Flame of Darkness
By: Starlight – x1
Chapter 7: Black Arrow, Silver Dragon
Catherine soared high in the sky, tracing lazy circles as she rode the wind currents. She kept her gaze fixed below on a small group of elves and humans walked along, moving slowly and cautiously. They had left Eleanon early that morning, their numbers increased with the addition of the temple courtesan and the dragon disguised as a human.
Catherine knew the presence of Wufei had something to do with a talk he'd had with Zechs the previous night. That morning as the group searching for the key of Truth prepared to leave Wufei had announced that he would be traveling with them as they searched. A fierce light had blazed in his obsidian eyes. Catherine had recognized it as battle fever, something more easily roused in a younger dragon but much more dangerous when awakened in an older dragon.
An updraft lifted her higher and she looked ahead of the group she followed, searching the countryside below. Her keen eyes captured movement and she focused on it. Another group, easily three to four times larger then the one below moved sluggishly. They would intercept her group within fifteen minutes. Only a large hill and sparse wood stood between the two groups. There wasn't enough ground cover for the small company to hide while the larger group passed.
Without thinking Catherine dove, plummeting toward the ground below, her only wish to warn the small band who traveled unaware of the danger approaching them from ahead.
No.
The word was enough to help her recall herself. She leveled off with difficulty, flapping her wings as she attempted to regain the altitude she'd lost in her dive. She couldn't interfere. She was only allowed to watch and report to Trowa. She fought back a wave of frustration and tears. In the short time she had observed them she knew they were important players in whatever game the gods were allowing to proceed.
Trowa… She called silently, wishing the wind would carry her thought to him.
I know. The response, almost instantaneous was filled with deep sadness. The sadness of centuries spent in silent witness, unable to change or prevent. But it comforted her nonetheless. The wind ruffled her feathers, a gentle caress sent from him to her.
-
It was a beautiful day. The blue of the sky contrasted brilliantly with the few puffy white clouds that seemed to hang suspended above the earth, their movements so slow as to be indiscernible. High overhead a hawk circled lazily. Hilde breathed in deeply and smiled to herself. They might be on their way toward a confrontation with Ha'derkaath in order to reclaim the Key of Truth but even that could not lessen her enjoyment of the beauty surrounding her. She became aware of eyes watching her and glanced about to see Duo looking at her. His face was filled with the same type of admiration she evinced for the beauty around them.
"What?" Her question was curt as she felt a sudden heat flood her cheeks. "Don't you enjoy watching the beauty around us?"
"Very much." His answer was smooth but from the look in his eyes she knew he was not speaking about the nature surrounding them. Hilde looked away, unable to meet his gaze; embarrassed without knowing why but enjoying it in a strange twist of emotion she didn't understand.
Above them the hawk dove steeply before suddenly leveling out as if pulled up by an invisible hand. The hawk's wings flapped as it began to slowly regain the altitude it had lost in its dive.
Wufei had been watching it and frowned. "Something's coming." He said in a flat tone.
The rest of the party halted.
"You're right." Relena said after a moment of silence. Her voice sounded strained.
Duo gripped the hilt of Song of the Warrior. "How do you know?" He asked, wishing again his own powers had been restored to him.
"I can sense them." Wufei said, his eyes still followed the hawk. He touched the middle of his chest with his right hand, tightening it into a fist. "They won't be here for a little while." Wufei moved off to the side and seated himself cross-legged in the grass. He set his quarterstaff to one side and closed his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Duo asked, astonished by such actions.
"Waiting." Wufei opened his eyes and looked at Duo. "This will be a good place to fight."
"He is right." Relena said, her voice was still strained.
Hilde hurried over to her and touched her arm concernedly. "Mi'lady?"
"I'm fine Hilde." Relena said. "They're just so twisted and evil. Wrong, all wrong." She sank to the ground and dug her fingers into the dirt, gripping it tightly
Heero looked at her, his face impassive and suddenly the pinched look about her eyes eased. She looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you." She whispered.
Heero made a noncommittal noise and turned away, holding his mage's staff in both hands.
