Happy New Year, All!! Second-to-last chapter, we're almost done : )
I should prolly preface this chapter by saying this: Guardian does NOT have a happy ending. Its sequel, The Spaces Between, however, does. Well, unless you're a weevil. So, uh, sorry for the crappy start to the new year. -Sheepish grin- Anyway, please don't hate me; things have to get worse before they can get better! Enjoy!
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Owen stood up straighter . "Right then," he said. "Jack Harkness gives his permission: I'm calling on the Goddess—"
NO
It echoed around the wreckage of Torchwood Three. The sun dipped crazily, scattering the light; suddenly the bay plunged into darkness.
"What the hell?" Owen demanded.
"That's not supposed to happen," Jack deduced dryly.
"No," Owen agreed. "No, it's not. Let's try that again, shall we?" He lifted an arm, looking around warily. "I said—"
The sun shot up, dipped again and flashed madly, sending shadows dancing across the wrecked sidewalk. The ground started to shake. Something deep within the crater of the ruined Hub crashed as it fell. Jack staggered and Owen lunged, catching him before he toppled over.
No
Jack Harkness has not fulfilled his end of the bargain
The voice was calm and expressionless, loud enough to echo around the site of Jack's nightmares.
"The bargain was that I keep you lot safe!" Jack shouted to it, steadying Owen when he, too, lost his balance. "You wanted me to get rid of the Nepthalae, and I'm doing it. They won't come back, and I'll find your damn Guardian. I'm doing exactly what you told me to do!"
"You need to wake up," Owen said urgently. The rubble around them was shaking and lifting in the air. Bits of stone hovered, spinning, and Jack had a horrific, sickening flashback of a year that never happened, and monstrous, murderous metal balls that had decimated the population. As Jack and Owen stood, stones whizzed through the air, flying to the center and disappearing into the crater of the Hub, which creaked and groaned. The upturned sidewalk snapped down, and Jack realized with sudden confusion that the place was reconstructing itself, the landscape of his nightmare turning back into the Hub he had loved so well. The pieces of the black monument, a tall pillar that stood above the Hub, were growing from the sidewalk like a tree. Owen shook Jack's shoulder forcefully. "Wake up, now, Jack!"
Jack jolted awake. Red snorted, looking over at him. The horse's breath fogged in the early morning.
"Come on," Jack told the dappled gelding. Red heaved himself to his feet. "Something's about to happen." Jack rose as well and clambered bareback onto his horse, urging him with his feet to go back to camp.
A good mount was priceless, someone had once told him, and they were right. Jack dug his fingers into the dark mane as, bridleless and saddleless, he rode Red back to the dying embers of the campfire.
"Wake up!" Jack called to his friends, who were arranged in two bedrolls around the fire. "You have to wake up, something's—"
There was a sudden crash of thunder in the clear night. The Lioness jerked out of her bedroll and onto her feet, wearing her nightclothes and holding her sword. Daine and Numair also erupted from their blankets, Daine groping for her bow while Numair suddenly radiated power. Kitten, now a deep, fearful magenta, shrieked with everything she had. Daine lunged and clamped her hand around the dragon's muzzle.
The earth shook. "What's going on?" Alanna yelled.
"We have to get the Nepthalae out of their ship!" Jack called urgently. "Quickly!" he urged the panicking Red to turn—
Too late. The two mages, the knight, the dragon and the captain gaped in horror at the lightning that struck the broken down Nepthalae ship, sending hundreds of tiny, deadly bolts shivering across the metal.
Jack shook himself out of it first. "Numair, can you shield them?" he demanded. No more death, Jack thought frantically. They can't all die, they can't!
The mage looked up at Jack, eyes huge. "I—I don't—"
"Try! Dammit, Numair, try!"
Alanna crossed over and took his hand. Violet and black fire glittered around them both, and Numair held out his arm and raised his palm. Kitten put both her paws on the two mages' grasped hands, whistling shrilly against the thunder. Dark and violet power rose in a swirling disk above the ship, and sweat prickled Numair's forehead.
Jack dismounted. "Stay here," he told Red firmly and turned to Daine when the gelding tossed his head in protest. "Make him stay." And then he tore off to the ship at a run, coat flapping at his heels.
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Daine called after Jack, nearly inarticulate with horror, but he did not listen. Red squealed and reared, wind whipping at his dark mane and lightning throwing his rolling eyes in harsh relief. Daine held him, not letting him follow Jack, even though he clearly wanted to.
