Taurus.
Down in the Arena mrs Field had managed to coax Jane into removing her spiky shoulder-pads. She took the girl in her arms. Sitting side by side on the front tiers of the Amphitheatre's seats, Jane had buried her face in the older woman's chest and was sobbing uncontrollably as mrs. Field rocked her gently to and fro' like a baby, murmuring comforting words in her own tongue, which the girl didn't understand but nevertheless found soothing.
Queer was looking on with the embarrassed air common to every male confronted with weeping women. Fumbling in his pocket, he produced a neatly folded handkerchief and silently passed it on to his mother. After dabbing the girl's puffy eyes and salty cheeks with it, she flapped it open and held it to Jane's pink and runny nose.
"Blow." she commanded. The girl meekly obeyed.
"I…I've got parents!" she stammered, between blows and sniffs, " And…and they want me!"
She let out a wail.
"Yes dear." said mrs. Field with a smile, " Come to think of it I believe I actually met your mother. Oh, at least ten years ago or more, when my husband and I were invited to the Queen's Garden Party. The Staffords, being one of the oldest family's in England –dating back to the War of the Roses if not the Conquest – were present as well: their first real public appearance since you had been kidnapped. As the wife of someone from the wrong side of society –yeoman farmers are not quite upper class, even if the Fields do go back to the Conquest- and a Civil Servant in (oh horror!) Brussels, and on top of that all a foreigner, I was naturally snubbed by the Ladies of Court, but not Lady Stafford! She was very kind…I remember now how sad she was, too. My dear, she will be overjoyed to have you back."
"My mother." hiccupped Jane, "How could he! He knew! He must have known I wasn't an orphan!!"
"Your master? I doubt he was entirely responsible." said mrs. Field, " He obviously sensed your potential and felt that the hurt to your parents was but a small price to pay. That was what he had been taught: who knows if he was not a stolen child as well?"
"He wasn't the one who had to pay the price, though." said Queer angrily.
"Quirinalis, a soldier and commander has to make such decisions all the time." admonished mrs. Field, " Do not judge so lightly a young man who has been conditioned to think in terms of the greater good. Jane's master was as much a victim as she is."
The young Chamaeleon Saint dissolved into tears once more.
"The decision my master made was pointless. Whatever potential he sensed in me, it was never enough to justify kidnapping a child: I never made more than Bronze, and that after Shun who came much later to Andromeda Island. It all boils down to the same old story, over and over again. Saints have been duped into blind obedience and acceptance of Master, Fate, Goddess and whatnot. A few years in the Cloth and everything becomes subservient to their Sacred Mission. "
"It is as sir Frederic said: you have to know how to stop being a soldier. Some, like Marin and Shiryu, didn't. Others wouldn't. But Pal was right: there are only victims in this story, even the Saints that went bad."
"Especially those."
"What about the Gods? Victims too?"
"Only of their own lust for power. Otherwise, they are perpetrators throughout."
"Perhaps… perhaps they went too far to the Other Side, and could not find their way back anymore. Their Godhood had become their Cloth, and they could not leave it: as much victims as any of us."
"You have that kind of happy nature that tries to see good in everyone, Shun. I envy that ability, little bro'. "
I think we are going to need another handkerchief." said mrs. Field lightly, " I have one in my handbag, but it has been used I'm afraid."
She delved into the bag, and gave a triumphant cry: " I have something better! Chocolate!"
Mrs. Field held up a sizeable bar of Cote D'Or, the world's finest chocolate ever. *
"Oh, mother, this isn't something you can make better with a hug and a kiss and a sweet."
said Queer crossly.
"No, but it is nice to eat." said mrs.Field, breaking off a largish chunk, "Besides I am feeling peckish. There is nothing like a little bit of something to cheer you up, particularly when it is Belgium's best."**
She offered a piece to Jane, but before the girl could take it, it was whipped out of mrs. Field's hand. A small red-haired child appeared out of nowhere, squalling with delight and stuffing the piece in its mouth with cries of: " Chocolate! Yummy!"
