Silence followed young Toni's statement. The truth was, they truly didn't know what to do. While they certainly had been given their answers and it definitely explained the sudden weakening of the prison (looked like Sir Ecri's suspicion was right on the money!) it didn't give them any idea of where to go from there. Hearing about such immense power being needed to conceal and trap this opponent served as a great means to cause fear to boil deep in the soul. The adults exchanged glances and took deep, heavy breaths.
Toni took the book again, clutching it tightly, asking again, "So, maybe the others had better luck?" The adults still hadn't said anything but the silence was driving him utterly insane.
Sarrika frowned deeply, her thoughts shifting to the groups venturing directly into danger. Much as she wanted answers, much as they needed answers, the fact remained that with what resources they had currently, they had pursued the Gummadoon staff as far as possible. They had found out what they had feared and now, that was the end of that quest. They could not duplicate such a weapon so young Toni was right, on both accounts: what were they to do now and should they consider what their allies had accomplished?
Letting out a hefty sigh, the healer remarked, "I hear that a group went to pursue clues at Lady Bane's palace." She frowned, some of her previous anger reflected on her face, "And they took Lucki with them. As fragile as he is…" she was reluctant to say more given Toni's close proximity but the boy knew enough that Lucki was breakable, easily injured. So, for that reason, the healer was rightly surprised when Toni snorted and shook his head at her statement. While she was aware that children did not always understand as well as they would like at times, she was certain he would see…
"You wouldn't have been able to stop him, Sarrika." The boy declared firmly, his eyes set. "Lucki was always stubborn, 'member? He was just quiet about it. He woulda gone anyway if he thought he needed to." He frowned, "Did you really think if you told him he had to stay that he woulda? Especially if it involved maybe saving or protectin' his little sis? C'mon Sarrika, you're not an idiot."
Scoffing a bit at the boy's choice of words, the healer had to admit that he had a point. It had been so long, seemingly, since Lucki had rushed about their halls but she did recall the stubborn side to the quiet cub. So many people didn't see that side but if you lived in the same palace as the boy, you would see it on occasion. Without fail, it emerged whenever someone he cared about was in need of aid. That was one reason that many people didn't realize the stubborn side was there! It only came out under the best of intentions so Lucki hardly ever saw consequences for it.
A hefty sigh escaped her lips, "Perhaps you're right…okay, okay," she amended, seeing Toni's roll of his eyes, "You _are_ right. Still, they are going directly into the witch's house."
Sir Quimbi put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure they wouldn't have done it if the benefit would not outweigh the risks."
The healer eyed the knight, "You're still young, Sir Quimbi. You've a good heart and yes, I do agree with you. They would not have taken the risk if they did not feel it was worth it. But, despite that, Lucki is fragile, probably moreso than he realizes…"
"You're a hyperbole." Toni snapped.
Both adults stared at him for a long moment before Quimbi coughed and stated, "Do you mean a hypocrite, Toni?" the knight inquired, ruffling the cub's hair a bit.
Not stalled in the least, (as he did not embarrass easily) Toni snorted, "Whatever. You are, Sarrika."
A bit agitated, she calmed her tone before responding, "How so, young Toni?"
"Remember what you tol' me when I came in with a black eye and you tol' me to always tell the truth with how much it hurt?" He waited, though hardly long enough for the gummi woman to think of the time mentioned, let alone settle on her reply before he was answering for her. "You tol' me that you hadda have me talk 'bout things when it hurt because you weren't a mind reader. You said you couldn't help me if I didn't help you cause I know how my body is feeling more than you do. Doncha think Lucki is the same?"
Hefting a deep sigh, the healer knelt a little, "He does Toni, that much I'm certain of. I think that's what causes me so much worry." She squeezed the cub's shoulder, "Toni, I know Lucki will push himself. He always has when someone he cared about was involved, am I correct?"
Nodding in response, Toni remarked, "Yeah, both him and Corvi were annoying big brothers. Still are."
"That is why I was upset, Toni." Sarrika explained. "Because I know that Lucki is apt to sacrifice his body if it'll help the mission." Biting her lower lip, she added, "And he can't risk that…"
Lady Bane's Palace
The slow voyage into Lady Bane's domain had finally reached its destination with that large foreboding castle looming before the small group. Lucki fought to keep a handle on Lady Bane's spirit. He knew that they would need her knowledge of the place but that was also a good reason to keep a strong grip on her spirit as well. He knew all too well that her being trapped in his body was his only bargaining chip right now. He would not put it past her to try and get ahold of some of her magical talismans and render him helpless. He didn't know if she had the means to do that but he certainly wasn't about to take any chances.
So far, she was behaving but that didn't mean he was about to let his guard down! Even as she led them through the wary landscape and high cliffs about her palace, he kept a firm eye on her. He knew she could tell and he could feel her disgust and discontent but he didn't care. Being careless had killed him once. He was not about to let it happen to anyone else! If it meant that he ended up extinguishing a lot of his energy, damaging his body, heck, even harming his soul, then so be it! Not while he was able to fight back would this happen again!
"So, with all your fancy magic and tricks, you couldn't have come up with a better side entrance way than up the side cliffs?" Gusto quipped at the sorceress in Lucki's body. They could certainly handle the climb and they definitely wanted to avoid triggering any of her troggle guards; Berrybottom had remarked that they would listen to Lady Bane but the sorceress had to admit that even her best trained troggles would most likely not even remember she had done possession and likely would attack. They were smarter than ogres but not by much. So, without proper means to scale the walls without being noticed, Lady Bane had informed them of the back entry way (she would need to eliminate it once this task was done) but it involved some mild climbing of the cliffs that served as the moat to her palace.
