Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Moah or any of its characters
Claimer: I, chop4tess, own this story, its plot and any and all original characters
Another long chapter, I'm starting to get used to longer chapters now.
Chapter 11: Setting things in motion
David had ridden on ahead of the army to the lake where Kage was waiting for him. He wanted to make sure everything was in order before the army arrived. They would need to move quickly if his plan was to succeed. David pulled his sweating horse back from a gallop into a trot and ran his gaze over the large flat flood plain before him. Bright green grass rippled in the wind, the sky was bright blue with a few puffy white clouds drifting lazily across, and the lake itself sparkled under the afternoon sun as if someone had covered its surface with diamonds. It wasn't the view that David was admiring however, it was the huge stone archway that stood tall and proud in front of the lake. David nudged his horse and it cantered to towards the lake and towards a small figure dressed all in black.
"Welcome master." Kage bowed as David pulled his horse to a halt and slid out of the saddle holding the reins in one hand.
"Is everything ready?" David demanded skipping any greeting. Kage smiled and bowed again.
"All is ready master, when will the army arrive?"
"They will arrive this evening. We will open the 'door' first thing tomorrow." David said shortly as he ran his gaze over the stone structure critically. It was created from blocks of light coloured stone locked together to form the archway. It was wide enough for ten men to stand side-by-side comfortably. David couldn't help but congratulate himself on his brilliant plan. The main problem that he was faced with when attacking the demon kingdom was: how could you transport a whole army to the demon kingdom without the demons being aware of it? By sailing across the lake and marching for several days the demon army would have had time to prepare for his arrival and would just wait for the tired troops to come to them. The demons would be full-fed and rested while his troops would be travel weary and tired. So David came up with a plan.
The archway was the key to implementing his plan; the stone was highly conductive and would create a passage between here and to the fields outside the Blood Pledge Castle where the King and his followers sat. David's army would march right through the archway and be transported to Shinmakoku in the blink of an eye. The demons wouldn't know what hit them!
Yet, one problem faced David. Who would open the gate? To do so would require enormous power and there wasn't anyone in his kingdom that had such power. That's when David found out about the humans of 'Shiro Tora' and the power they possessed. The so called 'white tiger' would have plenty of power to open the door to the demon kingdom and still be able to fight afterwards, if what little he could find out about them was true. So David began testing his people, looking for the power under the guise to searching for people with a nasty virus that could cause death. He looked for years but never found the power he was looking for. He thought he might of found it in a middle-aged couple with a little baby girl, but they ran as soon as they heard of his interest in him. The baby vanished and the parents were found dead sometime later, they died to keep the location of their child a secret. Frustrated David called upon the underworld spirits to guide him. That was when he learned of the human Ryan born thousands of years ago and his children.
Twin human children who where secretly hidden within the demon tribes after their birth. The boy was taken in by the Bielefeld tribe and the girl to another tribe. It was the boy who interested David however. He did not have the power of the white tiger but he could control fire, it was said that he was the one who passed down the power over flame to his descendents through the years. The spirits whispered to him that the Maoh was from another world different to their own and that this stranger had conceived a child with the heir to the Bielefeld name. This combination caused the white tiger to be awoken once more, ready to take form on the boy's 16th birthday.
This chance was too good to miss for David. If he had the demon King's first born son he could open the gate. He already had his three riders, although Ashi and Kirai were only two years old at the time, all he needed was enough stone to make the archway and the demon Prince. So David set to work. He taught his riders all they needed to know and used the underworld spirits inside them to bend them to his will. He created their beasts and tamed them. He sent workers to the mine site and told them to dig up the light coloured stone to create his archway. Needless to say, all the workers were killed after they had mined the stone. The stone was shaped and magic was breathed into it. By this time Ryan was already 14 and David knew he couldn't loose anymore time. Once the demons learnt of their Prince's power, he may well be lost to him forever. He knew that the boy could already control fire.