"Rotjoeng! Da's Jane's" cried Queer, momentarily dropping into his native Brussels's dialect. Like Ilya before him, he dove for the boy, with as little result. He landed hard on the worn marble of the Arena.
"Ouch."
"Oh, have you hurt yourself?" cried Jane, jumping to her feet and at his side in a flash. Queer moaned, theatrically. " Rather! I should have remembered that I am not a Saint, and Saintly antics are not for me. " he grinned. Despite her tears, Jane grinned back.
Thompson the pilot, who from inside the helicopter that was resting at the very edge of the Arena, had been able to follow it all, rushed out to help. Just as he was about to nail the Aries' Saint's small apprentice, the child turned and pointed at him: the hapless Englishman was cast in the air, and back, with a bump.
The little boy grinned, too.
"Chocolate! More?"
"Not for naughty brats." said mrs. Field, throwing the bar back into her handbag and snapping it shut with an angry 'click'.
"I take then!"
The bag was neatly lifted from the Belgian woman's arm by the same invisible force that had thrown Thompson.
"Chocolate!" giggled the child, and vanished, only to reappear several steps up the theatre, rummaging through the bag and throwing out brush, powder-compact, diary and wallet before reaching the chocolate. "Mine!"
He had not counted on Jane. With Saintly speed she leaped towards him, grabbed him by the back of his sleeveless tunic and lifted him up. "You little thief! Give that back to the Lady!"
The child screeched and let go of the bag. It went tumbling down the steps, spilling its contents.
Mrs. Field picked it up.
"You deserve a spanking, indeed you do!"
"What did she say?" asked Kiki in Greek, his command of the English language being minimal.
"That she'd like to visit your bottom with the back of her hand; and she should. Maybe I will: your behaviour is unworthy of a future Saint. Actually, it isn't. Saints steal children, so why should they stop at handbags? It is plain wicked and you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"Mu's order's! I'm to bring you lot to the other fellows at Aldebaran's place! Put me down!"
"Only if you apologise."
"I do! I do! I'm sorry! Ouch"
Jane had released him in the middle of his apology.
"Is Mu helping these people then?"
"That is what I said, didn't I?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Queer, who had only taken Latin in school. Jane quickly explained.
"Seems like we have found ourselves a friend and ally in that Mu person." said the young man after she had finished, and then he took her hand. " Two friends?"
The Chamaeleon Saint blushed.
"Are you all right, Ma'am? " asked Thompson, having scrambled to his feet and limping towards them, rubbing his side.
"We are fine, more or less, thank you. I think we ought to send a message to headquarters, informing them of our progress." Even if Mr. Field had gone back to 'Civvie Street'*** when he left NATO to work for the EEC instead, military talk had not quite left the family's vocabulary.
"I'm afraid the radio is not working properly, Ma'am. Lots of static. Even the new-fangled cell-phones we came equipped with aren't any good: I tried hailing the Colonel on his mobile and it didn't work. It's a bugger, begging your pardon, 'cause I was supposed to update Commander Lawrence on the hour. I could try taking off: we still had contact before we landed, perhaps the interference is less when airbound, but I dare not risk it, what with telekinesis making us fly about all the time…"
He cast a nasty glance at Kiki.
"Well, I think you had better try. I will go on ahead with the boy, and perhaps you, Queer, and Jane can wait till Thompson has confirmed that he has succeeded in making contact, and then follow."
Queer frowned at the little Tibetan.
"Is that wise? We only have his word for it that Mu is on our side."
"Kiki would not lie about an order coming from his Master." said Jane.
"Very well then. Just tell him to take care of my mother, or I will have his bottom's hide, somehow!"
With that threat hanging over him (and Jane had added that she would see to it that Queer would get his wish), Kiki promised to be good. Ever so delicately he 'picked ' mrs. Field up and levitated her across the Amphitheatre to the Stairway.
