Les Gris - TI4

by Heckrotte, Fran

  "See! But we're wasting your time, Shadow. I know you await the life partner you feel you need. There was a time when I was like you, believing my very existence depended on another. Fortunately, I discovered the truth."

  "You had a life partner?"

  "A long time ago. Like you, we had been separated for a long time. I felt a loneliness that only those who have suffered a detachment can understand. Then I found the others. They too were alone. In time, more joined us and we found solace in numbers. Now there is an entire world of us."

  "A world? What kind of world?"

  "A wonderful world. Isn't that right, Rumex?"

  "Yes, wonderful."

  "It's filled with the lost and detached. Some have even voluntarily detached."

  "Voluntarily? Why would any Shadow do that? It doesn't make sense."

  "They were unhappy. Maladjusted to their life partners. I can't imagine anything worse. It would be a miserable existence, don't you think?"

  Candesca had to agree. Separation was horrible but a maladjusted partner –. She shuddered at the thought. Sensing her weakness, the voice continued.

  "Once they found us, or us them, we experienced something we had never hoped for – a commonality and moments of great joy. Our pain began to fade until it no longer existed. It was a new beginning and now we are stable and self-sufficient. We no longer suffer as before."

  "How did you find them or them you?"

  "Those who found us were lucky. We're well hidden, out of necessity, of course. One never knows who is out there waiting to snatch us away."

  "Who would do that?" Candesca asked.

  "Have you never heard of the Shadow Demon? It is legendary amongst human Les Gris and greatly feared."

  "Then why should I fear it? I am demon Les Gris."

  "One can't be too careful, but I'm digressing. You asked how others found us or we them. I've made it my special mission to find any of our kind who are unhappy. Rumex accompanies me out of kindness. He hates the thought of me being alone."

  "That's all well and good for you but I'm about to rejoin my life partner. Soon I'll be happy."

  "Do you really believe that? You've been separated a long time. Your relationship with this life partner was always difficult. As far as she was concerned, you never existed. Not even as a child did she give you much thought. Most children are fascinated by their Shadows. At least for a few years. Naturally, you may rejoin her, but you'll still be alone. Come with us. I can promise you, you'll never be alone again. You'll be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Shadows and will be cherished every moment you are together."

  It was tempting, she thought.

  "Did I mention we have light in our world?"

  "Light?"

  "Yes, a beautiful bright light like you can't even imagine. Its colors are glorious. You'll actually be able to touch the others and they you. Do you remember what it feels like to be touched? The soft blackness caressing you. The coolness of dark fingers stroking your body as you begin to merge."

  Although it seemed like an eternity, she did remember and shuddered with anticipation. If only it were true...

  "It's true. Let me show you."

  Before she could object she felt a hand gently stroking her cheek and then glide down her neck to her shoulder. Being touched felt so good.

  "You can have this and more," the voice whispered softly. "Come with us."

  She could feel her resolve weakening. The touch was slow and seductive.

  "But my... my partner,"

  "She won't miss you. She doesn't even know you exist, remember? Let us be your family. Let me show you my world... our world. I can give you so much more than she can."

  The air vibrated faster. Soon her life partner would arrive.

  "You must decide now," the voice urged. "Once she arrives, it will be too late. Think of the light and those who await you. Would you give up your one chance at happiness for someone who doesn't even know you exist?"

  The voice was right. Her life partner had ignored her. They never played the normal childhood games. She had been too focused on seeking revenge on those who had wronged her. Perhaps she would now want retribution for her exile. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that her life partner's energy had been filled with anger and hatred. That wasn't something she wanted to live with again.

  "If I come with you... if I don't like it there..."

  "Then you can return and rejoin your life partner. I give you my word. I'll even help you merge if you need it."

  "Then..." She was still hesitant. The vibrations were overwhelming her.

  "Say it! I cannot take you if you don't say it," the voice commanded.

  "I... will... come."

  The moment she said it, a black cloud surrounded her and she realized she had chosen unwisely. The laughter was pure evil and foretold of an unpleasant future. If she could have wept, she would have, when she saw her life partner emerge from the mirror. It would be the last time.

  * * *

  "You lied to me," Candesca accused angrily. "The Les Gris here didn't come willingly, and where is the light you promised?"

  The demon laughed at the Shadow's naivety. Flicking its wrist, it brought forth the light, exposing hundreds of thousands of lost Les Gris.

  "Lied? Is not the light beautiful as promised? ...and are these not lost Shadows like you?"

  "You said they came voluntarily."

