Forever Young The Beginning

by Gerald Simpkins

  Marie, Henri, and Li had heard him cry out for Cosette. To their astonishment they saw what looked like a flaming meteor with two arms and two legs shoot from the broken window. It cleared the veranda and landed far out on the lawn turning and streaking west toward the creek in the woods. They gathered up the four girls with Henri carrying two of them and bounded away towards the creek themselves.

  ***

  The sun was just coming up on the eastern horizon of the Mediterranean where a scattering of cirrus clouds had already become the color of molten copper. Seagulls and Pelicans patrolled the shoreline, some on foot and some flying. Two carriages with horses stood at opposite sides of the pond where the ducks quacked and paddled merrily about their business. There was a group of men gathered about each carriage. One man detached himself and walked to the other group, indicating that the principal was there and that his second had been chosen. Two men stepped out of the group of four and walked to a place to the south of the pond.

  Two men detached themselves from the other party of four and they walked to the south of the pond also. The remaining four converged in the space between the two pairs. They beckoned the pair to approach.

  “I am Ernesto Chavez. I am selected to co-preside over this duel.”

  “I am Roberto Rodriquez. I am selected to co-preside over this duel.”

  There followed a very formal and thorough airing of the grievance in time-honored tradition of dueling in Spain. It culminated with the two combatants being summoned.

  The two combatants came to stand facing the co-presiders. The two seconds followed, but stayed around ten feet behind the combatants and to one side, also facing the co-presiders. Following tradition the co presiders then spoke directly to the opposing combatants.

  Ernesto said “Senor Chavez, as grievant, have you anything to offer that might preclude blood being spilled here this day?

  “No.”

  Roberto said “Senor Rodriguez, as offender, have you anything to offer that might preclude blood being spilled here this day?

  “No.”

  There was a formal pronouncement of why they were there, and then a ritual inspection of weapons and a ritual recital of the rules of dueling.

  Ernesto said “Gentlemen, do you understand all of the rules of this duel and of the rule of quarter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes.”

  About then a horse came clattering into the square and a woman scandalously dressed in pantaloons swung gracefully from the saddle. Alandra walked to the group and spoke directly to Ernesto Chavez saying “Senor, please stop this in the name of justice.” Pointing to Carlos she said “This man devised and executed this entire thing because when he met me, he could tell that I didn’t like him. He was embarrassed in front of his friends, two of whom are here.” she said, indicating the second and the witness.

  She continued “Senor Chavez is known to be among the finest swordsmen in all of Spain and has killed two men in duels, while Philippe’ has had only fundamental training with a sword. This proceeding is no more than a ritual murder to satisfy one persons’ revenge at losing a bet in front of his friends.” At this last saying, she pointed to Carlos who flushed deeply. She had been guessing, but knew she was right when she saw Carlos’ reaction.

  Ernesto, looking disturbed spoke, saying “Carlos is this true?”

  “No, uncle. On my honor, this man knocked me to the ground, and then hit me as I was getting up.”

  “Your honor? You have no idea what honor is Senor Chavez, no idea at all! You’ve lied to get these good men here to help you satisfy your blood lust. You Senor Carlos Chavez are a murderer and a lying serpent!” She turned to Roberto, the father of Phillipe’ and said “Don’t go through with this thing, or you are a fool.” Roberto’s mouth dropped open at the audacity of her statement.

  Ernesto spoke. “We’ve heard several witnesses here and now are we to stop this proceeding based on what one girl says? Senorita, you will stand clear now or we’ll be forced to take you to the side.” He beckoned to Carlos’ second and witness who stepped forward and took Alandra’s arms and drew her back from the group. They took her to the pond and told her to stand there, or to leave. She stood ramrod straight and shouted “You are a murderer, Carlos Chavez, and the rest of you are fools and accomplices! There is no honor in murder!”

  The two co presiders and others stepped back from the combatants. In a low voice while looking down Carlos said “So Philippe’, you got your whore to come here to save your worthless skin?”

