Well, I have some grand news!
I am officially one full chapter AHEAD on PotDS! meaning that there will be no more scrambling to get out the next chapter before its post date, and taking a great weight off my shoulders! Also, due to the same causation I will continue to push further and further ahead, completing a full chapter every week or so, allowing me to be 2 chapters ahead per posting time, exponentially increasing the gap of how far ahead I am by a chapter every two weeks. This will allow me, at last, to refocus on my other stories, and get back to work on Book 6 of ANP, as well as maybe work out a chapter on PoH! Only time will tell, but the prospects look really good! Anyway, R&R, and enjoy!
Chapter Eighteen
En Passant
Veneficus watched carefully for signs that the diary was having any effect on Lockhart, and from the time he planted it on the man to the Easter holidays nothing seemed to happen. In response, Veneficus started to make preparations for his trek into the forest. The information he learned from his acolyte was insufficient to his needs, as Veneficus was planning to delve deep into the heart of the forest, and he wanted to know of a surety what he would expect to find there.
Meanwhile, the second year students were given new options for classes to take for the rest of their time at Hogwarts. Veneficus scoffed at the concepts of some of the subjects, but chose to take them all anyway, much to the mortification of those students around him. Even Anguis only chose three subject out the long list, but Veneficus knew that he was up to the task, as a Sith he had learned long ago to absorb any amount of information given to him. The threat of death was a very good motivator.
Slytherin's Quidditch matches had ended a short time ago, Veneficus lazily catching the little golden ball every time with no effort whatsoever. Marcus Flint was overjoyed at the teams prospects of winning, as long as they maintained their powerful lead in points, but the Lord of the Sith was uninterested. The concept of the point system win, novel as it was, was just too simple and not nearly engaging enough for his complex mind.
Veneficus had therefore taken, in the spare time now void of practices, to taking a broom from the Slytherin collection and flying as fast as it would allow around the castle, executing various dangerous and outside suicidal maneuvers, even for a Force user. Often during the long and extremely wild flights, Veneficus felt himself sinking into the currents of the Force on instinct, tapping into a technique that Jedi and Sith alike referred to as Moving Meditation.
The final game, set to be Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, was set for that Saturday, and Veneficus expected to be as far from it as possible. Instead, the Sith remained in the second year dormitory, delving deeply into the Dark Side of the Force, attempting to see beyond his natural sight, to pierce the clouds of the past, present and future, and see what awaited him.
Veneficus had been reflecting on the dreams and visions he had had previously that he felt more certain had been about the Chamber of Secrets and its monster, the Force itself wanting to prepare the young Sith against what lurked within. Sweeping the castle with his mind, Veneficus hoped to discover the lair of the beast, and take whatever secrets it held for himself.
He was prepared therefore, when a strangled cry radiated through the Force, another victim of the monster, and reacted immediately. Inactive saber and wand in hand, he charged for the place, pushing his body with the Force to speeds he had never attained before. No one hindered him as he swept through corridors, up the stairs, and finally to an intersection just outside the library.
It was Miss Granger, lying cold and stiff next to a Ravenclaw prefect. A broken hand mirror was smashed on the floor nearby. Wasting no time, Veneficus brushed the area with the Force, trying intently to deduce what manner of creature was doing this. No other life was nearby, and Veneficus immediately dropped to search the mind of his personal challenge. Her memories, so well organized and catalogued, were easy to sift through. Viewing just before the attack, Veneficus was delighted that the girl had managed to discover what he had been seeking for so long. The vivid green head of the King of Serpents, reflected in the mirror, was the last thing the two girls had seen.
Snapped out of her final thoughts, Veneficus dug at Hermione's clenched palm, struggling with his might to remove the parchment she had hidden there. Footsteps sounded from the direction of the library, and Veneficus knew that the scream had finally attracted attention. Pulling with his might, aided with the force to preserve the parchment from the abuse, the Sith freed it, covering himself in darkness and fleeing the scene with all haste, just as the library matron happened upon the petrified girls.
Safely away from the library, with three floors between the attack and himself, Veneficus unfolded the parchment, soaking in the word copied from a Hogwarts book.
'Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.'
