Chapter 27: I Am (Not) Your Enemy

There were few intact forests remaining in the eastern kingdoms, and even fewer that could be called pristine. Now that number decreased further as a wildfire tore through one such forest. The crackle of burning wood and hiss of boiling sap mixed with the calls and chatter of terrified animals as they fled with all haste. Towering plumes of thick black smoke turned the sky dark and stained the sun red. Hot ash and sparks rained down, starting smaller fires that quickly grew to uncontrolled conflagrations in the dry summer air.

The fire told only part of the story. Furious destruction had paved the way for the blaze's advance. Trees were split, cut, smashed, and pulverized to splintered trunks and stumps. Great furrows and craters were torn into the earth, ripping up tree roots like frayed threads from cloth. Boulders were reduced to gravel and shale, blackened by the flames.

A sharp crack rent the air. Lara was blown out of a stand of trees and into the canopy of an oak, throwing branches and leaves everywhere as she smashed through it. She glanced off a stout limb and went tumbling into the charred grass along a river-cut cliff. She threw her arms out and her roll turned into a braking skid. She got to her feet the moment she stopped, only to fall to her knees as her legs gave out.

Her state was alarming. She leaned heavily on her sword as she panted around the knife clutched in her teeth, sucking ragged breaths hard and fast around the handle. The blade was a shadow of its former self, the blade chipped so deeply it could be mistaken for a saw. Its partner in her left hand was no better, a crack running across the bolster. Her shemagh and clothes were shredded to blood and soot stained rags. Her goggles hung lopsided around her neck, the lenses a fractal of spidery cracks. She was riddled with scrapes, lacerations, and punctures, her healing ability long since outstripped by the rate she accumulated injuries. The wounds closed at a snail's pace, drawing on her last reserves of magic to keep her alive. Only her sword appeared unfazed, the silver sheen of the metal reflecting the firelight.

"Yoo-hoo!"

Lara's breath hitched as the little girl emerged from the shadow of the oak, smoothing wrinkles from her dress. She smiled so innocently it was almost disarming even with her pointed teeth and twin-slit teal eyes.

"Not thinking of dying on me, are you?" she asked, licking her teeth with a black pointed tongue.

Lara grunted with effort as she shakily pushed herself to her feet. Her right knee buckled and she almost fell, finding her footing at the last moment. How long she could stay upright was uncertain. Her body was leaden with exhaustion, her legs shaking as they struggled to support her. Her arms burned and ached, trembling as she sheathed her knives and took her sword in both hands. She shook her head, trying to keep her vision focused. It was no longer the will to fight or her strength that kept her standing. Just the need to survive.

The girl's smile widened, trading innocence for maniacal thrill as she clapped. "Good! Very good! You're a fun one!

Lara grit her teeth to stop their chattering. If ever there was a decision in her young life she could call her biggest mistake, this was surely it. She had not waded into trouble. She had not landed in trouble. She had taken a cannonball in each hand and jumped in the deepest part of an ocean of trouble. She was fortunate enough to escape Dornvale castle with her life. No one else had. But surviving one slenderman made her cocky, and that made her "brave" enough to chase after it. Now that bravery threatened to be her end.

She wished she could go back in time. If she could she would find her past self, bind her in chains, drug her with the strongest sleeping potions known to magic, and then lock her in the strongest prison she could find. Anything to keep her from this suicidal endeavor. She should have counted her lucky stars and made tracks, but no. Instead she followed that creature into the night, thinking she could finish it off before it recuperated or summoned its ilk.

Instead she found something worse. A nightmare beyond nightmares hiding in the most disarming of forms. A beast unknown to the world for the simple, terrifying reason that none lived long enough to speak of it. It stood before Lara as a child, but it was no innocent girl much less a human. This was a creature that went beyond mortal understanding, violating every law of nature and magic that she knew.

Lara was looking at the Hive Queen, the mother of all nyctophiles.

Lara glanced back at the cliff. Countless eons of running water had cut deep and wide into the earth, splitting the forest in two. It was easily half a mile to the other side and half of that to the river below. Even from high up Lara could see the river below was swollen with snowmelt from the Dragon's Teeth, turning it into whitewater rapids. She heard its thunder echoing up the gorge. Even in her battered state she knew she had a better chance of surviving the fall and raging water than this monster, if only barely.

"Ahem."

Lara whipped back to see the girl standing within arms reach of her. Every hair on her body stood on end as adrenaline flash-flooded her system.

The corners of the girl's dreadful eyes crinkled as she smiled, tapping a finger to her neck. "Well, come on."

Lara yelled loud as she could as she called up what strength she had left. Her sword ignited, blazing with heat as she swung it as hard as possible at the girl's neck.

KUNK!

Lara stared in dumbfounded shock as the fire went out on her sword. She was used to her opponents retreating from her sword, or at least guarding themselves. Self-preservation was a basic instinct of all living things. But the girl had done nothing to protect herself. More than that, she actually tilted her head to offer more neck to the sword. Lara struck her unabated and cleanly with the sword hot enough to cut through metal.

The result was only a thin rivulet of black blood running down pale skin. Instead of severing flesh and bone the sword barely broke the skin on the girl's neck. Even if she had not been decapitated the force Lara hit with should have bowled her over. She had not even budged.

The girl looked at the sword and whistled in amazement. "Impressive! Even in that state you still cut me! That's quite an arm you have! Your magic isn't half bad, either!"

Panic gripped Lara. She drew one of her knives and stabbed at the girl's head. She hit right in the middle of her forehead, only for the blade to break off when it struck. It did not even scuff the girl's skin.

The girl made a disappointed half-frown. "Knife's pretty flimsy, though."

Before Lara could react, the girl reached up and flicked her in the wrist and chest. The strength in that one finger sent Lara rolling back and the remains of the knife flying out of her hand. She landed on her front and skidded to the edge of the cliff, stopping with her head and left arm dangling off the side. She saw her knife's hilt come down far out of reach, shrinking as it plummeted to the rapids below.

Lara clenched her hand as the useless hilt plunged into the water. She was beaten. Completely, utterly, totally defeated. There was nothing she could do to hurt that monster. She could eat every fire in the forest, and it still would not be enough. All her skill, her magic, and her strength had been called out. She even resorted to using "that," but all she did was get the girl to fight even harder. She took everything Lara threw at her and returned it ten-fold. Against a foe of this magnitude Lara was a single wasp before a bear, realizing too late the futility in stinging the predator's foot.

She had to get up. She had to stand, or it would be the death of her. She slowly pulled her knees under her before she propped herself on her arms. A sharp pain hit her chest and she coughed, spitting up blood as she turned around. That flick injured her both inside and out.

"Aw, don't tell me you're done!" pouted the girl, as though she were just told it was time for bed. "I wanna keep going! Come on, scarf down some more flames and let's get back to it! I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

"You've got a *cough* twisted idea of fun!" grunted Lara as she forced herself to sit upright, holding her sword in shaky hands. "Whatever you are!"

The girl giggled, tilting her head like a curious puppy. "Oh, don't give me that! You know what I am!" She touched the cut in her neck as it closed, amused as she rubbed blood between her fingers. "The real question is who you are. I didn't think there were any humans that could last this long against me. Or hurt me for that matter."

The girl looked at her hands as she opened and closed them, watching the muscles move under the skin. "You even made me shed this form. I haven't had to do that in centuries. Whoever you are, it's obvious you're not just another human. In fact…"

Faster than Lara could see the girl appeared in front of her. She swiped a finger over Lara's bloodied cheek as she swung her sword. The girl ignored it, allowing the sword to hit her arm. It glanced off as though she were a rock. Lara quickly backed away along the cliff, almost tripping on her own feet.

"I wonder just how human you are." The girl's tongue snaked out of her mouth and licked her finger. She smacked her lips, brow furrowed in puzzlement. Then she sniffed it deeply. "Hmm…now that smells like–."

