ShadowDancer and SunSinger

Chapter 18

Rocky Oberlin

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Ronin Warriors or the idea of ShadowDancer and SunSinger. They still belong to the big corporations and Mercedes Lackey respectively.

Lady Kayura wasn't expecting the fireball that passed so close to her before entering the Gate. Because of the surprise, she was off on her aim when she let it go toward the WaterDancer and the HeavenSinger.

Cye was nobody's fool. He watched the power blast leave her swords, but the blast wasn't aimed toward him or Rowen. Both of them were able to counter the concussion that came with the blast, but Cye looked to see where it headed as Rowen started his own attack. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that it hit more of her soldiers and knocked Cale back fifty yards. The Shadow Master rose to his feet, swearing about the aim Lady Kayura developed after they left, but still able to fight. No one was permanently hurt from her last attack.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Badamon only sneered when he saw how bad the blast shot by Lady Kayura was aimed. Any mage knew that you had to be ready for anything when you were fighting a duel. She may never learn that lesson if the blue haired HeavenSinger had anything to do with her continued survival. Badamon could see it in his eyes. Now he just had to deal with the uppity FireDancer who dared to attack him. This day would be the last he would ever see.

Badamon formed his own ball of magic and pinpointed where his adversary was in the melee of soldiers surrounding the Gate. He found him approaching with a grim countenance and determination to finish what he started. Badamon narrowed his eyes. This was going to be a good fight.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Tulpa gloated as he was presented with the seemingly unconscious body of the ShadowDancer. Now he had both of the figures of the prophecy against him and they weren't in any condition to do anything against him. The SunSinger was in his dungeon and now his once promising lackey was now his prisoner. If they had come in together, Tulpa would have been worried, but not now. He had them where he wanted them. "Bring the SunSinger and then wake up the ShadowDancer," he ordered. "I want them awake when they destroy each other."

A soldier along the walls bowed and left to get the SunSinger and his guard. The soldier who came in with the ShadowDancer just picked her up and moved her to the other side of the room because no one ever knew how close they had to be before their powers killed the other. Tulpa just chuckled over this victory as he thought of the death-like sleep his first prisoner would fall into. It was too bad that he would lose a promising agent like the ShadowDancer, but he didn't want to take any more chances. He had been played for a fool for too long.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Mia could tell when her love was in the room. She could see the shadows brighten in his presence even through her closed eyes. Now they just had to wait for the right time to destroy the threat to both Realms. Please be okay my love, she prayed before opening her eyes to the hopeful ending of a nightmare.

Sage was feeling the same way. He could see Mia crumbled in a heap on the other side of the room, but he recognized Anubis as her guard by the way he was standing over her. Sage winced as Dais made his protesting over the way he was being treated look good for his former master. He was going to have to have a long talk with the white haired man about when and how much to twist an arm later.

Anubis was waiting for his friend to bring in Sage before he woke up Mia. Then he raised her from the floor by the back of her shirt. He gave her a shake and she feigned waking up from an unconscious state. She spat at Tulpa and Anubis silently asked for forgiveness as he shook her again. Mia shot him a rather believable glare and then turned her attention back to the menace she came all the way back to fight.

The four invaders of the Dynasty watched as Tulpa rose from his seat to pace down to look at his prizes. "Yes, these are the ones who would have destroyed me," he mused. "And how easy it is to thwart the prophecy by capturing the pawns of it before they are ready." He turned to Mia and looked her over. "How is it that you were able to hide in the Mortal Realm, girl? You should have been killed by the first ray of sunlight."

Mia spat at the nightmare her brother served for so long. "I survived. That's all you need to know."

Tulpa snarled and slapped her across her face. Anubis was the only person able to hold her up as she lost her balance from the force of the hit. She kept her face down as she snarled silently and then raised it with only defiance showing for her "captor".

