Art by ShadowReader29

The idea of untouchable power is something I am sure you are familiar with, if you have read any books on sorcery. Some forms of magic encourage violence – indeed, only certain people learn evocation magic, and even that school of thought contains many powers that are best left forbidden.

❂❂❂

That evening, Hordak sat in his chair and read the report that Shadow Weaver sent him. He rarely chose to sit down – it afforded the potential of weakness, should his body fail him yet again. Frowning, he took mental notes of the woman's grammatical errors. Five years had she been with the Horde, and she still couldn't speak the language fluently.

His back shuddered with a sickening, slow crack. Ignoring the pain, Hordak gripped the holo-pad tighter and pushed awareness of the tearing sensation deep down. Avoid dwelling on what cannot be changed, or you will become foolish. A weakling.

Imp scurried into the room; Hordak told the creature to watch over the entrance for Shadow Weaver's return. At least the little cloning experiment was useful – unlike the pudgy, wailing bundles that Shadow Weaver wrote to him about. Babies. Such disgusting blobs of worthlessness.

Imp seemed to have nothing of note to repeat from the second-in-command. Relief rushed through Hordak; with the pain in his back and shoulders, the feeling of his very skin dying and ripping apart...

Well, he'd hoped the crafty woman would stay out a bit longer.

He beckoned to Imp, who scuttled up Hordak's robes to rest on his arm. As he scratched the creature under the chin, his spy smiled back with a giggle. Hordak thought to smile too...but no. Facial expressions were not for him to enjoy; he was a mere slave of Horde Prime's.

The truth was that Shadow Weaver made him uncomfortable. Hordak knew nothing of her past, besides the whispers that she was cast out of her home kingdom after a failed magic experiment. He had not deigned to investigate these rumors; one's past was irrelevant to their service in Prime's ranks. But there were other things about his second-in-command – the cold, sleepy power she possessed, her knowledge about Etheria, her public assertion that she was an atheist – that convinced him he could not trust her.

Of course, all those things would be wiped free from her list of sins once Horde Prime arrived. As if that would happen, Hordak thought bitterly, passing a gnarled scowl at the portal machine. Eight years he'd been trying to get it to work, but there was something in Etheria's atmosphere that was blocking a signal to the places beyond Despondos.

A soft beep came from one of his computers. Though Hordak knew he didn't have the patience to deal with Shadow Weaver, he sighed harshly and rose. To his surprise, Force Captain Carmen was near the entrance instead.

The felinetta bowed upon seeing his shadow. "My lord, I've got some mighty awful news for ya. Shads is back."

"Why did she send you in her stead?" Hordak asked.

"Well...y'see," Carmen said, "she's got three cracked ribs. They had to get her to the infirm'ry, hook her up to an air tube. She said to tell ya the mission was no success, but it don't matter since it's just a skeleton attack –"

Hordak growled to silence her. Of course Shadow Weaver would have gotten herself injured. What sort of recklessness was she engaged in, that such a powerful sorceress as herself could have been injured so gravely?

It was no matter. The Horde had a schedule to keep up with; she was an integral part of Hordak's army. Her skill in unlocking and controlling runestones was vital to the Horde's future plan. And she had failed.

A long moment passed before he responded. "Once she is stabilized, bring her into my sanctum. I must speak to her regarding this loss."

Carmen nodded, scurrying away immediately. His third-in-line was skittish, not to mention odd. But she was not as unrighteous as Shadow Weaver.

God had many names, after all.

✧✧✧

Shadow Weaver's breathing regulator did the work for her, despite her pain. The nurses had given her painkillers, but they only somewhat dulled the torturous sensation. The only solution to her ailment was magic...

The wheels of her bed turned; Hordak wanted to see her. Not like this, Shadow Weaver had begged the nurses, but they insisted her commanding officer's orders were imminent. Her injury mask was ugly and bulky, not elegant like the one she usually wore. But at least it covered Shadow Weaver's far more wretched scars.

The doors opened, and the nurses propped her bed up. Shadow Weaver needed magic; if she could just get to the Black Garnet, her body would remember how to heal itself. But Carmen had taken her to the infirmary instead, saying that the Black Garnet wouldn't heal it right – as if her servant knew more about the Spell of Obtainment. But Shadow Weaver was in too much pain to protest, so here she was.

Hordak stepped out from the darkness. "Shadow Weaver."

"Lord Hordak." The speech synthesizer croaked in a strange way – almost as though Shadow Weaver had been smoking for the past twenty years.

"You have failed," Hordak growled, his deep voice grating on her ears.

Shadow Weaver didn't reply. She hadn't expected Micah to actually hurt her; the man was gentle and kind, even to his enemies. The memory of his angry, dark eyes as he squeezed her chest...

She grumbled, "So I have."

"I have entrusted power to you over my entire army. You are vital to our proceedings – no one can afford your foolishness in combat, least of all myself."

"I underestimated him," Shadow Weaver snapped. "It will not happen again." But she couldn't convince herself this was true. She didn't want to hurt Micah – that was why she concealed her identity. Her goals would be defeated if he continued to break her bones and engage her – her specifically – in fights.

Some days, Shadow Weaver wished she could tell him the truth, just so he would know of the hell his forces were putting her through.

Hordak replied. "You are correct, Shadow Weaver – it will not happen again. You will be restricted access to the Black Garnet for a week. Perhaps then you will understand that you cannot afford to be useless in the face of opposition."

A week? Shadow Weaver needed the Black Garnet to heal her. "But my lord! How –"

Her commander bared his teeth, and she shut her mouth. "The Black Garnet is my runestone. I can give or take as I see fit, particularly when I must punish my inferior officer for not fulfilling her promises."

