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dg_cainHere’s the next chapter!
Hope that you like it!
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effie214 and diesa_j as well as feistyfox and moony_blues for their encouragement. *mwah!* Love you all and thanks!
Title: Whispers of the Heart
Author: nadeshiko1
Characters/Pairings: DG/Cain, Glitch/Az, multiple Tin Man characters, multiple OCs.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers: Tin man, all three parts. L. Frank Braum's Oz books.
Summary: The Eclipse is over, but the O.Z. needs to heal. DG & Az can only do that by finding its missing guardians before evil tries to destroy the land once more.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Just playing in the Tin Man sandbox.
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
Chapter 6: Trapped in a
It took them three days of hard riding to get to the
Once arriving at the
As they de-saddled the horses, Cain came up beside DG. He put his hand on her shoulder, which made her stop and look up at him. “Yes, Cain?”
He looked at her dead in the eye. “Remember your promise, DG.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze.
DG swallowed, not meeting his eyes. “I remember, Cain. I’ve done nothing for three days but pray that a situation doesn’t arise where I’ll have to follow through with it.” She kept her voice low as to not alert the others to their conversation.
Cain sighed, turned her around, and wrapped his arms around her. DG stiffened at first, then relaxed in his arms. Cain buried his nose in her hair, taking in her scent, and kissed her forehead. “Me too, kiddo. Me too.”
After a few moments, they broke apart and joined the others outside into the frost and icy winds.
The ice mountains were just as tall and foreboding as DG remembered. She could hear the cracks and splits of the ice as it fell into the freezing waters surrounding the palace. The harsh wind blew sleet and snow blew into her face as she and the others trudged forward.
DG looked at the different crevices and caves all along the ominous mountainside. She looked at Raw. “Can you see anything?”
Raw closed his eyes and concentrated. “Very sad place. Full of sorrow and pain. See cave. At base of mountain Althea there. Enshrouded in darkness and ice. Raw cannot see well.”
Cain scanned the coastline of Fenora’s Peak, looking over all the openings to the caves there. His sharp eyes also looked for the creature Braxus. Althea had told him the story of the creature many times and new that his animal form was a wolf, just like her. “Can you sense anything else?” He looked at Raw. “Anything dangerous?”
Raw sighed. “Braxus not here.” At everyone’s surprised glances, he gestured toward the coast. “Was here. Watching, waiting. Not here now.”
Az scanned the coast as well. “Where could he have gone?”
Jeb stepped up beside his father and pointed to the ledges of the mountain. “Could’ve picked a better vantage point from higher in the peak to watch for us.”
Cain looked at his son. “But wouldn’t Raw have sensed him?”
“Not necessarily, Cain.” Cain and Jeb looked at DG who was scanning the coastline. She turned toward them, hugging her long coat closer to herself to fight back the chilly winds. “Braxus is still magical and he may be able to shield himself against being sensed by other magical creatures.”
As if agreeing with the situation, Tutor came by DG and barked loudly.
Az came up next to her sister. “If that’s true, then we need to find Althea quickly. From what I’ve heard and read about Braxus, he won’t hesitate to kill all of us, even if the wizard wants us alive.” She turned to Raw. “Mr. Raw, can you tell us which cave she’s in.”
Raw nodded and began the trek across the thick ice to the base of the mountain. DG, Az, and the others moved to follow him.
As they walked, no one--not even the Viewer--noticed the cold and feral blue-green eyes surrounded by black fur watching them. He stealthily moved from his hiding place and followed them. The cold did little to his heightened senses and he was able to smell the stink of Gale magic coming off of the two women and the magic of the Viewer and the shape-shifter.
The black haired man smelled like a regular human, as did the other two and yet not. Braxus sniffed the air again. The small but potent smell on the boy and his father was so familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He sniffed again, then stopped as the memory of the smell hit him like a ton of bricks. He gave a small growl of satisfaction and began to move a little faster. This was going to be a lot of fun.