So he put the final stages of his plan into action and 5 months after the Prince's 15th birthday, he sent his riders to capture him and bring him back. Once he had the boy in his hands David had to hold himself back from infusing a spirit into the boy at once. He needed to make sure that the boy had the spirit or all this would have been for nothing. After a few tests it was clear that the boy did indeed have the power he searched for so David allowed to boy to wake up, making sure his memories were wiped clean, while he called an underworld spirit to do his bidding. The lies fed to Ryan were just to keep his quiet until the spirit was ready. There was also the problem of the boy fighting back against the spirit so David needed to make sure he remembered nothing from his past so the spirit could take control better. This was why humans were made into riders when they were a 2 week old embryo. The spirit would merge with them over the course of nine months and the baby would be aware of everything but blindly loyal to the one who created them. The spirit in Ryan however, had taken complete control of Ryan's body leaving his mind locked away deep inside his conscience. David had made sure however, that the boy's powers could still be used. David was jolted out of his thoughts when Kage touched him on the arm. He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Master, I just spoke to Yami and he said he has not had much luck finding the demon kids yet. He said his beast was tired from being out in the sunlight for so long so he is going to let it rest before continuing his search." David nodded as he took in this information. It was true that the beasts could grow weak due to prolonged exposure to sunlight; it was their one weakness that David couldn't find a countermeasure for.
"Is you beast tired as well?" David asked and Kage shook her head her long black hair sweeping across her face as she did so.
"No, he has been hiding in a small cave set into the bank during the daylight hours. Kirai's beast also hid there when it was here."
"Good work." David said with a nod and Kage's face flushed with pleasure and she smiled widely.
"Thank you master, shall I tell Ashi to go ahead with the rest of your plan?" Kage licked her lips and David nodded.
"Yes, tell her to make sure the demon King eats it, one mouthful will be enough. He doesn't need to die, just to be unable to fight back." David smirked and Kage nodded.
"It shall be done master." Kage closed her eyes and David smiled. He could not let the Maoh interfere with his plans. Ashi would put poison into his food that night and by morning he would either be dead or helpless in his bed while David destroyed his kingdom and claimed it as his own.
:-:
It was late afternoon in the town of Moob as Alviss and Elvira paced the confines of the sitting room their faces creased with worry. They knew that one of the riders was looking for them and they knew it was only a matter of time before they were found. Kashikoi was sitting silently at the table staring into nothing.
"We are going to have to leave." Elvira said and Alviss glanced at her. "We can't stay here any longer even if Ryan is still here. We should fly back to Shinmakoku and warn them about the attack. Maybe we could get some soldiers to come back here with us to help find Ryan."
"I don't think Ryan is here anymore anyway." Alviss said rubbing his face with a loud sigh.
"What makes you say that?" Elvira asked and Alviss shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know Elvira, it's just a feeling you know? I think he was taken with the other humans. Either way your right, we need to leave." Alviss and Elvira glanced at Kashikoi who had been silent during this discussion. His eyes were closed as if he was deep in thought. After a moment he opened them again and glanced at the two young adults in front of him. So young to be carrying such a burden, Kashikoi thought to himself sadly.
"It is hard to know if you should run now or wait till later. The rider is weaker in the daylight true, but you can also use the darkness to your advantage. I guess he hasn't found Sliver yet then?" Elvira shook her head and Kashikoi grunted. "Not much of a rider if he can't find a dragon." Alviss felt his lips twitch but he didn't say anything.
"Maybe Sliver is very good at hiding from others." Elvira suggested and Kashikoi inclined his head.
"So when should we leave?" Alviss leaned against the wall and glanced at the open curtains at the window. Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the window lighting the room in a soft yellow glow. It made everything seem so peaceful, it was hard to believe that they were being hunted by evil riders and beasts and that the demon kingdom was about to be destroyed when the sun was shinning like this.
"If you leave now you run the risk of the rider spotting you and chasing you, you might get away you might not. On the other hand you can wait until nightfall and try to sneak out; running the risk again of the rider seeing you and chasing you, he will be stronger at night and is more likely to catch up to you." Kashikoi sat back in his chair and watched as the two children glanced at each other. Alviss's eyes had that intensity in them that told you he was thinking hard even if he was calm on the outside; Elvira was biting her lip as she turned the problem over in her mind. Kashikoi had noticed that Alviss was often willing to let Elvira make the decisions yet he also gave his honest opinion which Elvira took into account. They made a good team.
"How long would it take to fly to the lake on Sliver?" Alviss asked and Elvira held up a hand as she closed her eyes to mentally talk with Sliver. After a short pause she opened her eyes.
