Earth...Fire...Water...Air... This is the age of the new Avatar, and after many years of chaos, the world is poised to enter into a time of prosperity and peace. But every light casts a shadow, and in the days to come, the very balance of the universe will be in danger, and the true purpose of the Avatar will be revealed. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and despite all the great deeds she has accomplished, her story is not over yet!
AVATAR
The Celestial Sailors
BOOK THREE: DEATH
6: Vengeance from the Shadows
In time Ami was able to heal and be healed, and Artemis recovered alongside her. The flight to the Eastern Air Temple was uneventful, but their arrival wasn't. After Artemis was properly corralled and cared for, the girls were escorted to the main council room, where Motoki, Boris, and Mamoru awaited. Usagi wasted no time and threw her arms around Mamoru, and before he could utter a single word, she kissed him, passionately and publicly. They had only been apart for a few days but it had felt like lifetimes.
"You know, I never get tired of your greetings, my lady," Mamoru said, beaming and red-faced. Usagi grinned sweetly.
"Well, good, because I'm not going to stop." They would have gone on whispering sweet nothings, staring into each other's eyes, and indulging in further romantic behavior if Motoki hadn't conspicuously cleared his throat.
"Hello, Avatar, you're full of vim and vigor as always. Good to see you." Usagi then realized what a spectacle she had made (and in public! With the king!), and quickly separated from her love. A few people snickered and snorted while they settled their...enthusiasm. They were then informed that nearly all traces of enemy activity had been driven out of the Eastern Air Temple: arrested, killed, or fled to the far corners of the ocean. There wasn't much left to do besides assess the damage, clean up the messes, punish the guilty, and get everyone's lives back on track. The girls were more than a little relieved to learn they had missed all the fighting. Frankly, they had seen enough action to last them for a good while.
"Yes, it's back to the dull, monotonous grind of daily life for all of us," Mamoru said wistfully. "I'm returning to Ba Sing Se tomorrow, actually, so you arrived just in time to accompany me, if you'd like." Usagi naturally accepted the invitation and hugged Mamoru once more, heedless of their company. Makoto strolled up to her fiance and gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.
"Hey there, King."
"Hey, you." He kissed one of her eyes and she smiled at him, less flagrant than Usagi but by no means less affectionate. "What'cha been up to?"
"Exciting life-or-death stuff with the Avatar. Things an enterprising young king might be interested in." Motoki smiled and kissed her cheek.
"Whether exciting or mundane, I always like to hear it from you. Hopefully one of these days, we'll have the time."
"We don't have time now?" He sighed.
"I promised Boris I'd help clean up around here. I've a portion of my fleet and his monks giving chase to the pirates who escaped, and we'd like to find this one Sifu in particular. It's a far cry from any of the adventures you've had."
"Maybe not so much," she whispered, taking his face in her hands. "Maybe I can...tag along? You know, for company. I think Usagi can spare me for awhile." Makoto looked over expectantly; there was no way Usagi could refuse her. Of course, she was still thinking about those Sentinels of Light, the ghouls, Haruka and Michiru, and the strange behavior of that spirit of shadows, but...Makoto had been gone from the man she loved for too long. She needed—nay, deserved to have some time for herself. Makoto couldn't disguise her joy and thanked Usagi profusely. A knock sounded at the door, and a man's head poked through as it opened.
"Excuse me, your highness, but could I have a moment of...oh, Usagi!" Usagi's face lit up as she recognized her father, and she ran over to hug him. Her mother followed shortly, embracing her daughter as well, followed by her younger brother. The encounter was so unexpected that she even looked glad to see him.
"Hey there, squirt, what's shakin'?" She ruffled his hair; he batted her hand away.
"Knock it off, bun-face, we're in front of the king!"
"So what?" she laughed. "Motoki and I are old friends!"
"I'm honored you feel that way," he laughed softly. Kenji and Ikuko Tsukino bowed before him, and he was good enough to bow back. Kenji explained that he was here to report on the conflict between the pirates and the Eastern Air Temple—and now that two kings would be involved in its liberation, he'd never forgive himself if he wasn't thorough about it. That meant that he would be here for at least as long as Motoki—and by proxy, his wife would be there, as well. Shingo, however, was another matter.
"Wait, what?!" Usagi blurted.
