BLOOD OF THE IMMORTAL
Chapter 3: "Cartaghos"
By Bill K.
The landscape was harsh, with jagged rocks jutting from the hard
ground like teeth and open crevasses angling along the surface like
open, festering wounds. The skies were violet and oppressive. If it
was day, it was a day with little light. If it was night, it was a
twilight with just enough shadow to be foreboding.
Amid the gloom, dust and dirt began to swirl. A whirlwind formed
and picked up intensity until it reached ten feet into the sky. The
force reached an apex, then died away, revealing seven travelers.
Sailor Moon, her senshi, her friend Sailor Saturn, and Evionne of
Elysian, opened their eyes. Looking around, it was clear they did not
like what they saw.
"OK, I think this officially qualifies as creepy," Sailor Ceres
said, emitting an involuntary shiver.
"Pallas doesn't like this place," Sailor Pallas whimpered,
huddling up to Sailor Vesta. "Pallas wants to go home."
"Calm down, stupid," Vesta whispered gently. "Nothing's going to
happen to you - - not while I'm here."
"Is this the right place?" Saturn asked. Sailor Moon nodded. "Do
you know where we are?"
Sailor Moon closed her eyes for a moment. "I get a word from the
crystal: Cartaghos." She shrugged. "I guess that's the name of this
place - - or the planet."
"Perhaps both," suggested Sailor Juno.
"Enough talk!" snapped Evionne. "Every moment we delay could be
the last for The Chosen One! We must find him!"
"I'm all for that," Juno replied. "Any idea where to look?"
Evionne scanned the horizon impatiently. Her eyes locked on a
series of towers atop a rise to their right.
"There," she pointed. "Tell me you cannot sense the negative
energy radiating out from it. The very structure shrieks of
corruption."
"Pallas can feel it," Pallas nodded.
"I get a small sense of it, too," Sailor Moon replied. "Let's
go."
"Wait a minute!" Juno insisted. "OK, that's our destination.
I'll accept that. But do any of you know what might be waiting there
for us? Do you know anything about this Ctesias? How powerful she is?
Whether she knows we're here? Why she took Helios and what her plans
are?"
"All excellent questions," Evionne said as she stalked off up the
rise toward the spires. "Perhaps I will remember to ask her while I am
choking the life from her." Sailor Moon started to follow.
"Sailor Moon!" Juno said insistently.
"You make a lot of sense, Juno," Sailor Moon said. "But Evionne
is right about one thing: Helios may not have much time left. I can't
take that risk." She continued on behind Evionne, with Saturn and Vesta
quickly moving to catch her.
"Maybe we can think of something on the way," Ceres offered,
Pallas clinging to her. Juno sighed in frustration and accompanied her.
As they walked up the rise, they surveyed their surroundings for
signs of life. The plant life, such as it was, seemed alien, almost
ominous. Bushes and some sort of moss grew in patches along the sparse
ground. It was colored a dark gray and the leaves seemed gnarled. At
first there seemed to be no sign of any animal life at all. When Saturn
suggested this, though, Vesta pointed to a quick movement among the
rocks. Some creature, about the size of a cat and very quick, could
just be made out skittering from outcropped rock to mossy patch, if one
looked closely enough. Ceres made a face at the thought of the group
being stalked by some unknown predator.
Evionne, both through determination and extraordinary stamina,
gained ground and was fifteen yards ahead of them. Saturn used this
opportunity to ease up next to her friend.
"He's going to be all right," she offered.
"I'm trying to believe that," Sailor Moon replied, her pink trails
bouncing behind her. "But I can't help worrying. Saturn, if anything
happens to him," and she swallowed, "I don't know if I can go on."
"You can, and you will," Saturn told her. "I know how difficult a
loss like this can be. I remember when my mother died, how bad it was
and how much it hurt. I didn't think I could go on. I didn't think Dad
could go on." She put her hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "But we
did." Sailor Moon nodded, but she didn't seem convinced.
"Um," Saturn began, trying to get her friend's thoughts away from
Helios, "so why is Evionne so hostile? I've noticed it since we all
arrived. Is she always like that, or is it the Amazons?"
"It's not you guys," she said. "It's me. I'm kind of not
Evionne's favorite person."
"Why not?"
