Disclaimer: I'm sorry this has taken so long. These next two chapters have undergone several rewrites in the last few months. I hope you like them and again I apologize for the wait. One more thing, I don't own the characters, don't claim them either. So please don't sue.

Chapter 27

"What if his plan doesn't work?"

Beast-Man nearly tripped over himself trying to maintain a pace with Evil-Lyn who was practically running down the dark corridors towards her quarters. The great witch was growing more annoyed with her fellow minion by the moment.

She knew full well that time was of the essence and if Skeletor's plan was to be properly executed, they did not have time to dwell on semantics.

Plus, one never knew which walls had ears in Snake Mountain.

"It will work," she hissed. "How dare you doubt the great Skeletor, you flea-bitten buffoon!"

Her hairy companion growled at her remark but took it no further than that. When they approached her lair - a makeshift workshop filled with potions, books and a few helpless caged animals that she used for only gods knew what - she flung the doors open without even touching them and walked quickly to a large, rusted box that lay casually between stacks of books on a shelf.

Beast-Man leaned over her shoulder as she opened it and reached inside.

"Grrrrr…..where did you get that?"

A smirk crawled along Evil-Lyn's face as she caressed the smooth, golden features of the object. The top of it was round, which ancient writings and symbols engraved along the top of it. The object was hollow in the center, save for a single red jewel which hung suspended in the air, presumably by magic. The arm-length long base of it appeared to be its handle, Beast-Man deduced, but noted it wasn't long enough to be a fighting staff.

"I acquired it recently," Evil-Lyn said slowly, mostly because she thought Beast-Man was too stupid to follow along any other way. "The merchant who was selling it had no idea what it was or how to unlock its power. Not that it mattered once I cast a spell that made him go insane. I must say that significantly lowered the price of this wonderful little trinket."

Beast-Man nodded blankly.

"What is it?"

Evil-Lyn sighed and rolled her eyes. She wondered if anyone in this place would ever fully appreciate her work towards Skeletor's cause of world and universal domination.

"Just stand-back, ape, I'll show you what it can do," she spat and started to twirl the item in the air, without using her hands. As she did so, she whispered an ancient incantation that caused a bright, twisting wind to form around her. Suddenly the room became so bright that Beast-Man raised his arms to shield his eyes.

Soon the room went dark again and the air settled.

"Evil-Lyn?" Beast-Man growled, waiting for his eyes to refocus.

Rather than a response, Beast-Man heard a soft giggle. He turned to where Evil-Lyn had previously been standing and gasped.

"What's the matter, furball? I thought you would appreciate this."

The words were Evil-Lyn's but the voice was not hers. It was lighter, more feminine. Beast-Man moved closer to her, sniffing the air to be sure the person in front of him was the same person who was there before.

"How did you …"

"We don't have time for this, you fool," harshly, the voice cut him off. "Go get the others. We leave for Grayskull at once!"

Something was wrong.

Shadow Weaver paced the halls of the Fright Zone. Time was closing in. Soon she would open the portal and transport hundreds of Horde Troopers to Eternia. At that very moment, Force Captain Catra was briefing the last of her battalions on Hordak's great plan.

A plan that was contingent on two things: Damas and Weaver's ability to control him.

For his entire life, Weaver could feel her magic working through him. It was a connection that she later came to think of as a mother's umbilical cord. She could tap into his thoughts and his fears. But since they had gone to Eternia, something had changed.

The connection she created, that she felt so strongly in every breath of her, seemed to be severed. And for the first time in her miserable life, Weaver felt fear. It was fear for herself, mostly. She knew if this mission did not go as planned, Horde Prime would want blood, and Hordak wasn't exactly going to be pleased either.

But she was also afraid for Damas. Actually, she was afraid of Damas. Of what would happen if she could no longer control him. If she lost the power she had over his mind. It was that power that had kept him loyal to the Horde, had kept his mind from succumbing to the truths, hidden deep in his subconscious yet always trying to push through. She had been fighting that aspect of his mind for years. Yet, she knew when she left him on Eternia that the connection was breaking and that his mind was privately battling something else inside him. An internal battle that her magic, it seemed, could not alter as it had so many times in the past.

And if she had lost that battle, had lost Damas, then Hordak would DEFINITELY not be pleased. And no magic may be able to save her.

She had to find out what was going on in Damas' head and then she had to get him back to Etheria so she could strengthen her spell on him. Unfortunately, time was not on her side.

"Weaver!"

His voice boomed through her ears and snapped her back to reality. She floated into the throne room, in front of the awaiting battalions of troopers. On his throne, Hordak glowered down at her.

"It's time. Do not fail me."