Good evening all! Is everybody ready for Christmas? I'm not, but what else is new? It is currently -3 degrees here in the City of the (Frozen) Lakes. Makes you want to stay inside with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book! Anyway, stay warm all! Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Wing characters, nor am I making any money from this. The ideas of Confessors and Mord-Sith are from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels and I am using them without permission. The monsters and locations mentioned are from the online game of EverQuest, which I do not own, but highly recommend. Warning: AU, Fantasy, Shounen-ai, Dark and Violence Pairings: 1+2 3+4 As always, my thanks go out to Betty my beta reader, without whom, this would be indecipherable, and to Maria and Kit, whose support is much appreciated, as well as BJ's. Thanks ladies! Mord-Sith! part 7 The third arc of the Confessor Series Palace of Light, Erudin "My name is Middie, and we have much to talk about, Heero Yuy," she had said. The tall Mord-Sith was standing over Duo with her Agiel hanging from its chain on her wrist. "What did you do to him?" Heero asked menacingly, his hands clenched into fists. She shrugged, "I rendered him unconscious. It's best for him when he gets those headaches." Heero recalled Duo mentioning something was wrong inside his head earlier, and wondered if there was a connection, but he forced his thoughts back to the immediate situation. "You said we needed to talk," he prompted. "Yes, very urgently," she replied; a hint of anxiety marred her delicate features. Heero didn't move for a span of about five heartbeats, and then he nodded once. "What about Duo?" he asked, glancing at the still form on the bed. "He will sleep for several hours before he will awaken," she smiled in slight reassurance. Not quite willing to trust her completely, Heero approached the bed and reached down to place two fingers on Duo's neck, feeling for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady, thrumming rhythmically under the soft skin. Satisfied, he turned back to the woman who called herself Middie. "Very well, start talking." Heero perched on the edge of the bed, keeping himself between the unconscious Confessor and the transformed Mord-Sith. "You can start with who you are." By then, the dawn had broken, but the west-facing windows were still mantled in shade. Outside, the gardens were filled with the cacophony of birdsong, and the whirring of cicadas and other insects. Middie paced to the center of the bedroom and turned around. Heero frowned as he noticed that the air around her was still shimmering faintly. She drew herself up and caught his cobalt eyes in her clear gaze. "I am Middie, the Voice of the Throne," she announced, looking at him expectantly. Heero looked back at her blankly, he had no idea what she was talking about. "The Voice of the Throne?" he prompted, making it clear there had better be more information than this coming. "Believe it or not, the Throne of Golgatha is not just a big chair so the Emperor can sit higher than everybody else," she replied tartly, a bit miffed that he hadn't been impressed with her announcement. "So what is it then?" he asked, keeping his voice calm though impatient to have the promised information. Without turning, Heero reached back and curled his fingers around the rope of chestnut, rubbing the silky plait between his thumb and index finger. "The Throne of Golgatha is a focus of High magic, designed to protect the people of Golgatha from the undreamed threat that exist in other realms," she paused. From the quizzical stare Heero was giving her, she could tell that she wasn't getting through to him. "What threat?" he finally asked. His knowledge of magic might be sketchy, and he wasn't following the part about other realms too clearly either, but he could recognize danger when it appeared. "Monsters," she answered as she turned and walked to the window. Middie leaned out and breathed the morning air deeply. She had the feeling this was going to be a long conversation. Heero wasn't going to be satisfied until he received the whole story. And it was a long story indeed. "Then it seems to me that the Throne isn't doing its job. There are monsters in the world right now," Heero observed as he held his irritation and impatience in check. "But there weren't always monsters in our world," Middie answered softly, still gazing out the window into the lush gardens below. "There was a time that the world was quite ordinary, in the sense that there were no unusual creatures. No minotaurs or gnolls, goblins or reavers. There was no magic except the High magic." Turning back to the dark-haired soldier, she saw Heero's uncertain look. She smiled. "You aren't very familiar with the finer details of magic are you?" Heero shook his head briefly. He was a soldier and had always left magic up to the mages. "High