Talent

  Chapter 10

  “Keterlyn. I need your help.” Daniel’s voice sounded slurred and strained. Keterlyn didn’t think she could take another thing to worry about. She had just got home from meeting with Violet, and witch or not, she still needed to sleep. Hearing his voice on the phone though, she knew she had to find out what was wrong. Daniel stumbled out the name of a bar, and without delay she left the confines of her apartment and appeared a few streets away where she couldn’t be seen.

  Resisting the urge to run, Keterlyn hastened down the steps in to the darkness of the bar. She didn’t need to look, she knew where he was and she headed straight there. When she saw him though, she became angry and confused. Daniel was sitting with two other guys and what seemed to be their girlfriends, clearly drinking and looking as though he was just having a good night. Was he drunk? He looked drunk. Slowing her approach, she drew to a stop just behind him. She recognized two of the guys from the bar where Lily worked. They had been playing pool. One of them was Daniel’s flatmate.

  “Hey.” Daniel exclaimed in an overenthusiastic way when he leaned back and saw her behind him. He wasn’t just drunk. She took a chair beside him as she sized up the others at the table. Daniel gave her a hug that nearly knocked her off her seat.

  “I thought something was wrong.” Keterlyn explained.

  “I’m sorry, but I needed you to come. I’m not right.”

  Keterlyn didn’t disagree, but Daniel managed to stand well enough, and disappeared to the bar without further comment.

  “I’m so sorry,” snickered one of the guys from across the table. “He can’t handle his beer.” Keterlyn regarded him doubtfully. The girl sitting next to him with dark eyeliner and a heavy collection of bangles leaned across the table.

  “They slipped him something. He was going to split, it’s so shitty, but…” she rested back in her chair. “…too late now.”

  “Will he be alright?” Keterlyn looked for Daniel and saw him ordering more drinks from a bartender with clearly questionable morals.

  Staggering back with a round of shots, Daniel shakily handed them out. Keterlyn placed a hand on his arm. “We had better go. I can get you home.” She might not be able to reverse the effects, but she could keep him safe, get him home and rested.

  “Just one drink.” Daniel urged.

  “No, we should go Daniel.”

  “One drink and we’ll go.” Keterlyn could tell negotiating was unlikely. She nodded in acceptance.

  Just as they were about to throw back the drink, the other girl at the table threw an arm out. “Wait.” she cried. “I learned a trick last weekend.” The guy she hung off looked intrigued as she took his drink and propped it between her knees. She looked as wasted as he was. “You have to drink it, but with no hands.” Keen, her boyfriend immediately obliged, dipping his head and clenching the shot glass with his teeth. Throwing his head back, he drank the liquid obligingly, the girl taking the glass from his lips and kissing him sinfully.

  Each took their turn until Keterlyn and Daniel were left. She considered refusing, but it wasn’t exactly the most scandalous thing she had ever done. She placed Daniel’s glass between her knees as gracefully as she could, wishing she had worn pants or a longer skirt.

  Happily Daniel sank his head to take hold of the shot glass, but in doing so a drop spilled down Keterlyn’s thigh. As Keterlyn shifted her hand to wipe the drop, Daniel took her by surprise. Sinking his head back down, Daniel licked the drop from her leg, and Keterlyn’s jaw dropped. With the same fluid response, Daniel grabbed hold of her chair and pulled Keterlyn so close he could whisper in her ear. The hairs on her neck raised in anticipation, feeling his heavy breath on her neck.

  “I can be whatever you want me to be Keterlyn, Caitlin, whoever you are.” Daniel paused and Keterlyn patience was stretched. She wasn’t going to be cornered like this. She opened her mouth to respond. “I don’t want anything else anymore, just you.” Daniel finished.

  Hesitating, Keterlyn was speechless. She heard the catcalls from his friends across the table, but took Daniel’s face in her hands. He was so intent, so confronting it threw her, but the pupils of his eyes were so dilated, she wasn’t about to blame him for something he didn’t mean. He didn’t mean any harm, so she would make sure he got home safely and then chastise him in the morning when he could remember.

