Gummadoon Kitchen
Corvi padded down Gummadoon's halls with not much expression on his face. He really didn't feel like showing any emotion, good or bad. What was the point? As it stood, he was so emotionally drained, he doubted that he could have expressed anger if he wanted to. He just wanted…he wanted this to be over. He wanted it done. He wanted to crawl into a dark hole and never come out. He wanted to sob and cry and wail until his throat tore. He could not. Despite everything falling apart around him, he could not.
On his way to the kitchen, he had stopped by his brothers' room for the time being. Morri looked so tired and scared. He told him how his play dates with Panni were going and it scared Corvi. No cub should play like that, no cub should request stories like that and yet his little brother was. Then, he heard how all Cori's toys were "sad" now. That also wasn't right. No three year old's toys should be sad. They should be mischievous and playful and joyful! Then, then on top of all that, Morri asked about Mother. And Father. His questions were innocent enough but Gum, why now?
Was Mother in pain anymore? Of course not, he told him.
Was she with Father? Definitely, Corvi had reassured him.
What about Bigger Brother? Tori, right? Corvi had told Morri that yes, their eldest brother was with them for certain.
Could they see us? Feel us? Would he see them in his dreams sometimes? What was Tori like? How did he die? Did he look like Mother when he died? Was he in pain? Did he get sick like Mother? Was Corvi or Cori going to get sick too?
Corvi answered them all as best he could, including holding his brother close when he started to whine and cry about missing Mother. But, Gum, it was so hard. He just wanted to sob himself but he couldn't. He had to stay strong for Morri. What would it do to Morri if he suddenly broke down into tears? What about Cori? No, he had no choice but to answer those questions, one after another until his brother wore himself out and went back to bed, though not after requesting another question be answered, asking "Where do our souls go? Do they die too?"
That one hit hard and Corvi had only managed a "No, they don't die" and thankfully, Morri accepted that. But as he laid his brother down, tucked him in and checked on his youngest brother, the image of his best friend came back to his mind. Dying. Again. Not like before though, an eternal death. He would never…ever…see him again. His personality, that gentle spirit…just gone forever. Then, there was the nature of his mother. She was gone and despite how he tried, he was not his mother. He was doing what he could but he could not undo death for his little brothers. So much death they'd seen. So much death…
He couldn't make his mother come back. Nor his father, nor his eldest brother. Just like he could not save Lucki. He was so useless. All he could do was stand by and watch death pick off his loved ones, one by one. He was always there, to watch them die and be useless and helpless to stop it. First, Tori, when he had been only a little younger than Morri himself. He had come in to check on him, not understood why Tori did not move. Shook him, found him cold and hard. Stood there when his mother collapsed in tears and cursed the healers. Watched his father's hard outer wall melt and the knight crumble.
Then, when Father…he had laid there, in the cornfields like a coward. Never mind that Father told him to. Never mind that he had lost against the worst threat imaginable to any gummi. The fact remained that he had not tried to help. He had laid there when his father's blood splattered all over his face. He had seen his father's chest stop rising and falling. Surely, he could have done something! Worse yet, when that horrible gummi woman had vanished, he had ran. He had not tried to help his father nor protect his body but ran. He ran like a coward.
Then, Lucki…poor Lucki. He had looked so petrified, even with his eyes brushed shut when they carried him in from the battlefield. He had tried to claw his way over, screaming it was a lie, that it was not true. Blastus had pulled him back, held him firm. He had screamed, cursed, yelled, threatened, tried to kick and push his way over, screaming all the while about how his best friend could not be dead. And now…now, he was back but…not to stay. He would die, again. But this time with no peace awaiting him.
And Mother…dear Gum, forgive him! He should have pressed. He should have forced a healer on her. He should have stayed by her side. If he had been in the room, he would have noticed her breathing. Maybe he could have stopped her death. All his family, all he ever did was watch them die or find them dead! He was cursed, it seemed. To bring death to those he cared about. He didn't want to see it anymore. Just, please, someone make it stop. Make the pain stop, make the pounding in his head stop, make his stomach stop.
