Within the Cards

by Donna Altman

  “Yes, but you did help a vampire escape,” I boosted and sarcastically mimicked her laughter.

  “OK-OK, so we’re both mentally insane and maybe a little strange for immortals,” She laughed even wilder as she pressed harder against my excitement. She was beautiful. I wanted to remain in this room for the rest of my existence.

  “Oh great, A crazy witchyre bit me, and now we have both lost our minds.” I smirked. I couldn’t help, but laugh as I twisted around laying Ellie on the bed. She giggled, but her laughter turned to want. I pressed firmly and deeply against her body. My mouth touched hers. I felt her tongue lightly lick my lips. I wanted to devour her. I found myself exploring every curve of her body as my kisses trailed downward. Ellie made the sounds of deep satisfaction. I knew she wanted this union as much as I. We made love repeatedly. The excitement built and exploded as our bodies moved with each other. Ellie made me feel as if our existence had never felt a void. After many hours of ecstasy, I lay on the bed beside Ellie and stared at the ceiling. Ellie moved toward me, and curled up beside me with her head resting on my chest.

  “I was just thinking. After you said you loved me I didn't respond,” she was still giggling, “but I think I love you too, Daught.”

  The shock of her response threw me for a loop. Had I heard Ellie say she loved me? These words I waited to hear for many decades. Did they just come out of her mouth? True she was laughing when she said them, but she did just admit to loving me. My movement was fast as I propped my head up on my hand, turning toward her. Ellie jerked back somewhat startled at my movement. I looked into her eyes.

  “What did you say?” I gasp. I sat up in bed. I shook my head. I wasn't sure if I believed what I thought I heard. She smiled at me. She knew it was true; she did love me. The new Ellie had fallen in love with me, the creation she had forgotten about. She had fallen in love with me again. I smiled at her. She pulled me back down on the bed, and we lay in each other’s arms. We laughed, not at the words as if we were mocking them, but because we were enjoying the fact that these words were true.

  “I love you Daughtry McRyne, I love you.” She shouted loudly. The smile on her face told me she meant everything she was saying. I couldn’t control my happiness. I grabbed her and held her tight. We laughed and rolled over the bed for what seemed like hours, but were only minutes. Then I looked into her eyes and smiled.

  “I love you Eleanor Valeness, I love you too.” I smiled back at her as I pushed her hair out of her face.

  We lay in each other’s arms for several more minutes. Then Ellie looked at the clock.

  “We’re going to be late for class.” She explained while pointing to the clock.

  “I’ve taken care of that my love. We are supposed to be in Washington, DC, doing research. We’ll be there for the next couple of weeks.” I boosted of my quick thinking of taking care of Mr. Dundford.

  “So what are we going to do in this room for two weeks?” She asked playfully. I sat up on the bed and began to laugh.

  “Well you're stuck with me, so I guess all we can do is study.” I smirked at her, and I handed her a book. This was a mistake. I forgot about her strength. She threw the book at me. Lucky for me, I was of the walking dead. If I were human, I would cease to breath and would have to release my mortality from the horrific blow. I lay back down on the bed with her, and we entangled our bodies. I loved holding her. She was the one thing I loved more than anything and holding her was one of my most missed memories.

  As I lay beside her, I thought about the past night's events. I realized her sister Dee had helped me. Through her thoughts, I realized what Ellie was going to do. When Dee saw that I could read her thoughts she told me how to save Ellie and myself.

  “Did Dee help us or are you correct and I have actually lost my mind?” I asked as I lay staring at the ceiling.

  “Yes, she did.” She began to explain. “Daught, she’s in danger now because she helped us. Although, we made it look as if you were some kind of wizard, this will only keep them at bay for a short while. We have to save her. Suzi and the Lords will kill her.”

  I listened to her story of how Suzi was now the wife of the three Lords, and how Dee had taken over their clan as the leader. Dee told her that my existence was real, and she told her about the love she needed to release herself too. I had to admit I owed Dee an immense deal. If she hadn’t convinced Ellie of her feelings for me, I would likely be dead at this point.

