by SunnyJustice » Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:43 am
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary was so full of life, Rowan was having a hard time keeping track of everything. Since he had been blinded, he had only experienced the ruined Windwoods Village, and the barren Blizzard Mountains. Now that he was in a lush place, the world to him was a colorful play of lights.
"Dinner," Rowan suggested as he smiled down at their intertwined hands. "I think you all deserve a feast after your hard work. I have some words for all of you too."
When they entered the kitchen, Rowan smiled at the others who were there. "Hello," He told them. It was impossible to recognize them without an introduction. Everyone radiated a different light, but he couldn't tell who was who without meeting them first. "My name is Rowan Adamson. How are you?"
Cilan smiled and nodded firmly. "Brothers forever. Now come on, we don't want to be late for dinner."
Cilan didn't know why he didn't react painfully to Flynn using the word 'Alpha'. It felt natural. Cilan knew Flynn wouldn't really try to displace him as group leader either, even if they shoved each other around sometimes. Like any siblings, they could get rough when they were sparring each other. But all in good heart.
He really felt a lot better, and he hoped Flynn did too.
"We've got to eat as much as possible, so we can be strong for training. I can't wait to find and kill whoever killed my sister. I will use a brick as my weapon, because I knew she was killed with a brick." Cilan scowled with rage, but he grinned when he imagined beating up his worst enemy.
"I bet whoever killed her... isn't a hard nut to crack."
"That's great," Gavotte said when Jennifer agreed with him. So they were sleeping outside. "Thank you."
He reclined on the slightly glowing grass, a blanket of silver. This was what he imagined the Celestial Tower's surrounding fields to look like. Luno had brought heaven to Hesenia.
He looked up when Jen apologized.
"Don't worry. I understand you were just trying to protect me." He smiled softly. "I promise you that if there is any real danger, we will all take care of it together."
---
Sanctuary Outskirts
Aha! Cadence had spotted the bad teenagers. Three of them had snuck out. Probably those insolent troublemakers, led by that little Adamson devil. She moved closer, and saw the teenagers investigating a peculiar object. They were talking in hushed whispers, and then they left. Cadence went to the object they left lying on the ground.
It was a huge snakeskin.
Suddenly, she realized the teenagers were in danger and her attitude suddenly changed. "You get back over here!" She roared, dashing into the forest like an angered bear- only to hear screaming. The screams were quickly cut off before they could finish. As a chill ran through her bones, Cadence ran faster, using her telekinesis to clear a path.
She burst into a clearing to see the petrified teenagers lying on the ground. Two of them had their mouths frozen in horror. Their eyes were blank, dead and staring. It was Travis and Blaze.
Cadence realized why they had been screaming- the third teenager had undoubtedly died first. She looked down, only to stare into the petrified face of Guinevere. Her youngest, little daughter.
For once, Cadence was struck speechless. No...
She heard hissing from the trees, and not just from one mouth. The sound was coming from everywhere. Cadence didn't need to stop and think, she just turned and ran. She had to warn the Sanctuary.
She burst into the Sanctuary clearing, waving her arms and yelling.
"On your FEET, maggots! Jen, start a FIRE- as big as you can! Basilisks are coming NOW!"
---
The Prison
Ivana kept on playing with Amber's hair, although her face was tight now. She remembered Cilan and the others. As a high-class daughter of the Timekeepers, Ivana was one of their playmates. She was slightly older, so she wasn't as carefree as they were since she hated getting dirty. She would sometimes tease Amber that she would grow up to marry Cilan. However, Ivana stopped teasing when she heard a rumor their marriage had actually been arranged. If it was serious business, she wasn't going to make immature comments.
"Of course Cilan will remember you," Ivana said gently, but then her anger rose along with Amber's. "If you don't like anyone there, I will happily send them to Zelkova's judgement with you."
