by A R Davis
“Where are we going?” Valerie asked.
There was only one place he could think of that could properly hide them. “The forest. That will be the best place for us.”
“And where will we go once we get there?”
She was asking about their plans, if they would still one day make it across the sea, if that was even still possible. It was never really possible, but he had taken a liking to the image. He even dared to dream of them sitting on a rooftop in the city on the sea.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll figure it out once we get out of here.”
“OK.”
Damien realized he hadn’t inquired about her feelings. “Are you all right?”
“I’m worried. Are these men trying to hurt you?”
“If they are, I ran before they could.”
“What do they look like?”
Damien took a second too long to answer. “Like your typical brutes. Large…angry. Whatever Dante did, they are certainly not happy.” While he spoke, Damien kept his attention on the shifting bodies before them, looking for the glint of the golden mask. He noted that Valerie was also watching the crowd. Please, let me spot Lord Aubrey before she does, he prayed.
“I didn’t mean to get you mixed up in this,” Damien said. He swallowed. “I really did want to enjoy the festival with you.”
She glanced up at him. “I know. I knew the risks before we arrived here.” And then she said what possibly the most gut-wrenching thing she could say: “It’s not your fault.”
The words physically hurt as though they were stones she had hurled at him. It’s not yours, either, he thought
Valerie grew silent. She folded her arms tightly across her chest as though she was protecting herself. Damien wanted to reach out and place a reassuring hand on her back, but he could not be sure of anything at that moment.
Suddenly, she gasped and stopped, her hand clutched the back of his cloak so he could stop with her. “Are those them?” she whispered, gesturing to a group of square-jawed burly men standing at the corner ahead.
“No,” Damien said. His eyes moved from the men to what had caught his attention on the left.
Lord Aubrey and his guardsmen were walking toward them. From the boy Lord’s expression, Damien knew he had just been spotted.
“But we should probably get out of the open,” Damien continued, directing Valerie into an alleyway. The space between the buildings was so narrow that it felt like they would be crushed at any moment. They broke into a run.
Damien felt something digging into his stomach as they ran and he pushed Valerie to run faster. He thought he heard footsteps behind them. Damien felt his heart rush into his throat and he worried he was going to vomit it out. They turned sharply to the right when they reached the exit.
Behind them, a bullet lodged into the wall.
Valerie flinched, screamed, and covered her head. Damien shouted for her to go and Lord Aubrey was shouting for someone to stop him. Valerie turned her head to look back.
“Don’t look! Keep going!” Damien yelled. He moved her in front of him to shield her from any bullets, though he doubted Lord Aubrey would fire with all these people around. Stunned faces watched them pass, staring as the boy Lord and his men relentlessly chased after them. The scenario caused a few of them to move out of the way. Damien felt like he was putting on a show and that at any moment the people would start applauding.
He could hear Lord Aubrey behind him. “Move out of the way! Let me through!”
Even if they were to make it to the forest now, Lord Aubrey and his men would still be on their trail. Valerie would no doubt see them and know Damien was a liar. There had to be a way to lose them.
Or at least slow them down.
Desperately, he reached into his pocket for his coin bag. He untied the top and dumped the coins behind him. There were sharp pinging noises as they hit the floor. It took a fraction of a second for a few people to notice, but that was all it took. Men and women scrambled to grab whatever they could. Damien heard the shriek of the guardsmen’s whistles that slowly faded the further him and Valerie got away.
*
Even in the welcome silence of the forest, they did not stop running. It was only until Valerie announced that she could go no further that they even thought to rest. She clutched at her side and took deep gulps of air, leaning against a tree for support. Her hand was on her chest and she felt her heart racing. That had to have been one of the scariest moments of her life.
“Are you all right?” Damien asked breathlessly.
“I don’t know,” Valerie answered honestly. “Are you?”
“I’m fine.”
They took several more seconds to catch their breaths, not saying anything, not looking at each other. The gunshot still felt loud in Valerie’s ears.
“Who were those people that were after you, Damien?” she asked, staring directly into the black hole that surrounded his face.
“I told you,” he said, a hint of aggravation in his voice. “They were –”
“They had a gun. You didn’t tell me they would start shooting you!”
“I . . .” he faltered. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
Too late, Valerie thought. Something cold was dripping into her belly. She had to ask it again. “Was everything you told me, true? The men. And Dante.” And when you left me in the room. I heard voices. I don’t think I heard what they said, or maybe I did and I’m ignoring it.
But why would he lie to me?
Damien stepped closer to her until they were only inches apart. She was not afraid of him; only afraid of what he would say. She wished she could see his eyes.
“It was true,” he said. “All of it.”
Valerie closed her eyes and started to weep. She nodded. Why would he lie? “I don’t want to lose you, Damien. I can’t.”
He pulled her into an embrace and rested his cheek on top of her head. His arms felt like they were sealing her away from the world.
“I won’t let that happen,” he said.
