Chapter 13 The Chase Continues author: Veyanne - yellow , Henos - red , Thenna - blue , Blackguard - violet The temptress let the sorceress cast the spell. She closed her eyes and called out to the overlord in her mind.
"My love.", she said in earnest, "The sorceress is leading me to our children. They need our help. Please follow. I will leave a trail."
The temptress found herself in a dark hallway. She saw the sorceress was casting another spell. The temptress dropped a small metal object on the floor. As she looked at it it seemed to grow larger and closer. She wondered what was happening. She turned to look at the sorceress but all she saw was a black cat staring at her at eye level. She looked down and saw herself covered in fur with whiskers. She was a Tabby.
"Meow", said the other cat.
In the temptress mind she could sense the other cat said, "Follow me, quickly.". She did so. The two cats scampered down the hallway. They stopped every so often to lick themselves. They didn't know why. It was a cat thing. They didn't understand.
Thenna rested her head on Henos' shoulder. She wanted nothing more than to just sleep right now, but a sense of uneasiness filled her. Drifting with her eyes closed, she saw Kendra running down the hallways.. a dark figure stepped in front of her... Thenna's eyes snapped open with a sudden jerk.
Henos looked at her with bewilderment.. her eyes bulged with fear.
He was worried about his sister. She had become more nervous as the time went by.
Visions began to haunt the Witch Queen as she ran. Down she descended into the dark depths of the earth. Down she descended into the dark depths of her past. A century old nightmare was coming back to her. It was as vivid as the day it was burned into her mind.
The innocent eyes of a child. They'd been forced to watch such horrors. She'd seen the brutal murders of her father and her brothers. She'd seen the rape and desecration of her mother and sisters. One by one they all met a gruesome fate before her eyes. She sat watching in terror, speechless, knowing only that she was next.
She remembered the face of the man who gave the orders. The man who laughed maniacally as he indulged himself in the slaughter. The man that wore a silver cross and did all his horrid deeds for the glory of God. Kendra remembered his face. It was something she would never forget.
She had escaped by pure luck. She knew a spell to free her from her bonds. They had left her alone for a moment. When they returned she was gone. She ran down into the depths of her people's underground home. The passages there were like a maze. A child could hide for days below and never be found. It was what Kendra was forced to do. The search for her lasted for a week. The men were determined to kill every last one of her tribe. They failed. She survived.
She knew all the places a child could hide in the tunnels below. She knew she would find the children. She was going to put an end to the lineage. Henos was going to die.
"She's coming after you! We must hide."
Henos wanted to say something but his sister pulled him up and he had to run with her. He quickly got in front of her and guided her into a side passage, or she would have ran straight into the lighted hallway. She was in panic....
The cats chased after the Witch Queen. She was fast. They lost sight of her often but they never lost her trail. They almost did once. A rat ran out in front of them and they had to chase it for a while. That happens when you change shape. You and the animal become one. It has its drawbacks.
Kendra was getting closer. She could feel Thenna's heatbeat. She knew Henos would be with her. Her revenge would come soon.
She remembered another attack on her people by the men of the silver cross. It was less than a decade ago. This time her people were ready. This time they were masters of the black arts. The battle was fierce. In the fray two warriors met. Kendra came face to face with the one who now called himself the overlord. She recognized his face. It was the same face as the one from her nightmarish past. It was the face of the grandson of the man who had slaughtered her family and tribe. Overcome with rage smashed through his defenses. Her fury was like a wild animal. Her sword tore through the overlord over and over ripping him limb from limb. He lay in pieces on the ground. She stood in triumph over him, screaming, and soaked with his blood.
When the battle was over the overlord's body could not be found. The men of the silver cross had taken what was left of him. Kendra thought it was the last she would see of him. She was wrong.
Kendra turned the corner and stopped suddenly. There was something different here, something that didn't belong. It felt familiar, too familiar. There was Dark Power here, but not hers, it felt different. She drew her sword and was about to start searching for the disturbance, when Blackguard stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello Kendra, " he said.
