The Embers of Light

by Tammy Farrell

  She turned, startled, and aimed her fiery golden eyes at him. Her face made Malcolm shudder. It was not fixed as a young woman’s, but rather in motion between the woman he knew and the older being she truly was. Lines appeared and then vanished, features fell and then rose. It was a watery reflection that had no clear definition.

  She smiled at him and held out her hands. “The future is clear now, Malcolm. Do you see?”

  He looked at the blood-soaked hands etched with lines like winding roads. “No,” he said with a frown.

  She shrugged and her smile broadened. “It’s right there. I see you and me, Malcolm. You have your powers back and we are together.” She looked back down to her palms, tilting them from side to side so that the blood moved. “It’s all there.”

  Malcolm searched for words as he stared at her. The man was dead, but his eyes were still open, his mouth agape. “Is this what a Seiren does?” Malcolm asked.

  Seren’s eyes shot up. “This is what a Seiren must do,” she said. “He was dying anyway.” She looked down on him with affection and stroked his hair. “I gave him a beautiful death.”

  Malcolm shuddered. There was nothing beautiful about this death. And there was nothing beautiful about this woman. As he stood there and watched her violate the corpse, any affinity he’d had for her vanished, and all that remained was a hollow cave in his soul.

  He stifled a groan of disgust and marched out of the barn to find Tristan still sat on the roof.

  Malcolm shook his head. “Is this what you do, the two of you?”

  Tristan narrowed his eyes and began to climb down. “This is what she does,” he said scornfully. “It happened less often when we were trapped in our village. But thanks to you, I’m sure there will be much more blood spilt.”

  Malcolm pressed his lips together, seeing the troubled look in Tristan’s eyes. “Then why do you let her do it? Why did you agree to escape from the village?”

  Tristan lowered his eyes. “Loyalty, Malcolm. She is my blood and in this life, blood is the only thing that matters.”

  There was a collective pause between them. “Is that why you would have let Bram kill me? To foil her plans for escape?”

  Tristan arched a brow and shrugged one shoulder. “It was either sacrifice one life, or many. But Seren was convinced you would be our deliverer. And you were. So now the endless river of mortal blood is on both of our hands.”

  Malcolm could do little but stare at Tristan until a thought occurred to him. “But why kill your mother? If blood is so important to you, why kill her?”

  A curious smile stretched across Tristan’s lips and his eyes moved over Malcolm’s shoulder.

  “He didn’t,” came a voice that made Malcolm spin around.

  He gasped at the sight of Davina, standing before him as the tall, elegant Dia he remembered. Her long golden hair fluttered in the breeze, and her amber eyes challenged him with anger. He couldn’t believe what he beheld, and suddenly, fear rippled through him. Did she mean to kill him? Or was she simply here to collect her viper of a daughter?

  Malcolm glanced up the mountain, wondering if Daria or Kain would save him, but Davina stood in his path, blocking his exit to safety.

  She put a hand on her hip. “You can calm yourself, Malcolm. I’m not here to kill you. It’s my children I have quarrel with.”

  “How—” Malcolm said to Tristan.

  Tristan kept an even face. “Hemlock,” he said. “It’s a lethal poison to humans, but to Dia, it merely puts them to sleep.” He regarded his mother with little remorse. “Forgive me, mother. I was forced to choose, and I thought it better to watch over her than let her run wild across the realm.”

  Davina eyed Tristan, but then nodded. “I suppose it has worked out for the best. I was growing bored of my little changeling village anyway.” She returned her gaze to Malcolm. “And besides, it seems our mysterious stranger has led us to something far better.”

  Malcolm had glanced up the mountain again, unsure what to make of this turn of events, when Seren came out from the barn. Her eyes bulged at the sight of her mother. “You are supposed to be dead!” she cried before casting an accusing glare at Tristan.

  Davina pouted. “Sadly, I’m not, dear daughter.” She looked at the blood spattered all over Seren’s dress and hands. “Still up to the same old tricks, I see.” She shook her head. “You are simply impossible.”

