“Drink!” I barked as she immediately brought her face to my wrist and wrapped her lips around the wound. I could feel her gentle suction as she pulled at it with her tongue, but I knew it would not be enough. “Soock harder! Ye moost swallow in mouthfuls!”
She began to draw on me harder, pulling at my wound with an intensity that caused it to burn in such a way that promised she was doing it correctly. “Verra good,” I crooned as I closed my eyes.
Donnchadh was not the only mystical part about me. Yes, he was responsible for my immortality, but he was not responsible for the Druid magic that was my heritage and had been with me since the day I was born. My Druid magic was an inherent part of my eternal self, that part of me that worked in unison with the laws of nature and the otherworldly. It was raw, uncultured and uncivilized. My magic danced with nature, with the flora and fauna realms and understood the innate reasoning within the natural order.
And now I called on that ancient Druid understanding to help me reach Lily. Just as I was of the earth, the air and the sea, Lily was the same. I had always known she shared some intangible oneness with me from the moment I first laid eyes on her when she and the silly angel approached me in the Dark Wood to forge her a sword. There was something in the energy that surrounded her, something that brought me back, that reminded me of the past, long before I had ever polluted myself with Donnchadh. I was never certain just what that oneness with Lily was, but even so, I was convinced of its existence nonetheless.
Yes, Lily was connected to me in some way. Though the mystery persisted as to how or why, the fact remained. In the beginning of our association, I tried to deny it. I found the familiarity I felt towards her disturbing and sought only to silence it, to continue living the lonely existence I had created for myself. But there was something about her that would not allow me to release her. This uncanny feeling was only deepened when I forged her sword and handed it to her. Upon touching it, she immediately saw Fergus Castle, the castle belonging to my family since the fourteenth century. Of course, after she received the image of Fergus Castle, I knew she had come into my life for a purpose. But that purpose was still shrouded in mystery, still unknown to us both. It was enough, though, for me to assume the role of her protector and her friend.
“I cannot swallow any more,” Persephone announced as she interrupted my thoughts and I felt my eyes pop open. “I’m seconds away from vomiting.” She pulled away from my wrist and gagged before cleaning the blood from her bottom lip.
“Nae,” I responded as I fervently shook my head.
“I cannot,” she started.
“’Tis nae enough tae provide ye the immortality ye seek. Ye willnae git mooch other than an oopset stomach,” I responded, a little more harshly than I had planned, but Lily’s safety relied on Persephone swallowing more of my blood. Thus it was crucial she continue.
“How much more?” she demanded as she coughed and then craned her head upward in what appeared to be an attempt to avoid vomiting.
“Yer immortality is comin’ tae ye at ah mooch smaller price than Ah paid fer mine,” I answered with no amount of apology. “Boot at the rate ye are goin’, ye willnae git it.”
She set her jaw in a defiant hold but then muttered something unintelligible as she dropped her head and placed her lips back on the gash in my skin. Then she started drinking from me again as I clenched my eyes shut and focused on the task at hand. I needed to set the wards of my Druid magic to protect Lily as best I could.
To do so, I had to voyage into that part of me where my surface thoughts could not travel. My magic existed in the deep valley of my subconscious, where the light of day-to-day, conscious feelings could not penetrate. This was the realm of the unconscious, the dominion of dreams and the soul. It was the core of my entire being. Accessing it was not an easy feat, either. It required extreme focus and usually a healthy body, which mine certainly was not. But I was out of options so I would work with what I had.
I closed my eyes even more tightly as I allowed my pupils to roll back into my head, up and behind the cover of my eyelids. Then I imagined traveling deeper inside myself, passing through doorway after doorway until I reached the last entrance into the center of my being. Once I was ensconced within the essence of myself, I imagined Lily.
