Chapter
Twenty-Three
Going Solo
The Moon Kingdom…
"This is just terrible." The Moon Princess murmured sadly. "I cannot bear to see everybody so distraught…why did she leave us Mars?"
Mars remained silent and Jupiter who was also sitting in the courtyard with the two of them gave a grunt but no other response – the brown-haired Princess had a strong opinion of her own on what the Moon Princess wished that she knew but she decided to keep it to herself for now.
"Not even a letter so that nobody would worry." The Moon Princess went on not realising that having been raised differently than she had been Universe had never learned how to read. "I hope that she comes back soon…everybody has been so upset that I cannot bear it."
As she heard this Jupiter glanced at the distressed Lunarian girl. "They'll get over it." she casually remarked as she demurely tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
The Moon Princess looked at her in startled surprise. "Excuse me?"
Jupiter just shrugged indifferently. "I doubt that everybody's going to stay upset for long." she replied airily. "As soon as all the fuss about Universe being gone dies down and everybody has time to think about it I'd be willing to bet that they'll wonder why they wanted her back…and why they wanted her here in the first place."
"JUPITER!" the Moon Princess was appalled by the brown-haired girl's harshness towards their absent friend. "That is a horrible thing to say!"
"That's right." Mars interrupted surprising both of the other two. "How can you say such a thing Jupiter?"
"Pretty easily!" Jupiter stolidly retorted as she folded her arms as they challenged her disliking for the disappeared girl. "Anyway…what're YOU talking about Mars? You didn't like her either!"
Mars opened and closed her mouth in silence as she blushed.
"I'm just saying what I think is right…" Jupiter went on.
"Then you don't know a thing Jupiter." a cold and angry voice called out to her.
Startled by the low voice the three Princesses turned around to see Mercury standing alone in the archway that opened into the courtyard – the blue-eyed girl was staring at Jupiter but even though the anger in her face was as great as it had been on the morning that Universe had left the Moon Kingdom it was now all the more terrible because it was calm and focused.
Mercury had arrived in the courtyard just in time to hear what Jupiter had said about her missing friend and now she felt an overpowering urge to say what she truly felt.
"What's gotten into you?" Jupiter snapped but she was taken aback by the angry look on the face of the smaller girl – but after all what had she done but speak her mindd? Jupiter squared herself stubbornly – why should she back down?
Mercury didn't so much as flinch as she saw the scowl on Jupiter's face for there was enough anger in her own heart to counter that of the brown-haired girl. As the Mercurian glared at Jupiter she remembered every single time that she had treated her best friend badly ever since she had come into their lives and suddenly she just couldn't stay silent anymore. Every mean and spiteful word that had passed Jupiter's lips, every cold and unwelcoming stare that she'd given Universe now passed through Mercury's mind and her heart beat with anger – she hadn't spoken to Jupiter ever since she had screamed at her months ago and until a moment ago she'd thought that her reluctance to say anything had been because she felt guilty…but now she realised that this was just not true at all.
Mercury understood that she had felt angry with Jupiter on that morning because she truly DID blame her for the way things had gone with Universe…and though for her anger was rare it overwhelmed her now that it came. Forgetting all about Jupiter's superior build or just plain not caring about it anymore she walked right up to the brown-haired girl and stood before her staring up with cold eyes at the person who had treated her best friend so cruelly.
Mars and the Moon Princess were both in unbearable suspense as they watched breathlessly as Mercury confronted Jupiter – this was a side of the blue-haired Princess that neither of them had witnessed before. They'd glimpsed it the morning that she had realised that her friend was gone from her life but now it was revealed to them in its fullness and it shocked them.
"What's the matter with me?" Mercury whispered, her voice low and fierce as her eyes sparkled with anger. "I don't think that I am the one with a problem Jupiter…in fact I would say that that person is yourself!"
"You're not acting like yourself." Jupiter growled as she stared at her in angry astonishment.
"Aren't I?" Mercury replied coldly. "Then who are you talking to right now Jupiter? Who would you say I am acting like?"
Jupiter stared at the blue-haired girl and she realised as she saw the sight of the cold anger that was etched into the Mercurian's gentle features that there was only one person that she could be compared to. "Universe." She replied grimly her lips curling in disgust. "Looks like I was right about her – she was a bad influence on you Mercury. Well maybe now she's gone you'll get back to normal!"
"You mean the little mouse who was scared of her own shadow and let you push her around before she met Universe?" Mercury's voice was biting as she stared at the brown-haired girl in scorn – her anger was rising and she could feel it. "Well since nobody seems very eager to do so I shall tell you the truth about how I feel Jupiter – I told you before that you were to blame for her leaving and now I want to tell you…that you are."
Jupiter blinked – she hadn't expected this at all. "What?" she snapped.
"Don't you understand?" Mercury shook her head scornfully. "Then I'll explain – you didn't make Universe leave her home yourself Jupiter but it was still because of you that she left…if you had not treated her as you did then she would have felt that she could trust us to accept her even though others might have turned their backs on her. But because of you she felt that we didn't care about her, that we would not stand by her and that was because of the way you were always so nasty to her! And shall I tell you the REASON that you have always hated Universe?"
Jupiter was silent – she was drawn by Mercury's voice now, not simply because she was too stunned by her behaviour to cut her off but the fact that she herself had never really understood her behaviour towards Universe and now that somebody was explaining it to her she could not deny the truth.
"Oh whatever!" Jupiter snapped. "THIS should be insightful!"
Ignoring the derisiveness of Jupiter's voice Mercury explained just what she thought of the brown-haired Princess. "Your reason for being so horrible to Universe is very simple Jupiter…you are jealous of her."
Jupiter took a step back as if she'd been slapped and gawped wide-eyed as the smaller girl. "WHAT!" she yelled.
Mercury's face was adamant as she stared coldly at the only other person apart from Emperor Mu who she saw as responsible for the loss of her best friend. "You always have been Jupiter." she said deliberately. "Universe is strong…she's the strongest person I've ever known and she is far stronger and braver than you. And that is why you hate her – because you know it already though you have never admitted it to yourself. When she came here there was nothing left for you to do but try to tear her down! And that is the truth Jupiter! That you know that you will never be as strong as Universe!"
Jupiter gritted her teeth – her face was scarlet because despite her towering rage at what Mercury had said to her she had realised at once that the blue-haired Princess was right. She had treated Universe badly because she wished that she could be the warrior that she was – the only girl who had ever stood up to her and refused to back down.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Jupiter shouted furiously. "Don't take it out on me that you precious friend's gone Mercury! Just shut up!"
"Well…at least I can say that I have never spent every day taking my feelings of insecurity out on somebody else Jupiter." Mercury said with a cool smile.
