A/N: And somehow I just randomly managed to belt out yet another chapter. That almost never happens. But then again, this fanfic keeps sitting in the back of my mind, just pestering me to work on it. So expect to see chapter 9 in the near future, hopefully. Remember: all OCs used are credited to their owners in the copy of "Mortal Bonds" Chapter 8 on my Deviantart account. R&R please, and enjoy the read!
Chapter 8: An Ill Omen
The corridors of Mumm-Ra's lair initially appeared empty to the naked eye, the soft whisper of air that slipped through the passages intensifying the hollow feeling. The lizard army was on the move once again across the Dead Plains, Grune and Mumm-Ra himself among their number, following a vision the latter had had of the Thundercats traveling the vast waste. But despite the facts that reinforced the illusion, the enormous pyramid was far from vacant. The tiny rush of air found its way to the dark chapel, where it was smothered by the scent of snakes.
Only one figure was present in the worship hall at that moment, having dismissed the other snakes to go about their own activities, that he would have the concentration he needed for the task at hand. Nagendra was coiled patiently on the raised dais, arms folded, staring at nothing in particular as his thoughts wandered. He waited in the silence for a good deal of time until the muted sound of scales brushing against the floor tiles behind him reached his ears. He shifted his coils and turned to face the priestess, forked tongue briefly flickering out of his mouth.
"Really now, Nagendra, who elssse would it be?" Slythia asked, her eyes studying him from above the top of her fan.
"Old habitsss die hard, priessstessssss." he replied, before sinking into a low bow, bending at his waist and spreading his arms wide. Had anyone been watching, the scene would come as a vast shock. The high priest bowed to no one save Mumm-Ra, and merely inclined his head to anyone lesser in rank among the snake cultists. It was simply against proper decorum in view of the public eye. But the two snakes had their privacy, and as was part of the unspoken law among their people, one always had to defer to any other who had helped them attain power. Nagendra was no fool, and he honored the unspoken law, deferring to Slythia to show he hadn't forgotten the hand she had in elevating him to the status of high priest.
It did not, however, escape her notice that Nagendra kept his acid green eyes fixed on her face as he sank into his bow.
"One would think," she remarked casually as she returned the bow, "That you don't trussst me."
"Wisssdom showsss that no sssnake can ever completely trussst anyone and live long." he replied, echoing words that were fed to snake-children since the time of their hatching. Slythia smiled in response as they each straightened out of their bow.
"You have the componentsss we require?" he demanded, and she gave a small, hissing chuckle.
"What do you take me for, high priessst?" she shot back, pulling a pouch off her sash, fluttering the hand that held her fan. He smiled grimly in response.
"Excellent." he hissed, slithering past her to an adjacent chamber, set up with an apothecary's table and alchemical tools. She followed a touch slower than he moved, taking her time as she mulled over their plot in her mind. Typically cobras never needed to collaborate in their efforts to brew potent poisons, but to craft the particular venom the two wanted, they needed one another's assistance, whether they were willing to admit so or not. Truly, neither Nagendra or Slythia would ever completely trust one another, but as their common goals were overlapping once more, the two were comfortable enough with the idea of an alliance.
"How do we know sssome bungling fool won't come acrosssss our work and use it for their own endsss?" she challenged, and the high priest's acid green gaze flicked back a brief moment to take her in.
"Ssslithe is with the army," he answered with a touch of amusement, "But asssssuming you've more than one idiot admirer, let me reasssssure you that I have my waysss of concealing our work."
Slythia glared at him, her hood threatening to flare open at the mention of the lizard general. One of these days, she was going to poison that fat idiot's ale and watch him writhe helplessly as the life seeped from him. "That, at least, is a blesssssing." she said stiffly, prompting a soft chuckle from the high priest. The two said nothing as she added her pouch of components to the table, moving silently and automatically as they worked on the poison, consulting the necessary scrolls as they started to boil the water for the deadly brew. But as luck would have it, they hadn't gotten too far into their work when they heard movement down the corridor outside the chapel. At once, they froze, hoods opening in alarm, and exchanged a brief glance. In their moment of pause, the footsteps sounded closer and clearer, and they slithered from the alchemy room through the chapel, approaching the archway that led to the hall beyond.