"We want Shingo to go with you to Ba Sing Se," her mother repeated. Usagi stammered, glancing between her grinning brother (who always took every advantage to be a pest to his sister) and her parents.
"Wha...you mean...by himself?"
"What do you mean, 'by himself'?" Ikuko said. "He'll be going with you and your friends, won't he? And he'll have a king's escort, am I right?"
"You are correct, my lady," Mamoru answered (to Usagi's mild consternation). "However, as much as I don't mind the addition of another passenger, I must ask why."
"Yeah, me too!" Usagi exclaimed. Her father only shrugged.
"We've been thinking about enrolling him into an academy, and Ba Sing Se has some of the finest schools in the world. Besides, we'd feel better knowing that the King himself is keeping an eye on him." Mamoru bowed very deeply, to Usagi's rising consternation.
"You do me too much credit, good sir. While I doubt I could spare the time to watch over him personally, there are many scholars and professors I have grown to trust since my brief tenure. With my endorsement, he should have no shortage of masters willing to teach him whatever he desires."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Ikuko sang, clasping her hands together. Usagi looked very far from pleased.
"But...I mean...school? You want this, Shingo?"
"Um, yeah," he grumbled, as if it were the most obvious statement in the world. "I'd like to grow up and be somebody—you know, with a job. Not like some other people I know." Usagi growled, eyes crackling with lightning and mouth ablaze with fire.
"I have a job, twerp!"
"Oh yeah? How much does being the Avatar pay you?"
"It's not—about—money!" she snarled, balling her fist up. Ikuko spoke up and cleared the stormclouds as only a mother could.
"Shingo, don't be a brat, dear. Your sister's been working very hard this past year. You could do well to follow her initiative."
"What initiative, mom?" he grumbled, crossing his arms. "This is Usagi we're talking about! You know, the same one who missed the boat from Port Lu Wong because she slept in late?"
"That was years ago and I've become a changed woman, thank you very much!" she snarled. Shingo grinned smugly at Usagi's friends, who were all suddenly very intrigued to hear more.
"Wanna know how long she was stranded there? I'll give you a hint: we were headed towards the Northern Water Tribe, and it was a one-way trip."
"Shingo, that's enough!" his father stated. "You're going to be traveling with your sister to Ba Sing Se, so you had better learn some manners. Your highness, I profusely apologize for any trouble he may cause you in the future."
"No need," Mamoru assured him pleasantly. "I wasn't much different when I was his age. I have a feeling we'll get along."
"He's not the only one," Minako added, casting a sly look towards the boy. As soon as she could, she quickly snuck away with him to an isolated corner of the temple, and demanded to hear the rest of the story. Shingo cackled and whispered it into her ear.
"NINE DAYS?!"
"SHINGOOOOOO!"
Apparently they were not as isolated as they thought.
…...
The days spent sailing back north to Ba Sing Se were uneventful, but happy. Usagi spent most of her time with Mamoru (or at least avoiding Shingo), sharing stories of her latest adventures with him. She had debated whether or not to burden him with more grim tidings—after all, he had enough to worry about already—but figured it would be better if he knew about it now, rather than learn when it was too late. As she expected, the news concerned him, and his eyes darkened into that far-off stare she knew too well. She reached out and held his hand, apologizing. He smiled and clutched her fingers tenderly.
"I'm glad you told me. I've actually been getting similar reports of these Sentinels of Light lately, though the details were scarce and the sources unreliable. As for those ghouls you encountered, I'll have to make inquiries with Zoicite's former subordinates. If they should prove problematic, I'd like to form an alliance with the Southern Water Tribe, and Zoicite's people would be an ideal arbiter."
"Do you trust them?" Usagi wondered. Mamoru rubbed his thumb against hers for a moment in thought.
"Their loyalty was with Zoicite. When they learned what Beryl did to him, they were prepared to revolt. Some of them were even there in that great fight at her palace. About three days after my coronation, a few of them came to me and offered their services in Zoicite's memory. Even though he was my enemy, and almost killed my best friend, I swore that I would honor their service. It really made me think about Zoicite—who he really was as a person, and what sort of man he must have been like to garner that kind of following. I'd like to think he had been truly good at one point."