"Him again.", Kendra knew there was no need for her sword. This one she could handle in another way.
Her face went through a range of emotions, some that she had thought long buried, but when she spoke the only thing in her voice was hatred, "hello half-breed, " she snarled.
He half smiled and said, " you still haven't forgiven me for what happened have you?"
"Did you think I ever could?" she threw her words back at him.
She played with his emotions like a cat plays with a mouse. She knew how to stroke his ego.
"Sure, we both wanted it. Actually I think it was the darkness within us that wanted it more.
What she wanted, she took. That was how she was.
And then afterwards you were so angry you cut me. Or was that just to get some of my 'blood'?
He hadn't been very satisfying. He was lucky to be alive. So she tested him. He passed. She let him live.
Doesn't matter, this half-demon isn't going to fight you. I only came to warn you that the Overlord is coming here to take his kids back. Not only that but the Temptress and the Sorceress are hot on your trail, they should be here soon. I diverted them with a rat, but that will only hold them so long, " he explained.
Kendra knew the Sorceress would follow. It wouldn't matter. Henos would be dead before the Sorceress could do anything.
"Why did you do it? Why did you turn your back on me and take up HIS cause? With our powers combined? " Kendra asked, some of the venom going out of her voice.
"I followed him when I saw he was a better leader than I could ever be. He just has this power that makes people want to follow him. I never fully trusted him, but I thought I could make a difference fighting for him". He looked far away for a moment before continuing, "I don't know Kendra, there was a time, long ago that I think we could have made a great team, but things have changed since then".
"What a weakling.", Kendra mused.
Blackguard removed his sunglasses and looked at her, with his human eyes. "When this mess is all over, maybe we can. I don't know. But think about it. And remember that the Overlord is not the same man from your past. Killing his children will only make him hunt you down, and if that happens I don't know if I'll be able to help you."
She wanted the overlord to come to her. She would finish him at last.
He was done talking. Kendra decided to give him something to think about.
He put his sunglasses back on and was about to leave, when the Witch Queen did something totally unexpected.
"Will?"
She called him by name, something that she had only done one other time, years ago. He half turned to see what she wanted, her only response was a small smile, barely perceptible, and she said, "take care of yourself".
"Will do," he said and slipped once more through the shadows.
Kendra smiled. One day he would be quite useful to her.
She closed her eyes. She felt Thenna's presence nearby. She bolted down a side passage. Two cats gave chase.
Thenna knew it would be deadly to let Kendra back them into a corner.. she had first hand experience with her. Henos pulled her down the corridors. looking for a way out. He felt like they were running in circles the whole time they had been down here. There had to be a way.
Thenna stopped running. Henos turned to his sister; his eyes questioning her.
"She's gonna try to kill you. We have to hide you somehow. If I could only remember one of the spells she taught me...."
Two sets of foot steps approached quickly.
"Here we go, " he thought.
Henos pulled her into a niche and they waited frightened at what was to come. The little boy clenched his fists. He would not give in without a fight. Then it occurred to him.... they had to buy some time. Confusion, that had always worked in the past. He looked at his sister in the dark next to him and could barely distinguish her against the stones. He knew how she looked though, the long shirt, the dark blue coat... His coat was dull red and his shirt was much shorter.
"Give me your coat," he whispered, "and take off your shirt."
He was already at it himself. With only their trousers on, they were indistinguishable. As Thenna recognized the old game they had played so many times before, she undressed quickly. This could at least buy them some time.
Now all that was needed was....
Henos pulled his knife from his coat and he cut his hand at precisely the place where he knew Thenna was cut as well. With tears in his eyes he slipped the bloody knife in her hand and she guessed his thoughts immediately. Without a word she opened the almost healed wound with a quick pull of the knife.... Now there was only one way to tell them apart and they would not give in to such inspection easily....
...and not a moment too soon.