Secrets, part 32

Dubhan had taken Kavi. As they travel at the speed of darkness, Kavi's fickle dragon slayer nature made him sick to his stomach. It was like being repeatedly turned inside out at high speed only without the pain. The only thought that kept him sane was that wherever they were headed, surely Blythe awaited him. "Please be okay", echoed through his mind. True his lover hadn't been gone terribly long, perhaps a few hours at most, but he also knew what Yavuz was capable of and that's what scared him most.

Several minutes passed at finally a dim light appeared. Before Kavi could register that he'd even seen the exit, they were out of Dubhan's twisted tunnel of night. He gasped for fresh air as he grappled to regain his composure. An eerie, yet irritating chuckle drifted to his ears. "Dragon slayers aren't so mighty after all, are they? I just have to tip your balance", taunted the shadow mage, playfully booting Kavi onto his side. He could have kicked harder, but he didn't. He was only toying with his captive. Gritting his teeth, Kavi struggled to his feet, ignoring the intense vertigo. "What have you done with Blythe?", he demanded, focusing his vision. "This face isn't good enough?", smirked Dubhan, once more dropping his inky cloak. Again Kavi's stomach turned, this time for reasons outside of his motion sickness. Dubhan really did look just like his beloved on the outside. The only difference was the deep bags below the amber eyes and the coldness they held.

Leaning against the nearby wall to steady himself, Kavi's glare intensified. "Where is he?", he asked with barely controlled rage. "Oooh, how scary", teased Dubhan. "I like that expression. Let's see what others you can make", he said, taking on an intimidating tone. He grabbed Kavi's throat harshly and with a slight sneer, ripped away the high green collar. Staring at the scales, Dubhan's lips curved into a grin. "The reports are true. How interesting", he grinned. His snide behavior faltered as he was overcome with a sharp ringing in his ears. Clasping his hands over them only made it worse. The tone let up briefly. "Where?!", shouted Kavi. The ringing grew even louder than before. Dubhan glared hatefully as he crumbled to his knee. An eerie smirk came over his face despite the pain. "Is that all you can do?", he taunted. A quick motion of his hands firmly planted something deep into Kavi's thigh. "We can't have that. You have to behave if you want to see your precious Blythe", said Dubhan, gracefully standing once more.

Kavi grit his teeth. Again? How did he move so fast? Glancing at his now bleeding leg confirmed his suspicion. Another metallic object just like before. His mana had been blocked. Dubhan sighed as he looked over his captive. "Too easy. It's this face that lowers your guard, isn't it? Go ahead. Hit me. I dare you", he teased. Kavi's entire body tensed. he wanted to strike, but he couldn't. Was defeating him really something so simple? Dubhan laughed loudly. "That look of hate is wonderful. I can almost taste it", he said. Reaching over his head, he pulled a light chain, illuminating the dim room. Kavi stared in horror. He'd gotten some odd readings from his magic in the shadows, but he hadn't expected this. Strange objects with very obvious uses were strewn about. A hopeless grin crossed his lips. "I should have guessed you'd bring me somewhere like this", he sighed. Dubhan lightly leaned upon a large wooden table. "Well, Blythe is in a room much like this. Being so close, I thought you might enjoy a similar decor", he taunted. Kavi's heart sank. Blythe was in a torture chamber...

Stretching idly, Dubhan cracked his knuckles. "I'd worry more about yourself if I were you", he stated. "Even if you kill me, Blythe won't join you", replied Kavi almost calmly. The shadow mage grinned. "I have no interest in winning his loyalty. We just need to break his spirit and that's where you come in. Don't you want to play?", said Dubhan with a near manic grin. Kavi narrowed his gaze. What exactly was this man capable of?

