Disclaimer: The story is mine, and so are about half of the characters. I'll send Heero after anyone who steals them!
Warnings: eventual shounen ai, swearing, minor OOC, magic
Notes: Thanks, as always, for the reviews, and please keep R&R-ing!
Finny: Yep, Quatre's going to be in trouble - not mischief-trouble, but trouble anyway. It happens pr-ee-ty soon, actually. And poor Q-ball! Don't beat him up,,, *waves an 'anti-Q-ball-abuse' flag around... grin* But since Trowa comes in his defence, I guess it's okay, right?
Shadowofthevampireangel: Hmm... come to think of it, I think I've read some Mercedes Lackey books before. I've just got a really bad memory, so you'll have to excuse me for not remembering which ones *grin*. But I'm glad you like the fic!
Mariel Yuy: Did you get my email? I tried emailing you from my new account, anoni@fangirl.org, but it couldn't get through. But thank you soooo much for doing the fanart!!!! I had the idea of the starving kids long ago, to tell the truth... just needed a chance to put it in. Suri is, after all, a commoner. And thanks again for the "persuasion"!
Maha: Well, I guess I could say you reviewed, right? Or you almost did, anyway. *grin* So thanks, and please keep reading!
Landlady of the Universe: You like that pairing, don't you? Hehe... And Dorothy... you'll just have to wait and see! (I answer that every time a question is asked... I love doing it! It makes me feel powerful... *grin*.) Here's *two* packs of choco - BOb and Jorge can both have some!
Goddess of Light: I think you'll find out sooner than you think, and thanks for the review!
Katie: I can imagine Oz getting really peeved as well! *grin* And the next chap. is up, so please R&R!
Ryla: Thanks for the review. I hope you keep reading!
Shadowoffire: The next chapter is officially out! (Is that soon enough?) Please R&R!
Liliku: Hehe... sorry about that. Cliffhangers are evil, aren't they? You'll know who it is soon, though. ^.^
Kei-chan: Hi... yeah, I keep doing that. Comes from writing too many History essays (I study it at school). I'll fix it up when I get the time; up till then, I hope you stick with me! *grins in embarrassment*
Part XI: Out of Control
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Three weeks later *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun's warmth slowly permeated the canopy of branches and Suri gave a small sigh of gratitude - she had gotten used to the pace of their journey, but a body frozen by winter drafts wasn't particularly useful, and when that body was also in urgent need of food, one began to wish for a nice warm bed and the oblivion that had existed before Zolt'é night. Ah well, at least we had one night of rest, in that hotel in Adrium. It was a blessing that the small town had not yet attracted Oz attention - the seven of them had been able to rent a room at one of the shabbier inns, and had slept comfortably for the first time since they left the palace.
"Suri?"
The girl looked up at the black-clad prince, raising her eyebrows in question - she never spoke more than she needed to; doing so would have been a waste of much needed energy.
"If you're cold, use your gift. Making yourself ill won't do anyone any good."
Had the prince's voice not been tinged with concern, Suri would have suspected Zechs of being irritated at her for being weak; as it was, she merely gave him a small smile, replying, "No use exhausting my gift when it may been needed later on - aren't we arriving in Yvanolé soon?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the veiled glance Wufei sent her, but directed her attention to Zechs as he raised his voice slightly. "We'll be in Yvanolé in half a candlemark. Grab something to eat while you can - I'm hoping nothing will happen, but we can't be sure."
They all did so, though only Duo looked particularly excited at the prospect. She caught Quatre give him a tired smile, and saw the braided boy grin back. I can't believe he can act so cheerful! But I'm glad he does... we might have died of depression otherwise. It must be so tiring, though, to have to act so inexhaustibly cheerful... Almost as though he caught her thoughts, Duo winked at her, before stuffing his mouth full of bread and making a face. She chuckled lightly, taking a bite out of her rations, before walking on in silence.
Then... Suri, do you sense something?
The Healer's mental voice broke Suri out of her half-trance, and she reached out Empathetically, feeling her heart lurch. Oh gods... not again.
Heero 'glanced' mentally at both of them, but being unable to find any stray thoughts [1], asked, What is it?
By then, they were mere steps away from the city of Yvanolé. Suri closed her eyes briefly, trying to stall the feeling of dread. It's just the same as before - the same terror and confusion... The same mental wails, the same desperate worry for family and friends, the same knowledge that there was nothing they could do...... stop it! She snapped herself out of her thoughts, slamming a shield on her gift. We have to go. North, I think.
