Rory

They traveled aimlessly until exhausted and made camp for the night behind a small patch of trees. The witches settled in around a fire while Byron kept his distance, scanning the area for potential threats. Rory sat with her back against a fallen tree limb and watched amused as Billie unwittingly annoyed Sven.

“Mr. Sven, do you think Nadine hears carrots screaming when she eats them?”

“Dunno,” Sven said, taking a drink from his flask.

“Mr. Sven, what was the world like where you came from?”

“Don’t remember other than it was cold ‘n gray.” He took another drink.

“You’re funny, Mr. Sven. I like you.”

“Brilliant.”

Billie stared thoughtfully into the fire for a moment. “You think, well, you think with all of us having powers and all, and how we’re all teamed up, that we should come up with a name for our group. Maybe even costumes? You know, like superheroes.”

“No.”

“But, why not? I mean, I can heal from anything and Nadine is like a plant witch and then Doc can heal everybody. And Rory with her power of persuasion is super cool. Get it? Super cool. And you can do things too that I don’t completely understand. But because you look so cool, it has to be cool. Can Byron be part of our super team too?”

“Here,” Sven said, forcing the flask into Billie’s hands. “Drink up.”

“But I’m not thirsty.”

“Anyone ever tell you to relax?”

“Oh yeah. Sure they do. My mom used to tell me to relax all the time. My Grandma said it a lot, too. All the kids at school and the teachers. Vic always told me to relax, but sometimes he hurt me real bad. Byron said he shouldn’t do that and saved the day. That’s why I think he should be part of our superhero team. Even if he isn’t a witch.”

“Byron ever had a nip off ya?”

“Sven.” Doc’s tone had a hint of warning. “I don’t like where this is headed. Let’s take a walk, just you and me.”

“Don’t go. Look, I know people think I’m some kind of blood cow. And, yeah, that’s how some vampires treated me. Most of them. But not Byron. Never him. He was my friend. Always. He never took more than he needed, and he would sit with me and actually see me. Besides, I love the feeling. It tickles my neck and-”

Sven held up his hands and said, “Gonna stop ya right there, mate. Too much. I’m not one to kink shame. We all got our things. Just, you know, keep some bits to yourself.”

Doc settled back down into place. “Glad that’s taken care of. Are we good now? Can we sleep?”

“Sounds good to me,” Nadine said. “The trees will be our sentries. They’ve agreed to make sure we’re safe. They’re more sensitive to danger than any of us after all.”

The party said their goodnights and everyone slumbered—except Rory. It was impossible to sleep knowing he—Byron—was close.

She rolled over for the nth time and saw him looking out over the camp, her heart skipped a beat. Was it fear or… Well, she knew better. If she took the time to think about things, maybe she’d understand. She pushed introspection aside and waved him over.

A few feet away, he jumped at a loud snore from Sven and she shook with a laughter so intense; she had to cover her mouth to keep quiet. With a smirk, Byron held out a hand to help her up.

Alarm bells went off in her head and she couldn’t repress a flinch, but her hand took it, anyway. What the hell are you doing, Rory?

His lips close to her ear, he said, “Come with me.”

Rory opened her mouth to speak, and he shook his head. With a finger, he pointed to Doc’s sleeping figure, rustling in the spot where he lay.

A good way out, where they’d be safe from waking the party, she asked, “Don’t vampires sleep?”

“We do. Sometimes to mend ourselves. Other times for pleasure. What about you? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“If only.” She let out a small, disheartened laugh. “Much as I’d like to, it’d be virtually impossible right now. A lot of stuff’s happened, and not just tonight.”

Byron gazed deeply into her eyes and nodded. “Really appreciated your help with Billie earlier. Wanted to thank you again.”

“It was my pleasure. If this place has taught me anything, it’s that we’re all in this together.” She held up her arm and flexed. “Besides, I felt kind of badass.”

He laughed. “Hey, Nadine did most of the heavy lifting. But then, you weren’t so bad yourself.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess?” she said and swatted playfully at his shoulder.

“Seriously, I do appreciate it. Billie’s an interesting guy—to say the least. I used to be annoyed with him, but he kind of grew on me, I guess.” He stopped and looked down at his feet. “Sometimes you don’t know how hard another person has it, until they share their struggles with you.”

“It’s sweet that you’ve looked after him the way you do. He looks up to you like a big brother. You know?”

“Yeah. I must admit, I needed his help more than he needed mine. He’s a good brother to me too.”

