The Tiefling's Love

    Stroking his pale hair, a faded shade of blonde contrasting on his darker skin, Ioudas couldn’t help but smile in complete pride. He was such a sweet, innocent child born in such a perfect world. But he did not know what Ioudas would do for his mother later that night.

    Norwin was deep in conversation with Iwa, the forest spirit who was one of her devout apostles. But he was not nearly as dedicated as Ioudas was; none of the circle were. Iwa pointed to the last of the tarot cards in the cross laid out upon their little table. The Tower glared menacingly up from its tiny cards at its viewers

    “What do you think this means, my Lady? Everything was so positive before. You are surrounded with wealth and love, so where is this card coming from?”

    “Perhaps it was a mistake?” Ioudas suggested, his blood running cold. Iwa was never wrong and all knew it.

    “How dare you accuse me of giving fallacious advice to my Lady! You dare speak to me of mistakes when you yourself are the biggest one the realm has seen?” Iwa’s sharp tongue cut deep as usual. He spared no remorse for the poor half-demon warrior.

    “Why must you continue to harass me despite the proof of my worth I have delivered upon you all?” Ioudas attempted to defend himself, knowing still his words would fall upon the deaf ears of the proud spirit, who remained the only individual among their circle to distrust him after the Chaos Wars. Of course he was the wisest of the others, as they had all ascended to the afterlife, one by one.

    Norwin held up a dainty hand, her dark skin shimmering in the lamplight. “Iwa, there is no need for such harsh words. Ioudas is just concerned over the meaning of the cards. And my dear Ioudas, if such matters worry you so, might I suggest you retire for the night?”

    Ioudas stepped forward into the light, still holding the sweet, sleeping babe. He laid his forehead against the back of Norwin’s head, drinking in the luscious scent of her hair. “You know I could never leave your side…” he whispered into her pointed ears.

    Iwa snorted, as he always did whenever Ioudas showed any sign of intimacy towards his Lady. They all loved her with their entire being, but none were so obsessive as the tiefling. “Well there is no use sitting around worrying over such matters. I believe I shall return to my forest for the night. So mote it be, my Lady Norwin.” The spirit shifted back into his natural form, whisking away out of the open window.

    Norwin took her child from Ioudas as the two began their walk down the great halls of the castle, careful as usual around the natural gemstones that jutted from the walls of the black stone. As they walked, Ioudas watched Norwin closely. Since she had sent her husband, the King, and their second born child into hiding, six months ago, she had grown progressively weaker. Her latest pregnancy had taken a much harder toll on the once warrior Queen. Her days of possessing terrifying strength and tremendous magic were over. Now she could scarcely walk without Ioudas to help steady her steps. The entire situation privately brought him great joy.

    The babe was laid to sleep in his room, so lovingly decorated. Ioudas escorted Norwin to her own room, much more empty since the absence of her husband. Ioudas’s heart fell at the thought of his Lady sleeping, so alone and small, in that large, cold bed. She wouldn’t have to for much longer. Soon, they would be together forever.

    The kind smile Ioudas wore retained until the moment Norwin shut her door. With each step he took that furthered the distance between the two, so worsened the mood of the half-demon. Things had to end quickly. It was time he brought peace to Lady Norwin. Her husband and the other apostles had only brought heartache. The war was over and they were no longer needed. She only needed him.

    The journey to the forest south of the castle was a quick one. The massive florescent plants that populated the magical place illuminated his trail with their glow. The night was silent; his presence was expected. He made his way to the heart, unchallenged. No spirits or beasts threatened him or even showed upon his path. When he reached the pure clearing with its wondrous plants interwoven to create the court that housed the Master of the Forest and his people, Ioudas was ready for his journey to end.

    Iwa sat, there on his throne, patiently awaiting Ioudas’s arrival. When the two saw each other, Iwa stood and gave a great bow. “So you have finally come for me, old friend.”

    “That is not what you were calling me earlier.” Ioudas narrowed his thin eyes, his scarlet hair falling about his shoulders loosely.

    “I didn’t want Lady Norwin to think anything was wrong. It is as you desired, is it not?” The spirit’s glowing fingers played with a night blossom idly, waiting for an answer.

