For bloodmoon13. :D
Anathema's Abode
Chapter 17
Epiphany
"Samantha," Tetslaff's eyes bored into Sam's vision as she struggled to stop herself from fidgeting in discomfort at the calculating coldness of the Council's gaze. "I trust that you've been told why you're here."
"Yes," out of the corner of her eyes, Sam could see Maddie nod tacitly in encouragement. Gritting her teeth, the ghost hunter fought to keep herself from shooting her mentor a nervous glance, "I have." There was no way that she was letting Tetslaff know exactly how much her stony gaze unnerved her.
"There is a strong chance that in less than a month, we will all be dead," Vlad stated shortly, with uncharacteristic bluntness. "What makes you think that you have what it takes to lead our brethren?"
"What he means is, tell us about your strengths, Sam," Ishiyama translated gently, softening the blow as she shot Valerie's mentor a reproachful look.
"I believe the sheer figures of her kills in recent months speak for themselves," Damon supplied, as he flipped through the records that the Council had previously trawled through. "Your performance has been most impressive, Sam."
"Well done, Sam," Jack acknowledged cheerfully. "We're proud of you."
"Thank you," the ghost hunter strove to accept the compliment gracefully, without arrogance, as she observed the corners of Maddie's lip quirk into a smile at the edge of her vision. "I am glad to be able to serve the Brotherhood to the best of my ability."
"And she has been," their leader provided. "But Sam has yet to reach her peak. She has great potential, still."
"Do you intend to release Sam from her apprenticeship under you sometime in the next year, Maddie?" Ishiyama questioned.
"I do," Maddie clarified. "Provided I survive Pariah's plans. Perhaps even sooner, if I deem her ready."
Sam opened her mouth, then closed it with a soft click as her teeth met, unsure how much input she ought to be putting in whilst the Council discussed her progress in her presence.
"Are you aware of who else has been called for an interview?" Lancer questioned, regarding her in an altogether more serious manner than Sam was used to.
"Yes," Sam replied, wishing that she would stop answering in monosyllables. She could not afford to come across as timid, not now. "Valerie and Jazz."
"And what makes you think that you can do a better job than either of them?" he pressed. "Who do you think presents you with greater competition?"
"I don't see either of them as competition," Sam's truthful reply was met with raised eyebrows. "Not that I see myself as better than either of them," she added hastily. "What I meant was, they're both extremely capable, and I would gladly serve under either of them, should you decide that I am unsuitable for the post."
The slight tightening of Maddie's jaw as she pursed her lips alerted Sam belatedly that she had provided the wrong answer. Dull panic spread through the ghost hunter. Had she failed her mentor already?
"You have humility," a grin cracked across Tetslaff's features, as Maddie visibly sighed in relief. "I like that about you, child."
"But perhaps too much," Vlad drawled. "We require Maddie's heir to be capable of commanding our subordinates' unconditional respect. If you cannot assert yourself, you cannot even begin to hope to lead our brethren."
"I think that you will find that Sam is well respected among her peers," Maddie provided curtly. "And at any rate, she definitely has my respect," her mentor favoured Sam with a warm smile that eased her nerves.
"Is that a direct endorsement?" Tetslaff's voice held curiosity.
"Yes," their leader replied firmly, as Sam's stomach fluttered wildly, fighting to keep her blush from showing on her cheeks. "Yes it is."
"Obviously, as her mentor, your bias must be taken into account," Vlad parried wryly.
"It is not merely my bias," Maddie replied irritably. "Why else would I choose my apprentice over my own daughter, despite our closeness?"
"And we are to believe the fact that she has no ambition whatsoever regarding leadership has nothing to do with it?"
"Yes," Madie's gaze hardened. "I don't see why you're having such problems understanding this, Vlad."
"Enough," Jack grunted, "you've made your points, both of you."
"We have," Valerie's mentor agreed gruffly. "Shall we continue?"
"Do you feel that your training under Maddie has thus far prepared you for the task of leading the Brotherhood?" Ishiyama broke the tension.
"Yes," Sam affirmed. "In every way possible."
