Light XOR Shadow - Chapter 3
My opinion? We speak often in private, but rarely of personal affairs. He loves to study, that boy. No interest in gold, battle, or women. As an academic, I quite enjoy his company. As a dragon, I find him insufferable. Is that all you wished to know?
--Tsinderion
It was late in the evening. The lights strewn about Beaumont’s had dimmed, and the streets were quiet. Alexander sat at the window, combing over his notes in the candlelight, looking for any and all mistakes. He could find none, but caution overrode his desire. With a sigh, he placed the papers in the drawer of his desk, lifted his suitcase up from the floor, and opened it on the bed.
“Hello again, Alexander,” Nassistra said. “Have you reconsidered?”
“I never said no. Just not yet.”
The little shadow spun, ever so subtle in the darkness of the suitcase, but Alexander could sense her impatience. From what he’d gathered, those who dealt with the shadow often did so in desperation -- she wasn’t used to waiting.
“I think about it everyday,” Alexander said. “About what to ask for.”
“I could assist you in that endeavor...”
“For free?”
The shade would have choked, if it had the facilities. Instead, there was bristling in the depths of the shadows, which then slowly calmed. Alexander gave her time -- he wanted to push, but being on the shade’s bad side before their deal would be unwise.
“Three questions,” Nassistra said. “I will answer if I can, and only if they are in some way related to our future dealings.”
One. Three. Nine. Twenty-Seven. Eighty-One…
Alexander reigned in his joy, letting it pool out into the universe. He was expecting only a single question, if any at all. But he couldn’t let Nassistra see. She had to believe Alexander was a foolish hopeful, hungry for power. She likely thought him a coward, for how often he had avoided taking the plunge. There was truth to such claims, but Alexander would argue that caution had saved more lives than it had taken. Especially given her eagerness. She accepted his terms far too easily… No time for thought. Just become empty, and let the numbers flow.
“Thank you,” Alexander said. His voice sounded soulless. It was perfect.
“Gratitude comes at the end,” Nassistra whispered. “Not the beginning.”
Alexander beat down the twitches that would build into a smile. She had made herself vulnerable, and he had given her nothing. Now she was off guard. He quickly arranged the questions in his head, starting with the least important.
“Can you teach me mastery over your own kind?”
Nassistra bristled once more, choosing her words carefully. He tried not to lean in, letting himself drift further into emptiness.
“No,” she replied. “But I can teach you mastery over shades.”
Alexander blinked. So Nassistra was not a shade… Perhaps something adjacent? There were many denizens of the Plane of Shadow, but few of them took the form of a wispy darkness. If this was a restriction of the binding, he could not see it. He let his eyes adjust, honing his senses, but could detect no illusions. Alexander had tried many times before, but it never hurt to be careful. No, he was sure. This was Nassistra’s actual form -- or at least, the form that she could present on the Material Plane. Then what was she?
That was the ruse, of course. A leading answer, to get him to waste his second question. Which meant that the answer was of little consequence. She was likely some unique hybrid of shadow, so close to a shade that only a scholar would care to make the difference. Still, that did not make her answer any less true. Alexander’s next question was harder to formulate, but his delivery was smooth.
“What does your kind fear above all else?”
This time, Nassistra’s answer was swift. As if she was anticipating the question before it left his lips. Alexander’s stomach turned, but he remained empty.
“You wish me to say light, as this brings you comfort. It is easy to produce in your era, such that you mortals pollute the skies with it, and ruin the beauty of the night. But my kind fears that which you lack -- the light of the soul.”
Alexander unset his jaw, his lips nearly parting, but swallowed instead. Nassistra must have sensed his unspoken question, and seemed to relish in his near miss. The light of the soul, that which he lacked… The loose language of spirits. Alexander understood it about as well as he did people.
