Step Inside the Circle Part 16
The revellers were drinking heavily as the party at Stonehenge got wilder and wilder. There was a huge, lit fire pit in the centre of the stone circle, though no one seemed to know how it got there and no one had set it up. It was like that every year - At the very moment of sundown, a harsh wind would blow and everyone would back away, and then a figure in white would appear...
At least, it looked like some guy in white. Most of the attendees were a bit too far gone to really know or care who it was. All they knew was a fire would spring to life, and an all-night party scene would ensue. People in costumes and masks, music, beer, clouds of suspect-smelling smoke... And at the edges of the celebration, yet more people dressed in white who were there to watch.
With all the noise of the party, no one seemed to notice as, one by one, those white-clothed sentinels were quickly and mercilessly murdered. A new group of people approached the party, silent and hulking.
And no one noticed.
~*~
Relena shivered though she was well-wrapped up against the chilly night. She looked up wistfully. The moon was almost at its zenith. For perhaps the first time since she had become The Priestess, she wished time could speed up, and they could just get it all over with.
Many of the people around her seemed to have relaxed and allowed themselves to forget. All around her, people were smiling and laughing as they toasted the New Year, laughing as they hugged and kissed their loved ones, and the fire danced through it all, a wheel of fire...
She felt detached, as though she were watching and waiting from back up on the hilltop. There was no warmth from the fire there, though it was burning no more than a few feet away from her. It was as though the flames had turned to ice, dancing ice, reflecting the moon and the stars spinning overhead. Silence fell over her ears as The Sight came upon her.
She was flying over the sea, the stars continuing to wheel overhead as waves crashed beneath her. She ascended higher and higher in great loops that encompassed more and more space as she went.
Her keen eyes missed nothing as she finally reached the shores and headed over land, spotting fires upon a hill crowned by stone. She smiled to herself - though most of the revellers did not know it, they were celebrating a tradition older and more venerable than the stones around them. Something was missing, though...
More fires - fires in fields, fires in courtyards, fires in a great watchtower, guarded by tall sentinels garbed in sparkling white. And finally-
She alighted under a great oak to face the Lady standing there, hair and eyes as dark as midnight. She fell to her knees before the Goddess.
The Lady smiled down at her and reached out - she felt warm again as those hands lifted her chin and brushed stray blonde locks from her eyes. A soft pair of lips touched her forehead, and the spot burned as a voice whispered in her ear, "Patience, child. We bear our worries so that others may live free without them - do not begrudge them their liberty. And do not hasten the breaking of the circle - for once it breaks, only true understanding can heal the breach and re-set balance..."
"...Lady?" a different voice called to her, and Relena shivered again as the fires abruptly ceased their ghostly dancing and her vision cleared-
She was standing at the edge of the great fire, her hands extended towards its warmth and uninjured, despite the flames that licked at her fingertips. Bemused, she reached out and plucked a spare flame from the blaze, watching it wriggle in her palm. It tickled.
Relena turned back to the suddenly silent masses, flames still dancing in her hand. "Gwydion."
He was at her side almost immediately. "My Lady?"
She held up her captive flames for him to examine. "We may not have until midnight. The fire..."
"It tells you that all is not right - and it speaks the truth. We must go immediately."
Everyone froze as another voice - a voice that hadn't been heard in many long, heartbroken months - spoke up from behind her. Relena shivered slightly as she turned, tears already making their way down her face.
Zechs, her beloved adopted brother, was as beautiful in death as he had been in life, crystal blue eyes glinting in his ghostly face, long blond hair fanning in the heat of the fire in which he seemed to stand. He reached out to her, smiling. "Hello, Relena."
"Zechs!" His name came out as a mere whisper, and her hand trembled as she held it out, wishing more than anything that she would be able to feel his touch again. She stared up into his face, and darted a look over her shoulder to Trowa, still standing at her side. "But... how? The moon hasn't reached its..."
