A Toiling Darkness Page 10

  It was his turn to shrug. He definitely saw what I was thinking. At least he didn’t say anything more. He continued to pack up and I didn’t bother helping.

  El and Kalen.

  The only two men who I could tolerate and may even like, and it was for the same reason—they weren’t so quick to fear me or use me. They were both upfront with me, not afraid to say what they thought. Lord Kay used me. Eithna too.

  I shook my head, shaking out of the memories of my past and changed into a simple dress with sandals. It was time to go out into the city. See what I could learn today. Maybe even find this unidentified master who wanted me dead.

  Chapter 9:

  The clouds were rumbling by the time evening came. I stood on top of a large rock and looked out into the ocean. The outskirts of the city had some beaches and I was at a smaller, more private one that was surrounded with cliffs and large rocks.

  Seagulls took to the sky and flew away to find shelter from the impending storm. Their shrill squawks acted as a warning of the coming thunderstorm and the crashing of the waves supported their claims. Everything was screaming out, warning everyone that a very violent storm was brewing.

  I could feel the hum of my body as it prepared to respond to the storm with excitement. My power wanted to open its arms wide for it. I love storms. The anticipation was worse than having ants crawl underneath my skin.

  I laughed, thinking of something some painter said so long ago. Apparently it was a popular quote now. I took in a deep breath, spread out my arms and let out the familiar words.

  “‘The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.’” The wind snatched my words up to join in with the whirlwind of the coming storm. I sighed and spun around briefly with my arms out, closing my eyes and just letting time slow down for a moment. The cool air brushed against my skin. The oceanic smells surrounded me, bringing me to a new height of freedom.

  Nothing mattered. Nothing.

  It was just me, being me. Enjoying myself.

  Eventually I had to ground myself back to reality. I took in a deep breath and opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings before I left. If only things were as easy as closing your eyes and picturing a different reality.

  Laughing interrupted my ‘me time’ and I turned to look to see who was braving the weather this late evening.

  A large group of teens must have agreed with the fisherman quote because they were out and about, making use of the storm and the deserted beach for partying and drinking. A couple of them were passing around joints while others ran around, tackling each other. There were eight of them, all of them naïve to who were with them. Predators had managed to mix in with their group, three to be exact—one woman and two men.

  They blended in, looking the same age and acting just as foolish as the rest. The only difference was the gleam in their eyes and the hunger almost consuming their minds. I could touch that hunger, make it devour more than just their minds. Then they would just become raving, unable to control themselves as they shredded their victims apart.

  I did that once. Made the demons raving enough to tear apart the attendees at a wedding reception. The bride barely made it out alive, the groom not so lucky. They got what was coming to them, hunting beings and getting too close to me.

  I jumped down from the rock and strolled around, keeping myself hidden. My sandals were in my hands as I walked in the sand, enjoying the feel of the sand between my toes. I paused and wiggled my feet until the sand went up to my ankles, burying my feet. I smiled, wiggling my toes.

  I jumped up on top of the sand and started walking again, keeping one eye on the kids fool around, my smile turning predatory. There was no one around to see it anyways.

  The storm made it easier, its dark clouds casting the entire area in shadows with its gloominess. All I did was wrap them around myself so that when they glanced in my direction, all they would see was a shadow just slightly darker than the other ones around it, not the little girl hiding in it. Since they weren’t used to looking for danger around them, they would only see it as such. The demons hidden among them were too consumed with their goals to even give me a second glance or to even notice my presence. They were starving.

  The kids kept messing around as time slowly passed. They never noticed their day growing darker, and not only because of the setting sun. If these kids wanted to play with demons, who was I to stop them? With my powers even the patrol car driving by didn’t see them. I watched the taillights of the patrol car, waiting for it to realize what was going on and make a screeching turn. It didn’t.

  As the hunted grew inebriated, the hunters grew more excited. I had other plans, so I about to leave to give them their privacy. I had a seer to go talk to.

  I just made it off the beach and onto the sidewalk when I spotted Kalen down a ways, looking at the kids or trying to. He could probably barely make out their figures, the darkness making it hard. He knew what to look for though, so there was no hiding them completely from him.

  Kalen scanned the beach, looking for a source, his instinct telling him something was up. Chris stepped up to him and said something. Just seeing him, I knew he was up to no good. Maybe I’ll have to remind him, give him a fright, especially since Kalen was hurt badly last night.

  Kalen responded to whatever Chris said by shaking his head. When he turned towards me, his whole body went still. He said something to Chris before walking towards me, the other trailing behind, keeping a safe distance away. Oh, Chris knew he was in trouble.

  I inwardly sighed as I stopped and watched them approach me. The stubborn man should just listen to me and stay the hell away from Chris.

  When Kalen got close enough, I could see his face more clearly. It was mostly healed now, with only faint bruises left behind.

  “What are you doing here?” I frowned.

  “Undo what you just did.” He ignored my words and got down to business.

  “Are you following me around? Because I’m sure you have better things to do than stalk a little girl around a city,” I snarled.

