Fury and Flame | 3

8 | 2

D E L P H I N I U M

     He looked exactly as he always did: the mask, the armor, the cape made for war. As I faced my master for the last time, my knees shook. Perhaps that would always be my reaction when I was faced with what he'd done to me, no matter how strong I was.

      The maroon-walled room was even bigger than I remembered. Perhaps it was the lack of soldiers inside. Orion and I were alone. A master and a student. A killer and a killer.

      "I knew my soldiers would be no match for you," he said in Romanian. "After all, you were my best student."

      I inclined my head. "It seems I have an affinity for destruction. You certainly taught me that."

The room was silent for a moment. Orion didn't move. "We both know why you're here."

"Yes," I said. "To finally kill you."

He cocked his head. "When will you understand, Delphinium? I am not your enemy. I do not wish to end your life. I only want you to be who you always should have been."

"No. You want a weapon. A means to strike fear into the hearts of those that dare not oppose you and a weapon to extinguish the lives of those that do."

      "And that is who you are," he said. "It is unfortunate that you must go to the Mind Sweeper to see it. I do not enjoy seeing you in pain. You are like a daughter to me. However, all the trials you went through made you into what you are today: the strongest assassin in the criminal underworld."

      "I was a child." I shook my head as I said it. "You made me stronger than I ever needed to be. I didn't need power, I needed comfort. I needed love. You only love what I can do for you."

      "I want the best for you. And perhaps you cannot see how my methods will accomplish that. But I do."

      My resolve was firm when I said, "I always wondered if you knew how thoroughly you ruined me. Now I have my answer. Because you see nothing wrong with this situation. You think what you did to me was good."

      When the room went silent again, I could hear the muted explosions far below. A foghorn blared. "Why are you so hellbent I'm doing this?" My voice wavered. "It isn't too late. You can still stop this war."

      He spread his arms wide, taking a few steps closer. "You know why, Delphinium. You lived it. The world is dark and evil and filled with people possessing those same qualities. They are not meant to be given free reign, or chaos ensues. Crime rises. Violence spreads. You know that firsthand through the inner workings of the criminal underworld and even in the world's governments. You see how quickly people turn on one another and start futile wars. Humans are naturally depraved."

      "You're the most depraved of them all," I insisted, nearly laughing at the irony of it all. "You want peace by killing three-fourths of the Earth's population?"

      "I want peace by controlling the people of the world. The cost of that peace is to cut down the amount of people being ruled by three-fourths. And I am the only one fit to rule this empire, because I am the only one willing to pay that cost."

Content to try to sway me to his side, he still made no attempt to attack. It made me wary, but I listened to him speak. "I was born into a war-torn nation. I knew hunger, oppression, desperation. That can happen no longer. I will recreate the world the way it was meant to be. This will be the war to end all wars."

"Your talk of enhancement is a cover," I said softly as I realized the truth. "You'll give the survivors power—but only because they can undergo the Mind Sweeper. They won't be able to defy you. You want an army of slaves." My knives flicked out at my sides. "You know I can't let that happen."