Merrin was, for the first time in a long while, idle. Being on the Mantis with her family or caught up in some kind of struggle, she was always busy and rarely had time that wasn't used constructively. Now here she was sitting and waiting, looking out over the devastated landscape that was Dathomir.
As she found familiar and painful sights on the scorched rocks, her memories of being trapped on this planet alone swirled in her mind. Time where she was alone with her anger and her sorrow. Time where she was just a frightened girl trying to survive. Time where she let the hate filled words of Malicos ignite fires of rage in her own heart.
With a sigh of frustration Merrin picked herself up from her seated position and walked to where she had placed her bag. Ruffling through it she found a datapad that she had added some information the crew of the Mantis had acquired about the Empire's recruiting practices. She let herself read through the data trying to occupy her mind with thinking about how she might be able to hurt the recruiting effort and cause issues for the Empire on worlds that were already not happy with the ideals of the Empire.
Her being on Dathomir however, pulled her from productive thinking. Soon her eyes traveled off the pad and out over the horizon of Dathomir thinking about this 'Harry' that Mother Talzin had planned for her to take as a mate.
If she were honest with herself, that conversation had upset her more due to the fact that she wasn't given an option in Talzin's plans. Secondly, she supposed, was the fact that she hadn't given any real thought to the idea that she might one day bear children of her own. And lastly, thinking about if she even wanted to teach her daughters to be Nightsisters.
Until recently she was learning from Malicos and hating the Jedi, then Cal showed up and helped to shine light on her dark corner of Dathomir. Cal, in that adorable and infuriating can-do attitude, had offered her friendship and a place on the Mantis with people who had also lost people important to them. And for the last few years she had enjoyed the companionship and action that the group had experienced time and again in their missions against the Empire.
Each and every slain trooper was one more soul of her sister's that was avenged. Every plan disrupted was another blow to Sidious' stupid male ego. Every credit spent on rebuilding from their collateral damage was a minor bleeding wound to the Empire.
But what was it all for?
When she stepped onto the Mantis years ago, she was ready to do everything she could to bring the fight to the Empire and hurt them as much as she could. Fight with every chance given so she could bring as much vengeance as a sole surviving Nightsister could against the Emperor and all he had created. All for her lost sisters. But what did that mean for 'her' life and 'her' wishes? She was still no different from the girl she had been under Malicos' poisoned words. For years Merrin had been living for the memory of the long dead.
But what did she know of anything beyond Dathomir and the small craft of the Stinger Mantis really?
She couldn't deny the part of her that was attracted to power. Nearly all of the Nightsisters she could remember were in some way. She remembered hearing some of the older sisters talking about finding a strong mate from the Nightbrothers to help them grow their power. She hadn't paid attention at the time, as young as she was. She was more focused on learning about her own magick and daydreaming about being useful to her Sisters, to their Mother.
Cal was powerful. He was a young Jedi carrying a deep hurt until Cere found him and put him on a path to find the Holocron with the names of force sensitive children. During the journey he had grown quickly and substantially. The first time she observed him on Dathomir she was dismissive of him and had written him off as a male far beneath her notice. Only the hate she harbored for the Jedi was what drew her attention to him at all. When he went to the Tomb of Kujet, even she could feel the pain he had carried as the painful wound was torn open from a vision from the Force.
And when he returned to face his Master once again, she could feel his power. It was almost a tangible thing, his presence pushed the darkness in the tomb aside and it burned so brightly against Malicos' cloying strength.
But Cal was too much a Jedi!
With a growl of frustration Merrin tossed her datapad back onto her bag and then buried her face in her hands. All the time Cal was trying so hard to be serene and calm. His light was pure and his concern for everyone was admirable, but at the same time so frustrating! How could she really open up and talk with him when all he had to offer to her experiences or concerns was empty Jedi platitudes? She had a bit more luck when she talked to Cere about her experiences but the woman avoided talking about anger, fear, and hate as if just thinking on the emotions would lead her down the 'path to the Dark side of the Force' to a place where she could not return from.
