Folk Lore (30 page)

“It is the truth, Keelor. You are a different man than before.”

“There is much to consider.”

“What do you feel in your heart?”

“Fascination.”

“
And.”
How does she know there is more?

“I feel as though something is missing. Her scent in my room
...
I was
...
it was
...”
He stopped and stood abruptly.
“Listen to me, rambling like a fool. If this is what she does to me then I want nothing of it. I do not care if the law has changed or if her eyes calmed my soul, I cannot believe in feelings I do not remember.”

“Spend some time with her, see what you discover. Mecaldorf is no longer a threat; all you have now is time. You have been a protector for so long you have forgotten who you are. Now that you do not remember, it is time to find yourself again.”

“Now you are married, I require a new role.”

“Talk to her, forget about duty and what you will do now.”

“I will think on it first.”

“Of course you will.” She shook her head.

“Thank you, Keela.”

As he headed towards the garden to seek solace with the river he spotted Nermo walking with determination a stride in his direction. What now?

“Have you see Seraphina this morning?”

“No, should I have?”

“Do not even begin to rile me elf. You could at least be grateful.”

“I am. How did you know I was freed?”

“Annaphina told me moments ago when I called on her trying to locate Sera.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I am looking for Se
ra. I thought that was clear.”
He flashed a mocking smile.
“The elders have called us to the circle. I checked your hut and obviously she did not stay there, but of course I did not know this until I saw Annaphina. I went to her previous lodging and she is not there. I am on my way to the garden now.”

“The human is not my concern pixie.” A cold fury flashed into Nermo’s eyes which surprised Keelor.
“Are you in love with her?” He asked amused.

“No, she is my friend besides she loves you for some reason unbeknownst to me. Another girl left broken by you. Forget
it,
you are not worth the energy.”
Nermo stalked off towards the garden.

Keelor shrugged off Nermo’s comments but it didn’t shift the fist of tension which grasped his throat, leaving him hollow and more confused.

As he broke through the trees into the garden’s field the chatting stopped and they all glanced at him in amazement. He supposed it was expected as he’d been in a bubble the last time they’d seen him. Kalar stepped forward and he was thankful for the diversion.

“Annaphina has updated us regarding Seraphina releasing you and although we are concerned for your memory loss we are relieved to see you safe.”

“Thank you, Elder Kalar. Keela has updated me on events and although I am overwhelmed with the knowledge, I am relieved all is well.”

“We can begin when Seraphina arrives.”

“She is not here?” Nermo asked in an anxious tone.

All heads turned to Anna.
“She came to see me before dawn this mor
ning to tell me about Keelor.”
She shot him a frost filled look before continuing.
“Sera told me she was going back to her hut. Has anyone seen her this morning?”

“Wait,” Sam spoke up suddenly.
“Someone is coming.”
He listened for a moment.
“It’s a vampire.”

Standing before them the moment the words left his lips was Sebastian.
“My apologies for startling you, however I knew Anna would require this news immediately.”

“What is it?” Anna asked.

“I was feeding this morning on the outskirts of the lands, near where the banished folk reside. It was fortunate because I usually travel to the human world to satisfy my thirst but wanted to stay close by, so I feed on the animals in the forest.”  He sm
iled at Anna before continuing.
“Anyway I
digress,
I overheard two vampires speaking about Seraphina. Elizabeth who ran with Mecaldorf also had a relationship with Cornelius, suffice to say, she is unhappy about the events of yesterday. I am unsure as to how Seraphina came to be outside the lands however she was picked up by two vampires returning from the human world. I believe Elizabeth and the remainder of the group are holding her.”

“Oh no,” Anna whispered as blood drained from her face.

“We must go,” Nermo and Sam said almost simultaneously.

Keelor’s heart lodged itself in his throat and his blood went cold. He couldn’t understand the reaction to the news but couldn’t ignore it nevertheless.

“I will go alone,” he said, still unsure why he felt compelled to.

“Why?” Nermo asked turning in astonishment to him.

“I would be able to go in and out undetected. Too many of us will draw too much attention.”

“I meant, why would you? You appeared indifferent moments ago when I asked after her. I do not understand why you would care enough to go.”

“I do not know. I want to help her, need to. I cannot explain it and would not to you, even if I could, pixie.”

“Enough of your squabbling,” Kalar said.
“I believe Keelor has a point. Enough blood has been shed. If he is able to retrieve her without causing further harm then I believe this to be sensible.”

“Forgive me, Elder Kalar,” Nermo began.
“But I believe it should be someone who cares about Seraphina’s welfare who should be going.”

“This has little to do with emotions, Nermo. Perhaps his reserve and indifference wi
ll be an advantage.
Keelor takes his duty seriously.”

Although Keelor would never admit it to anyone, especially the pixie, but he suddenly felt very concerned regarding the safety of the human princess. The thought of losing the girl with the indigo eyes filled him with despondency. He still could not believe the events for which Keela informed him had occurred, yet he couldn’t deny the lingering feeling that something was missing but it wasn’t just his memories, it was something else.

There must have been something for him to break the law, to risk everything. Then he remembered Hallow and realised he obviously let whimsy and a pretty face sway him again or perhaps it was the human’s abilities, maybe she altered his emotions with her calming power. Maybe it was a spell after all and he decided this would account for his out of character behaviour.

