Episode 4: Dusk and Dhaune

1st of Parvulis

As Ulrich took a match to the report and the book found in T.V's office, Yumi gave the letter written in the strange symbols to Jeremie. He read over them, and he nodded. "Yes, these are dwarven runes, and I recognize this word—amgarrak. It means victory. Where did you get this?"

Yumi was hesitant to admit it, but Ulrich held no shame. "From the desk of Thomas Vincent,"

Jeremie recoiled. "What? You broke into the magistrate outpost?!"

"Unlike you, I was not content simply waiting for him to kill us! At least we took action!" Ulrich shouted. "If you want to go back and apologize for our initiative, be my guest. I hope they throw you in the same cell they threw Aelita in!"

Yumi stepped in between them. "Boys, stop!" She said, and she looked to Jeremie. "The letter was attached to a satchel of gold. What could that mean?"

"I won't know until I've translated the letter, but it could be a donation from a private dwarven investor. There are quite a few dwarves in Falcon's Bridge." He shook his head, and he added, "But I can't imagine why even a dwarven investor would send a letter written in dwarven runes and not the Common."

Ulrich crossed his arms and leaned against the aravel. "Victory, dwarven runes, a satchel of gold and a corrupt magistrate. This does not bode well for our good friend T.V."

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions until I have all of the facts." The Wise Man said as he entered the aravel.

Ulrich glared. "Yeah, because he deserves the benefit of your doubt so much more than Aelita did."

Jeremie stared back angrily and opened his mouth to argue.

"BOYS!" Yumi yelled before they could start yet another fight.

Aelita stood in the street and looked at the Hunter's Meadhall. It had all started there, she recalled, remembering Edna's voice and her gentle guiding hands. Aelita put her hand on the doorknob and pushed it open. Inside, it was exactly the same as it had always been—the low ceiling and the dark wood all around. There were chandeliers spaced at intervals along the ceiling and a fire pit in the center of the room. Aelita made her way to the seat where she'd first seen Edna.

She closed her eyes and remembered her beating heart, the joy she'd felt at her first successful complex spell and the elation of navigating the forest without thinking. She remembered the pain of the confirmation process, and that itching that didn't go away for many days. She pushed her toes and fingers closer to the fire, remembering the sense of belonging that had filled her heart when she was with the elves. For a moment, she convinced herself that Edna was still alive—that she would wake up and everything from the spirit to the execution to her false human family and her enslavement had been a bad dream. That Edna would scold her for not listening. Then they would move on, and everything would be right again.

But Aelita opened her eyes and found she was still in the Meadhall, surrounded by people who cared nothing for her or her story. She pulled her hands and feet closer, and she covered her eyes.

"…Maya?" A feminine voice behind her asked.

"I answer to no name but my own," Aelita said as firmly as she could, though her voice shook with anger and shame. The owner of the voice pulled off her hood, revealing Aelita's pink hair. The Outcast jumped up and pushed the owner of the voice away before pulling the hood back over her head. The owner was a blonde human girl, her hair short and her eyes a weak tint of blue. Aelita's eyes widened as she recognized the girl. "…Eva?"

Eva Skinner put her hands on her hips. "You have some nerve showing your face in this town." She hissed, her fingers twitching near the dagger on her belt. Eva wore a plain set of tavern clothes, heavy and brown like the arriving autumn leaves covered in a dirty white apron. "You ruined everything!"

"I didn't do anything, Eva! If you want the true culprit, look to Thomas Vincent!" Aelita said, her voice getting louder.

"The Knight-Templar was only doing his job!" Eva argued. She took a step forward so that she was right in Aelita's face. "You ruined a lot of people's lives. Did you know that Chris never returned from prison? He was only supposed to be there for a few days until after the execution, but when Ben went to collect him, they said that he'd been moved to a prison out of the district!"

"That was not my fault! Chris stood up for the truth! He knew Edna was not a blood magician!"

Eva laughed bitterly. "Oh, but you are!" Her tone became sickly sweet. "Did Murray volunteer to have his skeleton picked clean, or did the demon teach you that?"

