Soul of Darkness (17 page)

At that, both Aidan’s and Aaron’s eyes darted to Malcolm’s.

“What do you mean by ‘the force driving these men’? The assailants were from the same group of gifted who defected from the Haven long ago and attacked us a while back at the castle…and probably killed Adam…weren’t they?” Aaron asked, his voice raspy and more nervous-sounding than he would have liked.

Yet his mouth had abruptly gone dry at the mention of a force driving brutal murderers. He didn’t like the sound of this.

Men could be bargained with, could be persuaded…maybe.

But empty vessels controlled by something else…?

They had no minds of their own, no passions, no fears…humane thoughts and emotions trickled through them like droplets of water through a bottomless vase.

Which meant their only means of survival…the only way to stop these men…was by killing the
m―
unless they wanted to run for the rest of their lives. But at the thought of killing again, Aaron’s insides churned. He didn’t think he could ever spill blood again.

Why was this happening? Wasn’t it enough already that Darkness wanted to destroy the world? Now they were faced with a new fiend? What next? What else would fate throw at them?

“The men you saw are not violent or murderers by nature,” Malcolm spoke quietly, “they have been twisted into becoming monsters and have now been taken over completely by the force that initially drove them to carry out evil deeds. But they have not always been evil. They have been seduced.”

“So, who or what seduced them?” Aidan asked.

“Why, Evil of course,” Malcolm explained matter-of-factly and as though it should have been obvious.

Chapter 12 * Disturbing Truths

“
E
vil…as in
the
  Evil…as in a single force called Evil?” Aaron prattled on, unable to stop or keep his voice from sounding disturbed. He was utterly alarmed by this new information. Battlin
g―
or rather outsmarting
―
Darkness was one thing…but taking on Evil as well?

Was there a buzzer to hit to end this game…or a blue pill to swallow…anything that could make him forget what he’d recently discovered about the world he’d thought he knew?

Or would he just have to pinch himself very hard to wake up from this nightmare? Either way, Aaron wanted out. But he had the distinct feeling
that
  just wasn’t in the cards for him.

Aidan said nothing. Maybe he was more accustomed to madness, having been brought up in a magical environment, and had no problems just accepting this new piece of information
.
Or, he felt just as stunned and numb as Aaron did after basically hearing that they were up against two deadly primal forces commanding millions.

Oh man, they were so going to die…

Yet, Persephone had managed to take out a small army of men once before in order to save the four of them. But the strange thing was: she had likely used Darkness to do so…

Whic
h―
crazily enoug
h―
almost sounded as though Darkness were on their side.

“I have a question,” Aaron said, expecting Malcolm’s full attention before continuing.

“Yes, son?” Malcolm replied and patiently waited for Aaron to go on.

Aaron hesitated for a moment, thrown by Malcolm’s choice of words. He’d called him ‘son’. He might have done so before, Aaron wasn’t sure. But just then, Malcolm’s use of this innocent expression had temporarily taken Aaron aback, the word ‘son’ seeming both strange and warm at the same time.

And still utterly unbelievable!

“If Persephone attacked Evil’s…what do you call them, minions?…and Persephone is yet possessed by Darkness, then, in reality, Darkness attacked Evil. Does that mean Darkness is actually on our side?”

“Well, yes and no,” Malcolm replied, once again aggravating Aaron with his affinity to spout out vague and unhelpful responses.

Aaron didn’t even bother replying to his father’s statement and, instead, was utterly content with staring him down until he elaborated and actually told them something useful.

Malcolm’s lips twitched as though he was about to laugh. Resisting the urge, however, he continued to explain:

“Things aren’t as straightforward as they may seem,” Malcolm defended his ambiguous statement from before, “Darkness struck down Evil’s men, yes. It used the three of you, used your power, to massacre them…I am very sorry for it, by the way,” Malcolm told them, obviously aware of the guilt that weighed on their shoulders.

“Though Darkness is Evil’s enemy as well, it is by no means our friend,” Malcolm referred to the famous proverb ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, “Darkness’s ultimate goal, as you are all too aware, is the destruction of our world. And it will do everything within its power to succeed in its quest. To this end, the ones chosen to see this destiny fulfilled must be kept alive to bring about Earth’s annihilation. Evil, on the other hand, will not want that to happen,” Malcolm explained.

