Of Light and Darkness (7 page)

Chapter Seven

No Rest for the Wicked

Charlotte stretched as she woke. The curtains were drawn, letting the soft light in. It was seven o’clock. The sun had had its turn in the Eastern hemisphere and was now fading deep into the West. Twilight had come upon the small town, coloring the sky with swirling tufts of pink and gold.

Bolting up, she gasped and jumped out of bed. She fought to remember how she had gotten there, and peering down, why she wasn’t in her night clothes. She gazed around the room, not seeing Valek anywhere. How could she have fallen asleep? The last thing she remembered was the cold night, the spider, and…Evangeline.

The memory of the night came flooding back to her. The pain, the confusion, the ridiculous jealousy all burned within the tears forming in the corners of her eyes again. It couldn’t have been a dream, though she wished it were. It was the only way to explain the dull, familiar pain that reverberated in her chest—a telltale sign of a broken heart.

She quickly slipped on jeans and a sweater and made her way into the hall, seeing Valek’s bedroom door wide open. Charlotte stopped, listened. She didn’t hear Valek stirring in his office. It seemed too early for him to have gotten up already. What if something awful happened to him last night? There was no way he could be awake yet. She ran downstairs.

In the library, remnants of a dying fire glistered in a heap of black ashes. Charlotte lurched when she finally saw an emaciated Valek, sprawled out in his armchair like he had been there for over four hundred years.

She muffled a scream behind her arm. Something really
had
gone wrong. Why wasn’t he in his bedroom with the thick curtains drawn? Had he been there all day? Was he really hurt? She tore through her memory for an answer but didn’t remember what took place after their conversation in the churchyard.

Cautiously, she padded toward his corpse and suddenly stilled. His chest abruptly jumped. Her heart pounded as she watched him lunge forward, gasping for air. Valek clawed at his shirt, heaved as he bent in half. He coughed up something black and putrid as he struggled to inhale, the stuff oozing between his fingers as he tried to cover it. He grasped the side of the chair with his other hand. Charlotte watched, horrified, as his skeletal frame seemed to expand back into semi-living flesh. His eyes, like ink stains, scowled at her from under a wicked shroud of tousled, dark hair.

She inched forward but he halted her with an outstretched claw.

“Stop!” He choked out more of the bile spewing.

“Do not…come any closer.” He heaved again. “I need—” He hacked again.

Knees quaking, Charlotte balled her fists in her hair. She hadn’t hunted for him last night.

“I’m going. Don’t worry, Valek!” She bolted out of the house, not forgetting her whistle, still strung safely around her neck.

The night was as frosted as the one before had been. Wind blew Charlotte’s curls in her eyes, though she quickly clawed them out of her face as her shoes crunched in the gravel and leaves between the fixed stones in the path. She could feel her heart, damaged and throbbing inside her, as she pushed onward. No matter how hurt she was, it couldn’t stop her from hunting. No matter how badly he’d hurt her, it would never drive her to do the same to him. Quickly, she made her way into the town square, not wanting to run into anyone that might distract her. She passed Broucka General Store and saw the little, burlap guardian staring sadly at her through the spotless window, rag in hand. He waved meekly.

Charlotte frowned at Edwin, aware he knew more than she did about what happened last night. She watched Edwin shake his head and hobble back into deeper ends of the shop. So now he couldn’t even bear to look at her? She didn’t blame him. Her thoughts
were
awful. She cringed.

“Charlotte!” A sickeningly familiar musical voice rang out from behind her.
Evangeline
. She clenched her jaw tight.

The vile enchantress ran up to her from her usual place in the village tavern. “Can I talk to you?” Evangeline asked, breathlessly.

“No.” Charlotte scowled and kept walking, pushing her way through the crowding Elves and imps.

But Evangeline was determined and kept up effortlessly alongside Charlotte. “Please? I really want to talk to you!” the Witch begged.

“I don’t have time.”

“Listen! I want to say I am really sorry about what happened yesterday.” Evangeline was shoved backward by one large ogre. “I didn’t think it was like that between you two!”

Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks, whirling around to face the Witch, only barely breathing through clenched teeth. “Like
what?
” Her hands wound in knots at her sides as her shoulders trembled.
Do not get angry; do not make a scene
.

“I don’t know.” Evangeline sheepishly tugged at a lock of hair. “When you saw us in the library, you reacted like you had found him committing adultery or something.”

Charlotte’s nostrils flared. She jabbed a finger at her. “I do not have to explain to you what it’s ‘like’ between Valek and I! That is
really
none of your business!” She turned on her booted heels and began storming through the square again.

“Then, it’s really none of
your
business if we see each other or not,” Evangeline called after her.

Charlotte closed her eyes tight, wishing fangs would magically appear in her mouth. She spun around. “For
your
information”—a few of the Occult patrons stopped, gawking wide-eyed at the two. It made Charlotte’s cheeks burn—“Valek
is
my business! He has been
my
business for almost eighteen years!”

“Exactly!” Evangeline started to yell then. “He is your
father!
”

Charlotte’s jaw dropped, her eyes pricking with the horribly embarrassing feeling she was about to cry. She hadn’t expected those words to come from Evangeline’s mouth.
Father
. Salty tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back.

“He doesn’t feel that way about you, Evangeline. He told me he never would.” Charlotte sought her revenge quietly this time. “Valek is too good for you.” She took a few slow steps closer. “And let me fill you in on something else. Valek
was
like my father until you came along and ruined everything! Because of
you
, things are
never
going to be the same between us again!” Hot tears streamed down her face; she couldn’t help it. The honesty of it all stung worse when articulated, like the tormenting thoughts had suddenly become tangible. “So here….” Charlotte reached into the pockets of her jeans and tossed a few silvery coins at Evangeline's high-heeled toes. “The payment Valek owes his harlot from last night. In full.” With that, Charlotte turned once more and sped away from the lingering crowd, and the Witch.

But Evangeline was relentless. “Charlotte?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Apparently, there was no way she was going to win this without creating even more of a scene. She turned once more to look at Evangeline and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I really had no idea. You have got to believe that I’m
really
sorry.” Evangeline’s gaze shimmered with a hint of moisture.

Charlotte tightened her jaw, but said nothing.

“Please?”

Silence.

“You’re right, Charlotte. I wasn’t aware of the situation. I didn’t realize how close you two are.”

Charlotte relaxed. She didn’t want to fight anymore. “You mean how close we
were
. What did you think, Evangeline? He raised me. How separate could Valek and I possibly be? It has always been just the two of us. What makes you think I’d ever want that to change?” Charlotte looked up at the tall, gorgeous woman with magical traits that made her closer to Valek then her own humanity could, and her heart sank. “And your apology really isn't going to undo any of this damage now.”

“You’re right. I didn’t think.” Evangeline looked at the ground. The two of them started walking again in silence, together this time.

“It’s fine. You’re forgiven. You can go back now,” Charlotte finally said once they reached the edge of the town square.

“I
want
to come with you,” Evangeline persisted. “I don’t like you leaving the Occult borders alone. Valek wouldn’t like it either. It’s very dangerous”

“But you aren’t allowed to leave. Trust me, it’s more dangerous if you come with me.” The memory of Charlotte's leg wound from the other day prodded at her consciousness. No matter how she despised Evangeline, Charlotte would feel too guilty if anything happened to her when they crossed the borders.

“Let me right my wrongs,” she begged. “I can protect you. I can get you to Prague in two seconds! It will be easy.”

Charlotte could see she was not about to give up and decided the less the two of them spoke, the better. They walked together through the rows of houses, through the dark canopy of trees, the fake cemetery, and the black iron gate. The large crescent moon hung low in the sky and made the long, dirt road ahead of them look like a silver serpent in a river of grass. Sounds of the night surrounded them. An owl, a distance down the tunnel,
hoo-ed
from its hiding place in the canopy. A calm breeze made a soft ruffle in the wheat fields. Charlotte imagined that even the stars seemed to have their own distinctive twinkling sound.

“So where are you planning on going?” Evangeline asked. “I can get you anywhere.”

