^^; Ehehe…for some reason that even I'm not too sure of, this story is suffering from major cliffhangeritis. It didn't start out this way I swear! This plot's just gotten a little more mysterious than I originally intended. Please don't kill me!
Oh, and Griffinkhan, there's reason why I haven't mentioned Tristan's age! You'll find out soon enough, but for now, let's just say he appears to be 17 or so. ^_^
*One by One*
"How could you let this happen?!" Felix demanded, grabbing Garet by his tunic. "How could you let my sister wander off and disappear?! It was your job to look after her!"
"I can't watch her every second!" Garet shouted back, shoving Felix off. "If you were so concerned, why didn't you look after her?!"
"This is all your fault!"
"No, it's your fault!"
Felix decked Garet at that point, and Garet immediately struck back, tackling him to the ground. The two of them rolled around for a few moments before a sudden rush of icy water temporarily distracted them. When they started to go after each other again, Picard seized both of them and held them apart.
"That's enough!" the Lemurian bellowed. "We cannot be fighting each other right now—it will only make our situation worse!"
"Unhand me, Picard!" Felix growled. "This isn't your concern."
"It is when two of my friends are trying to tear each other apart. Felix, you must calm down. How can you hope to find Jenna if you're this upset?"
"To think he's accuse me of letting Jenna disappear!" Garet exclaimed indignantly.
"This is your fault, Garet! I swear I'll tear you limb from limb with my bare hands!"
"You'll need more than that! I could kick your butt any day—just say the word!"
Felix lunged for Garet, breaking free of Picard's iron grip. There just wasn't any reasoning with either Jenna's lover or brother when they got like this.
"Do something!" Sheba cried.
Tristan lifted his staff and let loose a wind strong enough to separate Felix and Garet. "No more of this," he said firmly. "The next one of you who starts something is going to get a sleep spell cast on him!"
Felix growled quite loudly and continued giving Garet a nasty glare, but he kept his distance. Garet dusted himself off and met Felix's glare just as defiantly. If it weren't for Jenna, he really would rip him apart.
"Finally," said Picard. "Now, when was the last time anyone saw Jenna?"
"Last night when I went to bed," Sheba answered. "She was there in the room with me and I thought that she went to sleep."
"She must've gotten up during the night," Ivan said. "Unless this 'person snatcher' infiltrated Tristan's first class alarm system."
"Ivan!" Sheba exclaimed, shocked by his comment. "Apologize!"
"It's all right, Sheba," said Tristan. "I admit that my house isn't the sturdiest building in the world. This is my fault for bringing you here. I should've sent you away on your ship the moment you arrived. It is too dangerous here."
"Tristan…" Sheba trailed.
Sheba, may I speak with you a moment in private? Ivan inquired to her mind.
The two Jupiter Adepts went around the corner of Tristan's house so that they were out of earshot from the others. Sheba looked quite perturbed. "What's the matter with you, Ivan?" she asked. "Tristan is only trying to help us—why are you being so mean to him?"
"Me mean to him? He's the one who was arrogant enough to accuse me of being weak!"
"That's no excuse! We're his guests and he's been going though a rough time. The least you could do is show a little courtesy!"
Ivan sighed. "Look, I don't want to get into this. Sheba, I'm sensing something about him that I don't like. He's hiding a big secret from us."
"Nonsense."
"Sheba, I'm not kidding! I know you want to believe everything he's telling you. I mean, he's offered you a past that you never thought you'd find! I only wish I could be so lucky. But just because he's told you this story doesn't make it true, nor does it mean that he's trustworthy. What do we really know about him, Sheba? Think about it."
She studied Ivan a moment, crossing her arms. "Ivan, I understand that you're not too fond of him for some of the things he's said, but to turn around and accuse him of lying is terribly childish. I can't believe you're doing this."
"Doing what?"
"Trying to interfere with my happiness. Don't you see? This place is my home—my real home! I thought that of all people you would understand how important this is!"
"That's not what I'm saying! I—"
"I don't want to hear another one of these stupid accusations of yours," she interrupted. "Tristan is only trying to help us. If he were truly hiding something, I would've sensed it. Either your senses are playing tricks on you or you're just too caught up in your dislike for Tristan that you're inventing these things."
"Sheba!" Ivan couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could she accuse him of making these things up after all they'd gone through together? It was almost as if she didn't trust him. He watched her rejoin the others, sighing to himself. What could he do? He had to find a way to prove Tristan wasn't the great man he was making himself out to be, but how?
I can't believe Sheba just accused me of making this up, he thought. Has he done something to her? Or… A pang of hurt hit him at this next thought. Does she really not trust me? That couldn't be it, could it? They'd been so close for so long—how could she ever doubt him?
"Hey, Ivan, come on," Garet called. "We've got to get to looking."
"Coming," Ivan returned. He joined in on the seemingly more futile search for their missing comrades, but his heart wasn't in it. His mind kept wandering back to Sheba and the things she'd said to him, and then back to his uneasy feelings about Tristan.
What's happening here? he kept asking himself. How could this one man suddenly come between Sheba and I when we've always been so close? I just can't understand it.
And the more he pondered this, the more he wondered precisely why this mattered so much to him. Sheba was happy, after all, and it was entirely possible that his concerns about Tristan were completely unfounded. Why did he want so badly for all of this to be a hoax? Why did the possibility of Sheba staying here in her birthplace make him feel so…empty?
"Sheba," Tristan began. "Have you picked up anything that might help us?"