A lizard wearing the double loincloth, leg wrappings, and wrist manacles denoting a slave was carefully plodding down the corridor, his expression bored as he carried a careworn tray laden with a small meal. As he approached, the cobras recognized the red crest on his head and smiled cruelly, immediately slithering into his path. The lizard's expression abruptly changed to one of alarm before slipping into an annoyed frown and he stopped walking, his grip on the tray tightening.
"Cazarak," Nagendra hissed, "I am sssurprisssed you aren't with His Dark Majesty's army."
"I am not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination," the crested lizard replied calmly, his words spoken in guarded caution as his yellow eyes flicked between the snakes, "And beyond that, my duties keep me here. It was Lord Mumm-Ra's wish that I stay here and tend to them."
"Sssurely your 'dutiesss' don't keep you that busy?" Slythia said in a voice of false sweetness as she hid behind her fan again. "Though I sssupossse a ssslave never runsss short of tasssksss to keep up with."
A flush of anger rose in Cazarak's neck and his crest rose stiffly, but he said nothing, refusing to rise to her bait.
"Kitchen duty, perhapsss." Nagendra remarked, reaching for the tray, but the lizard pulled it back sharply, his claws digging grooves in the tray as he tightened his grip further.
"This meal is spoken for." Cazarak said coldly, "And now if you will please unbar my path, I would get back to delivering it."
For a moment, none of the three moved, silently exchanging glares, but at last the cobras moved in tandem, slipping to the side to allow the lizard to pass between them. He didn't get too far before Slythia called after him.
"Tell me, Cazarak, how faresss young Axisss?"
The lizard froze again, his scarlet crest flattening against his head in fear for a brief instant, then he regained his composure and resumed his pace.
"Sssurely the boy mussst be terribly lonely." Nagendra said in mock sympathy. "It'sss not right, keeping a poor little cub locked up like that."
"Axis is not your concern." Cazarak said sharply, not looking back at either of them. The cobras exchanged a wicked smile before Slythia called after the lizard.
"You know it'sss only a matter of time before we get him in our coilsss, ssslave! You can't protect the little whelp forever."
The lizard's crest flattened even lower than before as he broke into a fast trot, tail whipping the air behind him as he fled from the snakes. The two exchanged a satisfied look; Axis would be the perfect weapon one day, and if they had to go through Cazarak to get to the cub, no one would question the abrupt disappearance of a slave.
Where Jess'ica stayed reclusive and shut off, the next morning found Cougaress and Razor mixing well with the rest of the cats almost immediately. Razor was more than ready to strike up a conversation with Panthro about fighting techniques, and he regarded the young princes with an air of skepticism, declaring he was waiting to see if they would prove themselves worthy of their titles, though he wasn't unpleasant. Cougaress proved more friendly and open once her husband was out of danger, and took an instant liking to Cheetara, Kuncia and Nyrris, who were all eager to hear her stories. Kewi was difficult to figure out, as he was less playful and a tad more grouchy than Snarf, but after a while, the little creature allowed WilyKit to carry him on her shoulder, having warmed up to her in particular. The vagabond cats added a greater air of adventure to their journey, and before long, they had all of the Thundercats smiling, laughing and talking in a more relaxed way, save Jess'ica. The silver-and-black cat relaxed a little more and scowled a little less, but she still refused to actively participate in any conversation, preferring the company of her pack beast.
A day or two later found them rolling along the blasted waste before the Thundertank came to a stop and Jess'ica dismounted Tibaroan, breaking for lunch.
"How are we doing on supplies?" Lion-O asked Panthro and Tygra as the others settled down near the tank for their meal. Panthro frowned before he gave a reply.
"Well, we had taken on enough food to last us all for ten days," he recounted slowly, "But that was without figuring in three new mouths to feed."
"We should be fine for a short while," Tygra spoke up, giving a pointed nod in the direction of Razor and Cougaress, who had just sat down together and were going through one of their packs. "Cougaress said she and Razor have enough food left from their own supplies to get them through the next two days or so. I'd say after that we worry."
"Fair enough," Lion-O said, "That leaves the issue of finding water. I heard there are supposed to be plants here that store water inside them."
"Yeah," Panthro responded, "But they're a pain; damned things are covered in spikes and needles, and even if you can find a way to get one, you're stuck with figuring out how to crack it open without stickin' yourself."
"Panthro," Lion-O said slowly, raising an eyebrow, "You have robotic arms."
The veteran grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, leave me to do all the annoying jobs."
