Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 71

He laughed then and reiterated what he had said before. The journey itself was a learning experience. Something that was an important part of my becoming a woman of strength. Not just physically, but psychologically too. I thought about those words for a moment while Gabriel watched me intently. "And besides," he added, "you'd never get a car up there," he chuckled.

I didn't have an answer to that so we sat in silence for the rest of the boat ride. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was trying hard not to smile.

Fortunately we reached the sh.o.r.e a short while later and Gabriel took off his shoes and socks and hopped out to pull the boat safely out of the water. I jumped onto the sandy beach and helped pull it further inland, where he carefully tied it to a large tree trunk before drying his wet feet and putting his shoes and socks back on before he caught a chill. He seemed to know exactly where things were and so I asked how many times he had made this journey before.

"Many, many times," he said, "whenever I need to get away I come through here on my way to the Elders. I came a lot after your mother and Neleh died and when your father and you were taken away. The Elders knew it was the one place I found some peace. But, like I said, it's not just the destination where I found peace. It was the journey too."

It was certainly peaceful and I could imagine how it would calm the soul after those awful things had happened.

After we'd had something to eat, the two of us set off on foot, leaving the boat and the river behind us. I was a little nervous about the hike it was my first, after all. But I was grateful for all the exercise I had been getting with Sammy. It had made me fitter and stronger and ready for whatever the world had in store for me.

I thought of Sammy and what the world had in store for him too. He could never be a part of the world he had lived in all those years ago. As long as he had those ma.s.sive wings, he would have to remain in hiding. It was a sad fact that made me heavy hearted. As far as I knew, the only way he could have his life back again was if we found Vivian and somehow reverted the curse she had placed on him. I had high hopes for these Elders.

Later that night after much walking, we had set up camp, built a small fire and ate supper, when Gabriel surprised me with another talent I knew nothing about. He carefully took out a small musical instrument from his rucksack and began to play the most beautiful tune I'd heard since my first arrival in Powell River when I'd heard that Portuguese song that had led me to Rose.

The instrument looked like a kind of flute and I was so shocked when he carefully put it to his lips and played it so beautifully, especially considering he'd never played it in my presence before.

Lying down by the fire and snuggling into my sleeping bag, I stared up at the night sky and listened intently to the lovely music. Even though it was quite chilly, I felt completely peaceful and comfortable. It was a magical feeling, lying there, listening to him playing and watching the sky filled with the brightest of stars. I enjoyed the moment, keeping very quiet until he had finished.

"That was beautiful Gabriel. How come you never play at home?" I asked, sitting up and leaning on my elbows as I looked across the softly burning fire towards him.

"It's something I only do when I come out here," he said, before he continued to play some more. The music, combined with the gentle sound of the running water from a little stream nearby, gently lulled me to sleep.

Surprisingly I slept remarkably well that night. I had thought that the cold would prevent me from getting a good night's sleep, but the fresh air must have counteracted it. I awoke feeling fresher and more alive than ever before.

Climbing out of my warm cosy sleeping bag, I noticed Gabriel had already packed up his sleeping bag but he was nowhere to be seen. All his things were still there, though.

"Gabriel," I called out and waited for a reply, but none came.

Again, I yelled his name even louder and hoped that he just hadn't heard me the first time. But nothing. I decided to sit and wait for a while, hoping that he had just gone for a brief walk while I slept.

It didn't take long for my mind to begin running riot with terrifying possibilities. Vampires, werewolves, witches, bears. Had any of these creatures taken my grandfather? I could feel my body twitching, wanting to change. I knew that my senses would be a hundred times more in tune with the nature surrounding me as a lion. If I changed, I might be able to find the creatures that had taken him. But he had told me this journey was one that must be taken in human form, regardless of what happened.

So I stood still and breathed deeply, just as Rose had shown me. I had to keep calm and relax.

"Ah... you're awake," yelled a cheery voice and my entire body slumped forward in relief.

"Gabriel... I called you but you didn't reply. I thought something had happened to you."

"You seem to forget that I am becoming an old man. My ears aren't quite as good as they were when I was your age," he laughed, "I was just washing my face in the stream," he added.

Since discovering the truth about myself, I had become more of a worrier. I decided it was something I needed to work on as we both sat down and enjoyed a nice cup of tea.

