Ex Tenebris: A Dark Fantasy (Nëphyr Book 1)

by Cindy Mezni

  “Spare me the part about ‘How are you?’ and ‘Did he hurt you?’ because this kind of things always makes me want to punch somebody,” Ezekiel said to us in a bored tone.

  He paused.

  “Anyway, you both know nothing is fine, so no need to waste your breath,” he concluded, mocking.

  Beset by an irritation I’d rarely felt, I averted my eyes from the exile to look at Nathanael. If I looked at this jerk one more second, I was going to fly off the handle and do something I’d bitterly regret afterward. Nathanael was in the same condition. I saw him ready to yield to his urges. I slightly shook my head to make him understand he better not do it. Any misstep and it was over for him.

  “Now, let’s get down to business,” Ezekiel told us, a little bit annoyed by the glances Nathanael and I exchanged.

  He stared at us and sighed.

  “Your life,” he said, pointing at Nathanael with his index finger, then at me, “for hers. She agrees to grant my requests and that I get rid of her when I’m done with her and, in exchange, I’ll spare your life.”

  Hell knew what he had in mind when talking about requests . . . I thought, bitter but resigned. Nathanael’s face was tense. He was seething with fury. I saw it as well as I smelled it. Anger had a scent and this very one emanated massively from him. I attracted his attention and implored him with my eyes to not react to Ezekiel’s provocations.

  “No way,” Nathanael retorted with a voice strangely quiet for somebody who, an instant before, had almost ripped the throat of the one he was talking to.

  “It’s either that or you both will die horribly and right now. I know you don’t have much brains, Nathanael,” Ezekiel said, condescending, “but think for a few seconds. It’s preferable that she dies alone rather than both of you do.”

  I had the feeling that my jaw and fists had their own will. They trembled as if I’d been dependent on a substance and had felt withdrawal symptoms. I terribly needed to hit or tear something. Something called Ezekiel.

  “You and I haven’t the same point of view on the matter,” Nathanael answered, determined, looking unblinkingly at Ezekiel.

  He took a big risk. Any time now, Ezekiel could feel annoyed and kill us both. Or he could just torture him before my eyes, then execute him. By all the damned of Hell! If he’d been alone, Nathanael and I would have already tried something to kill him but he’d surrounded himself very well. He’d planned a possible resistance and had taken great care to surround himself with what seemed to be old and consequently strong guards who probably had powers. Which meant they weren’t likely to be tricked by the Illusionaë—especially if they possessed it, too—because it was a mind power—like the Telepathiaë and Spiritaë—and it didn’t work on those kind of Nëphyr except if its possessor was stronger than them. I could have tried to use the Pyronnaë, but the problem was that my gifts were still out of order for the moment because I’d used too much energy earlier.

  “I’ll accept your offer only if you express clearly all your conditions. Because, so far, you remained vague about what you want from me before killing me.”

  He smiled, as if he was glad for my intervention. I had expected anything but that.

  “‘Clearly?’” he repeated with derision. “I preferred to spare the squalid and unpleasant details to your enamored watchdog, but so be it. If you insist, he’s going to know everything. Absolutely everything,” he specified, a perverted expression on his face.

  It wasn’t what I’d wanted to say and Ezekiel knew it very well. He stared at me, as if Nathanael didn’t exist anymore, as if he wasn’t going to hear all the obscenities swarming in his head and to which he was going to subject me before ending my ordeal.

  “As you’ll have understood by now, Prosä*, I’m going to kill your dear Queen. Actually ex-Queen, given the fact that you left her clan.” [* Wretch (in this context)]

  Of course he knew about that. Why would it have been differently? He’d planned everything, hadn’t he? He looked me in the eye, even if his words were addressed to Nathanael. I wasn’t fooled. Nathanael was the least of his worries. What he really wanted was to torture me mentally before doing it physically.

  “Before killing our sweet Nemesis, she’s going to serve me to reach my goal. But we’ll speak about this part when the time comes,” Ezekiel said, stirring up my curiosity. “No, before torturing her and ending her life, I’ll entertain myself with her. For a long time. A very long time. After all, doesn’t she have the right to have some fun before suffering? I think she does. And I missed her so much. I’m certain she learned many things since the last time I saw her at work. You certainly had to contribute to it, Nathanael. By the way, I thank you for it in advance.”

