"Rena!? You're back?"
The gobsmacked night watchman lifted his torch, illuminating Rena's pale face as she pulled back her fur lined hood. Arranged in two lines, her team of canines panted out puffs of vapour. Standing huddled behind her were the two sisters, and Cyrus was rummaging through a bag on the sled.
"Who are these people?"
"Linda and Lily Day, from Goldilocks. I request you allow them admission. I will stay outside the fence until a representative can come see me."
"And him?" The watchman asked, lifting his lantern and pointing to Cyrus, who paused in his search to wave.
"He stays with me."
"I do?"
"He does," Rena firmly affirmed.
"Where do we go?" Linda asked as she stepped towards Rena.
"Look for Peter Fisher and tell him you were sent by me," Rena instructed. She stood back, reaching out a hand to pat Hokum on the head, who whined at her side. Cyrus sighed noisily, followed by the soft thud of leather smacking leather. Hokum began growling, which led to the rest raising their hackles and baring their teeth. Rena looked over her shoulder. Briskly, Cyrus, who had drawn closer, stepped back, hands up. "Good girl," Rena whispered with a fond smile.
The watchman cleared his throat. "There is a public house called the Relay with two porch lamps out front. I'm sure the Fishers are probably in bed, so no need to bother them," he explained, tilting his head and thumbing behind him as he kept his eyes trained on Rena and her pack. Lily and Linda each grabbed a back from the shed and then shuffled through the gate.
"So does this mean we actually get the tent instead of burying ourselves in the snow?" Cyrus inquired, eyeing the tense hounds as Rena knelt down and unhitched them. As if on cue, they all sat and stared at Cyrus, their eyes reflecting the moonlight. He took another step back as the odd malamute in the group, Kerfuffle, licked her chops.
"If you want to set up the tent, be my guest. I'm going to my dugout. It should still be mostly intact."
"Yes...?" The door was opened only a crack, and the voice of an elderly woman could be heard on the other side. Linda held her arm across Lily's back protectively. Lily kept her eyes averted, allowing Linda to handle introductions.
"We was told to find Peter Fisher. He here?"
"He is..." the woman responded, her voice trailing off in uncertainty. Creases formed in all the worry spots on her face before she ducked behind the door. After a brief period, she opened the door a little wider, revealing a wiry woman with grey hair bundled into a tight bun. "I'll send him out."
The door was then shut. Linda looked over at her sister, who remained sullen and anxious. "Hang in there." Lily made no response.
The door opened once again, and the sisters looked up at the man who was pulling on a fur-lined cloak as he stepped out. There were bumps and small nicks on his face from a clumsy attempt at shaving, making the bottom half of his face appear redder than the rest. "I'm Peter. What can I do for you?" His spaced apart, hazel eyes squinted as he took a moment to try and gain any clues from their appearances.
"Rena sent us."
At the mention of Rena, Peter's curved eyebrows shot straight up. "Is she alright?"
"Yeah. She's here. Oh. Not HERE, here. She's outside the town, somewhere." Linda stepped forward, releasing her comforting hold on Lily, and she brought her gloved hands up in front of her. "I'm Linda Day, and that's my sister, Lily. We're from Goldilocks." As Peter continued to squint at the duo, Lily grew ever more anxious. Why did Rena send them to him? She'd hoped just by hearing Rena's name, he'd just know what to do or say, but he seemed as lost as she felt.
"Linda and Lily," Peter repeated after a moment. "Why did Rena send you to me?"
"She dint say. She's trying to help us, but she can't come in town," Linda explained. Lily caught Peter's eye as he was examining her, and she looked away. Instinctively, she pulled her hood closer about her face.
"Does that mean Rena killed the abomination?"
There was a pause. "The what?" Lily glanced up at her sister, who spoke. "Oh you mean the vamp? No, no... I mean yes. I mean, I dunno..." her sister continued to flounder. Then she looked up with a fierce expression, voice growing defensive. "Don't ask me!"
Rena had told them to say as little as possible about the situation, and allow her to do the talking once she could come in. But she was not with them yet. With a longing glance towards the gate they'd arrived from, Lily began to wonder if it wouldn't have been better to camp outside until Rena could have an audience with the Chief.
"Daddy, who are you talking to?" peeped a delicate voice. A young girl learned out of the doorway, her golden pigtails hanging like a pair of woven ropes. Her large eyes peered curiously at the sisters.
