Author's Note: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I just today found
the disk with newer chapters on it. If I get enough feedback, I might continue this
beyond what I wrote 2 years ago… So let me know what you think!
Part 12
Michael had been caught by surprise when Jarret had bowed down to him, but he
quickly realized that Jarret and the other man were in the same category as
Courtney—"Michael-worshippers," so to speak. He decided that playing along
would be the best way to get Max and Liz's daughter back, and he went with them
down a narrow, mazelike passageway.
Just before going down a long flight of stairs, Michael asked Jarret sharply, referring
to Clem, "Why are you bringing this man with us?"
"He betrayed us to the Gueyere and must be brought to justice."
"Wouldn't it make things worse if he were missing? Seems to me it would be better
if you just wiped his memory of the last day's events and set him back where he
was."
Jarret hesitated in the passageway.
"We… do not have that ability, my lord. Only Nicholas and a few of his cohorts
are capable of that."
"You can't even do that?" Michael scoffed. "Bring him here," he ordered,
gesturing to Clem.
Michael put his hand on Serena's brother's head, and the man winced, gritting his
teeth. Michael winked at him, and Clem took the hint.
"Where…?" Clem blinked rapidly.
"You were having another one of your fainting spells, but you're better now. Take
him back to his post," Michael told the guard who had previously been holding
Clem.
The guard looked to Jarret.
Jarret barely skipped a beat. "You heard what the man said. Go!"
Clem and the guard hurried up the stairs and out of the dark passage.
* * *
"Marua Leese? Marua Leese?" Liz heard a voice calling from the front room of
the little apartment, quickly getting closer. Some of the Gueyere just couldn't
adjust to calling her 'Liz'.
"Who knows I'm here besides Max and Serena?" Liz asked, suddenly frightened by
her own question.
"I'll go check to see who it is," Gwynhyfar, the young woman sitting next to her
said quickly, getting up to walk towards the door. "If anything happens, go to that
place I showed you." She was referring to a hidden room behind a panel next to
the small, stone-carved bed Liz was currently propped up in. Gwynhyfar was one
of Serena's friends, the rebel she had been referring to when she spoke of leaving
Liz with someone safe.
Suddenly a young man came rushing into the room, followed quickly by Gwyn. It
was 'Tweedledee'.
"Marua Leese! I've been looking for you! I couldn't find my sister, so I knew I
could tell you." The little silver man was panting, leaning down with his hands on
his knees, out of breath for some reason.
"Your sister?" Liz asked, drawing quick breaths. "Who's your sister?"
"Serena. Don't you know Serena?"
* * *
Alex was pacing up and down the living room floor. "We can't keep you here, but
we can't possibly send you to the rebel base."
"Calm down. I'll handle it. We'll handle it." Isabel told her husband evenly.
"I just… don't want anything else to happen." He ran his fingers through his hair
and stopped pacing to look at her. "I'm just worried about you."
"I know." She smiled at him, but suddenly her smile turned to a wince. "Oh!"
"What's wrong?" Alex took her hands and sat down next to her.
"I think he's trying to tell me something."
"He?" Alex's gaze broke into a faint smile—"I've got a son"—before returning to
the issue at hand. "What's he trying to tell you? What's going on?"
"He's giving me his power—so that I can connect with Max and Liz and Michael."
"Can you?"
"I don't know; I've never gone such a distance with my powers before. I'd need
Liz to strengthen hers, but I don't know…"
* * *
Max and Serena finally came to a small archway that opened into a gigantic hall
with vaulted ceilings.
Serena, using her abilities to charm passers-by into thinking that she and Max were
nothing special, peered around the corner at people talking, laughing, and playing
music.
Max looked bemusedly at the celebration taking place in front of them. "Isn't it a
bit early for that?"
Serena pointed at the head of the long table. Michael was feasting merrily with
Jarret and his brethren. "They have their king."
Suddenly, someone came up and grabbed them from behind, dragging them into a
room off the corridor. Serena was trying to say something, but Max couldn't make
out the muffled sounds caused by hands clamped against her mouth.
