Kyren turned in his saddle to look at Eiridan. "You two ready for this?"

Taking a deep breath, Eiridan lifted his eyes to the castle that was appearing on the horizon. "Probably not. But we'll do what we have to in order to save your family and mine."

Jaeyria leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yes, we will. We're not letting Vaxon hurt more people."

Eiridan narrowed his eyes as he picked up on a subtle hint of disquiet from Jaeyria. What is she worrying about? It doesn't seem like the invasion is it... She's hiding something, I think... Technically, if he really wanted to, he could just find out. Their Bond had increased his ability to read her aura to the point where he could hone in on specific thoughts and emotions if he wanted to. She could sense his feelings as well, and she could probably read his thoughts, but he doubted that she knew how. He wouldn't take advantage of that ability without an emergency. Since he could ask her outright later, he would wait.

He tightened his arms around her and let their horse slow to a trot beside Kyren's piebald. "What will we run into when we get there?"

Kyren shrugged, but his hands clenched on the reins, telling Eiridan that he was worried. "I told you before. We have to get over the moat, which is filled with acid that eats everything, even magic."

Jaeyria laughed. "If it eats everything, including magic, then how is it contained in the moat?"

Kyren glared at her. "Eiridan, control your woman."

She huffed and glared back. "Do you really think he'll tell me to shut up for asking a question?"

Eiridan squeezed her hip with his free hand in warning. They weren't supposed to be fighting like cats and dogs. Doing that would only divide them at a crucial point in this endeavor. "It's not important... The fact is that we have to get over it somehow."

Kyren grunted. "If your wife can keep her mouth shut, then I'll continue."

Jaeyria sighed. "I'm sorry, Kyren. In all honesty, I really do want to know. But it's not that important. Keep going."

Kyren eyed her in surprise, his eyes narrowing. "What'd you do to her, Eiridan?"

Eiridan grinned. "Nothing."

"Well, you must be rubbing off on her. That's the first I've heard the straight-forward Jaeyria apologize." He raised a brow at her, and Eiridan could see that Kyren was testing her.

He sighed. The man had his good points, but Eiridan was constantly wishing that Kyren would stop goading others into hurting him. He'd been reflecting on their fight most of the morning as they rode, and he'd noticed something he'd missed about it before. Kyren had wanted him to lash out. He'd wanted Eiridan to hurt him because he felt he deserved it. Even in the midst of internal darkness, Kyren felt like he was worthless and expected people to treat him as such. He wanted it and welcomed it.

It was something Eiridan was going to have a talk with him about if he got a chance tonight. Kyren needed to understand that he was, overall, a worthwhile human being. He had many good traits: being a good father and husband, extending mercy to those whom his father would've killed, fighting the darkness, helping others to do the right thing, and having the strength to keep fighting. After everything he'd been through, he would've been justified in becoming as dark and evil as his father, but instead he'd chosen to keep fighting back against that side of him.

Kyren glanced at him. "Something on your mind?"

"No... Well, yes, but I'll talk to you about it later. Finish telling us about the castle, please."

Shrugging, Kyren stared out across the field between them and the castle. He brought his horse to a halt on the top of a hill and looked back at them. "It's dangerous, probably deadly, and if we make it in, there's a high likelihood that we'll still be killed despite our agreement to surrender. If we get within sight range of the walls, there are hounds that can smell us. They'll alert the guards. We should be fine from there since there are only three of us as opposed to an army. Vaxon will be more likely to let us in to find out how I got away and to get information."

"So basically, we shouldn't have to worry about much else?"

"Shouldn't..." Kyren said, pushing his horse back into motion. "We should've traveled faster than the army, so we won't get caught in the fighting."

"That's good," Eiridan said, burying his nose in Jaeyria's hair and breathing in the scent of fresh air and grass that lingered there.

She laughed and nestled against him, taking the reins as he moved his hands down her waist to her hips. "You tease," she mumbled, leaning up to kiss him.

"You're worse than I am," he grumbled when she pulled away.

Kyren eyed the two of them for a moment. Eiridan pulled back from Jaeyria as he sensed Kyren's pain and sadness.

"Sorry..." he said, smiling weakly. "I forget sometimes how our behavior must make you feel..."

Kyren shook his head with a bemused smile. "Why would it matter to you?"

"Kyren!" Eiridan chided. "How could you think it doesn't? Have I ever given you a reason to think that I was indifferent to you?"

"There was that fight," Kyren said, but his tone had become lighter, more teasing. His aura still held silvery sadness and the acrid taste of pain, but it was better.

"Yeah, well... In that instance, you kind of got what was coming to you."

"That I did. And it's about time you stood up for yourself. Where we're going, you'll need to be capable of doing so if things go awry." Kyren wrinkled his nose. "Not that I think anything will go wrong... But my father's unpredictable and despicable. He has no honor, so who knows what might happen."

***

"By Hekla's breath!" Kyren swore as they approached the castle.

Eiridan winced as he saw what Kyren was looking at.

"Curse those rebels! Why does it have to be now? How did they beat us?" the other man snapped, squinting at the ensuing battle.

In front of them, the Magi and Jahad's forces were besieging the walls. They had heavy siege engines ten to eleven feet away from the winding moat, and the weapons were already flinging giant stones at the walls. It took three men to lift the stones, and the soldiers of Vaxon's army were already crashing into the spearmen holding the front ranks.

They stood and watched in stunned silence for a while.

Wave after wave of Vaxon's soldiers slammed into a line of spears and shields that stopped the enemy in their tracks. They could hear someone shouting at Jahad's army to hold position, and a man on horseback rode quickly behind the lines of spearmen, yelling to the foot soldiers behind them. The words were illegible, but the cries of war that echoed through the forested area from the throats of the soldiers were not. They raised their swords in unison, shaking them and roaring at the sky. A pod of dragons wheeled above, diving down on the hapless soldiers opposing Jahad.

As they watched, another pod of dragons burst from the castle's outer bailey to meet the first in the sky. They roared over the noises of combat below and challenged the dragons attacking Vaxon's army with belligerent cries. When the other dragons ignored them, Vaxon's dragon army crashed into them, knocking a few off balance. After that, the dragons locked in combat high above the fighting armies.

"Maybe one of the Magi portaled them through like I do with my shadows? Maybe the dragons brought them? I've heard some of them can transport things and people with their minds. Or other magical creatures helped?" Jaeyria asked.

"Doubt it," Eiridan mumbled.

The other two turned to look at him. Kyren raised a brow, and Jaeyria mirrored his expression. It was almost comical how the two mirrored each other so well despite hating each other's guts.

"Well, spit it out, Healer," Kyren snapped. "Don't keep your information to yourself."

"Well... I talked to a rather irate Faerie before coming to free you. Although, talked might be a bit tame. A whole swarm of them attacked me," Eiridan said, wincing. "Regardless, she informed me that the Fae and many other magical creatures won't help us because they blame us for the brutal treatment they've received at Vaxon's hands."

Kyren swore again, this time more emphatically.

Jaeyria cringed against him as they waited for Kyren to cool down.

"What does this mean for us?" Eiridan asked quietly. "Surrender clearly isn't going to work."

"Well... It probably means that our families are dead. All of them." Kyren's aura was rapidly growing darker and lacing with more red. "You two had this hare-brained scheme, and now look where it's gotten us! If you'd just let me contact my father, we could've avoided this."

"Kyren," Eiridan soothed. "We couldn't. He would've found out about our plans. You know that. Then your wife and kids would've died sooner. Besides, they might still be alive. He hasn't seen you here yet, and so he doesn't know if you're fighting for or against him. From what we know, he still thinks that you refused to help us."

