Saturday, March 12, 2011

A November Witching Hour

Part VI
3 Years Later

The woods have their own silence at night. When you first become motionless it seems dead quiet, but then you can hear the rustling in the branches, the quiet slithering and scratching of the creatures. It’s a music heard for ages on end. May it never end.
Caedmon stood in a small clearing, carpeted in green moss and scattered leaves, surrounded by seven trees, oak and maple and fir. The night’s presence filled his ears and veins as he stood like a breath touched statue. He heard slippered steps approaching, but he couldn’t see their bearer through the trees walling his clearing-castle. Lenora appeared like light beside the oak tree, her right hand delicately resting on it’s bark. Her face was solemn, her eyes leonine. She was wearing a silver-grey dress, that fluttered in a breeze he couldn’t feel on his face. She looked at him, and no one moved for what seemed like hours.
The night began to change, growing chill, though cold meant nothing to their vampire blood. He held her gaze, and noticed the veins in her eyes flooding black, and slowly the lovely brown began to fill with darkness. Her eyes were jet black, and a sneer began to contort her face. She leapt for him with an evil purpose, but was brought up short. A human girl had appeared out of thin air between Lenora and Caedmon. Her small hand was on Lenora’s chest, keeping her from moving forward.
“No, beloved,” she said, with a clear, firm voice.
Then, Caedmon woke up.
The sky blue curtains fluttered, and he could see every tree for miles out the window, though it was just past one in morning. He got up and went to the open window. He twisted his wedding ring around on his finger, as he always did when he was thinking hard. The dream had unsettled him, touching a timeworn suspicion.
He heard Lenora sit up in the bed, and then come towards him. She put her arms around his waist, and he felt her wedding ring against his chest.
“What is it, love?” she asked.
“Nightmare,” he answered.
“Hmmm.” She knew he would tell her when he was ready. He didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want to hurt her, though he didn’t see how a dream could do that.
“Tomorrow, you get to meet Cicero. I’m sorry it took so long.” He wasn’t sure how sorry he was. Cicero had been in Ireland for the last three years.
“Yes,” she answered. Tomorrow, they would also introduce Lenora to Breton. But that was nothing really, that was the home of the humans, the home of Reilly, who was no more. Breton mattered little to its vampire founders except for the blood it provided them.  
Caedmon turned around, and kissed her long.
“We should get some sleep, my love,” he said.
“K.” She smiled, her green eyes sparking. 

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