Chapter 6
Warnings in the Night
A piercing scream of terror split the night. In her chambers, Queen Serenity sat straight up in her bed, trembling as she stared straight into the glittering eyes of a King cobra. The frill on the creature's neck was large and full, almost twice the size of the Queen's hand, and as he hissed, a forked tongue flipping out of his mouth, he revealed his fangs, glistening with venom. Clutching her blankets in hands that shook, the Queen screamed again. But although her cry banished the silence from the farthest corners of the palace, no one came to her rescue. Serenity gulped, realizing she would have to help herself. She held her breath, not daring to take her eyes off the deadly snake for a moment. Likewise, the cobra kept his evil green gaze upon Serenity's pale face. As slowly as she could manage without suffocating, Serenity exhaled, and began to slip from her bed with all the speed of a weary tortoise. The cobra hissed a warning.
"I would keep still were I in your place, Majesty," a voice purred mockingly. "Cbin's heart would surely be hurt if you were to run from him, and he would likely kill you to teach you a lesson." Cbin. The creature's name registered within Serenity's mind in an instant. The cobra was Cbin, the dark god of deadly snakes and other creatures whose bites were fatal to humans. Serenity raised her head to look upon the one who had spoken. At the foot of her bed, she found a girl-nay, a child no more than twelve years of age-dressed in a Sailor Soldier's uniform of dark purple, and carrying an evil-looking blade. The girl was willowy and fragile-looking, pale as death, but the hatred in her familiar violet eyes put unyielding terror in Serenity's heart. She knew those eyes.
"Hotaru?" she gasped. Hotaru grinned.
"Such a smart lady!" she said sweetly, tenderly stroking Cbin's head with her skinny forefinger. "You see, Master? I told you that she was wise." Cbin hissed at the girl in what seemed for all the world to be a gesture of supreme affection, and nuzzled her hand. Hotaru smiled sympathetically at the snake.
"Please be patient, Master. I must at least have the chance to say goodbye." Serenity was shocked. Hotaru could understand the dark god? But the only way one could understand an animal god was if they were allied with them! And that would mean.
"You have betrayed our elders, Hotaru!" Serenity whispered, her voice shaking with anger and disbelief. "You have betrayed your own mother's kin! Why? Why have you allied yourself with this exiled scum?" Hotaru's expression darkened. Her violet eyes turned cold, but not before Serenity saw the hurt that clouded them. Cbin hissed wrathfully and bared his fangs, his long body writhing in agitation.
"I agree, Master," Hotaru said coldly, pointing her weapon at the Queen, who, for the first time, noticed the blood that dripped off its blade. "Your tone hurts my heart, and the hearts of the true masters of the cosmos. Kill her, my dark Master!" Before Serenity had time to react, the cobra god struck, sinking his dripping fangs deep into her right shoulder. The Queen released a tortured cry, falling from her bed as white-hot pain flowed from her shoulder, spreading throughout her entire body. As Hotaru and the cobra god grinned upon her in triumph, Serenity screamed in sheer agony, tears rolling down her cheeks in rivers. Desperately, she threw herself at Hotaru's feet, using all of her rapidly waning strength.
"Please, my little Firefly," she pleaded, "My dear little child." Hotaru pulled away viciously, her eyes burning with hatred, and spat upon the Queen.
"I am not your child," she snarled. "I am the Promise Child, a daughter of the dark gods!"
"Hotaru," Serenity begged. "Please." Hotaru's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"This, Majesty, is your child." And from behind her back, she brought out the severed golden head of Princess Serenity. Tears flowed from the princess' heavenly blue eyes as blood dripped from her tattered neck.
"Mother!" Young Serenity's head cried. "Mother, save me!" Queen Serenity felt her heart being ripped in two. Painful sobs tore from her chest as she fought against the cobra's venom, desperate to save her daughter.
"Serenity!" the Queen wailed over and over again. "Serenity!" Hotaru laughed wickedly as Serenity's sobs blended together into a long, wordless cry of anguish, which did not cease until Cbin's venom bid her breathing be concluded. The Queen lie dying upon the floor, her body and spirit in excruciating pain, and she had not the breath to cry out to the gods.
"You ought to have let me die with my mother!" Hotaru chided mockingly. "Do not worry. You and your daughter will be together in Urien's domain!"
