By the Red Moon Part 72
Dorothy rose from her kneel when she heard footsteps approaching the bleeding room.
The normally dark space around her was lit by the brilliant glow of the different colored, overlapping symbols that she had drawn from the ceiling to the floor as well as on the curved hooks of the crane. It had been a complicated spell, far more challenging than anything that the dark sorceress had pulled together thus far. It required her going about very slowly and constantly checking her work to be certain that she had not missed anything.
But she had succeeded. And it was magnificent.
Her heart hammering in anticipation, Dorothy watched as Dekim and Heero entered the room with two guards carrying their prey behind them. Prone in his escorts' arms, Prince Duo's braided head sagged low and bobbed with every footfall from the guards.
"A disorientation spell," the young woman realized aloud, her eyes falling on the old man. Smirking, she chuckled, "Such a simple, but effective little tool. I had completely overlooked using such a weapon against him, but it will come in most useful now."
Dekim hummed with a smirk on his lips as he turned to his guards and ordered them, "Chain him." Bowing their heads, the ogres moved for the crude claws in the center of the room.
Through the fog that surrounded his mind, Duo growled deeply in sensing the danger that he was in. Quickly assessing how loosely he was being held, he moved. Somehow finding a bit of his strength, he managed to pull his right arm free and shot his hand up to the back of his head where he found the small switchblade that Anna had made for him.
With the unsuspecting ogres still reeling over how the braided teenager had collected himself, he removed the weapon from his hair and flipped the blade open with a quick flick of his wrist just before plunging it into the thick neck of the beast hurrying to grab him again. The growl that had risen from the guard turned into a bloodied gurgle when the long knife met its mark.
In the midst of the struggling ogre's attempt to remove the knife from his neck as he died, he managed to spill his blood over the floor around him, smearing away the designs drawn there. "No!" Dorothy cried as she watched in horror at just how much of her work was undone before her eyes. Dekim's own eyes were wide in disbelief for a fraction of a second before he sprang forward with the sorceress to prevent further damage.
Using the momentum of his strike, the prince grunted with the effort of removing the blade as his first victim fell and swung himself to attack the other still holding his other arm. But in the swirling world before him, he could not precisely locate a prone spot and the guard had his bearings to easily catch him.
Duo cried out when the ogre squeezed hard on his wrist until he released the blood-covered blade. It fell with a high-pitched clang that filled and echoed in his head, disorienting him all the more as he hung by his arms in mid-air. He could smell the choking breath of the guard as the slimy head leaned in close to him. Somewhere through the haze that was his world, he could see snarling fangs in his face.
"He is not to be harmed!" Dekim shouted from his place on the floor with Dorothy as they desperately worked to clean away the blood pooling from the corpse of the fallen guard. "Chain him now!"
Grunting, the ogre reluctantly straightened himself and took his charge to the crane. Still struggling as best he could, Duo did not make the binding of his wrists or ankles easy. But in time, he was hanging with his arms spread and raised over his head and his legs opened so that he formed the shape of an 'X' within the center of the claws.
Splattered with red in her attempts to clean the mess of her work, Dorothy shook her head and growled, "We cannot begin the bleeding process without the drawings being perfect." Quickly, the remaining guard took the body of his comrade from the room as the blood kept falling to make large droplets that only disturbed more of the bleeding spell's symbols on the floor.
A mixture of blood and glowing paint pooling around her legs as she wiped the back of her hand, the sorceress gazed to the ruined points of the spell. "This is going to take me hours to correct," she frowned deeply. "Possibly even another day since I do not even know where to begin fixing the blurred lines."
Managing to catch the sorceress's words, Duo snickered quietly to himself. "Thank you, Anna," he sighed. Having that nice little weapon that the archer had given him just spared him and the Alliance even more precious time. Every second counted now.
It was only fitting that his Shield was able to protect him even without her presence.