That seemed to mollify Kyren. He let out a deep breath and tugged his fingers through his unruly curls. "I suppose... You better hope that's the case."

"If it isn't, you can't blame us. We tried our best to help, Kyren. That's what the whole plan was about in the first place. Helping you save your family and getting Eiri's free."

"How do I know that?" Kyren snapped. "Maybe it's his purpose, but you're a wild card, Jaeyria Stormblessed. You don't have any family behind those walls to lose."

"Maybe not, but I've got Eiridan, and this could end up costing all of our lives. I have every reason to run now that it's all going down the tube, but instead, I'm helping you. Don't make me regret it," she hissed.

Eiridan could feel the tension between them, and Jaeyria's fear pressed on him heavily. It slammed into him like a ton of bricks being dropped on his chest when Kyren suggested that she had an ulterior motive. He was beginning to wonder if she did.

The fighting raged on in the deep valley between them and the hill the castle stood on. Eiridan eyed it warily, wondering how long it would take for the fight to shift to other places. "Look, you two, fighting isn't of any use. We need to get around them. Let's use the fight to our advantage. Currently, they're only attacking the one side. That leaves the back of the castle open. Kyren, will we still need to worry about the dogs with the fight?"

"No. And most of the guards will be manning the walls on the side where the fighting's going on."

"Perfect." Jaeyria grinned at them. "We don't need to worry about the acid either; I don't feel like scaling that wall."

"You couldn't if you tried," Kyren grunted.

"Well, then... You two boys can have fun trying, or you can take my portal. Which sounds better?" She gave them a big smile.

Eiridan laughed and pressed a kiss to her neck as they directed their horses toward the other side of the castle. "The portal, of course... Kyren?"

Kyren rolled his eyes. "I'd be an idiot to refuse to allow someone else to waste their energy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If your shadows can do it, my darkness can too," he reminded.

She shrugged. "Well, if you want to do it, have at it. Otherwise, I'll open one."

"I'd rather you did it. My father would sense my use of magic, and then we'd jeopardize our whole mission."

"Right," Eiridan said. "Let's get on with it. Where do we go once we're over the walls?"

"The throne room," Kyren muttered. "It's going to take some finesse to get there with the palace on high alert and the fighting outside the walls."

"Well, we'll deal with it when we have to," Jaeyria said as they approached the walls. "We'll have to leave the horses."

"You know, this makes me glad that it took us most of the day and all of last night to get here," Kyren said. "As night falls, it should hide our movements better."

"It's already pretty dark. Dusk will have to be good enough because there's no time to waste." Eiridan dismounted and helped Jaeyria down while Kyren clambered off his horse. He ran his thumb over the bare skin on her side when her shirt hitched up, and an absent smile slipped onto his lips as he felt her shiver in response. He let go of her as Kyren walked up to them.

"No arguments there," Kyren said, approaching the lip of the moat.

"Will I be able to use my portaling technique to get us past if the moat eats magic?" Jaeyria inquired, staring down into the bubbling liquid. "Huh... I thought it'd be green."

"Because?" Kyren asked, bemused.

"That's how all the books described acid..."

"So this idea wasn't grounded in reality?"

Jaeyria eyed the bubbling, sulfuric smelling moat.

Eiridan noticed that it wasn't even close to green. In fact, it was clear like water with a muddied quality near the moat walls where dirt had mixed in. There, the acid fizzed and hissed as it ate away at the dirt and its compounds. "Guess not."

Eiridan laughed at their behavior, and he also felt a thrill of happiness when Jaeyria didn't leap at the opportunity to argue with Kyren.

"Well..." Kyren cleared his throat, obviously stunned by her reaction. "Umm... It works fine. Just don't let it touch the acid. I've done it lots of times."

"Good to know," she said, moving back from the lip of the moat.

The two men watched quietly while she pulled out her stylus and began drawing runes in the air.

"I always found it interesting that her runes glowed or flashed... It kind of surprised me when she first used them in front of me," Kyren admitted as she began the complicated sequence of runes necessary to portal them over the acid.

"Really? Why did it surprise you?" Eiridan asked, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the cacophony of the battle.

"Because mine don't glow. They kind of flash, but they look like they suck the light in instead of giving it off. It's difficult to explain."

"You're a dark mage."

"But she's a shadow mage," Kyren tossed back. "We should have similar traits in our magic."

"I don't know," Eiridan admitted. "I guess I never thought about that. It is an interesting difference..."

"Come on, you two!" Jaeyria hissed, waving them forward as the portal flared into life. Before either of them could reach her, she stepped through the portal, disappearing from their sight.

Eiridan sighed. "That woman will be the death of me."

"How prophetic of you. Why didn't you think about that before you completed the Binding?" Kyren asked, grinning.

"I don't know... It doesn't matter because I'd gladly die if it meant saving her or ensuring her happiness."

"Can't fault you there," Kyren mumbled, stepping into the portal.

Laughing softly, Eiridan followed them.

He materialized beside Jaeyria as the portal closed with a whoosh. Shaking off the nausea caused by his inertia, he glanced around them. The sky was darkening even further, and thunder boomed above. Rain began pattering down on the trio as they crouched on the narrow stone walkway and examined their surroundings. The guards were, as Kyren had said, mostly on the other side. A few were keeping an eye on the walls, and Eiridan noticed one walking towards them to check for intruders.

"We're about to have company, you guys."

Kyren rolled his eyes. "No, we're not..."

Darkness surrounded the man rapidly, choking off his cries, which went unnoticed over the screams and shouts of the battlefield below. The lifeless body dropped over the outer curtain wall and down into the moat, disappearing within moments as the acid ate away at the body.

Eiridan resisted the urge to be sick. He'd seen killing before, of course, and he knew that it was necessary now, but seeing a man's corpse be dissolved by acid was gruesome. A few big fragments of bone still spun slowly on top of the acid, and they'd been bleached white within seconds. Even those were rapidly fizzing out as they dissolved into the acidic moat. Not a hint of red was left to indicate the corpse's previous existence.

He was glad that the man hadn't been alive to feel it.

"It was necessary," Kyren hissed in his ear. "Now let's get moving."

He forced himself to his feet, pushing away the rising bile as he followed Kyren. Jaeyria followed closely behind them, and together the trio crept to the stairs a few feet away. Guards were teeming in the outer bailey along with armored men, waiting for the signal to join the ranks of men already fighting in the field surrounding the castle. Their weapons shone dully in the light of the torches as the army's runners lit them to compensate for the failing light. They moved in steady, orderly rows as each group marched out of the portcullis to the battle field.

More shouts mingled with those on the battle field as the next wave joined the onslaught. Their dark black cloaks were emblazoned with Vaxon's coat of arms: a red, rising dragon locked in combat with a white tiger. A fierce wind howled through the courtyard, signaling that at least one of the air mages was still alive.

Everyone's attention was directed at the gates as the siege weapons hurled stones at the walls in a steady barrage. A few of the Magi had broken through enemy lines into the courtyard, but they'd left behind their backup. Defenseless, they were surrounded by the enemy, and as the trio watched, they were cut down.

It was just close enough to make out who had fallen. Pain surged inside along with guilt as he watched Ashni and Aelia fall without making any move to intervene. The third, Lydora, held out longer. But it wasn't long before she too was buried under the brute force of the enemy.

He pushed away the sorrow that their deaths caused and forced aside the guilt he felt for being alive when they weren't. They'd known the risks when they chose to fight back, and he hadn't been able to do anything from his position. He had to focus on the task at hand.