*
By the time Young Aubrey navigated his way through the frenzied crowd, the demon and the girl were gone. He did not bother to run after them any further, knowing full well they had reached the forest by now and were probably lost amid the trees. It would be pointless to attempt a search with so few men, so he packed his things and headed home.
He should have been angry, furious even. He should have been pulling out his hair at the root. Instead, sitting in the carriage, he was eerily calm as he watched the world from his little window.
“My Lord,” Thomas said, “is everything all right?”
Young Aubrey wiped his eye and steadied himself before answering. “Yes, everything is just…perfect.”
“That man got away, sir.”
“He did. For now.”
“Are we going to pursue him, sir?”
“Of course we are. We can’t let him get away with attacking us. We’ll form a plan once we return to Leola.” He was already devising one, but he wanted to keep it to himself for now. He wanted to let it stew and fester, and he wanted to dream of the day when he would finally wrap his hands around the demon’s throat. Truly, he did not know such…joy. It felt as though lightning was zipping through his veins, and he barely slept the two and a half days it took for them to arrive in Leola.
He was not welcomed by the cheers of his people with signs indicating that he was missed. Leola looked as much the same as he had left it, with people going about their business, hardly noticing as his carriage pulled in. Captain Jonasson, however, was quite happy to see him. He and the servants were waiting at the entrance hall and applauded as he entered.
“Welcome back, my Lord,” Captain Jonasson said.
“I take it everything was well while I was away?” Young Aubrey said and removed his cloak.
“Very well, sir. We were even able to solve the crises with the –“
“Wonderful. Listen, I have news I need
to divulge. Come with me to my office.” He directed his next order to the servants. “One of you bring up a large pot of tea. We have much to discuss.”
“Wouldn’t my Lord rather rest after his journey?” Captain Jonasson asked as he followed Young Aubrey up the stairs.
“There’s no time for rest. As I said, we have much to do.”
It was lovely to be back in his office with the warm glow of the spring light coming in through the windows. Young Aubrey had even missed the deer head on the wall, even though that creature was killed by his father and not by him. He wondered if the demon would make a suitable decoration in its place. That way, he would always be able to look at it and smile. Things would really come full circle, then, wouldn’t they, Father?
It took only a few minutes for the tea to arrive. Once Young Aubrey had settled into his proper place, and the door was properly secured, he told Captain Jonasson all of the colorful events that had taken place at the festival. His reaction was just as Young Aubrey expected: Captain Jonasson looked as though he was not sure whether to take up arms or remain seated. He did not speak or ask any questions the entire time. I couldn’t have asked for a better man at my side, Young Aubrey thought as he came to the conclusion of his tale. I don’t know how I would endure without him here.
“So…the demon is still alive?” Captain Jonasson said slowly, as though he did not want to believe such a terrible thing.
“And he has a hostage with him,” Young Aubrey added.
“How on earth did he survive?”
“That hardly matters, Captain. The real question is how we’re going to catch him.” Young Aubrey rubbed his hands together eagerly. “The girl. She is the key to finding it. If we get the girl…we get the demon.”
“How do you figure that, my Lord?” Captain Jonasson asked.
“That thing has as strange attachment to her. It acted more hostile when she became the subject in our conversation.”
“Pardon me, my Lord, but if this demon has an attachment to the girl, how on earth are we going to find her? No doubt he’ll have her hidden away somewhere.”
Young Aubrey spread his hands apart as though he was physically showing them the answer. “We’ll use the dogs.”
The captain sported a bewildered look, so he explained, “Other animals are repulsed by the creature’s scent. We’ll use the hunting dogs to pinpoint the possible places he’s keeping her.”
If this plan did not work, then he would just have to think of another. And maybe we will dance to this song forever, he thought, always out of reach.
“The forest is very large, my Lord,” Captain Jonasson said. “It may take days to find her.”
“Of that I am aware. Which is why we must start the search immediately. Gather your men and form a search party.”
“What if we encounter the creature, my Lord?”
“If you should meet him before you find the girl, you do everything in your power to bring him to me…Alive.”
They immediately set out to do their work. For four restless days the guardsmen returned weary and empty. Young Aubrey wrestled with his fear that his men would kill the demon before he had a chance to. If there were a few casualties in the process, well…he had endured harder sacrifices. I am the only one who can end this, Young Aubrey thought as he once again watched his men leave in the early hours of the day. The world will know of my victory and maybe love me for it.
The sun was setting on the fourth day. By now, his men would have returned but he did not see them arrive at the gate. He feared the worst. Captain Jonasson was with this group. The thought of him lying dead in the forest was enough to make his skin crawl. If you take him from me, Young Aubrey thought, I will kill that girl in front of you. I will make you understand loss.
Fortunately, they returned an hour later, and they had someone with them. Young Aubrey quickly went to sit at his desk and knitted his fingers in anticipation. Captain Jonasson breathlessly entered his office. Young Aubrey did not have time to express how glad he was that the captain had returned. He leaned forward to receive the news.
“We found her, my Lord. She was wandering alone in the forest. The dogs will not go near her.”
