Chapter 2
By: Malika
Khrusendra sat in his darkened room staring out at the cloaked outdoors through his large window. He picked up one rose and twirled it thoughtfully. Flames flickering brightly in the distance was the only signal he had that the attack he had so carefully planned was over. His lip twitched slightly in a smile.
The attack had gone well. At anytime his faithful Generals would come barging in with news of the two Shadows. A knock at the heavy oak doors signaled their arrival.
"Come in," his tone was breathless in anticipation.
Lady Une, his consort ushered herself in, "My Lord, Zechs Marquise is here to see you on the attack in the lower city."
"See him in my Lady."
"As you wish Master Treize," she answered with a frown.
Zechs strolled in and formally bowed to his Lord. Treize turned to him and with a single gesture sent mage fire to light up the room. Zechs blinked once at the sudden light.
"I hear you have news, Zechs. Lets hear it."
Zechs nodded, "Your Lordship, the attack was successful almost to the dot. The rebels force is decimated with little causalities on our side."
"And the two rebels Shinigami and Talon? What of them?" Une asked adjusting her hair and casting a frown in Zech's direction.
Zechs sighed, "Captain Alec and two of his men were able to corner Shinigami and able to injure him enough to slow him down. Talon was not spotted."
"What do you mean enough to slow him down?" Treize asked, "Did you not capture him?"
"No my Lord. But may I point out the Captain's disregard for your orders. He was intent on killing Shinigami by the time I got there."
"And what of the Captain?"
"Shinigami destroyed him, and only one of his men are alive," answered Zechs.
Treize nodded, "Then he's been punished."
He turned away, "Une, make orders for the death of the captain's last man."
"Yes, my lord," Une bowed.
"But sir, think again. He was only following orders," Zechs stepped forward.
"Yes and he should have been following my orders, not the captain. Let him serve as an example that Oz does not accept disobedience in the ranks. Une, I want the captain's family too. Make sure that they are...comfortable."
"As you wish my lord," answered Une.
"Zechs you are dismissed," Treize waved his hand slightly towards the door.
Zechs bowed slightly and left the room. Une frowned again at the retreating Zechs.
"Is something wrong my lady?"
"Nothing my lord, I just don't trust him as much as you do."
"Who said I trusted anyone, lady?"
Une bowed, "I'm sorry my Lord."
The figure stumbled landing on one knee with a hiss of pain. It was dark save for a few lamp-lights in the windows. The wind's steady howling cast out any sounds that were normally present in such areas. The figure cursed the dank cold weather and then sneezed fitfully.
The huddled figure looked up with eyes filled with pain and despair. All of them dead, all of them except for him and of course, Talon. Talon would know of the attack by now. If he knew that they were all dead, Shinigami could only guess.
Shinigami sniffed and whipped the snot from his nose and then paused to brush a clammy hand over his fevered forehead. He coughed and then struggled to get to his feet. Shaking wildly and wobbling back and forth on his injured leg, Shinigami moved on slowly. There was still hope if he reached Talon that his sometime partner and friend could help.
This he doubted, but it was worth a try to keep his spirits from falling. He must stay hopeful.
He stumbled once again, cursing fluently as he banged his blood soaked thigh on the ground. He pulled away his hand soaked with blood away from his side. The gapping hole there was no better, if worse than his leg.
He stumbled back to his feet and walked on still looking for the caravan of gypsies that Talon was apart of. Shinigami wiped the sweat from his forehead once more and then gasped with slightly for excitement and slightly for pain at the sight before him. The caravan that he was looking for, Talon's caravan, was before him in the small meadow outside the city. He stumbled towards the wagon he recognized as Talon, particularly for the mark on the side. Only Talon marked things as such, with a single wolf print.
If Shinigami was his usual self, he would have snorted at his friend's craziness for marks. But he wasn't his self. Far from it in fact. Shinigami blinked trying to get his fading eyesight to work.
He heard a startled gasp and whirled around awkwardly to discover a medium sized brunette girl who looked a few years older than him.
"Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded her eyes rooming over his bloody black garments.
Shinigami grimaced knowing the girl didn't see the blood only the wetness in the material. Black was good for two things: hiding in the darkness and for not showing blood.
He rasped out in answer, "I'm looking for Talon."
