A/N: This one starts out a bit like Jaenelle's Offering to the Darkness,
but its different, I promise.
Disclaimer: I don't own the world or characters in this story except for those not created by Anne Bishop.
The Offering
"She's been gone for a full twenty-four hours longer than she should, father! Something must have gone wrong!" Lucivar was pacing about the room like a madman, and Saetan had just about had it. Malayian's Offering to the Darkness was well since over, and yet she had not yet returned. Saetan almost wanted to smile remembering his own fear when Jaenelle had not returned for three days. But with Lucivar, it was very annoying.
"She's probably fine, Lucivar. She might have descended to the Ebon- Gray. That's not always easy to get used to."
"Father, I descended to the Ebon-Gray, I know what it is like." Lucivar finally made up his mind. "I'm going to find her, right now!" And he stormed out of the room in a rush of energy.
"Don't interrupt her if she is still in the chamber, Lucivar," Saetan called after his son.
Saetan needed had bothered with his message, for the chamber doors were wide open when Lucivar reached them. Fear grasped his heart like a vice. Where was she. Hell's fire! Where could she go? Lucivar resumed his pacing, this time outside the door of the chamber, mind frantically trying to figure out where Malayian had gone. He muttered to himself, growling out curses at everything from himself to the sun, which had decided to shine a bit to brightly on the fall morning.
"Oh!"
The voice prompted Lucivar to look up. Malayian stood behind him, not smiling. Dark circles under her black eyes made them look even darker that usual. Wisps of dark hair flew free from the knot at the back of her neck and she was breathing hard as though she had been running long distance. The beads of sweat on her forehead made Lucivar think that maybe she had been.
"Its been a full day since your Offering, Malayian! Where have you been?" Lucivar demanded.
Malayian scowled. "I don't have to account for my whereabouts to you, Lucivar," she spat at him, pushing him aside as she entered the chamber. Lucivar followed, resisting the urge to throttle her. Didn't need to account for her whereabouts? He was just concerned.
"Well the Offering to the Darkness should take from sunset to sunrise. It's the second sunrise since you went into the chamber. Naturally I would be anxious."
"Well here I am, so as you see you have no need for concern."
A long pause stretched out between them and Lucivar felt the need to scream. Mother night! They weren't going to fight through this charade again! He stepped in front of her as she grabbed her sack and tried to leave.
"Malayian, let's not go back to this pointless…."
"It has nothing to with that," she growled, almost to herself.
"Then why are you acting so vindictive?" She didn't answer, but gave him a look that told him that if he didn't move, his blood was likely to shortly become the new paint on the walls of the chamber. Lucivar stepped aside.
Suddenly an idea occurred to him.
"Malayian, what Jewel did you descend to?"
Malayian snarled at him and Lucivar knew he'd been correct.
"What was it," he asked, this time a bit more harshly.
"The Gray." She said the name bitterly.
Now Lucivar was confused. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Darling, that's a good thing."
"I could have held the Ebon-Gray. I'm strong enough, but I wasn't ready and now I'm weaker than…." She realized what she was about to say and cut off.
"Weaker than me." Lucivar filled in the missing words. "What is your obsession with being as strong as me?" He felt anger, but he was unsure why. Malayian still did not respond.
"Why! What is it, Malayian? What are you trying to prove?"
Malayian just pushed past him. "I don't really wish to discuss it now. I'm just a bit disappointed with myself. I'll get over it."
Lucivar was sorely tired of this. "When will you learn to trust me, Malayian? What more can I do to convince you?"
Malayian stared at the Jewel in her hand, hating it because she would get no second chance.
"You have been raped, Lucivar, just as I have. You know what it is like to be forced to submit to people you hated. But the Ring of Obedience that bound you holds you no longer. It's been replaced with one that you choose to wear, and one that cannot be turned against you."
"What do you mean?"
"Control!" Malayian whirled around to face him. She was yelling now. "I have never had control. Every time he came for me, there was nothing I could do to fight him. He controlled my mind through fear and my body through power, and I can't escape that!" Her voice grew soft. Her voice came in sobs, but she shed no tears. "I can never be strong enough now."
"He wore the Sapphire Jewel, Malayian. You are stronger than him now, even if you don't wear the Ebon Gray."
Malayian's hands gripped her hair hard as though she were trying to rip a thought from her mind. "But he's still there." Her voice cracked with emotion as she sank to the ground. "He's still there." She buried her face in her arms.
Lucivar stared at her. Suddenly he understood, realized just how fragile her mind was. His throughts flashed back to the first time he'd met her, and the confidence that had permeated her psychic scent. The scent was the same, but now Lucivar could sense the fear and uncertainty that ate away at her mind. He had a sudden urge to pull her close to him and cherish and protect that mind, make sure nothing would ever hurt her again.
He knew who was responsible for this hurt as well, and the thought that this man still walked any of the three Realms. He had not broken her in the sense that he stripped her of the magic of her birthright, but he had damaged her mind more subtly that Lucivar had realized before. Anger colored Lucivar's sight, as he rose to the killing edge. Abruptly he turned away from Malayian and began to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Malayian's voice was soft and void of emotion. Lucivar turned at the sound. She was still crouched on the ground, hands still gripping her head. The sight of her took Lucivar off the killing edge. He realized that he had no idea what the answer to her question.
"Come with me," he told her, gently lifting her up by one elbow, loosening her fingers from their death grip in her hair. "We are going to end this once and for all."
A/N: What will Lucivar do? Stay tuned next time for the next installment of…MALAYIAN. Okay, enough dramatics. R/R and I may just get the next chapter up quickly.
