A Toiling Darkness

by Jaliza Burwell

  A human shouldn’t be able to smile like that, right?

  “How do you know that name?” I tried asking again. This time my words were clear and strong.

  She laughed and raised her hand to get Baron’s attention. Not that he was already keeping an eye on us. Remember when I mentioned we were civil antagonists? Well, now was the perfect example. We were like two smiling pit bulls in a dogfight, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Will it be through words or through punches—well in our cases, through magic and power?

  Battles of wits, I could handle fine. I have centuries of practice. Battles of supernatural gifts was a whole other satisfying meal that always got my blood pumping. While magic for a witch was self-made by components in their blood and their surroundings, mine was more of a natural gift. My power was more than just magic and I knew witches were nothing for me.

  Of course, it was all on this woman if she wanted to fight or not. I respected Baron enough not to fight in his bar. I think he believed that too because most of his focus was on the woman. She ordered a Blue Rague and was given the same drink Lord Baron was always drinking. It was light blue at the bottom, darkening as it got closer to the surface.

  “Anything else?” he asked, looking at me. I shook my head, watching as the woman took a sip. He left reluctantly to serve other customers. Maybe he’ll still have a chance to smite someone tonight.

  The woman held out her hand. Her fingers were long and well pampered with her fingernails manicured. “Paige Chambers.”

  I glared at her hand until she placed it back on her la, next to her other hand. “How do you know that name?” I asked again, my words clipped.

  Her smile faltered as some of her confidence left. Uncertainty flickered through her eyes before she hid it behind another smile, full of perfect teeth. I wonder what her smile would look like if she was missing a tooth or two. My fists tightened in my lap, but I kept my face as neutral as possible. I’m sure she could still feel my anger.

  It finally clicked why it was too easy to hate her—other than the fact that she knew that name. She was too damn perfect. Her skin was flawless, not a single wrinkle, pimple, or blotch on that tanned skin. If she spent so much time out in the sun, there should have been imperfections somewhere on her skin. She revealed enough of herself in that dress to suggest she didn’t have any. Not even a single strand of hair was out of place on her beautiful little face. Her body was well toned, her legs shapely, her breasts plentiful and her neck enticing. Everything was so perfect, her age was actually non-descriptive.

  “I was with El for a couple of months, a couple of decades ago.”

  “Even then you wouldn’t know my name.”

  “No, I wouldn’t.” She simply agreed. Her head tilted as she searched my face for something that wasn’t there. When she was certain she wasn’t going to find it, she sighed. “The enlightener didn’t tell me anything about you. He wouldn’t, so you can relax. But I did get to touch something you used. A spell book you sent to him two hundred years ago. I got a taste of your power then. And I saw you a couple of nights ago and put two and two together. You could be no one but Akhlys.”

  “That isn’t possible. My power doesn’t feel the same as Akhlys’s.”

  She smiled, her confidence coming back. “No…no it doesn’t. But I don’t look at the outside appearance of powers. I can go deeper than that.” She stared right into my eyes, unblinking. With that one look, I could believe her. Her eyes were dark, full of secrets only she knew about. It was like she was almost looking right through me. Almost.

  I shook my head, trying to shake off her stare. She blinked rapidly a couple of times. Yeah…I can definitely hear her blink. She took another sip of her blue drink.

  “You still didn’t answer me. How do you know that name?” My annoyance slipped out and the lights dimmed. The room grew quiet and everyone stared at me.

  I glared at them. Keep looking at me and I’ll cast you into the darkness to be fed on. They got the message loud and clear, finding their companions or drinks more interesting.

  I turned my glare to the witch.

  She swallowed, no longer the cocky bitch she started off as. Apparently she wasn’t getting the reaction she wanted from me. I mentally shrugged. Fine with me. The sooner she left me alone, the better.

  “There is a, uh, family legend about Akhlys, about what she is capable of doing. I matched the legend with your powers.”

  “A legend?”

  She nodded.

  “Which one?” I’ve heard all kinds of legends involving me. Some of them were absurd and others were too close to the truth.

  Paige paled a little and played with a ring on her finger. She was nervous now. She glanced around before dipping her dress further down, bearing the left mound of her breast. I could tell how skimpy her bikini was by her tan lines. On the breast was a family tattoo that each witch got when they were initiated into their family. The ink was a dark black and created a small circle. In intricate details, the lines crisscrossed each other creating a patterned line in a ring. Lines came together on the outside to make it look kind of like a sun. Outlining the curving lines was another in the color of yellow. There was a slash through the tattoo, creating a scar. It had to have been a couple decades old.

  Memories crashed over me when I realized just what kind of witch sat across from me. I could hear the screams of women as they huddled from me, the yelling of angry men as they tried to fight back, and the smell of decay that permeated the air. The smell wasn’t of death or of blood, but of decay. Kay and I combined forces and took out a whole family of powerful witches. Kay was going to be pissed when he found out we didn’t get them all.

  They had sent some powerful witches after us when they learned of the hunters we killed and we just wanted to pay them back. We were already watching them closely because of rumors of ancient magic being available to them. Deciding to kill them cost nothing to us after they sent those witches. By the looks of it, they would have become pesky later on.

