Under The Rose

By lady Demon

The Fox and the Catman had gone out at the urging of the Starbearer.

He had sensed someone but was unable to pinpoint where this person

was or even who it was. He knew the keen senses of the Catman and

Fox would make it possible for them to find whomever it was.

Something had disturbed his dream and he had lay awake for a few

hours before going to wake the Fox and the Catman. The Catman hadn't

been happy about the summons, but the Fox simply shrugged and headed

out into the night, leaving the Starbearer to wait for their return.

"What is it Starbearer?" asked the Demon as he entered the room.

"I sensed someone…something that had woken me from my sleep. I've

sent Catman and the Fox to find him," said the Starbearer. The Demon

sighed.

"It is not a man," said the Demon. "It…is a woman," he said. The

Starbearer stared at him for a moment, wondering how the Demon could

possibly know when it was the Starbearer himself who read minds and

emotions.

"How do you know?" he asked as he tried to read the Demon's

thoughts. As usual, the Demon had a shield up to his mental probes.

"She came to me in a vision two nights ago," he said.

"And why didn't you tell the rest of us about this?" asked the

Starbearer.

"Tell the rest of us about what?" asked Celestial as he came in and

sat down. The Demon sighed.

"I had a vision of a woman," he said.

"You're always dreaming of women," snickered the Celestial.

"This was no dream…it was a vision," said the Demon with a growl.

"What happened in the vision?" asked the Starbearer.

"I could see her face…and that was all. It was not clear," replied

the Demon evasively.

Running through the deep undergrowth, Sharianna cursed as branches

and brambles dug into her bare flesh. The sound of pounding hooves

was right behind her and she knew that if she turned to look, they

would catch her. The darkness made it impossible to see exactly

where she was going as she continued to run blindly through the

woods.

She came to a clearing and found herself surrounded be three men on

horseback. She stopped, knowing there was no way for her to escape.

She was a good fighter…but not good enough to defeat three men armed

with swords. She knew she couldn't win, but she wasn't going to go

down without a fight.

One of the men dismounted and approached her. She backed up until

she was pinned against a large tree. He leered down at her.

"Blackwell will be quite pleased with you," he said reaching out to

touch her reddish blonde locks. She tried to pull away but the solid

tree behind her prevented it.

"Tell Blackwell he can go to hell," she snarled, summoning up her

courage. The man laughed and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Let's go," he said starting to drag her toward his horse.

"Let go of her," said a voice from the darkness. The other two men

on horseback spun around to survey the darkness.

"What is she to you?" asked the man holding her. He was not about to

let his prize get away.

"That isn't your concern," said a second voice from the other side

of

the clearing. "Release her," said the voice.

"What will you do if I don't?" he asked. Someone stepped into the

clearing and the light from the moon shone down on his face. He was

massive, standing close to eight feet tall, the catlike features of

his face making it obvious who he was.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," said the

Catman. The other man stepped into the light, his fox-like features

now plainly visible.

"Elder," said the man. He immediately released Sharianna's arm and

hurried to his horse. Mounting quickly the three men rode off into

the darkness. Sharianna stood staring at the two Elder before her.

Her knees were weak and she felt them give out as she sank into

oblivion.

"I guess we scared her," said the Fox sheepishly. The Catman

shrugged.

"I guess so," he said.

"I think this is who we're looking," said the Fox.

"What makes you say that?" said the Catman.

"I can feel it," said the Fox. The Catman shook his head and rolled

his eyes. He picked up the unconscious woman and they headed back to

the Citadel.

The Starbearer heard the door opened and turned to see the Catman

and

Fox returning, the Catman carrying a woman. The Starbearer turned to

the Demon.

"It's her," he said. "What happened?"

"She was being chased by some of Blackwell's men. We stopped them

from taking her but when she saw us, she fainted," said the Catman.

"I'd faint too if I came face to face with you guys in the middle of

the night," said the Celestial with a cackle.

"Take her to the guest chambers and have one of the girls check on

her. I'll be there soon. I must speak with the Starbearer," said

the Demon. The Celestial watched as the Catman and the Fox took the

girl to the guest chambers. "Alone," said the Demon, pinning the

Celestial with a stern gaze. The Celestial sighed and got up,

leaving the two Elder alone.

"What is it Demon?" asked the Starbearer. The Demon stood with his

back to the Starbearer, staring out the window into the night.

"She is a Champion," he said.

"What? She has no markings," said the Starbearer. "All Champions

possess the markings of one of the Elder…she had none," he said. The

Demon turned to face him.

"She does…" said the Demon.

