Quote:
Ironic, the symmetry of Conall's current condition and what he did to Ahren, two life-times ago. But, back then Ciara was a distant nuisance, Conall was focused. Now, things have changed...|
Originally Posted by Sooner
He was nothing but pain and his body would no longer obey him.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Sooner
Conall's brief spurt of hope faded again. Something was wrong.
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Quote:
Karma's a ***** innit?
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Originally Posted by Ice9_
Ironic, the symmetry of Conall's current condition and what he did to Ahren, two life-times ago.
|
The Abrams is one of the most effective war machines on the planet. - R. Lee Ermy.
Q: How do you wreck an Abrams?
A: You crash into another one.
Quote:
Oh, dear...
| And when the portal opened, only the youngest daughter ó Floinn appeared, stumbling and confused. And alone. |
UH OH Spagettios!
@tiggy
Beware the attack cat
Quote:
*chuckles*|
Originally Posted by Sooner
As they swarmed over him, Ahren clenched his fist tightly around that ring, and went to work reducing the imp population of Ciara Banenighe's prison.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Sooner
Learning from Cerise that the Chi-O's were carnies and now seeing him again... it all came clear. She shuddered to think how close he'd come to wearing a Strongman's helmet.
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"Goodbye, Jean-Luc. I'm gonna miss you... you had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end..." -- Q
Book III - part II
Ciara's Prison
Of the four heroes yanked through the portal, Cerise had the easiest ride. Hers was the only drop of blood to activate the design and she most closely followed the path originally intended. But it was still not a smooth and easy trip and she was disoriented and confused when her boots finally hit ground again. She stumbled forward a step, then another, then her shaky legs went out from under her and she dropped to her knees. Where am I? she wondered, where is everyone? What happened? She shook her head, trying to make the world stop spinning, and trying to get her senses back.
The stone floor was surprisingly warm, as was the temperature in the room. Cerise lifted her head to glance around and was relieved she could do so without nausea. The room was enormous. It was lit by sconces all along the expanse of the wall, casting a warm, yellowish glow over the room. Near the center , the furnishings would have been at home in an ancient, opulent castle - the kind of castle where a cruel despot lived and enjoyed his luxuries paid for from the money stolen from his oppressed subjects.
Cerise pushed to her feet, still weak and shaky, and reached for her radio. Her hand was on it when she heard a sound that froze her in place. A deep, highly satisfied chuckle began to reverberate through the room. Malice and cruelty and profound satisfaction dripped from the slow laugh. Cerise pivoted her head and the demon in the room suddenly popped into focus.
"Welcome, young daughter ó Floinn. I have waited far far too long for you to visit." She didn't know what she'd expected from Ciara Banenighe once she saw her, but this wasn't it. The demoness was shaped like a beautiful, voluptuous woman, one who was eight feet tall, with red skin, horns, claws, wings, and a barbed tail. Her body was lush and curved and barely covered with leather straps and scraps of draped cloth. Her hair was black and long and flowed over her like a living thing. Her eyes were a blazing, fiery red, and her lips were full. She cocked her head at Cerise and her lips spread wide, revealing sparkling white fangs.
"Ah, this is a nice surprise," the demon said. "Though I'd hoped to save you for last, really. You are special to me, little girl. You are the one who made all this possible."
Cerise was reminded of a moment a few years earlier when she'd been riding as a passenger in a car going a bit too fast on an icy road. The wheels had skidded free and the car began a long, looping spin toward a concrete barrier. Cerise sat in the warm car, in the comfortable seat, knowing that in just a heartbeat or two they would collide with the barrier and possibly be badly hurt. But in that moment... the incongruity between the warmth and comfort and the injury towards which they helplessly skidded had left a profound impression on young Cerise. On that occasion, neither Cerise nor the driver had sustained more than a few bruises. Cerise didn't think she was going to be that lucky this time.
It was supposed to be all three of them, with the magical ring, and with their friends to back them up. But instead, it was just Cerise against her family's personal demon. The dread that settled into her gut, the certainty that within a few moments she'd be in pain, or dead, spread over her, made her cold and pale. She took a step back and was awash in a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Her dream. She hadn't had it in.... months, but now, the smells, the feeling.... oh... this is very bad. Nothing that reminded her of the dream where a demon killed her could possibly be good in this scenario.
