Sons of the Earth

Marseille, France, September 16, 1720

     Her name was Anna. She was a lovely young girl, the daughter of a respectable merchant in a small town in the French countryside. Anna had rich chestnut hair, brown eyes, smooth, creamy skin, and a body that thrilled Story.

     The two of them hit it off immediately, quickly becoming friends. From the start, Story wondered what he'd done, why God had chosen to smile on a man as stained as he was with the marks of fairy magic. Anna found him when he was at his worst. Story had been forced to run after the rumors about him grew too great. He'd been chased from every place he'd stopped for refuge, pursued by the one being on Earth he truly feared. When Anna had stumbled over him while walking home from the market, he'd been starving, wearing only rags, and taking refuge in a ditch on the side of the road.

     Anna had fed him the food she had with her, taken him home, and hidden him in her father's stable. There, she'd nursed him back to health. Before long, they were in love. That was when Story told her everything. She'd been shocked, but could hardly deny the truth when he showed her. Story had expected to be cast out again. Instead, she'd kissed him for the first time. Even as his Puritan sensibilities were shocked, he couldn't help kissing her back. As soon as they'd separated, Story had proposed. He'd been thrilled when she'd said yes.

     For years, they lived a secretive life. They'd traveled from town to town, moving all through Europe. Five times, Anna had swelled with child, giving birth to three beautiful children. The first died of fever. The second perished after being thrown from her horse. But their son grew strong. Story watched him grow, proud even as he'd gone from the boy's father to his "brother," and then to his "cousin." It was hard when his son married and moved to the city to start his own family. Story's lack of aging meant he couldn't risk continued visits.

     Forced to leave his son behind, Story and Anna moved on. They stuck mainly to the countryside, but as she grew older, Anna began to have trouble living in a country home. Story and his wife had moved to Marseille in August of 1720, posing as an aging woman and her young grandson. At the time, despite having lived in the country for years, Story still couldn't speak much French. While Anna had a good grasp of multiple languages, he'd remained an Englishman, with other languages being beyond his comprehension. She'd laughed about that, saying it would be the death of him someday. She'd been partly right. In the end, his inability to speak French and the fact that he couldn't understand the talk of the town would ruin him.

     "Au revoir, mon amour," Story said, patting down the last bit of earth. "Rest well in God's arms."

     Tossing his shovel aside, he stood, staring down at the small mound. He didn't move, not acknowledging the figure approaching until it paused just behind him. He closed his eyes, waiting. This was a moment he'd known would come. Even so, the first words spoken surprised him. "I'm sorry."

     Story flinched. Without turning around, he indicated the shovel. "I considered digging two holes, but if you want to bury me, you can bloody well do it yourself. We both know that's an effective way to deal with me."

     "I have no wish to harm you. I don't know how many times I need to tell you this."

     "Oh, are we even now?" Turning, Story faced Merlin. The tracks of tears streaked the dirt on Story's face. His blue eyes were empty, his shoulders slumped as he faced the old man. "Congratulations, Merlin. Your revenge is complete. You've succeeded in destroying that which I loved the most."

     "You think I did this?" Merlin shook his head. He looked back toward the town. A breeze rose in the setting sun, bringing the pungent smell of sickness, death, and decay. The mur de la peste stood in the distance, a pitiful barrier between the living and the dead. "Story, this plague happened because of greed. Merchants wanted the goods from a quarantined ship. The authorities were pressured to have the quarantine lifted. Money changed hands, the ship was taken out of quarantine far too early, and this is the result." He paused, watching the men hard at work, dumping bodies into a mass grave. Story shuddered, knowing how close he'd come to having Anna among the bodies. Of course, Merlin noticed. "Not even magic can match simple human greed," he declared.