Corvi pushed his way into Gummadoon's side kitchen, blinking slightly when a weary Toni sat up. "Corv? Didn't you go into the meeting?"
"Yes," Corvi's tone was mechanical as he walked past Toni and into the pantry. The young cub followed him, quietly. "Why are you still up? If you aren't in the meeting, Gumlittle would want you sleeping, like Martinni and Flynn."
Toni scoffed, watching the teen look through the shelves of baskets and bottles. "I wanna find out as soon as they come out. I'd just go in there if I had anythin' to add." He frowned, watching the blond teen carefully. The older cub took a bottle off the shelf studied it intently, like he'd never seen it before. Toni had. It was Gummiberry brandy. The adults sometimes drank it when they were celebrating but it had weird effects on cubs. Said it made them super sick or something because their bodies couldn't process it right or something. Said it was something you got on your eighteenth year because your body could handle it now. But Toni had only seen Gumlittle drink a cup of it once.
"Corv? That's gummiberry brandy."
The teen took a second and third bottle of it and just sank to the floor, like he was out of energy. Then, then he just popped the cork and drank it! Obedient Corvi was drinking gummiberry brandy! No, not just drinking it, downing it! Like, gulping it! He drank half of the bottle before he said, "Yep." His eyes never met Toni's but the blue cub was officially freaked out. Since when did Corvi act like this? This was something even HE wouldn't have tried and there was not a lot that went into that category.
As for Corvi, the brandy burned going down, like gulping fire a bit but it worked fast. It made him feel a little giddy, a bit weird but it was dulling that emotional ache. He knew Toni was there, asking him something but he was barely listening. No point. No point in listening. No point. Just make the pain stop. That was all he wanted. Nothing he did ever fixed anything and he could not handle this. He could not. He wanted to, wanted to so badly but he could not. There was nothing he could…
"Corvi!"
He turned then, seeing Toni still standing there, mouth open like a fish. Corvi looked to the bottle in his hand, took another swig, forcing the last of it down. Setting the empty bottle down, he grasped the second bottle, repeating the process. He was sure Toni was yelling at him but right at that point, he was feeling his senses continue to dull. The more he drank, the more they dulled. He thought he felt Toni try to yank at him, to get him off the floor but he pushed the boy away, winding up face first for his efforts but he didn't drop the bottle. Just down a little more and then the pain won't be there. Yep, just…
Toni, feeling frightened and in an odd way, left the teen there, face down on the floor of the pantry and ran for the council chamber.
Corvi uncorked the third. Just a little more. That was all. He had gotten three because that was all he needed. Truth be told, one probably would have done it but he wanted to be sure. No more pain, just for a little bit. He was sure he was going to regret this later when the side effects hit but…
Wait, did Toni just run out?
He was going to tell the adults, wasn't he? Gum, what was he thinking? He could shooed Toni out or waited or…
Corvi set the half empty bottle down, buried his face in the ground and murmured, "Blastus is gonna…kill…me…"
Toni experienced some difficulty getting into the council chamber because he was not one of the ones invited in. He had not been well informed enough and while that had initially irritated him, he had finally settled for the fact he was going to have to wait. The kitchen was tedious but it was also the closest so he would have answers the soonest from there. It was mind numbingly boring but then Corvi had come in and well, then it had been anything but boring. In fact, it scared him. The look in Corvi's eyes, his tone…all of it!
Finally fed up with the guard patrolling the door, Toni delivered a well-placed kick to the center of the shin and ducked under the knight's grip and pushed through the doors. The guards on the inside swiftly protested his entry but stopped swiftly, when he announced his reasoning, "Blastus, you better come quick. I dunno what's wrong with Corvi but he's freakin' me out!"
Gummadoon Kitchen
Corvi should have heard the doors opening, the pounding of feet. But, at the moment, he was far beyond caring. After a brief burst of feeling guilty, horrible and that he was in-so-much-trouble, he had found his mind slipping again. It was a weird feeling. He could still see everything fine. Well, as much as one could with their long hair hanging in their face. He'd pushed his way back to a semi-sitting position and eyed the nearly empty bottle still clutched in his hand. Shrugging, he took another swallow of it. It burned a lot less now.
