By the Red Moon Part 67
The morning that Duo had planned to set out for Sanq began with a light drizzle... almost fitting considering the mood around the encampment.
His head shielded under the hood of a brown cloak that he'd pulled over himself, the prince smiled to Scythe and Wing as he stepped out of his tent. To no surprise, both dragons stayed close him following the announcement the prior evening. If Anna had been upset over his plan to willingly hand himself over to Dekim, the dragons were beside themselves.
Scythe craned her head in first for a few reassuring pats to her muzzle with a sadness in her eyes. "'Morning, girl," Maxwell greeted quietly. "You, too, Wing," he chuckled when the white beast pushed his own head in for some attention. Taking the time to run his hand over both of their scaly noses, he spotted Catherine waiting at the white bridge nearby.
An expectant expression on her face, the fire-starter smirked and gave her braided friend a firm nod. Taking a deep breath, Duo walked past his scaly companions and walked to the top of the bridge to join his gifted mentor. When he neared, Catherine smiled, "I thought that I could offer some spells and other tips that could come in useful for you before you go."
Blinking his wide eyes, the prince nodded, "I could use all the help that I can get. Thank you."
A glance around showed that Quatre and Relena were nowhere to be found. That much did not surprise him since the empath was a little put off at how his gift was effectively blocked out. The last thing that Duo wanted was his friend in his mind when he needed to sort out his own thoughts and feelings without being influenced.
Tilting his braided head, he asked the redhead with him, "Does this mean that you don't think I'm crazy for going through with this?"
Catherine laughed, "This is the probably the most insane idea anyone could have come up with. It's reckless and probably the last thing that anyone in their right mind would ever concoct." The corner of her mouth tugged up as she shrugged, "Which is exactly why I love it. I only wish that I could see Dekim's face when you knock on his door."
Leaning in, her smirk grew while she added quietly, "And just between us, Quatre will come back around. He meant no harm by trying to read you, but he sometimes needs to be told to not pry where he is not invited or needed to bring down a threat. Relena is already talking some sense into that husband of hers as we speak."
Relieved by that, Duo let out a long and deep sigh and his shoulders sagged. "That's good to hear," he grinned. "Thanks, Cathy."
Winking as she straightened, the gifted girl clapped and rubbed her hands together as flames peeked through her fingers. "Alright," she announced. "Let's find a place where we can go and meditate so that we can get started."
* * * * * *
Dekim looked over the map before him that showed where his army was spread throughout the north. Growling deeply, his hands gripped the edges of the table that it was spread on and hissed, "It will take days for the reinforcements to close in on the Alliance. The four cities surrounding the area do not have nearly enough troops in them to take them out on their own."
Such was the dilemma that Treize had predicted that they would be in if for any reason they found themselves the defenders as opposed to the offenders. For some time, the Commander had warned the sorcerer that they needed to have more soldiers in every city that they had claimed.
At that time, Barton had been proud... absolutely certain that there would never come a day where they would need to protect what they had won. The king had also warned him that such pride was the downfall of man.
But Dekim was still sure of himself. He had sided with the Keeper and so he would still be victorious. All the recent events were mere setbacks that would be remedied. It was all a matter of playing the right cards and waiting for more soldiers to come from the dark lord of the Underworld for the souls of the damned.
Peering over his shoulder to the sorceress on her seat beside his throne, the old man grumbled, "This planning would be so much easier if we still had Treize. Unfortunately, someone seems to have lost him to our enemies."
Dorothy lowered her head to conceal her growing ire. Of course he was not about to allow her to forget her failure. However, his constantly throwing the matter back in her face was only making her want to act out in spite. If she had half the courage to do it, she would have bedded Heero just to see the look on Dekim's face.
However, her master had ordered that she send Yuy to stand watch over Midi Khushrenada's cell until her fate was decided. And the sorceress was quite certain that it was because Barton expected her to try something with the knight.
Now completely alone, Dorothy could only sit and take whatever Barton threw at her. There was no price too high that she would not pay to have the strength to strike him down now. However, his ability was greater than hers and she could not risk it. She needed Prince Duo's ability. And to have it, she needed to wait and see that the old man succeeded in capturing him.
She had been patient before to gain her dark powers. She would be patient now in obtaining the greatest gift imaginable.
"A thousand apologies again, my lord," Catalonia said quietly, her head still lowered to make it appear as though she were bowing it to him. What she would have given to allow him to see her reddened face before she plunged a knife deep into his heart.
Just the thought of him writhing in a pool of his own blood on the floor in blissful agony was enough to keep her satisfied. That silent wish would eventually become a reality. Until then, the imagined wails of the sorcerer would hold her frustration and hatred leading to that thrilling moment.
Keeping her voice low, the sorceress stated, "It has pained me greatly to have let you down when my only goal in this existence is to please you." The put on sadness in her voice was so convincing that even she almost believed it. Not bad considering how at odds it was with what was actually inside of her at the moment.