  The man was a honing missile, showing up everywhere I went. It was beyond annoying and counterproductive. With him looking over my shoulder and watching everything I do, I couldn’t exactly go talk to the seer. Lord Kay would blow a casket if someone found out about the girl, especially someone who only represented danger.

  And that was exactly what Kalen represented, no matter how nice and helpful he was. He was made to butt into other’s business. I mean look at the facts. He already got his ass handed to him last night. Don’t forget I’m another kind of danger too. Kalen needs to kill me if he wants to be truly free—if he can even do it. I’ve yet to find the solution to my immortality. Maybe he knew something I didn’t.

  I let myself ponder that question for all of two seconds.

  So not going in that direction.

  He glowered and shook his head. “I was nearby when I felt your powers.” He nodded towards the direction he came from. Standing a safe distance behind Kalen was the tall, lanky boy. A small amount of power hung around him and it tasted of recent death. He really, really, wasn’t the best company to keep, but who was I to throw stones? Neither was I.

  “Why is Chris with you?” I threw the stone anyways.

  “He’s helping me with finding the children.” Kalen shook his head. “That isn’t what I’m here about. Darkness, this isn’t right. Don’t hide those kids.”

  “Hanging out with a necromancer will get you killed,” I warned him again, ignoring his words.

  I stared at Chris, the warning in my eyes. I will destroy you in ways you can’t even imagine. He already got hurt once under your watch.

  Any beings with age knew what necromancers were capable of, what they’ve done. And looking at Chris, I could see some of that darkness, that corruption. They were considered the trash of the supernatural world. They deal with the dead on all kinds
of different levels. People thought warlocks and necromancers were the same. They weren’t. A necromancer created zombies, played with souls and ghosts, and a really powerful one could even control a bloodborn since they were technically undead. Wars were started because a couple of necromancers made an army out of a bunch of bloodborns. All they had to do was summon the other half of their soul and the bloodsuckers were theirs. Nothing in their history smelled like fresh roses. Just blood, death, and decay. And they were definitely not like warlocks. Locs didn’t deal with the undead; they dealt with demons and black magic. The closest they got to the undead was with sacrifices. The two were apples and oranges, really.

  I stared at Chris with all the knowledge of his kind’s history in my eyes. I wasn’t messing around and he needed to know that. He got the message, paling. He ran his hand through his moppy black hair and took a step back, looking towards the kids on the beach.

  “Hey, Chris, how’d you let Kalen get hurt?”

  His attention went right back to me. He swallowed and almost looked away again. He wanted to. “I didn’t let him do anything. I had to go see Tracy.” The man was lying through his perfectly straight teeth.

  “Kalen still got hurt. I warned you.” I stepped towards him and he stepped back. I whirled my finger in a circle briefly, directing the shadows that wrapped around his feet, up his body and ending around his neck. I made sure the shadows were a little snug around the neck to.

  “Darkness!” Kalen growled.

  I ignored him and got close to Chris. “You may use whatever excuse you want in the world. The fact of the matter is, Kalen got hurt while you should have protected him.” The shadows squeezed a little more, making sure my point got across. Chris’s face was nearly turning purple. I stepped back and recalled the shadows.

  Kalen stepped between us and shoved me back a couple of steps. His face twisted with anger. I had to school out the murderous look on my face.

  “He’s innocent. Did you even hear me?” Kalen didn’t miss the look. I didn’t care.

  Playing nice was not something I needed to do. I warned Chris. He didn’t listen. It was in my right to kill him and boy did I want to. Kalen’s face was rearranged because he was going to meet with necromancers that Chris set him up with. It was Chris’s responsibility to take care of him and he didn’t do his job.

  If Kalen wasn’t around, Chris would be dead.

  “Yeah, I heard you. You want me to release those kids. I just know you’re wrong about Chris and that is where you aren’t listening to me. So why should I listen to you? Necromancers are scum, the lot of them. They’ll do what they want, when they want. And he isn’t innocent. You’ll stop saying that when he makes the undead drag you down to hell.”

  “Enough! I’m not here to talk about the necromancer who is risking himself to help me. I’m here because you’re about to get those teenagers killed. Let. Them. Go. Don’t hide them.”

  I narrowed my eyes and raised my chin. “What are you, my conscious? Why should I? They are the ones asking for it.”

  “They don’t know any better. They’re just kids.”

  “Kids who are old enough to know better.” This is why I hated humans. They were so damn blind to their surroundings. I mean, come on? How hard is it to spot a fucking being who wanted to munch on you for dinner? Just by looking at the demons, it was easy to see who they were. Their masks were already starting to slip away as they prepared to start their meal. A human’s instinct was laughable.

  “Please, Darkness. It isn’t too late. A patrol car will pass by in a couple of minutes to stop the party. All you have to do is let them be seen.” Kalen was borderline begging now, determined to save those kids.

  “Or what? You’ll try to kill me?” I asked.

  “If I have to.” And that was a truth. He was desperate.

  “I dare you to try. Or, if you’re so desperate in stopping those demons, why don’t you just go and do it yourself? Then we wouldn’t need to have this argument.”

  “Because this way is less dramatic. No need to fight and scar their minds with violence like that when you can simply lift the veil. Then the cops would stop the party and the demons will be forced to back down.”