The door crashed open at that point and it took a moment before the sound of adults reached his ears. They were loud. Heh, they sounded like fireworks going off. The sudden image of sparkling firecrackers sticking out of their muzzles like duck bills caused a fit of laughter to take him.
"Corvus Randus Gummi, what in Gum's name are you doing?" Oh, Blastus was pissed. His rapid French sounded even weird when he was angry. Like a bunch of ants singing soprano. That was funny too! Corvi lowered his head and he laughed again, before finally parting his long hair like a curtain to look at his visitors. Yeah, like a curtain...during an opera...with a bunch of ants with fireworks on their faces! That was great!
Corvi's investigators were none other than Sir Blastus, Sir Ramsei and Sir Plucki. Sounded like there were some other gummies running in too. Normally, this fact, combined with the fact that he had just been found half sprawled on the floor of one of their pantries with nearly three bottles of Gummiberry brandy gone, would have been enough to make him beg forgiveness, plead for understanding and cry. But at the moment, he was, to be frank, beyond reasoning.
"Sir Blastus, tu simili beaucoup pétards-billed ants! Dassu! Je l'ai! Je l'ai! Dissumulo, d'accord? Vous are a anas-seeu?"(Sir Blastus, you look a lot like a firework-billed ant! Singing! I got it, I got it! Disguises, right? Are you a kind of duck?)
The group stared at him for a long moment before Blastus knelt down next to him, saying as an aside to his brother Plucki, "Oh, he's gone." He picked up the empty gummiberry brandy bottle, counting aloud "Un, deux...trois? Really, Corvi?"
Ramsei turned to Plucki, "This is absurd! We have enough to deal with and now we have to deal with such irrespon-"
"Ramsei, shut up!" Blastus cut into the conversation before his brother could reply, "We KNOW that! You think Corvi is normally the type to do this? Gum...I knew there was something else going on...I should have pushed it..." What could have pushed his Corvi so far? He should have INSISTED he tell him THEN. He should not have allowed him to put it off. Spilled milk, no point in fretting over it. He needed to help his squire now, not focus on the past.
"Praetereō! Crebo! Crebo! Jasli! Jasli!" (Push on through! One after the other, one after the other! Again! Again!) Corvi laughed again and pulled his hair in front of his face, saying, "Evanui! (Disappear) Then show up again!" He then broke into another fit of laughter.
Plucki cleared his throat, stepped forward, grasping Corvi's left arm as Blastus rose with a strong grip on his right. "Alright, lad. We can sort out what drove you to this ridiculous act later. To bed with you now."
"To bed to bed! Somniculose, nous saltare! D'un air endormi, D'morte endormes! Suuca she sleeps absens! Come back, come back a moi!" (To sleep we go, like air I sleep, like death she sleeps. Under, she sleeps away. Come back to me.)
Blastus bit his lip, more than a little worried. There it was. That talk of death again. True, it might have spoken by a squire who was hardly in control of himself at the moment but it was still concerning. Blastus eyed Ramsei, who while still maintaining a look of frustration now also carried that gaze of worry. As frustrated as this situation was, he was forced to admit that Blastus was right. Corvi was their responsible one. He was the one always keeping the other squires in line. Most of the time, it was like having an additional knight around! So...yes, Ramsei had to admit, now that his reactive anger had passed, he was indeed worried.
"Come." Plucki's gentle but forceful command rang out again as he and Blastus steered the squire from the room, towards the stairs. Corvi stumbled and laughed and nearly fell twice, laughing all the while.
"Et it's sursum deorsum! Terre-à-terre! If the tiles had sabot, nous be unicorns, d'accord? Bellus, insons, dulcis. Comme enfantin!" (And it's up and down, down to earth! If the tiles(of the floor) had hooves, they'd be unicorns, right? Pretty, innocent, sweet. Like childlike!)
Blastus and Plucki exchanged nervous glances over the boy's head. It wasn't that they had never seen a gummi drunk. It just...well, it happened so rarely and usually it happened on two occasions. Celebrating the coming birth of a child or when the cub finally turned 18 and had their first try of the stuff. Gummiberry brandy was pretty potent, as their drinks went (given they did not have many alcoholic types) so the fact that Corvi had downed three of them...what on earth could have pushed this cub so far? Even with the news of his father...this was beyond anything they ever imagined.
