Shadow Dagger Ch. 14

Sophina paused outside the door to Jon's guest room, her hand raised to knock on the door. She lowered her hand slowly. An uneasy feeling had suddenly crept up on her. She remembered all too well the heated discussion Jon had had with Marcus earlier in the week.

She paused in the hallway, all thought of asking Jon to practice sword forms with her completely forgotten. Jon's voice was issuing loudly from his room. She meant to turn away when she suddenly understood what he was saying.

"Damn it, Marcus, I'm not asking you for much!"

Sophina paused, and against her better judgment, leaned closer to the bedroom door. She had to strain her hearing to catch Marcus' reply.

"You ask too much!" he hissed softly.

Sophina heard something that sounded like an angry growl. "I'm not asking you to go completely off the drug; I just want you to take it before you go to bed. That way it will take the edge off of your dreams but leave you lucid during the day."

"I don't take it just to take the edge off of my dreams," Marcus replied, his voice so quiet that Sophina had to press her ear against the door to catch it.

There was a long pause. "That's the sacrifice I'm asking you to make," Jon finally replied.

"Sacrifice?" Marcus repeated angrily. "How many sacrifices do you think I'm capable of making? You, of all people, should know better!"

"I wouldn't ask this of you if I had any other choice! We are so close, Marcus! Please, I believe in you. I know you can do this. Please...I'm asking you as my brother."

"That was low, even for you," came Marcus' grumbled reply. Still, to Sophina's ears, it sounded like he was partly amused. She heard him give a great sigh. "I don't think it even matters anyways, Jon. My gift has been damaged from the constant use of the drug."

"It will come back to you in time," Jon replied hesitantly.

From the tone of Marcus' voice, Sophina could tell he was shaking his head. "My mind is scrambled. The spells I have tried recently have come to me in ways I don't remember. I think I nearly killed you and Ashford with my healing spell. It took a lot more of my energy than it should have. And then there was those Magi who followed Sophina."

"What about them?" Jon asked cautiously.

"I was just trying to wipe their minds. I wanted them to turn around and forget that they ever saw us. Instead, I blew open their heads! Do you really want me to use my magic and risk something happening to Sophina?"

Sophina didn't realize that she had been holding her breath. She let out a quiet sigh and waited nervously for Jon's response. "I...we don't have a choice, Marcus. I need you to protect Sophina. The task I gave her may very well be impossible. But if she had you by her side..."

"You just don't understand. Do you really think I'm different from the others? The only reason I didn't join them was because of the drug. I don't have any humanity, Jon. I feel that when I stop taking the drug."

"Youare different!" Jon snapped angrily. "Why can't you see that? You have more humanity than most people I know! I will give you some time to realize that. Once you do, I expect you to use your magic to help us."

"Jon, I don't think--"

"Just do as I say!" Jon snapped. Sophina gasped and jumped back as Jon swung open the door. "Did you need something, Sophina?" His cold-blue eyes glinted with anger.

"N-no," she stammered. She turned around quickly and walked back to the living room, suppressing the urge to look back over her shoulder.

Sophina shook her head and brought her attention back to the present. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. If Jon trusted Marcus, then she did too. She waited patiently but there was no response. She knocked again, louder this time. Still no response.

"Marcus?" she whispered, as she slowly opened the door. "Are you awake?"

The room was dark. The only light was coming from the hallway behind the door she just opened. She could just make out a dark mound on the bed. She crept closer, all the while feeling distinctly uneasy. She stopped at the foot of the bed and cleared her throat. "Marcus?"

The mound shifted but Marcus didn't respond. Sophina walked around the bed and leaned over. "Marcus?" Her voice nearly startled her as it echoed around the room.

Marcus shifted again. Now that Sophina was closer, she thought she heard him mumbling. He shifted again and this time Sophina heard him groan loudly.Is he having a nightmare? Is it those dreams that Jon always talks about? I wonder if I should wake him.

Sophina swallowed. She needed to get to the meeting soon. She would just have to wake him. She prodded his body with her finger. "Marcus! Wake up!" Marcus only grunted louder and shifted restlessly on the bed. Sophina shook him hard. "Wake up!"

