Author's Note: ERMERGHERD that last chapter was crazy! Thoughts anyone? In my head they kinda resemble the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts except much nastier. :) Now begins the countdown to our dear Pharaoh's intro and if I can pull this off (like I know I can) it's gonna be BIG. I'm up to 95 views and I am FLOORED! Honestly I didn't think it'd even get this much attention *sweatdrops* but now that it has I will again, say thank you to the lovely viewers and reviewers. If you can recognize or are reminded by any characters from other works CALL ME OUT ON IT cause I wanna know if you can guess just who inspired them! I'm currently in the works of sketching out our characters, as they are just too amazing to be left up to the imagination alone. Anybody know a really great illustrator who would be willing to jump in my head and do it for me? No doubt they could do a much better job than I could. Anyways...HERE WE GO!

Chapter 10 : Zombie Brawls and Close Calls

Marik jerked out of his nap and snorted out a stream of bubbles, coughing and spluttering as he climbed out of the large tub. He'd lost track of time and fell asleep in the tub, slipping slowly deeper until he inhaled sudsy water. Wondering how long he'd been snoozing he toweled off and threw his clothes back on. 'Could anyone really blame me? The water never gets cold!' Said water made an interesting sucking noise as it went down the magical 'drain' and Marik "Ooh-ed" as the bubbly water slowly vanished. He padded out to his suite and snatched up a small cluster of grapes from the bowl-ones that had managed to stay in the bowl, that is. The light outside of his balcony doors was dimmer than before, he guessed it was late afternoon if not already sundown. It was hard to tell since the sun set in the opposite direction than Earth.'Damn, I slept the whole day!' Great, now he'd be up all night. Walking out to the balcony he leaned on the railing and finished his grapes. The Egyptian frowned at the empty stalk, mulling over whether he could last the night till breakfast or if he should just try to find the mess hall himself. A faint knocking caught his attention and brought him back inside. Did he just imagine that? Knock knock knock. Nope, someone was definitely knocking. He tip-toed to the door and placed an ear against the wood. Maybe if he was quiet, they'd leave..

Knock knock knock. Drat. Still there. He didn't make a move and kept his breathing even. Kisa would have spoken by now and walked in, so this was someone he didn't know.

"I know you're in there, if you're done pretending you don't exist I would like to come in and chat with you for a bit." Aeva's bemused voice murmured through the door. Marik startled and opened the door for her.

"Aeva." He said passively, to which she responded, "Marik." and walked into the room. She made herself comfortable on the chair next to its matching vanity that Marik found disgustingly elaborate.

"Slow day at work?" He sat down on the bed and faced her. She gave him an amused smirk.

"You could say that. Enjoy exploring the palace?" Marik pointedly avoided her mirthful gaze and drew patterns in the sheets.

"Kisa showed me around a bit, yeah."

She shook her head and gave a light chuckle, "You needn't worry, your little spy session went overlooked. Though I heard some rather funny rumors of the hallway being decorated with fruit?"

Marik's face got warm, "I wasn't spying. I heard your voice and was going to say hi, but I noticed you were busy. I just happened to get noticed before I noticed. And I haven't the slightest clue about hallway fruit." He gave a guilty sideways glance at the fruit bowl next to him on the nightstand; Aeva giggled so he changed the subject. "Who was the chick who busted me? I seriously thought she was gonna come after me."

"Hm? Oh you must mean Beira, yes she does come across that way doesn't she? No, she wouldn't have followed you for something so minor, but she does take her privacy quite seriously. I highly suggest refraining from such behavior around her in the future, she may not be so lenient next time." Aeva said, checking her nails. Marik watched as she magicked some dark gunk from under her nails.

"I'll keep that in mind. Beira, huh?" Odd name. "She a friend of yours?"

"She is one of our Sovereigns." Aeva responded, "And a very powerful one at that." Marik gulped, he'd been spying on Avhallian royalty? Shit.

"Ah."

"Yes, I was speaking with them about the next Council meeting. Only one lives here at the palace currently, and the others are spread about the kingdom. Rulers are given the choice to live within the palace or elsewhere. You will most likely not run into them again before the full moons."

Marik looked up questioningly, "Moons?"

"Yes, we have two, though since they are on the same lunar cycle we refer to them as one. It will be a clear night so you will be able to see them. I understand Earth only has one moon."

"Huh. Cool. Soooo what's up? You didn't come here just to tease me about getting busted, did you?" Marik pulled his legs into a criss-cross position and propped his head on his hands.

"I did not." She crossed her legs and got right to the point, "There are things happening here in Avhall that are of great concern, things that we cannot readily explain fully as of yet. As you are a guest and know very little of this world I am here to explain things about our culture to you in greater detail than what Kisa may have shared-and set some boundaries."