A movement and a moist sound drew her gaze downward. There on the floor at Ciara's feet was... something. She couldn't quite figure out what it was until it moved, then she realized that it was a living thing. A horribly beaten and broken living thing.... And it was looking at her. Red eyes fixed on her, and she could feel it trying to communicate something to her in the intensity of its gaze. Another movement and her eyes flicked to see a third demon hiding in the shadows. This one was female also with an expression that could only be described as a sulky pout on her face, but was as tiny and dainty as Ciara was enormous. And it looked strangely familiar.
"I have always been so very fond of you," the demon went on. She began to slink closer to Cerise. "You live because of me."
Cerise began to move. She didn't know much about what was going on, but she did know that if beating the demon would require all three sisters and a magic ring, Cerise had no business taking her on by herself. She moved, her red magical blades popping into her hands, always looking for something to keep between them, always looking for a way out.
The demon chuckled. "It was so very simple to arrange your conception and birth. I arranged to duplicate the orders that would allow your father to return home for a few weeks, and simple enough to perform a bit of sabotage to ensure your mother was... ah... fertile at that time.
Cerise refused to respond, unwilling to get pulled into a game of words. She just kept moving and circling, keeping an eye on the tiny demon and making note that both it and the bloody mess on the floor tracked her every move. Ciara was closing in, and Cerise was still just trying to buy time, to keep distance between them, but still that feeling of doom was closing in on in her.
Ciara stalked even closer. "And once I was sure she'd quickened, I arranged for his death. And now here you are."
Cerise's eyes flicked back to Ciara, filled with anger for the father she'd never gotten to meet. "Here I am, you *****," she agreed, but she kept moving. Cerise glanced away from Ciara as she noticed a shadow along the wall. An exit.. she'd found an exit from the room. She crouched, preparing to fly, to flee.
Ciara smiled even more broadly. She stopped moving and cocked her head at Cerise. "Did you think I was not prepared for this day?" she asked.
There is a moment of stillness that occurs just before great violence. Everything seems to slow down and go quiet. That moment occurred as Cerise glanced back to Ciara. The demon was in mid-throw, and Cerise dodged as something silver and reeking of evil magic shot towards her. Cerise launched herself into flight and shot at full speed toward that exit. The spell hit Cerise and skittered over her shields like dozens of tiny spiders trying to find a way in. She could feel the magic trying to grab her and bind her. Whatever it was supposed to do, Cerise was profoundly happy that her shields were strong enough to resist it.
Ciara roared angrily when the spell didn't work and charged after Cerise. She cut Cerise off from the looping tunnel that was her goal and forced her to flee high into the air. Cerise dived and whirled and spun, determined to keep her distance from a fight she couldn't win, and always looking for an opening to escape down that tunnel, even as she was constantly being driven back from it. She had to find Cyd and Caryn, then they could fight this ***** together.
Ciara stopped abruptly and shouted down to the little female demon below. "No! I forbid it!" she bellowed. "You are forbidden to use your magic to aid him in any way unless I command you otherwise!"
The little demon hissed angrily and Cerise realized that it had been trying to heal the injured being on the floor. However, the distraction provided her with the opportunity to escape. She put everything she had into flying at top speed. She raced for the tunnel, but even then she didn't feel hope. Just that sense of doom closing in on her.
She nearly made it. She was close enough to the tunnel to see its first curve when Ciara hit her. The demon crashed into her from above, wrapped her arms around Cerise and powered them both into the stone. Cerise took the impact for both and it knocked the air from her. She twisted and turned, scrambling away, but Ciara had no intention of playing any more cat and mouse. No matter how Cerise fought, the demon was always there. At first, Cerise's magic deflected the worst of the blows, and healed what got through, but eventually Ciara wore her down. The claws began to leave marks, the bites wouldn't stop bleeding. Cerise tried and tried to get some distance between them, but Ciara always managed to be there to block her. And Cerise still hadn't managed to get a blade on her yet.
