Chapter Fifty-Six: Fury is Betrayed!

The pale golden flush of the rising sun sparked along the spires of the palace of Ne'Media, and Nicodemus raised his head from alongside the pookah warrior's neck to take in the magnificence of the palace. It rivaled Tara'Nechtan but was more fortified and far more opulent than any palace Fury had ever seen. He glanced over to his Sith brother who dropped to the ground silently and came to assist Fury. When Nicodemus got to the ground his legs nearly gave out under him. Stone Tiger stepped in and supported his brother until he had gained solid footing.

 Fury smiled grimly. "I've grown too old to ride all night -- and with a Pookah warrior no less!"

 "You should be proud, brother," Stone Tiger whispered next to Fury's ear, "No one but the Sith guard and the Daj have ever lived to complain!"

 Nicodemus chuckled softly and turned to the Pookah warrior. He gave a bow, "It was an honor."

 The Pookah nodded toward Fury and the two slipped into the cover of the forest. Stone Tiger looked toward the palace, "We must move quickly and cautiously, the daemons are still patrolling the area. We are near the underground tunnels that will take us to the emperor."

 "The daemons do not know about the tunnels?" Fury asked as they began their trek through the underbrush toward the foothills.

 "There are tunnels used by the daemons as well," Stone Tiger replied and glanced over his shoulder at Fury, "The tunnels we will be using are carved from sulfur, it burns their flesh."

 "Sulphur is not safe for many creatures, the palace is on a boiling lake?" Fury questioned.

 "If we are cautious and quick," Stone Tiger said. "No harm will come to us."

 Fury fell silent. If Gaddis and his Sith guards traveled the tunnels regularly, he felt relatively assured he would be safe. He hoped they did not encounter any daemons in the other tunnels.

 When they reached the mouth of the caves there was no evidence of any activity, Sith or daemon. They silently moved from the heavy brush to the opening of the cave. They walked quickly through tunnels that grew narrow in places so they had to crouch low to keep from brushing the tunnel ceiling. Then they stopped. The stench of Sulphur reached them. Stone Tiger did not speak, they were now in a spot that required them to avoid contact with the tunnel walls. They were near a hot mud lake that continuously belched Sulphur gas. Nicodemus could only hold his breath and make it past the area without passing out!

 They moved through the section of tunnel that was heavily caked with yellow and just once Fury felt the burn of hot Sulphur on his shoulder as he brushed up against the side of the tunnel on their exit to the cool wide caverns that glowed with phosphorous lichens. Fury looked around him. "I certainly hope we do not have to leave that way!"

 "As do I!" Stone Tiger agreed. He pointed to Fury's shoulder. "We will take care of that burn as soon as possible."

 "Another badge of my travels," Fury muttered.

 "Come we need to clean up quickly and find the emperor," Stone Tiger said and together they began to climb up from the caverns. There were tunnels but this time they were spacious and well-lit like any other well-maintained palace. They stopped at the baths and Fury took a quick bath and changed into clean clothes that did not reek of rotten eggs. Stone Tiger appeared clean and changed into clean garments, he also had a small pot of salve that he handed to Fury. "It will help cool the burn from the Sulphur, and I have located my emperor, he waits for you in his chambers."

 "I wonder if his daemon master is nearby?" Fury asked as he smeared the salve over the raw welt that crawled over the top of his shoulder and down his bicep. 

"This way, brother," Stone Tiger said pointing out the doorway to the corridor. They walked up the wide hallways and the sweeping staircase to the emperor's quarters. The two heavily armed Sith guards swept to attention and opened the double doors. Fury and Stone Tiger found Gaddis lounging at a large table sampling from a tray of bread and meats. He rose from his chair head slightly tilted to one side, "Are we ready to begin?

"Yes, have you located your demon master?"

"I have," Gaddis replied. "He is engaged at the moment with an uprising of Sith guards. He cannot access the passage through the Dumah forest to get into Nu'Ada from that direction and your Partholan warriors are harassing him on the western side -- so he is caught in the middle."

