7 Beneath The Mask
As she lay face down in the dirt, Misty experienced true terror for the first time. She felt hollow and her limbs refused to obey her commands. Ice coursed through her veins, numbing her sweat-soaked body. She tried to cry out for help, but her lips couldn't form the sounds.
Her mind raced desperately. She couldn't move. So cold. Her head swirled with fear and dizziness. Cold; so cold. She had to escape, had to find help. Cold. Couldn't move.
She hardly felt the hands that grasped her, was only dimly aware of being rolled over. Her contracted pupils focused on Ash's horrified expression. She could recognize the pleading tone in his voice, but his words made no sense to her. She tried to speak, but only managed a few strangled gasps.
As darkness closed its jaws around her head, a pair of green eyes met her vision, filling her heart with dread. Her thoughts strayed into the haze of unconsciousness and she remembered nothing more.
---
Ash saw Misty's eyes fix in horror the moment before the fever took her. He whirled around and stared directly into Lupus's unreadable visage. The hunter paid no attention to him, but glared past him to his friend's limp form. Lupus's predatory gaze never strayed from her face as he stepped forward.
Rage filled Ash's soul, boiling his blood. He knew the hunter's intention. He wanted to take her from him, though he couldn't understand why. He couldn't let him; couldn't allow him to hurt her any more. He raised his clenched fists defensively.
"I won't let you take her!" he shouted in defiance.
Lupus glanced down at him dispassionately. Ash swallowed hard, forcing his fear out of his thoughts, then bolted forward with a hateful cry, his hand drawn back to strike. The hunter's open hand caught him in the chest and shoved him away as easily as discarding a piece of trash. He landed hard on his back, but regained his feet in an instant, prepared to fight to his death.
Dokoto's head sank into his gut, knocking him back to the ground. The dog growled, its teeth glittering in the moonlight. Brock and Lilly rushed to help him, but a blast of the houndour's fiery breath stopped them. The three friends could do nothing but watch the hunter in fear.
Lupus knelt down beside Misty's twitching body and stared at her anguished face. He softly caressed her hair, tears dampening the cloth that covered his face. He gently lifted her from the ground, hugging her close to his chest. Ash's jaw dropped as he realized what he saw. Lupus looked just like a father holding a child.
"Dokoto," the hunter ordered, "catch up with me at home."
Without another word, he sprinted away and disappeared from sight. Dokoto gave Ash a final angry snort before following its master.
Ash stared in disbelief. Misty was gone. That monster had taken her. His rage burst out of him in a scream; rage at his failure, his helplessness, at everything.
"We need to keep calm, boy," Lotus said softly, approaching him. "Shouting isn't going to help us any."
Ash turned his fury on the old man. He leapt forward, grabbing the sorcerer's robes and shaking them fiercely. Lotus, being a patient man, accepted the offense stoically.
"You!" he demanded. "Why didn't you do something? You're supposed to be protecting us, aren't you?"
Angered, Lilly tore him away from her grandfather, turning him around and slapping him. Ash stared back at her blankly, his cheek reddening from the blow.
"You little brat!" she shouted at him. "Don't you ever show my grandfather that kind of disrespect."
Tears began to well up beneath Ash's eyes and a feeble sob escaped him. Still angry, she raised her hand again, but Lotus took hold of it before she struck, shaking his head sternly. Lilly lowered her head, taking a chastened step back. Ash fell to his knees, sobbing. The old man allowed him a moment, then huddled down beside him and placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder.
"When you've quite finished," he said gently, "we ought to start considering how we might rescue your friend."
Ash looked up into Lotus's reassuring smile and felt suddenly calmed. He nodded in agreement and accepted the old man's help to rise. Ash noticed as Togepi started crying and picked it up, softly cooing to it.
"So, what are we going to do?" Brock asked.
Lotus put a hand to his chin in thought. He knew it would be ridiculous to try and follow the hunter, he was too fast. He licked his lips and then wiped them dry. He turned back to Ash.
"Misty wasn't wearing her backpack, was she?" he asked.
"No," Ash replied, confused by the odd question.
The old man nodded and started back toward the cottage. When the others hesitated, he turned back and motioned for them to follow.
"What does Misty's backpack have to do with anything?" Brock asked.
"I may be able to find her," Lotus replied. "Supposing I have the proper components for the spell."
Lilly closed the door behind them.
---
It was different now, Misty realized as she slowly drifted out of the blackness. The numbness had abated, she no longer felt so cold and heavy. She was still a little lightheaded and very tired, but the fever had greatly diminished. As she gradually became more aware of herself, she realized that she was lying on a soft mat, wrapped in a warm blanket, probably made of fur. Not far off, she could hear the crackling of a small fire and smelled a bland odor, food of some kind.