"Shut up!" Jupiter roared and impulsively clenched her fists. "Shut up or…"
"Or you'll knock me down?" Mercury interrupted without a trace of fear but much scorn in her voice. "Well why not go on and do it Jupiter? You can do it to me…but you could never have done it to Universe. And you know that because she proved it to you. You know that you deserved the hit that she gave you that day on the balcony Jupiter…and so do I."
Jupiter stared at her and slowly her anger died away as she felt stung by Mercury's cutting words. She felt more hurt by what Mercury had said to her than she had ever felt by anybody in her life yet she couldn't find it in herself to be angry with her because in her heart she now realised that the blue-haired girl was right and that she had no right to feel hurt after what she had done to Universe – and now as she realised to Mercury as well.
Unable to see the angry accusation in her eyes for even a second longer Jupiter silently turned away from Mercury – Mercury watched as she walked away and the fierceness began to die away from her eyes and all of the sudden the satisfaction that she had felt by clearing the air between Jupiter and herself no longer felt so satisfying. Now she had not only lost Universe but she had also estranged another of her friends…
"Mercury!" the Moon Princess exclaimed in alarm as she saw her friend's lips trembling and moved to embrace and try to comfort her.
Mercury did not give her the chance – as she heard he Moon Princess's voice gave a strangled sob and ran. Mars and the Moon Princess watched in helpless silence as she stumbled her way out of the courtyard and then they looked at each other sadly. They both felt Mercury's pain and wished that they could comfort her but they knew that nothing either of them could do would put things right…the only thing that could do that was the return of Universe.
"I hope that she comes back soon." the Moon Princess said voicing what both she and the raven-haired girl were both thinking.
Mars nodded her head slowly and thoughtfully – even having to share her best friend with somebody else suddenly didn't seem as bad as the turn that things had taken between all of her friends since the missing Princess had gone. "I wonder where she could be…?" she murmured, her dark eyes distant as she pondered just that.
The scarlet canvas of the tents that had been struck up in the clearing billowed slightly in the cold night wind but the light material was anchored steadily to the ground by the sturdy ropes that had been slid through the holes in each corner of the canvas sheets. The Marauders had driven stakes into the ground and knotted the ropes tightly around them so that their shelters would remain anchored as they slept.
In the orange glow of the fire that the masquerading Guards had set blazing hungrily away in the middle of the campsite the tents seemed to have been soaked in blood as their delicate material shimmered in the crackled light as they swayed in the wind.
Although this fairly large clearing in the middle of a copse was an out of the way place for any passing entourage especially since bed and board would have been easily available at any of the towns nearby anybody who might have walked by and noticed would have decided to steer clear – after all nobody would have supposed that the tents were occupied by nobody more unusual than a band of honest travellers who wouldn't have appreciated being disturbed at this time of night.
So why didn't I just steer clear of this whole damn thing? Rula thought as she gazed at the tents a little way ahead and thought about what she was doing right now.
Lying flat on her stomach between a pair of tree trunks she allowed herself a shiver – she wasn't the least bit scared of the people she had brought herself within spitting range of but now that her anger had died down and the flush had died from her face she was beginning to feel the chilliness of the air for the first time since she'd stormed out of the village about three hours ago.
The huntress furtively eyed the campsite that she'd managed to locate after what had felt like endless time of searching throughout the darkened countryside – she had to admit to herself that she'd never have found the place if she hadn't noticed the faint glow of the flickering fire in the distance. If she hadn't been so sharp-eyed then she'd probably have walked right by the hill that had hidden the tents from her view and never been any the wiser.
Rula couldn't help admitting this to herself but given the choice she'd have sooner thrown herself into a lake before she'd confessed it to anybody else. Her pride couldn't let her admit that she had weaknesses and did make mistakes just like everybody else. She'd always been like that…actually she couldn't imagine herself not being like it.
I've always risen to people's challenges and done everything that they've laughed and said that I was too weak to do. I've striven to be this strong, this good at what I do because I'm too proud to let the doubters be right about me. Come to think of it…it's because of my pride that I'm even here right now. The huntress mused as she lay without moving a muscle – her eyes moved slowly from left to right in the dark to make sure that no Guards were patrolling the encampment. If that annoying rookie hadn't called me a coward then I'd still be back at the village. After she said that there was no way that I was gonna lie back and let Orlando take care of this…the only reason that I'm here is to prove that somebody I hardly even know doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. It's not like I know the girl who's being held by the Marauders…hell I feel for her but if Jess hadn't said all that stuff to me then I would've left it to the Freeborn. But then she went and made it personal…pesky little thing pride.
But the thought that stayed with her after this realisation had come and gone was the one that struck her the most. Does this girl…does Emilia even need any help from the likes of me? Rula thought sombrely as a very self-aware and guilty look appeared on her face – she started to crawl slowly around the parameter of the campsite to find a spot ideal for her to sneak in from without being spotted by any stray Marauders who might suddenly wander out of the tents. Wouldn't she rather be saved by somebody who cares about her? Someone more like Orlando than a girl who came here only to prove that she could do it? I'm so selfish…but even now I know that I'm still gonna do it…just don't ask me why is all.
With a grunt the huntress began to crawl along the ground towards the camp – she'd reached a dark spot behind the tents where she felt positive that none of the Marauders would have come since it blocked much of the firelight…
Suddenly she heard the brittle sound of a stick (Probably from the campfire…) being crushed underfoot and she froze…somebody was walking nearby!
As she squeezed herself onto the ground as low as she could into the wild grass, slipping as much of herself as she could beneath her cloak, Rula prayed to avoid being noticed – two hulking great shadows loomed up against the sky a few feet away from her…Guards!
A pair of Marauders…
Since they'd come to this dark spot they couldn't be patrolling the camp – they were goofing off. At least in that case they wouldn't take the trouble to glance her way…would they?
"Sooo…what do you think of the brigand game now that you've done it for the first time?" one of the slackers drawled as he and his comrade-in-shirking swaggered aimlessly through the long grass behind the tents. "Was it what you were expecting?"
Rula scowled bitterly – as far as these scum were concerned ruining the lives of their own people was a form of entertainment.
"It sure beats Guard duty back at the castle." the other Marauder commented in a slow and thoughtful way. "What a rush! Did you see those beggars go? I never thought anybody could run so fast! Good job they had a stable in their village though."
The first Marauder who'd spoken laughed at that remark. "Hell yeah! You chased them so much you rode your horse to death! Just proves that plundering isn't the only benefit of being a part-time bandit!"
As the two Marauders snickered together Rula felt her finger tightening around the grass that had slid between them when she'd hit the deck – as she clenched her teeth almost viciously she could feel her stomach turning over and over. That's…inhuman! she thought her face murderous as she lay deathly still and breathed in and out in a peaceful yet deadly rhythm.