"It's a tradition for the Chosen One to pledge to one of the
maidens of the temple," explained Sailor Moon, "if he fails to choose a
mate on his own. That's Helios; he's The Chosen One, sort of the chief
priest and protector of Elysian and the Golden Crystal. And this
tradition was a tradition Evionne was looking forward to. She's been in
love with Helios for a long time. Then I came along and - - well, you
can probably guess the rest."
"Poor girl," Saturn replied.
"I can't really blame her for being in love with Helios," grinned
Sailor Moon shyly. "I can't even blame her for hating my guts. It's
probably the way I would have felt if Helios had chosen her over me."
Sailor Moon sighed. "Helios and Candide both have tried to get Evionne
over this. Heck, she's even set to succeed Helios as chosen one if he
decides to step down. But Evionne's not one to forgive easily. That's
why I pity this Ctesias, whatever her deal is." She glanced at Saturn
and smirked. "But not a whole lot."
"If only your mother could hear you," Saturn grinned back.
"Well, I'm not Mom," Sailor Moon declared. "And sometimes Mom
forgives just a little too easily."
Rising above a crest, the Sailors caught up with Evionne. She
stood at the bank of the top of the rise. In the center of the rise
stood the towers, even blacker and more ominous up close than they were
at a distance. There were five towers in all, equi-distant from each
other so as to form the points of a pentagram. Thick stone walls forty
feet high connected the towers. A wide moat of dark liquid surrounded
the towers.
Juno looked up into the sky. If she strained, she could barely
make out stars in the violet haze that seemed to shroud the planet. One
in particular seemed to try to shine through. Juno took comfort in it,
knowing that something was watching over them with no sinister intent in
mind.
"He has come this way," Evionne declared, turning back to the
Sailors. "Of that I am certain. And yet," and Evionne betrayed the
slightest hint of fear as she glanced back at the towers, "I get no
sense of The Chosen One now."
"You're not saying we're too late, are you?" Vesta asked. They
all felt Sailor Moon tense.
"I pray not," Evionne whispered. She squared her shoulders.
"Come. Let us beard the lioness in her den. But be cautious. I think
we are not alone out here."
Prophetic words, for in an instant the group was set upon as
dozens of creatures poured from behind the bushes and over the ridge of
the bluff they stood on. Pallas shrieked in surprise as the others
crouched in a protective circle.
The creatures ran on four legs, and looked vaguely like a bobcat,
with matted black fur and thick tails that trailed a foot behind them.
Sharp claws extended from feet heavily tufted with protective fur. Dark
cheeks pulled back from razor sharp teeth, forcing jaundice yellow eyes
to squint in furor. Their ears were long and tapered to a point,
extending up to take in the slightest sound. They covered the space
between the travelers and themselves in seconds.
"Fauna assimilation, bear!" bellowed Vesta. She took on no
outward manifestation of the animal, but when several of the creatures
leaped at her, Vesta batted them away with a powerful swing of her arm.
It was a swing more powerful than any human could muster.
As Vesta attacked, Evionne sprouted wings from her back. With an
effortless push, she soared into the air above the others.
"Vesta!" shouted Juno. "Watch your back!" Using some of the kung
fu that Makoto had taught her, Juno kicked away one of the snarling
beasts. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sailor Moon do the
same, while Ceres struggled to do something. "Ceres, what's wrong?"
"It's this alien plant life!" howled Ceres, flinching at a lunging
beast that was knocked away by Sailor Saturn's glaive. "It won't
respond to my commands!"
"Beautiful Incantation!" Pallas yelled out. She gestured at
several of the beasts and an invisible battering ram bowled them over.
Vesta confronted three of the snarling beasts, roaring defiantly and
hunching her shoulders.
"This is futile!" Saturn called out. "Everybody pull in closer!"
When they complied, Saturn pointed her glaive to the heavens and stamped
it onto the ground. "Silence Wall!"
A lunging beast was caught by the shield, crashing headfirst into
it and sinking to the ground. Several others began pushing against it,
raking it with their claws while the rest circled the Senshi in search
of a way inside.
"Thanks, Saturn," panted Sailor Moon.
"You're welcome as far as it goes," she replied. "But we can't
stay here all day."
"Maybe we don't have to," Sailor Moon said and produced the
Crescent Moon Wand. "Moon Healing Escalation!"
The pink energy radiated out from the wand, blanketing the area.
The cat beasts instantly stopped, glaring nervously at Sailor Moon.
