By the Red Moon Part 38
Heero turned his head up at the animalistic howl just in time to watch as Duo was completely surrounded by light.
Still holding a hand over Odin's wound, the knight's eyes widened with a startled gasp when that light shot upward and pierced through the storm clouds. At the same time, where the prince was standing, an energy never seen before burst forward from all angles in the form of black smoke that spread out to conceal everything.
That rolling plume raced to take the form of a clawed hand that stretched out at Dekim's army. At the sight and sound of the commotion, the battle came to a stop as every eye around stared in terror and disbelief at the sight of what was coming for them.
At instant contact of the nearly blinding smoke, the engulfed demons shrieked and screamed in agony. Through the pitch around them, the humans went stiff in watching their attackers suddenly glow and explode into particles of light that vanished as they fell away. Meanwhile, the men of the united army remained unscathed as they spun around in wonder of the strange darkness that had fallen over them.
It was the same through the castle, inside the residences and at the entrances of the tunnels to the caves that had been discovered. No inch of Pisces remained untouched by the plume. The reinforcements of the dark army cried out as they scrambled to turn and run from the outstretched hand over the bridge and on the beaches. Run as they tried, they were also taken in and destroyed in explosions of light.
Already well on his way to safety beyond the shoreline, Orsloiv pulled the reins of his brown horse back to a stop and spun them. In the distance all that he could made out was a swirling cyclone of black clouds that went from the surface of the sea and land to rise up to the heavens. Eyes widening as the air rushed from his lungs, the spy stiffened and breathed, "By the Keeper, what in the world is that?"
The horse beneath him clearly was not about to sit and wait for that answer when it reared up with a panicked squeal. Kicking the animal's sides, Orsloiv gripped the reins tightly once more and hunched forward in his saddle as he rode further north as quickly as his steed could carry them.
When there was not a single soldier of the dark sorcerer left standing, the rolling black clouds pulled back as quickly as they had shot out to completely vanish into the beam of light at its source. Then, even the storm was taken away with it to reveal the clear and calm skies of midday over Pisces.
All around, the soldiers and dragons who had been in the middle of the struggle lowered their weapons and looked around in wonder. Though the ogres and their fallen were no longer in sight, their own dead remained and the city continued to burn... their wounded also remained as they groaned and cried for help.
First to break from his shock, Zechs spun back to the thousands of other survivors and shouted, "Someone get to the caves and get the healers up here! Now!" Running to one of the closest men on the ground, he inspected him as a handful of dragons above shot for the tunnels and those on foot hurried to the ones in need.
Back in the valley Duo reappeared when the last trickles of light around him faded. Eyes closed he collapsed onto his hands and knees. Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings as though waking from a dream, his violet eyes blinked open and his vision took a moment to focus on the image of Heero kneeling beside Odin, his blood-covered hand over a gaping wound in the Commander's chest.
Watching his partner, his wide eyes filled with worry, Captain whispered, "Duo... are you all right?"
Quickly, the events leading up them arriving on that hill flooded the prince. But those memories only had him more confused as he looked around. Where was Dekim's army? How did the sky clear so quickly? And why was he being stared at by even the dragons as though he had two heads?
Slowly rising to his feet, Maxwell decided that the questions would have to wait. Moving to Odin's other side, he gasped at how gruesome the hole in the man's chest was up close. Whimpering, Peacemillion tried to poke her own head in as close as she could to look over her rider. Frantic as she was, Wing and Scythe flanked her for support.
Breathing raggedly with the spearhead poking through the center of his chest, the Commander looked up at the prince and smiled through the excruciating pain.
"T-this is why we needed you," he gurgled as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Reaching out, he squeezed Duo's arm. His voice weakening, he breathed, "You are the hope for this world."
Violet eyes blinking in confusion, the braided teenager swallowed roughly. Everything was still so blurred to him, but there was no denying how grave Odin's situation was.
"We have to move you into the city quickly to find a healer," Heero urged. "Save your strength until then." Looking up to his white steed, he nodded firmly, "Let's go, Wing." They were all stopped from moving when his mentor raised a trembling hand.
A sad smile on his face, Odin rasped, "My time is up, son. No healer will be able to reverse this."
Taken aback by that, the Captain shook his head, "Don't say that, Odin. You can't... you can't leave us!" Biting his lip, Duo could feel his tears coming on at the reluctant knowing that the elder knight was right. He was beyond any help.
Pulling in a sharp breath, Odin whispered, "There are no regrets. I died fighting, alongside my best pupils." Resting his hand over the one sealing his wound, he breathed faintly, "Good spirits watch over you all... Commander Yuy."
With one last sigh, his hand fell away and his gray eyes lost their light to stare up lifelessly while his body went limp.
Gasping, Heero shook his head and pleaded brokenly, "No..." Peacemillion's golden eyes watered with giant tears that rolled down her scaly face. Reeling her head back, she released a wail filled with such loss that it resonated through Duo's whole, shaking body.
