Aubreigne shook her head. “He didn’t, not like that. Amilanu regained control and forced him away from me. The worst I got was this bite,” Aubreigne said, moving her knees away from her chest so Evangeline could see it.
“Shall I make you a poultice?” Evangeline asked. “I’ll be happy to do it if I may take a few herbs from your garden.”
Aubreigne gestured at the shelf across the small bathroom. “I have some there. But if you wish to take some herbs for your own use, help yourself.”
Evangeline got to her feet and walked over to the shelf that was covered with jars of homemade poultices and remedies. “This one? In the blue jar?” she asked.
“Yes,” Aubreigne answered.
“Would you like help cleaning up?” Evangeline asked, walking back over toward the tub with the jar in her hand.
Aubreigne shook her head again.
“I’ll just wait here while you finish bathing, then I’ll help you with the poultice, and we’ll go out and speak to Enthrall and Lore. I believe Brannaugh is still here as well. I haven’t heard anyone leave,” Evangeline said, taking a seat on a small stool a few feet away and busying herself as she examined the jar of homemade medicinal salve so Aubreigne could finish bathing.
Rune had been curled up just inside the door to the bathroom, his eyes glued to his mistress. When Evangeline moved to the stool, Rune moved to the tub and sat beside it, whining softly at Aubreigne.
Aubreigne reached out a hand and petted his head. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.”
Rune licked her hand, and she petted him again.
“I’ll be okay,” she said, dropping her hand back into the water.
Rune shook his large head to dispel the droplets of water Aubreigne had left there when she petted him. Then he returned to the door, seeming to keep sentry to insure that Aubreigne didn’t get hurt again.
After half an hour or so, the bathroom door opened, and Evangeline came out. She went into Aubreigne’s bedroom, then disappeared back into the bathroom with an armful of clothing. A few minutes more and Evangeline was stepping out of the bathroom and closing the door behind herself before moving toward the three males waiting in the living room.
“Is she alright?” Enthrall asked.
“Yes. She’s sad, heartbroken I’d say, but physically, other than a nasty bite on her chest, she’s fine.”
“A bite?” Brannaugh asked.
“Yes. The Dark One bit her before he left.”
“Did she bite him?” Enthrall asked worriedly.
Evangeline opened her mouth to answer, but then realized she didn’t know.
“No, I didn’t,” Aubreigne said, walking toward them with Rune beside her. She’d opened the door to the bathroom so quietly that no one had realized she was now joining them.
Aubreigne noticed the sofa was gone, and in its place sat an elaborate gold and cream colored settee. It was huge and dominated the room, but it was new to her and definitely much different from the one Rune had killed. “Thank you for the new sofa,” Aubreigne said as she went straight toward it and sat down on it experimentally.
“It should be very soft and restful,” Lore said. “Of the utmost quality.”
“It is very soft,” Aubreigne agreed. “I appreciate your efforts. I will, of course, repay you.”
“You will do no such thing. It sat in a formal drawing room of a certain member of royalty who I believe never even entered the room. They most likely will not even notice it missing for quite some time,” Lore said. “It cost me nothing more than a few moments of time.”
Aubreigne smiled as she smoothed her hand over the golden and cream colored damask silk upholstery. “You do nothing simply, do you?” Aubreigne asked, smiling sadly at Lore.
Lore grinned. “I thought to myself, where will I find furniture as fine as a female of Aubreigne's stature deserves? A castle, came the answer. So I went there straightaway. Do you like it?” he asked. “I even brought along the coverlets I found on the chair nearby. I disposed of all the linens with the sofa, I’m afraid. I just assumed, I did not think to ask if you wanted the linens or not.”
“It’s fine, Lore. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I like them both very much,” Aubreigne answered, chuckling a bit in spite of herself. “Both the settee and the coverlet are quite beautiful.”
“Then it was well worth the moments I spent acquiring it,” Lore said proudly.
“May we sit?” Enthrall asked.
