The next morning, Asterix woke up early, and rather abruptly since someone was shaking his shoulder. Still sleepy, he distinguished a dark form above him. It took him a while to acknowledge it was Phyllis, fully dressed in black pants and a black long-sleeved vest. Her hair was bound back in a ponytail. It was the same attire in which she had battled Obelix. She looked tense, which made him wake up quite fast.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"I'm not sure…Mesmeron is using mind control I think." Asterix immediately focused, trying to sense the familiar feeling of being controlled, but he felt nothing. "Not on us…" Phyllis said. "But we should go to your druids' house, to see if Manilla senses it too."
Asterix turned to wake Obelix, but Phyllis stopped him. "Let him sleep a bit longer, Mesmeron might just be practicing on the Romans. And Obelix will need his strength soon." It was strange to think Obelix could possibly lack strength, but Asterix said nothing and got ready quickly. When he passed his table on the way out, he could see that Phyllis had written a note for Obelix, telling them where they went.
Meanwhile in Laudanum….
Centurion Tullius felt nervous. He was readying his troops, telling them to check their armor for the third time. They had already formed several attacking formations, and they had moved more organized than he had ever seen them do so. Not one legionnaire walking out of place. They had marched without missing a beat. They were completely ready for their new mission: Test out the strength of a nearby village. A village counting less people than his organized troops counted legionnaires. It was not even a test; theoretically it was a known victory. But his mind was not set on victory. He wanted to know how strong they were.
Somewhere, deep at the back of his mind, he knew this already. Somewhere he knew he had already fought, or at least tried to fight the villagers. But it was true, back then, his legionnaires were different. And it didn't matter either. He would really see what those villagers were made of today. He fidgeted with his sword. A centurion should wish for an easy victory, as few of his minions down as possible. So why this feeling that any outcome would do?
Behind him stood a cloaked old man, ready to accompany them. Tullius was not really aware of him. And the old man was only partly focused on Tullius when the centurion ordered his troops to leave camp. The centurion would do as expected from him. That Mesmeron did not doubt. What did intrigue him were the secrets hidden in the small village they were heading for. Would that magic potion challenge the troops, now guided by someone far more powerful than their centurion? Was it worth the faith Manilla seemed to put in it? If yes, than it would be his to acquire. It would be easy, he had no need for the secret itself, only for the extra power that could lead him to his ultimate goal. And if not, then it would be far, far easier to force the mother of all healers out than it had been before. Without her pupils to support her, it seemed like child's play. But he would not rush. He would make sure there was no possible escape before he made his final strike.
One absence was bothering him, if only slightly. After all, he had felt her shadow on him only a handful of times the past three years. And she had not hindered him even once. Yes, it had been good not to kill that horse. The only difficult thing had been to resist making Phyllis part of his army. No matter how great an addition that she could prove to be. Yes, she would be the perfect tool to get Manilla out of hiding. She could slash her without the old woman even defending herself. But he knew that whatever weapon he would put in her hand might just as well end up in his chest. So he had chosen not to risk it. After all, he held the key to her destruction. He was in perfect control.
"So my dear villagers. It seems you have been quite a pest to old high and mighty Caesar. Let's see how you do when Í am in command."
Cacofonix and Obelix arrived at Vitalstatistix' hut at the same time, to meet respectively their leader and best friend. Vitalstatistix was addressing Phyllis to try and figure out what her worries meant for his villagers. "So, is he attacking us or what? Did he figure out …what we did?"
"You mean does he know Asterix crossed one of his plans? I don't think so, he would be furious, and I would sense that…but as it is, I just feel … curiosity." Phyllis looked quite helpless to Asterix. She knew she was not making much sense, and he had just as hard a time understanding her as his chief. Before she could say anything more, Cacofonix piped up: "They are attacking all right, the Romans are, I saw them moving towards the village."
The sensation going through them was as unfamiliar as fear to a Viking. Normally the village welcomed a roman attack; it held little danger to them. Just enough to make sure you did not go into battle without taking the magic potion. Now, Cacofonix' message was nowhere near the prelude to a feast with boars and beers.