Ciara smiled again, her full red lips parting over white sharp fangs. She reached out to drag a single claw across Cerise's cheek, leaving a gaping and bloody wound behind "You're done, little girl," the demon taunted.
"NOoooo!" Cerise screamed at her.
"Oh, yes.... yes you are." Ciara slashed at an exhausted Cerise. Her wicked claws cut savagely across Cerise's body.
Cerise dodged frantically, but she was too exhausted. She wasn't fast enough. The claws missed her shoulder, but they bit into flesh right under her heart and dragged straight down. Cerise flinched back, pulling herself off the claws. She glanced down to see that her magical healing was trying, but failing to close the wounds. She looked up into Ciara's face and saw raw triumph writ large there.
Determination made Cerise lift her glowing red magical blades again, but determination wasn't enough to save her when Ciara tossed that same silvery evil spell at her. She wasn't fast enough to dodge and didn't have enough magic left to fight it. The spell sank into her and Cerise screamed. It hurt... but that wasn't what frightened her. The spell cut her off from her magic. It was there, it was trying to get to her, but there was a wall between her and it. She might as well have been a normal human in that moment. Her blades vanished, and the pain from her wounds suddenly hit her full force. She coughed and collapsed, unable to fight as the magic formed bonds restraining her wrists and ankles as well.
"There now," Ciara smiled. "Now... where is that little imp..." she mused. "Imp! Come to me!"
The little demon howled, but darted out of the shadows to stand before Ciara. She stood there, trembling, her tail lashing, her wings wrapped protectively around her body. Her eyes flicked to Cerise, blinked once, then back to Ciara.
"What is your name, little pet?" Ciara asked.
The imp clenched her jaws and trembled with the effort not to answer, but then spat out, "Excruciatrix!"
"Excruciatrix. Delightful." Ciara cocked her head, considering. "You tried to help my naughty pet, Excruciatrix." The demon drew back her powerful clawed hand and Trix cowered in anticipation of the blow, but Ciara didn't strike. "You do not want to displease me, Excruciatrix. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, I understand," Trix hurried to respond.
"Good. Now, get that on it's feet." Ciara said with an airy gesture at the beaten creature on the floor.
Cerise lay helpless, struggling futilely against her magical bonds, watching as the imp scurried over and began to pour red energy into the injured creature. The moist, wet , crackling sound of bones reknitting and wounds closing was horrifying. Slowly it reformed into yet another demon, red skinned and horned.
"Get up, my pet." Ciara called.
Cerise gasped. She'd seen pictures, she'd heard stories. Now that he was somewhat healed, she could recognize Conall Cian. The demon who'd beaten her mother near to death, the demon who'd beaten and tortured Ahren and others, who had nearly killed Six-Four on several occasions. He was among the Ghosts worst enemies and he was here. She struggled, but without her magic, there was no freeing herself. Helpless, injured, and alone in the lair of demons, her certainty grew that the doom from her dream was coming fast.
More.
Story.
Now.
Please.
The only thing I can think of.
The Abrams is one of the most effective war machines on the planet. - R. Lee Ermy.
Q: How do you wreck an Abrams?
A: You crash into another one.
Quote:
The comparison is tragically appropriate.
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Originally Posted by Sooner
the kind of castle where a cruel despot lived and enjoyed his luxuries paid for from the money stolen from his oppressed subjects
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"Goodbye, Jean-Luc. I'm gonna miss you... you had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end..." -- Q
Quote:
That's a good pick, MI. I like.
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Originally Posted by M_I_Abrahms
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I'm really looking forward to Conall being on his feet again 
I think he has some Epic left in him yet 
Book III - part III
Caryn and Ben jogged along the stone halls. With her flying and him teleporting, they couldn't hold hands, and they desperately wanted to hold each others hands, so... they jogged.
"But, Ben... if you could just teleport out of there, why are you still here?" Caryn made a broad gesture encompassing all of the demon's prison.
Ben shook his head. "There's a barrier, a magical barrier of some kind I can't get past. Believe me, I've tried. But besides that, I've had to be very careful in my explorations. I couldn't risk that she would discover I could get out my cell." He squeezed her hand, "But... I know my way all around here pretty well. I can get you wherever you need to go.