Despite the ease with which they'd infiltrated the castle so far, Eiridan knew that they'd meet with more resistance inside. They might not be seen right now, but once inside the inner bailey and the keep, they'd be in grave danger.

The inner curtain wall was just as unscalable as the first. In interest of remaining unnoticed, the three took shelter behind a corner of the inner curtain wall. They examined it and the towering keep quietly.

"What is this stuff, anyway?" Jaeyria whispered to Kyren, running her fingers over the slick surface. The minute her fingers made contact, a sharp, burning pain rippled through her. She yanked her fingers away with a gasp. The tips were an angry red with blisters. She bit her lip to hold back a whimper as the pain pulsed through her.

"Don't touch it," Kyren warned belatedly. "It's trouble..." He smirked.

Eiridan glared at him, annoyed by the trivial way Kyren brushed off Jaeyria's injuries. Taking her hands in his, he murmured a low spell in Latin to sooth the burns and take them away. It barely made a dent in his energy, and that was good because he would need every drop of it where they were headed.

"Okay, fine... It's enchanted andesite-stone. Burns if you touch it, as Jaeyria demonstrated." He waved in her direction. "We need to hurry up and portal over this wall. You two better hope that the guard barracks are empty because if they aren't, we'll have to fight our way through. And we can't leave anyone alive if that happens, Eiridan." Kyren sent him a pointed look. "We can't risk having an alarm raised if our ruse is going to work."

"Remind me why we're even going through with the 'surrender' now." Jaeyria raised a brow.

"Having second thoughts?" Kyren snapped. "I knew you didn't really want to help."

"Shut up, Kyren. I want to help, but I think we should just rescue them. With all of the commotion the attack is causing, maybe the defenses on the prisoners will be weaker." She shifted beside the wall, eyeing their surroundings cautiously.

Eiridan also looked around, but no one seemed aware of their presence. Either that or they didn't realize that the trio was intruding.

Kyren bit his lip, considering her idea for a moment. Then he shook his head. "It's Vaxon. They won't be weaker. Now get a move on before we get caught."

Jaeyria huffed, but she began drawing runes.

***

Inside the inner bailey, things were much calmer. Few people were around since everyone had either gone to the outer bailey, the battle field, or the keep. Green lawn stretched out until it met the carefully manicured hedges that lined the castle walls.

Eiridan looked around for the best way to approach the keep. He knew Jaeyria couldn't just keep portaling. She'd run out of energy, and they needed to reserve their strength for now. The barracks stood just to their left, but they had to go past it to reach the keep. The gates were open, inviting people to go in and out freely, but Eiridan knew they would close if the outer bailey was breached.

It was a clear sign of how confident Vaxon was that the Magi would fail in their siege. A wise ruler would've closed the keep's doors and barred them against entry. But Vaxon was neither a wise nor a benevolent ruler. He didn't care how many lives were wasted to accomplish his purpose, and he was too arrogant to consider the possibility of failure for long. Ultimately, Eiridan was certain that would be his downfall. Every ruler in history who had ruled as Vaxon did fell due to their own arrogance and pride.

However, they couldn't just waltz through the keep's front doors. If they did that, they'd certainly be caught. Even Vaxon wouldn't be fool enough to leave that entrance unguarded. He looked back toward the guard house and then over at the huts, shops, and animal pens that lined the inner bailey's curtain wall. He could smell the stench of the pigs from their position a few feet from the sties, and he wrinkled his nose. The rain and wind didn't help as they only blew the strong reek into their faces. "Is there another way into the castle besides the front gate?" he asked Kyren, frowning.

Kyren nodded absently as he examined the situation. "Through the guards' barracks. There's a trap door in event of an assassination attempt. There's another one in the outer bailey, but it wasn't accessible. There's one last passage in through the cliff face behind the keep. But that one's harder to reach given our current position. It's also likely to be guarded right now due to Jahad's involvement in the rebellion. Our best bet is to go through the barracks. They all join together along that passage anyway and end up leading to various places in the keep."

Eiridan swallowed hard. "Are the barracks occupied right now?"

"Probably." Kyren muttered. "Be prepared for a fight, and follow me closely."

Jaeyria drew her slender one-and-a-half hand sword and an anelace without comment and followed Kyren as he dashed out of their cover and toward the barracks. Shaking his head, Eiridan pushed aside his growing anxiety and followed their example. He drew the falchion he'd taken from camp and weighed it in his hand.

It fit perfectly, as he'd expected. With that, he tugged his second blade — a small stiletto — from his belt and raced after his wife and friend. The torches blazing around the guards' barracks and the light from the siege lit up the sky, and the nearest torches reflected off the silver blades and gilt pommels of his weapons.

He swallowed hard as Kyren took point and pushed the large door open as quietly as possible. The wooden door creaked and groaned as he shoved on it. Eiridan could tell that it was heavy by the way it scraped noisily over the stone floor. He winced, knowing that the guards would hear and come running.

Can I really do this? Eiridan asked himself as the other two steeled themselves for the coming battle. Can I really kill these people? Mathas trained me for it even when I refused to hurt others time and again. I have the skill necessary. He proved that to me over and over when he made me train with him. But can I truly take another's life and live with that for the rest of my life?

The wraith was either dormant or gone. Eiridan still didn't quite believe that Kyren's banishing ritual had gotten rid of it. He half hoped that it had because he knew that, in the future, being possessed by a malicious, pugnacious wraith would be a problem. But right now, Eiridan wished, for the first time, that it would still be in his head, ready to take over so that he wouldn't have to do this in his right mind. He didn't think he could take someone else's life when he was sane or in control of his own mind. At least if the wraith did it, he could go on without knowing if he could kill.

"You have to finish them if they attack you, Eiri," Jaeyria whispered, raising her blades. "They will kill you if you don't, and our odds of surviving are low enough without you sacrificing yourself. Remember the reason we're here, and be strong."

Hurried footsteps approached them as they slipped into the barracks. There was nowhere to hide. The footsteps were coming down the hallway that led to the sleeping area, and this section had only a few low-lying, wooden tables and chairs for the guards who weren't on duty. They weren't large enough to hide a person, and they'd be spotted immediately even if the tables could offer some shelter.

Kyren readied himself, falling into a familiar stance.

Curious, Eiridan noted. We both prefer Wind Stance. It was a combat stance intended to utilize the body's energy and motion in a way that gave the greatest amount of speed. When Eiridan used it, it amplified his already fast reflexes and allowed him to become even faster. He loved the thrill it gave him to be faster than everyone else. He often used it when training with the magically animated dummy that Mathas had him use for workouts. Perhaps Kyren likes it for the same reason.

"Hey!" A guard came around the corner and glowered at them. "You can't be in here!"

Kyren smiled wolfishly. "Too bad because we are."

The guard's eyes widened as he took in their weapons and faces. They widened further when he recognized Kyren. "P-prince Kyren?" he stammered. "You... You're..."

"Not dead?" Kyren suggested, smirking.

"W-well... I s-suppose." The man backed up a little, his hand going to a small rope on the stone wall. It extended up to a series of other ropes, which shimmered slightly with enchantment. Eiridan didn't have to be a genius to figure out what the contraption had been enchanted to do.

Jaeyria instantly moved in on the guard. "Don't even think about it," she hissed, pressing her blade to his neck. "Pull that alarm, and I will slit your throat."

Eiridan shivered, wishing that she wouldn't threaten the man, but he stayed quiet because he knew it was necessary.

