Chapter 6
"What did you do?" Teela demanded as she burst into Evilyn's room. Adam did not bother to temper her anger this time because he was as upset as she was. Evilyn had been looking out the window and when they barged in she did not bother turning around. Instead, she hunkered down under her blankets, trying to get as comfortable as her injuries would allow. Teela's frustration was growing, on top of everything else, this woman was ignoring her.
"Go to your father; he went into the woods to where his brother lives. Now leave me, I'm tired." Adam placed a restraining arm on his friend's shoulder. He felt her tension under his fingertips; her entire body trembled with the effort she was making not to execute some sort of violence on the already wounded woman. He'd been watching Evilyn, and had concluded that the woman presently cowering under the blankets was not the same woman whose spells and tricks he had to stave off so many times as He-Man. Indeed, she did look tired.
"Come on Teela, your father needs you." Teela allowed herself to be led away, her glare never leaving the back of Evilyn's head. Outside, in Adam's speeder, Teela was quiet. She had never seen her father so upset.
"I told you that woman would be trouble," she said finally.
"What's her connection to your uncle though?"
"I think I have a pretty good idea," Teela replied, her eyes narrowing into jade slits
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"Father!" she called out and jumped to the ground before Adam had a chance to stop properly. She ran the short distance to her Uncle's cabin. Though she had only visited it twice as a child, it looked much smaller than she remembered. She ran through the wide opened door and continued to call out to her father. When Adam caught up with her, his baritone could also be heard echoing throughout the sparsely furnished rooms.
"He's not here."
"Let's check outside."
When they opened the back door they saw Duncan immediately. He sat on his knees at the far end of the yard with his back to them. He ignored their calls, and when they reached him they could see why.
There, lying before him was Carr. His long, blond hair was matted and filthy with blood and ick; his once strong features obscured by bruises. Around him was the sickeningly sweet odor of decay.
Teela stood in shock behind her father and Adam moved to comfort her.
"Who could have done this? Why?" her voice was muffled in the cloth of Adam's shirt. She buried her head deeper into his chest as his arms tightened around her.
Man-at-Arms had not moved since they had arrived; in fact, he had sat this way since he had discovered his brother's body.
"Skeletor did this." Finally he turned towards them. Adam started a little at the sight of his mentor's face. The tears did not alarm him, it was his eyes. He looked like a man out for blood—Skeletor's.
"Adam, we'll need He-Man's help."
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She woke up aching and sweating from the heat and her nightmare. She'd seen Carr's face in her dreams, his soft eyes reassuring her then fading to reveal Skeletor's hard, glowing ones; his grotesque visage twisting into a cruel grin as he dropped her writing body into the abyss below.
"Have this." She jumped and winced immediately at the pain that her startled movement produced. In the darkness she could easily make out the form of Man-At-Arms sitting beside her bed. Her eyes were better than most humanoids on Eternia at seeing in the dark—an asset to one who could so easily fade into it. He held a glass of water in his hand waited patiently for her to take it. She accepted it without a word; though, plenty concerned as to why Man-At-Arms was in her room, in the dark, in the middle of the night, watching her sleep. She tried to console herself with the fact that he was one of the 'good-guys;' but, then again he'd never had a brother murdered before. She hated herself for allowing this man to intimidate her so easily, then she realized why—it was guilt, another emotion foreign to her till recently.
"You wanted something?"
"No," his voice was deceptively calm. "I am trying to decide what to do with you."
She sipped from the glass and placed it on the night stand before retorting, "I am not your concern. As soon as I can walk I will be on my way"
"I don't think so."
"What are you going to do to me?"
Duncan suddenly turned on the lamp and leaned over the bed until his face was just inches from hers. His eyes roamed her face as if looking for something. She realized he was making her very nervous and her chin tilted up defiantly in response to her internal decision not to let him see her squirm.
"I've been sitting here trying to understand what my brother saw in you." When his eyes dropped to her mouth his eyes narrowed and he abruptly returned to his seat.
"Skeletor has disappeared. I need you as bait to lure him out so that I can …deal with him."
"Funny, I thought you just wanted to kill him."
He continued as if she had not spoken. "I am certain he believes you are dead, so your return 'from the grave' should set him after you; he'll just have to get through me first."
"How noble."
"Don't be mistaken Evilyn, your safety only concerns me as long as your loins hold my brother's child. As far as I'm concerned you are as responsible for Carr's death as your Master is."
"Skeletor is not my Master!" she began hotly, but any other words of denial died in her throat. She did feel responsible for Carr's death and it hurt. She feared that the pain would soon break her, and then she'd be no better than the weak woman she accused her mother of being.
"Get out, just get out!" she hissed. "Do you think I wanted this to happen? When I found out Carr was your stepbrother I could have used that information to force you to your knees," she looked up at the ceiling and gave a short, humorless laugh. "You and your kind…you …'Masters,' believe that you are the epitomes of 'all that is good.' Well, life is not painted in black and white and the rest of us mortals are just trying to do the best we can. Carr knew who I was yet he still loved me: me, Evil-Lyn, Sorceress of Darkness and all-round evil witch. Maybe I used some sort of mind-bending spell," she said mockingly, "or maybe your brother was a just a simple-minded fool; or maybe, just maybe, you don't know a damned thing about me!" she ended with a shout, which lead to the sound of a ruckus outside the door. Soon the door swung open and Ramona barreled in.
"What is all this shouting? Man-At-Arms? You should not be in here. Get out! What…? This woman is sick…and you call yourself a Master…"
"Be prepared," he addressed Evilyn calmly as he got up to leave, "the rumor mill starts first thing tomorrow," he closed the door sharply cutting off Ramona's outraged diatribe.
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The next day arrived just like any other. The sun rose and the birds sang and Duncan contemplated this while he sat in front of his bedroom window. He had not slept that night, the memories of the day before were too fresh in his head to give him any peace. He realized that he had unconsciously excluded his brother from his life and now it was too late.
He had arranged for Carr's burial ceremony to take place that morning so he dragged his exhausted body up to get ready. There was a tentative knock at his door and when he did not answer immediately his caller entered. It was Teela. They looked at each other for a long time before she moved to sit on his bed.
"It's almost time," she spoke softly.
"I know."
"You know what makes this so much worse, the fact that he was my uncle yet I hardly knew him."
"Teela, I know and I am sorry. I should have made a better effort to keep our family together. I will not make the same mistake again."
"Father, it's not your fault. I could have gone to see him or he could have done the same. It's no one's fault …it's all our faults. I guess we only realize how much we need someone when they are gone from our lives."
"Yes…" her father agreed slowly. "Please alert the Masters that we are going to have a meeting in the war room after the ceremony."
"Of course Father," she stood up and made for the door.
"Teela wait." Duncan closed the distance between them and engulfed her in his strong arms. "I love you so much, always remember that," he said fiercely into her thick, red hair. Teela was momentarily taken aback by the strength of his embrace but hugged him back just as urgently.
"I know you do Father. I know…"
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A/N Well…this is…you know, a filler. Not much action, although I don't recall writing much of that…anyway. Technically this chapter is not finished but I decided to post now because God knows when I will.
Thanks so much to those who reviewed:
Arla, ELENI and RogueLeBeau: Thanks for your enthusiastic reviews, I hope you like this chapter too.
Neela Tiri: I know what you mean about the writing style—I'm working on it.
Lady Moria: Thanks for the heads up about Evil-Lyn's mom. By the way, I'm 24.