There was also the issue of the fact that she had installed multiple magical wards around the palace when she left. While she would have gladly giggled and enjoyed these blasted bears being caught in them, the blasted soul of Lucki had caught on quickly and begun to fight her. She couldn't afford to waste energy on him so it was much easier to simply avoid them and lead them in the side way. It was not an entrance she routinely used, hence it being in such an inopportune position. Truth be told, it was meant to be an exit and not an entrance but nothing would stop it from being utilized in that manner. So, here they were, making their way up the cliffs, leaving their stallions in wait.
Lucki allowed Lady Bane some control of his mouth to reply to Gusto, "It is not meant to be used often. Do you put an extra entry way to your castle in easy spots?"
The group pressed onward without much more talk, though Lucki was obviously starting to struggle. With a lot of his energy devoted to keeping Lady Bane at bay, his physical strengths were depleted significantly. It disgusted him but nothing to be done about it. Though, he did notice that Grammi woman looking at him with something akin to pity. Pity, he did not want anyone's pity! He was not something broken, something to be looked at with sadness in your heart! He was a squire of Gummadoon!
A squire that bruises at each small wisp of air, came the snarky comment from within his mind.
He pressed onward, pushing her will back with each grasp of rock. No time for petty arguments.
Is it so petty? The sorceress insisted, Surely you see the fear in their eyes? They are just waiting for you to break and shatter. A broken body of a cub they once knew…she laughed, deeply Squire indeed! Tell me, cub, if you survive this…if somehow you find your freedom, do you really believe you will be welcomed back into the ranks of those preparing for war? You are a liability! What good is a soldier that cannot fight for fear of breaking? Your life will be nothing but walking on eggshells!
Without losing focus, the squire fired back, Maybe. Maybe not.
Lady Bane didn't give a response to that, simply because she didn't like the conviction in it. Had the cub sensed or detected something she had not? A quick survey over his mind found that his newfound control was propelling this belief. Well, that was easily fixed. She fired all her will out at once and—
Stop it, lamia, the cub cursed her in Latin (though calling her a witch was hardly much of a curse) You still need me in one piece, don't you? He snorted mentally. What good is it going to serve you if we both go smashing into the rocks? You're still bound to this body, same as me. Unless you're so stupid to sign your death warrant to show me you can. Little babies do that. Lookie, lookie what I can do. I'm SO strong, I'm SO powerful…you're no more powerful than me right now so stop it!
The sorceress was forced to withdraw her presence at the surge of intense strength from this brat's spirit. She didn't like this. If there was some truth to what the cub was thinking, his ability to control his body and force her will back WAS growing. That was unnerving. She should have been able to crumble him. As she had before. She was losing her grip over him and that troubled her. However, he was also right. If he lost grip here, it would kill them both and she had no intention of dying here nor in such a revolting body! She resisted the urge to make the cub remember who was in command and went quiet.
Exhausted, both mentally and physically, the green furred cub shook his head, reached out for the next hand grip—
Missed.
His grasp on the rock lost, he gave a yelp of shock then fear as he slid down the mountainside.
"Lucki!" he heard various gummies above him call after him and he even heard the start of an incantation from Berrybottom before his elbow slammed hard into the cliff side, leaving a nasty blue and black bruise, and a small opening, about the size of a quick tunnel car exit opened in the rock and he went spiraling inside, landing hard on his face.
Groaning lightly, he rolled onto his back, cursing at Lady Bane to shut up with her screeching at him as he did so.
Foolish child! She snarled, Are you trying to kill the both of us?
Your fault, he shot back.You're taking up my energy. He went silent after that though. No point in arguing. It had been done. Instead, he focused on a quick glance over his body. Amazingly, aside from the bruise where his elbow had hit, he only had some scratches on his chest. No bruising. Weird. Was his body getting some of its resilience back? He had definitely noticed that he was tiring less quickly and while he was still injuring easily, it was becoming more and more rare. Was his body finally catching up with his soul?
Sitting up, the cub looked around the room. It was small. More like an enlarged closet than anything. Lots of books and papers and scrolls. They were lying everywhere! Old too. It smelled like stale air. Like those old rooms he and Corvi used to play in within Gummadoon's back halls, in the secret rooms. There was a completely different feeling here though. He wouldn't call it scary but definitely creepy. There was a blackness to the place that you just couldn't put your finger on but you couldn't ignore all the same.
Dusting himself off, Lucki was relieved as he saw the rest of the group start to drop into the doorway. Sir Ecri came first, followed by Sir Kai, Wooddale, Berrybottom and then Grammi and Gusto. His aunt rushed over to him immediately, looking him over, seeming just as stunned as the others that there was only a handful of scratches and a bruised elbow to be found. After reassuring her that he was fine, the group took the same course of action that Lucki had done, to take in their bearings.
Gusto, never one to not have a comment, remarked, "So, you were going to have us wear ourselves out climbing to that Gum-awfully designed entry when you had this little secret way in?" Gusto seemed suspicious which was a fair assumption; everyone was quite suspicious. Anyone with a set of eyes could make out the small staircase that led from this tiny hideaway up into the main castle. "Leading up into a trap?" Gusto added. However, while the group of gummies turned dark, distrusting eyes to Lucki, though obviously meant for the sorceress inside of him, Lucki felt fear creep through his heart.
He had begun to sort through Lady Bane's thoughts and feelings, seeking out her motives. What he found though was exactly what he feared. She was just as astounded as them. This place…
"It wasn't a trap." Lucki spoke out simply, "She didn't know this place was here."
Quiet followed and it was Grammi that remarked, "You sure, darlin'?" her voice was gentle but wary. "Lady Bane's a crafty ol' witch."
Lucki frowned and nodded, "I know for sure. She may…have some control…" he frowned, forcing Lady Bane's yelling and cursing to be silent, before continuing, "But I can see her feelings, her memories. She…doesn't know this place. It's…alien to her."
The group exchanged looks and Gusto spoke out, "I dunno…seems fishy to me still. Why else would this place suddenly open up because you fell, Lucko?"
