Chapter 22 The Fate of the Temptress
author: Veyanne - yellow , Blackguard - violet
Once again. melting into the shadows, he traveled back to his own keep. It was sheilded against any foe, or friend for that matter. Right now he needed a place where none could enter or leave, save himself. He was safe for the moment, even Lord Chaos couldn't enter should Blackguard wish it.
Kendra liked to call it his "Fortress of Insecurity". It was a monument to his fears, paranoias, and anxieties.
He collapsed in a chair, closed his eyes and started breathing deeply. The deep cuts that Kendra had given him were closing, and in a moment they were completely healed. He glanced at his left palm and started to laugh. "Perfect, " he managed to gasp between bouts of laughter.
It was nervous laughter at best. There was still one more thing that had to happen to make his plan work. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to pull it off.
"Felicia!" he shouted, " I need you."
A few moments later a striking Japanese woman entered the room. She had the fluid moves of one trained in the dark arts of the ninja. She was Blackguard's second in command, a woman hand picked and trained by himself. Possibly one of the most beautiful and dangerous assassins ever. She looked at him cooly, her flashing eyes missing nothing. He uncoiled from the chair and walked towards her.
"Everything went well? " she asked as she entered his personal space.
"Better than you could possibly imagine my dear, " he finished as he pulled her close and kissed her. "Kendra suspected nothing. By the way, has our guest arrived?"
"Not yet my Lord. How did you manage to do it?"
"I have certain abilites and even connections that Kendra doesn't know about. Besides, I had help from more than one source, " he turned to the shadows and said, "thanks Dad."
Meanwhile....
"Take your twisted hands off of my daughter you bitch!", the temptress shouted. Her voice was full of passion.
For some reason everyone wanted her children, the Army of Righteousness, Kendra, the overlord, and now Blackguard. She couldn't trust any of them. She couldn't stand to see any of them raising her children. She made up her mind once and for all. She was going to protect them. She was going to raise them. She was going to lead them to safety. She would do all that or die trying. She was their mother. That's what mothers are supposed to do, protect their children with their lives.
Kendra set Thenna down on the floor and prepared to strike. The temptress dove toward the unconscious girl. She pressed a button on her belt. The floor gave way down the middle separating Kendra from the others. Half of the floor tipped sideways toward one wall, half toward the other. Below was the temptress' own labyrinth. The temptress cradled Thenna as they slid toward the ground. Henos joined them at the bottom. He squealed with joy. For him it was fun.
The temptress had the trap made to use against enemies. She never thought that she would have used it on herself. It put some distance between her and that crazed Witch. She hoped it would buy her enough time to escape.
She looked at her children imploringly, as if hoping one of them could give her an answer as to what just happened.
Henos was fine, he actually looked excited as to what was happening. She thought, "he's so much like his father. Wanting to fight and have adventures." She turned to Thenna who was just standing there, unmoving.
"Thenna?" she asked her daughter. "Thenna!?" she reached out and touched her daughter's shoulder and suddenly her daughter fell to the ground, like a marionette deprived of it's strings. The Temptress screamed at this, thinking her daughter dead but Blackguard's voice spoke in her mind.
"Temptress, your daughter is safe for the time being. I had to use this ruse to throw Kendra off the tracks. She's been poisonned by Kendra's teachings and I've taken it on myself to cleanse her of those. Don't worry, very soon she'll be returned to you. Whole and healthy. Until then my Lady, " and his voice disappeared from her mind.
"Bullshit!", the temptress called out. "People don't have souls. What have you done to my daughter!"
Blackguard began to get nervous. The temptress wasn't buying it. He reopened the connection to her mind.
"Not her soul,", he began to explain carefully, "her life force. I have her essence with me. It's what makes her walk and talk."
"The brain in her skull and the blood in her veins make her walk and talk you bastard!", the temptress had no tolerance for mythology. "What have you done to her, demon?!"
"You see, it's magic.", Blackguard began to grasp at straws, "There's a magical force that brings together the body and the mind. Right now the force is weak.", Blackguard continued hopefully, "There's a danger that it might break and that Thenna would be killed. So I'll need you to give us her body as soon as you can."
"Yes. Come down here and take it Blackguard. Come down here and take her away from me. You'll see what you get.", the temptress had heard enough of Blackguard's crap. She was ready to fight.
Blackguard muttered some demonic curse words. He closed the connection to the temptress' mind. Felicia started massaging his shoulders.
"So you don't really have her then do you sweetheart.", asked the elegant assassin.
"I would've, I should've... It would have worked on anyone else.", Blackguard hung his head. "She used to trust me. We used to guard each other's backs. I don't get it."
"You screwed up again didn't you dear.", Felicia's voice was as smooth as silk.
"No. She screwed up. It's her fault. Damn atheists!", Blackguard grumbled. "What's the good of being a demon if no one believes you can steal their souls?"
Felicia whispered in his ear, "You've failed. I have orders from Lord Chaos. I must kill you now."
Blackguard freaked. He stood up and spun around. His face was pale, well, pink instead of its normal red.
Felicia just stood there smiling at him.
He hated her sense of humor sometimes.
"Honey, had you truly received orders from Lord Chaos, your mind would be shattered by now. Don't make the mistake of trying to think you could ever stand at his side. Ninja or not, black arts or not, you're no match for him, " he stated. Upon saying the words "black arts" he was reminded of his current task. "C'mon babe, we gotta help Thenna," and he led her from the room.