Dekim stormed to the prince, his face red with streaks of blood as well as from his own raised heat. "Enjoy this small victory," he hissed in Duo's face. "It will be short-lived now that I have you right were I want you."
"Or so you think," Maxwell chuckled deeply when he finally tapped into a stream of his gift. Feeling the smooth scales of the black dragon, he used that brief glimmer to the best of his advantage in his state.
At a metallic ring that filled the air, the sorcerer all but jumped back from his captive to watch with a sharp gasp as thick steel wrapped around the prince from his feet up past his neck like a coat of armor. Since there needed to be cuts made into him for the bleeding process, the metal would do the effective job of preventing that.
Stunned once again at just how capable the smirking boy was even under the influence of his dizzying spell, Dekim's fists clenched at his sides as he screamed, "You little bastard! I will tear that shield of yours away with my bare hands if I must!"
Dorothy glared up at the sorcerer and snapped, "Leave him for now. He is not going anywhere." Rising to her feet, she approached her master and sighed, "Just leave him here with me and leave us so that I may get back to work on the spell immediately. I am sure that you do not want to wait to claim his gift any longer than you need to."
'I know that I do not,' Dorothy thought to herself. As trying as the prince was being now, whatever he had to throw at them would be more than worth the trouble once she had his power. Now that he was still struggling under the influence of Dekim's disorientation spell, he would be easier to deal with. That little armor trick had already cost him.
When the sorceress's eyes fell on him, Duo had only a moment to gasp before his unsteady world went completely black.
* * * * * *
Several hours later...
Crouching between the thick bushes stretched out along the forest on the outskirts of Sanq, Wufei narrowed his eyes for a better look into the city crowded with heavily armed soldiers of Dekim's force. "They're crawling all over the damned place," he muttered under his breath.
Anna silently climbed down the branches of the tall tree that she had used as her lookout station. When she was within his reach, Ingier stretched his long neck up so that she could sit atop his head for a smooth descent to the ground. "Working from one direction is not going to do it," she frowned. "We need to start having the men back out to cover the other edges of the city.
The swordsman nodded firmly, "That was my assessment as well. We are going to have to get word out as quickly as possible so that they can move right away."
"Consider it done," a familiar voice smiled just as Gloria appeared through the shadow of the woods. With her sister and brother-in-law in tow, the petite werewolf smirked, "On your order, we can have the plan passed on to the rest of the encampment within an hour."
Wufei smiled, "Great. I want the Pisces, Gemini and Leo forces to the west. The Libra, Virgo and Capricorn troops to the northeast. All the remaining soldiers will help us lead the charge. Have the others know that our storm for the city will be their cue to head in."
Rubbing his hands together, Alex grinned, "Excellent. We will return to let you know when they are all in place." That said, he and his pack turned into their wolven shapes and darted through the thick trees.
Anna shook her head and giggled, "I will never get tired of that any time soon." Her husband snickered as he ran a hand over Nataku's large head where it lay beside him. At the sound of footsteps approaching, the couple straightened.
One-by-one, the remaining Sanq knights in training made their way into the scene with their steeds. In the lead of the group, Jerry Ferkey was the stockiest of the young lot with a head of short, black hair. Wedge, his orange steed streaked with silver looked every bit as ready for the fight as any human or beast in the ring as they approached the officers.
Flanking them from behind, Pete Swan and his tan-shaded dragon, Scorch along with Larry Mischevitz and his golden companion, Phoenix all shared almost nervous glances from the corners of their eyes. Behind them, the remainder of their tight unit- Jack and Onyx, Daniel and Lion and Juan and Tiny- filled what was left of the small clearing.
"Good to see you all," Wufei greeted. "I take it you all heard the orders passed onto the werewolves."
Jerry cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as he replied, "That was actually why we thought that we might come here. We've never really practiced it before, but considering how we could use all of the help we can get, maybe we can have a prayer."
Shrugging, the redheaded Pete absently patted Scorch's long muzzle and shrugged, "We thought it would be a nice gesture for those who couldn't be here with us to fight to reclaim our home and our world."