  “We’re going home.” Keterlyn said and without question or protest, Daniel stood, and the two of them left.

  Just a block outside and to the left, Keterlyn pulled Daniel into a deep set doorway and transported them to his home.

  On arriving he nearly fell from the disorientation, but Keterlyn steered him towards the couch where he happily collapsed. Keterlyn looked Daniel over. He was dehydrated, and his pupils were still the size of saucers. She frowned, unhappy, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

  “Daniel,” she called from the kitchen which opened onto the lounge room where Daniel lay watching her every move as though fascinated. Keterlyn was pouring him a large glass of water and stirring something in it that looked like sugar. “Something has happened, and we may not be as safe as I thought we were. Tomorrow we all need to get together, and I don’t know how much you are going to remember of all this, but I need you to be more careful.” Keterlyn brought the glass over and placed it on the counter, taking a seat next to him. “Will you trust me? Will you stand with me when I hit home tomorrow how important it is everyone listens, that everyone needs to learn to protect themselves and eachother?”

  “Of course.” Even though Daniel said what she wanted, she looked unconvinced. She wasn’t sure he would remember any of this given his state.

  “I’m also going to temporarily bind us. If someone gets hurt, I’ll know about it.”

  “You can come and rescue us. Like me tonight.” He was joking and Keterlyn didn’t find it funny. None of them really knew what the stakes were.

  “Something like that. I have to be honest with you Daniel. If there is anything to run from, anything I can’t handle, I am not going to try and save anyone.” Keteryln looked over Daniel sitting there, every muscle relaxed as he sprawled on the couch next to her, a big, cocky wide smile transforming his usually well controlled features.

  “You’ve said that before.”

  “For good reason.” Keterlyn added, unmoving. “Now drink, you’re dehydrated.” Keterlyn said pointing at the glass of water on the table.

  “Or?” tested Daniel.

  “Or else.” She replied laughing as she did.

  “Kiss me and I’ll do it.” Daniel challenged in a moment of false bravado.

  “You must think I was born twenty years ago. Drink the water.” Keterlyn dismissed him.

  “Not until you kiss me.” He replied summoning confidence.

  “Isn’t going to happen.” Keterlyn insisted.

  “I know you want me.” Daniel’s tone was more tempting and sultry now and caught Keterlyn off guard.

  “It can’t happen.” Keterlyn hardened her tone.

  “You didn’t say you didn’t want me.” Picked up Daniel.

  “I don’t want you.” She couldn’t have sounded less truthful if she tried.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Keterlyn stood up to move away from Daniel. She had to because she was frighteningly close to not caring if she took this to the next level or not. “You’ll make yourself sick. If you drink the water, I’ll get you something to eat. That will help the drugs and drink get through your system.”

  “No.” Daniel sounded almost like an obstinate child and it was hard for Keterlyn to resist stamping her foot and adamantly demand he do as she said. She took a calming breath instead and decided to play along.

  “Fine. You want a kiss? Deal.”

  “Really?” He almost couldn’t believe it.

  “But drink the water first.”

  Daniel guzzled half the water and sat back. She smiled and his heart skipped a bea
t. His palms were sweaty. Keterlyn sat back on the couch next to him and leant in towards him. Daniel closed his eyes, waiting. He missed her touch and the drugs enhanced the necessity to his very being to feel her skin, her kiss. Then he felt her lips kiss him on the cheek. He frowned and opened his eyes again. She was still smiling, but now it was more like the cat that swallowed the canary.

  “That wasn’t fair.” Daniel protested.

  “Neither is blackmail.” Keterlyn moved to get off the couch, but Daniel grabbed hold of her hand. He gave her a long, pleading look, that made her feel like she should look the other way – but she couldn’t. “Fine, but quick. And you have to drink the rest of the water.”

  Daniel obliged by draining the glass. Keterlyn was leaning forward on her knees towards him, and Daniel tried hard not to laugh. The tension was palpable, the drugs in his system making everything around him heightened. Not that he wanted that. He didn’t really want to kiss her, or try and persuade her to breach her boundaries whilst he wasn’t himself, but he couldn’t help it. He had to have this, had to feel her.

