Chapter 12: A Startling Revelation
Kieriyu looked around. "Yeah, this is Achernar. You go...do something. I have some calls to make. And don't even think about sneaking off somewhere-your girlfriend wouldn't be too happy." He laughed and walked off.
"Jerk," Corinn muttered. "Well, I'm here for who knows how long, I might as well find something to do." He wandered off in search of things to kill Jarith with.
"Hello?" Arysta said, picking up her communicator. "Who's there?"
"Arysta? It's Kieriyu. Just calling to let you know I'll be taking care of things from the other end of the spectrum, so to speak."
"The other side...Kieriyu, what are you talking about?"
"What if I don't want to tell you?"
"Kieriyu, if you don't knock it off right now and tell me exactly what you're talking about, I'll come over there myself and beat it out of you," Arysta said flatly.
"And I thought you were supposed to be one of those non-violent people," Kieriyu said. "But since you're so...insistent, I'm with Corinn on Achernar. I've, ah, convinced him to leave you alone for a while. I think he's busy finding ways to torture Jarith right now-"
"You're where?! How did he get out? That seal that the Guardian of Light put on-"
"Nothing is impossible for the Lord of Darkness, my lady. But I did give him a little help-you see, I had to be there, and I didn't really feel like waiting all that time-"
"You can't do that! That's cheating! That's against the rules!" Arysta shouted.
"I have plans of my own, as I'm sure you know," Kieriyu growled. "And the universe or the council would take steps if they disapproved. Since they haven't, you're in no position to yell at me. Besides, who authorized your little trip to Kirvak Minor?" Arysta's communicator gave a little warbling beep as Kieriyu hung up.
"Why that-oh, he makes me mad sometimes," Arysta muttered.
"Who was that?" Bekka asked.
"Kieriyu, another member of the Guild of Shadows. We have many...disagreements, though," Arysta answered.
"Over what?" Jarith asked.
"He thinks that the only way to ensure the universe's survival is to kill you both. Permanently."
"...Can he do that?" Jarith asked.
"He shouldn't be able to," Arysta said. "But I don't know; he's been acting really weird lately. He's on the planet Achernar right now, with the Lord of Darkness."
"What?!" Jarith exclaimed. "How did Corinn get out of that crystal so quickly?"
"Apparently Kieriyu helped him a little. That's another thing that has me worried. Kieriyu would never help either of you, unless there was something in it for him."
"So I guess the question is, what is in it for him?" Bekka said.
"Exactly," Arysta said. "All I can think of is that he has some kind of idea on how to destroy you both, but I have no idea how. I could ask the Lady, but I doubt she'd know. If she had any idea, the news would be all over by now."
"Who's the Lady?" Bekka asked.
"A member of the council. The council is in charge of the Guild of Shadows, more or less. The Lady is my superior. I can't tell you any more; you are outsiders, after all."
"I understand," Bekka said. "Shouldn't we do something about Corinn? What if he's in trouble? What if this Kieriyu person-"
"The Lord of Darkness shouldn't be in any danger," Arysta said. "Corinn and Jarith would both have to die at the same time, or the universe goes toward the one who dies later by default."
"So what should we do?" Jarith asked. "We can't just let Kieriyu get away with whatever he's doing, or sooner or later he'll get me and Corinn."
"Let me go to Achernar," Bekka said suddenly.
"What? Bekka, you can't, it's way too dangerous," Jarith protested.
"The Guardian of Light is correct," Arysta added. "The Lord of Darkness is, at best, mentally unstable, from what you've told me. Kieriyu would not like your interference either."
"But it's the only way!" Bekka said. "I know I can convince Corinn to stop this; you have to at least let me try!" She looked around, suddenly dizzy. "What..." Her eyes went blank, like they had on Corinn's planet. "Let her try..." she said, in a strange, echoing voice. "Let her, there is no other chance..."
"Bekka! Are you all right?" Jarith asked, rushing to her side. Bekka shook him off and looked straight at Arysta.
"We must go, my daughter. Do you not recognize me?" Bekka asked, her strange, blank eyes staring directly into Arysta's. A sudden, shocked look of realization spread over Arysta's face.
"My lady," she gasped, kneeling and bowing her head. "We had no idea-this is-"
Bekka blinked, and her eyes went back to normal. "You have to let me help Cor-Arysta? Jarith? What-why are you kneeling? What just happened?"
"You went into a trance again, like that time on Corinn's planet. Are you feeling okay?" Jarith asked.
"I-I guess I'm okay. I don't remember anything...is Arysta okay? Why is she kneeling?"
"Does this...happen often?" Arysta asked, her voice shaking.
"Only once before that I know of," Jarith said. "Arysta, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"Not a ghost-a-a-," Arysta replied.
"A what?" Bekka asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you have any idea who that was speaking through you, Bekka?"
"Uh...no."
"That was the universe herself. As far as we know, she has never once intervened directly, never been able to. For her to speak through someone is unprecedented. She is influencing the war through you. You, Bekka. In all likelihood, you were born for this purpose, to be the universe's agent in our world."
"I-ah-ermph-uh-me?" Bekka stuttered. "What did she-I-say?"
"To go to Achernar and...help Corinn. He must be in real danger from Kieriyu, for her to go through the trouble to tell us."
"Well, we'd better leave right away!" Bekka said. She started to walk purposefully towards somewhere, then stopped, realizing that she hadn't the slightest idea where she was going. "Ah, where's Achernar?"
