Gaze no more in the bitter glass
The demons, with their subtle guile, Lift up before us when they pass,
Or only gaze a little while; For there a fatal image grows
That the stormy night receives, Roots half hidden under snows,
Broken boughs and blackened leaves.
-Lyrics to 'The Two Trees' Performed by Loreena McKennit
Elements of Great Design Part 58
The Alliance set up camp in the place where they had come to an abrupt halt when they realized what they were facing in their journey for the Earth Stone. Just the mere sight of Mariemaia's army that stood between them and the last weapon that they needed to stand a chance against the Sorceress had shaken them deeply.
Resolve that had been so solid was slowly coming apart as the team huddled together to discuss a plan of attack. And every idea that came up was dismissed nearly as quickly as it was suggested, the holes in the concept made apparent and tearing it apart at the seams.
"So there is no option of an air strike since we would be exposed and unprepared for what strikes might be made against us," Heero sighed at the end of the latest thought, the hour growing late and even his optimism slipping away from his grasp. Rubbing his eyes, the friction made the dark circles beneath them stand out when he let his hand drop over his folded legs.
Trowa winced, "I know that I have the stamina and strength with my Air Stone to support all of us, but being able to help protect us at the same time will sap my energy fast. And I am not thrilled about the notion of us being open to whatever can be thrown against us."
Raising a hand to cut off the Keeper, Duo reassured, "It's alright, Air. Better to speak up than to potentially take us into a situation that will puts us in harm's way." The corner of his mouth curling up, he snickered, "Trust me, none of us think any less of you for wanting to look out for our hides."
Lost in her thought as she stared into the flames in the center of the ring that they made, Anna's right hand turned the diamond stud in her ear. Her free hand was running over Wufei's head in her lap, the black wolf curled up close at her side.
"I have seen amazing things come out of a wildfire when it meets up with a wind storm," she murmured. "But with the numbers we would be up against, I do not see how that would be enough to cover the masses."
Quatre unconsciously played with the end of his veil, nodding to the flames, "That is the same worry I have over sending the largest waves that I can produce. We are talking hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of demons that we might have to get through before we even get to the Earth Stone."
Fingers running through his unruly hair, Yuy frowned deeply, "Just what they want since they will most likely have something waiting for us in the end that we would be too exhausted to handle. Every other attempt that they have made so far has failed, but this just might be the one to break us both physically and mentally."
A deep groan escaping him, Maxwell pulled his legs to his chest and propped his head on his knees. "Our only real hope is to get as far into their turf as possible until we reach our target without being detected... but how in the hell can we pull that off?"
There was a long, tense silence for the travelers. Winter crickets chirped from the snow beyond the encampment, their shrill song making the warmed air that Anna provided cool as shivers ran up spines.
Suddenly, the black wolf's onyx eyes widened as his head shot up. Locking gazes with his surprised lover, he gave a small yelp. Her blue eyes blinking over whatever the Monk was conveying, the Fire Keeper nodded, "Alright. You have the floor." As she said the words, she reached into the pack at her other side to pull one of the vials within.
Nodding firmly to her when their gazes met, Duo straightened himself and released his legs to come to full attention. At that wordless announcement that the son of Shinigami was ready, the thief threw back the poison that rendered her whole body limp as her soul left her. Maxwell's right hand surged forward, his opened hand closing at the snatch of her invisible life source at the same time that fur gave way to flesh.
Well practiced in the ways of the couple's shape-shifting, Quatre was quick in draping his retuning 'brother' with the white-and-red Monk robe to cover Wufei's body while Trowa swooped in to carefully lower the redhead's. Uncurling himself, Chang's eyes fell on the Black Mage, sighing when the smirking form of Death revealed his wife's spark safely in his palm.
"My apologies for always having to check," Earth smiled sheepishly.
As the soul floated over to perch itself on Chang's shoulder when he secured his garment closed, the son of Shinigami grinned, "No offense taken. I completely understand your feelings and would react the same if I was in your place." With firm a nod and small smile of appreciation, the Monk ran his hand through his soul mate's red curls.
Leaning forward, Heero asked the Keeper on the opposite side of the fire pit, "What came to mind that you wanted to share with us, Wufei?"