Back beneath the guild hall in Primrose, team Natsu and Yona had made their way back to the sanctum. Wink was relying heavily on Gray and Natsu to support his weight, something he hated. Still, maybe mages weren't so bad after all. Blank stares met Pax as she turned to see who was coming. Yona pointed with her mouth agape. "Another incubus!", she shouted. "Succubus", mumbled Lucy, quietly correcting her friend. "A succubus!", shouted Yona, pretending her first comment hadn't existed. Jasper seemed badly shaken. Glancing at Veda, Yona sighed. Puck was gone and there was no sign of Kavi. What were they doing?! Her attention diverted from questions as she laid eyes on Rani. She ran beside Wendy. "What the hell happened?!", she demanded. Wendy's magic had done much for the exceed and she weakly opened her eyes with a faint smile. "I was ambushed", replied Rani. Wendy smiled to herself, glad to see their bond. "It's not as bad as it looks. I'll her back to herself soon", said the young dragon slayer. Ronen silently stood next to them. He was worried for his sibling, but also proud she was putting on a brave face.

Veda straightened her posture once the fairies returned. She kept her unhatched daughter safely in her coils. Looking over Wink, she made sense of the previous explosion. "You look like crap", smirked Gajeel. Wink grinned with the half of his face he could still feel. "Still prettier than you, dragon slayer", he retorted. He'd known of Gajeel for years and that he was close to his cousin. It was the only reason he begrudgingly half-accepted the mage. "How bad is the damage above?", inquired Veda, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Everyone seems to be all right", replied Erza. "I see", uttered Veda with a soft smile. "Thank you for helping us", she added. "It's what friends do", stated Natsu, lowering Wink to the ground. Gray stepped aside, close to Serpent Wing's master and whispered the news of Aerona's demise.

Slowly, Jasper knelt beside Yona and set a warm hand on her shoulder. They hadn't said much to one another lately, but he still loved her. She silently set her fingers over his and gave a light squeeze. Watching closely, Pax seemed miffed. "So this must be your mate of choice", she ventured. Yona sent her an odd look and Jasper turned deep red. Pax giggled at his response. "I've never seen a shy incubus before. How interesting!", she beamed. Glancing up from Rani, Yona asked, "Who are you?". Jasper cleared his throat, trying to flush the red from his face. Pax took it as invitation for another round of introductions. "Pax Zenovia from the Nightmare Regiment, here to take Jasper home...You do prefer 'Jasper', right?", she said, looking toward him. "What else would you call him?!", spat Yona, annoyed and angry. Who was taking her boyfriend where? "His name, of course", grinned Pax, prodding the dragon slayer with knowledge she didn't have. Yona was eying up her new rival. "And what exactly would that be?", she smirked. Pax smiled innocently. Jasper peered at her with interest.

"Mother, what is she on about?", he asked, turning toward Veda. His early memories were scrambled at best. The naga nervously fiddled with her fingers. "Jasper was the name you chose when Puck found you", she stated quietly. "Domine mi, Zephyr Virgil Adonis de Glaukos", stated Pax, rolling it off her tongue with ease. Yona blinked blankly. "Damn, you have a long name!", she said, teasing the incubus. He glanced at Pax, only slightly less confused than the rest present. "My name is Jasper Shinwa", he corrected. "As you please", replied Pax with a polite nod. Getting serious again, Yona said, "And what do you mean you're taking him home? This is his home." Jasper took in a deep, pained breath and leaned into Yona's ear, whispering so the others couldn't hear. Lucy watched with concern as Yona went rigid. Her expression was complex, but she was obviously upset. Still, she had to contain herself for Rani's sake right now. "Well discuss this later", she said under her breath, staring at the sands.

Pax, still playful, stepped close to the couple. "Of his he has a long name. That's typical for - ", she started. She looked at Jasper in shock as he glared at her. "Not. Another. Word.", he demanded. It was her first time seeing him angry. Even Fairy Tail took a step back at his unusual intensity. "O-okay", uttered Pax, trying to appease him. Veda cleared her throat, breaking the tension. "Enough talk. I want the wounded moved to the sanctum immediately", she stated. As she gave out orders to pairs and trios, the ground shook softly. Natsu stared with interest as someone seemed to crawl from the sand itself. Completely calm, Pax said only, "Report?". Eadmund adjusted his sword and lowered his eyes as her faced Jasper. "I was unable to catch them. Forgive me...However, I know which direction they went. Traveling below ground, there is little reason to divert from a straight path. If we estimate the speed and the time it took for the shadow to leave and come back the first time, we should be able to get an idea of where they are", explained the gargoyle. Jasper nodded in agreement while everyone else stared in wonder.

