Fae stirred, blinking bleary eyes.
She wished she hadn’t woken up at all. What she could see was grotesque enough, but what she felt…
She groaned as she tried to turn her head, to look at what was happening to her. She was suspended upright, her arms held up in a Y-shape, her waist supported, her legs left to dangle freely several feet off the floor. There were several points of dull, painful pressure in her arms, and when she was finally able to see…
Her heart twisted itself into knots. She fought the urge to vomit, the urge to look away, the urge to scream.
There were three tubes running into each arm, injected like an oversized IV at the wrist, halfway up the forearm, and middle of the bicep. The fluid that was running through those clear tubes…
Green. Softly glowing.
The… transference fluid! From Wasuryu’s — !
And then she remembered. She remembered Sal appearing in the tree, but only as a hologram. The Silver Star Sanctuary opening up, revealing tubes and mechanical arms and black pits that she fell down, down, down…
And that voice. That horrid laughter.
Wasuryu…
He got me. Probably got the others, too. What’s he injecting me with this stuff for? How do I… how do I get free?
Fae didn’t struggle for long. Though her legs were free, flailing them about caused her a great deal of pain, without getting her anywhere. Her waist was locked tight, her arms too. And while the pain in her arms was just a dull pressure when she didn’t move, when she did fire lanced through her, hot and blistering.
Where are the others? Where am I? How do I… is there any way out?
She must be in the bowels of the Sanctuary. Lights pulsed a soft, sickly green overhead. The walls were dark, and slick with… mold? Grime? It was hard to make out in the darkness, but it was grotesque. What machinery she could see felt like it was out of some alien horror film, looking partly mechanical and partly disturbingly biological, with sickening twists and folds, tubes and leathery sacs pulsing like veins and hearts pumping blood through the system of pipes and tubes that surrounded Fae.
Worse still, her jacket, shoes, socks, and bag had been taken from her. Her bare feet were cold, and slightly wet — she cringed at the thought of having any bit of skin touch the viscous substance that coated the floor and walls.
And…
I don’t have a Talisman.
I don’t have the candlestick bell.
She was completely trapped, without a single tool to aid her.
Her stomach convulsed again, and she fought against the urge to vomit, tasting bile in her mouth. She made a face, tilted her head, spat onto the floor.
Tears stung her eyes.
What’s going to happen to me? The transference fluid… he said I had to be submerged in it. So why is it… like this…? What’s it going to do to me? Am I…
…going to be come…
…his Vessel…?
Despite her best attempts, Fae sobbed, crying as softly as she could, desperately fighting the tears to no avail. Hopeless, helpless, trapped by her worst nightmare, the most horrific villain…
What could she possibly do?
Footsteps sounded, far away but growing closer. Fae clenched her teeth, stilled her sobs, and went as quiet as she could so she could listen. Amidst dripping water and the steady sounds of tubes and sacs twisting and pumping, the footsteps drew nearer.
Heels. Clacking just like high heels.
Steady steps. Calm, confident.
Fae gritted her teeth, narrowed her eyes. Before the person entered the room, Fae knew who it was.
“What did you do?” Fae asked in a low voice, glaring down at the Matron of the Silver Star Sanctuary.
The Matron tilted her head up, gazing at her from whatever eyes hid behind that silver mask. Her lips rested in a thin line.
“Where are the others?” Fae asked. “What are you doing to us? Why did you ever let this happen?”
“I had to make a choice,” the Matron said, her voice smooth and steady as it always was. “The Enchanted Dominion needs the Silver Star Sanctuary. You have no idea how important this place is. And you have no idea… how once that man found his way inside its defenses… how easily he could have destroyed it. But he gave me a chance. A chance to keep the Sanctuary alive, at the cost of letting certain… undesirable elements in.”
“ ‘Undesirable elements’…” Fae said, disgusted at the Matron’s euphemisms. “Wasuryu called you the ‘Silver Star Witch.’ He blamed you for his condition. So what are you doing letting him take over your home?”
“So, his lies were effective,” the Matron said. Fae’s eyes went wide, and the Matron nodded. “Yes, all lies. You see… he was dangerous. But… he could be useful. So we constructed a narrative. A story that would please the other Dragons, a story that would keep my reputation intact. And a story that let him work his evils without as much attention as he would have received otherwise.”
“You call what he’s doing evil, but you still helped him?”
The Matron nodded. “Yes. Surely you’ve heard of ‘necessary evils’? What Wasuryu plans for you is evil. But it won’t harm me or my purposes. It was a small price to pay for survival.”
“And what about the Star sisters? What’s going to happen to them?”
The Matron bowed her head. “They… should never have come back. I had hoped I could keep them apart from you, keep them from seeing what would happen… if they’d come back alone, then perhaps… but no. I… I never knew exactly why they left. That was not a lie. But I was glad to see them go. They… very nearly lost themselves in this place. If they’d stayed longer, I would have lost them forever.”
