Chapter Fifty-Seven: Unlikely Allies

 Sunny sat in a chair near a burning brazier that did nothing to hold back the damp chill of the stone room. She looked around. There was no other furniture in the room, no tapestries on the stone walls, no carpets on the stone floors. She tried to move but was held in place by shadow ribbons. When she tried to move, the shadowy bands held fast around her forearms and legs.

 "It will do you no good to try to escape," The man's voice sounded weary, "It is the Da'ark at work."

 "Who are you?" Sunny asked.

 The man stepped out of the gloom of the room and stood on the other side of the brazier. He held his hands out to warm his fingers. "You look very much like your namesake, she was a kindly woman when I was a boy. I was very besotted!" he smiled but it turned into a grimace. "I am Taylor O'Rourke, at least I used to be called that."

 "But now," Sunny said gently, "Taalor'Rakshah is your name."

 "Yes, I am that now." He replied, "She does not seem to feel the cold as I do. I would like to see the places she told me about when we were young. Did you know there is a place where the water is clear and bright and there is sand that is white as snow and the sun burns your skin dark brown? Yes, I would like to see those places."

 Sunny listened to him rattle on. Finally, he stopped talking and sighed heavily. "Where are we?" Sunny asked.

 "I am not certain," O'Rourke answered. "She can create hiding places that no one can find. She is very good at hiding from spying eyes."

 "Can you fight the thrall?" Sunny wanted to know. "Escape from this prison?"

 "No," O'Rourke said flatly, "It cannot be done.

 "No, it cannot!" Colleen said, her voice hit the stone and rattled in Sunny's ears. She looked over at O'Rourke and saw the control over his mind settle firmly in place. The man drifted away from the heat of the brazier and retreated into the shadows to sit in a straight-back chair similar to the one Sunny was bound to. Colleen moved closer to Sunny and studied her. "Yes, you are my granddaughter, although you look nothing like me. You favor my mother."

 "Why did you do it?" Sunny asked. "You hurt so many people and forced Aunt Fiona to take the Geis!"

 Colleen smiled icily. "The geis!" she spat the word back at Sunny, "I had little time to martyr myself on the geis! Fiona was far more suited to the role than I ever was!"

 "But you've denied her of even that!" Sunny shot back. "She's living only half a life."

 "You are just a child!" Colleen said as she strolled around the chair Sunny was being held prisoner. "Why they all think you are the Daj Sultana is beyond me. If you were even half the magicker, you would free yourself from the shades that hold you."

 "I could, but then I would harm them, and they are already in enough pain being forced to do your bidding," Sunny said.

 "Such weakness," Colleen commented. "But it is a weakness that will serve me well."

 "I won't help you!" Sunny declared.

 "If you want to keep your friends safe you will do exactly as I ask!" Colleen said.

 "I will not!" Sunny said in defiance.

 "Oh?" Colleen murmured. She turned her attention to the open stone window. "Out there is a certain raven king that has followed you into the realm I control. How would you feel if his pitiful life were snuffed out but not before I plucked every feather from him because you refused me?"

 "Leave them alone!" Sunny shouted at Colleen, "Leave them all alone!"

 "Then do as I ask!" Colleen told her softly. "All I need is the Shai'Alomar."

 "I don't know what you're talking about!" Sunny said.

 "Falco himself told me you can move metal! All of them saw it and spoke of it in awed whispers. The little Dannan-in-training who can move metal without even thinking about it."

 "He's a liar," Sunny muttered. "you've twisted his mind and made him a traitor!"

 Colleen chuckled softly, but there was no joy in her laughter. "Do you wish to see just how tenuous life is? I can snap my fingers and lay waste to dozens of men, women, and children in villages. I can release the Da'ark on them and they will fall dead in their homes, and fields all over this land!"

 "No!" Sunny pleaded.

 "Then give me what I want!" Colleen hissed as she leaned closer toward Sunny. 