Disclaimer: I don't own the world or characters in this story except for those not created by Anne Bishop.
The Offering
"She's been gone for a full twenty-four hours longer than she should, father! Something must have gone wrong!" Lucivar was pacing about the room like a madman, and Saetan had just about had it. Malayian's Offering to the Darkness was well since over, and yet she had not yet returned. Saetan almost wanted to smile remembering his own fear when Jaenelle had not returned for three days. But with Lucivar, it was very annoying.
"She's probably fine, Lucivar. She might have descended to the Ebon- Gray. That's not always easy to get used to."
"Father, I descended to the Ebon-Gray, I know what it is like." Lucivar finally made up his mind. "I'm going to find her, right now!" And he stormed out of the room in a rush of energy.
"Don't interrupt her if she is still in the chamber, Lucivar," Saetan called after his son.
Saetan needed had bothered with his message, for the chamber doors were wide open when Lucivar reached them. Fear grasped his heart like a vice. Where was she. Hell's fire! Where could she go? Lucivar resumed his pacing, this time outside the door of the chamber, mind frantically trying to figure out where Malayian had gone. He muttered to himself, growling out curses at everything from himself to the sun, which had decided to shine a bit to brightly on the fall morning.
"Oh!"
The voice prompted Lucivar to look up. Malayian stood behind him, not smiling. Dark circles under her black eyes made them look even darker that usual. Wisps of dark hair flew free from the knot at the back of her neck and she was breathing hard as though she had been running long distance. The beads of sweat on her forehead made Lucivar think that maybe she had been.
"Its been a full day since your Offering, Malayian! Where have you been?" Lucivar demanded.
Malayian scowled. "I don't have to account for my whereabouts to you, Lucivar," she spat at him, pushing him aside as she entered the chamber. Lucivar followed, resisting the urge to throttle her. Didn't need to account for her whereabouts? He was just concerned.
"Well the Offering to the Darkness should take from sunset to sunrise. It's the second sunrise since you went into the chamber. Naturally I would be anxious."
"Well here I am, so as you see you have no need for concern."
A long pause stretched out between them and Lucivar felt the need to scream. Mother night! They weren't going to fight through this charade again! He stepped in front of her as she grabbed her sack and tried to leave.
"Malayian, let's not go back to this pointless…."
"It has nothing to with that," she growled, almost to herself.
"Then why are you acting so vindictive?" She didn't answer, but gave him a look that told him that if he didn't move, his blood was likely to shortly become the new paint on the walls of the chamber. Lucivar stepped aside.
Suddenly an idea occurred to him.
"Malayian, what Jewel did you descend to?"
Malayian snarled at him and Lucivar knew he'd been correct.
"What was it," he asked, this time a bit more harshly.
"The Gray." She said the name bitterly.
Now Lucivar was confused. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Darling, that's a good thing."
"I could have held the Ebon-Gray. I'm strong enough, but I wasn't ready and now I'm weaker than…." She realized what she was about to say and cut off.
"Weaker than me." Lucivar filled in the missing words. "What is your obsession with being as strong as me?" He felt anger, but he was unsure why. Malayian still did not respond.
"Why! What is it, Malayian? What are you trying to prove?"
Malayian just pushed past him. "I don't really wish to discuss it now. I'm just a bit disappointed with myself. I'll get over it."
Lucivar was sorely tired of this. "When will you learn to trust me, Malayian? What more can I do to convince you?"
Malayian stared at the Jewel in her hand, hating it because she would get no second chance.
"You have been raped, Lucivar, just as I have. You know what it is like to be forced to submit to people you hated. But the Ring of Obedience that bound you holds you no longer. It's been replaced with one that you choose to wear, and one that cannot be turned against you."
"What do you mean?"
"Control!" Malayian whirled around to face him. She was yelling now. "I have never had control. Every time he came for me, there was nothing I could do to fight him. He controlled my mind through fear and my body through power, and I can't escape that!" Her voice grew soft. Her voice came in sobs, but she shed no tears. "I can never be strong enough now."
"He wore the Sapphire Jewel, Malayian. You are stronger than him now, even if you don't wear the Ebon Gray."
Malayian's hands gripped her hair hard as though she were trying to rip a thought from her mind. "But he's still there." Her voice cracked with emotion as she sank to the ground. "He's still there." She buried her face in her arms.
Lucivar stared at her. Suddenly he understood, realized just how fragile her mind was. His throughts flashed back to the first time he'd met her, and the confidence that had permeated her psychic scent. The scent was the same, but now Lucivar could sense the fear and uncertainty that ate away at her mind. He had a sudden urge to pull her close to him and cherish and protect that mind, make sure nothing would ever hurt her again.
He knew who was responsible for this hurt as well, and the thought that this man still walked any of the three Realms. He had not broken her in the sense that he stripped her of the magic of her birthright, but he had damaged her mind more subtly that Lucivar had realized before. Anger colored Lucivar's sight, as he rose to the killing edge. Abruptly he turned away from Malayian and began to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Malayian's voice was soft and void of emotion. Lucivar turned at the sound. She was still crouched on the ground, hands still gripping her head. The sight of her took Lucivar off the killing edge. He realized that he had no idea what the answer to her question.
"Come with me," he told her, gently lifting her up by one elbow, loosening her fingers from their death grip in her hair. "We are going to end this once and for all."
A/N: What will Lucivar do? Stay tuned next time for the next installment of…MALAYIAN. Okay, enough dramatics. R/R and I may just get the next chapter up quickly.