Chapter Eleven: Valley Of The Shadow
The outer pavilion of the Meiji Shrine was empty, devoid of any soul except the five Ronin Warriors. Kento tiptoed along the flagstones, holding his bo as if it were a rifle. "Be vewy, vewy quiet," he said with an affected lisp. "We're hunting demons. Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh."
Carey rolled her eyes. "That has got to be the worst Elmer Fudd imitation of all time," she said. "Okay, we've found the Devourer's hiding place, now where do we find the Big Bad itself?" she wondered. "Do you think the Devourer even knows we're here?"
"It knows," Rowen replied. He held up a hand. "Listen." The Ronins fell silent, listening intently to…nothing. A deep, all-pervasive silence surrounded them, a quiet so complete that they could almost hear their own heartbeats. Not a leaf stirred overhead, not a single bird called out. The only sound was the faint gurgle of water in the temizuya.
"The wind's stopped…along with everything else, it seems," Sage noted after a moment. "Well, it makes sense. That storm was only meant to draw us here. Now that it has us where it wants us, there's no need for the Devourer to keep up the special effects."
"And it's not like we can turn around and leave," Kento added, gesturing to the thick curtain of fog sealing off their exit. "What do you want to bet there's no getting through that wall there?"
Carey started to investigate one of the small covered pavilions, but Sage caught her wrist. "Stay close to me, Carey," he said quietly. At her look of surprise, he went on, "We don't know exactly what we'll be facing, and until we do I want you where I can look out for you."
"Sage, don't go all macho on me," Carey replied. "I can take care of myself."
"I know that," Sage agreed. "But you've never fought demons before, and I don't want you charging recklessly into battle just to prove a point. This is going to get messy and violent in a way you can't even imagine. Look, I'm not asking you not to fight, because we both know you'll probably have to," he said quickly as a faintly mutinous look flashed across her face. "I'm just asking you not to take unnecessary risks, okay? Let us handle the worst of this --- I don't want you hurt." Carey opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again with a faint sigh. She looked a bit disappointed, but Sage decided he could live with that --- better alive and disappointed than happy and dead, he reasoned.
Cye moved over to the temizuya, the water trough where worshippers ritually purified their mouths and hands before entering the shrine. He scooped up a handful of water then quickly dropped it with a small sound of disgust, shaking his fingers as if he had just touched something vile. "What is it?" Sage asked.
"Something's wrong with this water," Cye answered, frowning in distaste at the droplets clinging thickly to his gloved fingers. "It's different…contaminated somehow. The contamination's subtle, but it's there. I can feel it."
"Which probably explains how the Devourer was able to spread its influence so far," Rowen said thoughtfully. "Do you have any idea how many people use that water every day?"
"Are you saying it…infected them somehow?" Carey asked.
"I don't know if 'infect' is the right word," Rowen said. "I think it's more like tagging…like using a radioactive tracer for an X-ray. The Devourer managed to infuse its own essence into the water, and when people used the water they took that essence in. Then when it was ready, all the Devourer had to do was home in on those little traces of itself."
"That's how it's getting all this energy --- it's drawing from the people it tagged and using that to affect everyone else," Cye agreed. He placed his hand in the water again and closed his eyes in concentration. A bright blue glow surrounded his hand for a moment, then faded. Cye withdrew his hand. "I can't reverse the pollution --- it's rooted too deeply," he said, shaking his head regretfully. "We're going to have to cut it off at the source."
"Which is somewhere inside this temple," Sage said. "Come on." He led the team through another gate into the outer part of the shrine. Normally a bustling hub of activity, it was eerily still and silent. The warriors' footsteps echoed hollowly in the motionless air.
Rowen looked around the deserted courtyard. "Weird. I've never seen this place so empty. It feels like we're the only living things in this temple right now."
"I'm more worried about things that aren't living," Kento replied. "Like demonic traps just waiting for us to walk into them."
Cye raised an eyebrow. "Now you decide to worry about that?"
"Keep your guards up," Sage told him. "This monster could throw anything at us."
"Um…guys?" Carey spoke up, her eyes wary and her slim body tensing. "Do you hear something?"
The others quieted, listening, then Kento shook his head. "Okay, I don't hear anything. You sure it's not the voices in your head again?" Carey hissed at him.
"Kento's right," Sage agreed. "I don't hear any --- wait a minute." They heard it then, a low, steady humming like the far-off drone of bees. "What is that?"
"Incoming!" Rowen yelled, drawing his bow as a black cloud appeared over the rooftop, heading straight for the Ronins. In the blink of an eye, Rowen fired a golden arrow into its midst. The arrow exploded, and so did the cloud --- into a horde of screeching, bat-winged demons. "Look out!" Sage ordered, shoving Carey behind him with one hand and bringing his sword up in a flashing arc with the other. The bright blade sliced through two of the demons, causing them to disintegrate.
"Finally, some action!" Kento declared with a savage grin. "Watch and learn, Swan Princess," he called mockingly to Carey. She scowled and Sage frowned, but there was no time to discuss the matter as the monsters attacked in force. The other Ronins quickly brandished their weapons, and soon the battle was in full swing. "Carey, stay close," Sage called over his shoulder. There was no answer, and he suddenly realized that she wasn't beside him anymore --- the winged beasts had separated them. He caught sight of her a short distance away, fighting off the monsters with the same skill he had seen in their practice fights. He started toward her to help…then nearly dropped his sword as a wave of terror --- her terror --- hit him like a brick wall. "Carey!" Sage shouted frantically. He disposed of two more demons, then turned to go after her.
Rowen caught his arm. "No, Sage!"
Sage glared at his longtime friend. "I can't just leave her! She doesn't know --- "
"Yes, she does!" Rowen interrupted, slashing at a wailing monster with his bow and turning it to dust. "You taught her, remember?"
"Damn it, Rowen, she's scared half to death. I can feel it," Sage said in a low, urgent voice.
"Of course she is. So were we, our first time in battle," Rowen replied. He lowered his voice as much as he could to still be heard above the clamor of the fight. "Don't do it, buddy. Kento already thinks Carey's useless…if you jump in now, you'll only make things worse. She will never forgive you if you interfere and you know it."
"She doesn't have to prove anything, not to me," Sage protested.
Rowen raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't she?" he asked rhetorically. "You can't do this for her, Sage. She'll never learn if you keep protecting her. She has to find her own way, the same way we did." His eyes met Sage's for a moment. "Trust in what you taught her, and let Carey fight her own battles. You need to concentrate on yours."
Sage glowered, but something in him knew that Rowen was right and he relaxed --- just a little. "When did you become such a goddamned expert?" he growled.
Rowen smiled mysteriously. "Trust her, Sage. It's the only way you two are going to survive."
"What, this battle?" Sage asked, automatically taking down three more demons.
Rowen's smile widened to a wry grin. "Nope," he replied. "Marriage." Sage returned the grin, and they plunged back into the fray.
