In any case, I DO see an end in site, or rather, a place to leave off the story. How long it takes me to GET there remains to be seen. I THINK I can get this done in two more parts. Perhaps. In any case, some of you may know a bit about Celtic myths. Depending on the version of the tales of the sidhe you get, Nuada is alternately a human or one of the sidhe himself. I'm making him a sidhe, =P so there! ^_^ fynarra@aol.com

"Circles-Part 11: The Dance"
By: NaruMolly

"You going to be all right, Mal?" asked Jared, looking at him sideways, setting down the glass bottle he was sniffing at carefully.

Malcolm, leaned heavily against the wall of the cabin Bridgette had insisted he go into to rest. Just walking from the berth to the back window of the cabin, barely five feet, had him dizzy and his head throbbing in pain. "I...think so. Just...my head hurting. Bri said there might be...problems for awhile."

Jared frowned, carefully setting aside the bottle and picking up a cardboard tube, container and shaking it to see how much of the bluish crystals it contained. "I thought she healed you."

"She did, but--" Malcolm bit his lip and carefully stagger back to the berth, flopping down and closing his eyes, rubbing at his pain creased brow with a hand. "--she said healing head wounds is especially complicated. There's the brain cells and nerve cells to fix, and I guess that's hard enough, but then she mentioned something about 'human minds' and broke off into that language of hers."

Jared nodded and poured about and inch of the crystals into the bottom of a glass float that had a hole cut into the top before grimacing and letting Jedite take over to put a thin layer of glass just over the crystals. "You going to be able to dance like that? I imagine bouncing about isn't going to do you any good. If you can even stand."

Malcolm sighed. "I have to. It doesn't matter one way or the other if I CAN or not."

Jared grinned, pouring some of the clear liquid into the float on top of the glass before letting Jedite take over again to seal the thing. "Martyring yourself to gain the attentions of a certain red-haired lady?"

Malcolm shot him a look, then sighed. "_I_ don't know anymore. She told me I--" Malcolm broke off and sighed. He looked at the filled float as Jared placed it carefully in a padded holder with a few others. "What the hell are you DOING, anyway?"

Jared grimaced. "Making use of some nice bathroom cleaners to try to indulge in some chemical warfare."

"What?"

"Chlorine gas," Jared said flatly. Jedite came to the fore and grinned.

Malcolm started to reply, when the whole boat lurched harshly, a hideous groaning creek filling the air as the ship tilted dangerously to one side. Jared dove after the box of filled floats, cursing fluently, but catching them before the box spilled. Malcolm pushed himself up shakily on one arm, laying on the floor where the lurch had tossed him. "What--"

The ship lurched harshly again. Nathan staggered in through the door as the ship tilted dangerously to one side with a groan of tortured timbers. "You two all right?"

"Almost not," said Jared, pulling himself into an upright position as Cerulean and Zoe also came shakily through the doorway. Jared carefully closed the lid on the padded box. "What the hell happened?"

"Storm," said Nathan, half-climbing across the cabin to crouch at Malcolm's side, actually perching on what HAD been the side of the berth. "Controlled storm."

"Bridgette had the whale beach the ship so we wouldn't lose anyone getting them to the shore," said Zoe, grabbing a hold of the door frame to steady herself as she leaned in and gave Jared a hand up into the hallway, after handing Cerulean the box of glass 'bombs'.

"Nice of her to warn us," said Malcolm, wryly, leaning heavily on Nathan's shoulder as they carefully clambered across the cabin towards the door.

Nathan rubbed at the back of his neck. "The storm came up too suddenly."

Malcolm looked at Nathan, hearing the tenseness in his oldest friend's voice. "Are YOU all right, Nate? Your parents and all..."

Nathan nodded shortly, bracing himself to help Malcolm through the door. "No worries, Mal'."

Malcolm leaned heavily against Cerulean's shoulder while Zoe leaned through to help Nathan out of the cabin as well. The silver-haired man looked dubious, but raised a hand to hold his bruised head and let Cerulean help him towards the main deck.

****

Molly looked ahead to where Malcolm walked unsteadily, close between Bridgette and Zoe who both shot out occasional hands to steady him. "Nathan--is he going to be all right?"

