Sight

by Chrystal Blue

  She stood across from the table a few feet from the hidden door she had just exited waiting for the conversation to end. Jolon's deep-set brown eyes looked towards her direction as she heard his voice in her mind. He smiled at her as the mand to his right left approached. She listened to the sounds around them, ignoring his questions.

  "Your highness," the man said as he reached his hand towards her.

  The young man peered at her with his gray eyes. His curly brown locks stretched high above his head in a top knot. With his jaw clenched on his heart-shaped face, he waited. Standing a few inches from Arel, he peered at her. Tilting his head slightly, his eyes trailed down to Arel’s protruding belly.

  Arel stood still, scanning the room for Sebastian. Looking around, she saw the elders of the families and a few of the younger cousins. Solemnly they stood watching the interaction between Arel and Jolon.

  Carefully Arel studied the Moruka standing before her and Jolon who remained seated. She examined their lives, knowing instantly who they were, all but the one who stood nearest.

  Sebastian, she thought, screaming inside her head. His whereabouts were unknown to her, but she desperately wanted him by her side. Wondering where he could be with a meeting this important, he had to have known about the Darken's arrival. Aeron continued sitting with Catrin standing behind him, and the other elders spread out in the room, their faces emotionless. All eyes focused on her and the young man.

  "I'm Wilex. I mean you no harm," he continued his hand extended.

  It was his life that she was unable to see, hidden like that of Sebastian's. Arel momentarily wondered if they were related somehow. As far as she knew only those intimately linked with her, were hidden from her vision. Peering at him, she wondered how their lives could be connected so that he remained hidden. Bearing no attraction to him, Arel decided there must be another reason Wilex was hidden.

  There had been many creatures brought to this world by Zorin, and perhaps he was a new one that she had not encountered previously. With all the different abilities of the vast species populated in this world, the thought occurred to her that perhaps he could shield himself from others. She knew he was not human, but what he was she did not know.

  Bringing her eyes back to Jolon, she waited for him to rise and approach her. Arel did not look again into his life at this moment. Instead, she focused on the change of the tension in the room. A slight smell of fear rising from someone in the room. Of late, her sense of smell had increased, nearly matching that of a Vampire. The increase in her perceptions she kept secret, a gained advantage she didn't want the others to become aware of. Remaining seated Jolon watched as Wilex tried to cox her into speaking.

  "Do you understand me," he asked her, his face motionless. "Your highness," coxed Wilex softer.

  Still silent and unmoving, she stood, concentrating on Jolon. A feeling of uneasiness rose from the other occupants in the study as they silently questioned what she was doing. No one spoke, afraid to bring about the attention of the Darken in the place. They knew she spoke and wondered why she remained silent. He reached his hand out towards her as she instantly drew her hand away from his reach.

  "It's how we communicate," he replied, explaining the purpose of his unwanted stroke.

  Turning his back to her, he looked to Jolon for answers. She knew he desperately wanted to communicate with her but didn't know how to without offended her status. Arel watched as Jolon rose from his seat heading towards them. His hand outstretched in her direction, he slowly walked, stopping within inches of her arm.

  "Sister, we are happy we have found you," he said. Arel remained silent, staring at him. Frustrated, he turned to Aeron impatiently. Jolon was not accustomed to having to wait on the responses of others, and his patience was long gone towards Arel.

  "Does she not speak," he demanded.

  "I speak, Jolon," Arel replied finally, relieving the mounting strain. Her hands still by her side, she looked him up and down, taking in his slight stature and self-made crown.

  “You know my name? Then you must know who I am, and as such, I require an answer the first time, I speak to you.”

  “Do you know who I am,” questioned Arel her tone just as demeaning as his.

  Marcus stepped forward slightly bent at the knees. His eyes focused on the ground, terrified to look up at them as he approached the pair ready to speak. Stress hung on his face heavy as he silently stepped. Arel lifted her hand to stop him.

  “This does not concern you, Marcus,” commanded Arel. Her eyes still focused on Jolon. Marcus retreated back to his position in the crowd deciding not to try to interfere further.

  “Let us return home, where you belong," Jolon continued.

  “If you know who I am, then you know I require a proper greeting from the first moment you saw me,” Arel replied.

  “Your highness, we are glad we have found you,” Jolon responded. His head tilted in her direction; his jaw clenched as he greeted Arel.

  “Let us proceed with the matter at hand,” replied Arel.

  Turning again towards the table where Aeron still sat, he walked back to his seat. Wilex remained standing next to Arel as she proceeded to follow him. The right corner of Jolon's mouth curled up as a slight smile crossed his face as he heard her footsteps behind him. Stopping at the table, Arel stood next to Aeron.

  Wilex brought a chair to the table, placing it behind Arel for her to sit. The back of her legs brushed up against the soft cushion as she slowly lowered herself. He gently assisted her into the seat before taking his position slightly behind her. Arel wondered why he remained standing behind her and not at Jolon's right hand with the others.

  “Once we have concluded these matters, we will return home where they will rejoice at your discovery," remarked Jolon.

