Alex had never seen so much beauty in one place. Trees drooped to tangle their leaves with the passing figures trodding the leaf-covered trails. Pure, crystalline waters babbled along the ledges of embankments tipping over either side of the road. Sunshine, unlike the usual pulsing punch of piercing rays, caressed every angle of skin left barren of protection. Saiorse told him they would only be passing through the beautiful land - but Alex hadn't the slightest desire to leave. Their three day journey had so far consisted of snapping remarks and uncomfortable moments of exhaustion induced sleep. Now, as they lingered near a coursing brook, the temptation seemed too much for even Saiorse. Giving in, the brunette guided Fievel down the grass-slicked slope, pushing him right into the river with a gleeful squeal.
Alexander and Aridyn hadn't a clue where Saiorse was taking them, but they supposed questioning her would be quite pointless. Silently, both men desperately hoped this was their final destination - if their luck would pull through for once, anyhow.
Hands lifted to the sky, Saiorse tiled her head back to the sun that ailed her so, digging past the immediate discomfort following the fall of her hood. With a sluggish grin, the vampire wobbled from her saddle to plop through the placid surface of the reflective waters. Even from the shore, Alex could see her clearly. Saiorse sank until she reached the bottom, opening her eyes to a whole new world below. She released the air in her lungs, shoving her feet from the bottom of the river to drift back upward. She surfaced calmly, waving Alexander and Aridyn in to join her.
Obeying his lady, Alex kicked Elia into a racing canter. The chestnut mare leapt from the shore, legs cracking the surface as if it were nothing but a mirror. Together Alex and Elia sank, plowing back through to shake his head. The horse kicked vigorously, skimming around Fievel and Saiorse as she sought the banks. Laughing, Alex dropped away from Elia's saddle, allowing the horse to seek her comfort on the other side of the river. Shaking her mane, Elia seemed to give Alex a distrusting glower, then contented herself with a fresh patch of grass.
Saiorse sank beneath the cover of stream, shoving her hand to create a wave that nearly swept Alex under. The Lord turned his head away as the rapids smashed into his chest, knocking him backward. A smug grin covered his lips as Saiorse lurked like a shark in the deep. Flipping backward, Alex smacked his legs as hard as he could into the surface, spraying Saiorse with plumes relentlessly. Before he knew it Saiorse was baring down, clasping his middle with all her might. She collapsed over him, taking them both under water. She dragged him down until she found the shifty riverbed, daring to open her eyes to peer at him.
Alex looked right back, mesmerized by the way her hair floated about her like a siren at sea. Her nose wrinkled when her lips pulled back in a taunting smile, those silver eyes glinting even under the currents. Chest straining, Alex fought the urge to leave her there and seek the air his lungs pleaded - it reminded him all too well that he was not like her. Saiorse could most likely linger beneath the surface for hours if she wished whereas Alex would drown in minutes. His smile faltered, bubbles bursting from his lips as he lost his breath.
Were they doomed to be this way for as long as he lived? Would Saiorse mourn his loss - a meager human that happened to provide her the tools needed to settle her unaging scores? Alex reached to touch her face, drawing his fingers over her cheek with a drooping frown. The inevitability of Alexander's death tainted the river. He couldn't stay beneath the surface any longer.
Moments after Alex had burst through, gasping for breath, Saiorse joined him, her hair plastered to the front of her face in mimic of shaggy dog. Her shoulders shrugged with giggles. Alex joined her in her laughter, as was only proper, he figured. Drifting to him, Saiorse wrapped her arms around Alex's neck, dangling there without kicking her legs to support herself. Alex battled to support the both of them, their chins sinking beneath the water's edge. Alex's eyes widened.
"How publically affectionate of you," he only half-teased.
"There must be something in the water," Saiorse leered, her sheepish smirk stirring things inside of Alex's stomach he was quite certain wasn't appropriate in front of company. Whom, of which, sat grumpily on the shore, eyeing them with disgruntled unease. Alex looked over her head to Aridyn, smirking as he leaned forward to press a kiss over Saiorse's forehead, which was in turn, gifted with a sloppy kiss over his lips. Aridyn, disgusted, shoved his way from the watery slopes and marched through the trees. Upon his disappearing, Saiorse let go of his neck, her expression returning to a rather flat demeanor. Frowning, Alex was almost hurt by her sudden retraction.
