Chapter 6 – Liars, Monsters and Thieves

AN – I'M BACK! :D

Firstly let me humbly apologise for how long it took this chapter to come out :/ I finished college, got a job, got retrenched and have just been too busy to even look at this. But I'm back now, and will hopefully be posting slightly more often than last time… hopefully :P

Oh, and I just realised that the last chapter I posted was terrible! I will be editing it before I post this chapter so it ends suits this part a little better. You may want to read the reviewed end so that this will make more sense :)

Thanks to k23vegas, Bloodfin, Menethil and number1stormhawksfan for adding my story to their favourites

Thanks to Skylar3065, RedtailHawk19, Zosch and Bloodfin for adding my story to their alert list

Suzy: I'm so glad you like it ^^

Orijam: Thank you, I'm glad you like it! If you have anything you'd like to see happen in the future of the story, please tell me! I completely agree with you, bro. there needs to be more Maul based fics out there. And I sincerely apologise for the late updates =(

Dursky: Why thank you! I hope the future chapters continue to impress :D

Bi-Beast King: I'm flattered! :P And Yes, I am continuing… just an extremely long occasion of writers block *is ashamed of herself* Thank you for taking the time to review, it really means a lot to me!

14 Forsaken Sons: I wish I knew where it's going as well! It just sort of happens... Thank you also for reviewing! :D

Tarja the wind witch: I am so glad you like the story, and I sincerely apologise for how long it has taken me to write this next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last! :D

Mystery: Here it is! Sadly, I am not a prolific writer so I don't upload as often as I would like…

DarkOverlord 11245: Thank you for reminding me about this story. Here is another chapter for you! I hope it lives up to your expectations ^.^

-o-

He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but even after a fortnight of moving, the effort it took to make just the short walk from his room to the kitchen table was immense. It had been a week since he had dreamed of Nyree and his Master but the apprehension he had felt afterwards hadn't left. Sitting down at the sun drenched table for what was initially just a short rest, he drifted off to sleep. It was not long, however, before his peaceful slumber was once again disturbed by the dreams.

He is walking down a seemingly endless corridor. He somehow knows he must get to the end. That there is someone he needs to see there. The feeling of desperation grows slowly until he finds that he is running. He must reach the end, he must! Suddenly he is thrown backwards by some invisible force, down a chasm that has opened behind him. He falls, landing on his back with a sickening crunch. He lies there, motionless, for a while until he hears slow, measured footsteps coming closer and closer to the edge of the rift. He tries to move, but finds he can't. The more he struggles, the more stuck he becomes until it feels like the oozing mud has enveloped him completely. He stops struggling when he realises that the footsteps have stopped. He looks up, and sees Nyree staring back at him.

"Well, my apprentice," comes a terrifyingly familiar voice from behind the girl. "I see you are in a spot of… trouble." His master's face appears behind Nyree, who seems oblivious to the danger she is in. The Sith lord's face is adorned with a cold and unpleasant expression.

He tries to yell out to Nyree, to tell her about the Sith standing behind her. But his voice is not in his own power, and the only word that leaves his mouth is,

"Master."

Nyree smiles at him and reaches down, as if to take his hand. She opens her mouth to speak, but when she does, the voice belongs to Sidius, who puts a gnarled hand on the girls head.

"Very good."

He yells hoarsely at her, his voice ripping painfully from his throat.

"No! Not you! Not this..." his voice dies out in a ghastly whisper as he feels his vocal cords tearing with the effort making sound against their will. Blood bubbles up in the back of his throat and a thin trickle escapes down his chin. He can't breathe. He feels the moisture being drawn deeper and deeper into his lungs with each breath he takes. The pain is unbearable.

His eyes flew open as he jolted awake, as one so often does after dying in ones own dreams. His pupils contracted painfully, protesting in agony against the sudden, harsh glow of the midday sun. He shook his head to clear his vision and turned towards the homes interior before opening his eyes once again. But when he did, the sight he was met with nearly stopped his heart.

-o-

The girl had let go of his hand to open the front door to one of the small huts. She motioned for him to follow her quietly, whispering,

"We can't wake up Mama's people, the ones she helps."

As they stepped into the tiny, dim hallway she spoke again,

"I'll get Mama, can you wait?"

He nodded at her, a serene smile on his face, "Yes child, I can wait. You go and find your mother."

She excitedly made her way to the houses interior. He looked with disgust at the neat, albeit cheaply painted, adobe walls and the rough furniture. He had never understood how people could allow themselves to live in slums like this. He walked a little down the hall and peered into the first room he came across. The healer's treatment room, it was filled with medicines and herbal concoctions. His eye caught on a messily made mattress, lifted off the ground by some crates, in one corner of the room.

"Sir?" he started a little at the girl's voice behind him and turned to face her. "Mama is in the garden. Come with me." She smiled brightly at him and he gave her his hand. As they walked, he glanced into each room they passed, hoping for a glimpse of his apprentice. She led him to a comparatively spacious room, bathed in golden sunlight. As he stepped inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to his apprentice, sleeping fitfully at the table. His torso was swathed in bandaged and his shoulders horribly scarred.

He suddenly realised he had stopped walking, and was staring at the Zabrak. The girl turned to him, quizzically.

"A Zabrak?" he asked genially. "The Zabraks do not usually seek out the help of healers who are not of their own race."

"They found him hurted and brought him to Mama," the girl explained. "He's my friend! He's called Master Gath. He's a Jedi!" She was looking at 'Gath' with adoration shining in her eyes.

Suddenly the Zabrak yelled loudly and hoarsely, then he jerked awake, squeezing his eyes shut against the glow of the sun and shaking his head viciously. He turned his tattooed face towards them and opened his bloodshot eyes. When his gaze hit them, his expression changed to one of confusion, then horrified understanding.

-o-

Inyri had been in the garden gathering the herbs and vegetables she would need for the day. Leeks, carrots, celery and onions were haphazardly piled in a basket. She hummed softly to herself. It was so peaceful here, in her garden. She made her way to the wooden hatch covering the grain storage to get a measure of barley for their lunch.

Then she heard the scream. Dropping everything, she made her way quickly towards the house. Through the open doorway she saw Master Gath staring tensely at a cloaked old man who was holding her daughter tightly by the arm. She began running. The man saw her and stretched out his hand towards her. She felt a sudden pressure force her to the ground as the door slammed shut.

She could faintly hear Master Gath calling to Nyree, and her daughter crying that the man was hurting her. She got up and ran to the door, pounding on it with her fists, but it was locked tight. She ran to the window and the last thing she saw before she passed out was Master Gath rising from his seat and reaching out his hands towards the old man, releasing a crackling, blue stream of lightning.

Short and sweet, eh?

Please Review, my loves