Blood and Apples: An Annora Park Novel: Book One

Chapter Twenty-Three: Splitting Shades and Shadows

    Holy shit sticks. It was bad. Really, really, bad, and scary as all fuck. Currently we were all being led down the spookiest hallway I'd ever had the misfortune of being led down. It was dark, really dark, the only light coming from torches on either side of the hallway. The shadows crept from every conceivable surface and I could feel them trying to break down my shields and seep into my bones. Death lived here. And it wanted me.
"Oh Hell..." I mutter.
"No, worse," Chamuel responds grimly.
Now that didn't help matters any. This place was worse than hell? Shit. Now I really was freaking out.
"No, no, you are fine my amour. I spoke out of turn. Everything will be all right."
"Seriously?" I laugh hysterically. "Everything will be all right? Are you and I seeing the same things, cause I'm seeing a place that looks like hell had a baby with purgatory."
"Shhhh...shhhh...as I said, all will be fine, my beloved."
Okay Annora, you've got this girl. You've totally got this. Chamuel said it would be all right. So it will be all right. So what if the ghost and spirits living here wanted a piece of me. So what if I felt like I was being led like some sacrificial lamb to the slaughter. So what if I'd been told the King of this court reveled in blood, pain and death. I'd faced worse than this before. Hell I'd faced my own imminent demise for longer than I could remember. Knowing every Tread led me one step closer to my own death...yeah...there was nothing worse than that, so this...this was a piece of cake.
"That's the spirit, my beloved," Chamuel says, and takes my hand in his.
I snort. "I have momentary meltdowns every once in a while. Doesn't mean I won't always pull my shit together, Chamuel."
"I know, my beloved, I know. It is one of the reasons I love you...your strength of spirit and soul. I love you, my beloved."
Oh boy. Chamuel had just said the big "L" word to me.
"You do not need to fret, nor utter the words back to me, my amour. Just know it is how I feel."
I nod slowly. "I mean...I do feel so much for you Chamuel and—"
"Shhhh..." Chamuel says, "It is as I said. The words exist. But they aren't going anywhere, my beloved. Do not fret. There will be a time and place when it is right, and you will know. Until then, just know that my words are true..."
"Okay, Chamuel. Okay. Listen, though—" My words drop off as my mouth drops open. We'd reached the end of the long hallway and entered into the largest room I'd ever seen, and that was saying a lot, since I thought Terrenel's throne room had been impressive. Then again, I think I preferred Terrenel's ostentatious golden throne room to this...pit of hell. Like the hallway it was dark, lit only by sporadically placed torches. It was also cold, freezing cold.  "Oh boy..." It really WAS a dungeon—or at least it felt like one.
   "Remember amour spirit and fight.  You have both within you.  Just...perhaps curb your—"
   "Don't finish that sentence, Chamuel," I laugh nervously.  "I mean, I appreciate the attempt at a pep talk, but it was about to end up significantly worse than how it started.  So yeah, why don't we leave it at, you have spirit and fight.  Because you know what...you're totally right, I DO have spirit and fight.  And with what I've seen, this ain't nothing to concern myself with..." Yeah right Annora, you keep telling yourself that.  I stand up taller and square my shoulders.
"Blooooood...bloooooood......I smell human bloooooooood..."
   The voice slithers through the inky dark and is creepy as hell.  I look around, but all I can see is darkness and shadows.
"Human blooooood in our court.  Human bloooooood for the taking..."
   The voice sounds closer now, and I let go of Chamuel's hand and take a step forward.  I slowly, instinctively move to stand in front of Walker, and take on an almost protective like stance.
   "Aweeee...darling girl, gonna save me from the dark?" Walker sounds amused.  "I appreciate the gesture, Annora sweetheart, but it isn't necessary."
   "Shuddup, Walker," I snap, keeping my eyes trained on the dark.  There! Right there! I have a second to register the ripple in the darkness before the sword slashes downward catching me on my arm.  I effortlessly grab the daggers from my waist holster and lunge.  The ripple intensifies and suddenly takes solid shape.  And what a shape it is.  Not much taller than me the creature before me is quite simply hideous.  Standing in nothing but pants its chest is concave and I can see all the ribs in its rib cage.  The creature's face looks like it's flesh had been melted off and it's completely bald.
"Want human blooooood..." It hisses and lunges for me.
