From Little Flame to Raging Fire

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 14

"Where're we going, Mama?"

Amanda looked down at her son, who was staring at her with big curious eyes. He had a fist to his mouth, sucking on his knuckles (a habit he'd developed). Maverick was five-years-old now. Amanda smiled gently. "We're going back to the place where you were born, sweetie."

Maverick tilted his head. He didn't quite know what born meant, but it must be important. Amanda's smile dropped as she closed the suitcase. Minutes later, she had Maverick's hand in hers and they were walking out of the door to their home. The door was still open, however, as Alan stood in the doorway. He watched them go, looking as though he was about to cry. Maverick looked over his shoulder as he smelt his uncle's scent and called, "C'mon, Uncle Alan! Hurry!"

But Alan slowly shook his head. Amanda stopped and looked at him. Alan scowled at her and the tears began to flow from his eyes, down his cheeks and dripped to the ground from his chin. They had yelled at each other the night before. Amanda stared at her brother for a few moments. She'd rarely ever seen him cry. Even when they were kids, she was the cry-baby and he was the tough one. Tears developed in her eyes as well and she bent down, picking Maverick up.

Maverick looked at Alan and tried to scramble out of his mother's arms. "Uncle Alan! Come on! Uncle Alan, you can come too! Uncle Alan!" Maverick looked at Amanda, his eyes frantic. "Mama, why isn't Uncle Alan coming with us? Doesn't he want us anymore?"

Amanda didn't respond, so Maverick went back to calling for his uncle. "Uncle Alan! I still love you, Uncle Alan! Uncle Alan! Uncle Alan!"

Both grown ups sobbed as Maverick cried out for his uncle.

…

Amanda missed Halloween Town.

As she walked through the town, a sleeping Maverick resting on her hip, she had to smile. It all looked the same. Same fountain, same town hall, same Skellington manor. Amanda grinned. She had to go and see Arachnid later. He would be pleased to see her, she'd imagine. She would definitely be pleased to see him.

Amanda reached into the front pocket to her dress, then brought the small key. She pushed it into the lock to the door and turned the key, unlocking the door. Everything was still the same. As Amanda walked into the living room, she looked around. Same rug, some sofas, same grandfather clock. She gently laid her son on the sofa without waking him. Amanda grinned.

It was good to be back.

…

Montarg was finally calm.

It'd taken a while, but his meditation had finally taken affect and he was calm. He sat in his mediation pose, in the middle of his bedroom. All of quiet, save the some far-off voices from outside. Montarg breathed and felt warm. His hair was still slightly damp from the bath he had taken moments ago, the one that had washed away the sweat and aching feelings that his limbs had had from his long training session this morning. He had been up at the crack of dawn, punching trees and bags of sand (accidentally making one of the bags burst).

Montarg was suddenly aware of footsteps and soft humming and opened one eye. There was no one at the entrance to his room. He slowly turned his head to the left.

Rodney had his back to him as he cleaned at Montarg's table with a pink feather duster. He didn't have his coat on and a white apron was tied around his neck and waist. Montarg raised an eyebrow slowly. "What're you doing?"

Rodney twirled around on one foot to face him. In the pocket on the front of his apron, there was a spray bottle of furniture polish and a cloth. "Spring cleaning."

"…It's autumn."

"Then it's. Far. Over. Due." Rodney said, gently hitting Montarg's face with the feather duster.

Montarg sneezed a sneeze that could rival a puppy's. Rodney paused, then cooed, "Oh, Montargo! That was the cutest sneeze I've ever heard!" He began hitting Montarg's face with it again.

Montarg put both hands up and pushed it away. "Rodney!"

"Oh, sorry, Montargo," Rodney said, taking the feather duster away. "I'm just in such a good mood today!"

Montarg scowled. "New lover?"

"Hm? Oh, no. No, no. Nothing like that. I'm just in such a good mood!"

"Yes, well, that's all fine and well. But I'm trying to meditate."

"Oh, don't you worry, Montargo, darling. You won't even know I'm here!" He dragged an imaginary zip across his mouth.

Montarg frowned then turned away and shut his eyes. He went back to his calm state, breathing in and out slowly. Then he heard two noises, ones that came from a squirt bottle. He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to look at Rodney. Rodney paused then looked at his frowning friend. "Sorry," He said, holding the bottle in one hand and the cloth in the other. "I can't control the noise it makes."

