by HP Mallory
“And do you believe we should wait and find out what does happen?”
“Non,” Chevalier began, but his sister’s blistering anger would not be sated.
“Absolutely not! All magical creatures must stand together united—immediately!”
The calmer sibling replied with the only question capable of giving Audrey pause. “And what, sister, of House Gedde? Must we stand with them, too?”
Audrey quieted herself for a moment, and seemed to be thoughtfully considering the threat posed to the rest of the magical community by Monsieur D and his unfair contracts.
Finally, she spoke. “Mon frère, you may have a point. I cannot guarantee the trustworthiness nor the honor of House Gedde—or, for that matter, Les Invisibles.”
The mere mention of House Gedde, naturally associated with its trickster leader Monsieur D, invoked a certain amount of anger in yours truly. The loopholes and other tricks Monsieur D insisted upon including in all of his magical contracts had almost proven deadly to my young pupil. Had it not been for the intervention of Lady Maetta of the Unseelie Fae, Damek would have succumbed to his ailment and would not have lived to see another day.
“Audrey, sister, you are aware of my own past with House Gedde,” the dandy began. “I was able to rid our family of the curse that bound you to this swamp—but I myself still am not free. Prydwen, as you know, remains missing and without it…” The voice of the dandy trailed off in a particularly pathetic manner. Even I started to pity the man.
I still did not understand how this Prydwen figured into Chevalier’s curse. As I understood it, Prydwen was King Arthur’s long lost and forgotten ship; thus, it was merely the stuff of legend.
“Mon frère, how has the curse affected you? Have you suffered from any—” Audrey began.
“This is a family matter—we’ll discuss it later,” the frog cut her off rudely, preventing her from revealing any information whatsoever. Furthermore, there existed a certain level of panic in his tone. At that moment, I became certain the dandy was covering something—something he did not wish for us to know. Of course, now was not the time to investigate, not as we debated a matter of vital urgency: Monsieur D and whether we could trust him.
When I faced Lady Bryn, I noticed her eyes were narrowed upon Chevalier, as well. She had also taken note of his disinterest in sharing certain information about himself. A moment later, though, her suspicious expression blanched into her usual lovely countenance.
“You know,” said the princess, “Monsieur D had no intention of getting involved in this war at all. He had no plans to so much as raise a finger to help those caged women.”
I immediately understood the point my little hellion was attempting to make.
“What sort of man, I ask you, would leave women in cages? What sort of man would only get involved once his property was infringed upon? This is not a man with a strong sense of moral justice,” I understated.
“Sinjin, you fail to understand something about Monsieur D,” said the dandy. Once again, he managed to slip in a sly insult about my perceived oversight—perhaps the others failed to notice, but I would not soon forget.
“Monsieur D cannot be evaluated under the praxis of good versus evil,” he explained, “because for Monsieur D, such things do not exist. Monsieur D is motivated by self-interest and self-interest alone.”
Audrey seemed to side with her brother, for she began sadly nodding behind him.
Ultimately, Dayna ended our debate—which had by then dragged on for far too long—when she asked, “And what if this Monsieur D doesn’t join and we’re one soldier too few when the battle comes to the door of Kinloch Kirk? Let’s face it: your Queen needs all the allies she can get.”
“We wouldn’t be one soldier too few,” Lady Bryn noted. “Monsieur D leads his own legion of zombies.”
“Zombies?” Dayna repeated, her eyes going wide.
“Yeah, like the walking dead,” Damek confirmed, nodding.
“A salient point,” I conceded as I faced Lady Bryn and then Dayna. “And one that should be discussed at length when we return home.”
***
We awoke the next day after a night of rejuvenating sleep—well, rejuvenating sleep for everyone with the exception of me. As per usual, I had tossed and turned and largely remained awake, as was now custom.
We’d spent the evening in the plantation house owned by Monsieur D, but we saw neither hide nor hair of the strange man. Audrey, who had granted us entrance, could not provide a straight answer when questioned regarding his whereabouts.