   "Well, hell, you want blood, you'll get it," I parry and slash it down its side.  I don't move quick enough though because I feel the bite of the sword to my side and wince.  "That all you got," I hiss, "...Just I flesh wound," I grouse, even if it's not true.  I'm somewhat cognizant of the fact that Walker is chanting behind me as I continue the 'dance' with the blood wanting creature.  "Don't you dare!" I throw back, as I look for an opening.  "This one is mine."
   "It came for me," Walker snipes.  "I should get it."
   "You don't know that," I turn quickly, just quick enough to avoid getting gutted, fluidly drop to my knees and slash both of the creatures legs at its calves, watching as it drops.  "No," I don't allow it time to recover before I sink both daggers into it's eyes watching it's sockets burst and blood pour out of the now gaping holes, "...this one is definitely mine." I plunge the dagger into its chest, carve quickly upward, reach in and pull out its heart.  "Yup," I mutter, "Fae or not, you all still bleed," I hold the still beating heart, "...You still die." I wait for the creature to completely still before getting to my feet.
"That was beautiful.  Sooooooooo beautiful..."
I go completely still, stiffening considerably.  Unlike the voice of the creature I'd just killed, this new voice which slithered through the dark was beautiful. 
   "Seo mar a chuireas tu failte air na h-aoighean agad?" Terrenel bites out, voice cold and hard.
   I realize I'm still holding the dead creature's heart and I begin to drop it when a hand stills me.  I look to where Walker has my hand in his, eyes practically glowing.
   "Give it to me...please, darling girl."
   I wrinkle my nose, "Sure, whatever, have at it," and I hand the heart over.  I don't look to see what he does with it.  Hell.  I don't wanna know what he wants it for.  Right now I just want to know what Terrenel said and maybe get a med kit and patch myself up.
   "He asked if this is how he greets his guests." Chamuel finally says, coming to my other side and taking my bloody hands in his.  "You blocked me, you blocked me with everything you had.  I couldn't, still can't, feel you, amour.  Do not ever do that again.  Do not keep me from you." Chamuel looks me over.  "How badly are you wounded?"
   "Oh, just flesh wounds," I say nonchalantly, lying my ass off.  The arm wound is nothing, okay, not exactly nothing as it was still bleeding, but some stitches would probably fix it right up.  The side wound was another matter all together.  That sword had been sharp, very, very sharp, and the creature had gotten in a good solid shot.  I was bleeding...I was bleeding a lot.  My black clothes (Hey, Walker was right—black showed nothing) soaked up the blood but revealed nothing.
I wasn't weak.  I wouldn't be weak now.  Not now when it seemed our very lives depended on me being strong. 
   "Do not lie to me, amour."
   "Then don't ask me a question that requires me to lie to you, Chamuel," I bite back.
   "You're infuriating."
   "Me? I'm infuriating?" I snort, "You should look up the word in the dictionary, your picture would be right there next to it.  In fact, all of y'all's pictures would be there." I ignore the pain coursing through my body and concentrate on remaining completely alert and focused in on the dark for any more rippling shadows. And just as I'm thinking about rippling shadows a form manifests in front of us, as if suddenly conjured by the darkness.  "Whoaaaah..." Either blood loss really was getting to me, or this Fairy standing in front of us really was just THAT gorgeous.  Was this the Dark Fae King? It had to be.  He had a silver crown studded with black gems, upon his head. For some reason I'd expected the Dark Fae King to be horribly ugly or disfigured.  Maybe it was from how Terrenel and Chamuel had explained the court, and from the appearance of the creature I had just dispatched.  But I'd totally been expecting some wretched looking being, not this total hottie. 
The Dark Fae King had jet black hair, so black it appeared almost blue, his skin, like Terrenel's was Snow White and glowed.  His eyes were a swirl of mesmerizing colors and shot with stars.  His lips were ruby red and he had cheekbones that would make models weep with envy.  He was, simply put, stunningly handsome.  If Terrenel's beauty was like the sun, this stunning Fairies beauty was like the moon.
   "An robh duil agad siubhal Tryon chuirt agam gun fhuil? Cho gorach." The Dark Fae King's voice is seriously just as beautiful as he is.  He's addressing Terrenel, but his eyes haven't left mine wince he manifested in front of us.
   "Hey, hey, rude much?" I snap.  Forgetting everything about minding my tongue.  I'd blame it on the blood loss.  "English for those of us who don't know a dead language."  I watch as a small smile crosses his face, and he inclines his head.
