Marr

Chapter Thirty-Three

 Star Wars: The Old Republic

Marr

~Chapter Thirty-Three~

Cunning is the ability to hide your own weakness while learning another's.

I was one with the darkness. The world fell away, leaving only the insatiable hunger that demanded the life at my feet.

The darkness chafed against what remained of my self-control. It craved Vowrawn's corruption and genius and my rage demanded an outlet the darkness was all too willing to provide.

Vowrawn writhed like a soilworm drowning in the rain. The whites of his eyes flashed, rivaling only that of his gnashed teeth.

The temptation to end him was too powerful to deny.The wraiths descended upon him in a thick black swarm.

His body shuddered, ribs creaking under the crushing burden of the feeding wraiths. His skin paled to reveal the depths of his depravity. The shadows orbiting his eyes gave him the appearance of a skull with red eyes. I'd always known Vowrawn was vain and spent considerable power to preserve his appearance, but to what degree, had always been as much of a mystery as what lay beneath my mask.

His breath rattled up his windpipe with every labored breath he drew. Somewhere beyond the swirling darkness and flying debris, I heard a scream.

Liaseph threw herself in front of Vowrawn. "Stop! You're killing him!"

"He stole your freedom—stole you away from me—yet you defend him. Why?" I snapped.

"Why? Why?!" She glared at me, her gaze incredulous through her tears. "Because those things," she flung an accusing finger at the wraiths, "they're not who you are."

"No, Liaseph. You're mistaken. This is precisely who I am—who I always have been—and always will be."

She crossed her arms stubbornly and her brows pinched, framing her gaze with dismay. "I don't believe that."

Her eyes wounded me. "Then it's time you did."

"Ares...please. I'm begging you—let him go."

Her voice was barely a whisper now, but it wasn't what she said or how she said it that reached me; it was the way she looked at me—something in her eyes kindled my humanity. The memory of her touch and tenderness awakened a forgotten hunger, the warmth and light of it testing my resolve.

The darkness recoiled at my summons, not nearly so eager to return to the body that caged it as it had been to leave it.

Vowrawn groaned and his head lolled to the right. Liaseph darted to his side and took his hand, warming it between hers. "He needs a medic."

I nodded once but didn't move from where I stood. Liaseph's scent mingled with the air current as she scurried past me to fetch help. I drew a deep breath, savoring the fill of my lungs as if a long time had passed since I'd breathed deeply. How she could forgive his crimes was beyond my understanding.

I could not.

Vowrawn's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm but he didn't stir. Without his grandiose gestures and flamboyance, he appeared leaner and more brittle than he did when he was conscious.

The darkness whispered inside my head, demanding I finish him now that we were alone. I considered the merits of the idea, but before I could decide one way or the other, Liaseph returned with the medical droid in tow.