She shifted in her bed and opened her eyes. The vigilant gaze of a houndour stared back at her. With a startled gasp, she shot up, making herself dizzy from the strain, and fell back onto the mat.
Crouched beside the cooking fire, Lupus looked at her over his shoulder. Misty noticed a tinge of concern in his forest-colored eyes. He turned back and continued to stir the contents of his small pot. The dog walked over to its master and made a quiet whining sound.
"Yes, Dokoto," Lupus replied. "I know, I know. How are you feeling?"
It wasn't until he swiveled around to face her that Misty realized the question was directed at her.
"Me?"
Lupus nodded. He reached out and scratched Dokoto's ears and then stood up, slowly approaching her. Sitting back down beside her, he gently touched her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Your fever seems to have broken," he commented. "You've been unconscious for almost three hours. How do you feel? Hot? Cold?"
Misty shook her head weakly. "Why am I here?" she asked.
"You were hit with one of my darts," Lupus explained. "I had to remove it and the poison needed to be sucked out."
Looking down, Misty saw a spot of blood on the floor and then noticed the bandages that wrapped around her chest. A flush of red came to her cheeks and Lupus saw it.
"Forgive me if that makes you uncomfortable," he apologized, but his voice seemed to lack sympathy. "The dosage of poison on the needle was far too much for a child to handle. If I hadn't removed some of it from your body, even the antidote wouldn't have been able to save you. For a time, I had thought I was too late. I'm glad you survived."
Dokoto, who'd been watching the pot, grunted at its companion. Lupus returned to the fire pit and removed the crucible from it. Misty watched him as he sat there waiting for the pot to cool, puzzled by his change in behavior. He seemed so different now. Before, when he had attacked Lotus, he'd seemed almost like a beast; savage and heartless. Now, however, he was being so kind to her. It reminded her of when she had fallen ill once when she was younger and her father had stayed home to watch over her.
It surprised her when she realized she was comparing this man to her father. This was Lupus, the hunter. He was a cold-blooded murderer, wasn't he? But, if that was so, then why did she feel safe being with him? Who was he?
Lupus poured some of the thick soup from the pot into a clay bowl and carried it over to her.
"Eat this," he said, offering the bowl and a wooden spoon. "It hasn't much flavor, but it's warm and it'll make you feel better."
Misty tried to sit up, but it made her head swirl to move that much. She laid back and shook her head helplessly. Shifting the bowl to one hand, Lupus gently slid his arm beneath her and lifted her up, carefully supporting her head with his shoulder. Taking the spoon in his free hand, he scooped up some of the soup and fed it to her. Misty wasn't truly hungry, but she accepted the food anyway. With Lupus's help, she emptied the bowl, after which he laid her back down and tucked the blanket back over her.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"It was not my intent to harm a child," he replied. "The sorcerer was my only prey, I don't kill innocent people."
Lupus rose to his feet and went back to the fire pit. With a despondent sigh, he sat down with his back to her, petting his dog. Misty stared at him, confused. Lupus loosened his collar, lifting the crucible to his mouth and eating the rest of the soup with a few gulps. Wiping his mouth dry, he set the pot back down and straightened out his collar again. For a long moment, he sat in silence and Misty wondered what thoughts gnawed at his mind.
"Actually," Lupus said at length, "that's only half true. In truth, I brought you here because you resemble my daughter."
"Morgan?" Misty asked.
Lupus gave her a sad, backward glance and nodded forlornly. Then Misty realized the truth.
"She's dead, isn't she?"
Lupus turned away from her and, for a moment, he kept silent. Then, to her surprise, she heard him sob. When he spoke, his voice sounded broken and disconsolate, the first real hint of emotion she had heard from him.
"She was murdered by a sorcerer before my own eyes when she was only seven. That monster's foul magic had twisted her body, so that every movement caused her to cry out with pain. I could only have recognized her because of her eyes, so broken was her form." He turned back to Misty, holding out his deformed hands helplessly. "While I held her in my arms, I felt her soul leave her body. I could do nothing for her; nothing but watch as she died in agony.
"There was no reason for her to die like that. The sorcerer didn't even offer any explanation for his actions, he just attacked her. Then he killed Anna, my wife. At his command she burst into flames before I could so much as rise from my seat. I tried to fight him, but I had nothing to defend myself with and he did not need to so much as raise a finger to stop me. After his heartless brutality to my family, he left me, badly injured but still alive. It all happened so quickly. In a few minutes, everything I had was taken from me. To this day, I still do not know why it happened."