  Seren scowled like a bitter child. “Better than stealing babes from their beds and making a village of them.”

  Davina smiled wickedly. “I suppose we do have our roles to play, don’t we?” She put her hands on her hips. “And I sense a new day for our kind is approaching.”

  Seren’s expression melted with confusion. “So you’re not here for us?”

  Davina looked back on her children. “No. I am done with you both. Be as free as you wish. Soak your skin with human blood if that’s your will.”

  Malcolm remained a silent witness to the family reunion, unsure of himself as a mortal amongst Dia.

  “Are you finished with your victim?” Davina asked Seren.

  Seren nodded.

  “Then come, introduce me to your new benefactor. You’re his problem now,” Davina said.

  Seren’s shoulders slumped, easily giving in to her mother, and she followed her towards the mountain.

  Tristan waited for Malcolm to move his feet, but he couldn’t. The sense of disgusted confusion was too much for him to bear. Were all the remaining Dia like this? No more than undignified monsters who desecrate human bodies and steal children? Where was the majesty, the power? Were these the kinds of creatures his father wished to rule? Did Malcolm want to be a part of them?

  Tristan waited in patient silence while Malcolm thought. And then Malcolm said, “I don’t think the strongest bonds of blood would compel my loyalty to either of them.”

  Tristan gave a slight nod and they began to walk. “I didn’t say it was easy,” he said. “I grow weary of watching death stalk others.”

  Tristan’s honesty took Malcolm aback. “But you watch it happen. You stand with her like her shadow. You mean to tell me you don’t find pleasure in your sister’s workings?”

  Tristan shook his head. “I am a specter. I was born to observe.” He tucked his brown curls behind his ear and looked at Malcolm. “There is a lot of evil in this world. More evil than good, from what I’ve seen. But just because I was born within it, does not mean I have to embrace it.” Tristan sighed and looked at his feet. “Or, perhaps I am just weak. Perhaps this is what our kind is meant to be and I am the anomaly among them.”

  Malcolm kept quiet until they got back to Ayrith, and followed after Davina and Seren as they entered the throne room. Daria jumped to her feet when she saw the arrival, her eyes wide and her mouth taut. “Davina!” she cried in a whisper.

  Davina stood with her hands at her sides, examining them with a discerning golden eye. “Can it be?” she said. “Is what I see before me real?” She took a step closer. “You don’t look at me through the faces I remember, but I can feel that energy I know so very well.”

  Malcolm’s mother relaxed her shoulders and nodded. “Yes, sister, it’s been a long time since we’ve laid eyes on one another.”

  Malcolm’s gaze shot to Seren, who seemed just as shocked as he was. Was she his cousin? He turned to Tristan, whose face gave nothing away. He only shrugged.

  Malcolm reddened at the thought that these two were born of his blood.

  Davina looked over her shoulder at Malcolm. “Had I known it was my nephew in my village, I might have been more hospitable.” She put a hand on her heart. “I suppose you were the spirit I sensed?” she said to Daria.

  Daria nodded. “I didn’t realize it was your village we stumbled upon. I didn’t realize you were still alive.”

  Davina walked up to Kain, bowed her head and kissed the top of his hand. “Your majesty, you have returned.”

  Kain nodded with a look of triumph. “Returned and found our
Keeper.”

  Davina raised her head with a look of surprise. “Already?” Her eyes drifted to Kain’s neck. “And what of the stone?”

  Kain grimaced. “She has that still. I will have both of the powers soon enough.”

  Davina turned with a clap of her hands. “This is an excellent turn of events.” She skipped to Seren and took up her hands. “All is forgiven, my dear. Your betrayal has led us back to our kingdom.”

  Seren stood like a stunned deer, the blood on her face and hands now dried and dark brown.

  “Where is the Keeper?” Davina asked Kain.

  “In the Dia vault,” he said. “Come, I will show you.”

  Davina, Daria, Kain, and Seren went in the vault to gaze upon their captives. No more than a few moments after, Mara began to scream.

  Malcolm put his hands on his head, trying to process what he’d just learned. Davina was his mother’s sister, making Seren and Tristan his cousins.

