NightWhere

Chapter Forty-One

Plea

Kharon stood outside in the dark. The shapeless, formless black of nothing roiled all around. Daytime had come, and NightWhere slept. Mostly.

Another cycle of sin delivered. Kharon never tired of the nighttime. He existed to lead people into the dark. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air of limbo was chill and heavy. He savored the moment of solitude. They were few for him; he needed to sleep soon to be ready for a new cycle, and once he woke…NightWhere was demanding.

“Let him go,” a voice behind him begged.

Kharon opened his eyes in surprise. Nobody disturbed him at this secret moment between the death of night and the birth of day.

She stood nearby, pale skin aglow in the black.

He smiled and slowly shook his head. “He demanded to be here,” Kharon said. “I explained to him what the toll would be. I offered him the chance to turn back.”

“He doesn’t understand, not really,” she said. A tear glistened on the marble of her cheek. A liquid ruby against the pale marble of her skin.

“He has free will. He made his decision. I cannot make you leave, but you cannot interfere. If you do… Then you lose-eternally. I will make sure you decorate a cross in the pit and no one will be able to stop me. Do not go beyond your bounds. His path is nearly done. For better or worse.”

“You mock those words,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he grinned. “Yes, I do.”