Shadow Dagger Ch. 09

"NO! Daminus, let me go! I can't hear this anymore!" Evelyn fought and struggled but Daminus' grip was like iron. He continued to weep. Evelyn fought the rising tide of fear as memories became clearer in her mind. She knew this voice. It was Jon Laurent. But she didn't know why she knew him.

He never said a word. His eyes were lifeless. Sarah grabbed me and pleaded with me to let him go. I...I knocked her down. Berrick grew enraged at that and grabbed my blade, slicing deep into his hand. He punched me in the stomach and doubled me over. He grabbed me from behind and began to choke the life out of me.

Jon Laurent...he did something. Something horrible. She knew she hated him but not why.

Sarah eventually resorted to magic to break us up. By then, the enemy had retreated from our base. I stormed away, refusing to hear her pleads. I ordered them to another camp and went on to fight the war single-mindedly. I became so ferocious that no soldier dared engage me in battle. Then one day she came back to see me and our son.

She didn't want to hear his voice anymore. A memory was trying to get her attention. She knew it would explain who this man was. But she turned away from it.

By then most of my anger had faded. I was just heart-broken. So I listened to her and I branded my soul with pain as she told me how Berrick was her soul-mate. It was an ancient magic, even back then. She said she had no choice in the matter. She was drawn to him, no matter that her heart lay with me. I didn't forgive her but I let her rejoin my army. We needed her; she was a great fighter. Our enemies made one last stand in the war. It was...a devastating battle.

The memory swam up against her will. She remembered sneaking up behind Jon Laurent with a knife in her hand. She remembered looking at Daminus before she struck.

I was surrounded. My enemies had used my battle fury against me and forced me into an ambush. The last of the true-born cornered me. There were three of them. It usually took ten of us to kill just one. I was dead. That's when Sarah saved my life. She had snuck a contingent of her battle-Magi away from where she was ordered to be and attacked the true-born from behind. They managed to kill two of them. The third one ignored them and came after me. His magic easily overpowered me. He was about to deliver the death-blow...

She saw how her hand trembled as she raised it back for the death-blow. But faster than she could see, a body had blocked her.

Somebody threw themselves in front of the death-blow.

Daminus had thrown himself in front of the death-blow meant for her! He coughed up blood. He told her he loved her. Their soul-bond hummed with a power she had never felt before.

It was Sarah. The true-born was distracted by the sacrifice. I killed him in a rage. Power that I had never felt before filled me and fueled my rage. After it was over, I ran back to her. I held her tight. She told me she loved me. With her dying breath, she asked for my forgiveness. I bowed my head...

Daminus slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. She caught him and cradled his body. But he was already dead. Her soul screamed in agony behind imagining.

I whispered...no. I looked up. She was already dead. She never heard my answer, for which I am eternally grateful. I kissed her one last time. Then my soul shattered in grief and pain. I howled to the sky like a deranged wolf.

It was Jon Laurent! He had killed Daminus! She sobbed and Daminus let her go. But she only buried herself deeper in his chest.

I brought the news to Berrick. He had taken up blacksmithing again. The lost look in his eyes told me he already knew. He asked for my forgiveness. I told him no. He nodded as though he had been expecting that answer. He said he had one more thing to do. Life burned in his eyes again. He had purpose.

"Why, my love? Why are you making me listen to him?" She sobbed harder.

Daminus stroked her hair. "Because he wants to provide you life. And I want you to take it."

"I can't live without you!" She clung to his robes desperately.

"Yes you can!" he snapped. "I want you to live life for the both of us!"

You see, Evelyn, there is a way! All you need in order to come back is focus. You need purpose. And I think I have that for you. I didn't kill your husband. I was just the knife. Deep in your heart, you know this is true. But you know who really did kill your husband, don't you?"

Evelyn stopped crying. She sat up and wiped her nose angrily. She looked at Daminus. "Raynolt," she growled. He smiled.

Come back, Evelyn, and have your revenge. Raynolt Teryus killed your husband! Are you going to let him get away with that? Do you want the memory of Daminus to be what Raynolt says it is? Do you know he desecrated his body? He burned it! He burned it so he could grasp power!

Anger flooded her veins like poison. Her mind cleared. She clenched her fist until blood poured from her hands. Daminus nodded passionately at her. "Yes, my love! Avenge me! Keep your purpose alive in your heart and live again!"

She stood up and looked around. The door leading out was shut. But a white light glowed in the crack underneath it. Daminus stood up with her. He walked to the door and pulled it open. White light flooded the room.

Evelyn walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He hugged her fiercely. A remnant of their soul-bond hummed and sang. It eased the pain in her heart and planted a seed of hope.

She looked up at him and he lowered his lips to kiss her. She felt his love pour into her like water from a well. He pushed her back. "Now go, my love; show Raynolt that this world is not for the likes of him."

"I love you," she cried. She hugged him again.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you with all my heart, in this life and the next."

She broke away from his embrace with a scream of pain and jumped into the white light.

Evelyn opened her eyes.

***

Note: Chapter 10 - The mega chaper entitled "The Summer Festival." It is going to be HUGE!