A Walk in the Dark Chapter 17 by Maggie Finson

“Are you sure you want to wear that?” Sam questioned when I emerged from our bed chamber with my maids.

I looked at my reflection in the mirrored surfaces of the stone that made up the walls of our home, and nodded. I was wearing a backless gown that barely covered my front. So almost all the supernatural tattoo I had showed. It was also a delicious ice blue silk that felt wonderful whenever I moved.

“Yes, Sam.” I answered after admiring myself for a few seconds. Okay, okay. I was vain now. Give me a break here. I went from an average guy to being a wet dream come to life and was just getting used to the idea. I call it immersion therapy. “They colluded in my making, and yours. They should know what they got out of it.”

I didn’t mention that the tattoo didn’t like being covered up. That was just too weird.

“Okay.” He shrugged and grinned. “Just don’t kill any innocent guardsmen or servants for salivating when they see you like this.”

I shrugged, causing things I hadn’t had so long ago to move in very delightful ways, though I wasn’t about to admit that one out loud. “I am what I am, Sam. Would you have me hide that from normal sight when the ones we’re going to see would see it anyway?”

“Good point.” He nodded while enjoying the view of my barely clad body in front of him. The skirt did reach my ankles and was a bit more substantial than those loin cloth things I’d been forced to wear earlier. But where they had been opaque, what I was wearing now was almost translucent. So I’m a show off, sue me. I was beautiful, sexy, knew it no matter how much I would have once protested or wished otherwise, so it just made sense to work with the assets I’d been given. “You are freaking gorgeous.”

“And I’m all yours, darling.” I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck while pulling myself up to give him a long, sensual kiss. When he recovered from that I smiled and gestured to the door. “Shall we go?”

“If we don’t do that now,” he shuddered, “we might not make it at all.”

“That’s my man.” I grinned and let him lead me out of our chambers.

Now that was interesting. Instead of running, people were walking into walls, falling down stairs, and other stuff that had to hurt while we walked to the meeting chamber. Not just guys looking at me, either. Sam was having that effect on the girls. Wow.

And he was MINE. By now I didn’t even wonder why that made me all tingly in places Dylan had never imagined having.

“Welcome, Lady Dahlia Saa Llolth.” Kevin greeted us as we entered the room. Alis and Kae’song echoed that then added. “And to you Lord Samthien the Defender.”

“Cut the crap.” I told them while seating myself and waiting for Sam to sit down. “Please don’t remind me about that just now.”

Once they got situated, which included Kevin and Kae’song pulling their tongues in, I pleasantly started the conversation. “So I take it you heard? News travels fast around here. Did SHE put you three up to all this?”

“SHE suggested that we find two souls ready to migrate.” Alis nodded and couldn’t help but stare at Sam. I felt a tiny twinge of jealousy there, but shoved that back to join all the other things that were clamoring to drive me insane at the moment. “And that SHE would provide the essence to form the beings needed.”

“Why?” I questioned bluntly. “Why did you go along with a goddess who is demonstrably evil?”

“Even gods change with time and need.” Kae’song shrugged. “The goddess of Dance was once the god of War. And there is an imbalance that must be addressed, lady.”

“So you’ve been telling me since I got here.” I nodded, trying not to be boggled at the idea of a really buff tough guy becoming a svelte, graceful female dancer. “And just what, exactly, is it that you three expect me to do now that I’m here?”

“Your Mother has surely told you that.” Alis answered.

“My mother lives in Kansas.” I shot back. “Not in some spider infested cavern.”

“The mother of your present body does reside in that cavern, lady” “Kevin calmly told me. “Nothing any of us could do will change that.”

“Yeah, like I said already, don’t remind me about that just now.” I waved that aside. “Back to my original question here, if you don’t mind?”

“Think of it this way, lady.” Kae’song answered. “If there is always light, it will burn everything alive. If there is always dark, nothing will grow. It is the play between the two that allows life to exist at all. If one side becomes ascendant, then life itself will suffer and might die. We only wish to prevent that from happening. If your race dies out, the balance will shift drastically and that could well be catastrophic for the entire world. We answered the goddess’ call because of that. And so you and your consort were made.”

I looked at all three of them for a few seconds. And knew he was telling the truth with more certainty than I’d ever had about anything before in my life.

“You have started to exercise your goddess given powers, I see.” Alis gave me an approving smile. “You can detect even the smallest lie if someone tries it with you.”

She was right. I could see, feel, and literally knew that all three of them were on the level about what I’d just been told. As an afterthought, I wondered why they had frightened me so badly when I first met them. Oh no, not going there, not accepting what ‘Momma’ had given me, I was my own person and would deal with things as myself. Not as some avatar or representation of some goddess I didn’t even particularly like even if she did claim to be my literal Mother in this world.

“Mother and I are barely on speaking terms.” I told them all. “Leave HER out of this and let’s focus on just what, exactly, Sam and I need to do here, okay?”

“You have to go out into the world and show people that your race isn’t one that should be killed on sight.” Kevin answered.

“While finding those of your kind you can and convincing them to give up some of their ‘excesses’.” Kae’song added.

“While gathering allies who are not of your people.” Alis finished.

“You guys got a manual for this ‘world changing’ stuff?” I grumbled.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to work things out as you go, lady.” Kae’song answered. Just then I really did wish I was on better terms with ‘Mom’. I’d have had her send several of her scarier minions to eat him alive.

“Thanks for your confidence.” I answered then sighed. “Now all I need to do is figure out just how in the NINE HELLS I’m going to manage to do that!”

They didn’t have an answer for that one. Dammit.

This was evidently my show, my choreography, or whatever. Yeah.

