Chapter Three - "Boys You Bring Home"

The Sorceress dropped the crystal ball. She turned on her heel and ran. Her feet carried her across Castle Grayskull until she reached the Hall of Secrets. The doors flew open and she snatched up Crystal of Alynel - the amulet that would allow her to use her powers outside of Castle Grayskull as well as allow her to maintain her form.

As she ran down the staircase, she heard the voices of the Elders and the Ancients who empowered and were joined with Castle Grayskull protesting. But she ignored them. She was in instinct mode. The Sorceress of Grayskull just ran.

"DUNCAN! SHE-RA!" she yelled loudly.

Man-At-Arms spun around. "What is it?"

"We have a more immediate problem!"

The door opened and the two forms clambered in, both moving like drunks. But it was not alcohol in their bodies . . . but pure, heated lust. King Hiss and Vipera shuffled into Teela's bedroom, lips kissing, forked tongues flickering against each other.

"Hssss . . ." seethed Vipera, pulling off King Hiss' flesh, revealing the vipers beneath. The vipers moved seductively to Vipera, wrapping around her body, their flesh moving against hers. Vipera ran her hands across them and then kissed the lead one, King Hiss' head. Her tongue ran across the head.

"To the bed?" asked King Hiss.

"Yessss . . ." she whimpered.

Vipera fell backwards onto the bed. King Hiss reached forward, fangs gleaming, looming over the clothes, ready to tear them off . . .

The doors to the balcony threw open.

"Stop right there!" came a voice that neither Hiss nor Vipera could recognize. It was the sound of a very, very angry mother.

The Sorceress and Man-At-Arms stood at the balcony, both looking ready for anything.

"Who the hell are you?" spat Vipera.

"Your parents, sweetheart," Man-At-Arms replied, "and I've got to say, your mother and I don't approve of your boyfriend."

Man-At-Arms tossed a grenade into the room. Half the room exploded, engulfed in a burst of flame and smoke. But through cut Vipera, covered in a sheath of green energy. She flew right to the Sorceress. The Sorceress was prepared, though she knew that she was outmatched.

A force field blazed to life around the Sorceress, protecting her from Vipera's initial attack. Vipera sneered and turned in mid-air. The Sorceress fired a bolt of pure power at the transformed body of her daughter. Vipera tried to block, but this was the power of Grayskull. It struck hard and Vipera took the full impact. She was tossed back, but held her place. She made right for the Sorceress once again.

In the meantime, Man-At-Arms rolled through the fire, lasers firing harshly. King Hiss, it seemed, was a little uncomfortable in the heat. He was hardly able to dodge the blasts. However, the fire suppression system kicked on, dosing the heavy flames.

King Hiss leapt forward, all of his snake heads ready to strike. Man-At-Arms set both wrist-beams on maximum and fired. They struck the villain straight on and sent him flying in the wall, then onto the floor. Man-At-Arms pulled out his club and walked towards him.

"I've been wanting to do this for the past two days since you kidnapped my daughter, you sick son of bitch," he swore.

Before Man-At-Arms could get near, King Hiss was back on his feet. He let out an energy blast. Man-At-Arms wrist shield barely protected him in time.

"I thought you Eternians were sworn not to kill," King Hiss sneered, walking closer and closer to Man-At-Arms.

"You misunderstand. He-Man is sworn not to kill. The Heroic Warriors are ordered not to take lethal action. I, however, am fully authorized to bring about death."

With those words, Man-At-Arms struck. As his wrist laser fired from his left hand, his right unleashed half a dozen small, orb-shaped bombs. When they were in the air, Man-At-Arms fired his second wrist laser.

King Hiss' heads dodged all the bombs, and held off the laser fire with magic shields. He hurtled towards Man-At-Arms, shrugging off his attacks. Man-At-Arms switched into defense mode swiftly.

Two shields were up at his wrists, which blocked the first strike from King Hiss. Hiss swung his chest snake forwards to poison Man-At-Arms. But their fangs slammed against his armor.

"You don't think I wasn't prepared for you?" asked Man-At-Arms, pulling out a short-sword and slashing it at Hiss.

"I strike in more ways than one," Hiss bullied and three snakes struck out and pulled the sword from his hand. Three more slammed against Man-At-Arms, tossing him completely out of the room.

King Hiss ran towards him, but Man-At-Arms was firing again, lasers going wild. King Hiss continued to brush them off. His pace quickened, ready to tear Man-At-Arms out of that armor and to render his flesh and muscles from his bones.

"Your age is ending, mammal!" Hiss screeched suddenly, jumping into the air.

Man-At-Arms rolled out of the way and landed right next to a small computer panel.

"You don't think I don't have you exactly where I want you?" asked Man-At-Arms. "I live here, dumb ass."

He slammed a small disk into the computer panel.

Immediately, lasers dropped from the ceiling. Man-At-Arms stepped back, pressing keys on a small computer pad on his wrist. The lasers fired heavily, striking the Snake-Men's leader.

"And don't bother calling for back-up. I just sealed off the corridor."

