by Jaime Marks
“Concentrate on him, Byryn. Picture him in your mind, as much as you can see, and we will do the rest,” Marcus instructed.
As soon as they were sure that both of them had the image and destination they misted. Everything went smoothly until they hit the barrier to the Dark Lord’s realm. Their essence stayed linked but they were torn apart spiraling through the entry in different directions, none having any idea where the other ended up.
Marcus shivered as he pulled himself up slowly. He held the ability to wield Darkness, but this place was completely saturated in its power. The cool temperature chilled him to the bone.
It was pitch black around him and there was nothing to dictate direction or any sort of presence. He felt the others, although Kyle was faint, barely an echo to him. He had to find them. He could get himself out of here easily enough. Lazurys would not be able to hold him now, but the boys would be at his mercy.
Cymeryn would be free as well but it was riskier for him. He still held some of the Dark Lord’s Taint. A fact that his brother insisted on ignoring when they had discussed this mission. The Divine Being may have granted them increased strength and resistance but that didn’t mean Lazurys wasn’t going to attempt to use every advantage. If it were possible he would find some way to exploit his previous control.
He drew his sword and headed towards Byryn. He felt closer than Cymeryn and it felt as though he might be near Kyle. He was also the only one of them that had a chance of finding Kyle quickly. If he knew Cymeryn he would head for Kyle first if he had the ability locate him and if not he would head directly for him hoping he was close to one or both of the boys. Their bond was weakened here. He couldn’t hear him in his mind. It felt foreign and made him feel somehow incomplete. He shook off the feeling and headed for Byryn.
It felt like he walked forever in an endless vast void but he was getting closer to both Cymeryn and Byryn. He couldn’t tell how close or if distance really mattered here. It was a surreal reality, one he had no desire to be trapped in. He was just about to attempt to reach out to Byryn again when Syneous stepped in front of him.
“We have unfinished business, you and I,” the Shade sneered. “Tell me, how is my wife?”
Marcus ground his teeth but bit back his rage. He couldn’t waste time dealing with Syneous and he wouldn’t hurt Star by killing him, although it was tempting to be rid of the Shade once and for all. Using his abilities here risked potential exposure, but if the Shade was here confronting him he had already been found.
He smiled wickedly. This was going to hurt the poor fool but he deserved it for the way that he had mistreated Reyana and his own young. Really he hoped it would be excruciating. “I have no time for your games, Syneous. I will give you one chance. Lay down your weapon and step aside so I can reach my daughter’s mate or suffer the consequences.”
“You mean my daughter,” he growled in rage. “You have a nasty habit of attempting to step into my life. It’s time you find out how the other half lives, Marcus. You want what’s mine so damned much, let’s see if you handle this world even half as well as your twin.”
He lunged but never got close. Marcus called on the full power of the sun and reached deep inside the Shade calling forth what little Light he held in him. It was sad, really. He actually did hold some love for Reyana and his children but it was so warped and twisted. They had become nothing more than tools to him.
Syneous collapsed writhing on the ground. His tortured screams and whines echoed around them. Marcus didn’t release him until he had filled him with the pure Light of the sun.
“I have no idea if you will survive this, Syneous. If you do and it changes you, I will know. Seek me and I will find you. Act in Darkness next time we meet and I will destroy you.”
Marcus stepped around the Shade. The Light had strengthened his bonds. Cymeryn was close but Byryn was closer. He had to hurry. That little display had to have drawn attention. He picked up the pace to a cautious jog leaving Syneous behind him.
Cymeryn rose slowly as he drew his sword. It was not the first time he had been in this place and he knew to be ready for anything. In the distance something was illuminated. A table of some sort. Everything else was black. Obviously that was where he was intended to go.
This world was a paradox of sorts. He should be able to navigate it somewhat, focusing solely on the connections he held to the others, but it was risky. The Dark Domain behaved as Lazurys willed it to behave. Walking in any direction would serve no purpose unless the Dark Lord meant it to. It would be better to face whatever test his former Master had set head on. Incurring his rage by ignoring the game would only make it harder to reach Kyle.
He engaged the power of the moon, relying on his stealth as he began walking toward the spot lit area, steadily aware of his surroundings. He could sense his twin, Byryn, and Kyle but he could not see any of them. They would have to find Kyle and Byryn one way or another. Lazurys would no longer be able to cage Marcus or himself, but the boys would not be able to mist on their own.
When he was close enough to see the table clearly he had to force himself to continue and not drop to his knees. He knew his shroud had faltered but the sight before him tore at his heart. Tatyna was sprawled out, bound to the table, barely hanging onto her life. Wounds oozed over her body. Burnt and charred flesh covered her in patches, everywhere. It was clear he was using her over and over because Byryn had seen her in a similar state and the wounds should have begun to heal by now.
He approached cautiously. There was no way in hell he would leave her to this fate. It did not matter that she was Shade. It did not matter what Demytria would think. He could not resign any female to this level of torture and he was certain Reyana would agree.
“I think your progeny is rather beautiful like this, Cymeryn, is she not? A lovely work of art,” Alayne’s voice drifted in as he stepped between Cymeryn and the table.