In his state of woundedness, he faintly recognized not using Talon's real name, but his call name. The one either enemies or allies called him. Talon didn't have many allies.
The girl cursed and pushed him down to the ground. He landed with a thud of pain grunting heavily. The girl seeing him fall and stay down whirled around and took off. Shinigami reached out wearily to stop her, too weak to get up for himself again so that he could follow and explain.
His 'wait!' faded through the air, not heard by any one.
"Fuck," he exclaimed as he passed out, "looks like this is the end of the line for Shinigami. I thought you couldn't...kill...death."
Trowa was the caravans' acrobat and part-time throwing target courtesy of his sister. Trowa didn't feel like he was anything special. That was beside the fact that he was a mercenary turned acrobat after he re-discovered his long lost sister. He felt as though she saved his life from either certain death or a life in that eternal hell. Being a play toy when he was younger never helped out either.
Trowa didn't mind even if he was mental scared for life. He felt as though he got the better bargain. After all it was he that got to kill those stupid bastards that had done such disgusting things to him when he was small.
But now, he was different. Not so much at the fact that he was now a part of this caravan, or that he had a slightly more respectable job than his previous one. No he was different because he was one of the more powerful mages of this century. He was different because he was the people's last hope to destroy Oz and to live a peaceful life away from power hungry rulers.
He knew that he wasn't the only Shadow, that's what the villagers had started to call them. There was another and the promise of three more. Shinigami was the only one he knew about. When he first met him it was a standoff, they both had a job to do and it just happened that they had picked the same one. Eventually they teamed up and finished it with little difficulty.
Shinigami had been a busy, self-righteous, hyper person. And he was the silent man-child that had been killing since before he could remember. They made an interesting pair, but an effective one at that. Lately Trowa had been noticing changes in the youthful Shinigami, or Duo to his friends. He became more quiet more un-feeling and frankly that was scaring Trowa. The war was getting to him.
Trowa shrugged. It wasn't his responsibility to look after Duo's personality changes. That was Duo's fight alone. It was better to stay out of it.
Trowa shifted out of his thoughts and focused his gaze longfully towards the large cats that they had brought with them for a new show. The were so majestic that was for certain. Trowa would have reached out with his power and talked with them, but was interrupted with a frantic Catherine who had flung herself at him rambling without real comprehension on Trowa's part.
He blinked and pulled her aside giving her time to calm down.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
She stuttered and told him of the man that had appeared near his caravan asking for 'Talon.' Trowa hardened his stance. "What did this person say his name was? What did he look like?"
"He didn't say who he was, only where was Talon. I couldn't really see what he looked like either. I pushed him down and came straight to you."
Trowa nodded his thanks and trotted over to his wagon with Catherine following shortly behind him. He reached it fast and silent ready to attack at the slightest movement. All that he saw was a crumbled black figure outside his wagon. He shifted towards it warily not sure what to make of it all.
Catherine grabbed his arms as if she was going to hold him back, but he shrugged her off silently. He didn't need a big sister right now.
Trowa bent down and pushed on the crumbled figure. It didn't move. He pulled the cloak from the figures face and gasped in surprise. He fingered the face slightly and with sudden resolve picked up the injured and dying Duo and carried it towards his wagon.
Trowa stopped at the door and he felt a hand enclose about his arm. It was Catherine.
"Trowa," she whispered, "do you know this person?"
He nodded towards the door and she obliged opening the way for him and his burden. Trowa pushed through the wagon and set Duo down with surprising gentleness on his bed. Catherine shut the door and then turned towards Trowa.
"Who is it Trowa?" she whispered.
He glanced at her, "Shinigami, and his hurt bad."
Catherine covered her mouth and walked towards them, "Trowa I had no idea. I'm sorry."
He nodded in forgiveness, "Leave, this is dangerous, especially if whatever attacked him comes here."
Catherine shook her head stubbornly, "Let me stay. I can help you know I can. I know more about cleaning and taking care of patients than you. As to whoever did this, you know the caravan is safe and won't say anything of it. I'll get them to leave as soon as possible to get him away."
She nodded towards Duo, "Besides we're due in Chang in a week and nobody is too happy to stay here any longer. They'd want to go with little question ask. Anything to help you two out."
Trowa thought about it turning it around his head, but nodded his consent. She did have a point. She was a better nurse than he was. Maybe he would need a big sister after all.