"Go back inside, honey," Peter hurriedly said, gesturing at her. Her dumpling face issued a pout, but after catching her father's eye and gesturing her protest, she quickly disappeared, shutting the door. Lily stared at the door where the girl had been.
"You have... children?" Lily asked in her timid, trembling voice.
"Yes."
Lily's mouth felt dry. Suddenly, it didn't seem a good idea to be there. "We should go. Sorry to have bothered you," she said, grabbing at her sister's arm and turning to leave.
"Wait!" Peter said, stepping out and taking hold of Linda's other arm. The hapless Day woman was caught between two people as much as caught between two directives. Go with her sister, or follow Rena's advice.
"Let go!" Linda commanded.
"Your sister... is she..." Peter looked at Lily' whose face grew pale and bloodshot eyes grew wider. She quickly looked away, hiding her face from the man.
Lily let go of Linda and turned to flee.
"No, don't run - I won't hurt you!"
Lily had only taken a few steps, but she paused. Could she trust a stranger with her secret? She shivered as she paused in the snowy avenue outside the man's house. Linda stood between Peter and her sister. "Is she what?"
"I'm sorry." Peter released Linda's arm. She took a step back, regarding him warily. He brought a hand up to his mouth, looking at the two women a moment before lowering it again. "Is she infected?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"She won't hurt nobody!" Linda insisted. Lily stood behind her, placing an arm on her sister's shoulder.
"I believe you. Though this is the first time I've seen someone newly infected." Lily felt his probing eyes and sudden interest very disconcerting. She wondered if that was how caged birds felt as humans stood outside, just staring at them. Not that anyone could afford to keep pet birds anymore. Still, he did not seem horrified.
"Well there ain't much to see," Linda continued to block Lily from Peter's view, stalwart and belligerent in her tone.
"It's okay, Linda," Lily squeaked. She looked Peter over as if with a new set of eyes.
"I'd invite you in... and please don't take this wrong, but my children are very curious and I just don't want-"
"It's fine," Lily cut him off quickly, although she was feeling the sting of the slight. No father would want a monster like her near their children.
"Well, let's go back to the Relay, then," Linda suggested after a sigh.
Three steaming cups of tea were placed down on a table. With her hood still up, Lily placed her gloved hands on the cup, barely able to feel its warmth. Linda took off her gloves. Peter, who sat across from her and her sister, rubbed his raw chin, then winced when he bumped a patch of razor burn.
"To clarify, she has been bitten by a vamp?" Peter asked in a hushed voice. Linda looked around at the mostly vacant common room of the Relay. Clearly the lodge was just a two story house, but at least it was a fully wood panelled house and not one of the sod huts most people seemed to live in.
"Yes." Lily said, her voice nearly drowned out from the crackling of a nearby fire.
"Why did Rena bring you here with her?"
"Well... as we said, Lily got bit. That Cyrus creep-"
"Wait, Cyrus?" Peter's alarmed tone did not sit well with Linda. "Cyrus is here?"
"You know him?"
"Not personally, no. But I've heard stories." Peter tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze going distant for a while, eyebrows furrowed. He then sighed and relaxed his brow. "Nevermind, continue."
Linda cleared her throat. "He killed the vamp 'n said he could save her. Lying piece of yak squelch! But Rena says maybe there's a way. So we're followin' Rena while she tries to figger somethin' out."
Peter sipped his herbal tea as he listened, expression unreadable. "Hmmm... she thinks there might be a cure? First I've heard of it." He set down his mug and leaned back, lacing his fingers together. "Best we keep Lily's secret to just us for now. One third of the town would turn her out, one third would want her killed, and one third would want to study her." He rubbed the back of his neck, and Lily wondered which of the categories his family would fall into.
"Why ain't you scared of her?" Linda asked. Lily returned her gaze to the fire, trying to mask her interest in his response.
"I'm an optimist. I believe that our humanity is something worth fighting for." Lily stole a glance back at him, then turned back to the robust fire.
"I don't want to be a monster..." Lily said softly, still trying to reconcile with the reality of her fate.
"I don't think most people do. But sometimes our fear of monsters can make monsters of us all." Lily could feel the vibrating in her feet as Peter scooted his chair noisily closer to the table. "I've heard of people with albinism or vitiligo being hunted. Anyone who even just has very pale skin and hair, or no hair at all. Anything that reminds them of the abominations."