Zechs and Noin left the group to scout ahead and view the size and position of the unknown enemy. The rest of them settled down to wait.
Dorothy drew her sword, idly feeling the edge as she waited. Duo ran a critical eye over the blade. "Nice." He gave a nod in her weapon's direction. Her cool, pale blue eyes flicked up at him and then down to her sword again.
"Thanks." Her answer was as cool as her eyes. She continued running her thumb over the edge of her sword. The keen metal suddenly sliced the flesh as she pressed a bit too hard. Absently Dorothy lifted her bleeding thumb to her mouth.
Sally had seated herself nearby and noticed. She paused in her task of braiding her long golden hair and moved forward slightly, silently offering to heal the minor injury. Dorothy looked at her flatly and Sally settled back, resuming her braiding as she did so.
Zechs and Noin returned as silently as they'd left. "It's a large group of undead creatures, skeletons, zombies, others I could not name. They're led by one with the appearance of a man."
"I don't believe they know we are here although they do appear to be looking for someone." Noin said, her voice as calm as Zechs' had been. "They should be arriving here very soon."
She didn't have to say any more. Duo rose to his feet and drew his sword. Fanr was muttering under his breath. A golden light sprang up around the entire group and then faded, leaving behind a feeling of freshness and strength. "There." Fanr smiled gently. "Take my blessing."
"Thank you Master Healer." Noin said. She and Zechs moved to one side. A light wind sprang up to swirl around Zechs. He kept his gaze locked on the point of the hill where the army of undead would appear.
Relena had her eyes closed. Sally and Hilde both moved to stand next to her. Sally secured her healer's robes so that she would be able to move freely.
The first of the undead army appeared at the brow of the hill. Dorothy let out a hiss as she saw who led them. "Malak." The unbridled hatred in her tone drew questioning stares her way. "I will take the leader." She said, ignoring the looks.
There was no time for questions as the mass of undead spotted them. They let out a cry that sounded of despair and hopelessness and began to charge down the hill. The animated skeletons were able to move faster then the zombies and closed with the small group faster. Most of the skeletons carried crude weapons, axes or swords that they swung menacingly.
The wind about Zechs whirled faster and he leaped forward, brandishing his Elven forged blade. Noin knelt, touched the palm of her hand to the dirt and whispered something under her breath. Beneath the skeleton's feet the dirt softened. As their feet sank into the dirt it hardened back to its normal consistency, trapping all of the skeleton's in place.
It wouldn't leave them trapped for long. Some of the skeletons continued to struggle forward, leaving behind feet or even parts of their leg bones sticking into the ground.
Zechs parried a blow from one of the freed skeletons, their weapons clanged as they met and parted.
"We have to attack the one controlling the spell that animated these bones." Relena said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again she pointed straight at Malak. "Him." She said.
"I'll get him." Dorothy growled. She charged around the trapped skeletons, heading straight for Malak.
Wufei muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Stupid woman." He followed her as she rushed recklessly onward, seemingly oblivious to the mass of zombies moving down the hill to meet her.
Heero began hurling fire spells at the zombies. Hilde followed his example but in a more direct manner. She conjured up two flaming blades of fire and began circling, ducking and gliding through the zombies, slashing with her swords. Her movements were reminiscent of a dance, an old, dangerous dance.
Relena stood, watching all her companions. Dorothy's headlong rush toward Malak had been halted by a second wave of zombies. Only these weren't like the first wave of zombies. They had the same gray skin and vacant eyes, but they weren't in any state of decomposition and they moved much faster. Dorothy was now fighting with Wufei. Duo had joined them slashing great sweeps with his sword.
More skeletons had freed themselves. Zechs and Noin fought like two halves of a whole as they kept the skeletons from approaching Relena. Sally moved among the trapped skeletons neatly avoiding their swiping arms. She sang softly and touched a skeleton. It collapsed into a pile of bones.
Fanr was casting fire spells although more conservatively then Heero.
