Lawkeeper Chapter 7
Lawkeeper Chapter 7
She stretched out and opened her eyes with a groan, her entire body felt like it was weighted down with lead. Memory of the shield spell returned and she bolted upright in panic. The abrupt movements made her head spin dizzily and she reached out desperately to steady herself. Then she caught sight of her hand. It was not a remarkable hand, rather small and thin, but neither was it an inhuman hand and it was with a great sense of relief that she realised her brother had recreated her disguise.
More carefully she rose to her feet. She wove slightly as she made her way to the door but once she reached the hall she was able to steady herself between the walls and headed towards the sound of voices.
“You don’t understand, when we came here we broke several laws-” Bunny recognised the voice as one of the elder sisters, most likely Prisma.
A sharp, sarcastic voice interrupted, “Kidnapping, terrorism, destruction of public property-”
“Quiet Raye! What’s that got to do with keeping information from us, Prisma?” It was Darien’s pleasant voice that plucked at a string of memory for the confused Lunarian.
“I’m not talking about Terran laws, Darien. That’s not what’s bothering us-”
“After all you Terrans can’t agree on what’s right and wrong anyway-”
“Avery hush! By coming here we broke at least two divine laws and if we were to tell you everything about our family we’d only be making things worse!”
“But we can’t fight your Prince unless we know what he’s capable of-” Bunny knew Amy’s reasonable tones as well as Lita’s frustrated ones which came next.
“We’re going to be left standing helpless while our world is destroyed!”
“No, you won’t.” She stepped into the room but kept a hand on the door frame to prevent another lose of balance. Even that caution proved inadequate when she took in the room. It wasn’t the shocked faces of the people in the room that startled her, if her appearance revealed even a little of how bad she felt then she wouldn’t have been surprised at their expressions. Rather it was the window near which Darien had made his accustomed place. Instead of the sunlight she expected Bunny saw instead only starless night sky.
“What time is it?” she whispered hoarsely to Lita. The brunette heaved her back to her feet and helped her to a cushion.
“Nearly ten thirty. Rini fell asleep about half an hour ago, she’s over there near Mina,” the green eyed girl answered gently.
Bunny glanced in the direction indicated and found that the little girl was sleeping peacefully but then her mind return to more important matters. “It’s not possible, I would have needed at least twelve hours sleep-”
“You’ve had over twenty-four,” Raye interrupted her solemnly.
“The shield spell-”
“Is fine,” Amy assured her.
Bunny shook her head stubbornly, only to make the room start spinning. Lita was forced to hold her steady once more but the blonde couldn’t afford to relax. “You don’t understand-”
“I’ve been monitoring the shield, Bunny, and it is fine-”
“No! Not the shield, the staff,” Bunny shouted frantically, “The focus... it can’t-” She stopped when Amy’s wide eyes revealed that she understood her panic. Amy darted out the door without a word, Raye close behind.
“I don’t understand,” Mina told her, “What’s the big deal? Amy said the shield was strong.”
Bunny cradled her head in her hands. She was too light-headed and her mind wouldn’t focus properly.
“Bunny?”
She forced the words out, hoping that they made some kind of sense. “I used the staff Amy gave me but nothing on Earth can channel that kind of energy for long. The staff will burn up and the shield will fall.” She stopped when her words became slurred and the room began to whirl once more. A roaring filled her ears and she wobbled and shut her eyes.
Something pressed against her lips and she opened them automatically. The taste of chocolate flooded through her mouth and she swallowed. Another lump was pressed onto her tongue and she continued to eat, neither knowing nor caring who it was that fed her. Her mind shut down and allowed instinct to take over. Whoever it was that had triggered her ravenous hunger understood her body’s need for an energy source and gave her only foods that were high in sugar and carbohydrates. As fast as it was provided, her body metabolised the energy and began the process of replacing some of the body mass she had sacrificed during the previous day. Her personality returned some time later to find herself licking honey off her saviour’s strong fingers.
She opened eyes to see several wide-eyed faces watching her in fascination and an ocean blue gaze examining her. She was held close to Darien, one of his hands supporting her back. She held his other wrist in an iron grip and his honey-covered fingers were still pressed against her tongue. Embarrassed and flushing wildly, she released him quickly. He withdrew his hand, pausing only long enough to wipe some honey from the corner of her mouth.
“Feel better?” he asked compassionately.
She nodded and shuffled off his lap, trying desperately to ignore their curious audience and restrain her blush. The blush proved a lost cause when she saw him lick the remaining honey of his fingers before he screwed the lid back on the jar. He caught her watching him and winked at her.
“Weren’t there any spoons?” she begged in a plaintive voice.
Mina proudly displayed a stick. “Yeah, you bit the end off of it!”
Bunny finally recognised the stick as the remains of a wooden spoon. “I ate wood?!”
