Chapter 13

Rahel knew something was wrong with me. Perhaps it is innate with babies or perhaps I projected it onto him. Babies smile especially at pretty people. What looks awful and hideous scares them. Rahel never smiled at me, until one day he woke me up and had me nurse him. After his great big burp he looked up at me and smiled. I did not realise it at first, so I just started to coo with him. He smiled at all of my faces. The moment felt so precious that I did not bother to wonder why Rahel smiled at me.

That day went by in a glorious daze for me. The first smile of my baby had me doing all of my chores in a blissful unawareness of the world. For the first time since I slept with Vicdaen I was happy, I could enjoy my life as it was, I did not want to change it into something else. I had shied away from the world, but now I felt as a part of it, and I could not wait to go home to my mother and tell her about Rahel's smile.

Of course, that had to come to an end. Bliss can not last forever. It did not even last the whole day. I was painfully made aware of the world when I heard a voice I had not heard for a very long time.

"It's a beautiful boy you've got." That ice cold voice had me shivering all over.

I had just been hanging newly washed clothes on the line as I heard her. The last time I heard her it was without a face, and I believed that this was the case now as well.

"You're only in my head."

"Think again, Amram. Turn around."

"No."

"You should... you'll never get a new chance to look at your son again, this is the last time you'll ever see him."

I spun around and saw a small woman, burnt in the fashion I was, clench my baby in her arms. Her hair was pitch black — not the velvety kind you would expect of a Wiliji — and she was short as a dwarf, but still proportionate. She held Rahel very awkwardly in her arms, my babe was too big for her small arms and hands.

"Who are you?"

She laughed. "After being with you more than a year, you don't know who I am! It's very laughable."

I shook my head sharply. "No it's not. What do you mean? I've been alone all this time."

"For someone with such great magic as you, you sure do know nothing about it."

As soon as she mentioned it I could feel the magic flare up deep within me. "I know that I could kill you in this instant."

"You're so harsh, Amram. I am holding your baby, who knows what will happen if I drop him when you kill me", she threatened.

"So, who are you? And how come you've been with me all this time?"

"Fire is my weakness. Still, I used it to my advantage... because then I could live off of you. And I could manipulate your magic when the moment arrived... but the moment never arrived."

"You're speaking nonsense."

"Yes... I guess I do", she said and quieted. Then darkness surrounded her. "I am Placident, dark and vile. I am the greatest magician of them all... I hold all magic in the world except one... that one which is yours... I possessed your skin... hence your burn marks that couldn't disappear, because they were mine. If Vicdaen had just visited you more than that first time after the fire, I would have made you use your magic on him... giving me your magic and exterminating the last of the Fuor family... and I would have been complete."

The darkness grew around her, making everything seem bigger and yet smaller than before. I almost started hyperventilating when the dark touched me, tangible like a cold wind.

"But you had to run away... If you'd just stayed in Fuoress, you'd have killed him..." and she smiled a wicked smile, a half smile just as mine.

I brought my hands up to my face, touching skin that now felt as alive and smooth as if I was fifteen again. I looked at my hands, they were hard and chubby, but there were no scars anymore.

"Ah, yes... now you're whole again. Too bad there is no magic that works upon the soul, I'd have your body in an instant. And you who believed that Vicdaen was being superficial, when he trusted his instincts — oh yes, I could hear his thoughts screaming out loud: 'Something's not right, don't look at her!' Haha!" she laughed again. Then her wicked face was gone, replaced by a deadly serious one. "I was what was wrong. And now I will kill your son... and you'd better watch all the time, and then you're up for a slow death."

"No!" I screamed before she finished. I jumped at her, and she floated away, out of reach. "Give him back!"

I followed her like a cat stalks a bird. I jumped at her several times, but she spun out of reach every time. The world darkened to the same colour of her hair, leaving me, Rahel and Placident the only specks of colour. At another time I would have wondered where the rest of the world had gone, but there was Rahel. Nothing mattered save him.

"Let him go!" I fell to the nonexistent ground, exhausted and crying.

Placident floated down in front of me, stroking Rahel's newly grown hair. She pinched his tiny ear and he squealed in protest.

"Quiet!" she ordered him.

"Please I beg you." I humiliated myself by begging her, on my knees, grabbing the fold of her dress.

"Now there's a good beggar. Look, boy. Your mother is dragging herself through the dirt, all for your sake."

"Please, don't", I asked.

"You don't have to worry about your son... I think that I will make him my own. How does that sound? But don't think you'll get away... No. You're going to die, very soon."

If she was going to take away my son what was there left to live for? I could not stop her... Not alone. And as I thought so I noticed something behind Placident. It was enough to take her attention off of me when she noticed where I looked.

I sprang up, and grabbed Rahel from her. Placident lost her balance and fell hard on her butt, and in the joy of having Rahel back I almost laughed at her with glee. She bounced back up, but not fast enough. A sword came swinging from behind, stabbing her in the back. Just as quickly as it came it disappeared, but the harm had been done.

"No", was her final word before staggering back down to the ground, blood trailing down her chin.

As she drew her last breath the world shifted back to its original colours. I looked up and saw my saviour. It was... not the one I expected it to be.

"Thank you", I said, a little out of breath. I sounded disappointed. "You saved my life."

"Well, don't shower me with compliments", he said sarcastically. "You don't sound much thankful."

"I expected someone else."