Ways of Light and Darkness

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own it, please don't think I do!

Author's note: Another chapter. I do hope you like it, but things are going to get pretty bad for a bit…this was just so hard to write…I'm putting a tissue warning on this chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The moment Lord Harold's black dragon had appeared and attacked Myfanwy, Ianto opened his senses, hoping to catch the other Wizard before he could try anything.

It didn't work.

A terrible noise echoed through the cavern, and Ianto spun, his wand out and ready. He found Lord Harold easily; the Void Wizard stood just behind Jack, a grin on his face that made the stretched skin resemble a skull.

Jack's eyes were wide with shock, their blue suddenly swamped by the gold of the Deep Ways. He slowly collapsed to his knees, and as Ianto tried to reach him, his lover fell face down to the hard stone, in a clatter of armor.

The dagger was protruding from his back.

It was glowing even stronger, almost pulsing with golden light.

Lord Harold laughed. "You really didn't think I'd leave for a Quorum and not alarm my island against intruders?" he asked, stepping over Jack's unmoving body and coming closer to Ianto, his wand also out, cutting the Cardinal Wizard off from his lover.

"Of course not," Ianto answered, trying to keep his opposite at a distance, but at the same time wanting to get that thing out of Jack's back as quickly as possible. "But I was hoping you'd be distracted enough…or far away enough…not to notice."

The other man smirked. "Please. Especially when this is all according to my plan."

Ianto's blood went cold. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, backing away a little, still aware of the dragons fighting behind him. There was a flash of heat, and he knew that Myfanwy had tried to burn Toclafane; and judging from the pained cry, had succeeded.

"Why, the plan to get you and the abomination here, of course." He laughed again. "I needed a source of the Deep Magic, and what better way to get it from the one creature that has more of it than it needs?"

Ianto ground his teeth, trying to keep his anger at how the other Wizard was addressing Jack. "How does the Magic open the door?"

Lord Harold waggled a finger in his direction. "Oh, no. This isn't the part where I explain my plan to you and you try to work out how to stop it."

"And what part is this?" Ianto needed to get him to talk; he needed to know how the dagger would help get that door open, and to stop it from sucking the Magic from Jack.

"I should think that was obvious. It's time for you to die!"

Ianto barely got his master shield up in time in order to block the spell Lord Harold launched at him. Still, he was surprised by the strength of it, staggering backward. He planted his feet and sent out his own magic toward the attacking Wizard, countering with a Stunning spell. He didn't want to kill the man until he knew exactly what was going on.

Lord Harold's own shield went up, but from the flaring across it Ianto could tell that his spell almost got through. He put his back against one of the stone pillars, sending yet another Stunner at his opponent, hoping to break through the Void Wizard's guard long enough to knock him unconscious.

This time though, the shield held with no problem. Lord Harold laughed, swinging his wand as if he were directing an orchestra. "You're going to have to do better than that," he taunted, pointing his finger and sending a volley of black lightning bolts straight toward Ianto.

Ianto threw up his shield, dodging at the same time. His shoulder hit the cavern floor hard, almost jarring his wand from his grasp. He didn't even have time to get to his feet before more lightning was being thrown at him, and all he could do was roll out of the way. He managed to get behind yet another of the stone columns, using it to push himself to his feet.

"And you're supposed to be so powerful!" Lord Harold taunted, sounding almost like a bully having at the class weakling. "Come on out and save your pet from my dagger!"

Ianto knew that he was trying to rile him up, to get him to make a mistake. Yes, it didn't help that Jack was down, and quite possibly being hurt, but Ianto knew he couldn't lose control. Lord Harold fully intended to kill him, and Ianto knew he'd have to get into the same mindset if he was going to get himself and Jack out of there unscathed.

Of course, the Void Wizard didn't know of Ianto's connection to the Deep Ways, and that he was practically as immortal as Jack. That could work in his favor…

The Cardinal Wizard peered around the stone. Lord Harold had stepped away from Jack, and was simply standing there, as if he was quite content waiting. Ianto had to jar him out of that complacency.