"Well, this is something that I have never personally attempted before," the other 'teenager' began, "at least not to my recollection." Taking a deep breath, he stated, "But since there is no way we could go on without being caught by our enemies in the air of above ground... the only other option would be or us to move beneath them."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Alliance was close. So very close now with only the Earth Stone to be taken into their possession.
Mariemaia could not have been more thrilled by the very news that Chaos and her Uncle Dekim continually fought over. How Fire had managed to obtain her weapon with such opposition, Ifrit of all powerful beings both living and dead.
Somehow, the band of warriors had bested even him. Even Abaddon's right hand had faltered a bit in his confidence when his long-time friend was not responding to his call. No doubt the Dark Lord was punishing the fire beast severely for his failure upon his return to the realm of the damned.
Still, much to Khushrenada's concerns, the final Elemental Stone was going to be the most difficult to reach of the four. With miles upon miles of monsters standing surrounding the gem, it would take every ounce of strength that the Keepers had to successfully claim the final key to ending the darkness that the Sorceress had brought upon Gaia.
And it was in knowing that where Chaos regained his certainty that they would fall and the world would belong to his Master. It was just how convinced the Commander was that had Mariemaia particularly alarmed. But that was all masked with the forced grin and a calm demeanor that she had always put on display.
Pacing the floor of her bedroom, the child worried her hands together as she mumbled, "If the Alliance could only find a way through this, I have no doubt that they will be able to put an end to the war. I only wish that there was more I could do here to help them without it being obvious to my Uncle. He already watches me too closely, so he must be expecting me to step out of line in his plan."
Slowly turning to face her friend sitting on the edge of her bed, Mariemaia bit her lip against the tears of fright that filled her eyes. "I just hope that I am still around if they do reach Paramecia so that I might be able to leave this world doing at least something right."
With a sad chirp, Sid hopped off the mattress and ran to his Mistress to hug her leg. The Sorceress fell to her knees and held him tightly when there came the sound of three loud knocks on the door. Gasping as she rose to her feet in a rush, Khushrenada dried her eyes and threw her shoulders back before crossing the room to open it to her visitor. "Ah, Chaos," she greeted, forced smile and calm demeanor falling into place effortlessly.
His dark brow creasing, the winged beast's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Mistress? Is everything alright?"
Careful to not allow her alarm to show over thinking of her reddened eyes that he must have picked up on, Mariemaia waved a hand in the air and stated in flat tone, "Everything is fine. I am just tired from all of the spells that I have been casting to open Abaddon's gates. The efforts we have been making to claim nearly half of Gaia does not come without effort on my part."
Quickly losing his paranoid expression, Chaos frowned deeply. "I do apologize for that," he responded. "And forgive me for coming to ask you to cast your magic once more today."
Thinking of the hundreds of thousands of demons that she had brought into the world, it was Khushrenada's eyes that narrowed as she stepped out into the hallway.
Never losing the hold of their gazes as Chaos stepped back a couple paces, she folded her arms across her chest and pressed, "What would you need more creatures for when you had told me that you already have more than enough to stand against any mortal opposition from this point on?"
"That is just it, my lady," the red monster sighed, lowering his head. "It isn't the mortal opposition that we will struggle to destroy... it is the humans who are protected by the gifted of this realm. Those mystics are gathering together in impressive numbers every day, finding gaps in our stronghold to join the resistance. I have underestimated their abilities and so the rebels grow stronger emotionally as well as physically."
Hope. It was the thing that Dekim had insisted to Mariemaia was the most dangerous weapon for an enemy to have. So long as there was hope, there was a will... a will to survive... ... a will to fight... a will to overcome even the greatest opposition. That was what the rebels were gaining every second they remained alive. And aside from the Alliance, they were the only ones with the resolve to fight to the last if need be.
Suppressing a shudder from what she expected the answer to be, she asked, "So, you believe that with enough troops you would be able to crush them? You are making that your primary goal now?"
Chaos nodded firmly, "Yes, Mistress. My scouts have come with word that our challengers are moving further south as we speak. This would be a fine opportunity to take them by surprise. Even if we cannot kill all of them, we could give ourselves the upper hand by at the very least relieving them of as many gifted as we can."
The idea was horrific to the once power-hungry Sorceress. She simply could not allow such a thing to happen before the Alliance could reach the rebels, if there was any chance for them to do so. Briefly panicking over how she could stall, Khushrenada took relief in a very realistic excuse that she had already prelude to.