You know? Sometimes being perceived as evil isn’t all that bad. I could kill someone just now and people would just shrug and say things like, “It’s in her nature.”

Grrrrrr.

“What are we doing out here again, Dahlia?’ Sam questioned as we both tried to stare down the fifteen or so really nasty looking guys who were, incidentally, armed to the teeth and seemed determined to show us just how good they were with those weapons.

“I think, Kae’song said something about winning the populace’s good will.” I shrugged. “Political crap, you know the drill on that stuff. If you really believe that, you’re either a Saint, inhumanly committed to doing good, deluded, or a damned fool.”

“So which category do we fit into?” He questioned while carefully loosening the blades slung over his back with a casual looking shrug.

“Damned if I know.” I shrugged in my turn and my ‘tattoo’ moved in response. Okay, that’s too weird for just now, I thought. “I’m pretty sure the saint thing is out, and really hope the ‘damned fool’ thing is too.”

“So now what?’ He questioned as the nasty guys started closing in.

“I guess we start ‘winning the hearts of the people’ I grimaced and with an almost negligent wave of one hand put out the fires those other guys had set in the large farmstead we had found them raiding while trying to wave the farmers and their families into whatever shelter they could find with my other one. “This is going to get kind of messy, I think.”

“Again with the understatement.” Sam grumbled and with a motion too fast to follow without special equipment, had both his swords out and at the ready.

“Nice move.” I complimented him then turned my attention back to the band of brigands with a shake of my head and a little, unpleasant smile. “You know, you guys could just turn around and run now.”

“No, they can’t.” Another voice, a feminine voice, interrupted that potential happy circumstance as a cloaked female form stepped out of the shadows to look at me. She threw her hood back to reveal snowy white hair and vivid blue eyes set in a delicate face that was black as coal. Oh boy, my first time out and I just had to run into another Dhro’aaa female. “These Humans answer to me, not you.”

“Then call them off and let’s talk.” I suggested and she did so with a slight flick of a hand while still watching me carefully.

“What do these worthless humans matter to you?” She questioned and made the race name sound like something dirty and useless with a slow smile that was not at all nice to look at. “More importantly, why do you interrupt my sport?”

“They matter.” I told her with a shrug. “And slaughter isn’t something I’ve ever considered a sport.”

She looked at me carefully, and by looking at her I could see, somehow, that her caste was lower, much lower, than my own. Then she asked almost curiously, “How is it that you are alive, bitch? High Caste renegades are usually killed immediately.”

“Friends in low places?” I answered without saying anything else. This one had power, yes, but nothing compared to what I could call if I needed it. Did I call on that? Come on, I was still getting used the ‘daughter’ thing and still wanted nothing to do with ‘Mommy’ just then.

“No matter.” She shrugged. “But returning your dead body should get me a substantial reward, possibly even the restoration of my own status.”

“Well, from one outcast to another,” I told her while working for time so the farmers could at least be mostly out of the way, “I think that’s kind of a pissy attitude to have.”

She paused at the unfamiliar expression, and I gave Sam a quick look as she did. “You’re going to have to handle the guys for a while here. Think I may be a little busy with her.”

“You do that.” He nodded without taking his eyes from the men who were still around us in a threatening ring. “I’ll do what I can until you finish.”

“Fool of a youngling!” The other female in the area gloated. “I was and still am a priestess of our goddess even if our people cast me out. I will feed your soul to HER this night.”

Okay about then I’m supposed to get this ‘god-like’ glow and overawe her, right? Think again. But I did know she was one who depended on her magic and wasn’t all that conversant with other ways to hurt people…

I did a quick dodge and roll to avoid the blast she had aimed at me while hearing the clangs, dings, thunks and general swearing under the breath that men fighting always seem to do. After that a quick swing from a convenient awning and one of my daggers was already drawing a bead of blood from her throat while my arm held her in a grip I was surprised I had strength to hold. “What is your name lost one? My Mother would like to know who I’m sending to her tonight.”

“I won’t give you that, bitch!” She screamed and kicked back to hit one of my shins with a booted heel. Okay that one hurt, a lot, but I didn’t relax my grip.

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged and rammed the dagger home into her jugular and held her until I was sure she was too weak to do anything else. “Pathetic. Mother will eat your soul and still be wanting more when SHE is finished with you, tell her I said hello once you get there.”

I dropped the now lifeless body and decided I’d better wait a bit before being sick. Sam was handling the opposition, but come on, no matter how fast, or how deadly someone is, fifteen to one odds are not a good thing. Though by the time I managed to look the odds were down to more like nine to one. I had the inane thought, That’s my man! And felt a surge of pride for him before taking out three of them with throwing knives, then another from behind with a really nasty and unfair kidney strike.

Hey, you want a fair fight stay on the playground with referees around.

I hadn’t seen a guy in a striped shirt with a whistle, had you?

By then, Sam had finished off the other five and didn’t even seem to be winded. Oh he was bleeding in a few places but I could tell it was nothing serious.

He glanced at the bodies and shrugged. “Amateurs.”

“You’re really kind of scary, you know that?” I told him while healing the minor injuries he’d sustained.

“Uh, me?” He looked at the body of the Dhro’aaa female, now withered and looking like a thousand year old mummy, and shook his head. “When we get home, look in a mirror.”

“Not sure I really want to do that.” I told him seriously then turned my attention to our surroundings and raised my voice. “Okay, the danger has passed though I know none of you will believe that right now. We’ll be leaving because we know you are afraid of us. I can’t blame you for that at all. But if you are threatened again in this place, my name is Dahlia. Call and I will come.”

Okaaay. Just WHERE had that one come from?