***

Sharianna awoke to feel soft sheets beneath her tired body…thick

blankets wrapped her in a cocoon of warmth. She slowly opened her

eyes to gaze around the strange room she was in. She carefully sat

up and was startled by movement in the corner.

"Good, you're awake," said the woman as she approached. "They were

worried about you."

"Where am I?" asked Sharianna, terrified that Blackwell's men had

taken her.

"You're in the Citadel of the Elder," she replied. "They will be

pleased that you are awake," she said. "I am Tiara," she offered.

"Why am I here?" asked Sharianna. Tiara smiled.

"The Elder will explain that to you. Are you hungry?" she asked.

Sharianna thought for a moment.

"Yes," she replied. "Thank you," she said. Tiara smiled and left

the room leaving Sharianna alone with her thoughts.

The Citadel of the Elder? She remembered being chased by Blackwell's

men and then the Catman and Fox appearing…but that was it. She had

passed out and they had obviously brought her here. A knock on the

door startled her. She quickly lay down and pretended to be asleep.

The door opened and she heard someone walking toward her with heavy

footsteps.

"You can stop pretending you're asleep. I know you aren't," said the

deep voice. She opened her eyes and looked into the face of the

Demon. Terrified she sat up, pulling the blankets up around

her. "You have nothing to be afraid of. We will not hurt you," he

said, trying to reassure her.

He took a moment to examine her features. She was just as she had

appeared in his vision. Her long reddish blonde hair and ice blue

eyes just as he knew they would be. She was beautiful and nothing

like he would have expected in a Champion.

"Why were those men chasing you Sharianna?" he asked and she gasped.

How had he known her name?

"How do you know my name?" she asked. The Demon smiled.

"There are many things I know…but you did not answer my question,"

he

said.

"Blackwell's men were after me," she said hugging her knees to her

chest.

"I see. Well, you are safe now and you have nothing to fear from the

Elder. We mean you no harm," he said.

"I have to leave," she said. The Demon chuckled.

"You can't," he said.

"Why not? If I have nothing to fear, that means I'm not a prisoner,"

she said angrily. The Demon sighed.

"You can't leave because you have a duty to perform," he said.

"What kind of duty?" she asked warily. The Demon laughed.

"Not the kind of duty you're thinking. You are a Champion," he said.

"A what?" she asked.

"A Champion. It was not by accident that you came to us…though the

circumstances by which you came to us would certainly make one think

it was," he said. "We must go see the other Elder," he said taking

her arm gently and leading her out the door and down the long

corridor.

Sharianna tried to remain calm. This couldn't be happening to her.

A Champion? It couldn't be possible. She was just an ordinary

person.

They reached a large ornate wooden door and the Demon opened it and

led her inside. The other four Elder were sitting around a table and

their conversation stopped when Sharianna and the Demon entered the

room.

"This is our Champion?" asked the Catman.

"Yes," said the Demon.

"But she has no markings…all Champions have the markings of one of

the Elder," said the Fox.

"Remove your shirt," he said to Sharianna.

"Go to hell," she snarled pulling away from him and putting as much

distance between her and the Demon as possible. The Demon sighed.

He walked over to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her before the

other Elder. She protested but couldn't break his grip and gasped

when she felt the back of her shirt being lifted. The collective

gasp from the Elder made her stop struggling.

The Starbearer stared at the girl's back in disbelief. There, as

plain as day were the five symbols of the Elder. She had no facial

markings…but she bore the markings of all five Elder.

"When did you get that?" he asked and Sharianna turned to face the

five.

"I've had it all my life. As far as I know, I was born with it," she

said. The Celestial turned to the other four.

"She bears the markings of all five of us…this has never happened

before," he said. The Demon smiled.

"We finally have a way of defeating Blackwell once and for all," he

said. "She is the key."

Part 2

Sharianna stood, listening to the Elder talking, trying to figure

out

how she had been swept up into this nightmare and wondering when she

would wake up. It was obvious that the Celestial and the Catman

didn't believe what the Demon was saying, but the Fox and the

Starbearer did. She could sense their emotions and catch hints of

thoughts from everyone but the Demon. He had his thoughts shielded

quite securely.

"Why don't we let her talk?" said the Starbearer gesturing toward

Sharianna. She stood dumbfounded for a moment.

"I don't know what you expect me to say," she said looking at each

one in turn. "I'm no Champion…I'm just a woman," she said.

"A Champion must be trained," said the Fox. "You will be trained."

"What if I don't want to be trained?" she asked, wondering what they

would say. The Catman was obviously surprised that anyone would

refuse the duty of Champion and Sharianna had to hide her smile at

the indignant outrage in his thoughts.

