by Darci Darson
The sense of peace was delicate. The rumble and the force throwing Cherry away were unexpected and powerful. Landing on her side, she inhaled her life back with a wheezing effort and wailed as the pain seized the whole of her body. Still blind, she rose to her feet and ran, for Imre.
Eyes adjusting, she turned her head, looking behind for signs of pursuit when without warning, she suddenly hit against a warm obstacle. Bouncing off, she landed on her back, her head bumping the grassy ground as her mind twirled in a daze.
Warm, strong hands lifted her head. A pleasant peace wrapped around her and eased the pain. Ivory, muscular arms assisted her in rising from the ground. The whisper of strange and melodic sounds in her head was as if someone was searching for forgotten memories in her mind. The healing voice gradually became intelligible, like a radio slowly tuned in. She perceived long, dark-brown hair and a pair of violet-blue eyes that seemed to burn with the promise of unconditional support. His name was Radveriel, and he wanted to help her.
“I’m begging you. Help Imre,” Cherry pleaded. “I’m begging you, save him, save Imre, please.”
The wind of his huge, white wings nearly knocked her over. A rustle of feathers exploded into an ear-splitting rumble. Cherry looked up, her eyes amazed. Her heart filled with hope as she realised there were more beings like him in the background. In her mind, she continued to plead for Imre’s life.
When the noise settled Cherry waited. It seemed like forever. An icy hand of the unknown crushed her insides. The growing urge of returning to the battle-field was hitting her like the powerful gusts of a tropical hurricane. She was going around in circles and biting her nails. Enjoying every breath, she tasted the very molecules of the air. Thinking about Imre’s words to her, and about hers to him, she inspected the bruises on her throat but next, she brushed the skin of her neck with the tips of her fingers and then the area of her collarbones, now certain that Felicia had talked about Imre and her. A wave of sensual warmth surged through her body.
It was painful for her that she had no memories of that night and there was this sense of loss about it, like she had been stripped of something very important. Felicia had been right about Imre. He attempted to decide what would be better for her, but now she just wanted him to come back so that they had this chance to learn about each other and how to respect the differences between them and be together. Her fear hit again.
After about half an hour, Radvedriel and the others turned up at the uneven border of the glade where they had left Cherry without her realising. She noticed Taharial among them, but she could not find Imre. A painful tightness in her chest was followed by waves of nausea. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. She walked towards the group as if in slow motion, her dry eyes did not produce any more tears, they could not. She was a void expecting the worst. Her torpid mind seemed numb this time to Radveriel’s melodious voice, she only managed to glean that he had lost sight of Imre and nothing more.
“Where is he?” she whispered to herself. “Where is my Imre?”
A hundred questions started to crowd in Cherry’s head. Imre might not have survived. Their current non-earthly plane could have been a disadvantage to him in the fight. The phrase ‘another plane’ had crystallized in Cherry’s brain when she had met Radveriel. What if that land was a home to the Opyri and as a consequence had made them stronger than on the Earth? She had left Imre for certain death.
The humanoids with majestic wings seemed to communicate. They gazed at each other. Their expressions wrinkled. Two of them departed, flying up to the sky. Their outstretched wings threw a shadow over Cherry as they circled above; others spread among the trees, walking on foot. Cherry understood that they would be searching for Imre. They wanted to help, even the wounded Taharial who they had managed to rescue.
CHAPTER 12
THE CREATURES WITH wings did not come back yet. Taharial watched Cherry from the distance, sitting on the grassy ground and leaning slightly forward. The wounded girl had set off with her companions but come back within about half an hour, looking too exhausted to continue the search. Cherry was grateful for her company as she was scared of the Opyri might otherwise attack her. She found a discreet place to pee and came back in a flash, afraid to be only on her own. They stared at each other, separated by the length of the glade. Taharial seemed to be very intrigued and Cherry decided to lessen the distance between them. She approached the strange girl and sat in front of her, two steps apart. The girl sent her a smile that was... cheeky, despite the pain she had endured, despite her wings being taken by the Opyri. Cherry did not feel strong enough to even attempt any conversation so they remained, exchanging glances as if Taharial had the ability to understand Cherry’s desperation and pain and just tried to be there for her within the eerie silence between them.
