The Adventures of the SOL

  "Charlie?"

 "Yes?"

 Rais stared for the longest time, too surprised to say much of anything.  Charlie gave a small smile.  Finally, Rais shook himself from his daze.

 "But how... How did you get here?  Why are you here?  What happened?  Where did you go?" Rais could only blurt question after question.

 "Slow down," Charlie said, "I may not look like it, but I’m happy to see you too.  But why are you here?  One minute I'm having a nice nap and the next thing I know someone is yelling and banging against the door."

 "We were ambushed in the forest," Rais explained, looking serious, "I don’t know where the girls went…"

 "Does that mean Rei--?" Charlie asked, concerned.

 "No, Rei wasn’t with us," Rais assured him quickly, "And I think we both know the girls are okay until Creton gets hold of Rei.  But what about you?  What happened?  I mean, we thought you had just left.  Rei was really broken up about it, and Serena and Lita… Well, they were too.  We all were."

 "That’s a long story," Charlie moved the hair out of his eyes and walked over to one side of the room, hitting a button.  The room was illuminated.  It was velvet red all over with golden trim.  It was a very nice room.  Not something most people would hold a captive in.

 Rais’s face softened.  "Have you been here this entire time?"

 Charlie nodded.

 "I’m sorry," Rais put his head down.

 "Why?"

 "We should have thought about this," Rais shook his head, "We should have looked here.  Or just looked harder.  I’m real sorry."

 "I’ve been treated exceptionally well, under the circumstances,"  Charlie took a seat in a nearby chair and leaned back, "Though I’m not exactly complimenting the services."

 "But why?  And how?"

 "Like I said, that’s a long story," Charlie coughed.

 "Do you plan on going anywhere soon, because I’m not," Rais told him, spinning a seat around backwards and sitting down to face him. "Just tell me.  We’ve all been really worried about you."

 "Really?  You too?"

 Rais blushed a little and mumbled, "Maybe just a little…"

 Charlie was surprised.  He and Rais didn’t really have a chance to get to know each other before Charlie had disappeared.

 "I see you cut your hair," Charlie smirked, "It’s still long though."

 "Uh yeah," Rais smiled a little crookedly, "It’s always been like that since I can remember.  I think it’s stylish."

 "If you say so," Charlie replied.

 "Stop stalling," Rais said impatiently, "Tell me."

 "Okay, fine, but you can’t look down on me because… Well, just hear me out okay?  Don’t judge before you hear the whole story," Charlie sighed.

 "I promise," Rais nodded.

 Charlie sighed again and started telling his story.

 Rei groaned.  She had never been so sore in her entire life.  She wasn’t even sure why…

 She remembered and her eyes shot open.  She then examined the room around her and saw dark stone.  Her wrists were fastened against a wall.  She tried to move and found her arms were sore.  She was strapped to the wall.

 She remembered that Daunus had come playing as if he was an ally to her.  She had forgotten that he had betrayed her and her father once though.

 She put her head down.  If it wasn’t for her childish need to not remember the pain she had gone through all those years ago, she might have seen it all.  She might have stopped it.

 She looked up weakly and saw that there was an almost invisible bubble around her.  It was anti magic, and anti psychic.  She couldn’t use any of her powers inside of it.  It was dark outside of it, hardly any light managing to make it to the small room.

 She didn’t know where anyone was.

 Rei bit her lip.  What about everyone else?  What happened to them?

 Maybe they were back at the castle.  They could protect it.  They would be there for it.  Lizerton was safe with them.

 Somehow she didn’t believe that, but she didn’t deny it to herself anyway.  She had to hold on to the hope that someone was protecting her kingdom.

 So where was she?

 That was easy.  She wasn’t in Reptopia.  She knew the castle there, and this room wasn’t designed the same way a Reptopian room would be, at least inside of the castle.  It was too bare, too plain.

 It was an Evilopolis room, in the Evilopolis castle.

 Was this it?  Was Creton going to do what he had always told her he would?  Was he finally going to destroy her?

 Not if she could help it.

 She had to make sure her friends were okay.   But for now all she could do was wait.  Eventually she fell asleep again.  She was just too drained to stay awake much longer.

 While she was asleep, someone entered the room.  They came forward, looked over the bubble and Rei for a moment.  Anyone there would have seen them sniff at it and try to touch it.

 It walked around it and crawled as far under it as it could.

 Then there were voices down the hall and it scurried out the door and was gone.  It made a point of closing the door as it left, and the door shutting woke Rei up.

 "Who’s there?" she asked weakly.

 She lifted her head and saw the door open.  Her body tensed up and she wanted to close her eyes, but held herself defiant.

 There were two Evilopolis guards.  They wore black armor that made then look like shiny black bugs.  She could see their red eyes glowing in their helmets.

