A Toiling Darkness (5 page)

First off, the slauve’s master was a strong
one. A being needs to have so much of the right kind of power to
create a slauve. If not, the spell will drain them of their power
and they die. For Eithna, she was left with so little after making
the slauve that she became someone other than the fire wielding
elemental fae that she was. That something else was only a shadow
of who she was, a shadow filled only with hatred for the humans and
she took all that crazy out on them—including a schoolhouse full of
little children.

The Consort were the ones who took care of
her within hours after that incident. All because I missed the
signs, because I missed the gleam in her eyes as she asked about
more powerful spells. I missed the fact that she was mourning the
death of her two little children; children who were killed by
humans who were unaware of their weakness for water. I didn’t even
know she had children until she told me.

They did this to me. It was only a matter of
time for me to return the favor…thank you for teaching me, for
being such a good teacher. Let me help you put yourself out of your
misery. It’s the least I can do.

Then I killed her slauve and the Consort
came and dragged her away.

My memory chose that moment to flash on
Eithna’s body after the Consort were done with her. Her skin used
to be white and soft and warm. But not anymore. It was tossed out
as a cold and leathery thing—devoid of the warmth that kept me from
keeping her at a distance like the others.

Is that a weird thing to like the most about
her? Her soft warmth?

It wasn’t just in her skin, but in the smile
on her knowing lips and in the dark humor in her eyes. She shared
similar pains as mine. I didn’t know the details back then, and
now, I wished I had at least tried to ask. When the Consort used
her body as a warning against others, all the warmth was gone. No
more small smiles that matched my own and no more glances that only
I could understand.

Her body was bruised and broken. They
somehow shattered every bone in her body, turning her skin into a
sack to hold all the bone fragments together. They broke her in
every way they could, in both mind and body. Maybe that’s why
whoever created the slauve wasn’t bragging about being able to do
it. They didn’t want to catch the attention of the Consort. I can’t
blame them for hiding, but it does make it harder to find out who I
pissed off. The list was long, maybe never ending.

Dammit, all these thoughts and memories
coming back just by meeting another slauve. I rubbed at my eyes,
contemplating sleeping for a couple of years. I could do that, go
into a catatonic state for a while. I think the longest I lasted
was fifty years. Not long at all. But right now, that was probably
the most dangerous thing to do. I would need to find someplace no
one would ever find.

The grass rustled as someone approached and
stopped just a couple feet from where my head was resting on the
ground. I glanced away from the clouds and stared at the dark
figure. Slowly their features came into focus as my eyes
readjusted, showing a lean body with long legs, broad shoulders and
that fascinating shimmer of black hair. I followed the lines of his
jaw, noticing he forgot to shave and the bristles were growing in.
Jeans covered the legs, hugging his body in all the right places.
They hung off his hips in a seductive way, just asking for women to
ogle, or for the braver ones, a good yank downwards.

I chose to ogle him.

The slauve was back and he looked even
better in the light of day. His features were still dark and
handsome, but the sun created a kind of halo that suggested he was
also young and naïve. He had to be in his late twenties with the
hard lines and lean muscles of someone who had physically worked
hard throughout his life.

At least his appearance saved me the trouble
of trying to find him. I expected him to attack, especially since I
was the one he was ultimately supposed to kill. Instead he just
stood above me, staring down with a very thoughtful expression. One
thing that’s always been true about the older beings is we tend to
be courteous antagonists.

Oh, you want to kill me? Here, have a cup of
tea first while we catch up.

I guess it applied here too.

The conflict in the slauve was clear. He
wanted to end me, felt it in his very soul. Hell, his soul was
probably screaming at him to do it. And yet, he didn’t want to. Not
when I lay there like an innocent child, a form that in a way made
me untouchable. In my true human form, conflict was an everyday
thing. I had to fight to survive because when someone feels
threatened and scared, they either run or fight. When I came and
they don’t run, they fight back, desperately, especially the stupid
and weak ones who felt insecure around me. As a child that no
longer happened; they just stayed away.

