Immortal Beauty (42 page)

“What have you done with Rene?” He couldn’t play these little games any longer. His way had always been the truth and it was too late for him to change now.

“Skyfire. I must insist you let me go if you know what’s good for you.” She could barely breathe as the pressure increased from the knife blade.

“Tell me and I will let you go. You have my word.” He pulled on her arm not caring if he broke it.

“Alright, if you must know, I killed him late last night. Now let me go!” She writhed against him trying to free herself. Skyfire pushed her into the table where she was flung violently and all of the silver dishes and rare china came crashing to the floor. Two of the maids came running in from the kitchen.

“Get out of here!” Celine screamed with fury at the two women who went scurrying away as quickly as they had appeared. “Who do you think you are?” She was trying to pull herself together as her expensive coiffure was tumbling down her pretty head and her dress was covered in sauces and pieces of food. “You will pay for this you fool! I was going to wait until tonight to kill you but I’ve changed my mind.” She raised her hands and at the same time Skyfire did the same thing. The sky began to darken and thunder began to rumble as a deep vibration began to cause the remaining glasses and silverware to shake in their place. The hatred was oozing out of both of them.

Nyoirin heard the thunder and knew something was definitely wrong. No longer trying to hide herself, she ran as quickly as possible towards the chateau. Skyfire did not know what Celine was capable of. She had to get there in time. In her haste she failed to notice the figure cloaked all in white fur standing behind one of the tress, nor did she see the black bird had floated down from the trees to find its rest on her outstretched hand. She was getting closer and closer to the house and could see the windows that led out onto the terrace. She prayed that she would get there in time. The thunder continued to growl and she heard lightening strike somewhere behind her.

“Impressive!” Celine yelled out to him over the din that was filling the house. Everything seemed to be shaking and moving of its’ own accord. Lightning struck the terrace itself which was long enough to distract Celine. The dancing silverware stopped for a moment and she saw Skyfire rushing toward her. He pushed her onto the ground with the knife clenched in between his strong white teeth. She was much stronger than she looked. In fact, she was stronger than most men he had fought. Still he had her under control and was ready to take the knife out of his mouth to cut out her heart when he realized that the air was gone from the room. He couldn’t breathe and was soon gasping for something that was not there. Celine laughed at him and pushed him off of her. “You’re just like your friend. He was helpless against me in the end…just like you. He was too weak to beg me to stop.” Skyfire threw the knife which struck her in the chest. “You fool!” She screamed again and with the scream came a force that threw him across the room where his head smashed against the black marble fireplace. He dropped lifeless to the floor. Celine pulled the knife from her body and walked over to the Indian. She grabbed him by the hair and shoved his face into the flames as if killing him weren’t quite enough.

“Stop it!” Nyoirin had come into the room with her sword drawn. “Leave him alone! It’s me you really want anyway. Isn’t it?” She was filled with a new fury and her voice was unrecognizable to her.

“It’s too late Nyoirin. He’s dead.” Celine stabbed Skyfire in the back with his own knife to prove her point. “See? Nothing. You’re too late my dear.” She slowly walked toward the samurai who was holding her shiny sword all carved in dragons. Nyoirin could not allow herself to think. She didn’t move. Marcel came running down the stairs nearly tripping as he flew down the pink marble which seemed so ridiculous now.

“Celine! Please don’t!” He was running toward her and Nyoirin flew into action. The blade swirled around as she moved like a force of nature against the red haired creature who believed she was a goddess. She was just about to remove the pretty head from it’s pretty shoulders when she was thrown back by an invisible hand. She flew across the room and smashed into the glass windows falling out onto the terrace as she hit the hard Caen stone. At that moment a thousand birds came flying into the room circling Celine and pecking at her, drawing blood from any part of her that was not covered in the expensive brocade with little emeralds sewn into the fabric. She howled in pain and confusion. From the broken window a pale woman in a white fur cape walked in. The black bird sat on her shoulder watching everyone as impassively as this tiny ghost did. Marcel stared at her in wonder. This was the fourth! This was the other immortal upon whom they were all still waiting and she was controlling the very birds in the sky to form an attack against Celine! Nyoirin got up from the terrace and spat the glass out of her mouth. She ignored the stranger completely and did not even hear the screaming of the birds. She saw only Celine, and she walked up to the struggling woman with a certainty and a calmness that gave her a new dignity. She took her beloved sword and pierced Celine through the heart without much effort at all. The birds flew out of the window as if on cue, leaving the scene of horror behind. The woman in white remained impassive. Nyoirin pulled the sword out of Celine and drove it into her body again. There was no telling how mortal this immortal was. Celine’s body slumped to the floor with a thud. Marcel rushed to Nyoirin’s side.