* * *
the disk with newer chapters on it. If I get enough feedback, I might continue this
beyond what I wrote 2 years ago… So let me know what you think!
Part 12
Michael had been caught by surprise when Jarret had bowed down to him, but he
quickly realized that Jarret and the other man were in the same category as
Courtney—"Michael-worshippers," so to speak. He decided that playing along
would be the best way to get Max and Liz's daughter back, and he went with them
down a narrow, mazelike passageway.
Just before going down a long flight of stairs, Michael asked Jarret sharply, referring
to Clem, "Why are you bringing this man with us?"
"He betrayed us to the Gueyere and must be brought to justice."
"Wouldn't it make things worse if he were missing? Seems to me it would be better
if you just wiped his memory of the last day's events and set him back where he
was."
Jarret hesitated in the passageway.
"We… do not have that ability, my lord. Only Nicholas and a few of his cohorts
are capable of that."
"You can't even do that?" Michael scoffed. "Bring him here," he ordered,
gesturing to Clem.
Michael put his hand on Serena's brother's head, and the man winced, gritting his
teeth. Michael winked at him, and Clem took the hint.
"Where…?" Clem blinked rapidly.
"You were having another one of your fainting spells, but you're better now. Take
him back to his post," Michael told the guard who had previously been holding
Clem.
The guard looked to Jarret.
Jarret barely skipped a beat. "You heard what the man said. Go!"
Clem and the guard hurried up the stairs and out of the dark passage.
* * *
"Marua Leese? Marua Leese?" Liz heard a voice calling from the front room of
the little apartment, quickly getting closer. Some of the Gueyere just couldn't
adjust to calling her 'Liz'.
"Who knows I'm here besides Max and Serena?" Liz asked, suddenly frightened by
her own question.
"I'll go check to see who it is," Gwynhyfar, the young woman sitting next to her
said quickly, getting up to walk towards the door. "If anything happens, go to that
place I showed you." She was referring to a hidden room behind a panel next to
the small, stone-carved bed Liz was currently propped up in. Gwynhyfar was one
of Serena's friends, the rebel she had been referring to when she spoke of leaving
Liz with someone safe.
Suddenly a young man came rushing into the room, followed quickly by Gwyn. It
was 'Tweedledee'.
"Marua Leese! I've been looking for you! I couldn't find my sister, so I knew I
could tell you." The little silver man was panting, leaning down with his hands on
his knees, out of breath for some reason.
"Your sister?" Liz asked, drawing quick breaths. "Who's your sister?"
"Serena. Don't you know Serena?"
* * *
Alex was pacing up and down the living room floor. "We can't keep you here, but
we can't possibly send you to the rebel base."
"Calm down. I'll handle it. We'll handle it." Isabel told her husband evenly.
"I just… don't want anything else to happen." He ran his fingers through his hair
and stopped pacing to look at her. "I'm just worried about you."
"I know." She smiled at him, but suddenly her smile turned to a wince. "Oh!"
"What's wrong?" Alex took her hands and sat down next to her.
"I think he's trying to tell me something."
"He?" Alex's gaze broke into a faint smile—"I've got a son"—before returning to
the issue at hand. "What's he trying to tell you? What's going on?"
"He's giving me his power—so that I can connect with Max and Liz and Michael."
"Can you?"
"I don't know; I've never gone such a distance with my powers before. I'd need
Liz to strengthen hers, but I don't know…"
* * *
Max and Serena finally came to a small archway that opened into a gigantic hall
with vaulted ceilings.
Serena, using her abilities to charm passers-by into thinking that she and Max were
nothing special, peered around the corner at people talking, laughing, and playing
music.
Max looked bemusedly at the celebration taking place in front of them. "Isn't it a
bit early for that?"
Serena pointed at the head of the long table. Michael was feasting merrily with
Jarret and his brethren. "They have their king."
Suddenly, someone came up and grabbed them from behind, dragging them into a
room off the corridor. Serena was trying to say something, but Max couldn't make
out the muffled sounds caused by hands clamped against her mouth.
* * *