The Stone of Asphallys Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Blood ties. That Honour goes to Tanya Huff. I do own all original elements from this story though!!! Yeay I own something.
Thanks To Cindy for Beta ing you did a brilliant job again.
Synopsis: No spoiler!
Rating:PG so far
Chapter Two
Adonica stirred fitfully in her sleep, haunted by memories that no one should have to recall. The image of her mother suddenly welled up and caused her to jerk back, and as she watched, she handed her the stone and told her to run. "It's up to you now" she had said. The fear shone forth from her eyes and was evident in her voice as well. "I love you".
They were the last words she uttered as the tip of a dagger pierced her abdomen from behind, and her mother's face twisted up in pain, the front of her white vest stained a tragic red.
"No!" Adonica screamed at the memory and watched helplessly as her mother sank wordlessly to the ground, the life gone from her eyes.
With a shout, she sat up and found herself in an unfamiliar bed and began to shake as cold sweat dribbled slowly down her back. A familiar hand was placed on her head and she was pulled into a firm embrace as the sobs once again wracked her body.
"Henry……." The sound of her words were drowned out by her whimpers, and Henry did his best to comfort her.
"Shhh," he soothed. He sat with her in his arms and gently stroked her hair and let her cry until the tears eventually stopped.
His own emotions were stretched to the breaking point, and he felt powerless to comfort her. She had lost both her mother and someone whom she had regarded as a father-two people whom Henry had considered close friends, and for the first time in his long life, he felt lost and utterly helpless.
Her mother had died protecting the stone, but Lucas…. Henry was torn between grief and raw fury for his having abandoned Adonica during her time of need, but grief ultimately won out and the tears trickled silently down his cheeks. The only thing he could think to do was to hold her and try to keep her as safe as possible until her sorrow eventually gave way to the steely resolve that he had come to admire about her.
As both of their tears died away into silence, they sat there still locked in the embrace, each attempting to support the other in their time of need. Adonica was the first to venture a remark.
"Henry?" she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Is it possible to meet with your friend today?" She asked quietly.
"Vicki?"
He realized that it was a stupid question the moment it left his mouth. Of course she meant Vicki; she was the only friend Adonica had met of his.
"Yeah, I think I owe her an apology. I figure it will be easier for me to explain what's going on with both of you in the room, especially when I tell her that I need the two of you to help me straighten this whole mess out."
Henry sighed. He knew that Vicki would not be happy at the prospect of meeting Adonica again, but would probably comply with the thought of free Chinese. This last thought made him chuckle softly to himself. Nothing like a little peace offering to smooth out the tension and diffuse an otherwise volatile situation.
"Done."
"One more thing Henry."
"Yes?" He almost reconsidered, but figured that requesting a face-to-face meeting with a woman whom she'd only recently threatened, was about as bad as it could get. Hopefully.
"Do you know where I can get some clothes at this time of night?" In her rush to get to Henry and protect the stone, she had not had time to pack any clothes.
Henry laughed with relief. "I'll get Vicki and Coreen to pick some up for you on the way over here." With that he walked out of his bedroom and went to make a phone call still chuckling to himself.
******
Half an hour later Vicki and Coreen had shown up with paper, pens and clothes. They were seated around the table in the lounge area when Adonica stepped out of Henry's room wearing a pair of what she assumed were Vicki's jeans and a vest which looked too gothic to be Vicki's. Judging by the triumphant expression on the assistant's face, it was obvious who had picked it out.
"I told you they'd go" Coreen said to Vicki smugly.
Adonica looked around the room taking in the people seated before her. When her eyes landed on Vicki, she shifted uncomfortably.
"Vicki?" Adonica's voice sounded small and uncertain, as she considered whether or not she had the right to call her by such a familiar name.
"Yeah." Vicki's reply was just a tad forceful, and the way she had squared her shoulders suggested she still had some lingering reservations about the girl. Despite her misgivings, she managed to fix the girl with a steely and unwavering gaze. Henry couldn't help but admire Vicki's refusal to be intimidated, but knew that the stare-down was unnecessary. Adonica had called them there to earn their support and not to make enemies. With the stone now in her possession, she would have plenty to deal with soon enough.
"I'm sorry for what happened in your office yesterday, but you have to believe me when I say that I had to do it, and not because I wanted to hurt you in anyway."
