by Steven Drake
“Oh, I never went to sleep,” Darien said. “All this magic in the air makes it almost impossible, and I don’t sleep all that much anyway.”
“But you were asleep a few moments ago.”
Darien smiled deviously. “You thought so, did you?” He chuckled. “I often pretend to sleep. It allows me to watch people without their notice and hear things they wouldn’t say if they knew I was listening, and it’s an excellent way to surprise would be assassins.”
Miri frowned. “Do people really try to kill you that often?”
“You’d be surprised how many people have tried to kill me,” Darien said. “Not so many recently, but it never hurts to be cautious.”
“Do all mages sleep less, or just you? Will I start having trouble sleeping?”
“No, that’s just me.” An effect of the Demon’s Blade, one that had thankfully been markedly better lately. “It has to do with the sword I carry, and the dark energy you observed.”
“The sword, it’s hurting you somehow, isn’t it? What does it do? Where did you get it?” Darien felt unready for this conversation. Truthfully, as involved as he had become with these people, it was well past time to tell them the entire truth, but with their fanatical fear of demons, there was a considerable risk they would react quite badly.
“You’re probably better off not knowing,” Darien finally said.
“That again, still.” Miri said with a disappointed sigh. “After everything I’ve done for you, everything you’ve done for me, you still don’t trust me.”
“It isn’t a question of trust.”
“Then what is it?” Miri scooted closer and frowned at him, placing her face just a few inches from his. The still flickering campfire cast strange shadows across Miri’s kind face and reflected in her eyes, shifting in color from pale pink to dark magenta. Her ever-changing eyes showed a mix of curiosity and genuine concern, troubling to Darien’s firmly rational mind, yet almost hypnotic to the part that had come to cherish his friends, Jerris, Rana, and now Mirisa.
Darien took several slow, deliberate breaths, then sighed. “I do trust you, as far as I trust anyone I suppose. Still, you have to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone, especially your brother.”
“Alright.” Miri leaned back again to sit on her bedroll.
“The sword is called the Demon’s Blade, and it grants me the power to use demonic magic. That’s the black mist you see around me.”
“The Demon’s Blade?” Miri said, bringing her hand up to her mouth, lightly grazing her lips. “You mean the one from the story? It’s really real? That’s, Darien, that’s terrible.”
Darien turned away. Somehow hearing the trepidation in Mirisa’s light, carefree, songbird voice unsettled him. He had not experienced this difficulty when he had told Jerris, or Rana, so why did it cause such distress now? Why did it hurt that she might be afraid of him, and why did he suffer this irrational fear that she would suddenly think less of him, that she might become more cautious and fearful, that she might withdraw her trust, her friendship? He stared abjectly at the ceiling, his expression blank, a practiced neutrality that betrayed none of the emotions he felt, at least so he thought.
He spoke quietly in a flat monotone, addressing the wall. “You understand why I was reluctant to tell you. You understand what your brother would think, what anyone would think.” Miri still said nothing, and it grew difficult to remain neutral. “I probably should have told you sooner. You had a right to know. I thought I would simply remain in Exire a few weeks, until I recovered, and it would not be necessary to ever tell you. I did not plan on becoming involved, or exposing you to this danger. I should have died the day you found me. You would never have saved my life if you had known what I was.”
Mirisa moved quickly in front of him, and stared sternly into his eyes. She leaned in close, and it made Darien uncomfortable, nervous. He felt hot, or was it freezing cold, or perhaps both at once. He earnestly wanted to look away, but could not, so he stared helplessly into her eyes. She looked stern, yet somehow hurt, and finally she spoke.
