Elena: Gomen this took so long to update. Akiko gave this to me a few days
ago, but I currently have no computer ^^; so it had to wait until I got home.
Again, gomen for not getting it up sooner.
Hey, all! Sorry this took so long, inbetween my hectic schedule and
other fun stuff, I haven't had a lot of time to work on this! But
anyway, on with the story! But first...a note to Virignia Madison:
I try to update as quickly as I can, and have long chapters,
but...well...something about this story gives me long bouts of writer's
block for ridiculously long amounts of time. I'll try to do better...but
as you can see...I REALLY suck at this updating game...
Chapter 15
Mia brushed snow from the shoulders of her thick cloak with gloved hands.
Night had fallen long ago, bringing with it snow flakes that fell quiety
from a sky she couldn't make out. Her hushed footfalls in ankle deep
snow was the only sound in an endless forest of silence. It was a place
of pristine beauty.
*If only...I didn't feel this empty...* she let out a sigh, and stopped
walking. *Oh, Garet, where are you now?*
****
Garet stared at the water. A mere shadow of the blue sky was painted on
the ruffled surface, clouds becoming white streaks criss-crossing the
inside of the bucket. The light from a blazing sun danced across the
ripples and reflected back pale twisting snakes on to the wooden sides
and up on his arms and face.
He scooped the liquid up with his hands and splashed it onto the dusty,
sweat and blood streaked skin of his face. Water droplets sparkled in
his matted hair, and ran down his neck. He used his sleeve to wipe the
water away from his eyes, ignoring the hot touch from the metal band
around his wrist.
"How are you doing?" Picard asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't reply, turning to look at the Mercury Adept for a moment before
moving on.
"Ply."
Azure sparks encircled him, skipping over the skin and seeping into the
cuts on his arms and chest to re-seal the skin. He looked back at the
Mercury Adept, who merely smiled knowingly, his cat eyes flashing. He
grinned back, nodding his head slightly. He smiled at Sheba, who was a
few places behind Picard. She glanced at him with tired eyes, then
looked back at the ground.
He walked alongside the line waiting for water, passing dusty tents and
tired men. The sun glared down on the Angaran camp, a god angry at its
children for their foolish war.
*What was the point of this war again?* he wondered, his firey gaze
coming to rest on two figures sitting in the shade of the only tree for
miles. Feh was obviously discussing something with Isaac, who didn't
seem to care. *Oh, that's right, there was never a point.*
He stretched and continued his treck across the dry basin to the slaves'
quarters. It was the farthest point from the tiny oasis that was
possible to live in. Garet and Picard had been forced to dig the caves
they were kept in with alternating Ice Missile and Super Nova attacks.
At the time, it had felt like digging their own graves.
Now...it was just a temporary home.
*And to think...two months ago I was living in a school with the woman I
love and all of my friends around me,* he smiled at the memories.
Mia...with her pale skin and flowing blue hair...her feathery touch...the
soft way she spoke her thoughts...the gentle glow in her endless azure
eyes that seemed so unearthly...his angel... *Why does that thought seem
so inprobable? Was...it all just a dream? A world I created to fill in
the blanks of my memory?* He shook his head. *No...it was real. It
was.*
A poisonous thought snaked up through the back of his mind. *If it was
real, then why did you leave it behind?*
And in the bottom of a basin, in the midst of war and chaos, he couldn't
give himself an answer.
****
"Tie up the Mercury Adept! Bind his hands!" one of the men shouted.
Cruel ropes bit into his wrists where they weren't covered by his
sleeves, but he hardly noticed. It was nothing compaired to the tight,
constricting pain in his chest.
"ALEX!" someone was screaming his name. *...Jenna? No...she ran from
here long ago...that voice...*
Someone grabbed his hair and lifted his face up. He found himself
looking into a face that looked like something out of a nightmare. It
was a pale green color, darker sripes slashing under the eyes and along
the man's jaw. Brilliant crimson eyes stared out of that face, right
into his.
