Cliodhna leads the group in a determined manner up to the captain, who is giving orders to a lesser-guard, and he turns around when he is finished. "Yes? May I help you?" he asks, looking at them suspiciously.
Cliodhna feels her breath catch in her throat-- "good god, but he's attractive!" she thinks weakly, her eyes wide. The captain is about 6'4"-6'5" and well-muscled with long black hair-- the sides held back in a clasp-- dark eyes, tanned skin, and an intimidating yet mischievous face. She can't seem to find her voice, but when she sees Brianna step forward to speak since Cliodhna is taking so long, Cliodhna finally speaks. "Are ye the captain o' the guard?"
The man pauses for a moment, still suspicious. "Yes...what can I do for you?"
Cliodhna steps to the side to reveal Atepa standing a little behind. "We come with your former ambassador Ahuru on important business." she informs him. Now it's the captain's turn to have wide eyes.
"My lord!" he exclaims, putting his fist to his chest in salute and bowing briefly at the waist. "How may I serve you?"
Cliodhna speaks again. "I am Cliodhna McPhearson, centurion and acting commander o' the Necropolis army. We have been sent ta escort ye out o' this place as it is currently being run by a servant of Markova. We know ye are a faithful servant of Ahuru, and have reason ta believe that ye will be the instrument that unites all the Amenti in New York behind Ahuru in the future. Will ye come with us?" Cliodhna holds out her hand in a welcoming gesture...if her mother had seen it, she would have known which side of the family it came from!
The captain's face takes on a thoughtful expression when Cliodhna gives her name. After Cliodhna's question, he pauses again, looking from Atepa to Cliodhna, and then nods and takes a step towards Cliodhna, still looking somewhat confused. "I will come. I know what Ahura has done. This place is not as it should be."
"An' how should we address ye, captain?" Cliodhna asks.
"I am Memnon." he says simply.
"Memnon...so that is the name that will set my heart ta pounding..." Cliodhna ponders to herself, flushing a little from thinking such an uncharacteristically girlish thought. Then she thinks, "Memnon...that name seems very familiar..." She's given pause for a moment, and then speaks again. "Memnon..." she says aloud. "I thank ye fer agreein' ta come with us." And as the group leaves the Met, they takes turns introducing themselves.
Cliodhna says that she owes her Shadow a little something for its earlier appearance, and the cohort follows her to the castigator's where she pays 6 obeli to have the works done. It's a long and painful process, but everytime Cliodhna cries out, her Shadow cries out even louder and in terrible pain, and soon Cliodhna's cries turn into hysterical laughter as she murmurs things that only her Shadow can hear.
After that they decide that they need to go to the tree and check on the Doomslayers' progress, so they hurry there as fast as they can. When they arrive, they're a little disappointed to see the tree still standing. Brianna asks Ash what's going on, and he sheepishly admits that they haven't figured out a safe way to destroy the tree yet, and wondered if the cohort had any suggestions? Brianna turns back to the cohort and they murmur together about what to do. Then someone gets the idea...of balefire. Cliodhna turns to Ash and asks where balefire can be found, and he replies that every artificer uses it. She tells him to have balefire brought to the park and to use it to detroy the tree. After a few quick orders from Ash, the balefire is brought and the tree is set on fire with it.
As the tree burns, the Wraiths can see the forms of those soul-forged into it writhing in pain, desperate to escape their hell, and they can just as easily hear the shrieks emminating from within. Brianna grins a nasty grin, taking a personal pleasure in knowing that Scar is one of those tortured beings. At one point she even swears that she saw his form pushing against the tree from inside and calling to her to help him...even Ray said that he thought he heard voices calling his name.
The cohort and Doomslayers decide to stay right there and watch the tree burn down into ash before bed. They end up staying there for hours-- Cliodhna finding it hard to keep herself from peeking over at Memnon as the fire warms her corpus-- but at last it burns down, and everyone scatters the ashes far and wide. The cohort and Doomslayers congratulate each other on a job well done and part ways for the night. Cliodhna invites Memnon to come sleep in the army-camp with the soldiers, and he accepts. Brianna and Atepa return to their room in Swar, Jonny and Ray find someplace comfortable to hole up for the night, and Cliodhna sets up her bedroll not 10 feet away from Memnon's.
