Chapter XXVI: The Warnings
Within the tall, stone walls of Castle Grayskull, Man-at-Arms treaded carefully, making sure that each step left no side of him unguarded as he made his way through the castle. He knew he was being overly cautious, but he was comfortable with that information. It was better to be too careful, he thought, than not careful enough.
As Duncan treaded carefully on the cool stone of the halls, he sincerely hoped he had been correct in his first assumption, and the Sorceress would not be injured at all. A sudden panicking image shot through his mind of entering her chambers and finding his old friend lifeless and cold on the ground. He shook his head to clear his mind of such images, telling himself that there was no way that could even be a possibility. He ignored the part of him that said he was wrong.
Within the room towards which Duncan was heading, two pairs of eyes locked. The older pair, a light amethyst in color, looked, unwavering, into the other, icy blue/emerald green mix.
Moria froze in her motions, her sensitive ears picking up a disturbance of the silence that surrounded them. Her companion likewise stopped moving, straining her ears to hear whatever it was that was bothering the elder woman.
"What is it?" Teelina asked, unable to hear anything, despite her best efforts.
The elder woman smirked the slightest bit, and smiled gently. "You're the one whose consciousness is fused to the castle's. Why bother asking? You should know very well that someone just opened the Jawbridge."
The redhead closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, connecting her mind to the castle's core. The next moment, her eyes flashed back open. "Man-at-Arms!" she announced in a whisper.
"Yes, I know," Moria replied calmly, caressing the younger woman's face for a moment before rising from the bed. "I doubt it would be in good taste for me to be here when he enters."
Teelina nodded her head to validate the Ancient Dereskian's statement. "I guess you should..." Her voice trailed off, as if she did not really wish for the older woman to depart.
Moria smiled gently, her eyes whirling for a tiny moment. Teelina blinked, and when she had finished doing so, the elder woman was fully dressed and her hair was immaculately brushed.
"Oh, you need to teach me that one," she laughed, her own red hair falling every which way after last night's and this morning's activities. She outwardly showed no worry whatsoever of the ever-increasing nearness of Man- at-Arms.
The elder woman smiled, and placed a pale hand on either side of Teelina's head. Moria kissed her tenderly, both of their eyes closing simultaneously.
Parting from her with a woeful smile, Moria let her hands linger on the soft red tresses a moment longer before slowly fading away.
When at last Teelina opened her eyes, the elder woman had completely gone. She reached up to touch her hair as Moria had just done, and found to her amazement that her turquoise and gold headdress had been placed upon her head. Glancing down, she noticed that the garments of which the headdress was a part of were all adorned on her body. Moria had not forgotten a single piece.
Thus it happened that when at last Man-at-Arms entered her room, he found her alone, with a smile on her face.
...............................
Deep within the bowels of Snake Mountain, Skeletor had finally exhausted his rage on his pathetic underlings. The scorch marks on the floor were still smoldering, even though his outburst had taken place almost twelve hours earlier. He had dismissed his 'warriors' to go and treat the various burnt fur and scratch marks he had inflicted.
Now that he was calm, he let his mind wander to the little tiny thought that had been lurking in the back of his consciousness for a little while. While he had been venting out his anger, where had Moria been? And, more importantly for him, where had her daughter been? He had realized long ago that while Moria's power was indeed something to be desired, he could never feasibly have the strength to wrest it from her. Now, however, he had an advantage over her, for he realized during the attack that the key to Moria Vadorian was her child.
Deciding that he had much more of a chance of defeating his second-in- command than her mother, Skeletor rose from his seat and headed off in the direction of Evil-Lyn's chambers.
....................
Evil-Lyn herself was deep within meditation, having locked herself in her own chambers long before the screams of her fellow underlings had ceased.
She had remained there the entire night, giving no thought whatsoever for food or drink. If her mother did not need them, she rationalized, then she did not either. Lyn had instead spent the full night trying to locate her mother's consciousness, seeking out her mental frequency among all the others on the planet. Evil-Lyn had done this until her body, screaming for the rest it was so used to, had betrayed her and fallen asleep.