  “What matters are you here to discuss on behalf of the Darken,” inquired Arel. Knowing full well his purpose, she asked these questions to prolong time.

  “Your highness, it does not concern you. It is a Vampire matter,” whispered Wilex from behind.

  “Jolon, I asked you a question,” Arel smiled back.

  “I do not have time to explain these things,” responded Jolon.

  “Then you have no business here. You should return to your home," Arel replied.

  Smirking, Jolon focused his attention on Aeron ignoring her statement.

  “Now in regards to the tribute,” he replied. His head slightly tilted as he looked Catrin up and down. “As you know the tribute is due and there has been a demand for an increase."

  “There will be no more children given to the Darken as a tribute,” yelled Arel.

  Slamming her hand against the table, her eyes flashed with anger. Dislike for Jolon grew as she saw the way he watched Catrin, thoughts of what he would like to do to her clearly on his arrogant face.

  “It is a Vampire matter, not yours,” Jolon responded.

  “This thing is finished," she continued as the untouched scroll unrolled and flattened in front of Jolon on the table.

  “This does not concern you sister,” he commanded, ignoring the now opened document in front of him.

  “I have ended this," replied Arel.

  Her hands braced on the table in front of him. Ready to push it down and out of the way should the need arise. The anger boiling over, she breathed in heavy to calm her rage. As the air rushed into her nose, her nostrils flared out, the breath escaping her mouth.

  “It can't be ended,” Jolon replied, a smile still on his face. Amused by her anger, he glared at her with his intense eyes.

  “I told them it couldn't end,” cried Marcus now standing behind Wilex. Aeron remained sitting quietly at the table. Arel could hear Iliad's footsteps walking towards them, followed by the sound of her pulling her father away.

  “Father,” Iliad whispered her fear of losing her father as he inserted himself into their argument poured out in her voice.

  “If you'll read it, there is a clause that says it can be ended along
with how to do so. I have ended it,” said Arel.

  Arel adjusted herself, trying to relieve the discomfort by shifting the weight from one side to the other. Ignoring the tension and the rising stench of fear drifting up to her nose. She narrowed into the voice within Jolon, focusing. Looking for something that would provide an edge in the argument that was coming. It took more effort than she had anticipated; hungry and tired she sat waiting for Jolon to respond.

  “You have no idea what you are doing,” replied Jolon, still seated with his back erect as he leaned forward towards her.

  “I know who you are, I have seen it,” said Arel.

  “Then you know this is a mistake. Zorin will have his tribute. If you wish to save them, the child you carry may replace. . ."

  The sound of breaking wood interrupted what he was saying. Pieces of the mahogany desk flew in the air as it fell to the floor. The chair Aeron had sat in moments ago lay in pieces across the room. Arel remained seated in her chair.

  An unseen hand held Jolon in midair as the men who flanked him remained glued to the ground. The struggle of their faces as they tried to free themselves. Unable to move or speak the stood statues watching helplessly. Wilex stood near Arel, unaffected.

  “Your highness, please release them,” whispered Wilex.

  Aeron stood quietly away from Arel, a few feet in front of the others. The tension in the room heightened as the elders watched the scene unfolded between the Darken.

  “No one will have my child,” Arel screamed. Her nostrils flared as she steadied her anger. Sebastian now stood facing her, shielding Jolon from her view. Focused on reading Jolon, she had not heard Sebastian enter the room.

  “Stop her! If she kills him, it will be all of our deaths. We cannot afford a war with the Darken,” yelled Marcus.

  Paying no attention to him or the others in the room, she poured her energy into the Moruka in place. With her breath steady, she controlled her breathing, inhaling, and exhaling slowly as she focused her attention between the guards and their leader.

  “Arel, stop,” coxed Sebastian. “This is not the way. Killing him won't stop them.”

  “I'm not going to kill him,” replied Arel.

  “What are you doing if you aren't killing him,” he questioned her, his voice, soft and soothing.

  "Jolon should learn his place. This is the way they understand. The Darken live by fear. He has to know I’m not weak, for him to respect me,” she replied.

  “Let him go,” demanded Sebastian more forcefully. He stood in front of her entirely blocking the dangling Jolon. Peering down at Arel, he grabbed her arms, trying to intervene.

  “Do not interfere,” demanded Arel. Looking up at Sebastian, she continued to hold the Moruka in place.

  “Arel, please let him go,” said Sebastian.

  “I don't need to see Jolon to kill him. I'm not even going to hurt him. I'm communicating with him in a way he understands. I don't hate him; I pity him,” Arel replied her voice softening as the anger subsided.

  It was true, she did pity him along with the rest of those trapped under the force of Zorin. Although the thought had crossed her mind to end his life, she knew it wasn't his time. The path of his life was clear, and Arel would not intervene by satisfying her own desire to see him dead.

  Jolon’s death would free her sister from a life of prison, married to a man who only tried to use her to further his own agenda. Teraya was a prisoner of guilt, in a loveless marriage of power. Jolon's death would sadden her sister, and the last thing she wanted was to cause her more pain.