"Boundaries?" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"We will get to that shortly. Firstly, this realm has a very long history of tradition-for as long as Avhall has had people there has always been more than one Crowned ruler and a Council, which is made up of ten elders. We don't have many laws, but they few we do have we strongly enforce. Those laws cover most of what you might imagine; murder, theft, slavery, slander and the like. This palace, the Citadel, is the very heart of the realm-surrounded by a number of populated areas throughout the landscape. These villages work in tandem so that our lands and people flourish, and trading and bartering goods is our currency. I understand that Earth uses a metal coin currency?" She looked to him for confirmation.

"Paper currency technically, but jewels and certain metals are worth a lot to the right buyer too."

She nodded, "While there are precious metals within the mountain you will find they are not all kept for royalty, rather they are used where most needed-magic runs best through natural resources. The light runes? Those are actually a special, malleable stone that is carved and set into the mountain rock. The properties of the mountain act as an amplifier, if you will, and allow the light runes magic to be accessible to all. Thus why we built our palace right into the mountain. Speaking of magic, I'm sure Kisa explained a little about how many here possess what you might refer to as magical capabilities?" He nodded at her, "Any questions so far before I go on?"

"Uhh no, no I think I got it. Rules, palace, no money, runes, magic." He rambled off quickly. She nodded and leaned back in her chair. He noticed she talked with her hands.

"Very good, I'll continue then. You will find many different types of magic here, from simple advanced natural abilities like swimming or running to strange mutations such as growing new limbs. It all varies depending on genetics and circumstance. You may even find that if you were particularly gifted on your home realm, that ability might manifest itself differently or stronger here-a thing rather difficult to explain about our home. No one knows why this is, it just is. Those who carry magic in their blood are Gifted, while those who find they can influence or create magic are Wielders. I can explain the difference at a later time should it be necessary." Marik was at rapt attention, soaking up everything she was telling him. It was a lot to take in…

"I mentioned to you awhile back that you would be here for an undetermined amount of time, yes?" Aeva suddenly went still as she gauged his reaction, hands now folded in her lap.

"Yeah.." Marik fidgeted with the silk sheets. 'Uh oh..' His heart beat a little faster in anticipation.

"I hope you won't be too put out with me for not telling you sooner," Now he was hella nervous. "..with the sudden shock of being brought here so fresh in your mind I was unwilling to put any more stress on you. You had concerns about being away from Earth for any length of time. Well, time here flows differently, more rapidly so, even if you do not realize it. The two days I spent in Earth realm equated to nine days here in Avhall, or at least, that's the general time difference. I know you are anxious to get home-and I will send you home as soon as possible like I promised-but for the meantime, I hope it brings you a small comfort that any time you spend here is only a fraction of time lost there." Her slightly pained look proved to Marik her genuine guilt for keeping this from him.

"Oh.." It took him a full minute to fully process the new information. He was a little irritated that she hadn't told him, but he could see her reasoning. If she had told him that during his breakdown he might never have calmed down, even knowing about the time difference. He felt a small pang of sadness that he still wasn't going home. But hell, considering what might have happened to him he considered himself lucky. "Well, I guess that does make it a little better..thanks for telling me now." She gave a small appreciative smile. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"There is. I was advised not to share too much seeing as you are an 'outsider', but in all fairness you are not here by choice, therefore I have no qualms about sharing important information with you. Especially if that information may provide you some protection."

"Protection? Protection from what?"

"Do you remember me saying how it was my job to find the Sovereigns? There is a reason we have more than one ruler. When seven stand united on the thrones they unlock and share a power unlike anything in this universe. A perfect blend of Light, Dark and Elemental magic that will balance the realm and bring peace. With that power they could end any evil that may arise, stop any catastrophe that may befall the land, and bring us into a new era of prosperity...it is an all-encompassing mission that I must complete. For there is a growing darkness from battle's past that have once again come to wreak havoc through the kingdom. I feel it even now that there is a disturbance. Lately we've been having….problems in the local villages. Episodes of aggression or violence, random attacks against no one in particular just to instill fear-as if the darkness is slowly seeping into the land and poisoning the people...it is troubling, to say the least. Unfortunately, there have not been a complete seven on the throne for many ages. The last great war was fought with five rulers, and only with the Catalyst acting as a live conduit were they able to triumph before the realm became swallowed by evil. I hope to be the first in that long line of failure to seat all Seven."

Whoa. And Marik thought his situation had been tough. He really was a baby. He unconsciously leaned forward, completely wrapped up in her story.

"Is that why you asked me to stay in the palace? Because there's been attacks outside?"

"Yes, you are my responsibility and I don't plan on seeing you come to harm-I've done enough to you myself. My Captain, Brigan, is in charge of the entire Avhallian armed force and he has had to double patrols to help prevent any such attacks. Normally we have more protection for the palace itself but we need all hands available to protect the villages here and across the realm." She gazed off at something past his shoulder, and rubbed her temple. He got the feeling she wasn't just informing him anymore. This was someone under a shit ton of pressure who needed to talk to someone, even if it was indirectly. He suddenly didn't know what to say, and they sat in silence for a few heartbeats.

