******************************************************* **Priestess Of Light** By Brickgirl Brickgirl@hotmail.com Rated: PG Disclaimer: All these characters but a few belong to me. **Part 3: Evil Plots** ******************************************************* She could feel the singing heat of the fire. But it was no regular fire. The flames roared black as night, reaching into the endless sky to burn away the stars. The ground heaved, convulsing as if in pain. A billion voices screamed together in agony and fear, and with a soundless explosion of darkness, were silenced . . . Queen Proserpine jerked into consciousness, bolting upright in her bed. Her dark hair was matted with sweat, her skin felt cold, clammy. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she breathed deeply, willing herself to calm down. She untwisted the sheets from her slim frame and stood, slipping on the robe by her bed to shield her from the cool air. She stepped out onto the large balcony outside of her room, and stared into the sky. The stars hung in the sky, seemingly changeless, untouched by time. She knew it was an illusion. Stars experienced birth and death, like everything else. It just took longer for them to do so. One star pulsed brighter, larger then the others. She knew it was the sun, dwarfed by the distance. Here in the Outer Planets, the sun?s warmth didn?t reach. But with the magic that provided livable conditions, they didn?t really need it. Or was that just another illusion? The city spread below her, a thousand lights flickering to stave off the endless night. She smiled, thinking of the thousands of people below. Her people. The smile faded as she though of Andora?s words. Could there really be a danger approaching? How could the priestess read the timeline like that? There was only one capable of such a feat, and she was . . . inaccessible at the moment. Proserpine sighed, shook her head. She turned, headed back into her room. There was nothing she could do, save to watch over her people. That was her duty, nothing beyond that. Let the future do as it may. __________ ?So we have to find these other Senshi?? Taika asked softly. She was still trying to comprehend what Andora had told her. ?Do you know who they are?? ?Unfortunately, no.? ?But you knew Taika by name,? Kierke broke in. Andora nodded. ?The line of Mars was easy to trace. Before the civilization on Mars died out, a princess of Mars married a prince from the kingdom of Sartaine. The line has continued unbroken for over a thousand years. However, such is not the case with the other planets. The Senshi may be descended form survivors of the planets, or may be simple Terrens whom the power choose. I wasn?t absolutely sure you were the Senshi of Mars until I met you. I should be able to locate their general presence, and hopefully will recognize them when we encounter them.? ?So it?s basically a wild goose chase.? ?Kierke, don?t be so negative!? Andora had to smile. Reaching inside of her robe, she withdrew something hanging from a gold chain, and handed it to Taika. ?Here, this is yours now.? Taika studied it. It appeared to be a small wand, about the length of her hand. It was made of gold, delicately enameled in red. At one end, inscribed on a raised gold disk, was an unfamiliar symbol, a circle with an arrow pointing northwest. ?The Terren symbol of the planet Mars,? Andora told her. ?What is it?? Taika asked. She could feel an odd sort of warmth radiating wand. ?It is the key to unlock your power.? ?How does it work?? ?Raise it and say the words.? ?What words . . . ? Taika began to say, but at the same moment, a small voice whispered a phrase through her mind, words that rang deep through her with implied power. Her arm raised almost on its own accord, and she spoke the words. ?Mars Planet Power Makeup . . . ? Kierke gasped as a sudden burst of fire swirled around the Princess? form. He began to step forward, but a gentle grip on his arm stopped him. Her turned to Andora, who minutely shook her head no. Trapped within the swirling energies, Taika felt the power wash through her. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, ever imagined before. The magic sang though her, and every nerve tingled with barely contained power. With an explosion of light, the energies faded, leaving Mars in their place. She looked down at herself and stared. She was wearing some odd concoction of red and white with a large purple bow. A striped collar hung down over her shoulders onto her back. Her slippers had the most ridiculous heels. And the skirt. Taika?s face turned as red as her uniform as she tried in vain to tug the short skirt just a bit longer. Kierke?s jaw clamped shut. He turned to the blind priestess, his eyes smoldering. ?Mystical warrior or not,? he said slowly, enunciating each word, ?there is no way that Taika is going to go around wearing that . . . that thing. Andora sighed, but underneath hid a smile. ?I?ll see if there is anything I can do.? __________ Such a flux of magical energy as a Senshi?s first transformation is not something that goes easily unnoticed. Octavia as asleep in her chambers at the time, and found herself jerked into consciousness for seemingly no reason. Unable to figure out was caused it, she went back to sleep. However, another, much darker entity felt and understood what that burst of