"
"Indeed I did," said Yurlik.
"Oh come off it," Enigma spat. "It was that female honchkrow, you fat-" His words cut off as a large wing struck him across the mouth.
Hydreigon leaned his head on one pincer as he looked from Yurlik to Enigma. "You've been raising some questions, Enigma. I thought I sent you out to get information."
Enigma wiped bloody spittle on the back of his paw. "Yes, you did."
"What did you find out?" Hydreigon asked. "What was so important that you turned tail and failed to report back to me?"
"Why do you expect me to tell you?" Enimga's heart was galloping but he forced a smirk.
"Because if you don't…" Hydreigon turned his free pincer as if examining it for spots. "I'll be forced to kill you."
The large bird beside him chuckled, drawing Enigma's gaze. Its blue eyes glittered and canines flashed in its grinning beak. Hydreigon shot it a sideways glance and returned to Enigma.
"So?" the black dragon pressed. "Answer my question."
"All right." Enigma raised his arms in mock defeat. "The outlaws hate you. So do the Outcasts." He narrowed his eyes. "And so do I."
Hydreigon's eyes flashed and he raised his head, but Enigma wasn't finished.
"I always have!" he went on. "Do you really think I'd want to work for someone who murdered my parents? For someone deranged enough to murder his own father?"
Hydreigon pulled his lips back in a snarl. "Watch your tongue, banette. It might cost you your life."
"Then take it."
Enigma met the large dragon's eyes, but he didn't move. Instead he stared at Enigma with uncertainty. Enigma didn't know where the confidence was suddenly coming from, but everything he'd held back all those years was pouring out of him like a waterfall. It had taken Hydreigon by surprise, and rather than exploding with anger the dragon just looked pathetic and confused.
Enigma let out a single laugh. "What's the problem, 'boss'?" he spat. "Lost so many aces you need to keep your claws in this one?"
Hydreigon practically shook.
"Even Harlequin has seen sense," Enigma went on. "All you have left now, Hydreigon, are a pack of dogs."
Hydreigon raised his head and a low growl shook the room. "What did you call me?"
It had been a slip of the tongue, but Enigma didn't waver despite the voices screaming at him to turn and run. Instead he raised his head and looked the dragon in the eye. "Hydreigon."
"You address me as 'lord', you insolent wretch!" Hydreigon hissed.
A smirk tugged at Enigma's lips.
"Address me as 'lord'!" Hydreigon roared, raising his twin pincers.
Hydreigon's flanks were heaving. He glared down at Enigma who met his eyes with defiance. After a long moment, the large dragon reached behind him and shoved a book at Enigma's feet. The banette looked down at it and his heart flipped. 'Yveltal's Fall'. The large bird beside Hydreigon shifted uncomfortably, as if he'd much rather leave the room but was too morbidly interested in the dispute between Hydreigon and Enigma to bother.
"This was found in your room," said Hydriegon. "Can you explain that?"
"I was bored." Enigma looked back up at him. "So I raided the library. You know, before you burned it down in a tantrum."
Hydriegon flinched but remained oddly calm. "You hid it. You knew this was being looked for so it could be destroyed, didn't you?"
Enigma said nothing, yet every fibre of his being screamed at him to run.
"So you hate me." Hydriegon shrugged. "Well, even the outlaws hate you. No one trusts a ghost. So answer me this, banette. Who do you work for?"
Enigma looked down at the book. A large X adorned its cover, fashioned after the horns of a stag. It was all true. Faith, Harlequin… Xerneas. Everything he'd tried to hold on to as a child, the very hope he'd lost when Kera was taken from him, had all been true. He looked back up at the two dragons.
The answer tumbled from his mouth without a second thought. "Xerneas."
A loud roar exploded from Hydreigon. He swung one of his pincers, striking Enigma in the ribs. Pain exploded through his body as he tumbled across the tiles. Hydreigon raised his head back and opened his jaws. Black energy swirled in his gaping throat, but the large bird cut in front of him and swept him back with a wing.