When the silence became uncomfortable he blurted out, "You don't have to worry about me, you know, I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself. One less thing to worry about right?"

She caught his gaze and gave him a wry smile, "If only it were that simple." He gave her a half smile back. "Which brings me to the boundaries. You may leave the palace if you wish, but take Kisa or a guard with you for protection and guidance. The closest villages are safe for you to explore, but under no circumstances are you to enter the nearby forests or go past the stone walkway without me present. If you haven't already seen it, it's the long stone street that leads all the way out of Agricolis-our farmer's village. Stay out of the Council's hair, as they can be rather overbearing with rules-I'd hate to have you sent away before I could vouch for you. If you happen to come face to face with our Sovereigns you will bow and show the utmost respect, then make a hasty exit. Queen Beira especially. Is that understood?" He nodded vigorously, he could definitely live with those rules. She sighed and sat straight, "Are you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry, to be honest, but for the sake of not being a smartass yes I am." He shot a glare at the traitorous, empty fruit bowl.

"Well then, if you'd be so kind as to escort me to dinner this evening? Brigan will be absent so there is an open seat at my table for you." She stood and turned to primp herself in the mirror.

"Uhh what? Like in the mess hall?"

"Yes, during evening mealtimes an extra table is set up for the Council, myself and the Captain. Some nights even the Sovereigns eat with the people when they feel up to it, though they much prefer to dine in private."

"Um okay.." He rolled himself off the bed, "Is it okay for me to be around the Council, I thought they were on my 'avoid at all costs' list."

"Oh nevermind them for now, you'll be with me, I just didn't want them to catch you alone. They might mistake you for a prisoner and lock you up." She ran her hands through her dark mane and straightened her skirts.

Marik couldn't help it, "I thought I was a prisoner?" He kept his tone light, and she rolled her eyes at him in the mirror.

"You know you are not. If you were, you'd be the envy of prisoners everywhere." She looked him up and down, making him feel self-conscious. He took in his appearance, not seeing anything out of place.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"We'll need to provide you with some proper clothes for your stay here, you can't run around in the same clothes everyday." She walked to the door and flagged down what Marik assumed was a servant and ordered a seamstress up to the room. She came back in and opened the large closet space, moving some old robes and such to the back.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Marik followed her and helped her with several large fur coats.

"Nothing really, but since you only came with the clothes on your back I would think you wouldn't be opposed to new clothing, especially if it will help you blend in."

"Touché."

A young brunette with a kind face came in, "Lady Aeva? You called for me?"

"Ah yes, would you be so kind and take this gentleman's measurements? He'll need a wardrobe while he's visiting, and something for this evening's dinner. The poor dear lost his things on the way here." The seamstress was obviously clueless he wasn't even from Avhall and just 'tsk tsked', giving him a sympathetic look. Aeva ushered Marik to stand in front of her and spread his arms so she could measure his height and lengths.

"Alright ma'am, I've got his size. Any special requests for you lad?" Marik looked dumbly at them both before Aeva turned to him.

"Marik, give me your hand." She held her up, palm facing him.

"Wha? Why?" Marik asked, suddenly wary of her.

"Trust me please, I'll not hurt you." Aeva motioned for him to mirror her hand. He raised his palm and gently touched it to hers.

He felt a thrum of something enter his body, and sudden flashes of colors, brief images of memories of himself before and after Battle City flooded his vision before disappearing. His mouth fell open. 'What the hell was that?!'

Aeva then pressed her hand to the seamstress for a few seconds; the seamstress closed her eyes and nodded to them, "I'm sure we can come up with a nice set. Although I'll have to search for this evening's wear-there's no time for a new ensemble."

"I'm sure he'll be fine with what you'll bring." Aeva waved her off. She curtsied and left the room.

"You wanna explain what the hell that was? Why did I see me?" Marik looked at her like she'd shocked him. To which she just smirked at his dumbfounded expression.

"I glimpsed into your soul, to get a grasp on who you are...more specifically to what you feel most comfortable wearing."

His eyes went wide, "You were in my head? You invaded my soul so you could show her what I like to wear?" Marik's hand still felt tingly; he grumbled about how he wasn't sure he liked that particular magic trick.

Aeva snorted, "I did not invade your soul, you let me in! Honestly! And to put you at ease I did not see much, even I know better than to go traipsing through one's soul." She sauntered to the door, "I'm going to get changed. The seamstress should be back shortly with something appropriate for you while they make you some clothes. I'll be back in an hour." And out the door she went.

Marik sat back down on the bed, feeling like he'd had his feather ruffled. He wished she'd given him more warning to what she was gonna do. She hadn't meant any harm, but still, she didn't get how personal that was. He didn't like anyone invading his mind or soul. Ironic really, seeing as how he'd done that to countless others before having some sense blasted into him. He lay there stewing until a knock brought him out of his stupor. Opening the door he found the friendly-faced seamstress, and to his delight, an excited Kisa.