Sir Kai responded, walking over and touching the cub's shoulder, the first time he had done so actually, "It's how Lucki has always been." The young knight eyed their two guest gummies, "Lucki has always been ridiculously lucky. From the day he was born." He gave a half shrug at their guest travelers, "Hence his name."
Councilor Wooddale had been a little reluctant to discuss such things but Lucki was right. He could see into Lady Bane's feelings and memories, as such was the norm for when one shared bodies with another. So, as much as she disliked the idea, anything she discussed about Lucki, Lady Bane would have known already. The fact that this evil sorceress knew so much about her family made her feel a little sick to her stomach. So much her family had endured in such a short time. Her brother-in-law and her little sister…
Ameri had been a major surprise to her parents. Wooddale was old enough to be her mother, heck, even her grandmother when she had been born! Such a wide gap of age was rare among gummies but she remembered her younger sister, so full of life, so excited to learn from her elder sister. She had not spent nearly enough time with her. Now, she was gone and for a while, all Wooddale had remaining was Tavi. Now, she had been given her nephew back, by a twist of cruel magic and the idea of him dying…of being extinguished permanently, it could not come to pass. It would not!
Her eyes still cold and firm, she locked eyes with her nephew and her nephew gazed right back at her. She could still see the taint of Lady Bane's evil behind his eyes but there was no doubt her nephew was still there.
"Lucki's good fortune saved him many times." She informed Gusto and Grammi. "When he was born nearly a month early, when he caught Cubs' Fever when he was little…"
"When he started training," Ecri broke in, though he was beginning to explore the room with earnest, "there was an incident on the training field. The frames upon which we did a lot of our practices failed and collapsed in a mess of wood, steel and ropes. A horrible mess that crushed anything in their area under the weight. We rushed over, horrified of what we'd find…" He shook his head, reveling in the memory. "But Lucki was sitting there, hands over his head and shaking but completely unharmed. Everything had collapsed around him. He was sitting in the only untouched area for yards." He eyed the boy, "So, yes, I do believe that it was plain dumb luck that led him here."
Berrybottom coughed lightly, "Regardless, let us take advantage and see what we can find. This was obviously meant to be hidden and if Lady Bane is unaware of it, we may well have found what we came seeking."
Without another word, the group split and began to plow through scrolls, books and notes with a deep passion
Dunwyn Castle
Being queen was not fun.
Oh, Calla had always known the responsibilities of her birthright but being forced into it, especially this young, was not something she ever pictured. She always thought her father would pass the crown to her only after many, many years, after she had married and possibly even after she had borne children. However, that was not the case. Granted, she had not actually been crowned just yet, at least not in an official ceremony but she would be soon. It was coming in a matter of weeks. Currently, she was still serving as queen and while she still technically bore the title of Princess most people had started to use her new title regardless. It felt weird.
She was so thankful that while her father had been permanently injured and honestly, without gummi intervention WOULD have died, he could still offer her much needed counsel. She didn't know how much longer as their medicine was sorely lacking, even with the gummies' aid, but she would take advantage of it as long as she could. So far, he was always there when she needed him, to offer his much needed guidance. Both him and Sir Tuxford, she was deeply in their debt.
And Cavin. That boy scarcely left her side now. More than once, she found herself just lying against his shoulder, simply taking comfort in his presence. A few times, at least at first, he had tensed but now he leaned back in kind. More than once, she had awakened to find Cavin sitting uncomfortably next to her, not wanting to move and wake her up, even when it would have helped him to do that. It was a rarity to find someone like that and she found that even though she bore the title of queen, his friendship with her had not wavered. Once or twice, she had called the other knights off of scolding him when he forgot to add "Queen" or "Your Majesty" in front of her name and simply had called her "Calla." She had _not_ missed her father's gentle smile at that nor the grinning exchange he had swapped with Sir Tuxford.
However, even with the help and the clean-up after the last war, she was not exactly prepared for the group of villagers that entered the throne room, with two gummies leading their pack! They weren't any gummies that she recognized but she did recognize the armor of the male gummi. The insignia of Gummadoon and she had seen that uniform on the female gummi before. Judging by the way she spoke to the humans that walked with them, it confirmed what her memory could only recall in patches. Yes, this gummi was a healer.
The green furred and peach-furred gummies dropped to a knee before her briefly as the humans did the same, though they did not stand again while their gummi guides did. "Your Majesty," the peach furred gummi began.
The green furred gummi knight kept a firm look about the room, occasionally pushing some strands of black hair from his eyesight. Not mistrusting exactly but on guard. Given the history of gummi-human relations, Calla didn't blame him. Standing, she approached, bidding the human group with these gummies to rise as well. "Please, friends." She began, still getting a bit giddy at being able to call the gummies that publicly! "What brings you here and with so much sorrow?" She could hardly look at the faces of the human companions. She had rarely seen so much sadness and it was fresh. She could feel it.
The knight stepped forward, speaking firmly, "Sir Timothi, of Gummadoon." Tim had to admit that while he was still pledged to Gummadoon, it felt weird to introduce himself that way. While his Captain had given him leave to go with his new love on her quest, he had not been home in a long while it seemed. Maybe that was why it felt weird? Or was it because so much had happened in such a short amount of time? Eh, he knew better than that although that certainly carried some effect. No, truth be told, he was a yellow-rank knight. Young. He'd been granted the yellow rank when he was knighted due to his skills and performance during his knighthood test. He had not been a knight too long before he left with Sarrani. He was still used to "older" knights making the introductions and speeches! While not shy in the slightest, speaking with royals, especially in the wake of a newly born alliance!, was enough to make anyone's knees shake! It was rare that he wished it but he found himself longing that his old mentor, Sir Burgess, was able to dictate whether or not he was making a fool of himself or not.
