Chapter Seven

T'Kai rested one furry paw on a folded knee as he sat beside the embers of the dying fire, quietly staring at the gentle face of Kiara as the morning sun crept over the horizon at his back. He lowered his head against his shoulder, bowed by the mental anguish of a reality that he could no longer deny.

"Go away," the young boy whispered desperately at the coming of the dawn; the breaking day that would forever rob him of joy. He was being childish about it all, he knew, but after a long night of thinking he was convinced that simply allowing this to happen with no resistance would haunt his soul forever afterwards.

The young creature gave a small start as he heard a rustling at his back, then at once calmed down as his Lord Takeru came to his side and knelt beside him. "Did you stay up all night again?" the blond-haired human asked in a whisper, glancing over at the other boy with evident concern in his eyes.

The a'ladon looked to be on the verge of tears, and did not turn away from Kiara as he answered. "I did not want to sleep, Lord. I feared that if I should, the morning would be here all the sooner."

T.K. looked back over his shoulder at the imminent sunrise. "And yet staying awake didn't stop it from coming, either."

T'Kai's lips quivered for a moment, then he gave a short whimper of grief and turned to the other, flinging himself into the arms of the young human and embracing him tightly. He buried his face into the boy's shoulder and wept fiercely, great sobs making his little body shudder in pain. "Lord! I... I can't... I can't do this!" he stammered. "I thought that I might, but now know that I can't! It hurts too much even to think about it... I can't..." He had too long denied the truth of what he had to do that day, and could no longer stand under the weight of that truth without someone to bear it with him.

T.K. wrapped his exposed arm, the one which had been left bare when he had torn the sleeve from it in a failed attempt to save Davis' sight, around the young creature tightly. "I'm so sorry, T'Kai. I am... more than I can say. I know how hard this must be for you, feeling for her what you do."

The little creature continued to whimper for several more moments, moments during which T.K. remained cautiously silent and could only hold the a'ladon tightly as he wept. There was nothing that the young human could say which would not sound both contrived and shallow. Though he could be there for the other boy, he could not know his pain. It was a long time that T.K. held the little creature until his crying mercifully came to an end, and then T'Kai turned his blue, tear-stained face to the blond human. "Lord? Will you... will you do something for me?"

T.K. nodded once, solemnly. "I will. Anything."

The boy's lips were still quivering and the tears were still in his eyes, but now the rest of his expression had become solid and composed. "Then... then I want you to teach me to speak 'Takeru's Vows', my Lord."

The human was taken aback for a moment, not having been prepared for such a request from the other. But he instantly recognized the enormous significance of it. Unless traditions had changed significantly since their last visit to this land, T'Kai would essentially be asking Kiara to wed if he recited to her what the a'ladon knew as 'Takeru's Vows'. Perhaps more. He would be pledging his life to hers, vowing never to consider another to be his wife even if she did not accept him as her mate. T.K. hesitated for a moment. "T'Kai, I don't think--"

"Lord, you promised," the child murmured persistently. The look on his face was almost desperate, and he took both of the boy's hands in his little paws and squeezed them tightly. "Please."

The human boy's heart was heavy as he saw the determination in the other's eyes. "And you'll hold me to that promise, T'Kai?" he asked, looking down at the boy sadly and remembering what Mylam's grandfather Killian had told him long ago. The Vows are holy, Lord. The most sacred promises that any of us can speak to another. Of you it is said that your flesh shall fail before your Vows will, and our faithfulness can be no less. His expression was grave as he pulled the little creature's paws close to his chest. "You know what the Vows mean, else you would not have asked. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Lord, I will lose her within the day. I know now that nothing can prevent that. I must leave her with something, and have nothing else to offer."

The profound declaration struck at T.K.'s heart, so deep and evident was the emotion of the other boy. He could not remain with Kiara nor she with him, yet T'Kai would bind his life to hers for ever after. No. No, he could not allow the boy to do that. No when he was so young, with so many years left in his future.

But then the young human stopped, the words of denial still on his lips. Had he not, in word and in deed, made essentially the same promise to Kari? His own life was the basis for the laws of the a'ladon, and it was his devotion to the girl that had given rise and meaning to the creatures' Vows. Sometimes he had acted clumsily and awkwardly blurted out what the little creatures said so poetically as they knelt before their chosen mate, but in the end, was it not the same? He had promised his life to Kari, and very nearly given it for her on several occasions. How could he deny T'Kai the chance to knowingly do the same?

"All right, then, T'Kai," the human boy said quietly, moving his head close to the a'ladon's. "This is what your people say... "

************

Kari was awake moments later, and smiled a charming 'good-morning' in T.K.'s direction. The two had slept side by side the previous night, T.K. no longer overly concerned with his passionate desire for the girl after having renewed his vows as his Crest had bade. He was strong, and could hold tightly to those vows. Yet his words in no way prevented the pair from sharing with one another a lovingly extended series of goodnight kisses before sleep finally came upon them.