The man did the next stupidest thing he could. He started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Hey! Everyone get in here! We're under attack!"

The men who had been keeping watch on the Keep and inner bailey poured out of the observation room and into the recreation room where the four were waiting. Jaeyria snarled and slid her blade across the man's neck in one fluid motion. "You shouldn't have done that," she said, watching him with cold eyes as he gurgled and choked to death on his own blood. The man toppled over, landing face first on the flagstone flooring. His blood bloomed in a black circle around him, and the smell was cloyingly sweet with a bitter, iron aftertaste in Eiridan's mouth.

Kyren laughed. "Nice touch, Shadow..."

The other guards stared at their fallen companion in shock for a moment, and then they drew their weapons and advanced on the trio. They stopped just out of reach and waited as someone shoved through the crowd. A slender man with black hair and a crooked smile stepped from behind the men. "Kyren, what is the meaning of this?"

"Ander," Kyren greeted with a harsh nod.

"Explain now. How is it that you've allowed them to kill one of my men without interfering?"

Eiridan noted how Kyren's aura sparked with red and orange as he warred to keep control of his fury. Clearly these two had a history, and it wasn't a good one.

"Because I'm done with being a slave to you, my parents, and my own inner darkness," Kyren said. "You deserve what's coming to you, Ander. If the gods grant you a next life, be wiser. Don't torture others for the fun of it. And don't rat them out to the King when you find out about their hidden family."

"I knew I should've killed you when I found you with Ashyra. Your father promised her to me if I do well and bring you to him. I was just about to head out to the battle field. But you were kind enough to come to me instead. All the better. The sooner you're gone, the sooner I can have her like I should've had her years ago before you got in the way."

Kyren's anger skyrocketed as Ander continued talking. "You won't have her. All you've done is doom yourself."

Eiridan stiffened beside Kyren as Ander's eyes swept over to him and Jaeyria lazily.

"Well, maybe I won't... Your companion's quite a beauty. What do you say? I get to do whatever I want with her in exchange for your wife's safety from my advances. Surely you won't let me have Ashyra just to save this one," Ander said, his voice teasing but warning at the same time. His aura swirled with deceit; he wouldn't leave Ashyra alone regardless of what Kyren did.

Kyren's jaw clenched, and his eyes flickered over to Jaeyria for a moment. Eiridan sensed his indecision, and he knew that Kyren was seriously considering it. He was upset, but he also understood. Eiridan would probably consider sacrificing some girl he barely knew too if it meant saving his wife from the lewd desires of a man like Ander.

Resolution seeped through Kyren's black aura in firm brown tones. "No. You'll have neither of them. That woman is Bound, and you'd get nothing but a dagger in the back for your efforts anyway."

"That's perfectly fine. I like them feisty. The fight's invigorating," Ander said, raising his own sword to give Jaeyria a jaunty salute. Then he

winked. "You wouldn't regret it, sweetheart."

Eiridan glared at Ander. How dare he suggest that! She's my wife, and no one gets to treat her like that. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind. He'll get a dagger in the back from me if he touches her like that. He sincerely hoped that Jaeyria would make the man pay, but if she didn't, he would. While he didn't like hurting others and hadn't been sure about whether he could kill, he was determined now. Ander had to suffer for his base behavior.

Finally, Jaeyria responded to Ander's insulting words. "Yeah, you're right. Putting a dagger in your throat would be satisfying, you pig," she snapped, springing into action.

When she moved to initiate combat, Kyren joined her, spinning into the surprised men.

Eiridan watched for a long moment, still hesitant about hurting the others with Ander, but the choice was taken away from him when one of the soldiers barreled into him. They slammed into the stone floor, skidding a few feet under the soldier's momentum.

His fingers loosened on his stiletto, and he lost his grip on it. It clanged against the floor and skittered a few feet away. Fortunately, he managed to keep hold of his falchion despite his initial surprise.

The soldier tried to bring his own sword to bear on Eiridan's throat, but at close range, neither could ply their weapons against the other. They both tried to reach the dagger, and Eiridan hissed in pain as the man slammed a knee into his stomach. He lost the fight for the stiletto, and the man was able to bring it down toward his throat.

He had no choice. They couldn't leave witnesses, and he had to survive this for Jaeyria's sake and his parents'. He sucked in a deep breath and began muttering under his breath.

The man screamed in agony as his life force began to drain. Eiridan felt the bile rising in his throat as he let the man's energy slide into his body, down his throat, and into his reserves. The energy tasted and felt amazing, but he knew it was hurting and killing the other man.

As soon as the man was doubled over and helpless, Eiridan cut it off, trembling as he picked up his stiletto and falchion. His fingers shook on the pommels of his weapons as he pressed the curved tip of the falchion to the wheezing man's throat.

Kyren was at his side in an instant. "Gods above! Curse you and your soft nature, Healer! Finish him. He's the last one, and we need to go."

"I..." Eiridan fought back the wave of nausea and swallowed back the putrid bile in his mouth. "I can't, Kyren," he murmured.

"You fight like a true warrior, but you act like a little girl when faced with death. Get used to it, Eiridan. People die all the time. It's kill or be killed," Kyren snapped, pushing Eiridan closer to the man. "I'm not finishing him for you. Prove that you're actually dedicated to this now before you get us all killed."

Eiridan shook his head, trying to step backwards again. He ran into Kyren's firm hands, and Kyren refused to budge. When Eiridan tried to side-step him, Kyren grabbed his bicep and forced him to stay put. "Kill him before the alarm spreads, Eiridan. You don't want to be here when the Nires and reinforcements come. So get it over with."

"Kyren..." Eiridan whispered, locking his gaze with his friend's. "I can't do it."

"You can, and you will, you useless cretin!" Kyren hissed.

His whole body shook under Kyren's forceful grip, and the guilt he felt wracked his very soul. Unable to hold Kyren's firm gaze any longer, Eiridan looked to Jaeyria. Her eyes were glossy with tears, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. So he dropped his own gaze to the stone floor. "Jaeyria..." He fought back a whimper. "Please tell him that I can't."

"I have to agree with Kyren, Eiridan. This has to stop before you let someone else kill you. Sometimes death is necessary. This is one of those times," Jaeyria said. "Yes, I Bonded with you, but as your Bond, I'm responsible for your well-being. If that means being brutally honest, then so be it. Eiridan Stormblessed, suck it up and do what needs doing. You beat Kyren up two days ago, so man up and finish the job." She pointed to the writhing, trembling person on the floor when Eiridan looked up at her.

Eiridan had already taken most of his energy, and the man didn't have much left. He knew that it was probably merciful to kill the man after what he'd done. The spell he'd used to drain the man's energy wasn't the same as the one he'd used on Kyren. In his desperation, Eiridan used something that would both drain the man and cause incredible pain.

The man was seizing now, and his face was contorted in pain as silent whispers for mercy seemed to escape his open mouth. He tore at his own hair, his mouth foaming, and his eyes met Eiridan's with frantic terror. Wildness gleamed there, warring with the fear. The man let out a guttural moan and clutched at his head, thrashing back and forth.

I've broken him, Eiridan thought. I've broken his mind and his body. He'll never be whole again...

"Eiridan," Kyren muttered. "It's merciful to kill him at this point. His mind is probably broken irreversibly anyway."

Eiridan bit his lip. "How did you know that I was thinking about that?" he mumbled.

"Because I know you, Healer. You're trying to find every rationalization you can for not killing that man. And you'll do the same to justify killing him now because you know it can't be avoided. You'll go through the exact same cycle with the Nires as well because that's how your mind is wired."

