The shadowed face smirked and a chuckle came from his throat. "Fortune Teller, is our fate changed?" br
"Give me a minute here!" she scolded with a raspy voice. "It's not like I can speak of the future at the drop of a hat!" br
Lucifer leaned forward and rested his cheek on his palm, growling. "Yeah, yeah..." he muttered, rolling his eyes making him look like a teenage girl. br
He sat in his throne of importance in the dimly lit room, wishing the old lady would chant faster. Finally, in the darkness around fortune teller, he saw the girl named Elita in the crystal ball. He moved forward still, intent on the happenings of her current life of freedom. br
Encircled by the white luminescent light of the ball, the picture was even brighter so that he could see it. The glow bounced off his eager face, reflecting in his cold eyes.
In it, Elita was struggling in some forest, clutching her chest and breathing heavily. She had apparently tried to use her Catcher powers, and his mark still worked perfectly. That was about the strongest sealing spell on her chest, and there was no way to break it. br
"Well, Pallaton," he said to the boy chained in the corner. "What do you think of our dear friend, Elita's new free life?" br
"I think you're a sick pig watching her suffer with half her chest hanging out," he snarled back. br
With narrowed eyes, Lucifer swiftly turned in his seat to face the boy, purple in the cheeks. "What did you just say to me, boy!?" he hissed, ready to lunge and kill him at any second. br
Pallaton was not fazed by this. "You heard me," he replied, his voice threateningly low. br
Leaping out of the chair with ungodly speed, his hand pinned Pallaton's neck to the wall as he struggled for air. "You're lucky I can't kill you, Catcher. Not yet, anyways." br
p The next morning, Lucifer walked down the long corridor with hands hanging loosely down at his sides and humming a bouncy tune. He was in a good mood for the time being, for the Catcher Elita was out of action for a little while, until she figured out how to break the Cursemark. She showed no signs of finding out yet what it was, and he hoped she never did, but with those meddling boys traveling with her, that may turn into wishful thinking. /p br
He pulled a ring of keys from his pocket and picked out the smallest one, pushing it into the lock in front of him and turning it. A door appeared before him and he grasped the doorknob, and then pulled it open. br
A strong smell of dust and mothballs met his nostrils, and he wrinkled his nose as if he was not suited to smell such disgusting smells. His shoes clicked and echoed around the windowless hallway he walked down, heading towards a single, heavily barred door at the very end of it. A smirk graced his lips and he resumed whistling the tune from earlier, getting happier at every step he took. br
Today was the day that he began to brainwash Pallaton, to persuade him to join his side, so that he will have assistance in killing Elita. Yet, the love the two shared for each other would be very difficult to overcome, Lucifer had full confidence in himself, like he usually did. br
He reached the door and opened it, closing it immediately behind him so as not to have the Earth Catcher escape. He looked around in the darkness and found that the boy was sitting with his head in between his knees on the large window sill. The curtains to the stretching window were closed, and only a few slivers of sunlight peeked through a small gap in the middle. br
Scratches and bruises adorned the boy's arms, for he was a fighter. He didn't want to be down here, alone in his dungeon of solitude. It made his thoughts lead to Elita, out there in the free world, living her life, the sunlight always streaming down on her beautiful face. br
Pallaton slightly reminded Lucifer of two women - Ezra and Sherri Oren - because they, too, were fighters. They fought down his soldiers until he had to call in his stronger ranks, and soon they were killed, the murder staged to look like the son did it. He sighed, for that mission was annoying, for the husband had requested to search for her traitorous son, and to keep any suspicions down, he had to agree. But it hadn't taken long, however, for a body that was assumed his turned up in the river two nights after they had started the search. But, only Lucifer knew the truth. That boy, Nero, was traveling with Elita, and the body was actually an ogre, a spiritless creature he had derived from dirt and ground up bones. br
"Pallaton, I hope you're listening, because I don't plan to say this again." The boy made no sign of listening, other than he waved his hand at him. Shrugging, Lucifer continued. "My fortune teller and I have found Elita after she suffered from the Cursemark." br
"And?" came the muffled reply. br
"She's...dead." Lucifer smirked as he watched Pallaton flinch at the final word. br
No...no she's not...he's lying... Pallaton thought, tears pricking at his eyes, refusing to believe it. br
"I hated to tell you this...I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone." br
Before he could step out the door, Pallaton stopped him. "NO!" he roared. "YOU'RE NOT SORRY, BECAUSE YOU ARE THE ONE WHO KILLED HER!!!" br
Lucifer continued out, shutting the door behind him and laughing all down the hallway. His plan had begun. br
p Nero frowned. "Shouldn't someone go look for Elita? She's been out there awhile." /p br
Aldan nodded, putting some pots into a bag. "I agree. You and Jay should go out and look for her. Listen for the river, and I'm sure you'll find her," The two aforementioned rose. "And hurry up, we're soon leaving this camp and heading for Morgan for more supplies." They nodded and walked out of the firelight's guidance and walked slowly to the edge of the forest. br
Their search had lasted for a few minutes until someone broke the eerie silence of the forest. "Nero, I can't see anything," Jay announced, stepping on the back of Nero's foot for the fifteenth time since they entered the trees. br