Misty listened in quiet shock. His voice held such a deep sorrow, it seemed unbelievable that he could be lying about it, but it what he was saying simply wasn't possible. The story couldn't be true. Lotus would never have done such a thing. She couldn't imagine that anyone could be so cruel.
"The sorcerer's wouldn't do that," she protested meekly, remembering what Lilly had told her. "It would be too dangerous to them."
Lupus nodded. "Yes," he agreed, his voice finding strength again. "They are much more careful now. It's been almost five hundred years since I last found prey."
Misty gasped. "No way."
Lupus stared at her for a moment. "Do you think that I would desire to live with nothing but vengeance as my purpose?" he asked. "This life is horrible. To be separated from your family, friends, everything. If it were within my power, I'd have ended it long ago, but I can't die. I've witnessed two millennia pass. I've seen man's history with my own eyes, but while the evolution of humanity has been glorious, my own life has been torment; an endless, miserable existence."
"But how?" Misty asked. "How could you live that long?"
Lupus looked down at his hands again. "I'd always thought that these hands were strong, that I could protect my family with them. My dear wife, Anna and my precious, precious Morgan; I was not strong enough to save them, but I still had strength enough to wield a sword. I would go after their murderer and kill him; make him suffer for the lives he stole." Lupus paused. "My god, how naïve I was."
"Maybe my rage blinded me, or perhaps I simply wanted to die. In either case, I foolishly challenged an entire guild at once. By the time only the guild's leader remained, I had exhausted myself. I barely had the strength to stand, much less win in combat, but in my stupidity I attacked him anyway. There was no contest; he didn't even need to strain himself to tear me apart.
"I begged him to kill me, to let me join my family in death, but he would not. 'It couldn't be that easy,' he told me. I first would have to pay for the death of his guild. He cursed me; cursed me to live forever, but not as a human. No, he thought I didn't deserve to be human, but neither could I be an animal, since animals only kill for food or defense. So, on and on I live, neither man nor animal, but some misshapen monster halfway in between."
Misty's eyes widened in shock. It was too horrible to believe, but she believed it.
"Show me," she whispered.
Lupus started at the request. Why would she want to see such a hideous thing? What good would it do her? But looking into the young girl's eyes, those innocent, beautiful eyes, he could not refuse her. Turning his back to her, he loosened his collar, pulling it aside. Hands trembling, he took hold of the bandages around his head and slowly unwound them.
The wrapping dropped to the ground and, when Lupus turned around, Misty's jaw followed. His head was coated in black and brown fur, with a white, skull-shaped pattern above his eyes. His jaws and nose were elongated into a canine mussel. His ears, which have appeared simply deformed, weren't even human, but a dog's ears. She stared, mouth agape, at the transmuted face.
"You . . ." she stuttered, "you look just like . . . like . . ."
"Like Dokoto," Lupus finished. "Yes, I know. That's why I stay with them. I'm not sure if it's a side effect of the curse, or if it's simply my appearance, but houndour are empathetic toward me. People shunned me after I'd been given this form, drove me away. They would not have a monster in their midst. But, where humans would no longer have me, these dogs accepted me. I've been a part of this pack for many generations. They are the only friends I have and the closest I will ever get to having a family again."
Lupus knelt down scratched Dokoto's ears. The dog came forward playfully, knocking him down and teasingly chewing on his ear. Misty watched the two of them mock-wrestle in sport until Lupus finally tired and ordered his companion off. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead and then turned back to Misty.
"You should try to get some sleep now," he said. "You'll shake off the fever faster if you do."
So caught up in the story, Misty had forgotten how tired she was until Lupus mentioned sleep. After hearing the tale, she didn't fear him anymore. In the back of her mind, she still understood that Lupus would try to kill Lotus again, but perhaps she could prevent it. If she really did resemble his daughter, maybe she could use that to soften his heart.
Tomorrow, she promised herself. She was too tired then to do any good talking. She lay back down on the mat and pulled the blanket over her. Before she drifted back into the bliss of slumber, she saw Lupus pick up the bandages that he covered himself with.
"Don't," she said. "Don't hide your face from me."
With a contented smile, Misty closed her eyes. Lupus stared at her, the cloth strips still hanging in his hand. It was probably the fever, Lupus decided. He sat back down and raised the cloth to his face again, but stopped. She didn't want him to cover himself. Could it possibly be that she accepted his appearance?
