"DOOM?!" Joey burst out.
"One of my least favorite words," Tristan muttered.
The woman only laughed at them and began to hover several feet in the air. "I can understand why," she smirked.
"Grandma?!" Alyson's voice shrieked in horror from the hall, where the little girl had heard all the commotion and had come to see what was going on.
"This is not your grandmother, Alyson!" Mako shouted. "This is a very dangerous woman and you shouldn't be here!"
Abruptly the threatening imposter turned and spotted the terrified girl standing right behind her. "Well, well," she purred. "Isn't this just so quaint?"
"Alyson. Use the Ankh."
Alyson froze, hearing Shadi's voice in her ear. Shakily she brought the golden object up to her eye level and pointed it at the villainess, obvious fear showing on her face. "I . . . I can't do this," she gulped. "My Grandma . . ."
"That thing isn't your grandma!!" Joey yelled.
The woman only crossed her arms, daring Alyson to attack her. "Do you believe him, child?" she asked.
Alyson swallowed hard and continued to point the Ankh at her. It dawned on her then that she didn't even know how to use this strange magical artifact. How would she ever be able to complete what Shadi wanted?!
Before she could ponder more, Joey, Tristan, and Mako all tackled the woman once more and brought her to the floor.
"Never let yourself get distracted, as Kaiba would say," Joey grinned.
The woman growled furiously, trying to get up. Knowing what to expect, her three captors refused to budge.
"Go get the Pharaoh!" Tristan yelled to Alyson. "He'll know what to do!"
"O-okay," Alyson nodded, hurrying off.
****
Seto gave Vivalene a scathing look full of pure hatred. "Just what are you doing here?" he demanded.
"And why are you pointing a gun at my brother?!" Marik screamed.
The red-haired woman tsk-tsked them in reply. "Oh, now, you don't think I'd actually shoot him, do you?" To pretend to prove her point, she carefully removed the gun and squeezed Rishid's shoulder. "There now. You're free, darling. That was just a little joke."
Rishid turned to face her, his expression a storm cloud. "You treacherous creature!" he said low. "After all the things you have done to Marik and Kaiba and all the others, you dare to show your face to us again?!"
Vivalene gave a droll laugh. "You know I have no shame, my dear Rishid," she smirked.
Marik grabbed her wrist. "Tell us what you want before I send you to the Shadow Realm where you belong!" he hissed.
"My, my. Such a temper!" Vivalene scolded whimsically.
Seto snarled. "I just thought of who you remind me of," he remarked.
Vivalene raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"
"You're a female Maximillion Pegasus," Seto replied flatly.
Vivalene seemed to find this extremely hilarious. She laughed for nearly a full minute, all the while not appearing to care that Marik was still clutching her wrist.
Rishid suddenly gasped, his eyes widening.
"What is it, my brother?!" Marik cried, turning to look at him.
Rishid reached up to place his hand over where the gun had been only a moment before. "I . . . I do not know," he managed to say. "Something . . . something strange is happening to me . . ."
Marik gripped Vivalene's wrist all the more painfully. "You devil!! What did you do—poison him?!"
Vivalene pouted. "Now, really. Of course I didn't!"
"Then what did you do?" Seto asked, realizing that she had done something.
The evil woman twirled her gun around in a Clint Eastwood manner. "Well," she said deliberately, "I just needed to . . . take care of some business. And dear Rishid is the perfect puppet to do my bidding. As for you, Seto Kaiba . . . well, I have something else in store for you."
Seto narrowed his eyes. "If you even think of harming Mokuba, I'll . . ."
"Mokuba?" Vivalene interrupted. "That brat? No thank you."
Seto emitted a low growl at Vivalene's name-calling, while Marik dug his fingernails into the woman's arm.
"Tell us what's going on!" the Egyptian boy said through gritted teeth.
Vivalene snapped her fingers and half a dozen thugs descended upon Seto. "I'll let them take care of that fool," she said, standing up and dragging Marik with her. "Come, Rishid."
To Marik's astonishment, Rishid froze and a blank look came over him as he stood and began to blindly follow after them. At Vivalene's orders, he suddenly grabbed Marik and began to pull him along with them as they went.
