Blood From a Stone

by Cynthia Lucas

  He’d been quiet for most of the ride in the back of the cab, as the cabbie’s talk radio station blared some political debate. He hadn’t told Willow yet about seeing Adrielle….he’d wait for that ‘til later when they were in the air and on their way. Her visit had been unsettling, as usual, but still, he’d managed to remain cheerful and in good spirits as he’d arrived at her house. But her words kept ringing through his mind.

  Willow reached over and grabbed his hand. “I never dreamed I‘d have an opportunity to experience a trip like this…much less with the love of my life.”

  He squeezed her fingers in his own feeling both joy and the sadness at knowing it would almost certainly be the only trip they’d have together. And he damned well intended to make sure it was one she’d never forget.

  He smiled trying to lighten his own mood. “So you’re running off with some guy you‘ve fallen for, huh? Who is he? I’ll kick his ass.”

  She smirked and rubbed his thigh playfully.

  They arrived at the airport, paid the cabbie and unloaded their luggage. The lines were relatively short for baggage check, ticketing and security and it was a relatively short wait before boarding was announced for their flight.

  C HAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Eighteen and a half hours and two layovers later they landed at Cardiff International Airport, where they caught a cab to the nearest hotel, a large four star place with all amenities. A hot shower and meal were the first thing in order. Then tomorrow they would head out into the countryside to the cozy little place he had in mind and some sightseeing.

  They found a place, checked in and immediately headed to the room. Willow got in the shower first, and as much as he desired her, he resisted his urge to join her. He was saving that for tomorrow, when they both would be less tired. He wanted the next time to be one that she’d never forget.

  She came out looking sleepy even as she towel dried her hair. “I think I’m too beat to go find somewhere to have some food. Can we order room service?”

  “Absolutely. Just get me whatever you’re having…and a beer.” He smiled. “There’s nothing like a good English ale.”

  A few moments later the heat of the water sluicing down his back relaxed his tired muscles as he thought some more about what the Watcher had said.

  Look to the rhyme. He’d gone over that damnable chant in his head a million times it seemed. The only parts that seemed to make any sense with regards to finding some way out was the through blood of thy will part. And maybe his jailer being the only one who could set him free. But then his jailer had been dead and gone for centuries so that sure has hell wasn’t going to do him much good.

  He rinsed his hair, stepped out of the shower and dried off quickly, wrapping the towel around his waist.

  One thing he was now sure of was that no matter how hopeless it seemed, Willow wasn’t giving up on him. And her determination drove him to keep looking for the answers to undo this curse until his time ran out.

  He thought back over everything that had happened in these past days….and how much different he’d become. And yet the cruel irony of it all was that since he’d become a better man, it would still change nothing. It would only make what was to come more painful.

  And yet, if offered the chance to give it all up and have never met her…he knew that he wouldn’t.

  He emerged from the bathroom to find her in bed with a couple of trays of food and his ale, which he promptly did away with before digging in to the hot roast beef sandwich she’d ordered him. A few minutes later as they lay there full and contented, he turned to talk to her and smiled when he discovered her sound asleep.

  He tucked the blanket around them and moved in closer to the curve of her body, struggling to contain his desire and keep his hands off her bare thighs. Tomorrow night would come soon enough, and what he had planned would be well worth the wait.

  The next morning Willow opened her eyes to find him staring down at her as she slept. She propped herself up on one elbow.

  “Did you sleep last night…at all?” she said softly. “Yeah. A little. But it wasn’t easy having you here next to me practically naked as the day you were born,” he said, tracing the curve of her bare shoulder where her robe had fallen aside.

  She smiled seductively. “Well, you could have woke me up.”

  “Believe me, I thought of it,” he said laughing. “But you were out cold. There will be time for that later tonight. I told you, next time is going to be even better and more right than the other two. You’ll see.”

  “Okay. I trust you.” she headed for the bathroom. Emerging a few moments later, she plunked down beside him on the bed. “So, you’re my tour guide. Where are we going today?”

  “I thought maybe we could head to Carmarthenshire and take a day tour of Carreg Cennen Castle. Maybe a few other landmarks. It’s too cold for a horse ride on the trails so we’ll just head over to this little inn I have in mind for the night afterward.”

  “Sounds perfect. Have you been to this castle before?”

  He smiled. “Oh, I would say that I have. But Caer Cynan, as it’s known in Welsh, is only a remnant of what it once was, despite restorations. It was in ruins even when I was a boy, but spectacular nonetheless. It was deemed too much a threat to the monarchy in the mid 1400’s, despite the fact it was English owned. And they destroyed it. Came in there with pick axes and whatever else they had and took it apart piece by piece practically. Even so, it was still considered quite the prize, when it was given to Rhys ap Thomas.”

  Willow stared at him in awe, as the realization hit her hard that this man…the man she had come to know and love in this short span of time, had walked the earth hundreds of years ago and had seen things in history she’d only read about in books.

  “Who is Rhys Thomas?”