Carey, meanwhile, had not heard the exchange between her intended and his friend. When the monsters attacked, she froze…or at least she would have, but some instinct she hadn't even known she possessed took over and she found herself charging into battle right along with the Ronins. The Starlight Swords flashed (When had she drawn them? She didn't remember) as they slashed through one after another of the hideous things, and her body seemed to move of its own accord with a speed and grace far beyond anything she had ever displayed on stage. She didn't even have to think, she just knew what to do, and it felt right in a way that few other things in her life ever had. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered where this new skill had come from --- muscle memory was never like this --- but the thought was quickly drowned out amid the cacophony of demonic shrieks and the flap of leathery wings. She evaded the monsters' strikes, cutting them down whenever she got the chance, but for every one of the shrieking beasts she destroyed three more took its place…and suddenly Carey realized in horror that she was surrounded. She caught a glimpse of Sage through the chaos, but he seemed far away and the monsters kept pressing her back. Oh, my God! she realized with a shock. I'm facing them alone! This isn't a game anymore --- this is real! Terror rose swiftly in her throat and threatened to choke her. The Starlight Swords faltered in her hands.
The monsters encircled her --- Santa Madre, these things are ugly --- laughing and jeering. Their cries were deafening, making her want to curl up as small as possible with her hands clamped over her ears. She continued to slice at them, but it was pure reflex; the swords in her grasp had become heavy and alien and she couldn't remember a thing Sage had taught her anymore. Panic descended, as cold and leaden as a wet blanket. This was no practice run now; these creatures wanted to hurt her, kill her, where the hell was Sage oh God someone help me what do I do now ---
A sharp pain in her head jolted her out of her panicked trance; one brave creature had gotten close enough to yank her hair. She slashed at it but it darted out of reach, cackling maniacally.
Son of a bitch --- it's laughing at me!
The realization that these demons were enjoying her fear brought her swiftly back to reality. You think this is funny, don't you, you little beasts? she thought fiercely. That's why you drove me away from the others --- you thought I'd be an easy target. Her head began to clear, and with that clarity came a steadily building anger. Well, guess again. I may be new to this, but I've been trained by the best, I have my own armor --- or maybe it has me, I'm not sure yet --- and I'm sick and tired of being underestimated. Sure, this is weird and scary, but it can't be any weirder or scarier than what the guys faced when they were only kids, and they handled it. If they can do it, so can I.
Besides --- I'll be damned if I'll give Kento the satisfaction of saying "I told you so."
Battling his way through the gradually decreasing swarms of demons, Sage finally made his way toward his fiancée. Her expression was calm but determined now, her eyes blazing as she whirled her blades through the air in a deadly dance. Without losing his own focus, he stretched out his senses toward her and smiled as her felt her answering touch, strong and secure with no hint of her earlier fear; he thought it was quite possible that he had never loved her more than he did in that moment. The demons were numerous, but they were no match for the five determined warriors. In just a few minutes the fight was over.
Kento brandished his bo with a whoop of triumph. "Yeah!" he exulted. "We've still got it! The Ronin Warriors are back, man!"
Sage smiled wryly at Kento's enthusiasm. "So much for the welcoming committee. Well, now we know that the Devourer is definitely aware of our arrival."
Cye shook his head as he looked over the scattered ashes, all that remained of their grotesque assailants. "I don't understand it," he said. "This is a temple --- sacred ground. Why would the Devourer come here, and how was it able to take over so completely?"
"Why wouldn't it come here?" Rowen replied. "After all, when do people turn to religion the most? When they're unhappy or in pain. As for the rest, the Devourer doesn't respect any kind of religion. It doesn't see Shinto or Buddhist or any other kind of god or worship --- all it sees is an epicenter of suffering. As far as it's concerned this is just one big all-you-can-eat buffet that keeps getting replenished."
"What I want to know is, how did you know about that attack?" Kento suddenly demanded of Carey. "None of us heard those things coming, only you did. What, you have superhuman hearing now, too?"
Something startled and secretive flashed briefly behind Carey's eyes, but she quickly covered it with an annoyed look. "Oh, please," she scoffed, shaking her hair out of her face. "I've been dancing since I was three years old; I've been trained to recognize changes in pitch, tone, and tempo. There's nothing 'superhuman' about knowing how to listen." The look on her face said she was not going to discuss it any further.
"Let's check this place out," Rowen said, changing the subject. "There's got to be something leading to the Devourer's hideout." The Ronins separated to investigate the courtyard.
Sage moved close to Carey's side. "I was worried when we got separated. You okay?"
"It was a little scary at first, but I'm fine," Carey replied.
"You sure?" Sage pressed. "I felt you panicking back there, then all of a sudden it stopped. What happened?"
Carey looked up at him with steady amber eyes. "I got tired of being laughed at," she said pointedly. Which was a rebuke if he'd ever heard one, Sage thought ruefully. There was a heartbeat of awkward silence between them, then Carey spoke up. "How well do you trust Kayura?" she asked abruptly.
"Well enough. Why?"
"Because…" Carey paused and chewed her lower lip slightly, considering her words. "When I was fighting those things, it didn't feel like it was me doing it…it felt like this armor was doing it for me," she explained slowly. "I mean, I've never been in a real battle before, but I was taking those demons down almost as easily as you were --- it was as if I'd done this a hundred times before, like I just knew what I was doing. And now that it's over, I'm not even tired. How is that possible…unless the armor's controlling me?" she wondered.
"It's not the armor," Sage replied, taking her hand in his. "It's you. Carey, I saw you falter back there, and I wanted to run and help you because I didn't think you knew how to handle those beasts. But you do know what you're doing, because you've been well-trained --- as Rowen reminded me, I was the one who trained you."
"I'm not sure if I should thank Rowen or kill him," Carey muttered.
Sage smiled. "You yourself told me once that I needed to trust in what I taught you. That applies to both of us. Besides, Kayura knows damned well that if she harms you, she'll have to deal with me…and for what it's worth, I've seen the power of the Ancients and I have faith in it. That armor is there to protect you, not control you. You wear it, not the other way around --- and you wear it very nicely, I might add," he murmured, bending close to her ear.
Carey chuckled reluctantly. "I don't believe this. We just decimated the flying monkeys from hell and you're coming on to me?"
"Battlefield humor. Besides, I find I've developed a sudden appreciation for black leather and corsets," Sage shrugged, but his violet eyes twinkled mischievously. "That's even sexier than what you had on last night."
"And if you're very good I just might wear it around the house now and then," Carey replied, glancing seductively at him through her eyelashes. Her humor faded, and she sighed. "This is just so strange," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, you told me about this side of you, but I guess part of me never really believed it. But now…now I don't have a choice, I have to believe. Everything's changing, and I'm not sure what's real anymore."
Sage gently kissed her gloved hand. "I'm real," he replied in equally quiet tones. "And so are you. Don't ever forget that. I know this is going to take some getting used to, but I'll help you all I can. Just remember, these armors are nothing more than a costume, just like those outfits you wear on stage. They don't change who we are, love --- armor or no armor, we still have to meet with the damn caterers on Monday," he added dryly. She smiled faintly but didn't reply, and Sage dropped his voice even further. "Carey…what did you hear when those things attacked?"
