Night of the Hunter (closed)

It was late in the evening when the Queen and Princess of Onderon felt a prickling sensation in their minds, as a summons from their Master crept into their thoughts.

My apprentice, I have a test for you. There is an intruder prowling undergrowth of the Wilds. They are unarmed, but dangerous. I want you to find and disable them – do not kill them, I want them brought to me alive. There is a twist to this test, however. You will find a blindfold in your bed-chambers, which you must wear for the duration of the hunt. You must not use your eyes to find the intruder, only your senses.

To this point, the messages they received were identical. After, however, there were minute differences. Callidus instructed the Queen to enter the wilds through the westerly portion of the wall, whilst the Princess would alight the east. The Queen would arrive half an hour after her ward, so that neither would be aware of one another's arrival.

They were hunting each other.

She'd been wandering the portrait gallery, unable to sleep. Too many late nights had robbed her of the luxury of a normal bedtime. As she passed by the many faces of Adraudia's ancestors she felt as though they watched her, warning her. Of what, she did not know. Something in their eyes, it was the same with Adraudia, something that wasn't revealed to her yet. She didn't worry over it, nothing remained secret forever.

Her Master voice in her head was unexpected, but as always, quite welcome. She ached to get out of the walls of the palace and free her true self. She made her way to her room and entered quietly, so as not to disturn Lira who's chamber adjoined her own. After making sure the maid was safe in dreamland, Razielle moved quickly making the transition from Princess to Sith Apprentice. She slid her dresser out of the way and crouched. A panel was removed from her wall, revealing the clothing she wore when her Master called.

Anxia, crept out onto the veranda. Dressed in tight fitting blackpants, sturdy boots that buckled up to mid-calf, and a black tank-top and jacket. Her hair was braided, the blindfold not yet on, was losely tied around her neck. She looked down over the balcony. Too far to jump. She began the tedious process of the climb down to the courtyard, leaving her room locked and Princess Razielle, assuredly asleep in her bed.

A short while later, Anxia stole into the Wilds, blindfolded. She became still, listened and heard the sound of running water. The reservoir. She'd start there, a water supply would be important to an intruder seeking a way inside the walls.

Adraudia's eyes fluttered opened from her dreaming. Her dreams were plagued with uncertainty. The war, the debacle at the Ball, and Razielle's Force Sensitivity. Thoughts that would have to be pushed aside for a later time. Her Master had called. Though it was an interesting request and wondered how the Beast Rider's had missed the intruder. They had been high alert along the walls for some time now.

She slipped into her custom made black armor and cloak, strapped on her sword belt, and disappeared through the secret passage. Upon reaching the wall proper, Creas waited for the guards to move pass their checkpoint and swiftly climb the ladder, hopping over the wall with precision and landing deftly on the ground. She looked up and was certain no one spotted her and secured the blindfold around her eyes.

Creas focused her mind and spread her senses outwards, searching for signs of life. She narrowed her search, blocking the strands of Force coming off the foliage and native animals of Onderon.

Two Beast Riders were coming from the North! Quickly she darted into the canopy and remained still. By the voices it sounded like Blarn and Kamel. They usually worked the late night shift and breaked with the Queen at times when sleep was out of reach. She was stuck until they passed her, though the Queen really wanted to give them a good thrashing for missing a hostile on her grounds!

She had been fortunate thus far, she had not encountered man nor beast. She knew her luck would not hold forever though, not in the Wilds. The sound of running water grew louder and the terrain had changed from dry sticks and leaves to soft earth and moss. With each step she took, she felt her boots squish into the soft ground. She had no desire to leave tracks, she was the hunter, not the hunted.

Further opening up her senses, Anxia could feel the life force of several sturdy vines hanging just ahead of her. She would use them to get off the ground and move away from the tracks that had been left. She made a leap for them and swung out over the water. The vines led far up into the canopy of trees and by the time she had reached the peak, her arms ached. She leaned her back against the trunk of a tree and attempted to get her bearings blinded to sight as she was.

She was opposite the wall. This area was on the patrol of the Beast Riders, she knew from listening to their chatter. She knew they were out there somewhere but as yet she hadn't come upon one. She couldn't stay here, however she would remain in the trees.

Anxia moved, keeping to the branches and listening for any sound from below that could give her an idea of where the interloper was moving.

Creas heard Blarn and Kamel clicked their tongues. Their mounts grumbled a huffed heavily before clambering away. The sounds of the undergrowth being crushed beneath massive paws, which eventually died away.

