by Rue Volley
“Yea?” I said as my voice cracked.
“You okay?” Johnathan said.
I cracked the door and looked up at him. He had a look on his face that was so not like him… He looked worried. I grinned and shrugged my shoulders.
“I’m just getting ready; I am really hungry,” I said to him.
He looked at me and his face relaxed. He must have been comforted by the fact that I looked so calm. Like the whole shower incident never happened.
“Me too… go figure. I mean, I just threw up like forty times,” he said.
I laughed and looked at him. He was so pretty and endearing. He was just in the shower with me and I never once thought about anything but him getting out. I was the weirdest girl in the history of weirdness. I swear to god. We stood there laughing and then I started to close the door. He leaned in and smiled at me.
“I didn’t mean to, uh…” he said as he looked at the shower.
I looked at it and then back to him.
“Me either,” I said.
He grinned and stepped away from the door.
And with that we never talked about it again… just like I wanted.
***
Jonah flashed through the woods. He and Lily had been heading towards the carnival almost all through the night. He stumbled and started to fall; Lily caught his arm and slowed them both down. She looked at him and grinned. Jonah touched her face and smiled.
“What would I be without you?” he asked her.
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. They walked to the edge of the river and Lily let him sit down. She walked to the water’s edge and leaned down, dipping her hands into the cool water. She scooped it up and looked back at Jonah. She slowly rose up and walked to him, placing her hands in front of his face. He leaned forward as he glanced up at her and took a drink. She smiled and walked back to the water to drink herself. Jonah sighed and looked out across the water and then at the sky.
“Perhaps I should just fade.” He said.
Lily stood up and tilted her head at him.
She walked over and dropped down next to him, taking her hand in his.
“If you go, I do too,” she said.
Jonah looked at her and smiled.
“Why do you put up with my dramatics?” he asked her.
“Because I love you,” she said.
“And I you,” Jonah said.
“What will we do when we reach the carnival?” Lily asked.
Jonah sighed and rubbed his finger across the top of her hand.
“I would assume that we will not be welcomed easily, it may take some convincing… After we left, I am certain that someone stepped up to lead.”
Lily took his hat off and placed it on her head.
“No one leads as well as you do, Jonah. You are much smarter than those stupid rogues,” she said.
Jonah laughed and tilted the hat on her head, covering one of her eyes.
“I agree and that is why you and I will be together forever. You appreciate my abilities,” he said.
“No… I appreciate you,” she said.
“Are you getting sentimental on me, love?” Jonah asked her.
Lily grinned showing her teeth.
“No… I know that if you die I also die; so I have to be mindful of your condition.”
“Oh...! You stab at thee,” Jonah said as he leaned back and made a stabbing motion at his heart. Lily watched him and laughed.
“Jonah?” Lily said as her laughter died down.
“What, love?”
“I don’t want to eat people anymore,” she said.
Jonah looked at her and shook his head.
“I fear that to lead a pack of dogs; you must act like a dog,” he said.
She shook her head and pulled out the two small rabbits from a bag she had over her shoulder. She kissed them both on the head and set them down in the grass. They started to sniff and then started to hop away from her.
“Why, Lily?”
She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t want the dogs to eat them,” she said.
They both watched the rabbits disappear into taller grass and Jonah took Lily’s hand.
He looked at her and smiled.
“I promise you that I will only eat to heal myself. Then if you wish to maintain your new diet, I will do my best to follow… We must be careful though; if they find out, they might see us as weak and try to eat us themselves,” he said.
Lily nodded and hugged him around the neck so hard they both fell back into the grass.
She leaned up and looked at him.
“I don’t think that we should kiss anymore,” she said.
Jonah crinkled his eyebrows at her and tilted his head.
“You find me unattractive?” he asked her.
“No… I just think that you should save your kisses for someone else,” she said.
Jonah grinned and touched her face.
“As should you, love,” he whispered to her.
They both felt a strange vibration and sat up quickly. Jonah pushed himself up as Lily held onto his arm. There, in front of them, were three rogues staring them down.
“Jonah… Lily. We were most certain that you had left us for good,” the boy said as he grinned.
Jonah pulled his hat from Lily and placed it on his head.
“I assure you that we were in a fight to return to our home,” he said.
“You look as if you battled with death, Jonah.”
Jonah looked at the boy and raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, it seems that I consumed death… nasty business. I fed too long on an enemy and in turn, I am ill,” he said.
The boy tilted his head and stared at the other two rogues with him.
“You...? You have lived long enough to know when to stop feeding. I find it unbelievable that you would allow that to happen.”
Jonah laughed.
“Well, even the cleverest of us have our day… it seems.”
“You say,” the boy replied.
Jonah tilted his head at him and waited. Was this the new master of the carnival? When Jonah left he simply ran the ticket booth after the untimely demise of the last attendant. The boy leaned over to one of the boys with him and whispered in his ear. The boy took a step towards Jonah and Lily and Lily hissed as she stepped in front of Jonah.
