The Depths of Darkness

by Laurie Bowler

  “Did you hear what I just said?” I asked when he still hadn’t answered.

  “What....” he replied shaking himself out of his deep reverie. “Sorry!” he smiled, “I heard you, but vaguely.”

  “Thank goodness you heard me when we were in the cave with Meniagier or you would’ve been dinner,” I retorted dryly. “When are you expecting the papa vamp to arrive?”

  He grimaced at my chosen nickname, but smiled slightly at the same time.

  “I wouldn’t call him that to his face if I were you,” he warned. “I doubt he’ll take it lightly, and unless you fancy becoming his dinner I’d keep that particular comment to yourself,” he added. “I need to ask you something!”

  I turned slowly; his face had switched to serious. His changes in characteristics were remarkable, if not weird. I never knew the mood he was in, and it was difficult to judge or sustain any kind of conversation.

  “Go on,” I said warily. “Ask away.”

  “When all this is over,” he began, “do you think there will be a time when we can go out sometime?”

  I could not believe he was asking me out on a date, what kind of idiotic vampire was he? If anyone found out we’d shared the passionate kisses previously, it would wreak havoc, but if we started to date if would end up being a catastrophe.

  “I...err...” I stammered.

  I was aware I would hurt him deeply and because of how I already felt about him, it wasn’t something that I wanted to do.

  “I don’t think we can Luke,” I whispered unsteadily. “Can't you see what would happen? It would end up with either of us or both of us, dead. The realm won’t stand by and allow us to have any kind of romance.”

  “I see,” he replied thoughtfully. “I was checking for your reaction; I know you have feelings for me. I see it every time you look at me, with every word you speak. It’s there between us, but we’re prevented from taking advantage purely because of the realm and what it stands for. Don’t you think it’s about time someone changed the rules slightly?”

  “I’ve always thought it was odd that we can’t date who we want to,” I replied sighing heavily. “But it’s not my place to change the rules, only the high witch can do anything like that and since she’s consumed with evil, I doubt that’s going to happen very quickly. “One day,” I turned away and stared into space, “one day, there will be a time when everything will change and if I’m still alive then maybe something can happen between us. But Luke,” I said, “I do have feelings for you. I’ve tried to deny them and ignore them, but I can’t, and this is a sorry mess we’ve found ourselves in. The best we can do is move on and forget about this.”

  He didn’t speak and turned on his heel leaving the room and slamming the door behind him, knocking the door on its hinges and making me jump with the loud bang. I walked over to the window seat and sat down heavily, my heart plummeted and my mind seemed to follow. I don’t know how long I can sustain myself against the threat and the added complexity of my feelings for Luke. It was by far the most complicated situation I’d ever come across and since I wasn’t very good at problem solving, I was basically caught in a trap with no room to move.

  I followed the direction of the commotion happening somewhere downstairs, when I walked out into the corridor I was engulfed by the remainder of the smoke from the fight, and the blackened walls where the fire had stemmed out of control. Many of the rooms in Luke’s home were destroyed and unrecognizable. I wasn’t in my old room where he’d put me in the first place, but instead I’d been placed in another room with none of my belongings. The clothes I’d found in there, while I was hunting around belonged to someone else who was a similar size to me. They weren’t overly fashionable but they were clean which is something I was incredibly pleased about. The long floating dress nearly mirrored the one I’d recently disposed of, it’s floating and billowing sleeves reminded me of something the older witches of the realm would wear.

  As well as having the high witch, there were many older wiser witches that had been around since the turn of the century. They’d kept their lives going into a timeless existence that had no end, by the use of their magic. They made sure they changed appearances like the vampires did, so no mortal could ever guess it was the same person, even if they did I was sure the witch would place a spell containing a particular memory loss on the subject. It would never be a loss of memory in its entirety just enough for them to forget the vision of the witch coming from another century.

  My dress swept along the floor, floating gracefully behind me and around me, the cosy fit was wonderful to feel against my skin. I was grateful for the reprieve from the stinking clothes I’d shred. The Meniagier’s stench had remained on me, and the clothes stunk of them, Leaving behind horrible scents permeating the room and wherever I walked.

  The argument was located in the downstairs dining area, the second dining area that Luke’s complex house had. Its white wash walls appeared unaffected by the fires. The silver lined chairs were currently housing Darcy, Benjamin and a few others that I didn’t know because I’d only glimpsed them earlier before leaving rapidly to trace Lilly’s steps.

  None of them seemed particularly happy. Their voices rose considerably and their tone of voice sounded severe. Luke lounged easily against the fireplace, a drink in his hand which looked like his meal.

  I forgot entirely that I shouldn’t be snooping and so I planted myself inside a safe haven, where I could listen with ease and without discovery. The invisibility also allowed me to stop inside the room and stand in the far corner.

  “I don’t think you understand everything Luke,” one of them retorted angrily barely keeping his voice under control. “There’s too much involved in this for any of us to deal with, not even your pet witch is much use,” he smirked.