Montarg growled impatiently, then went back to his meditation. He just got his breathing back to normal when -

"HEY! MONTY!"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Montarg shouted, his eyes flying open and his hands gripping his knees as Marcus bounded in.

"Check out the size of this lizard I found! He's a big git!" Marcus exclaimed, holding a black and orange lizard in his hands.

Rodney let out a high-pitched yelp and jumped onto Montarg's bed. "Get that thing out of my cavern! Out!"

"My cavern…" Montarg muttered.

"Whosever cavern it is, it's not allowed to be here! Out!"

"Aw, naw, man." Marcus said. "I'm keeping 'im. Gonna name 'im Steve."

"Well, 'Steve' can stay outside of the cavern!"

"No way, man. He can stay in my bedroom."

"Quiet!" Montarg ordered. "I'm trying to meditate!"

Marcus and Rodney both paused and stared at him. "Wow," Marcus said after a moment. "Someone's moody today."

"Lack of meditation does that. Now, out. Both of you."

"But…I'm cleaning…" Rodney said.

"Clean later."

"Oh, Montargo. Don't be such a fuddy-duddy."

Montarg growled and got up, walking out. "I'll just meditate later then…" He muttered angrily. Marcus followed him out, carrying Steve in both hands.

Rodney sighed and squirted one of the knickknacks on Montarg's shelf. He paused when only a little bit came out. Rodney turned the bottle around and looked at the front of the nozzle. "Wow…Run out already…Just shows how dirty this place is." He put the bottle back in his pocket and walked out, then climbed into his room. He tossed the bottle into the bin then untied the apron and put it on a hook. He grabbed a basket and put it on his bent arm. As he wandered off to the entrance of the cavern, he called, "Just going to get more cleaning supplies, Montargo! Don't wait up!"

"Don't forget your coat, Rodney." Montarg said.

"Oh, I won't need it. Just going to go shopping."

Montarg frowned.

…

"You see him?"

"Who, sir?"

"The one in the yellow shirt."

"Oh, him? The sorcerer?"

"Yes. His name is Rodney."

"I know, sir."

"Good. I'm sure you know he's the most important thing to Montarg."

"Montarg? Their leader?"

"That's the one. I want him."

"…Montarg?"

"Rodney."

"Oh…sir, I didn't know you were g -"

"Not in that way. I want you to get him for me. Gag him, knock him out if you have to. I want him."

"Why, sir?"

"Because if Rodney's in trouble, Montarg will come running. That'll be our chance to kill Montarg. And, of course, killing the rock sorcerer will be an added bonus."

"Very good, sir."

Both laughed.

…

Arachnid Skellington walked through Halloween Town, hands behind his back. He smiled and greeted the town's fellow citizens. Then, he saw her.

Amanda walked down the street, a basket of dead flowers in her hand. Her brown hair reached just below her shoulders and her brown eyes were the most beautiful colour Arachnid had ever seen. He gasped a little then straightened his tie quickly.

"Morning, Arachnid."

Arachnid jumped.

Amanda giggled at him as he nearly tripped over. He chuckled uncomfortably.

Despite the fact that she was human, Amanda was the most beautiful girl Arachnid had ever seen. Though she had already fallen in love. With Arachnid's best friend. They'd gotten married long ago.

"Morning, Amanda." Arachnid greeted as he regained his composure. "What've you got there?"

Amanda looked at her basket. "Just some flowers for my husband."

"Xavier was a good man."

"I know."

Suddenly, Arachnid felt a tug on his trouser leg and looked down; expecting to see a fan of his. Instead, he was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

The little boy looked up at him. His eyes were a brilliant blue and his hair was brown and slightly shaggy. His shirt was white and slightly baggy on the boy's small frame. His trousers were black and almost covered his brown shoes.

Arachnid blinked twice.

The boy blinked twice.

Amanda made her way over and took the boy's hand.

He's…Arachnid thought. "And who's this little terror?"

"Arachnid, this is my son, Maverick."

"Maverick." Arachnid repeated. "What a horrifying name!" He knelt down.

Maverick tilted his head. "You're funny looking."

Amanda gasped. "Maverick!"

