"Adam!" Marlena's voice cut through the hangar as if she'd just found a child about to stick his finger into an electrical outlet.
Damien snarled and tried to grab Adam's hand, but Adam, startled out of his numb state, jerked around too quickly. "Mother?" Adam rasped. "Keldor?" The two of them strode towards him, as Damien slowly backed away, hissing at Keldor.
"What do you think you're doing?" Marlena demanded, eyeing Adam and somehow shooting visual daggers at Damien at the same time.
Adam's breath came hard and heavy as he realized how close he had come to doing something he would have regretted for the rest of his life. He shut his eyes for a few seconds, striving to keep his emotions in check. Rather than answer his mother's question, he whirled back to Damien.
"Leave," he growled, drawing his sword. "And don't come back."
"It's only one day, Adam," Damien argued softly, his tone gentle. Keldor narrowed his eyes at the demon. "One day for your child's life."
"What is he talking about?" Keldor asked, doing his best to moderate his tone so he didn't put Adam on the defensive.
"He offered to heal Josiah if He-Man would serve him for one day," Adam explained succinctly, a tone that was hard to define. He gripped his sword as if it were a lifeline, his knuckles turning white.
Keldor could sense a change in Adam. He struggled to remember when he had felt something similar, and realized it was when He-Man had been tempted by the Star Seed, and had almost become evil. "Surely you weren't considering agreeing?" he asked in astonishment, before he could stop himself.
Over Marlena's protests, Adam rounded on Keldor, his sword all but forgotten as it came dangerously close to his uncle. "What if I was?" he snapped. "You, the one who were evil for most of your life, you have three children at home who are safe and healthy. You know nothing of what it's like to stand by and watch your child suffer so much, to see him dying a little every day!" Keldor paled at Adam's words.
"But I do," Marlena said tearfully. Adam froze as she stepped up to him and placed a gentle hand on his tense arm. "I do, Adam. And so does God."
"No," hissed Damien. "You can't tell that story!" His façade faded, and his now-yellow eyes glowed with anger.
"Why? Because you fear it?" Marlena challenged, her eyes flashing. Adam and Keldor looked back and forth between them, confused.
"Because it belongs to Earth, as Zodac told you." Damien's tail flung from side to side in agitation.
"Zodac told me that I should use what I know to help guide Adam, and if you don't like it, you'll have to stop me," Marlena retorted. Keldor and Adam stepped closer to her, fairly daring the demon to even try it.
"Noooooooo!" screamed Damien and he disappeared into an eruption of flames. "This is not over, He-Man," his voice echoed. "The war has only begun."
"Flames," Marlena noted sourly. "Appropriate, I suppose."
"What?" asked Adam, almost absently. Something about Damien's words bothered him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Nothing," Marlena said quickly.
With Damien's evil presence gone, Adam felt like a loose gel inside, but he continued staring at his mother as her earlier words came back to him. "What did you mean, you understand?" he asked.
Marlena raised her eyebrows in surprise. "My dear boy, did you forget I was with you in the Fright Zone when Hordak made you his slave and tortured you? Or that I was witness to what Damien put you through when he was trying to make Adora serve him?" The shadow of an odd smile touched her lips, tears coming to her eyes. "Adam, I still wake up crying from the memory of it. Watching you suffer like that was the hardest thing I have ever done."
Adam's voice left him. He had been so wrapped up in dealing with his own rough emotions after both of those horrors, he had given little thought about Marlena's or Randor's reaction to the situations.
"What is that creature so afraid you will tell Adam?" Keldor asked, glancing at his suddenly silent nephew.
Marlena hesitated for a moment and said a quick prayer for guidance. Then she began telling the two men about God's Son.
"Are you sure about this, Dree?" asked Orko.
"Yes," she insisted. "Something about Josiah's illness makes me think of Trollan magic. You've felt it too since we've been feeding magic into Malick's strengthening spell."
"I know. But we're not even sure if magic is what's causing Josiah to be sick," continued Orko as he paced in midair above Josiah's crib. "We checked for spells at first and the King and Queen sent for several nearby healing mages. We couldn't find any. The Sorceress didn't sense any either. If she didn't sense anything, there can't be anything there!"
"Orko," Dree said in her wispy voice, "you know as well as I do that sometimes a wizard can camouflage their magic so it is really hard to detect. That might be happening here. And even if it's not, maybe you can find an even stronger strengthening spell. You need to talk to Uncle Montork."
