Disclaimer: Ya. Just wanted to let you know.... I am owned.... I don't own anything.... 'Cept for Robyn, Lin, and Katrin, the IT and Kaiden... And Himby... Well... with Himby.... He owns me...

I am an acorn head...

Note: - words - means shared thoughts between the girls.

-words- mean private thoughts of a person.

Chapter 14

By: Soulful Gray

Lasheen's World

Lasheen reclined in a new throne, a beautifully crafted kimono circling its body. The room that had recently been completely trashed now looked as though it had never seen even the slightest damage in its entire existence; in fact, it looked even better than before.

The crystal was held tightly in one of its hands. A long, crooked crack speared across its smooth surface. Lasheen pursed its lips, rather irritated that it was unable to make the crack go away.

But held in its other hand was something that made the frown go away; a smile curled Lasheen's lips as it held up a thin black card, patterned with lovely green designs. A little souvenir left behind by a rather annoying blond girl. Found floating in the waters surrounding the fortress.

The smile turned into a grin. This would certainly make the element of surprise much more available to Lasheen's forces. If its assumptions were correct, Robyn's seer abilities would increase to such extremities that pretty soon she wouldn't be even able to pick up a water glass without its future being flashed to her.

All it had to do was tear the card.

By now, Robyn would be extremely susceptible to such an attack. So many days away from her card had surely sapped her strength. If the card had simply been destroyed from the beginning, Robyn could have still had the energy to create a new one. As it was, when the card was torn after this amount of time...

She'd be like a newly hatched bird... so weak...

Lasheen laughed softly...

And she wouldn't be able to predict its attacks. The girl would be so overwhelmed by all the futures she was seeing, she wouldn't have time to focus on her impending doom.

Unfortunately, Lasheen was incapable of using the card. Although it wasn't sure whether it would bother trying, even if it could; knowing the future could be dangerous, and even Lasheen wouldn't test things like that.

All it had to do was tear the card.

The Ronin World

Anubis launched from the bed, clad only in boxers, and went after the obviously crazed girl. He caught her as she was tearing down the hall and wrapped his hand tightly around her wrist, swinging her around to face him.

In the dark hall, at the edge of the stairs, Anubis stared down into what had once been the face of salvation to him. Now, instead, his angel's eyes were distraught, melted pools of silver, and her mouth was parted on a cry of outrage as she tried to jerk out of his hold. However, his strength had almost completely returned to him, and he held her fast.

"Let go!" she snapped. "I have to find it!"

"Find what?" he demanded, grabbing her other fist as she tried to take a swing at him.

"My seer card!" she growled, throwing herself away from him in a desperate attempt to get away and continue her search. "Let go!"

"Robyn, calm down," Anubis commanded evenly.

After another few minutes of her struggles, she finally started to give up and slumped against the wall. Her breathing was harsh and her head was bent, her long blond hair covering her expression.

She was helpless.

Anubis released his hold and Robyn slid down to sit on the floor. Concerned, he crouched down in front of her, waiting for her to say something.

"I panicked," she muttered. Her voice sounded hollow, muffled. "I'm sorry."

"Explain."

She finally lifted her head, and her eyes were closed as she leaned her head back against the wall. "I've been really tired lately. I think it's because I've lost my seer card. Visions are straining to get in and I can't channel them properly without my card. I didn't even know I'd lost the fucking thing until just a few minutes ago..." She swiped at her eyes and Anubis realized she was crying. Her voice was shuddery, and she looked exhausted as she sat against the wall.

"Why did you panic?" He reached forward and brushed at a tear on her cheek. She opened her eyes.

"Because my seer card is dangerous Anubis. If it gets into the wrong hands, shit could happen that you wouldn't even begin to understand." Her voice, though strained, was edged with steel.

"The future written in that card is definite. You don't get any choices. It just happens. But if somebody powerful enough, like Lasheen, gets a hold of it and sees what will happen, the future could still be suddenly changed by force." She strung out her other two cards. "Time is delicate as hell. Lasheen is powerful enough to break it, if it figures out how to use the cards! And if that happens. This world, and the next, even my own, will be gone! Blamo! Kaboom! Fucking gone!" The bitterness in her voice made him cringe.

"Something else is worrying you," he said after a pause. "It's not just the possibility of worlds being destroyed, is it?"

She shook her head.

"What is it, Robyn?"

She sighed. "Remember when I told you my cards kept my powers in check?"

He nodded.

"Well, that's pretty much the only reason to why they were created. Feeling and past weren't so bad, but the future? Hell... by fourteen, I'd been tossed from one shrink to the next, one institution after the other, because the power drove me insane..."

"Shrink?"

"Sorry. It's just a type of doctor." She rubbed the heels of her hands against her eyes and took a deep breath. "I couldn't even go out in public, it was so bad. Before I got the cards, I couldn't even look at someone without knowing how they were going to die." Robyn closed her eyes. "I don't want to go through that again. If I'm separated from my card for much longer, it will happen. And if Lasheen uses the card... hell... it's pretty much for certain that I'm going to see that kind of shit. I'll crack."

"Will you know if... it uses the card?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. In someone else's hands, it starts to mould to that person's soul. I'll lose the connection with it and my Sight will be completely open."

"We have to tell the others this," he said firmly. He still had questions about her, but he decided she needed a break, and some rest.