Suddenly the girl's eyes widened, her pupils narrowing to thread thin slits. She threw back her head and laughed, mouth stretched wide to bare her sharp teeth and jet-black tongue. There was gleeful insanity in the sound, carrying over the crackle and dull growl of the fire. She doubled over with hysterics, her little body shaking as she clutched her sides.

"So that's it! Now it all makes sense! No wonder you're so strong!" the girl exclaimed, the breadth of that mad smile and her wide eyes pulling her face out of human proportions. Her hair slithered and waved as though it were alive, black tendrils appearing from under her dress. "Fantastic! Absolutely magnificent! I've only dreamed of having the chance to face one, but you'll make a nice substitute!"

Lara grit her teeth, pointing her sword at the girl. "Claymore…"

The girl smiled widely as Lara's sword was wreathed in flames, a psychotic gleam coming to her eyes. "That's more like it!"

Lara abruptly raised her sword overhead. "Flash!"

The girl's smile vanished. "What!?"

Lara squeezed her eyes shut as the sword let off a blinding flare of light visible for miles around. The girl shrieked and shielded her face. Lara squinted as the tone of the shriek changed, seeing the outline of the little girl come apart in the brilliance. Then she started to grow and deform, the monster inside leaving its human shell.

Without hesitation Lara turned and threw herself off the cliff, diving for whatever safety the river could offer.


Lara was rarely terrified, which was not to say she was never scared. She knew the swift current of fear, but she also knew how to wade those cold waters without being swept away. Terror, however, was a flood that could overtake even the bravest. And the Hive Queen was a tidal wave of terror.

"Don't look too surprised," said the Hive Queen as she descended the last step. "It hasn't been that long since we saw each other. Two, almost three years? Then again, years mean more to your lifespan than mine."

Cold sweat broke over Lara's brow. "W-w-what are you doing here?"

The Hive Queen giggled at her obvious apprehension, flashing a toothy smile. "We'll get to that. But I have a familymatterto deal with first. Hang tight for a minute, would you?"

The slendermen surrounding the skinner parted, allowing their matriarch to approach the restrained monster. It stared at her with wide fearful eyes as she crouched in front of it, her own gleaming teal ones boring into the black orbs.

"I'll give you credit for avoiding us this long," the Hive Queen said, the amused tone she used with Lara replaced by stern scorn. "And your growth with magic. But you and I both knew this was inevitable the moment you deserted. It was just a matter of time. You can hide from humans, but you can't hide from us. The dark is our home. It's our kingdom."

The skinner hissed at her, trying harder to get free. It raked one of its claws along a tentacle, but instead of slicing through soft tissue like an octopus' arm it scraped over tough hard skin.

"Speak the apostate's crimes," commanded the Hive Queen.

"Let the offenses be known," spoke the slendermen together. "He hunts the unmarked. He hunts the unborn. He hunts for sport. He hunts for reward. He hunts for hunger. He hunts against the Hive. He brings light among the shadows."

The Hive Queen narrowed her eyes at the skinner. "Well? Anything to say for yourself?"

The skinner snarled and lunged against its restraints, snapping its teeth at her. "Don't you condescend me, wench! You're no queen of mine, much less mother!"

"So, no begging for mercy? No regrets for what you've done? No reason for your treason?"

"The only thing I feel is hatred! For you and that witch!" spat the skinner angrily, its black eyes brimming with malice. "Don't you lecture me about treason! You're more traitor to the Hive than I!"

"Silence!" hissed the slendermen as one, tendrils flying out to retaliate against the blasphemy. The Hive Queen raised her hand, halting the slendermen before they could lay into the skinner. Slowly their tendrils retreated, slinking back under their cloaks.

"Go on," said the Hive Queen.

"You want to know why I left?!" snarled the skinner. "I left because of you!You and your tyranny! We serve you unconditionally! We kill when you command! We feed when you permit! We are your children, yet you have us hide from these feeble, pathetic, squealing sacks of meat like cowering dogs! They breed like rats! They cover this earth in hordes! More than enough for us to eat our fill! But you…you have us hide in the dark feeding on bats and mice and vermin! Never allowing us to be sated! If my siblings had any sense, they would cut out you and that creed like the cancers you are and–!"

CRUNCH!

Quick as Lara's eyes were, she did not see it happen. The Hive Queen did not give so much as a twitch to foretell her movement. One moment the skinner was ranting into her face. The next it was skewered from head to clawed toe by dozens of tendrils that replaced the girl's left arm at the shoulder.

"I am the creed. And I am absolute," said the Hive Queen. "To go against me is to go against your race and everything we are."

The tendrils yanked out of the skinner and reformed the girl's arm, interlacing to become skin and fabric. The dying monster gasped and choked as blood pooled under it like viscous ink.

The Hive Queen rose and backed away. "There is only one punishment for traitors, and that's annihilation."

She snapped her fingers. The slendermen's eyes glowed brighter as more tentacles emerged from their cloaks. They writhed wildly, creating a low hiss that filled the chilling air. The skinner twitched in its death throes, still alive as its eyes swiveled around in terror.

"From shadows we are born," said the slendermen in unison.

Lara knew what came next. She was unfortunate enough to see it done to a living human once. The memory still made her insides flip. She did not need to add another one.

"In darkness we will die."

Lara squeezed her eyes shut as the tentacles descended on the skinner like sharks to a bleeding man.


Melody watched the hooded creatures with fearful eyes, not daring to blink until dryness and reflex overrode conscious effort. She felt the trembling in Ariel's arms and heard the shaking in Eric's breaths. The monsters stood silent and still as statues, eyes unblinking and watchful behind the masks. The guards remained unmoving on the floor, whether alive or dead remaining to be seen. Hushed sobs and whimpers came from the children, accompanied by their parents' whisperings as they concealed their own fright to keep them calm.

Suddenly a loud piercing scream cut the quiet, causing everyone to jump halfway out of his or her skin. Not a scream of fear or anger but a tormented wail of pain, accompanied by other unwelcome sounds. It sounded like an animal being killed. Melody covered her ears as it continued, her mother holding her tight. It was such an awful noise.

It was coming from the ballroom.


Lara wished she could shut her ears as tight as her eyes. The ripping, splattering, and crunching sounds echoed around the ballroom under the skinner's screaming, its voice changing multiple times a second. The cacophony made her insides twist and writhe as much as the smell. She tried not to think of what was happening, but her imagination created grizzly interpretations for every noise. A loud wet crack cut off the screams with disturbing abruptness, leaving the din to assault her senses.

She was starting to feel sick when the noises suddenly stopped. The ballroom was silent save the pounding of her heart and a dwindling hiss. Lara slowly opened one eye, ready to shut it if the scene was as bad as she envisioned.

The skinner was gone. There was no corpse, no blood, no clothes, and not even the metal buckles and buttons of the uniform left behind. The slendermen annihilated it in every sense of the word. The only signs it ever existed were the scorch mark from Lara's fiery shot and the smashed piano in the tower stairwell.

The slendermen turned to the Hive Queen and knelt, though it appeared they were sinking into the floor more than kneeling.

"Your command is carried out," said one of them.

"The apostate is silenced."

"And what of the huntress?" asked the slenderman holding Lara.

The Hive Queen spun around as though just remembering Lara was pinned to the wall. She smiled at her. "Oh, right! Can't forget about you, Lara!"

Lara gulped, wishing she would.

The Hive Queen turned back to the slendermen. "Sweep the palace. I want it so this night never happened."

As one the slendermen bowed and then leapt to the ceiling, vanishing into the darkness. Lara tried to pick up any sound of their departure, but all she could hear was the night. It was frightening how undetectable they were.

The girl ran her hands through her hair, fanning it behind her like threads of white silver as she turned to Lara. "As I was saying, you and I have some catching up to do, Lara. But first we'll go somewhere more private."

Her eyes turned to the ceiling and she smirked. "Somewhere you lot can't eavesdrop on us."