"Sliver said she could get us there in about ten hours, less if the wind is right and we don't meet any obstructions." Alviss nodded and glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Well its 7.20pm now, if we left now we would get there around 6 in the morning. That means we would be spending most of the journey in darkness. Why don't we leave at first light tomorrow? We would then spend most of the journey in light which weakens the rider; also I would have thought he would be tired after searching all day and night for us." Elvira paused then smiled and ran across the room to throw her arms around Alviss's neck much to his surprise.
"Alviss, you are a genius." Elvira smiled and Alviss blinked.
"I am?"
"Yes, that is a great plan, we can leave first thing and get away and fly straight to Shinmakoku. That would take a bit longer but it could be done. We would arrive in the late afternoon the day after tomorrow, plenty of time to warn everyone about the attack. The humans have to cross the lake on ships, we can fly overhead." Elvira was getting excited now and Kashikoi stepped in.
"That is a good plan but I would avoid being seen by the humans. David will be leading them I am sure of it and he will send his other riders after you. These riders will be more rested and you will be outnumbered."
"Good point, ok we leave in the morning, I will go and talk to Sliver about it," Elvira paused, "Um Kashikoi, I need to know where we are so I can tell Sliver to meet us here."
"Ah, of course, come with me." Kashikoi got up and walked through the dinning room to the hallway beckoning Alviss and Elvira. They followed him down the dimly lit hallway and took a left turn and saw a large front door. Kashikoi opened the door and motioned Alviss and Elvira to wait. Kashikoi turned in a full circle looking around and watching the sky. Alviss held his breath, if they were seen by the rider now everything would be ruined. Kashikoi glanced at them and nodded with a smile. The two crept out of the house glancing around half-expecting a rider to burst out of the bushes.
Kashikoi's house was a single story house made of dark wood with a green roof. They seemed to be on the very outskirts of the town, they where surrounded by tall trees and thick vegetation yet Alviss could hear the sounds of the town when the wind blew towards them rushing through the trees. Alviss could also hear the sound of a small river nearby but he couldn't see it. A narrow track led into the forest and disappeared around a bend. A dark coloured horse chomped grass happily in a small paddock adjacent to the house flicking its tail at the flies.
"Nice place." Elvira whispered.
"Why are you whispering?" Alviss asked his voice low, Elvira blushed and coughed.
"You're whispering too you know!" She hissed back and Alviss laughed in embarrassment. Kashikoi chuckled but Alviss could tell he was still on high alert.
"This forest is on the outskirts of the town and it is called the whispering forest. Listen carefully now, when the wind blows through the trees could you swear they are talking to each other." Elvira and Alviss shivered as the wind blew and the trees did indeed sound like they were whispering secrets to each other.
"As long as they don't whisper where we are to the rider I don't care." Alviss muttered. Elvira was turning in a slow circle taking everything in. Alviss guessed she was making a picture for Sliver as to where they were. Alviss glanced around himself and felt a shiver work its way down his spine. He turned but couldn't see anyone. The trees whispered to each other and suddenly it seemed too loud to Alviss, like they were shouting at him trying to tell him something. The crashing sound grew like a massive wave bearing down on him and just when Alviss didn't think he could take anymore Elvira spoke and the sound vanished, slipping back to its secret whispering.
"Ok I have enough now, we can go back inside." Elvira nodded at Kashikoi and walked into the house and Alviss shook himself before he followed her inside, he still felt like he was being watched. It's just your imagination, Alviss scolded himself as he entered the house Kashikoi following him and shutting the heavy wooden door behind him. None of them saw the shadow detach itself from the others and drift away into the forest.
:-:
Yuri sat at his new desk finishing his work for the evening. The sun had sunk below the horizon and the grounds were a blaze of light from all the torches lit to protect its occupants. All this was hidden from Yuri however, as he had no window in his new study. It had only been four days but Yuri missed his old study already. The large window let in plenty of natural light and it was good for staring out of when he was bored. Yuri sighed and pushed his finished paperwork to the left of his desk and stared mournfully at the pile he still had to get through tomorrow. Kings in the drama programmes he watched back home never had to do this sort of thing.