“You did it! You stopped her!” And then he saw the body of Skyfire whose head was now burned beyond recognition. Nyoirin looked right through him with eyes that would no longer cry.

“I have done my duty, but I have failed to protect my loved ones.” She could not look at his body but walked over to it with the same strange dignity that was washing over her. “I have failed Marcel. I have failed Rene and the man I love. Only one thing remains for me. This is our way. My purpose is finished.” She held up her sword and without another word plunged it into her abdomen and with the last bit of strength she possessed, she pulled it upwards to be certain her organs were destroyed. Her blood fell onto Skyfire like a waterfall as she fell on top of him.

“No!” Marcel could not believe what was happening. He did not expect Nyoirin to do something this awful and this final. He couldn’t understand anything and he looked to the silent woman in white by the windows. Her indifference infuriated him as she stood there surveying the bodies strewn all over the once beautiful room.

“They were my friends.” That was all she said with her child’s voice and she turned away to walk back into the park full of trees.

“Wait! Please wait! You have to help me!” He was pleading with her.

“I’ve already helped you. I’m finished here.” She kept walking.

“But the water. I have the water. It’s underneath the house. The water you dream of is here.” He was rambling but he could not lose this pale creature so quickly. The words had their effect. She was no longer walking and after an eternity she spoke.

“Show me.” Was all she said. The bird flew up again from her shoulder and she walked back with him into the house. There was blood everywhere. He would have to make up a story of how they were savagely attacked by a hungry mob. They stood looking at the bodies and the ghostly woman spoke in the most reverent of tones. “We have to bury their bodies. It’s the proper thing to do.” She helped him carry the bodies of Nyoirin and Skyfire into the tunnel beneath the house. She was stronger than she looked, like they had all been once. They decided to throw Celine’s body in the river. Marcel was about to call one of the stable boys when the woman stopped him. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Soon he heard the sound of galloping hoofs on the snow. It was Celine’s white mare! He knew that this was one of her gifts. He wondered in what lifetime she learned to command the animals and birds. They quickly hoisted Celine’s form onto the mare and together they walked the horse down the hill and together they heaved it into the unforgiving waters, watching it disappear into the shadowy grayness of the Seine.

A few miles down the river a caravan filled with the privileged and their servants was stopped because one of the carriages got stuck in the mud, a result of the melting snow. Bothered by the inconvenience, the elderly Marquise stuck her head out of the window to look around. She was bored by such bad luck and began to wish that they had never left their home in Orleans to attend yet another party. She watched the waters and cried out when she spotted the bright green satin that barely covered the body of a woman who had washed up on the shore. The old woman cried to her horsemen to attend to the poor thing. She was obviously somebody with such fine dress and jewelry. The men ran down to the river and pulled the woman from the muddy banks and one of the younger men who noticed how beautiful the woman was began to pray that she was still alive.

“Well?” The Marquise enquired from her comfortable seat wrapped all in fur.

“She is breathing Madame!” The young Frenchman cried out happily. He had never seen any woman so beautiful before.

“Bring her into my carriage. We must find a doctor at once.” She ordered the men to be careful not to upset the carriage any more than they already did. Once they had the woman with the gorgeous red locks secured inside the luxury of the carriage they sped away, leaving the other carriage and a few grumbling men stuck in the mud behind them.