You have to stay, she cried.
But they'll kill him, they'll hurt him! the gelding shouted loyally, fighting with all his will.
He's immortal, Daine reminded him firmly. You're not. Chills raced down her spine and she turned to her lover, who prepared to battle with the elements. Numair's not immortal either, she thought frantically, terror rising up within her. But what else could they do? The Nepthalae were going to die, and she couldn't use Wild Magic in this kind of battle, not without her friends dying. Thunder roared from behind her.
Red whinnied after his rider and then stood still, hanging his head. He shouldn't hurt, the horse whimpered. He hurts too much.
Daine looked out. Jack was outlined by the light from Numair and Alanna's growing protective shielding, but lightning still crackled around the ship. There was a crash of thunder as lightning ripped through the sky. Daine spun when she saw the bolt of lightning hit the shield with a sharp crack, knowing with a sinking, terrified heart that that was going to wound Numair. She wished she hadn't been right. Daine lunged, catching the mage when he staggered under the effort of the shield, and he panted from the pain of the lightning. Alanna locked her knees, leaning on the both of them and Kitten held on tightly, shrilling. Numair gasped and Kitten's voice hitched in distress, although she kept on singing. A second lightning bolt hit the shield, thunder howling around them. "Magelet," Numair panted, eyes wide and frightened and Mithros bless it, Daine loved him so, "I can't—"
"If you kill yourself," Daine threatened very quietly, terrified, helpless, letting him lean heavily against her.
"You'll—hang me—by—my ankles—in the—deepest well?" Numair gasped, smiling weakly at her. It was something he very often threatened he would do to her, if she got herself hurt. Tears stung her eyes and she looked out to the ship and then back to her lover, utterly at a loss. Wild Magic was useless against the gods, and, for the first time, she cursed it.
"I'll drop you in the deepest pit," she whispered, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice as she hugged him, eyes sliding nervously to her dragon. "That goes for you too, Kit, and you, Ala—" She didn't see the next slice of lightning, but the thunder interrupted her. Numair sagged, wheezing. Alanna had fallen to her knees. Kitten was thrown back, off their joined hands. Daine lunged again, catching her dragon. "Kit!"
A small whistle answered her, and Daine held her close. "You're done," she whispered to the young dragon, frightened when she didn't protest. Another crash echoed around the meadow; Numair sagged again, and Daine supported him with her shoulder. She knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was hopeless. Two mortals could not defend something that the gods wanted gone. It was simply impossible. She looked back at Jack, silhouetted in the night, and silently willed him to hurry. Numair began to tremble in her arms and she turned to him in horror.
"Don't use your life force," Daine hissed, terrified and helpless and hating it, as she saw his face contort with concentration. "Don't you dare, Numair Salmalin."
He wheezed weakly at her. "Magelet—I'll—collapse if I—don't," he panted.
A flash of lightning; a howl of thunder. Alanna made a small keening noise, and Numair became a dead weight in her arms.
"NUMAIR!" Daine screamed, lowering him carefully to the ground. Alanna, barely conscience beside him, tried to heave herself up. She extended her hand; a weak, washed out violet glow, but that was all. Daine rushed over to her.
"Can you—" she whispered, as Alanna's light extinguished. Daine gave a stifled, horrified sob and gasped in relief when Alanna squeezed her arm weakly.
"Drained," the lady knight wheezed, lit up briefly by lightening. She sagged, on the verge of passing out, and the following crash of thunder smothered Daine's reply. Carefully, she helped Alanna lie down next to Numair, so she could watch them both with her mage's head in her lap. She felt his pulse, sobbing again with relief when it fluttered against her fingers, weak but steady. Daine turned her head, feeling helpless, clutching a half-conscience Kitten to her chest. A low, horrified moan escaped from her throat.
The ship was in flames. She heard screaming; the hatch was lowering, but too slowly; it came to a shuddering halt. She watched Jack try to shoot the hinges with his revolver, to no avail; lightning split the sky again, crashing the ship and melting the metal. Huge sparks flung off the ship and she cried out in shock and fear as one stabbed Jack. He was flung in the air, arms flailing, and hit the ground, the sound drowned out by more thunder. Another lightning bolt, and another; the flames licked the ship. Daine tried to get up to help, unsure of what to do but it would be better than standing here, helpless; Red pranced against her hold, but it suddenly felt like a thousand hands were holding her down.
"Let me go!" she screamed, once, and everything went black.
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And you thought the cliffhanger was bad last time!
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