"It's so hard to keep the dumb animals going when they're out of breath!" the younger first-time Marauder said and now his voice sounded complaining as if he'd found a hedgehog in his pillow. "How are we supposed to run down those rebels when we're riding lazy bone-bags?"
"Bear with it." The voice of his companion was encouraging. "The trick is to keep whippin' the stupid mares until they're so scared that they forget how tired they are. You'll get the knack of it…don't worry! It's practically an art-form."
"Yeah, well…anyway it all worked out huh?" the younger Marauder said cheerfully as he brightened up. "And that new horse that I picked up at the Freeborn's stable is pretty quick…doubt they're too happy about it though."
"Oh I don't know…at least they'll have the light of that fire we left behind to help them rebuild their village. Good thing too…we'll need it to be in one piece again next time we ride out so that we'll able to burn it down again!"
"Hey…isn't it the lambing season soon?"
"Not a clue…anyway I prefer the WENCHING season!"
As the pair of filthy scumbags laughed so hard that they almost split their sides Rula drew in a slow but deathly silent breath. Those bastards… she thought darkly. Rage burned in her mind as she imagined all of Orlando's hard work restoring the homes of his people being wasted as they were destroyed all over again by these…animals.
Rula could hardly believe what she'd just overheard…the world of Emperor Mu seemed to be one filled with backstabbing and meaningless cruelty.
How could Orlando be one of these people?
The very effort of trying to piece that one together made her headache threaten to put in another appearance so she tried to forget about it…
"Hey…did you just hear something?" one of the Guards suddenly asked – all of a sudden there was sound of merriment in his voice.
Rula felt her spine stiffen – had he caught the sound of her furious breathing?
She watched as the other Marauder cocked his head to one side like a dog and listened. "Nah – notta thing." He replied. "Why?"
"I'm sure I heard something…beating!"
"Did you check your ears when we left the village? Maybe you got some ashes in them."
"You daft old sod how could I see my own ears!" the younger Marauder retorted irritably and then broke off as he heard it again. "There! I heard it again!"
"Want a swig of my ale? The cider's good too…"
"I can hear it! It's getting stronger every…OH!" he broke off sheepishly. "It's my heart beating! Here…I will have some of that ale! How's your brother doing these days anyway? I haven't seen him since…"
Rula breathed a little easier as the pair of Marauders wandered on their way chatting about whatever crossed their minds and getting drunk on the way…or at least even drunker than they'd been when they'd strolled by.
The huntress shook her head in relief – that had been too close for comfort and she was so sickened by the way that the minds of these people worked that all she wanted to do now was get the hell away from this accursed placed and never come anywhere near these swine again.
For a fleeting moment she nearly went ahead and did just that but a moment later she found herself moving stealthily into the camp again.
No way am I going without what I came for… Rula thought decisively as she mulled the problem over in her mind. Anyway…one good thing about that interesting little peek into their lives is that I now know for sure that these are the guys I'm looking for. But how am I gonna figure out which tent the girl's in? If I stroll on into one of the enemy's tents it could get kind of embarrassing…and potentially lethal but hey them's the breaks of this biz.
In an unexpected turn of good luck however she was spared from having to deal with this problem because it was at that very moment that one of the tent-flaps was lifted open by a brawny arm.
The huntress shrunk down into the long grass and again disappeared from sight the moment before a Marauder stepped out of the tent – evidently he expected somebody to follow him because he stood to one side and held the flap open.
There was also a sword in his hand and the blade gleamed in the night.
"Okay the slave mistress's done with you – come out." the Marauder barked at his obviously unwilling companion who hung back inside the tent. "There's someone waiting to see you…somebody who's oh let me just say- SPECIAL."
A slight pause followed and then a panicked voice stammered. "Umm…I think I've got a headache tonight."
A female voice…Rula lifted her ear slightly and started to pay attention.
"You'll have an even worse one if you don't get out of there right now." the Marauder remarked unpleasantly as he made a great big show of testing the blade of his sword – Rula was sure that she saw him wince as he accidentally broke the skin of his thumb and resisted her natural impulse which was to snigger. "Now step out…or else."
This time there was no hesitation and Rula picked up the sound of bare feet padding across canvas.
The figure of a woman appeared next to the hulking Marauder as the huntress watched unseen – the girl had her back faced to her so from where she lay in concealment all that Rula could see of her was her dark hair which fell just below her shoulders. Actually Rula could also see the captive's bare shoulder framing her shimmering midnight hair and she realised that this girl was probably feeling the cold a little more than herself.
Emilia…?
So…that was her.
Shivering the captive allowed herself to be escorted towards a tall gold emblazoned tent that was right dot in the middle of the campsite…the gleaming sword in her captors grip was enough to discourage her from the idea of taking her chances by making a run for it.
As the two figures walked through the camp another suddenly appeared – sliding out from between a pair of closely pitched tents it moved in a curious crouching gait, darting whenever it moved it made straight for the Marauder and his prisoner like a snake going for its unsuspecting prey.
The sight of this unexpected newcomer must have surprised the girl since she stopped dead in her tracks as whoever it was appeared – as she stood apparently gawping her Marauder escort also stopped as if he felt wary around the newcomer. "Oh…YOU." Growled the huge guard as he stood watching the strange squatting figure as it rocked strangely from side to side.
A long and uncontrolled snigger answered his hostile acknowledgement snuffling about halfway through. "My Emperor won't be bored tonight heeheehee!" the voice was decidedly odd for it was high but at the same time there was a rasping edge to it – like a cross between a claw being scraped against a blackboard and a file being scraped against a metal bar for far too long.
Inspecting the girl the newcomer skipped and danced as he moved around her in a circular movement hugging his sides as he convulsed with mirth. "Heeheehee hope she's not the type that's bashful! Heeheehee!"
"Get out of here Drut!" bellowed the taller Marauder as the girl cringed and tried to keep her back to her scrutinizer which was practically impossible because of his constant darting left and right like a frenzied ferret.
The great roar caused Drut to spring backward as if he had the rubbery legs of a frog and scuttled a short distance away though he stopped a little way off and went on watching the girl. "Going, dispersing, vanishing from the face of the Earth," he assured the towering Marauder though to Rula who had long since raised her eyebrows it seemed that there was a jeering quality in his lightly grating voice. "Don't get the butterflies deary! Heeheehee!"
"Shove…OFF!" roared the Marauder and taking a single step in Drut's direction he raised his sword high above his head – the dancing, fawning Marauder retreated into the darkness.
The girl was just shivering in slight relief when she froze as she felt cold steel touch the side of her bare shoulder warningly. "Move it." She was ordered and she hastened to obey.