"You've done enough." Those blue eyes were as cold as permafrost as they locked onto Enigma. "Let me deal with this."
Hydreigon shoved him aside and raised a pincer to his neck. "Back off, Yveltal! You work for me!"
Enigma looked up with a start. Yveltal?
The black bird stared down at Hydreigon from the corner of his eye. A canine poked from his beak but he said nothing. Just smoothed out his feathers and watched the large dragon through narrowed eyes.
"How dare you mention that name in this castle!" Hydreigon growled at Enigma.
Enigma coughed as he rolled onto his front. Something stabbed inside his chest as he tried to breath, forcing him to cough again. Blood splattered the floor.
Hydreigon curled back into himself and waved a pincer at the banette. "Get this mess out of my sight."
Yurlik spread his wings in a bow. "Yes, my lord."
The honchkrow's talons cut into Enigma's neck as he yanked him back across the room. All the banette could do was groan.
"And make sure you kill him outside the Shadow Lands!" Hydreigon roared. "I don't want any more of his blood poisoning my kingdom."
Yurlik dragged Enigma roughly from the castle, trapping him with his shadowy claws. Enigma didn't fight. It hurt to move. To breathe. To speak. When Yurlik finally dropped down beside the river just beyond the wall, Enigma opened his eyes to meet the honchkrow's large, grinning beak.
"And here I thought Yveltal was going to deny me this delight," he crooned. "Looks like it's just you and me, ghost. I'll make you suffer for all those times you spoke back to me. All those times you called me 'fat'."
Enigma opened his mouth to speak back one last time, but all that came out was another painful cough.
"Oh, this is too perfect!" Yurlik laughed. He nipped Engima in the side, eliciting a yell of pain. "Come on! Talk back to me again!" Another nip at his face. "Let's drag this out!"
Enigma let his head roll back in the snow. Yurlik grabbed his mane in his talons and forced Enigma to look him in the face.
"I'm going to take my time with this," Yurlik purred. "And I'm going to enjoy every last moment. Hmm…" Yurlik looked him up and down, his feathers fluffing with delight. He released Enigma's mane and placed his claws across his chest, pinning Enigma beneath him. "I think I'll start with your eyes."
A single laugh forced Enigma to cough again, but he held it back. Yurlik's talons glinted in the low light as they curled into his flesh. No longer shrouded in shadow as he pulled back his head to strike. Enigma dropped his density and slipped from Yurlik's claws, leaving him clutching nothing but a few tufts of smoky black fur. The honchkrow spat dirt from his beak and roared as he watched Enigma roll into the river, vanishing beneath the rapids. Yurlik stomped on the bloody snow where Enigma had been lying, his loud caws splitting the dawn air.
Enigma spread his arms, letting the river carry him away. Away, as it fled the Shadow Lands. Bubbles rose from his mouth as his vision dulled, yet despite all that a smile spread across his face. As darkness cascaded through Enigma's mind, and the pain in his chest dulled, he was grateful for the river. It would allow him to die away from that awful place.
...
When Tyrix opened his eyes, the fire was still raging. It surrounded him in a circle, kept back by a barrier of colourful flowers. They bloomed out from beneath Tyrix, cushioning his body. He was no longer aching. That fog that had filled his chest for years had faded, allowing him to breathe clearly.
He looked away from the flames, rolling onto his front. His eyes fell on a set of golden hooves which lead up to four slender legs. He met the gentle smile of a tall, magnificent stag. His antlers radiated light which surrounded them both like a bubble.
"Xerneas?" Tyrix gasped.
The stag nodded once. "You did well, Tyrix."
Tyrix laughed as he pushed himself to his feet. He still felt tired. He sat back on his haunches and wiped a claw across his eyes. It felt good to laugh. No, it felt great. There was no tickle, no cough, no black smoke gushing from his mouth.
