The Calling

TEN

Silus

Lights flew by, and so did cars. Rolland sped through the roads with confidence. He avoided traffic with ease. I would have bet money he could drive across our city blindfolded.

"Do you have to poop?" I jested, turning toward him with a smirk.

His hands clenched the steering wheel as he replied, "Don't be immature, shithead."

I chuckled, a little relieved to feel a sense of normalcy between us. But it was still different. Before, I would have pushed his buttons without a care in the world, whether he was upset or hurt. I would have done it just for the joy of watching him suffer. Hell, I would have pushed him to the point of making me suffer. It was a delicious treat for me. But now, I had no desire to do so. I was happy in his company, and I found myself wanting to repair the damage I'd done over the years.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I thought this as the car slowed and we pulled into the large underground garage beneath our home and workplace, Vorra Industries. Rolland parked in his usual spot and got out of the car. He didn't wait for me; he walked briskly toward the elevators and had stepped in before I’d even fully gotten out of the car.

He smirked at me as the door closed and went up and away to his apartment. I smiled to myself and waited for the elevator to return so I could go to my own home. I didn't know what was going on with me, but I wondered if this was what being human... being normal felt like.

It took the elevator quite a while to get back to me. We had one private elevator that had access to every floor. Only my brothers, my father, and I could access it. But it was just one little elevator, and our homes were at the top of many floors. My father's penthouse was at the very top, and the floor below housed individual apartments for my brothers and me.

The elevator finally arrived, and I stepped in and pressed nine. My body felt equal parts worn down and invigorated. It didn’t make sense to me. I thought of Elara as I was carried upward. Those stormy eyes causing a stir in me. The portals to The Void were shimmering into existence again, shadows lashing out. I sighed heavily and leaned against the wall to be away from them.

So much for peace. What a short-lived experience. I wondered if Merrick would be able to make me any more of the elixir. But I was guessing not after the meeting we had the day before. Resources were running short, and it was getting harder to visit The Void without detection. Kadasha’s spies were everywhere.

I wondered what my brothers would do if they knew how easily I could pass through. How often I considered returning home to just let the darkness consume me. If I thought Kadasha would let me return and leave the rest of my family alone, I think I would just do it. But alas, my mother would never do anything of the sort.

She wanted my two oldest brothers dead, and my father too. A great sacrifice to give me all of their power. But really, it was so she could have the power. I wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t sacrifice me and Rolland if it meant The Void and the human realm would be hers to consume.

The elevator doors opened and startled me a little. I stepped out into the empty hallway. My apartment was at the end of the hall, and as I walked past each brother’s door, I could hear a glimpse of what they were up to. Merrick was on the phone talking about finances, Rolland had his rock music on, and Dexter’s phone was chiming away with message after message coming in.

I smiled to myself and let the fondness for my brothers fill me with that warm feeling again. But then I shook my head. No… I couldn’t feel for them. I couldn’t be close to them. I arrived at my door, unlocked it, and walked in. My apartment was dark, so I reached for the lamp. As the light came on, it illuminated the open-concept living room and kitchen. I plugged my cell phone into its charger on the kitchen counter and went to the fridge.

I pulled out a Guinness beer, popped the top with the wall bottle opener, and took a long drink. The apartment was quiet—far too quiet. I heard a soft sigh behind me. I turned slowly, looking past the island out to the center of the living room where a dark figure sat on my couch. The lamp only softly illuminated the space and was no match for the darkness that roiled around the figure before me.

I took another long drink of my beer, keeping my eyes on the figure. I set the beer on the counter and came around the island to sit on one of the black leather cushioned bar stools. I slid onto the seat slowly and spun to meet the figure’s gaze.

“Hello, Mother,” I said with an even tone.

The figure shifted and contorted, shadows angrily shifting and curling until they slowly sank to the floor and rested at the feet of Kadasha. She took on her human glamour. Her wings tucked behind her back and disappeared, and her white hair faded away, being replaced by dark, black hair. Glasses appeared on her tiny nose, and she looked over them with that black, piercing gaze. She went through the motions of tying her long hair up into a loose bun, all while keeping eye contact with me.

She said nothing while she finished transforming. She just stared at me. I guessed it was her attempt at a disapproving motherly look. She liked to play human when she visited. She crossed her legs gracefully and locked her long, slender fingers with perfectly manicured nails together across her knee. She leaned forward, and a menacing smile crept across her face.

“Hello, my son.” Her voice was laced with venom even as she tried to sound sweet.

No glamour could cover the dark power of her cadence.

I glanced over to my beer, wishing I had brought it over with me, then looked back at Kadasha, trying to keep a bored look on my face. I crossed my arms and sighed.

“What brings you to my part of the world?” I asked carefully.

With a dark laugh, she answered,

“I wanted to see you, of course.”

“I wish you would have called. I’m not really in the mood for visitors.”

She smiled, bearing razor-sharp teeth.

“Oh, my darling, I simply had to come. I thought something had happened to you, and I just couldn’t wait to know.”

I felt uneasy with the motherly tone she was feigning. The tension in the air was so thick I could nearly reach out and touch it. What would cause it to snap?

“As you can see, Mother, I’m perfectly fine. Nothing out of the usual.”

She stood then and moved toward me. The shadows at her feet rose to twine around her legs like dark vines. She was wearing a fitted black pants suit for her human disguise. She radiated with power. I kept eye contact with her as she came to stand before me and kept my face empty.

She reached out and cupped my cheek, and I felt her power flow into me. The invisible tether between us vibrated with strength. A distant urge to lean into the motherly touch rose up, but I crushed it before I could move. I looked into the endless black pit of her eyes. Her icy white skin was flawless, her face unmoving like a portrait. She stared back, unblinking.

“Have you met someone, sweet boy?” she asked softly.

“No one of interest,” I replied.

She laughed, released my cheek, and sat on the bar stool next to me. She reached out her hand and patted my knee. Then she gripped my knee, and her hand went from that of a well-kept woman to the monster she was. She dug her talon-like nails into my thigh, going until she connected all her fingers.

I grimaced a bit but didn’t make a sound. I met her eyes again, summoned my strength.

“Why are you really here, Mother?”

She smiled again with those sharp teeth, her glamour fully fading away. White hair tumbled down in a thick, straight waterfall, and her skin dulled from a cool, pale tone to a deep gray color. The whites of her eyes were engulfed entirely by the black pit center. Her wings came around me as she leaned forward and cocooned me in darkness.

“Who is she, Silus?”