A small, bitter smile found her lips as she looked through her fingers to the morning sun of Dathomir. Fret had helped her work through some emotions and find a source of strength from inside herself. But that fling was short and, if she were honest with herself, she was more upset that Cal hadn't been more involved in helping her sort through her feelings like Fret had. The fact that Fret had noticed that Cal and Merrin had something between them was more frustrating than the lies between Fret and Merrin during their brief relationship.
Merrin had been hiding from it. She liked Cal. She wondered how a relationship between them might work out.
Terribly. She sighed again at the thought. Cal was a Jedi and he always would be. Maybe he adapted, maybe he had survived. But in his heart Cal would always be a Jedi and he would always look to help others before himself. She might be able to be with Cal, but Merrin was sure that she'd never have his full attention. Not like she craved with every fiber of her being.
Merrin wanted what she had with her oldest love. She wanted a life like she had dreamed of with Ilyana. A partner who would be there for her. Someone to share time with and be with her. Someone who understood her. Someone who could help manifest her pain onto the Empire.
"He's been found," Mother Talzin's words cut through her thoughts and Merrin started as she looked up at Mother Talzin. "The party found him. They're bringing him to the arena," Mother Talzin smiled as she looked at Merrin with hunger.
Merrin shook off Mother Talzin's reactions and stood up to face the woman, "What am I to do then?" Merrin asked as she placed her cold mask on. Merrin had more than a few questions for the spirit of Mother Talzin in regards to this plan.
Mother Talzin gestured to the area the Nightbrother's arena was in. "I'll go observe it directly. I want you to observe from a safe place. I plan to try to goad him into battling a few of the males," Talzin stated absently as she observed the girl. Stepping forward Mother Talzin placed her hands on Merrin's shoulders and the shrewd calculating leader of the Nightsisters fell away and left only a caring woman who embodied the name of her title. "I know you don't understand it right now, but Harry is something special. He has power that the Nightsisters could make use of. Power that you can make use of," Said the woman pointedly as she searched Merrin's eyes. "You have been here alone for a long time. You may have already taken a mate if all the Nightsisters were still alive," she trailed off in a rare show of sadness.
"I don't think I would have, I…" Merrin said as she tried not to let the thoughts of Ilyana shatter her composure.
"Yes, I remember your mother telling me about how you would sneak about with Ilyana. Her mother was more amused than yours," Talzin mentioned offhandedly as she removed her hands from Merrin's shoulders when the girl gasped and stepped back from her reach. "Harry might excite you. He's powerful and he seems to have lost quite a bit in his past as well. You're well matched I think, you just need to give him a chance. If he survives, that is," Mother Talzin said with a matter of fact tone.
"Yes Mother," Merrin said with a smirk before she faded from sight in a mist of green.
=)=(=
Harry groaned as he came to. Waking up after an ambush was not something he ever enjoyed, he knew this from far too much experience. He had barely opened his eyes before someone slapped his cheek causing his head to slam into the wood rod behind him. Harry fought to keep himself mostly upright, albeit on his knees, instead of slumping into ropes he was bound in.
Twice! In one bloody week!
Harry was not a happy bunny with any of this shit. Growling in protest, Harry squinted as he opened his eyes. The light stung his eyes, making him blink rapidly through the sudden brightness. With an unamused scoff, a masculine voice called for his attention and Harry flicked his eyes to the shadowed form in front him being backlit by the evening sun cutting through the peaks of the mountain.
The figure reached out with a quick movement and grasped Harry's chin turning his head back and forth, inspecting him. With a grunt of disappointment, Harry was released as the figure spoke, "Can't figure why this weak piece of Veeka shit is what Mother Talzin wanted us to hunt down."
Despite being surprised at hearing Talzin had somehow orchestrated this rendezvous, Harry sucked at his cut cheek and spat his blood in the face of his tormentor. The figure made a sound of surprised disgust before kicking Harry in the stomach. With an involuntary grunt as his air was forced from his body, Harry crumpled as much as he could over the foot. His arms were tied to a rod at the level of Harry's shoulders but low enough that Harry was still kneeling on the ground.
"Damn human!" The figure spat as it stood up and kicked Harry in the chest. Coughing, Harry laughed at the reaction.
"Is that your best effort? At least Riddle had the Cruciatus and he used it himself! If you're going to hurt me you're going to have to try harder than my uncle's mediocre efforts," Harry wheezed but plastered a smile on his face as he knelt in the dirt.
