by R A Browell
James was already out of the water, his tight bike leathers dripping on the jetty. He looked down at Valens. ‘He doesn’t mean anything by it,’ he explained, holding out his hand for the young Protector, ‘and don’t worry about the frequencing thing. I’ll let you know what’s going on.’
‘He doesn’t always think before he opens his mouth, does he?’ replied Valens as James reached down, took the Protector’s hand and pulled him effortlessly out of the water and onto the bleached wooden boards.
James smiled. ‘He’s a good guy. I don’t know what it is with you two, but Charlie’s one of the best blokes I know. If it comes to it, he’s the one you’d want covering your back and fighting your corner, any day.’
Valens listened, nodding as he pushed his wet hair back off his face and adjusted his iridescent body armour.
The four teenagers stood side by side on the jetty, their muscular outlines tall and dark against the deep blue of the ocean. The sun was falling in the sky, making the pure white villa stand out against the orange pink glow of the massive cliff face. Their clothes were wet and heavy, clinging like a second skin to their bodies but all that any of them could feel was the flush of adrenaline as they readied themselves for the task ahead. Silent, primed and focused, they set off down the jetty, striding out with the arrogance of youth and the confidence that came from being supreme predators.
*
‘Lily! Our sister! We wondered what had happened to you. How are you feeling?’ asked Aurora, her voice as smooth as velvet, as Lily appeared on the veranda and joined the three girls. She sat carefully next to the fair-haired sanguin and took advantage of the warmth from the last of the falling sun.
‘I’m fine,’ Lily replied, ‘just tired. Everything’s so new and different. Coming here, your music, the heat, the food. It’s all a bit intense. I’m sorry if I’ve been a bother. I’m obviously going to be a hopeless sanguin.’
‘Nonsense,’ laughed Venetia. ‘Everyone’s nervous the first time, even you Aurora, do you remember?’ she sniggered. Aurora sighed impatiently as Venetia continued to tease.
‘You know what it is, don’t you, Sister?’ she laughed, ‘It’s been so long since you had your first taste that you can hardly remember it.’ Lily watched as Mareena giggled nervously. Aurora looked into the distance and pushed her blonde hair off her face. ‘I suppose so,’ she agreed, smiling to herself as she remembered something deep and personal. ‘You’re right, Sister, it was long ago,’ she reminisced, ‘although I can still remember him; the taste of his skin, his involuntary shivers and the look of adoration as I grazed his neck ever so slightly and then there was that first taste.’ For a moment, Aurora was lost in her own reverie.
‘Oh no,’ Venetia teased, gliding across to the balcony ‘here we go again! Re-living the excitement, the moment of the kill, re-playing every scream, every plea, every last delicious drop of youthful elixir…Oh the aftertaste!’ she moaned mimicking her older sister, as she pushed her own mane of dark hair from her face.
Aurora’s eyes narrowed. ‘Take care Venetia,’ she warned, her voice suddenly low and dangerous, ‘we’re all entitled to our memories. After the first, they all seem to blur into one. It excites me to remember the thrill of the first time. To keep it fresh, keeps it alive. You should remember that.’
Venetia drew back and said nothing. She looked down out over the cove, her attention caught by four tall figures as they jumped nimbly onto the jetty and started striding boldly down the long boardwalk.
‘Sisters,’ she drawled, narrowing her dark eyes as she strained to get a better look at the visitors. ‘It looks like dinner has arrived. We weren’t expecting anybody were we? Come take a look,’ she said, unconsciously licking her lips as she beckoned to the others.
Aurora rose and glided gracefully towards the balcony, her curiosity and appetite stimulated at the thought of stranded mariners falling unexpectedly into their laps. She took a deep breath, tasting their scent on the warm salty breeze.
‘Four of them, young and strong,’ she said breathlessly, ‘but wait…’ She paused as she analysed their scent. ‘I see we have like-minded creatures,’ she smiled tentatively. ‘How strange, and here in Kelpasia.’
