Ghost slowly blinked. Her eyes immediately adjusted to the dark. She took several deep breaths. To her shock, she took in the light blue forcefield that held up the dirt. Her body pressed tightly in SkekVar's arms. She looked up to see his large head looming over him. His eyes slowly opened. She tried her best to push him away.
"Ghost…Are you ok?"
Ghost froze. She hadn't heard the General's voice be gentle in a long time. Hesitantly, she looked up. "Yes..Can you move?"
"A little…" SkekVar shifted his arms to allow Ghost more space.
"Ghost!"
Ghost turned around to see Rian, Deet, Fearless, Grumble and SkekTek crawl over to their spot. The dirt made them almost unrecognizable. "Rian! Deet! Are you alright? Any bruises?"
"No. We're fine," Rian answered.
"I'm ok as well." SkekTek answered. His face crumbled to sorrow and guilt the moment he saw the anger and betrayal. "Ghost…Listen…About-"
"Don't!" Ghost raised her hand. "I don't want to hear it." She looked SkekTek squarely in the eye. "You expect me to care about you after hearing that you wanted to kill me?!"
"Ghost…I-I was against this from the beginning."
Rian shuffled over to Ghost's side, getting between the two. "Why should we believe you?! For trines, we followed you without question! But you've used us for your own purposes. Even then you still take advantage of Ghost!" His blue eyes went hard. He tried to reach for his sword, but it wasn't by his side. "My father died because of you!" He raised a fist, but Deet stopped him. "Deet?"
"Rian, Ghost, please. I know that you're angry, but now's not the time."
"It's the perfect time to be angry!" Ghost shouted. Her chest tightened. Her true heart twisted and pulsing faster, causing her breathing to become hitch.
"I beg your pardon, but you're upsetting my mistress." Everyone turned their attention to Lazul. The Djinn glowed brightly in the light. "Perhaps things might get better with a little dreamfasting. Here…I'll help." He extended his arms. A halo surrounded their wrists with a simple touch. Before anyone could speak, their whole bodies began to glow. Images swirled around them until it settled onto one in particular.
"What-What is this?" SkekVar asked frantically.
"Is this…Dreamfasting?" SkekTek asked. "I've heard you using it, but I never thought-" His breathing evened. "This is amazing!"
Before them, the throne room of the Castle of the Crystal glowed in the evening light. All the lords, save for SkekEkt, were all gathered. The Treasurer, SkekShod, grumbled about the cold. The Mariner, SkekSa, looked bored. SkekMal simply fidgeted. He didn't want to be here. SkekSo sat on his throne, tired and merely listened to SkekSil's latest gossip.
"I remember this…" SkekVar whispered. "My dagger was missing…I tried not to be upset about it since we had a lot to discuss in one of our special meetings."
Suddenly, the doors were flung open. A heavy echo hushed the room. All the Skeksis turned to see an ice-covered Ghost stand before them. The ice in her hair looked like diamonds in the firelight. They jingled on her clothes with her movement. Her eyes focused on the Skeksis. Heavy breathing filled the air. In her hand was a dagger that was about as big as a regular Gelfling sword. She dragged it as she moved forward. With a fluid motion, she raised it up in the air. "H-h-hammer…" She collapsed after saying that word.
"What in Mother Aughra happened to you?!" Deet gasped.
A small flash appeared. It was a young Ghost doing some dusting when she heard some screaming. She leaned over to see a Podling servant calling for help. She pulled out the heavy dagger and jumped into the water. "One of the Podlings fell into the water and I was saving him from drowning," Ghost said.
"That was dangerous, Ghost!" Rian snapped. "You could've died."
"I didn't want to stand by and do nothing!"
The throne scene resumed with SkekTek holding her in some of the layers of robe he gave her. There was screeching and a harried SkekEkt came running in. "Jewel! My precious Jewel." He lightly touched her. "You sweet fool…" He rubbed his beak against her face. "Someone get the healers!"
"Why bother." SkekSil said. "Let's kill her." At that moment, SkekEkt and SkekTek both came at the Chamberlain with raised claws.
"Like Thra we would!" SkekTek barked.
"If you so much as touch her, your hide will be my next fashion statement." SkekEkt wailed. He took Ghost from the Scientist's arms and cradled her. He took her away from the others just as a few guards came running in. Orders were soon followed.
"He…actually cried for me…" Ghost gaped at this. "SkekTek…You were that willing to protect me too?"
