The Park Family: Mairi: Retribution

by Lisanne Valente

  “You have your own lady’s maid. Her name is Jinny, and she will help you dress and arrange your schedule for you.”

  I can do this. I am an actress, Mairi thought. “Well, having a lady’s maid will be something else quite new for me. It might take a bit of getting used to, but I will try.”

  Appoloin dragged her so close to him, a feather could not separate their bodies. Dipping his head, he brushed his lips against hers. She automatically opened her mouth to welcome the kiss and responded with enthusiasm.

  What was supposed to be a gentle parting kiss changed into a passionate plea of self-denial and longing. He lifted her from the ground and held her closer yet, to gain better access to her mouth. When she wound her arms around his neck, and raked her hands through the thick layers of his hair, her desperate desire echoed his own body’s wanting. Appoloin believed if he had a soul, it was now lost.

  *

  Appoloin had departed Mairi’s company abruptly, leaving her emotions in a dreadful state of turmoil. She refused to allow her present situation to beat her, and swore she would find her own way out of the mess, a mess in which Angels had placed her and… and her cousins. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself to lessen the isolation she felt, she rubbed her forearms, ridding herself of the imaginary cold that coursed her body.

  Where to start? she thought.

  Walking from the breakfasting room, she made her way back to her bedroom, this time taking note of the elaborate decor, exquisite furnishings, and impressive pictures. Most of the artwork was portraits, with only a few landscapes. When Mairi took a closer look at the paintings, she saw that in nearly every one, there was a depiction of someone who remarkably resembled Appoloin. When she inspected one of the portraits closely, it was a depiction of three young men standing idly outside a castle. One of them, who was the double of Appoloin, was chewing straw, while the other two were laughing. There was a familiarity to them that Mairi could not quite fathom.

  The castle appeared as if situated on the very edge of the world. The grey sea, in the background, rolled as waves crashed against the rocks below. Mairi unconsciously shivered and moved on to the next portrait of a nobleman in full armour. Then another painting showed a very handsome youth shooing geese into a pen. The same Castle as before, only bigger, and appearing even more modern, was painted in the background. The sea, was blue and peaceful, with bobbing waves that resembled little white caps ducking and diving as they came nearer the shore.

  Opening her bedroom door, she could sense another presence in the room. Entering cautiously, not letting go of the door handle—if she had to make a quick retreat she would slam the door on the intruder—she stepped farther into the room. Her heart was beating so fast, her ears were deafened from the rush of blood, and her head pounded as her blood pressure began to soar. She tried to calm herself and searched the room, but couldn’t see anyone. Slowly, she closed the door, and her hand flew to her mouth as she suddenly let out a loud scream. Within a matter of seconds the door was thrown open, and the footmen who had waited on her at breakfast were beside her.

  She had not particularly taken much notice of them when they had served her earlier. Perhaps that wasn’t quite true, she admitted to herself. She had secretly admired how they wore their blue silk liveries, but now, as she carefully inspected them, she got a good look at their bulging biceps, their powerfully strong thighs, and, of course, when she eventually dragged her eyes from her close inspection, she noted their eyes.

  The blue eyes of the Angels. They were the same colour as that of a summer sky in California.

  Mairi was all but thrown behind one, while the other removed a dagger from, well, she had no idea where it had been hidden, but, suddenly, he was holding a very large knife. The one who had pushed her out of the way crouched down and stealthily scanned the room for anything that may be of danger to her. He stopped suddenly when a squeak came from one of the corners of the room.

  The Angel with the knife put his index finger to his lips, insisting Mairi remain silent. Then he grabbed the door and slammed it shut, to reveal a petite woman cowering, her back to the wall. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, and she was too terrified to speak. Mairi wondered at the speed she must have moved at, to avoid being hit by the door that slammed against the wall beside her.

  “Jinny, what are you thinking about, scaring the mistress in this way?” asked the crouched Angel suspiciously.

  Mairi relaxed. This must be the lady’s maid Appoloin had spoken of. She was about to introduce herself, when the knife-wielding Angel prevented her from moving.

