Kitty Pryde, Excalibur and the X-Men are trademarks of Marvel Comics. This story is an unauthorised work done purely for my personal enjoyment, and is not intended to infringe on any of their rights in or their profits from these characters. But this story is copyright to me.
Comments, especially (constructive) criticism, always welcomed. Please e-mail me at
mshakespeare@callnetuk.com
Notes:
< > indicates thoughts
Mark Shakespeare presents :
Excalibur Redrawn - Part 3
The team moved immediately, scattering as the birds attacked. Betsy used her shadow-shaping powers before anyone else could react. In front of the birds there suddenly appeared a wall of darkness, through which nothing could be seen. Diving headlong into it, too close to turn away in time, the birds were completely blind, and unable to see their danger. The leading bird dived headfirst into the ground at high speed, breaking its neck. The rest swerved and veered to avoid a danger they couldn't see, colliding with each other in their panic. Betsy was uncomfortable using her powers like this - <I always have to wonder what using the Crimson Dawn's shadow-powers is doing to me. But, unlike Brian and Meggan, who can fly, or Kitty, who has those shuriken she carries nowadays, I have no other means of reaching these birds apart from my shadow powers, unless I use my telepathy to attack their senses. And I have no wish to do that - it would almost certainly lead to the Shadow King escaping his confinement within my mind, a price I am NOT willing to pay!>
Brian's approach, as was only to be expected, was rather more direct and violent. As four birds dived at him, he sprang into the air, and grasped the wings of the leading bird. With a powerful tug he dislocated them, then hurled the bird at the second in the group, which immediately began to tear and peck at the wounded bird, which screamed its pain as the blood began to flow. Brian had to take evasive action as the third bird raked at him with claws as long and as sharp as swords. He pushed the strength of his force field to its limit, and sighed in relief as a slash of the talons bounced off the field. Admittedly, it was a glancing blow, but nevertheless Brian felt happy that it had withstood the assault. <It's looking as though I'm really going to get all my old powers back! Even if I don't really want to fight, like I used to want to, it's good to feel this way again! I just wonder WHY they've started to come back ..... perhaps what we're facing here today is part of the answer...>
Meggan felt that the birds were ordinary birds, corrupted by some sort of evil force. <I wonder if I can break it? I'd rather do that than kill something which can't help what it's become. But I need to get some space between us first, otherwise I won't have time.> She made to fly away a safe distance, but the storm intensified, howling as if it was a living creature baying for blood. Meggan felt once again the touch of evil, of corruption of the natural order of things. It had, as the source, the same corruption which had been directed at her during the attack the previous night. A touch of ..... <Black Magic! It's Black Magic, like I felt once before, when Brian and I faced Baba Yaga! * Not the same source, but very similar. Oh no, the birds!> She threw herself to one side to dodge the birds attacking her, and flew down towards a clump of trees, standing stark and bare against the rocky shore. The birds tried to follow, but when she flew into the trees, the birds found their wings were too large to allow them to follow her, and broke off, screeching their frustration at their prey escaping. <NOW maybe I can see if I can find a way to break the hold of whatever's been done to these poor birds.>
* (Author's note - check out the Captain Britain trade paperback for further details)
Kitty didn't waste time wondering what had caused the birds to be changed in such a way. As the lead bird of the group attacking her dived towards her, she snatched a double-pointed throwing spike, or bo shuriken, from the thigh sheaths where she kept eight of the weapons, given to her by Logan when she'd temporarily rejoined the X-Men. She threw it with deadly accuracy, regardless of the driving rain and howling winds, her arm snapping down with wrist straight , and fingers in line with the straight hand and wrist - <just as Ogun taught me >. The blade plunged deep into the bird's left eye, causing it to shriek in agony, and try to veer away. It collided with its neighbour, and both birds tumbled to the ground. Kitty stood her ground as two more birds came in on her, one from each side, then phased at the last moment so the two attackers crashed into each other. They immediately began to attack the other bird. < Great, two for the price of one> Kitty thought to herself. <Should've brought my sword with me. Oh well, get this fight over and done with and I'll go back and get it from the weapons locker on the Runner. In the meantime...> she grabbed the wing of the bird that had just flown through her, tipping it off-balance so it hit the ground, breaking its wing as it did so. She reached into her belt with her left hand, and drew out a four-pointed throwing star, or hira shuriken, and made ready to throw.