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The group made it across the lake without breaking the ice, which DG was grateful for. After hearing that Cain had fallen through the ice after Zero shot him in the palace, she didn’t want anything like that to happen again.
As they stepped onto the coast, a strange feeling whirled in DG’s stomach. It spread throughout her body and seemed to warm her. She closed her eyes and let the feeling take her.
Be careful, DG. You are being watched.
DG opened her eyes as she heard the soft voice in her heart. It was the same voice she’d heard when she and Az had healed Adonis. She looked up at the mountain, her eyes scanning for anything.
Seeing nothing, but knowing that there was definitely something there, DG walked up to her sister and took her hand.
Az looked at DG and at her sister’s smile, squeezed DG’s hand a little tighter and smiled back.
Raw led them up the slope of the base of the peak and stopped feet before the entrance to a cave. Cain caught sight of a thin, wide stone sticking straight up, a marker of sorts. He walked up to it, knelt down, and began to brush the snow away.
After wiping away the blockage, Cain was able to see picture characters of the Ancients’ language. He turned to DG & Az. “You better come take a look at this.”
He stepped aside to let the sisters come up beside him to see the marker properly. Az bent down for a closer look. “It’s the picture language of the Ancients.”
Cain nodded. DG then remembered that Az had said the same thing in the witch’s cave fifteen annuals ago. A small feeling of hope spread through DG. “Can you read what it says, sis?”
Az squinted at the markings as some of them were weathered down by the melting and freezing of snow over the annuls. “Yes. It’s the same riddle for Althea written on the parchment.”
As Az rose slowly from the white earth, DG felt a swell of pride run through her at her sister’s words. Those feelings, however, weren’t enough to quell the uneasiness inside of her.
DG and Az were right at the mouth of the cave when she heard it: a deep menacing growl above them. DG looked up and nearly screamed at what she saw. There on a ledge right above them, was the biggest wolf DG had ever seen. The creature had fur as black as the witch’s robes, but seemed to gleam with some unearthly glow. His hackles were raised to reveal sharp, white teeth as he growled at them. As fast as you could blink, he crouched down low and then launched himself off the ledge towards them.
Reacting quickly, DG practically shoved Az inside the opening, which unbalanced both girls and knocked them to the floor. Startled, Az pushed herself off the ground and turned to see Braxus landing behind them. As he turned to them, she gave a frightened shriek as she clung to DG.
Braxus growled at the girls, crouched low, and sprung forward. Unexpectedly, he slammed into an invisible wall and fell on the icy floor. Ripples shimmered and sparkled, forming a dome shape. DG and Azkadellia had instinctively created a shield to protect themselves.
The beast rose up on his feet and shook his head. He snarled menacingly at the barrier and then lunged again at it again, swiping furiously at the shield. Claw marks were left where his paws clawed, like scratches on glass, and as quick as they appeared, they disappeared with a small flash of magic.
The shield may have been holding up, but DG didn’t know how long their magic would last as their fear began to grow. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the cave. Braxus reared back and howled in pain. He fell to reveal Cain holding his smoking six-shooter in his hand. He glared down at the beast, his eyes like ice chips.
DG took in a shuddering breath, trying desperately to calm herself. “C-Cain?”
Cain immediately looked at DG and his gaze softened a little. But, before he could say anything, the wolf gave a harsh growl and lunged for DG and Az again.
Before the beast could get close enough, Cain wrapped two arms wrapped around Braxus’ throat and his face appeared at Braxus’ shoulder. He began to force the animal from the shield to the floor, struggling and grunting while Braxus growled and clawed at Cain. In the midst of the struggle, Cain growled out, “Go! Go, DG!”
DG didn’t have to be told twice. She scrambled to her feet, dragging Az along with her, and started down the cave’s tunnel.
Az, however, struggled against her sister’s grip, desperate to get back to the tunnel entrance. “DG, stop! We have to help them!”
DG stopped pulling and grabbed Az’s other hand. “Az, look at me!” She had to make her sister understand that she wasn’t abandoning Cain, Jeb, Glitch, or Raw; she was merely trying to save them. At DG’s harsh tone, Az stopped struggling and looked at her. “If we don’t find Althea and free her, there won’t be any of us left to save.”
