Love Conquers All Part 7
Duo gazed glassy eyed at Chang. The blank look was not one of indifference but of thirst, hunger and lack of sleep. His joints ached from being on the hard, cold floor. His wrists were bruised and bloody from thrashing about when exhaustion took over and he was plunged into night terrors.
Breakfast sat on the floor untouched and it was passed noon. Duo had not taken in a drop of moisture since the day before. Chang squatted down by his pet reaching out to smooth back his once beautiful auburn hair that now hung in ratty lengths about his stooped shoulders. Duo drew back from his Master's hand tugging the blanket up as a shield.
"Eat." Chang urged trying to keep his voice even and his annoyance under control.
"When I am free." Duo replied weakly directing his listless eyes to the iron bands binding his wrists.
"If I return you to my bedchamber will you cooperate?"
Duo shook his head "no" but said nothing.
Chang let out a bothered snort. "You know I can make you eat. Is that what you want to be forced?" he inquired impatiently.
"I want my freedom." Duo snapped back sending a glare in his Master's direction. Duo didn't care if the obstinate look was rewarded with punishment. There was nothing else Chang could do to him physically or mentally. And Duo's soul--well that had been locked away surrounded by a spirit wall of his own making. No one would penetrate that barrier, no one except Heero Yuy.
Chang stood with a sigh, "If you are holding out for your soldier do not waste your energy or my time. He will not come for you." Chang lied as he already knew that Heero was at that moment wandering through the maze of hallways in the castle's outer perimeter. "Your lover believes you are dead so why would he come for a dead man?"
Duo offered no reply. He returned his glazed-over sight to the chains and shackles.
"Do as you like," Chang stated moving to stand next to the tall gold cross, "but soon you will be too weak to resist my mind probes." he spoke the truth. The defrocked heretic studied his reflection in the holy symbol's polished finish. "Be certain of one thing, my Pretty One, I WILL NOT let you die." he promised turning towards the archway.
Leaving his pet to wallow in his misery Chang made a straightway path to the mysterious bolted door at the corridor's end. "I will deal with you, my lover, after I have dealt with the intruders." Chang mumbled to himself as he extracted a brass key from his overvest's pocket. He had a trio of demons to stir from their spellbound sleep. The slaves created from the elements of Earth, Wind and Fire would soon be sent forth to defend their Master.
The door creaked; the groan reverberated down the vacant hall. Chang lifted a cold torch from its holder and passed his hand over the blackened end. Sparks shot from his fingertips igniting an instant flame. The door shut behind lending privacy for the Dragon to awaken his slumbering demons.
*********
The domed hall was really more like a tunnel that wound around in no certain direction. The floor was damp, the surface covered over with a slippery cushion of green moss and other, less identifiable, but equally slimy substances. A lingering smell of sulfur mingled with the dampness.
"Stay close." Heero called back to his comrades as he could not do much more than feel his way along the eerie passageway in the limited torchlight. He knew how easily someone could become lost should they lose sight of the others.
Yuy stated to put a hand on the waterlogged wall for support, to shore up his insecure footing but before his fingers touched the wet stone he thought better of the idea. "You wouldn't want to grab hold of some creature that might thrive in these soggy conditions." his inner voice warned. Heero quickly pushed the thought out of his mind before it interfered with his willingness to go on.
Keeping a guarded distance behind the wandering trio a blue-gray outline scurried along the floor. When the Shadow Spy became bored with the bottom route he would cling to the walls or dash over the ceiling in his silent pursuit. His fleeing essence blended perfectly with the gloom making it impossible for anyone to detect his movements. "Follow and report." He repeated the simple orders over again in his head. Chang knew his stealthy agent did not have the brightest mind but he was certain he could rely on his spy's easily influenced loyalty. "Yes Master, no move will go unseen." the Shadow Spy whispered dangling from the ceiling.
All three lights offered feeble illumination in the dim tunnel. Their combined glow showed only limited parts of the musty corridor's serpentine configuration. Trowa leaned nearer to Quatre as they followed yet another bend in the gloomy hallway. He couldn't resist repeating an old fashion "ghost tale" that he hoped would make his lover want to stay particularly close to him.
"I have heard stories," he began lowering his voice to a husky whisper, "that each night Chang turns himself into a handsome young man and travels to the village to seduce incredibly beautiful women in the darkness. Then he brings them back under his spell leading them through these meandering halls to his bedchamber.
There he loves them passionately all night long until the ecstasy is burned into their souls." Trowa paused reading the look on his partner's face to see if the tale was doing its job. It seemed to be working.
"Then in the morning when the spell is broken and the women find out what happened they go mad. It is said that these females still wander naked through the castle's labyrinth of passageways in a dazed, soul-dead trance forever seeking the bewitching young man who stole their hearts. Never finding him the rejected lovers fall deeper into despair. Never finding their way out drives them further into a state of insanity from which they cannot recover."
Trowa put his arm around Quatre's waist hoping his erotic tale would produce enough apprehension and sexual excitement to get his lover to hold onto him tightly. Perhaps the sensuously woven story would put his Fair One in the right frame of mind to allow Trowa to steal a kiss.