"Hello Marik, I'm coming down to dinner with you and Lady Aeva! Hurry and get dressed so we can go!" She was practically bouncing with energy.

"Whoa! Chill! Okay I'm going!" He thanked the seamstress and laid out the various pieces on the bed. His smile slid off as he took in the dinner outfit, wishing suddenly he had declined the invite to dinner. 'You've got to be joking..'.

"I look ridiculous!" Marik whined, walking down the stairs with Aeva and Kisa, pulling at the stupid frilly shirt he was being forced to wear. The extra frills at the sleeve cuffs slapped his face when he adjusted his collar, which only pissed him off more. The loose fitting pants he could deal with, they went with his boots anyway. But the SHIRT! The damned thing was a light mauve silk dress shirt from the dark ages specially made for the DEVIL and he hated it. The darker vest that went over it was an awful velvet material with gold trim to "match his gold jewelry".

Aeva didn't even glance back at him, "You look fine! I admit it's a bit old fashioned but it's only for tonight until you're given new clo-"

"Easy for you to say! You look like some kind of warrior princess and Kisa looks like a little doll running around in her dress! I look like a Three Musketeer's reject! This is not me 'blending in'!" He angrily stomped down after them as they came to the entrance of the mess hall.

"What's a Musketeer?" Kisa asked cutely, her pretty tea-length coral dress shimmering in the light. He huffed, there wasn't any point in explaining.

"You can't seriously tell me that this is the only thing you have for me in the WHOLE palace! Absolutely ridiculous! Whaa-wait! Don't go in-AEVA!" He hissed, stopping her from entering the hall.

She gave an exasperated sigh, "What is the matter!" He gave her a pained look and gestured to the outfit. Wave after wave of anxiety, shame and irritation rolled off the flustered Egyptian, enough to give her a small headache. She rolled her eyes, "Oh for goodness sake!" Pushing him back from the doorway to give them some privacy, she ripped off the frilly cuffs and chest frills-throwing them into a nearby vase. Rolling up the torn fabric to his elbows she pulled two small pins from her hair and set the now frill-less sleeves in place, then she adjusted the vest so the exposed loose threading was hidden. The she turned him so he could catch a glimpse of himself in the window. "Better?" He breathed a satisfied sigh at his reflection. Kisa giggled at his actions.

"Much. Thank you." He smoothed his hair back out of his face and offered her his arm. She shook her head bemusedly at him. Without the silly frills he looked quite handsome.

"You are welcome. May we go in now?" He gulped and nodded. She took his arm and led him into the hall. Marik's heart was pounding-she could feel his anxiety pulsing through his aura. Upon first meeting the Egyptian she found he had a peculiar aura, a pretty lilac color like his eyes-but with a dark purplish bruising surrounding it. Given the glimpses of his past in Ishizu's memories she had seen he had once been a very kind soul tainted by darkness, and felt pity for him. Whatever he had done in the past haunted him still. Shame really, he had potential to be the pure soul he was back then. In her experience those who dwelt on the past too long were doomed to repeat their mistakes again-and that would not do. Aeva made a silent vow that if she had the opportunity she'd work on breaking him free of that guilt before his departure.

She led him through the sea of palace occupants up to a long table at the head of the hall, along the way offering greetings to all who bowed or wished her good evening. Marik stayed silent but managed to offer a smile to those who acknowledged his presence. Kisa greeted and smiled at everyone, skipping behind them.

She nudged him, "Peace Marik, tonight you are a guest at my table. No one would dare pay a disrespect to any of mine." She smiled and politely waved to a rowdy group who cheered and toasted to her entrance. Not that he blamed them; with her in a stunning dark blue gown, dark braided plait and piercing eyes she was a looker-he'd holler at her too.

"Umm, how many people know that I'm not from here?" He asked. Though no one was giving him dirty looks or whispering under their breath like they had with Kisa, he still felt too many curious stares for his liking.

"Most likely all of them. Only a handful saw you fall from the Gateway with me but news travels quickly. They will just assume you are an ally of Avhall from another realm come to visit, or even that you are a Sovereign in training."

"I highly doubt any of them think I'm a future king."

"Don't be so sure, looks can be deceiving." They finally made it to the table and sat at the two middle chairs. "Speaking of kings, it seems we will be dining mostly alone tonight." She sat at center and gestured for him to sit at her left. Kisa sat on the other side of him. The long table was empty except for three hooded figures at the end. They sat motionless-which was freaky.

"So I'm not meeting any royalty tonight? What about them down there?" He leaned down so only she could hear him.

"Queen Seraphine might make an appearance, but it's unlikely you will tonight; three have left the palace for the time being. As for them, they are part of the Council. Mostly they keep to themselves-their covered appearance is due to one of our traditions. Since the Council works as one body of power they can have no sense of individuality-working and thinking and even eating as one instead of ten. To cover oneself and hide your identity is to not be yourself, you see. The other members are...doing whatever they do when not barking orders at me or Brigan." She frowned over at the still figures. It went without saying the Council was her least favorite group of people.