This subject was not pondered for long as we embarked upon the second leg of our journey.
Chapter Seven
Sinjin
We arrived at the trod at noon, judging from the high position of the sun in the sky. As occurred last time, the frog began to sing his bizarre hymn to the tree. The tune was a strange little song, consisting entirely of high notes and deep grunts emanating from his throat. Only when I convinced myself that I could bear no more of this awful proto-music did the frog stop singing and did the tree respond. I could not help but think that magic itself must have a peculiar sense of humor. I dwelled on that thought for only a moment, though, for the response of the tree meant it was time for me to recover my vampiric powers.
And this was a moment I had long been awaiting.
“Approach the tree, Sinclair,” instructed Chevalier. I did as the frog said: this powerful magic was not to be toyed with. “Now,” continued the dandy, “place your hand carefully—carefully—on the tree.”
Once again, I did as I was told, but immediately regretted doing so.
The bark of the tree expanded and grew around my hand, leaving me imprisoned within. I felt the branch insert itself into the depth of the palm of my hand, such that it had when we’d first embarked across its portal. Although the pain was acute, I refused to alert anyone to my discomfort. Instead, I bore the agony stoically and with great composure.
Meanwhile, it felt as if the bark had become some type of transfusion device as it pumped something into my body. With each passing second, I could feel my power, all that being a vampire entailed, being pushed forcefully back into my human body.
My stomach, first, began to reject the power infusion, and my muscles were quick to follow suit. I fought against the nausea and craned my head upward, hoping gravity would aid in keeping the contents of my stomach where they were. Sadly, retching was inevitable, and that was exactly what I did.
After I had emptied the contents of my stomach, the pain stopped. And I felt different. As I glanced around myself, I noticed the colors of the landscape were much brighter, more delineated. My vision had significantly improved. And the scents of the air, the tree, my companions! I was a full vampire, once more.
“Sinjin, are you okay?” Lady Bryn asked as she faced me with concern.
“I am beyond okay, my pet,” I responded fervently. I was now returned to myself and it was a celebrationary moment.
“Are you a… vampire again?” she continued.
“Yes, I am pleased to report that I believe I have been returned to my natural state.”
My other companions remained silent. I had to imagine that what they had just witnessed had not been easy to view. It was not as traumatic as what Dayna had been through, certainly, but re-becoming a vampire certainly was its own sort of graphic experience that my companions had been forced to endure along with me. I could only hope this would inspire the frog to cease his ridicule for a bit, even if just for the remainder of the trip.
I returned my attention to Lady Bryn and held her gaze. Her honey brown hair caught the setting sun and cast her in an auburn aura.
“Don’t leave the tree yet, Sinjin,” she advised.
I stared at her in wonder.
“The sun is just about to set, and as long as you remain on the tree, you’ll be safe against its rays,” she answered.
I nodded. “Very salient point. Thank you.”
She smiled and inhaled deeply. Her large breasts rose, like they were calling out to me, and her body heat seemed particularly appealing now that I had returned to my full power. I could detect her heartbeat and hear the rush of blood in her veins. Never had I been more content.
“I am pleased to announce that you are even more attractive,” I informed her, smiling at the little tempest to reveal lengthening canines.
Lady Bryn responded by sticking her tongue out as if she were teasing me. Out of nowhere, like an electric shock, I was consumed by the urge to drink the royal blood of my bête noire, an urge unparalleled and unmatched by any desire I’d ever previously had to sip upon blood.
And then I remembered: giving up my vampiric nature to allow us entry through the portal did indeed involve contracting with the fae. If I had learned nothing else from the adventures of the prior week, there was one thing I would never, ever forget: when signing contracts, the fae like playing games. Even though I had assumed I was only giving up my vampiric nature for a short time, I could tell that something in me was now different. Something was off.