He closed his eyes and let out a defeated moan. "You're right."

"Good. Do what I told you to." Kyren let go and stepped back, leaving Eiridan with room to finish the job.

Eiridan opened his eyes and stared down at the broken, weeping man lying at his feet. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he slammed the blade down into the man's heart.

He felt the man's aura snuff out, and then all of the man's energy slammed into him, forcing its way in to join the rest of the man's life force in Eiridan's reserves. He gasped, falling to his knees and throwing up the meager contents of his lunch. His falchion and stiletto clanged against the flagstones as they clattered out of his hands.

Jaeyria rubbed his back for a moment as he retched.

Kyren didn't bother babying him at all. He just nudged Eiridan in the ribs forcibly. "Get up. We need to get moving.

Eiridan wiped the back of his mouth, avoiding the glassy eyes of the man he'd killed. Bitterness filled his mouth and mind as he grappled with the reality of what he'd done. He stared at his weapons in abject horror, blinking back tears. His fingers trembled as he tried to force himself to take the bloodied falchion from its resting place on the floor. Yet he couldn't do it. I'm such a coward, he thought. I can't even kill a man in self-defense or out of mercy without being sick...

Jaeyria handed him her one-and-a-half hand sword and took his bloodied falchion when she realized that he couldn't handle looking at his. He forced himself to pick up his stiletto, still avoiding the dead man a few feet away.

They followed Kyren into the dormitory of the barracks. He went straight to the stone wall beside a tall bookcase and pressed on a stone. It was oddly shaped, and the stones around it were slightly blackened as though they'd weathered a fire. A harsh grating noise surrounded them as a portion of the wall swung inward to reveal a narrow tunnel and a flight of steps.

Kyren grabbed a torch from a bracket embedded in the wall and headed down into the passage, letting the torch light the way.

Jaeyria squeezed Eiridan's hand comfortingly and then tugged him into the tunnel. The door swung shut behind them with a groan as they continued further into the dark tunnel.

***

"The tunnel leads to the throne room, but the entrance will be guarded by Nires," Kyren murmured as they walked along the dry, cracked surface of the tunnel's floor.

Eiridan stumbled over a rock on the floor and landed on his knees, dropping his weapons. He'd almost fallen like this half a dozen other times in the last fifteen minutes of walking, but he'd been able to catch himself. His eyes stung with unshed tears and smoke from the torch Kyren had lit to replace the previous one. The air felt heavy and damp as he struggled to draw it into his lungs, and he felt as though he was hearing everything from deep under the ground or through water.

"Can we take a minute to rest?" Jaeyria asked, helping him up. "Do we have any water?"

Kyren glanced over at them. "He doesn't need a break, Jaeyria. He's filled to the brim with someone else's life force."

"He needs a minute to have a drink and recollect himself!" Jaeyria snapped.

"Jae," Eiridan murmured weakly. "Please just stop. We'll keep going. Just... If we have water, can I take a minute to rinse out my mouth, Kyren?" He didn't want to upset Kyren, but he did need water. If he was honest, he also needed a long nap. Yes, his energy reserves were overflowing, but it was tiring to hold someone else's life force in his body, and he was losing the will to continue on rapidly.

Kyren gave him a weary look and stopped, pulling the water skin off his belt. "You're lucky it survived the fight and that I didn't forget to bring it with me."

"I know," Eiridan murmured, wishing for the fifth time since he'd killed the guard that the wraith would've taken over. He hadn't truly believed that the wraith was gone, but he knew it was now. It fed off violence, and it would've made an appearance during the fight if it was still present.

"Are you okay, Eiridan?" Jaeyria touched his arm, and she wrapped her arm around his waist, letting him lean on her.

"No..." he mumbled shortly, taking a sip of the lukewarm, stale water and swishing it around before spitting it out. "I killed for the first time ever, so no... And I didn't even have the wraith to excuse it." He shook his head, passing the water skin back to Kyren. "Gods above," he whispered. "I incapacitated him and then slaughtered him when he couldn't fight back. What kind of monster does that?" He moved away from Jaeyria, wrapping his arms around himself with a shiver.

"Lots of them," Kyren said.

"You're not helping, Kyren!" Jaeyria snapped, slapping him. "Why don't you try to be supportive? Or at least try to justify what he did so he doesn't feel worse!"

"Why would I? No one said he was a monster... Just that many monsters do what he did. Only he did it because he knew he had to not because he enjoys hurting others." Kyren crossed his arms. "And don't hit me again. If you do, the results won't be pleasant."

Jaeyria glared at him as she ran her hand up and down Eiridan's arm in an attempt to calm her distraught husband. His anguish over killing a defenseless man was tearing him apart, and because of their Bond, he knew it would hurt her too. But he couldn't help it. Eiridan did try to retract some of the emotion that was flooding over their Bond, but it didn't do much.

She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, letting him know that she appreciated the effort. He smiled weakly when she pulled away. His magical energy felt strong and invigorated, but inside, he felt weak and dirty. Everything in him despised the part that had capitulated to Kyren's demand for bloodshed. No matter how necessary it was, he couldn't handle the decision he'd made.

Fighting back the tears of regret, Eiridan soldiered onward as they got closer to their destination.

***

Finally they stood in front of the door to the throne room. Kyren held a hand up to shush them as he listened for the sounds that would indicate the positions and number of people in the room behind the door.

Turning back to them, he pulled them a few yards away from the door before whispering, "There's a hostage situation, I think. It's the only reason for the number of people in the throne room. My father, mother, and sister are all there for sure. I don't sense enough people for all of the Magi families, so I'm not sure what's going on. But there are four entrances to the room including this one, and there are two Nires for each door. That makes eight of them."

They nodded their understanding.

"Stick to the plan we outlined earlier," Kyren hissed. "Jaeyria, don't let them catch you, or you'll die. Remember, you can't use magic if the Nires are touching you. They'll negate it if you try."

She nodded, and Eiridan felt her nervousness spiking.

"Go on then. We'll wait for your signal."

Jaeyria drew her runes hastily and then stepped into her portal, disappearing from sight. The portal flashed out a moment later, and they stood in the dimly lit tunnel, waiting for her to give the signal.

***

The tunnel door grated open, and Kyren's head shot up. He drew his weapon, snuffing out the torch. Eiridan followed his example, biting his lip. He hoped they didn't have to kill anyone else, but he doubted that it'd happen that way.

"Get ready for company," Kyren whispered.

Two lizard like creatures stepped into the tunnel with synchronized hisses. Eiridan swallowed hard as the blazing light from the throne room illuminated the alien silhouettes. Nires. He knew the tales. They were unrivaled opponents. No one could kill them in a regular fight, and they negated magic, so Magi were usually sitting ducks.

If they were here, that meant that Jaeyria had failed. She hadn't been able to draw them away from the throne room. He was thankful that their Bond hadn't broken though because it meant that she'd survived the attempt. That was more than they'd expected when they discussed what failure would mean.

"Put down the weapons, Magi," the first lizard-like creature hissed.

"I don't think so," Kyren said. "We're here to surrender, but we're not putting down our weapons without assurance that our lives and our families' will be spared."

The second Nires started laughing. The sound was a strange mixture of gurgling and dry hacking, which bounced around the tunnel sinisterly. "Clearly you've been misinformed, Magi. Jahad is dead, Kyren. Your wife is the only one left alive. And you, Healer... You're too late. Your mother is nearly gone from consumption, and your father was executed yesterday."

Eiridan's fingers trembled on his weapon as the lizard's words seeped into his soul. "You're lying," he whispered.