   "Do pardon me, ghaisgeach meadhan-oidhche, you are quite right.  I merely asked our esteemed Light Fae King if he truly had expected to pass through my court without a tribute of blood.  If so, he was foolish to believe so."
   "And right now, what did you call me?"
   "Midnight warrior.  You are magnificent." He says, and I don't like what I see in his glowing eyes.  There's an avarice there that disquiets me.
   "Uhhh...thank you, I guess." I frown.  "Think you could back up a bit, dude, you're totally in my personal space right now." And he was.  When he'd moved so close I wasn't certain.
   "No, I don't believe I wish to do so," he counters, and cocks his head to the side.  "Dude?"  And I hear several groans from around me from my guys.
   "Dude, yeah, that's you.  You're a dude."
   "No I am King Branuel Or De A'lanuel."
   I roll my eyes.  "Yup, okay, I'd say it was nice to meet you Mr. Bran dude, but, it really isn't.  The circumstances that brought us here totally suck ass, and uhhh...the welcome sucks even more."
   "Your language is incredibly coarse."
   I shrug.  "Yup, so am I, coarse that is." My body hurts something fierce and it's taking everything in me to concentrate right now.  "I'm an acquired taste.  Not for everybody.  But then I don't care one way or the other what people think of me, really."  I'm shocked when the Dark Fae King reaches out and cups my cheek.  His hand is ice cold, and yet my body begins to burn as if it's on fire.  How is that even possible?  I'm shocked by my reaction.  I think I'm losing too much blood...yes...yes...that had to be it.  I was losing too much blood, getting light-headed, that was the only reason as if I felt like an inferno had been lit within me from a simple touch. 
   "Bids barrachd air blas agam, mo ghaisgeach meadhan-oidhche."
   "Again, English dude," I snap and his widens even further.
   "I merely said that I will have more than a taste.  And called you my midnight warrior."
  I pull my head back, and out of the reach of his touch.  My eyes widen, and I shake my head violently back and forth.  "Oh-hoooo, nooooo way Jose.  Nope, nopity nope, nope, nada, niet, just no!" I take a step back and come flush up against Walker, who has been standing at my back this entire time.  Walker wraps his arms around me, and I don't miss how the Dark Fae King's eyes narrow into tiny slits, or how his mouth tightens dangerously.
   Walker leans down and whispers in my ear, "Do you want me to kill him for you, Annora darling girl?  It be fun.  Let me kill him, please?"
   I roll my eyes.  "No, Walker, you can't kill the freaking Dark Fae King." Said king bursts out laughing.
   "Ach, I'd forgotten how amusing War Lak's are.  It has been a long time since I've had one of your kind in my court. Yes...yes...so amusing.  You could never kill me War Lak.  But do come and play if you wish.  I love a good play," and his eyes glow brightly with anticipation.
   I feel Walker's arms loosen around me and grab them and hold on to keep him from moving.  Dirty pool on my part.  But I'd do whatever I had to to keep him from fighting the Dark Fae King right now.
   "But darling girl...he asked..." Walker whines.
   I shake my head.  "No, Walker.  Just no."
   Walker sighs.  "You take away all my fun, darling girl."
    Of course Walker would think fighting the Dark Fae King was fun. He was a total nut. But again, he was MY nut. And now that I knew that he loved me, and I felt as I did for him, there was no way I was letting him get himself into a situation that would potentially kill him...probably kill him.
Branuel Or De A'Lanuel lets out a bark of laughter and then says, "Thig, bruidhnidh sinn uile an uairsin. Bhon a tha thu air cluich cho math leamsa agus leamsa."
I keep still and just blink.
"He said we can all talk now that we've shown we can play well with him and his people." Chamuel answers for me.
I blink some more. Play? That was just play? Jesus Christ. I'm seriously light-headed now. "Hey, king dude," I murmur.
Branuel looks startled that I addressed him, but covers it well, "Yes my midnight warrior?"
I gulp, "Could you...could you...uh...clear the room please?" I was two steps away from passing out but like hell would I do so in a room full of people. Branuel doesn't hesitate to bark out, "A-mach! A h-uile duine air falbh!" I'm assuming that meant out, because there was some more rippling in the dark and then complete and utter stillness. I could feel it in my bones. I let out a sigh. "Hey Walker baby." I say, my tongue feels thick and heavy.
"Yes darling girl."
"Catch me, please," I say right before I drop.