“Move Priest. I have no time for your games. We both know you cannot defeat me now.”
“Indeed. I can sense your power has grown equal to my own. It would be a hard fought battle and as you have always enjoyed pointing out…I am not a Warrior.” The Priest measured him but held his ground. “I do not need to beat you, however. I merely need to detain you long enough.”
Cymeryn smirked. “I would usually love to spar with you, Alayne, but our rivalry has gotten old and I have more important matters to attend to.”
As he finished he drew the full power of the moon shrouding himself in Night essence. Fading into the Darkness he quickly moved out of Alayne’s direct line. With his strength the shroud was undetectable and he knew Alayne would be unable to locate him. The Priest was going to have to find him if he wanted to fight.
“I would never have thought you a coward, Cymeryn,” Alayne taunted throwing random orbs into the air as he backed slowly to the table.
Cymeryn ignored him and rounded to his progeny’s side. Before she could be used against him again he cloaked the full area and used his Light to break through Tatyna’s binds. She looked about dead as he held her in his arms, taking her away from the table.
He glanced back and smiled shrewdly. Alayne was still tossing orbs and searching for both he and the table. The penance that he would pay for such failure would be excruciating. There was never a being that deserved it more.
Taking a deep breath Cymeryn centered himself a moment, reaching out to the others. It was almost as if there was something attempting to block their bonds but that was near impossible with Marcus. He could almost sense Kyle but it wasn’t clear enough to determine a definite direction. Byryn was only a vague echo. He could only hope that Marcus ended up near the boys as he headed in his direction. He had to hurry. None of them had the ability to hide in this realm aside from him and he had no idea if it would hold up against Lazurys. Alayne had said he needed to detain him long enough. He had to save them all before it was too late.
Byryn groaned as he rose to his feet, staggering. The Darkness had bur
ned him as he passed through the veil. They had counted on being able to shield him from the effects but, yeah. He felt like someone had severely kicked his ass. How the hell did Darkness burn anyway? It was cold, not hot.
He didn’t have time to worry about the logistics of essence. Instead he reached out his senses and could feel Kyle immediately. He was close. The twins felt as though they were coming closer but he really couldn’t tell from where or if they were even definitely moving in his direction.
Kyle was his priority. He was weak and fading. Byryn’s blood and essence should be able to sustain him until they could get him home and healed. With their unique connection they’d always be able to stabilize and heal each other now.
Hopefully he was right and the twins were heading for him. He wouldn’t be able to mist out of here without the Dark Lord’s essence and that was something he needed to avoid at all costs. Luckily the bastard wasn’t here at the moment so hopefully they still had time.
Byryn pushed forward and all but ran, stumbling occasionally. He headed towards Kyle. Alayne and Syneous were here somewhere but other than what he assumed were Tatyna and the twins he couldn’t sense any other presence. Kyle hadn’t regained consciousness yet. That was a good thing, not that Lazurys wasn’t aware they were in his realm. He had to know the veil had been breached.
She felt calm and at peace. It felt foreign to her, but it shouldn’t. Her Mother held her tightly and the healing energies of the Divine Being wrapped around her. At least she wasn’t freaking out any longer.
When Marcus had left her here she had lost it. She wanted Byryn. Being separated from him now felt like torture for some reason and he was going back into that hell. She didn’t know if she would ever see him again without having to surrender herself.
“How are you feeling Star?” Her Mom asked.
She shrugged not really sure what to say. Her mind was calm, at peace, but everything else was masked and buried. She had no real concept of how she felt. All Star knew was that Byryn was still there and things were not going the way he expected. She could hear him clearly in her mind but she couldn’t reach him. Lazurys was blocking her.
“It’ll take time, but you will get past this, Star. I promise, it’ll get better.”
Her Mother had been held by Lazurys and survived much worse. She hadn’t been given a choice. He’d wanted her to suffer for denying him and he’d nearly destroyed her in the process. It had been so bad that when she was faced with the prospect of living through it again she chose death, killing herself to avoid it. Sure she claimed it was to protect the world, but after meeting Lazurys, Star had no doubt that reliving that hell was something anyone would choose to avoid.
She could still feel him. Lazurys was in her mind. He might not have control but he had a way in. That meant he could reach Byryn as well. She didn’t believe for a second that they had escaped so easily. He had allowed them to leave. For whatever reason he didn’t want anyone to know and she didn’t dare suggest it yet.
She didn’t want to draw his attention. Thinking about him was bad enough. Every once and a while when she thought about him she could almost feel his caress and it made her want to gag. Then she would hear him chuckle. It made her want to tear out her eardrums until he faded from her consciousness. She had no idea what he would do if she revealed his strategy to let them leave.
The only thing she could do was hold onto hope that if he let them go once he had no intention of capturing Byryn. That gave her hope. Why would he let him leave only to recapture him hours later before anything could come of it? Of course he probably hadn’t counted on Marcus being able to burn his essence as well as any other Darkness from their bodies. He might recapture him just to reassert his control.
God she hated waiting. Byryn had better hurry his ass up. She had no intention of returning to the Dark Lord and if he got caught she was going to be seriously pissed. Well once she was able to shake this annoying sense of complete calm that kept subduing her.
