IMPERMANENCE

chapter twenty two - the brother of zedo

Alessia was on her feet instantaneously. She backed towards the others and threw her arms out as a shield.

"No," she breathed.

Dagger saw the gleam of her glowing irises. Something told him she would not harm them.

Zedo's brother crossed his arms delicately over his chest. The same black robes that Zedo wore, the same tragically black hair as Zedo, the same inhumane eyes, only a different face. A softer face. A face that looked so human. It was terrifying to witness the paperwhite of his skin reflecting off of the incoming moonlight from the large windows of the hall.

"That's who you're always talking to," Thea said, disoriented. Like an epiphany had struck her suddenly.

The male dusted off his robes and flicked invisible dirt off of his shoulder. Ivan, Lennox, and Zane held their swords in position and hadn't moved a muscle since. With the tilt of his head, all three of their swords turned to mere ashes.

Ashes.

"It was you," Dagger said as he strode forward with no fear to be found over his body. The being wasn't humored in the way Zedo would have been to see a human so bravely face him. "You were the one who obliterated the army during the War."

"Oh no, you're very much mistaken. That was all Alessia," the being declared proudly, his inky black robes sweeping the floor, just like Zedo.

"I know why my brother sent you, assassin. He's too scared to face me himself," the being said. "How pitiful, my brother is. Now, we mustn't waste any time. I'm taking Alessia to Gunther to kill my brother." The being began to reach his cold, bony hand towards Alessia, and she showed no sign of resistance. If it hadn't been for Ivan stepping in front of her, he could've snatched her away.

"You're not taking her anywhere," the Prince growled.

"Ivan . . . Prince Ivan. It's wonderful to finally meet you. In fact, it's wonderful to meet all of you, really. Though I've been here the entire time, I made it so that you couldn't see me. I know everything there is to know about all of you. Even you, Dagger. And the only one who came close enough to discovering me was the girl who's half-blind, how does that work?" The being spoke awfully casual, like they had all been friends for years and were just now catching up.

He rolled his eyes as nobody budged, in fact, Lennox, Zane, and Thea tightened a closer hold around Alessia.

"I know how strange this must be because I know all of you yet you know nothing about me. Allow me to introduce myself. Properly this time," he said, situating himself into a bow. "My name is Zachariah, and I'm a . . ." his words trailed off into contemplation, "close companion of Alessia's."

"Go to hell," Alessia spat.

"Do we have to do this the hard way, Alessia?" the being asked, cocking his head. He was toying with her. Dagger was well aware of the mind games this breed of supernatural liked to play.

"Please," Alessia begged. The unearthly hues simmering from her stare had turned into tearful eyes of pleading blue.

It was too late for negotiations and pleas. Dagger had been completely swept into a pool of darkness, the same hue as Zachariah's penetrating stare.

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Dagger awoke what seemed like a lifetime later. His neck cramped from resting at such an uncomfortable angle. His eyes flitted to a full opening as he looked off to his right side. Thea, Lennox, Zane, and Ivan were sat chained up to the walls of what looked to be Alessia's chambers, all waking up from the same slumber he had been under.