Yuri rolled his shoulders, his back sore from leaning over the desk for hours without a break. Yuri was trying to push himself to do all his paperwork in small amounts of time so he could spend more time with Wolfram. Wolfram was almost five weeks along now although it didn't show. His stomach was still flat and smooth and if you didn't know he was pregnant you wouldn't be able to guess so. Yuri stood up and opened his study door, the two guards standing to attention and following Yuri down the hallway as Yuri walked to his room. Yuri had already gotten used to their presence and he barely noticed them anymore. Yuri noticed two of Wolfram's personal guards outside their room and smiled.
The guards saluted and Yuri nodded at them before opening the door to see Wolf bending over something at the foot of the bed. He didn't hear the door open and Yuri glanced at the guard placing a finger on his lips. The guard's lips twitched as he nodded and Yuri closed the door silently and tip-toed over to Wolfram who still hadn't noticed anything. Just as Wolfram straightened up Yuri pounced.
"Aahh!" Wolfram yelped and twisted around to see who his attacker was. "Yuri, you idiot what do you think you were doing sneaking up on me like that?" Wolfram scowled and Yuri laughed before kissing him on the lips. Yuri smirked as he felt Wolfram's anger drain away and Wolfram returned the kiss their tongues tangling together in a fiery dance. Yuri pulled away when the need to breath became too much and smiled at Wolfram's bright eyes and red cheeks. "Don't think you've been forgiven." Wolfram panted out.
"Of course not love," Yuri said and kissed Wolfram's nose, "What where you doing anyway?" Yuri looked over Wolfram's shoulder to see a wooden crib at the foot of the bed. Yuri recognised it at once.
"I thought, you know, we should…" Wolfram trailed off and Yuri hugged him around the waist and kissed his neck.
"It's ok Wolf." Yuri whispered. Wolfram nodded and turned around so he was facing Yuri.
"I had one of my guards bring it up from the cellar, the blankets need washing but I think the crib is ok. It seems to have lasted well." Wolfram glanced at the crib and Yuri smiled softly.
"Well if it was good enough for our first son I see no reason why our second would complain." Wolfram smiled slightly and reached between himself and Yuri to touch his stomach. Yuri laid his hand over the top and Wolfram glanced up to meet Yuri's eyes in which he saw so many emotions he thought he would be lost in them forever. Yuri leaned forward to kiss Wolfram again, Wolfram raising his head to meet the kiss, when a loud knock on the door interrupted them.
"Your majesties, it is Lord Weller." One of the guards called through the wood. Wolfram sighed and laid his head and Yuri's shoulder. Turing so he could see the door, Yuri wrapped both arms around Wolfram.
"Let him in!" Yuri called and the door opened to reveal his brother-in-law. Conrad smiled at the sight of Yuri holding his little brother so tenderly in his arms. It was nice that Yuri had stopped blushing and stammering whenever he and Wolfram showed affection in public. Yuri was comfortable to be around Wolfram and show the whole world how much he loved his husband.
"Forgive me for interrupting." Conrad smiled with a small bow and Yuri waved a hand.
"It doesn't matter Conrad, what did you want?"
"Dinner is almost ready and the others are waiting for you to arrive before the meal is served."
"Ok I will be right there." Yuri detached himself from Wolfram and standing back. Conrad saw the crib but made no comment. "Are you coming Wolf?" Yuri asked and Wolfram shook his head.
"You go on ahead, my guards will wait for me, I'll be there in a second." Yuri guessed Wolfram wanted to put the crib away so he kissed him lightly on the lips.
"OK Wolf, I will see you down there then." Wolfram nodded and Yuri and Conrad left with Yuri's guards, Wolfram's waiting for their commander.
:-:
In the kitchen a tall slim girl with jet black hair tied up in a bun and strong green eyes wearing a maid's outfit, walked towards where the food for the Maoh was being prepared. Ashi knew that not anyone would be allowed to handle the Maoh's food so she hovered in the background waiting for her chance. Hidden in her apron was a small bottle of clear fluid. It was a deadly poison with no colour, taste or smell. If ingested it would cause instant death. Ashi narrowed her eyes trying to tell which one was the Maoh's. It didn't really matter if she poisoned the whole lot of them but her master wanted the Maoh out of the way. The others would just be an added bonus.
"What are you doing?" A voice demanded and Ashi jumped and turned to see a girl wearing a green maid's outfit with short red hair and brown eyes.
