“It was set up on a shrine. What's the deal with this scroll?”
“It would be a chant, I'll have to study it later and figure out how to break it.”
I looked up at him confused as to why he would have to break it. “Shouldn't all of Eliandra's spells break now that she's dead?”
“Not all of them, this is something that is tied to a person. Or in this case two people. It's a sentimental object that belonged to William, it went missing at the time of Carmella living at the house and it was found in the house of a witch. I would say that Carmella took it to Eliandra and asked for a spell of some sort that would be somehow related to William. It might be an ignorance spell, in fact, I'd say that's probably high on the list of spells it could be considering he never really complained about her antics. Leave it be for now, when things are better I will look at it.”
Chapter Sixty
Nick raced through the streets, making it back to the house in the half an hour that he said it would take. He was frantic, the entire trip he had sped like it was his life that depended on it. Now we were in the room that held the memory pool. A drip line ran from Nick into William as he laid in the icy cold water of the memory pool. I looked around the room, remembering what it was like when I was in here. I had filled the room with stunning flowers that represented what was inside of my heart and the thorns that protected it were shown through the exterior of the room. William's was odd. It had started as a warm room when we entered and stripped him down to the shorts he was wearing. As he was lowered into the pool, ice began to form over the walls and the ceiling. It was like a freezer in here now, Marty had brought jackets for my mother and I but only I wore one. I had forgotten she was from a world where the cold was daily life.
I held William's hand and poured the salts in, just like he had done for me but the largest difference was that he was unconscious. There was no talking and urging, no insistence nor forcing any memories. He was out of it and there was no waking him until he was ready to wake. There was a new addition to the room, a chair that Nick was sleeping in. He had fed and was now letting the sustenance flow to William. Augustus had called one of the other elders who had sent feeders here to keep the hungry vampires fed. To my delight, they brought food for my mother and I as well.
Augustus pushed the door open, breaking the ice that had formed over it. He wandered over and checked on William, opening his eyes and trying to not give the grim look that he was giving. His eyes caught mine and for the first time since knowing him, I saw the soft side of him. He offered a faint smile that was only for my benefit, it held no warmth, no happiness. His eyes darted away and I knew he was trying to avoid my gaze, knowing that I was filled with questions that he didn't have answers for. I could only hope that we had got William in here soon enough, Nick kept saying over and over again in the car that it was too far away, that too much time had passed. Tears welled in my eyes as Augustus left the room without a word said, nothing positive to say, not even a small glimmer of hope. My mother rubbed my shoulders, looking at me with such expression and so much love that the wall finally crumbled. She wrapped her arms around me, it was awkward but she knew that I was not going to let go of his hand. I don't know if it was helpful but I didn't want to let go. When he woke, I wanted him to feel my touch, to know that I had been here with him the whole time.
The door cracked open again, Augustus returning with a chair. “Eliria, do not give up, he will wake.”
I nodded with a soft thank you, watching him depart and my mother following. Clearly he wanted to talk to her without me hearing it and was trying to be subtle but failing rather miserably. It wasn't hard to miss it, the not so subtle nod to the door by the vampire and the casual I've got to use the amenities by my mother. I poured more salts into the water, listening to them fizzle as they disintegrated.
“Wake up please William. You are home and you are safe, Eliandra is dead.”
I squeezed his hand, the other running over the firm jaw that was covered in stubble. Water lapped around him, his hair had darkened from being wet, his body had dropped a few shades of colour. It didn't matter that he was being fed from Nick, his body had cooled to the pool's temperature and was the palest of pink skin tone I had ever seen on him.
As I sat on the chair I continued to hold his hand, swishing the salts around the water. At some point, I had fallen asleep. I woke to the warmth of a blanket and the complaints of an annoyed vampire. Jolting up from the chair, I saw Augustus standing by the memory pool, sprinkling more salts into it.
“Why didn't you wake me?”
“There was no point my dear, he does not remember you.”
With a heavy heart I walked to the pool and looked down to William. His gaze faltered as he looked up at me but there was no happiness to see me.
“He remembers everything up until your arrival. He knows of Marty, Nick and myself. Even Alvarie though he does not understand why she is here. We haven't told him anything about his life, he has gotten this far on his own. To tell of why Alvarie is here would be a hindrance on the return of his memory of you. He must remember it for himself or it will not remain, it will fade as soon as he leaves the pool.”
Augustus swished the salts into the water, looking down at him with a smile. “William, do you know who this young lady is? Search your mind, find her. She is in there and you need to look for her. Who is she?”
He blinked hard as he looked up at me, the seconds ticked past as he frowned. “I don't know. She looks like my beloved wife but I know she is not.”
William turned his head to Augustus, deepening his frown. “Do not bother with such matters Augustus, I need to speak with Anton at once. I have waited far too long for Carmella to return.”
“You want your wife to come back?” I asked trying to hide the sadness.
The water lapped against the side of the memory pool hard as he turned his head back to me, anger filling his face. “Of course I do, I love my wife.”