I smiled and made the decision easier for
him.

“Good morning.” I sat up and stared up at
him with my best innocent smile.

“You’re here. What are you doing?”

“Just chillaxing.” I straightened out my
dress. The dress for today had extra frills and made me look like a
doll. It was a soft pink with ribbons and beads strategically
placed to accentuate the cuteness of the design. To match the
dress, my hair was in ringlets held back by a dark pink bow. I
thought the outfit suited the day perfectly.

“Chillaxing?” he asked, taken surprised by
my use of slang. Though I haven’t heard that word in a while. What
was the new one? Just hanging? That one didn’t make much sense to
me. What were they hanging onto?

I shrugged.

“Are you hiding in the shade? Allergic to
the sun?”

I glanced up and into the green leaves of
the large bur oak tree. Just because I could go out into the sun
didn’t mean that I liked to. Daylight had no life-altering affect
on me—I just wasn’t at my strongest. Days lacked darkness. The sun
prevented shadows and left me with very little to play with. It
also went along with the idea that everything seemed safer during
the day; nothing could be hidden so easily.

I decided to ignore his dig for more
information.

“Would you stop towering over me and sit
down or are we going to fight?” I glanced around. Would he risk all
these children? They were only playing about fifty feet away,
climbing all over the playground with little grins on their round,
elastic faces. It was around lunchtime now, so the place was
packed. Parents were setting up at tables or blankets for a picnic.
Overall, it was a really nice day to be out.

I patted the grass next to me as he tried to
figure out what he wanted to do. All I knew was that I didn’t want
to fight yet. He had information I needed and I wouldn’t attack him
first until I got it. So it was all up to him. Fight or not. There
was always a later for fighting.

A couple walked by with three little ones.
The parents tried hard not to look in our direction while the
little boy clutched his father’s hand and the two little girls
gawked at us openly, and even pointed until the mother whispered
something to them and they hurried away towards the parking
lot.

“No, no fighting,” he sighed. He was
frowning at the mother. Whatever she said, he didn’t like. He has
heightened sense. Okay, good to know. “No reason to.”

The slauve settled down next to me,
stretching his legs right out while he watched the retreating
family. He sat about a foot away and I could still feel his power
as it hummed around him. The slauve needed to learn how to hide
that power; otherwise it would leave him at a disadvantage against
other beings. Right now, they can look at him and find all the
chinks in his armor. That left him open to attack.

I mapped out how I could go about it. He
didn’t protect his mind strongly enough and all minds have shadows.
I would find his, exploit them and slowly engulf him mentally with
that shadow until he was nothing but a man stuck in his own
personal nightmares. That was my personal favorite attack. And
sometimes it was just too easy. But not for the slauve. I could
already tell it would take some work to do. He seemed like he
didn’t have very many shadows. But everyone had something they
feared the greatest, something they wanted to keep a secret.
Everyone.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes,
just enjoying the soft breeze that went through the park. This area
had the freshest and cleanest air, but there was still the scent of
exhaust and pollution. If you wanted clean air, you had to leave
the bustling city and go up into the mountains an hour away.

“I thought you couldn’t come out in the
sun,” he said, still determined to learn more about my weaknesses.
I glanced over at the slauve and found that he was staring at me
intensely. All his attention was on me, his expression willing me
to tell him what he wanted to know. It was really unnerving.

I snorted. “The sun and I have an
understanding. I don’t engulf it with darkness and it doesn’t toast
me.”

“Wait, the sun is alive?” he asked, looking
like his world was coming to an end. What the hell was going on in
his little head? So naïve. I wanted to say stupid, I really did,
but I had to take into consideration that not so long ago, he was a
simple human living in a simpler world.

I gave him a wry smile. “Yeah, I’m just
being sarcastic. The sun is just another bright star in the
sky.”

He blushed, pink creeping up his throat and
into his cheeks. Really? Who was the real child here?