"No, no." Arachnid waved it off. "It's alright." He turned back to Maverick, who still had a quizzical look on his face. "You're funny looking too. But you're definitely Xavier's boy. You have his eyes." Arachnid stood. "A handsome lad, he is."

Amanda smiled sweetly, making Arachnid's invisible heart skip a beat. "Thank you, Arachnid."

"You're very welcome, my dear."

"Well, we'd best be off. Come along, Maverick."

Maverick allowed his mother to lead him to the graveyard.

Arachnid waved to them both. "Xavier was a lucky man." He said to himself as he turned and walked back to his house.

…

Maverick tilted his head at the rock.

On the front of the rock was the word XAVIER. What did that word mean? Maybe his mother would explain. Amanda bent down and placed the flowers on the ground in front of the rock. Maverick looked up at her. She was upset, he could see. She smiled sadly at him. "This is your daddy."

Maverick looked at the rock. "My daddy's a rock?"

Amanda smoothed her son's hair. "He wasn't always. He…He turned into a rock."

Maverick raised an eyebrow. Turned into a rock? He'd never heard that before. "Why'd he do that?"

Amanda sniffed and smiled. "Because it was his time."

…

Rodney walked through the foliage toward the cavern. His basket was now full of cleaning supplies. He hummed merrily as he walked through the trees. He was in such a good mood and he didn't even know why. The only thing that would make it better was if he could tempt Montarg into spending another day out with him. That would be perfect. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the tree above him. Rodney stopped and looked up at it. He tilted his head, then jumped as he heard a rustle in the bush behind him. He turned. "Montargo? Is that you?"

There was more rustling behind him and he turned. His heart began to speed up. "M-Montargo? T-This isn't funny any more! Montargo? M-Montargo, you answer me right now! Montargo?" He stepped back and suddenly felt his back against something. He stopped and slowly put a hand behind him, feeling around. He felt fabric that certainly wasn't Montarg's shirt. "M-Montargo…?" He turned and looked up.

A man stood there, his hair auburn and cropped short. He wore a stiff suit with a cape - one that looked more like it should belong to a vampire. Suddenly, two hands holding a piece of rope rushed passed Rodney's eyes and pulled the rope into Rodney's mouth, between his teeth, and tied it behind his head. Rodney cried out, but his speech was muffled. The basket fell from his grasp as his hands were grabbed and forced behind his back, then tied with more rope. A rough voice said in his ear, "Hello, queer. You're coming with us. Our master will be glad to see you."

…

Montarg had been, once again, trying to meditate when he was, once again, interrupted. This time, by Richard. Montarg had just begun drifting off into his own little world when Richard rushed in, shouting his name. "What?" Montarg snapped.

"Montarg, ya better come and see this." Richard said hurriedly, waving a hand. Montarg stood as the wind sorcerer rushed out and jogged after him. As they were leaving the cavern, Marcus started jogging behind them.

Montarg and Marcus followed Richard out into the bushes, none of them talking. Finally, Richard pushed a bush aside. "Please, don't tell me that's Rodney's."

Montarg paused then stepped passed them, toward the basket on the floor. He approached it slowly, then bent down and removed the checked blanket. Inside were cleaning supplies. Montarg's eyes widened.

"Just going to get more cleaning supplies, Montargo! Don't wait up!"

That's what Rodney had said. Cleaning supplies…Montarg thought. Montarg looked up and saw footprints in the grass. "Richard, remove your boot."

"Huh?"

"Remove it."

Richard blinked in confusion, then bent down and took off his right boot. He handed it to Montarg, who then held it over one of the footprints. He slowly lowered it down, then stared. The boot and the footprint were the same size. "This is Rodney's." He looked at the other set, then repeated the actions with the boot. The footprint, however, was larger and a slightly different shape then Richard's shoe. "This is not."

Montarg's eyes followed the trail of footprints and his eyes narrowed at where the trail was leading. "Shape-shifters."

…

Rodney scowled at the shape-shifters from where he sat, tied to a wooden chair. The auburn-haired man stood at the opposite end of the room, leaning against the wall; hands behind his back. Beside the door stood a dirty blond-haired man who looked around Rodney's age. His eyes were turquoise and wandered around the room, as though he didn't know where to look. His suit and cape were red and grey.

"You know," Rodney said. "When Montargo finds out I'm here, he's going to come for me. And, when he does, he's going to kill you."