"I will be lucky if I do not lose my temper and slice that child's throat with my teeth," Saiorse growled, looking over her shoulder where he'd gone. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, can't we stop for two seconds, mlehhh." Saiorse flung her hands in a dramatic array of imitation. With a huff through her nose, much like a house cat, Saiorse smacked her hands to the surface of the river. "We are still four days away from our destination. If he does not silence his useless pining I will deliberately stick my sword through his a-"
"Come now, Saiorse," Alex teased, wrapping his arms about her waist. Though her face slackened and her eyes hardened in forewarning, Alex tugged her close. "It would be a shame to the both of us if you could not handle young ones."
The moment the words left his lips - even though he was absolutely joking for his own amusement - Alex's chest tightened at the very thought of raising a family with a vampire. He tried to imagine her with child; the most prominent imagery focused on her mood swings and threats on his life. Alexander had swore to himself never to be wed nor inflict a woman with his children, yet, the idea perhaps, maybe, kind of... didn't seem that bad if it happened to be Saiorse baring his young.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a wheezing, ugly laugh that came from deep within Saiorse's chest. She tossed her head back, her eyes squinted shut as she guffawed. She sucked in a rattling rasp, before looking back to Alex, the lopsided smile there fueled by absolute refusal and hysteria.
"Lucky for you, my friend, I am barren."
Alex turned his head, narrowing his eyes. "You say - as we are chasing your son and his hell-infatuated father."
Saiorse sighed, shaking her head. "I gave birth to Madeus before I changed. I can not conceive. I do not know of other breeds, but I no longer have the capability to have children." Alex's frown creased further with sadness, but Saiorse held up her palm with a snort. "After what I went through? I do not think so. One was absolutely plenty and I consider it a blessing from the Gods themselves."
Alex laughed curtly. "Could you even imagine? Me with a little demon to raise? My, it would be quite a strange little pest."
Saiorse's smile turned sweet, her head tilting as she thought. "Mmm, perhaps a little senseless, oblivious most definitely, but, ever so handsome like his poppa." Alex narrowed his eyes defensively, but the smile over his mouth only broadened as Saiorse's shoulders bobbed with her coming laughter. "Your wife had best conjure good names. If it were up to you it would most likely be named something ludicrous."
"Kettle," Alex mused, nodding his head.
"Tablechair - or Pigeon," Saiorse gasped.
Alex struggled to restrain his snickers. "Oh, what about Snow? That's a good one. Oh do not look at me like that, it's better than Tablechair."
Saiorse took a hand to brush the tangled chocolate hairs from her face, looking at Alexander with no facade or mask to stifle the affection lingering in her eyes. Alex leaned over her, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. Saiorse shut her eyes. She wished they'd met on different circumstances - perhaps then she wouldn't feel so guilty about enjoying his embrace. They floated there, cocooned in birdsong, protected by the shimmering waters.
So much pain waited for them outside of the patch of paradise. If only they could stay there, hidden within the folds of evergreen and perfection. Alex wanted nothing more than to halt their impossible search and tuck his vampire under his arm. They could spend the rest of their lives - the rest of eternity - huddled in the peaceful meadows; but it seemed peace was not fond of a vampire and her accomplice.
Saiorse pulled from Alexander's grasp, swimming to the bank. Alex watched her go. As she stepped from the waters and drifted over the bank, Alex wandered if his chances to enjoy her company were slipping through his fingers like the sands of an hourglass. Alex shut his eyes. There was no need to darken such gorgeous light with silly thoughts. They would find their peace - perhaps not here, nor as easily as they'd seemed to walk through the meadows, but someday.
"We can rest here," Saiorse told him. "It is still day, but I am still very tired. I do not see much harm in lingering somewhere. Darthara can wait a little longer." Alex tilted his head, listening. So that is where Saiorse was leading them. He recalled a previous conversation they'd shared of Saiorse's home - the shack to which she'd coaxed him wasn't her true residence.
