Disclaimer: All characters copyright of Lego. At some point in the future.

Chapter Five: Choices

"Well," said the slinky voice, as its owner leapt to her side, "What have we here?"

"Get away from me," hissed Lariska.

"Now, that is no way to treat me," replied a seemingly offended Triglax. "After all, I did warn you of Conjurer's actions toward your sister. And I did retrieve your… what was it again?"

"Charm of prosperity. But somehow, I doubt you just found it."

Triglax nodded and sat down beside her. "True. I stole it first."

Lariska whipped around and grabbed his throat. "You admit it!"

Triglax looked very carefully at her arm. "To you, maybe. But you are not the one who should punish me, according to your laws."

"And what would you know of law?"

Triglax delicately removed her death-grip from his neck. "I know my way around them. A nice thing to know if you ever get caught." He paused. "And there were those tablets in the chieftain's hut."

"How could you read those? They're sacred!" More and more, Lariska hated this creature.

"Sacred? Well, I suppose your chieftain would want to keep them unseen, but sacred?" Triglax shook his head sadly. "Some beings have no sense of subtlety."

A chill consumed her mind. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. Why fight when you can run? Why destroy something when you can hide it to examine later? Why withhold information when you can deny knowing it in the first place?" Triglax smiled. "And honestly. Those secrets, out in the open…"

"What secrets?"

"No, no, they're too sacred to repeat." Triglax looked at her intently.

Lariska caught herself suddenly. "I won't listen to any more of these lies!" She stood up and stalked away. Triglax paused for a contemplative moment, and then followed her, slinky tail sliding in the soil.

"I thought you might like to know that Conjurer is considering solidifying his relationship with Elurin."

"What?"

"Of course, that would mean taking her with us when we left…"

"You're lying."

Triglax shrugged. "Maybe. The fact is, he knows where this village is now. We all do."

Lariska halted. "We?"

"Me, Conjurer, Ancient, my master." Triglax casually inspected his fingers. "He's got plenty of warriors back at the base."

This was an evil omen, indeed. "Warriors?"

'Yes indeed. Didn't you know? We're a mercenary group. I thought you figured that out." Triglax sighed dramatically. "Oh well. Goes to show the obvious is well hidden…" He walked off without another word.

---

Night. The ever-present dark where dreams and nightmares hunted.

For many days now, true sleep had evaded Lariska. First, it was the Nivwak attack. Then, the arrival of the strangers. Now an army that would invade. She had only rested in fitful bursts.

Now she prowled the village once more, searching for something, some threat that she could strike at. The manifestations of a weary mind and a threatened heart impeded her, but she pushed beyond them. Yet still, they hounded her, hungrily gnawing away at her sanity.

"An army of warriors. There is an army of death coming. I will protect Elurin. I will protect Chedrick. I will protect the chieftain-"

A memory flitted her by. The gold one had asked for a base, but the chieftain had denied it. And now, only now did the threats come out.

"Fool! He has sold us to oblivion!" Lariska turned and headed for the chieftain's hut.

Another thought swam through the treacherous waters. Triglax had mentioned the secrets. Horrible secrets. Triglax was not to be trusted—

He did not deny stealing the charm. He's a truth-teller.

Her pace quickened and her eyes filled with a desperate rage. The monstrosities of the night surrounded her, urging her onwards as she pulled out her daggers. She burst into the hut to find—

"So. He told you, did he?"

There, in all of its glory, stood the Avrahk, bronze armor pitted and warped, but still in their serpentine shape. In his hand, he held the Spear of Shifting, blackened with age but still sharp. His spines rattled quietly as he turned to face her.

She had never truly believed in him, but here he was now.

"But… The chieftain…"

The Avrahk sighed. "Take a seat. This will be hard to explain."

Quietly bewildered, Lariska did as she was told.

"The chieftain's been dead for some time now. This," he shook the spear, "This allowed me to take his place."

"But… how did he die?"

The Avrahk looked as though he was about to something, but remained silent.

A suspicion formed in her mind. "You killed him?" she inquired quietly.

"I do what I need to survive," he replied. "After the Makuta turned, I had to hide somewhere. Nobody knows about this area yet."

"The who?"

