Savior (22 page)

              “Slypher is but a lesser demon, a servant to those above him. He does not have the ability to understand what evil is, because he is but a small step away from mortality. He has the worst of mortal flaws, but true darkness eludes him.”

              “I realize you do not like talking about your past Marcus, we can stop if you would like.”

              “No Solara, you deserve to hear this, you have been my friend and more for so long I can no longer keep you in the dark. In reality Solara, it was probably the vary things Slypher criticizes me for that pulled me back from being evil. I realize how strange that may sound, but tis true, my craving for power and the value I placed on my own life allowed me to cling onto mortality, and dig myself out of the great pit I had fallen into. Solara, being evil is not about going around looking for people to kill because you enjoy it, it is different… A being that is of absolute evil will kill without any emotion; they will look into the eyes of their victim and feel neither joy nor sorrow. Evil simply does what it does to progress the spread of darkness into all realms, it will not do this to obtain pleasure, it is simply an instinctive need.

              “So then Marcus, what makes this evil so different from what is considered to be good?”

              “That is just it Solara, not much. Evil is more just a different side on a war, a war for the dominance of the great void, to either fill it with darkness or with light.”

              “I do not mean to be rude Marcus, but you sound very vague, like you don’t really understand yourself what good and evil are.”

              “You are quite right Solara, I do not. If I or anyone knew what absolute good or absolute evil actually was, they would have no opposition and they would fulfill their goal without opposition. Yes

              Solara, this means that those many consider to be the ultimate forms of good and evil are truly not, they too are just another part of this world.”

              “So then Marcus, I must ask, what made you choose to become good if it is as you say and just a different side of the same coin?”

              “That too is a good question, and all I can say is that being good feels right. It feels right for me to have value in mortal life, mortal joys and sorrows. This may mean that I am never completely good, but I want to care…I need to care. Anyway Solara, it is time I go speak with Alyssa I will see you later old friend.”

              . . .

              With her heart still beating wildly in her chest, Alyssa emerged from the cabin. A thin sheen of sweat covered her skin, glowing softly in the pale moonlight. A soft breeze blew stray strands of hair across her face. Alyssa looked up at the full moon, a sense of mourning slowly coming over her. Nights like this always made her miss the friends she had lost along the way. But crying over them now would accomplish nothing. It was a warm night, making her walk through the fields a peaceful one. The light breeze pulled strands of her long hair across her face.

              Slypher’s words reverberated through her mind, sending chills down her spine. She didn’t want to believe him and willed herself not to. Alyssa knew that his story was entirely possible, but she also knew that she loved Marcus. She knew who she would believe.

              Alyssa continued walking, her mind clear of any doubt.

              It surprised Alyssa how at ease she felt in this place. Never before had she felt so calm, so at peace, so vulnerable. And for the first time in her life she didn’t mind the openness of allowing herself to relax. A form of innocence long since lost to her had been regained in this untouched forest. Being in this place with Marcus made her feel somehow more alive, like a part of her had been hiding since that day when she was thirteen. He made her feel renewed and happier than she had been in years.

              Within minutes she had traveled deep in the forest, much further than she had ever gone before. Her long white dress and wings glowed in the pale moonlight, giving her a ghostly appearance. Alyssa looked around at the ancient trees, a mixture of admiration and respect coming over her. She had never stopped to look at trees before, not really at least. Sage had been trying to teach her about nature, but in her youth she had been too busy to pay much attention. Now, as a gentle calm swept over her, she was able to appreciate what he had known all along. She could feel his presence all around, warming her to her toes. But more than him she felt Marcus. Like a strong breeze, he was all around her, infecting her with a feeling that she couldn’t quite put a finger on.

              It was love, but at the same time it was so much deeper than that. She respected him, cared for him, and knew that in her heart she wanted to be with him forever, if he would allow it. What she wanted more than anything was to see his face, hear his voice, feel his touch. Things that she had taken for granted seemed to mean the difference now. The very world seemed to have changed. It pulsated with the same need that surged through her.

              Alyssa came abruptly to the banks of the river, or rather, a narrow stream that branched off the river. After a quick scan of the surrounding trees and seeing no one there, she removed her gown and waded into the water. At its deepest point, it barely touched her thighs, but that was enough for what she needed. She lay down in the stream, letting the unusually warm water wash over her. She tilted her head back, letting the water flow over her face and hair. Water had always offered her a place to relax and collect her thoughts. Even when she had been living with Ruben, he even he would respect her privacy long enough for her to enjoy a bath.

              That place and its memories seemed so far away in this tranquil forest. Alyssa allowed her mind to wander as the water lazily flowed around her. She thought of spring, with the animals giving birth and the world in bloom, and then summer when she and Marcus could take walks through the fields and he could teach her how to use a sword and about the forest and the elves and magic. She even briefly entertained the idea of a child. A son, with hair the color of gold and eyes the color of the sky after a storm. It was such a wonderful dream, one that warmed her to the core, and she hoped that one day it would come true. Once, so many years ago, Sage had said that one day a man would infect her like the plague. He had been right.

              Alyssa rolled over, folding her arms under her chin. The night seemed quiet and peaceful. There were a few deer grazing and a family of squirrels sleeping in a tree nearby, but they were her only company, the only ones nearby. Alyssa folded her wings across her back and closed her eyes, listening to the wind as it swept through leaves overhead. Despite being vulnerable, she wasn’t scared. All traces of fear were gone, even those caused by Slypher. She had nothing to fear of him now that she wouldn’t be going down there again.