  “I wouldn’t start with the name calling Greg,” Darcy whispered leaning towards him and glancing at Luke worriedly. “You’ll make him angry and believe me,” she stated, “I know his anger isn’t a nice thing. Earlier on I made the same mistake with the girl, and he nearly killed me.”

  Luke turned to face her, his face amused by her speech, and his eyes focused directly on her.

  “I wouldn’t really say I nearly killed you,” he teased, “that’s a little dramatic, even for you Darcy.”

  “Well,” she pouted, “you hurt me anyway.”

  “Then don’t threaten Patty. And, I would appreciate it if you’d all stop referring to her as ‘the witch’.”

  For a few minutes nothing happened, silence prevailed around the room, all of them with their meals in hand. The one called Greg smirked and looked at the door uneasily, as if he was expecting something terrible to come bombarding through the doorway.

  “Where is she anyway?” Benjamin spoke, sipping his drink lightly and looking around to anyone for an answer before finally settling his gaze on Luke.

  “I don’t know,” Luke answered. “She’s most likely going over everything that’s happened and trying to figure it all out. She seems to do that a lot,” he finished dryly.

  Again, nothing seemed to happen. The atmosphere was uncomfortable, none of them wanted to venture into the true thoughts they were all thinking. The current state of affairs was climbing out of hand combined with the irregularities into the investigation with no real answers, making it unclear for me to see why Lilly was doing this.

  “When is he coming?” Luke turned, his eyes swept around the room; he sniffed the air lightly and frowned.

  “He’s on his way and should be here by nightfall,” a female answered. “I spoke to his daughter on the phone earlier. He’s far from happy at the loss of his son and wants answers. He wants to speak to Patty as well; he’s under the impression that it’s her fault somehow.”

  “How can he think that?” Darcy gasped. “It's not like she asked the demons to come here, and as Luke has already explained it was Lilly who told them a lie in the first place.”

  “I know,” she soothed. “But Darcy,”
she sighed, “have you ever met Zanda?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “And to be completely honest, I’ve never wanted to either. The things his family have done have been terrible, and I don’t how they’ve managed to get away with it. The realm doesn’t seem to touch them. Agnes,” she said her name tentatively, “do you think he’ll cause another fight? I’m not being a wimp or anything, but I’m not ready to fight all over again.”

  Agnes smiled in answer and stepped over to Darcy and patted her shoulder gently.

  “I don’t think that Zanda will want to fight anyone. His main objective is seeing Patty and finding out some answers. The mother should be on her way as well, Zanda thought it best that he didn’t tell her where he was going but the daughter has done as I’ve asked and informed her mother. So hopefully there won’t be any need for anyone to fight today.”

  “Phew!” Darcy shuddered. “I was hoping you might say that.”

  Benjamin downed his drink in a noisy slurp and stood, yawning and stretching and then excused himself to take a short reprieve until Zanda arrived and asked for someone to collect him later on.

  Greg plunged back against the sofa, his legs stretched out easily in front of him as he studied Luke’s back. With a thoughtful expression, he frowned and shook his head, followed by a short burst of laughter causing Luke to turn and eyed him in a friendly query.

  “Something amusing?” he mocked gently eyeing the young vampire. “Care to share?”

  “I’ve just realised why you’re so damned protective of her,” he replied with a slight teasing edge to his tone, “you’re in love with the filthy witch, aren’t you?”

  Before Greg could say another word, Luke had moved himself rapidly across the room, revealing his inner vampire with the speed and he held Greg dangling from the chair by his throat. I watched with fascination as his fingers gripped Greg tightly, helpless and speechless Greg simply stared. Knowing his attacker was considerably stronger and world wise, the age between their vampire states was apparent in the manner that Greg had no idea how to fight back. Darcy stood and gently placed her hand on Luke’s’ arm, encouraging him to release Greg before any more bloodshed occurred in the house.

  “I told you not to call her that,” Luke snarled through his bared teeth, his fangs clearly visibly as his vampire self began to control his emotions. “She is not a filthy witch and she is a lot stronger than any of you think she us.”

  Luke dropped him suddenly to the ground where Greg flopped helplessly onto his haunches and stared wide eyed at Luke, who had eased himself away flexing his muscles but his hissing and rumbling continuing.

  “I-I’m sorry,” Greg mumbled, “I won’t say it again, but Luke,” he insisted, “you can’t fall for a witch and you know why.”

  “Do you really think I’m naive enough to do that,” Luke hissed. “Don’t be absurd and have some goddamned respect for her; I’m here to protect her and nothing else.”

  I stood watching from my hidden corner. Luke turned and stared directly at me as if he could see me, so I shuffled away and out of the room. I wasn’t fast enough. Just as I appeared again, Luke grabbed my elbow and promptly escorted me into the next room where he quickly rounded on me, the hostility was clear in his eyes and he seeped anger that was aimed at me.

  “What the hell were you doing?” he stormed as he began to pace across the room.

  “Listening,” I relied calmly, “it's was err...interesting,”

  “Interesting! Interesting!” he yelled fiercely. “It was also private between me and them. I didn’t want you to know about how they felt or anything that spilled out from their vile mouths.”