"I only did what needed to be done." He looked back up at Xerneas. "Thank you for choosing me."
The smile never left Xerneas' face. He lowered his head, offering his antlers to Tyrix.
"Come on." Xerneas rose again with Tyrix across his back. "Let's go home."
...
The howls had stopped.
Cleo stood with her paws spread, staring into the blazing woodland. They'd stopped. Why? Had Tyrix won? Or had the Wildfires defeated him and fled.
"He's not come out," said Spark quietly.
"We should never have left him," said Cleo. "He was sick. Too sick. He couldn't-"
"He must have," said Faith. "Xerneas chose him to defeat the Wildfires, Cleo. He must have won."
Those howls had chilled her. Rooted her to the spot. As soon as the battle broke out, she'd turned and run. Faith and Reshiram had run after her, shouting at her to come back. Even Spark had remained with them. Yet Cleo had fled.
Now she was staring into a wall of fire for the second time in her life, wishing she'd been able to do more. Wishing she'd been able to help.
"Why did I do that?" she groaned. "Why did I just leave him?"
"You were scared," said Faith. "But it wasn't our battle, Cleo. It was between him and the Wildfires. We would have been roasted alive if we'd gone in there to help him."
Cleo balled her paws into fists and closed her eyes. "I need to know. I need to know he's okay."
The howls had stopped. There were no Wildfires in there now.
She opened her eyes again and raised her head. "I'm going in."
Faith grabbed her paw. "Wait, Cleo. We need to to put out the fire first." She looked up at Reshiram. "Can we do it? Is there any water nearby?"
"You don't need water," said Reshiram. "I'll just beat the flame back into the woods. If they've got nothing to burn then it'll put them out."
Spark waved a paw. "I was gonna suggest all this snow, but all right. We'll go with your plan."
"Are we sure we want to put out the fire?" Reshiram asked. "Tyrix did say the Wildfires can't run through flames. If they're still in there-"
"They aren't," said Cleo. "The sounds of battle are over. I think… I think it's fine to go in there now."
Reshiram nodded once and stood aside.
Spark hopped up onto Cleo's shoulder and they all moved back, giving Reshiram space. The white dragon rose into the air, beating at the fire with his wings. The orange flames flickered in defiance as they were forced back on themselves. Skeletal, black trees emerged from the flames, their branches reaching into the air as if frozen in a silent scream. Cleo's heart leapt at the sight. It was all too familiar.
Reshiram called down to them and they joined him. He remained in the air, blowing back the flames. Cleo rushed off into the woods, leaving Faith to follow behind.
"It's pretty frightening," said Spark. "I mean, if he did fail, then the Wildfires-"
"Don't," said Cleo. "Don't speak like that. He has to have won."
"But he didn't come out," said Spark. "Something must have happened to him."
Cleo willed Spark to be quiet. The dedenne got the message but she didn't settle. She bailed from Cleo's shoulder, scampering on ahead across the ashen floor.
"Wait!" Cleo picked up her pace.
The floor was still warm. The flames still roared ahead of them. The wind from Reshiram's wings buffeted Cleo's ears and shook the branches of the trees. They swayed overhead like claws grasping for cool air, creaking and groaning in the deafening silence. It was almost impossible to find a path in this barren, torched wilderness. Cleo kept her eyes on Spark's orange body as she bounded over the hot ash, her huge ears facing forwards. Cleo fought to keep up, her chest burning with the effort.
"Please be okay!" she gasped.
Snap!
The wind left Cleo's lungs as she was beaten to the floor. She yowled as pain bloomed up her leg.
"Cleo!"
Faith was at her side in an instant. Spark had doubled back and stood by Cleo's head, her large eyes going from her leg to her face. Cleo raised her head, squinting. A massive, blackened branch lay across her left leg, pinning her to the ground. Suddenly the pain felt a lot worse. She groaned as her head rolled back into the ashen soil.