"Rishid?!" the boy cried.
"He can't hear you," Vivalene smirked. "He's mine now, thanks to this!" She reached down into her blouse and pulled out a charm consisting of two snakes intertwined and hissing. "What I injected him with is a special venom that's inside this curious piece of workmanship dating back to three thousand B.C. It's not poisonous, but . . ." She laughed merrily. "It does put him under my control, with no way out."
Marik gave a cry of anguish. "You are wrong!" he screamed. "Rishid can hear me, and he will fight against you to the very death!"
"Oh?" Seth said calmly, stepping out from the shadows. "Let's prove it then. There shall be a fight to the death. Yours!"
****
Meanwhile, Seto was busy grappling with the six thugs Vivalene had sicced on him. He kicked one in the stomach and another across the back. The third one lunged from behind, but the swift boy karate-chopped him on the jaw before he could be attacked. He then rapidly tripped the fourth one, whacked the fifth with his briefcase, and judo-flipped the sixth.
"Heh. You're all pathetic excuses for fighters," he smirked then, looking down at them all. The young businessman purposefully dusted himself off and straightened his trenchcoat before continuing on his way.
Abruptly a seventh bully charged him from out of nowhere, but he soon met as unfortunate a fate as his buddies had. Seto easily side-stepped him and then delivered a painful punch to the back of his neck, sending him into an unconscious state.
It suddenly dawned on Seto that Vivalene must have known that he would be able to easily defeat all of her cronies. She had just wanted to keep him busy! But what was she doing to the others in the meantime? And was Mokuba safe?
Seto didn't waste a minute to find out. Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number for their hotel room.
Before long Mokuba answered with a cheery hello. "Big brother!" he exclaimed in delight when he realized who was calling. "Are you okay?"
Seto paused to punch an eighth bad guy in the nose. "Just fine," he smirked before sobering. "Unfortunately, Vivalene's here and she's done something to Rishid. I'm not sure what."
"Vivalene?!" Mokuba let out a loud groan. "Not her again!!"
"Believe me, I feel your frustration, kid," Seto declared. "Look, be sure to keep the doors and windows locked. And don't let anyone in unless you're one hundred percent sure who it is."
"Okay," Mokuba said agreeably. "Oh wait . . . Ishizu says someone's on the balcony!" he cried then.
Instantly Seto came to attention. "What?!" he said sternly.
"Seto, someone's breaking in!!" Mokuba burst out then. The sound of shattering glass was very obvious in the background. "Big brother!!" There was a woman's scream and then the line went dead.
Seto turned chalk white. "Mokuba?! MOKUBA!!!" he yelled into the phone, without response. With a last glance back in the direction Vivalene had gone with the Ishtar brothers, Seto ran for the hotel. He'd call the police to check up on them and just hope that they could hold their own in the meantime. Right now he had to save his little brother!
****
Téa paced the floor of the room where nearly half their group had gathered. "I . . . I don't know," she said slowly. "I . . . I just feel like . . . like something terrible is going to happen!"
"What, are you becoming psychic like that Egyptian lady?" Rex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, put a sock in it," Mai snapped in reply.
"I have felt a disturbance as well," Yami Yugi said gravely just as Alyson burst into the room.
"Mr. Pharaoh, sir!!" she shrieked.
Instantly everyone turned to look at her.
"What is it?" Yami Yugi asked in concern.
Shakily Alyson explained what was happening just down the hall. "Joey, Tristan, and Mako are trying to hold her down, but I don't know how long they can!" she finished.
Yami Yugi immediately headed for the door. "This could be very serious," he said.
"And it no doubt is," Yami Bakura put in.
"Tomb raider, I'm leaving you in charge here," Yami Yugi said as he disappeared down the hall with Alyson. "Don't foul anything up!"
Yami Bakura grunted and only continued to pet his cat.
Yugi, in the meantime, was in the bedroom watching Duke worriedly. The dark-haired boy was tossing and turning about, mumbling something about the full moon and burial at sea. Obviously he seemed to be recalling more of his grisly experience.
