Folk Lore (20 page)

24

Preparation for the Dawn

“Seraphina, concentrate!”
Keelor said.

They’d been practising isolating her individual abilities the entire long mystic lands morning and she was getting tired and hungry thus losing her focus.

Sera discovered her anger alone did indeed produce a continuous beam of light which could prove to be her most damaging power. Keelor prodded her to the point of extreme annoyance, which in turn put him on the brunt of powerful shots from Sera’s hands.

Reluctantly Angeles allowed Sera to try out her anxiety as a single emotion with more powerful results than before. Keelor began to feel confident they would be a pair to contend with when they went to retrieve Nermina the following day.

When lunchtime came and went Sera began to find it difficult to maintain her aim which prompted an irate Keelor to reprimand her.

“Keelor, I’m tired and hungry. Perhaps if we broke for lunch I would be able to focus better.”

“Do you think tomorrow if it takes us all morning to cross the field and enter the castle you will be able to say to our enemy, I am tired can we stop for a while?”

“This is hardly the same, besides I know exactly how to tune into each emotion now.” 

To prove her point she sent out some calm to soothe her grumpy elfin.

“
Sera, that’s cheating.”
Her response was to smile and intensify the feeling before easing it toward her love so she was full of him and in turn him of her.
“Have it your way, we will have lunch and then we can practice on moving targets.”

While they enjoyed their tofu salad, Anna appeared to sit beside Sera with her lunch and studied them both for several minutes. Sera
tried without success to hide her feelings and she envied Keelor with his indifferent face. How did he do it?

“I see you two are continuing with this ridiculous charade. You’ll be discovered.
Sera has
never been able to hide anything. Remember the time you broke my favourite vase and blamed Artheous
-
our cat, she told Keelor for clarification
-
and I knew immediately you were lying and when
-
”

“Alright, Mum, we get the point. What would you have me do?”

“What I never had the courage to do.”

“You want us to go to the elders and plead our case, come out in the open?”

“Yes it could go to vote. You may be surprised how many votes would go your way.”

“With all due respect, Elder Annaphina, it would be idiotic.”

“I disagree and I think part of the reason I stayed in the human world was because I think the law is obsolete. With the correct mixed matching it could be used to our advantage.”

“That’s what I said,” Sera mumbled.

“They will never change the law.”

“What are your other alternatives? Sneaking around, hiding how you feel from everyone? Getting discovered will only lead to banishment due to lack of honesty. I believe that if you put forward a sensible case the elders will listen and I believe they are the only ones whose minds you will have to change. Anyway, it is completely up to you. Sera, Sam sent me a letter for you.”

“What? How? Where is it?”

She reached into her pocket and pulled a small note with Sera’s name in Sam’s handwriting.

“He was able to send it with Athena. I was going to give it to you yesterday but I thought it would be better to wait until you were less upset.”

“There is no possible way I will be less upset that Sam can’t stay here and I might not see him again.”

“You can always return to the human world when we have defeated Mecaldorf,” Keelor advised her.

“Why would I want to go back? Do you want me to leave?”  She started to feel dread at the thought of leaving Keelor, the lands and her new friends. Her hands began to glow and she almost burned Sam’s note in her hands. She let it fall from her hands to the table.

“No, I do not want you to leave,” he said gently.
“I meant for a visit.”

Slowly her hands stopped glowing and retrieved Sam’s note from the table.

“Sera, if you wish to keep your feelings for Keelor unknown you really should control that.” 

Anna touched a comforting hand to her daughter’s cheek and left them to it. Keelor stood as though to leave.

“Can I read my note before we start again?”

“I was going to give you some privacy.”

“You don’t have to leave.”

He shrugged and sat down again. Sera opened the note slowly and felt a tug at her heart. Until this moment, with everything that had happened, Sera didn’t realise exactly how much she missed her best friend. There’d been little time to grieve over her loss.

Dear Seraphina,

I regret I was unable to say goodbye to you when we were abruptly banished and it is with a heavy heart I bring you this news.

Angel and I had planned to stay with her previous coven but they have rejected us due to my previous vocation even though I am one of them now. We will be moving on and finding another clan of our kind
-
I still find it difficult to refer to myself as vampire
-
so I don’t know if I will see you again.

More than anything I wished Angel and I could have stayed within the circle but mystic land law is what it is
and we cannot change it. Take care of your heart with the elfin as I do not believe he would choose you over the law and his home.

Perhaps one day I will return to our home and if I do, I will be sure to advise you of my return. For now this is the best way, as it pains me to look at you knowing how much I thirst for your blood.

I will always love you.

Your best friend

Sam

Sera was unaware of her tears until she looked up and saw the concern on Keelor’s face and discovered she was almost burning the note in her hands once more. When her anger took over it was irrational.
Anger at a ridiculous law which took her Sam away.
Anger for a law that didn’t give you the freedom to fall in love with whoever you wanted.
Finally anger that she was supposed to be some kind of princess who had absolutely no say over her own life.

