Authors: Bre Faucheux
“You are to never speak to me that way again. Do you understand?” she said. She need not yell. He could hear every word as it dripped from her mouth. Showing anger would only encourage a fight from him, of that she was certain. “I am not that frail, innocent, and sickly girl I was before. That girl died alongside her brother, who was the only person in the world who meant anything to her. Do not make the mistake of believing that his loss means nothing to me simply because I cannot feel the grief as I once could.” She paused only for a brief second, knowing she had his full attention. “And do not pretend that those people did not help cure you of the tortured thirst that ravaged your body.”
She broke eye contact with him and threw a rope over the side. Walking away from the edge, she took to the bow, gripping its edges into her hands. The wood creaked under her tight grip. She gazed into the storm ahead and waited to hear Jayden approach her. He climbed the rope she charitably gave him and grabbed what was left of the side, pulling himself over its edge. His sopping wet clothes left a trail on the wood as he stepped forward. She could feel his glare on her back. He took more blood from a jug and threw its empty contents to the floor, shattering it.
“It took a great effort to mend this vessel without you attempting to destroy it, mistress. Do try to aim better next time,” he said grimacing. With that he yanked a piece of splintered wood from his lower back and tossed it into the open sea. Madison could smell the blood and turned around. He healed almost instantly, but the irritation was written all over his face. He turned away from her and took a seat at the other end of the ship. Madison looked forward again, not wanting to watch him. She knew now that she could weather anything that he could. She was as capable as he was.
14
Ireland’s East Coastline
10 Days Later
Grey crags appeared before Madison in great succession. They were steeper than the cliffs she had left behind. There was nothing to see beyond their grey and rocky height. The ship had made its use for a solid seven days before showing signs of water overtaking it. Madison had found herself unafraid when they had no choice but to abandon their vessel, its timber giving way to the depth beneath them in due time. Jayden relished the idea of testing their skills with the length of their swim. And as unwilling to admit it as she was, Madison in turn was equally curious. The darkness under her that had once been frightening now intrigued her. She often went below the surface with Jayden to see just how deep the waters were. To her shock, she couldn’t reach the ocean floor. The ocean was deeper than she ever thought it could be. She even began to like the creatures who ventured to greet her as they swam to the surface. Dolphins trailed them a great distance before losing interest.
It was only after a day’s worth of swimming before they both realized they could have covered a greater distance had they swam the length of the journey. Learning that their bodies were far stronger than the ship they had relied on so heavily was a welcomed surprise. And Jayden’s knowledge of the skies proved worthy in their search the proper direction for travel.
They approached the shore they had longed to see for days and slowly stood as land greeted their legs. Her body needed time to recover, but she was more eager to witness how long it would take. If she required making such a journey again, she wanted to know exactly what to expect from her exertion.
The erratic waves penetrated her nearly ruined shoes the natives had given her. Drenched with water, they barely stuck to her feet anymore. Her deer skin clothing
held tight to her body and pulled her down with its weight. If she hadn’t the strength she had now, she assumed that it would have caused her to sink. She could feel Jayden’s relief seeping into her thoughts. He was staggered as she was at how quickly and easily they had made the crossing.
“We can take rest here,” she said, not having spoken for over a day.
“No rest. We must find fresh blood.”
“I am as famished as you are Jayden, but if we stop, I can sense for people nearby. And it is not yet nightfall,” she said.
“Are we to keep a schedule now for our needs?”
“No, just nightfall thus we do not frighten anyone,” she said.
“We are to care now if they are frightened. Our entirety of being is enough to frighten anyone,” he retorted.
“That is why we must remain subtle.”
“Our eyes are violet, our teeth like that of a predator, and our skin paler than any man I have ever seen, and yet you believe that nightfall shall mask these features?”
“Would you rather cause a panic in a small village to spread everywhere?” she retorted.
“That would depend on where we are.” His desperation for instant gratification of blood was beginning to annoy her. She was equally hungry, but would never complain to simply dull the aggravation. She thought he should be more grateful that the thirst was not torturing him as it once had. But the same as any thirst for water she had ever craved, she needed her take of blood as badly as he did.
“You can control it, Jayden. Place the thirst to the back of your mind,” she said calmly.
A thin strip of grass lay atop the cliffs before them. White peaks of water began to drag them closer onto the the none-existent shoreline. They swam alongside the edge only meters from the tall cliff side. The precipices appeared to dissipate slightly. Madison could see lines of pastures. Darkened outlines of rock trailed across the grasses creating large squares in the landscape. It wasn’t farmland, but it was some sign that people must reside close by.
Reaching the pebbles from under the water, Madison stood for the first time in days. She couldn’t tell if her legs were relieved by the sensation of land or if the motion caused pain. She let out a sigh of relief and assumed that it was a welcomed sort of ache that her body was generating. She didn’t relish in the feeling of energy that the water once gave her as she trudged forward. The waters crashed against her back with a fierce strength that shocked even her small yet strengthened form. She reached the pebbled surface and finally let herself fall to her hands and knees. Bringing herself to a sitting position, Jayden sat next to her with equal relief in his breathe. Rocks protruded from the ground. She didn’t notice the discomfort. Being out of the water was enough.
“We became stronger near the end there. We gained speed,” said Jayden.
