A/N: Sorry about the delay folks. Onyx & S and I have been really busy lately but here it is…..
Disclaimer in previous chapters.
Kate made it through the rest of the dinner without incident, although she hated what she was hearing. She was finally escorted back upstairs and locked in her room once more. Escape would be near to impossible. There were guards outside her door, Troy in a room down the hall, and several stories between her and the ground. Kate was actually grateful to be by herself for a few moments. She walked over to a dark crimson velvet chair by the fire and sat down.
- - - - - - - - - -
Back downstairs, Troy stood before an enormous tapestry map, indicating different positions around the kingdom to the king.
"Sacelon is located within this area. It has been hidden by enchantments, but I can find it again easily with the girl. She knows the spell that will open the door to the village."
The King listened intently as Troy began to speak of a plan.
"The other masters know I have her and will be planning an attack." Troy explained, one hand still resting over Sacelon's location on the map.
"What do you suggest?" The King asked, examining the respective positions of Sacelon and Lohan.
"I would send two hundred men out under the command of Lieutenant Jacob. Have them spread out slightly in groups of twenty to make them harder targets. That force should at least slow down any attempts to rescue our young friend."
The King nodded slightly before looking back up at Troy with narrowed eyes. "You said the monsters they command are powerful, nearly indestructible."
"My Lord, we will certainly have the girl's pendants figured out by then. We can easily take control of their army and turn them against their masters, then capture or destroy the rest. Once we have the pendants under your control, you will be the most powerful man in all the land. Not only will you control the majic of Sacelon, but an indestructible army as well."
The King grinned widely. "I believe you have a plan, Captain."
Troy's smile revealed nothing but evil.
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Night had fallen, but the rescue party continued onward. Sarah had tied Trinity's reins loosely to his saddle-horn and fallen fast asleep, sitting upright in the saddle. Her horse continued walking besides Onyx and Masabi, never once breaking his gait. Celtos, Gartic, and the two wolves were scouting a short ways ahead of the two masters, ensuring that they would not encounter any soldiers without warning.
Onyx glanced up, her eyes hollow, as Neo pushed Steel up next to her stallion.
"Mistress," he acknowledged briefly, and tried to push on past her, but Onyx caught his rein and pulled the gelding back.
"Have a care for your horse, Neo. Let him walk with the others for a time."
"Time is a luxury we do not have, Mistress," the swordsman replied, staring at her gauntleted hand as though debating the best way to dislodge it.
"The King will not harm her," Onyx informed him sharply. "Nor will he allow Troy to do so. She is their one key to the door of power."
"Unless they manage to capture you or Sarah-sama," Neo answered sourly, his face twisting. Onyx's hand tensed on his reins, but after a moment she released him again, frowning.
"Fall back with the rest of the group, and do not exceed a walk on that horse until you are directly ordered to do so," she ordered coldly, her eyes flashing fire. Neo cursed under his breath and reined the gelding around, looking mutinous, but did as he was ordered.
As he fell back, Damus came forward, easily slipping Marshilo into the space between Trinity and Masabi.
"Dissension in the ranks?"
Onyx looked at him, her expression weary. "I can't say that I blame him. Tell everyone that's awake that we'll stop at dawn, get a little rest and finalize our strategy. The King should be sending an advance force to meet us, but it would help to know how many, and when."
Damus nodded, then wheeled Marshilo around to carry out his order. A moment later, the two wolves bounded out of the darkness to dance at Masabi's feet, their tongues lolling. Onyx murmured praise to them and looked up, her keen eyesight making out the shapes of the two Elves at the side of the path. Their horses were halted and dozing.
Onyx lifted a hand to greet them. "What news, gentlemen?"
"Nothing of note save a peculiar landmark, my Lady," Gartic answered. "A hill, perhaps a hundred feet high, and crested by three tall stones."
"Ah!" Onyx murmured, drawing her stallion to an abrupt stop and gazing at the Elves. "Did they have inscriptions on them?"
"They did, Mistress, but we could not read them, the symbols were too strange," Celtos replied. Onyx chuckled deep in her throat and urged her stallion on again. The two Elves exchanged glances and fell in beside her at a steady walk.