 Rei had heard of these soldiers.  They were a group of people who had sold their souls to Creton.  They walked with no will but Creton’s.

 They moved in without a word.  One of them muttered something incomprehensible, and the bubble disappeared.

 The other opened on of the cuffs around her wrists and the other did the other side.  She fell to the ground on her knees.  She stood up, and she found her energy was very low.  She could hardly stand up.

 The guards picked her up and one of them tied her hands behind her back.  She walked as best as she could, but she stumbled as they led her down a dark corridor.

 She bit into her lip as they approached two large double doors.

 One of the soldiers opened the door, and she felt her heart in her temples as she walked in.  There were a few scarce torches along the walls.  The back was so dark she couldn’t make out any shapes at all.

 Then she saw two red glowing objects appear.  She took a deep breath and waited for the sound of his voice.

 "Well, Rei, it looks like this time I have you," Creton said.  All Rei could see were his eyes, glowing in the middle of a rectangle of blackness.

 She felt herself being pushed forward by the guards behind her, and she resisted.

 She found herself about five feet away from the foot of Creton’s throne and she swallowed.  The guards gripped her shoulders and shoved her down onto her knees.

 "No answer?"

 Rei just glared at him.

 "Leave us," he said to the guards, "She is too weak to fight, and if she does it won’t be anything I can’t handle."

 "You sound sure of yourself," Rei said finally.

 "Because I am princess," Creton replied, and she could hear him mocking her behind his mask.  She flinched but continued.

 "Are you sure I don’t have another card up my sleeve?" Rei asked him, a smile slowly filling her face "Are you very sure that I don’t have some means of escape?"

 "If you did you wouldn’t say a word about it," Creton was confident.  He leaned back in his throne.  He had Rei on her knees in front of his throne.  Not quit as good as her father, but almost.  "That is the way you play our little game.  You use words when you have nothing and silence when you still have a trump card."

 "Fair enough," Rei shrugged.

 "Let me explain the situation to you," she could hear his smile, "I have your friends in the dungeon.  You are too weak to fight me and ever hope to win.  I have everything that is important to you, including your kingdom.  Will you surrender?"

 "Never," Rei said.  She felt the ropes around her wrists loosen and wiggled them off.

 "Don’t flatter yourself in thinking that you got those ropes off yourself," Creton told her, "I’m actually hoping you’ll fight me before you die."

 "You can count on it," Rei rubbed her wrists and stood up, trying not to show just how hard it was.

 Creton’s outline rose and a few torches lit next to him.  She saw Valerie on one side of Creton smiling at her.  Brashear was on the other side of him, but she looked more thoughtful than anything.  Daunus was beside Valerie standing like a guard in the back.

 "So it comes down to this," Creton said, stepping down off of the platform his throne sat on, "You sit in front of me, powerless, weak.  At my mercy."

 "Only if I ask for it," Rei reminded him.

 "I assure you, I can make you ask for it," Creton said and took another step down.  It was all she could do to keep from taking a step back. "I’m amazed you can stand right now. That bubble was suppose to take away your energy gradually."

 "It did," Rei replied, "But I have some to spare."

 "Then let the games begin," Creton said, and placed a hand forward.  Rei flew backwards and into the far wall.  She slid down it biting hard on her lip.

 "You didn’t cry out," Creton said, "Lovely."

 Suddenly he was standing nearby.

 Rei placed a hand on the ground and pushed.  It felt as if she was trying to walk on stilts, but she managed to hold her balance and stay up.

 "What’s this?  Defiance?" Creton asked and she felt herself fly to the ground.  She landed on her back.

 She then flew up and Creton caught her by the front of her shirt.

 "You will ask for mercy," he told her, and waited.

 She just tried to catch her breath.

 "Fine," he said and tossed her to the floor.  She skidded across the ground.  She tried to stand.  She got halfway up and Creton knocked her down with an energy attack.

 She stayed down for only a moment and stood back up.

 "Won’t you stay down!?" Creton cried outraged and knocked her down once more.  She hit the wall near his throne.

 Brashear saw her start to stand.  Rei was very close to her and Brashear blinked rapidly.

 Rei slowly managed to stand back up.  Blood ran down one side of her mouth and she kept one eye closed, but she was still standing.  Suddenly, Creton was in front of her.  He grabbed her by the throat.  She tried to pull his hands away but she didn’t have the strength.

 His fingers dug into her esophagus and still she didn’t cry out.  He growled at her and threw her down.  She slid on her back to the middle of the floor.

 She didn’t stand up this time.

 "Princess?  I have a question before you die," Creton walked forward and stood right over her, "Have you ever wondered what was behind this mask I wear?  I don’t need to keep it a secret any longer, not when you are about to die."

