Of Night and Desire

by Of Night

  “Yes…I mean, no…I mean, I have a few more questions,” Richelle replied hastily. She fought the nervous knot forming in the pit of her stomach as she pressed Selene for answers.

  Madame Selene chuckled softly as she walked past Richelle toward the clearing where her tent was supposed to be. Richelle turned and followed, taking larger strides than usual to keep up. For an old woman, she moved quicker than she appeared.

  “What can I answer for you, my child?”

  “Why is it no one here knows you? I’ve talked to patrons and employees, asking about Madame Selene and where your tent was. No one knew what I was talking about. No one knew anything about you. Why?”

  She shrugged. “Others see only what they wish to see. They believe only what they wish to believe.” The coldness of Selene’s tone spoke volumes of what she thought of others’ attitudes. “But that isn’t what you came to ask me, is it?”

  “No. I need your help. You seem to know much about me, about Valya. I need to know. Are you an Immortal?”

  Madame Selene stopped and turned sharply to face Richelle. Her eyes were clear and bright, the sparkling sapphires vivid features against her white skin and silver hair.

  “You see much, my little butterfly, though you have recently emerged from your cocoon.”

  “Are you?”

  Madame turned away to gaze off into the clear sky, wincing as the sunlight kissed her cheek.

  “I am many things. Daughter of Luna and mother to Eternal Night, a fallen Jezebel destined to walk the Earth alone. I am Wisdom, sister of the Moraie, watching and protecting the tapestry from those who would unravel the woven threads. And I am the servant of Athena, ensuring justice for the righteous and retribution against those who would align themselves with Evil.”

  “Please, no more riddles,” Richelle demanded. “Just tell me. Are you an Immortal?”

  Madame Selene did not answer, but a slight nod of her head gave Richelle the answer she needed.

  “Then you know why I’ve come.”

  Again, a slight nod.

  “Then tell me. How can I ensure I will recognize Valya after he takes second blood?”

  “It is dangerous to tamper with the intentions of fate. There are reasons why things are designed the way they are. Life mates must rely on destiny to guide their steps in making the right decisions. Only then do they know if they are guided by Eternal Love or the trappings of lust.”

  “That’s fine if you’re Immortal, but I’m a human. We make mistakes.”

  “Immortals are not infallible,” the seer uttered, her voice tinged with remorse. And regret. “Sometimes…we make mistakes as well.”

  Richelle was taken aback. Madame Selene spoke as someone who understood the sorrow and joy of love. Then she lowered her barrier to allow Richelle to see the man she had loved.

  He was handsome, with the same aristocratic demeanor as Selene as they walked side by side through a mountain glade. They spoke with the same lilting accent. They had the same vivid features, with silver hair and bright eyes. The only difference was his eyes were pale blue like a summer sky while hers were dark blue like the sparkling ocean.

  With the personification of water and sky, Richelle couldn’t help but think of an old Tao lesson: a bird and a fish may love one another, but where would they build a home? She felt Madame Selene’s distress when he sent her away, then her wrath as she vowed revenge. But then she felt something else. As she tried to probe Madame Selene’s thoughts, she was shut out and walls were erected to hide whatever lay behind.

  “His name was Nicolae.”

  “He was very handsome.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Richelle waited impatiently for Selene to continue, but she didn’t. She started walking to the edge of the carnival with Richelle following a step behind in mystified silence. When they reached the edge of the forest the fortune-teller turned and spoke.

  “You must leave. Return to your Valya and complete the bonding ritual.”

  “Won’t you tell me what happened?”

  “It was a long, long time ago. A past that must remain…in the past.”

  “Please,” Richelle coaxed. “Tell me what happened.”

  Selene couldn’t look at Richelle, couldn’t speak the words of the pain she had caused.

  “I betrayed him.”

  “How?”

  “I did the unforgivable. I defied the Fates and tried to deceive him into completing the bonding ritual with me.”

  “You were not life mates?”

  “No. When he realized my deception, he was incensed. He took me before the Triad and demanded I be exiled.”

