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Chapter Twenty One: Marked
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2024-10-29 19:42:56River Black
Before she could render any aid at all, the Dain roared viciously, so loud and horrible it hurt her ears. As River looked up, a great, stinking appendage swung at her. There was no time to dodge or get away. Pain expolded in her midsection as she was sent careening through the air. She landed in the brush, at least ten feet away from where she had been.
It knocked all the air out of her and she lay on the ground, dazed. Pain, like fire, spread all over her abdomen. River wasn’t sure if she was seriously hurt or not. She lay still, hoping the Dain would forget about her. She only raised her head a little, vision blurry, head spinning, hoping to spot Tamsin.
She couldn’t see him. All she could see is Cinder holding aloft his flaming dagger, shouting at the Dain. He flared brightly until she couldn’t see him at all. He was a pillar of flame, an inferno. For a moment, she could feel a wash of heat.
Then, the Dain
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House Eventide Chapter Twenty Two: A Chance
River BlackTraveling Cinder’s way, the paths of magic, was very disoreintating. She would have preferred walking. For Cinder, being a Fae meant none of the side effects. He simply continued on, right as rain. River, on the other hand, found herself leaning on the nearest tree and throwing up, even though she really didn’t have anything in her stomach -to- throw up.Vertigo and dizziness made it feel like the ground was actively trying to hit her. It took several moments of closing her eyes and taking deep steadying breaths before she could stand fully upright. She shot Cinder a withering glance.“What? Not my fault!” he protested.“It’s all entirely your fault,” River pointed out, crouching by Tamsin who Cinder had placed on the ground. He was still alive, but so pale. His breathing was shallow, his pulse thready.She stared at him, boggled at how she could feel so much for him even though
House Eventide Chapter Twenty Three: Sleep
River BlackRiver watch Inana work on Tamsin, clean his body, his wounds, pack them with pungent herbs. After she’d finished, she stepped back and frowned, brushing gilded hair from her cat green eyes. She shook her head.“This requires...much more,” she said, her voice low and tired.River looked at him. His skin had lost so much color, his cheeks were sunken. Likely blood loss, she thought. But again there were no hospitals, no doctors. She doubted if she said blood transfusion the witch would understand. She’d probably just think she meant...Aelnith.Reflexively, her fingers went to the bite mark on her neck. She watched as Inana followed with her eyes, looking at the mark.“And that,” the witch said. “Must be dealt with. I assume you don’t want the curse?”River shook her head. “No. No,I don’t want it. He didn’t...really ask.”Inana smil
House Eventide Chapter Twenty Four: Beckoned
Aelnith EventideThe sun set at last. He’d made his home a cave for the daylight hours. Luckily, it had been one he’d used before. He’d almost not made it. His skin still tingled and burned where the sun had touched it. He couldn’t help but think how much better he’d have faired if he’d had more of River’s intoxicating blood.Hard to believe she was only human, he thought. If she had any other ancestory, it was hidden by magic. It was something Aelnith considered. He’d met many human women, especially when he’d been a bit younger and took frequent advantage of Cinder’s door making to travel between worlds.They’d been friends once, but the other Fae proved too untrustworthy. But once, they’d shared adventures and wine. Now, he’d see Cinder dead for his treachery. That he seemed to be on the side of House Eventide wasn’t to be trusted. Aelnith had fallen for it on
House Eventide Chapter Twenty Five: Queen of Moonlight
River BlackEvery 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
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
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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