As his blue eyes scanned the group, lanky and tall Larry commented, "And I don't know about the rest of you, but I am kind of hoping that we'll all be standing together an the end of this." Nodding, the others around smirked as he peered beyond the foliage around to their city and sighed, "Luck got us through this far, but this battle to come is going to be more challenging than any other we've had before."
"I think a prayer is a fine idea," Wufei grinned. Smiling at that, the knights stepped closer to join hands and bow their heads. Just behind them, their steeds followed their example by linking their long tails and closing their eyes along with their riders.
Taking a deep breath, the Commander began, "Creator, we thank you for allowing us this opportunity to do your will today by fighting for the good in this world against the Keeper. We pray that you continue to watch over our army and if possible see that we manage to survive this war one last time to see its end. And should we fall, we hope to join our friends and loved ones amongst the good spirits including Captain Freize and Commander Lowe..." Voice cracking at the end, he paused to swallow away the lump in his throat.
Anna opened her watering eyes just enough to watch her husband from the corner of her eye and squeezed his hand in hers. Reassured by the gesture, Chang took a deep breath and went on, "Creator, we pray for the safe return of our friends, Prince Duo and Heero as they struggle in Dekim's captivity. Along with being our brothers, we would not be here were it not for either of them and what they have meant in the turning of the tide in this war."
Jack's silver hair rustled on a gentle breeze as he added, "That said, in Prince Duo's words, we are ready to kick some ass, Creator." The lot laughed as their watering eyes opened.
Wufei chuckled in conclusion, "In your name." Repeating the words, the knights released their hands and wiped at the stray tears that were rolling down their faces.
"Nicely worded, husband-mine," the archer smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist for a quick kiss. His face lighting up, the Commander wrapped his arms around her and kissed the end of her nose in appreciation.
Running his fingers through the mane framing Lion's face, Daniel stated, "Well, I cannot think of a finer group of knights-in-training that I would rather be fighting beside than all of you. Best of luck and if all goes as we hope, this time in a couple of days we will all be knighted."
A wistful smile tugging his lips, Juan leaned against Tiny's hide behind him and snickered, "Now there is a thought that I will be keeping in mind when dealing with Dekim's men. We have only waited for that honor for a few dozen years. It would be even better if Prince Duo survives this to be the royal that calls us to the new rank."
Quietly, Anna sighed, "And if Heero was with us as well." The mention of their prince and Commander sobered the unit.
Wufei was the one to break the silence that had fallen by announcing, "We better get ready for the strike, everyone. By my estimate, we will be charging Sanq in a couple hours. Do whatever you must to prepare."
One-armed embraces and pats on the back made their way around the knights as well as pats to each other's steeds while the dragons bid their own extensions of parting grunts and twines of their necks. After they'd all had a chance to see one another, the group parted to step deeper within the forest to rejoin the rest of the Alliance.
* * * * * *
Within that hour, the Virgonian force moved into the open, well out of the sights of the spotters in Sanq to press to the northwestern edge around the kingdom. Joining them were the armies of Capricorn, Libra and other cities from the same region as well as hoards of werewolves.
From their spot, they had a clear shot of the mountains where the great northern river remained frozen up their cliffs from Duo's spell.
Mueller whistled through his teeth and shook his head as he continued to march. "That magic made its way all this way from Cygnus," he breathe. "That is just... impressive."
"Of course it is," Gloria beamed beside the Commander. "It's the work of Prince Duo. Nothing that he does is short of amazing."
Rolling his eyes, the knight sighed and muttered, "Yea, yea, yea." Mildly glaring at the small blonde, he frowned, "And I really do wish that you would move further back in line where you will be safe longer through the fight. I am only here because I am a commanding officer."
Her long lashes batting, the werewolf purred, "Oh, that is just so sweet that you would be so worried about me. But the fact remains that someone needs to watch your back, as reckless as you can be in battle." She leaned against her lover and smirked, "That is, unless you really would rather I not be here."
