Disclaimer: Have never, will never.
*blabla* means thoughts sent to another
*************************** Chapter Three ******************************
"This isn't getting us anywhere," Talia murmured, looking back and forth between her sister and her mother. She glanced up at the sky. "And it's getting dark. Tori, you can argue with…Mother later. We need to get going."
Talia darted a glance up at her mother, not sure how the woman would react to her saying that name out loud. She smiled down at her, eyes full of love, and Talia let her concern drift away. Mother… It was such a foreign word to her, since she had never used it, or heard it said unless Father had been cursing her. Or Tori.
She listened grimly as Jaenelle invited them back to SaDiablo Hall for the night. Talia sighed, knowing Tori would argue this until the sun rose. There was no way she would stay in the same house as Mother.
"Okay," Tori replied simply.
Talia stared at her sister in surprise. She had…agreed? She watched her sister closely, then smiled at how she was studiously avoiding her gaze. Tori had wanted Talia to be able to spend some time with her mother, if she wished.
Her smile vanished in the next moment. So, she thought to herself, it had begun. She was already being pulled in two directions, and neither her sister nor her mother knew a thing about it, because neither of them was trying. The battle was one she fought against herself. One the one hand, the longer she found herself around her mother, the more she wanted to stay with her. She yearned for loving, comforting arms. Open affection. Things Tori wasn't able to give. But, on the other hand, she needed to feel safe. She needed the security of knowing someone was always watching her back and that she could trust them with her life. And it was obvious, even to Talia, that her mother was no fighter. She would try, valiantly, and fail. Tori would not.
"How far away is it?" Tori asked, frowning deeply as she noticed Talia withdraw into her thoughts.
Jaenelle smiled. "Very far, if you plan to walk. But we'll be taking the Winds."
Tori refrained from asking about the Winds, knowing she would see them soon enough. As they started moving, she watched as Talia seemed torn about who to walk beside. Glancing at the man that walked with Lyra, and the one on her other side, Tori nodded to herself, knowing that they possessed enough strength to protect her if they were attacked. Fixing their psychic patterns in her mind, she also secured that if Talia was hurt by them, she would be able to find them no matter where they had gone. That settled, she quickened her pace and walked away from the small group.
Without really meaning to, she found herself walking beside Jaenelle. She could feel the subtle, light probes as they skimmed over her first barrier, not trying to get through, but trying to understand. Tori waited, not objecting but not encouraging either. She endured as Witch skimmed over the half-healed wounds of her mind, and slowly put together the pieces of information that floated around in there. She endured, because she knew that if she tried to hide from her, blocked out the delicate probes, then she would be forbidden to enter SaDiablo Hall with Talia.
"It is not her fault," Jaenelle said softly, the probes vanishing.
Tori frowned, knowing she had reached a decision about her, but unable to discern what. "She should never have sent us away."
"It was dangerous here, before the Purge. You would have been subjected to things…very bad things." A darkness filled Jaenelle's eyes that was achingly similar to Tori's own. "She didn't know about him."
Tori scowled blackly. "She bedded him. Twice." Her scowl lessened reluctantly as thoughts-memories-reasserted themselves.
"But…" Jaenelle prodded, seeing her reconsider a little.
Tori sighed. "But he was a two-faced bastard. The nicest, most caring man you'll ever meet in public."
"Was?" Jaenelle inquired lightly.
Tori's scowl vanished completely as her lips curled in a fierce, dangerous smile. "Yes. He's dead now."
Jaenelle reached up to fluff her hair, frowning as she thought. "I'm pretty sure Papa hasn't said anything about him becoming demon dead."
Tori's smile grew. "He didn't."
"Oh." Jaenelle dropped the topic, although she looked as if she wanted to find out how she had done it, and stopped in front of a small platform.
Tori hissed in a soft breath, staring at all the interweaving jewel colors that shimmered like spider webs caught in the morning light. Her dream. But no, that wasn't right. She had been looking down on it, and a quick glance around showed that there were no houses.
"This is a Landing Web," Jaenelle explained to Talia and Tori. "Um…this is kind of hard for me to explain. Papa?"
Tori watched the man that had yelled at her before step up beside Jaenelle. "The Landing Webs are places where you can access the Winds, which are psychic roads in the darkness that take you from one place to the other."