  As Keterlyn kissed Daniel, she was more than nervous, not wanting what happened before to happen again. She didn’t want him glowing, or anything else, just a quick kiss and move on. She pressed her lips against his, closed, and as non tempting as possible. It could even be a friendly gesture.

  It may not have been as passionate as he would have liked, but it sent Daniel’s senses soaring. As she parted from him he couldn’t bear it. Her scent, her skin, the possibility of feeling her kiss him back like she had at the fayre. Keterlyn was just moving away when Daniel panicked at the thought of her leaving. He pulled her forward and off balance from her kneeling position, swinging her around. He kissed her deeply and though she froze initially, she yielded within a second and Daniel was in heaven. Even then, she came to her senses all too soon and pushed him gently back.

  “Don’t, I can’t do this. It’s a mistake.” She said, but hardly sounded like she meant it. Her fingers splayed against his shirt. He knew she could make him stop if she wanted. Hell she could send him across the planet if she wanted him gone. So hovering, hypnotized by her he leaned back towards her. She bit her lip, her chest tightened and her breath arrested as she stared at his mouth. He leaned forward, and her eyes dropped to half mast. She was practically trembling under him.

  As they moved towards eachother Daniel thought he felt a literal electricity buzz about the room, but it was broken by the sudden entrance of his flatmate and one of the girls he had hooked up with. Thrown from her haze by the door flying open, Keterlyn was up and to her bag before Daniel could come to terms with the sudden loss.

  “Sleep it off, we are all meeting tomorrow afternoon. No exceptions.” Keterlyn swept out, past the flatmate, and left Daniel to flop back on the couch and to his drug induced feelings of delirium.

  The next day, around dusk, all thirteen people stood in the park, Keterlyn addressing them. Daniel kept his shades on, protesting the fading afternoon sun. Keterlyn also hadn’t spoken to him, though he had tried when he had first arrived. Keterlyn had simply made fleeting eye contact with him, before diverting her path away from him to take an authoritative spot near the solitary tree. Daniel contemplated what had happened the night before. He didn’t regret it exactly, but wouldn’t have acted so arrogantly if it hadn’t been for his damned roommate. The roommate had been trying to get Daniel to hit on one of the bar tenders and when he declined saying he had someone else in his sights, they had challenged him to call her, get her to join them. When he had declined, he had returned from the bathroom to a fresh drink, and an added ingredient that had caused his lack of inhibitions and now headache. About twenty minutes later Daniel had thought it was a great idea to call Keterlyn, then push boundaries he knew she was uncomfortable about. He might have confirmed a few things for himself about Keterlyn, but at what cost? She didn’t even want to look at him. At least before last night she seemed to be warming up. Maybe if he didn’t blow someone or something up now that would earn him points. Today was particularly important. He remembered her asking him something about supporting her in whatever she was taking them through.

  Keterlyn stood seriously at the apex of the group. “Something has come up and I need to accelerate your training. Usually I would take you through all of the basics, the herbs, the lore, the tricks of the trade before taking you through today’s activity.”

  “What is it? What’s happened?” asked Anise.

  “I don’t know that it really worries you.” Keterlyn tried to brush of.

  “I think anything that worries you worries us.” Tempest pointed out.

  Keterlyn had to reflect on why she was telling them anything. She could get away with not telling anyone at all, simply letting them believe this was part of the natural process – it wasn’t as thought they knew any different. Not teaching them at all was another consideration she had run through. If push came to shove, it was not as if she could teach them anything that could save them from the likes of Lormorian. But deep inside, Keterlyn couldn’t hide the fact that she did want them to be able to protect themselves from the lesser nasties they could run into. She didn’t want to see them die if she could help it, and she owed them that much – teaching them how to defend eachother, defend themselves. Keterlyn looked about her at the group in front of her. Barely adults, barely out of the honeymoon stage of accepting what she had given to them, and barely aware of the other side of the darkness. Just like she had.

  “Lormorian came to me yesterday.” Keterlyn announced.

  Daniel’s head snapped up from it’s resting position. That was why she had come so fast, worried about him so much, when he called.

