Disclaimer: I do not own and will never own Card Captor Sakura (though I wish I did) it is owned by CLAMP. This author is merely borrowing so please don't sue me!!!^_^;
Fated Circle: Four Sacred Treasures of Earth
~Part 8
Suzaku: The whip of the firebird
Chapter 37
We reached the port town of Maremaris by the end of the second day, as Momiji wasn't
far from Romealy. Shadowbane landed first, followed by Thunderstorm. We didn't rest
and we just let the Averins stay by the shore. The two birds, as Syaoran and Eriol
both said, would know how to take care of themselves.
After searching the town to borrow three Dune Rovers, we rode across the desert.
We had to reach the castle and finish our job quick enough. Besides, it would be
to our advantage if we traveled the desert while still dark.
After two days travel (with a few stop-overs here and there) we reached the southern
edge of Romealy castle's garden.
"Okay. We're here. Let's get going." Syaoran told us, already inside the garden.
I turned to look on the others. It was pretty obvious that they were exhausted. Even
I was exhausted. "Syaoran! Wait!" I told him, following him inside. He didn't get
too far before I stopped him.
"What?" he asked.
As I looked into his face, and it too showed exhaustion. "Let's take a break we've
been traveling with little and almost no rest at all." His was about to say something
when I cut him off. "Besides, the entrance to the labyrinth lies not far on the edge."
"Okay then." he answered, put his arms around my shoulders and we walked back.
We rested for a few hours until it was agreed that it was time that we acted. I
led the way, going north-west following the signs that led to the entrance that
only I knew about. And after walking only a few miles, I found what I was looking
for. It was a tree, an oak, whose body width was wide enough for two full-grown
men to stand in and whose height out stood all other trees surrounding it. Any
passer-by would surely mistake it for another tree in the woods, unless they noticed
that it only had a small amount of leaves on it. But because the limbs of the other
branches criss-crossed with this tree's, it was very hard to discern.
"Here we are!" I told them softly but loud enough for the others at the back to
hear.
"Where?" Eriol asked.
Tomoyo's head looked here and there. Others had the same confused look.
I just led them to the tree. "Here." I said, and then touched the bark of the tree,
making it ripple.
"Illusion..." Tomoyo said softly.
Mr. Reed and my father looked at it wide-eyed. "I didn't even feel the presence
of the magic." Mr. Reed said, "amazing!"
"Let's just go inside." I told them. "Time's a-wasting."
We entered the tree illusion which led to an old tunnel. It was very dusty inside,
with lots of cobwebs here and there to boot. I figured that no one had found out
about this place after Chiharu died, since the dust wasn't disturbed in any way, and
it was still very thick. And very dark.
I summoned my wand to me, as it gave off its own luminescent light.
"Whew! I thought no one thought of doing that." I heard Tomoyo, who was behind
me, say.
"How are you going to know which way is where?" Eriol asked.
I looked at him at the back but turned to face where I was going again. I couldn't
see him back at the back since it was too dark. Then I told him, "there's only one
way here. All other walls are brick-filled. This is the only path we can take." And
then I think I heard a sigh of relief somewhere... Syaoran, perhaps?
After a couple of hours of silent walking, I made them halt.
"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked.
I put a hand gently on Tomoyo's mouth and shushed the others. I heard the sound of
footsteps and the origin was very familiar to me. Soon enough, the others heard it
too. The klangking of their armor echoed on the walls in and around the passageway.
Soon, even their voices were loud enough to hear.
"Hah! Stupid slave girl! Doing her evil magic to try and hurt the lord." A deep
and monster-like voice said.
"I don't know what even went into her mind to make her do that." Another voice,
an octave higher than the first, replied.
There was silence then the deep-voiced guard spoke again. "She was a pretty girl
though. What's her name again?"
"Melen...I think." the other replied. The footsteps got louder and the voices
came closer. Then it stopped. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the same
guard asked.
There was a snicker then an abrupt stop. "...but her magics..."
"Nah! The Lord sealed them remember?" the snickering became laughter.
"Let's get her. But let's not hurry. She won't get far with us using this." the
hoarse laughter came again and the gurads resumed walking to whatever direction they
were headed.
