Lady in the Iron Mask

II: Chapter 25

"I'm not sure I trust you," Eve whispered, "It sounds too fantastic to be true that you are some type of symbol used to incite followers. I have never heard of a man who can do such a thing, unless he abuses his power in wealth."

"I don't think you understand, Eve. I do not belong on this mortal Land. I live deep below this plane of existence, in a burning hot place, in which nothing grows and nothing dies."

"This is a lot to comprehend, especially when your appearance is so threatening," Eve challenged, gesturing towards his horns and lengthened hair with her sword.

"My Lady, that is the least of my worries. But I wanted to show you this - my true form - in order to stop us from fighting. No matter what you do, you cannot kill me."

He pulled scraps of his leather vest away from his chest to reveal a large scar, directly over his heart. It was a misshapen circle, with serrated edges and was a fleshy pink colour.

"Why didn't I see this in the baths at the brothel?" Eve pondered aloud.

"Only once someone has seen my true form can they see these scars. Otherwise, they are hidden and I can blend into a crowd, unless I choose to be seen."

"That's why the guard didn't spot me in the caves when you...touched me." Eve murmured, remembering the alluringly cool touch of his palms.

"It was pretty dark anyway, but I didn't want to take any chances."

"But these men who live down here, they worship you!" Eve accused. "You are still the reason why Kiera is not herself anymore; she left me here to fend for myself in foreign territory."

"Yes, and I'm not denying that!" His dark eyes bore into hers with momentary animosity, and then it faded. "I just had no other way to survive, other than to seduce her."

Eve laughed sarcastically.

"I find that hard to believe."

"Would you just listen for once, Eve!" Frustratedly, Ash marched over to her and grabbed hold of her arms, kneeling in front of her. "You want the truth, and it is more difficult than you can imagine to share."

As he touched her once more, the breath momentarily left her lungs and her heartbeat increased. He was burning hot now; like a lit fireplace. It seemed strange that Ash, as such a powerful man, should be kneeling before Eve, but she didn't mind it. She silenced her  palpitations, throbbing with strange desire.

"I just don't understand why you're prostrating yourself to me. I can't do anything about this, nor do I want to, frankly."

"But you would help me if it meant getting rid of me and sending me back to where I come from."

Eve sighed, and the sound reverberated softly through her body.

"Yes. If it meant you would stop terrorising my family. But I also want an explanation."

"Of that I had no interest. It is only you. It has only ever been you, Eve." He whispered, staring up at her, as she tried to resist his gaze and stare blankly ahead. "I am a cursed man, bound to this mortal land which I used to ravage in despair and anger. I was cruel; I was hated like I hated the land I was trapped on. For a time, I could only take on the form of a snake, and rarely a man. It was at that time that this group created itself, and dedicated 'sacrifices' to me. At first, I enjoyed the bloodshed; it made me more powerful and allowed me to eventually become a man, and beast. Women flocked to me, enticed by my aura, which was similar to theirs: dark. But I never condoned the other activities the men partook in down here. They used me as an idol to create a corrupted underground pit, in which the light will never touch. I thought I could never find redemption, until you came along."

Eve glanced at his fiery orbs and saw the despair, frustration and angst he had suffered. Slowly, she knelt down with him. Her anger had dissipated the longer she listened to him.

"How long?" She whispered.

They both knew what she was talking about.

"A thousand years, maybe more..." He thought about it for a while, and his gaze became distant, snapping back to hers only when she murmured his name.

"You said women who were corrupt like you were attracted by what you are. Is that right?" Eve watched his eyes, and then glanced him over, focusing on his horns, which seemed shiny and polished.

The tips were not intensely sharp; rather, they curved into a natural resolution and were circular bumps. His thick long hair covered the base of them, although if she had to guess she would say that they were a part of his skull. The colour was a burgundy red, a similar colour to her bloody hands, which never seemed to get enough of a break to heal.

"Would you like...to touch them?" He asked tentatively, sitting on the ground so she could access them.

"I don't want to get my blood on them," she responded, equally unsure of what to do.

She felt like a child with her desire to discover his body through her touch.

Gently, he took her hands in his own. Eve's were red around her wounds, and bruised. They shook a little when he held them, although this was mainly because the wounds were extremely painful, and at risk of infection.

As he studied her hands, he responded to her question.

"Yes. That's right. If you're thinking of Kiera it was she who came to see me in the first instance."

"How can that be if she was locked up? She isn't that type of woman, anyway." Eve closed her eyes momentarily, calming herself down; she knew she could not solve this by fighting.

"Its a little more complicated than that. It's not about who is a whore and who isn't. Its about how tempted she is by the darkness. Once you give in to it, you are forever tied to it, and it whispers to you in your most vulnerable state. The door was never locked on her cage, either. They knew and could see that she was corrupt, even before she did."