by Mila Young
Dracul reacted first, pushing himself up from his lounging in the sun as she approached, immediately looking hostile.
It was an odd reaction from him, and I held a hand up, motioning for the woman to stop before she made Dracul uncomfortable enough to attack. I was a dog person, and I trusted that any dog that attacked a human was given good reason to by the human unless proven otherwise.
Humans were better-known for irrational violence anyways.
The woman ignored me, looking angry as she approached Bram's stall, speaking quickly in a language that I didn't understand—Romanian, presumably—pointing at her stall and snapping at Bram, who was smiling politely and nodding. It looked like he had done something to her stall.
She pointed at Dracul instead, and it became clear. Or I thought it was clear. Dracul had apparently pissed on her stall.
The dog moved in as the two were distracted with the complaint, and suddenly he let out a booming, thunderous bark that had my ears ringing from three paces away from it.
On the other hand, the woman that was standing right next to Dracul practically jumped, and in that moment, it looked like her skin changed color, her eyes flashing a bright green and her lips peeled back to show a row of fangs barred at the hound as she drew away from Dracul.
My laughter was cut short as her appearance quickly shifted back to a slight, petite woman in her forties with graying black hair, taking a few steps away from the dog, who was still standing in place, still growling and standing in a defensive posture, ready to attack if she didn't back away.
Which she did. I couldn't really blame the woman, but the question remained. I knew what I'd seen, but I wasn't sure what she was.
"Saw that, did you?"
I turned to Bram, who was chuckling and motioning for Dracul to come join him in the shade. The hound did as he was told, relaxing almost immediately, waiting for a small bite of one of the sandwiches before curling up in the relative cool of the shade.
"Saw what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The change. Not really the most subtle, little Emilia Cretu, but thankfully, not enough outsiders are around long enough for her to show what she's really hiding."
There was no telling why he was acting like it was so natural, and I tilted my head, leaning in a little closer.
"What are you saying, precisely?"
"We should not play games. There are a great many secrets in this part of the world, but we who live in it will not keep them from each other."
"I don't live here," I answered.
"Well, yes, but you cannot hide what you are as much as we can. Well, yours is a little more obvious, and a little less hidden, but the world has been considerably more tolerant of witches than my kind."
There was the argument to be made that people had been thoroughly intolerant of witches in the past, considering that there were dozens of beheadings, drownings and burnings across the world to deal with us, but if my history studies had taught me anything, it was that we were still seen as human. Other beings were not quite so lucky.
"What kind are you?"
"Oh... a variety of fae, driven off of the Emerald Isle some centuries ago. Cretu over there is a form of dryad. They're generally peaceful folk, but Cretu has grown... bitter since our exile, and has made some mistakes. Those mistakes leave a stench, which is why Dracul doesn't care for her being close to me."
"By mistakes you mean she's murdered folk and used their flesh in supplications to the forest?"
Bram nodded. "Unfortunate circumstances, the kind that not many are willing to forgive, but I've been around these folk for a few centuries. I've... become more forgiving."
"What kind of fae are you?" I asked, inspecting the sandwich in my hand.
He didn't answer in words, instead kicking his boots off carefully, showing a pair of hooves instead of feet, tapping them lightly on the ground.
"A faun?" I asked. "Well, I suppose that explains your affinity with goats."
"Indeed! My days of cavorting among the woodland nymphs are long behind me, although I do have fond memories of those days."
I looked down at the sandwich in my hand, trying to remember everything that had been taught to me by my mother about fauns. They were generally mages in their own right, although their skill set tended to lean toward what their human equivalents might consider unorthodox.
"You're a tyromancer?" I asked, looking around at his offerings.
He laughed. "Yes! I am surprised, as it is an obscure art. I have also made my living as an herbologist, making spices and potions that actually are quite popular among those that sell them online. More popular than my cheese products, anyways."
I could see that, especially with the popularity of herb products online. People didn't even need to believe that they were magical, so long as they worked.
"So all of you are fae in this little town?" I asked.
"Most. A few are regular humans that have learned to live alongside our kind."
After a moment of thought, I leaned in closer. "And you know what... what Rog is?"
"Rog... the one that lives at Cloris Vineyard?"
I nodded.
"Aye. A blood demon has a particular aura that cannot be missed. He has been around these parts for longer than any of us, of course, and caused less trouble than any of us have besides, so there cannot be too many complaints. Always has been protective of the humans under his guard, of course. Which I suppose you are."
"Sure, you could say that,” I answered.
"How do you mean?"
"He tricked me into signing a marriage contract that is binding me to this place as much as he is bound to it."
Bram leaned back in his seat, taking a bite from his sandwich before shaking his head. "Not... entirely uncommon. However, our town has a council that would be able to handle the situation for you. I could have them assembled for a meeting, if you wish it."
"Are... are you kidding? That's all I want."