Heero responded by enveloping them all in a magical shield and they hurried on, each trying to forget where they had last seen such deserted streets, such total, eerie quiet... It wasn't long before the source of the terror was made visible. They all ducked behind a building, and Suri turned to the prince, whose face was emotionless as he surveyed the situation. Heero, are they all being mentally controlled like last time?
Cobalt eyes closed in concentration for a moment, then Heero replied, No, they're still in control of their own thoughts. According to their memories, the soldiers appeared about two candlemarks ago, and they couldn't control their bodies since that time. A Psychic is coercing them. He didn't bother adding the obvious - that unless the Psychic was taken down, the crowd would end up fighting *against* them, instead of with them. How on earth does Oz get these amazing supplies of energy, anyway? The energy streams around here are weak - even an Adept wouldn't be able to tap enough to control a hundred people. And there must be what? A thousand, at least, who are under control.
Zechs frowned almost imperceptibly. Can you tell who the Psychic is?
A mental negative. He - or she - is too clever. None of the people saw anyone acting as a leader, either. I suspect the person is in uniform, but that is all I can accurately guess.
The prince looked around - like the other time, there were about thirty soldiers. But unlike last time, we can't just attack - otherwise, we would end up killing innocent people. Darn. Are the soldiers' minds shielded?
Just against attacks, not against mental probes. But they don't know who the leader is, either. Apparently, a mental voice just sends commands to the rest of them.
Weird. Then, an idea occurred to Suri. But wouldn't the leader *have* to be shielded?
Cobalt eyes flickered, then flashed with an almost invisible glint. ...Yes.
The prince favoured her with a quick smile. Which means we might just be able to do something.
The girl nodded, then sent out a quick probe, checking for the existence of shields. It's the one standing left of that Vhukivar tree, I think.
Heero signalled his agreement and the prince frowned once more. Damn - he's on the other side. Trowa, can you shoot him?
The brown-haired boy shook his head. He's in range, but too many people surround him.
I thought as much. So we can't do what we did last time.
Aquamarine eyes widened suddenly. Wait. The people don't have shields, do they? When Heero shook his head, Quatre continued, Fighting the coercion may be almost impossible, but it shouldn't be too difficult to affect the people in other ways. If we make them peaceful, they wouldn't be able to do more than glare at us, even if their minds told them to attack.
Zechs glanced at his half-brother, then nodded slowly. That might just work. Heero, how long can you keep an invisibility spell up?
Two minutes is the maximum; to do more would require tapping into energy streams, which will alert the Psychic.
That's enough. Here's what we will do - Heero, keep the shields on us to prevent the Psychic from sensing us, and make Trowa invisible. Trowa, when you get into position behind the Psychic, signal us. That should take about a minute. Don't stand far away - people will start moving, and you might miss him. Then, there will be three seconds before Heero removes the shield. Immediately after it is switched off, the soldiers will notice, and the Psychic will react by turning the people as well as the soldiers against us. That's when Quatre and Suri will send peaceful emotions to everyone. It's at least a thousand people, so be careful. Trowa, you kill the mage and deal with the soldiers closest to you. Duo and I will be attacking the soldiers over on this side. Wufei, guard Suri, Quatre and Heero - that way, they can concentrate all their energy on their own roles. Everyone clear? [2]
They signalled affirmative, and once again, Suri felt the eerie detachment from her own body. Does this happen before every battle, I wonder? She watched grimly as Trowa turned invisible and moved toward the Psychic. The soldiers were still joking around and making rude remarks about several unfortunate citizens, but she blocked all that from her mind and waited almost calmly for the signal. Then...
Now.
She exchanged a quick glance with the blonde Healer and they directed all their energy towards the crowd, sending calm and peace, turning the peoples' attentions from whatever the Psychic might coerce them into doing. As the saying goes, your mind may think it's in charge, but it's the heart that makes the final decision. Beside her, Suri felt Wufei glide into 'guard' position, standing between the three of them and any possible attackers. Within that instant, a gurgle could be heard, and the Psychic lay upon the ground. Zechs, Duo and Trowa were each facing off a group of attackers, and for a moment, the prince was hidden amongst the surge of bodies surrounding him.
Instinctively, Suri released the crowd from her Empathetic grip and uttered a quick summoning charm, sending bolts of fire lancing across the bodies of the soldiers closest to the prince, then did the same for the other two youths. In that brief moment, they all recovered and proceeded to finish of the few remaining attackers. Quatre, too, released his Empathetic grip on the people, and the four of them stepped out from the shadows of the building.
Is everyone alright?
