Okay this one did take me a while, didn't it? I have good excuses though, most of them having to do with school, but I do have them. I won't give them to you, but I do have them. However, it's done and that's really all that matters in the end. I'm happy with the way this chapter turned out, and the best part is that my editor only found two mistakes. I should probably just finishes these notes and let you get onto the story itself. If you want to let me know what you think of the story, and I really do want you to, you can send it to one of two e-mail addresses. Mist_dark@hotmail.com or Mist_dark@yahoo.ca I check both so you should get a response fairly quickly.
As per usual, I don't know them. If any of them are gay I'm not aware of it. If homosexual themes offend you, leaving would be a good choice. If you are too young or it's illegal in your area to be reading this, leave too.
That's it from me, except for a few thankyous. First my editor Neo, and then Kenitra (for actually putting up with both of us.), Shade, Aeoros and Marleen.
Enjoy the story and let me know what you think. Until next time, Rune
CHAPTER NINE
The Oracle regarded the group of people before him in the hall. Everyone within the sanctuary was assembled here. About fifty of them were dressed in plain white robes, which signified them as attendants. The rest were wearing the garb of the guards. Everyone was looking at him expectantly.
"My children," he said. He always felt awkward saying that, almost all of these people were older then he was. "Mara no longer considers me a threat and will attack this sanctuary." He paused to let that sink in. "I release the Oracle's attendants from their vows of pacifism. Fight alongside your brethren to save yourselves. One of those with the sight must survive to reach the last of my last retainers."
The Captain of the guard stepped forward and bowed to the Oracle. "May I speak to them m'lord?"
"Of course child." Despite the grievousness of the situation the Oracle smiled faintly under his hood. The Captain was easily three times his senior.
"The battle comes to our very gates," the Captain began. "The sorceress Mara must be stopped. The Oracle must live to do so. Above all others protect the Oracle!"
"Captain," the Oracle began. "I did not say that. Any with the sight may stop her."
"Lad, I have watched you grow into manhood," the Captain said quietly. "And I obey you in all things, except this. You will leave this sanctuary to stop that witch."
"But you will die," the Oracle pleaded.
"I know. Duty above all else."
The argument would have continued except a bang echoed through the hall. The doors at the far end shuddered against the impact. Another bang and the doors shuddered again.
"TO ARMS!" The Captain cried. He knocked an arrow into his bow and took point in front of the Oracle.
The doors shuddered once more before the shriek of straining wood filled the hall. The doors screamed in protest before shattering. A horde flooded into the hall. Most of the horde was human. Animal tattoos were visible on the arms of those that had them bared. Each of the humans wielded some sort of archaic weapons.
Robed figures strode into the hall their hands already glowing with power. Behind them were three animated statues. The statues were walking clumsily but were impressive nonetheless.
The Oracle's guards and attendants met the oncoming horde. The guards had already pulled their weapons and threw themselves at the humans. The attendants stepped back and aided when they could.
"PROTECT THE ORACLE!" The captain shouted as he loosed a few arrows into the horde.
A female attendant raised her arms upward. The folds of her white robe rippled around her. Her hair flowed behind her as if a strong breeze were moving it. An instant later she flickered and became transparent. The woman took several ethereal steps toward a few of the humans in the attacking horde. She passed through one of them as if she were a ghost. The man collapsed to the floor clutching his chest.
Several of the guard had leapt upon one of the statues. The monolithic creature kept moving despite the swarming guards. The statue swatted the guards in an attempt to rid itself of them while it continued crushing others in the battle. It seemed to make no distinction between friend or foe.
One of the robed intruders clapped his hands over his head. A pillar of flame erupted in front of him and sped outward. It burned anything it touched. Like the statue the fire did not care who it burned. Several of the guard were incinerated before the fires burned themselves out.
A guard fell at the feet of the Oracle, who was both stunned and enraged at the carnage that had been brought to his sanctuary. The man was bleeding from a chest wound. With shock the Oracle realized the man had had his heart removed. With fury raging in his eyes he scanned the room to find who had done this.
A tiny woman was eating the heart. The blood was smeared on her face and the front of her shirt. She smiled smugly at him as she downed the last of the still warm organ.
The Oracle's narrowed his eyes. He reached out with his power and sought the future. What he found he shoved into the woman's mind. She let out a savage cry of anguish. She collapsed to the floor in a fetal position. Within seconds the Oracle had shown her every possible death she could experience. Every horrific possibility the future could hold for her.
The Captain tossed his bow aside when he used the last of his arrows. He drew a sword and advanced on some of the horde that had gotten too close to the Oracle. None of them were remotely close to being his match in combat. He easily dispatched them before looking for another target.
The robed figure smiled under her hood. The Oracle's attention was diverted. She raised her arms toward the man. Calling on years of training she sent shards of metal streaking toward him. She didn't pay any attention to the fact that several of the shards never came near the Oracle, or that some of those shards killed her allies. Some of them would reach the Oracle and that's all that mattered.
Red-hot pain laced through his body. The Oracle screamed in pain as the shards of metal tore through his flesh. He fell to his knees and looked for his attacker. The amulet around his neck had absorbed much of damage. If it hadn't he would have been killed instantly. As it was he would live, but it would be painful. He staggered to his feet and stared at the direction of the attack. Without warning his knees gave way and he collapsed in a heap.
The Captain looked up in time to see the Oracle collapse. He scanned the battle raging in the sanctuary. He saw the woman he was looking for. It only took him a few seconds to reach her, but it felt like hours to him. When he reached her side he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the Oracle.
"We have to get him out of here," the Captain said as he picked up the boy. The Oracle may rule, but he was only a boy in the Captain's eyes. "Do you have the portal set?"
