Rebirth

by H. P. Mallory

  Suddenly, I slammed my head into Alaire’s face. His nose splintered on impact, spraying my face with blood. The look of shock on his face was memorable.

  Clutching his macerated nose, Alaire stared at me with more than a little concern as he tried to recover. “Your eyes!”

  No doubt, Alaire was astonished at the two black orbs he saw filling my eye sockets in the jaundiced light of the room. There was no way he didn’t recognize who this was.

  He laughed but the sound was without mirth. “You brought him forward,” he said as he shook his head, a hint of disbelief tracing his words.

  Alaire took a fighting stance as I moved on him. Going low, I shouldered through his outstretched arms and pushed him against the wall. I yelled a war cry before his head smashed into a painting of three women enjoying the fruits of mutual masturbation. The impact of his head knocked the portrait off its hanger. Alaire recovered from the blow quickly, however, and the smirk on his face soon reappeared.

  “You are so full of surprises, Lily, I must admit I am impressed,” he said while he stiff-armed me and spun around. His other hand cracked my head against the stone with a wet smack. My vision spun for a moment but Donnchadh didn’t seem to care. Launching my body suddenly forward in one superhuman move, my hands wrapped around Alaire’s neck. I squeezed hard and even though Alaire fought me, he couldn’t escape my grip. Taking us both to the ground, I pulled Alaire’s left arm towards me, bending it at the elbow until I heard a loud pop.

  He pulled himself away from me, rolling toward the other end of the room. I threw my legs out, using my momentum to leap into a standing position. Alaire was on his feet again too, his ruined left arm now dangling at his side… useless. He lunged at me, and his dislocated arm flailed like a marionette.

  “You have a fight within you yet, you precocious girl!” he yelled, reaching out with his good arm to grab a fistful of my hair. I screamed, clapping both my hands against his temples and squeezing hard. Alaire released my hair and stumbled backwards from the pain. I lifted a leg to kick him in the gut. He let out an “Oof!” as he fell backwards onto one of the lounge chairs he kept in the corner of the room. Before he could recover, I ran forward and planted a well-aimed kick straight into his crotch.

  “Enough of this,” Alaire sighed, holding up his right hand to wave his white flag of surrender. “We are both immortal, thus all of this sparring is a waste of our time.” As he spoke, blood squirted from his nose, landing on my foot.

  Inside, I battled against Donnchadh, using the runes of Tallis and Alaire’s magic to help me overcome the inordinately powerful spirit. The runes glowed green as I felt the heat of anger beginning to dissipate within me. Another few seconds and I was in control of myself again, albeit with one mean headache.

  I took my foot off Alaire’s crotch, but not before pressing down hard enough for him to feel the extra pain. His submissive reaction and stifled cry told me he most certainly did.

  “So are you still accusing me of something I didn’t do?” I asked.

  Alaire was too wrecked to do anything but nod in agreement. Good. Maybe he’d learned his lesson.

  As the pain in my head thundered between my temples, I felt my heartrate pick up. My breathing began to slow and I felt pushed to take long, deep breaths but the sound was raspy in my lungs. I didn’t know how or if Donnchadh would heal me. That was something I needed to learn from Tallis.

  I sauntered over to the table, stepping around the mess Alaire made. Finding a plate that miraculously hadn’t been shattered in the melee, I began stacking all the food I could find to put on it. Meanwhile, I had to fight to catch my breath.

  “What are you doing?” Alaire asked as he glanced at his ruined arm.

  “If Tallis is going to heal me, he needs sustenance and I’m more than sure you haven’t been exactly generous with him.”

  Spotting the look on Alaire’s face, I pointed a finger at him. “Don’t even think about trying to stop me this time… not unless you want Donnchadh to inflict more injuries for you to recover from.”

  Alaire answered by grabbing his own arm and shoving it back into place with a weird, reverse-popping sound. I didn’t bother glancing back when I walked out of the room with my plate full of food. Hopefully, this little skirmish would deter Alaire from ever trying to mess with me again. Well, as long as I had Donnchadh inside me anyway.