“What’s going to happen to them?” Fae asked in a tense voice.
The Matron turned away. “I… I always try to defend them. But they have compatibility. He… wants to use them, too.”
“And you’re just going to let that happen?”
The Matron began walking away, saying nothing.
“Why’d you come to see me?” Fae asked.
The Matron paused at the doorway. Silent for a long moment, she finally turned to look back. “I wanted to see you. Before he came for you.”
Fae shuddered. But she shook her head. “No. That’s not it. Why would you want to see me at all?”
The Matron hesitated again, then looked away. “It appears… you don’t know where Toryu is. He escaped, you see. He… never would have gone along with these plans. That was another reason I’d hoped to keep things compartmentalized, keep different groups separated. Toryu’s anger is a frightful thing, though it won’t do him any good now. Still. I thought perhaps he had confided in you, or you were working together. But it’s clear you aren’t.”
“Just trying to cover all your bases, huh?”
The Matron nodded. “Of course. If things don’t go properly, the Sanctuary will be destroyed. And the Dominion will die with it.”
“The Dominion’s already dying!” Fae clamped her mouth over a scream as she strained at her bonds. “The Endless Night is coming, Darkness is spreading over everything, and you can just stand here and let that happen?”
“You misunderstand,” the Matron said. “Darkness will not devour everything. The Sanctuary… the Sanctuary will always stand. As long as I allow this… Darkness will never claim my home.”
“So you just sit back and watch as everyone else dies?”
“No. I will not watch.” The Matron started down the tunnel. “I will never watch.”
Soon she was gone, her footsteps echoing long after Fae lost sight of her.
Fae hung helplessly for a long time, trying her hardest not to move, not to make things more painful than they were. But not moving was killing her, because…
I can’t stay here. I know I can’t. But what else can I do? Staying here… I’ll become…
His Vessel.
But how do I escape? There’s nothing I can do. Do I really just have to wait until it ends?
Did… did he get everyone? Did Olivia or Sonya get free? What about the Star sisters?
What about Madeline? She was all alone… what happened to her?
Someone…
Someone please…
Save me.
——
Madeline sat, back against the wall, making herself as small as possible. On her right side was the masked boy, and on her left was young Neptune, both cowering against her.
All three of them breathed as softly, as shallowly, as possible. Madeline kept all senses on high alert, listening carefully, watching out for any danger, afraid to make even the slightest move or sound.
We were too late.
That was the thought that kept running through her mind. No sooner had she and the young ones left the safety of the gazebo, than the entire Sanctuary started revealing its true nature. With panels opening everywhere, mechanical arms and glistening tubes revealing themselves, the rumbling laughter of Wasuryu echoing all around, Madeline had grabbed the children and done the only thing she could think of.
She’d transformed.
Taking on the persona of Lady Felicity Adeline Montblanc IV, she’d snapped open her purple parasol and called upon Illusion Magic to hide them.
And…
It had worked.
That had been the best surprise ever. Contending with a Dragon, a Dragon who had taken over the entire Silver Star Sanctuary, who had woven his soul into the fabric of the entire Location, should have been impossible. And yet Madeline’s Illusion Magic was enough to save her and the children.
Maybe that’s exactly it. I’m not trying to contend with his power, or meet power with power. I’m just trying to hide.
But…
We can’t stay here, can we?
Madeline’s fear had left her frozen, but that thought finally came to mind.
Fae’s in danger. Everyone is, but she’s in the worst danger of all. Wasuryu finally got her.
If we don’t move quickly…
She’ll become his Vessel.
First things first…
She gripped her paintbrush Talisman, and her poofy dress and fancy accessories spun away in ribbons of light, while other ribbons of light clad her in new clothes. She still kept the parasol — it was a special Augmented item, enhancing her Illusion Magic greatly, and was likely part of the reason she’d been able to hide herself and the children — but now wore a navy blue knightly surcoat emblazoned with a flaming red bird in flight, over a light shirt woven of a fine, pale blue fiber Augmented with the defensive capabilities of much heavier armor. A silver belt wrapped around her waist, connected to a silver baldric carrying a sheath on her back that held a slender hand-and-a-half sword with a handle wrapped in blue cloth, its silver pommel gleaming with polish.
She was Dame Ravena Lohxaris Elincia, Knight of Auroraveil, oathbound to the Sacred Order of Lighthold, charged with purging the monstrous Darkhorde from the land.
“A…” the masked boy started, gazing at Madeline, his mouth slightly agape.
“A knight,” Madeline said, flashing a smile. It was easier to do now that she’d become a heroic character with a penchant for smiling in the face of danger. And continuing to carry Lady Montblanc’s parasol gave the outfit a rather humorous anachronism that helped Madeline’s smile along even more.