We were all silent for a while and then I looked at them. "What do you think?"
"Meiling?" Tomoyo said behind me.
"And I suppose that "evil magic" is the Suzaku's power." Syaoran said.
Before any other comments were made, a pentagon appeared on the right section of
the wall. *Go though it.* It was my father's voice and we all looked at him, who
was smiling. *Go on, they're moving away and we don't have much time.*
And before we knew it, we were following the two guards to where "Melen" or
Meiling is. It was a great gamble we were taking, since we don't know for sure
wether the guards just mispronounced the name or really is talking of another person.
It was really a big gamble.
Suddenly, Tomoyo called us to a halt.
"What?" Eriol asked.
Tomoyo looked at him and said, "don't you notice something?" He shook his head.
"Nothing missing? nothing wrong?" she asked again. Eriol nodded again. "That's
exactly it! there's _nothing wrong_ no klanking of armor, no noisy muttering,
no faint light - NOTHING!"
For a breif moment, we all just stared at her before we all realized what she
said. I gasped and Syaoran cursed Mr. Reed and my father shook their heads and
sighed.
Then there was lughter, an insulting kind of laughter.
He looked at each other, only to find out that not one of us was laughing.
"Lost?" a voice, which was everywhere at the same time said, loud and billowing.
Syaoran's face became a mask of anger. "Father!" he shouted.
"I see you can still recognize my voice...son." the Dark Lord's voice replied,
the last word thrown out like a spit.
"What do you want?" Mr. Reed asked in a calm tone.
"Nothing really," he replied, "as you can see, you are now lost in the main
chambers of the Labyrinth - mislead by my illusion." Syaoran punched the wall.
"I have my intelligences and knew of your coming. I knew where the entrance to
the dungeon labyrinth is and used it to my advantage. Now, all I'll have to
do is watch you get more lost day by day until you rot!!" he shouted, "Oh, about
your friend, she is still unaware of her powers and is still in the castle.."
then he laughed and then the voice faded away.
"COME OUT YOU COWARD!" Syaoran shouted, there came no reply.
"We've been trapped..." I heard Tomoyo say weakly, "We've been trapped!"
to be continued
Fated Circle: Four Sacred Treasures of Earth
~Part 8
Suzaku: The whip of the firebird
Chapter 37
We reached the port town of Maremaris by the end of the second day, as Momiji wasn't
far from Romealy. Shadowbane landed first, followed by Thunderstorm. We didn't rest
and we just let the Averins stay by the shore. The two birds, as Syaoran and Eriol
both said, would know how to take care of themselves.
After searching the town to borrow three Dune Rovers, we rode across the desert.
We had to reach the castle and finish our job quick enough. Besides, it would be
to our advantage if we traveled the desert while still dark.
After two days travel (with a few stop-overs here and there) we reached the southern
edge of Romealy castle's garden.
"Okay. We're here. Let's get going." Syaoran told us, already inside the garden.
I turned to look on the others. It was pretty obvious that they were exhausted. Even
I was exhausted. "Syaoran! Wait!" I told him, following him inside. He didn't get
too far before I stopped him.
"What?" he asked.
As I looked into his face, and it too showed exhaustion. "Let's take a break we've
been traveling with little and almost no rest at all." His was about to say something
when I cut him off. "Besides, the entrance to the labyrinth lies not far on the edge."
"Okay then." he answered, put his arms around my shoulders and we walked back.
We rested for a few hours until it was agreed that it was time that we acted. I
led the way, going north-west following the signs that led to the entrance that
only I knew about. And after walking only a few miles, I found what I was looking
for. It was a tree, an oak, whose body width was wide enough for two full-grown
men to stand in and whose height out stood all other trees surrounding it. Any
passer-by would surely mistake it for another tree in the woods, unless they noticed
that it only had a small amount of leaves on it. But because the limbs of the other
branches criss-crossed with this tree's, it was very hard to discern.
"Here we are!" I told them softly but loud enough for the others at the back to
hear.
"Where?" Eriol asked.
Tomoyo's head looked here and there. Others had the same confused look.
I just led them to the tree. "Here." I said, and then touched the bark of the tree,
making it ripple.