She paused thoughtfully. "Well, I need to get to Ciara Banenighe, but we've got to find Cyd and Cerise first. We have to be together... or... at least, that's what the story says."
"We should head towards her throne room, then," Ben said. "Your sisters would head the same way, don't you think?"
"Probably, ya." She stumbled suddenly. "Cerise?" Her legs tangled and she tumbled to the ground.
"Caryn? What's wrong?" Ben hovered over her, protective and concerned.
"It's not me..." Caryn said. The magic was in turmoil. She could see it - it wasn't the peaceful swirls of color she was used to... it was a maelstrom of confusion and chaos. Something was seriously wrong. "It's Cerise. We have to find her. She's in trouble!" She scrambled to her feet and began to run, a long legged sprint toward the trouble she sensed.
"No, Caryn! Not that way! The imps live there!"
She skidded to stop, filled with urgency. She stood in the archway to a large, domed room. At the center was a huge pit and she could see frantic swirling motion - a sea of tiny red bodies.
"Ok ok! But we have to hurry!"
Ben frowned into the room. "Something's going on in there," he said. "Could it be your sister?
Caryn whipped back around and raced into the room. "Cerise! Cerise!' She called.
From deep within the pit, a broken imp came flying. "Guess again!" called a deep male voice. A pair of hands reached up over the edge of the pit and Ahren managed to pull himself up just far enough that they could see his eyes, then he cursed as the hoard of imps dragged him back down again.
"Ahren! C"mon, Ben, it's Ahren! We've got to get him out of there!"
Caryn dived into the pit like it were the deep end of a swimming pool, landing hard on the tiny creatures and tumbling back to her feet in a graceful move that left Ben's jaw hanging open. He didn't waste any time, however, and within moments Grandfather and a trio of Uncles and Aunts joined the Heroes in the pit. Once Mother-in-Law began her shrieking wail, the imps not already engaged with Ahren or Caryn or the glowing spirits shrieked and cowered away. Ahren was able to shrug off the last of the imps trying to chew through his shields.
"Ahren! Thank God!" Caryn smiled.
The pair of heroes flew out of the pit and landed near Ben.
"Caryn, you didn't tell me your friend here was a hero," Ahren said, offering a cursory hand shake to Ben.
"It's a recent development," Ben answered.
"Ahren! We have to go. Somethings really wrong with Cerise, but I don't know here she is!"
"What about Cyd?" Ahren asked.
"I don't know where she is either, but it's Cerise who's in trouble."
"Ok... let's go find baby Sooner."
---
Cyd continued flying through the endless hallways, alternately frantic and resigned. She had to find her sisters, but could they even win without that ring? It didn't matter now, she'd dropped it. They would just have to figure out a way to win.
What does she even DO with all these rooms? she wondered. She paused just long enough to glance into each room before passing it, in case there was something important - a clue, a weapon, one of her sisters - in them, and then kept going. Mostly they were empty of anything but basic furnishing. The demon did seem to have a fondness for mirrors, hard wood chairs, and carpets, along with the occasional opulent bedroom. But nothing of any use was apparent in any of them.
Cyd stepped into a large, rectangular room with an enormous mirror on the wall, glanced around the room quickly and was headed for the door when the disturbance in the magic hit her. She crumpled to the floor, weak and nauseous. "Cerise!" she called. She didn't know what had happened... but something was seriously wrong with her baby sister. She pushed to her feet, weak and shaky but filled with frantic urgency.
She shook her head and headed for the door - and then the mirror flared to life like a big screen plasma TV. She frowned at it, then suddenly recognized Cerise laying on the floor, wrists and ankles bound. Cyd took a step towards the mirror. The female demon looming, that must be Ciara. And there.... in the same room with her helpless sister... Conall Cian.
"Oh no..." she whispered. She took a step closer to the mirror and reached out her hand. Cerise was clearly terrified, and Cyd was terrified for her. Then Ciara glanced at her through the mirror and smiled.