"Duke!!" Yugi exclaimed. "Duke, wake up!!"
The other boy didn't at first and then abruptly rolled out of bed with a thump and crashed on the floor. He gave a moan of pain as he was jerked back into the realm of awareness and then struggled to get his bearings.
"Are you okay?!" Yugi said, wide-eyed.
Duke blinked up at him. "Yeah . . . yeah, I'm fine," he replied at last with a sigh.
****
Vivalene stopped in a nearby field and smiled. "Yes . . . yes, this should do nicely," she said. "We shouldn't be interrupted here."
Rishid roughly threw Marik down on the grass and then towered over him dangerously. Suddenly he gave a slight smile and Marik's eyes widened in understanding. Rishid was pretending!
Vivalene didn't notice. Crossing her arms, she prepared for what she had planned. "Well, Rishid, why not just attack dear Marik now?" she said sadistically.
Rishid abruptly lunged and shoved her against a tree. "Perhaps because I would rather make certain that you get your comeuppance," he hissed.
"Oh!" Vivalene exclaimed, seeming to be surprised. Then her face twisted into a wicked sneer. "Seth, do your duty," she commanded.
Marik briefly wondered why Seth was working with Vivalene again after she had nearly killed him back in Frisco, but then his thoughts were interrupted as he went completely stiff, unable to move. "What are you doing?!" he cried, trying in vain to tear free.
Rishid turned to look, his eyes wide in horror. "Marik!!" he screamed.
Seth grinned. "You think this is good? Wait till you see what Vifa's got planned for you!"
Vivalene was concentrating hard, willing her charm to glow bright red. "Perhaps you were faking control earlier," she growled, "but this time it shall be impossible!"
Rishid suddenly gave a gasp of agony as overwhelming pain came over him.
Vivalene sneered as Rishid struggled against the bewitching powers of her charm. "It's truly hopeless, darling," she purred. "Even if you can resist for a time, you will eventually fall prey to its effects, just like all the others." She pretended to think. "Hmmm. Then I could simply lead you to your death, couldn't I?"
Rishid knelt on the ground, shuddering and shaking as he tried so desperately to keep control of his mind and body.
Marik, still frozen to the spot by Seth's evil magic, frantically tried to extricate himself as he watched his brother's agony. "RISHID!!" he screamed. "Fight it, Rishid!!"
Vivalene watched in amusement. "Remember when I tried to brainwash you, Rishid?" she said now. "Oh, but of course, how could you forget? After what I nearly made you do to poor precious Marik."
"I . . . I could never . . . never harm him," Rishid retorted, clutching at clumps of grass as the pain wracked through his veins.
"Never?" Vivalene pursed her lips. "I should like to put that to the test."
"No!!" Marik yelled, trying again to tear free. "No, you cannot torment him that way! Rishid doesn't deserve that, you witch!"
Vivalene simply began turning up the power on her charm. "Well, I don't often give people what they deserve, now, do I?" she smirked. "You know, this intriguing pendant's abilities actually rival that of the Millennium Rod's. I daresay it could be even more deadly and dangerous."
Rishid gave a cry of agony and suddenly froze, his body going rigid at Vivalene's command. This time he truly was under her control.
"Ha! You see?" the evil woman laughed. "Now he is at my mercy, and heaven knows I don't have any!"
Marik concentrated hard, slowly managing to wrench his right arm out of the grasp of Seth's dark magic. "Rishid will never listen to you, not even under your treacherous control!" he cried.
"Well, he may not want to, but I don't think he really has a choice in the matter," Vivalene sneered, making a motion as if she was kicking something. Rishid doubled over in pain, obviously feeling the effects of her imaginary blow.
"Rishid!!!" Marik screamed again, finally tearing himself completely free and running over. "Brother!!!" The teenager knelt down next to the adopted sibling he loved so much, his hands shaking. "Rishid, what has she done to you?!"
Rishid looked up at him, his golden eyes cold and blank. There was no recognition in them. He might as well have been looking at a stone.
Marik's heart thumped angrily as he raised his eyes to glare daggers at the evil woman standing before him. "No," he uttered low. "NO!!!!"
