Duel of the Gemini

Counterstrike

With the old vampire at his side, Sorin mounted the small stage. A dark pall hung over the mass that had gathered to hear their words. Many moved deeper into shadows, and most kept their hands near the hilt of their blades. Sorin’s magic lent him an arrogant confidence against such simple attacks, but the vampires were not to be underestimated. More importantly, he respected the power of distrust. At this moment, it was his strongest enemy. Ge let the advisor-priest speak first, addressing his people in their native voice.
“Mia! Tel magea a-tel Liliana i-hirasi koa. Il-tora.”
Disquiet murmurs greeted Sorin as he stepped forward.
“I tell them, you can bring Liliana back to us,” whispered Anowon, “and I ask them to listen. Now, you speak, and I will translate for you.”
Sorin chose his words carefully, knowing more than his own life was a stake. Summoning his strength, he let his voice reach out over the crowd.
“I know you have reason enough to distrust me. All I can promise you is that I share your desires: to see the Queen Liliana safely returned to us.” Though they couldn’t understand him, the crowd shifted visibly at the sound of Liliana’s name. Anowon hesitated for a moment, and then began to translate as clearly as possible. Sorin knew it was now or never. “I know that without her you feel lost. But I look now and I still see what I saw before: the strongest warriors in all of Zendikar! You are not lost, you are united! If you fight as one, no enemy can oppose you!” Faces turned to one another and voices whispered in the dark. The passion to stand together and fight was as strong as ever, fuelled by the sense of loss they felt at Liliana’s disappearance. It would not take much to convince them. In the distance, the ever-present sound of Eldrazi destruction set the backdrop for his words. “Together, we will defeat the Planeswalker who has taken your Queen. Together, we will fight Tezzeret and force him to give back what he has taken from you. And together, when that is done, we will fight with your Queen, and we will purge this land of the Eldrazi, once and for all!”
Desperate though they were, uncertainty still ruled the hearts of the warrior-tribes. Nervously they glanced at each other, many implored Anowon for his wisdom. Finally a few voices broke the crowd, declaring in the vampire tongue that it was better to fight with one who was willing to risk all than to cower in fear. Others joined until before long a great chorus had erupted. They were ready. 
Between the endless dawn-red skies and the sprawling dark-green forests, the most feared army on Zendikar flew on the backs of their wicked-toothed zha-kari. In the centre of the armada flew two particularly dominating specimens, each bearing a handful of riders. On one, Anowon rode with his eyes closed and arms outstretched to the sun, crying out prayers of power and victory for the mighty warriors. From the other, Sorin coordinated the attack with crudely translated orders. In the distance he could make out a clearing, and rightly guessed that the keen eyes of the vampire warriors could see it too. No more instructions were necessary: they were all aware of the stakes.
Under his arm Sorin held tight a strange object. It had the shape of a sphere, with crude markings and a strong aura of malicious magic. Sorin remembered the conversation that had produced the device. Jace Balaren had emerged from his tent carrying the strange orb with him and announced that Tezzeret had consented to the trade. They would meet in the clearing at the forests edge. Then he handed the orb to Sorin.
“This device is of Tezzeret’s homeworld. He would never dare face you if he knew you had it.”
Sorin failed to gleam its purpose from looking at it. “What is it?” he asked.
“A trap,” Balaren replied callously. “One designed to catch Planeswalkers. Very, very rare. Once activated, it will drain their magic, for a short time. Its effects can be deadly to lesser mages. Be careful not to trigger it on yourself.” Unsure of the depth of Balaren’s insult, Sorin simply accepted the gift and mounted the zha-kari.
Now, he was descending on the clearing with alarming speed. The legion of riders around him dissipated in a thousand directions, scattering to the wind. Lower and lower they flew until Sorin lost sight of them weaving in and out between the topmost branches of the canopy. The clearing was deserted as they made their approach, and he could see that Anowon was looking around nervously. Sorin, on the other hand, had expected nothing less. He waved his hand and both birds came to a landing.