"We have a long and arduous hike ahead of us today, Lilly. It's important that we stay focused," he said, adding "but if something should happen, remember what I told you. This is a journey to be made in human form. You are not to transform yourself, except only in the most dire of circ.u.mstances."

I agreed, wondering why it was so important, but I didn't ask. I was too busy thinking what 'the most dire of circ.u.mstances' could be. A niggling little doubt crept into my mind, that something awful was going to happen.

On the other hand, it could be a test. Could Gabriel be testing me? Was this some kind of ritual that all changelings had to go through? I hoped it was, at least then I didn't have to worry about a nasty experience awaiting us. Did I?

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

After we had eaten a good, hearty breakfast and set off on foot, we spent the majority of that day hiking through forests until eventually the terrain began to change and the trees became a little scarcer. It was the beginning of the ascent towards the mountains. Although I loved being among the forested areas, I enjoyed the change of scenery and the mountainous region was absolutely breathtaking.

Gabriel and I spoke about all kinds of things as we walked together, him always in front, leading the way. He wanted to know more about my life in London, not that there was an awful lot to tell. He already knew what living there had been like for me, mostly lonely and uneventful.

But still, he wanted to know what my school had been like, whether or not I had ever had any friends, if the teachers had been fond of me everything.

"December Moon was my best and only friend," I had told him. "My life was incredibly dull until she arrived." I smiled as I thought about the eccentric girl with the red hair that had brought some sunshine into my otherwise dark life.

I told Gabriel all about her and her own strange, unhappy life.

"Perhaps we could arrange for her to come and visit some time," he had suggested.

"Oh Gabriel, that would be wonderful. I'd love it for you all to meet her. I just know that everyone would love her. She would just fit in with us all here, if you know what I mean?" I laughed.

Gabriel nodded and smiled at me and I was suddenly reminded of my father. I don't know what it was, perhaps an odd expression that Gabriel shared with him. I felt a sudden pang in the pit of my stomach and I had to stop walking for a moment.

"Are you alright, my dear," he asked as he pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to me.

Taking a deep drink, I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. You just reminded me of father." He nodded too and smiled sadly, "We will find him, Lilly. If the search takes me to the grave, we will find him," he said sombrely.

I gulped another swig of water and then attempted a smile. That was not a thought I would cherish. The search sending Gabriel to his grave, or the search taking that long.

My heart began to feel like it was breaking just a little bit more and Gabriel obviously sensed it so he changed the subject again.

He began to tell me about his long and eventful life in Powell River and I learned even more about my family. The heaviness in my heart was lifted and I became intrigued, as we continued our long walk.

Perhaps this was another reason for our journey. We could finally talk honestly together, just the two of us. It was a wonderful feeling and I began to feel even closer to my grandfather.

He talked more about his wife, Elsebeth, who had died of breast cancer when she was just 31. It had been a very aggressive form of cancer and she'd had little time between her diagnosis and her death, "but she was happy that she had the chance to say goodbye to everyone that she loved," he said.

"I'm sorry Gabriel. It must have been heartbreaking to see her like that. How long ago did she die?" I asked.

"She's been gone about 30 years, but never forgotten," he added, smiling. "She was a remarkable woman. Not unlike Rose, actually. They were good friends."

"You and Rose are very close," I replied and he laughed, nodding, "Elsebeth made us promise that we would be there for each other. She wanted Rose to take her place. She felt that I needed a wife and Rose was the person she nominated," he chuckled, "but Rose and I are, and have always been, just very good friends. I have managed on my own but Rose is always there when I need her, and vice versa."

I agreed that he and Rose would make a great couple, but understood perfectly that some people are better off living alone well, kind of alone. After my father disappeared, Gabriel raised Oliver and Ben and now he had Sammy and me living with him.

"Gabriel?" I said.

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry about Oliver. I'm sorry that I made him go away. I know that he is like a son to you."

Gabriel stopped walking and turned to me, "Don't apologise for being who you are Lilly. It is not your fault that it happened the way it did. Oliver is a fine young man now, he can look after himself and I know he'll be okay. Like I said to you before, I am a strong believer in fate. What is meant to be, will be, so don't blame yourself" he said, "he'll be fine. And so will we."

