Chapter 15 - Gwion's Lair
Getting through security was simple. Myrnin only had to provide his name. The guard at the gate communicated the information into his ear pierce. I couldn't hear the response he received, and it wouldn't have really mattered if I could, because I assumed they were all speaking Welsh. But no matter the words, the guard's reaction was clear - instantly, he stood ridged and tense. He motioned for us to wait. I wondered who would be coming.
"They know you," I murmured in surprise.
"Yes," Myrnin replied tightly.
We weren't kept waiting long. Quite abruptly, three of the largest vampires I had ever seen joined us. They were all dressed similarly in black, with military style clothing and combat boots. I noticed they weren't carrying any weapons - at least that I could see.
The obvious leader welcomed Myrnin formally, not appearing to be overly affected by our presence. Myrnin nodded curtly in return, "Reuben."
However the two vampires, who flanked Reuben, had vastly different expressions. The vampire on the right had short spiked dark hair and almost black eyes. He glared at Myrnin. Then his attention cut to me and his countenance changed. I recognized it immediately - he wanted something from me. A few options came to mind, none of them good. I gripped Myrnin's hand tighter, my heart rate increasing.
Myrnin hadn't missed the vampire's overt reaction. He growled low and menacingly.
Reuben's body stiffened at Myrnin's sudden aggressiveness. He spun his head in the direction of the vampire leering at me. Instantly, the unruly guard aimed his attention straight ahead, purposefully ignoring me completely.
The vampire on the left, however, felt warm and inviting. He had blond hair that fell into his cobalt eyes, broad shoulders and powerful arms. He wasn't smiling, but there was a kindness in his expression. He almost looked eager to see us. I wondered what his history with Myrnin was.
We were escorted through a complex maze of hallways and corridors. A pattern of behavior quickly became apparent - everyone stared warily at us, backing away whenever possible. Was everyone this unfriendly here? I pondered over their odd mannerisms and then I understood. Of course.
"They're afraid of you," I breathed.
"Yes," he answered again shortly.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, and was startled to find his entire demeanor had changed. No longer was he the funny and mischievous scientist. Now, he was a ruthless, cold-blooded killer.
Reuben opened a set of tall heavy double doors and ushered us through. Myrnin continued to grip my hand tightly as we walked to the middle of the room and stood, waiting. When I glanced back, the three vampire guards were nowhere to be seen and we were alone.
I turned around slowly, taking in the eclectic opulence of the room. We stood in a large office or study. The ceiling reached up two stories, with a balcony bordering the entire room. My eyes roamed until I found an iron spiral staircase that led to the second floor balcony. There were several doors above and I wondered what mysteries lurked behind each of them.
The walls were paneled in rich wood with intricately carved wood accents. A grand desk sat to one side with two elegant chairs facing it. The chairs were covered in plush red velvet and had ornate carvings of duck heads at the end of each arm. It was an odd combination given the back of the chairs had a carving of a skull. The desk was equally ordained in meticulous craftsmanship with carvings of a sleek cat on each side.
There were several mounted animal heads on the walls - an antelope, bison and even a zebra. Clearly Gwion enjoyed more than one type of hunt. I shivered. Myrnin squeezed my hand in response.
Opposite from the desk, a plush red couch and two more chairs, not quite as ornate as the others, completed a sitting area. And at the far side of the room, a large round atrium filled the expanse of the wall, jutting out into the night sky. Its walls were comprised completely of glass, framed luxuriously with ornately detailed wood borders. The moon and stars shone brightly through the glass onto a grand piano in the center.
I took in a slow deep breath, fascinated by the uniqueness of the room. When my eyes glanced down, I inhaled sharply to find books scattered in various somewhat haphazard piles. It wasn't their mess that astounded me; it was their age. Even from a distance, I could tell they were ancient. I was certain many were likely more than a thousand years old. My heartbeat increased while my free hand twitched, eager to touch and read them.
So absorbed as I was in the books, I hadn't noticed Myrnin's posture stiffen slightly. And I jumped when a deep male voice said, "Myrnin, my old friend."
I spun around to face the direction of the sound, throwing my balance off. Myrnin tightened his hold, steadying me.