"MOTHER!" Young Serenity's head screamed. "HELP ME!" Those were the last words Serenity heard before she surrendered to the dark god's poison, and opened her arms to Morganna.
***
"Serenity!" the Queen cried. She bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily. Darkness surrounded her. Her heart thundered behind her ribs. Her nightdress, drenched in sweat, clung to her shuddering body. Her hands shook. She was alive? But how could that be? Fearfully, she pulled down the collar of her nightdress and stared at her bare right shoulder. The flesh was smooth and white, clean of the cobra god's fang marks. Serenity released a quivering sigh. A nightmare. It had all been a nightmare. She was all right. Her daughter was alive. Hotaru had not allied herself with the dark gods.
Sighing, Serenity fell back on her damp pillow, breathing deeply to slow the rhythm of her heart. How many times was this now that the nightmare had come upon her? She had lost count. Every night, though, it was the same. She would awaken, and see an elder Hotaru dressed in a Sailor Soldier's uniform and carrying a blade that always looked clean at the beginning of the dream, but became bloody as it wore on. Always, she was with a dark god, calling it "Master" or "Mistress," and-if they could speak-they called her "The Promise Child." If the dark one could not speak in human tongue, it was Hotaru who referred to herself as such. The nightmare always ended with Princess Serenity dying in one way or another. Always, the Queen awoke with tears in her eyes, and fear in her heart that would not die except with the morning light.
Serenity laughed without mirth. At last, Hotaru sleeps through the night. Still, she disturbs my sleep. By all the gods, why do these nightmares come to me?
Perhaps it is because you are caring for a child that the gods wished to die, a part of her said reasonably. Perhaps the gods are showing you what you will lose if you do not do away with Hotaru.
My daughter? Will I truly lose my daughter if Hotaru is allowed to live?
It is possible. That certainly seems to be what the nightmare wishes to tell you.
But I cannot simply kill Hotaru! She is only a child! Surely she can do no harm!
She is the daughter of a traitor. Her own grandfather thought it best if she died! If that is truly what the nightmare is telling you, then eventually, you shall have to choose between your daughter and Hotaru.
Choose between them? How can I choose between them?
You may have to.
No. No, I shall not choose between them. Hotaru is not evil. She will never ally herself with the dark gods, nor shall she ever kill my child. Hotaru is a firefly, a light to pierce the darkness that fell upon this Kingdom with her mother's betrayal. I am certain she will prove to be only a help to our Kingdom. I just know that this nightmare is being sent by the dark gods. They wish me to destroy Hotaru, because if she lives, they shall not triumph. I shall see to it that Hotaru lives. With these thoughts, she rolled over, and shut her eyes, intending to drop off to sleep. But sleep would not come. She could not shake off the fear that clothed her as easily as that. She knew that the firefly that pierced Saturn's dark nights had another side. Those fireflies were the same who lead Saturn's hunters to their game. What if Hotaru truly was leading the dark gods to her daughter? Serenity could not bear the thought of losing her daughter, but just as bad was the thought of killing a helpless child. If it came to choosing between them.Serenity shook her head viciously. No. It would not come to that. It could not come to that. Whipping back the blankets, Serenity swung her legs over the side of the bed, and sat there for a moment, breathing deeply to clear her head. The Queen shut her eyes against the stinging drops of perspiration trickling into them, and considered her position and possible reactions. It was not long before she settled upon one.
Rising from her bed, she glided over to the vanity, and picked up a comb in hands that shook with anxiety. She took great care in dressing her long, silver tresses in the traditional manner. She was not going to the Crystal Tower to care for Hotaru this time. She was going to honor the original purpose of the shrine: to pay homage to the goddess Selene. With her hair in tails, she threw a cloak about her shoulders, and was on her way.
The guards let her into the Crystal Tower without question. It had been quite some time since the last time she had come to the tower at night, so they no longer worried so about her health, and were more willing to allow her the occasional late-night prayer. Hotaru was asleep when the Queen reached the shrine at the top of the stairs. That did not surprise her. It had been months since last Hotaru had awakened her in the middle of the night. Serenity smiled upon the child in her cradle, and softly kissed her cheek. Such a blessed little thing she was. How could anyone think her evil?
With a sigh, the Queen turned from the cradle, and faced Selene's shrine. Tracing her crescent mark with her right thumb, she copied the gesture over her heart, and knelt before the shrine of her goddess, her head bowed in prayer.