"What is in Darthara?" Alex asked, staggering over a hitch in the river. He gained his balance, whirling his arms until he stood steady. Saiorse pretended she hadn't seen him trip over nothing.
"The only person for miles that can forge dragon scales," Saiorse explained. "He and I do not exactly get along quite well, but, I have little choice, you see. If I tried to touch the scale it would only shatter. He will most likely turn me into the Council the moment I walk through his home, but I cannot afford to try myself."
"Why would he turn you in?" Alex asked, already wary of the stranger Saiorse mentioned. A floundering grin accompanied her nervous laughter. Alex narrowed his eyes.
"Because he tried to stick his hand between my thighs one evening in Arlua and I- well," she looked at Alex with shrug. "I bit half of his neck off."
Alex could not possibly stop the smile that spread over his lips. Choosing to take gratitude that his neck had not been shredded, Alex joined Saiorse on the bank, helping to sift through their bags in search of a bowl to brew their dinner. The rice Saiorse purchased at the markets prior to their exit wasn't at all tasteful, but Alex's empty stomach appreciated the feeling of being well supplied.
Taking their seat over a fallen log, Saiorse fished about in search of materials for fire. Once gathered, she struck her flint pieces impatiently, jerking back as the flames shot to life. She dumped the rice in her bowl, cautiously holding it over the flames with a growing scowl. She hadn't thought to bring a pan, or to build a structure to hold their food over. Though she could handle the pain far longer than Alex, or even Aridyn, her discomfort was cleanly spelled over her wrinkled face.
When the flames became too much, Saiorse dropped the bowl at Alex's feet, shaking her hands as she hissed under her breath. She began a swift march to the river to douse them in the cool waters, but a pair of hands quickly swept over hers, barring her way. She blinked as Aridyn studied her reddened fingertips. With a growing smile, the boy clasped her fingers together, instructing her to stay there. He left to find his bags, drawing forth a muck he slapped to her hands without so much as a warning. Saiorse gagged as the smell drifted to her nose. It smelled like horse dung.
"Oh, by Gods, what is that?" Saiorse croaked, tucking her nose in the crook of her elbow.
"A mixture a witch leant me," Aridyn said rather proudly. "Supposedly it can cure all skin afflictions." Saiorse raised a brow as he continued to rattle, not having the heart to explain to him that her skin would simply heal on its own - as it already had. Nodding her head approvingly, Saiorse walked away from him, sneaking to the waters to rid her hand of the stinky poultice.
From his place on the log, Alex watched Aridyn closely. The way in which the young man observed the vampire made him uneasy. There was a certain calculation in his eyes that Alexander failed to see how Saiorse missed. She saw him for nothing but an innocent bystander, but Alex knew of men with the same hungry look in their eyes. More often than not they'd take whatever it was they pleased - and would expect no consequence. Alex's fists clenched and unclenched. Saiorse was an enticing woman - perhaps too much, so.
As she returned to sit beside Alex, bravely clasping the still fuming bowl to place it in her lap, holding it steady with the stoop of her gown, Alex watched Aridyn amble around the edge of the river. A handful of stones soared from his grasp, flicking across the surface. They bounced, until they sank beneath the river. Aridyn seemed rather excited when one of the larger stones hopped a total of five times before vanishing below. Alex clenched his jaw. Aridyn was trying too hard.
"Saiorse," Alex said cautiously, his gaze unmoving from the back of the blonde's head. "I do not like him. There is something strange."
Saiorse, mouth full of rice, paused with puffy cheeks. Hearing her swivel to face him, Alex looked at her with a stony pinch. Saiorse swallowed back the fiery clumps, squeezing her eyes shut as they scored all the way down. Giving her head a shake, the vampire flicked her wrist dismissively. Her elbow falling to lean on her thigh. She moved her finger in a circle as she pointed at Alex's nose.
"Nonsense," she scolded. "You are merely jealous of another man's presence. I can assure you he is far too young for my taste. Though," Saiorse continued, shoveling more rice in her mouth. "You are quite young yourself. I am almost ashamed."
