Heart of Darkness

William recognized the place that the king took him to. It was the old dark cave from his dream, where he first met Lucrezia. He didn’t think that this place was real, nor that Lucrezia lived or stayed here. Why would a woman like her, stay in a place like this?

“She should be here anytime soon,” the king said.

“Why does she stay here? What is this place?” William wondered looking around.

The king shrugged. “Demons are drawn to darkness. She likes it. This is the place where we meet. We don’t know where she really lives and she wouldn’t want us to know either. She is our punisher after all.”

How exactly did she punish them? He wanted to ask but refrained from doing so.

“Can demons possess humans?”

“There are some demons who have that ability.” The king replied.

“Do you have that ability?” William asked.

“I have not gained or… I don’t know how to use my real powers and abilities yet, so I don’t know.”

William saw a shift of discomfort in the king’s eyes and therefore asked no further questions despite being curious.

“Oh, I am meeting people in pairs these days. I see you’re adapting more and more to the human world and the humans.” A voice he recognized suddenly spoke.

William turned his head, following the sound of a compelling female voice. Just as compelling as her appearance. Those eyes, bright green and mesmerizing was like nothing he had seen before. They were like rare jewels. And the way she dressed was so strange yet it fit her perfectly.

As usual a smirk curved her red lips. She looked like she always held secrets that amused her. Perhaps she did and perhaps that gave her a sense of power.

She was looking at the King, “why did you bring the boy here?”

“William wants to speak to you. If it wasn’t important I wouldn’t bring him here.”

William had not even told the king what he wanted to talk about with Lucrezia and the king didn’t ask him. But he was glad that the king trusted him enough to know that what he wanted to talk about was important. At this moment he did treat him like a man and not a boy.

“I know. Rayven told me.” She shifted her gaze this time to look at him. “I know what you want to talk about. Unfortunately, I can’t help you.”

“But you told me you knew you. You told me to come and see you when I wanted to know. I want to know now.” William said.

She narrowed to her green eyes, and William felt like she could look into his soul. She frightened him and he knew he should be frightened. She could crush him with her fingertips if she wanted to.

“I’ve changed my mind,” she said.

“Why?”

“I have no reason.”

William looked at her for a long moment trying to understand her. Why did she change her mind? Or was she playing with him?

“The information is essential for me right now,” William told her.

“And why should I care?” she wondered.

“What would you lose by telling me?”

She smiled, “you should ask what I would gain by telling you.”

William understood. She wanted to negotiate, get something in return for telling him what she needed. But what could he give her? None of the dreams he had would be beneficial to her.

“What do you want?” He asked her.

Her eyes gleamed with some unknown mystery before he felt a rush of cold air and he was suddenly taken away to another place.

This woman really liked to stay in strange places. This time unlike his dream she took him to a garden. He was sure it was a garden even though it looked like a graveyard. A garden with no living plants. Everything was dark and dead. Black and grey except for the red roses, looking like blood in the sea of darkness.

“You like dark places,” he noted.

“And dead things,” she added.

William looked behind him but the king was nowhere to be seen. She had taken him away, just him. He should have felt frightened but he wasn’t.

“Come,” she said and led the way down a path of stones.

William followed her not knowing where she was taking him. Somehow he felt like he knew what she was doing. Before giving answers she liked to keep the mystery and maybe even the company. He didn’t know why he felt like she was lonely. A woman like her, lonely? How was that possible?

William didn’t mind keeping her company. Nowadays he was always surrounded by stupid boys and loud men, yelling at him what to do. The company of a mysterious woman, despite her intentions, couldn’t hurt. Could it?

Besides he liked the little feeling of danger. His life was too ordinary with no excitement. God, he was being irrational and it was unlike him.

“Are you not scared, little boy?” She asked glancing behind.

William shook his head as he followed her. “No.” He said a little annoyed that she called him a little boy. “I’m 11 years old, my lady.”

She chuckled amusedly as she continued down the path until they came to the middle of the garden. A fountain made of black stone stood in the middle. There was no water running from it. Around the fountain, there were old wooden benches, placed in with good distance between each other. They were covered with old leaves that fell from the bony trees.

William looked up. Even the sky had no color. It was covered by dark clouds.

“What do you think of this place?” She asked.

William wondered if there was more to her question. What was she trying to find out? He looked around, his eyes trying to find anything unusual but everything was usual and unusual in some way.