  Richelle took Selene’s hand and held it to her heart. When Selene turned, she did nothing to hide the tears forming in her eyes that she refused to shed. So Richelle cried for her.

  “He was hurt, Selene. And angry. What he did was cruel.”

  Selene shook her head in staunch rebuttal.

  “No, I learned he was right when I found the man who was destined to be my life mate.”

  “So, you completed…”

  “No, we did not bond. When I found Michael, it was too late. His mind was gone, ravaged by old age. He suffered from Alzheimer’s and could not willingly complete the ritual.”

  The tears that she refused to shed for Nicolae fell freely as she spoke of Michael, her eyes brilliant with remembered love.

  “He was a wonderful man with a good heart. In his more lucid moments, he spoke of his dreams and visions of my people. How he never married because he never found his ‘one true love’ and how I made him happier than he had ever been.” She wiped away the tears and smiled wistfully.

  “I stayed with him, lived with him, and took care of him until his death. Upon his deathbed, he recognized me as his life mate. When he died, he promised he would wait for me to join him, and in death we would be together for eternity.”

  “So why didn’t you join him? Oh, I’m sorry, I mean…” Richelle couldn’t believe how callous her remark was. It was like she was saying, So, why didn’t you kill yourself? But Selene didn’t say anything. She just pulled Richelle’s hand to her chest. Beneath their joined hands, she felt a soft thump. And after a moment, another. And then another. Surprised, Richelle stared at Selene unbelievingly.

  “You have a heartbeat!”

  “Yes.” Selene nodded, closing her eyes. Her face was glowing in sweet bliss as if she were savoring the feeling of the beating in her chest.

  “But how? You didn’t bond and…”

  “The world abounds with magic, mysteries, and miracles—these mystic gifts allowed me to surpass my body’s limitations to come and help you. Though not bonded, Michael’s love taught me the true depth of emotion between life mates. He healed me. So though we did not become as one, his love filled me and brought me to a new life I would have never known without him, one filled with mercy, forgiveness, and hope.”

  “Forgiveness? Hope?”

  Selene released Richelle’s hand as she backed to the edge of the forest.

  “Nicolae was correct in my punishment, but I did not see that at first. And I am here to right the wrong I did to him and to our people. I am the reason Luka now searches for you.”

  “Luka? Who is he?”

  Selene swallowed hard and her eyes grew cold as the ocean depths. Her mouth was set in a firm grimace as she spoke.

  “Luka is an abomination. Born Immortal, he has rejected his people and has become Vampyre. He leads Preacher and the Believers in their search for you. He, too, defies the design of the Fates and wants you for himself.”

  Richelle choked on words of denial and stepped away from Selene, shaking her head as she refused to accept Selene’s explanation.

  “How are you the reason?”

  Selene stood rigid, proud, ready to accept Richelle’s anger.

  “I was the one who told Luka of the Prophecy. I was the one who led him to your mother, Adelaide. And to you.”

  “Why?” Richelle wail
ed.

  “I was hurt and angry at Nicolae’s rejection of me. I wanted revenge. But I see now I was wrong. And I try to make amends for my foolish deeds. You must leave here and not come back.”

  “What?”

  “Luka’s followers are here, searching for you.”

  Like a frightened rabbit, Richelle was on alert, her ears picking up the sounds all around her. Finally, she was able to discern the agitated conversations of several groups of Believers, about ten or eleven men in all.

  “You must run and hide,” Selene continued in a harried tone. “It is too late for you to get away without their noticing you. Wait until evening and then call for your Valya. Complete the bonding ritual to destroy Luka and save your world.”

  “What do you mean—destroy Luka?”

  Selene didn’t answer as she began to disappear into the forest behind her, much to Richelle’s dismay.

  “Wait! You didn’t tell me. How can I be sure to recognize Valya?”

  Selene shimmered from her sight, her body disintegrating amidst the trees of the forest until only her voice with its hypnotic cadence could be heard over the whistling wind.