"Are you mocking me?!" The figure said before kicking dirt into Harry's face. Harry just laughed, further infuriating the figure. As it stepped closer Harry was able to recognize the horns that he had seen on the male Zabrak. So he figured that he was with Talzin's people. The locals were not as advertised. Harry would have to have a few words with the travel agency, once he figured out who to complain to. Not only that but Harry was only wearing a tied cloth around his hips and tucked between his legs. Room service needed a firm talking to as well.
Talzin. Harry's focus turned from his sarcastic internal barbs and refocused on finding the conductor of this event. The war had taught him a harsh lesson regarding who was playing the tune and who was merely dancing. And he hated dancing to poorly played tunes. Harry ignored the shouted abuse from the nameless Zabrak in favor of following his thoughts about the spirit. Talzin was with him since he had arrived on Dathomir. It was Harry's travel through the Veil that had given her enough power to manifest in the physical world. After he had physically seen her, she had been 'tethered' near him. Or at least she had said so. At the time, Harry had believed her. He wasn't really in a better state of mind to argue when thrown so many unknowns at such a delicate time for him. The only time she was gone was when she claimed to have used some magic to transfer some of her knowledge to him. Spirits were beings of intelligence and sharing her 'intelligence' with him had weakened her until she could pull more power from the planet or Harry's magic.
He was less shocked to learn that was a lie than he really should have been.
Harry's ruminations were rudely interrupted as the Zabrak had had enough of his silence. The captor wrenched his head back and upwards by his hair and slapped him twice. The sharp pain ignited into a raging anger and reached for his magic as he reacted to the fight-or-flight instinct. The darkness swept delicately across Harry's magic and with a quick movement Harry shifted his body to place his weight on his right knee to leave his left foot free. As the Zabrak stood up and turned to grab some weapon or tool, Harry spat his blood in a glob on the ground in front of him. Shifting his body and allowing his foot to sweep through the blood Harry drew two crude runes in the dirt, Urus and Hagall, power and havoc.
Harry's eyes immediately burned with their familiar neon as his intent was given form in the blood runes. With a mighty pull from his magic, Harry was flooded with energy from the world around him and Harry let the power flow over him before he stood and bore down on the rod by pulling his arms together. The air around him rippled outward and the force of it knocked the Zabrak off his feet. Harry, with a fury filled roar, shattered the rod over his shoulders and pulled himself free from the ropes and shattered wood. Scowling down at the Zabrak, who cringed pathetically at Harry's gaze and crawled backwards away from him, Harry reached out and squeezed his fist. With a scream the Zabrak was lifted into the air and Harry pulled his hand close to his body, the Zabrak followed.
"It would have been much nicer if we were able to sit down for tea instead of trying to find out who has the bigger bollocks," Harry said pleasantly. The Zabrak trembled in the air as he gazed into the glowing bright neon green and yellow eyes of his once prisoner. Panic swelled in the chest of the Zabrak as it twisted trying to find some kind of leverage to pull himself away from the angry human. Harry wasn't going to let that happen.
"She didn't say you were a Force user! Gods! Oh Gods! That bitch!" The Zabrak's words were cut off as Harry tutted and grabbed the man's jaw. The Zabrak found himself petrified by the human's gaze and unable to move.
"Now, now," Harry said as he sneered at the Zabrak, "It's not nice to call a lady such things. Even if they are true." With that said Harry jerked his hand and the Zabrak screamed as his jaw was dislocated. For a moment Harry stared at the Zabrak he held in the air. He could taste the pitiful creature's pain and fear. Harry closed his eyes and drank in the feeling. A satisfied smile tugged on his lips and Harry took a deep breath, as if savoring the scent of a gourmet meal. Like when he had used dark magic in the past, Harry felt powerful. He felt like he could finally be the strong man that he wished to be back when he was hungry, cold, and crying tears onto his fresh wounds in a dark cupboard under the stairs. Harry finally felt how true the words that Riddle had spoken to him so long ago.
There is only power and those too weak to seek it.