Cherry bit her nails and once more analysed a possible scenario of Imre’s tragic death in fight.
Her eyes met Taharial’s and Cherry had the vague impression that her new friend was cross with her. A flood of anaesthetising humming poured into Cherry’s mind and she fell backwards, with her arms jerked for support. Taharial wanted her to rest and gather some strength. Using her melodious telepathy, she also demanded that Cherry should have hope and sent a few more humming tones of irritation.
Cherry jus lay on the soft, grassy bed and stared at the cloudless sky that changed the color into glassy burgundy. For a second, or two, she felt somehow connected with the world around her as if Taharial’s humming opened her mind to new sensations and stimuli. She experienced unison with the plants and insects; caught the strange animal voices from a far and close by. She established a kind of bond with Taharial who now was explaining to her that they would explore this whole new for Cherry experience later. When the vampire was back.
Cherry thought once more that Imre must have been killed.
Taharial told her off with her telepathic irritation and suggested a good sleep. Rolling on her side, Cherry wondered why they were all so nice to Imre and her, and then had a nap. Her last thought was that this place gave her a sense of belonging and... home.
She woke up with a start and the sky was dark, more maroon. She sat up and grabbed her head with both hands, trying to calm her dizziness. She had slept maybe an hour or more. As she looked around, her eyes swept over the winged people surrounding her. They were all back apart from Radveriel. They were staring at her with intrigued smiles on their unique and beautiful faces, looking like they wanted to touch her, to admire her as if she was a precious piece on exhibition in the museum. Cherry could not focus on them as her heart raced and a cold sweat trickled down the back of her neck. Imre was still missing and the creatures wanted to take her to their home.
Cherry stood up with determination to look for him on her own, in this very moment not caring whether she could die, or experience something worse. Nothing mattered for her more than finding out whether he was dead or alive. She wanted to know for sure and if necessary grieve for him.
She was just about to elbow her way through her winged companions, when they pulled back like curtains in the theatre, as if something was about to happen. A moment of silence preceded the performance. When Cherry saw Imre appearing from behind the glassy tree-trunks, she felt dizzy. Her legs wobbled and she stumbled. Making only a slight motion at first, as though her feet were glued to the ground, she sent Imre a smile... Her soul danced in a shiny, happy light. Imre’s face was wounded and his arms were disfigured. He walked slowly, every step must have been a torture for him. Liberating his arm from the support of Radveriel’s, he fell to his knees and growled towards his stunned companion. Radveriel shot him an irritated look of pity and pulled forward to catch up with the rest of the group, with repulsion painted his face.
Cherry darted towards Imre and threw her arms around his neck. He hissed, but his faced lightened as if a sunny, summer morning had kissed his skin. Cherry wanted to burst out with laugh on the recollection of his attempt to be proud and strong even in such circums
tances. Her body filled with the weakness of deep relief.
“My bones are broken, Birdie. Give me a moment.”
“Do you need anything? Blood? Rest? What should I do? ” Cherry tried to guess.
“Stop talking, Woman! I was fighting with three vampires.” Imre liberated himself from her hug and sat on the ground; lowered his head and supported it with his hands.
The tall figures came closer, surrounding Imre and Cherry in a circle, sheltering them with their majestic wings outspread, silent and waiting.
"I think I am similar to them," Cherry said, "As if I met the family that I hadn't known before."
"You are one of them, Birdie. Felicia and I waited for the right moment to tell you about this. Felicia didn’t want to scare you with such revelations. We were not sure whether this weird something inside you would be safe for you. You suffered such a pain and we did not want you to suffer again. And then things got complicated... Everything is very complicated now."
