Part II
Jupiter had to give it to Venus; the leader of the Inner Senshi did not exaggerate when she told of the beauty of her home world. The pastoral regions surrounding the Venusian Capital, Eros, were breathtaking. The Princess and her guard were currently taking in the sights surrounding the capital. Jupiter and four of her men were riding along as accompaniment. Though Venus assured them that there was no need for the additional security, Jupiter thought it best to take precautions, considering the warning Pluto had given her.
The group had stopped for a moment to enjoy the view from a low rise, which overlooked the capital. While her men took care of the horses, Jupiter allowed herself to enjoy the view. It really was quite peaceful here. However, her sense of peace was soon shattered as she noticed Venus approaching her, with a rather odd look on her face. By the gods what does that woman want now? She wondered.
"So Captain," Venus drawled. "What's the story with you and the Plutonian ambassador?"
A sense of panic began to stir within Jupiter. Does she know about the mission, or my true identity? "Pardon me, Lady Venus, but what do you mean story?"
"Oh come now Captain, you can not fool me. This is my area of expertise after all."
Area of expertise…Venus has experience with these sort of missions? I thought she had been bound to the Princess for years now…how could she? Jupiter was quickly becoming confused. "I still don't grasp your meaning."
Venus rolled her eyes. "Please, Captain, stop being coy. I saw the way you and the ambassador danced the other night."
"Excuse me?"
"I sense some strong feelings there. I believe that you and the ambassador hold the possibility for something quite interesting." Venus winked, "Trust me, I am the Senshi of Love, you know."
"What?" Jupiter stuttered. "She and I? N-no…we're not, that is to say…um"
"Venus, leave the Captain alone." Mars called approaching the pair. Jupiter had never been so happy to see someone in her entire life.
"But Mars even you can not deny the way they were acting the other night. You saw them yourself. I tell you that there's something there." Venus replied.
"Yes, I did see them. They make a striking pair on the dance floor indeed. I trust your senses, yet, perhaps the Captain is not ready to hear what you have to say." Mars took Venus by the arm. "Now come, the Princess has a question about some flower or another, and I fear that if you do not come and answer it simply Mercury will go into tutor mode, and put the girl to sleep."
Jupiter shook her head as she watched the two Inner Senshi make their way towards the Princess. "Imagine, Venus thinking that Pluto and I…" She muttered to herself. "I mean we'd never. It simply would not work. She's so…and I'm…" She sighed and shook her head. She had a duty to perform and could not allow herself to be distracted by such matters. After taking a few moments more to regain her composure, Jupiter made her way back to the rest of the group.
Not long after her return, the group began to make their way back to the palace. As they drew nearer to the capital, Jupiter allowed herself to relax more and more. Perhaps Pluto had been mistaken, or maybe the attack would come on one of the other planets. For it simply did not seem likely that anything could happen in this peaceful place. Jupiter was; in fact, about to send her men on ahead of the group, so that they could get an early start on their night off, when she noticed that Mars had broken away from the group. Mercury and Venus quickly joined her. Jupiter signaled to her men to halt and take up defensive positions around the Princess, and then made her way over towards the three women.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked upon reaching them.
"Mars senses something." Mercury offered.
"There is some heavy magic working in this area. I can feel it." Mars stated, her violet eyes narrowing in concentration. She uttered a few words that Jupiter could not understand and then closed her eyes completely. After a few moments Mars opened her eyes and pointed towards a group of hills east of their position. "It's coming from over there. Cloaking spell I believe. Someone doesn't want us to know that they are there, but they aren't smart enough to control their energy out put. I'd say we're dealing with an apprentice mage at best."
Venus nodded in agreement. "Probably some local thugs trying to make a name for themselves by attacking a royal convoy." She turned towards Jupiter. "We will handle this Captain. You and your men take the Princess back to the palace. We will join you as soon as this matter has been dealt with."
Jupiter couldn't help but remember Pluto's cryptic warning. What if this was what she had seen through the gate? Is this situation that dangerous? She couldn't take any chances. Jupiter had to do something. "Perhaps it would be best if we stayed together. Surely we can send a dispatch to handle these men once we have ensured the Princess' safety. There shouldn't be any need for the Senshi to become involved."
Venus waved the comment off. "This is my home Captain, and I will not allow anyone to threaten the Princess while she is a guest here. Now follow my orders."
Jupiter began to protest yet again, however the look in Venus' eyes told her that any further arguments would be useless. "Very well Lady Venus. My men and I will continue on with the Princess." She replied, turning her horse.
"Thank you Captain. We will follow you shortly." The three women rode off towards the east. Jupiter watched them until she saw three colorful flashes of light near the top of one of the hills. "Good Luck," she whispered and then looked away.
