Eternal Night
Rated: R
By Lynn Osburn
Because fanfic.net is horrible about italics and bold and such...
~shall represent a characters thoughts~
: shall represent a dream or vision:
CHAPTER TWO
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight Mozenrath tugged on his mothers skirt as they entered the place where she said the magick man was. "Mommy!" she whispered quietly. "Mommy I don't like this place." He was sure he'd never seen a place like this before. There was a funny smell in the air like rotted cattle meat and pig swallow. The sand under his feet looked weird to. He though that all sand was gold colored, but this stuff was black and sucked at his feet. "Momma I can't walk in this stuff." He protested as she drug him ford.
"Hush Mozenrath!" she ordered as they walked towards a huge structure at the top of a peak. As he tried to keep up with his mothers brisk pace up the hill, Mozenrath looked down into a black sea. The waves crashed against the moss covered rocks and each time they collided, he was sure he could hear somebody scream. The foam that topped the waves formed vaguely human shapes and stared up at him
Those weren't the only eyes keeping watch. In the crumbled buildings bellow he saw thin shapes bustling about, covered in rags and filthy clothing. He felt bad for them somehow and reached out for a brief moment.
He recoiled the moment he saw their flesh. ~Lepers~ he almost screamed and stumbled away as the sorrow filled eyes looked at him. Their flesh was covered in boils and scars, oozing some foreign liquid that smelled funny. "Mommy!" he screamed out and felt two hands grip either side of him. For a second he wondered if one of the diseased people had grabbed him and was only too thankful to find himself in his mothers arms.
"What do you think your doing?" she hissed out and slashed at the nearest leper, her claws leaving green marks deep in the already ruined flesh. The small group that had congregated around him dispersed within seconds. He turned up to his mother, wanting a hug of some sort and instead felt the flat side of her palm hit against his cheek. "Stupid child! They are unclean! After all the trouble I went through you dare risk yourself like that!" she raised her hand again and instead only grabbed him and hauled him up the hill.
Mozenrath wasn't sure what to think. He couldn't remember ever having been hit before! He rubbed his cheek and set his chin in a stubborn pout as they neared the doors of the foreboding palace.
Slowly the doors swung open as a mountain of foul smelling fog surrounded him and his mother. Mozenrath hide behind his mothers skirts and peeked out curiously from behind her legs. "Momma." he said unsurely. "Silence." She hissed out as someone began walking towards them. His posture was straight and his gait was smooth. He dressed in long flowing robes made from what was clearly high quality silks despite the colors. He seemed to be very fond of a dark gray with dingy green and pasty yellow along the creases. It was of such a tone that it was difficult to tell if the dye was natural or simply aged that way. "Ah! Mirage, Oh Divine one" He clapped his hands together and bowed low to the ground. "For what reason does the daughter of Set visit me?" His accent wasn't like any Mozenrath had ever heard before. Thick and cultured, Mozenrath didn't trust it. It wasn't specifically the accent, but rather the way he spoke, too honeyed of a voice, too much insincerity. "Good Evening Destain. I have decided that after years of loyal services to me, I should present you with a gift." Mirage reached from behind her and grabbed Mozenrath around the arms, dragging him out. "This little boy is Mozenrath, I recently.acquired him and upon doing so discovered that he has some rather unusual magical potential." "Potential hum. Mirage, you know I rarely take on pupils." Destain leaned in closer, inspecting Mozenrath. His skin was the same color as dry sandpaper and his hands had the same texture as he lifted Mozenrath's chin. He had dark black rings under his eyes that looked to be more natural then from some sort of sleep deprivation. His hair was remarkably well groomed. He kept the pepper gray mass tied up behind his head and half hidden under an odd cap. "Indeed he'd have to be extraordinarily gifted in order for me to take him on." "Really? I don't suppose his looks would help improve your disposition at all?" Mirage smiled cattishly and pushed Mozenrath ford. Destain laughed dryly and brought his face in close to the boys. "Perhaps. I do have a somewhat exotic taste." He traced the line of Mozenrath's jaw and brushed a forlock of hair from between his eyes. "You smell funny." Mozenrath blurted out without thinking. He automatically slapped a hand over his mouth as his eyes grew wide. He hadn't meant to sound to rude, but it was true. The man reeked of some unknown odor that offended everyone near. He backed away, suddenly very aware that this man was just as likely to hit him as his