Vivalene cackled. "Let's try this again. Rishid, destroy that brother you love so much!" she ordered, her pendant glowing deep red. She brought her hands together as if about to choke something.
Emotionlessly the Egyptian man lunged at Marik, dragging him to the ground. Marik struggled in vain, not wanting to ever hurt Rishid—not even to save himself. "Fight this, Rishid!!" the boy yelled, his blood running cold as Rishid's strong fingers wrapped around his throat.
A prisoner in his own mind, Rishid was forced to watch, helpless, as he began choking the life out of his younger brother. "NO!!!!" he screamed. "No, I will not do this!!!! Stop!!! STOP!!!" In desperation he shoved at the invisible walls, trying to break them down. He had to get out! He had to stop this!! Marik would die if he didn't!
Marik gasped, his lavender eyes widening as his breath left him. "Rishid. . . . Rishid . . . fight this . . . brother . . . please . . ." Black spots began to appear in front of his vision as he was deprived of the oxygen he so badly needed in order to survive. "Rishid . . ."
"It's useless!" Vivalene cried.
Marik's pained voice ripped at Rishid's heart as he continued to wrestle with the unmoving walls. Now the boy was obviously barely clinging to consciousness as he frantically yanked at Rishid's unmoving hands. "Rishid . . . don't," he pleaded. "Please let go. . . . I can't breathe, Rishid!!" he cried. "I . . . I can't . . ."
"MARIK!!!" Rishid shouted, his voice reverberating off the walls. At last he managed to tear through the barriers locking him in and regain control of his body, fighting desperately once more against the pull of Vivalene's charm. "I . . . I will not . . . give in to this," he vowed, letting go of Marik's neck with tremendous effort.
Vivalene was momentarily startled, but then only laughed. "You broke free," she mused, "but it's a bit too late, wouldn't you say?" She pointed at Marik's body, now lifelessly laying in Rishid's arms. "You killed him."
Rishid looked down at Marik in utter horror. "No," he whispered. "No . . . no . . . this . . . this isn't possible!! No . . . Marik . . . no . . ." Shakily he reached out and touched his younger brother's cool cheek.
"He couldn't get enough oxygen to breathe," Vivalene said flippantly. "It is a pity." Smirking, she turned and began to sashay away, Seth in tow. "You did exactly what we wanted you to, with my gentle guidance, of course. Poor Rishid, strangling your own brother. I don't think you deserve to be his brother, do you?"
"Be silent," Rishid hissed, pulling Marik's body close to his heart as tears streamed down his face.
"Well, I do still need your brother's body for the little scheme I'm involved with," Vivalene said now, "but I suppose I can allow you some time to mourn his death. Oh, aren't I just generous now?"
"It is because of you this happened!" Rishid replied with conviction. "You did this!!"
Vivalene pointed to herself in a "who, me?" gesture. "I? I am the one who choked him to death? Forgive me, darling, but whose hands were wrapped around the poor thing's neck?"
Rishid laid Marik down and frantically bent over his pale form, trying so hard to restore breath to the boy he loved so dearly. He narrowed his eyes, willing Vivalene's words to bounce away harmlessly—but they would not. It had been he who had pressed against Marik's throat, cutting off his air supply. It had been he who had mercilessly let his brother pass into oblivion from lack of oxygen.
But no! Those had only been his body's actions, manipulated by Vivalene's evil desires. He himself . . . why, he had been fighting so hard to regain control! If he had been able to prevent this, he would have gone so far as to give his own life to do so.
The conflicting emotions surged through Rishid's veins as he continued vainly to apply artificial respiration. At last he leaned back and gathered the much-too-limp body into his arms once again. "Marik . . . you did not deserve this," he whispered, choking on his words. "You did not!! If only . . . if only . . ." He trailed off. Vivalene was right! He didn't deserve to be Marik's brother. He didn't even deserve to be so much as a servant! Look at what he had done! Marik was so still . . . so like a ragdoll. . . .
Rishid couldn't bear this. Burying his face in Marik's soft blonde hair, the Egyptian man began to sob.
