Immortal Beauty

by Thomas McDermott

  “You did it! You stopped her!” And then he saw the body of Skyfire whose head was now burned beyond recognition. Nyoirin looked right through him with eyes that would no longer cry.

  “I have done my duty, but I have failed to protect my loved ones.” She could not look at his body but walked over to it with the same strange dignity that was washing over her. “I have failed Marcel. I have failed Rene and the man I love. Only one thing remains for me. This is our way. My purpose is finished.” She held up her sword and without another word plunged it into her abdomen and with the last bit of strength she possessed, she pulled it upwards to be certain her organs were destroyed. Her blood fell onto Skyfire like a waterfall as she fell on top of him.

  “No!” Marcel could not believe what was happening. He did not expect Nyoirin to do something this awful and this final. He couldn’t understand anything and he looked to the silent woman in white by the windows. Her indifference infuriated him as she stood there surveying the bodies strewn all over the once beautiful room.

  “They were my friends.” That was all she said with her child’s voice and she turned away to walk back into the park full of trees.

  “Wait! Please wait! You have to help me!” He was pleading with her.

  “I’ve already helped you. I’m finished here.” She kept walking.

  “But the water. I have the water. It’s underneath the house. The water you dream of is here.” He was rambling but he could not lose this pale creature so quickly. The words had their effect. She was no longer walking and after an eternity she spoke.

  “Show me.” Was all she said. The bird flew up again from her shoulder and she walked back with him into the house. There was blood everywhere. He would have to make up a story of how they were savagely attacked by a hungry mob. They stood looking at the bodies and the ghostly woman spoke in the most reverent of tones. “We have to bury their bodies. It’s the proper thing to do.” She helped him carry the bodies of Nyoirin and Skyfire into the tunnel beneath the house. She was stronger than she looked, like they had all been once. They decided to throw Celine’s body in the river. Marcel was about to call one of the stable boys when the woman stopped him. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Soon he heard the sound of galloping hoofs on the snow. It was Celine’s white mare! He knew that this was one of her gifts. He wondered in what lifetime she learned to command the animals and birds. They quickly hoisted Celine’s form onto the mare and together they walked the horse down the hill and together they heaved it into the unforgiving waters, watching it disappear into the shadowy grayness of the Seine.

  A few miles down the river a caravan filled with the privileged and their servants was stopped because one of the carriages got stuck in the mud, a result of the melting snow. Bothered by the inconvenience, the elderly Marquise stuck her head out of the window to look around. She was bored by such bad luck and began to wish that they had never left their home in Orleans to attend yet another party. She watched the waters and cried out when she spotted the bright green satin that barely covered the body of a woman who had washed up on the shore. The old woman cried to her horsemen to attend to the poor thing. She was obviously somebody with such fine dress and jewelry. The men ran down to the river and pulled the woman from the muddy banks and one of the younger men who noticed how beautiful the woman was began to pray that she was still alive.

  “Well?” The Marquise enquired from her comfortable seat wrapped all in fur.

  “She is breathing Madame!” The young Frenchman cried out happily. He had never seen any woman so beautiful before.

  “Bring her into my carriage. We must find a doctor at once.” She ordered the men to be careful not to upset the carriage any more than they already did. Once they had the woman with the gorgeous red locks secured inside the luxury of the carriage they sped away, leaving the other carriage and a few grumbling men stuck in the mud behind them.

  RESCUE

  Sasha woke with a start. She had dreamt of Taylor and he had been warning her about Celine. He was a prisoner tied down to some kind of table. He looked strange and his face bore a large purple bruise which made her heart hurt. She got out of bed and placed a white cotton robe about her body before she left to find Marcus. She knocked timidly at his door until he finally emerged with his hair all askew and his silk charcoal grey pajamas looked almost like a costume from an old movie.

  “Sasha. Good morning.” He was trying not to yawn in her face.

  “It’s Taylor. I dreamt of him just now. He said Celine was holding him prisoner. He is in great danger and I think I may have caused all of this….we have to do something!” Her pleading voice moved him immensely. If there was one thing that did not change through all these endless years was the way that these two loved each other no matter what obstacles lay in their path.

  “Let’s go downstairs. We can talk in front of the fire.” He gathered his arm around her in a fatherly fashion and they descended the stairs to find comfort in the great room. Once the fire was roaring Sasha began to explain her bizarre dream.

  “Taylor was talking about monsters. He said to watch out that Celine’s monsters are in the woods surrounding the house in Orleans.” She knew it sounded crazy but in this house that seemed to be the norm.

  “The Chimera.” Marcus whispered.

  “What? What’s that?” Sasha could not contain her curiosity.

  “When Frankie stole Celine’s files, he found evidence that she was creating some type of human animal hybrid. It must be what Taylor is talking about.” He looked very worried.

  “But it was just a dream. I don’t think it has a literal meaning.” Sasha began to feel foolish for waking him.

  “My dear, you two are connected in a way I’ve never seen before. This dream of yours was Taylor’s way of communicating with you. You have to remember that you both have abilities that you haven’t even begun to tap into. If you drank the waters you would waken these abilities.” He made it sound so simple, so seductive.