RESCUE

Sasha woke with a start. She had dreamt of Taylor and he had been warning her about Celine. He was a prisoner tied down to some kind of table. He looked strange and his face bore a large purple bruise which made her heart hurt. She got out of bed and placed a white cotton robe about her body before she left to find Marcus. She knocked timidly at his door until he finally emerged with his hair all askew and his silk charcoal grey pajamas looked almost like a costume from an old movie.

“Sasha. Good morning.” He was trying not to yawn in her face.

“It’s Taylor. I dreamt of him just now. He said Celine was holding him prisoner. He is in great danger and I think I may have caused all of this….we have to do something!” Her pleading voice moved him immensely. If there was one thing that did not change through all these endless years was the way that these two loved each other no matter what obstacles lay in their path.

“Let’s go downstairs. We can talk in front of the fire.” He gathered his arm around her in a fatherly fashion and they descended the stairs to find comfort in the great room. Once the fire was roaring Sasha began to explain her bizarre dream.

“Taylor was talking about monsters. He said to watch out that Celine’s monsters are in the woods surrounding the house in Orleans.” She knew it sounded crazy but in this house that seemed to be the norm.

“The Chimera.” Marcus whispered.

“What? What’s that?” Sasha could not contain her curiosity.

“When Frankie stole Celine’s files, he found evidence that she was creating some type of human animal hybrid. It must be what Taylor is talking about.” He looked very worried.

“But it was just a dream. I don’t think it has a literal meaning.” Sasha began to feel foolish for waking him.

“My dear, you two are connected in a way I’ve never seen before. This dream of yours was Taylor’s way of communicating with you. You have to remember that you both have abilities that you haven’t even begun to tap into. If you drank the waters you would waken these abilities.” He made it sound so simple, so seductive.

“Never! I’m done with this fucking water. It caused this whole nightmare in the first place. No, all I want is for Taylor to be alright and then I want to get the hell away from you people. She didn’t care if he was offended.

“What do you mean?” The fire crackled loudly surprising them both. The room was lit only by the fireplace and the warmest glow covered everything. The past and the present were beginning to mix dangerously. For a moment Sasha felt she was in danger of remembering who she was and the feeling terrified her. In this light it was so easy to believe they were back in the past.

“I met Celine for lunch today. I told her I wasn’t interested in your war or the water or living forever. I told her I just want Taylor back and she insisted that she didn’t have him and then, well then I told her that you observed Taylor going into the lab in Orleans but never leaving. I think he may have been hiding inside and she had no clue until I told her. You see, I may have killed him.” Tears were forming in her eyes and she could not stop them.

“Oh Sasha, if he were dead you would have felt it. Like I said, you two are connected. He sent you that dream I’m sure of it. But I’m afraid we may not have much time. We have to wake the others.” He stood up and placed his hand on top of her head. “You had better get dressed and wear something dark. We’re going to get Taylor back.” As soon as he said this Sasha felt a rush of emotion wash over her. She cried openly now, ashamed of nothing.

“Thank you Marcus. I owe you so much. She let her quiet tears fall.

“Nonsense. It is I who owe you darling. The very least I can do is help you get your boyfriend back. Now let’s go. We really don’t have much time.” They left the fire behind as they returned to their rooms to dress.

Half an hour later Marcus Frankie, Claire and Sasha were all speeding along the road to Orleans in Marcus’ trim, black car. The driver was dressed all in black and was apparently used to taking trips in the middle of the night to the middle of nowhere. They were all silent for a time until Frankie couldn’t help himself. He was dressed all in black as they all were, and Sasha felt as if she were in a spy movie. Frankie wore a black beret tilted on top of his head giving him a rakish look.

“Alright. So, what’s the plan? We do have a plan don’t we?” He smiled amiably as if he were thrilled to be part of a midnight mission.

“Taylor told me the labs are underneath the chateau. There’s a spiral staircase down a hall to the right of the entrance. She has two guards posted out front. I don’t know how we’re going to get past them.” Sasha just realized her voice was shaking. She was scared.