magic is present in every person born in our world. But the amount is so minute that most people aren't even aware that they possess it. Yet, there are some people who are more sensitive to it and who can even harness their magic. You're friend Quatre is such a person." Middie smiled again. "So what does this have to do with the monsters and the Throne?" he asked, thinking that he understood enough now to go on. "Patience, young one," she counseled. Heero tried not to bristle at her words. She didn't look too much older than him, until you looked into her eyes. So, he shut his mouth and glared at the tall woman leaning against the windowsill. Completely unfazed, she smirked back but continued with her narrative. "Many thousands of years ago, something happened, but what exactly it was, no one was ever able to find out. The records of that era were lost. But what we do know is that the barrier that separates our realm from other dimensions of existences was breached. As a result, we were invaded by the beings from the Plane of Caelum, or Sky, as it is known in today's language." "These beings wielded a different type of magic than this world's own High magic. This magic was powerful, primitive and ultimately uncontrollable. The wizards at that time named it Wild magic," she said while she glanced at Duo, who was still senseless to the world around him. Heero followed her glance. Duo's face was relaxed in sleep, making him look young and vulnerable. The memories of twice kissing the violet-eyed young man rose up so powerfully that Heero had to fight to keep his attention on what the woman was saying. "The wizards tried to fight the beings from the Plane of Sky, but their High magic wasn't nearly strong enough to combat the Wild magic of Lord Nagafen and Lady Vox, let alone Cazic Thule." Middie's voice became low and pained as she spoke their names. She drew in a shuddering breath, and composed herself. "Many of our wizards, sorcerers and sorceresses died during those dark times. The lesser monsters, such as minotaurs, gnolls, reavers and spirit stalkers could be fought with ordinary weapons like swords and arrows, but those three, as well as other named monsters, required magic to kill. And magic that powerful had never even been imagined, let alone harnessed before then." By now, Heero was fascinated, never before having heard this history. Still holding Duo's braid, his cobalt eyes stayed trained on the tall woman's delicate features as he absorbed what he was hearing. "In desperation, the most powerful wizard, the Archmage, tried to do the unthinkable. He attempted to infuse ordinary people with Wild magic, to combat these monsters. But Wild magic is capricious, and even he could not foresee what would happen." Heero unconsciously tensed as Middie approached the bed, her clear eyes on Duo. Her leather outfit creaked a little as she leaned down and smoothed the braided young man's unruly bangs out of his closed eyes. Duo stirred briefly in his sleep, then relaxed again, sighing softly. "Are you referring to the Confessors?" Heero asked, keeping his voice low but with his body poised to spring if she made any move that even remotely looked suspicious. "Yes," she murmured gently. Then she stepped back and looked at Heero once again. "The Archmage thought that perhaps people who had very little High magic could use the Wild magic to fight the monsters. But it didn't work that way, obviously. The first people he tried to use as vessels for the Wild magic were destroyed instantly. You see, even though they were not magic users, they still had that trace amount of High magic inside of them. The High magic and the Wild magic would react and destroy the mind of every person he tried to change." Middie's lips quirked in a rueful grin at the memory. "Say what you want about the man, he was very stubborn and he was determined to make the transfer work." "Didn't people object when they found out what it would do to them?" Heero asked. Middie shrugged. "Yes, but objections didn't stop the Archmage, and after years of searching, he finally found a female who was utterly devoid of magic. And this time the infusion succeeded. But as you know, a female Confessor could only use her power once, then required time to recover it before she could use it again. He never found out how the power would react in a male, because the testing never progressed that far. As I said before, the Wild magic is unpredictable. He discovered the Confessor's power only worked against humans, not the invading monsters. Obviously this was not the solution the Archmage had sought, and so the Confessor was banished to the barbaric North Country, and he finally abandoned this line of experiments with Wild magic." Middie turned and walked to the other side of the room and drew up a chair. Then she changed her mind and paced around the room again. "Eventually the Archmage decided to take a different approach. Drawing