Nero sent a glare back at him, despite the fact that he wouldn't have been able to see it in the first place. "Well don't complain to me. Eat some carrots or something." br
"Haha, you're totally hilarious!" br
"Jay…Nero…" a weak voice cried softly from the trees. The two froze. "Help…" br
"What-What is that?" Nero asked, shuffling closer towards Jay and searching the dark trees for the source of the voice. br
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Jay called out, bringing out his dagger. They inched forward, careful not to tread on each other. br
With a crash, Jay fell to the ground and Nero whirled around, ready for an oncoming attack or ready to make one. He saw nothing in the dark light surrounding them, and his ears strained, but he didn't hear anything in the pressing silence either. Not letting his guard down, he crouched down to aid Jay, who was sitting up on his elbows and nursing his chin, which had probably broken his fall. br
The two investigated in the dark, feeling around the ground with their hands, searching for what caused Jay to trip. Nero's hand retreated quickly as he touched a warm, soft, and squishy something. Narrowing his eyes, he looked closer and saw that it was white, and it stood out against the ground barely in the shadows. He shoved his hands underneath whatever it was and pushed up; then, startled, he dropped it. br
"Jay, c'mere, I found it," Nero whispered. He picked up the thing again and they saw it was Elita, for they saw a glowing mark on the back of her neck hiding underneath the shirt Nero had lent her and her hair; it was the sign of the Water Catchers. Nero picked her up in his arms and they trumped back to the camp, their concerned and hard faces shadowed by the flickering fire upon their return. br
"Thank you…" she muttered. br
"Don't talk. Save your energy," Nero told her. br
Aldan immediately stopped packing, sensing Elita's power coming closer, but when he saw the three auras, he also noted there was a fourth one. The unwelcome one was containing Elita's power inside itself, compressing it all back into her body, and that wouldn't be good further down the road. If an aura as powerful as that being compressed inside such a small and fragile body, it might reverse onto itself and collapse. That Cursemark maker sure was clever. br
Nero lay her down onto a near sleeping mat that still hadn't been packed and turned her onto her back. He spotted a Cursemark on her chest and immediately hovered over the girl. His hand reached for the shirt covering up the mark. br
Jay lashed out and smacked it, and Nero recoiled, glaring at his friend. br
"What was that for?" Nero spat. br
"You were just about to cop a feel!" he countered "I'm sorry, but I find that totally unmoral and disgusting of you!" br
Nero sighed. "Jay, take a good look by her collarbone." Nero watched Jay hesitantly look and widen with understanding. "Now, can I please interpret the mark?" br
Jay nodded and Nero pulled back the shirt, careful not to expose any private body parts. An angry red Cursemark glowed on her chest fiercely. br
He mouthed the words he read, and tried to find out who it was from and what Point it was. His eyes narrowed when he read Lucifer and then kept searching for the Point. He sat back and said "Wow." br
"It's a strong Point, isn't it? How much?" Aldan asked. He stared at it sternly, figuring it must at least a Point Six, for it contained Elita's powers and it held no visible weakness sites. br
"Point 2," Nero replied, watching Aldan's eyes widen with astonishment. "And by Lucifer. It says to contain it for the rest of her life." br
Aldan sat back, amazed. "How many Catchers were in that camp?" he asked. br
"About 600," Jay answered, not sure to what he was getting at. br
"Multiply by five and you've got 9,100. Do you realize how strong Lucifer must be to keep about nine thousand of Point 2 Cursemarks going for all those lives?" br
p Elita trembled in fear as her spot in line got closer and closer to the entrance to the prison looming evilly over her. She looked up; the building was perfectly framed by the dark gray clouds that threatened to pour rain once again onto their heads. She bit her bottom lip as Pallaton squeezed her hand in reassurance. /p br
"It'll be okay," he encouraged. She nodded and smiled weakly. br
It seemed all too soon that Pallaton had gone in and then was escorted back to the camp walls. He winked at her as he walked away, and the soldier at the door ushered her into the gloom. Her palms were sweating and her face was pale as Lucifer walked out of the shadows and smirked down at her. She shivered even more violently as he knelt down to her level and brushed away the grimy shirt she had been wearing ever since she turned four. He took the cloth in his hand and soaked it in the bucket of soapy and foamy water, then rubbed the soft fabric gently against the flesh near her collarbone. br
His fingers brushed against her neck, and her wide, fearful eyes looked up at him in an instant, meeting his gaze. He smiled oddly. "Such soft skin for one living in the conditions you do." Tears burned at her eyes and his pointer finger continued to stroke her neck, while the rest of his fingers worked the cloth to clean the skin. br
Finished, he removed the cloth, and to her relief, stopped caressing her skin, then pulled out a silver blade, and motioned for her to hold out her hand. She did so, and turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut. "This will hurt, I'm sorry," and with that, he sliced open her palm. She took in a slight intake of breath and tears spilled over her eyes, as she bit her bottom lip so as not to make a sound. Elita felt a small paint brush smear some of her oozing blood onto it. The strokes tickled as Lucifer wrote down the commands for the Cursemark, who was channeling the containing aura, and how long it would last. br