"Danse avec moi, Blastie?" Corvi asked again, though he was at least slowing down. (Dance with me) They'd managed up the stairs without him making much fuss or statements at all. One thing that was nice about gummiberry brandy, its effects were fast. Corvi was going to be utterly miserable once they wore off but they were fast.
Allowing a smile, despite his worry, Blastus shook his head. When Corvi was little, very little, he used to grab Blastus' hands, ask that the knight dance with him like he always saw the adults doing. "Non, little one." He answered as he and Plucki made their way with a very drunken squire to the boy's chambers. "Now is time to rest."
"Reste..." (Rest) Corvi laid down when prompted, the other effects of the brandy, namely the sleepiness, taking effect rapidly. "Icute my hair, Blastus?" (Stroke) he managed, "Comme Mama used to?"(Like Mama used to)
Blastus frowned, "Used to?"
Corvi closed his eyes, "Mama n'fait pas soolpa." (Mama can't do it anymore)
By the time they got the teen to his room, he couldn't walk and was barely awake. When they lay his head upon the soft pillow of his bed, Corvi Gummi was completely zonked.
Sir Plucki shook his head as the kid began to snore. "Of all the times... You know as well as I that, without Lady Cressi, her son is the best translator we have."
"Oui, mon Capitan, but... mon dieu. The repressed memory surfacing, the talk of death, the absent mother, and you know how he looks after his brothers. And now a drunken haze? I suppose even Corvi has his breaking point. I truly should have kept him cornered earlier, had him talk it out, before he went to such extremes. I feel myself to blame as much as my squire, Sir Plucki." Blastus hung his head.
"Well, there's not to do about it for now; at least as far as Corvi is concerned. Any Old Gummi will have to be translated slowly or on the morrow. And," He stepped near, lay a hand on his knight-brother's shoulder. "I know you've just got Ecri back somehow but you should stay here with Corvi, rest while he rests, and tell us as soon as he's fit. In the meantime, we'll plan our course."
"Merci, Plucki. We may be the adults but they have all the stamina." Blastus said, settling into a chair near the bed.
Sir Plucki snorted a laugh and glanced at the now loudly snoring Corvi. "Not all of it." With a nod to his brother-in-arms, the Gummadoon Knight-Captan turned and headed quickly back to the warded Council Chambers.
And when he'd returned, all of Cubbi's Glen kin were rallied around him, talking to him. He was animate with a happy face and excited gestures, but two yawns in a row had Sir Plucki walking over to break up the talk.
"We are indebted to the assistance and knowledge you've imparted to us, and of course we have refreshments and rooms for each of you. Please follow Sir Aendi and we'll see you in the morning."
As he spoke with authority, knowledge, and compassion, they thought nothing against following his suggestion. When Cubbi meant to follow after them, Sir Plucki lay a hand on his shoulder to stay him.
"Aw, Plucki, I just-"
"Need to rest. We need you tomorrow, and that means you need to get in a few hours sleep at least. That book doesn't seem to want to speak to anyone else but you. It's vital that you're alert and ready for anything."
Cubbi sighed in frustration but it turned into a giant yawn and he could no longer protest. "Alright. You win. But just a few hours. You should, too, ya know. We need our Captain."
Plucki smiled paternally at the retreating back of his squire. "I know. It's on my to-do list."
"Hey, Cub! Wait up!" Toni called, jogging past the Gummadoon Captain to catch up to the pink-furred Cubbi. "Yer never gonna believe it but Corvi just got himself plastered!"
And Plucki found himself rolling his eyes. Of all the news to pass on... Not only was Corvi going to wake with many nasty ailments - vomiting, dizziness, vertigo, a roiling stomach, intense headaches - but he was quickly becoming the gossip of the hour.
He thought of putting a stop to their newsmongering but decided against it. He was tired. Let them talk of things other than mortal peril for once.
Speaking of mortal peril... On his way to a cot, he decided to peek in at Lucki. He was shocked to find the lad attempting to sit up!