"Because there is no time for that," he interrupted smoothly. "The enemy is already moving, and I..." The ghost sighed deeply. "I will not stay back and watch while the people I love are slaughtered by my own murderer."
"ZECHS!" Trowa grabbed Relena and dragged her out of the way as the Morrigan finally broke free of her sisters' hold and darted forward. "Goddess Above, it really is you..."
She fell to her knees quite suddenly, and they all heard a sob as she dropped her face into her hands. The ghost reached out again, incorporeal fingers dancing over her bowed head. "Hey - that's not how I expected to see my girl again."
"Zechs..." She was crying openly now, shivering as his fingers attempted to brush tears from her cheeks. "I didn't mean to... I was..."
"I know." He stepped out of the fire and seemed to glow like a moonbeam as he knelt next to her. "I just wish I could have spared you your pain, spared all of you. Will you forgive me, love?"
Heero and Duo stepped from the crowd, watching intently.
Zechs gave her a smile. "Well, Noin?"
She reached out, crestfallen when her hand passed through his face, rather than caressing it. "There is nothing to forgive. Goddess! I just..."
"I miss you, too," he said softly, placing a ghostly kiss on her lips as he stood and turned. His face broke into another smile. "Heero."
Duo squeezed his boyfriend's hand tightly, feeling it trembling as the half-breed took a couple small steps forward. "Zechs. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry..."
A look of confusion snuck over the ghost's face. "But you've done nothing wro-"
Howling broke out in the woods around them, and everyone turned, unnerved. As Duo's side, Kahn began to growl darkly, and the Tuatha De Danaan reached down with one hand to pat the dog's head.
Quatre's eyes bled to deep, dark blue in less than a second, and he looked around them quickly as his tattoos began to glow and spread. "Spirit wolves. They are all around us, but cannot get past the wards."
"Spirit what?" Wufei asked, stepping to Duo's side.
Trowa explained quickly, "Wolves. They aren't... Well, they are real in that they have jaws and claws and can kill you just like a normal wolf. But they are much smarter and more difficult to kill, themselves. They are... possessed, by whoever it was who summoned them, and their will, their spirit, is his spirit. Three guesses who sent them here."
Meanwhile, Zechs had walked over until he stood face-to-face with Duo, smiling slightly as he looked down into eyes that didn't seem to quite believe what they were seeing. "So you're the one he's fallen for, are you? Do you know how to use that toothpick on your back?"
Duo flushed to the roots of his hair, but held that unnerving, crystal blue gaze. "Yes, I do. And yes, I am. Is that... is that okay with you?"
The ghost laughed. "Oh Heero - he's adorable!"
Duo could do nothing but stare as Zechs continued to chuckle, and even Heero joined in. Another bone-chilling howl from around them brought everyone's attention back to the situation at hand. Duo turned and darted a look at Trowa. "Gwydion - will it hold?"
The druid's eyes narrowed. "It will. He will have to try much harder if he thinks he can attack us here."
Relena nodded. "As long as we are within the wards..."
Behind them all, the fire exploded.
Duo sprang in front of Wufei as he drew the sword on his back, slamming it down into the ground at his feet. There was a sound like a clap of thunder as fire was swept up on a wind that came out of nowhere, spiralling up and over their heads safely.
"No, wait!" Relena commanded, striding forward to once again catch a piece of fire in her hands. She looked down at it -
The small, wrinkled creature in her hand was coughing up soot. As it began breathing again, it looked up at her with a respectful nod of its head. "Lady, we cannot hold them. We couldn't, and I came to beg for your help..."
Trowa, Quatre, Zechs, Heero, Duo and Wufei all crowded close to hear the Brownie's words. It took a deep breath. "Your guards, Lord Gwydion... they are already dead. I do not know when it happened. He is there - Death is there, and so many people..."
Wufei sucked in a deep breath. "He wants to divide us. He knows you won't stand by while he slaughters innocents, but he also knows Gwydion must remain here if he expects to maintain the wards and protect his sister and niece."