  I leaned against the bar top, not believing what I saw.

  She shouldn’t exist. None of them should. They were dangerous back then, their magic old and their ability to wield it amazing. Kay suffered from some serious injuries from our attack. I had to take care of him for weeks before we could move on. I only suffered minor injuries thanks to my use of the darkness. I created a shield, blocking their attacks. It was hard. Nearly ran out of power and afterwards, when we were finished, I slept for two days straight, recharging, before I could help Kay.

  “How?” I whispered, unable to hide my shock.

  “Two sisters got away. Took a very long time, but they rebuilt the family.”

  “Not much of a family if they exiled you. That’s what the scar is right? Proof of your exile?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, we have different opinions. I wanted more power, they didn’t agree with my methods.”

  My eyes widened with understanding. “You used black magic.”

  She nodded again.

  “And you approaching me, is what? Revenge? Do you plan to kill me?”

  She let out a bark of laughter, coming out as angry. “There is no way I can kill you. We lost a lot with that little massacre you did.” Something dark passed through her expression when she stopped laughing and before she smiled. It was right in there for a brief second, quickly covered by that cocky smile that was getting annoying. “Including a lot of our spells.”

  I sighed. “Then, why are you here, talking to me?”

  “I simply want to look into the eyes of the one who was cruel enough to destroy an ancient family who existed before even Ancient Greece.”

  “Apparently not destroyed if you’re still here,” I muttered.

  Her smile grew cold, the twinkle in her eyes dissipating.

  “I still don’t understand what made El so proud of you. You’re not much.”

  “Neither are you if he dumped you only after a couple of months. Why were you w
ith him? Too much magic that you couldn’t handle.”

  “El didn’t dump me.”

  “You said it yourself, you were only with El for a couple of months. I wonder what he found lacking in you.”

  “Nothing,” she snarled. “I left on my own.”

  “And he let you. If you were worth his time, he would have followed you around.” I found something to tick her off. Maybe I could piss her off enough to leave. One could only hope. “When I tried to leave him, all he did was follow me around for weeks until I paid him any attention. The man has too much resilience.”

  She glared again. “The Consort sent him, maybe he let me leave because he saw that I was no risk.” This time she hiked up her dress. On her right thigh was a similar brand as mine, except it was only one circle. “Becoming a true dark witch takes sacrifice.”

  “And you bit off too much and choked.”

  She glared at me. “I did what was necessary.”

  “And it goes back to what I was saying—you’re still useless. No coven to help you and no proper magic to use.” I pointed to the brand. It was probably the only thing that kept her from trying to kill me.

  She went still, glaring at me until she turned, downed her drink, threw a tip on the table, and stood up.

  “I know you’re the type to destroy whole families because of possibilities and you’ll always be like that. I hope we don’t meet again.”

  I smiled politely, embracing the victory. “I sure hope so.” I saluted my drink to her as she stormed out of the bar. A moment later, Baron came over.

  “What was her deal?” he asked.

  “Probably wanted to get a rise out of me so you would have to smite me.” I gave him a little smile and downed the rest of my drink. “Hey, I have a couple questions for you.”

  He stared at me for a moment, taking in my appearance. I knew I looked upset, I couldn’t help it. Not when a witch from a family that should be long gone was being openly aggressive. That and I really was losing control over my facial expressions for some reason.

  “Have you heard about the slauve?”

  He thought about it. “I think so. Someone’s been going around, asking a lot of questions. All kinds of questions actually. About missing children and a woman.”

  “Missing children?” I asked.

  “Apparently eight children have gone missing over the past week.”

  “And that has to do with the slauve because?” I asked.

  “Nosy?” He shrugged. “Some believe a being is involved. Of course, no one is trying to do anything about it either.”

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  What if Kalen was right? What if a being was killing and kidnapping children? No. No being was in the area except me and Kalen when that little girl was killed and her older sister taken. I was absolutely sure of it. And what being was dumb enough to leave such an important task up to a human. They leave breadcrumbs all over the place and Kalen was apparently doing a decent job of finding them here and there.

  Baron shrugged again. “Who knows? It’s all rumors right now. I think he has a necromancer helping him out. Anything else?” He looked over to another customer, holding up a finger to let him know he will be right there.

  “Yeah, is Seeker awake yet?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, not yet. At least not yet a couple hours ago. When he’s at his weakest, his guards like to come in and let loose a little. They left just before you got here.”

  “Alright,” I sighed, not happy with the new information. “I better get going.”

  “Okay, just be careful.” He gave me a look that told me he knew what I was thinking.

  Once again I reassured someone on my wellbeing. “I’m always careful.”

  “Sure you are.” He went to turn and paused, his expression darkening as he glared over at the door.

  I glanced over to see what put him on alert and saw nothing. Then I could feel him.

  Kalen.

  His power brushed against my skin, uncertainty showing in the hesitant way it crawled across my arm. It thought it found its target, but now it wasn’t so sure. That was what Baron felt. The power wasn’t just uncertain, it was raw and angry. And it was aimed at me.

