Anathema's Abode

Chapter 12

Regret

For Chaos Dragon.

The expedition that Phantom had undertaken into the human realm had not been of his own vocation, the raid had been conducted on the king's command. But even to him, Pariah's motives had been clear. The ghost king was not without intelligence, but the white haired ghost supposed that a midian as powerful as Pariah Dark possessed no reason for subterfuge. Phantom knew that he had been ordered to visit Amity Park for one reason, and one reason alone; to establish himself as a monster to be feared. Fear was a powerful tool, one that the empire had grown particularly adept at wielding over the centuries. Few would dare to oppose a bloodthirsty tyrant, and those foolish enough to do so were soon met with their demise. In proving himself to be the Fright Knight's equal in ruthlessness, Phantom had ensured that the numbers of rebels eager to rid themselves of their town's dictators would dwindle.

It disgusted Phantom, knowing that he had taken up the mantle of his adversary. Even with Ember's extensive knowledge of etiquette among ghosts, the white haired ghost could not help but feel that only a fool would fail to see through their pathetic masquerade. It would not be difficult for any member of the ghost king's court to unmask him for what he truly was- a young man fumbling to hold together the murky fragments of a deception that he had unwittingly created five years ago. It had been Phantom's careless impulsiveness that had led him to challenge the Fright Knight when he was fifteen, a mistake he had been too stubborn to learn from when he once again insulted his predecessor by slaying his liegemen in order to protect a single human female that he knew nothing about.

The general's shoulders shook, as he endeavoured to suppress his bitter laughter. He still knew nothing about the ghost hunter. But god, he wished he did. In defending Sam that night six long months ago, Phantom had damned Ember. His own life was of little consequence, but the half ghost would never be able to forgive himself if any harm were to ever befall his best friend. It amazed him that she continued to stand by his side, no matter how many times his unspeakable recklessness had let her down. He owed the azure haired ghost everything. And yet to this day, Ember had never asked for anything in return.

Despite everything that had occurred between them, the half ghost could not bring himself to wish that he had never met Sam. Her audacity and fierce defiance intrigued him, much as his own cowardice disgusted the white haired ghost. Perhaps the ghost hunter had been right; he should have fled instead of allowing himself to be enlisted into Pariah's services. Amity Park would still be doomed, but at least he would no longer be endangering Ember; she had already been through more than enough on his account.

Not that any of this mattered anymore. Sam had made it clear that she despised him and wished him dead by her own hand. Even though it pained him unbearably, Phantom could not bring himself to blame her. He had encouraged her to repeatedly seek him out, even allowing her to entertain the notion of an allegiance between him and her brethren.

Violent rage surged through his veins as he recalled Sam's assault by the Night Police, that he had been forced to stand idle while she had been forced to grovel before his feet like an animal, and that he had been incapable of doing anything to stop it. The ghost hunter was right; he was a coward. How fervently the white haired ghost wished that he had managed to convince her to leave Amity in favour of a safer location. If Sam continued to defy the empire, Phantom knew that he would be powerless to help her evade the horrific eventuality that would follow.

Sam had every right to hate him; in her eyes, he had proven himself to be more of a monster than any ghost she had ever encountered. There was no doubt that the ghost hunter was better off without him, the white haired ghost told himself. And yet, something inside him had shattered the instant Sam declared that she wished she had died that night six months ago, that they had never met. If only he could bring himself to feel the same.

Arion folded the black membrane of his great wings as Phantom urged his mount to descend, circling the stone castle beneath them. His troops trailed after him, visibly wary of accidentally overtaking their liege in mid-flight. Despite the impossibility of his current situation, the white haired ghost could not help but relish the spectral soldiers' fear with savage satisfaction. One way or another, he would ensure that they suffered for their treatment of Sam earlier that night.

He tugged at his mount's reigns, wordlessly commanding the destrier to land as it unfurled its impressive black wingspan, its clawed hoofs striking the cobbled ground as it released torrents of captured air from beneath the membranes of its wings, with dark grace that was surprising for a beast so large.

