Title: Dark Times

Author: Ageless Light

Beta-ed by: Nobody right now! But I'd like one! Please PM me if you are interested.

Characters/Pairing: Zacarias De La Cruz and Ashelia Sole, Amelyn Stormcloud and Dominic Dragonseeker, and Iris Airan and Lojos Jaegar.

Genre: Romance/Fantasy

Summary: The mission to Romania was just the starting point. Now that they have found each other, their stories were just beginning. The next installment to Dark Moments featuring our leading couples!

Rating: T (Contains content suitable for teens and older)

Status: Continuous (Incomplete)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dark Series Universe or any of Christine Feehan's characters. I do own the OC's though. I went to babynames. com for my character names though. A nice reviewer PMed me and told me that the book the original concept of the Ways came from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series. I however, have altered their purpose, make-up, and description to fit my fic. They are very different since I haven't even read the story, but if you like epic fantasy books; I encourage you to check them out.

Spoilers: Up to and including Dark Slayer with pieces from Dark Peril (The most recent novel in Feehan's Dark Series). This is the sequel to Dark Moments and I recommend that you read that first. You can access it through my profile

Created on: July 29, 2010 Edited January 8, 2011.

Word Count: 2,882 (Total: 12,695)

"Talk" – regular talking

Talk- Inner thoughts

"Talk"- Speaking telepathically

A/N: Installments, for lack of a better work, of Dark Times will be chronological, so you can think of this as a loosely structured story. It is in fact going somewhere but since I will be focusing on the different couples it may take a while. Just to be warned the length of these "chapters" will vary. Some will be as long as the chapters for Dark Moments and others will be as short as a drabble.

Chapter Five

Mage Interference

The signs had all been there but for once she wasn't able to put them together in time. It was a mistake only a novice would make. Something she was clearly not. Now she was covered in blood, most of which was her own, and she was positive she was the only surviving member of her team. She was injured, leaving a trail of blood for enemies and predators to follow but she didn't have a choice. After all, the mission still needed to be completed.

Their original mission was to respond to the Jaguar summons and meet with the ruling shifter. The primary objective included discovering if any of the rumors about vampire influence were true. The second objectives focused on not making enemies of the other preternatural race and to continue hiding their presence. Ensuring that it was just a check-up on patrol and for the past month revolving around their brief talks, none of the shifters suspected anything out of the ordinary. This particular meeting involved them speaking directly with their leaders and gave them the opportunity to see deeper into the crisis surrounding the other race.

In a buildup of emotion combined with the physical strain placed upon her body for the last several hours, Tia let out an undignified curse, and the remains of her collected mask fell to pieces. The throbbing sensation from her wounds became unbearable and she decided a brief respite was needed before pushing on so she could pass along all of the information she collected.

(Flashback)

Almost from the first moment she had met with jaguar representatives she knew something was wrong. She could feel it and she wasn't the only one. The feeling worsened the more she ventured into their territory. There were times that she felt sick to her stomach and she couldn't explain it. It was like a slow curling infection. Once she met the leaders at one of their main camps she was able to identify the feeling and she cursed herself for not recognizing it earlier. The sickly sweet smell permeated from everything; the shifters and the land. Everything within sight was slowing being poisoned from the inside. The only answer was that much had been influenced from the vampires.

Unsure of the exact situation they decided to not converse telepathically and instead used brief hand signs to communicate. Quickly they used their unique talents to investigate discreetly.

The team was able to locate and identify three separate energy signatures belonging to vampires. Two of the signatures had the power and venomous nature belonging only to a master. Another monstrous existence was recognized but was unknown by the squad members. Though it was an unknown variable it did not hold her concern for something else caught their attention.

Almost instantly, the willowy ambassador identified the distinguished energy signature of Ruslan Malinov, an enemy of both personal and professional nature for the members of KATT squad 15. Soon the leaders started the discussion focusing on why she had been requested and she had to focus on the matter at hand. The lone Larkspur thought it was enlightening to say the least, for the males tried to ensnare the group with deceit and trickery all while sporting a façade of friendliness.