The young Dereskian had remained asleep on the floor only a few hours, and then had awoken, immediately chastising herself for allowing her consciousness to succumb to sleep. Simultaneously, she again sent out her mental probe, searching for her mother. As she searched, a part of her mind also reached outwards, watching the goings on within Snake Mountain. She watched out of the corner of her mind as Skeletor finished venting out his anger, and then continued to do so as the respective minions went to their chambers.
Now, as Moria's daughter continued to search, she saw Skeletor rise from his chair and head in the direction of her chambers. She knew why he was coming, and what he wanted.
She did not intend to give him a way to access her mother's power. That right, Lyn believed, belonged only to her. She awakened from her reverie, and rose. Stretching out muscles that had been stationary for far too long, Lyn reached for her helmet and staff. Apparently, Skeletor was counting on being able to defeat her before trying to bribe her mother. Evil-Lyn smirked softly to herself as she folded her hair beneath her helmet. She moved out of her chambers to one of the many empty chambers of Snake Mountain, nodding her head when she got there. It was barren enough for a fight. Resuming her position of meditation, Lyn suppressed a grin. She doubted Skeletor knew just how much she had progressed under Moria's tutelage.
................
Teelina looked up as Duncan entered, a soft smile on her face. She rose from her bed, stifling a laugh as she noticed that Moria had miraculous made it perfectly, the blanket folded neatly over the pillows. Teelina was amazed that this had been done even while she had been sitting on it. She really needs to show me how she does that, Teelina thought to herself, before giving Man-at-Arms her undivided attention. "Man-at-Arms," she welcomed gently. "What brings you here?"
Duncan hesitated for a moment. "I was... concerned that you might have been wounded during the attack yesterday."
"I see," Teelina replied with a hint of brusqueness. "I was, but the wounds have since been remedied." She almost said 'no thanks to you, seeing as you come a full twenty-four hours after the battle to check on my progress,' but she held her tongue. There was no use in being angry, as she had come to the point where she no longer expected much from mortals.
Man-at-Arms nodded, hesitatingly looking at the ground, feeling somewhat guilty for not arriving earlier. A sudden thought struck his mind and he looked up, facing the Sorceress slowly. "From the battle, it looked as if the Dereskian disappeared above the castle. She may still be nearby."
"No. She is gone," Teelina negated without pause, moving to the door as he stared after her.
Duncan eyed her suspiciously, the memory from her behavior at the party coming back to his mind. "What makes you so sure? She was here earlier, correct?"
The redheaded woman turned her head back and nodded. "Yes. She was injured, less severely than I, was knocked unconscious and trapped within these walls. She awoke, healed herself, found me, healed me, and then cast a spell to make me sleep."
"Why would she heal you?" he asked, before then negating that question. "Never mind, her motives are her own. Had she gone when you awoke?" Man-at- Arms asked carefully, a single eyebrow raised in quandary.
The Sorceress thought for a long moment. "No," she finally said. "She was here, and we discussed the past. The reasons and circumstances surrounding the War of Three Days."
"The War of Thr-? Oh, you mean the Dereskian Interference," Duncan corrected absent-mindedly.
Teelina's eyes flashed wildly and she gripped her staff roughly. For the slightest moment, Man-at-Arms was afraid. When she spoke, her tone was harsher than he had ever heard it. "No, I mean 'The War of Three Days.' Calling the ruthless murder of over eight hundred thousand people 'interference' is too kind a euphemism," the Sorceress countered, her voice laced with a type of venom that was the all-too familiar trademark of a certain white-haired woman.
Duncan's breath caught in his throat. "Sorceress..." he began, unsure of what to say or do. "You're... not yourself. You're behaving... oddly.... Like a... a..." he trailed off, not daring to say what was on his mind.
"Like a Dereskian?" she suggested coolly, looking at the top of her staff, finishing his sentence where he could not.
A visible tremor shuddered its way through Man-at-Arm's spine. "Yes," he replied.