"You have no choice," said the Demon. "It was decided before your

birth that you would come to us to be trained as a Champion," he

said.

"I don't want to be a Champion," she said, wondering just what they

would do to her if she refused.

"You would refuse the honor of being a Champion?" demanded the

Catman

angrily. "We should have let Blackwell's men have you," he snarled

and stormed from the room.

"You cannot refuse," said the Demon, towering over her.

"Why not? It's my life and I choose NOT to be a Champion," she said

defiantly. He grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip.

"//Demon, she is taunting us. She knows she has no choice…she is

playing a game,//" came the Starbearer's voice in the Demon's mind.

The Demon glared down at her.

"//Little girl, I would advise you not to play these kinds of games

with me again//," he said in her mind causing her to gasp in

surprise. His eyes pierced her soul and she knew it would be unwise

to anger the Demon further. "Your training begins tomorrow," said

the Demon letting go of her arm. "Celestial, take her to her room,"

he said dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

The Celestial appeared next to her, took hold of her arm and they

were gone in a flash of silver stars. A moment later they appeared

in the room she had woken in. He let go of her arm.

"I wouldn't make the Demon too mad," said Celestial.

"Why not? It's kinda fun," she said with a smirk.

"Look kid, I know you're not thrilled to be here but it's your

destiny. You can't change that. Fulfill that destiny and help rid

the world of Blackwell forever," he said before disappearing in a

flash of stars.

Sharianna immediately tried the door and was surprised to find it

unlocked. She opened it quietly and stepped out into the dark

hallway. Glancing around she tried to figure out which way was the

way out. After a moment's contemplation she headed down the hallway

and soon found herself at a doorway leading out of the Citadel. She

stepped out into the cool night air and began to run.

She didn't ask to be a Champion. She didn't want the responsibility…

being afraid she would fail. She ran blindly, not caring where she

ended up.

The Demon burst into the room, startling the Starbearer and the

woman

he was with. The Starbearer calmly pulled the blankets over the

woman and glared at the Demon.

"She's gone," said the Demon.

"I know… She will be back," he said.

"We should have locked her in the room," said the Demon.

"Do you think that would have prevented her from escaping?" asked

the

Starbearer. The Demon was surprised at his statement. Could she

have gotten out of a locked room? "Think about it…there's a very

good chance she possesses all of our powers."

"I guess I didn't think about that," said the Demon.

"She will be back. She is scared, but she will be back," said the

Starbearer. The Demon sighed.

"I hope you're right," he said walking out.

Sharianna ran until her legs and lungs hurt before stopping to lean

against a tree. She turned in the direction from which she had come

and could easily see the Citadel. By know they knew she was gone.

Why didn't they just teleport her back? The Celestial's words echoed

in her head. Fulfill that destiny and help rid the world of

Blackwell forever. The words echoed over and over. Could she really

help get rid of Blackwell?

She knew the Demon would be angry, but in her heart she knew she had

to face him and the rest of the Elder. She couldn't let others

suffer the way she had under Blackwell's tyranny. She turned around

and began to head back to the Citadel.

"She has returned," said the Fox. He had followed her through the

woods, keeping an eye on her. The Starbearer smiled at the Demon who

rolled his eyes and growled.

"Let her go back to her room and rest. We will talk with her in the

morning," said the Starbearer heading back to his room.

The Demon went back to his room and stood before the massive fire

burning in the ancient stone hearth. There in the flickering flames

he could see her creeping back into the Citadel and back to the room

she had been given. She sat heavily on the edge of the bed before

undressing.

The Demon watched her clothes slip to the floor, her naked body just

visible in the dim light of her room. She stretched before walking

to the window to peer out at the night. His dark eyes feasted on her

body and he groaned, feeling his body responding to what his mind

was

seeing. He could never have her unless she willingly gave herself to

him. With a growl he banished the vision from the flames and turned

away.

Sharianna thankfully pulled the warm blankets over her tired body

and

was soon fast asleep. It had been a long day, a strange day and she

knew that this was only the beginning.

Part 3

Sharianna awoke the next morning to a knock on her door. She sat up

as the door slowly swung open and Tiara entered the room carrying a

tray laden with food. She set it down and sat down next to

Sharianna.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I haven't slept that well in a long time," she said stretching.

"I've brought you some breakfast. You must be hungry," she said.

"Starving!" said Sharianna. Tiara set the tray on the bed and

Sharianna eagerly began to eat. The food was delicious! There was a

little bit of everything…fruits, breads, even some sort of meat. She

quickly devoured most of it, sighing with satisfaction when she