"That's kinda weird." Marik said bluntly, cheeks going a bit pink after it slipped out.

"Indeed, but it works, so the tradition carries on." She stood, and motioned a hand to the room. Marik was amazed when it went silent all throughout the hall. All eyes trained on Avea as she addressed the room. She lifted a goblet.

"Good evening! Health and prosperity to all who dine within the Citadel tonight!" They all cheered and raised goblets of their own, "As you know, the Summer Solstice festival is upon us.." More cheers and clapping, "..while this is a time for all to celebrate our glorious kingdom-quite a few of you will celebrate in excess, no doubt.." Several men in the back barked out laughter, "..I must impress upon you to be wary of any danger. Whether a threat from outside makes itself known or a hassle or riot between friends, it makes no difference. Let us all work together to keep our people safe from harm." She raised her goblet high, "To Avhall!" The room applauded and dug into yet another meal that had Marik drooling. He piled his plate high and almost cried with happiness. Kisa tapped him on the shoulder.

"Marik, could you please pass me the roast?" Her large orange eyes and doll-like face gave Marik a visual of her as a kitten or something. She really was adorable. He passed her a platter of steaming hot roast slices. As he ate he watched the scene before him; people laughing and talking..the cheery atmosphere was infectious. Marik found his heart lighter than it had been in a long time. The three of them enjoyed small talk through dinner. It wasn't until dessert that Marik began asking the bigger questions.

"So Aeva, can I ask what you plan to do with the Pharaoh's remains?" He did his best to sound nonchalant about it, but he was insanely curious ever since she'd told him why she'd been in Egypt.

Aeva chewed and swallowed before answering, "As you know, I hope to crown him Sovereign. In a few days' time there will be two full moons shining down on us, allowing me to pull on a vast amount of energy for a revival ritual. Using his remains and the Dark Tome I will recreate his body and reunite it with his soul."

Marik choked, and took a swig of wine to clear his throat, "You can do that?!" He looked at her incredulously.

"Yes." She shrugged, like reanimating a 5000 year old body was old hat. Hell, for her maybe it was, he wouldn't fucking know.

"Dark Tome? Is that the book?" He cocked an eyebrow, shivering involuntarily just thinking of that cursed object.

"It is. One of many powerful spellbooks scattered across the universe. I had banked on another way to revive your Pharaoh but the Tome is extremely powerful. It may have more to offer me in the ways of revival."

"There's more of those things?! Nevermind that. Is it safe? That book is evil. What if it doesn't bring him back the way he was? I-uh, I don't mean to be nosy, but being an ex-Tomb Keeper it's kinda just second nature to worry about him...which is weird, I never cared for him before...nevermind."

It was Aeva's turn to give him a curious glance, "Tomb Keeper?"

"Yeah, um, my family.. my bloodline, we kinda had this job to watch over and protect his resting place until he came back." Marik shifted uncomfortably, hoping she wouldn't ask for all the details.

"Till he comes back?"

"Well actually he already did. It's a long story but his spirit came back within the Millenium Puzzle to finish something he started when he was alive. His spirit has been back at rest for about seven years now."

A shadow fell across Aeva's face, "Until I came along." Now that he had a better understanding of what Aeva was all about he could better empathize with her plight. He awkwardly patted her shoulder.

"Hey, don't feel bad. I mean, it's not like he knows you blew up his pyramid. You're not some power-crazed psycho like I thought you were! I get why you did what you did...I think." Her lips twitched up at that, but fell back into a frown.

"It is not only that. I had no idea that he had already gone through such trials, and now, I'm having to call him away from peace once again. There is a measure of guilt I carry having to ask not just him, but the other Sovereigns as well, to carry such a heavy burden such as ruling this realm." Their conversation drifted off as they ate their fill. Aeva caught movement at the door out of the corner of her eye. Brigan met her eyes and disappeared out of sight. She stood and turned to Kisa.

"Why don't you show Marik around the town tonight? I'm sure he's eager to get some fresh air. Don't be out too late though, I'll need your help in the morning."

"Of course Lady! Marik, are you feeling up to it?" Kisa asked.

"Uh yeah sure! What about you?" He looked up at Aeva, who smiled kindly.

"I have some business to attend to, though I shall see you tomorrow. For now, I must be going. Goodnight."

The both bade her goodnight before she swept out of the hall. Kisa stood and tugged on his arm.

"Shall we go? You'll like the town! There's lots of nice people and stalls with goodies and music is playing on every corner.." Marik listened as she rambled on and on as she led him out of the mess hall.

Aeva followed Brigan into a secluded back room of the infirmary, gasping at the three occupied beds. Three figures lay still underneath white sheets-the room felt heavy with death.

"What happened?" She turned to her Captain.