They gave ground rapidly as the pink energy fanned out, finally turning
tail and running away. Saturn exhaled in relief and dropped her shield.
Once the creatures were gone, Evionne landed.
"Glad you could join us," Vesta snapped sarcastically. "I bet you
were real safe up there."
"Did any of you notice a peculiar quality to those creatures?"
Evionne said, ignoring Vesta.
"Well, they were mean, vicious, ugly and scary!" shivered Ceres.
"I really didn't notice anything else."
"Their plan of attack was quite sophisticated," Evionne replied,
then pointed to Vesta, "as the scars on this one will attest. They were
very methodical. Some of the beasts attacked, while others stood back
and observed your fighting methods."
"Intelligence?" gasped Juno.
"That would be my judgment," Evionne nodded. "Had you not erected
the shield when you did, I feel they would have quickly adjusted to your
defenses and taken you all down one by one."
"I wouldn't have let that happen," Sailor Moon declared.
"That is comforting to know. However, do not become
over-confident. The effects of your attack, Princess, did not drive off
the beasts. They retreated in the face of what they sensed as superior
power. Do not underestimate them. They may be back, and with a plan."
"How about we get Helios and get the heck out of here, then?"
Vesta grumbled. She rubbed several nasty claw marks across her thigh.
"Vesta, those are some nasty wounds," Juno said.
"I'm all right! Let's go!"
The band trudged across the top of the rise until they reached the
moat surrounding the towers. Sailor Moon and Evionne both peered up at
it. They weren't used to being dwarfed so, unlike Saturn and Pallas.
The towers loomed over them and they seemed momentarily intimidated by
it. Juno, meanwhile, knelt down next to the moat.
"Careful," warned Saturn. "Don't assume that's water."
"Good advice," Juno commented. She flattened her hand and held it
inches over the surface. She seemed to listen to something only she
could hear. Then she rose to her feet. "It's water. Maybe not the
cleanest water I've ever encountered, but it is normal water."
"At least something about this place is normal," shivered Ceres.
"You know, Juno," smirked Vesta. "You'd have looked real funny if
some giant sea creature had popped up out of that moat and snapped your
hand off." Juno scowled, but didn't say anything, because she realized
Vesta was right.
At once, Evionne sprouted her wings again. She moved to take off,
but Sailor Moon held her back.
"What about us?" Sailor Moon asked. "None of us can fly - -
except maybe Vesta."
"Then you must find your own way in," Evionne replied aloofly.
"You're going in there alone?" Sailor Moon demanded.
"Yes, because every second may be precious to the Chosen One! How
many times must I remind you of this? If you can find a way in, so much
the better, but I will not wait for you!"
A noise stopped them all. A bridge began to extend from the
nearest tower, spanning the moat. It was an ancient thing, made of
something that almost resembled wood. Ancient runes were carved into
the sides of the bridge, invoking gods and protections possibly long
dead - - possibly. The gathered backed up to allow the span to come to
rest on the bank they were on. On the wall of the tower the bridge had
emerged from, a passageway had grown into the solid stone wall. It was
about six feet tall and crested to a point in the center, with
indentations at each side of the frame that resembled horns.
"How convenient," commented Juno.
The senshi looked to Sailor Moon for their cue.
"Let's go," she whispered.
"Come in to my parlor, said the spider to the fly," Saturn mumbled
as they began to cross the bridge.
"Saturn, I wish you hadn't said that," Sailor Moon grimaced.
"I'm just pointing out . . ."
"I know what you're pointing out. I know it smells like a trap.
But right now it's the fastest way in, and Evionne's right - - Helios
might not have the time to spare."
"Some of us could stay behind, in case it is a trap," Ceres
offered.
"Those creatures would get you the moment we were out of sight,"
Evionne replied. "Seven hands against this - - woman - - are more
likely to succeed than one, too."
As they stepped through the portal, each one looked around. The
inside of the tower was huge. Their steps echoed forever on marble
floors. The ceiling was seventy feet in the air. There were the
occasional ornaments on the walls. They were unearthly things,
recognizable as objects, but their function steeped in mystery.
Tapestries that hung on the walls were usually deep blues and indigos,
of intricate scenes of bloody battles or woeful scenes of tortured
prisoners. Shadows draped the halls and corners. Whatever light source
there was in this tower was not natural.
"Hey!" shouted Ceres. "The bridge is retracting!"