"I don't know what all them things are, albism or vertigo or..."
"Albinism and vitiligo," Peter corrected. Linda scrunched up her face but kept whatever sharp remark she had back. "They're... uh... well sometimes people are just born or get damaged in a way their skin can't make the darker colours, so they look white . But they are unrelated to the white plague," Peter explained. Lily and Linda looked at him as if he were speaking another language, but owing to a distinct lack of curiosity about these skin issues, both just shrugged and moved the conversation along.
"Do you think Rena can help me?" Lily asked, giving Peter her full attention once more.
"I'm not sure. Rena can fight abominations, and she can heal wounds, but I don't know if she can heal you," Peter frowned, tapping the side of his mug.
"She won't say what she got in mind, but made it sound risky, and maybe, just as bad as being a vamp. Can't think what'd be as bad as a vamp, though," Linda muttered darkly.
"Did she? I wonder if she's thinking of turning Lily into a vampire," Peter mused out loud. Vampire. Lily looked at Linda, complicated feelings stirring in her. Could she live with her sister as a blood drinker, even knowing she may hurt her? Disgust her? She then looked down at her tea which remained untouched.
"I'd rather be anything but one of them things," Lily said quietly. Linda placed an arm on her shoulder. "I want to live."
"At what cost?" Linda asked. Lily tightened her grip on her cup as her pink lips grew taut.
"Any cost... any cost but you, sis."
"Well, let's not jump to any conclusions just yet. But first Rena needs to resolve matters here in Fisham." He narrowed his eyes, briefly widened them, then snapped them shut. His knotted hand rubbed the back of the other, a scratchy sound from the dry skin was unusually irritating to Lily. She curled her lips and looked away.
"And if she can't?" Linda asked.
"Don't worry about that. Either way, I can offer some help, but at the first sign of danger, I'm afraid I must do what any father would do to make the world safer for his children," Peter said grimly. Lily swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She wanted people to be kinder, to drop everything and help her. But he was a father. She looked at his grave countenance then away. He had his own family to protect. And she might be a threat to them. Although the idea of harming a child sickened her, she wondered if she would even be able to tell a child from an adult when the change happened.
"Gotcha," Linda responded. Lily looked at her loyal sister. If Linda were willing to do all of this for her, certainly Peter, as a father, would do much the same, or more for his children. "So whadda we do til sundown?"
"That's easy. There's always plenty of work to be done around here."
Lily felt as though she might wilt. However, to her surprise, the promise of work didn't seem so bad for once.
"How long are they going to go at it?" Cyrus griped plaintively. He slumped against the stone bench he sat upon, arms crossed and pointed chin thrust out. "And why wasn't I included? I killed the vamp; that's got to be worth something."
A long suffering guard said nothing as he stood outside the town hall, leaning heavily on a spear he had wedged into a nearby snowbank. The Day sisters sat on a second bench, positioned on the left side of the double doors leading into the hall. Linda rolled her eyes and stared at the night sky instead of that man's scruffy face. Lily's soft breaths were rhythmic and soothing as dozed beside her. "You're as bad as them Hawk boys. Think killin' gives you rights to anyone you please."
Cyrus leaned forward, looking around the drooping guard at her. "You know, I think it might be good if you and I cleared the air."
"Dun see the point," Linda grumbled as she placed an arm protectively around Lily's shoulders. Her sister mumbled and nuzzled further into her shoulder.
"I do. I'm not going anywhere, and you're following Rena like a couple lost puppies..." Cyrus paused, glancing at Kerfuffle who yawned just then. She swept her tail side to side, leaving a mark in the snow. Surely, the dog couldn't understand a word he was saying. All the same, Linda stared at the mutt suspiciously as the trampy vampire continued talking. "So we'll have to put up with each other."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Still dun see the point. Plenty o' folk I dun like back home, but I still work with 'em," Linda responded bluntly.
"Ah. Well then. You can't say I didn't try. Please, resume your man-hating ways," Cyrus said, leaning back again.
Linda did not dignify Cyrus with a response, instead tightening her hold of Lily. This caused her sister to stir, lifting her head momentarily and looking around. After a large yawn and a few lip smacks, she asked, "They still talkin'?"
"Oh, don't get him started again," grumbled the guard.