Jupiter rode over to the Princess and her men. "Lady Venus and the others have to make a stop at a village over that rise." she said, pointing towards the hills. "We are to continue on to the palace." The four guardsmen nodded in response. An odd look crossed the Princess' face for a moment as she looked towards the hills, then she urged her horse forward. Jupiter took one last look in the direction that the others had ridden, and shook her head. I have a bad feeling about this…
***
"Fire soul!" Sailor Mars screamed as she let another attack fly. She had been right. A small group of bandits had been hiding over the ridge. While they were few in number, the men were still managing to give the three Senshi a difficult time.
"Mercury, how many remain?" She heard Venus call.
"Not counting the Mage, I'd say four, but he's putting up powerful shields…there could be more." Mercury began to type furiously on her small computer's keypad.
"Mars, I thought you said this guy was an apprentice." Venus grunted as she took up a position next to the fire Senshi.
"I said he was probably an apprentice," she paused for a moment to duck under a green tinted energy blast. "Apprentices commonly fail to hide their presence completely. From that obvious energy output, I just assumed that whoever was performing the cloaking spell did not know better than to hide themselves, and was an apprentice."
Venus, after firing a Crescent Beam, replied, "Well, I believe you assumed wrong." Mars just shrugged and began to prepare another attack.
***
Jupiter could not shake the sense of dread from the back of her mind as she rode just behind the Princess. Things simply did not feel right to the thunder Senshi. "I sensed some danger concerning the journey but I do not know if it will befall the Princess or another in the party… Just promise me that you will be careful…" Pluto's words from the other night kept running through her mind. Is this it? Will one of the Inner Senshi be injured in this battle?
"They're fighting something aren't they Captain?" A voice asked, snapping Jupiter from her thoughts.
"Pardon me, Majesty?"
"I asked if they were fighting, Captain. I may not, as of yet, be as powerful as my Mother, but I can sense it when my Senshi transform in such close quarters." The Princess replied, glancing over her shoulder at Jupiter.
Jupiter, who found that she could not lie when those bright blue eyes were upon her, simply nodded. She urged her horse forward so that she was now riding alongside the Princess. "They did not wish to worry you Majesty, but the truth is that Lady Mars sensed something just beyond the hills and the Senshi went to investigate the matter."
"I assumed as much…" the Princess bowed her head for a moment, "I wonder when they will realize that I will worry about them no matter what they choose to tell or not tell me about their battles?"
"They only wish to perform their duty and protect you Majesty."
The Princess sighed. "Why do I need such protection? Why is it that my friends are the ones who must be placed in constant danger?" The Princess brought her horse to a stop. "Why does everyone always have to fight? Why can't there be peace? Can you answer me that Captain?"
Jupiter brought her horse to a stop as well, and turned to face the Princess. "I do not know why things are they way they are Majesty…I simply do not know."
***
Venus could not help but smile as the final thug fell to the ground. The men had put up a substantial fight, however in the long run they were no match for the Queen's Senshi. "Idiots…" she mumbled to herself as she stepped over one of the thug's bodies. "Mercury, is that all of them?"
The blue haired Senshi nodded. "Yes, he was the last." She pointed over towards the body Mars was currently examining.
Venus joined Mars by the body. "The Mage?"
Mars nodded. "By the amount of residual energy coming from the body, I would say so." She ran her hands over the corpse's gray uniform. "I don't recognize the uniform as belonging to any of the regional academies."
"It appears as if a new player has entered the game then." Venus sighed. "Just what we need…"
Mars stood and placed a hand on Venus' shoulder. "Whatever mystery that is here, we'll solve it together." Venus smiled and placed her hand over Mars'.
"Venus, Mars, I think we have a problem." Mercury called running towards the pair.
"What is it Mercury?" Venus sighed annoyed at the interruption.
"Well, my scanners are still picking up large amounts of energy."
"Residual energy from the battle, nothing more."
"That's what I thought at first as well. However, the energy is centered about ten miles from here."
"What?" Venus cried. She looked at Mars for confirmation.
Mars closed her eyes, and began to chant. After a few moments her violet eyes flew open. "By the gods, the Princess." That was all the confirmation the Senshi of Love needed. The three women broke in to an all out run in the direction of where they had left their horses.
***
The young guardsman tightened his grip on his sword. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Princess tending to the wounds of one of his comrades. They were lucky that they had stumbled across this cave. With only one way in or out it would be fairly easy to hold up here until the Captain returned with help or the Senshi arrived. He returned his gaze to the horizon and searched for any signs of help or their mysterious foe.
He couldn't believe that this was happening. One expected this sort of thing in the outer regions where he was from. Being Neptunian by birth, the guardsman was accustomed to random attacks. He shook his head, but an attack here so close to the imperial capital, had he not just lived it he would not have believed it possible.
