Between the Light and the Darkness Chapter 24

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait very long. It was only a couple of torturous weeks before Shirra made a reappearance. Torturous because Tim had to deny his feelings for Ileeya in public. Worse than deny them, he had to act like she was nothing to him.

Jondak's advances were getting more aggressive as time wore on. He had graduated from light occasional touches to acting like they were a couple, oblivious of the fact that Ileeya wasn't reciprocating his affection.

He would sit at lunch with his arm draped over her shoulder, he would kiss her when he first sat down and again when they all got up to go back to their rooms. One day he even backed her into a wall and gave her a passionate kiss.

She had projected waves of nausea at Tim during this incident, and Tim had a hell of a time not slamming Jondak's head into the wall. The only good thing about this whole arrangement was that at least Jondak wasn't trying to rub it into Tim's face with his self satisfied smile. Tim knew he would totally have lost it then.

Shirra returned in the middle of the night and Tim experienced the now quite familiar sensation of floating as the teleportation took place. He felt the soft bed clothes suddenly underneath him. He felt her hand caress his face and forced himself to smile, bracing himself inwardly for what lie ahead.

"My lover awakes," she purred softly.

Tim opened his eyes and looked at her. He remembered how he felt when he was six years old on Christmas morning and flew down the stairs to the living room to see what Santa had brought him. His eyes lit up and he squealed with joy at the sight of his brand new bicycle, which he had wanted for what seemed like forever.

He tried to recapture that feeling, tried to draw on that experience whenever he wanted to look joyous, like he should be when seeing Shirra for the first time in weeks. Surprisingly, he managed to pull it off somewhat successfully. This was a far cry from drama class in high school. His teacher would have been proud. Shirra smiled and snuggled up next to him, reaching under the covers. She sure didn't waste any time.

~*~*~*~*

Later, as they lay together, Shirra had a rare vulnerable moment. How luxurious it would be to be a weak female, and let her man take care of her. She felt so protected when he wrapped his strong arms around her. Part of her just wanted to melt into them, to not have to think of the work that was still undone.

But, she reminded herself, although the next part of her plan would take the longest, it would also be the most rewarding. After she had control of the major provinces, she would appoint leaders among her most faithful, then she and this fabulous human could spend an entire week in bed.

As it was, most of her plans were lying in wait, with the Grand Tournament still three months away, there was not much left to do but wait while time passed. And what better way to wait then in the arms of someone she loved.

She had never been in love before, except for Malir all those years ago. Then her bitch sister had to steal him away. She wasn't about to get away with that again. This time, Shirra was the one stealing the man away, and Ileeya would suffer the heartbreak.

Shirra smiled to herself as she rolled over and propped her head up on Tim's broad chest. He was still sleeping. He was very handsome, this human. She wondered if other humans were like him as well, tall, handsome, with those funny rounded ears.

Pity that she couldn't persuade him to be with her without the charm spell. She would have loved to see what he was capable of, unhindered. However, the spell was pretty lenient, and didn't create any inhibitions that weren't already there. Tim's instincts were still intact, as were his sexual preferences and everything else about him.

Shirra smiled as she thought of Tim's sexual preferences. She loved that animal side of him. She loved the way he took charge and acted like a man. She always had trouble getting Jondak to really let loose with her, it was almost like he didn't want to be with her, although she found that hard to believe. She knew he was afraid of her, afraid of hurting her and having to suffer the consequences.

She ran her hand across Tim's smooth skin, enjoying the feel of it against her palm. His eyes fluttered then, and he looked up at her. For several minutes they just looked at each other, saying nothing. Shirra enjoyed that, too. Some men never knew when to shut up.

~*~*~*~*

Tim awoke to the feel of Shirra running her hand across his chest. He looked up at her and their eyes locked for a couple of minutes. She looked a little different, somehow. The dark, hateful look was gone from her eyes, the scowl gone from her face. She looked serene, happy. In this instance Tim found it very easy to pretend she was Ileeya. Ileeya... How he wished he were with her now, holding her in his arms. Part of his brain screamed at him to push his thoughts of Ileeya aside quickly so Shirra wouldn't know he was faking.

