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Astray

Page 23

by J F Rogers


  So this is what it’s like to die.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  ◊◊◊

  AODAN RELEASED HIS HOLD and staggered back. His mouth opened in a silent scream. Pain bulged his eyes. Was he in emotional or physical pain? Perhaps both. Something tormented him. His mouth moved as though attempting to speak. Then he dropped to the ground.

  The crowd hushed.

  Tremors racked Aodan’s body as if in a seizure. Then he stilled as if the life had left his body.

  No one stirred. Not a sound was audible. All seemed frozen as we waited with bated breath for something to happen.

  Morrigan bent over him. “He has no breath.” She spoke slowly, as if in a trance, her hand gently caressing Aodan’s face. Though my eyes failed to see her move, her face now turned up at me, her eyes angry slits. “What is the meaning of this?”

  My body trembled, struggling to focus on the events transpiring before me. Aodan somehow failed to murder me. But the savage look in Morrigan’s eyes could surely strike me dead. My head swooned. I nearly fell.

  De’Rahn and Be’Norr gripped me on either side, holding me upright.

  Aodan sucked in a breath, arching his back. We all jumped back. Morrigan pulled her hand away. It remained suspended in midair as her wide eyes stared. Morbid fascination filled me as he writhed.

  Morrigan backed from him as though he might infect her. “What have you done?”

  I took a deep breath, trying to still my trembling, and shook my head.

  Aodan opened his eyes, groaned, and attempted to stand. Once on his feet, he swayed and looked at me.

  I gasped. His eyes had changed. They looked like mine. His pale face held a tinge of pink.

  “What have you done to me?” His voice had changed, stripped of its earlier arrogance.

  “I don’t—” I tried backing away, but the guards held me firm. “I don’t know.”

  “I feel different. What did you do?” His eyes searched me. “I bit you. I drank your blood. Yet you aren’t hurt.”

  Morrigan materialized in front of me as a gust of wind swirled my hair. She pushed Aodan aside and glared at me. “I demand to know what you’ve done.” She stood, inches within my face. My body pushed back without my willing it to do so, with no visible force, moving my guards along with me. It was as if invisible force fields surrounded us. She, like a polar opposite magnet, repelled me within too close a proximity.

  My mouth hung open as I shook my head. Clueless. What should have taken place here tonight, other than their intent to kill me, which had backfired?

  Morrigan’s face twisted into something more primal, more heinous. She let out an animalistic high-pitched scream full of pure rage. Something glinted in the candlelight next to her cloak—a blade.

  Aodan stepped between us and grunted as the blade found its mark. He clutched his stomach and faltered backward into me.

  Over his shoulder, Morrigan stared. She brought bloody hands up to her mouth.

  Aodan slumped to the ground, landing on his back, his eyes wide.

  Morrigan knelt beside him. “What trickery is this? Get up, Aodan. You are a fasgadair.”

  “I’m-I’m dying, Morrigan.” He sputtered blood.

  She released a nervous laugh. “You cannot die, foolish one. You are immortal. I made you immortal.”

  Aodan turned from her and cast his gaze upward. “Forgive me.” Blood pooled in his open mouth and spilled down its sides. His dead eyes stared at the ceiling. The hilt of a blade protruded at an upward angle under his rib cage.

  Morrigan pulled the dagger from Aodan’s gut, and blood gushed from the wound. She opened the cloak, tore the tunic underneath, and touched the laceration. She turned her attention to his head. Her fingers glided down the side of his face and neck, leaving a trail of blood. Bending over him, she placed her cheek over his mouth as if seeking breath. Then she returned to the wound.

  “He isn’t turning to dust.” Morrigan spoke to no one in particular. “But he isn’t regenerating.” Her emotionless voice seemed to be trying to sort it out. “He cannot be dead. ’Tis not possible. A knife to the chest would not kill a fasgadair.” She looked up, her wide eyes blinked once in my direction. “You changed him.”

  Those within earshot sucked in their breath. A frenzy of activity buzzed. I stared, trying to make sense of what I’d witnessed. The guards holding me whisked me away.

