The Forest Keeper

Chapter Twelve: IN WHICH Kea Makes Another Choice, and She Pays The Price for It

Kea stared at the knife in her hand through the tears that shrouded her eyes. The sunlight glistened off the edge of it as she turned it in her hand, thinking of what she could do with it. If she turned on Dameon, there would no telling if he would actually die or not. She didn't know what obsidian did to a demon.

If she killed herself, she could just be done with all of this. She would never have to worry about being a Keeper, or taking care of business, or even wondering if anyone loved her, ever again. She would float around in the clouds for God knew how long, never having to do anything but watch the people down below her.

And then, she thought about Dameon's comment about Leonas: "You could kill Leonas, who has been deceiving you this entire time." What did he mean...?

She turned toward Leonas faster than Dameon could grab her. "What is he talking about?" she demanded, walking toward him, a dark bounce in her step. She shook her head. "I knew it. I knew there was something I couldn't trust about you!"

"He never told you that he was once a darkling, just like your dear mother?" Dameon asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "For shame, Leonas! I thought you cared for the girl!"

Leonas met Kea's eyes, face pale and eyes wide with horror. He tried to speak, but Dameon's jinx was still place upon him. He could barely make a sound. "K-K-K..." he stuttered, rising to his knees. He shook his head, hair whipping around his terrified eyes.

"You tricked me! You lied to me!" she shouted, pulling her leg back to kick him.

He dove to the side and rose to his feet, grabbing her arms. "K-Kea," he croaked before muttering a quick release spell. "Please. Please... I need you to listen to me!"

She struggled in his hold. "Let me go, you son of a bogwitch!" she screamed, trying to raise the knife to cut one of his arms. His hands tightened around her arms, and she cried out in pain and frustration.

"Listen to me! I need you to understand that that part of my life is over, and it will never come again! Please, Kea, listen. Listen to me, I beg you!"

Another hand grabbed her from behind and pulled her out of Leonas' grasp, and she screamed again. "Let go! I need to get the truth from him!"

Dameon pulled her so she faced him, and then slapped her so hard that her head whipped to the side. "I told you to make the decision carefully!" he snarled, shaking her until her brain rattled in her skull. "Now, listen to me carefully." He waved his hand in front of her eyes, back and forth, slower and slower until she could see shadows following it.

"You are afraid," he whispered, a new tone to his voice, "and you are confused. You don't know what to do, and so you feel that the only way to escape is to kill yourself. To thrust the knife into your own heart, and end your own suffering, as well as the suffering of everyone and everything around you. Then no one will ever have to deal with you again. No one will ever have to see your horrid face ever again."

The fear and confusion settled first, falling into her stomach like pebbles and grains of sand, building and building until they consumed her. And then, there came the horrible sense of pain, the thoughts that maybe he was right. Maybe she should just kill herself so no one will ever have to deal with her stupid antics again.

But Leonas... He lied to her. He kept everything from her, like he was never going to tell her what he was, what he had been. Like it didn't matter for him to keep all of that from her. Being a darkling?! How could he keep that from her?

"Kea, please..." Leonas breathed from the side. "Please, don't do this. You can't go through with it."

She cocked her head and watched the blade glint in the sunlight. Black and shiny, like Dameon's eyes. Like the darkness that she was certain blackened his heart...