Reshiram circled above them, his blue eyes wide. "I am so sorry!"
"It's not your fault, Reshiram!" Faith called to him. She turned back to Cleo and placed a paw on her shoulder. "Please bare with me. I'm going to lift it from you."
A flash. Faith stood over her in her mega form.
"No," Cleo groaned. "Don't."
"I have to," said Faith. "We need to get you out."
"No!"
Cleo yowled as Faith lifted the branch free in both her horns. A loud crash came from behind them where she'd tossed it. Cleo sobbed and let her paw fall across her face. It was as if her leg had a pulse of its own.
Faith scooped Cleo up in her arms and called up to Reshiram. There was no space for the dragon to land. Faith carried her back to where they'd been waiting, and Cleo turned her head back towards the trees, searching for any sign of Tyrix. Reshiram stood waiting, his canine face soft with worry. He pressed himself to the ground to let his friends climb onto his back, Faith still holding Cleo. She sat sideways, resting in the mawile's arms. As they circled back over the blackened woods, Cleo looked down into it. The fire was gone, just a few smoldering red branches and the groan and pop of dying wood. Black bodies littered the ground, and Cleo found herself looking down into the scene of the battle. Houndour lay scattered across the ground, but there was no sign of Tyrix. Just a large patch of colourful flowers that filled the entire clearing, a rainbow against a field of black and ash.
All of them were silent as they looked down at the wildflowers. Faith tightened her paw on Cleo's shoulder, her violet eyes glittering with excitement. Tyrix wasn't there, and it was pretty clear why. But it was Cleo who spoke for them all, feeling suddenly lighter.
"Xerneas!"
...
The forest was dark as the zorua raced through it, her frantic breaths loud and heavy. Branches snapped behind her, under pursuing feet. She turned and bolted into a thicket, cowering against the leaf litter. Her blue eyes stared out at the darkness as heavy footsteps drew closer to her.
"Harlequin?!"
A looming shadow appeared outside, pausing as it sniffed the air. Red eyes flashed with moonlight as the zoroark turned its head towards the thicket. White teeth spread across a narrow muzzle.
"Found you!"
Then he pounced.
Harlequin yelped, jerking awake. Her flanks heaved as she tried to calm her racing heart. The leaves she'd been lying on lay scattered around her paws. Moonlight leaked through the broad leaves of the bush, lighting up Flutterwick's orange wings. He lay curled up in a tight ball, his soft snores the only sound in the forest.
Harlequin sat up and took in a deep breath. Her heart was still racing. She sniffed the air, catching Mischief's sweet scent. The whimsicott sat just outside the tent, his white fluffy back to her. Her paws crunched in the snow and he twitched, glancing back at her. His face was sullen, almost grey in the dim light.
"How long have you been keeping watch?" she asked quietly.
The whimsicott shrugged.
Harlequin glanced up at the sky. If she were to guess, it wasn't long until dawn. "I'll take over. You get some sleep."
Mischief rose to his feet, dusting snow from his fur. His movements were stiff and sluggish. He shook out his paws and stepped past her, barely making a noise over the thick snow. Harlequin watched him for a moment then took his spot where the snow had been cleared away.
"Harlequin?"
She looked back at him over her shoulder. He was still standing by the bush, trailing a paw over one of the broad leaves. "Yeah?"
He was silent for a moment. His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. "Have… have you ever been in love?"
Something jolted in Harlequin's chest and her mouth went dry. She looked away with a start and stared down at her paws. A lone stalk of grass poked up from the snow in front of them.
"Why are you asking me?" she asked.
"I don't know." Mischief shuffled his paws. "I guess I was just wanting some advice."
Harlequin licked her lips. "Is this about Cleo?"
When Mischief didn't answer, Harlequin looked back to check if he was still there. He'd turned his attention to a different leaf, plucking it free from its branch.
"It's not as if no one's noticed," she said. "I'm not exactly rehearsed in such things, yet it's as clear as day to me. Just tell her." She paused and closed her eyes briefly, looking back at the moon. "You'll just regret it if you don't."