"The stone on the left reads 'Glory,' the stone on the right 'Control,' and the center stone reads 'Power.' We are now one hundred miles from the castle."
The two Elves exchanged bewildered glances, but said nothing. When Onyx remained silent, the two reined their horses back to the main group and let the Yami have her peace.
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After another hour with the King, Troy was dismissed. He made his way up the stairs to the dim hallway where his quarters lay. Walking past his own door, he stopped at the one Katie was behind. He nodded at the guard there, and the soldier hastily unlocked the door to allow Troy entry. His eyes wondered around the room until finally landing on the figure seated in the chair by the fire.
Slowly and as quietly as he could, Troy made his way towards her. Kate had dozed off in the chair with her chin resting on the arm. Her whole body ached with weariness, but as soon as she heard a floor board squeak, she opened her eyes and stood straight up, spinning towards the noise. She glared into the eyes of the man who betrayed her.
"What do you want?" she growled, stepping away from him.
Troy smirked as he looked her up and down. "You look stunning, my dear."
Kate felt nausea roll through her at those words. "I will not let you take my pendants and use me for evil."
"Oh, you will do as you are told if you wish to live," Troy replied in a dangerously soft tone.
"What is it that you are going to make me do?" Katie snarled, trying to stare him down.
"First, we are going to make you give us the pendants. We will use them to destroy your Village and seize control of your monsters. When that is done, I am going to make you do as I wish," he replied with a smile of pure evil.
Kate wanted to be sick at that point, but she stood her ground and kept staring. "I will never do anything for you."
Before she could blink, Troy was in front of her, his hands like vices around her arms. "You will do as I say when I say or you will pay with your life."
Kate gasped as he pulled her against him in that uncomfortable position once more. She stared into his eyes, her own blazing with repressed fury.
"I will never love you. I will never give myself to you. I love Neo and I would never betray him!."
Enraged, Troy growled and pulled her around towards the bed, forcing her down on it. He grabbed her wrists and held them over her head, using his body to pin hers.
"You will be mine. I will have you, even if I have to take you by force and kill that….that thing you call your lover."
"No!" Kate cried out, struggling to free herself from his hold.
"You will be mine!" Troy said snarled, leaning over her until his lips were less than an inch from her own. At that moment, however, there was a clatter from the hallway outside, and Troy leapt away from Kate as though he'd been burned. "I will have you," he spat, then turned on his heel and stormed from the room.
Kate sat up on the bed and cried. Her body shook and her face became wet as anger, frustration, sadness and fear all left her body within the tear drops.
"I will get out of this alive," she vowed to herself. "I will return to Sacelon and the ones I love."
- - - - - - - - - -
When the sun broke over the horizon, the monsters gratefully pulled their horses to a stop in a small clearing. It was ringed with trees and scattered with large boulders. Some of the monsters were unaccustomed to riding, and none of them were accustomed to riding for twenty-four hours straight, even Onyx. Susa complained loudly about the long ride, his horse, and Onyx in general until Damus lost his temper and struck the other monster across the face hard enough to knock him to the ground. It took the combined forces of Sarah and the three Elves to separate them after that.
Onyx, having dismounted earlier, had pulled several rolls of parchment from her saddlebags and was unfurling them over the tops of several flat rocks. Sarah, Damus and Celtos returned to her side once Susa had been secured – an enchanted rope from Damus' pack worked nicely – and waited for the Yami's instructions.
"We are currently here," she explained, tapping her finger against the map. "The castle," here she lifted her other hand, placing it at the far edge of the map, "is here. We still have nearly ninety miles left to ride." Raising her head, she eyed the position of the sun. "It is not yet the fifth hour. Within the next three days, the King will most likely dispatch a scout-force to meet us."
When the others stared at her, she shrugged slightly. "My tutor told me that the battle tactics of the King and his army had not changed in over two thousand years. I doubt the last two centuries have wrought much change. If Katie can learn it, she will tell us how many soldiers we face, and when." Clearing her throat slightly, she angled the map so the others could see it more clearly, and continued. "The boarder of the central city is here. When we pass into it, you will know. The land is accursed; there is no light in it now."
"There is light," Neo snapped abruptly from nearby. "There is Katie's light."