Dekim snorted, "Yes. And I hope that it is a pain that will linger for some time, my dear. We cannot afford any more errors like that." Turning his head forward again, he resumed his study of the map to workout his next moves in his head.
Slowly raising her head behind him, Dorothy daydreamed the voice of the old man screaming as the imagined smell of his blood filled the air.
And she smiled.
* * * * * *
Releasing a deep breath, Duo patted the unicorn's back and the baby dragon's head before departing from the deep recesses of himself at the end of his meditation. When his violet eyes blinked open, he found Wufei and Anna standing by Catherine and their steeds.
It was time to go. The sun had broken though the thin layer of clouds to reveal its place in the sky in the mid-morning. If he wished to make his first destination before nightfall, the prince was going to have to head off before much more time passed.
Rising to his feet, he smiled to his friends and greeted, "'Morning." His arms stretching over his head, he asked, "Do I have a moment to have a quick breakfast with all of you?"
"Of course," the swordsman smirked. "I hope that you were not planning on getting away without that. We have quite a full table waiting for you."
Trying his best to not consider the meal as possibly his last with his family, Duo grinned widely, "Sounds good." The knights turned on their heels to lead the way back over the bridge and through the remains of Taurus.
Along the way, the braided teenager got up the nerve to ask his mentor beside him, "Catherine, Treize had mentioned before about how Dekim wants to bleed my gift out. What exactly does it mean to 'bleed' a gift out?" Whatever it was, he knew that it was not going to be anything pleasant, but he needed to hear it for himself what it involved.
The fire-starter swallowed roughly. Not the best of signs.
Meeting the violet eyes on her, she answered, "It is very much how it sounds. Our gifts are as close to us as the blood that flows through us. Bleeding out an ability requires a gifted to call the power within their prey out, bleeding every last drop out into a special scepter that would pass the gift onto another. The method is a vicious one that began in olden times of war where the gifted came up with the tactic to not only destroy their enemies but to take on their powers as well."
Catherine glanced away as she continued, "I have never witnessed the act, however its history is well documented. At the first cut of the gifted's veins, they are rendered helpless in excruciating pain as their ability leaks from them. By their last few drops, they are happy to meet their end."
It was Duo's turn to swallow roughly. "Fantastic," he chuckled nervously.
Reaching out to squeeze his arm, the fire-starter forced him to look back at her as she warned, "Whatever it takes, do not allow them to cut you. The moment that you do, even one as powerful as you will be lost. Fight them with everything that you have for as long as you can." The tension over the discussion had reached Wufei and Anna as they peered back over their tense shoulders with concerned expressions.
The prince took a deep breath and nodded to them all, "I'll fight them. And you'll be storming Sanq's castle before anyone really needs to worry." It was a steep promise and he knew that. They all knew that, but it was still good to have it there for some level of reassurance.
Really, in the end, all that Maxwell could do was fight. There was no other option since he had no intention of turning back from the plan now.
* * * * * *
Just as Wufei had informed, the meeting area was packed with familiar and friendly faces in relation to Duo. From his Elite Eight remaining Sanq knights, Trowa and their steeds, First Captain Lewis and Sally to the werewolves packs under Alex and Trent's leadership to King Treize and Princess Sylvia, there were plenty around for a pleasant breakfast.
Instead of anyone bringing up anything about the war or the fact that the braided prince was about to leave to head into the heart of their enemy, they all laughed and kept up light-hearted banter throughout the meal. When the sun climbed just a bit higher in the sky, however, they knew that they had all waited as long as they could.
Thanking everyone for their time and company, Duo rose and took a moment to shake hands and embrace everyone around. Gloria, Adodera and Angela in particular held on for as long as they could, having taken quite the shine to him in their all too short moments together. "Wish that you had one of us going along with you," the petite blonde muttered as she shifted the dirt with her toes.
A smile tugging his lips, the teenager gently lifted her head and winked, "If there was a way, I would love to have you along, Gloria. But I need you around here to make sure that Mueller stays out of trouble since I won't be around to keep an eye on him."
His arms folding, the said Commander huffed and put on a scowl, but his eyes held something different for the werewolf when they fell on her. Laughing, the lively girl pinched Mueller's cheek and commented, "You know that he is right, my smug one. Sometimes I wonder how it is you managed to survive this long without me." Adodera snickered and patted the top of her sister's head before they both gave the prince one more embrace.
"Just try to not mess this up," the Virgonian knight suggested when violet eyes looked to him. "I really do not look forward to having to save your ass from the dark wizard when we see each other again." There was a spark of something in his dark eyes that led to more of his real worry.
The corner of his mouth curling up, Maxwell snickered, "You be sure to take care, too. That said, he shocked the Commander by giving a slap to the arm and they shared knowing smirks.
Moving on to Treize and Sylvia at the end of the group, Duo found his arms filled with the girl when she latched onto him. As he returned the embrace, he nodded to her father as he stepped up to pass off a folded piece of burlap. "Here is a map that will take you safely through the north as well as show you where you may find any supplies that you may need along the way."