Carey's startled gaze flew to his face, and Sage knew he was on to something. But Carey quickly shook her head. "Not here, Sage, not now. It was just --- different, that's all. It's…you wouldn't understand," she said, so softly he almost didn't hear her. He started to pursue the subject, but she suddenly stiffened as her gaze went distant. "Oh, no," she muttered, then raised her voice. "Second wave headed this way."
Cye, Rowen, and Kento paused in their explorations, running back to join Sage and Carey. "Are you sure?" Cye asked.
Carey nodded brusquely. "I'd say we have about five seconds before they get here."
"I want to know how she knows that!" Kento protested.
So do I, Sage thought, but he kept it to himself. "Later, Kento," he replied shortly. A low rumble began to vibrate beneath their feet. "Here they come." No sooner had the words left his mouth than the stone pavement of the courtyard geysered upward, showering the warriors with shrapnel. As they backed away, shielding their faces from the rain of shards, a mob of…things crawled out of the ground.
They might have once been human…it was hard to tell, since they all seemed to be in various stages of either decay or dissection. Tarnished breastplates covered skinless chests; bony fingers clutched rusty but still-lethal swords. A few still had eyeballs that protruded grotesquely from flayed faces, while others glared from empty eye sockets. Mud-colored teeth bared in a rictus grin as the creatures faced their prey.
Carey brushed stone chips from her hair. "Oh, gross," she muttered. "These guys are even uglier than the last bunch."
"They're demons, Carey. They're supposed to be ugly," Cye replied wryly. One of the creatures lunged for him, and he sliced it lengthwise in two. The halves fell to the ground, twitching.
"And they're very good at it," Carey agreed. She high-kicked, knocking one demon's head off, then dodged away from another one's spear. Before it could recover she slashed neatly through its midsection, breaking it in half. "You know, I'm not sure what bothers me more --- the fact that I'm fighting the undead or the fact that I'm actually starting to enjoy it."
"Focus, people," Sage scolded. Light glinted off his sword as he cut neatly through three demons in one swing. "We can't stay here all night battling zombies and whatnot. We have to find a clear way into the rest of the temple."
"The entrance to the main building is right behind us," Rowen pointed out. "If we can just get away from this bunch, we should be able to make it inside."
"And head right into a worse trap, probably," Kento said cynically.
"We don't have a choice," Rowen replied. "Sage is right --- we can't stay out here all night. The longer we delay, the worse things get in the city and the less chance we have of finding Ryo in one piece." He loosed a single arrow that tore through three of their undead opponents. The animated corpses toppled, each with a gaping hole in its chest, and Rowen frowned. "Something's not right here," he said, almost to himself.
Carey paused in severing a demon's arms long enough to throw him an incredulous look. "Rowen, sweetie, we're fighting zombies in a mystically altered temple. How much more 'not right' can it get?" Rowen didn't answer her.
For all their frightening appearance the zombies didn't put up much of a fight, and it wasn't long before they were reduced to an assortment of pieces scattered on the stones of the courtyard.
Kento kicked at a severed leg. "Is this the best the Devourer can do? I'm just getting warmed up." he scoffed. "Man, this mission is gonna be a walk in the park."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Kento," Rowen said thoughtfully. "This was too easy. Why didn't they put up more of a fight?"
"The Devourer is just trying to stall us, to wear us down," Sage said. "Come on, let's get inside before something else happens."
"Uh --- guys?" Cye spoke up. "Too late." He pointed at the dismembered demons. As the warriors watched in horror, the pieces started to twitch --- and then to grow. Each fragment reformed itself into a new being, and soon the Ronins were facing an army of living corpses three times the size of the previous group, each armed to the decaying teeth.
Carey took a step back, half-hiding behind Sage. "Oooh…okay, I officially want to go home now."
"Aaah, come on…I thought you were a swan, not a chicken," Kento taunted her. "We took down the last bunch and didn't even break a sweat. How hard can these guys be?" To prove his point, he charged one of the monsters, swinging his bo in a killing arc. The creature caught it in one bony hand and seemed to regard it curiously through empty eye sockets --- then it threw Kento back as if he weighed almost nothing. The Warrior of Justice hit the paving stones with an earth-shaking crash.
The other Ronins ran to Kento's side. "You okay, Kento?" Sage asked.
Kento scrambled to his feet, a murderous expression on his face. "Okay, now I'm mad," he growled. "These things are gonna wish they'd stayed dead when I'm through with them."
"Kento, there's no time!" Rowen insisted. "We have to get into the temple!"
"And you think the zombie legions are just gonna stand by and let us do that?" Kento shot back. "We have to deal with them sooner or later, and I vote sooner. Come on, guys, they're just the walking dead. It's not like they shoot fire or spit acid or anything!" As if on cue, the lead demon opened its mouth and a gush of red liquid shot out, landing just in front of the Ronins. The paving stones where it hit began to smoke and bubble.
Cye shot a dirty look at Kento. "You were saying?"
"Okay, obviously I spoke too soon," Kento conceded hastily. "But, hey, our armors should stand up against it, right?"
"We can't take the chance," Sage ordered. "Head for the temple doors, and for God's sake stay away from those things!" None of the Ronins needed to be told twice. As one, they turned and sprinted for the shrine doors.
Carey flinched as a shot of acid missed her by a fraction. "They're right behind us!"
"Just keep going!" Sage replied. "Don't stop for any --- whoa!" His words ended in a shout of surprise as the ground abruptly gave way beneath his feet. A large section of the courtyard floor just vanished, sending the Ronins tumbling into pitch blackness, then reforming exactly as it had been. The demon warriors watched mutely for a moment, then dissolved into a fine dust that blew away in the sudden slight breeze.
Within moments, it was as if no one had been there at all.
Within its lair, the demon watched and smiled. "And so it begins…"
"Is everyone all right?" Sage asked, and received a muted chorus of assent.
"You know, after all these years you'd think these demons would come up with something more original than trap doors," Kento grumbled, dusting himself off.
Rowen shrugged. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The Ronins got to their feet and looked around them. They were in the middle of a shadowy stone corridor, its low ceiling held up by carved columns. More carvings decorated the walls, and sparsely placed torches did little to dispel the gloom. "Curiouser and curiouser. Where exactly are we, anyway?" Carey wanted to know.
"Underneath the shrine would be my
guess," Cye replied. "Strange, though
--- I never knew the Meiji Shrine had a subterranean level."
"I didn't either. And I wonder if it really does," Sage
said. He walked over to the wall and ran
a hand over one of the carvings. "Look
at these carvings, at the style of the columns. These are South American, not Japanese; I'm guessing Aztec. Looks like our demon friend has been busy
redecorating. Either that or we're all
in Mexico," he added wryly.
"That's my Sage --- the walking art encyclopedia," Carey chuckled. She bent closer to examine an intricate relief of a man whose heart was being torn out of his chest by large birds. "Ewww…for a centuries-old being you'd think it would have better taste in interior decorating."
"You think this is bad, you should have seen Talpa's dungeon," Rowen told her. "That made this place look like House Beautiful. Seems the style gene is nonexistent in the demon population."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Cye said. "I thought Shikaisen's hideout was kind of interesting."
Sage shot him a wry glance. "Easy for you to say --- he didn't have you hooked up to a supercomputer. Besides, Cye, the guy lived in a graveyard."
