Song and Key

by Connie Bailey

  A high, clear whistle, like the call of a falcon, shattered the stillness of the dark forest. The pressure on Seva’s back disappeared, and he rose to his knees. The wolf thing stood a few feet away on its hind legs and stared into the moonlit trees. The whistle sounded again, and the monster shuddered from nose to tail tip. Its great head turned as though fighting strong resistance, and it met Seva’s gaze. Seva’s breath froze in his throat and he went motionless as stone. For a space of time measured only in racing heartbeats, their gazes were locked, golden and azure. Then the whistle rang out from closer yet, and without a sound, the massive beast dropped to all fours and bounded away.

  Cautiously Seva got to his feet and listened for the sound of the creature returning. He heard a rustling too faint to be caused by such a large animal, and then a tall, lean man walked into the clearing. He stopped, raised his hand to his mouth, and the whistling noise pierced the air. As Seva’s dizziness from adrenaline and blood loss caught up with him and he began to lose consciousness, he saw the wolf thing appear behind the man like a dog called to heel.

  SEVA woke, raised his head, and instantly regretted it. The pounding in his brain reverberated throughout his body, and as soon as he moved, he felt queasy. His stomach churned and sour saliva filled his mouth. Abruptly he rolled over and retched. He didn’t bring anything up, but the waves of nausea continued. Racked by dry heaves, he took a few moments to notice Keller lying beside the path. Seva got a tighter grip on himself and crawled over to his partner. He had no idea how they’d ended up together near the trail, but right now he was more concerned about Keller’s condition.

  Keller lay supine with his eyes closed and his limbs sprawled as though he’d been dropped from a height. There was blood in his hair, on his neck, and soaked into his shirt. Several emotions shot through Seva as he checked Keller for injuries. Once he located a steady pulse and noted that the bleeding has stopped, the one rearing above them all was rage for whoever had hurt his partner.

  “Keller,” Seva said in a fierce whisper, gently shaking his shoulder. To his surprise, Keller moaned and opened his eyes.

  “Where did you go?” Keller mumbled.

  “I was lost in the fog.” Seva decided to save the werewolf story for later. “What happened to you?”

  “I was scared, and then you found me, but you left me again.”

  “Did you hit your head?” Seva ran his hands over Keller’s scalp.

  Keller leaned into the caress like a cat asking to be stroked. “Mmmm. That’s nice,” he murmured.

  “Do you think you can walk?” Given that Keller sounded drunk or drugged, Seva doubted it.

  “Can’t we stay here? I just got comfortable.”

  “No, we can’t. There’s something in the woods….” Seva glanced around nervously. “Come on. I’ll help you up.”

  Seva hauled Keller to his feet and wrapped Keller’s arm around his neck, holding him up around the waist. With slow, shuffling steps, Seva half carried Keller down the path. The fog was completely gone now, and the bright moon lit their way. Still, it was slow going. By the time they reached the seemingly deserted village and made it back to the inn, Radu was on the porch with a lantern, keeping watch for them.

  “Thank God,” Radu said when he saw them. “In ten minutes I was going to make a search party for you.”

  “We’re fine,” Seva said, though he wasn’t at all sure it was true. “Keller took a little tumble and he’s woozy. Can you help me get him up to bed?”

  “Of course. Of course.” Radu came to Keller’s other side and helped support him up the stairs.

  “What else can I do for you?” he asked after they put Keller on the bed.

  “Have we missed dinner?” Seva asked, watching as Keller instantly fell asleep.

  “Only by a little. Why don’t I ask Cosmina to bring a couple of plates to your room?”

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Radu. Mulțumesc.”

  “It is my pleasure.” Radu left and closed the door behind him.

  Seva removed Keller’s shirt, fetched a wet a cloth from the bathroom, and used it to clean Keller’s face and neck. He couldn’t miss the raised, reddened puncture wounds. There were two of them exactly the right distance apart for a pair of human canines.

  “That can’t be what it looks like,” he said under his breath as he examined them.

