Author’s Note: Original Fiction published in the 2011 Edition of Ginseng

Once upon a time in a city by the sea there were two people. Both were fair of face and form.

One was dark of hair and light of eye. A gift fueled by the magick of voice and the colors of words.

The other, was light of hair and eye. A gift fueled by the magick of music and the colors of words.

The dark one had come to the city from the far off land of Tul-soka. Though educated, the dark one spoke plain and possessed a vagabond soul, urging movement—looking for that which was missing.

The light one had been born by the sea, her songs a mother tongue. A talent for turning those songs into music the mundane could understand. Many miles were traveled, many lessons learned from others who also heard the magick in the nature’s elements. Always the gypsy soul returned to the city by the sea looking for that which was missing.

As nature will, the two souls drifted on the tides of Fate drawing them closer. The Powers of the Light worked diligently to bring the pair together. To be what they were always destined to be…the balance between The Light and The Dark. Trying just as diligently to keep the couple apart was The Power of the Dark, not wanting the pair to weave the magick of their words and music through the masses to spread their balance through the city by the sea, then out into the world.

A friend of kindred spirit, a mutual acquaintance held a celebration to commemorate his good fortune to gain employment with an acting company of high standing. Fate plucked the strings of their lives and the pair was invited and their time available to attend their friend’s celebration.

As was their want, when all the casual acquaintances left for their abodes, the circle of those closest in spirit opened their black cases. Instruments were lovingly tuned and melodies filled the air. All the voices died to just their two as their magicks combined to dance an aurora of color across the midnight blue sky.

Shy of each other at first, though they were constantly drawn together, the dark and fair began to pass time in each other’s company. Soon the gift of their combined magicks wove their words and notes into the colors that became threads, and the threads became the tapestry of their lives.

Their magicks drew the people with their hot and powerful energy. All wanted to bask in the rainbow—the power of their love and light their combined souls created.

As the Power of The Dark abhors the Power of The Light, The Dark began to whisper to the mates. Streaks of darkness began to poison and darken the vibrant energy. Breathy melodies growled in the blaze of passion became stabbing daggers of anger. Small rifts widened into crevices. Little scratches erupted into raw bleeding gashes that became deep scars. The bond between the two souls dimmed, became sickly, then snapped as the infection caused by The Darkness poisoned their souls.

In the final crescendo, scarred of heart and soul, the dark half fled their home. A pall of colorless silence settled over the land as the music and the magick died.

Far to the north in another city by the sea, the dark half found company with fellow entertainers. The work was exhausting and dangerous, but the pain of losing half of one’s soul shrouded the physical complaints.

The company’s patron was a man of show and flash, but with little substance. Always he pushed for bigger stunts, larger spectacles, and more explosions.

It was one such spectacle where pyrotechnics detonated too early sending the troupe into a silence of grief as they saw the dark half of the magickal couple lay broken and bloody on the stage.

It took many months, but patches of color soon began to appear in the southern city by the sea. They were not as vibrant, nor their energy as powerful, but the light half tried to carry on their magick with words and melodies.

That stopped the day a messenger appeared at their door. An accident…the dark half’s life hanging by Fate’s thin silken cord. The healers held little hope that Death would not claim the dark half, allowing The Dark to win the day.

The fair one raced to the dark half’s side. Fingers calloused from years of making their magick, reached out to touch the battered face that was as familiar as the one seen each day in the mirror, the light half whispered words of love, apology and forgiveness, voice hoarse with grief, entreating the other to hear.

Tears spilled unheeded as a pair of beloved eyes blinked slowly, and color filled the room. Joy, surprise, love and passion shone from the two sets of pale eyes. As long fingers traced the tears on the fair cheek, the monitoring machines and The Light shrieked their alarms.

When pale eyes opened, they lay on huge bed covered with sumptuous linens and silks. Eyes widened in surprise as they found no wounds or bruises covering the dark one.

They climbed off the bed and found clothing in their sizes and tastes, but made of the finest materials. Hand in hand they approached the door. Finding it unlocked they warily moved through the hall and down the stairs. Seeing what looked like a door out of the mansion, they looked around before starting that way only to be intercepted by a tall man dressed as a butler. He pointed toward another room. Hands still joined the pair moved the way he indicated.

They stopped barely inside a formal dining room, trying to digest what they were seeing. Opulence like they had only seen in pictures of the palaces of the kings and queens of old filled their vision. Sitting at the head of an ornately carved table was a handsome middle aged man, well groomed and expensively dressed.

Normally outgoing and personable with their followers, the pair simply stared at the man much the way a mongoose watches a cobra.

The man’s voice was melodious and smooth attempting to soothe the nervousness that became obvious as the dark one placed his body between the man and the light one. He beckoned them to join him at the table. When the servant would separate them to seat them on the man’s left and right, they protested so adamantly that a brief nod allowed them to stay together.

The table was laid with beautiful linens, china, silver and crystal. Food prepared to perfection filled the side board, servants standing at attention around the table to serve their every whim.

Instead of tempting the children of The Light, the pall of The Darkness that tainted everyone and everything in the mansion repulsed them. They maintained their contact afraid if they separated for any reason that one would lose the other. Having recently experienced the pain of being away from their other half, neither wished to relive that experience any time soon.

The voice continued to flow through the room, over their skin, along their nerves trying to slip into their minds as the voice had done before.

Seeing the couple resist angered The Dark. A tendril oozed through the room adding its power to that of the voice to get the balance to join The Dark. They could have whatever they wanted…be whatever they wanted if only they joined The Dark.

They fled the table, desperate to escape the suffocating power of The Dark. The ornate double doors slammed shut blocking their escape. They turned around to face The Dark, fingers tightly intertwined as they leant each other their strength.

Angered at their resistance, the tendrils increased wrapping around their bodies in a bizarre parody of armor trying to break apart their hands—to break apart their power. Determined not to let the poison of The Dark come between them again, they wrapped their arms around each other, foreheads resting together as they shared their breath—their love—their power.

As the tendrils continued to wrap around the two bodies, they cleaved to one another determined they would not be separated—they would be together forever.

The two souls screamed their denial at the smiling Dark. The Light sputtered, then flared as the magicks of the voices, words and music combined. Like the legendary Phoenix, the newly healed souls blazed from the tainted mansion returning to the outside world on the color of their songs.

~ Fini ~