Gwion stared at me with an amused smile. His hair was dark, almost black and hung down to his shoulders like Myrnin's. He had strong features and his face was framed with a mustache and goatee. But it was his eyes that were most striking. They whispered untold secrets and knowledge in their unfathomable depths. And was that eyeliner?! Yes, it was definitely eyeliner. Eve would have loved him, I thought in amusement.
Gwion nodded toward the stack of books on the floor, I had been staring at. "Would you like a closer look?" he inquired smoothly.
I wondered how long he had been standing there. Long enough to have seen me gawking at his collection, I realized with a small blush. But my thrill for knowledge pushed out my embarrassment as I breathed excitedly, "Yes."
Myrnin released my hand and I knelt down to gently pick up the closest volume. As I opened the pages, Gwion must have motioned for Myrnin to sit, because I saw him in my peripheral vision, settle into the chair nearest me. As I skimmed, I couldn't read the language, but gasped softly when I came upon several pages of alchemy symbols - it was a science text!
I was thrilled to find I recognized many of the drawings and could almost piece together some of the concepts, just based on the images. But there were still quite a few that I was dying to ask Myrnin about. I turned to Myrnin, just about bursting at the seams with giddiness. His eyes softened as he met mine, and he nodded to me, answering my unspoken excitement. He could feel my emotions, but even if he couldn't, he knew me like no other. He knew I wanted to share this with him, and he nodded to let me know he felt the same.
I was suddenly distracted away from Myrnin when my attention flickered to Gwion, who was watching me intently. I realized he hadn't missed my silent conversation with Myrnin. I wondered what he was thinking. I didn't have to wonder for long as he asked, "Pray, what is your name?"
"Claire," I replied softly and then continued quickly, "thank you...for letting me..."
"Of course." His smile widened as he inquired, "You have an extraordinary passion...is it for the sciences exclusively or learning, in general?"
I raised my eyebrow, quickly realizing he could read my emotions as well. Myrnin hadn't told me exactly what mental gifts Gwion possessed, but I wasn't surprised.
"Both," I admitted, answering his question.
"Claire works with me," Myrnin supplied.
"Indeed," Gwion nodded. "And human..." he looked at Myrnin with a question in his eyes.
"Intelligence isn't limited to just one species," Myrnin replied evasively.
"True. But they are much less likely to survive you," Gwion pointed out with a knowing smile, "unless you have become tame in your old age?"
Myrnin answered lethally, "I can assure you, there is nothing tame about me."
"And yet, she appears to hold great fondness toward you. I am curious if you reciprocate, but suspect you will not allow me in, to taste your emotions?"
Myrnin remained silent, his answer obviously no. I realized that Gwion must not be able to sense Myrnin's emotions, only mine.
Gwion faced me again. "You appear to be lucid. And yet, you do seem uniquely comfortable around predators, myself included. Why is that?" Gwion tilted his head as he studied me.
I stood. It was probably a foolish response, but my first reaction was irritation with him for questioning my mental capacity.
Gwion's eyes widened just slightly when he felt my response. "I see," he murmured, as if beginning to put the pieces together. "Since Myrnin will not share his perspective, I shall ask you directly. You are clearly not afraid of him, but what of me? Do you fear me?" he asked with an air of feigned innocence.
It wasn't that I did not fear him. I did. But having Myrnin by my side always lulled me into a sense of security. And I had fought - and shockingly, won - against many vampires.
"Should I?" I asked evasively. I couldn't lie; he would know. But I also couldn't tell the truth because fear, to a vampire, was intoxicating. It ignited there most primitive instinct - to hunt.
"Most certainly," the corners of his lips turned up in a wicked smile. "But I am curious what you think," he pressed, waiting for my response.
"You would think me foolish if I didn't," I hedged.
His smile widened in entertainment. I cringed; I hadn't gotten him off track. He was well aware of my non-answer response. "I might surprise you," he purred seductively. "Now...back to your answer?" His eyes glittered dangerously.
I decided to try another tactic - diversion. I needed to get his attention away from my feelings, and went for the philosophical-theory approach. "Fear isn't a weakness," I murmured.
He raised an eyebrow at my unexpected response and inquired, "Then, pray-tell what is it?"
I answered him honestly, "It's an enticement."
His eyes narrowed. Shit. Diversion didn't work. If anything it just seemed to piss him off.
"Enough...I ask for the last time...do you fear me?" he questioned, a clear threat in his words.
