by R A Browell
‘We must wait for Valens before we cross the causeway. He’s bringing clothes that will make you all look less conspicuous. Try not to look so worried Lily,’ she added with a reassuring smile.
‘So you’re saying that we’re hated here so much, that we need some kind of disguise even to go into that place?’ said Charlie, his normal colour gradually returning after the long, fast ride.
‘Charlie,’ replied Silky impatiently, ‘as far as I’m aware no one knows who you are or why you’re here. Remember it’s only Lily who was requested to attend here. I’ve merely passed Valens a message to bring some clothes so that you’ll blend in and not draw undue attention to yourselves, which would only fuel speculation about who you are. Pergamont rarely has strangers enter its walls, never mind strangers from a different world who happen to be vampires.’ She looked at each of them and sighed. ‘I suppose I should at least be grateful that you’ve all fed recently!’
Temore, Silky’s epona, shivered involuntarily as Silky mentioned vampires and feeding and the graceful nymph reached down and calmly stroked him as she continued. ‘All I’m saying is that your distinctive human clothing is best covered up. To go into the city dressed as you are will only draw attention to us and I’ve been asked to try and keep Lily’s arrival as low-key as possible. Which, I must add, is almost impossible given that we are now five instead of two! There will be concerns!’
The boys looked back at Silky with blank expressions on their faces.
‘What she’s trying to say,’ explained Lily, ‘is that in this world, they think that our kind only travel together in groups if we’re hunting, so if they find out we’re vampires, the assumption would always be that we’re here to cause trouble.’ She smiled at Charlie as she continued. ‘Humans assume the worst, so why shouldn’t Farisians,’ she added with a shrug. ‘It’s best to do things quietly and as Silky says. Don’t be so aggressive, Charlie. Do you really want to end up in some kind of fight with a gang of Farisians?’
‘No,’ he conceded, holding up his hands, ‘and I hear what you’re saying. I’ll wear Farisian clothes if you think it’ll make the difference. Who’s this Valens bloke who’s bringing them?’
‘Silky’s son,’ replied Lily quickly. She felt her face reddening.
‘I’m not saying that no one will guess who you are,’ continued Silky, ‘but if you don’t look too different then you’re less likely to be scrutinised. Remember most Farisians don’t have your predatory senses, so you may well go unnoticed.’
‘Look!’ said Hari pointing to the far side of the lake. A rider was approaching, moving fast on his mount and growing larger as he closed the distance.
‘Valens,’ Silky called out, alighting from Temore as she waited for her son to draw close. The tall figure stopped in a flurry of dust, dismounted gracefully and embraced his mother as Lily and the others watched in silence. Lily recognised his proud face and tall, muscular body from the one time she’d seen him sitting with Silky on the branch by the waterfall back at home.
‘Valens, this is Hari, James and Charlie and of course you already know Lily.’ Silky introduced each of the teenagers in turn and Valens acknowledged them with a nod, his eyes finally settling on Lily.
‘You’ve changed since I last saw you,’ he said and stepping forwards, he reached up, took Lily’s hand and raised it gently to his lips. Lily’s stomach lurched unexpectedly and as his hand touched hers, a tiny current of electricity ran across her fingers. They stared at each other for a split second before Valens turned back to the others and offered his hand in friendship to each of them.
‘You brought the clothes?’
Valens nodded at his mother.
‘The epona brought the message. I’ve left a whole herd of them at home in the west meadow munching through next year’s hay supply. Not a great deal for us I have to say!’ He grinned as he pulled a bundle from the white horse standing patiently by his side. ‘I don’t know whether they’ll fit, I just grabbed a handful, but you all look like you’re a similar height to me, except Lily of course!’ He threw each of the boys a bundle.
‘Yours might be a little too long, see how it fits,’ he said as he offered Lily a swathe of midnight blue velvet. She dismounted, allowing him to place it over her shoulders, aware that the boys were watching Valens like hawks.
‘Thank you so much, Aegle,’ she whispered, reaching up to stroke the beautiful creature, ‘for your speed and your kind words.’
