Dark Requiem (The Darkling Trilogy, Book 3) (25 page)

Akan approached the altar,
battling to keep back tears. When he reached the child goddess he
knelt before her. The difference between the first time he had
knelt before her and now was difficult to forget.

A few moments later, Akan
felt her hand on his head. She kept it there only briefly, for they
both knew that in some ways, the child he had come upon when he
entered the temple all those weeks ago and cradled in his arms
during those nightmarish nights whilst she screamed in pain, was
dead. To the world beyond the temple doors, she was the goddess,
and even that small touch spoke a thousand words of her gratitude
to him for saving her life.

He straightened and
settled himself into a sitting position before her. He was a
warrior, a taciturn man by nature. Speaking what was in his heart
did not come easy to him, but he found himself saying more than he
would have said to anyone but the saviour of the Enwa
people.

“
There are not many things
I have ever been afraid of in my life, but those nights of the
ekniwa, I was so frightened you would not live or
that...that—”

“
I would not have, if not
for you. It was what the kind spirits told me over and over, that
you risked your life, the lives of those you love, to save mine.
I...I saw so many things, terrible things and beings that...” She
faltered to a stop, her eyes alight with disquiet. A tremor passed
through her small frame. “B-but there were some who pitied me. I
can still communicate with them sometimes and they help me, tell me
things I should say and do.”

“
I have never heard of
anyone who has survived the ekniwa being able to communicate with
the spirits once it has ended. Are you sure the spirits you still
see can be trusted?” Akan said.

“
I have no choice. But
they woke me to tell me you were waiting outside the temple. So
they must be good.”

“
I hope that is so.” He
drew in a breath. “Goddess, where did Mutata find you? What was
your life like before you came here?”

Her face creased into a
portrait of pain and it seemed as if her breath caught in her
chest.

“
I do not remember,” she
said after a few moments. “I remember little things, like my
mother. I remember always being hungry and my mother crying because
life was so hard. I remember my father. His hands, I remember his
hands. And also a boy. He used to carry me everywhere. Then all I
remember is waking to see Mutata and some other men. I remember
thinking Mutata must be a king because I had never seen such
clothes. And the gold, I had never seen gold before then. There was
so much of it around his neck, and the amount of gold he gave to
the other men! It was dark, the moon hidden behind clouds, but I
could still see smoke in the distance, blacker than the night,
rising into the sky.”

“
It is all you
remember?”

She nodded. “Mutata said I
am a divine being, I do not have a mother and father, for I was not
born to a man or woman. I did not exist before he found
me.”

Akan held in a sigh, one
of deep sorrow, careful to conceal the other emotion her tale had
evoked. Anger. He could imagine all too well what the child could
not remember. Whether the memory block was natural or one Mutata
had used medicines to produce, he was sure it hid the slaughter of
her family.

He remained for a short
time but left long before dawn as he did not want to keep the child
goddess awake for too long. Her days were always long, the verbal
battles with Mutata exhausting. So he left her looking small in the
cavernous temple, drowned by the lilac robe she wore.

He returned home and lay
beside his wife. Tanu was tucked in her arms, the way they had
slept since the child was born. He stared at his son for a long
moment, his thoughts returning to the living idol in the temple who
had only the sombre presence of the fearful attendants. He also
thought about how his visit appeared to have lifted her spirits. He
was able to fall asleep that night and slept deeply, the first time
he had slept properly since he laid eyes on the goddess.

A few nights later,
although I still felt weak, Avery suggested we go out to a
restaurant. I wore a short red dress and pumps. For the first time
in weeks I tonged my hair so it hung in loose waves down my back,
and wore make-up. I admired my reflection in the mirror and smiled
at what I saw. My past memories as a slave, along with the
crippling self-loathing which had made me feel as if I had to hide
my beauty, still lurked on the edges of my psyche. But I was
fortunate enough to be living in a different time. I did not have
to fear anyone or anything, especially now. I could walk down the
street in this dress and know that although I attracted the
attention of males of all races, ages and backgrounds, my body was
my own. I smiled at my reflection, revelling in the freedom and
relative safety of the world I lived in now. Something I had not
been able to do in the past.

When I went downstairs,
Avery was waiting outside by the car, staring out into the night,
his hand resting against his jaw; his shoulders slumped with the
weight of his burdens. He turned and made to move to the car door
when I stepped outside.

“
At last. I thought I was
going to have to come up there and drag you away from that
mirror...”

His words trailed away and
he came to a stop when his gaze fell on me. He just stared in awe
for a few long seconds before he smiled, although sadness still
hung in his eyes. Perhaps it even deepened.

“
You look
beautiful.”

I beamed at him. “Thank
you, Avery.”

We entered the car and
drove off into the night.

When we got to the
restaurant it was to a hive of noise and activity. I stared around
at the people leaving and entering the restaurant, joy in my heart.
All eyes naturally gravitated to me and Avery and I noted the
admiring glances—not to mention a few jealous glares—from some of
the females. I basked in it. In the past, whenever we left the
mansion I’d had to pretend I was Avery’s slave or his servant. In
this time I did not have to be fearful of taking his hand, as I did
now. And he did not have to hide the adoration in his eyes when he
turned to me, or stop himself from brushing the hair away from my
face, his fingers lingering against my cheek. He did, however,
remove that hand from my cheek a few moments later and looked away
from me, guilt in his eyes. Yet when his cell phone rang a moment
later, he clung to my hand before reluctantly letting it go. He
moved a few yards away and answered the call.