And I had the alarming thought that whatever was changed within me would remain as such, now and forever.
Our walk from the trod to Kinloch Kirk was remarkably unrushed. Granted, we were all beyond excited to be returned home, but there was a sense of melancholy among us as we retraced our steps. There was no reason to sprint back to the castle, thereby surrendering the opportunity to enjoy the warmth of the day, to give up the chance to gaze upon the exquisite flora and fauna surrounding us, or to cherish how the grass—green as ever—felt beneath our feet. Kinloch Kirk was bar none the most beautiful place in the world—and I had visited many locations in my six hundred years.
Yes, I truly was content to be home. Earlier in my incredibly long lifetime, I had been quite the adventurer and wanderer. I had explored every continent and made my mark in many different locales. I had been quite the skirt chaser in my time. The thought caused a wry smile to overtake my handsome mouth. Yes, I certainly had made numerous…. impressions… on many different blondes, brunettes, and redheads over the years.
In my reverie, I had walked ahead of the group. My regular gait resulted in a much faster walking pattern than that of Lady Bryn, for example—I was much taller than my bête noire, with a much longer set of legs. Then again, her own set of legs was nothing short of spectacular and when you considered the charming rear those legs supported—well, it was impossible to prevent my mind from wandering.
“Sinjin!” called a charming feminine voice, pulling my attention back to the physical world. I glanced up and into the elated face of the Queen. Her kind eyes sparkled as she hurried to me, and I to her. We embraced one another in a heartfelt hug—entirely platonic, of course.
Yes, there had been a time when I had had strong romantic feelings for Jolie, but those had dissipated with the passage of time. And now, my heart was entirely devoted to the Lady Bryn.
“You’re back!” she cried, tears leaking from her eyes.
“Yes, and I am wholly pleased to be home, my queen. Do not shed tears. There, there,” I said, wiping her cheeks with my thumbs.
“Where are the others?” she asked, looking worried.
“They are lagging a bit behind me, fear not,” I answered. “I had not realized my own vampire power and arrived here before the rest of my entourage.”
“Realized your own vampire power?”
I shook my head. “It is quite a long and complicated story I promise to tell you soon.”
***
I found myself reciting the lengthy and unfortunate tale regarding my return to my humanity sooner than I would have preferred. But so be it.
Upon our return, the queen had decided to call an impromptu council meeting with her panel of elders. We met in a large chamber most often referred to as the “Green Room”, ostensibly because the walls of the room were painted green—well, perhaps sage was a better description. I squinted carefully to avoid making eye contact with some of the other attendees I did not particularly desire to engage with.
The room was filled with amphitheater-style, rowed seating. Of course, our Queen sat in the center of the room to preside over the proceedings.
In attendance was Odran, a barrel-chested, muscular giant of a man whose long, blonde locks gave him an appearance reminiscent to that of a lion. He also happened to be the King of the Fae and Scottish, which meant he never wore anything other than a kilt.
Mathilda and Mercedes were in attendance as well. Mathilda was an ancient yet powerful woman whose magic had provided those who would protect Kinloch Kirk with valuable information and insights more times than I could count. Mercedes had green eyes so beautiful, I had seen more than one person lose their voice upon first making eye contact with her. Then again, that may have been due to her almost unmatched magical powers—or because she was, unfortunately, ill-tempered and a bit of a shrew.
Beyond those two powerful women sat Klaasje, a Texan vampire I considered a friend. She had helped me protect Kinloch Kirk on more than one occasion. She was very pretty, bearing black hair and blue eyes, but one would be foolish to underestimate her abilities. I appreciated that about Klaasje. She did not feel the need to boast about herself, like other members of the council—such as Varick, who suddenly appeared within my eyesight. Varick was the master vampire who had once given me my own status as master vampire and was, oddly enough, my least favorite creature who walked the halls of Kinloch Kick.
