Read Online The Living Night (Book 2) by Jack Conner - Free Book Online
Authors: Jack Conner
Tags: Vampires & Werwolves
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failed, Kharker."
"My
experiment?"
"To see if, with Danielle gone, you could
get me back into the fold. To see if you could make me evil again."
"Evil," said the Hunter, chewing the
word. "What is that? Because, if you know, please tell me."
"You're evil, Kharker. I don’t normally use
that word, but sometimes it’s appropriate."
"Am I? So the mirror should tell all, then.
Let's explore that for a moment. If I am the definition for evil, then what is
it exactly? Well, what am I? Let's see ... I've accepted my nature and I
constantly revel in it. If there was a God, He would be proud that I utilize
His gifts so fully. So that is what you mean, about evil?"
Ruegger didn’t back down. "Evil is taking
joy in the pain of others. Or simply placing yourself so far
above others that you’re indifferent to their pain."
Kharker, white, advanced a rook to a position
guarded by a pawn, a move which put Ruegger's queen in jeopardy.
"No," said the Hunter. "Evil is
just an obsolete label, a word without meaning. You know that
as well as I do . If you argue against me, I won't be hearing your voice, I'll be hearing Danielle's. She's brainwashed you,
man. Can't you see that?"
Carelessly, Ruegger thrust his queen to the
left, protecting her from Kharker.
"She hasn't brainwashed me, Khark. You
have. You've done it to yourself, too."
"Meaning?"
"That deep inside you don't really believe
what you're saying."
The Hunter smiled sadly. "You'd like to
believe that, wouldn't you, my son?"
Just as sadly, Ruegger nodded. "I would,
Khark. I really would."
Suddenly the Hunter swung a bishop out from
nowhere, and the Darkling saw that with his queen gone, his king—
"I believe that's checkmate," said
Kharker.
Ruegger toppled his king.
"You should've kept your mind on the game,
son, ” Kharker said. “For the past few days, you've
been in a fog."
"I don't need you to teach me how to play
chess."
"No. You just need to keep your mind on the
game. Anyway, what were we talking about?"
"Evil."
"I'm tired of talking about evil. This sort
of philosophy is all hogwash, anyway. Hell, so is the rest of it."
Ruegger stubbed out his smoke. "I'm not
done with talking about it, not yet."
"You want to change my mind?"
"Of course."
Kharker leaned back in his chair. "Then
please, allow me to backtrack for a moment. You said that evil means taking
pleasure in the pain of others. You take pleasure in the Hunt, don't you?"
"I only kill murderers."
"So the killing of another killer is okay?"
"It's a gray area, but it certainly feels
better."
"Better. More righteous."
"I don't like that word."
"I remember. But it's okay to be righteous;
it just means you know you're right."
"You can never know you're right. You
have to keep an open mind."
"Philosophical posturing,” Kharker said. “But
back to my point—killing other killers is okay to you?"
"It's acceptable."
The Hunter let that go. "So taking pleasure
in another's pain is acceptable if that person is wicked?"
Ruegger saw where this was going, but he didn't
know a way out of it. "I have a mean streak, Kharker. I'm not proud of it,
but I like to hurt those who deserve it."
"So you focus your aggression, then: those
you kill symbolize something to you—something worth the strain of sin?"
Ruegger recognized the line. It was from one of
his poems, a long time ago, and he couldn't help but smile at the tactics of
his old friend; Kharker would use Ruegger's own words against him.
"Yes," he said. "I suppose they
do symbolize something to me. What it is, I don't know."
"A demon from your past, I suppose. Maybe unconscious."
Ruegger said nothing.
"Ah, here it gets interesting. Because the only demon in your past, my son, is yourself. I
never brought you over into the darker side; you were there when I found you.
So it's yourself that you focus your aggression on, not the murderers
themselves."
A little perturbed, Ruegger lit another
cigarette.
"You're not saying anything I
"My
experiment?"
"To see if, with Danielle gone, you could
get me back into the fold. To see if you could make me evil again."
"Evil," said the Hunter, chewing the
word. "What is that? Because, if you know, please tell me."
"You're evil, Kharker. I don’t normally use
that word, but sometimes it’s appropriate."
"Am I? So the mirror should tell all, then.
Let's explore that for a moment. If I am the definition for evil, then what is
it exactly? Well, what am I? Let's see ... I've accepted my nature and I
constantly revel in it. If there was a God, He would be proud that I utilize
His gifts so fully. So that is what you mean, about evil?"
Ruegger didn’t back down. "Evil is taking
joy in the pain of others. Or simply placing yourself so far
above others that you’re indifferent to their pain."
Kharker, white, advanced a rook to a position
guarded by a pawn, a move which put Ruegger's queen in jeopardy.
"No," said the Hunter. "Evil is
just an obsolete label, a word without meaning. You know that
as well as I do . If you argue against me, I won't be hearing your voice, I'll be hearing Danielle's. She's brainwashed you,
man. Can't you see that?"
Carelessly, Ruegger thrust his queen to the
left, protecting her from Kharker.
"She hasn't brainwashed me, Khark. You
have. You've done it to yourself, too."
"Meaning?"
"That deep inside you don't really believe
what you're saying."
The Hunter smiled sadly. "You'd like to
believe that, wouldn't you, my son?"
Just as sadly, Ruegger nodded. "I would,
Khark. I really would."
Suddenly the Hunter swung a bishop out from
nowhere, and the Darkling saw that with his queen gone, his king—
"I believe that's checkmate," said
Kharker.
Ruegger toppled his king.
"You should've kept your mind on the game,
son, ” Kharker said. “For the past few days, you've
been in a fog."
"I don't need you to teach me how to play
chess."
"No. You just need to keep your mind on the
game. Anyway, what were we talking about?"
"Evil."
"I'm tired of talking about evil. This sort
of philosophy is all hogwash, anyway. Hell, so is the rest of it."
Ruegger stubbed out his smoke. "I'm not
done with talking about it, not yet."
"You want to change my mind?"
"Of course."
Kharker leaned back in his chair. "Then
please, allow me to backtrack for a moment. You said that evil means taking
pleasure in the pain of others. You take pleasure in the Hunt, don't you?"
"I only kill murderers."
"So the killing of another killer is okay?"
"It's a gray area, but it certainly feels
better."
"Better. More righteous."
"I don't like that word."
"I remember. But it's okay to be righteous;
it just means you know you're right."
"You can never know you're right. You
have to keep an open mind."
"Philosophical posturing,” Kharker said. “But
back to my point—killing other killers is okay to you?"
"It's acceptable."
The Hunter let that go. "So taking pleasure
in another's pain is acceptable if that person is wicked?"
Ruegger saw where this was going, but he didn't
know a way out of it. "I have a mean streak, Kharker. I'm not proud of it,
but I like to hurt those who deserve it."
"So you focus your aggression, then: those
you kill symbolize something to you—something worth the strain of sin?"
Ruegger recognized the line. It was from one of
his poems, a long time ago, and he couldn't help but smile at the tactics of
his old friend; Kharker would use Ruegger's own words against him.
"Yes," he said. "I suppose they
do symbolize something to me. What it is, I don't know."
"A demon from your past, I suppose. Maybe unconscious."
Ruegger said nothing.
"Ah, here it gets interesting. Because the only demon in your past, my son, is yourself. I
never brought you over into the darker side; you were there when I found you.
So it's yourself that you focus your aggression on, not the murderers
themselves."
A little perturbed, Ruegger lit another
cigarette.
"You're not saying anything I
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