"You know that's not what he's getting at, Panthro." Tygra pointed out.
"Besides," Lion-O said, attempting a small smile, "We can try to find ways to split open the plants ourselves. Heck, we're probably going to need to know how in the event you faint."
"HEY!" the panther snarled, but before he could so much as swing a wrench in good humor, both princes had hopped off the tank with a laugh and rejoined the others on the ground below. Tygra sauntered over to Cheetara, who was deep in conversation with Cougaress, Kuncia, and Nyrris about different forms of magic. Lion-O bit back a remark at the sight, and instead turned to the twins, who were munching through a bowl of fruit, which they shared with Snarf and Kewi. Lion-O's eyes flicked briefly to Jess'ica, who was busy tending to Tibaroan, and he realized with a start that she didn't have any lunch with her.
"Hey," he said to the twins, who looked up with wide, curious eyes, "Didn't she want anything to eat?"
"She probably does, but when we tried to offer some to her—," Kat started.
"—She just glared at us until we left." Kit finished.
Lion-O sighed in exasperation before turning back to the supplies, gathering together a small meal in his arms, and he approached the silver-and-black cat. Jess'ica looked up warily when he approached, then relaxed and bowed.
"Lord Lion-O." she said stiffly.
"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked, but she merely clamped her jaw shut and tilted her chin proudly. Her eyes swiveled briefly in the direction of Razor and Cougaress, so fast that Lion-O may have missed it, had he not been looking directly at her. He glanced toward the others for a moment, then sighed as he realized the issue.
"You shouldn't be ashamed that you don't have as much supplies in your pack as they do." he said gently, "And besides, we packed our own supplies with your meals calculated in there."
Her eyes widened in shock before she flushed and averted her gaze to the ground. Lion-O hesitated, then held out the food to her, which she blinked at in surprise.
"Take it," he ordered gently, "You're going to need to keep your strength up as we cross the plains."
She gave him a nervous glance before snatching the food, as though afraid it would suddenly vanish, then looked away once more.
"Thank you." she murmured, returning her attention to Tibaroan as she settled down to eat. Lion-O frowned for a moment; he was still having trouble getting used to Jess'ica, and the fact she insisted on being utterly confusing wasn't helping matters. But at least she was starting to respond a little more, and that was a comfort in and of itself. He turned back to the others and picked out some food for himself as he sat down and listened in on the conversation.
"I've never truly thought of how different each type of magic is," Cougaress was saying, "Granted, I've never really studied magic or the use of it extensively."
"Each magic manifests in different ways," Cheetara said, glancing to Kuncia, who gave a nod of approval, "And some paths of magic can be learned; others you have to be born to."
"Mages, shamans, and sorcerers are all paths that can be learned, provided you possess a spark of magic in you," Kuncia explained, "Whereas witches and warlocks must be born. I've heard the same is true of necromancers, but it is supposed that the line of death-based magic has died out completely."
"Wizards?" Razor prompted.
"I do believe they're the only kind of magic-user aside from clerics who can learn the path without needing a spark of natural magic in them." Kuncia replied, sipping at a tiny cup of water. Nyrris abruptly gave a chuckle.
"Well, I guess that explains why I'm so bad at everything my aunt is teaching me," she remarked, "I'm probably just not meant to be a shaman."
"You're a shaman?" Razor asked in surprise, raising his eyebrows, but the ocelot was already shaking her head.
"My aunt, Priséa, she's the Ocelotti family shaman and fortune-teller," Nyrris explained, "I'm supposed to be learning the trade from her, but I can only work shaman magic about half the time, and my fortune-telling is downright horrid."
"But that's not so bad," Lion-O broke in before grinning at them all, "You should see the other skills she's learned from her family."
Razor gave Lion-O a look that more than said he suspected that remark had a hidden streak of perversion, but Nyrris immediately got to her feet and backed up several yards.
"You'd better clear a path!" she shouted, bouncing on the balls of her feet, and just as everyone slid to the side, she charged forward. On coming level with the spot where she had been sitting, Nyrris flung herself headfirst, smacking against the ground with the flat of her palms and arching her body. Her feet soared overhead and as she pulled her upper body out of the curve, the soles of her feet bounced against the cracked ground, springing her into the air again. Three times in rapid succession she repeated the spring, until her feet kicked off from the ground one last time, and she curled her body in against itself, spinning in a ball in the air. As she began to descend, she did the uncurling twist she had done back at the Ocelotti caravan, landing on her toes with her arms spread wide as she grinned back at all of them. Immediately they broke into an energetic applause and she gave a theatrical bow as she walked back and took her spot, laughing with exhilaration.