No time for doubts. This queen was a friend, he had heard enough about her and Cavin (that had to be the brown haired boy standing next to her) from Cubbi. Even before officially meeting the cub as he worked himself sick, he had heard all the stories from the second that boy entered Gummadoon's gates. It seemed that these two humans had good hearts about them! He could only hope that they also possessed listening ears. So much pain and conflict could have been avoided before in past years by the listening ear. Given the losses of these poor folk, they didn't have time…
"A pleasure, Sir Timothi. And please, Queen Calla is fine." Truthfully, Calla wished she could have told him to drop the queen but she knew she had to keep up SOME appearances. She gestured to Cavin next to her, "My dearest friend and Sir Tuxford's squire, Cavin." (Later, Cavin would remind her that he was still a page to which she would reply 'not anymore.') "Welcome to Dunwyn, dear friends, though it looks like you bring some terrible news with you." She set a comforting gaze on her subjects and the peach furred gummi woman spoke out,
"Unfortunately, Queen Calla. I am Healer Sarrani, also of Gummadoon. My intended, Tim and I have been traveling for some time, trying to lend our aid where we are able. We came across these families during our travels in Ernst. They each, heart-breakingly, have lost their children to death of a mysterious type."
Calla closed her eyes and remarked, "My deepest sympathies to you all. Whatever aid you may require, the crown shall provide it." She eyed the gummi healer, "But there's more to it, isn't there?'
"I fear so, Queen Calla," Timothi remarked. "It is not plague that we know of." He eyed his wife, "Sarrani and I agree—it is the result of some form of magical attack."
Frowning, Calla turned to Cavin, saying aloud, "Magical attack?"
Cavin eyed the gummies, thinking, trying to stay calm "Do you know what kind of magic?"
The mourning parents finally spoke out, "Our children…gone. My two boys…my little babies." The woman nearly collapsed into tears again but Sarrani reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly.
"We will find the reason behind this, the ones responsible." She locked eyes with the mourning mother, saying softly, "I promise."
Sir Timothi approached, closing the space between himself and the royal leader. Not the wisest move but a raised hand to her knights stopped them from approaching. Tim could almost hear Sir Burgess scolding him for being too forward but the magical attacks…and on children no less…they did not have time. Sir Timothi wanted to get back to Gummadoon as soon as possible; this kind of magical attack needed the best minds on magic they could manage and unfortunately, that did not include the humans. Their knowledge of magic was nearly as limited as their knowledge of medicine.
However, these poor folk…they needed to get them safe, get them somewhere where rituals could be performed for their lost ones…
"It seems to be a magical attack, though it's too advanced for what we can tell." Timothi said softly. "Most magical attacks leave some residue, some sign. There was none with these poor children." He sighed heavily, "There is normally some kind of remains. Even with burned bodies…" he winced as the mourning women began crying openly again, "There is some trace of bone. There is none." He gestured to one of the women who uncapped the lid of her pot, revealing simple white ash, "It is just…dust."
Calla gave a simple nod and turned to the knights by the side of the room, "Sir Edmund, Sir Wymund."
Two knights, each with brown hair, immediately came forward, "Your Majesty?"
"Please, help our guests to some comfortable chambers and summon a priest to aid them with their lost ones' preparations." She said simply. "I will speak with Sir Timothi and Lady Sarrani a bit more." While they were reluctant to leave their queen with strangers, her tone of voice left no room for argument and these gummies did not seem to carry ill intent. Plus, if they had protested, it would have only infuriated their queen and that was something they did not want to have ti handle. She possessed the same heart as former King Gregor but with quite the spirit. So, they did as commanded, with a bow, focusing their attention on the grieving families.
As the doors closed softly, Calla turned back to the two gummies, "You believe it to be a magical attack?"
Sarrani nodded, "Yes, Queen Calla. As Timothi said, the remains were not simply burned remained. It was beyond that." She sighed, "I say that because the remains, while looking like ashes, are not ashes. They are dust. There is a significant difference." Biting her lower lip, she stated, solemnly, "The bodies they brought to us…they were dust, like what happens after bodies have been dead for decades yet the dust was fresh." She eyed her fiancé, groaning lightly. "So much death and so young. It was magical in origin, that much is certain but that kind of magic is rare."
Calla frowned, "So it is not something that could be accomplished by a minor sorcerer?"
"No." Timothi said firmly, "Not this kind and not this many times over. Sarrani and I believe that it's advanced magic. Though, neither of us are very versed in magical arts…"
"We are planning," Sarrani cut in gently, "to return to Gummadoon in short order to seek the advice of our Council Members. Magical arts, including all kinds of advanced forms, are their forte."
Frowning, Calla replied, pacing a little, "Even dark arts? Don't you gummies avoid those?"
Smiling at the girl's keen knowledge and acceptance of gummi morals, Timothi responded, "You're right, we do. However, we also have studied them over the years. Hard to combat something if you don't understand it. It isn't the most comforting topic to study but it is a necessary one." That was a minor way of putting it. Very few people dared to enter that part of the library and even fewer ventured into the smaller library in the lower depths. "Trust us, our elders will know what it is and we'll find a way to combat it."
Calla gave a nod of acceptance, saying, "You're as worn as the families are," she observed, kneeling slightly, "At least take a few hours of rest and some food. We have plenty."
"Your Majesty, we—"
Sarrani interrupted Timothi, "We will take a few hours of rest but we cannot afford to wait too long."
Calla nodded, standing, "Follow me." She headed for the exit of the room, Cavin following. Timothi fell into step next to his chosen one, eyeing her with curiosity.
"Sarrani…"
"We do need to hurry," She agreed with his unspoken question, "But we will do little good if we arrive too exhausted to move. We've been traveling for a long time and we hadn't had any time to eat and rest before the families came to us. I am not saying take the night but a few hours and some food at least." Reaching out, she stroked Tim's thick black locks a bit, "And you won't have to eat that pickle."
