Souls of Fire

by Vanessa Black

I will be evil, I said, feeling suddenly numb.

  You will not be evil, you will be dark. But where Darkness lies, evil can blossom. However, it is not my concern if you turn evil or not. Do you want me to bring him back?

  Yes, I said without hesitation. I would do anything to get him back, and though it scared me just how much I was willing to sacrifice, I knew there had never really been a choice to make. My heart seemed to have decided long ago … before I had even guessed at my own feelings. I was in love with him.

  Even though I barely knew him.

  Even though I also had feelings for his brother.

  Even though everything between us was complicated.

  We had seen into each other’s souls. He had been there for me, held me, soothed me.

  And the fact that I had just decided to sacrifice the purity of my soul so that he could live, without entertaining any hope of a future with him, said it all.

  I was sure he would not like the trade I had agreed to, he might not understand my choice … and he might not forgive me for it. But that was a risk I had to take.

  It was the ultimate sacrifice … and there was nothing I wanted more! If I could save him, I would gladly give my life … my soul. At least then, my life would have meant something, my life would have been good for … something … something other than destroying the world.

  Silently asking my parents, Aaron and Aidan for forgiveness, I took a deep breath, readied myself … and mentally stepped into the pitch-black center of my soul.

  Tendrils of darkness snaked around me, through me, piercing and entering my heart. With an effort I hadn’t been sure was within my power, I managed to step back out of the darkness.

  But the beautiful light that had radiated all around me before was dull now, the beautiful colors and brilliance gone. Black tendrils reached out of the center of my soul and snaked around the once luminescent rays.

  It was worth it, I thought, while tears streamed down my face, nonetheless.

  If it had saved Aidan, it was all worth it.

  The moment I opened my eyes and saw Aidan’s mouth twitch, I knew it had worked.

  I was about to throw myself at his body and hold him to me, when a furious deep voice suddenly pierced the silence around me.

  “Persephone, what have you done!”

  Following the sound of the angry voice, my eyes found Malcolm standing before me. Behind him, Aaron’s features mirrored Malcolm’s disbelief and condemnation.

  They knew absolutely nothing about what had happened, what we had gone through, what I felt in my heart. But it seemed they had already sentenced me.

  And deep down, I knew they were right. No matter the good intentions that had driven me to do what I felt I had to, the fact of the matter was: they were right.

  I was guilty…

  Guilty of selling my soul!

  And now there was only one thing left for me to do.

  And as I hung my head and silently awaited my punishment … both from the people whose forgiveness I sought, and the darkness that had finally taken a hold of me, I couldn’t help but think:

  I would do it again … in a heartbeat.

  TO BE CONTINUED…

  Sneak Peek ― Soul of Darkness

  Prologue

  The first vital piece had finally fallen into place. Darkness reveled in what was ultimately the beginning of the end … at least for the human race. For Darkness it was the fulfillment of a century-old promise.

  Darkness would thrive … it would finally be able to relish the taste of destruction and despair that would fill the billions of souls of the dying. It would feast off of them … and the destruction of earth’s light would strengthen its power.

  And it had only her to thank. Without her, the darkest and most powerful of them all, he never could have accomplished any of it.

  Centuries ago, she had let him in … now she had done so again. That was all Darkness needed. Its seed had been planted inside of her long ago, but now she had accepted it … now she had let it become a part of her, and it would grow and manipulate her … twist her into a creature so dark that she would not hesitate to do its most terrible bidding.

  Darkness would have destroyed the world long ago. But it hadn’t been in complete control of Morrigan.

  Somehow, even though she had done Darkness’s bidding, she had, nonetheless, managed to delay the destruction of humanity for hundreds of years.

  But Darkness hadn’t minded the deferral … it had already waited for so long to find the perfect creature to possess … it hadn’t minded waiting a few centuries longer ― it was naught but the blink of an eye for an entity whose existence traversed the dawn of time.

  But now it had started … and soon … Darkness would reign…

  Chapter 1 * Numb

  I sat on the window ledge of my bedroom at the Haven’s ancestral castle in Ireland, gazing out at the landscape.

  Somewhere in the very back of my mind, so far removed it seemed as though in another life, I dimly recalled hours upon hours sitting in a similar manner in the home I had grown up in. The only difference was: then, I’d seen and felt so much.

  Now, I saw nothing ― felt nothing.

  I was empty and cold inside.

  Back then, everything had seemed so simple. My life had been a succession of choices I was about to make ― choices that would determine the rest of my life.

  My life … My choices.

  So much had changed since then. My life was no longer mine, my choices no longer voluntary … my path already determined. Destiny had taken my freedom, every course of action leading me further down the road to destruction. That’s how I felt.

  Gone was the optimism I might once have possessed. The hope of an actual future had gone up in smoke as darkness and ice had encased my heart…

  When Aidan’s life had been at stake, I’d done the only thing I could to save him. I’d sold my soul to Darkness. And Darkness had kept its end of the bargain. It had brought him back. That had been two days ago, and I hadn’t seen him since.