"While Kaderyn is occupied, Colleen is planning to get the dagger," Fury said. "We need Li'Bann's help to keep Kaderyn and his daemons from sensing our activity."

"You think Li'Bann will help you?" Gaddis asked.

"Li'Bann wants her position back," Fury replied. "I do not want control of the Shadowlands any more than I want to sit as the Ard Ri!"

"But you have taken up your Da'ark powers," Gaddis replied, "You would make a grand adversary and an even better ally."

"Not interested," Fury growled, "But I want Colleen to believe I am very interested."

"As you hand over Siobhan to her," Gaddis said. "How will you ever convince the Daj this was not your plan all along?"

"You know it was never my intention to hand Siobhan over to Colleen," Fury said.

"So, you said," Gaddis rumbled. "But you were very convincing in your speech to Colleen."

Fury scowled at the Ne'Median emperor, then shrugged his shoulders. "You saw what I wanted Colleen to see, nothing more."

"Where do I come into your plan?" Gaddis remarked.

"Li'Bann will be far more amicable to you than she will to me," Fury replied. "Still game?"

"I am," Gaddis replied, feigning fatigue with the whole plan. "If your plan works, the daemons will be gone, and the shades can do what they want with Kaderyn."

Nicodemus nodded, barely satisfied with Gaddis' agreement to work with him. He did not trust him any more than Gaddis trusted Fury, but together they could make it work.

"What happens if all this fails?" Gaddis wanted to know.

"There is no guarantee," Fury answered honestly. "It has hundreds of ways to fail. But I am placing my faith in the people who love Siobhan and want to keep her safe."

Gaddis nodded silently. "Let us get started then and pray that we live to see the success of our treachery! What happens first?" Gaddis wanted to know.

"Siobhan must not know the plan. She will warn Fiona and Tully and try to protect them." Fury said stonily. "I doubt Fiona or Tully would be able to resist her thrall or withstand a full attack from Colleen. I will need to be ready to use my abilities to hold them all in thrall as long as I can."

 "Are your Sith Guard and Calvary ready?" Gaddis asked Stone Tiger.

 "They are my liege." Stone Tiger answered.

 "Good," Gaddis replied. "You know what to do. I want you and your Calvary to keep the palace safe and secure. Then when it is time, I leave it to you and your Guard to dispatch the daemons. The next patrol will be coming through the mountain pass with the Sirens. We need them protected as well."

 "It will be done!" Stone Tiger said.

 "I suggest we all rest and prepare to descend to the Shadowlands." Gaddis looked at Fury, "What will you need to prepare?"

Fury paused, his wine goblet halfway to his lips. "Not a thing."

Gaddis raised his goblet in salute, drained what was left, and set it down with a thump. "Speak to your Daj and then get some rest."

Late Afternoon Ranjai Tor

 Sunny closed the thick book and set it aside. "The Shadowlands are protected. Only someone who has kin or family ties to the citizens of the Shadowlands can gain access. I'm guessing Nicodemus' mother had ties with someone in the Shadowlands."

 Falco shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know much of Rom Fury's lineage, only the Fury family is very old."

 "Well, I don't think I'm going to gain anything from these books," Sunny replied, then smiled up at Falco. "But I thank you for gathering up what you could find for me."

 "You are most welcome, Roma." Falco gathered up the heavy leather-bound books in his arms and left Sunny in Fury's study. Moon Bear was snoozing near the warmth of the fire.

 Sunny glanced over at him where he dozed and saw an ear shift slightly. There was a slight vibration in the air, and he heard it coming! He sat up, completely alert. He growled low in his throat. "Someone is coming." He said softly.

 Sunny nodded. "It must be Nicodemus!" She declared. Then she sensed the wards in the study trying to push back the power. She frowned in concern, "He must be a great distance away, I'll need to amplify the pathway."