Az’s eyes widened at the meaning of her sister’s words and nodded in compliance. Together, with their hands joined and glowing to light the way, the sisters ran down the tunnel.
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Cain was struggling to hold the wolf back, but it was getting harder every minute. The wolf was as strong as an ox and he’d already made multiple lacerations on Cain’s arms from his claws.
Suddenly, Cain felt swift hits to the animal’s body. The beast gave a strangled howl and then went limp. Fully aware of his injuries, Cain scrambled away from the dark creature.
He then felt arms around his shoulders and turned to see Jeb at his side, his gun and hat with him. “You all right, Dad?”
Cain hissed as the adrenaline from the attack wore off and the pain began to increase. Cain ground his teeth. “I’ll live.” Son helped father to his feet and they walked out of the cave together.
Glitch, Raw, and Tutor, who’d stayed outside under Jeb’s orders, were waiting for them down the slope. Glitch stepped forward. “Cain! You all right? Where’s DG and Azkadee?”
Cain took his fedora and gun from Jeb. “They went on ahead to find Althea.”
Glitch looked past Cain and into the darkness of the cave. “What about that wolf?”
Before Cain could answer, he heard a snarl behind him. “Not dead yet you disgusting insects!”
Cain and Jeb whirled towards the sound as Raw and Tutor both gave vicious growls at the cave. Groans and snarls could be heard in the tunnel’s opening as a man stumbled out. He leaned against the tunnel’s mouth and abruptly pulled Jeb’s knife out of his body. As he did, the gunshot wound Cain gave him at the stomach began to heal as did the knife wound. In a matter of seconds, it was as if he’d never been wounded.
The man raised his eyes to the four standing below him. Cain’s fear of the creature increased as a sadistic smile came over his features. He pushed away from the cave’s entrance and began walking towards the four. In turn, Cain, Jeb, Glitch, Raw, and Tutor began to back away, putting as much space as possible between them and the dark creature.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Been a long time since human ever dared to strike me like that.” His then focused his gaze on just Cain and Jeb, which made both father and son quite nervous. “Didn’t know Althea was still picking up strays.” Braxus gave a dark chuckle. “Can’t wait to see when she finds out I killed her pups.”
He then crouched low, sprang forward and, with a flash of fire and smoke, transformed back into a wolf. Braxus was a born hunter and he liked the thrill of the chase before silencing his prey. This ought to be fun.
As soon as Braxus leapt, the three men, Viewer, and shape-shifter scattered to evade the beast. Light on his paws and as swift as a Papay, Braxus easily caught up with Wyatt Cain. Knowing he had to keep Braxus not only from Jeb but from DG and Az as well for as long as possible until Althea was freed, he turned and fired shots at the creature. Braxus easily evaded the shots and pounced on Cain, which caused both man and beast to fall backwards. As they hit the ice, the impact made a large crack in the ice, but it didn’t break. Cain’s fedora fell off his head.
Cain tried to roll the beast of him, but Braxus clamped his jaw on the arm in which Cain held his gun. With lacerations on his arms already, Braxus biting on Cain’s arm caused the man much pain and forced him to drop his gun. Once it hit the hard, slick surface, it slid away. Too far for Cain to reach.
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DG and Az ran through the tunnel, their clasped hands lighting the way in the darkness. The tunnel opened up to a much larger cave, its darkness nearly engulfing the two princesses.
Both girls then looked for lamps and torches. Immediately, DG found a torch against the cave’s wall. She picked it up and showed it to Az who waved her hand over it, lighting a flame. With the new light, the girls unclasped their hands. Even with the torch giving off a yellow-orange glow, it was still not enough for Az and DG to see everything.
As DG raised the torch higher to see better, she caught sight of a carved trough in the wall about waist high. Walking right up to it, she could see dark liquid inside. Curious, she used two fingers and dipped them into the liquid. She lifted the substance to her nose and reeled back at the smell. “Kerosene.”
