Winged Dagger

Eternal Time

"'So you see our savage friend was very unorthodox in his ritual. It is grotesque, Watson,' Holmes added, as he slowly fastened his notebook, 'But as I have had occasion to remark, there is but one step from the grotesque to the horrible.'" I closed the book as I finished the story, and Alex clapped his hands with delight. He'd been quiet the whole time I was reading, with only his facial expressions to show he had absorbed every word I'd said.

"That was a great story."

"Well, that's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for you," I said, stroking the cover of the book, realizing that Arthur was the one who had written this tale.

"You speak as if you know him," said Alex, leaning back in the bed.

"Kind of." I looked out of the room, to where Arthur was currently chatting with Alex's mom. "We've met."

"What's he like?"

I thought about that for a while. "He's an absolute jerk. But he's also a cute, adorable idiot. He makes himself seem worse than he is, and he writes to share his stories with other people. He might complain about writing, but I don't think he'd trade it for anything else," I said, recalling all the all-nighters he'd pulled. "He hasn't accepted the fact that he can't save everyone, either as a doctor or as a writer, but I guess he writes to give people strength. Similar to what he's been trying to do here..." I trailed off.

A hand fell on my head. "Are you bad-mouthing me or praising me?"

"I'll do whatever I feel like," I said, looking up at Arthur's pout. Alex looked almost entertained. Arthur's smile looked forlorn, as if he didn't believe everything I said. "But I don't lie, so you can be sure that everything I said was the truth."

Arthur's smile was more relaxed as he ruffled Alex's hair. "We'll be off then."

                                  *

I woke up in the middle of the night, something aching in my chest. I think I had a bad dream, a dream where someone was dying. I walked out of my room, following the corridor down to the front gates. Stepping into the garden, I saw the familiar tails of a black cat.

"Asura," I said, smiling.

"Mina." He swished both his tails. "It's been a while."

"Everything sorted out?" I asked as we walked back to the mansion.

"Quite so." He hopped onto the front steps of the mansion. "Why do I feel sadness from you and Arthur?"

I smiled, finally understanding what the dream was showing me. "He's dying. And Arthur will blame himself."

"Vampire or human, doctor or author, he cannot save everyone." Asura paused. "Not even a God can."

                                  *

The next day, Alex's funeral took place. Arthur and I had attended the funeral, and I placed a book discreetly inside the casket.

"There wasn't really anything we could have done," I said, long after everyone else who had attended left. "Humans live, humans die, humans leave their mark on the world and in other's hearts and memories, and humans reincarnate. You can't save everyone."

"It's always the innocent ones who die," he said. I chanced a glance at him, and his eyes were on me, almost as if I would be next.

"I'm not innocent," I said, remembering the number of times I've maimed one to protect another. "I won't disappear." I offered him a hand as we headed back to the mansion.

                                  *

I headed into the tavern that night. I sat with the pub owner, asking how things were around town, since he was the one who always got the latest gossip.

Two women approached me, and I looked up at them, wondering if we were acquainted. "It's her. Arthur's sweetheart."

Then it hit me: These were the women Arthur had met nightly before. "Can I help you?" Her smile seemed rather harsh to me, and I braced myself, wondering if a fight was about to break out. The tavern owner looked between the three of us.

"Look after him, will you?"

I stared, wondering if I was hearing an auditory hallucination. Her smile wasn't harsh at all, it was a gentle, sad one. I had simply perceived it the wrong way.

"Um, sure."

"He doesn't spend the nights with us anymore, but now his smile is genuinely happy. Almost as if he's found what he wanted all along," the younger of the two said.

Someone slid onto the seat next to me. "Are you giving Knabbeltje a hard time?"

The women looked over at Theo. "Not at all. We were simply offering our well wishes." The two of them nodded and left, and I turned to Theo, who already had a drink in front of him. I nodded to him, and made to leave.

"Knabbeltje."

"Yeah?"

He considered me. "Nothing. Just stay out of trouble."

I smiled as I left.

                                  *

I made a cup of coffee that night, and headed into Arthur's room. He was writing furiously, so I took a seat on the couch, and waited for him to realize someone had entered his room.

"Coffee," I said as he looked up. He smiled as he took a seat next to me.

"Do you remember how we met here?" asked Arthur, picking up the cup.

"I think you tried to intimidate me at dinner."

"You intimidated yourself," he said, as I made a face at him. "I wondered if you were like me in some ways."

"Maybe," I said, considering that as I pulled my legs up on the couch.

He frowned. "How did you know who I was?"

I looked at his hands, and traced a finger over the ink-stains. "Much like it is now, it was covered with ink-stains back then. It wasn't that hard to guess." He grabbed my wrist gently, setting down the coffee cup. "I know my lifespan is much more limited when compared to yours, but honestly, I think the time I spend with you makes it eternal."

Arthur rested his forehead against mine. He tasted of coffee.

"I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend all my time with either."

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If you stuck around this far, congratulations, you've read over 26,000 words. I started this story ages ago, and picked it up to finish it a month ago or so. I had fun writing this, and I hope you felt the same reading it ><

All comments and votes were highly appreciated, you made my day.