"The two men from Dell Vallah who fell ill finally succumbed to their symptoms. There was no saving them. The third is the woman from Agricolis who was attacked. I wanted to show you something." He walked over and folded back the linens from their faces. All three had gaunt, sallow faces. Their skin had a sickening greenish hue to it and black residue had dried at their eyelids, ears and corners of their mouths. "The men bear no scratches or bite marks like the woman, but the nurses found they had both been stabbed with a sharp needle multiple time in their backs, and those puncture marks leaked this black acid too. It's is the same substance that the the woman's husband had seeping from his wounds. I have a feeling if we checked over the prisoners we'll find more puncture marks. Someone or something is poisoning innocent people." He scowled as he covered the dead's faces again.

Aeva paced in front of the beds, "It has to be a someone; those shadow beasts are incapable of premeditated attacks such as this. They are mindless creatures that have more in common with rabid animals then sentient beings. Unless they are being controlled...Are the other prisoners getting worse? What of the husband?"

"For now, the prisoners are stable though still lacking most mental and motor functions. We got to the farmer in time, the nurses were able to heal him."

"What did they use to cure the poison?"

"A serum made from Begonia flowers enhanced with Light magic seemed to do the trick. They're working on making more to give to the seven still sick." He walked over to a window and stared out at the moonlit hills.

"This cannot continue. An epidemic of this poison will spread almost as fast as fear itself. We must not let any news of this get out until we know exactly what we're dealing with. I will personally speak with the nurses who treated these victims. Their silence on the matter is of great importance. Let's pay a visit to the dungeons Brigan, it's time we performed a much more thorough search for answers."

"I couldn't agree with you more." They left the room in search of the nurses doing rounds, hearts heavy with foreboding.

In the depths of the palace…

Down in the lower levels a lone guard stood at attention at the stone door leading to the dungeons. The hall was dark, lit only by the flaming torches mounted along the walls. This late in the evening there were no visitors, and the prisoners locked inside were quiet. The long shift and excellent meal had the guard fighting to keep his eyes open. His eyes drooped, helmeted head nodding off into his chest.

A burst of cold energy blew through the hallway, snapping the guard out of his sleepy state. He looked around, seeing nothing. He shrugged, figuring he imagined it. There was only one way in and one way out of the dungeon itself-up the staircase at the very end of the long hall. He felt along the door itself, thinking perhaps he had left it open a crack by accident. But no, it remained shut-impenetrable without the spell to open it. The runes running up and down the stone slab glittering in the firelight. No sound came from within. The natural-made caves on the other side of the door were specially remodeled to be inescapable-this far down into the heart of the mountain it was even airtight. The runes carved into each cell continuously alight to provide oxygen and dim light to the prisoners within. He felt again a cold energy fill the hallway, his breath visible when he exhaled.

Startled, he whirled around, wide awake now, "Who goes there?!" His answer was silence. He stood defensively in front of the door with his spear ready. His heart rate jumped as the hall seemed to dim slowly, the torches being slowly reduced to small smoking embers. "SHOW YOURSELF!" Again, no answer. Something was here, an enemy he couldn't see but he could feel it. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood as an electric current ran up over his body. He jerked, gasping as what he thought was a malevolent chuckle echoed throughout the hallway. With a FWHHP the torches went out, leaving him in darkness. He yelped in fright and backed up into the door. He stood shaking as an almost indistinguishable whisper came closer and closer to him. In the dark he couldn't see the tendrils of magic crawling along the floor. "Magic is not allowed by any but the Catalyst and the Sovereigns down here! I demand you leave at once!"

The whispering got steadily louder and louder. The chanting overlapping itself, splitting into a hundred different whisperers and growing to a deafening roar. The guard screamed and dropped his spear and covering his ears, trying in vain to block out whatever this noise was. The snaking tendrils wound their way up his legs, numbing him as they crawled up his body. The guard began to panic when he found he couldn't move or scream. His heart beat rapidly as his body no longer responded to him, but to something else. He jerked again, then went still as the tendrils forced themselves into his mouth and ears. His eyes went vacant. The tendrils whispered things...terrible things in his head. Making dark promises..he needed to open the door. Against his will, his body turned and placed a palm on the center of the door.

His mouth opened without his permission, the old language of his people leaving his lips in a guttural rasp, "As a chosen guard of Avhall and in the name of Sovereigns Beira, Seraphine and Nicias, I command this door to open. Blood taken unwillingly is only rectified with blood given freely. I offer my blood of my own volition. I bid thee open." The runes lit up and he felt the slightest sliver of skin in his palm open, blood leaving the paper thin cut and being soaked into the door. The light runes turned red as blood for a split second and then the huge stone door slowly opened. His body twitched forward, movements like that of a puppet on a string, bringing him to an occupied cell-the stone door remained open. He lifted the keys from his belt and unlocked the cell. A woman stood in the center of the dim, dirty cell. Greenish-black goo dripped from her ears and nose, and her eyes were tinged with red as she cried black tears. The guard stood still as the woman stepped forward, giggling maniacally. Her body too, moved as if she wasn't in control of her movements. Her hands held either side of his face almost lovingly before twisting his neck with a brutal SNAP. The guard's body thudded to the dungeon floor. A loud cacophony of screaming prisoners echoed through the heart of the mountain as another, stronger cold burst of energy blew through each cell, frightening all who lived down there before disappearing. The woman turned and walked out the open door and twitched her way up the dark staircase, giggling madly.