The Master took a fractional step back. With his power and knowledge, he was rarely surprised and never unnerved. His bearing was as inviolable as the ebb and flow of night. A necessary trait for commanding such powerful underlings, especially given their tastes for darker habits and unrestrained temperaments.

This child was a complete mystery to him. He had at least a cursory knowledge of skinners and slendermen. But her? He had no idea who or what she was. And the way she looked at him left no doubt she was not just aware of his presence. She saw him as clearly as he saw her. She was doing the impossible and looking back at him through his own magic. This was an anomaly he had not anticipated.

"Don't think I'll let you off easy for this," said the girl, her tone both amused and threatening. One of her pupils swiveled over to focus on Richard. "Especially you, boy. You're the reason he was found in the first place."

Richard backed a step from the pool. "Can she see us?"

The girl smirked. "I can do more than that."

"She can't!" growled Remora. "There's no way she could! That's impossible!"

"Not for me, witch," said the girl. Remora flinched as though the girl just struck her.

Lara looked to where the girl was watching, her perplexed expression telling she was not seeing the same thing. "Who're you talking to?"

"Just a couple flies on the wall," said the girl. She looked to the slenderman holding Lara. "You can release her now."

The hooded monster immediately obeyed, dropping Lara so abruptly she stumbled when she landed. But she quickly recovered and lunged for her sword, her functional hand reaching for the hilt.

Even with his senses the Master failed to see the girl move. She reappeared in front of Lara and seized her limp wrist, stopping her inches short of taking hold of the weapon. Her hair came alive and wrapped around Lara's other hand and neck, squeezing as she grabbed her dislocated wrist and shoved it back into place with a pop. Lara bit back a yell as her whole body clenched, alarmed by the sudden pain and the speed the girl moved with.

"Ooh, that was a loud one," chuckled the girl. "Now then…"

The girl looked back to the Master, her eerie teal eyes fixed on his. Her face twisted with the tooth-baring grin she flashed him, malice and wrath hiding deceptively beneath her innocent form. The Master felt a prickling of uncertainty on the back of his neck. This girl was not human by any stretch of the imagination. And like the hooded monsters that preceded her, she was no ordinary creature. That word fell utterly short of describing her. He was looking at something completely new. Something even he was not familiar with.

Then the girl, the hooded monster, and Lara Anclagon vanished from sight.


One moment Lara was watching the Hive Queen talk to empty air as her rejoined wrist throbbed painfully. The next thing she knew she was surrounded by darkness. The girl's iron hold released her as she went spinning through the void, weightless and without sense of direction or time. This darkness was even more disorienting than the skinner's curse of black. Her senses reached out into the pitch and felt nothing. She could be falling into the earth, hurtling towards the sky, or stuck in place for all she knew.

Maybe it was seconds. Maybe it was days. Lara had no idea how long she was in the black. But eventually she felt solid earth against her spine. The darkness disappeared as fast as it came, revealing…stars?

Lara blinked as her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light. They were indeed stars, scattered over the sky as uncountable white lights for the moon to pass over. She felt icy gritty stone against her skin, chilly as the nipping midnight air.

Something was off. Lara knew they were no longer in the palace given the glaring absence of a ceiling, but it was more than that. The difference in climate was apparent on her first breath. The air was cold and dry, Seahaven's underlying scent of ocean replaced with a gritty dustiness. It felt thin, like drinking wine cut with water. Yet it was also familiar. She knew this air. She breathed it before.

The night sky was suddenly replaced by the Hive Queen's face as she leaned over Lara. "Done stargazing?"

Lara bolted away and onto her feet, watching the girl with all the focus she could. The slenderman stood behind her, its red eyes watching Lara intently. Moments later Lara forgot about them as she realized why their new location felt so familiar.

They were in the Dragon's Teeth! More than that, the exact spot Lara departed from those months ago! At the monsters' backs stretched the nigh impassable ocean of sand and oblivion that was the Devil's Steppe. At Lara's own back were the jagged tooth-like mountains with their perpetual snow and ice, the wind howling like the mournful calls of lost souls as clouds of fog snaked through the spires like giant white snakes.

Lara turned about in disbelief, looking for some falsehood in what she was seeing. Yet there was no sign of deception nor paradox or repetition to suggest an illusion. This was the real Dragon's Teeth. She was actually back in the eastern kingdoms!

"Quite a view, yes?" said the Hive Queen.

Lara spun back to face her. "How?"

The Hive Queen giggled, her smirk offering a glimpse of teeth. "Do you really need to ask? And before you go calling your sword, I left it back in Seahaven. Don't waste your breath calling it here. Not that you could kill me with it, anyways."

Lara clenched her teeth and fists, trying not to let her lack of weapons or the sudden relocation rattle her any more than this monster's presence already had. There really was no point in asking how the Hive Queen did in moments what took Lara weeks. It was trivial to beings on her level. Just another glaring example of the chasmic differences in their physical and magical abilities. Lara assumed a fighting stance, fists raised and feet staggered. Aggravating and frightening as it was, she was at the Hive Queen's mercy. Bare fists were next to useless against her, but it was better than nothing. She would not go down without a fight.

The slenderman's eyes brightened, tentacles emerging from its cloak. "Might or magic, attack at your own peril, huntress. I underestimated you the first time we met. I will not make that mistake again."

Lara furrowed her brow. "The first time?"

The slenderman's head turned ever so slightly towards the Hive Queen. The creature only nodded. The slenderman's hood moved back as though invisible hands tugged it. Its white mask was as frighteningly bleached as its brethren. But this mask was not unblemished. A long diagonal cut ran across it, as though something had tried to slice through it.

Lara gasped. "You!"

"You remember," said the slenderman, its eyes flickering.

"Of course I remember!" exclaimed Lara. "You tried to kill me!"

"And you survived. The first and only human I have failed to erase. Consider yourself privileged."

Lara's eyes snapped back to the Hive Queen. "Is that why you brought us out here!? So you two can finish what–!?"

The Hive Queen's hair darted out faster than Lara could react, wrapping around her mouth and cutting off her words. Lara dug her fingers around the hair and pulled with all her might, but they did not budge in the slightest.

"Still chatty when you're excited, I see," said the Hive Queen before she turned to the slenderman. "Leave us."

The slenderman bowed. "As you wish."

Slowly the monster sunk into the rock, as though the hard stone had turned to thick quicksand. It continued to descend until only its shadow was left, and then that too disappeared. Whether it was truly gone or just hiding Lara had no idea. She was more focused on the hair gagging her, all too aware it could crush her skull like an overripe watermelon.

"Now that we're alone…" The Hive Queen clasped her hands behind her back as her hair unwound from Lara's mouth. "Nice to see you again, Lara. How've you been?"

Lara stepped back, wiping the back of her wrist over her mouth as she tried to rid herself of the lingering sensation of the hair's constricting grasp. She strained to take in everything about the Hive Queen. Her breathing, how her weight was shifted, where her eyes were looking, how the breeze toyed with her hair–anything that could foretell the next attack. That is, provided she could react in time. The creature seemed to move as though it could teleport. That could even be what it was.

"You look well enough," said the Hive Queen, one pupil in her left eye moving up and down as she looked Lara over. Yet another indication she was not nearly as human as she appeared. "Certainly better than the last time we met."

"Last time we met you tried to kill me," growled Lara through her teeth.

The Hive Queen wagged a finger at her. "Ah-ah. I didn't try to kill you. I didn't kill you."

"Same thing."

"It would be to you. But there is a difference."

"Then why don't you enlighten me?"

The Hive Queen started walking a wide circle around Lara, forcing her to turn in place. "It's a matter of intent. When you say I tried to kill you, you imply that you're still alive because I failed. But when I say I didn't, I mean you're alive…"

Lara was still turning when she realized the Hive Queen had vanished. Only empty rock was before her. Then she felt something on her stomach. She looked down and saw the Hive Queen standing right in front of her, one finger pressed against her bare midriff.