Nathan shot her a look, then turn his eyes straight forward. "He'd better be, or we're not going to be able to do this."

"That's rather cold, don't you think," Molly said after a moment.

"It's true," Nathan said shortly.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, brow wrinkling, hands clutching at the short red-brown skirt she wore. "You've been angry since we got Malcolm out of the water."

"What do you expect? I'm not going to dance a jig when a friend almost dies."

"You're going to do that, or else Bridgette wasted energy stuffing all of our--"

"This isn't funny, Molly."

She bit her lip. "I know it's not, but I--"

Nathan slashed a hand down, turning his eyes angry shoving irritably at his hair again. "Molly--you loved Nephlite, didn't you?"

Molly blinked. "I--yes. Why--"

"He's dead, Molly. I'm not him." Molly could only blink at the onslaught, eyes widening. "Not only, that, Mol' but I'm years older than you. Surely can't love ME. I--"

Molly stared at him in shock, then felt an unfamiliar surge of anger. "If that's all you think of me--that I love you because of--" she lost her train of thought. "YES, I love Nephlite. I still do, but you say he's dead, and not a big part of you anymore, and I KNOW that." Her voice lowered, her muscles tense. "And don't think for a moment that I GIVE a damn how old you are. I've already yelled that out with Mom."

She blinked back tears, then fled to the back of the group to Gallia, the peacock-haired youma, who seemed startled to have a crying human suddenly seeking comfort from her.

Nathan buried his face in one of his hands. "Oh, bloody bloody hell, you dolt."

Cerulean left Lita's side to come over. "My lord? Is there some sort of problem?"

Nathan winced. "I lost my bloody temper, is all, Cer, and hurt someone who--" he broke off, staring at his hands. "Someone whom at least part of me died to keep safe. Someone who I would STILL--"

Cerulean cocked his head to one side. "Forgive me, my lord, but it seems to me that _I_ am a poor choice of company to receive these words. Surely she would understand."

Nathan looked at the Commander oddly. "You learning more of humans, then are you? You seem to have taken a shine to Sailor Jupiter, there."

Cerulean startled his former lord by coloring. "She is a person who listens well, my Lord. She does not judge. And I have much I have long wished to talk about. As does she." He colored. "Tell me, Lord, why HAS your temper been so short? Lady Zoic--Zoe was always the one who was quick to anger."

Nathan sighed. "I don't like ships. And I especially don't like ships on rough water, an' it's even worse when there's a storm."

"Why?"

"My parents died in a storm, and on a boat," he said.

Cerulean was silent a moment, then nodded, the confusion leaving his eyes. "I see. From this life."

"Aye."

Cerulean paused, then noted the slumped shoulders and changed the subject. "I've noticed a strange lilt to your words, Lord. What causes this accent?"

Nathan's lips quirked into a smirk. "I'm Irish, which could explain my fool temper." Cerulean blinked. "I come from a different country than the scouts do. So do Zoe and Mal and Jared." He shrugged. "We all learned the girls' language. Bri's the only one who can managed it with no accent."

Rei suddenly cried out happily. "It's the unicorns!"

Nathan's head jerked up and he saw Rei and the other Scouts running forward to press their faces against the unicorns' cheeks in greeting. Molly stayed back, though. Cerulean blinked. "Unicorns? HERE? But--"

"Bri's doing," said Nathan with a smile. "He looked back at Molly, his face softening. "They bonded with Molly."

A few of the youma looked a bit uncomfortable in the presence of the pure creatures, but none withdrew as the unicorns moved amongst them. There were more than the original five, numbering almost 30. He felt a tug at his sleeve, and saw the foal who had so been taken with Molly. "What--Kali--" the little foal tugged on the sleeve of Nathan's jacket with surprising strength and pulled him towards Molly, who was being nosed forward gently by Ora. Nathan realized what they were up to. "Molly--I--" he stopped when Kali let go of his sleeve and looked at Molly for a moment. "I'm sorry, lass. If you want to knock m' flat, you're quite welcome to."

She blinked, then smiled tentatively. "No--I think I'll let Zoe do that." She put her arms around his waist.

