Okay, I won't lie - I DID almost forget to post...but I have 41 minutes until it's Tuesday here, so ha! I win :)


Lara ran down the narrow corridor, unsure of where she was going in the first place. She just hoped that it would lead to a back route to the arena where she could reach Siamak and Emily before it was too late. Whatever Kurtis's plan was, she prayed it would all work out.

She continued to follow the swirling colors and beaming lights until she reached the end of the corridor. The path was blocked off by what appeared to be large boulders and stones. She approached them, peering through the narrow crack to realize she was just outside of the arena where Kurtis had seen Siamak and Emily. Lara took a step back, gazing over the obstacle. Then, she narrowed her eyes, assumed the role of a dutiful, perseverant tomb raider, and shoved all of her strength forward into the blockade. The boulders budged a mere inch. She took another step back, then shoved forward again. The boulders moved another inch. She took another step back, rubbing her shoulder as she felt a bruise forming. Then, she shoved forward again. She repeated the action until the boulders collapsed on the other side.

Lara quickly climbed over the rocks as blood began to seep through her shirt along her shoulder and upper arm. She quickly looked about the room, turning her attention to the balcony in the distance. There was no one around. Where are they? she thought suspiciously. She clenched her fists at her side as if waiting for something to pop out of nowhere like it so often did. She slowly made her way towards the balcony, glimpsing some strange sculpture above with an object protruding from within it. Is that Siamak's sword? she thought, squinting to try to see the object clearly. There was no way to climb up – Siamak must've levitated himself up there if he'd been there in the first place.

If this was a trap, it would get the best of her. Lara knew that she needed to move forward. Just like Garin had always said – never idle too long. She took slow steps forward, preparing to exit through the opposite corridor that led back to the gateway of Lemuria. She would circle the entire realm over and over again if that was what it took to find her daughter.


Kurtis paced around the outside of the gateway, counting over and over in his head as he waited for Karel and Siamak to emerge. Karel had said he was going to draw Siamak out – Kurtis prayed he held through on his end of the bargain. He needed to get rid of Siamak first and foremost. Then, he needed to send Karel to his final resting place.

He gazed down at the powerful Sword of Light in his hand. It was the only defense and offense that he had at the moment. As long as it was in his hands, neither Karel nor Siamak could stop him. They should fear him.

Kurtis saw movement beyond the gateway in the distance. He gripped the sword, preparing for a fight. He watched carefully as he saw himself exiting through the gateway and stepping into reality. Karel, he thought irritably. Karel grinned evilly at him, then shifted back into his true form. "Where is Siamak?" Kurtis demanded.

"He's on his way," Karel said casually, rolling the kinks out of his wrist as if preparing for a fight.

"So what do you plan to do?" Kurtis asked. "You've drawn him out – where do you go from here?"

"That is my concern and mine alone," Karel said, staring forward at the gateway.

Kurtis sighed angrily in his mind. It's going to be my concern when I have to do away with you, he thought. He looked up in time to see further movement beyond the gateway. Kurtis braced himself, but Karel merely stared on. After a few moments, Siamak emerged from beyond the gateway. His face was glazed over with anger. When he saw Karel, however, his expression became of confusion. "How are you alive?" he demanded.

Karel grinned evilly. "Little did you know, when you rejuvenated the sword and destroyed the portal, I became myself once again."

Siamak glared at him evilly. "You knew it, didn't you?" he asked. "You knew it all along!"

"You shouldn't have turned on me, boy," Karel chided.

"You shouldn't have turned on me, Karel," Siamak countered. "I'm going to kill you where you stand, once and for all!"

"Why kill me when he is the one with the Sword of Light?" Karel asked casually, gesturing towards Kurtis. "Why would I want to risk you losing your fun in doing away with the final Montsegur brother? I practically gift-wrapped him for you – he's yours for the taking, standing here before you."

Kurtis's glare of revenge slowly turned to one of nervousness and fear as he watched the Black Angel before him. Just seconds ago, he'd been hell-bent on ridding himself of Karel. Now, Siamak seemed to contemplate over Karel's words as if the two enemies were old lackeys once again. His mouth turned into an evil grin. "How right you are," Siamak agreed. "Fine, then. I'll take care of him."

"The Croft woman and the child are still in Lemuria," Karel said, casually moving towards the gateway. "I'll do away with the both of them."

Siamak hesitated for a moment, then returned to his hateful glare. "She's of no use to me anymore," he muttered, speaking of Emily. "Do whatever you want."

Karel's evil grin fell over his face. Then, he turned towards the gateway, entering inside to tend to his own business.

Kurtis held the sword in a warrior's stance, watching as Siamak slowly descended down the broken cobblestone steps towards him. Siamak's fists glowed with green energy. Let's do what Lara does, Kurtis thought. Bedside talk. "Why do you trust him, Siamak?" he asked calmly. "You know he's just going to turn on you. It's been his plan all along – to use you against the Lux Veritatis so he can rebreed the Nephilim army."

"I trust him because he's not the one threatening me with the Sword of Light," he retorted.

"No one's threatening you yet," Kurtis said. "I'm just defending myself."