  Philippe’ turned red with rage and shouted “No quarter you bastard! No quarter!”

  Carlos looked towards the two co presiders. Ernesto said “There is a call for no quarter from the offender. Does the offended party agree?”

  “Yes. No quarter.”

  “Very well then; let this matter now be concluded in honor. Begin!”

  Philippe’ stepped forward quickly and launched a strong attack. Carlos parried brilliantly and retreated slightly and circled to the east a bit. Then he counter attacked quickly and skillfully driving Philippe’ back some ten paces, ending with a cut on Philippe’s sword arm. Philippe’ ignored it and made another strong attack. Carlos again defended and parried skillfully, and again as he retreated he circled to the east. Slowly the sun rose and just as slowly Philippe’ began to have to look towards the sun as he fought. Another cut was opened high up on his arm.

  There followed a skillful back and forth display of alternating attacks. Both men were breathing harder now and sweating. Again Carlos launched a blistering attack and again Philippe’ retreated but parried valiantly and midway reversed it by going on a full scale attack with everything he had. Carlos retreated, parrying each thrust skillfully and circling again towards the east. Philippe’ was now definitely looking towards the rising sun as he tried to attack or to defend. Again Carlos attacked in a blinding display of skill, angling to the southwest as he did. He skillfully directed his attack so that Philippe’ was moved in a direction so that he was facing the sun even more. Philippe’ valiantly fought back and rallied, forcing Carlos back, but never able to reverse the effects of now facing nearly due east towards the sunrise. Carlos always retreated to the east to try to keep his opponent facing the sun.

  Back and forth it went, until Philippe’ began to falter somewhat in his counter attacks. By now he was bleeding from five wounds and panting heavily. He attempted to modify his movements to conserve energy. But Carlos attacked relentlessly and bored in all the harder and faster until suddenly he struck a particularly hard slash to Philippe’s mid-section. Philippe’ dropped his guard for a split second to grab his side and Carlos lunged back from a retreat into a full scale attack, the sun now at his back. In seconds he thrust his blade through Philippe’s stomach just below the ribs, so that it protruded out of his back. Carlos held it there as Philippe’ began to sag and dropped his sword. Then Carlos ripped his weapon free and stood back. He knew that it had pierced the liver because the blood was an extremely dark color. Turning he walked towards his carriage, his second and witness joining him and congratulating him.

  Ernesto and Roberto faced each other. Roberto spoke weakly, the tears streaming down his face. “Honor has been found here today senor.” He removed his hat and gave the traditional bow to Ernesto.

  About then Alandra shouted “Honor? Honor? Folly and murder are what has been found here today. You are all murderers and fools!”

  The two men looked at Alandra in astonishment. Then Ernesto repeated the traditional words “Honor has been found here this day, senor. And then he too bowed to Roberto. Before he departed, Ernesto said “You have my deepest sympathies, Senor Rodriguez. It is a hard thing you’ve seen this day.”

  Each turned away from the other, and then Roberto ran to his son. Alandra was there already sobbing and cradling Philippe’s head in her lap as he lay dying. His eyes remained fixed on hers as he said. �
�I love you Alandra. I’ll love you for all eternity. You’ve made me die a happy man this day.”

  Alandra said “Oh Philippe’, I love you and will never forget your love.” She wept and cradled his head to her bosom, kissing his lips and rocking gently to and fro. Roberto wept freely, on his knees beside them, holding his son’s two hands.

  The other party’s carriage departed, the horses hooves clattering on the tiles. The seagulls cried raucously as the wind sighed through the leaves of the trees all around the beautiful square. The waves crashed against the breakwater in their endless rhythm. The sounds of ringing steel had been replaced by the sound of grieving mingled with the timeless sounds of the seashore itself.

  Chapter 46

  Ian lay in the creek naked, under the water. Marie, Li, and Henri approached with the four girls. Although wounded in four places herself, Marie took them aside some two hundred feet away upstream, not willing for them to witness any more than they’d seen already. Hearing them arrive Ian sat up in the midst of the creek. Li and Henri looked at him aghast, and Henri even drew in a sharp breath.