Asterix quickly glanced at Phyllis, who seemed to have frozen up completely. He decided to take matters into his hands. "Well, were they coming from Laudanum? New troops did arrive recently, they tend to attack at least once, and we haven't seen them yet."
"They definitely came from Laudanum." Cacofonix confirmed.
Vitalstatistix was second to recover: "Well, let's go and meet them. We should not give them the chance to reach the village."
"Wait a minute." Manilla sounded quiet but firm. "You cannot rush into this like any other battle. Phyllis, are you sure that…"
Phyllis blew up at the spot: "What do you mean, am I sure? Do you not recognize his powers getting closer? How am I supposed to know what it means? I have been here all the time, just like you."
Getafix stepped in: "You felt curiosity….about what?"
"About the magic potion." It came to Asterix as he thought back to his first encounter with Mesmeron. "That's what he was curious about from the start. He must want to see what it can do against his troops." Phyllis looked positively alarmed now. "If you hold out against him, it's worth taking. Otherwise he'll just get what he was looking for from the very beginning, " she completed Asterix' thoughts.
"Which would be me." Manilla said calmly. "Well, that has not happened before, and it won't happen today. But even if he is just testing, he will try to get some control over you. I can't imagine him letting you trash his new found army without any sort of disruption."
"That's what Phyllis trained us for. But just in case…" Asterix took a swig of potion, raced up to Cacofonix hut and back, and drew out where they would probably meet the troops… "Give us until we pass this point, he said, marking a spot on his improvised map. "Some of Obelix' menhirs that got damaged (-do not ask-how) were left there. If we seem to be in trouble when we pass that point, can you still shield us from the Romans?" Bonny gave a firm nod, and Manilla added a simple 'yes'.
"Okay then we'll be on our way."
"Normally I'd tell you to keep in mind that these Romans are not attacking out of their free will, but…" Manilla was stopped by a furious look from Phyllis. "Do as much damage as you can," she said. "They will not hold back either. But they might be back I you give him the chance."
"Phyllis, if this is nothing but a test to him, he will probably hold back too much for you to get a shot at him. Can you handle staying in the village, protecting it if necessary?" Asterix did not mean it as a rhetoric question. For him, standing back was torture, and he had a feeling that it would be the same for Phyllis.
"Mesmeron will not be there, at least not close to the troops, so I guess I'll have no choice." She was not facing him. Asterix stepped closer, and after some hesitation, put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll make it as hard a test as possible on him. And we'll be back here to evaluate before you know it." It was meant as sort of a joke, but Phyllis met his eyes without the ghost of a smile in them. "Okay," she just whispered.
There was no more time to waste. As the Gauls gathered for magic potion, Phyllis, Bonny and Manilla gathered at Cacofonix hut, the only place high enough to overlook the scene. Phyllis walked up and down a few times and then climbed on the roof of the hut. "The other camps seem quiet," she informed the other women. Bonny gave a wry smile. She knew the main reason for Phyllis changing her position was to get away from them.
As Asterix walked out with the others, he spotted Goliath close to Fulliautomatix' shop. She was not fastened to anything, Phyllis never did, and there was no need…the horse was not about to leave her side anyway. But she was saddled, and that was new. Phyllis usually rode her without a saddle and steered her with her legs. But she had told him once that she did saddle her for long or fast trips, since it did improve her grip on the horses' back, and the reins were easy when she needed to use her legs not to fall off. Obviously her agreement on staying in the village was not unconditional. It didn't matter, he did not expect it to be.
The Romans were close to the village for Asterix taste. They could see them as soon as they passed the gates. They neared the village in unnatural order, with an unfamiliar eagerness. For a short moment he felt the curiosity Phyllis had described, and he wondered if he picked up Mesmerons' powers or he simply deduced the feeling from the way the Romans behaved. But a moment later this sentiment left him and a sudden tiredness invaded his mind and limbs. Which was absurd, since they were walking towards a very tricky battle. He should feel alert. But he didn't. It started to take an effort to keep walking, and he slowed down without noticing. The other Gauls struggled just like him, fighting to keep walking.