I gazed up at the
enigmatic night, at the pregnant moon adorned with pearly, white
clouds. It swam in and out of focus as my vision danced between
clarity and dense gloom. I was reminded of my weakening body and
how close it sometimes seemed I was to being severed from it. It
appeared my sojourn on Earth would be a brief one this time, but I
refused to let that take away the joy I felt this night. I would
relish every single moment I had with Avery until the time came for
me to leave this world.

I was still staring up at
the moon, a smile on my lips, when someone spoke behind
me.

“
Excuse me,
m’am.”

I turned around to find a
little boy, of no more than seven years of age, standing directly
behind me. He had dark, lustrous, wavy hair that hung to his
shoulders, porcelain skin, and wore a sombre looking black suit and
tie. When I first turned around his wide, dark eyes had been
trained intently on me, his small pink lips pressed together in a
thin line. His expression changed the moment I faced him and was
replaced with one of alarm. I felt a rush of warmth and a motherly
instinct to protect him.

“
Aww, you are just the
cutest thing. And what an adorable little suit.” The instinct to
protect him was so strong I moved to him, bringing my hand to his
cheek. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

“
No, I’m lost. I can’t
find my mummy.” There was something mocking about the way he said
those words, but all I could focus on was how cute and vulnerable
he appeared to be.

“
Oh, you poor
thing.”

I picked him up and held
him to me, even though he was a little too big to be carried. There
was a little smug smile on his lips now, the anguish
gone.

“
Don’t worry, honey. We’ll
find your mother.”

I looked around to see if
I could find someone who looked as if she could be his mother.
Avery had finished his phone conversation by then.

“
Thank you,” the little
boy said.

He placed a kiss on my
cheek whilst one arm wound around my neck, the other resting on the
opening of my dress, gently stroking my skin.

Avery was moving toward me
when he came to an abrupt stop, his eyes widening in shock. Abject
fear curled around his mouth when he saw the little boy in my
arms.

“
Dallas, put him
down!”

“
Why?” I stared at him
aghast. “You think I’m going to
eat
him? He’s just a child, Avery!”

“
Not quite,” the little
boy replied.

I turned to him. His
expression had changed once more, the smug smile gone, a ring of
steel in his dark eyes as he stared at me. It made my insides go
cold.

“
Please, Dallas. Just put
him—”

I didn’t need Avery to
tell me twice. I put the boy down and stared at him as Avery moved
to my side and pulled me to him.

“
Who are you?” I
asked.

The boy merely smiled that
smug smile of his. Then he turned and moved toward the restaurant
entrance. When we didn’t follow, he faced us again.

“
Do not underestimate me
on account of my size.” He directed his words to Avery and they
rang with barely suppressed fury, his eyes burning with an
intensity that chilled me. “I may look like a child, but my mental
powers far exceed even that of your little witch—as she is now
anyway—so come along and do not try my patience.”

“
Let Dallas go home,”
Avery said.

The boy’s smile was
withering this time. He turned and moved toward the entrance,
wagging his finger at Avery.

“
I won’t repeat myself,
boy.” He walked into the restaurant.

“
Boy?” I
gasped.

“
Shh,” Avery
whispered.

His eyes were lit with
anxiety. He waited a few moments until the boy was out of sight
before he turned to me.

Keep quiet, and whatever
you do, keep your thoughts shielded from him. Do you
understand
?

I nodded. He took my hand,
holding onto it tightly, and we followed the child into the
restaurant.

We joined the boy at a
table near the window in silence. He ordered a glass of bourbon
from the waitress and then lit a cigarette whilst Avery ordered our
drinks. He drew on the cigarette deeply, his features relaxing for
a few moments before his gaze fell on me.

“
Don’t you think you
should have at least ordered a Coke or something for appearance's
sake?” I said to the boy once the waitress had left.

“
Didn’t he tell you to
keep your mouth shut?”

I felt Avery stiffen
beside me. He was still holding tightly onto my hand. He stared
openly in surprise at the boy.

“
Pay attention. I have
already told you my mental powers far exceed your own. All anyone
in this restaurant sees when they look my way is a little boy with
a glass of soda. I could reach over and snap your scrawny little
neck and they would all see only what I want them to see. And there
is no point in trying to shield your thoughts from me.”

“
Who are you?” I asked
again.

“
Dallas,” Avery
began.

“
Yes, Dallas. You just sit
there and look pretty while I have a little talk with Avery,” the
boy said, a smile curving around his lips as he regarded me,
dragging deeply on the cigarette.
Dallas
is such a stupid name. I much preferred your other name.

I gasped and just stared
at him. He knows?

The boy smiled, showing
wolfish looking little white teeth. Avery seemed confused as he
stared intently at me and then the child.

“
What just happened? What
did you say to her and why can’t I pick it up from her
mind?”

“
Just one of many little
tricks of mine. You’ll be seeing a lot more of what I can do if you
don’t keep your little witch in check.”

“
Listen, you don’t scare
me, you little runt.” I was a little bit unnerved, not to mention
terrified he would let something slip to Avery. “I can’t believe I
thought you were cute. And that little suit is just plain
creepy.”

Avery faced me, his face
pale and lined with anxiety. “Dallas,
please
.”

I sat back and glowered at
the boy.

“
What do you want with
us?” Avery asked.

The boy straightened his
tie, glaring at me all the while.

“
Nothing much. As I said,
I am looking for my mother. It just so happens she is dead. I
thought I should perhaps meet the woman who killed her.”