Chapter 11: The Curse of the Mystic Moon
A/N: Thank you all for reviewing for me, it just makes me so very excited. I am jumping and dancing right now with the excitedness.
Avian Phoenix: I love you Avian. You know I do.
Jacquei: Thank you muchly for the suggestions, and don't worry I will have certain information you want shortly.
Karina knew Dilandau was watching her. Every morning when she entered the mess hall she could feel his crimson eyes following her, to her place at the table and all through the meal. They were like lasers, trying to pierce her skin to find out what she was hiding. She hadn't told him that she had met his other half and knew the entire story of his past; she figured he wouldn't take that too well and didn't want to see what his reaction was. He seemed to have a tendency to react rather violently when things didn't go his way. And he most likely wouldn't consider her knowing about him an advantage.
So he watched her, waiting for her to slip up so he would know what she was hiding. Because eventually she would slip up. They both knew it secretly; one can't hide something forever, but for now she was content with visiting Celena in her spare time and having him know nothing about it. She was getting rather used to his eyes on her; it was no longer so unnerving to look up and see him looking at her, trying to penetrate her very soul with a look. Not that he still didn't frighten her—she wondered if she would ever stop being scared of him, but she didn't want to run and hide every time she saw him now.
When Karina tried to enter the training room after breakfast a week after she had made Celena's acquaintance, she found her way blocked by a broad-shouldered albino whose twin she was quickly learning to adore. It was unfortunate that this one was so unpleasant.
She moved to the side and his body mirrored hers; when she tried to slip through on the other side his arm snaked out and prevented her from going further.
What do you want? she snapped irritably. She wasn't in the mood for his stupid mind games or ridiculous habit of doing things just to annoy her.
What do I want? That's an interesting question, he replied thoughtfully.
Karina rolled her eyes and tried to shove him away—god he pissed her off—but his only response was to bring his other arm around, trapping her against the door frame. I want to torture the prisoner that escaped' so conveniently, I want to kick a certain telepath off the Vione, I want to cut out Folken's heart and feed it to a dragon. He smirked at the expression of horror on Karina's face as he mentioned the last one. She believed he would do it; how nice of her to have faith in him. What I currently want to know is where you keep going in the middle of the night. she repeated innocently, knowing she didn't sound genuine and not caring in the least. I haven't been going anywhere.Yes, you have. I'm not stupid Karina, and I have ears.How shocking, she muttered sarcastically.
What was that?Nothing. Now look, Dilandau. I know your paranoia is your only strong suit, but don't you think you're taking it a bit too far? he said honestly. You're the only one who puts your boots on to go out at night; the other slayers have discovered that I have excellent hearing and am an extremely light sleeper, so if they leave with their boots, I will hear them. So they go barefoot. Karina opened her mouth to speak, but her continued, Also you sound different when you walk, like curiosity rather than business.
Karina stared at him for a moment, surprise showing on her face. General, don't look so reflective—people might start thinking you're human.More of them believe I'm human that believe you're human.What's that supposed to mean?Well, it's reasonable to suspect that a woman cursed by the Mystic Moon can't be totally human. he pointed out casually.
Cursed? I'm not cursed.Of course you aren't. Now where have you been going? he repeated once more.
Nowhere. And why would people think I was cursed?No reason, nobody thinks you're cursed. Now tell me where you've been going, I won't ask you again. His tone held a little bit of a threat now, a hint of danger that had before been demanding.
I've already answered.You're a liar.And what if I am?
Dilandau didn't say anything as he stood looking down at her, wondering how best to extract the information. He knew that she was seeing Celena from how emphatically his twin had denied it and how evasive this stupid woman was acting now.
I wonder if people cursed by the Mystic Moon respond well to torture, he said softly, loud enough for her to hear him and to taste a little fear at the thought.
It's doubtful, she returned without missing a beat.
But the process of finding out could be most satisfying. He was speaking as if he was actually considering the idea, and Karina wondered who would stop him if he tried. She hoped the Dragonslayers would, but even if they all tried to stop him, could they?
Or it could just be boring. she pointed out. I mean, really, why torture me when you don't even know if it will work? Then all that time and effort and sharpening of weapons would have just gone to waste and we wouldn't want that now would we? Karina hoped desperately that her rather long, disjointed sentence would appeal to what little sanity resided within him, but she didn't really think it would.
I'd personally like to find out exactly what you respond to, he whispered, and she was unsure whether he was still talking about torture. Somehow the thought of torture was less scary than anything else.
Dilandau, if you would kindly release Karina, I would like to fill her in on your next assignment. Folken's low voice interrupted the conversation, and Karina was relieved that he would spare her from the disturbing behavior of the General.
Something about what he said caught her attention, though. What do you mean by your? she asked as Dilandau released her from her prison between his arms.