"I tried to." SkekTek explained. He flashed over to a memory where he ate some food while being in Ghost's room. "One night, I was guarding your room. Ornamentalist and I decided to keep watch over you while the guards rotated on their shifts. We didn't agree on a lot of things but we knew that if we left you alone, SkekSil might've killed you himself. The next thing I knew, I passed out after eating the dinner some Podlings serve." The scientist blinked only a few times before he leaned against Ghost's bed and dozed off. "The next morning I had a horrible headache." Morning light flooded the room, SkekTek awoke rubbing his head. He groaned then noticed a tired General curled up on the other side of the bed.
"Yeah…About that…" SkekVar's voice took on a pang of guilt. Another flash. This time SkekVar was in the throne room alone with SkekSo. The Emperor looked annoyed. The General was surprised at the recent task he was given. "You want me to kill Ghost?!"
"SkekTek and SkekEkt had made it very clear that they're not going to leave Ghost alone even when we've rotated the guards." SkekSo coughed slightly. He pulled on his robe tighter. "Surprisingly enough. Gourmand is preparing some food that should make them unconscious for a few hours. This should give you enough time to kill her. Make it look like an accident or a break-in. Just make sure you're not caught. She's of use to us now."
Sometime later in the night, SkekTek was sound asleep. His plate was knocked over to his left. SkekVar crept in silently. His dagger in his hand. The air was filled with the soft, wheezy breathing. Ghost's face was flushed. A white cloth on her forehead. He loomed over her, his shadow covering her face. His eyes focused on her sickly state. "Sorry…Ghost. You've served your purpose." He raised his dagger. His heart suddenly skipped when he heard a weak groan.
Ghost's fingers twitched. She rolled over to SkekVar's nearest claws. She hugged it. A soft murmur escaped her lips. "...Var…"
SkekVar stood there stunned. The warmth crawled up his arm. He blinked in confusion for a few minutes. Then, he raised the dagger higher. His strike almost hit her when he heard something about Chamberlain. His blade stopped only mere inches from her face.
"Don't be alone with Chamberlain. He's going to kill you….Don't cry…" Ghost's eyes opened slightly. "Don't cry, Hammer…You've been through so much… I'll help you."
SkekVar was shaking. He couldn't explain it. He looked at the dagger. The same dagger she carried. Her frail body that burns and bruises so easily carried a weapon that was almost her size. In order to save a Podling. It was all nonsense to a Skeksis, but SkekVar couldn't help shake the feeling of a heavy weight he'd been carrying for so long lifted off his shoulders. He tossed the dagger to the end of the room. The General cried into her. Her warmth gives him much comfort. He cried until he fell asleep.
The memory ended. Soon, it was followed by flashes of disturbing visions. SkekTek falling into a vat of fire. SkekLach zapped by purple lightning. Gelflings killed by strange crab-like creatures. Finally, SkekSil stabbing SkekVar. Everyone blinked in surprise. The dreamfasting had ended. They all looked at SkekVar. Ghost's eyes wet with tears. "I…really meant that much to you…Ekty…" She turned to SkekTek. "And you?"
"Ghost…" SkekTek swallowed hard. "When you left, the castle felt different. Even when you felt ill on that day, you've always had a fighting spirit we couldn't explain. You always knew what troubled us in some shape or form. You went out of your way to keep the peace between everyone." Tears entered his eyes. "You mean the world to us, Ghost." He hugged. "You mean everything to me too." Just as he said that, his throat began to constrict. He began to cough violently. In the subtle light, pulsing like crawled over him until he finally coughed out a key similar to SkekVar's. However, it had a strange resemblance to Elctor. "What in Thra?"
Before anyone could say anything, a strange strapping noise was heard. Fearless barked madly while Grumble merely rolled over to Ghost. He licked her face. Then light leaked in their dark spot. The group had to shield their eyes against the bright light.
"There you are!"
Ghost gasped. Firm hands yanked her out of the hole and into a familiar face. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened in shock. Her breathing hitched. She took in a rough Skeksis face that had half of his bone mask destroyed. "S-S-S-S-Skek…Mal…" Tears welled up in her eyes. She flung her arms around his neck and cried. She hugged him for dear life. If it was a mere dream, she didn't want it to end. Her wailing reached around a moonlit forest. She soon felt claws hesitantly rubbing along her back. Shaky and unsure. She cried until there were no tears to shed.
—-
A/N: SkekMal liiiives! But their troubles are far from over.