"You joined us later than most children do," Lancer noted. "Do you feel in any way disadvantaged by your late start?"
"No in the slightest," Sam allowed a note of pride to enter her voice. "Especially when I've been trained by the best."
"No one would debate that fact," Damon Gray replied, shooting Maddie an amused glance.
"If you were forced to choose between saving your partner's life, or rescuing a civilian in need, what would you choose?" several members of the Council sat up in interest at the question Tetslaff posed.
"Valerie," Sam replied, almost immediately, ignoring Tetslaff's frown and the look of triumph on Vlad's face at her misstep. "But the fact that she is my friend is irrelevant," she continued, to half the Council's surprise.
"Then why would you save her, over someone that we have sworn to protect?" Ishiyama asked, her brow furrowing.
"Because of the simple weighing of losses," the ghost hunter replied immediately, inwardly cringing as Maddie mouthed the words alongside her, unbeknownst to the rest of the Council. If she failed to make this decision in future, would she still be a worthy leader of their brethren? "Should she survive, Valerie will go on to save countless more civilians, given her skills. Furthermore, the Brotherhood will have to expend far more time and effort training a new recruit up from scratch to take her place."
"Well answered," Tetslaff conceded gruffly. "I underestimated you, Sam,"
Sam blinked in surprise at the unexpected praise, forcibly reminded of the last time she had sat in this very chair, faced by the whole of the Council, and how bitterly afraid she had been that they would see through her lies. "I just wish to serve our brethren the best that I can," she repeated in reflex, regaining her composure.
"As for your mistakes," Vlad elucidated smoothly. "What do you consider your biggest blunder to date?"
Living, Sam thought bitterly to herself. Allowing myself to be saved by Phantom. If I had died that night, eight months ago, the Empire would have continued to remain unaware of his whereabouts, and Pariah Dark never would have replaced the Fright Knight with an other, far more dangerous monster. The greater of two evils.
Out loud, she said: "Unfortunately, that is an easy question to answer. I believe many of you would agree that observing a high level duel between Midians in order to learn more about Phantom despite being commanded by our leader not to was highly reckless on both mine and Valerie's parts," she folded her arms, leaning back into her chair as she made sure to stress Vlad's apprentice's name, eyeing him in challenge. "We were too eager to be of use to the Council, and it was sheer luck that kept us alive that night. It will never happen again."
"I am glad to hear that," Damon replied. "Sometimes, risks are necessary. That, however, was not one of those times."
The ghost hunter bit her lip in response, feeling guilty for bringing her best friend down with her. But as Maddie had said, it had to be done. It wasn't as though Vlad was doing her any favours. Sam had no doubts that he had posed his previous question with no intention other than to sabotage her chances at leadership.
To be honest, she had no idea why Vlad's query had filled her with such competitiveness. If the Council thought her worthy, she was more than willing to stand in as Maddie's deputy in the case of the horrible eventuality of her death in action, if that was how they believed she would best serve them. But she wasn't about to lie to herself and belittle her friend in her superiors' eyes. Valerie was just as worthy and just as deserving of the honour of leading the Brotherhood as she was. Sam only wished that she knew if that was what Valerie truly wanted.
"If we were to decide that you were inappropriate for this role," Jack queried gently, "where in the Brotherhood do you see yourself in the next decade?"
"If you do not believe me fit to lead, I would hope to be deemed worthy to sit at the Council someday, at the very least," Sam forced herself to stop chewing on her lip as she regarded her mentor's husband in response. This was just Jack, who treated her almost as a daughter. She had no reason to be nervous of his enquiries. "As for which department, I'd take on an apprentice or two, but I'll never leave the field," she stated hesitatingly. "Not until I die. I want to be out there, dealing as much damage as I possibly can to the enemy firsthand."
"A brave choice," Tetslaff raised an eyebrow. "You do realise that most that choose that path have a life expectancy of less than thirty years?"
"I am well aware of that fact," Sam replied, a small grin touching her features. "I would rather live till thirty knowing that I did all that I could than survive for forty odd years, forever regretting my decision to stay and fight."
