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Chapter Five
It seems that everyone has suspected
themselves to be crazy at some point in their life. For most, it's a
passing fancy, soon replaced by another. However, what can you do if
you know that you're going crazy - truly crazy - and are powerless to
stop it?
Livonya was caught in just this
situation. She could feel the mental barrier keeping her other
personality at bay breaking down. The rain of air had grown, and there
were more than a few cracks in the wall. Soon, it would crumble into a
pile of dust...and Mary would be free.
She shivered at this possibility.
When Mary does break loose, Livonya thought amid the storm in her
mind, what's she going to DO? I only hope that I don't hurt
Methos... She trembled at the reference to herself that she used.
That I don't hurt him...
Livonya closed her eyes, and tried to
concentrate on speaking with Mary. She only believed this contact
possible through the weakening of the barrier.
Mary, she thought resolutely,
promise me that Methos won't get hurt. Please, promise me that.
The reply came sooner than she had
anticipated.
Agreed. Your
beloved Methos will be spared.
Livonya whispered a silent thank you,
as a corner of the wall slowly crumbled into dust.
Meanwhile, as Livonya was conducting her
own private business inside, Methos was outside on the porch. He
noticed that Livonya hadn't really been her normal self, and felt it was
in her best interests to give her some privacy. Methos rocked on his
heels, back and forth, while gazing at the beauty of the forest.
Sure is nice here, he thought. Of all the places in this world,
I had to pick a good one. Well... he debated, while casting a
glance at Slayer's treehouse. The "insurance" Slayer had pleaded after
Livonya's destruction had come through sooner than anticipated, and he
was happily ensconced among his playthings.
Methos' reverie was broken, almost as
if on cue, by a wild cry from Slayer's abode. Methos could only
contrive as to what they were doing, and he was pretty sure that he
didn't want to know. The scream continued, only to turn to exclamations
of joy as a new, and hideous, song started playing on the extensive
stereo system. Methos cringed. I sure hope Liv doesn't hear
this...
Livonya was shocked back into reality
by the screech and feedback from an enormous amount of electronics.
This suddenness of her return to the reality of the forest had
disastrous consequences. Caught off-guard by the noise, Livonya was
unable to keep up the constant mental calisthenics that had thus far
been keeping Mary at bay.
The Atog Goddess, sensing Livonya's
lapse in concentration almost before it happened, used a tiny remnant of
her power to shatter the nearly-decayed and crumbling wall. Instantly,
she rushed out of the tiny space that she had been confined in for six
eternal months.
Livonya didn't try to fight Mary; she
knew that after Mary's power was spent, she could be easily overcome.
In stark contrast, she almost seemed to welcome the madness that
enveloped her. Embracing, enjoying, accepting the transformation.
Livonya closed her eyes and
disappeared...leaving only Mary in her stead.
Mary's now-golden eyes snapped open.
Other than the drastic change in eye color, she looked exactly like
Livonya. Enough to fool all but the most trained person, the one who
knew Livonya the best...who was sick in the other room. Mary paused a
moment to think, then decided to save him. After all, he IS Jake...my ally and greatest nemesis. It
would be easy to do away with him now....almost too easy. An unfair
fight. I'll have to save him, too.
She stalked off to the spare room
where Elrohir was still sleeping, despite the noise in the background.
"Jake..." Mary cooed, poking him gently.
"Jake, wake up. We've got to leave."
Due to Elrohir's weakened, half-asleep
state, he offered no words of protest as Mary picked him up and carried
him out to the porch.
"Liv! So glad to see you again..."
Methos' words trailed off as he noticed the color of Livonya's eyes.
They had turned to a dark shade of gold, almost the same shade as her
hair. She smiled, a wicked, devious smile.
"My dear...I
certainly hope you can teleport us out of here."
"Sure! Where do you want to go?" he
asked, a bit too eagerly.
"Take me...to the
northern edge of the forest. You should be able to see a castle in the
north," Mary grinned. This was all going to be too easy.
"Here we go!" Methos exclaimed, then
mumbled a few words as Mary closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she and
Methos were standing on the edge of Deep Shadow. Mary turned to look
for the telltale Castle KAAT'N, but it was nowhere to be seen. That's one problem I hadn't anticipated, she
thought. No matter....I'll simply have to
revise my plans. I wonder what Coag's been up to all this time....yes.
That will do nicely.
Mary put Elrohir down on a rather
large patch of lush green grass. "Pity he's not
awake," she remarked to Methos. "He
wouldn't want to miss this."
"He won't," Methos added as Elrohir
opened his eyes. Mary rushed to his side.
"My dear...you're
awake! No, don't try to talk," she hushed him as he opened his
mouth to speak. "Just watch."
Through sleep-fogged eyes, Elrohir
watched in amazement as Mary gathered power from every single source
that she knew. He woke up a lot faster when he realized what she was
going to do with it. He was powerless to stop her.
Methos stared in awe as the trees
closest to Mary began to burn. The fire spread quickly, leaping and
dancing from tree to ancient tree. As Mary drew more and more power
from sources he could only guess, the fire started to burn hotter and
hotter, turning from orange to yellow, to blue, and finally to white.