“Please,” Aubreigne answered, motioning for Rune to move closer to her to allow everyone to sit comfortably.
Lore and Enthrall sat, but Brannaugh remained standing some feet from the sitting area of the living room.
“Brannaugh? Won’t you sit?” Aubreigne asked.
Brannaugh didn’t answer, he got straight to what was bothering him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to intervene, Aubreigne. I promised to look after you, and I took it for granted that he wouldn’t hurt you. I should never have assumed that he was to be trusted based on his recent behavior.”
“It wasn't your fault. He is mine to trust or not, and the male who attacked me is not the male you speak of. Please, join us,” Aubreigne said. “I have much to explain.”
Brannaugh was obviously confused as he slowly took a seat with everyone else.
It was apparent to Aubreigne’s four guests that Aubreigne was having trouble getting started with her explanation. So Enthrall began for her. “I am aware of Amilanu. As I explained several years back, he was once a friend.
“I’m aware as well thanks to Enthrall explaining the situation to me,” Lore added.
“Who is Amilanu?” Brannaugh asked, looking from Enthrall to Lore.
Evangeline just sat beside Lore and held his hand, looking back and forth as each person spoke. She didn’t know either, but figured she would soon.
“Amilanu is my mate. He is the male that you see before you when you see The Dark One — for the most part anyway. He made a pact in a moment of stupidity that has plagued him for more centuries than I can even imagine. That pact allowed The Dark One to share his body, and in return he’d be given all the powers The Dark One possessed, including being lord and master over his own domain. He’s been granted repeated opportunities to leave the underworld, but each time The Dark One forces his way to the forefront, engaging in his habits of gluttony and sin, forcing their return.”
“It was Amilanu, then, that I’ve encountered recently. There was no malice from him,” Brannaugh said.
“Exactly,” Aubreigne agreed.
“This time, Amilanu came to me while I was awake. He thought himself dying. I took care of him and as he strengthened, we talked. We’d never spoken before when Amilanu was in control. I’d only ever been exposed to The Dark One. The Dark One despises me for the power I have over him. I could never understand why I couldn’t force him from my thoughts when all he held for me was contempt. It was as though there were two of him — one that came to me from time to time as I slept. That one left me gifts and beautiful drawings, trying to take care of me and to give me some insight into what he was feeling, and struggling through. And then of course The Dark One who wants everything from everyone no matter what it costs them. He is never satisfied, can never be satisfied. His thoughts are only of what he can have, and what others can do for him next. But this last time he came to me, he told me of his life, of how he was trapped and battling every day for his freedom. And I understood finally why I felt so drawn to such a horrible male. It was Amilanu I was drawn to, not The Dark One, the dark spirit living inside him.”
Aubreigne looked at Enthrall. “I know we thought that The Dark One was my mate, but we were wrong. Amilanu is my mate. The Dark One is nothing to me at all. It is why I can control him with my song.”
Enthrall nodded. “That at least is good news. I cannot imagine the burden of being The Dark One’s mate.” Enthrall hesitated before asking the one thing that was on his mind. “There is a bite?” he asked.
Aubr
eigne nodded. “There is. It’s here,” she said, gesturing with her hand to her breast.
“You did not bite him?” Enthrall asked.
Aubreigne shook her head. “I did not. We are not bound. And I’m not sure we would be even if I had. Amilanu’s body is his own, is it not?”
Enthrall didn’t answer right away. “I would believe so, but, the one who is in control at the time of the marking I would think would be the one to bond to you, since the soul is actually bound, not the body, though the marking is on the body. Though I’m just not sure.”