Mischief sighed and let the leaf drift to the floor. "But I left her."
"You let those birds take you so we could escape," Harlequin corrected. "That was a noble thing to do."
"No. I let them take me because I'm a risk to you all. But… but I still miss her."
"Then find her," Harlequin told him. "You don't need to help me, Mischief. Just go and look for her."
"You don't think I'm too dangerous?"
Harlequin opened her mouth to answer but no words came out. Mischief waited silently. He turned to meet Harlequin's sapphire gaze, but Harlequin still couldn't find the words to answer him.
"I thought so." He turned his back and ducked into the bush.
Harlequin placed one paw forwards to follow him. Words still wouldn't form. Instead, she spat a curse and turned her back to the bush, sitting heavily back on the bare grass. What business did she have giving him advice about that?
'You'll just regret it if you don't.'
Those words seemed to be echoed by a ringing bell and jovial laughter, dragging her back to the musty barracks. Her gaze fell on the moon again and she let out a long sigh. She closed her eyes and tried to bring herself back to the present. Back to the woods with its crisp winter air. Paws crunched over the snow and she jerked her head up, ears trained on the bracken only a few feet away. The fronds parted as a huge white feline stepped through them, his huge paws carrying him over the thick snow with barely a sound. Two pawniard flanked him on either side, their sharp little feet sinking through the snow's crust, denying them any stealth. The absol's ruby eyes met Harlequin's and her heart froze. Her fur prickled along her spine and she tensed, bracing herself for an assault.
"Harbie?" she gasped.
Harbinger snorted, his breath misting in front of his face. "You still call me that?"
Harlequin stuttered as her gaze trailed over his snowy white body. "It's really you?"
He took a step towards her and she rose to her feet, her hackles rising. Mischief's words of warning were still fresh in her mind.
"Relax. I'm not here to fight." Harbinger sat down only a stone's throw from her. "I'm here to talk."
The pawniard hadn't joined him. They remained by the bracken, their huge disk-like eyes reflecting the moon as they watched her. Their blades cast pinpricks of light, deadly sharp. Harbinger might have been avoiding a fight, but they were ready to leap into action in a heartbeat.
Harlequin looked up at the absol. "Well I don't want a fight either." Her tongue flicked out over her nose and she glanced aside. "I've actually been looking for you."
He gave a dry laugh. "Likewise. I guess it's fortunate our paths crossed then." He paused and she could feel his eyes burning into her. "I ran into a friend of yours." He spat those words as if they tasted too vile to keep in his mouth.
Harlequin glanced up at him. There was no kindness in his eyes. His fur bristled along his spine and his claws left deep rivets in the snow.
"Enigma?" She knew full well who he was referring to, but she voiced it anyway. "Did he-?"
"What? Spare my life?" Harbinger flashed his canines as he gave a mock laugh. "I'm right here, aren't I?" He shook his head and glanced back at his companions. "I don't know how much of what he told me was true. I wouldn't trust that ghost as far as I could throw him. But he said you believed I was dead."
Harlequin licked her nose again and looked down at her paws. "Yes. I…" She cleared her throat. "It was Yurlik, Hydreigon's honchkrow. He told me you'd been killed by his murkrow."
"Really?" Harbinger's eyes widened. "That's the same bird who told me you'd joined Hydreigon's ranks."
Harlequin looked away from him. "Not willingly."
"Perhaps not, but you still worked for him." A low growl rumbled behind his words. "Anyone who works for that monster is my enemy."
"I didn't have a choice."
"He destroyed my pack," Harbinger growled. "I was exiled because of him."
"Well I don't work for him anymore." Harlequin tried to relax her jaw. She'd begun to bare her teeth and Harbinger had rose to his feet, ready to spring. "I know what you went through. But I thought I'd lost everything." She forced herself to meet his eyes. "I thought I'd be fighting for my life alone when I left those woods. Then I met you…"
"And you made me wait."