Sunny met Colleen's green eyes that were cold empty pieces of emerald stones. The copper fire in Sunny's eyes confirmed what Colleen knew burned in the girl. She smiled slowly. "So, you do have some fight in you. But you are weak! So, you will do as I tell you – if you want to save all your precious little friends."

 "All right," Sunny said harshly. "I'll do it."

 Colleen nodded, "Good!" she walked to the stone wall and waved her hand to reveal an open window. "The moon will soon be completely dark, then we will go into Arwyn." She glanced over her shoulder at Sunny, "We'll have a reunion of Danann's, you, me, and dear Fiona."

The Shadowlands

 They were plunged into total darkness. Then springing from Fury's hands that he held up with fingers laced together, a small spark began to form. He opened his hands and his fingers slid apart, the spark grew. That is when Gaddis saw the dark shadowy ribbons gravitate to the light.

 Nicodemus let the light grow to the size of a man's head. He cast it out ahead of them. The shadows swarmed around it, and more of the land became visible. From the gloom came a representative of the Shadowlands. "Thou has returned, son of Starfire!"

 "I come to speak to your queen!" Fury called. "I need her help!"

 "You should not have come, Nicodemus!"

 Gaddis turned and watched as a figure of a woman emerged from the gloom and took human form. She was exotic and beautiful to look upon. She only had eyes for Fury at the moment. "Li'Bann, please help me! The Da'ark magicker has taken the Daj Sultana!"

 Li'Bann bowed her head as if considering Fury's request, but when she looked up again, she wore a scowl that marred her beautiful face into a mask of pure hatred. "You want to take the Shadowlands from me!"

 "No," Nicodemus said, "I want only the safe return of the Daj Sultana!"

 Li'Bann turned away and Fury looked to Gaddis for help. He moved away from Fury toward Li'Bann and bowed low. "Empress of the Night, Queen of the Shadows, I also come to beg for your help. Please give us an audience so that we can parlay an accord."

 "You speak eloquently," Li'Bann murmured giving Gaddis an appraising look. "You too ask for my help for this slip of a girl?"

 "If you help us," Nicodemus said, "You will be free to rule as you once ruled and prosper under the alliance with Ne'Media and the emperor."

 "Why should I believe anything you have to say?" Li'Bann asked. "You have dealt with the Da'ark magicker witch and now that she has betrayed you – now you come to me for favors?"

 Gaddis sighed heavily, time was critical, and this dance was getting them nowhere. He moved closer to Li'Bann. "Send Fury on his way to where he needs to be, and we can negotiate our alliance! I assure you we will both benefit from an alliance between our lands."

 "You would be a pleasant distraction," Li'Bann murmured. She looked over at Fury. "I do not know where your Da'ark witch hides! I can be no help to you."

 "Send me to the Ballencoo Arch!" Fury declared. "Send me anywhere where I can try and stop her from going through to Arwyn!"

 "Why do you want to stop her?" Li'Bann asked. "The Partholan has never shown you any concern, why help them?"

 "I do not give a damn what happens to the Partholan! The Da'ark witch intends to use the Daj Sultana to move the Shai'Alomar into Nu'Ada. That cannot happen!" Fury said. "And you know why!"

 "Indeed not," Li'Bann replied. "But you cannot stop her, we beings of the Shadowlands are under her control, and as long as she commands, we remain trapped to her will!"

 "The Daj would set you free!" Fury said with urgency straining his voice it was a hoarse cry. "Ask your shades, they came with warnings and the Daj spoke with them."

 Li'Bann spun away and looked into the swirling shadows that fought to draw close to the call of light Fury continued to feed. "Is this true?"

 "It is my queen," whispered a large, towering ribbon of shadow. "She has moved among us, been a part of us, and even now does no harm! Even to free herself from the Da'ark witch, she has refused to harm my brothers and sisters holding her prisoner."

 Li'Bann swung back to Fury, "Very well, Nicodemus. Go to your Daj – see that you at least keep your word to her!" Li'Bann flung out a hand and a swirling portal opened, "Go and I hope never see you here again!"