“Oh come now, Lily, you have both been gone for quite a while. Surely, you and your brother would be just as weary if one of us left and then suddenly appeared, claiming that you fought your way back here.”
Lily shook her head and Jonah touched her arm and pulled her back. Jonah stepped towards the boy and rolled up his sleeve. He looked at his arm and then at the rogue.
“Be my guest; you may bite me at your own risk,” Jonah said.
The boy looked back and the new master nodded to him. The boy flashed to Jonah and grabbed his arm. Lily tried to jump on him and the other boy grabbed her and knocked her to the ground. The boy stood there gripping Jonah’s arm tightly; Jonah looked at him and grinned.
“Do it,” he whispered.
The rogue bit into his arm with no mercy, tearing at the flesh. Blood started to roll from his mouth and drip onto the grass as Jonah closed his eyes and sucked in his breath. The boy stumbled back, blood all over his mouth, and coughed. He grabbed at his throat and looked at Jonah. Jonah tipped his hat and grinned.
“Welcome to my world,” he said.
The rogue grabbed at his stomach and groaned. Jonah stared at him as he rolled his sleeve back over his fresh wound. His eyes darted to the new master and he grinned.
“As you can see, I speak the truth,” he said.
The rogue who bit him fell to the ground and rolled on his side.
Jonah watched him and his mouth started to become dry.
The new master laughed and stepped up clapping his hands.
“Jonah and Lily… it is so good to have you come home,” he said.
The new
master looked at Lily, pinned to the ground, and nodded to the rogue boy holding her there.
“Let her up,” he said.
Lily flashed to Jonah and wrapped her arm around his waist. The new master smiled at her and then looked at the rogue who had held her while Jonah was bitten.
“Hungry?” he asked Jonah.
Jonah smiled and looked at the boy.
“Famished.”
“Well then… heal yourself, Jonah.”
He glanced at the rogue boy still standing and Jonah flashed to him and knocked him to the ground. The boy struggled and cried out as Jonah bit into his neck, tearing away a huge chunk of the flesh. Jonah moaned and his body trembled as he continued to eat until the boy lay motionless under him. Jonah leaned back with blood covering his face and cried out at the sky. He felt his heartbeat speed up and the poison, that was slowly weakening him, start to fade. He took a deep breath and stood up over the boy and then glanced back at Lily. She stood there calm and silent.
“We would like to return home now,” Jonah said.
The new master nodded to him and they all flashed towards the carnival lights off in the distance.
***
Evil stood at the window staring out at the city. She smiled as ribbons were strung from every building in black and white. She looked back at Josh and grinned.
“They are preparing for our arrival, Joshua. This entire city is buzzing,” she said.
Josh looked up at her and took a breath, opening his mouth, and started to speak.
“You are a liar,” he said.
Evil looked back at him and tilted her head.
“What did you say?” she asked him.
Josh sat there and looked at his hands.
“I said that you lie,” he muttered.
Evil walked up to him and leaned down in his face.
She placed her hand on his face and pulled his chin up to face her.
“No… Men lie. They promise the earth and the sky and then they leave you rotting in your want,” she said.
Her image started to shift in front of him and he watched as her hair changed to a light red. Her face changed… beautiful she was… breathtaking really, but in Josh’s heart only Rue existed. Clytie leaned forward and whispered in his ear… her siren song. Josh felt his will weaken and his heartbeat slow.
“Yes, men are all the same. That little wench thought that she could trap me in memory, not even among my own, the three thousand sisters I have who have been tortured by the will of the gods forever. I fear that all immortals are the same… no compassion, no love. She is the same, trapping me as my lover did… throwing me aside like trash. I will not have it happen again; you will see to my survival even if it is at the hands of your own demise.”
Josh closed his eyes and listened to her words. Anger welled up his chest and he opened them, color swirling to black. Clytie backed away from him as he rose and stared at her. Flashes of light welled up behind his eyes. He felt his hands start to vibrate as he focused on Rue… her mouth, her touch. Her voice started to echo in his ears…”I love you” lingering in his mind.
He suddenly felt a pulse in his palms; he opened them and watched as a weak light started to pulsate to a deeper color of black. His throat became dry and his chest ached. He had spent all the time since they had stepped in Valon fighting Clytie’s spell and now he felt it weakening… becoming distant in his heart and mind. He suddenly looked at her and lowered his head.
“I know of you… You are a sad and worthless creature,” Josh said to her.
Clytie clinched her fists and stared him down.
“You will listen to me… You will do as I say,” she said.
Josh grinned at her and Clytie rubbed her hands together.
“You have never dealt with a vampire have you, Clytie?” he asked her.
She stepped back from him and looked out the window.
“They are all awaiting our arrival, Lord Barrington.”
Josh looked at her and shook his head.
“I am not a Lord yet, that is where you made your fatal mistake,” he said.
