Discovering Freedom

Chapter 16

"Tamarack," I growl dangerously as he takes a step towards me.

Nothing's changed about his appearance from the little I can remember. He's tall with a leering face. Raven black hair and clean shaven. He would have been handsome but for an ugly jagged white scar just below his right eye, extending down across his cheek and past his mouth ending just above his chin. His dead eyes gleam with murderous intent.

"Jaya!" his eyes widen in shock before narrowing to slits, "How did you manage to live?"

"She didn't, you killed her. I'm Kyra her daughter, I'm surprised you don't remember me. I mean you did brand me for her torture." I reply icily.

"Ah I should have known, she couldn't possibly have survived, but I thought you died from blood loss from my ... decorations," he says slowly pausing briefly before saying 'decorations'.

"Well you thought wrong, now prepare to die."I answer venomously as I drop into a fighting stance.

"Let me guess revenge? Yes that's right, you came to kill me for such a selfish reason as revenge." he chuckles a small smile forming showing his amusement, "You know you and I aren't so different, it was the reason I killed your parents and now the reason I will kill you. We have the same look in our eyes, we are the same you allow the darkness to control you, you let it feed off your emotions and worst of all you don't fight it, you let it descend and blanket itself around you until all you can feel is hate and anger. Am I right?" he pauses as if waiting for an answer but the look on his face tell me he already knows.

"I'll never be like you!"I cry anger flooding my features as my icy façade shatters.

"No? Then tell me why are our eyes the same?" he grins darkly.

"She has the same look as Tamarack's elite. How do we know she's not one of them?"

Jason was right, as much as it pains me to admit it he's right, Tamarack and I are the same. I'm just like him.

I don't reply, instead I charge with my blades raised and strike.

Tamarack brings his sword to meet mine and the clang rings out. We meet blow for blow, this time I'm not holding back. We whirl in an erratic and deadly dance, waiting for the other to make the first mistake.

20 minutes later I feel his blows weakening, his age is showing. I'm tiring but it gives me new hope, I strike harder with renewed vigour. His sword clatters from his hand after I make an arm jarring attack and skitters across the room. I blink surprised, but recover quickly and press the edge of my sword against his neck. He freezes stunned for a second, feeling the cold metal against his skin.

"Go on then do it! Kill me!" Tamarack spits venomously.

The dark whispers 'Do it, do it. Take your revenge'. It clouds my vision and takes control. It's like have no control over my own body, as if I'm on the outside looking in, watching the scene unable to take control of my own part.

Slowly my blade press harder causing a little blood to seep over the blade. I grit my teeth, my arm trembling ever so slightly in indecision.

I'll be just like him, if I kill him. He killed my parents. This is different, he deserves to die. I press my blade harder, drawing a little more blood.

"Wait, Kyra!" I turn at the voice and see Talib at another door opposite me to my left from, where I am in the centre of the room, before refocusing my attention on Tamarack, "Killing him won't bring your parents back." he finishes softly.

The dark coils tighter around me not wanting to release me, drawing me further in.

"You'll regret it if you kill him," he reasons,

"I'll regret it if I don't," I counter my voice trembling ever so slightly.

I slide further from the light.

"Look at me." Talib demands.

I shut my eyes and look to my right, afraid of what he will see there.

"Look at me." he demands again my forcefully.

My eyes lock onto his, realisation fills his eye. He knows I'm not me, he's lost me and there's nothing he can do. I am lost to the dark. His eyes ignite with determination.

"Come back to me," Talib begs,

The dark pulls me further in refusing to let go.

"Come back to me," he pleads again, "please, I...I love you." he stammers softly.

I blink stunned. Talib seeing this he presses further.

"Kyra fight it, you can do it, come back to me,"

The dark grabs and hold me firm as if anticipating something, dragging me further from the light until black engulfs.

I start to fight, it boils and consumes but I fight. Following the speck of light that is slowly getting bigger.

Talib seeing the turmoil within me steadily gives a stream of encouragement to keep me going.

The light is getting bigger. The dark begins to fight dirty, memories of my past flash before my eyes.

My father's lifeless body was lying before me. Blood oozed lazily from the wound in his chest. His were eyes wide and blank. My mother beside him with her side split open leaking red. Her face was slack and lifeless like her body.

The memory seems to taunt 'Tamrack did this he deserves to die'. I falter, as if seeing it had the upper hand it pulls me back. The light grows dimmer.

Talib's voice calls me back. I struggle once again against the dark's clutches. The light is at my fingertips. Frantically the dark grips onto me harder but slowly losing its hold.

My blade leaves my grip. My boot connects with a satisfying crunch with Tamarack's face. He falls over unconscious.

"I will never be like you," I choke out.

I'm won't kill him but that doesn't mean I can't hurt him.

The dark grabs that thought in a last desperate attempt to keep me.

I move in for another kick, when arms grab me round the waist and hold me back.

"Let me go I want to beat this bastard to the ground!" I yell, struggling against my constraints.

The dark begins to reel me back.

"I love you Kyra come back to me," Talib whispers into my hair.

I make a last attempt to get to the light and the dark reluctantly releases me.

I stop struggling. I sink to the ground in shock, pulling Talib down with me. The haze that has been covering me since I entered the room is gone. The rage slowly melts away and for the first time for as long as I can remember the dark isn't waiting to engulf me. I don't say a word.

Jason, Connor and a dozen other men I don't know rush in, shouting incoherent words at me, their meanings remaining unformed in my brain. Talib's saying things back but everything sounds muted, distorted and distant. I give up trying to listen and let myself relax into his chest and let Talib be my rock.