Aegle bent his head down low and pushed his nose into Lily’s arm, gently nuzzling into her. ‘It has been an honour to have carried you, Daughter of Vebbia. You and your friends have many challenges ahead. Much may depend on all of you. Should you ever need our help again, you need only call to Zephyrus, the West Wind and we will come. Such a call can be made in any of the four worlds, for the elements, the winds and the tides and all of Earth’s natural cycles are common to us all. If you need our help, Lily Carfax, just call out and we will come. That is the promise of the epona.’
Lily swallowed hard.
‘I won’t forget your kindness, not ever,’ she whispered.
The five epona, their hot, sleek bodies now steaming in the cold night air, herded together and then, giving their final high-pitched tribute to the small group, they turned on their hooves and set off, galloping back towards the mountain range from where they’d just come. Within a minute they were gone, leaving only a cloud of dust and a group of six visitors, standing on the causeway to Pergamont Castle, barefoot, cloaked and quite alone.
Lily pulled the blue velvet cloak tight around her body and covered her head with the hood as the six figures started to cross the cobbled causeway.
‘Don’t you think our lack of footwear gives us away?’ said Charlie in an undertone as Lily and James each glanced down at their feet, still bare from hunting on the moors.
‘Maybe barefoot is fashionable here!’ Lily suggested as they approached the two heavy wooden doors set into the thick grey walls.
They all listened.
Although it was an oasis of perfect solitude on their side of the doors; with just the sound of lapping water against the great walls, they could hear the muffled noise of clamouring laughter and merriment in the city beyond. Silky walked quietly up to one side of the weather-worn gate and placed her hand against the stone pillar at the exact point where the great keystone had been worn smooth.
The doors jolted open, revealing a narrow, but brightly lit street which seemed to be packed with noise and activity of every kind and as the new arrivals quickly entered, they swung back, closing behind them with a thundering clunk.
‘Follow me. Stay close,’ ordered Silky as she led the five cloaked teenagers up through the narrow, cobbled street.
Lily pulled her hood slightly away from her face so that she could get a better look at everything around her. The main street, which led up towards the castle, was alive and buzzing, with brightly lit shops and houses. Strangely dressed Farisians darted here and there. Some were shopping, others were hanging out of the windows gossiping and laughing, whilst others were sitting on little wooden stools outside the narrow shop doors calling for passers-by to try their wares as their fellow Farisians hurried past, their arms filled with baskets and business. A few old timers sat by the water fountains, happy in their own little bubbles of tranquillity; watching life as it charged frantically by. It wasn’t what Lily had expected at all. She glanced down one of the still narrower streets that led off from the main thoroughfare and peered into a courtyard flooded with light and the living. She was drawn to the noise and merriment of these people, all of whom seemed to be eating, drinking, chatting and laughing.
‘Is it some kind of carnival?’ asked Lily, in a whisper.
Silky shook her head and smiled.
‘No, it’s just a normal evening in Pergamont, when everyone comes out to join their neighbours in a little drink and gossip before the close of day.’
Down one particular courtyard, street juggle
rs were entertaining a crowd, all of them held in suspense by a particularly intricate balancing act. In another, a brightly dressed magician performed tricks to a seated circle of wide eyed children, and in yet another, an acrobatic team delighted the crowd as they tossed each other high into the air. A street corner afforded a stage to a band of musicians who played on instruments that Lily didn’t recognise. She could smell food; the sort of sticky, sweet, fairground food that she remembered from being little and which still made her mouth water. The whole city was alive and bubbling as they made their way anonymously up the long run of shallow steps which led them further away from the main city gate and up towards the castle.
As they climbed higher, the sound of merriment and laughter gradually faded, along with the light. They passed through a deserted part of town where everything was shut up for the evening. Surrounded by nothing but darkness and silence, they finally arrived at the castle gatehouse, which was set within another ring of walls and once again Silky pressed her hand against the keystone and the gates opened in the usual way.
‘Silky, I mean your mum, seems to know her way around here?’ whispered Lily. Valens’ eyes met hers for a moment then quickly looked away.