"I was um…" Ashi hesitated, "I was waiting for the food to be ready so I could bring it out to serve his highness the Maoh." The girl frowned.
"That's my job, who are you anyway? I don't think I've seen you before." Ashi cursed glancing back at the plates hoping they wouldn't disappear while this annoying maid was wasting her time. "Well?"
"I only arrived here today miss, I have never seen the Maoh before and I just wanted to have the honour of serving him." Ashi lowered her head, trying to look meek.
"Hmm, ok but you can't serve the Maoh alright? Only maids who have been here a long time can do that." The girl puffed her chest up when she sad this and Ashi held back the urge to slap her.
"Ok, could you help me then, I want to be kept busy you see."
"Fine, you can clean the floors." Ashi just about stopped herself from curling her lip, fat chance.
"Right, where is the mop?" The maid gave a groan and turned beckoning Ashi with a small smile.
"This way newbie," The maid laughed and began walking. Ashi followed her glancing around; no one was looking in their direction. "Ok this is where -" The maid never finished her sentence. Ashi raised her hand and brought it crashing down on the back of the maid's neck knocking her out cold. Ashi dragged her into the storeroom and shut the door with a smirk. How about you clean the floor missy?
:-:
Yuri smiled at his family sitting around the large round table. Josak sat nearest the door with Seth next to him and Joey next to his brother with an empty seat next to him which Yuri guessed was Conrad's. Gwendal was talking to Gunter with his ever-present scowl on his face; Gunter sat next to him with Honey on his right and Gisela sitting next to her sister. They all looked up and smiled as Yuri entered the room.
"Good evening Yuri," Josak smiled, Gwendal grunted and Gunter waved happily.
"Good evening Yuri." Honey smiled and Gisela smiled as well.
"Hi Uncle Yuri!" Conrad's twins shouted in unison making Yuri smile. Joey and Seth could always make him smile with their forward behaviour and bright mischievous smiles.
"Hi everyone, sorry to keep you waiting, I was finishing some paperwork." Yuri sat down next to Gisela and Conrad moved to his own seat next to Joey ruffling his sons' hair as he went past. "Wolfram will be joining us soon but he said to start without him." Gwendal turned and nodded at a maid who bowed and disappeared into the kitchen.
:-:
Ashi hurried to the plates and undid the cork holding the poison inside the bottle just as a maid walked up to her and frowned.
"Who are you?" Ashi bit back a groan.
"I'm the new girl; the other girl said she wasn't feeling well so I said I would take out the evening meal for her." Ashi said, the other maid frowned then shrugged.
"Fine whatever, they are ready to be served now anyway. The Maoh is given his food first then you work clockwise from there. Everyone has the same food to start with." The maid walked off in a swirl of skirts and Ashi smirked. Once the maid was out of sight Ashi glanced around then poured the contents of the bottle over one of the plates closest to the edge. Ashi hurriedly shoved the bottle away and picked up the tray. She pushed open the door and walked out into the Maoh's personal dining room where he ate with his family.
Ashi ignored the chatter and stepped around the table to the Maoh and bowed before placing the poisoned food in front of him. As the maid had said, Ashi then placed the other plates clockwise from the Maoh. Conrad glanced at her and frowned.
"You must be new; I don't think I've seen you before." Ashi almost dropped the tray.
"Oh Sir, yes I am, I…" Ashi pretended to blush as she hurried to give out the other plates but all eyes were on her now.
"I don't remember going over any new maid applications," Gunter said rubbing his chin as Ashi placed a pate in front of him.
"Maybe your Lordship missed it since you had so much work to do." Ashi said making her voice high and girly trying not to choke on it.
"That is possible but unlikely." Gunter said making Ashi hold back a shiver. If they found out what she was up to…
"Come on guys leave her alone, she looks a little scared." Yuri smiled at her and Ashi ducked her head so he wouldn't see the hate in her eyes. What a pathetic King, he's helping me kill him.
"Y-yes great Maoh, please excuse me." Ashi almost threw the last plate down before taking off back into the kitchen leaving them shocked.
"What a strange girl." Gunter commented and Gwendal snorted. Josak and Conrad exchanged looks, frown lines deep in their faces.