“So what you are trying to tell me now is that I have wings like them?”Cherry asked.”That’s so cool.”
“Not exactly,” Imre said with hesitation.”You are more... primeval.” He took a closer look at her throat and froze. There was a dread in his eyes.
Cherry shook her head, saying, ”Radveriel saved me from that Opyri. I’m fine.”
“You are not fine,” Imre interrupted.”I will give you my blood to heal you.”
“I’m fine,” she said sharply.”You need blood now. You can’t move with your broken bones,” her last words were coated with her cry and she saw that despite his desire to help her, Imre could not move.
Radveriel stepped forward and placed a limp, small body at Imre's feet, with great respect. He did not say a word, just glanced at Cherry and came back to the circle. The animal looked like a furry dark brown and grey bat, the size of a rabbit. It did not move. Its chest, however, showed slight oscillations. Tiny signs of life.
"He wants you to feed. He is saying you are weak and you need to recover," Cherry explained. Radveriel’s voice sang in her head "You are not allowed to kill the creature, though."
Imre bit into the animal's flesh. He did not look like this meal was enjoyable. Cherry observed him suspiciously and chuckled when she saw the repulsion painted on his face. The wounds on his face closed and repaired. The bones knitted together. Imre put the creature aside and it flew away as he wiped his mouth.
"You don’t talk much, do you?" Cherry said. She craved for some explanation of Imre's previous declaration and the details of the fight.
"You, on the other hand, talk enough for both of us," Imre grinned mischievously.
"You are mean to me," she continued.
"The Opyri broke every bone in my body. I endured all that for you!" Imre looked offended by her accusation.
“I thought that you had another woman,” she started her hysterical outburst.
“Why did you think that?” Imre asked, looking very confused.
“I don’t remember anything and you just... growl and growl.”
“Why would I possibly want another woman when I have such a sweet little angel like you. Take my blood. Your throat looks horrible.”
“I don’t want your blood. I want to talk.”
“Everything is clear now. Why talk then?”
"Ok," she murmured. She gave up. "I would like to talk to Radveriel. He has got some information for me. They want to talk to me. I don’t know, Imre, they seem so intrigued with me. Radveriel said in my head that he can help me to gain the knowledge I need in a very quick way."
"Don't be too friendly towards him, Birdie," Imre warned. “He seems to admire your beauty. I will kill him if he dares touch you.”
She did not answer. A timid smile appeared on her face. She enjoyed Imre’s jealousy with her whole being.
“When I saw you for the first time,” Imre started quietly.”I didn’t know how long Felicia and I would live. And I must admit that I am no gentleman. I’m a crude man, Birdie. I was dying, remember? Vampires are not nice when they are dying. I will improve my communication skills.”
Cherry understood. There was nothing more to add.
“I want this crude man,” she said. “And you are really horrible when something is beyond your control.”
Imre watched her approach Radveriel. They stood opposite each other. She was so fragile in comparison to him. Cherry was much shorter, her eyes looking into the middle of his bare chest, which was covered with a kind of square shield. It was attached to his back with four wide strings and a black and white image of a figure with outstretched wings was in the centre. The rest of Radveriel’s outfit mirrored a red, japanese style hakama, as worn by the Samurai in days past.
With arms extended, they pressed their palms together against each other. It felt as if Cherry had fallen into a void. A deep state of relaxation spread in her body. There was a sense of tranquillity mixed with an unearthly humming in her head. It got louder and louder. It was as though she was in the eye of a cyclone, its core timeless and unchangeable, whilst its borders spun with ferocity. She was almost certain that this means of communication would make Imre grind his teeth, or even show his fangs. She glanced at Radveriel.
“You are weirdos,” she muttered to herself and fell silent, embarrassed. She heard Radveriel’s honest laugh in her head.
