Remnants of Night

Perhaps it was my inner despot speaking, but I knew exactly where that flaming cockroach would be. The top of the building. Waiting for an invitation is not what heroes do! They take charge! They take the fight to the baddies, throw it in their face and say look here campfire, back off or I’m getting marshmallows! Yeah!

Back in the steel box—much to Ian’s glee—I looked at the panel, ready to jab that button with one helluva virtuous digit when... “Shit. You need a passcode for this? What the everlovin’ hells?” Not to be dissuade, I hit the highest accessible number and up we ascended. From there, we hit the stairs. The door at the top needed a card to open but didn’t bargain with my impatience. I fried it then shoved the door open. No one was there to stop us. The hallway was silent and empty.

I wasn’t pausing as the hallway yawned, turning from stark professional to refined luxury. The vaulted ceiling boasted a crystal chandelier, lighting up the gorgeous paintings, the potted trees and exquisite dark wood mantle. There was a single desk and a mix of comfortable chairs beside the corner of open glass windowing. A woman sat behind the desk rhythmically typing upon a laptop. I thought I heard the sound of some sort of music but was not sure. I stepped forward into the room and felt a rush of energy. I turned to see if the others had felt it as well.

They were gone.

“Oh, hello! Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” I turned back to see the pretty young thing behind the desk smiling up at me. She followed my line of sight questioningly.

“I…” Where were they? Were they safe? What…. “I am here to see Sho Hashida.”

“Of course! I will let him know you are here.”

“Do you need my name?”

“Nope,” the blond said with a five-grand smile as she picked up the desk phone. She never said a word before setting the receiver back down. “Mr. Hashida will see you now.” She gestured toward the door, the smile never leaving her face. I felt off-kilter but with one last glance toward the hallway, I squared my shoulders the best I could and opened the door. Nothing prepared me for the torrent of deafening sound; the blast of what could only be heavy metal music that nearly bowled me over. The blond merely smiled, spinning her seat side to side.

The door clicked behind me. It was so loud I could barely think. Like the outer room, the office was decadent, beautiful. The same style of lovely art graced the walls, the far wall was open the city. The top of the desk was occupied an array of fruits, candies, desserts, cocktails and a pair of socked feet. This had to be the infamous founder and CEO of Hashida Securities Inc. With his feet kicked up, a bite of chocolate in one hand, the other hanging over the side of the chair, he did not look like any CEO I’d ever seen. He had short shiny black hair and dark almond eyes. The suit he wore was expensive, adding a flare of power to an otherwise unassuming-looking man. Two Sarkkrai stood flanking the closed door.

Sho was watching me with a smile, waving the chocolate around like he was conducting the ear-splitting raucous coming from the in-set speakers that was filling the room with its screeching sound. He didn’t look the type to like that sort of music. Or desserts. Or kicking up one’s feet on the desk without shoes. He downed the candy, chewed thoughtfully and got to his feet, coming around to stand in front of me. “Ajax, Theseus, please wait outside. Assure that we are not disturbed by riff-raff.”

Ajax? Theseus? Sarkkrai code names? There was a large bookshelf in the room; a betting woman would have said there were Greek epics stationed there. His voice was soft, no accent, yet carried over the pounding music. It didn’t take a genius. “Invyrchal.”

His face split into an impish smile. Flames licked at his eyes.

“If you are masquerading as the founder of this company, where is the actual founder?”

“I ate him.”

“What?” I felt the blood leave my face.

Invyrchal laughed, sitting on the edge of the desk. “You’re so gullible! I absorbed him to learn everything about him then I eliminated all the weaknesses. I am Sho Hashida now. I must say, I do love how prim and proper he looks in these lavish suits. He had good taste at least. Not in music though. I found something better.”

“He had a family, Invyrchal—friends, lovers, married? You think you can fool them?”

“I do think that. Actually I know that. His wife is quite… impressed… with Sho’s sudden attention. He had always been a little standoffish when it came to his affections.” He grinned rakishly.

“That’s horrible.”

“I suppose. I could have bought him out then had him consummately replaced, bankrupted him, ruined his reputation.”

“Of course. Because absorbing someone is so much more humane.”

“Humane? Don’t speak to me of such things.” A flash of his temper burned behind his eyes but quickly guttered out.

“If you are so interested in this world, why not just take over by force then? Why choose to take over the life of one man?”

“Now, now, that simply would not do! These humans are more like the Pelthocians than just in appearance. A violent usurpation might work on Zarhsha, but it would not work against them.”