Kisa skipped ahead of Marik down the last flight of stairs leading to the main entrance of the palace, her casual outfit of matching tights and babydoll blouse making her look even more childlike.

"I shall introduce you to all the best stall keepers in the Square, and then we'll go to the grotto. Lots of young people go there in the evening times, sometimes the ruckus carries long into the night. There's food and drink and the musicians always play wonderful music." She almost tripped down the last three steps onto the large landing. Spinning around she saw Marik huffing down the steps after her, back in his own clothes.

He took deep breaths, "Why...are there..so many.. stairs! Can't you just….magic an escalator in here or something? Damn! " He doubled over, panting for breath.

"Hee hee, Marik you're funny!" She strolled over past a tall, dark archway over a long staircase.

Marik walked over and peered down into the stairwell, there were dimly lit flame torches lighting the way down but towards the bottom there was no light. He couldn't see the bottom.

"Hey Kisa, what's down there?" The ginger girl turned around and reluctantly walked over to him.

"That leads to the dungeon. I never go down there cause I'm not allowed. It's full of all kinds of... bad people." She stood close to him and looked down; voice dropping to a whisper, "We should go, this hall always give me a bad-!" She suddenly clung to Marik's arm, eyes wide with fear.

"Kisa? What's wrong?"

"It's too dark down there...I smell something! Something's wrong!" She tugged him away from the archway. He let her tug him away a few feet.

"Smell? I don't smell anything. Hold on, let me check."

"No wait! Something is down there that shouldn't be!"

"If there's something down there then we need to call for help. Let me see first, if it's nothing then we can go into town, okay?" He gently shook off Kisa's hand and walked over to the archway. The torches were almost out so he couldn't see much. He strained his hearing...nothing but silence. No funny smells either. He turned to Kisa, "It's okay, there's nothing down there. We should ask someone to relight tho-" He was cut off by a hair-raising screech which had him wheeling back around. His eyes caught super fast movement coming up with stairs. He reacted on instinct-throwing himself backwards and landing on his butt just as the wailing thing came into the light. He gasped as what looked like a battered woman hunched over on all fours looked all around the room. Blood and some kind of nasty goo was dripping out of her face and greenish-yellow foam fell from her drooling mouth. Hissing sounds and labored breath escaped through stained lips; her skin had an unhealthy color to it and her hair was a ratted mess as her head swiveled back and forth.

"What the fuck?!" He scrambled up and in front of Kisa as the wild woman's eyes landed on them. Her dull eyes were tinged red at the corners. Before either of them could make a break for it the woman spider-crawled at them at break-neck speed, letting out another shrill cry. Kisa screamed and Marik shoved her hard to the side, jumping to the opposite side just in time. The woman ran smack into the wall behind them and roared with anger.

"KISA RUN!" Marik yelled, his voice catching the woman's attention and she ran at him again. He saw Kisa run around to the other side of the staircase and out of sight. 'She's safe! But I'm not!' Marik threw his arms up as the psycho prisoner knocked him to the ground, he planted his hands on her upper arms and a foot into her stomach and flipped her over his head. She writhed and twitched, righting herself and crawling after him just as he jumped to his feet. A vice-like grip latched around his ankle causing him to fall with a yelp. She scrambled over him till she straddled his back; he bucked and she lost her balance enough for him to turn onto his back. He grasped her wrists as she went to claw at his face and clothes. He grunted with the effort to keep this woman off of him even as she screamed and slobbered that nasty foam on him. His heart hammered in his chest. 'She's fucking strong! I can't get her off!' She yanked her wrists free of his grip and beat any part of him she could reach, screaming bloody murder. He flung his arms up to protect himself from her assault and yelled for help. 'WHERE IS EVERYONE?!'

A vicious growl came from somewhere by Marik's head, loud enough to make the woman pause. They both looked up. Marik's heart about stopped altogether. Orange and black stripes took up most of his vision. A tiger-an actual fucking tiger-snarled and lunged at the woman knocking her off and away from Marik. The Egyptian scrambled till his back was against a far wall, disbelief etched into his face as he watched the scene before him. The tiger roared and growled at the hissing woman, standing in between them and juking out the equally terrifying prisoner at every attempt to get at him.

"KISA!" Marik's eyes shot up to the staircase; Aeva came flying down and leapt over the side of the banister landing with a large man hot on her heels. She drew twin sais out of her dress. Marik looked around wildly for the young girl but she wasn't anywhere in sight. The wailing woman and the tiger continued to swipe and scratch at eachother. Aeva ran at the woman without hesitation.

