Dark Revelation (13 page)

            Tristan tried turning his head around to see what was going on.  He could hear a female voice mumbling something he couldn’t quite make it out.  Finar continued to drag him out of his cell and into another room.  Finar flung him into a chair in the center of the room.  Tristan glanced around as much as his eyes would allow, he noticed Illeana facing toward him on his right.  He looked at her pleadingly with his eyes to see if he could pick up a glimmer from her at all, however, he could read nothing.  Nothing at all.

            Finar stepped into his view holding something in his hands.  It looked as if it were a silver goblet with some type of symbols engraved around the chalice.  He heard the female voice behind him say, “Drink.”

            Tristan looked at Finar who now held the goblet in front of his face.  “Drink.”  Tristan shook his head.  Finar’s eyes turned into their ruby clusters, “Drink it now.”  Staring into Finar’s forms eyes he knew he could not refuse.  Finar placed the liquid to Tristan’s lips and he took a gulp.  The strange liquid burned the inside of his mouth, his throat, and continued into the pit of his stomach.  He choked trying to gulp air while trying to swallow the mixture down. 

            The burn traveled from his belly through to his arms and his limbs, becoming a warm numbness.  His head started to feel lighter and airy.  Inside he felt as if everything were right.  If it was the way it was supposed to be. 

            He didn’t feel wrong.

            Finar glanced at the red-headed witch behind Tristan, “Is he ready?”

            “Yes,” she replied.  “He will do as you wish.”

            “Good.”

            Finar dragged Illeana’s chair toward Tristan so they were facing each other.  “Tristan,” he grabbed his face forcing focus on him.  “Tristan.  You are going to do what I say, right?”  Tristan nodded as Finar talked to him.

            “I need you, to connect to your sister,” Finar said placing his hands on her shoulder.  Tristan was fuzzy.  He felt as if he were supposed to do something else besides listen to this man giving him instructions.

            Tristan closed his eyes and reached out to connect Illeana.  The drink that Finar gave Tristan, infused with calamus and mace, was combined with a spell to make him more pliable and bend to Finar’s will.  The drink also gave Finar the ability to magnify Tristan’s power by touch.   As Tristan tried to connect with Illeana, Finar grasped him by the shoulders to enhance Tristan’s magic.

            Finar wanted to see if he could combine Tristan and Illeana’s energy. Tristan reached out and to connect with Illeana, his energy synched and harmonized with hers.  As they were connecting, Finar reached through Tristan enhancing the strength of his Chi and increasing the frequency in which it was speaking to Illeana.

            Illeana was spelled and open to any magic and all energy requests around her.  Anyone at this time would be able to connect with her.  She was vulnerable.  Her guard was down.  All because of the witches magic spells and potions.

            Finar knew what he was doing.   He knew that once Tristan absorbed his sister’s energy, she would die.  He was curious to see how Tristan would react.  Would he completely absorb her energy, enhancing his own?  Would he become whole Fae?  Or would he remain a Halfling with twice his power?

            Finar encouraged Tristan’s energy stream to pull on Illeana’s gently.  Tristan became more unaware of his surroundings or what was happening.  The only normalcy he felt, was the ebb and flow of energy between him and Illeana.  He had more energy flowing toward him than she had flowing back toward her.  But he didn’t realize it.  Everything around him was passing by slowly, however, it was only a matter of seconds before Finar increased the energy exchange and started pulling mass consumption from Illeana. 

            Illeana threw her head back, writhing in agony, as her Chi was being ripped from her body.   Finar watched the transition greedily as brother was feeding from sister.  He was enthralled, feeling the energy transference beneath his hands.  Illeana’s eyes flew opened and her mouth hung slack jawed.  Finar recognized the signs. 

Her skin started to fade to a greyish tinge and her cheeks became hollow and recessed.  Her body dropped and continued to become limper with each Chi pulse outward.  Finar could hear her heart rate begin to slow and the hum of energy dissipate.

             The last pulse of energy flowed from Illeana through to Tristan.  Finar released his grip and waited for what would happen next.  He expected to witness the painful sensation he experienced each time he stole and absorbed the Chi of another Halfling. 