The blond-haired man turned to him suddenly, but didn't look angry. More surprised that Rodney had spoken more then anything.

The auburn-haired one laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he will, sorcerer. Your boyfriend always has had a thing about us kidnapping his men."

"He is not my boyfriend!" Rodney exclaimed, blushing bright red.

"Are you sure of that?"

The auburn-haired man suddenly stood up straight and saluted. The blond-haired man suddenly brightened and he smiled.

Another male walked into the room. His suit was regal and charcoal black with an equally dark cape and his black hair was messy, like it hadn't been brushed in a while.

Rodney's eyes widened. "No…Not you, anyone but you…!"

The black-haired man grinned. "Nice to see you remember me, Rodney."

Rodney scowled. "How could I forget…?"

"Sir," the auburn-haired man said. "what do we do now?"

The black-haired man smiled. "Well, Adrian, if I know Montarg, he's on his way right now. I'd best go and greet him." He turned and made his way out. "Do with the rock sorcerer as you please." He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Mitchell."

Adrian grinned and walked out the door behind the black-haired man, but turned left instead of following him.

Rodney stared at his knees. Montarg would come and get him soon, he was sure of it. Montarg never failed to save him. He believed in Montarg.

"So…"

Rodney looked up at Mitchell, who looked at him somewhat nervously. "You're, uh, you're gay, huh?"

Rodney hesitated, waiting for the insults to come along. He decided whether he should reply or not, then scowled and said, "What's it to you?"

There was silence for a second before Mitchell breathed in. "They…just can't accept us, can they?"

Rodney's head snapped up and his eyes widened. Mitchell gave him a small, sad smile. Rodney blinked a couple of times then realized: they're just like Montargo and I…

Mitchell had smiled when that other shape-shifter came in. Before, he had looked nervous and as though he wanted to just get the hell out of there. Rodney was like that when Montarg walked in a room. The black-haired man had said Mitchell's name in a different tone he had used when he had talked to Adrian. It was a more 'come-along-if-you'd-like' tone then a 'come-here-or-I'll-kill-you' tone like Rodney had heard that man talk so many times. Like the tone Montarg used with Rodney. I wonder, Rodney thought, if he got kicked out of his home as well…?

Adrian walked back in with a burlap sack. As he entered the room, he stopped and scowled at Mitchell. "Didn't he call you?"

"Oh! Right!" Mitchell exclaimed, then ran out into the corridor.

Adrian scoffed. "Queer…"

Rodney watched as Adrian reached into the sack and brought a long rod. "Let me show you how dangerous your little boyfriend's element can really be."

Rodney's eyes filled with tears as Adrian approached him. "No…No, please…!"

In moments, Rodney had his head thrown back; screaming.

…

Montarg shot through the foliage, Marcus and Richard following. Montarg wasn't in a very good mood. It was bad enough his meditation had gotten interrupted several times but now Rodney got kidnapped? Great. Montarg pushed out of the branches of trees and bushes and stopped when he found a wide, open path. He growled angrily, recognizing it, then shot down it; ignoring Marcus's cries for him to wait up. How could he wait? Rodney was in danger.

In the distance was a large, stone castle. It looked menacing with the black clouds (which sometimes glowed as lightning struck) behind it. Montarg slid to a stop once he reached the door and began punching it. "Shape-shifters!"

Marcus and Richard suddenly skidded to a halt behind him, huffing and panting. Montarg took a couple of steps back, then charged and slammed into the door with his shoulder. It didn't budge. "Shape-shifters!"

"You're awfully loud."

Montarg stopped and took a couple of steps back and looked up.

There, on top of the wall, was the black-haired shape-shifter. Montarg bared his teeth as he scrunched up his nose. "Rixon!"

The leader of the shape-shifters grinned at the leader of the sorcerers and said, "Hello, Montarg."

…

Author's note:

Me: Uh oh. We've now met Montarg's worst enemy: Rixon, leader of the shape-shifters. Montarg and Rixon are like the Maverick and Monochrome of the much distant past. And we've met Adrian and Mitchell! Sorry about the wait for this chapter, so much writer's block. Plus, my internet was cut off for days! Sorry 'bout that. So, will Montarg be able to save Rodney?

Mav: What exactly are they doing to poor Rodney?

Me: And will Montarg have to fight his greatest enemy ever?

Me + Mav: Find out next time!