They turned to look and saw the bridge returning into the tower,
though it was impossible to determine where it was retracting. Once it
was gone, the portal began to collapse into itself, resembling ice cream
melting under a heat lamp. The sides coalesced into each other, then
reformed into stone.
"Thing you can take out that wall if you have to?" Sailor Moon
asked Saturn.
"I can try," Saturn replied. It was obvious she wasn't sure.
The band began walking down a hall, following Evionne. Perhaps
she knew where she was headed, perhaps not. It was as good a choice as
any. As they walked, the oppressive atmosphere took on an aspect of a
weight on them.
"Sailor Moon," Saturn whispered. "What kind of sense do you get
of this place?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I get the feeling that this place has existed for a long
time, just as it is now," Saturn explained. "I get this tremendous
sense of age, but not of life. It's almost like there's nothing living
here - - nothing human. And yet, there's something powerful about this
place." She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not even sure I know
what I'm talking about." Sailor Moon caught her hand and gave it a
squeeze.
"How are you doing, Pallas?" Juno asked.
"Mind your own business!" snapped Pallas. Everyone stopped and
glanced back at the girl. Pallas stuck her jaw out defiantly, frowning.
Saturn and Sailor Moon exchanged concerned glances.
"Don't take that tone with her, Brat!" growled Ceres.
"And you watch your mouth, too, or you'll deal with me!" Vesta
hissed at Ceres. For a moment the two looked like they would come to
blows.
"Hey, can we keep our mind on our work?" Sailor Moon asked
insistently. Both senshi glared at her for a moment before remorse took
over. Vesta looked away in embarrassment.
"Sorry," whispered Ceres. "I guess this place is getting to me."
The corridor curved and the group continued to follow it. Several
minutes of walking led them to a large, rectangular portal with a pair
of dark crimson drapes over it that met in the center. Reaching out,
Evionne took one side and cautiously pulled it back. Juno took hold of
the other side and they all peered in.
It was another large room with a high ceiling. A table cluttered
with books, gurgling potions and jars of powders and other things was
left of center. Lining the walls were shelves ten feet high, jammed
with jars and books and objects they couldn't identify. Right of center
were seven statues carved from stone. One resembled something humanoid.
Two others were animals, two more were plants of some alien type, while
the last two were some arcane symbols. They flanked the humanoid statue
on either side. A carpet led from the portal straight to a throne.
Upon the throne was a woman. She had the pristine beauty of a
classic painting and a slim, well-crafted figure draped in a low-cut
armless white gown. Her long hair was thick and full and white as
death. Sailor Moon realized that analogy had sprung into her head
unbidden and she realized uneasily that it fit perfectly. Crouched in
her lap was one of the creatures that had attacked them earlier. The
cat-like thing glared at them, taking in their every move while
remaining at rest. They could see, though, that one move the beast
didn't like would send it into action.
Manicured, yet talon-like fingers extended out, waving slightly as
the woman manipulated coalescing clouds of blue, green and violet before
her as a sculptor might mold clay. As the group eased into the room,
she took no notice of them, unconcerned as to whether they meant her
harm or not. Her full attention was on the swirling clouds.
Occasionally a spark of red or yellow would flare from it and be quickly
swallowed by the darker colors.
"That is her," hissed Evionne. "That is the woman who took The
Chosen One."
"How rude you are," the woman replied calmly as she kept her
concentration on the swirling clouds she was molding. "You cross into
my hearth and immediately cast aspersions against me. Does your culture
no longer value manners?"
Before anyone else could speak, the clouds flared, giving off a
flash of light. When the flash died away, a creature was perched on the
woman's arm. It was squat, with gray leathery skin and talons on both
the feet it perched with and the awkward things that resembled arms.
Scalloped wings unfolded from its back. It's head, mounted on a
snake-like neck, was reptilian, its eyes red and scornful. The head
turned toward them, as if contemplating an attack.
"What is it?" Ceres asked softly. "A dragon?"
"Some day," the woman smiled mirthlessly. "Right now it's just a
baby. But some day," and she pulled the thing close and softly kissed
its beak. The creature pushed off and flew up into the rafters of the
ceiling.
The woman turned to Sailor Moon and her companions. Her eyes
looked squarely into theirs and they could see they were as dead as a
shark's eyes.
