Darkness at Dawn Part 18
Commander Bezel was annoyed. He hadn't heard from Captain Roth in days, either by messenger or through the fire, and his leaders were getting antsy with nothing to do...
A cold, steady drizzle had given way over the past few days to a hard snow, and now his troups were holed up, shivering, in their small tents, while they used precious firewood like water. It wouldn't last them long...
He shook his head to clear it of thoughts as something strange hit him. Was it his imagination, or had it just gotten much warmer, quite suddenly? A waft of steam brought his head around-
He froze in fright.
"Greetings, Darkchild," a voice rumbled at him. "Happy to see me?" His amazed eyes ran over the body of what had to be a dragon as his jaw flapped uselessly in the air.
Solo felt a sense of elation as he saw raw fear in the Darkchild's face. Now this is going to be amusing! He didn't even bother with his fire as he swatted the puny creature with his tail- it flew through the air and smashed into a cliff side with crushing force.
Solo turned his head to see where Duo Maxwell had floated to his side, violet eyes flowing faintly with the onrush of power. "See?" the Dawnchild taunted. "I'm not such a bad guy after all, am I."
The dragon reluctantly felt the urge to agree. "Let's get this over with, Dawnchild," he growled, unwilling to admit to enjoying the other creature's company.
Duo simply smiled. "Yes, let's."
~*~
The others watched through the fire with smiles of anticipation as Dawnchild and Dragon moved on the sleeping camp. It had taken very little persuasion to get Duo to agree to Zechs' plan, but the Dawnchild Lord has insisted on going along for the ride. Now that they were watching, though...
There was not a single person in the room who wouldn't have loved to be in his place!
It was eerie not to be hearing the sounds of the attack as it fell, but they could still watch. Heads coming around with tight snaps as Duo released his aura, right in the midst of the enemy camp, the shocked moment of disbelief...
The dragon, shooting flames of death from the sky while they were looking in the wrong direction.
Duo, reaching back over his shoulder to pull Deathscythe from its sheath...
Several people gasped as the sword blazed to life in his hands, no longer a pure, glowing green, but struck through with violet streaks. They watched as panic set in among the Darkchildren present, and no leader came out to guide them...
~*~
Duo laughed maniacally as several archers took aim at him- the arrows sizzled and dissolved on his flaring aura as he spun, his eyes glinting, the sword in his hands blaring brighter in answer-
Fire bloomed around him as Solo swooped over head yet again, and Duo paused in his onslaught to glare up at his companion. "If you dare to damage my hair..."
Solo glared right back at him. The glare was tinted with amusement, though, as fire burst from his jaws and ignited the sleeping camps' tents with a dazzling shower of sparks that spread to the surrounding trees until the entire area was lit by a Hellish halo. It was dazzlingly beautiful... and sickeningly deadly.
Men were fleeing down the mountainside, either singly or in pairs, their eyes tinged with terror, and the Dawnchild paused to laugh yet again. He was lucky to have surprised them, as he did. He caught a glimpse of Solo, darting after some of the survivors, as he spun to face his last opponent. The young Darkchild was white-faced in fear, and Duo took pity on him, killing him quickly and mercifully.
He turned- he could see a flare of flame in the distance, and he smiled. It really was too nice, having a dragon...
"SOLO! TIME TO GO BACK!" he bellowed into the driving wind.
He could have sworn the creature was smiling at him as it doubled back, smoke pouring from its nostrils. Solo landed next to him, his eyes flashing eerily. "I was enjoying myself, my Lord..."
Duo shook his head. "I know, and I'm sorry, but we can't stay here too long. Surprise attacks only work when you show up, attack, and disappear again."
"I could come back sometime later on, maybe, when they're not looking," the dragon suggested helpfully.
His Dawnchild master laughed out loud. "Certainly! But wait on it- they are expecting something right now, and you could get hurt."
The dragon snorted, small flames emanating from his nostrils, but Duo glowered at him. "I'm serious. They are dangerous opponents, Solo. Never forget that. They will not play by the rules, and they could kill you."
Solo's slitted eyes snapped at him. "They will not, Lord of Fire, I assure you." He lowered his head and allowed the Dawnchild to mount onto his shoulders before once again spreading his wings and taking off into the sky.
~*~
Zechs of Sank sighed in appreciation as he rose from his bath and threw his hair back over his shoulders, in a spray of water. If he never had to make another forced march again in his life, it would be too soon, he thought. It had been simply heavenly to wash the dirt and soot from his hair...
He paused as he dressed to think. Washing it all away... It was a cleansing in more ways than one. Zechs had been painfully aware of how much the others in their little band had been taking care of him; he had been useless and moody ever since the battle, and he knew it. But being with the Dawnchildren, in one of their settlements, was like being forced to see everything that had and was happening through another set of eyes.
