Patchwork, Chapter 9 - Returning...

       They entered the Main Hall to find five of the Council there. They were to sitting on the dais but crowded round a table with a map on at the back of the Hall.

       "Rätsel?" Ura asked, turning round. "What are you doing here?"

       The members who were there came towards them. The one missing was Sinne.

       "Mort has something to tell you, Mum." Rätsel said evenly, not giving anything away.

       Shari'a turned to Mort and arched her eyebrow. "Yes?" she asked.

       Mort sighed. "Opstanak is free. Someone released him but I don't know who. The other Instincts aren't free, he said something about how he couldn't trust them so it's just him." Mort said, it seemed as if all of his lives had been building up to this.

       Rohkeus nodded grimly. "Hlad reported yesterday that odd things were happening in the south. People not caring if a car hit them or if they walked off a cliff. I remember this was how it started before." he said.

       There was murmured agreement to this.

       "So, Death," Jalousi said "As you were the one to see the vision, I believe you should be the one to go. Accompanied by your..." she looked at Espoir "Friends, of course."

       Fortvilelse looked at Mort hopefully.

       "Yes, you should." Shari'a and Rohkeus said.

       Ura nodded her agreement.

       "But shouldn't someone in a more experienced Mortal form go?" Mort asked.

       Shari'a laughed a little. "They might have a more experienced Mortal form but you have the knowledge of how to fight him. Age doesn't matter if you have the right knowledge." she said, smiling.

       "Do you agree then?" Ura asked. "Do all four of you?"

       Death, Riddles, Hope and Life nodded.

       "Then take your items of power." Rohkeus said with a slight hand gesture.

       Mort's scythe appeared in his hand and he felt his cloak materialise around his frame. At the same time he felt white hot energy tip into his blood stream and he heard a little tsss. His contact had burnt off his eye.

       Next to him, Rätsel was now wearing a dark, emerald green robe that matched his eyes with red sewn in around the neck and he was holding a long, copper staff which was topped with three large, sharp point, one of which was longer than the others by about three inches. 

       On Mort's right was Liv who was now wearing her white robe, her silver circlet and arm band and carrying her own staff.

        To the far right was Espoir whose hair was now free of purple streaks and just hung freely down to around the middle of her ribcage. She wore a long, sleeveless, dark blue dress that had two cuts on the sides of the waist and stretched to the floor. She also carried a silver rod, about half the length of a javelin, which was topped by a crackling and sparking blue sphere.

       After the last bits of energy had cooled in Mort's blood he heard someone run into the Hall. They all looked and Sinne was standing in the arch pointing at Mort.

       "Don't let that boy go anywhere!" he growled.

       "Why, Anger? What's wrong?" Jalousi asked, cocking her head.

       "He's just had a dream. It's nothing to worry about." Sinne said, walking closed and his thick, black boots making his steps echo around the Hall.

       "But this has happened before, don't you remember?" Shari'a asked.

       "That was different, we have no evidence that Opstanak is back." Sinne continued, grasping Mort's arm.

       "But we do, Hlad reported from the South yesterday. You were here." Ura replied, confusion on her face as to why Sinne was being like this.

       "Rätsel, check him." Rohkeus said, giving him a slight nudge. 

       Rätsel nodded and pointed his staff at Sinne so the longer point was above the others. "Are you Sinne Nightingale?" he asked in a voice made of honey.

       Sinne's eyes clouded over and his grip grew weak. "Yes." he slurred.

       "Why don't you want Mort to go?" Rätsel continued.

       "Because that would mess up his plans." Sinne replied dreamily.

       Eyes widened and a few gasps were made but Mort just narrowed his eyes. "I knew it." he hissed.

       Rätsel carried on. "Is Opstanak back?"

       "Yes, I helped him." Sinne said. Just these few words were enough to set everyone on edge.

       Rätsel put down his staff and bristled. "Rebirth?" he asked.

       "Most definitely." Jalousi said and nodded to Mort.

       Mort brought his scythe down and cut across Sinne's stomach. 

       Sinne collapsed on the floor. "No, no! You don't understand!" he screamed, his veins showing black through his skin. "I was just protecting the traditions! All I wanted was for the Kinds to be separate again! He'll do that!" his face twisted into forms of agony.

       "Separate us?! He'll kill us!" Espoir shouted at him and went to kick him but Mort held her back.

       "No, you'll get sucked in too." he said.

       As he finished his sentence black light shot from the cut and kept growing until it engulfed all of Sinne. After a few moments it faded away and Sinne was no longer there and Liv's staff was pulsing a soft yellow.

       Rohkeus opened his mouth to say something when the whole room shook. White brick and glass fell from the ceiling and cracks stretched up the pillars like long fingers. The Emotions were thrown to the floor but only Liv seemed to be in pain. Mort stumbled across the shaking room towards her and collapsed by her side.

       "What's wrong?" he shouted over the roar of tumbling brick.

       She raised a hand and pointed through the arc. Mort helped her up with her arm around his shoulders and lead her through the arc with the others following shakily. They reached the main door when the shaking stopped. Rohkeus pushed open the door and light flooded over them but all eyes were now on the six figures climbing to their feet in the small, stone courtyard.

       They each were rubbing their heads and no climbing up the steps. The Emotions all looked at each other  for a moment then the nine in the doorway knelt before the six new comers.

       The Original Feeling were back.

Was anyone expecting that? Probably but I was just to blind to notice. And don't say that 'Sinne was just given rebirth so he shouldn't be there, there should only be five Feeling there' or something. It's no typo, it' meant to be like that.

Lynxia x