At once she caught the heavy-hearted expression on his face, though he moved quickly to conceal it from her. The look was so seemingly disconsolate, in fact, that for a moment she worried for his well-being. And so, after giving Davis a brief nudge to rouse him from his sleep, she moved to his side and took his hand in her own. "T.K.? Is something wrong?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, and for once didn't seem to care as several strands came to rest directly in front of his eyes. "I think I made a mistake," he confessed, seemingly engrossed in the study of their conjoined hands. "Maybe a bad one. But I don't think I'll ever know for sure. Is it a mistake to make a bad decision when there aren't any good ones, Kari?"

She turned her head sideways, studying his face. "Do you mean about last night?"

Now he did look up, and smiled just a little. "No. No, we did right last night. At least in the end. But now..." The boy trailed off and looked back to where T'Kai sat, alone and evidently deep in thought.

Kari followed his eyes, and seemed to comprehend the boy's dilemma. Which was somewhat surprising in itself, as she'd been sound asleep when the pair had been speaking earlier. "T.K., if you told him what you think is right then it's all you could do. He trusts you, but he's bright enough on his own." She looked at him quizzically. "What did he ask you about?"

The boy shook his head in response. "He didn't want me to tell you about it. You'll find out later, anyway. We're supposed to witness for him... or something like that. Come on. Let's go see how Davis is holding up this morning. That rash on his face looked like it was starting to get worse."

'Worse' was not the word for it. Sometime during the night the brown-haired boy had unconsciously pulled off the makeshift bandages that had been covering his eyes, and now Kari and T.K. were able to see just how bad the condition of his face had become. "Oh my God," Kari exhaled in horror, then quickly silenced herself by bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.

"What's wrong?" the other demanded as he reached up to scratch at the dry, tender skin around his eyes. But what he could not see, and apparently could not feel either, was that each time he drew his fingers across the injury his nails pulled off a great amount of the damaged flesh. And he had evidently been scratching at it for a very, very long time.

"Davis, stop!" T.K. exclaimed, leaping forward and pulling Davis' hands away from his face, gripping his wrists tightly.

"Hey! Get the hell off of me, T.J.!" Davis returned, violently yanking his hands out of the other's grasp and continuing to rub at the blisters surrounding his eyes.

A small trickle of blood rolled down the left side of the boy's face, a thin trickle that he didn't even seem to notice as he continued to scratch. "Jeez, this is driving me nuts!" he complained, irritated.

"Davis!" Kari snapped, managing to steel herself against the gruesome sight long enough to stay the boy's hands. "You hold still so we can put those bandages back on your eyes right this instant!"

Davis gave a broad smile in the direction of the girl's voice; a smile which further cracked the surface of the tender skin around his face and caused an alarmingly large lesion to appear on his upper cheek. "Worried about me, huh, Kari? And you almost had me thinking that you didn't care."

"Of... of course I care, Davis!" the girl stammered insistently even as she closed her eyes against the horrific sight. The blindness was bad enough, but now it was clear to her that the Saurian's spittle was eating away the boy's flesh right in front of her eyes. And there was nothing that they could do for him...

"Oh, okay," the boy drawled out, then paused and rubbed at the injury one last time. His hand, as he pulled it away, was covered with blood. "But I swear that this itching is going to drive me insane."

************

It was much later in the day by the time that T.K. and Kiara alone reluctantly concluded that they'd done all that they could for Davis. T'Kai had remained off by himself the entire time, possibly thinking over what he was about to say to the girl or possibly in silent protest to actually helping the dark-haired human recover from his injury. And Kari could no longer cope with the sight of the other boy's ruined face enough to be of any meaningful help. Not without becoming physically ill. And so T.K. and the young a'ladon priestess were forced to extemporize a solution to the problem as best they could.

Kiara had surrendered the smooth, pinkish sash that had been draped over her shoulder as a new bandage for Davis' face. It was much longer and much more smooth than the material of T.K.'s shirt that they'd used earlier, which hopefully would prevent any further irritation of the wound. And though T.K. was no doctor, he nodded in understanding as the girl warned him about the pending danger of infection. But none of this made its way to Davis' ears as T.K. moved to his side and placed an affable hand on his shoulder. "Feeling any better?"

"If I say yes, will you two go away? Where's Kari?"

T.K. looked to where the brown-haired girl stood alone. Her back was to them all, but he could tell from the visible shaking of her shoulders that she was crying. "I think she had a headache and went to sit down for a while. She needed a rest before we moved on."