"Have you ever questioned your loyalty to the Brotherhood, if even for a moment?" Maddie smiled at her apprentice, pleased with her performance thus far.
"No," Sam replied, and swallowed as she tried to ignore the taste of acid on her tongue at the lie. "Never, and I don't intend to start now." Maddie had asked her that as a throwaway question, one that was meant to relax her, and put her at ease. Little would her mentor know of the discomfort that such a straight forward question that many would take as a given would bring. How had she ever doubted her brethren, choosing instead to believe the lies of one of the enemy?
What is justice? Phantom's voice rang in her head, amused, other than an excuse that both sides have been using for centuries as an excuse to inflict more pain and suffering? She squashed the recollection violently. Not here, not now.
Phantom had never been worth it; she was done with his manipulations. What hurt the most was that she had foolishly managed to convince herself that there was some good in him. Sam wondered to herself if the General would feel even marginally sorry for all the pain and suffering that he was about to cause. And yet, why had Phantom decide to warn her? He couldn't have seriously thought, even for a moment, that she would heed his advice and flee like a coward.
Even now, the memory of him left her feeling dirty and tainted, unworthy to even be considered for leadership by the Council. It wasn't as though there was much chance of her leading their brethren, Sam reminded herself soberly. On the off chance that she would outlive Maddie within the next month, it was highly unlikely that she would survive the Brotherhood's last stand against Pariah Dark's armies.
Icy chills of fear and dread shot up the ghost hunter's spine, accumulating painfully behind her eyes as the full horror of the situation facing her brethren finally hit her. Before the month was up, it was likely that everyone in this room, including her, would be dead.
"What other questions do you have for me?" the brotherhood girl enquired politely as she faced her leaders, desolation quietly setting in.
-
"How long have you two been waiting outside?" Sam's expression turned sour as she noticed Tucker and Valerie lingering outside the Council's chamber.
"At least you're still standing," Valerie replied cheerily, pushing herself to her feet in order to greet her friend, gathering her into a tight hug, "Tetslaff cut me off at the knees."
"How was it, in there?" Tucker questioned. "Was it half as bad as Valerie said?"
"That depends," Sam glanced at the other ghost hunter. "How bad was it for you?"
"It was alright," her partner shrugged. "They asked some pretty harsh questions, but nothing that Vlad hadn't already warned me about."
"He was a right ass to me," Sam growled. "And I doubt that Maddie questioned you half as ruthlessly."
"No," Valerie paused. "She didn't. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. But that's just Vlad for you. Did you truly expect anything different?"
"No," Sam grunted. "I didn't."
"I heard that Jazz flat out refused to turn up for her interview," Tucker informed, changing the subject.
"Did she?" Valerie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you allowed to do that?"
"Having two parents on the Council probably helped matters somewhat," Sam speculated dryly. "Then again, we've always known from the start that Jazz has no interest in leading the Brotherhood."
"So, I guess it's just you and me," Valerie offered, and Sam was surprised at the awkwardness that hung between them.
"Yeah," she frowned, as an unidentifiable sharpness fleetingly cut through her chest. "I guess it is."
"Not necessarily," Tucker reminded the pair. "With luck, Maddie is going to live for another two decades. With us preparing for Pariah's attack, the Council are just getting paranoid and covering every eventuality."
"I hope you're right, Tucker," Valerie admitted softly. "We're not ready for change. None of us is."
"Val, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Sam bit her lip as she regarded the other woman. "About your interview?"
"Not really," her partner shrugged. "It's over now. Nothing that I tell you could possibly change anything."
"Did Tetslaff ask you about what you would do if you had to choose between me or a civilian?" the lavender eyed girl queried.
"Yeah," Valerie pushed her hair off her face. "I take it that they asked you the exact same thing?"
"What did you say?" Sam frowned and continued worrying her lip.
