Chapter V: The Assault
Beast Boy pulled himself up on the island's rocky shore in sea turtle form. He went ahead to check out the island. He needed to make sure Raven and Gregory were together before Robin's group could try the underwater entrance. The Tower was all ablaze with light illuminating the whole island. Beast Boy looked up into the clear night sky. The stars were still out and a breeze blew the salty air lightly around him. At least there would be no storms this time.
Beast Boy morphed back into his human form and walked towards the Tower. He knew there was no use in sneaking around. Gregory knew exactly when he would arrive.
Beast Boy stopped in his tracks. Raven and Gregory were together. Gregory stood in front of Raven with his skull staff. Raven, or what appeared to be Raven, was mounted on her Nightmare; its gray coat shown dully in the Tower lights. Her head was tilted forward and her hair lightly swirled around her head in the soft night breeze. She wore a leather vest, black knickers with bare feet.
It was what was surrounding the pair that made Beast Boy's heart sink. About a dozen ghostly horsemen in various stages of decay stood in the darkness. Their bones glowed inside the shadows of what they had once been. Each horseman had a bow with knocked arrow. They appeared to wear leather skins and had an odd cap that culminated with a slightly hooked crest.
"It's the Scythians," Beast Boy said to himself. Gregory had a vicious sense of humor to summon his former comrades from their long rest.
Beast Boy raised his communicator to his mouth. "Tell the eagle the prize is spotted. Hold your position," he whispered into his communicator. That would send Robin on his way and hold his group. He had a sudden inspiration.
Beast Boy drew a deep breath and boldly stepped forward towards Raven, Gregory and their ghostly defenders. He could hear the ghosts of the Scythians laugh at his boldness as the fixed their arrows on him.
Gregory watched as Beast Boy approached them. What a damn fool, he wasn't even going to change into something more menacing. This was going to be easy. "Take aim." He instructed his minions.
"Proud servants of Rome," Beast Boy called out to the ghostly horsemen. "It is me Garfield the Defensor. Hold your fire." Beast Boy held his position trying to express some form of authority over them. He hoped these long dead souls would recognize him.
The horseman slowly lowered their bows. Beast Boy smiled to himself in triumph. "Bericus and decedents of Attila I will speak with your leader," he said in a commanding voice. The horseman removed their arrows from their bows and looked back at the one they served.
Gregory gasped in horror as his grip over these spirits slipped away. He thought it would be an ironic twist to have the men who had once ridden with Beast Boy into battle on that Italian field so long ago destroy him. How could Beast Boy have command over them with just words? "Raise your bows," Gregory cried out frustration. The ghostly riders did not respond to his command and continued to stare at Raven.
Raven kept her head lowered as she smiled to herself. Gregory was such an idiot. He could have chosen any other spirits. Instead he had summoned those who would be more loyal to Beast Boy than to himself.
"I'll take care of this," she said to her partner. She kicked her heals back and Sol Palus strode forward passing through several of the ghostly riders. Their mounts reared up as the Dark Queen and her mount passed through them.
Beast Boy held his breath. He had some hope he could talk his way out of this after disarming Gregory's spirits. Raven stopped several feet in front of him, her head was still bowed. Beast Boy took a step back as the Nightmare's glaring red eyes focused on him. Beast Boy's heart sank when she looked up; they were gone, Raven's purple eyes were gone!
Raven smiled; her eyes had had the affect she had hoped for. Beast Boy stood dumbfounded. "What is it you seek Garfield?" she taunted her former friend. "Your cause is hopeless. I will crush you and cast you and the others into the deepest parts of hell."
Beast Boy stood his ground. "No, there is always hope. Even in the darkest hours we always had hope and each other." Beast Boy countered. "When your father came we didn't give up. We fought for our friends and for you. I don't believe you can't remember that Raven."
"I am not Raven," she replied. "I am Atra Regina (the Dark Queen) and I will rule this realm."
"No," Beast Boy quickly countered. "You are Raven, my friend, the person who always cared for her friends even if she wouldn't admit it. It's not too late to come back Raven."
Raven paused as Beast Boy's words sank in. Somewhere in her cold soul something cried out, but it was too far buried in her to have any power and its voice slowly deadened in the black caverns of her mind.
Raven looked down. Beast Boy watched in anticipation; could he turn her?
Raven squeezed her legs together and pulled Sol Palus' mane encouraging him to turn around. She kicked her heals and urged her mount to a slow trot through the ghostly horsemen who awaited her command.
Raven turned around to face Beast Boy; her yellow eyes focused on him.
"Eradico (Destroy him)," she coolly announced.
Beast Boy gritted his teeth; he had failed. Now it was time to make a statement. He morphed into T-rex and let out a roar. The Scythians' mounts reared up in fright. The ghostly riders fought to regain control. Beast Boy lunged forward attempting to drive off Gregory's minions before they recovered. Beast Boy felt a small smidgen of hope as he scattered the horseman nearest him.
