"Choose, Turner. Your life or hers."
Benjamin Turner looked helplessly from his wife to the source. Elizabeth was fighting desperately against the chains, tears streaming down her face.
"Kill me," she growled angrily. "Benjamin, pay attention – don't you dare do what
I think you're about to. I'm a demon. Demons die all the time. Benjamin, listen to me!"
Benjamin shook his head, staring at a spot on the floor.
"Save her," he decided firmly.
The source grinned evilly and summoned an energy ball.
"Noo!" Elizabeth determinedly pulled at the chains again, but it was too late. Her husband was dead.
"Where is Daddy?" Little Cole asked, confused. His daddy had been missing for three days – he had never been away for so long.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and stared ahead.
"I killed him," she whispered. "He's gone. Forever."
"How?" Cole asked softly, his eyes filling with tears.
Elizabeth stared down at him, her face blank. After a moment of silence, she knelt down and clasped Cole's small head in her hands. Her eyes became completely black,and she began to chant an old Latin spell. Cole stared into her eyes, in a sort of trance.
"I killed your father," she repeated, "He was holding you, and I snatched you from his arms and threw an energy ball at him. That's how he died. You will not ask any more questions, because you know exactly what happened."
She released him and he blinked dazedly up at her for a moment.
"Go to your room," she whispered, and he hurriedly obeyed.
Great, she thought bitterly, Now my son is fucking afraid of me.
It wished she didn't have to resort to memory altering, but she couldn't have him asking to many questions. Every question he asked reminded her painfully of the moment her husband died, and she had to forget, or she would break. In the underworld, you couldn't afford to grieve.
Three years later:
Cole woke in the middle of the night to the sound of sobs. Confused, he climbed out of bed and followed the sound to his mothers room. Elizabeth sat curled up on the bed, crying and rocking back and forth.
"Mommy?"
She looked up, sniffing.
"Belthazor. What are you doing in my room?"
The boy ignored her, climbing up onto the bed and hugging her.
"Don't be sad, Mommy."
Elizabeth smiled shakily at him before looking away.
"Belthazor, I want you to promise me one thing." she whispered, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "Promise me you'll remember what's truly important in life."
"Power?" Cole asked.
"No, Belthazor. Love."
"Love?"
"Yes. Hold on to that no matter what. It's worth more than anything in the world - power, fame - even life. Promise me that you'll remember."
Coe smiled at her reassuringly.
"I promise."