|
Tugs and Casey attempt to work together to decode the mysteries of the holocrystal weapons. Their relationship
is hampered however when Casey's red eyes frighten Tugs away. He confides to Lex that he's afraid Casey is something
evil. Casey, however, is suffering from doubts about her own heritage. To ease her mind, Quinn takes her to another
realm to spend time on his estate. There, they walk through the courtyard and discuss Casey's doubts. Unknown
to them, however, someone is watching from the shadows. The next day, Casey is running some scans on Insa in the kitchen.
Tristan and Quinn arrive separately, each looking for his own girl. Insa and Quinn exchange some biting banter, but
they are interrupted when a Ra named Darkra teleports right into the middle of the kitchen. He makes a grab for Casey,
but when the others defend her, he kidnaps all of them.
Tristan, Insa, and Casey find themselves in a prison cell in a Ra Onyx Pyramid, somewhere in another realm. Casey
demands to know what Darkra wants, but he replies he was merely following orders. Casey attempts to bargain for Tristan
and Insa's release but that fails and soon, the matron of the Ra Family herself, Sara, arrives demanding to see "the mongrel."
Casey is brought before her and Sara scrutinizes her, pronouncing that she is no more than one eighth Ra, at most. Her
interest shifts to Tristan however, and when Quinn arrives to attempt a rescue, she realizes that Tristan is the former Niflheim
prince.
Casey is sent off to a laboratory to be experimented on. Meanwhile, Sara decides that Tristan would serve as a
valuable bargaining chip against the Niflheim, who are always interferring in Ra business in the name of peace. Violently,
she cuts his face and mingles his blood with hers before poisoning him with arsenic. This strange spell has the affect
of turning Tristan into a Ra. To seal the spell, she encourages Tristan to kill either Insa or Quinn. Tristan,
however, demands Casey instead. While he and Quinn argue, Insa takes off her ring from Tristan and slips it into the
lock of the cage.
Sara locks Quinn and Insa back in the cage, causing all the shadows in the pyramid to vanish, effectively hobbling Quinn, and
leaves to find someone else for Tristan to kill, warning him to stay away from Casey until she's done with her. Tristan,
however, taunts Quinn briefly before leaving to find Casey, locked away in a laboratory. There, he torments her, but
the torments become torture as he takes out years of frustration with Quinn on Casey. Meanwhile, Quinn explains to Insa
that if Tristan does not kill anyone, he may revert to his former self. Using the ring she jammed the lock with, Insa
opens the cage and together, the two of them set out to find Tristan.
As Tristan is busy torturing Casey, Sara comes upon them. She tries to stop Tristan, but his unstable powers are
too strong for her and she is unable to rescue Casey. Convinced that controlling Tristan is not worth the effort, she
decides to wash her hands of the matter completely. She seeks out Quinn and Insa. Quinn gallantly defends Insa
before Sara tells them that she is giving up on Tristan. She restores the normal shadows to the pyramid, enabling Quinn's
powers again, and agrees to let them take Casey and Tristan and leave her and the Ra Family in peace.
Quinn and Insa burst into the laboratory, but are unable to get to Casey, as Tristan's unstable Ra powers have made him
more than a match for even Quinn. He tortures Casey in front of them, but when he's momentarily distracted by Insa,
Casey gives Quinn permission to read her mind, conveying a single word to him, "mirror." Quinn conjures up a mirror,
forcing Tristan to look at his reflection, which sends him into a Ra frenzy. Unable to use his powers, he is at the
mercy of the others who tie him up and bring him back to the Phoenix House to keep in the cage. Since he has not shed
blood, eventually, the Ra blood will wear off and he'll return to normal.
|