"True," Cye conceded. "But the place did have a sort of Gothic charm to it…and I have to admit I rather liked those little indoor waterfalls."
"Okay, what about Mukara's valley?" Rowen asked, joining in the game.
"Yeah, that whole African-jungle thing was pretty cool," Kento admitted.
Cye shook his head. "Too new-agey…all those crystals," he said with a straight face. "Besides, thatch huts really don't do much for me."
"It was Africa --- what'd you expect?" Kento shrugged. "Cye, you're such a snob."
"Guys --- hello? Can we get back on track here?" Carey broke in. "Sage, what do you mean you wonder if this shrine has an underground level?"
"Remember what Kayura said," Sage reminded them. "The Devourer has cloaked itself in illusions. We know it created the illusions of the storm and that heavy fog. This underground hideout may be an illusion, too."
Carey looked skeptical. "I don't know…that fall sure felt real." She rubbed her hip, pouting slightly. "I'm gonna feel that in the morning," she grumbled. "So which way do we go?"
Sage closed his eyes, concentrating. "This way," he said after a moment, pointing to his left. "I can feel something down there…something in pain."
"Or someone," Cye added grimly. "Damn that beast. It's probably torturing Ryo as we speak."
"It's doing something bad," Carey agreed with a faint shiver. "I can hear it --- it's gloating."
That got everyone's attention. "Okay, now she's creeping me out," Kento complained. "First those demons and now this. How can you possibly hear the Devourer at this range?"
"I don't hear it, not literally," Carey replied, gesturing helplessly. "It's just…never mind."
"Let's discuss it on the move," Sage intervened as Kento scowled. "All right, Carey, out with it. Earlier you said that you heard something 'different' right before the demons attacked us, and now you hear the Devourer 'gloating'. What do you mean? What are you hearing?"
Carey sighed unhappily as the team moved down the hall. "I don't know how to describe it," she said, hunching her shoulders defensively. "It was like…you know, in Sleeping Beauty, how you hear the bad fairy's theme before you ever see her? Or like in the horror movies, the way they always play that ominous music even before the guy with the chainsaw shows up. I know that doesn't make much sense, but it's the only way I can think of to explain it."
"Are you saying you heard music?" Rowen asked. "Has that ever happened to you before?"
"Look, just forget I said anything, okay?" Carey burst out, wrapping her arms protectively around herself. "It's not important now."
"Carey, it is important," Sage replied, puzzled by her sudden defensiveness. "We have to understand how your new abilities work in order to help you use them correctly. It's nothing to get upset about, sweetheart." Carey just eyed him warily, and Sage had a sudden flash of insight. "This has happened to you before, hasn't it?" he asked slowly. The hunted look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. "Oh, Carey. Why didn't you say anything?"
Carey shrugged. "I don't know, I guess maybe I was just so thrown by all the little bombshells I've had dropped on me in the past twenty-four hours," she said archly. "Besides, I'd forgotten all about this…it's been almost twenty years since I've had to deal with it, and back then I didn't even know what an empath was, much less that I could actually be one."
"Well, now you obviously have to 'deal with it' again, so you may as well tell me what 'it' is," Sage told her. She frowned and he added, "Carey, I can't help you if I don't know what I'm dealing with here."
"Oh, all right, fine. But if any of you laugh, you're dead men," Carey warned, then sighed in resignation. "When I was little I used to hear music all the time in my head. I guess you could call it a mental soundtrack…I'd hear sad music when someone nearby was unhappy, or angry music when they argued. The people in my family even had their own sounds; Mom sounded like flutes, Dad was a trumpet, Abuela was always bells or chimes. That's why Mom started me in ballet lessons, you know…I was always dancing to the songs in my head."
"So you have had empathic abilities before," Sage said. "Why did they stop?"
"How should I know?" Carey retorted. "All I know is that when I was five, I made the mistake of telling my family I heard music in my head. Mom and Dad thought it was cute, but my grandmother…the freakout she threw would have made you think I had been shooting heroin and ax-murdering senior citizens." She chuckled bitterly. "Abuela even threatened to call our priest in on the matter, but luckily Dad talked her out of that --- told her it was just little-kid nonsense."
"It can't have been that bad, Carey."
Carey gave him a jaundiced look. "Sage, I heard my grandmother's fear and disgust --- it was like a thousand alarm bells clanging full blast in my head. You try being five years old and dealing with that. Anyway, after that fiasco Mom told me to never, ever mention the music again, to try and forget about it. Soon after that it went away and I never thought about it anymore," she finished with another shrug.
The other warriors exchanged glances. "Well, that explains one thing," Rowen mused. "No wonder your empathy gifts are this strong so soon…they've always been there, you've just been suppressing them for years. Her gifts are a lot like yours, Sage. She seems to have the same extrasensory awareness you do, except that her 'sixth sense' activates as sound waves rather than light…auditory impulses instead of visual ones."
Carey raised an eyebrow. "Translate."
Cye rolled his eyes at Rowen. "Sage sees auras," he explained. "You hear them."
"That's what I said," Rowen grumbled.
"She hears auras?" Sage repeated. "Rowen, this is really starting to get weird."
"Says the empath, clairvoyant, healer, occasional telepath, and general all-around mystic," Rowen shot back, then chuckled slyly. "You two are going to have some interesting children, that's for sure."
Carey looked from one to the other of the Ronins. "So…there's nothing wrong with me?" she asked hesitantly.
"Well, now, that's up for discussion," Kento muttered. Cye elbowed him sharply. "Ow!"
Sage shot Kento a glare. "No, darling, there's nothing wrong with you," he said reassuringly, privately damning Carey's insensitive and superstitious grandmother to hell. "Your grandmother just didn't understand, and people fear what they don't understand, and sometimes they overreact."
Carey seemed to know what he was thinking. "She loved me, Sage, she really did," she said quietly. "It's just that she's a very devout old-world Catholic, and in her world good Catholic girls aren't supposed to hear music in their head and pick up on other people's thoughts and emotions. I mean, they don't cover that sort of thing in catechism class."
"So what did she say when she found out we were living together?" Sage asked.
Carey grimaced. "Well, if I remember Madre's e-mail correctly, I believe the term 'mortal sin' came up a few times. It's a good thing Abuela doesn't own a shotgun."
"Sounds like she and my grandfather should get along pretty well," Sage said wryly.
Carey groaned and hid her eyes. "We are so doomed."
Hmmm…interesting, the Devourer mused. It would seem there was more to the little swan-girl than it had thought. It could hear every word of the Ronins' conversations, and what it heard was proving to be very interesting indeed. A small child with an unusual and frightening gift, a gift that caused her loved ones to regard her with mistrust …the demon chuckled to itself.
Interesting…and useful.
As they walked along the seemingly endless corridors Sage found his gaze drawn to the grotesque carvings on the walls again. God, those things are hideous, he thought, even as he absently reached out to touch one. Without warning, a jagged streak of white light arced between his hand and the wall. The carving exploded, leaving a gaping black crater in the stone.
Carey gasped. "Whoa…that was different," Kento said in surprise. "Sage, if you don't like the artwork just say so, buddy."