Clytie cried out and ran to him. She raised her hand to touch him trying to weave her spell. Josh caught her hand and twisted it. She moaned as she fell to one knee and he stared down at her. He pulled his blade and placed it to her throat. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
“I revoke you; I have tossed your charms aside… I will take you to the trial mirror and there you will stay for an eternity,” Josh said as he continued to apply pressure to her wrist.
Clytie started to laugh and Josh tilted his head.
“You have never dealt with a nymph… vampire,” she whispered.
She started to fade and Josh felt his grip loosen from her wrist. He grabbed at her and she laughed as she misted. Josh stood there clinching his fist and gripping his blade in his hand. He turned when he heard a knock at the door.
“Shit,” he muttered.
He walked to the door and opened it slowly.
He looked out at three guards standing before him.
“Lord Barrington, the council awaits you and your mate,” one guard said.
Josh looked back in the room and then looked at the guard.
“Rue is feeling sick; she will not be attending,” he said. “Give me a moment and I will come.”
The guard nodded and Josh closed the door.
“Okay, Josh… there has to be a way out of this shit,” he whispered to himself.
Josh walked to the window and looked at all the ribbons flying in the wind.
“Perfect,” he muttered.
He placed his blades on his back and walked to the door.
He stopped for a moment and looked back at the room.
“That crazy bitch,” he muttered as he stepped out and headed towards the awaiting council.
Josh walked through Valon and could not help staring at all the buildings and the decorations. This was something that he had been meant to do his whole life. It was bittersweet that he was not really a Lord. Although, he was thankful that he had not fully changed; he had a feeling of emptiness as he walked towards the council hall. He knew that they believed that he was. He knew that Clytie had brought him here and now his only thoughts were how he would escape and find Rue.
He stepped up to the large mirror and stared at it. He leaned in and looked at his face. He looked weathered, pale… dark circles from lack of food. He gripped at his stomach as it growled at him and then the mirror started to roll. He straightened up and stepped through it. Guards lined the hall dressed in blue. He closed his eyes as a flash of memory took him back to Rue and her color. His stomach growled again and he continued to walk to the large doors. Two guards opened them up and he stepped in. So many protectors packed the room he could not see the platform in the middle.
As he started to walk, protectors started to step away from him. They all glanced at him with odd looks on their faces. He didn’t know why that would be. He was there to accept his role as the true protector of Valon… the Blood and Light. The closer he got the platform the more protectors there were. He ended up pushing the last few out of the way. As the last of them parted, he stopped dead to see the last thing he ever wanted to. Sophia leaned down touching Rue’s face, well… Evil’s face. She lay there bloodied and bruised. Josh shook his head and Sophia flashed her gaze to him.
“Joshua Barrington… why would you do such a treacherous thing?” she asked him.
Josh stared at Evil and shook his head.
“What is it that I supposedly did?” he asked her.
Sophia stood up as four protectors rushed to Evil and picked her up. They carried her from the platform and Josh stood there being stared at like the devil. Sophia raised her hands to quiet the mumbling in the room. Josh stepped up onto the platform and looked at her.
“Rue came to us, barely able to walk. She said that after dinner you took her home and beat her relentlessly because she revealed her condition to me,” So
phia said.
The room started to erupt in conversation and Josh stepped towards her.
“I did no such thing. I would never… I mean…”
Sophia held her hand up and whispered, “Bind”.
Josh fell to his knees and hissed as light wrapped around his body.
“What you have done is beyond forgiveness; she has bled the heir,” Sophia said.
Sophia turned and a guard handed her a white bundle. She opened it up and showed Josh a small baby, lifeless.
Josh blinked and shook his head.
“No… no. That is not mine… it is not. She lied; she was not carrying my heir,” he said to her.
Sophia stared at him with hatred. She turned to the crowd and held her hands up.
“Justice will be swift. Joshua Barrington will be placed into the trial mirror into exile forever. I will strip him of his lineage and he will wander in the mirror until our next Lord feeds on him as he accepts his power,” Sophia said as the crowd erupted.
Two guards grabbed Josh by the arms and started to drag him from the platform.
Sophia stopped them and leaned down to him.
“I knew that you were an abomination to our people; I just did not know that a true monster lurked within you,” she whispered.
The guards drug Josh to the Trial Hall. All protectors followed, wanting to witness his demise. The guards stopped in front of the mirror and Sophia stepped up over him. Josh looked up at her, with sweat on his face.
“Sophia… don’t do this. She is not what she appears to be… She is a...”
Sophia flashed a brilliant light at him and he fell to his side moaning. She continued to hit him with light as he cried out and arched his back. She felt his color rise above him and she sucked in her breath as his black light entered her mouth. Josh cried out once more and Sophia lowered her hands and looked at him.
“It is a terrible day when a Lord has fallen,” she said.
Josh laid there; his eyes blurred… body ached as if he had been beaten to brink of death. Two guards picked him up as he slumped in their arms. They looked at Sophia and she turned away from him as they tossed him through the mirror.
Josh fell for what seemed like forever. He reached out at one point as a vision of Rue appeared before him. He touched her face and ran his fingers across her lips. He could feel her breath, her light.