Unfortunately for all of Trowa's efforts Quatre did not respond with the desired results his partner had hoped for. Quatre had spent far too many centuries with his mate and had too shrew instincts to be swayed by such a lane attempt at seduction. He had long ago learned what genital forces drove his lover and he was determined not to play along.
"That sounds like a fable invented to keep young virgins home at night." he replied with a mischievous grin.
Trowa grinned back, "Maybe so but it is told that after the Dragon loves these women they never grow old. They have an insatiable thirst for blood and no one who encounters these feral females ever returns. Do you think we might meet one of the enchantresses and that you will need my protection?"
Trowa's Fair One wrinkled his nose at the recurring scent of sulfur wafting down the tunnel. "What I think is that you have been listening to too many stories made up by those drunken fools you sit with at the tavern."
*********
The tunnel curved around once more. The floor was definitely tilting upwards. A gradual slope was taking the intruders higher into the darkness. As they moved on and the torchlight dimmed the thick shades of night closed as if the hall was disappearing behind them. Walking in a single file the trespassers shared the light and encouraged each other to keep moving. Several times along the way Heero stopped short to look and listen. Each time the immortal's bodies bumped into his. But no complains were made about the slow progress. No one wanted to come up on anything unexpected lurking within the ebony veiled corridor.
Even though the wind whistling down the tunnel was not as strong the chill grew icier. The occasional sulfur smell seemed to occur more often. It would rise up seemingly from nowhere then dissipate just as quickly.
Heero raised a hand halting the procession. "Hold up," he whispered, "I think I see something."
Quatre and Trowa stopped beside Yuy who held his torch out in front to better see the path ahead. "Stay here." he ordered drawing his sword. For the first time he felt the need for his weapon. His water-muted footsteps faded away, his body melted into the darkness and an unnerving silence followed. Moments that seemed like hours passed. Nothing was seen or heard. No sound, no movement.
"Heero." Quatre dared to call lowly becoming uneasy with the silence. In the stillness even his hushed voice seemed to scream as it bounced back in a mocking echo. He called again and once more the sound returned on the frosty breeze with a hollow resonance.
Trowa took the crossbow, loaded an arrow and pulled back the bowline until a click told him that the trigger set was engaged. "Stay here." He repeated Heero's orders starting to step into the same gloom that Yuy had disappeared into.
"Oh no," the Light God stated taking hold of his partner's arm, "you are not going to leave me alone." he firmly declared.
Trowa sighed knowing this was not the time to quibble, "All right but stay behind me until I find out what is going on." he instructed holding the crossbow at the ready.
About twenty yards were traveled before Yuy's voice floated back on the wind. "Over here." the disembodied words called. The cautiously advancing pair found Heero kneeling at what appear to be the edge of the hall. At first Trowa believed that the floor had broken away leaving behind a breach. With all the moisture and the castle's age it was conceivable that the mortar holding the floor stones together could have been undermined allowing the entire portion to cave in.
Upon closer inspection, however, they found that they were actually standing at the base of a staircase that appeared to be craved into the wall where it again curved sharply upwards. The bent path bowed the stairs in a spiral twist until all but the first few bottom steps were not enveloped in the impenetrable darkness. How far up into the murkiness one had to travel to reach the Dragon's inner sanctuary was anyone's guess as the torchlight ran out long before it showed the top of the snaking stairway.
"I don't like this." Trowa announced leaning forward into the gloom. "This cold...the entire atmosphere is of an unholy nature. An evil source rules here I can feel it."
"Unnatural or not," Heero responded to the immortal's declaration, "Duo is up there and neither heaven nor hell will keep me from him."
Quatre nodded sensing that they were very near their goal. "Then we go up as far as "up" takes us but we must be careful the stairs are as slippery as the floor." he observed as the stone steps glistened in the torch's yellow light.
A slinking shiver clawed up Trowa's back. A fleeting rush of hot breath brushed along his neck. Holding his light above his head the Dark God pivoted sure that someone or something was behind him but he saw nothing in the dusky dimness. "It is just my overworked senses playing tricks." he reassured himself as he started up the stairs after Quatre.
The Dragon's Shadow Spy giggled like a spiteful child playing a game of hide and seek. He took the loftier path scooting over the ceiling to get ahead of the foolish intruders. "Watch and wait." he said dropping nimbly from the top before blending into the shadowy fringes.
Debris, mostly loose mortar from the decaying walls, rolled under the warrior's boots. Three shadowy figures surrounded by wavy circles of light ascended the staircase. Each stride was calculated, each step carefully felt out before the next was taken. Heero decided to give up his notion concerning the presence of some beast clinging to the wall as he used every means at his disposal for support. With a torch in one hand and his sword in the other elbows and knees were employed to keep his balance on the slick surface.
The steps coiled tighter, the radius narrowing. The upward pitch rapidly became more acute. It was increasingly harder to maintain a sure footing. The slippery steps, the gloomy darkness and the bone chilling dampness all combined to slow the pace and aggravate already frayed threadbare nerves.