magic was, and what it implied. Metallia was not frightened at all by the fact that the Senshi had been reborn, and one had already been awakened, not really. She was simply wise enough to know that they stood as the only probable barrier between her and her goals, if the fools every figured out what she truly was after. It was actually the blind woman that disturbed her more. She didn?t know where the woman had obtained her powers, but she had them in great quantity, and knew how to use them. The odd thing was, this woman seemed somehow familiar. Well, no matter. Metallia figured that it would be simple to kill this woman and prevent her from gathering the Senshi. Only one had awakened, and could not know enough of her powers to be a true threat. Then nothing would stand between Metallia and true power. And she had the perfect plaything to accomplish both goals. __________ ?Think I figured out something,? Andora told Taika and Kierke the next morning. ?It?s a simple spell that will augment itself to the transformation process and work with the more mundane parts of it. A few alterations to your uniform, in other words. I?ll need to see your transformation stick.? Taika handed it to Andora, and watched in fascination as she pulled four more in various colors from a pocket of her robe. ?I figure that some of the other girls might have some similar . . . objections,? she said wryly to the Princess. ?Give me just a moment.? Andora knelt, placing the five wands on the ground in front of her. Holding her staff above them, she began the incantation. Light blossomed from the stone in her staff. It seemed to swirl directly into the wands. The spell finished, Andora handed the wand back to Taika and pocketed the rest. ?Try your transformation again.? Taika repeated the words from the night before. Fire swirled over her form, and the power rushed through her again. This time, when the energy evaporated, her uniform had changed. Her shoes lacked their previous heel. Instead of the previous short skirt, she now had one that split on the sides below her hip and tapered down until it ended at about mid-calf. The bows were gone, and she wore a small copper breastplate swirled with purple inlay. The striped collar had been replaced by a short red cape that reached to the middle of her back. Her gloves were now copper gauntlets, trimmed in the same purple. Taika studied her new uniform in admiration. Kierke still looked unhappy, but sighed in defeated consent. ?I suggest you detransform now,? Andora stated. ?We don?t want your Senshi form attracting any unwanted visitors.? The Princess obeyed. The trio gathered their belongings and set off for another day of travel. This time there was more of a sense of urgency. Destiny had finally begun to reveal her plans. __________ <> Metallia called into the woman?s mind. With some amusement, she felt the Empress? confusion and fear as she flew awake. ?Yes Metallia, what is it?? Octavia?s voice was edged with annoyance. Metallia laughed to herself. The pathetic human actually believed that she had some sort of dominance over Metallia. The Demon could have killed her instantly if she wished. However, Octavia?s beliefs of importance were important to Metallia?s plans. Fools accomplished one?s bidding so much better if they believed they did it for their own purposes. <> Octavia was instantly alert. ?Who . . .? <> ?What can five warriors do against my entire army?? Octavia scoffed. ?Don?t be ridiculous.? Metallia resisted the urge to shred the woman?s mind to pieces. <> Octavia frowned. ?How can they be stopped?? <> ?Wouldn?t they be able to figure out they were being spied on?? <> ?I don?t understand.? Metallia laughed lightly. <> __________ The sun was high in the sky when they stumbled across the old woman. She appeared from a distance to be nothing more then a bundle of rags discarded in the center of the road. It was only when they came closer they realized that it was actually a person. Kierke handed the reins to Taika and went to kneel beside the woman. She appeared to be unconscious. Her clothes were filthy, but her hair and face surprisingly clean. Her skin was lined with an indeterminate age. In all his travels, the knight had never seen someone who appeared to be this old before. ?Is she all right?? Taika asked him, leading the horse with her. Andora stood silently beside her. ?I?m not sure. We can?t just leave her here in the middle of the road. A carriage could hit her.? Her gently pushed back the old woman?s many layers of clothes, checking for any injuries. He couldn?t find any, or any belongings for that matter. The only possession she seemed to have was a battered gold chain with an odd-shaped pendent. It seemed to have once been a sphere, but twisted out of shape over the years. Taika knelt beside Kierke. ?Should we move her to the side of the road?? ?I think we should bring her with us,? Kierke replied. ?She wouldn?t be safe here. We can make sure she?s okay until she wakes up, and if she needs help, we?ll see if we can find someone to help her.? Taika turned to Andora. ?Is that okay with you?? The priestess? face was impassive. She nodded once in consent. Kierke easily lifted the old woman while Taika rearranged the saddlebags to make room for her. The knight secured her to the horse?s back. ?I wonder how she managed to get all the way out