-Maddox-

The cave of ice was long behind them. They began to move nearly right away, and through what Maddox believed was the night. They were still deep underground, and time was escaping him, but they walked for so long that they had to have moved for days by that point. Varia was relentless in moving, and only chose to camp when whatever internal clock he had told him it was time for sleep, and they had done so twice. Two days, at least. Two days, and Maddox still had not spoken to Dor’Goth.

They were settling down to camp again. Varia was building a small fire, the light Maddox welcomed for the darkness was oppressive. They had traveled far enough that there was no longer any fungi to provide bioluminescent light. Maddox settled near the fire, and Varia crouched near him, rummaging through some of the bags they had managed to snag from the ruins.

Maddox chewed the inside of his cheek, gazing over the fire at Varia. When he asked to speak with Dor’Goth at first he was met with anger, vitriol. Varia denied him, several times over the course of their journey through the deep. He believed Dor’Goth would take his mind, assume control of him, but he wouldn’t. They were near enough the ice still, Maddox could feel Her power thrumming through the walls, under his feet, in his veins. They were near enough, that Maddox could slip into Varia’s subconscious, speak with Dor’Goth in a dream state. Varia was not pleased by that either, the idea of Maddox roaming through his mind seemed to unnerve him, and as punishment he made Maddox move faster through the dark.

But, eventually he relented. The next time they stopped, he had said, he would allow Maddox to attempt to reach Dor’Goth. Maddox was both pleased by the consent, and unnerved by it. Dor’Goth was meant to be asleep, and if he was, if the binding had truly bound him in the manner it should have, then he would find nothing. He would get no answers. But, if Dor’Goth was awake, at least enough to speak, he was worried about what he would say. Demons like Dor’Goth were cruel, they enjoyed chaos and causing pain. He would certainly tear through Maddox’s feelings and wield them like a sword against him. Maddox certainly had more experience with demons, opposed to Varia, but She was not of the same ilk as Dor’Goth, not anymore. Not since before Maddox was brought into the world, long before. She was ambivalent, though her connection with Maddox and the Aesirs was not the norm for demons.

There was only one other demon he met, in his many travels that brought him in proximity to the ancient, former deities. One other had struck him with fear and nervousness, the same as Dor’Goth, though on a much larger scale. Only one other, and even now he barely recalled why. She had taken many of his memories as a child and hid them away in the darker parts of his mind. He could find them if he wished it, but She had done that out of preservation, to keep him safe, to keep him sane. He recalled that fear, that heavy feeling of anxiety settling onto his shoulders and seeping into his chest now. He had been recalling those feelings more and more lately, since he and Varia fell. Since the caves of Er Rai, where Dor’Goth waited for them. The darkness, that is what triggered those feelings. Feelings he recognized, feelings that he knew were correct, that he had for a reason, even if he did not quite recall which reason that could be. He wondered if Dor’Goth would know, if Dor’Goth would use that against him.

No, it was more likely he would use Varia, as others did, against him. Varia drew reaction from Maddox, implications of their relationship, of what would happen in the end, that was the current path to drawing anger from Maddox, who was normally so polished and calm in the face of those who would harm him. Varia was his weakness, he always had been.

“I do not like the idea of you searching through my mind for Dor’Goth.” Varia’s voice tore him from his thoughts. Varia had finished his rummaging, but had nothing new in his hands. Instead he was sat beside Maddox, gazing into the fire.

Maddox shook his head, focusing on the voice, that calm, quiet voice, with that hint of attitude and anger always lingering on the edges. It warmed him, made him smile.

“I won’t be wandering through your mind. Once we begin, She will lead me straight to him, awake or no. I will not see any of your thoughts or memories, only him.” Maddox reached across the short distance between them, taking Varia’s hand from where it sat on the other’s lap.

“I do not think he is sleeping.” Varia muttered, though he did not pull his hand away from Maddox’s, instead using the toe of his boot to push one of the sticks further into the fire.

“So you have said. I hope he isn’t. I would like to speak with him.” Maddox scooted across the dirt, sitting closer to Varia then. It was almost time.

