by Jen Pretty
He spun away from me but didn't leave. After a moment he said, "I'm sorry. Don't be afraid of me, please. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just…. shit. I'm sorry."
After another long moment, I asked, "why did you just kiss me?"
He turned back around, and his mouth had already stopped bleeding. Must be nice to heal quickly. "Because you are the most beautiful creature I have seen in five hundred years and I am drawn to you."
"Oh," was all I could come up with to say.
"I'm sorry," he said again and sat down on his stool and dropped his eyes to the floor.
I looked at him for a minute. He was attractive, for a vampire, but he was still a vampire. He drank blood. Plus he was old! He's not that good looking, anyway. He has pointy teeth and red eyes. Argh. Time to go.
"Whatever. Let's go see if we can get some food from these people and maybe find out a bit more about the magic here," I said standing up and throwing my pack on my back. I could probably have left my stuff here, but I wanted to make sure I had it in case these people turned out to be not as friendly as they seem. Roman did the same, and we exited our shack and followed the sound of people singing and playing music back to the center of the village.
There were nearly fifty people from babies to old people in the open area in the center of the village. Some were sitting in chairs, some had blankets on the grass, and some children were climbing on some rocks but the leader, Mac, and his second, Aldridge, were sitting at a table with a few other people and some woman were cooking a whole pig or something pig like on an open fire. The birds were back too, though they were mostly quiet now.
"Hello," said the little boy that had been terrified of us earlier. "My name is Collin," he continued. "I'm sorry I ran from you earlier. I thought he was a monster," he said indicating Roman.
I laughed. I couldn't help it. I thought he was a monster too. "I completely understand. I freaked out a bit when I first met him too. My name is Lex and this is Roman."
“It’s nice to meet you, I will be a brave warrior someday,” he raised his sword in mock battle and ran off to join his friends. I had always liked kids. When my family was alive I always pictured bringing my children out on the boat on weekends with my parents and my sister and her family. We would have been a big happy family.
Mac waved us over then, so we headed in his direction. It seemed like the people of this village were still in party mode though and someone handed Roman and I each a glass filled with a blue liquid that I was quite confident was alcoholic. I chugged it and then stole Romans and drank that too. It had been a rough couple days.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Roman whispered.
"It's a brilliant idea," I replied.
As we approached the table that Mac was sitting at, some friendly folks came over with chairs for Roman and me.
"So, Mac, what kind of magic do you folks have?" I asked, "Wait. Are you People?"
Mac smiled, "You cut to the chase, don't you?"
"I've had some of your fine beverage," I informed him.
He laughed then. "Alright, well to answer your question, I believe we are People, though I don't know much about your world - only rumors that have spread across the land. We do have magic here though. Most of the animals are magic, and we work together. You will see as you move through the forest towards King City. Various animals will probably cross your path. Can you tell me about your magic? The birds say you are one of them."
I tried to keep a straight face, but everything was getting to be pretty funny. Their alcohol had some kick to it. "I'm not an animal, I'm Fae and a timekeeper. I sometimes slow time and sometimes speed it up and sometimes I stop time and stab evil vampires with my dagger." I produced said dagger with a flourish and mocked stabbing someone which brought swords out from every direction. Every one of them pointed at me.
Roman reached over and took the dagger from my hand as I sat frozen in place.
"Whoops," I said. "You are all a bit jumpy aren't you?" I laughed then, but no one else did.
"You will have to excuse my companion, she has been through a lot these last few days and perhaps drank a bit too much of whatever it is you are serving, but she means you no harm." Roman smiled but kept his pointed teeth hidden. He was much less threatening that way.
"Alright, put your swords away," said Mac. The men all put their swords away, but none looked too happy about it.
A few women arrived with plates of food and set one in front of each person at the table. Thankful for the distraction, I took a bite of what looked like rice. It tasted like almonds but was delicious. Once I had taken another bite and finished chewing, I got back to the conversation. "Soo…anyway, that's my magic; slowing down the bad guys."