  “What say you, Jinny? Why do you not answer Ariel’s question? Why do you hide from us?”

  Mairi tried to respond on behalf of the terrified woman, but the crouching Angel again indicated for her to remain silent. She knew, that even if she did speak, the Angel would somehow silence her. It was as though all her common sense had somehow taken flight and left with Appoloin, but to be fair to herself, she conceded that perhaps it had been left in another century!

  Screaming inwardly, it dawned on her that there was more going on here than a woman simply preparing her clothes and tidying up her room. When had she become so distracted? She remained silent, until the Angel completed his interrogation of the girl.

  Jinny stammered and blushed, her eyes lowered. Tears dropped slowly onto her cheeks, then trickled down her face; her nose ran, and she wiped it hurriedly with the back of her hand, then, staring up, she drew her eyes in Mairi’s direction. She wiped away the fallen tears and stood erect, her pride overtaking fear.

  Mairi waited sympathetically for the explanation to the question and peeked, tentatively, around the solidly built Angel, to see Jinny unable to speak. To all appearances, it was as though she was having problems getting the words out. Her mouth was twisting and contorting in strange shapes, as she desperately fought to explain. Her brown eyes opened wide in panic, her internal struggle pleading for help from Mairi, who took a step closer to the terrified woman.

  The Angel stood firmly in front of her, preventing her from nearing Jinny or getting any good access to her. Mairi became frustrated and attempted to move the Angel, but it was like pushing a mountain. Before she had the opportunity to truly grouse at him, Jinny’s eyes seeped black, and a dark, pungent mist escaped from her mouth as she hissed.

  “You interfere, Angel, where you do not belong.” Jinny sneered, her mouth taking on a life of its own, shaping around words in a grotesque fashion. “Return thee to thy hall thou should be guarding. Does thee think she is safe because thee art protecting her? Does thee think thy hall is safe without thee?”

  “You are Demon. Show thy true self, and stop hiding in the child’s body. What have you done with Jinny? How was it you were able to take possession of her?”

  “She was careless.” Jinny cackled, and Mairi stopped attempting to get nearer. Peeking around the Angel’s muscular arm, she was transfixed. The lovely girl who had been Jinny began to re-form into the shape of a man. His face was not recognisable as anyone in particular, but as Mairi stared, taking everything in, its face began changing. Every two seconds it reshaped into that of someone else. It was quite riveting to watch, as it re-formed from one man to a woman, then back to a different man, a bit like Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” music video, she thought, but instead of beautiful people, these were grim, evil, lost souls, their mouths stretched open, screaming in agony, replacing one for another!

  While Jinny’s face alterations continued, the demon gripped a book in his right hand. Mairi found the whole episode quite disconcerting though she was pleased to note, the protecting Angels appeared almost indifferent with it, bored with the continuing reconstructions.

  “How say you she was careless?” asked the Angel Mairi now knew to be Ariel.

  “She misses her mother. What better way to entrap a soul than to promise her what she desires above all else?” he spat.

  “And you took advantage of her sorrow? Does she now dwe
ll in your kingdom? Were you that cruel, Dantalian, to take her from all she knows, and for what reason? Because she was grieving her dead mother? This is reason enough for you to then place her in Hell? What infraction has she caused in this life to deserve your punishment?”

  “Ha!” the demon expostulated. “You know the humans’ desires more than I, Harviel,” he said to her mountainous protector. “She was miserable here, all day, every day, bemoaning the death of her mother. ‘She went too soon’, or ‘why did you take her and not me?’ You insist on keeping these minions in this life, when all they want is to move to the next one. I just aided her desire to move on is all.”

  “Where is she, Dantalian?” Ariel insisted.

  “She is Betwixt, if you must know, but I shall find her and bring her to my estate, where she belongs. However, that is really not the point, is it?” He turned his handsome but gruesome features in an attempt to get a closer look at Mairi, who, although able to view what was going on, was totally hidden by the Angel mountain.