"One of my least favorite words," Tristan muttered.
The woman only laughed at them and began to hover several feet in the air. "I can understand why," she smirked.
"Grandma?!" Alyson's voice shrieked in horror from the hall, where the little girl had heard all the commotion and had come to see what was going on.
"This is not your grandmother, Alyson!" Mako shouted. "This is a very dangerous woman and you shouldn't be here!"
Abruptly the threatening imposter turned and spotted the terrified girl standing right behind her. "Well, well," she purred. "Isn't this just so quaint?"
"Alyson. Use the Ankh."
Alyson froze, hearing Shadi's voice in her ear. Shakily she brought the golden object up to her eye level and pointed it at the villainess, obvious fear showing on her face. "I . . . I can't do this," she gulped. "My Grandma . . ."
"That thing isn't your grandma!!" Joey yelled.
The woman only crossed her arms, daring Alyson to attack her. "Do you believe him, child?" she asked.
Alyson swallowed hard and continued to point the Ankh at her. It dawned on her then that she didn't even know how to use this strange magical artifact. How would she ever be able to complete what Shadi wanted?!
Before she could ponder more, Joey, Tristan, and Mako all tackled the woman once more and brought her to the floor.
"Never let yourself get distracted, as Kaiba would say," Joey grinned.
The woman growled furiously, trying to get up. Knowing what to expect, her three captors refused to budge.
"Go get the Pharaoh!" Tristan yelled to Alyson. "He'll know what to do!"
"O-okay," Alyson nodded, hurrying off.
****
Seto gave Vivalene a scathing look full of pure hatred. "Just what are you doing here?" he demanded.
"And why are you pointing a gun at my brother?!" Marik screamed.
The red-haired woman tsk-tsked them in reply. "Oh, now, you don't think I'd actually shoot him, do you?" To pretend to prove her point, she carefully removed the gun and squeezed Rishid's shoulder. "There now. You're free, darling. That was just a little joke."
Rishid turned to face her, his expression a storm cloud. "You treacherous creature!" he said low. "After all the things you have done to Marik and Kaiba and all the others, you dare to show your face to us again?!"
Vivalene gave a droll laugh. "You know I have no shame, my dear Rishid," she smirked.
Marik grabbed her wrist. "Tell us what you want before I send you to the Shadow Realm where you belong!" he hissed.
"My, my. Such a temper!" Vivalene scolded whimsically.
Seto snarled. "I just thought of who you remind me of," he remarked.
Vivalene raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"
"You're a female Maximillion Pegasus," Seto replied flatly.
Vivalene seemed to find this extremely hilarious. She laughed for nearly a full minute, all the while not appearing to care that Marik was still clutching her wrist.
Rishid suddenly gasped, his eyes widening.
"What is it, my brother?!" Marik cried, turning to look at him.
Rishid reached up to place his hand over where the gun had been only a moment before. "I . . . I do not know," he managed to say. "Something . . . something strange is happening to me . . ."
Marik gripped Vivalene's wrist all the more painfully. "You devil!! What did you do—poison him?!"
Vivalene pouted. "Now, really. Of course I didn't!"
"Then what did you do?" Seto asked, realizing that she had done something.
The evil woman twirled her gun around in a Clint Eastwood manner. "Well," she said deliberately, "I just needed to . . . take care of some business. And dear Rishid is the perfect puppet to do my bidding. As for you, Seto Kaiba . . . well, I have something else in store for you."
Seto narrowed his eyes. "If you even think of harming Mokuba, I'll . . ."
"Mokuba?" Vivalene interrupted. "That brat? No thank you."
Seto emitted a low growl at Vivalene's name-calling, while Marik dug his fingernails into the woman's arm.
"Tell us what's going on!" the Egyptian boy said through gritted teeth.
Vivalene snapped her fingers and half a dozen thugs descended upon Seto. "I'll let them take care of that fool," she said, standing up and dragging Marik with her. "Come, Rishid."
To Marik's astonishment, Rishid froze and a blank look came over him as he stood and began to blindly follow after them. At Vivalene's orders, he suddenly grabbed Marik and began to pull him along with them as they went.