"Uncanny." said Thompson, " I've flown a fair few funny missions in my time, but this one beats all. "
"Let's send that message quickly;" said Queer, taking Jane's hand again, " The Commander will be able to pass it on to England, so that your parents will learn that you are alive too! Won't it be grand to have them waiting for you on the Enterprise when we return?"
"It feels so weird having a father and mother! Yours are very nice."
"They have their moments. We don't always see eye to eye, but on the whole we agree, and the good thing about them is that even when they don't they will support you through thick and thin. Thompson? Shall we?"
"Right-ho…hey! Look at that thing! It's like a cross between Big Ben and the great Pharos of Alexandria!" Thompson was a high-ranking officer, picked for the mission precisely because he was well-educated and knowledgeable of Greek History and Mythology.
The pilot pointed at a giant tower they had been too busy to notice at first, with a clockface on which eleven flames were burning bright as a twelfth was guttering and went out.
Jane was as dismayed as Ilya and Mu had been on discovering that the zodiacal clock had been lit. While they all bundled into the helicopter, she explained the function of it. Thompson flew a couple of laps around the bright clockface, examining the zodiacal symbols on it. "Definitely inspired by Big Ben. Can't be older than 1860 or thereabouts. Wonder what makes the light: looks like St.Elmo's Fire to me. Ah! Enterprise is hailing us! We're back in range!"
Commander Lawrence was quickly put up to date, and he promised to do the necessary for Jane. "Phase two of the operation was supposed to start in 22 hours." The American informed them, " Since Athena has officially declared war we must put it on hold and advise. However, the evacuation of Rodorio will now be our top-priority. The order will be given to our agent in the field as of now: be ready to intervene if necessary, and report on the hour. Over."
"Message understood. Over and out."
"What now?" asked Jane, after Thompson had safely landed again.
"Now we follow the others. Hello! Someone's coming!"
From the direction of Rodorio, two women came running. As they drew close, Queer recognised one of them: it was Seika.
Totally out of breath they arrived at the helicopter.
"Queer! Sir Frederic! Where is Sir Frederic!" panted the Japanese girl, all but collapsing in the young man's arms, " Quick, oh, quick!"
"Seika! Calm down. Explain. Has something happened in Rodorio?"
"Yes…yes, it's Aleksej! He was so incensed at Shaka taking charge of Vimi and Skippy and being beaten by the Saints that he is venting his anger on the poor villagers with his men. Shaina is holding them off…"
"Shaina? You mean Antonia Marini? So she is the mysterious agent uncle Fred was talking about. "
"Yes, of course." said Seika impatiently, " Who else? Nobody knows that she is involved with us, though they will have guessed by now. She is strong, but outnumbered…she told me to get Hyoga, I mean, Ilya, and oh! What is June doing with you?"
"Her name is Jane, and she too is a friend. Who is the girl?"
The young woman who had come with Seika, a dark haired beauty with classical profile, barefooted and dressed in rough homespun, burst into tears and a flood of Greek.
"Her name's Melina. She is Aldebaran's girlfriend. If Antonia had not intervened in time, a Warrior of Blue Graad would have raped her! "
"Right." said Thompson, taking charge, "Agent Marini will get the reinforcements she has demanded. Miss Stafford, am I right in assuming that you are a reasonably powerful Saint yourself? Can we count on you helping out until Ilya has been warned? Queer, you have to inform him. Take the girls. I shall take the chopper up and out to Rodorio. "
"Understood." " said Queer, and to Jane: " Be careful, will you? Don't get yourself killed or anything."
The Chamaeleon Saint smiled.
"Don't worry! I will teach those Blue Graaders that even a Bronze Saint is worth ten of them!"
In a flash of crimson light she reassembled the parts of her Cloth she had discarded previously, and was gone in the blink of an eye.
"Teleport! The only way to travel!" sighed Queer half-enviously.