Before I could even form a response, instantly, he was in front of me, his body almost touching mine, his expression fierce. Immediately all of my experience dealing with Myrnin, in this very situation, kicked in and shockingly I didn't flinch or back away. My body was on auto-pilot.
His eyes widened in surprise at my physical response - or rather, lack of one. I felt like a science experiment, as he tilted his head and studied me, his eyes taking on a strange glow, clearly still waiting for my response. I knew I didn't have a choice now. I took the tiniest of breaths, trying to steady myself, and replied quietly, "Yes".
He stepped back and laughed as though he had me in a trap. My heart beat faster. I forced my body to relax, while my mind quickly rewound our conversation, desperately searching where I had set myself up.
I couldn't find anything.
I held my breath, waiting for him to explain.
"So, if you fear me and fear is an enticement, then by your logic, do you suggest that I am enticed by you?" he asked the question arrogantly, as though it were an obvious insult for me to presume I could ever entice him.
But I had seen Myrnin look at me with that very same cold glint of anticipation too many times not to recognize it. My stomach lurched. I desperately wished I could lie and not bruise his ego, but a lie was not an option. "Yes," I answered slowly.
Abruptly, he laughed again, his eyes dancing and murmured, "You are a brave thing, little minx." He walked to his desk and motioned for me to sit in the open chair next to Myrnin.
I looked at Myrnin, on my way to sit down. I was shocked he hadn't responded when Gwion had advanced on me, and I wondered why. His jaw was clenched and I could see obvious tension in his muscles, so it wasn't because he was relaxed. Then it hit me - somehow, he had known that I wasn't in danger. Curiosity coursed through me, but I bit my lip. I didn't dare ask him to explain in Gwion's presence.
Gwion had a smile in his voice as he commented to Myrnin, "She certainly doesn't respond like a normal human."
"No, she does not," Myrnin confirmed a bit wryly.
"While entertaining...surely you must have a more pressing reason for this visit," Gwion supposed.
"Amelie," Myrnin replied.
"Amelie?" Gwion's forehead creased in confusion.
Myrnin explained, "She is dying....a result of an unidentifiable poison, which we cannot counteract."
"And you seek my assistance with this," Gwion murmured. He appeared slightly intrigued. I hoped that was a good sign that he would agree to return with us to treat her.
Myrnin reviewed all of the symptoms and steps we had taken up to this point, while I filled in the gaps with some of the more obscure details.
Gwion listened carefully and confirmed our earlier conclusion, "You need either extraction or neutralization."
"Are you familiar with this poison? Do you know how to counteract it?" I asked hopefully.
No, little minx, I am afraid not," he shook his head. "Which binding agents have you already tried?"
Myrnin listed the variations of the formulas we had already attempted.
I remembered the formulas I had worked on in the car and added, "I was contemplating three more elements on our way here: susmese, blaize and cerulean."
"And which one showed the most promise in your research?" Gwion tilted his head.
I bit my lip, knowing my response would be unconventional, to say the least. "Well, two actually...the susmese first, then force a decomposition reaction before applying the second element, maybe cerulean...or one of the others we have investigated."
"-and your method to force the decomposition?" he inquired.
I tried not to cringe; I expected him to laugh at my foolishness, but I had gone too far to stop now and murmured, "Electricity."
His eyes widened faintly as he asked politely, "Your suggesting the vampire ingest susmese...and then you want to run an electrical current through them?"
"Yes. The electrical current will break apart the elements, which is why the susmese would have to be on board first, to keep the resulting split of elements stable. Once split, the secondary element would be introduced to complete the bind," I replied, raising my chin slightly, ready to be defiant if he insulted my idea.
But he didn't.
Instead, he murmured, "Interesting...." Gwion eyed me intently, his black irises almost glowing again.
I didn't look away while he studied me. I knew he would take it as a sign of weakness.
Gwion shifted his gaze to Myrnin and murmured, "I understand now."
Myrnin kept his face smooth, but I thought he looked a touch smug as he nodded in agreement to Gwion's assessment.
"Will you return with us?" I asked, trying to keep my eagerness in check, but knowing it was likely futile, given his awareness of my emotions.
"Pardon me, what are you inquiring of me?" he asked.
Myrnin interjected to clarify, "-to Morganville, TX. It is almost certain she will die, without a breakthrough."