 Moon Bear rose and started toward her, but he never made it. He had taken no more than a few steps when the world tilted! Sunny bolted to her feet, the chair falling backward, and a black curtain fell over her! Her cry of alarm froze in her throat!

 Moon Bear woke with Aria tending to his wounds. He struggled to sit up, "She has been taken!"

 Aria nodded her head sadly. "I have sent Orion after Rom Fury."

 Moon Bear snarled, "It is his doing!"

 "Oh no, Moon Bear," Aria whispered next to his ear, "But there are those within this household now that are conspiring. You must get away from here as soon as possible!"

 Moon Bear looked into the Siren's light grey eyes. There was only one individual in the household who held Fury's trust above all the others – Falco! Aria nodded silently then bowed over the task of binding the wound on Moon Bear's arm. "I will hold him back as long as I can, you must get away now! I will not be able to fight the thrall much longer either, you must go!"

 The Sith hissed in displeasure at the Siren and moved away from her touch. He was in Fury's study and mere steps from the secreted passageway. Once on the other side he could get away and be in the forest before Falco and the others in the Da'ark witch's control could stop him. He already knew where Sunny was being transported.

 Orion did not need to reach Nicodemus to inform him of the treachery at work! He had been barely asleep when the white-hot rage poured into his gut. He roared in physical pain, got blindly from his cot, and stumbled into the hallway. "Sunny!"

 Gaddis was at his side, pulling him to his feet. "We must go, now!"

 "We cannot get to her in time!" Nicodemus declared. "How could she turn him? After all the years faithful?"

 "Falco?" Gaddis asked. When Fury clutched his chest the Ne'Median thought he would collapse.

 Fury looked up at Gaddis, "You have to go to Li'Bann, convince her to come to your side! I have to get as quickly as possible to the arch! They are still in Nu'Ada, she hasn't taken her into Arwyn yet!"

 "If you can get us to the Shadowlands, Li'Bann can have you at the arch before Colleen!" Gaddis told him. "But you must be able to channel and hold a portal open! You are no good to anyone if you are out of your wits!"

 Fury's eyes blazed a moment longer in rageful pain, then grew dark and cold as he battled with the knowledge of Falco's betrayal, and he opened himself fully to the Da'ark powers he had kept pushed away for so long.

The power that he had denied for such a long time spread throughout his body and his psyche like ink in water. It filled him and while he knew how difficult it would be to turn against that power he had pushed down deep as he accepted and embraced it, it welcomed him like an old friend. He looked to Gaddis, struggling to remember why he was in the Ne'Media palace. He shrugged Gaddis' hands off him.

Gaddis stepped back and glared at Fury with barely contained anger. Had the Da'ark already claimed him for Colleen and Kaderyn? "Fury!"

Nicodemus scrubbed his hands over his face and found the spark of light at the core of the darkness where he now stood. He clasped the Ne'Median's arm in apology. "Forgive me," Fury said through clenched teeth. "Give me a moment to center myself and I'll open the portal."

 Gaddis realized how difficult this was for Fury and he nodded silently and went to check the hallway left and right and found that his guards had done their job keeping the curious from entering the hallways around the royal chambers. He went back into Fury's room. There he watched as Nicodemus Fury, son of Starfire and acolyte of the Crimson Palace, began to draw on all his Da'ark magicker powers.

 Gaddis understood now why Fury avoided holding positions of power. With the natural abilities he had inherited from his mother and his time spent as a powerful Da'ark magicker, he saw just how easily Fury could manipulate the elements. Then the portal swirled open. It was like looking into a bottomless pit! All the light was pulled from the room as the portal stabilized and rumbled in the center of the room. There was an icy wind that pulled at their clothing. Nicodemus turned to Gaddis, "The shades will be drawn to us to feed on our life-spark, I will provide a shield light to keep them away for as long as I can. Do not listen to anything that speaks to you, it will all be lies!"

 Gaddis nodded and came to stand next to Fury. Their eyes met and then together, they stepped into the darkness of the Shadowlands and were swallowed up!