Duo was far too good at concealing his thoughts and feelings. Now that he was among other Dawnchildren, though, he sensed what he instinctively knew was present in the Fire Lord's heart as well- the reappearance of the Dark Ones had shattered any sense of normalcy that this people had created, since the war. They were mortally scared of what the future could bring, and resentful of the humans who had wrought this nightmare. Yet at the same time, they were willing to open their homes and lives to the small pack of survivors, and to place their trust in them...
Sank is gone for now. I can do nothing more about it, but to work at restoring what has been lost and helping my people rebuild... In the meantime, these people need me. Wufei and the others need me. He wasn't useless- he was a human leader who could help to rally other humans against the Shadow.
Never to forget, but to move on! He hurriedly finished dressing and grabbed the brush Duo had leant to him, attacking the tangles in his long hair.
Finished with the task, Zechs took a deep breath before heading out to find the others. He needed to know the whole situation. He needed to eat something. He needed to possibly be put in contact with Quatre Raberba. But most of all, he needed to get on with his life.
~*~
Quatre stood for attention as the room around him gradually quieted down. He was painfully aware of the questioning looks he was receiving from many of his vassals- they had sworn allegiance to his family, but most had never anticipated that they would ever be called to a war council, and certainly not by someone who looked to be no more than a boy, barely into manhood!
"Good morning. My thanks to all of you for responding to our summons," he began, feeling strangely uncomfortable with the use of the royal 'we'. "I do not wish to mince words with you- as you all must know by now, the Sank Kingdom was attacked, its capitol New Port City destroyed, a little over a fortnight ago. What you may not know is that Lord Zechs is still alive, and headed our way at this precise moment."
Several people looked up at him in shock at that last pronouncement. A tall man with grizzled grey hair stood and asked, "And just how did you come across this information, my Lord? With all due respect..."
His words died on his lips as a door to Quatre's right opened and Sally Po strode through, wearing the full, ornamental robe of the Mother Healer. She moved to a seat at Quatre's right and sat imperiously. "With all due respect to you, my Lord, you should show your King more respect than that. It was Quatre who predicted the fall of Sank, and likewise Quatre who sought out the escapees, following the massacre. You know of his skills. What is there to doubt?"
The grizzled man sat back down, clamping his mouth shut, though his eyes snapped angrily.
Quatre continued, "I know that to most of you, this will sound like a bad fairy tale, but I have more to tell you, most of which you will not want to hear." He took a deep breath to steady himself. "The army that took down the Sank Kingdom will head our way once it has recovered, and it will fight to the death. It is the Army of Shadows, a name I hope you are all familiar with. It is true, as the Mother Healer would be happy to tell you. The Shadow has returned. The Darkchildren."
The young blond grimaced as several people began shouting at once. He could hear the desperation in their voices and in their chosen words- "We can't possibly... They will kill us all!" "We are doomed..."
He drew on some of his power as he clapped his hands together- the sound was magically reverberated through the room, like a roll of thunder, and the buzz of voices stopped. Quatre continued, unaware of how a slight aura had burned to visibility around him. "As I said, though- when they recover. For you see, we have unexpected allies in our fight.
"I would like to tell you all a few legends out of ancient history. The first is in regards to someone who was, or is, should I say, a member of my own family. General Shinigami was the sister-son of my ancestor, Iria Silver Tongue. He was a child of prophecy- born with many times the potential for power of any other creature on Earth. He was barely more than a boy when the Elder Wars began. Duo Maxwell watched as his home was burned to the ground, all of its inhabitants killed. That day, Shinigami was born out of his rage, and he unleashed a large part of his potential for power. At the time, it was thought that he had reached his full potential- he was a hundred times more powerful than any other, and his rage gave him a fire within that made him impossible to stand against."
Quatre threw a look at all the faces around him- he had their full attention. Good. "He was on the final battlefield, and he defeated the enemy General Ramar in single combat before helping to perform the sealing magic that banished the Darkchildren to another dimension. He should have died that day." He paused again to look around him. "Very few people know that he survived it, though. Coaxed back to his former self by Iria, he took his life back, but he hid from his kind, not wanting to have to face the questions he could not, himself, answer."
He leaned forward. "I say he cannot answer them, for he does not know of the prophecy. And his power went dormant, until the death of Duke Dermail set the Darkchildren free. He survived for a reason, my friends. And that brings us to our second legend." He took a deep gulp of air. "Among the Dawnchildren, it was said that, in the times of greatest need, the Great Guardian would appoint four individuals as the Protectors of this World. They would be Elemental Lords, each drawing his power from the four main elements- Earth, Air, Water and Fire.
