Cause when the lights are down, there's no more to say,
Love is the real pain- an internal revolution in our minds,
And when the lights are down you're so far away,
Tell me your real name- in the silence of the darkness we unite
When the Lights Are Down, Kamelot

“So, Constantine, you knew that boy with Thaliah?” Gabriel murmured, staring down at the spirit, whose head was presently resting in his lap.

“Yeah… He is -was- my brother. Before the Master discovered me and my power and made me go with him.” Constantine’s eyes clouded with pain. “I loved him- my brother, I mean. And I loved the Master once. That was before he became how he is now. He's so cruel- so controlling. Well, I guess he’s always been controlling, but in a good way once upon a time. And I guess I still do love him. He-”

The Archer male placed two fingers over Constantine’s mouth to silence him. “We've been over this before. About the Master and the way things once were. I didn’t like it too much, if you recall. I don't like to think of you loving someone that doesn't happen to be named Gabriel Archer.”

Constantine pushed the fingers away with a nod. “Yeah, I remember. But Gabi, you’re the one I love now. At least you’re the one I love the most, and you know that. Did you know though, that the wolf there, Ashwish, she was mine. So very long ago…”

“I know, my love. I know. And you can tell Thaliah and her followers the whole story when they arrive. When they've finished playing the game.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nathaniel stood near Thaliah, watching her quietly. “So, what’s our plan, exactly?”

The girl sighed and shook her head, looking towards him. “I don’t know what you plan to do. I plan to go after Gabriel immediately. But, Chase, you don’t have to come with me either.”

Eyes glinting, Moonchaser pressed his body against her. 'I’m with you no matter what, Thaliah. You should know that by now, silly girl.'

“Thanks Chase. My plan is to go back to the Archer house and find Gabriel. He can explain this game of his, so we can get on with it. We can go from there, once I know more about what he's up to.”

“Ashwish and I are coming as well. We have to.” Nathaniel insisted.

“Why?” Thaliah stared at the male. “I don’t understand what you have to do with any of this- I'm the Nightmare Holder, it’s my fight.”

“Then it must be the fight of all of us standing here.” Moonchaser’s twin murmured, dipping her head and staring at the ground. “You see…” she trailed off, voice filling with the same pain that had entered Constantine’s eyes at the sight of Nathaniel.

'I’ll explain.' Moonchaser spoke gently. 'Thaliah, don’t you wonder why Nathaniel can hear me? It’s because he is who he is. Ashwish is my sister, yes. We are two of the three Sovereign. Originally we were given to… Nevermind. That’s not important right now. This is their fight for one reason, and one reason only.' The wolf inhaled deeply. 'Constantine -who you saw with Gabriel just now- is Nathaniel’s brother. That is why they have the right and desire to be involved in this.'

Thaliah nodded slightly. “Understood. Fine then,” she switched her gaze to focus on Nathaniel. “In that case… I vote we go. And we go now.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

“Serious question.”

“And that is?” Julian looked over at Evelyn, whom he had been stranded with for the last twenty minutes.

She glanced through the blackness surrounding them, “How did your brother transport us to hell?”

The boy groaned. “We’re not in hell. We are in the DarkWorld.”

Avery glared his direction. “Oh no, not you too. Thaliah has been going on about the ‘dark place’ and shit like that since forever. I don’t know what did it to her, but I think Cain is right. No more alcohol for you.”

“That’s not it.” he said softly. “The thing about my family is… Well, first of all, your sister is obviously the Nightmare Holder. And my family has held the responsibility of… Christ, I don’t know how to explain this properly. It would be a whole lot easier if Cain was here… In fact, Aiden could probably explain it better than I could.”

“I am here, you bloody moron.” Aiden stepped into view. “Callie and Storme are with me. Apparently, Gabriel got a bit too attached to Constantine. Least that’s what I’m guessing.”

“Too attached to me?” a confused voice broke in. “Impossible. It’s called he loves me. He loves me more than anything else, and he wants to make it so I don’t die. Now you need to come along like good little people, or problems will arise. That would be bad. Actually, that‘s probably why they would be called problems. Oh, well. Just come along now.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Nathaniel groaned, leaning back against the wall of the front room in the Archer home. He watched as Thaliah knelt in front of Moonchaser. The girl looked truly like an Angyl right there- albeit, a deadly one.

