Sylvia quickly summoned energy from the Ethereal stream in preparation to defend herself from their attacker. It figured something like this would happen. They had just wanted to get away from awhile, from all the crowds and the annoying questions everyone kept asking about their imprisonment under the Were-smilodon. Trisha had said she knew of a quiet, out of the way place where the two of them could go and relax.
She had agreed, glad to be away from the hustle and bustle of busy Seers Hamlet. Of course, in retrospect, she wished she hadn't. Some one seemed to be waiting for them.
"Pathetic." she heard a definite female voice nearly whisper from behind her before a she felt a searing pain at the base of her skull, and then nothing more as darkness over took her.
***
Two weeks later.
Seance sighed as the temporal vortex closed behind him. While he was glad to be returning home, or at least the place he has called home for the last few years, the reason for his abrupt return isn't as nice as he had hoped it would be. Sure, he could spend a fear hours with his girl friend Genn, and he always enjoyed his time with the Digger Family in general, but the reason for his quick return from Jade was anything but for enjoyment.
The appearance of the were-smilodon hadn't set well with him, more so than the rest of Jade. At first he didn't understand why, and as the months rolled by he had all but forgotten about his initial misgivings about the creature.
Now though, now he knew why he was so uncomfortable with the situation.
***
"Seance?" Julia blinked; wondering why the apprentice of her husband literally appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her hand, and started dragging her to the house. She was so shocked by the action she didn't put up any kind of resistance.
***
"I'll be right there." Gina frowned as the person on the other end suddenly hung up. "Weird." she thought as she grabbed the videotape as was requested of her.
***
"Whats gotten into you?!" Theo shouted at his apprentice the moment he stormed into his private study, pulling an equally shell shocked Julia behind him. Letting go of his wife, Seance slammed the door shut before turning to face the two.
"We need to talk." Seance said simply, his emotions highly guarded.
***
Gina frowned when she entered her father’s study. It had taken her a bit of time to get from her house to here; during that time she had contemplated what the hell was up with Seance. Her only hint had been the videotape she had recorded nearly a year previous, so she assumed it has something to do with that. Still, what could it be? The Phoenix on the tape was dead; at least no one could find a body. Ditto for the were-cheetah that had been slain protecting the people of the district.
"Gina." Seance motioned for the woman to come over. He was standing beside a TV/VCR set, motioning for her to hand him the tap.
Handing the tape over, Gina asked, "Whats got you so excited Seance?" turning to look at her parents, she recognized the confused look of both. They didn't know anymore than she did.
"Master Diggers." Seance began, shoving the tape in to the machine but not starting it yet. "I assume both of you know about the current threat of a Were-Smilodon?"
Theo and Julia grew pensive, but nodded the affirmative.
"Were-smilodon?" Gina interjected curiously. This was the first she had heard of it.
Seance spared the sensual genius a glance, "A detailed explanation would take too much time, time I'm afraid I don't have." he stood back up, grabbing the VCR remote before facing the young woman fully, "The were-smilodon is to Jade as the Boogey-man is to Earth. I'll explain more later."
Gina spared her mother and father a glance, but they didn't seem receptive to answering the girls question at the moment. "Fine." she said slowly, "What’s happened?"
"Do either of you remember the incident in Japan a little over nine months ago? Were that Phoenix attacked a district in Tokyo, and was defeated by what we assumed was a were-cheetah?"
Theo frowned, "Are you implying that situation has something to deal with this threat?"
Seance nodded, "Take what we know of the creature. He first appeared in Jade nearly nine months ago. I'm sure if some one actually went back and compared the dates you would find them within at least two, to three days time since it's first appearance." he stopped for a moment, waiting for that piece of information to sink in for everyone. "Now.." he turned and hit the play button. "Watch the screen."
The screen played out it's grisly fate. Everyone there had watched it before, so none were surprised when the young man suddenly changed and literally ripped the throat of the Phoenix out with its teeth. Seance paused the tape right there and simply stared at the creature.