As she rubbed her fingers to rid herself of the substance, an idea struck her. Carefully, as to not hurt herself, she lowered the torch to the liquid. It immediately lit up and began traveling around the cave.
The cave soon lit up in a warm red-orange glow. As the cave lit up, Az and DG could see carvings on the walls of wolves. DG threw her sister a questioning look, which made Az giggle. “Before Althea was a guardian, she was a shape-shifter and five-hundred annuals ago, this was her pack.”
DG nodded in understanding and continued to look at the different carvings. Then, a flash of silver caught her eye. She turned her head and saw in the back of the cave, in between two stone columns, was a tank completely made of ice.
Curious, DG walked in front of the tank and took in a sharp breath at what she saw. There in the ice was Althea. Her hair was fanned out and her clothes billowed, as if she was underwater. Her skin had now taken on an ice-blue color from the cold. Some parts of her face were even a dark purple due to bruising from her capture. DG could see that her eyes were closed and they were moving under the lids, as if she was in REM sleep.
DG was still staring up at the fire guardian as she beckoned her sister over. Az came and, seeing Althea in her state, gave a small gasp. “Oh my!” She reached forward and took her sister’s hand in hers.
At the spark of magic between the sisters, Althea’s emerald green eyes snapped open. DG gave a small gasp of fright, but shut her mouth quickly and swallowed hard. Althea said nothing but ever-so-slowly moved her hand towards the tank’s wall.
As her hand moved closer, cracks began to form at the point. As her hand reached the edge, her fingers broke through, and her ice-blue skin began to pink up, returning to its natural color. Soon, her whole hand and wrist was through the ice.
A raspy, almost ethereal feminine voice filled the air. “Please…”
DG and Az could see that Althea’s eyes were filled pain and agony was etched across her face. “Help me…Please.”
DG swallowed hard and tentatively took Althea’s hand in hers. Calling on her light, she poured all the power she could into the trapped woman, the glow from the sister’s hands spread all over Althea’s body while the cracks widened and spread.
A sudden loud crack filled the air as the wall fell to pieces, as if shattered by a hammer. DG let go of Althea’s hand to shield Az and herself from the falling debris. A cloud of ice crystals, smaller than that of any snowflake, filled the air and obscured their vision.
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The crack of Althea’s prison could be heard all the way outside the cave. Braxus let go of Cain’s arm and jerked his head towards the cave in time to see the ice crystal cloud flowing out of the cave’s entrance like mist.
Braxus growled. Blast it! My time’s almost up. His enjoyment of hunting and toying with his prey had sidetracked him from the task at hand.
Seeing Braxus distracted by the noise, Cain used the opportunity to lift his legs and kick the beast over his head. Braxus fell to the hard ice with a whimper and a dull thud.
As Cain scrambled for his gun, Braxus got to his feet, shook himself, and charged after Cain again. Before he got close, Cain grabbed his gun, turned, and fired. The bullet hit Braxus in the shoulder. Giving a loud cry, he fell to the ice and didn’t move.
Breathing heavily, Cain trudged up the shore. He had to get away before Braxus recovered. As he got to higher ground, he winced and looked down at his hands and arms. The lacerations on his hands and arms had started to clot, but the pain was still nearly unbearable.
“That was a really stupid thing to do, boy.”
Cain turned the wolf getting to his feet and quickly transform back to human form. Breathing heavily, he straightened and glared at Cain. His wound quickly healed. Braxus gave a slight chuckle and thrust out his hand towards Cain, and immediately felt an intense tightness around his throat. He put his hands to his throat only to jerk them back as burning pain met his fingers.
Braxus sauntered towards Cain, his hands twisting to make the invisible rope tighter. “As much as I would like to toy with you before ending your pitiless existence, my time seems to
have run short.”
Cain fell to his knees as the tautness increased and his breathing became more and more shallow. He continued tugging at the rope, not caring if he burned his hands. He just wanted to breathe. What he could hear sounded as if it was far away and his vision began to blur.