She glanced at Venetia, then back down at the four tall figures as Mareena dragged Lily from the sofa. Lily stood staring at her friends, trying to avoid her eyes being drawn towards the young Protector, trying to remain emotionless and hoping that the ever-watchful sisters hadn’t noticed the small jump in her heartrate before she’d managed to bring it back under control. Thankfully, it was now back at its usual, deathly slow pace.
‘Surely the Magisterie don’t seek to replace us?’ whispered Venetia. ‘We’ve been here too long. We know too much. Why displace us now?’
‘I think Sister, you may be giving undue discredit to the Council of Ten,’ replied Aurora, staring purposefully at Venetia and inviting her to follow her gaze towards Lily who stood silently staring down at the visitors.
Lily breathed slowly. Carefully. She could feel both sets of eyes boring into her as she tried to frequence into the sisters’ thoughts, trying to picture the shapes in their minds. She knew that she needed to keep her mind clear and listen out for Charlie, Hari and James. The problem was that she hadn’t really had chance to practise frequencing properly. Everything had happened so quickly after the moorland hunt that she hadn’t even thought about how useful frequencing could be.
She glanced at Mareena, hoping that she’d not already given anything away, but Mareena was mesmerised. She was leaning out over the balcony, staring at the four figures, with their strong athletic bodies and supreme confidence. Lily followed her gaze as the boys strode down the jetty, past the tethered yacht and up the beach towards the steep, narrow cliff path.
‘Don’t worry Lil, you’re doing great.’ The telepathic voice in her head was loud and clear but most of all, it was recognisable. ‘It’s all to do with affinity. You can use different frequencies with different affinity groups. They can’t hear us but neither can we hear them. You’re managing just fine!’
‘James’ she cried silently, ‘thank goodness you’re here!’
‘Don’t worry, we promise we won’t lose you this time, but you need to concentrate. In theory, it’s possible to frequence with us all at the same time; two frequencies with two different affinity groups but you’ll need to focus. It’ll be strongest with us. Adrenaline seems to strengthen the frequency, but you’re going to need to concentrate on three things at once; our frequency, theirs and in keeping normal conversation going – it’s a tall order.’
She could hear James as though he was standing next to her and then she felt it; a surge of adrenaline racing through her body, out to the tips of her fingers and toes. She was ready. She reached up and touched the little featherstone pendant, which lay motionless on her breast under the silk scarf she’d purposely draped across her scar.
‘Lily, are those your friends?’ Aurora asked casually, carefully scrutinising Lily’s reaction.
Lily turned, she knew that lying was pointless, Aurora was too experienced and if she was caught out it would immediately make her look like she wasn’t fully on side with the sisters. She remembered what Valens had said. She had to play the game. She needed them to think that she was happy to be here as one of them and that she had already been seduced by the promise of a privileged lifestyle into joining them on Aldrovanda.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said, moving forward to take a closer look. ‘I think it’s them,’ she said, smiling sweetly, ‘there were some others with us at Pergamont, but I suppose they must have stayed behind. I wonder what they could possibly want?’ she asked innocently.
Aurora smiled, gliding across to Lily as she fondly took hold of her hand and kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘Lily,’ she drawled affectionately, ‘our true sister. Your friends will become our friends. We must welcome them to your new home. They have clearly missed having you around, perhaps we should have left a note a
fter all,’ she added, her voice like the high-pitched whine from a wet glass. ‘Come, you must greet your guests. We must make sure that they see you here, happy and settled in your new life. It’s not every day that we entertain like-minded visitors here in the old world. Usually our guests arrive here with a more immediate purpose; something a little more fulfilling.’ All three sisters laughed.
‘How can you tell they’re like us?’ asked Lily as naively as she knew how.
‘Oh, little one, you have so much to learn,’ replied Aurora protectively.
‘Breathe deep, smell their scent. It’s unmistakeable and delicious and very different from our usual prey.’ Aurora closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as though she were breathing a compelling perfume. ‘This scent plays a totally different role!’ she added with a knowing smile as she and Venetia took time to admire the four figures who were now climbing up the narrow rocky path towards them.
The Seleni opened the heavy iron gates below the tiered cliff gardens, closing them with a dull clang, before they followed the rocky path down to the cove where they met the four handsome visitors halfway down.