Rushing in to lend as gentle a hand as he could, Sir Plucki chastized him immediately. "Lucki, you should be resting. In your condition-"
"No time." the cub groaned as he was righted. "Get me up, on my feet, or carry me. Don't care." He grunted under the strain and pain of so much havoc to his failing body. "Sir Plucki, we have important news for the Council and... and for you." he got out through the pain.
We? That mystified him a bit but if it was pertinant enough that Lucki couldn't rest until it was told, then it may well be that important. Plucki scooped up the green-furred Lucki as gently as possible and hurried to the council chambers where the others were. However, as he drew near the doors, Lucki's frail grip on his arm squeezed tight enough to cause the Gummadoon knight-captain pain.
"Stop. Stop, stop!" Lucki was yelling with a strength the knight-captain hadn't thought the boy possessed.
"What? Why?" he demanded with equal strength.
And then Lucki's eyes, always so gentle, turned on him with a burning fire, a hatred, that at first startled Sir Plucki, made him think he was seeing things. The lad's voice, however, made it impossible to doubt the absolute change in his entire being as he said, "Because, you idiot bear, the entire room is warded to prevent unwarranted and harmful magic of ALL types and I happen to still be in here. Take me somewhere else; and summon those old bags of fur. I have important news for you all."
Outer Gummadoon Halls
Cubbi's yawns were getting longer and louder as he neared his room but Toni wasn't getting the hint. Though he was shocked to hear Corvi of all gummies had gotten drunk, he was pretty worn and really just wanted to crawl into bed.
"And, boy, you should have seen him, Cub. It was scary-weird! I know he's been through a lot of stuff lately but..." Toni just shook his head. "My mom was possessed and tried to kill me, and I tried to kill myself! And not even that drove me to drink. I dunno whether to think I have more will power or just that I didn't think of it first." He shot his friend a nervous smirk, unsure if it was too soon to make fun of such things. Honestly, it was one of the few ways - aside from being with Gummie - that helped get over that sick week. And Cubbi never teased or brought it up at all; probably because he understood better than most what it was like to be possessed.
The dark-blue squire fell silent suddenly as they walked, wondering if it was time. Time to see if he could go and look at his mother yet; look at her and not feel afraid of being around her, not feel like a disappointment to her, no matter how foolish such thoughts may be. That's what Sir Gumlittle told him, but still... Getting himself to believe that was slow-going. At least humor helped, and hanging out with Cubbi.
When they turned into the open doorway to Cubbi's room, Toni grinned and was about to open up with another joke when both lads were surprised to find Tavi there in her nightshirt and shoes, sitting on Cubbi's bed.
"Tavi? I thought you were with your brother." Cubbi said, frowning in concern. She looked real upset.
"I was but... Cubbi, my brother's dying, and not just his body. His soul's gonna die, too. That's why I hafta get to Gummi Glen right now and you gotta take me as fast as possible." She got up and grabbed him by the hand. "We gotta leave now."
"Hey, hold on." He tried to slow her insistant pulling of him out into the hall.
"No, Cubbi. Destini came to me in a dream, like before. She told me she knows where this powerful magic item thing is called Concordia and it'll save my brother. He's not gonna make it if I don't leave now. Please, Cubbi!"
"But, Tavi, the answer's right here for re-trapping Emi." Cubbi thrust the Merlinni book at her, and it was glowing and everything which meant it had more to say. "See? It's bound to know how to help your brother. This Merlinni book can be ANY book ever written by gummies as long as they were written in the past."
Tavi didn't scowl at him at his slow pace. Tears started trailing down her cheeks. "Cubbi, I... I don't care about that right now. I know it's a big deal and we can use whatever it is we learn later to blow Emi to heck but right now... Cubbi, I already know how to do this. I just have to save my brother! I just got him back and now he's slippin' away again. I know I can help him!" She sniffed, wiped at her eyes, and a fierce determination took hold of the young wizardess. "An' I'm goin', with or without your help."
It wasn't her forceful tone that got Cubbi to capitulate. It was her tears. Gum, he couldn't just stand there and see her cry like that.
With a loud, tired groan, Cubbi smacked the book into Toni's chest. "I gotta go, Tone, but you keep this."