"You're tired, aren't you?" the eyes began glowing. "Too tired to resist
fire..."
Alex closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. *That voice sounded
so familiar...*
The hand holding up his hair released him, and he collapsed on the
ground.
"But we're keeping you alive," the voice continued. "Do you know why?"
Alex was too tired to respond. The voice took his silence as a negative.
"You're useful, Mercury Adept. And you'll do as your told."
****
"Jenna! You're not hurt, are you?" Felix ran to help his limping sister.
She had been the last of their group to come out of the forest.
"I'm fine," she muttered, casting Aura on herself.
"Where's Alex?" he looked around her, trying to catch a glimpse of the
Mercury Adept.
"He didn't make it out," tears formed in Jenna's eyes. "He didn't...he
didn't..."
Ivan sat down, hard. Next to him, Kyle nodded sadly. "He sacrificed
himself for us..."
Jenna started sobbing uncontrollably.
****
Picard turned away from the water basin and walked back to the medical
tent. He had only been allowed a short break so he wouldn't pass out.
He couldn't bring himself to hope that it would be the case next time.
He gave Sheba an encouraging smile, and she ignored him.
He passed Saturos and Menardi, standing in line together. The Mars Adept
had a tight hold on his mate's hand, like he was afraid of something.
"Picard," Menardi hissed when she caught sight of him, motioning him over
frantically with her free hand. He shrugged and walked towards them. He
felt an affinaty to the two Mars Adepts. They both were imprisoned...far
away from their respective homes. They had talked sometimes, compairing
Prox's frozen beauty to Lemuria's ruinous glory.
"Picard, tomorrow is the night," Saturos whispered roughly in his ear.
"Warn Garet and Sheba...and if you can get close to Isaac without his
shadow...well...we wouldn't mind keeping him alive, either."
*****
Well...that was interesting...hopefully the next chapter will be more
action than angst...
Isaac: ::in blue "And the next chapter might have to wait until Akiko
actually GETS to Prox!"::
Yeah...that might be a good plan...maybe...
ago, but I currently have no computer ^^; so it had to wait until I got home.
Again, gomen for not getting it up sooner.
Hey, all! Sorry this took so long, inbetween my hectic schedule and
other fun stuff, I haven't had a lot of time to work on this! But
anyway, on with the story! But first...a note to Virignia Madison:
I try to update as quickly as I can, and have long chapters,
but...well...something about this story gives me long bouts of writer's
block for ridiculously long amounts of time. I'll try to do better...but
as you can see...I REALLY suck at this updating game...
Chapter 15
Mia brushed snow from the shoulders of her thick cloak with gloved hands.
Night had fallen long ago, bringing with it snow flakes that fell quiety
from a sky she couldn't make out. Her hushed footfalls in ankle deep
snow was the only sound in an endless forest of silence. It was a place
of pristine beauty.
*If only...I didn't feel this empty...* she let out a sigh, and stopped
walking. *Oh, Garet, where are you now?*
****
Garet stared at the water. A mere shadow of the blue sky was painted on
the ruffled surface, clouds becoming white streaks criss-crossing the
inside of the bucket. The light from a blazing sun danced across the
ripples and reflected back pale twisting snakes on to the wooden sides
and up on his arms and face.
He scooped the liquid up with his hands and splashed it onto the dusty,
sweat and blood streaked skin of his face. Water droplets sparkled in
his matted hair, and ran down his neck. He used his sleeve to wipe the
water away from his eyes, ignoring the hot touch from the metal band
around his wrist.
"How are you doing?" Picard asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't reply, turning to look at the Mercury Adept for a moment before
moving on.
"Ply."
Azure sparks encircled him, skipping over the skin and seeping into the
cuts on his arms and chest to re-seal the skin. He looked back at the
Mercury Adept, who merely smiled knowingly, his cat eyes flashing. He
grinned back, nodding his head slightly. He smiled at Sheba, who was a
few places behind Picard. She glanced at him with tired eyes, then
looked back at the ground.