"General Phantom," the sentries saluted, immediately signaling for the great gates to be opened, allowing the white haired ghost to pass.

Phantom ignored them, his eyes trained straight ahead as he led the procession of his footmen through the lavish, well kept grounds. The castle had been a gift from Pariah, along with Arion, and all manner of commodities the white haired ghost had neither want nor need of. Phantom wasn't stupid; the ghost king certainly had not done so out of kindness. The very meaning of the word was beyond Pariah Dark. The youthful ghost did not require Ember to explain to him that the only reason his liege had bestowed such gifts upon him was again to establish Phantom's standing in the eyes of the empire.

The white haired ghost had been all too aware that he would not be well received in Pariah's court. Despite his strength, the majority of the ghost zone's aristocracy would undoubtedly still view Phantom as an outcast, an usurper of the Fright Knight's title as opposed to a true successor. His forcible recruitment was far from common knowledge, but the fact that the other lords believed that he had spent the past six hundred years evading the empire's rule gave them little reason to trust him. For the first time in his life, Phantom found himself cursing the Fright Knight's incompetence. If not for his predecessor's complete inability to act, the ghost king would not have been forced to go to such lengths to recruit a replacement, and Sam would have no reason to despise him so.

A single servant boy hurriedly emerged from the stables, as Phantom's troops assembled swiftly in the quadrangle at the base of his castle. Despite his breathlessness, the ghost child did not slow, plainly fearful of the repercussions should his master be kept waiting.

"If I may, my lord," the stablehand subjected the white haired ghost to a hasty bow so low that Phantom had to wonder what was keeping the boy from toppling over.

The ghost general favoured the ghost child with a slight nod, wordlessly handing over the warhorse's reigns. Their survival depended solely on appearances, Ember had told him. If he acted as a lord, he would become one in his subject's eyes, and consequently be treated as such. Allowing his servants to tend to his prized mount was a display of trust on his part, an act that would gain him their trust and respect in return. Phantom wasn't particularly interested in accumulating the loyalties of those who served him, but his best friend had insisted that it was crucial in establishing their deception. His ignorance regarding etiquette that a midian of his age would typically be well aware of could result in their deaths.

"Was Arion able to meet your expectations, my lord?" the boy queried as he tethered the general's dark mount, eagerness evident on his expression despite his obvious apprehension of Phantom.

"He is a magnificent animal," the white haired ghost allowed a small smile to grace his features at the broad beam spreading across the stablehand's face. "Convey my thanks to your master for his training of the beast."

"It is our honour to serve you," the ghost child favoured Phantom with a second bow that appeared to be even lower than the first, perhaps due to the fact that he was dwarfed by the gargantuan warhorse beside him. The white haired ghost shifted, uncomfortable. The stable boy gawking at him in reverence was in all probability a good hundred years older than he was.

The general lowered his head to acknowledge the servant, dematerialising in a shock of white light as he reappeared in a stone grey balcony hundreds of feet above his men. Inclining languidly on the gilded balustrade overlooking the quadrangle below, Phantom favoured his men with an offhanded gesture, finally allowing them to stand at ease.

"You are dismissed," the white haired ghost announced, lowering his head to face the Night Police as they gathered below him, deciding that he had been forced to endure their presence for long enough. "I have no need of your services until our next patrol," he paused, the faintest traces of his reluctance evident as his men waited expectantly for his next words.

The reluctant general gritted his teeth, green eyes blazing as he felt himself filled with fresh resolve. He could not afford such weakness, any decision he could have made was filled with a multitude of what ifs. Dwelling on the past served him no purpose. For now, his main priority was to keep his best friend alive. His abject misery could never come to Pariah's attention; it would spell their doom, otherwise, and Ember's safety was worth far more to him than his pride.

"Long live the king," the general bellowed, punching his gauntlet clad fist into the air, as the declaration of his fresh allegiances was met with roars of approval from his liegemen. It was just as well that the intellectual capacity lacked by foot soldiers prevented them from becoming anything more, remaining in their meager roles for centuries. Phantom had never been one for theatrics, even if his survival were to depend on it.