"I am the sorceress Ctesias," she said formally. "How may I
assist you?"
continued in Chapter 4
Chapter 3: "Cartaghos"
By Bill K.
The landscape was harsh, with jagged rocks jutting from the hard
ground like teeth and open crevasses angling along the surface like
open, festering wounds. The skies were violet and oppressive. If it
was day, it was a day with little light. If it was night, it was a
twilight with just enough shadow to be foreboding.
Amid the gloom, dust and dirt began to swirl. A whirlwind formed
and picked up intensity until it reached ten feet into the sky. The
force reached an apex, then died away, revealing seven travelers.
Sailor Moon, her senshi, her friend Sailor Saturn, and Evionne of
Elysian, opened their eyes. Looking around, it was clear they did not
like what they saw.
"OK, I think this officially qualifies as creepy," Sailor Ceres
said, emitting an involuntary shiver.
"Pallas doesn't like this place," Sailor Pallas whimpered,
huddling up to Sailor Vesta. "Pallas wants to go home."
"Calm down, stupid," Vesta whispered gently. "Nothing's going to
happen to you - - not while I'm here."
"Is this the right place?" Saturn asked. Sailor Moon nodded. "Do
you know where we are?"
Sailor Moon closed her eyes for a moment. "I get a word from the
crystal: Cartaghos." She shrugged. "I guess that's the name of this
place - - or the planet."
"Perhaps both," suggested Sailor Juno.
"Enough talk!" snapped Evionne. "Every moment we delay could be
the last for The Chosen One! We must find him!"
"I'm all for that," Juno replied. "Any idea where to look?"
Evionne scanned the horizon impatiently. Her eyes locked on a
series of towers atop a rise to their right.
"There," she pointed. "Tell me you cannot sense the negative
energy radiating out from it. The very structure shrieks of
corruption."
"Pallas can feel it," Pallas nodded.
"I get a small sense of it, too," Sailor Moon replied. "Let's
go."
"Wait a minute!" Juno insisted. "OK, that's our destination.
I'll accept that. But do any of you know what might be waiting there
for us? Do you know anything about this Ctesias? How powerful she is?
Whether she knows we're here? Why she took Helios and what her plans
are?"
"All excellent questions," Evionne said as she stalked off up the
rise toward the spires. "Perhaps I will remember to ask her while I am
choking the life from her." Sailor Moon started to follow.
"Sailor Moon!" Juno said insistently.
"You make a lot of sense, Juno," Sailor Moon said. "But Evionne
is right about one thing: Helios may not have much time left. I can't
take that risk." She continued on behind Evionne, with Saturn and Vesta
quickly moving to catch her.
"Maybe we can think of something on the way," Ceres offered,
Pallas clinging to her. Juno sighed in frustration and accompanied her.
As they walked up the rise, they surveyed their surroundings for
signs of life. The plant life, such as it was, seemed alien, almost
ominous. Bushes and some sort of moss grew in patches along the sparse
ground. It was colored a dark gray and the leaves seemed gnarled. At
first there seemed to be no sign of any animal life at all. When Saturn
suggested this, though, Vesta pointed to a quick movement among the
rocks. Some creature, about the size of a cat and very quick, could
just be made out skittering from outcropped rock to mossy patch, if one
looked closely enough. Ceres made a face at the thought of the group
being stalked by some unknown predator.
Evionne, both through determination and extraordinary stamina,
gained ground and was fifteen yards ahead of them. Saturn used this
opportunity to ease up next to her friend.
"He's going to be all right," she offered.
"I'm trying to believe that," Sailor Moon replied, her pink trails
bouncing behind her. "But I can't help worrying. Saturn, if anything
happens to him," and she swallowed, "I don't know if I can go on."
"You can, and you will," Saturn told her. "I know how difficult a
loss like this can be. I remember when my mother died, how bad it was
and how much it hurt. I didn't think I could go on. I didn't think Dad
could go on." She put her hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "But we
did." Sailor Moon nodded, but she didn't seem convinced.
"Um," Saturn began, trying to get her friend's thoughts away from
Helios, "so why is Evionne so hostile? I've noticed it since we all
arrived. Is she always like that, or is it the Amazons?"
"It's not you guys," she said. "It's me. I'm kind of not
Evionne's favorite person."
"Why not?"