We continued walking uphill in silence, until the terrain started to become a little more rugged. Gabriel pointed to an area where there were a few more trees and told me that was where we would stop for the night. As we approached, myself a little breathless, I noticed a small cave, the entrance of which was well hidden by foliage.

"This is where I usually stop and sleep," he said as we exhaustedly let our backpacks drop to the ground. I slumped down on a nearby rock until my breathing became slower and steadier, watching as Gabriel began collecting sticks and twigs and larger pieces of wood to create a fire.

He had barely even caught his breath. Feeling guilty for just sitting and watching, I stood up and began to help but I soon stopped when I had the feeling we were being watched.

I moved closer to Gabriel's side and whispered, "Gabriel, I think there's someone here. I think someone's watching us."

"Stay close Lilly, and act naturally," he replied without looking up as he continued to collect kindling for the fire.

I saw from the corner of my eye that he was discreetly looking around to see who it could be. Suddenly he stood upright and chuckled. I turned to see the source of his amus.e.m.e.nt and noticed a rather large white wild mountain goat perched slightly above us, watching us with beady eyes.

"h.e.l.lo, old chap," shouted Gabriel, "I thought I might b.u.mp into you again."

The goat carefully and cleverly climbed down from the narrow shelf above us and as he did so, the top half of his body changed dramatically. Like Sammy, he was half animal, half human in every sense of the words.

His head and arms were that of a human and the rest of him was most certainly that of a goat. His hair was completely white, as was his long goatee. Age wise, I would have said he was in his sixties.

"Gabriel. Good to see you, old man. Frightfully sorry if I gave the young girl cause for concern," he said in a posh British accent, which completely puzzled me.

"h.e.l.lo my dear," he said as he walked over to me, with his hand outstretched. I shook it, my mouth open in surprise.

"Close your mouth, Lilly," laughed Gabriel, "this is an acquaintance of mine, Charlie."

"Acquaintance? I would say friend... would you not?" he chuckled, before adding, "absolutely charmed to meet you, my dear Lilly. You must be the old man's granddaughter from London, I presume," he said, still holding my hand in his.

I nodded, not quite sure what to say. I'd never seen a half man, half goat before. Especially not one with such a strong English accent.

"Nice to meet you Charlie," I eventually managed to spit out.

He finally let go of my hand and turned his attention to Gabriel, just as Gabriel was explaining that he had met Charlie when he'd visited the Elders the previous winter, at about the same time I'd arrived the reason Gabriel had been unable to collect me from the airport.

"I presume you are on your way to visit the Elders?" Charlie asked while he began to a.s.sist making the fire.

"Yes, I'm taking Lilly up to meet them. What have you been up to lately, Charlie?" asked Gabriel.

Charlie stuttered momentarily before explaining that he had actually been recovering from an injury and so he'd had little choice but to stay on the mountain for the last few months.

"What kind of injury?" asked Gabriel as he lit the fire.

"Oh, nothing to worry about really," answered Charlie in a way that suggested he didn't want to talk about it. Gabriel promptly changed the subject, asking if he'd met anyone of interest there lately.

Charlie moved over to the now roaring fire and sat down, making himself comfortable as he told us about a small group of travellers he'd seen just a few weeks before. Having not recognised any of the group, Charlie had kept his distance, watching from above. They were a group of young hikers. "Kids," said Charlie, "the human variety... not fellow goats!" he added, chuckling.

"I just stood grazing while I watched them attempt to make a fire. They drank lots of beer and acted like idiots," he added, "other than them, there hasn't been much going on around here for quite a while... unless you count the time when a strange young woman stayed the night. It was around Christmastime, I believe."

"A strange young woman?" questioned Gabriel, "I wonder who that was."

"Her name was Tabitha, I think. That's it. Do you know her Gabriel?"

He shook his head.

I was intrigued. Who was this Tabitha? Where had she come from? Where was she going? What was she doing up here alone? And why was she strange?

Going by Gabriel's friendliness to the goat man, I finally accepted that Charlie must be somebody (or something) that could be trusted, so I pulled out my sleeping bag and laid it down next to Gabriel's where I curled up and listened to their conversation to find out more about the folk that often gathered around the mountain.