  Anticipating Nathanael’s reaction, I rushed at him to prevent him from attacking Ezekiel. Ezekiel reacted right away by gesturing to his minions to separate Nathanael and I. I found myself wrapped in the powerful arms of a goon with dark hair while Nathanael was thrown on the ground and maintained against it by another one. Ezekiel circled Nathanael’s body before stopping near his face and kicking him with force. I heard something crack. I struggled like a maniac and roared like an animal, my furious eyes on the Mëvia. Fucking bastard!

  “So, as I was saying before you interrupted me with your idiocies,” Ezekiel told, annoyance filtering through his voice, “I’m going to have some enjoyment with Nemesis. Pleasure before pain, right? First, she’s going to kneel down in front of me, to undo my—”

  An absolutely inhuman roar rose from the depths of Nathanael’s throat.

  “Spare him the details,” I retorted as Ezekiel reopened his mouth to continue his outpouring of ignominies about what he’d planned for me. “Knowing you, you’re probably going to force him to watch everything so what’s the point of going on? Witnessing everything will be more painful for him than hearing what’s going to happen to me. So stop it and let’s move on to the next phase.”

  Ezekiel watched me with a strange look that I didn’t succeed in decoding before getting closer and standing in front of me.

  “You’re absolutely right,” he said before kissing me by force.

  I didn’t defend myself. I felt his tongue enter my mouth as Nathanael emitted a powerful scream showing all the extent of his fury. In spite of my disgust, I responded to his kiss. His teeth bit my tongue. It was like before. I knew by heart how he worked. It was better for me to do what he wanted if I didn’t want him to beat Nathanael again or even kill him.

  “What a pity,” Ezekiel sighed, excessively tragic, once our lips had parted. “If I didn’t know you were as stubborn as me and that you’ll never abdicate and come back to me willingly, I’d have been able to forgive your mistakes and your betrayal and let you return by my side for everything between us to be as it was before.”

  Me alive, such a thing would never occur. Perhaps he would touch me, perhaps he would torture me and perhaps he would do much worse, but I would never return to his side even if it could save my life.

  “But you and I know it will never happen, so maybe you could speed up the pace and get straight to the point? Yes, you want to kill me. Yes, you want to rape me. Is that all? Hurry up and tell me. Let’s get this finished with—”

  Ezekiel punched me in the face. Then in the stomach. Because of the strength of the impact, I doubled over. As I straightened up, he hit me in the jaw. I heard and felt one of my bones break while I howled with pain and Nathanael screamed death threats at Ezekiel. Bent in half, I finally got up. I replaced my jaw correctly so it found its original state.

  “I’d warned you! I’d told you to not disrespect me again! You’re going to pay dearly for that, I’m telling you!”

  Ezekiel went toward his minions and, with a fierce sweep of his arm, he pushed away the henchman who was holding Nathanael. Ezekiel bent down, took Nathanael by his hair and forced him up. Nathanael tried to strike him, but Ezekiel reacted too quickly. He used the Spiritaë on Nathanael. I guessed it in the way his azure irises st
arted shining again. Also, Nathanael was suddenly docile while one second ago, he was trying to skin Ezekiel alive. He forced Nathanael to kneel down in front of him, as if he was submitting to his master. Ezekiel forced Nathanael to look at me in order for me to admire the effect of his gift on him. If Ezekiel could control his body, he couldn’t control his mind. At the moment, I saw in Nathanael’s eyes to what extent his pride was taking a blow. I clenched my teeth.

  “I just had an idea!” Ezekiel said, rubbing his hands, looking devilish as ever. “Maybe Nathanael could torture you a little? And maybe he could also—”

  I didn’t listen to him anymore and took advantage of the fact that he was focusing his attention on Nathanael and invoked the Pyronnaë. I thought it wasn’t going to work but, at the last moment, my whole body caught fire and, at the same time, that of the servant who held me. He began to scream and released me. Ezekiel spun toward me, caught sight of his subordinate on fire and glared at me before getting closer to Nathanael. Now his other subjects were near us, waiting for the moment when I wouldn’t burn anymore to grab me and punish me for my offense. But they could all go burn in the pits of Hell because I wouldn’t allow Ezekiel to keep doing what he did.