---
Cerise pulled and tugged uselessly at the magical bonds. She was torn between hope - remembering all the stories she'd heard of the Ghosts Reborn finding a way through at the last minute and arriving like the cavalry to save one of their one - and doom. Here she was trapped, trapped and helpless with not one but three demons, and her dream kept recurring to her - a dream in which a demon killed her. She finally gave up struggling to get free and rolled herself onto her side so she could see what was happening more clearly.
"That's enough, little imp," Ciara sneered, and the tiny one stopped pouring her red healing energies into Conall, though it was obvious that Conall was still quite injured. "Come here, my pet. My once favored pet. Come to me."
Conall Cian straightened himself as best he could. He flared his wings, winced, and then folded them tightly against his body. His stride was stiff and awkward, and he held his body hunched slightly to the right, but he complied. He stood before her, head bowed.
"At my feet, pet, the way I prefer you." Cerise was surprised to see him comply. One of the most feared enemies of The Ghosts, and he knelt at the feet of the demoness. "And there you will stay, Conall, until I order you otherwise. Is there any room for you to twist my words in that command?" She waited for an answer, then roared, "Answer me!"
"Your wishes are clear, Ciara," he answered finally, his deep voice nearly a growl.
"I think, perhaps, there might be others in my home who would be interested in the show," Ciara said suddenly. An airy gesture, and the enormous mirror mounted nearby flared with magic. "There... now... every mirror in my home will reflect this room." She turned a smile at the mirror then her dark gaze fell back on Conall. Her hand fell onto his head and she stroked him gently, like a master with a favored hound. "Conall, my Conall. You have always been mine. Your childish rebellions, your petty tantrums... they were amusing to me. But your betrayal... this hurts me." She grabbed one of his horns, a horn still bleeding at the base, and twisted his head so he looked up at her. "You have never understood how thoroughly I own you. You were mine long before you even knew it."
She stood, a thoughtful express on her face. "Perhaps it is my own fault. Perhaps I gave you too much leash. But this!" Her voice, previously a rich,sultry purr, twisted into a furious screech. "This pathetic attempt to betray me, Conall! I think, perhaps, it is time you learned something."
---
Ben led them out of the caves and into carved stone hallways. Doorways and arches lined the hall, but Caryn was so focused on getting to Cerise that she never even glanced into one of the rooms until Ahren called out, "Woah! Wait!"
Caryn impatiently stalked into a room decorated like a medieval brothel - one where the certain darker interests might be indulged - and then her gaze was fixed on the mirror. "Oh my God..." she gasped. "Cerise!"
Ahren felt a knot of ice form in his stomach. There was his young friend and partner helpless and frightened. And there was Conall Cian.
Caryn raced to the mirror. "No!" she screamed at it. She drew back a fist and landed a punch squarely in the center of the oval mirror. It shattered, but then the scene was just repeated over and over again in the shards of glass.
"C'mon, Caryn," Ahren encouraged. "We're not going to help Cerise by assaulting a mirror." She looked up at him, her eyes haunted. "Move it, Ghost!" Ahren yelled.
The trio raced out of the room. "This way...." Ben encouraged. "But this place is huge. We won't get there fast."
Quote:
Humor good |
"Caryn, you didn't tell me your friend here was a hero," Ahren said, offering a cursory hand shake to Ben. "It's a recent development," Ben answered. |
O.o
>.<
o.o
RL kept me from being able to even read the forums for a while now ...
I came back to a great story and I can't wait for more!
Great job Sooner-hun 
Pax
If you take time to help others, you help yourself grow.
If you take time to help yourself, you realize how far you have to go.
If you take time for chocolate . . . you've discovered the secret to a happy life
!GL & be safe in game & real life!
*hug*
Pax
Quote:
At this point I bet Ahren is more annoyed by the imps than he is in pain.
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Originally Posted by Sooner
From deep within the pit, a broken imp came flying. "Guess again!" called a deep male voice. A pair of hands reached up over the edge of the pit and Ahren managed to pull himself up just far enough that they could see his eyes, then he cursed as the hoard of imps dragged him back down again.