Cliodhna lay awake for the better part of an hour wondering how she was supposed to sleep with Memnon so distractingly near, when suddenly she was out like a light.
Somewhere in the Labyrinth, Amber smiles and steps quickly back from the scrying-bowl, returning to the bedchambers just as Markova enters.
"So...did you have a nice chat with your sister, Amber?" he asks watching her.
Amber can't contain herself-- she's so pleased with how well her plan is turning out that she laughs a hearty laugh. "I did, Claudius, thank ye!"
Markova smiles and moves towards her. "And what exactly did you do?"
Amber laughs again. "Let's just say that she's completely distracted now!"
"Excellent..." Markova says in a pleased tone. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare for the battle tomorrow." and he turns making to leave. Amber rushes forward and places her hand on his arm.
"What are yer plans then?" Amber quickly asks. Markova looks at her and grins.
"Divide and conquer!"
Back in the Shadowlands...
The sounds of the night-life in New York keeps Memnon awake...the passing cars, the idle chatter, and the fact he is sitting on the front lines of a battle that had raged earlier in the day. Memnon sits up and watches the legionnaires stand around talking and laughing, while a few other not so brave souls stare out into the night waiting for the day to come.
Hearing his name called, Memnon turns to see Cliodhna laying on her side, her eyes closed. He stands up and walks over to her gently shaking her awake.
Cliodhna's eyes open slowly and disorientedly-- she is still wrapped in a wonderful dream...of she and Memnon pressed together...he rising above her...her crying out his name in ecstasy...and then when she opens her eyes, there he is squatting beside her with his hand on her shoulder! Dream and reality become confused for a moment, and she begins reaching her hand out for him...and then realizes exactly where she is, and quickly retracts her hand. She stutters-- trying to explain that she was only having a dream, but the events of the dream make her blush, and only incoherent ramblings seem to come out of her mouth. Finally she forces herself to pause, clear her head, and get control again.
"What's happened? Is something wrong?" she asks in concern, quickly scanning the field of soldiers but seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
Memnon looks around, "No, you were calling my name. I thought you were having a nightmare." He puts his hand on her shoulder, "You ok?"
Cliodhna feels a tingle race through her at his touch, and that has never happened to her before in her life. Why DID her mother want her to find this man? The moment she'd layed eyes on him she knew that if she ever gave herself to another man, it would be this man...the most handsome, breath-taking man...she closes her eyes for a moment.
"I'm fine, Memnon. I'm so sorry to have disturbed ye...please, go back to yer sleep."
He shrugs, "Alright, if you need me, I'm over there." he says standing and walks over to the spot. He sits down and takes one more glance at Cliodhna and lays down closing his eyes.
"If I need you..." Cliodhna thinks to herself as he settles back down. At this point, the normal procedure should be for Cliodhna to turn over and go back to sleep, but "no...not this time." she thinks suddenly and defiantly. "He turned back an' looked at me...it's...encouragin'...no, I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by or it may never come again." In one smooth movement Cliodhna stands and pulls her bedroll closer to Memnon's, and he turns and looks at her. "If I'm not disturbin' ye..." Cliodhna begins, her stomach tightening into knots, "I wouldna mind a little conversation...I don't think I'll be gettin' back ta sleep soon." Cliodhna looks hopefully at Memnon, but is ready for rejection.
Memnon sits up and pats the ground next to him, "Have a seat, I was hoping you'd come. I can't sleep either." he says with a surprisingly sheepish smile.
Cliodhna laughs out loud-- nervous energy mixed with relief-- and slides closer to Memnon, feeling her skin prickle again when she realizes how close they are. She glances over at him from time to time as she speaks, unable to meet his eyes without feeling flushed.