  Since I was going to die, I might as well fight to the very end.

  “Obviously, I made a mistake,” Ezekiel said, a bothered expression on his face. “You don’t really care for your sexual object or whatever the term you use to qualify him.”

  He was turning around Nathanael who was still under his control. And his guards behind him were only waiting for a word from their boss to come slaughter me. Fortunately, the Pyronnaë still worked. But for how long? What I’d done was risked. Any time now, Ezekiel could stick his hand in Nathanael’s chest and then . . . I refused to even think about it.

  “You’re wrong. It’s because I really care for him that I’m doing that. I know that, no matter the agreement we could have had, you’d have killed him after you’d execute me. Or rather, at the last moment, you’d have taken his life, just before killing me so that I’d go to Hell knowing you killed him.”

  I refrained from looking at Nathanael. After what I’d just admitted aloud—and to myself at the same time—I was sure I would read in his eyes something that would destabilize me. And it wasn’t recommended if I wanted him to survive. I had the sudden urge to laugh. Laugh nervously. To say that Ezekiel had to be holding Nathanael’s fate in his hands for me to realize that. It was grotesque. Ezekiel had an expression I’d never seen on him. He looked annoyed. Even wounded. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but the emotion which had broken his mask of feigned expressions was real. It was the first time since I’d met him in this dark alley that Ezekiel showed a weakness. It was also the first time I had some hope. I could save Nathanael and I could kill Ezekiel. All of a sudden, I was convinced of it.

  “I am unmasked,” Ezekiel said with difficulty, his tone harsh.

  His head turned to Nathanael and then returned to me. An expression of pure sadism appeared on his face. It didn’t work with me anymore. Something had been broken and his performance was perturbed. Even somebody not knowing him as well as me would have managed to see the fraud.

  “I’m going to do you a favor. Nathanael is going to take care of you in my place. We’re going to forget the sexual part because I have a sudden urge to see the blood pouring. So you’ll fight until I’m bored with it. Or until one of you dies. That way, we’ll see which one of you loves the other most. Who will die in order to spare the other? The Queen or the Prosä? I think we’re going to discover it very soon.”

  Nathanael stood up again. Had I really said that Ezekiel’s little game didn’t work anymore? Because it was obvious it did. And big time. At least I could see Nathanael was more than reluctant to do what he was about to do. Fight and escape from his control! I tried to pass onto him with my gaze. If he understood my message, he let nothing show through.

  “Don’t do that, Nathanael!” I exclaimed aloud while moving backward.

  I noticed only now that the Pyronnaë had stopped working. A problem never came alone, of course.

  “Don’t—”

  “It’s all very fine but I prefer action,” Ezekiel interrupted me, obviously jaded. “Nathanael, catch her.”

  No sooner said than done, Nathanael rushed at me and pinned me to the ground. I didn’t struggle. Things were clear in my mind. If we couldn’t evade the fight, I was going to let him win. I didn’t know what would happen to him after it, but it was obvious he had more chances than me to stay alive. If I survived this day, even though Ezekiel was the instigator of all this chaos, the High Instances would take care of my case. Even if I told them it wasn’t my fault, they would want to execute any Nëphyr on which they could get their hands on for that and for the murders of Efflamm and Mischa. As there was no chance they could catch Ezekiel one day, I was going to pay. So I would rather be killed by Nathanael than die at the hands of Ezekiel or the High Instances or even be sentenced to the Never-Ending Torment.

  Ezekiel suddenly forced Nathanael to break my arm. I screamed with fury and pain before forcing me to pull myself together, put my arm back so the bone could mend and stood up. Nathanael was begging me with his eyes to do something. To fight. To kill him. He wanted me to survive. Out of the question. My choice was made.

  “I’m not going to fight against you,” I whispered to him.