"It's a tradition for the Chosen One to pledge to one of the
maidens of the temple," explained Sailor Moon, "if he fails to choose a
mate on his own. That's Helios; he's The Chosen One, sort of the chief
priest and protector of Elysian and the Golden Crystal. And this
tradition was a tradition Evionne was looking forward to. She's been in
love with Helios for a long time. Then I came along and - - well, you
can probably guess the rest."
"Poor girl," Saturn replied.
"I can't really blame her for being in love with Helios," grinned
Sailor Moon shyly. "I can't even blame her for hating my guts. It's
probably the way I would have felt if Helios had chosen her over me."
Sailor Moon sighed. "Helios and Candide both have tried to get Evionne
over this. Heck, she's even set to succeed Helios as chosen one if he
decides to step down. But Evionne's not one to forgive easily. That's
why I pity this Ctesias, whatever her deal is." She glanced at Saturn
and smirked. "But not a whole lot."
"If only your mother could hear you," Saturn grinned back.
"Well, I'm not Mom," Sailor Moon declared. "And sometimes Mom
forgives just a little too easily."
Rising above a crest, the Sailors caught up with Evionne. She
stood at the bank of the top of the rise. In the center of the rise
stood the towers, even blacker and more ominous up close than they were
at a distance. There were five towers in all, equi-distant from each
other so as to form the points of a pentagram. Thick stone walls forty
feet high connected the towers. A wide moat of dark liquid surrounded
the towers.
Juno looked up into the sky. If she strained, she could barely
make out stars in the violet haze that seemed to shroud the planet. One
in particular seemed to try to shine through. Juno took comfort in it,
knowing that something was watching over them with no sinister intent in
mind.
"He has come this way," Evionne declared, turning back to the
Sailors. "Of that I am certain. And yet," and Evionne betrayed the
slightest hint of fear as she glanced back at the towers, "I get no
sense of The Chosen One now."
"You're not saying we're too late, are you?" Vesta asked. They
all felt Sailor Moon tense.
"I pray not," Evionne whispered. She squared her shoulders.
"Come. Let us beard the lioness in her den. But be cautious. I think
we are not alone out here."
Prophetic words, for in an instant the group was set upon as
dozens of creatures poured from behind the bushes and over the ridge of
the bluff they stood on. Pallas shrieked in surprise as the others
crouched in a protective circle.
The creatures ran on four legs, and looked vaguely like a bobcat,
with matted black fur and thick tails that trailed a foot behind them.
Sharp claws extended from feet heavily tufted with protective fur. Dark
cheeks pulled back from razor sharp teeth, forcing jaundice yellow eyes
to squint in furor. Their ears were long and tapered to a point,
extending up to take in the slightest sound. They covered the space
between the travelers and themselves in seconds.
"Fauna assimilation, bear!" bellowed Vesta. She took on no
outward manifestation of the animal, but when several of the creatures
leaped at her, Vesta batted them away with a powerful swing of her arm.
It was a swing more powerful than any human could muster.
As Vesta attacked, Evionne sprouted wings from her back. With an
effortless push, she soared into the air above the others.
"Vesta!" shouted Juno. "Watch your back!" Using some of the kung
fu that Makoto had taught her, Juno kicked away one of the snarling
beasts. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sailor Moon do the
same, while Ceres struggled to do something. "Ceres, what's wrong?"
"It's this alien plant life!" howled Ceres, flinching at a lunging
beast that was knocked away by Sailor Saturn's glaive. "It won't
respond to my commands!"
"Beautiful Incantation!" Pallas yelled out. She gestured at
several of the beasts and an invisible battering ram bowled them over.
Vesta confronted three of the snarling beasts, roaring defiantly and
hunching her shoulders.
"This is futile!" Saturn called out. "Everybody pull in closer!"
When they complied, Saturn pointed her glaive to the heavens and stamped
it onto the ground. "Silence Wall!"
A lunging beast was caught by the shield, crashing headfirst into
it and sinking to the ground. Several others began pushing against it,
raking it with their claws while the rest circled the Senshi in search
of a way inside.
"Thanks, Saturn," panted Sailor Moon.
"You're welcome as far as it goes," she replied. "But we can't
stay here all day."
"Maybe we don't have to," Sailor Moon said and produced the
Crescent Moon Wand. "Moon Healing Escalation!"
The pink energy radiated out from the wand, blanketing the area.
The cat beasts instantly stopped, glaring nervously at Sailor Moon.