  “While you’re paying a visit to the Yeti,” he said after me, “I shall dispatch some agents to track down the angel. A Fury’s help or not, he cannot have traveled too far.”

  ###

  The walk to Tallis’s cell was one of the most difficult I ever had to make. My skin was covered in goose bumps and my head was aching like an SOB. My bare feet smacked on the stone with slappy sounds as I walked. The trail of blood from my head wound dripped incessantly all the way down the length of me, leaving a bloody trail. My blood loss was certainly palpable as I staggered here and there, close to dropping the plate of food in my hands several times. My vision swam with images and more than once, I found myself completely out of breath as my heart pounded in my ears.

  The hallucinations were the worst experience, though. Shadows played tricks on me, bringing a dark alcove to life as black, inky fingers wrapped themselves around whatever they could in my peripheral vision. I wondered if the hallucinations were due to the loss of blood or if Donnchadh was orchestrating them.

  At last, I came to Tallis’s cell. The door was locked as I expected, which was much better than an invisible magical barrier. I unlocked the door, balancing the plate in one hand before I used the key, which I kept hidden on my body at all times.

  I stepped inside the cell and assumed Alaire would probably come after me. The confrontation we had would have surely left him feeling dissatisfied. I expected he would hunt me down to get the last strike. But I also knew that he had to heal himself first before he could try anything. Naturally, the thought also crossed my mind that if he could heal himself, maybe he could also heal me. However, I ignored it because I didn’t want him touching me anymore than he already had.

  When I entered the cell, my thoughts zoomed in on Tallis immediately. He was out cold. If it weren’t for the slow, almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest, I would have presumed he was dead. With one last glance into the passageway just to ensure I wasn’t being followed, I closed the door and wobbled over to my Bladesmith.

  “Tallis, wake up, handsome,” I muttered, lightly tapping his shoulder. As he opened his eyes, the room began to spin and the pain inside my head filled my vision with fog.

  Tallis forced a frail smile as he accepted the plate of food I held out to him. “If only Ah could drink yer beauty, Ah’d never need food again.”

  My heart fluttered in my chest and my smile stretched so wide, it hurt. “Tallis… you are…” I began before I passed out.

  ###

  I was dreaming I was running down a hallway in the castle. But I was moving at a snail’s pace, going nowhere fast. Looking down, I noticed I was naked, round and much heavier. My legs were short and thick and my stomach billowed around me in plump rolls. I was my old self again. Before the accident, before Afterlife Enterprises, before Bill, even before Tallis….

  I panted and heaved. I couldn’t see it but I knew something was right behind me, something great and terrible that intended to eat me if it ever caught me. I tried my best to keep moving, but I was slowing down. No matter how quickly I pumped my legs, it felt like I was trying to run through thick tar.

  Ahead of me, I saw Tallis and Bill. They were yelling at me, flailing their arms, and screaming at me to hurry up. Whatever was chasing me was coming closer. I could see that in their expressions of shock and worry.

  I tried to speak but wine and bile spilled out of my mouth, burning my throat, tongue and nostrils. An intense heat pressed against my backside, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I reached out for Tallis, calling his name as I lost my balance and fell forward. A white
, hot light engulfed me. The last thing I saw was Alaire, who was naked from the waist up. He was smiling. As always, smiling.

  ###

  “Lily.”

  The voice that said my name was soft and gentle, far more than it needed to be. The accent expelled me from the nightmare. There was only one man who had that accent…

  “Tallis,” I said as I opened my eyes. I was lying on my back beneath a stone ceiling. I sat up and rubbed the back of my neck as Tallis’s face came into view. It seemed take all of his strength just to keep his head up. I reached over and caressed his dirty face. Then I remembered where I was and why I was here. I tried to stand up but my body was still too weak.

  “Besom,” Tallis whispered as he shook his head.

  “Did you heal me?” I asked.