  “You and your Valya, you are our future. Trust in the Fates as you must learn to trust in yourself…trust in yourself…trust in yourself.”

  Selene’s voice faded off in the air. Listening intently, Richelle tried to locate in which direction she headed. All she heard were the rustling leaves from the trees as the wind blew. Selene was gone.

  But the Believers weren’t. Richelle’s eyes darted from tent to tent, trying to locate a clear path of escape. There was none. Like a football team, they formed a line of scrimmage giving her no way through. She had no choice but to hide in the forest, try to get around them, and make it back to the entrance.

  Backtracking into the woods, she did the best she could to find someplace where she could hide. At least she could get a better grasp on the situation and know what she was up against. She tried calling to the wildlife to help her, but she couldn’t sense any present. Not a beast, bird, or bug. Reaching further, she sensed an underlying sense of foreboding. Evil.

  It must have been the Luka that Selene spoke about. He must have been here. The longer she stayed in one spot, the more the foul stench of corruption assailed her mind. It was if the ground were polluted with evil, like toxic waste affecting every living thing in a forest that should have been teeming with life. Running her hands over the blackened bark of the trees, she could feel the infection passing through them as well. Springtime, and yet the leaves were changing colors and falling from the trees as if preparing for the dead of winter.

  Preparing for death.

  This forest was dying, and her heart clenched, for there was nothing she could do to prevent it. In fact, she would have to leave and find somewhere else to hide as the oppressive atmosphere was infecting her as well. Its corruption was seeping into her mind, which was becoming engulfed in a strange and overwhelming blackness.

  She had to get out of this forest, but she had no idea how far it stretched. As much as she didn’t like it, the quickest way would be to go back through the carnival. She remembered Selene’s words. Run and hide. Wait until evening and then call for your Valya.

  Quietly, she made her way back to the forest’s edge and peeked from the trees, trying to sense where the Believers were, to find the weakest link in the armor closing in on her. Scanning along the edge of the carnival, she sensed fewer of the men. Some had turned back and were searching for her in frustration among the carnival attractions. Others formed sentries along the perimeter.

  Her heart leapt as she found a gap farther to her right. There was a hole by the carousel. She could slip through and find someplace to hide amongst the hustle and bustle of the carnival, at least until she could get word to Valya. Why, oh why, did I have to go off without him? She knew the answer, but it was little consolation now. She had to do her best.

  Slipping through the trees, she made it to the edge near the carousel and took a deep breath. Just twenty feet, and then you’ll be all right. With her eyes affixed to her target, she precariously came out from the trees and headed for the carnival’s edge. She had only taken a few steps when two scraggily-looking men roughly grabbed by her arms.

  “Gotcha!”

  * * * *

  Deep in slumber, Valya’s eyes popped open at the sensation of something gripping his arms. He heard a scream in his mind while the sensation on his arms heightened, as if someone tightened their grip against struggling.

  Richelle.

  Still lying on the floor where he had collapsed, he was struggling to get to his feet when two hands physically picked him up and carried him to his bed. With great effort, he peered through his slit eyes.

  The Great One, Nicolae.

  Nicolae Voda was the oldest among his people, as well as the wisest. He was revered among the Immortals. And yet, there always seemed to be an air of sadness about him. He had never found his life mate still he had never felt the compulsion to face the dawn, to make the Final Sacrifice. He had continuously found a higher reason to fight the despair and loneliness, to find the will to survive.

  Fighting against sleep, Valya tried to sit up only to have a hand placed in the center of his chest and push him onto his back.

  “Do not worry, my friend. I will bring your Richelle back to you.”

  “How can this be? How can you move about in the day? How can you avoid the call to sleep?”

  “I have powers that Luka is not even aware of.” Nicolae chuckled. “Sleep. Regain your strength.”

  “I will not let you go alone.”

  “I will not be alone.”

  “She is mine to protect!”