Teelina almost told him that her father had been one. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but at the last minute, she decided against it. Sighing roughly, she nodded slowly, turning to look at him. "I know," she said gently, her tone once more her own. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I was more severely injured from the battle than I first thought...." She sat in her bedroom chair as regally as if it were her throne, resting her head on her hand.
Still wearing a wary expression, Man-at-Arms gradually gathered himself together enough to speak. "You said the at Dereskian Queen healed your wounds." Teelina nodded, and Duncan continued on. "Wounds that she herself gave you. Is it possible that she also altered your mind while she as doing so?"
The redhead considered for a long moment. That would certainly explain a lot.... "No," she exhaled finally. "Moria wouldn't do that. It would violate her ethics..." Mentally, her thoughts continued, her inner voice talking as if a third party. No, she would only seduce you slowly, very slowly, but nonetheless effectively. She would twist your thoughts, interfere with your dreams, and provide concrete evidence to prove that you are more similar to her than you ever dreamed. She would kiss you when you didn't want her to, fondle you when you didn't ask her to, and talk when you weren't sure you wanted to listen. But she would only own you completely when you allowed her to. No, she wouldn't alter your mind, because she wanted you to give yourself to her freely, of your own will. You had to make the choice yourself; all she did was provide the incentive...
Though he cringed at the use of her white-haired woman's name, Duncan knew nothing of the inner conversation Teelina was holding with herself. "Are you sure she has one?" he questioned.
The Sorceress was jarred out of her reverie at his words. "What?" she asked. "Yes, I'm certain she does... otherwise what would have stopped her from doing it before?"
Whether Duncan realized the question was not for him or not, he had no answer to give. When it became apparent that nothing else could be said at that time, he took his leave.
The Sorceress remained alone in her room, the first of the uncertainties she had wondered about earlier wandering around in her mind. What did Moria think she was? A toy, a plaything, a way of passing time, or someone she actually had feelings for?
Eventually, she put all her doubts into two simple questions, to which she had no answers. What, if anything, did Moria feel for her? And, more importantly: what did she feel for Moria?
Within the tall, stone walls of Castle Grayskull, Man-at-Arms treaded carefully, making sure that each step left no side of him unguarded as he made his way through the castle. He knew he was being overly cautious, but he was comfortable with that information. It was better to be too careful, he thought, than not careful enough.
As Duncan treaded carefully on the cool stone of the halls, he sincerely hoped he had been correct in his first assumption, and the Sorceress would not be injured at all. A sudden panicking image shot through his mind of entering her chambers and finding his old friend lifeless and cold on the ground. He shook his head to clear his mind of such images, telling himself that there was no way that could even be a possibility. He ignored the part of him that said he was wrong.
Within the room towards which Duncan was heading, two pairs of eyes locked. The older pair, a light amethyst in color, looked, unwavering, into the other, icy blue/emerald green mix.
Moria froze in her motions, her sensitive ears picking up a disturbance of the silence that surrounded them. Her companion likewise stopped moving, straining her ears to hear whatever it was that was bothering the elder woman.
"What is it?" Teelina asked, unable to hear anything, despite her best efforts.
The elder woman smirked the slightest bit, and smiled gently. "You're the one whose consciousness is fused to the castle's. Why bother asking? You should know very well that someone just opened the Jawbridge."
The redhead closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, connecting her mind to the castle's core. The next moment, her eyes flashed back open. "Man-at-Arms!" she announced in a whisper.
"Yes, I know," Moria replied calmly, caressing the younger woman's face for a moment before rising from the bed. "I doubt it would be in good taste for me to be here when he enters."
Teelina nodded her head to validate the Ancient Dereskian's statement. "I guess you should..." Her voice trailed off, as if she did not really wish for the older woman to depart.
Moria smiled gently, her eyes whirling for a tiny moment. Teelina blinked, and when she had finished doing so, the elder woman was fully dressed and her hair was immaculately brushed.
"Oh, you need to teach me that one," she laughed, her own red hair falling every which way after last night's and this morning's activities. She outwardly showed no worry whatsoever of the ever-increasing nearness of Man- at-Arms.