With a terrible roar, Marcus shot up, his hand closing around Sophina's throat with an iron grip. Sophina gagged as her body was lifted off the floor. Marcus was standing up, gold light shining from his eyes. Sophina kicked her legs feebly and scratched his hand desperately.

"Mmmmm!" was the only sound she could produce. Marcus' hand was crushing her throat as easily as a child would crush a bug. His golden eyes continued to bore into hers. Sweat was dripping from his face; a face that was pinched in pain. Sophina's mind was red with panic. She couldn't breath...she was going to die...

Black spots were swimming in her vision. She flung her hands everywhere, desperate to break his clutch. Her flailing hand brushed the hilt of her sword. She instinctively grabbed it and tugged with all her might. Due to her awkward position, she could only unsheathe a few inches of the blade.

The runes on the part of the blade that was exposed suddenly burst with silver light. She could feel the sword humming against her leg. The humming sound slowly grew louder, filling her mind with a strange music. It was blocking out her fear of death. The pain stopped. She could no longer feel Marcus' hand crushing her throat.

The music reached it's peak and died instantly. Sophina fell to the ground, gasping hoarsely. She sucked in gulps of beautiful, beautiful air. Nothing had ever tasted so sweet as the air that now rushed down her lungs and filled her with precious life.

She scrambled back against the wall, rubbing her throat. She stared at Marcus through tear-filled eyes. Marcus was staring at his hands and shaking his head. He had dropped her the moment the music in her mind reached its peak. He looked up and Sophina gasped in relief; his eyes were no longer shining with golden light.

"What...where...what happened?"

You tried to kill me, you crazy bastard! Sophina rubbed her throat and stared angrily at him. "You almost killed me," she wheezed, her voice frighteningly hoarse. She prayed with all her might that he hadn't done any permanent damage.

Marcus shook his head. "No, no, I was dreaming!"

"Youwere dreaming. I tried to wake you up."

Marcus looked down at his hands again. "I told him it was a mistake," he whispered. He looked up at her again. "Please don't ever try to wake me up again," he growled.

"Fine," Sophina snapped, as she got to her feet. "I think I've decided I don't need your help, after all."

She brushed past him. His voice stopped her at the door. "You should let me heal that throat," he said quietly.

Sophina snorted. "You really are crazy, aren't you? Do you think I will let you near me now? Just keep your crazy magic to yourself."

Sophina stormed down the hallway and into the living room. She was just about to climb the stairs when his voice stopped her again. "Did Jon and Ashford already leave?"

"For your information--" Sophina began, turning around angrily. Her voice died away when she saw him standing in the hallway.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Sophina shook her head and stared at him again. The long, scraggly beard and hair was gone. His face was completely shaven and his hair was cut to his shoulders and held back in a ponytail. If his hair was cut shorter and he had a goatee, he would be the spitting image of Jon.

"What?" he asked again, as she continued to gape at him. He rubbed his face self-consciously. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Jon practically tied me down last night and shaved it off. He figured it would look very suspicious if you had a beggar following you around everywhere."

"Y-yes, that's...that's clever of Jon," Sophina stammered.

She had never found herself particularly attracted to any man she had ever met, but Marcus was simplybeautiful. His face was sharp and his lips were wide and firm. Whereas Jon had cold-blue eyes that could freeze you at a hundred yards away, Marcus possessed soft-blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean. His hair was a light brown with not a speck of gray in it. Despite the many years he must have spent as a beggar, his face was almost unlined.

I wish I could be immortal!

"Do I look ok?" he asked nervously.

"Perfect," Sophina whispered. She shook head, hoping he didn't notice her redden cheeks.He looks so much like Jon...

"Listen, I'm very sorry about what happened." He shook his head and ran his hand carelessly through his thick brown hair. "I promised Jon that I would protect you and that's what I'm going to do. So please, can I take care of the injury I caused you? I don't think I could live with myself."

Sophina nodded before she even realized what she was doing. She felt a moment of panic as Marcus' eyes suddenly shone with golden light. Then she felt her throat loosen up. She swallowed and felt no pain. She rubbed in throat in wonder. "Thanks."

He waved away her apology. "You shouldn't have been hurt in the first place," he muttered. He stared down at his hands. "That was better."