:-:
Ashi almost laughed, she did it! But, Ashi put the tray down and took a deep breath; the task wasn't over till the Maoh dropped dead. Ashi crept back to the door and watched as the family began talking again. The orange haired one and the brown haired one seemed worried and Ashi cursed under her breath. Do they know? Ashi balled her hands into fists as the Maoh raised his fork to his mouth. Almost there, just eat it you idiot and I can get out of these stupid clothes! Yuri opened his mouth and was just about to bite down when the door opened making him look up. Ashi held in a scream as the King's husband walked in and was greeted by all sitting at the table. For a moment Yuri talked with his husband, who sat beside him, his food forgotten and Ashi fidgeted from one foot to the other. Yuri raised his fork again nodding at something his pretty blond husband said then bit down. Ashi watched holding her breath as he chewed and swallowed.
:-:
Kashikoi added the last item to the large canvas bag and handed it to Alviss who took it with a smile.
"Are you sure you don't mind us taking all this food?" Alviss asked and the old man shook his head.
"No its fine boy, you will need to eat at times and this will help save time." Alviss nodded and sighed running a hand through his hair. "What is it boy?"
"I hope Ryan isn't in the castle anymore, I would feel like I was abandoning him by coming all this way just to leave again."
"What does your heart say?" Alviss paused then shook his head.
"Whenever I think about Ryan it beats so loud I can't make out what its trying to say."
"Ah, yes love can do that." Alviss's face went bright red and Kashikoi chuckled with amusement. "There are things even these old eyes can see." Kashikoi smiled gently and Alviss glanced out the window.
"I think I love him, but I don't think he feels the same way about me." Kashikoi tilted his head to one side.
"Why is that? Does he like girls?"
"I don't know, Ryan hasn't had a girlfriend, or boyfriend, for as long as I've known him and I've know him all his life. My feelings only really came about two years ago, but he acts the same around me as he used to." Kashikoi rubbed his chin as Alviss continued to stare out the window as if he could see Ryan standing there.
"Have you ever had a girl or boyfriend?" Alviss turned back to Kashikoi and nodded,
"A girlfriend but we broke up almost 6 months ago now. We just didn't hit it off. She liked me but my head was too full of Ryan to really love her back and it made me feel bad." Alviss ran a hand through his hair again and Kashikoi nodded.
"Did Ryan get jealous while you were dating this girl?" Alviss blinked then tilted his head as if he had never really thought about that before.
"Um, yeah a bit, I just thought it was because I was spending time with her and not with him, you know, in a friend kinda way." Kashikoi smiled and Alviss shook his head. "That does not mean that Ryan likes me."
"Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't." Alviss rolled his eyes and Kashikoi laughed. Suddenly there was a huge crash making Kashikoi and Alviss jump violently. "What…?" Kashikoi began as there was another crash followed by the sound of tearing wood. Elvira ran into the kitchen her face pale.
"Something's trying to break down the front door! Well, when I say trying what I mean is its succeeding." Elvira glanced over her shoulder as there was the sound of groaning wood making the hair on Alviss's neck stand on end.
"Go in to the secret room, close the door behind you. There is a door set into the far wall, it leads outside. Contact Sliver and get out of here." Kashikoi's voice was calm as he faced the hallway.
"But -" Elvira began to be cut off with a look from Kashikoi.
"You need to save your friend and country, I wish you luck and believe that you will succeed in your mission." Kashikoi grasped Elvira's hands and looked deep into her eyes. "Take the swords I gave you with you, they will protect you. Remember this; the swords were created to protect not to kill, now go!" The door finally gave way with a crash as Alviss and Elvira ran to the hidden room and opened the door. As the door closed Alviss glanced back to see Kashikoi sit down at the table as if expecting dinner guests. Alviss couldn't help but feel that this would be the last time he saw the old man. I never even thanked him for everything he's done, Alviss thought as the door closed with a soft click.
"Alviss!" Elvira hissed. Alviss turned and hurried silently to the door she was holding open. Her new swords were sheathed at her sides in new leather sheaths attached to her waist by a leather belt threaded through her trousers. The sliver handles flashed in the moonlight the blue stones winking. Alviss quietly shut the door behind him and followed Elvira into the forest.
