Chapter 9
Almost everyone from Elden had arrived to see off the King, Queen, and their company. Cheers filled the streets and children playfully called their names, to get them to wave at them. A small girl, no more than eight, ran up to Ororo's white horse and placed a red rose in it's mane she then handed a matching one to the queen. "I picked this just for you, my lady!"
Her trademark smile appeared and she thanked the child lavishly, placing the flower in her hair.
The sun was high as evening had not yet set in, the warmth spreading to her swelling heart. It filled with an incomparable pride at how mentally aware and prepared for this battle her elves were. Ororo was accompanied by her long time friend, Jean. She had never seen Jean dressed for battle before, and she had never seen her fight physically, even from training, but she knew that Jean's magic alone required no assistance there- she controlled physical reality itself, it seemed. It was then Ororo remembered she had forgotten to introduce Jean and Nathan formally. She brushed the thought aside for later when they made camp but was painfully aware of Nathan stealing frequent glances at her friend.
The forest loomed ahead of them, Elden behind them and Ororo stopped the company. "Before we enter the forest, I realize you are not familiar with the forces or creatures within. The best advice I can give you is to stay on the path, and don't separate." Her horse was a bit agitated, stomping at the ground to get going. "And no matter what you see, do not go after it. There are things in here that are of the Light, but also those whose intentions are more sinister. Any other information you will receive is on a need to know basis. We'll travel through until nightfall- there shall be no fire- the smell will attract unwanted guests. Understood?"
Suddenly King Dayspring and his men didn't take Elden Wood so lightly. They all nodded in agreement and steered their horses to follow her into the wood. Nathan wondered why she warned them not to stray off of the path. By the look of things, the forest was so dense, it was like having an iron wall on either side of you. The sun filtered down through the leafy canopy along with the shrill songs of birds and the chattering of critters unseen.
They traveled in almost complete silence for an hour, the wood had finally opened up around them and they were able to see exotic flowers and the insects hovering around them. They had yet to see any other signs of life.
Ororo, why are you so forlorn? Is it because of him? Jean broke the silence, at least in Ororo's mind.
The dark elf's eyes closed at the thought, just when she had believed she'd come to terms with it. Yes. I fear how I may react upon seeing him. I wonder if I will react in love, or hate. I need this part to be over. To finally lay my mind at peace.
You will have your closure.
A rustle in the bushes a few yards ahead snapped Ororo from her conversation and she slowed her gait, motioning for the others to comply.
"What is it?" Dayspring asked.
"I'm not sure, proceed with caution." As she approached the bush, it stopped shaking and two red eyes peered out at her. The creature lunged at her, startling her horse, it bounded off of Nathan's shoulder, and landed on the back of Samuel's horse, behind his saddle. It was a tiny, golden monkey, slightly bigger than his hand. He was fascinated at first as it cooed, looking up at him. He reached to touch it and the creature immediately turned hostile, hissing and screaming. He pulled away and it grinned, showing razor sharp teeth. He went to swat it away but it was too late, the wretch bit down hard on the horse's flank. The wounded creature shrieked and reared upward, trying to toss it's rider and assailant, but to no avail. It took off blindly into the forest.
"DAMN THAT CREATURE!" Ororo thundered. She was fighting her horse which was snorting and leaping about, desperately ready to charge forward but she held it back with a firm grip on the reins, shouting "Jean, remain here to protect the others! Nathan! Follow me if you wish to recover him!" With that she clicked her tongue, yelled, "Hi-yah!" and the horse broke loose, carrying her at break neck speed Bright lady protect him…
She concentrated and called upon a wind to come before the horse 30 yards ahead of her, making it difficult for it to proceed. She was finally gaining on it… Closer… Closer… she was within 20 feet now. Wrapping the reins around a clasp on the saddle, she released her bow from the side of it and immediately stood up in the stirrups, trying to escape the bouncing and her horse sprung forward with renewed energy, approaching an opening in the forest.
Taking careful aim, she let an arrow fly at the hideous creature behind Samuel. It nicked it's ear and the creature howled and hissed at her, springing towards her unexpectedly, teeth bared. Her thoughts sped up and time slowed as she calmly drew another arrow, pulled back on the bowstring, and let the arrow fly into the belly of the creature. The monkey immediately changed trajectory and as it flew backwards, it transformed, fur disappearing and body elongating as it struck the ground. Ororo slowed her horse and approached it cautiously and discovered the nude form of a Red-haired woman. She was still breathing but blood was soaking up the shaft of the arrow that still lay in her stomach. Sam had finally calmed his horse and doubled back in time to see Ororo spread her cape over whomever it was that had attacked him. "That… was incredible!"
"How is your horse?" Ororo asked, noticing a shift in the air around them. Where's Dayspring?
"No skin broken, just bruised. And scared witless. Is that thing dead?"