Shoulders slumping, she shook her head, "For the number of soldiers I am sure that you are looking for, it will take time for me to be strong enough to hold the gates open. Please understand that I do not want to overextend myself when we could very well need my powers should we suddenly need the reinforcements where they would be of the most use."
It was a valuable point, Mariemaia thought to herself when she ended her argument. Even her Uncle Dekim would not be able to deny the energy it took from her whenever she called upon her dark magic.
Thanks to that, the great beast did not pause and nodded with understanding. "Of course," he replied kindly, careful to not offend the only being who could see to his wishes. "I will see that you have all the time that you need to rest in peace by having guards flanking this corridor to hold off any potential disturbances."
'Spies as much as they were meant to be guards,' the child realized. Apparently Dekim must have been passing on his doubts in her to Abaddon's second in command. Perhaps Chaos was not completely taken by the old man's suggestions, but he was not about to take chances either.
That was all fine as far as Khushrenada was concerned. Staying in her quarters for several days on her own was a more than welcoming concept. Because of that, the smile that came to her face was purely natural on her part. "I appreciate how you are taking such measures for my well-being. Once I am more myself, I will look for you to find just how many soldiers you require."
Bowing deeply at the waist as his wings draped around his muscular form like a dark cape, Chaos said, "Good rest to you then, Mistress." He turned on his two hooves and walked back down the hallway, calling commands to those monsters already keeping watch to bring in another team to stand with them.
Mariemaia used every effort to keep herself from running back into her room. Taking her time, she closed the door and leaned her back against it with a deep sigh of relief. Looking to her anxious friend, she grinned tiredly, "It seems like we have a bit of a reprieve." A happy chirp rang from Sid as he waddled over to accept the hug awaiting him.
Just as he set foot into the throne room of the palace, Chaos came to an abrupt halt. A dark smirk curling his lips, he gestured for one of the guards standing by to come close at the curling of a long claw.
When the tall ogre's brief sprint to his side ended, the Commander ordered, "Get a hold of our scouts. Tell them to tell our forces in the south to chase down the rebels. Better to insist to our Lady that she forgive than allow an opportunity to go to waste."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Queen Lori was wearing a plain pair of dark trousers and a tan top suited for the simple braid of the hair on her head that no longer carried her crown. While the attire did help her blend in with the masses surrounding her, she did not look the least bit pleased as she sat alongside her smirking husband atop the wagon that carried them through the woods. Arms crossed, the brat had her head down to fix her glare on the ground.
"It's about time someone snapped on her. I just cannot believe it was you," Meiran giggled when she and her friend passed the royal couple with their own cart. Hands gripping onto the reins of her horses, the dark-haired young woman grinned, "More than that, I cannot believe that woman actually parted with those dresses."
Relena puffed out an abrupt laugh. "She still has not completely done away with them, just stowed them away. I suppose that is better than nothing." Her frustration gave way to shame as she stared down at her folded hands on her lap. "I once was like her... only months ago, really. Before the war, Lori and I had little difference between us."
Turning to take the Queen in, the rebel girl shrugged, "And now you have nothing in common. No one can fault you for how the world was in making you that way before. It is those who cannot accept the situation that we are in now, those who refuse to see all of us as the same in this fight, who I have no time or respect for. You have grown far from that."
A small smile brightened the Sovereign's face as she lifted her head again to meet the dark eyes watching her. "Thank you, Meiran," she replied in a near whisper.
On the cart ahead of them, Howard's head began to turn left and right frantically all of a sudden. Shifting on his bench, he was clearly making his driver uncomfortable until the old man stood upright in a bolt as he shouted, "Gifted! Forge together immediately! Fighters, move everyone else as far as you can before night falls! Run as fast for as long as you can! We are going to fall under attack!"
In the hysteria that ensued, horses reeled back with loud screeches as the humans around screamed and scrambled in panic. Breathless and unable to react before Firion charged into the scene, Meiran and Relena witnessed the Commander cry up to the Elder, "When will they come?! How much time do we have?"
Frowning deeply, Howard's face paled as he answered in a ghost of a breath that was nearly lost over the commotion, "It is already too late."