Talia perked up.
Tori nodded slightly.
Talia returned her attention to the man.
"There is a Web for each of the Jewels," he continued. "You can travel along your rank or higher. If you try going on a darker one, the effects will be…unpleasant."
Talia looked confused. "What's so hard about explaining that?"
The man grinned suddenly. "Finally, a female who understands!"
Jaenelle made a face. "I see things a bit differently. To me, they're all a tangled mess, with no separation. And the shadows they make…"
Tori saw the males shudder and smirked, before returning her attention to the Landing Web. Jaenelle was right, she thought. There were shadows. Tori scowled deeply, staring into the shadows of the Winds. It almost seemed…as though something was moving. But that couldn't be right. Could it?
"You do have your Birthright jewels, don't you?" Jaenelle asked, pausing suddenly as she turned to step onto the platform.
Talia nodded, calling in her green Jewel necklace. Tori, deciding not to bring in her large Ebon-Gray necklace, called in her Ebon-Gray studded ring. She watched in amusement as the man that stood next to Jaenelle seemed to pale.
"You've made the Offering already?" He asked, his voice unsteady.
Tori blinked at him. "What's the Offering?"
"Mother Night," the man groaned, his legs giving out.
"Papa? Papa!" Jaenelle called shaking his arm. When she got no reaction, she punched him. "Saetan!"
The man looked up blearily. "Don't make me train her, witch-child. Please?"
"I don't understand," Jaenelle said plaintively. "Train who?"
"Her," Saetan said, pointing to Tori. "She wears Birthright Ebon-Gray."
"Oh…"
"Is there a problem with that?" Talia asked, just a bit defensively.
"Well, I think Papa's worried that teaching Tori would be like teaching me all over again." Jaenelle smiled fondly at her father. "Poor Papa almost didn't make it through it sane."
Saetan climbed to his feet wearily. "Sometimes I wonder, witch-child, if I really did."
Jaenelle giggled. Talia grinned. Tori scowled even more deeply.
"I don't need training," Tori said, crossing her arms and glaring down at the man. "Especially not from you."
"When you make the Offering after your Virgin Night, you'll come into a lot of power," Saetan explained patiently. "You'll need to know how to handle it."
The air instantly filled with a biting cold and the ground and nearby trees were covered in ice. Tori looked at Saetan with eyes gone completely black, and he took a shaky breath, steeling himself for an attack.
"Virgin Night?" Tori asked, her voice deceptively quiet compared to the rolling thunder just behind her words.
"Don't," snarled a deep, midnight voice, bringing a cold that rivaled her own.
The others looked on as the two snarling Queens engaged in a stare-down, both angry and willing to fight.
Talia grew worried, both for her sister and Jaenelle. If Tori decided to push the fight, Jaenelle would win, but not without shattering her Chalice and destroying this entire Realm. Taking a deep breath, Talia sent herself forward, disappearing and reappearing directly in between Tori and Jaenelle. She hovered in the air a bit, until her was tall enough to look her sister directly in the eyes.
*Tori,* Talia called, reaching out to touch the side of her face gently.
Tori struggled for control, closing her eyes to concentrate on Talia. When she opened her eyes again, the cold had vanished and Talia stood there looking vaguely annoyed.
*You're not going to make our stay here easy, are you?* Talia asked in resignation.
*Sorry?* Tori suggested, not sounding a bit apologetic. *They seem to have a knack at hitting all the wrong buttons.*
*Yeah,* Talia agreed.
Tori sighed. *All right. I'll make a supreme effort not to kill anyone during our stay.*
Talia grinned happily. *Thank you!*
"We should go now," Talia said, turning to look at Jaenelle. "Before anything else comes up."
Jaenelle nodded. "When we get to the Hall, Tori, I will need to speak with you," Witch said.
Tori grunted softly and stepped onto the platform with Talia at her side. Jaenelle stood beside and Tori watched as she gathered up the Green-Jeweled Wind and wrapped it around them. Then they were off, pulled into another place. Tori looked all around them at the lines of Wind. Above her she could see the Opal Wind running the exact same course, and above that were the rest of the lighter Jewel colors. Below her was the Sapphire Wind and the darker jewels.