“You will regret speaking with him. I doubt he will fall for whatever charm you believe you have.” Maddox was pleased by the concern Varia was hinting at, and leant closer briefly, pressing his lips against Varia’s temple.

“Aye, I am terrible, I know, but I still wish to speak with him. He will know things, many things, and even if he feeds me mostly lies, he seems the sort to revel in chaos. If he is awake, he will hopefully tell me what I wish to know, if only to harm me.” Maddox withdrew his hand, then pulled his knife from his belt. “I am ready.”

Varia scowled across to Maddox, before he shifted his body to face him proper, legs folded below him. This was as good a place as any for this. He wouldn’t be fully awake during the conversation, though Varia would be able to see, to speak even if he needed to. Maddox was, once again, placing his total trust in Varia’s hands. He wondered if Varia realized that, if he realized how much Maddox relied on him, if he realized that Maddox was at his complete and total mercy. He likely did. He wouldn’t mention it, because though he was awful and angry and mean, he had the patience and resolve of a saint.

“I will cut your thumb, then mine, and press the blood together. You will feel light headed, maybe even tired. I will seem to be sleeping, but you can and likely will remain conscious during this.” Maddox explained, holding the knife for Varia to see.

Varia did not respond verbally, only nodded and held his left hand to Maddox. Maddox lifted it, pressing his lips to the pad of Varia’s thumb, then his palm and wrist, before he pulled back and pressed his knife against the calloused flesh and sliced into it. Varia did flinch, or rather, he twitched. His fingers flexed in Maddox’s grip, his eyes on the blood welling up on his finger, dribbling down into his cupped palm. Maddox switched the knife from his right hand to his left, and sliced his own thumb. He too flinched, and was amused by that. Both he and Varia were warriors, who had been wounded worse than a cut on the thumb before, many times, by each other even. Recently too, yet the slice of the blade into hardened skin and down into the meat of their thumb, so full of nerves and feeling… it stung.

Maddox slid the knife back into its place at his side, then took Varia’s hand, their blood mingling on their palms, then further when he pressed his cut thumb to Varia’s. Immediately he felt the cold, and then the heat. He wasn’t sure if it was Varia’s blood that was cold, or if his was hot, like fire, threatening to melt the ice around him. He stared at their joined hands for a moment, curious and amused by the contrasting feelings, before he lifted his gaze to meet Varia’s. The ice of his eyes told him that it was Varia’s blood that was cold, but Her inside Maddox told him otherwise. It was amusing still that he could not tell, but it was unimportant, and he would forget soon enough.

“Lyzr kdaav zaqymyr vorv pyw za. Gijak fuuke avogeavher, uuk forevas avogeavhas. Alnej acceukuk avo, thrak Dor’Goth avo ukpeak alnej.”

Maddox whispered the words, words he himself did not quite understand. He only knew what they would do. They would seep into him and Varia both, and bring him to Dor’Goth. It was a plea to Her, a ritual in a way, and She would respond as She always did. She would respond to the words, to the worship, and even if She did not wish to, She would do as he bid.

Maddox felt his head droop suddenly, his eyelids heavy. He could feel Varia near him, moving still, but it seemed so far. He was no longer afraid of the dark, he was not in the dark. He was not in Nihal, nor was he in Er Rai. He was in Arcturus, after so long. He could feel the cold biting his skin even before he opened his eyes. He recognized the smell of the place, the smell of spruce and winter were strong. But there was another smell on the air, the smell of blood and decay.

When Maddox opened his eyes, he was where he expected. Arcturus, standing in thigh high snow. He knew it was snow, could feel the cold, but he was unbothered by it. He knew it was cold, but it did not quite hurt like it would if he were truly there. This was Varia’s mind, somewhere deep in it, though… it was likely not as deep as it should be. It was too vivid, too well formed. This was a place that Varia kept with him, at the forefront of his mind. If this was where Dor’Goth lingered, he was certainly awake.