A sudden sharp pain stabbed through Ianto, and he knew it had come from Myfanwy. He couldn't see his familiar from where he was, but he could tell that Toclafane was going after her relentlessly. He wanted to help her, but was in no position to do so…

Wait…

He quickly sent a picture to her, what he wanted her to do. Ianto felt her agree, then he heard a sudden scuffle and a hard-to-describe noise that signaled Myfanwy breathing fire. A loud screech drowned out the sound, and Lord Harold cursed.

Ianto took the opportunity. He darted out from behind the stone, shield up and his own golden lightning aimed at his opponent. Lord Harold was able to dodge, but Toclafane wasn't so lucky.

Myfanwy had forced her own opponent back toward his master. That put the black dragon in the line of fire, and the lightning struck the smaller dragon squarely in the right wing.

Toclafane screamed as his wing disintegrated.

There was an echoing scream from the dragon's master. Ianto used this second distraction to attack once more, this time using a Capture spell that should have left Lord Harold helpless.

The other man still had his shield up, and it caught the spell.

Ianto struck once more, needing to incapacitate the Void Wizard before the other's mind was back into the fight. He also wanted to keep Lord Harold's attention on him, and not on the injured Myfanwy. Ianto ordered the dragon out of the cavern, and it was with just a little outrage that his familiar obeyed…but not without taking a parting shot at her own master's familiar, her fire crisping his only remaining wing.

This time, the lightning penetrated Lord Harold's shield, sending the Void Wizard flying. Ianto took the opportunity to race toward his fallen lover, reaching down and yanking the magical dagger from Jack's back. He flung it away, before taking refuge behind the plinth that it had been originally resting on.

"Damn you!" Lord Harold spat, as Ianto scrambled to his knees and looked out around the plinth. The Void Wizard was on his feet, his tunic smoking slightly, his wand out and pointing in Ianto's direction. A volley of spells pelted the plinth, and shards of stone were sent flying, one cutting Ianto's cheek before he could duck for cover once more.

Then a strange chanting started up. Ianto didn't understand the words, but there was something wrong with them…as there was something wrong about this entire island.

Ianto took the chance to see what was going on. And what he saw froze his soul.

Lord Harold's eyes had gone dark, as his free hand was held out, fingers clenched as if he was holding something. The dagger was bobbing in mid-air a few feet from the door, its strobing glow nearly blinding.

Ianto knew immediately what was happening.

"No!" he screamed, loosing his own volley of spells in an attempt to stop Lord Harold. He could feel the ancient magic prickling his skin, drying out his eyes as every bit of moisture was sucked from the chamber.

The magic struck Lord Harold, knocking him to the floor. The Wizard didn't get up again, and Ianto would have sighed in relief if it weren't for the fact that the dagger was still floating, and was still giving off the waves of power.

There was a loud thumping sound…almost as if a gigantic lock was being opened.

Then a second.

And a third.

What had Lord Harold done?

Ianto didn't even know how to stop it. He grabbed the floating dagger, the power suddenly burning his hand. But he refused to let go, knowing he had to do something in order to keep that door from opening.

An almost insane chuckling started up, but Ianto couldn't take the time to pay any more attention to the mad Wizard. He blinked, bringing his magical eyes into play, hoping against hope that he'd somehow be able to unpick the spell before the Devastation was let loose upon the unsuspecting world.

He could see it: the combinations of magic that made up the key to the Devastation's prison. Black and gold – Void and Cardinal – twisted together in an unnatural binding that should not have been able to work. The dagger held the Deep Ways – the lifeforce stolen from the townsfolk and from Jack, and Lord Harold grounded the Void power woven into the key, and in that moment Ianto realized the man had been far more powerful than anyone had thought.

Or perhaps the madness in him had simply let loose any bounds Harold Saxon may have had.