from what he had learned about each person carrying a small amount of High magic, he figured that if he could consolidate and focus all that magic, he would be able to banish the monsters back to their original Plane and seal the barrier once more. With the human race facing extinction at the hands of the monsters, the people of Golgatha willingly consented to giving whatever help they could to the Archmage. Thus he created the Throne as a focal point for the High magic. The Throne was able to draw on the High magic from the people of Golgatha and consolidate it, providing enough power to drive the named monsters back to their realm and seal the breach in the barrier." "After the monsters had been banished back to their own Plane of existence, the people insisted that the Archmage set up the Throne so only his direct descendants could be recognized and be able to wield the focused High magic. The people trusted him, you see. To comply with their wishes, he had to give up most of his own magic to the Throne itself, retaining only a trace amount of High magic so he could utilize the Throne's power. At that time, the people proclaimed him the Emperor though he was unwilling to rule. His only objective was to protect the people of Golgatha from ever being destroyed by the inhabitants of the Plane of Sky again." Middie paused and bit her lip uncertainly. A noisy bird squawking outside the windows drowned out the silence that filled the room. "You sound like you knew him," Heero observed. Middie smiled, "I did. I told you, I am the Voice of the Throne. You see, the Throne itself is sentient, though unaware, and the Archmage needed a way for it to communicate with people without having to activate the full power of the Throne. So he created me. I can communicate through a willing human host, such as this woman. The full power of the Throne stays dormant unless a breach in the barrier appears again, at which time it would awaken." Heero was a bit confused, but since he wasn't familiar with the fine nuances that magic followed, he decided to move on. "Is the power is still dormant?" he asked, and she nodded in the affirmative. He shook his head in confusion, remembering Odin's conversation with his generals when Heero's group had first met the Emperor. "Is it possible for the barrier to have been breached without the Throne knowing it?" "Perhaps, though I don't see how. I should be able to sense any fluctuations in the barrier, but there has been nothing." Middie scowled in frustration. "Is there any other way to activate the Throne?" Heero asked, his thoughts running at high speed. Middie huffed in consternation. "Yes, and that brings us to the other half of the problem: the Emperor himself." Heero raised an eyebrow. He sensed she was troubled by something, but didn't ask her what; he just sat on the bed, holding Duo's braid protectively. She twirled her Agiel thoughtfully around her wrist, and resumed speaking. "What the Archmage didn't realize was that the same single-minded determination that drove him to succeed in defeating the monsters would be passed down through his heirs. If channeled in the proper direction, this focus could be of great benefit to the people of Golgatha. However, if it is channeled toward destruction, there would be none that could stand against him." "Odin falls into the latter category?" Heero conjectured. "Yes, to a degree. It is beneficial to the Empire to add more High magic to the Throne's power. But that is just a propitious side effect. Odin Lowe has no real interest in ruling however, just conquering. And in his blind drive to satisfy his lust for power, he is oblivious to the real danger to the whole Plane of our own existence." Middie tapped the Agiel against her leather-clad thigh. Then she resumed speaking. "You see the Archmage's bloodlines carried a taint that causes a mental instability that can interfere with wielding the power of the Throne. The defect may skip several generations before showing up again, but those progeny with the taint are unable to utilize the full power of the Throne. Needless to say, Odin is tainted. He can mindwalk, and be protected by the Throne, but he cannot awaken it to fight the danger." "The monsters?" Heero stated. Middie nodded. Heero thought about it some more. "If the Archmage had banished all the monsters, why are they still here?" "Not all the monsters, only the Named monsters. Those were the creatures that were able to wield the perilous Wild magic, and could not be killed by steel alone. The weaker monsters, such as goblins and orcs remained in our realm. But since humans could fight them, the Archmage didn't bother to waste the Throne's magic on a relatively minor foe." Heero was mulling that over when he felt a presence in his head. `Heero?' Quatre's voice sounded in his mind. `Anything to report?' `There are seven girls. I will report more fully when I get back' Heero