Instert standard disclaimer here. Everyone should know that I don't own these characters. Except, of course, the original ones. Also chopped the story up into chapters. Sorry if the transitions are rough. If you want to read it without chapters, head over to vejiitasei.com.
Absolution- Part 1, Chapter 16
by the Prime Minister
Xellos scowled and dropped the body he had been holding, turning his face to the night sky. Something was amiss, he could feel it. Standing perfectly still, his staff planted firmly in the dirt at his feet, he concentrated, testing the air for the source of the disturbance. He found nothing wrong and his brow wrinkled in confusion. His mission was nearly accomplished; only three more days and he would be finished wiping out the new sect of worshipers of Cephied. Xellas had sent him to rid the world of the new followers of the light, since she had no desire to let the gods have more power than they already possessed. He had been efficient in eliminating them, but took none of the usual pleasure in their painful deaths. It wasn't that he minded taking life, but he no longer derived the same sort of satisfaction from it. Merely one more misfortune to add to his ever-growing pile; what he had once so enjoyed had ceased being fun and had become work instead.
Still, nothing was amiss with his operation. Hundreds of people lay dead in the wilderness, and the others would take only a few days to ferret out. What was bothering him so?
His concentration was interrupted slightly when a group of ten people charged him, spells crackling through the air and weapons drawn. Die, spawn of hell! one of the humans cried, and Xellos glanced at them in annoyance. How was he supposed to think with all the racket going on?
Terribly sorry, he mumbled, glancing away from the humans and raising a hand. With the slightest of gestures he released a stream of dark energy, blasting the mortals to ash where they stood. The other humans backed away for a moment and he pressed his lips together, thinking. He was suddenly worried about his family. Lecia was safe with his mistress, but Lina. . . Lina was all alone in their house, and while she was certainly capable of defending herself against most things, she had made some formidable enemies over the years. There were also his enemies to consider; If they weren't after her for things she had done, they would target her for the sole purpose of trying to hurt him. A thousand awful possibilities rampaged through his thoughts and he weighed his options. He could finish the job and return home as planned in three days, remaining in Xellas' good graces and taking the risk that Lina would be safe and the anxiety in the pit of his being was nothing. He could also return home immediately and check on Lina, possibly falling out of favor with his mistress for doing so and failing to complete his mission. It only took him a moment to make his decision, and he vanished into thin air.
He knew the moment he materialized that something was wrong. The smell of smoke filled the air and he thought he recognized scorch marks on the ground that could only be made by spells. Then he realized that the entire kitchen of the house was missing. It hadn't just been smashed or burned, but appeared to have been blown out of existence entirely. Not even charred timbers remained, and he immediately swept through the rest of the house, finding nothing. Outside several trees had been blown apart or uprooted, and everywhere there were signs of battle. His fears had been confirmed, and he was most displeased. he called, scowling into the darkness as there was no answer. Storming over to the other side of the house, he stepped out onto the porch and peered about. That was when he was able to discern that the beach was absolutely covered with underlings of all shapes, sizes, and levels of evolution.
he roared, fear creeping along his limbs. One, two, or even one hundred underlings would not have been a problem for her, but there were so many of them crowded onto the beach that he could not see the sand. Was she still alive, or had he come too late?
No answer reached his ears, but a sliver of white among the waves caught his eyes. His heightened Monster's hearing picked up the faint sound of her voice, screaming obscenities at her attackers. The smell of blood was in the air, making his stomach tighten with worry. Without hesitating further he teleported to the shoreline, facing the hordes of dark underlings that pulsated on the beach around him. What do you think you're doing? he said softly, narrowing his eyes and gripping his staff.
Ridding our home of the human menace, one of the larger, stronger underlings said, and Xellos casually blasted it out of existence.
Anyone else? he hissed, eyes as cold as steel.