Within seconds, every gifted in earshot was rushing in while the word quickly spread and their numbers grew. "Take courage in this, all of you," Howard urged the wide eyes staring up at him. "We are going to have a real struggle on our hands with this surge." Grim reality settled on the mystics' faces and heads gave solemn nods of understanding.
Some of them were going to be lost this day. The acceptance of that was clear in their expressions.
"Dear Creator, not again," Meiran whispered brokenly, body rigid. "Not another strike that nearly wipes us out." Shuddering under her thick fur, she shook her head, "How many more of these can we survive?" Such were the same fears that Relena had, but she could not find her voice to speak them.
Everything was happening so quickly. Fighters of every nation represented in the White Fang grabbed their glowing orbs to call upon their armor as they hurried after the gifted to strengthen the rebels at the back of the herd. Wailing children clung onto their mothers who were barely hanging onto their resolve. Those rebels without powers or weapons fell to their knees and prayed.
By the time she came to her senses, Peacecraft gasped and desperately searched the spreading crowd for any sign of Trent. It was too late, of course. Quinze and his friends who had been walking close by were already gone... beckoned by their duty to protect the others before caring for themselves. A sharp cry escaping her, the Queen threw a hand over her gaping mouth as her eyes filled with tears. She never had the chance to wish him well... or to say good bye should the worst happen.
Almost a half-hour later, the first wave of defense reached the end of the line of the last of the civilians hurrying further south. Trent, Alex and Mueller were amongst those forces. To their wonder, there was a deep trench that ran straight across though the woods, splitting trees where the line met to splinter trunks as though they were nothing. Crossing over that divider, the Fighters felt a strange tingling sensation.
Magic of some sort, they considered. A dome, possibly.
And beyond that gap, over three hundred new beings came into view. More mystics of varying types from Fey to Mages. The White Fang warriors came to a halt at their appearance at the same time that a tiny fairy in a white dress flew for the Elder entering the scene. "Iria," Howard panted, wiping his drenched face with a long sleeve of his robe. Smiling tiredly, he chuckled, "Good of you and your people to come."
"I only wish that we could have arrived sooner," the little Queen frowned deeply. Her eyes shimmering, she smiled, "If this be the last we see each other, it will be an honor to fight alongside you, old friend."
No sooner had she spoken those words did the billowing howl of a horn from deep beyond the cover of trees shock through the air. followed by the chorus of screams and unholy snarls, the forest opened up to a sea of fangs and claws.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Burrowing.
It was not something that anyone but Wufei would have thought of. Though he could not recall ever using his powers in such a way, it did not take long for Earth to find a method of tunneling underground quickly and efficiently.
Between Chang's plowing through miles upon miles of rock, light from Quatre in the form of a brilliant, white 'sun' that stayed above the travelers and Trowa's ability to keep more than enough air to breathe, the Alliance was making steady progress without any challenges.
Peering back at his wife's body stretched out in the wheeled cart that was being pulled by Shinigami, the Monk had a small grin on his face as he whispered, "Not very far to go now, Firefly." The spark of the thief's soul chimed and spun around his head in excitement.
Gently pulling back on ShenLong's reins to bring him to a halt, the Keeper looked back to the others following close behind at the same time that the ground before him stopped opening up. "We still have more than a day or two of traveling like this before we can think about returning topside," he announced. "I need to start conserving my energy and rest for a moment."
Heero appraised the large and perfectly round underground 'cave' that had been created around the team and nodded, "We should be more than safe to stop here for a while. And I never thought that I could say that knowing what is just a hundred feet over our heads." He snickered along with his lover and brothers as they dismounted their steeds.
A long patch of grass and a running stream courtesy of Wufei and Quatre provided adequate refreshments for the horses while the Alliance set up camp.
Curling up with Anna on the soft bed of blankets pillowing her, Chang closed his eyes with a soft sigh as he drifted off into a deep sleep right away. Duo and Heero were not far behind once they brought their sleeping sacks together. Finally, Quatre rested his head on Trowa's shoulder as he reached up and waved at the 'sun' to have it fade away to cast them into darkness.
Meanwhile, up on the surface, Mariemaia's demons laughed, cheered and celebrated in their victory over yet another city... completely unaware that their greatest of enemies were resting soundly right under their feet.
TBC...
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