answered. `I'll send Wufei on his way. I'm going to meet the Emperor in an hour, will you be back by then?' `I don't think so,' he thought back. `Be careful,' he was warned and then Quatre was gone. Heero looked up into the clearly amused eyes of the Voice of the Throne and turned his thoughts back to the current conversation. "So if these monsters are getting into our world, that means that the barrier has probably been breached again." Heero thought out loud and Middie nodded in agreement. "Probably," she replied. He looked directly at her, pinning her with a hard cobalt stare. "Why hasn't the Throne awakened?" "I don't know." The words dropped like stones in a pool. For a long while, neither of then said a word, each lost in their own thoughts, considering possibilities. Then Heero stirred. "What could cause a breach?" Middie thought. "An unleashing of magic. But it would have to be on such a scale that the magnitude of it would be unprecedented." "Bitterroot," Heero murmured. Middie looked thoughtful, but not surprised. "I had thought of that as well. However, the monsters did not start appearing right away, instead it took over a year before their numbers started increasing. And the Throne did not awaken after Bitterroot." Middie shrugged. "I just don't know." "Where is the barrier?" Hero asked. It they could go there, maybe they could find the breach. "A long ways away, and it is only reachable by magic," Middie replied, curiosity sparking in her clear eyes. "Do you want to go there?" she offered. "Yes." Heero stood up, carefully tucking the chestnut braid under the hand of the sleeping boy. "Very well, take my hand." Middie held out one armored glove-encase hand and Heero grasped it. "Ready?" Without waiting for his reply, the room wrenched away from them. The last thing Heero saw was Duo, sleeping peacefully on the bed. Without warning, they were standing in a huge dark space that was dominated on one side by an immense wall. At first Heero thought it was white, then realized that it was actually all colors, shimmering iridescently. To his surprise, the wall itself was moving, slowly fluctuating like the aurora borealis in the northern winter sky. He could hear a low roaring hiss as the wall undulated, rising and falling with the swells. Heero reached out to touch it and was surprised to detect warmth; the surface was silky and flexing as a wave swept by. He craned his neck to see the top, but it reached up out of sight. The dark-haired soldier looked first right, then left. The wall extended beyond the limits of his vision in either direction. "This is the barrier between the Planes. It separates our realm from the Plane of Sky." Middie stepped back and gazed at the wall in admiration. "How long is it?" Heero questioned, still trying to see an end. "It is infinitely long," Middie smiled. "There are no limits to how long, or how high the barrier is. This is why magic is required to locate the small fissure that would allow the monsters into our realm." Heero thought over everything Middie had told him. There had to be a way to find that fissure. Then he asked the one question that had been smoldering in the back of his mind since the beginning of this bizarre conversation. "Shouldn't you be telling this to Odin?" Middie smiled ruefully. "He would not listen. His mind is closed to me, bent on conquest and bloodshed. He is tainted. But you, Heero Yuy, are pure of heart, where Odin is corrupt." "Then make him listen. He's the Emperor," Heero objected. "And you are the Heir," she finished. Beside them, another swell rocked the barrier, the wall of light rising and falling in never- ending motion. "What?" Heero wasn't sure if Middie was suddenly developing a strange sense of humor, or if he was suffering a hearing loss. He could have sworn the she had just said that he was the Heir. "You are the Heir to the Throne of Golgatha," she repeated. "Odin Lowe sired you." For a full minute, Heero just stood there, staring at the Voice of the Throne beside the slowly swelling and falling barrier. Finally, he found his own voice. "Explain." Middie looked at him for a few seconds, then had to drop her gaze, unable to meet those blazing cobalt eyes, so like his father's, but not quite sun on steel. Heero's were more like the reflection of the moons on ice. "After Odin claimed the Throne, he took many women, used them and ultimately killed them. He knew that if he were to sire a male child, and that child grew to adulthood, the Throne would acknowledge the son as the Heir. If the son so chose, he could challenge for the right to rule. Do you remember the first time you entered Golgatha?" she asked suddenly. Heero thought back to three years ago at Bitterroot. He had been riding double with Duo because his own horse, Wing, had broken his leg crossing the storm barrier. They had entered Golgatha and Heero recalled the hot flash that had raced up his spine, like lightning searing