They sat on the bed, staring at each other for a silent minute, as Alexander went to war with himself. He could take Nassistra’s bait, and learn the details of her weakness, or he could stick with the original plan. Both answers had the potential to alter the outcome of their dealings in his favor, but if Nassistra weaseled out of the answer, he would get nothing. In the end, Alexander went with his gut. Better to deal with the shade on his own terms, rather than dancing to her tune -- no matter how valuable the information.
“If we do make a deal, your terms imply an equal trade, and then a gift,” Alexander said. “What do you want from me?”
It was a simple question, and that made it hard to wiggle out of. Still, Alexander held his breath as the shade deliberated.
“You are clever,” Nassistra cooed. “But of course, what could I expect from a Silhouette as strong as you?”
The numbers rattled around in Alexander’s head as he waited. She’d said the word with a capital “S”, implying it was some kind of title. Of course, the shadow was toying with him, now that all of his questions had been given. She was giving him a taste of her knowledge, trying to tempt him into another deal.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Alexander said.
“No,” Nassistra said. “It does not. I want what you do, Alexander Marcus, which is why we will work so well together... I want freedom.”
The thought chilled Alexander to his bones. Summoned creatures often requested their freedom, but few demanded the terms that Nassistra had. An even trade to start, and then two gifts -- one by his request, and the next from Alexander, given in good faith. If she asked for her freedom in the equal trade, that would limit what Alexander could ask for, as removing her bindings would be a relatively trivial task. Instead, Nassistra would push for her freedom at the end, meaning that Alexander would have to plan for his safety at the beginning.
Once the shade could roam free, there was no telling what she would do. Even if he hated Beaumont’s, his fellow students didn’t deserve a rogue shade wandering their halls, looking to devour their souls in the night. He had no doubt that Doctor Tsi could deal with the shadow, but the havoc Nassistra would cause before the professor’s arrival would be devastating. Worse, if they traced the shade back to him, Alexander would be expelled from Beaumont, and Father would have his head.
He would need more time. A lot more time.
“Thank you,” Alexander said. “I’ll think about what you told me.”
In a rush, he closed the lid of the suitcase, zipped it shut, and gently tucked it beneath the bed. Alexander thought he had an idea of what Nassistra was, or at least how to navigate around her. Now he was more unsure than ever. As he walked about his room, blowing out all of the candles, thoughts built up in Alexander’s head. By the time he crawled under the covers his mind was full of them, but one stuck out, scratching like a barb against his skin.
What was a Silhouette?
“Hello again, Alexander,” Nassistra said. “Have you reconsidered?”
“I never said no. Just not yet.”
The little shadow spun, ever so subtle in the darkness of the suitcase, but Alexander could sense her impatience. From what he’d gathered, those who dealt with the shadow often did so in desperation -- she wasn’t used to waiting.
“I think about it everyday,” Alexander said. “About what to ask for.”
“I could assist you in that endeavor...”
“For free?”
The shade would have choked, if it had the facilities. Instead, there was bristling in the depths of the shadows, which then slowly calmed. Alexander gave her time -- he wanted to push, but being on the shade’s bad side before their deal would be unwise.
“Three questions,” Nassistra said. “I will answer if I can, and only if they are in some way related to our future dealings.”
One. Three. Nine. Twenty-Seven. Eighty-One…
Alexander reigned in his joy, letting it pool out into the universe. He was expecting only a single question, if any at all. But he couldn’t let Nassistra see. She had to believe Alexander was a foolish hopeful, hungry for power. She likely thought him a coward, for how often he had avoided taking the plunge. There was truth to such claims, but Alexander would argue that caution had saved more lives than it had taken. Especially given her eagerness. She accepted his terms far too easily… No time for thought. Just become empty, and let the numbers flow.
“Thank you,” Alexander said. His voice sounded soulless. It was perfect.
“Gratitude comes at the end,” Nassistra whispered. “Not the beginning.”
Alexander beat down the twitches that would build into a smile. She had made herself vulnerable, and he had given her nothing. Now she was off guard. He quickly arranged the questions in his head, starting with the least important.
“Can you teach me mastery over your own kind?”
