Chapter 18: Painful Surrender

“Did he frighten you?” Luz asked quietly, his gauntleted hands resting on his knees. “He has that effect on everyone eventually.” Amelia lightly shook her head. “No, he was polite. So, this means we can stay right?” Luz let out a short humourless laugh at the casual way she dismissed Mestre Escuro presence. “Polite? He was probably cataloguing every weakness in your aura while you spoke.” His tone was dry, but the tension in his shoulders eased noticeably. “He did not kill you on the spot or try to possess you, so yes– that is practically an invitation to tea in his world.” He ran a gauntleted hand through his ask silver hair, the gesture weary. “We can stay– for now, but don’t think for a second this changes anything.” His crimson eyes fixed on her again, serious and intense. “Two hours until Cidade dos escravos.”

Amelia turned on the cot, pulling her legs up so she kneeled on the mattress and so she was eye level with Luz. Then she kissed him. The sudden kiss caught Luz completely off guard. His entire body went still for a beat– the gauntleted hand frozen mid-air where it had been reaching to adjust her position. Then, slowly, deliberately, he responded. His free arm wrapped around her waist while his mouth parted under hers, allowing the kiss to deepen with a hunger that had been building for six years. He pulled her flush against his armoured torso, one hand tangling in her red hair while the other gripped her hip possessively. “Careful,” he breathed against her lips when they finally broke apart for air. “I am not exactly stable right now.”

“Sorry, I am just so happy I can stay with you,” Amelia said softly. The apology in her voice seemed to break whatever fragile control Luz had maintained. His crimson eyes softened completely, the amber flickering openly as he stared down at her. “Don’t apologize for wanting to stay,” he said roughly, his voice losing its military precision and becoming something more intimate. “Gods, Amelia– you have no idea what hearing you say that does to me.” He ran both hands through his ask silver hair in frustration. “This is insane. We should be planning our escape route, finding horses, figuring out how to slip past an entire Corrompido army– not sitting here kissing.” Despite his words, his hands returned to her waist immediately, pulling her back against him as if drawn by an invisible force.

“We have two hours until hell breaks loose,” Luz muttered against her temple. “Why does Mestre Escuro want to attack Cidade dos escravos anyway?” Amelia asked curiously. Luz’s expression darkened at the question, his fingers tightening on her hips reflexively. “Cidade dos escravos is a strategic target,” he explained grimly. “Its port connects the mainland to the islands when Mestre Escuro’s fleets are based. Control that city, and we gain a foothold for invading the southern kingdoms.” He leaned back slightly, forcing some distance between them despite his own desires. “But the real reason is political posturing. The Santo Order has been rallying forces there– an act of defiance against Mestre Escuro. By crushing their resistance publicly, Mestre Escuro sends a message to any other kingdom considering supporting the Santo Order.”

Luz’s crimson eyes met Amelia’s green eyes directly, holding a weight of secrets he could not share fully. “Every battle is calculated; every victory staged for maximum impact. This one happens to coincide with our current location perfectly.” Amelia listened intently to his explanation. “So, it is all about power and control?” she asked in a tone suggesting she doesn’t quiet belief it. Luz’s jaw tightened at the question, his crimson eyes flashing with something that was not quite human anymore. “Power and control are the only languages they understand,” he bit out, his voice dropping to that cold, commanding tone he used with his Corrompido subordinates.

He stood abruptly, pacing the small confines of the tent like a caged animal. “Mestre Escuro isn’t interested in conquest for its own sake– he is building an empire on fear and submission. Every city he takes is another brick in his wall, another soul consumed by his influence. He doesn’t care about Cidade dos escravos itself. He cares about making an example of it– showing the world what happens when you defy him.” Luz stopped pacing and turned back to face Amelia, his expression unreadable. “Are you sure?” she asked softly. “I have this sense that there is more to it.” Luz’s pacing halted abruptly, his crimson eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made the air crackle.

The casual confidence in her voice– as if she could see past the layers of deceit and manipulation, he had built around himself– unsettled him deeply. “What makes you think that?” he demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You have been here less than an hour. How could you possibly know there is more to it?” his gauntleted hands clenched into fists at his sides, the black veins on his knuckles pulsing faintly. The amber flickered in his left eye as his internal struggle intensified– the knight fighting against the monster trying to consume him. “Stop looking at me like that,” he continued harshly, taking a step closer. “You have no idea what you are dealing with. This isn’t some fairytale where the villain has a heart of gold hidden somewhere.”

Amelia felt herself growing irritated at Luz’s words, he was speaking to her like she was a naïve child. Maybe she was being, but she had hoped after the night they spent together, he might trust her instincts a bit more. “Before you came… he said it was good I am here,” she said trying not to sound irritated. “He said it gives you something to fight for. And that made me wonder what he is fighting for…” The words struck Luz like a physical blow, and his entire body went rigid, the crimson in his eyes flaring with a raw, undisguised fry that momentarily overwhelmed the darkness’s control. He took a half-step forward, his armoured boots thudding against the ground.