The whole of Deep Shadow was consumed
by the white hellfire. Inside Mary's mind, Livonya felt a twinge of
regret at the forest being destroyed, but she was powerless to stop it,
and would be for sometime afterwards. She could feel Mary draining her
power, but knew that it would return in time. All she could do was
wait...and watch.
Methos was astonished, stunned, amazed
that Livonya had so much power. That it could be used for such
destruction. As the forest boiled away, the only sounds that could be
heard were those of death, carnage, screams of people and elves being
burned alive...
...and, over the deafening din, came
from Mary an enormous, frightening laugh.
Thick pasty rain fell upon the heads of
Methos, Livonya, and Elrohir. The sky was cloud-filled. Far off into
the distance the ruined landscape that was once Deep Shadow spread.
Here and there a skeleton of a tree would remain, but such instances
were rare at best. Livonya's treehouse was gone, Slayer's home and
Max's destroyed as well. Thousands of lives were lost in the inferno.
The three could only sit and stare.
Actually, only Methos and Elrohir
could stare at the carnage. Livonya had gone into a catatonic state
once Mary's power had been spent, and she remained motionless on the
ground. Methos was speechless. He had never before seen such
devastation, and would never have guessed that it would come at the
hands of his beloved Livonya. Elrohir too was in a state of confusion.
He had learned of a duality in Livonya that he had previously thought
was manifest only in himself. Jake the Atog God. A horrific
being of nightmares, Elrohir had finally exorcised that demon from
himself. More of an integration than a purging, they were one once
more, and the threat that Jake might get free again was long gone.
But in Livonya? How? Why? He could
tell from the energy signatures that Livonya had hidden the secret from
everybody very well. Mary the Atog Goddess, one of Jake's previous
allies, was part of Livonya, and she was now in much the same state he
had once been. Was Mary trying to break free, or were there other
circumstances involved in her release? Was it to be a permanent
occurrence, or would it happen with more frequency?
"Um...Zedd?" Methos said, panic
painting a picture of his voice. Elrohir wheeled. His cloak whisked
away a sheen of ash. Livonya was convulsing. "Zedd, she's not
breathing!" Methos screamed. Tears were forming in his eyes.
I should just let
her die, Elrohir thought to himself, and couldn't understand why
the thought entered his mind. She was a dear friend. He began to walk
slowly towards her. Methos was frantically gesturing for aid.
Conflicting thoughts and desires battled in his mind. Mary knows that I am or once was Jake. If she came out
again, there's every possibility that she might vainly attempt to split
him from me. That is no longer possible, I would be destroyed, and I
cannot allow that. The world spell must succeed at all costs.
Even the cost of your friends? a different message answered.
Elrohir continued his slow pace.
Methos was now screaming at him to help. "If she dies, I'll have your
hide, true as toasted toads!" he yelled.
Pulling his cloak closer to his body,
Elrohir gazed up into the darkening sky. Much of the forest was still
burning far away, making the clouds glow an ominous purple and orange
tinge. But what use to let her die? She saved me
knowing of my past. Unconditionally. She knew in her heart and mind
what to do instinctively. Yet I linger. Has it been that long? Have
I become that inhuman? Yes, you have, the voice answered
back. You no longer have the guts to help her. You couldn't even
help yourself.
His joints were sore. Moreso now as
the temperature dropped and the scalding heat faded into the past. The
temperature change only served to aggravate his sickness. He coughed.
Methos' voice was growing hoarse. Elrohir paid him no heed. Through
breaks in the clouds, he saw stars once familiar to him, but now were no
longer. It was a lifetime ago. I return to find
only weeks, a few months, have passed. The people here, friend and foe
alike, will think of me only as I was, not as I now am. And
what are you now?
A good question. An anachronism? A
being no longer among its own time. A being no longer connected so
tightly to this time. And yet I must rejoin this
time, for a while. My life, my very sanity depends on it. Who am
I? Indeed, what are you?
"ZEDD!!!" Methos furiously jerked him
around. "What the hell's wrong with you? Help me!" He waved his hand
at the motionless Livonya. "Help her!!" Methos grabbed
Elrohir's arm and violently yanked it. Elrohir followed reluctantly.
Reaching her body, Elrohir could see
that Livonya's face had grown pale and her lips blue. He looked at
Methos, and there was a pained, panicked look in his eyes. Unmistakable
fury. Methos' eyes were rimmed with red. Elrohir let out a sigh and
looked closer to Livonya. Once, he had known her face well, they had
both been part of the House of Oor-Tael, a guild that had been destroyed
by his "evil" personality, Jake the Atog God. He had left what was left
of Oor-Tael to crumble and wither by his own deceptive death.
"She's dead, damn you!" Methos
screamed from somewhere behind him. He didn't listen. Memories of the
past flooded to him. How long would he have his memory? He could feel
the sickness now, taking his mind from him.
