Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 45 Concert?

Branden Clerkson was an oft forgotten member of the ducal staff. His job was both a useless and incredibly important one. He was the manager of the Safeharbor Orchestral Hall. That also meant that in times of extended disuse he was its only janitor. He lived in a small house tucked in between the hall and one of the large noble houses that was occasionally used for high class visitors. He was startled awake by a piano playing with such ferocity that he could hear it in his bedroom. He rushed outside as fast as his aging bones could take him. He had barely stopped long enough to grab a robe and he had opted for his slippers instead of his boots.

Branden ran into the hall right as the music abruptly ended. He silently marveled to himself at the immaculate acoustics that had taken a piano’s call the entire way to his bedroom. Remembering this, he began walking as quietly as possible. He had just made it to a point where he could see the stage when he picked up on a bit of the pair’s conversation. Unfortunately he was walking in the dark, purely by memory, so he couldn’t see who was there. Listening to their words and tones he was sure that they were not some rascals but a couple having a moment.

—

Isaac looked down and over at a late-middle aged man in a quilted robe and his pajamas. His hair was either gray or blonde but it was hard to tell in the total darkness. “We have an audience.” Isaac commented.

“I told you we would get caught.” Lenna replied casually. “Should we go?”

The audience member cleared his throat. “By all means, continue, I am Branden Clerkson, I take care of this place but it has been a long time since someone has enjoyed it properly.” The man, still in his pajamas, spoke.

“I see.” Isaac replied and then turned back to the piano as he tried to figure out what he wanted to play next. There was a slight problem however, Isaac could only play via musclememory.

While Isaac was trying to find a way to play another song Branden continued their conversation. “I would like to know how you got in here. Everything is supposed to be locked.” He shifted his waist and the faint jingle of cast iron keys echoed across the room.

“I take it you don’t know who I am.” Isaac replied and tested out a few keys.

The man shook his head. “No, I cannot say that I do.” Branden affirmed.

“You can ignite some lights.” Lenna offered the man.

Branden nodded. “I, I’ll do that.” He agreed and left back the way he had come.

Left alone with Lenna again, even only temporarily, Isaac was able to let the resounding voice of the piano wash over himself completely. He pressed four notes at once a singular time, then twice, he smiled and then stretched his fingers. “I think you’ll like this one.” Isaac told Lenna as the tune started preemptively playing in his head. He took a deep breath and then began.

Two of the notes were near the lower end, two of them were near the middle. He slammed the keys down thrice and then shifted to another quartet before he held those down for the count of two. He then repeated the set again but this time it was shifted slightly further downwards and he held the final keys for twice as long. After the second set his fingers danced across the keys. After a short while he repeated the starting set again and then moved back to the intense ballet across the keys. Sometimes he went higher, sometimes he went lower, it was a song of passion. Some of it was angry but some of it was a passion that couldn’t be put into words. Many have tried and those often resort to calling it love but it was not love in the romantic or familial sense. It was the passion of a show fighter whose life was bet on an unyielding performance, the passion of a dancer whose grace was remembered in dreams, the passion of a juggler twirling a dozen sharpened knives. On and on it went as the magical lanterns along the walls slowly brightened.

Unlike the lights everywhere else in Safeharbor these magical lights were a soft yellow that served to lend a sense of warmth but also shed just barely enough light to see. Soon Branden reappeared along the edge of the stage. He watched in quiet awe as Isaac worked the piano harder than it had been in a very long time, if ever. On and on he went, song after song with little to no rest. A few minutes into the performance a chill went down Branden’s back and he broke out in a cold sweat as some unknown power sparked inside of the pianist. Once the power hit it was clear that all the exhaustion from playing at such an intensity was washed away. A few times Branden had to blink and rub his eyes as what looked almost like black afterimages were left behind when the pianist. The strangest part was that the afterimages still depressed the keys. To Branden it looked almost as if the pianist suddenly had another set of hands to reach keys that would be otherwise too hard to reach.