He telepathically said to her, “You are a weirdo, too.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Radveriel’s voice-song contained a code, which unwrapped into real words and sentences. Cherry called it a song because she could not find better words to describe it. It took back her knowledge and experience from her to him but only what she had agreed to give. There was plenty of Radveriel’s good humour in it. After they had finished Cherry let out a deep sigh. She came back, kneeling beside Imre. She felt feverish. Thin, wet wisps of her hair clung to her hot cheeks. The whole process left her worn out and overloaded with information. From the vast flow of images and sentences, she had managed to store only a few pieces.
"I ... I 'm not sure how to say this but... I 'm not exactly like Radveriel and the others,” Cherry said, looking straight into Imre’s eyes. His boyish and mischievous charm made her thirsty for his kiss and she was unable to focus properly. In fact, she wanted to grab his hand and abduct him to a secluded location where they could tumble together without their clothes on. Where he could touch her like he did before. The memory of his naughty touch made her heart pound and lips part. She wanted to please him again and her skin was boiling hot once more. Waving her hand like a fan in an attempt to cool her own naughty thoughts, she continued, “He said that I was older, ancient...My family vanished long, long ago. There is a never-ending war between the Opyri and his people."
"You are much shorter than them," Imre said and put his hand on her cheek, his cool fingers sank into her hair. The red sparks of his eyes flickered, mischievous and captivating. He obviously did not care that the creatures with wings were watching them, intoxicated by her heat and timid glow.”It took you a second as if they could do tricks with time. But yes, you are really tiny among them.”
"Don't laugh at me,” Cherry dropped her eyes and cringed. Although, she was on fire, longing for his lips pressing against hers.“Radveriel said I could connect to the ancestors and bridge the past if you helped me."
"Just tell me, Birdie. Tell me what to do."
"I don't understand exactly...Stand beside me and take my hand and..and..."
"What?"
"Try ... to love me, very, very much. I know that this is weird but Radveriel said that there was something special between you and me."
"I can love you when your new friends leave us in peace at last," Imre said and rose from the ground. “How can they expect us to make love in front of them,” he muttered.
“Imre,” Cherry sighed and ground her teeth. But when she glanced at him, she saw his cheeky boyish smile like he was only ten years old. He held
Cherry's hand and helped her to stand, seeming no less interested than her. She extended her arm as if she were pressing against an invisible wall, at the same time trying to feel her unique soul as Radveriel had advised her. A strong force pushed them like a gust of strong wind and they were thrown into the black emptiness. She could feel the energy of her soul surging through her, overwhelming, connecting her with the surroundings. Far below them spun a whirl, the colours of white and dark green and navy as if looking like a satellite view of a piece of the Earth. They hung, tormented like a ship in a stormy night. It felt like an especially cold and windy night. Tall forms of blurred light appeared and then drifted away.
“Look, Imre, look at what I can do!” Cherry shouted to him with enthusiasm in her voice. She was curious, not scared, united with the ambience of their current location. It was her world and her life.
“I will never argue with you,” Imre shouted, sarcastically. “Birdie, focus. They are your ancestors. Show them some respect,” he reprimanded her.
Suddenly it all stopped. An explosion of light blinded Cherry. When her eyes adjusted she noticed that they were standing in the glade again but without Radveriel and his people around. She saw the circle created by eight silhouettes of pearly glowing, human shapes with folded wings, separated into four couples. She and Imre were the fifth couple. The ancestors, her family, talked to her, a singing flow of images and words wrapped in a warm, supporting, telepathic embrace. Cherry just listened to them, absorbing the knowledge but she was not ready to face its meaning yet. Imre’s hand with his fingers plaited around hers was like an anchor attaching her to a safe haven. A few seconds passed and Imre and Cherry were back, another explosion had pushed them out from the past. They landed on the ground, their backs against the soft and buffering grass.
Cherry sat up and hid her face in her hands. She wept quietly. Her fingers were pale and shaky. The whole experience had been far too exhausting for her brain, even though she had consumed an enormous amount of the ancestors' loving approval and encouragement. The knowledge she had gained had overwhelmed her.