Sage just stared at the smoking hole for a moment, stunned. Only a moment before, he had been imagining blasting those revolting sculptures into dust with a Thunderbolt Cut…."Don't touch the walls, any of you," he ordered abruptly. "It could be some sort of a trap." The others hastily backed away from the walls, although Sage noticed Rowen eyeing him oddly as they continued on their way.
They walked a few yards more, then Kento suddenly let out a growl of frustration. "Man, this is boring!" he complained. "All we're doing is walking around…hell, we could be walking in circles for all we know. If the Devourer wants us so badly, why doesn't it just show itself and get it over with?"
Rowen glanced over at him. "Be careful what you wish for, Kento," he said wryly. "You know every time you say something like that, disaster is never far behind."
Kento snorted. "Yeah, right." He raised his voice. "Hey, Devourer! We're here, so what are you waiting for?" he yelled. "What's the matter, you chicken? C'mon, forces of darkness, show us how mighty you are!" The dying echoes of his own shout was the only answer. Kento folded his arms and grinned as the others eyed him askance. "See? Nothing," he said smugly and turned away.
A sudden grinding rumble startled the warriors. They looked up just in time to see a heavy pillar detach itself from its moorings and plunge toward them --- heading directly for Carey.
"Carey, look out!" Sage yelled. Time seemed to slow as he lunged for her, knowing even as he did that he would be too late. He could only watch in horror as Carey screamed and fell to her knees, instinctively raising her hands to shield herself ---
He heard it first, an audible whoosh. A split second later a huge ball of fire shot from Carey's gloved hands. It wrapped itself around the falling pillar and reduced it to embers that rained harmlessly to the floor. In two heartbeats, it was over.
Sage was at Carey's side instantly. "Carey…oh, baby, thank God. Are you okay?" he said gently, reaching out to her. He was startled when she scrambled hastily to her feet and backed away, staring at him as if she had never seen him before. "Honey, what is it? What's wrong?"
"You said this wouldn't change me," Carey hissed accusingly, her hands held out in front of her like they didn't even belong to her. "You said that being an empath like you and wearing this armor --- none of it would change who I was, remember? Well, what do you call this, Sage?"
"Carey…"
"Not even a month ago I didn't believe in demons or possession or magical armors," Carey went on, wild-eyed, a shrillness creeping into her voice. "Now all of a sudden I'm fighting monsters that shouldn't even exist and hearing that damned music in my head again --- did you ever think about why I let that 'gift' die, Sage? Did you?"
"Carey, calm down," Sage told her firmly. She ignored him.
"I let it die because I hated it," she hissed. "Because it made me a freak, and God knows I don't need the help. But now, thanks to you and --- and them and that…bitch Kayura, not only am I a human radio but I'm a goddamned human flamethrower!" Carey screamed.
"Hey, leave us out of it," Kento protested.
If she had been anyone else he would have slapped her --- in fact he actually considered it for a second --- but Sage could feel his lover's shock and terror like a wall of electricity between them and he couldn't bring himself to hit her. She was scared, and he couldn't blame her one bit. But he also knew that comforting her right then would have been disastrous, so instead he caught her upper arms and shook her briefly. "Stop it!" he yelled. "Damn it all, Carey, pull yourself together! You don't throw tantrums like this on stage, do you?"
"I also don't throw fireballs on stage," Carey shot back, her voice quaking.
"You wanted to do this," Sage reminded her sternly. "Kento and I both wanted to leave you at home because we didn't think you were ready for this kind of thing. But you insisted on coming, you said you could handle it --- you were the Black Swan, remember?" He thought he saw a spark of anger flash beneath her fear, and he ruthlessly pressed his advantage. "Now you have a choice, Carey. You can either prove that you were right…or you can prove that we were."
It worked. Fear magically vanished as Carey's golden eyes narrowed in fury. "Zakennayo, Sage," she snarled.
Sage grinned at the vulgarity --- when Carey cursed in Japanese he knew she was mad. "That's my girl."
Carey glowered at him for a moment, belatedly realizing what he had been doing, then a reluctant smile crossed her face. "You smug bastard," she said. "Why exactly am I marrying you, again?"
Sage chuckled. "In all honesty, sweetheart, I haven't figured it out either; it's enough for me that you are. Now listen to me," he said gently, still holding her arms. "We'll find out what's happening, I promise. But you can't fall apart now, koibito. You're part of this team and we need you. Now calm down and think. What happened just before the fireball?"
"I'm not sure," Carey sighed. "I just remember thinking that if that column hit me it was game over, and that there was no way I could get out of the way in time. I thought the only way I'd have a chance is if it was vaporized in midair or something --- and the next thing I know I'm Firestarter, the sequel." She looked up at Sage, her eyes dark with dread. "What did Kayura do to me?" she asked quietly.
Rowen had been silent during this entire exchange, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully and his gaze distant. Now he spoke up. "Actually, I don't think Kayura did this," he said slowly. His head came up and he fixed Carey with a piercing stare. "When were you born?" he demanded abruptly.
Carey and Sage both started slightly --- they had almost forgotten Rowen and the others were there. "What?" Carey asked.
"When were you born, Carey, what day?" Rowen insisted.
Carey glanced at Sage, but he just gave her a tiny, mystified shrug. "April seventh, 1973," she replied hesitantly. "Why?"
Rowen's eyes narrowed again and they could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Then he nodded once, deeply. "Of course. It all makes sense now," he murmured, almost to himself.
The other warriors exchanged baffled looks, and Cye spoke up. "Ah, Rowen…I'm glad this all makes sense to you, but I think I can speak for everyone else here when I say 'Huh?'"
"Well, don't you get it?" Rowen said excitedly. "Carey was born April seventh; she's an Aries. Ryo was born in August…a Leo."
"Uh-huh. And you're a Libra, I'm a Pisces, Sage is a Gemini and Kento's a Virgo," Cye replied patiently. "All of which is fascinating to be sure, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Rowen smiled. "Because each of those signs has a corresponding element, Cye. Pisces is water. Virgo is earth. Libra and Gemini are air. And Aries and Leo…"
"Are fire," Sage finished, his eyes widening in comprehension.
"Bingo. And has anyone noticed that our armor powers coincide with our elements? You're the only exception, Sage, but it's not too much of a stretch to link light and air. This is what Kayura meant when she said we needed five. Not five people…five elements."
"But how does that explain the fireball?" Carey asked.
"Hmmm…good point. Let me try something," Rowen said thoughtfully. He held his hands about a foot apart, palms facing one another, and seemed to be concentrating intently. To the others' astonishment, a small cyclone formed between Rowen's hands. He held it there for a moment, then tossed it upward. It expanded and whirled wildly around the five warriors for a moment, whipping Carey's hair around her face, then dissipated. "I thought so," Rowen said. "I suspected something like this might be happening when that carving exploded, Sage. That lightning didn't come toward you, it went away from you. You were probably thinking something along the lines of how ugly that carving was, right?" At Sage's startled nod, he continued, "The lightning wasn't a trap, buddy, it was you…you wanted to destroy that thing and you did. There's something about this reality warp that not only enhances our mystical abilities, but brings out the literal powers of our elements."