            He waited for it.  Tristan just sat there, still numbed by the liquid and magic that was given to him that he ingested.

            Finar turned to the witch grumbling, “You said this would work!”

            “Give it time, it will work,” the witch reassured in her honey smooth voice. 

            Moments continued to pass as slowly as molasses in the dead of winter.  Suddenly, Tristan opened his eyes.  Groggy and distant, his violet eyes clouded over as if he were staring into a distant horizon.  In one split second his body began to seize and almost fold itself backwards.  His arms and legs stiffened as his jaw tensed and flexed.  His eyes were still open.  Rolling onto the floor face first, his body rigid, groaning noises erupted from within that continued to grow louder. 

            The room’s energy started to grow thick and Finar threw an aura shield surrounding himself as a just-in-case.  The witch behind his started muttering an incantation for a protection spell.  Finar had a suspicion that no matter how much magic she used, it would not shield her from what was impending.  He wanted to see exactly what would happen so he stepped out from in front of the witch.  His eyes glittered with excitement. 

            Spittle erupted from the sides of Tristan’s mouth.  And then blood.  Finar started to get a little nervous.  He could see the rivulets of blood running past the sides of his mouth, down his cheek, following gravity to the cell floor.  Finar wanted to reach out and touch him, but he knew better than that.  He knew that he couldn’t or he might get pulled into the mesh, the intertwining, and it would end badly.  With as much energy as Fin had already absorbed, he could never be what he thought Ryleigh was, or what Tristan was possibly becoming. 

            The seizing continued for a few a half second more until the blood was just a small trickle.  The energy died down and the room started to cool.  But then… the inner hum of Tristan’s became louder with each progressing heartbeat.  Finar started to back away from Tristan until he was against the wall in the cell.  He could feel it louder and louder and rising continuing to increase in intensity like the percussion section of an overture.  The witch’s eyes turned into glass saucers.  She hadn’t been prepared for this.

“Let me out!” The witch screamed at Finar as she started toward him, pleading for him to let her go.  Finar lifted his palm towards her and halted her in her tracks.  She started to scream frantically feeling the energy begin to shift in the small room.  Tristan’s inner energy began to manifest outwardly.  Violet hues with tinges of Caribbean, a blend of the twins Chi curled and rose with each heartbeat. 

            Tristan’s body rose from the floor as the flames continued to gather underneath him.  This was what Finar was waiting for.  His personal experience was always excruciating, but this was what he truly yearned for. 

            Tristan’s body seemed to writhe with the flames and his skin danced beneath the flames.  A translucent hue shaded by violets and blues created the darker purple that painted his skin like mini rainbows.  The groaning ceased.  Tristan was silent but his body seemed to be wracked with pain. 

            The concoction Finar gave him was also created to mute the pain he would feel.  He could see it didn’t work - completely.  For a youngling that never experienced this type of pain, he was a lot stronger than Finar gave him credit for and certainly expected long, loud, and arduous screams.  As a matter of fact, Finar was slightly disappointed that it didn’t happen that way. 

            The flames spilled from Tristan’s body and onto the floor pooling around him.  His body rose sitting him an upright position.  The flames began to cascade from his body and onto the floor.  Continuing to move around the cell, they consumed everything in their path, including Illeana’s body, leaving ash behind.  Finar began to wonder  if his aura shield would be enough when Mia appeared strengthening his protective barrier.

The witch, however, was in the direct path of the flames.  Her blood curdling screams were an indicated as to how potent Tristan’s Chi had become.  Her body melted into the heat, feeding the energy and making it stronger.

            When they blaze reached Finar, the pinnacles of heat were tremendously strong. In the shadows, Finar could see Tristan’s form change.  No longer were his eyes a violet hue, they an absence of light.  His razor sharp teeth emphasized by the hardened skin, glimmering against the light of his aura.  His hair was still clear and standing on spike like ends. 

            The flames lapped at Finar’s aura shield.  Mia channeled the energy from outside of the Sanctum to add power to his shield in order to protect her Master.  If the flames penetrated the barrier, Finar would be dead.    