here?? Taika murmured. ?At her age, she couldn?t have gotten out in the middle of nowhere by herself.? Andora tilted her head towards the ground and remained silent. __________ It was several hours before the old woman woke. No one saw her raise her head and look around with dazed, bloodshot eyes. However, when she began to shriek at the top of her lungs, she got their attention. ?What?s wrong with her?? Taika yelled over the woman?s screams. Amidst her cries, she clawed feebly at the horses back. ?I think she?s trying to get loose,? Andora stated, calm as ever. Not even bothering to question how the blind priestess could know the old woman?s actions, Kierke rushed to the side of the horse, fumbling to untie the leather straps that secured the woman to the saddle. The knots jerked loose and the woman fell heavily to the side of the road. She sat in the dirt bewildered and frightened. It would have been a humorous sight, if it hadn?t been so tragic. Kierke tried to approach her, but the woman cringed away and wailed. ?I don?t think she?s quite right in the head.? ?Something horrible must have happened to her,? Taika answered sorrowfully. The trembling, pathetic figure was painful to look at. ?Or else it?s just her age.? ?I don?t know how we can bring her with us if she won?t let anyone near her, but it would be heartless to leave her hear in this state.? Kierke shook his head. ?I don?t know what we can do.? Unnoticed to either, Andora slowly approached the old woman. She watched the priestess with wide eyes, but did not shy away in fear as she had with the others. The priestess knelt beside her, placing a smooth hand on the woman?s weathered cheek. Something seemed to swirl around the two women, perhaps a trick of the light. The woman stared at Andora for a moment, then collapsed sobbing, clutching the hem of her robes. ?What did you do to her?? Taika asked, coming up beside them. The old woman took no notice of her. Andora shrugged. ?Nothing.? Taika looked skeptical. Andora smiled wryly at the girl. ?Princess, sometimes it is better to accept the answer that is given to you, as you may like it better then the absolute truth.? Taika didn?t know how to reply to that. __________ The rest of the day?s journey was surprisingly calm. Andora managed to coax the old woman back into the saddle where she sat placidly, staring straight ahead at everything and nothing. When given food, she would eat neatly but mechanically, as if she was simply going through the actions of living, but her soul was elsewhere. Taika found it almost as disturbing as the woman?s previous fits, but Kierke almost seemed to not notice. That night as they set up camp, they questioned how to improvise a bedroll for the woman to sleep on, only to find she had fallen asleep on the ground and seemed unable to be awakened. Andora refused comment, so Kierke shrugged and covered her with a spare blanket. Later, before they went to sleep, Taika approached Kierke. ?She?s not saying anything, but I think Andora did something to that old woman.? Kierke shrugged. ?Anything?s better then that shrieking.? ?That?s not the point!? Taika growled. ?I don?t like it.? ?She didn?t seem to do anything harmful to her.? ?I don?t know. The old woman moves as if she has no soul. And Andora just seems so . . . cold sometimes. I?m not saying that she did harm her, but . . . I don?t know how trustworthy she is.? ?She doesn?t seem particularly evil to me,? Kierke replied. ?No, it?s not that. Selene was always a purely beneficial goddess, and Andora seems very strict in her faith. She?s not evil at all, but . . .? She shrugged helplessly. ?It seems more like she?s on some fanatical mission to gather these Senshi. Can we really believe her intentions after she finds us all?? ?I don?t know.? Kierke yawned. ?I guess we can just keep our eyes open and hope for the best. She is right about one thing. If half the stories of Octavia are true, she needs to be stopped.? __________ <> ?Yes, Metallia?? The demon?s laughter echoed through the Empress? chambers. <> __________ Kierke awoke with a start. Blinking, he realized it was still night, the darkness thick around the camp. He could hear the soft, easy breathing of sleep around him, the chattering of nighttime insects . . . And there it was again, the sound that had awoken him. A rattling off to his right. From their supplies. The knight swore silently and eased himself out of his bedroll, groping for the sword near his pillow. Standing slowly, he stepped forward, and immediately stumbled over Taika?s oversized pack of clothing. Cursing all females and their unreasonable needs for ornamentation, he gave up all pretenses of silence and rushed over to the saddlebags. Most of their belongings were scattered over the ground, but he seemed to have scared off whoever had been there. A sharp blade pressed against his throat, showing him just how wrong he was. ?Don?t move,? a harsh, unfamiliar voice whispered in his ear. ?That is, if you enjoy breathing . . .? ******************************************************* ******************************************************* Sorry for the delay. Going back to school soon. Please send me mail. PLEASE send me mail. Well, that?s about it! ;-p NEXT TIME: A stranger revealed and the plot thickens (yes, even more!) _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com