Aelita remembered the skeleton, and she looked down at her toes. "I… I didn't mean to do that." She said weakly. "It… it was an accident."

"An accident? An accident?! You killed our best friend on accident?!" The tavern wench shouted. "You're a murderer and a liar! What did your little pet teach you? What did he teach you, witch?!"

She would no longer be silent. "I. AM. NOT! A! WITCH!" She struck Eva, who drew her dagger and slashed at the elf. Aelita pounced on her former friend, clawing like a rabid animal at her face. There was screaming and a gathering crowd, but she barely noticed.

Aelita only let up when she realized that she'd knocked Eva unconscious. At that point she jumped up and looked at her bloody fingers, her hands shaking. Quiet rumblings drew her attention and she scanned the crowd, which had formed a circle around the fight and was now beginning to press in on her. Surrounded by unfriendly faces, she bolted, pushing, shoving and threatening her way through the patrons until she had a clear path to the door. She ran out of the Meadhall, unable to hide her tears any longer.

She hid under the uplifted roots of a tree outside the village, sobbing uncontrollably. Everything was wrong. She heard footsteps, and she found Jeremie and Laura standing near the tree. She knew he was getting married to the Fair, but at that moment she didn't care any longer. She ran into his arms and cried into his shirt, holding onto it with a death grip. He seemed surprised, but he didn't push her away.

It was Laura who dragged them back to reality. "Listen, for some reason Jeremie thinks that you need to hear this new development. We're headed back to the aravel." She said flatly as Jeremie gently pushed Aelita out of his arms.

Jeremie offered what little kindness he could. "Do you need a minute?"

Aelita shook her head. "No. We have too much to do for me to sit here bawling."

They walked together to the aravel, though Aelita walked farther away from the fiancées than she would have otherwise. Laura hooked her arm in Jeremie's and pulled him closer to her, intertwining their fingers. He stood between the two girls, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. This would only grow to something worse, but he felt powerless to stop it.

Ulrich watched their approach to camp, standing up when he saw that Aelita's face had been stained with blood. "Gods above! Aelita, what happened?" He asked as he helped her to sit around the fire.

She shook her head. "I don't know anymore."

Odd questioned her. "You don't know what happened that caused you to have blood on your face and fingers? I would remember something like that."

Yumi slapped his arm. "Quiet, Odd."

Jeremie cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, "I translated the runes on the letter that Yumi gave to me. It didn't involve us, per se, but…"

Laura encouraged him. "Go on, love. What did it say?"

"…Knight Templar Thomas Vincent has been approached by Xana to ally himself with her war effort." Jeremie finished, crossing his arms.

William raised his eyebrows. "What? That's treason."

Aelita scoffed. "I can't imagine treason is the least thing he is capable of."

Yumi crossed her arms. "If this is the case, we should bring the translated letter to the mayor and pack up as soon as we can."

Laura agreed. "If T.V is a traitor, he won't get away with it. The citizens of Lyoko will not stand for it."

There was a large crash behind them, and they turned. A column of smoke appeared in the direction of Falcon's Bridge. They heard the familiar sound of constructs moving and firing lasers. "Looks like our escape will have to wait. We've got bigger problems." William said as the Heroes drew their weapons and charged towards the city.

Dhaune and about two hundred constructs were materialized on the northern border of Falcon's Bridge. She summoned a fire in her hands, and she used it to set fire to a tree next to her. Then, she ordered one of the monsters to chop down the tree. It fell onto a building, demolishing the house. She took a deep breath as she used a dark blue ribbon to tie back her hair. "This is your first solitary assignment, Dhaune. Don't blow it." She told herself as she drew her sword. "Attack!"