  He really did remind me of El. Both of them didn’t like showing power when there was another, less flashy option.

  “No. I won’t do it.” I stepped back and lifted up my arms in a wide shrug. “This is who I am, what I do.”

  “This isn’t you.” He shook his head, his brown eyes darker with his stubbornness.

  I laughed. “And you know me from three encounters in a span of a couple of days? How would you know this isn’t me? Why is it that it’s only you who can’t see me as I really am? Is it because I look like a child?”

  “It has nothing to do with how you look. I see it in everything you do. You go to places like that park or the harbor—where it’s beautiful. You can’t go to places like that then tell me you are emotionless and uncaring.”

  “There was nothing beautiful about that alley.”

  “No, not the alley, but the view on top of that building was breathtaking. You’re always in places like that, aren’t you? When you’re there, even your eyes brighten up. At the park, the harbor, maybe even on top of that building, there was something…happy…in your eyes.”

  “I’m Darkness, my eyes don’t brighten up from anything.”

  “No, not now they don’t. Why is that?”

  “Why not? I can’t let everything get to me. Otherwise I won’t survive, emotions will only tear me apart and I can’t afford that.” How the hell did he so easily take charge in the conversation, steering it where he wanted it to go. It was time to get my control back.

  “Emotions are what keep us human.”

  I let out a bark of harsh laughter. I couldn’t help it—those words were ridiculous. “Human? You should know by now that you aren’t human anymore. Letting human emotions run you will only destroy you.”

  “And you would know?” he asked, flinching. My words hit just the right spot.

  “Yeah, I would.” I looked away, back towards the beach. Before I grew so jaded, before my first meeting with the Consort or with El or even with Eithna, I allowed myself to feel things. But when humans keep turning their backs on you, it begins to hurt. When you’re new to life and don’t understand anything, it begins to hurt beyond any physical pain to be turned away and denied by humans. The pain settles inside of you and becomes chronic. Being burnt alive or skinned by humans can really shape who you become.

  “Then I’m right. You aren’t this.”

  “You seem to have it all figured out then, just from a couple of meetings, huh? Fine, how about I show you my bad side? The dark side you seem to not be able to accept. I’m capable of far more than what I just did. Everyone but you knows exactly what I’m capable of.”

  “Well they’re wrong!” he snapped and stared at me. I flinched but didn’t look away. I couldn’t. His eyes were capturing me. They bore through me, to my own soul—if I even had one—and I swear he could see what only El was able to see. That little bit of me I have yet to destroy. The little bit I don’t even acknowledge but couldn’t get rid of. “They aren’t right about you. You’re more than what they see and you should know this.”

  “Do you see how much more I can be?” I asked, referring to the woman he needs to find. He looked at me confused for a second.

  The headlights of the next patrol car fell to the shadows of the beach as it approach from around the bend. I glanced back at the beach, at the kids laughing and messing around as the demons were about to pounce.

  “Shit,” I sighed and waved my hands, basically blowing away the darkness. The veil covering them lifted. “Happy now?”

  “Yeah, I’m happy now.” He broke out in a smile I’ve never seen before. It curved and softened the angry lines around his mouth and warmed the cold, dark eyes. It brought blood to the surface of my face and for once, I blushed. I never blush. Never. But that warm sm
ile did it for me. I couldn’t even imagine what he saw in my expression in that moment.

  Did a soft pink crawl up into my cheeks? Were my eyes as wide as they felt by the shock he gave me? I must have been a sight apparently. He stared at me and his smile widened even more. My face grew hotter.

  “You’re going to regret not killing me,” I said simply, my voice quiet. Any fight in me was taken away by that damn smile. How was he able to affect me so easily?

  “You haven’t done anything warranting your death.”

  “You’ve only known me for a couple of days, Kalen. Keep it up and you’ll finally see me for who I really am.”

  I stomped away, leaving Kalen behind to enjoy that smile on his face. A smile that wouldn’t exist if he even knew who I was and what I’ve done in the past. Let him play detective with his little necromancer friend. After he learned the truth, that humans are capable of killing children, then that self righteous smile will be wiped from his face. Then he can focus more on finding the real me and realizing who exactly I am.

  And I can end this charade.

  My chest tightened with unfamiliar discomfort but I pushed forward, not looking back.

  I watched as Darkness walked away and eventually melted into the darkness. Part of me wanted to follow her, to learn more about her. There was something there. When I first spotted her on the beach, I was confused. I thought I felt Akhlys. Instead I found Darkness.

  Were my senses out of control? I keep getting a sense of Akhlys out there in the city, somewhere. And then when I get closer, I lose that feeling. I needed to find her. To end this.

  I squeezed at my chest, hearing the clanking in my ears though there were no physical chains around. It was all in me. Metaphysical chains holding me back.

  It was painful. Constant.

  I sighed and turned back to Chris. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded, rubbing at his neck.

  “Listen, Kalen,” Chris said, shuffling around on his feet. “I feel bad leaving you, especially since I know you’re getting closer to knowing who are taking those kids, but I need to get back to Tracy. I need to get her out of the city soon.”