The first of the Scythian arrows hit Beast Boy's right flank. He cried out in pain then turned to that side as the next volley hit him. The arrows were bright orange, like hot cinders that burned when they hit his skin. Beast Boy cried out again then lunged forward scattering the riders. Another volley hit him in the flank. They were toying with him. Each direction he turned they hit him in the flank. The pain was getting more intense. Where the hell were the others!
Beast Boy stumbled backwards then fell unable to get up. Mas and Minos flashed past him in a vain attempt to keep the deadly ghost riders away from their fallen leader. Speedy returned his own volleys but his arrows passed through the attackers and had no effect. The Scythians drew their fiery hooked swords and screamed in triumph as they closed in on their fallen foe.
"NO!" Terra screamed in rage. She raised her arms into the air and called a hail of meteorites from the skies above her. They streaked downward in a cloud and smashed heavily into the oncoming riders. Wailing cries of men and terrorized horses filled the air as the ground boiled under Terra's spell. Gregory's spirit horde was utterly destroyed.
Mas and Minos looked up in horror as they saw Terra's meteorites quickly descend upon them. The twins dodged and darted as the ghostly horsemen surrounding them succumbed to Terra's onslaught. They needed shelter.
"Ven conmingos," Mas tugged on his brother's hand. Raven had extended a dark shield over herself and Gregory. They could seek shelter under it then make their escape when Terra's meteorites stopped falling.
The twins entered Raven's dark void. They looked out across Raven's shield; there was a strange unnatural silence. The two turned around as a sense of foreboding over took them. They looked directly into the eyes of Raven's Nightmare. Wails and shrieks filled their ears.
Gregory was on them in a second. He kicked Minos in the groin bending him over in pain and breaking his contact with his brother. A quick swipe to the head and he was out. Mas lasted a second longer before he too was felled by Gregory's skull staff.
Terra fell to her knees next to Beast Boy as the meteorite impacts slowed to a halt. A fine dust shrouded the island. "Beast Boy, speak to me, please," she pleaded with him to respond.
Beast Boy's eyes fluttered open. "Sebastian was right," he whispered to her. "A dozen Scythians are worth a hundred men," he forced out a short laugh. Terra looked at him unsure what he was talking about. Speedy stood over the pair equally puzzled by his remarks.
Beast Boy saw the confusion in his friends faces. "Another secret," he whispered to them. "I'll tell you about it later, when I come back from Gaul. Sebastian and I have an imperial banquet to attend." Beast Boy's eyes closed as a smile passed over his face. His breathing became deep and restful. In his mind he was riding his horse up a short grass-lined hill. Sebastian was in front of him mounted on a fine stallion riding at full gallop, his red cape billowing and snapping behind him. On the hill above them Augustus stood on a stunning white stallion with his purple cape fluttering in the wind.
"Beast Boy, don't go," Terra desperately whispered to her fallen love. Tears of anger filled her eyes. She slowly stood up and looked through the dust towards Raven and Gregory. Their dark shield continued to hold.
"You're going to pay for this you bitch." Terra raised her hands and began walking towards her opponents. She was going to take them out or die trying.
Every rock, boulder and stone near her rose up, levitated briefly then flew violently at her opponents. They clanged, banged and broke upon Raven's shield with no affect. Terra screamed in frustration. The ground began to shake violently under them.
"Stop it Terra," Bumble Bee swooped down and firmly grabbed onto her shoulder trying desperately to get her attention. "You're going to take down the whole city. Stop it for Christ's sake!"
Terra relented and the ground slowly came to a rest. The girls looked at their shielded opponents. Bumble Bee decided it was time to call Robin. Everything had gone horribly wrong. Terra stared at her adversaries burning with frustration and anger.
"Robin, half the team's down," Bumble Bee yelled into the communicator as her adrenaline kicked in. "We need….to…" She looked up and froze in mid-sentence unable to complete her thought. Terra looked up in shock as she too saw the abomination rising over the tower in front of them.
A large skeletal form cleared the tower; its wings stretched out beyond the confines of the Tower's edges. A great unholy cry erupted from the bone dragon. Bumble Bee's communicator exploded as Terra covered her ears trying to press out the piercing scream from this horrible monster.
It began to descend on the remaining Titans as they stood mesmerized by the giant lumbering beast. The dragon's mighty jaws opened and a black cloud erupted from its mouth and covered the island with a vile stench. Terra, Bumble Bee and Speedy tried to cover their mouths and noses as the smell of death filled their lungs. The world spun out control as they collapsed onto the rocky shore. That was the last thing any of them could remember as their minds passed into shadow.