Several sets of eyes met as everyone's heart dropped into his of her stomach. Heero finally broke the silence. "We have no choice, do we?"
"No, you don't," Zechs replied sadly. He turned to look Duo in the eye. "Lord Nuada, I will do what I can to help you, but my time here is over. Grant me permission to remain here and fight at Gwydion's side."
"What? Of course," Duo replied, startled. What on Earth could he possibly mean by that? He didn't allow himself to get distracted, though - he turned back to look at the Brownie that was now clinging to Relena as though its life depended on it. "How many were there? Are any of the druids still alive?"
The small creature shook its head sadly. "Many, I'm afraid I can't say how many, though. Balor himself is there, that is more than enough. A handful of druids were still fighting when they opened the fire gate and permitted me to go through it."
Heero nodded. "Scathach, you will accompany Nuada and myself. The rest of you..."
"And me," Wufei said, his tone clearly stating that any arguments to the contrary would result in bloodshed. Duo opened his mouth to object, but quickly closed it again, settling for squeezing his friend's shoulder tightly.
Trowa, Relena, and Quatre nodded their heads. "Understood. With Lord Zechs at our side, we will not fail," she said softly, but with steel-like determination. "Remember. Do not allow your fear of the past to hold you back, but remember it and use it to give you strength. Nuada, you know what you face. Remember who you are, and I know you will return home to us." She stepped closer and pulled the young man into a hug.
The group made their goodbyes in silence as the wolves surrounding the site began howling anew. Then as Trowa lifted his hands-
There was a flash of heat and flames, and the group was gone. There was no time for fear or doubt, though - almost immediately screams broke out behind them, and the remaining defenders all grabbed for their weapons as they ran towards the house.
Unless they were all very much mistaken, Balor was reaching out for his wife and daughter, and if he broke through...
~*~
The first thing Duo registered as he stepped out of another blazing fire was screaming. And smoke - there was smoke everywhere, cloaking the movements of both enemies and innocents.
Fragarach was gleaming red in the firelight and almost vibrating in his hand, as though it was aching to enter and finish the battle that had begun so long ago. Duo closed his eyes and felt the sword touching his mind, Heero at his right and Wufei at his left, Dorothy at his back. He could feel his tattoos burning to life on his skin. "Be safe, everyone."
Wufei snorted. "Be safe, yourself." Duo looked over - his friend was wearing a deadly smile as he twirled the twin sais in his hands, his knives still strapped to his waist. Their eyes met for a moment that stood still in time-
The moment was broken abruptly as an otherworldly scream split the air, and Duo hefted Fragarach almost out of reflex, even as one of Heero's gleaming blades slashed forward.
A body fell, its head and sword arm falling separately. Heero grunted and snarled, "Let's go!"
Duo spared a short moment to reach out and touch Heero's hand and, with that fleeting contact, he leapt into motion. Yet even as the vines twirling up the blade began to glow with his own, fierce aura, and the blade seemed to shimmer in his hands, he spared a glance for the others.
He could only pray that Balor would come for him, and not for one of them, instead.
~*~
Morrigan was probably the only person who wasn't watching as the four warriors left for battle at Stonehenge. The reason was simple - she could not tear her eyes from the tall, imposing figure of her lost love.
She had stopped breathing, and even now she had to remind herself, even as she reached out with trembling hands. As Duo turned away, it was as though a switch had been hit, and Zechs' spectral form began to solidify. She could hear the others scattering around them, but all she could do was reach out with a single, trembling hand to touch long, blond hair that actually WAS blowing on the breeze around them-
It was real. But how?
"Noin."
She froze, her breath caught in her throat as he turned and caught her hand in his. He stepped closer and lifted the hand to place a kiss on it. "My beautiful girl, I have missed you."
"Zechs..."
He pulled her closer and wrapped strong arms around her. "Later, my love. I pray we have the time. But for now..."