About twenty minutes after dusk had fallen, Falcon's Bridge was almost completely engulfed in flame and William was having flashbacks to Capital Lyoko. He and Laura were directing citizens towards the exit, hoping to help as many as they could to safety. They spotted Lowel and Milly leaving the city, but Eleanor didn't seem to be with them. The magistrates and the city guardsmen were fighting alongside the other Heroes, who had vanished from sight. A small group of constructs nearly struck Laura, though William blocked the laser just in time. "There's no end to them!" Laura shouted over the cacophony of screams and embers.

William looked up and saw an elf approaching in leather armor, her hair tied back. He put his hand on Laura's shoulder, signaling her to stay back, then he approached the stranger only to see she wasn't so foreign after all. "Dhaune!" He cried out. Dhaune's smug expression did not change, but she taunted him before rushing off into the burning city. "Stay here and guide the citizens! I'm going after Dhaune!"

Laura started to run after him. "Wait! What if something were to happen to you?"

"I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!" William shouted.

She sighed, muttering "The more he says that, the more I begin to worry." Nevertheless, she turned back towards the gate and continued guiding the citizens out of the city, offering advice and protection when needed.

Aelita was guarding the bridge, taking on constructs from afar when possible. Summoning a great portion of her magic, she tried to create a rainstorm, but the result was snow. She was greatly confused and stared at it for quite a while in disbelief, but she snapped back to reality when a magistrate grabbed her arm. "You're wanted by the law! You're coming with me!" The magistrate declared.

She motioned towards the city. "Don't you see this? You're not that blind, are you? This should be your main priority!"

But there was no use in talking sense into the magistrate. She may not have been able to tell if he was doing his job or if Xana had paid him off, but he wasn't going to let her go. "If you don't come willingly, I have no qualms about killing you."

She shook her head disbelievingly and slammed Murray the Skull between the man's legs. Using a bit of magic, the steel shattered and he screamed an octave higher than he normally would have as he fell to the ground. She knocked his helmet off and, using the blade on the end of Erahalam, stabbed her foe in the eye. Aelita took a deep breath in and the man's life-energy crawled up her staff. Using this energy she healed her broken bones, since she'd suffered too long from the pain. "I knew it. T.V was right about blood magicians." A girl behind her said.

Aelita sighed. "You'll never understand me, Eva. I'm beginning to think you never did." She said sadly as she turned, sheathing Erahalam to give Eva a chance to stand down.

Eva placed her hands on her hips, her face covered in bandages from Aelita's rage. "We agree at last," She hissed. "You've brought evil onto yourself and everyone around you. I pity you."

"I did what I had to do to survive!" Aelita shouted. "I have not willingly dragged others into my choices! Murray was the exception but you have to believe me when I say that I regret it and want to change it—but you don't understand."

"You're right. I don't. As far as I'm concerned, you should have died in that hole, not Murray."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Aelita hissed, "but I did what I thought was right—"

Eva interrupted her. "You might have done just that." She said, her voice filled with venom and warning. "I suppose now I'll have to do the same."

Aelita prepared to attack Eva, but she made no attempt to kill the Outcast. Rather, the tavern wench knocked passed her and raided the body of the dead magistrate. She changed in the bushes, coming out in full armor. She gazed at her former friend for a long while before turning and headed in the direction of Kadic.

William had chased Dhaune through the city streets, coming now to an alley near the northern border. Dhaune faced the brick wall, though she turned when William approached her. "Nowhere left to run, bitch," William said, stalking closer to her.

Dhaune cackled. "Who's running?" She asked, shrugging her shoulders. William furrowed his brows, and a stone wall closed off the alley. "I'm just getting started."

William charged her, and she side-stepped out of his path. He stopped with effort, turned and slashed at her as quickly as his body and bulky sword allowed. Dhaune was expecting that and she was ready, ducking under the arc of his weapon and kicking him the shin. He stumbled back, his sword dragging on the ground for a moment before he used it to stand upright. The pain in his knee flared though he fought it back without showing anything outwardly. He was not going to give her the satisfaction.

Instead he attacked again, forcing Dhaune into a long battle. She dodged and where she couldn't she parried or deflected his attacks. On it went, Dhaune suffering only light wounds while William took no damage at all. Attack after attack showed William getting slower and his heavy breathing betrayed his failing stamina. Dhaune on the other hand, having turned to blood magic as Xana had instructed her, was none the worse for the wear.