  Dimly I recalled the moments after Aidan’s body had once again shown signs of life. Back then, I’d still been able to feel … the numbness had crept over me gradually ― stealthily ― until it completely filled me out from the inside.

  I remembered Malcolm’s outcry at what I had done ― he’d known immediately.

  I remembered the thoughts that had raced through my mind at seeing Malcolm and Aaron standing in the great hall, looking down at me and the image I presented.

  Allegedly Malcolm and Aaron had managed to fight off their attackers and get away without being tracked. As soon as they’d escaped, they’d decided to meet up with Aidan and me, heading for the manor…

  Just in time to witness my fall from grace.

  I’d thought we’d be staying at the mansion in Scotland, but given Aidan’s situation Malcolm had decided to return to the castle.

  It seemed some of the members of the guard were already headed toward the castle, so that it would be safer for us there now ― though Malcolm had instructed the rest of his family and staff to stay away for the time being.

  Malcolm had opened a portal and brought all of us back to the castle. Aidan ― still unconscious at the time ― had needed to be carried.

  The return to the castle was fine with me. It didn’t matter where I was.

  I no longer cared. Everywhere seemed the same … one place as dull as the next. In a remote corner of my mind, I realized all I had lost … but I just couldn’t get myself to care.

  My gaze stuck to no particular spot … staring unseeingly into nothingness as I sat unmoving…

  Numb.

  Aaron silently watched Malcolm taking care of Aidan. His twin brother had not yet regained consciousness.

  They were at the castle’s own infirmary where Malcolm seemed to have every possible concoction at his disposal. The Haven seemed to have extensive knowledge of herbs and their use in making remedies for nearly every illness.
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  Aaron sat in the back watching and waiting. He didn’t want to be in Malcolm’s way while he tried to find out why Aidan was still unconscious.

  Other than that, Aaron mused, Malcolm might want to find out more about Aidan’s general condition … if he was still the son he knew and had raised … or changed somehow ― having been dead.

  Malcolm and Aaron had only just arrived at the manor and walked into the grand reception hall to find Persephone leaning over Aidan’s body, sobbing, and immersed in waves of power. Aaron had been able to feel ripples of pure energy rolling off her.

  Before he or his father had even come to grasp the seriousness of the situation, her fiery red mane had suddenly started to fan out around her through a surge of power so strong, it had nearly knocked Aaron off his feet.

  At the same time as a glowing light had enveloped Aidan’s body, Aaron had watched a strand of Persephone’s hair slowly turning black from the root onward.

  He’d had a split moment to wonder about what she had just done, why she’d been crying, and why his brother hadn’t been stirring, when the sharp tone of Malcolm’s voice asking her what she’d done, and the fact that Aidan’s lips were slightly blue in his deathly pale face, suddenly made everything click into place. Aidan must have died … and she’d brought him back.

  But how had she even known how to do that? And what had happened to them? It was a complete mystery to him … especially the black lock of hair ― what did it mean?

  He would have liked to ask Malcolm to explain, but there was no way he would get any answers out of him at the moment. Malcolm was too occupied with his son to engage in conversation. So Aaron sat … and kept silent … and waited.

  While he passed the time, his thoughts turned back to his brother and Malcolm. How strange it was to watch two men he hardly knew yet who had the same blood as his running through their veins.

  All his life Aaron had wished he’d known his parents, had felt an acute sense of loss at never having been part of a family. Adam had cared for him, had loved him … and Aaron would always be grateful to him, would always see and love him as a father.

  But despite that, he’d always wanted to know who his real parents were … where he came from … if he was at all like them.

  When Aaron had learned of his parents’ demise, he had acted as though it did not touch him. But in reality he had been devastated, had wanted more than anything to get to know them.

  No matter that they had abandoned him.

  No matter that they hadn’t felt the same way about him.

  He had craved their acquaintance … their acceptance … their … love.

  And when he’d thought they were dead and he would never get to meet them, it had torn another gigantic hole in his heart.

  Now, he suddenly had a father … his real father … and a brother. And he wanted nothing more than to get to know them.

  But it hadn’t been easy for him to admit it or show that he actually cared. It had all happened so fast, the truth had been more or less thrown in his face, and he just hadn’t been ready for it. He hadn’t known how to act.

  Then, Aidan had insulted Persephone. Furthermore, he had learned that his brother was connected to her as well. An intense wave of jealousy had rolled over him at the thought of Aidan getting close to Persephone.

  And from that moment on, it seemed he would never have a good ― or any kind of ― relationship with his brother.

  But abruptly everything had changed. In the space of a heartbeat, realizing that Aidan had nearly died ― actually had died ― he’d understood the value of the second chance he’d been given.

  He could not live in peace if he forewent the chance to get to know his only brother … his flesh and blood. And the same went for Malcolm.

  His father might have made choices that kept Aaron from his family for a long time, but he could understand why Malcolm had done it. And Aaron hoped, somewhere inside, he would be able to find the strength to forgive him.

  As for his mother, nothing could bring her back. He would never meet her. But maybe she would live on a bit in the memories Malcolm could share with him.