"Because I allowed it," she said, grinning to bare her teeth.

Lara leapt back purely on reflex, her feet skidding across the stone before she stopped shy of a boulder. She pawed where the Hive Queen touched her, fully expecting to find a bleeding hole. Despite her groping all she found was intact skin. Her frown pulled into a scowl. She was being toyed with. "You're saying you let me go?"

The Hive Queen's grin settled into a smirk. "Did you really believe that light show would be enough to throw me off your trail?"

"I hoped."

"You didn't hope. You believed, just like I wanted you to." The Hive Queen licked the finger she touched Lara with as though tasting some lingering flavor. "I've been keeping a close eye on you for some time now. How else do you think I knew about this spot?"

Lara suddenly remembered just what she was talking to and resumed her guard, angry and embarrassed she dropped it in the first place. "You've been tracking me!? Since when!?"

"Since we first met."

A chill ran down Lara's spine. The idea this monster had been watching her for months without her knowledge made her feel gross, as though insects were crawling on her. Worse, it was entirely believable.

"Though…" The Hive Queen paused to pick something from between her teeth. "I'll admit I allowed myself to lose track of you in the desert. I thought it might be entertaining, hunting you down again if you made it to the other side. I was starting to think you died out there when one of my children picked up your scent four weeks before the tournament. Congratulations on your win, by the way. Not that any of them stood a chance to begin with."

"If you've been watching me for so long, why didn't you just kill me?" asked Lara.

The Hive Queen laughed. It was a surprisingly human sound. "If I wanted you dead, I never would have let you escape in the first place!"

"So what? You and your 'son'aren't here for payback?" Lara set deeper into her stance, fists tightening harder. "Sorry if I don't believe that!"

The Hive Queen sighed and closed her eyes. "Lara, Lara…you've forgotten something."

"What's that?"

The Hive Queen's eyes snapped open, revealing them glowing with light as their colors began to invert. Teal leaked into her sclera and pupil as the iris turned black. She smiled wide, lips spreading from ear to ear as her black tongue snaked out. Her hair began sinuating behind her, waving with a mind of its own. Her shadow deformed, becoming something grotesquely telling of her true nature as black tendrils rose off her arms and snaked out from under her dress. Lara backed away, unnerved by the drastic change in the creature's presence. That, and the deadly bloodlust and magic coming off her. She could literally feel it in the air.

"I'm not human," said the Hive Queen, her voice harsher and echoing. "None of the nyctophiles are. Not in flesh and blood or thought and habit. We don't think like them, act like them, or feel like them. So don't compare us to them!"

Abruptly the Hive Queen ended her display, hair settling and eyes no longer luminous as her shadow became obedient to her form. "We don't have urges for things like vengeance, or whatever it is that makes humans think they're entitled to killing each other. The mark in Dornvale was eliminated, and so was the one in Seahaven. That's enough for us."

Lara stared at the Hive Queen, lowering her hands ever so slightly. "You're… not here for me?"

"If you mean here for your life, then no. I didn't come for anyone else's either. My orders were clear. Only the apostate dies."

"Then what were those screams?"

The Hive Queen shrugged. "Most likely the princess's reaction to my children. Can you blame them? We're not exactly…how do humans put it? Cuddly and cute? Or is it the other way around? Either way, I only ordered them to be restrained. And I think you know better than any what that means."

Lara almost sighed with relief at hearing that. Terrifying and deadly as the Hive Queen and slendermen were, their loyalty to their matriarch was unshakable. Mountains were more easily moved than their fealty. As for the Hive Queen herself, dangerous, self-centered, and maniacal she definitely was, but dishonest and fickle she was not. Her father once said dishonesty and treachery came from a fear of vulnerability. It was to hide weakness behind an armor of falsehoods. The Hive Queen had no use for lies because she had no vulnerabilities–at least, none that Lara could imagine. If the Hive Queen said she and her servants came only for the skinner, then that was the truth. She, Melody, and everyone else were safe.

Still, it left one glaring and troubling question.

"I don't follow," said Lara, slowly lowering her hands but not her caution as she stood normally. "I've killed two of your skinners, stopped a third from taking its mark, survived your slenderman in Dornvale, and then I tried to kill you. From everything I know about your kind I should be at the top of your hit list. But you're saying you don't want my head on your wall?"

"Is that a problem?" asked the Hive Queen. She raised her left hand, her fingers turning into minute dark tendrils that wove together into a point like a lance. "Because I can fix it very easily."

"I'll take alive and kicking any day," said Lara. "But you and your 'kids' aren't known for being merciful, especially to anyone on your bad side. So why am I the exception?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said the Hive Queen with a smirk as her hand returned to normal. "It's because you're fun."

Lara blinked blankly. "I…what?"

"You. Are. Fun," the Hive Queen repeated, annunciating each word.

"I'm fun?" repeated Lara. She stuck a finger in her ear and twisted, wondering if there was something inside messing with her hearing. "You let me live because I'm fun?"

The Hive Queen's reached down and picked up a small rock, tossing it up and down as she spoke. "You're not the first to try killing a Hive Queen, Lara. Much less a skinner or slenderman. There were countless before you. Mages. Knights. Mercenaries. Royals. Peasants. Armies. Machines. Beasts. Demons. Angels. There are few things we haven't fought and eaten. And among those humans I've clashed with, there were only two worth remembering. The rest were so weak they died before they realized I'd taken their heads. They were no better than ants."

The Hive Queen's seized the rock in her hand and squeezed. Lara heard the stone cracking within, a fine dust of ground rock sprinkling out.

"But you, Lara." The Hive Queen's hair began braiding itself as she walked towards Lara. "Of all I've squared with, you're the first in centuries I didn't have to hold back against. It'd been so long since anyone–no, anything gave us the challenge you did. I'd almost forgotten what pain and bleeding felt like. I haven't enjoyed a battle so much in ages. And you know what the best part is?"

"What?" asked Lara.

The Hive Queen stopped, smiling as she looked Lara in the eye. "You can become stronger still. I can tell. Strong as you were then, you're nowhere near your peak. Your survival is proof of it! Every fight, every foe, every swing of your sword, and every spell you cast is making you more powerful than before! There's no telling where your limits are, or if you even have them! Just the thought of it makes my hearts beat faster! That's why I won't kill you, Lara! I'll fight you again, be sure of it! But not till you reach that peak! There's no pleasure to be had in killing you now! You've gotten softer since you left here, but even in Seahaven there's enemies to push you along! All I have to do is wait till you're ripe for harvest, when you can give me the fight I've desired for so long! Then I'll come for you again, and we'll have a battle I can burn into my memories for all time!"

Lara gulped as the Hive Queen threw back her head and laughed, the high-pitched cackling carrying out into the mountains with terrible echoes. Having a rematch with the Hive Queen was the last thing Lara ever wanted to do. They wrecked a whole forest in that last fight, and she barely escaped with her life. It seemed impossible she could ever become strong enough to pressure a living calamity like the Hive Queen, much less be a match for her.

"Hate to disappoint, queenie, but it's gonna be a long wait for you," said Lara.

"Oh, I know," said the Hive Queen, the heaving of her shoulders quickly subsiding as she composed herself. "I don't expect you to be ready anytime soon. You're not even in sight of where I want you. But I can be patient. I've waited lifetimes for someone like you to appear. A decade or five more is nothing."

"I bet. Now answer this." Lara put some distance between herself and the Hive Queen, watching her lest she try another of her vanishing tricks. "If you're not here to get even then what's this 'business' you mentioned?"

The Hive Queen snapped her fingers. "Oh, yes! Almost forgot about your reward!"

Lara thought she could not be more surprised that night, but she had just been proven wrong. "Huh?"

"Your reward." The Hive Queen pressed a finger to her lips in thought. "Maybe compensation's a better word for it."