"How can you trust a stranger?" Alex prompted, narrowing his eyes. "He could be part of the plot for Odin's sake."
Saiorse leaned back, lips pursing. "Am I not a stranger to you, Alexander LeRoy?"
Alex opened his mouth to reply, but found himself cornered. Sure, the month - or maybe two - that had passed them by seemed like an eternity, but Alex knew little of Saiorse, aside from her past and a few specific mannerisms. Alex jerked his head away to focus on the trees ahead of them. Saiorse knew nothing of him either. Folding his hands in his lap, Alex nodded his head, brows flying to reach the top of his temple, before he tilted his head, looking back to Saiorse. She still looked at him, one brow arched high.
"What is your favorite color, Lady Addinell?" Alex asked her.
Saiorse gave a raspy laugh. "You can not be serious."
Alex flung his hands out to his side, smacking his thighs. But Saiorse leaned forward and gripped her knees, abandoning the rice for their conversation. "Well," she started, twisting her lip thoughtfully. "I used to love purple, until lavender could kill me. I rather like blue now. It reminds me of a warm, sunny day."
Alex grinned. "Alright, but what kind of blue?"
Saiorse thought for a moment, a grin touching her dimpling cheeks. "The kind you think of when you are carefree - when there is nothing but you and the sky and all the possibilities beneath it." She looked at Alex then, leaning forward. "And you, Lord LeRoy?"
"Red," he mockingly growled. "Like the blood of my enemies." Saiorse gave him an exasperated look. Alex laughed, looking at his dirtied nails as he spoke. "Actually, I like yellow. The bright, brilliant kind that a sunflower has. It always makes me smile."
"If you could be any animal, what would it be?" Saiorse pressed further, placing her hand in her chin.
"A bear," Alex decided swiftly. "So no one would mess with me and I could be as grumpy as I please without consequence." Saiorse laughed, shaking her head. "And you?"
"Hm," Saiorse pondered, leaning back. Her eyes widened as she came to a conclusion, struggling to withhold her amusement. "A cat, most likely."
"A cat?" Alex scoffed. "How boring."
"Ah," Saiorse acknowledged. "But you see, I could waltz everywhere and lay on desks," she sprawled her hands over Alex's face, pretending to stretch. "And no one would think twice of my deliberate hateful doings because, I am, after all, a cat."
Alex found himself laughing before he could stop himself, imagining Saiorse as a big, fluffy thing with all the indifference in the world kept inside of tiny paws. They were soon to bury themselves in humor, pressing onward with their questions until the sun sank deep behind the sky. As the worlds overhead painted the sky, Saiorse and Alex sank from the log to the grass beneath.
Alex lay on his back, arm hitched behind his head, while Saiorse curved herself in the crook of his side. It was almost unreal, how they fit together. Saiorse's thoughts became hazy with peaceful thoughts and unrecallable daydreams. While she lingered on the ledge of consciousness, she was uncertain if the sounds mustering the limbs of the trees were of her imagination or the noteable world. Still, Saiorse angled her head in the direction she believe it to come from, squinting through the drowsiness fogging her brain. Slithering over Alex's sleeping form, Saiorse gathered her feet beneath her and drifted to the sounds coming from behind the cover of brush.
Aridyn paced, his fingers dug deep within his hair. He muttered to himself, his voice strained and plagued with his affliction. Frowning, Saiorse stepped forth from the shelter of bush, reaching her hand to the young man. He must be having a vision.
Upon noticing her, Aridyn snapped to a standstill, his amber eyes void of his youthful innocence. Halting where she stood, Saiorse pinched her brows together. Had she interrupted something? Rather than speak she only walked forward, coming to stand before the man with concern spelled clear. Aridyn's face only hardened.
"What troubles you?" Saiorse questioned, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the sleeping Alex behind them.
Aridyn looked at his feet, then, without so much as looking at Saiorse, walked forward. When he grew closer a twinge began in her throat - which she thought odd, until an ungodly familiarity pulsed through her veins. Weakness fanned through her like a drop of blood through water, her knees beginning to quake and her throat constricting tight. Saiorse's lips parted with a hushed squeak, her head becoming weightless and heavy at the same time. As her legs gave way, Aridyn caught her by the throat, holding the woman with a trembling grasp. In his other fist, he clenched a bushel of lavender.