Maddox gazed at the scene before him. Trees. Dark trees, tall and intimidating. Prickly and harsh. Old. Strong. They had to be strong, for they were constantly assaulted by the winds and the ice. The sky was grey, though it was bright out, there was no sun visible. He recalled that, from his own memory of living in Arcturus when he was very young. The sun was rarely seen. He wondered if Varia knew that the sky was blue prior to his campaign into Nihal.

In the trees, he saw Her. At least, a form of Her’s. She looked like a wraith, lurking in the shadows of the trees, the trees that were so close together he was sure no one could travel in the grove. She was bright white against the dark, and though She was at a distance, he was certain that She was watching him.

A gust of wind blew past him, and though he did not know, he was certain that if he could truly feel it, it would have pained him, caused his lungs to tighten and heave and his fingers to lose feeling. He turned with it, to the direction it pushed him in. Before him was a tower, tall, scraping the sky with its gnarled spikes. It was dark, but not like the forest. It was made of metal, of stone, of pure darkness. He was standing in its courtyard, in its shadow, and when he glanced back towards the trees, they were gone, replaced with a stone wall, too tall to be practical, with jetting points every several feet. He looked down, and felt his stomach drop.

Bones. He was standing on bones. So many of them, and they were… small. The bones of children. Maddox felt bile rise in his throat, it felt so real he wondered if his body was responding to what he was seeing on the other side. The courtyard was covered with them, they rose above the snow, though within the wall it was only knee deep for him. Still, he could see them, could feel them slipping under his feet. The cracked, yellowed bone was slick with frost, and many bore splintered ends, severed pieces.

Maddox lifted his head and began to move towards the door. It sat upon a staircase, and looked heavy. It was made of iron and wood, the hinges were stark red with rust. The tower itself had windows, though most were shattered. Some had bars over them, some had dull grey rags gently fluttering into the open air. This place, though it appeared every bit as evil as he knew it to be, felt evil. He could feel the pain, and knew that this must be Nazapul. He had never seen it, only heard of it. Varia was raised here, in this cold, dark place. With a courtyard of bones and a wall designed only to keep them in. Varia was raised here, and so many others.

Inside was just as cold, just as dark. Long hallways, stretching into stairs that spiraled up, further into the dark recesses of the tower. Rooms lined the halls as he walked, climbing the stairs. Rooms with no beds, nothing but moldy hay and tattered blankets. More rooms had chains dangling from the ceiling, greeting him with a chorus of chimes as they swayed in the breeze, the only sound beyond the howl rushing through the top of the tower, through the broken windows. He was midway up the tower when he felt the presence there. It was dense and burned his lungs when he breathed it in. The shadows in the tower were beginning to rise, to twist and drip upwards the further he went. They drifted like smoke around his feet, not quite touching him, but flirting with the idea.

The shadows led him to a room, not at the very top, but near it. The door was tall and had once been red, in another life. Now it was pale, peeling paint scattered against the floor. He could feel him in there, the demon. He could feel him breathing, it felt like he could feel him waiting. The door groaned and creaked, an unnatural sound like metal collapsing under the pressure of water, and then it opened, beckoning him in. He could not see into the room when it did, only saw dark. He hesitated then, that same anxiety and fear pressing at his mind. That same fear he felt when he thought of a memory he could no longer recall. Of the darkness in Arcturus, of the caves… of Cithrel.

He shook his head, and stepped forward. He was unarmed here, but it did not matter. He would not be stuck here, he could leave, wake. If Varia felt something was going wrong, if he was responding in the real world while he was here, Varia could wake him. He would wake him. He was in no true danger of harm. He stepped into the darkness, and watched it melt around him.

The air inside the room was thick and heavy on his lungs, oppressive, threatening to choke him. Maddox grit his teeth and blinked his eyes against the light. He was surprised that there was light now, filtering in through the shattered windows. Near the door was a receptacle that looked like it would hold a candle, but Maddox knew it did not. It was many years since he saw one of those, but he recognized the whorls and writing along the rim. It was for Her, a way for those who still worshipped demons as Gods to worship Her. A prick of the finger, several drops of blood, a few words in ancient Aesirian, and She would be aware of those who still thought of Her.