‘I suppose so,’ he replied. ‘She lived here for a time with my father. He was a Protector,’ he added proudly.
‘A Protector?’
‘A guard to the Laudis,’ he explained.
‘A guard?’
‘More than a foot soldier. He held a position of great respect and responsibility. I’m trying to think of an equivalent position in your world.’ He paused as he considered the possibilities. ‘Maybe something like a knight.’
He caught her eye again and this time it was Lily who looked away. She felt her face redden and her stomach start to dance again. She nodded. ‘I don’t think that knights really do that much nowadays,’ she replied. ‘They’re more like politicians than warriors and seem to make up laws purposely to irritate my dad!’ She smiled. ‘I’m guessing your dad was like a proper knight, right? Rescuing the world and saving damsels in distress from marauding dragons!’ She paused. ‘Why did he stop being a Protector?’
‘He died,’ Valens said simply. He was still gazing at her; watching her face.
‘Oh,’ Lily looked quickly down at the cobbled pavement. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise.’
It suddenly occurred to her that she knew very little about Silky’s life back home. She wanted to reach out and touch Valens but something held her back.
‘It’s okay,’ he replied. ‘That’s just how it is. He was a brave warrior, serving his country and he knew the risks. We all know the risks.’
Lily thought about her mother. It seemed such a waste and so unfair that she should have been taken from her in something as pointless as a car accident.
‘My mum’s dead and Hari’s dad is too,’ she explained, pressing her lips together. ‘I wonder if certain people just attract death?’ she said and looked back up into the Protector’s eyes. ‘What?’ she asked
‘Were they both like you?’ he asked.
‘You mean my mum and Hari’s dad? I don’t know. My mum was a sanguin, like me. I don’t know about Hari’s dad. I don’t think so.’
‘So, you don’t think our parents died because they were natural killers?’
Lily stared at him. She could hardly believe that he could say something so heartless. She looked away and quickened her stride away from him.
He caught her arm.
‘I don’t mean to be brutal, but that’s what they were; that’s what we all are, predators, you must understand that?’
Lily swallowed hard. ‘No,’ she said, ‘I don’t see myself or my mum like that, or Hari’s family either,’ she added, keeping her voice low. She could sense the others listening. ‘I drink blood, animal blood that’s all! It’s no different from someone eating meat. I might be a hunter but I’m not a human-killer and neither was my mum!’ They had fallen back from the others.
‘I’m sorry Lily, truly I am but you and your friends are vampires, just like I’m…’ He hesitated. ‘Half nymph, half bokwus and a Protector. We can’t change what we are.’
Lily shook her head. ‘I don’t want to change it!’ she replied and then she softened. ‘What’s a bokwus?’
‘Bokwus are shapeshifters. It’s part of what I am. What I do. I’m half my mother’s child, a nymph of the forests and half my father’s. I can… You know?’ he added awkwardly.
‘I have no idea what a bokwus is, or can do?’ said Lily, shaking her head, still upset from what he’d said about her mother being a natural killer. ‘I’m guessing it means that you can change shape?’ She paused and then she rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t tell me you’re like a werewolf,’ she said with a resigned sigh. ‘Because that would be such a cliché. Werewolves and vampires! Why do people always assume they’re found together?’
Valens looked at her and smiled. ‘I suppose I could become a wolf if I really wanted to, but they’re pretty unstable, particularly when they’re hungry or annoyed… I’m sorry Lily, I didn’t mean to upset you.’
She looked at him. ‘So, does that mean you can change into anything you want?’
‘Pretty much anything organic,’ he replied as they fell further back from the others, ‘although I try to avoid anything with chlorophyll - it’s pretty disgusting all that green gunk!’ Lily smiled. ‘But I like being in the water best. Bokwus can adapt and get good speed in the water,’ he boasted. ‘It’s when we seem to operate most efficiently.’
‘What is it with you guys and speed?’ asked Lily. ‘Hari’s fallen in love with the epona and Charlie and James live for their super-charged quad bikes and whatever other machines they can tinker with at Pemberton, and now there’s you, changing shape purely to get an adrenaline rush!’ She grinned as she risked looking directly into his eyes again.