Panting heavily, William gathered his strength for one last attack. "I… Won't let you get away with what you've done!" He lifted his sword and launched himself at her.

She was ready. Holding out her foot, Dhaune struck him in the stomach and he stumbled to a stop, coughing. She walked over as he gasped for breath standing over him and tearing the sword from his hands.

She called upon his blood and forced him to kneel before her. "It is such a shame that you're so hotheaded. I was hoping we could resolve this civilly; that we could come to an agreement with mutual benefits."

He laughed bitterly, though he was barely able to look at her. "I would never deal with a witch like you or Xana!"

"And so you would deny your people because of principle? That's a pity. Even Aelita would change sides if she thought it would help the People. But you? No… you're far too shortsighted for such strategies." She laughed. "Though I have to wonder why you would express your displeasure with Lyoko's war strategy if you intended to remain at her side."

William spat. "I have done no such thing!"

Dhaune turned to face the wall of the alley. "No? Wasn't it you who said that you felt like you were on the wrong side of a losing battle?"

His eyes widened. "How could you possibly…"

"The Matron has eyes everywhere. I am the ears to those eyes." Dhaune explained cryptically. She turned and folded her arms behind her back. "So, is that your final answer? You deny yourself a title, a pedestal and glory?"

"I will not work for Xana!"

She shook her head. "What a bother. It appears that we must do this the hard way."

It was late as the exhausted heroes gathered together, the streets of the city bathed in the flickering red and yellow hues of the many buildings that still burned after the battle. The constructs for the most part had been defeated or fled, and citizens had stopped fleeing the city. Ulrich, Odd and Aelita had joined Laura at the gate, and Aelita brought along Rorkal and the aravel. Jeremie and Yumi approached, clothes slightly singed and covered in soot but otherwise unharmed. Laura ran to Jeremie and embraced him, though she felt Aelita's eyes on her. "Are you alright?" The Wise Man asked his fiancée, and when she nodded, he looked to the others, who agreed that they were unharmed.

Laura looked at him in confusion. "Where is William? Is he not with you?" She asked.

Yumi shook her head. "No, we thought he was here, protecting you."

The Fair looked to the Colonist. "No, Dhaune appeared, and he gave chase. I thought maybe you had run into him. He is far more skilled a fighter than Dhaune is."

Jeremie shook his head. "I didn't see him. I'll find out where he is." He closed his eyes and tried to locate William. A confused look spread across his face, creating an aura of worry through the group. Two minutes passed, and Jeremie opened his eyes, defeat obvious in them. "No. I couldn't find him."

Aelita approached cautiously, not wanting to get too close to Laura. "That doesn't mean anything. Maybe William pushed you out. I can do it; so can the others, I'm sure."

Jeremie shook his head. "Even when you pushed me out, I could still get an idea of where you were—a glimpse, a thought, something. I can't even contact William, let alone give him enough time to sever the connection."

Laura's eyes filled with tears. "What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry, Laura. William is dead," Jeremie announced.

The Heroes searched the city for an hour, splitting up to cover more ground. There was no sign of William's corpse, not even a burned one that could be identified as drow. Aelita did find Eleanor, crushed under a fallen tree with her eyes still open. She'd closed those eyes, but otherwise offered no service.

After unsuccessfully searching for a body, Laura begged that Jeremie search for him again, though once more this proved fruitless. They prepared a small memorial for the Vanguard, placing two gold coins at the base. At Yumi's request, Aelita sang the dirge for a fallen elf.

"Hahren na melana salin

Emma ir abelas

Souver'inan isala hamin

Vhenan him dor'felas

In uthenera na revas

Vir sulahn'nehn

Vir dirthera

Vir samahl la numin

Vir lath sa'vunin."

After she'd finished her song, the teenagers were on the road again, though grief and realization filled their hearts like cement.