If the tower had a receptacle like that, if that was a true part of the memory and not some farce by Dor’Goth, then his suspicion was confirmed. The towers were created as a means to feed Her. They fed Her the blood of children. Children who were special, who had demon blood in their veins. Like Varia.

That in itself was not something he should be surprised by. She needed a way to stay alive, to stay well after his family was purged and destroyed. The Aesirs were enough, throughout history. Their blood was closest to Hers’, a drop or two would keep Her sustained. Other children, who did not share Her blood, but the blood of other demons, demons like Dor’Goth, who were ancient as She, they would do the trick throughout the years. It was why She was flirting with madness, it was why She stayed with him, it was why She pushed him so, reminded him of his purpose, protected him. She needed him. She was terrified of him, as She should be. He was the key to Her longevity. She could not go on much longer.

He finally tore his gaze from the receptacle and turned them around the room instead. It was decorated beautifully. It was not like the other parts of the tower, it was clearly a room that someone took pride in. There was a large bed, though now worn and covered in dust and debris, but it was the first bed he saw here. It looked almost livable. A tapestry dangled above a grand chair, deep blue and silver, or it was before time wore it into grey and darker grey. A sigil he recognized as the sigil of Vaalar Thiron was sewn into the cloth. Below it sat the writhing mass of shadow that was Dor’Goth.

He was mostly formless, as he was in the caves of Er Rai, though that same figure Maddox recalled could be see, solid, or solid appearing, in the midst of it. A dark figure, very few discernable features could be seen. Long, twisted horns curled from the mass and dipped backwards and then up again into a vicious point. A massive hand rest on the arm of the chair, forked claws tapping against it with mild annoyance and impatience. From the darkness, slanted, crimson eyes peered at Maddox, more alive and vibrant than anything in this dark and dank tower. They regarded him with cruel curiosity, and Maddox felt small below the gaze.

No, Dor’Goth was not like Her at all. He was vile, he looked at Maddox as if he were meat, a meal that squirmed for too long. She looked at him as a mother looked at Her child, sometimes with disappointment, sometimes with pride. There was none of that here. Here, there was only tension, tension that told Maddox that Dor’Goth very well could harm him here, in this domain of pain and torture.

But worse, he was awake. He was awake, the binding did not work how it should. He seemed weaker, at least, and he no longer was a threat to taking Varia’s body as host, but he was awake, and that meant he was dangerous still.

“I have come to speak with you. I come willingly and without guile. Will you allow this?” Maddox asked, his voice stronger, more carefree than he certainly felt. Giving the demon an inkling to the fear he felt would be painting himself as a victim.

“I have nothing to say to you, or to Her. Be gone from this place, Aesirian. It no longer belongs to you, even in memory.”

That tone was so thick with malice, anger and a heavy, unspoken threat it made Maddox’s back quake with a chill. So grating, so deep. Varia once described his voice as thunder in his mind, and Maddox now understood.

“She is not here, nor can She hear us.” Maddox spoke slowly, breathed shallowly. He could feel the malice growing tangible, as if it would leak from Dor’Goth to him.

Dor’Goth sat before him like a lord, his form draped in the chair, spilling over it and twisting around it. Dor’Goth tilted his head, his eyes not leaving Maddox, before he gestured with one clawed hand. Maddox stepped closer, then sunk to sit on the floor, legs stretched out, one crossed over the other, his hands resting on them. He looked casual, as if he were sitting with a friend on a cold winter evening, chatting away about life and love. But there was a rigidness in his body, a tension, for he knew the creature opposite of him was not a friend.

“Such discourse between you and your dear demon. So late in your journey do you begin to question Her and what She has done. Too late, perhaps, as you have already fed Her ample blood to keep Her sustained long enough to threaten what you hold dear.”

