A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(88)

“You murdered people when you took Servius.”

“His emotions were a mess, and they translated to me. Fear, hate, rage, and the need to destroy those who dared to oppose him. He didn’t have a chance to tell me to stop; he just let me out to do whatever I needed to. I can’t tell friend from enemy. For my kind, everyone’s a potential enemy. Even when mating, you get in, get out, and don’t wait around for them to decide whether you’re a nuisance or danger.”

Terhal walked toward several large stones in the center of a fire pit. “This was my camp while I was here. I was about to move to the east. The winters are bad here, and evolving just to survive it is a monumental effort. I preferred the jungles of the east, anyway. But I’m never coming back here now. This is all I have left. Memories and dreams. I hate you, Layla. I hate you and your kind; humanity is a curse that was inflicted on my people when the dwarves dragged us from our realm and put us into those scrolls. When they turned us into weapons. I can’t think of anything else other than to hate you for what happened to me.”

There were no words that could make it better, so Layla just stood silently, watching Terhal.

“I might not be able to break you, but I can never trust you, I can never stop trying to fight. It’s not in my nature. Sooner or later, humanity will betray me. It seems to be all you know how to do. Betray, conquer, and destroy.”

“That’s all you’ve gotten from your life? All you’ve seen are those things?”

Terhal thought for a second. “No, I’ve seen kindness and I’ve seen mercy, but none of those things have been directed at me, so why should I care? I told you, my kind doesn’t care about anything but surviving. Mercy is a weakness, and kindness is more than likely to get you killed. Drenik have to be strong, have to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice. The only drenik I ever respected were those that bettered me in combat. All others were to be held in contempt.”

“I’m sorry that’s all you’ve known.”

“I don’t want friendship, Layla. I don’t need it, and I’m happier without it, but I need my host to be strong. So far, only Rosa has come close, and she was still afraid of me.”

“I’m afraid of what you can do. Of what you could do if you ever managed to take control of my mind.”

“We are not naturally good or evil, Layla. We are drenik. The only way to survive is to be the best, to be the strongest for the battles that come. There is glory in the hunt and the fight. It’s something we revel in. But we are not a cruel or sadistic species. Not naturally. But your kind, you label me with words like evil and monster, and none of those are true. Why shouldn’t I become the thing you people think I am? Why shouldn’t I torment and break those too weak to ever be my equal? If I am your better, why should I allow you to control me?

“I’ve saved lives that needed saving; pregnant animals, animals that would draw danger. Even other drenik on the rare occasions we needed to work together. This world was harsh, but it always seemed fair. And most importantly, it was my world.”

“You say you respect the host only for its strength, and that I don’t appear to be strong enough for your respect. But Chloe’s drenik was easy to bond with, according to her. She said she beat it before it beat her. She made it submit to her will.”

Terhal laughed. “You’re not strong enough to make me.”

Layla punched Terhal in the face with everything she had, knocking the demon to the ground. “You want me to show you I’m worthy of your respect through survival of the fittest. I’m betting I can beat you.”

Terhal’s eyes flared with anger. “Is this really how you want to do this? Trial by combat?”

“I brought you here, so I don’t think your control over my mind is as great as you think it is. What’s wrong, Terhal? Can’t fight without tricks?”

Terhal got back to her feet. “You will regret that.” She darted forward and threw a right hand that Layla blocked, pushing the arm away and kicking out Terhal’s knee. The drenik quickly rolled away, putting distance between the two of them.

“Where are all the burning fires and dead friends, Terhal? Did you use up your good stuff a little bit too early?”

Terhal screamed in rage, charging forward, moving much faster than Layla had anticipated. She grabbed hold of Layla around the waist and took her off her feet, planting her on the dirt. She tried to get enough leverage to throw a powerful punch, but Layla kept hold of the drenik, never allowing her to gain any sort of advantage.

Terhal soon changed tactic and struck Layla in the kidney, which caused her to gasp in pain. It gave the drenik the opportunity to put her hands around Layla’s throat, squeezing as hard as she could.

Layla fought against the grip, but it was too strong. She punched Terhal in the face, but the drenik just smiled, even as blood dripped from the cut on her lip.

“I wonder, if you die here, can I just take control forever?” Terhal asked with a bloody grin. “You’re lying in the dirt beneath me. It’s where your kind belong.”

Layla wasn’t about to die in her own mind, and reached up above her head, taking hold of whatever was there and smashing it into the side of Terhal’s skull. The drenik was knocked aside, and Layla coughed and spluttered as she rolled onto all fours.

She looked at the fist-sized rock in her hand, which was smattered with Terhal’s red blood, and got to her feet. “You know something, Terhal? All my life I’ve had this little voice in my head that says I should hurt people. That says fighting is good, and that I’m good at it. It always wants me to go a step further than I know I should. And I’ve fought against that voice for years. Every now and again it creeps through, and you are just like that voice.”