Peter strode into the temple. Not the humble man Martin knew, but head held high and steps sure.
“You! You are not wanted here!” Thomoth shrieked.
Peter opened his mouth, but another’s voice emerged. “You were warned.”
What! Had the monster taken hold of Peter? Another monster? Were there two?“There are always two,”he heard in his mother’s voice, as clearly as though she stood beside him. Two monsters as well as two heroes?
“It is time for you to return. With me.” Peter extended a hand.
Thomoth threw his hand forward. Flames shot toward Peter.
“No!” Martin charged, throwing himself in front of his lover. A primitive part of his brain cried,Pain!
Nothing but a pair of strong arms. Martin glanced up into a well-loved face.
One side of Peter’s mouth quirked up. “Ah, mortal. How brave and foolish. Thomoth cannot hurt me. Nor I, them.” One hand firmly on each shoulder, the being who looked like Peter effortlessly placed Martin to the side.
Hey! No pain. Martin spared a brief moment to rub his upper arm. No burns! And he felt energized.
But wait! Peter approached Thomoth. “No, Peter, stop!”
“Time to come home,” Peter said.
Thomoth backed away. “No! You cannot take me back. I have the magic of a dozen realms.”
“Had,” Peter said, smile bittersweet. “While your level of power would kill a mortal, divided between the mage-born…”
Thomoth extended his hands again. Nothing. “No! I’ve worked so hard…”
“While you fought, every mage-born in this city has worked together to weaken you. But the Dreckons have sacrificed themselves to atone for their actions against other races. There is no power stronger than a selfless act.” The being wearing Peter’s body spoke in calm tones, so out of context, no matter how elegant the battlefield. “You have killed, destroyed, and made a mockery of what we are. You have turned lover against lover. Realm against realm. We are creators by nature. We give life. We do not take.”
“But they are beneath us. Animals!” Thomoth snarled through Cere.
How bizarre, watching an argument between two people Martin knew who weren’t really themselves.
“No,” not-Peter said. “They are children. If left alone, they will grow and learn. You cannot have what is theirs. Now, it is time for you to return.” Peter placed the palm of his right hand against Cere’s forehead.
Thomoth’s screams pierced Martin’s ears, fading, dying, becoming the voice of a scared young man. “Help him,” the being in Peter’s body barked.
Martin rushed forward, catching Cere before he fell, easing him onto the marble.
“That… Tha… th… thing!” Cere trembled in Martin’s arms.
Peter knelt beside the two Dreckons, now lying still in a final embrace. Martin saw one of their kind look fully at peace for the first time. “I was a moment too late to save them. For this, I am sorry, but I see into their hearts. They came fully prepared to die for others, an alien concept for their race.”
He rose and approached Dmitri and Xariel. “You have lost much. You have fought for your people and your world, each in your own way. I cannot restore everything my other took from you; however, what you have inside will start restoring your world. You must dispel the power quickly. Your bodies are not made to contain so much magic.” He drew a shimmering circle in the air. “My kind apologizes for Thomoth’s crimes against your realm. They will be dealt with. Now, go. Rebuild your worlds.”
Dmitri led Xariel forward. He turned and mouthed “Thank you” to Martin over his shoulder before stepping through the portal.
Finally, Peter approached Martin. “The entity has returned to our realm. Thomoth’s machinations cost you both much. For this, we are sorry.” He extended a hand. “Come with me.”
“What about him?” Martin nodded at Cere.
Peter touched Cere’s eyelids with his fingertips. “He will sleep until you return. Come.”
Martin took Peter’s hand, shrugging off the strange sensation that this wasn’t actually Peter.
“Where is the man whose body you wear?” An odd pressure built inside Martin, swelling, surging.