Sophina watched him carefully. It appeared as though he was talking to himself. "The spell?" Sophina guessed.

Marcus nodded without looking up. "For a moment there, it felt natural. It's still not quite what it..." he trailed away, shaking his head. "So, what's our plan for today?"

"We have that meeting with Ashford's contact," she reminded him.

He nodded his head. "Ah, yes, now I remember. Are we leaving now? I need to change out of this sleeping gown if we are."

Sophina sat on a chair and had to wait only a few minutes before Marcus came back. He wore a rich silk tunic and leggings, which were tucked into dark brown boots. The blue silk matched his eyes perfectly.

"Jon said it would be better if I appeared to be a nobleman and you my bodyguard."

"It makes sense," Sophina replied, remembering the role she played with Evelyn. She winced at the memory. It had been one of the worst days of her life.

Marcus held out his arms and examined his clothing with a dubious expression. "How Jon expects me to act like a nobleman, I've no idea. I haven't been a part of society in over 2,000 years. I'm afraid I might get us in trouble."

"Don't worry, I'll help you." As she said it, she marveled at how she had completely forgiven him for what happened earlier. He looked so lost, standing there in the rich set of clothing. He was sincere in his apology and she knew he really had no control over what happened. She felt pity for him as she stood there and watched him.

"I'll need all the help I can get," he chuckled. The smile that spread across his face transformed him and made him even more beautiful.

Sophina couldn't believe that the man standing before her was the same beggar from the night before. She shook her head in wonder. "We should get going."

***

The words seemed to hang in the air for a long time. Reynar simply stared at her, as though he hadn't heard a word.

"I will marry you," Evelyn repeated, this time with more conviction.

To Evelyn's surprise, Reynar's face sagged with relief. "Thank you, Evelyn," he said fervently. "You've no idea how nervous I've been this week. I feel like I just passed the first major hurdle in my pursuit to save the world."

"There are a few things I want to discuss first," Evelyn said. She avoided looking at Reynar's radiant expression. She still had her doubts.

"Of course," Reynar said, holding up his hands and smiling.

"First, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have no romantic feelings toward you." Evelyn gave him a stern look so that he understood the seriousness of her statement.

He nodded quickly. "No problem. I have no romantic feelings for you as well."

"Second, you will have very little say in how I raise my child."

This time, Reynar didn't look so happy. "Evelyn...for all intended purposes, your child will be my child as well. How can you ask me not to be a father? Am I suppose to ignore the child? Do you want the child to think he's unloved by his father?"

Evelyn looked away from his intense stare. She knew he would make those points. "Daminus is the father," she said quietly and somewhat stubbornly.

She looked back at him and saw a look of intense pity in his eyes. "For the safety of the child, he must never know who his real father is," he said compassionately.

Evelyn felt a small stabbing pain in her heart. She knew he was right. If anyone ever knew who the real father was, his claim to the throne would be in jeopardy. "Damn you," she whispered, not really knowing who she was talking to.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "It has to be this way."

Evelyn nodded wearily. "I know."

Reynar scratched at his desk idly with his fingernail and said, somewhat cautiously, "Is there anything else?"

Evelyn hesitated. She really didn't think there was any way out of it, but she figured it was worth a try. "Is it...is it really necessary to consummate the marriage?"

If Reynar's cheeks weren't so dark, she knew they would be red right now. "Well, I've thought about that, too. I'm sorry to say that there really isn't a way out of it. Since we're only allowed one child, securing the line of Lobare is of the utmost importance. This is taken very seriously, believe me."

Evelyn knew it had been pointless to ask. Still, it was very unsettling to think about. "Is there anyway we could fake it? Could you bribe the physician to say the marriage was consummated?"

Reynar was shaking his head before she had even finished talking. "Believe me, Evelyn, I thought of every possible angle. The current physician's whole life has been dedicated to ensuring my health and seeing to the continuation of my line. She couldn't be bribed with all the gold in Astuari. The royal physicians have been trained for centuries to ignore any blackmail attempts, as our enemies would love to see the line of kings ended. The physicians are extremely religious and are utterly dedicated to the line of Lobare."

Evelyn tried her best to smother her doubts. She nodded briskly at Reynar. "Then I will simply have to get use to the idea."