The clearing was silent, with no sign of the armada expertly concealed in the surrounding trees. The zha-kari were trained to hunt, and wouldn’t make a sound until given the instruction. Standing side-by-side, Sorin waited with the anxious Anowon. It wasn’t long before the Planeswalker began to feel it: mana, slowly filling the clearing, gaining strength and playing on his skin like an electric charge. He watched as shades of black and blue filled the area, and took a few steps back from the centre of the clearing. The mana swirled around the centre, eventually forming a portal, like the one that had carried him from Ravnica only smaller, usable for travel within a plane. Out stepped a tall, dark man with a scarred face, wild hair and metallic eyes. The mana from the portal seemed to follow his wrists as he stepped through, collecting in his hands.
“We should strike now,” Anowon whispered, glancing at the tree line. Not for the first time Sorin regretted not being able to persuade him to stay in the trees with the others.
“Not yet,” he whispered back, keeping his eyes on the new arrival, who had yet to speak. Tezzeret made no effort to scan the surroundings, but motioned for the pair to move closer to him. They obeyed, slowly. Still he did not speak, so Sorin broke the silence.
“Planeswalker Tezzeret, you have been seen attacking and capturing the Queen of the vampire tribes here on Zendikar.” Sorin deliberately avoided using her name, though he didn’t believe for a moment that the man in front of him could be ignorant of her true identity. “Will you return her peacefully?”
The mage said nothing, but merely held out a hand. His fingers were long and sharp, like claws.
“If you seek the fire of Chandra Nalaar, then it is in vain. The only canister was with the Vampire Queen.”
The duel-colour mage raised his hand and began opening and closing his fist, as if silently demanding the canister. Anowon was becoming visibly enraged, and Sorin hoped he could maintain his composure just a little longer.
“Very well,” he declared, “then you leave me no choice.”
A burst of mana exploded in all directions. It passed through the trees harmless and unhindered, reaching into the hearts and minds of every vampire hidden there. It was the signal to attack. The forest burst to life with the sounds of war cries and the screaming calls of the zha-kari. Sorin’s own mount swooped out from the trees behind him, and both he and Anowon leapt onto its back. It screeched triumphantly as it accepted its passengers. Within seconds Tezzeret was under attack from every possible angle. Spears and blades, magic and enchantments, any and every weapon the vampires possessed was being brought to bear against the mage that had defeated Liliana.
Sorin prayed that the magic of the priestesses would cause some worthwhile damage, but so far the entire assault had been quickly repelled by a shield of energy, one which protected Tezzeret effortlessly. This was a battle far beyond the level of the vampire tribe, try though they did. The noise from the army was deafening, with shouts and calls of every kind. Through it all he could make out two words he knew well: ‘Liliana’, and ‘Zendikar’ .The zha-kari flew in wide arcs, never pausing for a moment as their riders kept up their assault. Sorin’s own mount was approaching its target, and he was ready. In his hand was the orb from Jace Balaren.
He screamed the words that would unlock it as the orb flew through the air, firing a black bolt from his hand and catching it mid-flight. The device exploded into a mass of cords and ties that seemed to surge and writhe with a life of their own. His aim was perfect, and the device hit Tezzeret’s barrier directly. Instantly the magical defence vanished, absorbed by the power of the trap. The device continued through the depleted barrier to its real target, the Planeswalker himself, working with frightening efficiency. In moments it had succeeded in wrapping itself around its victim, binding his arms to his side. It was glowing now, a steady rhythmic pulse that seemed to weaken Tezzeret with each instance: clearly, it was draining his magic.
Satisfied that the job was done, Sorin gave the order for the army to retreat to a safe distance and rest the birds, before landing in front of Tezzeret. He did not have to wait long for Balaren to appear. The Blue Original had indicated that he would be watching the whole event through Sorin’s eyes, and would appear after the fight had been won. There was a crucial role he would have to perform.
“Well done!” Jace was applauding theatrically. “I have to say I had my doubts you could actually do it!” Sorin wondered if there would ever be circumstances in which he wasn’t thoroughly annoyed by what Balaren had to say. “Now then,” Jace continued, “Shall we?”
