Man, Anakin is such a jerk in this fic, but he's so fun to write that way. XD
Brink
By: Syntyche
Fourteen: Dead Souls
"Obi-Wan! You're alive!"
It would slowly dawn on Obi-Wan, later, locked within his own mind in a desperate bid to keep the last shreds of his sanity intact, that although there was marked relief in the boy's tone, Anakin Skywalker did not, in fact, look at all happy to see him.
This may have been an illusion created by Obi-Wan's fragmented mind - the Knight would never be sure - but as he knelt at Nagash's feet in a congealing pool of crimson, he watched as a look of fascinated curiosity stole across Anakin's face as the Padawan took in the awesome horror that was the necromancer Nagash - a massive, ten-foot tall skeleton wrapped in warped and blackened armor, lit from within by an eerie green glow that illuminated his empty eye sockets with emerald flames and highlighted the gaps in his crumbling teeth.
Obi-Wan had been horrified by the desiccated, living corpse. Anakin was … curious.
The Knight held his breath between tensely clenched teeth, his warm hand unthinkingly finding the stringy tendons clinging to the necromancer's forearm as he reached for Nagash: the two Jedi were in so, so much danger at this moment that Obi-Wan didn't need to have the Force screaming a warning in his ear to feel it.
"Master," he said softly, "this is just a boy … "
A slow smile cracked Nagash's face, and Obi-Wan felt acid pool in his stomach as he realized this was no misstep, no mistake: this had been the plan all along.
"No, my dear Knight," Nagash rumbled, and Obi-Wan felt the rotting flesh below his hand tighten as the necromancer clenched his gauntleted fist excitedly, felt the first dreadful stirrings of déjà vu as he heard the same words but spoken by another voice that seemed so long ago.
"No, Obi-Wan," Nagash repeatedly softly, for Obi-Wan's horrified ears only:
"This is the boy."
OoOoOoOoOo
Nagash, lord of Nagashizzar, was well aware that the man sunk into the sodden runner by his black warpstone throne was a brave warrior, noble and willing to sacrifice his entire being for justice: the curving scar across his back, the weight of the worlds across his young shoulders, and the tired wariness behind his jaded gaze all spoke for the Knight who preferred to keep his accomplishments to himself, but even before Obi-Wan Kenobi had set foot on Etruria Nagash had heard of the Sith Slayer. The galaxy was vast, but sensational news traveled fast and far, and Nagash was fully aware of both the Jedi and struggling resurgence of the Sith, the desire of both to acquire the warpstone his planet housed, and the ancient prophesy that one of them would soon fulfill.
Nagash hadn't quite believed at first, not truly, that the battered and naked human dragged before him was indeed the Sith Slayer; Kenobi possessed a quiet humility, a solid moral compass, and a selfless bravery that had been buried beneath shell-shocked layers of horrors witnessed on his journey to Nagashizzar. It was because of these qualities, so often admired, that Kenobi wouldn't do at all.
The Jedi had proven to be useful thus far in his own way, yes, and would continue to be so until Nagash decided otherwise, but the prophetic catalyst Nagash had long awaited now stood before him, wide blue eyes rounded in perfect curiosity, hunger for power already burning below the surface of the child's excitement.
An added thrill to the necromancer's dark heart was the shudder of fear that jerked across Kenobi's taut shoulders at the child's arrival. He knew the Knight had been expecting his master, but the time for Qui-Gon Jinn's use had not yet arrived. Anakin Skywalker's time, however, had arrived, and here he was, ready to be used, waiting to be filled with dark energy like an empty vessel.
Nagash dropped skeletal fingers to caress Obi-Wan's neck, bone-white digits sliding easily across dirty skin. He didn't fail to notice the shrewd narrowing of the child's gaze as he watched the scene before him, taking in the enormous warpstone cavern, the jagged throne in the middle of reddened rugs, the man he had once been ordered to show respect to now kneeling submissively near a hulking, twisted mass of grey bones and decaying flesh.