Relena closed her eyes and summoned forth her illusionary guardians. As she did so she became aware of someone watching her, an evil presence. She opened her eyes and looked around. Malak looked straight at her, ignoring the fact Dorothy was fighting her way toward him with frantic hatred. A look of triumph settled on his face and he held a black arrow in one hand. "Finally I've found you, Holder of Hope." His voice carried easily over the sound of battle. He lifted the arrow. "My master sends you greetings."
The arrow flew straight at Relena and lodged itself in her chest before she could move. She let out a scream, loud and prolonged. Her body twisted in agony before she collapsed to the ground where she continued to arch and writhe in pain. Fanr reached her first and cautiously touched the arrow's shaft. It crumbled into black ash that drifted away on a sudden gust of wind.
Everything seemed to happen at once. There was a loud sound, as of thunder. A large, silver dragon had appeared in Wufei's place and was now wreaking havoc among the zombies. Malak disappeared. Dorothy didn't notice, too busy staring that the dragon who was Wufei. Hilde's flames billowed out from her hands and consumed the zombies they touched into immediate ash. The remaining skeletons had collapsed into individual bone piles at Malak's disappearance. Zechs leaped over the bones in his eagerness to reach his sister. Noin followed close behind him.
Heero watched as they bent over Relena, momentarily stunned by what he felt through the lifebond. She was dying. Her life trickled out slowly, leaking from her. He could feel it leaving her. Great pain touched him, almost bending him double.
Someone grabbed his arm. "Listen to me." A woman's voice said urgently in his ear.
Heero turned his head and found he was staring into lustrous purple eyes.
"You must lend her your life strength while the healers cleanse the poison from her body."
Heero looked at the woman blankly.
"Hurry," She snapped. "She can't die. If she dies Ha'derkaath will have removed a great obstacle from his path." She cast a glance over her shoulder at the silver dragon tearing up the remaining zombie creatures. She gave a sigh. "I must stop him before he draws more attention to himself."
Heero almost asked how he was supposed to lend Relena his life strength when the solution came to him. He turned away from strange woman and strode over to Relena. She still writhed in agony. Zechs was speaking in Elvish, his voice short and worried. Fanr answered him calmly, also speaking in Elvish. Heero knelt next to Relena and gathered her into his arms, easily taking her from the healer.
"What are you doing?" Zechs' question was angry, worried.
Heero didn't even look up. He focused instead on Relena's face. "Saving her life." He said and bent down and kissed her. Her lips were still and unresponsive under his, her skin slightly cold, but he could feel the life bond strengthen. The tiny wavering that was her life brightened as he forced his own strength into her body. Heal her. He thought. Then he could feel the healers doing just that. He knew as intimately as if they were working on him. He could feel the cleansing as they purged the poison of the black arrow from her body. He felt the beating of her heart grow stronger and steadier. Her breathing deepened and her skin warmed. The pain left. She lay still in his arms. He stopped kissing her and suddenly knew as she opened her eyes and looked up at him that she now knew him as closely as he knew her. All his walls had been down. He stared at her unsure of what to do or say.
"The unicorn was right." Relena said quietly and smiled.
-
Dorothy stared, shocked and opened-mouthed at the dragon. Her eyes moved from the broad head, its mouth opened in a snarl revealing sharp fangs to the long serpentine neck that connected the head to the body. Bat-like wings were half spread as he rampaged through the zombie like creatures, tearing with teeth and claws. His black eyes were swirled with silver light. Fear filled her. She couldn't move or tear her eyes away from him. A terrible fearful being, with hypnotic beauty.
"Gods above." Someone said in a hoarse whisper.
Dorothy turned her head to see the long haired swordsman standing still, his sword still gripped in one hand as he stared at the dragon that was Wufei.
A woman brushed past them both. Dorothy caught the slightest glimpse of purple eyes as she passed. The woman approached Wufei fearlessly and said something Dorothy couldn't understand. Instantly Wufei halted in his rampage and swung his head around to look at the woman. The silver sparking in his eyes disappeared and then he was back in his human form. The woman shook her head at him in a grandmotherly fashion and said something in a slightly scolding manner.