Jace moved to stand in front of Tezzeret, still constricted by the released orb, and put his hand on his forehead. Unmoving, with his eyes closed, Jace begun to summon a portal, just like the one Tezzeret had used in the memory. There was no duality this time: Balaren’s Blue mana was perfectly clear. It filled the area quickly and collected into the shape of a portal within seconds. Sorin tried to see through it, but saw only darkness. Whatever world existed on the other side of the magical gateway had no sky that he could see. Out from the dark stepped Liliana Vess.
Her hands were bound in front of her, but otherwise the Black Original appeared unharmed. Anowon was the first to react, and upon seeing the Queen cried out in joy. Meanwhile, Jace was busy moving Tezzeret towards the portal.
“Balaren!” Sorin shouted. “Where are you taking him?” The Blue mage turned on the spot but refuse to face him directly, hiding his eyes beneath his cowl.
“Your Queen is returned, you have no further use for him. However, under my interrogation, there is much we may yet learn. I will return to you once I have found out all I can.”
Sorin felt a sick, dark feeling welling up inside him. A great many things seemed to be trying to tell him something at once. He thought about the fight, about Tezzeret reflecting attacks but never retaliating. He thought about Liliana’s initial defeat, and the way she stood now, so calm, so untouched. He saw Jace moving the captured Tezzeret to the portal, and the vampire guards raising a blade about to cut loose the binds on their Queen’s wrists.
“No! Wait!” he yelled, but it was too late. The blade landed on the bindings and cleaved them in two. A wave of mana – a noxious mixture of Black and Blue – detonated from where Liliana stood. Everyone near her, her guards, Anowon, even Sorin was knocked to the ground. He could feel the blue magic penetrate his mind, paralysing his thoughts, keeping him from rising. He focused his efforts on turning his head, and saw Jace grinning wickedly back at him.
“Well done for figuring it out,” he said. “I do hope the vampires don’t blame you for losing her… again.”
Sorin struggled to keep his eyes open while Balaren’s enchantment extracted itself from his mind. It was as though the world was shattering around him, or at least, his perception of it. The grassy clearing gave way to stone ruins, the nearby trees falling away to reveal crumbling spires and collapsed towers. In the centre where Liliana had stood only moments before, Sorin now saw the hideous visage of Tezzeret, his cold metallic eyes burning with the glory of his victory. He turned in time to see the last remnants of the illusion vaporise, piece by piece, around the form of the captured Planeswalker. Inescapably bound in the mana-draining device was Liliana Vess, her eyes a mixture of anger and desperation, being forced into the portal by Balaren and Tezzeret. 
When he stood at last, Sorin found himself amidst a crowed of Liliana’s subjects. It seemed like Anowon was at breaking point trying desperately to explain exactly what had happened, though his own understanding was far from complete.
“Is everyone alright?” he asked the vampire-priest.
“No one is harmed,” he answered in alarm, “But they took her! I don’t understand… I thought she was coming back to us, and now this?”
“We were tricked. I am sorry. But it’s not over yet, we can find her again.” Anowon was hardly listening, glancing instead over his shoulders. Sorin wondered if there wasn’t something else on his mind.
“You need to leave now.” he said, clearly starting to panic. “It isn’t safe for you here anymore.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“The others, they believe you had something to do with all this. They are saying we were safe with our Queen until you arrived. I fear they will try to kill you.”
Sorin doubted any of the warriors, strong and skilled though they were, would be able to actually harm him, though the priestesses’ magic made him pause. He didn’t much like the idea of having to harm any of them in defence either. Not now, when they’d already suffered so much.
“Anowon, you know I’m trying to help your people. I will do whatever I can to bring her back to you.”
“Yes, this I believe. But they others, no, they are calling you… this, this word,” he stumbled as the translation failed him, “I know not how to say in your tongue, but they are calling you Eldranis! You must go now!”
All at once confusion gave way to a sickening mixture of purpose and anger. Immediately Sorin knew why all this had come to pass, and what he had to do next. He did not even notice the shouts of fury rising from the horde of vampires as he yelled his command spell and vanished in a cloud of smoke.