The boy took it all in stride, and to Nagash's delighted gaze, a brief look of scorn flashed across the boy's face as he glanced over the crumpled, filthy Jedi before moving on in his perusal of the room.
"Leave us, little Jedi," Nagash commanded, almost lazily stroking the short strands at the nape of Obi-Wan's neck. Obi-Wan straightened, and turned defiant eyes on the necromancer.
"No," he answered simply. "I will not."
"I will kill you, Obi-Wan," Nagash said softly, "do not try me." A droll wave to encompass the boy standing impatiently a few meters away: "Or perhaps the child? Shall he pay for your refusal?"
Obi-Wan's grey eyes burned defiance and Nagash rumbled delightedly to see the spark still lived in the Jedi despite the black infection mercilessly ravaging his system, weakening and draining him. "I don't think you will," Obi-Wan said quietly. "And I will not leave Anakin alone with you."
"I'll be fine, Obi-Wan," the child spoke up quickly, showing, for the first time, uneasiness at the tension between the two. He seemed unafraid of Nagash - more fascinated than anything - but the idea of harm befalling himself or the Knight did not sit well with him. "You can go."
Obi-Wan's dark gaze shifted to the padawan. "I appreciate your opinion, Anakin," he said dryly, "Thank you." His wary eyes moved back to Nagash calmly, but the necromancer could see the uneasiness for his companion brimming below the surface.
"Indeed," Nagash murmured to the boy, wondrous and clearly in awe of Anakin's boldness. "You have an old and brave soul for one so young." It was a falsehood designed to stroke a vulnerable ego, and Nagash enjoyed a warm shiver of success when he saw pride blossom in the child's eyes.
"Stop it," Obi-Wan muttered gently at his side, and Nagash looked down on him in surprise. "I know what you're doing." The chastising scorn was heavy in the Knight's voice. "And pandering to the ego of a naïve child is beyond reprehensible."
Anakin moved closer defiantly, stepping away from his guards without resistance from them. "I'm not naïve! You're always so jealous, Obi-Wan," he interjected testily. "You'll never admit that I'm stronger than you."
Nagash chuckled delightedly at the unexpected eyeroll from Kenobi; the little Jedi had such spirit! "Yes, that's it," Obi-Wan said wryly. "Couldn't be that I'm concerned for your safety, Anakin." He looked back to Nagash. "I'm not leaving," he repeated darkly.
"So be it," Nagash replied in turn. Where they were gently tangled in the hair at the nape of Obi-Wan's neck, Nagash's fingers tightened on pale skin, cold black energy streaming from them to visibly crawl up the Knight's throat and jawline in a thick, webbing wave, spreading the infection, suffocating the Jedi from within, climbing higher across Obi-Wan's pale cheeks until it wrapped his darkening eyes in a veil of black. Anakin took one hesitant step forward as Obi-Wan choked helplessly, hands he couldn't lift uselessly twitching toward his closing throat, and another step as the Knight collapsed into a shuddering heap at Nagash's feet.
"Your friend is loyal, perhaps to a fault," Nagash said thoughtfully as Anakin knelt by Obi-Wan's spasming body. The boy was clearly unsure what to do, his small face scrunched in worry, but his eyes were locked on the long, curving scar visible across Obi-Wan's bare back. It was a deliciously horrible sight, the necromancer had to agree. He brushed bony fingers against the raised ridge of flesh and Obi-Wan twitched restlessly in his unconsciousness but didn't wake. "But we can now speak privately," Nagash directed at the boy, still distracted by the skin under his fingertips, "which I believe will be beneficial to us both."
"Will he be okay?" Anakin asked, and Nagash was intrigued to discover that he couldn't discern the reason behind the boy's question, the answer the child hoped for. Jealousy shrouded Anakin Skywalker like a cursed mantle, dictating his every step, his every thought with achieving what should be his: a proud and respected Master, a loving mother returned to him, the glory and fame that should rightfully accompany the "Chosen One," a moniker Nagash was unfamiliar with but one that thoroughly saturated Skywalker's motivations and hubris.