"I hope it won't be too horrible of an experience for you," Reynar said dryly.

Evelyn chuckled. "My liege, my reluctance has nothing to do with any doubts of your manhood. I'm simply still very much in love with my husband and I can't shake the feeling that I will betray him by doing this."

"I don't blame you," Reynar replied. "I knew Daminus well. He was a very good advisor to me and I miss his keen intellect. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Yes," Evelyn said cautiously.

Reynar leaned back in his chair. "Tell me about him. Tell me how you met."

Evelyn hesitated for a brief moment. "Why?"

"Because I have the feeling I should get to know your husband," he said slowly. "I think it will help me better understand you, which will make our partnership better for both of us."

"Very well," Evelyn replied. "God knows I want to talk to somebody about him. His life should always be remembered by as many people as possible. How did we meet? We met as babies."

"Really?" Reynar laughed. "It makes sense!"

Evelyn allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, I guess it does. Our parents were very good friends. Daminus was only born a month before I was. Our parents were always getting together to socialize. They would put Daminus and me in the same crib while they talked. We were very rare, you see. Most Magi parents give their child to the Emporium to raise, as is custom. But our parents raised us themselves. As a result, there was hardly a day that went by where Daminus and I didn't play together."

"As we grew up, we maintained a very close relationship. In fact, people sometimes thought we were twins. We were hardly seen out of the company of each other. Nobody knew then that we were soul-mates, not even us. We had a very deep bond, but how deep we had yet to discover. Eventually, we both went to study at the Emporium at the same time."

"During those days, we didn't see each other as much as we would like. Daminus was a very gifted Magi and he advanced much faster than I did. However, no matter how busy we were, we would always meet up at night and walk along the garden paths of the Emporium. I was 75 years old when I realized I loved him in a romantic sense. When I plucked up the courage to tell him, he smiled at me and said 'About time. I knew I loved you when we were still in our crib.'"

Evelyn stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes. Every memory of him was crystal clear, no matter how many years ago it happened.

"He was very smooth, wasn't he?" Reynar smiled.

Evelyn laughed. "You have no idea. Well, after that little confession, our relationship changed. We became even closer, if that was possible. We definitely felt a magical bond forming. It was then that we began to suspect that we were soul-mates. Daminus did some research and discovered that we had all the tell-tale signs of a soul-bonded couple. We were left with a difficult choice." Evelyn paused, suddenly struck by a thought. Her eyes widened in wonder.

Reynar noticed it, too. "It's ironic, isn't it? You faced the same dilemma that you do now. Do you consummate the relationship or not?"

Evelyn nodded her head, numbly. "Is this just a coincidence?" she whispered.

"I don't believe in coincidence," Reynar replied. "I believe the God has a plan for all of us."

Evelyn sat back in her chair, stunned into silence. She opened her mouth several times and closed it. "Where was I?" she managed to say.

"You faced a dilemma," Reynar said gently.

"Right...right," Evelyn said, shaking her head. "A soul-bond is not complete until the relationship is consummated. We knew the risks just as well as anybody did. After several weeks of thought, we threw caution to the wind and got married. I still remember our wedding night as though it was yesterday."

"I could only imagine what you experienced," Reynar said, his voice filled with awe.

"What both of us experienced can never be explained. I would argue that establishing a soul-bond is worth all the risks that come with it. We just didn't make love that night; we ascended into a different realm of passion. That night is still the greatest night in my life."

Silence fell between them. Evelyn's mind was full of the images of that night. Both of their souls had joined together. The physical sensations of their love-making paled in comparison to that union.

"It worked out for you once; do you think it can happen again?" Reynar asked.

Evelyn shook her head sadly. "I doubt it. This is completely different from completing a soul-bond."

"Then I will do my best to figure something out," Reynar said.

Evelyn stared at him, hardly daring to hope. "Truly?"

"I'm not promising anything, but I will try my best."

"That's all I can ask for," Evelyn replied, her shoulders sagging with relief.He's the smartest man I've ever met; if he says he will think of a way, then I know he will.

"And then you and Daminus went on to become legends," Reynar said, finishing her story for her. "Your exploits on the battlefield are very well known."