              Sleep began creeping up on her, making her body weak and her eyelids heavy. Alyssa considered spending the night in the stream, but doubted that it was a good idea. She wearily rose to her feet, her unsteady legs threatening to give out at any minute. Half numb from exhaustion, she dressed in a hurry and walked back toward the cabin, stopping only for a moment in the garden.

              . . .

              Marcus’s mind was heavy, but today he need not worry about evil, today he would spend in the arms of pure goodness. Marcus walked though the garden hoping to find Alyssa, he found her dancing among a field of flowers. She was the most graceful and lovely thing he had ever laid eyes upon, and soon his thoughts became as light as feathers. Marcus snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around the angel’s waist while she gave a slight yelp of surprise. Marcus bend down and whispered softly in her ear. “Hello sweetie, I wanted to apologize for not being around more.”

              Alyssa turned around and stared into his eyes for a moment before giving him a playful smile and a slight peck on the cheek. “You dance so beautifully, I wish this moment could last for eternity. You know matters for me have become more serious as of late, but I have been doing some thinking and well…perhaps this moment could last forever.”

              She gave him an inquisitive look and snuggled closer into him. “Alyssa, there is a place that is outside of time, where these coming wars cannot touch. There time cannot wither our bodies and we will be safe and happy for all eternity. One day I will need to travel to this place, and only I have the knowledge to enter it. This sanctuary is really a temple that was built to protect the key that locks the barriers that separate the living world from those of light and darkness. That barrier is failing, and one day the key must be removed, for it is the only thing that has a chance to force the worlds apart again and reestablish the barrier. Alyssa, I am the one meant to remove the key, but even if the barrier falls the temple will remain safe. If I do not use the key to try and push back the darkness, it will consume the living world, but I and you can be safe and happy. I really do not know what to do, in one hand are the lives of all mortals, and in the other is our eternal happiness. Is it wrong for me to want some happiness Alyssa, I have been fighting for so long, it is not time I can relax? I am tired of wars, I am tired of watching people I love die because I could not protect them and most of all…I cannot stand the fact that I cannot get close to anyone without them being in grave danger. I need your help Alyssa, I know what I should do, but what I should do is not what I want to do. I need your strength, your purity, please tell me…”

              Alyssa took a step away from him, her expression going at once from concern to bewilderment.

              All traces of exhaustion had been startled from her body. She knew Marcus well enough to know that he was serious and part of her felt a sense of overwhelming joy at the thought of spending a blissful eternity with this man that she loved. But if these wars really were coming, they couldn’t just go into hiding and forget about everyone in the world. To throw away everyone else just for a chance at happiness seemed so unlike the man that she had grown to love. Alyssa could never call him selfish or a coward to his face. But as she stared into his pale blue eyes, she knew that’s what he would be if she went away with him.

              “Marcus… I… please follow me,” she said softly as she took his hand in hers and began leading him through the field. Marcus followed silently behind her, his fingers tightly interlaced with hers. She knew that he deserved a chance to rest, and especially a chance to be happy. Love and happiness had been stolen from him before, and she regretted having to deny it to him once again. It tore her heart to have to lead him back into the cabin and sit next to him on the velvety soft couch, only to see the longing in his eyes. If only she could allow herself to leave this world to its fate. There were certainly people in it that she wouldn’t mind seeing swept away by war, but she couldn’t do that. She brought her hands up to

              Marcus’s face, cupping his cheeks in her palms.

              Alyssa pressed her lips gently to his. She breathed his scent in deeply as she willed this moment to last forever. Finally, reluctantly, she forced herself to pull away from his warm embrace. “Marcus, I know that you deserve happiness and I understand that you have been fighting for too long. I would love to live with you forever in peace and happiness,” she began quietly. She looked into his eyes, felt his breath on her face. Alyssa reached up, letting the backs of her fingers gently brush his face.

              She started speaking again, her voice barely more than a whisper and cracking with pain, “But I won’t forsake everyone I’ve ever known, good or bad, for a chance at love. Stealing their lives for ours is wrong and selfish and I won’t have any part of it. I love you and I would love to spend eternity with you, but not like this, not at the cost of everyone else.”

              Her dark blue eyes were suddenly alight with a fire and intensity that was rarely seen. “Go if you must, but I will not go with you. My place is here and if these wars do come, I will not be the one to run in fear.”

              She threw her arms around him, embracing him tighter than he would have thought her capable of.  She buried her face against his neck as silent sobs wracked her body. The fire was gone from her voice as she pleaded with him to stay.

              Marcus cupped her face in his palms, his thumbs wiping away all traces of sadness on her cheeks. Her blue eyes stared expectantly at him from beneath heavy lashes. Marcus let his hands linger, holding her gently in place as he brought his lips to hers. Delicately his mouth grazed her. It was so light, so soft, that Alyssa was unsure whether the kiss had even happened at all but as she found her lips seeking his in the dwindling torchlight, she was sure that it had. Unsure of herself at first, Alyssa pressed her lips to his. She shouldn’t have been nervous and there was certainly nothing to be scared of, but her stomach still fluttered as Marcus’s strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.

              Marcus brushed a few hairs from her eyes and smiled warmly at her. His heart was racing in his chest, they had embraced before but there was something different in the air today. Images of Jasmine flashed into his mind, there was never really any love between them but was he betraying her now? No, she was long gone, Marcus would repent for his actions for all eternity, but he had never really hurt