  Aaron longed to know more about her, to hear stories of their life together … as a family … before their idyll had so cruelly been shattered. The only bit Malcolm had told Aaron about his mother so far, was that she had died in a desperate attempt to save him … she had died for him.

  One thing Aaron already knew about his mother: she had loved him! Knowing he’d been loved made a profound difference. He’d always assumed his parents hadn’t cared for him. He’d been wrong.

  “Well, I have done everything I can do for now. I think he will be conscious before too long,” Malcolm said, putting away several vials with herbs in them as he spoke.

  “So, is he okay?” Aaron asked.

  “Yes, he should be fine,” Malcolm replied.

  “Malcolm …,” Aaron addressed his father, hesitating slightly because he was unsure if the topic he was about to bring up was something Malcolm would feel comfortable discussing with him, “… what exactly happened at the manor in Scotland?”

  It looked like his instincts had been right. Malcolm appeared extremely uncomfortable with the subject at hand. After keeping silent for a long moment, he finally seemed decided on talking about it, after all. He could probably tell that Aaron would not give up easily and would continue to pry.

  “It looks like I would have lost one of my sons … if it had not been for Persephone. She brought him back from the dead.”

  “I’d gathered as much,” Aaron replied, “What I don’t understand is … how?”

  When Malcolm wouldn’t answer, Aaron knew he’d grazed the actual issue responsible for Malcolm’s initial hesitancy. This was what he hadn’t wanted to talk about.

  “Please …,” Aaron said quietly, “… help me understand … all of this,” he finished, his tone of voice revealing his confusion and helplessness confronted with things he had no way of understanding as an ‘outsider’ to his own family’s way.

  Malcolm seemed to take pity on his son and finally answered.

  “The ‘how’ I think I can understand. Morrigan was the greatest witch to ever walk among men. Her magic went beyond anything I have ever beheld. And it seems that Persephone has at last managed to tap into that great power.

  And though the speed with which she was able to harness that enormous force after never having used it before in this lifetime surprised me, I must say I am not really that astonished that she managed to bring him back.” Malcolm hesitated for a moment.

  “But what has me amazed, I must admit …,” Malcolm said, “… is the ‘why’ of it.”

  “What do you mean?” Aaron asked, confused. “If she had the means to bring him back, why would she not have done it? I mean, I get that they don’t get along all too well, but it’s not like Persephone would just let someone die if she can do something about it. She’s not that kind of person. She will try to help if she can.”

  “Yes, I do not doubt it. But there is something you do not know,” Malcolm said softly. It seemed he was about to tell Aaron something of a very serious nature … something he needed to tell him gently.

  Whatever it was, it was clear to Aaron that Malcolm thought he would not like what he would hear. Aaron waited for him to continue, steeling himself.

  “The only way Persephone was able to get Aidan back was by using a considerable amount of the most powerful magic in existence.”

  “Yes, but you did say that she has that kind of magic inside of her. You said she’s always been the most powerful witch,” Aaron countered, not understanding what Malcolm was getting at.

  “Exactly. But the most powerful magic has always, and will always, be rooted in Darkness. The amount of magic necessary to bring a person back from the dead can only be found by tapping into the darkest place within one’s soul. By bringing Aidan back, Persephone sacrificed her soul’s light and surrendered to Darkness.”

  “
Oh my God, that’s why her hair turned black,” Aaron mumbled, suddenly understanding.

  “But what exactly does this mean?” Aaron asked Malcolm, the tone of his voice indicating the feeling of foreboding that had suddenly crept over him.

  “It means that Persephone is now touched by Darkness … and it has changed her.”

  “Changed her how?” Aaron wondered.

  “She will no longer be the Persephone you have known. I am not sure how much of her old self could have survived, but it could well be that she is no more than an empty shell … and that her heart has gone stone cold.

  I am so sorry … son,” Malcolm said, obviously feeling for Aaron, whose acute sense of loss at Malcolm’s words appeared to be written all over his face.

  “No, that can’t be. You’ve got it wrong,” Aaron said, grasping at straws, “I know she’s in there … she has to be … has to…”

  Malcolm just hung his head in regret, saying nothing.

  “Why did you show her how to find her power without warning her about what could happen?” Aaron accused his father, lashing out at the only miscreant he could find in all this.

  “You knew about the risk and didn’t utter a word. You showed her the way and let her run into her doom knowing that her eyes were closed. How could you?” Aaron cried out furiously.

  “You’ve got it all wrong, my boy,” Malcolm said softly, “Persephone knew about the risk involved. She had gotten lost in the darkness inside of her before, and Aidan had pulled her back out. She had known full well what it would mean to let Darkness enter her heart.”

  “But then, how could she have done it … how could she have chanced losing herself?” Aaron asked, trying to understand why she would have risked herself for Aidan, whom she couldn’t even stand.

  “She mustn’t have known exactly what would happen. Maybe she’d thought she could come back from using dark magic, that it wouldn’t change her.”

  “Aaron,” Malcolm said softly, “Persephone knew precisely what she was doing and what it would mean.”