The elder woman smiled, and placed a pale hand on either side of Teelina's head. Moria kissed her tenderly, both of their eyes closing simultaneously.
Parting from her with a woeful smile, Moria let her hands linger on the soft red tresses a moment longer before slowly fading away.
When at last Teelina opened her eyes, the elder woman had completely gone. She reached up to touch her hair as Moria had just done, and found to her amazement that her turquoise and gold headdress had been placed upon her head. Glancing down, she noticed that the garments of which the headdress was a part of were all adorned on her body. Moria had not forgotten a single piece.
Thus it happened that when at last Man-at-Arms entered her room, he found her alone, with a smile on her face.
...............................
Deep within the bowels of Snake Mountain, Skeletor had finally exhausted his rage on his pathetic underlings. The scorch marks on the floor were still smoldering, even though his outburst had taken place almost twelve hours earlier. He had dismissed his 'warriors' to go and treat the various burnt fur and scratch marks he had inflicted.
Now that he was calm, he let his mind wander to the little tiny thought that had been lurking in the back of his consciousness for a little while. While he had been venting out his anger, where had Moria been? And, more importantly for him, where had her daughter been? He had realized long ago that while Moria's power was indeed something to be desired, he could never feasibly have the strength to wrest it from her. Now, however, he had an advantage over her, for he realized during the attack that the key to Moria Vadorian was her child.
Deciding that he had much more of a chance of defeating his second-in- command than her mother, Skeletor rose from his seat and headed off in the direction of Evil-Lyn's chambers.
....................
Evil-Lyn herself was deep within meditation, having locked herself in her own chambers long before the screams of her fellow underlings had ceased.
She had remained there the entire night, giving no thought whatsoever for food or drink. If her mother did not need them, she rationalized, then she did not either. Lyn had instead spent the full night trying to locate her mother's consciousness, seeking out her mental frequency among all the others on the planet. Evil-Lyn had done this until her body, screaming for the rest it was so used to, had betrayed her and fallen asleep.
The young Dereskian had remained asleep on the floor only a few hours, and then had awoken, immediately chastising herself for allowing her consciousness to succumb to sleep. Simultaneously, she again sent out her mental probe, searching for her mother. As she searched, a part of her mind also reached outwards, watching the goings on within Snake Mountain. She watched out of the corner of her mind as Skeletor finished venting out his anger, and then continued to do so as the respective minions went to their chambers.
Now, as Moria's daughter continued to search, she saw Skeletor rise from his chair and head in the direction of her chambers. She knew why he was coming, and what he wanted.
She did not intend to give him a way to access her mother's power. That right, Lyn believed, belonged only to her. She awakened from her reverie, and rose. Stretching out muscles that had been stationary for far too long, Lyn reached for her helmet and staff. Apparently, Skeletor was counting on being able to defeat her before trying to bribe her mother. Evil-Lyn smirked softly to herself as she folded her hair beneath her helmet. She moved out of her chambers to one of the many empty chambers of Snake Mountain, nodding her head when she got there. It was barren enough for a fight. Resuming her position of meditation, Lyn suppressed a grin. She doubted Skeletor knew just how much she had progressed under Moria's tutelage.
................
Teelina looked up as Duncan entered, a soft smile on her face. She rose from her bed, stifling a laugh as she noticed that Moria had miraculous made it perfectly, the blanket folded neatly over the pillows. Teelina was amazed that this had been done even while she had been sitting on it. She really needs to show me how she does that, Teelina thought to herself, before giving Man-at-Arms her undivided attention. "Man-at-Arms," she welcomed gently. "What brings you here?"
Duncan hesitated for a moment. "I was... concerned that you might have been wounded during the attack yesterday."
"I see," Teelina replied with a hint of brusqueness. "I was, but the wounds have since been remedied." She almost said 'no thanks to you, seeing as you come a full twenty-four hours after the battle to check on my progress,' but she held her tongue. There was no use in being angry, as she had come to the point where she no longer expected much from mortals.