They gave ground rapidly as the pink energy fanned out, finally turning
tail and running away. Saturn exhaled in relief and dropped her shield.
Once the creatures were gone, Evionne landed.
"Glad you could join us," Vesta snapped sarcastically. "I bet you
were real safe up there."
"Did any of you notice a peculiar quality to those creatures?"
Evionne said, ignoring Vesta.
"Well, they were mean, vicious, ugly and scary!" shivered Ceres.
"I really didn't notice anything else."
"Their plan of attack was quite sophisticated," Evionne replied,
then pointed to Vesta, "as the scars on this one will attest. They were
very methodical. Some of the beasts attacked, while others stood back
and observed your fighting methods."
"Intelligence?" gasped Juno.
"That would be my judgment," Evionne nodded. "Had you not erected
the shield when you did, I feel they would have quickly adjusted to your
defenses and taken you all down one by one."
"I wouldn't have let that happen," Sailor Moon declared.
"That is comforting to know. However, do not become
over-confident. The effects of your attack, Princess, did not drive off
the beasts. They retreated in the face of what they sensed as superior
power. Do not underestimate them. They may be back, and with a plan."
"How about we get Helios and get the heck out of here, then?"
Vesta grumbled. She rubbed several nasty claw marks across her thigh.
"Vesta, those are some nasty wounds," Juno said.
"I'm all right! Let's go!"
The band trudged across the top of the rise until they reached the
moat surrounding the towers. Sailor Moon and Evionne both peered up at
it. They weren't used to being dwarfed so, unlike Saturn and Pallas.
The towers loomed over them and they seemed momentarily intimidated by
it. Juno, meanwhile, knelt down next to the moat.
"Careful," warned Saturn. "Don't assume that's water."
"Good advice," Juno commented. She flattened her hand and held it
inches over the surface. She seemed to listen to something only she
could hear. Then she rose to her feet. "It's water. Maybe not the
cleanest water I've ever encountered, but it is normal water."
"At least something about this place is normal," shivered Ceres.
"You know, Juno," smirked Vesta. "You'd have looked real funny if
some giant sea creature had popped up out of that moat and snapped your
hand off." Juno scowled, but didn't say anything, because she realized
Vesta was right.
At once, Evionne sprouted her wings again. She moved to take off,
but Sailor Moon held her back.
"What about us?" Sailor Moon asked. "None of us can fly - -
except maybe Vesta."
"Then you must find your own way in," Evionne replied aloofly.
"You're going in there alone?" Sailor Moon demanded.
"Yes, because every second may be precious to the Chosen One! How
many times must I remind you of this? If you can find a way in, so much
the better, but I will not wait for you!"
A noise stopped them all. A bridge began to extend from the
nearest tower, spanning the moat. It was an ancient thing, made of
something that almost resembled wood. Ancient runes were carved into
the sides of the bridge, invoking gods and protections possibly long
dead - - possibly. The gathered backed up to allow the span to come to
rest on the bank they were on. On the wall of the tower the bridge had
emerged from, a passageway had grown into the solid stone wall. It was
about six feet tall and crested to a point in the center, with
indentations at each side of the frame that resembled horns.
"How convenient," commented Juno.
The senshi looked to Sailor Moon for their cue.
"Let's go," she whispered.
"Come in to my parlor, said the spider to the fly," Saturn mumbled
as they began to cross the bridge.
"Saturn, I wish you hadn't said that," Sailor Moon grimaced.
"I'm just pointing out . . ."
"I know what you're pointing out. I know it smells like a trap.
But right now it's the fastest way in, and Evionne's right - - Helios
might not have the time to spare."
"Some of us could stay behind, in case it is a trap," Ceres
offered.
"Those creatures would get you the moment we were out of sight,"
Evionne replied. "Seven hands against this - - woman - - are more
likely to succeed than one, too."
As they stepped through the portal, each one looked around. The
inside of the tower was huge. Their steps echoed forever on marble
floors. The ceiling was seventy feet in the air. There were the
occasional ornaments on the walls. They were unearthly things,
recognizable as objects, but their function steeped in mystery.
Tapestries that hung on the walls were usually deep blues and indigos,
of intricate scenes of bloody battles or woeful scenes of tortured
prisoners. Shadows draped the halls and corners. Whatever light source
there was in this tower was not natural.
"Hey!" shouted Ceres. "The bridge is retracting!"