For the first time since he had lost his family, he smiled, drawing up joy that had long hidden itself within his heart. It had been so long since he had felt this way, that he was more than just a beast. He almost felt . . .
He shut his eyes tight in sudden anger as he realized what he had gotten himself into. The girl had a family of her own and friends, people who loved her. He couldn't keep her with him forever, and when she ultimately left, he would be lonelier than before. It would be like loosing his daughter again, but worse. She would still be alive, he would still be able to see her, watch her, but never be a part of her world. And when the slow decay of time finally took her from him entirely, he would once again be the hunter.
But . . .
'Oh, God,' he cried silently. 'I don't care if it's my fate to suffer like this forever, but, for now, let me be human for her.'
---
"Hmm . . ."
Ash groaned silently. "Hmm" was all Lotus had said for the last half-hour. Using a strand of Misty's hair that he had found on a comb in her backpack, the old man had created a magical eye and sent it off to find her. Looking into the mirror, they could see everything that it saw. It had taken the eye over an hour to find her and once there, it waited and watched.
Brock and Lilly had gone to bed after watching Misty sleeping in Lupus's cave for an hour. Lilly had gone to her own room, while Brock was snoring in one of the guest beds behind them. Only Ash remained awake with Lotus. Once Misty had woken up, Lotus had said "Hmm" and had not stopped saying it.
"Hmm . . ." he repeated again, just as deep in thought as the first time.
"What?" Ash asked, his patience finally reaching its limit. "You keep 'hmm'ing. What's going on?"
"Your friend is safe," Lotus stated absently. "I wish I could have heard what they were saying. Had I known she wasn't in any danger, I would have taken the time to give the spell clairaudience as well. Hmm . . ."
Ash tugged at his cap in frustration. "What do you mean she's safe? She's with that . . . that dog-thing."
"Morgan," Lotus said, looking Ash in the eye.
"What?"
"That's the key," Lotus explained. "Lupus called her Morgan when he first saw her, remember?"
Ash thought back. He did remember hearing that, but what did that mean?
"Misty must remind him of someone he knows, or knew," the sorcerer continued earnestly. "That's why he did this. You can relax, boy. He won't hurt her and I'm quite certain he won't let anyone or anything else hurt her either. Believe me, she's much safer in his hands than you are in mine."
Ash sat down on the other bed as the old man turned back to the mirror, waving the image away. Lotus stroked his chin in thought, absently plucking out his whiskers and flicking them away.
"What was that thing?" Ash asked.
"'That thing,' as you called it, used to be human," Lotus explained. The next sentenced slithered out of his mouth like a serpent. "I recognize that spell, oh, yes, I do. That was a Bestial Curse. It is one of the darkest of the dark magics, the ultimate method of exacting vengeance on a person. Its effects are so torturous that the council forbade its use. Whoever was foolish enough to do this has worsened the situation a hundred times."
"Then we've got to get Misty back, fast," Ash insisted.
"Oh, no," Lotus replied. "I didn't mean for her. I meant for the conclave. We'll get to her in time, but right now, we have bigger things to worry about."
Lotus went to his nightstand and retrieved a pitcher of water, pouring it into a small dish. Taking a few bottles from the top shelf of his closet, he began to mix the contents into the water.
"What do you mean 'bigger things'?" Ash demanded, upset at Lotus's assessment of the situation. "We've got to do something. We can't just leave her with that monster." He clenched his teeth in anger, seeing that the old man was ignoring him. "Are you listening to me? Hey! What could be more important that saving Misty?"
Ash put his hand on Lotus's shoulder, disrupting his concentration. Lotus whirled on him furiously, pointing his wrinkled finger at the boy's forehead.
"Keeping Cerebral out of the hands of Jin'ei, for one," he hissed, venomously articulating each syllable. "Ultimately stopping Jin'ei for another. You don't seem to realize how thin the wire is that we're walking on, child." The tone in his voice when he said "child" made Ash cringe. "If we stray from the course, even a little, we will fall to our doom and quite possibly the doom of society as we know it. Now, my patience has been worn very thin, so unless you want me to show you some magic that will make everything else you've seen so far look like child's play, I suggest you sit down keep your mouth shut."
Ash fell back onto the bed, terrified by Lotus's anger. Exerting all his willpower kept him from crying, but his whole body trembled from fright. Injured as it was, Pikachu came between the old man and its trainer, growling at him. After a moment, Lotus took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"I'm sorry," Ash squeaked.