Smiling at the boon the Force had gifted him; Veneficus burned the parchment, having committed the information to memory. Now he knew what to expect in the Chamber, the question was still where it was hidden. The Sith felt strongly that the forest held the answer he sought, and realizing he had little choice left, he determined to ask the one person who knew more about the forest than anyone, Hagrid.
That evening, as Veneficus wasn't about to take time away from other important matters, including keeping up appearances, he set out to stroll down to the edge of the forest and have a chat with the Force resistant man.
Feigning delight as the giant of a man opened the door to his hut; Veneficus noticed immediately the massive crossbow held in the shaking hands. Raising an eyebrow at it caused the man to flush slightly and mutter an excuse, but Veneficus didn't care much for the reason the man was paranoid. The faster he received his answer and left, the better.
Hagrid seemed to be eager for a distraction, and gratefully told Veneficus all about the inhabitants of the forest, detailing the centaur herds and colony of acromantula that dwelled in the heart of the forest. The only problem for the Sith was how best to disengage from speaking with the man, now that the information he desired was given.
Mercifully, just then there was a knock at the door of the tiny house, and while Hagrid went to investigate, crossbow raised, Veneficus slipped out the rear door, dodging away back to the castle. Whomever or whatever was visiting Hagrid was the least of his concern as opposed to his need to prepare to enter a nest of giant spiders seeking information about the school.
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Albus was very disappointed as he and Minister Fudge crossed the lawns towards Hagrid's cabin. Cornelius was an intelligent man, but allowed himself to be blinded by the voices of others, especially when money changed hands.
"I know you're unhappy with this Albus," Cornelius said, noticing the aged wizard's lack of cheer, "But the Ministry has to act. Too many parents are growing concerned for the safety of their children, and Hagrid's record… well…" the man shrugged helplessly as they arrived, knocking on the large wooden door.
Albus heard a rustle inside, and the creak of Hagrid's rear door as the half giant peered out at them, a crossbow clutched tightly in his massive hands. Cornelius became very cold and businesslike, revealing his disdain for Hagrid, not that the giant but soft hearted man would register it, but Albus was further disappointed with the Minister's lack of social grace when it came to anyone outside of pureblooded wizards.
Albus did his best to vouch for Hagrid's character, but the Minister was not swayed, and Albus expected that he was being well paid to remove Hagrid from the school and send him to Azkaban. Albus suspected that his undersecretary was behind the idea, but naturally had little in the way of proof.
Quite unexpectedly, however, there was another knock at Hagrid's door, and Albus chose to answer it, rather than continue to lose faith in his own government. At the sight that greeted him however, it seemed that he wasn't about to avoid a loss of confidence.
Lucius Malfoy stood there, sneering at the cabin, along with another man with dark graying hair that Albus did not recognize. Striding inside as if he was invited, Lucius and the other man turned to regard Cornelius.
"Already here, Fudge," Lucius said with a cold tone of approval, "Good, good…"
"What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously, starting to rise from his chair. "Get outta my house!"
"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your… er… you call this a house?" replied Lucius, continuing to sneer in superiority as he looked around. "I simply called at the school and was told that the Headmaster was here."
"And what exactly did you and your associate want with me, Lucius?" Albus said slowly, wanting to get to the point quickly so that they could depart from Hagrid's vicinity soon, for their own safety.
"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Lucius lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension; you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there will be no Muggleborns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school." The sarcasm dripped from Lucius lips, and Albus felt Hagrid stir behind him, just as Cornelius started to protest.
But, just as Albus had been unsuccessful at protesting Hagrid's removal, now was Cornelius feeling the same futility. Soon Hagrid was on his feet, roaring in anger at the blonde. "An' how many did you have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?"
"None," Malfoy replied, eyes boring into Albus' as he motioned for his comrade. "I have brought a second representative, as official degree requires, ratifying the Order of Suspension. Lord Blackmoore, is everything regarding this move of the governors in order?"
Albus' mind whirled as he observed the other man, realizing whom he was meeting. Lord Alexandre Blackmoore, Harry's guardian, who was also member of the Board of Governors. Albus mourned that he was in cohorts with Lucius now and greatly feared for Harry if he was with such a potentially swayable man's position.