    “I would think you would want whatever keeps balance in the world. I must be mistaken if you would allow your precious Lady to fall into my hands without putting up a fight.”

    Iwa twitched his velvety ears at the teifling’s words, “I believe you are under the impression that I would give in easily. Just because I won’t stop you doesn’t mean I won’t try to take revenge for what I know you are about to do.” Swiftly, the spirit moved his hands, the vines of his domain whipping around to lash at Ioudas. But Ioudas was much quicker than Iwa had expected, dodging easily without so much as a scratch. He plunged his black demon blade deep into the gut of the spirit, pinning him against his own throne.

    “Why?” Ioudas asked of the spirit as his physical form began breaking apart and ascending towards the heavens. “You knew the future and all that will transpire, so why would you allow me to destroy this place?”

    “Some things are bigger than even Lady Norwin. Just because I know the future doesn’t mean I have any right to change it. I’ve seen what your deeds might or might not do for the world. The risk is worth it if it means a better world in the future.” Blood bubbled at Iwa’s lips. His time was short.

    “There will be no future after she’s gone! I will destroy it all! You were a fool to give in, Iwa!”

    “You are wrong, Ioudas,” he croaked. “You are merely a pawn in the greater scale of events. You may let your love bring down this kingdom but Her love will bring back the world.”

    “You cannot give love if you are dead!”

    “You cannot die if you are a goddess! You will only make her become what she has always been.” As the final pieces of Iwa’s body began floating away, he closed his eyes and let the universe take his soul. “I cannot wait to see you again, old friend!” With that, Iwa was gone.

    None of the others in their circle remained. With her King gone, it was only Ioudas left by Norwin’s side. He could not contain the pure elation that flooded forth from his lips, his laughter erupting into the dawn sky.

    As he journeyed back through the forest, the spiraling vines and phosphorescent flowers began to die around him. He left a trail of decay as the flora died with the loss of their protector. The sunrise was quite beautiful that morning, streaks of red and periwinkle embracing the deep indigo star-scatter.

    Ioudas’s return to the natural-made stronghold was greeted by the shocked expressions of the castle’s guard when they sighted the discolored blood splattered across his chest. “I was attacked by one of those wild spirit monsters,” he explained with a smile. “Don’t worry, I took care of it.”

    Norwin’s reaction upon sighting him was far more extreme, covering her mouth in a gasp, clutching at the wall. What had become of this woman who had once beheaded her foes without so much as a twitch? Years of uniting the world, deepening her senses, had made her squeamish and weak. It took everything in him to not smile as he rushed to her side to support her.

    “My dear Ioudas, what in the name of the spirits happened to you?” She clutched his arms wildly, her violet eyes wide in fear.

    “I am fine, my Lady. It is best you are seated, for I have dire news.” He escorted her to the courtyard, where she was surrounded by all of her wild plants.

    “What news have you for me? What has happened since our last parting?” Her soft lavender hair glowed in the new sun, the dark fur covering her skin flickering in agitation.

    “Late, last night, I awoke from a dream most distressing. In it, I witnessed the slaughter of Iwa. Fearful, I made my way to his forest. When I arrived, I found him slain, him and his people dissipating into the cosmos. The wild beasts of the forest became crazed and fled. This blood is from Iwa, as I attempted to save him.”

    Ioudas held onto Norwin’s shaking body as she absorbed everything he had told her. At first, the tears began as a slight shaking, but it soon turned into a shiver and a moan and before long she had collapsed onto Ioudas, her grief running freely.

    The next few months were by far, the best of Ioudas’s long life, by far better even than the days of the Chaos Wars, in which he let his bloodlust run free. Norwin grew steadily weaker as she gave in to her grief. Yet she seemed to find solace more often in her spiritual work, which frustrated him to no end. He was so close to having her all to himself, but she insisted on trying to connect with the great energy that ran throughout all living things.

    Yet still, it was enough to satiate his hunger for now. Without her husband, who remained locked away in his great dragon hall until the end of time, Norwin began losing herself, forgetting who she was or what she had fought for. Ioudas, whose appearance was quite similar, became his substitute. He held her close when she cried out at night; he cared for her young son; he forced her to eat; at some times, he even bathed her frail body. Day by day, the once powerful muscles that rippled beneath her shimmering fur shrank until she was nothing more than a fragile Queen.

