|
|
|
Loki? Luke's apprentice? What secrets are Loki's lavender eyes hiding? find out now!
Chapter Two
“Her Fall From Grace”
Lokina Bloodfire Meridean sat on her knees before Luke on the padded floor of the gym on the seventh level of the Academy. She had been his apprentice for three days now and the news shocked most of the people she told. Especially Xinix, who found out down the grape vine.
Luke seen her as a very complex puzzle. She didn’t trust easy, maybe because someone close to her betrayed her. She didn’t enjoy Luke staring at her right arm which, most of the time, was covered with a long black glove. He knew why he wore a black glove over his right hand. It was bionic. But, he thought to himself, where could she have lost her arm?
Right now, he was teaching her how to center herself and control her fiery temper.
“A Jedi is always at peace,” he said. She nodded. “A Jedi is also calm and tranquil. You never want to lose your head in the middle of anything. Ever. A Jedi can be called for any number of reasons. To settle a dispute between warring planets, to save a diplomat, to resolve galactic war, and, in extreme cases, go into battle.” Loki raised an eyebrow.
“A Jedi can be called to get a kitten out of a tree, too, I guess,” she said. Luke sighed.
“If you can’t take this seriously . . .”
“No, no,” she said. “I can it’s just that the Jedi seem to do everything and yet nothing.”
“That does make some sense,” Luke reasoned. “The Jedi are the guardians of peace and they bring balance to the Force.” Loki looked up sharply. “Something wrong?”
“There was no they,” she said. “There was a he.” Luke swallowed.
“You’re referring to Anakin Skywalker?” He asked, quietly.
“Lord Vader,” she whispered. Her left hand flew to her right arm and she rubbed it absently. Luke noticed this. A breakthrough? Maybe. But he’d have to tread lightly.
“You knew him?” He asked, casually. She laughed bitterly.
“Knew him.” She looked at him sideways. “Yeah, I knew him.” Luke blinked. He wasn’t expecting that.
“How did you know him?” He demanded. Her eyes locked on his and wouldn’t let go. “Answer me, Loki.” She made no move to answer him. Luke sighed. “Thank you, by the way. For helping me with Xinix.”
“Call it a debt repaid,” she muttered. Luke was about to say something when she stood “Are we gonna spar like you promised or are you just going to sit there and preach?” She asked, scathingly. Luke stood as well.
“We’ll use powered down sabers,” he said. “That way, no one will get hurt.” Loki grinned, showing perfect teeth.
“After what I saw yesterday, I think the only one getting hurt will be you,” she said. Luke’s eyes narrowed. Loki’s hand extended towards the wall, where the sabers hung on hooks. The one she chose flew to her hand. She moved a pace back and engaged it. It was bright blue. She smiled to herself and raised it so that the light fell on one side of her face, giving it an eerie glow. Luke did the same, albeit with a pinch less effort. His saber was bright green.
“Come at me hard and be controlled,” Luke instructed. “Keep your face and arms protected, or they’ll get burned.” Loki glared at him.
“I’m not a beginner at this,” she said. “You saw me kick the snot out of Xinix. I can do it to you.” Luke smiled to himself. He crossed his arms expertly, not burning himself with his own saber. Loki rolled her eyes. Show off, she thought.
“Really now?” He said. “You think you can beat me, a Jedi Master?”
Loki grinned, grimly. “I’ve beaten better and uglier.” Luke frowned. He figured it was a jab at him, but chose to ignore it. Loki twirled her saber in her right hand before stepping around Luke. He made the correct opposite steps, going on the defensive.
Then she attacked. She swung high at his head, then at his legs when he blocked that one. Their sabers locked. Loki and Luke were bent in identical, opposite angles. Loki then did something Luke did not expect. She brought her left leg up and kicked his forehead. He was flung back and onto his elbows. She rounded on him, bringing her saber to his neck. He parried, luckily. If he did not, he would have been badly burned.
“If that’s how you want to play,” he grunted up to her. He brought his legs up and under her chest and kicked up. The wind was knocked out of her and she stumbled backwards. Loki coughed and glared at him as he flipped to his feet. Her eyes glowed that lavender color again, but only for a moment, like a pulse.
