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Date Posted: 10:09:54 03/21/02 Thu
Author: Marz
Subject: Reflecting on Eremis
In reply to: Tristan 's message, "Not the fairest" on 00:32:14 03/21/02 Thu

Marz frowned when he saw Corum disappear down the stairs in the center of the room. What the hell was wrong with that jerk? The ex-gang leader strode toward the opening in the floor. He intended to beat the crap out of Corum for taking off on his own. The idiot might be walking into a trap or something worse. There was nobody down there to save his ass should a monster pop out and try to gobble him up!

When the skull-staff wielder poked his head out of the hole in the floor, Marz sighed in relief. He rushed forward to grab the back of Corum's shirt, hauling him off the staircase. "Didn't I say we should finish checking things up here before we do anything else?"

Corum nodded. "But, Yorik wanted to go down the stairs."

After rolling his eyes, Marz stared at the skull that sat upon the staff. "We need to stay together, Yorik cause there's like safety in numbers, you got that?" He felt a little silly taking to an inanimate object, but maybe the damn thing could understand him since Corum talked to it all the time. "Come on." He pulled his friend along, taking him to one of the tapestries.

Marz got Corum to help him take the heavy tapestry down from the wall when he saw something moving behind it. After dropping it to the floor, they stared at the swirling mass of colors that played on the wall before them.

"That looks like the portal I fell into back home," Jeremy cried, running over to join them. "The one that brought me here." He pulled a candy bar from his pack and touched a corner to the swirling mass. The bar was sucked from his hand, disappearing into the colors. "Maybe that can take me back home!"

"And maybe it can take your ass to the raking planes of hell!" Marz hissed, pulling the youth back when he stepped closer to the wall. "We don't know where it leads so we're leaving it alone, right Jeremy?"

The otherworldly youth nodded slowly. He really wanted to go home, but Marz was right. They had no idea where the portal would spit them out. But, thinking that he might be passing up his only opportunity to return to his home world left him a little depressed.

Marz spun around when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. "What?" he asked, looking up at the tall Jann that traveled with their group.

"Sheikh Daraba have dream to find throne in underground catacombs," Benis said, before pointing to the stairs in the center of the room. "We must go down to hunt for what we seek."

"Look moron," Marz said, his voice tinged with anger. "I'm leading this group, not your raking Sheikh! We'll go down those stairs when I say its time to go down them and not before!" He shoved the big man aside then made his way to Tristan when he heard him call out something about a relic room. Jeremy, Saras, Corum, and Tia followed behind him, all entering the room at once. They arrived in time to see an image of Laurel and Justin displayed on a mirror propped up in one corner.

"What the hell is going on?" Marz asked.

Once again, Rowan recited the words embossed upon the top of the mirror. "Speak, pilgrim, what you would see, and to thee it shall be granted."

"I want to try it!" Jeremy shouted, but Tristan slipped in front of the mirror before he could get to it.

Inwardly, Marz winced when the dragon asked to see Eremis because he had a feeling that his lover wouldn't be too happy with what he saw. Tegol's men were never very gentle with prisoners. His eyes shifted to the mirror where he saw a naked Eremis lying upon a bed. Immediately, Marz noted the expensive green silk sheet that covered the mattress and the short, black satin robe lying beside Eremis. The healer's neck was slightly red as if he had recently been choked and a thin cut spread across his left wrist. Eremis stared off into the distance, his once vivid blue eyes now dull and clouded from drug use.

Marz jumped with Tristan touched the mirror, causing a brilliant flash of light to emanate from it. An instant later he was kneeling on the floor beside his lover, pulling him into an embrace. "Go check out that other room," Marz shouted at the rest of the group that stood around gaping at them.

"But, I want to try the mirror," Jeremy protested.

Marz tightened his hold on Tristan while glaring at the otherworldly youth. "Later Jeremy! Leave us alone for a few minutes."

Tia grabbed Jeremy's arm and pulled him from the room, beckoning the others to follow her. "We'll get back to the mirror after we search that other room," she promised, before lifting up to give Jeremy a kiss on his cheek.


"Where did he go?" Tristan asked, reaching out to touch the glass again. "What happened?'

Marz took both of the dragon's hands into his own then gazed deeply into his eyes. "At least he's still alive, Tris." Although he probably wishes he were dead. "And, I don't think he's with Tegol anymore, exactly."

"How do you know that?"

Marz squeezed Tristan's hands then sat back on his heels. He knew that his lover wanted him to be honest, but he also knew that such honestly now would tear him up inside because Tristan cared deeply for Eremis.

"Tell me!" the dragon commanded. "And, no bullshit!"

After taking a deep breath, Marz lowered his eyes. "Tegol's prisoners are normally kept in small cages housed in the cellars of his many establishments. The ones that aren't tortured to death are addicted to drugs then sent off to work the streets with the thugs already in his organization. Many times, Tegol will gift one of his lieutenants with a prisoner if an interest is mentioned. I had a run in with this asshole lieutenant named Tomad before I joined up with Tegol, and when he found out I was in the organization, he asked if he could have me, but the crimelord refused his request."

Marz chewed on his bottom lip while hoping that Eremis wasn't anywhere near Tomad. "Because of the environment we saw Eremis in, I believe he's probably become a slave to one of the mercs in the upper ranks. Either that or he's in a high-class whorehouse, but that don't make sense because Tegol doesn’t own any high classed establishments."

He thought back to all the high-ranking mercenaries he had met while working for Tegol. Most of them were sadistic in one way or another, but Tristan really didn't need to know that. He hoped that the dragon hadn't noticed the marks on Eremis neck when he saw him in the mirror. "A lot of the mercs treat their boy toys pretty decently. As long as they obey without question. Eremis didn't look too bad off, except for the drug addiction of course. But, we knew that was going to happen the minute we heard Tegol had him."

His hand came up to stroke Tristan's cheek. "He's alive, Tris," he said again. "And Darius and the others at the tavern are trying their best to find him." Marz leaned it to place a light kiss on his lover's lips. "Are you well enough to move on now, or would you like to talk about this a little more?"

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