  “What does that mean exactly?” Zara asked.

  “You make him sound like the devil, but we have no idea what to be scared of, or why.” agreed Lily.

  “We don’t even know if what you tell us is the truth.” Rebecca pointed out. “No offense.”

  “Why on earth would she lie?” Daniel intervened. Keterlyn looked a touch less on edge when he spoke.

  “When I was first turned in to what I am today, I thought I had been saved. I was just as naïve to all of this as you were. All I had was a handful of bedtime stories and some basic skills my aunt taught me.” Keterlyn decided telling them everything was a potential mistake she would bare. Worst case scenario, the next coven she could change her tactics. Let them know what to fear, and why. “Almost as quickly though, I realized that I had been lied to. He told me he would protect me, he loved me, that he knew what I was going through and would help me. By the end of the next day though, I saw where he came from, I knew the darkness within.”

  Micala shivered.

  Keterlyn leaned back into the tree, grateful to feel it’s security, it’s solid mass propping her up. “The things I saw,” her eyes lost their usual focus, as she stared back through so many years to remember what she tried hard to forget over the years. “When I saw where he lived, where he took me to stay, I couldn’t believe the amount of the dead. Their bones paved the roads, their skulls decorated his chairs, tables…” Keterlyn looked back at the group, a dangerous edge to her face. “Lormorian is an upper level demon. He can command a range of other beings that I will take you through in time. You can’t fight him, but if he sends any of his creatures, you will be able to fight them – even if it’s just to get away.”

  “I thought he couldn’t find us – you ‘bound us’ all together so he couldn’t find you.” Will reminded her.

  “He shouldn’t be able to. I still don’t know how he did. But even then, he wasn’t really there, it was just a projection of himself.”

  “What did he do, or say?” Molly asked with a fearful tinge to her usual melodic voice.

  “He wanted me to know he could see me, was working on finding me.”

  “Why would he do that?” Micala said abruptly. “Why not just find you.”

  “To scare you in to doing somet
hing that can make it easier to detect you.” Able answered for Keterlyn.

  “Soon after he gave me life, he started parading me around. We would flit across the globe, go wherever his whims called him. Lormoiran loves chaos, he particularly enjoys torturing people by making them turn on eachother, by making them doubt themselves, or panic and do something rash. There was this one village he would visit every few months. He would appear, do a few parlour tricks and gain the leaders interest. Some were greedy and wanted power he promised them, some thought him a god like presence, and others just feared him, and reacted by doing what he wanted because they feared punishment. Eventually, Lor got bored with asking them for small things – burning half their crops, sacrificing particularly well loved children or people in the village. Lor promised them he would return everyone they had sacrificed. They praised him, and I thought maybe he got tired of pushing them, taunting them. He brought them back. He did as he promised, but they weren’t themselves. Lormorian had let spirits infest them, and these once loved figures rose from the grave to chase down the rest of their loved ones, their fellow villagers, and the ones who murdered them in the first place. There was nothing left. Nothing, and no one of this beautiful town, so pure and true to begin with. He started wars to watch people bleed, he decimated hope wherever he went.”

  “And he took you with him.” Jake voiced for everyone.

  “Pain is nothing if he gets hold of us. By the time I met Eerie, who helped me escape, I didn’t think I could ever be…human again.” Keterlyn looked about the serious faces and rested on Daniel’s. Everyone was wide eyed, silenced and thoughtful. She had done what she set out to do – set a somber mood to direct their focus.

  “What do you want us to do?” Daniel was keeping true to his promise. He was going to enforce the solidarity in the group. Not just because he said he would, or wanted her favour, but for the first time since all of this began, he sensed a very real threat.

  “First we are going to learn to use some of the energies and skills we have been tapping into to defend ourselves, either on our own, or as a group. There are a few healing spells I can teach you as well.”

  “I could have used that last night.” Daniel said unable to help himself.

  Keterlyn smirked. “Yeah, it works on healing physical wounds, not pranks.”

  “What happened last night?” Micala asked, but they both ignored her.