"That is powerful magic, no wonder the birds are sticking around you," Mac said indicating the birds that had all moved closer to the table since we sat down.
"They look friendly," I said indicating some of the closer birds, "Are they tame?" A brightly colored duck hopped up on the table as if she had understood me. She bobbed her head like a pigeon, and I laughed. I reached out and touched her silky feathers. This one was tame enough.
I muttered softly to the duck for a few moments and continued petting her like you would a cat, and she seemed ok with that. I'd never touched a bird before. I had seen small birds in pet stores and larger birds at the beach and zoo but never touched one.
The duck waddled a bit closer and snagged a green bean off my plate. I smiled and picked up another and offered it to her. She took it from my hand and swallowed it down then just stood and watched as I ate most of the rest of the food on my plate. I saved my new bird friend another bean though which she took happily.
A woman stopped by the table with more glasses of the blue alcohol, I grabbed one and gulped it down before Roman could steal it from me. He declined one for himself probably so that I couldn't swipe his, but I was feeling much better now anyway. My face was forgotten and even Armond off my mind for a moment.
I had a new friend whom I had named Daisy. I had never had a pet before, but I was sure it was the same as having a friend. Go fun places, do fun stuff and eat food together. I was totally nailing this having a pet thing. I put my hand out, and Daisy waddled over, so I scooped her up and took her dancing over near the people playing music. Best pet ever.
We danced for a while and then went back to sit down, but bossy Roman wouldn't let me have any more blue drink, so Daisy and I just hung out for a while.
Finally, I started yawning, and Roman said he was getting tired so we should head to bed. I knew it was a load of crap since he didn't even sleep but went along with it since I was exhausted. Daisy flapped her little wings above my head all the way back to our little shack and zipped through the door when Roman opened it, and she plopped down in the middle of the bed.
"Hey. That's my spot, Daisy," I said. "Shouldn't you sleep in a tree or a river or something?"
Daisy just nestled down in the middle of the bed so I figured ducks must usually sleep in beds. Seemed reasonable, beds are fantastic.
I climbed in next to Daisy. "Goodnight Daisy," I muttered.
"You know the brightly colored ducks are a male, right?" Roman broke the silence from his stool at the foot of the bed.
"Nobody asked you, bossy pants."
I heard him chuckle and then he went silent, and I stared at the blackness in the shack for a few minutes
"Do you think we will find him, Roman?" I asked softly into the quiet. Now that I was sitting still, Armond was all I could think about.
At first, he didn't reply, but after a moment he sighed "I'm not sure, Lex. I hope so."
I took a deep breath. I couldn't think about that anymore, and I was getting drowsy all snuggled up with Daisy, so I let it go.
Don't eat daisy while I'm sleeping, vampire," I scolded.
"Ok, your duck is safe," he laughed.
"Or babies. Don't eat any babies, they are cute when they smile," I whispered the last part as I f
ell asleep.
I was home. In my forest clearing in Homeland. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. God, I loved it here. I could feel Luke nearby, so I sat on Evans stump and shut my eyes, tipping back my head to soak up the sunshine.
"Hello," Luke said.
"Everything has gone to shit, Luke," I said before a sob wracked me.
He stepped forward and scooped me up into his arms while I cried. Once I was able to speak again, I explained what happened with Armond. He didn't look surprised.
"You knew as well? How could you keep this from me?" I asked. "I could have stopped this from happening if ANYONE had told me."
"You know why we didn't tell you. You would have tried to change it, and you know bad things happen when you try to change what is meant to be."
"But I need Armond, Luke. I'm all alone here now. How am I supposed to do this without Armond here? I'm already feeling stranded and desperate."
"You are stronger than you know, Lex. Don't forget who you are." He ran his hand down my hair.
"The elder named Eliza said that to me. She said ‘don't forget who you are and don't forget who Armond is' But what does that even mean? It's not helpful advice at all!"