Usagi simply nodded. Mamoru took a deep breath, then decided to change the subject and pressed her about the performance he had ducked out on ("And on your birthday, no less!" he cringed playfully). He wanted to hear everything Usagi had to say, no matter how trivial. Her voice, her company, was a delight, and a balm that healed many cares.
Shingo had already made friends with Rei, Ami, Minako, and Artemis well before they arrived at port, and had pressed them for any "dirt" on his sister. Ami and Artemis were naturally reluctant to spread any bad gossip around, and Rei at least had the dignity to spare her friend's brother most of the gory tidbits. Minako played coy for the most part, but indulged the young man on occasion, provided he tell her a few things about himself. She then asked if he had "swarms of girls breaking his door down", and made a winking reference to their coronation dance. Shingo blushed and avoided the subject, which only made Minako's eyes glitter more; she still had a catty expression on her face when they disembarked. Although it was still late in the afternoon, the skies were turning gray, and a gentle rainfall came in just as they made their way through the palace gates. Artemis at least had the decency to shake himself dry in the stable, while Luna waited until she was at the vestibule.
"Hey," the guard grunted to the Avatar, "come clean up after your pet."
"Sorry about that," she said, bending the water from the floor and out a nearby window. Usagi found a fresh towel and bundled Luna up tightly in it, and the rainfall strengthened. It was an altogether chilly and uncomfortable deluge, one of those awful midsummer downpours accompanied by daytime darkness and lightning. Torches and candles were quickly lit, windows were closed, and anyone unlucky enough to be caught outdoors came scurrying for shelter. Mamoru tried not to let the weather affect him as he made his way to the council hall. He was about to give them his report on the situation at the air temple when one of his officers, a high-ranking commander named Ann, intercepted him and pulled him aside, her face ashen with fright and her eyes wild.
"Your highness, you and your guests aren't safe here! You need to find shelter immediately, sire!"
"What do you mean? Calm down and explain yourself, commander."
"Sire, there's a...Something loose in the palace—it's killed ten guards already." Mamoru was surprised but years of Tellurian training kicked in and overruled it.
"When did you discover them? Is the intruder still in the palace?"
"Commander Ail sounded the alarm half an hour before you arrived. It's a safe bet the...whatever it is still haunts these halls."
"Err on the side of caution until you confirm otherwise, commander. Close off all entrances and exits, and distribute a captain and twelve guards to each. Let no one in or out without my express permission. Spread the word to every General and commanding officer you can."
"Yes sire, but you really must—"
"Do we know this intruder's motive?"
"N-no, sire." His eyes flashed with steely resolve.
"Then until we do, I will not retreat. Besides, we have the Avatar here. I don't expect there's any ordinary burglar or killer who can..." He suddenly remembered their guest, and changed his tone. "Listen, the Avatar's brother is our guest for the foreseeable future. I want him to have a personal escort of ten benders and ten veteran soldiers to my shelter."
"Understood, sire, I'll see to it personally."
"Good. Our top priority is apprehending this intruder and preventing any further harm. I'll be in the council hall with the Avatar and her friends. Send any and all information that way, understood?"
"Yes, sire!" She saluted and ran off; meanwhile Mamoru mentally prepared himself, gathered the girls together, and explained the situation. Ba Sing Se was regarded as the world's most impenetrable city, and its palace completely impervious to invaders. The Earth King's elite guard were some of the most skilled and powerful fighters, officers, and benders in the nation, and Mamoru had been on both ends of their wrath to verify this. How any one person could slip through and murder ten of his guards in the span of half an hour seemed incomprehensible...but then again, after everything he had experienced, Mamoru was prepared to believe anything.
After assuring Usagi that her brother would be safe, Mamoru split the girls up into three teams: Ami and Rei would follow Nephrite through the east quarter of the palace, he and Usagi would take the west, and Minako and Artemis would meet up with Commander Ail and search the outer perimeter. Everyone was instructed to capture the intruder alive, preferably in one piece, though Mamoru didn't mind if they were "roughed up a little". Usagi was a little wary of the first floor—still remembering the spot where Beryl had met her gruesome end—but she promised she'd give it a careful examination. The pursuit slowed as she and Mamoru passed by the area where Queen Beryl had perished, now fully repaired and renovated. She glanced at the floor ominously before resuming her search.