It tore him apart, that despite his insisting on the existence of complications beyond Sam's understanding, Phantom had been faced with nothing more than simple choice, and he had failed her. There was nothing more he could do for the ghost hunter who had captured his heart what seemed an eternity ago. But for Ember's sake, he would endure.

-

Alone in the sparsely lit corridors outside the council chamber, Samantha Manson sat slouched against the cement walls, taking deep, measured breaths as she endeavoured to quell her nerves. The full council had expressed to Maddie their wish to interview her for information regarding Phantom, and the council's requests usually amounted to orders that could not be refused.

Appearing before the council was a daunting prospect in itself without the fact that she would have to subdue her nervousness and lie through her teeth in order to protect Tucker and Valerie from severe disciplinary action. The ghost hunter could not help but find herself torn between lying to her superiors in order to protect her friends, and a murderous urge for vengeance against the monster who had betrayed her. Whatever happened, she only hoped that she would not embarrass Maddie any further.

She jumped, startled by the creaking of the old wooden door as her mentor's face peered out to greet her.

"I'm sorry we kept you waiting, Sam," Maddie's smile was warm and encouraging, despite her apparent fatigue. "Our previous discussion took a lot longer than necessary. Why don't you come in and have a seat?"

The ghost hunter glanced past her mentor, fully surveying the interior of the room for the first time. The council chamber was of no apparent grandeur, yet Sam could practically feel the authority radiating off the individuals that it housed. Seven weary pairs of eyes bore into her vision as she crossed the room, leaving Sam with an uncomfortable prickling at the back of her neck from their unwanted stares, and the unavoidable scrutiny and judgements that she knew would follow from those who didn't know her.

Seven council members, inclusive of their leader, as was the tradition with her brethren. Seven veterans on whose shoulders rested the fate of the brotherhood, and ultimately Amity Park. Maddie's apprentice resisted the temptation to bite her lip in a nervous gesture. Had they already written her off?

Jack winked cheerily at her as she approached, and she smiled gratefully in return. At least she could take comfort in the knowledge that not all of them were out to unearth her ineptitudes.

"Since the council has decided to make an exception and allow an underage member of our brethren into the council chambers, I don't see why I couldn't have brought my apprentice as well," Vlad Master's utterance was gruff. "After all, she is just as much a witness as Samantha is."

"Having one child sitting in on our meeting is already one too many for my liking," Tetslaff replied shortly, folding her arms as she regarded Sam with derision, leaving the ghost hunter fighting the fierce urge to retort that she was no longer a child.

"Forgive her, she doesn't mean that," Kaeda Ishiyama smiled softly. "Please, do make yourself comfortable, Samantha."

"Thanks," the ghost hunter replied awkwardly, unable to suppress her nervousness as she took a seat amongst her far older, more experienced superiors. If Maddie still intended for her to lead their brethren, whatever impressions she made tonight could make all the difference to furthering her mentor's aims. She would not fail Maddie; not again.

"I assume you know why you are here, Sam," Lancer addressed her, not waiting for the ghost hunters small nod as he got straight to the point. "How much did you manage to find out about Phantom during your captivity?"

"Phantom was extremely careful," Sam shook her head, fighting the urge to avert her eyes from the council's gaze. "He revealed almost nothing to me, apart from the fact that there was, and most likely still is, animosity between Phantom and his predecessor. It is unlikely that their power struggles with cease just because the Fright Knight's standing in the King's eyes has been diminished."

"How can you be certain of all this?" Ishiyama queried. "For all we know his claims could be nothing more than an attempt to manipulate you."

"My team was present in the inner city the night that the two midians dueled," Sam stated, choosing her words carefully as her revelation was met with startled silence. "Our surveillance confirms Phantom's claims."

"You and Valerie were out there that night?" Damon echoed, the incredulity in his voice edged with anger.

"My orders were clear," Maddie ground out, as purple eyes locked. "There was to be no one on the streets, without exception. That was a risk you shouldn't have taken."