I played a prank on Eithna once, made her
believe an owl was cursed and was really another being. She spent
two days trying to break the curse until I finally told her the
truth. I thought it was funny, her not so much. I looked at Kalen
and wondered if he would believe me too. Probably. Now I just
needed an owl.

“I’m not a being of the night, nor am I
restricted by the sun or the moon,” I expanded feeling a little
bad. That was a rare feeling. This slauve, with all his innocence,
was making me feel guilty.

He cleared his throat and looked at the
playground. “Then what does restrict you?”

“Not telling,” I sang. I cleared my throat
and said nonchalantly, “Since this is our second time meeting, what
should I call you?”

“Kalen.”

“Darkness.” I introduced myself and watched
his reaction to see if it was familiar to him.

“Darkness? Really?” he asked in disbelief
and something in me relaxed a little. He wasn’t looking for a
little blue-eyed, blonde hair child. He was looking for someone
more mature, someone I haven’t been since Eithna’s death nearly
destroyed me. “What’s with everyone’s name? I met a succubus this
morning who goes by the name Fantasia.”

I giggled, happy with the reprieve he just
presented me. “You really are new to all this.”I looked him up and
down. If he met Fantasia, then I was surprised he wasn’t already
enthralled by now and turned into a sex slave. Fantasia was a very
sexual woman and Kalen was her type. As a succubus, she enjoyed
breaking men. And if she was around, it had to be for Kay’s
tournament. That damn tournament invited all kinds of powerful
beings into the city.

“Names have power. You won’t get a being’s
real name—ever. Unless they are as naïve as you are,
Kalen
.”
I flashed a predatory smile that didn’t affect him a single bit.
Apparently I was losing my touch to terrify people with a single
smile. I couldn’t decide if I liked that thought or not.

To be liked or not, that is the
question.

Kalen stayed relaxed, even with my words.
His shoulders were slumped as he leaned back onto his elbows, his
forearms flexing as they held some of his weight. He might as well
have been lounging around for a photo shoot. The sun added to the
scene as it brightened the air around him, showing where the
natural light was mingling together with his powers.

“So Darkness isn’t your real name,” he
said.

I gave him a cryptic smile and shrugged. No
one knew my real name and I wasn’t going to start sharing now. Not
when there are beings out there who could curse you simply with
your name, or gain access to your mind or even control you. Can’t
forget the high volume of spells that could make magic with a
name.

“I’m guessing your name has to do with your
powers though. Like Fantasia and her ability to make a man’s
fantasy come alive.”

I didn’t say anything, letting him work
through his thoughts. It was an interesting process to watch. He
was looking at me but not really seeing me. He shifted through each
thought, either accepting what they said or pushing it to the side
to find a better answer. I’m always surprised with how much a human
shows in their expressions. And yeah, Kalen was no longer a human,
I know. It’s just that he hasn’t exactly accepted that yet and so
still acted like a one; making him amazingly easy to read most of
the time.

“Do you manipulate the night?” he asked,
something like suspicion crossing his face.

I smiled a little. “I manipulate
shadows.”

“Then shouldn’t you be called Shadow or
something?”

I laughed that time, shaking my head.
“Watch.” My powers reached out to the shade we were sitting in and
I pulled it towards Kalen, just beyond his feet. The shade rose and
I manipulated its form until it looked like a little girl’s
shadow.

Kalen’s reaction was priceless. He scrambled
back a foot or so, his eyes big. He looked around, then back at me,
unable to believe what his eyes were showing him.

“Th-that’s…don’t other people see that?” He
pointed at the shadow. I made the shadow do a curtsy and he just
watched as the shape grabbed a makeshift dress and lowered herself
politely.

“Humans only see what they want to see,” I
replied watching him as the shadow walked towards him. At least
this time he held his ground. “I’m not strong enough to manipulate
the night.” At least in this form I wasn’t. My true human form was
on a whole other power level. “But I can manipulate the darkness,
or shadows, around me to a certain degree. No one else has as much
control as I do so I got the name.”