  “No.” That voice came from directly behind me. When I turned around, I saw Alaire leaning against the stone wall. He was watching me curiously and didn’t look too bad after our fight previously. “This time, it was I who healed you,” Alaire said simply with a shrug.

  “You?” I exclaimed in disbelief.

  Alaire’s lips curled in disgust. “Look at him… and I mean really look at him. All optimism aside, he was in no condition to heal you. He is quite clearly only seconds away from his own death.”

  “Tallis?” I asked as I faced him, feeling my eyebrows knitting together as an indescribable pain overtook me.

  “That is correct. I was the one who healed you,” Alaire said, like he was addressing a slow-minded child.

  “But… you were trying to kill me.”

  He shook his head and his face relaxed. “A simple misunderstanding… when people share one another’s company long enough, things like that sometimes happen. Since neither of us was permanently damaged, shall we call it a truce?”

  I eyed him with more suspicion as I reached out and nestled Tallis in my arms. I glared up at Alaire. “What are you doing down here?”

  He shrugged again with a melodramatic sigh. “I thought you would have figured this part out by now… Very well, I merely followed you, my dear. And when I found you, you were already dispatched to the land of dreams. With Black in no condition to provide you any assistance now, I took it upon myself to heal you. Naturally, I also took the opportunity to question the Bladesmith regarding the angel’s disappearance.”

  “Bill,” I said as the pieces began to fall into place in my head.

  “The very same,” Alaire said. “By his account, the Bladesmith knew nothing more about the untimely departure of his good friend, your failed guardian, than you knew. Which I find very hard to believe, by the way.”

  “Ah told ye the truth,” Tallis suddenly spoke up, his midnight blue eyes now more gray. I also noticed the ashen tone to his skin. Alaire was right. Tallis was quickly fading away right before our eyes. I had no idea how much life was left in him but it couldn’t have been much.

  “You’ve got to heal him too,” I told Alaire.

  Alaire looked at me and snorted derisively. “Heal the Bladesmith, my arch enemy?” he asked as he shook his head with a smile. “Why? What could have planted that idea in your head? Surely you must realize I would ever do such a ridiculous thing?”

  “You must do it because I’m asking you to,” I ground out. “And if you care a whit for me—”

  “Alaire cares for nae one, save ‘imself,” Tallis interrupted in a weak voice. “As true now as it always was.”

  Tallis’s comment put another glare on Alaire’s face. “And you make that claim despite knowing that I followed your love down into this desolate, hideous location before obviously restoring her health?” The glare lessened in intensity as he added, “However, I do find it most curious that Donnchadh could heal you, Bladesmith, but apparently, he cannot heal Lily.”

  “Donnchadh only strengthened me own Druid magic,” Tallis explained. “Besom has naught such magic tae strengthen.” I didn’t know how the healing subject (or lack thereof) worked with the fact that I was now immortal since Donnchadh was within me but figured it was a question for once Tallis was in better condition.

  Alaire pushed himself off the wall and sneered. “Well, it’s not as though that matters anyway now. I was perfectly capable of rescuing her myself in the end.”

  “I want you to restore Tallis’s health now,” I said to Alaire again, my expression unwavering in my determination.

  “And I shall repeat my answer, why would I do that, my dear?” Alaire replied matter-of-factly. “You still have to give me a truly compelling reason. And I’m afraid caring for you does not qualify.”

  I held my chin higher. “Now that Persephone has left my body, never to return, you almost have everything you want.”

  “Almost?” Alaire asked, genuinely curious now.

  “Donnchadh resides inside me,” I reminded him, tapping my chest. “Which means you’ll never fully possess me. One,” I said as I flicked up my index finger, “as you just saw in the dining room, Donnchadh makes me as physically strong as you are, which is the last thing you want to admit. And two,” up went the next finger, “Donnchadh’s rage taints my innocence, which we both know is the first thing you must insist upon.”

  “Go on,” Alaire muttered, his eyes riveted on mine.