“Who’s playing?” She spat, breathing heavily. “The only thing I’m ‘playing’ at, is getting you laid out and on your way to the med-wing.”
“You’re cocky,” Luke spat, breathing heavily as well. “That will be your downfall, Padawan.” Her eyes narrowed and she lunged again, this time moving faster. His provoking worked, pulling Loki out of her reprieve. Luke parried and stepped back as she moved forward.
Loki brought her right hand up in a hook that caught him under the chin. Adding to the clip, Luke felt a searing pain under his rib cage. He looked down. His black tunic was torn in three long gashes, as if an animal had slashed at him. He was bleeding. Luke looked up. Loki was standing feet away, breathing very heavily now, her saber hanging loosely in her left hand, her right hand raised slightly. It was engulfed in that purple fire, with her eyes to match.
Luke blinked. He threw his saber into the floor, where it stuck there at an angle. Loki’s eyes darted to it. Then he came at her. It was just a kick at first, then he dropped to one knee and swung his extended leg the other around. Loki was on her back now. She flipped up, her saber forgotten, and glared at him from where she was, crouched several feet away now. Loki stood and the other hand burst into fire as well. Then she threw them like baseballs. Luke dodged a few but she hit him more than once. Getting tired of this one sided fight, Luke sent a strong Force Push at her that made her hit the wall. She hit it hard and fell forward.
Luke was afraid for a moment that he had hurt her. But then she looked up. Her eyes were iris-less and that glowing lavender. Her black hair came out of the knot she had it in at the nape of her neck.
Luke hesitated, not knowing what to expect. Then an entity emerged from her. It swirled in the air for a moment and took shape of first a beautiful girl. She looked very much like Loki, but with very long hair and gentle eyes. Then it changed into a bird. Luke recognized it. It was a bird on the remote planet of Mythica: the Phoenix. It hovered for a moment, some wispy connections still coming from Loki’s bare shoulders (she was wearing a white tank top that day.) Then it flew at him. Once it was more than a few feet away, Loki slumped as if she had swooned. It raced at Luke with surprising speed and collided with him headlong.
Luke found it hard to describe the feeling. He was conscious, yet his mind was shared. He felt her presence and shivered, but his body remained motionless. Luke knew he was on his back, staring at the ceiling of the gym. Memories surfaced that weren’t his. Pain, horrible pain, on the right side of his body. He was standing on a cat walk, clinging to some equipment over an abyss. He had never felt so hopeless, yet it all seemed familiar to him somehow.
I’ve just lost my hand, he thought. His mind’s eye looked down. His entire arm was missing, replaced by bloody, black robe tatters and screams. Not his screams. They seemed to be feminine cries of pain.
“I’LL NEVER JOIN YOU!”
And then nothing. He fell into the abyss. That darkness seemed comforting.
2
Luke’s eyes fluttered open. His vision was shot; all he could see were fuzzy shapes and colors. From what he could surmise, there were three beings, one on the left, one on the right, and one standing over his head.
“Jeez, Lo, what did you do to the poor guy?” The thing on the left said.
“What do you think, stupid?” The thing on the right said.
“Shh, both of you. He’s coming around.” The thing in the center said.
“It’ll take him a second to regain his bearings.” The right said.
“He might puke.” The left said.
“That was so needed.” The right said again.
“Shut it, both of you!” The middle thing said.
Luke rubbed his eyes. “All of you,” he mumbled, his mouth sounding like it was full of sand and his throat, cotton. He looked again. Mara was there, his head in her lap. Loki was on his right and Roki on his left.
“Farmboy?” Mara asked. She clicked her fingers in his face once. “All there?” He nodded and got to his elbows.
“Sithspit,” he muttered. He looked to Loki. “What did you do to me?” She didn’t answer right away. Mara looked at her with warning in her eyes.
“It’s called the Soulself,” Loki said, though she didn’t sound sure.
“The what?” Luke asked. Loki took a deep breath, obviously struggling to control herself.