Meanwhile Seika had translated Thompson's orders for Melina. The Greek girl nodded and said something fast.
"She wants to go to Aldebaran: she says he will help if she asks him to."
"Excellent. Go!"
The three young people dashed off. Across the Arena, down the short stony road that led to the stairway and up, up, past the now empty Aries Temple, up, up, until they were stopped in their tracks by the glow of the mighty aura that surrounded the Taurus building. Mrs Field and Kiki were standing outside in the cella, the old lady terrified, the boy hesitant.
"Children, don't come nearer! They are fighting!" cried mrs. Field.
"Dad! Dad's inside" shouted Queer, going white, "And Nick and Esk!"
Throwing all caution to the wind he rushed in, Melina hard on his heels. Seeing her youngest child plunge headlong into danger, mrs. Field no longer hesitated and would have gone after them, had Kiki not jumped in front, arms outstretched to bar the way. "No! My Master told me to keep you safe and I will!"
"My sons and my husband are in danger!" sobbed mrs. Field.
Seika cast her arms about the older woman.
"There is nothing we can do for them. We must trust in Ilya's strength and Aldebaran's love for Melina: she alone can talk him out of it."
Inside, the Taurus Saint had abandoned his usual stance of watchful repose and stood braced for impact, palms outstretched, holding back a whirlwind of minuscule snowflakes Ilya was throwing at him, his legs encircled by the glittering rings of the Koliso.
The temperature in the Temple was extremely sub-zero: Sir Frederic, Nick and mr. Field and his son had succumbed to it and were lying inert on the ground.
"Hey! Ilya!" called Queer, " Stop it! You will freeze us all to death!"
The Cygnus Saint made no answer.
"Help…me to pull them…out!" cried the young Englishman through chattering teeth at the Greek girl shivering behind his back where she had found some shelter. Together they dragged the four men to the safety of the cella, where mrs. Field held her son while calling out her husband's name.
"Okay, things have just started to go badly wrong." said Queer, "Let's hope …whoa! Girl! Don't!"
Melina had run back into the Temple. "Albi!" she called out to the huge man in the Golden Cloth, " Albi, please, please stop, these are friends, oh, please, beloved, help us!"
Aldebaran opened his eyes. They went wide with the shock of recognition.
"Melina!"
His stance faltered. The great Taurus Saint went down on one knee: only his right hand still held back the Diamond Dust attack of Ilya – no, Hyoga's, the young Russian had completely reverted to his Saintly persona- and his left , too was encased with ice, as were both his legs.
Melina flew at him, and was caught in the storm. Within seconds she was wrapped by sheets of thick, cutting ice. The Taurus Saint bellowed like an animal in pain, and attacked. Another wave of cold swept over him.
Outside, mr. Field had come to.
"The big fellow…would not listen. Then Ilya…Ilya…" he halted. "Where is the boy?"
"Still inside, turning the place into Antarctica." said Queer.
His father staggered to the entrance of the Temple.
"Cap, you are not thinking of…dad! This is insane!"
""Ilya!" mr.Field called, feebly, from the doorway, " Ilya, son, stop."
Whether it was his name, his true name, or mr. Field calling him son that broke through his concentration, Ilya could never say, later.
The Cygnus Saint called back the storm. Then, the full force of the Horn of Taurus hit him midriffs, and sent him flying backwards, through the wall. Had Kiki, on the other side, not pulled up his own version of Mu's Crystal Wall defence, mrs. Field and her companions would have been crushed to death by the debris that descended on them.
Clouds of stone-dust made them all cough and gasp for breath; it settled down on the prone figure of Ilya.
"Oh, nee, nee, de arme jongen!"**** cried mrs. Field.
Still coughing, she staggered over to where the Cygnus Saint lay, felled by the violence of Aldebaran's attack. Lightly she tapped him on his cheek.
"Ilya? Ilya? My dear, can you hear me?"
The Russian's eyes flew open, only to fill with tears.