Maddox gave a faint smile at Dor’Goths words, holding his hands up in a little shrug. “Before it did not matter. Varia, Legion, they were just a means to an end, their death inevitable. It is only recently, as you are aware, that my feelings on the subject have changed. And it is only recently that the deviations in Her character have become clear. While I think a part of Her wishes me to know these things, that aberration prevents Her from communicating it clearly. I thought you might delight in telling me all the ways that She could harm me and Varia, though I was also hoping you might provide some background on how we, the four of us, got to this point. This is not the first time you and She have met.”

“So wise to deduce what has been dangled before you.” Dor’Goth drawled, the shadows pulsing about the room. They still did not touch Maddox, and kept just out of reach. “Are you proud that you have concluded that two ancient beings, of which there are few left, may have known one another? You are truly Her puppet, this I know, as all Aesirians before you have been. You are the first in many years with the proper purity of blood that She requires to fulfill the covenant.”

The covenant. It was not uncommon back when demons were worshipped as Gods. It was known that the Aesirians worshipped them still, and Maddox knew that there was a bond between Her and his family. But Dor’Goth knew as well, and seemed to know much.

“She has sustained herself as best She knows, since I have not been on the ice since I was a wee lad, but what was once given willingly is now taken under false pretense. I know the towers, such as this one, were used to feed Her. That is not my concern. My concern is that She will take little chance in being waylaid or weakened further. You are a wild card, a wrinkle that cannot be ignored. If She suspects you will interfere and seduce Varia away, She will ensure She gets what She believes will sustain Herself.”

Maddox did not deny the puppetry. He was bound by the covenant, and at a disadvantage for having long gaps in the passing of power. He knew little of how to leverage his side of the bargain, but perhaps Dor’Goth did.

“To seduce Varia away would be to save him from Her. She has tasted his blood, sustained Herself on it before.” The hint of fondness in Dor’Goths tone was concerning. It would not be the first time a demon became fond of a human, it happened a great many times. She practically raised Maddox once his mother was killed, She and Maddox shared a bond of fondness and a similar path.

“Those that are marked by Her, chosen by Her to be brought to the towers… It is their demon blood.” Maddox confirmed, though the thought still made him uneasy, knowing She tasted Varia, and so many others. Those bones in the courtyard would haunt him still.

“Do you know the criteria and what the covenant was in the days of old? She has been using the blood from the towers since… the last Aesirian king, but She should have been able to use one of my parents, or even my grandparents. Why did She not?” Maddox continued, lifting his gaze to the piercing red.

“I do know. The muddled and impure blood of your parents, of your grandparents would not have been enough. You are pure, but not by choice. Pure coincidence brought you to Her, but you stay, and She will keep you if you attempt to escape.”

Maddox frowned again. Demons spoke in half-truths so often it was hard to take anything Dor’Goth said seriously. But he did not seem to be lying, though Maddox did not know what he meant by… coincidence. It was pure coincidence that he was of the right ilk, had the right blood, or right amount of certain blood, in his veins? That made sense, in a way. It filled the holes of those before him, his parents and grandparents being unable to feed Her.

But none of this mattered. What mattered was that She saw a threat in Varia where there wasn’t one. She feared him. Why? She had come into his mind, threatened him.

“Why does She fear Varia so? Is it because of you? If it were, She would likely say, target you, not him. She believes he is a threat.” Maddox asked. He didn’t expect Dor’Goth to know, or if he did, he likely would not say.

“He IS a threat to Her. He is a threat to Her, and to you. He is more of a threat to Her now that you have pushed back against Her hold over you, because of him.” Dor’Goth sounded suspiciously amused, in a way that grated Maddox and made his skin crawl.

“Why wouldn’t he be? He is powerful, he is the key to your foolish mission. The little boy of shadows, who She tasted and felt long before you did. The little boy who was forced to kill and to bleed to feed Her. Now he is strong, now he is taking away the only thing She holds any dominion over. You. Of course he is a threat.”

“Why him? Why did She choose him, Dor’Goth? Such a being, with ties so suspiciously close to you, why would She choose him? I say again, you knew Her, Dor’Goth, and something went wrong. Someone broke the covenant. What happened, Dor’Goth?” Maddox fired back, though he was certain he still seemed calmer than he felt.