  Morrigan screeched. “Stop her!”

  But flames erupted in the entryway, blocking the path, without wood or kindling to ignite. Had I done that?

  My guards dragged me backward with inhuman speed, into the hallway, through stone, back into the hidden passageways.

  One question pinged around my head like a bouncy ball with an endless supply of energy: What happened in there?

  De’Rahn and Be’Norr released my arms. De’Rahn narrowed his eyes. “Is it true? Did you change Aodan back into a gachen? Is it possible?”

  “I’m not sure what happened.” When I faltered, Be’Norr caught me.

  They gazed at me as if they hadn’t eaten in years. I feared they might attempt to bite me, as Aodan had, just to see what would happen. But I needed their help if I had any chance of escaping.

  Be’Norr moved closer. He swept aside my hair and bent over my neck. His breath warmed me. As he prepared to pierce my skin, I stepped back. “Wait!”

  He paused, stood, and stared at me.

  “I let Aodan bite me. What if you try without my permission and it kills you?” I had no idea where those words came from. But they seemed my only hope of getting my mother out alive.

  “Will you allow us then?”

  “I don’t know what I did or if I can do it again. But I promise to try if you’ll help rescue my mother and the gachen with her.”

  The two looked at each other.

  “If there ever was a good time, brother, ’tis now. Aodan is dead,” De’Rahn said.

  “But Morrigan…” Be’Norr adjusted the hood on his cloak, revealing dark hair for a brief moment. “And the others.”

  “Right now there is confusion. And the fire.” De’Rahn turned to me. “How long will it last?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve never done that before. I’m not even sure it was me.”

  The two cocked their heads in confusion then faced one another. As though reading each other’s minds, they nodded.

  Be’Norr waved me toward him. “We will risk it. The chance to return to our former beings will be payment enough. We’ll help you.”

  The vamp brothers escorted me to the room holding my mother and the others. The same guard sat by the door, rising as we approached.

  “Open up,” De’Rahn commanded.

  The guard had opened the door without question before. This time, he raised an eyebrow. “Why aren’t you at the Gealach Lionadh? And why is she here?” He motioned toward me. “Didn’t Aodan plan to kill her?”

  “Ask Aodan what he plans. We are delivering her here, per his request.”

  Shaking his head, the guard turned to open the door.

  The moment the lock clicked free, De’Rahn grasped the guard’s head and snapped his neck like a twig. Once released, the guard dropped to the floor.

  “Quickly,” Be’Norr called to the captives, in a hushed voice. “We must leave before his body regenerates.”

  I ran to my mother. With renewed strength, I helped her to her feet.

  She leaned on me as I assisted her out the door. “What happened to Aodan? Something within him changed. I felt it. Now I feel nothing.”

  “Come. We must go. Now. Aodan is dead.”

  She gasped and fell against me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have told her yet.

  I struggled to hold her up, despite her small, emaciated frame. “Are you all right?”

  She straightened, bearing more of her own weight again. “I just…I always hoped…”

  “Shhh. We can discuss it later. We need to get out of he
re.”

  De’Rahn took the lead. The gachen followed. Their bare feet padded on the stone, slipping on loose hay as they hurried along. I counted gachen as I turned back to make sure everyone got out—thirty-seven in all.

  Be’Norr nudged me to follow the group, his gaze darting in every direction.

  De’Rahn stopped at the end of a hallway, holding his hand up to us. He peered around the corner, down the hall to the right, then the left. Rather than take either passage, he scurried across to the far wall and walked partway through, motioning us to follow. He glanced down the other passages again. “This way. Quickly.”

  Once we all made it through, I breathed a sigh of relief. We’d gotten this far—praise God! Perhaps we’d make it out alive. Aodan was dead, through no plan of my own. One part of the prophecy was complete. Perhaps I hadn’t chosen incorrectly after all.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  ◊◊◊

  OUR GROUP FOLLOWED DE’Rahn and Be’Norr through the tunnels for what felt like forever. Many of the slaves were malnourished, and their muscles had atrophied, slowing our progress. When we came to a stairway leading down, De’Rahn addressed us. “This stairwell spirals for a mile or so, to a hidden entrance at the base of the mountain, far from the main entrance.”