She cocked her head and looked at him quizzically. Oh no! You screwed up big time, boy!

Very casually she asked, "What are your hopes and dreams, Tim?"

"To serve only you," he answered too quickly.

Shirra smiled. "Other than that. What do you want out of life?"

Tim's brain breathed a giant sigh of relief. He appeared to think the question over for a moment. "There is nothing else. In the morning when I wake up, I want to be with you. When I go to sleep, I wish it was in your bed. When I dream, it's about you. I want to be where you are, go where you go, see what you see. I look forward to the day when you no longer have to send me back to the prison cell, the day when I can stay with you forever."

Shirra's face lit up like a candle. Well done, Tim. Score one for the home team. She stared deep into his eyes and Tim felt a small surge of panic. What if she saw the truth in his eyes? What if she could see...but wait a minute. If she could see into his head she would have known right away that her spell had failed.

Not necessarily! He argued with himself. She was completely wrapped up in what she was doing and didn't think there was a possibility of failure. Obviously, it had never failed before. And it actually had worked at first. He wondered if his being human, a race she had never encountered before, was different. A different psychological makeup or something.

He looked back at her while these thoughts raged through his head, praying she couldn't see the truth. If she did, they were sunk. He knew she would not hesitate to kill him.

"Oh, my pet, soon. I look forward to that, too."

Tim decided to push his luck a little. "How soon? I'm tired of waiting," he pouted.

Shirra chuckled. "After my plans are complete. When I am queen of this wretched world, I will make you my king. But only in title, because I will be in charge. You will sit by my side on a rich velvet throne, and watch me rule over my subjects."

Tim tried to feign eagerness. He hoped he pulled it off convincingly. "How do you plan on doing that, my queen?" He could tell it flattered her greatly to hear herself referred to as the queen before she actually was. He was beginning to understand the way to knowledge was simple praise. Perhaps she had not received enough of it as a child.

She told him, in very graphic detail, her plans. Tim was beyond horrified, but had to keep it hidden. Her eyes sparkled when she talked, her face lit up with joy. This bitch was crazy.

For several moments afterward, all Tim could do was simply stare at her with an incredulous look on his face. He desperately tried to digest everything he told her, in graphic enough detail he could almost see it.

Luckily, Shirra mistook his shock for happy surprise. "I can see you are excited about it too, my darling. I made a wise choice in choosing you for a mate. And to think at first I only wanted you to keep my slut sister away from you. How you please me! You will make a fine husband. We shall be married after my plans are complete. No...," she said looking at him slyly.

"We'll be married before my plans are complete. We could do it right before the Grand Tournament, then you can have a little secret. It should help you get through the last couple of weeks more easily." And then, Tim couldn't believe his ears, but she actually giggled like a schoolgirl. "How fun it will be for you to know you are wed to the most powerful woman in the world, knowing that she will come and take you away from the prison! The last few days will practically fly right by."

"What of...Ileeya...and Jondak?"

Shirra's head snapped around to look at him. "What of them?" There was a hint of annoyance to her voice, as if she hated to be interrupted while musing about her hostile takeover of the planet. Careful, Tim, don't blow it!

Tim shrugged indifferently and looked away. "No reason, just curious."

Shirra studied him a moment. "I haven't quite decided what their fate will be. Jondak wants Ileeya for his own. I would prefer to see Ileeya skewered on a tall pole planted outside my castle." Tim stiffened and dug his fingernails into his palms to keep from giving himself away. Shirra continued. "Perhaps I'll keep my promise to Jondak and let him have her. It would please me to see her suffer for the rest of her life." An evil grin settled on her face as she thought of it, in her mind's eye seeing Ileeya in a life of servitude to that scumbucket.

Without warning, Tim suddenly lashed out at her. He smacked her hard across the face and watched helplessly as she flopped backward onto the bed. She sat up and looked at him, shock registering on her features.

Oh shit! What have I done?

And then, much to Tim's surprise, Shirra's expression changed to one of lust. She looked at him hungrily as she pulled herself up to a kneeling position. Then suddenly Tim's head flew to the side as a sharp blow hit his cheekbone. Tim didn't even realize it had happened until he opened his eyes and was face down on the bed. She had backhanded him, hard, surprising him and causing him fall over sideways. Damn she hit hard!

