Daydreams And Nightshade (DaN #1)

Chapter 49: Worse things to be called

"No really, it's fine," Luna repeated as she backed out through the Cinderblossoms' house. "I don't really eat breakfast, but you know, thanks for the offer."

"How can you not eat breakfast? You don't stay in our house and leave without breakfast. You just don't," Vinh said while trying to at least shove a piece of bread and an apple into Luna's hands. "And it's not even morning, so it's not breakfast, it's more like a night snack. If you're in a hurry you could just take it for the road."

"No, I really—" Luna gave up. "Alright, yes, I'll take it for the road. And it counts as breakfast because I just got up."

"Breakfast is a morning thing!" Vinh called after her. "And I'll know if you give it all to Gunpowder!"

Luna shook her head with a smile.

"How?"

She wasn't even sure sensitive bunny stomachs could eat either of the items in her hands, and Derek would never let dangerous food near Gunpowder. So bunny food was not an option. Still, she just couldn't eat soon after waking up, so she guessed she'd either save it for later or ask Shyen if he was interested.

Only Derek was home as she entered their house though. He was in the kitchen, having moved the table and placed several large bowls on the floor instead while half singing, half humming some strange kind of song.

Luna couldn't recognize the words at all.

"What is this witchcraft?" She raised an eyebrow and gave him a mocking smile. "Bowls on the floor and strange curse songs. What's next?"

"Blending herbs." Derek's grin in return was crooked as ever, and Luna wasn't sure if he was joking. "And it's not a curse. It's actually a reverse curse."

"What, so it's actually a chant thingy?" Luna leaned against the doorway. "I figured it was just some weird language."

"It is a weird language," Derek said as he stood up from the floor. "I also sang it backwards so yes, I imagine it sounds off."

Luna frowned, raising a hand in confusion.

"Why? Why are you singing a song in a weird language backwards?" She looked after him as he brought out a couple of bags from one of the cabinets.

"It's to negate the effects of the song when it's sung normally."

Luna's frown turned into a cocked eyebrow.

"Like with the sirens?"

"Worse." Derek sat down in front of the bowl. "The unearthly ones."

Luna waited for further explanation but got nothing.

"You'll have to give me more than that."

"Fae creatures. They live in marshes and other wetlands, luring people in and letting them get stuck and drown in a slow, and miserable way." He looked up at Luna with a vague smile. "I grew up around them."

"Oh?" Luna sat down. "Is it backstory time already?"

Derek shrugged.

"It's been months, hasn't it?"

"I guess." Luna shrugged back as she opened a bag to peer inside at its contents. An odd smell hit her, but she couldn't discern what kind of leaves were inside. "And you learned to negate this so you could what, befriend them?"

Derek had to laugh.

"There's no befriending those pests. Their interest lies in nothing but drowning and eating living things."

"So it was for survival purposes?"

"Yes, but bigger than you probably think." Derek stood up again to stir the fire. "My family lived in between a village and the marsh, so I was raised to save people from the unearthly ones. My mothers and grandmother taught me how. Or well, it was either saving or mercy killing."