"I know how strange ye must feel-- one day captain o' the Amenti guard, and the next fighting fer the Hierarchy. I'm sorry fer how abrupt and hasty we were with takin' ye from the Met. Thank ye fer agreein' ta come, an' fer assistin' us in the fight. Ye are...a great asset ta us. By my mother's words, ye will be an important part o' the city's future, as well."
Memnon looks up at the sky and then back down to Cliodhna, "I understand what you're doing. I never liked Ahura, and when I saw my old Ambassador, well...I knew what you were doing was important. I just hope I can live up to it."
Cliodhna nods enthusiastically. "I know exactly what ye mean...I feel like I have much ta live up to, meself." Cliodhna smiles, "An' tis good ta know that we both agree on Ahura!" They laugh, and some of the men near them stir a little, so Cliodhna and Memnon hunch down a little and lower their voices.
"So where were ye from in life, then, and what did ye do?" Cliodhna asks, peering at Memnon in interest.
"I was born in France, my mother was of Egyptian descent, my father was a Native American. I can see that you were a kinfolk as my mother was...my father on the other hand," he smiles, "I was Garou, a Silent Strider to be exact. My mother Sanki she-"
Cliodhna has been listening carefully...the details of Memnon's story setting off bells in her head...and then...
"Sanki?? Yer mother was Sanki?" Cliodhna sits up straight, and the two hear some voices nearby call out for her to be quiet, but Cliodhna barely hears them. "My mother was Amber! We were children together, Memnon! Yer mother raised me an' Aunt Marie's children in yer father's cairn fer a year with you an' yer half-brother!" Cliodhna presses a hand to her heart, her mouth hanging open in amazement and excitement.
Memnon looks at her in surprise, "What? You are Aunt Amber's child! I remember you! I remember Aunt Marie and Uncle Jack! I haven't seen them in ages! How are they?"
Cliodha's face looks anguished for a moment. "Oh Memnon, poor Aunt Marie was killed while protectin' Uncle Jack. Both o' them had come here ta New York ta protect...well, that's another story I'll tell ye later. I don't know where Uncle Jack has gone ta, an' I've been wonderin' about their twins...they'd woulda been our age. My mother died tryin' ta save my life, I'm afraid. Ye can see how that turned out. She was with Turtle for a time, an' then she transcended and is with my father now. She appeared ta me this mornin' an' told me ta find ye...she is so wise! She musta known who ye were in life! How are Aunt Sanki an' Uncle Two-Feathers?" Cliodhna peers at Memnon hopefully.
"Mother died a few years ago, she was eighty and dad he died a few months later. Broken heart I suppose. When I was young we traveled a bit, but that got less and less as we kids got older. We lived in France for a time, Egypt for a few years, then America with Aunt Marie and Uncle Jack, then back to France. Once we reached our teens tho' we settled in France so I really don't remember a whole lot about Egypt. I am sorry to hear about your mother and Aunt Marie, at least they died for the ones they loved. At least they died a warrior's death..." he says turning his gaze from her and looking up at the sky.
Cliodhna raises her eyebrows and leans instinctively towards him. "What do ye mean? What's wrong?"
Memnon turns his gaze from the stars to you, "It's nothing," he says turning back to the stars. "You know my mother used to tell me stories of what they did and where they went," he chuckles, "I don't think I ever really believed her."
Cliodhna grins excitedly. "Oh ye mean in the time machine? I LIVED on those stories-- couldna get enough o' them! The simple fact is...they were all true. There are people around in the Shadowlands who they met while on their travels who could tell ye the same." Cliodhna pauses a moment. "If ye ever want to hear the stories, I can tell ye. Ye must at least know who Markova is-- how he now leads the Spectres?"
"I have heard of him. Mother used to speak of him, but really do you believe all that??"
"I do, Memnon. I met him last night, in fact...in the Met." Cliodhna closes her eyes. "That's how we found out that Ahura now serves him. It is my mission to thwart and destroy him, even if it leads to my final destruction."
"Hmmm I'll believe you if you say you met him. Let's hope he never meets me..." he says raising an eyebrow and smirking.