When they were still in the DarkWorld, she’d insisted on making a stop to see someone she knew. He couldn’t help but wonder how she actually knew someone in the DarkWorld- most people didn’t make friendly acquaintances there. Most of the residents weren’t friendly enough to become acquainted with.

Nonetheless, he’d shrugged and agreed to go with her. After all, what else was there to do? She had put herself in charge of the situation, and he could only follow her.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

“Nathaniel, are you actually from here? The DarkWorld, I mean.”

Shaking his head with a laugh, he grinned at her. “Nah. The Ashwitch and I are from the other plane. Didn’t you know that there are three? One plane for each axis- good, evil, and neutral. Needless to say, the Echidna, or the DarkWorld, is the plane that ties in with evil. Earth, having people that are good, people that are more-or-less evil, and people that really don’t give a damn either way, is the plane of neutrality. Then we have my plane- the good one. Eloria, more commonly known as the LightPath, has a few nuts, but other than that, life is pretty frickin’ perfect there. Mind, I’ve yet to see a girl as pretty as you around where I live.”

A blush spread over Thaliah’s face. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally she shook her head slightly, “Nevermind.”

When she stopped, he did the same. “Uhm, there’s nothing here.”

“Give it a minute.” she muttered. Then she turned her face up, letting her eyes fall shut. “Angyl of the Bloody Moonlight asks permission to enter. I have to see Capricorn’s Sin again. Never-ending Winter Light is accompanying me. As are two new customers- Everlasting Sorrow and the Ghost of Twilight. Let us in.”

Nathaniel’s jaw dropped. “Wait a second, what are those names?”

Thaliah narrowed her eyes at him and held a finger to her lips. The next thing he knew, they were no longer standing in the usual shadows of the DarkWorld. Instead they were inside of a small, dimly lit room, with a door in front of them. The girl yanked it open and stepped through it. Moonchaser bolted ahead of her, howling, and Ashwish pursued him eagerly. More howls sounded in response, sounding far off. Thaliah giggled, gesturing for Nathaniel to follow her. Once the two of them had entered the other room, the girl slammed the door closed.

“God, I hate that little area. Darius really needs to come up with something new for his doorway.” Her voice was nearly a hiss at first, but then it returned to normal. “You asked about those names?”

Afraid to speak, lest she bite his head off, he merely nodded. As she spoke to him, he studied the room they were now in. Unlike the small room that Thaliah proclaimed to hate, this one was not only gigantic, it was brightly lit by a friendly, crackling fire located on the other end. On either side of the fireplace was a grand staircase, both of them leading to the same area above said fireplace. Located above was a small landing, and double-doorway. All around were bookshelves- none of the wall was visible, except for that which was near the stairs. Nearer the fireplace, the hardwood floor was carpeted, and there were several chairs there, as well as a table.

“This place is called Darkness Before Dawn. It’s a store, of sorts, that Chase first introduced me to long ago. A man named Darius owns it. The thing is that not everyone is allowed entrance. You need to have a Lotus Name- a name to represent your soul. And though everyone has a Lotus Name, few ever learn theirs. Once you’ve been into this shop, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll know the Lotus Name of everyone you come across. Never-ending Winter Light would be my Chase- I'm aware he's off visiting somewhere, but God only knows where exactly he disappears to every time we come in here- he's never told me, and he's the only one that knows. Though I'd say now that Ashwish knows as well.. I’m Angyl of the Bloody Moonlight, if it wasn’t obvious. What does that say about my soul, I wonder?” she paused for a moment, and glanced around the room. “Taking his time today, I see. Humph- figures that when I need him fast he takes his time. Well, Darius is Capricorn’s Sin- he’s a good man, no matter what his name makes him sound like.”

“Oh, you mean a thief? A cheat?” Nathaniel snorted. “Can I assume that I’m Everlasting Sorrow? Are you kidding me? I’m the opposite of that- maybe Everlasting Irritation, or Everlasting Fury. I’m constantly pissed off, not sad. And that means Ashwish is the Ghost of Twilight. Which, by the way, where is she?"

“She is with Moonchaser.” a sweet, Angylic voice answered. “Visiting somewhere, as Thaliah just told you. It’s been forever for her. Thaliah allows Moonchaser to come here relatively often.”

“Raziel!” Thaliah called out delightedly, sprinting towards the man descending near to them. She met him at the foot of the stairway, a grin spreading over her face. “Oh my God, it’s been way too long! The last few times I’ve been here Darius has had you off doing things- it’s been antagonizing waiting to see you!”