“So you are employing Ve’Sath’s destroyers as… as bodyguards in a security service? Are you out of your mind? They are brutal! Of course, I can’t imagine someone who’d think absorbing another life was the better option would be reasonable.”

“Ah, you are the only one who truly understands me,” he commented wistfully.

“Delightful. You know, Invyrchal, I’m not really interested in understanding you. I came here—as you asked. I am standing here—as you asked. Now, tell me why I shouldn’t just cook you from the inside out?” I crossed my arms over my breasts in my best no-nonsense pose.

“Your kind have always had the ability to weave great magic but never had the actual capacity themselves.”

“What? My kind?”

Invyrchal smiled a small private smile and did not respond right away. He looked over my dress, my posture. He studied my lips longer than was appropriate. When he spoke, it was slowly with a low voice, as if he were tasting the words before saying them. “Silly, silly, wonderful girl. What is it you go by now? Ah yes, Zofeya…” The way he whispered my name sent shivers down my entire body. “Do you think you can stand against me? Who do you think has been feeding you for so many lifetimes? Ah ha, a light in those shadowed depths?”

He pushed off the desk and paced slowly languidly off, watching me all the while. “I guess it’s time you knew. Let me ask you this, did you think that any of your cursed kind ever held the power you do? It’s never happened. Your kind are best left to their sleep and their dreams. The power you wield is mine! It has always been mine and now, my dear sweet Zofeya, I dare say, so are you. Now, no need to look so defensive; you should have known. Or at least suspected…”

“What are you going on about?” I did not like the dark humor in his eyes.

“You fell asleep. Do you remember? Of course you don’t. It was a long time ago. I directed the Sarkkrai to find you and awaken you. Boredom can cause the oddest reactions. The only power you wield that I did not give to you has been your blue flame, nothing more.”

“Th-that… is not true. It’s not true,” I managed to breathe out. I shook my head, feeling my hair slide over my shoulders.

“I easily stopped you before—did you not consider why? Are you that arrogant? Rhetorical question, of course you are. Try now, Zofeya, try and cast against me.”

I tried. I truly tried. I looked at my hands with their perfect painted tips. Nothing. I could feel my ability to change back to my natural self like a gentle hum beneath my skin. I called my blue flame, its heatless glow engulfed my hand—beautiful but a mockery. This wasn’t all I was capable of, but… what if it was? I dropped my eyes to the desserts on the desk, singling out a glass of wine. I wanted the wine to boil, to suffuse it with my energies and have it burst. It shouldn’t have been a problem. I could do that in my sleep. Yet… there the wine sat, unspoiled and sparkly and not on fire. Impossible.

“A mere mage couldn’t do this. Not even the vaunted Master Mage Nalach.” He tucked his hands behind him back and paced around the room. “Ve’Sath, with all his military might, certainly couldn’t. I am no mystic sword or enchanted heirloom yet I can empower you to cross very worlds. So… Zofeya… I had said I would ask you what I was, when the time came.” Invyrchal stepped behind me, his breath in my ear. “Tell me what I am…”

My own voice was choking me. My heart was ready to beat through my chest. Invyrchal’s presence was weighing me down like a weight in deep water and I couldn’t catch my breath. He was no obnoxious sprite. He was no wayward mage. No one could have such power. No one could bestow power like that. No one mortal. I was blind. “You’re…”

“Yessss…?” He leaned closer, his head touching mine. His hands lightly gripped my shoulders.

“A… god…”

Invyrchal laughed. I felt heat at my back and his presence was suddenly gone. The fiery figure I was used to appeared before me. “About time. I hate not getting the utter respect I deserve.”

How could I—we—fight this? A god? A Lehiras god? “What is it you want?”

“You. Just you. For now.”

“What?”

“You will become my priestess or—” He paused, smiling and spreading his hands. “Or you will forfeit all the power I have given you. All of it. I will leave you in mortal form since both of us are quite fond of that but you will be bereft of all magic. In short, you will no longer be able to touch the energy you know swirls about you, you will be subject to the whims of everything around you, and…. my dear sweet wonderful girl… you will die. Alone. Here.”

I couldn’t help it. My vision blurred and the thoughts his words invoked stirred within me. No magic. No magic. Was it true? Could it be that all this time when I thought it was I who had grown in power, it was merely Invyrchal funneling his own power into me? “It… it’s impossible. How…”

“I’ve watched over you while you slept. I tread through the snowscapes of your dreams, making my home deep within the darkest cave in the highest mountains. Every time you asked, I gave. Every one of your smallest whims, I answered. Doesn’t that make me a good patron? One who deserves a loyal priestess?” Invyrchal stepped close, gathering a handful of my mahogany hair and squeezing, admiring their resilient bounce.