  “I suppose we are blood,” Tristan said from behind him.

  Malcolm whirled around having forgotten Tristan was there. “Did you know?” he asked.

  “No,” Tristan said. “But I am not surprised. Our world is quite small now that there are so few of us.”

  Malcolm nodded and rubbed his forehead. Another scream from the vault sliced through the air. Tristan’s eyes darkened.

  Suddenly, the thoughts that had been so far from Malcolm’s reach began to take shape, the answers all laid out for him. There was a way to get his Light back. It had been there all along, only he’d been too blind to see it. He turned to Tristan with a hopeful stare. “I know a way we can both get what we want,” he said. “But this time, you will have to be more than just a specter.”

  It took some convincing to get Tristan to agree to Malcolm’s proposal. But when Malcolm reminded Tristan that his allegiance to blood included him as well, Tristan reluctantly agreed. Now all they had to do was wait for the right time.

  Malcolm continued to make himself scarce, not wanting to spend a moment watching the ancient Dia plot a future that would likely include his own ruin.

  The screams continued throughout the day, growing in intensity, strong enough to pierce the ears of even the strongest Dia. Mara wouldn’t be able to endure Kain’s mental torture for much longer. Malcolm was certain of it. And once she gave in and gave Kain the power he sought, Malcolm would never get his Light back; he would be cursed as a mortal forever.

  In the little chamber Malcolm had claimed as his own, he rested his elbows on the table, clasped his hands together, and prayed to the gods that his plan would work. He’d stayed meditative for a long while, trying to block out the echo of screams, when Seren came in and closed the door. She paused with her hand on the latch, her eyes hooded and sour.

  Malcolm didn’t offer her a greeting. He simply unclasped his hands and sat back.

  She took a seat, tapped her fingers on the table and stared. “Have you nothing to say to me?” she finally asked.

  “What is there to say?”

  “I didn’t know they were sisters,” she said.

  Malcolm watched her suspiciously. “You say you’re fifty-three years on this earth and you didn’t know about my mother?”

  Seren shook her head. “Davina was banished long before Kain became the ruler. I never met Daria, and even if I had, she has no body. How would I have recognized her?”

  “Well, now we know,” he said.

  “And?” Seren said with a frown.

  “And what? Do you expect me to bed you now that I know we share the same blood?” The thought was ridiculous to Malcolm. “Let the tribal lords and kings marry their sisters and cousins. I’ve no interest in it.”

  Seren’s face darkened. “Who said anything about marriage? I saw it, Malcolm. I saw it in the blood. You and I will be together. You will get your powers back.”

  Malcolm scoffed. “I don’t think your murderous predictions hold much weight with me.”

  This made Seren grimace, rise to her feet, and lunge at Malcolm. She knocked over the table, latched onto his neck, and forced him to the floor. The movement was so quick, Malcolm had little time to react and found himself pinned beneath her.

  “Don’t forget who saved you,” she growled, her eyes blazing circles of amber. “And don’t forget, you are still mortal. I can snap your neck in a heartbeat.”

  It was impossible for Malcolm to break free from her grasp, but he tried anyway. “And how would Kain react once he found out you’ve killed his son?”

  Seren turned her head to the side, and when she looked back, her expression was less severe. She released him and sat back on her knees. “I don’t think he’d care much.”

  Malcolm pushed himself up, panting, and scooted back to lean on the bed. “That’s what you think,” he said, glaring at her.

  Seren smiled. “My predictions are always right, Malcolm. The blood never lies. Push me away for now if you must. But you won’t push me away forever.”

  Seren got to her feet, straightened her dress, and smoothed her wild hair. “The blood never lies.”

  Malcolm watched her leave then waited until night fell before meeting Tristan in the throne room. The thought of entering the vault again still made Malcolm’s legs shake, but with Tristan leading the way, the darkness seemed less oppressive.

  The moment Tristan opened the door, Corbin shot to the bars of his cell. Drake did the same, the two of them looking like caged dogs. For the briefest moment, it made Malcolm want to smile. Mara was in the same place, hands bound in the corner of the room.

