By the Red Moon Part 62
Fully healed and more than eager for the attack on Cygnus that was soon coming, Wing waited alongside Scythe, Nataku and Ingier in the low valley between a series of tall hills. Keeping their bodies pressed as low into the grass as they could, their eyes and attention remained alert in the cramped space.
At the familiar scents approaching, the dragons raised their heads only slightly as Wufei, Anna and Duo rounded one of the more steep mounds. Much as they would have liked to flap their tails, the beasts restrained themselves and settled for their riders acknowledging them by joining their sides and patting their scaly muzzles.
Taking the time to give Scythe attention, Maxwell turned to Wing. "Ready to get these bastards back, pal?" he asked quietly as he rubbed the top of his head. He was answered by a grunt and a plume of black smoke that signified the fire burning in the dragon's lungs. "Good boy," the braided youth chuckled.
His braided head peering back at Scythe, he requested, "Be ready to pick me up as soon as the spell is cast." The black dragon nodded with a snort.
"Good luck," Anna called quietly as she secured her harness over her shoulders.
Already locked into his own saddle. Wufei removed his sword and vowed, "We will never be far from you during the attack." Waving to his knights, Duo gave them a reassuring smile and moved for the edge of the river a short walk ahead.
It would not take long for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and gifted to charge Cygnus when they saw his sign. And they all would be sure to see what he was planning with the long and wide stretch of water that ran through the hillside. And with any luck, the spell would be able to handle a few hundred of Dekim's men within the city at the same time.
As he neared the river, the prince could feel the black dragon within his being flicking his tail in excited anticipation to act. In his ears, Duo could hear the quiet, high-pitched growl rumbling in its chest. And when he stepped to the end of the sandy bed, he stopped to close his eyes and take a deep breath in complete focus of what he was calling forth. When he released the air slowly through his parted lips, though it was rather warm that early morning, it came out a chilled vapor.
Violet eyes snapping open, Maxwell knelt down to place his ice-cold hand atop the water's surface. Instantly, the course of the black magic ran up and down the length of the river to freeze it completely down to its bottom. Like an icy hand, the spell raced into Cygnus to claim every waterway.
Within the city, a handful of ogres standing on the great bridge that curved over the main north river looked up when hearing a loud crackling sound and cried in surprise as they watched the white hand cover the water and quickly head their way. In mid run, the troops were caught when a wave of the water reached up to encase them in ice as they were whilst continuing beneath the bride to charge over all of the connecting rivers.
Throughout the village soldiers were shouting and crying as they took to their weapons. "What in the Keeper's name is happening?!" one ogre yelled as he witnessed every stream and stretch of water freeze along with whatever rafts of supplies were atop them.
Before any of his comrades could reply, they all jumped at the explosive roar suddenly rising from the hilly fields beyond the city limits. Jaws hanging and eyes widening in disbelief, the dark army watched as the skies and ground were covered with the Alliance force to reveal that the roar had come from their raised voices in a battle cry.
A gremlin came out of his state of shock to shriek to his fellow demons, "To arms! To arms, every last damned one of you!"
Seated atop Scythe, Duo flew with Wing to his right and his knights before him to take on the first strike of the ghost riders. While Wufei, Anna and their steeds tangled in a fierce exchange with their enemy, the prince raised his hands to the darkened sky along with the horn of the unicorn and shot a brilliant beam into the clouds.
Once the light spell was cast, hundreds of lightning bolts shot down from the heavens to incinerate the Keeper's monsters that they hit.
The rain of light continued, missing the Alliance troops and their steeds to leave those desperate opponents remaining at too great a loss to the sudden and furious attack to put up much of a fight.
Those frozen demons were bashed into particles by the foot warriors to guarantee that they would not be returning into their world. And what was nothing but mass chaos for the dark army was nothing more than a great slaughter for the humans and werewolves.
* * * * * *
In Sanq, the icy hand continued its race to claim its prize.
Running from his throne room to the balcony at the startled shouts of the army reserves, Dekim's eyes widened as he watched the spell cover one of his most precious resources to his army. "No," he breathed, his head shaking. "No, this is not happening."
But it was. And he was helpless to watch the last bit of untouched river running off from the mountains at the edge of the city freeze before his eyes. "Nooo!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, bringing the loud mutterings of the soldiers below to a silence as they looked up at him in terror.
Far overhead, Treize brought Noventa's full turns to a halt as he stared down at the glistening ice that claimed the great northern river for as far as he could see into the south over the terrain. "Cygnus," he whispered as a cold dread washed over him. "The Alliance is after Cygnus."
Dorothy hurried onto the balcony with Heero right behind her. Gasping sharply at cold the sight that greeted her, she swiveled her head to turn her focus from the mountains to Dekim. The dark sorcerer was leaning forward with his arms propped up on the ledge and his face in his hands.
Swallowing roughly, the girl bit her lip and led her servant back into the throne room just as her master arched his back and raised his head to release a bellowing cry that promised all things evil for his enemies.