Power slammed into him, and Ianto went down hard, his back crashing into one of the pillars and knocking the breath from his body. In his sight Lord Harold practically crackled with Void energy, his body outlined in black.

"You can't do anything to stop it," he smirked. "I've been planning for years, ever since I found the letter…and you can't keep me from my destiny."

Letter? Ianto's stunned mind asked, although he didn't say anything aloud. He was having some trouble breathing, and he wondered if he'd cracked a rib when the spell had hit him.

He simply glared at Lord Harold, trying to gather his wits to start the fight once more. He managed to clear his thoughts to cast one more spell, sending it toward the Void Wizard, hoping it would be enough to give Ianto the space he needed to recover.

It splattered against Lord Harold's shield.

The man simply laughed again…but the laughter was cut off, as the tip of a sword emerged from his chest.

The look of surprise would have been funny, if the circumstances weren't so dire.

"Turnabout is a bitch," a growled voice said from behind Lord Harold. The Void Wizard slowly slid off the blade, revealing the figure of Jack, the Lord Deathless, standing there.

He was far too pale, his blue eyes almost black within their sockets. As soon as Lord Harold had crumpled to the ground, he planted his end of his sword on the ground, in an effort to help him stay upright.

Ianto had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

Jack staggered over to him, propping himself up against the stone, and with shaking hands he held up his sword. "We're screwed, aren't we?"

Ianto nodded, his eyes on the huge metal door. It was opening slowly, and a strange musty burst of air was blown out from behind it. "I don't…know how to fix this," he gasped, his breathing coming back under control.

Myfanwy joined them; the dragon was bloody and her scales were black in places, and she was dragging one wing. She rested her head on Ianto's lap, a pained chirp escaping her throat.

The dagger suddenly stopped glowing and dropped to the ground. Ianto held his wand out toward the opening door, knowing that any spell he could come up with would be practically useless.

It was completely black behind the door. Even Ianto's magical eyes could make out nothing. It was Void.

A cold wind blew from the blackness, chilling Ianto's sweaty skin. It whispered around the confines of the cavern, sounding as if ghosts were trying to speak.

And then, the first of the Devastation stepped into the world.

Ianto had never read them described, and he could see why. The creature before them was walking blackness, almost like a Void Point, but in a physical form. Two arms, two legs and a head made it vaguely resemble a human, but that was as far as it went. It was limned in silver, and that outline was the only thing that kept the monster from fading back into the darkness within the prison.

Ianto knew he was looking at the very embedment of Death.

This was the Devastation.

This was what should never have been let free.

"We have to get that door shut," Jack murmured. "Before any more come out."

Ianto carefully shifted Myfanwy so he could stand up. He wasn't about to face his death sitting down. "I'll try to distract it. You get behind it and see if you can't push the door closed."

"Why do I think that's not going to work?" Jack asked hectically.

Ianto didn't answer. He didn't have to. The only way to close that door again was by magic. And, with Lord Harold being dead, there was no way they could get that information from him.

It didn't matter. They had to try.

Ianto cast a Binding spell, hoping to keep the single Devastation from moving any further from the door. The creature shivered as the magic touched it, but it didn't hold, and it glided closer to Ianto as if seeing him as the threat.

Jack had been moving toward the door as Ianto had suggested, but stopped as the Devastation began to close on his lover. Ianto saw it, and shouted, "Keep going! The Deep Ways will keep me alive!" He certainly hoped they would; he'd never been up against something like this, and it was terrifying.

He cast his golden lightning toward it. The magic slammed into it…and it began to grow.

Panic slammed through him. Oh Gods…the Devastation fed on Life.

That was one more thing the ancient records failed to note.

Two more Devastation stepped through the door, as if called by Ianto's magic. The Wizard shuddered, but he had to gain Jack time to get to the door.