“Why wouldn’t Evil and Darkness want the same things, though?” Aaron asked. He would have thought both forces thrived on human pain and destruction.

“It is simple, really,” Malcolm replied, “if Earth is destroyed, Darkness’s power grows beyond Evil’s ability to stop it from ultimately conquering all universe
s―
while Evil, having less living souls to inhabit, will grow weaker. Which is why Evil is trying to stop Darkness from destroying our world.”

“And the only way to stop Darkness…to stop the curse…is by killing us,” Aaron provided the ‘punchline’, having finally grasped the plot in full, now that he understood the players. It seemed the joke would be on them.

“Yes, precisely,” Malcolm answered, “Evil wants to kill you…or, at least Persephone…while Darkness wants to prolong your lives…”

“…until the destruction of the world kills us,” Aaron finished Malcolm’s sentence.

“So, no matter which one of them wins, we’re dead,” Aidan qualified, “that’s swell”, he finished sarcastically.

Aaron suddenly felt the urge to laugh, even though there was really nothing worth laughing about. But hearing his brother use the word ‘swell’…well, it didn’t sound very Irish…or up-to-date, for that matter.

And maybe Aaron’s mind just couldn’t take any more bad news and apocalyptic shit and just needed to unwind and find humor even in dire circumstances. Life was short, after all.

It might even turn out to be incredibly short.

“So, all we need to do is outrun Evil, hold Darkness at bay, and defy Destiny? Piece of cake,” Aaron said, his expression serious despite his choice in words.

“Okay. So, what do we do then?” he asked his father, “Where should we go?”

“Well, it is probably a bad idea to go where they will expect us to turn up. The castle is most likely the first place they will look for us. Unfortunately though, there is an item we must get from there…we will need it in the future. I did not think to bring it with me…a mistake on my part. However, there is nothing I can do about this now. I will simply need to go back. And I would have suggested that we separate, so as not to put you in danger, but I honestly think we should not be parted at this time…or any time, really. We are so much stronger when we are all together. So, I fear that all four of us must risk being caught upon returning to the castle to retrieve the item. Alas, it cannot be helped.”

“What could possibly be so important?” Aidan asked, clearly struggling hard to imagine that anything could be worth the risk they would be taking.

“The Book of Light,” Malcolm said, looking expectantly at Aaron, who didn’t have the slightest inkling as to what his father was talking about.

“Come again?” Aaron simply asked.

“It is the book you brought with you, the book you had found at Adam’s house, of course.”

“Of course,” Aaron mimicked Malcolm, “You know, you could have just said that. How the hell would I know what the book is called?”

“Hmm…fair point, my boy,” Malcolm conceded, “Well, now you know. It is called ‘The Book of Light’, and it is the most valuable weapon we have in our fight against the curs
e―
apart from her,” Malcolm said, glancing at Persephone.

“But there is almost nothing in that book,” Aidan suddenly interjected. It seemed Malcolm had shown him the book.

“Well…almost nothing
as yet
. It is up to you, the chosen ones, to change that. It reacts to your touch…and I am sure it will give us invaluable information.”

“Alright,” Aaron said, “then let’s go get it before someone else finds it.” He was about to head back to Persephone’s side when Aidan’s hand on his arm abruptly stopped him in his tracks. Turning to Malcolm, Aidan said:

“A moment, please…before we head back. So, we’ve talked about everything else…but you still haven’t told us how you found us or why you came. How did you know we would be attacked?”

“I did not,” Malcolm answered, sounding sincere.

Aaron had no reason not to believe him. But then, why had Malcolm shown up right before they’d been attacked? Had he really not known what would happen? Had he perhaps even inadvertently led Evil straight to them? Or were the two instances completely unrelated?

“Then, why did you come looking for us? It can’t have been a coincidence that you were suddenly right there…in the middle of nowhere…where we happened to be, can it? And why were we attacked shortly after? Did they follow you to our location?” Aidan asked, voicing the same questions Aaron had on his mind.

“I was in the caves, sitting at my desk, when I suddenly felt a…disruption…of sorts. I had a very bad feeling that something had happened to you…or…” he stopped short for a moment, and Aaron had the distinct feeling his father might have suspected that something had happened between Aidan and Persephone, or Persephone and Aaron…or between all of the above.