"Crucio," Harry sang with mild amusement as he pointed his finger at the Zabrak. He tilted his head as the Zabrak began to twitch and scream in his hold. Had he screamed that loud when Riddle used that spell on him? Curious, Harry dropped the Zabrak and watched as the feeble thing lost control of its body. While Harry pondered on the mental fortitude of his jailor and how Riddle's spell might compare to his own, the Zabrak stopped moving and screaming. Harry, who had been prowling around the Zabrak and observing it from all angles, stopped his spell and with a negligent flick of his fingers rolled the body over. The Zabrak gazed into the sky with glassy eyes, his chest rising and falling in short breaths but nothing going on behind the eyes.
Inside Harry was somewhat conflicted. Neville had shared what had happened to his parents in detail and Harry had been with the boy to visit them in St. Mungos on more than one occasion. This reaction was not unlike theirs and yet Harry had only held the Zabrak under the curse for…ten minutes. Oops. Was it because they had magic to blunt the effects or to attempt to heal their body and this Zabrak did not? Slowly, the darkness began to ebb away from his mind and Harry became aware of what he had just done to a living being and Harry's stomach churned with nausea. Then he heard applause.
Turning his head to search the area around him it didn't take him long to find the source. "Talzin," Harry snarled. The unpleasant feeling in his stomach was washed away and in its place an ember of anger touched the hate he held for betrayers. His body burned with loathing at seeing the motherly woman he had trusted 'sitting' in the elevated stands above him.
"Harry!" Mother Talzin demurely called for his attention. She had been watching him torture one of her species into a puddle and she yet seemed genuinely pleased to see him. "I was worried when Cretay said they had drugged you. You seemed to shake it off quite well," she continued as she gestured to the Zabrak that lay unmoving behind him. "Incidentally, welcome to the Nightbrother Arena! It's where the males hold tests of strength and where they would compete for the attention of the Nightsisters when one of my sisters came looking for a mate," Talzin said sultrily as she stood and walked to the edge of the 'royal box'. Leaning over she gazed hungrily down at Harry, her eyes alight with expectation. "Traditions must be observed, as I'm sure you understand," She continued as she ignored his bitter laughter in response to her words. "Kill him," her voice carried all the way across the arena, "and win yourself the honor of being mated to a Nightsister."
Howls and shouts of excitement followed and as Harry looked around, at least two dozen Zabrak males leapt into the arena. Others still pressed closer to the observation boxes and cut seating around the arena to watch the human be cut apart. Of those leaping into the arena most brandished weapons, from cudgels and spears to bows and whips. The exceptionally foolish charged at the human near the royal box.
With a last heated glare at Talzin, Harry turned his full attention to the rushing Zabrak warriors. Throwing his hand up over his head and opening it Harry called for the greatest brilliance of light he could. Harry's light spell burned into existence like a newborn star and every Zabrak cried in pain. A few stumbled to their hands and knees, others shifted their body to the side as they pawed at their eyes, battle instincts making them react. The star born from Harry Potter, unfiltered by the atmosphere of Dathomir, shone its radiant fury down on the natives.
With the momentary distraction fulfilling its purpose, Harry took the opening that the light spell had bought him. Harry quickly aimed for the clusters of Zabrak that were closest to him and cast a series of exploding spells. The clustered men found themselves thrown from their feet and an unlucky few found themselves missing limbs from the blasts. As Harry scanned quickly again to see which aggressors would be the most dangerous, a feeling of danger caught his attention. Trusting his feeling Harry spun away from his position and batted his hand out like when he was dueling to deflect a spell. Instead of magic, Harry redirected an energybow bolt. With a growl and a quick point at the archer, he fired off a piercer and it burrowed through the Zabrak's chest.
The feeling came again and Harry leapt forward and rolled to his feet as he turned. Back where he had been standing were now a trio of Zabrak males each with a flanged mace. Cursing their failed attack, they quickly spread themselves out and tried to flank Harry, each one edging a bit closer as they moved. Harry scoffed at their action and cut a quick chopping motion at each side, a cutting curse followed his intent and slashed into two members of the trio. The third, seeing a moment where Harry wasn't focused on him, ran forward intending to bash the human's skull with his mace.
