TIL DEATH DO US PART

 

                Knave Iespyk walked slowly through the halls of the Skycruiser, home to the band of Lunataks led by Mystan Benekasbeel.  His ultimate destination was usually one that he enjoyed going to.  Today was different.  Today he was about to speak to a woman he loved about a very important issue.  Shade Twilight, daughter of Red Eye Twilight, the woman of his dreams.

 

* * *

 

                Knave knocked lightly on the door to the room.  “Shade?” he asked.

“Come on in,” she whispered.  He gently pushed the door open and saw a single candle burning on the table.  Before it, with her face to him, was Shade.  “I’m just relaxing for a little while.  I’m surprised you’re here so early,” she said.

“Red Eye took over for me on the deck,” Knave said.  He produced his icepick and handed it to her.  “Shade.  I’m going to ask you something.  If your answer is no, I want you to take that icepick and drive it through my heart,” he continued.  “Ever since that day on a planet I’ll probably never know the name of, I’ve been in love with you.  I don’t know where I’d be today without you.  Now I want to finish what we’ve started.  Shade Illias Twilight, will you marry me?”

 

                Tears sprung to Shade’s eyes as she listened to Knave.  She’d always hoped.  Always dreamed this day would come.  She dropped the icepick to the ground and stood.

 

                Knave started forward as he saw Shade stumble, her shin crashing into the table.  “Shade?  Are you all right?” he asked.  Instead of an answer he heard a harsh chuckle.

“How pathetic you mortals are.  Getting so sentimental at the drop of a hat.  Of course she’ll marry you, but the question you should be asking is, will I allow her to do so?” Shade’s voice sounded harsher and more gravelly.

“Nightshade,” Knave snarled, referring to the wraith that dwelled within Shade’s body.  In most cases, the wraith took complete control of their host.  The one exception being Shade.  She had been possessed as a new born babe and had a spirit unlike any other.  It had forced the wraith into a submissive role, on occasion though it could take over.

“Is that any way to treat a woman you’ve made love to?” Nightshade asked.

“I’ve never done anything with you,” Knave said, tightening the reigns on his temper.

“Are you sure?  In the throes of passion there’s only one thing you care about.  As long as you get that you hardly notice which of Shade and I is in control,” Nightshade sneered, running her hand down Knave’s chest.

“What do you want?” Knave asked.

“You asked us to marry you.  Shade says yes, unconditionally.  I, on the other hand, do have conditions,” Nightshade said.

“What right have you to make conditions?” Knave demanded.

“You forget, young one.  When a wraith takes a host that host is only alive so long as the wraith chooses to remain in it.  I could leave Shade at any time I pleased and kill her.  Maybe I could even take you instead,” Nightshade mused.

“Fine.  You win,” Knave spat.

“That’s more like it.  Now let me explain what you’re about to do,” Nightshade began.

 

                “For a wraith to reproduce, there must be two compatible hosts and a wraith in each.  What is then produced is a clutch of wraithlings inside the offspring.  To further my species is my only goal.  Now, the problem is there is only one wraith here on Third Earth and so I must perform a procedure that could well be fatal to myself and to the two hosts, you and Shade.  I must place myself inside both of you at the same time.  But with your personal barriers up I could be torn apart, thus killing you and Shade.  Neither of us wants that to happen.  This means, unfortunately that I will have to enter your mind, destroy these barriers, and let nature take its course,” Nightshade said.

“You propose to enter my mind, destroy everything I’ve worked for in my life just so you can repopulate your race?” Knave said.

“Of course.  I assure you.  At the end of it you’ll have a healthy child and the wraithlings won’t bother you or the rest of the Lunataks at all.  There is no other way.  I think you fail to realize this.  But, I would be disappointed if you didn’t fight back, just a little,” Nightshade said.

“When do we start?” Knave asked.

 

* * *

 

                Knave and Shade lay side by side on the floor, stripped of clothes and surrounded by scented candles.  The purpose of these was to try and ease Knave’s mind and lessen the resistance it put up.  “Now, close your eyes and I’ll do the rest,” Nightshade said, beginning an ancient chant.

 

* * *

 

                A strange house loomed before Knave.  Within humans milled about.  He looked at the door.  “500,” he said aloud.

“Your mind’s first barrier.  I’m sorry, but I’ll have to defeat you in every place we go,” Nightshade said, in her true form as a vaguely substantial black mist.

 

                Knave was the first to attack, grabbing the hose from the ground and spraying her.  Nightshade winced as the droplets tore through her, but these wounds healed almost instantly.  “Sorry.  But it’s got to end!” she said, picking him up and hurling him through the kitchen window, crashing into the family dog.  The humans scattered like the wind.  “Maybe ice will stop you,” Knave snarled, breathing at Nightshade.  She deftly avoided it and became more solid.  “How should I kill you?  Bread knife or paring knife?” she asked, reaching into the knife drawer.  Knave’s eyes widened as a large French knife took him between the eyes.

 

* * *

 

                “Interesting.  Chilla’s room.  Each location reflects an aspect of you.  The last was your basic motor skills, this would be your family I suppose,” Nightshade said.

 

                Knave was startled to realize that he was without injury.  “Freeze!” Chilla spat, from the corner.  Knave joined in, surrounding the wraith in a block of ice.  “How did you get here?” Knave asked his sister.

“I am but an image, summoned by your brain to protect you,” Chilla replied.

