Playing with Fire [COMPLETED]

4 ~ several months later....

Time moves differently here than in my home.  I'm pretty sure it's been years since I was taken away, but here, it's been almost ten months.

I haven't seen much of Ruin, but when I do, he doesn't say much. I don't know why we haven't talked, but I don't really mind.

In my copious amounts of free time, I've taken to wandering this estate, which is much, much bigger than I'd originally been lead to believe. The part I saw on my first day here was just the front of the mansion, or rather, the castle. Right now, I sit in the study and read a book about the past wars between the Courts. I figure that if I'm going to live here, I may as well learn about this place's history.

The last war between the Courts of the Abyssal Places was sixteen years ago. There was a young woman from a now gone village in the east who had come to the Court of Death and she and Death herself fell in love. But when that girl was taken from Death, and trapped in a Soulprison, Death ended up going insane.

She was tearing the Courts apart, all in her quest to find her missing lover. But yet, no matter what the demon did, she could not find the girl, Ellery. Ellery was just gone. And no one in any Court would fess up to what had been done to her, so Death took them all to war.

Thousands of demons and Court members were slain during the war, which lasted ten years and five months. But when Death found Ellery, she was trapped inside a gemstone, one that had been designed to trap a soul. Ellery could only be freed by the person who'd trapped her, but to this day, they have never been found. And so, Ellery and Death are just out of each other's reach, and Death herself wears the amulet her lover is trapped within.

It's a heartbreaking story to me. I can't imagine what it must be like for them.

I finish the book and am picking another one from my pile of to-be-reads, when scuffing steps approach the table in the library I'm sitting at. Turning my head, I'm startled to see Ruin standing there, looking a bit lost himself. He flicks his glowing, bronze eyes on me, and a small smile crosses that pale face of his. His wings rustle behind his back, the feathers that are black are streaked with dark red, I realize now that he's standing so close and in the bright light of the library. He looks at the table, the two different stacks of books I've read and am to read.

"You like reading," he says. It isn't a question, but more of a statement. I just nod, and he walks over, picking up the history book I'd just finished. "Hm, quite the tale."

"I find it sad," I say softly, looking at the book I've chosen to read next. The Wandering Dead Man.

"Oh, it certainly is," Ruin murmurs, setting the book down. Today, he wears a red suit and a black tie, his dark hair is slightly curly as it frames his face. I hadn't realized how long and curly it is until now. "You know, it wasn't long ago that I met Ellery. She was a kind being, for a human."

"I am human," I remind him.

He nods. "Yes, well, she reminds me of you, in a way."

I look up from my book. "In what way?"

"The village Ellery lived in was .... backward, I suppose. Much like yours. She came to Death's Court when she was killed by a man while he assaulted her. She was .... broken. But when she and Death, the woman demon who rules her Court, met each other, they fell deeply in love. Of course, it took Ellery a while to come to terms with what had happened to her, and one night .... she had a horrific nightmare. Death was there, and she vowed to Ellery that she would help her get revenge on the man who'd wronged her. So, that night, the two of them returned to the village. Death tortured the man, and Ellery begged her to stop. Said she could not bear the fate she'd befallen happen to him, evil as he was. So... Death made a deal with Fear, our brother. And he trapped the man in a coma, where he relives his worst fears. Forever."

"After all that.... Ellery could not let him be killed?" I ask.

Ruin shakes his head.  "No. She was a kind and loving soul. She loved almost everyone she met. She always said that if some people can hate those they don't know, for no reason whatsoever, she'd love those she didn't know."

I look down at the books. "Do you think she will be free someday?"

He shrugs.  "I hope so. She's a great person, and she and Death made a great couple."

Ruin sits down across from me, and looks at the books. Then, he sits up, looking behind me. I turn around as Lucian runs up to us. "Sir, there's been a breach."

"Where?" Ruin demands, standing up and drawing a long, wicked-looking dagger from its sheath at his hip. "Elorha, stay here. The wards will protect you."

I nod, and he and Lucian race down the hall leading out of the library.

So, I open my book and read some more. I find myself lost in the story I am reading, but then, I realize it has been a few hours, and there's no sign of Ruin or Lucian. I've never seen a breach like this before. But I'd assume that one of them would have come and told me about what happened, or at the very least, told me I could leave, that I'm safe.

So, concerned that I am not safe, or that something is wrong, I leave the library. My curiosity is only growing as I near the closest door to the mansion. I find myself before the nearest doors, and I peer outside the window.

Nothing is there, but snow. I turn around, and freeze.

"Hello, my dear," says a man I've never seen before. And then, everything just goes black.