Harry was not about that. Feeling the magic seeping into his body, Harry used it to fuel his body and leapt backwards. Harry unknowingly called on the Force and used it to leap far beyond normal human parameters. While being guided by the Force, he tucked his body backwards and flipped so that his landing was soft. The Zabrak were beginning to think that this fight might not be as easy as they had been led to believe and Harry seemed to pull on that despair and fear to fuel his spells. With a grim smile, Harry took the time the distance had allowed him and focused on conjuring a fire spell. As distracted as he was molding the intent for a fire whip, Harry felt the same warning of danger. Moving as quickly as he could, Harry tried to keep his focus on the spell but was caught by another plasma bolt from a different archer. The bolt burned into his shoulder, rather than his throat, but the force of it still staggered Harry. The pain from the blow burned hotly as his arm hung limp and Harry grasped at it to cradle it to his chest instinctively. As before the darkness inside him seemed to swell up and burn hotter from all the pain, fear, and panic.
As this happened Harry lost control of his spell. But the dark side of the Force pulled on it, fueled it, and turned the gathered energy into something powerful.
Fiendfyre.
The flames inside the arena burned in a circle around Harry. The heat was immense but the fire burned outward. The screams of the unfortunate Zabraks were quickly overcome by the roaring of flames and the hissing and spitting of the snake that formed from the cursed fire. For a moment Harry panicked as he saw the fire forming. Then slowly, a smile formed on his lips.
Hermione's words about the spell being one of the few things that could destroy a Horcrux lingering on the front of his mind as he staggered to his feet under the effects of the fire. He could burn away Talzin. Reaching out with his magic, Harry groped for the mind of the Fiendfyre. As he touched it the fiery serpent turned its head to Harry and showed its fangs before attempting to strike at him. Desperately Harry pulled on his magic and upon the Force. The sudden influx of power from the Force jolted across the connection of Harry's magic and slammed into the Fiendfyre. The fiery serpent hissed and thrashed, Harry was reminded of the basilisk from so long ago, as it attempted to fight Harry's will.
In the end the fire succumbed to the sorcerer.
Turning to look at Talzin, the Fiendfyre serpent fully formed from the flames. Condensed from a rolling conflagration to a tightly controlled body of fire. The ground under the great fire beast glowing an array of colors from white hot and a brilliant orange to a dull cherry red. With a quick flick of its tail the Fiendfyre serpent immolated the remaining Zabrak, living and corpses, in the arena before turning its head to stare at Mother Talzin.
The woman in question hadn't left her position on the edge of the box. Still standing, she was eye level with the fire serpent and once more in silent awe of Harry's magicks. With a brilliant, if not a slightly ravenous smile, she spoke, "Brilliant Harry! Simply brilliant!" Wrestling her expressed glee back under control, she gazed down at Harry, "You're worth all the time I spent on you," she cooed at him. "Such an exquisite example of male potential," Her smile turned sensual as she imagined just how much Merrin would enjoy Harry's attention. "Now, I just need to find you a Nightsister," She trailed off as she appeared to contemplate the matter. Behind her performance, Talzin was quite pleased with her manipulations of the male she had found. He was extremely powerful and would give great power to his daughters. Between him and Merrin, the girl having found a way to enhance her magicks so far away from Dathomir, the next generation of Nightsisters would be more than capable to subjugate their enemies and do away with the Sith betrayer. Her years of unlife had been worth the time she had been waiting, and she was rewarded with this glorious opportunity.
"I am no one's breeding stud!" Harry snarled at the spirit. The serpent hissed as it opened its mouth and fangs of white fire flashed into existence. Harry's burned shoulder smoking from the blast. Skin slowly crawled back across the wound as the dead flesh was burned away in the heat of the Fiendfyre, the rest of him unaffected by the cursed flames.
"Oh Harry," Talzin trailed off, her expression one of disappointment at his words. They weren't untrue but she didn't need him thinking they were.
"Not. Again." Harry snarled. In response the Fiendfyre serpent struck forward and coiled its massive body around the observation box. Once it had settled around the stone outcropping the heat from the Fiendfyre began to melt the stone it was coiled upon, Harry's fury feeding the dark Force Sorcery that gave the snake direction. "No one will take my children from me again!" He roared at the spirit.