 Rei tried to sit up but he placed his foot on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

 "Let me show you," he said and she opened her eyes in a slit.  Creton reached towards his mask and pulled it away from his face.  His long hair was tossed back so Rei could clearly see his face.  She could see where the scar caused a glare off of his right eye.  One side of his face was normal, even somewhat handsome, but the other side looked chewed and torn.  It was sagging at the cheek bone, making his eye look wider than he held it.

 And yet there was something about the left that reminded her of...

 She gasped.  "No…Wh-Who are you?"

 "Wouldn’t you like to know?" he asked.

 She tried to pull herself away from him but she didn’t have the strength.

 "Now, its time for you to die," Creton said, replacing his mask.  Rei saw a last glimpse of the hideous scar.  Had he not worn the mask she might have seen it before, but now... Now...

 She closed her eyes wishing it would all go away.

 "There isn’t any way out of here?" Serena asked, frustrated.

 "Not that I can see," Amy called back to her.

 They had been sitting in the cells of the dungeon trying to get out for the past hour.  Mina sat with her hands on her face.  "There has to be some way," she said.

 "The only person who hasn’t tried is—" Amy stopped, "What about TK?"

 "What about him?" Mina asked.

 "Doesn’t he have some magic to him?  This shield might not be able to contain all of his magic."

 "Do you really think?" Lita asked Amy.

 "I do," Amy said, "TK’s exhibited magical powers before.  I think that they might have overlooked that."

 "Whoever they is," Hotaru said miserably.

 "Okay, we’ll give it a shot," Mina said.  She stood up.  "TK use your magic to attack the bars of the cell."

 TK looked up at Mina then stared at the bars.  At first it didn’t look like anything was going to happen.  Then the jewel on TK’s forehead started glowing.  Mina could see the energy moving in towards it.

 TK growled and got down on his haunches.  He aimed the jewel at the bars and a wild blast shot forward.  The bars exploded.

 "Whoa…" Serena said as TK rubbed against Mina’s leg.  The bars had fallen over and landed with a clang.  Smoke rose from them still.

 Mina petted TK absently, staring at the newly made exit with wide eyes.  Finally she looked at him and he emitted a loud purr.

 "What happened?!" Lita called, sounding a little clearer now, "ACK!"  She had screamed because Hotaru suddenly turned back into a bear and rammed down the bars of the cell.

 "I’ll tell you what happened," Hotaru said as she turned back into a human, "The shield was destroyed."

 "Excellent," Lita cried and they got out.

 "So where’s Rais?" Amy asked looking around.  They looked through each cell, but they were all empty.

 "Where could he have gone?" Serena asked.

 "Maybe he’s back in the forest," Hotaru shrugged, looking hopeful, "Maybe they missed him somehow."

 "That’s a pretty big maybe," Mina put in, "Maybe we should check, just in case.  We can’t leave him here if he is here."

 They walked up a short set of stairs, Amy first.  When they got to the top Amy found herself staring right into the face of an Evilopolis soldier.  She took a sharp intake of breath and leaned back into the others.

 It just looked at her and continued.  She felt like she would faint she was so relieved.

 "Why didn’t it attack?" Serena whispered, watching as it sauntered down the hall and turned the corner.

"Probably because nothing told it to," Hotaru explained, "They must be under Creton’s complete control.  They aren't human that's for sure."

 "You guys, what if we run into Creton on our way around here?" Lita asked, looking around nervously.

 "We won’t," Mina reassured her, "I’m sure he has more important things to do than walk around his own castle."

"Come on," Amy said after checking the corridor one last time, and they filed into the hallways, preparing to look for Rais.

 "What was that?" Valerie cried as the ground shook and there was a muffled explosion.

 "Looks like your friends are smarter than I thought," Creton smiled down at Rei, "Send some guards to recapture them.  They won’t get far."

 "Yes sir," Valerie stood up.

 "Let me go, lord!"

 "Hmm?" Creton turned around and saw Daunus step forward eagerly.  His face was full of hunger.  Valerie paused and looked at his father.

 "Go then, Daunus," Creton smiled, looking at Rei, "You have done a good job so far, don’t screw it up."

 Daunus nodded gratefully and then ran out of the room.  Brashear watched him go and looked at Rei.  Seeing her lying there, hurt, made her feel squeamish.  Her heart was beating and butterflies lined her stomach.  And she wasn’t quite sure why.

 Valerie watched Daunus leave and sat back down at his chair next to Creton’s.

 Brashear looked at him and he looked back, smiling at her.  She watched his face.  He looked smug over their victory, but there was something behind his smile that said he felt the way she did.

 She turned back to Creton who was staring down at Rei.

 Now what?

