“Come… Come… Come to me…!”

The voice sound more urgent now, as though it knew something had happened, that this was it’s chance. Taking a deep breath she entered the room cautiously, she found her self shrouded in darkness. The only light coming from the odd silver glint. Why the dark air glittered she couldn’t say. But dreams rarely made much sense anyway.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she began to make out odd shapes, she couldn’t say what it was she saw, but the sound of a large body slithering across stone sent shivers down her spine. She could hear the gentle click of nails on hard floors and knew something was in this room, something alive. And for the first time wondered if the door had been locked to keep something in, rather then to keep her out.

She hesitated before taking a step back. A heavy thump sounded behind her as the door slammed, and several locks slid back in to place. Her throat was dry as she tried to swallow; her heart was beating fiercely in her chest, as fear twined its way up her spine.

She was alone locked in this room with something se couldn’t see, but could hear. From the sound of it she knew it was large, but that’s all she knew.

Thump, scrap, click… Thump, scrap, click…

The same sounds over and over as the creature moved about the darkness.

“Child…? Child…?! Come closer child…!”

Amber hesitated a moment before moving into the room, fallowing the voice, that was hers and not hers. As she fallowed the voice, the sounds of movement stilled, and the room become deathly quiet.

She kept moving until she bumped headlong into metal bars, starling an “Ouch!” from her. Rubbing her forehead, she stared at the bars trying to bring them into focus. If this really was a dream, should that have hurt? She didn’t think so.

Reaching out a hand she touched the bars feeling their coolness. Unnerved by the sensation she started to withdraw her hand, when suddenly the odd glint in the air flared, becoming a steady pail light. She shielded her eyes, having already adjusted to the dark, the change cased a sharp piercing pain behind her eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she as she tried to force her eyes open.

Rubbing her thumb and forefinger over her throbbing sockets, opening her eyes just a crack she let them adjust to the change in lighting slowly. Once she was able to open her eyes fully, Amber turned in a slow circle taking in the sites of the room. The walls and high ceiling were painted black, and the stone floor looked to be made of black marble with veins of red and white running through it.

The only thing in the room was a floor to ceiling iron cage. The door to the cage was chained shut by a large silver padlock, which held no key. Amber let out a sigh of relief; what ever was in the room was still held captive and couldn’t get at her. Looking back at the door she thought, if the creature was caged then what…

Thump, scrap, click…

Amber jumped, having been startled by the sudden sounds. But what she saw moving about the in the cage was even more startling then an unexpected sound.

The creature was both beautiful and grotesque, it had the body of a maned wolf, which she knew to be distinctive from other wolves because of it’s fox like appearance. its fur was a soft golden orange, it had long slender black legs each tipped with over sized claws, it muzzle too was black as was the ruff around its neck making it look more mane like then ruff like, and a bib of white under it’s chin. It was much larger then a true maned wolf, but then that was probably to help support the large copper colored hawk like wings that sprouted for its back, giving it an almost griffin like form, and the long serpentine reptilian tail.

“Hello child…” said the voice. But it wasn’t really said snits the voice sounded in her head, rather then being spoken aloud.

“Who…? What are you?” She asked bewildered. The beast made an odd rumbling sound in its chest that might have been a laugh, before it began to glitter and shine. Flecks of black and silver flaring brightly once before dyeing out. The creature a smooth transition, simultaneously exchanging it’s best like appearance for a more human like one.

The woman who now stood in the cage looked like her, only older. She had the same copper curls cascading freely down her back, the same milky white skin with its smattering of freckles, and emerald eyes that Amber saw in her own reflection every day.

But the body was that of a fully mature woman rather then that of a still blooming teen. She had the full bodied curves of an adult woman and an elegant face that still held a whisper of the wolfish face she seen earlier. She wore no cloths and Amber wondered if she really would look like that in a few years.

“Child…” said the woman in that voice that was hers and not hers. At the sound of her voice Amber looked into those eyes so like her own.

“I am you, and you are me.” Said the woman. “We are one and the same.”

“But that’s not…” Amber started. The woman waved a hand dismissively.

“Two sides of the same coin my dear, two halves of a whole.”

“But…”

“I am your father’s legacy.”

Amber started at the woman who was like her and not like her. “My father?”

“Yes”

“What do you mean, I don’t even know my father.”

“Our father is Marchosias a Great Marquis of Hell.”

