Heart of Darkness

Chapter 61

Darkness filled the room, though that wasn’t any trouble. A thought brought a sphere of light to command, and thusly equipped with illumination, the figure that had appeared in the rubble began to walk about, turning this way and that, trying to spot anything worth the mentioning.

He walked through the archway through which he’d been seen before, casually dismissing the wards with a gesture. He didn’t need to make the gesture, but it pleased him to do it, so he did.

The room here looked as if it had been deliberately set up to resemble the ruins of Ambervale, but the magic was missing; the imprint of self that all casters left behind wasn’t there. It was no more than an elaborate illusion, and he could see through it with little effort. With a wave of his hand, Xellos reduced the impression of Ambervale to so much dust. He was more concerned with the rooms to the side, the places where he could sense that something was within, something that was supposed to remain a secret.

But secrets were Xellos’ lifeblood.

He strode across into the hallway, noting with distaste the ruin and desolation. My, but Cassandra had set herself up in quite the hovel, hadn’t she? And she’d what, claimed herself as subordinate of Deep Sea Dolphin? How… pathetic. Just what the world needed, another half-insane Mazoku parading around, claiming to be a General or a Priest of one Mazoku Lord or another. It was a disgrace, truly. Mazoku just weren’t what they used to be.

They used to be powerful beings, creatures that inspired fear, awe, admiration and desire. Now they were often reduced to the status of floor show, comic relief from the wear and cares of the world. It was disgraceful.

Like he was one to talk.

Xellos moseyed along, poking his head into rooms here and there, his magic occasionally catching the hint of something familiar, a touch of Zelgadis’ magic over there… a hint of the shaman in here… Oh, he knew what he was looking for. He was looking for traces of whatever Cassandra had done to Zelgadis. He paused in the doorway of a room that was dark, a room that not only smelled of magic, but held a lingering physical scent as well. A thought sent his ball of light into the room, and his open eyes narrowed at what he saw.

A hard metal table stood a bit more than waist-high, viciously large and heavy chains hanging from it, chains with cuffs that had clearly been enchanted to hold even the most difficult of victims. Blood had pooled on the table, a thick red glint in the dull glow of his light. It wasn’t hard to envision what Cassandra had done. It wasn’t hard at all. Not with what was presented before him.

Xellos lifted his head, his closed eyes seeing everything, and he found that he wished they didn’t. He reached out, touching the mental link that Jedah had restored. Jedah, you need to see this.

The reply came fast, sharp, almost immediate, tinted with the power that Jedah called his own. Can it wait? I’m… busy. Busy had been what he was when another disaster had hit, and he’d thought the word with minor trepidation.

No, Xellos sighed mentally, I’m afraid it can’t. He hated this, hated to be so cryptic, but to give words to what he was seeing would be to cheapen it, to reduce it to something less than the epiphany it was. He walked up to the table, opening his eyes once more and reaching out to put his fingers lightly on the object that had suddenly caught his attention.

It was warm, strangely so, as if it held a light within itself that was obscured by darkness. He didn’t dare pick it up, no, that wasn’t for him to do, wasn’t for him to even touch when it came down to it. But he’d needed to touch it to verify what he saw.

Jedah solidified behind Xellos, but he wasn’t alone. Lina was with him. Lina, fire and fury embodied, turned to ice at the room she saw. She felt him all around the room, felt Zelgadis, heard his echoes of pain. It threatened to overwhelm her until Jedah put a steadying hand on her shoulder and sealed away some of the sensations.

Xellos turned, his fingers slipping away from the object, and he took two steps backwards, allowing Jedah to see what it was that been so important as to draw them here. Color drained from Jedah’s face, and he spun around, catching Lina into a hard embrace to prevent her from seeing what was resting on the table. “Xellos!” He rasped, his voice harsh and dry.

Lina struggled against Jedah, but he was far stronger than she was. What in the name of the Lord of Nightmares had made Jedah, Hellmaster react like that? She wanted to see, she needed to see. It had something to do with Zelgadis, and she knew it. She had to see.

I didn’t know she was with you, Xellos replied privately. If I had known… I would have warned you. But that’s-

I know what that is! Jedah’s snapped reply cut Xellos off, and he winced as Lina slammed her foot down on his. She was bound to find out sooner or later. I just wish it had been later, when I’d had a chance to- oof! Lina had driven her head into his chin, forcing him to release her.

Once again, Lina Inverse Greywords tore around from behind Jedah to discover something very much not what she wanted to confront. This time, admittedly, she was prepared for something far worse, for she’d heard the echoes of pain, seen the chains and the blood before Jedah had grabbed her.

But she hadn’t seen the object on the table. She hadn’t seen the crystal torn away from the man that she had loved. It hadn’t made any sense to her until the light of her own spell caused the gem to burst into fiery glittery life.