Retribution: Part Six

Martin slowly turned the mirror in his pocket, red eyes narrowed at the sky. "I wonder how those two are doing?" he murmured. It'd been over a week now since he'd sent them out; surely they should've finished the job by now? And yet he hadn't heard anything about a plan for Meridell to attack Darigan. So what was going on?

      The Darigan Techo sighed, pulling the mirror out of his pocket and looking at it, twisting it and watching as his reflection morphed. He closed his eyes, falling into the memory of how he'd gotten hold of the object:

      The Techo sighed, his uniform scrunching up around him. "I wonder if anything's ever going to happen here?"

      The words that responded were quiet, hissed almost silently. "Not unless you make it."

      Martin jumped, looking around in surprise. "Huh? Who's there?"

      "We're here," the same quiet voice hissed.

      He took a hesitating step forward, then jumped back when his foot kicked something. Slowly, he bent down to examine the item. "It's a... mirror," he murmured, turning the small object over in his hands."

      Then, before his eyes, he watched his face twist and contort into a much, much darker one.

      "You aren't reminiscing about the past, are you?"

      Martin jumped in surprise, then gave a half-laugh, half-sigh. "Yes," he admitted. He glanced at the two figures reflected in the mirror, the turned slowly and asked, "Do you know anything about what's going on down in Meridell? I haven't heard anything yet."

      The Faerie and the Skeith exchanged glances. "It appears," the Skeith said slowly, "that he's been captured."

      Martin stiffened. "What?"

      "He was thrown in the dungeon," the Faerie growled, her fists clenching and unclenching, "without much attempt at restarting the war."

      Martin's eyes stretched wide and he shook his head furiously. "No. That can't be!"

      "Unfortunately for you, it is true," the Faerie responded.

      The ghostly Skeith narrowed his eyes at the Techo. "We gave you power," the ancient voice croaked, "because we believed you could succeed in getting us what escaped before."

      "Yes, and I appreciate it," Martin agreed, bowing his head quickly.

      "So you won't fail us, will you?" the Faerie hissed.

      "Of course not!"

      "Very good," the Skeith commented. "Now, take us to him. Take us to Kass."

      Martin was about to agree when the Faerie added suddenly, "Oh, and don't worry; you may have more help than you think."

      ~*~

      Wraith looked around him, blinking red eyes curiously into the gloom. Where am I? he wondered. Wasn't he supposed to be in a dungeon in Meridell?

      He stiffened as he saw a figure through the darkness. Slowly, the figure became more and more clear, revealing the form of a Darigan Eyrie with ruined armor. He took a few stumbling paces backwards. No... not this again. Anything but this...

      The Eyrie's thoughts resounded through his head, confirming his worst fears; that he was reliving this nightmare all over again. Where... am I? Kass was looking around him, fear apparent in his eyes. "Is this where the Three took me?" he whispered, shaking. "But what is here?"

      Unfortunately, he didn't have an answer. He shook his head, clutching at it. "No. No!" he lifted his head, his beak opening in a cry. "I don't want this! Get me out of here! Get me away from them!"

      "Kass."

      The Eyrie stiffened at the voice. "Who's there?" he whispered, red eyes wide.

      Slowly, the darkness cleared before his gaze, revealing the gentle face of the earth Faerie Illusen. She smiled at him. "There. Don't worry; you're free of them now."

      "Them?" Kass repeated, his voice hoarse.

      "The Three."

      The eyes of the Darigan Eyrie widened. "How do you know about them?"

      Illusen sighed. "We've had encounters in the past." She moved away from him and Kass slowly sat up, watching her with wary eyes. "While none of those encounters have been pleasant, to say the least, I have learned how to counteract their influence to an extent."

      "To an extent?" Kass repeated skeptically.

      Illusen sighed. "I wouldn't question this gift, Kass; I could have easily left you to their magic."

      "So why didn't you?" He couldn't help the utter confusion he felt. He'd just instigated a war between Darigan and Meridell; by all rights, the Three should have taken him.