As she stood up abruptly, the bench fell with a bang to the ground. Keelor mirrored her motion with more than mere concern on his usually inscrutable expression.

“
Sera,
please calm down,” he pleaded softly.

“Why? Because you don’t want everyone to know how you really feel about me. You are simply waiting for this to be over before you send me on my way, just like Hallow,” she hissed the words quietly although due to the late hour of their dining for lunch the courtyard was empty anyway.
“You won’t stand up for our love to the elders because you’re afraid. You don’t think we could convince them we could be a good thing for the mystic lands and I know you won’t give up your home for me.”

She stormed off, her heart now heavy and her hands blazing. Sera fired off two long beams towards a table on the way past which burst into flames before turning to ash.

“That is in case you’re thinking about following me,” she told him over her shoulder.
“I’m done practising today.”

Once in her room, her anger dissipated and despair crept in. Frustration then became the paramount feeling, at not being able to feel any human emotion without there being some kind of impact on others or damaging her surroundings.

Her tears flowed freely now as she lay on the swinging hammock thinking about Sam and how there was the likelihood she would never see him again. She’d taken him for granted all these years and now he was gone. She suddenly felt very lost and alone. There was her mother and in whatever capacity there was Keelor but replacing Sam would be impossible.

She was unsure how much time had passed and the sun was low in the sky when there was a quiet sharp rap at the door.

“Go away, Keelor.”

“Sera, please, we have to talk.”

“Fine.”

His entry was tentative and his face for the first time, without her power, was full of emotion. He sat on the edge of her hammock and gently touched her face.

“I do love you, Sera. Please know that I do.”

“Not enough, Keelor. Besides you only do when I project my feelings onto you.”

“No, I love you much more than you know. I have been struggling with my growing feelings as they are so new to me. Would I have kissed you and risked everything I stand for if I didn’t?”

“You kissed Hallow too and when push came to shove, you shoved.”

“Yes I did but I never shared anything special like I have with you with Hallow. You are different, I am different,
we
are different. When we have retrieved Nermina and the threat from Mecaldorf is contained, I promise I will go to the circle and declare how I feel
about you. For now I will put on my indifferent face and pretend I am merely your protector. Annaphina is right; if we are found without being honest the outcome will not be as favourable.”

“Do you really believe we can change the law, the minds of the others?”

“We can try and hope. If we do not then I suppose we will be looking for somewhere new to live.”

She touched his face as the glow of love and tenderness swelled within her.

“That’s better.”  He smiled and kissed her gently.
“I know how dearly you would be missing Sampson and I do not want you to be alone tonight. Will you come and stay with me?”

“Why not here?”

“My bed is bigger.”

Neither of them slept well that evening. After they’d tenderly affirmed their love, Sera told him what Sam’s letter entailed while he affectionately played with her hair to help sooth her pain.

During the early hours of the morning, as they lay entwined, she ran her fingers across his hard stomach and chest and noticed bruises across his body. With sudden compassion, Sera realised she’d been the cause while practicing that morning. Instantly her healing hands were glowing and she ran them over his wounds.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have done it sooner.”

“Seraphina, what type of warrior would I be if I asked you to heal me from wounds you inflicted.”

“You don’t have to be tough for me, Keelor and why not take advantage if I can.”

He shrugged.
“Pride I guess.”
She giggled which provoked him to tickle her to hear more.

As the dawn spread its first golden rays across their intertwined bodies they shared their secrets and what they hoped were not their final moments together.

25

The Wizard’s Castle

When the dawn broke with the colours she was beginning to love, Sera disentangled herself from Keelor. She walked over to the window to watch the sun rise and steel herself for what the dawn would bring. Today they were entering Mecaldorf’s world and his castle filled with mixed vampire and hazer folk.

For the first time since entering the mystic lands she was awake before sunrise. What was she about to face? Could she handle her power? Would Keelor be able to control his intense feelings should they become errant?

Sera heard Keelor stir but remained transfixed by the daybreak along with the river and garden below. He walked with his usual quiet and stood behind her to nuzzle at her neck.

“Keelor,” she spoke to him in a tone which froze him to the spot.
“I have to focus. What I am about to face today requires me to be able to hone my emotions.”

“Seraphina, I will be by your side and I believe we will succeed.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“I believe in you.”

“I miss Sam.”

“I know.”

Nermina awoke feeling stiff as she’d slept once again cramped in a sitting position, with her knees hugged to her chest due to the confines of her narrow imprisonment. She wondered how much longer Mecaldorf planned to keep her in his castle. She heard a shuffle in the shadows and peered into the darkness wondering who was watching her this time. When Mortimer appeared at her side she was immediately relieved by his continued presence in the dark basement. This also piqued her curiosity. Why would she be happy to see him?

“Mortimer, why are you still here?” she asked.

“I want to ensure your safety while you are here. I do not trust some of the other folk residing here.”

“Why do you care what happens to me?”