Souls of Fire

by Vanessa Black

  “You’re going to kill us,” Aaron accused Malcolm.

  After a moment of silence and a slight sigh Malcolm said:

  “My dear boy, if I intended to save our world by getting rid of the source of this threat, I need do nothing more than separate the two of you until Persephone dies.”

  Aaron’s eyes met mine briefly at this declaration, and I remembered what he had told me about my near-death experience and how he had saved me and attempted to bring me back to consciousness.

  “Actually that’s a good point,” Aaron conceded grudgingly by the sound of it. “Not to give you any ideas, but why wouldn’t you?”

  “Why wouldn’t I erase the life of the ‘devil incarnate’ to save the whole world?”

  Malcolm seemed to consider how much to tell us.

  “Let’s just say that I have my reasons.”

  “Sorry, that’s not good enough,” Aaron retorted.

  “You act as though you have a right to know, but you have not earned that right. I owe you nothing,” Malcolm answered calmly but decisively. As though suddenly realizing that he did owe him more than that, he changed his mind and added:

  “If I let her die, it will hurt someone I care about.”

  “What does that mean?” Aaron asked, “Do you know her parents?”

  “No, I don’t. Let it go, I will not engage further.”

  It seemed as though Aaron had struck a nerve, for it was apparent that Malcolm was very uncomfortable about the direction in which this conversation was heading.

  After taking a few moments to calm down, Malcolm readdressed the issue at hand.

  “Though we could defer the inevitable demise of the human race for a generation or more, by doing what I have just told you I would not be a part of, the curse as such will not be overcome by the simple feat of killing one of you,” Malcolm said softly, “do not underestimate the power of darkness.

  This curse is fierce, it has a power that goes beyond anything I have ever witnessed, and believe me when I say that I have witnessed quite a bit of powerful magic in my time. If one of you is killed, the next in line will be chosen to fulfill this legacy.

  The only way to stop it is to find a way to fight back. You …,” and as he said this, his eyes in turn settled on both Aaron and me, “… the two of you must find a way to overcome the madness inside of you until we can hopefully find a way to permanently end this curse.

  You must always remain in close proximity, I’m afraid, but you must somehow learn to overcome the desire you feel for one another. You cannot lose control, or we will all be lost.”

  “So what you’re saying,” Aaron probed, “is that we need to be together but don’t ever get to be together.”

  “Yes,” Malcolm replied softly, his face looking suddenly very tired, as if he actually cared that he had just destroyed all of my hopes for a future with Aaron in the blink of an eye.

  “I will teach you how to access your power, Miss Jones,” Malcolm added, “and then we must find a way to undo this curse once and for all.”

  Malcolm was about to end the conversation, already getting up to leave the confines of the small cave, when Aaron suddenly said:

  “Wait, give me … something. Make a believer out of me,” Aaron challenged, his voice sounding slightly desperate, as desperate as I myself felt after all that had been revealed.

  I was certain Aaron could not yet have forgotten the bond we shared and all the weird incidents, including the one where our joined hands had set the book alive and brought forth the ancient writing. But somehow it all still seemed so surreal that nothing but an immediate demonstration of magic would quell the doubts that were still taking hold of his mind.

  After all, it was so much easier to believe in anything normal than to leap outright into the unknown.

  As I watched in rapt silence, Malcolm picked up a feather that had been perched on his desk, wrapped his fist tightly around it and muttered something under his breath. As he opened his hand, a beautiful red rose lay in his palm.

  ”Fitting, don’t you agree?” he said quietly handing the rose to me. I couldn’t do much more than stare at it.

  Chapter 12 * Caisleán an Draíocht

  Aaron sat perched on the window seat, looking out at the landscape that spanned the entire length of the gigantic bay window of his room. As far as the eye could see, there were rolling hills and glades between small areas of forest … and not another soul to be seen.

  As he silently sat studying this peaceful scene, the sun ― which had started its slow and irrevocable descent as Aaron had first sat down to bear witness ― finally sank below the hills, bathing everything in a warm, blood-red light.

  Weeping willows stood sentinel under a silent spell, the brilliant crimson canvas shining through the tangle of their drooping branches making them stand out dark and twisted against the dying light ― the landscape suddenly felt unreal and out of place.

  It was probably one of the most beautiful sunsets Aaron had ever witnessed, but its beauty was mostly lost on him, his mind utterly consumed by the words he had heard only hours before; words that had changed everything he had come to care about in the space of a heartbeat.

  She is you … legacy … destruction…

  Random words continued to float around in Aaron’s mind … again and again … like on a merry-go-round.

  His gut told him it was true.

  The magic Aaron had witnessed seemed to be real.

  His heart refused to believe it.

  He could not believe that Persephone could be the reincarnation of a woman so evil she had condemned the whole world to death. Who could be so cold, so vengeful, so malicious? In truth: a substantial number of people. But Persephone? Never.

  He would not accept that the woman he had come to know and trust could ever be evil.

  Ever since he had opened up to her, had been ready to surrender to her, he had not been able to put the walls back up. He felt naked and raw with no means of protection.

