Thirty || Valen's Altar

Mint paced up and down the carpet, putting her thoughts together. The four of them had convened back in Belle and Duke's room, seeking uninterrupted privacy, and the first thing they had established was that Mint clearly had a better idea of what was going on than any of the others. They needed information from her, and she started to give it. She quickly explained her own situation as the deposed princess of the realm, just to give the rest of the story a little more context; once that was out of the way, she hardly waited to launch into her assessment of what they had seen.

"As I said," Mint began, "Doll Master is the kingdom's foremost mage, and one of Dad's most trusted advisors. That's not just titles and theory, either. He's good at what he does. Very good.

"Maya's the crown princess, since I'm not around to do the job properly, but I'm absolutely certain that none of this was her idea. She wouldn't have the sense to monitor the situation, for one; for another, she wouldn't even know there's a situation to monitor. I'd guess Doll Master dragged her out here to afford whatever he's doing the appearance of legitimacy."

"That talk of East Heaven's responsibility," Belle said. "What was that about?"

Mint shrugged. "Dunno. I've never heard of that before. It's either some weird royal obligation that I was somehow never told about, or somebody's snowing her. My money's on the latter."

"How do you figure?" Duke asked.

"Because first, I've been taught a lot of protocol. A lot of protocol. And mostly I just ignored it because it's basically useless, but I do know the obligations East Heaven has, and nowhere in the reams of law I had to read was it ever mentioned that we're supposed to protect Relics. The palace does have a collection of Relics at its disposal, but if I'm remembering my history lessons correctly those were the result of people repeatedly stabbing other people until they handed over their artefacts. This thing about keeping them safe so they don't fall into the wrong hands... I'm gonna call bull on that."

"And second?" Belle pressed.

She stopped pacing and looked over to the window.

Rue had taken a position there, his eyes cast toward the murmuring crowd but his gaze not quite focused. Town square was cloaked in the long shadows of the wall by then; what sunlight scoured the upper edges of the town had gone tawny and was swiftly moving to ruddy, bathing the town in a strange, sickly red glow. He had been keeping watch outside almost since they had first entered the room, offering no further comment to the discussion, merely staring out into the unearthly light of the sunset.

Mint hesitated for a moment, uncertain about whether she should continue, but she realized quickly there was no point in not laying out what she had begun to work out.

"If he's right," Mint said, "and Doll Master was the guy who tracked him down three years ago, then Doll Master would also likely know what's up with pretty-boy over there. The way things are going, I'm guessing he was after Rue because he's got some kind of connection to Old Carona. Doll Master was pretty specific about setting up base there, so, all things considered, he knows something about the town, and he's got an opportunity to act on it."

"Anybody who could be controlling him? Maybe actual orders from the king?"

"If Dad wanted this place investigated, he wouldn't try to strong-arm the town. Immediately. Not gonna say it's impossible, but I've never known Doll Master to answer directly to anybody other than the royal family."

"Think he knows you're here?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On Trap Master," Rue said.

Mint perked up slightly. "Decided to join us again?"

He turned to face them, leaning against the window sill. "I know you didn't recognize him," Rue began, "but it seems like too much of a coincidence for a man calling himself Trap Master to appear just before a man calling himself Doll Master shows up. I assume they're working together."

"Right, exactly," Mint said. "So who knows how long they've been spying on us and how much they've learned?"

"Or spying on you," Belle said. "He would be aware of your status as an ex-princess. Maybe he's been keeping tabs on you since you left."

"And thank you so, so much for that, Belle," Mint said. "I needed a new subject for my nightmares."

"If I can interrupt?" Duke said. "There was another guy up there. Who was he?"

Mint frowned and rubbed her chin. "I don't know," she said finally. "I do remember seeing him sometimes around the palace, but I dunno who he is or what he does. Well, no, I can guess. He was never one of our designated servants, so he's probably one of Doll Master's associates. Which... doesn't really tell you much, does it?"

"No," Belle said. "Only three people were chosen to show up in town today– the archmage, the princess, and that guy. He wouldn't have been up there with Maya and Doll Master if there wasn't an exceptionally good reason. If he was hand picked by either of them, then it's extraordinarily likely he's a thread."