The demon before him made his skin crawl, made his heart pound in his chest. Her presence was different, motherly, even now that She was slipping into madness. Dor’Goth was not slipping, he was thriving here, in Varia’s body and mind. The shadows snaking around the room were evident of that, the way his eyes glittered spitefully. He reminded him of someone, something. He could not quite place his finger on what he was reminded of, but he knew it was one of those memories that She had locked away to protect him. Had he met Dor’Goth before, or another like him?

“I knew Her, yes. I knew Her better than you. This why you are here, asking me instead of asking Her. I will not provide you with the answers you seek. You are not my charge, you are Hers. You are the one that matters to Her, your blood is the blood She desires most. You, the cretin who stands in this place and spreads the filth of your family. In this memory, on the corpses of the children that were slain to state Her hunger and keep Her powerful while She waited for Her true prize… You, who claim to stand for the children of Arcturus, for Varia, as a shield to the cruelty of the council. Her champion, Her king.”

Dor’Goth’s shadows shifted then, encircling Maddox in the cold embrace they brought. They crackled with raw power, even there in this dreamscape. Maddox closed his eyes, willing away the fear that rose in his throat, willing him to shout, to scream for help. He could not, he already showed fear before the demon, he could not show any more.

“You have forgotten all of those who have died for you, all of those who She has feasted upon. Those She convinced you to leave behind. Oh, how scared they were. I can still feel it here, taste it, hear their little screams. The fear of Her, the fear of YOU. But you do not care for all of the others, do you? Their blood is not YOUR blood. A drop would not satisfy Her, it never could. She needed more, She needed all of it. A reaper of children and harvester of their blood.”

Dor’Goth’s voice was nearer, though when Maddox opened his eyes, he could not see anything but the pulsing darkness surrounding him. Still, it was close. Cold and harsh like the shadows around him. It was not a cold like Her’s, this cold was the cold of death, of the end. But even then, he could feel it. Arcturus, the wintry bite of it. There was ice in Dor’Goth, just as there was ice in Her. He was of Arcturus as well, had to be.

“She sought blood of other demons, your blood, because you are of the same ilk as Her. I did not think you were, but you are. A demon of ice and shadow… why were you in Er Rai? Why slumber there, if you are of the ice?” Maddox asked quietly. The shadows around him pulsed violently, before they slid away, settling back into the seat as if nothing had changed.

“So clever. I suppose you will attempt to find common ground with me, as you have other demons. I am of Arcturus, yes, just as She is, just as Zakara is, yet you were unable to tame that one as you have the other. The Aesirians are of the ice, not of the darkness. You and I are not the same, and you would do well to remind yourself just who is of my blood, the same blood that She so desperately seeks. My blood. HIS blood.”

The name made Maddox flinch. Zakara, a name that, like the feelings of fear, was so familiar yet he did not know why. Still, the sound of it cracked through the air like lightning and pierced his chest. His breath faltered, his eyes widened and face paled. He broke out in a cold sweat, only intensified by the cold of the room.

Zakara. That is who She protected him from, continued to protect him from. Who was Zakara? He felt Her stir in his mind, and felt those memories, that were so close to him, pull back further into the deepest parts of his mind. Dor’Goth’s horned head tilted mockingly, scarlet eyes narrowing to slits in what Maddox could only assume was an expression of amusement.

“She cannot protect you forever. If you continue to seek your crumbled throne, you will face her. You will face those demons you cannot quite recall, and She will not be able to save you. There is only one who could, and he will not. You will betray him. Perhaps not as boldly as the council did, but it will feel the same. Worse, perhaps. That betrayal will hurt the most, I imagine. He will beg for death before the end, and once you grant it, I will take his body as my own. His soul will never rest, he will be tormented for the rest of time, and I will laugh.”