Red colored Wufei's cheeks and the silver disappeared from his eyes leaving them black once again. He stood straighter and bowed to the woman. "Matriarch." There was respect in his voice. She looked at him and said something in the language Dorothy couldn't understand. He answered in the same language and his eyes flashed silver again.
Dorothy turned away from them and only then realized that Malak had disappeared. Her heart sank and a cold rage boiled up inside of her.
"Patience, Askar's warrior. You will enact your revenge soon enough."
The voice and sound of the words were familiar. Dorothy swung around to face the woman. Purple eyes stared at her knowingly.
"You!" Dorothy gasped. "You're the old woman who spoke to me after Malak…" She stopped abruptly and pressed her lips tightly closed.
"Yes. I am." The woman looked at her kindly and Dorothy stiffened.
"Greetings Matriarch."
The woman turned away from Dorothy and smiled at Relena who dropped a curtsy in a show of respect.
"You are better. Good. Ha'derkaath will not be pleased." The woman let out another sigh. "I am glad I was not here too late." She turned to Heero. "Excellent job young one. You were well chosen I see."
"Chosen? So the gods are responsible for the lifebond between us?" Relena asked.
"I believe so." There was a pause before she continued. "I do not say that I entirely understand a god's mind even after many centuries of observing and conversing with them. Sometimes it seems like they are just playing the same game of chance we all are, only with bigger stakes."
"I'll say." Duo muttered. "Us."
The Matriarch smiled at him and her eyes twinkled. "Ah, so you are the wielder of the Song of the Warrior. It was well chosen." She turned back to the rest of the group. "Do not relax yet my friends. Ha'derkaath will attack again and soon. He does not like to be thwarted." Her forehead wrinkled. "Quite the spoiled brat, that one." She sighed. "Well, I must be going. There are other matters I must attend to and quickly. Do not fear, I will return." She turned to Wufei and spoke in the language only they understood. Wufei bowed his head in reply. Then abruptly the woman vanished.
"Ahh." Fanr let out a sigh. "She is still as powerful as ever I see."
"Who exactly was she?" Duo asked.
Wufei looked at him. "Agnialla, Matriach of all dragons." He said quietly.
"Speaking of dragons, I never would've guessed you were one." Duo said, awe in his voice. "I've never seen a dragon before."
"I've had to disguise myself as human for quite a while now." Wufei said. "If I couldn't appear entirely human to different observers then the transformation would be a useless activity."
"Well, you certainly fooled me."
"Humans are easy to fool. They rely too much on appearance and outward senses to make their decisions about others." Wufei said matter-of-factly. "Though I do not disparage you or your kind. Humans have a stubbornness to persevere that others would do well to learn."
"Thanks, I think." Duo turned away, shaking his head.
Hilde hurried after him. "Don't worry about it." She said softly. "That from a dragon is a complement." Her brow wrinkled. "Besides, I don't think he's very old. At least in dragon years no older then you or I are in our ages."
Duo looked at her. "How old would that be?"
"Several thousand years old." Hilde looked at him seriously.
Duo stared at her. "How old are you?" He finally asked. "No, wait, don't tell me. I don't think I could really handle it right now."
Hilde touched him on the shoulder gently. "Don't worry. I've never seen a dragon before today."
"How do you know he's young then?"
Hilde shot him a sidelong look. "I may have never seen a dragon before but that doesn't mean I haven't been educated about my people's allies and friends. The war with Ha'derkaath has been long and wearisome struggle. There hasn't been much time to learn but I did so when I was able."
"I see." Duo looked about him. "Perhaps we should leave. This area is rather open and even though we are attempting to confront Ha'derkaath I would prefer some time to rest before we must fight again."
"You're right." Hilde looked over her shoulder and called something in Elvish to Zechs. He answered her briefly. Hilde looked up at Duo, her eyes sparkling. "Come on. Let's scout ahead for a place we can camp for the night."
Duo grinned back at her. "Lead the way fair maiden."
The two started walking.