“And you aren’t doing a very good job of it either,” Nightshade said, seeping through a small gap in the ice.  She then picked up the block and hurled it at Chilla, knocking her out at once.

 

                With a howl of rage Knave lunged at Nightshade.  No one could hurt Chilla and expect to get away with it, even if it wasn’t the real Chilla.  Nightshade grabbed a lamp and threw it into Knave’s face, blinding him long enough for Nightshade to impale him on his own icepick.

 

* * *

 

                “I hope there aren’t too many other barriers,” Nightshade commented, “We are now where you place your emotions.  Interesting selection.”

 

                A thunderstorm was besieging a water fall.  Knave snickered.  That somehow was appropriate.  So caught up was he in the beauty of the scene that he nearly forgot about Nightshade.  It was only luck that had him roll out of the way.  He was starting to understand how these things went, and he really wanted to teach Nightshade a lesson.  Out of the sky a lightning bolt came down and struck the wraith.

 

                “That hurt.  But if you think that’s stopping me, you’re dead wrong, and I mean dead!” Nightshade spat.  A second bolt came down, narrowly missing the wraith, and a third.  By this time the two combatants were so close that when it struck both were knocked off their feet.

 

                Knave cursed his legs as he tried to get them under him.  “Sorry my pretty.  I’m going to have to kill you now,” Nightshade said, recovering sooner.  She picked him up and dashed him against the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall.

 

* * *

 

                “Now we’re getting somewhere.  May I present to you, your deepest fantasies,” Nightshade said.

 

                Knave looked about, keeping a wary eye on Nightshade, and saw a large pedestal, with Shade on top.  She lay reclined on a pile of pillows.  To the side Chilla stood outside their Ice Moon home, with Nitro’s headstone outside.

 

                “How sweet.  Thinking of the two women in your life.  Doesn’t it just make you bubble with happiness?” Nightshade asked.

“I’ve had it up to here with you.  Prepare to die!” Knave shouted, running forward.  Beside him Chilla and Shade joined him.  Strangely though, the wraith did not look concerned, nor even more to stop them.  Instead she raised her eyes and snickered.

 

                Shade and Chilla toppled to the ground, large gaping wounds in their backs.  Knave turned and looked back.  “Nitro!  How?” he stammered.

“Did you think you were the only one able to manipulate the terrain?  I’ve just been playing fair,” Nightshade sneered.  Nitro raised his hand and fired a massive blast of flame at his ‘son.’  Knave waited until the last possible second and jumped over it, letting it streak by and hit Nightshade.  “Argh!  I’m dying.  I guess you’ve won,” Nightshade said, her form beginning to turn into a little black puddle.

“Finally,” Knave muttered, moments before Nitro’s sword lopped off his head.

 

* * *

 

                “If my memory serves me correct, from wraith lore, the fact that we’re in your fear centre should mean that you have no more barriers after this.  Oh well.  It was fun killing you,” Nightshade snickered.

“My fear centre.  But I see nothing,” Knave said.

“Well then.  It’s obvious that you fear nothing,” Nightshade said.

“Of course.  I’ve trained myself for countless years to fear . . . ” began Knave.

“Knave.  Help me,” a weak voice implored.

“Who’s there?” Knave asked.

“Help me.  I’m scared,” the voice said again.

“Chilla?  That you?” Knave asked, looking around, panicked.

“I’m dying.  I need your ice powers to stop the flow of blood,” Chilla said, sounding weaker.

“What about your powers, why can’t you save yourself?” Knave asked, moving into the inky blackness.

“I have no energy to do it.  Please,” Chilla said, coughing, sounding near death.  Knave turned to Nightshade, a darker black on the black landscape.

“We’ll postpone our fight for later.  I must save Chilla,” Knave said.

“I can wait,” Nightshade said politely.

 

                Nightshade watched as Knave stumbled around in the dark, looking for his sister.  This was even more fun than killing him.  He’d clearly forgotten where they were and his powers here.  He could summon light, could command the Chilla to be healed.  Could ignore her completely and deal with his real problem.

 

                “Knave.  I’m not going to make it,” Chilla gasped.

“Forgive me Chilla.  I’m sorry.  I tried to find you!” Knave cried.

“You could have saved me, but you didn’t.  I can’t forgive you,” Chilla said, and then there was silence.

 

                Knave fell to the ground, his head in his hands.  “She’s dead.  I can’t believe it, she’s really dead,” he said.  “I loved her like no other, and there’s so much I wanted to tell her.  To tell her how much she means to me.  How am I going to live without her here beside me?”

“Oh, well, I can fix that,” Nightshade said, plunging Knave’s icepick clean through the heart, and tossing the still beating organ to the ground.  “Game’s over,” she snickered, crushing Knave’s heart under her heel.

 

* * *

 

                Knave came to and found himself beside Shade.  She smiled at him and whispered. “That was the best time I’ve ever had with you.”

“Nightshade?” he asked, still dazed and confused.

“No, silly.  Shade.  Nightshade was controlling both of us, and I must say you performed admirably,” Shade said.  A flicker in Shade’s eyes though reminded him that Nightshade was always present.

 

* * *

 

                “Chilla?  Are you free for a minute?” Knave asked.

“I suppose so, yes,” Chilla replied.

“We’ve both been through a lot lately, so I won’t burden you with the details, I just wanted to say that you mean more to me than life itself.  I always have and I always will.  The day you disappeared from Plundarr was the darkest day of my life.  I’m just thankful that I found you again,” he said.  Knave then hugged Chilla and cried against her shoulder.

 

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