“Don’t you dare say that.” She spoke sharply and quickly, with conviction in her eyes and in her voice. “I’m not sorry I saved you, and I would do it again. I told you I can sense things about people. I knew when I first saw you that I needed to save you. I knew you were important.” Miri leaned in closer yet, just inches away. He felt the warmth of her breath in the cold cave, and he felt the power of her magic pressing against his own. “If it hadn’t been for you, those men would have dragged me back to Zandrek, and he would have eventually found a way to force me into marriage. I would have been miserable, cooped up in the palace like a caged bird. I’ve dreaded that for so long…” Miri’s voice trembled with pent up emotion. Darien was struck by the fear, perhaps she had feared that fate as much as he feared being consumed by the Demon’s Blade. “Besides, if it weren’t for you, we would never have found out about this Order of the Shade, and what they might have done to the king. We still need you. I need you, and no matter what happens, I will never regret my decision to save you.”
For several silent minutes, Darien found himself trapped by Mirisa’s eyes, and his sense of discomfort grew. She continued to stare, almost challenging him to argue with her. Part of him wanted to, but he couldn’t, as he genuinely felt unequal to the task. Miri’s face drifted nearer still, her breath quick and rough. Then Darien’s vision flashed white, then black, for an instant, and when his sight returned, Miri’s face had been replaced with Rana, as she had been in her last moments, in the grip of the demon. Darien lurched backwards several inches, and shook his head violently, then began rubbing his temples. It was only another vision, a trick of the Demon’s Blade. That knowledge gave him strength to resist, to calm his mind, and the illusion did not persist.
“What is it? Are you alright?” Miri had a look of shock and concern on her face.
“Yes, I’m alright. Just a sudden headache.” Miri reached out to him, but Darien’s hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, out of that finely-honed instinct to resist physical contact, an instinct that seemed to have eroded lately.
“Let me try, please.” Miri almost begged him, and he found his will to resist crumble, so he shut his eyes, and focused on pushing aside the energy of the Demon’s Blade, just as he had when he had used it, at least as close an approximation as he could manage.
Darien felt Miri’s hand on his head, then her other hand, then her fingers tangling in his hair. He felt her power, and it felt wonderful. He could not help but relax as the pressure on his head seemed to fall away. She let out a slight peep, and Darien’s eyes flashed open, but she seemed not afraid, but rather concerned, focused, and intensely concentrated. Even so, he had to ask. “Are you alright?”
“It’s the dark mist, I was able to touch it, somehow, just for a moment, like I pulled it into me. It was cold, not painful, but surprising.” She withdrew her hands. Darien’s pain was gone, and his mind was racing. Just what powers did this woman have, and why? Hopefully, they could get some answers here. “It’s the sword, isn’t it?” Miri said. “It did something a moment ago, didn’t it? I saw the darkness get stronger.”
The vision must have left some effect that Miri could see. Did nothing escape her perception? Even his own personal battle with the Demon’s Blade was apparent to this woman. It made him feel exposed, vulnerable, but somehow, that did not disturb him as much as it should have. “Can’t get anything past you, can I? I’ve spent my whole life learning how to conceal everything about myself, my emotions, my intentions, and especially my weaknesses, but it’s all useless with you. You have no idea how frustrating you are.” Miri smiled warmly, with just a hint of that mischievous streak that made her so frustrating.
“What did it do? The sword I mean?”
“It has the ability to give me nightmares, and momentary visions. I assume its purpose is to slowly break down my sanity, drive me to madness, make me easier to possess. You seem to be able to
see when it happens.”
“I thought all mages could see the energy like me,” Miri said.
“Well, not exactly. All mages can see the light of magic, but demonic energy, the black mist you see, is different. I’ve never encountered anyone who can actually see that before. I can’t even see it unless I use the sword’s power. No one that I know of can read people’s minds instantly like you can, either. You are… unique, as far as I can tell.”
“I guess we both are.” Miri rubbed her arm nervously. “I thought I’d finally found some answers about myself, but I’m still different from regular mages.” She bit her lower lip. “You don’t think my people are right, do you? You don’t think my magic comes from demons?” Darien wanted to say no, but the answer was far from clear. Based on what Ezra had told him, it seemed a definite possibility. She read his silence instantly, and started to turn away, but out of a sudden surge of concern, some primal need to comfort her, Darien reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her close.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. That’s why I brought you here. The day I fought Zandrek, at night, while you slept, I was visited by a friend, an old man named Ezra, who speaks to me from far away through magic. He seemed concerned about your power, unusually concerned. He had never acted like that before, and it bothered me. I think he might have had an idea who you are, but he wouldn’t tell me, and he said I might find the answer here.”