"M-me? Why me?" He knew exactly what it was and did NOT want to be responsible for the thing. And it was glowing still but he didn't wanna open it. He was tired!
Being tugged away by Tavi, Cubbi shrugged and said, "I dunno! Corvi's outta action for now and the adults can't use the thing. It only likes cubs!"
Gummadoon Healer's Alcove
Healer Sarrika could have kicked herself. So wrapped up in looking for a cure for Lucki, she'd forgotten to check on poor Karleni for quite some time! Feeling too guilty to ask one of her apprentices to do so, the healer entered her main wing where the mentally abused bearess had been taken. One of her two apprentices, Dashi, lay snoozing up against the wall. That was the first thing she saw when she walked in. Rounding the corner to get to the set of six beds lined up in the next room, Healer Sarrika stopped in her tracks.
Karleni had been the only occupant of the medical ward, placed in the second bed. Now? Every single bed was empty.
Secondary Gummadoon Council Chambers
The room hurriedly picked out for the impromptu and rudely-called meeting was decidedly smaller. In fact, it wasn't much larger than Sir Plucki's own quarters. This particular council chambers was used for more one-on-one meetings. However, the cramped conditions probably lent better for containing whatever had changed Lucki. Oh, they had an idea what might be going on but the knight-captain kept his thoughts to himself and waited for when they had more information. It wouldn't do to make snap judgments when Lucki's health was fragile as it is and who knew the full of what was to be divulged.
They had a bit of a wait of it. The suddenly picky Lucki stood in the middle of the room with his bruised arms crosses as if he felt no pain at all and required four chairs only be present, despite that there were eight individuals in the room. Then he demanded a bed be brought in and fussed over how it must be against the wall but only just so.
"Come now, lad. What is it you've got to say?" Gumlittle asked, trying to hide the impatience they all felt.
Lucki turned to the knight, his eyes filled with a hatred so alien, the others recoiled instantly. "I shall speak when I am ready to speak, you sad, fat bear. I do not take orders from..." He'd looked about to step forward, to stand right up to Sir Gumlittle, but instead stared at his feet. Snarling at them, Lucki said, "Release your hold now or else I'll-"
His words just stopped, and both arms flopped uselessly at his sides, much to his own bewilderment.
The onlooking Gummadoon councellors as well as the two knights shared confused looks. Sirs Gumlittle and Plucki edged closer to the cub, on guard, at the ready, despite the fact that the green-furred gummi was ignoring them completely. He appeared to be arguing with himself instead.
"Stop it or I'll hurt your precious family." he was saying, not looking at anyone at all but casting vicious glances about, his tone smearing the adjective derisively.
"Lucki?" Gumlittle queried cautiously, taking another step near his once-slain squire.
The boy didn't seem to hear, though his features softened to resemble his old self. And he said, in his normal soft voice, "Don't... threaten... them. Not... helping."
THAT'S the Lucki I know. thought Gumlittle, relaxing just a bit. Though it was odd, his halting speech pattern. "Lucki-"
Before he could even blink, his resurrected squire whirled, a terrible grin on his face, and woundh is fist back to land a solid punch to the big knight's gut...
Only to find, yet again, that his hands dropped uselessly at his side.
Sir Plucki pulled at his fellow knight, urging him away.
"Everyone stand back. That is not Lucki." Councilor Wooddale said, taking several steps back and clutching her medallion.
The cub's eyes flashed with glee, mirroring the evil smile adorning his contorted face which turned to his aunt. "Figured it out, you old bag? Took you long enough. But this really IS Lucki, 'Aunt Toffi'."
The mock sweetness in his tone was enough to sicken everyone in the room. Figured it out? Oh yes. They'd begun to suspect there was more to Lucki's dilemma as soon as the boy started talking in two different tones.
The cub's aunt eyed her possessed nephew with unwavering determination and a touch of anger. She bravely stepped forward and demanded, "Who are you?"
Again, the green-furred Lucki attempted to attack. Again, the attempt failed. This time, it ended with Lucki locking up from head to toe and falling forward, stiff as a board. Sir Gumlittle jumped in to catch the lad before he did himself more harm.