  "I said some were maladjusted or unhappy and detached voluntarily. That's true just as it's true they've found something here they never before experienced."

  "Your words are one thing, but you've deceived me nonetheless. Return me to my world."

  "Now why would I do that? You're mine," the Shadow Demon replied, amused at its captive's boldness.

  "I'll never be yours. I belong to no one."

  "The others felt the same way. Now they obey my every command." Turning to Rumex, the demon patted him almost affectionately. "Isn't that right, Rumex."

  The Shadow nodded sullenly.

  "Then they are weak. I am the life partner of the Child. Nothing you do can change that."

  Again It laughed.

  "I already have," It replied smugly. "In time, your rebellious nature will subside. I can withhold the light until you surrender. You'll be alone, just as the others are."

  "Surrender? You don't know me, demon. I've lived without my life partner for an eternity. I don't fear the darkness or loneliness."

  There was a truth and conviction in her voice that made the demon hesitate.

  "We'll see," was all It said and then vanished, taking the light with it.

  * * *

  Staring into the darkness, Candesca sighed.

  "I don't deserve this," she grumbled and then chuckled at the absurdity of the comment. "Well, I might as well check the place out. I may be here for a long time."

  Wandering through the darkness, Candesca could feel the presence of others around her. They seemed so close and yet an invisible barrier separated them from each other. Their energies were strong and yet strangely subdued. Candesca recognized hopelessness. There was a time when she had felt the same.

  "Can you hear me?" she asked one source of energy. When she received no response she moved toward another and repeated the question; still no answer.

  "This is going to be fun," she grumbled. "I know you're out there. Are you supposed to be part of my torture? If so, it won't work."

  Silence – but one of the energies shifted uncomfortably.

  "So, you can hear me! At least tell me your name."

  A slight nudge startled her, making her aware that the darkness wasn't blocking all of her senses. Apparently even the Shadow Demon wasn't able to completely control all within its realm.

  "Can you speak?" Candesca whispered, not wanting to scare away the timid being.

  "It doesn't like us communicating with each other," a voice whispered back. "It will punish us if It finds out we're talking."

  "Pu
nish us how?"

  "It likes to taunt us. We're given light and then plunged back into the darkness."

  "And that you call punishment? You should rejoice during those moments. Light is our life."

  "Yes, and our hope. The demon knows this. It gives us hope and then crushes it."

  "No one can give or take away hope. Only you can do that. What's your name?"

  "I... I don't remember," the being said, sadly.

  "How can you not remember your name?"

  "I've been here a long time. I guess it became irrelevant."

  Candesca was appalled at the comment.

  "A name is never irrelevant. It's a part of you. If you can't remember your born name then create one until you do."

  Time meant nothing to the inhabitants of Shadowland. Candesca waited patiently for her companion to respond to her suggestion.

  "Well?" she asked, after what seemed to be a reasonable time period.

  "I can't think of one," the energy replied, projecting abject misery.

  "Then I will. Let's see. Tell me something about you. What's the last thing you remember before coming here?"

  "Hiding. I was hiding from the demon. My life partner was dying and in great pain. I was so afraid."

  "Afraid of the demon?"

  "Yes, and for my life partner. She was old and unwanted by her children. There was no one to ease her into her next existence."

  "Where were those from the other side? There's always someone to meet souls."

  Candesca knew it was Soulkeeper's job to catch and assign the proper demon to anyone destined for the Underworld. If the soul wasn't, then the Twin made sure one of his own guided it to its final destination.

  When she received no response, Candesca pressed the point.

  "You're not telling me everything."

  The emotional sob caught her by surprise.

  "I lef... left her," it whispered.

  "Left her? I don't understand."

  "She wasn't dead. I was supposed to stay until she passed beyond, but I felt the Shadow Demon's presence. It was looking for me and I was afraid."

  "This creature is no demon. It only uses that name to terrify you and the others. How did you know of it, anyway?"

  "I was warned by another Les Gris. He said it could sense the moment a Shadow detached from its life partner and capture it if possible. He was right. I panicked when my human was dying and left too soon. Now I'm condemned to this place for eternity because I'm a coward. I should have stayed with Josie to make sure she passed beyond."

  Candesca could feel the entity's sorrow, but felt no compassion for its predicament. Although she was aware of mortal Les Gris, this was the first one she had ever met.

  I hope the others aren't as weak as this one, she thought. Spending an eternity without Caelene was painful beyond imagination, but she was surviving. Listening to this Shadow whining about its cowardice would be unbearable.