“Motivation from witnessing land,” she replied softly.
“Not that bit, the bit before. Last night as the night descended, we gained speed and strength,” he said. They had become stronger during nightfall. They had almost always run during the day. Experiencing their abilities at night was new and somehow refreshing.
“Perhaps the night holds greater possibilities for us. Thus why I suggest we satisfy our needs by night,” she said.
“Fine. But as soon as we are recovered, we search for any men we can find. I don’t feel strong enough now to be particular to exceptions,” his tone was desperate and somewhat spiteful.
Madison held her eyes back at the water. They emerged from the depths of the abyss that she had one held such reverence for and greatly feared. The land where they now sat was as strange to her as the one they had just left.
Although her thirst was controlled and she continuously kept her yearning for blood in check, she felt little sorrow for whoever they would encounter. As long as no lives were truly endangered by them, then she was accepting of her body’s needs. Her watch was better kept on Jayden’s yearnings than hers. He felt even less remorse than she did. In comparison, she was sympathetic for what she must do, but not remorseful. Jayden merely sought satisfaction and survival.
“Thinking upon what you have left?” he asked.
“No,” she replied quietly. “Thinking upon how we will live in years to come.”
“As gypsies perhaps, never settling. Is that what you fear? We can partake in any place we fancy and stay as long as we wish it.”
“I do not wish to settle anywhere again, not for any true length of time,” she said.
“Why is that?”
“My first and second homes were destroyed, and the third I left willingly. I do not think I could ever be happy in one place. And as you said, we will frighten anyone who truly sees us for what we are. If they were to know us for any length of time, dangers could arise.”
“For them, not for us,” he said.
“You don’t know that. Neither of us truly know of our limitations,” she said. She was not willing to believe just yet that they were truly impenetrable.
“Then we move by nightfall and feed at nightfall, as you said. We are agreed on a set path. We never stay in one place for too long, we move consistently, and we keep to the night for our physical needs.”
“Do you think you can wait that long at present?” she asked sincerely. The only thing she feared more than his aggression aimed at a nearby victim at this point was how desperate Jayden may become during his eventual feed. “I don’t want more blood spilt than need be. We must not leave a trail.”
“It will be difficult to mask discovery once we begin to feed upon people, mistress. Their wounds will all look alike. From that alone fear will spread, as you say,” he said.
“Perhaps we should feed upon people whilst they sleep,” she suggested.
“Don’t you think you would awaken from something such as that?”
“Our touch can calm people, Jayden. We witnessed it with the natives. Should we touch people while they take rest, they may continue to sleep as we take what we need. And
only
what we need,” she said sturdily.
He nodded his head in agreement.
“They will still awaken to see wounds upon their body,” he said.
“By that time we must leave. No one the wiser, and for all anyone should know, they might have walked in their sleep and had an unfortunate accident. We must be discreet. Perhaps even by making small cuts rather than biting as we have in the past. Thus the marks are less traceable,” she said now looking at him.
A sly smile appeared
on his face as she spoke to him. He seemed satisfied with this plan.
“We can do this,” she continued. “We can live like this if we are to remain hidden.”
The arrogant yet mischievous look crossed his face once more. She hadn’t seen it since they had left. She thought her violent action on the ship had bruised his masculine ego. But he appeared the same way he had when she first met him. Self-assured and eager, as though he was ready for any encounter should it come naturally or if he be the one to cause it.
“You still have the bag that the healer gave you?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s here.” She had been quick enough to tie it to her ankle and securely tighten it before the ship saw its final day. She loosened it and brought it to her lap reaching for the large jug inside.
“I think it is time we made use of the materials if it works as you claim the healer intended,” he said.
“Indeed. Here are the necklaces the healer gave us.” She revealed them and handed one to him. She had placed them in the sack just before their long swim, thinking it safer than wearing them. The pieces were colorfully beaded with strands dangling down from a single pouch attached. Jayden examined his and placed it around his neck. The pattern was distinct to the design he had seen around the native camp. The natives had placed it upon their weapons and their skins. The occasional tent was also painted with it to show the leaders of their tribes resided in a particular lodging.
“I took the liberty of placing more of the material the healer gave us inside, should either of us come across an unperceived enemy,” she said.
“You think the Vam-pyr-ei-ak spirits are among us, do you?” he mocked her.
“No, but the healer seemed to believe that we would need it. That is reason enough for me. Perhaps it will prevent others from suspecting our true form, or so he lead on.”
“Our appearance gives us away, mistress.”
“We’ll he seemed to believe otherwise,” she said. “If others exist like the healer, those who are intuitive and spiritual as he was, then we may be in danger of truly being discovered. Our appearance is not natural, this I know. But if we are to portray ourselves properly amongst others, they will have no true fear to reject us on sight.”
“You don’t know many Englishman, do you?” he sneered.
“It is only a precaution, Jayden. Neither of us can predict what we will come across or how many people will be taken back by our eyes or our pale complexion. For all they know, we are merely travelers.”
“Travelers, or gypsies, we will not be trusted,” he said.
“Then you agree with me, we tread softly. We do not create a huge stir, and we feed by nightfall.”
Madison knew that he could understand the seriousness in her voice, and the measures they needed to take to not appear mysterious in any way.
“Agreed.”