He leaned forward. "You should know that they will demand a price for their services. Always have and always will, most likely. They did for Cloris as well."
"Sure, of course." I shrugged, not sure which Cloris he was talking about. There had been enough of them living in the area over the centuries, after all. "I would expect nothing less. But so long as they get me out of that contract, it's all aces for me."
"Then I will inform them." Bram nodded, taking a sip from his tea.
I watched him for a few seconds before realizing that he wasn't going to do it immediately and took a bite from my sandwich.
"Right. Just... take your time. No rush."
Bram eyed me curiously. "There is nothing to be rushed in this place. You'll meet with them today. And you will likely need time to find what they want from you as well, so... enjoy your day. Those that rush to the end find that there is no enjoyment in their life when they reach it."
"Don't be hasty," I rumbled in as deep a voice as I could muster.
"Yes, precisely."
I rolled my eyes. "It's a... never mind."
Chapter 10
A council of fae was never going to live up to my expectations of it. This was literally the stuff of legends, and there was so much fiction mixed in that it was always going to be difficult to discover the reality of it.
At no point did it seem as though Bram had been in touch with them, but suddenly, as the last tour bus of the day headed back over to whichever hotel the tourists were staying in for the night, he stood up, motioning for me to do the same.
"The council will see you now," he grumbled, collecting his things from the stall. "Wouldn't be good to keep them waiting. And you certainly don't want to see them out come nightfall. Bad omen, that."
I knew better than to question him on that, and the fact remained that when a faun gave you a gift horse, you didn't really look it in the mouth. If there was a council that could get this leash off of me, I was more than willing to meet with them on their terms.
Bram
led me out of the village, looking a little more subdued than he had the rest of the day. Dracul looked similarly wary, staying close to Bram and not straying from his side as we reached a small farmhouse outside the village.
Everything about it made it appear that it had been abandoned for years. It was in even worse state than the Cloris house. The grass around the house was almost as high as my waist, and there was no paint on the walls, just old wood.
Even the windows were boarded up to the point where there was no sunlight going in.
"You must enter," Bram whispered, motioning me toward the door.
"Into the start of a very cliché horror movie?" I asked, taking a step back. Even Dracul was tense, inching away from the house, although he didn't want to leave Bram's side. "I'm going to go with no, but thanks."
"You wished to speak to the council," Bram insisted. "They are inside. If you do not wish to speak with them, walk away. But they will not speak with you again."
I scowled, tilting my head as I stared at the door, trying to discern what there was inside. There were a couple of spells for that sort of thing, but I didn't have the time or the training for them. Chances were just as good that I would blow the whole place down.
"You need not fear," Bram insisted, motioning for me to go. "They will not harm you, not while you owe a blood demon. They would not incur that sort of debt, lazy bastards that they are."
That did make sense, although I still didn't know if it was correct, since I didn't know what the marriage was supposed to entail. I still didn't know what the contract said. I hadn't seen it since I signed it and bled on it, and I doubted that Rog would offer me a quick view to find a way to tear myself out of it.
A deep breath and closing my eyes to calm my body down as I took a step forward was all I needed to regain my courage.
Sure, I was walking right into a horror movie, but it wasn't like I was some sort of helpless, drunk teenager trying to get laid. If anything, I was closer to the monster that was killing the teenagers. An angry, pissed-off witch that was running out of patience.
"You're a badass witch," I whispered to myself as I approached the door, pushing it open slowly. "You can handle whatever's inside here."
And I could almost believe it too. Violent magic was certainly easier to call on, at least for me.
I stepped inside, hearing the door close behind me, although there was nobody there to close it. Magic was hanging over this place like a fog. It was even getting difficult to breathe as I moved into what looked like a living room.
That was what it looked like, but with all the windows boarded up, there was no way to see what was happening inside.
"Just another human," said a woman's voice from one of the dark corners. "Nothing even special about her."
"What the hell are you talking about?" a man's voice asked. "Every human is different, unique, a life that could be driving for any spot in the world and could end up anywhere."
"Oh, stop with the crap," another one, another woman, added. "You're just staring at her ass."
"In fairness," I cut in, “it is a pretty great ass."
"The human has a point," said a fourth voice, and I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. "The ass is great, as is the rest of the body, but that does not matter."
"Were we ever contemplating the possibility that the female human's shapeliness mattered at all?" the first woman asked.
"I'm not a human," I growled.
"Smells like a human," the fourth voice noted. "Likely tastes like a human, although we won't know that until there is blood available. For now, we're going to just call you a human, whatever it is that you happen to call yourself."
"I'm not a human!" My voice boomed through the room and my fingers flared out, picking ten spots around the room and seeing them erupt in flames as my rage channeled out of my body.
The room was no longer dark, and the origins of the four voices were revealed. All four were sitting in the four corners of the room, like they were trying to stay as far away from each other as possible.