She let out the breath she had been holding for the past few minutes while Lucifer concentrated, and felt her hand being bandaged up with great gentleness and care. She stole a glance at Lucifer before leaving the lobby of the prison, and he gave her that same odd smile. Elita walked back outside, where she found it had started raining, a soldier by her side all the way to the wall. As she crossed the threshold, she immediately let her guard down and felt exhausted with worry. Never did she want something like that to happen again. Ever br
p "Is she alright, though?" Elita heard Jay's voice ask as her senses slowly came back to her. The war raging inside her body against Lucifer's mark and her powers had ceased, and the evidence was the raging headache that pounded against her skull. /p br
She cleared her throat and rolled over to her back and sat up. "I'm fine," she replied. Elita saw that Aldan was not around, most likely with another campfire temporarily. Nero and Jay were sitting on the opposite end of their fire, and both looked equally surprised that she had woken up. Both of them crawled over to her, sitting on either side and started questioning her. br
"What happened to you? How did you get so weak?" Nero asked first. br
She sighed. "I tried to use my powers, but when Catchers turn six, they were required to get Cursemarks, so they could not use their powers. Lucifer-," br
"We already know that," Jay interrupted. "What happened?" br
Elita was slightly perturbed at the anxiousness in his voice, but continued to answer his question anyways. "I tried to use my Outer Magic. I thought the Cursemark must have gone away because we escaped from the camp, and he didn't control us any longer. I was wrong, though. The Cursemark still continues to contain my powers and when I attempted to use them, it fought back." br
Nero and Jay gave each other knowing glances. br
Figuring their conversation was over, Elita looked around her. They still hadn't moved their camp, and it was still the same night. But, on the horizon, the sun was coming, for orange and pink started to brighten the dark purple of the night. And on that horizon, Elita spotted three dark figures coming across the desert. br
I don't think that's a Dusk clansmen... she thought warily, and, throwing the covers off her, she stood and scanned the other campfires for Aldan. Finding him, she bounded over to him, ignoring the inquiries of Nero and Jay as she left. He saw her aura coming, and she came to him, crouching down next to him. br
The others at his campfire watched as she whispered something in his ear and point to the west, where the sun was rising, and for that reason, many were retiring to their beds. Aldan followed her point with his blind eyes and narrowed them, seeing the aura of the men and the hormels they were astride. His eyes turned towards the four men at the fire, and nodded towards them. They silently rose and with a nod to Aldan, they swiftly crossed to the fringes of the camp, awaiting the arrival of the three men. br
"HALT!" one of the men cried, his voice cutting through the dawning air so loudly that it stopped all conversations and the whole Dusk camp went silent, save the crackling of the many fires dotting here and there. br
Nero and Jay looked up as Elita, crouched low, quickly ran from Aldan's fire back to theirs and sat back down on her sleep roll, and watched, wondering who the three hormel-riding men were. br
"What's going on?" Jay whispered to Nero, but before Nero could answer, Elita hushed them both up with a harsh 'SHH!'. br
The sun continued to rise and provide light so that the three who weren't used to it as much as the Dusk tribesmen could see better, and while that continued, so did the intruders. As far as Elita could tell, which wasn't much, but it gave pretty huge clues as to who they were; they were wearing bright orange and red robes that protected them from the heat of the desert sun that was starting to wash over them all. On the front of those robes was a yellow sun with a blue cloud inside it and Elita figured these men were from the Dawn clan. The two flanking men were carrying large flapping flags with the same sun emblem on them. But...why were they coming from the west when their land was in the east? br
Elita narrowed her eyes and tried to listen in on what the Dawns were about to announce. br
All three of them stopped, and their hormels stomped and snorted in frustration at being held steady when they so obviously still had so much energy. The middle man managed to control his animal easily and removed something from the interior of the robe. It was a scroll. Before un-rolling it, however, he called out: br
"Aldan, Lead of the Dusks! Please make it known that you can hear this announcement!" Elita's eyes swerved over to Aldan, who had risen and raised his left hand; the hand with the Dusks' mark. She smirked at his defiance. br
The man who spoke before slightly glared at him and unraveled the scroll. "The Lead of the Dawns, Sinead, has declared a winner-take-all battle versus the Dusks, so as no more fighting over the land will continue, and no innocent people willl be killed because of the conflicts that seem to be continuing despite the many treaties that have been signed." br
Aldan's jaw dropped; they were making it sound like it was he who was doing the acts of rebelliousness. br
The messenger man continued. "The battle's date and time must be negotiated by both of the parties and must be within the limits of the fortnight. That is all. Sinead wishes good luck and power and may the best clan win." br
As the three mysterious men loped off, the four men who Aldan sent to protect them came back with the very slightest trace of anxiousness and uneasiness. Aldan glared at the fading figures. br
"We will, rest assured."