They all replied affirmative to the prince's mental question and he turned to the assembled crowd. Silence reigned for a moment, then a tentative question. "Are you the Windriders?"
Suri raised an eyebrow - how on earth did they hear of us so soon? But at least we're dressed in black... Beside her, Zechs stepped forward and nodded. Murmurs swept across the crowd like a wildfire, then the previous speaker stood, revealing a typical middle-aged woman, from modest attire to the long hair held in a clasp. "Please... would you help us rescue our children?"
The prince frowned. "Pardon me?"
A man rose, placing a comforting hand on the shoulder of the speaker, who Suri presumed was his wife. "Our children were taken hostage before you arrived - we're not sure where. We would all be forever in your debt if you help us rescue them."
The seven of them exchanged glances, then the prince gave an almost imperceptible nod. We have to help.
Wufei sent a mental note of agreement. Involving children in war is injustice - Oz needs to be taught the meaning of honour.
Quatre looked particularly vehement. The children are innocent! They have nothing to do with this as all... it's plain wrong. I can sense their fear - they're north of the city, not far away from here.
His half-brother turned his attention back to the crowd. "We'll do whatever we can - but we ask that you stay out of the way. It may make it more difficult for us if we had to look out for you as well as the children."
Again, the murmurs could be heard, but although there were some notes of dissent, most of the crowd voiced their agreement. Those who made as if to argue were quickly quietened by their companions, and the seven of them moved off, the prince asking, How are everyone's reserves?
Suri replied, I'm about out of Empathy, but my Elemental gift is still close to full potential.
The blonde beside her added, I am at the halfway mark, Empathetically, but I can use my Healing gift to bolster it.
Zechs frowned in consideration, but shook his head. No, keep your Healing gift. We may need it. Heero?
About forty percent Magically, and close to sixty percent in my Psychic gifts.
The prince sent a mental signal of acknowledgement and they moved on, carefully moving in the shadows of bushes and leaves. After several minutes, the Healer sent, There.
Sure enough, there was a cluster of perhaps about a hundred children, ranging from mere toddlers to kids of about ten. Around them were a group of soldiers - they are jeering, so they must not know what happened to their leader. That means their guards will be down... that's good, at least. But even that couldn't stop Suri's feeling of revulsion as a particularly lecherous-looking guard moved over to stand beside a girl, reaching for her body as she stood frozen in shock, her green wide with fear.
No!
Beside her, the blonde Healer darted out, his face a mask of agony - with a start, Suri realised he hadn't shielded his gift. He was feeling all the things these children are feeling, and probably the guards' emotions as well... no wonder. She reacted as Heero did, sending surges of power to strike at the nearest soldier before emerging from the shadows. Trowa's hand flicked upwards and a guard was down; Wufei's katana moved and another fell. But the remaining soldiers each grabbed a child, using their bodies as shields.
Duo blanched and sent, What now?
The prince frowned in suppressed anger. Don't do anything. He glanced quickly at Quatre, taking in the unnaturally bright eyes and flushed cheeks. Quatre?
The blonde either couldn't hear or didn't want to reply - his gaze was fixed on the twenty or so men in the middle of the crowd of frightened children, following their every move. It was painfully obvious that Zechs couldn't was no longer in control, though - and by the calculating looks on the soldiers' faces, they, too, were aware of the fact. Mockingly, the lecherous one reached out for the girl once more, sending a challenging stare at the prince before grabbing at the fabric of her dress.
Suri could feel the dread that blanked the air - a mixture of the childrens' fear and their own. The guard, however, looked oblivious as his hand crept up the young body, feeling, touching... Suri fought the urge to vomit, then -
"No!"
Quatre's sudden scream caught her attention, but a hoarse cry turned her eyes back on the soldier. What she saw - or rather, what she didn't see - was even worse than before. The man's body was convulsing, his veins and arteries bulging out, his face the very symbol of torture... then he was there no longer. Instead, pools of blood and dissevered organs were splattered everywhere, creating a grosteque picture of violence. [3] Beside her, Wufei shouted mentally, Quatre, stop it!
The Healer turned, slowly, as though in a trance, and directed his empty gaze at the Asian, who repeated, Quatre. Stop.
Aquamarine eyes narrowed and a glint of madness flickered in the normally compassionate depths. Suri barely had time to utter a warning before a bolt of energy came down, lancing towards the Asian...
To be intercepted by a blur of black. Time stood still for several seconds, then the Healer blinked, his aquamarine eyes returning to their normal shade of blue, and stared at the body lying on the ground. "Oh gods... Trowa!"