Tia and the other's knew they were lying because the black energy that engulfed the jaguars would thicken and drenched their souls an even darker shade. And the earth would shudder as it absorbed the energy the other race was giving off. Tainted. Everything was tainted. That putrid smell clinging to everything thickened and it made them want to gag.

No one other than Tia, or Caleb in TGM, could have accomplished the meeting without giving into instinct, reacting defensively and having the jaguars catch on that they were aware of their true activities. With the promise to relay the proper messages and look into the 'group residing in the north that reminded them of vampires and was slowly destroying them' the meeting ended and the KATT squad departed. It wasn't until they were a quarter of the way back being escorted by jaguars in both forms that all got turned on its axis.

It had taken Tia some time to catch on but some of the group escorting her back seemed to be of a different faction than the felines following up in the branches. They had taken a great risk to avoid detection but Tia was able to recognize a pattern to the body movements and the occasional hand twitches. Rebellion, her mind noted and she became even more intrigued. What if they had information about what's been going on? She wondered. They couldn't risk discovery and the opportunity was too great to pass up, so Tia merely nodded that she was aware of them and they would meet later when there would be less of a presence by the infected shifters.

Another group of jaguar shifters were returning from a nearby patrol, so they said, and made a detour to meet up with the Kylierion delegation when even Tia's ever calm was shaken. It isn't possible; she thought but knew she was wrong. A person's senses could be influenced but a person's energy signature couldn't be faked. Within 70 feet and closing was the aura of a mage, one that Tia was familiar with.

"Shit." Travis commented vehemently when she told him she recognized someone associated with The Great Split. "There was no way the jaguars orchestrated this and it could not be a coincidence. This mage was aware of the elements reacting to us and decided to investigate. We just have to stay calm and we can get out of this. Does he recognize you?"

But by then it was too late to respond. Less than thirty feet away was the other group and the male mage definitely recognized her as a Larkspur. While his appearance peaked their curiosity and deepened their suspicions there was no connection or real explanation for his presence. Only a few educated guess, but nothing substantial.

It didn't appear that way to the mage though, because he immediately started weaving magic. The team tried to scatter but the jaguars had them surrounded. Even the rebellion jaguars could not interfere for fear of being discovered so the group of six was on their own. While the squad was prepared for a fight this one had them fighting while being at a disadvantage for several reasons. Most of them had to do with the mage while the jaguars fought them in close quarters. Fighting a person in close quarters was completely different than fighting a large jungle cat up close.

"What do you know about him?" Travis sent along their common mental pathway.

"Nothing."

"Well that's not what he thinks."

"I saw him with my eldest cousin, Tianeka, frequently during the months leading up to the Great Split."

Their focus shifted when one Kylierion had his throat torn out before Travis and Tia completed a strategy for retreat. Since they were outnumbered and so close to each other it was difficult to use some of their more powerful abilities without harming each other.

Therefore, the battle raged on for minutes while the Kylierions nimbly danced out of the way of vicious teeth and fierce claws, while attempting to disrupt the mage's weaving.

Clearly, the mage was the biggest threat but there were so many jaguars protecting him that they had to be dealt with first. The enemy kept trying to force the members apart. It was the simple but effective 'divide and conquer' strategy and Tia tried to make sure the squad didn't fall for it.

The only female of the group caught a jaguar off guard before it could attack and used his momentum against him causing the creature's spine to shatter upon impact of the rock. After that she agilely avoided a swipe of claws before exploding into dust particles and heading towards Orion, her fellow Kylierion. Somewhere in the chaos of the mage's attacks she had lost sight of the other guards. They were nearby and judging by their fluctuating energy signature's they wouldn't survive much longer.

