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Chapter Twenty Five: Queen of Moonlight
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2024-10-29 19:42:56River Black
Every time she thought about walking back to Inana’s cabin, she found that she’d gone further from it. It had to be magic, something she still had a hard time believing in all the way. It was hard to deny when it was directly happening, though, and now she tried to fight it.
It couldn’t be ‘good’ magic if it controlled her, River reasoned. She would stop walking, resolutely plant her feet on the ground and then in a blink, she’d walked several steps. Well past sunset, she found herself deep in the woods in the dark.
For a moment, she had her own will again. River spun in a small half circle, looking for the light of the cottage. It was long gone. She had no idea where she was, what time it was. Five minutes could have passed. Or five days. Disoreintated, she sat down, stubbornly refusing to walk another step. Her legs hurt, her feet ached. Cinder had given her a pair of boots, but they were a coupl
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House Eventide Chapter Twenty Six: Choices
River BlackIt wasn’t like the movies or books she’d read about vampires. Everyone had that phase in high school. She’d read a lot of vampire romance novels. No, it wasn’t like that at all.Aelnith’s teeth sinking into her skin hurt. It burned. It was more than just breaking the skin. That pain only lasted a moment. It was something else. Similar to a scorpion sting she’d gotten once as a child, playing in her backyard by a rock pile. It felt like fire in her veins.The pain tore screams from her, but this didn’t slow or stop Aelnith. He drank form her like a man dying of thirst. She could feel the pull, feel her blood leave her body. His hands were rough, fingers biting into her hip before they trailed up her torso. He made animalistic noises, growling.For a brief moment, River worried he wouldn’t be able to stop. She even raised her hands to his chest to push him back. But that moment was
House Eventide Chapter Twenty Seven: Futility
River BlackRiver stared at Aelnith, looking up at him. He seemed like a phantom, pale hand extended, his eyes phosphorent red. It seemed like an unspoken deal, some gamble she didn’t understand the rules of if she took his hand. She felt so weak, so tired, that it was hard to think clearly, and all she wanted to do was go -home-.Time slowed, as if giving her some unspoken mercy, as she tried to remember home, the faces of her parents, the voices of her friends. They were far away things now, watery memories that didn’t seem as sharply in focus as they should have been. Aelnith’s extended hand was sweetly deceptive. River knew better, but found herself taking it anyway.Every touch, the barest brush of his fingers and she could almost feel his lips on her throat. A wave of desire and dizzyness darkened her vision and she gasped, unable to stand. She hated feeling weak and useless, helpless.Before she could topple over,
House Eventide Chapter Twenty Eight: Shadow
Aelnith EventideThe Witch Queen Carmun had three sons. The Dain, Dub, and Dother. Each one was marked by terrible dark magic. It each one with different, dark gifts. Aelnith stood holding River, in the cover of a copse of trees. Where the Dain had been a hulking, foul monster, Dub was merely a shadow. That didn't mean that Dub was harmless or somehow a safer choice than the Dain, it merely meant his magic and darkness was that much more subtle and insidious. Dub had no body, no
House Eventide Chapter Twenty Nine: Poetry and Flowers
River BlackShe couldn't see what Aelnith saw. River couldn't see the creature called 'Dub'. He insisted it was there, a tall, person-shaped skinny shadow lurking by the windows of Inana's cottage. For a moment, she thought she saw -something-, but no. Nothing. Dawn would come soon and Aelnith needed shelter.“I can't leave you here,” he told her. “When the sun rises, Dub will surely be weakened, but I will be...dead. At his weakest, he'd still be able to make short work of you.”Aelnith had taken her in his arms again and though she wanted down, she knew she didn't have the strength. “What about Tamsin? We can't just...leave him there vulnerable,” she said.Aelnith shook his head, moving deeper into the woods. “There's nothing we can do with you weakened and my curse...” He paused. “And neither of us know for sure where Cinder is
House Eventide Chapter Thirty: Dreams and Nightmares
River BlackThis time, she kissed him first. She took what she wanted. It was infinitely simple and complicated all at once. The rules of her old life were gone. She could do whatever she pleased. No one would talk about it in her friend group. Her mother wouldn't scold her. River was free to do whatever she wanted. And right now, she wanted to kiss Aelnith.It helped her ignore that she was starving and exhausted. It helped her forget that she'd never see home, her friends or family ever again. That back home? She was as good as dead and buried. A ghost. A sad memory. A short story on the news. Nothing more. Endless potential interrupted.River bit hard at his bottom lip, making him cry out in surprise and pleasure. It made her feel powerful, in control of an out of control situation. His hands drank in her body, skimming up her torso, filling his palm with her breast, his other hand cuppi
House Eventide Chapter Thirty One: Long Shadows