  “Hello,” Cosmina called from the hallway, and Seva hurried to open the door. She came in with a huge tray and set it on the table. After catching sight of Keller through the open door, she went for a closer look. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know.” Seva should probably be cautious about what he told her, but the words kept tumbling out of his mouth. “We got separated in the fog. I—I thought I heard wolves, and I panicked and ran. I must have tripped and knocked myself out. When I woke, I found Keller unconscious on the ground.” He managed to curb his tongue before he started babbling about werewolves and vampires.

  “Is he all right?” Cosmina’s voice was tense with concern.

  “No bones broken. He’ll probably have bruises tomorrow, but nothing worse,” Seva said, praying he was right. “Thank you for bringing us dinner.”

  “It was no trouble. I should be going, though, if you’re sure you’re all right,” she said doubtfully.

  “We’ll be fine,” Seva said with more confidence than he felt. “Thank you.”

  Cosmina didn’t look convinced, but she said good night and left the suite. Seva went into the bedroom and leaned over his partner. He placed his palm on the side of Keller’s neck and swore softly at the heat radiating from his skin.

  Seva fetched the Tylenol from his pack and went into the bathroom to pour a glass of water and wet a clean hand towel. The mattress dipped when he sat on the side, and Keller rolled against him. Gently Seva put his arm behind Keller’s shoulders and lifted him to a sitting position.

  “Wake up,” he said.

  Keller’s eyelids drifted up to half-mast. His gaze focused on Seva before wandering again. “Where am I?”

  “You’re in bed at the inn… in Romania. Here, take these. They’ll help you feel better.” Seva supported Keller until he swallowed both tablets. He set the glass on the bedside table and lowered Keller to lie on his back again. Gently he placed the cold compress on Keller’s forehead. As Seva got to his feet, Keller reached for his hand. With a sigh Seva sat back down and let Keller hold his hand until he fell soundly asleep.

  Chapter Nine

  The wee hours of Wednesday morning, feeling like something is missing in bed at the inn

  SEVA woke feeling chilly and realized he was on top of the covers. No wanting to wake Keller, he eased off the mattress to remove the clothes he’d slept in. Glancing back at the bed, he saw it was empty. He hurried to the bathroom, but Keller wasn’t there, nor was he in the sitting room. Keller was gone, and the door to the suite was ajar.

  “Shit!” Without hesitation, Seva thrust his feet into his shoes and ran down the stairs and out of the inn. He stopped in the middle of the street and lifted his head. A second later, for no logical reason, he ran toward the forest. He didn’t know how, but he knew for certain that Keller had gone back to the scene of the crime. In great leaps, he bounded up the path beside the gorge. By the light of the full moon, he saw Keller’s distant figure ahead of him. He called out but got no reaction. Seva put his head down and charged up the trail.

  When he looked up again, moonlight gleamed on the long, pale hair of someone coming down the path from the top, in the direction of the abbey. A chill struck Seva’s heart and he found the energy to move a little faster.

  KELLER dreamed that he was following the sound of singing up the trail. The singer stood on a rocky ledge at the side of the gorge. His long hair glowed in the light of the moon like an afterimage.

  “Balaur,” Keller murmured.

  “Come to me, my own.”

  Keller walked unsteadily toward the slight, shrouded figure.

&nbs
p; Balaur’s delicate lips curved in a smug smile as Keller approached, his eyes unfocused. “I have not tasted blood like yours before. I want more.”

  When Keller was within reach, Balaur took hold of his hand and lifted it to his mouth. He pressed his lips to Keller’s wrist and let him feel his teeth. Keller moaned in pleasure, and his eyelids fluttered as the tips of Balaur’s fangs slid into his skin.

  “Get off him!” Seva shouted as he bounded onto the ledge. He grabbed Keller’s free hand and pulled him away from the ethereal creature.

  Balaur’s lips drew back in a snarl as he focused on Seva. “You will not live long enough to regret—” A puzzled look replaced the scowl that marred his fine features. A faint line appeared between eyebrows that were like wings, and his great, dark eyes narrowed in thought as he stared into Seva’s bright blue gaze. Slowly, Balaur’s smile returned, wistful this time.