It would only be a matter of time before one of the mage's tricks influenced the air again; making it impossible to sift so Tia did not hesitate as she rescued the other member who was grievously injured.

Two jaguars were dispatched brutally, which she would remember later, before Captain Travis engaged the mage. Splitting his focus he pulled at the minds of the remaining jaguars defending the magical being and froze them momentarily before forcing the mage to go on the defense. As the Captain of his squad, tasked with escorting and guarding Tia, Travis was the next to fall as he bought what was left of his squad some time.

The pair hadn't gotten far when they felt Travis' energy signature abruptly disappear at the same time of the mage's. The explosion rocked the land and the air moved violently separating Tia's other form farther than what was safe, especially with a passenger.

Too much time and energy was consumed reattaching her second form. By then jaguars prowled on the ground and in the trees for them. Night was close to falling and that was when even more dangers would set it, so Tia used all of her power to move as safe and as fast as possible towards an outpost dozens of miles away.

Trained to be a weapon for all of her life, Tia was in her environment. The escape was methodical and she didn't waste energy or disrupt her concentration thinking about her dead comrades, only factoring in the wounds of her passenger and what that left her for options.

Unlike some of the advanced races, the Kylierions did not frequently sacrifice members to achieve their own goals. But when night fell she discovered the presence of a master vampire, the one she didn't recognize and the sizzle of another mage, leaving her future decisions to be from a grey area.

She didn't wonder why they were after them, or try and figure out what they thought she knew, instead she just retreated. Her telepathic abilities were formidable but it would foolish to consume so much energy to send out a call for help on the common path. Even though her bond to her true teammates was deeper, the distance would make contacting them impossible unless she used up every single source of energy she possessed. In both options her full message would not make it.

So she trudged on speeding along the ground or air depending on the situation as dust particles. Tia was not like Ashe, and was comfortable in her other form which she had been able to use for over ten years, ever since she was injured it became harder to control when she wasn't at full strength. About halfway to what she thought was safety the vampire caught up with them. She could have outrun him or led him on a chase, but she wanted every advantage, and the most important one was to choose the field. When she saw her desired battle ground she stopped in the air and layered herself on a nearby tree. The battle was two on two and unless more were heading their way, which meant they had to defeat their enemy quickly. Dozens of scenario's involving their upcoming fight raced through her mind, and the odds were not in their favor.

The mage discharged magic randomly at the different concentrations of the elements, which told her that her newest pursuers did not know which element she could sift with but that she was an elemental. An advantage she decided she would utilize against them when the time was right.

However, the spell used adjusted the vibrations in the matter near her and her only option other than to have her molecules separate, killing her, was to return to her physical form. With one arm wrapped around Orion, their forms coalesced within a cluster of trees.

The only options they had available were bad and worse. The mage was the greater threat but with only her being fully functional that left the vampire unattended. But if she focused on the vampire, whom would be easy to dispatch, it left the mage time to work spells and her partner vulnerable.

At least with the vampire they would be able to use their weapons, primarily projectile ones. Tia groped for her small metal battle fan but then remember it was imbedded in the under belly of a jaguar. The situation was grim but Orion did not even flinch as he removed his .45 Heckler & Koch USP while leaving heavily against a sapling. Tia was focused on her fight but a part of her was always aware of her partner's fight. Orion was able to wound the vampire but once the vampire shifted to mist and dropped down next to him he could not avoid the blow in time. Before the gun was fully removed from his hands a blade was drawn and shoved into the neck of the vampire as he was tossed roughly into the air.

Even though she was a master at long range combat, the mage was easy to take down once she got close enough.

"Sift and we will split up." The gangly blonde disappeared under the brush and sifted as soon as she ordered him. The vampire would have chased after him but turned his attention on her when he could feel the power collect in the air.

"I will play with you first. I like a good chase, so I will come back to him." It was the only thing he said to her that wasn't just snarls. With a calm mind and blood dripping off her body and into the soil she prepared to fight. Out of the cornered of her mind she saw a flash of bright yellow and she knew Orion sifted into sulfur in its crystallized form and his energy signature was reigned in.