What none of the heroes could know was that they were being watched ........
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The inside of the tower was pitch-black, apart from the glow coming from the orb held in the framework of tarnished silver. The light was an eerie green, not a natural green, but a green speaking of decay and death, of nature corrupted into something foul and rotten.
The woman looked deep into its depths, her eyes seeming to absorb the green glow, showing no life in them. One by one, she turned her attention to the intruders, those who her allies from the sea had asked her to help them destroy, those who had defeated her allies' attackers, even though those attackers had been aided by her dark magic. Now they were here, and she wanted to see if any of them posed any great threat to her. With the dark power at her fingertips, she looked into their hearts, seeking weaknesses, ways to undo them, to turn them into her servants or tools.
"The man, now he is a strong one! His mind, it is shielded against me in some manner. He has great strength, and a warrior's soul. That one is of little use to me - best he be killed, he is too dangerous for me to keep. Perhaps I will hold him prisoner until my allies come for him - I am sure they will find him a rare treat indeed!
"The purple-haired woman, she looks to be from far Cathay. She moves well, to be sure. Ah, her mind is her weapon! An interesting feat! But I think one that would be of no use against me, though I am sure that I could find a good use for such a talent. And, within her, there is darkness, great darkness! It is almost alive ..... Perhaps I could reach the very source of that darkness - it might be prepared to deal with me. Yes, THIS one will I keep alive, I can surely make use of her.
AH! AT LAST! The elfin woman! SHE is the one I sought! She holds the key to great power, the power to control the very Earth herself, yet she lacks the power of mind to resist me! Such a sweet, innocent thing ..... ah, she is the one I sensed when I turned my powers against these fools last night, the one it was so easy for me to reach! It will be so easy for me to take control of her, drain her of her power, make me stronger, and her my slave! She has control over the earth, and the forces of nature themselves. And her body is as malleable as her mind! Such a prize this one will be!
"The girl. No threat there. True, she fights well, and bravely. And true, it was her who first broke free of my power when I turned it against her. But she has not the destructive powers of the man, nor the raw power of the elf-woman, nor can her power be used to control others, as the Cathayan's can. She is of no use to me - her also will I hand to my allies as a gift. Along with her small dragon, perhaps. A strange creature, I might find a use for that in my magic. Who knows what use I might make of its bones and scales!"
The woman turned from the scrying orb. <Now, to prepare a welcome for these fools. My pets will not long detain them, and I want to make sure that I have them all when I strike!> Her laughter, mocking and cruel, echoed throughout the tower.
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Meggan was starting to SEE the birds, SEE what had made them as they were. <I ....... I think I can do something about that. It's mystical in origin, I've no doubt about that. My command over the elemental forces, the electromagnetic spectrum Moira called it, won't be of use here. I need to gather the power I'll need to undo it first, before I can start putting things back the way they should be. I hope the spell I need comes to mind soon, like it did in Russia that time.> She took a deep, breath, the cold air not affecting her as it would have any of the others, and began to gather strength from her surroundings.
Brian seized two more birds and smashed them together. He was worried - he hadn't seen any sign of Meggan for several minutes now. <Has anything happened to her? Please God, Meggan, be safe. If anything HAS happened, then I swear by all I hold holy, I'll find whoever's responsible for this attack and tear them limb from limb. I won't ->
"Brian! Behind you!" Betsy's shout could barely be heard above the howling wind and driving rain, but it penetrated his mind nonetheless. He threw himself to one side at her warning, and the bird that had been coming straight at him from behind flew through where he had been a moment before, claws passing through where his spine had been. Kitty threw her hira shuriken. The wind made it less accurate than it would have been otherwise, but it was effective enough. Instead of hitting an eye, it slashed the bird just over the eye. Blood began to well from the shallow wound, blinding the creature, which broke off its attack. Brian threw an appreciative glance at Kitty - it was all he had time for, as Betsy's screamed call for assistance brought him over to where she was desperately defending herself against more than a dozen birds. He flew straight into the middle of them, hurling them away from his twin. Lockheed then proceeded to set half of them on fire, before they could regroup and attack again.