She appeared to me almost immediately, which surprised me. I thought I might have to search through my memories to find an image of her, but such was not the case. I could see her as if she were standing right in front of me. She was dressed in her tight exercise pants, pants which did nothing to hide the beauty of the curves of her bottom or her thighs. On the upper half of her body, she wore a small contraption that kept her sizable breasts from bouncing about, but her waist was bare, as were her arms.
While keeping Lily in my mind’s eye, I imagined a square surrounding her. Beginning in the left uppermost corner of the square, I commanded that corner to be black, shrouded in darkness. Honing in on the strength and power behind my intention, I imagined white energy suddenly appearing at the uppermost, right corner of the square. This white energy was overflowing with my own feelings of protection and responsibility. I colored the lowermost, right corner of the square with darkness and the lowermost, left corner with light. Thus, the two corners opposite each other were dark and the other two white. In doing so, I was calling on the balance of light and dark to work for me. As all things in nature existed between light and dark, neither was good nor bad. They simply were.
In order to completely protect Lily, I had to envision this square of protection extending down into the earth where it could pull the power of the earth, the water and the roots of the trees. Then I imagined the square extending up, into the sky, where it could pull the power of the air, the sun, the moon and the stars.
I focused on Lily again and imagined this natural energy suffusing her, surrounding her with its spirit. I called upon my Druid magic, using the ancient tongue of my ancestors, and asked the balance of light and dark to protect her, to disallow the poison of Persephone to completely overcome her. Once I finished, I allowed my pupils to resume their natural place behind my eyelids and I opened my eyes. I could feel my blood pulsing through my veins, and marveled over the fact that I had not been able to feel it earlier.
It was a sign that I had empowered myself, filled myself up with the power that had been buried so deeply within me. Now I could only hope that my magic was potent enough to survive the trip from my body to Lily’s.
SEVEN
I slept.
I was not certain how long I had been asleep, but I knew I was in the land of the unconscious either way. I had trained myself to remain lucid, to monitor my vulnerability and control the depth of my slumber as to always remain vigilant, even while in sleep’s grasp. It was important not to ever fully lose myself to the land of dreams, for it was a skill that had saved me from a sword in the dark more than once.
This was the first real sleep I had encountered since becoming Persephone’s prisoner. Perhaps it was due to the massive bloodletting earlier that had relieved me of Donnchadh’s incessant attempts to take control of my body. Or it could have been the fine hunk of meat Persephone had thrown my direction once she finished drinking my blood. Her charity had not stemmed from the goodness of her heart. Rather, I had informed her that if she wanted to feed from me again, it was crucial I build my stamina through proper nutrition. Apparently she had taken this information seriously. Regardless, this was the first evening I fell asleep with a full belly.
And now, as I walked through the vast meadow, surrounded by verdant mountains, I could feel the brisk wind that blew across the loch, touching and teasing my face with its icy fingers. I was in my homeland, in Alba. The wet earth beneath my feet, the scent of primrose and heather that wafted through the air, the sound of the wind as it whistled through the pines all felt so real, so tangible. And yet I was quite aware that I was in the valley of dreams and everything surrounding me merely existed in my own imagination.
I continued forward, taking a bend in the path before me that led around a large hill. On either side of me, the wildflowers stood proud, nearly reaching my waist. When I emerged on the other side of the hill, I was greeted with a familiar sight. Fergus Castle stood directly in front of me, the gray of the ancient stone walls in direct contrast with the azure blue of the loch that surrounded it. My heart swelled as I beheld the stronghold of my clan, my family. Although I had never seen the castle in person, owing to the fact that I had been extradited to the Underground City long before the castle had become that of my clan’s, I had been able to witness it from afar. And that had been enough.