Nathaniel followed her slowly, sizing up the man she had been so enthusiastic in greeting. He looked moderately feminine- if he’d been wearing a dress, Nathaniel wouldn’t have realized it actually was a male. The man had golden blonde hair, not quite to his shoulders. His eyes matched perfectly- a blue as deep as the sea. The most unusual things about him were his ears- those of a feline, perched atop his head- and his tail, also that of a cat. Both parts blended with his hair. Then there was his face in itself- the face of an Angyl, pure, and innocent, and perfect. And the clothes he donned didn’t exactly help him to look like a man- a black kimono, decorated with golden flowers, black boots, a diamond ring, and golden-flower earrings with black along the edges.

“Another one for the list, it would appear.” Raziel chuckled, pulling Nathaniel from his reverie. The Angyl was staring at him, a hungry look now in his eyes, taking from the previous innocence, “This one might actually deserve my company, judging by the look of him.”

“List?” Nathaniel asked blankly.

This time it was Thaliah who spoke. “Yes, Nathaniel. Since before I met him, Raziel has been keeping a list of all the men who are shocked at the sight of him and can only stare. He is beautiful, isn’t he?”

“Why do you think I keep the precious kitten, my dear Angyl?”

“There you are!” Raziel’s gaze moved to the top of the stairs. “I have spent something like the last million years looking for you, you idiot! Where have you been?”

“In the library, of course.”

Thaliah rolled her eyes, glancing Nathaniel’s way. “I’ve been there. When he says library, he's speaking the codeword for maze.”

The new man wasted no time in making his way down and wrapping his arms around the Angyl. For a moment the Angyl protested, trying to push the newcomer away. After a moment his objections died down, and he nestled back against the man.

Though just as eye-catching as Raziel, this one was a darker kind of attractive. Narrow spectacles covered eyes such a dark green that they were nearly black, with a hint of gold along the edges. His hair actually was black, beyond his shoulders, nearly to his waist. The face on this one held zero innocence. But for the lack of innocence and purity, there was kindliness, mixed with hunger. His clothes were elegant, flowing, and impossible to define, for they looked as though they could change form at any moment. An aura of mystery surrounded him, making Nathaniel slightly nervous.

“Darius,” Thaliah’s voice was warm. “It’s good to see you again. How sad is it when your true friends are those who reside in the DarkWorld?”

The man, Darius, threw back his head and laughed, his arms visibly tightening around Raziel. “So, Thaliah, what have you come to me for this time? Weapons? Wishes? Hope? Information? And why have you brought this boy?” His eyes traveled over Nathaniel, causing him to shudder. “Is he perhaps meant to be your payment this time? Did you finally bring me a new pet, as I’ve requested of you so many times?”

“No, he is presently one of my companions. You can find your own pets, I’m sure. I‘ll be paying you the usual way.”

Raziel glared up at the man holding him. “Are you tired of me, Darius?”

“Only never, my little cat. You’ve been here since long before I met our lovely Angyl, and I’ve no intentions of losing you now.” Darius released Raziel, who had become accustomed to being held up, and thus stumbled into Nathaniel. “Please entertain our Angyl’s friend, kitten. She and I must speak business.”

Nathaniel watched Thaliah go up the stairs and through the double-doors with Darius, wondering what she had wanted to come here for. He didn’t have long to ponder it though, before his attention was drawn to the angel that was Raziel.

Raziel had taken hold of one of his wrists with one hand, the other wrapping itself around his shirt. “So,” the Angyl purred, “how shall I occupy you?”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

“So, my lovely Angyl… What can I do for you today?” Darius leaned back on the couch, eyes closing.

The teenager snorted. “One day, Darius, a person you pissed off is going to kill you during your lax idea of doing business. A couch, I ask you. As for what I need….” After studying her fingernails for a moment, she glanced around the room. “What do you have for me in terms of clothing?”

Darius cocked his head, eyes narrowing in a mixture of confusion and surprise. “Clothing? That doesn’t much seem like you, Angyl.”

“I know it isn’t really like me. But I’m not asking you for the prissy, frilly, girly shit that you put Raziel in. I know I’m your Angyl, Darius. How do you think I got my pen name? Regardless, I'm not going to be like your pretty cat boy downstairs.”