mother. Instead, the man simply smiled. "He is quite a problem child isn't he Mirage?" "Well, I shall leave it up to you to solve that problem?" Mirage asked slyly. "If you are truly worried about his magickal value, just scry him." She gestured airily as though this was taking far more time then she could afford. Destain humphed and stared intensely at Mozenrath, still unsure. Mozenrath tried to back away but felt those dark gray eyes burrow deeply into his own. He felt an uncomfortable tingle creeping up his spine and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. "Stop this." He whispered n a stronger voice then he though possible. "Stop this!" he yelled out as Destain's angry, violent power seized him. His stomach churned nastily and his knees felt weak. He could see something growing in the back of Destain's eyes, a kind of emotion he had never seen before. Soon enough, the magick man broke contact with the small boy and Mozenrath collapsed. "Forgive me, Oh Divine one." He said in a voice that sounded almost breathless with joy. Those eyes stared back down at Mozenrath, locking him in place. "I am most honored to receive such a rare gift from you. I only hope that I may prove a worth teacher for the boy." Mirage purred, her pride contented. "Really Destain, did you think I would send you some stripling sorcerer." She cleaned her claws and smiled. "Train him well sorcerer of the Land of Eternal Night." She began to rise into the air. "I shall return to check on his progress." With a snap of her fingers and a flash of green flame she vanished, leaving Mozenrath with the foul smelling sorcerer. "Well, well , well. So you are to be my new little kitten." Destain circled Mozenrath like a vulture. He leaned in close and draped a long arm around Mozenrath's shoulder's bringing him in close. "Do you know how powerful you are Mozenrath?" He watched with that unfathomable emotion and Mozenrath stiffly shook his head no. "Ohhh why you are very powerful indeed." "How powerful?" Mozenrath asked shyly. True, he disliked this man, but his curiosity was just enough to outweigh his distaste. Destain seemed pleased by the question and patted Mozenrath on the head. "Very powerful. Perhaps more powerful then me." ~I doubt that would take much~ Mozenrath thought inwardly. True, his mother had called this man a sorcerer, but despite his best efforts, Mozenrath felt no real POWER coming from this man. Yes, the scrying had show magickal talent, but still, magick had a definite FEEL to it. This seemed more like a trick by a magician. But still, his mother had said this man could teach magick. "Of course there is a small problem." Destain gestured with two fingers, drawing them close together. Mozenrath cocked his head to one side in question. "The power, it is locked up deep inside you. It will take a very long time, and a lot of studying to bring it out." "Why? Isn't there a key?" Mozenrath asked. "I thought every lock had a key?" He asked when Destain shook his head no. "You see this lock is very different. It has to be picked out." Destain explained patiently. "Why?" Mozenrath asked again. "Because.do you remember when your.mommy brought you here?" He asked. "Well you see when she brought you here, she exposed you to a whole lot of very very powerful magick. That magick disrupted your tiny body and.broke the key that would have allowed me.you to simply use your magick." Destain grimaced inwardly. No wonder Mirage had dumped this troublesome brat in his lap. She had gotten careless from some reason and exposed him openly to the Abyss. ~Which means she was probably in a rush after she kidnapped him from wherever.~ After she had realized her mistake, she had decided to simply give him to one of her minions to spend years pulling his power back out into the open where it would be of some use to her. ~Damn her.~ "So.I'm going to have to pick the lock?" Mozenrath frowned when Destain nodded a yes. "But that's like stealing, isn't it." Destain gave a strained grin, but forced himself into control.If he lost control and frightened the child now, he would never get him trained right. "But, the power is already inside you Mozenrath. It already belongs to you. How can you steal from yourself?" Mozenrath thought about it. That made sense. If the power was already his, then didn't he deserve it? Still, something seemed wrong about the whole scenario. "I don't know sir. This still seems wrong." ~Confound this damn childhood sense of morality!~ Destain forced a smile onto his face once again and caressed the side of Mozenrath's soft cheek. ~Such beautiful skin. I wonder where Mirage did gather him from?~ "Now Mozenrath, would your mother entrust you to me if she thought I would do something wrong?" he asked, invoking a child's natural trust in their mother. "Of course not." He smiled as Mozenrath shook his head in a half- hearted no. "Now, why don't we go inside, and I'll show you your room." He stood and Mozenrath hesitantly took his offered hand.