  “Then why allow me to stay?”

  “I beg your pardon?” he turned to face me looking entirely stunned, but his eyes remained angry.

  “You smelt me in the air,” I answered with a tight lipped smile, “and yet,” I said, “you allowed me to stay. You didn’t mention I was there and neither did you ask me to leave.”

  Slow recognition lit his eyes, he knew that I was aware of everything around me. I was becoming stronger and not some weakling witch that had to be saved every time there was a battle. This was my time to shine and I would make sure, before my last breath that I would shine. Lilly was going straight to hell and if need be, I’d be the one do it with the right spell.

  “Because” he shook himself visibly, and turned to me with the first real smile, “I wasn’t sure if I was smelling past scents of you; my imagination has been absurd lately.”

  “Tell me about it,” I replied scornfully. “Where have the Cronomiun people gone?”

  “They left ages ago,” he answered. “They said they’d be back though. I don’t know when but I hope they don’t appear when Zanda is here.”

  “Why not?” I asked feeling a little confused.

  “Because,” he replied with forced patience, “if they’re here when Zanda is here there will be a fight. There is nothing Zanda hates more than them.”

  The information made sense; vampires weren’t supposed to easily accept other demons and other underworld creatures.

  “I guess I have some explaining to do when he gets here then,” I commented and swiftly walked to the back garden where I sat on the stone bench and allowed myself to delve into my deep thoughts.

  Chapter Eleven

  The air had turned chilly, and goose bumps began to appear on my skin; I shivered slightly. Lately I had used so much magic to control every aspect of my life that it felt like it would require too much of an effort for one more spell to keep me warm; so I remained a shivering idiot outside. My mind carried on reeling with everything that had happened and I began to think for myself, without the aid or input from Luke. My own ideas were compelling and they would work beyond their expectations which is one of the reasons why I made sure my mind remained firmly my own without the poking eyes of Luke.

  I felt his presence even before I saw him, because my heart began to pace rapidly and skip a few beats in the process. His aroma and his strong willed aura surrounded me and nearly drowned me in the need to be with him, but only as a pure mate would I ever be to be his. Unless I submitted my own soul to hell and became like him, this would never happen. Although to some mortals it sounded exciting and the whole love fairy tale was by far an enigmatic pull towards the unknown and the bad boy, but for me it was different. My career mattered and I wasn’t about to put it in the hands of a vampire, the very least we could do is to remain close friends or even distant friends to each other.

  My plans for the future remained unclear to me, it was inevitable that I would face Lilly sooner or later, and preferably before the two day deadline given by the demons. And in the battle that would take place, I wasn’t sure whether I would live or die.I didn’t feel the over powering pull to see into my future like most witches had in the past and they’d managed to change their paths to make their own future better for themselves.

  My world had once been mortal, and in that I was able to determine how I wanted my future path to be carved solely by the decisions that I made and the fact that I respected the spells that I created and used, the realm and the people around me almost as much as I respected my body which was completely mortal.

  “Patty,” he breathed close to my ear, “you have a guest.”

  Startled I turned to him, the question in my eyes of who it might be. As far as I was aware no one knew where I was, or anything that was happening around me.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “Your parents are here.”

  I felt myself whirled into another time and space. His answer just didn’t make sense to me and neither did it compute inside my mind that my mortal parents were here, at Luke’s house amongst killers such as him and his friends.

  “My parents,” I repeated dumbly. “Are you sure?”

  “Well,” he said bending down to my level on his knees in the grass, “if mortal people, one female and the other male, both of which have shown me picture of you as
a child and they reek of humanity, are here inside my house, then I guess I can assume they aren’t lying,” he teased.

  “Oh,” I nodded shaking slightly. “Where are they?”

  “In the blue room,” he answered. “At the other side of the house, it’s the only room not burnt.” He shouted after me as I ran as fast as I could into the house with excitement coursing through me.

  I squealed to a halt outside what was supposed to be the blue room; it wasn’t an accurate description in my opinion. Only one wall was blue, the others were different colours but something about the room felt comfortable. It may have been the huge chairs that were situated in many positions around the room, or the enormous music player; I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to find out. My parents stood with their drinks in their hands waiting for me; I was far too excited to bother to take look for a closer inspection.

  “Mum, Dad,” I shouted as I hurled myself into my dad’s arms, “how are you? Why are you here? How did you find me? Who told you I was here?” I asked in a rush without pausing for a breath.

  “Calm down,” My Dad chuckled, “slow down.”

  My mother stood with tears in her eyes when she saw me, and pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed with very lady like gestures, her expression seemed calmer than I’d ever seen it in years.

  “Lilly told us where to find you,” she said. “We’ve been worried. Why didn’t you ring us?”

  At the mention of her name my heart plummeted, this was surely bad news. If Lilly had told them where to find me didn’t that mean they were now in danger?

  “Sorry,” I replied trying to compose myself steadily. “When did Lilly tell you where I was?”

  I was hoping it was before her heart had turned black, but I wasn’t to be that lucky by my mother’s reply; she was playing her tricks, that much was obvious.