  “So what can we do to help her?” I asked.

  “We have to bring my grandmother back, now. We have to complete the spell as soon as possible.” She stated matter of fact.

  “We need the blue moon. How do you plan to do this without it? The witch said it must be done exactly as the spell says.” I exclaimed.

  She smiled and began to laugh. She reached up and touched my face again. The electricity still flowed through her touch.

  “Silly Vampire, I got tricks.” She laughed. “I can speed up time; remember the classroom?”

  When would I stop forgetting the things Ellie could do? She was a mystical creature that I was in love with, and she now loved me again.

  “How could I forget?” I laughed. She touched my chest and ran her fingers over my abdomen. I knew the last hundred years were worth the wait. She smiled at me with the sweetest smile. I could tell she was proud of herself for having the abilities that she possessed.

  Within seconds, her body tensed. I knew from the look in her eyes that something was wrong. She sat up in bed with her fingers placed against her temples. It was as if she had left and went to a faraway place. Her physical being was present in the room, but her mind was in another place.

  “What’s wrong, Ellie?” I asked while sitting up on the bed beside her. Her eyes looked far away. She held up one finger in order to motion me to be quiet. She seemed to be listening to something that I couldn’t hear. I tried to read her thoughts, but she blocked them with the concentration she maintained. I had never seen Ellie, old or new, act this way before. She closed her eyes tightly as to get a better picture or listen closer. I waited eager to know what was happening, but I didn’t interrupt her again.

  When Ellie began to release the tension in her body, I placed my arm around her letting her know I was still beside her. She turned to look at me. I could see she was immersed in thought, and I listened to the message she sent. Dee transported a message to her. It was a message that changed our plans of staying in this room. We had to go. Suzi and the Lords were after us. They figured out what we had done. We had to act fast.

  “Where do we hide? Where could we go so that a magical being wouldn’t find us?” I wondered with my thoughts. I looked at Ellie. She was concentrating on Dee.

  “We hide only after we save Dee.” She returned her thoughts. She couldn’t stand the thought of Dee being punished for helping us.

  Dee sent another message. She told Ellie of a secret place to meet her. It was deep in the jungles of South America. Ellie grabbed the spell book then she took my hand and with a snap, we vanished. I felt a strange feeling that every cell in my body was tingling. I then felt the sun, and my body was in one piece again.

  The jungle was mysterious and thick with bright green foliage. This foliage ended next to the sugar white sandy beach that stretched out into the fathomless, vast waters of the ocean. The village Dee told Ellie about sat just past the edge of the trees. We stood by the water. The sun was bright and warm. The temperature had changed from the cold, six degrees in Vancouver a few days ago, to the hot Ninety-seven degrees in the southern most jungle of the South American continent. This didn’t matter to my cold, physical form. However, for Ellie, it was much different. She was immortal meaning she lives forever and was part vampire, but climate changes did affect her because her body temperature was slightly higher than that of my non-living existence.

  Ellie looked around, but she didn’t see Dee. She looked at me, and I knew she was worried. I didn’t know what to do to comfort her. She turned to
face me, but I realized her eyes were looking over my shoulder. The worried look on her face disappeared when Dee materialized. She ran pass me and wrapped her arms around her sister. Dee glared at me, but didn’t say a word. I knew she helped me but she was still a witchyre and saw me as a purebred.

  We walked to the small village. I soon learned that witchyres that didn't agree with the practices of the Lords inhabited it. With my arrival, there was a slight uneasy discomfort for them. They hissed at me. Ellie attempted to explain my existence but to no avail, they weren’t happy about my presents.

  Dee spoke with the villagers and calmed them down. She returned to where Ellie and I were standing. I knew she didn’t like me. She helped Ellie and I flee the lair, but it was clear she did it for Ellie, not to save my life.

  “So this is your creation little sister?” She projected her question to Ellie while still looking in my direction.

  “Yes, this is Daught.” Ellie answered. I wasn’t sure if I should smile or not.

  “He’s quite a looker, but the smell. Yuck.” She sniffed in my direction and rolled her eyes at me.