"Yes," the woman told him. "I won't be able to keep it open long. They'll be able to trace it if I do."
"We don't need much time," he said grimly.
The pair of them run from the battle and into the darken hallways beyond. The passages were empty because everyone else was in the main hall fighting for their lives. The Captain carried the Oracle while the woman led the way to the library. Once inside she shut the doors behind them.
"Wake him," she said. "We can't go with him."
"I know." The Captain set the Oracle down and lightly patted his cheek. "Come on boy," he said softly. "Wake up. You can pull through this."
The Oracle groaned and opened his eyes. "Children, we have to go back."
"We will," the woman said. "You won't." She reached in front of her and grabbed the air. She yanked her hand downward as if she was pulling a lever. A line of blue light followed her hand. She pulled her hand back and a bluish portal stood open before her. "Hurry, we don't have much time."
"Go through it boy," the Captain said. "Or I'll make you go through it."
"My place is here," the Oracle said firmly. He had gotten to his feet and stood staring defiantly at the two people before him. "I will protect my children."
"Don't be daft," the Captain told him. "Your being here will change nothing. We are all going to die. But we will not lose to Mara. You will go and stop her."
"But," the Oracle started. Even though the Captain technically had to obey his orders, he was deferring to the older man.
"No buts. Duty above all else." He picked up the Oracle and walked over to the portal, ignoring the youth's attempts to free himself from his grasp. "I love you boy, don't ever forget that." He pushed the Oracle through the portal and the gateway snapped shut immediately.
"I hope he finds them," the woman said. "I couldn't get very close to them. It's the Moving Day."
"We can only hope," the Captain said.
"You are not going to believe this," Joey said. He came into the living room of the cabin. His face was slightly flushed and he had a wicked looking gleam in his eyes.
"What have you been up to?" Lance asked with some curiosity. The blonde was reading an old book that he'd found on a shelf in his room.
"I was just outside by the lake," Joey told his friend. He plopped down next to Lance. "And I sort of saw where Sean and Deana went."
"You were following our body guards?" Lance asked. "Aren't they supposed to follow us?"
"True," Joey admitted. "I didn't do it on purpose. Anyway, you're missing the point. It's not where they are so much as, what they're doing."
"You're not going to let me go until you tell me, are you?" Lance asked. He was enjoying how much the suspense was bugging Joey.
"Not a chance. They were swimming," he told Lance. "Only their clothes were on the dock. Actually they weren't doing much swimming. Just holding onto the dock so they wouldn't drown."
"Are you trying to tell me that two of our body guards were having wild sex in the lake?"
"And how," Joey said. "They were trying to be quiet, but they were fairly excited."
"Must be catchy," Lance said.
"Huh?"
"Josh is out for a walk. Other then that. Sheryl nearly pulled Justin up the stairs and closed the door. They've been up there for about half an hour now. And if either Chris or Cody makes any more noise I'm going to kill the both of them."
"So pretty much everyone's getting laid except you, me and Josh?"
"That's the way it looks," Lance said. He sighed deeply as a moan broke resounded through the cabin. "I'm sort of playing a game now. Which is why Josh left, he didn't want to play any more."
"What's the game?" Joey asked.
"Guess who made the moan," the blond grinned. "Not exactly a family game, but it passes the time."
"What's first prize?" Joey asked. He got up and poured himself a glass of water from the fridge.
"Whoever wins gets to bring up all the noise at breakfast tomorrow." Lance checked his page and then set the book aside. "It's not hard to play either. Whenever you hear a moan, guess who it belongs to."
"Sounds like fun," Joey told him.
Chris rested his head on Cody's chest. "That was a little...animalistic," he said. "Lots of fun though."
"Sorry," Cody said sheepishly. "That doesn't usually happen."
"Hey," Chris said. "I'm not complaining. But care to tell me what brought it on?"
"It's kind of hard to explain Chris," Cody said. "I want to tell you, but I'm not sure how."
"I hear the beginning is a good place to start," the singer told his boyfriend. "Of course that may just be rumour."
"I'll try," Cody said. "I'm just worried that you'll freak."
Chris didn't say anything, but pulled himself up so he could look at Cody directly. He knew this was something important.
"I think I'll just be blunt," the bodyguard said. "I'm a fairy."
He couldn't help it. Chris laughed. It took him a few moments to stop. "I should certainly hope so. Or you have an awful lot to explain."
"Not gay," Cody said seriously. "I'm that too. I mean I'm a fairy."
"As in the little people?" Chris asked. "You're joking right?"
"No."
Josh came into the cabin with an odd look on his face. He was also fairly red. He tried to avoid Lance's look when he walked by his friend.
"You look a touch red," Lance said. "Doing anything that you should be ashamed of?"
"No," Josh said hurriedly. "It's Deana and Sean."
"Oh the sex," Lance said dismissively. "You're a prude Josh. Did you know that?"
"You know that they're out there on the dock?"
"You mean they've left the water?" Joey asked. "When I saw them they were in the lake."
Josh shook his head and walked back into the living room. "So is everyone but us having sex?"
"Pretty much," Lance said. "I think they've slowed down for the moment though. I haven't heard a moan in at least five minutes."
A knock came at the door.
"I wonder who that is," Josh said as he got up. "I hope it's not Sean or Deana, unless they're clothed."
The brunette singer opened the door and gapped at what he saw. Standing in front of him was the man from his dreams. Only his white robes were torn and stained with a great deal of blood.
"Cody," the Oracle said before collapsing into Josh's arms.
TBC
That's it for now. What did you think? Let me know, the e-mail addresses are above.
Rune