Isaac continued his path through every sonata he knew with reckless abandon. The world faded away as only the feel of the piano and its sound moving through him mattered. His body and even the shadows themselves were moving on their own to ensure that the power in/and beauty was unobstructed.

Before any of them realized it, the next morning had come and more and more people found their way inside the hall. Apparently Branden had left the door wide open when he had barged in around midnight. Isaac had long stopped letting his emotions guide what sonata came next and had simply let the music decide.

Lenna couldn’t bring herself to stop him even though they both needed to eat something. The music was far too therapeutic for both of them and important to him. She didn’t need to stop him, however, as finally, around the time Celeste would have breakfast ready for them, he stopped by himself.

Isaac was breathing heavily and his eyes hadn’t opened in only Lenna knew how long so when he opened them he had to give them a moment to adjust to the light. He slowly closed the lid over the keys and stood up with a long stretch and a groan. “That felt good.” He said to himself. He had completely forgotten that he wasn’t alone. Suddenly he heard applause and his head jerked to the side to see around three dozen people in the audience, not including Lenna and Branden. “Ah, well.” Isaac said and walked out to the front and center of the stage. He gave one deep bow and then vanished into a puff of shadows.

Lenna caught sight of him backstage and hurried to follow after him. It took Branden a moment to realize what had happened and then he too ran after them across the stage. He seemed to have forgotten that he was still in his pajamas.

“Excuse me! Excuse me sir! Please wait!” Branden called after Isaac.

Isaac stopped and turned around with a raised eyebrow. “Yes?”

“I am afraid that I do not get out much so unfortunately I do not recognize you. Might I have your name?” Branden requested.

“Isaac Wexler.” Isaac replied. “Those I am also known as Darkness to more and more every day.”

“Mr. Wexler-” Branden began.

“Lord.” Lenna cut him off. “He is a lord.”

Branden’s eyebrows shot up. “My most sincere apologies.” He said with a bow. “Lord Wexler, I cannot express enough how thankful I am for someone as talented as you to be using our hall that has long been empty and gathering dust.”

Isaac nodded. “I might use it more often then, if there are no problems with that.”

“Of course!” Branden exclaimed. “Whenever you wish.” He assured them. “I can give you the spare key, my house is right next door.”

“I don’t need one.” Isaac replied. “Unless it is magically locked the door will open by itself.”

Branden looked confused but decided not to get hung up on Isaac’s strange comment. “I see.” He said with a hesitant nod. “Well, in any case, I will do my best to clean this place up for you. Will you be in Safeharbor long?”

“I think he has been living under a rock.” Isaac commented.

“With earplugs in.” Lenna added and Isaac nodded in agreement.

“Excuse me?” Branden replied hesitantly.

“I am the one who killed Jallen V’Nova.” Isaac explained. “I am friends with Izen and Sera Arbencroft. They have given me a residence close by but until it is finished I will not have my own piano.”

“So it is under construction then?” Branden surmised. He seemed to pick up on things quickly but he had definitely been living with his head in a tuba or something.

Isaac nodded. “Yes. I don’t know for how long yet so you don’t need to worry about keeping this place dust free just for me.” Isaac was only ever going to touch the piano so none of the rest of the building mattered much to him.

“Would… would you be opposed to regular concerts?” Branden asked Isaac tentatively.

Isaac was honestly surprised but he probably shouldn’t have been. It was clear that Branden wanted the hall to be used but it obviously never was. “Maybe.” Isaac noncommittally replied. “If I feel like agreeing to something in the future I will let you know.”

Branden both looked let down and hopeful. He nodded his understanding to Isaac before he bowed deeply. “Thank you for your consideration, Lord Wexler. I hope to hear you again soon.”

Isaac nodded in reply and turned to leave. “I’m sure you will.” Isaac told him and walked away. Lenna walked after him and the pair left Branden alone with his thoughts, hiding backstage from anyone still in the stands, in his pajamas.