“Amilanu said as much. We only spoke and shared our company because he was afraid if he bound me to him it might involve The Dark One. It was how I knew he was no longer Amilanu. He became more insistent, pushing me backward on the sofa and trying to…” She stopped talking, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing. “I was angry, not that he’d try to force himself on me, but that he’d taken my Amilanu from me again. I fought him, and he tore my clothes from me. The angrier I got, the hotter my skin became, the stronger the winds swirling around me became. He stripped away my shirt and bit me. I was enraged, sending my body temperature to a blistering level — quite literally. When he touched me next, he roared in pain, pulling his blistered hands from me. I was able to get away and began to sing. He tried to slap his hands over his ears and screamed in pain again. Then Amilanu looked at me from that face. They were his eyes I looked into, the pain on his face was his own heart at seeing what I’d endured. He forced The Dark One away from me, away from my home, and I believe away from Whispers. It is what he does. When he knows he is in full control he comes to me, though this was, as I said, the first time we’d spoken. When he feels The Dark One becoming powerful again, he takes him far away from me to lose himself in his vices so that he doesn’t think of me. Amilanu fears that once The Dark One realizes what I am to him, there will be no keeping him away from me, which is why he tempts The Dark One with the things he loves most until he is so satiated of those things, he is content to allow Amilanu control while he slumbers.”
“Sex, illicit drugs and drink,” Lore said.
Aubreigne gave a nod, but blinked repeatedly to keep the tears away from the thought of her beloved Amilanu lying with another — or many others.
“Whatever occurs, it is not Amilanu,” Brannaugh said gently.
Aubreigne looked at Brannaugh, grateful for him understanding what she felt, and nodded but said nothing.
“You don’t know for sure that he’s not somewhere in Whispers, though,” Enthrall asked.
“I don’t believe he is, but no, I don’t know for sure,” Aubreigne answered.
“What we do know for sure is that though you were bitten, he was not, so in the common order of things, you are not bound to him, nor him to you, no matter who he is,” Lore said.
“We know that each time The Dark One loses strength and Amilanu is able to take over, he comes back to you. So, even if he’s not here now, he will at some point be back,” Enthrall added.
“And when he does come back, we shall be ready,” Lore said.
“For what?” Aubreigne asked.
“To send him back to Hell,” both Enthrall and Lore said at the same time.
“You can’t send him to Hell! Amilanu will be condemned forever!” Aubreigne objected.
“He condemned himself long ago, Aubreigne. I went with Lore the last time to speak with him. He’d been begging for a meeting with me, and though I knew better, I went because of Amilanu, because of the male I once knew. It quickly became apparent that the male I went to speak with was not the male I was actually speaking with. I meant to leave him there, but he seized upon Lore’s mists and followed us through the portal to end up here. He was not meant to leave Hell.”
“But he doesn’t deserve to be condemned forever! He’s a good male!” Aubreigne insisted.
“He made his choice years ago,” Enthrall said gently. “When I knew him, even then he’d already been condemned for longer than even he knew. Apparently he was attempting to win his freedom even then, having been granted a second chance by the fates. And he lost that chance. And every chance since, which is why he determined to make his own chance at redemption and followed us back here.”
Aubreigne shook her head. “It wasn't Amilanu that followed you, or that ruined a single chance at redemption. It was The Dark One. Amilanu would have been successful. He’s been fighting for so long.”
“Would that I could free him, Aubreigne, I would. I very much miss the Amilanu that I once knew. But it’s simply not possible. There is no way to free him,” Enthrall said emphatically.
“But there is. He told me of the way to do it,” Aubreigne said passionately.
Chapter 20
Enthrall sat forward, pinning Aubreigne with an intense look. “There is no way to free Amilanu.”
“Yes, there is. It will be difficult, but it can be done,” she insisted.
“Tell us how,” Lore said, as curious about how to separate the souls of Amilanu and The Dark One as Enthrall was.
“He needs a host, a body to lure The Dark One into. One that is attractive enough for The Dark One to want to inhabit it. He must be of the same mind that The Dark One is, enjoy all the sins that The Dark One does. He must be willing to share his body with The Dark One, in exchange for being able to access The Dark One’s power. In exchange for becoming lord of his own domain with all who dwell there bowing to his will.”
“Why must he be attractive?” Lore asked, easily understanding all the rest.
“Temptation. He must have the ability to tempt,” Evangeline said, her eyes unfocused and faraway as she remembered her own time in The Dark One’s keep.