Meggan was ready. The spell had risen to her lips as it
had once before.
"Earth-Mother, hear your daughter's call,Darkness comes, and light will fall,
Foe of darkness from times of old,
Let your power now unfold,
Creatures once of your clean air,
Let them be as once they were,
Hear your daughter's loving plea ;
As these once were, let them - BE!"
As the words tumbled from her mouth, Meggan felt the
power begin to flow from her. She had no idea where the words came from
- she simply needed them, and they came to her. As the words ended, the
power she'd been storing within her exploded outwards.
To the rest of the team, it seemed that a green light, like the first leaves of spring flowers, leapt from the copse where Meggan stood, and swept across the rain-swept beach, immolating the huge birds which attacked them. For a few moments more, the light persisted. Then, as suddenly as it had come, it died away, leaving the birds as they had been before - ordinary ravens and crows. The birds hovered in the air, seemingly baffled by their sudden freedom. Then, with raucous calls to each other, they split apart, and scattered.
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The storm had somewhat abated, though the rain still fell in sheets. Kitty had retrieved her sword from the Runner - a ninja-to, or ninja sword, shorter than a samurai katana would have been, undecorated, black-scabbarded and hilted. Now she carried it on her left hip, blade uppermost for the quick draw-and-slash attack. It was a gift to her from Logan - she'd been given it after they had ended up in a pitched battle with ninjas of the Hand. "You've earned it, Kit. Ya showed you're better'n these assholes. Ya don't haveta carry it all th' time - just keep it for when ya need it". She'd used it a couple of times since then - once against Sabretooth (and boy, had he been surprised when she'd disemboweled him during their fight! - "I remember what you did to Betsy, Creed - how do you like being on the receiving end!"), and once against vampires *. She had a few other tricks up her sleeve, as well - a kusari-fundo fighting chain, and a kaginawa climbing rope that could also be used as a weapon, its thirty foot length given to Betsy to give her some limited ranged attacking capability. She had taken to using weapons after an adventure with the X-Men in an alternate dimension, when they had all lost their powers, then been attacked by its savage, tiger/human hybrid inhabitants ("Kzin! They're the Kzin, I tell you!" ** But nobody else read the sort of books Kitty did), and she and the other X-Men had had to use weapons to fight their feral attackers.
* (Writer's note : as seen in my upcoming 'Shadowcat and Wolverine : Hunters Moon' LS!).
** (Writer's note 2 : Larry Niven, his 'Man/Kzin Wars' books, for anyone interested)
Betsy had a similar blade - Logan had had one made for her as well, as another old friend (though Kitty and Brian harboured suspicions as to whether that was ALL they were ......). Brian's suit had been somewhat damaged by the attack, and a few streaks of blood showed where he had been clawed, but none of the injuries were serious ("I think I'm going to do something about making this suit a bit more protective - maybe some chainmail as a component might work ......"). Despite the fierceness of the fight, he had quickly got his second wind - <an advantage to being half-Otherworldly, perhaps?> Meggan was a little tired after her exertions, but otherwise unhurt.
"The source of the darkness is ahead, in that direction", Meggan said, pointing up the cliff face.
Brian frowned. "There's nothing on the map to say there's anything up there, so I - "
"Oh, don't be silly, Brian! We're facing MAGIC here! If the owner, who presumably is whoever is behind the attack last night AND the attack just now, wields magic, then they can hide the castle from any map maker, or any other form of observation!" Betsy snapped at her brother. Kitty's eyebrows rose - she wasn't used to seeing her friend lose her temper so easily -<maybe something's wrong? I hope it won't affect her ability to work with the rest of us>, as did those of Meggan. Brian flushed at the reprimand.
"I KNOW that, Betsy! I was going to say, as it's not on the map, it obviously has to be either mystical in origin, or else some form of dimensional anomaly. Is that okay with you??" He wouldn't normally be as sharp with his sister but the tension of the fight had not yet worked its way out. Betsy's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to respond.