Mint considered the logic of the statement, and found herself nodding. "True," she said.

And then she lapsed into silence, and the room descended into a brief quiet. After a few minutes of contemplation, Duke finally spoke up again.

"So– knowing all of this, then, what happens next?"

"Nothing," Rue said.

All eyes turned to him.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" he asked softly. "They aren't threatening anybody here, not directly. They just want us away from the old town and the altar until the area's secure."

"Or until they crack the seal themselves," Mint said. She didn't sound entirely convinced. "Although I'm not sure Maya would actually do something like that. She's a snake, no question there, but if anybody actually believes this... this altruistic nonsense about keeping the Relic safe from misuse, it would be her."

"Even if that's the case," Rue continued, "they can't do anything about it without Prima. We just have to keep them safe until they leave."

Mint considered, then nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Maya and Doll Master can't stay missing from the kingdom too long. They're too... important." She nearly spat the word out.

"So you're gonna sit here and wait?" Belle asked.

Rue hesitated, but after a few moments he finally answered: "Yes."

Mint clenched her fists. "I don't like it," she said, "but you're probably right. If it was just Maya, she wouldn't be much of a problem, but..." She trailed off, exhaling through her teeth.

Rue looked out the window again. "Crowd's leaving," he said. "We can probably head back to the inn."

"Hey," Belle said. "Before you go... thing's just got complicated. If you need our help with anything..."

"Sitting around waiting?" Mint asked. "Not likely." She raised an eyebrow. "You've been awfully friendly, though. What's up with this?"

Belle smiled faintly. "Simple self-interested. You don't get the Relic, we don't get paid."

Duke closed his eyes and smiled. "And I'm sure that's all there is to it."

Rue nodded. "Thanks," he said. "We'll let you know. Mint?"

"Let's go."

They left.

. .

Mint headed back to the inn, but Rue excused himself partway there, saying that he needed to speak with Klaus about what had happened. Mint let him go and didn't offer to join him; she was occupied by her own thoughts, and anyway she trusted he could relay the important information. Before they parted, they made an agreement to reconvene in the morning.

They made no agreements concerning the rest of the night.

Mint busied herself for the next few hours, plucking a couple of books from the inn's small selection and keeping herself awake by pretending to read them. Mostly her eyes just glossed over the pages; oftentimes she realized she had read whole paragraphs several times over without retaining anything. It didn't particularly matter; she was just searching for some means of keeping herself occupied and alert.

Mostly her brain was doing that, spinning off in its own ruminations and considerations, trying to tie together everything that had happened and everything she already knew into some kind of cohesive narrative. But she was missing too much information, and even though she usually trusted her hunches to be right, she couldn't afford the uncertainty.

That was why she had decided that, come around midnight, she was heading out to the lake altar to see what was going on.

She flicked her lights off just before time and waited out the last few minutes in excruciating silence. Then, when she felt it had been long enough – or when she couldn't stand to sit there any longer – she threw on her travel clothes and coat, and made her way outside. She eased open each door she came across, shut them as silently as she could manage, and soon enough she was out of the inn and back in town square.

The town was long since deserted by then, although the lights were on in quite a few more windows than usual. Keeping close to the buildings, she slipped through town and headed back toward the forest gate, and from there to the little side alley that Belle had shown them just the night before. She opened the maintenance gate and stepped out into the edge of the forest, taking a few moments to look around and ensure there was nothing waiting for her there. Then, slowly, she shut the gate behind her and disappeared into the woods.

There was sufficient moonlight that she could see the path ahead of her, and she had a decent idea about how far it was before it branched off into the finer footpath that led up to the lake. It was several minutes of walking, almost until she had reached the fork, before the regular nighttime noise was cut by a too-loud rustling of overhead branches.

Mint wheeled, Dual Halos at the ready, but when she turned all she saw was the vanishing silhouette of a pollywog. She relaxed and turned away, but didn't move quite so fast this time. The disruption had made her remember that they had been watched, and there was a very good chance they were still being watched. If Trap Master was involved – and Rue was right, it was far too much of a coincidence to think that he wasn't – then she had to keep an eye out for any errant magic, anything he might have set up to ensnare her – or anybody else – on the way to the old city.