Back in the village, Manilla looked up to see Phyllis blinking rapidly, shaking her head a few times. "What are you feeling? Is Mesmeron…"
"He's…making them sleepy," Phyllis said, closing off for the feeling she had allowed to grip her. She had wanted to know so badly she couldn't block it before experiencing it herself. She looked down at Manilla, whose clear eyes were tense. Suddenly she was not so sure Manilla experienced Mesmerons power the way she did herself. Maybe her ability to use them díd weaken her defense.
But she had no time to wonder. She saw that the Gauls were struggling. Sure, they were walking, but had Asterix not said they would attack straight away, allowing as little time for Mesmeron to play tricks on them as possible? She realized with a grunt that she had prepared them to defend against straight orders. And they were ordered to fall asleep, but they would not experience it like that. "They don't recognize this as an order," she said, climbing down, "They feel tired. It is not working like a charm; they would be lying on the ground if they had no defense against his powers. But that doesn't matter; they'll lose if they fight in this state." Her voice rose a little in alarm.
"Clever," Manilla said dryly, but Phyllis saw that her eyes were fixed on the heap of large stones that Asterix had indicated. The Gauls were only twenty meters off.
"They are fighting though," Bonny said. "Asterix is picking up speed…he's shrugging it off. We need to give them enough time." Manilla saw the girls tense, sensed their upcoming argument, but she could not allow herself to focus on it. The Gauls were nearing the broken menhirs. She needed to prepare herself to intervene
"You need to shield them," Phyllis said urgently when they were mere meters away. Manilla was preparing herself, but Bonny's clear voice stopped her "No! They are resisting! They are walking...if we intervene now they will lose all confidence!"
"Are you Mad?" Phyllis yelled. "They are not attacking! Attacking involves running and screaming!"
"Maybe they are just cautious," Manilla said, doubtful. She had witnessed much in her life, but she had always distanced herself from violence. She was inclined to believe Phyllis if she did not think the Gauls were ready to attack.
"Phyllis, trust me, we can afford to let them walk past that mark," Bonny said. "Manilla learnt me how to do this properly now." Phyllis was fuming. "I trusted you before, and paid the price. Asterix asked you to shield them when they passed the mark. He's past it. DO IT!"
"NOT YET!" Bonny yelled back. Phyllis extended her hands, clearly intending to shield them herself, and Manilla grabbed her shoulders to stop her.
"No! Even if Mesmeron is miles away, he'll sense it when you use you powers that much! Give us until the last Gaul has passed the mark, I promise that we will…" She stopped when she noticed the fear in Phyllis' eyes , when she noticed how her words went lost, carrying no meaning to her former student. Phyllis did not simply not want to listen to her; she was not able too. Manilla let go, and Phyllis stormed of, towards Goliath. Fulliautomatix had taken his large hammer to the battlefield, like usual. Phyllis grabbed two smaller ones and raced away on her horse, Bonny's voice barely reaching her as she screamed for her to stop.
The sound of hooves battering the field behind him barely registered in Asterix' mind. He had focused all his will on not giving in to the immense temptation to lie down and close his eyes. He kept walking, passing the landmark he had indicated and realizing that no one intervened. They were resisting the attack, that was true. But how could they fight like this?
They had to turn back, but he couldn't concentrate on that thought. Something else was invading his mind...a pulling sensation. Maybe it was just Mesmerons' eagerness to test their strength. It was not nearly as strong as the impulse to sleep…But it was far more difficult to fight. His mind could tell him meeting the Romans in this shape was bad news, but his entire being resisted turning back. They were Gauls. They were proud and free. They never ran. In any other situation, he could have overcome this, he could have swallowed the pride that could kill them, but now he was using his wits to fight sleep. There was no room to think. There was barely room to register anything. Even though while couldn't focus on the galloping horse behind him, Phyllis screech pierced his mind and removed everything else. She just yelled, forming no words but conveying one clear emotion: unbound rage.
They passed inches from him, Goliaths' flipping tail touching his shoulder as they did. That was the moment when the urge to sleep faded, and he realized with horror that a tiny young woman was racing towards a roman centurion on his horse, armed by a long sword that could pierce her before she could even bring the hammers she carried into play. He knew she would not use her powers, for the small chance that Mesmeron was not physically watching this attack. The small chance to pass unnoticed was apparently worth risking her life over. But he could still save her.
