“We were. A tour across the sea took much of the year.”
“You’re all well?”
“Yes.”
“And my son? How is Flynn?”
“Very well. In fact, it’s about Flynn that I’ve come.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. He’s to be married, this very night.”
Flynn’s mother gave a cry of delight. “Tonight? And he sent no word?”
“That is my fault, I’m afraid. I wanted to talk to you about Flynn. He’s different now, different from the way you remember him.”
They gathered around him, and he glamoured them. They wouldn’t remember everything he told them, but they’d remember seeing Flynn and attending his wedding. They’d be none the wiser about his being a Vampyre.
“Now, you can’t get too close, as it would be dangerous for us all. But he would like you there. Caelen is his bride. He’ll look a bit different, but he has matured.”
They flitted off with him, still under his spell. He took them to the edge of the rise and told them to watch from there. Then he went down to join the other Vampyres.
Flynn saw his family and felt elated. He came in from one side, and Caelen from the other, both stopping in front of Simon. He officiated while the remaining nine Vampyres formed a semicircle in the opposite direction from Flynn’s family.
“Tonight on this most sacred night, we come together to join Caelen to Flynn,” Simon said. “They have been faithful to each other since Flynn joined Shauna Faun, and they wish to make their faithfulness known. Let us wish them every happiness and pray that they are blessed in all the realms. May their joining be pleasing to all.”
At that moment the fires were doused. Simon turned to Flynn’s family and said, “Go back to your place. Wait for the new light and remember seeing Flynn’s wedding.”
They turned like automatons and returned to where their things were. Only then was the glamour removed. They talked about how nice Flynn’s wedding was while they waited for the new light to be brought down from the hill.
The crowd of light Faeries cheered as the runner brought the bowl containing the new fire. In the valley, the dark Faery also cheered as Flynn and Caelen shared the goblet of blood to seal their union.
While the celebrations continued among the light Faery, Shauna Faun flitted to the stage. They waited offstage, and within a few minutes, light Faery began streaming in for the solstice concert.
When the audience was assembled, Shauna Faun, all twelve, flitted down onto the stage like autumn leaves dropping from the overhanging trees. Each picked up an instrument and they began to play.
They played a new song, one especially written for the full ensemble. The crowd cheered as each member took a turn singing a portion of the song. When the song ended, Simon stepped to the front of the stage.
“Thank you. We’re happy to be back. For our next song we have something special. Our newest member, Flynn Whitethorn, and Caelen, who were just married today will sing it as a duet.
Several of Flynn’s old school friends, as well as his family, had come to see his first home concert with Shauna Faun. They all cheered, and as he looked out over the crowd, he was pleased and knew he’d made the right decision.
The song went well and the cheering was nearly deafening at the end.
Simon sang “You Are Mine” – their concerts almost couldn’t conclude until he did, it was so popular. There were a few more songs, some old, some new, and the concert ended with the members of Shauna Faun flying up into the air and winking away.
They returned to the cave congratulating one another for the performance. They’d never had such a successful concert and they floated on the wave of the crowd’s pleasure.
As the dawn streaked the sky, Flynn settled into his lair with Caelen. Yes, becoming a dark Faery had been the best decision he’d ever made, and this winter solstice had been the best day ever.
Dark Faery II: The Mercifuls (DarkFaery Book 2) Page 13
