“I bid you welcome,” Artemis said, nodding.
Simon bowed graciously, as did the others, although they were all startled and dismayed by Artemis’s presence. Kele pushed Flynn’s head to force his body into a bow.
How did he discover we were coming? Flynn heard in his head. He wasn’t sure which of the others had spoken. Whoever it was clearly detested Artemis.
“You have travelled far. I insist you spend at least one day with my coven,” Artemis said, “before you visit other friends. You always seem to snub me.”
“It is not on purpose, I assure you,” Simon said.
“Still, when did you last stay with me? You will stay now; I insist.”
“I thank you for your hospitality,” Simon replied. He knew better than to refuse Artemis’s offer. “We have just arrived from across the ocean. We left in a bit of a hurry.”
“I’ve heard the rumors. Is this the miscreant?” he asked, nodding toward Flynn.
“Flynn, this is Artemis. Artemis, Flynn.”
Artemis nodded. A tallish, angular Faery, Artemis, with his long dark hair that hung below his shoulders, looked like Flynn’s idea of a coven leader. He suspected steeliness behind the flint grey eyes despite the smile he now showed his guests.
“There is hunting nearby,” Artemis said to Simon.
“We’ve already hunted, thank you.”
Artemis nodded. He looked like someone’s father, and Flynn could easily picture this one in a Faery castle sitting amongst books, or administering justice to the masses.
Harry nudged Flynn. The others had already begun moving toward the coven home while Flynn was lost in his ruminations. As he looked before him what had seemed a tangle of tree roots revealed itself to be a castle of sorts. A drawbridge lowered across a depression Humans wouldn’t have noticed, and they all walked across it.
“Welcome to my home,” Artemis said, smiling. Most of the others nodded as if the splendor within was as nothing. Flynn, who’d never been in a Faery home outside his own village gasped, his mouth hanging open in wonder.
“Don’t you worry about the Humans knocking this down?” Flynn blurted.
He heard a few titters and wondered what was so foolish about his question.
Artemis didn’t reply, but he did look questioningly at Simon, whose expression Flynn couldn’t read.
Best not to ask too many questions, came Harry’s voice in Flynn’s head. You’re a guest and a stranger.
Flynn realized he’d made some mistake. He hoped he hadn’t been rude.
They were first taken to rooms where they put their things. There were four to a room. Artemis obviously wanted his guests contained. Perhaps there was a limit to friendships in the Vampyre community.
Once they had their belongings situated they returned to the main hall. Flynn was in the same room with Harry, Aranck and Simon. As he prepared to leave, Simon touched his arm. He turned to his sire.
“I know this is new for you, but older Vampyres have certain expectations. One is that fledglings are not expected to say whatever comes to mind. They speak when spoken to, and he rarely speaks directly to anyone but me. No one else spoke to him. They’ll speak to other Vampyres, but not to Artemis unless he directs a question to them.”
“Why?”
“It’s the way of things. He’s Old World.”
“How will I find things out?”
“Ask in your head. Someone will answer you. You know how it’s done. And do not question anything I tell you. Artemis will not tolerate that, and I’ll be forced to be harsh with you, even though that isn’t our way. We are his guests. We must respect his way of doing things.”
“How old is he?”
“I’d reckon he’s been a Vampyre about a thousand years. And he was an aristocrat in the days of the Faery. His family is descended, it is said, from the Tuatha de Dana. He is deserving of great respect, more so because he is graciously receiving us.”
“Is that unusual?”
“In these circumstances, yes. We would normally apply a few years in advance. What you did is looked on as a disgrace, and he sees you as one who should be grateful for your very existence. Had you been his, he might have destroyed you. Of course, he has a bit of a cruel streak. He might have chained you up in the dungeon for a year and made you watch others feed.”
Flynn shuddered, and looked to see if Simon were inventing. Simon was serious.
“Do not make me remind you in front of Artemis to hold your tongue. As his guests, he is free to make demands of us.”
That sounded completely the reverse of the hospitality laws of the light Faery, but Flynn had no doubt of its truth. He thought Artemis a cruel Vampyre.
They joined the others in the hall. Artemis, dressed in the robes of a king, raised an eyebrow at Simon. Harry took Flynn in hand and let him join a group with whom he was talking about old times.
“Forgive me,” Simon told Artemis “I had to reprimand my fledgling.”
“The difficulty of taking the young who have had no experience of manners with their own kind.”
“True, but our attraction with light Faeries requires the appearance of youth.”
Artemis nodded. He and Simon spoke of news in their respective areas, and Simon’s plans across the ocean while servants – thralls by their appearance – served goblets of blood. At first sip Simon became concerned.
“Your pardon, Artemis, but my coven is unused to Faery blood, and I would prefer – especially after what he’s already done – that my fledgling not taste it at all.”
Artemis smiled and nodded. Fear not, Simon. Only those of us on the dais have the finest. All others drink the Human blood. If you prefer your fledgling be denied all –”
“No, no, that won’t be necessary. He is behaving.”
Artemis looked slightly disappointed, as if he welcomed any opportunity to see punishment done. His look lasted a moment and then he returned to other subjects.