"Excuse you!" Cyrus chided. "I'm sure my constant complaining helps keep you awake. I'm doing you a favour!"
The guard sagged his shoulders and sighed.
"Linda, let's go. We ain't gonna make things go faster sittin' in the cold," her sister said, pawing at her like a cat mooching for scraps.
"Yeah. Good idea." Linda rose, sliding Cyrus an unholy stink eye. The guard joined in this gesture. Lily seemed completely oblivious as she stood up and stretched, a series of cricks and cracks heard even from her young bones.
"Would ya like to come wait with us, Cyrus?" Lily asked.
"What? Now hold on!" Linda objected. Cyrus raised his eyebrows at the invitation, looking between the two sisters.
"What? It's cold out here."
Linda was beside herself with incredulity. "You forgotten what he did? How he treated you?"
"No. But we got bigger problems. And if he and Rena can help me, then I ain't regretting anything." Linda jawed at her sister in disbelief, having never heard her use such a firm tone before. More disconcerting was seeing Lily's cheeks bloom like roses as she glanced meaningfully at Cyrus. He let out a low whistle and grinned briefly before trying to look disinterested.
Linda gestured to Cyrus with broad, frantic swings of her arm. "He can't be trusted!"
"Maybe. But wun it be nicer if we tried gettin' along? Not like we're gonna... you know... again."
"I really shouldn't be hearing this," the guard objected.
"Jjust sit back and enjoy the show," Cyrus suggested to the guard ever so helpfully. The guard let out a beleaguered sigh, and began pacing, wandering further and further away each time he switched directions.
"Lily, we're not talkin' about this," Linda exclaimed, her own face growing red.
"Drop the chonk, Linda." Lily pounded her chest with her fist. "I'm the wronged one, me! And I'm forgivin' him. Why can't you?"
Linda's face only got redder, seeing her usually meek sister challenge her like this. She sputtered a few times, flailing an arm out while a cacophony of syllables escaped her mouth. Finally she turned to face Cyrus, about to blame him. She ended up staring at an empty bench.
"...Where'd he go?"
She grabbed Lily's hand, looking around as if expecting the vampire to pop out of the shadows. She had not forgotten the way Rena and him had chased them through the streets, intent on killing her sister.
Lily looked about as well, trembling. She called out to the guard, who had distanced himself by a length to get away from their bickering. "Um hey, did you see where he went?"
The guard paused and walked back, shaking his head. "No."
"Then where is he?"
Where was Cyrus indeed? While the sisters were bickering, and the guard was derelicting his duties, the rogueish vampire had slipped into the town hall antechamber. Fisham security really needed to step up their game as Cyrus bypassed them with ease. He walked up to the door which led to the meeting hall, placing his ear to the thick oak door. He wondered where they got oak in this forsaken flatland. He saw plenty of poplars and pines, but nothing so sturdy as an oak.
"...ensure a future for all of us." Cyrus could tell that was Rena's voice. She was always so concerned with the future.
"But those who chose not to be fed on were stigmatised, and it needs to stop." Cyrus identified that voice as belonging to the overly formal chief.
"That was never my intention! I never wanted anyone to feel they didn't have a choice," Rena insisted.
"It's not her fault that some of the previous generations pushed their children to make the oath," another masculine voice chimed in. Cyrus squinted, tilting his head.
"I'm not assigning blame. I'm stating the facts. The personal pacts are to end. Rena's oath should be to the town itself," Chief Fisher stated.
"And who am I to approach for blood?" Rena inquired. Certainly, a reasonable question which Cyrus had been wondering since they arrived. His stomach was empty and his mouth parched.
"We will provide you with blood as impersonally and anonymously as possible. That way no one can put themselves above others for being one of your chosen," the Chief said, distaste clear in his tone at the last word.
"I never chose them, they chose me," Rena clarified. Cyrus could tell she was losing her patience, but was trying hard to contain it. That was a tone she used with him often. It was gratifying to know he wasn't the only one.
"All the same, it will reduce squabbling and unite us. And when we introduce you to the Ward..."
"They what?" Cyrus blurted before he could stop himself, then covered his mouth.
"They can contribute as well, if they wish." The Chief made a sound as if he were going to continue speaking, then cut himself short. Cyrus listened carefully, slowing his own heart. Footsteps approached the door. Someone knew he was listening. Scramble? Or stay and play nonchalance? Of course, there was only one option. Cyrus pushed the doors open in a grand gesture and strolled inside, all ease and nonchalance.
