by R A Browell
‘Listen yourself,’ James grinned, ‘and just be grateful that Hobnob was a natural in the body shop after you squeezed way too hard! Anyway,’ he said shaking his head, ‘I’ve already said she’s not my type, you’re welcome to her – just watch the teeth!’
He propped the bike up on its stand, pushed his floppy fringe out of his face and followed Hari towards the stone steps at the far end of the vault.
‘Do you think Valens got back all right with Lily?’ Charlie asked. ‘They should be here by now, shouldn’t they?’
‘Maybe we should have gone to Carfax Hall first,’ said James. ‘Hari, what do you think?’
‘What? With this?’ Hari replied, readjusting the weight in his arms as he started up the steps. Mareena moaned and snuggled closer into his chest. ‘We need to get her sorted first. Valens is a big boy, they’ll be fine but after the attack on his leg I think he’d have had no option but to go deep, and quickly…Let’s just hope Lily was able to cope with the cold and the pressure. Valens seemed to think that she’d be fine with the water. We just have to trust him.’
He looked down at Mareena who moaned again and tightened her grip around his neck.
‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I have a horrible feeling that Twizell’s vandelrot is wearing off, it may be something to do with travelling through the gateway.’
Hari ran, taking three steps at a time, not bothering with the light switches as he climbed each level of the cellars and was half way up the last flight of steps and about to reach for the door to the kitchen, when it flew open and a stream of bright light flooded down the dark stone staircase.
‘You’re back!’ exclaimed Rani as the three boys fell into the kitchen. Hari looked up at his grandmother who stared at what she saw asleep in his arms.
Andrew waited, watching the cellar door and then noticed the beautiful red-headed girl who was muttering in her sleep.
‘Where’s Lily?’ he asked slowly, still watching the girl.
The three boys stood silent, hanging their heads and staring at the floor.
‘I asked you where Lily is?’ he repeated, in what was becoming a dejavu experience for Charlie and James. ‘Who is this? Where is my daughter? And why isn’t she with you?’ he demanded. ‘Hari? James? Charlie?’ he asked looking at each of them in turn. ‘I want some answers and I want them NOW!’ he shouted, uncharacteristically raising his voice, as the three of them jumped and Mareena slowly opened her eyes.
*
Valens waded out of the pool, carrying Lily. She was limp and blue, her long blonde hair dripping as he laid her carefully on the bank. Above them, the smooth elephant rock towered, the cup and ring markings hidden by the swirling water from the waterfall. They were back home on the Carfax estate, but Lily’s face was like death, framed by yellow buttercups, red campion and purple loosestrife, as she lay there motionless.
‘Lily!’ he whispered as he knelt down by her side. He put his ear to her mouth and listened but couldn’t hear anything. Even her ordinarily slow pulse was now completely gone. She was deathly cold from the deep, freezing water and still; as cold and as still as the grave.
He carefully lifted her head up towards him, filled his lungs, pressed his lips against hers and blew his air into her lungs. There was no change. He took another breath and once again pressed his lips against hers; breathing for her, willing her to live and was just about to try and restart her heart with chest compressions when he felt an overwhelming force bear down on her; a force which seemed to emanate from the little featherstone pendant.
Instinctively Valens went back to breathing for Lily, letting the pendant revive her heart in its own special way. He breathed again and again for her, filling her lungs as her head suddenly moved and she started to cough and splutter. Valens turned her over, kneeling beside her, holding her as she wretched the salty water from her lungs and began to breathe for herself.
As soon as Valens had started to dive deep, he’d changed his form but Lily’s body had also adjusted to the massive increase in pressure. She became like a sperm whale, expelling all the air from her body, collapsing her lungs and flattening her ribs, which enabled her to withstand the enormous pressures within the oceanic trenches. Now that she was back on land, and had need of her lungs again, her body was returning to normal. With Valens’ help her lungs had re-inflated and expanded, almost as quickly as they had deflated, her ribs had moved back out and the heat of the featherstone pendant had massaged her heart back to life.
Valens sat cradling her in his arms; rubbing her shivering body to try and generate some small measure of warmth. Gradually life was returning to her blue flesh.