His words caused Mother Talzin a moment of uncertainty before her jaw slowly slackened as her keen mind unraveled the words. Hidden as she was from his sight, she flicked her gaze to where she knew Merrin to be watching the events in the arena. She may have overplayed her hand and caused the girl a more difficult time with this exceptional male than she had originally intended. An unfortunate development but not an unsalvageable one. Her attention was drawn from her schemes as she heard Harry's command through the cursed hell fire.
"Fade back into the embrace of Death!" From below she heard Harry's declaration but it was the weight and power of his words that drew her attention. Even at the end she was surprised by his reach of magicks. Harry was more than the founding sire of the more powerful future of her order, he was a conduit for the Dark Side of the Force, an avatar of the Fanged God. Harry was the living embodiment of death itself! The Dark Side of the Force tightly clung to his body and the power of it pressed down on Talzin once he passed his judgment to return her to the land of the dead. Laughing into the heat of the fire serpent that descended upon her, she felt it pull her away from the land of the living and back towards where she had emerged days ago to the Altar of the Fanged God. In one last desperate bid to work her plan she grasped what small wisps of magicks she could and pulled them toward Harry, trying to hook some of the lingering energy from his arrival into him so that she might be able to pluck those strings from the spirit realm. As the hell fire burned at her own tethers she could feel some of the magick from his home pull taut against something and satisfied she let herself be consumed.
As the hell fire burned away her essence she saw figures in the flames, two small children caught her attention, pale gray with the same clan markings as Merrin. Two pairs of emerald eyes gazed back at her, studying her as intently as she studied them. As she felt the fire tear at her essence she fixated on a sound in the background of the roaring flames, she could hear the frustrated rage of Sheev Palpatine. As she reveled in the sounds of the betrayer and murderer, she luxuriated in the moment of the Force vision. Moments or eternities later the glint of the emerald eyes of the children flickered in the flames and joined together into two orbs of emerald fire. Talzin threw her head back and laughed madly as the orbs grew a slit in the center that split across the whole orb, the flames under it burning hotter as the vision was consumed by the maw of the fire serpent and Mother Talzin with it.
Her delighted laughter shattered the silence of Dathomir. Its stones carried the mad cackling across the graves of the Nightsisters as she faded once more from the land of the living.
=)=(=
Merrin knew without a doubt that she was in trouble. More than her face was flush from observing the arena battle with the one Harry Potter right in the middle.
She had watched Harry when he was dragged into the center of the arena and tied to a rod that was then placed into posts. He looked quite unremarkable. One of the Nightbrothers went to wake him up once Mother Talzin had appeared in the observation box. Merrin was observing from an alcove cut into the stone higher above the arena, her magick used to amplify the sound in the area so she could hear everything said.
It had started off as boring as she had expected. She hated watching males have a contest of who had the biggest phallus rather than brains. Then the Nightbrother had proceeded to shout more abuse at Harry until he had finally gotten a reaction. Merrin couldn't tell what Harry had done but suddenly power flooded from the world around them and condensed in the captive male down far below.
This was a new feeling. She'd certainly felt males and females pull on the Force to strengthen their body during battles, but this was far beyond that. A surge in magicks and Force energies that were drawn directly towards Harry. Merrin could feel the heady concentration of power building below her, some drawn directly into Harry and the rest coiling and twisting around him.
Harry manhandled the male Zabrak and kept a tight rein on his words. It reminded her of some of the enemies she had encountered that were too arrogant in their power. Unlike them however, she could feel the power vibrating in the air below her that was his and his alone to command. Inquisitors were powerful opponents but none of them felt like Harry did now. Slowly she released the breath she was holding and tried to force herself to breathe steadily as she refocused on the words below her.
Then Harry said one word and the Zabrak screamed. Even without her magick amplifying the sound she would have been able to clearly hear the agony from the Nightbrother as he was dropped into the dirt, flailing wildly while screaming. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes later that the screaming stopped, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.
He addressed Mother Talzin and in his one spoken word she could feel the same contempt and rage that she felt when she had run into Palpatine's Inquisitors. The hate they carried for the Jedi and their associates.
No. This was something deeper. Harry was angry, true, but Merrin could feel the depth of this anger was far beyond the word. Anger, hurt, betrayal. Words promising Mother Talzin that Harry was going to find a way to tear her very spirit apart.