"Not likely," the first Nires sneered.

"If you put down the weapons, maybe you'll live through this," the second Nires spat.

Kyren glanced over at Eiridan.

Eiridan saw his own disbelief reflected in the glossy, tear-filled eyes of the other man. He could see Kyren's uncertainty, and he knew that the Prince needed him to push back the pain they both felt. He shoved his energy into Kyren with a few mumbled words. "Don't you dare give in now, Kyren Asherex! This is our last chance, and we can't waste it. Our wives are in there. Are you going to let yours die? Because I'm not." They aren't gone. They're not dead... My mother's not going to die. Eiridan bit his lip, trying to convince himself that all of the words the Nires spoke were lies. He wasn't really fooling himself, though.

Kyren took a deep breath and nodded. "We won't give in, Nires. Kill us if that is what you must, but if you do, know that there is a host of Magi outside your gates ready to tear every one of you apart for this if what you've said is true."

"So you side with them after all, Kyren?" the second one asked.

"I'm telling you that if I find out that my children are in fact harmed or dead, there will be hell to pay, literally because that's where you'll be going."

Eiridan tightened his grip on his weapons. "Now get out of our way so that we can speak with Vaxon." Was that sufficiently commanding? Does it matter? I'm going to finish this, and I don't care what I have to do in order to do it!

"We have orders to take you to him. If you do not put down the weapons, we're to restrain you forcibly."

Kyren's anger swelled, stifling Eiridan with its heat and weight. "Well then, have at it."

At that, the Nires lunged for them. Kyren quickly sketched runes in the air and poofed out of existence. Eiridan was worried that the man was deserting him, but Kyren appeared behind the second Nires. His blade swung towards the creature's neck.

Eiridan didn't get to see what the outcome was because the first Nires whipped its tail towards him, trying to knock him off his feet. Reflexively, he leapt up, avoiding the blow. In the same motion, he slashed upward with the stiletto, attempting to gut the creature.

The move failed as the Nires brought its forearm up to parry the blow. His blade raked over thick, slick scales, causing a ringing noise to echo through the narrow tunnel. Undeterred, Eiridan followed up with a side kick aimed at the Nires's knee. This time, the blow connected, but the blow only caused the thing to stumble.

Eiridan winced as the blow rippled down his leg. The power behind the kick would've snapped a normal opponent's knee. Seeing that it would take more to take the creature out, he withdrew and sheathed his stiletto. In a fluid motion, he pulled the throwing stars he'd reserved from his pocket.

Crouching, he avoided a sweeping blow from the creature's tail that had been aimed at his head. Coming out of the crouch, he slammed the hilt of Jaeyria's one-and-a-half hand sword into the Nires's stomach. It stumbled back, rasping out a curse.

He didn't give it time to recover. With lightning speed, he sent a throwing star hurtling toward the thing's eye. Kyren had been wrong. He wouldn't second guess killing this creature. It was inhuman and evil. While he could sense the small amount of good in even people as dark as Vaxon, he couldn't find any of that spark in the Nires before him. It radiated pure cruelty and sadism. A creature like that didn't deserve to live.

The creature flicked its tail up to slap the throwing star away before it could hit its mark. Eiridan almost lost his breath at the rapidity of the Nires's movements. He'd heard about how lethal and fast they were, but it was something else to witness it himself. It'd been holding back up until now.

A blur whizzed toward him, and something slammed into him, sending him flying into the tunnel wall. Pain exploded in his chest and head as he hit. His ribs cracked under the pressure, and he found that he couldn't heal them anymore.

He forced his eyes open to see a set of blood-red, reptilian eyes staring into his own. Drawing in a gurgling breath, he struggled against the creature's grasp. Its claws dug into his throat, sending burning pain pulsating into his neck. His lungs ached. He'd managed to retain his hold on his stiletto, and he lashed out at the Nires, ignoring the pain in his torso as he did so.

Fire flared over his whole body as he tried to plunge the blade into the creature's exposed stomach. He couldn't find the strength to slam it through the thing's plate-like scales, however, and the Nires let out a raspy laugh as it grabbed his wrist.

He screamed as the creature's crushing grip ground his bones against each other. His fingers opened involuntarily, and his knife hit the floor with a dull thud. Even though he was disarmed and injured, the Nires didn't stop. It gave a sharp jerk on his wrist, yanking all of his bones out of place.

Stabbing pain erupted through his entire arm as his whole arm was dislocated. Waves of pain lanced through his whole body, making him feel sick. He struggled feebly, coughing up blood. The Nires grabbed his other wrist with a snaky laugh and started to pull.

"Stop!" Eiridan moaned weakly. "Stop... I yield." A sob tore from his throat as the creature pondered him for a long moment. "I yield!" he repeated as it gripped his uninjured arm even tighter.

Warm blood trickled from the puncture wounds on his arm where the Nires's sharp claws were digging into his skin. Its tongue flicked in and out, tasting the air, and it pondered him for another moment. Then it dislocated his other arm anyway, making him scream in pain again.

Vaguely, he heard Kyren's distressed shouts as he was dragged into the throne room.

He searched for Jaeyria through tears and pain as the Nires shoved him harshly to his knees before Vaxon. As he did, he prayed that she'd made it out unscathed. His knees collided with the marble floor, sending a shockwave of pain up his legs and through his torso. Struggling to stay upright, he bit back a whimper and continued his frantic examination of the room. He found her pale face as Vaxon stood to address him. She was watching him from her place beside Vassti, and he noted, with a sinking heart, that she wasn't being restrained.

As soon as her eyes landed on him, she let out an anguished cry. "You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" she wailed, rounding on Vassti.

"I didn't," the queen answered coldly. "He shouldn't have fought back."

Jaeyria fell silent as two Nires approached her with warning looks. She stopped moving and stared at him helplessly.

Someone was dropped to the floor beside him, and he turned his head with a wet cough to see who it was. Blood trickled down his lip as he tried to spit out the blood filling his mouth. He turned his head to wipe it off on his shoulder, almost screaming at the fire that blazed through his shoulders as he did so. His lungs felt heavy and achy, and he knew he'd die if he didn't heal them and his ribs now.

Kyren was panting heavily beside him and glaring at Vaxon as he too was forced to remain on his knees. Blood streamed from a cut on his forehead, and his lip was bloodied. A gash from the Nires's claws had exposed bone on his arm, and blood poured from that wound, creating a puddle on the white marble around him in moments.

Sickened, Eiridan turned his energy inward to heal his ribs. Now that the Nires wasn't touching him, he could do that. It took up more energy than he would've liked, but he still had the energy from the man he'd killed. Funny to think that his enemy was proving to be his salvation. He rotated his shoulders sharply, focusing the magic there next to heal the damaged muscles, put the bones back into place, and heal the fractures in his one wrist. It felt like he was being hit with a giant sledgehammer over and over, but he continued forcing his body to heal despite the excruciating pain it caused.

Fully healed, he lifted his head to look up at Vaxon in defiance.

"So... The Healer finally comes into his own, does he? How much did you have to do with that, Kyren? Hmmm?" Vaxon drawled, staring at them in bemusement.

Kyren just growled, the sound pained and animalistic.

Eiridan turned his energy toward Kyren, mumbling healing spells under his breath. The injury on Kyren's arm began to knit back together, and Kyren glanced at him with a grateful sigh.

Vaxon's attention switched to him. "You have a choice, Eiridan. Surrender and join your wife in serving me or watch your mother die before I kill you."

Eiridan's mind blanked out as he tried to figure out what Vaxon was implying. "We'll never serve you after this, Vaxon," he hissed.