"Oh, Pal, Pal, forgive me! I let myself go, I went back into the Cloth and it commanded me to fight and I couldn't stop! I lost."
"No son." said Mr. Field, kneeling by his side, "You won."
"I nearly killed you! I never gave your presence another thought!"
"Yes, I must say that there are some very nasty side-effects to your abilities. Gives the term: 'fallen under friendly fire' a whole new meaning." said mr. Field lightly, " That is part of war, but I would be grateful if you kept it a small part. Are you all right, my dear?"
The last words were addressed to his wife. Fully the phlegmatic Englishman, Mr. Field refused to show concern in public. Yet everyone who knew him better realised that he was very worried indeed.
"The children?"
"Are fine, Helena, fine, aren't you, boys?"
"Yes, mum, don't fuzz." chorused Esk, and Queer, to which Nick added his growl.
"What about Aldebaran?" asked Ilya in a small voice.
"Thawing his girlfriend." said Queer cheerfully, from the whole in the wall where he had been staring through, " I think it is safe for us to enter now."
The Taurus Saint was indeed holding Melina tight, his powerful Cosmos warming her frozen body. After a while the girl came to, blinked, and slapped him full in the face.
"Albi! You imbecile, you! How can you do this to innocent people! You are as bad as that Aleksej!"
She started crying again, tears of anger this time. Her slap had not hurt Aldebaran, but her words, and her tears, did.
"I never meant… Athena ordered… I thought…"
"That is your problem: you don't think at all!" Melina fumed, " You Saints never do, you just dance to the tune of that wicked Athena! Instead of guarding your silly Temples you should be helping people with all your powers!"
Still weeping she pummelled his bread chest with her small fists.
"We of Rodorio are kept as slaves! Oh! And the Pope would tell us to be good and work hard and listen to our parents! Oh! Oh! But it was all for him, and now for her, never for ourselves! Oh,oh,oh!!!! And the Saints expect us girls to be nice to them and do as they say, bear them children that maybe will become Saints themselves, and it never changes and it never stops and now Aleksej is murdering everyone and you are not helping, ooooooh!"
Upon that last wail of Melina's, Aldebaran let out a roar that shook the last stones out of the wall Ilya had passed through, and went charging out, quite like the bull he represented.
"Why is he always so impulsive when there's a fight to go to when he's always so shy with me?" complained the Greek girl, "Oh, the dear idiot, when we are married I will teach him to listen!"
And she ran after the Taurus Saint.
"Wow! Feisty! One feels sorry for poor Taurus, she has put the ring on his finger already, or through his nose!" chuckled Queer.
"Be happy for him." said Seika, " She loves him."
"What was all that about Aleksej attacking Rodorio? " asked Sir Frederic.
Queer explained. The Intelligence Officer spent some time pondering and assessing the situation.
"A pity we can't keep contact with Thompson. We could use a messenger, I suppose…" he glanced at Kiki," The little lad would be the answer, problem is, he seems to have little English and Thompson knows only modern Greek, which is a far cry from the classic spoken here: even we who took it in school have trouble following."
"What are they saying?" asked Kiki of Seika, "They are talking of me, aren't they? Is there any more chocolate?"
Seika quickly translated for everyone.
"I should go with Kiki, as interpreter." she offered at the end of her tale.
The boy sulked. "No chocolate? Mu didn't tell me to do that. Why should I?"
"Because I am telling you so." said the Japanese girl sternly.
"Only if I get more chocolate!"
"Don't be so horribly greedy. I thought Saints were to lay down their lives selflessly for the Cause. Well, they are your cause now, and they are not asking you to die."
"Doesn't he want to help?" asked mrs. Field.
"No, the selfish brat wants more chocolate."
The elderly Belgian lady went on her haunches to face Kiki properly, and said kindly: " It would be nice of you if you helped."
"Chocolate?"***** asked Kiki hopefully.
Mrs. Field laughed and produced the bar. " There! I believe we can all do with some, after the fright we've had, don't you?"
