by Tamsin Baker
They helped Raff into a sitting position, and Amber raised the beaker to his lips, encouraging him to drink. He coughed and spluttered, but managed to keep the liquid down. They then pulled him into a standing position and with an arm around Amber’s shoulders, Raff stumbled back down the street. His pallor and red eyes indicated he was probably not going to feel good for a while.
Serves him right. She had little sympathy for the man. What he’d done was unforgivable, and threatened their way of life. Still, he was going to have one helluva headache. Cassie had a twinge of guilt at leaving Amber to get him home, but Daniel needed her.
Colour was returning to his face. She couldn’t leave him there. She would have to take him home to her cottage, where she could monitor and look after him. Sensing a presence nearby, she looked around to see the Boobook Man standing in the shadows. He’d come down from the tree.
“Please,” Cassie said, “you mustn’t tell anyone about this. It would be divisive in the community and would stir up trouble. There wouldn’t be anything to gain by making it known.”
Boobook Man merely nodded, and made a soft, cooing sound in the back of his throat. She assumed this was agreement.
“I need to get Daniel into my car. Can you help? Nobody will dare attack him if he’s with me and I know he’ll be safe.”
Together, they pulled and pushed him into a sitting position. His eyes were now open, but weren’t focussed.
“C’mon, Daniel. You’ve got to help us. Sit up. We want to get you into the car.”
It wasn’t easy, but with effort and repeated instructions, they raised him to a standing position and pushed him into the car, where Cassie strapped him in. As she drove slowly back to her cottage, she kept one hand on his leg, willing the power to dispel the venom. She continued her muttered prayer to Brigid. Daniel was not out of the woods yet. A double dose of venom such as he’d received could easily cause a heart attack, or necrosis at the site. The fact that he was sort of ambulant did not indicate a full recovery.
Boobook Man was waiting for her at the cottage when she pulled up. Together, they pulled him from the car, and grasping his arms around their shoulders, guided him towards the front door. Daniel’s leg dragged behind him, making their progress slow. They were almost at the door when he was suddenly violently ill, vomiting a foul-smelling green liquid. Cassie turned her face away, trying not to breathe while her stomach churned at the smell.
When they were sure the attack had settled, they manoeuvred him inside and onto her bed. Cassie turned to Boobook Man, noticing he’d left a trail of feathers over the floor. Monty was backed into a corner, staring in wide-eyed amazement. As birds went, this was the largest he’d seen in close quarters.
“Thank you for your help. If you hadn’t fetched me, I doubt Daniel would have survived. I can take it from here.”
The man nodded acknowledgement but made no further comment. Cassie had the impression he was not really comfortable inside. He turned abruptly and threw open the front door. He glanced back over his shoulder and then stepped out into the night. There was a shimmer in the air. The whoosh in the air indicated the bird was airborne. Then he was gone.
Chapter 12
It was not an easy night. Daniel tossed and turned and vomited again. Cassie had to strip and remake the bed before settling him down with a prepared drink to help him go back to sleep. His sweaty body almost drenched the sheets again, and judging by his muttering, he relived the attack over and over. Cassie catnapped only, frightened there might be a downturn in his condition. If he got through the night without regressing, she knew he would probably be fine.
It was past daylight when he awoke the next morning. Cassie heard the haunting mopoke call from outside, and surmised the Boobook Man was in the adjoining tree. She was glad when Daniel did awake, as she was able to open the curtains, allowing the soft light to penetrate the room. It highlighted his greyish pallor.
“Cassie? What am I doing here?”
She sat on the side of the bed. “You didn’t quite make it home last night. How much do you remember?”
He screwed up his face, looking towards the light streaming through the window as though he might find the answer there. “Not much. It’s confusing. I had a really bad dream though—something to do with a huge snake and trying to run, but I couldn’t really make sense of it.”
Cassie tossed up what to tell him, not wanting to scare him but with the assumption also that his memory would emerge over time, decided she had to stick as closely to the truth as possible. She would leave Raff out of it if she could.
“It wasn’t all a nightmare, though from what I heard through the night, you weren’t having sweet dreams. You were bitten by a snake when walking home. Amber witnessed the attack and fought it off. Then she called me and I brought you back here. If your leg is feeling sore, it’s with good reason.”
The abbreviated version left out a few salient facts, but avoided awkward questions and explanations.
“That was real?” He struggled to sit up, a combination of horror and amazement on his face. “Some snake. I have a jumbled recollection of a giant serpent, the likes of which I’d never even imagined before.” He shuddered and fell back against the pillow. “You should have seen those eyes. I’m sure it even had foul breath. I’ll be checking under the bed for weeks after this.”
Cassie risked a quick smile. At least he still had a sense of humour. “It was powerful venom you received. The hallucinatory effect was quite strong.”
“You don’t need to tell me. It was like a bad trip, the stuff of nightmares.”
She wondered how Daniel would know what a bad trip was like before being suddenly surprised by her own nausea. She hadn’t slept much, if at all, with watching over Daniel being her first priority. She suspected being in close proximity to his sweating body meant she had absorbed some of the venom he’d excreted through his pores. Who knew what that stuff could do? Damn Raff and his jealousies.