“Dad!” Out of the corner of his eye, Cain could Jeb running down the slope towards him.
Braxus chuckled. “Insolent youth.” He waved his hand again and fiery ropes circled around Jeb’s legs and tightened with a snap, forcing Jeb to fall. The same cords wrapped around Jeb’s wrists and a rope connected his hands and feet.
A roar could be heard behind Braxus and he turned just in time to miss Glitch swinging a punch at him. Raw also made a pass at him, but he evaded that as well. With a swipe of his hand, a fiery blast knocked both Glitch and Raw to the ground unconscious.
Braxus shook his head and stepped right over Cain, who was now lying on the ground and seemed to be losing consciousness as he struggled to breathe. Braxus gave a sadistic smile. “It’ll be my greatest pleasure to kill you just as it was to kill Althea’s daughter when she defied me.”
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As the cloud of ice crystals began to disappear, DG dropped the shield and the sisters stood. DG searched the remaining clouds in search of Althea. Then coughing could be heard through the cloud and the form of a person could be seen--Althea. Her clothes and hair were dry and she seemed to be fine.
Az went hesitantly forward. “Althea?”
She finally turned to them and DG could see her luminous emerald green eyes shining through. She gave a small smile. “Hello, my little princess.”
Az rushed forward and enveloped the older woman in a hug. Althea hugged her back just as tightly. After a few moments, Althea’s eyes opened and landed on DG. Althea backed up from Az and the elder princess turned to look at her sister.
Althea gave DG a small smile. “Do you remember me, my dark pixie?”
Memories began coming to DG in little snippets. She saw Althea teaching her how to use magic to conjure small objects, make them float, and even transform into something else entirely. She saw herself on the swing in Finaqua, but instead of her mother holding her, it was Althea that rocked her on the swing and sang to her. She saw Az’s chamber in the Central City palace with her and Az on the bed and Althea brushing their hair and tucking them into bed. She remembered Althea’s smile and her laughter, her kindness and sincerity, and her love for her and her sister. Althea had always called DG “my dark pixie” because of her dark hair and eyes as well as her spunky, sprightly attitude. She’d always called Azkadellia “my little princess”.
DG gave Althea a smile and rushed forward for a hug. Althea hugged her back fiercely. She then took both girls into her arms and squeezed them tightly. “I missed you both, my beautiful girls.”
Then suddenly, Althea went stiff. DG looked at her and saw her eyes scrunched up in pain. “Althea? Are you alright?”
She let go of both girls and put her hands to her head, as if she was in pain. Her voice came out in ragged gasps. “Wyatt…Jeb…” She pulled her hands from her face. DG could see her eyes were as hard as rough-cut emeralds. Althea then growled low in her throat and DG could then see why she was a force to be reckoned with. She could feel her power pulsating inside of her just begging to be released and directed at something.
Althea held out her hands to both princesses. “We have to get outside and running isn’t fast enough. We’ll go my way.”
DG and Althea grasped Althea’s hands and Althea pulled them close top her and wrapped an arm around each girl. “Whatever you do or see, don’t try to pull out of my grasp. I don’t want to lose either of you.”
The sisters nodded and Althea closed her eyes. Suddenly, the fire in the trough burst upward. It streaked towards the three woman and began circling around them. The circle got higher and higher until it completely surrounded them, creating a huge, encompassing ball. It levitated off the floor a few feet in the air for a minute before it burst forward through the tunnel, rushing towards the entrance.
TBC…
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Well, how was that for a chapter? I know, I know, way too long between updates. My bad. Life got in the way.
I also left you at a cliffie. Don’t worry! All will be dealt with in the next chapter. Hopefully there’ll be less time between updates.
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Date: 2008-08-31 10:43 pm (UTC)Cliffhangers are EVIL! I hope that you'll fix this problem soon as I can't wait to read more.
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Date: 2008-08-31 10:48 pm (UTC)Chapter 7 is in the works as we speak!
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Date: 2008-08-31 11:01 pm (UTC)