‘I’m so very cold!’ she shivered, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
‘Try not to talk,’ he whispered. ‘You’re coming out of a kind of hibernation. Your body had shut down to protect itself. It’s going to take time. Give yourself a moment,’ he said softly.
Lily reached up and felt for the featherstone pendant. It was glowing; radiating a soothing, gentle heat that pulsed from her chest, up towards her head, and out towards her arms and legs. Its warmth was like the spring sunshine; very different from the searing heat it had previously delivered.
‘Where are we?’ she asked, feeling better by the minute. ‘Where are the others? What about the Seleni?’
‘You’re home, back at Carfax Hall, but I don’t know any more. Let’s get you up to the house. They may be there already.’
Lily looked at him anxiously and tried to lift herself but she was still too weak.
‘Listen, they’ll be fine. Just give yourself a minute to pull round. You’ve been in shutdown for quite a while and don’t forget, you’ve also been through one of the deep-water gateways. You’ve got to give your body time to recover.’
‘But we need to get to them. I need to let Dad know I’m okay and then there’s Gran.’ She looked up at Silky’s seat and then across at the elephant rock, the ancient carvings and the cup and ring spirals below the waterline. ‘I knew there was something odd about that rock,’ whispered Lily. ‘The first time I was down here with Silky I asked her about them but she was kind of evasive.’
‘That sounds like my mother!’ replied Valens, smiling gently.
‘The first time that I saw you was here, I thought that you were her boyfriend,’ Lily said, shivering involuntarily as she looked up into his face.
‘Now that would be really gross,’ he grinned, his lips parting slightly to show his pearly white teeth. Lily stood and started shaking her arms and legs. ‘How do you feel?’
‘Okay, a little wobbly but we need to get up to the house and find Dad and the others.’
She bent over, touched her toes, stretched back up and then set off towards the house, still shaking her arms and legs. She wasn’t up to full speed, but even so, within a couple of minutes they were at the kitchen door. It was locked. Lily peered through one of the panes into the dark kitchen, but there was nothing. No sign of life, not even the hounds from hell curled up in their basket.
‘That’s strange,’ said Lily, turning to Valens, ‘the dogs are always here, unless Gran’s away. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been gone?’
‘This isn’t my world, Lily,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Silky might spend time here, she seems to like it, but I’m happier back at home. I have no idea how things work here, particularly time.’
‘Well,’ replied Lily, feeling better by the second, ‘I suppose we’ll soon find out soon enough. The main thing you need to remember in this world is that we can’t let anyone see what we really are. Running as we do means nothing where you’re from, but here you’d just draw attention to yourself.’ Valens watched her and smiled as he let her gabble on. ‘We should go over to Pemberton, Rakshasa will know what to do and the quickest way to get across there unnoticed will be to ride. Come on,’ she ordered, ‘we’ll get the horses. After the epona, you’ll find these babies easy!’
She ran across the vegetable garden, comfortably hurdling the gate
into the deserted stable yard. It was hard to believe that just minutes before she’d been almost dead. He watched her as she quickly tacked up the two geldings, explaining the intricacies of English saddles and bridles. Valens said nothing. He just stood watching in admiration, relieved that Silky had been right about the caul, that she hadn’t drowned and that she’d made such a quick recovery.
‘Follow me,’ she called jumping gracefully onto her ride. ‘What?’ she asked, turning her head as she led them both out of the stable yard.
‘I was just thinking that you’re virtually indestructible and yet you wear a hat in case you hit your head?’
‘It’s like I said,’ she replied, her eyes bright and alive, ‘we have to be careful. No one can know what we are. Even my gran doesn’t know about us and we have to keep it that way. We have enemies in this world; people who think it’d be better if we didn’t exist at all or others who’d take what we’ve got and abuse it. It’s difficult to get your head around, but after the last few weeks I’m pretty much open to anything. How’s your leg?’
‘Still bleeding. I don’t know what stuff you guys use as an anticoagulant but it’s pretty strong.’