"Oh, great and good Selene, show thy child thy will. Please protect those unable to protect themselves, and deliver us all from the lies of the dark gods. Send thy blessings, and the blessings of thy brothers and sisters upon thy servants. Lead me along the path of good. Let my actions here lead only to good." A tiny whimper interrupted her prayer. Serenity glanced up quickly, taking a moment to realize that the sound was coming from the cradle behind her. With a sigh, Serenity stood, and turned her back upon the shrine, focusing on the child.
"Oh, baby," she cooed, lifting Hotaru from the blankets. "Did I awaken you? I am sorry." Hotaru, her fingers in her mouth, looked up at her with a pained expression. After a few more moments of whimpering, Hotaru removed her fingers from her mouth and set up a dreadful howl.
"Hotaru!" Serenity exclaimed, bouncing the girl gently and stroking her dark hair. "Sweet Selene, child, what ails you so?" Hotaru, of course, did not reply. She kept to her crying. Serenity, meanwhile, checked her diaper and clothes, searching for anything that might be paining her. She found nothing. Then, as she happened to glance into the girl's open mouth, she discovered the problem. A speck of white gleamed amidst Hotaru's soft, pink gums. Serenity almost laughed.
"Oh, you poor dear," she chuckled, laying the squalling child in her cradle once more. "Your first tooth. Oh, how it must ache! There there, dear. Do not fuss. I know what can help." Gently, she began to massage the new tooth with the tip of her finger. Hotaru was startled into silence by the new sensation. After a moment, she closed her mouth and began to suck.
"There," Serenity laughed. "Does that feel better?" Hotaru simply blinked sleepy violet eyes at the silver-haired woman, smiling a weary smile. Within moments, she slept. Serenity remained at her side for a moment longer, watching her thoughtfully.
"I love you, my Firefly," she whispered. "Please know that. Circumstances must never come to a choice between you and my beloved daughter. Do not betray me the way your mother did. I could not bear it if you had to die." Fear swept through the Queen again, almost driving her to her knees. With a feeble cry, she threw herself down before Selene's shrine as tears streamed from her eyes. Bowing her head, Serenity closed her eyes against the world and, with her thundering heart in her throat, she prayed.
Warnings in the Night
A piercing scream of terror split the night. In her chambers, Queen Serenity sat straight up in her bed, trembling as she stared straight into the glittering eyes of a King cobra. The frill on the creature's neck was large and full, almost twice the size of the Queen's hand, and as he hissed, a forked tongue flipping out of his mouth, he revealed his fangs, glistening with venom. Clutching her blankets in hands that shook, the Queen screamed again. But although her cry banished the silence from the farthest corners of the palace, no one came to her rescue. Serenity gulped, realizing she would have to help herself. She held her breath, not daring to take her eyes off the deadly snake for a moment. Likewise, the cobra kept his evil green gaze upon Serenity's pale face. As slowly as she could manage without suffocating, Serenity exhaled, and began to slip from her bed with all the speed of a weary tortoise. The cobra hissed a warning.
"I would keep still were I in your place, Majesty," a voice purred mockingly. "Cbin's heart would surely be hurt if you were to run from him, and he would likely kill you to teach you a lesson." Cbin. The creature's name registered within Serenity's mind in an instant. The cobra was Cbin, the dark god of deadly snakes and other creatures whose bites were fatal to humans. Serenity raised her head to look upon the one who had spoken. At the foot of her bed, she found a girl-nay, a child no more than twelve years of age-dressed in a Sailor Soldier's uniform of dark purple, and carrying an evil-looking blade. The girl was willowy and fragile-looking, pale as death, but the hatred in her familiar violet eyes put unyielding terror in Serenity's heart. She knew those eyes.
"Hotaru?" she gasped. Hotaru grinned.
"Such a smart lady!" she said sweetly, tenderly stroking Cbin's head with her skinny forefinger. "You see, Master? I told you that she was wise." Cbin hissed at the girl in what seemed for all the world to be a gesture of supreme affection, and nuzzled her hand. Hotaru smiled sympathetically at the snake.
"Please be patient, Master. I must at least have the chance to say goodbye." Serenity was shocked. Hotaru could understand the dark god? But the only way one could understand an animal god was if they were allied with them! And that would mean.