"And you should be," Siamak agreed. "After knowing what's coming your way, you should already be running in fear."

Kurtis knew he had nothing to be afraid of. He was the one holding the Sword of Light. One swing of energy Siamak's way and he would be done for. It was just a matter of planning it perfectly. He needed to distract the Black Angel. "Where is Emily?" he asked.

"You should know," he chided. "She ran off with you."

Kurtis hesitated. "It wasn't me," Kurtis argued. "It was Karel."

Siamak appeared concerned for a moment, then returned to his hardened glare. "It doesn't matter anyway," Siamak said. "She turned on me. She's as good as dead in Lemuria anyway. When I power the sword at full capacity, the portal will restore, and anyone inside whose mind isn't strong enough is going to die immediately."

Kurtis's stomach dropped – was he telling the truth? That meant that both Emily and Lara would die! He'd planned for them to stay in Lemuria until he'd done away with Siamak, then have them come back past the gateway so he could trap Karel inside. That didn't seem to be much of an option anymore…

Kurtis was so lost in thought that he barely noticed the bolt of energy coming his way. He quickly dodged it, diving to the side and out of harm's way. He countered the attack, swinging the sword in Siamak's direction as a bolt of energy emitted from the blade. Siamak quickly dodged the attack just as Kurtis had. This wouldn't be difficult to bring Siamak down – it would merely take time and concentration.


Lara continued to move down the corridor until she knew that the gateway was just ahead. She couldn't leave yet. She couldn't go anywhere near the gateway yet. She needed to find Emily. She had to be around here somewhere – unless she'd gone through the gateway…? But why would she? She must've been with Siamak…

Lara stopped in her footsteps, placing her hands on her hips as she glanced around for an alternative. She saw a faint glowing out of the corner of her eye – a glow she hadn't seen before. Lara turned and followed the narrow corridor in the direction of the light. This place is just one big colorful maze, Lara thought with annoyance. She continued forward until she rounded the corner. Her stomach dropped at the same time her heart soared upon the sight of her daughter. "Emily!" she cried.

Lara rushed forward to her daughter as Emily turned to face her. She stopped in her path when she saw that Emily was trapped beyond a celestial, light blue force-field. She gazed over it in confusion. "What is this?" she breathed.

"…Kurtis…trapped me in here," Emily muttered wearily, dissociating from her father by calling him by his name and not the fond 'Dad' she'd so recently adopted.

Lara eyed her in confusion. "What?"

"He…" Tears came to her eyes. "He said I was a mistake. Then he knocked me out and must've trapped me here."

Kurtis has been outside of Lemuria this whole time…Lara thought. She looked up at her daughter. "It was Karel," she said flatly. "He was trying to reach Siamak to draw him beyond the gateway."

Emily looked up at her slowly. "Are you…are you sure?"

"I'm certain," Lara assured her. She eyed her with a look of assurance. "Kurtis…would never say such a thing."

Emily slowly dropped her head. "I guess…"

"Now how do I get you out of here?" she asked quickly.

Emily gazed up at the force field. "I don't know," she admitted. "I only woke up a few minutes ago in here. Karel must've made it."

Lara drew in a deep breath, gazing over the force field. There has to be a way to get past it…she thought. "I have an idea," Emily said quickly. Emily approached the force field and outstretched her hand. Her palm began to glow with pyrokinetic energy. Then, she reached it towards the blue light. Her hand stretched out past the shield, then her arm followed, then the rest of her body. She groaned in pain until she reached the other side, then collapsed to her knees as her skin burned and stung painfully. She knew she could've tried escaping sooner, but something inside of her told her it didn't matter – it was as though she'd lost all motivation to escape.

Lara bent down by her side, gripping her shoulders. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly.

Emily slowly looked up Lara with sadness in her eyes. "I…" she said slowly. "I'm so sorry for what I said, Mom."

Lara searched her eyes, recalling the angry feelings she'd released nights ago. Then Lara released a quiet sigh. "You were right, Emma."

"No I wasn't," she argued. "I never should've said those things to you. I know you love me, and I know you were trying to take care of me. I never really thought…" She dodged Lara's gaze. "I never thought that you missed him more than I ever could."

Lara sighed again, trying to find the right words to say. "I didn't want you to ever see me weak, Emily. I wanted you to think the world of me, to believe I was indestructible. Losing your father was…the hardest thing I'd ever gone through. I didn't want you to have to feel the same pain."

Emily nodded slowly. "I understand now. I just wanted a reason to be angry so I wouldn't feel sad…"

Lara sighed quietly, forcing herself to smile. "It's all past now, love," she assured her. "Let's focus on the present."

Lara and Emily rose to their feet. "Where are we supposed to go now?" Emily asked.

"Kurtis said to wait here," she replied. "I'm not sure why, but we need to keep a watch out for Karel or Siamak, should they try to come back…"

"Are you sure it was…Dad…and not Karel?" she asked timidly.

"Yes," Lara assured her. "I watched Karel depart with my own eyes. Trust me, Emily."

Emily swallowed her fear, then glanced about the cavern they were in. She felt like a sitting duck waiting there for whatever reason Kurtis had instructed them to. She knew they needed to do something. "We can't just wait here," she said nervously. "What if…what if I tried reaching Dad telepathically?"

