At the end of the tour the two covens enjoyed a couple of nights reveling together, and then time came for Shauna Faun to sail home.
They were all elated as they usually were after a concert tour. The success made them glad to be a band and made them feel more alive, even though the priestesses would’ve argued that point.
XIII
Rhiannon didn’t see Nuala for a few days, then she appeared again at the clearing.
“You’ve come back,” Rhiannon said, smiling, even though she didn’t want to appear too pleased.
“I said I would. I keep my word.”
“You said Harry lied to me. Why would he? Why would he pretend to like me?”
“To make you trust him. He probably didn’t pretend to like you. You’re likeable enough. But when he tires of you, he’ll probably kill you.”
Rhiannon gasped.
“I’m sorry. It is shocking to think of, but that’s what dark Faery do. They kill. They use what charms they have to make you trust.”
“Is that what you do?” Rhiannon asked. She would not be taken as stupid.
Nuala smiled. “You don’t like me, do you?”
“I – yes. I just don’t know you very well. And I don’t know what to believe. You said Harry lied. He told me wonderful things.”
“About you?”
“Some, yes.”
“Well, you are wonderful. In a way his words were a warning. Don’t depend on the dark Faery. You do have much to live for if you want to. But don’t depend on Harry. He’ll kill you, but he’ll never make you one of them.”
“So you think I shouldn’t see him anymore?”
“That’s up to you,” Nuala said. “Knowing him as I do, I wouldn’t. But that’s me, and he’s already caused me pain. He makes it easy to believe him. But in the end, you’ll wish you were dead when he’s finally honest with you. And then he will kill you. So go, live your life and stay away from him. Or, as I told you before, you can end it without letting him hurt you.”
“Does it matter if he hurts me if I’ll die anyway?” Rhiannon asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Suit yourself. Do what you want. I just thought I’d warn you not to have any expectations of Harry. But if you don’t care, that’s fine with me. It makes no difference to my life.”
Nuala started to leave.
“Wait!”
She turned to look at Rhiannon.
“Can’t we just talk about pleasant things?” Rhiannon asked.
“Like what?”
“Where are you from? What’s your country like? What was your life like when you were a light Faery? Is that what you call us?”
Nuala had never been asked about her life before. Dark Faeries didn’t delve into pre-Vampyre life unless the one in question was someone like Artemis. Even about him few knew the facts. Nuala allowed herself to be flattered and told Rhiannon about growing up in the countryside, and how people often sang.
“It wasn’t like here where one clan has ownership of music. Most folk in my country sang or made some kind of music. We were plentiful in those days.”
She told of the Humans and how they worked in coordination with the light Faery, how there was trade between them. Then came a time of darkness, and many Humans fell ill of plague. Invaders came and stole Human lands much as they had here, and the Faeries were forced to the dark places and deep in the woods where Humans didn’t dwell. The Humans forgot about the Faery, and those who remembered were taunted as mad or tellers of tales for children.
Nuala told about the soft, rolling hills, the cliffs where the sea crashed angrily, and the gentle flowing streams where sunlight filtered down through the trees, dappling grass and stones with such beauty it made Rhiannon ache to see it.
“Alas, the world has changed. The Humans don’t venerate the old ways, and the old gods have left them. They will come to rue the day.”
“What about Vampyres? Were there always dark Faeries?”
“It grows late. Soon the sun will rise. I will see you again,” Nuala said and left her.
*
In the coming days Nuala never spoke of Harry or Simon. She told Rhiannon stories from her homeland about her own experiences as a Beltane maiden.
“I was carefree and spoiled. Folk said I was the fairest Faery of my generation. Folk loved to hear me sing. I was eighteen and thought myself the queen of all.
“There was a boy, Daniel, who professed his love to me. He was handsome and not so wise that I couldn’t twist him to my bidding. That was how I wanted to live my life. He agreed to run as my stag. Neither of us knew that the goddess chooses our Beltane mate, ultimately. In the smoke and confusion of lust, with elaborate masks, it’s often difficult to know who the one you wanted to choose is.
“Time came for the maidens to enter the tents. The priestess undressed me and prepared me. I lay under the covers waiting. The tent was dark, the only light coming from the fire ring outside. The priestess withdrew and soon the stag entered.
“Daniel wore a red mask, as did two others. His had white stripes along the sides. I didn’t notice the contours of the mask. Suddenly shy as well as excited, I waited for my stag to approach.
“Too late I realized he was taller and broader than Daniel. I cried out, trying to tell him he’d chosen the wrong tent, but once a stag has chosen, he cannot leave the tent until the Beltane offering has been consummated. Some I have heard of, who out of wrong choice or some failing of their own, have not acted, but only waited an appropriate time and left with the trophy. Folk assume that the goddess did not bless them with offspring.
“This stag was a druid and determined to prove his manhood. He was no gentle lover, as Daniel would’ve been. In fact, he knew of me and disliked me. He had purposely chosen my tent to teach me that I couldn’t always have my way, and did so in the roughest terms.
“I was miserable. I was denied my Daniel and was left with child. I could never love this druid’s babe, so I sought out herbs to rid myself of it. My parents discovered my deed and threw me out into the wilderness saying I was vile and no daughter of theirs.