Morrigan shook as though coming out of a trance, and slipped from his arms to spin around. "Goddess, where are..."
"They are headed for the house," a quiet voice informed them, and they both turned.
It was odd to see Quatre smile when he was in full Bean Sidhe mode, and even stranger to see twin tear tracks falling down his cheeks. "They... Relena asked me to guard you two. I didn't mean to intrude..."
"You haven't," Zechs said reassuringly. He stepped forward and pulled the startled Bean Sidhe into his arms for another hug. "I never dreamt I'd be given such a gift as this, my friend."
"Prince," Quatre stuttered, his throat tight, "I can barely bring myself to believe..."
"Believe it," Zechs said, stepping back, "because that is the power we are counting on in this battle. Believe in me, and believe in them," he said cryptically.
There was no time to clarify, though - the air around them was filled yet again with howls, and the Prince's ice blue eyes narrowed in anger. "It is time to join this battle. Come on!"
~*~
Scathach ducked a clumsy blow aimed at her head and rolled, coming to her feet several feet away. She'd bumped into something - she was shocked to find two stoners huddled there, and she scowled at them. "What are you standing there for? Run!"
Heero and Duo were not far away. She spared them a glance- Heero had a long knife in either hand, both of which were glowing nearly blue-white in his anger.
To his left, Duo was swinging Fragarach with abandon, swirling, ducking, and darting past enemies. Though his own aura was pulsing blue, the sword itself remained a stony, pitch black, apart from the twirling vines and rune work that glowed like the man wielding it. Kahn was at his master's side, growling and attacking anything stupid enough to approach him.
Something knocked into her from behind, and she cried out as she pitched forward and tried to roll. Her enemy was standing over her and cackling with glee as it lifted a sword that was already dripping red-
A sai flew out of nowhere and imbedded itself in the creature's chest, and it fell over backwards, dead. She looked over in shock.
Wufei spared her a small smile before he turned back to the Formore bearing down on him.
Smoke was blowing in her direction, and Scathach choked as she pulled herself to her feet, grabbing the nearest weapon, a battleaxe, and hefting it over her shoulder.
Her eyes were burning, but she swung the axe on instinct and let out a cry of rage as she felt it bite into whatever it was she was fighting. Yanking it free, she spun and smacked the dull side of the blade into another creature's skull, kicking it away savagely.
A shadow passed overhead, but Scathach did not have a chance to even glance up - a large wolf sprang at her from her left, its jaws closing over her arm. She screamed as it bowled her over. It shook her hard and she couldn't stop screaming-
It stopped moving quite suddenly, and she looked up incredulously. Duo heaved the thing off of her before he spun, blocking a sword strike and spinning under it to slash at a Formore's ribs.
He turned back to her and hauled her off the ground, ignoring her cries of pain as he pulled her closer to the fire. "Let me see."
She was silent as he leaned over her arm and grimaced. "Shit. Can you move it at all?"
Staring at the mess that was her own arm, she began to tremble. "N-no. Oh, Goddess..."
"Shhh, stay calm, Dorothy. I need you to be cool," he said, sheathing Fragarach quickly.
She blinked hard. Was he mad? "Don't ever put your sword away in a combat situation, my Lord! You could be..."
"So watch my back for me, sword mistress," he growled. His hands were glowing blue as he put them on her injured limb.
Scathach bit down on a scream as white hot power poured into her and seemed to sizzle on her skin.
It was over just as quickly. She breathed deeply as she looked down at it. "You healed it."
He gave her a small smile. "Well I wasn't going to let you bleed to death, was I?"
"My Lord, I..."
"Look out!" Wufei slammed into them both from the side and knocked them down as something plummeted from the sky and smashed into the ground where they had been standing.
The circle around them seemed to fall silent. Heero jogged to their side, both knives still clutched in his hands. "Are you all right? What was..."
An evil laugh cut him short, and they looked up.