---
Parliament Building
Alastair was scowling, up until Virisia walked into the room. Then he immediately calmed. "I want you to keep an eye on everyone. Make sure they are doing their job. If they are slacking off, you can punish them however you see fit." He looked her in the eyes for a moment more than necessary, then waved his hand in dismissal.
Cyprian nodded enthusiastically, he hated fancy restaurants. He hated waiting around for some posh tuxedo idiot to give him some skimpy little dish. It didn't even look a thing like food... more like an artistic sculpture. Then he felt bad about eating it because he was destroying someone's hard work, even though it was meant to be eaten, and it was worse to not eat it. If he didn't eat it, he would be a jerk.
He also hated the no shirt, no shoes, no service thing. Cyprian really hated shoes.
With a puppy-like grin, he followed after Jaai. "Thank you my lady," He said, trying to be fancy. He wrinkled up his nose as soon as they were out the door. "Ugh. That load of disgrace is not for me."
---
The Underworld
Vulcana was really disgracing ticked off. Who did these idiotic condemned mortals think they were? She was just trying to work at her forge, and these little twerps kept pestering her. She would tell them to leave and they would argue with her. That was why the ground was covered by marks. She had pounded the twerps into the ground like nails, backwards, so only their feet stuck out. The demons had come to collect the idiots, and Vulcana had filled in the holes with lava. Mostly. She left marks there, to remind herself of how many idiots she had beaten up today.
There would be more marks if Juniper wasn't here to help her. He had an important role; protecting everyone in the Underworld from Vulcana's wrath. She would probably have beaten up everyone if he wasn't here. She had no tolerance for these misbehaved, rude people who felt entitled to her forge.
WHAM! The door flew open, and Vulcana spun around with a snarl that made the entire place shake. It was another intruder. Vulcana thought she was seeing double with rage, but there were actually four male idiots.
"LEAVE NOW," Vulcana ordered them. Her hand tightened around her hammer. She had not been able to work on the weapons in peace, since these stupid dead mortals kept on bothering her. Juniper's job was to keep a lookout for Agatha, but he couldn't keep many of these little twerps out.
One of the idiots immediately turned and fled. "W-w-waaaaahh!"
"Keith," Groaned the tall redheaded idiot who frowned after the retreating brunette. Well, tall compared to other mortals. Vulcana towered over every single one of these freaks.
"Who said you could order us around, woman?" Sneered the fat ginger, who looked even more disgusting than the tall ginger. He had a pudgy, acne-covered face. The pimples looked like volcano craters with how big and red they were. His gigantic, bulbous nose protruded like a huge potato from his face.
A rumble started to shake the cave. The dimwits didn't even notice.
"Let us get her. We are far superior to this peasant." The tall blonde turned up his equally long, but thinner nose. His hair was greasy and had obviously never been washed. His face was pale like a Vampire and covered with a dramatic amount of freckles. All of their faces radiated stupidity.
Vulcana just stood there as they walked towards her. The anger inside her could rival General Ada's. She watched indifferently as they punched and kicked at her with all their might, screaming incoherent battle cries.
"DO NOT SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!" She roared, swinging her hammer and knocking all three out of the room simultaneously. They flew out the door with high-pitched screams, flailing as they went.
Seething, she returned to the anvil and started smashing the pieces of metal. She wasn't in the mood to even make these arrowheads. Vulcana was so ticked off she couldn't focus. She just wanted to smash everything in sight. The room was shaking violently from the force of her hammer swings. Stalactites snapped off the ceiling and shattered on the rumbling ground. She was really losing control of her rage.
"Vulcana," Called her favorite voice.
Immediately, her fury quieted and the violent tremors stopped. She turned to see Juniper standing in the doorway. His head was slightly lowered because of the small doorframe; Vulcana had to almost crawl through that door to enter and exit. She was always glad to see him, but his arrival meant...
"She is almost here," Juniper whispered as he stepped inside. "I can feel her."
"GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY," She ordered him sternly.