Wufei had said that there were few things more heartbreaking than the cry of a dragon that had lost their rider. Now hearing the orange steed's sobs and howls, the prince could not help but feel every bit of her grief and his own tears began to fall.
Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Heero gently moved his hand to close Odin's eyes and carefully lowered him down to the ground. Completely ignoring the rare sting in his eyes, he rose onto shaky legs and walked off a couple of paces.
Duo moved to his own feet and called softly, "Heero... I... I'm so sorry."
Quickly wiping at his eyes, the newly appointed Commander looked back and announced, "We have to get back to the city. There are others that will need our help." Taking a deep breath, the prince nodded firmly.
As they flew back to where the thick of the battle had taken place along with Odin's body, the two riders mentally prepared themselves for whatever it was that awaited them.
* * * * * *
When it had been announced that the battle had ended and the healers were needed to tend to the wounded, Sally was amongst the first of dozens to emerge to the ground level. "Dear spirits," she breathed before covering her mouth as her wide eyes took in the scores of men lying about.
Her shock shifting instantly into determination, the gifted spun to the others behind her and ordered, "Spread out to the ones who can be saved. Anyone with empathic powers, see than those too far gone do not suffer more than they have already." Heads nodded and the lot moved out in a rush.
When a certain Head Squire reached the surface, a familiar voice cried, "Howard!" Spinning, the old man blinked in shock when a blood-splattered knight ran up to him. Wincing from the agitated wound on her back, Anna panted and gestured to her steed behind her, "You... have to come with us to the stables."
Sally hurried up behind the archer and lifted the tattered tunic to investigate the bleeding burn mark that ran diagonally across her back. "Hold on just a moment there, Anna," she insisted. Raising her glowing hands and running them over the ghastly wound, the healer shook her head, "You're very fortunate that nothing serious was severed."
With a deep sigh of relief when her braided friend finished healing her, the knight was finally able to straighten herself without agony. Smiling back to examine the ragged scar that remained, Anna said sincerely, "Thank you, Sally."
The healer nodded and responded, "A bit of advice to not push yourself too much." She raised a finger to emphasize her stern, "I mean it." She snickered when she was given a smart salute and no argument. Turning on her heels, Sally hurried off to continue her work.
Returning her focus onto the squire, Anna told him in a rush, "Howard, we don't have a lot of time. It's Heavy Arms. She's..." Her voice cracked as she lowered her head, unable to continue with her thoughts. Behind her, Ingier gulped with a sad expression on his own face.
Howard's eyes narrowed in focus as he gripped her shoulders and nodded firmly, "All right, girly. Take me to her." Ingier carefully wrapped his tail around the pair set them into his saddle before soaring off for what remained of the grand stables.
* * * * * *
"Wufei!" Quatre sighed in relief when he and his wife spotted the swordsman in the midst of his treatment with a healer. Sitting on one of Nataku's claws, Chang looked up as the young girl passing her glowing hand over his exposed left shoulder.
In finding the couple, a relieved smile spread across Wufei's face. When all that remained of his large, open wound was the scar that it left behind, he nodded and gave the girl a quiet 'thank you.' Rising to his feet, he approached his friends. Accepting their quick embraces, he pulled back and asked urgently, "Have either of you seen Anna? Ingier?"
Shaking her head, Relena answered, "No. There is so much going on all around that it will take some time to know where anyone is. We were lucky to find the two of you."
His brain working quickly over the possibilities, the swordsman looked to the city and scanned the buildings that still stood. "The stables," he thought aloud when his gaze settled on the half-collapsed structure. "That would be a good place to start. She and Ingier were over the city the last time I saw them."
"Then let's go," Quatre replied. Sand Rock lowered his head for his riders to climb into their saddles as Wufei hurried into his own.
* * * * * *
Numb as he looked upon what remained of his kingdom, King Septum stared at his homeland... to the countless bodies strewn about with wide, troubled eyes. Taking a few steps to come to a stop on a cobble-stoned hill, he removed his bloodied helmet and let it fall to his side with a few clanks as it bounced off the ground. With a muffled cry, he fell limply to his knees.
"Dear Creator," he whispered brokenly. Tears ran freely from his eyes as he sobbed, "What have I done?" Doubling over on himself, he cried.
Several feet away, Queen Maralee watched on with her own eyes shimmering. Angry as she was at her husband for bringing this horror to their people and their friends, Septum was still the man that she loved. And now they needed each other more than ever.
When she stepped before the king, she lowered herself to her own knees and simply held onto him as they cried together.
Meanwhile, King Zechs and Queen Noin engaged in a tight embrace and deep kiss as they and many other happy couples around were reunited when they had not long ago been certain they would never see each other again.