Gwion sat back and replied, "While I understand the severity of the circumstances, I have no desire to travel around the world, for this purpose. You are welcome to research through any of the texts you see, but on the matter of my traveling, the answer is no."
"But..." I began.
"Claire," Myrnin cut me off, a clear warning.
I stopped speaking, forcing my body not to reveal my utter disappointment in the form of tears. I would not cry in front of this man. But, it was all I wanted to do. We had come so far. I just couldn't believe we were going home empty-handed.
Myrnin stood and spoke politely, "Thank you for your time."
I quickly got to my feet and prepared to follow him, when Gwion offered, "There is one other order of business I feel you may be interested in."
Tension rolled through Myrnin. I looked at Gwion in confusion. "I did have a slight foreknowledge you would be visiting tonight," Gwion purred, his features shifting dangerously.
Myrnin's jaw clenched and a low growl reverberated from his chest. My heart beat faster. Myrnin hadn't shown any animosity the entire time. What could have possibly been the catalyst for his outburst now? Gwion didn't appear to be attacking, but Myrnin was obviously aware of something I wasn't.
And then I knew.
He had Michael and Shane! No!! I wanted to scream.
"Imagine my surprise when two of my recent purchases let it be known they were familiar with you," Gwion spoke confidently, a dangerous gleam in his expression. He knew he had the upper hand.
Purchases?! A shiver ran down my spine. "What?" I gasped.
Myrnin didn't wait for Gwion to answer my question. Instead his features shifted to terrifying and he asked coldly, "What do you want?"
Gwion raised his hands and murmured, "There is no need for violence, old friend. You know I am always willing to come to a compromise," Gwion spoke with a sly smile.
I held my breath. I knew this wouldn't be good.
"A simple mental challenge...I know you are familiar with it...say 'no' thrice and I will release them to you."
"-and the cost for losing?" Myrnin asked through gritted teeth.
"That's easy. I would still release them...but I would require a replacement," Gwion spoke.
"I accept the challenge," Myrnin answered dangerously, his tone low.
My brain was hurtling to catch up to the conversation. Did he just agree to be Gwion's replacement prisoner if he lost whatever mental challenge, they were talking about?!
"No...I am afraid I will only extend the challenge to your little minx." Gwion smiled at me, wickedly, "Beat me, and your friends walk free. Lose and you agree to take their place."
"No!" Myrnin hissed.
"Wait! Explain this to me," I insisted. The conversation was moving way too quickly for me to fully understand what was happening.
"No! The answer is no!" Myrnin cut me off, furiously.
Anger flared through me, bright and strong, as I looked at Myrnin and replied equally dangerously, "I will answer for myself."
I turned to face Gwion, who looked like he was more than thoroughly enjoying our exchange. "Please clarify your offer," I stated coolly.
"A simple mental challenge...you only have to tell me 'no' three times and you win."
I narrowed my eyes shrewdly, "Is compulsion involved?"
He raised his eyebrows innocently, "Absolutely not. Where would the fairness be in that?"
"Where, indeed," I replied dryly, causing his smile to widen.
"If I win, Michael and Shane go free...no strings attached... and no other conditions?" I pushed.
"Yes," he spoke firmly.
"And if I lose?" I tried to control my breathing, as I waited for his reply.
"You take their place," he answered with a calculated gleam in his eye.
I pushed again, "Just me? Myrnin goes free?"
"Yes...all of them would be free to leave...no strings attached, as you say," he repeated my earlier phrasing.
I tilted my head and asked, "Why would you be willing to trade two and only get one in return?" I still didn't trust his logic.
He smiled widely, "Little minx, you are worth far more than two of them. Surely you know that by now."
I crinkled my forehead and looked back at Myrnin. Fury was rolling off of him in waves. Shit. I cringed. I knew there would be hell to pay as soon as we left. I placed my hand on his chest, my normal touch to try to calm him down. It didn't work. His muscles rippled beneath my fingertips. I bit my lip and couldn't turn away from Myrnin as I asked Gwion softly, "Can I give you my answer tomorrow?"
"Certainly. And in the meantime, I have a guesthouse being prepared for you, so that you are comfortable. Oh, and feel free to visit your friends. Liam will escort you to the holding area. I assure you they are unharmed," he answered cordially, his voice dropping off, but I caught his last words anyway, "for now."
A chill ran through me.
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So...I think Johnny Depp makes the perfect Gwion in this pic....do you agree?
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