Rula watched with narrowed eyes as the girl was taken further into the dangerous heart of the camp and rose slightly to follow – but the dull slapping sound that reached her ears made her jump very slightly and she lowered herself back below the level of the wild grass. Her eyes narrowed further at the sight of the bowed and gangly figure that came slinking sneakily back from behind a tent with its hands padding across the ground.
Drut had slipped back unseen to watch the girl as she was led to the tent at the far end of the camp…after half a minute he turned and before Rula could blink he was gone again. For a moment the huntress just stared off into the direction that the weird figure had disappeared into and then with a frown she dismissed him from her mind…though she couldn't completely forget him.
Rula gritted her teeth in frustration as she watched unable to do anything. She'd been hoping to find Emilia's tent and sneak in, untie her so that they could both get the hell out of here without any of the Marauders raising the alarm before it was too late…
Now if she tried to grab her from right under that Guard's nose there'd be no way that she could avoid the Marauders being alerted to her presence…damn!
Then the scowl eased into a wry smile and assured that there was nobody around to hear she sighed in resignation. You're not the only girl who's in danger of a headache tonight love. The huntress thought as she considered how she was going to adapt her strategy to deal with the new problem. Well, well…lead me to your tent Chief's.
"Jessica?"
Jess turned away from the gates of the village and her face was revealed to Orlando in all of his anxiety. She had been standing before the gateway desperately watching out for any sign of Rula returning over the past few hours even though the darkness had become impenetrable.
The dark-haired girl had been feeling deeply worried as she had stood watching the shadowy world outside her hometown – it was almost impossible to believe that the dark and forbidding realm was the same place that she often roamed for many hours during the day and all the while she'd been praying that Rula would come back at any second. Ever since their argument which had resulted in the huntress storming out of the village Jess had felt deeply guilty about the way she'd goaded her into walking into incredible danger and worried that the danger might find Rula…
The sound of Orlando's voice had frozen her like a fall into the village pond in the dead of winter would have done but in a way this predicament was a lot worse since in this case she had no excuse for not turning around and facing her Chief's.
Orlando stood a little distance away and watched as Jess turned around and met his eyes with great reluctance – as she found out her Chief's's eyes were very stern as he'd noted where she'd been standing and as soon as she perceived the disapproval in his eyes Jess felt her heart sinking right into her shoes…or at least where her shoes would have been if she'd worn any.
"Oh…Orlando!" the dark-haired girl stammered and gulped as she stalled – not that she had any idea what she could possibly say. "I…"
"What would you say to me if I asked if whether or not you were thinking about going after the Marauders?" Orlando demanded, his voice a deep rumbling as he wondered whether he'd been as thorough as he'd thought when he'd caught up with her after his talk with Rula and scolded her about her eagerness to go running into danger "Because if your answer would happen to be 'yes' then that really would be unacceptable beh…"
"Oh no!" Jess exclaimed thankfully enough – she'd been fumbling in the darkest corners of her mind for something to say to him and she was relieved that he'd gone out of his way to give her fodder but she blushed as she remembered how she had planned to get Rula to go with her and search for the Marauders.
Orlando's eyes had sharpened during his many years of being on the hunting trail and so he caught the faint reddening of her cheeks and a grim frown appeared on his face. "Where's Rula?" he asked quietly. "Since I've been up for most of the night seeing to the plans for restoration of damages to the village in the morning I thought that she might care to have supper with me. Wherever she is she can't have gone far because she left her weapon in my house. Have you seen her anywhere?"
Actually the meal hadn't been the only thing that he'd been thinking about – Orlando had been eager to take the opportunity to get Rula to talk about herself as they ate. The young and clearly experienced fighter fascinated him from the way she moved to the emotions in her eyes whenever she spoke about things and he wanted to know more about her…
Jess opened and closed her mouth in anguish like a fish out of water.
"Jessica?" Orlando prompted her sharply as he felt her deep hesitation to talk about the huntress – a slight uneasiness stabbed at him but he tried to ignore it. "Where is she?"
Jess took a deep breath and wetted her lips – she knew that Orlando had to know about what had happened. "Well you see the thing is…it's funny about her but she's kinda gone Chief's." She faltered, her face a cross between nervousness as she wondered how he'd react to hearing about what she'd done and sheepishness for having done it in the first place.
Orlando stared intently at her for a long, long while. "Where did she go?" he asked very grimly but he was sure that he already knew what she'd say – he had a very good guess as to where the huntress had headed off to.
"She…I…umm, we had a fight and I said some stuff that got her really mad." Jess stammered miserably as she felt awfully ashamed and sick with worry. "I really didn't mean any of it but Rula got upset and…"
Orlando didn't wait to hear the rest of that sentence – as he closed his eyes he was breathing heavily through his clenched teeth…damn! "And I guess that there's no real need for me to ask what the two of you were arguing about." Orlando burst out angrily as he felt his anxiety overflowing. "Why couldn't you have just left her alone?"
The Chief's felt furious with Jess but even more so with himself for having let this happened. Orlando told himself that instead of merely refusing to accept Rula's offer of help he should have gone so far as to forbid her to become involved in their dispute with Mu.
"Oh Jessica…how could you?" Orlando groaned as he shook his head and tried to collect his thoughts which had flown in every direction at the moment he'd realised that the huntress had gone after the Marauders to try and rescue the kidnapped Emilia. "Don't you realise just how much danger she could be in right now? Have you thought about what could happen to her out there on her own? If she got captured then they might hurt her or even worse…when are you going to realise that this is serious? We risk our lives every day but Rula had nothing to do with our quarrel with Mu! Jessica she could be…"
Jess's eyes were steadily fixed on the ground. "I didn't mean to…" she whispered softly. "I'm sorry…"
Orlando had been about to berate her some more about the thoughtless way that she'd accidentally sent Rula right to either her own death or a life as a slave-girl but instead he sighed – angry words wouldn't help make things right again and he knew that in wanting to rescue her friend Jess had only been following her heart.
Also the Chief'stain now realised that he had also been partly to blame for this himself since he'd refused to hear her out earlier and instead treated her like a child. The only thing that Jess was guilty of was being young and anxious to grow up as quickly as she could – in many ways Rula who was a lot more mature than the dark-haired girl reminded him strongly of Jess.
"It's all right Jessica…it's all right." Orlando told her soothingly as he reached out and touched her face. "I'm more to blame than you…right now the only thing that matters is how we're going to put this right again."