“That’s why you suddenly got the idea to have Zandrek lead us here.” Miri’s eyes opened wide. Darien nodded. “I knew something had happened. You changed. I don’t think anyone else noticed, but I could tell the next morning. You were almost afraid. I’ve never seen you afraid of anything before.”
“Not afraid, not for myself at least. I suppose I was concerned for you.” A slight blush rose in Miri’s cheeks, and Darien released her arm and turned away, embarrassed. “Ezra has guided me since I first took the Demon’s Blade. He always watched me, everything I said or did, he seemed to know, but not this time. Something was different about him this time, and when I explained your abilities, he seemed…” Darien couldn’t think of a word for it that he was willing to admit to Mirisa. Ezra had reacted with distaste, even revulsion, regarding the fallen elves as abominations to be destroyed. “Well, he seemed concerned beyond what I would expect from him.”
Mirisa shifted. “And you think he might be right to be… concerned?”
“I don’t know, and that’s why I wanted to come here.” Darien looked into Miri’s eyes again. He had to reassure her this time. “It doesn’t matter who you are, or where your power comes from. I have unnatural abilities as well. I thought I understood where they came from.” It would be easier to show her. He raised his hand and focused his power in his hand, filling his mind with the feeling of empty despair that he had first experienced on the day of his mother’s death, the feeling that he had believed was the origin of his shadow void. That was how Kirin and the Demon King had explained it to him, but perhaps that wasn’t the truth, at least not all of it. He kept it small, just enough to be visible. The dwindling flames of the fire flickered as the shadow void pulled air through the cave.
“What is it?” Miri asked.
“It is called a shadow void,” Darien said. “A form of pure emptiness that draws in everything around it. If I withdraw focus quickly, it can also produce a tremendous explosion as the void is suddenly closed.”
“Is it magic?”
“Yes, an extremely rare form. Only a handful of mages are known to be able to manifest that ability. All but myself and one other serve the Demon King. Ezra said that this ability may also be related to yours. I hope to find answers here.” Darien slowly closed the void, while Miri continued staring with awestruck eyes.
“That was magnificent,” she said without a trace of irony. “I’ve never seen anything like that. Can you show me how?”
His first instinct was to say no, but Miri had so many other unconventional abilities, and so many similar to his own. “Maybe, but not tonight. Even if we can’t sleep, let’s try to get some rest.”
“Alright.” Miri flashed a disarming smile, and Darien tried to return it. “I’ll be ready for tomorrow.” Then she laid down again and stared up at the ceiling. Darien did the same, no longer bothering to shut his eyes. The magic still made it impossible to sleep, but at least it seemed easier to calm himself and slow his breathing. The night would be long, but he would be ready for tomorrow.
Chapter 30: The Forgotten City
Mirisa spent the remainder of the night quietly staring up at the ceiling, still anxious, but far more confident. Darien had finally opened up to her, giving her some of the answers she had been pursuing for weeks. She had discovered the truth about the dark energy swirling around the raven-haired mage, and the reason for his sudden curiosity about her origins. The implications of the conversation should have frightened her, but somehow, they didn’t.
She stole a glance over at Darien, who remained awake, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. She had finally managed to peel back the layers and uncovered a new side of him, a side she honestly wondered if anyone else had ever seen, or ever would again. His strange behavior over the past weeks, the journey to this place, had all been out of concern for her. She felt truly close to him now, finally having gained his complete confidence. Now she could no longer deny the stirrings of affection for him in her heart, though she feared them as well. Now that she knew of the Demon’s Blade, she understood why he worked so hard to push people away. He isolated himself to protect others from his curse. It hurt her heart to think of how terribly alone he must be, but that only made him seem so much more noble in her eyes. She wanted desperately to help him, but she couldn’t understand how.