He caught her eye and held her gaze as she felt herself redden, then she turned, kicked her mount and galloped on ahead, smiling to herself as she effortlessly jumped a couple of farm gates and gathered speed.
‘Only a few more miles,’ Lily shouted back against the wind. ‘We’re on the Pemberton estate now, but it’s huge. Actually, everything about Hari’s family is huge - prepare to be impressed!’ she added and then sat deep into the saddle and headed off into the woodland that lay just ahead, leaving Valens to follow.
*
Mareena focused on the huge kitchen and the six pairs of eyes bearing down on her as Hari placed her on the plump sofa by the fire and moved away. She blinked and then jumped up, turning on them, bearing her long sharp teeth as Rani and Andrew drew back.
‘You!’ she snarled, pointing accusingly at Charlie. ‘You drugged me! Where are my sisters? Where is Aurora? Where is Venetia?’ she screamed and glared at James and Hari, her eyes flashing with fury. ‘I demand to be taken home. Now!’
Rakshasa stood forward.
‘Have you quite finished?’ she asked, staring at the teenager with a steely authority.
Mareena opened her mouth, then thought better of it and closed it tight. With four little words, Rakshasa had established her dominance. Mareena narrowed her eyes and watched the older woman carefully. She was clearly like her, Mareena could smell that, but there was something about this experienced vampire that made Mareena hold back. Instinctively she knew that this woman was not to be argued with. Mareena nodded submissively.
‘And you are?’ asked Rakshasa, once again exerting her authority.
‘I am Mareena, one of the Seleni,’ replied Mareena proudly.
‘Well Mareena, it appears that my grandson has decided to bring you back home to meet the family. It’s not the usual introduction I would expect for his first girlfriend but then again nothing is ever usual with these boys!’ she turned and stared at Hari.
‘She’s not my girlfriend!’ Hari exclaimed, folding his arms hard against his chest.
Charlie grinned.
‘And you can wipe that smile off your face!’ said Rakshasa turning half circle to glare at Charlie. He quickly looked down at the floor. ‘Go upstairs and telephone your mother. Let her know you’re back from your little camping trip. You too James,’ she ordered, ‘and it’s Saturday, in case you’ve lost track. You’re due back at school on Monday.’
Charlie and James quickly fled the room.
‘I’ll go with them,’ said Hari.
‘Stay right there.’ Rakshasa turned back to Hari. ‘Where’s Lily and why have you brought this girl back?’
‘Lily’s fine, at least I’m sure she’s fine. She’s with Valens. He’s bringing her back. We got separated.’
Rakshasa raised her eyebrows.
‘Separated? Sure she’s fine?’ repeated Andrew. ‘What exactly do you mean by, you’re sure she’s fine? Hari, where is she? Where’s Lily?
‘I…she….’ stuttered Hari, squirming uncomfortably, uncertain how he was ever going to explain that a teenage half-bokwus, half-nymph had taken this man’s only daughter into an ocean trench under some kind of cryogenic-hibernation…
‘Dad!’
The courtyard door to the kitchen flew open as Lily and Valens fell into the kitchen.
‘Lily!’ cried Andrew, holding out his arms as Lily ran and jumped into them. ‘Thank God you’re safe!’ He squeezed her tight, kissing the top of her head, hard. ‘I thought we’d lost you,’ he said in a whisper, his voice choked with emotion. He looked closely at her before pulling her back and squeezing her tight again.
Valens closed the door and stood quietly watching Lily with her dad as Charlie and James charged down the corridor and burst into the kitchen.
‘Lily?’ they yelled in unison. ‘You’re back!’
Charlie rushed to give Lily a hug but James looked across at Valens, acknowledging what he’d done with a silent nod. ‘How’s the leg?’ he asked as everyone fussed around Lily.
‘Sore,’ Valens replied. ‘Now I know why everybody’s so terrified of you sanguins,’ he added with a smile. ‘You don’t like to let go once you’ve got your teeth into something do you?’ He reached for the door handle. ‘I need to get back home, I’ll catch up with you later,’ he said, but James caught hold of his arm and dragged the Farisian Protector into the kitchen. Valens glanced around the room, saw Mareena and quickly looked back at James.