  The demon’s face mutated into the shape of another lost and repugnant soul, and Mairi took in a deep, frightened breath. A whiff of sulphur infused the air, causing her to choke. She covered her nose and mouth in an attempt to escape the fumes, while simultaneously wrinkling her face in disgust.

  Her Angel mountain remained steadfastly in front of Mairi, not giving any ground to Dantalian, refusing him any access to her, visibly or physically.

  “What point are you hoping to make, Dantalian? Please relieve us of our curiosity, and tell us why you have chosen to sneak into our household and hold hostage one of our own?”

  Dantalian hopped backward and forward on his hoofed feet, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of whom Harviel was attempting to conceal from him. But it was impossible. He could hear her quietly clearing her throat and, knowing he was bested, in irritation, he released more foulness from his breath. Harviel brushed away the unpleasant odour with a swipe of his finger and flooded the room with the smell of orchids. Thwarted again, in his attempts to get to Mairi, Dantalian gave up hoping to confirm his suspicions, that it was she who was being guarded. He let out a long and unpleasant grumble, his mouth turned up in a sinister smile, and with a look that would surely wither flowers, he recalled the original question.

  “Why, ’tis the Mistdreamer for whom we are all searching, is it not? ’Tis strange, that my quest should bring me to this house. Oh, how wonderful!” he chortled eerily and clapped his hands. “I see you believe her to be well-protected, but mayhap not well enough, or I would not have been able to insinuate myself so easily with your staff. What say you?”

  Mairi almost fell into Harviel’s back when she heard the demon’s words but managed, with a little difficulty, to control herself. She waited to hear more, but it was her Angel mountain, Harviel, who spoke first.

  “When you say ‘all’, to what ‘all’ do you refer? The Heavens, Hell, the Earth plane? I have no evidence of anyone searching for a… what did you call it? A dewy person? What is this kind of creature? Is it an Angel, or one of the Fae, perhaps?”

  Dantalian sneered. “Move sideways, and I will ascertain if it is a Mistdreamer you hide behind you. I know the heavens are well aware of this species, so do not try to pretend, Harviel.”

  Harviel shrugged his shoulders. “I have never heard of such beings, and I am merely protecting the duchess. I have no wish for you to contaminate her as you have done Jinny. However, if you insist on resting your eyes on our mistress, I will allow it, on the understanding you remain where you are.” He said this forcefully, but Mairi was coming to the conclusion this Angel had lost his bearings and turned to see if she could make it out the door before he gave her up to the demon.

  “I will not move. Let me see her,” he hissed.

  Harviel stretched his arm behind him and touched Mairi’s wrist and tugged her gently. She fought to stay where she was, but he pulled harder, until she was by his side and looking into the black eyes of Dantalian.

  Mairi shook from head to foot, utterly terrified. Eventually, her trembling eased when she heard the demon screaming.

  “No, no, no! It cannot be. I know this is not possible. Let me touch her. Let me know if it is she.” He moved forward, but before he could reach Mairi, Ariel held a knife to his throat.

  Dantalian’s eyes darted back and forth. “You cannot harm me with such a knife. You may be able to kill mortals, but—”

  “This knife,” Ariel taunted, “has been dipped in the waters of the Fae and spelled by King Finvarra and Queen Oonagh. Take your chances, Demon, because today, I want to see blood run.”

  Dantalian went deathly still, his eyes glaring at Mairi. “I-I-I-I just do not understand how this has come about.” He glared at Harviel. “You have magicked her and altered her appearance,” he shot angrily.

  Harviel laughed out loud but held on tightly to Mairi. “I have no such power, Dantalian, but if you believe so, ask the girl herself. She will tell you, that is, if she can understand your words.”

  “Remove your knife, Angel, and let me do my own bidding,” he snarled at Ariel.

  “I will kindly keep the knife as it remains, and you can do your bidding at your leisure. The knife remains where it is and awaits your own stupidity. It has a life of its own and will gladly cut you and gleefully watch as your poisonous filth flows from your body.”

  “Fine!” he screamed. Looking to Mairi, he pulled his lips back in a gruesome attempt to smile, not managing to prevent the altering of his face to another wicked soul, one that shocked Mairi to the core. She knew that face. She had seen that face murder her aunt. Rachauden gaped back at her!