"I guess I really should go," sighed Orko.
"I think you should, and…"
Dree Elle was interrupted as the monitors by Josiah's bed began to beep wildly and little Josiah began to whimper.
Instantly Orko and Dree Elle began pouring more magic into Malick's spell, but it was taking more and more power to fuel it.
"I'm not sure we're going to have enough power this time," said Dree Elle in a worried whisper.
Adam held his head in his hands, silent tears still streaming down his face. Marlena's story had touched him on a deep, personal level, in a way he couldn't explain. His emotions were so jumbled he couldn't begin to sort them out.
Marlena rubbed his back gently, as she had when he was a child in need of comfort. Keldor had left them a short time ago, and she and Adam had prayed together. Now, she knew, there was nothing more she could do for Adam than simply be with him.
Adam's head suddenly jerked up.
"Adam, what's-" Marlena started to ask.
"Sh," he said shortly, holding up a hand to his head.
'Adam, help!' Orko sent. 'Josiah's getting worse. Dree Elle and I can't seem to pour enough magic into the strengthening spell!'
"Oh, God, no," Adam choked, not bothering to try to stop the tears.
"What is it?" Marlena asked.
"Where's Teela?"
"The kitchen."
Adam turned on his com-link. "Teela, get back to Josiah's room now." Without waiting for a response, he turned to his mother. "Josiah's dying."
Marlena paled and ran out of the hanger. Adam spoke into his com-link again as he raced after her. "Keldor and Lyn, I need both of you down at the infirmary now!"
'Please don't let us be too late,' Adam pleaded silently. Oddly enough, after all the weeks of worry and struggling, a strange calm descended over him. Adam kept praying all the way to Josiah's room.
Adam and Marlena reached in the hospital hall just as Adora, Hawk, Teela, Randor, Duncan and Lana appeared.
"What's going on, Adam?" asked Teela, her eyes wild with panic, her pace not slackening as they approached the healing hall door.
"Orko said something about not being able to pour enough magic into the strengthening spell and that that it was faltering." Adam reached over and took her hand.
"No," gasped Adora as the doors to the chamber slid open.
The rapid beeping of the monitors and the panicked activity of Ramos sent a wave of fear through each and every family member. Orko and Dree were focusing a steady stream of magic into a concentrated point over the baby's heart to keep the spell strong, but their tiny arms were shaking and Dree Elle was drifting closer to the floor with each passing second.
Teela and Adam rushed to the side of the crib that Ramos wasn't working on and the rest of the family crowded around behind them.
"We don't know wha' happened, Highness. He just started takin' a turn for the worse," Ramos exclaimed, throwing an irritated look at the now-crowded room.
A flash of blue burst from the corner behind Ramos, and Keldor and Lyn appeared.
"What are you doing here?" snarled Randor.
"Adam called us," Keldor ground out, clenching his hands.
"What?" Randor asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Orko said he and Dree didn't have enough power to maintain the strengthening spell," Adam confirmed.
"Not by ourselves," Orko agreed in a rasp, his arms shaking wildly.
"We can strengthen this spell," affirmed Lyn. "But we will not without your permission."
"Please," sobbed Teela, her hands covering her face. Adam held her tightly, supporting her weight almost completely. She had no strength to hold onto a righteous anger that could cost Josiah his life. "Do something. Please do something."
Keldor and Lyn motioned for Ramos to move away from the crib. They raised their staffs as one and sent beams of power into the same magical opening that Orko and Dree were feeding.
"The spell is getting stronger. It's going to hold!" said Orko after a moment.
"You and Dree Elle can stop feeding power now," instructed Lyn. "We will be able to seal the spell afterwards." With a sigh, Orko lowered his arms. Dree Elle lowered hers as well and promptly fainted. Duncan dove and caught her before she could crash to the floor.
"Dree Elle? Man-at-Arms, is she okay?" Orko asked worriedly.
"She's still breathing, Orko," assured Lana, coming up beside her husband. "It looks as though she is simply exhausted."
"The spell is set," announced Keldor, an odd feeling of satisfaction and worry filling him as he lowered his staff. "It should hold for a little while, but your young Trollan is close to her time. I doubt that level of exertion is good for her."
"You're right," whispered Orko. "But we have to keep the spell strong."
"Keldor and I will maintain the spell in her place," Lyn assured him. She ran a glowing hand over the baby to ensure the spell was working at peak performance, even though the monitors were now silenced and all of Josiah's vitals seemed to be holding.