Varick had recently attempted to take credit for the idea of infiltrating the crazed mind of Luce in order to gather intelligence, which we had managed to do before the last battle fought. The rightful credit belonged to our Joan of Arc, Lady Bryn, and I took offense to the massive ego displayed by the master vampire. Equally alarmingly, Varick had recently interviewed a prisoner of the Underworld—the werewolf Trent—without the express permission of the queen. While the discussion had revealed some valuable information, the breach in protocol alarmed me almost as much as Varick’s enormous ego offended me.
The frog, Damek, Dayna, our warrior princess, and I found ourselves seated at the front of the amphitheater, where we faced the queen and her rather dour husband, Randall. Upon completion of my woebegone tale regarding the specifics of my recent return to my vampire self, I was then prompted to turn to more important subjects.
“Sinjin, tell us what happened during the scouting expedition, and then would you introduce the newest member of your group to all of us?” the queen asked with a smile at Dayna, then faced me expectantly. I stood up and took a few steps forward before giving her a courtly bow.
“Unfortunately, Queen Jolie, that of which I have to speak is a rather grave matter affecting the entire Underworld. The news I have for you is dark.” I paused for a moment as Randall emitted a gruff sound.
“We can all do without your pomp and circumstance, Lord Protector, get on with it!”
I frowned at him and failed to ignore the frog’s smirk, but I, being the consummate gentleman, chose to focus on my queen.
Queen Jolie nodded in agreement as the charming smile slowly disappeared from her lovely face. I could not help but be reminded of the Lady Bryn—as fraternal twins, she and Jolie bore a striking resemblance, save their hair color. Jolie’s eyes were blue pools, riddled with worry.
The Underworld, as a court and as a community, had suffered greatly over the last few months. Luce had continued to wage war on our people for what seemed like an interminable amount of time. We had lost many lives in our fight to defend our way of life and our freedom. While our people were, by nature, strong and could handle much, it was deeply unfortunate that Queen Jolie would soon be forced to ask her people to remain strong even longer.
“My Queen,” I began, “we encountered a gruesome sight indeed when we located Luce’s encampment. We quickly realized he had abandoned the encampment shortly before our arrival. We did, however, find a prisoner Luce decided to leave behind, for reasons only kn
own to him.”
I turned around to nod at Dayna, intending for her to step forward, which she did. She curtsied to the queen, as was custom, then smiled rather nervously.
“This is Dayna; she is a werewolf and was previously a member of Trent’s pack before she was kidnapped—er, wolf-napped as the case may be—by Luce. We have brought her to Kinloch Kirk, for she has nowhere else to go,” I finished.
“You are absolutely welcome here, Dayna, and we are all very pleased to meet you. I’m deeply sorry for the hardships you must have endured, but you’re safe among your own kind now.” Queen Jolie smiled broadly as Dayna nodded, looking as if she were trying to rein in her tears.
“Thank you, all of you,” Dayna said, smiling at the panel of advisors before returning her attention to her queen. “This means the world to me and I will fight for you until my last dying breath, if it comes to that.”
Jolie nodded. “I hope it won’t come to that, but I appreciate your courage all the same. I’m sure you’ll make an excellent addition to our community.”
I smiled, happy to be reminded once again that Queen Jolie was an ever-welcoming hostess. Moreover, I agreed with her: Dayna would make a wonderful addition, as she was fierce and kind and we needed more capable people at Kinloch Kirk.
I pressed on: “Our warrior princess was able to free Dayna with her new powers of fire and flame.” I paused as the princess gave me a discouraging expression. In general, she did not appreciate praise of any sort. That, however, did not faze me. “I should go one step further in announcing the only reason Dayna is standing here with us today is because the princess was able to control the power of the Flame: if she had not been able to do so, Dayna would have remained imprisoned upon an archaic medieval rack and, eventually, would have succumbed to her most unfair fate. Even my sword failed to alleviate Dayna from her bindings.”