Sage tried to fight the hold Dais was keeping on him as he watched the attack against his love. He knew that Tulpa would kill them sooner if it ever came to light that the ShadowDancer and SunSinger had joined before Tulpa had even suspected. It still didn't help with the slow burn of anger he felt for the red welt swelling on Mia's face.

"Don't fight too much," whispered Dais. "You have to make it look good, but Tulpa is watching you."

Sage gave one last shake and lunge against his captor and then settled down with a sullen look on his face. He tried to look angry about being captured, but not as interested in Mia as he really was. That would give them all a death sentence.

"Now for some real entertainment," boasted Tulpa. "Get my mage and start bringing the ShadowDancer and SunSinger closer together. I want Badamon to see this." The Dynasty leader settled back down in his throne and watched as Anubis and Dais took a step closer with their "prisoners".

* * * * * * * * * * *

Badamon was almost ready to kill his target when the black haired FireDancer stopped and looked at the Gate behind him. The widening of the blue eyes told the greenish tinged mage that something was going on in the Gate behind him.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Lady Kayura knew that something was going on with the Gate. She could see it in the corner of her eye from her position on the ground. Rowen had a better aim then she did even under pressure. He had scored one hit and was getting ready for the next. She didn't pay attention to the grim look on his face as she watched the play of shadows and light in the doorway of the Gate.

Something was going on in the Nether Realm.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Seckmet, Kento, Cale, and Cye watched the ending of their battle here on the Mortal Realm. The soldiers had all stopped when the light and shadows started to twist and whorl in the Gate. As the light got brighter and the shadows darker, the tin cans just collapsed in a heap, never to rise again.

Now they just had to wait for the three major players of the Dynasty to be defeated. Cye guessed that from the way the Gate was acting, the battle with Tulpa as almost over.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Ryo wasn't sure what was going on in the Gate, but he wasn't sure if having the mage standing right in front of it when he was going to throw his fireball was a good idea. He looked over at the rest of his friends and saw Cale nod. The FireDancer hoped that this wouldn't stop Mia and Sage from getting back. They still had to go through meeting with the Date clan before Sage could marry Mia.

The FireDancer gave a small prayer to his gods and to the Fire he was a part of. The next instant saw the head mage of Tulpa go up in a large ball of fire. In the Nether Realm, the other nine mages under Tulpa fell motionless. They were as dead as their master.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Rowen was quite aware of his friend's last attack against the mage. It warmed his face and reflected in his tears as he shot the last arrow at the twisted HeavenSinger. Even now, he could hear the song of lamentation from the stars at the loss of the girl. Rowen would always see the thanks in her gaze when he would think of this moment in the future. She knew the release from the machinations of Tulpa just before she died. Too bad it was when the arrow pierced her heart. May be Ryo could help him later when the pain wasn't so sharp.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The instant Tulpa felt the deaths of Badamon and Lady Kayura, Sage and Mia were brought together. Instead of the expected death of the ShadowDancer and coma-like sleep of the SunSinger, there was a flash of light and a swirl of darkness. Dais and Anubis were pushed back from the pair they were holding and landed without their disguises. Fortunately for them, no one paid attention to the pair as the ShadowDancer and SunSinger showed the might that they kept hidden for so long.

"You caused enough pain, Tulpa," said Mia. She Danced the shadows to her and Danced what they were to do next.

"Now you will pay for every ounce of pain you have given to others," answered Sage. He started to Sing the light to his hand; then he Sang for it to join the shadows Mia had called.

The two looked at the leader of the Dynasty and let the bonds they put on the shadows and light go. The power of the two extremes joined and speared toward the focus of all their pain. It slammed into Tulpa with the force of a freight train and every joint and opening of his armor burst in streams of light and shadows. Then the power of the Singer and Dancer twisted around the armored leader and tightened. When it shrunk to nothing, Tulpa was gone.

Mia looked at Sage. "We did it," she smiled.

Sage pulled his ShadowDancer into his arms. "Yes, we did."

In back of them, Anubis and Dais heaved sighs of relief. The long nightmare was finally over.