"I chose the civilian over you," the sheepish expression on Valerie's face was cut short as she threw a glare at Tucker's noise of disbelief as he mimed a knife to the gut. "I wouldn't actually," she grinned in assurance as she held up her palms in defense. "I just said what Vlad told me that the Council were going to want to hear. Why?" her partner's brow furrowed in curiosity. "What did you say?"
"I chose you," Sam informed, striving to keep her voice light as she tried not to envision Valerie and herself with strings driven through their limbs, their mentor's personal marionettes.
"Oh," Valerie blinked. "They couldn't have liked that very much. Why on earth did you say that? I honestly wouldn't have minded if you had lied, Sam."
"Because Maddie told me to," the ghost hunter replied. "Val," Sam hesitated. "By regurgitating what our mentors think the Council wants to hear, does that make us liars?"
"No," Valerie sounded genuinely surprised. "Like Vlad said, it's just a means to an end, to leadership," her expression turned playful. "And if you beat me to it, you'd better not mess up."
"Likewise," Sam grinned. "You guys want to come over?" she offered abruptly, resulting in blank stares from her friends. "We could watch a movie, or do what normal people our age are supposed to be doing on a Saturday afternoon."
"Normal people?" Valerie echoed. "Why not?" a grin spread across her friend's features. "After all we've been through, we deserve a break, to forget about the Council, the war, everything."
"Do either of you have any idea what kids our age are supposed to do for fun?" Tucker was only half joking. "Not that kicking ghost ass isn't fun and all."
"To be honest, you'd be doing me a favour," Sam laughed. "You can help me convince my parents that I do have a social life."
"It still amazes me that your parents have no idea that you only live at home about two days a week," their tech operative shook his head in disbelief, as Sam merely shrugged.
"Who cares?" Val jested. "It just means there's more Sam to go round for us."
"Yeah, Tucker," Sam assured him. "I honestly don't care. We could go to the park first," the ghost hunter offered. "Soak in some sunshine."
"That sounds great. I can't remember the last time I did anything under natural light," the other girl laughed, as the unspoken sentiment hung in the air between the trio, cold and unforgiving. It was probably best that they enjoyed some semblance of ordinary life, let alone Amity Park, before Pariah's armies razed it all to the ground.
-
"Welcome, gentlemen," Pariah Dark greeted imperiously, steepling his fingers as he rested his elbows at the edge of the impressive mahogany table in the war room, the ring and crown glinting soft and eerie in the firelight.
Seated on his right at the head of the table, Phantom uttered a polite greeting of acknowledgement, his voice clashing and mingling with a multitude of his peers as they extended their respects to the Ghost King.
"I trust that the Lord General has informed you why you are here," their liege supplied offhandedly, as the warlords seated before him nodded in confirmation.
The General willed himself not to seethe in discomfort as half a dozen pairs of eyes were abruptly trained on him, their cruel, calculating gazes digging deep into his skin, waiting for him to falter, or to slip up and perform an unsalvageable blunder.
Who is he? Phantom's eyes narrowed as he scanned the faces of the other warlords seated around him. Someone amongst his ranks was offering him an alliance, and the white haired ghost was determined to uncover his identity. He eyed the panel of Midians before him discretely as he considered each of them, in turn. Like him, Phantom was well aware there were other peers of the realm who had not joined Pariah by choice. But unlike him, the rest of Pariah's court had been enlisted into the Ghost King's services for several hundred years, significantly more in some cases. Time enough for allegiances to change, both in favour of the King and otherwise.
Who amongst Pariah's court would hold such altruistic motives? The General's scowl deepened as he observed those who were present, curiosity tinged with desperation eating away at him. He needed to know. As it was, he was trapped, with no way out of leading Pariah Dark's invasion of the lands surrounding Amity Park. As little difference as fresh allegiances with Dora and this mysterious warlord would make, Phantom refused to run in blind and proceed with the attack without full knowledge of every resource and possibility of an alternative solution at his disposal.
Disobeying the Ghost King did not pay. Pariah lavishly rewarded those in his service that pleased him, and those he disliked were subtly, or in some cases not so subtly disposed of. Why then, would a fellow Midian take such risks in order to gain his allegiance? Fellow Midian? Phantom raised an eyebrow in bitter amusement. It disturbed him- that he had started to think like the others. He was no Midian, whatever Pariah thought. With just over two decades behind him, he was at least twenty times the junior of the youngest present.