Duo grinned and shook their joined hands firmly as he replied sincerely, "Thanks, Treize." As Sylvia stepped aside, the two leaders shared a one-armed hug. They snickered in amusement when Noventa decided that he wanted to nudge them both with his long muzzle to share his appreciation with the prince.
Heavy Arms followed suit when Trowa and Catherine stepped up to say their farewells to their braided friend. "Whenever you land, try to face the east. The wind be at your back, so your scent will carry away from any potential danger."
Giving the dragons their fair share of pats, Duo grinned, "Thanks, Tro." After giving the knight a hug, he wrapped his arms around the fire-starter and told her quietly, "I won't forget anything that you told me, Cathy." There was a shimmer in her eyes when their embrace broke and she nodded as opposed to trusting her voice.
Quatre and Relena approached, the empath making a sure move for the prince as he frowned deeply, "I just need to know that you are not doing this only for Heero. There is no certainty that you will be able to save him. It would be very foolish to put your life in danger for a chance that may not even be there."
That voiced theory was exactly what Duo had thought the empath was trying to confirm when he tried to pry before he was blocked out. It was not a concern that was completely unfounded, however...
His back straightening, he stated, "Whatever my reasons for doing this, they are mine and mine alone, Quatre. And I would be lying if I said that my trying to find Heero did not have some part in my suggesting this plan. But you should know me better than anyone else that I would never do anything that would put any one of you in danger should something happen to me."
Relena's face glowed with a brilliant smile as her husband blinked in surprise. "Very well said, Duo," the seer complimented while she closed the distance between them for a hug. "May the Creator keep you safe," she whispered by his ear.
Clearing his throat as his wife made way for him, Quatre rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smirk on his face. "Thank you for your honesty," he said quietly. "Perhaps I should get more in the habit of not falling back on my gift and simply talking things out." Sobering, his smile faded as he offered a sincere, "I am sorry."
Duo snickered and pulled the empath into his arms as he reassured quietly, "Forgiven. You take care of your little one and wife while I'm away." Patting his back, the blonde just managed to keep his overwhelming feelings back. With one last nod to the expectant couple, the braided youth turned to the remainder of the line.
"Your aunt would have fought this with every breath in her," Zechs smirked as his nephew approached him and Peacemillion next. "However, I agree with you that this is our best shot at ending this." He paused when his voice cracked at the last few words as his emotions caught up. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and said quietly, "Just be careful out there, son."
Biting his lip, Maxwell fought his own surge of feelings. He embraced his uncle tightly and pushed back the first sting of tears that he'd had that morning. "Thanks... Dad," he managed in a whisper before he pulled back. Smiling brightly at that, the tall king nodded firmly as Peacemillion craned her head in.
Lightly patting her nose, the boy smirked, "You be sure to look after him, girl." The orange-and-gold steed snorted in response and reluctantly craned her neck back.
Picking up on the other steed's worry, Sand Rock moved from Quatre's side to offer his calming support. At his presence, Peacemillion faced him and smiled and her tail wagged happily along with his. The exchange only helped confirm the hints of a crush between them to the others standing around. After all, it was the sand-colored dragon that had stayed by Odin's scaly comrade during her recovery from his death.
The farewells concluded with his most difficult one being with Wufei and Anna. They had been the ones with whom he had spent the most time since arriving in his home realm. And over the course of that time, they were easily the two that understood and accepted him the most. Little was spoken between them before the archer said quietly, "This is not goodbye, you realize."
Chuckling as he released her, Duo kissed her cheek and nodded, "Right. We'll see each other again before you even have a chance to miss me."
"Not a likely chance of that," Wufei smirked. "But we'll do our best to not worry too much." With that, the 'brothers' shared a one-armed embrace and the prince took a second to pat Nataku and a solemn Ingier.
Anna smirked and held out a small, sheathed blade. "I had it made to fit behind your hair," she shrugged. "Just in case." Duo mouthed a 'thank you,' to her as he carefully placed the dagger within his gathered hair at the back of his head.
Taking a deep breath, the prince looked back to everyone looming around and waved. Then, turning on his heels, he headed to where Scythe and Wing were waiting close by. He never bothered to suggest to the white dragon that he should stay behind. There was no point in starting an argument that he was not going to win.
"Ready to get going, gang?" he greeted as he climbed into his black steed's saddle. Snorting plumes of white smoke, the beasts rose and opened their massive wings. A couple of flaps later and they were airborne to the chorus of cheers from the waving army gathered below.
Scythe made one swooping turn around the city so that Duo could have the chance to wave to their friends one last time before they followed Wing further into the north beyond the barrier. Once they passed the wall, the teenager gripped his handhold tightly and focused his attention forward...
..onto the darkest stretches of clouds that surrounded the Sanq kingdom a long journey away.
There was no time for doubt or fear. And there was no turning back to where the skies were cleared with a welcoming sun. The only thing that remained was the mission at hand.
TBC...
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