* * * * * *
Less than an hour later, another kind of howl rose over Cygnus as the werewolves sang in victorious harmony to the clearing skies. Smiling widely their beautiful, furry masses shifted back into their equally attractive human forms and joined their allies in the celebration of taking the city back.
Throughout the streets and on bridges, dozens of the demons that were close enough to the water's edge remained locked in place by the ice that had taken them. And in the brilliant sunlight that broke through, laughing members of the Alliance were having a great deal of fun in destroying them.
Amongst them, Catherine was enjoying herself in melting them with wave of fire from her hands. "Oh, this is not about to get old any time soon," she sighed in content. Slicing through another team of statuesque soldiers nearby, Trowa hummed and nodded in agreement while a smiling Heavy Arms crushed other by raising and slamming down her huge claws like am amused child destroying sandcastles in a sandbox.
Duo stood at the northern limits of Cygnus along with Wufei, Anna and their steeds. Folding his hands and raising them to his chest, the prince closed his eyes and sent both sides of his gift out. When he opened his eyes, he smiled widely in seeing that the shimmering border that he had created was now officially pushed forward to protect the sun-kissed lands that had been reclaimed.
"It really is something to watch that gift of yours in action," a deep voice called behind the small group. Turning, Maxwell and his friends watched as Commander Scott Lewis and Queen Sylvia walked up towards them. The giant of a man smirked when they came to a stop and acknowledged, "Not even a hint of exhaustion."
Chuckling, the braided teenager rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, "Well, that's from the combination of just getting used to my ability and having a lot rage fueling me. I probably could have gone all day like that without feeling it." Lewis's eyes widened in surprise and just a little bit of fear at the thought.
Wufei approached the queen to smile, "Your highness, if you would not mind, I would like to sit with you so that we can discuss the next best target for us to take out. Your suggestion of this city has already proven to be most helpful now that the rivers branching from here will be of no use to Dekim's armies."
A brilliant smile spreading across her face, Sylvia nodded, "I would be more than happy to meet with you, Commander. Thank you." Returning the nod, the swordsman smirked and stepped aside as Duo opened his arms to the girl. Quickly closing the distance between them, the queen laughed as she was picked up and spun around.
Setting her down, the prince winked, "Wufei is right, this was a huge win for us thanks to you. I could feel the miles covered by those rivers through my gift. At least for their course through the north, they will not be moving again to be used as their carriers."
Anna chuckled, "I only wish that I could have seen the look on that bastard Dekim's face when the north river froze over. With both the light and dark powers in play to pull that off, there is nothing that he can do to reverse the spell."
"Well, this is all really possible because of my father," Sylvia replied, her smile taking on a bit of sadness. "If he had not taught me what he had studied for many years, I would not have been able to give any such advice."
Duo squeezed her shoulder and offered, "Then we will dedicate this win to your parents, Treize and Midi." Her blue eyes shimmering at that, the girl sniffled with a flattered grin and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck since she did not trust her voice to convey her appreciation.
As they parted, the prince looked over to snicker at the sight of a fatigued, but very satisfied Wing laying flatly on the grass as he watched them. Sitting up beside the white dragon, the unusually close proximity of Scythe to her rival was a pleasant surprise. Finally, it seemed as though the two steeds had come to understanding each other.
Without the fear of making his own dragon jealous, Duo moved to pat Wing's head first and smiled, "Come on, pal. Let's get you back to Howard so that he and his team can look after you. Heero would be proud of you." His tail flapping, the beast raised his muzzle enough to lick his braided charge's face.
Maxwell chuckled as he wiped his cheek and shook his head. Assisting Commander Leo and Queen Sylvia into Wing's saddle, the knights and their prince flew back into the heart of Cygnus to check up on the rest of their comrades.
* * * * * *
Cygnus.
How the powers that be in the Alliance thought to capture the city, which was well out of their way from Aries, and deliver such a blow by capturing the waterways that had been used by the dark army was beyond Treize. Standing on the balcony to stare out to the advanced border, he shook his head in wonder.
In the end, it did not matter how Prince Duo and his force came to attack the city. They had. And they did have control of nearly every major river in the north now because of it.
Frustrating as that was, the Commander had to admit and admire the brilliant play. He never would have staked any interest in their risking a longer trip through rougher terrain and it had cost Dekim's advancement greatly.
"This simply cannot be happening!" the dark lord's enraged voice shouted within the throne room. Wincing, Khushrenada turned on his heels and entered the space to find Barton pacing the floor with his hands folded behind his back.
Discretely, Treize moved to where Noventa was curled in a nearby corner and ran his hand over his smooth muzzle to reassure the two of them. The dragon raised his head and gave a rare grin to his rider for the affection.
Freezing when he spotted the knight, the old man's eyes narrowed and he pointed at him with a shaking hand. "You!" he cried. "You should have thought ahead of this happening!"
Calmly, Khushrenada raised his hands and reminded, "Sire, you were the first one to suggest that Cancer would be the most likely target for the Alliance after Aries. You saw the same logic that I had at the time with all of the elements that were involved at the time. But this was one of those rare cases that could not have been predicted. It was a cunning mind in that army that had directed their attention to Cygnus."
