Until Dusk (Isaac/Sarkany)

[MP]

"Attacking?" said the red light, its beautiful voice soured by skepticism. "No. The beast of yours was in our way. We have come for our kin."

“Our child," said the blade wing, "Not yours, shadow. He called to us with his blood. And we have come."

"His light is wasted here. Misused," continued a third, continuing through the rippling light of its halo as if they were all the same speaker. "He withers here."

Beneath the pier, Sarkany's eyes narrowed derisively. Most likely they wanted a key. Nothing like a native's invitation to open a proper door. He began moving again, back toward the kuwha now.

"Bring him to us, and we will forget these crimes,” said a fourth angel in its silent speech. Bring us the Telmore child, and we will leave you to your little kingdom.”

Now all the angels seemed to hum with a shared voice, the light of their halos cold and waiting for Isaac's response.

[Sharei]

Bring us the Telmore child.

Red eyes widened.

"Aaron."

It came like a crash, a great wave as understanding rushed in to fill all the corners of his mind. The angels required an anchor - an invitation. Aaron's light magic, so unusual in its nature, but so faded, removed by many generations from its source. How it had the potential to burn him as theirs did despite normal light magic being incapable of it. Aaron's capture, his torture - of course, he would have tried to defend himself. It hadn't worked. His screams had echoed across to these angels, who now sought to take him from the earth. They would listen to no reason. And no doubt, by the way Sarkany had spoken of his time with them, they had nothing good planned afterward.

Even if they did, Aaron had a life here. He had a family here. He thought of Lizzis's face, her accusation at him for failing to protect her son. He thought of the way she had stared at him when he'd told her that the information was confidential, knowing without words that something had been kept from her.

The bolt of anger came abruptly. Darkness swept over the dock in thick waves of razor intensity, flying and stabbing like a tide of death in every direction. The long tendrils carved up the stone street and snapped at the pier, lashing like the tentacles of some mad beast. In its center was a pair of defiant red eyes.