Man-at-Arms nodded, hesitatingly looking at the ground, feeling somewhat guilty for not arriving earlier. A sudden thought struck his mind and he looked up, facing the Sorceress slowly. "From the battle, it looked as if the Dereskian disappeared above the castle. She may still be nearby."
"No. She is gone," Teelina negated without pause, moving to the door as he stared after her.
Duncan eyed her suspiciously, the memory from her behavior at the party coming back to his mind. "What makes you so sure? She was here earlier, correct?"
The redheaded woman turned her head back and nodded. "Yes. She was injured, less severely than I, was knocked unconscious and trapped within these walls. She awoke, healed herself, found me, healed me, and then cast a spell to make me sleep."
"Why would she heal you?" he asked, before then negating that question. "Never mind, her motives are her own. Had she gone when you awoke?" Man-at- Arms asked carefully, a single eyebrow raised in quandary.
The Sorceress thought for a long moment. "No," she finally said. "She was here, and we discussed the past. The reasons and circumstances surrounding the War of Three Days."
"The War of Thr-? Oh, you mean the Dereskian Interference," Duncan corrected absent-mindedly.
Teelina's eyes flashed wildly and she gripped her staff roughly. For the slightest moment, Man-at-Arms was afraid. When she spoke, her tone was harsher than he had ever heard it. "No, I mean 'The War of Three Days.' Calling the ruthless murder of over eight hundred thousand people 'interference' is too kind a euphemism," the Sorceress countered, her voice laced with a type of venom that was the all-too familiar trademark of a certain white-haired woman.
Duncan's breath caught in his throat. "Sorceress..." he began, unsure of what to say or do. "You're... not yourself. You're behaving... oddly.... Like a... a..." he trailed off, not daring to say what was on his mind.
"Like a Dereskian?" she suggested coolly, looking at the top of her staff, finishing his sentence where he could not.
A visible tremor shuddered its way through Man-at-Arm's spine. "Yes," he replied.
Teelina almost told him that her father had been one. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but at the last minute, she decided against it. Sighing roughly, she nodded slowly, turning to look at him. "I know," she said gently, her tone once more her own. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I was more severely injured from the battle than I first thought...." She sat in her bedroom chair as regally as if it were her throne, resting her head on her hand.
Still wearing a wary expression, Man-at-Arms gradually gathered himself together enough to speak. "You said the at Dereskian Queen healed your wounds." Teelina nodded, and Duncan continued on. "Wounds that she herself gave you. Is it possible that she also altered your mind while she as doing so?"
The redhead considered for a long moment. That would certainly explain a lot.... "No," she exhaled finally. "Moria wouldn't do that. It would violate her ethics..." Mentally, her thoughts continued, her inner voice talking as if a third party. No, she would only seduce you slowly, very slowly, but nonetheless effectively. She would twist your thoughts, interfere with your dreams, and provide concrete evidence to prove that you are more similar to her than you ever dreamed. She would kiss you when you didn't want her to, fondle you when you didn't ask her to, and talk when you weren't sure you wanted to listen. But she would only own you completely when you allowed her to. No, she wouldn't alter your mind, because she wanted you to give yourself to her freely, of your own will. You had to make the choice yourself; all she did was provide the incentive...
Though he cringed at the use of her white-haired woman's name, Duncan knew nothing of the inner conversation Teelina was holding with herself. "Are you sure she has one?" he questioned.
The Sorceress was jarred out of her reverie at his words. "What?" she asked. "Yes, I'm certain she does... otherwise what would have stopped her from doing it before?"
Whether Duncan realized the question was not for him or not, he had no answer to give. When it became apparent that nothing else could be said at that time, he took his leave.
The Sorceress remained alone in her room, the first of the uncertainties she had wondered about earlier wandering around in her mind. What did Moria think she was? A toy, a plaything, a way of passing time, or someone she actually had feelings for?
Eventually, she put all her doubts into two simple questions, to which she had no answers. What, if anything, did Moria feel for her? And, more importantly: what did she feel for Moria?