I continued forward, suddenly intent on reaching the castle, on entering the walls I never had before. Even though I could have visited the ancient structure once I abdicated my title of Master of the Underground City, I never had. Yes, upon finding myself free of the burdens of the Underground, I was able to freely roam wherever I so chose. But, even so, I had never been able to bring myself here. I had never been able to see the blood, sweat and tears of my lineage. I had never found the courage to do so …
I took a hesitant step forward before I heard something. It sounded like a breath, a strangled one. It was such a subtle sound, I questioned myself as to whether I had really heard anything at all, or if it was simply a trick of the wind. I took another step and heard it again. The rasp of a breath that while meant to be deep, came out shallow, pained. I glanced around but could find nothing or no one to which I could attribute the sound. When I heard it once more, I glanced down and found before me a woman. She was lying prostrate on the ground, facing the heavens. She was naked except for the thick layer of mud that covered her from head to toe. Her eyes were closed, but as her rib cage expanded and she breathed in, she began to sputter and her eyes popped open, revealing bottomless pools of emerald. Her eyes were wide, showing her fear.
I dropped down to my knees and reached for her, needing to understand what was causing her pain, why she seemed to be fading, dying right before me. She did not say anything but watched me with her doe-like, frightened eyes. When I cupped either side of her cheeks and tried to lift her head, I found I could not. It was as if she were rooted in place, like the mud was suctioning her to the ground. She closed her eyes and her lips pursed into a straight line as I realized I was causing her pain. I immediately released her and her eyes opened in response. She did nothing but watch me.
“Can ye speak?” I asked, to which she did not answer.
I shifted my gaze down the line of her neck until I found myself studying her heavy breasts which were covered with the same dark mud. The beads of her nipples stuck out against the darkness, their rosy pink in direct contrast to the blackness of the mud. I reached for her left arm and tried to lift it but found it, too, was fixed to the ground, as if roots held it in place.
She suddenly opened her mouth and inhaled, her body shivering as she did so. The sound of her breath was raspy, shallow, sickly. I moved my eyes down to her stomach and lower still, noticing that the junction of her thighs was guarded by the thickness of the mud. I reached for her lower thigh and tried to lift it, but found that it was just as stuck in place as the rest of her. It was almost as if the earth was trying to consume her, attempting to swallow her whole.
I faced the horizon and my eyes immediately settled on the beach of the loch which was perhaps fifty feet in front of me. Water would dissolve the mud. Perhaps it would loosen the earth just enough that I could wrest her away from the hold of the ground. I reached inside my sporran where it sat around my waist until I felt the skin of the Gramen demon I had skinned only a few weeks earlier in the Dark Wood. The skin of the Gramen demon was impermeable, which made it the perfect receptacle to carry water. And it was large enough that it would allow me to transport perhaps a gallon.
“Ah will return momentarily,” I said to her in a hushed tone as I ran my finger down her cheek. I was not entirely certain why, but I felt drawn to her. It was almost as if my body recognized her though I had not seen her before.
I stood, and then realizing time was certainly of the essence, ran down the heather-covered embankment until I reached the mouth of the loch. Once there, I waded into the water until it circled my knees, ignoring the sheen of goose skin that cropped up all over me, courtesy of the frigid water. I bent over and plunged the Gramen skin into the water, pulling up on the edges until the water was trapped inside. Then I turned around and trudged through the water and back up the bank until I reached the woman.
I dropped down to my knees once I was beside her face and then held the Gramen skin above her, watching as the drops of water rained down, splashing her forehead. Immediately the mud washed away and I could see the whiteness of her skin. I squeezed the bag of water with my free hand and watched as her hair absorbed it, revealing its dark red strands. She opened her mouth and breathed in deeply, but the sound had not changed. It was still just as parched, strangled. She was dangerously perched on the threshold of death.
I cleaned away the mud from the rest of her face and then marveled over her beauty. She was lovely. The most beautiful creature I had ever beheld. That same bizarre sense of recognition washed over me again, and I shook my head because I did not understand it. I had never seen this woman before, and yet I was inexplicably drawn to her. The desire to touch her was so intense, I could not fight it. I ran my fingers through her hair, down the side of her face, cupping her cheeks. It made no sense to me, but my body acted as if it knew her well.