"All is in order, as it was when we left the Ministry," the man replied, injecting the tiniest hint of sympathy into his voice, which only confused Albus even more. It seemed, almost as much as Albus hoped, that the man might have not fully agreed with Lucius move to banish Albus from the school.
This made Albus all the more suspicious of him. it could mean either he was an innocent man being played as the rest of them, or, and Albus felt that it was more the case, the man had his own motivations for actively working with Lucius Malfoy, a scheme all his own that happened to work within, or despite Lucius'.
Albus was uncertain as to why he distrusted the man intently even though he only just met him, but the feeling was unsettling to saw the least.
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Darth Millennial cautiously eyed the disgruntled figure of Albus Dumbledore as the pair of them, as well as Lucius, the Minister, and the giant named Hagrid exited the hovel. Lucius decided to walk with the Minister as the portly buffoon escorted the giant out of the grounds to waiting wizard police forces to take him to their prison, which Millennial made a pointed note to find more information on later.
Meanwhile, this action on Lucius part left the Sith Lord alone with the powerful light wizard and, whether the old man recognized it or not, Millennial was sizing up his opponent for the long shadow war that was to come.
The two men said nothing for a long while, but the Sith could sense the aged wizard trying to grasp a feel for him through the Force. The wizard himself was impressive, his command of the Wild branch of the Force indeed to be reckoned with, that is, only when compared to others who were constrained to the same branch. Albeit, Millennial felt that if the man's ire was raised, the Lord of the Sith would be hard pressed to eliminate him in direct confrontation.
Growing bored with the stalemate, Millennial drew on the Dark Side of the Force, allowing the concealing influence to cover him like a mist, preventing the probes from the other man from reaching him. Dumbledore's bemused smile faltered momentarily, before returning far more forced than before.
"So," he said casually, turning to face Millennial, "I see that despite our difficulties finding time to officially meet, fate however has brought us together regardless."
Smiling pleasantly, Millennial nodded, "So it seems, Professor."
Dumbledore hesitated, seeming to have little response for the clipped response from the Sith Lord, but eventually the old man returned to his desired questions. "I was a longtime family friend to the Potter, Lord Blackmoore, and knew young Harry when he was an infant. Unfortunately, I do not truly have the time to become better acquainted with him during term, and I was wondering how his home life with you is?"
Millennial recognized the hidden question with the man's words. Everything in the man's demeanor pointed to one thing; Veneficus had somehow, in some minor way revealed that he was more than the Sith were poising themselves to be. Millennial didn't truly blame his apprentice for the slip, facing off against a powerful being such as Dumbledore was requiring even Millennial to draw on the Force to continuously conceal his true nature, and even despite it, the Lord of the Sith knew that the wizard could sense that something was not as it appeared.
"Harry is a quiet child," Millennial said, turning to look back to where Lucius was slowly making his way back to them, "I choose to give him a decent amount of liberty and trust, especially after the situation of his previous conditions that he disclosed to me. He tends to keep to himself, and I respect his space."
If Dumbledore was displeased with the lack of useful information in Millennial's answer, the old man didn't show it. Sensing Lucius' presence, the Dark Lord of the Sith turned to his associate, just as the man returned. Dumbledore nodded briskly at Malfoy, and excused himself to collect his possessions, and Millennial saw little reason to linger.
Returning to the village outside the castle, and activating a local fireplace back to the Blackmoore Manor, Darth Millennial immediately retreated to the vault containing the collected Dark Side artifacts and literature that the Sith had collected since the time of Darth Bane.
Within, upon a central pedestal, rested the ancient skull Millennial had recovered mere weeks prior, looking perfectly innocent of the power it contained. If half of what the worthless clerk had told Millennial was true, then Gor-lak could prove to be a powerful and quite useful ally.
In all his research on the subject of the ancient Ork clans, the human wizards had the barest of knowledge left concerning them, the Sith had learned that they once maintained a world spanning nation, comprised of various pillaging war bands with smatterings of more sedentary colonies or clans, each working somewhat harmoniously as parts of a larger body.