  I glanced at the tired faces. “Can we take a break first?”

  De’Rahn hesitated then nodded. “It will be a while before sunrise anyway.”

  The temporary surge of energy drained, and every muscle in my body ached with fatigue. I leaned against the wall and slid to a sitting position. Something tickled my arm. I touched it, and my fingers came away with slime. I pulled what I could gather of the back of my dress to find it covered with whatever coated the walls. “Ugh.”

  My mother sat beside me. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “What happened? How did Aodan die?”

  “I don’t know. He bit me.” I pushed my hair to show her.

  She gasped and inspected it, then let out a relieved breath. “Two small punctures. Scabs have already formed. He was in no hurry, at least. You’ll be fine.” She peered into my eyes. “Then what happened?”

  “Well, he-he fell. When he got up, he looked…different.”

  “In what way?”

  “He looked human.”

  Cataleen covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes moist. She lowered her hand to speak. “How’d he die?”

  “Morrigan stuck a dagger in him. She meant to kill me. He protected me.”

  “He protected you?” She straightened and tilted her head slightly, her eyebrows pinched together. “How can this be?”

  I shrugged.

  “We don’t know either, but we’re curious to find out. Aren’t we, brother?” Be’Norr turned to De’Rahn.

  “More than I can say.” De’Rahn crossed his arms. “It’s fortunate for you that we happened to be your guards. No others could have helped you escape.”

  “No, brother. It’s fortunate she’s helping us,” Be’Norr corrected him.

  “She better.” De’Rahn threw an icy glare my way. “I’m getting hungry.”

  Be’Norr shook his head. “Settle yourself. Aodan is dead. You’re getting what you want.” He returned his attention to me. “What my brother means is that, aside from Aodan, we’re the only ones who know about these hidden passages.

  “Some of them,” De’Rahn interrupted.

  “Right. Years ago, we discovered a secret path. I leaned against a wall and fell through the rock. It led to a path, and we followed it. We have spent years tapping on walls, finding secret passages, following them, and mapping them. If anyone can get you all out of Ceas Croi unnoticed, it’s us.”

  “Praise God!” My mother exclaimed, as did others who’d overheard. They leaned toward those who hadn’t heard to explain. Excited chatter echoed through the tunnel. I hoped the news would renew their strength and quicken their pace—and not bring unwanted company.

  We stood and resumed our trek. We needed food and water.

  About ten minutes into our descent, Be’Norr stopped. “None will follow us here. But to be safe…” He moved toward a stone protruding from the wall and pushed it. A large circular stone embedded in the wall rolled across the stairwell, blocking the path behind us. “The pech installed these defenses. We might as well use them.” He shrugged. “Keep going. De’Rahn and I will catch up.”

  Every few feet, Be’Norr and De’Rahn stayed behind to add another barricade until the stairs came to a halt, as they had in the tower.

  “This is the way out. It comes out on the far side of the mountain, in a heavily wooded area. No one knows about it, and no roads traverse nearby. Still, we need to remain hidden until daylight.” De’Rahn turned to me. “We will need to check for the sun, but Be’Norr and I are not able to in our current condition. Now is the time to change us.”

  “We have fulfilled your request, have we not?” Be’Norr said.

  My heart pounded. Dare I let them try now? What if it didn’t work? What if they killed me in the process? I’d already lost blood. And now I had two who needed to take more from me? How much could I afford to lose?

  I glanced at the onlookers, so close to their escape. A promise was a promise. I would not go back on my word. God, help me. “I’m ready.”

  My mother turned to me. “Wait. Ready for what?”

  “They want to see if-if what happened to Aodan could happen for them.”

  Her eyes grew large. “You mean—?”

  I nodded.

  “But what if it doesn’t work? What if they—?”