 The girls made their way down the hallway walking quietly.  Amy shushed them as she listened.  They all heard the approaching footsteps of soldiers.

 "You don’t think--?" Lita asked.

 The soldiers turned the corner and came right at them, weapons up.  The girls all looked at each other.  They were all frozen in place.

 "Run for it!" Serena called and the girls all ran the opposite directions.

 Mina was following Serena, but suddenly TK ran under her and carried her down a separate hallway.  She held on for dear life as he raced quickly into the labyrinth.

 She looked back and then rode TK as far as he could take her.  It was much faster than her own two feet and she might get away.

 Amy took a right after awhile hoping to take some of the soldiers off course from the other girls.  It worked.  They followed her down the hallway.  Only three of them.  The rest continued after everyone else.

 Hotaru turned into a mouse and squeezed under the nearest door, hiding.

 Lita saw Amy turn and followed her example and took a left.  She was the fastest out of all of them and about half turned with her.

 She gulped and ran faster.  She gained more and more time ahead of them, she would have to lose them sooner or later.  At least they were following her, the fastest, and not anyone else.

 Serena just ran straight the entire time, being the one to start the panic in the first place.  She turned right when she couldn’t go straight and found a dead end.  She gasped and turned around.  She backed against the wall and waited for the guards to discover her.

 Suddenly the wall fell in and she landed on her back.  Something pulled her back and picked her up.  She felt a hand go over her mouth.

 "Don’t say a word, or it may be your last," a voice hissed in her ear.

 Meanwhile, Mina ran down another corridor and saw Lita in front of them. Mina reached out her hand and Lita took it, jumping onto TK with her.  TK wasn’t weighted down very much.  Mina suspected he was using magic if he could carry both of them.

 They raced down the corridor trying to lose the soldiers.

 Amy took another right, hoping to confuse the soldiers, but they were always on her trail.  She heard a voice directed them.

 "To the right again!" it said as she made another sharp turn.  She almost stumbled and looked around her for a moment, needing a place to go.

 She grabbed for the nearest door and slammed it behind her.  She gasped for breath.  She couldn’t stop long because she heard a voice behind the door.  The wind moved her hair over her ears so she shoved it back.

 Wait, the wind?

 "She went here!"

 She opened her eyes and gasped pressing back against the door as much as she could.  She was standing on a long, but not long enough, ledge outside of the castle.  Taking a deep breath she inched away from the door.  She turned around a corner following the ledge.  Just then the door opened.

 "She must have fallen," the voice said, "This will not please Creton"

 As the door shut Amy looked back around.  She could have sworn she had heard that voice before, but her mind did not want to register who it was.  She sighed and inched back towards the door.

 She looked down and saw a wide moat below, along with some sharp rocks around the edge.  The water was rushing around in frenzy.  She could see why.  It was carved from a river.  She made sure her feet stayed against the wall.

 She got to the door and tried the knob, but was surprised to see it was locked.

 "Great," she spat, "Just great…"

 Elsewhere, Hotaru looked around the room and found she was in a kitchen of some kind.  She didn’t see anyone so she turned back into a human.  She walked around the kitchen for a moment, then listened for anyone outside the door.

 She didn’t hear anyone so she moved silently forward.

 No one was in the halls so she walked along the one she thought everyone else might have gone through.  After awhile she thought she might be the only one not caught.  She caught site of a set of stairs and walked up them.  They started to wind around to the top of a steep tower.  She felt the wind blow strong around her.  She looked around her and saw a chance of getting away.  She could change into a bird and get help.

 "From?" she asked herself and shook her head.

 Then a shape caught her eye.  She squinted down at it.  She leaned forward with no regard to her balance.

 "Amy?"

 Amy was walking along the edge of the castle.  Hotaru saw the dark kingdom beyond it and looked back down at Amy.

 "Hey Amy!" Hotaru called.

 Amy’s head snapped up and she waved for Hotaru to help her.

"Come up here!" Hotaru said, "I wouldn’t know what to change into to get you up here!"  All of her bird forms were too small to carry her.

Amy gave her a helpless look and shook her head.  She carefully turned around and began to climb the slanted roof of the castle.  She kept her belly to the roof and Hotaru waited anxiously at the top.

 Elsewhere, Serena was trying desperately to get out of the grasp of her captive.  She suddenly shot up a high kick that caught them on the forehead.

 "Ow!" they cried and she whirled around, "Your welcome for saving you from those soldiers."  A boy stood clutching his forehead.

 "Who are you?" she asked fiercely.  She had ended up in a secret passage way.  There were a few torches so she could make out the boy a little bit.

 "Who am I?" the boy asked.  He was tall and looked to be about sixteen.  "The name is Ran.  Glad to meet you I think."  He stood up in the light and Serena stared a moment.