A few moments after that, she rose out of hiding. The forest had become deafly silent. Her heightened hearing had picked up nothing. Strange.

Slowly she crept through the brush, her ears opened for the first signs of movement, her Force awareness extended out around and slowly expanding. It wouldn't be long before she found the intruder...

At length, Anxia was aware of the wildlife around her. Poisonous plants trailing inches from where she crouched. Beasts that every so often passed by to drink from the water. She did not detect any other presence for a long time. As if her mind was playing tricks on her she had thought she heard a twig snapping, as if it had been stepped on, but then silence. Still the noise was worth checking out.

With the grace of one who belonged in the jungle, Anxia stepped through the branches above where the sound had originated. She felt .. cold suddenly. The same cold sensation she felt when her Master was near, bathed in the darkness that was a part of him. She did not think that he would send her on a chase to seek him out, that left the possibilty that the intruder was also a Force user. Or had the ability to be, either way.

Time to see how much she had learned. Laying on her stomach across the branch that supported her, Anxia focused upon the feel of the tree, of the vines that covered it. The way they curled through the drop below her, like tentacles that reached out to pluck the unwary from the ground and stifle the life from them. Whatever the source of the cold was, it seemed to be headed her way.

But would it also sense her..? She drew within herself and waited, poised to drop.

Creas stopped in her tracks. A presence sent a chill down her back and wondered if it was her Master. It seemed out of place for Callidus to have her track him. Those were the lessons of old and Creas was far more powerful now.

Whoever it was, they were close. Very close. She could almost hear the beating of their heart. Tendrils of the Force wisped across the ground and slinked out to find her prey. They wrapped around the trees and climbed upwards, hugging the branches and caressed the venomous bushes.

And then she smirked. The interloper was in the tree behind her and since they had the potential to use the Force, Creas had to act quickly. There was no way to determine just how powerful they were.

Her arm lashed out in the intruder's direction to try and knock the being off its perch. The tree they were on was teaming with life, as well as the ground below them. Having them die by the hands of the planet would make things quick and quiet, but not painless. They deserved their fate for setting foot on her soil.

There you are..

Anxia rolled away from the hit, dropping to her feet, her boots squishing deep into the muck and algae surrounding the base of the tree. The intruder had the advantage of sight, but that wouldn't save them. She gathered the darkness closely around herself, no longer needing to hide her presence. She surrounded herself with feelings of terror and pain, a promise of what would come.

The overgrowth of vines that had been part of her former hiding place were thick and serpent like. They seemed eager to twine about something living and smother the life from it, she would use that. Focusing on the vines that drooped from the branches, Anxia raised her hand and with a gesture, had them snake out to entangle her prey.

Terror and pain tried to force their way into her heart in an attempt to freeze her actions. Creas glean two bits of knowledge from that. The intruder was Force trained to some degree and not an idle threat. Yet on the other hand, Callidus had shown her such terror and pain that the feelings this being was trying to force upon her was laughable.

But the danger this person possessed was very real. She felt her boots tighten around her feet and heard something squish against her armor. With one even stroke from scabbard to ground, whatever had taken hold of her was carved in two.

Danger was all around her and coming from various angles, but there was only one opponent! This made little sense!

Another vine wrapped around her arm and it was then that Creas understood what was happening. She was closer to carnivorous alanthus tree that. It's deadly vines would entwine a helpless victim and crushes them dead before the tree fed.

Grunting, she cleaved the vine off her arm and rolled away from where the vines had been pulling her.

The intruder knew what they were doing, Anxia would give them that. She side stepped away from the now frenzied mass of vines searching for a victim. When her opponent didn't immediately run into the dense jungle, or attack her, Anxia was surprised. She had learned that her adversary was armed and capable. She could have drawn her own weapon, the katana tucked into the back of her jacket, but she did not. Not yet, it would be over too quickly..

I want them brought to me alive

Her Master had been specific, and she couldn't guarantee that they would be left standing if she drew her blade now. Instead she would have to trap them, or render them unconscious, or at least immobile. She waited, seeing what the fool would now, out in the open.

The intruder was a mystery to Creas, and not because of her lack of sight. They were a Force user and the intruder had to realize that anytime they called upon its power, she could sense it and therefore, giving away their position.