:-:
Yami grunted as he finally finished kicking the strong wooden door down and stepped through into the reception. Here he paused and listened carefully. He could hear people moving to his right. The sounds stopped suddenly and Yami stepped slowly into what looked like a kitchen. An old man sat calmly at the table his hands folded neatly.
"Ah young people today," The old man said looking at Yami under his bushy eyebrows, "They have no manners at all. Did your mother not teach you to knock before entering someone's house?" Yami said nothing, he gazed around but couldn't see the demon kids he was chasing, and he couldn't hear them breathing either.
"Where are they?"
"Now who would that be? I live alone, ask anyone in town they know me." Kashikoi leaned back in his chair as Yami stared at him.
"You lie, I do not want to hurt you old man. You are not my target. Tell me where the kids are." Kashikoi frowned and shook his head.
"I cannot tell you where something is if it does not exist can I?" Yami held in a sigh, he really didn't want to hurt the old man.
"Tell me."
"I cannot." Yami looked at the old man and knew it to be true. Kashikoi would not tell him anything.
"Very well," Yami withdrew a long wicked looking knife and walked towards Kashikoi in smooth measured steps. Kashikoi didn't blink or try to run when Yami stepped in front of him and raised the knife. Alviss, Elvira, I know you will succeed. Kashikoi thought as the knife came down.
:-:
Alviss and Elvira ran through the forest as fast as they could. Their breath misted in the cold air and their feet pounded over the hard ground. Alviss leapt over a tree root and ducked an over-hanging branch as he followed Elvira through the dark forest. It was almost impossible to see and they kept lunging left and right as tree branches suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Do you know where we are going?" Alviss panted and Elvira ducked under a branch and nodded.
"Less talking more running." Alviss would have laughed if he had the breath to spare. Instead he focused on keeping up with Elvira and not getting himself knocked out on a branch, he only hoped that Kashikoi was alright. There was a horrible screech from behind them making Alviss's blood run cold. Elvira gave a start then shook herself and kept running, faster than before. They burst out into a clearing bending over to catch their breath. The cold air seared their lungs making their eyes water, Alviss brushed away the moisture in anger.
"What now?" He panted out and Elvira glanced up biting her lip one hand on one of her swords.
"Sliver will be here." Alviss grunted and looked over his shoulder just as the horrible screech sounded again making Alviss's flesh creep.
"What is that?"
"I don't know, and I hope to never find out." Elvira muttered raising her head again to check the clear starry sky for any dragon-like shapes. The screech sounded again even closer and Alviss reached for his left hip only to clutch air. Alviss glanced down then cursed making Elvira glance at him. "What is it?"
"I forgot my damn sword! It's back at the house!"
"It's too late for that." Elvira pointed and Alviss saw a light coloured shape rushing towards them skimming low over the trees. Alviss cursed his own stupidity and glanced around wondering where he could get a sword; his power over water wouldn't be very effective in the human kingdom. As Sliver landed in a rush of wind which almost knocked them over, Alviss turned around and ran a string of curses through his mind, if only swords grew on trees, Alviss thought to himself just as a black shape leapt out of the forest and threw itself at him.
Alviss reacted before he even saw what was attacking him; he threw himself to the right towards Elvira and Sliver feeling the shape rush over his head. Something tore the back of his shirt and Alviss twisted around to see his shirt torn open and a light scratch on his back across his shoulder blades. Alviss whistled and jumped back onto his feet, if the creature could rip open your clothes by just catching you with its claws, then Alviss didn't want to know what it could do once it got a hold of someone. The creature skidded to a halt and turned around and Alviss sucked in a breath, this had to be one of the Night Crawlers that Kashikoi mentioned.
Its skin was a deep black and looked scaly but smooth like snake skin. Burning red eyes were fixed on them glowing with hatred and malice. The creature snarled showing a row of razor sharp teeth, its hooked claws slicing the soil under its feet. A pair of leathery black wings were tucked into its side and a long tail whipped back and forth like an angry cat's. The creature itself was pretty big, easily taller than Alviss and much more deadly. It gave another horrible screech and jumped forward only to be thrown back by Sliver who roared in anger making the very ground shake and the trees shiver.