He threw whatever spell that came to his mind; it was a Stunning spell, and the Devastation showed no effect as they slid toward Ianto. His heart was hammering in his chest so hard that he felt that Jack should have been able to hear it. This was it; he was going to die. And all he could think of was Jack, as the first Devastation's arm rose toward him…

"Hey!" Jack's sudden shout seemed to get their attention, and they turned toward the sound.

Ianto also looked at his lover. He felt the blood drain from his face.

No…

Jack had wanted to follow Ianto's directions, but when he saw the Devastation seemingly eating his lover's lightning, he knew that the monsters must live on lifeforce.

Two more stepped out of the blackness, and headed toward Ianto. Jack was terrified for the younger man; the Deep Ways may have been keeping Ianto alive, but what would happen if they began to feed from that source? Would even Ianto be able to survive that?

Would Jack himself?

He glanced into the darkness. He could make out more of the silvery light that surrounded the blackness of the Devastation, and knew they didn't have any more time, unless they could get the door closed.

Jack's hand touched the metal; he could feel its chill through his gauntlet, but he could also feel the remnants of the Magic that had sealed it. While he wasn't a Wizard, and could only marginally control the Deep Ways, even he could tell that an enormous amount of lifeforce had been used to seal it originally.

And the blackness beyond…it was Void, he could feel it prickling like needles against his nerve endings. If he was guessing rightly, then Void held the Devastation prisoner; Deep Ways sealed them in. It was a combination of magic that shouldn't actually work, but then every bit of knowledge Jack had had come from his adoptive family, and he could never pretend to be wise in the ways of power.

But he'd heard what Saxon had said. He may have been paralyzed by the dagger, but his ears had worked. Jack's own Deathlessness had been principal in opening the door, and he knew it would be up to him to do something about it.

The Devastation was reaching for Ianto. Jack's heart hammered painfully in his chest, fear for his soulmate drowning out his own personal fear. He had to get them away from Ianto before they tried to feed from him.

He knew what he had to do.

"Hey!" he shouted, as he took his first backward step toward the blackness beyond the doorway.

The three loosed Devastation didn't seem to turn, yet Jack could feel their attention on him. He took another step backward, his boots scuffling on the stone as he moved.

Ianto's eyes widened. "Jack!" he cried, taking a stumbling step forward.

Jack didn't try to explain; he knew that his lover would see what he was doing. Instead, he reached deep within himself, to that place where the Deep Magic kept him Deathless, and with a wordless shout he let all the life within him shine outward, making himself a better target than the Wizard.

If the Devastation truly existed by ingesting life, then Jack would be an unending feast.

His boot heel came into contact with the Void beyond the door; Jack could feel the power buck under the assault of his overabundant life. The three Devastation began to glide toward him, as he took yet another step…and found himself completely within the darkness.

Ah, Gods…it was cold, and stifling, and it was all Jack could do not to flee from its grasp. But he had to get the Devastation back inside, and to do that he himself needed to be past the doorway, to lead them within so he could trap them.

A part of Jack's mind was still hoping he could dart past the Devastation and escape the Void. He could see Ianto moving toward him, his wand upraised, but unable to get past the hungering Devastation. The three were in a row, blocking Jack from certain freedom.

And, somehow, the enormous door was beginning to swing shut.

A pain sharper than a sword to the chest blossomed through him. He looked once more at Ianto; he could see the knowledge of what was going to happen in those eyes, and Jack knew that his lover was in as much pain as Jack was. But really, there was no choice…if the Devastation got loose, the world would indeed be destroyed.

This could be it. This could be the way he could truly die. It might take centuries, but if the Devastation fed on him, then perhaps one day Jack would be free.

He found he didn't want to be.

He wanted to live.

But, in the end, he had no real choice.

And it would mean his leaving Ianto alone.

Tears began to course down Jack's face as he took that one, final step backward, letting the Void shroud him. He was going to his death, and he was going without the one person who would have followed him to the hells to be with him.

They'd had such plans…

The last thing he saw, as the door slammed shut and the darkness overwhelmed him, was the agonized face of the other half of his soul.