She saw all of that in less than a moment, and then they were out, standing before a large gray stone castle that oozed with Black power. Talia stared at it, wide-eyed, and unafraid. Jaenelle looked at them, gauging their reactions. Tori stared at the monumental building for another moment before turning to the Jaenelle.
"Your father, Saetan, did all of this?" Tori asked skeptically.
Jaenelle nodded, leading the way up the steps. "Yes. He is the High Lord of Hell. I think you should keep that in mind, Tori. He wears the Black, which is stronger than you right now."
Tori made a noncommittal noise as she continued to gaze around, too deep in her own thought to pay much attention. As they climbed the stairs, she looked up, once again remembering her dream. Yes. This was the right place, and the Web behind her was the one she had been staring at so intently.
The large door opened just as they approached, revealing a Red-Jeweled Warlord Prince playing the role of a butler.
"Lady," he murmured his greeting.
"Good evening, Beale," Jaenelle smiled. "Would you mind telling Mrs. Beale that we are having two others for dinner?"
"Yes, Lady," Beale said, politely nodding to Talia and Tori before he left.
Jaenelle turned to Talia. "Papa and Lyra should be arriving any moment now, Talia. If you want, you can wait for them in the library."
"You have a library?" Talia asked, her eyes lighting up. "Where?"
"Beale will show you the way," Jaenelle said, seeing the butler returning, rather out of breath. She turned to Tori. "This way."
Talia hesitated, nibbling on her lower lip worriedly, until Tori nodded to her. Reluctantly, she followed Beale, glancing over her shoulder as she left.
Tori followed Jaenelle into a large, comfortable living area. It was so far from what she had expected, that she stood in the doorway for a moment while Jaenelle curled up in a plush, high-backed chair. Tori looked from the other chair beside her to the couch on the other side of the table. She took the couch after a moment's debate, thinking she might need the distance if Jaenelle decided to attack.
"You know," Jaenelle began, tilting her head at Tori consideringly. "You and Daemon would make great friends."
Tori held her tongue, biting back the retort that she didn't want friends. Not knowing anything positive to say to that, she waited, watching the woman in front of her carefully.
Looking slightly unnerved by her silence, Jaenelle doggedly continued. "He's prickly too, but not nearly so much as Lucivar. As a matter of fact, I think you would get on great with both of them."
This time, Tori couldn't stop her harsh comments. "I'm not here to make friends, Lady. My only concern is Talia. I'll do my duty while you do yours. If you don't bother me, I won't bother you."
Strangely enough, Jaenelle seemed to warm to her at that. "Your duty? If Talia's a burden to you, we would be glad to keep her."
Tori snarled, her hands clenching into fists. "The only way Talia's getting rid of me is when *she* says she doesn't want me by her side."
The mood shifted suddenly, and Tori watched as the eyes shifted from summer-sky to midnight blue. She was no longer talking to Jaenelle. She was speaking with Witch.
"Why do you hate your mother so?" Witch asked gently.
Tori's expression hardened. "Why is this so important to you, Witch?"
"I need to know how deep your loyalty lies with the child Talia."
Tori looked away, studying the wallpaper on the far wall. "I would give my life for hers," she said softly. "And shatter my mind if it meant she was kept safe."
"Why?" Witch pressed, forcing her gaze back to her.
"She is my sister," Tori said between gritted teeth as she struggled not to loose her temper.
"That's not the only reason."
Tori's temper snapped and her eyes blazed black. "It is none of your concern!"
"Wrong," Witch said, power rolling through the room like thunder. When Tori seemed to once again regain control over her anger, she continued. "There was another reason for summoning you two here. Trouble is coming, and I won't be strong enough to beat it alone."
"What kind of trouble?" Tori asked cautiously, not wanting to get drawn in, but having the sickening feeling that she already was.
Jaenelle stood. "Come. I'll show you the tangled web."
Tori stood as well, and in the next moment, they were in another room. She shivered at the feel of the power that saturated the walls. It was the dark, masculine scented power of the High Lord's Black. No. This was even darker, and had a distinctly feminine feel to it.
Jaenelle led Tori to a corner of the room silently, where a giant tangled web stood, fastened by a jewel darker than the Black. It took Tori a moment of staring at the jewel to place its name. Ebony. An uncut Ebony Jewel, to be precise.