through his nervous system. Seeing his expression, Middie smiled. "Yes, that was the Throne, recognizing you as the Heir." "So how did I get here if Odin killed all the women he took?" Heero asked. "The Mord-Sith helped your mother escape when they found out that she was pregnant. They had called on me to determine if you would be tainted or not. When they learned you were pure, they made `arrangements' to have your mother replaced with another, then hid her until she was able to escape Golgatha altogether and journey to Oz. If you had been born on Golgathan soil, the Emperor would have sensed your presence and ordered your death." Heero said nothing for a long time as he studied the barrier, another swell rolling along the iridescent wall and subsiding. Odin Lowe was his father. Not, that was not right. He had sired Heero, true, but Odin Lowe was not his father. He was an enemy that needed to be eliminated. Trying to organize his thoughts, Heero fell back on his training. Pushing his emotions to the side, he tried to think objectively. Odin Lowe was an obstacle. The Emperor was allowing the realm to be overrun by the enemy. Heero would have to eliminate him. He would then use the Throne to seal the barrier. And after that? Well, he would cross that river when he came to it. The cobalt-eyed soldier was so absorbed in his own thoughts, he didn't see Middie cock her head to one side, and her long brown hair slid over her shoulder as she listened to something only she could hear. An unexpected sadness and pain filled her features, then they smoothed out again. Soon she resumed talking as if nothing had happened. "You must make a choice, Heero Yuy. Will you challenge Odin Lowe for the Throne? Will you step forward and claim your birthright, and in doing so, save us all? However, you should know that if you do, I cannot help you. You must face Odin Lowe alone. Thus far, I have shielded you from him, but when he hears your name, he will know immediately who you are." Seeing Heero's puzzled look, she elaborated. "The name Heero Yuy was the name of the Archmage." Heero nodded once again. For a while, he just watched the rising and falling swells of the shimmering curtain of light that protected his world. Then he decided. Mission Accepted. He turned to Middie, the Voice of the Throne, and nodded once. Seeing that Heero had accepted what she had told him, Middie held out her hand to the dark-haired soldier once again. Hesitantly, he took it in his own and, as they returned, Heero couldn't help but gaze once again at the barrier and all it stood for. They reappeared back in Duo's room. The sunlight was now streaming through the west facing windows and the bed was empty. Pulling away from her, Heero rounded on Middie, about to demand what had happened to Duo when she raised a hand to forestall his questions. "Time moves differently at the barrier. As you can see, in the few minutes we were there, many hours have passed here." Heero gritted his teeth, but kept still. He hoped Quatre and the others were all right. "What are you planning?" she asked. "I'm going to make sure Duo and the others are safe, then I will find Odin Lowe and eliminate him." Middie smiled, and then was surrounded by that shimmering glow again. As she faded from view, he could hear her say "Good luck, Heero Yuy." Then she was gone, leaving him alone in the room. Heero walked over to the bed and felt the sheets. They were cool. Duo had been gone a while. The dark-haired soldier looked around and located the door to the corridor. Opening it, he peeked out to see if anyone was there. The corridor was empty. As he made his way through the west wing of the Palace, he tried to contact Quatre telepathically. Usually, the mage had to initiate the contact, but if Quatre was worried, he might leave a link open for him. There was no answer. Disturbed, he walked just a little faster, heading back to their assigned quarters. As he walked, Heero noticed there was an unusual air about the Palace. It was almost menacing. It was nothing specific, but guards seemed a little more tense, and people weren't talking as much to each other. It was almost as if they were afraid to call attention to themselves. Heero wondered what had happened. Once again, Heero tried to contact Quatre, and still there was no answer. He could feel his unease worming up through his chest, and by the time he neared their quarters, he was almost running. Without stopping, he burst into the room and for once, the perfect soldier was caught by surprise. Standing in the room was the Captain of the Palace guard, along with ten other guards, all with swords drawn. Heero started to back away, when another contingent of guards appeared at either end of the corridor, surrounding him. The Captain stepped forward, gesturing with his sword. The guards stepped closer. "Heero Yuy, you are under arrest. Any attempt to resist will mean your immediate execution."