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight Mozenrath tugged on his mothers skirt as they entered the place where she said the magick man was. "Mommy!" she whispered quietly. "Mommy I don't like this place." He was sure he'd never seen a place like this before. There was a funny smell in the air like rotted cattle meat and pig swallow. The sand under his feet looked weird to. He though that all sand was gold colored, but this stuff was black and sucked at his feet. "Momma I can't walk in this stuff." He protested as she drug him ford.
"Hush Mozenrath!" she ordered as they walked towards a huge structure at the top of a peak. As he tried to keep up with his mothers brisk pace up the hill, Mozenrath looked down into a black sea. The waves crashed against the moss covered rocks and each time they collided, he was sure he could hear somebody scream. The foam that topped the waves formed vaguely human shapes and stared up at him
Those weren't the only eyes keeping watch. In the crumbled buildings bellow he saw thin shapes bustling about, covered in rags and filthy clothing. He felt bad for them somehow and reached out for a brief moment.
He recoiled the moment he saw their flesh. ~Lepers~ he almost screamed and stumbled away as the sorrow filled eyes looked at him. Their flesh was covered in boils and scars, oozing some foreign liquid that smelled funny. "Mommy!" he screamed out and felt two hands grip either side of him. For a second he wondered if one of the diseased people had grabbed him and was only too thankful to find himself in his mothers arms.
"What do you think your doing?" she hissed out and slashed at the nearest leper, her claws leaving green marks deep in the already ruined flesh. The small group that had congregated around him dispersed within seconds. He turned up to his mother, wanting a hug of some sort and instead felt the flat side of her palm hit against his cheek. "Stupid child! They are unclean! After all the trouble I went through you dare risk yourself like that!" she raised her hand again and instead only grabbed him and hauled him up the hill.
Mozenrath wasn't sure what to think. He couldn't remember ever having been hit before! He rubbed his cheek and set his chin in a stubborn pout as they neared the doors of the foreboding palace.
Slowly the doors swung open as a mountain of foul smelling fog surrounded him and his mother. Mozenrath hide behind his mothers skirts and peeked out curiously from behind her legs. "Momma." he said unsurely. "Silence." She hissed out as someone began walking towards them. His posture was straight and his gait was smooth. He dressed in long flowing robes made from what was clearly high quality silks despite the colors. He seemed to be very fond of a dark gray with dingy green and pasty yellow along the creases. It was of such a tone that it was difficult to tell if the dye was natural or simply aged that way. "Ah! Mirage, Oh Divine one" He clapped his hands together and bowed low to the ground. "For what reason does the daughter of Set visit me?" His accent wasn't like any Mozenrath had ever heard before. Thick and cultured, Mozenrath didn't trust it. It wasn't specifically the accent, but rather the way he spoke, too honeyed of a voice, too much insincerity. "Good Evening Destain. I have decided that after years of loyal services to me, I should present you with a gift." Mirage reached from behind her and grabbed Mozenrath around the arms, dragging him out. "This little boy is Mozenrath, I recently.acquired him and upon doing so discovered that he has some rather unusual magical potential." "Potential hum. Mirage, you know I rarely take on pupils." Destain leaned in closer, inspecting Mozenrath. His skin was the same color as dry sandpaper and his hands had the same texture as he lifted Mozenrath's chin. He had dark black rings under his eyes that looked to be more natural then from some sort of sleep deprivation. His hair was remarkably well groomed. He kept the pepper gray mass tied up behind his head and half hidden under an odd cap. "Indeed he'd have to be extraordinarily gifted in order for me to take him on." "Really? I don't suppose his looks would help improve your disposition at all?" Mirage smiled cattishly and pushed Mozenrath ford. Destain laughed dryly and brought his face in close to the boys. "Perhaps. I do have a somewhat exotic taste." He traced the line of Mozenrath's jaw and brushed a forlock of hair from between his eyes. "You smell funny." Mozenrath blurted out without thinking. He automatically slapped a hand over his mouth as his eyes grew wide. He hadn't meant to sound to rude, but it was true. The man reeked of some unknown odor that offended everyone near. He backed away, suddenly very aware that this man was just as likely to hit him as his mother. Instead, the man simply smiled. "He is quite a problem child isn't he Mirage?" "Well, I