A woman stood in front of them, and three ghoul-like creatures stood in front of her. "Good evening, Lord Nuada. My name is Carman."
~*~
Relena and Trowa burst through the doors to the ritual room, and she had to grab the young man's arm to keep him from careening into the ritual circle. The fires were all out - the only light was coming from the lines of the circle drawn on the floor, and even that was wavering as the four people sitting at the cardinal points began to weaken.
Her eyes were immediately drawn to the two people at the centre of the room. Mariemeia was tightly held in her mother's arms, but Relena could still tell she was trembling. Leia herself was gripping the child to her chest so tightly her knuckles were white.
She looked up and locked eyes with her brother immediately. "Trowa, what is happening to me? To us?"
A shrieking sound filled the room, and Trowa hissed with pain as something very dark and angry flew past him, cold and harsh as a gale force wind. His eyes widened as he watched the shape diving towards the two at the centre of the circle only to break to pieces on this protective barrier, shrieking loudly again.
Relena caught his shoulders as he twisted to avoid the dark shape again. "Gwydion, what..." It brushed against her, and she screamed. It felt... it felt like hatred in physical form, only...
It also felt achingly familiar. She spared a glance at Trowa's white face and could only guess he'd felt it, too.
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked to the terrified duo at the centre of the circle. "Oh, Goddess... please don't do this."
Balor didn't have to be there to destroy them. No, he had something far more sinister in mind. The darkness attacking them was the missing portion of Leia's soul, the Formore side of her, and it was never going to give up.
It belonged in her. It was part of her. And Relena was sure the other half of Mariemeia's soul was not far away.
The darkness shrieked again, and Trowa darted forward to shield one of the chanting priestesses as it dove at her. He glanced around the room at Relena and the two Aspects at her side. "Protect them - if it can't reach her, it will reach someone else and break the circle to get to her. We can not let it touch any of us!"
~*~
Wufei grimaced as he pushed himself up off the ground as quickly as he could, kicking a corpse off his legs. He could hear Heero not far away - from the sound of it, the young Lord was fighting off several opponents at once. He knew Scathach and Duo were fighting off that with, Carman, and whatever those three creatures were that accompanied her, and in the back of everyone's mind was the knowledge that Balor was hiding somewhere, watching and waiting...
He cast around for his weapons and cursed - the Formore he'd just killed still has his last sai embedded in its chest, and he wasn't about to try and go after it if it meant he'd have to move the creature.
A shape loomed on his left and Wufei yelped as he was forced to dodge a blow from a massive fist, ducking and rolling. He was given no reprieve, though - the shape followed him and this time struck out with a sword. Wufei dodged again and this time managed to get a vicious kick to his enemy's knee. As the shape went down, he rolled to his feet and moved away. And he looked up-
He felt all the blood draining from his face. He'd only ever seen the creature before him from a distance, but Wufei was certain the man facing him was Balor. He scrambled backwards to the amused laughter of his opponent, and all he could think was, 'I need a sword, I need SOMETHING. Please... I don't want to die.'
Balor lunged for him, but at that moment fire exploded between them and blasted Balor from his feet. Wufei threw up an arm to protect his eyes.
As he lowered his arm, Wufei could only stare in shock. Where the fire had flared, there now stood a small anvil, and sticking up in that anvil-
A sword. An extremely old-looking and yet well-tended sword. In a stone. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
From across the way, Balor's laugh was harsh and grating. "Oh, how sweet. The Goddess is appointing a Knight to defend Her honour. Well, pick it up, boy. I haven't got all day."
Still disbelieving, Wufei reached out and wrapped his hand around the sword hilt. He took a deep breath as he hefted.
The sword came free with a grating sound. It was a huge thing - Wufei wrapped both hands around the hilt and lifted it carefully. The Sword In The Stone.
He couldn't believe it.
And yet there was no time to marvel at it. Balor was almost on him again, and he hefted the blade-
Metal struck on metal and the two moved apart, circling one another. The fight was on.
TBC...
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