“What…” My voice gave out for a second. “What does this entail?”

“Nothing that it doesn’t already. I know whenever you cast, I can feel the draw. However, as my priestess, you will pay homage by bringing me new sources of energy. This, we will discuss later. A word of warning though,” He traced my cheek with a burning finger. I felt the heat but it did not scorch my skin. “I can’t have you relying totally on me. I will curtail you while you are in the human world but don’t fret, I would not ask you to refrain if I were not willing to do the same. We both must be careful to not injure this world. Do you accept all this? Will you accept me as your patron?”

As if I could say no. I clamped my lips together and nodded. What else could I do?

“Say it. Let me hear that you will place me above all others.” Invyrchal leaned close, his lips so close to my forehead that I could feel his breath when he spoke.

“Yes,” I whispered.

I could feel him smile. My eyes were closed when he pressed his lips to my forehead. When he pulled back, I could still feel the place where he had touched me. Warmth, then a burning cold. Invyrchal ran his fingers softly over my eyelids and down my cheeks. His hands moved to my shoulders and down my arms. The warmth followed, as did the aching frost. When I opened my eyes and looked up into his, he was smiling and there was a triumphant possessiveness there. “I’ve marked you as my own. No other can take my place in your dreams. I’ve given you a way to measure your limits. When you press upon me, your skin will darken in an arcane pattern. When the pattern turns fully atramentous, you will know you can no longer call upon me. Should you attempt to try, I will be forced to rethink your position…”

“Pattern?”

Invyrchal held his hands loosely before him, palms facing each other. The air chilled and ice began to form. Within moments, the glass hardened into a mirror large enough for me to see my reflection. I gasped. The mirror showed me naked but before I could become indignant, my eyes lit upon the patterns he spoke of. There was a symbol I didn’t recognize on my forehead where Invyrchal had placed his kiss. The trails that his fingers traced down my cheek looked like my eyes had bled ink. Swirls and lines ran down my limbs, over my body. They steadily grew thicker and thicker till my skin was more black than its normal pale color. It was beautiful and it was frightening. Then it faded away and the mirror melted into steam.

I bucked up my courage, intent on finding my standings in this raw deal. “You think I will be your slave because of this?”

“You? Never,” Invyrchal said, tucking his arms around his chest in a very human gesture. “The others who have flocked to your banner though? I can feel your concern for their safety. I could use them against you, you know. It would be sooo easy.”

Ian blinked into existence, his strange eyes confused. “Zofeya?”

“You can have him if you wish. I see it in your eyes that perhaps Sarkkrai brutes are not your only weakness.”

“Leave him alone, Invyrchal. He has nothing to do with this.”

“He doesn’t? You think I allowed him to come with you because he has nothing to do with this? He will be a viable source of power when you need it. Through him you can achieve more but,” he chuckled, beckoning Ian forward. “At what cost? Mages are so fragile inside. The more you rely on his strength, the closer he comes to the insanity that claims all of his kind. I will push you. You will rely on him and… you will end up costing him his life. You won’t care though, once you fully accept that you belong to me, with me. His paltry life will end and with it, any thought of otherwise.”

“If that’s what you think I will do, you are wrong. Dead wrong. I don’t rely on others; I rely on myself.” I lifted my chin in pride.

“Do you? Should I prove to you how much you have been relying on me by taking away my gifts permanently? If I did, you would have no choice but to rely on your… friends. All of them would put their lives on the line if it meant stopping me from destroying an entire civilization, those fools. Harbingers can be burned, Zarhsha beheaded, Sarkkrai eviscerated and quartered, mages driven insane. It would be very… fascinating to see, really. Their powers expand beyond their capability, their minds snap, they unleash chaos on everything. They’re aware of everything but just can’t help themselves. Very engaging. Would you like to witness that? Or perhaps you would appreciate something else from our fine gentleman?”

With an offhanded wave, Invyrchal called forth a twisted winged creature. In a blink of an eye, the creature leapt and knocked Ian off his feet, landing him hard on the ground. From nowhere, it pulled two daggers and began, to my horror, stabbing the mage in the chest. Over and over, up and down. Futilely Ian swiped at the creature, to knock it off him but his hands passed through it like smoke. His body spasmed with each wild stab. He screamed till his voice was hoarse with pain and blood. I watched as the thing discarded the daggers and began to dig into the mage’s chest with its claws. Visceral sounds tore from his throat as he writhed, pinned to the floor.