They were all pale, to the point where their skin was almost translucent. Dust covered the room in a thick layer. The one in the far left corner was covered in it, while the other three were not.
Their hair was long, and I could see their nails had been growing for years, easily, unattended to.
"Vampires," I whispered, looking around the room again just to make sure. "I didn't think fae ever liked being in the same area as your kind."
"They don't," the one covered in dust answered, and I still couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman—or something else entirely. "But they also had no choice. Fae traveling through Europe would have been prime targets for raids and murders back in the day. We offered protection, and they offered payment. They always... offer payment, witch. You have no payment, which means you need us to do something for you before you pay us. What... did you need?"
I took a deep breath, looking around the room. "I was tricked into a marriage contract with the blood demon, Rog. I... need that contract broken. Bram told me that you could break it. How would you do it?"
"Rog needs our protection as much as the others," the man in the near right corner muttered. "All we would have to do is... ask."
"Keep your dick in your pants, Av," the woman in the near left corner answered. Of the four, she looked to be the most active, although still sagging lethargically against a comfortable chair. "Just because she has a nice ass doesn't mean she's a good fuck. The young ones never are."
"They don't always need to be," Av answered, a sly smile slowly crawling across his face. "Besides, witches always know the best tricks."
"Silence," the androgynous one hissed, immediately bringing the two bickering ones into line. "This fire is starting to hurt my eyes, so yes, child, we can break the contract, but we will have a price for such a thing. The price will be named at a later date. For now, you may leave knowing that we are considering your proposal."
I looked over to the fourth, the one that hadn't said a word since I'd lit the fires. She looked like her eyes were shut, but there were cobwebs over them, making it difficult to determine. Either way, it was clear that my welcome here had worn out.
"Thanks for your time," I said, snapping my fingers to turn the fires back out. They all appeared to relax when the light was no longer on them, and I moved out of the room, out of the house, half expecting them to snatch me before I could reach it.
Out in the sunlight, I finally allowed myself to breathe, closing my eyes as the door closed again behind me, like it was on some sort of string, seeing Bram and Dracul out there waiting.
"Did they tell you what you wanted to hear?" Bram asked as we started back down the road.
"They said that they would contact me with their price," I answered. "Why didn't you tell me that there were vampires here?"
"A few legends about this place are true," Bram whispered, looking like he was rushing to leave the house behind, stroking his beard nervously. "I assumed you knew that. We had no other choice, and the peace has lasted."
"I can see that. How long have they been in there?"
"One leaves to bring them blood. The others never do. They are lazy."
"Not lazy," I corrected him. "Vampires get bored after a while. Three or four centuries in, it's rather common for them to develop a very powerful depression that leaves them with no motivation to do anything. Those that have a coven generally assign the duty to collect blood to the youngest member. Those that are alone desiccate and turn into mummies that are usually never found again."
"You know about vampires?"
"I lived in a house with one once. My mother gave him blood every once in a while, in exchange for us living with him."
"Your mother lived with a vampire?" the faun asked, looking incredulous. "Of her own accord?"
"Crazy, I know. The craziest part was that a vampire wasn't even the craziest creature that we spent time with."
Bram chuckled.
&nb
sp; I found myself heading straight back to the farm, thanking the faun for everything that he'd done to help me. Still, I couldn't help but feel that I was charging head-first into another agreement that would have me bound to this place.
But at this point, I was flying blind. Any information would take me one step closer to where I wanted to go.
The sun was starting to set by the time I got back to the vineyard, where I saw Rog sitting on the terrace as I approached.
"Have a nice day?" he asked once I was climbing the front steps.
"Productive," I answered, feeling a smile on my face.
"What has you smiling and chipper?" he asked, coming into the house behind me.
"I spoke with the council today," I answered, dropping down into the sofa and pulling my laptop out of my backpack. "They said that they would find a way to dissolve the contract, let me go home. For a price, I guess, but anything's better than just waiting around here for you to plan your dream wedding."
I expected him to be angry. To yell. In the end, the silence was even more deafening than any shouting could be. I looked up from my seat as I was pulling my blog up, and he wasn't there.
The door into the kitchen slammed shut, and I grinned, looking back at my computer.
Chapter 11
candiestkane.blogspot.com
Short update for today. Sorry I've been AWOL lately, but things have been crazy out here in Transylvania.
Anyways, the long and the short of it is that it looks like things are going to be wrapping up and I'll be heading back to New York soon. Things should be going back to normal. Looking for a job, keeping up with the regular posting schedule, that kind of normal.
Thanks for reading guys. All the hugs for every single one of you.
The Candiest Kane around.
Rog left some dinner out for me. He was angry enough that he didn't give it to me himself, and he certainly didn't leave me any of his precious wine to pair with it.
White rice and what looked like homemade chili with a nice salad had been left out, portions for one.
