In A Time Of Darkness

by Gregory James Knoll

  * * * * *

  Carsis continued to ride, despite his earlier bout with what he believed to be delusions—an odd sensation welling deep inside himself, though he could not define or describe it. Not once had he considered stopping, to sleep or even take a break. He simply continued, remaining almost completely silent to Valaira. It was his own mind, when it was free, that would not quiet. He had a fleeting glimpse of himself as king, or placed upon a throne, but the majority of his emotions were spent on anger, and his ever-growing lust to end Jeralyle's life.

  Behind him, a usually vocal Valaira had not pressured him to speak, or tell her what was on his mind. She knew. Every so often his muscles would twitch and tighten, a growl would rise up from his throat. She could tell exactly what he was thinking, and allowing it to fester was far more productive than anything she could say.

  Each had other worries, so silence existed among them for most of the ride. It was only when Hensah came into view that something more than a breeze sounded between the two.

  "What happened here?" He whispered, marking the several patches of smoke that stained the sky, the countless piles of rubble that were once people's homes.

  Valaira gazed to Hensah, then to a small group of trees directly south, a glinting, devious pair of eyes glowing back at her. "Chaos, darling." One hand pressed against his back, the other leading him that direction. "Chaos."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Get to know him, and you shall find out."

  Carsis glared slightly, growing weary of her cryptic nature, but he was too focused on other matters to push it any further. When they approached, the pair slid out of the forest, a half-white, half-black mask came into view, then wild red hair and medium build. "Mistress..." The voice echoed, and the man knelt before her. When he rose, the mask and the empty eyes within it turned towards Carsis, and immediately he stood, drawing his blade.

  "No, Est. Do not be alarmed." Valaira slid off the horse, resting her hand on Carsis leg. "He's with us now." Estophicles held his stature, his hand still gripping his sword, body tense as though he would strike. "Drop your weapon." The moment it was uttered, the fingers snapped open and his sword tumbled to the dirt as though attached to strings. "Interesting..." She whispered, eyeing the fallen weapon. "Well, don't leave it there. Pick it up." Again the strings tugged, and her mad little puppet followed.

  Carsis feet hit the ground and his gaze fell upon Hensah. "Are you responsible for this?"

  Estophicles did not answer right away, only turned pleading eyes towards Valaira, who nodded in permission. "Not directly..." He gazed upon the same destruction, prompting a laugh from him. "Someone let Idimus' pets out." His hand raised, traced along the air as though he was stroking the carnage as one would a lover. "They... played."

  "Pets?" Carsis questioned, staring at the same scenery.

  Valaira slid her hand along Estophicles head as though he was one himself. "Taghs. Quite destructive creatures... as you can see."

  Carsis scoffed. "I know what they are."

  "You do?"

  "Elryia spoke of them many times. I was surprised I hadn't seen them... ever."

  "Idimus had them locked away." Valaira's eyes lit up and she smiled deviously. "Even he can't control them..."

  "Then why would you release them?"

  "You're...looking at it." Estophicles hissed, still staring at the broken town.

  Carsis now understood what Valaira meant when she said chaos, analyzing the man who was only laughing insidiously. "What are we doing here?"

  Valaira moved from Estophicles to Carsis, draping a hand over his shoulder. "I want the both of you to talk. Get to know each other. The first step towards our goal is going to be the hardest, but with Grahamas out of the way the rest will come easier. I need to know how to do that... and you are going to help me. Between the two of you, something will be discovered."

  Estophicles bowed in acknowledgement and servitude, but Carsis did not seem as eager. "You told me there was a way to see what my group..." Valaira's eyes hardened "the companions were doing."

  "That I did, but I certainly did not mean now."

  "No." Carsis interrupted, yanking his shoulder from her grip. "Now."

  "Tch. Very well." She whispered, walking into the forest, waving her hand for him to follow. "Est... stay here for a moment. I would speak to you in private." As the man bowed again, Valaira turned, leading Carsis further in. The moment she had, a smile slithered across her lips. She had planned this all along.

  When Carsis entered behind her, she was standing before an open patch of ground, waiting patiently for him. "Come... sit." She asked of him, this time he willingly obeyed, placing himself in front of her feet, his direction facing west. "Good, now close your eyes and concentrate."