    One night, in the deepest of darkness, when the passionate weather reflected the sorrow and anger of the Dragon King, Norwin woke from a fitful dream, as she was prone to doing in the past months. Her dear Ioudas was not there, comforting her in her slumber, and so she began to worry. The storm had become frightful. Something was not right.

    She raced through the hall, fear growing inside of her. When she arrived there, she found the door to her son’s room wide open.

    Ioudas stood, cradling the sleeping baby in his arms. He sang a slight lullaby, holding the boy close as he stood near the window, the warped glass casting sick shadows about them. “It’s alright,” he whispered, sickly sweet. “Daddy will make it all better, yes I will.” A flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by an awful crack. There, standing by the window, holding her child in his arms, was her husband; at least, that is what Norwin saw before darkness filled the room again.

    Raising his head, Ioudas smiled calmly at her. “I didn’t mean to wake you, he was crying.”

    “Where are the guards?” Norwin asked, her heart beginning to beat wildly.

    “You needn’t worry about it. I am here to protect you.” Ioudas looked down at the babe in his arms. “Would you like to see him?” he asked. “He’s such a sweet child. Every day he looks more and more like his father.”

    Norwin approached the two slowly. When was the last time she had held her own child? With her three other children gone, how could she forget about her own baby? With a jolt, she realized what was wrong with the scene. Horns, very unlike his father’s, grew out from the front of the baby’s face. They were the horns of a demon.

    She backed away, suddenly, her lips drawing back in a startled snarl. “What happened to him?!” she demanded.

    Ioudas continued to quietly smile at her. “You should know that children start to look like their parents as they grow. Your daughters looked just like you.”

    “That is not Vixthraxus!” she hissed, the untamed Old Way blood in her boiling up.

    “Whoever said he was the father?” Ioudas’s voice came out as a whisper, almost unintelligible, as he placed the sleeping child back into its bassinet, running a hand gently across its soft cheek.

    Body numb, head spinning, Norwin found herself stumbling through the tunnels and archways of the carved out castle. She could feel nothing but the overwhelming terror that consumed her. How had this happened?

    When did everything fall apart? United, they had all freed the planet from the grip of Chaos and his demons. There had been peace, there had been unity, there had been love. When had her closest friends, her precious apostles, begun to die? How had they, the greatest and wisest of all the land, fallen one by one? How had she been convinced to destroy the peace finally made between the beasts and the drakes by sending her beloved husband and his people away, back into the darkness and safety of their mountain? She knew Ioudas had always loved her, but how had it destroyed him to the point that he had destroyed everything else?

    Abruptly, she stopped, falling to her knees. The hallway around her was rough with its natural stone. The pale flames of the torches flicked against everything around her. Closing her eyes, she urged them to go out. When she opened her eyes again, she was in total darkness.

    At last, her mind became truly empty.

    When Ioudas finally found Norwin, she lay, in complete darkness, against the stone floor of the cellar’s hallway. With his dark-vision he watched her gaze blankly into nothingness. “There you are, my dear.” He crouched down and helped her to her feet, escorting her back to her room. In the dimness and stormy weather, they lay, among the silks and plush, on her grand bed. He stroked her face gently, tracing the sharp outline of her chin. She did not resist or laugh in shyness as she had done in the past. Instead, she lay, staring into the cosmos as the storm continued to rage about them.

    Drinking in her smell and reveling in her warmth, Ioudas remembered that night that he had become one in body and spirit with this perfect woman. He remembered her blushing skin and soft hair. He remembered her sweet voice and glimmering eyes. He remembered her love. That was the night he had become his brother. No magic was stronger than the glamor of a succubus’s blood. That blood which made him less than the other mortals was what brought him happiness for such a brief time. But that was all in the past, since he had real happiness forever now.

    Norwin’s long wavy hair curled around her knees and thighs, inviting his touch. When he held her close, she did not move or look at him. He knew she was upset, but over time, she would give in to him. When that day came, he would destroy her perfect body and taint her pure soul.