The vampire hadn't been as wounded as she thought and in her miscalculations she was speared straight through with a tree branch. The half of a second automatic reaction prior to contact saved her from having a major organ impaled. It was painful but she pushed it out of her mind and started planning out steps ahead of her opponent. The battle continued just between the two of them and once everything was in place she attacked viciously.

Pure, undiluted, lightning shot through the air and struck the master vampire. To call lightning from the sky was one thing, but to manipulate the particles in the air and collect the necessary ingredients, towards the ground was complex and time consuming, but there was a reason she was hailed as a genius and she started re-arranging negative and positive charges while she dispatched the mage.

Before the creature could recover from her attack, she used her bond with the earth and opened a deep chasm. The earth was pure but it would not heal him and she started layering on containment shields that would have made Iris proud. Knowing the monster wasn't dead she turned and ran as fast as her body allowed her. It was too taxing to travel via her other form and maintain the barriers. Even with none of the jaguars nearby she moved on borrowed time. The elements came to her aid in a swarm of displeasure at the injury to one of their own. Crimson blood that dotted the earth was suddenly pulled under, leaving no trace of the path she traveled. Her scent was taken onto the winds and scattered, leaving no clear path for the undead monster to follow.

Orion was still absent, which meant either he had died or his wounds were so severe he was staying in his other form, absorbing the heat from the earth and her core to heal his wounds. Now that she was close enough she called out for help. When they responded she didn't let relief fill her because she knew it would be sometime before they could come to her aid. The master vampire was very skilled and was tearing through her barriers with brute force. If the creature continued to travel via mist once it was free, it would reach her before her the KATT team came to her aid.

(End of Flashback)

Lengthy strands of honey blonde hair slapped aggressively against her face due to the great rush of being airborne from gravity, and Tia absently pushed them away, not caring when they became soaked with blood or stuck in her wounds. The air and earth sped her along and with every step she gained the elements moved defensively behind her doing the best they could to intercept the soon to be coming vampire. Together her intelligent mind and eyes worked as one; taking in the speeding-by surroundings around her with analytical precision as her brain threw out theoretical and practical solutions rapidly.

She needed a plan. One that would ensure her survival and the opportunity to pass along what she learned, the evidence she had collected secretly in her vest, and to report her theories.

The earth shook and seconds later the master vampire burst out of the ground with a roar claiming vengeance.

She needed a plan.

Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts/comments and advice in a review. Your reviews fuel my passion for writing!

Until the next chapter,

~Ageless Light

****Notes/Comments****

1. All of the female Larkspur's have names starting with Ti. Tianeka, Tiffany, Tianna etc. Tianeka is old school latin and it means Joy, and happiness. But I went with the Indonesian meaning which is light. It is pronounced Thai-AE-Nih-Kah.

2- .45 Heckler & Koch USP -is a self-loading semi-automatic pistol. The version Orion was using was the Compact Tactical. An example of who actually uses these powerful weapons would be US Special Forces. (Thanks to Wikipedia for the information.)

3. Lightning- there are several theories formed regarding how lightning is made. They usually fall into two categories theories with water and theories without water. Anyway, lightning forms in the upper atmosphere and the cumulonimbus clouds become charged. The ice in the air is negatively charged but the water in the cloud is positively charged. Which means that the bottom of the cloud is negatively charged (since that's where the water will be released from and come in contact with the ice and the air first). The earth is positively charged and once the electric impulses reach over a certain amount ionization occurs along a specific and narrow path and we see lightning as the negative particles descend to through the air and to the earth. (Well that's what I remember from my bio classes in undergrad and with some quick refreshers from my old textbook, there is your explanation. However, since I still am not sure if everything is 100% right I took out the technical stuff from the chapter. But I hope it was still believable in the fic.