Of all the ruling members of the Orkish nation, the one with the least information had been Gor-lak the Cruel, only references depicting him as a Shaman or Sorcerer of great power, subjugating many members of other races for slaves, including humans, goblins, trolls, centaurs and many others. This seeming empire had lasted for many decades, until a rebellion rose up among the slaves, and Gor-lak simply vanished, and without their leader, his empire crumbled.
There was only a single reference to what the shopkeeper had implied as 'The Je'daii' or 'star wanderers' as they were more commonly referred to. The one particular legend implied that the Je'daii were among the leaders on the rebellion, and personally led the attack on Gor-lak's palace, fighting his warlocks and guards with magic's that shook the earth and sky.
As little as Millennial knew of the ancient ancestors of the twin orders, he understood that they had achieved such feats as manipulating the natural world, which further cemented his theory of their presence on this backwater world in distant past.
The blackened sockets of the skull seemed to pulse with power as the Sith Lord entered the room, almost as if watching through sightless means. Considering the bone, Millennial pondered the story he had thus far about the powerful creature. Voicing his one question, he asked the blacked skull.
"If such a one as you were so powerful, how could you have allowed your empire to fall with so little of a struggle?"
At that moment, the empty sockets of the skull started to glow, casting shadows around the room. A voice seemed to emanate from within it, echoing around the vault in harsh tones.
"What the foolish Je'daii did not know was that I had surpassed the notion of life and death long before they arrived, and made preparations against the event of violence against myself. The empire of lesser beings was nothing compared to my own survival…"
Inwardly intrigued, Millennial reached out with the Force to feel the swirling energies dancing around the room. "I presume that I now speak to Gor-lak himself?" Millennial ask indifferently,
"You presume correctly, human…" Gor-lak replied, "And yet I also must presume that you yourself are more than you seem…"
"We each have our secrets…" Millennial said dismissively. Given the creature's predisposition against the ancient ancestors of the Jedi, Millennial figured revealing his similarities to the same-said Order up front would not be wise.
Gor-lak's skull was brimming with energy, and the mutant felt the telltale wafting of a force-based probe brush over him, feeling the darkness that radiated from the Master of the Sith Order.
"I sense darkness and evil about you, human," the aged Ork intoned, the voice flat and emotionless, neither question nor accusation, simply a statement of fact. "You are not anything I have encountered in my long, long lifetime.
"Nor anything that you will find on this world even now," Millennial replied, moving to seat himself in the chair set aside for his meditations, "For I too came from beyond he stars,"
There was silence for a long moment, the Ork spirit clearly digesting the information provided him by the Dark Lord of the Sith. Millennial held his peace in the mean time, allowing the malevolent spirit to come to its own conclusion.
"You are, similar…" Gor-lak began, "yet I sense that you are also far different from my ancient foes."
"I and those from whom I learned the great power of darkness are also the sworn enemies of your enemies." Millennial assured the spirit, "I was drawn to your resting place, perhaps by destiny, in order to bring about the final destruction of those who toppled your empire so long ago."
Again there was silence, but Millennial could sense a swirling of the Wild Force around the blackened skull. Gor-lak was intrigued by the implied offer of alliance, but as Millennial himself would be, the Ork was more than suspicious for anything insinuating betrayal. "Your offer is more delightsome," he finally communicated, "and I would be more than willing to accept, however," Millennial was not nearly surprised that the being wanted to make conditions for his compliance, "in my current form I can do very little in assistance to destroying the Je'daii. If you were to provide me with a body of my own to inhabit, I would consider your bargain with high esteem."
Millennial smirked at the pitiful state of the ancient foe of the Je'daii. Truly, providing a body for the creature would be a simple task, even more so to have one that was just as easy to destroy, allowing for the Sith to keep old Gor'lak around as long as he continued to be of use to their war against the Jedi.
"I shall see to it," Millennial responded, turning from the vault with a briskness in his step and his cloak billowing behind him.
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Anguis frowned as he saw his master duck away from the mass of Slytherins in the common room and made his way to their dormitory. Lord Veneficus was being more and more secretive about his plans ever since the attack on the Muggleborn Granger. Anguis knew that his master was not pleased with the young girl being petrified, for whatever strange reasons the Sith Lord had for the survival of the girl, and would indeed be planning revenge on the party responsible for interfering with his plans.