  Ian’s hair, beard, and eyebrows had been burnt off. His face and body were a mass of black charred and red blistered skin. Tears of pain streamed from his glowing eyes. He said “Go. Cut them off. The carriages have only just departed. Split up on the main road and each of you go one way. Anyone you intercept leaving this area is guilty of being a part of this abomination. I say kill them all! Go now, or else Cosette died in vain!”

  “Ian, you’re hurt…”

  “Marie can look after me. Go now and get those bastards! Go now!”

  Li and Henri both gave Ian their flasks. They had to hold them to his lips because his charred hands couldn’t grip a flask. They stood and Henri went to Marie and spoke briefly. Although suffering multiple wounds themselves, the two bounded away. They split up on the main road and ran as fast as they could, one toward Lyon and the other toward the Swiss border.

  Within an hour, Li was back at the driveway to the chateau which was still burning. He drove the carriage across the expansive lawn to a place under some trees that couldn’t be seen from the driveway. After checking his prisoners’ bonds, he came to Ian, still lying in the creek.

  “I’ve brought four of them back, Ian. Are you resting all right?”

  Ian croaked “Good. I am…comfortable. When Henri returns, you two can question them.”

  “I’m going to hunt the woods hereabout. I won’t be gone too long.”

  Ian nodded as Li took his rucksack and vanished.

  Shortly Henri returned, having captured two men, bringing them back in their own coach and concealing it with the other one. Marie held her flask to Ian’s lips and he drained it. She went back to the children. As she approached one of the four girls came to her and said “You are one of the muddy angels.” Marie took her to her bosom and said, “Yes little one.” The little girl said “The muddy angel who carried me out smelled like Lilacs and had big pretty gray eyes that smiled at me.” Marie choked back a sob and then while clinging to little Chloe, she began to weep uncontrollably.

  Henri said “I’m going to go to the servants’ quarters out back to see if I can find some clothing for all of us.” Ian nodded. He moved himself from the water and began to pack mud all over his body.

  Li returned and had filled both of his flasks, holding them for Ian who drained both. Li vanished with his empty flasks and Marie’s. After some twenty minutes, he returned with all four flasks full. Ian nodded as they set them beside him.

  Marie silently joined the group and they took up the question of what to do with the men they had captured. Li said that they should all be questioned and then killed and their bodies carried off into the deep woods. Henri and Marie looked at each other and nodded. Marie said “A vampire got away. Cosette cut his arm off first though.”

  Ian spoke then, saying “Two got away from me. I cut one’s foot off and the other was a female with red hair and green eyes.

  Henri said “I’d better question these men.”

  “One might know you, Henri

  “It doesn’t matter if they know me or not. They’ll never leave this place alive.”

  ***

  Dawn broke to a drizzling rainy day. The six had been questioned and then killed quickly. They were friends and associates of Francoise, and they really didn’t know where he might have gone. They said that he had hired the seventeen vampires for security. There were five Adepts among them and Francoise had been here with them as their host. They were Satanists and were going to use the girls for a satanic ritual. At least two of their ilk had not been able to make it to this occasion, being as one was entertaining relatives of his wife and one lived abroad.

  Their remains were all concealed in the deep woods two miles from the road and about that distance from the remains of the Chateau. Nothing that could identify any of them was left behind, and the rainfall had obliterated any scent remaining on the grounds which eliminated any chance of tracking those who had escaped.

  Henri and Li had helped move Ian deeper into the woods, away from the chateau. Marie had dressed in clothes taken from the servant’s quarters. Most of those were standing around watching the fire so that was easy to do. They had also taken the clothing from the dead men and there was enough for all three of them to each have a change of clothing however badly the clothes fit.