He sat up in the pool, pushing the cover off. It broke into several pieces, William tossed them to the floor with little care. They shattered like glass around my feet, one step in any direction and I would be walking on the pieces. Augustus sighed and walked around, lifting me to a spot near the door.
“Don't give up.” He whispered.
But it was too late, William was out of the pool and wrapping himself in towels. Now he would never remember me, now he would find out that he had banished his wife into the underworld for me and he would not understand why. Tears streamed down my cheeks as he walked to the door, the ice crumbled as he pulled it open.
“William you must return to the pool, your memory is not complete. Much has happened in these past few weeks that you need to remember.”
“Preposterous, my life has been the same for the past forty years, nothing has changed.”
He walked out of the room leaving me a sobbing mess and Augustus flabbergasted. The ice that had formed over the walls and the ceiling started to shrink away now that William had left the room. Augustus turned to me, his hands gripped my shoulders.
“Do not give up dear child, he will see sense when Anton tells him he cannot bring Carmella back. We will get him back here even if we have to strap him in.”
“But he doesn't want to remember, don't you see?” I wiped the tears. “Even when I was in here and I wanted out of it, I knew that there was a reason to stay, I knew that there was something about William that made me want to know. But he doesn't want that, he would have looked at me and said to himself, I know her, I know she means something to me but I don't care.”
With much pain, I let out a small laugh as I wiped the remaining tears. “And if he won't stay in the pool to find out why I mean something to him, then clearly I am nothing to him. Why would I want that? Why would I stick around for a man that doesn't think I'm worth finding out about?”
“Please Eliria, you don't know what you are saying. You are tired and hungry, emotionally drained from these weeks, do not
give up hope.”
“All hope is gone Augustus, it just walked out the door with William. There is nothing here for me now.”
Chapter Sixty-one
The tension in the house had become unbearable, Nick had scuttled off into the study with Marty to search for a way to break the chant. No one had told William about finding the statue for fear that he would do something stupid and remove the chant without researching into it first. Augustus was in the parlour trying to plead with William to return to the memory pool but wasn't winning the argument. Elias, Gabrielus and Hezekiah arrived about an hour after dusk and were in the parlour as well, trying to help persuade William. I hadn't gone into the parlour, William didn't think that it would be wise to have a non-vampire person in an elders meeting. He said it in a way that he was now looking down on me, like I was beneath him and his kind. Hezekiah said that it was only because he was stuck in the mindset of having Carmella return to him and that his mind would be telling him that there was something different about me but wouldn't be able to figure it out. I shrugged him off, pretending that I didn't care when in fact it was probably the meanest thing that William had ever said to me. When Anton arrived I was standing in the foyer talking to Hezekiah, William came to the doors and requested that Hezekiah join them. Hezekiah offered a pleasant smile to me and then he walked into the parlour, stopping at William's side.
“William, do you see that woman before you?” He said nothing as he stared at me, he was the vampire that I had met not so long ago. Indifferent to me, cold and menacing.
“The others might not think it's wise to tell you things without you realising it for yourself but in her you saw your future. That is why you claimed her. Show him lass, show him the dragons.”
Warily I held out my arms, turning over to the wrists. William moved closer and studied them.
“Do you see the flowers, do you remember what the flowers mean?”
“They mean that this temptress lured me into her bed and made me cheat on my wife. That is what these mean.”
Roughly he grabbed my hands and pulled me closer, his eyes flashed with warning as they paled in colour. “I William Lancaster break this claim and this bond, no longer required, no longer needed, no longer wanted.”
He flicked my hands away and turned on his heels, entering the parlour. I looked at Hezekiah as tears welled in my eyes, his sad gaze back at me was unbearable. We looked down at my wrists, the vines were breaking apart, the shields were cracking and the dragons were howling.
“They're gone.” I sobbed at him. “Do something.”
I turned, hearing a sound behind me. Marty and Nick were at the door, they looked at my wrists when I held them out to show them. Their sadness matched mine, they knew that this world was crashing down around us and there was nothing that any of us could do about it. Not when there was a stubborn vampire at the helm. Hezekiah rested his warm hand on my shoulder, it was comforting even though the sombre look wasn't.
“We will get you through this, do not give up.”
Hezekiah retreated into the parlour, closing the doors as Marty wrapped her arms around me. I didn't want to be crying constantly but it seemed like I was. A knock at the door stopped the sad mood and Nick wandered over to it. As he opened the door, I couldn't help but wonder why Detective Porter was back.
“Evening.”
He stepped into the room and looked at us. I pulled from Marty's arms and wiped the tears.
“Uh, how come you're here?”
“William called and said that there was someone here that was my responsibility and that I had to come and get rid of her. Is everything alright? He sounded rather peculiar.”
I snorted with derision and stormed up the stairs.
“Mary!” He shouted out as he followed me.
“Eliria.”
Tim stopped and looked at my mother who was at the top of the stairs. She had been watching the whole thing and by the look on her face, I'd say she was ready to make a vampire shish-kabob.