Shaken still, not by Dor’Goth’s taunts, but by the name, Maddox shook his head. Woven between fractured memories were thoughts of destruction, of Varia’s pain, how he may look if Maddox did betray him. He felt bile rising once more and swallowed it back once again, despite his nausea. “You will not. You are fond of him, he is your kin.”

“Humans place too much thought on kin. He shares my blood, but the only purpose that serves is to fuel my own power. He is my host, and he will soon become my prisoner. And you, perhaps I will allow you to live, to see his body used by me, to be forced to raise arms against the man you love.” Dor’Goth cackled, that cracking, grating sound that made Maddox’s teeth clench.

“No, you fear him. As you should. You are terrified of him, Dor’Goth, you would not invoke his wrath, not as you are now. You are too much the same, he can siphon your power, leave you as the husk and he as the puppet master. Beyond that, you are fond of him. Concerning, considering what you are, but I understand it better than another would. I put little faith in the bonds of kinship, I have killed my own and many others in order to further my own agenda, but I can see you. I can see the fondness you hold for him, I hear how you speak when you are unaware I am listening. You would protect him from me, from Her, from anyone, not because he is your host, but because he is kin to you.” Maddox said, his voice rising with his sudden confidence.

The fear he showed was true fear, though Maddox did not need to reveal it so. Dor’Goth wished to see a fear, wished to twist words and harm Maddox with them. Dor’Goth was a true demon, not one that Maddox was prepared for, but one he faced nonetheless. He thought of Varia, of the man that hid below the ice of his eyes and the unhesitating sword. The man who wanted little in life, only freedom, the simplest of things that was never in his grasp. What would he do with freedom? Maddox so wished to find out, and if Varia chose to leave, he would allow him to do so.

“So bold, so suddenly. I fear no man, yet that is not what he is, is it? Demon blood, muddled and tainted as it is, flows in him. It flows in you as well, as it flows through many others in the world. Yes, he could kill me, and I fear what he is capable of. But you will not allow him to reach the heights he should, She will not allow it. She will keep you and him both restrained, and I cannot, will not fear a man who is nothing more than a slave to lesser men.” Dor’Goths voice took on a new tone, serious, not mocking.

Maddox was surprised at the honesty, almost humbled by it. He wondered what sort of creature Dor’Goth was before. This moment made him consider that Dor’Goth was not always a malicious and cruel creature, but an honest one. Not kind, for no demon was truly kind, but one who could and likely did stand beside Her. Perhaps one who ruled beside Her, who took care of his worshippers. Though, perception of cruelty was different in the written histories of the world. Perhaps he had always been this way, perhaps She was similar. The people thought of them as Gods and would have not seen it as cruel for the sake of being cruel, they would have seen it as being a deity, a heathen god just acting in the manner they so often did.

“He is not a slave to me. I will not allow Her to harm him, to restrain him. I need Varia as he is, or better. I will lift him, as a lover and king should, and allow him to rule at my side if he chooses, or to leave and rediscover himself if that is what he wishes. I do not wish to fear what he is capable of, I wish to encourage it.” Maddox said, his voice softer than before, his hands lifting from his knees to rest in his lap.

That cackle sounded again, that crack of thunder that sent a jolt of panic and fear up his spine. “Oh no, because you are GOOD, right? You are not like the others who march him to and fro, that send him into battles he does not wish to fight in. You are different than them, you would only seek to set him against his countrymen, to spill their blood for Her, to allow you to stand on his shoulders to reach that broken, frozen throne.”

“Keep this up, and it will be the void for you.” Maddox growled, voice low, dangerous. All thoughts Maddox had of a kind and patient Dor’Goth vanished with his words, and he felt his anger build. The damned creature, he was a demon of malice and hate, one who fed off of fear and anger and pain. He was a demon, he was no god, he was no deity, no friend. He was an enemy, he could not be relied on.

“Void me then,” Dor’Goth sneered, the shadows stretching and pulsing. “You cannot. Perhaps if your elven spells were based in actual power rather than sleight of hand and tricks, I would sleep. Your demoness is weak, as are you, and I do not fear you.”