  Malcolm had finally freed them of their restraints and had walked them through a series of tunnels that led right up to the vault of a small castle. Judging by the amount of moisture and the strong taste of salt in the air, Aaron guessed the castle must be close to an ocean, maybe even directly by the shore.

  Now he found himself in one of two large circular tower bedrooms situated at the very top of the castle, separated only by a small sitting room between them. The other bedroom across from his was far too close for his peace of mind.

  It was driving him mad to know she was so close … so close but so far away in ways he could not bear to contemplate. If he did not know better, he would ask himself if the fact that she was now unattainable was the reason for his heightened attraction to her.

  But he knew better. He had known the moment before he tore down the walls around his heart. He had felt then what he felt now … and he had leapt … and fallen ― hard.

  If he had never let her in, he could have walked away … from her … from fate … from hell on earth. But he had opened a door he couldn’t close. He needed her, but could never be with her. And to make matters much worse, they were forced to stay close to each other.

  It had only been hours, and yet here he was already losing his mind, wanting so badly to touch her and barely keeping from barging into her room. He was only just keeping it together, and he wasn’t at all sure how long he would be able to do so.

  Getting restless, Aaron could no longer sit still. Getting up from his perch he started to pace nervously from wall to wall, like a tiger in a cage ― trapped. After what felt like an hour, he stopped at the wall between his room and the sitting room and rested his head against the cold bare stone wall, thinking of … her.

  He could almost feel her breathing … the space between them seemed to shrink with every moment apart. He could just about sense her breath on his face, her lips against his … the electric surge of her touch …!

  If he lifted his hands and placed his palms
against the stone, would he be able to feel her?

  I lay sprawled on the canopy bed in my room gazing up at the delicate fabric that surrounded me for what felt like hours. A multitude of thoughts chased through my mind, mixed with the thunderous crashing of the waves I could hear but not see.

  The sounds seemed to drift to me from the direction opposite that which my large bay window faced. I had long ago given up trying not to think, trying to empty my head and get some much needed sleep ― for I felt beyond exhausted.

  But every time I closed my eyes and tried to drift off into the dark, I would hear echoes in my mind.

  Echoes of what Malcolm had told us, of my own voice pleading ‘how can it be me?’ and of Aaron’s disbelieving protests…

  Finally the voices changed, grew dark and twisted until they sounded like unnatural creatures … You’re ready sounded repeatedly in my mind while I struggled to recall where I had heard that voice before…

  You’re ready

  You’re ready

  My eyes flew open.

  I remembered … I had heard them when Aaron and I had been surrounded by darkness during our descent into the hidden cave. I also remembered having had a strange and random thought about darkness having a voice, which at the time had seemed like a crazy notion.

  In light of recent events, however, I was beginning to revise my belief-system. Maybe I hadn’t imagined things; maybe there really was something in the dark. Or maybe the dark was in me…

  I didn’t want to believe what Malcolm had told me about being the reincarnation of a truly evil woman, but the same inner voice that urged me to believe, was the one that suspected that somewhere inside of me a great darkness lay in wait.

  Malcolm had said he would help me access my power so that we would be able to counteract the curse. But what if the power was rooted in darkness, what if by accessing it, I would turn into the very thing everybody feared, a being so cruel that it had sought to destroy all of mankind.

  How could I destroy the curse by turning into the very thing that had created it? Or was that Malcolm’s real intent? Was he willing to turn me back into Morrigan and thereby destroy my humanity so that he would be able to channel the dark power needed to save us? Was that the reason he didn’t want me dead, because he needed me?

  Was Malcolm really planning on using me in that way? And when push came to shove, would I let him? Would losing my humanity be the price I would have to pay in order to save the world?

  When it came down to it, was I really brave and unselfish enough to give up everything for the sake of everyone else? I hoped the answer was yes.

  I hoped the light inside of me could overcome the dark … that is, if there was enough of it left after I started to tap into my power. But if I had the chance to save only one life ― his ― I would sacrifice it all!

  You’re ready, I suddenly ‘heard’ myself think.

  Who are you? I thought.

  You’re ready, the voice repeated.

  Please, I thought wildly, I don’t understand. Ready for what?

  To embrace your destiny…

  No! I screamed at the voice, panic flooding my mind, making me leap to my feet in pursuit of a way to escape this nightmare, in pursuit of salvation…

  But what I found was more distress. Whom could I even run to? Whom could I tell about the voice in my head that wasn’t mine, wasn’t even human. If I told anyone about the darkness inside, they would see me differently … Aaron would see me differently.

  I paced the length of my room, feeling more agitated by the minute. I had to get out … there was no air…

  I ran toward the huge, nearly ceiling-high curved oak door and threw it open. I was about to run straight through the sitting room and out onto the landing, when I suddenly got pulled right up to the stone wall that separated the room from Aaron’s bedroom.

  Aaron was behind this wall, I could feel it. I rested my forehead and pressed my palms against the cold bear stone and closed my eyes. I could hear him breathing, could sense the way his body was leaning against the wall, not unlike my own, could feel his surprise at my presence ― he could feel me, too.