They had been riding quietly along when the Captain and the Princess had suddenly stopped. Being the first to notice, he stopped his own horse and called to the other guardsmen. Two of them immediately turned their horses towards him. The third, an older member of the guard named Dai, however, must not have heard his call for he kept riding forward. He was just about to call out again when a bit of movement off to the side of the trail caught his eye.
Suddenly, a huge shadow crashed into Dai, sending the guardsman flying from his horse. He landed a few yards away with a sickening thud. The shadow was upon the fallen man in an instant. The young guardsman would never rid the sound of Dai's screams, as the shadow tore into his flesh, from his memory. Soon he noticed that other shadowy forms were slowly beginning to gather around the group. It appeared that the creature had brought some friends along for the ride.
"It's an ambush! Protect the Princess!" The Captain cried, drawing her sword. The three remaining guardsmen followed suit. The four warriors surrounded the Princesses' horse and began an attempt to repel the shadow's onslaught.
They fought in place for what seemed like hours though only a few minutes passed. The guardsman's arms began to ache from the repeated swing of his sword. The black, foul smelling, blood of the shadow creatures covered his hands and body. Sweat trickled into his eyes, causing them to burn. Yet just when he thought he could not remain astride his horse any longer, the enemy seemed to withdraw. He and his comrades began to cheer; however, the Captain raised a hand to silence them.
"We haven't won the day yet. The enemy is merely regrouping. We have to find some cover and we must find it quickly."
"We could ride towards the village where Lady Venus and the others are." One of the other guards suggested.
A strange look crossed the Captain's face at the suggestion. She shook her head as she wiped the creature's blood off of her sword and on to her saddle blanket. "No…it's too far to ride, in too open terrain. We'd leave ourselves wide open to another attack. And the capital is still too far away for us to attempt an all out flight." She re-sheathed her sword. "We have to get the Princess to some cover and then wait for Lady Venus and the others to find us."
The Captain took a few moments to survey the area around them. "We'll ride for those hills." She finally said pointing south. "Hopefully, we can find a suitable place to keep the Princess until help can arrive." The group readied themselves to ride. One of the more experienced guardsmen took point while the Captain rode in the rear. "Raise the alert at the first sign of any trouble. The Princess' safety is of the utmost importance."
They rode for some time with no sign of the enemy. Soon it became evident that the Princess was beginning to tire. The Captain called the group to a halt. "Princess are you able to continue?" She asked.
"I will be alright Captain. Just allow me a moment"
The Captain nodded and signaled for the men to remain close to the Princess. "What are they up to?" She wondered aloud. Suddenly, she drew her sword. "Be mindful men," she called, "Something is here."
"I don't see anything." One of the guards replied. The Princess fidgeted nervously in her saddle. The guard smiled at her. "Do not worry Highness, we will let nothing harm you."
The Captain turned her horse away from the group. "Something's coming." She looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group. "You men will have to ride on with the Princess."
"She's lost her mind," one of the others whispered. "There's nothing here."
Just then a low rumbling sound came to their ears. "What in Serenity's name is that?"
"That…" The Captain replied, "Is your cue to flee."
"One of us will stay to assist you in what ever battle is to come then."
"No, the Princess needs all three of you to ensure her safety."
"Captain, I do not think this is wise." The Princess cried.
The Captain smiled softly and rode over to the Princess. "I know you are concerned for my well being Highness. But I must protect you at all costs. These are good men; they will keep you safe. I must hold off whatever is coming so that they can make their escape with you." The Captain placed a hand on the Princess' shoulder. "I promise by Jupiter, Highness, that I will join you as soon as I can."
The Guardsman whipped the sweat from his brow. As soon as the Captain had made her promise to the Princess, he and the remaining men rode off with the Princess. He did not know what had become of the Captain. He was ashamed to admit that he had been too afraid to look back once they had started to ride.
They had only run in to one other shadow creature after leaving the Captain. They had dispatched it rather easily; only one man had been injured. The Princess was finishing to the tending of his wounds. The guardsman hoped help would come soon. They all needed rest and the Princess was acting strangely.
Not long after they had left the Captain, the Princess began to mutter to herself. The Guardsman couldn't be sure but it sounded as if she were repeating, "There's another Senshi…there's another Senshi." But that couldn't be. All of the Queen's Senshi in this region were with Lady Venus. Apparently the stress of the day was getting to the poor child. Help had to come soon. Surely the Senshi were on their way.
***
Finding what was left of Dai the guardsman did little to calm Venus' fears for the Princess. Mars, Mercury, and she had reached their horses in record time after Mars' vision. After some hard riding they had reached what appeared to be the scene of a small skirmish. A few yards away they had found Dai. Venus wanted to retch at the memory of the sight.
Now they were relying on Mars to track the Princess. Mars was very adept at sensing particular energy signatures. The Queen and the Princess left a unique magical trail wherever they went. There was a great deal of magical energy in the air but so far Mars was still able to home in on the Princess. They knew for certain that she was still alive. Her condition other than that, however, was unknown.