shall leave it up to you to solve that problem?" Mirage asked slyly. "If you are truly worried about his magickal value, just scry him." She gestured airily as though this was taking far more time then she could afford. Destain humphed and stared intensely at Mozenrath, still unsure. Mozenrath tried to back away but felt those dark gray eyes burrow deeply into his own. He felt an uncomfortable tingle creeping up his spine and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. "Stop this." He whispered n a stronger voice then he though possible. "Stop this!" he yelled out as Destain's angry, violent power seized him. His stomach churned nastily and his knees felt weak. He could see something growing in the back of Destain's eyes, a kind of emotion he had never seen before. Soon enough, the magick man broke contact with the small boy and Mozenrath collapsed. "Forgive me, Oh Divine one." He said in a voice that sounded almost breathless with joy. Those eyes stared back down at Mozenrath, locking him in place. "I am most honored to receive such a rare gift from you. I only hope that I may prove a worth teacher for the boy." Mirage purred, her pride contented. "Really Destain, did you think I would send you some stripling sorcerer." She cleaned her claws and smiled. "Train him well sorcerer of the Land of Eternal Night." She began to rise into the air. "I shall return to check on his progress." With a snap of her fingers and a flash of green flame she vanished, leaving Mozenrath with the foul smelling sorcerer. "Well, well , well. So you are to be my new little kitten." Destain circled Mozenrath like a vulture. He leaned in close and draped a long arm around Mozenrath's shoulder's bringing him in close. "Do you know how powerful you are Mozenrath?" He watched with that unfathomable emotion and Mozenrath stiffly shook his head no. "Ohhh why you are very powerful indeed." "How powerful?" Mozenrath asked shyly. True, he disliked this man, but his curiosity was just enough to outweigh his distaste. Destain seemed pleased by the question and patted Mozenrath on the head. "Very powerful. Perhaps more powerful then me." ~I doubt that would take much~ Mozenrath thought inwardly. True, his mother had called this man a sorcerer, but despite his best efforts, Mozenrath felt no real POWER coming from this man. Yes, the scrying had show magickal talent, but still, magick had a definite FEEL to it. This seemed more like a trick by a magician. But still, his mother had said this man could teach magick. "Of course there is a small problem." Destain gestured with two fingers, drawing them close together. Mozenrath cocked his head to one side in question. "The power, it is locked up deep inside you. It will take a very long time, and a lot of studying to bring it out." "Why? Isn't there a key?" Mozenrath asked. "I thought every lock had a key?" He asked when Destain shook his head no. "You see this lock is very different. It has to be picked out." Destain explained patiently. "Why?" Mozenrath asked again. "Because.do you remember when your.mommy brought you here?" He asked. "Well you see when she brought you here, she exposed you to a whole lot of very very powerful magick. That magick disrupted your tiny body and.broke the key that would have allowed me.you to simply use your magick." Destain grimaced inwardly. No wonder Mirage had dumped this troublesome brat in his lap. She had gotten careless from some reason and exposed him openly to the Abyss. ~Which means she was probably in a rush after she kidnapped him from wherever.~ After she had realized her mistake, she had decided to simply give him to one of her minions to spend years pulling his power back out into the open where it would be of some use to her. ~Damn her.~ "So.I'm going to have to pick the lock?" Mozenrath frowned when Destain nodded a yes. "But that's like stealing, isn't it." Destain gave a strained grin, but forced himself into control.If he lost control and frightened the child now, he would never get him trained right. "But, the power is already inside you Mozenrath. It already belongs to you. How can you steal from yourself?" Mozenrath thought about it. That made sense. If the power was already his, then didn't he deserve it? Still, something seemed wrong about the whole scenario. "I don't know sir. This still seems wrong." ~Confound this damn childhood sense of morality!~ Destain forced a smile onto his face once again and caressed the side of Mozenrath's soft cheek. ~Such beautiful skin. I wonder where Mirage did gather him from?~ "Now Mozenrath, would your mother entrust you to me if she thought I would do something wrong?" he asked, invoking a child's natural trust in their mother. "Of course not." He smiled as Mozenrath shook his head in a half- hearted no. "Now, why don't we go inside, and I'll show you your room." He stood and Mozenrath hesitantly took his offered hand.