  Slowly the stone seemed to heat under my skin, and both of our hearts started pounding wildly. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before I would lose the battle. I had to calm down and get away, but I was utterly unable to do so, I just couldn’t make myself leave.

  I was being pulled toward him … toward damnation and destruction. Why had they put us in nearly adjoining rooms without locking us in? It seemed crazy to think that we would be in any position to control ourselves.

  And it seemed to have gotten worse in the couple of hours we had been separated, as if not being in the same room together had somehow triggered a new, fiercer longing that was even harder to control.

  Give in to it, echoed through my mind.

  Try as I might, I could not drown out that voice.

  Embrace your destiny.

  “No!” I cried out loud, my voice reverberating throughout the small sitting room.

  A moment later Aaron stood before me, concern etched on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking my arms and turning my body around to see if I had been harmed in any way.

  “Are you okay?” he persisted.

  Do it, now, before it’s too late. Before you can never have him, never feel his lips on yours again, his heart against yours, feel his chest against your skin, feel him inside you. This is your chance to be happy … take it … take what you want … what you need … give in…

  “Persephone, what are you doing?” Aaron’s voice nearly penetrated my hazy thoughts. Without my noticing it, I had thrown myself at Aaron’s body, pushed him up against the wall and was just about to tear his clothing off.

  My lips had already found their way to the most sensitive skin on Aaron’s neck, and I could hear him moaning in response. By the very obvious bulge in his pants, I could tell he was not going to be able to resist me.

  In the back of my mind, I realized exactly what I was doing and how dangerous the situation had become. If we continued we would end up destroying everything. Be that as it may, I couldn’t stop … wouldn’t stop … I wanted him … he was everything … there was nothing else.

  Aaron had stopped fighting it and was just as lost in the moment as I was. Before our lips could meet, the door to the landing flew open.

  Malcolm stood in the doorway, his face serious but not surprised. It seemed he had expected this.

  He muttered something under his breath and threw his arms to each side. At the same instant Aaron and I were torn away from each another and pinned against opposite walls, where we stood frozen, unable to move a muscle.

  “I see we’re making progress,” Malcolm stated calmly, “at least you’re not rolling around on the floor. Although that would be to my credit, since I was here at the right time.”

  Aaron mumbled something under his breath that sounded like it wasn’t something altogether friendly. It seemed he was unable to speak as he would have wished. Malcolm’s power appeared to control his vocal cords as well.

  “Excuse me, but I didn’t quite get that,” Malcolm said, seemingly amused. “Would you be so kind as to repeat that?” he added.

  “Fuck you!” Aaron said with apparent relish.

  “That’s what I thought you said,” Malcolm said calmly, his lips twitching at the corners as if he was trying hard not to laugh. “I’ve got to say, you have spunk, boy.”

  “We shouldn’t have been doing what we just did, but you don’t have to act so self-righteous,” Aaron fumed.

  “You’re right, of course. I do apologize. I’m not very used to being challenged, but I find I quite like it. It’s very refreshing to not have everyone crawling at my feet.”

  “Well in that case, I’m happy to amuse,” Aaron growled, his jaws clenching.

  “Really, I’m sorry. I will try not to be so smug in the future,” Malcolm assured us.

  Aaron
and I were escorted out of the room, headed downstairs in order to meet the rest of Malcolm’s ‘family’.

  Outside the sitting room of our floor, there was a small landing which led to an alcove with a big gothic window with seating to the left, and the staircase to the right.

  The gigantic stone spiral staircase descended spanning five levels. Each level looked to have several rooms to accommodate the family members who lived here.

  During the lengthy descent down the staircase, Aaron and I stole glances at each other. But we had cooled off enough by now, due to the off-putting effect of Malcolm’s presence, that we managed to control ourselves.

  As we finally reached the ground floor and entered a huge reception room with stone walls and a high vaulted ceiling, I felt even more removed from reality than before. I felt as if I had walked right into medieval times.

  There was an enormous fireplace with a blazing fire at the center of the wall opposite the entrance, swords and axes as well as other weapons hung on the walls among old portraits and worn and frayed looking tapestries.

  There were old-looking black metal brackets with burning torches lining the walls, an enormous chandelier with about thirty lit candles at the highest point of the ceiling, and half a dozen seven-foot-high candelabra throughout the room.

  The room was ablaze with warm flickering light, yet there was no evidence of electricity to be seen anywhere … as if time had stopped and the modern world had passed this place by ― a place out of time.

  “Where are we anyway?” I asked Malcolm who was walking ahead of us.

  “We’re at our ancestral home. This is our castle ― Caisleán an Draíocht.”

  “What does it mean? And just where exactly are we?” Aaron asked.

  “It’s Irish and means ‘castle of magic’. We’re in the County Antrim, near Ballycastle, on the north coast of Ireland,” Malcolm answered after a moment’s hesitation.

  “Ireland?” both Aaron and I cried out at the same time.

  “Isn’t Malcolm a Scottish name?” Aaron asked.