  “Never! I’m done with this fucking water. It caused this whole nightmare in the first place. No, all I want is for Taylor to be alright and then I want to get the hell away from you people. She didn’t care if he was offended.

  “What do you mean?” The fire crackled loudly surprising them both. The room was lit only by the fireplace and the warmest glow covered everything. The past and the present were beginning to mix dangerously. For a moment Sasha felt she was in danger of remembering who she was and the feeling terrified her. In this light it was so easy to believe they were back in the past.

  “I met Celine for lunch today. I told her I wasn’t interested in your war or the water or living forever. I told her I just want Taylor back and she insisted that she didn’t have him and then, well then I told her that you observed Taylor going into the lab in Orleans but never leaving. I think he may have been hiding inside and she had no clue until I told her. You see, I may have killed him.” Tears were forming in her eyes and she could not stop them.

  “Oh Sasha, if he were dead you would have felt it. Like I said, you two are connected. He sent you that dream I’m sure of it. But I’m afraid we may not have much time. We have to wake the others.” He stood up and placed his hand on top of her head. “You had better get dressed and wear something dark. We’re going to get Taylor back.” As soon as he said this Sasha felt a rush of emotion wash over her. She cried openly now, ashamed of nothing.

  “Thank you Marcus. I owe you so much. She let her quiet tears fall.

  “Nonsense. It is I who owe you darling. The very least I can do is help you get your boyfriend back. Now let’s go. We really don’t have much time.” They left the fire behind as they returned to their rooms to dress.

  Half an hour later Marcus Frankie, Claire and Sasha were all speeding along the road to Orleans in Marcus’ trim, black car. The driver was dressed all in black and was apparently used to taking trips in the middle of the night to the middle of nowhere. They were all silent for a time unt
il Frankie couldn’t help himself. He was dressed all in black as they all were, and Sasha felt as if she were in a spy movie. Frankie wore a black beret tilted on top of his head giving him a rakish look.

  “Alright. So, what’s the plan? We do have a plan don’t we?” He smiled amiably as if he were thrilled to be part of a midnight mission.

  “Taylor told me the labs are underneath the chateau. There’s a spiral staircase down a hall to the right of the entrance. She has two guards posted out front. I don’t know how we’re going to get past them.” Sasha just realized her voice was shaking. She was scared.

  “Oh I’ll take care of the guards.” Frankie winked at Claire who was busy staring out the window.. “How do we get inside though?”

  Marcus coughed and then spoke up.

  “There’s an electric keyboard at the front door. Frankie, I think that will be your task. I think Sasha will take out the guards while you bust the lock.”

  “Me? I’m going to take out the guards?” Sasha was shaking now.

  “Of course you are! As soon as you see them you’ll know what to do. Remember the three men in the tunnel, you are our best bet as far as the guards are concerned.” Marcus held her hand and gave it a squeeze. Claire stirred in her seat.

  “What am I doing here? You seem to have all this covered.” She still wouldn’t look at them.

  “You are in charge of the monsters my dear. According to the data, they are half human and half beast. You are going to have to work your charms on the animal part of their brains and hope it works.” Marcus looked at her very seriously. He was worried that she was going to be the one in the most danger.

  “Hope it works” It doesn’t sound like much of a plan to me Marcus. Maybe we need to rethink this.” She looked at the three of them as if they were insane.

  “We don’t have time to rethink this Claire and you know it. These creatures are only half human, I know you can reach the animal inside of them. I know you can.” Claire smiled at Marcus’ flattery and smiled sarcastically at him.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. And what are you going to be doing while the three of us are busy?” Claire watched as the other two turned to look at Marcus. As far as Sasha knew, Marcus had no special abilities like the rest of them. He had never shown any signs and he certainly never spoke of such a thing.

  “I’m going to keep Celine from killing us all. I’m the only one who can keep her from losing her temper which is vital to our survival. The three of you have got to get into the lab and get Taylor out while I deal with Celine.” Claire knew she would rather face monsters than have to deal with the monster that everyone knew as Celine D’Aumont. She was suddenly fearful for Marcus. He would be in the most danger. If Celine did lose control, he would be the one to pay for it with his life. The car pulled into the little town of Orleans and Marcus made the driver drop them off half a mile from the lab. He leaned into the window.

  “Wait for my call and then meet us out front as soon as you can, and for no reason are you to turn off that motor. Got that?” He was all business now.

  “Yes sir.” The man spouted back military style. He was used to taking orders from Mr. D’Alessandro. The car crept along quietly while the four of them walked quickly and quietly into the forest. Sasha’s adrenaline was beginning to flow and she actually felt excited at the idea of saving Taylor. She found herself plotting to kill Celine herself but agreed to stick to the plan, or what little plan they had. The first part of it was up to her and all of a sudden she realized she was no longer afraid and was looking forward to a fight. This was a side of her that she did not know. It was all so new and so different from the person she had always been. Sure, she was used to getting what she wanted but not by physically fighting for it. She had fought on so many other levels to make her way in the world. She had never had to use physical violence and now she found her pulse racing at the idea of taking out the two guards. Last week she was a girlie girl and now she was some sort of assassin. The world made no sense at all and Sasha knew that her life would never be the same no matter what. She didn’t have too long to consider the implications for out of the woods a horrific cry rose up into the night. They all froze. Another cry seemed to answer the first one and they all looked to Claire who was listening intently.