    He kissed her gently, passionately. She smiled back at him, catching him off guard. But she was not looking at him, she was looking through him. “Norwin?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

    “I just forgave you,” she breathed. “And I forgave myself. I’ve hung on for too long. It’s time to let go.”

    Eyes wide, he stared at her. Was she saying what he hoped she was saying? “Are you willing to start over with me? To leave this horrible mortal world behind?”

    She shook her head, her dreamy expression brightening slightly. “That is not up to me, since I am only a part of the universe. That is up to fate. But we never will meet again in wholeness so it can’t be possible.”

    Ioudas’s blood ran cold as he began to understand what she was saying. “I won’t let you disappear,” he exclaimed. “I’ve fought for centuries to find you. I’ve killed millions of demons; my own kin. I’ve waited patiently to have your heart, even after my filthy whole-blooded dragon of a brother took it from you. You are mine now, I won’t let anyone take that away from me, not even you!”

    Norwin turned away, her eyes gazing back into nothingness. “I’ve waited for a long time to understand and see the energy in the world. I now realize how foolish it was. When you stop searching is when things come to you. I had to lose everything before I could be filled with the knowledge of it all. But there’s still so much to understand.” She closed her eyes, as if sleepy. “Maybe one day I will be worthy enough to understand.”

    Ioudas desperately shook her shoulders. “You haven’t lost everything! Your children are still alive and I will never leave your side! I will spend eternity with you, even if I must break into the heavens!”

    Norwin opened her eyes again and looked straight into his eyes. “Ioudas, don’t you see? Heaven is everywhere. No matter how bad life is, if you close your eyes, you can feel all of life. Even now, I can hear the voices of Time itself.” Tears began to well up in her eyes as she became less connected to the world that Ioudas lived in. “I can hear my children’s children and my mother’s mother.”

    When Norwin began to fade away, a burning rage filled Ioudas. “I won’t let you leave me!” he screamed at her, exposing his sharp teeth in a savage growl.

    But Norwin did not mind him. Instead, she allowed her soul to leave from her, giving up her physical form to become part of the great energy. She reached out a hand, gazing happily into the unseen as her soul began to dissipate in shining lights around her. “Mother Hecate, I am finally becoming one with you!”

    But it was not to be. Ioudas, his demonic magic strong, cast a wicked curse with hurried breath. As Norwin’s soul shattered to become part of the earth and sky, Ioudas’s magic latched onto it. “We will be together forever!” he glared down at her with obsessive, hateful eyes. He pulled his wicked dagger out, plunging it deep into his stomach. His blood splattered across Norwin’s fair body, his laughter breaking through even the storm that raged outside. His own soul shattered violently, the pieces erupting into the world. The shards danced together, a pure and tainted waltz. They were bound now, and not even Time was capable of splitting them apart. “Together…forever…”

    At that moment, a strange phenomenon occurred throughout the whole planet. For the first and only time, everyone found themselves awake, staring into the unknown. All could feel Norwin’s power and love as she united with the great force that many gave deity names. Tears filled the eyes of adults and children alike at the overwhelming aura of the Goddess that consumed them. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she had ascended to her rightful place.

    But her soul itself, as souls do, returned to the earth, waiting to be reforged with other soul-shatters to create a new life. Yet no matter how many times she was reborn, so followed Ioudas’s soul, cursed to never leave her side. That was the depth of his “love” for her.

    When their bodies were at last found by the guards, the bloodied couple served only as a sad reminder of the darkness drawn to the light of love. Ioudas’s murders of the other apostles as well as his deeds in history became forgotten in fear of ruining the peace Norwin had attained among the races. Norwin at last attaining enlightenment and becoming one with the Goddess, became a turning point in the annals of her world. Soon, every Old Way creature would worship the loving Mother, referring to their home as Norwin herself. Ioudas’s name was lost in time, not to be mentioned for many, many years. History had been rewritten.

    No amount of covering up could ever stop fate, however. Over a thousand years later, after wars and invasions, when a small babe was born with deep violet eyes, in the run-down village of a dying race, who was it that stood by the bedside but a young boy, eyes overflowing with new-found love.