 Nicodemus nodded. "Thank you!" he looked at Gaddis. The Ne'Median emperor clasped Fury's shoulder, glanced over at the alluring form of Li'Bann, and smiled. "Go and help the Daj," Gaddis murmured. "This Queen of the Shades and I have much to discuss."

 Fury did not even hesitate he turned to the open portal and jumped. It swallowed him up and the orb was snuffed out. Gaddis was plunged into darkness. Li'Bann generated a field of protection around Gaddis, "Come my lord let us get to know one another and begin our parlay."

 Gaddis felt the shadows slither around him, but they were silent. He bowed, "I will follow you, my queen."

 "This way," Li'Bann replied throwing a sly smile over her shoulder at Gaddis.

 Nicodemus Fury was unceremoniously dumped in a thicket close to the forest road. He was spat out from the portal, rolled down an embankment, and ended up in a shallow wash. He had tried to slow his descent by grabbing onto roots and vines and ended up covered in dirt, leaves, and a shower of gravel and stones. He looked for injuries and found only minor cuts and bruises.

 Fury rolled to his hands and knees then used the side of the shallow ravine to claw his way to his feet. He glanced up to study the best way back up to the road. He grabbed a tree root and began to pick his way back up to the road. When he finally rolled up onto flat land again he glanced back down the way he had just climbed, "Lucky I did not break my fool neck!" He got to his feet, slapping the dirt and leaves from his clothes. He began walking toward the arch.

 He sensed rather than heard movement in the trees. He stopped in his tracks and dropped into the dense underbrush. He heard the faint rustle of leaves and looked up into the canopy of trees to identify who was tracking him.

 "Uncle," came a whisper next to his ear.

 He spun and came face to face with the sharp end of a Sith dagger pressing against his jugular! "Nephew."

 "Your trusted man is now held in thrall," Moon Bear hissed at him. "Aria was the one who resisted long enough for me to escape. They are all likely in thrall now."

 Anger rose in Fury, but he heard Gaddis' words in his head: 'You are no good to anyone if you lose your wits!' "I will deal with that later. Colleen has Siobhan, but they have not gone through to Arwyn."

 "What can the two of us do?" Moon Bear asked flicking the Sith dagger away from Fury's throat. "You are going to make this right, uncle!" the Sith growled at him, his face was still but his golden cat-like eyes were dilated in anger and fear. "If you had not dealt with the Da'ark witch then your Daj would still be safe!"

 "I am afraid you are wrong about that," Fury told the Sith. "Colleen would have found out about Siobhan when she went for the Shai'Alomar dagger."

 "Perhaps so," Moon Bear rumbled. "But you must face the Daj and explain your plots and schemes."

 Fury stopped and faced Moon Bear, "Up into the trees with you nephew. Stay safe and whatever happens, do not come down from the trees, understand?"

 "What are you going to do?" Moon Bear asked.

 "Exactly what my mother trained me to do, nephew," Fury told him. "When it is safe, go to the palace and wait for your Emperor."

 Moon Bear stepped away from Fury as the shadows began to form around the man. Fury continued on the road and the shadowy ribbons trailed behind him. The Sith felt them float past him and he growled low in his throat and hissed angrily as they tried to pull him along behind Fury's wake. He turned and leaped up to grab a low limb and began to climb high into the dense canopy of trees.

 As Moon Bear got high into the upper sturdier branches, he spotted the arch and saw the small, mounted group approaching. He spotted Sunny. She was riding in an open wagon tied to a chair. The ropes restraining her were the same Da'ark ribbons that followed Nicodemus Fury.

 Moon Bear watched long enough to have clear in his mind his accounting to give to his Emperor. He raced along the trees until he could drop into the cover of the forest. He knew how to navigate through the underground corridors that would take him to Fury's apartments. Moon Bear had been there numerous times and he crept along the narrow and dark walkways toward the audience chamber of the Nu'Adaian king. He would secret himself in the high rafters to wait for Gaddis.