"I would pray that 'it' isn't, for your sake, elf!" Dozens of women immediately stepped out of the shadows and appeared in the trees, all of them with spears, bows, or knives in their hands. Their faces and arms were covered with symbols of victory, heritage, and destiny. They were the legendary Amazons. Ororo kept her back to them, Sam couldn't keep his eyes away from them, he was rooted to the ground with fear.
"I have no quarrel with you," Ororo said evenly, knowing it was futile. You attacked one Amazon, you attacked them all.
A muscular, dark haired woman, barely Ororo's height, stepped forward. She was dressed in a dark brown leather sleeveless body suit. Her leather boots were of even tread and stopped just above the knee. Scars from past battle and from life in the forest covered her arms and she wore a patch over one eye.. She passed Ororo and gathered up the fallen woman in her arms. "Take her to the healer. Let me deal with the elf." Another Amazon nodded and fled with the injured woman into the woods. The woman who just spoke, obviously the one in charge, walked around to the front of the elf, and Ororo noticed she had an eye patch. The Amazon stared at her, her face just inches away. "You are accused of assaulting an Amazon and will be dealt with accordingly." Fast as lightning, she backhanded Ororo across the face.
The elf paused and closed her eyes for a moment, absorbing the pain, before straightening her head and employing an icy gaze. "Do you know who you're dealing with!"
"I care not who you are, just what you have done." She snarled.
"And did you take into account what your precious Amazon did to us?"
"She is cursed and in our care. A man did this to her. She changes form and acts without thought or reason. That she escaped is our fault, not hers. It will not happen again. However, now that we have your companions, I feel that it is an even trade for what you have done." Nathan and Sam were being held, knives to their throats, and had three other amazons with drawn bows on them.
"I will not let you take them!" Her eyes began to fade to a translucent white
"Are you foolish enough to think you have a choice!"
Ororo thought frantically… she could easily summon her magic… but it was too risky with the bows drawn on the king and his messenger. "You take responsibility for her actions, correct?"
The Amazon nodded, wondering what Ororo was getting at. "Then I challenge you, based on your intent to harm one of my soldiers and his horse. My atrocity, vs. yours, in combat."
She smirked at the gangly elf before her. She had seen many battles and this woman dared challenge a seasoned warrior! "Certain conditions do apply. What is your magic and what guarantee do I have that you will not wield it in the match?"
"I command the sky- wind, rain, snow- mother nature itself. And you have my unconditional promise that if I so much as utter a magic word, you may shoot King Dayspring." She avoided Nathan's gaze, knowing full well his reaction from not just her challenge, but her promise.
The woman approached Dayspring, stroked a hand across his chest and coyly bit her bottom lip. "A King? Perhaps we won't give him up too easily… he is very handsome, and appears strong as well- he would serve well for breeding." A few of the other Amazons smiled at that prospect.
A fire began to ignite in Ororo, a rage she had not felt in a while – not since she was young and Remy had spent the night with a bar maid, before she admitted she had feelings for him, and it had burnt her deeply. Ororo had started a bar fight over it and sent quite a few men away injured over the incident. That was before she tamed her temper somewhat. "I add one more condition, Amazon."
Here one good eye met Ororo's gaze. "What is that?"
"No weapons. Just hand to hand."
Nathan looked at her desperately. He'd already fought Ororo when her anger got the best of her- and that was with a weapon. "Do you know what you're doing!"
"Silence, Dayspring!" Ororo snarled while removing her armor. Where was this anger coming from she wondered. She was always calm, composed, flirtatious, and in control. But right now, she wanted nothing more than to rip the arms off of this woman before her and beat her with them. It wasn't like she loved Dayspring or anything of that nature, but it was the thought that even though she didn't want him, he was hers- and someone else was trying to play with him. "Let's go."
"It appears I've struck a nerve with the dark elf. Shall we?" The woman turned and swung her leg back which nearly made contact with Ororo's stomach if she hadn't flipped back at last moment. Crouched to the ground, she sprung at the woman who side stepped and punched her in the chest. A blinding pain shot through her body but she ignored it. She'd had worse. She's too offensive… needs to let that woman come after her. Did she just imagine it or was that Nathan's voice in her head? No time to think about it, a fist was flying at her face, she used her arm to swat it away and pulled back her arm, sending her fury forward into her assailants face. Blood spurted out and down the woman's chin from her nose.
"Nicely done, wench- I would like to return the favor." She began a furious assault with only her legs, finally making contact with Ororo's shoulder and dislocating it. Ororo clenched her teeth in frustration and pain. Her shoulder was weirdly disjointed and bulgy.
"Admit defeat, woman! You are not match for me!" The statement was punctuated with a bare fist aimed for Ororo's jaw.
Ororo ducked the woman's fist and ran past her. She rammed her shoulder full force against a nearby tree. She gasped as it popped into place but not without a sickening noise or a terrible wave of pain shaking her body. Gathering her wits, she approached the Amazon once more. "I'm not through with you yet!"