"Shall we begin?" the Ghost King's query was purely rhetorical, as he lay his right palm flat against the cool, varnished wood surface, the Ring of Rage meeting the aged table with a sharp clack.
Phantom sought to loosen his taut shoulders as the entire room shifted uncomfortably in near synchronization, refusing to allow his gaze to flicker to the left, even for a moment, to view the Ghost King's hand, adorned with the source of the warlords' mass fear. Not that Pariah would be incapable of slaying them all, even without the ring and crown. It had far more to do with the sheer power that the artifacts symbolised, and the horror of the possible feats that he would be capable of with their aid that the Ghost King utilised with such mastery.
It made the white haired ghost's stomach lurch. He didn't belong here in Pariah's court. He didn't want to belong; he wanted no part in the underhanded dealings and deadly subterfuge amongst ruthless, spoiled warlords who cared for nothing other than the accumulation of power as they vied for the King's favour, in the transparent, gluttonous hope of accumulation of new holdings.
Their degenerate feuds stemmed from the fact that nothing had posed a true threat to the Empire for nearly a thousand years. In their restlessness, the warlords had grown lazy and begun to challenge and sabotage each other for lack of other means of quelling their bloodthirsty urges. The General shook his head as he considered the situation. It didn't help matters that Pariah himself encouraged their disgusting behavior. The white haired ghost fought to keep a growl at the back of his throat. How many innocents had died fuelling his peers' petty ambitions? You're not so different, he reminded himself roughly. How many lives had he himself taken, following Pariah's orders? Even discounting the impending invasion, the body count would only increase with time.
"The plan is simple," Pariah asserted roughly. "So simple that even the incompetent among you will be capable of fulfilling your duties. After all, a complex stratagem is hardly required when dealing with nothing more than human rebels."
The General raised an eyebrow as he regarded his predecessor several seats away. However dire his own circumstances, he could never resist taunting his old rival. To his puzzlement, the Midian merely sneered in reply. Next to the Fright Knight, Prince Aragon wore a similar expression, surveying the white haired ghost as though he was something unpleasant that the draconian Prince had trodden on.
Strange, Phantom hid his irritation well, locking gazes with the former General for several seconds more before he turned his attention back to the Ghost King, just in time to preempt his Liege's subsequent command.
"Explain to them the plan, Lord General," the King gestured at his General expectantly, meeting his eyes.
"With the rise of the next full moon, we shall proceed to invade the land areas on the outskirts of Amity Park," Phantom's voice rang clear and harsh in the stark room with high ceilings. "With no access to the surrounding areas, the rebels will be starved out like rats. It will not be long until they are forced out into the open for us to pick off, one by one," he forced a smirk onto his features.
Out of the corner of his vision, the white haired ghost noticed Frostbite quietly studying his body language, the ice beast's thick, white eyebrows drooping as he observed Phantom. A tide of epiphany swept over the General as he shifted under the other ghost's gaze, biting back the inevitable question on the tip of his tongue. Instead, Phantom raised an eyebrow coolly as the other ghost nodded in greeting, breaking their eye contact as Pariah began to speak. This was not the time to be chasing hunches.
"Does anyone wish to veto General Phantom's plan?" the Ghost King questioned, his mind already moving on to other subjects of interest.
His offhanded query was met with dead silence, as the white haired ghost silently despaired, feeling horribly alone.
"Excellent," Pariah Dark's lips stretched into a feral grin as he leaned back into his high backed burgundy armchair, "on to other matters."
It was then that something inside the Lord General broke, as Phantom bleakly decided that he had already remained in the Empire's service for longer than he could bear. He simply had to get out of here.
-
Author's notes: Whew. Sorry that I held on to this chapter for so long before posting! Hopefully writing faster hasn't led to a significant drop in quality.
Feed back is appreciated, as usual!
Hugs and kisses
Twisted