"I'm sorry, what is this about introducing Rena to the Ward? And what is a ward?" Cyrus asked, aware all eyes were on him, and none of them were friendly.
"This is a private meeting between Fisham residents only," the Chief said severely.
"Fine. Try and remove me." He threw open his arms, inviting them to try their luck. His gaze fell on one otherwise unremarkable man. He recognised him from the not-so-welcoming committee. It was the way this man looked at him, however, that caught his attention. That and the sharp rise in blood pressure.
The Chief's face reddened as the lines in his craggy deepened disapprovingly. But neither men made a move to dislodge Cyrus. "Out of curiosity, how many of your clan are direct descendants of Monty Fisher?" he asked, a glint in his eye. Oh time to stir the pot!
Rena's face was pale. It was always pale. To say that it had gone pale would have been inaccurate, but Cyrus knew by the contraction of her pupils and the sudden change in heart rate that she would have gone pale, were she mortal.
"Both of us are," the Chief responded, showing the signs of guarded curiosity. The other man actually did look a shade paler.
The moment he smiled and opened his mouth, Rena grabbed Cyrus by the ear and dragged him out like a naughty boy. But then, he was a naughty boy. Amusing, but mildly painful. Rena's grip was like a snap turtle.
Once they were back outside, Rena gave Cyrus a forceful shove, causing him to skip a few paces, laughing. "Seriously though, they should know you're more to them than just a parasite!" he insisted. Rena lifted her chin and said nothing as she took a step back, and slammed the door on him. The guard then stepped in his path when he gathered himself up and approached. He could take the guard with both hands tied behind his back, but it wasn't in his interest to make enemies here. Although he could tell by the baleful look he was receiving from the shabby guard, he wasn't making friends either.
"Alright then - I bid you goodnight! You can tell the high-and-mighties that I retired to yonder lodge." Cyrus said to the guard, bowing with supercilious flourish and then turning and leaving. Problem was, he didn't know where the lodge was. Surely in a small town, it wouldn't be hard to find, though.
Cyrus took some time to wander through Fisham. There weren't many lanterns to help those out or a night stroll to find their way, but it was hardly a requirement for a child of darkness. To a vampire, most of the town was clear as day. A large tower, well, towered over the settlement, and the vampire could only guess it was an old radio tower. At its base seemed to be a retrofitted ranger's station, which suggested the Fisher clan had the audacity, or smarts, to settle in what used to be a municipal or provincial park. Bugger all if Cyrus knew why Irene would have settled in the prairies, though.
Cyrus paused in front of a wooden shed with logs stacked neatly beneath an overhang. Although the town was surrounded by an impressive bullseye of windbreaks and shade trees, he doubted the firewood was local. Gone were the days of just walking down to the closest petrol station and buying a pre-wrapped firelog. He sighed as he cast a glance about at the sod houses, interspersed with stone or wood frame buildings. The most impressive building, besides the radio tower, drew his attention and he found himself approaching.
Cyrus looked up at the two-storey feat of stonework. There was a red cross painted on the front, above two heavy doors. Light streamed out from windows guarded by wire meshes. The low wall around the building and its first storey seemed to be rough hewn stone, but the second storey appeared to have more carefully fitted bricks. He surmised that this building was more important to them than even their dinky town hall. Next to it was a mostly glass building - a solarium perhaps - but it didn't attract his attention as much. Unlike the stone building it was adjoined to, it smelled of earth - but this here, this hospital, it smelled of blood.
Cyrus's nostrils flared and his stomach churned. If he touched any of Irene's precious brood, he'd be in for a lecture. Not that he minded Irene's lectures. Hearing her ideas on morality and principles was always quaint, if misguided and impractical. But she kept trying to make them work in a world which had long rejected them. It was adorable.
He needed to get away from this building. The temptation was too strong. And other temptations quickly chorused with it. He just had to alienate the girl with that bog muffin remark. But maybe something could be salvaged.
As Cyrus passed a few more hovels, he finally saw a respectable looking house with a hastily crafted banner with the words, "Relay Lodge" painted on.
The vampire made his way in, looking around. The main room was cramped, with small tables scattered about and mismatched chairs attending them. A fireplace was at last present, warming the room with its jovial crackling. Behind a nearby table, a woman rose to her feet. "Welcome to the Relay. Here for a pint or a bed?"