Tim sat up and looked at her, rubbing the sting out of his cheek. If he thought she looked hungry before, that was nothing compared to what she looked like now.

Her eyes were wide, and glittered like a wolf stalking its prey . Her mouth was turned up at the corners, lips pulled back from her teeth, kind of in an open smile. Her teeth were parted and she was breathing heavily. Her expression unnerved him. She looked like she was beyond turned on.

Suddenly, he hated her. He had hated her anyway, but hearing the hateful way she spoke of Ileeya stuck in his throat like bad Chinese food. He had been horrified that he smacked her without thinking, it was almost like his hand flew of its own accord. But seeing her there before him, kneeling on the bed, waiting for the next round to begin clinched it for him.

He hit her again, and this time when she fell backward, he was atop her, ripping at her clothing, groping her roughly. He bit her neck, nearly puncturing the skin and took her fiercely.

Shirra howled and threw her head back. Her fingernails dug into his back, leaving scarlet rivulets in his flesh. Tim took out all his anger on her, while she writhed and moaned beneath him, clearly enjoying his animal side.

She flipped Tim onto his back and pulled his hands above his head. He resisted, but soon found himself unable to move. She had somehow pinned his arms down! He pulled his arms, fighting panic, as Shirra continued to thrash on top of him.

Her face was contorted, now. Pushed into a mask of rapture. Tim could swear that he saw her teeth grow a bit and protrude from her mouth. He could have sworn he saw the smooth skin of her face wither before his eyes. He could have sworn he saw her eyes blacken and flash red, he could have sworn she looked just the demon from his dreams. Frantically, he fought his invisible bonds, which pinned his legs in place, as well.

Tim was agony. Every muscle screamed at him, begged for release. They were pulled so tight it felt like they would soon rip to shreds. And at the same time, he felt as if he were being crushed, like an enormous weight was sitting on his chest, suffocating him. He tried to gulp air in large gasps, but only managed to bring a tiny bit into his aching lungs. His heart hammered in its place, beating wildly against his chest. He was aware of every piece of himself; from his tortured muscles, to his drowning lungs. Even his organs hurt, throbbing, pulsing. His whole body, inside and out, was on fire. His vision dimmed and his head spun, and every time he got a glimpse of Shirra, she looked more demonic than the moment before, grinning down at him with her sharpened fangs, smiling in ecstacy.

A moment later, Shirra's screams echoed loudly through the chamber. Tim was right behind her, his screams even louder than hers, as his suffering came to an agonizing crescendo.

At long last he felt relieved, the horrible pressure was finally gone. Shirra collapsed in an exhausted heap on top of him, panting for several minutes. She played with his hair lovingly as she caught her breath.

Tim realized his hands and feet were no longer bound, and he was finally able to move them. His limbs felt stiff and achy, as if he were coming down with the flu. He forced himself to put his hands on her and stroke her back, she would be suspicious if he didn't reciprocate her affection. They lay like that for several minutes before Shirra broke the silence.

"There. It is done."

Tim furrowed his brow. "What is done?"

"Your seed. It has been implanted in me."

"My...seed?" It felt as if something had closed its hands around Tim's throat. He had to struggle to draw a breath.

"Why yes," she said chuckling. "How else am I to bear your child?"

Tim fought to keep the room, which had suddenly started to spin around him, in focus. "...child?" he mumbled feebly.

"I am to bear your child, Tim. And he shall be trained to be a prince."

"But...how could that even work? I mean, I'm a human...you've never even seen one before. How could we...?"

"Magic is a wonderful thing," she answered plainly. "To insure proper implantation, I used my magic to greatly multiply your seed. I shall birth your child in eleven months, two weeks, and three days."

"How...how long have you been planning this?" Tim asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"For months. Since I realized I'm in love with you. Now. It's time to go back. As much as I love admiring your exquisite male body, it is regrettably time for you to get dressed and prepare yourself."

Tim numbly dressed, not remembering even getting up off the bed to do so, and stood before Shirra.

"Almost time, lover. Soon we'll be together."