He didn't hesitate to go into her arms. She hugged him tightly, cradling him close to her with her back to the door. Vulcana's feelings for him had not changed since millions of years ago, when she created Solara for him.
"I know," Juniper murmured as he relaxed into her embrace. "I'm sorry. Vulcana, I-"
He was interrupted by the loud crashing of an intruder entering the room. Vulcana released Juniper and stood firmly in front of him, turning around to glare into murderous green snake-eyes.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT." Vulcana demanded. She hadn't exploded because she would never do that around Juniper. She didn't care how ticked off she was, she would never hurt him. She was not Agatha.
"I knew it!" Agatha cackled, entering the room with her head held high. She was obviously flaunting that unlike Juniper and Vulcana, she wouldn't hit her head on the doorframe.
Instead of hiding behind her, Juniper stepped out to stand beside Vulcana. His posture was neither aggressive nor afraid. He looked Agatha in the eye and did not waver.
Vulcana had never been more proud of him.
Agatha stalked forward like a predator hunting its cornered prey. "Come to cry to yer girlfriend?" She cooed mockingly, slowly approaching them. Her face was twisted in a disgusting sneer. Vulcana wanted to wipe it off with a good old punch, but that would mean moving. And she wasn't leaving Juniper's side with this witch here.
"EXPLAIN YOURSELF," She ordered harshly.
"I'm here to take back what's mine," Agatha said with a smug expression.
"HE ISN'T YOURS, WINTERS."
"Oh yeah?" Sneered the witch. She walked ever closer to Juniper. "What do ya say, Junie? Leave this controllin' jerk with anger problems and never come back. She doesn't love ya, she jes loves her forge. Nobody will ever love ya as much as I do, sweetie." She smiled sickeningly at him, then grabbed his wrist. Vulcana tried to control her temper, but she saw Agatha's sharp nails beginning to dig into Juniper's skin and she lost it. She lunged forward and before Agatha could even react, Vulcana had her in a headlock from behind.
"Ya see?" Agatha just smirked, not even struggling. "At least I can keep ya safe from her. Now get yer dog to let me go, and let's go home, love."
Vulcana realized this was her plan all along. To convince Juniper to come back with her by making Vulcana look even worse. Her heart beat faster as she realized Juniper would pick Agatha again, and it would be easier for him than last time. He was going to leave her again.
Juniper looked at them. With her bad eyes, Vulcana couldn't tell who he was looking at. "I'm sorry, but today I have to say goodbye for good."
Vulcana could swear her heart was about to shatter in two. She was losing him again. This time, he wouldn't return.
"That's right, sweetie," Agatha cackled.
"No," Said Juniper. "You don't understand. I am saying goodbye to you."
Quick as a flash, Agatha somehow threw Vulcana off. There was a horrible cracking noise as she landed hard against the far wall, and then slammed into the floor. In her rage, she couldn't even feel what was broken. The blacksmith looked up, only to see the Zelkova-damned witch slap Juniper across the face.
A curtain of red obscured her vision as unbridled rage replaced conscious thought.
"You're comin' with me," Agatha hissed, the fake sweetness in her voice curdling to venom. She grabbed him by the wrists, her grip tightening. Vulcana could swear she felt pain around her own wrists. In a blinding haze of fury, she struggled to rise but her limbs wouldn't move. She couldn't move anything except her eyes, and they would barely focus on Agatha.
"Nuh-uh-uh, kiddo!" Agatha sneered in her condescending tone. She released one of his wrists and pointed her finger accusingly towards Vulcana. "Take one step closer an' he dies right here, right now. How do ya like that, brute? Not being able to protect him? Well, ya should be used to it by now."
She threw back her head and laughed. Vulcana was keeping a tight rein on her anger, since she refused to destroy this place with Juniper in it. She couldn't use her powers against Agatha, she knew. Agatha was partially her creation; Vulcana couldn't fight fire with fire, not even her own.