"I do not understand what he wants with you," Aridyn spoke through clenched teeth. "But I must do as he says."
"Who?" Saiorse rasped.
"Beckham," Aridyn choked. "He promised me he would return my beloved if I rid him of you." Aridyn's composure cracked, if only a little. "But you have done no wrong - how am I to hurt an innocent woman, beast or not?"
Saiorse had so much to say, but was unable to speak. Face holding all of the blood in her body, Saiorse clawed at Aridyn's hands desperately. The tremors had already begun - he would need only to stand with her there long enough for her throat to constrict and Saiorse would suffocate. As her eyes rolled to the back of her skull and the world grew dark, Aridyn began to shake. He had never harmed a soul a day in his short, human life. Cursing himself, Aridyn let go of the woman, backing away quite a few paces to toss the lavender in the depths of the river, allowing it to be swept away. Still, Saiorse lay crumpled on the ground, seemingly lifeless and terribly limp.
Aridyn fell to his knees beside her, burying his face in his hands. Had he already killed her? He could retrieve Alexander - tell the man Saiorse had simply collapsed- no, he would never believe such a foolish thing. Aridyn pressed his balled fist to his lips, stifling his blabbering. What a mistake he'd ma-
The ground left beneath him and suddenly he was rolling over the soil, his head cracking against the steep of the riverbank. Dizzy, he almost couldn't make out the face of the figure clutching the front of his shirt. Rage rolled over every orifice of Alexander's face, his dagger raised high over his head. Aridyn grabbed his wrist just prior to Alex's plunging it through his chest. Kicking out, Aridyn cracked his heel into Alex's chest, sending the man crashing into a bramble. This did little to deter him, as Alex was already on his feet once more - but as was Aridyn.
Aridyn tried to speak to the enraged man, but his words were lost as Alex released a roar worthy of a lion, racing to plow himself into the man's chest. Aridyn grunted when he was smashed into a nearby try, punching at Alex's wrist as the knife flew near his neck once more. Having little choice, Aridyn flung his forehead into Alex's temple, stunning them both. Regaining his senses faster than the dark-haired man, Aridyn shoved Alexander back, holding out his trembling hands in efforts to stop him.
"Please, I can explain," Aridyn said shakily.
"I do not care what you have to say!" Alex spat, muscles tensing as he prepared to rocket in his direction once more.
"I do."
Both men froze, jerking their heads in the direction of which the voice had drifted. Leaning against a tree with a heaving chest, Saiorse glared at the both of them, her eyes puffy and blackened underneath. Alex, forgetting about Aridyn momentarily, rushed to Saiorse's side, wrapping his arm around her waist to draw her support from the tree. The vampire leaned heavily against him. Relief flooded Aridyn's chest. At least she had not succumbed as much as he assumed.
"Explain yourself," Saiorse demanded, voice surprising rough and stern. She seemed to draw strength from Alexander, easing him away with her palm. Aridyn's eyes widened as the woman squared her shoulders, hardened her gaze - this was not the Saiorse Alex had come to know. This was the Ambassador of Vampire Kind. "Or I will end you myself."
"Beckham propositioned that I kill you and in return he would resurrect my wife." Raw, ugly fear dumped through his stomach. Saiorse's lips peeled to reveal the fangs that fed Aridyn's terrors. He fell to his knees before Saiorse, hanging his head as his back arched with a bowing splutter. Saiorse regarded him with a disgusted expression, pulling her foot out of his reach as he tried to reach for it. "I just want my Odette, that is all, Lady Addinell. I would do anything to have her in my arms. Imagine losing Alexander."
A rippling snarl silenced Aridyn to the very core. Saiorse flung her foot into Aridyn's chest, knocking him to his back so roughly the ground seemed to shake. Breathless, Aridyn dug his nails into the ground, squeezing his eyes shut when Saiorse pressed her foot to his chest until he could no longer breathe.