  Outside, the wind rose, opening the balcony doors and letting the heat and light of the day enter the darkened room. Valya forced his eyes open to see Nicolae standing at the foot of his bed, his arms outstretched. He was surrounded by an aura of yellow fire.

  “Sleep, Valya. Obey me.”

  Valya’s eyes began to droop. As hard as he tried to stay awake, he could feel sleep overtaking him.

  “Sleep, Valya. Obey me.”

  “I will get you for this, Nicolae.”

  Again, deep chuckling.

  “Sleep, Valya, sleep, Valya, sleep, Valya.” Nicolae’s voice chanted over and over until Valya had no will and drifted back into slumber. Between the realm of reality and dreams, Nicolae questioned Valya.

  “Where would she have gone?”

  “She would have gone to the carnival.”

  Nicolae turned and swooped down from the balcony to the street below. Like a ghost, no one noticed him. It was as if he didn’t exist. Without turning, he flicked his wrist and the doors on Valya’s balcony closed with a snick as he continued walking down the busy street.

  He stayed within the shadows when he could. Though he had enough strength to be out in the daylight for brief amounts of time, he didn’t want to drain his energy by standing in the full sun or teleporting. He would have to walk to the carnival. From beneath a canopy, he looked at the position of the sun. Three forty-five. At least three more hours until dusk. That would give him some time to contact reinforcements.

  He would call for the Protectors. Much like Guardians, Protectors protected mortal and Immortal alike as they fought evil. But whereas Guardians were trained soldiers for battle, Protectors were more like policemen. Answerable to the Triad, they were to protect and serve, bringing the guilty to be judged and punished. Guardians served no one. They were a law unto themselves, serving as judge, jury, and executioner.

  And while Guardians lived and fought alone, Protectors were always stationed nearby, ready at a moment’s notice to aid in the constant battle between Good and Evil. Nicolae groaned. Despite his ancient years, the concept of Good versus Evil was a tired cliché, but there was a ring of truth in old clichés.

  Reaching out with his mind, Nicolae contacted someone he trusted who could help until he could arrive with his
reinforcements.

  “Richelle is trapped at the fairgrounds outside of town. Find her and protect her. I will come as soon as I can. And I will bring the Protectors.” He knew his message was received but hoped his friend would be able to help.

  He steeled himself against the battle to come, but despite his bravado, his foresight was limited. There were many paths to the future depending upon the road chosen. He knew what the future should be, but like many things in life, just because things should be didn’t mean they always were. All man or Immortal could do was strive to do good in this world and have faith. The future would be revealed with the passage of time.

  Mistakes would be made. With a bit of luck, few and far between, but there would be mistakes. No one was beyond reproach, not even the Great Nicolae. He thought back on his biggest mistake. He had been too hard, too unforgiving. And look at all the sorrow he had caused. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. Judgment had been passed and the sentence carried out.

  He hoped this time he would not be ruled by his passions but rather by the ancient teachings of the Immortals.

  He hoped this time he would not be too late.

  * * * *

  “Thought you’d get away from us, did ya?” The older of the two sneered at her, what remained of his teeth as crooked and yellowed and decayed as his soul.

  Richelle twisted and jerked, trying to wrench herself from their grasp, but all it accomplished was the tightening of their grips on her upper arms as well as clasping her wrists in their beefy hands.

  “Pretty thing, ain’t she, Abel?” the older one commented to his partner as if Richelle were not trapped between the two of them. He leaned in and smelled her hair, lingering close to her face where she could smell his foul odor. “Smells good, too.”

  “Soft,” he replied, digging his fingers into her upper arm.

  “Wonder if she’s soft all over.”

  Oh Goddess, not again! She started thrashing at the lecherous thoughts starting to pound in her mind. Cackling like chickens, they dragged her toward an outlying vacant tent. She dug her heels into the soft dirt, which simply made them laugh at her feeble attempts to escape.

  “Don’t worry, sweet thang,” Abel rasped hoarsely in her ear. “We ain’t gonna hurt ya. We just wanna play with you until Preacher gets here. Just a little taste before you’re given to him.”