Jess looked up and her tear-streaked face was earnest and uncomplicated as she gazed at the man she had always admired and respected even though she hadn't always seen eye to eye with him. "No…it wasn't your fault." she told him gently. "You were only doing your best for all of us just like you've always done. Orlando…I'm sorry. She could be…"
Orlando shook his head – he didn't have time to comfort her much as he wished he did. "Don't say it Jessica." he told her simply as he took a step back from the would-be warrior who had learned her first life-lesson that night. "I don't have time…I have a long night ahead. Stand clear now!"
The seasoned warrior reached behind his back and gripping its handle in his powerful hands he pulled the mighty weapon that had been passed down to him by his Father who had received it from his Grandfather many, many years ago from its leather harness. The blade of the huge Battleaxe was wide and its edge that had cleaved the skin from many foes throughout his life gleamed almost lulling in the starlight.
Jess gasped in awe as her Chief's slung the head of the great battleaxe over his shoulder so that it would be easy for him to carry wherever it was he was going – she'd have broken her arm if she'd tried to do that. "Jessica follow my orders – alert the rest of the village and tell them about what has happened at once." Orlando barked as he took charge of the situation. "And don't under any circumstances so much as toy with the idea of following me. Where I'm going you'd only be in danger!"
Jess's eyes widened in shock. "Where ARE you going?" she blurted and wondered why she'd asked that when she'd already guessed.
Orlando's eyes gleamed in determination – he was going to try and find Rula before she ran into the Marauders – and thus a whole lot of serious trouble – and bring her back to the village by force it he needed to. But in spite of the dread that had stolen over him the great man suddenly felt exhilarated by the prospect of the hunt that lay ahead of him that night – even though he normally had to remain complacent for the sake of his people Orlando had always loved the thrill of combat…of testing his strength against others. And even though he only wanted to find Rula and bring her out of danger…who knew who else he might come across on the way?
"Where else?" Orlando retorted with a dashing grin. "On the trail of the enemy!"
Emperor Mu stuffed at least half of the bunch of red, dripping grapes into his mouth as he reclined lazily surrounded by the rich finery of his tent. As he slouched amidst the gratuitous heap of furs, laid out for him by the slave-mistress whose job it was to guard his finery during the raids, he chomped up the ripe fruit that bulged in his mouth and swallowed the sweet juice with a sigh of satisfaction as he wound down from his rather active day.
It had been a day of great satisfaction not only because he'd made those insolent peasants the Freeborn suffer for their malcontent and open rebellion towards his authority but also because he was now waiting for the arrival of his company for the evening – company of a congenial nature.
All in all the day had been very satisfying for him and his eyes still gleamed at the memory of the havoc that his host had managed to wreak on the villagers who dared to defy his word – the fire that his men had lit in the haymaking field on their way back to him had still been visible even after they had covered miles on horseback.
The curling spiral of smoke that had weaved its way up into the sky, black and sickening had been as thick as the night for hours before the villagers had managed to save what remained of their withered and blackened homes form the tongues of greedy flame that the Marauders had set blazing before they had called it a day and retreated from the scene of their mayhem.
At the thought of the deeper disgust that his people would feel for him if they knew what he had done this day Emperor Mu simply laughed...tyrant!
How he loved the sound of that word. Mu bared his teeth like a jackal – it was the way he had always lived…satisfying himself at the cost of the weak and helpless and crushing any who showed so much as a hint of stepping out of line beneath his foot. Always living at the cost of others – that was a given thing and always had been from the very day that he'd assumed the throne of Earth.
This way of life; a combination of self-preservation and extreme indulgence was the essence of the man he was – Emperor Mu, golden-haired lord of the Earth.
Most of the people he'd ever deigned to walk amongst had fallen right into their assigned role in the order of things that he had created once he'd come into power and on the rare occasions that he'd encountered somebody who'd been prepared to disagree with the way he did things Mu had dealt with them swiftly before their influence could spread.
Serenity and Chara… At the thought of the two Princesses who were now Queens Emperor Mu frowned darkly. Now those two had been unusual…they hadn't fallen into line. But at least after so many long years of waiting for his chance to settle his old score with the two of them he'd paid both of them back by hurting the people they cared about.
But the tyrant felt disturbed that even after his triumph over both of the Queens that night he still felt ill at ease – something was wrong with him and it had been ever since he'd gone to the Moon Kingdom that night.
During the months that had dragged slowly by since then he had found that he just hadn't been able to concentrate on anything – always his thoughts wandered far from what he was doing and he'd find himself daydreaming…
Daydreaming about quite a lovely girl whose sparkling eyes were as beautiful as twin stars…and the night that he slept after seeing her in the Moon Kingdom, Emperor Mu had had pleasant dreams for the first time in his whole evil life.
The light that had beamed from Princess Mercury's beautiful face and the pure innocence of her eyes had haunted his dreams and crept into his ever waking thought since that night and even now he was lost to everything around him as he forget where he was and tried to picture her in his mind…but his distant smile gradually turned sour.
No matter how well he captured her lovely eyes and face in his mind the memory of the blue-haired Princess left him feeling only discontented – the memory of her enchanting voice and the way that she looked at the people around her was not enough for him.
Mu wanted more than simply the memory of her…he wanted to experience the joy of just being in her presence every day of his life, he wanted to hear her melodious voice whenever he wanted. But most of all Mu wanted Mercury and the burning desire for the Princess had recently started to tell on him.
None of the wenches who were at this beck and call measured up to the dainty and charming Mercurian and innocence of the heart was the last thing that any of them possessed – even the grapes that had been tingling in his mouth a moment ago now seemed bitter even though they were the very best rather than the swill that his men had to make do with to fill their stomachs that night.
Even the raid on Orlando's village had done absolutely nothing to take his mind away from the lingering memories of Mercury…he had barely heard the terror that his men had wreaked on the rebels because he'd found himself hearing her soft voice murmuring in the wind and his mind had been torn away from the carnage.
What rankled most with him was the memory of how she had looked had him with disgust and even fear thinly hidden her eyes whenever he had spoken to her. The tyrant growled bitterly as he remembered how grateful she had been to Universe when the purple-haired Princess had rescued her from his seductive conversation that night…the memory of how Universe had taunted him during the few seconds that she had been alone with him gave him even deeper and darker pleasure at what he had done to her.
Mu scowled and sat up on his divan – why was he dwelling on 'Princess' Universe after all this time? She was past…he was done with her for good.
Shaking himself out of his reverie about things in the past and things that couldn't be helped Emperor Mu decided to live in the moment for the time being. For now Princess Mercury was safely in Queen Serenity's care and thus firmly unavailable since the ruler of the Moon Kingdom was highly unlikely to allow him anywhere near the other Princesses after what he'd done.
Anyway…he was expecting the arrival of a certain young lady and even though he knew how divided his attention would be he grudgingly made up his mind to make the most of the night.
