Beyond Sight.
Chapter Twelve:
A young woman hummed an old lullaby to her children as they slept and she looked out the window of her palace. She was an empress, loved and cherished by her people and all who knew her except one. Her brother hated her every fibre and had frequently made a nuisance of himself since she had been chosen as empress over two millennia ago. What worried Miyuka though was his current silence. Her royal guards and even her imperial knights were unable to locate his whereabouts and when he kept silent for long periods like this he was planning something.
Miyuka awoke with a start to hear shouting and screaming and immediately ran to her children's bedside but they weren't there. She desperately looked around to see where they could have got to but saw no trace of them.
"Hello sister dear." Her brother Loki menacingly murmured whilst lurking in the shadows. "I thought I might treat your family to some fun."
"Where are they?" Miyuka growled dangerously, her demon eyes glowing red.
"Just look out the window." He replied as if some sort of joke and the empress ran to the window to see her family trussed up on the turrets all dead. Her husband had been decapitated and there was no trace of his head, "your husband awoke first despite my spells, he tried to stop me," Miyuka glowed red as she charged up her powers using her fury to amplify them, "I couldn't let him get between me and my two nephews now could I?"
"You monster!" Miyuka yelled and threw a huge bolt of energy in the direction the voice was coming from.
"Tut tut, Miyuka you should know by now that I like to play games and I'm never where you think I should be!" a pentacle appeared on the ground around her and she screamed as the spell took affect. "I will take what is mine now sister dear and you will watch every moment!" Miyuka felt the cold hand of fear wrap around her heart as her brother laughed and dragged her down to her own holding cells where he threw her roughly inside.
"You are sure this will work?" Draganus asked the demon before him.
"I summoned the Raxi for you didn't I?" Loki asked, "I was also the one who sent Lucifer after New heaven. I've always hated that place."
"Your kind have always been peaceful," wraith pointed out, "why change after all these many years?"
"I have never been peaceful." Loki spat and turned to look at the chameleon who stared at the young woman Loki had brought with him.
"She crazy or something?" he asked as he watched her play with a piece of chalk and draw pictures on the ground.
"Of late yes." Loki replied then addressed her, "Miyuka go do that somewhere else!" The girl yelped and ran out of the room as quickly as she could.
"I will ask you again," Draganus said impatiently, "will this work?"
"You have taken away that oracle woman he cared so much for and you are about to threaten the life of his younger brother," Loki said holding up a vial with a green liquid inside, "this poison is deadly when used improperly and when mixed as I have done so for you it will be a slow and painful death for the young boy. We will offer an antidote for Wildwing's life and the fool will be bound to take it without a thought for his own safety." Loki looked at the overlord smiling, "And I know how much you want to play with that leader of theirs."
"I will have my revenge," Draganus snarled, "and I will make Wildwing watch as his team dies then I will take this planet and reclaim Puckworld!"
"You ain't gonna kill im boss?" the chameleon asked scratching his head.
"For all the problems that duck has caused me I will do far worse than kill him!" Draganus laughed as Loki finished preparing the poison and loaded it into a dart for Siege to use on Nosedive.
"I will take care of those simpletons from New Heaven and I will then be free to take New Heaven as my own then make all those miserable gods and angels my own personal slaves." Loki said to no one in particular.
Nosedive watched as his brother silently cared for his children. Wildwing hadn't smiled for nearly six months, at least not a real one. Toby and Sara were the only ones Wildwing ever spoke to now, Nosedive couldn't even get Wildwing to acknowledge him half the time and the older duck had slipped into such a deep depression Tanya had made him take tablets for it and made sure the others kept an eye on him. On more than one occasion Dive had found the pill packets, still full in the trash and confronted him about it, but Wildwing just blocked him out again. Sara started to cry whilst Wing was trying to feed Toby so Dive walked over and picked her up rocking her gently.
"Why won't you talk to me bro?" Nosedive said as he sat down with his niece and tickled her under her beak, "cause you know I'm here to listen right?" Dive looked up and found Wildwing was deliberately avoiding his gaze and sighed, "You can't keep on like this!" Nosedive said angrily, "she wouldn't want you to be like this and neither do your kids! We're all here for you but you're too damn stubborn to talk to anyone!" Wildwing heard his brother and sighed; for once the younger duck was right.
"I'm supposed to be strong aren't I?" Wildwing said softly as he placed his now dozing son back into his cradle.
"Being strong doesn't mean not showing when you're hurt Wing," Nosedive snapped, "That's just stupid! We all know how much you loved her but right now you're acting like she never even existed!"
"I should have done something." Wildwing stood staring at the floor.
"How do you think I feel? I tried to help her and I failed!" Nosedive put Sara back in her cot, "She died cause I couldn't beat those things! It's my fault she's dead and my fault you're like this!" Nosedive dropped the pretence and allowed the tears to fall.