Kyren's shock barreled into him, and he heard Kyren's angry thought quite clearly as the Mage projected it to him. What do you think you're doing? You'll get all of us killed!

I was wrong before, Eiridan thought. I can't even stomach pretending to serve this tyrant. If that means my death, so be it.

"You'd let yourself be separated from your wife?"

Jaeyria stepped forward, glancing nervously at the Nires guards. "Your Majesty, remember your promise."

Vaxon glanced over at her. "I suppose I did promise not to kill him," he said regretfully, his aura swirling with irate white and thoughtful blues. "And you have been most useful. You handed over not only my son but a Healer who is exceptionally powerful and would've helped the rebellion greatly."

She hung her head, peeking at him through her lashes. He could feel her sorrow and despair through their Bond. His own heart squeezed painfully as he closed his eyes and hung his own head. Tears slipped through his lashes and dripped down his cheeks, hot against his chilled skin. They splashed off his nose onto his lap.

Vaxon started laughing, and every bit of good in his aura was snuffed out in that moment as he reveled in others' pain. "How does it feel to know that your own wife betrayed you, boy? Can you forgive that?"

Eiridan shook his head, trying to clear the fog. Then he bit his lip and nodded. "Yes."

"Even when you're a prisoner because of her?"

"Yes."

"Kyren, how could you take up with this sniveling weakling?"

Eiridan opened his eyes, his throat tightening. He felt like his heart was being wrung through a meat grinder. "I forgive her because I know why she's doing it, Vaxon."

"I'll give you one last chance, Healer. Surrender to me, or I'll kill your mother." He flicked his wrist at the guards, and they dragged Eiridan's mother forward.

She didn't even struggle. Her hair was matted, her frame skeletal, and her eyes haunted. Dark bags perched under her once bright eyes, and her skin was wan. Eiridan stifled another sob as he saw her defeated stance. His mother was always a fighter, a strong woman. She'd never given in no matter how tough things got.

"Mother?" he whispered, leaping to his feet and trying to run to her.

The Nires behind him grabbed his arms and held him back as he fought to reach his mother. The guards holding her let go of her arms, and she crumpled to the ground. Eiridan felt as though they were driving a knife into him and twisting it repeatedly. "No, no, no..." he whimpered.

A deathly silence fell over the assembled crowd as Vaxon awaited Eiridan's response. Seeing that Eiridan was thinking about it, Vaxon walked slowly down the marble steps of his dais and stooped down beside the collapsed woman. He lifted her head carelessly, looking at her cracked lips and then at Eiridan. "She's not got long at this rate. But if you surrender, I promise to do my very best to save her. If you don't... Well..." He unsheathed his dagger and caressed the woman's pale, slender throat with it. "I already told you what happens."

"I... I'll..."

His mother's frail voice rippled through the room as he was about to surrender. It washed away the distractions and confusion that surrounded him and burrowed deep. "Remember who you are, son. R-remember who I r-raised you to be..." she whispered, coughing dryly.

Eiridan's eyes filled with tears. He knew what she was asking of him. "Mother... I... I can't let him kill you."

She seemed to draw her last remaining strength as she lifted her head and stared into his eyes. A brief flicker of her old self flamed in her eyes. "Don't you dare," she hissed. "You do what's right and live with the consequences. Whatever happens, this is not over even if I die." With that, she slumped to the floor again, expended.

Eiridan choked on his sobs as he met Vaxon's gaze with determination glinting through his tears. "No. I will not surrender. I will not become the villain." His eyes swept over the crowd of Magi families and landed on Jaeyria. Then they moved past her to the other familiar faces in the room. Lifting his chin, he stood tall in the grasp of the Nires. "We are not slaves. We are humanity's last hope! Eris... Sigel. Jaxon. All of you. We are Magi. This man has taken away our homes, our families, and our friends. Think about that before you agree to join him. If you join him, you make yourselves nothing more than slaves and animals in his eyes. Stand up for yourselves. Stand up for the fallen. Stand up for the innocents he has slaughtered in his ascension! Jaeyria, think about what you are doing in helping this man. You are helping him to hold onto his seat of power so that he can continue this rampage of destruction and death. Can you, in good conscience, do that? Can any of you do that?"

Sigel refused to meet his gaze, but he could tell that he had the attention of all the other Magi in the room. Their stares bored into his body, and he wanted to shrink from the attention. He hated being in the spotlight. But this needed to be said. They needed to think about what they were choosing to do before they made a choice that would alter their lives forever.

Getting up from his crouch, Vaxon walked over to his throne and sat down, leaning back with casual grace. "Nice speech, but... You chose wrong, Healer." He smirked, and then said coldly, quietly, "Kill the woman."

Eiridan's eyes shut as the Nires nearest his mother stepped over to her and ripped her throat out with its claws. Though he couldn't see it unfold, he could hear it. He could hear his mother's strangled cry and gurgling breaths as she tried to breathe past the slash marks, which would expose her trachea. He heard her body thud to the floor when the Nires let her go once more.

"Open your eyes, Healer, and see what your defiance has wrought," Vaxon commanded.

Eiridan opened his eyes and looked at his mother. She was lying in a heap on the marble, her blood pooling out from her ravaged throat in a dark wave. No. No, she's not gone... He didn't just kill her. He stared at his mother's body in disbelief. His mother, the strongest woman he knew, couldn't be dead. Not at the hands of this despot.

Despair tore through him as the Nires holding him dragged him back to Vaxon's feet. He felt as though he couldn't fight back, as though nothing he did would be enough to make up for his mistake. His throat tightened as he stared at his mother's corpse in mute horror. Knots tangled in his stomach and gut, twisting and squeezing until he could barely breathe. Tears pricked at his eyes, seeking an outlet, but he was too stunned and depressed to cry.

Her aura just snuffed out within the seconds it took for him to open his eyes again. She'd lost all semblance of life. Bile rose in the back of his throat as he tried to come to terms with it. His mother, who had been alive and bolstering his courage moments ago, was suddenly gone. It's not true. This is all just a nightmare. I'm going to wake up.

No. I'm not... This is real, he thought then, bitterness rising in his mouth. This is real, and I lost her because of Vaxon. I lost her because he has no heart.

Tears dripped down his cheeks, and he balled his fists at his side as anger took over. His bleary gaze took in the others around. The auras of Vaxon's men held only smug satisfaction, but the rest ranged from pained to horrified. He set his lips in a grim line as his eyes met Jaeyria's. Her aura was laced with anger, and her thoughts flooded over him in a steady stream of regret, sorrow, and terror, all of which mingled with their combined anger to create a toxic brew. His hands shook as the Nires stopped and kicked his feet out from under him. He nearly face-planted on the polished marble floor, but he stopped his fall with his hands at the last moment.

His nose hovered inches from the ground, and his agony reflected in his eyes as he stared sullenly at his reflection on the mirror-like surface of the white marble. A single tear dropped down his nose and splashed against the cold marble, a silent testimony to his grief. Finally, he forced himself to his knees and stared Vaxon down as the anger overwhelmed the grief. He'll pay for this, Eiridan thought. He'll pay for all of it!

Vaxon smirked as he slammed a booted foot into Eiridan's side. Eiridan collapsed under the force of the blow, landing on his side. His breath was harsh and labored as Vaxon stalked over to him and stood above him.

Darkness whirled in the man's inhuman eyes, and Eiridan spit out a mouthful of blood as darkness began to swallow him too. It forced its way into him through his skin, down his throat, and even going up his nose. He began to choke on his own blood as Vaxon's darkness forced it from his veins in its conquest to take him over.