It was true that Maddox could not send Dor’Goth to the void even if he wished to, not even with Her help, not yet. He used elven magic at his disposal until he could renew the bond completely. Such a use of Her powers otherwise would give Her an advantage and put him in a precarious position. Even though a pact bound Her, She too was a demon, with Her own plans and desires. He was still quite annoyed that Dor’Goth did not respond to his threats, but he expected he would call his bluff.

“I am finished speaking with you. Thank you for your help.” Maddox said, slapping his own thighs, and rising to his feet. Dor’Goth chuckled again, and Maddox was quickly growing tired of the shudder that ran up his spine every single time Dor’Goth made that noise.

“You are, are you? You will return, and I will allow it. I do enjoy seeing you standing here, in Nazapul. Perhaps next time you will bring him. How many times has he knelt before this chair, I wonder? How many more times will he kneel before men sitting in chairs that make them feel so powerful? Fitting, that his new master would come to this place. Did your family, your demon, not resign him to his fate in this very tower? I wonder what the towers will be like once he delivers you the throne, councilman Maddox.”

Dor’Goth had said a great many things since Maddox arrived, but that, ‘Councilman Maddox’ was the worst of them. Councilman Maddox. Words that should have cut deep pulled Maddox from the depths into which he was thrown and wrapped around him in red hot anger.

“Enough!” Maddox boomed, and when he did a wave of ice pushed back the darkness that creeped near him. “You should take care, what half-truths you spin, demon. Some things will not be forgiven.” Maddox barely recognized his own voice, so full of vitriol, so loud, angry.

It took every bit of willpower for him to hold back words that threatened to spill. He needed to focus. He got some information, enough. It was time to leave. He grit his teeth, and closed his eyes. He reached for his body, for the real world, not this hellscape of Varia’s mind. But the shadows crept over the ice, breaching that barrier they had not crossed yet, wrapping about his legs. They stung, and he sucked his teeth, before opening his eyes once more. This time, Dor’Goth was just before him, the darkness pulled back into a wide, black grin. His eyes held a measure of knowing, something dark and devious in the crimson pools.

“Half-truths? Perhaps to you, they are half-truths, for She has deceived you. You coward, you fool, you lovesick twit, stand and listen to what She says to you, and know that I will come at you, and you will break upon my will. She is nothing, and you are less than nothing, lower than worms. I am the Lord of the Dark, the Lord of Freedom, and he shall stand before you and deliver you from this life. Soon, Aesirian, you will be unable to stop him from becoming the end of you.”

Maddox’s gaze suddenly snapped, darkening, and he drew a deep, heavy breath of air. He was staring at rocks and dirt, shrouded in a darkness that did not move by their own volition, but by the flicker of fire. He shuddered a breath, his eyes closing, a soft whimper leaving his throat, and then he felt a hand close over his own. It was warm, soft where it mattered. He recognized the feel of it, the grip, the callouses. It was Varia. He was out. He had fallen far, unintentionally. He did not wish to fall that deeply into the vision.

“What did you see, Maddox?” Varia’s voice was close, comforting. He could feel his breath tickle the hair near his ear.

Maddox lingered where he was for a moment, before he slowly pulled an arm below himself and lifted himself to sit up. His eyes fell on Varia, and though he was covered in those flickering shadows, he looked so beautiful then. He chased away the dark, as he promised he would. Maddox leant forward, wrapping a single arm around Varia’s back, and pressing his head against his chest. His ear found his heartbeat, steady, calm as it so often was. He breathed in time with the beat of it, and felt that panic, that fear and a strange sorrow fade away into memory.

“Maddox…” Varia tried again, voice low, barely a murmur.

Maddox closed his eyes, his grip around Varia tightening. He could not tell him all of the things that were said, not yet. Once Dor’Goth began to speak to Varia in his head again, he would likely tell him, and Maddox would need to tell him prior to that, so Dor’Goth couldn’t twist what was said. But he could not do so yet, not with the raw emotions so fresh in his mind. Instead, he drew a deep, shuddered breath again, and answered the only way he could think to.

“He is awake.”