Nagash shrugged his huge shoulders by way of reply, a long unused action but one that amused him, utterly uncaring of what the child wanted. All that mattered was that he was firmly in the necromancer's grip now and it was time to move forward. "He has much to do yet," Nagash murmured an affirmative, adding, "He is a great Jedi Knight, and will rise even higher among the Jedi and in the eyes of many admirers."
Another lie designed to provoke the boy, for Nagash had determined that Obi-Wan Kenobi would not leave Etruria. The necromancer smiled as the bright flare of jealousy intensified in the boy's aura; Skywalker relaxed only a fraction after two of Nagash's scraping, slithering servants had gingerly hauled Kenobi's unconscious body out. Obi-Wan's eyes were open, and Anakin shuddered as he looked into their bottomless black depths as the small procession passed.
"I sense that you also are destined to be great," Nagash announced, pulling Skywalker's attention back to himself, "and yet something troubles you, my new friend. What is it?"
There was no hesitation in the boy's prompt reply. "I want my master back," Skywalker muttered quietly. "I want the old Qui-Gon back," he explained sorrowfully. "Not stuffy, boring Qui-Gon. And I want him to see that I'm an even better Padawan than Obi-Wan."
It was the truest desire of Anakin's young heart: he wanted strong, defiant Qui-Gon Jinn back, the Qui-Gon that had left Obi-Wan in Theed to fight the Sith while he came to rescue Anakin after the fighter Anakin was obediently hiding in had - completely by accident - taken off from the hangar. Anakin couldn't have helped that he'd had to do something to save Padmé. It wasn't his fault the autopilot had kicked in. He hadn't been scared. He could have helped. And Qui-Gon came to save him, and that put a warm glow in Anakin's heart.
Anakin had destroyed the blockade ship, but Obi-Wan had defeated the stupid Sith. Obi-Wan became a Jedi hero and Padmé had even given him a place of honor at the parade. Anakin could have been the hero, if only Qui-Gon hadn't jumped in to help. As proud as Anakin had been that Qui-Gon had chosen to save him, he still couldn't help the envy that struggled within him as he quietly watched Obi-Wan stand next to Padmé on the palace steps, watched her smile at him, he'd smiled back … she was so beautiful …
"Then tonight, proud Jedi, you shall have the honor you deserve," Nagash offered grandly. "We shall feast and drink while you regale us with tales of your exploits. Is this acceptable to you, my young friend?"
"Yes," Anakin agreed immediately, his youthful face alight with joy. "Will Obi-Wan make it?" he wondered curiously and Nagash frowned thoughtfully.
"Obi-Wan is weak, and sick. He spends most of his time in the library to rest and read." He smiled, the crumbling mountains of his broken teeth a jagged, pleased line. "But perhaps we could invite Qui-Gon Jinn?"
OoOoOoOoOo
It was dark when Obi-Wan awoke - or at least, that's what he thought until he realized his eyes were just closed. He huffed a little laugh to himself - moron - and gingerly clambered to all fours, pressing his weak arm into his chest as he gained his knees. He sat there swaying for a moment, waiting for his equilibrium to right itself and he noticed absently that his hand, laying loosely in its sling, was veined in black, thick ebony strokes painted down the length of his forearm. His heart thudding in his chest suddenly, a quick glance at his feet and other arm showed that they too were marbled and Obi-Wan's brow furrowed worriedly: this certainly wasn't good.
He needed to find Anakin. The boy had been too curious, too drawn to the necromancer and Obi-Wan knew that the padawan's presence in Nagashizzar was no accident. And there wasn't much ambiguity in Nagash's claim that Anakin was the boy, so Obi-Wan figured he'd better get to it and find the Chosen One as quickly as possible.
After all, it didn't appear that he himself had much time.
OoOoOoOoOo