Nassistra bristled once more, choosing her words carefully. He tried not to lean in, letting himself drift further into emptiness.
“No,” she replied. “But I can teach you mastery over shades.”
Alexander blinked. So Nassistra was not a shade… Perhaps something adjacent? There were many denizens of the Plane of Shadow, but few of them took the form of a wispy darkness. If this was a restriction of the binding, he could not see it. He let his eyes adjust, honing his senses, but could detect no illusions. Alexander had tried many times before, but it never hurt to be careful. No, he was sure. This was Nassistra’s actual form -- or at least, the form that she could present on the Material Plane. Then what was she?
That was the ruse, of course. A leading answer, to get him to waste his second question. Which meant that the answer was of little consequence. She was likely some unique hybrid of shadow, so close to a shade that only a scholar would care to make the difference. Still, that did not make her answer any less true. Alexander’s next question was harder to formulate, but his delivery was smooth.
“What does your kind fear above all else?”
This time, Nassistra’s answer was swift. As if she was anticipating the question before it left his lips. Alexander’s stomach turned, but he remained empty.
“You wish me to say light, as this brings you comfort. It is easy to produce in your era, such that you mortals pollute the skies with it, and ruin the beauty of the night. But my kind fears that which you lack -- the light of the soul.”
Alexander unset his jaw, his lips nearly parting, but swallowed instead. Nassistra must have sensed his unspoken question, and seemed to relish in his near miss. The light of the soul, that which he lacked… The loose language of spirits. Alexander understood it about as well as he did people.
They sat on the bed, staring at each other for a silent minute, as Alexander went to war with himself. He could take Nassistra’s bait, and learn the details of her weakness, or he could stick with the original plan. Both answers had the potential to alter the outcome of their dealings in his favor, but if Nassistra weaseled out of the answer, he would get nothing. In the end, Alexander went with his gut. Better to deal with the shade on his own terms, rather than dancing to her tune -- no matter how valuable the information.
“If we do make a deal, your terms imply an equal trade, and then a gift,” Alexander said. “What do you want from me?”
It was a simple question, and that made it hard to wiggle out of. Still, Alexander held his breath as the shade deliberated.
“You are clever,” Nassistra cooed. “But of course, what could I expect from a Silhouette as strong as you?”
The numbers rattled around in Alexander’s head as he waited. She’d said the word with a capital “S”, implying it was some kind of title. Of course, the shadow was toying with him, now that all of his questions had been given. She was giving him a taste of her knowledge, trying to tempt him into another deal.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Alexander said.
“No,” Nassistra said. “It does not. I want what you do, Alexander Marcus, which is why we will work so well together... I want freedom.”
The thought chilled Alexander to his bones. Summoned creatures often requested their freedom, but few demanded the terms that Nassistra had. An even trade to start, and then two gifts -- one by his request, and the next from Alexander, given in good faith. If she asked for her freedom in the equal trade, that would limit what Alexander could ask for, as removing her bindings would be a relatively trivial task. Instead, Nassistra would push for her freedom at the end, meaning that Alexander would have to plan for his safety at the beginning.
Once the shade could roam free, there was no telling what she would do. Even if he hated Beaumont’s, his fellow students didn’t deserve a rogue shade wandering their halls, looking to devour their souls in the night. He had no doubt that Doctor Tsi could deal with the shadow, but the havoc Nassistra would cause before the professor’s arrival would be devastating. Worse, if they traced the shade back to him, Alexander would be expelled from Beaumont, and Father would have his head.
He would need more time. A lot more time.
“Thank you,” Alexander said. “I’ll think about what you told me.”
In a rush, he closed the lid of the suitcase, zipped it shut, and gently tucked it beneath the bed. Alexander thought he had an idea of what Nassistra was, or at least how to navigate around her. Now he was more unsure than ever. As he walked about his room, blowing out all of the candles, thoughts built up in Alexander’s head. By the time he crawled under the covers his mind was full of them, but one stuck out, scratching like a barb against his skin.
What was a Silhouette?
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