At that moment, a soldier chose to move, aiming a dagger at Quatre's back. Heero reacted in a flash and almost succeeded in dragging the blonde out of harm's way, but by some quirk of fate, the aim was skewed, and the Healer went down with a small gasp. Following the first one's lead, the other soldiers formed a circle around the seven of them, and before long, the glint of metal could been seen everywhere.
Mili! Suri clenched her teeth as the prince fell, struck at the side by a blade as he warded off an attack against his half-brother. She guarded off an attack with a bolt of dissipating fire energy and refrained from the urge to scream as the braided boy beside her gave a small cry and dropped to the ground. Oh gods... four of us are down, and I won't be able to defend myself once my gift is used up...
Just as she exhausted the last trace of her energy, there were several sounds of 'whoosh' and the soldiers fell, one by one, each struck down by an arrow in their back. She felt a pair of arms supporting her as her legs buckled, then everything slipped into darkness...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Hours later *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stop!" A girl brushed back her brown curls as she peered out the window of the wagon.
There was a jolt, then a greying man emerged from behind the curtains separating the two sections of the wagon. "What is it?"
"I think I see something." The girl's eyebrows wrinkled in a frown and she squinted once more. Yes, it's definitely something... "I'm going to check."
The man shook her head in mild exasperation, but followed her obligingly. He didn't expect the sight of dried blood everywhere, and he certainly didn't expect the sight of the body lying on the ground. "Good grief! You're right - something happened here, all right."
The girl ignored her as she hurried to the brown-haired boy's side. A slender hand felt the youth's wrist, then the girl turned to look at her companion. "He's still alive."
The man knelt down beside her, checking the pulse of the unconscious boy. "So he is. What do you intend to do?"
She turned to face him incredulously. "We have to take him to the Healers - you aren't thinking of leaving him like this, are you?"
The man's face was calm. "We're a circus, girl, not a charity. Besides, he will probably die before he gets anywhere."
The girl's face was adamant. "But how can we not try?"
The man sighed, then reached out, lifting the youth's body. "Fine. But Catherine, he's your responsibility."
She nodded, following him back inside the wagon, then sat down, staring at the sallow face. And you're going to survive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suri struggled to sit up, then winced as a bolt of pain sent her back on to the covers of the bed. Immediately, a figure was beside her, lending her much needed support.
"Slowly... the way you exhausted your energy supplies has left you unconscious. If you don't rest, you'll have a headache for weeks."
Blinking, Suri turned to face the girl beside her, taking in the gypsy garb and wide blue eyes. Suddenly, memories assaulted her - nights spent dancing around a campfire, soothing bedside stories, a childhood friend with rich violet hair and blue eyes... Softly, hesitantly, "Hilde?"
Notes:
[1] Does that make sense? If you glance at a person, you'd see what? I dunno - you'd probably see what clothes they're wearing, what colour their hair is or something. So if you glance at a person's mind, you'd see all their unshielded thoughts. The seven of them all have varying degrees of Telepathic gift (they said so when they were introducing themselves to Suri), and because they are trying to keep their identities hidden, they'd naturally have shields around their thoughts. Right? O_o
[2] Yes, I know it's strange that Mili - or Zechs - is directing everyone, but he *is* the prince and leader, and these aren't real battle situations, where there is no time to wait for commands. They would have more success if they were coordinated.
[3] Okay, I'm really, *really* sorry about the 'blood and guts' - I hate it, personally. But think about it - Healing 'repairs' a body's organs, so a Healing gift gone rogue would do the opposite, right? It's still disgusting, but still...
Another battle scene... *sigh*. I doubt I'll ever like those O_o. By the way, does anyone know Lady Une's first name? I've seen it before, but I really don't remember where. How did that go, anyway? Yet another two characters have appeared... things are speeding up. There are still several rather important characters to introduce (can anyone guess who they are?), but most are out already. And about Trowa being left by himself - that will be explained. Don't worry, I'm not going to destroy the plausibility of this story any more than I have to.
Again, I'm aiming for next Sunday - and again, apologies if I can't get it out by then, for whatever reason. Who knows... teachers are cruel, sometimes.
*checks purse* That's it, I'm officially broke. I wonder if anyone will review if I ask nicely? Or better yet, if I get down and beg with cute lil' kawaii eyes?
Rokjai: You asked for it - what does your real name have to do with your nicks? (You don't have to answer, I'm just being my usual nosy self ^_^.) And most of the characters I know anything about *will* turn up, somewhere. *grin*