‘Aurora, Venetia and you must be Mareena?’ said Hari, exercising his full vampire charm, like a dark prince, as he took hold of each girl’s hand in turn and kissed it meaningfully, his lips lingering as he caught each girls’ eye. ‘And Lily!’ he said out loud. ‘Our dear little Lily!’
Lily had never noticed before but Hari’s smile was devastating. He opened his arms and kissed her lightly on each cheek as a sister. Venetia watched him, enthralled by his dark exotic charm and affected chivalry.
‘Just stay with me, Lily,’ Hari frequenced, ‘I know I’m being really weird, but believe me, there’s strategy in play here! Just keep up with us and play the game! By the way, I love the dress,’ Lily could sense him smiling. ‘Very, very tight!’
‘Careful!’ Lily replied silently, ‘I’ve got teeth! Are you absolutely sure they can’t hear what we’re saying?’ she asked, suddenly nervous.
‘They have no established relationship with us, but it’ll help if you can try and tune into their frequence. I know it’s asking a lot from you, but we could do with a little help. Only don’t let them know you’re in,’ he warned. ‘There’s always the risk that if they know you’re listening, they’ll feed us duff information.’
‘They know you’re sanguins,’
‘We thought as much.’
Lily smiled sweetly back at Hari as he released her from his embrace. She was trying to avoid Valens’ eye, listen to three conversations and act totally normal, all at the same time.
‘Hari, it’s lovely to see you,’ she gushed, ‘I’m so glad you’re here with us. It’s like we’re one big happy family! Aurora, Venetia, Mareena this is Hari, Charlie, James and Valens – my best friends,’ Lily beamed as she introduced the four people, other than her dad, who she trusted most in the world.
‘That’s us, we’re just one big happy family!’ said Hari.
He was staring at Venetia who started to blush. James watched, trying to keep his eyebrows from creeping up in surprise and wondering why Hari wasn’t with Lily and Charlie in theatre club…
‘We see that you’re with friends,’ Hari continued. ‘We need only to take one look at you to see how settled you are, but the Laudis invited us to this world as guests and you’re needed back at Pergamont. Just for a while, dear little Lily,’ he added, speaking to her as though she were a child. He turned to Aurora. ‘Aurora, we need to speak with you and your sisters, but maybe somewhere a little more comfortable. Perhaps?’ he glanced up the path towards the villa.
Aurora smiled. ‘But of course! Excuse us. We have so little opportunity to entertain, we forget our manners. Please,’ she said. ‘Welcome to Aldrovanda, to our home!’
She gracefully swept one arm in the air and directed them beyond the iron-gate and towards the hanging gardens that had been built into the rock face and to the villa beyond. Aurora led the way, leaving Venetia free to talk with Hari.
‘Cute, but why are they here?’ frequenced Aurora to her sisters. ‘And why do you suppose the Laudis want Lily?’ she asked uneasily.
‘Aurora, you need some kind of brain transplant!’ replied Venetia. ‘He’s more than cute and just look at the blond at the back? Did Lily say he was called James? He’s lovely and I think he has his eye on another blonde not so far away from where I’m standing!’ she added happily. ‘He can’t take his eyes off you, just look!’
Aurora glanced back as James caught her gaze and held it.
‘Venetia!’ Aurora warned, ‘try and think with something more than pure desire. We need to know why they are here.’
‘Aurora, you’re always looking for a motive. Maybe they’re here looking for Lily and love! I don’t know why you’re being so suspicious. They’ve not tried to hide why they’re here. They’ve been open and utterly charming and they don’t seem like the type to cause trouble, look how quiet they are. They’ve simply come here at the request of the Laudis to see how Lily is. Who cares if the Farisians have asked Lily for help? Maybe it’s something like the job we do for the Kelpasians. We all know that women hunt better than men?’ Venetia added pragmatically.
‘You may be right. So why are they travelling with a Protector and trying to pass him off as one of them? You notice, they didn’t introduce him as a Protector!’ frequenced Aurora as she chatted animatedly about the hanging gardens with their visitors.
‘A Protector? How do you…?’