"Rishid?!" the boy cried.
"He can't hear you," Vivalene smirked. "He's mine now, thanks to this!" She reached down into her blouse and pulled out a charm consisting of two snakes intertwined and hissing. "What I injected him with is a special venom that's inside this curious piece of workmanship dating back to three thousand B.C. It's not poisonous, but . . ." She laughed merrily. "It does put him under my control, with no way out."
Marik gave a cry of anguish. "You are wrong!" he screamed. "Rishid can hear me, and he will fight against you to the very death!"
"Oh?" Seth said calmly, stepping out from the shadows. "Let's prove it then. There shall be a fight to the death. Yours!"
****
Meanwhile, Seto was busy grappling with the six thugs Vivalene had sicced on him. He kicked one in the stomach and another across the back. The third one lunged from behind, but the swift boy karate-chopped him on the jaw before he could be attacked. He then rapidly tripped the fourth one, whacked the fifth with his briefcase, and judo-flipped the sixth.
"Heh. You're all pathetic excuses for fighters," he smirked then, looking down at them all. The young businessman purposefully dusted himself off and straightened his trenchcoat before continuing on his way.
Abruptly a seventh bully charged him from out of nowhere, but he soon met as unfortunate a fate as his buddies had. Seto easily side-stepped him and then delivered a painful punch to the back of his neck, sending him into an unconscious state.
It suddenly dawned on Seto that Vivalene must have known that he would be able to easily defeat all of her cronies. She had just wanted to keep him busy! But what was she doing to the others in the meantime? And was Mokuba safe?
Seto didn't waste a minute to find out. Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number for their hotel room.
Before long Mokuba answered with a cheery hello. "Big brother!" he exclaimed in delight when he realized who was calling. "Are you okay?"
Seto paused to punch an eighth bad guy in the nose. "Just fine," he smirked before sobering. "Unfortunately, Vivalene's here and she's done something to Rishid. I'm not sure what."
"Vivalene?!" Mokuba let out a loud groan. "Not her again!!"
"Believe me, I feel your frustration, kid," Seto declared. "Look, be sure to keep the doors and windows locked. And don't let anyone in unless you're one hundred percent sure who it is."
"Okay," Mokuba said agreeably. "Oh wait . . . Ishizu says someone's on the balcony!" he cried then.
Instantly Seto came to attention. "What?!" he said sternly.
"Seto, someone's breaking in!!" Mokuba burst out then. The sound of shattering glass was very obvious in the background. "Big brother!!" There was a woman's scream and then the line went dead.
Seto turned chalk white. "Mokuba?! MOKUBA!!!" he yelled into the phone, without response. With a last glance back in the direction Vivalene had gone with the Ishtar brothers, Seto ran for the hotel. He'd call the police to check up on them and just hope that they could hold their own in the meantime. Right now he had to save his little brother!
****
Téa paced the floor of the room where nearly half their group had gathered. "I . . . I don't know," she said slowly. "I . . . I just feel like . . . like something terrible is going to happen!"
"What, are you becoming psychic like that Egyptian lady?" Rex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, put a sock in it," Mai snapped in reply.
"I have felt a disturbance as well," Yami Yugi said gravely just as Alyson burst into the room.
"Mr. Pharaoh, sir!!" she shrieked.
Instantly everyone turned to look at her.
"What is it?" Yami Yugi asked in concern.
Shakily Alyson explained what was happening just down the hall. "Joey, Tristan, and Mako are trying to hold her down, but I don't know how long they can!" she finished.
Yami Yugi immediately headed for the door. "This could be very serious," he said.
"And it no doubt is," Yami Bakura put in.
"Tomb raider, I'm leaving you in charge here," Yami Yugi said as he disappeared down the hall with Alyson. "Don't foul anything up!"
Yami Bakura grunted and only continued to pet his cat.
Yugi, in the meantime, was in the bedroom watching Duke worriedly. The dark-haired boy was tossing and turning about, mumbling something about the full moon and burial at sea. Obviously he seemed to be recalling more of his grisly experience.