It wasn't long after she started really listening that she realized she was being followed.

She slowed down, stopped, pretended to idle next to a tree while she listened for any further noise. She heard a faint crunching from behind her, of needles trod underfoot. Her skin crawled. The sound became louder, closer.

Then stopped.

"Mint," Rue said softly.

Mint blinked and wheeled and there he was. She glared at him venomously, although much of her expression was lost in the night.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

He walked up to her. "Following you," he said. "Looks like we both had the same idea."

"What's that mean?"

He moved past her. "I was heading out here, myself," he said. "Although I was going to wait a little longer. When I heard you leaving your room, I figured it didn't make much sense to keep waiting, not if we were both going, anyway." He looked over his shoulder. "I hope you don't mind."

She grinned. "Not at all." She quick-marched after him until the two were walking side-by-side. "I had a feeling you didn't intend to just wait around until they left."

"I can't," he said. "I– I need to speak with him."

"With... Doll Master?" She blinked, confused. "I wouldn't think you'd have much to talk about, what with him murdering your friend and all that."

"I need to know why."

She still wasn't quite following. "Why he killed her?"

"He killed her because she tried to impale him with a pickaxe," Rue said. "He didn't go out to the cabin to hurt her. He was looking for me. I... I need to know why. Why any of that happened."

At that, she understood. "You think it's your fault."

"It's not my fault."

"You say that, but you don't think that."

He was a few seconds late to respond. "It's not entirely my fault," he amended. "I did attack him. I panicked. If I hadn't done that, he wouldn't have fought back, Claire wouldn't have gotten involved. But..."

"But he still came out of nowhere in the middle of the night and tried to kidnap you," Mint said.

"Yes."

"Gotta admit, I'm curious about that," she said. "When he was in the palace, he was all about persuasion. He never got his hands dirty– never needed to. If he'd wanted to he could have found a much better way to bring you along with him. He must have been desperate."

"He didn't try again, though."

"Sounds like your girl hurt him pretty bad. You didn't stick around in town much longer after that night, did you?"

"I guess not." He was quiet for a moment. "So why are you out here?"

"To drop-kick my sister in the face."

"Ah."

They reached the thin edge of the treeline. Up ahead of them the hill climbed upward and terminated into the bowl of the lake. They both swept the area quickly, making sure nobody was standing guard and no traps were set along the boundary, and then cleared the distance to the apex of the hill.

They both came to a stop and the hill crest, looking down at the lake. The water was silver under the moonlight, reflecting a ghostly light up along the sides of the bowl and against the altar. The altar itself, it seemed, was still glowing; although it was impossible to see the interior from where they stood, the edge of its blue glow lay rippling in the air just above the altar, an isolated and miniaturized aurora.

Across the lake, the broken silhouette of Old Carona lay still.

"Where would they be?" Mint murmured.

"Doll Master specified the town," Rue said. "Maybe they took one of the buildings further in."

"Let's have a look."

They started along the edge of the bowl, moving toward the broken city, slowly and in silence. There were no other signs of life, or magic snares, or any sign of people posted as guards; it was this lack of resistance, more than anything, that made them both nervous.

"Where is everybody?" Rue asked.

"I don't think there is an everybody," Mint said. "They just sent that little contingent– maybe a couple of others. Either they grossly underestimated what kind of trouble they'd encounter, or they're very, very confident in the people that were sent."

"Are you confident in the people that were sent?"

She didn't answer the question.

They continued in silence for a ways, until they were a little more than halfway around the bend, when both of them came to a sharp halt. Ahead of them, about where the stone path met the shore, there appeared two figures, each carrying a pale lantern. Their voices carried across the still lake, muted and unintelligible by distance, although by how easily the sound carried it seemed the speakers had little fear of being overhead. They conversed mostly in brief pockets of conversation, making their way first from the edge of the town to the beginning of the stone path, and then, inevitably, toward the altar.

Mint squinted, trying to make out what she was seeing, but didn't say anything they had actually disappeared behind the altar's walls. Then, voice low and quiet, she said, "One of those was Doll Master. The other one wasn't Maya." Movement caught the corner of her eye, and she realized suddenly that it was Rue, moving at a half-run around the bowl. She hissed in disapproval and followed him.