“’Fraid so babe!” Lita chuckled, “After that we were afraid to use a metal spoon in case you broke a tooth or something.”
“I have to say, it was very brave of Darien to use his fingers,” Bertie added, “I would have been afraid to lose them.”
“She didn’t try to eat me at the start when I gave her the chocolate,” Darien shrugged, a depreciating gesture, “I figured I was safe... either that or the Meatball Head’s a vegetarian.”
That was certainly strange. It was true that she didn’t like meat but that wouldn’t have made a difference in the state she was in. She should have bitten his fingers off and maybe she would have if his life energy weren’t so vibrant. It hit her that he’d been supplying her as much with his own energy as with food and she looked at him sharply. He raised an eyebrow in question and she frowned. He would have had to have done so deliberately, it could not happen by accident. Apparently Earth’s former prince had been more educated in his previous lifetime than she had believed. He had to have been for him to know both the arcane and mundane treatments for acute energy deprivation, a condition that went far beyond mere weariness.
At the thought she felt like kicking herself. He had recognised her problem when she, several centuries his senior in both age and experience, had not. Of course she’d never suffered from it before, never having been denied the light of the sun, the stars or her mother’s moon. Creating the shield had done more than drain her, it had blocked of her main sources of nourishment and she still wasn’t completely recovered. That was probably why she had slept so long as well; her body had taken longer to absorb enough ambient energy for her to function than it would have normally... And she was still hungry.
“Um... how much did I eat?” she asked curiously as she eyed various plates, wrappers and empty jars.
“That’s what I’d like to know!” Raye screeched from the door. Bunny looked up to find the two black haired senshi standing in the door but, while Amy examined the scene distractedly, Raye regarded them all with steadily growing outrage. “What the hell have you lot been up to? We were only out there for fifteen minutes!”
Lita grinned cockily. “Oh calm down Pyro, you’re just upset because you think we had a party without you!”
Raye glowered at the taller brunette. “No, I’m upset because the shield that is the only thing between Earth and total destruction will last only two more days at the most and you lot aren’t taking things seriously!”
“Calm down Raye!” Darien commanded sharply.
“I will not calm down!” the priestess shrieked, working herself into a rage. “The world’s going to end and all you can do is think of your stomachs! The whole planet’s going to die!”
“Raye-”
“Then why are you so worried about whether or not we left any food?” Lita retorted. Bunny saw Rini sit up, disturbed by the noise, and she motioned for the girl to stay quiet. The sisters also saw the gesture and decided it applied to them as well. Without saying a word they all unobtrusively withdrew into the background.
“Lita, silence!” Darien snapped and turned back to Raye. “Raye, we used the food because Bunny needed to replace the energy she used yesterday.” He switched his attention to Amy. “What’s the wrong with the shield?”
“Nothing,” the petite teen answered and found her former seat. When she had settled herself she met his eyes squarely. “Like Bunny said, it’s the staff we have to worry about.”
“Darien motioned for Raye to sit down. “Explain,” he told Amy.
The girl nodded. “I created the staff as a focus for the stronger of Bunny’s battle spells. Because the spell was so powerful I tried to make it as durable as I could. The spell behind the shield is such that it needs constant maintenance. Bunny would have had to stay in it but, instead, she wove it into an object. She did this using the staff. Now the staff is not exactly a focus in this instance, it is more of a channel to complete a circuit and make the spell self-sufficient. She’s been very ingenious in the implementation and there are some very sophisticated workings to ensure that there continues to be enough energy... Although there are one or two aspects which I would have done differently-”
“Amy, don’t get technical, we just want the bare facts,” Darien reminded her.
The girl blushed. “Sorry,” she replied and addressed Bunny, “But Bunny, if we get out of this alive I would like to pick your brains on several projects of mine-”
“Amy...” Darien admonished wearily.
She blushed brighter and Bunny hid a smile. “Sorry. Our concern is the staff that, although I made it well, cannot be exposed to that level of power with out problems-
“Darien,” Bunny interrupted what looked to be another lengthy explanation. They just didn’t have the time. “Do you remember the bridge railing when we first met and what the energy fields in the area had done to them?” He nodded in growing alarm. “Whatever else Amy did to it,” she told him, knowing he would understand, “My staff was still made of wood.”
“It’s being burned up,” he said aloud to enlighten their listeners. “How long do we have Amy?”
The younger warrior answered grimly, “Forty-eight hours, maybe more, probably less, before the staff is completely destroyed and the spell dissolves.”
Darien shook his head. “The spell won’t dissolve. From what you’ve told me of it, when this ‘circuit’ is broken then the energy will have to go somewhere. Bunny, did you arrange some kind of grounding?”
Bunny grimaced in chagrin. “Sorry.”
