Chapter 14

“What have you done?” cried Eve in terror, struggling unsuccessfully to rise to her feet.

“Don’t you like it, my dear? Oh, I think he’s much improved.” Doctor Merrill flexed his fingers. “You see the kind of power I have at my disposal. How far I have come – surely now there can be little doubt that it is I who am most fit to rule. And you – you never even suspected that your savior Archen was an enemy all along!” He laughed to himself, stroking his chin. “Of course, even I was surprised at how well that worked – the spell that disguised him as the King’s slain messenger. I did not foresee how completely he would take on a human nature and forget his old ways. That was a little alarming, at first. But it was necessary, I realized, once I found the King’s letter on the dead man and read about the Sword of Flame. Had there actually been a weapon of such power that it could defeat my armies, it would have wreaked all. But no matter. He’s quite himself again, aren’t you, Kaisef? I know that look. You’re imagining how you’d like to tear me apart, hungering for the feel of my flesh ripping in your teeth. That’s the beast in you – your evil nature coming back. But hold, slave. To what end would you destroy me? Don’t forget, you’re Ty’Goth, and your very life is in my hands. Those pathetic people down there, who this morning you considered your friends, would run you through without a second thought. That’s’ right, animal. Retract your claws with me, if you can. I will have a use for your savagery in a moment.” With a sneer he turned to watch the progress of the battle raging below.

Kaisef remained where he had fallen, his body turned to lead, the fight in him, utterly gone. Every word the doctor spoke was a dagger his heart. It was all true. He was the very thing he loathed.

“Archen!” Eve cried to him in despair. “But – you’re Archen. Aren’t you?”

“Archen is dead,” Kaisef replied in empty tones. “I killed him myself.”

Something touched his hand. He looked, amazed, at Eve’s soft hand lying in his rough palm. She lay on her side facing him, every trace of fear wiped from her face.

“The King will return,” she whispered.

Deep inside Kaisef, something strange occurred. Hope ignited and surged, like the first traces of thaw after a long winter. He wondered at it. I am the King’s enemy. I killed his messenger. His return would only mean my certain death. Why then does my heart jump in hope at her words?

The doctor is wrong, he realized, drawing in a quick breath. Inside this shell of a brute there is a human still, struggling for survival. A human who longs for good to conquer evil, even if it means my own death. So what if the King kills me? Does not a murderous, depraved beast deserve to be killed?

A verse from the Book of Peace came to his mind, and he whispered it back to Eve, his voice growling low, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him.”

Instantly, as if in immediate response to his words, a force of conviction flooded his heart and pried open his mind. He thinks the Book of Peace is only a book, but he’s wrong. I read it when no one else could, and I’ve felt its power. It’s a weapon, and it is in my power to wield. While there is a trace of human left in me, why should I not serve the King? He rose to his feet, facing the doctor. I wonder, how many words can I remember before I die? His gravely voice intoned:

"The wicked have drawn their sword and bent their bow
But their sword will enter their own heart
And their bows will be broken."