CinderThey'd returned to the cottage less than a day later. Cinder expected to see River and was surprised when she wasn't there. Surprised...and much to his chagrin, worried. Inana scolded him, blamed him for it. Said he should've stayed with River. He couldn't recall whose idea it was that he go with the witch, but she was probably right. It probably WAS his fault. Most everything was.He shouldn't have cared about some dumb mortal girl. He had stolen away so many for the Dain, he'd taught himself not to feel any way about it at all. Long, long ago, he'd loved mortal girls. Many of them. Frequently. He'd lure them into the woods for secret kisses. Not to get brutalized by Carmun's terrible abomination of a son.Now, he thought about it. Thought about all the poor mortals who had the misfortune of meeting him in the waking, human world. It really soured his victorious mood. Just moments earlier, he'd b
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Two: Any One of Us
CinderHe couldn't rouse River. She'd passed out in his arms shortly after delivering the terrifying news about Dub. He cursed Aelnith Eventide under his breath. He'd taken too much. River was sick. Maybe even dying. Cinder didn't know! He had little long-term experience with humans. They seemed -very- fragile. She needed Inana, but Inana was possibly in more danger than River was.Cinder paced, holding River. He didn't know what to do. Every instinct he had, that had kept him alive for hundreds of years, told him to run. Run and not look back. Leave River there as a distraction. Dub could be lurking in any and every dark corner. Unlike the Dain, Dub was clever and quick. Always plotting. Always scheming. He wouldn't attack outright. No. He'd wait until the perfect moment.Cinder did love surprises, but not -those- kind of surprises. River groaned, snapping his attention back to the present. Right. He couldn't l
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Three: Iron
River BlackEverything seemed hazy and far away, like a dream. She thought, for a blissful moment, that she was back at home, in her bed. Her mom was making pancakes and it was Saturday. She swore she could hear her dad mowing the lawn, her dog barking outside. When River opened her eyes, she saw a low ceiling with heavy, wooden beams. The sights and smells were unfamiliar.She felt so weak she could barely keep her eyes open. River could barely lift her head. She heard voices, familiar ones, but she couldn't focus on them. All at once, it came flooding back, where she was. What had happened. Forgetting, even for a moment, made her mourn all over again.With all her effort, she pulled herself up on her elbow and let her vision focus in the low light of the cottage. Across from her was Cinder, sitting in a chair, his face unusually pale, sweat slicking his face. Inana stood before him, holdi
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House Eventide Chapter Forty: Goddess of the Moon
River BlackInana insisted on River having a bath and fresh clothes before anything else was discussed. The witch dressed her wounds and braided her hair for her, to keep it out of her face. She felt better than she had in days. This time, Inana dressed her in loose trousers and a loose blouse with a wide sash. River may have liked the dresses better, but she had to admit she was more comfortable.After she was dressed and she finished off another bowl of stew, which was venison, according to Inana, River was ready to hear just what her ‘choices’ were. They all sat around the table and Tamsin seemed to have calmed down, though his expression was still sour.“I’m going to speak first,” he said the very moment River sat.
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Nine: Dawn
River BlackDawn began its arrival and the wolves in Tamsin’s pack returned with nothing. Cinder was gone. Or dead. She didn’t know which. There was still no sign of Inana. Any time she tried to leave the little clearing, Tamsin blocked her path with a low, menacing growl.She kept her eyes on the sky, waiting for it to lighten, longing for the dawn. Night in the Realm was so much more threatening than night at home. Again, when she thought of home, she could barely remember the faces of her parents and friends. Every day that passed and her memories became weaker and weaker, until they were like ghosts haunting her head.Leaning against the trunk of a tree, sitting in the cold ground, River closed her eyes, just for a moment. Her head hurt and her mouth was dry. She neede
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Eight: The Offer
CinderHe’d been certain the moment Prince Tamsin’s jaws closed around his shoulder, close to his throat, that he was dead. He felt the sharp pain of his sharp teeth sink into him, felt the hot splash of his blood. Then he didn’t feel anything else. The world went black.Cinder didn’t expect to wake up. His last thought was he was thankful he’d been doing the right thing for once, so that he could meet his death with a clear conscience. He sank into the blackness as easily as he slipped in and out between worlds.His world swam into bleary focus. For a moment, he wondered if it were the afterlife. Heaven. Or whatever humans called it. The Fae weren’t supposed to be allowed an afterlife. Their energy was to go back to the Realm, reborn as the trees and riv
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Seven: Dother
River BlackTamsin dragged her away, teeth not breaking the skin, but it hurt anyway. She begged and pleaded for him to drop her and when that fell on deaf ears, she thrashed and beat on his muzzle with her fists. He seemed impervious. If he understood her words, he made no sign of it. Finally, River just went limp. Fighting was no use. As a wolf, he was bigger than any horse she’d ever seen. There was no fighting him, no reasoning with him.She didn’t know how much time passed, but her body felt utterly battered and bruised from head to toe by the time he stopped and let her go. River lay in a crumpled heap in a part of the forest she’d never seen before. It was strange, she’d started to be able to recognize certain landmarks even after only a day or two, but now they were somewhere she’d never been before.