She helped Daniel out of bed and under the shower so she could change the sheets yet again. It was an exhausting process. He could barely stand and was aghast when she unwrapped the bandages revealing the wound and the colour of his swollen leg.
“What sort of snake was this? Shouldn’t I have gone to hospital?”
“They don’t have the sort of anti-venom you required.” She hesitated before continuing, concentrating on delivering a reiki healing to his leg. “Around here, Daniel, there are some things that can’t easily be explained to an outsider. I’m not the only one with certain gifts, and others have talents that take different forms. There’s good magic in these hills, and sometimes there’s bad magic. It’s rare for it to happen, but that snake was one badass. It wasn’t your conventional snake in the grass.”
“You’re telling me it was some sort of supernatural serpent?”
“It was, but you don’t have to worry. It’s been dealt with. It won’t be back again.”
“I’ll have to think about this when I’m more rational. Do you think I might lie down again?”
“Of course. Just what I was about to suggest.” Cassie had just managed to ease him back into bed beneath the fresh covers when there was a knock at the door. Rowena.
“I heard what happened to Daniel,” she said after Cassie let her in. “I had to see how he was for myself.”
Cassie rolled her eyes at the power of the grapevine and lowered her voice. “I was hoping to keep it quiet. I’m not sure what you heard, but Raff was behind it. He transitioned into the serpent and attacked Daniel. Amber came to the rescue. She was doing her deer thing again.”
“He could have killed Daniel. Whatever made Raff do such a thing?”
“All I can think is that he was jealous. I turned him down recently. I thought he understood, but given what’s happened, probably not.”
“How’s Daniel now?”
“He’s settling down to sleep again, but I think we got through the worst of it last night.” Cassie inclined her head tow
ards the bedroom door. “His colour’s awful, but better than it was. You can pop your head around the door and see him.”
“I won’t disturb him if he’s going to sleep, but I brought over a salve that will help the healing process. I’ll leave you to apply it.”
Cassie took the jar of ointment from her aunt and put it aside for later use. It was bound to be good. A question niggled at her. “How did you know what happened?”
“I guess you could say a little bird told me.” A look of perplexity crossed her face. “In light of what you’ve just said, something strange happened earlier. I ran into Raff and Amber in the main street, looking very loved up. Are you sure about this jealousy thing?”
Cassie just smiled, thinking of the vial she had given Amber. It would have done more than reduce their anxiety. She decided not to tell Rowena about that. Some secrets should remain just that.
“What about you? Are you okay?” Rowena asked. “I can see the lesions are disappearing, but you have a flushed look.”
“I’m fine. I think I absorbed some venom from Daniel, which has left me feeling a little queasy, but nothing more than that.”
“Look after yourself. I recall your mother had a reaction like that. You’ve got the same look.”
After shutting the door behind Rowena, Cassie padded into the bedroom to check on Daniel. He was snoozing, but the vibrations were strengthening. That, in itself, was the best indicator of his health. She changed the dressings later in the day and applied Rowena’s salve at the same time. His leg was still swollen, and hot to the touch. He winced as she rubbed in the ointment, digging into the surface of the bed with his fingers as she stroked the festering surface.
“Fuck! That stings.”
She hadn’t heard him swear before. “Sorry. At least you haven’t lost feeling.”
His response was only a grunt, but his breathing eased as she finished wrapping the bandage. He slipped off to sleep again, and Cassie took advantage of the situation to have a nap herself.
As it was the weekend, Cassie was able to monitor Daniel’s condition and adjust his care and treatment as required. He was much improved the second day, but still very weak and experiencing pain at the puncture sites. His nausea had subsided and they were both grateful for that.
Cassie had to be back at work the following Monday. Daniel insisted he was well enough to return to his cottage.
“I won’t be working at full capacity for a while, but I’ll manage.” He frowned, rubbing his brow. “I wish I could remember what happened. I didn’t think snakes were active at night.”
“They aren’t usually. You were just unlucky.” What else could she say?
Her colleagues exchanged gossip about their weekends, and enquired about the progress of her allergic reaction. “Poor you. It must have been horribly itchy. It looks like it’s healing nicely.”
Indeed it was, but Cassie passed up again on the children’s book reading, suggesting one of the others might stand in for her. Instead, she volunteered to do the morning coffee run. She was only a short distance down the street when a familiar voice ran out.
“Cassie!” Footsteps hurried behind her. She couldn’t pretend not to have heard, much as she would have liked to. She stopped and turned around, waiting for Amber to catch up with her.
“Hi, Amber. I’ve been meaning to check in with you to see how Raff was faring,” she lied. “I hope he’s recovered with no more than a headache.”
“Raff’s wonderful,” Amber gushed. “I can’t think why I never really noticed him before. He’s the most amazing man, incredibly hot and virile.” She pursed her lips condescendingly. “I don’t know how you missed it, but then you’re probably a more emotionally repressed person than I am.”
There wasn’t an appropriate response to that statement, so Cassie merely offered a weak smile. “I’m glad your sex life is doing so well, and presumably so is his, but what about his injuries? Are they healing?”