Lara looked down at her. "Do you know how?"

"I can try," Emily said. She drew in a deep breath, then stepped away from her mother, closing her eyes. She focused hard on the image of her father while praying to God that she would be able to reach him, and that he would be okay. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, then sent her mind forward, trying to reach her father. She'd expected to merely reach out through the telepathic phone lines, but instead, she found her consciousness leaving her body and wandering through the corridor.

Her vision reddened, and then turned to face where she'd been standing. She saw herself standing numbly and absently in the same place she'd been just moments before. Lara was watching her, a look of shock on her face. What the heck is going on? Emily asked herself. She felt like she was in a motion simulator, wearing one of those strange masks they used. She fought to turn her vision away from the scene, then moved down the corridor. This is like some weird first-person video game, she thought. Her sight moved down the corridor and out through the exit until she saw the light of the gateway ahead. Then, she moved past it until she reached the battle scene between her father and Siamak.

Siamak swung his fist towards Kurtis, emitting a large bolt of green energy. Kurtis immediately blocked it and the energy surged through the blade of the Sword of Light. Then, he swung back, sending the energy Siamak's way. She inched her vision closer to the scene ever so slowly. Then, Kurtis turned towards her as if he could see her, his face knitting into confusion. Is everything okay? she wanted to ask him. Then, he was impaled by a bolt of energy and was sent flying into the back wall. Emily gasped in her mind, and the next thing she knew, she'd returned to her body, jerking fiercely backwards until she fell to the ground.

Her vision was blackened for a moment. Then, she shook her head clear to see Lara coming to her side. Emily reached a hand to her head. Immediately, she heard a voice in her head. Didn't know you had Farsee, Em, Kurtis said. Emily's heart soared at the sound of his 'voice'. Farsee? she asked. I was just trying to communicate with you. Mom and I are okay for now. What should we do?

Find a back way out of Lemuria, he instructed quickly. Use your Farsee whenever you can to make sure Karel isn't around.

Is he here? she asked nervously.

He went back in to find you, Kurtis replied. Emily, be careful.

You too, Dad, she said, trying to dissociate from the fear she had for him as he battled the Black Angel. Emily turned towards Lara. "He said to find a back way out so we can avoid Karel," she told her.

"That won't be an option," a voice called.

Emily and Lara jerked their heads in the direction of the voice, already aware that it was Karel coming for them. He slowly stepped into the light of the cavern, his hands casually folded before him as the evil grin over his face widened. Lara protective pushed Emily behind her. A glare crossed her face and her fists balled at her side. "Haven't you had enough of your fun in taking lives?" Lara asked irritably.

"Not yet," Karel argued. "Not only have you and your lover overthrown my schemes time and time again, your beloved daughter has interfered as well. The price must be paid."

"And what price is that?" Lara asked. "Clearly the Black Angel has no desire to befriend you anymore."

"The tenth child was meant to have delivered her powers to the Black Angel in order to resurrect the Nephilim army," he explained, stepping closer. "The Black Angel intended to use her to power his sword and restore Lemuria. Either way, the plans have failed. Now, I see clearly what her purpose is – someone so naïve shouldn't behold such power."

"Oh?" Lara asked dryly. "And who should?"

Karel outstretched his arms. "Yours truly."

"I don't think that even you know what you want, Karel," Lara said. "One minute it is the Nephilim army's resurrection, the next it's my daughter's powers. Make up your bloody mind."

"Oh, I have," he promised, "though this time, it's a bit more personal. Her life is the price to be paid at the expense of my losses on yours and the Lux knights' behalf."

Lara removed her pistols. "I don't think so, Karel."

"And who are you to stop me?" he challenged with an evil grin.

Lara was ready to empty her magazines into his head just to give Emily a chance to escape. She pushed down on the slide release lever of the guns, then aimed the weapons towards Karel's head, glaring into his eyes. Then, she felt a soft hand on the back of her upper arm. "It's alright, Mom," Emily said quietly. "I'll face him."

Lara felt a fleeting instance of sickness in her stomach at the mere sound of her daughter making such a crazy suggestion. "Not a chance in hell," she said flatly.

"It's either I face him, or we both stand here and die," she said. "Let me do this."

"Emily, you can't –"

"Don't try to stop me, Mom," Emily said.

She stepped out from behind her mother to face the evil grin on Karel's face. Lara wasn't about to budge. However, when she attempted to step before Emily again, she shoved her backwards telepathically, then immediately ignited a wall of fire between them. Lara met her daughter's gaze with fear and shock, matching the look in Emily's eyes. She's not ready for such a challenge, Lara thought nervously. She's too overambitious…A voice in the back of her head commented, 'just like you', but she brushed it away. Emily turned away from facing her mother, then faced Karel as the flames grew higher and higher, separating the two of them.

Lara wasn't about to just leave. She would take the long way and sneak up behind Karel. Together, with the help of her daughter, they would put an end to Karel and his madness once and for all.


So what do you guys think? You think Emily can take him on her own, or is she too overzealous? We'll find out next week! Two chapters left!!! =D