"Forgive me," her apprentice flushed, bowing her head in a deferential gesture as she was berated before the full council. "We were too eager to take advantage of the narrow window of opportunity that had presented itself to us. Of course, we had no idea then that the duel would occur," Sam hastened to add, fervently hoping that the council would fail to see through the first of her lies. "We merely hoped to collect valuable information regarding the former general."

"What's done is done," Lancer shook his head. "I will collect the files from Tucker the instant this meeting is adjourned. No matter how Sam acquired the information, we cannot deny its benefits. In any case, her and Valerie's bravery is commendable."

"You said that he contacted you after the duel. Has he displayed any weaknesses?" Maddie pressed. "Did you notice anything, no matter how small, that could be used to our advantage?"

The ghost hunter bit her tongue, unsure if she should inform her superiors that Ember had revealed herself to her in order to relay Phantom's warning regarding his attack on Amity Park, doubtlessly raising the question of why Phantom would think to warn a single female girl. But as matters stood, the general's concern for the female ghost's wellbeing was the only weakness that he had displayed to date.

It was for the greater good, Sam told herself. Such information could be crucial to the survival of her brethren. Even if the revelation brought her and her mentor dishonour, at least the brotherhood would be endowed with a greater fighting to chance to escape its current fate. In order to protect the friends that were dearer to her than family, she would have to bite the bullet and accept the consequences; whatever penances she would be subjected to paled in comparison to the destruction of everything she had ever known.

"There was a female ghost- Ember, I believe he called her," Sam's brow furrowed. "That he seemed to hold in high regard, if not affection. Her capture would be an invaluable asset to any future negotiations furthering our cause."

"So you suggest that we barter her safety for ours," Ishiyama surmised, her features pensive.

"Yes," Sam affirmed, "Without a doubt, Ember will be significantly easier to take down than Phantom."

"Ember," Jack repeated blankly, as though the situation was ludicrous. "Are you absolutely certain that that was what she was called?"

"Well, no," the ghost hunter admitted. "Phantom only mentioned her by name once. Still, it isn't exactly a typical namesake. I encountered her briefly, during which she insisted that I left Amity Park. But prior to yesterday, I had no reason to believe the claims of a ghost."

"This Ember you speak of," Damon Gray paused, as he and Vlad Masters exchanged apprehensive glances. "How powerful is she? It is simple to suggest that we capture her in order to blackmail Phantom, but the acquaintance of a midian is unlikely to be without substantial strength herself."

"No," Maddie's apprentice shook her head as she sought to keep pangs of unexpected jealousy at bay and concentrate on the task at hand, yet unaware of the mounting discomfort of her superiors that seemed to fortify itself in the council chamber. "She would not require Phantom's protection otherwise. Events so far have proved that Phantom's loyalties are flexible, as long as Ember's wellbeing is threatened. Her capture is the best chance we've got."

"This female ghost," the brotherhood's leader seemed to falter, her breath hitching in her throat as her fingers furled into fists against the table. "What did she look like?"

"I estimate her to be Phantom's junior by several centuries," Sam bit her bottom lip, unsettled by the icy chill that seemed to have descended upon the room as the entirety of the council awaited her next words with unfathomable dread. For the first time since the ghost hunter had entered the room to subject herself to her superiors' questioning, Sam commanded the gathering's complete attention as they abruptly decided to value her presence. She only wished that she knew why. "She is skilled in pyrokinetics, among other abilities that I was unable to witness. She was-"

"What did she look like?" Tetslaff reiterated Maddie's question more forcefully, interrupting Sam as she acknowledged younger ghost hunter for the first time.

"I- what?" Sam blinked, taken aback by the oddity of the demand. She had been brought before the council to discuss Phantom, yet suddenly all they seemed to be interested in was his flame haired female acquaintance. Why was Ember so important to everyone?

"Was she of average height, thin, with blue hair, dark make up and with an apparent attitude?" Tetslaff demanded. "Answer me, child," she snapped, verging on the limit of her notoriously short temper.

"Yes," the ghost hunter replied, stunned that the council member possessed such knowledge. "But how did you-"

"Ember McLain," Ishiyama breathed, her eyes wide. "There can be no further doubts about this. Our worst fears have been confirmed."