"Seance?" asked Julia, looking on in concern at the young mage who seemed to freeze up as he watched the screen.
Gina poked him on the arm, which served to bring him out of his stupor. Seance shook his head, chuckling bitterly as he threw a rolled up scroll on the floor before Julia and Theo. "The Death Squads sent to end the threat of the Were-smilodon have all failed, Master. However, we were able to retrieve this image with the help of a Psionist Mage from one of the minds of the survivors."
Picking up the picture, Theo and Julia looked at it curiously, before blinking their eyes rapidly. Quickly they looked between the screen, then back to the scroll, then back to the screen. "Are you saying.. that.."
Gina frowned, moving up behind her parents to get a better look at the picture.
It was a near picture perfect likeness. The eyes, the pelt, and the snarling image of an angry beast hovering over whomever the hell the Psionist Mage had taken the picture from.
Seance nodded. "I had suspected.."
"Did something happen, Seance?" Julia demanded of the young mage. If he had just realized who the smilodon really was, Julia doubted the boy would be this forward in revealing the truth. Something had to happen to get him so worked up.
"I'm to deliver a message to you, Julia, from the Were-smilodon." he sighed, "A few weeks ago the were-smilodon captured two members of a death squad and forced them to answer his questions. They didn't want to die, obviously, so they told him all they could. In the end he released them... with a message."
"And?" Theo strained his question, slightly stressed considering the recent revelation.
"Twinkle, twinkle, eleven in all. One by one they all will fall. Fight or flee, it matters not to me. I fight to be free, you fight to defeat me." Seance finished.
Gina blinked, "What does that mean?"
"It means.." Julia sighed, ".. he's going to come after me. Me, and the other Weapon masters."
Seance nodded, "Yes. The two who were captured by the were-smilodon told him that the ten Weapon masters and the Armsmaster herself are responsible for his being hunted."
Julia blinked, then growled. Now that was a bullshit lie! She had never sanctioned ANYONE to hunt the creature down like a criminal. "Who put that in there heads?"
Seance shrugged nervously, then sighed, "We.. don't know." he immediately waved his arms quickly, to placate the woman as he continued, "The two survivors have vanished. We don't know what happened to them, or were they went. All we know is that they were in Seers Hamlet one night, and gone the next."
Theo frowned dangerously. "It's too convenient. The disappearances, the fault being placed on the Weapon Masters and Julia."
Seance nodded gravely, "Yes, Master. It is."
"And?"
"And we believe some one is purposely manipulating events to draw the Were-smilodon on the weapon masters. If this is the same person who supposedly died killing the Phoenix, then we can assume he is capable of causing harm if not out right killing the ones he seek." he sighed miserably, "Since we have made his entire stay on Jade a living hell, constant fights with the Death Squads for no other reason then being alive, I don't doubt the possibility he will strike with deadly force against the ones he believes are the cause of his constant harassment." Seance finished.
"What does the council suspect?" Theo asked.
"The same as me. That some one they don't have eyes on is manipulating the were-smilodon, it certainly points to that. With the prejudice and fear attributed to the creature, its proving to be extremely easy to manipulate the masses into believing the Weapon Masters and Julia will deal with the creature to keep them safe."
Julia nodded, slowly. It wasn't unbelievable. "Do we know were the were-smilodon is located?"
Seance replied in the negative, "He's completely disappeared since he released his two captives. No one has seen hide no hair of him since then."
Gina, silent for a long time, asked, "What are you going to do mom?"
"Research." Julia said simply, "I'm going to travel to Japan and see what I can discover about the boy, hopefully determine how he got to Jade in the first place and find out just what kind of person he is." she turned to Seance, "I assume you are going to warn the other Weapon Masters of this immediately, correct?" Seance nodded. "Fine. Let me know the instant the were-smilodon reappears, and keep your ears open in case this unknown manipulator starts up again."
Lets Look Toward
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(Posted Mon, 26 Jan 2004 22:30)
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