“Lost, frightened and ill, I wandered for two nights. On the third evening I came across the most beautiful man I’ve ever known. He took pity on me and was kind to me through the evening. Then a short while before dawn I discovered his true nature. He was a Vampyre. He drained me of almost all of my blood until I was nearly dead, then performed the crossing ritual. I had to drink from him.
“I can’t tell you the agony and ecstasy of it. I don’t remember half of it. I knew nothing more of the world until I opened my eyes after what he told me was three days of transforming. I was a dark Faery.”
Rhiannon sat stunned by the end of the story. It appeared to her that even the sort of life she could only imagine was fraught with obstacles.
“Did you want to be a dark Faery?”
Nuala laughed. “Who would want such a thing? At least my last hours were spent with a charming dark Faery. Still, none are charming in the end; it isn’t something you’d want. It’s better to die straight out than be a dark Faery.”
“Why do you continue to live as a dark Faery?”
“It isn’t easy for us to kill ourselves. If you’re changed and don’t like it, there’s little you can do.”
“But you could meet the sun,” she said.
Nuala looked horrified.
“Only one such as you – a light Faery – could suggest such a thing. You have no idea how terrifying it is to contemplate that end. And to stand in wait of the sun is an agony of waiting. Few can go through with it without help. Perhaps it’s true that bursting into flame is only a few seconds of pain, but a whole night of knowing the fate you’ve chosen and the final waiting are torture beyond belief.”
Nuala left her to consider the story.
XIV
The following evening Rhiannon looked despondent. She stood by the falls and stared into the falling water with tears running down her face.
Nuala appeared and looked well pleased at Rhiannon’s demeanor. Perhaps the girl had despaired of Harry returning. She wouldn’t turn the girl; she’d kill her to avenge herself on Harry.
Nuala reorganized her features to look concerned, and emerged from the forest, landing a short distance from the girl.
“Rhiannon, what’s wrong?”
“I was late arriving home last night, and the Widow Breve thrashed me and called me worthless. I’ve been called worse, but she’s never beaten me like that before.”
Nuala could see bruises on the girl’s arms and neck, and a scratch on her cheek.
“If only Harry would come back. I thought he’d be back by now.”
“Ah, Rhiannon, you still don’t understand, do you? Harry is in love with his music. He won’t come back.”
Rhiannon looked shocked. “Never?”
“Who can say? He might remember you some day.”
“Then there’s no point. I may as well die.”
“I could ease your way,” Nuala offered. “If you jump you might not die immediately. I’m sure you’ve suffered enough. I could ease your way.”
She slowly approached Rhiannon and placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders. She breathed in deeply as if she were the tastiest morsel in the world. Rhiannon looked a little frightened.
“Poor girl,” Nuala said. “No one to love you. Soon you won’t have to worry.”
“Will it hurt?” Rhiannon asked.
“It will be painless. You’ll hardly feel a thing.”
“Will I become a Vampyre?”
“No, my dear. I’d only kill you. Remember, no one wants to be a Vampyre.”
She pushed Rhiannon’s hair back away from her neck and tilted the girl’s head slightly. She breathed in again to savor the scent.
“Goodbye, Rhiannon,” Nuala said. “You’ve been a very good girl, and no one should be treated as you have been.”
Nuala’s fangs clicked into place as they stood on the rocks at the top of the falls.
“Leave her alone!” came Harry’s voice.
Rhiannon’s eyes, which had closed, suddenly opened wide. She tried to turn in the direction of his voice, but Nuala held her fast.
“Too late. She’s mine!” Nuala hissed.
“No – I want –” Rhiannon started.
“You want death. You told me so.”
Harry flew at Nuala so quickly, Rhiannon barely saw it happen. She was suddenly pushed out of the way and landed on the ground while around her she heard snarls and growls. Nuala attacked Harry and knocked him against a tree. He flitted up from the ground and she flew at him. He avoided her but ripped at one of her wings, tearing half of it off with a sickening rip. He threw it into the stream where it hissed and put up a brief mist of steam before fluttering over the falls in crumbs.
Rhiannon scrambled to the stones in the middle of the stream and watched as they fought, tearing at each other with teeth, crashing into each other with a force she didn’t know either possessed. It surprised her that Nuala possessed strength equal to Harry’s.
They took no notice of her in their war – she couldn’t think of such furious violence any other way – and she edged nearer the falls. If she plunged straight down, she’d hit the rocks and at least stun herself so the drowning wouldn’t be so difficult. Either way, neither of them wanted to make her a dark Faery, so she was better off dead.
Nuala lunged at Harry, and as he flew upward, she grabbed his foot. The crunch of bones as she twisted sounded like twigs snapping. She tossed him across the clearing and with a bit of difficulty flying on a wing and a half, settled herself on a branch without paying attention to what he did. She looked out to see Rhiannon edging closer to the falls. Thinking she had a few moments before Harry could move, she allowed herself the distraction of Rhiannon.
“No!” she said to the girl. “You are mine!”
