A Toiling Darkness

by Jaliza Burwell

  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.”

  Kalen examined the shadow for a while, even moved so he could put his right hand in it. His hand disappeared into the darkness while his whole body shivered and I knew he felt the coldness in it. If I wanted, I could steal his warmth while he touched the shadow. I didn’t though. I stayed still and acted like a good little girl while he poked at it before sitting back down.

  “That’s kind of neat,” he finally said and watched as I released the shadow and it seeped back into the shade of the tree.

  “Yeah, it is.” I couldn’t hide the pleased smile on my face.

  He said it was neat and I was a sucker for compliments.

  A small green plastic ball rolled over to us, bouncing off the large tree trunk and stopping a foot away from where my white boots rested. A group of children ran over, laughing until they spotted me. I was hidden from their view with Kalen between us and now that they saw me, the smiles and laughs were wiped right from their faces. They all stopped.

  A brave boy, probably around nine years old with floppy red hair and narrow brown eyes stepped forward. His eyes widened even more and his fear clued me in on the pounding of his heart against his chest. The pupils in his eyes danced with the uncertainty he felt about me. The boy still came forward even though his mind was probably telling him to run. The others cowered behind him, giving him what little useless support they could.

  This little human child was going to grow up to be a leader some day. His strength glowed in his eyes behind that fear and in his stance. And the fact that he even approached me when he was scared silly only proved how brave he was. Stupid but brave.

  “Can you pass us the ball, please?” he asked politely while staring at it studiously.

  “Just come and grab it,” I said, making my voice higher in pitch to sound like a girl. In the corner of my eye, I could see Kalen as he cocked an eyebrow. I ignored him and focused on the brave boy. He looked at me and swallowed, his face paling even more. The freckles stood out from his skin like a constellation going across his nose, acting as a tell for his fear.

  He thought about it and the reluctance was there. He stepped forward, his body shaking slightly. The boy didn’t want to get any closer but the tension in his body said he would. He really wanted that ball.

  “It’s okay. I’ll pass it to you,” I said, taking pity on him, and stood up slowly. He flinched but didn’t falter. The other kids jumped and backed off a little, leaving the boy to his fate. I grabbed the ball and threw it to him gently. He caught it and tucked it under his arm like a football he needed to guard against me.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he mumbled and they scurried off. Some of the other kids patted the boy on the back.

  I sat back down, watching them run off like there were hounds snapping at their heels. It made me wonder what made humans fear me so easily. I looked like a little angel and yet they still knew I was off.

  “He called you ma’am,” Kalen remarked as he watched me carefully.

  I shrugged. “I have that effect on humans.”

  “But you’re a child.”

  “Kids have great intuition. My appearance may be childlike but not my presence. He intuitively figured that out and his subconscious recognized me as a ma’am. He’s a polite little kid.” I nodded to myself, agreeing with my earlier assessment. “He’s going to grow up to be an amazing man.”

  Kalen’s eyebrows knitted as he tried to grasp what I was trying to tell him. “I get the impression that you’re a lot older than you look.”

  “That’s because I am.”

  “In this form?”

  “Two hundred years strong.”

  His eyebrows rose at that tidbit of information. “You’ve lived for two hundred years?”

  No, more, I wanted to say. Instead I said, “To survive, I blended in. I stayed quiet with my ears open and my presence in the background. I try hard not to attract
any attention.” It was easier to survive as a child, easier to hide who I really was. Those that wanted me dead didn’t try to kill me when they met me like this. They just didn’t recognize me.

  “That’s it?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that’s it. It isn’t as easy as you think.” I glanced at him through my peripheral vision, wondering what he was thinking. “So why are you here? I doubt you were planning to spend time in the park.”

  He smiled a little. “No, I definitely wasn’t. I was walking by when I felt something and...I don’t know...my body just brought me here on instinct. It seems to do that a lot lately.” He glanced around, watching all the kids run about in fits of giggles and playful screams. “This place is nice.”

  I went to say something, but a loud childlike shrill interrupted our conversation and brought silence to the entire park.

  Chapter 4:

  The sound was filled with a wordless agony that brought every human in the area to a complete stop, including all the kids. A being with heightened senses would be able to hear every human’s heart in the park as it pounded painfully against their chests while their body went into a hair-raising, spine shivering shock. It was that kind of scream.

  I simply looked in the direction it came from but couldn’t quite pin it down. I scanned the area. We were in an open field that eventually blended into a border of trees a few yards deep. The trees wrapped themselves around the park, cocooning all the children to one area. About half a football field separated us from where the scream originated from, on the far end of the park.

  A long moment of complete silence fell on everyone in the park. Even the sounds of honking horns, sirens, and moving cars didn’t reach the small area to all the occupants who were rooted to their positions. A hum of energy broke that silence as parents began searching desperately for their children and others tried to find the source of that horror-filled shrill.

  Kalen was up on his feet and halfway across the field before I made it to my own. He ran towards the line of trees, his figure a blur. He knew exactly where that scream came from.