"Your creepy kid must've thrown me harder than I thought," said Lara. "I could've sworn you just said something about me getting compensation?"

"Correct," confirmed the Hive Queen.

"And what did I do to deserve that?" Lara asked, as though questioning a punishment she was about to receive.

"Three things." The Hive Queen raised her hand, counting on her fingers as she went. "First, our fight. It'd be rude of me not thank you for such a good time. Second, incapacitating the apostate. You were quite thorough in softening him up for us."

"Falling five stories onto a piano does that," said Lara. "And that wasn't for you."

"I know, but you did it spectacularly. Just like the seaclops."

Lara's eyes widened. "You saw…never mind. So what's the last reason?"

"Ah, yes." The girl's smile widened. "It's the potential you showed me in Lao Xan."

Lara went stiff as a board. Her hands clenched hard as her hair immediately bristled in full. She had not heard that name since she left the eastern kingdoms, and she never wanted to hear it again. It was the cause of too many sleepless nights, too many unwanted flashbacks, and the reason for her escape into the west. Hearing it now churned up a multitude of memories and emotions she wanted to lie forgotten, like oars churning up detritus from a lakebed. Her entire body started to quiver, her heart beating faster as her breaths turned harsh. Her magic began to rise in response to her anger, a glow coming to her eyes and piercings.

"Don't be so surprised," said the Hive Queen, sounding pleased as she spoke. "I said I was watching you, didn't I?"

"You saw it!?" demanded Lara angrily. "You saw what happened!?"

"All of it. Start to finish. You were quite a sight to behold. Just like a–."

"SHUT UP!" Lara yelled at the top of her lungs.

The Hive Queen stopped at the threatening wrath in Lara's voice. That and the blood dripping from her fists as her nails cut into her palms, a blast of hot wind coming off her with a crack. Ice and grit went flying as her hair waved about violently. An orange aura appeared around her as her tattoos and piercings glowed just as bright as her eyes. The Hive Queen remained impassive, the air parting around her as though she were shielded by glass.

"Too soon?" asked the Hive Queen, not intimidated in the least by Lara's boiling anger or magic.

"Don't you ever mention that again!" bellowed Lara, her voice seeming to echo from within her own mouth. "I don't care who or what you are! Shut your damn mouth or I'll give you your rematch right here, right now!"

"Is that so?" The Hive Queen waited for Lara to respond, but when she only glared at her she settled for an amused grin. "Tempting as your offer is, I'll pass. And douse that hot temper of yours before I do it for you."

Lara wanted to beat that smirk off the Hive Queen's face with her bare hands till she could never smile again, but in the back of her mind she knew it would be downright stupid of her to try. Rage driven or not, she was nowhere close to posing a threat to this being. The only reason she was still breathing was because the Hive Queen allowed it. She closed her eyes and focused, reigning in her anger and her magic. Her hair settled as her magic went quiet, eyes lightless when she opened them again.

The Hive Queen stretched her shoulders back and sighed. "Much as I'm enjoying this reunion, I think that's enough for one night. Besides, we don't want to leave your friends waiting."

She snapped her fingers and shadows erupted from around her, swallowing her and Lara in seconds. Lara remained where she was, watching the girl as they moved through the darkness without taking a step. It only lasted a few seconds and then the pitch receded, revealing the ballroom of Seahaven palace once more. The slenderman had reappeared by the girl's side, watching Lara with its unblinking gaze. Lara glared back at it, not a fraction as frightened by it as before.

"Careful, Lara. You might start something with a look like that," chided the Hive Queen. "Just one more thing to wrap up and we'll be out of here."

"Then make it fast and go," said Lara tersely.

The Hive Queen held out her hand to the slenderman. A long skeletal gray arm emerged from beneath its cloak, abnormally long fingers tipped with short gray claws clasped around a cylindrical object wrapped in blood red velvet.

"Your reward, as promised," said the Hive Queen as the slenderman placed the object in her hand. "I made this one personally."

Lara's eyes widened a sliver. "Made what?"

"You'll see soon enough. Let's just say I'm protecting an investment. No sense in letting you die before we've had our rematch."

The Hive Queen set the parcel on the floor and rolled it to Lara. She watched as it approached, letting it come to a stop in front her. She quickly looked back up and saw the slenderman had vanished, though the Hive Queen remained.

"Well, that's all for now. I'll be on my way then," she said, then gave a short curtsy to Lara and smiled. "I'll be watching you, Lara Anclagon. Until next time."

"There better not be a next time," said Lara. "I mean it."

The Hive Queen laughed, the corners of her lips curling into a smirk. "Funny! You talk as though it's up to you!" She nodded in farewell and turned to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, before I forget! I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but the creed still applies to what happened here. I'll take care of the guards and children…"

The hair on Lara's neck stood up. "You said you wouldn't kill anyone else!"

"And I won't…this time." The Hive Queen faced Lara again, not smirking but serious. "I'm taking their memories, not their heads. As for your friends, I'll leave them be as long as they do the same for us. Make sure they understand what that means. Otherwise, the next time I come here…"

For a moment the Hive Queen's eyes glowed, the moon's light dimming as her outline blurred and flickered. "You won't know it till I'm done."

In an instant the Hive Queen disappeared from Lara's sight without a sound. She spun around trying to locate her, but she was gone. It was as though she blipped out of existence.

"And if you're still planning to keep your magic a secret," came the Hive Queen's voice from all around. "I recommend doing something about your appearance. You'll have a hard time explaining all that blood or your clothes without any wounds. That, and your new hair."

Lara whipped about, trying to pinpoint the creature's exact location. She focused her senses, trying to pick up even the smallest hint of her presence. Only silence and shadows came to her. The Hive Queen had vanished, returned to the dark where her kind made their home.

Lara looked at her clothes, now noticing the extent of the damage for the first time. The skinner's claws had reduced them to little more than rags. The cuts were long and large, the edges stained with a fair amount of her own blood and some of the skinner's. Her skin, however, was unmarked without so much as a scar. But what really had her attention was her hair as it fell from her shoulders. Gone was the soft brown she had come to recognize as her own, replaced by its true color for the first time in months.

Lara's heart leapt into her throat as she covered her head with her arms to hide what little she could. When did the spell wear off? It was not supposed to do that! Not unless…the Dragon's Teeth! When the Hive Queen riled her! That must have been it! Her outburst must have eroded the enchantment!

She had to change it back. As much as she loved her hair's natural color, walking around like that would be no different than wearing a sign saying, "I HAVE MAGIC." Far as she was from the eastern kingdoms, it attracted too much attention. People would remember that color, and she was not looking to stand out any more than she already did. Besides, between her hair and the lack of wounds to accompany her damaged bloody clothes someone would start asking questions, and not the sort she wanted to answer. She closed her eyes, letting her hair settle down. She visualized her clothes repaired and clean, and her hair brown and inconspicuous.

"Diffingo," she whispered.

White fire sprang up across her entire body, making her glow like a bonfire for several seconds. Then the flames vanished without so much as a puff of smoke. She opened her eyes to find her clothes as good as new, free of the skinner's cuts and the bloodstains. She held a lock of hair in her hand, confirming she was a brunette once more.

She now turned her attention to the parcel sitting innocently before her. A part of her wanted to destroy it. To cut it to shreds, set it on fire, and dump the ashes into the sea. Especially after the Hive Queen brought up Lao Xan. Associating with that literal maneater was bad news just waiting to happen. She was as dangerous as monsters came, and death surely followed in her nonexistent tracks. She may not have plans for Lara's death right now, but there was no telling if or when that would change. For all she knew this was a ploy to make it easier to keep tabs on her. But to receive favor from the Hive Queen was unprecedented, and anything made by a being like her was bound to be powerful as well. As foolish as it might be for Lara accept it, it would be even more foolish for her to disregard it.