  “Thank whatever gods you worship that you are his soul mate, for I will not break such a bond. Take him. He is yours.”

  Balaur took a step backward and then another until he ran out of ground. He didn’t stop but kept walking as though the air had become solid.

  “Be on your guard, children. I am not the only hunter in the night.” Balaur spun, extended his arms, and swooped away like a dragon taking flight.

  Keller sagged against Seva the moment the creature left them, and his weight nearly took them both to the ground. Seva stiffened his legs and bore Keller up until he could lean him against a boulder a few steps away from the edge of the gorge.

  “Well, that was bizarre,” Seva said breathlessly. He tried to rouse Keller but had no luck. Keller seemed as though he’d been drugged. He was loose-limbed and pliant in Seva’s grasp and incapable of walking. Seva let him slide down to sit at the base of the boulder and sat down next to him. Keller slumped against Seva, who put an arm around his shoulders.

  “Looks like we’re stuck here for a while, soul mate.” Seva peered over at the gorge and saw fog beginning to rise from below. “Great.”

  Seva wasn’t sure how much time passed before Keller came around, but it didn’t seem like more than ten or fifteen minutes. In that time the mist had moved in, thick and heavy, and he could only see a couple feet in either direction. Seva jumped when Keller stirred.

  “What’s going on?” Keller asked in a sleep-slurred voice.

  “You left the inn and I came after you. I found you on the path beside the gorge up here, with a small, white-haired man in red velvet robes. He appeared to be biting your wrist. I told him to fuck off, and he did. I’m very frightening.” Seva paused. “You’ve been pretty out of it. There was no way you could walk down the trail, so I decided to wait until you snapped out of it. Then of course the fog rolled in, and now it’s too dangerous to try climbing down.”

  “So we’re stuck for the night.”

  “The fog might lift,” Seva offered, shrugging.

  “Always the optimist.” Keller smiled a little as he pushed away from Seva. “Thanks for the shoulder.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “So where did the white-haired guy go?”

  Seva sighed. “He flew away,” he said in the tone of one who did not expect to be believed.

  Keller made an annoyed face. “I’m not in the mood for games.”

  “He flew away, Keller.” Seva hesitated. “And I don’t know how he did it. I can’t come up with a single reasonable explanation. He just stepped off the edge and dove like an eagle. He swooped. You don’t remember any of this?”

  “I sort of remember getting out of bed. After that it’s a blank. I thought I was dreaming.” Keller shook his head. “Maybe I still am….”

  “I don’t want to believe what I believe.” Seva sighed. “What if it’s all true? Vampires, werewolves, witches, and ghosts.”

  “And zombies,” Keller added dreamily.

  “What?”

  “You forgot zombies.”

  Seva blinked at him. “No, I didn’t forget them. I didn’t count them.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because a zombie is not a classic supernatural monster.”

  A delighted grin spread slowly across Keller’s face, though his eyelids were losing the battle with sleep. “Shut. Up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You’re still groggy,” Seva teased, reaching to feel Keller’s forehead. “You do have a fever.”

  Keller responded drowsily. “I’m sick?”

  “You really don’t remember?” Seva scratched idly at the wounds on his left shoulder. “Yesterday we got separated in this same damned fog. When I found you, you were unconscious, with puncture wounds on your neck, and when you came to you were acting… spacey is the word that comes to mind. I got you to the inn and into bed, but apparently you decided to go for a walk while I was sleeping.”

  “Weird,” Keller said without inflection.

  Seva elbowed him. “Don’t pass out again. It’s spooky in this fog. Talk to me.”

  “I don’t feel good. Am I going to die?” Keller’s speech was slow, with odd pauses.

  Seva twisted around to look at him. “What? Why would you say that?”

  “I don’t know. I just kind of feel like I might be dying.” Keller shrugged. “It’s this weird intuition-type thing. I’ve felt off-center for this whole trip.”

  Seva put his arm back around Keller’s shoulders. “You’re not dying. Tell me a story to keep us both awake until the sun comes up and we can go back to the inn.”