If anything has happened to the Princess…Venus gripped her horses' reigns tighter. She would not even consider the possibility of failure. In the entire time that the royal house of Venus had been responsible for the personal security of the sovereign of Imperial Kingdom of the Moon, not one Serenity had been lost. Her Princess would not be the first.
"Mars, how far?"
"She's close. There is quite a bit of energy being used east of here, but I sense the Princess is further south."
"Mercury, is your computer picking anything up?"
"As far as I can tell the trail south is clear. The energy to the east concerns me though. It is extremely high. I've never seen anything like it outside of the Senshi or the Queen."
Venus considered the remark for a moment. "We will just have to be extra cautious then."
They rode on, as the sky grew darker. Mars signaled for them to dismount as they reached a small grouping of caves. "She is very close. In one of these caves I'd wager," she whispered.
"Good. Mercury, scan the area. If anything is here other than ourselves and the Princess I was to know about it."
Mercury's hands flew across her computers' keypad. After a few moments she pointed to the cave that was the furthest south of their position. "There are four people in that cave. I'm not picking up any other life forms in the area."
Venus nodded. "Mars, is one of them our girl?"
Mars smiled. "Yes. She's there."
"Alright lets go. I'll take the point. Mercury, you are just behind, and Mars you cover the rear. Keep your eyes open just because we haven't picked anything up does not mean that the enemy isn't waiting for us."
***
The sound of rocks scraping together was what first got his attention. The guardsman drew his sword. "Princess, go to the rear of the cave. Stay behind us no matter what." He could hear footsteps now and they were getting closer. The other two men stood and drew their swords as well.
A shadow fell across the mouth of the cave. "Protect the Princess."
"Hold Guardsman!" A familiar voice called. Senshi Venus stepped into the cave.
The guardsman released the breath he didn't even realize that he was holding. "Lady Venus…thank Serenity!"
"Where is the Princess? Is she harmed?"
"I am fine Venus. But you must help the other Senshi."
"Other Senshi? Highness, Mercury and Mars are right behind me."
"No, the other Senshi. You have to help her. She's fighting something all by herself out there."
Venus turned towards the guardsman. "Are you certain that she did not hurt her head." The men looked just as confused as she felt. "Where is the Captain?"
"The Captain sensed something on the path and remained behind to face it while we rode on with the Princess."
"What?" Venus turned to Mercury who had now entered the cave and had begun to check the Princess for any injuries. "Mercury how is she?"
"Remarkably well, considering what she must have seen."
"Don't talk about me like I am not here." The Princess huffed "Venus, listen to me there is another Senshi out there that needs help.
Venus motioned for Mercury to follow her out of the cave. They met Mars where she was standing lookout just outside. "When I get my hands on that Captain…" Venus grumbled.
"You will thank her for ensuring the Princess' safety," Mercury finished.
Venus ignored the comment. "Imagine leaving the Princess under the care of just three guards. When there is so much evil in the air…"
"She did what she thought was best I'm sure love," Mars replied. "Now, the question is where is the Captain."
"And why does the Princess keep insisting that there is another Senshi?" Mercury added.
"Because there is another Senshi."
"Princess, you should remain inside the cave."
"Venus, I have been in that cave for hours. It smells. Besides I am not going anywhere until you go and help the other Senshi."
"Your highness we are all right here, there are no other Senshi on planet."
"Do I have to order you to do as I wish Senshi Venus?"
Venus' jaw clenched. She really hated it when the Princess pulled rank. "No, Highness. It is just that I believe that the stress of the day's events has caused you to become confused."
"I am not confused. I can sense when the Senshi transform and I felt four transformations today. Four, which means that there is another Senshi on planet."
"But Serenity…"
"Quiet!" Mars called cutting the argument short. "Something is coming." Venus and Mercury stepped in front of the Princess. A small hunched over form was slowly making its way towards them. Occasionally, a spark of green tinged electricity would flow out from the form and into the ground or sky.
"What is that?" The Princess whispered.
"Energy readings are weak." Mercury breathed.
The figure stopped moving, and appeared to look up at them. "Get ready." Venus ordered.
"Princess…" the figure croaked and then fell to the ground.
The three Senshi looked at one another and the rushed to the figure. "Careful," Mercury cautioned as they came up to the figure, which appeared to be a severely injured woman, "The electricity coming off of her body is weak but it would still give you quite a shock."
"What is she wearing?" Mars asked. "It looks like our battle gear, but the colors are all wrong." Venus knelt down and turned the woman over, and received a shock of her own.
"See I told you," The Princess piped up from behind the group, "there was another Senshi."
"Not only that, highness," Mars added. "But it looks as if our Captain has quite a bit of explaining to do…"