  Ezekiel ordered Nathanael to do something to me and I saw him articulate a silent no. I felt like smiling with relief. He was fighting against Ezekiel in his head. And he was winning. With a glance, I made him understand I’d got it and, with my hand, I gestured him for him to keep fighting me. Ezekiel had to continue to believe he had the stranglehold on the situation. Reluctantly, he complied. My jaw was dislocated due to the power of his kick and I fell on the ground. He was forced to beat me up as I was slumped on the concrete. It was Hell. Still I didn’t fight back. Ezekiel came near us to witness my decline. And, suddenly, Nathanael rushed at Ezekiel and began to rip his throat. Satisfied, I smiled as I went to one of his henchman, ripped out his heart and crushed it in my hand. Right away, I dashed off to escape the remaining goons of the Mëvia.

  “Almë . . . ina’nen!*” Ezekiel exclaimed with difficulty, a hand on the gaping wound in his neck, after having hurled Nathanael’s body against the facade of a building. [* Cat… ch him!]

  Nathanael was about to get up when three subjects of Ezekiel caught him. I let out a cry so powerful that the earth should have shaken under our feet and ran toward them. Ezekiel grabbed me before I got to them. I screamed and struggled but there was nothing to do, he was the strongest. Once again.

  “Perhaps you think your pathetic attempts to counter me are going to succeed, but you’re wrong. I planned everything and nothing will come to thwart my plan. And now it’s time to move onto the next stage.”

  A salacious smile appeared on his face. I knew what it meant. I just didn’t think we would come back to this stage now.

  “On your knees, my Queen,” he ordered me curtly.

  “Nemesis!” Nathanael yelled, struggling like a madman.

  It was useless. They were three and he was alone. He might be powerful, but the others were, too. He was no match for them. Ezekiel looked more than frustrated by Nathanael’s intervention.

  “Tear his tongue out. I don’t want him to interrupt us anymore.”

  “With pleasure!” one of the servants said to Ezekiel and took Nathanael by his hair, pulled his head backward and forced him to open his mouth.

  “No!” I screamed at the top of my voice. “Don’t—”

  But it was too late, Nathanael was already shouting with pain as the Nëphyr cut his tongue with a knife. When his task was done, he threw the tongue on the ground, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. I wanted to die and commit a real massacre at the same time. I had never felt like that in all my lives.

  “Kneel, Nemesis,” Ezekiel ordered me again.

  I had a hard time complyi
ng. I tried to forgot the sounds between a scream and a whimper Nathanael emitted at my back. I knew that what I was hearing wasn’t due to his mutilation. No, if he’d been capable of speaking, he would have screamed at me not to do this. But I couldn’t. If I didn’t do it, he’d die. No doubt about it. I closed my eyes, trying to think of something else. I didn’t want to be aware of the events that were going to follow. I swallowed with difficulty. In the end, dying after what he was going to force me to do and inflict upon me was one of the better things which could happen to me. Even if I’d already endured that with him before, this time, I couldn’t have lived with this memory. Because I wasn’t under his influence anymore and my mind was no longer twisting the things he did to me into something else, something I could live with.

  “Undo my pants.”

  I closed my eyes hard. I felt Ezekiel put his hand under my chin and forcing me, delicately for once, to raise my head. I kept my eyes shut.

  “Open your eyes,” he said, his intonations unctuous. “I want you to look me in the eye while you do it.”

  I forced myself to do as he asked.

  “Now, do what I ordered you. I look forward to knowing if your mouth is as skillful as before. As you didn’t miss opportunities to train yourself, I suppose it works wonders now.”

  ‘Go fuck yourself!’ or ‘I don’t know if my mouth is still talented but my teeth will be gifted enough to emasculate you’ was what I should have spat to him. But my lips seemed permanently closed. Yet they would have to be open to do what was about to follow. If I’d been capable of vomiting, I would have done it at this very moment. While I raised the hand to open his fly, Ezekiel lost patience.

  “Enough! It’s time we—”

  He didn’t end his sentence, a roar interrupting him. I knew the identity of the newcomer even without looking at him. Before the alarm had begun to sound, I’d gone to see him and asked him to patrol in New Hell and kill the intruders he would find. A chance I did so. I turned my head.

  Leonemä, Panthrä and Tigriä were proudly aligned, a few meters away from us. And Nathanael had a chance to survive again.