Davis grunted in an evasive fashion as T.K. moved to Kari's side and placed his hands gently upon her shoulders. "You okay?" he asked gently, feeling the girl shake beneath his grasp.

"Oh, T.K. That's just. I mean, what are we going to do for him?"

The blond-haired boy frowned. "Quietly... not where he can hear us," he whispered, guiding the girl to the opposite side of the camp and glancing back over his shoulder at the other boy before sighing in frustration. "I don't know what to do, Kari. I've never seen anything like it before. I guess we've just got to keep his hands away from his face as much as we can, but Kiara's right. Sooner or later that's going to get infected. We'll just have to get him back to our world as soon as we can, then hopefully... " he trailed off, as clueless about what to do as she was.

The pair stayed silent for a moment before T.K. caught sight of their two young a'ladon friends creeping silently away from the camp, paw-in-paw. He nodded, then indicated them to the girl. "Come on. We can't do anything more for Davis right now, but T'Kai said it was important to him for us to see this. I think he wants your approval."

Kari returned a quizzical look. "Approval for what?"

"You'll see. Trust me, it'll be more fun for you if you're surprised."

Kari's interest was more than piqued. "Davis!" she called to the boy, who sat alone and was sullenly gnawing on one of the little strips of dried meat that the a'ladon had provided them in the way of food. "Don't go anywhere. We'll be back in a second."

Davis in no way acknowledged the words, so Kari had no way of knowing whether or not he understood, but T.K. would not be stalled in this matter and followed T'Kai with the girl's hand still firmly in his grasp.

The two human children crept very close to the thick grove of trees, then quietly sat down on the verdant ground and watched as T'Kai led Kiara into the clearing by the paw. Kari looked to T.K. in confusion, but the boy only nodded to the other pair in response. When at last the two reached the center of the dell, T'Kai released his grip on the girl and stood with his back to her for a couple of moments as if steeling his courage.

Kiara, to her credit, said not word about her young Warden's mysterious behavior as she stood there quietly, continuing to gaze at his back. Then the little a'ladon boy turned around suddenly and dropped to one knee in front of her, once again taking her paw in his own. The whiskers on his nose were twitching just a bit as he spoke. "Kiara... I know that we haven't known each other for very long, so what I'm about to say may sound a little... awkward." He paused, and looked at her with a curious expression on his face. "But then, maybe you will understand when no one else would."

The girl remained silent, smiling down upon the red-haired boy at her feet. Her heart was in those eyes, as it had been since the magic of T'Kai's Holy Symphony had awakened her the prior day. T'Kai tried (unsuccessfully) to swallow the lump in his throat, the lump that now threatened to choke him at the most inopportune moment. His paws started to tremble, but his voice was surprisingly clear as he began his recital of the holy pledge that T.K. had taught him earlier. "Kiara? I p... promise to set your life above my own, and shall in all things defend you. This... this is my vow."

T.K. dared to glance sideways at that moment, wondering if Kari would share his concerns about this. The two young creatures would soon be forcibly separated, and T'Kai would have bound himself in a relationship that he could not consummate even if Kiara accepted his suit. But Kari, far from being concerned, seemed elated as she watched the scene unfold and clapped her hands together at hearing the words as they passed from T'Kai's lips.

"When night falls for you and in your darkest hour, I will sustain you with all that I am. This is my vow," the boy continued. He was no longer stuttering, and a halo of light fell through the canopy of trees to surround him as he spoke; an almost noble expression on his young face. "My own life shall I guard in your honor. This is my vow."

Kari's hand slid into T.K.'s and squeezed it tightly, and silently she moved closer until she was sitting right next to the boy, her thigh resting against his own. He allowed himself a weak smile as she rested her head against his shoulder. If she believed that T'Kai would come to no harm by speaking the Vows it was something that he would have to take into consideration.

T'Kai looked a bit flustered at his next words (as had T.K. when he'd instructed the boy), but faithfully continued on with his recital. "Your maiden's virtue shall I cherish the most, and neither I nor any other shall dishonor it until we are bound as one. These are my vows, Lady Kiara, for you are my light and I will never have another." Then the boy slowly lowered his eyes and pressed his forehead to the girl's paw.

After a long and tortuous moment of awkward silence Kiara stepped in close to the boy and took his bowed head in both of her paws, raising it so that she might look at his face. "I love you, T'Kai... little keeper of the promise," the girl replied melodiously, bending over and pulling his furry face forward to her own.

Tears were now falling steadily from Kari's eyes, and she wiped them away with her sleeve as she turned to the boy at her side. "Oh... T.K." she murmured quietly, embracing the boy's hand tightly. "I almost forgot how beautiful that was."