“A knight,” the masked boy said. He smiled, and Madeline thought that might be the first smile she’d seen from him. It was such a precious expression.
I can’t let him down, not now that I’ve seen that smile.
Okay. Psych yourself up, Madeline — Dame Ravena. It’s time to be a hero.
“How far are we from the core?” she asked, looking at Neptune.
Neptune looked around the darkened, transformed corridor. “It’s more difficult to find the way now that the place is… like this,” she said. “But we need to go down. He can’t block the path to the core, no matter how much he may want to.”
“Right,” Madeline said, nodding. “Even evil Dragons have to follow certain rules.”
“Can you fight with that?” Neptune asked, nodding to Madeline’s sword.
Madeline chuckled. “Not as well as I’d like,” she said. “Let’s still do our best to avoid fights, shall we?”
“Where…?” the masked boy asked.
“I think… we should go straight,” Neptune said, pointing. “As long as we look, we’ll eventually find the path. It seems that we can travel undetected. Moving around, I might be able to find clues or things I recognize to help point the way. Staying here… won’t get us anywhere.”
Right. That’s the next step. No matter how safe we are here… we have to move.
And it’s up to me to keep us undetected.
Madeline stood first, adjusting her parasol to rest against her left shoulder, held in her left hand. As she did so, she felt a hand slip into her free right hand, and looked down to see the masked boy clinging to her, gazing up at her.
I wish I could see his eyes. But even with that mask…
I can see it clear as day. He trusts me completely.
Madeline took a deep breath, then let it out.
Better not let him down.
She started forward, the air in a tight bubble around her and the children shimmering ever so slightly, a sign of Madeline’s Illusion Magic at work. “Stay as close as you can,” she said to the children, taking slow steps and regularly checking on them as she went. Just because they could move around didn’t mean they should stop being careful.
The Silver Star Sanctuary really was changed, in a disgusting, foreboding fashion. At first it had just seemed mechanical, with panels sliding open in the walls, floors, and ceilings, metal arms popping out, display screens coming to life, and translucent pipes pumping glowing green liquid all around. But in no time at all, things had become grotesque. Silver, pristine walls were blackened, coated with a layer of sticky, disgusting slime. The pipes and other machinery seemed more organic, almost like some nightmarish creature with its internal organs out in the open, pumping and twisting and convulsing in sickening fashion. It wasn’t just how it looked, but how it all sounded. Liquidy squelches, thumping heartbeats, gross gurgles and more made up a symphony of disgust that twisted Madeline’s stomach in knots.
As they turned a corner, they encountered another element making their trek daunting: monsters. Clunking along on thick, mechanical legs, these biomechanical beasts were made up of metallic parts, gears, pistons, with lamps for eyes and drill-tips for fangs, but mixed in with all of that was muscle, sinew, and organs, all dripping with gelatinous ooze. The particular monster that patrolled the corridor ahead of Madeline and the children had two thick, stubby legs, a bulbous, jiggling body, gleaming red eyes, and thick arms corded with muscle and steel cables, flexing threateningly every other step.
Slowly, carefully, Madeline crept along the edge of the corridor, holding the masked boy’s hand tight, and letting Neptune hold her parasol’s handle with her. They stayed close together, as silent as they could be despite Illusion Magic helping hide even the noises they made. Madeline didn’t want to take any chances.
The beast stomped along, panting with a husky, metallic tone, dripping drool on the floor in its wake. It reached the end of the corridor when Madeline’s group was less than halfway down, and turned about, revealing a face so twisted and squashed that Madeline could only look at it for a moment or two at a time before looking away in revulsion.
And now the beast was marching towards them. Madeline knew that she was safe, but she concentrated more carefully, walked more slowly, stayed at the very edge of the corridor, threatening brushing against the viscous goo on the wall in order to stay out of the way of the beast. There wasn’t much room, but there was enough, and with Illusion Magic, the beast shouldn’t notice them even if he actually touched them, but…
There’s no way I’m letting him touch us. Not even a graze.
Her heart was pounding harder the closer the monster got to her. But she was Dame Ravena Lohxaris Elincia, Knight of Auroraveil. She would not be afraid. She would not quake, she would not falter, she would not lose herself to fear.
If not for herself, for the sake of the children that were counting on her. When the masked boy’s hand began to tremble, Madeline stopped a moment, gave it a gentle squeeze, and smiled down at him.
I won’t let them down.
Halfway down the corridor, the moment came to step back, as much as they could without touching the sickening wall of the corridor, and wait for the monster to pass them by.
Louder and louder his breathing became, louder and louder his footsteps stomped along, and a stench rolled to Madeline’s nostrils that nearly made her vomit. But she fought all urges to move, to cry out, to be sick. She had to be steady, and keep the children steady.