"No, it cannot be," Jack whispered, as his large form seemed to crumple with despair. "She cannot have betrayed us."

"It seems that she already has, old friend," Vlad's tone was dull, as though the revelation had resigned them to defeat. "In which case, we should evacuate headquarters immediately. The secrecy of our location has long been compromised."

"What's going on?" Sam queried, only to find herself ignored now that her utterances had failed to assuage her superior's fears as they discussed the apparent revelation heatedly amongst themselves, their voices raised.

"Perhaps we should even consider disbandment," Damon Gray gritted his teeth. "Ember knows the intricacies of the brotherhood inside and out. Our protocol, how we move, how we think, how we'd react in practically every situation. The empire's been toying with us for longer than we could've ever imagined."

"We cannot abandon our brethren," Tetslaff disagreed, her voice terse. "If Ember has chosen to betray us, then let her bear the consequences of her crimes. I'm not giving that bitch the satisfaction of knowing that she has has doomed us all."

"Perhaps she is still on our side," Lancer argued, but his protests lacked conviction. "Why would she choose to reveal herself to Sam otherwise?"

"Ember's always had a twisted sense of humour," Vlad's lips quirked upwards in a bitter smile. "Perhaps she chose to appear before Maddie's apprentice as a mockery of our ignorance. The question is: Why now?"

"I refuse to believe this," Maddie's gaze hardened, although her voice lacked its usual resolve as she spoke up for the first time since the identity of Phantom's acquaintance was revealed. "I trusted her," their leader whispered, her voice cracking in mournful disbelief. Maddie grimaced, drawing a long, shaky breath as though enduring the chafing of salt to an old wound long rubbed raw.

"You are not to blame," her husband replied, gently stroking her red hair. "We all did."

"It was your own apprentice that brought this to our attention, Maddie," Damon Gray growled. "We don't have the luxury of time to sit here in denial. We need to act, now."

"I'm with Damon," Vlad drawled. "The situation is barely salvageable as it is."

"I don't understand," Sam cut in desperately, as she turned to her mentor. "What's everyone talking about?"

"I'm sorry Samantha," Ishiyama apolgised, throwing a worried glance in Maddie's direction. "We didn't mean to leave you out of this discussion. Ember McLain," the Japanese woman began, but faltered as she caught their leader's gaze. "She was killed by the Night Police almost thirty years ago, but-"

"But before then," Maddie interjected, her composure regained as she gripped the ledge of the wooden table so hard that her knuckles turned white, subjecting her apprentice to the revelation that not one of her subordinates could bear to even utter. "She was one of us. My partner."

Author's Notes: Dun dun dun! Bwahahaha! Bet you didn't see that coming.

Ugh, I just had a 40 minute battle with the uploading system. I'm ever so sorry for how long it took for this update to come. I just haven't had much time lately, and when I do, I tend to end up sleeping instead of writing. And I was going to write yesterday, but I decided that I was too hungover from 30 STM to actually do a half decent job. Late as it is, I do hope you enjoyed the update, though!

Also, thanks to bloodmoon13 and dannyfan101 for AA concept art on DA that makes me squee.

Thanks so much to the wonderful: KHFREAK14, Bitch-with-Wit, LoveInsanity, WinchesterPhantom, Sasia93, pwykersotz, Stardino, Velvet Star, Amethyst Ocean, CommonSenseless24, Acoustic Maiden, phu57r473d b337h0v3n 0n 573r0id5, danny-fan-101, Toyoko, Teo20, Koccinnelle, Zilleniose, b4k4 ch4n, pearl84, FreakLevel27, Chaos Dragon, Forelyse, passionateartist, Mimo-Sene, YumeTakato, Xweetok, aulinin, Angelic Kittens, Dancos, FunkyFish1991, kia, bloodmoon13, Poison's Ivy, Black January, Tie-dyed Trickster, CharmedNightSkye, Writer's-BlockDP, ShatterMyMuse and DarkprincessAngel for their wonderful reviews, and sorry again for keeping you waiting:(

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