Chuckling a little, he gave into her, as he usually did, "Alright. But just enough to become strong enough to travel. We have a lot of advantages, Sarrani but time isn't one of them."
Inside Emi's Prison
So cold and yet hot at the same time.
Tavi's eyes flew open and she was horrified to find that was all she could manage. Her entire body felt drained, like she had been running for days on end. Every breath was ragged though it caused her no pain. She did feel hot and cold though, as though she was suffering from a scalding fever in the middle of a snowstorm. Glancing around as much as she could, she found rain pouring down around her and tears erupted from her eyes. Realization of what had happened combined with the aftermath of it…
She felt dirty.
The power that had been torn from her, it had been ripped violently, passionately and without any regard for herself. Power was not simple to rip from another but it had been taken from her. She felt like someone had dug their hands deep into the darkest places of her soul and ripped opened all her weaknesses for everyone to see. She was naked, spiritually and her spirit felt it to the very core. Wrapping her arms around herself proved futile as they failed to respond to her desire. Just as everything did…nothing…she could not command anything.
Helplessness caused a horrific snow and ice to simply flow about her, yet it burned as fire. Tears ran freely and she sobbed aloud, "What have I done? What have I let happen? I only wanted to save you, Lucki!"
Her sobs only added to the horrendous hail that pelted the entire environment, an endless, floorless and ceilingless existence that had her caught in the middle like a fly in a web. She couldn't even see Cubbi. Was he alive? Had he been thrust into some lost, formless existence like she had? The same place? A different place? Would she ever see him again? Ever see anyone again? Would there even be anyone left for her to see if she ever got out of here?!
What was Emi able to do before? She found herself pondering, heart-aching. Would she do it again? Stupid question, she knew. Of course she would. It filled her heart with fear. They had heard brief reports on what Emi had done. Not very detailed but the tales they heard was enough. So full of pain, so full of anger. So much death she had caused. How many had she killed?
All about her, the landscape swiftly shifted, changing. She felt things, deep in her heart, heard and understand languages that were foreign to her ears and yet her heart knew the emotions behind them. So sad, so frightening. She found the strength to bring her hands to her mouth as horrible, horrible, things began to unfold around her.
With feet thundering over the wood planks, a black furred girl burst open the door of the library but not the main library. No, this was in a second library, the smaller one within Gummi Glen. The current magihistorian, green furred and haired Amiko turned, pushing a hair behind her ear. "Emi?" she inquired of the practically livid girl at the door, "What is it? What's wrong?"
The dark furred girl gave no verbal response, only advanced the magician, her fists clinched tight. When she opened her mouth and spoke, Old Gummi came out and while Tavi could not understand it, she felt so many different emotions cutting into her: anger, frustration, drive, desire, fear, sadness, pleading…
The black furred girl pushed the elder gummi against the platform of the Great Book, clamping her hands around her older throat. She grasped the purple strap that kept the old bearess' medallion around her neck and tugged, tightly, wrapping the strap so firm it seeped under the skin, leaving behind a thin line of red. So tight that the poor bearess' throat then face turned purple and white. Until the eyes turned glassy and cold, dead. Until the muscles went lax and limp. Until the black furred girl dropped her to the ground heartlessly and went to remove the medallion.
It protested, it hummed a golden color, resisting.
She pulled, yanked.
It shattered but maintained its golden hum as it merged, so similar to how hers had.
Tavi felt sick and not on a physical level. It was not a feeling of nausea or dizziness but rather an overall feeling of being weakened, of being devoured by an ever-moving wave of sadness and despair. She fought against, pleaded with it but the images kept coming. She wanted them to stop but every moment she witnessed drove home deeper, 'This is what she did before." And now she was free again. Tavi clamped her hands over her ears and shut her eyes but it did little good in a realm that literally worked on the spiritual level. She still _felt_ every memory.
"Emi!"
Anni withdrew from her niece, backing against the wall. The room felt tiny and closed in, scary. It wasn't supposed to be this way. This was her bedroom, this was where she had shared many nights with her late husband, this was where Naomi had been born and where she was introduced to Emi from her brother before he left. It was supposed to be a place of happiness, of connection. This was the room where they had been so many glorious, wonderful moments between her family. Now, the furniture had been destroyed and she was pushed into a dark corner, her niece approaching like some form of a dark entity.
"What, Auntie?" She cooed coldly, "You could have avoided this but no. No, you had to keep what was rightfully mine away from me. Until I took it force."
"Emi, darling, please." The gummi woman pleaded, her dark red hair trailing into her eyes, "I swear, all I was trying to do was protect you, to make sure you weren't—"
"You kept me from what was mine." Emi interrupted her, approaching her slowly, with a steady gait even as her hands hummed with power. "You tried to keep it from me. Well, now, dear Auntie, I've taken what's mine. Now, I know what I'm capable of. I know what I can do. Now, you learn to never keep anything from me,"
The surge of power from her hands was quick and direct.
Anni's heart had stopped before her head hit the floor.
Tavi screeched, clutched her hands so tight over her ears that had that been a physical form, they would have popped.
Naomi gasped for air, crawled on her hands and knees away from that horrible scene in the hallway. Her cousin had lost her mind. She'd killed Amiko, killed her mother, Anni. She had also killed her; Naomi was no fool, she knew that her injuries were mortal. She was leaving a smear of blood on the hallway as she crawled away. She might have been able to save herself if she had tried to flee sooner but instead, she found herself lying still, holding her breath until she heard her cousin disappear down the hall. She could not risk her cousin being close.
She would die. That much she knew but there was a chance, a slim chance, that the baby she carried in her womb would not. Putting a hand firm against her stomach, she winced, "Stay with me, my sweet. Don't die."
An explosion in the Quicktunnels, the collapsing of stone and wood, burying people alive.