He reached the genesis of the stone path several seconds before her and came to a stop, looking ahead to the altar's entrance. The figures had extinguished the lantern light now that they were inside the altar and within its unearthly blue glow, and their conversation picked up almost immediately.

"You hear 'em?" Mint whispered.

"Too far away," he said, quickly descending the short steps down to the stone path. "Come on."

"Hold."

Rue froze. Mint whirled.

"Oh hell," she snarled.

Maya stood at the top of the hill. She was without a light source, but moonlight and the reflection from the water cast her silver. The large book she held under her arm seemed somehow to glow just a little brighter.

"Sister," Maya said quietly. "You're one of the ones threatening the rest of this Relic. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I'm ambitious and resourceful?" Mint asked brightly.

"Power hungry and selfish," Maya corrected. She looked past Mint. "And you found an accomplice? I'd assumed your– brusque– nature would have pushed others away." She stepped forward, slowly descending the steps toward them. "My warning to the town was not idle, sister. What brings you here? Or do you have so little regard for the people here that you're willing to risk them to get to this Relic?"

Mint tensed. Rue raised his hand. "Mint..." he began.

"I'm not here for the Relic," Mint said. "Not right now."

"Oh? Then enlighten me. Did you just want to say hello to a lost sibling?"

"Mint," Rue said again, a little more forcefully, but her hands were already drifting to her belt.

"As a matter of fact," Mint said. "That's exactly what I wanted to do!"

She lunged up the steps, Dual Halos in hand, a blazing red trail of magic following them. She twisted the air into a tailwind, propelling herself at speed up to where Maya was standing, preparing herself for the impact. Shoulder slam, right in the chest, and dear little Maya had never contended with the physical rigors Mint had overcome for the last few years. One blow would lay her out flat.

Maya shifted back slightly, yanked the book out from under her arm, and Mint immediately realized her mistake.

Raw magic exploded in front of her, whiting out her vision and sending her rocketing backward. She slammed her shoulder into the stonework, flipped head over heels, and came to a stop when she hit the lake water. She emerged on the surface, nearly retching, and dragged herself partially back onto the stone path, coughing up the water she had nearly inhaled.

A moment later she felt somebody grab her arms and pull her fully onto the path. She spat out the last of the lake water and dragged herself to her feet. Rue took her by the shoulder and helped her the rest of the way. She shook it off and glared up the path again.

Maya was still there, although the book in her hand was open and ignited, itself a burning white sun, flickers of magic popping around it like a shifting field of stars.

Mint realized suddenly why they would send so few people to defend the Relic.

"Oh, crap," she breathed. "She has the Book."

"Yes, that's right," Maya said. "I have the Book."

The energy around her constricted, and Mint started to back away, nearly shoving Rue further down the path.

"Run," she said, turning around completely. "Run!"

They ran, and behind them the Book of Cosmos' power erupted outward, a burning wave of magic that ripped into the grass and stone and churned the water ahead of her. The explosion was short-range, stopping just shy of where Mint had pulled herself out of the water, but Mint knew a warning shot when she saw one, and she didn't even need to look over her shoulder to realize that Maya was focusing on another spell; the pull of magic was tangible.

The altar rose ahead of them, its walls beckoning, but abruptly there was a dark shape standing in the entryway, staring out at the swell of light. Doll Master raised his hand over his eyes, trying to shield himself from the brightness.

"Princess!" he called. "What are you–"

Then his gaze flicked back down, to the two running toward the altar, and he sighed.

"Well, that explains that."

He stepped out of the way of the entrance. Mint and Rue went stumbling into the altar and themselves were barely shoved against the wall when another blaze of light followed them, crashing against the wall of the altar. The stone shook; tongues of celestial light flicked through the opening before dissipating. The light faded, and in the dimming intensity Doll Master turned his attention on the two standing before him, squinting as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark again.

"I believe I was quite explicit that only those appointed by East Heaven Kingdom were allowed on the grounds," he said softly. "Or did the finer details escape you?"

Behind him, utterly unperturbed by the proceedings, Doll Master's associate cleared his throat.

"Princess Maya is approaching," he said. "Although I suppose you were already aware of that."

"Sadly."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mint snapped.