And now T.K. felt a faint tugging at his soul, and the Crest of Hope warmed gently against the skin of his chest. The boy was confused for a moment at the unexpected contact, but then the holy little relic put the words into his mouth that Kari most needed to hear at that moment. Her need to hear them was the reason for their perhaps overly anxious romantic encounter the night prior, and his voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke. "You see, Kari? There is still good; there is still an honest love about in the world. Some times it's just easier to see the unpleasant things..."

Kari was speechless and her face awestruck as she listened to the gentle words pass his lips, and her own lips were set to quivering as though she might cry. Did he... did he really know her so well that he knew just what she needed to see and hear at this moment? An affirmation that love had not abandoned them there, all alone in the midst of such evil? She sat silently for another moment or so and her eyes roamed freely over his face, the girl so happy that she didn't know how to express it.

Then she broke down and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him so tightly that the boy was almost thrown off balance. She squeezed him hard and buried her face into the curve of his neck before once again finding a voice that was still marked by a trembling sound of joy. "Did... did you teach him that, T.K.?"

T.K. gave a nod, and rubbed her shoulder gently. "He wanted to tell her... well, before... " He trailed off. There was no need to speak of the ultimate tragedy of the circumstances between the two young creatures now. That the love they'd waited on for so long could only be realized for a brief period of hours. Kiara's duty to her Order was clear, and she would not abandon the a'ladon to fulfill her own self-seeking needs.

Kari sighed, then reluctantly sat back up. It had been what she needed, and the girl felt stronger now and ready to face whatever else should set upon them. She smiled at T.K. "Come on. Let's go check on Davis again. These two should be alone for a while."

T.K. glanced back one last time at the little a'ladon, watching affectionately as the two stood there in the center of their glen, toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose and stroking one another's faces with their furry paws. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess they should," he agreed quietly.

************

T.K. stood with his arm about Kari's waist, the wind winding through his golden-blond hair as the little group stood on a small crag that overlooked the mouth of the cave which was their destination. A storm was beginning to gather overhead, and the temperature had dropped considerably since the clouds had first determined to black out the sky. The boy glanced to the side. "Are the two of you ready?" he asked, looking past Kari to the two young a'ladon.

"No," whispered the forlorn T'Kai in response, not even looking at the human for having his eyes locked on the mouth of the cave.

Kiara's lips quivered at the response, and she leaned her head on the taller a'ladon boy's shoulder. "T'Kai... my most beloved, you know that it must be this way. For our people. If I can trust in you to fulfill your vows, how can I possibly fail in my own?"

T'Kai could not respond... the terrible sorrow of their tale was heavy enough that the boy felt bowed beneath its weight. And so he was forced to signal his surrender to necessity through a helpless nod as he took the paw of his young ward and led her down the narrow pathway towards the gaping mouth of the cave. T.K., Kari and Davis followed wordlessly, the girl walking between the two boys as she kept a tight grip on each of their hands.

T.K. rested his stave against his shoulder as the humans caught up with the a'ladon, who had stopped at the cave's mouth. He placed a tentative hand upon the soft brown fur of Kiara's shoulder, and gave a warm squeeze of affection. "Is this it?" he asked her gently. "Do you go on alone from here?"

The young girl looked, for the first time now, confused and uncertain. Her brow was furrowed deeply as she spoke. "I'm... I'm not sure, Lord. I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing. I know that I am not supposed to awaken until I am inside, so I suppose that it must be..." She took a hesitant step forward.

T'Kai did not drop her paw, stubbornly refusing to let her go. "T'Kai," she whispered under her breath and in a despondent voice, not turning to face him.

Then the young boy exhaled a distressed resignation as his paw went limp and finally slip from Kiara's grasp. The girl's fingers twitched as if she would reach back for him, then came still and fell at her side. A small breeze wafted forth from the cave as Kiara stepped forward into darkness, and T'Kai frowned. His face came alive again as he jerked to attention. "Wait," he said sharply.

"T'Kai--"

"No, Kiara. I smell... Saurians."

Then Kiara lifted her furry snout in the same manner as the boy, sniffling at the air issuing from the cave. With her pretty mouth tied in a grimace, she glanced over to the humans. "He's right," she murmured. "And something else... there has been death here recently."

T'Kai stepped into the cave alongside Kiara and placed his forepaw atop her furry shoulder. "I'm coming in with you," he said fiercely, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I may have to give you up, but I won't let you get hurt. Not so long as I can prevent it." The girl opened her mouth to protest once again, then silently allowed it to close into a grateful smile.

Kari glanced to her side at T.K. and motioned for him to make the decision. "Us too?"

The blond-haired boy hesitated for just a moment. As he'd indicated to Kari earlier in the day, he had the uncomfortable feeling that this was one of those times that there was no good decision to be made. The purpose of the entire journey was to get Kiara safely inside this cave, and if there was danger in the offing then T'Kai was unlikely to be able to handle it alone. But Davis would be a severe hindrance to them if there was trouble ahead.