He walked alongside the line waiting for water, passing dusty tents and
tired men. The sun glared down on the Angaran camp, a god angry at its
children for their foolish war.
*What was the point of this war again?* he wondered, his firey gaze
coming to rest on two figures sitting in the shade of the only tree for
miles. Feh was obviously discussing something with Isaac, who didn't
seem to care. *Oh, that's right, there was never a point.*
He stretched and continued his treck across the dry basin to the slaves'
quarters. It was the farthest point from the tiny oasis that was
possible to live in. Garet and Picard had been forced to dig the caves
they were kept in with alternating Ice Missile and Super Nova attacks.
At the time, it had felt like digging their own graves.
Now...it was just a temporary home.
*And to think...two months ago I was living in a school with the woman I
love and all of my friends around me,* he smiled at the memories.
Mia...with her pale skin and flowing blue hair...her feathery touch...the
soft way she spoke her thoughts...the gentle glow in her endless azure
eyes that seemed so unearthly...his angel... *Why does that thought seem
so inprobable? Was...it all just a dream? A world I created to fill in
the blanks of my memory?* He shook his head. *No...it was real. It
was.*
A poisonous thought snaked up through the back of his mind. *If it was
real, then why did you leave it behind?*
And in the bottom of a basin, in the midst of war and chaos, he couldn't
give himself an answer.
****
"Tie up the Mercury Adept! Bind his hands!" one of the men shouted.
Cruel ropes bit into his wrists where they weren't covered by his
sleeves, but he hardly noticed. It was nothing compaired to the tight,
constricting pain in his chest.
"ALEX!" someone was screaming his name. *...Jenna? No...she ran from
here long ago...that voice...*
Someone grabbed his hair and lifted his face up. He found himself
looking into a face that looked like something out of a nightmare. It
was a pale green color, darker sripes slashing under the eyes and along
the man's jaw. Brilliant crimson eyes stared out of that face, right
into his.
"You're tired, aren't you?" the eyes began glowing. "Too tired to resist
fire..."
Alex closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. *That voice sounded
so familiar...*
The hand holding up his hair released him, and he collapsed on the
ground.
"But we're keeping you alive," the voice continued. "Do you know why?"
Alex was too tired to respond. The voice took his silence as a negative.
"You're useful, Mercury Adept. And you'll do as your told."
****
"Jenna! You're not hurt, are you?" Felix ran to help his limping sister.
She had been the last of their group to come out of the forest.
"I'm fine," she muttered, casting Aura on herself.
"Where's Alex?" he looked around her, trying to catch a glimpse of the
Mercury Adept.
"He didn't make it out," tears formed in Jenna's eyes. "He didn't...he
didn't..."
Ivan sat down, hard. Next to him, Kyle nodded sadly. "He sacrificed
himself for us..."
Jenna started sobbing uncontrollably.
****
Picard turned away from the water basin and walked back to the medical
tent. He had only been allowed a short break so he wouldn't pass out.
He couldn't bring himself to hope that it would be the case next time.
He gave Sheba an encouraging smile, and she ignored him.
He passed Saturos and Menardi, standing in line together. The Mars Adept
had a tight hold on his mate's hand, like he was afraid of something.
"Picard," Menardi hissed when she caught sight of him, motioning him over
frantically with her free hand. He shrugged and walked towards them. He
felt an affinaty to the two Mars Adepts. They both were imprisoned...far
away from their respective homes. They had talked sometimes, compairing
Prox's frozen beauty to Lemuria's ruinous glory.
"Picard, tomorrow is the night," Saturos whispered roughly in his ear.
"Warn Garet and Sheba...and if you can get close to Isaac without his
shadow...well...we wouldn't mind keeping him alive, either."
*****
Well...that was interesting...hopefully the next chapter will be more
action than angst...
Isaac: ::in blue "And the next chapter might have to wait until Akiko
actually GETS to Prox!"::
Yeah...that might be a good plan...maybe...