  “Malcolm,” Drake pleaded. “Please, do something to stop this.”

  Corbin’s gaze fell on Mara. “Don’t waste your breath, Father.”

  Mara didn’t respond, but looked up with eyes that spoke a thousand words of hate.

  Malcolm put a hand up to silence them. “This doesn’t have to go on. There is a way we can all get what we want.”

  “How?” Corbin asked. All traces of hatred had been washed from his face, replaced with a passionate desperation.

  “Mara will have to give me my Light back in order for it to work. And I want your word that you will not come after me once you are freed. This will be our reckoning, the deal that will wipe away all need for vengeance.” Malcolm glanced back at Mara and felt a sudden shudder run down his back. He felt pity then, pure, unbarred pity that took him completely by surprise. He understood her situation, the darkness of it, the hopelessness, because that had once been him. This was his chance to choose the path he would take. This would be the path that would change him forever.

  He walked over to her. “Can you hear me?” he asked, making sure not to touch her or get too close.

  She nodded. “I can hear you,” she rasped. “Do you think Kain could unnerve me so easily?”

  It looked like he could. From what Malcolm saw, she was about as strong as a thread and wouldn’t hold out much longer. Malcolm looked back to see Tristan standing near the bars as Drake whispered something to him.

  He turned to Mara. “You have to listen, Mara. This is the only way we are going to survive this.” He leaned in and told her his plan, speaking ever so quietly in case Kain was close by, and when he was done, he sat back and waited for her expressions of gratitude. But she only stared at him.

  “You ask me to make a deal with one devil over another,” she said.

  Malcolm let out an irritated grunt. “I am offering you your freedom. I will need power to see it through.”

  Mara looked off in thought. “If I give you your Light back, the bond between us is broken. Betray me, and I will kill you without pause.” Her tone was severe, but her eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

  Malcolm nodded. “Of that above all else I am certain.”

  “How can you expect us to trust you?” Corbin growled. “You lie. If she gives you your Light, you will leave us to rot down here.”

  Malcolm gave Corbin a sidelong glance. “You are going to rot down here anyway. Have you had many
offers of help recently?”

  Mara pursed her lips and stared at him, her eyes searching his face for truth.

  The struggle inside Malcolm raged on as he stood before her. He’d hated her, hated what she’d done to him, what they’d all done to him. But the voice of hatred in his mind was waning, falling second to the guilt that had somehow come to life in Bram’s earthen dungeon. Pain was no longer a concept for him to imagine. Humiliation was no longer someone else’s to bear. They had all been thrust upon him at once, poking holes in his façade like arrows. He loathed these new emotions. Anger and jealousy were but scratches compared to the slicing agony of empathy and regret.

  Malcolm sighed, knelt down to Mara and whispered, “I know there are no words to ever take back what I’ve done to you. But I’ve had to endure a great darkness to see the light. I don’t expect you to believe what I say, but please, give me the chance to help you.” He reached in his boot and pulled out Mara’s dagger. She flinched when she saw it. Malcolm heard Corbin’s hands tighten around the bars.

  “Easy,” Malcolm said to calm her. He brought the blade to Mara’s wrists and began to cut away at the ropes, and when she was free, he handed her the dagger. “As a show of good faith,” he said.

  Mara eyed him a moment and took the dagger. “You are sure this will work?” she asked.

  Malcolm tilted his head and shrugged. “I don’t see any other way.”

  She nodded, carefully getting to her feet without his help, and he stepped aside as she slowly moved across the room to Corbin and clasped her hands around his.

  Malcolm scowled involuntarily; the sight of the two of them still felt like a stab in his heart.

  Corbin whispered something in her ear and when she looked back at Malcolm, he saw there was still doubt in her eyes.

  Malcolm rose to his feet. “Take some time to think about it,” he said. “But don’t take too long. I fear your time is swiftly running out.”

  Kain was waiting when Malcolm emerged from the vault.

  “Well?” he asked, his arms crossed in front of him. “Has our dynasty of thieves fallen?”