He raced forward, the Centurion raced forward, sword outstretched in Phyllis' direction. The tiniest moment before Asterix could push both horse and rider aside, Phyllis threw the first hammer towards the sword. It hit the blade, and the sword was slung backwards towards the centurion's face, who ducked to avoid it, his head now in perfect position for his tiny opponent to smash the side of it with the second hammer. The man tumbled of his horse, completely knocked out. Goliath and Phyllis made a sharp turn, and she faced Asterix for a moment, before looking back at the legion that was now behind her. The soldiers had stopped. Their faces had lost their determined look, which was replaced by utter confusion. For a moment Asterix thought that this was caused by Phyllis' rather unusual attack, but he saw Phyllis looking back and forth several times with wild eyes, which made him realize that Mesmerons' influence over the soldiers was gone.
"He saw me," she said when he caught up with her.
For a moment her expression was blank, but then her eyes got the dark shade he had seen a few times before. She no longer had to hold back. The Romans behind her were hesitating, some not even aware of where they were in the first place, others realizing they did not want to meet the Gauls in battle and trying to turn back.
Obelix joined them, the others not far behind. "Do not let them get away," Phyllis started urgently, "Do not let them get back to the camp unharmed, or Mesmeron will be back to destroy your village tomorrow or even tonight!" They nodded.
"But you have to go back to the village," Asterix said "Just in case…"
"He will not regain his power over the Romans in just a second, don't worry about the village…Attack! If Mesmeron saw me, maybe he is close enough for me to do the same." She raced off, towards the army, one hand outstretched and apparently urging the legionnaires to move, because they all leapt out of her way.
Asterix did not like to fight a retreating army, but Phyllis had given him proper motivation, and Obelix was even more determined not to let any roman go unbeaten. But apart from that, they were soon engaged in a battle as normal as the hundreds before it. Maybe another group of villagers would have terminated those Romans, taking away their chance to return another day. Before, the magic potion allowed Asterix and his friends not to do so. They could always fight again another day. Today was different, but the knowledge that the Romans were in fact facing the same enemy as them made it impossible. So they fought harshly, but not differently. It was a short battle.
When Asterix looked up again, he saw dark clouds in the distance, where he knew Laudanum was. Phyllis was nowhere to be seen. Vitalstatistix came up to him.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing towards the clouds. "I don't know," Asterix replied. "Maybe Phyllis found Mesmeron." He turned to his leader. "If she did, she needs help." Vitalstatistix nodded grimly: "Well good thing we did not hold back on our sip of potion then. Let us hope it lasts long enough." He gathered the other villagers and they set course for Laudanum.
Around the camp, a strong wind was blowing. Raging was more like it, because tents were flying around, material was shattered everywhere and even the wooden reinforcement of the camp was being torn apart. Asterix and Obelix came near the entrance, Obelix keeping a hand on Asterix' shoulder to steady him. The potion made them almost equal in strength, but not in weight.
The old man that Asterix had seen before was nowhere to be seen. But through the blowing wind, he spotted a small black figure, at the centre of the camp. He looked up at Obelix. "I'm going up to her, can you keep an eye out to see if the Romans are coming back?" Obelix gave him an odd look. They had just beaten the Romans into pulp, it would take longer than this for them to revive. But he caught the meaning behind his words: Look after our friends. Asterix raced through the wind, thrown slightly of course by its force. But when he reached Phyllis, he also reached the centre of the tornado her forces were creating. It was completely still.
Phyllis' eyes were dark. She did not seem to see him, muttering the same thing over and over again. He had to get close to understand her over the chaos created by the wind.
"Show yourself, show yourself, show yourself, show yourself!"
It was no use. He could feel that Mesmeron was not close. Phyllis might be able to sense him better, but he was not near. Mesmeron gave him a nasty sensation that he did not understand, but that was undeniable. Which meant their chance to face him unprepared was gone. He slowly reached out his hand, putting it on her shoulder. She flinched, but when he did not pull back, the wind started to slow down, and a few minutes later, she seemed to regain control. He could not check her eyes, because she refused to look at him. "Let's go home," he said. "We'll just have to fight another day." She went with him, and they marched home in silence. The entire way home, she did not meet his eyes even once.
Reviews are welcome J.