Rhiannon looked for a moment, her eyes widening. Nuala saw the widened eyes a second too late. Harry, who had flown up the opposite side of the tree Nuala was on dropped down onto her branch behind her and before she could turn, grabbed her head and twisted, snapping her neck. Then he carefully removed a silver knife from his belt and sliced through her neck. He tossed her head into the pool of water at the bottom of the falls, where it sizzled and disintegrated. He tied the body to a stick he plunged into the earth in the clearing so that when the sun rose it would be destroyed. He wanted no chance of her somehow reanimating if both head and body met in the water.
Harry heard a splash as he finished his task. He turned to see Rhiannon was gone.
“No!” he shouted to no one.
He dashed to the water’s edge. Rhiannon’s body floated on the pond face down.
While Vampyres could sail on water or flit over it, if flowing water touched them it destroyed whatever part of them it touched. Light Faery were not affected by water in this way, but it was one curse of becoming dark. He had touched wet things before without ill effects, and had even been out in the rain. He simply couldn’t put any part of himself into flowing water.
He looked about him to find something that would reach far enough to pull her to the edge. He felt as if the search took hours, but he finally found a large stick. He went to the edge of the pond and reached out with the stick. He was able to nudge her foot and turn her body slightly. He turned her face up so she wouldn’t take in any more water, but he wasn’t sure whether or not she was still alive.
It took several tries, but finally he was able to hook the stick into her clothes to pull her to the shore. Once she was out of the water, he checked to hear a heartbeat. She was still alive. But what should he do? She wanted to die. She’d said she wanted to be a Vampyre. Only a possibility of life had kept Simon from allowing it. Her heart beat too weakly for her to live much longer. Yet he’d sworn an oath to Simon not to turn anyone into a Vampyre or drink Faery blood. There wasn’t time to bring her to Simon. He had to act now or let her die.
He couldn’t let her die. Her voice was too beautiful, and had never been appreciated by the light Faery. They didn’t deserve her. Time was running out. She would be such an asset to Shauna Faun. But more than that, she could be with him forever. He knew her feelings for him, and he felt the same for her. Simon would forgive him, wouldn’t he? If not, they could go off together.
He pushed her hair back from her neck and bit. Although she’d been barely conscious, she stirred and groaned slightly as his teeth found their mark.
He hadn’t tasted Faery blood in such a long time he lost himself in the taste. Such sweetness! What ecstasy as it flowed through him. He was brought up short as Rhiannon cried out and struggled weakly. That was the sign that he needed to stop.
He tore at his wrist and put it to her lips, holding her head to make her drink. After a few gulps her heart came to a fluttering stop and she fell against his arm.
Harry picked her up and flew off to the cave with her. When he arrived, Lana looked shocked to see he carried a girl who appeared dead but for the blood on her lips.
“Harry, what have you done?” she asked.
“I need to see Simon. Is he here?”
“In his –” she stopped, seeing Simon appear from the corridor.
“Bring her to my office,” he said and the two Vampyres left the reception area.
“Nuala is dead,” Harry said when they reached the office.
He laid Rhiannon on the sofa. Then he explained the situation that he came upon and her response.
“She was drowning. She would’ve died. There wasn’t time to bring her here first. I’m at your mercy, Simon. I’ve broken my oath.”
Harry stood with his head bowed.
“You have broken the oath,” Simon repeated without emotion. “What do you think should be done?”
“I should leave the coven. I have one request: that I be allowed to take Rhiannon.”
“So you would take two singers from Shauna Faun?”
Harry looked up. Simon’s face betra
yed nothing.
“You refused to turn her, so you weren’t looking for her to join the band.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to lose more musicians.”
“You’ll cast me out and keep her as my replacement?”
“Would you have me let a broken vow go unpunished?”
“It is punishment indeed to separate me from the one I love.”
“Indeed. And you seem to have forgotten something. Several things, actually.”
“What?” Harry asked, confused. Might there be even greater punishment? Surely Simon wouldn’t insist he meet the sun?
“First, I said she could not be brought over unless she was on the point of death.”
“She was.”
“I told you that you had earned the right to be the one, if that condition existed.”
Light dawned in Harry’s head.
“So, I haven’t broken my oath?”
“No. Anyone can turn someone with permission. You had that.”
“Then I’ve broken no vow?”
“You’ve broken no vow. But you have taken one who wasn’t yet old enough. And while anyone is free to leave at any time, it would, indeed, be a hardship to lose such a strong member of the band when we are already but ten. But really, you can’t make a decision for Rhiannon. You must wait until her transformation is complete and let her choose to either go with you or join our coven. She is not yet one of us.”
“But she was old enough. She told me before we left that the day we returned would be her birthday.”
Simon smiled for a moment.
“Simon, I would never leave Shauna Faun unless I was forced to. I have no wish to leave, and I would hope Rhiannon would make the same choice.”
“Time will tell, Harry. Time will tell.”
The two of them set about preparing her for her new life. Harry created a sleeping space for her in his lair and brought her there. He would watch over her for the next three days. Vampyres didn’t actually need to sleep, so it would be no difficulty for him.
Dark Faery IV: The Cantares Page 6