“When the staff is destroyed the backlash energy of the spell is going to hit Tokyo like a hydrogen bomb... a very big hydrogen bomb!” Amy calculated bleakly, “We’ll be dead before the Darkmoon destroys the Earth.”
“Is that good or bad?” Lita joked into the resulting silence.
“I’m sorry,” Bunny whispered in despair, horrified at how careless she had been. What was worse was the knowledge that she couldn’t fix the problem. She didn’t have anywhere near enough strength to mess with the spell and her brother was still unconscious, likely to remain so for days without someone to feed him as Darien had for her. There was no way he’d be awake for them to combine powers in time. “I should have thought it through more carefully-”
“Bunny-” Mina started but was interrupted by Darien.
“Meatball Head grow up! You saved the world and nearly killed yourself in the process. We’re still all surprised that your brains weren’t melted down and if you keep talking like that then I’ll have no choice but to believe that they were!” His words were caustic but there was doubt in anyone’s mind of his growing respect for her.
He leaned closer to her and, as they were still next to each other, she felt her affinity for his mind grow. Hastily she threw off her apathy and reinforced her mental walls. It seemed to be easier for her to touch his mind every day, even when she didn’t have tactile contact she could now attune herself to him. She was so involved in her thoughts that she started in shock when he forced her chin up with his forefinger. Her mental walls collapsed and for a moment his worry and determination washed through her. It was difficult for her to detach herself from the mental rapport, over the past several days his mind had been sensitised to hers and reached for her unconsciously. Yet, ultimately, it was he who released her, his calm thought patterns allowed her to restore mental privacy to each of them.
Her eyes met his, astonished afresh at the potential of the human warrior and amazed at the strength of purpose contained within the mortal shell. It took her a moment to realise that he had been talking while she had stared and to pay attention.
“-have done more than I though possible, more than anyone could have asked of you. It’s now up to us to make sure that it is enough.” He didn’t wait for a response before he turned to Amy. “Amy, find a way to get us to the Darkmoon and do it fast.”
The teen nodded and began tapping away on her computer while she muttered, “Continuous matrix... Can’t go through... Silver signature...”
Darien turned to Lita and Mina. “You two, talk to the sisters, find out all you can about the Darkmoon-”
“We can’t,” Catzi protested and Darien was on his feet and looming over her in the blink of an eye.
“At the moment I don’t care,” he growled, “My world is at risk and if you need to break some laws that, by your own admission, you already seem to have smashed to save it then you will. I need information.”
Bunny saw the pleading expression in the woman’s eyes and saw her dilemma. “It’s your history and origin that’s the problem, right?” She asked, intervening between the two, “So tell them what they need to know about forces, distributions, layouts... you know, statistics. They’re what we need right now anyway.”
The sisters cheered up but Darien scowled at her. “We can’t afford to overlook anything.”
“We haven’t got time,” she argued, “Besides there are some things we’re better off not knowing.”
He looked at her hard but wasted no more time in arguing. “Fine. Raye, see if the fire’ll tell you anything, if not help Amy with the teleport spell-”
“I’ll help,” Bertie offered, “Amy’s obviously a theoretical genius and Raye seems to be very good with the practical side of magic but neither’s of any use if you don’t know where you want to go. They’re going to need at least one of us to question.”
Darien nodded. “Do it.” The girls moved off with a sense of purpose and he turned back to Bunny. “You’re with me,” he told her. She blinked at him absently, more focused on the packet of salted nuts beside him. He must have seen because he handed it to her without a second thought.
“What are we going to be doing?” she asked, virtually inhaling the food.
He looked to where a small, pink haired girl stared at them in apprehension and Bunny’s stomach twisted. She did not want to interrogate the girl but Darien was determined so she held her hand and called, “Rini, come here.”
The girl came as she was bidden and Darien led the both of them into the quiet of the room Bunny had awoken in. He seated himself on the wooden floor, allowing the two girls to occupy the palette. “All right Rini,” he said after a moment, “Who is you mother and where do you come from?”
Rini’s face whitened and she looked to Bunny for help. The she squeezed the younger girl’s hand and cautiously opened up a telepathic channel between them.
*Mithrillea lirreial?*
*Bunny?*
*That’s right Spore now listen, just repeat what I say, OK? My mother is Mithrillea yvvesandyr-*
*WHAT?!*
*Ow! Hey Spore, don’t shout! Now do it... It’s not like he’s gonna know it’s a lie. Now tell him.*
Rini swallowed and did as she was ordered. “M... my mother is called Mithrillea yvvesandyr.”
He looked at her sceptically. “Mith... what?”