"Illusion..." Tomoyo said softly.
Mr. Reed and my father looked at it wide-eyed. "I didn't even feel the presence
of the magic." Mr. Reed said, "amazing!"
"Let's just go inside." I told them. "Time's a-wasting."
We entered the tree illusion which led to an old tunnel. It was very dusty inside,
with lots of cobwebs here and there to boot. I figured that no one had found out
about this place after Chiharu died, since the dust wasn't disturbed in any way, and
it was still very thick. And very dark.
I summoned my wand to me, as it gave off its own luminescent light.
"Whew! I thought no one thought of doing that." I heard Tomoyo, who was behind
me, say.
"How are you going to know which way is where?" Eriol asked.
I looked at him at the back but turned to face where I was going again. I couldn't
see him back at the back since it was too dark. Then I told him, "there's only one
way here. All other walls are brick-filled. This is the only path we can take." And
then I think I heard a sigh of relief somewhere... Syaoran, perhaps?
After a couple of hours of silent walking, I made them halt.
"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked.
I put a hand gently on Tomoyo's mouth and shushed the others. I heard the sound of
footsteps and the origin was very familiar to me. Soon enough, the others heard it
too. The klangking of their armor echoed on the walls in and around the passageway.
Soon, even their voices were loud enough to hear.
"Hah! Stupid slave girl! Doing her evil magic to try and hurt the lord." A deep
and monster-like voice said.
"I don't know what even went into her mind to make her do that." Another voice,
an octave higher than the first, replied.
There was silence then the deep-voiced guard spoke again. "She was a pretty girl
though. What's her name again?"
"Melen...I think." the other replied. The footsteps got louder and the voices
came closer. Then it stopped. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the same
guard asked.
There was a snicker then an abrupt stop. "...but her magics..."
"Nah! The Lord sealed them remember?" the snickering became laughter.
"Let's get her. But let's not hurry. She won't get far with us using this." the
hoarse laughter came again and the gurads resumed walking to whatever direction they
were headed.
We were all silent for a while and then I looked at them. "What do you think?"
"Meiling?" Tomoyo said behind me.
"And I suppose that "evil magic" is the Suzaku's power." Syaoran said.
Before any other comments were made, a pentagon appeared on the right section of
the wall. *Go though it.* It was my father's voice and we all looked at him, who
was smiling. *Go on, they're moving away and we don't have much time.*
And before we knew it, we were following the two guards to where "Melen" or
Meiling is. It was a great gamble we were taking, since we don't know for sure
wether the guards just mispronounced the name or really is talking of another person.
It was really a big gamble.
Suddenly, Tomoyo called us to a halt.
"What?" Eriol asked.
Tomoyo looked at him and said, "don't you notice something?" He shook his head.
"Nothing missing? nothing wrong?" she asked again. Eriol nodded again. "That's
exactly it! there's _nothing wrong_ no klanking of armor, no noisy muttering,
no faint light - NOTHING!"
For a breif moment, we all just stared at her before we all realized what she
said. I gasped and Syaoran cursed Mr. Reed and my father shook their heads and
sighed.
Then there was lughter, an insulting kind of laughter.
He looked at each other, only to find out that not one of us was laughing.
"Lost?" a voice, which was everywhere at the same time said, loud and billowing.
Syaoran's face became a mask of anger. "Father!" he shouted.
"I see you can still recognize my voice...son." the Dark Lord's voice replied,
the last word thrown out like a spit.
"What do you want?" Mr. Reed asked in a calm tone.
"Nothing really," he replied, "as you can see, you are now lost in the main
chambers of the Labyrinth - mislead by my illusion." Syaoran punched the wall.
"I have my intelligences and knew of your coming. I knew where the entrance to
the dungeon labyrinth is and used it to my advantage. Now, all I'll have to
do is watch you get more lost day by day until you rot!!" he shouted, "Oh, about
your friend, she is still unaware of her powers and is still in the castle.."
then he laughed and then the voice faded away.
"COME OUT YOU COWARD!" Syaoran shouted, there came no reply.
"We've been trapped..." I heard Tomoyo say weakly, "We've been trapped!"
to be continued