Doll Master blinked, surprised and trying to clear his vision. "Oh, dear, Princess Mint! This is quite the surprise. I didn't expect you'd be knocking at my door until tomorrow."

"That is not an answer."

"You may be surprised to learn that I am aware of that."

She snapped one of the Dual Halos out in front of her, charged magic through it, and unleashed a roar ball of flame in Doll Master's direction. He raised his hand and flicked his wrist, and the fireball crashed against an unseen barrier, disappearing in a little bursts of wisps and smoke.

"Bastard," she growled.

"There's no need to hurl invectives," Doll Master said. "Or fire, for that matter."

Rue caught Mint by the shoulder and pulled her back. "Not what we're here for," he said.

"Not what you're here for," she snapped.

"I'd rather not deal with an altercation tonight," Doll Master said. "It's been a rather long day and I'm perfectly willing to let you return to town without further incident if you leave now."

The Dual Halo in her hand started to glow again, but Rue reached out and pulled her arm back. "We are not here to fight!" he shouted.

His voice rang against he altar's walls before vanishing into a silence only punctuated by Mint's growl of protest. Doll Master fell silent, his gaze moving away from Mint to Rue, standing behind her. His eyes narrowed, then widened; his whole posture went slack.

"Rue," he whispered. He betrayed a smile. "I should have realized."

Rue said nothing. Mint stopped trying to fight him, and he let her go. She took a few steps to the side, giving them both a little breathing space.

Doll Master stepped forward, slow, cautious. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"The feeling's mutual," Rue said. He held us his hands. "I'm unarmed. I came here to talk."

"In the company of the princess?"

"Admittedly not part of my plan," Rue said.

Doll Master's gaze turned toward the altar's entrance. "It is decidedly difficult to shake the royalty," he mused. "You've come for the Relic."

"Of course."

"I thought–"

The entryway to the altar exploded in heat and light. Doll Master stepped back, cursing under his breath; on the opposite side of the entryway, Rue and Mint both pulled back, caught off-guard by the sudden eruption of magic. A moment later Maya stormed through the entrance, alight in the Book's glow, and glared meaningfully at the gathering.

"What is the meaning of all of this!" she barked.

"Princess," Doll Master said, his voice suddenly constricted, his frame rigid. "I could ask you the same thing." He frowned. "This is rather unnecessary use of the Book."

"Unnecessary!" she snapped. "I merely came prepared. And it's well I did. Were you aware, Doll Master, that my sister was part of the contingent assailing this Relic?"

"To which I believe my point still stands," Doll Master said. "I can handle our dear Princess Mint."

"Try it," Mint spat.

Doll Master laughed. "As you wish. Psycho Master?"

The other man bowed. "Yes, sir."

"Hey, no," Mint said, gesturing to Doll Master. "I'm challenging you, jackass, not your–"

Her words were cut off as she abruptly slammed to the floor, the impact forcing her to release her hold on the Dual Halos. One of them went skittered out of her hand and came to a stop several feet away; the other clattering just next to her, still within reach. She tried moving her hand to grab at it, but she couldn't move; bindings of magic wrapped around her body, keeping her secured against the ground. She barely had enough wiggle room to breathe.

Well, she thought. This is frustrating.

. .

Rue dropped to his knees next to her, trying to reach through and pull her free, but when his hand hit the layer of magic he immediately yanked it away.

"What did you do?" Rue growled.

"A favor to everybody here," Doll Master said.

"Concurred," Maya said. "Now, Doll Master, why are you here?"

"To determine that this Relic does not fall into the wrong hands," he said. "You were the one who followed me, Your Highness."

"You know full well that's not what I meant. What are you doing out here, at this ungodly hour?"

"That is precisely what I meant," Doll Master said. He turned away from her and walked toward the central dais, idly kicking one of Mint's rings aside as he went. "The first level seal of this altar has already been broken– thoroughly. If this were only a minor infringement the symbols would have died down by now, but still they burn. Psycho Master and I merely came to investigate."

"In the middle of the night," Maya said.

"Something of such importance could not wait until morning."

The answer seemed to mollify her slightly. Her shoulders relaxed. "Very well," she said, "although in future I would appreciate being informed of your intentions."