“They seem to be. His mother dropped in the next day, and she applied some of her own treatments.” Amber yawned, indicating sleep might have been in short supply. “I don’t know how she knew what happened.”
Amber, you don’t really think you can keep things quiet in this town do you? It was probably Boobook Man, or failing that, Rowena.
Amber didn’t wait for a reply to her question before posing another. “Um, Cassie—that anti-anxiety tincture you gave me—do you have any more of it?”
It was a struggle to keep a straight face. “Sorry. That was the last of it. It could be months before I can make some more.”
“That’s a pity, but I’m sure we’ll cope. See ya!”
Cassie watched as Amber swayed down the sidewalk, her whole body giving off come-hither vibes. Some things never changed, but it was a relief that something else had. She hoped Raff and Amber would be very happy together.
☐
Daniel found it difficult settling down to work. His head had a dull ache and his leg was giving him grief. The swelling was going down, but the colour of his skin was alarming. It wasn’t just the wound. He couldn’t wrap his head around what had happened. This supernatural stuff took some getting used to. He promised himself that when he’d satisfied his deadlines, he’d do some research into it. For now, though, he had to try to focus on his work.
A knock on the door was both a welcome and an annoying distraction. He looked at the few lines on his screen with regret as he pushed his chair back and hobbled to the door. Marnie stood there, the usual dilly bag slung over her shoulder.
“I heard you were a bit poorly. I missed you on your morning walk so thought I’d drop in and check on you.’
“Thanks, Marnie. As you can see, I’m fine. Not so sure about my leg, though. Better than what it was. Would you like to come in?”
“No, I won’t stay. I’m sorry this happened to you. It was so wrong—he shouldn’t have done it.”
Who shouldn’t have done what? The snake?
She took a bundle of leaves from her bag and thrust them at him. “Boil these up and drink the liquid. It will speed up the healing from the inside.” She turned to go and then suddenly stopped, half turning towards him again. “How long are you staying in Harrow?”
Daniel scratched his head reflectively, bemused by the question. “Not sure. I gather I can extend the lease if I need to, but my initial intention was for three months.”
Marnie regarded him silently for a moment, then turned and left without further comment. Daniel had grown used to her abruptness, and after watching the woman for a moment, shut the door and tried to get himself back in the writing zone.
It wasn’t easy. In the end, he made himself a pot of Marnie’s tea and sat out on the deck drinking it. The taste was bitter, but with a bit of honey, it wasn’t bad. Sitting there, he realised where he’d made the wrong turn in the writing he’d already done that morning. Reinvigorated with fresh ideas, he drained the rest of the mug and hurried inside. Work awaited.
Cassie dropped around each evening to check how his leg was healing and to apply more salve. His recovery progressed at a rate she declared to be satisfactory, and they settled into a comfortable routine. He had a bit of catching up to do with his work and she respected that, staying for a coffee and a chat, but not lingering too long through the week.
A couple of evenings when he felt a bit stir-crazy, he managed to hobble down to the Harrow Arms. He’d got to know a few of the regulars, and as he walked through the door, Tom behind the bar would give him a brief nod and would have his regular drink ready before he had to ask. He ran into Raff on one of those evenings. He was perched on a barstool, and looked up as Daniel approached.
“G’day, mate. How’s the car now?” Raff’s query was innocent enough.
Fine thanks. Good as new. You can’t see where it was repaired.”
“That’s how it ought to be. Can I buy you a drink?”
Daniel had the strangest feeling when he was around Raff but couldn’t put his finge
r on why that would be. The other man almost seemed ready to bolt out the door whenever he walked in. Perhaps they were just too different. At least the obscure comments had stopped.
Weekends were reserved for Cassie. She took him on local day trips, showing him something of the local wineries and food producers the region had on offer. On one occasion, it was Daniel who had the suggestion.
“I see from the local paper that The Letters is in the cinema this week in Mt Torrens. I worked on that script. Maybe we could catch a meal first in whatever fine establishment the town has on offer and then see the movie.”
“Is that where we get to snog in the back row?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly.
“We don’t have to wait for the movie, surely,” he asked, grabbing her around the waist and delivering a trail of sloppy kisses down the side of her neck. She squealed and wriggled out of his grasp.
“The movie and the meal sound great. You can give me all the inside goss on the production and the actors and how the movie was made. As for the rest, no, we probably don’t have to wait. I don’t want to over-exert a man in your poor condition though.”
She knew just which button to push. Daniel jumped up from the chair on which he’d been seated and attempted to drag her towards the bedroom.
“I’ll show you how good my condition is. I think you’ll find everything works just fine.”
Except it wasn’t. He put more weight than he expected on his leg and it folded beneath him, depositing them both in a giggling heap on the floor. Sometimes it caught him out like that.
Damn leg. What did I do to it again?
He had strange dreams at night and struggled to make sense of them. Sometimes there was a fierce battle in which a monstrous beast with red eyes threatened to devour him, and sometimes, he was walking along the path by the river, with a deer by his side. It was confusing, and when he tried to describe them to Cassie, the wisps of memory faded away before he grasped them. He had a feeling they were important, but couldn’t understand how or why.