"I need the Black Garnet to follow through on those promises," Shadow Weaver protested.

"So you are not enough on your own?"

No. Perhaps I'm not. But that would mean she no longer deserved to work for his affections, no longer deserved to prove she was worthy of recognition. Shadow Weaver spotted Imp hurrying onto Hordak's shoulder; the ugly creature smirked at her.

They'd known about the Spell for a long time. She would not win this fight.

"No, Lord Hordak," she said softly. Her resolve dissipated like smoke. "I will not fail again."

Hordak nodded. "Good. Dismissed."

✧✧✧

The next evening, Carmen entered her lady's quarters, where the older woman lay hooked up to a breathing machine. Her eyes were closed; the bulky mask that housed the regulator shone with each deep, even breath.

Shads' eyes cracked open a tiny bit. "Water," she murmured. "Please."

Carmen nodded, going to the large jug on the opposite wall. "I'll...get the girlies in bed," she said awkwardly. Only the nurses had seen her lady unmasked; Carmen didn't know why Shads wore the thing. She could just imagine the beautiful face hiding behind it...

Carmen walked over to where Adora and Catra were having tummy-time. Swooping up her daughter, she kissed her on both cheeks, and Catra giggled in delight. Carmen smiled back, tucking the kiddo into her crib.

She grabbed Li'l Miss Adora. "Wanna say goodnight to her?" she asked her lady.

Shads lay back in her bed, replacing her mask. "Yes." Carmen brought the baby to her mama, and her lady ran a hand over the kiddo's head listlessly. Shads had broken bones in training before – ribs, even. Why was this time different?

Carmen didn't know. "Can I getcha anything else?" she said softly.

Shads shook her head. "I need rest," she said quietly. "As do you."

Carmen nodded softly, pushing down worry. Then she went to bed.

✧✧✧

Micah had the remaining soldiers transported to Dryl, where the scientists there would be able to research iridulium – a metal foreign to the western parts of Etheria. He had gone with them, but not to interrogate the prisoners. He needed to speak to the foreign policy director, Princess Talyn, about joining the Alliance. Without Dryl, it was impossible to get Plumeria's support in the war. Without Talyn, he couldn't get Dryl on their side.

Since crossing the border, Niesna was three days away, and Talyn had gotten them a ride in a crypto-carriage – a bulky robot resembling a spider, one that could crawl up mountains. Among his new experiences as king-to-be, Micah found this one the most interesting.

"This is a most strange turn of events," Talyn said from across the table. She was a stern-looking woman in her late twenties, boasting tanned skin and dark hair characteristic of most western humans – though she had died hers plum-purple. Her prehensile braid hung down her back.

Micah sighed. "We thought to ask you all about iridulium. Your sister is a genius – couldn't she figure out what the Horde needs it for?"

Talyn shook her head. "Neither of us have heard of anyone finding iridulium valuable. But knowing Entrapta, she would be able to read Hordak's mind just by hacking the Fright Zone's mainframe. We generally use dęmur for our plating – in the east, I believe it's called ferro?"

"I think so. Iron."

Talyn nodded. "But there is another reason you wish to visit Niesna, isn't there? No one treks here without good cause – our castle is notoriously difficult to navigate, as you well know. What do you want from me, Micah?"

Micah sighed. Here goes nothing. "We need you to join the Rebellion. Officially, with your weapons and technology. You say Entrapta could hack into the Fright Zone's mainframe?"

"I was using an expression – Entrapta's only sixteen. I'm not putting her in danger. She would need to be inside the Fright Zone, and she has a tendency to get...lost in her work."

"I thought you said she was super smart."

"Someday, if you meet her, you'll understand how someone can be smart and crazy at once." The princess sighed. "But at this present moment...I am unsure. We are wary of you, and understandably so. Our onyxhounds detect the stench of dark magic on you."

Another barrier. "Every ruler I've talked to has said they won't join because of Light Spinner's methods. She's dead now. And none of us knew what would happen –"

"Except you."

Micah bit his lip. "I didn't know the corruption was going to break free. She told me she'd modified it so as not to hurt us. I don't know...what happened."

Talyn gazed at him with pity. "You are a good man. But you were her student – and influenced by her. My mother died eight years ago because our tech malfunctioned. Queen Zahra is no more, and we do not know how our new magic-based models will react to you. Until we do, we cannot risk this alliance."

Micah groaned. "The crypto-carriage is fine. Nothing has happened. I swear, I won't go near the weapons or tech. I can't even use dark magic, so I don't even know how the dogs could have smelled me."

"It was a figure of speech. It means you've been around that power before."

Micah leaned back. "But even if you can't promise me anything now...could you promise me you'll at least speak to your father? We need a union on Etheria. If we can't get it..."

"The Horde could access our technology. Queen Regina has warned us of such – as well as their abilities to access First-Ones' technology. This is dangerous, and cannot stand." Talyn nodded. "I know. I will try. But I am not considering it for your sake."

Micah gave a rueful smile – at least this wasn't a total failure. "Trying is all we can do now, Your Majesty. Thank you."

❂❂❂

Did you know...

- The iridulium subplot played a far bigger role in Starwalker: PRIME than in this story, and it's a bit of a vestigial subplot, if you will. However, I thought it was still at least slightly important for something that occurs near the very end of the story. If any betas or gammas are reading this, you'll know.

Tell me what you think...

- What future measures might Shadow Weaver take to make sure she keeps her rank in the Horde?