"Look," Witch said, pointing to the web.
Tori obeyed, looking into the tangled web. As she opened her mind to the web, she felt herself slipping further into the vision, but didn't move to break it. Something inside of her tugged at her thoughts urgently. She needed to see what was there.
Blood filled her vision, it soaked everything, turning the rivers and oceans red and the land black. Complete destruction of the entire world. Everything in pain. No one spared.
Confused that this seemed to be all, Tori pushed her mind further into the dreams and visions of Jaenelle's web. There was a little bit of resistance, but then she was through, slipping further and further into the vision.
Shadows circled around her. Malicious. Hating… Powerful. So much strength. A new leader found. General to lead. Old foe to the lost Queens. Shadows slipping through the Realms, leaving it barren. Blood. Death. Carnage. Despair, pain, sacrifice. Blooddeathcarnagedespairpainsacrifice.
BLOODDEATHCARNAGEDESPAIRPAINSACRIFICE!!!
With a cry of pain, Tori tore herself free of the tangled web, staggering backwards in her haste to get away. She stumbled over something and landed hard on her elbows. Closing her eyes, Tori fought for control, accepting and learning from what she had seen. She could sense Jaenelle standing in front of her, angry waves pouring off of her,
"You went in too far!" Jaenelle reprimanded, helping her to her feet. "How dare you do something so dangerous! Didn't your teacher warn you about that?"
"What teacher?" Tori panted, calming her erratic breaths.
Fear replaced the anger. "If you were never taught, how did you become a Dream Weaver?"
Tori stood casually. "Same way I learned everything else. Books and instinct."
"YOU WILL NOT MAKE ANOTHER TANGLED WEB UNTIL YOU ARE TRAINED!" Jaenelle yelled, fear naked in her eyes.
Tori frowned, gazing at the web in front of her. "I cannot promise that, Jaenelle. The Shadows are massing their numbers, and a General has taken charge. We will need every web, every spell, every bit of strength we have to beat them. And you know it."
Jaenelle plopped down on the air, suddenly looking very old. "This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered. "I got rid of all the bad Blood. There shouldn't have been anyone left to challenge us."
Tori stood facing the web still, her arms crossed over her chest as she tried to make sense of the information from the vision. "Shadows…" she murmured. "Shadows…"
A memory sparked to life:
**** "I see things a bit differently," Jaenelle said. "To me they are all a tangled mess. And the shadows they make…"****
Tori hissed, bringing Jaenelle fully from her thoughts. The elder witch frowned worriedly at Tori began to pace furiously.
"What do you know?" Witch asked.
Tori looked at her as she paced by. "What are the Winds?" She countered.
Jaenelle looked confused and impatient. "Saetan already explained that. They are threads. Webs. Psychic roads in the Darkness. What-"
"The Darkness," Tori pounced. "And where do those that die go if they don't become demon dead?"
Jaenelle paled. "The Darkness," she whispered. "Hell's Fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful."
"We will need it," Tori grunted, still pacing furiously. "But what about the lost Queens? If this new General was an old foe, maybe they could find a way to stop him again."
Jaenelle scowled at Tori. "You are being dense," she scolded. "I told you that I had brought you two here for another reason than reacquainting you with your mother."
Tori's eyes widened. "Us?! You can't be serious. Who could we poss-"
Tori stopped suddenly, growing very pale. Her eyes blurred and her legs crumpled, making her fall to the floor. She didn't appear to notice her new location as she began to shake and withdraw deep into herself.
"No," she whispered fearfully. "Not him. Not him."
Jaenelle grew deeply concerned by this and moved to bring her back from her isolation. Tori looked up at her with opaque black eyes that held so much pain and knowledge it tore at Jaenelle's heart.
"Who is it, Tori?" Jaenelle asked, pulling her to her feet. "Who?"
Tori shuddered, swallowed thickly, and seemed to be in complete control of herself. "The only old foe we've faced, and sent straight into the Darkness," she whispered, still looking very pale. "The General is…my father."
*******************
Read and review, please! I need input in order to produce output.
If you see any mistakes, tell me. I've been trying to keep this as close to the books as possible. The children of the First Circle are coming in the next chapter or so.
*******************