"Duke!!" Yugi exclaimed. "Duke, wake up!!"
The other boy didn't at first and then abruptly rolled out of bed with a thump and crashed on the floor. He gave a moan of pain as he was jerked back into the realm of awareness and then struggled to get his bearings.
"Are you okay?!" Yugi said, wide-eyed.
Duke blinked up at him. "Yeah . . . yeah, I'm fine," he replied at last with a sigh.
****
Vivalene stopped in a nearby field and smiled. "Yes . . . yes, this should do nicely," she said. "We shouldn't be interrupted here."
Rishid roughly threw Marik down on the grass and then towered over him dangerously. Suddenly he gave a slight smile and Marik's eyes widened in understanding. Rishid was pretending!
Vivalene didn't notice. Crossing her arms, she prepared for what she had planned. "Well, Rishid, why not just attack dear Marik now?" she said sadistically.
Rishid abruptly lunged and shoved her against a tree. "Perhaps because I would rather make certain that you get your comeuppance," he hissed.
"Oh!" Vivalene exclaimed, seeming to be surprised. Then her face twisted into a wicked sneer. "Seth, do your duty," she commanded.
Marik briefly wondered why Seth was working with Vivalene again after she had nearly killed him back in Frisco, but then his thoughts were interrupted as he went completely stiff, unable to move. "What are you doing?!" he cried, trying in vain to tear free.
Rishid turned to look, his eyes wide in horror. "Marik!!" he screamed.
Seth grinned. "You think this is good? Wait till you see what Vifa's got planned for you!"
Vivalene was concentrating hard, willing her charm to glow bright red. "Perhaps you were faking control earlier," she growled, "but this time it shall be impossible!"
Rishid suddenly gave a gasp of agony as overwhelming pain came over him.
Vivalene sneered as Rishid struggled against the bewitching powers of her charm. "It's truly hopeless, darling," she purred. "Even if you can resist for a time, you will eventually fall prey to its effects, just like all the others." She pretended to think. "Hmmm. Then I could simply lead you to your death, couldn't I?"
Rishid knelt on the ground, shuddering and shaking as he tried so desperately to keep control of his mind and body.
Marik, still frozen to the spot by Seth's evil magic, frantically tried to extricate himself as he watched his brother's agony. "RISHID!!" he screamed. "Fight it, Rishid!!"
Vivalene watched in amusement. "Remember when I tried to brainwash you, Rishid?" she said now. "Oh, but of course, how could you forget? After what I nearly made you do to poor precious Marik."
"I . . . I could never . . . never harm him," Rishid retorted, clutching at clumps of grass as the pain wracked through his veins.
"Never?" Vivalene pursed her lips. "I should like to put that to the test."
"No!!" Marik yelled, trying again to tear free. "No, you cannot torment him that way! Rishid doesn't deserve that, you witch!"
Vivalene simply began turning up the power on her charm. "Well, I don't often give people what they deserve, now, do I?" she smirked. "You know, this intriguing pendant's abilities actually rival that of the Millennium Rod's. I daresay it could be even more deadly and dangerous."
Rishid gave a cry of agony and suddenly froze, his body going rigid at Vivalene's command. This time he truly was under her control.
"Ha! You see?" the evil woman laughed. "Now he is at my mercy, and heaven knows I don't have any!"
Marik concentrated hard, slowly managing to wrench his right arm out of the grasp of Seth's dark magic. "Rishid will never listen to you, not even under your treacherous control!" he cried.
"Well, he may not want to, but I don't think he really has a choice in the matter," Vivalene sneered, making a motion as if she was kicking something. Rishid doubled over in pain, obviously feeling the effects of her imaginary blow.
"Rishid!!!" Marik screamed again, finally tearing himself completely free and running over. "Brother!!!" The teenager knelt down next to the adopted sibling he loved so much, his hands shaking. "Rishid, what has she done to you?!"
Rishid looked up at him, his golden eyes cold and blank. There was no recognition in them. He might as well have been looking at a stone.
Marik's heart thumped angrily as he raised his eyes to glare daggers at the evil woman standing before him. "No," he uttered low. "NO!!!!"