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"Goodbye, Jean-Luc. I'm gonna miss you... you had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end..." -- Q
Quote:
After all he's seen and endured...|
Originally Posted by Major_T
At this point I bet Ahren is more annoyed by the imps than he is in pain.
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Rikti invasion
Becoming a Peacebringer
Capture/Torture
Nanite infusion
...yeah, that horde of little ******** might slow him down, but they certainly weren't going to stop him.
Quote:
Exactly!
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Originally Posted by Ice9_
After all he's seen and endured...
Rikti invasion Becoming a Peacebringer Capture/Torture Nanite infusion ...yeah, that horde of little ******** might slow him down, but they certainly weren't going to stop him. |
"Goodbye, Jean-Luc. I'm gonna miss you... you had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end..." -- Q
Ohsnap!Ohsnap!Ohsnap!Ohsnap!
*pounds on thread with a stick*
More story.
Now.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Ice9_
*pounds on thread with a stick*
More story. Now. |
THIS!!! *Wolfie stomps around*
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ice9_
*pounds on thread with a stick*
More story. Now. |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by bamaWolfie
THIS!!! *Wolfie stomps around*
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>> 
Also....
>>
I'm typing as fast as I can! Stop beating my thread!
....probably tonight is next post.
Thank you for making me smile today.
*grabs the stick and goes off to chew on it*
*grabs the vinegar and uses it on fish and chip supper* nomnomnomnom thanks Sooner!
(oh and btw for those US peeps...chips are England's fries....just in case you didn't know )
--------------------------------------
Short Story I did: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=228383
DevArt Page: http://tamedragon.deviantart.com/
Part I
The Ether
The magic grabbed the four heroes and tumbled them in a twisty, turny roller coaster ride through the ether. Colors swirled about them, towards them, away from them, and in some cases, through them. Ahren quickly lost sight of his companions as his sense of balance struggled to keep up, but there was no horizon, no right or left, no up or down. Eventually his inner ears gave up the attempt entirely and he was dragged along like a helpless victim of a violent riptide.
Ciara's Prison
It seemed never to end... long enough that Ahren began to fear that he would be trapped there forever, but then the world snapped back around him. He had a very brief impression of stone walls before he crashed onto a stone floor. The impact knocked the wind from him and disoriented him. He realized that he was lying right on the edge of a circular pit, with his left arm and leg dangling over the edge. His nanites were working frantically to aid him, but it wasn't quite fast enough. Before he could even try to stand he felt tiny hands and claws latch onto his wrist and ankle and yank. He tumbled into the pit, unable to reach for a grip because his right hand was clenched tightly around that all important ring.
The sensation when he landed was like falling into a pile of water balloons and balsa wood sticks. His nanites went busily to work getting his shields up, but his mind was trying to catch up. There was pain, like needle jabs or falling shards of broken glass, and there was movement like a sea of red. The only solid thing he had was the feel of that ring clenched in his palm. He shook his head, and was moments from opening his hand to look at the ring when his eyes finally made sense of what he was seeing. He was covered in tiny red-skinned demons. Dozens of them. They were swarming around him, clawing and biting, stinging him with their little barbed tails, butting him with their horns. They were everywhere, and he suddenly realized that the 'balsa wood sticks' had been the tiny skeletons of the ones he'd crushed in his sudden landing. With his shields back up, their attacks were little more than annoyances, but there were so many... eventually some of them would get through, and being eaten alive by imps was no part of his plan for his life. As they swarmed over him, Ahren clenched his fist tightly around that ring, and went to work reducing the imp population of Ciara Banenighe's prison.
---
It felt like a giant hand had grabbed her and flung her into a whirlpool. Within moments, Sooner Spirit had lost all orientation. She saw her sisters tumbling helplessly into the swirling colors, and Ahren spinning out sight. And as they all tumbled, she was still reaching uselessly for the ring, the ring they had to have to win their fight, the ring she'd carelessly dropped.
She screamed a furious and soundless denial, one hand still outstretched, unable to accept that her failure may have doomed all of them. Then abruptly, the world reappeared around her and she slammed into a carpeted stone floor.