‘Didn’t you see the mark?’ Aurora interrupted. ‘The three interlocking triangles on his arm?’
‘No, I didn’t notice any mark and anyway his presence here means nothing!’ Venetia snapped. ‘The sanguins said they’ve come on behalf of the Laudis, so you’d expect a
Protector to accompany them on State business. And anyway, they didn’t introduce themselves as either sanguins or Protectors and we didn’t ask. Aurora, sometimes you are just too suspicious!’
‘What’s a Protector?’ asked Mareena quietly. Aurora frequenced an impatient sigh.
‘We’ve explained all this to you before. They’re employed by the Laudis, just like we’re employed by the Magisterie,’ replied Aurora dismissively. ‘My point, Venetia, is that they must really want Lily if they’ve come all this way and with a Protector. We need to find out why? What do the Laudis want from Lily and why is she so special to them? They must realise that she’s our kin now, even a temporary absence could not be tolerated unless we accompanied her.’
‘Do they want to take Lily from us?’ asked Mareena softly. ‘But you promised. We can’t lose her – not now. She’s ours. She’s mine! You promised!’ her frequence was tearful behind a perfectly serene face as she continued to chat animatedly with Lily.
‘Mareena, we’re not going to lose her,’ replied Aurora, with a steely determination. ‘Have no concern. She is one of us now. She is our sister and besides, it’s already clear that she doesn’t want to go back to her old life. It’s just that we may need to make this clear to her friends.’
‘I’m sure that you’re mistaken Aurora,’ said Venetia, blushing as Hari complimented her on her roses. ‘Maybe we can work together with our visitors. We could offer to help them settle into their role with the Farisians - a kind of partnership,’ she suggested.
‘What!’ exclaimed Aurora. ‘Have you no memory? Why should we want to assist those who were instrumental in attempting our banishment? In partnership with those Laudis who opposed the Magisterie using our services? Never!’ she snapped adamantly. ‘Lily will not be going anywhere near the Laudis!’ Her anger seared across the frequency making Lily’s overworked brain throb.
‘And what if they insist on taking her back to the Laudis?’ asked Venetia, her face serene like those of her two sisters as she returned Hari’s attentive smile.
‘If they insist,’ replied Aurora, emphasising the last word, ‘then it’s simple. No matter how cute you think them to be, they must die! There wil
l be no contest. Our guests will find us better equipped to deal with them than they could ever imagine. Everyone knows the female of the species is deadlier. Lily will stay with us at any cost. She belongs with us now and she will not be given over to the beck and call of anyone, particularly the Laudis!’
A Diplomatic Rescue!
‘Blimey!’ Lily frequenced as she smiled and chatted out loud to Mareena. She was concentrating hard so that she wouldn’t betray her clandestine eavesdropping. ‘You’re definitely in for trouble. There’s no way they’re letting me go and they’re happy to fight you for me, actually I think they’re quite looking forward to it!’ Her voice sounded remarkably calm but James sensed something else.
‘You okay?’ he asked silently.
‘Yes, now that I’ve got you all here.’
‘So, they’ve picked up something about our visit not being a pure social call?’ he asked, fixing his dazzling smile once again on Aurora.
‘Afraid so,’ replied Lily, ‘and Aurora’s noticed a Protector’s mark on Valens’ arm. Venetia’s cool about it but Aurora’s pretty angry with the Laudis, apparently, they tried to convince the Magisterie not to use the Seleni; something about trying to banish them, years ago. She won’t budge and she’s happy to fight you for me. She doesn’t seem to like men unless she’s eating them and I kind of get the feeling that she fancies a taste of a young male sanguin! As for Mareena, I can’t work her out. She seems dominated by the other two, less informed somehow, but she’s sticking to me like some kind of leech, I can’t shake her off. Oh yes, and Venetia thinks James is extremely cute and my head is now really starting to ache,’ she concluded.
‘I like the leech analogy – very funny,’ Charlie chuckled in frequence. ‘So, James has a new admirer has he?’
‘You may laugh, mate,’ replied James, ‘but we’ve got three experienced female vamps who want a fight and another one who can now frequence into our thoughts anytime!’