Part 37 (1/2)
”We shall set a course for Tarsia,” it said. ”So I have promised the witch. There we will sow destruction among the ones who wronged her and feed upon their life force.”
With a shock, Kor had realized that the deep, growling words were coming from his own throat. The dark voice was inside him now, somehow and it was using his body to act and his voice to speak.
What is this? he thought in confusion. What happened? Where am I?
”Worry not, Therron. I have indwelled you. You are a worthy vessel, my son, and together we will cause destruction such as has never been seen across the universe!” the voice promised, still speaking out of his mouth. ”We will kill those who stand in our way and hurt all those that have hurt you in the past.”
The past? Kor blinked, trying to remember anything-anything at all about his past. I was a fighter-I remember blood and sand and the roar of crowds in the arena. I killed my master...I was marked for death. But instead I was bought and chained, held in a dungeon where I thought I would surely die. Until she came.
But who was ”she?” Though he struggled to remember, there seemed to be a veil over his memory where the mysterious female was concerned. All Kor-no, Therron-could remember was caring for her. Caring so deeply it hurt and then...nothing.
”She is gone, my son. She will trouble you no longer,” the dark voice a.s.sured him. ”You are host to a Shadow Demon now. Death and destruction are your birthright. You will no longer feel pain-you will only deal it out. This is my promise to you.”
The demon had kept its promise. When the s.h.i.+p had touched down upon the surface of Tarsia, on the edge of a huge swamp, a female had come to meet them. A female with yellow eyes and fingers too long and yet she looked on him with fierce pride and something that seemed to pa.s.s for a twisted kind of affection.
”My son. My Therron,” she had cried, caressing his cheek. ”At last you have returned, so many years after you were taken. And together we will have vengeance.”
And so they had...
”Kill them all!” the demon within commanded, as Therron strode onwards over the ruined fields. He saw a tall tree behind which some of the enemy-those filthy Kindred who had stolen him away and sold him-were hiding. A red veil dropped over his vision and he blasted it, leaving nothing but a burning stump as the ones who had taken shelter scattered in all directions, screaming. One, however, did not run. He lay on his face, not moving, not breathing.
”Ah,” shouted the voice from Therron's lips. ”Yes, fresh life essence. At last, after so many years without!” Therron's lungs inhaled, pulling in the reek of death, sucking away the male's soul...and then he strode onward, toward the capital where there would be many more souls to suck, much more life to devour.
”Oh my G.o.d, Kor did all this?” Maggie stared at the viewscreen in horror. The large, flat screen which was hung in Lissa's house was displaying a ruined village. Most of the buildings were flattened or on fire and here and there she saw wounded people groaning and crying, unable to move. ”This...this is terrible! It doesn't seem like something Kor would do at all!”
”It isn't.”
Maggie looked up in surprise. Lissa's voice sounded...different and the Kindred girl's eyes had turned a sudden brilliant green within green color-so bright they were almost glowing.
Maggie nudged Nina in the ribs, the destruction on the viewscreen forgotten.
”Uh, Nina?” she whispered. ”I think something's going on with Lissa.”
Nina turned from the viewscreeen to look at her friend.
”Oh!” She put a hand to her chest. ”Oh, look-I think she's going to have a vision from the G.o.ddess.”
”A what from the who?” Maggie demanded.
”Be quiet!” Nina clamped a hand on her arm. ”Lissa is a priestess-just listen.”
”My children...” Lissa's green-on-green eyes seemed to glow with benevolence. ”Listen to me. The male calling himself Therron-the one known to this little one,” she nodded at Maggie, ”as her beloved, Kor, is truly not himself. He has been indwelled by a Shadow Demon of the Black Planet. One who feeds on death and destruction and the life force of those he kills. But the creature cannot kill unless it finds a vessel. Alas, in Kor, he has found one and a strong one, too.”
”But...excuse me your holiness, uh, I mean, your G.o.ddess.h.i.+p,” Maggie said. ”If he's been possessed...”
”Not possessed,” the impossibly beautiful, rich voice coming from Lissa's lips corrected her. ”Indwelled. There is a difference little one-a crucial difference which may yet save the people here.”
”What difference, Mother of All Life?” Nina asked softly-clearly she knew the proper way to address the G.o.ddess.
”One who is possessed is completely taken over-so filled with the evil one that not even a trace of his consciousness remains. I do not believe it is so with Kor. It cannot be so for he is a bonded male. When I created my Kindred, I used the bond with their chosen female to protect them from such evil.”
”What?” Maggie exclaimed, forgetting to be reverent. ”You mean we only broke up three weeks ago and he's already gone and gotten married or bonded or whatever to some other girl?”
”No, child,” the G.o.ddess said gently through Lissa's lips. ”I am saying he is bonded to you.”
”To me?” Maggie shook her head, not comprehending. ”But I don't understand. How...why...? How is that even possible?”
Nina nudged her with an elbow. ”You didn't tell me you had bonding s.e.x with him!”
”I didn't!” Maggie protested. ”At least, I don't think I did. What's bonding s.e.x?”
”Look,” Nina said patiently. ”Kor's a Touch Kindred whether he knows it or not. Did you feel him touching you with his mind-the sensation of fingers or maybe a tongue on your body where he wasn't physically touching you when you made love?”
Maggie frowned. ”Now that you mention it-yes. Yes, I did. I completely forgot about that until now. I've been so miserable about everything else...”
”And did you hear his voice speak inside your head after you were done?” Nina persisted.
Maggie felt a lump form in her throat. ”Yes, I...he said 'I love you.'”
”Well, there you go!” Nina grinned at her triumphantly. ”You had bonding s.e.x. You have a bond with Kor.” She turned to the G.o.ddess. ”But, Mother of all Life, how does that help us now?”
”You must use the bond, child,” Lissa's mouth said. ”Use it to call to him...tell him to cast the Shadow Demon out.”
”But...is that even possible?” Nina asked doubtfully. ”Forgive me, Mother of all Life, but if the demon has invaded him...”
”Remember, child, he is only indwelled-not possessed,” the G.o.ddess said. ”Kor invited this creature into himself to ease the pain of losing his beloved-a burden no Kindred male can bear well. The demon has clouded his mind and veiled his memories. If Maggie can remind him of who she is and that he loves her, he can cast it out again and regain control of his body and soul.”
”But won't that be dangerous?” Nina asked. ”He's blasting everything and everyone in his path!”
”It will be very dangerous,” the G.o.ddess said gravely. She looked at Maggie with her glowing green eyes. ”You may die, child. But you may also save many lives. And this is the only chance you have of saving the male you love. The male I have meant for you all along.”
Maggie didn't even have to think about it.
”Yes,” she said at once. ”Yes, I'll do it.”
”Very good, my child.” The G.o.ddess smiled with Lissa's mouth. ”You will find him in the capital city with the witch, Xandra. She has a grievance to air with her old lover and she will command the demon within him to cease fire long enough for her to do so. You must approach Kor and call him through your bond. Call him by the name you chose for him when you claimed him and named him, when you freed him from his chains.”
”Okay, but...” Maggie hesitated uncertainly.
”Yes, child?”
”Well, I just found out I have this bond-thingy with him just now,” Maggie burst out. ”And I don't know anything about it or how to use it or access it or anything. If it's my only, uh, weapon, shouldn't somebody at least give me a quick tutorial?”
”Oh, it's really easy,” Nina a.s.sured her. ”You just think at the person you're bonded to really hard. It's like you have your own private radio channel for just the two of you and n.o.body else can transmit on it.”