“The Soulself is essentially my soul, which I can force from my body and into that of another person or thing. Once my soul is there, my consciousness is theirs. I can delve through secrets, memories, and control that person to a certain degree.” She licked her lips. “Was it purple?” Luke nodded. “Good.” Then she fell silent. Loki got up abruptly and left them. Luke didn’t see her at dinner and Roki didn’t know where she was, not that he was telling if he did..
Later, in his and Mara’s shared quarters, Luke still couldn’t shake the feeling he got when her soul entered him. Like pins and needles, that tingling sensation one gets when their foot falls asleep, but at the same time, like being tickled by the gentle movements of flowers being blown by a breeze.
“She was the one who ran for me,” Mara said from the bed. She was reading there while Luke looked out to the forest from the balcony. “Apparently, she exorcized herself from you and you didn’t wake up when you should have.” Luke looked at her over his shoulder.
“Exorcized herself from me?” He repeated. Mara nodded.
“It’s what the twins call when she pulls out of a host,” she explained.
“Host?!”
Mara rolled her eyes. “Yes, host, Farmboy.” Luke rubbed his temples and walked back into the room.
“How do you know so much about them? I barely know her,” Luke said, laying face down next to her. Mara rubbed his back with affection, holding her book in her left hand.
“I took Rokion as my apprentice,” she said. Luke looked up at that.
“Who?”
Mara snapped her book shut.
“Rokion. Loki’s brother? He goes by Roki.” Luke nodded. Mara looked at the ceiling and shook her head. “You’re hopeless, Farmboy.” He said something but it was muffled by the comforter. “Maybe you should try to get to know your Apprentice. I dunno. Try taking her to Curoscant for a spa day or something!” Luke looked up again.
“I’m not out to make friends with them,” he said. “I do, sometimes, more often than not I do, but this one just seems so difficult. She doesn’t want to be near me, let alone share secrets and give each other mani-pedi’s.” He let his head fall again. Mara gave a little laugh, the rolled her eyes.
“If you want, I’ve got a bottle of red nail polish in the ‘fresher,” she joked. He moaned. “But seriously, you can learn a lot about your twin if you just sit down and talk to her. I got loads from my twin.” Luke rolled over this time. His neck was getting tired.
“My twin? Is that what we’re referring to them as now?” He asked.
“I’m serious, Luke,” Mara said. “Roki is very nice once you get to know him. He even told me about Lo’s powers.” Luke snorted.
“Lo. Is that her nickname’s nickname?” Mara rolled her eyes.
“She’s the only person, only Jenovian, who can master all Five of the Soul Arts,” Mara said. Luke frowned, puzzled.
“Soul Arts?” He repeated. Mara nodded. “And just what exactly are those?”
“Well, the Soulself is one of them,” Mara said. “Remember when Loki asked whether it was purple or not?” Luke nodded. “You didn’t think that was strange?” Luke shrugged. “Well, anyway, purple is her Soulself color. The Arts reflect what her emotions are when she unleashes them. If it’s neon green, like violent, in-your-face green, it’s the Soul Sacrifice. That’s basically the Soulself that lets off tons of energy. Crippling energy. Nothing can withstand it, nothing living anyway, without passing out or losing some stride. But it takes a lot out of her, which is why it’s the Soul Sacrifice. If it’s blue, it’s the Soul Exchange, which switches the souls of two people, herself and the host. It’s used if she needs to transfer her memories into the memories of the host and vice versa. Then they’re the Forbiddens.”
“The Forbiddens?” Luke repeated. Mara’s face darkened.
“If her eyes turn red and her soul comes out looking like it’s on fire, that means it’s the Soul Corruption. Anything it goes into turns horribly evil. And that’s not even the worst one. If it’s black, it’s the ShadowSelf. It kills anything it envelops in its orb or anything it enters.”
“How can one girl be able to do that, all of that?” Luke asked. Mara bit her lip. “You know something else, don’t you?” Mara took a breath.
“You know she and Roki are Jenovian, right?” Luke nodded. “Well, Jenovians are very much like Tamaranians when it comes to humans. They look it, but they’re something more. The same goes for Draconics. While they are less alien and more human, they possess abilities even the Force can’t bring. In fact, it takes years to master Force Fire if you’re not a Jenovian.” She stopped and looked at her soon-to-be husband. “What I’m about to tell you never leaves this room, understand?” Luke swore it.