“Who would be willing to trade himself, body and soul literally, give up his life and live for all eternity in Hell ruling as The Dark One?” Lore asked.
“I have no idea,” Enthrall said.
“But it’s a possibility. It can be done,” Aubreigne insisted.
“If you have a willing host. I know of no one. And then we’d have the added problem of having to deal with whoever The Dark One is moved to. It could be even worse than it is now,” Enthrall said.
“Unless I force him back to Hell as he is still adjusting to his new body,” Lore said thoughtfully.
“You could do that?” Brannaugh asked.
“I can do many things, dear boy,” Lore said, grinning at Brannaugh.
“What if he is more powerful in his body than we anticipate?” Enthrall asked.
Lore sat thinking for a moment before smiling confidently. “Then we have Luci help me. Surely two ancients can overpower a newly anointed Dark One and force him back to his realm before he realizes what is happening.”
They all sat there, working through the possibilities in their own minds.
“Murder will never allow Luci to even approach Hell,” Aubreigne said.
Lore met Aubreigne’s gaze. “You are most likely correct. I can do it alone. I am sure of it.”
“Assuming you could, Lore, there is still one problem,” Enthrall said.
“And that is?” Aubreigne asked.
“A body,” Enthrall, Lore, and Brannaugh all said at once.
“No one in their right mind would volunteer to condemn themselves to Hell for all eternity,” Enthrall added.
After much back and forth about the possibility of such an occurrence, and enough time spent with Aubreigne to be sure she was for the most part unharmed, Lore and Evangeline took their leave.
“I will check back on you later this evening, Aubreigne,” Evangeline said, hugging Aubreigne to her as she and Lore prepared to leave.
“Thank you, but it’s not necessary,” Aubreigne said.
“It is. Friends take care of friends. I will have Lore bring me back so I can assure myself you’re doing well,” Evangeline insisted.
“It’s already late. And I plan to eat and go to bed very early. And Rune is with me. It’s not necessary to come tonight,” Aubreig
ne explained.
“Then I’ll be here tomorrow morning. We’ll have breakfast. Oh! I’ll bring some more of those pastries that Lore brought to the wedding. You’ll get us more sweets won’t you, love?” Evangeline asked Lore while caressing his face with her hand.
“I shall acquire you a whole bakery if you wish,” he announced.
“Just the pastries, and breakfast here in the morning,” Evangeline said, smiling happily.
“Consider it done,” Lore answered.
“Then I’ll see you both in the morning,” Aubreigne said, knowing full well there was no swaying either of them.
“We shall see you soon,” Lore said, holding Evangeline to him as they misted away.
“I’ll be on my way as well,” Enthrall said. “If you need me, you send for me, if nothing else, send your wolf. If I see him I will know that you have sent him.”
“I’ll be fine. But thank you, Enthrall. Thank you for soothing me. Thank you for understanding, but it is only my heart that hurts. I will be fine,” Aubreigne said.
“Bones and flesh can heal, Aubreigne. A heart can tear you apart anew every single day. Do not make light of it and do not pretend it is nothing. Seek us out, your friends and family are here for you,” Enthrall said sincerely.
“Thank you,” Aubreigne answered, doing her best to pretend that all was well now. She hated appearing weak, but the loss of Amilanu had truly brought her to her knees, and she’d been completely broken when Enthrall had found her.
“I’ll check on you tomorrow afternoon, since I know that Lore and Evangeline will be here in the morning,” Enthrall said.
“I appreciate your attentions, but it’s not necessary to go out of your way. I’m sure your family needs you,” Aubreigne said.
“You are my family. If there was any question before, it was answered and sealed when your daughter married my son. Do not make this difficult. I will pay you a visit tomorrow, not as the leader and protector of Whispers, but as your family.
Aubreigne smiled. “Or perhaps the next day, so that I have someone checking on feeble Aubreigne every single day at least once a day,” she said, smiling sarcastically at Enthrall.
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