  “I’ve felt like this before,” Keller mused in a soft, sleepy voice. “A few times. When my parents went on vacation and were in a car crash. And then on my second mission, I thought I was going to die. I had this feeling and it wouldn’t go away. But I couldn’t pass on the mission without a better reason than my gut. I wasn’t in charge, just part of the team. My task was to go into this tunnel and set charges to collapse it. I don’t like being underground, but I knew I could control my claustrophobia. So I did as I was ordered. I set the charges and returned to the mouth of the tunnel. I didn’t know anything had gone wrong until I heard the first blast. It came from much too close. One of the charges went off out of sequence, which wouldn’t have been that big a deal if one of our guys wasn’t still in there. He was trapped on the other side. There was no hope of digging through before the other explosions went off, but we tried.” Keller stopped; his voice was rough. “The team leader stayed on the radio with him until the end. At least it was fast, I guess. Sometimes I still hear his voice. He never blamed me. He was calm and brave right up until the moment the charge went off.”

  “Yeah. That’s the kind of guy Mark was.”

  “You knew Mark Purcell?” Keller turned to look at Seva in surprise.

  Seva nodded. “I knew him very well. We went through training together.”

  “I’m sorry. Sounds like he was a friend.”

  “We were close. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters or best friends when I was growing up. Until my mom died, we lived in the countryside, outside Chita Oblast in southeast Siberia. She took pride in not needing anything from anyone. Later, after she died and my dad came for me, I found it hard to make friends. I was actually grateful my dad put me in a military school.”

  Keller shook his head, trying for a teasing smile. “Man, you are a textbook case.”

  “So are you, you know,” Seva said, scowling a little. “You want to hear my story or not? Because I’m not going to tell it again.”

  “I want to hear it.” Keller put his head on Seva’s shoulder, snuggling without seeming to realize it. “Please.”

  Seva glanced down at Keller and then resumed his story. “When I was eighteen, I defected from North to South Korea. I was stationed just a couple of miles away from the border, and I used the skills the Army had taught me to cross over without getting caught. I surrendered to a border guard and asked for amnesty. I got it. I also got a job offer from the National Intelligence Service. They took me in, deprogrammed me
, and put me to work as a spy. I felt like I was doing some good, but it was too limited. A year later, while on assignment in Paris, I got on a flight to Washington, DC. I called my supervisor from Langley and told him I was joining the CIA.

  “Of course it wasn’t that easy. I wasn’t a US citizen, for one thing. But after I was allowed to ‘audition,’ I was given a unique opportunity. I couldn’t work for the US government, but when they offered me the chance to become an agent of a powerful international organization working from the shadows, how could I say no?”

  Keller nodded. “You couldn’t. No one says no to Neville Fitzroy.”

  Seva nodded back and paused before he continued. “That’s where I met Mark. He was the first person in my life who ever treated me like I was normal. Did I mention I was a prodigy in languages and marksmanship?”

  “No, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Mark and I roomed together, and we became a unit. We studied together, trained together, everything. And together, we did better than either of us would have on our own.”

  Keller swallowed, not sure if he was allowed to ask but unable to stop himself from asking anyway. “Were you lovers?”

  Seva’s lips twisted into something that was sort of like a smile but too wistful for happiness. Nostalgic, perhaps. “No. He was very kind when I confessed my feelings for him. I think I knew all along that he wasn’t gay, but I hoped because I wanted him fiercely. I loved him.”

  “You must hate me so much,” Keller said after a long moment. His guts tightened, twisted, and he was overwhelmed by feelings—remorse, sympathy, and a deep urge to soothe the pain of Seva’s loss.

  “I used to, but the truth is, you made a mistake anyone could have made. Mark knew the risks of the job. You didn’t mean to kill him, and he wasn’t trying to die. Those are the facts. Everything else is feelings. I stopped hating you because I know it was an accident. I admit that I am sort of glad you feel as bad about Mark’s death as I do, though.”

  Keller buried his face in the shoulder of Seva’s sweatshirt. For a while neither spoke or needed to. Something had changed between them. Whatever happened after this strange night, they would face it together. They were a team.