She fetched her knife, undoing the magic to restore her original pair before carefully picking up the parcel. It was surprisingly light. She could feel it give under the soft velvet cover. She turned it over to look for any signs of a trap, but finding nothing tucked it under her arm.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," she thought out loud as she retrieved her sword. "Somehow I don't think dad had nyctophiles in mind when he told me that."


Outside the ballroom Melody and her family were growing increasingly anxious. After the earlier hair-raising shrieking it had gone quiet save the frightened whimpering and sobs of the children. The adults offered what comfort they could while keeping their own fears hidden behind forced smiles and calming words. That and watching their foreboding chaperones. The creatures had taken no further action since their rapid dispatching of the guards, but their silence was as unwelcome as they were. The fact that no servants or other guards had stumbled across them did nothing to assuage their fears.

Melody kept close to her parents as she watched the figure guarding the door. Its stillness was gnawing at her nerves. She was afraid to even blink, worried the momentary blindness would somehow trigger an attack. The only action it had taken was a low threatening hiss when Eric and Ariel tried to speak to it, something neither were eager to try again.

So it was hardly surprising that Melody almost jumped off the floor when Eric tapped hers and Ariel's shoulders.

"Dad! What?" she whispered harshly.

"Sorry," whispered back Eric. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Ariel.

"Listen."

Melody gave more attention to her hearing, trying to pick out whatever sound had her father's attention. She heard her younger cousins frightened sniffling and her aunts and uncles doing what little they could to comfort them. She heard her own breath passing in and out, blaring compared to the stillness.

Then she heard something new. Faint voices conversing with one another, and from inside the ballroom. One of those voices was unfamiliar. It was young and female, but no one Melody recognized. The other was unmistakably Lara.

"I hear Lara!" whispered Ariel excitedly.

Eric let out a sigh of relief. "So it is her! For a moment I thought I was hearing things."

"But if that's Lara, then who's she talking to?" asked Melody.

"That would be me."

A young girl walked out from behind one of the columns. For a moment Melody was taken aback by how such a delicate and ordinary-looking child managed to sneak into the room without the red-eyed monsters noticing. She could not have been older than eight years. Her hair was very long, almost touching the ground, and she had the clearest teal eyes. Her wide smile was innocent as any child's, disarming as the slight blush to her cheeks.

But any thoughts of delicacy or human relation quickly evaporated as she took notice of the girl's other features. Her hair was as bone white as her teeth, which were sharp and numerous like a shark's. Her pupils were not round but slits, and there were two in each eye. She moved silent as an owl, emitting not even a ruffle from her dress as she walked. Ariel must have noticed the same thing because no sooner had she moved to approach the girl than she stopped before finishing that first step. This girl emanated danger like the sun emanated light and heat. She was not human in the slightest.

Their worries were only deepened when the hooded figures glided before her and knelt.

"The night welcomes you," said one of the figures.

"As do we," said the other.

"The apostate is silenced," said the girl, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. She looked to the merfolk, her pupils moving independently as she surveyed them. "Seems you didn't have much trouble."

"Your orders were followed exactly. They have not been harmed."

"The guards shall sleep till morning."

The girl smirked. "Good." She walked towards one of the guards and knelt, poking a finger to his forehead. Her eyes glowed softly and then dimmed. "Hmm…didn't know as much as I thought. Still, better safe than sorry."

The girl's arms split into dozens of thin black tendrils, whipping about like frenzied snakes. Then they shot forth and buried into the guards' ears, emanating a quiet hissing sound. The guards tensed visibly as the tendrils carried out whatever purpose the girl had for them and then relaxed. Melody screamed just like her aunts and cousins did.

"She's one of them!" exclaimed Attina with high-pitched fright.

"Oh, I'm more that that, mermaid," answered the girl as she stood. "Much, much more."

Melody's eyes widened as her family gave a collective gasp. She knew their family's secret as well! Or rather, it knew! But how was that possible? How could these things tell what they were?

As quickly as they came the tendrils retreated from the guards and reformed the girl's arms. She flexed her hands a few times before clasping them behind her back.

"That takes care of that," she said before turning to the creatures. "You're dismissed. Gather the others and return to the Hive."

"What about them?" asked one of the creatures, looking right at Melody. She gulped, worried what it could be implying with that question.

"I have a few words for them," said the girl. "Nothing you need to concern yourselves with. Now go."

The two figures bowed and then retreated back into the shadows. For a moment the glow of their eyes shone in the dark, and then those too disappeared.

The girl turned her attention to the group. She focused on Eric and Ariel then approached silently. The king and queen shrunk back, quickly placing Melody behind them. The girl stopped before them and looked up, eyeing them with unsettling interest that made Eric's brow break out in a sweat.

"King Eric and Queen Ariel, I presume?" she asked.

"Don't talk to her!" exclaimed Andrina.

The girl turned her gaze on Andrina, her eyes flashing with pale glow as she bared her teeth and hissed. A black pointed tongue sinuated inside her mouth. Andrina's own mouth closed so fast Melody heard her teeth clack.

Ariel gulped, summoning what courage she had. "Y-yes."

The girl smiled with surprising innocence as she looked Ariel over. "Of course you are. Not many Ariels in this world that are queens. Or with red hair. Or mermaids."

"Who…are you?" asked Eric.

The girl's eyes flicked over to Eric. "If I were a human, I'd have a name to give you. But since I'm not and I've never had one we'll have to skip that." She coughed to clear her throat, and then gave a short bow. "As queen of the nyctophiles, I must apologize for the ordeal my defiant child put you through. And as their queen, it's my duty to weed out rogues like him."

The girl glanced back at the door. "And speaking of that, Anclagon should be coming in any moment now. So I'll bid you good night and be on my way." She gave another bow, her eyes crinkling slightly and cheeks blushing as she smiled. "Nice to meet you all! Sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances! Perhaps next time will be different!"

Melody could only stare confoundedly at the girl as she walked around the group, who shrunk away as though the very air around her were poisonous. Clearly this girl was not human, nor was she likely to be friendly given whatever it was she did to the guards. Yet she gave off no air of hostility or ill intent in her voice or behavior. It was as though she only had the slightest awareness of them, regarding them as a ox would an ant.

"Wait!"

The girl stopped and turned as Ariel stepped forward despite Eric's protest, holding herself with as much authority as she could manage. There was a faint tremble in her hands that she tried to hide by clutching her nightgown. "If you can't tell us who you are, at least tell us what you are."

The girl contemplated Ariel for a moment. "If you want to know then ask your daughter's bodyguard. She knows plenty about my children and I. As for who we are, you should know we're not your allies."

Ariel stepped back, regretting that she spoke up at all. The girl smirked at her reaction. "But we're not your enemies either."

Before Melody realized it, the girl had vanished. One moment she was there, and then she was not. A child-like giggle was heard, and then it too faded into the black.

Things were not helped when Lara decided to come out of the ballroom at that moment, or that the main doors had a tendency to squeak if opened at just the right speed. The sound caused everyone to jump halfway out of his or her skin. The women shrieked as the men put themselves in front of their families again, although Aquata looked all too willing to fight. Grimsby made a rather poor attempt at a fighting stance with his raised fists, his willowy thin frame making it look as though a firm breeze would be enough to knock him over. The children screamed again, clinging to their parents whether seven or seventeen.

Their reaction startled Lara as well, because she dropped a red parcel in her hand and drew a knife, her other raising her sword overhead as she let out a yell. She was about to say something when she saw whom she was defending herself from.

"Don't scare me like that!" she said, quickly lowering her weapons.

"Scared you!? You scared us!" said Adella.

Melody never would have thought she could be happy to see Lara, but there was a first time for everything. "You're all right!"

"Looks like you are too. What are you all doing here?" asked Lara as she sheathed her knife. "I thought you were going–?" She stopped as she noticed the guards strewn about the hall. "What happened to them?"

"It was monsters, mon!" exclaimed Sebastian, finally emerging from his hiding place within Ariel's hair.