"And under normal circumstances you would be," he said. "But this is my mission, Your Highness, and your presence here is as an observer, not as commander." He turned again to face her. "To which I kindly request you return to base. I have the situation well in hand."

"I don't doubt that," Maya said, "but perhaps you wouldn't mind if I remained here. This is meant to be a teaching exercise, after all."

"This is not part of that exercise," Doll Master said.

"Then allow me to object on grounds that my sister has gotten involved in the situation," Maya pressed. "I do have some concern over her safety, after all."

"You just tried to kill her!" Rue cried.

Maya laughed. "Hardly!" She snapped the book shut, and though most of its glow disappeared, bits of light still leaked from its pages and danced along its spine. "Do you know what this is?"

Rue looked at it for several long seconds. "No."

"This is the Book of Cosmos," she said. "The most powerful Aeon Relic in our kingdom– one of the most powerful in the world. If I wanted to hurt her – or you – then you would not be standing here to object to it."

"Again," Doll Master said, "an unnecessary show of force."

"Quite necessary," Maya snapped. "They have no respect for the crown– although with my sister setting the example, I can fully understand why. We are not here on a diplomatic mission. We are here for the defense of the world." Maya stepped toward them. "I think we are all agreed that it would be terrible, indeed, if Mint were to wield the power of this Relic."

"Catastrophic," Doll Master said.

Mint tried to raise protest, but the magic binding her had clamped her jaw shut and she could only manage a series of strained, furious grunts. Maya looked down to her.

"I'm going to assume that was ludicrously vulgar," she said. "Your manners certainly haven't improved since you've been away from home."

"Let her alone," Rue said. "You've made your point."

Maya looked up to him, and her gaze focused. "How rude of me, ignoring you," she said. "If I may, who are you and why are you in association with Mint?"

"Rue Artema," he said. "She and I have been working on uncovering this Relic."

Maya regarded him carefully. "You seem more level-headed than my sister."

"Not terribly difficult," Doll Master said mildly.

"What brings you to such dangerous pursuits?" she finished.

Rue's eyes flicked to Doll Master. "Your advisor would know."

Maya followed his gaze. "Doll Master?"

"I know the power of the Relic," he said. "I can hardly narrow down his intentions from there."

"You killed her," Rue said. "I'm bringing her back."

Doll Master stared at him, utterly bewildered. "Her?" Then something struck him, and he stared with new eyes at Rue, his mouth slightly agape. "You're not–"

"There seems to be a gross misunderstanding here," Maya said.

"Yes," Doll Master breathed, his voice suddenly deadly level. "There has."

"No," Rue said. He leaned over Mint's prone body, snatching the Dual Halo from her side. The ring gleamed blue. "There hasn't." He started to rise back to his feet, utterly oblivious to Maya as she raised the book defensively; all of his concentration had settled on Doll Master. "I didn't come out here to fight. Or to find the Relic– not now. I just wanted to ask why you came to me all those years ago. What did you want? Why did she have to die?"

Doll Master gritted his teeth. "This is not what I was expecting," he growled.

"What is he talking about, Doll Master?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do," Rue said. Frustration was rising in his chest and starting to clench his throat. His eyes burned. The ring flared. "Just tell me what's going on! What happened! I just– I need to understand!"

He couldn't articulate clearly, and he couldn't understand why the man had gone quiet. They both knew what Rue was talking about; even the eerie light of the altar, even in his mask, Rue could see the recognition in Doll Master's eyes, the way his body tensed, the way–

–threads of molten magic rippled down his arm, over his hand, twining and solidifying into cords that molded against one another until they formed a blade–

"Your Highness, I find myself again advising you to leave."

Maya gripped the Book of Cosmos more tightly and stumbled back. "Doll Master, what...?"

"Leave! Now!"

And Doll Master hurled himself forward.

Rue brought the Dual Halo up and caught Doll Master's blade with its edge. He twisted the ring and deflected the blow, but before he could go on the offensive Doll Master snapped his off-hand forward and a blast of dark caught Rue in the chest, hurling him backward. He slammed into the far wall of the altar and slumped to the ground, dizzied and aching.

"Psycho Master," Doll Master barked. "Take Princess Mint."