Mu's smile grew more sly and cruel than a mixture of triumph and bitter longing – with the arrival of his 'guest' who had become a pivotal element of the little experiment that he'd immediately set that decrepit goat Acheton on the morning after he and his brother had returned from the Moon Kingdom he'd finally discover whether his dreams were to be fulfilled.
For now Princess Mercury would have to stay out of his clutches…but how long could she stay there?
Emperor Mu had made himself a promise when he'd first seen her beautiful eyes that night – and he was determined to keep it, ardent that one day no matter what he'd have to do to make it come to pass the blue-haired Princess would be his bride.
Nobody would stop him…not the people of Mercury, not Serenity…the person who could stop him from claiming Princess Mercury for himself had never lived.
Suddenly he was jolted out of the dark fantasy that he'd begun to sink into the murky depths of as the tent flap rustled – it was time. "Come in." he sniggered as he practically shivered with anticipation.
The flap was lifted up and one of his men looked in at him. "My great and magnificent liege, ruler of the very Earth beneath all of our feet." He proclaimed. "I bring to you company for the night – a beautiful slave-girl taken from the peasant village which under the influence of the traitor Orlando defies your supreme right…"
"How dare you!" a female voice shouted angrily from beside him. "Chief Orlando is a great man! Just you wait and see you swine! One day he'll overthrow your filthy tyant and then you'll all see what it's like to be dragged through the mud!"
The Guard scoffed. "He's outnumbered by a hundred to one little girl." He taunted the captive. "The only man who's going to be beaten into the dirt is your precious Orlando and once that's happened the rest of your rabble will become slaves of the Empire." Then with an extra dose of spite he added, "But don't worry…you won't have to fret about being lonely. Once the women of your little town are added to the harem you're sure to see a few familiar faces…if you're still around by the time we smash your village and wipe out Orlando's little rebellion!"
"We'll see!" the girl threatened.
Mu chuckled – this one was definitely feisty and that quality always added a little spice to the proceedings of his nights. "Step in my dear." He purred sibilantly and then turning back to the Guard he added less sumptuously, "YOU leave."
Taking the hint at once the Guard walked away from the tent as quickly as he possibly could without breaking into a run – knowing that she had no other choice the girl stepped into the tent brushing the flap aside as she moved cautiously forward step by step as if she were trying to avoid waking a vampire as she was sneaking up to pierce its heart with a stake.
Even now Mu's mind was haunted by the lingering face of Princess Mercury but all the same he couldn't help but notice that this girl was strikingly pretty in her own right – her height was average for a girl of her age and though she was slouching as she stood tensely before him her posture was proud which instantly made her distinguishable from the kind of women that normally filled her current role.
This one had begun her training…
Mu's smile was one of eager anticipation as he savoured the prospect that now lay in store for him – there was nothing that he liked better than seeing strength crumble and pride fade.
Who knew? Maybe after he was done with her he could send her back to Orlando just to show that accursed rebel the consequences that his rebellion had had for one of his own…if an example of what lay waiting for the rest of them didn't make the rest of the villagers think twice about following Orlando then the Emperor had no idea what would.
Like the other girl's in her village she had dark hair as shiny as a raven's wing that fell down just below her shoulder-blades though her skin was slightly dusky in contrast to the face of her friend which had been a more bright and merry tone. She was now wearing a short top from which hung tassels that ended in small beads - her stomach and back were both bared and the skimpy top was fastened by two narrow straps of brown leather which crossed over her shoulder-blades to form an x-shape. From her slender waist hung a skirt made of two pieces of velvet which bared the sides of her legs and, completing this get-up, were two golden bracelets which had been fitted around her upper-arms, both coiled just beneath her shoulders.
The girl regarded the Emperor through eyes filled with disgust and loathing as she finally stood face to face with the man who had caused so much pain and misery for her family and friends many years before she had been born – their own ruler whose very name was accursed in her village.
"Okay – you've had your gawp now." She snapped as she folded her arms – she felt more uneasy than she ever had in her entire life as his sickening eyes followed every slight move that she made. "You're looking at me as if I'M a funny sight!"
Mu snickered at his leisure – he felt amused by her. She was good at using her anger and revulsion for him to hide the nervousness that beat in her heart as she stood alone with him having been cut off from her friends but his probing mind could feel the fear trickling from her thoughts…
"So…Emilia." The golden-haired Emperor said her name slowly as he savoured not only the sound of it but also the knowledge that however she felt about him she was in his power as he rose to his feet and subtly stepped towards her. "Little Emilia who wants to change the world."
Emilia – the girl who'd been captured by the Marauders after she'd helped her friend Jess escape the mayhem of the burning village – took a quiet step back as his stealthy spider-like step leapt to her eye. "Not the world…just our lives." she replied quietly.
Mu chuckled softly as he leaned nearer to her – knowing that she had nowhere to run to he took all the time he wanted. "You peasants…you just can't accept your rightful position in the way of the world now can you?" he asked mockingly. "Always you try to rise above your betters…I'm sure that you understand that I cannot allow you to so much as think about actually doing it. You'd have been much better off lying low my lady."
"Satisfied with the lives of common animals to be hunted for your sport?" Emilia replied in anger. "Wake up Mu! We're not the only village who feel this way about you…you've made everyone suffer since you became ruler and there's not one man or woman who doesn't lie awake at night and long for a world that doesn't include you! We're just the only people who've decided to stand up to you…for now anyway! One day everybody'll realise just who you are Mu…a yellow coward who doesn't dare face his enemies without a mask!"
Emperor Mu laughed very, very quietly – he would never admit it to another living soul but her taunts had actually found their mark though he didn't let it show. "My, my…what HAVE you been hearing about me?" he purred as he looked deeply into her wary eyes and stepped forward again. "Do you believe all of Orlando's lies little one? Look into my eyes and see the truth!"
Emilia would have cringed away from him but she couldn't seem to break his gaze now – his golden eyes glowed faintly and suddenly they seemed soothing and relaxing. Bizarrely she began to feel warm and comfortable and anything that she'd been feeling a few seconds ago was driven away by the sudden inexplicable affection that she felt stirring inside her – as if this man could give her all the friendship that she needed.
But that couldn't be true…she hated him didn't she? For what he did to her people everyday…
Emilia's thoughts didn't seem to question the sudden warmth that she was feeling or anything that he'd said to her…until she mulled over a particular one of the things that he'd said however. "Orlando isn't a liar." she exclaimed and suddenly the link between them was broken and the bemusing affection fled leaving only a fearful anger in her mind. "He's a great man and he'll set everybody free one day!"
Mu scoffed – her insolence was nothing to him but a temporary setback. "I'm sure that you're right my dear…why don't you tell me EVERYTHING about it?"