 "What… are you?" she asked, relaxing for the moment.  If he was out to capture her, he would have attacked again.  Now if only she could figure out his appearance...

 He looked normal except that he had two large cat ears coming out of the hat he wore and she saw a tail whip around his feet.

 "I’m a felinus sapien if you wanna get technical," he said, "Cat boy if you don’t enjoy large words."

 "What are you doing here?" Serena asked.

 He considered for a moment.  "Trying to make a bust, but this getting to be a little more than I can chew," he shrugged and held out a hand for her to shake, "Ran Whiska, Private Eye."

 "I could have never guessed with that outfit," Serena said sarcastically.

 Ran looked down at his outfit.  He wore a sleeveless sweater over a dress shirt and tie, and tan slacks.  His shoes were highly polished and his hat was wide brimmed and low topped.

 "Well, thank you, I try," Ran seemed uncertain as to whether it was a compliment or not.  Still he felt ridiculed.

 "Nice hat," Serena said irresistibly, "Did you take it from Dick Tracy?"

 "Look Doll, I’m after a fellow named Daunus Silverblade," Ran interrupted her, becoming rather serious, "I traced him all the way over here to Evilopolis."

 "Doll?" Serena asked, "Daunus??  Evilopolis???"

 "Do you have a disorder so you repeat the key words in a person’s sentence?" he asked, "Cause I think I heard of that once..."

 "No," Serena shook her head hard, glaring at him, "I’m not your Doll, I didn’t exactly know where I was… And why are you after Daunus?"

 "Top Secret," Ran said sounding regretful, "Let’s just say he’s not making his mamma proud.  Then again who is these days?"

 "Ah," Serena watched his tail flick back and forth.

 "Actually I was wondering," Ran looked around as though he was afraid someone was listening, "Who is this Creton guy and exactly how many accounts of kidnapping could he be charged for?"

 Serena paused.  "He’s a really bad guy and I don’t think it’s countable."

 "Okay," Ran scratched his head, "Now who's the broad with the stick out black hair and gray eyes and what did she do to this guy?"

 "Who?" Serena asked, "You can’t mean… Rei?"

 "I don’t know who I mean, Doll," Ran was becoming frustrated, "That’s why I’m asking you.  Whoever she is she’s in trouble.  I would have saved her when I had the chance but I couldn’t get her out of the shield.  Then some of those creepy guards came by and took her away.  I don’t stand much of a chance against them so I retreated."

 "How do you get out of here?" Serena asked him, avoiding the question completely.  Serena began to examine the false wall behind her.

 "Why?" he asked, his ears cocking down, "What exactly do you know?  Anything you know would be important to the authorities you know."

 "That girl is Princess Rei Wallace," Serena said, "Of Lizerton.  If you don't know who I'm talking about I can't help you much."

 "Sweet Godfather," Ran said, holding on to hit hat, "Lawrence the Good’s daughter?"

 "The same," Serena said, "This Creton guy?  He's the King of Darkness.  Creton will kill her if he gets the chance.  I have to find the others and get to her.  She’ll die."

 "This is serious.  The real King of Darkness?" Ran rubbed his head, disbelieving, "Come on, we’ll save her."  he grabbed her wrist and turned her around, marching down the secret passage.

 Meanwhile, Mina and Lita were slowing down.  They checked all around them and assumed they were safe for the moment.

 "Whew, what a rush," Lita said, getting off of TK, "I thought they would never go away.  Now what?"

 "I guess we should find or save the others," Mina still sat, "Depending on how well they managed to get away."

 "I guess so," Lita gave a large stretch and got back on TK.  They began to run down the hallway again, keeping a sharp eye out for the others.

 On the roof, Amy was almost close enough to reach Hotaru’s hand.  Hotaru stretched further.  "Just a little more Amy," she strained, "You can do it, you have like an inch to go."

 Amy reached forward as far as she could go.  Suddenly her eyes widened.  "Hotaru!  Behind you!"  Hotaru whipped around and saw an Evilopolis soldier behind her.  She took a step back.

 The soldier made a grab for her and she managed to grab his wrist and pull him over her shoulder.  He hit the roof and slid down it, almost running into Amy.  Amy lost her grip and slid down the roof.

 "AMY!" Hotaru cried and Amy screamed.  She flew off the roof and managed to grab the ledge of the castle before she fell.  She looked down and saw the soldier plummet to the rover mote below.  She turned away just as he hit the water, not wanting to know what happened to him.  She tightened her grip on the ledge and tried to pull herself up.

 Hotaru stretched her neck, looking for any sign of Amy.

 Then she felt a shove from behind.  One of the soldiers had pushed her and she skidded down the roof.