"Who's the smart, pale gray guy?", grinned Natsu, impressed. (He added 'pale' to differentiate from Jasper, who was also quite intelligent.) Jasper was lost to thought, making calculations, leaving Eadmund to introduce himself. As usual, Pax cut him off. "That guy? He's not that smart...", she said, somewhat pouting. "His name's Eadmund Alain. He's here with me...What?...Oh, I guess this is the first time you've seen a gargoyle, huh?", she said, amused at the looks before her. "I thought gargoyles had wings, too", ventured Gray. A rare change from Eadmund's typical deadpan expression flickered briefly. A shy smile flashed before quickly correcting himself. "When the need arises", he replied politely. "They're retractable?...That's awesome!", exclaimed Natsu. "Not exactly", began Eadmund. Pax sighed, annoyed the attention had shifted from her. "He uses his stone magic when he has to", she stated. "Stone can't fly", smirked Wink, "It's too heavy." The gargoyle turned his focus to the fallen sniper. "Glass is lighter. Still, aren't you one of the agents from Noctis?", he asked, calmly reaching for his claymore. Erza stopped his hand. "He used to be", she said. Eadmund stared her in the eye briefly, judging her character. Finally, he lowered his arm. "You've been injured", he observed. "Thank you, Captain Obvious!", shouted Pax. His flat personality really grated her nerves.

"Enough! You have your orders. Now move", demanded Veda. She kept a close eye on Wink at first as everyone got to work. He seemed like a neutralized threat. He couldn't seem to move freely on his own. After Rani was healed, Wendy offered to help him despite her fatigue, but he refused. "I got fire guy over there to seer things shut. I'll be fine...I guess I deserved this", he said, slightly grinning. "But aren't you in pain?", argued Wendy. Wink raised his good arm and mussed her hair. "Life is pain, kid. Anyone who tells you different is probably trying to sell you something", he said, a serene look in his remaining eye. "Let him be, Wendy", said Charle, uninterested in helping him anyway. Wendy sadly looked down at her clenched hands. "But your face...", she uttered sadly. "I guess I'm finally as ugly on the outside as I am on the inside. Sorry if it scares you", he sighed. True, Natsu had stopped the bleeding, but it left massive scarring over much of the sniper's body. The dragon slayer wasn't keen to do it in the first place, but he had little choice once Erza agreed.

Wendy shyly shook her head. "I'm not afraid", she said, offering a kind smile. Wink's heart twinged. Something about this kid reminded him of Blythe. "Don't ever lose that innocence", he grinned, settling down to rest. Once he'd closed his eye, he shouted to Jasper. "Hey! Forget the math. Get me a map and I'll show you exactly where your - ...our...friends are", he said. The incubus softened his distrusting gaze. Maybe Wink really had changed.

Far away, the leader of Noctis was finally taking a break. Gingerly setting an iron tool on the counter, he sighed. "Don't fight it, Blythe. Just let go and it'll all be over quickly", he said. Blythe stared languidly at his father. He was exhausted. Various horrors had been visited on his body over the last few hours and most of them had either already healed or were in the process of doing so. "Why...do you...need me?", he panted, weak from sheer pain. Yavuz wiped the blood from his hands. He seemed to hesitate in his answer. Slowly, he faced his bound son. "You want the truth?", he asked coldly. Blythe's vision was blurring. Even though he father was mere feet away, he could barely make out his features anymore. His arms were unnaturally twisted back and to the sides, suspending him from some archaic device. Each of his fingers had been individually bent backward and other torments visited upon his torso. Still he was alive and while he clinged to wakefulness, he needed to know the truth. "Please...tell me", he said weakly. Yavuz inhaled deeply on a freshly lit cigar. "You're the blood barn reborn", he stated. "I already knew that", retorted Blythe, gritting his teeth. Yavuz grinned at the haughty response. "And as such, you're the only one who can do it", he said. Blythe flinched as hot ashes fell onto his skin. "Do...what?", he wheezed, fighting to stay awake. "Kill Zeref", stated Yavuz, an eerie glint his eye. Unable to stand the pain any longer, Blythe blacked out, hearing those last words...But what did they mean?

To be Continued...