Cliodhna laughs-- perhaps a bit too loudly-- and flushes a little. Normally, she's used to men bragging about their fighting-abilities, and it's never had much of an impact on her...but she'd also never been attracted to the man doing the bragging...and now it...made him look even sexier...Cliodhna catches herself wanting to look at his body again but would be mortified if he followed her gaze. Instead she grins and replies, "Let's hope, indeed, ye big man!" and punches him playfully in the arm.
The two continue talking and learning more about each other all through the night. The sky begins to grow light, and they don't notice. The other Wraiths begin to wake up and start walking around, and they don't notice. Finally the other cohort-members arrive-- surprised to see that Cliodhna and Memnon haven't slept at all...and appear to have stayed up all night...talking? Ray expresses his concern that Cliodhna won't be able to do her job on the battlefield now, but Cliodhna laughs off the idea, telling him that she's never felt better in her life.
On their way to meet up with the cohort, Brianna and Atepa pass the docks just in time to see a foreign ship dock and its passengers descend from the loading ramp. The harbormaster sees Brianna and hurries over to her, telling her that the warriors from the Dark Kingdom of Jade have finally arrived. She counts 12 men and 1 woman in all, and all of them look deadly. The men stand perfectly still at attention, and the woman wears a silk dress and carries some coiled-up silk. Brianna can tell that she is their equivelent of an Oracle and greets her warmly, welcoming her and the men to the New York Necropolis. They are still talking when they're interrupted by Veruku Singh, who proudly escorts a troop of Swarian warriors. Brianna thanks him for all the help he's rendering to the Hierarchy, and he tells her she's welcome...although he would appreciate it if she would pay her rent in advance? Atepa steps forward and settles the financial matters with Veruka, and then he and Brianna lead the volunteers to the army camp.
When Brianna and Cliodhna meet up, Brianna can tell there's something different about Cliodhna. Cliodhna grabs Brianna's hands and leans in, talking excitedly in a low voice. "Ye'll never believe it, Brianna, but Memnon an' I have been up all night talkin', an' we found out that we were raised together for a year by his mother while my mother was fightin' in the war!" Brianna tells Cliodhna how wonderful that is, and then gestures behind her at the men awaiting their assignments. Cliodhna straightens, peers over Brianna's shoulder at the men, and clears her throat.
She greets the men, thanking them for coming to assist in the war, and asks about their fighting-skills. Once she's learned enough, she assigns them to a commander. About that time the Hierarch barghests and their handlers arrive. She and the other fliers again take to the skies and inspect the buildings. The evil barghests are still lurking and waiting within, and the tension is thick. Cliodhna has a quick council with her cohort. So used to following the chain of command, Cliodhna's first impulse is to council with the governor, but she realizes that this will take too much time...the time is now to act. Brianna urges her to do something now while they have the initiative, and Cliodhna finally agrees with her.
Cliodhna climbs up on a platform-type surface and raises her arms for silence. Then she lays out her plan of attack for the army. There are 5 buildings with evil barghests hiding in them. The Hierarch barghests will divide themselves amoungst the 5 buildings and enter them. Close behind them will be the soldiers, following the Hierarch barghests who will sniff out the evil barghests. There the Hierarch forces will tear all the spectre-dogs to shreds. If they're pushed back, all the better-- the barghests will only be able to fit out the doors one at a time, and will be easily picked-off by those with guns. The fliers and shooters will hover around the buildings looking for any spectre-dogs that might try to leap from the windows. Cliodhna assigns the Swarians to one building, the Jadians to a second building, and the rest of the army-- including Brianna, Atepa, and the cohort-- to the remaining 3 buildings and as support to the Jadians. Lastly, Cliodhna sends a messenger to inform Paul what is going on. The plan set, Cliodhna signals the attack and the Hierarchy rushes in to do battle.