  He smiled. “Rhys ap Thomas was a wealthy landowner during the time of the War of the Roses. The castle was given to him as something of a reward I guess. He was an avid and loyal supporter of Henry.”

  “Henry the VIII?” she said “No Henry the VI”.

  Willow shook her head. “I don’t even know where to begin…the emotion I feel listening to you tell me these things. You were there.”

  He laughed lightly. “Well, no. I wasn’t there. But I was alive during that time.”

  “I just can’t believe it. It’s like I’m living a fairy tale.”

  “Well, my lady, this is good. Because I intend to make this trip as much the fairy tale come true for you as I can.” He reached forward and pulled her into is arms. “I’m going to slip out for awhile, so I can make some reservations for later. Meanwhile, you get ready and we’ll leave as soon as I get back.”

  Willow nodded and a few minutes later he walked out the door into the crisp morning air.

  Samson felt like a stranger in a strange land, and yet, it still felt good to be back ‘home’. To walk the streets where once grassy plains and horse trails wound their way across the untouched land. Every time he’d come back here since his first Awakening, it had changed a bit more, although there still remained parts of the land near the mountains, that human feet had barely tread and human eyes had scarcely seen.

  How he wished it were summer now, so he could sit on a grassy hillside with her wrapped in his arms, and admire the golden sun as it slipped behind the horizon in the evenings. But fate had not been so kind, and so he would have to do his best to make as good a memory for them in dead of winter as he would have otherwise.

  He walked down one of the busy streets to a nearby floral shop and picked up a dozen roses, and typed in the number of the inn he had in mind for their stay for the next few days on his cell.

  He was disappointed to find that due to an illness in the family, the inn had suddenly closed for the week.

  Ah, well….they could just as easily stay at the place they were now camped out. Even though it wasn’t out in the countryside, it was indeed beautiful, in a different more luxurious way. The city held a charm all its ow
n and there was certainly plenty to see and do. Besides it was the dead of winter and the hillsides wouldn’t be the same as they were when the spring and summer brought them to life with a carpet of green and a sea of colorful wildflowers.

  Perhaps dinner and a walk beneath the street lights in the cool night air would offer the romantic setting he hoped for. He headed back to the hotel to see if Willow was ready for their tour of Carreg Cennen.

  When he arrived, he found her dressed and ready to go. Her smile lit up as he handed her the roses and offered his arm to escort her out.

  “Wait a minute. Let me put them in the sink with some water so they last til we get back.” She quickly deposited them, and they headed out to hail a cab.

  An hour and a half later, heaving quite heavily after climbing the substantial hill to gain access to the outer ward of the castle, Willow’s breath caught in her throat as she took in the incredible view of the snow-covered hills below and the mountains off in the distance.

  They walked the halls and passageways and explored the east wing living quarters, what was once a kitchen with its two large baking ovens and water cisterns.

  “I can’t even fathom what it must have been like.

  Cooking in these open stone ovens…..no running water. And how it must’ve been living out here in the winter with no heat or electricity? It’s just so hard to imagine that as normal every day life.”

  Samson nodded as he struggled to contain his emotion at seeing the ruins once again, reminding him of the family and the humanity he‘d left behind so long ago.

  He recalled the summers of his boyhood, that he’d spent running wild and free in the grassy fields close by with his brother by his side as they rolled and wrestled in the dirt. He could almost hear his mother’s voice calling them from off in the distance. What he wouldn’t give to be able to hear her voice once more.

  As they walked along through the corridors, Willow couldn’t keep herself from touching the walls…running her fingers along the stones, as she listened to their tour guide’s rambling tale of the castle’s history.

  “And now,” said the guide, we shall head to the southern end of the castle where you may decide whether to stop or brave taking the torch to hand and heading down into the darkest depths of the natural cave that sits below.”

  Willow turned to Samson. “Should we go down there?” He didn’t reply immediately…his mind seemed lost in some far away place….or time She hooked her arm through his. “Samson. Should we go below?”

  He shook off his stupor quickly. “Yeah. Why not. Since we’re here, we may as well see it all. I don‘t want us to go back without having done everything we wanted to and seeing everything we can.”

  She smiled as they stepped in line with two others who also wished to brave going down into the dark, damp cavern.

  They descended the steep steps leading downward to a vaulted entryway on the southeastern side of the castle that would take them into the cave below.

  As they entered the winds were blocked and the air, though still very cold was also very still except for the billowing clouds of steam that came with each breath they took.

  They walked along, examining the walls and listening to the guide’s introduction and a brief history of the all the different legends of the cave and natural fountain that bubbled forth from its floor.

  As they stood listening Samson suddenly felt a familiar chill against the back of his neck. He didn’t bother to turn around but he knew that Adrielle was lurking nearby. He wondered if Willow could feel her too, but she seemed oblivious as the guide continued rambling on about Arthurian legends and the various stories that had circulated throughout history of the waters there being a fountain of youth.

  “You’re running out of time….look to the rhyme.” Adrielle’s voice rang in his head like a soft melody.

  “Did you hear that?” he said to Willow in a low whisper.

  “Hear what?” she said, looking puzzled.