Lara arched a dubious eyebrow at the crab but then frowned. "Let me guess–really tall? Black cloaks? White masks? Red eyes and a lot of tentacles?"

You would have though Lara just read each and every person's thoughts out loud with how they stared and gawked at her.

"Wha–how did you know?" asked Melody incredulously.

"Because there were seven of them in the ballroom just now," said Lara, nodding back to the aforementioned room.

"Seven!?" exclaimed everyone in unison.

"What about the other one?" asked Ariel worriedly. "The one with the claws?"

"It's dead," said Lara.

"You killed it?" asked Eric, sounding utterly relieved at the news.

Lara shook her head. "Not me. It was the… the…" Her voice began to trail off as she wobbled.

Ariel stepped towards her. "Lara?"


An abrupt exhaustion suddenly swept over Lara. Her body felt weak and heavy, as though something were sapping her strength. The world slipped in and out of focus like a child toying with a telescope, spots of color flashing before her eyes. She could not keep ahold of her sword or knife. They were too heavy for her to hold onto—or was she not strong enough to hold them anymore? Either way they slipped out of her grip, clattering on the floor as her eyes rolled up and lidded over. She felt like she wanted to sleep for a week, and as she started to totter forward her hazy mind decided right where she was standing was a good place to start.


Melody did not think about catching Lara. She just acted. The moment Lara started to topple she dashed to her, seizing her shoulders before she could hit the ground. Lara slumped against her, surprisingly heavy for her size. Melody was forced to slowly lower her down instead of trying to keep her upright, both sinking to their knees as the others quickly surrounded them. Melody rested Lara's head on her lap, noticing her face was flushed.

Ariel placed a hand on Lara's forehead, finding no fever despite the feverish coloration. "Lara!? What's wrong? Lara!"

"Is she hurt?" asked Alana, concern brimming in her eyes.

"I don't know! I thought she looked fine!" said Melody.

Eric cupped a hand over Lara's mouth, feeling her warm breath tickle his palm. "She's still breathing! Grimsby, call the doc–!"

He was cut off by a low groan as Lara shifted. Her face scrunched up in discomfort and then her eyes fluttered open. She stared straight up at Melody, confused by the blurry faces above her until her vision returned to normal.

"Melody?" Lara asked. "What are you…?"

Lara was suddenly aware she was lying on the floor with her head in Melody's lap, with most of her family staring down at her. She bolted upright, almost hitting Melody's chin. Lara winced and pressed a hand to her forehead as a brief but sharp stab of pain hit her.

"Lara! Are you all right?" asked Ariel, placing a worried hand on her shoulder.

"I think so." Carefully Lara got to her feet, staggering a step but remaining upright. "What happened?"

"If I didn't know any better, Miss Anclagon, I would say you fainted," said Grimsby.

"I did?" Lara rubbed her head, trying to make sense of what happened. The last thing she remembered was trying to tell them she was not the one who killed the skinner. After that she woke up seeing Melody's face hovering above her. Everything else was a blank. "How long was I out?"

"Just a few seconds," said Aquata. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Lara nodded again, but inside she was not so certain. She had never experienced something like this before and it worried her. She felt drained, as if she were fighting for hours. Her magic was low, too. But she thought she had more than this left. Where had it gone? For a moment she thought it was backlash for the spells against the skinner and the repeated healing, but she knew from experience it took far more than that to put her in this state. Whatever just happened was because of something else. She had no explanation for it. She just hoped it would not become another unfortunate habit of hers.


Eric was about to speak when Ariel caught his eye. He could tell by her look that she knew what he wanted to say, in part because she had the same questions on her mind. That girl-creature said Lara knew what they were, and she wanted answers as badly as he did. But now was not the time or place. Lara fought to protect them that morning, and she just risked her life to do so again. She had to be exhausted. Why else would she collapse like that?

Grimsby leaned in by Eric's shoulder. "Sire, if I may be so bold, perhaps we should save any further questions until everyone has a chance to sleep?"

Eric had no idea how he would ever go back to sleep, but he was not about to argue with Grimsby's proposal. "Agreed. Head outside and see if any of the garrison is unharmed, and have them report here as soon as possible. The rest of us will work on waking the guards up."

Grimsby gave a quick nod and hurried off to fulfill his task, staying well clear of any shadows. The merfolk, having heard Eric's words, set to work trying to wake the guards in any way they could, although Cora and Nora's method of pulling their eyelids open had all the delicacy of hammering nails with a rock.

"What's that?" asked Melody as Lara picked up the velvet wrapped object.

"Not sure," said Lara as she turned it over in her hands. "One of the slendermen gave it to me."

"Slender what?"

"The tall creatures with the masks," Lara clarified. She started to unwrap it when Melody grabbed her wrist.

"Wait! It could be a trap!"

Lara ignored her and continued unwrapping it, pulling the velvet off. In Lara's hands was a long black cylinder the size of a log, though it was clearly not made of wood. It was incredibly dark, as though the light of the moon had no illuminating effect on it.

Lara's eyes widened. She ran a hand over the roll, feeling its smooth cool texture. "Is this…!?"


Having worked under the Master's command for so long, Remora knew how to read his mood better than anyone else. It was a valuable skill to have given how difficult it could be to read someone who kept his face hidden in shadow.

As the Master dismissed the scene at Seahaven palace from his pool, Remora knew to keep her silence. He was angry, and with good cause. He had precise plans for this night. Plans that took weeks to put into action. The interlopers from the shadows were a most unwelcome alteration. If that humanoid creature's warning was any clue, they were about to have another outside force to contend with. Better to keep her silence and wait for him to speak first lest she unknowingly say something to provoke him.

Someone should have explained that to Richard.

"Well that went downhill in a hurry!" he said, giving a dismissive snort as he straightened his coat. "First Anclagon exposed your monster. Then she crushed it like a bug. And then it was butchered by that 'child' and her freaks! But that's what you get for using third-rate trash! This all could have been avoided if you'd just sent me instead!"

The Master gave no acknowledgement of his newest recruit's arrogant boasting, continuing to stare silently at the water. But Remora did not mistake his silence for apathy. She felt his magic leaking out as his temper was riled, wafting through the room like poison gas to kill any fool who carelessly opened their mouth. Not that she felt like stopping Richard, though.

Richard smirked, unaware of the danger he was putting himself in. "Oh? What's wrong, Master? Upset your new toy broke so soon? Or is it that you got bested by a pair of girls, if you could call them–?"

"Remora," the Master interrupted sharply.

It happened too fast for Richard to have any chance of defending himself. Remora spun and swept her leg low, sweeping Richard's feet out from under him. He was still falling back when metal shards flew out of her sleeves and formed a long metal pole, which she then slammed into his chest to drive him into the floor. His head smacked the stone with a loud thump. At the same time the pole shattered and reformed into a pair of swords, which she immediately used to pin him to the floor by his hands, splitting the stone underneath. Red electricity danced over her mask and down her arms as she pressed her heel into his throat. When it hit the swords it burst across Richard in wild crackling arcs. He screamed as though he were trying to wake the dead, every part of his body in searing pain.

For Richard it must have felt like an eternity, but the Master allowed Remora to prolong his agony for only a minute before he spoke. "Quiet him."

Remora pressed harder on Richard's neck, cutting his screams and breathing to chocked gurgles. The electricity did not stop, only lessening so that Richard could comprehend the Master's words through the pain.

"Listen well, you feeble craven cur, because this will be your one and only warning," the Master said as he approached. "The only reason you're not festering in a dungeon right now is because I allowed it. Because I believed you might be put to use rather than wasting away in a dungeon. But do not think for an instant you are irreplaceable. Or that you can run your mouth without consequence."

He knelt down and grabbed Richard's face, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Show that insolence to me again, and you will wish Anclagon finished you off in that arena. I promise to not be as quick or precise about it."