The higher they traveled the worse the air became. The once faint essence of sulfur now rankled in their noses. More caustic odors seemed to waft from every crack and crevice. The foul stink of stagnate water, mixed with the allotropic elements, was sucked into their lungs with each labored breath making the trespassing trio lightheaded and queasy. Accompanying the bad air, dust borne inhalants burned their throats threatening to clog everyone's airways. Quatre swallowed hard to wash down the rough dryness. His next gulp of the tainted air triggered a jarring cough. His body sagged, his shoulders bumped against the wall.
Trowa slipped his arm around his partner's waist. "Easy, take it slow," he advised, "we are almost there. At least I think we are." he added looking at Heero for conformation. Heero shrugged not exactly certain of their proximity to the top since his torchlight did not cut the darkness more than a few feet ahead.
Finally the nearly exhausted trio cleared the last tread. Standing together in the castle's morbid surroundings their united torchlight showed another narrow hall. But at least this one was straight and the ceiling high enough so no one had to worry about bumping his head. Heero squinted readjusting his sight in the improved illumination. Their shadows elongated by the flames stretched out along rough-hewn walls. Their footsteps that had been softened by the watery puddles below were now louder as the Captain and his comrades moved forward.
"This way." Yuy instructed using his perceptual connection to Duo to guide him in the right direction. Some fifty yards ahead the hallway intersected with another. Duo's lover kept to the left sensing an increased power in the link with his partner's mind. Heero concentrated on finding the correct path not allowing himself to dwell on the fact that his precious soul mate was imprisoned in such horrible circumstances.
"There!" Heero called out to his divine cohorts pointing at yet another wooden barrier. The less stubborn door pulled back without protest. The portal opened into a square room. Raising his torch Heero could just make out the outline of another door at the opposite end.
Quatre quickly covered his mouth and nose as a different reek of decay literally slammed into his face. Trowa and Heero also were forced back as their gagging reflexes kicked in. The pungency was not produced by stagnate water or moldy fungus or rotten wood. The unmistakable putrid stench gave evidence that decomposing flesh was responsible for the nauseating odor.
"By all that is holy." Quatre cried out staggering back into his mate. Trowa's hand on his Fair One's back was all that kept Quatre from falling as he shrank back in horror. He leaned into his partner's welcome support as the color drained from his face.
"I think we have found the Dragon's depository." Yuy choked out the words struggling against the sickening waves churning in his stomach.
"No I cannot go in there." Quatre declared clutching onto his lover. The God of Light was both blessed and cursed with empathetic insight. Now the curse was in full force. The death-cries of Ryuujin's victims howled in his mind. Hundreds of voices wailed out in agony as their life was violently ripped from their bodies and their tormented souls were doomed to eternal damnation.
Screaming in pain Quatre grabbed his head trying to stop the travailing howls bouncing inside his brain. An invisible mourning shroud wrapped over his face. The constricting veil shut off his breath. Pure panic set in as he clawed at the unseen suffocating material.
The Dark God eased his convulsing mate to the floor. Cupping his hands on Quatre's chalky cheeks Trowa aligned his lover's fear-struck eyes with his green centers of sight. "Quatre, my love, listen to me." he demanded. The thrashing worsened, frothy saliva coated Quatre's lips. Trowa lifted his lover locking his emerald eyes. A shimmering line streaked from greens eyes to azure eyes. "Hear me now!" The radiant bond reached deeply into Quatre's mind. His breathing slowly began to even out, the quaking stilled leaving him limp and exhausted.
While Heero felt sympathy for the gentle Child of Light he could not deviate from his course. He could see no other path to reach his beloved Duo. There might be another way to avoid crossing through the Dragon's mock mausoleum but searching for the alterative route would take moments they didn't have. No matter how secretive they were or how helpful the fates the warriors would be granted only so many minutes before Ryuujin would sense someone had invaded his inner sanctum.
Quatre might be correct that the Dragon God couldn't "see" through love but sooner or later he would have to sense that something was not right. Ever since they had entered the ancient keep Heero had a nagging in his gut that they were being observed. Call it instinct or a soldier's hunch but Yuy couldn't shake the feeling that their presence would not go undiscovered much longer.
He knelt beside his comrades taking Quatre's hand, "I'm sorry but we have no other choice. We have to brave the vestiges of humanity."
Trowa shook his head, "No, I will not force my mate to endure any further pain."
Heero began to mount his arguments against any more delays but Trowa raised his hand gesturing for his fellow warrior to let him finish. Heero deferred and held his tongue.
"We can use our transporting powers to move from one side to the other. That way Quatre will be spared any further upset and we will be able to keep watch until you join us. I know this it is a breach of our promise to stay with you but I cannot risk any harm to Quatre. I hope you will forgive us this one time." the God of Darkness begged the soldier's pardon.
Quatre weakly looked up into Yuy's face that was etched with concern for his lost lover. "I cannot in good conscience ask you to make this morbid journey alone."
Heero shook his head, "It's all right. There is nothing that will keep me from Duo. With strength borne of his love I can do anything." he proclaimed getting to his feet, "I will meet you on the other side."
Again the courageous Captain braved the offensive odors. He extended his torch, glanced back at his brothers-in-arms and, without pause, stepped through the door into the Devil's ossuary.
TBC...
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