 Amy had managed to get halfway up the ledge when she saw Hotaru rolling down the roof towards her.

 Hotaru screamed and spun down.  She made a grab for the ledge next to Amy, but missed and continued to fall.

 Amy turned her head and watched Hotaru fall towards the rushing moat and sharp rocks.

 "HOTARU!"

 "I have never known my parents," Charlie said, "I did for a short while but it wasn’t the best time."

 "Why not?" Rais asked, thinking of his own parents.

 "My parents didn’t love me.  They wanted me to become just like my father," Charlie explained, "I remember going through training session after training session.  They wanted me to become a better warrior.

 "When I was five my father put me through a process that fused us together.  With a chant and a lot of concentration, we could merge into one body.  He did it so he could be more powerful.  At the time he was gaining more and more power anyway, though.  My mother was just enjoying the show, going along with all the things he was doing."

 "What was he doing?" Rais asked, sensing Charlie’s reluctance to say.

 "He was taking over villages and plundering kingdoms," Charlie shook his head, "He destroyed the kingdoms that would not join with him and give power to those who did.  He was more than a king was; he was like a God.

 "I was his only son at the time.  He relied on me to carry on his throne and I just went along with it.  I’ll never know how I learned right from wrong.  No one had ever showed me the difference.  I just went along with everything my father said and that was that.  You didn't argue with him.  You didn't want to.

 "Then one day, I was wondering around the castle and I met this man.  He was real nice to me.  He knew exactly who I was.  At that time I was known as Reese.  The name my father gave me.  Prince Reese wasn’t it?  I believe so."

 "He treated me kindly.  He didn’t seem to fear me or anything.  I later learned his name.

 "My mother came out of the castle and saw me with him.  She went crazy.  She attacked him and he tried to avoid her but she wouldn't leave him be.  He had to fight back, if he didn't she would have killed him.  So when she attacked again he had no choice but to send his blade through her heart.  He looked remorseful afterwards, though.

 "He asked me who it was and I said my mother.  He nodded with understanding.  He was a little worried and the answer was easy to see why."

 "Who was he?" Rais asked, unable to wait any longer.

 "Lawrence the Good," Charlie smiled but it faded quickly, "My father was the almighty King Creton of Darkness, and I was the heir to his bloodstained throne."

 Rais's mouth began to move but nothing came out.  It wasn't possible.  It just... wasn't possible.  Charlie was Creton’s son?  What about Valerie?  Didn’t that make Valerie his brother?

 Charlie went on before Rais could say anything.  "I asked Lawrence to take me away from the castle.  I was so scared of my father and I was scared for Lawrence.  I was afraid of what my father might do to him if he found him next to my mother’s corpse."

 "Is that why they became blood enemies?" Rais asked him, anxiously, "Is that why Creton always hated Lawrence so much?"

 "Yes," Charlie said, "He hated Lawrence because he killed his wife and stole his son.  I’m not sure where Valerie came from, but I guess he is my half brother."

 "I thought of that."

 "You would have," Charlie smirked sadly, "I can tell how much you hate each other.  I think Valerie thought that you stole some of his thunder.  You are strong."
 

 "No I’m not," Rais said without thinking about it

 "There is power inside of you that you haven’t comprehended yet," Charlie insisted, "You have great strength.  You and everyone else in the SOL."

 "What makes us so special?" Rais asked, "None of us is much older than fifteen.  How can a group of… of children carry so much power?"

 "I don’t understand it," Charlie shrugged, "I probably never will."

 "How did you get here?" Rais asked him.

 "I had forgotten that Creton can sense me when I’m nearby," Charlie said, "He made that bond with me and was able to tell when I was near."

 "So those walks in the forest…"

 "He discovered me and captured me," Charlie went on, "He keeps trying to insist that I am the son that he had all those years ago.  To keep myself alive, I’ve just been playing along.  I don't defy what he says."

 "He doesn’t know?" Rais asked.

 "That or he doesn’t care," Charlie said, "Or he doesn’t want to know."

 "How did you and Rei meet?" Rais asked, changing the subject, "I bet you didn’t like her at first."

 A smile spread across his face.

 "I remember the way she looked at me," Charlie looked as if he was far away, "She had the world’s largest eyes.  And the world’s most curious.  She was kind of shy.  More than kind of, she didn't talk to anyone but Lawrence until she was five.  When Lawrence took me home, she would only watch me from behind something.  I only saw the top half of her face.  Her older sister and brother, Lynda and Luke were much more straightforward, but they were both older than I was.  I was more interested in Rei.

 "I finally managed to see her whole face when she was asleep.  She was so young.  I was seven and she was four.  I didn't get to hear her voice until a year later.  I once heard Lawrence tell Lynda that it was because she had nothing to say."