"I had to."
"Why?" When she didn't answer, he raised his voice. "You knew I was trying to escape, Harlequin. So why?"
Harlequin closed her eyes. The zoroark's grin flashed through her mind and she shook her head to dispel it.
Harbinger sighed. "I tried to kill you."
Harlequin opened her eyes again and stared at the snow, the nightmare in her mind replaced by the mangled carcass of a nidoking. "I know."
"You know?"
"I didn't know it was you at the time." She trailed patterns through the snow with her paw, circling the grass stalk. "But it was pretty clear I was the target. You used my trademark poison."
"And you're not angry with me?"
"Angry?" Harlequin looked up at him, eyes wide. "I'm just glad you're alive."
Harbinger snorted and averted his gaze. "Then you're a fool."
Harlequin shrugged and returned to her doodle. They sat in silence for a while, broken only by the pawniard fidgeting their blades together.
"I'm sorry."
Harbinger's words sent a jolt of surprise through the zorua. But he wasn't watching her.
"I know it's not enough to apologise," he said. "I did try to take your life."
"It's okay." Tears stung Harlequin's eyes. "I forgive you."
Harbinger screwed his eyes shut and his canines flashed in his dark muzzle. "It wasn't just you. I've taken hundreds of lives."
Harlequin shook the snow from her paw and turned so she was facing him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he went on.
"I've been living up to my name, bringing disasters. I've caused landslides, fires, poisoned rivers… many have died because of me."
"Then stop."
The absol met Harlequin's gaze, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"You don't need to do this, Harbie," she said. "Absol don't bring disasters. I know that. You need to show the rest of the world that. Be a harbinger of good things, like I told you."
Harbinger said nothing. He gazed off into space, plunging them into silence. The image of a frightened absol filled Harlequin's mind, desperately fleeing through the Border Woods. Harlequin had grown curious and intersected him. Just like her, he'd wanted to escape. But she'd made him wait.
She'd just needed more time.
From deep in the bush, Flutterwick mumbled in his sleep. Harbinger jerked his head towards it, as did Harlequin. But no further sound came.
"So you've finally left the Shadow Lands?" Harbinger asked, fixing his red eyes on her.
"Yes." She looked back up at him, meeting his gaze. "I'm never going back."
"How can I be sure you mean that?"
"Because I've seen things from the other side of the table," she said. "I've seen how the Outcasts struggle. I've seen how this world can be. But everything is a mess, and it's all because of him."
Harbinger grunted. "How this world can be?"
Harlequin jolted, suddenly aware of the weight around her neck. She removed the mega stone and mumbled around it. "Here." She tossed it towards Harbinger and it landed in the snow at his feet. "It's yours."
"You had this?" Harbinger picked it up by its thong with one paw.
"Yes. I found it in the den where I hid you." Harlequin shuffled a paw. "I kept it. I hope you don't mind."
Harbinger lifted it around his neck and the pendant rested against his thick fur. "Thank you for looking after it. I thought I'd lost it forever."
"I found out what it is, as well. It's a mega stone."
Harbinger raised his head with surprise. "Who told you that?"
"A pokemon called Xerneas," Harlequin explained. "He rules over the Fairy Garden."
"Fairy Garden? That sounds like a tale told to hatchlings." Harbinger nudged the mega stone with a paw. "From what I was told, another part is needed to activate this stone. But no one knows what it is. I always thought it was fantasy."
"I've seen it in action, it's real."
Harbinger looked up at her again. He didn't look like he believed her, yet wanted to hear more.
"I was told to return it to you," Harlequin explained. "Xerneas said to send you to him and he can show you how to use it."
"All right." There was uncertainty in Harbinger's voice. "And how exactly do I find this Fairy Garden?"
"I found it through the Endless Woods. Apparently pokemon can find it if they are seeking sanctuary."