After a long moment, he grimaced in resignation. "I'll go. If there's going to be trouble then they'll need me. But I think that it'd be better if you stayed out here with Davis, Kari. He's in no shape to fight."

Kari responded with a small pout, but was just about to agree when a seething Davis interrupted her words of acquiescence. "Oh, sure. You'd like that, wouldn't you T.K.? You go inside and be the hero again while I stay out here and be useless. Well you can forget it. I go where I want to, and I'm going in there with you whether you like it or not."

"Davis? What are you trying to--"

"I'm just as good as you!" the brown-haired boy fumed, shouting in the direction of the other boy's voice and his hands closed in angry fists at his side. "So you can forget about trying to show me up in front of Kari again, got it?"

"Davis, come on. This isn't about--"

"Just shut up, T.K.! Shut up! I'm going in, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" With that the brown-haired boy started towards the entrance to the cavern, hands held out in front of his sightless eyes.

T.K. looked resigned to frustration, and bowed his head in Kari's direction to indicate to the girl that she should once again lead the other boy onward. He pulled the stave off of his shoulder and gripped it tightly in his left hand, but could not help but feel that there was something wrong with allowing Davis into that murky cavern. For just a moment, he was gripped by the completely illogical sensation that the place was trying to draw the dark-haired boy inside while desperately pushing to keep the other four of them away. But it was illogical, and he had no right to keep Davis away in any event. And so it was with a disquieted sigh that the golden-haired human child joined his companions on their trek into the depths.

And watching them from high atop the mountain, another pair of brown eyes closed in pain against the fateful decision of that one. He reached for the great trump at his side and was ready to sound it in warning, but then his paw clenched tightly and fell away from the mighty horn. The choice had been made, and he was forbidden to countermand the free will of mortals. He had hoped that the boy Takeru would have been able to prevent that disastrous decision, else that the boy Davis would have matured enough by this time to deny his foolish pride and jealousy.

"Oh, blind one... when will you finally see? Do you even know of the stripes that shall be laid upon this world because of what you have chosen? What you will take from them there are none that can give back."

************

A velvet curtain of darkness enfolded the small group as they walked slowly in, T'Kai leading Kiara firmly by the paw. Behind them trailed Kari, again holding onto the hands of both T.K. and Davis, the one out of love, the other out of concern. She also recognized the wisdom in T.K.'s reasoning for leaving Davis outside, but once again the brown-haired boy's unreasonable jealousy had overcome common sense. If there should be a fight he would be utterly useless and helpless without his sight, and was coming along simply in a grudging attempt to prove himself the equal of his golden-haired rival.

"I don't understand, my lord T'Kai," Kiara murmured quietly to the Warden at her side. "There are supposed to be many Sisters of my Order gathered here to instruct me on how I am to appease D'assan. I... I don't have any idea what I'm supposed to do without them."

T'Kai stopped the girl, and laid a tender paw upon her cheek. "No matter what, dearest... I know that you'll do right," he whispered quietly.

Kiara pulled the boy close and exhaled a gentle breath, abundantly grateful that he had chosen to remain with her despite her reservations. Her love for him had steeled her courage and allowed her to enter into that dark cavern, when she was not certain that she could have continued alone.

Daylight quickly faded behind the little group, and Kari instinctively raised her left wrist above her head that the Crest of Light would send forth its heavenly aura to illuminate the dark cavern. Now the light was soft and innocuous, responding to the girl's calm manner instead of lashing out with its violent radiance as it had when she'd been forced to defend against the Saurian the previous day.

"T.K., I don't like this," the girl said quietly to the boy. "Something doesn't feel right here."

Over the years T.K. had come to respect the girl's feelings, and in any event the lingering sensation of antagonism that he'd felt from the cavern earlier still echoed at his back. "I know," he answered, reaching beneath his shirt and coming up with the Crest of Hope. At the moment its golden hue was muted and without brilliance, save for a brief moment when it flickered at him in irritation at having been roused from its time of rest without need. It had been expended a terrific amount of energy the previous day, both in the battle and in its scathing communication with the boy, and though it could pour out such power in exponentially greater intervals if need be it was only after a period of rest that it felt completely comfortable again.

The attack came without warning.

Silently a long, prehensile tongue shot out of the shadows ahead of them and wrapped itself around T.K.'s wrist, yanking the Crest from his hand and sending it scattering across the cavern floor while pulling the boy forward and off of his feet. Kiara screamed as T'Kai quickly whipped out his long dagger, but then another of the creatures' tongues snaked forth from the darkness and wrapped itself around the a'ladon's furry paw and pulled the weapon from his fingers.