  "Most likely, she passed on even if you weren't there," Candesca said, her voice cold. "Even if she didn't, it's a little late to do anything and apparently you haven't learned from your cowardly departure."

  "That isn't very nice," the entity muttered.

  Candesca snorted her contempt.

  "Nice? You're pathetic. Go back to that dark, solitary existence you've been leading and leave me alone. I have no use or tolerance for weaklings. You can’t even maintain your chosen gender. It’s the least you could have done if you had cared about your life-partner."

  The insult had the desired effect. The entity's energies became charged, an indication it was angry.

  "I'm not a weakling. I made a mistake and now I'm paying for it... and who are you to talk to me like that? Apparently, it captured you too, or did you join it willingly?"

  Candesca realized the question was just a lucky guess but she still felt as if she had been dealt a mortal blow. The Shadow Demon had used deception, but Candesca had believed it.

  "You're right. How about we put all of this aside and figure out what to call you? Are you sure you can't remember your name?"

  "I wish I could. I remember everything else but that."

  "Perhaps this thing you call the Shadow Demon has something to do with your loss of memory. It's a good way to maintain control. Let me think. What suits you?"

  Candesca never realized how hard it was to name something. Demon Les Gris were born with their names so it was never an issue. Their life partners were also born with names. Only humans seemed to assign names to everything.

  "Sparky!" she blurted out.

  "Sparky! That's an awful name," the Shadow said and mentally cringed.

  "Good! Sparky it is. Maybe it'll encourage you to remember your real name."

  She could almost feel the pout and chuckled.

  "So, Sparky, can you communicate with anyone else here?"

  "I've never tried. It wouldn't like it if we did."

  "Alright! You mentioned earlier that It gives you light and then takes it away. What else can It do?"

  "Isn't that enough? We live for the light. We are of the light. It knows we need it to exist."

  "Don't be ridiculous! You seem to be surviving quite well without light. It's controlling you because of your fear and you let It. Has It done anything else to harm you?"

  "Ummm, well, like I said, It prohibits us from communicating with each other."

  "You mean like now?"

  Sparky wasn't sure how to answer. The Shadow Demon should have stopped them from talking by now.

  "Maybe it's just testing us?"

  "And if it was, what else can it do?" Candesca demanded.

  "I... don't know. I've been too afraid to find out."

  "Then it's time we did. Let's see if any of the others can hear us. Maybe we can give this demon more than It bargained for."

  Sparky wasn't sure it liked the thought but needed to prove something to itself. Having failed its life partner, it needed redemption. Another failure wasn't an option.

  "Excuse me but... do you have a name?" the Shadow asked timidly.

  "Candesca."

  "Oh, that's a nice name. What happened to your life partner? Is she dead?"

  "No, demons don't die," Candesca replied.

  "Dem... demons?" Sparky swallowed nervously.

  "Yes. My life partner is one of the most powerful demons in the Underworld."

  "How... how did you two detach if she's so powerful?"

  "It's a long story. Suffice it to say, we did. I was waiting for her return when this Shadow Demon tricked me into coming here. It will come to regret that. Enough chatter, though. We have work to do."

  Sparky nodded and then laughed. The darkness made it impossible for Candesca to see the motion. Still, it felt good. Sparky hadn't felt anything but fear in a long time.

  * * *

  Moving through the darkness, Candesca continued to probe for others capable or willing to break the Shadow Demon's rules of silence. She soon realized, though, that of the hundreds of thousands, only a few could actually connect with each other. Of those, fewer than a hundred wanted to chance the demon's wrath.

  It will have to do, Candesca thought. Now all I need is a plan.

  CHAPTER 14

  The Rebellion

  ALTHOUGH IT REFERRED to itself as a demon, in reality, It was something entirely different. It had existed at least as long as the light, perhaps even longer. Too much time had passed for It to remember Its origins.

  It lived in a world of darkness secluded within a realm much the same. If only the Lord of Darkness had a clue, It thought smugly and laughed at the irony. Intunecat was anal about his privacy . Having the ability to conceal its own existence and that of the captive Shadows was probably Its greatest feat.

  Now, something was wrong and It wasn't happy. Several of the Shadows were openly defying the rules by communicating with each other. If this continued, the Shadow Demon would lose control of Its realm and ultimately the only place It could retreat to in safety. The thought made
It nervous. Summoning Rumex, It waited impatiently for the servant to appear.

  "What took you so long?"

  Rumex cringed. Once there was a time he thought serving It would bring about his freedom. Now he knew better. The Shadow Demon had no intention of setting Rumex free. He was exactly what It had said he was and nothing more.