“When the Empire was still strong, Draconia and Jenovia were free planets. They were ruled by monarchies, by two royal families. For Draconia, it was the Cranes, Jaken’s family. For Jenovia, it was the Merideans, Loki’s mother. Her father had been exiled for years and the throne was going to be her’s because she was the eldest of the two children.
“She was also the prophesied Rose Queen, reincarnated. This prophecy said that the Rose would bring peace back to Jenovia, and, possibly, the galaxy. When the Draconic king wished to discuss peace with Kidanaila, Loki’s mother, of course, she took her and Roki along. They were maybe eight or nine. Something happened. Kon, Jaken’s father, went mad and declared war between the planets, who had been fighting little skirmishes for centuries.
“Now Loki dearly loved Jenovia, so she was prepared to do whatever it took to keep the planet safe. But when Kon told her his conditions, it was the one thing she could not do.”
“What was it?” Luke asked, feeling as if he was being told a legend or a bed time story.
“Marry the Crown Prince, Jaken,” Mara said. “Loki was the most beautiful thing Kon had ever seen, it was said, and he wanted her, but he was married and far too old, so he told her to marry his son, and he would declare peace. But Jaken didn’t want to and neither did Loki. She refused to marry without love. So the invasion began and many people were killed.
“Jaken was around thirteen when it all happened, and was put in charge of the navy. He was the Admiral of the Draconic Armada and was commanded to destroy the Jenovian capital city of Blood Rose. He refused and was banished and mind-wiped because of it. He doesn’t remember, of course, but he’s not who we’re talking about.
“Knowing her daughter and son may be in danger, Kidanaila sent them to Naboo with the court Mage, a woman known as Joanna, her sister. Now, Jenovian rule was this: a name of a common peasant could not exceed four letters; a long name was reserved for royalty. So the twins were forced to shorten their names for protection and to remain hidden. Lokina became Loki and Rokion became Roki and Joanna became Joan.
“But Loki felt as if she had done nothing to save the planet, so she did something that would change her life forever.” Mara paused to catch her breath. “She sold herself to the Empire. Walked right up to a group of Stormtroopers and demanded to see Vader. In exchange for Jenovian and Draconic exclusion from the Rebellion war and Imperial invasions, she became Vader’s slave. She was nine, at a time when you weren’t even dreaming about the Rebellion.
“When Vader discovered her powers, he hid her from the Emperor and trained her in the Sith and Jedi arts as his apprentice.” Luke’s jaw dropped. “And then something terrible happened and, when she was thirteen, Vader sent her back to Joanna, because ‘it was no longer safe for her.’”
“I wonder what happened,” Luke said thoughtfully. Mara shrugged. “What, you don’t know either?” Mara shook her head.
“Only Loki knows,” she said. “You’ll have to talk to her about it. Pleasant dreams.” And she clicked off her light and slithered under the covers and settled for sleep.
But Luke lay awake thinking about the day’s events and what Mara had just said.
3
Loki walked down the hall, head bobbing with her MP7's headphones blaring in her ears. Yesterday’s events were behind her. Back to Loki. She was well liked by her friends (the Sweet Sixteen, they were called.) It was lunch time but they decided to meet in a new spot in the forest they dubbed Party Cove. It was a grotto and a waterfall that had possibilities as a rave spot.
Then it happened. It happened hard and quick and by surprise. Loki was sent flying to one side in a flash of Force and another flash of pain as her right arm, her bad arm, hit the wall first and then suffered the recoil as the rest of her body crashed into it. She slid to the floor and sat there, dazed. Loki heard his cackling laugh as her head cleared. She saw him and rage flared up inside her chest. She pulled her headphones out of her ears and stowed them and the MP7 behind a statue she had miraculously not crashed into.
Xinix stood there, smiling in cold satisfaction. Loki stood and flexed her hands.
“You’re going to regret that,” she said.
Loki vs Xinix, round two, coming up in the next episode . . .
TBC
 Blakaize · Tue Dec 18, 2007 @ 10:29pm · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