            He could feel the strain on Mia, “Master?” Mia sounded fatigued.  “I cannot hold it any longer.”

            Finar’s disappointed washed his face in the growing light.  He would be unable to witness the full transition.  He knew that Tristan would be able to leave the Sanctum on his own and wanted to count on that.  He had slowly devised a new plan of action and it was coming together nicely.  “Get us out of here,” he commanded, and with that, the pair faded out of the Sanctum as the entire cell erupted into a violent beauty, leaving Tristan to complete the transformation on his own.

16

It’s a new day, It’s a new you

            As his consciousness started to push through, a migraine tore through his senses.  Tristan rolled over and grabbed his head, crying out in agony feeling the throbbing pain of the headache pulsate behind his eyes.  All he could do was scream and hold his head, containing its inward contents, preventing it from exploding.    

            The agony lasted for what seemed an eternity but it passed within moments.  As soon as he was able to recover, he pulled himself to his knees.  His memory was fuzzy after Finar came into his cell.  He did remember being dragged on the floor and forced to drink something, but after that, the memory fuzzed out.  He looked around the room for clues, the smell of ash and soot was heavy in the air.  Bits of the floor were still smoldering.  Then he noticed his clothing.

            He was standing completely naked.  His clothes were gone.  Only remnants of the material were glued to his skin with the soot that was left behind.

            He noticed piles of ashes throughout the cell and the cell door burnt away exposing the steel rods slightly melted.  Waves of nausea rocked through his system and he fell back to his knees vomiting the contents of the drink that Finar gave him.  Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he noticed the blood.  He felt off.  Different.  He didn’t know why.  With the door open to the cell he needed to see if he could summon Vee and get back home.  He also needed to find Illeana. 
Where was she?

            Tristan was having a hard time focusing.  He made it through the door and sent a thought to his imp before collapsing.  Vee appeared at his side and then took him back to his safe house.

***

            After Ryleigh woke at home, she immediately made her way downstairs and snuck out of the house.  She was supposed to meet Tristan and Illeana that evening and decided not to bother checking for Siegfried or Vera.  She wanted to avoid all questions regarding her whereabouts possible.

Hours had passed and Ryleigh was still waiting in the safe house.  She’d flipped through the channels on T.V. for about the millionth time and contemplated going back home.  Each time the house made a sound she jumped.  She wasn’t scared, she was nervous.  It was unlike the twins to leave her hanging, and besides, this had been their idea.  She’d tried calling both of their cells but they didn’t answer. 

            She decided to talk to her imp Nissa.  They hadn’t really bonded yet and Ryleigh thought that she should get to know her.  Ryleigh wanted to know about her abilities, what the imp could do, and what Ryleigh was supposed to do. 

“So,” Ryleigh started.  “What exactly are you?” 

“I am an imp, Mistress,” Nissa responded her large eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Yeah, I know that,” Ryleigh said.  “I guess, where do you come from?”

Nissa jumped on the couch next to Ryleigh and sat down.  Her arms, legs, and head were larger than her torso.  She almost looked like a puppet without strings. “I am born just like you,” the imp explained.

“Do you know who your mom and dad are?”

“No, Mistress.  I am just born and then I was picked.”

Frowning Ryleigh questioned, “How long were you – were you in that cage?”

“I don’t know,” Nissa said.  “I was just one place, then another.  Then you picked me and now we are together.”  Nissa’s voice was soft and melodious. 

Ryleigh nodded.  She’d been thinking about the training session she’d had with Nissa and how the energy fluctuated between them.  Ryleigh likened it to a turning on a faucet, slowly.  It trickled little by little until there was a steady flow.

While Ryleigh was lost in thought, Vee appeared with Tristan smoldering in the middle of the living room floor.  Ryleigh smelled sandalwood and sulfur and Tristan’s nakedness was showing through the soot.

            “Nissa, “she ordered. “Get a blanket!”  Ryleigh knelt next to Tristan on the floor.   “Is he alive?” she asked Vee.

            “Yes, he is alive.  Just barely,” Vee said mournfully.  His small voice normally higher pitched was low and slightly inaudible.  “Something is different.”