She coughed and tried to catch her breath. A tiny voice somewhere in the back of her mind was urging her to get up, get up get UP!!! But she was still stunned. She pushed herself to hands and knees, and then to her feet. As her mind caught up, she frantically called the magic to bring her shields back up, but there was no immediate danger here that she could see.
“Caryn? Cerise?” she called into her radio. “Ahren? Are you out there?”
Her radio didn't even offer static as a response.
She frowned as she became aware of her surroundings. Shelves, pedestals, and racks lined the walls. Everything there was so very old, which she supposed made sense. There were swords and shields, knives, maces, bows, and other weapons hanging from hooks on the walls. Cups, bowls, and platters filled one shelf, and tools such as hammers and hatchets filled another. There was a collection of bloodstained clothing, including several tartans and cloaks, so old that she was afraid they might crumble if she looked at them harshly, and a sealed glass case filled with books. On another day, a less urgent day, Cydney would have loved a chance to examine those books. But this was not the time. She regretfully trailed her fingers over the glass, knowing she probably would not have the opportunity to return.
Another rack held items of jewelry, rings, pendants, brooches, belt buckles. There were exquisite examples of metal and stone carving, beadwork and glass work. Some pieces appeared very valuable, other probably simply had held sentimental value to the person Ciara had stolen from. Cyd ran her fingers over the displayed hoard and wondered aloud, “How many of these did you take from my family, Ciara?” A part of her knew the answer... that everything in this room had been stolen from her family. Her eyes spied a brooch with the ó Floinn crest and she took it, pinning it at the neck of her red cape. “This one, I'm taking back.”
It took her a moment to realize what she was seeing displayed from a hook on the next wall. At first she thought maybe it was a belt or a sash, but then she realized it was a long braid of hair - hair the exact same shade of red as her own braid, hanging down her back behind her hood and cape.
“Ah... you *****,” she murmured. She reached out and trailed her fingers down the length of the braid, wondering if the original owner of that braid had been one of her ancestors. “I will find a way to see justice done," she promised the long dead woman, but inside she was much less confident. She shook her head.
She made her way to the arched doorway of the trophy room and looked out. Carved stone halls extended both ways with doorways and arches sporadically along their length. She drew in a bracing breath.. “Best get going, then,” she said to herself. She turned to her left and lifted into the air, traveling along the hallway and calling for her sisters and Ahren as she went.
---
Caryn slammed into the stone floor, nauseous and dizzy. She rolled flat onto her back, simply enjoying the stillness. In the distance she could hear water dripping, but otherwise, it was silent. When she was convinced she could move without throwing up, she rolled over.
She was in a large cavernous room with the ceiling arching high overhead. Water dripped sporadically from above to splash into shallow pools on the floor. The room was chill and dank and she shuddered as she reached for her radio, but it responded not at all. No static, no response, no reception at all. She wanted to toss it aside in frustration, but she just put it back on her belt.
“Cyd!” She called out. “Cerise? Ahren!!!”
There was a long silence, then she heard a deep male voice bellow “Caryn? CARYN!!!!!”
“Ahren?” she called back, though it didn't really sound like him. She started jogging that way. “Ahren? Where are you?”
She trotted to a bend in the wall and stopped dead. She faced a barred prison cell. The bars themselves appeared to be stone rods of one piece with the floor and ceiling. The cell was spacious, but still dark and dank and unpleasant. And standing at the bars, reaching one arm through towards her, was Benjamin Tenkiller.
She stopped dead in her tracks, stunned. He was skinnier than she remembered, but that just made the stark planes of his face more clear. His coarse black hair was longer and held back in a tight braid. His clothes were tattered and torn. But it was her Ben. She had no doubt. She wasn't worried about magical trickery, she knew it. It was Ben. She could see it in his eyes.
“Caryn! Is it really you?” he called
She had planned to say a lot of things when she saw him again. She'd planned to ask him to explain. She'd planned to be careful and listen, to be skeptical and aloof until she was sure. On seeing him again, upon seeing her Ben again, all her plans tattered and flew away. She raced for him, slamming to a stop against the stone bars. She reached for him and pulled him to her, hating the bars between them, but hugging him no less tightly for it. His strong arms wrapped around her and they clung to each other.