Death is an ugly and brutal thing to see. There is no tempo change to the dramatic background music. The heroine does not flutter her long perfect eyelashes and put a frail hand to her painted mouth. The shining knight doesn’t arrive in the nick of time to save the day. The credits do not roll, releasing you from the spell and allowing you to breathe once again.

In a moment’s time, I saw a man die. A man who had begun to become important to me. He died like no one should ever die. Not him. Not like that. My eyes burned; I turned on Invyrchal. Screw his rules and screw him. He would pay!

“Like that. Just like that. You will stand there helpless and one by one they will die. Before you make a rash decision, perhaps you should look again.” I did. Ian was gone. There was no blood, no body. “Your friends are as you left them—not where—but still hale and whole. I’ve tasked them with something. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Tasked them with what?”

“Oh, just a little mission of sorts. I had them run ahead but they will need you to catch up soon. Without you…well, let’s just say they don’t stand a chance.”

That got my attention. “What did you do?”

“Ever hear of a grelban?” I shook my head negative. “They’re constructs. Spirits pulled from the abyss for one last taste of life. They are only given a few minutes before the cycle begins. To prolong the time they’re given, they must feed off the misery and suffering of those around them. Devouring these essences causes them to evolve, speeding up their life cycle, driving them to want more and more. At their peak, they are ferocious. At death’s door, they are unpredictable, erratic. Then,” Invyrchal smiled. “Boom.”

“How long?”

“I’d say about an hour. If you can send it back to Lehiras, you can save a whole city block.”

“A portal? You want me to draw on you to send it to Lehiras?” I questioned.

“Now you’re getting it.” That smile went devious. His eyes of flame slit. “Calling a portal will be very costly if you do not use all the other resources around you. All of them.”

“You are setting me up to fail, yet offering me advice at the same time. What kind of sick game is this?”

“I am in no hurry to claim you. The mage will succumb to what all mages eventually do. Your son will perish in battle as all his ilk do, after committing patricide and ridding me of that unpredictable problem. Your human allies will age and die. The Zarhsha will lose their allegiance with the Pelthocians and retreat back into their seclusion. That will leave only you and me. Eventually, you will come to me.”

I knew all that, but to hear it so plainly put… hurt. They would die. The people I’d come to care about—I did care, there was no denying now—they would all perish. But it would not be because of me. No way. He could limit my powers, curtail my strength, but I was still me. I would always be Darkest Despair—no, I would always be Zofeya Aldridge—and I don’t back down.

Invyrchal took something from his pocket and tossed it at me. I caught it out of instinct. It was a phone.

“I just love the technology here,” he said. “I’ll text you if I need you.” Invyrchal walked back to the desk and picked at the plate of drizzled fruit slices. He’d text me? I looked down at the screen. It suddenly popped up a message. “Did I not mention there’s a time limit?” it read. I get texts from gods, beat that…

When I looked back up, Invyrchal was gone. The office was gone. I was standing on a roof. Was it the roof of Hashida Securities Inc? I wasn’t sure. Pacing to the edge, I put my hands on the low wall and looked over. Night clutched Rutherford tight but just like every metropolis, there was still traffic, still lights and life. There were no large-scale explosions or sirens that one might expect a grelban would attract.

But there was a mage of whom I had a link to. Perhaps not an ideal link but it was something to go on. I was about to leap onto the side of the wall, crouch down dramatically like you see in the movies and employ my “otherworldly senses”, then I remembered I was wearing a costly and rather restrictive gown. But that’s why there are wings, right?

Standing up atop the wall, the wind messing my hair, I purposefully Looked for Ianarius Nalach. I was not sure how to look, where to look or even if standing on a skyscraper would give me any kind of benefit. Closing my eyes, I thought of his—the myriad of purples and blues, the stray swirl of yellow and orange. He didn’t like them, that much was obvious, but I… I sorta did. When you’ve seen what I’ve seen, done what I’ve done, it will take more than a pretty face to turn your head. You already know my fancies lean toward the… different, the dark, the… powerful. I am not easily impressed. But Ian? He was impressive. For all his stodginess, his odd habits and his insufferable self-control… he was a good man. I met so few of those.

Did I feel something toward the north or was it my imagination?

I thought back to that embarrassing rejection at the party. Maybe he just wasn’t interested? I was not a decent person in Lehiras. I only had a handful of days to prove I was otherwise now to someone I had once likened to a boot-licking crony. Maybe…

“They aren’t—were never—special to me. I’d rather our first ti—”

Maybe I was just a bloody idiot who thought too much about herself to shut up for a damn minute and listen to others! From the north, I felt a hint of something. I focused on that direction, seeking out the connection and like a zap of electricity, I felt it. Fear.