The people of Gummerset fleeing a fire only to be cornered by a livid Emi.
An invasion of South Gumpton where the land itself attacked…
Tavi curled into a ball, rocking back and forth. So much death, so much power…what was she supposed to do against it? What could she do? She had already done the worst thing she could do; she had released her. She had let the murderer loose. Now, her family…her brother was going to disappear forever and her aunt was going to be killed. Then what? Everyone she cared about…she had just signed all their death warrants! What…what had she done? She had not listened. She had been warned, told by Cubbi that something was wrong…
Cubbi…Where are you? What do we do now? What do we do?
The curtain of rain served well to hide her shame.
Lady Bane's Palace
The search of the old forgotten chamber was proving to be successful. While they had yet to uncover a great many things about Emi, they had uncovered dozens of manuals on dark magic. Manuals that no doubt would have proved disastrous in the old witch's hands. Grammi could almost hear the witch cursing as they removed the books and packed them up. They would not be destroyed necessarily but they could prove invaluable as teaching tools. So often, when faced with darkness they were more than a bit lost. It was evident that the time had come to renew their learning of it.
Lucki tried to ignore the screeching in his head but it was getting harder and harder. One thing was apparent. While he was strong fighter, while he was determined, he also possessed the body and endurance of his eleven years of age and that was fading with every passing hour. Fighting Lady Bane from trying to use every dark volume they came across was making it worse. He had to keep fighting her, had to keep her mouth shut, had to keep pushing her will down. She was tiring but darn if she wasn't pushing every angle she could.
He was tired.
Sliding to the ground, he took a heavy breath, staring at his hands. Movement made him turn as Councilor Wooddale slid down slowly to kneel next to him.
"Lucki?" she inquired softly. Reaching out gently, she stroked some of his dark green hair back. He was shaking, a little but not badly. Under normal circumstances, she would have brushed it off but knowing what she did about her nephew, knowing what may happen to him, every little movement made her nervous. Made her uncomfortable. She didn't want him to just vanish before her eyes. No, no, that could not happen. It would not happen. She was going to make sure of that.
Taking a moment to reply, the cub stated with a worn face, "Just tired, Aunt Toffi."
Biting her lip, a strong hand on her shoulder made her turn. Councilor Berrybottom gave her a soft grin, "Do not fret so, Toffi," he advised. "The boy has been fighting to keep Lady Bane under control, plus a long ride and some harsh physical travels. He is a child. Being tired is not a cause for alarm."
Nodding, just once, she stood, saying, "Take a moment, Lucki. I don't want you overexerting yourself."
"Me neither." He remarked cheekily as she walked off.
Leaning against the wall of shelves, he had scarcely enough time to tell that annoying sorceress to "be quiet for Gum's sake" again before the old worn wood behind him gave way and he crashed through it with a yelp of both surprise, fear and pain. Landing hard on his back, his arms quickly went to cover his head but the falling books never made contact. Opening one eyes, wincing, he saw Councilor Berrybottom approaching, his medallion glowing. Groaning, the cub worked to push the broken bits of shelving off himself when something caught his eye.
Standing on his tiptoes, he stared at what looked to be a hidden pocket behind the wooden shelving. It looked like it had been some kind of locked compartment but when the walling had given in, it had torn part of it away. Thinking quickly, he turned, "Sir Ecri!"
The purple furred knight approached and Lucki didn't ask, just climbed up to the knight's shoulder, saying, "Gimme a boost."
Well used to this from the other squires, Ecri stood still as Lucki dug out an old tattered looking notebook. No, not even that, it looked like a bunch of parchment tied together loosely with string with a minimal protective cover. Slipping from the knight's shoulder to the ground, he pressed down Lady Bane's presence and started to skim the pages, slowly. "Latin," he reported. "I…can make out a few words…attack….magic…gummi!" He turned to the knight by his side, the others seeming to have vanished away as far as he was concerned, "This is talking about Emi, I'm sure of it!"
Gummi Glen's Depths
Zummi kept his eyes tightly closed for a long moment. Opening them, he exhaled noisily, frustration apparent in his eyes, "I…I tannot cell, er, cannot tell." He eyed Gruffi and the others with defeat clear in his face, in his position, in the very feeling surrounding him. "I…can only tell a great deal of power was released here. As for what it did to…or where it sent…" He closed his eyes again; he didn't want to think about what horrible things might have befallen their children, no matter how quick it might have been. "I can't tell."
The entire atmosphere seemed to collapse upon itself.
Sunni screeched, "What? With all the stuff gummi magic is capable of and it can't even tell you if they're…or not?" She trailed off, choking on her own emotions. Gruffi put a simple hand on her shoulder, unable to summon much more than that. His own mind was thrashing with what Zummi had just said. So, that meant they didn't know whether to hope or not. They didn't even have an idea of what to look for, of what to not look for, of what direction to turn. Gruffi felt utterly lost, completely helpless and he hated that feeling.
The teenaged Glen girl slipped from the grip of her elder and slipped to the side, slamming her fist into the side of the room, sobbing, "Can't you tell us anything?!"
To her surprise, someone answered and not anyone present.
"Chatta," came a quiet gentle tone from seemingly everywhere at once!
Yelping, Sunni jerked back and Gruffi quickly pushed her behind him as the three knights drew their swords and Corvi put himself between Zummi and their strange new entity, drawing his dagger. As the tense group watched, slowly, the surface of the wall shifted, eventually formed the outline of a female gummi, bright yellow in coloring with darker yellow hair that fell in waves to her waist. She wore nothing but then she was barely what one could call a form. She was translucent, a spirit!
Corvi bit his lower lip but spat at the form, not trusting, "Tamoyok!" This thing, whatever it was, was speaking Old Gummi so he responded in kind. What was this? Another trick of Emi?!