Kento sputtered as Cye mischievously drew a small wave of water from the air and sent it splashing into his face. "Hey, she beats up on me enough," he growled, stabbing a finger in Carey's direction. "Don't you start."
"Why me, though?" Carey wondered. "I'm not one of you; I don't even have a real armor, much less that kind of power."
"No? Carey, you're an empath who senses auras as music --- who knows what other abilities you have? Obviously the original five of us aren't the only people in the world with mystical gifts; I've heard there's supposed to be some sort of family connection to our armors, but more than likely we just happened to be there when the Ancient was looking for new armor bearers. If circumstances had been different, who knows --- maybe you would have worn the Armor of Wildfire instead of Ryo," Rowen shrugged.
"Sure, and Ryo would have been studying ballet in New York City," Carey replied wryly. She shook her head and looked up at Sage. "You know, when I said I wanted to be your partner in our marriage, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."
"At least our marriage will never be boring," Sage said logically. "Look at it this way, sweetheart…I could have taken up golf." He laughed at Carey's exaggerated shudder of horror. "Come on, gang, back to business. We've still got a friend who needs rescuing."
"Yeah, and a demon that needs its supernatural butt kicked," Kento agreed. "Let's get moving already."
As they moved along the corridor, Sage stole a glance at Carey and saw a thoughtful and faintly displeased look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
Carey sighed, her lips tightening briefly. "I panicked back there, Sage. I'm supposed to be helping you guys, and yet the minute something weird happens I fall apart. You know, maybe you were right…maybe I should have stayed home."
"Okay, let's derail this train of thought right here," Sage replied firmly. "Yeah, you had a bad moment. It happens. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"Sage, you don't understand. I completely freaked, and if you hadn't snapped me out of it who knows what would have happened. I blew it big-time and we both know it. If that had happened in the middle of a battle --- "
"But it didn't," Sage interrupted her. "Carey, you're forgetting something. This is your first time in battle --- ever --- and it's not like performing on stage; at least then you get some practice time and the audience isn't trying to kill you. You were thrown into this mess with no warning, no time to really prepare or learn, and considering that I think you've held up pretty damned well. Besides, if I really and truly didn't think you were ready to go into battle with us, then there is no power on this earth that could make me bring you along." Carey didn't look convinced, and Sage continued, "Look, do you think for one minute that none of us have ever frozen up in battle? Ask Cye sometime --- or better yet, ask Kento," he added slyly.
"I heard that," Kento grumbled.
"Are you saying that because you mean it or because you're trying to make me feel better?" Carey asked wryly.
Sage smiled, a bit sheepishly. "Maybe a little of both," he admitted. Carey studied him for a moment, then let herself return the smile. "Honey, I'm curious about something," Sage added. "When you said you heard the Devourer, what exactly did it sound like?"
Carey screwed up her pretty face distastefully. "Stravinsky," she replied in accents of deepest loathing.
Cye chuckled. "Not a Stravinsky fan, huh?"
"Get real. Have you ever heard his scores for Agon or Petrushka?" Carey demanded. "Dissonant as all hell, weird tempos, no flow at all --- ugh. And yet this guy is supposed to be one of the greatest ballet composers of the modern age…which really doesn't say a lot for the modern age."
"Okay, now who's getting off track?" Kento said. "What is this, Music Appreciation 101?"
"Just don't get her started on modern dance --- she'll blister your ears," Sage said dryly. Carey rolled her eyes at him.
They traveled along, each of them keeping a wary eye out for further traps. After the initial shock of her newly discovered power wore off, Carey seemed to have decided that the ability to create fire by sheer force of will was a pretty neat thing to have, and she enthusiastically set about practicing her new "gift".
"Will you cut that out?" Kento grumbled as Carey called up and then vanished a fireball for the twentieth time.
"Relax, I'm not aiming them at you…yet," Carey retorted. "I just think that if we have these 'elemental powers' we may as well learn how to use them. I mean, they're here for a reason. Maybe you should consider a little practice time."
Kento muttered something beneath his breath, then gestured at the wall near Carey's head. A spike of rock shot out toward her with lightning speed, and she reflexively destroyed it with a burst of fire. "See? They work just fine, okay? Good. Great. Now enough with the damn fireballs!" Kento growled.
The other Ronins burst out laughing and Sage added with a smile, "I have to go with Kento on this one, Carey. It is kind of unnerving watching your hands burst into flame every couple of minutes. Besides, I thought you didn't like the whole Firestarter thing."
"That's just because it caught me off guard," Carey shrugged. "But now that I've gotten used to the idea it's actually kind of cool. Think about it…no more hunting for matches for those candlelight dinners, and I'd be great at barbeques."
"Not to mention the fact that you could incinerate me during our next big fight," Sage replied dryly.
"Please. You can throw lightning bolts --- I think we're evenly matched," Carey said. "Of course that would kind of get us kicked out of our apartment building. Maybe we'd better just save it for outdoors."
"Actually, I don't even know if we can use these powers in the real world," Rowen said. "We've never had them before; they might just be a side effect of this twisted reality."
"And since when are our realities not twisted?" Cye asked wryly. This brought more laughter, which continued until the warriors came to the end of the hall.
Rowen studied the branching hallway with dismay. "How big is this place, anyway? Feels like we've been walking for miles already."
"That's because we probably have," Kento said. "So which way now?"
"Give me a second to pick up the Devourer's trail again," Sage said, his eyes narrowing.
A roaring sound to their left turned all heads in that direction. A huge ball of flame appeared down the other hallway, heading straight for them. "Looks like that decision's just been made for us," Kento said, hastily herding the others to the right. "Go! Go!" No one argued. They ran for their lives down the corridor, the fireball in leisurely pursuit.
"I can't see it anymore. Did we lose it?" Cye gasped after a while.
"I wouldn't bet on it," Sage replied grimly. "Keep going! There has to be a turnoff somewhere!"
A stone wall suddenly shot up in front of them as if spring-loaded, cutting off their escape so suddenly that Sage and Cye skidded into it. "It's a dead end!" Carey cried.
"Not for long," Kento growled, pushing his way forward. He drew back an armored fist and drove it full force into the rock.
"Punching through it will take too long," Rowen said. "Use your elemental power on it, Kento…and for God's sake, hurry!" he added as the fireball appeared around the bend. It paused for a moment, then rolled slowly toward the trapped warriors.
Kento pressed his hands against the stone, glaring fiercely at it in concentration. Slowly, the rock began to melt away from his touch. "Damn, it's resisting me! This is gonna take a while," he warned. "You've got to slow that thing down!"
"No problem," Rowen asserted. "It's just like blowing out a really big candle." He stepped forward and raised his hands. The air began to stir, then a wild gust swirled toward the conflagration, wrapping around it. The fireball flickered and shrank a bit…then greedily gulped the air and burst back larger than before. "Okay, that didn't work," Rowen said in chagrin.
"Then I guess it's my turn," Cye said.
"But there's no water around!" Carey reminded him.