They all held their breaths, went as stiff and still as they could, as the beast passed right alongside them. Two steps, then three, then four…
And the monster continued on, without even paying them a sideways glance.
Let’s go!
Madeline took the children with her, walking faster than before, determined to get out of this corridor before the monster came back the other way.
They made it. And the next corridor was clear, open, and at the end of it…
“Stairs,” the masked boy said, pointing.
“And they lead down,” Neptune said with a relieved sigh. “We’re on the right track.”
Madeline echoed Neptune’s sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
Fae… please hang in there.
I’ll be there soon.
——
Fae heard footsteps. But her brief flicker of hope vanished long before the newcomer arrived.
These footsteps were not normal. There was a bit of a click-clack to them, but it was a series of quiet clicks and clacks mixed in with heavy, fleshy footsteps. Something like…
Like feet with claws. Claws clacking, feet thumping.
That means it must be…
No. Please not him — !
She struggled against her bonds, but only for the briefest moment before clamping her mouth over a scream and coming to a halt. She felt hazy, heavy, her mind foggy. Whatever was being run through her, injected into her… what was it doing to her? Yet despite how heavy and hazy she felt, that did nothing to dampen the pain.
This can’t happen. Please… please!
The footsteps came closer, and closer, and then… stopped.
Fae slowly looked up.
Before her was a tall, reptilian being walking on two legs. His feet were bare, green scaly pads with four clawed toes each. While his legs, torso, and arms were covered in a black coat, his hands were exposed, like human hands but covered in scales, with elongated, clawed fingers. And his face…
“Must you look at me with such disgust?” Wasuryu asked.
For it was him. Fae would recognize that voice anywhere. And yet his face… what had happened? His hands and feet were solid, but his face looked like it was falling apart, reforming, then falling apart again, unable to keep a constant form. Scales melted away with flesh, revealing bone and sinew, only to cover back up, then melt away again. When Wasuryu spoke, his voice came out messy and grotesque, unable to maintain a consistent tone, though his words were understandable enough.
His sinister intent, and the hate beneath it, were as clear as ever, too.
“How?” Fae croaked out. Her throat was so dry, it was hard to speak. How long had it been since the Matron visited her?
“How can I be here in the flesh?” Wasuryu asked, and Fae couldn’t look him in the eye, not with the way his eyes kept sliding out of their sockets and then back in. She locked her gaze on his feet, instead. “This is… a contingency. One that I’d rather not have taken, but you forced my hand, Vessel.”
Fae swallowed what little moisture was in her throat. “Why are you… working with Sal?” she asked. “You… called him ‘vicious’.”
Wasuryu chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. “You don’t understand? Yes, he is vicious. Is it any wonder we work so well together? Ah, you were so clever before, but it seems you’re as susceptible to words as every other mortal. You took too much for granted. How do you think I’ve come this far, gained this much power and influence? You saw all of my followers, all of my acolytes, in my city. I would dearly love to take full credit for that, but I never could have accomplished all of this alone. It was Sal who told me of the Vessel, Sal and Jormungand who helped me find a way into the physical realm — albeit a weak, limited way — so that my transference to you, my Vessel, could happen. I am not above allying with others to achieve my goals.”
Fae struggled to breathe easily. If Wasuryu was here, no matter what other words he said…
It must mean…
It’s time. Time for him to make me his…
No. I can’t let this happen! What can I do?
“What are you… doing to me?” Fae asked.
“Hm?” Wasuryu asked. “Ah. Yes. I see. So you remember how the transference fluid works. Yes, normally you would need to be submerged, to let the fluid soak into you completely.” He chuckled, and Fae’s stomach churned. “You destroyed a fragment of my soul, Vessel. I will never be completely whole. You stole a valuable, if flawed, servant in Sealed. So I’ve taken a different approach. You will suffer, Vessel. You will suffer before I take your body as my own. I’ve chosen the slowest, most painful method of infusing you with the transference fluid. And before the process is complete, you will watch as I take delight in destroying my two failed Vessels right before your eyes. I will take all you love, I will destroy all you care for, I will pay back the harm you’ve caused me one hundred fold, before I take your body.” Fae looked up at his face, which twisted in a vicious, decomposing and recomposing sneer. “Despair, Vessel. When I return, it will be with one of the failed Vessels.” He turned from her, walking away down the tunnel, his laughter echoing as he went.
Fae gritted her teeth as tightly as she could, and then strained against her bonds. Pain lanced through her, her whole body aflame with vicious fire, but she fought and struggled even then. Tears flooded her eyes, and faint whimpers broke through her desperate attempts to fight down screams, but still she fought…
Until finally, she collapsed. Her head was spinning. Her body was so heavy, her head so light and foggy. It was too hard to fight. Too hard to struggle.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she drifted into a hazy sleep, feebly praying for someone to rescue her.