“You mean if we did not allow our dear Maker to tempt us into these weak mortal bodies?” With a wry expression on his face, Belekoroz trailed behind me. Of course he blamed the Allfather for this. And for everything else. “Perhaps you would see a world full of wonders.” Another of those vexing smiles played on his lips. “Or horrors.”
“Do you regret our descent to Aron-Lyr?” The question slipped out before I could hold it back. Not that I cared about his no doubt blasphemous opinion.
“Well…” He stepped closer, his movements fluid and predatory. “Think of all the interesting things I would be missing.” He reached out, one pale finger gently caressing my bare arm, exposed by the shimmering white dress I wore.
Goosebumps rose where he touched me, an involuntary tremble wracking my body, the sensation nearly unbearable in its intensity. I froze, fighting to keep my expression calm, but failing miserably.
“Stop that,” I snarled, batting his hand away, only to curse myself for my open display of weakness. I had known he would push the boundaries between us the moment he had me in his domain, his very nature thriving on provocation. Yet I had underestimated my reaction to him, his power calling to mine in a disconcerting push and pull that made me reel.
“Are you always this tense?” He was still too close, barely giving me room to breathe, the shadows around us suffocating. An attempt to intimidate me. How predictable. “Or do you just not trust me?”
“Of course I do not trust you. I am no fool,” I answered without hesitation, baring my teeth in warning, my Light cutting through the darkness. The glow of my power cast eerie shadows on his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his features.
He ignored my silent threat, brazenly leaning in so close I could have sunk my teeth into his flesh with a twist of my head.
“Clever little queen,” he murmured in my ear, cold amusement in his eyes as they met mine. Something fluttered in my stomach as I realized the enticing dark scent I had smelled earlier was coming from him. It was a heady mix of icy coldness and spice, clinging to him like a second skin.
Before I could formulate an appropriately scathing answer to his insolence, Belekoroz straightened and moved back with an inviting motion of his hand and an all-too-knowing smirk on his face.
“Come. You surely want to see more.”
Without warning, he allowed his physical body to dissolve, darkness engulfing me in a terrifying wave. Yet I felt no fear at the challenge, only the same violent urge to meet him in kind, to let my own power rise in answer, that I had felt earlier. I shifted into spirit form as well, wonder flooding me as I took in the wild currents of magic around us. The air was thick with the raw, untamed energy of the Other, a chaotic dance of lights and shadow.
For an insane moment, I was tempted to let my Light burn bright and unrestrained, a feral flame to rival the force of Belekoroz’s dark fire. The urge was almost irresistible, a primal instinct that rose within me, demanding release. I reined in the impulse with difficulty, some of my magic escaping my firm grip on it, flickering and twisting around us, fueled by my agitated emotions.
Instead of commenting on my lack of control, Belekoroz redirected my focus to the vibrant colors flashing in the distance. Thehorizon was a kaleidoscope of different hues, emerald and amethyst, the bursts of Chaos magic a mesmerizing sight.
“Always stay away from any sign of lightning,”Belekoroz advised, the touch of his mind to mine surprisingly courteous.“The magical storms on this plain can be vicious.”
I stayed by his side as we floated through this strange, foreign world, his companionship more reassuring than I liked to admit. He was astonishingly well-behaved now, his mind-voice holding only traces of the arrogance I was used to as he pointed out anything of interest.
Suddenly, something curious caught my attention—something even darker than the endless twilight of the Other, looming ominously to our right. Intrigued, I instinctively drifted closer, shifting back into my corporeal form at the edge of the bottomless chasm before me. An involuntary shiver ran through me as I stared into the deep vortex.
“Ah, the Abyss,” Belekoroz’s voice sounded as he joined me. His presence towered behind me, making me acutely aware of my vulnerability. If he wanted to get rid of me, now would be the perfect time. I reached unobtrusively for my power. Belekoroz’s lip lifted in a taunting smile as he stepped next to me. “Careful, my queen. You should definitely stay away from that.”
“What is this place?” I asked, trying to mask my sudden nervousness. My voice sounded disconcertingly small and fragile in the vast emptiness around us.
A gust of wind tangled my red hair with his dark locks, the enticing scent of him teasing my nose. “I don’t know,” he said, his gaze on the Abyss. “I doubt anyone does.” His voice carried a note of pain and bitterness. “The place where the Allfather disposed of all the terrible failures of his attempts at creation, perhaps,” he continued, a wistfulsoftness on his face that I had never glimpsed before. “Most of them, that is.”
For the first time, compassion for Belekoroz stirred to life in my heart. Compassion and curiosity. Did he regret some of his deeds? Was Aramaz right? Did a part of his brother want to return to the light of our Maker?
But then a bitter chuckle escaped him, a harsh twist to his mouth as if he rued his moment of weakness. His eyes were piercing as they shifted to me, the vulnerability replaced by a steely resolve. “Or something beyond his power. Something that could threaten even him.”
I reeled back. Of course he had never let go of his delusion of rebellion. The only thing he regretted was his failure.
“That is blasphemy,” I chastised him, all righteous indignation. “Nothing is outside the Allfather’s purview.”
Instead of the irritation I expected, Belekoroz only flashed an icily condescending smirk at me. “How boring,” he mocked. “But then, you have always been an obedient little thing.” His shadows tugged playfully on a lock of my hair as he glided behind me, the tendrils of darkness curling around the fiery strands like serpents. “Must be tiring.”
I whirled around, not foolish enough to allow him at my back again. “Whereas you bring only conflict and destruction wherever you go.”
My defiant words sent a flicker of annoyance across his face. “Brilliant acts of creation require a certain amount of fire,” he retorted heatedly. His eyes roamed over me with open derision. “Not that I think you would recognize a spark if it set your pretty skirts aflame.”
So that was what he thought of me. That I was a coward and a fool, lacking ambition and imagination, content to play his brother’s little queen, wielding no power of my own. The realization stung, a sharp pang of anger and hurt twisting in my chest.
Arrogant bastard. How dare he. He knew nothing about me.
“By the Allfather, you think you’re better than all of us, don’t you?” I laughed coldly, barely keeping my temper in check. “Believe me, you are not.”