  “They know we’re here. They are communicating.” She looked afraid for the first time and Sasha saw just how fragile and lovely she really was. Claire urged them on and had Sasha bring up the rear just in case. They continued scrambling through the hilly terrain trying hard not to make noise, but it was impossible to keep from snapping twigs as they walked and every sound they made caused them to be more jumpy than they already were.

  “Quiet!” Frankie hissed.

  “Watch where you’re going!” Claire whispered back vehemently. Only Marcus remained calm. He was looking all about for any signs of the creatures. A low growling noise came from the right and Sasha almost screamed.

  “It’s just a wildcat.” Claire said. She closed her eyes and concentrated and a large lynx came strutting out of the darkness to stand by her side. “We could use someone like him right about now.” Claire patted his head and the creature began to purr. She walked on slowly and the lynx walked by her side as if they belonged together. After a few minutes they could see the chateau ahead through a clearing. Without warning the lynx began to growl loudly and the hair on it’s back stood straight up.

  “It’s them! Hurry!” Claire was urging them on and Sasha felt as if she were deserting her. “We’ll take care of whatever’s out there” As if she could read Sasha’s thoughts Claire pushed the American girl out into the open field forcing her to run from the woods. She looked back once to see Claire and the lovely cat poised for battle. She prayed that she would be there when she got back. Now it was her turn. She and Frankie crawled along the sides of the house until they were at the front corner. Once they turned that corner there would be no turning back. The night was cool and Sasha could see her breath from all the exertion. She decided there was no time to think and walked out into the open as if she were just out for a casual stroll.

  “Hello boys.” She waved and smiled as she walked toward to two big men in a sultry manner. “Chilly night, wouldn’t you say?” Now two more men joined the original pair and it occurred to Sasha for the first time that Celine was expecting them all along. The two men in front pulled out their guns.

  “Miss, you are on private property. Please put your hands up in the air and remain where you are.” The front men moved toward her warily. They were definitely big men, about two hundred and thirty pounds each from the looks of them and the two men behind them looked even larger. Her mind went into overdrive. This was actually going to be fun.

  “You mean like this?” She giggled in the most ridiculous manner she could muster. She could see Frankie out of the corner of her eye already cracking the combination. “Oh come on boys! You’re not just going to tease a girl are you?” She winked at the tallest one.

  “Knock that off lady. You are in serious trouble. We are going to have to take you into custody.” He was standing right in front of her now, holding his pistol at waist height.

  “Is that a promise?” She smiled and kicked him right between the legs while grabbing a gun from his hand. She spun him around as he was reaching for his groin area and moaning wildly, using his body as a shield. She pointed the gun she grabbed from him at the other three men.

  “So what’s in these things? Real bullets?” Without waiting for an answer she shot one of the guards in his hand and he dropped his gun screaming in pain. The other two were trying to figure out what the hell just happened and were trying to get a good shot at her but the man she held in front of her was too big. She walked him forward until they were extremely close to the remaining two guards. One of the men tried to aim at her head but she shot him in the left foot easily and he dropped to the ground as well.

  “You stupid bitch!” He collapsed into a groaning mess. She realized
that she was enjoying this and was only slightly bothered that she was actually hurting people. Still, it had to be done if she were to save Taylor’s life. She was taking no chances. She pushed her hostage right into the man still standing, knocking them both to the ground. As the tall one tried to stand up she kicked him in the temple and knocked him out cold. As the other two tried to regain their footing she jumped up and spun around hitting the one in the head with her pistol and kicking the other one with her cute, black, steel toed boot. They both fell at the same time and she jumped onto the last conscious one and smiled down at him.

  “Time for bed.” She whispered into his ear before grabbing his head and cracking it against the pavement. She quickly took their shoelaces and belts and began tying them up. She used their socks as gags and stuffed them into their complaining, moaning mouths. She was enjoying this way too much. She would think about all this later. She dragged the men one by one up against the house so that no one would see them. She ran to Frankie who had just gotten the lock figured out. She heard a loud click and Frankie opened the door for her as if they were going to the opera.

  “Please come in.” He was still smiling. She knew that he too was enjoying himself only he had seemingly no qualms about it. Marcus came running up to them out of nowhere and pushed his was past them.

  “Go to the lab. I’ll handle Celine….go!” He barked his orders and Frankie and Sasha ran down the hall to the spiral staircase like two scolded children.

  Claire stood at the edge of the wood listening. By the behavior of her new friend she knew that the creatures were close. From the howls they heard earlier she knew there were at least two of them. She was hoping that was all! The lynx jumped up into a tree without a sound. They were coming.