      There was a pause before she answered. "Times are changing," she said slowly, not meeting his gaze. "Perhaps I thought you deserved a second chance, one without the influence of them."

      "But...?" he asked slowly, sensing one coming.

      Illusen slowly turned her eyes towards him. "But in order for you to live, Kass must die."

      Wraith tossed in his sleep. "No..." he murmured, his eyes scrunched tight as he briefly touched consciousness before falling back into the world of dreams and memories.

      He looked on in horror as his young charge turned his gaze from the mirror, three spectral figures appearing behind him. "No," he murmured, taking several steps backwards. He'd abandoned his identity as 'Kass', attempted starting again, taken in the young blue Bori, so why did they have to come back? Why did they have to ruin everything?

      When Cam smiled at him, it was twisted, and when he opened his mouth, the voice of the young Bori was echoed by that of three others. "It's been a while, Kass."

      "That's not my name," he hissed, glaring at the ethereal forms of the Three. "Now let him go."

      "Oh, no, Kass; not until we get what you owe us."

      Wraith stiffened. "What I... owe you?"

      Cam studied his claws, his four voices commenting, "You see, Kass, you promised us everything, but somehow you found a loophole." The Bori's blank gaze turned towards him. "And, oddly enough, it seems we can't reach you through normal means." Illusen's magic, Wraith realized suddenly, eyes stretching wide.

      Cam took a step forward, and the Darigan Eyrie stiffened, eyes trained on the figure that followed the small neopet. "So we had to find another way." Another step. "We attached our essences to a mirror, and planted it around the Citadel." And another. "How fortunate your young friend found us."

      "All this just to get what I owe you?" Wraith whispered.

      "We do not like being cheated, Kass." The Eyrie flinched as the Bori extended a paw; the action would have seemed ridiculous had it not been for the beings that stood behind the small figure. "Now, will you give us what we want? If you do, we'll let the Bori go."

      He should have said yes; he knew he should have said yes. But fear drove him to screech, "No!" He lunged forward, knocking the small form of the Bori over, the mirror he held flying free from his grip and clattering across the ground.

      Wraith could hear the angry hissing of the Three, hear the screams, but his eyes were locked on the small, convulsing lump of blue fur in his arms.

      Wraith rolled over, curling slightly in on himself and whimpering as the memory-dream continued:

      "Illusen, please," he begged, eyes wide and pleading.

      The earth Faerie sighed, he hands hovering over the small form. "When you knocked the mirror away, the Three were still possessing him?" she asked.

      "I don't see how that-"

      "It caused complications," Illusen interrupted, obviously taking the words as a 'yes.' "The Three attached their forms to the mirror and to Cam; when they were separated, so were the Three."

      Wraith's heart dropped. "And what does that mean?"

      Illusen shook her head, not directly answering his question and instead replying quietly, "I'll do what I can." Her hands hovered over the small form of the Bori, starting to glow as her eyes scrunched up in concentration.

      After a few tense moments the pained look on Cam's face receded, and Illusen pulled back, wiping her brow. "That's all I can do for him."

      "All can you do?" Wraith repeated, unsure why she used the phrase when the small Bori appeared to be fine.

      The Faerie offered him a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry; he may have to go through more trouble than you know."

      Wraith finally jerked awake, breathing hard with his eyes stretched wide. For a few moments her remained curled up on the cold stone and scattered hay, muscles tense. Then he slowly relaxed, his eyes half-lidded. "My past will never go away, will it?" he whispered quietly. "I swore I'd never be 'Kass' again; that I'd just be a ghost of what he used to be. So why?" His claws slowly scratched across the stone, his eyes narrowed. "Why can't I get peace from my past?"

      "Perhaps because you don't deserve it, Kass."

      The Darigan Eyrie stiffened at not only the name but the voice. "Martin...?" he asked slowly, rising.

      The Darigan Techo stood outside his cell, glaring in at him. Wraith's blood ran cold as he saw a mirror in his hands, the object slowly being turned this way and that. Just behind him was the faint presence of two of the Three, their malice almost tangible. "It's time, Kass," twin voices hissed. "Time for your retribution."

To be continued...