As the two boys struggled against the seemingly impossible strength of their captors the third, the gray-skinned leader of the group, stepped forward from the shadows. "Now, that is a bit more like what I had in mind last time."

"Kari! What's happening?" Davis murmured fearfully, clutching for the girl as he once again heard the guttural voice of the one who had blinded him.

The heavily muscled creature slid over to Kiara's side even as T'Kai struggled to pull his paw free from the slimy tongue of his captor. The girl cringed away from the reptilian claw that reached for her. "And you, child... you are the promised sacrifice for the demon that would torment your people, yes?"

"Get away from her!" T'Kai howled, furiously pulling against the bond that the lizard-man's tongue had around his furry forepaw. Feverishly and in vain he struggled, and for a moment T.K. was fearful that the boy might willingly yank his own arm off to get at the leader of the creatures.

But T.K. was more aware of his surroundings than the a'ladon boy was, and bit back the righteous anger that was blinding the other. He could see that the Crest that had been pulled from his grasp was much too far away for him to reach while he remained bound as he was, but T'Kai's little weapon, on the other hand.

The golden-haired human gave one tremendous pull against the tongue that bound his wrist and then darted forward towards the Saurian, diving at its clawed feet and grasping for the handle of the a'ladon's little weapon. Feeling his fingers come into contact with the cold metal hilt, the boy rolled to his feet and shouted for T'Kai as he hurled the sword blade-over-pommel towards the young creature.

The leader of the Saurians saw what was happening and sent a gob of gooey black mucus at T.K.'s face, but this boy was much faster and more aware than the one that he'd blinded the day before. This time the young human ducked to the ground, and both of them heard the venomous spittle as it struck the face of his captor instead. The green-skinned creature released its hold on T.K. as the saliva splattered into its eyes, causing it to cry out with an eerie wail of agony. Out of the corner of his eye, T.K. watched as T'Kai somehow managed to snatch his little weapon out of the air without severing his own fingers, then in one clean stroke sliced off the tongue of the creature which had been holding him.

T.K. extended his hand and leapt for the Crest of Hope, which was calling to him from the far side of the long corridor. But just as he jumped he could feel the tongue of his assailant once again snake forward to wrap around his ankle, the lizard having shaken off his leader's unintended attack with very little damage to himself. The air burst forth from T.K.'s lungs as he hit the stone floor hard, his leg pulled out from underneath him. Frantically he scrambled for the shimmering Crest, just inches out of his grasp. Behind him, the Saurian pulled in the opposite directions just as desperately... both knowing that the outcome of the battle would likely be decided in their impromptu tug-of-war.

This time the vigor of the young human was just enough to overcome the lizard man's strength, and the Crest of Hope exploded into golden light as his fingers closed around it.

"T'Kai, now!" T.K. shouted, throwing the fiery Crest towards the cavern ceiling and allowing its holy aura to rain down upon the young a'ladon boy.

The little creature's breath caught in his throat as he stood there, staring upwards and transfixed by the great golden light that washed over him. The tiny incandescent cinders of gold that effused forth from the little relic seemed to hang suspended in midair for just a moment, then marshaled themselves into formation and fell upon his body in an almost affectionate surge. T'Kai exhaled a loud gasp as the power of the young human's spirit once again joined with his furry body, strengthening him, changing him, until once again he was evolved into the great vulpine champion of the a'ladon people.

T'Kai stood with his eyes closed as the tempest surrounding him died down and the symphonic hymn that was in his ears gradually faded into silence. Then he turned his head to the side and caught sight of the Saurian that he had already wounded. With his strength now much greater than his opponent's, T'Kai leapt forward and drove his shoulder into the creature's stomach, knocking it backwards and to the ground.

"T.K.!" called Kari, picking up the boy's discarded stave and sending it rattling along the stone floor to his side. The human boy stopped the weapon's progress with his foot, then knelt and grabbed onto it firmly with both of his hands.

T'Kai heard the now familiar, guttural sound as the Saurian chieftain sprayed another gob of ichor at his back, and he quickly whirled about with a shout of "Grand Cross!" The boy's great blade, which had been transmuted just as he had, cut cleanly through the black spittle and sprayed it away from his face. As the lizard-man stared at him, astonished at the abject failure of his attack, T'Kai reached for the whistle strapped around his neck and brought it to his lips. As his paw fell upon the instrument the great light gleamed once again, and the single, tin device in his grasp changed as well, reforming itself into the form of a golden syrinx.

Without hesitation and again without knowing exactly how he knew what to do, the Warden blew a short series of shrill notes from the musical instrument in the direction of the lead Saurian.