"Is everything okay, Nyrris?" Cheetara asked with a small smile, trying to cover up for being startled by the sudden laughter.
"No, no, it's fine!" she laughed as she sat back down, shaking her dark hair, "I'm just happy. Tygra can grumble about 'one big happy family' as much as he wants, but I'm happy with it. All of us here together…well, it's almost like being back home, with my family again. I love it."
Her laughter was infectious, bringing a smile to everyone's face, and Razor suddenly leaned forward with a grin, grabbing Nyrris in a headlock.
"Good," he chuckled, ruffling her hair vigorously, " 'Cause I've always wanted a little sister to pick on!"
"Hey!" she protested, and this time the others joined in the laugh, grateful of the opportunity to enjoy one another's company.
But little did they know that this would be the last time they would all be together like this for a while to come, for the unavoidable pattern of events Priséa had foreseen began to be set in motion by the hand of Fate. For as all learn, Fate can be an insatiably sadistic entity, and always has in mind His own ideas…
Night fell with the group finding a small cave around the fringes of the plains, a clever little campsite hidden from prying eyes for them. Panthro had parked the Thundertank just outside the entrance, and with Kuncia's magic, they managed to conceal it successfully. They took what they needed for supper into the cave with them, and upon discovering the cave's natural ventilation, they lit a small fire to keep warm and cook with. During the cooking of supper, Kuncia had taken the attention of the Wilytwins once more, telling them some of the myths she had taught her class, and the others listened in casually, still feeling united in their family feeling brought on by Nyrris.
"And so all the events foretold came to pass." Kuncia finished.
"Woooowww…" WilyKat murmured.
"So does all prophecy work out that way?" Kit asked.
"Prophecy and divination is a particularly difficult and unusual branch of magic to master," Kuncia began slowly, "And even more so to accurately use."
"What about Nyrris's fortune-telling?" Kat asked, turning to look at the ocelot.
"Hey, my fortune-telling is bad already," Nyrris chuckled weakly, "And that's taking into account that fortune-telling is a branch of prophecy and divination."
"Why don't you show us some of your fortune-telling?" Razor asked abruptly.
"What?" Nyrris blurted out, startled. "You want me to actually—"
"Yes!" Cougaress agreed. "I don't believe I've seen legitimate fortune-telling up close before."
Nyrris opened her mouth to speak, then fell short as she glanced around at the others, seeing them give nods of approval. The sight bolstered her spirits and she smiled confidently, pulling out her knapsack.
"Alright, but I warn you all, it's not going to be anything spectacular, so don't get your hopes up." she laughed, pulling out first a small bag that clicked and rattled, a stack of odd looking papers, and basin full of dark leaves.
"What are the leaves for?" WilyKat asked, peering over her shoulder.
"It's one of the methods of divination," Nyrris replied, gesturing for someone to hand her some of the heated water, "Just watch."
Taking the beaten, battered kettle from Cheetara, she gently tilted it to pour the heated water out into the basin. The leaves inside the bowl swirled gently, like a tiny whirlpool as she poured, and Nyrris set the kettle aside, cautiously reaching in with a finger and stirring the leaves as she gestured above the bowl with her other hand, eyes shutting in concentration.
"Show me what lies in the future near to come," she whispered, lifting her finger from the basin. She paused, then opened her eyes as the leaves continued to spin, gradually slowing down.
"So…what should we be expecting?" Panthro murmured as everyone leaned in.
The leaves began to rearrange themselves in the water, moving of their own accord against the direction of the flow, and finally came to a stop, forming a single word.
BETRAYAL.
An ominous quiet fell over the cats as they all stared into the bowl, the cave growing a touch colder. Finally, Snarf, or perhaps it was Kewi, mewled, breaking the silence, and Nyrris gave a weak laugh.
"S-see what I mean? My fortune-telling's awful," she said, picking up the papers and shuffling them rapidly, "Watch, I'll read the tarot signs and it'll be something completely different."
The papers, cut like strange cards, had different depictions on one side to represent something, and a diamond design on the back. Once Nyrris had finished mixing them up, she laid out three of them facedown, tapping each card gently in a rhythmic pattern.