Creas knew where they were exactly. The power ebbing off of their aura was easily traced back to its source. So why were they being so cautious? Why haven't they tried to kill her? Surely her presence ruined their plan if they were to be caught? Yes the Force was on her side, but Creas' blindfold was easily seen. The Apprentice was still at a disadvantage.

"You hide from the blind? Not only an intruder to Onderon's lands but a coward as well?" Perhaps she could glean some information verbally or at the very least, create a strong enough emotion to take them off guard for an attack.

She squeezed her fist around the hilt of her father's sword in anticipation.

Nothing happened for what seemed like an eternity, one phrase had just turned everything upside down on Anxia.

"You hide from the blind? Not only an intruder to Onderon's lands but a coward as well?" It echoed over and over again in her mind.

She knew the voice. She knew the challenge and command that were behind it. She knew in that instant what she was doing here. If the intruder and the hunter were both blinded, then who was hunting who?

She felt him then.. It seemed her Master was everywhere around them, she could not pin point exactly where he was. He was watching, waiting. To see how his pawns would play out the scene? Did he want one of them dead.. She hadn't moved. Not hesitating. Just not comprehending what it was she was supposed to do with a bound and gagged Monarch, once subdued.

"I'm not hiding.." She knew she had revealed herself by speaking, but she had also just made things even. She waited, to see who would move or speak first.

And just like that, everything was revealed. She knew her instincts were correct
Her presumptions had been correct since the Masquerade. Razielle had control over her powers and was in league with Callidus, their shared Master. Now questions lingered. How long have they been Master and Apprentice? Did it go as far back as his time on Davoria? Perhaps even further?

The concerns that Dalamar had voiced all these years were flooding back to her and making her grow anger. Where they plotting against her all this time and using their families promise against her? Was her Ward now a replacement? Creas had no heir. Salem was a powerful man on Onderon and could sway the Courts to crown Razielle.

She set aside her anger to think more clearly. Creas refused to go into hysterics until her Master made his intentions known.

No. Callidus wanted the intruder brought back alive. It was obvious that he didn’t want them dead. The only logical conclusion was to test their skills against one another and finally revealing his students to one another? But why now?

After eternity had paused, she spoke. “You lied to me that night after the ball.”

Inwardly she grew a bit defensive at that, although outwardly she still hadn't moved. She was the very image of calm. "No.. I simply didn't tell you everything. "

She figured that she would clarify for all listening ears. "Nothing like that ever happened before. I didn't know that my anger would do that.."

She relaxed her stance and backed up a step onto more solid ground. "It seems my secrecy was not without reason.."

"Is it?" Her tone was biting and defensive. Until proved otherwise, Creas coudln't believe a word out of Razielle's mouth until Callidus made his intentions known. "The same could be said about me."

The command in her grew steadily. She was Adraudia now, the Queen of Onderon. "Have you designs upon my world? In secret you have both trained without my knowledge. That leaves me unsettled."

Her violet eyes narrowed at that.

Ahh, Her Royal Magnanimous Majesty, Adraudia was ready to scuffle. How endearing..

Anxia folded her arms across her chest and tilted her chin to the side, as if in deep thought. "What an intriguing concept, Your Majesty. I hadn't thought of it.. Do you suppose that if that was his wish, that there would be anything you could do to stop him? All your bravado, all your riteous indignation?"

She smiled. "Powerless.."

"But in any event, I find myself just as mistrusting of the situation at hand as you do. I assure you. I had no idea it was you I was after."

The Princess should know better then to bait her. The Queen held much patience and could dance around irritant words all night. It was an art to her after her time as ruler.

"Powerless?" Adraudia turned around and removed the blindfold. There was no point to it now. "I think you realize just how inaccurate that statement is after tonight, hmm?" Not to mention Dalamar would love to get his hands on Salem. The Queen was not alone if things turned soured.

She sensed no lies from Razielle. The Princess was duped just as she. "Then if you aren't sure of why he did this, then the only reasonable conclusion is that we are to be made aware of one another's presence. Why now since your arrival? I am not sure."

“Darth Creas... Darth Anxia...”

Above, the canopy had split apart. The branches, warped and gnarled, looked as if they were retreating, desperately trying to get away from the mass of shadow floating that marked the center of the parting in the leaves. The air seemed to shiver and hum, as tendons of darkness – living darkness – oozed a black and blood-red aura around the levitating figure. The featureless visage of Callidus bore down upon the royalty of Onderon with empty, merciless eyes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...lidusfloat.jpg

Anxia froze, her instincts divided for a moment not knowing which way to react. Her senses responded to something predatory in Callidus that could crush her. She was compelled to take a step backward. She did not. She held her ground. Pulling down her own blindfold she turned to her Master and bowed her head, remaining silent from a mixture of reverance and fear.