Nathan smiled, and hugged her back. Jared walked by. "Ugg. Like a pair of puppies. Kick them and they crawl back even more in love. Gah!" he grinned and winked, the broad grin at odds with the gentle look in his eyes.

****

Bridgette's allies were even more varied than the youma. There were humans, though from other worlds. There was a pair of them that were half-cat, half-human, like something out of the musical Cats (in fact, they seemed to be well aquatinted with the musical, thanks to Bridgette). Feolin had come, mostly for protection's sake, and was curled around the grove of only slightly twisted trees that surrounded the flat stone of the Circle. There was a group of gypsies, though all of them had small horns on their heads, and tails like horses. A handful of them looked like silver-haired Indians, with golden-eyes like birds with huge birds of prey for companions--the birds able to speak and wearing glittering armor made of almost weightless crystal. The most startling, however, was the small group of sidhe.

They were all tall, the shortest of them well over 6 foot tall. Most of them had some shade of blonde hair, except one who's hair was a long, earthy brown. ALL of them has intense eyes, mostly green--but in varied shades. Then there was their leader.

One of the last of Bridgette's former people.

HE was the tallest of the bunch, silver-blond hair reaching almost to his waist and gathered in long braids, with gleaming gem braids and feathers. His luminous eyes were a steel gray, and one arm was made of tooled silver. Nuada made everyone but Bridgette uncomfortable when he looked at them. Bridgette seemed to make HIM uncomfortable.

Malcolm leaned against one of the trees, holding his head, talking with one of the bird-men, who was a Healer by profession. "...just get dizzy every time I get up, is all."

Quicksilver frowned. "That does not sound good. I would not recommend you leave a bed for several days, but--it seems we have no choice."

Malcolm nodded, and winced, holding his head again. "I have to. I'm one of the Centers since I basically know this thing."

"And you are one of the more powerful amongst us all," Quicksilver pointed out gently. "Do not be bashful about the truth." Quicksilver shoved his gleaming hair behind his shoulder. "I can erect some blocks that will prevent the dizziness, and most of the pain, but they will cause some more damage." Quicksilver scowled. "I would not offer if this were not critical."

"What--sort of damage?" asked Malcolm, watching Bridgette speak with Nuada.

Quicksilver sighed. "Perhaps a loss of sight, perhaps a recurring vertigo. I'm not certain. It is always different for each person. It will not kill you, but it will take much to correct it, and we will have little time and less energy to do this after the spell has been danced."

Malcolm looked up once more, looking around at everyone and at the twisted landscape. "Do it."

****

"Oof!"

"That's it. We're dead!"

Jared smothered a smile and crouched down by Serena, who had seemed to discover the only stray pebble in the entire Circle to step on and fall flat on her face. "With all due respect, Lady Moon, I don't think improvisational is quite needed in this one. If you like, we can work on that later though."

Rei snickered as Serena blushed and accepted Jared's hand up. "Great--so what happens if she has a klutz attack in the middle of the spell?"

Nathan wandered up and grinned. "Oh the usual; the power will back lash on the area killing us all." The others stared in shock at him, thought Jared had to bite his fist to keep from bursting out in laughter. Nathan winked. "Kidding. Bridgette claims it's not dangerous what we're doing, just difficult."

Zoe wandered up, finger twining in one of the curls again. "I doubt Bridgette would ask any of us to do something like this if there were any serious danger, knowing her."

Jared paused, and nodded thoughtfully. Lita wandered over with Cerulean. "Well--I THINK the rest of them have gotten it down," said Lita grinning. "Course I couldn't tell you. I'm having enough problems keeping my OWN feet doing the right thing much less try to figure out if someone with four feet is getting it right."

"And the unicorns," said Cerulean softly, glancing back uncertainly at the small foal who was shadowing him with an adoring gaze. The back of Cerulean's coat had a hunk of fabric missing, obviously chewed.

Jared shrugged, putting an easy hand on Serena's shoulder. "Bri claims they're part of the focus. You know--the old purify thing with the horns." He shrugged and grinned at the Commander. "You seem to have made a friend with one."

Cerulean colored. "He ate my coat."