Meanwhile, the Sorceress battled with Vipera outside. Their battle had moved, however, off of Teela's balcony and into the garden that just a few minutes ago, King Hiss and Vipera were speaking in. Huge bolts of power splintered off from their barrages.

"This is useless," Vipera snarled.

"Indeed it is. Your forces shall fall. Teela will be restored. Just end this now."

"Why are you so confident?" asked Vipera then, in an all-too-curious tone. "What do you know?"

The Sorceress didn't answer. Which, to Vipera, was an answer unto itself. She moved out of the way as the Sorceress unleashed another attack.

"I will see into that pretty mind of yours. I will pry my way in," Vipera hissed.

An energy exo-skeleton appeared around her, taking the form of snake. It rose up with Vipera and moved to strike the Sorceress' head. The Sorceress pulled away and formed her own energy exo-skeleton - that of a falcon. It clawed at the snake, the Sorceress moving with it.

Each time it would make contact, the snake would sneer in anger and pain.

"The power of Grayskull is great within you. You must be its keeper," Vipera stated. "And you are also Teela's mother. But why are so you so sure that you will succeed? What hope for Teela that I myself did not have?"

The falcon screeched and the Sorceress within the energy form began to move upwards. But Vipera struck fast, her snake form leaping up and striking the head of the energy falcon. The Sorceress and Vipera both screamed as the snake tore right into the Sorceress.

"I am . . . in great pain," gasped Vipera, hands raised, commanding the snake form around her forward. "But . . . I will know your secret . . ."
"I am the heir of Veena's power!" shouted the Sorceress, the snake form tearing right into her. "You shall be torn to pieces if you move any further!"

"Maybe, but I have the power to repair myself."

Vipera moved fast and hard. The snake form, now already in the head of the energy falcon, dove right into the Sorceress's head. Once again, both screamed. The Sorceress for what Vipera was doing to her; Vipera for the power of Grayskull was ripping her apart as she moved into the mind of the Sorceress.

Then, after a few seconds of pure, agonizing pain, both energy forms vanished and Vipera pulled herself back from the Sorceress. The Sorceress collapsed to the ground.

"I . . . Teela is your daughter, but she is far more," Vipera said. "She is the heir to the power of Grayskull. The daughter of a Sorceress must become the next Sorceress." She then smiled. "Which means . . . if I enter Grayskull and step into the Pool of Power . . . then this body is protected by the power that would destroy my mind and life force. I will become the next Sorceress! AND I WILL BE ABLE TO DESTROY CASTLE GRAYSKULL ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

The Sorceress stood up. She gathered all of her might. "You shall never enter Castle Grayskull, foul bitch of a goddess!" she roared. "NEVER!"

Power gathered in her hands. Light flared up, streaks of energy flying across the garden. In one titanic burst of energy, the Sorceress struck. Vipera's body was engulfed in silver light. She screamed in pure pain and agony as the Sorceress unleashed her onslaught, her defenses already gone in the attempt to steal from her mind.

Vipera crumbled to the ground, defeated momentarily. The Sorceress fell against a wall, but held herself up.

"Duncan!" she shouted.

At that moment, there was a second explosion from the balcony. Man-At-Arms jumped down from the newly formed inferno and landed right next to the Sorceress. Behind him was King Hiss, vipers hissing loudly.

"We need to go," Duncan said. "Oh!" he gasped, seeing Teela.

"Her womanhood is safe for now, Duncan. But there was a price."

"What price?"

"There is no time."

Hiss charged right at them, but was too late. The pair was gone in a flash of gold.

They reappeared in the throne room of Castle Grayskull, exhausted. The Sorceress nearly passed out, but Duncan was able to help her up to the throne. As soon as she took her seat, a second portal opened. Out of this one came She-Ra, SeaHawk, and Gwildor, helping along Lubic and Queen Marlena.

The portal closed behind them. "A good, last minute plan," She-Ra complimented.

"Marlena, are you all right?" asked Duncan, rushing over.

She put her hand on Duncan's shoulder. "I'm okay. Just a few cuts and bruises."

"I'm all right too, if you care," Lubic grunted.

"Why don't you take them to the medical room?" asked Duncan of She-Ra, SeaHawk, and Gwildor.

As soon as the five of them were out of earshot, Duncan walked up the woman that had once been his lover. He took her hands in his.

"What happened, Teelana? What price were you talking about?"

"Vipera knows that Teela will become the Sorceress. She's planning on using that to her advantage. If Vipera takes Teela's place, then she will have the power of Grayskull. She will corrupt Grayskull and destroy it!"

"But . . . Vipera is hurt by the power of Grayskull . . ."

"Not if she becomes part of Grayskull's power!" The Sorceress lowered her head. "Luckily, she has been incapacitated for the rest of her mating time."

"Information I'm sure Teela wanted me to know about."

"And I hope and pray that she has not yet realized just how it is that Teela will return."

Duncan perked an eyebrow. "Something you haven't even told me about."

"Patience, Duncan. Right now, we must prepare Castle Grayskull for an attack."

She walked along the cold dark path, naked and alone. This was a prison, she was certain. But she knew that every prison had a key. And Teela was certain that she would find it.