  There was still an essential part for Jolon to play in the war that was building within the Darken. As he fulfilled the demands of his father in an attempt to win his father’s respect, he sealed his fate. The further she looked into his life, the more she saw his own hatred of his father brewing. While Chindi saw his status secure as the one left in charge in Zorin’s place, Jolon plotted to overthrow him.

  “His mother a spoil of war given to his father as a prize, a reward for loyal duty. As tribute given to Zorin, his three sisters paid the blood price. A son finally born; her life ended within minutes of birth. No, I do not hate Jolon, I weep for him,” she said. Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

  Arel could see Jolon’s faults amplified in his actions. His search for acceptance played out in his desire to be loved. The women he seduced and conquered falling short in satisfying him. Jolon, like his father, lived off the fear of their men, not off the respect or love. If she could take away their fear, perhaps, she could win over their loyalty. Arel knew she would need these men to help seize control over the Darken empire.

  “All of his father's failures are played out on him. No matter what he does, he will never be enough for his father. He believes if Teraya conceives, his father will finally respect him, love him. He is wrong, Chindi will never give him what he desires. He's incapable off it. I don't have to kill him because his father will see to it that it happens. He will die by the patriarch’s hand. I have seen it.”

  “Arel, let him go. This is not who you are. Don't let him make you something you are not,” pleaded Sebastian.

  Moving to the side of Sebastian, Arel looked directly into the dangling Jolon's eyes. She walked closer to him, stopping a few inches away before the invisible hand lowered him to the floor. Still unable to move like the others, he hung, his feet curled under him like a doll dragged along by its owner.

  “Teraya will...never...conceive your child. You are the last of your line,” Arel continued. “Thank my sister for saving your life. If it had not been for her, your last breath would have been long ago.”

  Releasing him from her grip, he now stood on his own, seemingly unfazed by the events. He smiled, straightening his jacket and hair.

  “Let's see if everyone feels the way you do, sister. If given a chance to save themselves by turning over you or the child, what do you think they would do?”

  Arel watched Jolon wondering if she should reconsider, freeing him from her grasp, allowing him to return to the Darken. The others fixed like statues guarding both sides of him unable to move their minds free to roam. She absorbed their stories as if she lived them herself. Sadness over what she saw, her eyelids fluttered, pushing back the tears. Her anger rose, but she remained focused on keeping the guards fixed in place.

  “Are we going to go down that road again? Perhaps I will not hold back for Teraya's sake next time,” she replied to his proposal.

  “You need us to survive the birth of your child. The Vampires can't help you safely deliver. You want this child just as much as we do. Imagine what he could be capable of,” said Jolon.

  Sebastian's apprehension rose at the thought of something happening to Arel. Turning to face the free man his feet resting firmly on the ground, he stared down at him.

  “You should elect care in what words you choose to say,” demanded Sebastian.

  “Sister, you know the histories, the chance of your survival is rare. Did your mother survive your birth,” questioned Jolon.

  He played on the fears they had. Repeatedly Arel had thought about how many stories of her kind ended with the mother surviving. She thought of the Queen, her grandmother, and how it said she died in childbirth, she assumed her mother followed the same fate. It was a fate she was sure would be hers as well. The likelihood of her death made her arrange for the protection of the child without telling Sebastian. One other knew of her fear in the Vampire household.

  Releasing her grip on the guards, she focused solely on Jolon. Doubtful they could ensure her survival, and the things she had witnessed in their lives only solidified her fears. The Darken would not be a place she would go for help. The cost of their aid would be too high a price to pay to save her and the child.

  “And I can trust you,” Arel asked. “The Darken had only assisted when it benefited Zorin’s agenda. An agreement forged may seem mutually beneficial, but it is always in the Darken’s favor. The loss of a rebellious death
bringer from childbirth would provide him with a new weapon to raise.”

  It was Arel’s interaction with Ramla that gave her the knowledge of the Darken classification system. The lowest in the Darken system were those used as food, for the demons guarding the core. Those poor souls were not given classification, Zorin thought them unworthy.

  The lowest class with a name in the Darken system was the Vessels. Used as experimentation, they were the conquered. Breeders were slightly above the Vessels, fueling Zorin’s armies with new foot soldiers, Pallions. They carried the genetic material Zorin valued, but lacked the strength and intelligence to fight in battle.

  Squadrons were the main force of Zorin’s army. Their numbers far smaller than the Pallions were prized for their military prowess. The Squadron acted as advisors to Zorin, and it was from them that he chose his leaders. The Moruka was the highest level in the Darken kingdom, the elite were the ones Zorin sent to relay his messages.

  Death Bringers were members of the Moruka, rarest of all Darken soldiers. They were known to defeat whole squadrons single handily. Earning the right of Death Bringer was one of the highest honors a Darken could achieve.

  As a child, she had heard the children of the Resistance use the term in regards to her sister. Though she had assumed what it meant, the word had far more meaning to the Darken. For her people, death bringers were highly prized for their value.

  Any of the conquered could rise up in the ranks of the Darken enfolds. Those most successful, receiving the most significant rewards were the ones able to defeat the most enemies. Death Bringers, a term rarely used, giving only to a handful of the Moruka elite.