And, for a moment, the tense gummies received a brief respite as Lucki went completely limp in Gumlittle's arms.
Plucki turned worried eyes on Councilor Wooddale. "You know who's doing this. We all do."
Wooddale growled at the situation, at the remainder of her family slowly being torn apart, at what was happening to her nephew and the unfairness of everything. "Yes, but I wanted her to say it."
Councilor Flurryfeather stepped forward to lay a comforting hand on Wooddale's shoulder. "Possession is tricky. There's got to be a reason why she'd reveal herself. We can't afford to have harm come to Lucki's body."
Wooddale sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "I know. Just... Once, I'd like to be rid of that witch. And-"
"Aunt... Toffi?" Lucki's faint voice cut in.
All looked on the green-furred cub, came near to listen. His body still lay slack in Gumlittle's grasp. His eyes remained closed.
"Can... hear... you. Can't... see. Fighting... too... hard."
Wooddale was at her nephew's side in a blink. "We're here, Lucki. We'll help you."
"Can't... help... me. Just... wait."
As disturbing as it was to hear the lad calmly say they couldn't help him, the resultant silence was harder still to take. It was agony, waiting for Lucki to speak again.
And when he did... "Finally." came the petulant tone so foreign to the cub. "Now to get to my terms."
"There won't be a discussion of terms, Lady Bane." Councilor Wooddale said in a flat tone. "You will remove yourself from Lucki or we will do it for you."
After a short silence, the real Lucki spoke. "She... can't,... Aunt... Toffi."
The eyes still shut and body unmoving, it was eerie having a conversation with two voices from a single mouth but the gathered gummies pushed through the bizarre situation, concerned only for their returned Lucki.
"You can't leave?" Wooddale frowned in suspicion at such news. "You're possessing my nephew, are you not?"
Silence, in which they were forced to wait for their answers.
A huffy sigh shot out of the cub's mouth. "The brat needs me to explain the situation to you stupid bears. Make no mistake. I am in control of this body... No... you're... not... I most definitely am!"
It was clear now who was speaking when but also clear was that they were getting nowhere.
Plucki lay a hand on the boy's shoulder, as gently as he could given how easily he bruised. "You need to stop arguing, both of you. One of you explain yourselves."
"I will." Lady Bane. "The short captain of the guards is right. We don't have time for this. Yes, I'm possessing this disgusting cub. I did resurrect him and planned to use him to infiltrate Gummadoon and destroy you all. Naturally, it was working. But there's a much bigger problem for you, isn't there? Someone else who's toying with more than just one dead child?"
A new silence rang in the room. No one dare speak the name on all their lips.
"Ha!" The acid laugh leaped from Lucki's mouth. "That got you all to shut up. Now listen good, you stupid bears, and I may just help you survive the only truly interesting person to've been born of your race. One whose very name you're afraid to speak. Not that I blame you. The work she's done against her own kind is impressive."
"You admire her, you evil witch." accused Councilor Tosslewind.
"Of course I do!" Lady Bane snapped back with Lucki's voice.
"Then you aren't working with her?" Sir Plucki asked.
"No, sadly. Although I despise admitting it, she doesn't seem to think much of my own efforts to do you all in." was Lady Bane's miffed reply. "She in fact taunts me just as she taunts you wretched gummies and has hindered my ability to exit this filthy meat sack."
"You said you'd help us. How?" persisted Sir Plucki.
An evil grin twisted Lucki's gentle mouth. "Now we talk terms."
Gummadoon Hallway
Toni stared at the magic book in his hands, surprised at how light it was, before glancing down the hall at the retreating forms of Tavi and Cubbi. Didn't sound like a good idea to him, them rushing off and leaving everyone else behind without even telling anyone.
He sighed resolutely and headed to his own room for the night. "Didn't even ask me to come along. They're being dumb."
The book startled him with a sudden flashing glow.
He eyed the thing suspiciously before cautiously cracking open the tome.
Golden words splashed with alarming speed across the pages, pulsing in aggitation. They read: Cubbi and Tavi are in great danger! Tell the Council and the knights! Quickly!