"You have betrayed our elders, Hotaru!" Serenity whispered, her voice shaking with anger and disbelief. "You have betrayed your own mother's kin! Why? Why have you allied yourself with this exiled scum?" Hotaru's expression darkened. Her violet eyes turned cold, but not before Serenity saw the hurt that clouded them. Cbin hissed wrathfully and bared his fangs, his long body writhing in agitation.
"I agree, Master," Hotaru said coldly, pointing her weapon at the Queen, who, for the first time, noticed the blood that dripped off its blade. "Your tone hurts my heart, and the hearts of the true masters of the cosmos. Kill her, my dark Master!" Before Serenity had time to react, the cobra god struck, sinking his dripping fangs deep into her right shoulder. The Queen released a tortured cry, falling from her bed as white-hot pain flowed from her shoulder, spreading throughout her entire body. As Hotaru and the cobra god grinned upon her in triumph, Serenity screamed in sheer agony, tears rolling down her cheeks in rivers. Desperately, she threw herself at Hotaru's feet, using all of her rapidly waning strength.
"Please, my little Firefly," she pleaded, "My dear little child." Hotaru pulled away viciously, her eyes burning with hatred, and spat upon the Queen.
"I am not your child," she snarled. "I am the Promise Child, a daughter of the dark gods!"
"Hotaru," Serenity begged. "Please." Hotaru's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"This, Majesty, is your child." And from behind her back, she brought out the severed golden head of Princess Serenity. Tears flowed from the princess' heavenly blue eyes as blood dripped from her tattered neck.
"Mother!" Young Serenity's head cried. "Mother, save me!" Queen Serenity felt her heart being ripped in two. Painful sobs tore from her chest as she fought against the cobra's venom, desperate to save her daughter.
"Serenity!" the Queen wailed over and over again. "Serenity!" Hotaru laughed wickedly as Serenity's sobs blended together into a long, wordless cry of anguish, which did not cease until Cbin's venom bid her breathing be concluded. The Queen lie dying upon the floor, her body and spirit in excruciating pain, and she had not the breath to cry out to the gods.
"You ought to have let me die with my mother!" Hotaru chided mockingly. "Do not worry. You and your daughter will be together in Urien's domain!"
"MOTHER!" Young Serenity's head screamed. "HELP ME!" Those were the last words Serenity heard before she surrendered to the dark god's poison, and opened her arms to Morganna.
***
"Serenity!" the Queen cried. She bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily. Darkness surrounded her. Her heart thundered behind her ribs. Her nightdress, drenched in sweat, clung to her shuddering body. Her hands shook. She was alive? But how could that be? Fearfully, she pulled down the collar of her nightdress and stared at her bare right shoulder. The flesh was smooth and white, clean of the cobra god's fang marks. Serenity released a quivering sigh. A nightmare. It had all been a nightmare. She was all right. Her daughter was alive. Hotaru had not allied herself with the dark gods.
Sighing, Serenity fell back on her damp pillow, breathing deeply to slow the rhythm of her heart. How many times was this now that the nightmare had come upon her? She had lost count. Every night, though, it was the same. She would awaken, and see an elder Hotaru dressed in a Sailor Soldier's uniform and carrying a blade that always looked clean at the beginning of the dream, but became bloody as it wore on. Always, she was with a dark god, calling it "Master" or "Mistress," and-if they could speak-they called her "The Promise Child." If the dark one could not speak in human tongue, it was Hotaru who referred to herself as such. The nightmare always ended with Princess Serenity dying in one way or another. Always, the Queen awoke with tears in her eyes, and fear in her heart that would not die except with the morning light.
Serenity laughed without mirth. At last, Hotaru sleeps through the night. Still, she disturbs my sleep. By all the gods, why do these nightmares come to me?
Perhaps it is because you are caring for a child that the gods wished to die, a part of her said reasonably. Perhaps the gods are showing you what you will lose if you do not do away with Hotaru.
My daughter? Will I truly lose my daughter if Hotaru is allowed to live?
It is possible. That certainly seems to be what the nightmare wishes to tell you.
But I cannot simply kill Hotaru! She is only a child! Surely she can do no harm!
She is the daughter of a traitor. Her own grandfather thought it best if she died! If that is truly what the nightmare is telling you, then eventually, you shall have to choose between your daughter and Hotaru.
Choose between them? How can I choose between them?
You may have to.