I beg your pardon?You said your, and you were talking to Dilandau about filling me in on it, which implies that I will be included in this assignment.
A tiny smile crossed Folken's face in apparent amusement. She wasn't aware that she had said anything funny. Yes, your assignment. You two will be working together for this one. she all but shouted. She blushed a little at her outburst and repeated, a little more softly, You will be reading another prisoner, another Oracle actually, though not one of Asturia. Folken explained gently. His voice was easing her shock and anger a little, but she still didn't understand why she had to associate with Dilandau any more than she had to.
Why does this involve him? She wouldn't be able to tolerate seeing Dilandau any more than she had to.
The prisoner was not able to be transported to the Vione, because of certain interesting abilities, and so you will have to go to the location where she is currently being held. They were interrogating women now too? How kind of them.
Yes, she, the prisoner is a woman. Dilandau is to escort you to her location. We can't have our prized telepath disappearing now, can we? His voice held a slight edge that Karina couldn't help but hear; they weren't worried about somebody hurting her, they were worried that she would run away.
Good. They should worry.
I'm your only telepath. she reminded him.
Yes you are, he agreed softly. And that makes you a very special woman to us. Somehow what he said sounded much more personal than just being important to When will we be leaving? If she was really going to be stuck with him on a ship for several hours she wanted to have some time to prepare herself mentally for the torture.
You will depart in the morning. Folken hesitated for a moment before speaking again. I must tell you that this is a confidential operation and that you two will be alone except for an escort of two other guymelefs. They will not be piloted by Dragonslayers, however, and they don't know what you are doing. You, Karina will be held in the hand of Dilandau's guymelef, in what amounts to a transport pod.Great, I don't even get a ship. I get a pod. Karina muttered sarcastically.
That is all that you need to know until you arrive, and then you will be briefed on what you are finding out and who your prisoner is.Why can't I just know now?Because you don't need to know now.
Dilandau had been silent the entire time they were speaking; it was interesting to see the conflicting emotions on Karina's face as the details of her mission were explained. He was bored now, by how absurdly argumentative she was and by how dull the conversation was becoming. Well, it was lovely having this chat, but I've got things to do, people to kill, soldiers to train, fun stuff. He executed a quick, mocking bow to Folken and turned to go. Tomorrow, Woman. Karina's angry eyes met hers for a split second and he was struck by how marvelous she looked when she was angry.
Folken smiled at Karina once before he began walking down the hall, back to the throne room and his dark refuge.
Once he was out of sight Karina looked into the training room and saw Dilandau quickly disarm one of his men with a heavy broadsword. She grinned ironically, and said wistfully, God I want to castrate that man.
∞§∞
The next morning Karina was ready promptly and showed up in the flight hangar without complaint. She was dressed professionally, with her uniform in place and her hair pulled back in a severe bun at the nape of her neck. She wasn't used to it being so bound—normally it was just in a braid down her back, and somehow the fact that it was twisted into a knot made her feel much more restrained. She said nothing as the soldiers showed her the pod she would be sitting in, held carefully (she hoped) in the guymelef's hand.
Dilandau hadn't yet said anything to her, and she had made no move to speak to him. That was fine by him, he didn't really want her to. Especially not if she was going to keep asking all those stupid questions like those she had been asking Folken yesterday. Why couldn't she just leave it alone? And worse, if she asked, he couldn't get the satisfaction of knowing something she didn't. The truth was, he had no idea who she was interrogating.
We're ready to leave at your command, Lord Dilandau. One of the pilots interrupted his thoughts and Dilandau's eyes snapped up, taking a look at the man, debating whether it was worth his time to torture him for disturbing him, and deciding it most definitely wasn't.
Prepare to depart, he barked quickly. The two soldiers accompanying them leapt nimbly into their guymelefs and Karina climbed sullenly into her own pod. She was not going to enjoy this, particularly since she was connected to Dilandau by radio.
He smirked at her as he slid into the seat of his guymelef and she sent him a seething glare from her glass cage.
Let's go, Dilandau commanded, and immediately the three guymelefs took off into the air, flying out level with the Vione and then dropping down to a lower altitude.
For the first two hours of the flight, Karina was silent and so was her carrier. She was relieved that he wasn't saying anything to her; she wasn't' sure if she could deal with his idiocy right now. She didn't want to read anybody again, she didn't want to feel the fear and the hope and the pain again. She didn't want to feel compelled to rescue another person in a feat that could mean her life.
Feeling nervous, Woman? Dilandau's voice crackled over the com channel, and Karina closed her eyes in resignation; she should have known the silence couldn't last forever. And he wasn't calling her by her name anymore. She hadn't noticed yesterday when he had trapped her against the wall; she had been too alert of all his movements, movements that would indicate him drawing his sword for instance, to pay attention to what he had been calling her. Damn him to hell.