Simon communicated to Kele, who’d drunk Faery blood before, to be sure the others, especially Flynn, had Human blood. He didn’t think it beyond Artemis’s sensibilities to cause trouble. He would see it as an opportunity to punish Flynn himself.
Isn’t what happens in our coven our business? Zoe communicated to Simon.
It should be. Artemis thinks he’s my better, Simon replied. He has strength in numbers. As his guests, we are at his mercy. See that Flynn does nothing to offend.
Fortunately, Artemis was vain enough and of the aristocracy, so he truly had felt no need to share Faery blood with what he considered rabble. Simon, knowing that while he was the leader of a coven Artemis did not consider him aristocracy, made sure he did not take more than the first goblet of Faery blood offered to him.
As dawn approached, Artemis let them take their leave. Once in their rooms, Simon went from room to room to make sure his entire coven was accounted for, and that nothing had happened that he didn’t know about. All mentioned that Flynn had been quiet as a mouse the whole evening. Most of the time he’d been at Harry’s side.
There were locks on the doors, and despite the fact that Artemis and his people were Vampyres, Simon thought it fitting that they lock their doors, since some in the castle were thralls.
The following evening Simon and his coven prepared to leave. Artemis greeted them with a small entourage.
“Will you not give us a concert before you go, Simon?”
“Much as I would love to indulge you, Artemis, we need to be on our way. Our instruments are all packed. If you would again offer us your hospitality on our return, we will give you a full evening’s entertainment then.”
It was like Artemis to try to delay them. Simon worried that he would make some demand that they were duty bound to obey. He had never really trusted Artemis, and only the duress of the circumstances had pushed him to seek shelter with the elder Vampyre.
Artemis nodded finally and stepped back, allowing Shauna Faun to pass.
Once they were clear of the a
rea, Simon told them to go as quickly as they could. Until then they assumed a casual speed to give the impression they had no fear of him.
“We’ll truly return here?” Caelen asked.
“Not if luck is on our side,” Simon replied.
“We have friends here,” Harry told Flynn, “and a place of our own.”
Flynn was stunned that they had anything like what they had in their own country.
As he looked around, Flynn noticed Zoe was missing. He was told she’d gone on ahead to let their friends know they were there.
When they arrived, they were greeted by Rhiann, the coven mistress. She was about Zoe’s height, with ginger ringlets that fell just below her shoulders, and large brown eyes. She smiled sweetly when she saw them all assembled. She glided toward Simon, her silver-white gown flowing about her ankles, and a wide green sash setting off her slender waist.
“Greetings, Shauna Faun,” she said in a voice like tinkling bells. Flynn couldn’t tear his eyes from her, to Caelen’s annoyance. She was joined in her mood by Zoe, who didn’t fail to notice Simon beaming back at Rhiann.
“Greetings to you, Rhiann, and to your coven,” Simon replied.
“It has been long since I saw everyone. And who is this morsel?” she asked, nodding to Flynn.
“This is Flynn, our newest member,” Simon replied, presenting Flynn.
“Hello, Flynn,” she said.
“Hello, Lady Rhiann,” he replied.
She laughed, delighted by the formal address. “If Artemis ever heard you call me that, he’d bristle.”
Flynn shuddered at the reminder. “You know Artemis?”
“There are few Vampyre covens among the Faery.”
A thrall appeared just then to show them to their rooms. Each had a separate room here. Rhiann’s wealth or hospitality – or both – was greater than Artemis’s.
Once they had put their gear away they assembled in Rhiann’s hall. She had only seven in her coven, and they waited for the twelve from Shauna Faun.
“We were about to hunt, if you’d care to join,” Rhiann offered.
“Thank you. We haven’t yet fed,” Simon replied.
They all alighted together, Shauna Faun following Rhiann’s coven. Her group sometimes fed on Faery, which were more plentiful here, but in deference to their guests, travelled out to the Human lands.
While Rhiann flitted to one side of Simon, Zoe stayed close by the other side. Flynn, the lowliest, was well to the back. He flitted beside Caelen.
“Have you been here before?” he asked her.
“Oh, I didn’t think you knew I existed!” she snapped.
“How could you think that?”
“You were as enraptured as Simon over Rhiann.”
“I was being polite. And I’ve never seen a female coven leader before.”
“Did you think that was impossible?”
“No. I had just never met one before. Don’t be that way, Caeli,” he pleaded.
They flitted along in silence for a few moments while she tried to adjust the jealousy out of her face.
“You never did answer my question,” he said as the silence dragged.
“Yes, I have been. Only once or twice. We’ve toured here.”
“Are there many Faery folk here?”
“You’d be amazed. The clans are a pittance to the numbers here.”
He couldn’t imagine that. The four clans of their land seemed a huge number.
Shauna Faun celebrated with Rhiann’s coven and played a concert for them. It seemed odd to Flynn that they did this, when they’d denied Artemis the same pleasure. He felt a little nervous when it came time for him to sing a solo before these unfamiliar Vampyres, but it turned out better than he’d hoped.
When all of the revelry was finished and the sky was creeping out to be seen in a rainbow of streaky clouds, all of the Vampyres went to their rest.