As Brianna grabs Atepa's hand so they can rush forward side-by-side, Atepa stops her and begins speaking in the lower Ahuru-voice again. "The other one who is to join the group is near." He turns and scans the crowds, and then points to a short Asian man with packs strapped to his back. "It is he." Ahuru informs them, and as quickly as the Ahuru-persona had arrived, it departs just as fast leaving Atepa to look at Brianna questioningly. Cliodhna nods in understanding and hurries after the man. She stops him, and he looks at her and asks what the problem is. She tells him that she would like him to accompany the 154th cohort into battle. He seems a little hesitant, so she asks him who he is. He replies that he's called Benwa-Bob, and has been training with the Shih (demon-hunters) and Doomslayers. She asks him for his rank, and he tells her he's just a common soldier. She informs him that she's the acting commander of the army, and is ordering him to join the cohort. He finally agrees, joins the others, and Cliodhna flies off to survey the battlefield.
The battle goes splendidly. Cliodhna watches as each group struggles to gain control of their assigned building, and after a bit of a tug-of-war, the Hiercharchs obviously gain the upper hand. Cliodhna scans the horizon with a smug grin on her face...but then the grin fades and she squints. What the hell is THAT?"
Out of nowhere appears a HUGE version of the spectre-barghest...so huge that it towers over the entire city! Cliodhna signals to the other fliers-- including Ray-- to take a look. Ray tells her that he's going to fly behind the creature, then up and over it-- covering himself with moliated spikes-- and then plunge himself into its eye. Cliodhna nods, and she and the rest of the fliers head for the beast with guns drawn to distract its attention from Ray.
Ray is able to make his way to the eye without being detected by the huge barghest, and immediately throws his spikey body into it. As it roars with pain and shakes its head, spikey-Ray is thrown back and forth in the eye-socket making the wounds worse and worse, and the fliers open fire. All of this is too much for the simple-minded dogs, and those that are able begin retreating with the giant barghest!
The Hierarch army gives chase, chasing the dogs back towards spectre-held territory. But as the dogs cross into the territory, they run past...thousands of waiting spectres lead by...Longtooth. Brianna feels an icy chill pierce her heart. This is what her vision showed her, and if it comes true, she is about to lose Atepa again.
The Hierarch army-- confident from their recent victory-- throw themselves into the spectres with renewed determination. Brianna and Atepa fight side-by-side, Brianna ducking her head to keep out of Longtooth's sights to prolong her last minutes with Atepa, but Brianna can hear him bellowing "WHERE IS SHE!?" and pushing through the crowds in search of her. At last the bodies part and Longtooth stands before her. He issues her a challenge, and she knows there's nothing she can do but fight him and let fate take over. It's all exactly like she saw in her vision...
Longtooth rushes at her and they lock weapons in a fight filled with vengeance. But Longtooth has had enough of being driven off by Brianna, and is fighting with a new ferocity. Brianna soon realizes that she's being overpowered and starts going from offense to defense until she's barely able to stand. Longtooth raises his sword high for the killing blow, when suddenly a powerful hand locks around his wrist-- just as she saw it in her vision, it is Atepa's hand. Atepa has a gladius in his other hand, and deftly plunges it into Longtooth's chest. Longtooth's eyes widen in shock and pain, and as his body melts away he whines, "this isn't over..." The spectres fall into confusion without their leader, and one by one they disappear in a whirl of chaos.
Atepa turns and looks at Brianna-- his eyes full of new awarenes. "You are Brianna." But before Brianna can say anything, suddenly ALL of the rest of the ravens encircling Atepa plunge into his chest in a barrage of sharp, black feathers. The impact of so many memories being slammed into him throws him to the ground, and his corpus is fatally rended. Brianna falls to her knees beside him-- tears streaming down her face-- and pleads, "Will you return to me, Atepa??"
His pain-filled eyes look steadily into hers. "I will...return to you...Brianna."
Brianna chokes back a sob. "If you tell me you will, then I believe you. I love you Atepa!" And their hands lock together just before Atepa's body melts away into the ground.
The cohort stands around the sobbing Brianna with tears in their eyes, but the rest of the army is oblivious to their pain and cheers loudly for their Necropolis! They have won the day!!
Wraith Side-Story 3: "Aaron and Cara"