Amber felt her eyes bulging from their sockets. “What dose that mean?!” She asked in an almost hysterical voice.

“Father is a demon.” Replied the woman. “And so am I”

“Then I’m…?” asked Amber her voice trailing off.

“Yes and no.”

Amber just looked at the other woman. Who sighed and tried to smile, but it was something to vicious to truly be called a smile.

“Like I said before we are two halves of a whole. You are the human whose body I reside in, and I am your demon. We are what is known as a demon born, or half demon.”

Amber rocked back on her heals stained. “Then I am evil?” Amber asked in a small voice.

“Posh!” Said the demon with a dismissive wave. “Everyone has the potential for both good and evil. What you chose to do with your life is what determines weather or not you are good or evil. I am a demon and crave chaos, but you make the choice. You decide weather or not to crush a small bird, you chose weather or not to stick a knife in your mother’s back.”

She stared at the demon wide eyed. “What…?” She swallowed hard. “How can I trust what you say? How can I know I won’t lose myself to you one day?”

The demon was quiet for a long moment considering her words. And then, “Father is a truth sayer and so am I. So are you in fact but we’ll get to that latter. I can give you my word that I won’t ever try to take over. It is true that some demons do try to push the human mind aside and take control of the host body, but that cases an imbalance. The demon born eventually loses its self in insanity and has to be put down before it cases too much damage.”

“Oh.” Said Amber in a small voice, then after a moment asked “What did you mean by truth sayer?”

“It means that I am incapable of lying I will only speak the truth. Most demon born only poses one of their father’s demonic gifts, but Marchosias is unlike other demons, his offspring poses three of his gifts. The first being truth saying, this can be a wondrous and terrifying gift. You will be able to see the truths in other hearts, and speak those truths. In time to will be able to use this gift to make other speak that truth as well. The second gift is knowledge; you will know many things and be able to absorb new information like a sponge. But you must be weary of this gift, the thirst for knowledge has driven others to do horrendous acts in the past. The third gift is combat. You will have an instinctive knowledge of any weapon you touch, knowing just how to use it in the best possible way. You will be able to learn any fighting quickly and efficiently. With the right training you’ll be almost invincible in a fight.”

“Wow that was really…” Started Amber.

“Long winded. I know.” Huffed the demon, “You’ll have to watch out for such things being knowledgeable, gives one the inclination to lecture.”

“Oh.” She Amber feeling quite small.

“Here.” Said the demon slipping her arm between the iron, and holding out her hand, a silver key resting on her palm.

“What’s…?” Amber began, but was cut off once more.

“It opens the cage.”

Amber hesitated.

“I won’t hurt you child.”

“But..”

“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t ready to face what I have to offer. That was the point of the door.”

Taking the key, Amber reached for the padlock. “Wait,” She said “before I open the door I would like the answerer to one more question.”

“Ask.”

“What was that thing that I first saw you as?”

The demon smile curly, “My true form. You could say I take after our father in that respect, he too appears in that form. How ever I do believe that his wolf is something more akin to the Alexander Archipelago wolf, or the British Columbian Wolf, or some other black furred species. The body of a wolf, the wings of a griffin and the tail of a serpent. Demons are changelings and can take any forms, but like the fae we all at least have one true form. What I am is also a part of you… Don’t forget that.”

Reaching for the lock, Amber set the key and turned. As the mechanisms turned she felt something in her click into place. Something that had been missing before.

As the door swung forward, she felt a shiver quake through her, but even Amber couldn’t have said if the shiver was from fear or excitement. As the demon stepped forth smiling, reaching out with hands so like her own, to embrace Amber. As the other’s arms enclosed around her Amber felt a gentle pushing against her mind.

That genital push quickly became painful and more intense as the demon melded with her, becoming one in the truest sense. As quickly as the pain stared it faded, as the two halves became a whole. A feeling of peace and serenity filled her, as she gained a deeper understating of all the things she already knew. The peace faded as a terrible thirst for more knowledge swamped her. As the initial sensation faded Amber knew that she would never be able to truly quench that thirst. And knew that if she wasn’t carful that thirst would become the whip that dives her.

Closing her eyes, Amber drowned in the new sensations she was feeling. This changed everything. Her mother didn’t care for her, but her father had given her a gift. A gift that would change her life, for the better… She hoped.