“I don’t know.” Charlotte sighed. “Normally I just walk until I happen upon a night traveler or a small town.”

“And then what?”

“I pretend I'm lost. I ask if they can help me find my way. Sometimes my conversation distracts them, sometimes...it doesn’t.” Charlotte’s tone dropped several decibels. “But normally by that time, they are already through the gate, and Valek is fast when I call for him. By the time I’m home, they’re already dead, and he’s smoking his pipe in the library.” Charlotte didn’t elaborate on the details; how sometimes when they didn’t come as quietly as she hoped, she resorted to knocking them out. She couldn’t kill them. Valek couldn’t drink from a dead heart. Charlotte puffed out her chest a little. The seduction, the killing—that
did
make her closer to Valek than Evangeline.

“But aren’t you frightened?” Evangeline's eyes grew wide.

“Yes. And it’s dangerous, of course. But I have this.” Charlotte held out the small, silvery whistle, inscribed with a scrawling cursive
C
on one side and the face of the moon on the other. It glistened in the dim starlight. “Valek always comes when he hears this.”

A little ways down where the crop fields started, Charlotte noticed something stirring between the stalks caught Evangeline’s attention. The Witch grabbed Charlotte’s shoulder, wrinkling her nose.

“Wait,” she whispered. “There’s one.” She indicated with a long, manicured talon.

Charlotte squinted, sifting through the shadows, but it was too dark for her to see.

“Let me handle this.” Evangeline grinned.

“You really don’t have to do that—”

“I want to. Trust me.”

Charlotte watched as Evangeline sauntered up the grassy bank, leaving her standing, arms folded, in the middle of the dirt road.

The man creeping through the tall crops, undoubtedly up to some sort of bad behavior, stopped moving and analyzed the length of the sorceress in front of him. Charlotte felt her stomach turn.
Hunting would be so much easier if I looked like Evangeline
.

“Good evening.” He smiled wryly, undressing her with his human eyes.

“Hello.” She smiled back. “You're out a little late, aren’t you?”

The man, clearly having escaped from somewhere, rubbed at his torn, right sleeve. “Yes. And yourself as well.”

“My friend and I are traveling this road alone, and I think we’re extremely lost.” She giggled. A light flashed in her eyes and suddenly the mortal seemed to instantly turn to butter in Evangeline’s hand.

He chuckled back. “Where are you headed?” he asked, the smile not leaving his handsome, spellbound face. “Perhaps I can help.”

“South,” she said, and gave no further information. She glanced back once at Charlotte.

“Well, I suppose I could accompany you until we reach the next town.”

He offered his arm. She accepted. The moment her flesh touched his, all human qualities in his face fizzled, flickering out in his eyes like an extinguished candle flame.

Charlotte’s head cocked to one side upon seeing Evangeline's effects.
Amazing
. She probably had those powers against all men. Charlotte sighed. Maybe Valek really didn’t have an advantage against Evangeline last night.

Evangeline and the man started walking back down the grassy bank to the dirt road.

She was watching the two walk and laugh together, though the man’s laugh was hollow and enchanted, when she heard a low rumble crawl up her spine and into her ears. Charlotte dropped her arms to her sides.

Evangeline and the man froze also, looking past her to what was standing just behind.

“Charlotte….” Evangeline squeaked.

Charlotte slowly twisted her head around to see a half-phased Lycan standing there, lower parts like a man and fangs dripping; its slanted eyes fixated on her horrified face. She recognized the scar on the left eye and slight indentation in its head from when they had first met in the tree tunnel. It was guarding the Occult border; Charlotte suddenly found herself in heaps of trouble.

She gingerly slid her hand up to her chest for her whistle when the wolf struck her with its massive claw, sending the glimmering object hurtling out of her hand. Its claws left deep gashes in her arm as she tumbled face first to the ground.

Charlotte coughed up a thick clod of dirt and rolled onto her back, trying to fill her lungs with air instead. The animal loomed over her, a low grumble bristling the fur around its neck, its nose almost grazing hers. A bloodcurdling scream ripped out from her chest.

She heard the mortal man yell from somewhere behind her. “We have to do something!”