* * * * * *
The entire right wing of the castle stables had burnt to the ground while what still stood was in shambles. However, there was enough room for the wounded steeds to be stretched across the hay in the undamaged stalls. Many of the Pisces squires were hurrying into the stable to gather their gear and oversee the care of those dragons lying and moaning.
By far the worst off was Heavy Arms in the middle of it all. Howard could make out the shaft of a dragon spear several feet before he even reached her space. "Damn, but I hate these foul weapons," he hissed under his breath. Entering the stall, he walked around the creature lying on her right side and examined her left torso.
Climbing to his feet from where he had been sitting at his steed's head, Trowa walked towards the scout and explained in a rush, "I did not want to risk her bleeding out if I had the spear removed in the field, so Ingier and several others helped carry here where there would be the right tools."
"You did the right thing there, lad," Howard reassured, keeping his full attention on the problem that lay before him.
Lightly reaching his hand up to feel the scales beside the pierced scales, he pulled it back when Heavy Arms let out a sharp whimper. "Oh, I know that hurts, darling," he soothed. "I'm going to try and make that better for you." The long tail gave a short flap against the hay as a reply of appreciation.
Unable to stand hearing his dragon suffering so, the scout fought back the tears in his eyes as he asked, "Is she... is she going to be okay?"
Meeting the reddening eyes, Howard frowned deeply, "I cannot say for sure yet, Trowa. The spearhead is pretty deep." Lightly resting a hand on either shoulder, he squeezed them and vowed, "But I do promise that I will do everything I can. For now though, my team and I are going to need some space to work on her."
Swallowing roughly, Barton did not trust his voice to say anything and so he simply turned to leave. When he reached Heavy Arms' head once more, his heart twisted all over again when her pained black eyes fell on him. Sniffling, he simply wrapped his arms as far around her snout as he could manage.
"You pull through this... you hear, girl?" he whispered brokenly. His red steed smiled weakly and licked the side of his face in response.
Anna returned from leaving Ingier in the care of the squires in another stall to see to his injuries just in time to witness the sad scene. With other squires moving into the stall with pails and tools, she stepped up to the other knight, rested her hand on his back and told him softly, "Come on, Trowa. She's in good hands."
Reluctantly, the scout stepped from the room along with the archer. Only making it a few paces, he was able to sigh in finding, his sister and Hilde running up to him before they were both hugging him tightly.
Happy that her comrade now had the support he needed, Anna smiled and continued on to give them their space. On her way outside, she paused with a gasp in watching two familiar steeds flying towards her. "Wufei," she breathed in relief.
The moment the green steed landed before her, the archer laughed when Nataku nudged her with the side of her long snout affectionately. "It's good to see you, too, girl," she greeted, patting the smooth scales.
Making quick work in removing what was left of his harness, Wufei jumped to the ground and pulled his lover into a fierce embrace. Pulling back just enough to kiss her soundly, he sighed deeply, "Thank the good spirits you're alright."
"Love you, too," Anna smiled as she released him to meet his steed's blue eyes. "Nataku, would you be a dear and make sure that Ingier does not cause the squires inside too much trouble as they tend to his injuries?" Chirping at the mention of the other dragon being hurt, the green beast hurried into the stables in search of him.
Quatre and Relena stepped in to hug their redheaded friend and the four began to quickly catch up on the fight from their angles in the battle. After everyone had their chance to speak and retell their experiences, there was still one looming question that no one could answer...
"What in the world was it that destroyed Dekim's army?" the seer questioned. "Every account I have heard of the dark hand of clouds and the light source are telling the same story, but I have never heard of such a force in existence here."
Running a hand to brush back the hairs that had come loose from his ponytail, Wufei replied, "Neither have I. But I am certainly not complaining since that was what saved us." Anna nodded in sound agreement to the sentiment.
Something struck the empath in that moment... something that was so profound it nearly had him reeling. In a rush, he suddenly knew someone who was well aware of what had taken place. Looking up, he watched as Wing and Deathscythe landed with their riders at the edge of their group of friends.
Excited cries of Heero and Duo's names rose up, only to come to an abrupt halt when the others noted the grim expressions on their faces when they dropped from their saddles. The first to break the silence, Relena bit her lip and asked, "What is it?"
Neither of the grief-stricken riders could answer, leaving Quatre the one to announce in little more than a shaken breath, "Commander Odin is dead." Both swallowing roughly, the prince and the knight nodded solemnly. Wufei and Anna froze, their eyes wide in disbelief as their skin paled.
There would be another time for the answers to their questions about that strange force, Winner decided right then. With so much that needed to be done, and with his friends clearly needing their minds occupied with something that would make them helpful, he suggested, "Let's set our focus on tending to those who still need assistance."
More than satisfied with that choice of action, the group split back up in pairs to offer all of the help that they could.
Busy as he was for the remainder of the day and well into the night, Quatre kept in the back of his mind his intent to address what it was the newly assigned Commander knew in regards to the mysterious power that had saved them.
TBC...
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