Enter Abyss

Chapter 30; New paths.

The moment Pip saw Mordren led out a bound Galen and Archer, she felt her stomach drop to her toes.

In truth, once Archer had abandoned her in the streets not fifteen minutes ago, she began to wonder if the months of secrets meetings and trainings had all been for the right reason. She had done this for him and all he had done was reject her offer for revenge on Thaddeus. Instead, he had run off into the fire and smoke like and idiot and had bloody well gotten himself caught, the twit.

Pip scowled, a prick of guilt beginning to prod her ever so slightly. Part of this was her fault, she knew; she had played quite a big role in designing the attacks and the times when they would happen.

But now, looking at the destruction around her, he could not help but feel slightly bad about the whole ordeal. Usually, Pip was all for a bit of violence, but this, this was not the sort of fun violence that she enjoyed. This violence was messy, people were dying, and the city was in ruins.

She had not thought it would come to this...

Pushing her way through the gathering crowd, Pip came to stand before Mordren, gesturing angrily at Galen and Archer.

"And just what do you bloody think you're doing with my cousin?" she spat. Commander or no commander, she spoke to Mordren as she always did-- and she was the only one who could get away with it too.

But Mordren simply reguarded her with a cold gaze. "Piper, dearest, these are prisoners of war. They are our enemy."

"You promised me that Archer wouldn't get hurt." Pip hissed, trying desperately to catch her cousin's eye.

Archer ignored her completely, turing his shoulder to her.

If he could have, Pip was certain he would have hit her by now. For even though Archer did not grow angry often, when he did, it was frightening.

"I assure you," Mordren purred, "No harm will come to them from me."

Pip scowled, nodding at his guards. "And what about them?"

"They do as I say. See to it that you remain on my side and no harm shall come to them. I promise you."

Pip frowned, yet she said nothing, standing stone still as Mordren walked up to her, taking her face gently in his hands and wispering softly, "Trust me." His voice grew softer. More familiar. Now, as he stared into her eyes, it was more like the man she knew. 

Sighing, she let go of some of her anger, gazing back at him and nodding slowly. She would trust him; he was in the right, she knew. He would do as he promised.

For her.

She watched as he let go of her, stepping away to face the crowds gathered before them, waiting to hear what the new king had to say. 

Coming to stand beside Archer, Pip barely listened to Mordren's victory speech, instead whispering to her cousin, "He's not going to execute you, you know. I asked him to keep both of you save."

"That's the least you could have done." Archer spat, his voice cutting into her viciously.

"I did this for you, you know. Galen never would have given you revenge on Thaddeus, on the Keepers-- but Mordren will, you'll see."

"No. I won't."

Pip huffed. Why did Archer always have to be so unreasonable? She had trained for so long to give him this. To give him revenge.

Looking up at Mordren once more, Pip tuned her ears to his speech, ignoring Archer seething beside her.

"People of the Abyss!" he said, "Today we have won a great victory; not only for the crown, but for glory, for freedom!"

A cheer rose up from the crowd and Pip saw Mordren smile, a glint in his eyes. He continued, "From this day forth, we make plans to march on the surface world, to take back what should be rightfully ours. But first, for the matter still at hand; my brother, once king of the Abyss, stands here today as an enemy."

The crowd hissed and booed, though Pip noted a few who frowned at Mordren's words as though they didn't agree.

"But though the old laws say that an enemy of the crown must be killed, he is my brother," Mordren stated, "And I shall not harm him, nor his friend--"

Pip breathed a sigh of relief.

"--Instead I sentence them to banishment, never to return on penalty of death."

Feeling her face drain of colour, Pip stared in disbelief as the crowd cheered wildly at the sight of Archer and Galen being dragged away by the guards.

No... No this could not be happening. 

"Wait!" she yelled, running after the guards and feeling someone suddenly pull her back.

In a whirl, Mordren had lifted her up and spun her around. Setting her down, she felt him kiss her, hard and passinate.

"We won, Pip." he said as the people of the Abyss continued to whoop joyously all around them, crowding them in. But Pip barely paid any attention to them as her eyes searched frantically for any sign of Archer, to no avail.

They were gone, swallowed up by the throes of people.

They were gone, and she never had a chance to say goodbye....

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The darkness was almost too much, the cold too comsuming. It settled over him like a heavy blanket, pulling him deeper, deeper, toward eternal blackness, toward death.

'No,' he thought frantically, 'I can't leave, not yet. Please not yet...'

And it was at that moment when all Cogs wanted was to go home.

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