"I'm fine," she said to Mamoru as they checked all the rooms along the hall. "I can't be afraid of the past forever, right?" He smiled proudly at her. The west side of the first floor was cleared shortly; they then climbed the stairs to the second, where four of the guards had been killed. A flicker of lightning pierced through the glass windows, brightening the hallway as they rounded corners, looked through every room, interviewed everybody they met, and kept their eyes and ears open for anything out of place.
A dreadful moan sounded in a far-off hallway; the two of them stared at each other grimly before dashing toward the source. As they jerked around the corner, they were immediately struck by the sight of a recently-murdered corpse, a mask of undiluted terror eternally fixed on the man's face. Usagi jerked away but Mamoru forced himself to study the man. It was another guard, mangled and lifeless but with no wounds on his body; even his weapon and armor was still in good shape. A movement caught Mamoru's eye: an inky patch of blackness flitted about the ceiling, unaffected by torchlight or any of the various candles and chandeliers decorating the hall. It was as if light itself was repulsed by this...thing.
"You there!" Mamoru shouted. The black shape hurled itself onto a chandelier just as Mamoru tossed part of a pillar at it, then leaped off as he fired again. It landed directly in front of him, a mass of darkness and impenetrable silence. Both he and Usagi gazed upon it in wonder and awe.
"What in the world...?" As they stood transfixed, the chandelier the creature had leapt from swung back and forth, casting its waxing and waning glow below. Part of the light struck the dark shape, illuminating what appeared to be a face, pale as porcelain with a single eye, glowing like a hyacinth in the moonlight. In its left hand the entity carried a pole with a curved blade on the end; its right was obscured in the shadows. Mamoru, Usagi, and the black figure stared silently at each other as the light continued to rock back and forth, brightening and darkening in a pendulum swing. The creature took a step back.
"Wait," Mamoru croaked, but forcefully jerked away as the chandelier fell in front of him. He shielded Usagi and himself with his cloak, and when the debris had settled, a flaming mass of gold, metal, and wax was all that remained. Usagi calmed the fires and gave Mamoru an air-assisted boost over the wreckage, following close behind.
"Mamoru, what was that?!" she demanded. His countenance became grave, as he could only dare to imagine.
"I have no idea. Our intruder, most likely. Hurry, they went to General Orrumus's chamber!"
…...
Shingo Tsukino may have only been fourteen years old (okay, technically still thirteen for another month), but he hated being treated like a child, even if it was for his own safety. Ann and his escorts led him to Mamoru's personal shelter without incident, but soon the call of nature sounded and it was imperative he answer. Two men took him to the nearest lavatory—a humiliation he hadn't suffered since he was a toddler—but when he came out, he found them missing, and not a single soul around. The hallway was as bare as it was dark. Shingo never would've admitted to fear, even though he was definitely overcome by it now. While he knew that the best course of action would be to stay put until someone found him (and plenty of people knew where he'd be since that information had been made embarrassingly clear), the shelter wasn't too far away, and he could certainly find his way back by himself, so he plucked up his courage and carefully went for it.
Very carefully.
Shingo went down the hallway, took a left, ducked through a shortcut, made a right, then another right, and found himself in another hallway—one he didn't recognize. He doubled back and went left, but then found himself at a three-way intersection. He continued going straight, only to come across another hallway with two intersecting paths, and several rooms that all looked unfamiliar. Dread built inside of him as he realized he was lost, in the darkness, with a killer on the loose. Shingo tried to assure himself that there was only one intruder, and hundreds of well-trained guards out looking for him, plus the King and his sister's friends (and maybe being the Avatar might possibly count for something, though with Usagi, there was no telling for sure). He was, theoretically, safe—lost, but safe. Theoretically.
Shingo meticulously retraced his steps and came across a hallway he thought he recognized. There was a line of stained-glass windows on one side, catching the rain as it splattered against them. Shingo carefully followed this and thought he saw a side passage he recognized in the distance. He made a run for it but was curtailed two steps in as one of the windows burst open, issuing a black shape and countless shards of glass. The shape rolled as it hit the ground and came to a stop directly in front of him. Shingo's eyes went wide.
"Wow! That was cool!" The creature took notice of him and offered a faint smile.