The bloodied woman looked at her awkwardly, surprised the dark elf wanted to continue the bout. "I would be happy to take care of your other shoulder for you! HIya! " She sprung in the air, her foot nearly coming in contact with Ororo's face. The elf queen grabbed the woman's leg in mid air and swung her into a tree with it. Not giving her an opportunity to recover, she ran up and began striking her with her fists repeatedly until finally locking her legs around the woman's head. "Release my friends or I remove your head!"
The dark haired amazon nodded. "Release them. She has won." Dayspring and Sam were released and a cloth tossed at the bloody amazon. She began dabbing at the blood in her nose and addressed Ororo. "Who are you?"
Ororo was already re-donning her armor. "I am Ororo, Queen of the Elves and Elden."
Here eyes widened. "I am quite impressed. The elves have been fabled as peaceful scholars and farmers- nothing more. No one has ever fought me as ferociously as you, you would have made a great Amazon."
"I accept your praise graciously but I have a question about this man that has cursed your companion. He wouldn't happen to hail from Hades would he?"
"How did you know?"
"Myself and my consort, Dayspring, have allied to brace for the coming war provoked by Nur, King of Hades. I'm concerned he may have dabbled in areas that we haven't even perceived yet." She offered a hand to help the Amazon up. She waved it aside and rose on her own.
"She disappeared one night while on a hunt. She reappeared with the crest Hades carved into her right arm and she was changed. Her skin was blue, and she transformed into various creatures and people- her thoughts and personalities changing with the physical. It angers me to acknowledge it, but we are without the resources and capabilities of fighting an entire kingdom."
"I extend our aide should he attack another of your tribe."
"Thank you. But whoever is foolish enough to attack one of mine again is in store for horrors never imagined on this earth."
"Ororo, we need to regroup." Nathan interrupted.
"We're already here." Jean emerged from the wood with the rest of Dayspring's men and several Amazons paralyzed in mid air. "We were ambushed no less than 5 minutes after you had given chase of Sam. They obviously didn't know who they were dealing with."
"Jean, I admire your skills but please release them. We have come to terms and are at peace"
"Very well." With a wave of her hand, the women were restored and joined their fellow amazons, obviously very annoyed.
The leader of the amazons extended her hand. "Thank you, Ororo. I wish you luck on your journey. Though you are not an Amazon by name, you are by honor. I consider you my sister."
Ororo took her hand and shook it. "As will I…?" She tried to hide her embarrassment at the loss of the woman's name.
The woman laughed. "Callisto."
"Callisto." She mulled over the name, memorizing it. "I'm sure you know this forest like the back of your hand, so I have an important question. Have you seen a vampire lurking about, at any time? He goes but the name of Remy."
Callisto tilted her head back, thinking for several seconds. "I can't say that I know the names of any vampires, but I know there is a guild here in the forest. We caught one of their sniveling bottom feeders attacking our herds. After forcing information from him, we sent him on his way to warn the others not to come near us again. They are located northwest from here. At least, that was the direction he went in. I imagine it would be several days journey as I know nothing of that sort dwelling within a days radius of here."
"Thank you. You have been more help than you could know." Ororo turned to leave but Callisto grabbed her arm.
"Be careful. There are creatures up north that have not even been documented. It is legend that Jishin roam there."
"What is this… Jishin?" Nathan asked.
"It is an ancient, giant beast. It burrows under the ground. No one that has seen it has lived to tell. But it is believed to be large enough to swallow horses. In its mouth and down its throat are innumerable sets of teeth, shredding what eats as it swallows it. It is covered in scales so thick, man made weapons are useless against it. You could be riding your horse, feel a slight tremor, and then it surges out of the ground, swallowing you before you have a chance to know you're going to die."
"If no one has seen it, how do you know it exists?"
"You know more about the unknown than I, elves. If magic is dormant, does that mean it does not exist?" Callisto stared at Nathan, knowingly, as she finished speaking. "All I can say is if you are given any warning at all, head for the nearest solid, non-earth surface you can find."
The allied party shifted nervously in their seats. Some worried, most counting the story as nothing more than a myth.
Ororo mounted her horse, not knowing what to believe of the story. "I appreciate the warning. If what you say is true, we have a long and tiresome journey ahead of us and must be on our way. Are there any other creatures or people on the way?"
Callisto grinned, "You're past the hard part. The Jishin should be nothing after me."
Ororo smiled back and clicked her tongue. "Good bye, Callisto."
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Author's note: Argh. It took forever to get this out of my brain. I'm still not happy with this chapter. I originally intended the Amazon leader to be Psylocke. Ah well. I'll put her in later, I guess.
Update 7-15-05:
The update to this chapter is dedicated to Kendrat199- for finding the MAJOR mistake I made in who a character was (that's what happens when you have no beta reader and you change your mind 10 zillion times) .