Instantly wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her protectively, Mueller ignored the burning in his cheeks and smiled to her, "No. I am glad that you're here." Gloria giggled and walked on her toes to stretch up for a sound kiss.
* * * * * *
First Captain Scott Lewis bit his lip as he searched the healing wagons before he had to leave with the Leo army for the trek to the west. Scanning the many faces around, he called, "Sally?" At the same time he shouted for the braided young woman, he heard her voice yelling for him over the commotion.
A smile tugging his mouth, the tall officer watched as the healer gently pushed her way through the masses around to hurry to his side.
Clearing her throat, Sally brushed down the long skirt of her emerald dress and nodded firmly, "I had heard that your men would be on the move and wanted to wish you good luck, Captain." She let out a surprised gasp when strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the ground as their lips met in a deep kiss that she quickly melted into and returned.
Their noses almost touching when their mouths parted, Scott chuckled, "I have been meaning to do that for some time now."
"Me, too," the healer admitted with a soft laugh. When she was gently lowered back to her feet she bit her lip and reached into the pouch hooked to her belt. Removing a white handkerchief trimmed with stitched flowers, she carefully stuffed it within the confines of his wrist armor.
Clearing her throat, Sally blushed and shrugged, "Just something to keep me close by."
Scott blinked his widened eyes and grinned, "Thank you, my lady." Bending down, he kissed her cheek and gave her a wink before he reluctantly turned on his heels to rejoin his men. Taking a deep breath, the braided young woman waved him off and headed back to her team.
* * * * * *
Later that morning...
The chore of cleaning the mess that Prince Duo had made in the bleeding room was extensive and slow going. It made the repairs to the drawing that had been smeared even more tedious. But after several hours of laboring, Dorothy had completed the beginning of the spell.
Pushing herself from the floor, the sorceress sighed deeply and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "Finished," she announced as she looked back to Dekim in the doorway. "We can begin the bleeding now."
"Excellent work, my dear," the old man smiled darkly with a pat to her back. In his other hand, he gripped the staff of a tall scepter with a large ball of crystal held in place by an iron claw. Securing the black rod into the floor just ahead of their prone captive, he peered back to Heero and snapped his fingers.
At his master's wordless command, the knight stepped into the room and stood in front of Dekim as he said, "Now be sure to hold perfectly still, my boy."
Taking hold of the handle of a long dagger hidden within his robes, the sorcerer held the weapon against his servant's neck. "Yes, my lord," Heero replied even as the jagged blade rested against his skin. He received a squeeze to his shoulder by the free hand resting there.
His gray eyes watching the prince closely, Dekim removed the hold of the disorientation spell and stirred the consciousness. Crying out as his eyes shot open, Duo jolted and shook in his chains as though he had been splashed by a wave of ice water.
Automatically checking the armor that he remained encased in, the braided teenager sighed in relief to see that his spell had held even in his unconsciousness. That brief reprieve ended when his vision cleared and focused to see sorcerer holding Heero from behind with a knife to his neck, the prince gasped sharply and froze in dread.
Chuckling deeply, Barton smirked, "Good morning, sweet prince."
* * * * * *
Mounted in his saddle along with all of the dragon riders around, Wufei turned his head to where Alex was running up. In his run, the werewolf turned into his human shape and shouted up to the Commander, "Both branches of the army are in position and waiting for our lead whenever you are ready."
Securing his gold helmet, the swordsman removed his blade and responded, "I believe that we have all waited far long enough for this moment." He looked over to his wife in her silver helmet as she set an arrow to the drawstring of her bow. Their eyes meeting, the newlyweds shared a nod as well as a private smile.
His sword shooting up into the air along with his arm when he cast his eyes forward to Sanq, Wufei shouted to the thousands of men behind them, "Chaaaaaarrrrge!"
TBC...
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