A warm, loving embrace of essence wrapped around her as her Grandfather comforted her. He meant well and it was his way of protecting her from herself at the moment. She probably needed it. Without his help she’d probably still be spinning out of control.
“Shh, Princess. Sleep. Allow me to heal you. I must see what my son is up to.” The Divine Being’s voice was a soft lilting lullaby as she began to slowly drift into dreams of love and Light. She tried to hold onto consciousness. Something in his words made her wonder what he meant by that and she wanted to be awake when Byryn returned, but there was no fighting the power of the Divine.
In her mind she dreamt of the night of her awakening. The love they shared and the beauty of their connection. It soothed and calmed her in ways that nothing else could. She eased immensely knowing she was safe and loved in his arms. No one could separate them. No one could destroy the love they shared.
Byryn reached Kyle about the time he felt his connection to Staryana strengthen and open again fully. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was dreaming of her awakening. For the moment she felt safe and loved by him and that was more than he could ask.
He refocused his attention to the area around him. Kyle was unguarded. Byryn tried to shake off his misgivings but he wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate Lazurys. It had been relatively easy for him and Staryana to escape. The Dark Lord had to know that sharing his essence with them so strongly would have allowed them to mist from his domain.
Even if they had surprised him with having the ability to burn out his essence, Byryn could still feel him in his mind. It was creepy how when his thoughts turned to the bastard he would occasionally feel an affectionate caress or embrace and hear that eerie cackle as he bit back on the disgust that rolled through him. If he felt it he was sure Staryana did as well and that more than anything else disturbed him.
Aside from that however, were the implications. He could reach and potentially influence their minds. He could make them feel his touch which meant he could definitely inflict his wrath. He had let them go on purpose. He had to know Byryn was planning to mist them before he had even attempted it. He had to know they were coming back for Kyle before they ever broke through the veil. Why wasn’t he guarded? He could only hope that the twins were having as easy a time as he was. The rest they would have to worry about later.
He carefully worked on the essence that held Kyle to the wall, using his Light to cut through the bindings. He was strung up similar to the human Christian crucifixion, although it would be a blessing if his body only held that much damage. He had no idea how he was going to lower him without causing an excruciating amount of pain. Kyle had gashes and deep cuts everywhere. There were patches of burnt flesh riddling his body sporadically and the bruising made him wonder if there would be any bones left unbroken. In all honesty it was impressive that the guy had lived this long.
“Byryn! Thank the Divine you’re safe.” Marcus’ voice was a welcome melody in the never ending silence of this plane. The fact that he’d been able to locate them in the first place not so much.
Byryn remembered how disorienting this place was. He hadn’t been able to locate Star until the Dark Lord revealed her to him. He definitely wanted them all free, but he couldn’t worry about that yet. If he voiced it or Marcus caught it he could be punished for his disobedience and he’d promise Staryana he’d make it back to her.
“Quick, Marcus. Help me get him down from here.” He shifted to work the left side as Marcus began working on the right. “Did you have any trouble?”
“Minorly. I encountered Syneous but with my new gifts he wasn’t really that difficult to defeat. If he survives the process he might even have a chance at Redemption now, though I doubt it with that one.”
Byryn nodded trying to think of the possibilities. “Would you have been able to defeat him before? Without your new powers?”
“Yes, but it would have been far more difficult. It definitely would have slowed me to the point that it would’ve been dange
rous.” Marcus glanced at him but kept his focus on the bindings. “Why? Did you have any issues?”
“No. Aside from the veil burning through me as I entered the realm and having to locate Kyle I was fine. I haven’t seen or heard anyone.”
“Hmmm. Well let’s focus on getting you both out of here. I sense Cymeryn is near.”
Byryn nodded slightly relieved at that fact. Even if the Dark Lord had other strategies at work at least they still had a chance to get everyone out of here safely. He didn’t want to leave Staryana alone. He knew the others would always protect her but he needed to know she was safe. He couldn’t do that if he was dead and he would sacrifice himself to save the others, to save her.
“Astryn…” A gurgled moan came from Kyle’s mouth.
“Astryn is safe, Kyle. She is at the Palace. You’ll be with her soon,” Marcus whispered close to his ear in an attempt to quiet and soothe him.
They stepped back and slowly lowered him, finally breaking him free of his bindings. Kyle groaned loudly in pain as his body shifted. There was no real way to touch him without inflicting more damage. Every inch of his body was damaged.
Letting his essence wrap around him he sliced into his wrist and brought it to Kyle’s mouth. “Drink Kyle. I need to try to stabilize you.”
A cloak of what appeared to be Darkness flowed over but it didn’t permeate the usual sense of malice. Byryn took a defensive stance but Marcus laid a hand on his shoulder and pointed into the distance.
“Cymeryn is cloaking us.”
Byryn relaxed and knelt beside Kyle as he resumed feeding him his essence. His breathing was ragged and weak, it shook his ribs as if his lungs were rattling in their cage. He wasn’t sure if he would make it. His essence was stabilizing him but the trip back would be brutal. It would rip any wounds he was managing to heal right open.