Toni didn't question it. His guts were tellin' him the same thing. He tore down the hall to the Councilroom Chambers. When no knight stopped him from bursting in, he didn't question his luck but pushed on through the doors.
The dark and completely empty room within echoed his pounding steps loudly in his ears.
Toni's mouth dropped open at the turn of events. "What the?! Where IS everybody?"
He rushed out, yelling down the halls for the knights, the council, anybody!
As he sped through sounding the alarm, Toni didn't see the creeping cloud of shiny particles wafting into every hall, doorway, and dorm in Gummadoon which soon silenced any who roused to his call.
Secondary Gummadoon Council Chambers
"We will give you nothing but the opportunity to live and leave this land forever, never to bother our kind again." Sir Plucki told the witch who currently possessed Lucki Gummi.
"Then I suppose we are at a stand-still. I-"
She was cut off yet again as Lucki mentally shoved Lady Bane away from control of the mouth. "We... don't... have... time. You... agreed... to... help!" And trying to talk through her clingy control was like swimming through molasses. Just a struggle for every word to come out. Even with her agreeing to a small alliance to fight Emi, she wasn't giving an inch. In fact, she was trying to barter knowledge of Emi for further magical knowledge! Sometimes, even being intimately close to her and seeing and hearing what he'd so far witnessed of her own inner leaking thoughts and memories, he still couldn't believe her greed and quest for power. So must lost, so high a cost, and for what?
"Ugh! You're clueless whining annoys me to no end!" she complained vocally, snatching back the mouth once more.
"But he's correct." Berrybottom argued. "We've no time for quibbling over this. Even as we speak, Emi is trying to free herself. What knowledge do you have of her?"
As they debated loudly the growingly problematic situation, Sirs Plucki and Gumlittle immediately smelled a change in the air.
"Slumber sand!" Their panicked yells sounded nearly like a single voice as their eyes began to dart about. Up, at the ventilation ports, a shiny mist visibly rained down upon them.
The two knights leaped up to act but it was too late. Anyone who breathed the tiniest amount of the Gummadoon-created slumber sand would fall to its effects. And as councilmember and knight alike wilted under the powerful sleep-inducer, they could do nothing but wonder desperately how in the world they'd been infiltrated so completely.
And, although Lucki's body succombed to the effects of the slumber sand, falling into as deep a sleep as the other gummies, the magically locked minds within remained very much aware, if locked out of the goings-on of the waking world.
Oh now isn't this just the twist, snarked Lady Bane in the void of the shared mind.
It's slumber sand. How did...?
It's obvious, idiot. She either has already escaped and is making her move or she's possessed some poor hapless meat sack of her own to do the deed. I'd suspect possession, given that knocking you all out isn't her style of taking over.
You seem to know a lot about her methods.
Of course. I've studied them a bit. Her exploits, her rampages. The presence of Lady Bane grinned. I'd do the same twice over, and I will once I find a way to manage it.
And that's why we can't trust you. What is it about power that drives you so hard. I can feel it. You can't hide that.
She didn't reply at first, still unsure how the cub had access to some of her memories. She didn't want to admit that's what he'd seen - not to him or to herself - but she could deny it no longer. Nor could she deny the fact that, with Emi making her move, they truly had no time for quibblings. Alright, little bear. It seems I have no choice.
Good. Okay. So what do you know about her?
As she parlayed with the brat, she allowed herself a secret smile. Yes. Let them think she was more in a corner than she was. Let their guard fall. She'd be waiting patiently to pounce as soon as they were too distracted with Emi's efforts.
Corvi's Room, several hours later
Sir Blastus roused with a sigh and a yawn, a bit surprised that he'd dozed off in his seat but, then again, they had all been through much. The body can only take so much punishment before it rebels.
The knight looked on his snoozing squire just as Corvi woke with a great groan. Knowing what was was coming next, Blastus picked up a bin. When Corvi rolled toward him, he was ready and caught all of the vomit which began to spew forth from the hung-over cub.
As Corvi puked his guts out, he heard Sir Blastus tsk'ing at him.
"Ah, mon petit enfant it is long past time we talked. What caused you to act in this fashion?"