The night lingered on for what seemed ages, yet finally, thin rays of sunlight shone in the cave mouth. Mirisa rose early to prepare breakfast for everyone as a way to pass the time. Darien rose soon after and actually tried to help, not that he was particularly useful. His idea of cooking seemed to be to roast whatever meat was available with his magical fire until the outside was charred black. Even when he simply started an ordinary fire with his magic, it burned too hot, and the wood burned off too quickly. Darien didn’t seem to notice, but for those who couldn’t simply conjure more fire, that actually mattered. She instead set him to retrieve the cooking supplies, then shooed him away.
They finished their meal quickly, then Darien gave instructions for the rest of the group to wait for their return. Darien decided that he didn’t want Zandrek following him all day, so he left the control talisman with Garok. Darien used the prince to pass the barrier just as he had the day before, then shoved Zandrek back through the gate into the waiting arms of the ogre.
Miri readied herself, then held her breath as she stepped through, trembling with anticipation, wondering if the answers lay beyond. Miri remembered the last time she had been here, climbing down the staircase in complete darkness. She had tried to light the staircase with magic, but Zitane had stopped her. Since that day, she had feared her own abilities, but no more. This time, Darien lit the way with magic, and the staircase seemed far shorter than it had then. Though out in the valley, it had been cold, almost freezing, the air grew progressively warmer and damper as they climbed. They emerged from the staircase into a humid and gloomy darkness. The sun had not yet emerged from behind the high walls that hemmed in this crag between the mountains, but the air had grown almost uncomfortably humid.
As they passed through the final door into the garden, Miri gasped at the scene. The last time she had seen this place, there had been only cold, gray ruins, a garden long devoid of life. This time, however, the garden burst with color. Flowers bloomed everywhere across the ground, in every imaginable hue, red, blue, orange, yellow, white, and everything in between. A canopy of leaves shaded the garden a deep green. Many of the trees were laden with fruit, white skinned apples, dark green pears, and some kind of pale blue fruit shaped like a teardrop that Miri
had never seen before. Insects buzzed through the air, some nearly as large as Miri’s hand, green beetles, orange dragonflies, and most notably some familiar looking purple and yellow butterflies. Miri searched the trees, plants, and ground, looking for a spider’s web, certain that she had been here before, in the dream that repeated so often. She finally found one, several yards in the air, a web strung between a hanging vine and the trunk of one of the teardrop fruit trees. Miri gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Darien asked.
“This… I’ve been here before.”
“Of course you were, when you woke up. Are you alright?” Darien asked.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean this is where I was in my dream, the one with the spider.” Miri said. “But when I woke up, none of this was here. The trees, the flowers, were all gone. There was nothing but bare ground, everything was long dead.”
“Perhaps not dead, but dormant,” Darien said. “This place is sustained by magic. You remember I told you about Kadanar, the elf sanctuary where I trained Jerris.” Miri nodded. She had recalled the fantastic description of the place. It had seemed unbelievable at the time. “This place has the same feel to it, the same kind of aura. You feel it?”
Miri closed her eyes, and she did feel it, similar to the cave below, but less sharp and clear, more earthy and warm. “I think so. Why is it so different from the cave?”
“The ancient elves wove magic into their sanctuaries according to their purpose. The aura here is meant to sustain this life. The cave had a different purpose, as a final warning to anyone attempting to sneak into the elf sanctuary, beware the power of this place. I think that’s why it was so disorienting.”
“Then this is an ancient elf sanctuary?”
“I think so. This is even more powerful than what I felt in Kadanar. It’s overwhelming,” Darien said with a deep breath. “Do you remember where you woke up?”
Miri searched for a few minutes. Everything looked different now, and it was hard to get her bearings, but she finally managed to find the path of stones that led up to the ancient table. The table seemed the only thing that looked exactly the same as it had before. The area around it was clear, without trees and flowers. She suddenly remembered something, and looked up.