The Demon's Blade (34 page)

“I don’t know, it’s just that, well, you’re not at all what I expected,” Rana said with a strange look of confusion, wonder and something unidentifiable on her face.

“And what did you expect? You saw me for just a single terrible moment of your childhood. You saw an Executioner carrying out a sentence decided by someone else for reasons he didn’t even know,” Darien scoffed at the woman as they walked in the darkness beneath the trees. “Had some other shade been given command of that mission to destroy your kingdom, you would have someone else to imagine as the monster of your nightmares.”

“I… I know…,” Rana almost whispered, as she shuddered noticeably, and shut her eyes, pausing to gather herself before speaking again. “What did she show you? The faerie queen I mean? I thought for a moment you were really going to use the sword against her. I hope you were bluffing.”

“I was, and she didn’t show me anything. I knew immediately she was trying to use some kind of magic on me, so I resisted,” Darien explained. “She was too strong for me, so I threatened to use the sword to see if she would risk pursuing the spell under that threat. I was assessing her, seeing how she would react, seeing what sort of enemy she might be, if she were an enemy. Had she reacted differently, I would have been far less inclined to listen to anything she said. She may well have realized that.”

“So…you didn’t see anything in her eyes, any pictures?” Rana stammered out nervously.

“No, did you? Is that why you’re asking?”

“Yes, when she looked in my eyes, I couldn’t look away. I was terrified, then she showed me something… awful. It was me, but it wasn’t me.” The golden haired woman shuddered from head to toe. “It was like a dream that I couldn’t escape, she showed me doing… terrible things. I went so far in my quest for vengeance. I became something hideous… terrifying, and I understood what it was. It was her vision, what would have happened if I hadn’t seen you kill my family. Without someone specific to focus on, I would have just… blamed everyone, and become something horrible.” Rana looked down at her feet as they continued along, and sighed deeply. “I thought that image of my family’s death, of my brother dying for me. I thought that was what drove my vengeance, but it wasn’t. It was something else, something I didn’t even know was there. I felt it inside me, and I can still feel it.”

“Guilt.” The word suddenly appeared in Darien’s mind unbidden, so quickly and powerfully that he could not stop himself from saying it. He spoke not for Rana, but for himself, and realized he should not have. The shade fell silent, not knowing what else to do but pretend he had not spoken.

“Yes, how did you know…?”

“I have known many like you.” The quick minded shade quickly regained his composure, and put forth a decently innocent explanation. “You should have died with them, but you didn’t, and you hate yourself for it. You hate your own weakness, because you weren’t strong enough to stop what was happening. You’ll do anything not to feel that again.”

“I… yes, that’s it exactly…” She stopped in mid stride, and Darien turned to see her eyes widen with shock. She then looked for the first time directly into the half-elf’s eyes with something other than hatred, and he felt a strange discomfort, an anxiety without any cause that he could understand. “It was so awful, seeing that inside myself for the first time, and there was more. Gods, she was going to show me something worse, but then she stopped for some reason, and looked over at you again.” Darien turned away and stared off into the distance, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She paused, then her mouth dropped open. “Did you… Was it something you did? Did you see what she was doing and stop her, like you stopped her from doing it to you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Darien protested bitterly. The woman had figured out exactly what happened, yet in that moment, he desperately wished she hadn’t. His anxiety was now nearly a panic, and he still could not understand why. “I had no idea she was showing you anything. How would I have known to stop her?” A very believable denial, and not entirely untrue.

The bronze-skinned southerner turned away, seeming embarrassed, and perhaps even disappointed. “I’m sorry, I just thought that might be why she looked at you. Of course you couldn’t have known.”

“I took no offense,” Darien said, softening his tone. Relief that the woman had let the matter drop flooded over him in waves. He’d already let this woman know far more about himself than was wise. Jerris was one thing, a half-elf like himself, courageous, and worthy of trust. This woman was something else entirely, a human who had already tried to kill him once, who might do so again, especially if she knew that he felt pity for her. Pity was a terrible weakness in combat, and could easily be the difference between life and death.

If Darien the Executioner knew anything, it was how powerful the drive for vengeance could be. He remembered the moment when the sword had tempted him, the incredible desire to see Avirosa’s body broken and bloodied, to hear the screams of pain and anguish, to make the wraith suffer as he, himself, had suffered so long ago. The woman had felt that too. She had admitted as much just a few minutes ago. If she managed to kill him, she might even take the sword for herself. That must not happen, he swore to himself. That doom is mine and mine alone. I will not lay it upon anyone else, upon my mother’s life and death I swear it.

“It’s late, and I think I will try again to get some sleep” he finally spoke again. “You should probably do the same. You should not stay here, I think. Go back to the Order of the Golden Shield. Finish your training with them, become a knight, fulfill your potential, live your life, forget about this place, leave the path of vengeance behind you. There’s nothing for you at the end of it.”

“I don’t know, I want to learn more about this prophecy, and find out if I’m really a part of it. This really is a beautiful place, and I’d like to stay here a while and see what there is to learn,” Rana said with a smile. “Anyway, you said you would let me go when we were out of danger, and the way I see it, that time has come, so you can’t really tell me what to do.” She smiled almost playfully, but the Executioner was not in any mood for games.

“Fair enough,” he replied in a low grumble. “You are no longer my prisoner, so do what you want.”

The woman’s expression changed, returning to the now familiar look of disapproval with which she usually regarded him. Darien started back toward the Ivory Hall, truly ready for sleep. Thankfully, the woman did not follow him. He was now in no mood for company. For now, the journey was over, and the remaining questions could be laid aside. He had much to learn here, and much to do, but that could wait for another day. He passed through the darkness under the trees like a shadow in the night, taking comfort in that darkness. When he returned to the Ivory Hall and his room, he laid down upon the still irritatingly soft bed, but this time, mental exhaustion overcame discomfort, and he slept, peacefully, untroubled by nightmares, a well-earned and much needed rest.

A Note from the Author:

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this novel, please leave a review. Reviews are critical to the success of ebooks, and I appreciate the support. This is meant to be the first book of a series that continues for several novels. I intend to complete the others in the next few years. If you didn’t enjoy it, I welcome constructive criticism so that I can become a better writer. See my other writings at www.aspie_steve.wordpress.com