'Dragon killer! Egg breaker! Foul beast!' Alviss had to resist clapping his hands over his ears as Sliver's mental voice filled his head, anger and hatred pouring out of it. Sliver snarled and lashed out at the Night Crawler making the beast jump back screeching. It seemed afraid of the big dragon and Alviss didn't blame it, he was afraid of Sliver at this particular moment as well. The beast jumped forward and tried to bite Sliver, Sliver dodged the attack almost stepping on Alviss as she did so. Alviss yelped and rolled to the side to avoid her tail. Sliver snarled and reared up on her hind legs, the beast jumped forward towards her unprotected stomach and Sliver came down on it with a roar cutting into its skin with her sharp claws. The beast screamed and bit down hard on Sliver's leg making her roar in pain and release the beast. Sliver backed away snapping at the beast which opened its wings and took off into the air with a 'whoosh' and flew back towards the house.
"Sliver, are you ok?" Elvira asked and Sliver nodded her gaze fixed on the sky. "We need to leave, now." Elvira was panting, her eyes wide and her face pale. She had a cut on her left cheek but Alviss didn't know where it had come from. Sliver snarled at the sky as if she wanted to chase after the Night Crawler but she didn't. Alviss and Elvira climbed up her leg and sat on her back were her neck and shoulder met.
"Sliver, do you know those things?" Alviss asked as Sliver spread her wings ready for take off. Sliver crouched and leapt into the air her wings coming down making a noise like a thunderclap as she soared into the air gracefully.
'One creature just like that one helped the human to attack my nest when I was a baby. It crushed the dragon eggs killing the unborn hatchlings inside and tore at the wings of my parents so they could not fly away to safety. I will rip that creature to shreds one day.'
"One day Sliver, but not today, we need to leave." Elvira said firmly. Sliver didn't say anything but Alviss knew that she wanted to follow the Night Crawler anyway. He put a hand on Sliver's neck and closed his eyes. He had never been very good at the mental talk thing which was why he left it to Elvira who seemed to have a natural talent for it. He tried to feel and understand Sliver's anger, comforting her and making a solemn promise that her dead family would be avenged. He felt Sliver relax and a rush of warmth and gratitude filled him making him smile. "Alviss?"
"It's nothing Elvira, I'm just glad we're leaving is all." Alviss felt the wind whip through his dark blue hair and narrowed his sapphire blue eyes against the cold wind. They would not fail, they could not fail.
:-:
At the house Yami washed the blood off his dagger and his hands. As he had thought the old man had said nothing. Yami found no pleasure in torturing others, unlike Ashi or Kage, so he made it quick. The old man was slumped in his chair as if sleeping; his lined face relaxed his clothes painted crimson. Yami turned his back on the corpse and went to find his beast. He had it search for the kids who he guessed were trying to make a run for it. As he stepped over the ruined front door he heard the sound of wings and glanced up to see his beast flying towards him. Yami frowned as he saw that his beast was hurt, surly two young kids couldn't have done that much damage?
Yami placed his hand over the wounds and closed his eyes letting his beast's memory tell him what had happened. The beasts could not talk using human words so Yami had to make do with what it showed him. He watched as his beast tracked the demons through the forest and attacked the male human. Then there was a huge sliver dragon bearing down on him, fighting him off, and ripping his back open with its sharp claws.
Yami yanked his hand away from his beast and patted its neck frowning. A dragon was working with the demons. It explained how they got here so fast, and how they were planning to get back to the demon kingdom. Yami cursed under his breath. The master would not be happy about this. He used dragon embryos to create the beasts but the dragon remained supreme. That was why there were no more dragons living in the human lands. David, among others, had rallied the people to kill any dragons that came too close. About 10 years ago David had killed two adult dragons and taken the four dragon eggs that had turned into their beasts. It was said that a young female had gotten away, maybe that was why the dragon was fighting with the demons. Yami hesitated, he needed to tell the master about this but he was sure he could defeat the dragon and demons before they reached the lake and found out about his master's plans.
Yami once again rested his hand over the wounds on the dragon's back and closed his eyes. The underworld spirit inside him allowed him to use some basic magic, like a healing spell. Soon the wounds closed up completely and Yami jumped into the saddle and the beast took off into the air and Yami nudged it towards the lake. He needed to get ahead of the demons and their dragon and kill them before they upset his master's plans.
*End Chapter*
And the action begins!