Hellion's Reckoning

Keira promised him a world of hurt in the next week. There was no holding back. He couldn’t tame himself if he was too afraid. The devil’s dance took the power inside and gave it form. Darkness was and would always be a part of him. He couldn’t run from it or lock it away in a cage. The power to shine through is what set hellions apart. Without them, the light would blind the world into arrogance.

Inias would need to see it, whatever was holding him back. The next day, she took him to a small lake with an island at the center surrounded by a thick purple fog. “Spooky…” Inias muttered as they approached the water. Keira bent down and ran her fingers over the crystal blue surface. “Seer’s Island,” she said as he knelt beside her, “Saevel Ravenmoon, my fifth great uncle, could peer into people’s souls. He’s buried there, his spirit blesses the island.”

He looked out to the island, and the small boat tied to the tree. “That won’t hold both of us,” Inias said, walking towards the tree to untie it. “You’ll be going alone,” Keira told him, stepping away from the water with a wary smile. “Thought we were in this together?” Inias asked, looking at the island with a nervous chuckle. “Always,” Keira said, pulling him into a hug, “But if I’m there, you won’t see what you need to see. Trust me.” Inias groaned but returned her embrace. “Fine…”

The further he rowed out to the island, the thicker the mist grew. He kept his eyes pinned on Keira, but the moment he looked back at the island getting closer, she wasn’t there when he looked back. Fog shrouded the shore, leaving only the island visible. His heart beat faster as he rowed nearer. It was a tiny island with one tree covered in amethyst and azure leaves.

Inias stepped out onto the emerald grass and took slow steps towards the tree. “Hello?” He called out, scanning the ground for a grave of some kind. Nothing but grass and that one tree. As he approached it, a gentle wind blew rustling leaves.

“There you are! The devil prince!” A familiar voice echoed. Inias turned and gasped when he saw Tremaine, covered in blood, gashes covering his chest and stomach. The last time they’d been together, Tremaine had followed him into a death. “Tremaine, I…” Inias stammered as his heart pounded. “I believed in you,” Tremaine growled, balling his fists. “I’m sorry…” Inias said, stepped back against the tree.

A flash of black crossed his vision, and he turned again to find his father, back still littered with arrows. Cyran glared at his son through his shaggy black hair. “Dad…” Inias sobbed, tears welling up in his eyes. The two stepped towards him, corning him against the tree. It was all coming back, the bridge, the redcaps. He thought after rescuing Ashryn and Vestin he had moved on, but all of it came rushing back like a tsunami wave.

“What do you have to say for yourself, boy?” His father growled, reaching out to grip his son’s throat. Inias gasped for air, desperately trying to pull his father’s hand away as his father lifted him against the tree. “I saved your life so you could turn on us? Our clan?!” The man’s words cut at him like a dagger and Tremaine faded away, replaced by his uncle hunched over against his cane. “He’s a hellion monster.” Ivaran sneered, “What did you expect?”

Inias gasped and pushed both his feet against his father’s stomach. Cyran stumbled over the grass as Inias pushed him back. Inias fell to the ground, gasping for air. “I’m not a monster.” He whispered, cupping a clump of grass and dirt in his hand. Ivaran laughed as his brother stood, “Then what are you, boy?” Cyran chuckled beside him, grinning down at his son, “Look at you, how could you be anything but a demon?”

These were the visions. They had to be. They felt real, perhaps in a way they were. Keira’s ancestor could peer into the souls of others. “My fears,” Inias whispered, looking up at the two men. That’s what the island was making him see. Their words throughout his life had driven a fear of his power and hellion nature into him. If he allowed them to dictate his life, they would forever trap his heart.

“Demons are full of malice,” Inias said as he stood to his feet. “The only ones full of malice were the two of you.” He turned to his father and offered a light smile. “Sorry I wasn’t the son you wanted, but I didn’t get a choice in that. I never wanted to hurt anyone. You made the choice to save me because honoring my mother meant so much more.”

Cyran’s eyes glistened with tears. “I couldn’t face her if I let you die.” He said as those tears spilled down his cheeks, “And despite what you are, you’re still my son. I wanted to be with her as she watched over you.” As he spoke, Ivaran faded away into the purple fog around them. “Any regrets?” Inias asked, his voice shaking until he felt the firm hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find his father smiling. “Not a single one.”

Inias couldn’t stop the tears from falling as he rowed back. A mix of joy and sorrow. Part of him had accepted what his father’s choice meant, but to hear it from him, even as a vision, lifted a burden. Sunlight peaked through the fog as it cleared, and he could see Keira sitting on the grass.

She helped him pull the boat in and tie it up. “Well?” she asked, giving his shoulder a playful bump. “I’ll tell you on the way back,” Inias answered as he threw his arms around her. “Thank you.”