  I could feel her. Her existence was calling to me. She was close, so damn close.

  My body moved on its own. My surroundings blurred as I ran faster than what should be possible. I still couldn’t get used to this new body. It was sturdier, stronger, and so damn angry. Chains clanked in my ears, my chest tightened and I wanted to howl as a response to the howling of my soul. He was just as angry, even more so. She was close.

  I almost had her too.

  I can take her. She should be weak, hopefully dying.

  Her tender touch as she ran her hands through my hair.

  Kalen…

  The pain in just that one word, in that one gesture. She didn’t want to fight me. She didn’t want to kill me.

  No! She has to die. I can feel her. It’s faint, but it’s her. Her existence is calling to me.

  I grabbed onto my anger, wrapped myself in it, and then pushed forward. She needed to die if I wanted to be free. I needed to find her.

  I can do this.

  I have to do this.

  Kalen…

  Chapter 17:

  “Something very angry is coming,” Baron murmured. The room grew quiet as everyone’s own warning bells went off.

  Just as the last noise stopped—someone placing down a cup—Kalen burst through the door. His eyes were black with power, his pupils nearly completely expanded. At least this time there was a ring of dark brown. Maybe he wasn’t as dangerously enthralled as he was last time. His nostrils flared with anger and he moved through the room with desperation. He glanced around, searching for the source of his anger. Seeing him again like this gave me a second dose of how dangerous he really was. He wasn’t holding his knife like I expected, but I was sure it was on his person, somewhere.

  Baron jumped over the counter with the grace of a cat, his own power crackling around him. I stood up and walked slightly ahead of him, giving him a free path to the slauve and still keep myself between them.

  “Don’t hurt him,” I whispered, my chest tightening by all the possibilities. I kept Kalen in view, not quite trusting him. He stood there, staring at me now that he spotted me. He wore a dark V-neck sweater with dark jeans.

  I once asked if he trusted me enough to keep us safe and he nodded. He trusted me at the park and now I had to trust him not to fight in here at least. Baron wouldn’t tolerate it, not even for me, not even if he feared me. This tavern was his baby and fathers protected their babies fiercely. Baron was no exception.

  “He either reigns it in, gets out, or faces me.” Baron kept his eyes on Kalen, unimpressed with the man. No one in the bar moved. No one wanted to set off either men.

  I backed up a little so I could see them both clearly.

  “Kalen...” my voice trailed off and I swallowed over the dread in my stomach. Kalen was a freakishly strong slauve, but he was still no match against Baron. Not when Baron had the something to protect. When I said Kalen managed to carve a place in my heart, I wasn’t lying. He has. I’m still trying to figure out how he did that exactly, but he did.

  Now the idea of him dying turned my body cold with anxiety. My gut twisted with a finality of loss that only death could bring. He found his way past my shields and now I had to deal with the emotions I never wanted to face again—the feeling of loss. It was going to happen.

  “Darkness.” He glanced around briefly. When he first walked in, he was full of confidence that his target was in here. Now he wasn’t so sure and it showed in the shuffle of his feet and the glances he made around the room. He was second-guessing himself now. If only he knew how right he was. The air was thick and heavy with his furious power and Baron’s electrifying power. “What are you doing in a place like this?”

  I shook my head at his question. “You need to either swallow your power or
get out.”

  Something in my expression must have warned him against possible danger. He finally looked at Baron, taking him in. Baron’s skin had turned translucent, his power running through him. I could swear humming was coming from him, as if his body was charging up for an attack.

  The two beings stared at each other and if they did it any longer, a fight was going to break out. I stepped closer to Baron, wanting to defuse him. He himself was one large electrical charge just waiting to go off. The rumors of him turning others to dust with just a look didn’t seem like just a rumor anymore. This was the first time I was getting a real taste of his power and it really was electrifying. He was still tense from the crowd that was here and now Kalen showing up in a whirlwind of power and anger. One more little thing and Baron was going to reach his limit.

  Fortunately Kalen came to the same conclusion because he did what I asked. He swallowed his power. I say swallow because when a being reigns in their power, that’s what it can look like. Kalen took a deep breath, drawing in all the raw power he could. His large chest puffed out and slowly, very, very slowly, he let out a breath that came out more like a hiss.

  He shook his head, probably trying to shake off the remaining power. “I apologize for causing a scene.”

  Baron eyed him before sighing. He didn’t need to swallow his power like Kalen did. He simply dissipated it into the air. All the hairs on my body stood on end, attracted to the charges in the air. I had a feeling if I touched someone, I would get a little shock. Kind of like going down a plastic slide and then touching someone to shock them. Except his would be a bigger shock, maybe even deadly. I didn’t want to find out.

  “Since you’re new, I’m only warning you once. I don’t tolerate any fighting in here.”

  Kalen nodded. “Consider myself properly chastised.” If anyone else said those words, they would have been sarcastic. With Kalen, they were simply the truth. He really did look sorry.

  Baron nodded, accepting his response. He went back behind the bar, poured a shot of something dark and took it. When he noticed everyone was still staring at him, he smiled. His eyes stayed cold and watchful. “Shows over, go back to your drinks.”