  I didn't impress her, but at that moment, I didn’t care. She again rolled her eyes in my direction and focused on Ellie. Dee was trying not to concentrate on me, but her thoughts shifted in my direction at times and lashed out vulgar obscenity. I returned the same thoughts to her. Ellie attempted to ignore our silent feud.

  “Dee, tell me what happened.” Ellie pleaded.

  Dee explained that after we left the lair the other witchyres were in fear of what they witnessed. She attempted to calm her followers, but their fears attracted Suzi and the Lords like the smell of fresh blood. They demanded her presence. She had no other recourse, but to answer their calling. Suzi accused her of being a traitor, and she called others that witnessed the events of my escape to come and recount their stories.

  All were sure I was a wizard with magical powers but one, the female guard Ellie dismissed. She stood in accusation that Dee and Ellie planned this escape of the intruder hybrid, meaning me. Her words were accepted as the truth. Suzi, knowing that I must be the indiscretion from Ellie's past demanded the death of Dee. She was trying to cover her own mishaps of not making sure they extinguished me decades before.

  When she and Dee combined their powers to remove Ellie’s memory she didn't take the time to realize I wasn't annihilated. She knew the Lords wouldn’t forgive her if they knew she had a part in the remains of my existence, no matter if she had innocently trusted Dee and Ellie to vanquish me. She believed Dee witnessed my removal.

  Dee narrowly escaped the annihilation of her immortality. During the rivaled discussion of Suzi’s knowledge of these events and the killing of the female guard for rebutting her own leader, the Lords turned their attention long enough for her to break free and vanish. She wasn’t able to return to her lair. She knew Suzi would be sent to retrieve Ellie. That was when she called to Ellie in her thoughts. I was unaware that Ellie could gather these thoughts from such a distance, but she had been able too, and this was why we now stand in this vast evergreen refuge.

  This retreat would only last a short while because the witchyres had assembled their clan, and they were looking for the three of us. Their orders were to bring us back to the Lord's castle. The only condition to our retrieval was to bring us with enough existence so we would feel the terror of our execution.

  “Ellie, it’s time to speed up the future. Did you bring the book as I asked?” Dee addressed Ellie, but ignored my presence.

  “Yes Dee, I have it with me.” Ellie responded. “The spell is here.” Ellie opened the book and turned the pages to the marked spot that held the spell that would start the process of returning her memory. I looked at Ellie and asked.

  “Why is your sister so intense on returning your memory?” Before Ellie could answer for herself, Dee spoke up and addressed me this time.

  “I don’t think this is any of your business. Ellie must remember her past to regain her full strength. We also need our grandmother to assist us in removing Suzi from her throne. We need her to defeat the Lords.” Dee was angered. She didn’t like the questions.

  “Ellie is strong regardless of her memory.” I spoke and sneered at her.

  “You dare to question my knowledge of my sister?” She hissed and looked in my direction then she turned and looked at Ellie.

  “Dee, he doesn’t mean anything by it, please.” Ellie interrupted.

  “Your creation should sit and keep his mouth shut. Regardless, if I helped him or encouraged you to respond to him. He must know I still see him as a vermin, and I was only looking out for your happiness.” She spoke to Ellie, but her words lashed in my direction.

  “Your sister should learn to watch her mouth, and I don’t think it is your happiness Dee is worried about. Sounds more like her greed.” I spoke.

  “Listen, you stinking rat. I don’t have to be here, you know.” Dee lashed at me.

  “I’m not trying to stop you from leaving.” I returned to her.

  “Look, you two. I have just found out that my last one hundred years have been a farce. In addition to that, I made you, and I am in love with a vampire. Sorry Daught, but it’s the truth. Therefore, you two have no reason to fight. I’m the one that should have a problem. Now get over yourselves and let me think.” Ellie shouted.

  “He started it.” Dee lashed.

  “And I’ll end it.” I lashed back at her.

  “Daught please let Dee show us.” Ellie looked into my eyes.

  “She needs to remember that you both need this vermin to complete the spell to restore your memory. I have to kiss you.” I directed my comments to Ellie, but sneered at Dee.