 "Boy did that change," Rais snickered.

 "Yes, sometimes change is a bad thing," Charlie said slyly and they both laughed, "Rei is an interesting girl..."

 "When did she finally talk to you?" Rais asked.

 "She didn’t really talk to me the first time she told me something," Charlie fingers something at his throat, "She gave me a blue crystal."

 "A what?" Rais asked.

 Charlie reached into his shirt and pulled out a small blue crystal.  It looked so plain and normal but Rais could feel power radiating off of it.

 "What is it?" Rais asked, fascinated.

 "It’s something that a psychic child can only make once," Charlie looked at it at eye level, "Very powerful.  I’ve never used it.  But once it’s given to you, you're supposed to keep it forever.  I remember we used to laugh everytime Lawrence mentioned that he thought it was odd that Rei had never made one."

 "You kept it secret?  I’m sure he wouldn’t have taken it away or anything," Rais blinked, "What was the point?"

 "To have a secret, though I think he knew all along what happened to that little stone.  I found it in it’s hiding place with the chain around it.  I think Lawrence took it and had it made into a necklace for me."

 "But after awhile, you left Lizerton," Rais's brow furrowed, "Why?"

 "I felt like a burden to Rei once she was ruler," Charlie shrugged, "Lawrence called me Charles to hide my real identity, and Luke started to call me Charlie.  After awhile I was able to become rich by selling top quality spell books.  I wrote under the alias Charles Von Reese.  No one really knew the difference."

 "And your hair?"

 "My father," Charlie fingered a lock of it, "It bleached out more and more everytime we fused together.  Eventually I only had the two locks in the front."

 "No one thought that was odd?" Rais asked.

 "They thought I was making a fashion statement I guess," Charlie laughed, "There were some stranger things in Lizerton."

 They were quiet for a moment.  Rais looked around.  It was an overdone bedroom, but it didn’t look like there was anyway out.  Apparently Creton didn’t trust his compliant son that much.

 "How are we suppose to get out of here?" Rais asked.

 "We aren’t," Charlie shook his head, "Believe me, I’ve tried.  This shield is matched to my exact magical strength."

 "You’ve tried everything?" Rais asked.

 "Yes," Charlie said, "And since my magic abilities are stronger than yours, you can’t either.  No offense, I'm older."

 "But yours plus mine…" Rais said.  Charlie was about to say something dismissing it when suddenly he paused.

 "Of course!  Why didn’t I think of that?  Come here!" Charlie stood up and faced the door.  Rais ran over to stand next to him.

 Charlie made a large ball of energy and passed it to Rais, who caught it.

 "That is the most power I can put into an attack," Charlie pointed at it, "Wouldn't hurt very much as an attack but the shield's enemy is energy not attack magic.  It matches the exact strength of the shield.  It needs a fraction more of energy and it can break through."

 "Okay," Rais said and placed some of his energy into the ball.  It grew larger.  "Uh, you want this?"

 "No," Charlie stood back, "I can’t touch it now that it has your energy with it.  That’s just how my abilities work.  Throw it at the door."

 "Okay," Rais said and let it at the door.  It sank into the shield and there was a small ripple.  They watched for a moment.

 "I don’t think it worked," Rais said, looking disappointed.  The door wasn't even moving.  Knowing their luck it had made the shield stronger.

 "Wait and have patience," Charlie said calmly.

 Then suddenly the shield turned a dark color and started to crack.  Slowly it dissolved away until it was completely gone.  "See?"

 "What exactly happened?" Rais asked.

 "The energy just had to take a moment to overpower the shield," Charlie reached for the doorknob, "I can’t believe that stupid pinhead Daunus didn’t see it."

 "Who?" Rais asked, jerking a little.  Charlie let out a disgusted sigh as though just saying Daunus's name made him angry.

 "Daunus?  He was Lawrence’s old partner," Charlie rolled his eyes.  He was about to open the door when he saw something in Rais's face.

 "I know that, what do you mean he didn’t see it?  He was here?" Rais stared at Charlie who gave him a strange look.

 "Rais, Daunus betrayed Lawrence and started to work for Creton," Charlie pointed out, "He kidnapped Rei for Creton to use as bait for Lawrence when she was very young.  He would have killed her too if it wasn’t for the fact that Lawrence got there sooner than expected."

 "But… he…" Rais blinked, "Oh, God, Rei’s in trouble!" He opened the door and ran out.  Charlie frowned and followed him.

 He grabbed him by the back of the collar and stopped him cold.  Rais turned to look at him  "Wait, what are you talking about?"

 "We left Rei alone with Daunus," Rais was talking very fast, "She told us that he was Lawrence’s old partner and we left for a picnic.  That’s when we were ambushed."