Lita giggled. Jared raised a hand to hide a smile. Zoe laughed outright, though not the infamous high-pitched cackle. Nathan grinned. "Well--Cer--looks like you've found some love after all."

Cerulean looked at him a moment, then smiled, reaching back to tousle the foal's forelock. The small unicorn whickered and pressed his face against Cerulean's side--nibbling at his already torn coat.

"So--" said Mina, crossing her arms. "We've got two circles to start out with, right?"

Nathan nodded, digging in his coat for a bag of M&M's before continuing. "Yes--the four of us and you Scouts in the inner circle, since we, especially the four of us, are centers and not actually in the process of recalling the world like the outer circle is." He tore open the bag and thoughtfully fished out one, peering at it. "Then we all move through the inner and outer loops in the knot pattern. Then the two circles break up forming the bigger one with all of you except the four of us, then we all do a sort of pinwheel, and back to our two original circles, going in opposite directions. The inner circle leaves, and the outer finishes up the rest, ONE of them being singled out to be the leader."

"Simple enough," said Jared. "But can we pull it off?"

Nathan grinned, "Probably not."

"Thanks for the confidence," muttered Rei.

Jared shrugged. "We--look at it this way: we've got over 90% of us that have never done this sort of thing. Bri claims the sidhe have--and those bird-folk, but they're used to different steps."

"Why not let them do their own steps?" asked Darien.

Nathan grinned. "Part of that involves flying. We've had to tie the patterns to the ground for the rest of us."

"Where in the world did you get those things?" asked Serena, staring at Nathan's candy bag.

"Oh--Nathan's always got chocolate on hand, Se--Sailor Moon," said Zoe with a laugh. "Sherlock Holmes thought by playing his violin, so Nathan, having to be different thinks by playing his violin and stopping at the end of every phrase to munch something chocolate."

Nathan grinned broadly and held out that bag. "Anyone wanting a few for luck's sake?"

Jared grinned and winked at Zoe. "Keep the green ones away from Cerulean."

"What?" asked the Commander, confused. He turned to peer at Jared--and stopped, hearing a tear as the foal at his side pulled off a hunk of his coat, chewing happily, with adoring eyes.

Jared giggled. "In joke, Cerulean. Have to be from earth to get it."

Lita cocked her head, trying not to laugh at the unicorn foal and Cerulean's one-third devoured jacket. "I guess you gotta be from Ireland; I don't get it either."

"Good thing," said Zoe. "I think you would flatten him." She winked, her emerald eyes gleaming.

Malcolm came over, hand held to his bruised head. "Bridgette says we're ready to start."

Zoe put her hand on his arm. "Are you going to be all right?"

Malcolm shook her hand off and nodded slightly, turning and heading for the center of the open area. Cerulean tried to follow--but felt a tug at his coat and another tearing noise. He closed his eyes and stripped his coat, leaving it in the possession of the unicorn foal, and leaving him in a loose sleeved shirt of black linen. Lita giggled and walked beside him. "Well--at least since the unicorn likes you, that means you aren't evil."

Cerulean blinked. "I--see." He looked around, seeing the youma getting into their places, amongst the others that Bridgette had brought in. "I--have never seen a more unlikely group of people trying to do something so ridiculous."

Lita grinned at him. "Happens on Earth all the time. We try to do lots of crazy things." She stopped a moment, then leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Good luck."

Before she could walk off, Cerulean caught her hand and pulled her back. He actually was almost the same height as the tall girl and he looked her straight in the eye. "Thank you, Lady Jupiter," he said, and kissed her hand.

"My name's Lita." They stared at each other a moment, then Lita squeezed his hand and moved to take her place in the inner circle.

Jared, trotting to catch up after muttering some last minute instructions to Melvin and Feolin, winked at Cerulean. "Flirt."

Giggling at Cerulean's confused look, he moved to his position in the inner circle, next to Nuada.

****

Melvin leaned comfortably in the embrace of the tree he had chosen for his look out. Despite the semi-sinister look of the black-barked trees, they actually had a comforting feel to them, and held a sort of warmth. Shoving his glasses up his nose, he turned to peer at the two rings of waiting figures at the center of the strange place he had been brought to. The tall woman named Bridgette, with wings arching gracefully over her head, moved to the very center and drew a small, glittering dagger from her sleeve. She nodded once, and drove the blade into her hand.