“Eternal Lady,” Bunny translated and he looked at her suspiciously. She took no offence at his expression, if she were in his shoes she would feel the same way. She was just lucky that he trusted her, not necessarily believed her but she could console herself with the fact that she could now find a large portion of trust for her in his mind. She would have to misdirect him very subtly but very firmly and at the same time draw his attention away from Rini. “It’s a very old language,” she told him, “One that hasn’t been heard on Earth since the Fall.” She stopped and allowed him to draw his jump to the desired conclusion on his own.
“The language you used to...” he trailed off as she deliberately looked away from him and persuaded him that he had reasoned correctly. He looked at her thoughtfully. “You called her Small Lady didn’t you? Why? Do you know her mother?”
She pulled a mask of annoyance over her face as she answered. “I called her Small Lady because it is a term of affection I am familiar with from my... childhood.” Let him think that she remembered it from a previous lifetime. “As for her mother, I have never met anyone called Eternal Lady and if I did when she was using another name how could I tell without meeting her?”
“All right Meatball Head!” he exclaimed, “Don’t blow a fuse. OK, Rini, where is your mother? How can we get in touch with her?”
*Tell him you don’t know.*
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you keep in touch?” he asked.
“We can’t,” she replied quickly, “She doesn’t know where I am.” The girl’s eyes begin to water and Bunny squeezed her hand.
*Calm down Rini. Setsuna and I know where you are and Sets would tell you if anything happened.*
Darien frowned but persevered. “Why is she so important to the Darkmoon family? Where has she been fighting?”
*Because she’s very powerful.*
“My Mama’s very powerful, she’s the most powerful person in the universe!”
*Don’t overdo it Spore.*
*But it’s true!*
*Maybe so but I don’t want to give him any reason to think she’s not human.*
Darien leaned down to look the girl straight in the eyes. “Then why haven’t I met her?” he demanded softly, “Why isn’t she here helping us? And why did you want the Imperium Silver Crystal?”
“Do you have it?” she jumped in eagerly and Bunny swallowed a groan.
*Spore, stop! Don’t let him know why you’re after it. I don’t want to know why you want the wretched thing.*
Rini calmed down but the damage was done. Darien seized her slip eagerly. “How and what do you know of the crystal?” Rini’s ruby eyes widen in fright.
*Tell him that your Mama used to tell you bed time stories of it. Say that she said it granted the user’s wishes.*
“Ma... Mama said it grants wishes! She used to tell me about it to make me go to sleep. It brings people together and if the person using it is pure of heart then it’ll make miracles and I need a miracle ‘cause my Daddy’s hurt and Mama’s caught fighting and can’t fix him and I want us to be together again!”
“I think that I know what’s happened,” Bunny said before Rini lost it. Darien looked at her in question and, guiltily, she wove her lies, “I think her mother’s a reincarnate, like us, but unlike us she was born knowing all of her past. Can you imagine what that must be like? Being old when your life’s only just beginning? She calls herself Eternal Lady because she must feel like she’s been alive forever and if she’s as powerful as Rini believes then she’s not going to want to be widely known. Most sorceresses of my people preferred anonymity and along the way we learn that there is only so much we can do to help others before we have to step aside and let people make their own way. My guess is she’s found an out of the way place to raise her family and her power attracted spies from the Darkmoon to her. A few weeks or months later we enter the picture.”
“We still should have found some sign of her,” Darien muttered absently and released Rini from his gaze. He sat back on his heels and mused aloud, “Mina and I searched for allies when we faced Beryl and surely we would have found her then if she was anywhere near Japan.”
“There are countries other than Japan,” Bunny reminded him dryly.
He nodded and turned to Rini again. “Where were you raised Munchkin?”
“The Cry-” she started to answer truthfully when Bunny hastily prevented her.
*Not a good idea Spore, tell him you lived in Kunanara.*
*Where?*
*Kunanara. It’s a small town in Western Australia, he probably won’t have heard of it.*
“I used to live in Kunan... Kunanara,” Rini stumbled for a second but recovered quickly. However not quickly enough for Darien’s sharp ears.
“Where?”
“Kunananara, it’s in Western Australia-”
*Near the Kimberlies.*
“-Near the Kimberlies,” Rini finished without a pause.”
Darien cocked his head. “I think it’s familiar, could you say the name again?”
Rini nodded and Bunny held her breath, she should have chosen an easier name for the girl to remember but she didn’t know much Earth geography and Kunanara was the only obscure town she could recall.
“Kunana-” Bunny relaxed and Rini finished, “-nananara.”
Bunny swallowed nervously and Darien’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t lie Rini,” he bit out, “The name gets longer every time you say it. Where do you really come from?”
*Kunanara, and remember only one ‘an’.*
“Kunanar-”
“Don’t lie Rini, I don’t like my friends lying to me- Ahhh!” Darien leaned forward and firmly grasped the girl’s upper arm but as his fingers closed like a vice he gasped. Bunny barely had time to notice it before his mind imposed on the link between her and Rini and swept all three into a vision.
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