"No, not yet," she said. "I'm trying to feel out disturbances in the air, but it's not working." She sighed. "Some great Child of Jupiter I make."
He smiled. "You'll get it soon, I'm sure. I have full confidence in you, Sheba."
"Thank you, Tristan." She blushed slightly as she looked into his green eyes. He was only two, maybe three inches taller than she was. Just about right. Ivan caught the look in her eyes and felt even emptier. He slowed his pace and kept even further behind the others than before.
As the sun began to set, the group returned to Tristan's house as frustrated and clueless as before. Tensions were increasing as Felix continued to glare accusingly at Garet, and Garet of course didn't appreciate it. He loved Jenna, after all. Felix had some nerve to accuse him of not looking out for her.
"I will prepare dinner shortly," Tristan said. "I just need to fetch a few things from the market first. Please, make yourselves at home."
"Shall I help you, Tristan?" Sheba asked.
"No, that's all right," he replied with a smile. "I won't be long."
Ivan, Sheba, Felix and Garet went inside the house, but Picard lingered. He sighed to himself as he paced in front the house, kicking dirt as he went. "Isaac, Jenna, Lady Mia—where are you? How could you just vanish into thin air like this? It doesn't make sense!" He turned his gaze back on the village and noticed that Tristan wasn't heading for the market like he'd said; he was heading out of town entirely. Picard thought this odd and decided to follow him discretely. Why would he say he was going to the market if he was really leaving town?
He stopped before a high, rocky cliff side, and Picard watched in amazement as Tristan walked right into the stone! Frowning, Picard went up to the cliff and touched it, only to see the whole wall shimmer.
An illusion, he thought. His frown deepened. I have heard of Adepts who could distort reality like this. What is our friend Tristan hiding back here, I wonder? He cautiously walked through the illusory wall, coming into a wide, open chamber lit by torches. This was no cave—it was some sort of fortress or palace. It was possible that the whole mountain was a mere illusion disguising a huge building. Picard stealthily crept around the walls of the chamber towards the door on the far end. There was no sign of Tristan, but in all likelihood, he would not be pleased if someone discovered his secret place.
Picard opened the door a crack and peeked in. Beyond was another vast chamber, made entirely of white stone. A thin purple rug cut through the center of the room and led up to a platform, where there was a white chair, something like a throne. He opened the door a little more to get a better look. And then he saw that hanging by their wrists from the ceiling were none other than Isaac, Mia and Jenna! Picard stepped fully into the room, his eyes wide in shock. The three of them were unconscious, and their bodies were pulsing very faintly with a dull purple light.
"By Mercury…" Picard trailed as he approached the platform. He quickened his pace suddenly, wishing to get his friends out of here. But when he was about ten steps from the stairs, Tristan appeared out of nowhere.
"Nosy aren't you?" he inquired.
"What have you done to them?" Picard demanded. "You've been behind this whole scheme, haven't you?"
"You made a mistake by coming here," said Tristan. His voice had a sinister overtone to it that made Picard's skin crawl. "And now that you've seen all of this, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to leave."
Picard drew his sword. "Let them go this instant! What have we ever done to you to deserve this?"
"You couldn't possibly understand." He lifted his staff and the whole room lit up with the bright flare of lightening bolts. Picard jumped back and immediately cast Freeze Prism. Chunks of ice rained down and shattered on the floor. Tristan vanished in a flash of purple light and suddenly reappeared right in front of Picard, his staff lifted high above his head. The Lemurian swiftly put up his sword to block and the two weapons clashed. Even though Tristan was smaller and leaner, every tendon in Picard's arms was straining to assert control. This strength was unnatural! His feet began to skid across the stone floor.
"How are you doing this?" he grunted.
Tristan smirked. "Do you really think you can win against me? That Venus Adept tried to put up a fight as well, and look what happened to him!" His hands glowed and a shower of purple electricity blasted Picard into the far wall. The stone cracked from the force of the impact and Picard slumped to the floor. Wincing in pain, he slowly lifted his hand to cast Ply. Tristan was already lunging for him again, but the healing power seeped in enough just in time for Picard to roll aside. Tristan's staff became lodged in the wall and it took him several moments to wrench it free. More ice crystals hit him over and over like bullets, but he didn't seem too bothered by them. Picard let his hand drop to his side, thoroughly stunned.
"Why so surprised?" Tristan inquired. "You think that just because I'm smaller than you that I can't withstand your attacks? A strong mind can win over a strong body any day!"
Picard narrowed his eyes. "It does not matter if one has power. What matters is how one uses it!" He charged forward and brought his sword down with all of his might. Tristan held his staff aloft to meet the shining blade, and to his surprise, his staff was nearly cut in half. Now at close range, Picard let a concentrated blast of ice fly from his hand and sent Tristan to the floor. He stood over him and pointed his sword at his opponent's neck.
"Now, you will release them."
But Tristan only smirked again. He flicked his wrist and a mighty jolt of lightening struck Picard from above. For a moment, all the Lemurian could do was howl and writhe as the electricity scalded him inside and out. When Tristan finally ended his assault, Picard collapsed to the floor, steam emanating off of him.
"Forgive me…Lady…Mia…" he murmured before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.
"Thus all who oppose me shall fall," Tristan said with another dastardly grin. "Sleep well, my friend."
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Oh, my poor Picard-sama! Please forgive me for doing that to you! ::Cries:: See? This cliffhanging stuff is rough on the author too! ^^;;