 "You—Oh no, she must not have remembered his betrayal," Charlie put a hand to his forehead, "Rei… What are we going to do?  Creton has all of us now."

 Suddenly, a white panther with two girls on its back flew by.  Charlie's expression went blank for a minute.

 Rais and Charlie looked at each other and watched them go by.  The panther stopped and they saw it was Mina and Lita.  The two of them leaned over and looked back at them.

 "What tha?"

 "What tha?"

 They stepped back towards them cautiously.  "Are you two the real thing?" Mina asked them, not sure if it was a trap or not.  She was watching Charlie like she just couldn't believe it.  Charlie smiled.

 "Yes," Charlie replied.

 "How many times have you told me you love me?" Lita asked.

 "Never," Charlie shook his head.

 "Charlie!" she cried and jumped off of TK.  She leapt into his arms and gave him a big hug.  Charlie laughed and hugged her back.

 "I hate to say this, but I actually missed you and Serena fighting over me," Charlie told her, and she jumped back.

 "Where did you go?"

 "It’s a looong story," Rais grabbed her arm and started to walk down the hall, "Let’s get out of here."

 "We’re trying to find the others," Mina slid off of TK, "We got out of the dungeon, but we got separated.  Then we’ll leave."

 "Not until we find Rei," Rais shook his head.

 "What?" they both asked, "Is she here too?"  Rais just looked at them impatiently.  Charlie frowned at Rais and began to explain.

 "Daunus was Lawrence’s partner, but he switched to Creton’s side a long time ago," Charlie explained, "He almost certainly brought her back here.  I just pray we aren’t too late."

 "So do we find everyone else first or do we look for her?" Lita asked.

 "Well, they probably aren’t in any immediate danger," Charlie said, "but we’re going to need their help if we face Creton."

 Suddenly the roof opened and two people flew out.  One landed on another and Charlie could see two blonde and brown streaked ponytails underneath the second person…

 "Serena?" they all asked.

 "GET OFF CAT BOY!!" Serena yelled and Ran jumped up.  She rubbed her head, "I thought cats always landed on their feet!"

 "Not when their feet are tangled with a clumsy humans.  I told you not to push the button," Ran said, straightening his hat.

 "See?" Lita smiled, "If we stand in one spot long enough the come to us."

 "Wha?" Serena turned around, "Oh hey Mina, Lita, Rais, Charlie…" She stood up and dusted herself off, "Where is…" She stopped.  "Charlie?"

 He smiled.

 "Charlie!" she said and hugged him much like Lita did.  She started to ask him question after question and it was all Charlie could do to keep up.

 "Very touching," Ran spoke up suddenly and loudly.  His ears were twitching. "But my cat-like hearing is saying we have guards coming our way."

 "And who are you?" Mina asked.

 "I’m Ran, Private Eye," Ran pointed to himself proudly, "I’ve been trying to bust a Daunus Silverblade, but I think I just got in deeper than I should have."

 "No kidding," Rais frowned, still looking rather impatient, "This is no place for a bust.  But maybe you can help us."

 "I already promised the lady I’d help her," Ran said, pointing at Serena, who was watching Ran, "Look we really should go…"

 "Okay," Charlie nodded,  "Let’s find Amy and Hotaru before we go after Rei.  We’ll need their help."

 "You know about Rei?" Serena asked.

 "Yes," they all said.

 "Oh okay," Serena shrugged, looking at the ground and running her foot over the ground, "Just making sure so I don’t have to, you know, explain the situation and be the hero."

 "How do we know Rei is here?" Mina asked.

 "Um, Doll?" Ran said, raising his hand, "I saw her with my own eyes.  I would have helped but the situation was impossible.  She wasn’t in good shape either."

"Rei…" Rais murmured, "We have to go now!"

 "Then let’s find Amy and Hotaru, and fast!" Mina agreed, "We don’t have much time left!  Come on!"

 "Hey, wait a second!" Charlie said, "We don’t even know where to start…"

 "Then let’s just look."

 "Should we split up?" Serena asked.

 "No, then we couldn’t find each other," Rais said, "Let’s all go.  Besides we can take on these guards together…"

 "Guards?" Charlie asked, then laughed.  "You poor children.  You don't know the secret.  The guards are easy to take care of."

 They all looked at him incredulously.

 "No really," Charlie shrugged, "They can’t stand bright flashes of light.  Those who can spell, spell light spells.  It the most unlikely of weaknesses but it's the one that works."

 "Good plan."

 "Time is wasting though," Ran said.

 "Coming," Mina said and got on TK.

 Then, they ran down the corridor in search of Amy and Hotaru.  Rais was praying under his breath that Rei was okay.

... Please be okay...? Chapter 13