“Well, anyway,” Malcolm said after quietly clearing his throat, “I assumed something of vital importance must have taken place, so I tracked you by honing in on your magical energies, and opened a portal a bit up the road from where you were driving.”

“But, nothing happened,” Aaron swiftly assured his father, “There was no incident…well, unless you’re referring to Aidan having magically knocked out the owner of the B&B we were staying at.”

“You did
what
?” Malcolm abruptly scolded Aidan, “Why would you do something like that, my boy? Have I not impressed upon you the significance of such a deed? We must not be found out. The magical world is simply not ready for a confrontation with the rest of the world. Not at a time such as this.”

“I’m sorry,” Aidan answered, throwing Aaron a pointed ‘thanks-for-ratting-me-out’ look before continuing, “but I didn’t know what I was doing at the time. I kind of had the sense knocked out of me…that is, I think I’d been knocked out cold…at least I felt really winded, and I couldn’t think straight,” he added, seemingly inclined to defend his behavior, though Aaron was sure Aidan felt the full weight of the consequences his actions could have had…or could still have.

After all, this wasn’t over yet. Right now, the woman was likely still unconscious. But when she awoke, she would probably remember what had happened and would not be able to rationalize how being poked in the forehead with a finger could possibly have made her lose consciousness.

Depending on whether or not she was the kind of person to believe the superstitious legends passed down from generation to generation through folk tales in these parts, she might realize whom or what she’d been dealing with. By the time that happened, Aaron hoped they would be far away from where they were now.

“What makes you think you had been knocked out?” Malcolm dug deeper.

“I’m not sure…exactly…I can’t really explain it. I guess…I felt kind of bruised…and my head hurt. And I’d woken up on the floor next to the wall and couldn’t recall how I’d gotten there,” Aidan explained.

“You were on the floor? And where was your brother?” Malcolm inquired.

“He was on the floor next to the other wall across the room,” Aidan replied.

“Hmm, I see,” Malcolm muttered more to himself.

“Well, I don’t,” Aaron finally rejoined the conversation. It was great that his father appeared to have become all the wiser, but that didn’t really help Aaron understand what the hell was going on. It seemed he was always the last to know. This time, he wanted to be right there on the first page along with his father. He wanted answers
now
. As one of the chosen, it concerned
his
life, after all.

“Oh, sorry,” Malcolm muttered, “yes, I can see how you would like to know more about this. I believe the reason why the two of you were lying on the floor was because you were thrown against the walls.”

“Genius, I never would have guessed,” Aaron said sarcastically. He’d already figured as much after Aidan had explained that they’d both lain near the walls. Moreover, he’d hoped his father’s revelation would help to shed some light on the question of why they’d been thrown against the walls in the first place.

“Yes, yes, forever the ‘smartass’”, Malcolm replied, chuckling slightly. The word ‘smartass’ sounded strange on such a sophisticated tongue. But Malcolm seemed to be rather enjoying the use of such vocabulary, which, in turn, made Aaron smile. And as far as he could tell out of the corner of his eye, Aidan was trying not to laugh, as well.

“Then, I shall explain in more detail,” Malcolm continued, “I believe you were thrown against the walls by Persephone…or perhaps by the curse’s magic. And whatever kind of outburst it was, that sudden explosion of power, the very same one I felt even back at the castle, must have been what threw you against the walls and made you end up on the floor ― which is why I said ‘I see’. It was this immense surge of power that caught my attention in the first place. And right after it, I felt something else…something different. A very strange ‘shift in energy’ is what I would describe it as…it appeared only for a moment, though, and then it was gone. I knew something important was happening, so I immediately came to investigate. We are, after all, on the verge of falling into Darkness…I could not just hope and pray from afar.”

“Well, it sounds plausible, and there’s no reason to doubt your theory, but I really can’t tell you if that’s what actually happened. Because…honestly…I don’t remember a thing that happened after we all got into bed together,” Aidan said matter-of-factly, completely missing the look on Malcolm’s face, which had turned more and more reproachful after the last few words had fallen.

“After you did
what
?!” Malcolm exploded at both of them, looking more furious than Aaron had ever seen him to date.