Bond of Darkness - Chapter 2

Chapter Two: In The Emptiness

A house stood above all others in the sleepy town. The lone man walked through the empty streets towards it uncertain of what he would find. He wasn’t even sure why he was there. Deliver a message, he thought. No, more than that. He was going to need to explain everything. And if he didn’t it was over for him.

He moved swiftly up the narrowing street. It reminded him of the old country. The kind of place in Italy where the women hung their washing up on lines stretching from one building to the next, shouting the news of dinner to their kids below on the cobblestone pathways. Only this was different somehow. The street he envisaged had certain warmth, a glow. It was, after all, home but even that wasn’t why he felt so odd here. Everything seemed dead. Ruined. He grew increasingly morbid and depressed with each step he took here.

The house on the hill was directly in front of him. The old, ravaged door easily opened. He stepped inside. To the right as he entered were stairs leading to a dark hallway above and to his left was the living room, where he could see the faintest glow of light emitting. He entered the room gazing gratefully at the warm fireplace as he sat down.

“What news?” he heard a voice say. This was it

“Sir! I’m afraid I bring naught but bad news,” he said miserably. He was going to have to pay for this with his life. It wasn’t his fault. He was merely an observer, he wasn’t told to intervene, he was told to watch as the situation progressed.

“Very well. I bore no ill will towards you for the task although you are advised to tell me everything you know” the voice commanded. He took a breath. Ok.

“Well sir, it appears there is a Bond. We’re not too sure of how it came to be but it is so.” after he spoke he waited for the man to unveil himself and possibly strike, but nothing. No sounds. He waited.

“And what of Raphael? I trust he carried out his orders impeccably?” the voice said

“Erm…well no sir. We believe now that Raphael has been in contact with Lliego. What’s more it appears to be Raphael who has partaken in the Bond” he was shaking now, quivering. He had just delivered excruciatingly bad news to a man who was merciless in his entirety.

“I see…this Bond is far too dangerous to continue, especially if Raphael is part of it and if he is in league with Lliego. Does Raphael know of this Bond? Of its power?”

“No Sir, he is aware of the Bond but does not seem to be certain of its power. It seems he has only just met the man with whom he formed the Bond. Someone connected to Elias sir.”

He wasn’t sure how his master was going to take this news but so far he had been reserved. Maybe Lady Luck was on his side for once.

“Well I could have guessed that Elias would be involved. He’s now the centre of all things whether he likes it or not. Doubtful Elias even knows of this Bond. But we have an advantage for Raphael is young and foolish. He does not know of his potential and it is necessary that we do not let him realise. Now Lliego will be too fixated on Elias at the moment. I’m sure of it. So we need to take this chance. You will gather whom you can in the Empire and bring me this mystery boy. We cannot convince Raphael a second time and anyway, he has had his chance. We need that other boy and when we have him, we’ll need to kill Raphael. In the hands of Lliego he is very, very dangerous. Go now and do as I asked. Bring me the second boy!” he screamed this second part with such anger that the messenger stood up immediately and fled.

He ran from the small dark, dusking town. Next time there would be another who would go there. Next time another who would experience the horror of that foul place. He thought it strange that though the town was indeed dead, ruined and hollow, in the emptiness lived a man on the cusp of a return. And he would not be happy with those who abandoned him when he came back.