Luke looked down at me with sadness. "I don't know either, Lex. I think you will know what to do when the time comes."
I sighed and leaned back into him. I was already starting to lose it in the real world without Armond or Luke near me. This was going to be a long trip. Hopefully Roman didn't bail on me when shit got real because it was going to get really real.
chapter FOUR
My head was pounding, my mouth was dry, and there was a duck curled up with me. I vaguely remembered dancing with the duck. I looked around and found Roman sitting on his stool staring at me.
I cleared my dry, scratchy throat twice before asking, "Did you watch me all night like a creeper?"
He just smiled his creepy smile, so I snuggled back under the blanket with the duck and pretended he wasn't there.
About half an hour later there was a knock at the door. When Roman opened it, Aldridge walked into the shack, and that was the maximum occupancy of the building. I couldn't even get off the bed now if I'd wanted too.
"Good morning," Aldridge announced. "Mac has asked me to escort you to King city. I think its best we leave within the hour. It's a full two-day walk."
I groaned and tucked myself back under the covers. Daisy wiggled in closer to me. Spooning with a duck wasn't weird.
"Thank you, Aldridge; we will be ready to go shortly," Roman replied.
I heard the door open and close and sighed again. "Sorry Daisy," I muttered. I heaved myself up till I was standing. My head was still a pounding, but at least I was moving. I pulled a jacket over my t-shirt and decided to keep wearing my jogging pants. My poor brain was pounding from my over indulgence the night before, so comfy clothes were a must.
"Alright, let's go see if they have something that works like coffee, shall we?" Roman asked. That seemed like a plan, and since he was herding me out the door, it seemed like the path of least resistance. "Come on Daisy," he said, holding the door for my duck.
Daisy waddled out slowly, quacking softly and looking adorable. "Awe. You are the most adorable duck ever Daisy," I said shielding my eyes from the morning sun. I wish I had brought some sunglasses.
We followed Daisy's wiggly tail down the path and around to the center of town where a much more subdued group of people were making breakfast. I could smell something that smelled like bitter coffee. Close enough to the smell of coffee that my brain woke up just a bit and sent my feet in that direction. It was blue. I laughed and took a cup of the blue coffee-like substance from the woman. They had something I was pretty sure was honey, so I tossed a bunch of that in and mixed it up.
Ok, it didn't taste like coffee but it was drinkable, and I would hopefully help wake me up. I ate some meat that looked like pork and some toast. It made me miss my old kitchen lady from the hunter house. A tear ran down my cheek. I felt empty all of a sudden, and the sadness washed over me.
"Oh shit," Roman whispered. He reached over and turned my head to face him. I reached up and wiped the tears away. "You will be Ok. You aren't alone," Roman said like he could read my mind, but I was alone. I wasn't meant to be here.
"We should go back and get Luke," I mumbled, "It’s only going to get worse."
"I haven't met Luke, but from what Armond told me, Luke has no defenses."
Roman was right. Luke could get hurt here, but I wasn't about to bond with anyone else. I set my head down in my arms on the table and stopped time. I needed a minute, and people were starting to stare at me. I'm the lunatic who bursts into tears at the breakfast table for no reason.
"You are stronger than this," Roman said. "I saw it when you climbed that rock and people talk about you running from Joshua after weeks of beatings and starvation and isolation." After a moment he continued, "You are stronger than most, even at your weakest."
Well shit. I had never been one for pep talks or flowery words, but Romans words pulled something in me. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, wiped my face on my sleeve and let go of my magic. I slapped a smile on my face and pretended that meltdown never happened.
Roman smiled at me. "I'm going to grab some water and food to take with us. Aldridge said there were supplies in one of the shacks too. I'll see what I can gather." I was thankful for the change of subject, so I just smiled and nodded. Roman wasn't a bad guy, for a vampire anyway. I chugged the last of my second cup of coffee. I was calling it coffee anyway because It was close enough.