"I know," she answered weakly. "Soon. I don't know if I'll be able to face anybody after a while. I'm losing my barriers against my visions." Robyn looked serious as she met his eyes. "I'm going to go insane, Anubis. I'll be dangerous and vulnerable at the same time. I don't have much energy left as it is but..." She closed her eyes and held out her hand.

In it appeared a pair of cuffs. They were thinly wrought silver and looked useless. And Robyn looked even more tired.

"I used these before I got my cards... I made them by accident, actually." She leveled her gaze to his. "When I snap, put these on me. They'll block out my powers and automatically throw me into the Blessed Realm."

"Can't you just make a new card?" he asked, not taking the offered cuffs.

"No." She shrugged. "I don't know how. My cards were passed down from my mother, and they've been in my family for years. They were created to control the family 'gift'. I received them a bit late, granted..." she trailed off and looked lost in the past for a few minutes. "I wonder if Lasheen does know how to use the card... probably..."

"And Katrin? Can she not conjure the card for you?"

At this Robyn again looked ready to cry. "Apparently not since it didn't come over with my other two. I think my barriers on it... I think they resisted Katrin's magic. I don't know..."

"You're exhausted." He stood and held out a hand to her.

Instead of grabbing his hand, she placed the cuffs in his palm. "Use them, Anubis."

He looked at them and then nodded. The bent over and put his hands on her upper arms, pulling her to her feet like a child. Again, as though she was a child, he began pushing her to the stairs.

"You need to sleep," he said simply as she looked back at him.

"I can find my own way," she grumped weakly.

"I wish to be sure you won't collapse before you make it to your bed."

As though his words had predicted her actions, on the way up the stairs, Robyn started wobbling. Without warning, he scooped her up into his arms and carefully climbed the steps.

"-lucky I like him," he thought he heard her mutter.

"What did you say?"

She looked up at him, confused and sleepy. "Nothing."

Raising an eyebrow, he continued his ascent and then carried her down the hall to her room.

"-normally love this kinda thing..."

This time he was sure he heard her say that and as he shouldered the door open he paused.

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Again she looked up. "No.... Why?" she yawned hugely.

"-hate being tired..."

Confused, Anubis made his way to the bed and gently placed her on it.

It was then he realized she'd been clad in only a white t-shirt, panties, and green socks. Good at controlling his expression, he barely managed to keep his eyes from bugging out.

"Nice shortsessss," she mumbled as if reading his thoughts before she pulled her comforter over herself and rolled to her side. She was asleep almost instantly and for a few short moments, Anubis watched her.

She didn't look very relaxed as she slept. All her stress and worries hadn't drained away, carried with her into the land of sleep. She should have looked calm and serene and-

He cursed inwardly and stalked out of the room, shutting off the light and closing the door quietly behind him.

He couldn't get the "gray-eyed angel" images out of his head and constantly compared Robyn to them. He tried as hard as possible to tamp down the need to see her as the serene vision that had saved him under Lasheen's torture. It was impossible! Both to see her as his vision and not to.

More than a little frustrated, he decided sleep was the best option at the moment, and went to his room to carry it out.

The Next Morning

Rowan stared blearily at the ceiling, confusion dominating his features for a few moments. It was still dark, he noted sleepily before pulling himself up.

He glanced over at the clock and his eyes widened.

"Three A.M.!" he exclaimed to himself.

What the hell was he doing up at three in the morning! His normal wake-up time centered around noon or so, but three?!

What had awoken him, anyway?

Rubbing his eyes with his fists he sat up and yawned loudly, feeling wide awake for some reason. When he again opened his eyes, he glanced next to the clock and saw his armor orb sitting there, and he picked it up, rolling it fondly between his fingers. It always gave him a sense of comfort to have his armor so close to him.

Sighing, he still held the orb as he went downstairs to round up some sleep-aides or something. He was still pretty tired, but he knew it was one of those times where you just knew you wouldn't go back to sleep even if you tried.

He glanced outside as he stood at the sink and filled a glass with water. He blinked when he thought he saw something and then rummaged through the medicine cabinet, brushing it off.

You know that feeling where your breathing stops and you feel like your heart has dropped into your stomach, caused by some unfathomable sense that evil is at your doorstep? Right then, Rowan felt that way, and he abandoned his search for sleeping tablets to go to the door that led onto the back deck.

And jumped back with a yell as the boarded door (yeah, it's boarded cause Kaiden shattered the glass) was suddenly pierced by a dozen arrows.

"GUYS! WAKE UP!" he shouted loudly to the rest of the household. "WE'RE UNDER FIRE!" And with that, he brought his armor orb out before him and called on it.

"Armor of the Strata!" he shouted.

Outside, he could see the glowing red of Nether Soldiers as they began pouring from nowhere and surrounded the house. Arrows shot into the window above the kitchen and pierced the walls and when he wore his armor, Rowan busted open the boarded door and led a temporarily one-man defense.

Time had run out.

Lasheen had attacked.

I know, I know, I know. It took me forever to get this one out. It just seems like every chapter is getting harder and harder to write and a little less fun, you know? I know that tons of you out there have to agree with me. And this chapter is fairly short, but please don't be mad. Hopefully I'll make up for it.

Soulfully yours,

Gray