Charlie had obviously spent some time watching Tabitha, and he revealed that she appeared to be a witch.

"So what was she up to at Christmas, Charlie?" asked Gabriel as he warmed his cold hands over the flames.

"I don't know where she was coming from but she stopped at this very cave for a night. I was near enough to watch her without being seen," said Charlie as I began to get the feeling that he was something of a voyeur.

"She was alone to begin with but was later joined by a young man who wasn't exactly the kind of boy you'd like your daughter to bring home, if you know what I mean. He was covered in those awful tattoos, all up his arms and legs. Dreadful things. I thought they were perhaps lovers but before I knew it, they were having a huge argument. I couldn't quite hear what they were fighting about but it was obvious it was serious. And then just when I thought they were over it, he turned into a wolf, of all things. I knew then that I needed to make a quick exit, so I went and hid away in my cave until they left. They were gone by the next morning. I was intrigued, to say the least. I'd have loved to know what that was all about," he said.

"Interesting," said Gabriel, "but I don't know either of them. Did you hear what the boy was called?"

Charlie sat motionless for a moment, deep in thought. "Aah yes. It was Zoltan."

Zoltan and Tabitha. A werewolf and a witch. I asked how Charlie had come to the conclusion that she was a witch.

"I just knew... it was written all over her," he chuckled, before adding, "that and the fact that she appeared to be attempting to cast spells before wolfie arrived."

I was so fascinated that I decided I wanted to meet them. I wasn't sure why, there was just something about the way they had been described that intrigued me.

Gabriel and Charlie began chatting about things that were of little interest to me, so I decided to have a wander around on my own for a while.

"Be careful Lilly and don't go too far," said Gabriel as I walked away from the two as they continued chatting.

Dusk was approaching and I knew it wouldn't be too long until it was dark so I kept fairly close to our camp. Since becoming a mountain lion, my eyesight had improved dramatically, even in human form, but because I wasn't familiar with the area, I certainly didn't want to tempt fate. And I never forgot that I had promised Gabriel that I would remain in human form.

As I walked out of sight of them both, I heard the gentle cooing of an owl. Following the sound, I saw the majestic creature sitting on the branch of a lone tree. As he cooed, he just sat staring off into the distance. I didn't want to disturb him, so I just stood for a few moments, watching. Looking around for somewhere to sit, I noticed a large smooth rock a few metres away but to get there, I'd probably make some noise. I tiptoed as silently as possible and, sure enough, he turned his head to look at me. He probably knew I was there all along.

Sitting down so he wouldn't feel threatened, I watched as he did nothing. He just sat and stared at me while I admired his unusual dark eyes. After a few minutes, he must have got bored of my face and so he turned to look in the opposite direction before he took to flight and disappeared.

I stayed where I was and, looking around me, I saw what a spectacular place it was. It was amazing how far we had actually climbed, the tops of the dense woods below were quite a distance away. Other than me, Gabriel, Charlie and the lone owl, we appeared to be very much alone. It was an excellent spot to get away from it all and I could certainly understand Gabriel's penchant for doing that occasionally. Whenever life had a strange twist to it, I supposed. Over the course of Gabriel's life there had certainly been rather a lot of twists and turns, and the majority of them weren't particularly pleasant.

I wondered then about Charlie. Who was he? And how did he have such a posh British accent? It was bizarre. As far as I knew, wild mountain goats didn't exist in the UK and for creatures that were capable of changing from animal to human, they must have been born into it. Like I was, it was in my genes. There was something about Charlie that was a little odd. Why had he changed the subject about his injury? And why had he been watching us for a while before coming down to greet us? After giving it even more thought, I decided that even though Gabriel seemed to, I wasn't so sure that I trusted him.

On that thought, I decided to walk back round to make sure everything was okay. Plus, darkness had fallen and I didn't want Gabriel to worry unnecessarily about my whereabouts. I also knew that he would be preparing some food before we called it a night.

Sure enough, as I wandered carefully over the rough terrain back to the camp, I could smell the food. I just hoped that the local bears couldn't smell the food too though. But Gabriel knew what he was doing.

He had cooked something delicious over the fire and was just dishing it up as I returned.