  “Before we leave here today though, I am going to cast a spell that connects you all to me, just until I know you can take care of yourselves. All it will do, is let me know if one of you gets hurt.” Keterlyn waved a hand and stood up straight. “But let’s start with the use of the elements…” A strong wind blew across the group, flicking wind and leaves around. A storm cloud appeared above her and lightning struck in several places against the darkening sky.

  “Illusion and cognitive manipulation are your best friend.” Keterlyn clicked her fingers. Fire sprung up from the grass in a semi circle between Keterlyn and the group. Lily reached out to touch it, while most others backed away from it. Lily was safe though, unharmed even as she touched the flames.

  Smiling Keterlyn walked through the flames. “Everything else aside though, there’s nothing like the raw energy you can tap into.” Keterlyn sparked a charge in both hands, and blasted in to the ground sending dirt flying everywhere.

  “Impressive as always.” Violet’s voice rang out in the dark. The group followed the voice, to the tree next to them. Violet, who was perched in the boughs, dropped effortlessly to the ground.

  “Violet has come to help us practice. She is immensely strong.” Keterlyn explained.

  Grinning at the compliment, Violet nearly purred as she spoke. “I’m fast too.”

  “Shall we?” Keterlyn offered.

  As Violet walked past, Abel looked clearly interested. Tall, athletic, empowered – Violet was an impressive individual – who wouldn’t be interested in her, and she knew it. “So what are you? A witch too?” he asked.

  “I’m so not answering that Sabrina.” Violet muttered as she strolled past and stood next to her friend.

  Keterlyn broke them into groups, half learning to summon natural energies, and play mental tricks, the others spending time with Violet learning to throw energy balls and work together to try and take out an attacker. Violet had fun with it, rushing past with supernatural speed to push one of the twelve to the ground. First she worked with Molly, Zara, Jake, Ashleigh, Will and Tempest. After a couple of hours, they all swapped over and Violet and Keterlyn trained the alternating group.

  There were some definite strengths emerging. Not every witch was good at everything, but Rebecca was a clear forerunner for finding hidden truths, Micala for finding lost things, Will and Tempest were both excelling at spellcraft, Molly and Abel with summoning energy and channeling it. Daniel was good at just about everything which made the others envious and instilled a strange sense of pride in Keterlyn. Jake however, was having some difficulty. He could summon energies, elements, but focusing it was a bit off for him. Credit where it was due though, he was trying, and at one stage he had even surrounded himself in a tunnel of swirling dirt and debris. It was a defensive strategy even Violet had difficulty getting through.

  Lily was surprising adept at illusion, and Keterlyn actually had her teach some of the others towards the end. Zara too demonstrated a profound talent that Keterlyn was encouraged by. Zara could materialize and dematerialize, which was different from transporting. She could move her body through objects temporarily. She too taught a few of the others whilst Violet finished teaching Abel, Rebecca and the others their lessons in self defensive skills by getting them to throw energy at her, trying to knock her off her feet.

  At first, trying to aim and hit someone was not a comfortable experience. Most baulked at the thought but after a few artful escapes by Violet, who ran faster than any human they had ever seen, it became a game for them. Abel in particular seemed to be having fun showing off his physical skills alongside trying to master the energy bolt throwing. Rebecca, Abel and Micala cornered Violet and, using their combined strength attempted to drive her towards the tree. As Violet twisted and turned, Abel nicked her with a charge, and she stumbled forward. He have her a smug, gloating stare, crossing his arms and standing casually supporting his weight on one foot. Violet took it all in with her heightened senses. His posture, his breathing which signified he had found chasing her harder than he was making it out to have been. She even heard his skip in his heartbeat that signified his pleasure at catching her. Rebecca appeared impressed, but then she had been watching Abel for some time with enthusiasm and curious affection. Violet drew herself up and smiled lightly.

  Abel returned the grin for a moment before he realized it wasn’t all it looked to be. Violet’s fangs elongated and the group gasped, not having figured out until now what she was. By the time the smug smirk had been wiped off Abel’s face, Violet had him pinned against the tree, and above her head. She brought him down slowly, just enough that his face was on par with hers, but his feet still failed to touch the ground.