"Yes, sir," he said, and drew his arm back. The magic around Mint shifted and pulled her up into the air, much to her muffled protest. Psycho Master pulled her back toward him, out of the way of Doll Master and Rue's confrontation.

As soon as the space between them was open, Doll Master shot forward, moving like liquid. Rue had barely managed to regain his feet when suddenly Doll Master's hand was against his chest and he was slammed heavily back into the wall.

"Listen to me," Doll Master hissed. "I do not wish to hurt you. Take the princess and leave now and there will be no further harm. I will–" He stopped suddenly and looked over his shoulder. "Your Highness I thought I told you to leave!"

Maya, for her part, had not left. She was still holding the Book before her, open again, looking quickly between everybody. "No," she said. Despite her body language, the fear in her eyes, her voice was sturdy. "The Book can–"

"I refuse to see you hurt because of my work, Your Highness, now please–!"

Rue struck him.

Doll Master cried out and staggered back, caught utterly unprepared. Rue slipped to the ground, managed to keep his balance, and held the Dual Halo at the ready for another attack. Doll Master rubbed the side of his head where Rue had struck him, glowering darkly.

"I repeat," he said. "This fight is unnecessary."

"I agree," Rue said. "Just answer me."

"Down, Doll Master!"

Doll Master didn't look or question the order; he threw himself to the side, rolling out of the way, as Maya unleashed a blast of force where he had been standing. Rue managed to raise the Dual Halo in front of him, trying to use it as a shield, but it proved woefully insufficient. The blast from the Book of Cosmos lifted him off his feet and threw him once against into the wall. The only benefit was that he didn't have the same momentum that had thrown him before; he managed to keep most of his senses and landed, shakily, on his feet. His head was throbbing.

He looked up.

"I warned you," Maya said. "The Book of Cosmos is not to be trifled with." Energy lashed out from the book itself, spilling golden runes and bursts of starlight. "Nor is anyone in this kingdom. Will you stand down?"

Slowly, Rue lowered the Dual Halo. He was panting hard, his skin felt alight, his muscles shaky. "Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. Let Mint go. We'll go back to town."

"And abandon your pursuit of the Relic?"

His grip on the ring tightened.

"That," he said, "I refuse to do."

"Let them be," Doll Master said. He jumped quickly back on his feet. "This is not the time to demand logical decisions."

She shot him a look. "You told me how dangerous this Relic is. You say they've already broken one of the seals?"

He clenched his teeth. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Then I need to be assured. Absolutely. Tonight." She turned her glare back to Rue. "You will abandon your pursuit of the Relic."

"I will not."

The Book ignited again, and unleashed another burst of magic. Rue prepared himself and lashed out at the blast with the Dual Halo. Blue flame cut into a nova of light–

–he felt as though something were slicing through his skull–

–and through.

The Book's magic dispersed. Rue staggered, breathing harsh and shallow, the arm holding the Dual Halo falling limply to his side. He shut his eyes tight and pressed his hand against his forehead, willing the pain to leave.

He heard a dull thump of something hitting the stone and looked up.

The Book had fallen from her hands.

"No," she said, and suddenly came to herself. She scrambled, quickly picking up the Book again, and willed it to life once more. The energy from the Book, however, was wavering, uncertain; Maya didn't have the same control on it anymore.

Rue forced himself upright, trying very hard to pretend that he felt less terrible than he did.

"No, not possible," Maya breathed. "He countered the Book. He countered the Book. Doll Master! He countered the Book!"

Doll Master replied shortly; "I am right here, Princess, I saw what happened."

"Then tell me how!"

Doll Master gave her no response.

Rue looked between them, shut his eyes tightly, tried to will himself back. Slowly, the worst of it – the dizziness, the pain – started to recede, and by the time he opened his eyes his vision was no longer blurry. He stepped toward Maya.

"Keep back!" she shouted, and unleashed another wash of energy from the book.

He saw it coming and lashed out with the Dual Halo again, slicing clean through the net of magic. The sensation of something trying to drill through his skull came back with a vengeance, and this time he couldn't dismiss it. He staggered, nearly hit the ground, pressed his hand against his head to try and contain the sensation. His vision doubled; he shut his eyes.