The lizard-man gasped and fell to his knees, clawing frantically at his ears as the sound wafted forward to envelop him. The seemingly pleasant little tune was to him as a banshee's call, and it surrounded him and crushed both soul and body with an immeasurable force. He could not move, could not breathe... could not even think for the hallowed force that was being poured out upon him by the simple little melody. Closing his eyes and howling against the agony that the music vested upon him the creature started to squirm feverishly, then stiffened and fell face-forward to the floor as he exhaled his last breath.

On the far side of the cave, T.K. reversed his grip on his long stave and threw it like a spear from his position on the floor, nodding in satisfaction as it hit his Saurian captor squarely on the nose and sent it stumbling backwards into the cave wall. Feeling the creature's tongue retract from about his ankle, T.K. scrambled to his feet and swept up his weapon, then rushed forward and caught the pain-blinded creature with a quick series of blows to the ribs.

T'Kai leveled his great sword at the other green lizard calmly, his cobalt eyes staring down the shiny steel blade at it. "Leave," he ordered the creature, gesturing towards the cavern entrance with his weapon. "Leave, return to your lands and tell your people what happens to those who will dare enter the lands of the a'ladon."

Terror shown in the narrowed eyes of the creature, and he weakly picked himself off of the stone floor and limped back in the direction of the cave's egress. His partner, staggered from the pummeling that T.K. had poured out upon him, moved to join the first. "And take that with you," T'Kai finished, flicking his long blade at the body of their fallen leader.

The two Saurians bowed their heads in defeat, then each placed a scaly claw beneath the body of the gray creature and started to drag him from the cave. T.K. went to stand at T'Kai's side, and together the two boys watched the lizard-men depart. "I really hope that that's the last we see of those things," the a'ladon murmured, looking across at his partner.

T.K. nodded his agreement wearily as Kari stepped forward and gingerly took his hand in her own. "Are you okay?" she asked him gently, concern in her eyes.

The boy nodded, running his fingers back through his golden hair with a sigh then pulling her forward into a tight embrace. "I'm fine, Kari. I just wish that we didn't have to be fighting all the time. It's starting to weigh on me. It's making me so... I don't know... so tired."

Kari leaned forward, resting her forehead against the blond boy's chest. "Be strong, T.K. This can't go on forever," she whispered to him. "But while it is, I want you to know that I'll always be here if you need me."

T.K. pressed his lips against the top of her head, breathing in the pleasant fragrance of her hair. The Crest of Light in her hand continued to shimmer with her love for the boy, illuminating the cavern to an even greater extent than before. and included in the area that they could now see was a stone portal carved into the far wall, partially obscured by the shadows cast about the cave. T.K. released Kari from his embrace long enough to turn and see what the girl was staring at. With sadness in his eyes he looked over to where T'Kai (who was now much taller than his promised mate) stood silently with his arm about her shoulders, also staring at the doorway.

"Come on," the young Warden murmured sadly. "Let's get this over with."

************

A searing heat washed over the group as they passed through the doorway, the vulpine creature that was T'Kai leading the way with his great weapon tightly gripped in his paw. Close behind him, standing in the long shadow that he now cast was the girl Kiara. In the center of the group marched T.K., the burden of too many years of fighting weighing heavily upon his young shoulders, and behind him followed Kari and Davis, the girl still leading the blind boy on.

The five stepped out onto a narrow stone walkway, which spiraled down into the depths of the mountain. Kari leaned forward to peer over the edge but then stepped quickly back again, unnerved at just how far down the spiral path went. And more disturbing still, the brown-haired girl thought that she had perhaps caught a glimpse of a red-hot fire down at the very end of her range of vision.

The group walked along the pathway for what seemed to be an endless time, breathing becoming increasingly difficult for the heat and the sulfurous odor in the mountain. The sweat soaking Davis' bandaged face now mingled with the blood that he continued to shed beneath the cloth, combining with the other unpleasant elements of the cave to make him distinctly uncomfortable.

Through it seemed like hours, it was probably only fifteen minutes later when the group came to another small doorway in the opening of the wall of the cave beside the path which they were following. T'Kai looked back at Kiara. "Is this the place?" he asked, his long ears twitching as his sharp blue eyes (the only part of him which had not noticeably changed) stared at her.

"I... I don't know," she whispered. "It could be... but it seems to me that somehow--" Then she trailed off, wiping away tears with the back of her paw and choking back a sob.

T'Kai was grim in his resignation, and without another word turned and entered. It was piercingly dark in that room, but then Kari stepped in behind the large a'ladon and caused the shadows to melt away and unwilling surrender to the great light of her Crest.

T.K. moved in front of the girl as he heard a raspy voice begin to speak from somewhere on the far side of the chamber. "The light... " it exhaled in evident lamentation. The voice was haunting for its lack of any depth or soul whatsoever. "It burns. Stop it, please. I beseech you to make it stop."