He released Richard and waved to his throne of bones. It collapsed and the bones rattled their way to the water, reforming into a raft. The Master rose and returned to the pool. "Remora, dismiss him."

Remora pulled out her swords and they shattered, fragmenting into hundreds of shards that returned within her robes like bats to their roost. Richard gasped as Remora let off his neck, but his relief was short lived as she clamped a hand around his throat and lifted him off the ground with one arm. His feet flailed about as he grabbed her arm, kicking her legs as hard as he could. She was as unfazed and unyielding to his strikes as stone.

"You got off easy, punk," she said as she walked to the raft and shoved it towards one of the columns with her foot. "If it were up to me, I would've cut you up for Riptide's next snack and sent your head to Seahaven on a spike. Be grateful you're still alive and in one piece."

She lowered Richard and pulled him close to her face, her hot humid breath washing over his skin as she glared at him. "And remember this: the Master made you stronger, but you're still bottom rung. I could crush you with one finger, and don't think I won't prove it if you try me. So learn…your… place!"

She drew Richard back and flung him at the column. He sailed through the air and slammed into the stone before rebounding onto the raft. He lay coughing and bleeding atop the bones as it drifted off into the dark.

Remora wiped her hand on her cloak as though she had been handling a wet dirt clod. "Smart-mouthed git."

"Indeed," said the Master. "Perhaps now he'll remember his circumstances."

"He better," growled Remora. "Next time I'll take his tongue."

"Rest assured, you can take more than that if he doesn't." The Master walked over to the edge of the platform, folding his hands behind his back as he looked out over the water.

Remora went to stand at his side. "Sir, that creature..."

"I know," interrupted the Master. "Seems we weren't the only ones interested in that skinner. Or Lara."

"Whatever they were, they're not dumb animals. They're smart. And powerful. That brat's no pushover and just one about wiped the floor with her." Remora grinned slightly, clenching her hands a few times to hear the joints pop and crack. "Wouldn't mind finding out how strong they are for myself."

"I do not advise it," said the Master. "Not till I deduce that child's involvement with them."

The grin fell from Remora's face. The Master was grudgingly correct. Whatever that girl–no, that thing was, it was powerful. It had to be to exert control over those hooded creatures. The speed it moved with was unprecedented. Remora was not sure it even qualified as movement it was so impossible to follow. It was closer to popping in and out of reality at will. Worse, the creature was unknown to the Master. And the Master made a point of keeping things he did not know to a minimum.

"We'll concern ourselves with who and what it is later," said the Master. "Now tell me what is troubling you."

Remora turned sharply to the hooded sorcerer. "Sir?"

"You can't fool me, Remora," said the Master, continuing to look at the pool. "I can feel it in your presence. Something has been on your mind since you returned from Ursula's chambers."

Remora smirked beneath her mask. She should have expected as much from him after so many decades. There was not much she could hide from him. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, sir. Just thoughts."

"You're my right hand for a reason. I am powerful, but even I would be foolish to disregard the 'thoughts' of my most trusted commander."

Remora did not answer right away. Yes, something was bothering her. A certain brunette in Seahaven to be exact. After seeing her fight against the pirates and seaclops and now the skinner, Remora was becoming increasingly curious as to Lara's past. Healing at the level she demonstrated was almost unheard of for humans, as was her consumption of fire. Fire was a difficult element to control even for experienced mages. One wrong move and it could become as dangerous to the caster as its target. And her skills with blades were no less unique. Someone taught her all this. Someone masterfully versed in swords and sorcery. Where had she found such a teacher? What was she doing in Seahaven in the first place? Where had she been all this time? How was she still alive?

But those musings were ones Remora would keep for herself. Her vendetta against Lara Anclagon was hers and hers alone. Swordplay and sorceress or not, it did not change her plans for when they inevitably crossed paths again. Remora would see to it they did, even if she had to march into the palace and call her out. She would not be denied the girl's life, not by Richard or Ursula or Morgana or Riptide. Not even by the Master. She would have her revenge, one way or another.

She took hold of her braid in one hand, spinning it in a slow circle. "This plan of yours…what were you really after?"

Remora could tell the Master was smiling by the small change in the shape of his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I think if killing one half-blood was the real goal, you would've done it already. That or sent Riptide or me in your place. That would've guaranteed her death. But instead you had me drag that mutt along to hunt down a scissor-handed glutton, and then made a spectacle of sneaking it into the palace. Even if it had killed the princess, you never had a plan to recover it."

"And you disapprove of my methods?" asked the Master.

Remora gave a sharp snort. "The only thing I disapprove is not letting me get rid of her! I've been itching to carve up someone for a while now! As for methods, you know mine. I would've made a slaughterhouse out of that dock. They'd be picking up pieces instead of wounded. But I'd get the job done in the end. This whole plan was sloppy and wasteful. And that's not how we do things. How you do things."

The Master chuckled. "Sharp, as I would expect of you. You are right. The princess' life was my target. And it would be wasteful to sacrifice that rabble for one assassin and one death. But creating an opening for the nyctophile was only one of three reasons I proceeded with this plan."

The Master pointed to the pool. The black water rippled, and images of Lara's fights appeared in the water. The scenes alternated at random, moving between the tournament to the pirates and skinner in no order. Remora watched as Lara lay into Richard before the image abruptly shifted to the skinner slashing her across the cheek as she smashed her bare fist into its neck, sending it staggering back.

"She was the second one," said the Master.

Remora stared at Lara blasting the skinner with a magically enhanced breath. "You wanted her to fight them. You were testing her."

The Master nodded. "Anclagon may be a single human girl. But you and I both know appearances are deceiving. There's nothing girlish about that strength or magic she wields. Thanks to this day we now have a clearer picture of both. It will take more than sharkanians and pirates to deal with her. But if this is all the power she can muster, she will only be a temporary nuisance. I trust you'll be able to eliminate her when the time comes."

Remora stopped twirling her hair as she licked her lips. "She better not make it too easy for me! I want some fun before I start eviscerating her! So, if she's the second reason then what's the third?"

"Patience, Remora. You will know soon." The Master waved the images away, turning the pool black once more. "Return here tomorrow. Everything will be made clear then."

"As you wish, my Master," she said, bowing to him. She rose and walked away, stepping down the stairs into the water. She knew it was better to choose patience over pestering with him. Let Richard and those squid witches tempt their fates by pursuing their egos and interests over his orders. She understood the full depths of the Master's capabilities, though she did not need fear to keep her loyalty strong. She had already reaped many rewards from her service. Lara promised to be the next one. As long as the brat was hers to kill, she could wait. She just hoped it would not be too long.


The Master watched Remora leave till the last strands her hair disappeared beneath the surface. Then he turned back to his pool. With a flash of his eyes the images returned, but this time it was not Lara that appeared.

Morgana stood hunched over her cauldron, head bowed low and hands clutching the rim tightly. Her white hair waved about in the water as her shoulders shook. It appeared she was crying giving the odd choking sounds she was making.

Then she threw her head back, revealing her face split by a maniacal smile and a diabolical spark in her eye. The ice around her began to spike and splinter, responding to her malignant glee. She was not crying. She was laughing as only villains could.

The Master smirked at her display. There was a reason he did not kill Morgana for upsetting his plans with her own. It was the same reason he isolated her for so long, prohibited from using any magic. It was more than mere punishment. He removed all distractions. She had thrown her tantrums and dark wishes on him during her imprisonment, but once she spent her fury she was left with her vengeance. And with Melody still alive she devoted her energies towards the purpose for her resurrection.

To use that cleverness of hers to devise the torment and destruction of the Alliance.

The Master smiled, eyes glowing like ethereal lights of the netherworld. His dark laugh filled the cavern, echoing out across the water as one by one the lights went out.


A/N: As always, favorite and/or follow if you enjoyed reading!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "The Little Mermaid," Disney, or any of its associated characters and intellectual property. Everything else, however, is mine =)