"It's a planet, quite a way away from here. I can take you there. Guardian of Light, you'll have to stay here-"
"Absolutely not!" Jarith protested. "Someone has to protect Bekka. From what you've said, Kieriyu will stop at nothing to get rid of us, and Corinn isn't exactly sane right now, in case you hadn't noticed-"
"And that's exactly why you must stay here! The Lord of Darkness lives only to kill you, and if Kieriyu gets his hands on you, then there's nothing left to stop him from destroying both you and Corinn!" Arysta argued.
"Stop fighting!" Bekka said. "Jarith, I know you want to come, but Arysta's right, it's dangerous-"
"I'll be careful, okay? I won't let Kieriyu get me. Besides, there's really no way you can stop me, is there?" He looked at Arysta. She shook her head. "I'd rather come with you than follow you around."
"I guess you have a point..." Bekka reflected. "Just...be careful, all right?"
"Of course I will," he said. "I understand how dangerous this is."
"All right, then," Bekka said. "Let's go." The three of them stood in a circle, holding hands. Jarith and Arysta's power sparkled in the air, flowed around them, and they were gone.
They reappeared in what appeared to be a small forest on Achernar.
"Where are we?" Bekka asked, looking at Jarith. He shrugged.
"I've never been here," he replied.
"It's the Veredem Palace," Arysta said. "A very beautiful place, if you have the time for sightseeing." She looked around for a second, preoccupied. Finally she reached into a pocket and pulled out a necklace with the emblem of the Guild of Shadows on the pendant. "Bekka, I want you to wear this. It hides the wearer from the senses of the powers of Darkness and Light, and I've set them so they should block Kieriyu as well."
"Okay," Bekka said, taking the necklace. Suddenly she stopped. "Wait...won't they see Jarith then?"
"I might be able to block Corinn, but I don't know," Jarith said. "I'm not sure at all about Kieriyu-"
"You take it, then. I'm not in any danger from Corinn-Don't argue. If Corinn sees me, he'll come looking for you, and if I'm blocking his powers, he'll want to know how. I don't need this; you do."
"But my lady-" Arysta interrupted, "you can't just go up against Kieriyu without some sort of shield-"
"Corinn will protect me. I'll be perfectly safe. Jarith needs to be hidden, not me."
"If you insist, then," Arysta said.
"Are you sure, Bekka?" Jarith asked. "I don't want you to be in any danger-"
"If Corinn and Kieriyu see me with this necklace, they'll know something's going on. I can't take it. I'll be okay, I promise."
Halfway across the planet, Corinn felt a sudden twinge of power. ...Jarith? he wondered.
"What is it?" Kieriyu asked. He'd been keeping a close watch on Corinn since his call to Arysta.
"I thought I felt...but no, it's gone. Some power, like Jarith, close by. But it just disappeared."
"Strange," Kieriyu commented. "I'm glad to see you've been behaving."
"What choice do I have?" Corinn glared at Kieriyu. "Whatever idiocy you're planning, I hope you finish it soon."
Kieriyu just smiled. "So what have you been up to?"
"I went shopping," Corinn said. He pulled a knife out of a sheath at his belt. It had a rather frightening jagged edge down one side, but it wasn't nearly as frightening as the look on Corinn's face. "You won't let me use my powers, so I'll have to kill Jarith some other way." He put the knife away and showed Kieriyu a silver necklace with a black stone. "This is for Bekka. Nice, isn't it?"
Kieriyu frowned. That wasn't how this was supposed to be going. Corinn should have been completely consumed with hatred for Jarith by now, and unable to think of anything else. Then, Kieriyu would reveal his plan to destroy Jarith, and Corinn would be so obsessed that he would fail to notice the unfortunate...side effects. "You still care for that girl?" he asked, puzzled.
"Of course," Corinn said. "And my promise still stands. You do anything to hurt her, and I'll come after you with that knife the second Jarith's dead. Wait--I take that back. I'll kill you first."
"They're in this city," Arysta said, pointing at her map to a dot halfway around the world. "I can teleport us there, but Bekka should go in alone."
"Alone?" Jarith questioned. "But shouldn't someone-"
"Who could go with her? You? Corinn wouldn't let you near him. Me? Kieriyu would know we're here."
"It's okay, I'll be fine," Bekka said, nervously. "Just send me there. I can do this."
"Take this, then," Arysta said, handing Bekka a small ring with the Guild of Shadows emblem. "Keep it hidden so Kieriyu doesn't see the design. When you want to come back, twist the ring and it will teleport you here. Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"I'm sure," she said. "Now go, before I lose my nerve." Jarith and Arysta each set a hand on Bekka's shoulder. The world glowed, shimmered, and disappeared. Arysta and Jarith were left behind. Bekka stood alone in front of a small park. They really like plants around here, don't they? she thought, and walked in.
The first thing she saw was two people sitting at a table. Well...maybe people wasn't quite the right word. One of them was orange, furry, with red hair and pointed ears. But the other... "Corinn!" Bekka called. "Corinn! Is that you?"
"Bekka!" he said, hurrying over to her. "How did you find this place? What are you doing here?"
Kieriyu stood up and walked toward them. "So this is the girl?" he asked Corinn, mildly interested. Corinn glared and stepped in front of Bekka.
"My promise still holds," he said. "You touch her, you die. Get back before I get really angry."
Image Gallery: : Characters: : Theme Song: : Link "Darkness and Light"