If she hadn't been told of Mother Talzin's plans beforehand, Merrin was certain that she might have blanched at the idea that Talzin would just give her to any male that killed Harry Potter. As it was, she was certainly going to have a few words with Mother Talzin after all this was over. Merrin cried out in surprise and distress as the swelling magic bloomed into a light that radiated like a star for a single brilliant moment in time. As Merrin fought to get her vision back she gasped at the sight in the arena. Nearly a dozen males were battered to death or torn apart by the force of Harry's spells. Harry moved quickly throwing his magicks around and even, somehow, batted a plasma bolt away with nothing but his bare hands! Merrin had seen the feat accomplished before by lightsabers but to see it done unarmed was a welcome surprise.
She watched him cut apart two opponents with nothing but a negligent wave of his hand. Just who was this male? What kind of magick had he learned? Were these the fabled Sith Force powers? It wasn't something that she had seen or heard discussed by Cal or Cere before.
And then it happened, a sight she would never be able to forget. The arena, flooded as it was with magick and the Force, ignited. The fire felt alive, hungry, and so unfathomably angry. For a moment she almost fled, her mind caught up in the memory of the last time fire had rained down on Dathomir. But her eyes found Harry standing - Unburned! - in the center of the conflagration.
Then her mouth dropped open and her hand grasped at the medallion on her chest. She slumped, leaning heavily on the wall of the alcove as her legs slowly lost the strength to hold her up. As she slid down the wall as she stared down at the snake that formed from the fire. In shock she was barely able to look from Harry to where she knew Mother Talzin to be observing. This man's power was something much more profound than just magick or Force powers. As much as she hated to admit Mother Talzin was right about this male, she couldn't deny that he really was something special. Her mouth suddenly became very dry, she licked her lips and tried to swallow. Her heart hammering in her chest as her skin tingled pleasantly. From excitement, she was almost ashamed to admit. Her attention riveted to the arena below her.
Harry had pulled the fire together under his will. His power bore down with the force of a moon upon its planet. She was seated against the wall and she was grateful. She felt his power ripple across the energy of Dathomir and was suddenly keenly aware of all the reasons Mother Talzin wanted her to bear sucklings from this male. Her own magick reached out hungrily for him, helped along by his own pull of Dathomir's Force energy. She struggled to keep her own powers away from him, lest she be overcome by his will. The part of her that was attracted to power howled for this male.
His words barely pierced her thoughts and because of them she almost lost her focus on her magick. He had been taken by a woman at least once before and, judging from his molten rage, there was a child from the union.
Merrin found herself in a situation she was not sure how to handle. She wanted him. She wanted him so badly, yet she wasn't exactly sure why. There was a part of her that needed to be near him and feel the coiling strength of his magick with every part of her being. However, unsurprisingly, she also feared him. Not as she feared the Inquisitors or other Imperial Agents but she feared she would be burned away in his presence and lose herself to him. She feared that should she be near him that their magicks might entwine and leave her no choices in her own future.
She feared she was already bound to him.
She watched, heart hammering in her chest, as the snake made of flames consumed the observation platform and heard Mother Talzin's laughter echo across the stones of Dathomir. The stone bled in great orange droplets, oozing from the once mighty overhang as the fire snake coiled its body around where Mother Talzin had been standing. With another tremendous force of his will the serpent hissed and spat in displeasure as Harry forced it away.
As suddenly as it had come into being, the fire combusted outward. The hungry flames raced along the sides of the arena and sought the living that may have been stupid enough to remain and watch the events. A few more screams met her ears as the fire found lingering Nightbrothers. As it rushed past her alcove, dissipating as it reached up as high as she was, she felt a remnant of the male's magick touch her own and she gasped at the feelings it magick carried.
Pain. Betrayal. Rage.
But beneath it all, sadness. Loneliness.
In the quiet that was left in the arena, she heard Harry's surprisingly soft voice carry as she focused on him in what remained of the molten arena, "Shite…"
Time so see what Mother Talzin wanted her to see. With a breath to center herself and a moment to calm her treacherous body and heart, Merrin pulled on her magic and dematerialized herself.
Oh yes, Merrin knew without a doubt that she was in trouble.