  "This is foolish. I have no idea what I'm doing."

  Her fingers crept calmly through his hair, her voice barely a gentle, ominous whisper. "I will help you. I will feed into the magick you'll need. You simply need to focus."

  "On?"

  "On the group. On Merial and Jeralyle and those items you left behind. Your vision, your very soul will be drawn to it. You will see what they see... concentrate." She bade, letting her hand fall from his head. She gave it a moment, then another, to make sure he was not going to react from the sudden lack of attention. When his breathing slowed, and she had verified, she led herself back with one step, then a second until turning fully and gliding her way to the edge of forest where Estophicles waited.

  Such Magick was impossible, even with her capabilities. If it was, she would have found Elryia and Grahamas much sooner, ended them much quicker. But she would never tell Carsis that. She needed him, and if he even contained one ounce of compassion or remorse, he would never agree to her plans of Urvagh, to release every demonic, twisted being rotting within the dismal valley. She needed him to be cold, uncaring. To do that, she had to feed his hate, his jealousy, every dark emotion held within his mind. She would use any means possible. That is why she had brought him here. She would cast within him an illusion of Jeralyle and Merial bound together in passion, the rest of the group uncaring of his departure, perhaps even joyous of it. He would see what she wanted him too. As like she did with most things around her, she would orchestrate his downfall—every step of it.

  It was something she wished could have been done when she first met him, but Carsis was immune to her magick. She had tried on several occasions to persuade him, order him, but failed on every account. Valaira toyed with the idea that her magick was gone, wasted when she ripped him half way across Eldonia, but Estophicles had proven otherwise with his willingness to follow orders.

  With that being true, it made her task to deceive Carsis that much harder. She had to wait until she was here, to garner the help of an illusion she knew Carsis had not seen through. Something that deceived the brilliant General Grahamas, the phenomenal Sorceress Elryia, and the rest of their sniveling, do-good group.

  Once more she found herself seeking out Estophicles for aid, to use the tools he held.

  "Mistress." He hissed beneath the mask, immediately dropping to his knees.

  "Stand up. Groveling is pathetic." And the puppet rose without a second thought, prompting a sick grin to rise on her face. "Tell me... do you still have that wonderful little gem?"

  "Of course, my glorious mistress."

  "Give it to me."

  Estophicles’ head cocked slightly as his hands rummaged through his pocket to remove it, reaching up to drop it in her waiting palm.

  Her lavender eyes fell on it, which forced a tremor down her arm, leading her fingers to tremble. "Where...where did you get this?"

  He bowed even further, so that his voice was barely audible. "It's what I've always had..."

  "It was not always this dark...it used to be green...now..."

  "Black..." He chuckled.

  "Interesting..." She whispered, pulling it closer to her face to examine it more intently. Was it possible? This littl
e gem had been a bright, brilliant green when she first met him, and only years later it was a soiled black. Could this be the heart she had sought over thirty years? Had she finally put together all three pieces? As her eyes flickered, her mind thought back to the clues: A Soul so empty, it drains those around it to survive. A Mind so dark, its aura stains the earth and brings destruction in its draw. A Heart so corruptive, it inspires others to chaos, growing shrouded with every act. "Take off your mask." Despite his disfigurement and self-consciousness, the man followed her orders and peeled the cover from his face, revealing the long, dark scar across it. But Valaira was not looking at the mark, rather the man's eyes. Typically they were wild, looking back and forth in a frantic, uneasy manner. Now, they were still, silent. "Curious." She breathed, took a step back. "Stay." And the further Valaira drew back, the calmer he seemed to become.

  "Mistress, what are..."

  "Don't speak." She ordered, quieting him as her intrigue grew. "Catch." Estophicles flicked his hand out to grab the thrown gem, as it rested in his palm, his eyes sharpened and twitched, madness overtaking him. "That's enough. Give it back."

  "Valaira!" She heard Carsis call out from the forest, obviously impatient.

  "Yes, treasured one. On the way." She gave a hard scowl as Estophicles handed over the Heart. "Good. Stay here. I will be returning shortly. From there, we are going to head south, and well across the ocean."

  "For?"

  Valaira clutched the Heart in her hand, and curled her lips in a smile she had not worn this proud in a very long time. "We have a door to unlock."