  “It’s the deal I made. I can’t go back on my word.”

  “But—”

  I laid a hand on her shoulder. “I must do this. If you want to help, pray.”

  She stared for a moment, then nodded and backed away. She sat with the other gachen lining the stairwell, eyes wide as if watching a suspenseful movie.

  A wicked smile tugged at De’Rahn’s lips. He turned to Be’Norr. “You first, little brother.”

  Be’Norr studied his brother. “You’re afraid it won’t work.”

  De’Rahn laughed. “Don’t be foolish. We’ll both have a turn.”

  “But not if I die.”

  De’Rahn shrugged.

  Be’Norr shook his head. “Fine.” He took me in his arms. His teeth didn’t hurt much more than a mosquito bite. Still, I had to resist the impulse to swat at him. The same sensation I felt with Aodan came over me again as he sipped—peace and an inexplicable love for him. Was it was possible to love someone you didn’t even know, even a fasgadair?

  Be’Norr released his hold and staggered back throwing me a pained, quizzical look before falling to the ground, writhing in agony. Then he stilled.

  De’Rahn grabbed my arm. “What have you done to him?”

  “I don’t know, but you were there. You saw. This is what happened with Aodan.” I shrank from the unpredictable anger in his creepy eyes.

  Like before, we all waited, scarcely breathing.

  Be’Norr sucked in a breath as he arched his back, startling us all.

  “See?” I let out a relieved breath. “Just like with Aodan.”

  Be’Norr writhed, and then stilled, his breathing returning to normal. He moaned and blinked, glancing about the room as if trying to remember what had happened. He faltered as he tried to stand.

  De’Rahn rushed to help him. “How do you feel?”

  Between each exaggerated blink, normal bright blue eyes made an appearance. His skin darkened.

  “It worked.” De’Rahn didn’t seem to believe his own words.

  “What happened?” Be’Norr rubbed his head.

  “You drank from Fallon, remember? How do you feel?”

  Be’Norr looked himself over. “It hurts a little. Remember when you were a gachen and your leg would fall asleep if you sat on it too long? ’Tis like that.” He held his arms out, in
specting each, one at a time, wiggling his fingers as if he’d never seen them before, and then returned his gaze to his brother. His eyes widened. “She did it. She cured me. I am no longer a fasgadair! I can feel it.”

  Gasps and praises rushed like a wave from the gachen along the wall.

  De’Rahn gazed at me. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something. I expected him to demand I change him right away. His hesitation prompted me to ask, “Do you want to be healed?”

  He turned from me to his brother and back, biting his lip. His fang drew blood. He licked it and nodded.

  My confidence in changing him grew with two successful transitions, but so much blood loss at once…And something about De’Rahn in particular worried me, panging my gut. Despite my fears, I moved toward him.

  De’Rahn gripped me tight. His breath warmed my neck as his conflicted moan amplified so close to my ear. He sank his teeth in—deep.

  I cried out.

  “Stop!” My mother moved toward us.

  De’Rahn blocked her from view. Her voice sounded far away. “You’re hurting her!”

  I tried to push De’Rahn, but he didn’t budge. I fought to cry out, but only a gurgling noise escaped. I needed air, but my breath came up short.

  God, help me!

  De’Rahn released me and stepped back as I slumped to the ground.

  My mother rushed to me and cradled my head in her arms. I took deep breaths and struggled to focus. De’Rahn appeared to be choking. Blood spurted out of his mouth. He bent over, spit it out, and fell. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, then stilled. Life left his bulging, unchanged eyes.

  Be’Norr knelt beside his brother and jostled him. He then placed his cheek by his mouth and nose. “He’s dead.” Be’Norr turned to me. A dreamlike quality, as though in a trance, softened his voice. “You killed a fasgadair.”

  “We don’t know that. You and Aodan stopped breathing too.” Please, God, let him be alive.

  The veins in De’Rahn’s face turned gray with an almost imperceptible crackling sound. The gray fanned out to the capillaries, then the rest of his skin. Dust.

 

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