The sincerity in that admission was palpable, and Vicki realized that the confident manner in which the girl had presented herself the night before was gone, and had been replaced by a mixture of fragility, regret, and guilt. Vicki's steely resolve melted as she continued to stare at the girl standing before her, all but begging for forgiveness and understanding.
"It's okay. You were doing what you thought was right for your friend. I get that."
Adonica slowly let out the breath she had been holding, relief suddenly flooding over her. She smiled tentatively, and Vicki shifted over on the couch. Adonica sat down between her and the assistant and they waited for the food to arrive.
*******
After they had eaten, Henry motioned for silence so that Adonica could begin to tell her side of the story. Vicki sat listening intently while Coreen took notes. Henry reached out and held Adonica's hand in a supportive gesture.
"I guess that I should start from the beginning."
"That's always a good place." That was Vicki just being herself. She hated the feeling of tension in the room.
"Okay, here goes," Adonica said nervously. A reassuring squeeze let her know that she cold stop at anytime.
"657 years ago, an alchemist by the name of Asphallys embarked on a quest to conquer death, and in the process, created the greatest weapon that man has ever seen; The Stone of Asphallys. It was more powerful than a thousand atom bombs put together, and whoever possessed the Stone of would have absolute control over the world as you know it, as well as the next one. The underworld."
"Once he realized what he had created, Asphallys is said to have shouted to the heavens: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds!" Robert Oppenhiemer is said to have quoted him, but that's besides the point. Asphallys may have been entranced and ultimately driven insane by the power he held in his hands, but he was smart enough to realize that if a demon, an evil human-in fact anyone-got their hands on this stone, then the world as we know it would effectively be brought to an end."
"The only way to prevent this from coming to pass, was to entrust the stone to someone who was not only powerful enough to protect it, but strong enough to resist the temptation to use it. Even if that use was originally intended for good. "
Adonica paused for breath and as she looked around the room, she saw that everyone was staring at her intently. Vicki sat there on the couch with a fork poised above her box of chinese noodles. Coreen had stopped taking notes and was huddled in the far corner with her jaw practically hanging open. Henry, who was familiar with the story, but had not yet heard it told the way that she was telling it, had slackened his grip on her hand and was simply staring at her. The silence was unbearable for Adonica, so she continued.
"My family seemed destined for the job. The female line possessed natural magical abilities which manifests itself in many different ways. As Vicki found out yesterday, mine is telekenesis." Vicki swallowed involuntarily at the memory.
"My mum before me was teleportation, and my grandma's was metamorphmosis. They needed no more power than they already had, so they were perfect for the task at hand. With this responsibility came a heavy price; many have died protecting the stone, my mother being the most recent." Adonica paused as she felt the familiar sting of fresh tears in her eyes. Henry's hand tightened it's grip on hers.
"I'm the next in line to protect the stone, but I haven't fully come into my powers yet. Until I do, then the stone is in constant danger of falling into the wrong hands. I need your help."
Adonica looked plaintively at all of them, and they found themselves hastily shifting their gazes to the floor. They knew that the odds were stacked against them, especially if a powerful witch had failed. Vicki was the first to look up from the floor.
"What can we help with?" She asked quietly.
" Research, fighting, anything. We need to stop this. We need to find some way to destroy the stone. Fire doesn't work, water is completely useless, and in fact, nothing natural works. Magic seems to be our only option. The Stone was created by magical means, so it seems logical that that would be the way to destroy it. Sort of like fighting fire with fire, but the truth is, my family and have been trying to accomplish this for centuries, and so far we have failed."
"What makes you think we can do it now?" Coreen had moved from her corner and was now leaning forward on the couch.
Adonica was undetterred. "The fact that you never back down, no matter how dire a situation is, or what it may take to diffuse it. That was my family's philosophy since the first female was given the Stone to guard. I can see that same resolve in all of you. You are strong people, and your concern for this world and for those you love transcends even your own safety. That's why we can succeed now. Won't you believe with me? Fight with me?"
Adonica's voice resonated around the room drawing tears from everyones eyes, but she wasn't finished yet. Drawing herself up to her full height, she declared: "I will not accept that my mother and father died in vain! The demon who did this will pay whether you join with me or not, but destroying the stone is something I cannot do alone."
She looked at them one by one, and one by one they nodded their assent. They would help her-no matter what it took.
The confidence and dogged determination returned to her features. They could beat the odds as long as they stood together. "Any questions?" Adonica asked.