As she realised just what he'd been doing to her and with a lurch what he INTENDED to do Emilia closed her eyes tightly so that he could no longer stare into them and shook her head violently to drive his intruding mind out of her thoughts. "No…never!" she cried. "I'm not like one of your drugged slaves Mu! Stay out of my mind…I'll never betray them!"
Her defiance just made Mu laughed mockingly. "Is that right? Come now dear Emilia…aren't you feeling just a little tired? Can't you just FEEL your pitiful will bending to my own? Admit it – you know that you can't keep me out forever so why not relax and let me in! I promise that you won't feel a thing as my mind wriggles inside yours."
Emilia breathed heavily as she fought his advances – the struggle was incredibly tiring and already her mind was exhausted as it strained against Mu's telepathy.
She'd felt weak before but only in her body not her mental defences…and now that she experienced it she felt as if she would pass out in seconds. "No…" she whispered as her face became white beneath the unbearably increasing strain of her resistance of the telepathy.
Mu grinned spitefully. "There's nowhere to run!" he laughed as he stepped closer. "It's a shame that you're wearing my little present or else you wouldn't be standing here for all the world hmm?"
Instinctively Emilia reached up and touched her neckline – her fingers brushed the metal collar which had been there ever since she had woken from the deep sleep that Mu's spell had put her into. The collar was a beautiful piece of metalwork but its smooth surface glinted cruelly and everything about it from the way it was locked tightly around her throat right down to its coldness against her skin sent every voice in her soul screaming 'slave'.
Much dark magic had been poured into the making of this collar – magic to restrain and block the magic of anybody who wore it and right now that person was herself.
Emilia knew that if only she could get it off then she could…
Sensing her thoughts Mu grinned in satisfaction – the collar worked perfectly. As soon as he took Princess Mercury for himself he would be sure to give her a special wedding present…
Emilia could feel Mu's probing mind pushing against her own as it tried to break through her defences and read her thoughts which she desperately tried to guard from him…she just couldn't keep him out!
In a last ditch attempt to stop him she bit down heavily on her lip – her bite was so intense that blood rose as she tried to bury her thoughts by filling her mind with nothing but pain.
Mu grunted irritably as he tried to get through the pain that now filled Emilia's mind – this was taking longer than he'd expected. This one had a much stronger mind than he was using to diving into and even though he'd worn her down with sheer pressure she was resourcefully stalling him…
But her struggling was all the more sweeter to him since he knew that in the end her effort would be for nothing – laughing he prepared to use his telepathy to shatter what was left of Emilia's exhausted mind. Already he could taste the despair that would fill her soul at the moment that he stole everything that she knew about Orlando's plans from her mind.
But the tyrant of Earth never got the chance to savour the bitter emotion because in the next minute something happened that put an end to both his torture of the rebel and her desperate attempt to stand against him – the world outside the tent seemed to burst into flames!
The tongues of fire that rapidly ate away at the sides of the canvas tents was intensely hot but as she watched the cowardly Marauders blindly running this way and that Rula didn't even feel the sweat that gushed down her body.
The huntress was now standing right in the middle of the campsite as the chaos raged around her on all sides for she had no reason to feel nervous about the Guards who were too caught up in charging around the burning campsite in mindless panic to notice her sudden appearance – some were even colliding with the few who had both the sense and bravery to try and put out the fires using the water the host had brought with them so what reason did she have to fear these pathetic cowards?
A strange crazy gleam shone in her dark eyes as she watched the mayhem that she'd unleashed on them all – the intense heat…the cries of the craven host…the terrified whinnies of the horses which she had set free and given time to get safely away before she's sparked the fires…
All of them seemed far off and faint as if it was all happening on the other side of a thick wall of glass – she could see the chaos but only barely hear it.
The choice to use her powers to create the distraction that she needed in order to slip into Mu's tent without the risk of being caught had come surprisingly easy to her – when they'd surfaced within her for the first time two years ago her powers had terrified her so much that it had been half a year later that she'd plucked up enough courage to experiment with them so that she could test their full extent and find out just what she could do with them.
Even once she'd gotten used to them being inside her since there was no way for her to ever get rid of them Rula had taken great care never to reveal them to anybody, only when she was facing an enemy who she'd needed to kill in order to survive all on her own.
The first time she'd ever used them to kill another person had been the night Steel-Eye had been killed. The memory of the fire's intense heat and the smoke that had risen from the blackened bones of his killer was still clear in her memory…
Even after she'd accepted this aspect of herself Rula had never imagined that she'd ever actually seize the chance to use her unwanted gift but now that she needed to help somebody else she was amazed at just how easily she'd accepted it – actually she was thrilled to unleash its fury upon these scum.
Rula's lips suddenly, unbelievably turned up into a grin of devilish joy as the sight of the pure terror that she'd struck into their black hearts filled her with a wild thrilling satisfaction. She'd spent the whole night hearing and witnessing the pain and suffering that these miserable dirt-bags had inflicted on their own people and now the sight of them fleeing in terror from the very thing that they'd done to the good and decent people of Orlando's village that very day filled her with a surge of overwhelming glee.
And even though every fibre of better nature in her body screamed that what she was doing was wrong she felt an onslaught of intense urging to make them suffer even more…
The temptation to bring on the seething pain and agony that every last one of these murderers deserved was seductive and bitterly sweet and she found herself leaning towards giving in to it and drinking from its dark dregs.
"Hellfire!" she yelled and as the crackling flames spluttered into life at the tip of her finger she laughed wildly until there was no breath left in her body and she was carried too far away by her rush to stop and grab more. "Time for you guys to hotfoot it all the way to hell!"
As the greedy flames smouldered in her palm she pulled back her hand ready to hurl it right through the entrance of the gold emblazoned tent she was sure that Mu was skulking inside, too scared out of his mean-headed wits to crawl out of hiding to find out what was happening outside – but at the very last second before she threw the fireball at her intended target she stopped. It was a delicious moment and despite the heat she was shivering in ecstasy as she froze the moment and prepared to toast the tyrant to death and cut free the bonds that held the people of this planet in fear every day of their lives.
But while she was savouring the moment at hand her burning passion seemed to crackle and she blinked and stared at the tent as if she was looking at it for the very first time – right out of the blue the memory of the last time she'd looked at this tent hit her. The expression of savage glee faltered and suddenly only blank emptiness covered her face as she remembered who she'd watched disappear through the tent-flap while she'd lain in concealment in the grass…
Hey…what am I doing? The huntress thought dazedly as she caught herself and realised just how madly she was behaving. Emilia…she's in there too!
The Hellfire blast that had been blazing as it had waited patiently for her to murderously hurtle it into the tent crackled and died away along with her raging thirst to take the life of Emperor Mu as she lowered her hand and suddenly forgot all about how much she loathed him.