They both began to speak, so fast, so desperate to get the words out that neither could understand the other, but still saying the things they'd waited so long to say.
Ben's words tumbled out, "I'm sorry, you know I'd never hurt you, It wasn't me, they took my mind, made me do things... I love you! I love you so much, and I would never hurt you. oh Caryn, I've missed you so much..."
While Caryn chattered, "Oh, Ben! I should have listened to you! I thought I'd lost you! I wasn't even sure if you were alive. I should have tried to help, but I was so angry! I wish I'd just listened. I love you! I love you too!"
They finally fell silent, holding onto each other with all their strength, foreheads pressed together. Their eyes opened at almost the same breath, her vivid green meeting his rich brown, both shiny with tears. He lifted one hand to her face, cupping her cheek. "Caryn... it wasn't me..." he whispered.
"I know it, Ben." She took a step back, clinging to his hands. She had spent the time they'd been apart realizing that Ben - her Ben - would never have done those things. Learning from Cerise that the Chi-O's were carnies and now seeing him again... it all came clear. She shuddered to think how close he'd come to wearing a Strongman's helmet. Right at that moment, she didn't need the details. Details could come later, when they were no longer trapped in a demon's realm....
She didn't want to take her eyes from him, but she took a moment to glance at the bars. She frowned. There was no visible door or gate. No opening at all. "Ben.... We have to get you out of there!"
He smiled at her, a crooked smile that spread slowly across his face. "That... is not a problem." He slowly and reluctantly pulled his hands from hers and... vanished. A split second later, he stood beside her. A moment after that, they embraced again, this time with nothing keeping them apart.
---
Conall was finished. He'd taken all the punishment he could and the sisters hadn't yet arrived. He was nothing but pain and his body would no longer obey him. When Ciara ordered him to "Get up!" he tried. There was no will left to resist her control, but he was unable to comply. He tried... he tried even when doing so furthered his injuries. He would have liked to ask for mercy, but he was unable to speak clearly enough. Besides, she wasn't capable of it.
"We could have ruled the world together!" she bellowed at him. "with you as my general, the glory and destruction would have been eternal!" she crouched, peering into his swollen eyes. "You should not have made the bargain if you couldn't live with it, my pet." She glanced at his left hand where it rested near her foot, and roughly twisted the index finger until the bone shattered.
She rose abruptly and took a few steps away. Her head turned and she smiled. She was aware of the disturbance of magic before he was, but then she wasn't broken and bloody on a stone floor. "I wondered where your own little pet was, Conall. Excellent. She is no kind of replacement for you, but she has her own charms, doesn't she?"
When Excruciatrix appeared abruptly in Ciara's throne room, Conall moaned out a noise that would have been "No...." if he could have formed the sounds. He'd left Trix behind for a number of reasons, but mostly because he couldn't risk her falling under Ciara's control. His imp had become quite formidable, and Ciara did not need another weapon. He tried, and failed, to order her to leave, and ended up wracked with coughs that caused him even more pain.
Trix hesitated only a moment, taking in the scene, before she darted for the shadows. Conall willed her to flee, but it wasn't fast enough. "Stop there, imp." Ciara commanded.
Trix skidded to a halt and let out a cry that was part despairing wail and part furious hiss. She had just learned that Ciara could now compell her through Conall.
"Maybe, once I am free again, and your imp has had her chance to prove her worth to me, I will give you to her, Conall. But first..." Ciara paused, glancing up toward the arching stone ceiling overhead. Ciara's full lips stretched in a triumphant smile, and this time Conall could feel it as well. The magic was moving. The sisters had activated the portal. "They come..." she purred. "At last.... at last."
Conall's brief spurt of hope faded again. Something was wrong. The magic was not a smooth knife cutting into the heart of Ciara's prison... it was chaotic and messy. The portal had been intended to deliver the sisters ó Floinn directly to the throne room ready for battle against their enemy. Something had gone horribly wrong. And when the portal opened, only the youngest daughter ó Floinn appeared, stumbling and confused. And alone.