David Wells - Linkershim

“I’ll die before I’ll serve the darkness.”

“I know you believe that now, but that’s exactly why you’ll become not just a servant of the darkness, but its champion. At present, your commitment to the light is nearly perfect, so when you fall, your own faith in the light and in yourself will be so shattered that you’ll embrace the darkness completely and without reservation because you’ll believe that you deserve it, you’ll believe that the only punishment sufficient for your crimes is the forfeiture of your soul to the netherworld. And there you will find solace, acceptance, and understanding.”

“You have some grand plans, I’ll give you that,” Isabel said. “The trouble is, I don’t see how you plan to get from here to there.”

“I’m so glad you asked,” Phane said with an unabashed smile. “Issa, go see if the child is finished with her bath. If so, bring her here.”

Issa bowed and then vanished, wisps of black smoke dissipating quickly.

“What are you doing, Phane?”

“You didn’t think I went to all the trouble of bringing her here just to use as leverage against you in an interrogation, did you? No, I have much bigger plans for her … and there she is,” Phane said, extending his open hand to Wren as she descended the stairs.

“Come here, child.”

Wren walked to the corner of the table and stood between Isabel and Phane. “Yes sir?”

“So vulnerable, so young,” Phane said softly, motioning to one of the guards. The big, armored man stopped precisely, coming to attention a few steps away.

“What are you doing, Phane?” Isabel said, fear and rage flashing in her eyes.

He ignored her, looking up at the soldier. “Strike the girl across the face with an open hand, hard.”

The soldier didn’t hesitate, didn’t question the order. He hit Wren so hard that she fell sprawling across the floor.

Isabel bolted to her side, rolling her gently over and cradling her head in her lap. “Oh Wren, are you all right?”

She didn’t answer, her eyes unfocused, her face red and bleeding from a cut along her cheekbone. Isabel started muttering under her breath, letting Wren’s pain fuel her rage. A moment later, she unleashed a light-lance at the soldier, burning a hole through his chest and through the walls of the house until daylight streamed in. The man fell dead without a word.

Phane started clapping slowly, smiling triumphantly. “Well done, Isabel. You’ve just taken your first step toward the darkness. How did it feel? Did it make you feel powerful?” He leaned forward intently, scrutinizing her while she deliberately let the rage drain away.

“He was just following orders-he was innocent,” Phane said. “And you killed him in cold blood.”

“No! He wasn’t innocent,” Isabel shouted. “Any full-grown man who would brutalize a child just because someone told him to isn’t innocent. And maybe his violation of the Old Law in this instance didn’t warrant death, but his service to you absolutely does. In fact, I’d have no problem killing any of your soldiers-you are the enemy of the Old Law and by extension, so are they. Alexander has already sentenced all of you to death … you just haven’t died yet.”

Phane tipped his head back and laughed. “Fair enough, I suppose that one can rationalize almost anything-almost.” He locked eyes with her, triumph dancing in his golden irises. “You see, the real reason I brought the child here was because I expect you to kill her.”

“What!”

“She’s the perfect candidate,” Phane said with a shrug.

“What are you talking about?” Isabel said, cold seeping into her bones.

“You love her. She’s innocent, vulnerable, and completely defenseless in the face of your power. Once you kill her, your spirit will break. You’ll no longer be able to look into the light, and if you do, all you will see is condemnation. And in that condemnation, you’ll discover the truth of the light … its empty promises will be revealed and you will come to understand that all the light has to offer is judgment.

“You’ll struggle against it, but in the end, you’ll turn to the darkness and all of your guilt and shame will be washed away. The darkness will never judge you, it will never condemn you. Only then will you truly be free.”

“You’re insane. I will never hurt Wren, and there’s nothing you can do to make me.”

“I wouldn’t be so certain of that,” Phane said smugly. “Azugorath is tenacious. Eventually, she will succeed and you will kill your young friend.”

“If your pet demon manages to take control of me, I’ll just be the weapon, not the murderer.”

“You miss the point. The memory of her murder at your hands will live in your mind. You will, no doubt, relive it over and over again until you see it in your sleep. The real question is: Will you ever be able to forgive yourself?

“Ah, it looks like she’s waking up. Dierdra, attend to her injuries,” Phane said, standing up. He motioned to the dead soldier and his fellow guard carried him from the room.

Dierdra knelt next to Wren and gently inspected her face.

“It doesn’t look broken, dear, but you’re going to have a nasty bruise. Let’s get you over to the couch so I can attend to this properly.”

Phane stopped at the door. “Everyone in this fortress belongs to you, Isabel, except me, of course. If anyone displeases you for any reason, feel free to kill them.” He left laughing.

***

“I don’t understand why he hit me,” Wren said.

“Phane’s using you to get to me,” Isabel said, smoothing her hair back from her forehead. After she and Wren had returned to her bedroom, she’d dismissed her servants and sat down next to Wren on the edge of the bed.

“But why? I don’t understand any of this,” she said, struggling to keep from crying again. “I’m so scared,” she whispered, closing her eyes, squeezing tears from each.

“I know, I’m scared, too.”

“Really? You didn’t act scared. I remember thinking how brave you were standing up to Prince Phane like that.”

“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t feel fear, it just means you choose a rational course of action in the face of it. Wren, I need you to be brave and I need you to grow up much faster than I would like.”

She opened her deep blue eyes and nodded. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”

Isabel shook her head sadly. “No, Wren, I need you to do more than that. I need you to think for yourself. That’s the first step. You need to be aware that you’re in danger here and you need to be willing and able to make difficult decisions even when you’re afraid … especially when you’re afraid.”

Wren blinked, then swallowed, nodding timidly.

“I wish I could shield you from all of this, but the truth is, you’re the only ally I have here and I need your help. There’s so much more at stake than just you and me.”

“What can I do?”

“First, you need to understand the situation we’re in, so listen carefully. Phane has a very powerful demon, probably buried under that black tower in the center of town, and that demon is trying to get into my mind, trying to control me-and she’s winning. She almost made me kill Alexander. That’s why I left him and came here, so I wouldn’t be a threat to anyone I love, and that’s why Phane brought you here. He wants me to kill you.”

“Why would you do that?” Wren asked, more tears slipping from her eyes.

“I wouldn’t,” Isabel said, wiping a tear from her own cheek. “But if I lose control, this demon will make me hurt you.”

“But why does Prince Phane care about me?”

“He doesn’t,” Isabel said. “He wants me to turn against everything I believe in and join him. He thinks I’ll do that if he can make me do something so horrible that I would never be able to forgive myself, and he might be right. I don’t know how I could live with myself if I killed you.”