Not at all, General. Why, are you? she answered coldly. She couldn't resist adding on the last part. She just loved to piss him off.
Why would I be nervous? His voice was disdainful, as if he couldn't possibly be nervous of anything. Which for all Karina knew, was true.
Well, you don't seem to like people with unusual abilities. Being an oracle would be considered an unusual ability. She admittedly can't read your mind, but she could tell you when you're going to die.
Dilandau didn't say anything for a moment, the channel was silent, and now that he had spoken, Karina found the silence worse than his irritating way of speaking. I know when I'm going to die, he said finally.
Karina's brows came together in a frown as his words came through and reached her ears. What the hell? He couldn't possibly know when he was going to die, unless of course he thought he was going to live forever. What do you mean?I mean I know when I'm going to die. The thought doesn't scare me. For some reason, it seemed to Karina as if he was trying to convince himself of that.
So if you know when you're going to die, when is it? she asked quietly. Her curiosity had to be sated; she couldn't just let the subject go, though it was probably in her health's best interests if she did.
Dilandau stayed silent; he wasn't going to tell her that. He didn't want her to have the satisfaction of knowing when he would meet his end. Because for some strange reason, he didn't want her to enjoy the thought of him dying. It disturbed him.
she repeated, and he couldn't hear anything in her voice that suggested that she wished him to die. There was no impatience, no sound of anticipation at the idea of him taking his last breaths. He found some relief in that.
But could he trust her?
We'll be landing in two minutes. A pilot's voice saved him from making the decision and he breathed a sigh of relief. For once he was grateful to the blundering idiots that comprised the rest of Ziabach's army. The sky is clear and so far nobody has detected our presence. he replied briskly, wishing that the two minutes would speed up so that he could get the hell out of contact with the woman. With Karina, part of him corrected automatically. He immediately shut that part up, there was no way he was going to call her by her name when she hadn't yet earned it. And how would she earn it, he wondered. And why in Gaea's name did he want her to earn it?
They touched down in a sheltered glade on the outskirts of a small town. There were no guards around the walls of the village, but the barrier was high and Dilandau had no doubt that it was spelled against intruders. He could see it in the runes that decorated the very top of the wall. So the village had a sorcerer. He suppressed a shiver—sorcerers were one thing he wouldn't mind being wiped off the face of the planet. He hadn't really liked those he had met so far.
Dilandau slipped smoothly from the cockpit of his guymelef and went to unlock Karina's transport pod. The look she gave him when she turned his way wasn't as cold as it usually was, and for once he was the one who looked away; he couldn't deal with her understanding. Hate was so much easier.
But he put a hand out to help her down anyway, almost without thinking about what he was doing. He saw her stare at it with an expression akin to wonder and then her gloved hand clasped his own. The contact was brief as he helped her down, but he could feel the heat of her through his glove, and when she took her hand out of his it burnt like a brand on his palm. What the hell was she doing to him?
They walked to the wall of the town and the pilots located a small, hidden door in the thick, stone barrier. Dark steps led down into the ground, and Karina wondered why a girl would be so well guarded. She must be something, she thought with a wry smile. Or maybe they learned from me that girls are a little tougher than they seem. The thought pleased her.
Another corridor followed the first they went down and another dimly lit hallway followed the next until Karina wondered if they had just brought her down here as some kind of stupid joke.
Finally, after what must have been fifteen minutes of walking through identical stone halls, they reached a room. She and Dilandau stood by as the pilots pulled out keys for the door. Her glance flicked to Dilandau and she found that he was looking just as baffled as she was. Why would they use such an old technology? Of course keys were much more personal; far fewer people owned a key than knew a lock code, but why such caution? Dilandau's eyes flicked to hers and for once the look they exchanged wasn't full of venom.
The door opened then and Karina stepped inside. The pilots didn't follow her, but Dilandau stalked in with her—like hell he was going to be left out.
Oh my god. The woman in the room spoke softly, whispering her shock. You're—you're from Earth. It was a statement, not a question, and Karina froze at the sound of her home's name.
Who the hell are you? she asked bluntly. She didn't like people knowing more about her than they should, and this woman seemed to be quite knowledgeable, at least about her origins.
I'm—good lord, they didn't even tell you who I was. the woman said, stunned. I'm sorry, my name is Kanzaki, Hitomi Kanzaki.
A/N: Yeah, I bet I surprised a few of you. Teehee! And I only have more surprises in store. Next chapter we get to go into the mind of miss Hitomi Kanzaki, and learn a few interesting things about Karina's fuzzy past. (Yes, Jacquei, you get your wish) Review for me please everybody!