"I should let you sit here beneath my heel so you know what it feels like," Saiorse snarled, all pity for the boy lost to the wind. "You are a damned fool if you believe anyone can bring back the dead. Beckham is a liar - a psychopath." She released him with a final kick, pacing back to stand in front of Alex, who, much to her gratitude placed a hand to the small of her back to steady her. "Disgusting human," Saiorse hissed. "Who told you of Pathfinders? Where did you learn those patterns?"
Aridyn hung his head, unwilling to meet Saiorse's gaze as he told her the truth. "My wife - she was a Pathfinder. I drew her markings all the time with my paints; that is all I am, a worthless painter. She told me of you and Alexander, the journey you would have. She did not see Beckham when he came. He took her, sliced her veins open to use her blood for his experiments. He even injected it into himself."
Saiorse and Alexander, quiet, shared a long glance with one another. This meant Beckham had done more than just this - he'd most likely experimented on more than just Pathfinders. Saiorse's eyes drooped to her toes. Perhaps he'd tried the blood of werewolves as well. Shaking her head, Saiorse released a heavy breath, shoulders slacking. One foot already in front of her, Saiorse grunted as she was stopped by Alex's hand clutching a fistful of her blouse.
"Do not dare let him walk away with no punishment," Alex hissed in her ear. "He could be lying only to slip you more lavender the moment I turn my head."
Saiorse looked over her shoulder to him. "Does he look anything other than devastated to you?" She yanked herself free. "There is more to finding justice than punishment, Alexander."
"And what the bloody hell might that be?" Alex snapped, shoving his dagger back in his sheath - admittedly, he was quite disappointed he wouldn't be using it on the fair-haired mongrel. "Foolish sympathy?"
Saiorse glared. Growling, "Forgiveness."
Stooping over Aridyn, Saiorse clutched his shoulders in her hands, peering at him with solid determination in her eyes. Aridyn lifted his gaze to her's, lower lip trembling as he observed his reflection in her peregrine eyes.
"You have made a choice - in throwing away the flowers, I see that you understand the true meaning behind this disaster," she brushed a sprawl of hair from his face. "Beckham has hurt you just as he has hurt me. For that, I am sorry. But you do understand that I can not let you go, now? You are too valuable for me to release."
Aridyn nodded, holding a clutched fist over his heart. "I vow my loyalty to you. Whatever it takes Mistress Addinell."
"Saiorse," she sighed. "Please - just call me Saiorse."
He nodded, faltering forward when she let his shoulders go. Alex, dumbfounded, turned in tune with Saiorse as she wobbled past him. Eyes reduced to slits, Alex waited for her to teeter through the trees, before waltzing over to the bending man, grabbing him by his tunic's front. He thrust him upward, pushing face so close to Aridyn's there noses touched. He whispered, hoping Saiorse was far out of earshot.
"If you so much as look at her with malice I will spread your intestines all over Iradel. She might have given you 'forgiveness' but I see no such reason, do you understand me?"
Aridyn pursed his lips together, growling through gritted teeth. "Yes, Lord LeRoy, I understand."
Alex's fingers released their hold, but he lingered where he stood. When he was certain Aridyn saw the truth behind his promises, Alex turned away in search of Saiorse. Wandering frustratedly through bracken and thistle, he searched for no more than a few seconds before he found her slumped against a rock, face pale and breathing ragged. Alex hurried to her side, skidding to kneel beside her where she sat in the grass.
Saiorse slumped as he sat, pushing her face into the side of his neck. Alex's arm snaked reach around her shoulders, his hand grasped by Saiorse's trembling fingers. Alex pulled her into his lap, holding her by the once tranquil, now ominous river before them.
"This will end," Alex told her as she fought the prying fingers of exhaustion. The phantom limbs of shadows seemed to creep from the forest, rolling over her eyes and her ability to think. "We will find my father, then James, and we will be done."
Saiorse merely pressed her face into Alex's neck. "Oh, Alex," she muttered. "I wish that could be true."
Alex opened his mouth to argue, to reassure her that he was absolutely certain that is what their future held - but looking at the trembling vampire in his lap, Alex knew without a doubt that he was terribly, and hopelessly incorrect.