"Oh, yes, there is," Cye replied. He could feel it everywhere around him: in the stone, in the air, in the ground below them, even in his friends. Attuning himself to the element of water, he called to it, mentally pictured it coming together in one huge mass aimed at the threat. The result was a truly magnificent wall of water that descended out of nowhere to drench the fireball, dousing it and leaving only singed rock to mark its passing.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that got drenched. "CYE!" came the annoyed chorus behind him.
Cye turned slowly to face the reproachful glares of his teammates. Carey was wringing out her long dark tresses, water dripped from Kento's armor, and a lock of Rowen's blue hair straggled limply across the bridge of his nose. "Oops. Sorry," Cye murmured with an embarrassed grin. "Guess I should have focused that a little better, huh?"
Sage regarded him in exasperation from beneath a plastered-down fringe of blonde bangs. "Yeah, a little control might have been nice," he said dryly. "You could have just thrown a Wave Smasher at it, you know."
"Too easy," Cye replied. "Besides, you guys all got to try out your elemental powers --- I figured it was my turn. And you have to admit, that was rather spectacular. Kind of artistic, even."
Kento shot him a dirty look. "Remind me to appreciate your artistry after I dry out," he grumbled. "Now if you're done, I still need to get us through this wall." He turned to the wall again, but before he could touch it the stone crumbled away to dust, revealing the empty corridor behind it and leaving the warriors staring in openmouthed astonishment. "Son of a…Do you guys get the feeling the Devourer's deliberately messing with our heads?" Kento demanded irritably.
"What was your first clue?" Carey muttered. "Sage, remember when I said I didn't want to take up a weapon and go after this thing? I changed my mind." Sage's answer was a grim smile, and they started off again…drawing ever closer to their foe.
If the Devourer could have chortled, it would have. Oh, but this was fun. The demon had played its games with many hapless souls in its time, but none had ever afforded it as much pleasure as these five did. Such purpose, such determination and strength of will. It was really tempted to prolong the game, to let them wander among its traps until it grew tired of playing. And the best was yet to come…
Still, the Devourer was hungry. "Do you see that, Ryo of Wildfire?" it asked its captive silkily. "Do you see their suffering, their frustration? All because of you. What do you think of that, leader of the Ronin Warriors?" Ryo didn't answer, but his despair was enough to sate the demon's hunger…for now. The real feast would appear soon enough.
And a feast was always better with a little anticipation.
"Guys…I know nobody really wants to think about this, not even me, but…well…what if Ryo's not okay when we find him?" Kento asked hesitantly. "I mean, the Devourer's drawing power from the people of the city now, which means it might not need Ryo anymore. What if it's drained all it can from him? What if we're too late, and this is all for nothing?"
"Do you really think it is?" Cye retorted, leveling a steady gaze on his friend. "Are you saying we should just give up now?"
"No, man, you know I don't mean that!" Kento scrambled to defend himself. "But this thing's been draining Ryo's energy for weeks now. How much of that drain do you think Ryo can take? I mean, why would the demon have to find a new power source if the old one still worked? Look, I want to believe that Ryo's okay, and we'll be able to free him and everything will work out just fine. But we have to think about what we're gonna do if he's…not okay," he finished unhappily.
"Actually, something tells me Ryo's still hanging on," Rowen mused. "And, you know…I can't help but wonder if we're giving this demon too much credit."
All eyes turned to Rowen. "What do you mean?" Cye asked.
"Well, think about it. We've seen a man killed in an incredibly obvious way. We've seen a storm that has every meteorologist in the city scratching his head. We've seen the people around us acting like zombies. We've seen demon hordes and exploding carvings and falling columns and enormous fireballs. But what's the one thing we haven't seen?" Rowen asked.
"The one thing we came here to find," Sage answered. "Where's the Devourer?"
"Exactly. We've seen its goons and its tricks, but the Great and Powerful itself is a no-show. Remember when we first tangled with the Devourer, how it would attack us on our own turf? It even went to Sendai to face you, Sage. Now it's taken over the city, and it's supposedly drawing all this energy…and all of a sudden it doesn't want to leave its hiding place. Anybody want to take a wild guess as to why?"
"Well, we already know it's toying with us," Cye said. "I mean, this demon likes the thrill of the chase."
"Yeah, but I don't think that's all of it," Rowen replied. "The Devourer wants us pretty badly, right? So if it's so powerful, why doesn't it just grab us? I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe… it can't."
"Are you saying this thing's actually getting weaker?" Carey queried, shaking her head. "Rowen, that doesn't make sense. I mean, it's controlling the greater part of metropolitan Tokyo. You'd think that would give it all the power it could possibly want."
"You'd think," Rowen agreed. "But I asked Kayura about that once, why it didn't just grab someone in the city. She told me that the Devourer feeds on bright, strong souls and that there wasn't really anyone in the city who could give it what it needed besides us. Seems to me this thing's spreading itself awfully thin for such meager pickings, and I have a feeling it's losing more energy than it's taking in. Remember the timeline of the attacks --- it hit me and Kento one after the other, but then there was a lull between each of the other sightings. We thought that that was to set us on edge, to get us looking over our shoulders. But what if it wasn't? What if it waited not to increase the suspense, but because it had to recharge? And the more I think about it, I realize that Kento never actually saw Ryo, just heard his voice...probably because it was easier for the demon to throw its voice than to actually manifest."
"So you think that this whole show of force is actually just a bluff?" Kento asked.
"Why not? It's kind of like playing poker --- you psych out your opponent by pretending you have a better hand than you actually do," Rowen said. "I think the demon overestimated how much power it could draw and how many people it could control. This monster was imprisoned centuries ago. It's probably used to rural villages where it would be dealing with a small, tightly-knit group of people. But this is a huge metropolitan area with a lot of people, many of whom don't even know each other, and that would kind of throw a wrench into the Devourer's usual plan of attack. My guess is that our friend is getting desperate. It probably had to use a lot of energy to zap itself to Mexico in order to lure and kill Matt Sano, and a lot more to try and nab Sage the other night. Problem is, it doesn't have a bottomless supply of fuel anymore. Ryo is either weakening or fighting. It's lost its hold on us. That's why it needs to stay close to home, because the shrine by its nature gives the Devourer some amount of strength, just not enough to let the demon face us head on. It had to do something to lure us onto its turf so it could get its claws into our own power, and it figured a show of might would bring us running --- which it did," he added wryly. "It's taking a gamble, using its remaining power to bait us."
"Okay, so if that's true, how do we defeat it?" Sage wondered.
Rowen shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. I keep thinking that something Kayura said was important, but I can't remember exactly what. Of course it's all kind of academic right now, since we don't even know exactly where the Devourer is in this maze. You'd think if it wanted us so badly it would at least give us directions…a signpost or something would be nice," he said wryly.
They emerged into a large room and looked about them in dismay. Six other hallways radiated from the main chamber, all of them equally dark and impenetrable. "Oh-kay," Rowen sighed. "Now a signpost would really be good."
"Great," Carey scoffed. "The old 'multiple hallways' trick. You know, Rowen, I think you're right; the Devourer really is running out of ideas. I mean, this is so done already."
"We're wasting time," Kento said impatiently. "Sage, Carey, you two can sense this thing. Where the hell is it?"