  “I don’t know if I should be turned on or freaked out. Are you actually a vampire?” Able asked.

  Violet just rolled her eyes and let him down. “If you have to ask, we have other problems than the underlings trying to kill you off.” She took a few steps back. Everyone had done well today. She had been impressed in general, but it was a strange and diverse collection of humans. Abel in particular was likely to find himself in trouble she thought. He carried himself in a state of arrogant confidence that made her blood boil, and not in the good way. Even now he continued to stare lustfully after her, grinning. “Class dismissed.” Violet uttered as she strode towards Keterlyn who was on the other side of the field speaking with Daniel in between downing a bottle of water.

  Ever secure in himself, Abel called after her. “How would that work anyway if I asked you out? – a Witch and a Vampire.” he enquired.

&n
bsp; Rebecca seemed particularly unimpressed. “I’m fairly sure it works the same way it normally would you dunce.”

  Violet resisted the urge to speed back and break an arm. Viktor, her lover and partner would have done far worse were he here tonight. Violet was glad she had talked him out of coming to lend a hand. Reaching Keterlyn and Daniel, Violet planted a kiss on her friend’s forehead. Daniel narrowed his eyes inquisitively. There was something about the way they stood, the closeness implied in their body language. He couldn’t quite place it.

  “I’m done,” announced Violet. “Not sure how much good it is, but they will be able to protect themselves from the lesser evils at least. If there’s anything else, I can do, or if it comes to the crunch, call me.”

  The two smiled at eachother as though an in-joke hovered in the air. Daniel could resist no longer. “You two look really close. How do you know each other?”

  “Err…” Keterlyn began as Violet made no attempt to hide her amusement.

  “Were you two…?” continued Daniel.

  Will called out for help then, his hand immersed in the tree trunk. “Ket – I’m stuck in the tree again!” Will had been trying to materialize again and it had not worked out for the best – again. This was not a skill he was going to be mastering any time soon.

  Keterlyn responded immediately. “Saved by the cry for help. There’s a new one.” she said headed for the tree leaving Violet to rake her eyes over Daniel as though trying to untangle him. He pretended he didn’t notice as he watched Keterlyn try and retract Will from the tree in one piece.

  “You like her.” Violet observed.

  “Apparently I’m not her type.” Daniel said, though he knew it not to be true.

  “Don’t underestimate yourself.” Violet said in an unusual moment of encouragement. “Sure you’re not me, but then who is. Besides, maybe she wants to slum it.” She said it seriously, though as Daniel turned towards her to protest she broke into a cheeky smile, which immediately diffused his ire.

  From afar Keterlyn called out. “Play nice Violet.”

  “Life is short Daniel. Ket doesn’t see things and people the same way you’re used to. That tends to happen after you’ve been around a while. She and I had a history, but it was short, and a very long time ago. We’re just good friends, that’s all.”

  Violet hesitated before she lowered her voice to speak again. The gravity of her tone jarred Daniel. “Take good care of her. She needs someone who will let her be, but keep her grounded. She needs someone to protect her”

  “You seem to be able to do that all by yourself.”

  “Yeah, but push comes to shove, she won’t call me for help. Not really her style to lean on others, not even when it would make a difference.” Violet looked back over at her friend, fighting a memory she had of when she met Keterlyn in Mercia.

  “Lormorian had been devastating a town, when Keterlyn sensed a lower level demon who had been patrolling the town. I was hunting him at the time.”

  “Why?”

