by L. M. Reed
Not one among them dared speak…none save one was even capable of remaining upright in the midst of such overwhelming power.
The lack of speech mattered not, for Bealu had no need of it.
The blood each had willingly shed had not only summoned her, but also provided her with the ability to reach into each soul and read that which men hid in the deepest and darkest recesses of their very beings.
Standing amidst the group, the black of her cloak and hood concealing all but the pale whiteness of her face reflecting the full moon above, Bealu stood with eyes closed as she absorbed every thought…every emotion…every wish. Nothing remained hidden …nothing remained undisclosed.
As Bealu searched the minds and hearts of each member of the Society, one member caught and held her attention.
Slowly opening her eyes, she zeroed in on Marcel, Duc de Vichiers…the leader of the Society. He alone possessed enough force of will to remain standing in her presence as well as meet her gaze.
As she held his eyes, probing even deeper into the recesses of his desires, a slight smile curved her lips—a smile so inherently malevolent that had any of the others possessed the fortitude to look into her face they would have quivered with terror—as she inclined her head ever so slightly towards the Duc.
An answering nod and smile—no less sinister than Bealu’s—curved the Duc’s lips and remained even as he experienced a jarring pain, one which originated in the ruby chevalière he wore on the ring finger of his left hand and emanated outwards towards every part of his body.
Although the pain grew until it reached excruciating proportions more agonizing than any he had ever experienced in his whole life, exultation coursed through him even as the agony forced the Duc to his knees alongside the other members.
The one thing he desired above all else would shortly be his for the taking. His scheme had succeeded beyond his wildest expectations, and ecstasy filled the Duc.
Although he had been the driving force behind the creation of the Society, the acquisition of power and wealth had been simply the bait he had used to convince the others to fall in line with his plans while the Duc realized his burning ambition.
As the torture subsided, the Duc sagged in relief. It was done…and he would be unstoppable.
Mere seconds passed and Bealu, with the Duc’s transition complete, departed as silently as she had arrived.
Trembling from the impact of the experience, the Duc pushed to his feet as the men around him began to recover and tentative conversation filled the air.
Ignoring the others, the Duc examined every part of his body. It felt odd, alien, but visibly, nothing had changed…nothing except, he noted in surprise, his chevalière. Instead of the ruby’s customary bright blood-red appearance, the stone had turned to black.
Attempting to remove the ring for closer examination, he realized he could not. Pondering the implications, he kept his own counsel as the other members of the Society nervously paced, questioning the strange turn of events.
Within an hour of Bealu’s departure, as the men mulled about, reluctant to leave without solid evidence of victory, every one of the members experienced Bealu’s success. None knew of the specific details, yet through the inexplicable bond created by the sorcerer’s ceremony, each sensed triumph.
The Noblemen would no longer present a threat to the Society’s plans.
The members of the Society for World Order each journeyed home, pleased with the night’s accomplishment.
Meanwhile, across the channel, a group of a dozen well-dressed and desperate women frantically searched Renaud le Wyse’s castle—the designated meeting place for the band of Nobles resisting William’s bid for the throne—for their missing husbands.
The men had disappeared without a trace.
Due to the delicacy of the situation, the women could call upon no one to aid in their quest. Therefore, donning men’s clothing and packing three days of provisions, the women determinedly set about scouring the grounds as well as the surrounding countryside.
For two days, the women hunted until they happened upon a pack of wolves.
At the women’s approach, the wolves turned their full attention to the intruders, baring their teeth and growling menacingly as the furred creatures slowly inched towards the women.
Realizing the futility of flight, the women huddled together, fell to their knees as one, and began to pray to all that was good and holy to aid them in their time of need.
The wolves stopped just short of the group, quietly vigilant, cocking their heads as if listening to the chants of the women.
Noting the strange reaction of the wolf pack, the women, one by one, fell silent.
For a moment, stillness lay over all of them, and then suddenly the wolves crouched, springing at the women.
Screaming in fear, the women cowered together closing their eyes as they awaited the moment sharp teeth would tear into tender flesh.
That moment never arrived.
The women slowly opened their eyes and gasped in surprise as they took in the small, barefooted figure standing amidst the pack of wolves, murmuring in soothing tones and stroking their fur lovingly.
Without speaking, but somehow communicating to each of the humans and wolves alike, the warmly glowing earth tone figure clad only in a simple white shift, identified herself as Liss.
Beckoning the women to come to her, Liss bade the wolves to allow the women to join them.
Sitting amongst the incongruous collection of humans and wolves, Liss explained the situation.
Bealu, the epitome of all that was evil, had been summoned by a secret group of men backing William’s bid for the throne in order to incapacitate the band of Noblemen interfering with their plans.
Calling upon the power of the full moon, Bealu had appeared inside the castle during the night.
Seizing the Noblemen as with an enormous invisible hand and levitating them outside the castle walls, Bealu cast them into a pack of wolves residing in the woods nearby, the only gathering of large animals in close proximity to the castle containing enough members to entrap every one of the Noblemen.
The strangled and anguished cries of the women as well as the deep growls emanating from the wolves’ throats indicated understanding.
Liss went on to explain that while Bealu commanded a certain amount of power, the very existence of Liss as a counterbalance prevented Bealu from claiming any authority over death. Because of that, Bealu’s limitations forced her into finding other means with which to fulfill the terms of the blood contract with the Society…that of incapacitating the Noblemen.
Also, because Bealu’s power was of the moon, a mere reflection of light from a much more powerful source, Bealu’s lack of power had made it impossible to separate the men or to carry their bodies any great distance.
The simple act of moving the Noblemen a short distance had temporarily drained Bealu of energy.
Liss had appeared in answer to the pleas from the group of women whose deep and abiding love for their husbands had sent them on such a perilous journey with no thought for their own safety.
As Liss finished her tale, sensing the desire deep within the beings surrounding her to return to their former lives, Liss shook her head sorrowfully, admitting that although she gathered her energy from the much stronger sun, and she had the power to separate man from beast, she would not reverse Bealu’s wicked deed.
To attempt any such separation would result in the death of one, the wolf or the man—whichever was the weaker of the two—and Liss could not risk the lives of either.
Although Liss would not reverse that which Bealu had commanded, she could not leave Bealu’s dark magic unanswered.
And so, Liss presented a compromise, a way for each of them to return to some semblance of a normal life. However, she warned that all parties involved had to concur, for the path she offered would not be an easy one. The path ahead would be filled with much pain, many pitfalls, an
d long-term consequences for every one of the group as well as their descendants with even more severe ramifications for their leader, Renaud le Wyse.
Every one of the oddly assembled gathering agreed, visibly relieved.
Nevertheless, many tears and growls filled the air as Liss explained what needed to be done.
And so our story begins…
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Be sure and watch for Blood Secrets, the third full-length novel in Chrystal Bahl’s Twisted Tails Series by L. M. Reed coming soon!