Another blast. He couldn't keep this up.

He felt it coming toward him, saw behind his eyelids the ripple and flow of tight-knit magic, all knotted together in an orb of energy stolen from stars and suns and planets and the darkness between them. He raised the Dual Halo with both hands and concentrated.

The explosion blasted him straight into the floor, and he skidded against smooth stone for several feet until the wall stopped him, and finally he crumpled. His forehead was burning, the halo was burning, his back and side were scraped and bruised and his ears were roaring and the air was knocked from his lungs and everything hurt.

He managed, somehow, to open one of his eyes.

The Book was on the ground again, blown open, some of its pages bent, the edges of its cover frayed. Behind it, a few feet away, was Maya, splayed on the ground and on the edge of unconsciousness. A shadow passed over his vision. He tilted his head and saw Doll Master standing over him.

"That was beautiful," he said, and reached down. He pulled Rue back to his feet by the collar and realized quite quickly that Rue was in no position to be standing. He sighed. "This is turning out to be quite a night."

Rue tried to verbalize his thoughts, any of the questions screaming through his head, but all that came out was a half-choked protest. The roaring in his ears was becoming worse–

No. Not in his ears.

Doll Master looked up as the sound descended upon them, and stared, understandably baffled, as a large octagonal golem settled on the edge of the lake altar, its massive hands holding on to the edge of the altar to steady itself.

From the top of the golem, Belle leaned over and looked down.

"That was quite a fireworks show!" she shouted. "But I think it's time we headed off. Hexagon, grab Mint. Duke, punch bad guys."

Duke stood up next to Belle, grinning broadly. "Yes, milady." He leapt off the edge of the Hexagon and landed just in front of Psycho Master.

Psycho Master barely opened his eyes to look at him. "You must be joking," he said.

"Nope!" Duke said stridently. "Joking's over!"

And to make his point, he punched Psycho Master in the face.

Psycho Master wasn't expecting actual resistance. He staggered, shook his head, and raised his hand. Duke charged after him, but before he could get much closer was suddenly lifted from his feet and hurled backward. Duke flipped in the air, landed steady, and charged after him again.

While Psycho Master was distracted, his binds on Mint seemed to loosen, and she made the situation loud and clear by shouting a long, concentrated storm of swears and epithets. She was only stopped when the Hexagon reached down and plucked her from where Psycho Master had laid her, and she only stopped to raise a different objection.

"Too tight!" Mint yelped.

"Can you talk?" Belle asked.

"B-barely."

"Good."

The Hexagon pushed off with its other arm, clearing to the other side of the ruins in a single bound. Doll Master, still holding Rue up, twisted his head to follow it, his expression blank.

"Quite a night," he muttered.

In short order, the Hexagon settled just next to him, and Belle stepped out onto the golem's muzzle, leaning forward to look down at him from above.

"Let him go," she said, "or I'll have this thing sit on you."

Doll Master looked at Belle. He looked at Maya. He looked at Rue.

He looked back at Maya.

"Take him," Doll Master said, and laid Rue back down on the ground, careful not to drop him. "And pursue me no further. I need to attend to Her Highness."

Belle motioned to the Hexagon, and it reached down, plucking Rue from the ground. He couldn't help but cry out; it was being as gentle as possible, but it still aggravated the damage. Belle murmured an almost-unheard apology, and then looked to the other side of the altar. "Duke, we're out!"

Duke halted his battle, although it hadn't been much of one. Psycho Master had erected a shield around himself after the initial charge, and Duke had been ineffectually punching at it for the past several seconds. As an actual combatant, he had been largely useless; as a distraction, though, he had performed admirably.

"Coming!" he called, and sped away from Psycho Master.

Psycho Master lowered his shield and moved toward them, but Doll Master – himself already making his way toward Maya – shook his head. Psycho Master relaxed again.

"Leave them," he said. "Help me with the princess."

"Sir."

And he turned to do just that. Belle waited a few more seconds for Duke to arrive, scrambling up the side of the Hexagon, and then she motioned for it to leave the altar wall. The Hexagon bobbed backward a bit, then upward, its engines whining as it rose.. Then, with one more command, it shot off, skimming the surface of the water, then skirted the top of the hill and vanished into the night.