Something Good Lurks
as written by
Ilvoren Dyjorshen, Bard to Merdressa, Queen of the Lands of Cerdrinal, The Mysty Realm of the Elves.
Ninrath stormed into his chambers, startling the slaves cleaning. He slammed the main door closed in anger. “Fool. And twice a fool again.” Ignoring the pathetic mortals crouching on the floor, he jerked the door to his garden open roughly. Before walking out into the garden, he looked at the mortals in his chambers. “Bah!” he growled.
The mortals continued to cringe as their master slammed the garden door closed upon his exit. They all looked at each other, wondering which one was going to endure his attentions tonight. The newest of the slaves, slowly walked over to the door. She looked outside at the retreating form of her master.
“I wouldn’t child.”
She jumped, startled. “Mistress?” The slave girl knelt on the floor at the dark goddess’ feet.
“He is truly angry this time. You wouldn’t survive it.” Elethya calmly walked past the slave girl out the garden door.
The Queen of Hell found her lover fuming at the far end of the garden. “Do you want to tell me exactly what happened today at court?” she demanded.
“I don’t want to talk about it Elethya.”
She spun the dark lord around to face her. “Tough! I do! You dumped me! Me! The Queen of Hell! I want to know why?”
Ninrath shrugged. “A change of pace.”
Elethya’s eyes blazed in anger, as her hand connected with Ninrath’s jaw. “How dare you lie to me? You, who claims that you don’t lie!”
Ninrath rubbed his jaw. “What is this shit with hitting me today?!” he demanded. “First Zehna’s lapdog Saidryn. And now you!”
“Maybe because you needed it!” Elethya snapped.
“Well I don’t like it!” the Lord of Chaos snapped back.
“Tough! Now, tell me what is wrong?” she demanded.
“Are you ordering me Hell Queen?”
Elethya looked around for a near by bench and sat down. “Yes! Now answer me.”
“By what right do you have to demand answers from me?” Ninrath asked, trying to gain control of his temper.
“By my right as the second highest ranking god of evil, after yourself. And by the right that until this morning, I was your lover. I deserve some answers, Ninrath.” She glared at him. “And don’t give me any of your ‘I don’t give answers or explain myself’ bullshit. This time you will explain yourself.”
He turned away from the goddess. “I hate being evil,” he whispered softly.
Elethya stared at her lover in total disbelief. She slowly rose from her seat to walk over to him. “Excuse me? I don’t think I heard that?”
Ninrath whirled to face her, pure hatred on his face. “What part of ‘I hate being evil’ didn’t you understand?” he demanded.
The Queen of Hell took a step back in fright. “But Ninrath, you have been evil all your life. You were born as a god of evil. Just like me. We’ve been gods of evil for over almost eight hundred thousand years. How can you say that you hate it? You don’t know any other way of life.”
Ninrath grinned sourly. “Yes, well today I hate it. Who knows maybe tomorrow I will like it again. Allow me a chance to wallow in my self pity.”
Elethya chuckled humorlessly. “Ah. Again? Then wallow away. Just don’t let it cloud your judgment. I don’t like Selyth playing his games. And Rovis has raised my suspicions.”
Ninrath stared at her. “Rovis? What has that pathetic child done to do that?”
“Sometimes, he doesn’t always follow your orders to the letter Love.”
The dark god slowly sat down on the ground. He patted a spot next to him. “Come over here and tell me more about this.”
Elethya stretched out on the ground, her head resting in Ninrath’s lap. “Well I don’t have any specifics. It’s just that I have noticed him being a little slow on following your orders.”
“Which orders?” Ninrath inquired.
“Oh, like the ones involving certain mortals under your protection. I do know that he encouraged Nierthas’ little temper tantrum today at court.” Elethya explained.
“Encouraged? How?”
“Think about it my love. Has Murder ever complained about Brierth’s methods before?” she asked.
Ninrath bit his lip, as he thought about what the goddess was telling him. “Now that you mention it, I did find it a little strange. So, any other little tidbits that I might have missed in my wallowing in self pity?”
“No. Just that.” Elethya sat up slowly. She tenderly put her hand on Ninrath’s cheek, covering the bruise from her slap.
Ninrath gently grabbed her hand before she could release the minor healing spell. “Don’t.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Call it a badge of remembrance. Something to remind me not to miss the obvious. It will fade. But the memory won’t.” Ninrath grinned humorlessly.
Elethya sighed in frustration. “I can’t deal with you in one of these moods. Just be careful. Please?”
Ninrath gently kissed her. “Of course. I really don’t want to give Zehna’s pup a real excuse to put me in that damn prison of his.”
Elethya leaned against him, with a sigh. “Good.”