“It brings no joy,” he said.

“What if I said it brings me joy?”

William narrowed his eyes, staring into her green ones. He saw no joy in them and even though this garden suited her aura, he imagined her in a colorful one. One with lots of greenery and bright colors. She would look beautiful in it with her green eyes and dark hair.

“You haven’t told me what you want to,” he reminded.

Lucrezia sat on the rim of the fountain, crossing her arms over her chest. “You seem to have a special interest in the king,” she began. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

William frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I am asking you. What does he mean to you? What visions about him have you had?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, I’m the one to help him redeem himself. The more I know the better. It seems like you want to help him too.”

“How will you help him?”

“That is what I am trying to find out? I need to know which path is the right one for him. What things will inspire him, encourage him or motivate him. Or perhaps, what will trigger him? What do you think? I am sure you have an idea.”

“I don’t.”

She tilted her head, disbelief clear in her eyes. “What do you desire the most?” She suddenly asked confusing him.

“My only desire is to protect my sister. If you could help me with that I would be forever grateful.”

“Your sister…” she began thoughtfully. “You never felt the absence of your mother. Your sister took that role and she did a very good job. But your father, even though he was alive you felt his absence. You always hoped and wished he would be a father.”

William clenched his jaw. “What are you trying to say?”

“I am only reflecting on your desires.”

William tried to remain calm even though at the moment he just wanted to leave this place.

As if sensing his emotions, she smiled gently. “I will help you, but I always get paid. I will one day come to collect my payment.”

William nodded. He was sure she would.

“So what exactly do you want to know?”

“My sister is having strange memories that belong to the previous prophetess I believe. Why is she having memories if I am the prophet?”

“Do you want the whole truth?” she asked him.

Willaim braced himself knowing that he would probably hear something he wouldn’t like since she asked. He gave her a nod “yes.”

“Sit down,” she told him motioning for him to sit on one of the benches then she began to speak.

She told him about how his sister was the real prophetess but in order to protect her, his mother must have transferred her abilities to him with the help of a witch.

“The abilities that we talk about are called the prophetic mind. A mind wandering around until the right body arrives and then it possesses that person’s mind. The mind never disappears. When the body dies, the mind leaves the body and goes on to look for a new one.” She explained.

William listened intently.

“Your mind, your prophetic mind carries hundreds if not thousands of years of knowledge and experience. That is through memories and that is why you will sometimes feel like you know things you never learned in this body, but your mind did while in another body. You don’t have the mind of a young boy. The age of your mind is much older than that of your body.”

William suddenly felt his eyes sting, his heart felt heavy. All this time that he felt trapped in this body, he was. It wasn’t only a feeling.

“You will grow,” she said as if reading his mind.

He looked up at her, tears welling his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought back the tears.

“Magic never solves the whole problem and there are always side effects. The transmission of your mind could have triggered memories in more ways than it should and those remained with your sister. Why? I am not sure but it could be because she is the original prophet and the mind chooses female bodies,” she continued.

William needed a moment to wrap his head around all the information he was getting. His sister could not know this. She would blame herself.

“How did you know all of this?” He asked.

“I know people who have lived on this earth for a very long time. They know things and I am good at finding out information.”

“Do you know the witch who did this?”

“No. He or she will never make themselves known. It is dangerous for them.”

He nodded. “Can you not tell anyone about this?”

“Hmm… I am sure your sister and her husband already know.”

Oh no!

“Is there a way to stop those memories?” He asked.

“No. The only way is for her to remember everything, go through the fear, pain, and confusion before moving on to the next problem. That is life.” She said with acceptance.

Acceptance? Yes. She was very much like him. He had accepted that life was suffering but he had at least wished for something else for his sister.

“You look sad,” she said flatly.

“I am.” He sighed. “Your blood stops humans from aging and I am looking for the opposite.”

She laughed, revealing a line of straight white teeth with pointed canines. He just now realized that all of them had a little longer and sharper canines than humans.

“You are too eager. Patience is a virtue,” she said. She looked like one with lots of patience.

But she had all the time in the world. Or perhaps that should have made her less patient? He wasn’t sure.

“Constantine…”

“No William.” She cut him off. “I can’t help you with that. The payment will be too much.”

“I am willing to pay.”

“I can still not help you,” she said firmly.