"You ready to head out?" Roman asked. He was carrying my pack and his own. Both seemed much fuller than when we had arrived, so I hoped there was lots of food in there. He held out a cookie, and I laughed.
Daisy waddled out from around a shack and quacked at me. I grabbed her up and gave him half my cookie. I stuck him up on my shoulder, and he nestled down against my neck. His feathers tickled my cheek.
I had to set Daisy down to put on my pack, and he loudly complained until I scooped him back up and tucked him in my jacket. He seemed even more pleased with that. "Don't poop on me, Daisy." His soft sleepy quack sounded a bit offended by the idea.
As we were heading towards the far end of town, I heard a voice call out “Lex, wait!” It was Collin. When he caught up to us he handed me a small wooden knife. It appeared to have been whittled and though it was sharp, the small handle was obviously made for a child’s hand. “I made this for you, to keep you safe on your travels.”
“Thank you,” I said and he turned and ran back to town. God he was cute.
Roman, Aldridge and I headed out down a worn path. Many of the birds that had been in town followed us as we went, but they weren't loud like when we first arrived, they stayed relatively quiet and just flew along, frequently landing in the trees that lined the path we walked.
"So, Aldridge, what do you know about magic?" I asked.
He smiled, "I know that my great-grandfather had it. None of the people alive today have ever had magic; we don't know how to use it."
"That's Ok; I had magic for a year before I knew it even existed."
"How do you stop time?" he asked looking back at me.
"Hmm, I guess it's like clenching my stomach muscles a bit. Only on the inside. I feel a little pulse when I change time now, but at first, it didn't feel like anything. When I pull earth magic into myself, it feels like an earthquake or a hurricane depending on how much I use."
"That's amazing. I hope someday we become a magic people again. None of us know how even to begin."
"I was attacked by Armond. He attacked me, and I stopped time. That was the day I found my magic." I told him. Then I took several deep breaths and bit my lip to keep the tears back.
"He attacked you? And you still want him back from the witch?"
I sighed "He always believed I could be better than I was and he didn't baby me." Gah. I missed him so much; he was a p
art of me that was missing like an arm or leg or lung. I pet Daisy; his soft feathers relaxed me.
"Well, I wish it was that easy for us. None of our ancestors could stop time, so I assume that method won't work." He said.
"We have teachers," I told him, "They help people learn their magic. I'm sure we can work out some assistance for your people if your King is interested in a treaty alliance."
Aldridge looked shocked. "Would your people do that for us?"
"I don't see why not. As long as the people of Earth- where your door leads too- are safe from your people, we can work together." I noticed Roman was silent through all this and looked back at him. He had a pensive look on his face.
"What is it?" I asked Roman.
"The birds stopped following us," he replied.
"Oh shit," Aldridge said. "Find a tree you can climb!"
We split and each headed for a tree but before we could climb a massive white horse walked through some underbrush ahead and spotted us. It snorted and started to stomp in our direction, slowly at first and then picking up speed. I made it to a tree I could climb and got up about 15 feet as the animal arrived at the base of the tree. I looked down and realized it wasn't a horse; it was a freaking Unicorn.
"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself. Poor Daisy made a weird squeak sounding quack. "That's a Unicorn," I shouted to Aldridge who was in the next tree.
"They are not friendly; they like to stab people," he stage whispered back.
Roman started laughing. "So they are kind of like your spirit animal, Lex," he said.
"Very funny!" I replied. I wondered if a unicorn could beat a vampire in a fight. Then it occurred to me that my magic might work on them. So I stopped time. The unicorn froze. Not so tough when it couldn't move, but Aldridge couldn't move either, so I let go of my magic. I assumed the unicorn would get bored and wander off eventually.
An hour later I was eating the last cookie I could find in my backpack, so nearing desperate times. I had already broken one up and fed it to Daisy so he would stop trying to steal them from my hand.