"No, it's alright," the sorcerer replied. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. But you must understand something. Jin'ei is far more than a crazed fashion designer and he certainly doesn't want Cerebral's powers to help him make fancy clothes. Jin'ei was cast out because he couldn't be satisfied with anything. He wanted to be in the conclave because he would hold power over people. Had we let him stay, he would have taken over the order, but even that wouldn't be enough. That's what Jin'ei is. He gains pleasure by controlling other people. If he gains Cerebral, he will be so powerful that he would be able to overpower the will of any man with but the mere desire. He could command a person to walk barefoot over white-hot coals and he would do it, knowing the pain it would cause, but being powerless to resist him. And with Jin'ei's twisted sense of humor, I've no doubt he would do that and much worse."
Lotus turned back to the spell he was preparing. Ash slid off the bed and watched. The old man mixed several different powders into the water, continually stirring them until they dissolved completely.
"Were . . ." Ash began, finally finding the courage to speak. "Were you serious when . . . when you said child's play?"
"It wasn't an empty threat, if that's what you're asking," Lotus replied. "Laws are useless unless you possess the power to enforce them. If anyone possessed more power than the law, then we would have chaos. Therefore, the council members must be the most powerful of all. That's why Jin'ei didn't attack us himself, he knows it would be foolish.
"But I'm getting absent-minded in my old age. My mind isn't as sharp as it used to be. Jin'ei, however, is still young, and has always had a keen mind. I may have the advantage of power, but Jin'ei will not be the first one to make a mistake. That's why we must deal with Jin'ei first."
Ash nodded. Lotus went back to his mirror. Dipping his fingers in the water, he whispered the spell and then spread the water over the mirror. For a moment, there was nothing, then it began to emanate a soft green light. When the light dimmed, the image of a dark-haired man could be seen. The desk he sat at was cluttered with papers and documents and his stress was evident on his face.
"Just like him to be working so late," Lotus murmured, then, in a clear voice, he said, "Aldaris."
The man looked up from his desk. "Lotus? What is it?"
"You must call a meeting of the conclave," Lotus said. "We must meet by tomorrow."
"That's very short notice," Aldaris replied, going back to his work. "I'm not sure everyone would have time to get here."
"They'll make time," Lotus insisted. "We're in a desperate situation. It's Jin'ei."
Aldaris didn't even glance away from his papers. "I was under the impression that we had taken care of that problem."
"He's after Cerebral."
The lead from Aldaris's pencil snapped from the sudden pressure. A shadow of dread fell across his face. "But how? It was hidden. There were no records."
"He found it," Lotus stated. "For the moment, it has been taken beyond his grasp, but unless we put a stop to this now, he will have it."
Aldaris pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'll call the meeting immediately."
He started to walk away, but Lotus stopped him.
"One more thing," the older man added. "I request that someone be allowed to sit in on the meeting. He's a young boy who's unfortunately become hopelessly entangled in the mess."
Aldaris looked stricken. "I can't allow that. The risk is too great."
"Please," Lotus pressed, "it's vital that he be there."
Aldaris kept silent, considering the request with a grim expression. After a moment, he stood.
"If you're sure that it's necessary," he conceded. "Just remember the consequences of your decision. You're responsible to cover the risks."
"I'm well aware of the consequences," Lotus said. "I've been on the council longer than you have."
"True," Aldaris replied, "but you're old and senile."
Lotus smiled. "And you're young and hot-headed."
"Good night, Lotus. I'll take care of everything."
"Thank you."
Lotus touched the mirror and the image disappeared, returning again to its reflective glass. Running his fingers through his hair, the old man let out a deep sigh. He turned to Ash with an empty smile.
"I'm going to be at the meeting?" Ash asked, wide-eyed.
"You are the possessor of Cerebral," Lotus said. "Of course you're going to be there. Now, to bed, it's late."
Removing his jacket, socks and shoes, Ash climbed into the empty bed. He sat there a moment, thinking about all that had happened that day. Despite what Lotus had said, concern over Misty still gnawed at his mind. How would they get her back? If Lupus really had connected her with someone he knew, he might not let her go.
"Is something wrong?" Lotus asked.
Ash looked up at him with a hopeless expression. "I really don't think I'll be able to get any sleep tonight," he replied. "Not with everything that's happened."
"I see," the old man said, stepping up beside the bed. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"
Reaching into one of the bags on his belt, the sorcerer withdrew a pinch of dust. Ash looked up at it as Lotus held the powder over his head and let it fall. Suddenly, fatigue overwhelmed him. He fell back into Lotus's waiting arm, soundly asleep. The old man gently laid him back into the bed and covered him with the sheets.
"Sleep well, my boy," he whispered. "It is likely that tomorrow will be the longest day of your life."