“Pardon?” Tim's face crumpled.
“Mother please.” I sighed. “This is Detective Tim Porter, he is from the human government agency that brought me here to protect me from the lycans. Tim, this is my mother Alvarie.”
He bowed respectfully to her, something that was a little odd. “A pleasure to finally meet a fae warrior. I didn't think that it would ever happen in my life.”
“Of course. Shall we?”
She gestured to my room, ensuring that it was only the three of us that entered. This wasn't going well, my mother wasn't impressed at William regardless of whether he had memory loss or not. When he looked down at me, he looked down at my kind which was the fae and the elves. And in the world of dark and light beings, to be so disrespectful of another kind is a serious mistake.
“Take a seat Detective.”
Tim looked at me with caution, I shrugged him off and watched my mother swirl her fingers at the door. Sparkling gold strands wafted across the door and continued to engulf the room. She did not speak until we were completely encased in it.
“There, now we are free to talk without the concern of those who might listen.”
My mother walked to the lounge in front of the fire, settling beside me. She took my hand and smiled at me softly, the same look that she always gave me when she was thinking about the past.
“I want to thank you for ensuring her safety Detective.”
“Tim, please.”
“Of course.” She smiled.
Tension was building even though this was a seemingly pleasant situation. There was no issue here, not for Porter anyway.
“She will not be staying at this residence any longer. The vampire has had memory loss and refuses to enter the device that would help him remember Eliria. He has effectively washed his hands of her and insulted my people. She will come with me to my place in the city and will be protected by me. Eliria tells me that you provided sustenance and amusement for her time here, I will compensate you for that with much gratitude. Do you have to offer the vampire any compensation?”
“Uh, he said that it would be agreed upon at the end of the stay.”
She nodded and reached into the underside of her breast plate, pulling out a hulking stack of money.
“Is ten thousand sufficient to cover your costs for her care?”
“Uhh…” He stared at her. “It was around five.”
My mother nodded and stood to her feet. “The bag at the foot of the bed is what you brought for her, the remaining tins of food are in there as well. Take ten as a show of my eternal gratitude.”
As he stood to her, she folded the stack of notes into his hand, gripping them firmly. “My people and her father's people are indebted to you.”
Alvarie let go, nodding her head slowly to him with a half bow and a soft smile. “Come Eliria, do not linger where you are not wanted.”
She wafted her hand through the air and the gold sparkle that coated the walls, floor and ceiling of the bedroom was gone.
“Are you sure about this?” Tim whispered.
“He doesn't want me. He broke the claim and looked at me like I was scum. Why would I want to stay in a house where I am not wanted?”
As he collected the bag, Tim still sounded confused. I could understand why. The last time he was here William and I looked like a couple of teenagers who were madly in love with each other. Now it was a mess and he didn't know what to do. He followed us down the stairs where Marty and Nick were waiting in the entry. They looked at Tim with the bag in his hand, already the tears were flowing from Marty.
“Please don't go, we will work through this.”
“Come on Marty.” I chided. “He's picking his wife over me again. He refuses to enter the pool even though he would know that there is sufficient reason to do it.”
My mother moved into the small huddle we had going on, looking at the two forlorn vampires.
“You have been good to my Eliria and for that I grant you the opportunity to
remain as her friends provided you do not entertain thoughts of bringing him near her. If he is truly sorry for his actions, if he wants to reconnect with Eliria then he must do so of his own free will. Until that time happens, he is not welcome in my house nor in her life.”
She turned and walked straight to the doors of the parlour. A great gust of wind swept through the entry and opened the doors for her with a boom.
“Vampires, master of the afterlife.” She bowed. “I have compensated the detective for the items he provided for Eliria. Master Lancaster, do you require compensation for caring for Eliria?”
I stood at the edge of the door, looking into the room. William was sitting on a chair looking rather annoyed. He flicked his wrist with an air of arrogance.
“No I do not. Quite frankly, she's lucky that I don't seek my own compensation for this nonsense with Carmella.”
“I'm sorry Master Lancaster, I do not understand your words.” She stalked into the room. “Are you suggesting that my Eliria was the one that banished your wife? Surely you are not suggesting that my Eliria is responsible for your wife staying in the afterlife for... how long has it been?”
She stood before him, towering her menacing stature over him. “Anton, do be a good boy and tell him why Carmella never came back in those forty years.”
“Alvarie please.” He hissed. “Don't make it worse.”
Her eyebrow raised at him as she tilted her head, looking at him with contempt. “Worse than my daughter being rejected by the man that claimed to love her? I think you need to get your priorities right Anton.”
She turned back to William with a devilish grin. “Carmella was living the life down there William. She didn't want to come back straight away because she had managed to hook up with her former lover. You know the one right? The guy that impregnated her with the child that she told you was yours. Happy families in the underworld.” She chuckled darkly. “The only reason she came here and tried to reinstate the claim was because she knew that she could never return and continue her plan for domination if you had taken another lover.”
Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1) Page 39