Saidryn just sat in the chair, trying to forget the visit from the Lord of Chaos. His eyes closed, as he drifted off to sleep, finally relaxing.
“Would you kindly inform me as to why you decided to anger the Lord of Chaos today?”
Saidryn snapped awake with a start. “Huh? What? Oh!” He stood up, coming to attention. “I was just doing my job Father.”
The Omega Balance walked into the room, looking the place over. It had been a long time since he had been in these chambers. He looked his son up and down carefully. “Tell me another one. If I have told you once, I have told you several times, Zehna’s view of things is not always healthy.”
“But...” Saidryn protested.
“No buts! She hates Ninrath with a passion. And so she refuses to accept the fact that he does contribute a vital aspect to Saivryth.” Nazeth explained. He wandered the room, noticing the broken glass in the corner.
Saidryn turned so he was still facing his father. “What do you mean? How can that thing be vital?” he demanded.
Nazeth took several long steps to cross the room to stand in front of his son. “He keeps the other gods of evil in line, you fool! If he didn’t, evil would go unchecked in this world!” he almost roared.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Saidryn said in exasperation. “He doesn’t control anything! The gods of evil do as they please, answerable to no one. Not even me!”
Nazeth grabbed his son, shaking him. “You don’t really get it, do you? You are the only one that they are answerable too! You are the gate keeper. You can simply decide to open that damn door you are terrified of and stuff us all in there. You have the power to make this world godless. And Zehna knows this. And it terrifies her. Why do you think she is shoving this damn fool crusade of yours?!”
Saidryn pulled away from his father. “Because she wants me to end Ninrath’s reign of evil!”
Nazeth rolled his eyes heavenward. “Saidryn, let me ask you a question. What reign of evil?”
Saidryn opened his mouth to answer his father, but Nazeth held his hand up forestalling him. “Think before you answer that question. It’s important.”
Saidryn walked off to the side of the room, sitting in a window seat. He stared at the formless void outside the gate house.
Nazeth took a seat across the room from his son, giving him a chance to think.
“Father?”
“Yes?”
“Are you trying to tell me that Ninrath is actually a force for good? Not evil?” Saidrdyn asked, still confused.
The Omega Balance chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far. But I would point out that each god and goddess does have their good and bad sides.”
The gate keeper stared at his father. “Excuse me? I think I just misheard that.”
“All right, I will prove it. Pick one of our gods and I will tell you both the good and the bad side of them,” Nazeth offered.
“Okay,” Saidryn agreed. “The gods of Light. Trahlis and Trakien. Tell me their different sides.”
“You would pick the hard ones. What do the gods of Light do?” Nazeth asked.
“Hey! You are supposed to be telling me. Not the other way around!” Saidryn protested.
“Humor me. What do they do?”
“They bring Light to the world.” Saidryn answered.
“That is true. What happens if there is too much Light?” Nazeth asked.
“How in blazes can you have too much light?” Saidryn demanded.
Nazeth chuckled, as he cast the brightest light spell he could.
“Owe! That hurt!” Saidryn rubbed his tearing eyes.
“Exactly,” Nazeth said simply.
“Oh,” Saidryn whispered in understanding.
“Now do you understand?” Nazeth asked.
“All right, then tell me this? How is Chaos good? You tell me that each god has a good and bad side. Tell me that father. What is Ninrath’s good side?”
Nazeth sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Saidryn, my boy, do you really think that Chaos is limited to just the confusion of the Lords of Good and Neutrality?”
Saidryn’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Are you saying that Ninrath is really a god of light?”
“Of course not,” Nazeth chuckled.
“A god of neutrality?”
“Didn’t say that either.”
“Then what the hell is he?!” Saidryn demanded.
Nazeth stood up. “A very old god of evil, who is set in his ways. A very tired old god, who has always done what is best in his opinion for Saivryth. To him, Saivryth comes first above all else.”
“Even above himself?”
“Yes,” the Omega Balance answered simply.
Saidryn snorted in contempt. “Some how he doesn’t strike me as being that selfless.”
“That’s Zehna talking! Open your eyes boy. See the world in your own way. No one else!”
“Is this an order or a request, Milord?” Saidryn asked formally.
“A request. No more. No less,” the Omega Balance replied.
The Gate Keeper sat down in his chair, exasperated, “How?”
Nazeth chuckled. He rose from the chair, heading for the door. “Just find your own path.” He stopped at the door. “Oh Saidryn?”
“Yes Father?”
“You do realize that there is broken glass on the floor in the corner, yes?”
Saidryn winced. “Yeah. Another confrontation with the Lord of Chaos.”
“Ah.” Nazeth smiled gently at his son. “Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it all, one day,” he offered as advice, before leaving the Gate House.