“Help me, Tallis.”
I heard her voice. In my head. I felt shock ripple through me as I found her eyes. They were fastened on mine. I could do nothing but stare into the vacuum of their green, losing myself in the beauty of the gems that shone in her face. I braced my hands on the ground on either side of her as I lowered myself. I stopped once my face was hovering over hers. My actions were not deliberate, not those dictated by my mind. It was as if I were no longer in control of my own body.
“I need you,” her voice continued.
I felt myself claim her lips, felt the fullness of her mouth as I touched it with my own. She opened her lips and inhaled as I exhaled into her, filling her with my life’s breath. She closed her eyes as she arched below me, her breasts brushing against my bare chest. She was not able to lift herself very far because her arms and legs were still just as rooted in place, as was her head.
That was when I remembered what I had been doing before I stole her lips. I lifted my head as I remembered the demon skin filled with water which I still held in my hand. I shook it above her head, allowing the numerous drops to bleed down atop her as I washed away the remainder of the mud from her glorious hair. She opened her mouth and tried to inhale but stammered as I realized she needed me to breathe for her. I claimed her lips again as she opened her mouth and I exhaled into her, filling her lungs as her rib cage expanded. She broke the circle of our lips to exhale but then brought her mouth back to mine as I breathed into her again. I could feel her body shaking, and I ran my fingers through her hair, working them to the back of her head so I could pull her away from the greedy earth. It worked. I was able to separate her head from the ground. Now on to the rest of her …
I placed her head back on the ground and glanced down her body, trying to ascertain which limb I should attempt to free next.
“Thank you,” I heard her voice travel through my mind. I glanced up at her in surprise and found her watching me. She still did not appear as if she could speak, but a small smile decorated her mouth.
“Aye,” I answered. “Ye are welcome.” Then I continued to study her as she stared up at me with those lovely eyes. Eyes that seemed to see right through me. “Why dae Ah git the feelin’ Ah know ye, lass?”
“You have always known me,” she answered through my thoughts. “We are one and the same, Tallis. I am you and you are me.”
Even though her words did not make sense to me, I did not argue them for I felt their truth inside every inch of me. Instea
d, I focused on continuing to release her body from the stranglehold of the earth. I poured a large amount of the loch water on her torso and, using my free hand, cleaned the mud away from her skin. When I touched her breasts, her nipples immediately hardened under my fingertips. Of course, being that I was a man, I immediately felt the blood rushing to my cock. Suddenly ashamed with myself, I pulled my fingers away from her.
“No,” her voice sounded in my head. “It is your touch which restores me.”
I did not comment but brought my fingers back to her breasts as I palpated them to remove the sticky mud. I continued down the line of her body, running my hands down her stomach and lower still, rubbing away the mud as I did so. When I reached the junction of her thighs, I glanced back up at her because I was unsure as to what I should do next. Of course, I was well aware what I wanted to do, but I feared this was not the sort of touch she was looking for.
When I met her eyes, she simply nodded. It was such a small nod as to be nearly imperceptible, but it was a nod all the same. With that encouragement, I returned my greedy gaze to her thighs and the delicate skin that existed between them. I ran my fingers over the mound of her femininity and marveled over the way her breath caught as she watched me. Emptying the remainder of the water over her thighs, I massaged away the mud until nothing but the whiteness of her skin greeted me. I was surprised to find she was completely hairless in the valley between her thighs. The realization made me want to taste her, explore her with my tongue. The need was suddenly stifling, overwhelming.
I caressed her even lower, until I could feel her erect nub. I immediately paused there and began rubbing her in a circular motion, teasing her. Her eyes narrowed as she attempted to arch up, but she was not able to get very far, owing to the hold of the earth. I started to pull my hand away, thinking I should be focused on freeing her arms and legs rather than causing her opening to grow increasingly wet.