  Marie had taken the four children towards Lyon, and she had left them at a church and had returned by around ten o’clock in the morning. Concealing the carriage in another place she had unhitched the horses and tethered them with the others to graze and drink from a creek.

  Ian had regrown around half of his hair by evening, and the red blistered skin was back to normal. The black charred skin was a mottled pink, white, and tan color and he wasn’t in pain any more. The three kept bringing him fresh blood and he kept taking it. They decided to depart the next day, and had determined to take the bigger coach and the four-horse team. Since it was originally headed towards the border, it was decided that it would be less likely to be identified if traveling the other way where it may have never been seen before. This fire was big news by now and everyone in that area was talking about it.

  ***

  The next morning, Henri saw several carriages drive up and stop near the smoldering ruins. Several men got out and were looking at the scene. Running at vampire speed to the woods behind the servant’s and laborers houses he then just walked out from the direction of the laborers quarters after stealing a broad-brimmed straw hat, and came around a corner among the crowd. He circulated around to hear what he could hear, and no one noticed him. Speculation was that all were drunk since no one could find Francoise. They thought he had died in the fire and maybe his guests too. No one had thought to look for carriages yet.

  The two drivers were nowhere to be found. They had been told not to return at peril of their lives and they had taken that to heart, not knowing how their coach had been boarded so easily at night while traveling at their fastest possible speed. Henri thought that they were fearful and would remain silent. He recognized the Mayor of Lyon who said nothing, but just looked at the ruins. Then he told someone to gather all of the servants to be questioned.

  While circulating among the staff, Henri overheard a young couple talking about losing several chickens somehow overnight after the chateau had burned down. Thinking the timing of that was odd, Henri wondered if the vampires who had escaped the fire had taken the chickens for nourishment before departing, or maybe later. He slipped away unnoticed and entered the woods behind the place.

  In minutes he had rejoined the others and made his report. Ian was nearly healed now, with just some pink looking skin still on his ears and nose. Marie thought that he would be back to his normal appearance the next day. They discussed the missing chickens and decided that the vampires who had escaped with injuries had likely taken them. “Too
bad we didn’t guess that they would try that.” said Li. “I’d love to have another go with the ones who got away.”

  They then discussed whether to return to Paris or go back to the chateau. The subject of Francoise came up and Ian then spoke, having up to that time remained silent.

  “I want Francoise for myself so I’ll go to the mayors’ house. If he’s there, I’ll try to take him and if I can’t, I’ll kill him. If the mayor is his confederate in this matter, I’ll kill him as well.”

  Henri said “His death can be made to look like an accident and Francoise can just vanish. No one at the ruins knew his whereabouts except possibly the mayor. He is suspect in my view. We’ll help you in this matter Ian. We want that bastard dead too. Hell can have him and anyone who had any dealings with this abomination.”

  Ian sat silent, head bowed.

  Marie spoke then saying “Then we go to Paris. There is the matter of Pelleau to take care of. We can’t leave that serpent alive knowing what he’s done and will do again. Louis and Mustafa will be fine at the chateau. The people I left in charge of the place are loyal and trustworthy.”

  With glowing eyes Ian said “Then we go to the mayor’s home in Lyon tonight?” All three nodded, eyes glowing brightly as Henri said “Yes, tonight.”

  Chapter 47

  The funeral procession wound its way toward a grave site in a well-kept cemetery in Barcelona. Since Philippe’s mother was from that city and the family had a private plot, the Rodriguez family had elected to bury Philippe’ there. There were plots saved for both of them too since they had long ago decided on this. Neither of them had any family remaining and Philippe’ had been their only child. They were impressed beyond measure at Alandra’s grief as well as the grief of her family, having become close to them and being bound by their shared sorrow.

  Alandra and her family sat rigidly in a closed black carriage, following another identical one carrying only Roberto Rodriquez and his wife. In the lead was the casket being drawn by two black horses. Following the procession was another carriage with Celita and several friends of Alandra. A priest waited at the grave site and with him were six men dressed in black who would carry the casket from its carriage to the grave site.