"True enough," Onyx answered. "Now, our duty is to destroy the darkest force in the kingdom, the bloodline of the King, so that lights like Katie's may shine unhindered once again." Standing up, she raised her voice to address all of the monsters. "You have an hour to rest. Use it well."
Gartic, Neo, and Pyon, to restless to sleep, remained awake, pacing back and forth. Pyon, Katie's second in command, and Neo, her lover, spoke in soft murmurs of happier times with the young light. Gartic, quiet by nature, walked by himself and said nothing, clearly preoccupied with thoughts of his own dark Mistress.
Onyx awoke just as the sixth hour dawned. Within ten minutes, the horses and their riders were moving again, exhausted but willing. At the best pace they could muster, they rode for Lohan and for war.
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The next morning Kate woke to find herself lying across the bed, still wearing the dress from the night before. She had cried herself to sleep after Troy's departure. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. If she was going to survive this ordeal, she knew she must be strong. Mentally, she tried to prepare herself for what was to come. Rising to the bed, she walked to the washstand and splashed her face in cool water from the basin there before opening the wardrobe. It was full of dresses, something she wore little and liked less. Although the garments were clearly quite expensive, she glared at them in disgust. She chose navy blue, the closest one to black she could find, to match her dark mood, and stripped out of the one she was wearing. She slipped on the new one without much trouble, and waved her hand over the back of the dress to fasten it. Although she was wary of using her majic here, she had little choice – she felt vulnerable when she was undressed, and refused to let anyone make here feel vulnerable now. Even if it was just a lady's maid. She brushed out her hair and pinned it up. Looking at her reflection in a mirror, Kate felt ridiculous.
The sound of a key being placed in the lock quickly turned her head. Her hearing has improved over the years, even if her ability to read people had not. She shook her head to dislodge the negative train of thought, quickly turning her thoughts back to Neo. He would come for her. She waited and watched as the girl from the previous day entered the room.
"My Lady, I was sent to…." The girl stopped short at the sight of Kate already dressed. She hid her surprise quickly, however, bowed, and left the room.
As she disappeared, Kate let out the breath she had been holding. She inhaled again when Troy stepped into the room a second later. He said nothing at first, just let his eyes rove over her body as they always did.
"Come, we must meet the king for breakfast," he said finally, holding out his arm.
Kate ignored the proffered limb and walked past him, into the hall. Troy strode after her and caught her elbow, more tightly than he'd intended.
"You will do what the King demands, or - "
"Or what?" she growled, cutting him off. "You'll never learn anything if you kill me."
Troy stared at her for a moment, shocked. "True," he managed, and without further comment, pulled her along the hall, down the many stairs and finally into the dining room where they had dined the night before.
This time, Kate gasped at the sight. The entire table was surrounded by men. At least a hundred people, all of them male, were standing behind their chairs, waiting for the King. As Troy pulled her down the long table, she studied each face in turn. Some were empty, holding no emotions at all, save perhaps resignation. A few were angry, some weary, many looking grim or apathetic. A few of the faces still had life in them, looking curious or hungry. Only one looked very calm. This man's eyes followed Katie until the King appeared and took his own seat. In the wave of movement that followed as all the men sat, Katie lost sight of the young man's grey eyes.
As servants appeared with the meal, the King raised his hand for silence, commanding the attention of his guests. "Men, today we are graced with a great gift. Captain Meyers has found the hidden city, a great source of power, and has crafted a plan to seize it's power for ourselves and the glory of this kingdom!"
The men applauded loudly until the King raised his hand again.
"Today, we will be sending out a group of two hundred men. Lieutenant Jacobs," here he nodded to the calm-looking man, "you will be in charge of the men. We will have more details after breakfast in the conference room. Now, we eat!"
Kate felt very nausea roll through her again. This morning, she had possessed the foresight to tuck her pendant into the front of her dress, but the material was thin enough that the distinctive glow of communication would still be seen. Thinking quickly, she whispered a rapid spell that would make the fabric completely opaque, but only for a brief time. In the few seconds she was given, she fired off a rapid warning and hoped it would be enough.
'Neo, two hundred men ride to meet you this afternoon. Be prepared to fight.'