Kendra slid down the stone surface and found herself in another long passage. The trap floor had closed above her before she could get back out. Her mood darkened even more.
She felt a ripple in ether and suddenly knew she had been tricked. She howled in fury and drew her sword, licking some of Blackguard's dark blood that still clung to it's surface. "Blackguard! You will die for this!"
Indeed, he was a marked man. He'd come between a student of the Black Arts and her master. That was an unpardonable offense. Kendra wasn't about to let it slide, even if she had mixed feelings about Thenna.
Kendra dropped down onto the stone floor. She looked around her. The room was dark. There seemed to be no way out. Kendra was no stranger to labyrinths. She knew there had to be a secret passage somewhere. All she had to do was find it. The Witch Queen raised her hands. Fires erupted around the room. She watched them carefully. On the wall to her left she saw one fire burning brighter than the rest. That was where the passage was. The outside air was feeding the flame.
Kendra dropped her hands. The fires went out. She hurried over to the passage. There was no time to lose. Finding the secret catch could take hours. She didn't have the time. There was a quick way to find the catch on some traps. She hoped it would work. She pushed the stone wall in the direction that would close it. She listened carefully.
Just above her head she heard a click as the catch slid fully into place. She reached up and searched between the stones. She felt a small lever. She moved it to the side. There was another click. The door slid open.
Kendra walked out into the passage. It forked two ways. One led to the other chamber, the other back to the castle. The door to the other chamber looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. Kendra walked over to it, found the catch in the same place, and opened it up.
"Thenna, wake up. Thenna!", the temptress was trying to revive her fallen child.
She didn't hear the door slide open. Henos did.
"Mom, it's her!", Henos tugged at his mother's arm.
The temptress turned to look. Hope began to flee from her mind. She had run out of tricks. She was trapped.
The temptress reached for her gun. As she drew it her wrist snapped backward. Her gun and the Witch Queen's knife both clattered to the floor.
The temptress looked into the Witch Queen's eyes. Kendra's stared intensely back at hers.
The temptress broke away. Things seemed hopeless. "Why does everyone want my children?!", she yelled out in frustration.
"They are strong in the ways of magic. So was their father before he became a machine.", Kendra spoke the final word with an air of disgust. "I have promised to teach them both the Black Arts. I always keep my promises."
"I'll die before I hand them over to the likes of you!", the temptress defiantly shouted.
"So be it.", Kendra drew forth her red blade.
The temptress knew that she was overmatched. In her younger days it might have been an even fight. That was back when she practiced every day and did the real thing far too often. Now her body was out of shape. All her attention had been turned to the twins when they were born. She did everything she could to make them happy. She took care of them night and day. She told them stories. She played games with them. She taught them how to take care of themselves. She loved them more than anything in the world. With their father gone she was all that they had. She was determined to raise them right.
Now it seemed that all was lost. Her children were going to taught the Black Arts. Worse still, they were going to be taught by a theist. It was almost too much to bear. Even Blackguard would be a better choice to raise her daughter.
Then she thought of Henos, and the way the overlord had looked at him. There was no way she could ever let him have her son. He wasn't the same man she knew and loved. He was just a thing. The bond between them had been broken. The love was gone. She could see it in his eyes, well, his human eye. He had come to kill her. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.
He could not allow him to have her son.
"Can you kill the overlord?", the temptress asked.
Kendra was startled by the question, "Yes." she responded quickly.
"Promise me you will if he ever lays a hand on Henos.", the temptress demanded.
"And what do I get in return?", the Witch Queen calmly asked.
The temptress turned and knelt in front of Henos. She took his head in her hands. "My sweet young man.", she said to him, "I want you to go with this woman and learn all you can from her. She will teach you all about the universe. I want you to understand everything she says."
"But, mother,", Henos stuttered, "she wants to kill me. She hates me."
"I know she hates you but she won't kill you. She's the only person I can trust to do what she says.", tears started to come to the temptress' eyes. "Be a good student Henos. I know you can. Make me proud of you. OK? Everything is going to be all right."
"But, mother..", Henos started.
"No buts my dearest Henos.", the temptress spoke through the growing lump in her throat. "Do this for me. No matter what happens I'll always love you. Please do it for me?"
She hugged the young boy. She squeezed him like a teddy bear. Henos stood motionless. He couldn't believe what was happening. His mother was going away for good. She was telling him to obey a woman who wanted to kill him. His mind was whirling. He was so confused.
She whispered in his ear, "Just don't believe a single word they tell you about the Goddess. It's all a bunch of lies."
"I know, mother.", Henos said.
The temptress smiled and looked at her son for the last time. Her eyes were full of tears. He was going to be OK. She could feel it. He was strong. She knew she had raised him right.
"That is what you get in return.", the temptress said to the Witch Queen.
"I agree to your deal.", was Kendra's reply.
She stood up and turned to face the Witch Queen. She looked at Kendra's red blade. It would be her death. The temptress didn't care. All she could think about now was her children. This would be the last time Henos would see her. She wanted to show him how to face death.
With a blood curdling scream she charged the Witch Queen.
Her hair flowed behind her, wild and free.
One last time she was an angel of death.