"Thanks." Shingo took a curious step forward. The creature recoiled. "You aren't afraid of me?"
"No, I think you're awesome!" he exclaimed. He then noticed a splash of color conspicuously smeared against the figure's dark outline. "Hey, you're bleeding." The figure touched its injury, brought its report close to study.
"Oh. Don't worry, I heal fast." Nevertheless, Shingo was already digging in his pockets for the washcloth he had used in the lavatory. He held it up to the rain as it trickled in through the broken window and wiped the blood off.
"You still need to clean the wound. There, that's better. Let me tie it on for you. Sorry I don't have any bandages." The shadowy figure stood patiently as it was cared for. Once the cloth was wound tightly, it regarded the gesture with a warm smile.
"Thanks again." A noise distracted the entity; it glanced over at the other end of the hallway before ducking into one of the two exits. The sound of hastily approaching footsteps broke the silence as four guards came rushing down the hallway. They noticed Shingo and the broken window immediately.
"Hey, kid, did you see a strange black shape come through here?"
"Yeah, it went down there!" he exclaimed, pointing in the wrong direction. The guards thanked him and ordered him to return to his shelter ("It's back where we came from, you can't miss it!"). Shingo hung around until the coast was clear, then peeked down the corner where the shadow had gone. It was so perfectly concealed that he never would have seen it if it hadn't moved.
"They're gone," he announced. The shadow peered directly at him.
"Then it's time for me to leave as well, and for you. Forget that I was here!" It immediately leaped away before he could utter a word.
"Wait! My name's Shingo, what's...yours?" He grumbled, and with nothing else to do, returned to the shelter. He learned that the two men who had escorted him to the lavatory had been pulled away for an emergency...and Commander Ann went with them.
The Something resumed its hunt unimpeded, following the trail of its quarry through labyrinthine passages, corridors, hallways, rooms, stairs, outside into the pouring rain, back in through darkened doorways and secret chambers. Eleven were dead, only two were left. Its hand covered the flickering torches and snuffed out their light; it broke down steel locks with a gossamer touch; heavy doors thick with dust swung open with silent ease as it passed through. As the Something paused at a junction to gather its bearings, it chanced to look down, where that boy had wrapped his cloth. A melancholic smile creased its features as it uncoiled the makeshift bandage. Sure enough, the wound had healed. The shadowy figure dwelt on the boy's gesture for perhaps a moment longer than necessary.
No distractions. Do your job. Kill.
It put the cloth away for later and resumed the hunt. Guards got in the way, but it bent the shadows to its will and slipped through them. Earth-benders heaved missiles at it, but they were rendered inert. A cluster of heavily-armed men and women stood in its way as it broke down a door that led to its prey. The General was still issuing orders, even as he retreated further into the soaking rain. The Something glared Death at the soldiers put before it.
"Not you," it whispered. Lightning crackled in the skies—then suddenly, all was silent. The rain, the thunder, the General's voice, everything became utterly, inescapably, inexorably silent. The Something flitted from one shadow to another until it passed the cluster of guards, whirled around, and tapped the ground with the butt of its glaive. The stone beneath the guards gave way and collapsed, spilling and upending them. They were all alive but not in any condition to pursue. The Something then turned around, facing the General and the last soldier still standing.
"Find shelter, sir, hurry!" the soldier shouted. General Orrumus growled in offense.
"Are you giving me orders, corporal? I'll make a stand where I choose and retreat where I choose! I've fought in wars, alongside Beryl herself! This...thing here is nothing more than a common burglar!"
"Tell that to the fifteen soldiers it just brushed aside."
"You," the Something whispered, pointing at the corporal. Both men suddenly abandoned all their courage and bravado as the creature flitted towards them, shifting in and out of vision too quickly to follow. The corporal brandished his sword wildly, but to no avail. The shadow appeared before him, the very visage of death, touched him once on the forehead, and stood watch as his body collapsed, never to rise again. The General screamed—first in terror, then in rage.
"You think I'm scared?! I've seen battles that would soil the breeches off anyone who got within two miles of it! I've waded through corpses piled high enough to brush the bridle of my rhino-horse!" He issued threats and boasts even as he backed away, swatting at the air with his battle-ax. The Something merely walked, impassively staring at the General until it was close. It then caught the shaft of the ax in its hand, and held it.