With the supposed guilty party of Hagrid, the giant groundskeeper, caught and shipped to Azkaban, Anguis had been certain that Veneficus would settle down back to his usual self, but he had not. Days later now, he was still brooding silently over the recent events, and every member of the House was more than aware of the aura of malice that swept around the black haired boy, and gave him a wide berth in response.
Finally, as the clock over the fireplace chimed close to midnight, and the other students had finally departed for their beds, Veneficus returned. Anguis' eyes widened at the silvery material that his master clutched in his hands, flickering in the light with a magic of its own.
"An invisibility cloak?" he asked, confused more so as to what his master needed with one rather than the Sith having one.
"Indeed," Veneficus responded, tossing the silky material at his apprentice, "you will need it for the trek we are about to take into the heart of the forest."
The forest… Anguis remembered their brief discussion of what creatures inhabited the dark thicket on the edge of the grounds, but he hadn't thought his master had wanted him to join the Sith in entering them. Not that he feared to go into those trees, but it was an unexpected move by his master to exclude him for so long only to bring him into the loop for the actual enacting of his plans.
"When do we leave?" Anguis asked, instead of dwelling on the predicament of the Sith's lack of communication, and his master smiled in response, beckoning him to don the cloak and follow.
As the pair of Force users climbed the steps from the dungeons, Anguis saw his master vanish from his sight, and felt his presence in the Force diminish to a mere fraction of what it was. If he wasn't paying immense attention to where Veneficus had been, Anguis was certain that he would have lost the black haired Sith completely with his vanishing act. Even knowing what to look for, he was hard pressed to keep track of his master as well as navigate the way across to the grounds himself.
Striding purposefully down the black grass towards the forest edge, Anguis wondered momentarily what their objective was to be once they entered the darkened wood. They bypassed the gamekeeper's pathetic excuse for an abode, and ignored the panting and whining of some animal that was still inside.
Once they entered the trees and passed beyond the sight of the castle, Anguis saw his Master reappear, and hold his hand out for the cloak. Slightly saddened to give up such a valuable and wondrous item, the Sith apprentice obediently removed the silken covering and returned it, watching as Veneficus tucked it away out of sight in his pack.
"We will have no further need of illusion or disguise," he explained, lighting his wand-tip to glow eerily in the gloom of the darkened forest. As Anguis ignited his own wand, he felt his master cease to conceal his true nature from the world. Turning to Veneficus, Anguis saw red-orange eyes burning from in the wand light, and the Sith apprentice was taken aback by the pale, drawn appearance of his master's visage.
Veneficus clearly noticed, as he chuckled, dark power resonating in every sound, "You fear the face of power, my Acolyte?" he asked pointedly, watching carefully for any reaction.
"No my Lord," Anguis replied quickly, "I was just caught off guard by the stark contrast…"
The Sith Lord laughed again, leading the way deeper into the trees, "In time, you will learn that anything is worth sacrificing for the glory and power of the Dark Side, young Anguis…"
Under the light of the twin wands, the pair of Force Adepts moved quickly into the dark heart of the forest. Eventually, Anguis spotted lines of spiders, all fleeing in the same direction that Veneficus was leading him. Branches and roots started to spring up thicker the farther they went, but the Force guided them around and over the obstructing foliage.
As the pair mounted a rise, encircled by thick trees, Veneficus held a hand for them to halt. Instinctively reaching out with the Force, Anguis sensed several beings approaching them from all sides, none of which were humanoid in any way. Glancing at his master, he knew that Veneficus had sensed it as well, and together they removed lightsabers from their hiding places.
But the creatures never approached, keeping just far enough away to remain outside the glimmer of wand-light, yet close enough to presumably keep watch on them. Occasionally there was the sound of clicking from one to another, but Anguis was unable to understand what the sounds meant.
They moved onward, their vanguard maintaining their distance, until at last the two Dark Siders emerged into a vast, treeless hollow swarmed with spiders of all shapes and sizes. It was then that Anguis realized what they had walked straight into. It was a nest of Acromantula, and judging from just the number he could see, it was an entire colony that inhabited this dark part of the forest.