"Keldor," said Lyn, her brow furrowed. "Do you feel that?" She grasped his hand and holding it in her glowing one, passed both of their hands over the now-sleeping child.
"Ye-es. It's well hidden but I think…" Keldor trailed off as his face took on an expression of intense concentration. The royal family exchanged glances intermingled with worry and hope. The tension in the room increased as the seconds ticked by.
"You think what?" demanded Adam after a moment of silence.
"Yes, I'm sure now," Keldor said looking up to everyone gathered. "There is a powerful spell placed on your child. And whoever cast it took great pains that it would not be discovered. It takes an immense amount of effort, time, and power to hide spellwork and it's not very trustworthy. Anyone familiar with the mage or its source of magic can find hidden spells if they look hard enough."
Adam's eyes took on a steely glint. "Damien." 'Just to get to me?'
Teela's eyes grew wide as she picked up on his thought. In an odd, twisted way, it made sense.
Lyn spread her hand over the child. Her eyes glowed with a lovely purple light. "You from whom I once drew strength, be known and revealed, do as I say."
A collective gasp rang out around the room as cords orange-red power appeared, showing themselves to be wrapped around Josiah's tiny frame.
"What is it?" Marlena asked in horror.
"Someone has cast a draining spell on Josiah!" shouted Orko, waving his arms in agitated excitement. "It will keep sucking the life out of him until there is nothing left."
"No!" cried several voices from around the room.
"It's worse than that," muttered Keldor as his fingers explored the ropes of power.
"What do you mean?" asked Hawk incredulously. "How can it be any worse?"
"There is an addition of a pain spell that intermittently causes a sharp pain in different parts of Josiah's body."
Marlena's eyes flashed with anger, and Randor squeezed her hand.
"Of all the low-life, scum-sucking tricks…" muttered Hawk. "To harm a baby like that. Oh, it makes my blood boil." Adora smiled weakly at his emphatic support and took his hand.
"Can you do anything to remove them?" pleaded Teela.
"Both spells were cast using Snake Mountain's magic. That was why we were able to see past the camouflage. Because we both once drew on that power, we should be able to remove the pain spell. It is the lesser of the two. We will try to undo the other spell as well, but there is something about it that I'm not quite sure I understand. Something beyond a simple draining spell." Keldor's brow furrowed in concentration.
"Perhaps we can siphon off some power and then weaken the grip of the spell on the child," theorized Lyn.
Keldor nodded. As the royal family watched, Keldor and Lyn pulled lines of power from the fiery cords of magic surrounding Josiah. The baby began to fuss as the cords began to fade just a bit.
"I can't hold too much more power," gasped Lyn as she and Keldor struggled to keep the lines of power flowing toward them. "Tainted. Weakening me."
"Just a little bit more," Keldor encouraged, his breath growing ragged with the effort.
The cords around Josiah thinned, and had become no larger than the tiny infant's fingers when Lyn fell to her knees, coughing and retching on the floor.
"Lyn," shouted Keldor, breaking the spell. "Release the power into me."
"Make you sick," gasped Lyn after she was done losing her breakfast. "Help me to the window. We can release the power harmlessly outside."
Hawk lifted Lyn up with Ramos' assistance and soon Lyn and Keldor discharged bolts of angry red energy into the clear sky.
Adam stared, staggered by the weight of what they'd done for his son. He knew from his own experience with tainted magic how it not only made one ill and weak, but tempted and teased as well.
Teela leaned forward, stroking Josiah's forehead over and over. The child cooed at her, the first happy sound he had made in nearly two weeks, and then he closed his eyes. "Thank you," Teela said without looking up, her tears falling onto the pillow next to Josiah's head. The hatred she had held for Keldor abated somewhat as she observed the child. His vitals were still weak, but he was no longer in pain as he had been. For now, that was enough.
"Thank you," Adam echoed, placing an arm around Teela, his eyes also on their son. Then he sent the message as well, so Keldor and Lyn could feel his heartfelt gratitude. 'Thank you.'
The pair exchanged weak glances. "It's not over yet, I'm afraid," Keldor reminded them reluctantly.
Adam's gaze hardened almost imperceptibly as he closed off his thoughts once more. 'It will be. I'll make sure of it.'
"What do you mean, it's not over yet?" asked Randor, approaching the cradle.