  “Nothing. Never mind.” He shook his head. “I’ll tell you later.”

  Willow nodded and wrapped her arms around Samson’s waist as the guide finished the tour and they headed back up the steep steps to the courtyard.

  They thanked their guide and began the descent down the long craggy hill toward the farm below where their driver would be waiting to take them back to the city.

  They hiked down the hill and hurriedly bustled into the warmth of the car that was waiting.

  “The little place I’d been hoping we could stay is closed due to an illness in the family…so we’ll be staying right where we are. I hope you don’t mind,” he said.

  “Of course I don’t mind. Anywhere is fine as long as you’re there,” she said smiling as she leaned in and kissed him. “Thank you. This….was just a wonderful afternoon. The castle was fantastic and the view? My God. I’d only seen things like that in books.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, my lady.”

  “Oh, yeah. What was it you heard earlier?”

  “Not sure…but I think it was her,” he said softly.

  “You mean…the angel…or whatever she is?” Willow said, looking a bit shaken.

  “Yeah. Did you feel anything strange? Or hear anything?”

  “No. Nothing,” said Willow, matter-of-factly. “What did she say to you?”

  “She said, ‘You’re running out of time. Look to the rhyme.’ That was it.”

  Willow’s brows knit together. “What rhyme? What does it mean?”

  “She keeps trying to tell me it has something to do with the wording of the curse. She‘s mentioned something like this before,” he said, noting that the driver was listening with one ear and looking at them like they were crazy.

  He nudged Willow softly, nodding toward the driver to indicate that they needed to talk about it later. Willow nodded with comprehension.

  They rode the rest of the way back to the hotel in silence as Willow drank in the sights and Samson’s mind was a-jumble…the words of the curse weaving their way through his thoughts. He’d already figured out that his blood had the ability to heal and in doing so, somehow it turned time back just a little for whoever received his little ‘gift’. And it also seemed to make him feel a bit invigorated as well, after the intense fatigue passed. But what good could any of that do him?

  Unless the game was to keep giving blood until somehow he turned back enough time to stop the curse from ever happening? That certainly didn’t seem possible. He doubted he had enough blood running through his veins to do such a deed. No…there was something else he was missing.

  The car stopped in front of their hotel and Samson quickly paid the driver before they stepped out and headed inside to the warmth of the room.

  “So, what do you think she meant?” said Willow. “Is the rhyme the way to break the curse?”

  “I don’t know. It must have something to do with it because she keeps showing up and telling me to pay attention to the damned thing. As if I hadn’t already for the past ten Awakenings.”

  “Can you remember all the words well enough to write them down? Maybe if we could see it on paper we could understand them better and it would help us come up with something you haven’t thought of yet,” offered Willow optimistically.

  He sat down on the bed and found a pen and pad of paper in the drawer of the night stand. He quickly scribbled out the words that echoed in his mind like a song.

  Willow picked up the piece of paper, studying it for some time before finally putting it down on the table next to the television.

  “There’s got to be some hidden meaning,” she sighed. “I’m not giving up…in fact I’ve only just begun. But, I’m getting hungry. Maybe I’ll be able to think clearer after we get some food.”

  Samson nodded. “There’s a great little place right around the corner. Homemade everything….and good ale.” He smiled and winked.. “We need to forget all this for now. Let’s just focus on tonight and each other. Maybe plan what we’ll go see tom
orrow. There’s so many historical sights and places of interest and I want you to see as many of them as you’d like while we’re here.”

  Willow nodded. “Let me go wash up. I’ll be right back.” A few minutes later she emerged from the bathroom and they headed out the door.

  The streets were busy all around them as they walked hand in hand beneath the streetlights in the crisp night air. And in no time, they’d rounded the corner and entered the cozy little pub and eatery called The Lion’s Den.

  The place was set up like an old fashioned tavern with booths, plank tables and benches all around, as well as tables and chairs. Two large hearths burned at either end of the room and candles lit every table, as well as the sconces that lined the walls, giving the room a soft glow in every sector. A giant, ancient tree grew up out of the center of the room, and its trunk was wound with vines of flowing ivy that sprawled all the way up to the cathedral ceiling that had been built around the tree, allowing it to exit up through the roof.

  Willow’s eyes lit up at the beautiful sight as a hostess appeared and quickly seated them.

  “I can’t believe this. Did you already know about this place?” she said excitedly.

  “Well…actually yes. This place was around a hundred years ago. Two Awakenings past for me. I had come back here at the time, to see how much things had changed, and found it by accident. I’m glad I did.”

  “Me too.” She squeezed his hand looking around the room as the candles flickered their approval. “Red wine?” he asked, as the waitress came around take their order.

  Willow shook her head and smiled. “No, you said you wanted ale, so I‘m having some too.”

  “A couple of ales it is, then.” He nodded to the waitress.

  “So….I think we just have to keep working on the wording of the curse. It must have something to do with the blood of thy will part. That’s the only part that makes sense,” she said, sliding closer to him.

  “I’ve gone over that one so many times I can’t count. But nothing,” he said, shaking his head.