  “He stole my dinner.” Daniel barely concealed his shock. “I wasn’t always so into preserving mankind.” Violet pointed out. “Keterlyn asked it for help, begged it to help her get away from Lormorian, but it wasn’t stupid. No one takes from Lormorian. She grabbed at it, offered it supplication, she cried for it’s help, thinking it could magic her away or something of that kind. Even as it pushed her away though, I realized I hadn’t been the only one watching. Lormorian had been observing from the shadows. Even though it had declined her offer, Lor flayed the demon’s flesh before tearing it apart. Demon or not, pain hurts just the same.” Daniel crinkled his nose at the thought. “He left her sitting sobbing in the dirt. Lor had demonstrated there was no escape for her, and he wanted her to soak up the pain of knowing she was stuck with him until he wanted to let her go. That’s when she saw me and I knew, as we made eye contact, that she had let go of whatever hope it was she had had before. She just stared at me blankly. She could have called to me for help, she could have given me away, but instead she just stood up as she watched me, wiped the tears from her eyes and brushed her dress off before she followed him in to the carnage he had created. She knew I was there, knew he would have manipulated me into working for him, or killed me. She protected me, for no reason. We weren’t friends, she didn’t owe me anything.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t need the help anymore. Obviously something happened. She got away from him.”

  “When I first met her, she wasn’t free. He dragged her around like a pet. Since the demon got filleted Keterlyn always stood on her own but she was just as much a prisoner. It was hundreds of years before she even entertained the thought again. She didn’t want to bring about the pain, the damage she saw him flaunt. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer, but then Eerie, another being who had been trapped found her. Eerie was very like Keterlyn, but she never gave up, she just wasn’t able to escape because her body had been lost to her. Eerie often helped others escape.”

  “As in past tense.”

  “Lormorian only just found Eerie recently, and now she’s gone. Keterlyn found out a few days ago.”

  “She feels she brought this on herself, she should have known better so she’s punishing herself.” Daniel iterated, deep in thought.

  Violet nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s come a long way. We met eachother again in Paris just after she was emancipated and it was amazing to see how happy she was. That was a great summer.” Violet sighed nostalgically, and Daniel decided he didn’t want to know the details. Then he changed his mind.

  “What happened in Paris?” he asked.

  “What happens in Paris stays in Paris.” Violet teased.

  “Something doesn’t stick with your story.” Daniel provoked.

  “Hmm?” she enquired.

  “Ket has made it clear more than once that she’ll leave us to fend for ourselves at the first sign of trouble.”

  “Daniel.” Violet leaned towards him. “This is well and truly past the first sign. Why do you think I’m here helping everyone practice.” Daniel looked back over their group and shivered involuntarily. “Besides,” Violet continued righting herself. “Think about it. If Lormorian did all those things to other people, people he didn’t own, didn’t care about, what do you think he would have done to her?”

  Daniel felt a whole new shiver pass over his body.

  Violet saw his reaction. “See, you haven’t even met him and you know. Imagine how she lived for all those years. What wouldn’t you do, how far would you run, to keep from going back. Keterlyn doesn’t abandon people, she is just trying to keep from going back.”

  Daniel and Violet paused to look at Keterlyn who was growing a small patch of flowers in a pattern. Tempest was trying to copy her and the results found the others in stitches. The group looked so comfortable with eachother now. Molly swung her legs in the branches of the tree, Will and Anise leaned on eachother as they sat on the grass, and even Rebecca found it hard to resist from looking happy for once.

  “I went to hell once.” Violet said, a lump in her throat.

  “You did?”

  “It was a punishment. It was different to where Keterlyn was, but I’m telling you now Daniel - I’m never going back either.”

  The two continued staring ahead seriously as the others were toying with parlor tricks. Keterlyn looked up to see their serious expressions. Both being hyper aware they immediately lightened their expressions and waved back. Keterlyn turned her head and slanted her eyes, appearing suspicious.

  As Keterlyn returned her attention to the group, Violet spoke again. “She does a lot of good you know. You can’t blame her for being a survivalist.”

  “I don’t blame her, I just want her to let me in.”

  “Why would she do that when she thinks she will have to leave you to be overrun by nasty things that crawl through the night at some point? Or worse, you’ll keep aging, and she gets to watch you die.”

  “I
think it’s the in between that matters.” Daniel said pensively.

  “Wow, he’s a philosopher too.” Violet replied. “Maybe you just need to be persistent with her. You strike me as the kind of person who doesn’t give up easy, and isn’t scared away from a challenge.”

  They shared another moment of comfortable silence.

  “Hey really,” Daniel said still looking ahead. “What happened in Paris?” He looked back to where Violet had stood, but she was already gone.