The underlings recoiled and tried to shrink away. He curled his lip in cold fury and began to ready a spell, prepared to deliver long, painful deaths to each and every one of them individually, when he heard spluttering in the water behind him. Turning, he was just in time to see Lina, who must have been treading water for at least forty minutes, disappear under the waves. He snarled and altered his spell, put off that he would have to save his punishment for later. Still, Lina's life and well-being was his priority, and time was of the essence. Raising his hands, he parted the underlings with a gesture and chanted a few words, then plunged his staff into the ground. Underlings writhed and screeched as the spell crept up their twisted bodies, turning them into stone. Soon the beach was completely still, covered with statues of grotesque creatures. Xellos left his staff sticking in the sand and plunged into the water, making it to Lina in a matter of seconds. Diving beneath the water, he swam toward her with powerful strokes, wrinkling his nose at the scent of blood in the water. So that was why she was unable to defeat them all and fled into the water; they must have injured her early on. He reached down a hand and gripped her wrist, pulling her limp form to him and breaking the surface of the water. Cradling her like a child, he made it to shore and waded out of the water, their clothes dripping. he murmured, looking down at her.
Her eyelids fluttered open. she began, then fell into a coughing fit.
I'm home, he replied. I'm sorry I was late.
They came, I wasn't ready, she mumbled, wrapping her fists in his drenched cloak.
Don't speak, he said softly. You're safe now. The underlings can't hurt you.
Lina tried to struggle against his grip for a moment, saying she could take care of herself, but she was still obviously dazed. He clenched his jaw and started up the beach toward the house, watching as Lina gradually noticed the plethora of statues situated on the sand. she whispered.
he said, shattering a few of the nearest statues with a look. I will see that they are punished later.
You should let me help, she grunted, the warmth starting to return to her skin.
When you're on the mend, he said in reply, knowing full well he wasn't about to let the underlings live that long.
She remained quiet until he got her into her room, stripping her of her wet clothing and laying her on her bed. He tore up some old linens and bound the wounds on her arms and legs. She hadn't lost much blood, but the wounds had been in strategic points what would have robbed her of most of her stamina. His expression finally softened and he gently cleared wet strands of hair from her face. she murmured, her bare skin shining dully in the weak starlight.
he said, reaching for a towel, when he felt her hand on his chest. He paused and looked down at her. She was gazing at him levelly, cheeks stained pink. He raised an eyebrow and leaned closer, trying to figure out what it was that she needed, when her hands gripped him roughly by the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her. His eyes flew wide open with shock as her mouth took his, her tongue sliding in between his lips. Her fingers quickly found the hem of his shirt and ripped it off over his head, his arms becoming tangled in the fabric. Miss Lina! he gasped, completely taken by surprise.
Shut up, she growled, her hands fumbling at the waistband of his pants. Before he was fully conscious of what was going on her fingertips were dancing downward from his navel, and it only took him a split second to figure out what she wanted. Her chest rose and fell quickly and her skin was giving off incredible heat, the clean, sweet womanly scent of her obvious in her desire. A hollow pit formed in his abdomen as he realized what she expected from him. He could carry out her wishes physically, but that's all that it would be. He would feel nothing.
His thoughts were scrambled as he felt her hands tearing at his pants, shoving them downward until she could hook her toes in the waistband and push the fabric all the way down to his ankles. He roughly broke her kiss and tried to reach down towards his trousers, a growing sense of panic and nausea overtaking him. All his attempts to prevent her from laying him bare were thwarted and she finally managed to remove the majority of his clothes. There seemed to be no escape for him. If he fled from her now, his refusal to join with her could damage things irreparably and destroy everything he had worked so hard for. Still, he wasn't sure that he could deal with the repercussions of going through with it. She whispered his name again and he realized he really didn't have a choice, resolutely forcing his body to harden with a thought. Fighting down the hollow repulsion within him, he closed his eyes and entered her, trying not to hear her gasp or feel her back arch as their bodies merged. He moved as swiftly as he could, hands planted on the mattress beside her, just wanting it to be over. It was an awful mockery of what they had once shared. He could not feel desire, could not want her, and as he moved within her he was reminded of what she had once made him feel. Where once he had felt they were moving among the stars in their lovemaking there was now only nothingness. Disappointment raged through him and he kept his eyes tightly shut, knowing he would be unable to bear the look of pleasure he knew would be on her face. she moaned into his shoulder, her skin still wet against his, and he felt her shudder beneath him. He slowed his pace until her spasms subsided, then pulled out of her as quickly as possible. Rolling to the side, he tried to make a getaway, but she held him fast, pulling him down onto the mattress next to her.
Miss Lina, he protested gently. There are things that I must see to. . .
Not right now, she murmured, curling up next to him and resting her head on his chest. Just stay.
He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, eyes wide open and staring into the darkness as he tried to ignore the aching nothingness inside of him where there should have been only rapture.