  Dee rolled her eyes at me and continued to look at the book that lay in front of her. I could see the eye-rolling thing was a trait passed down in the family. Ellie had done that to me several times when she insisted she was right about something.

  Dee and Ellie continued their conversation while I sat, and I read Dee’s true thoughts. Dee occasionally looked in my direction and hissed while Ellie would smile at me. I knew Dee didn’t like my kind. Even though she helped Ellie and I escape, she didn’t do this for me. She was more concerned with Ellie, and she knew the Lords would retrieve her as a wife. She didn’t want this existence for Ellie. She would rather see her with what she referred to as a vermin. The Lords must be worse than I had often imagined since I learned of their existence. Seeing Dee would rather see her younger sister with the likes of a rat than with these so-called beings of royalty. However, something was telling me that Dee had some type of power trip going on.

  “Tonight before the witching hour, you have to change the present moon to the blue moon. You have to move time to skip the next three moons. It has to be tonight, Ellie.” Dee demanded Ellie’s full attention.

  “I will do this, but what about Daught. I can’t leave him here. We need him.” Ellie told her.

  “Yes the vermin will come with us. We’ll go to the open water by the shore where the moon is better visualized without interruption.” She announced.

  “Encourage your vermin to mind his manners.” Dee lashed. Ellie bowed to Dee and returned to where I was sitting.

  “I hope your grandmother has a little more hospitality than your sister does.” I sneered in Dee’s direction. She hissed back and exposed her fangs to me.

  “You two are going to be great friends one day.” Ellie said with a slight laugh.

  “Hmmm, I don’t think she's going to invite me to dinner anytime soon.” I joked.

  “Well if it’s any consolation she doesn’t eat vampires.” Ellie laughed. She put her hand on my cheek and again the electricity of her touch was strong. Her eyes showed me that behind the laughter there was fear. It was a fear the spell may not work. I wrapped my arms around her and held her until the fear was gone. I assured her I would love her no matter what happened. I didn’t need a spell to know how much I loved her. Dee looked in our direction. I read her th
oughts. She knew I loved her sister, and I would keep her safe or die trying. She felt pleased, but she would never admit that to me or to Ellie.

  “I think your sister likes me more than she wants to admit.” I said.

  I saw Ellie’s thoughts. She hoped Dee and I could get along. She didn’t want to have to choose between her family and me. However, I knew Ellie would stand by me. Nonetheless, I would never allow Ellie to make that decision. I loved her too much. She smiled and kissed me. Again, I heard her thoughts as she turned away from me.

  “I wouldn’t bet on it.” We both began to laugh. I loved hearing Ellie’s laugh. Although, Ellie wasn’t the same being that left me many years ago her laugh hadn’t change. And, I was sure she was right. Dee and I had a long way to go.

  Chapter Eighteen

  GRANDMOTHERS RETURN

  The witching hour was near. Ellie gathered the book of spells and came to my side. She was wearing a white silk gown. She was a vision of virtuous beauty. Dee told her it was time to go to the water’s edge. With a snap of her fingers, the three of us transported to a sandy cove by the water. The breeze was warm and the light from the moon reflected on the water. Ellie handed Dee the book. She then went to where the water lightly rippled and met the sand. I watched her in amazement. She had the grace of an eagle soaring in the air just off a mountaintop. It took me back to the remembrance of the eagle and the dove. It seemed that even though the eagle had swallowed the dove, it had taken on its beauty and purity.

  Ellie held her arms into the air as if she were commanding it to her attention. Winding her arms in a clockwise rotation, she moved time. It was as if the Earth began to speed its movement to her command. Night became day, as day become night. Many times did this revolution take place. The tides came in and out with the growing and decreasing of the moon. This transformation wasn’t one that could be seen by the human eye. It would go unnoticed by a mere mortal, but for us, the immortals, we could see the vast power Ellie held as she controlled the sheer core of the universe. Dee said Ellie needed her grandmother to increase her strength, but I could not tell she needed anything. She had the universe readily available. She was as strong as I wanted to know.