No. No. She could not be helpless and watch him die. Vulcana willed herself to move, with no success. She knew Agatha would leave her here forever. She would be trapped alone in this cave, eternally reliving Juniper's death in her mind. She wanted to call out to him but she couldn't even speak.
"Let's put out the fire before we go," Agatha snickered as she dragged Juniper over. His expression was calm, and completely unreadable. Vulcana watched with defiant rage as her archenemy moved closer. She would not blink, she would stare Agatha down until the bitter end.
But she did blink when Juniper escaped from Agatha's grasp as fast as lightning. She attacked him immediately, matching his speed but not his agility. No one could match his agility. He weaved between her punches, which was as impossible as dodging arrows from an entire firing squad. Her cackles of malice quickly turned into screeches of rage. Juniper was slowly backing away as he maneuvered around the attacking witch, and Agatha charged at him. She lunged in a flying tackle, and he used her own airborne momentum to slam her forwards into the ground again.
"You'll regret that for eternity, Juniper Adamson!" Agatha screeched, using his full name.
"I think not," He said calmly. "And it will be Juniper Steele soon."
Agatha began to rise, but two slender figures entered the door and charged her. They moved so fast, they were a blur until they stopped in front of the witch. Vulcana recognized Zelkova and Livius.
"Shame, sister," Zelkova said disappointedly. "Shame on you. I cannot wait to collect your soul."
Livius grinned at Juniper, who was staring at him in shock. "Hey! What are brothers for?"
"Bring it, kids!" Agatha screamed and stood up. "I can take all of ya at once-"
"Tell it to the judge." A very irritated voice sounded.
Agatha stopped making threats.
"Where is my daughter?" General Ada demanded grumpily as she stormed into the room. She glared distastefully at the forge, with the unfinished weapons. Her eyes then rested on Agatha.
"Do you have a lawyer?" She demanded.
"Don't need one. And I'm not scared of ya," Agatha sneered, although she didn't make a move to attack.
"This one is horrible at representing herself in court." Ada chuckled before stepping forward and looking Agatha in the eye. The smile was gone now. "You will address me as 'Your Honor' when you are in my domain. And just for the information?"
SNAP!
"Your verdict is guilty."
Agatha's limp body melted into the darkness. Vulcana knew she would immediately revive somewhere else. Agatha was a phoenix, but she lacked the proper weaknesses of normal phoenixes. No one know how to destroy her for good. No one was able to even destroy her temporarily, except the General. And Ada was confined to the Underworld. She was too destructive to safely emerge in Hesenia, and she stayed down here to protect everyone.
"Now you better start answering my question." The General was clearly not in a good mood.
"Agatha broke her spine. Come with me," Juniper said as his voice wavered slightly. Ada cursed under her breath, Zelkova clenched a fist, and Livius made a rude face at the spot Agatha's body had been.
Juniper walked to Vulcana's side and knelt down, clutching her hand in his. She couldn't feel it, but she smiled at him anyway. Ada kicked Livius, who stopped snickering and giggling to Zelkova.
"I'm sorry." Juniper whispered as he let his healing power flow through her. She could see it- a soft golden glow that enveloped her like a blanket. "I always wanted to stay with you, but I left because Agatha would kill both of us. I cut off contact because she would kill our daughter too. This time I made a plan with the General, and I was ready for her. I could not tell you because you are more honest than anyone I know-"
"He's saying you can't act," Ada said irritably. "We needed you to react the way you really would. Or else Agatha would see through the plan and kill you both immediately."
Vulcana was gradually regaining feeling. As soon as she could move again, she reached up and pulled Juniper into her arms. His healing power was still flowing through her, warm and comforting. He was the father of the sun. Vulcana created her, but it was Juniper who gave her life.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you. As I said when I left, I do love you. That hasn't changed."
"GOOD. DO NOT LEAVE ME AGAIN."
"I don't plan to."
