06-18-2015, 02:54 AM
Michael had expected Nikolai to approach him, but not so literally.
When the man turned into his path, the head of animosity reared in his mind for a moment before he dispelled it. Whatever Nikolai had in store, it wouldn't be a friendly chat about the weather.
As the Ascendancy spoke, Michael listened. The words drew him in, sending a chill down his spine. There was little anger or even accusation in the man's voice, but Michael was shaken, one image stuck in his mind and would not leave him.
The enemy, their enemy. They were supposed to be comrades born of the same kind. the Ascendancy's works struck a wound deep inside his heart. An ache that tore open by increment.
Michael's voice was unusually low and bereft of his icy confidence. "They are our enemy. I have nothing to hide from you."
He sought Nikolai's eyes and held his gaze with an opening he had never shown the man before. Vulnerability. "Aria came to me in desperation. She was faced with death on both sides, she sought a way out. There are others like her among the Atharim who do not wish to kill us. I told her to delay her attempt on your life as long as possible, at the risk of her own life, in return, I would meet with the dissident faction and secure an alliance of a kind. "
"I agreed, knowing she was sent to assassinate you from the start. I did not believe it possible. Her...powers... hadn't manifested at the time, but I knew of the plot."
Michael took a measured breath. It was a dangerous thing to speak frankly with the Ascendancy, but he was compelled to do so. "I mentioned I had contact with the Atharim, but I was not willing to reveal Aria to you. I could not trust your intention. I would not lose the chance to splinter the Atharim. I do not regret my choice."
"The situation was taken from my hands by fate, coincidence, or whatever you wish to call it. It was..."
the words were thick with reluctance. "more dangerous than I had anticipated... it seems."
Michael grew emboldened. It was more than his life on the line. It was an issue he needed to resolve. His eyes were steel. "Know that if she had attempted to kill you, I would have struck her down myself. I will not be your tool, but I have given you my allegiance. Consider it a failure or incompetence if you must, but I will not be seen as a traitor, not even by you."
The challenge was plain. He would not back down from this if the man chose to take it further. He could not. Not now.
When the man turned into his path, the head of animosity reared in his mind for a moment before he dispelled it. Whatever Nikolai had in store, it wouldn't be a friendly chat about the weather.
As the Ascendancy spoke, Michael listened. The words drew him in, sending a chill down his spine. There was little anger or even accusation in the man's voice, but Michael was shaken, one image stuck in his mind and would not leave him.
The enemy, their enemy. They were supposed to be comrades born of the same kind. the Ascendancy's works struck a wound deep inside his heart. An ache that tore open by increment.
Michael's voice was unusually low and bereft of his icy confidence. "They are our enemy. I have nothing to hide from you."
He sought Nikolai's eyes and held his gaze with an opening he had never shown the man before. Vulnerability. "Aria came to me in desperation. She was faced with death on both sides, she sought a way out. There are others like her among the Atharim who do not wish to kill us. I told her to delay her attempt on your life as long as possible, at the risk of her own life, in return, I would meet with the dissident faction and secure an alliance of a kind. "
"I agreed, knowing she was sent to assassinate you from the start. I did not believe it possible. Her...powers... hadn't manifested at the time, but I knew of the plot."
Michael took a measured breath. It was a dangerous thing to speak frankly with the Ascendancy, but he was compelled to do so. "I mentioned I had contact with the Atharim, but I was not willing to reveal Aria to you. I could not trust your intention. I would not lose the chance to splinter the Atharim. I do not regret my choice."
"The situation was taken from my hands by fate, coincidence, or whatever you wish to call it. It was..."
the words were thick with reluctance. "more dangerous than I had anticipated... it seems."
Michael grew emboldened. It was more than his life on the line. It was an issue he needed to resolve. His eyes were steel. "Know that if she had attempted to kill you, I would have struck her down myself. I will not be your tool, but I have given you my allegiance. Consider it a failure or incompetence if you must, but I will not be seen as a traitor, not even by you."
The challenge was plain. He would not back down from this if the man chose to take it further. He could not. Not now.
"She saw a flaring halo around his head, radiant in gold and blue. It shouted of glory and power to come"
"No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."