A very cunning mind, indeed. One that the Commander still had to give credit to. The move was a risky one, but that person or people responsible knew that what they would gain far outweighed the challenges. Sheer genius.
His own eyes narrowing, Treize turned his focus onto the dark sorceress seated on her throne before Dekim had time to grow more angry at him for speaking up. "If you had not been so quick as to destroy Yuy's mind, we would have been able to track his thoughts and seen the hit coming. Do not think for a moment that you are exempt of any fault for what has happened."
Instantly alerted by the verbal attack against his mistress, Heero's glowing eyes glared at the tall knight as he stepped before Dorothy. As his hand quickly reached for the hilt of his blade, he froze when the girl rose to her feet and rested a hand on his shoulder. Leaning in to bring her lips close to his ear, she soothed, "It is alright, my pet. I can handle him."
Slowly stepping back as was his mistress' desire, Yuy lowered his hand from his sword. "Thank you," the sorceress purred, her hand lingering down his arm as she moved past him.
Dorothy stalked towards Treize as her face reddened with rage and hissed, "You know that I could not risk the chance that he would have enough bearings to kill me before I could work my spell. His mind needed to destroyed completely and instantly to ensure that he would be mine."
"Ours," Dekim was quick to correct, a snap of warning in his tone to make his jealousy known. "He may answer to you, my dear, but Yuy is ours to snare Prince Duo. Do not forget that." Biting his lip, the Commander did his best to hide back the sudden turn of the tide in their conversation.
The sorceress froze, eyes wide as she reeled over her slip. Just as she had suspected, her master did have a jealous streak and was not very happy to think that she may have warmer favors towards anyone else.
Swallowing roughly, she put on a smile and bowed her head to the old man, "Of course, my lord. Please forgive my meaningless words. You know whom I belong to."
"I know that. For your sake, I hope that you do not forget it," Barton replied. Dorothy bit her lip and lowered her head to remain subordinate and hold her tongue. However, the burning anger in her only grew over being reprimanded before her opponent.
With a sigh, the sorcerer peered between his feuding advisors and announced, "I can see that I am going to have to separate the two of you for a time so that you can focus on the matter at hand instead of each other. What is done is done and we need to find a way to keep the Alliance from advancing any further."
Happy for the opening, Treize offered, "Noventa and I can fly to the closest team to Cygnus that is only a day out in the city of Taurus. Since it is clear the progression of the Alliance is sporadic, it would help if I was near to actually see first-hand what they will be planning next. As soon as they move, I would be able to personally oversee that they are crushed."
Silently considering the notion, Dekim watched his Commander and rubbed his chin. Time was certainly of the essence. The Alliance could be on the move within another day or two. And having the knight present would give the sorcerer some inside information that would prove most valuable. As reluctant as a part of him was to keep Khushrenada near, his advice would mean little without a true understanding of their enemy.
Taking a deep breath, the old man nodded firmly, "Fine. I want you off and gathering as many soldiers as you can to pull off the attack." He raised a finger and ordered, "Do not show your face here again until you are successful in crushing the Alliance and bring Prince Duo to me. I will not take failure in this lightly."
As he climbed back up to his sorceress's side, Dekim offered her an apologetic smile for his snap and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And just to be certain that you will not let me down," he smirked, "Dorothy will be placing a trace spell on your mind so that she can see what you see, hear what you hear and know all of your thoughts. If we should ever be unhappy with you, your life will end immediately."
With that, Catalonia forgave her master for his doubt in her and leaned against his side while a sinister smile directed at the Commander tugged her lips. It was Treize's turn to swallow past his clenching throat and he nodded firmly, "I will not fail you, my lord. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity."
* * * * * *
Sighing as he woke, Duo blinked his eyes open to find himself in a strong pair of arms with his head pillowed on a bare chest. His mouth curling in a tired smile, he tilted his head up to find Heero watching him like so many mornings before. A warm grin on his own face, the Commander breathed, "Hey."
"Hey," the prince replied in kind. "I really wish that we got to have more mornings like this."
Nodding, Heero frowned, "I do, too. But I am so... damned proud of you, love." Slowly leaning his head in, his eyes closed as he pressed a soft kiss against the other boy's forehead. Biting his lip, Duo closed his own eyes to memorize the feeling of those lips against his skin.
And when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the same bed that he had taken the night before... alone.
Reaching out to the grasp the cold sheets, the prince's vision watered over. "Maybe we'll have that again... someday," he whispered. "Until then, I'm just going to keep making you proud and not give up, Heero."
Gently pushing himself to lie on his back, Duo folded an arm behind his head and stared up at the cracked ceiling. A stray tear rolling down the side of his face fell unnoticed as the only thing on his mind was preparing himself for the next step in the battle against Dekim...
...and then the next... and then the next...
There was still much to be done in winning the war. But he was not about to slow down until it ended... one way or another.
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page