The little Crest bound about Kari's wrist dimmed somewhat as the tension in her muscles eased, but still the holy aura did not cease all together. The eyes of T'Kai (being the sharpest of the group) caught a glimpse of a small, very dark-skinned creature sitting on what appeared to be a ridiculously oversized dais halfway across the room. Shortly thereafter the eyes of the others adjusted to the dim light, and each then caught sight of the creature as well. It seemed to be completely without privilege and was bowed with indignity, and T'Kai and T.K. both stepped forward in front of the others and approached it with caution.

The creature's eye flickered up at the pair in annoyance, and its voice took on a tone of great frustration. "Ahhh... again? No, not again, for pity's sake. For how long have I been bound in this... place? Kept here, listening only to the chastisement of the holy a'ladon priestesses?"

There was a long pause, and when the creature began again it sounded as though it had been crying. "Oh, how I long to be free again... Free... free... to be free to unleash my unholy terrors upon your lands. To defile your women and to devour their children. I long to hear the sounds of lamentation of the good and virtuous, long to rain down my ruin upon their lands and to consume their souls. Long, most of all to hear my righteous tormentors as they mourn in pain and sorrow."

T.K.'s blood ran cold at the words of the tiny, yet monstrous, creature. Its jet-black skin was shiny, but the sharp, pointed features made it appear to be something on the order of a wingless, hairless bat. Then it looked up at the small group, and the human boy stepped back involuntarily. The eyes of the creature were two fiery coals, burning with hatred and a rejection of all that was pure and untainted. Slowly its angry gaze flickered over the group, peering at each of them in turn. "And now one is no longer enough, yes? Now they must send seven of you to torment me and to bind me here as part of our bargain? Have I not suffered enough?"

Kari stopped to count their group again. One, two, three, four, five. No, they had not picked up two additional members while she was not looking... at least, not to her eyes. T'Kai swallowed and stepped forward. "You are the demon D'assan?"

The creature hissed, the wheezing sound making him sound like a dying animal. "That is what your people, in this time, in this world, call me, creature. Elsewhere I am known by other names, names with more power and more authority, where my existence is not so bound."

The Crest of Hope hanging from T.K.'s neck glimmered in strong defiance of the beast, sending a golden silhouette of light to fall upon the boy's face. The creature gave a start of recognition, then once again fell back into its lazy posture. "Ah, the great holy champion. The End Times come at last..." it murmured in what sounded like resignation, then stared closely at the blue-eyed child as if in confusion, and paused. "No. you are not Him, though the resemblance... But you are mortal. So my time has not yet come... pity."

T'Kai stepped to the front, his teeth clenched tightly. "By what right do you take Kiara from me?" he demanded of the beast.

The dark creature looked up, astounded. "Take her? From you? By all means, warrior, keep her from me. I beg of you. Rescind the accords which have kept me here for ages, and allow me free reign over this world again."

Kiara stepped forward to be next to T'Kai, gently placing a paw upon the soft fur of his arm. "I understand now, dearest. I am not to be his slave, but rather his conscience. And evil has no power when it has a conscience."

"So you are the chosen one, now," the dark creature murmured to the girl. "My jailor. Everlast. These others... your faithful escort, I assume?"

Then the creature stopped, lifting his snout to sniff at the air and gripping with angry claws the arms of his stone seat. "Wait... escort, yes. I can feel their righteousness, their sanctity, and their love. But there is something... nay, one with a delicious air about him that I have not felt in some... " he trailed off with a hiss, rising from his great throne and advancing towards the group on ebony hooves. Disturbingly enough, it seemed to T.K. that he was growing a little bit with each step that he took, as if he was inhaling breaths of air but not allowing them to escape. "Jealousy? Pride? Covetousness? Oh... the scent is like the breath of life filling mine nostrils!"

Now the creature was moving faster, dashing towards Davis as a wicked-looking set of spiked horns cracked through his flesh and burst from his forehead. "Yes, unconsecrated! You, who are without a blessing from the One! I long for your mortal soul, for your embrace. Come to me... Come to me now and make me whole again!" The creature's voice was no longer weak, no longer wheezing, and now echoed throughout the cavern with the resonant sound of a massive clap of thunder. Wicked, claws fingers stretched forward from his wrists, seeking to catch the brown-haired child in his deadly embrace.

"Davis! Kari! Get back!" T.K. shouted, setting his feet on the ground and gripping his stave tightly as D'assan loomed over him. The Crest of Hope was now wholly awake and exploded with golden fire, sending a holy aura upwards to dance upon the human boy's shoulders. "Get out! Now!"

And as the dark creature charged it grew, and grew, and grew...