Shaking her see through head slightly, the gummi lady replied, in her simple gentle tone, "E'dah, ee(h)-ko-beisa." She directed that statement directly at Corvi and Sunni.
Zummi stared at her for the longest before stepping forward, gently reassuring Corvi with a hand on the shoulder, "By the Ancients…Lumina?"
A sad smile from the gummi lady, who simply nodded. Zummi felt a surge of pain in his heart. One of their original elders, Sunni's own grandmother and yet he could not speak to her directly. He turned to Corvi, "C-corvi, this is Lumina, Sunni's grandmother. Can..can you…"
Swallowing hard, Corvi stepped forward, sheathing his dagger. "My lady, forgive me…" he began in Old Gummi, though it felt nerve wracking to be talking to a ghost. It was quite apparent that was what this gummi was. Gummi ghosts were not unheard of but were still so rare that encountering one was sickening. He had thought seeing the faint images in that hallway and hearing those moans was bad enough. No…no, it was beyond that. This poor gummi lady. But that name was so familiar and if she was Sunni's grandmother…
Ramsei came to the conclusion, speaking out, "Didn't you say that Lumina was one of the gummies who constructed Emi's prison?"
The gummi ghost nodded to his inquiry, though she answered in Old Gummi. Apparently, Old Gummi was all she could speak though she had no problem understanding common, "Indeed, I am. I was the main mind behind it."
Corvi quickly fell into a pattern of translating for the adults and responding back to the spirit. It was truly awe-inspiring for the other gummies to witness. The way the boy switched from one language to the other was flawless. No delay, nothing of the sort to indicate he had to even translate. It made even Sir Ramsei feel a bit humbled. Sir Plucki tried to take all of this in stride, as much as possible. At least they could speak directly to the bearess and she seemed to understand them. "Milady," he said softly, trying to keep the desperation from his voice, "Our cubs, Cubbi and Tavi. Do you know if…"
A soft, delicate smile from her and she reached out, touching both Plucki and Gruffi on the cheek with a clear hand, "They live.
Corvi translated.
Gruffi nearly collapsed to the ground, "Thank Gum. Thank Gum…"
The Gummadoon Captain likewise let out a silent prayer of thanks and Sunni and Zummi hugged one another deeply as Ramsei and Gumlittle leaned on one another in relief. The emotional energy in the room suddenly felt entirely more optimistic. Though the room still was practically drenched in negative and dark magic, it felt as though a single candle had been lit, chasing away the horrible lonely cold of depression. They all took a moment to bask within it before the gummies began to inquire of this spirit,
"Where are they?" Gruffi.
"They live. They are within the prison I created for Emi. She has barred them inside." Oh, there was quite a reaction once Corvi spoke that translation. Lumina raised her hand for quiet and continued, without inquiry, "I cannot stay for long. It takes much energy to appear as I am. That is why I am the only one to appear as such. We may only emerge one at a time."
"We?" Gumlittle inquired.
"Yes, all the spirits that still linger here." Lumina shook her head, "Truthfully, it was from my grandchild's touch that I found strength enough to try," she directed her face to Sunni and the glen girl could not have denied their relation if she had tried. She felt suddenly very small and heart-filled. She had no memories of her parents and to be faced, here, with the spirit of her grandmother…it was unreal! The spirit of Lumina reached out and brushed her cheek, ever so slightly, "So beautiful, my darling. You look so much like your mother. My dearest Solei."
Corvi swallowed, "You…said you made the prison, milady?"
Drawing her maternal gaze from Sunni, she turned back to Corvi, "Yes, my brave boy. I did. It took a great bit of life from me but that was not ultimately what killed me. No, Emi was not happy when she found I had been working on it. But her attack came only after it had been completed, thank Gum for small favors." She took a breath (could ghosts breathe?) and went on, "Your children are unharmed. The prison is made from emotion. It is only through emotion that they will find the other exits."
Upon Corvi's translation, Sir Ramsei inquired, "Where are the other exits?"
"All around" she replied, "The exits are formed from gummi hearts—where a large amount of emotion from gummi spirits has centered. That is where you will find an exit. They must find it. You must also find it. And you must coach them through it."
"Coach?" Gruffi frowned, "How in Gum's name do we coach them through an emotional door?"
"With emotion. With heart. With caring. You must speak without words and hear without ears." A pause and it was evident that she was losing strength, "Only once healing occurs can escape be possible. I can tell you that the strongest exit exists within Gummadoon's walls."
She wavered the, stating, "I cannot linger any longer. Go quickly. Even Emi needs time to recover. Use it to your advantage."
Then, just as quickly as she had arrived, Lumina Gummi vanished.
Quiet reigned only a moment before Gruffi Gummi spat, "So the same prison we've been wanting to figure out how to seal, we now have to break open?" He groaned aloud but made no other sound. He was reeling, emotionally. Cubbi was alive. Thank Gum. Trapped but alive. Not the best situation and Emi being free was definitely NOT the best situation but damn it all, at least Cubbi was alive! Him and Tavi apparently. Though, that ol' gummi gal could have been a little less vague! Was that a rule, that spirits couldn't be straight forward?!
Plucki nodded simply, "So it seems." He was just as frustrated as Gruffi but at least the cubs weren't dead. HIS cub wasn't dead…
Sunni spoke out, though still pale, "She said the strongest exit was in Gummadoon, what could that be?"
Zummi frowned, thinking aloud, "It would have to be something with a mot of lemories…er, a lot of memories attached to it. Memories carry emotional power."
Nods abound though Gumlittle sighed, "There are a great many things within Gummadoon that fill that description, my friend. It is an old city with many centuries of memories."
No one mentioned it but the way she said they must coach—to see without eyes and hear without ears, that was frustrating in its own right! While Plucki knew that spirits had to follow certain rules, he wanted answers. He wanted to know what he needed to do, do it, and pull that poor child up into his arms and never let him go. He wanted to see for himself that the cub was safe, that no harm had come to him. The longer he stood here, helpless, the more he desired to begin to act.