"Show me what lies in the future near to come." she repeated, flipping the cards over one by one. The first was a sign of a long dagger, the second a locked door, and the third was a sliver of a crescent moon. Nyrris froze, her hand shaking as she turned over the third card.
"What is it?" Tygra prompted.
"B-betrayal. From within." Nyrris murmured, blinking hard. "Th-that's…that's never happened before. I-I've never read the leaves and the cards and gotten the same message." She paused, then her eyes widened. "Hold on a second!" she hissed, snatching up the small pouch and untying its strings. She gave the bag a vigorous shake and flicked her wrist, allowing the small marked stones within to spill out, clattering and rattling against the floor of the cave. Several landed in a pile, unmarked sides up, and she scooped these back into the pouch without looking at them. But the others…
"The lightning tongue is touching the roots of the tree…" she whispered, pointing the stones out to the others before indicating the other stones that fell close to the first two. "And there, sword below blood tear, next to moon."
"And that means?" Lion-O asked in tones of dread, already knowing from the look on her face what it was.
"Betrayal from within, again." Nyrris exhaled in disbelief.
"I thought you said your fortune-telling was never right." Panthro remarked.
"I've never been able to accurately cast fortunes before," Nyrris confirmed slowly, her eyes flicking back and forth between stones, leaves, and cards, "But I've also never had three different tools give me the same message before."
"Sounds like an ill omen if you ask me," Panthro muttered, suppressing a shudder.
"W-well," Nyrris tried to put on a voice of false cheer, "I doubt just because I happened to get the same message three times that it really actually means that this will come to pass. I mean…none of us would betray each other, right?"
Her words were greeted with silence as all of the cats glanced around at each other, some more hesitant to make eye contact than the others. Kuncia, however, frowned and squinted from the cards to the runestones.
"In both of those readings," she said slowly, "There is a sign of the moon." Her blue eyes flicked to Nyrris's blue-gray ones. "What aren't you telling us?"
The ocelot gulped, her hands shaking worse than before, and looked away from the wide-eyed stares.
"W-w-well," she stammered, "A-as-assuming that I actually ma-managed to read an accurate f-fortune…then if we were b-betrayed…the moon means that our betrayer is f-female."
The tense quiet that greeted her words the first time was nothing compared to the silence now. The other cats glanced first to Jess'ica, then to Cougaress, none of them daring to stare for too long. Lion-O in particular also glanced toward Cheetara, but looked away quickly before anyone could remark on it, doing his best to muster up his courage to say what needed to be said.
"Look, nobody is going to accuse anyone of betrayal." he declared stoutly, spreading his hands. "We're all in this together, working for the same goal. None of us has any reason to betray each other, and to just suspect or accuse any of our companions reflects badly on us. I don't want anyone panicking, and don't bother Nyrris about it, either." He glanced at her, offering a look of sympathy. "She's obviously as shaken as the rest of us."
"Thanks, Lion-O," she muttered unhappily, gathering the rest of the runes and replacing them in her pouch before moving on to the cards.
"If you say so." Panthro sighed, going off to a corner and sitting down, Kuncia following to talk to him gently. The others quietly moved off to their own spots in the cave, the tension still thick in the air from the ominous readings Nyrris had given them.
"I'll take the first watch." Tygra said to no one in particular, striding to the mouth of the cave to wait until someone relieved him of his duty. The quiet continued, and everyone prepared for an uneasy sleep, settling down on little pallets they made up. Nyrris started to lay down, slightly apart from most of the others, alone with her thoughts, until Jess'ica spoke up.
"I thought your fortune-telling was always wrong." she remarked.
"It always has been before." Nyrris replied quietly.
"Then what would you call that?" the silver-and-black female asked.
The young gypsy could only shrug in response. "I don't know."
The flames on the tiny cooking fire sputtered and flickered, dying down to soft, glowing embers, and Nyrris paused, waiting to see if the fire was going to give her a sign of betrayal too. But soon her eyelids grew heavy, and before long she felt into a fitful sleep with nightmares that threatened her with a paired of clawed, bandaged hands and hate-filled red eyes, a fitful sleep that had the young ocelot tossing and turning, and had the loyal Spindlefire watching her with a growing sense of worry, unable to protect his mistress's niece from the terrors of dreams.