Melvin grimaced, but watched as her faintly luminescent blood dribbled down her splayed fingers, then dropped to splash on the smooth stone of the ground.

The world shook.

With the first drop, Melvin felt dizzy as the strange wail of some instrument filled his head. The dancers went into motion.

It was slow at first, singe steps, but the two circles were all ready weaving in complex patterns amongst themselves. Even though the steps were all in perfect unison, the inner circle stood out as better than the outer--except for the sidhe, though they seemed to lack the energy of the inner. And the four musicians stood out even more. A thin pillar of light had appeared at the very center, where Bridgette's blood had fallen, the winged woman herself, now flying across to sit in one of the stone chairs to one side, her intense gaze fixed on the dancers, her impaled hand still dripping blood onto the stones, though she seemed not to notice.

The music in Melvin's head began picking up, and the dancers' feet began to move almost in blurs, the sound of their stomping ringing over the virtually silent island. The circles began to break up, weaving in and out of themselves. The pillar of light began to widen a bit, and each of the dancers seemed to begin to glow, a rainbow of colors, though none were brighter than the four musicians. Melvin blinked, after images of the complex patterns they were dancing in etching themselves on his vision in blinking trails. As he watched, the four musicians moved back into the center, right hands stretching out to meet in a cross in the center, actually in the pillar of light, the Scouts and Darien forming a tight ring around them, forming the sign that was apparently the sign of Wayfarer--or at least Bridgette. The music shifted a little, and the Scouts, Darien, and Nuada broke off, two going to join one arm of the cross. Slowly, the other dancers completed complex patterns of motion and joined an arm.

Then the four arms spun around, reforming the original circles, around the now obviously growing column of light. The music sped up into almost a gallop and the two circles linked hands, moving swiftly in opposite directions. They dropped hands, then the inner circle people all moved outwards as the outer circle closed in, almost touching the pillar. The Scout's circle spun outwards, and then stopped, all peering intently at the others.

Aside from the focus, their part was over.

****

Malcolm tried not to sway as he spun to a stop and fixed his gaze on the remaining dancers, his hand pressed to his head. He felt dizzy, but then Quicksilver had warned him that it would wear off.

If he remembered correctly, watching the circle of dancers spread back outwards as the pillar of light did, soon the spell would single out the leader.

Cerulean danced out of the circle his feet flying.

****

Melvin watched the remaining dancers continue to weave and dance around the graceful figure of the black-haired man whom had been introduced as "Serr" or something. The pillar of light was expanding more and more rapidly. He had been told that nothing was dangerous about the spell, but still--he flinched as the pillar suddenly expanded outwards almost explosively as the dancers suddenly came to a halt with the music. The flash of light temporarily blinded him. When he could see again--

He stripped off his glasses and stared about himself incredulously.

****

Jared gaped. (THIS is the Negaverse?)

The barren clearing was growing lush grass before his eyes, filling with dark purple-glowing flowers. The ring of trees were leafing out, flowers blooming and filling the air with fragrances that Jared could only dream of. And it grew lighter. Raising his head, he saw the perpetual black shell of clouds thinning and pulling away from a tentatively blue sky.

He turned to say something to Malcolm--and rushed to the fallen man's side.

****

The hair on the back of Joerdan's neck prickled and he peered across the dark expanse of water towards the hidden island, frowning. "What ARE they doing out there?"

"My Lord?" queried the nearest youma.

"Nothing," Joerdan snapped. Then he saw something. A thin beam of light from somewhere out in the darkness. Frowning, he walked down to the shore line, squinting at the beam curiously.

It grew in brightness slowly--and then suddenly Joerdan's eyes widened and he flung himself to the ground as it flared to an even greater intensity as a wall of bright power swept over them all.

He felt no pain. Nothing. But--there was a faint warmth growing on his back. Was something bleeding on him? He pushed himself up on an arm and could only blink.

Sunlight. And a beach with gently grasses springing up towards the entrance to the caverns that had led him here.

END PART 11

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