"I know. All that and more, I know. But not for that does Death seek you here today, General Orrumus. Deep inside, you know why I am here—just as you knew that one day I would come for you." The ax's shaft suddenly splintered in its grasp, dropping the heavy iron wedge, leaving the General with a broken pole. He swung it wildly; the Shadow caught it, splintered it; he swung again, and it was splintered again. He was eventually left with nothing.
Then the Shadow swung the glaive, and he was left with only silence.
"Stop right there!" The Something whirled around to face a new obstacle. Two figures, a man and a woman, stood there in the rain. They both had dark hair and dark eyes, and were each taking an aggressive earth-bending stance. "By order of his majesty King Endymion III, we place you under arrest! Come with us peacefully or we will shatter every bone in your body!"
"No," it said, and leaped away as heavy stones assailed it. The shadow wove fluidly around the salvo as the man and woman closed the distance, tirelessly hurling slabs and tablets and boulders and chunks of bridges and buildings and even the very dirt itself. The shadow danced around it all until a colossal pillar was uprooted and thrown at it; the glaive snapped the column in two as it sailed by. That wasn't the end of it, though: the column's two pieces hovered for a moment, then smashed together, crushing the shadow between them. The man and woman breathed a sigh of relief, but their breath was caught in their throats as the column shattered, leaving nothing but debris, the rain, and the intruder, unharmed, arms outstretched. Amazed but undeterred, the man guided one of the large shattered pieces and slammed it against the creature's face, where it broke on impact.
The creature casually swept bits of stone off its nose, then its shoulder. Lightning crackled and two amethyst eyes glinted.
"Let me go in peace. I'm done here. I'm not after you."
"But we're after you!" the woman shouted. She then looked to her companion, who glanced around hastily to make sure then they were alone. Then, when they were sure of their secrecy, the two earth-benders took the rain in the sky and turned it against their foe. The Something brushed the assault off and backflipped away; the duo pursued, the man breathing fire as the woman hurled hundreds of water-needles. It was all for naught, though, as the intruder slipped into the shadows, and became a shadow, and was lost. The man and the woman stood panting for air in the downpour.
"Ail? Ann?" Startled, they turned around to see their lord and king standing there in the rain, his mouth slackened. They then realized that their eyes were now amber, their hair bluish-pink, their skin green, and their ears pointed. Their ruse was ended. Mamoru pursed his lips and mastered himself. "Status report?"
"Forgive me, my lord, we—" Ann lashed out in desperation, but was curtailed by Ail. He touched her shoulder affectionately, then saluted his king.
"Another guard was killed, as was General Orrumus. We confronted the intruder, but it escaped. You have my deepest apologies, lord Endymion."
He stared at them in long contemplation. A weary smile somehow pierced his countenance.
"I wasn't aware we had Fomoriians in our ranks. Return to your posts. I will summon you later."
…...
"What a mess," Nephrite sighed the following morning. Mamoru, seated, his hands folded and his chin resting on them, snorted.
"You can say that again. Twelve guards dead, along with General Orrumus...and Commanders Ail and Ann were secretly Fomoriians this whole time."
"You've already explained to me what the Fomorii are," Nephrite stated heavily. Sighing, he added, "But to think that two of them were working alongside us for years...and commanders, no less! You say you saw them bending water and fire?" Mamoru nodded.
"I might have even seen them air-bending if the battle had gone on longer. They're already accomplished earth-benders, so I never gave it any thought, but..." He looked to Nephrite for any thoughts, but the General had none. He was simply far too overwhelmed with everything that had happened. Everyone was, frankly. The deaths, the intrusion, the eerie phenomenon that had came and went like the night... Yes, that was it: this intruder, whoever or whatever it was, was the crux behind all of this. They needed to find who this was, what they wanted, and most importantly, how they did all of that.
"Did you see the remains of Orrumus's ax?" Mamoru said. "He crafted it himself out of solid mahogany. Took it into every single battle he ever fought. I could barely lift that thing, and now it's broken into pieces, like it was nothing more than a brittle twig. And then there's that path those guards were on! Solid granite, dug from a mine deep under the earth. My grandfather's grandmother laid that path. As solid a road as I've ever seen, and now it's broken to pieces. I've had four master earth-benders working to repair it, and they still say it'll take days to fix."