Carey frowned. "That's weird. I don't
hear anything."
"Me either," Sage agreed. "It's as if I'm being blocked somehow. Well, that must mean we're on the right
track, at least."
A sudden scuffle behind them caught their attention, followed by Cye's shout of triumph. Startled, the Ronins turned to see Cye holding something at spearpoint. "Look what I found following us," he said. Pressed against the wall was a misshapen, child-sized demon, its throat caught in the claws of Cye's trident.
Kento smiled and smacked a fist into his palm. "All right! I've been waiting for a good crack at one of these things," he crowed. "I'll teach it not to sneak up on us."
"First things first," Cye replied. "Where's the Devourer?" he demanded of their captive. The demon glared balefully but remained mute, and Cye pressed his trident harder against its throat. "Don't make me have to use this on you," he warned. "You have five seconds to start talking."
"Cye, that's not gonna work," Kento complained. "These things don't respect diplomacy. Just give me thirty seconds with it and I'll have it singing like a canary."
Carey shook her head in annoyance. "Can you think with something besides your fists for a change?"
"Oh, that's real funny coming from you, Miss Switchblade," Kento retorted. "And I suppose you have something better in mind?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Carey replied calmly, placing a hand on Cye's arm. "May I?" At Sage's small nod, Cye inclined his head graciously and stepped aside. Carey smiled winningly at their captive --- feminine wiles had to be good for something. "Look, we don't have anything against you," she told it, shooting a quick glare over her shoulder at a snort from Kento. "We're here for the Devourer. All we want from you are answers."
The demon looked her up and down, sneering as it rubbed its neck. "Human scum. Why should I tell you anything?"
"Because I asked you nicely," was Carey's patient answer. "I can be a lot less nice, trust me."
The monster moved its right hand surreptitiously, but before it could complete the gesture Carey did a lightning-fast quarter-turn and planted one booted foot squarely against its neck. "Okay, now here's why that would not be a good idea," she warned. "You see that guy behind me, the cute blonde one with the really big sword? He's my honey, which means that if you so much as raise a claw wrong against me, he'll turn you into demon sushi before either of us can blink. Am I making myself clear?" The demon made a strangling noise as her heel pressed against its windpipe. "Good. Now where's the Devourer?" Carey demanded.
"You aren't worthy to see my master," the beast grated.
"Yeah, well, considering that your 'master' went to a hell of a lot of trouble to bring us here, I'd say that proves our worthiness," Rowen commented dryly. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the Devourer wants to see us even more than we want to see him. Now you heard the lady. Start talking."
The demon glowered at the Ronins. "Worthless mortals. You're nothing but fodder. My master will destroy you all!"
"Yadda yadda, blah blah blah," Carey cut in impatiently. "Look, amigo, if you're trying to wear me out here, don't even bother. I could always hold a extension longer than anyone else in the class. And the longer you stall, the more you tick us off. Trust me when I say that that is not a good thing." She dug her foot into her captive's throat to make her point, smiling coldly as the demon gagged. "We're going to find your master eventually, so why not make this easy for all of us, hmmm? Where's the Devourer?"
The demon flinched at the knife-sharp tone. "In the Throne Chamber," it choked.
"And that would be where exactly?" Carey pressed.
"I…can't…breathe," her captive protested.
"You're dead or something. You're not supposed to breathe," Carey retorted. "Where's the Throne Chamber?" The demon didn't answer, and Carey sighed. "Kento?"
Kento grinned viciously as he moved to stand next to Carey, and the demon's eyes grew wide at the sight of the burly man in deadly-looking armor, idly flexing huge hands as if he already had the monster's throat between them. "B-beneath the Inner Sh-shrine," it stammered. "Down --- down the center hall."
"Thank you," Carey replied sweetly. "Now was that so hard?" She swung her leg down and stepped back. "Okay, Kento, he's all yours."
Sage chuckled. "Nice job."
Carey shrugged. "I always wanted to do that," she said innocently.
"Wait!" the demon shrieked, flattening itself against the wall as Kento loomed over it. "I told you what you wanted to know!"
"So you did," Sage agreed. "Unfortunately for you, you also stalked us, threatened my fiancée, kept us waiting when we're really in kind of a hurry, and called us scum --- among other charming sobriquets. Not to mention the fact that your buddies have made life miserable for us ever since we got here. And besides, Kento's really been looking forward to beating on one of you…I don't think it would be fair to disappoint him now, do you?"
The beast drew itself up as much as it could, trying to look imposing. It failed miserably. "Harm me at your peril, humans," it warned. "You're dealing with forces your simple minds can't comprehend, forces that can crack your mortal world like an eggshell and cast you screaming into the abyss."
Cye rolled his eyes. "Who writes his dialogue?" he whispered to Rowen.
"Heed my warning," the demon continued. "None of you will leave this place alive! You will suffer untold agonies at my master's hands until you beg for death! You will --- "
"Yeah, yeah," Kento cut it off, flicking out the naginata blade on the end of his bo and slicing the creature in half. The demon screeched and dissolved into a gray mush that trailed sluggishly down the wall. "I hate drama queens," Kento said.
A dull moan began in the distance and a sudden breeze swirled around the warriors. "Oh, great, what now?" Cye demanded. "Rowen, what are you doing?"
"It's not me!" Rowen protested over the rising wind. "It must have started when Kento killed that demon!" He raised his hands and closed his eyes briefly in intense concentration. "I can't stop it!"
"Wonderful. Why can't demonbusting ever be easy?" Sage muttered in exasperation. He staggered as a huge gust of wind drove him back a step. "Well, I think it's safe to say we really ticked someone off." He caught Carey's hand, pulling her protectively close as the wind became a raging cyclone. "We've got to get out of this room!" he yelled.
"Easier said than done!" Cye yelled back. "I can't move --- this wind's too strong!" The warriors struggled to hold their ground, looking for a chance to break free…but their enemy had other plans.
It screamed without warning out of the center hall, a choking, sandstorm-like cloud blacker than the very depths of hell. The dark maelstrom surrounded the Ronin Warriors, yanking them off their feet and tossing them about like rag dolls in a clothes dryer. Sage felt dizzy and sick and he couldn't see a thing; he could only hear the keening of the wind and the shouts of his teammates as he fought to keep his grip on Carey. But it was no use. A vicious jolt ripped Carey's hand from his, and the last thing he heard was her terrified scream as the black storm enveloped him.
Then there was only darkness and silence.
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Abuela: (Spanish) "grandmother"
Zakennayo: (Japanese) "f*** you".
Stravinsky: Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971), Russian composer and contemporary of choreographer George Balanchine. His works tend to be radically different from what most would consider "classical" music, incorporating jazz rhythms, neoclassicism, and atonality. Agon (1957) was choreographed by George Balanchine, Petrushka (1911) by Michel Fokine. Other famous ballet scores by Stravinsky include The Rite of Spring (1913) and Firebird (1910).
A.N. Wow, where has the time gone? Four months between updates --- that must be some kind of record. Anyway, no excuses this time, just an abject apology for taking so long to update, and a heartfelt "thank-you" to those of you still reading this story.