A frown spread over Darius’s face. “Now, now, Angyl. That isn’t what I meant. I know damned well that you’re probably the one person even I could never tame. Wouldn’t really want to tame you, even if I could. I much prefer you wild, like you always have been.” He stood up and stopped in front of her. “Tell me what you mean by way of clothes.”

“I mean something I can move in. I was challenged to a game, and to win I do believe I will need to kick some ass, just like with the Nightmare. So please, do you have something for me?”

The frown changed to a sly smirk. Darius chuckled lowly, taking hold of Thaliah’s chin- she didn’t bother to resist. It had been long ago that she’d learned he would never hurt her. “Well, my Angyl, I believe I can supply you with all of your needs. Come with me."

She smiled, batting his hand away. “I want you to do for me what you can. And knowing you- what will this cost me?”

“Don’t worry about it, my Angyl. This one will be on the house. You’ve been one of my best customers throughout the time we’ve known each other. The friendliest as well- my kitten always anticipates your visits. I think you’ve spent enough here to earn a freebie.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

“Kitten, did you do a good job of entertaining our Angyl’s friend?”

Raziel nodded eagerly, from his place in Nathaniel‘s lap. The angel turned his face up to look at Thaliah’s companion, “At least I think so. He looks like he’s been enjoying this. Have you been enjoying me, Nathaniel?”

The male managed to move his head slightly to show his agreement. “Ah huh…”

“Angyl! What did Darius…” he jumped up, staring at Thaliah. “Oh, Dari, you never made me wear stuff like that. Why didn’t I get to be sexy like that?”

“You’re sexy in what you’re in.” Darius grinned, admiring his own work on the girl.

Nathaniel climbed to his feet, wobbling slightly. It was all he could do to stay standing after seeing Thaliah. Darius had definitely amused himself with the girl.

Thaliah was now wearing leather and black- a lot of leather and black. After his first look, Nathaniel looked over her once again, this time steadier on his feet. He started at the bottom. Black boots, with a one-inch heel. Fishnet tights. A short leather skirt that was most likely illegal in public. A waist belt that held four different weapons- a whip, a dagger, a scimitar, and a gun. Sleeveless leather shirt. Black elbow-length gloves. A necklace with a jagged silver cross at the end- no doubt another weapon. And her lovely auburn hair had been tipped with a red that looked rather like blood.

“Wow.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

After the visit they had returned to the normal world, right outside the Archer home. Moonchaser and Ashwish hadn’t returned to them while they were in the DarkWorld, instead having met up with them where they’d wound up on the neutral plane.

From his place against the wall, still watching Thaliah, Nathaniel couldn’t help the frown that spread over his face. “Thaliah… When did you meet Darius and Raziel? What exactly are they? And how do you normally pay Darius? Did Raziel always have those cat ears and the tail?”

Thaliah turned her head to look up at him with a pleased smile. “Oh, those two… Chase took me to them on my sixth birthday. Exactly one year after my first visit to the DarkWorld. Darius said he’d been expecting me, and Christ, I was so confused. He told me my Lotus Name, and gave me this…” She pulled her hair behind her shoulder on one side, revealing two twin pinpricks. “I’m not quite sure what exactly it is- Darius has yet to tell me, despite my constant haranguing.” The girl allowed her hair to fall back into place. “As far as I know, all it does is keep me in contact with him. It’s a connection of sorts, if I have to venture a guess.”

"Why do you need a connection to that man?"

Thaliah grinned. “So I can go to him any time. The mark is like my guide, because his shop movies about the DarkWorld at random. Darius is a collector of sorts. That’s why his shop is the place to go, no matter what you need. Even if you need a person, in fact. He tames people- nonetheless, it isn’t what I’d call the slave trade. His people enjoy the process of being tamed, male or female. Most of the time women aren’t his preference, so when it comes to them, he has hired help- people that he has taught to tame other people. Raziel is one that he tamed long ago, and his favorite of them all. Exactly what Darius is, I can’t tell you- I don’t know. His kitten, as he calls him, is an angel from somewhere or other. No joke. Raziel is an angel. Or at least, he was, far before he met Darius. His wings were clipped.”

“Why?” Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. He wouldn't be surprised if it was because of the boy's personality- then again, perhaps he wasn't like that until Darius got his hands on him.