‘How old are you?’
‘You really want to know?’ he asked and nudged her with his shoulder.
‘In the past few weeks I’ve learned not to be surprised by anything. Go on, Bokwus Boy; tell me how old you are!’
‘Have a guess,’ he teased.
She looked at him. They were flirting and out of the corner of her eye she could see three pairs of eyes watching their every movement and listening to their every word.
‘I’m guessing seventeen, but nothing’s as it seems with Silky, so one hundred and fifty years!’ she concluded triumphantly.
‘Good guess,’ he whispered, leaning in so that his face was only inches from hers, his lips hovering millimetres from her ear. Lily saw Charlie out of the corner of her eye. He was glaring at her and she felt herself start to blush again as Valens leaned in a little further. ‘Our years are nothing like yours,’ he whispered and then paused. ‘Time is very different here.’
Lily tried not to think how close his lips were.
‘Here, you’d need to add another century or so for each year but if I were in your world, I guess I’d be the same as your friends over there!’ he smiled.
Lily turned to look at him, their lips within a whisper of each other. They both quickly pulled away.
‘Oh!’ she gasped, ‘that makes you pretty old then!’ She looked down, desperately trying to catch her breath and hoping that the others hadn’t noticed anything. She looked across at Hari who raised his eyebrows in warning whilst Charlie just glared angrily at Valens. James on the other hand was more circumspect. He fell behind, moving tactfully to join Lily and the young Protector, asking Valens about the history of Pergamont and his role in the city as they continued the steep walk up to the castle through the tiered and carefully manicured gardens.
The Laudis
‘You four, take your cloaks off and wait here. Valens, you come with me.’ Silky’s voice echoed across the wide marble hall as their footsteps petered away.
‘What did she say this was called?’ James asked Hari, keeping his voice deliberately low as he pulled off his cloak and laid it carefully dow
n on one of the carved marble benches that lined the perimeter of the hall.
‘I think she said the Hall of Singers,’ Hari replied in a whisper. ‘Lily, what did Silky say this room was called?’ Even across the expanse of polished stone, Lily could hear him perfectly.
‘The Hall of Singers. Isn’t it fabulous?’ she replied, her neck craned as she stared up at the paintings on the ceiling. ‘Just listen, the acoustics are amazing…’
‘Actually Lil,’ interrupted Charlie, ‘we were just talking about your singing. How do you fancy playing vocal in our band, along with Abbie?’ Hari and James stared at each other. It was news to them.
‘Your band?’ Lily looked at him sceptically. ‘You never mentioned it before. You do realise that Abbie and I are more into jazz and classical than your heavy, rock noise,’ she replied snootily. Abbie Parkins was Charlie’s girlfriend.
‘But the music really does ‘rock’ Lil,’ grinned Charlie, ‘and you could too! Just imagine how fast we’d be on guitar if we really let it go? Hendrix would be nothing in comparison!’
‘Modest too!’ she sniffed. ‘You should think twice about drawing attention to yourself,’ she added, but she was secretly pleased to have been asked. ‘I’ll think about it. Perhaps just a few bars now though; a couple of high Es.’ She looked up at the ceiling and cleared her throat.
‘Lily!’ Hari interrupted quickly. ‘What were you just saying about not drawing attention to yourself? If you start howling we’ll have everyone down here! We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile. These Laudis guys don’t even know we’re with you. They think you’re here alone.’
‘Oh come on, Hari,’ exclaimed James, ‘as if they don’t know! This is a world of nymphs, bokwus, epona and who knows what other creatures! I’m pretty certain that whatever the Laudis are, there’s some kind of network that’ll have told them that we’re on our way.’
Lily was walking around the hall again, entranced by the high ceiling. ‘This is incredible,’ she said, her eyes wide in wonderment. ‘Have you seen it? It looks like something Michelangelo would have painted in the Sistine Chapel. Just look. You can definitely see some similarities with our world back home.’