Harbinger's eyes widened. "The Endless Woods? That's where I lost your trail."
"You were tracking me?" Harlequin gasped.
Harbinger grunted and glanced aside. "Well… I'd better not keep him waiting." He looked back at her and bowed his head. "Thank you for taking good care of this for me. And for returning it."
Harlequin's throat thickened and she blinked back tears. "Go and find Xerneas." She caught Harbinger's eye and forced a smile. "And don't cause anymore disasters."
Harbinger's face lit up briefly and he turned, bounding through the snow to rejoin his friends. The two pawniard gave one glance back at Harlequin before following after their friend.
Harlequin felt a weight lift from her shoulders and she gazed out at the snow-covered landscape. Now she'd finally returned the mega stone to Harbinger she couldn't help feeling a little bit lost. Yet she also felt free. Free to help Mischief find a cure for pokerus. Where would that take them? They could travel all over Estellis before they found something.
Clods of snow rained down from the canopy on her left and she jerked her head towards it. A single loud caw broke the silence, followed by another. It wasn't a roll-call. It was a message. One that was alien to her ears. A flutter of feathers reverberated in the air as one of the murkrow landed lightly on a bush. He spoke again, but not in murkrow code. Harlequin strained her ears but she couldn't hear what was being said. Whatever it was, it could speak danger for her and her friends. They were still looking for Mischief, after all. She rose to her feet and padded into the shadows, sticking close to the bracken as she tried to get in earshot.
A sneasel sat in the snow beside a weavile. The latter had been sleeping and blinked groggily at the murkrow. Harlequin's heart leapt at the thought she and her friends had been sleeping so close to the assassins.
"-what I heard, anyway," said the murkrow.
"Lord Hydreigon sentenced him to death?" the sneasel gasped. He looked around at his partner. "So he's gone?"
"Yup. Lord Hydreigon gave him what for," said the murkrow. "Yurlik finished him off. Watched him drown."
"Wow! Although to be honest, we should've saw it comin'," said the sneasel.
"Yeah. He weren't exactly one of us," said the weavile.
"You're tellin' me," said the murkrow. "Yurlik told us to spread the message to you all. You can cut off the chase and return to the Shadow Lands for your next orders."
The small black bird took off back into the trees and cawed. Another echoed further out over the canopy. Harlequin's pulse quickened. She was frozen to the spot, dread flooding her veins.
"Guess we should head back then, huh?" The weavile pushed himself to his feet and beat snow off his fur. "If Enigma's dead then I guess there's no reward for us, huh?"
Enigma? Dead?
Harlequin's ears drooped. She limped from the bush, her head swirling. Her mouth gaped with wordless screams as she staggered back towards her friends. She couldn't believe it. No, she refused to believe it. Enigma couldn't be gone. Her chest felt hollow, as though someone had reached through her ribs and torn out her heart. She sank to the snow and rolled her head back, letting out a mournful, agonised wail.
Why?!
Tears gushed from her eyes as she choked out a loud sob.
Claws flashed in the moonlight and Harlequin turned around to face the two assassins sweeping at her amid a cloud of black wings.
"Leave me alone!"
A flash of pink and purple light shot from her mouth, blowing the assassins tail over ears across the snow. The weavile stood and shook his ears, then cast a glance at his prone companion and the two murkrow lying beside him. The weavile looked back up at Harlequin, then over her shoulder. With a yelp he turned and ran.
Harlequin barely saw Harbinger leap over her. He took off after the weavile with his two pawniard twins. She sank into the snow, her tears mixing with the ice crusting her paws. Mischief and Flutterwick appeared at either side of her, the mothim shaking her with his tiny claws. The both of them were saying something, but she didn't hear it. She stared out at the bleak snow through blurry eyes, loud sobs wracking her exhausted body.
Gone… he was gone…
...
Yikes! I need to get the banner art done for the interval chapters!
Thanks for reading, everyone! Please R&R!