"So back to Gummadoon?" Sir Gumlittle stated, looking around "And then we gather forces and begin to look for this exit?"
Nods of agreement and the small group slowly headed back the way they came. As they walked, Corvi frowned. There was something here. Something familiar. It was hard to define what was so familiar but there was something here that called to his spirit. It was like being faced with someone you knew so well, so well that you could have recited everything about them and yet their name somehow escaped your memory. Infuriating and young Corvi found himself slowly withdrawing from the group.
Sir Plucki noticed right away, "Squire Corvi!" he called after the boy, trying to get his attention with his title.
It did no good. The boy kept walking.
Plucki and Gumlittle went after the boy, with the rest of their group stopping. While angry at the delay, Gruffi felt something had to be afoot. That cub was mature enough to be fully grown and now he was wandering off when they had little time to figure out how to save their cubs? No, it had to be something else. Turning to Zummi, Gruffi inquired, "Some kind of spell going on here?"
Looking at his medallion, the amateur wizard found it dull. "No. No magic, Gruffi."
As for Corvi, he reached the edge of the room, stretched out a hand and brushed the wall. Why, he really couldn't say. He had no reason to. Heck, he could feel Ramsei rolling his eyes behind him but he didn't care. Something…there was SOMETHING here. Something important, by Gum!
"Corvi."
Much like with Lumina, the wall took on a form as the Old Gummi language poured into the room, echoing with a deep, rich baritone.
That…voice….
Then, from the depths of that wall, that form…that golden fur, that yellow hair, that tall undefeatable figure, still wearing the gummi knight armor that had brought him such pride. As the face grew clearer and clearer, Corvi's stance weakened, his eyes filled with tears. With that shadowy wisp of an arm reached out, cupped his face, he finally cracked, finally broke, "Pa…papa."
"Yes." the figure replied, "It's me."
The small group that had flanked Corvi withdrew, just slightly as the form of one of their brothers-in-arms, lost to battle long ago, took shape right before them. Sir Gustav! Corvi's father, killed so unfairly when Corvi was but Cubbi's age. Lost in one on one combat to the gummi they sought to defeat even now. Yet, here he was before them, looking just as he always had, save the soft mist appearance of a spirit parted from its body. Corvi, for all his maturity, clutched at that misty hand like a lifeline.
"Papa." he repeated, his voice catching not just from emotion but with the very distinct crack of a boy's voice becoming a bear's. "Papa, why are you here? We aren't of Gummi Glen."
"No," the knight agreed, "But all of Emi's victims are here."
Face paling, Corvi glanced around, hearing all their voices though his sights always returned to his father's. "Aye, little Corvi. All her victims are here. All who have fallen by her magic, by her hand, by her plans. We linger here. Not able to move on, not able to rest and only able to communicate minimally. It took all I had to give you that little push at the gravesite."
Shaking visibly, Corvi squeaked, "What? All those she's killed are damned here? Here with all that black magic polluting the place?!"
The others only had Corvi's side of the conversation to go off of but that was enough. Quite the chatter developed and despite that, Corvi heard none of it. He had only ears and eyes for his father, who still shimmered before him, simply calm but obviously not meant for long conversation, much like Lumina, it seemed. "That is Emi's sickening final stab," Gustav repeated, "Her victims have no rest, they have no peace. No means to move on."
"No." Corvi shook his head violently, "No, that isn't right. Papa, you can't tell me that your soul is damned here!"
"Until that evil spell is lifted, it is." Gustav said simply, matter-of-factually. "I wait. We all wait. Her time is limited. Until then, we wait."
"No!" Corvi spat, his vocals vibrating off the walls, "No!" he repeated in common again, "No, you're supposed to be with Tori. With Mama!"
He heard the distinct sound of shocked silence but paid it no mind, so far gone from the present as he was. He had told Blastus and that knight had only told a scarce few. There had not been meeting between the knights long enough for Plucki, for Gumlittle, for Ramsei to be aware. Their shocked glances fell on a numb back."I told Morri and Cori you were with Mama! I told them that you were with Tori! You're supposed to be there, with them, at peace! Not rotting away here! Not being poisoned here!" His voice broke again, tears staining his face, "Not…with this…blackness here."
"When Emi falls, so will her spell." Gustav said simply. "Same spell that makes talking hard for us, the same spell that keeps our language to Old Gummi, the same spell that keeps us bound here. When that falls, then I will pass on, Corvi. You need to focus on that." His visage swayed a moment, fading. "The same call you felt from me. That is how you call to your lost ones. That's what will bring your Cubbi and Tavi back." He smiled, again, "That's what you need to focus on now."
"No!" Corvi tore forward but his father's spirit shimmered then faded then vanished, much as Lumina's had done, back into the prison of hard walls. Corvi fell to his knees on the ground, his hands pressed against the hard stone. "P-papa."
Sir Ramsei approached, though slowly, placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come, Corvi. We cannot serve the dead here."
Corvi hissed, growled, threw Ramsei's hand off, snarling through clenched teeth, "I can't leave Papa here. You expect me to leave my father's spirit here?!" In a bit of hysteria, the teen clawed at the solid stone, which of course did nothing aside from tear at his hands, rip at his claws. "No! I can't leave Papa here! I can't leave Papa here!" Somewhere, perhaps at the very base of his mind, he knew this was fruitless, knew it to be foolish even but to imagine his father was here, stuck here, with so much darkness in the air that your very spirit felt ill, "No! I've lost Tori, I've lost Mama! If Lucki dies again, he'll…no! I can't leave Papa's spirit here! I can't! I can't!"
Reason and his father's words seemed to slowly sink in as the boy had stopped his frantic clawing at the wall and just slipped to the ground, blood staining his hands, "I…can't."