  Her sister, or half sister’s resemblance was now plastered to Dantalian.

  She shook her head, the shock of seeing Rachauden deafening the sound of his voice. She clearly heard herself ask, “Sorry, what did you say?” but what came out of her vocal cords was “Lo siento, que dice?” Struggling not to look at her Angels, she became the picture of innocence when Dantalian saw her.

  “Speak in English,” he growled.

  Mairi spoke again. “Estoy hablando en inglés, en que maldito lenguaje crees que te estoy hablando, estúpido demonio.” She shook her head with impatience, and under her breath, whispered, “Ignorante!” The Angels stifled their laughter at her look of total incredulity.

  Dantalian roared in fury and turned his evil glare on Harviel. “Tell your dog to remove his knife. I wish to leave this establishment. The Mistdreamer cannot be far from here, or my search would not have brought me to this part of the world.”

  Harviel indicated that Ariel should release him, and unspoken words passed between the two Angels, that they were to remain alert and not trust the demon. Then, with a slight gesture of his hand, Harviel spoke. “You may leave us, and I ask you do not come back unless you have the girl Jinny with you, so that she may return to the rest of her family.”

  Ariel moved to the other side of Mairi and began to whistle, and Harviel joined in. The beautiful sound weaved a hypnotic spell over her, until the sound became louder and louder still, and then it resembled the sound of a hurricane, yet nothing moved in the room. Except Dantalian. He was getting blown farther from them, though he was stoically trying to stand in position, his arms desperately stretching forward, hoping to reach Mairi, but as the Angels’ breaths blew harder, he lost his balance and was tossed against the wall. Dantalian disintegrated into a million pieces of hard black shards of glass, which flew towards Mairi and the Angels.

  Ariel covered Mairi’s body with his own, tucking every inch of her into the safe haven of his muscular frame, and moaned as the sharp fragments sliced into his back, arms, legs, and head. Mairi did not see him expel the venomous shrapnel. Ariel grimaced as he pushed the poisonous fragments from his body. One at a time, he ejected them, slowly and carefully. They oozed painfully, deliberately ripping his skin as they were expelled, before falling onto the floor. Mairi was unable to witness the deadly pieces turn to grains of sh
ifting sand, seeking each molecule out, quivering when they grouped together, then slithering, as a snake hunting its prey, until, without any warning, they disappeared into thin air.

  “She is safe now,” Harviel said softly to Ariel. “Let us tend to your wounds.”

  Mairi slowly removed herself from the sheltered confines of Ariel’s strong arms, careful not to cause him any more discomfort than necessary. As she withdrew, he sucked air through clenched teeth, and let out an agonising grunt. Stepping backwards, she worriedly searched his face. It had turned a pasty grey and was etched in agony, but he steadfastly remained on his feet. When he lost his balance, she yelled to Harviel to assist in removing him to her bed.

  Harviel easily lifted his friend and carried him as though he weighed but a few pounds, then placed him tenderly on top of the quilts.

  “Te importaría decirme ahora mismo qué esta pasando? Como es posible que él no supiera quen soy yo? Como puede ser que no me entiendiera?” she asked.

  Ariel laughed, then grimaced as the pain shot through his back and arms, blood now pouring in tiny rivers from his head. He coughed, which made his body strain and then tremble, with more blood running freely from his wounds.

  “I think you should remove the glamour from our Mistdreamer before she explodes with curiosity, and it would be better to hear her speak in English,” he said to Harviel.

  “Que quieres decir? habla en inglés de Nuevo otra vez. Estoy hablando en inglés.” Mairi huffed as she assured them she was speaking in English and peeped over her shoulder. She caught her movement, reflected in the mirror, but instead of her blonde hair and blue eyes, all she saw was a beautiful dark-haired, brown-eyed beauty, a person she did not recognise, staring back at her. She had no idea who the woman was, how was it possible this person had entered her room, and how she could feel Ariel’s muscles under her hand, yet the mirror image showed the dark-haired beauty doing just that?