In the evening, with a great deal of emotion, Shauna Faun took their leave of Rhiann and her followers. They promised to stay with them again when the time came for them to return to their native land. Flynn had the impression that they certainly would visit Rhiann again, unlike the promise made to Artemis.
With several goodbyes, they were on their way. Even stopping to feed along the way, they were in their own cave long before dawn.
22
The Coven’s home on this side of the sea was decidedly different from the one Flynn had known. Not quite the same sort of cave, it started out at a tangle of tree roots, and continued down a gradual slope until it opened up into a wide space. This was the entertainment hall. Three corridors ran off this area. One to the lairs – and there weren’t as many of these so generally two shared each lair – one to the rehearsal hall and a third to some smaller rooms where some composed songs or did other individual work. Simon’s office lay at the end of this third corridor.
Flynn was at a loss what to do about the lair. Simon and Zoe shared one; Luke and Kele were sharing now that things had ended between Kele and Fiona. Fiona and Calana had a third. Arwen and Harry had a fourth. He wanted to ask Caelen, but didn’t want to be too forward, especially since she’d been so abrupt with him during their stay with Rhiann.
“Caeli,” he began, walking to one side of the hall with her, “do you have someone to share your lair with?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet.”
“Would you be willing to share with me?”
He looked doubtful, as if waiting for admonishment. She had been waiting for this request for some time.
“Really?” she asked
“If you want, that is.”
“I’d like that, yes,” she said.
They went off together to situate their belongings. Once they were finished they went to the rehearsal hall where some of the others were already rehearsing.
When Simon arrived he looked thoughtful. “We have a concert tomorrow at our theatre. Another will be at the Basket Rise in two days’ time. A third will be there the following night and we’ll come back to our theatre two days after that. Liam and Tessa have offered us hospitality while we use the Basket Rise.
This was all foreign to Flynn, but he realized that this would be his first concert before light Faeries. Yes, he’d been part of a small concert for Rhiann’s coven, but somehow that was more like rehearsing before the other members of Shauna Faun.
He didn’t want to think about it and become nervous.
“From the look on your face, I’d say you’re thinking too much about the concert,” Calana said. “You know the music. You’ve played before others.”
“But not large crowds.”
They’re a good distance back from the stage. You don’t need to look at them. Gain confidence first,” she said.
The brown haired Faery with a ready smile and large green eyes looked like nothing could ever bother her. She reminded him of the mother of one of his friends. She’d been perhaps 30 when she crossed over.
He tried not to think of the upcoming concert, but focused on his music and getting everything technically correct. That wasn’t as difficult for him now as it had been when he was a light Faery.
Once the rehearsal ended they went off in different directions. Calana told Flynn before he left how well he’d done, and that he had nothing to worry about. He thanked her, only half listening. He wanted to catch up with Caelen before she disappeared.
“Caeli,” he said, dashing after her once Calana had finished her praise. Caelen stopped and looked at him, her blue eyes shining. “I was wondering if we could spend some time together tonight.”
“I was about to feed,” she said. “You can come with me if you haven’t fed yet.”
“Actually, I haven’t,” he said. “I’d like that.”
They left the cave together and flitted off. The two chatted while Caeli led Flynn to the Human areas. They searched for a quiet household.
They found a little pink and brown cottage with curtains fluttering at the open windows, and
went in. Inside, an elderly couple slept. Flynn took the man at the back of the knee, and Caelen took the woman at the wrist. They moved uneasily in their sleep at the first bite. When the Vampyres had done they noiselessly left the house.
“I’ve never been – well, the others that I’ve fed with were just teachers.”
“Do you want me to be your girlfriend, Flynn?” she asked, settling on the leaf of a nearby azalea bush. Flynn settled on the adjacent leaf and blinked several times. How many times he’d dreamed of her being his girlfriend.
“Yes, I would.”
“Well, then,” she said, looking pleased.
“You don’t mind that I’m a fledgling?”
She shook her head. “We were all fledglings once. We all need company and someone to love.”
“Do we say something to the others? Do we need Simon’s permission?”
“Simon doesn’t pry into personal matters. The others probably already know.”
“Did you communicate with them already?”
“No,” she laughed. “You’ve been all moony-eyed since you were an apprentice. That’s why I had to stay away. You would’ve been distracted.”
“Have I been giving everyone amusement?” Flynn asked, not altogether happily.
“No. Our kind isn’t like that. When one is happy, all are happy.”
He thought about it for several moments. “Harry and Arwen are a couple?”
“They weren’t. It looks like they may become a couple.”
“Can I ask you a question, and promise you won’t laugh?”
“What?”
“Do the Vampyres get married like the light Faeries do?”
“No. We live too long. Can you imagine being with someone for hundreds or thousands of years?” He had never really considered that. “Faeries and Humans both get married with the expectation of death. They don’t say, ‘Well, I’ll marry this one and one of us will die in 40 or 50 years.’ But they know that’s true. But we live for hundreds, even thousands of years. There are no children, so we don’t need to create a family for anyone. We just form an alliance on our own for however long it lasts.”
Dark Faery II: The Mercifuls (DarkFaery Book 2) Page 10