She broke up the chocolate in equal pieces and handed it round, wrapping up the remainder carefully and replaced the packet in her handbag. Silently, almost ritually, everyone ate his or her chocolate.
"It was rather like a bonding ceremony. Sharing sweets…it's such a common gesture among Humans and so rare among Saints."
"Rare? Say : non-existent! "
"Anyhow it was something a Saint would never think of doing: taking time out in the middle of battle to savour, well, obviously not sweets, but…the joy of being still alive perhaps?"
"More importantly: we took time out to discuss our plans. Another thing non-existent among Saints. Moreover, Sir Frederic, though nominally in charge, allowed himself to be led on occasion, and took advice from those he judged would know better."
"Being a team that played to each other's strengths was part of our success. What really made us pull through against all odds was the fact that our opponents were divided amongst themselves, and that, ultimately, they fought alone."
Kiki had chocolate all around his mouth. Mrs Field pulled forth a packet of tissues.
"Spit" She told him, holding one in front of his mouth.
Fiercely she rubbed the child's face with it after he had executed her order. He squirmed under the unfamiliar treatment.
"Blaaaah!"
"You were filthy. Show me your hands…oh, very well, you can suck your fingers clean, as long as you wipe them…not on your clothes: here, take another tissue. That's better."
Ilya felt a laugh rising in his throat. Trust the Fields never to lose their sense of normality even in the midst of mayhem! He allowed the laugh to escape, and everyone laughed too, even Kiki.
Sir Frederic, after a final chuckle, called hem to order.
"Let's be about our business. Seika, are you quite clear on what you have to do?"
The young woman nodded.
"I assume that the matter of Rodorio will be resolved soon if Taurus adds his strength to that of Miss Marini's and Miss Stafford's." continued Sir Frederic, " Miss Marini has been instructed to lead the Rodorians away from Sanctuary. A couple of miles outside the perimeter NATO troops are on 'manoeuvre'. Their CO has been briefed and will take over from there. Now listen carefully. Thompson has strict orders to pull out should matters become too dangerous, and you are to go with him. Take the kid as well."
"What, abandon you?" cried Seika.
"Absolutely. You will obey me in this. And that goes for all of you…" he eyed his companions sternly, " We have had a foretaste of what lies ahead. Anyone who wants to pull out now goes with Seika. It's your last chance. Helena?"
"No."
"Most unwise." said the Intelligence Officer, "However, I will pull the plug on this Mission the minute I feel it has gone beyond our limits. That goes for you too, Ilya."
Retreating in order to live to fight another day was not a Saintly habit either, but even though his Cloth pushed him another way, Cygnus complied.
"Onwards!" cried Queer cheerfully, "Two down, eight to go!"
"Yes, but the Gemini Saint counts double, and of all the Signs of the Zodiac they are the most treacherous." warned Ilya.
"You know what the English say: 'Wait and see." said Mr.Field.
"Mowe shtaiwsh." sighed Nick.
Outside, on the Zodiacal Clock, a light faded. The Hour of Taurus had passed.
To be continued.
Author's Notes:
* No, I don't hold any shares in Cote D'Or. It happens to be the truth, even if the company has gone over to the Swiss since.
** That and beer and chips. Unbeatable. This isn't chauvinistic bragging. Try it out for yourselves if you don't believe me.
*** To be back in 'Civvie Street' (civvie = civilian) indicates a decommissioned soldier.
**** 'Oh no, the poor boy!'
*****Since chocolate was unknown to the ancient Greeks and the name is the same in most languages (from the original 'chocolatl') this is what Kiki actually said, and mrs. Field understood as well as if he was speaking English. He was probably first introduced to chocolate while staying in the Kido mansion in Japan after the Battle of Sanctuary, as it is unlikely he came across it in the Himalayas!
Westminster Palace was build between 1840 and 1967. Big Ben was inaugurated in June 1858. The similarity may however have been pure coincidence.