"Don't you dare blame yourself," Wildwing said clenching his fists, "It's not your fault at least you tried."
"It's not yours either and you were out looking for her just like the rest of us were!" Nosedive looked away and resisted the urge to shout and scream at his brother but he didn't want to wake the kids. "She was my friend and it doesn't matter what she was or what powers she might have had before, she was still blind and it wasn't fair that she had to die like that." Wildwing went to say something but Dive carried on, "she must have been so scared but she tried to get me to leave she didn't care about herself she just wanted me to get to safety. She knew what was coming Wing," Nosedive spun around and looked at his brother, "she knew what they were and Chase says she knew she was going to die and how a long time ago. How could anyone live like that?" Nosedive took a deep breath feeling much better after his rant and saw that tears were falling from Wildwing eyes now as well and his breathing was off. "Wing?"
"I miss her so much." Wildwing said before finally breaking down and falling to his knees he began to sob. Nosedive hadn't expected this and awkwardly pulled his brother into a hug as Wildwing had done for him many times before, allowing him to sob into his shoulder.
Outside Tanya stood listening with Duke and Canard, who indicated for them to follow him. They walked to the kitchen where they found everyone else waiting for them.
"Did you speak to Wildwing?" Talia asked as they arrived.
"Nosedive's in there with him." Duke said sitting down and allowing Tanya to sit with him.
"I didn't even realise how bad it had gotten." Canard said more to himself than the others.
"What happened?" Mallory demanded.
"We went to talk to him and Nosedive was already there," Canard said picking up an apple and rubbing it against his shirt, "Nosedive told him exactly what had happened when . . . well you know and Wing just broke down. I mean he's always so together, I've never seen him like this even after the camps.
"He has lost the woman he loved," Grin said philosophically, "when the injury is of the heart it is not so quickly cured."
"It's been nearly six months!" Canard exclaimed, "they weren't together that long . . . ow! Hey!" Canard rubbed his head and looked around to find Candy scowling at him.
"He's heart broken!" She scolded, "some people never get over loosing someone who dies naturally, how do you think he feels loosing her the way he did," she folded her arms and shook her head, "he's your best friend for pucks sake! Show a little compassion huh?"
"I know it's just . . . he's better at this than me," Canard explained, "Why do you think I gave him the mask in limbo. He's always been a good leader; he just never really knew it. I mean I'm a trained leader and all but he managed to get you guys to work as a team better than I ever did."
"Boo balas!" Phil burst into the kitchen and was greeted by a groan.
"Go away Phil!" Canard moaned.
"But you promised to go to the charity fair in the park!" Phil protested, "The kids from the local orphanage are expecting you."
"Oh all right!" Canard rubbed his temples, "you guys okay with this."
"Yep!" Everyone spun around when they heard Nosedive's voice and saw him with the double pram and Wildwing standing next to him looking everywhere but at them.
"You guys coming too then!" Phil said sounding excited, "Great! I've wanted those kids to get some publicity and . . ." He stopped as soon as he realised the murderous way in which everyone, bar Wildwing, was looking at him, "Uh we should go before we're late, meet ya there see ya bye!" He ran out of the pond like a bat out of hell and to his car.
The fair was quite small but the kids loved the ducks and there was a guy doing pony rides so Nosedive and Wildwing held Toby and Sara on top of them as they laughed with glee at being on such a funny toy. Talia had a go too and declared that she wanted a pony and when could she get one, which was replied with 'when you have the money yourself' from various members of the team. Eventually Cassidy produced a huge picnic basket and Chase various bits of cutlery and they found a nice shady patch of grass to eat the food Chase had made for them.
"You're sure you made this Chase," Daren said grinning and glancing sideways at Cassidy, "you're not just saying that to kill us all with Cassidy's cooking are you?"
"What did you say!" Cassidy growled.
"Ow man anyone else getting slaughtered by the bugs out here?" Nosedive asked as he rubbed the back of his neck where he could already feel a lump forming. Candy and Talia burst out laughing whilst the others shrugged and finished off the food. They posed for a few more pictures and the photographer promised to send them some of the ones of the twins then they made their way home. Wildwing watched his kids sleep as they drove and a small smile crept to his beak, "maybe I can do this," he thought then sighed, "I promise I'll protect them Jess. I swear it." He looked up and realised they'd arrived in the hanger and everyone else was getting out.
"You okay Dive?" Wildwing asked as his brother seemed to heave himself out of his seat and looked a shade paler than normal.
"I don't feel so good," Dive said yawning and rubbing his eyes, "I'm gonna go to bed okay?"
"Sure Dive, you want anything?" Wildwing asked like he always did when his little brother was sick.
"Nah I'm okay. Night." Wildwing nodded and watched his brother walk off then shrugged and got the twins and took them to the nursery.
Another chappy. Hope you like it please review good or bad. Toodles Angel xxx.