Still he refused to give up. The despair that Vaxon had been systematically feeding gave way to outrage, and his limbs trembled as he bit back a snarl. He was sick of being walked over. Kyren had taught him a valuable lesson when he forced Eiridan to fight. Sometimes he needed to stand up for himself, and sometimes things couldn't be solved through peace and kindness. This was one such instance.

Whatever else this was, it wasn't over. His mother was right. Vaxon had destroyed nearly everything Eiridan had left, but he couldn't destroy hope. He couldn't destroy love. And he couldn't destroy Eiridan's spirit. Spitting out more blood, he forced himself to his feet and began to fight back with everything Mathas had taught him.

Vaxon was not indestructible.

He wasn't.

Eiridan clung to that and his fury as he closed his eyes and began his counter-attack. His own magic shot out of him, enveloping his body in a brilliant white glow that consumed the darkness. He continued despite his weariness and then began sucking out Vaxon's energy.

He was a Healer, and he was powerful. Mathas had taught him well, and he hadn't forgotten the dark side of him despite his insistence on quelling it on a daily basis. It rose to the surface and twisted with the love that fueled him to strengthen him even further.

Raising his hands with his palms facing Vaxon, Eiridan continued chanting, using his power to suck away Vaxon's and redirect it into his counter-attack.

"Give up, boy!" Vaxon shouted over the winds that now ravaged the throne room.

Everyone around him disappeared in the force of their battle. He knew, somewhere deep down, that all of this was a mental battle. Yes, there was a physical side, but this was about whose mind was stronger. It was one fight he couldn't afford to lose.

Vaxon's power pressed heavily on him, trying to beat back the light. His voice cracked as his light flickered in and out. Suddenly his ability to siphon off Vaxon's energy snapped, and his began draining rapidly. Exhaustion flooded him, making his bones ache and forcing him to slow in his chanting as the words became muddled and confused.

Vaxon's laugh echoed all around him, malicious and sinister. "How does it feel to lose everything you fight for? Do you truly believe that love can defeat hatred? Hatred will always be the stronger force."

Burning sensations erupted in his torso, and his body spasmed, forcing him to stop chanting. Coughs wracked his form as Vaxon slammed a fist into his chest, sending him flying across the room. He rammed into Jaeyria, who caught him in her arms and stumbled back, sitting down hard with his head cradled in her lap. I will not be beaten! I will not allow this tyrant to destroy me or anyone else. This has to end now!

The darkness continued draining him as he fought its influence weakly. He was almost gone when he realized what he had to do in order to survive. His body and mind had to stop rejecting the darkness. He had to stop running from his dark side, and he had to stop running from the horrifying reality that he couldn't save Vaxon.

Gurgling wetly, he coughed and spit out as much blood as he could before embracing the darkness. Power flooded his body, elevating him off the floor as Vaxon laughed triumphantly. His vision clouded with a haze of darkness, and he smirked, letting it fully envelope him.

"Did you really think you could defeat me that easily?" Eiridan shouted.

"I already have, boy," Vaxon snarled, but his voice shook with uncertainty.

Eiridan laughed, hysteria and rage fueling him again. "You haven't. Do you feel it yet, Vaxon? If not, look deeper. Feel it now?" Rumbles shook the throne room as Eiridan grabbed hold of the darkness in everyone in the room, harnessing it and throwing it into his spell as he began chanting with renewed vigor.

Vaxon roared out in anger. "What are you doing?"

"The same thing that you did to get your power in the first place, Sire. The same thing you did when you executed Mathas. Did you think that your father wouldn't teach me how? He wanted me to avoid the same mistakes you made. And I will."

With a scream of pain, Vaxon launched himself at Eiridan. They collided in combat. Vaxon's sword materialized in his hand, and Eiridan laughed at the weapon. "That won't stop me. You of all people should know."

Vaxon's hand shook on the sword's pommel as he tried to stab Eiridan. The sword went through Eiridan's stomach, but the wound sealed itself instantly. Panic flashed across Vaxon's features, and he stabbed Eiridan again, this time in the chest. The sword shattered this time.

"A life for a life, Vaxon. Your own life force is killing you, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"You're wrong," Vaxon growled. "I can stop it. We'll see which of us dies first, Healer. I'll bet you it's not me." He paused for a moment, smirking. "Oh, wait... Betting's useless. I won't be able to collect because you'll be dead."

Eiridan let out an infuriated scream as he felt his life force leeching. He hadn't realized that the spell could be leveraged both directions at the same time. His energy was, sure enough, draining much quicker than Vaxon's. "You're a fool," he growled, remembering Jaeyria's earlier words. "You promised not to kill me, didn't you? On a Blood Oath, I'll bet. If I die, you die."

He barely managed to evade the brunt of Vaxon's next blow, and he gasped as the broadsword sliced into his side. A sharp sting bit into him, and blood trickled from the small cut on his side. This time, the cut didn't heal because they were siphoning off each other's life force.

Vaxon swung at him again, and Eiridan ducked before ramming his fist into his opponent's gut. The king let out a deep breath in a whoosh, counteracting the blow. He brought the sword down, intending to hew Eiridan in half. Eiridan grabbed Vaxon's hand, stopping the blow. He twisted, forcing Vaxon to drop the sword.

"We seem to be at an impasse, then," Vaxon said. He grabbed Eiridan's throat as the Healer pulled his second, hidden blade from the holder at the small of his back. His blade dug into Vaxon's stomach as Vaxon cut off his air, but he didn't make a move to finish it even though he could do so with ease.

His fingers trembled as he stared into Vaxon's black eyes.

"What are you waiting for, boy?" Vaxon sneered. "You have a chance to end the evil I represent. So finish it. Or was that whole speech just hot air?"

Eiridan choked, trying to breathe, and with his free hand, he tried to pry Vaxon's fingers off his neck. I have to do this... I can't let him win. He felt tears filling his eyes as frustration replaced the hysteria. Why am I so weak? he thought angrily. I have the opportunity to end this, so why can't I do it?

"You're a coward, Healer," Vaxon said, snapping the hold Eiridan's spell had over him.

Eiridan collapsed as the darkness dissipated. His head struck the marble floor, and the last thing he knew was that he had failed. He failed his wife. He failed his mother. He'd also failed Kyren and the other Magi. He had the perfect opportunity to kill Vaxon, and he'd been too weak to do it. He willed himself to get up, to keep fighting, but he couldn't.

He struggled to push himself off the floor, but his arms wouldn't obey him, and his body didn't move. Come on, darn it all! He tried to mentally gear himself up for the fight, but defeat and exhaustion weighed heavily on him. He still couldn't get his weary, energy deprived body to move.

Tears and blood mingled together in his mouth as he gasped for breath, choking on his blood again. He's right. I am a coward... And I failed everyone I love. He stared at the tapestries on the walls, which now sported multiple burn marks, holes, and singes. The white walls also bore marks from the fray that had occurred while he and Vaxon fought.

He managed to catch a glimpse of the destruction wrought by the fight. Many of the Magi's family members were dead, and he saw several guards down within his line of sight. But he couldn't see anymore. Eiridan tried to will himself to move so that he could see what had happened, to find out who had survived. But he still couldn't do it.

Spots danced in his vision as he tried to get up again. His head lifted a few inches off the floor, but he couldn't hold it up, and the side of his skull slammed into the white marble, making his head ache along with all the other pains he felt. Moments later, he blacked out with the sounds of Vaxon's triumphant laughter and Jaeyria's screams ringing in his ears.