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Dread and Despair
My Demons
My eyes open. Demons again. They stand near, but not too near. For he stands above me. His voice is almost gentle, and he commands me to stand. I do, they are above, around beyond. But not here. Here I am safe. He tells me of many things, but the demons stay, they wait for him to leave. I know he will, but I long for him to stay. But I know I will have to face them alone.
And leave he does. He doesn?t return. That day and the next, he stays with his new prize, someone who came for the other one. Imoen! He made her cold. He took the demons from her.
But she is gone too. There is no one there now. And he has forgotten me. Irenicus, the knight, forgotten me. I face the demons, and my spells can do nothing. The walls walk through me, and I see clouds gathering, but still the rain does not come.
The new one. He said the rains would come. Irenicus? prize. Could I believe? No Irenicus had plans. The Demons were here and would always be here. But I had learned. Irenicus had taught me how to inflict the sight. It had disoriented the prize, and it could work on him as well.
And so I waited, for though I knew he would not return for me, he may return. And if not then I would seek him out. I would make him see! He would see them all! See them as I do!
Sounds come to me. I look at the demons, still running about walking through me. But my fear is less. I see the clouds. They swell. Soon all the rains of the heavens will shower upon me, and I will be free.
A woman comes to my cage; it is the girl. The cold one. Imoen. But no longer is she empty. She unlocks my cell and brings me forth. I go, and we walk through a valley of demons, but none walk where she walks. For she has no soul.
We hurry, we must. And soon we enter the room where Irenicus? prize stands. The companions enter bringing others. Soon we were all here, inmates and adventurers. Imoen stands by the prize, and the demons avoid them both. They walk elsewhere. For a moment I see a throne of blood, with pillars of energy around it. But then I see the walls again. I cannot see the throne again, no matter how I try.
The child, the changing child speaks. And the ruler scolds. Bickering. The ruler is shouting. ?You will regret the day you crossed the will of Tiax! My conquest of all is not something to be mocked!?
I cannot help, for I see a demon walk through him at that moment, and they stand on burning fields. But I know he is not there. We are caged. ?Is that the rule of all you survey, or beyond? W-w-what of those that walk inside, and around, and through? That stand where you stand now??
He laughs, he mocks. ?None stand where Tiax stands, lest he walk atop them... mm-hmm.? The gnome nods his head, and brown hair falls about his face, some of it falling through the gathering clouds. The rains will come soon.
But I must tell them all of the demons. ?As I see you do now, and beneath others. Do you not see? See them inside and behind and beyond!? I must tell them what is coming, but they will not listen. They continue talking.
But the soulless ones say nothing. They watch us argue. Until they mention him. Irenicus! ?He is cold through all the planes... none walk where he does, though they see him not!? They listen, the prize looks at me for several moments as others argue. I watch the demon walk around him. He has seen them. I revealed them to him. And his face held pain, but now he only watches.
But Irenicus must see. I will give him the sight. I know how now. I blink and we stand before him. The demons surround us. But I stand firm. The clouds break. The rain will come! And as the soulless ones raise spells and swords, I smile. The first raindrop falls. It started as the pitter-patter, bouncing off the trees, of the glass tubes I could see in this room. The trees were elsewhere. But it continued. The rains grew stronger, and I was soaked to the skin, though I was dry.
I could make him see. I had told them to be still. They were friends, but not Irenicus. He would see, and he would fear. He doesn?t see me as I walk to him. His spells are for his prize alone. The soulless ones.
A bartered soul he owns, but still he is cold. But he will see. A demon stands before me, grinning, but I walk on. Forests burn, but I press forward. And the rains fall. I reach out. Irenicus sees, and he flinches. He knows, and he fears. I was afraid, but no longer. And I touch him.
The demons vanish, and the rain stops. Irenicus screams. But I smile; I am free. And though I see no rain I dance. Dance as I dream of the streams of heaven flowing upon my cheeks.
Something pierces my back. An arrow, flames wreathed around it. I turn to Irenicus and smile. And even as I fall to the ground I see the demons again. But with the demons comes the rain. And as I closed my eyes for the last time, I felt the rain wash over my skin.
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A hand rested on the eyes of the downed woman for a few moments. ?I?m sorry Aphril. Your demons?well I have my own now. Maybe one day I can face them as you have today. But not now. I?m sorry, but not today.? The soulless one stood and looked to the other adventurers. ?We?re taking them out of here. All of them.?
And so they did. And as they stepped out of Spellhold, they walked through the rain.