Cyrus looked at the swarthy lady and her coarse, dark hair. "Bed, please. Also... did two young women come in earlier? I'm just making sure they made it back safely."
The hostess's thick eyebrows dug down into her brow as he stared at Cyrus a moment. She then mustered a smile. "Safely back, yes." She stooped more than nodded, perhaps due to a stiffness in her neck. "Come this way."
Upstairs, the woman showed him into a bedroom. It had three lumpy looking beds, likely with straw mattresses. Of course, what else would he expect in a land where its main export was grass? But it was better than a tent. Most importantly, the room was warm. He just tried to ignore the walking blood sacks in the adjoining room. Er. The young women. That's right. It was probably the sisters. Cyrus sighed as he laid down, placing his hands on his stomach and stared at the ceiling. The world just kept getting bleaker.
Footsteps outside piqued Cyrus's curiosity. He got up and went to his door. Pacing. Perfect. It could only be one of the two sisters, and the foot fall was too delicate to be that stomping oaf, Linda. He swung his door open and poked his head out into the hallway. "Trouble sleeping, dearie?"
Lily paused and spun around, her heart racing. Cyrus loved it when he had that effect on people. "Oh it's you..." she said, her hand to her chest. She had her cloak and parka off, and was just wearing a loose gown, the colour of undyed linen. It hung off her shoulder, being a bit too big for her, showing her well defined clavicle. "Where did you go?"
"I snuck into the town hall to eavesdrop, then got kicked out rather rudely," Cyrus responded unabashedly. Lily looked astounded. She adjusted the collar of her gown so that it lay on her properly.
"Oh... that's... well..." she meandered verbally. "Um... can we talk?"
Cyrus nodded his head, stepping aside and beckoned her. Lily gave an anxious glance to her room, then quickly slipped inside, looking over her shoulder as Cyrus closed the door behind her. She looked almost as if she might bolt at any moment. Indeed, she had the look of an alert prey animal, spooked by movement, and trying to determine if it were just wind in the tall grass, or a predator lying in wait.
Cyrus smirked and walked over bed and sat down, gesturing to the bed opposite him. She shook her head, eyes to the door, and remained standing. Cyrus lifted his eyebrows in what he intended to be an open and disarming expression, waiting for the talking to begin.
"So... as Rena said, you are a vampire." Cyrus nodded, waiting for Lily to go on. She played with her long sleeves and shifted her weight. "I know there's a big chance I ain't gonna live long. But in case Rena figgers something out... I gotta make sure, 'coz I dunno much about real vampires, as you'n Rena put it. I gotta know... um..." Cyrus held back the grin as her cheeks grew rosy. He could sense the anxiety stirring her blood into action. He was also aware of his hunger. What a bother. "...Can I, uh... can you... you can't have children, can you?"
Cyrus straightened up at the question. It'd been a long time since anyone even bothered to ask. He chuckled and shook his head, raising a hand when Lily looked offended at his levity. "Don't worry. I'm sterile."
"I never said you was dirty," Lily said, bemusement enmeshed with her irritation.
"What? I never sa... oh. No, I haven't been able to get women up the duff in hundreds of years. I can't spread sexual infections either," Cyrus explained, leaning back and placing his hands on the bed. He didn't blame her for asking, and was more than happy to set her straight on this matter. He even enjoyed seeing the transformative effect relief had on her as she exhaled and relaxed. Although he could still detect hints of tension hiding.
"Thank the stars!" Lily responded in a breathy voice. "Last thing I need is to get married off."
"Vre!" Cyrus held up his hands. "Who said anything about marriage?"
"Hm? Oh dun worry. I wun marry you." Lily smiled in a way that might have been sweet if it weren't for the subtle snark she wielded in her tone, which belied her usually docile nature. This earned a double-take from Cyrus, who squinted ever so slightly.
"That's a relief. But what does the one have to do with the other? Is marriage still a thing here? They did away with in several European countries."
Lily belatedly took a seat on the other bed. "It's a thing in Goldilocks. Women with children by law gotta be married. Dun matter if their spouse ain't the baby's father. Friend of mine from Perch says marriage dun work like that where he's from. He says children are the result of marriage, not the other way around. And couples kin have more'n one child each. I mean, who can afford that? I dunno how they keep hunting enough to feed all 'em if they don't put limits like we do. One child, one family."