"Then you'll be interested in this," Nephrite said, producing a small broken gold chain from his coat. Mamoru studied it carefully. One end was still attached to a bent stand, while the other had been corroded off. "That's from that chandelier that almost fell on you and the Avatar," Nephrite pointed.
"This?" Mamoru said. "It's a solid alloy of gold and steel. Supposed to be able to bear a small air-bison...or a chandelier. What happened, did it rust?"
"No, my liege, we have people who inspect those chains to make sure they stay strong. That one was only just replaced a year ago, and they last for ages. I'm willing to bet my reputation that our elusive intruder did that, along with Orrumus's ax and that road. But that's nothing compared to the latest bombshell I've got for you."
"Oh, indulge me," Mamoru sighed ironically. Nephrite looked him dead in the eye, brimming with righteous anger and fear.
"I had some of my men investigate Orrumus and those twelve guards that were killed, in the hopes of finding some motive behind the intruder's attack. What they found...shocked me to my very core." He hesitated, letting this sink in before adding, very gravely under his breath, "Those thirteen men were conspirators who were planning to overthrow you. We found evidence of it in several secret compartments in their rooms. Orrumus was the ringleader but they all had their...parts to play. Evidently they took offense to the way you handled the Northern Air Nomads."
Mamoru squeezed his eyes shut and gnashed his teeth together. He suddenly felt incredibly ill.
"Do you...have this evidence with you?"
"You may inquire General Ryou about it. You can trust him."
Can I, though, Mamoru thought to himself, as Motoki's words came back to haunt him.
"It seems I can no longer trust the people whom I once believed trustworthy. Present company excluded," he added with a jagged sigh. Nephrite brushed it off.
"Sire...permission to speak freely?" Mamoru gestured in the affirmative. "You know the penalty for conspiracy against the throne, I trust."
"Yes," Mamoru replied hoarsely: "death." He then eyed the General sharply. "Don't say another word, Nephrite. Don't even suggest it. If those men had been found guilty and sentenced to execution, then it should have been under Earth Kingdom laws, with judge and jury. Our people, Nephrite, with our laws and our methods. Nobody else, no matter how righteous they may be, no matter what the situation..."
"They worked directly with Beryl, sire."
Mamoru glared at Nephrite with as much anger as he could restrain. Nephrite bowed in apology.
"My King is right, of course. Nothing I can say or feel will excuse what happened yesterday. We will find this person and bring them before you." Mamoru softened a little. He sat in quiet meditation for awhile longer, then stood, slowly approaching a window. The world outside was bright, still wet with rain but with the promise of a pleasant, warm summer day ahead. Mamoru desperately wished this illusion were real, that he could pretend that all was well and life would go on as it always had... Yes, and he could wish for Usagi to be his wife, too, while he was at it. All fancies.
"I'm afraid, Nephrite," he said, sounding centuries older and more weary than any man before him. "The Avatar tells me that spirits are running amok, behaving irrationally, lashing out in terror and desperation. She speaks of ghouls coming out of their caves to feast on the living, of shadows that speak, of a strange force that repulsed her from the Spirit World. Word of these Sentinels of Light is spreading; they've been seen coming out of nowhere, attacking these spirits and ghouls, and anything else with the wherewithal to cross them. Orrumus and twelve soldiers were revealed as traitors, and now we have this...dark Something coming into our world. It all frightens me, Nephrite, like nothing else I've known. I feel a great cataclysm may befall us any day now."
Nephrite let out a long sigh, then stood, touching his king's shoulder warmly.
"Perhaps dark days are before us, my liege, but can they possibly be worse than Apsu and her Eternal Army? I feel like after surviving her, we have nothing left to really fear." Mamoru laughed coldly, but continued to look out the window. It really was a nice day outside.
"You're right, of course. I couldn't imagine something worse than Apsu...but then again, a man's imagination can only go so far."
The End of "Vengeance from the Shadows"
Next time: "A Moment with Makoto"
Author's notes:
Yep, the same Ail and Ann from early Sailor Moon R. I've wanted to include them in this story for a long time, but the way they came out was better than I could have hoped. Hopefully I don't allow the addition of new characters to detract from the established ones—like a certain anime we all know.