Marik called out to warn her, "WAIT! Watch out for the tiger!" Said beast whirled and roared at him, causing him to jump back in fright. The Tiger backed him up against the wall, pacing back and forth between him and the two females. Brigan came up next to Marik and tugged him to the side away from the archway and the fight, Marik watching in bewilderment as the tiger padded behind them. A screech of pain had him zeroing in on the battle.

Aeva moved like lightning; landing punch after brutal punch with the flattened handles of her blades. Marik was amazed, she ducked and blocked all the woman's wild attempts to hurt her like it was nothing. It vaguely occurred to him that she had barely broken a sweat fighting himself and Odion off. After leaning back to avoid a swipe to her throat Aeva whirled the sais like nunchucks-slicing the wailing creatures arms, legs, sides and finally her neck-silencing the screams. The woman stood still as blood flowed from her wounds, before slowly sinking to the ground. The awful murky substance came flowing out of her wounds and orifices, smoking and bubbling like tar. Marik felt queasy as he slid to the floor in shock.

"Wh-what the hell was that?!" He felt bile rise in his throat as he stared at the woman's body; he'd never seen a dead body before. He clutched at the skin above his heart, taking deep breaths as he willed the rapid beating muscle to slow. Aeva walked over and knelt down to lay a hand on his head.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

"I think so. Where's Kisa?" He flinched as the tiger gave a stressed mewl, still pacing back and forth with its hackles raised. Aeva extended a hand out to the frightened big cat.

"Peace Kisa, come back to us. There is no more danger." The tiger slowly made its way over, sniffing Aeva's hand before rubbing its head on it. "Good girl." Aeva smiled.

"K-Kisa? The tiger is Kisa? The tiger.. is Kisa….she's an Animalis!" Marik's mind reeled as the big cat snuffled him and lay next to his stiff form. He looked between Aeva and the panting cat for confirmation.

Aeva nodded, "Yes, a very rare one at that. We will explain later when she changes back." She stood and immediately Marik sensed she had switched into her Catalyst mode. "Captain Brigan, call a handful of guards you trust up here to clean this mess. I want the body taken to the infirmary. Once you return you and I are going to investigate the dungeon." The Captain bowed and left in a hurry. She walked over to the archway and held both palms out to her sides. A thin, shimmery curtain rose from the floor up to the archway ceiling-becoming a glittery solid wall. The raven-haired Lady turned back to stand by the shaken Egyptian. "I want you to go back up to your room for the night, it is not safe for you to wander and Kisa is no longer in a proper state of mind to aid you. She will follow you up and if it is alright with you I'd prefer she stay there too. It will take her several hours to shift back and she prefers not to be alone."

Marik looked down at the mewling tiger; he noticed she wasn't very big-about the size of a full grown Labrador. Made sense since she was so young. Sleek orange fur marked with even black stripes all down her back and sides and tail-the pretty little girl he had befriended was a tiger! She whined deep in her throat and big orange eyes stared deep into his lavender ones. Even as an animal he could see fear in her eyes. His heart panged and he nodded. He was still shaking as he got to his feet; Kisa standing and padding over to a small pile of clothes lying on the floor by the stairs.

Aeva gripped his elbow to steady him, "You are unharmed, yes?" Again he nodded-words failing him as adrenaline left his body. "Good. I will come to look in on you as soon as I'm able." With that, she turned to the group of soldiers running down the hall.

Marik, still in shock of what just happened, picked up Kisa's clothes and let his feet lead him back up into the room. Kisa padded silently next to him. The palace was mostly empty, and no one they came across gave the tiger girl a second look. Once up on his landing he felt calmer, opening the door and watching Kisa snake in between his legs. The room was dark, and he crawled up on the bed and hugged his knees in silence. After a few moments he heard Kisa snuffling at the edge of the bed before jumping at the heavy THWUMP of her hopping up onto the mattress. She whined and curled up at the foot of the bed, trembling.

"Yeah, me too…" He leaned over, gently running a hand over her soft furry head. The action calmed him and her. He didn't know how long they stayed like that, but his body gave in to the exhaustion and he drifted off into a fitful sleep. Images of red-eyed, oozy zombies invaded his dreams.

A few hours later he woke to the sound of crying. He sat up, blinking in the dark.

"Kisa?" He mumbled sleepily.

Getting off the bed he followed the sound to the side of the vanity. On the floor by the window Kisa sat wrapped up in the curtain, hiccuping slightly. In the dark he couldn't see but he knew she didn't have any clothes on. She looked so small and helpless...Marik yanked the thick blanket from off the bed and wrapped her up, leading her to the bed and helping her burritoed form to lay down. He climbed in on the other side and scooted close so he was sitting up next to her. He gently ran a hand through her hair as she settled down.

"My sister used to do this for me when I was really little, it would help when I had nightmares." He whispered, ignoring the homesick lurch in his heart. Kisa nudged her head closer to his hand, silently basking in his attention. Soon he heard her sniffling cease and gentle snores took their place. He relaxed back against the headboard and closed his eyes, this time sleep came much easier.