"Uh, guys? Let's just go up there and see what we find, okay? Hey Lockheed, anything from the air?" The little dragon shook his head. "Okay then, let's go and take a look." <Guys, save the infighting till later, when all this is over!>
Brian picked up Kitty, whilst Meggan took Betsy, and they all flew up to the top of the cliff, Lockheed flying along after them. The heavy rain made it difficult for the heroes to see much in front of them, but Meggan could feel the source of the evil getting stronger, nearer. Betsy's sensitivity, even in the absence of her telepathic abilities, was also starting to send out warning alarms, and even Kitty felt the hairs on her neck rise, as she felt something unnerving about their situation - <like that time at Darkmoor, when we met the robot creation of Arnim Zola!>. Only Brian seemed oblivious to what the others could all sense. It wasn't true though - the tall man could definitely sense something wrong up ahead, almost see it - <a facet of my Captain Britain powers I haven't seen before?> he just didn't let it show on his face.
Then, through a break in the rain, they all saw it - a tall, dark tower, built of stone, its walls bleak and forbidding, windowless; the cracks in the walls between the stones devoid even of moss, just totally dead; the only entrance, a dark doorway, flanked by stone statues in the form of great wolfhounds. There was no door in the dark emptiness between the statues, only a gaping opening.
"Come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly" commented Kitty, and Lockheed growled his agreement. Meggan went pale, as the dark emanations she had felt before redoubled in intensity, whilst Betsy strengthened her mental shielding against the pressure she felt begin to exert itself against her mind. Brian frowned at this new surprise.
"THIS is where our recent troubles have come from? Then we may want to reconsider our plan of action. I think that just walking in there would prove to be a big mistake. I wish Amanda was here, with her mystic powers she might be able to give us some idea of what we're up against here. We're in Ireland now - does anyone have any knowledge of Irish legends, or anything else which might tell us what we may be up against?" The others shook their heads - none of them had any real interest in mythology or legends. Kitty had once immersed herself in Norse mythology, after an adventure in Asgard, but that was of no help now. "Then I think we'd better take extra care going in. Kitty, would you take the lead? Betsy, you bring up the rear, and keep an eye out behind us. Meggan, you go behind me, I'll go behind Kitty. Any questions?" There were none. Kitty made her way to the front of the party. <This MUST be a part of the reason why my powers are returning, Merlyn said that, as Guardian of Britain, I would face mystic threats as well as more 'conventional' ones.>
"Kitty, you'd better be extra careful here - Meggan is positive that the source of our recent troubles is in here, but neither of us can risk searching for it - I can't use my telepathy at all, for fear of freeing Amahl Farouk, and I don't want to risk using my shadow powers in the home of a wielder of Black Magic. And Meggan's empathic powers would leave her open and vulnerable to possession, that's why she's going to rely on her physical powers whilst we're in there".
Kitty nodded, and drew her sword. "Trust me, Betsy, I know what I'm doing - I hope!" She turned and walked towards the open doorway, sword held in a loose, two-handed grip. Lockheed flew over her head. "'heed, give aerial cover - keep to the shadows overhead until you're needed, 'kay? Meg, better boost your strength just in case we run into trouble. Bri, if we lose contact, we daren't use telepathy to keep in touch or to search for the enemy, so it's the good ol' eyeball Mark 1 approach. Keep about, say, ten to twenty meters behind me. And just because I'm leading the way, it doesn't mean that you can shut your eyes and ears. Stay Alert - Your Country Needs Lerts!" She giggled, and started towards the open doorway.
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She laughed - the fools were coming to her even now. She turned back to her scrying orb. "The Cathayan, I think, should be the first target. She has closed off her mind powers, which makes her vulnerable. She can then stun the elfin woman, my prime target." She frowned. "Strange, that a woman of Cathay should be sister to a man of Albion. Still, it does mean that he should be reluctant to strike at her, even should I use my magic to overcome her will, which will enable the woman to down the elfin one. All that will then be required, is the defeat of the man and the girl. And that should not be too difficult. The girl will be no great threat, leaving only the man. OBGRINN! BARGATT! MEMLOKK! Ready yourselves. I have a foe for you to fight! Call forth the hounds!" And the woman laughed once more as the three huge figures loomed out of the blackness.
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