A Breeding Darkness (Complete)

(38)

Koshmar stood so still, it became hard to pick the outline of his black tunic and trousers out from the shadows. 

"Yes, I sent him here. To this abomination of place. This wound in the fabric of dreams. A scar in my domain, ugly and broken. It should never have existed, and it showed me that the land valued the royalty above all else. Though we druids served the dreams with such loyalty for centuries, the land shredded the order of our world just so that a little boy would not be taken from it."

"You wanted to rule instead of Joon," Lucy said. It wasn't a question. "You sent him here to get rid of him, and now you can rule. Did you create the darkness as well?"

Koshmar laughed, hard and cold. "Of course not. I want Strana as much as I'd want to cut off my own arm. And the darkness was entirely the doing of our dear prince." Here he looked directly at Joon.

Joon stopped shaking, but the terror in his eyes was even more frightening than his shivers.

Koshmar's jaw clenched. "His death created this world, and so his actions would be the ones to create the darkness that is seeping into our world."

"You knew all along that the Dreamwalkers weren't bringing the darkness and creatures through with us."

Koshmar nodded. "I just needed you all to stay away from the dream world while I waited for the darkness to destroy Joon. But it seems I was too late in calling you all in. You'd already met him."

Lucy leaned close to Joon. "We need to get out of here," she whispered. But Joon didn't answer her.

Koshmar stepped forward, his eyes trained on Joon. "Should I tell our sweet Lucy why you are here, Joon? Should I tell her what you have done that has turned you into a monster, hidden away in shadows that grow in your Heart?"

"I don't want to hear it," Lucy said, tugging on Joon's arm. He wouldn't budge. It was as if he had frozen, and no matter how much she nudged him to leave the cave, he wouldn't listen to her.

"I'm going to tell you, because I don't think you'll wish Prince Joon to return to Krov Korol once you hear what he has done that has caused this world to crumble." Koshmar turned and walked back to the slab.

With Koshmar's back facing them, Joon sagged in relief, beginning to come out of his petrified paralysis. Even when Koshmar turned back around to face them, Joon seemed a bit stronger. He thread his hand through Lucy's, pulling her close to hide their joined hands between them. Koshmar didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care. Lucy supposed Joon drawing a tiny bit of comfort didn't bother him, because he was about to reveal something that was impossibly large.

Koshmar placed his hands on the slab, just inches away from the perfect blonde curls of the dead girl. "Her name is Mechta. She was my daughter, until she was ripped away. While my powers have faded with age, as all dream druids' do, hers were fresh and vibrant. She would have served Prince Joon when he became king, and performed the calming rituals like I always had. She would have made the subjects of Strana feel content and happy under their ruler."

Lucy's eyes trained on the girl. Now that he spoke her name, she could see a slight resemblance in her face and Koshmar's. The same strong jaw and delicate nose of their country. This was the girl Koshmar had been mourning. Mechta. 

"Do you want to see what happened to Mechta when she trusted Joon?" he asked, his eyebrows raising. "Do you want to see what will happen to you if you think he is anything but a monster?"

"Stop." Joon said. Lucy glanced at him. His hand tightened around hers so tightly that it hurt and she grimaced. He stared at Koshmar, though, no longer seeing Lucy at all. "I don't want to remember this."