Creas' pensive frown eventually parted as she heard her Master's voice. She had not seen Callidus like this before and froze momentarily in awe at his power. However, fear was certainly felt too. It was the same fear that caused her to lash out at the Princess. No. Anxia. Her true name was now known to her. And just like the Apprentice before her, she turned and bowed her head in respect to the only person on Onderon that she would do as such.

“The time has come,” Callidus intoned, “for this deception to end.”

She said nothing but slid her gaze to Creas. Anxia's own features betrayed no emotion at all now. Her attention left the other apprentice and settled once more on their Master. There was nothing that needed to be said by her now, she kept silent, waiting.

She truely had no idea what to expect. Everything would be different.

Callidus had made his intentions known, but the purpose behind it still was hidden. Creas waited patiently in silence for her Master to continue his explanaion.

“From this day forward, you training will continue together... you will learn to work in unison.” The darkness that bled from Callidus seemed to expand outwards, like narrow fingertips stretching towards the two apprentices. “Trust in me. Set aside your suspicions and swear allegiance to one another, for you are now sisters in arms.”

Her eyes were drawn. They were pulled towards the sight of dark tendrils that seeped from Callidus and seemed to reach out to her. Her senses warned her of danger, still she was half tempted to walk forward into their embrace. Rational thought kept her still.

Trust in me

Anxia had no trouble at all accepting her Master's every word. Even if at times she did not like doing so, she always complied with his desires. She trusted him. The tension in her stance relaxed ever so slightly.

Did she trust Creas? She now knew that a side to her friend exhisted that no one knew of. If she was a student of Callidus, then she was capable of atrocities. Would Anxia be eliminated? An assassin perhaps? Or simply just have her banished while Creas spent her nights training with Callidus in the Wilds. Anger slid through her body. Not hot, boiling anger. Frozen, furious, deadly anger that coiled around her spine and nearly made her shudder.

Set aside your suspicions

Just like that, she was reminded that not only had she been chosen for a reason, so had Adraudia. They were connected already, even as children. Razielle had even thought of Adraudia as a sister on more than one occasion. She had spoken to her as a confidante and friend only hours before.

.. swear allegiance to one another, for you are now sisters in arms.

Anxia drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. She knew not to question, she trusted in Callidus. She turned to Creas and stepped forward without fear.

To trust blindly. Could Creas do as her Master asked? Even when Salem first arrived on Onderon it took months to build her trust in him to be an Advisor and then Prime Minister. It took closer to a year of research to understand where the Basillie bloodline began as Nadd's descendent, and with a demonstration of how the Force could be used to protect her people, Adraudia allowed herself to show fealty to him as her teacher.

Until now, Adraudia did trust Razielle. Her only suspicion was how much did the Princess realize her Force potential and the Queen's first instincts were correct. The two of them, Razielle and Salem, held a far greater bond then the physical... If that were even the case.

But before that, Razielle was her friend and the little sister she never had. She understood the stresses that Adraudia faced everyday as ruler that no one else could. Not even Callidus. They did share a bond forged by their parents in which they both accepted graciously as adults.

Creas hefted the sword in her hand as Anxia stepped forward. It was hard to not take the gesture as a possible attack, but the Apprentice held no dark threats. Soon her father's blade was turned away and sheathed back into the scabbard at her hip.

"I swear allegiance to you, Darth Anxia, as a sister in arms,” she said without fear or hesitation and offered her hand.

Only time would tell just how close they were as their training continued together.

Anxia's outstretched fingerstips met Creas'. She did not firmly clasp her hand in a formal seal of acknowledgment. Instead her palm flattened against Creas' hand, lifting so that their joined hands formed a bridge between them.

"You already had my allgience, sister. But I give it to you again, and again if necessary." Her fingers entiwined with the Queen's for a moment, before she let go. She held her stare for a heartbeat and then returned her attention to Callidus.

“Good,” Callidus said, a twisted smile almost audible in his voice.

“And now you must swear something to me. You must not discuss our work together - your training - with one another whilst in the walls of Iziz... nor should you come to the Wilds to train without my supervision. If I find that you have done this, you shall be punished, severely. Do you both understand?”

