Iea

IX : Retreat

"Oh, let me have it..."

Nia took the flustered infant from her brother, and gently lifted the blanket off it's face. Smiling softly, she hushed the baby in a calm manner, and finally got the child to calm down. Staring through her own blue eyes at the infant's, Nia felt a sudden, strong connection.

"What does it look like, Sis?"

"Well, I think we have a little girl... she's got soft brown hair and very big blue eyes."

"Little girl, huh?" Ain blindly gazed ahead, really wishing he could see the girl. "Do we have a name for her?"

"Hm..." Nia hesitated. Then she grew a wide smile, asking, "Hey, do you remember that big old tree near the stream, the one with all of the crazy, curvy branches?"

"Yeah..."

"What was the spirit that lived in it called again, Ain?"

"Uhm..." Ain thought, trying to bring up the name of the 'spiritual force' that supposedly possessed the tree. The tree itself was an impressive thing to have seen, being curvy and curly, and monstrously massive. "Yoruda."

"Yoruda, hm?" Nia looked back at the infant, which was gazing wide-eyed around the room. "Well, let's simplify it. Our friend here is little Yorda."

"Okay,..." Ain grew his own smile, "Hello, Yorda. I wish I could see you..."

Yorda silently gazed about the room, oblivious to the fact she was given a name. Since she had never seen such a place, it was good and fair to get a good look at the dusty bricks.

"I think she says hello. Hey, we got that sword...."

"What? Oh, I knocked it out of that guy's hand..."

"It's the one that opens the doors..." Nia stared down at it, then bent down, mindful of Yorda, and picked it up. Holding it at Ain, she continued: "You carry this. And where did you put your bandages?"

"Huh?" Taking the blade, Ain could suddenly 'see' the glowing aura around the two figures beside him, "I... I can see you with it."

"You can...?"

"Well, kind... kind of your outline."

"That's great! You're in charge of that, then. Now I bet those men are gone... but we can probably leave now we have the sword..." Nia felt as if her plan was falling into place, "We can LEAVE, Ain, we can LEAVE!"

"Who said you could?"

Both of the kids gasped, looking back at a doorway. In it was standing the dark woman, staring hard at the children. Her eyes locked onto little Yorda's figure, and she seemed intrigued by the infant. Tearing her gaze from the infant, the Queen then locked eyes with Nia. "You were invited, but never dismissed."

"Leave us alone!"

Nia was taken back when Ain stepped ahead, the boy holding the blade out.

"You've grown a spine, hm? Now... who is that child with you?"

"You can't have her!" Ain continued to stand before the two girls, staring at the purple aura around the woman.

"Now, wait a moment. Does she belong to either of you?"

"Well, she doesn't belong to you!"

"Yes, she does. Everything that is brought here and left here belongs to me. So you see, now that someone has left this child... she must be my property."

"That's sick!" Nia yelled, holding the child close, "She's not property! Now let us leave, or we'll chop you in half!"

"Chop me in half?" The woman scoffed, "You couldn't even touch me."

"We will," Both of the kids spoke at once, "Now we're leaving, and I hate to think what will happen if you follow!"

Backing out slowly for the nearest door, only the sound of Yorda's soft whimpers echoed against the walls. The woman stood silent, watching them move ever closer to the closed door. When the kids just about reached the door, it suddenly opened with a flash after reacting to Ain's sword. Slightly startled, Nia looked back, then looked ahead again. With a shriek, she found the woman to be less than a foot away.

"We'll make a deal..." The woman's pale hands reached out from the dark mists, her sickly thin arms being a dead-white, "You give me the infant, and you two are free to leave. The gates will await you, open, and you can go to the mainland."

"No!" Nia moved closer to Ain, shielding Yorda, "You can't have her."

"Give her to me!" Diving at the child, the two suddenly fought over the infant. Ain quickly realized what was going on and dived around behind the woman- drawing the sword up, he suddenly shoved it, sharply, at the woman's back. Right when the blade was to pierce her skin, a huge blast of dark energy suddenly shot the boy flying for the far end of the room, along with the blade. Unfortunately, she did much the same thing to Nia, who hit the side of the open doorway hard, slumping down into an awkward sitting position. Still holding Yorda, who was now screaming at the top of her lungs, Nia lifelessly stared down, blood running from her mouth.

"The nerve of you two ingrates!" The Queen ran to the girl, and yanked the infant from her cold arms. Slowly gazing upon the distressed gaze of the child, the Queen was completely oblivious to the fact that Ain had gotten upright.

Taking off into a run, blade first, Ain let out a yell just before coming into contact with the woman- grabbed by a strong, painful force, Ain was suddenly whipped at the wall near his sister, the sword being flung halfway across the room. Landing so his head fell into his sister's lap, Ain winced something terrible, while holding his head.

"You little beast- take your sister out and leave." Turning tail, the Queen began heading for the throne room's doors, the infant screaming bloody mercy. "I've had enough of your meddling, Iea. Go and die somewhere else."

"N...no..." Ain winced, slowly sitting up. Unable to see a thing, he placed a hand on Nia's, "Sis? Are... Are you there?"

"Mhmp..." Crimson liquid dripped onto the floor, "I think... I think something is..."

"We've got to go save Yorda, that lady took her!"

"...Yorda!" Jumping to her feet, Nia suddenly grabbed Ain and ran with him for the throne room. Blood ran through the air behind her as she flew across the stone; running in the door, she found the woman to be standing, back to them, in the center of the hall. Dropping Ain with a slight growl, Nia suddenly threw herself at the floor- hitting the dark stone, she made a splash. Out of the dark pool, Ecoule suddenly rose, shaking out it's wings.

"Hm?" The Queen looked back, "You two are really looking for a way to die, aren't you?"

"Give that girl back to us!" Ain, unable to see a thing, yelled, getting upright. "She doesn't belong to you!"

"She doesn't belong to YOU, either, the last time I recall." Glaring over her shoulder at the boy, the Queen barely noticed the sobbing of Yorda to have quelled. "I told you to leave, as well."

The sounds of heavy flapping echoed across the hall, as Ecoule swept down and promptly snatched Ain off the ground, shooting through the doorway. The Queen, taken by surprise, nearly screamed in fustration as she found her arms to be empty.

"Damn you, you beasts!" Suddenly, a huge sea of black began welling up in the back of the room at the Queen screamed, "You've just bought your ticket to hell!"

Flying as fast as it could, Ecoule managed to get Yorda and Ain situated firmly, yet comfortably, in it's talons. Heading again for the tall tower, the creature went gracefully and quickly through a window, just barely fitting through with the passengers. Bursting out into open air, it quickly made a U-turn back to the main part of the castle.

Down below, the black shadow exploded from the window, spreading across the stone like a virus. As it spread across the stones, it created a strong pull against Ecoule, trying to drag her down into the abyss. With all of her might, the shadow headed for the main gates. Being pulled roughly to the courtyard by the dark magic, Ecoule fought her absolute hardest to remain even three feet off the ground.

"Don't drop us, Ecoule!!" Ain had the screaming infant wrapped in his arms, holding her securely. Unable to see anything, he at least knew something terrible was happening due to the heavy ringing in his ears. "Try your hardest!"

The dark sea filled the courtyard entirely, spilling from cracks and out of windows. As the weary shadow began to head for the open gates, a huge spurt of shadow lunged at her and suddenly began pulling her down.

"KEEP GOING!" Ain tried to kick the black mass off, to no avail. As the two struggled in the yard, the Queen suddenly appeared, slowly walking to them, floating just above the 'sea's' surface.

Smirking something terrible, she looked at the struggling figures. "Hello, again."