"We were able to break the spell causing him pain. But the draining spell is designed to draw its strength from the child. Although we stripped it of its power and weakened it, it will grow stronger again. Lyn and I will stay close and draw power away from it as often as we can, but something is holding this spell to Josiah. Until we know what that is, we can't remove it," explained Keldor. He leaned heavily against the wall, fatigue setting in.
"Keldor and I will stay near the child, but we must rest. We may have once used the magic of Snake Mountain freely, but since our purification, touching something so evil sickens us," Lyn added.
Ramos pulled a chair close to the two. Keldor sat heavily in it and before Ramos had time to return with a second chair, Keldor pulled an exhausted Lyn down into his lap. Lyn leaned wearily against her husband. Keldor's face was pale.
"You've done a great deal," Adam said hoarsely. "You've given us information and bought us a little more time."
Marlena walked over to Keldor and Lyn, and the two of them regained their feet awkwardly. She hugged each of them. "I never thought I'd see the day when I would consider the two of you a blessing." She gave them a watery smile. "Thank you for what you've done."
Keldor shifted uncomfortably and stiffly returned the queen's hug. He did not want to alienate anyone at the moment but this was getting way too uncomfortable. He stepped back and sent a desperate message to Lyn. 'Blast it woman! Get me out of here.'
Lyn smirked. She was just about to intervene when Adora and Miro ran to him and engulfed him in a family hug. "Oh, thank you Uncle Keldor," Adora said fervently.
Keldor grimaced and began to turn an embarrassed shade of lavender. Teela had to fight back a chuckle. Keldor wore the same expression Adam usedt o have when cornered by overeager courtiers.
Lyn was being hugged by Miro when she managed to finally get out her exit strategy. "If you don't mind, Keldor and I must return to our chambers and retrieve all the items we need for our cleansing ritual and bring them down here. We will return just as soon as we have those essential items. Stay and monitor the child, Orko, and send for us telepathically if we are needed."
Miro released Lyn and backed away, wiping tears from his eyes.
Adam listened with only half an ear as his family awkwardly went their separate ways. He stood staring at Josiah, anger slowly building within him as he dwelled on the idea that Damien and Hutch--and probably Marzo as well--had engineered all of this. Just to get to him.
'They'll get me all right,' he thought darkly, careful to shield his mind. 'And they'll wish they'd never laid eyes on me.'
Hawk turned as Duncan entered the empty throne room. "Man-at-Arms," he greeted, taking in the other's tense face. "What's wrong?"
"Call it intuition, but..." Duncan frowned. "Have you seen Adam?"
Hawk shook his head. "Not since Keldor and Lyn healed Josiah this morning." Realization slowly lit his face. "You don't think-"
"What would you do?" Duncan asked, lifting his eyebrows.
"I'd make a trip to Snake Mountain," Hawk conceded. "And I'd tear the bloody brutes limb from limb." He frowned. "But would he really have gone alone?" Duncan stared at Hawk steadily until the former pirate blew out a light breath. "Of course he would have. Let's go."
"Where's Adora?" Duncan asked as the two of them turned to leave.
"Diverting some flood." The two men exchanged glances.
Duncan frowned. "The masters are busy all over with a bunch of natural disasters. Even the guard is on high alert and can't leave the palace because of that mob scene yesterday. We're pretty much on our own."
"You don't look surprised to see me," He-Man said to Damien, dismounting from Battle Cat. The evil demon stood there quietly before Skeletor's former throne, a slight smirk on his face.
"I suspected that you would come to pledge yourself to me, to save your son," Damien said simply, careful to keep the triumph from his voice. "Despite whatever lies your mother told you."
"Wrong," He-Man bit off. He drew his sword, while Battle Cat roared. "I know what you did. You put a spell on Josiah. And you're going to take it away. Now."
Shock passed through Damien's face, replaced quickly by a malicious mirth. "And how do you propose to make me, mortal?" he sneered. Within seconds, the plain-looking man in front of He-Man became a scaled demon of massive strength. "You can do nothing to me," he growled in a gravelly voice.
A sound behind He-Man had the hero whirling in a circle, and his sword deflected Hutch's. "You two don't play fair," he quipped, his heart thudding at how close Hutch had been to severing his head.
"That's the fun of being evil," Hutch said with smile. He raised a hand and threw a magical blast at He-Man, who jumped out of the way easily.