Her body was still, the convulsions
long stopped. He couldn't feel or hear breath from her lungs. Tears
came to his eyes unbidden as well. She is
dead. I waited too long. He picked up her hand, it's chill
lowering his own temperature. He began to tremble. Elrohir stared
again at her face. Calm, serene. Animated. Her eyelids flickered, and
he didn't dare hope that she was still alive. He sat motionlessly,
watching the eyelids move rapidly without opening. She's dreaming! No, fighting for her life. Fighting
Mary? She's losing, I can feel it. But she's ALIVE!
In the space of a moment, he knew he
could not sit idly and let her lose the lopsided battle. If Mary
managed to win, she would destroy him to free Jake again. He had
sacrificed much to stop that possibility, and would sacrifice more for
it to be so. But he would not sacrifice his dearest friend.
"Liv, I'm here."
Livonya's eyes snapped wide open. The
panic there shocked him. He was right, Livonya was losing her battle.
She couldn't breath. It was as if her corpse had attempted to raise
itself. Her body was dead, her mind wouldn't accept it. Mary
needed the vessel for her return. Methos turned at Elrohir's voice, the
first he had heard from him since he mentioned Livonya's name back at
her treehouse. He saw Livonya's eyes opened, and jerked straight up and
ran over.
Elrohir's mind was numb. She was
alive, but not alive. The battle had sapped her to the limit. A limit
far exceeded already by Mary's exertions. He put his mouth to her lips,
and forced air into her lungs. He pushed on her chest to get her heart
moving. Methos arrived by this time, jealousy at Elrohir "kissing"
Livonya sidelined by his frantic attempts to rub warmth into her arms.
No further response was elicited by Livonya.
You must do it, Elrohir. Or are
you too reluctant to save even her? Elrohir was on the verge of
panic. Close your eyes and concentrate. Think not
of the consequences. Do it.
He pushed Methos out of the way.
Elrohir closed his eyes. He knelt next to her body and placed his right
hand on her forehead, his left on her stomach. Methos was raging, but
approached no closer. Of all the prices I've paid
for my sins, let this be the one that redeems me. The tears
streamed down his face.
Burning warmth filled his hands.
Glowing white spread all over his body, and passed into Livonya as well.
Methos stared in rapt amazement. These people are certainly more
than what they seem. Next thing you know, it will turn out Elrohir was
a god too, he thought. He felt a hand set on his shoulder. A very
large hand.
A shockwave splintered the air.
Concussion without sound. Both Elrohir and Livonya's bodies tensed.
The glow became blinding in the darkness.
"I'd step back a few paces there,
friend," a voice whispered lightly into Methos' ear. He jumped to
comply. He turned and saw Maraxus standing there. Methos nodded and
stepped back more than a few paces.
Wind picked up, and swirling dust
combined with the glare to obscure Livonya and Elrohir from sight. The
wind howled furiously. The ground began to rumble, then vibrate
tensively. Maraxus watched impassively, while Methos sobbed more. The
howl became a keen, piercing shriek. Lightning flashed down from the
sky. Methos picked out a somber murmering above the noise. It lasted
only moments, but he heard the reply plainly.
I accept your
terms.
At once, everything returned to its
normal state. The light winked out, the wind stopped, the ground grew
still once more. Elrohir sat in the darkness, holding Livonya in his
arms. She lived once again. She had survived the ordeal. Elrohir
stared emotionlessly at the ground. Livonya sobbed on his shoulder.
Elrohir's face was a mask of disbelief. Maraxus put his hand then on
Elrohir's shoulder. Elrohir looked back up.
"Max. Good to see you again."
"Likewise."
"You didn't get the cure for the
fever." Max shook his head. Elrohir nodded. "Very well. I can't
remain here any longer. I'm well enough to search for the cure now. No
need for you to waste your time. Livonya will be needing a lot of care
for a long time. Where's Coag?"
"He disappeared months ago. No one I
know of has seen him since."
"I see. Max, you remember the gate in
Oor-Tael, the one Coag built?"
Maraxus cocked his head, puzzled for a
minute. Then he seemed to remember. "Yes."
"If I recall correctly, Coag used to
use it when he wanted to get away from the bustle of guild life. I
don't think it was destroyed by Jake. You might want to try and find
it. Wherever it leads, you can be sure Coag's probably there. He's the
only one I can think of who might be able to help Liv out." Elrohir
turned and stared at a now clear sky. Thousands of stars shined from
the heavens. "My destiny lies on another path."
"I understand," came Maraxus'
breathless reply. "Won't you stay to help Livonya?"
Elrohir made a half-grin. "No, I
don't believe that it would be a good idea at all." He pointed to the
stars. "I was one of those, once. My shine has burned out. Livonya's
is just beginning to grow." He gathered up his walking staff and pulled
his cloak around him once more. He turned his gnarled, wrinkled face to
Maraxus. "Will you do me one last thing, Maraxus?"
"What is that?"
"Tell her that I know."
"What?"
"She'll know what I mean."
Methos pulled out Skath. "Herbivorous
Restoration, chapter 3, line 4. 'And cometh he who god shall be, and
return to thee your misery.' Fine friend you turned out to be, Zedd.
Show up, save the girl, ride away into the sunset. Typical stereotyped
hero. I suppose now you'll want to give the girl one last kiss?"
Elrohir walked into the darkness and
didn't look back.