‘It’s a long story,’ said James quietly. ‘We had to bring her with us but the jury’s still out. Come on in and meet everyone. Rakshasa, Andrew, Rani, this is Valens. He’s the one who brought Lily safely home.’ He patted his friend on the back as he made the introductions. ‘Rani, we’re all starving. Is there any chance we can get that kettle on and eat?’ Valens looked around anxiously.
‘It’s okay,’ said Andrew, releasing Lily and stepping forward, ‘they eat regular food as well as the usual! I don’t know what to say to you, Valens. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing my little girl home.’ He stepped forward, reaching to shake the young Protector’s hand and guide Valens towards the tight knit group. ‘Although,’ he added, ‘that’s not to say, they don’t eat like animals. They seem to have very large appetites!’ he grinned and sensed Valens relax as the teenager allowed himself to be dragged into the Pradesh kitchen and forced down at the table which was quickly becoming crowded by young people.
‘Just a minute!’ Rakshasa interrupted, ‘before you all get settled, I think you’ve got some explaining to do. We seem to have acquired a new guest who is clearly unsure about where she is and whether she wants to stay. Mareena?’
Mareena shrunk back into the sofa. She’d spent the last few minutes watching them all, quietly observing the warmth between everyone in the room. It was something she’d never seen before, not even with her sisters.
‘Mareena,’ Rakshasa repeated, reading the youngster’s face, ‘for whatever reason, you find yourself here as our guest. Perhaps you would care to join us for a few days to see what we’re about?’ Her voice sounded a hundred times more charismatic than Aurora’s. Rakshasa had been around a long time and she knew longing when she saw it.
Lily hadn’t noticed Mareena and looked across in horror but Hari caught her eye and quickly shook his head. They waited for Mareena to speak.
‘But my sisters?’ the red-haired vampire replied in a whisper, struggling to comprehend what had happened.
‘I’m sorry, Mareena’ replied Hari, stepping forward. ‘We gave them the opportunity to let us leave Aldrovanda but they didn’t want to accept our offer.’
Lily looked at the beautiful flame haired girl. She seemed so insignificant without her sisters. She was still captivating, but different from the voluptuous, seductive creature she’d seen back on Aldrovanda.
She seemed even younger, more vulnerable; somehow less confident as she glanced nervously at Rakshasa.
‘Are they dead?’ she asked.
Hari nodded as Rakshasa released an audible sigh and turned to look at the boys.
‘They gave us no option. They were given a choice and they made a conscious decision to fight us. They knew what the consequences would be. We all did. It was either them or us and in the end, we won,’ he said.
‘So, what about me?’ Mareena asked softly. ‘Are you going to kill me too?’
Everyone watched her in silence; only the longcase clock ticked on and on.
‘Mareena, your sisters had a choice. We didn’t kill them in cold blood,’ replied Hari. ‘We asked them to let us leave peacefully. At first, they agreed and then they went back on their word and tried to kill us. We don’t agree with your lifestyle but we would never choose to kill our kind, there are so few of us, it’s too wasteful. We didn’t want it to end as it did,’ he admitted, ‘but it was either us or them. We acted in self-defence.’
‘Mareena,’ James stepped towards her, ‘we brought you back because we thought you had the right to make your own decision. Your sisters made their own choice and you must make yours. We didn’t want you to be alone and we thought you’d want to be around others like you.’
‘But the Magisterie?’
‘They know that Aurora and Venetia are dead and that you’ve come back here with us,’ replied James, ‘but you aren’t a prisoner, you’re free to stay or go as you please.’ He paused. ‘I’m not sure it’d be possible to go back to your old life,’ he added quietly, ‘the Magisterie are making alternative plans.’
‘By myself? But I’ve never been alone before, never. Aurora and Venetia were the only family I can remember.’ Small tears started to form in her emerald green eyes. Rani stepped forward to comfort the teenager but Rakshasa stopped her.
‘Mareena, you can stay here with us until you decide what to do. It’s the very least we can do,’ she offered.
‘Subject to certain house rules,’ added Rani quickly.