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