"You wouldn't know. I've been shielding the entire tribe from the outside world. That is, until these beings came. And now Triglax knows what I am."

"You killed the chieftain." The voice was level, emotionless.

"On accident! I didn't know who he was!"

"You only care for your golden little hide," Lariska hissed, rising.

"Untrue! I protect the village from the outsiders!"

"They know where we are now. They're sending an army."

"Then we must get to the canyons!" The Avrahk shimmered, melting into the chieftain. "Quickly! Help me wake the villagers!"

"They're all going to die because of you," she replied, as though in a trance. "You've killed them just as you killed the chieftain."

The Avrahk stared at her for a quiet moment. "Please don't do this, Lariska. Elurin needs you. Chedrik needs you."

Lariska tensed. "Maybe they do. But you have put us all out to be sacrificed."

"We can live if we run!"

"No. You have committed an unspeakable crime. And for that, you shall die."

She leapt forward, daggers out. The Avrahk tried to deflect the assault, but nothing, nothing could stop the rage that burned in her heart. He looked down at the two handles poking out of his chest. His form wavered, became its normal one as he dropped the Spear of Shifting.

"No, Lariska. I am not the evil one. You have doomed us all."

With those words, he collapsed, a mere mass of armor. She pulled the daggers out of him. They were strangely bloodless. She rose and turned to leave.

There, in the doorway, stood Chedrik.

"You killed the Avrahk."

"Chedrik, he was a monster, he would have-"

"YOU KILLED THE AVRAHK! TRAITOR!"

Lariska took one last pleading look at his wrathful features and ran.

---

"Lariska, what's going on?"

Elurin ran after her sister, gaining ground as they sprinted over the beach.

"The guards are in a panic! Everyone's afraid! What's happening?"

"Leave me alone!" Lariska snapped.

"But they say you're a traitor! That can't be true! What is going on?" Elurin chased her sister over to the dock.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"But you're a hero! You should defend yourself!"

Lariska whirls and lifted up Elurin by the neck. "I'm no hero!" she growled in rage. "I'm just somebody who managed to fight off a nivwak! That was a once in a lifetime! You need to stop calling me a hero, stop following me, leave me alone…."

Lariska's eyes suddenly cleared. She saw herself choking her sister and holding her over the water. Shocked, she released her grip.

The image of Elruin disappearing into the black waters was burned into her mind.

"What have I become?"

Screams of terror reached her. She looked back at the village. A roaring fire was hungrily consuming each and every hut with wild abandon.

"It was the only way," Ancient stated, coming up behind her. "They would have killed you otherwise."

"My home…" Lariska reached weakly toward the massive bonfire.

"What you see before you can disappear in an instant." Conjurer smiled as he leaned on his staff. "Didn't I say that once?"

"My friends…"

Triglax walked up, holding the blackened Spear of Shifting. "This was the chieftain's disguise thing, right? I think I'll take it, in honor of his memory."

The gloating face was too much. Lariska tackled Triglax and began pummeling his face.

"You! You! You! You!"

Silent tears began to leak, but still her wrath went unabated.

"You! You! You! You!"

Finally, she fell to the ground, sobbing.

"You… You… You… You…"

The one with golden armor put a hand on her shoulder. "Come with us. Live your life as you wish to live it."

"Live?" She sat up, humorless laughter breaking slightly through the tears. "I'm already dead. All I need to do now is stab myself."

"There are others across the wall. Believe me, you will love to meet them. And mayhap you will find life again."

"No. Not after this."

"Then I shall make you a new life."

A new life…

"Fine," said Lariska, standing up and brushing herself off. Her mind locked away all the memories of Chedrik, Elurin, the village…

"I must say, you pack quite a punch," Triglax commented as he delicately maneuvered his facial pistons back into position and stepped onto the vessel.

"Recorder " the golden one ordered, entering the ship, "We were never here. Anything that says otherwise…"

"I understand." The creature replied, as he followed the golden one onto the boat.

"But what do I call you?" Lariska asked. Already, all the others were onboard and waiting.

"You may refer to me as the Shadowed One."

She nodded. The name fit the way she felt perfectly.

Gripping her daggers, she stepped onto the boat…