Tim felt the world spin around him as the flickering torch lights faded away. Floating in a sea of blackness. Tim closed his eyes. He welcomed the shift, he didn't want to see that bedchamber or Shirra ever again.

It was very early morning when he returned to his cell. Ileeya was sleeping soundly, curled up beneath her blanket. Tim looked over to the other side of the cell where the illusional Tim appeared to be sleeping. He took a couple of steps toward it and it blinked out of existence.

Tim just stood there, his hands trembling. His stomach lurched as he thought of what the last couple of hours had held for him. He had learned some things he would rather not know, and he had been used to impregnate a woman who may as well be a devil.

He hyper-ventilated and pushed his back up against the cool stone wall. Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God. This was surely hell. He must have been a horrible sinner on earth and this was hell.

The horrible demon woman, who planned to take over the world amidst much violence and chaos, who wanted to cause the only woman he ever loved to suffer, who attempted to enter his mind and implant in him the intense desire to serve her, was now pregnant with his child.

A child that would be doomed to grow in her evil shadow, to become as twisted and corrupt as she. A child that would take over the world when her rule came to end, reigning over subjects whose loyalty was forced, mercilessly torturing those who refused.

Tim stood there for what seemed an eternity before wearily climbing into his bed and falling into an exhausted sleep. He had gotten very little sleep in Shirra's chambers. His muscles practically begged for rest, having been tensed during the entire episode she had cleverly plotted for the seed implantation.

Although he slept, he did not rest, and instead endured vivid nightmares of Shirra's takeover. Every detail she had painstakingly told him earlier that evening came back, this time with clear images to match.

The Grand Tournament arena was filled with people from many different lands. The world leaders shared box seats high above the action, and eagerly watched the action in the arena below.

Suddenly, all the leaders succumbed to some strange illness, and began convulsing and vomiting blood. The action in the arena stopped as everyone looked into the Royal Stands where the leaders had been sitting quietly just a few minutes before.

Just as the leaders fell over dead, the clouds boiled and turned red, then Shirra suddenly appeared at the top of the arena where all could see her.

In a very loud voice she announced, "Stand, and be judged. Only a few of you are worthy enough to serve me, and the rest of you will all die by my hand."

Everyone stood, and within moments, most of them were writhing on the ground, gripped in the throes of extreme pain. They cried out as they died violently.

The few who were left disappeared from sight, taken to a holding cell where they would await further instructions from their new leader.

So begins the conquest for world domination.

In another restless dream, Tim saw himself sitting by Shirra's side, both of them on identical thrones. But he looked different. There was a macabre glint in his eye. And he felt different, too.

Gone was the love he had for Ileeya. In the dream he knew he had witnessed her face, wrinkled with despair, as he, personally, had handed her over to Jondak. Gone was the protection she had placed on his brain to keep Shirra's entrapments at bay. Gone was his memory of earth and where he had come from. He only remembered here, and his beautiful queen.

And his noble young son, holding his head proudly, assisting in the destruction of outlying rebel camps.

He was a gorgeous boy, with his mother's creamy opal skintone. He was tall, like his father, and he had the same brilliant sapphire eyes.
Eyes that were eager to learn the dark secrets of his heritage and how his glorious world came to be.

Tim woke up, gasping, shuddering, and soaked with sweat. He was freezing, but burning up at the same time. The images of his dreams flooded his brain like a tidal wave and he fought to not drown in the horrible visions.

His stomach heaved, and Tim crawled spastically to the pitcher left inside the cell from the night before. His head spun violently and he stumbled to the side.

He recovered, and barely made it to the pitcher before his stomach emptied its contents.

"Tim?" Ileeya said quietly from her bed. "Are you alright?"

Tim heard her and looked toward her vacantly, but had difficulty focusing on her.

"Tim?" Ileeya asked again, coming over to sit beside him. Finally, Tim managed to focus, and for one horrifying second, thought he was back by Shirra's side again. The moment passed, and he was in Ileeya's company again.

Ileeya looked at him, her face lined with concern. She asked him if everything was okay, and he told her, in no uncertain terms, that he most definitely was not okay. He shared all the information he had with her, taking a break to vomit again half-way through. When he was done, she was just as pale as he was and he got the pitcher ready.