Several massive specimens ambled over from the far edges of the hollow, and started clicking rapidly as they approached a misty, dome shaped web in the very center of the hollow. It took some concentration, and a small edge of the Force, but Anguis finally managed to understand what the spiders were saying.
"Aragog, Aragog!" they called.
From the center web, a creature stirred in response. The largest spider of all, its body and legs patched with the grey of great age, emerged, its milky white eyes staring in blindness.
"What is it?" it said, pincers clicking rapidly.
"Men," the others responded.
"Is it Hagrid?" the grey leader, Anguis presumed his name was Aragog from what the others first said to call him, asked as its blind eyes wandered vaguely over the hollow. The young apprentice widened his eyes at the mention of the giant gamekeeper. How the man was connected to these arachnids he didn't really wish to know.
"Strangers," clicked the spiders edgily, shuffling towards the two humans.
"Kill them," Aragog clicked fretfully, "I was sleeping…"
The spiders started hungrily forward, but froze at the sound of Veneficus' blade igniting, the crimson pillar throwing shadows around the hollow. Even Aragog paused, unable to see the weapon but could clearly hear the snap-hiss of its activation, and feel the coiled frenzy that lurked under Veneficus' calm demeanor.
"You have answers concerning the castle that I seek," Veneficus said coldly, directing his gaze toward the aged blind spider, "tell me what you know of the Chamber of Secrets."
"The Chamber?" Aragog said, clicking with surprise, "I haven't heard anything about that place for years and years now… I remember those days well. That business was why they made Hagrid leave the school. They believed I was the monster that dwelt inside and Hagrid had set me free…"
"And you're clearly not," Veneficus finished quickly, "I know what the monster truly is, but I need to know where it hides. Where does it keep entering the castle from?"
"I was never completely sure of that…" Aragog said slowly, "Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go when I sensed the beast moving about the school."
Anguis felt his master bristle, "Well, perhaps I can aid your failing memory…" he said, before a nearby spider burst into writhing pain, volts of lightning crackling over its body. The creature screamed, its pincers quaking in agony. The others were torn between falling back and surging forward, but Anguis' blade barred their path to his master. He may not know what Veneficus plan was, but Anguis trusted that the Sith Lord was no fool, and would be able to leave this forest alive.
"Stop!" Aragog bellowed, and Veneficus lifted the lightning. The electrocuted spider was dragged away by its fellows. "I do not know what it is you desire, dark one," Aragog said hastily, pincers clicking furiously, "but the only victim that died was a girl that was found in a bathroom. That was the last attack before Hagrid and I left the school. That is all that I know. Depart, and leave us in peace."
The two Sith stood silently for several moments, then Veneficus nodded and deactivated his weapon. Anguis followed suit, and together they simply walked out of the hollow, spiders fleeing from the powerful Force users like the animals they were. Anguis wanted to demand answers, but he knew that his master would not provide any, as well as the fact that he could piece together from what just occurred the reasons for his masters movements.
Pondering in silence as they pair of young men exited the forest; Anguis took the cloak his master offered again, following the minute presence back into the castle. Not until they were safely inside the Slytherin common room, somewhere between four and five in the early morning, did Anguis understand.
Lord Veneficus was indeed seeking the Heir of Slytherin, to destroy him. The Sith Lord knew the monster, which meant he had a plan to defeat it, or subdue it. Yet how he had learned of the spiders and their information, Anguis did not know, but their mentioning of a dead girl in a bathroom had to have been significant. Veneficus had two pieces of the puzzle, the only remaining was who or what controlled the monster. And with the almost knowing smirk that crossed the dark haired boy's face the next day at breakfast, Anguis felt certain that the Dark Lord had a clear idea where to find it.
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Zychre shuddered pleasantly as he felt the beckoning call of his Veneficus, and obediently uncoiled from the warm bundle of cloth at the human's midsection, climbing upward to emerge along the boy's arm. He tasted the air, drinking in the dark energies of his dark one.
"What doesss my Veneficus desssire of me?" he asked, practically crooning at the heat radiating off the boy's hands as they slid along Zychre's deadly red scales.
The face of his Dark One broke into a wicked grin, warm breath wafting over Zychre as the human spoke, "There isss a tasssk I have for you."