They turned to look and saw the bridge returning into the tower,
though it was impossible to determine where it was retracting. Once it
was gone, the portal began to collapse into itself, resembling ice cream
melting under a heat lamp. The sides coalesced into each other, then
reformed into stone.
"Thing you can take out that wall if you have to?" Sailor Moon
asked Saturn.
"I can try," Saturn replied. It was obvious she wasn't sure.
The band began walking down a hall, following Evionne. Perhaps
she knew where she was headed, perhaps not. It was as good a choice as
any. As they walked, the oppressive atmosphere took on an aspect of a
weight on them.
"Sailor Moon," Saturn whispered. "What kind of sense do you get
of this place?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I get the feeling that this place has existed for a long
time, just as it is now," Saturn explained. "I get this tremendous
sense of age, but not of life. It's almost like there's nothing living
here - - nothing human. And yet, there's something powerful about this
place." She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not even sure I know
what I'm talking about." Sailor Moon caught her hand and gave it a
squeeze.
"How are you doing, Pallas?" Juno asked.
"Mind your own business!" snapped Pallas. Everyone stopped and
glanced back at the girl. Pallas stuck her jaw out defiantly, frowning.
Saturn and Sailor Moon exchanged concerned glances.
"Don't take that tone with her, Brat!" growled Ceres.
"And you watch your mouth, too, or you'll deal with me!" Vesta
hissed at Ceres. For a moment the two looked like they would come to
blows.
"Hey, can we keep our mind on our work?" Sailor Moon asked
insistently. Both senshi glared at her for a moment before remorse took
over. Vesta looked away in embarrassment.
"Sorry," whispered Ceres. "I guess this place is getting to me."
The corridor curved and the group continued to follow it. Several
minutes of walking led them to a large, rectangular portal with a pair
of dark crimson drapes over it that met in the center. Reaching out,
Evionne took one side and cautiously pulled it back. Juno took hold of
the other side and they all peered in.
It was another large room with a high ceiling. A table cluttered
with books, gurgling potions and jars of powders and other things was
left of center. Lining the walls were shelves ten feet high, jammed
with jars and books and objects they couldn't identify. Right of center
were seven statues carved from stone. One resembled something humanoid.
Two others were animals, two more were plants of some alien type, while
the last two were some arcane symbols. They flanked the humanoid statue
on either side. A carpet led from the portal straight to a throne.
Upon the throne was a woman. She had the pristine beauty of a
classic painting and a slim, well-crafted figure draped in a low-cut
armless white gown. Her long hair was thick and full and white as
death. Sailor Moon realized that analogy had sprung into her head
unbidden and she realized uneasily that it fit perfectly. Crouched in
her lap was one of the creatures that had attacked them earlier. The
cat-like thing glared at them, taking in their every move while
remaining at rest. They could see, though, that one move the beast
didn't like would send it into action.
Manicured, yet talon-like fingers extended out, waving slightly as
the woman manipulated coalescing clouds of blue, green and violet before
her as a sculptor might mold clay. As the group eased into the room,
she took no notice of them, unconcerned as to whether they meant her
harm or not. Her full attention was on the swirling clouds.
Occasionally a spark of red or yellow would flare from it and be quickly
swallowed by the darker colors.
"That is her," hissed Evionne. "That is the woman who took The
Chosen One."
"How rude you are," the woman replied calmly as she kept her
concentration on the swirling clouds she was molding. "You cross into
my hearth and immediately cast aspersions against me. Does your culture
no longer value manners?"
Before anyone else could speak, the clouds flared, giving off a
flash of light. When the flash died away, a creature was perched on the
woman's arm. It was squat, with gray leathery skin and talons on both
the feet it perched with and the awkward things that resembled arms.
Scalloped wings unfolded from its back. It's head, mounted on a
snake-like neck, was reptilian, its eyes red and scornful. The head
turned toward them, as if contemplating an attack.
"What is it?" Ceres asked softly. "A dragon?"
"Some day," the woman smiled mirthlessly. "Right now it's just a
baby. But some day," and she pulled the thing close and softly kissed
its beak. The creature pushed off and flew up into the rafters of the
ceiling.
The woman turned to Sailor Moon and her companions. Her eyes
looked squarely into theirs and they could see they were as dead as a
shark's eyes.
"I am the sorceress Ctesias," she said formally. "How may I
assist you?"
continued in Chapter 4