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Six: Dread
River BlackIt all seemed to happen in slow motion. Cinder apparently decided he didn’t trust her to run and took her into his arms. As he turned to move towards the door, River could -hear- the curse take hold of Tamsin. She could hear bone and tendon snap as he howled in pain, more beast than man.As Cinder turned to dash out the door, she caught one last look at Tamsin. White fur replaced skin, his hands were claws and he’d gotten to his feet. None of the kindness she’d seen there before remained. His eyes were wild, his teeth bared. He snarled and then howled. Not in pain this time, no. Like a wolf howled to his pack to gather them.“We’re about to have company,” Cinder said as he broke into a run. “Hold onto me,&rdqu
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Five: Home
River Black They stood around the table Tamsin lay on. He had color to his face now and his injuries seemed far less severe. When she lightly touched the back of his hand, he stirred, moaning, brow furrowing. “I suppose Dub is gone,” Cinder said, perhaps a little too dramatically. He beamed a broad smile. “And thank goodness, honestly. What a worry that was. Such a load off.” Inana elbowed him and shot him a nasty glare. It would have been funny if they weren’t all about to do something incredibly dangerous. “Now, River? You mustn’t run off again. I know you want and feel you must go to Aelnith, but you have to rest.” River nodded, going along with it. “I...couldn’t help myself. Sorry,” she muttered, trying her best to so
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Four: The In Between
River Black She didn’t know how to tell Cinder and Inana that as soon as the sun set, Dub would likely use Tamsin’s body and his curse driven transformation to kill them. What she said aloud, he could definitely hear too. And if she pulled them aside, at the very least he would know they were up to something. She had no idea what to do. Sitting atop the cushions and blankets, she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Cinder, she noted, wasn’t in great shape. He was still pale and sweaty, still poisoned from the iron. She was still sapped and drained of strength. River didn’t think she could even get up and walk across the room, let alone fight off a possessed and cursed Fae prince. Casting a nervous look out the small window, she noted it was nearly sunset. They didn’t have m
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Three: Iron
River BlackEverything seemed hazy and far away, like a dream. She thought, for a blissful moment, that she was back at home, in her bed. Her mom was making pancakes and it was Saturday. She swore she could hear her dad mowing the lawn, her dog barking outside. When River opened her eyes, she saw a low ceiling with heavy, wooden beams. The sights and smells were unfamiliar.She felt so weak she could barely keep her eyes open. River could barely lift her head. She heard voices, familiar ones, but she couldn't focus on them. All at once, it came flooding back, where she was. What had happened. Forgetting, even for a moment, made her mourn all over again.With all her effort, she pulled herself up on her elbow and let her vision focus in the low light of the cottage. Across from her was Cinder, sitting in a chair, his face unusually pale, sweat slicking his face. Inana stood before him, holdi
House Eventide Chapter Thirty Two: Any One of Us
CinderHe couldn't rouse River. She'd passed out in his arms shortly after delivering the terrifying news about Dub. He cursed Aelnith Eventide under his breath. He'd taken too much. River was sick. Maybe even dying. Cinder didn't know! He had little long-term experience with humans. They seemed -very- fragile. She needed Inana, but Inana was possibly in more danger than River was.Cinder paced, holding River. He didn't know what to do. Every instinct he had, that had kept him alive for hundreds of years, told him to run. Run and not look back. Leave River there as a distraction. Dub could be lurking in any and every dark corner. Unlike the Dain, Dub was clever and quick. Always plotting. Always scheming. He wouldn't attack outright. No. He'd wait until the perfect moment.Cinder did love surprises, but not -those- kind of surprises. River groaned, snapping his attention back to the present. Right. He couldn't l