  “So, as long I’m filled by a spirit, you may never truly pervert my innocence,” I argued. “First Persephone, now Donnchadh… what’s the difference? The only thing you’ve managed to accomplish is putting the object you’re trying to defile completely out of your reach.”

  “A salient point,” Alaire said reluctantly and very displeased because I was right. “So… what can be done to remedy the situation?”

  I took a deep breath, hoping he would agree to my offer. “First, you have to heal Tallis,” I said as I faced the Bladesmith. He had collapsed on the stone floor and was now panting. “And then I want you to release him.”

  “I’m sorry but putting their mutual history aside, what exactly does that have to do with Donnchadh?” Alaire inquired, a brief flash of anger glinting in his eyes.

  “If you do both of those things,” I continued, turning back around to stare Alaire down, “I’ll allow you to extract Donnchadh from my body.”

  The Master of the Underground City scoffed. “And what exactly would I do with Donnchadh’s soul afterwards?”

  “You’d release it into the Underground City, of course,” I replied. “From there, his soul would be incarcerated and he could receive the punishment he escaped all these centuries in eternity. After you did that, I’d have to remain your prisoner within these walls for as long as you choose to keep me.”

  “Nae, lass,” Tallis protested as he struggled to sit up. But he was much too weak so he quickly collapsed on the stone again.

  I could see the gears in Alaire’s head spinning. “I have to admit that is a very interesting bargain you are attempting to sell me. Naturally, I will require a little time to debate the pros and cons of this plan with myself.”

  “You don’t have any time,” I snapped as I pointed at Tallis. “This bargain preserves Tallis’s health and life, but right now he is dying. Time is absolutely the most essential factor.”

  Alaire studied Tallis for a few seconds before he sighed and nodded. “Yes, I believe that is a fair observation.” Then he approached Tallis, crouching down to my beloved’s level. “I do not understand what it is, Bladesmith, but despite all my efforts, I never can permanently dispense with you.” Then he looked at me over his shoulder. “Then the deal is…”

  “You heal Tallis and release him first,” I stated, more insistently now. “Once I’m convinced that he’s safe and on his way out of the Underground City into the Dark Wood, I’ll allow you to separate me from Donnchadh.”

  I raised my index finger and added, “Not before. We both know how much you like to cheat. But once you fulfill your end of the obligation, I’ll voluntarily remain yours forevermore.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Tallis

  “Lily,
nae!” I called out with the minimal strength I could still muster. I was rather surprised I had managed to utter even those two words.

  Lily’s face was cold as stone, and she did not even look at me as she stipulated the terms of her surrender.

  Foolish besom! Why are ye givin’ oop?

  Tears, the last salt and water I had in all of my body, welled in my eyes.

  Alaire smiled, his eyes darting between the two of us. He clapped his hands together and chuckled with mirth.

  “Oh, this is too good.” He looked me over as he continued to kneel at my side, lifting up my head. Alaire tsked, damn him! “It’s almost touching, really. Well, almost.”

  Lily regarded me and her eyes sparkled with their own tears, which soon spilled onto her fair cheeks. She brought her hand to her mouth and shook her head. Emotion danced in her eyes like the wee folk around a fairy ring.

  The traitor finally released my head and stepped away from me. “Very well,” he said, holding his hand out for Lily to clasp. “We have a deal.” She narrowed her eyes and hesitantly put her hand in his.

  Still holding his pasty hand, Lily spoke, “Just to recap the terms, you must heal Tallis first, and send him to the Dark Wood, back to his home, before I consent to stay here with you. That’s the deal.”

  “I am a man of my word,” Alaire said behind his bared teeth. His grin was more like a rictus and it reminded me of a jackal… He was no more a man of his word than I was a man with a spotless history.

  “I also want twenty minutes alone with him after you… heal him,” she added.

  Alaire’s left eye twitched and his smile fell. “I don’t appreciate bargains with appended clauses.”

  “Do you want me to stay with you here or don’t you?” Lily growled, the full force of her anger smacking his smug face. Her eyes flickered black ever so briefly.