Wriggling happily as his Veneficus explained the details of his plan, Zychre wondered if his friend below, the great one, had ever been given such important assignments as this. Of course Zychre would do as he was requested, even if he had to wait in a cold damp room until people came by, watching for another who spoke the noble tongue.
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Septin jolted awake with the sounds of blaring alarms around him. He was back in the Jedi Temple, his home, and it was under attack. The stones shook with explosions and the air was heavy with the sounds of whirring Lightsabers as he ran, aided by the Force, through the high arched corridors, darting through the crowds of jedi that were rallying to defend the sacred edifice. By the time he reached the wide forum before the main entrance, more Sith and Dark Jedi were already pouring in through the smashed gates.
Without a thought, Septin charged into the fray, saber aloft and cutting down every user of the Dark Side that opposed him. Crimson sabers went flying as he pushed, slashed, kicked and dived at every black robed being. Then a chill came over the combatants as a lone figure entered the Temple. Septin recognized the Sith apprentice Veneficus immediately, his cold eyes blazing with the taint of darkness. A thin black stick was in his raised hand, pointing directly at Septin, and then there was immeasurable pain.
Septin screamed as he sat up drenched in sweat, shaking uncontrollably from the force of the nightmare. For several moments he just sat there staring at his hands, trying to understand why it had felt so real, the cool metal of his lightsaber, the strain of combat in his muscles, the stirring of the Force into a whirlwind of activity.
Septin felt sick, any peace he had felt from the Force stripped away, leaving him to face the brunt of the darkness around him alone, what he had seen, what he had done. He wanted to run, to return to the temple and the Jedi, but would they accept him back? Or take him as a prisoner to interrogate? Turning to look around the sparse, sterile bunk room of the ship, Septin's eyes fell on his old Jedi comlink, flashing light indicating a clear connection if he sought to use it.
The urge to grab it and signal the Temple to his location was burning, but fear of the Sith
Master chilled his very bones. There was no way that Septin would keep the secret for the amount of time required for the Jedi to find him before he was found out and killed, in which case the Jedi would only be walking into a trap. But if he didn't, he would be trapped here, a silent witness to who knew what horrors the Sith desired to unleash on the galaxy.
Septin was afraid, deeply and terribly for the first time in his life. He had no aptitude for the Dark Side, he was aware of this, having joined the Sith out of desperation for his life, not a pursuit of power like Zhar or born into the cycle of hate like the Sith Lords. He was a prisoner here, but dare he risk his life to switch prisons?
A console pinged overhead, and Septin snapped out of his thoughts. The long range communicator on the ship was signaling an incoming message, which could only mean one thing; Lord Millennial desired an update on their mission.
Pushing away all thoughts of his situation, Septin scrambled to the cockpit of the freighter, just as Zhar opened the channel to the Sith Master. Septin never had been able to figure out how the three eyed human managed to seem so intimidating, even through a hologram.
"My Lord," Zhar said, dipping his head to the Sith Master.
"Quelmok," Millennial replied coolly, his gaze sweeping the interior of the ship, glancing over Septin only briefly, "I sensed a major shift in the Force from the direction of Tiss'sharl. Is everything set for the shift in power?"
"It is my Lord," Zhar replied, "The Emperor is dead, and the fanatical revolutionist leader who sought his throne also is removed, paving the way for the League to take control of the system."
"Good," Millennial said, "everything proceeds exactly as the Force has willed." The Sith Lord turned to glance at Septin again, and he felt as though the penetrating gaze could see right through to the secret fears he possessed. But the look passed, and Darth Millennial returned to Zhar, "Return to the manor and await further instruction."
"As you wish my Lord…" Zhar said with a small, hesitant bow, before shutting off the communicator.
Septin returned to his cabin before Zhar looked at him, suppressing the bout of shuddering that threatened to arise. He was more terrified than he had ever been in his life. The look in the Sith's eyes hinted that he at the very least suspected something, so Septin had to tread most carefully to dissuade any suspicion of his lack of support to the Dark Side. Just then, a clever idea formed in the boy's mind. He would continue to learn the Dark Side, but if he applied himself toward bringing the information to the Jedi at a later date, he would have just enough passion toward the subject to fool even a Sith Master. At the least, he had nothing else left to lose should he fail.