No. No, I shall not choose between them. Hotaru is not evil. She will never ally herself with the dark gods, nor shall she ever kill my child. Hotaru is a firefly, a light to pierce the darkness that fell upon this Kingdom with her mother's betrayal. I am certain she will prove to be only a help to our Kingdom. I just know that this nightmare is being sent by the dark gods. They wish me to destroy Hotaru, because if she lives, they shall not triumph. I shall see to it that Hotaru lives. With these thoughts, she rolled over, and shut her eyes, intending to drop off to sleep. But sleep would not come. She could not shake off the fear that clothed her as easily as that. She knew that the firefly that pierced Saturn's dark nights had another side. Those fireflies were the same who lead Saturn's hunters to their game. What if Hotaru truly was leading the dark gods to her daughter? Serenity could not bear the thought of losing her daughter, but just as bad was the thought of killing a helpless child. If it came to choosing between them.Serenity shook her head viciously. No. It would not come to that. It could not come to that. Whipping back the blankets, Serenity swung her legs over the side of the bed, and sat there for a moment, breathing deeply to clear her head. The Queen shut her eyes against the stinging drops of perspiration trickling into them, and considered her position and possible reactions. It was not long before she settled upon one.
Rising from her bed, she glided over to the vanity, and picked up a comb in hands that shook with anxiety. She took great care in dressing her long, silver tresses in the traditional manner. She was not going to the Crystal Tower to care for Hotaru this time. She was going to honor the original purpose of the shrine: to pay homage to the goddess Selene. With her hair in tails, she threw a cloak about her shoulders, and was on her way.
The guards let her into the Crystal Tower without question. It had been quite some time since the last time she had come to the tower at night, so they no longer worried so about her health, and were more willing to allow her the occasional late-night prayer. Hotaru was asleep when the Queen reached the shrine at the top of the stairs. That did not surprise her. It had been months since last Hotaru had awakened her in the middle of the night. Serenity smiled upon the child in her cradle, and softly kissed her cheek. Such a blessed little thing she was. How could anyone think her evil?
With a sigh, the Queen turned from the cradle, and faced Selene's shrine. Tracing her crescent mark with her right thumb, she copied the gesture over her heart, and knelt before the shrine of her goddess, her head bowed in prayer.
"Oh, great and good Selene, show thy child thy will. Please protect those unable to protect themselves, and deliver us all from the lies of the dark gods. Send thy blessings, and the blessings of thy brothers and sisters upon thy servants. Lead me along the path of good. Let my actions here lead only to good." A tiny whimper interrupted her prayer. Serenity glanced up quickly, taking a moment to realize that the sound was coming from the cradle behind her. With a sigh, Serenity stood, and turned her back upon the shrine, focusing on the child.
"Oh, baby," she cooed, lifting Hotaru from the blankets. "Did I awaken you? I am sorry." Hotaru, her fingers in her mouth, looked up at her with a pained expression. After a few more moments of whimpering, Hotaru removed her fingers from her mouth and set up a dreadful howl.
"Hotaru!" Serenity exclaimed, bouncing the girl gently and stroking her dark hair. "Sweet Selene, child, what ails you so?" Hotaru, of course, did not reply. She kept to her crying. Serenity, meanwhile, checked her diaper and clothes, searching for anything that might be paining her. She found nothing. Then, as she happened to glance into the girl's open mouth, she discovered the problem. A speck of white gleamed amidst Hotaru's soft, pink gums. Serenity almost laughed.
"Oh, you poor dear," she chuckled, laying the squalling child in her cradle once more. "Your first tooth. Oh, how it must ache! There there, dear. Do not fuss. I know what can help." Gently, she began to massage the new tooth with the tip of her finger. Hotaru was startled into silence by the new sensation. After a moment, she closed her mouth and began to suck.
"There," Serenity laughed. "Does that feel better?" Hotaru simply blinked sleepy violet eyes at the silver-haired woman, smiling a weary smile. Within moments, she slept. Serenity remained at her side for a moment longer, watching her thoughtfully.
"I love you, my Firefly," she whispered. "Please know that. Circumstances must never come to a choice between you and my beloved daughter. Do not betray me the way your mother did. I could not bear it if you had to die." Fear swept through the Queen again, almost driving her to her knees. With a feeble cry, she threw herself down before Selene's shrine as tears streamed from her eyes. Bowing her head, Serenity closed her eyes against the world and, with her thundering heart in her throat, she prayed.