Cyrus absorbed this information, rolling it around in his mind, seeing what sense he could rattle loose. Or what nonsense. He was a stalwart fan of nonsense. "So no one gets married until a woman's fallen pregnant? Why get married at all?" he asked as he lifted an eyebrow.
"Well, to raise the kid, o'course! Kids do better with two parents. I mean, those in the Warrens don't think so, but they're flint-nosed barkers. Miserable, all'em," Lily said, as if it were obvious that the Goldilocks way was correct, and ought to be perceived as such. Cyrus snorted softly at this.
"Wait, then how come you and Linda are sisters?"
"Oh. We don't got the same mother. Linda's died havin' her. So me ma's the only one she's known."
Cyrus scratched his nose. "Oh." He was still grappling with the absurd rules that governed Lily's home. "I think I'm going to regret asking but... what happens to women who have more than one child?"
"Oh..." Lily's eyes dropped. Cyrus placed his hands in his lap, trying not to grin at her discomfort. "She gets kicked out - once the child ain't suckin' from her no more. Unless someone else volunteers. We dun want overcrowding," Lily sniffed, lifting her chin.
"Goodness, no, wouldn't want that," Cyrus murmured, remembering fondly the crowded urban streets of an age gone by. How easy it was to sink into the shadows and work with complete anonymity, stepping into the spotlight only when it amused him. How his victims were rarely noticed and became mere statistics on a census somewhere. Those days were gone. It was time for shrewdness and stewardship. Another lurch deep in his gut reminded him he needed to feed.
"Everything alright, Cyrus?" Lily asked. Why is she asking? Did I wince? Did I drop my guard? Cyrus smiled, waving a hand at her.
"Fine. Fine. Just thirsty,"
"Oh. I can get you... oh..." Lily paused, then her eyes grew wide as she realised the situation she found herself in. Why did they always look as if he were going to pounce on them? Sure, sometimes he did, but that was beside the point.
"It's fine. Rena would have my guts for garters if I bit you. Well... unless you agreed to be bitten. I've already picked up your plague, so drinking tainted blood won't make a difference now," Cyrus said, waving it off as if it were inconsequential.
"You... what? You got it too?" Lily asked, voice jumping a pitch.
"It's in my system. Which means... I really can't safely bite anyone but you," Cyrus said, glancing off to the side. "And I will grow weaker and weaker... until something in me snaps. Then I'll be as dangerous as those abominations which attacked you. More dangerous. But... maybe I can hold it together a few more days if I really put my mind to it. Maybe then they'll have made a decision and someone can get me some blood." Cyrus sighed. "But knowing the speed of bureaucracy... who knows?" He gave a light shrug, then surreptitiously glanced at Lily to see if she was buying it.
Lily stood up. "I should go," she said, rushing to the door. Cyrus watched her, remaining where he was, conveying nonchalance. Should I try it? As he was deliberating, Lily paused and looked back at him. In that space their eyes met and it was all he needed. His ears filled with the sound of her heartbeat and he focused intensely on her, reaching out to her with his consciousness. He could feel her stall, and her heart rate slow down.
"What's the hurry?" Cyrus asked as he stood up. Lily remained where she was, docile and placid as her hand fell to her side.
"I... no hurry," she responded, her brown eyes growing dull as he kept them locked in his sights.
"I know you don't want anyone to get hurt." He could see her eyes watering, and she gave a small shake of her head without breaking eye contact.
"I don't. I dun want anyone hurt," Lily repeated in a soft whimper. Cyrus smiled and took a step towards her, gesturing for her to approach. As he moved closer, so did she. Soon, she was in his arms, drawn in by the pull he had.
"I know, glikia mou, I know," Cyrus cooed. He put a finger under her chin. Without him speaking the command, she turned her head aside, exposing her neck. His finger trailed down her jaw, down her exposed throat. He could see goose pimples forming on her.
"I'm already doomed. If it'll help others... then... drink..." Lily whispered. That was all Cyrus needed. No. He didn't need permission; he'd hunted plenty of times. But he needed Lily to believe she gave permission to keep things civil. Without hesitation, he sank his teeth into her neck, prepared to hold her still as she gasped and squirmed. He knew it hurt, but he didn't really care.
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