“I’m forbidden to say. What matters is that he’s happy where he is. Darius loves him. He loves Darius. For the entire time that I’ve known the two of them, Raziel has had the catlike appendages. The answer though, is no, he didn’t always have them- Darius has a bizarre cat-fetish. As for how I make my payments… Like I said, most of the time women aren’t his thing. He’s very much attached to his Angyl however. All he wants from me is company- company, and copies of my books. And the clothes that don’t fit me anymore- he puts Raziel in them. Creepy, but it’s his business- and Raziel looks better in them than I do.”

She rose off of her knees, gazing at him. “Nathaniel, you can still decide to leave, if you want.”

“Not a chance, Angyl.” The man winked, grinning as her eyes widened. “Let’s get going.”

“My Gabi is right upstairs in his room- waiting for you. And not only him.” Constantine stood there, on the bottom step, studying his fingernails, eyes gleaming. “Got a couple extras up there, distracting him. You know them. Two bratty teenage girls who share Miss Angyl‘s blood, a couple of annoying boys, two snobs that I don’t know- and some pretty sovereign wolves.”

Nathaniel’s gaze flew to where Moonchaser and Ashwish had previously been standing. His mouth went dry. “Oh, no. Angyl…”

There was fire in the teenager’s eyes as she looked where her companion had been. “You son of a bitch.” she snarled, ripping the dagger out of its holder and hurling it at his head. It passed right through him, embedding itself in the wall. Her next words came out as a hiss. “I’ll kill you- you and that bastard, Gabriel!”

Thaliah tore towards him, shrieking in rage when he disappeared, and his voice floated down through the ceiling.

“Come quickly, Miss Angyl…”

After not even a split-second’s hesitation, she sprinted up the stairs, grabbing her dagger along the way.

Nathaniel started after her, stopping when fingers wrapped around his wrist from behind. He twisted his head around, blinking in disbelief when he saw who was standing there- Darius and Raziel. “Oh. My. God.”

Raziel was now wearing the exact same thing Thaliah had been given- skirt and all. The Angyl rubbed himself enthusiastically against Nathaniel, purring. “Hello again, pretty Nathaniel. I missed you. Maybe you should come live with Darius and I…”

“No, he should not, kitten.” Darius said gently. “I do believe his destiny lies elsewhere.” He looked pointedly toward where Thaliah had rushed off.

“Uhm, what are you people doing here?” Nathaniel inquired, pulling his mind away from the feminine man pressing against him.

“My kitten insisted on coming to help our Angyl and the pretty boy.”

A blush spread over the boy’s face and he looked down at Raziel, who continued to lean on him. Finally he gave in and allowed his arms to go around the Angyl’s waist. “I see. Well… It’s kind of important that I go after her now. The two of you should go.”

Shaking his head wildly, Raziel scowled. “I won’t go away! I want to help my Angyl!”

“And I don’t want you to get in her way.” Nathaniel muttered, looking away. “She’s not going to want help- she’s too angry. I have to go upstairs now- if you won’t leave, at least stay down here, all right?”

“Okay…” the Angyl blushed. “If you really want, I'll stay down here."

From the boy’s arms he moved into Darius’s secure hold. “Be careful, pretty Nathaniel.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Thaliah rested against the wall directly beside Gabriel’s bedroom door, forcing back tears. “How could I have been so stupid? Why did I take my eyes off of Chase?” She pulled the gun at her side from its holster, and swung to face the door.

“Angyl!” Nathaniel arrived at her side, panting from his run up the stairs and down the hall. “I’m surprised you haven’t gone in already.”

She smiled wryly. “Figured I’d wait on you- my theory was that you’d appreciate the gesture. Got a bit tired of just standing there after awhile. Note the gun in my hand.”

“Noted. I suppose your intentions are to shoot through the door. Go right ahead and do it.”

“Right.” Waiting hardly a second, she aimed for right next to the doorknob. Next was the top hinge of the door. Then the bottom hinge. Subsequently she rammed the gun back into the holster, turned her back to the door, and used the wall to throw herself back into said demolished door, opening it- more-or-less.

After pushing her blood-tipped hair behind her ears, Thaliah stepped into Gabriel’s bedroom, a sweet smile covering her face. “Hello, bastard.” She now extricated both the dagger and the revolver from her side, one in either hand, as Nathaniel moved into the room beside her. The male didn’t hesitate to yank the whip from its place in her waist belt. Thaliah’s voice was no less sugary as she lifted the gun, pointing it at the center of Gabriel’s head. Constantine, resting on the floor with his head in Gabriel’s lap, didn’t even bat an eye. “Would you like to tell me what you’ve done with my companion? Or would you rather die?”