"Yes, my Master." Creas lowered her head immediately, swearing secrecy without hesitation. Callidus wanted to protect each of them for the walls of Iziz had many ears and the wilds were far too dangerous to be left unsupervised.

Anxia bowed her head in compliance. "I understand, my Master."

It would be difficult to not speak on the subject. There were so many things she was unsure of. She forced herself to be patient and wait, trusting that what she wanted to know would be revealed to her in time. She understood the reasoning behind the imposed silence.

“Go, now. You are dismissed,” Callidus' voice echoed, his feet touching the forest floor. “I shall call on you again soon... we have far to travel and much to do, but for now you must rest.” With that, the shadows that strained out from him coiled inwards, surrounding him in darkness. He seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, only a chill wind left in his wake.

And just like that, the two Apprentices were alone. Creas allowed herself a moment's glance at the Princess before beginning the trek home. Some of the tension had been allieviated through their mutual Master's intervention but it was still there, hanging over them like a black cloud threatening to burst with cold rain. After the relevations of this night, the Queen was uncertain if she was ready to tackle those truths.

Not waiting for the silence to keep compiling uncomfortably, Anxia decided to break it. She moved forward, walking in the direction of the wall. She hoped that Creas would decide to follow, and talk to her while they still had the relative secrecy of the night. Soon they would have to set aside this conversation for another time, returning to the public faces they donned each day. Anxia would rather have the air between them cleared, before their suspicions grew into something unbecoming of them.

"I regretted keeping secrets from you. It was not my intention to lie to you. In point of fact, I went to great lengths to stay as close to the truth as possible. I can only hope that now you understand the reasoning behind my secrecy. "

If they were going to learn to work as a team, they had best start learning how to communicate or they wouldn't be getting very far at all.

As Anxia spoke, Creas paused in her stride to listen what the Princess had to say. She had the courage to speak up and the Queen admired that and decided to walk alongside her fellow Apprentice. After her admission, it was only fair for Creas to speak likewise about her own actions.

"The reason I was so inquisitive about the Ball was for two reasons. I had a suspicion that you and our Master were already acquainted previously, and if not, I was hoping you could become a part of my life in this aspect in hopes to bring peace and prosperity to Onderon. It ..." Creas paused in a momentary act of weakness. "... Gets lonely at times. No one else knows of this save Callidus and now you.”

She understood all too well the frustations of keeping such a huge secret. Exeptional people had exceptional responsibilities weighing them down. It wasn't a vain thought, Creas was responsible for the welfare of a planet. Anxia had been faced with the same choice. For them it was the business of juggling their stations in life with their true motivations and desires. It was a constant burden, but one that would ultimately pay off with Callidus as their Master.

Darth Anxia had been created the night Princess Razielle made her choice and sealed her fate. She had chosen not to divide her time between her training and the running of a planet. That was one fact that Anxia would never reveal to Creas. Not until Creas would be receptive to understanding the decision. She knew that her fellow Apprentice had been taken into the fold of Callidus to learn to be strong for her people.

"I understand. My frustrations have been the same. I believe that is one of the reasons why the Queen's Ward has such a habbit for mischeif. I spoke true to you the first day I arrived. I shall always be here to aid you and Onderon in anyway that I can. This.." She gestured around them. "..is home now."

They were nearly home. Beast Riders would be patrolling this area soon. It was here they would need to depart and enter the city proper by themselves from this point on for security.

"I apologize for misjudging you tonight. My anger overrode my senses, Anxia." Creas stepped forward and kissed the Princess gently on the cheek. "I should have trusted my faith in you."

She smiled, pleased with how this night ended. Of course there were still questions between them, but those answers would arrive in time. With their friendship secure, Adraudia would sleep well tonight.

Anxia returned the sisterly show of affection and parted company with Creas. They had come from different directions, and for safety they would have to return the same way. She watched Creas dissapear, blending into the night.

She had been filled with trepidation for some time now. Callidus had warned her that soon she would have another to train with. She had been completely at unease, not knowing what to expect. Her Master was quite unknowable sometimes. But now..

Anxia felt as if in being brought together with Creas, she had been given a gift. In her fellow apprentice she already had someone who knew her, that she knew in turn. Someone that she could now let down some walls around, knowing her secrets would be held in trust. She could not have possibly picked a better partner for herself. Her Master knew her, very well.

She took a last look at the darkness of the Wilds behind her. A smile touched her lips for a second before vanishing. Then, she too dissapeared into the night, returning to the palace.