"When the Darkchildren were set free, the Elemental Lords were awakened. My cousin Duo survived for a reason, you see- he is the Fire Lord. He has found the others, as well, and it was they who protected Zechs' city long enough to get the people out, and they who fought in its defence. And they are coming here to offer us their aid." He sat back.
There was complete silence.
A younger Lord by the name of Miklosz stood and bobbed his head respectfully to Quatre. "My Liege, I hope you understand that this is a lot to absorb all at once. But what I mean to say... If they could not save Sank, how can they possibly save Sandrock?"
Quatre nodded to Miklosz understandingly. "It is a good question, and the only answer I can give you is this. As I said, Duo's power has never reached its full potential. But since the awakening of the Darkchildren... I don't know quite how to say this, but it is coming to term within him, and it won't be long. The power foretold by the prophecy is greater than anything we could possibly imagine, almost equal to that of a God. With his companions at his side, he will be completely unstoppable."
Miklosz shook his head. "And how long will that take?"
Quatre shrugged. "That's the problem. We don't know. I don't know what triggers it, nor what could happen if it were triggered at the wrong time... that is why we must do our best for ourselves to protect our homeland."
He stood to continue. "We will have the Elemental Lords at our side, my friends, and they have learned much about using their powers. And it is possible, though I can't say for certain at this time, that the Dawnchildren themselves may join in the fight. So you see, we are not lost. Not yet."
Lord Korinth, the grizzled man who had spoken earlier, stood to address the young King once again. "You are asking us to take a huge leap of faith, my Lord, in trusting these Wild Ones, even one related to you by blood. And these warriors you spoke of."
Quatre sighed. "I realise that, Korinth, I truly do. It worries me as well, I can assure you. But we have very little choice in this matter. The Dark Ones hold no allegiance to the Guardians, nor do they give any quarter. They are consumed by hate, and it has made them immensely powerful. Without help, we would have no hope. What I am trying to tell you is that we do have a chance. Now we just have to be man enough to take it."
~*~
Wufei was waiting for them as Solo swooped down out of the sky, Duo still perched on his back. He smiled as he caught a glimpse of the Dawnchild's tousled hair and bright-cheeked face. Is it even humanly possible not to be charmed by him? I doubt it. He would have made an incredible leader...
Duo slid from his perch and jumped to the ground with a flourish. He tossed a wave at Wufei before turning to Solo. "My thanks, Solo. Now remember what we discussed, okay? I will contact you if I find myself in need of your assistance."
The great beast nodded once before once again taking to the air, his voice shaking the trees around them once before he shot off into the distance, heading vaguely North. The slender Dawnchild turned back to his friend with a smile. "Greetings, friend Wufei. Did I miss much?"
Wufei shook his friend's outstretched hand. "I should be asking you that question, I think. We watched."
Duo's violet eyes glinted in merriment. "Did you really? Ah- it was worth riding three hours back and forth on a Dragon's scaly back to see their faces when I let them know I was there!"
Wufei remarked dryly, as they began walking back towards the encampment, "I don't know who frightened them more, you or the dragon."
Another chuckle. "They're not scared of me- they're scared of who I was back then. And Deathscythe." He pulled off the heavy gloves he had been wearing and stared down at his hands. "Solo was right- I'm not Shinigami, not anymore."
They walked on in silence, a mutual accord between them not to press the idea any further. Inwardly, Wufei felt a great sense of pleasure for his friend. If he could really get past it, then maybe they had a real chance of survival through the Prophecy, after all...
The Lord of Air quickly stepped up his pace as he realised that Duo was staring at him curiously. He hastily hid his thoughts away- Damn me- why didn't I remember that he can read my thoughts? You'd think I'd remember, after that time...
He had yet to live down the time Duo had caught him in the middle of a daydream involving himself, Treize and a huge, four-poster bed. The Dawnchild had pried some of his deepest secrets from him that day and had, in fact, counselled him to tell the tall Water Lord about his feelings.
Especially since the fall of New Port City, Wufei had thanked the Dawnchild Lord for that advice several times a day. In his head, at least.
But to have forgotten something so important as to shield his thoughts!
He stole a glance over at Duo- the Dawnchild's fair face was marred by a slight wrinkle between his brows. Wufei gulped. Duo would not rest until he had his answers.
He picked up his pace, and Duo followed suit in stony silence. As the lights of the camp surrounded them in their warm, safe glow, Wufei couldn't help feeling cold, though. //At least he didn't force me to talk back there. Lord- I hope Heero can keep him calm...//
Steeling himself to the inevitable, Wufei led his friend and comrade to the Tent House and held the flap open courteously. He took a deep breath as he followed the braided creature and the flap swept shut.
TBC...
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