Once he found the princess and returned her to the lands, his life could go back to the way it was before he’d been conned. His curiosity nevertheless was piqued and he wanted to discover whether this was actually the case. When Keela told him about Seraphina’s incredible powers he’d been amazed by the revelation, and curious to see the remarkable princess in action. He decided this was why he wanted her to return
-
aside of course from keeping the circle member’s safe
-
to see her in action. These other feelings were simply related to this.

“Thank you for entrusting me with this important mission,” Keelor told Kalar.

Nermo sniggered and mumbled something about trusting him to see it that way but Keelor ignored him.

A gate was brought forth and Keelor discovered he was to leave immediately. He stepped through the gate to find himself in the forest surrounding the exiled lands. With stealth he crouched at the edge of the forest to evaluate the area and formulate a plan.

41

Bound and Bitten

Sera dragged open heavy lidded eyes and searched the room, trying to ascertain where she was. She appeared to be in a small thatched hut, similar but much smaller than the ones found in the elfin village. It was devoid of furniture and she seemed to be alone. As she went to lift a hand to her face she discovered them bound together and noticed her feet were the same. In a sitting position and tied to something behind her, Sera suddenly recollected how she’d come to be here.

In the early hours, just before dawn, she left the lands with the intention of going home. Sera now saw the foolishness in her irrational decision. After satiating the tears over the indifference of the man she loved, Sera sought out Anna and recounted the story of freeing Keelor from his incarceration. She wished now she’d listen to Anna who offered her words of hope. His memory may come back and that she vaguely remembered a spell in the book for such situations. The circle would be meeting in the morning and they would discuss options then. Her ornery nature refused to listen to what ifs and Anna’s ambiguous memory of a spell which may not exist.
Her heart much too broken for minimal hope.
Leaving Anna’s and allowing herself one last look at the garden, she conjured a gate and stepped through.

A little off with her direction, Sera found herself in an alley. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she tried to determine her surroundings when she saw a figure bending over something or someone as though in a passionate embrace. When one of the parties slumped to the ground, Sera’s heart dropped with it.
Vampire.
It was a female and she turned towards Sera, blood still wet on her lips. In an instant she was face to face with Sera.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” she asked licking the last drops of her meal from her lips. She sniffed the air and Sera realised
she was detecting her scent.
“Human princess?
Oh, this is too good to be true.”

Sera remembered her anxiety rising and before she could propel it outwards
she heard the vampire’s words,
“I don’t think so
,
princess,” before everything went black.

Now she was here. Why hadn’t the vampire killed her? Why was she here? As though hearing her thoughts the same vampire appeared eye to eye with her once more.

“About time you woke up, human. I thought princesses were more powerful than that.”  Sera went to raise her hands, ready to incapacitate her.
“Don’t bother, princess, we have bound your powers.”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

The vampire smiled at her haughtily, her eyes full of hunger, her fangs exposed.
“Besides your blood?
Which, by the
way, smells way too enticing.
”
She brought her face close to Sera, to sniff at her neck. The vampire pulled Sera’s head to the side, to expose her neck further.
“Cornelius wants your powers.”

“I thought he was dead.”

“Great trick
, wasn’t it?
He is a very powerful warloc
k, takes much more than that.”
She continued to speak softly right next to Sera’s ear.

“Take them
, then.
I really couldn’t care anymore.”  There was soft laughter against her ear before immense pain tore through her neck and down her shoulder.

At first it was excruciating before calm, almost like intoxication, swam through her veins. Then it abruptly stopped as quickly as it started. Her neck felt hot and wet when the vampire released her. Sera waited for the wound to heal as the poison pumped though her body with every beat of her heart. Then she realised, no power, no healing. Did she really want to heal though, with the vampire poison inside her? Was it now slowly killing her?

“My name is Elizabeth, human, remember that when the poison takes your last breath.”

Sera lifted heavy eyes to Elizabeth’s red ones, full of bloodlust. As Sera dropped them again, she noticed her blood still fresh on Elizabeth’s lips and convulsed. Would her only options now be death or becoming a savage? Either way, Keelor was lost to her forever, memories returning or not. His contempt for vampires would overpower his love. Elizabeth laughed, apparently amused by the emotions evident in Sera’s expression.

“Rest, human, I wil
l be back to taste you again.”
Then in the same instant flash she was gone.

Trepidation filled her as the poison would be, coursing through her as it destroyed her. How long would it take for her to die? Surely long enough for Cornelius to take what he wanted from her. She could feel the blood drying on her neck and shoulder, and the wound stung, exposed to the air. Not trusting Elizabeth to speak the truth, Sera attempted to use her powers. Maybe she could break the bindings; they appeared to be banded light, a spell no doubt. If she was going to die, she didn’t want to do it here.

Summoning sadness mixed with anger, she waited for the feeling to spread, for her hands to warm but nothing. This hadn’t been a lie. Pulling her hands apart only brought pain as she brushed against the binding, struggling would be a pointless waste of energy.

Time passed and she dozed on and off, the vampire venom causing her to feel drowsy. When she felt the familiar whoosh of air she expected to see Elizabeth again but his time the vampire was male.