Damien moved quickly, seeking to sneak up behind He-Man, but Battle Cat tackled the demon. Damien hissed as the great tiger's claws scraped his face, leaving deep gashes. He grabbed each of Battle Cat's front claws and wrestled with the animal for a moment.
Taking advantage of his partner's success, He-Man pressed his attack on Hutch, his sword flying wildly as he sought to disarm the madman. "How could you put a spell on a child, Hutch?" he demanded. "He's done nothing to you!"
"He's your son," Hutch sneered. "That's enough of a crime for me."
Battle Cat roared in pain as Damien's hands began to burn his legs. The demon threw off Battle Cat, and the tiger landed against the wall, dazed.
Hutch and He-Man broke apart, chests heaving. He-Man's anger increased, complicated by sorrow. "You have become truly evil, Hutch, in a way even Skeletor never did," he said, his voice and face pained.
"That is why I will succeed," Hutch snarled. He blasted magic at He-Man's feet, a blow so powerful that it threw the hero backwards and into a wall.
Damien thought quickly. He still had one chance to turn He-Man to evil. If he could but get the hero to kill Hutch…he made himself invisible and bent close to He-Man as the hero pulled himself to his feet.
"He's past redemption. He'll become a plague to humanity, worse than Skeletor ever was," he whispered. He-Man shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of thoughts he shouldn't be having. Hutch approached, his sword raised. Damien spoke quickly, knowing that the faster he put the ideas into He-Man's mind, the more they would seem like the hero's own thoughts.
"He had Damien kill his unborn child and the woman he had made love to. He's put a killing spell on my child. He's pure evil. He doesn't deserve to live. I have to kill him." He-Man's fury over his son's condition grew as the words played through his mind. "There will be no peace for Eternia until he's dead. If he dies, so does the spell on Josiah. I have to kill him to save my son."
With a raw roar, He-Man went on the offensive, his sword barely visible as he attacked Hutch with a nearly unmatchable speed. Damien watched in satisfaction as Hutch barely managed to parry He-Man's thrusts. It was only a matter of time now. Once He-Man killed Hutch, and his fury faded, his guilt would destroy him.
Battle Cat shook his head, finally clearing his vision. Dismay filled him at the sight before him. He could sense his partner's anger. He-Man's emotions were getting the best of him. As much as he disliked Hutch, Battle Cat knew He-Man would never forgive himself if he killed the villain. The tiger took a deep breath and let out a roar that shook the very foundation of Snake Mountain.
The noise and vibration penetrated He-Man's fury. But while he was horrified at how much he had let his anger control him, he didn't lose the advantage he had gained. Although worried about where Damien might be, he pushed forward, disarming Hutch and slamming the red-haired man into the wall. He-Man's breath came harsh as he pressed his forearm across Hutch's chest and pointed his sword at the villain's throat.
"He-Man!" Battle Cat roared.
"I'm okay, Cat," he said, not taking his eyes off of Hutch. "But let me know if you see Damien or Marzo." He pressed the point of his blade closer to Hutch's skin. "Remove your spell from Josiah."
Hutch grinned. "I can't. It was set on him in the womb. It's part of him now."
He-Man dropped his sword and drew back his fist. He wouldn't kill Hutch, but he fully intended to take out some of his frustration on the scumbag.
Sensing that his last-ditch plan had failed, Damien re-materialized and quickly grabbed He-Man's wrist. His painful touch pierced through He-Man's entire body, and the hero jerked back away from Hutch defensively. He desperately wrenched his arm, sending Damien across the room and into Skeletor's throne.
Battle Cat thrust himself at Hutch as the villain took aim at He-Man, roaring a warning at the same time.
He was too late.
A/N: We fully realize that some of our readers have not been happy with the Christian slant our stories have taken. We understand your feelings and have done our best to be respectful of our audience in the telling of this particular chapter. We even cut what we, as authors, thought would have naturally occured in the situation with Marlena as a Christian. Our intention was not to offend anyone, but to allow Marlena to be true to who she is and what she believes, and to use that to help Adam through this time of despair. We ask that you in turn be respectful of our beliefs and the fact that this is a story we have written in our spare time for no pay, and enjoy it as such.
For those of you who are interested in reading the deleted sections of this chapter (in which Marlena shares the story of Christ with Adam), please send one of us a private message. It is in a rough draft format, with a lot of grammatical errors, but we would be happy to share it with you.
We wish you all God's blessings in 2010!
--Evelyn CMB and LittleLlamaGirl