Rula was in shock as she stood aghast at what she'd come so close to doing. I nearly just… she thought dazedly as she looked around and took in the madness that raged all around her. I came so close to baking her along with him…oh man!
What she'd done to the Marauders wasn't wonderful. It wasn't justice…it was horrible!
Rula now knew that she'd come near to becoming just like these animals she'd so wanted to punish for what they'd done to the good villagers – and the fact that she would have gone all the way and slain the girl she'd come here to rescue would have made her a worse beast than Mu himself…she'd have been a monster.
I'm not the heroine that Orlando thinks I am…what kind of example am I supposed to be to those people who've been inspired by me to fight Mu? Rula thought miserably as she closed her eyes with sad gentleness despite the madness that had possessed the campsite – she hadn't forgotten about it again but somehow her danger didn't seem as important as the realization she now came to. I'm no Princess…no noble warrior. All I am is someone who destroys everybody she touches…Jupiter was right. I'm a killer and I always have been…
How could she ever go back to her friends again after she'd realized just how dangerous and evil she could be? Now she had seen for herself the monster that she'd feared the Star Raiders might see her as being if they ever discovered that she had the power she felt sick…she'd come close to doing such a horrible thing not her powers.
A moment ago a decision had been made – by herself.
For another second she wavered in self-doubt and then she shrugged her shoulders and threw it all off as best she could for now – she didn't have time for all this now. She could feel bad about just how horrible she really was deep down once this was all over.
Funnily enough she felt vaguely relieved that she'd gone through this moment of bitter clarity – even though she felt partly desperate to throw herself into the middle of the inferno that she was responsible for she finally knew that Serenity had been right when they had first met.
Having this power didn't make her a monster at all – that was a choice that she alone could make. She could use the power to help others or it could use her…it was her choice.
And it barely took her a minute to decide. There's a whole village of men and women and an innocent girl in that tent right now all counting on me. Rula told herself grimly as she snapped out of it and returned to the place she was needed – reality. This isn't about me…it's about life! I have to help her!
The huntress set off towards the gold emblazoned tent belonging to Emperor Mu nimbly dodging around the straggling Marauders as she made her way there. There was now deep and pure determination in her clear eyes – she'd just fallen into her lowest ebb and emerged from it stronger than ever.
Rula even managed to smirk a little – funny, but when you stood on top of your own lack of confidence in yourself you felt just a little taller.
If it's a warrior-Princess you want then that's what you'll get. She promised silently as she strode determinedly through the chaos as if she owned the world. I'm comin' for ya Em…whether ya want me or not.
Mu's nostrils flared in disgust like a horse's as he turned his eyes away from the glowing canvas – the air was bitter and acrid and even though the thick black smoke couldn't filter into the tent the smell of it was enough to make his golden eyes water as he ignored it as best he could.
Emilia now stood exhausted by her mental duel with Mu and completely subdued as the heat and dizzying smell disorientated her. "I'll give you points for sheer effort – normally girls like you crack within seconds!" Mu chuckled despicably as he walked threateningly towards her and extended his finger to touch her forehead. "But this is as far as it goes little girl – I'll use my telepathy to take everything that you know about your beloved Chief'ss plans from your mind! Hold still now!"
Emilia closed her eyes helplessly and breathed faintly – she didn't want to play a part in the conquering of her people and she'd have died before she helped Mu, even against her will…but she was denied that last desperate wish.
Knowing that nothing she could do mattered now Emilia staggered dizzily backwards – by now she and the Emperor had done a complete lap around the interior of his tent.
Almost instantly his black-gloved hand closed around her shoulder in an unbreakable grip and her struggles were over as she was pulled back. "No…" she whimpered for she knew that she was now too weak to stop him from invading her mind.
Ignoring her heartbreaking whisper Mu placed the tip of his finger on her forehead as he kept her still by cupping the back of her head in the palm of his hand – with a vindictive grin he prepared to make the leap into her defenceless mind. "Oh I forgot to mention! The force of my telepathy will probably destroy your young and fragile mind as it floods into your consciousness. I'm sincerely sorry but I'm sure you understand that sacrifices have to be made on the path to glory – and even without your lovely mind I'm sure that I can find some use for…"
Emilia had been lying back in his arms too weak and befuddled by everything to resist but as her blood ran cold an icy fire burst into flames in her veins igniting unstoppable rage – barely knowing where she pulled the defiance to do it from she pulled back her head and spat in his face.
Throughout the rest of his life Emperor Mu never forget this moment of pure shock as the full sum of the anger and hate that this one peasant girl bore him hit him in the face – even knowing what he was going to do with her she had stood up and showed him the depth of her scorn and disgust for him after he had broken her strength.
As the spit trickled down his face Mu's eyes blazed and with a bellow of rage her pulled Emilia towards him – as his mind rushed into her delicate psyche Emilia opened her mouth to scream only to find that he'd frozen every bone in her body and so her anguish was as silent as death…
But Mu's telepathic torture lasted no longer than that brief moment – suddenly every fibre of flesh in his entire body seemed to have been torn inside out and all he knew was the unbearably intense pain that pierced him like countless needles puncturing every nerve in it.
For one seemingly eternal second of pure agony he was unable to scream but then sense came flooding back to him and what he felt at that moment made him realize that his initial pain had been a joke – and now that he was fully aware of the pain he experienced the real thing.
Outside the tent the marauders who had been desperate to save their own skins flinched and whirled around to stare at their ruler's tent as his roar of agony bellowed throughout the night – the cry filled the anger with the scope of his shock and sheer disbelief and for
that moment they were too surprised to be cowardly.
A sickening tingle ran down Mu's spine as the tyrant staggered back gasping for breath – almost casually in his shocked state of mind he noticed that the smell of smoke suddenly seemed a lot stronger, much closer and most puzzlingly of all fresher.
A moment later he realized that the smoke was coming from his own body as he looked down at his aching arms and saw the tendrils curling up from his trembling limb.
Emilia had fallen the moment he'd let go of her and now she was sitting back against a tent-pole. The dark-haired girl was perfectly unharmed since the sudden shock of having been struck by a thunderbolt had jolted Mu's mind and broken his psychic link with her before his mind had submerged deeply enough into her own to hurt her.
Mu's whitened face slowly filled with murderous anger. What on…?
Knowing that his captive was too weak to try and escape he turned to glower at the tent-flap and there little more than a few paces away stood somebody whose dark and passionate eyes struck him more intensely than the fury of her thunder had done.
"Did that tingle?" Rula asked him darkly – her outstretched hand crackled with energy as she prepared another Retribution Thundershot. "Well if you touch her again the next one'll make you a crispy critter…from the outside in."