Vivalene cackled. "Let's try this again. Rishid, destroy that brother you love so much!" she ordered, her pendant glowing deep red. She brought her hands together as if about to choke something.
Emotionlessly the Egyptian man lunged at Marik, dragging him to the ground. Marik struggled in vain, not wanting to ever hurt Rishid—not even to save himself. "Fight this, Rishid!!" the boy yelled, his blood running cold as Rishid's strong fingers wrapped around his throat.
A prisoner in his own mind, Rishid was forced to watch, helpless, as he began choking the life out of his younger brother. "NO!!!!" he screamed. "No, I will not do this!!!! Stop!!! STOP!!!" In desperation he shoved at the invisible walls, trying to break them down. He had to get out! He had to stop this!! Marik would die if he didn't!
Marik gasped, his lavender eyes widening as his breath left him. "Rishid. . . . Rishid . . . fight this . . . brother . . . please . . ." Black spots began to appear in front of his vision as he was deprived of the oxygen he so badly needed in order to survive. "Rishid . . ."
"It's useless!" Vivalene cried.
Marik's pained voice ripped at Rishid's heart as he continued to wrestle with the unmoving walls. Now the boy was obviously barely clinging to consciousness as he frantically yanked at Rishid's unmoving hands. "Rishid . . . don't," he pleaded. "Please let go. . . . I can't breathe, Rishid!!" he cried. "I . . . I can't . . ."
"MARIK!!!" Rishid shouted, his voice reverberating off the walls. At last he managed to tear through the barriers locking him in and regain control of his body, fighting desperately once more against the pull of Vivalene's charm. "I . . . I will not . . . give in to this," he vowed, letting go of Marik's neck with tremendous effort.
Vivalene was momentarily startled, but then only laughed. "You broke free," she mused, "but it's a bit too late, wouldn't you say?" She pointed at Marik's body, now lifelessly laying in Rishid's arms. "You killed him."
Rishid looked down at Marik in utter horror. "No," he whispered. "No . . . no . . . this . . . this isn't possible!! No . . . Marik . . . no . . ." Shakily he reached out and touched his younger brother's cool cheek.
"He couldn't get enough oxygen to breathe," Vivalene said flippantly. "It is a pity." Smirking, she turned and began to sashay away, Seth in tow. "You did exactly what we wanted you to, with my gentle guidance, of course. Poor Rishid, strangling your own brother. I don't think you deserve to be his brother, do you?"
"Be silent," Rishid hissed, pulling Marik's body close to his heart as tears streamed down his face.
"Well, I do still need your brother's body for the little scheme I'm involved with," Vivalene said now, "but I suppose I can allow you some time to mourn his death. Oh, aren't I just generous now?"
"It is because of you this happened!" Rishid replied with conviction. "You did this!!"
Vivalene pointed to herself in a "who, me?" gesture. "I? I am the one who choked him to death? Forgive me, darling, but whose hands were wrapped around the poor thing's neck?"
Rishid laid Marik down and frantically bent over his pale form, trying so hard to restore breath to the boy he loved so dearly. He narrowed his eyes, willing Vivalene's words to bounce away harmlessly—but they would not. It had been he who had pressed against Marik's throat, cutting off his air supply. It had been he who had mercilessly let his brother pass into oblivion from lack of oxygen.
But no! Those had only been his body's actions, manipulated by Vivalene's evil desires. He himself . . . why, he had been fighting so hard to regain control! If he had been able to prevent this, he would have gone so far as to give his own life to do so.
The conflicting emotions surged through Rishid's veins as he continued vainly to apply artificial respiration. At last he leaned back and gathered the much-too-limp body into his arms once again. "Marik . . . you did not deserve this," he whispered, choking on his words. "You did not!! If only . . . if only . . ." He trailed off. Vivalene was right! He didn't deserve to be Marik's brother. He didn't even deserve to be so much as a servant! Look at what he had done! Marik was so still . . . so like a ragdoll. . . .
Rishid couldn't bear this. Burying his face in Marik's soft blonde hair, the Egyptian man began to sob.