“Bring her in,” Young Aubrey said. He dared to hope. After all this waiting, after all this work, could this possibly be it? Could he have what the demon so feared to lose?
He held his breath as Captain Jonasson motioned for his men to bring the girl. At first, the guardsmen blocked Young Aubrey’s view, but they quickly stepped aside.
She wore clothes that were too big for her small frame. Her hair was a matted tangle around her vacant expression. There was a thin line of dried blood on her left cheek.
But it was her.
“Oh, my dear, sweet girl,” Young Aubrey said as he stood from his desk to approach her. “What on earth happened to you?”
She spoke so softly that he almost did not catch it.
“He did.”
Chapter 26
The journey home was considerably more difficult than when they were traveling to Merrion. They had to stop frequently for food and water. Even so, they went hungry for most of the trip. During the day, the trees trapped the spring heat, filling every mile with oppressive air. They downed their share of water as though it would be the last time they would ever have it. Every mile pulled at their muscles, causing their feet to drag through the mud and dried leaves.
Damien did not dare stray toward the path. He felt he had done enough damage, considering what had happened with Lord Aubrey. He knew that the boy Lord was going to continue his pursuit, that the trees could not put enough distance between their inevitable meeting point. Damien did not know if, in the long run, it would be better to remain in the house or to leave entirely. But where would they go if they left? He had no place in Valerie’s human world; their trip to Merrion had proven that much. He doubted they would ever be lucky enough to find another house in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe there was no place for him. Maybe, in the end, he was destined to keep fighting.
Was he willing to bring Valerie into the fray?
The selfish, strongest part of him said yes. He would keep her safe as he had so far. She would remain in the house where no one would touch her.
They would be all right.
They returned to the house worn down and weary after three brutal days of traveling. There was still a bit of daylight left, but it was not enough to illuminate the dank remains of the house before them. Damien wasn’t sure if he was pleased to see that it was still intact. Without hesitating, he walked up to the door and opened it before realizing that Valerie was no longer beside him.
She was looking back. Damien assumed she was wondering if she would ever get to go out there again. Maybe one day, he thought, but that felt like a lie.
He allowed her a few more seconds before saying, “Are you coming in?”
Startled, she quickly joined him inside. Damien shut the door.
Things did not return to normal. Valerie scarcely spoke to Damien. When he offered to read with her, to walk with her, to stay up late talking like they used to, she often declined. She was still too weary, she wasn’t feeling well, or she simply wanted to be on her own. One morning, she did not come down to breakfast, and she chose to stay in her room for most of the day. It was like how it was when she was afraid of him.
Does she know? Damien wondered. Did she know what he did when he left her alone? He studied her face carefully at supper that night, trying to gauge what was going on in her head, because every time he asked her, she told him nothing was wrong.
He could not understand why she was like this. Surely something had to be wrong and surely there was something he could do to make it better. Was she angry at him? Did she resent him for putting her in this predicament? I did not ask her to stay, he thought bitterly, sitting alone once again in the parlor. I did not ask her to choose me.
Surely you knew she would if you would ask.
Yes, y
es he did. Because, though she did not love him, she cared for him. She valued their friendship, and maybe that was why he was so bitter.
The next night, he helped her wash dishes after supper as he had always done. He dared to glance over at her, but she was entirely focused on the task of drying the plates and forks. Her expression gave nothing away, and he hated it. He hated her silence; it filled his heart with glass shards. Angry words were threatening to burst from his mouth. If you value our friendship so much, then why are you pulling away from me? he thought. Why won’t you tell me what I did? Why won’t you look at me?
He let the cleaning cloth fall into the basin. He leaned against the counter and shut his eyes, taking a deep, slow breath.
He felt the pressure of her hand on his.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. Then he turned to look at her. The corners of her mouth turned up into an uneven smile, but it was a smile regardless, and it wasn’t until now that he realized how much he truly missed seeing it. He missed seeing her like this.
Silently, he begged her not to pull away, even though some part of him wanted to. He wanted to so badly that he could feel the ghost of the movement in his arm. But he couldn’t.
Because he loved her so much.
Valerie was about to head upstairs to her room, and Damien would have let her, but he was sick of being alone. She was half-way up the second step when he called for her.
“Yes?” she said as she turned around, eyebrow raised.
This might be stupid, he thought, but then again, he was known for doing stupid things. “Do you want to dance with me?”
He attempted to sound as casual as possible, but there was a slight quiver in his voice.
Valerie looked down at herself and pinched the sides of her breeches. “I’m not really dressed for the occasion.”
“Neither am I,” Damien said.
She smiled again, and Damien felt that maybe things were slowly settling back into place. “OK.” She walked up to him, took his hand, and placed his other on her waist as before.
Even though they were no longer surrounded by people, Damien was still very nervous, perhaps even more so now than before. He took slow, steady steps, trying to find a rhythm amid the shuffling of their feet and the whispers of their breaths. Could she hear the frantic pace of his heartbeat? If she did, she gave no indication. She danced with him as though nothing had changed, as though she had often danced with a monster without music to accompany them.