An icy chill ran down her spine when she thought about what he meant by ‘needed.’ She took a sharp breath and looked away. They walked in silence for a time.

“Hey, I found an old, abandoned farmhouse down a little ways. You want to explore it with me?”

On one hand, Rory felt unsettled being accompanied by a vampire, while on the other she’d caught herself smiling several times already. She bit her lip and glanced toward camp. Ultimately, she said, “We could walk around it, I guess. Would it really be safe to go inside?”

A flash of understanding entered Byron’s eyes and he frowned. “We can go back if you’re frightened of me.”

Her face flushed red, and she looked up in the sky. “I’d be stupid not to be scared—a little. But don’t forget I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, don’t think I’ve forgotten.” He chuckled. “Left me feeling like a puppet on a string, last time.”

“Are you going to pick me up and take me there or am I going to have to walk?”

“Well, I don’t know. That depends.”

“On?”

“Do you have Maggie’s crutch?”

She laughed merrily despite herself. “In my defense, I really appreciated her help. As far as I’m concerned, she’s Saint Maggie of the Blue.”

“Yeah, never heard of a Blueskin doing much of anything other than exploding stuff.” He stopped and pointed in front of them. “There, just behind those pines. The farmhouse.”

Rory gasped as they approached. While it wasn’t pristine, the structure was solid and most of the original siding remained. Sure, a few beige and dark brown strips mismatched the otherwise predominantly green exterior, and a few sticks cluttered the rooftop. But it was homey.

Byron absently pulled a weed from the front garden and said, “I get the feeling someone must’ve been keeping the place up for quite some time after everything went down. Wonder what happened to them?”

“Why do you think they left?”

“Blueskins?” He looked around them in all directions and a foolish grin stretched across his face. “I know you said you didn’t want to, but I’m going in. I have to know what’s inside.”

She crossed her arms and planted her feet. “All right, you do that.”

At the front door, Byron knocked loudly. He paused there for a few minutes before letting himself in with little effort. Rory heard a few small crashes and bangs from inside the house. And then... music. Tinny and a little off pitch, but music nonetheless. A light flickered on and shown through the front window. It must have been an oil lamp based on its amber hue.

The song that played skipped to the mellow sound of an old swing tune. A reflection of Byron dancing with a figure cast on a mirror in the front room. But who? Curious, she moved in closer and found him dancing with a dress form in a floral shift. He hummed to it tenderly as his limber legs moved with exquisite grace to the sound. Her cheeks ached, and she heard herself laugh.

He caught her watching and said, “If you’d like to cut in, I’m sure my partner won’t mind,” as he pointed to the absence of a head on the mannequin.

“I’ll try, but I have to warn you, I’m a bit of a klutz.”

“Ah, that’s what everybody says. Come on.” He waved her into position and took her arms in his.

“Where’s the music coming from?”

“An old mp3 player and a wind-up generator to power it. Lucky find.”

At first, the song had a slow cadence, and she kept up, but then, well, she proved how clumsy she could be a few too many times by stepping on his toes. “Sorry.”

His shoes scuffled under her feet and he said, “If you’re going to keep stepping on them, why don’t you just leave them there, huh?”

They danced this way for hours, but it felt like minutes. His skill as a dancer was impeccable and magnified her own artlessness. As a result, she couldn’t help but over-apologize.

He shook his head emphatically each time. “After how many years I’ve been doing this same dance, I should be even better. Stick with me and you’ll catch on. There’s nothing to it. Just time.” Under the intensity of his cool blue eyes, she melted.

When their arms parted, he left her breathless. She wondered if he noticed how hard her heart beat in her chest. A part of her ached to throw herself into him.

“Are you all right, Rory? You look flushed.” He moved closer and brushed her cheek.

“I-”

Before she could reply, his lips fell on hers. Greedily, she pulled him closer and felt the whole of his body against her. The light brightened and then went black. Needy hands swarmed from one place to another. Byron pushed his mouth down to her neck and… “STOP,” she said, using the full of her power.

Time itself seemed to stop as he stood motionless, almost frozen in a block of ice.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to use my powers on you again. I never meant for this to get so out of hand. I just can’t be with anyone who eats people.” She backpedaled with each word until an errant box caught the back of her heel and she plummeted to the floor.

Still immobile, but, at least, able to speak, Byron asked, “Are you okay? I’d help you, but I’m unable to move.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just proving how klutzy I am again.” Her knees shook as she stood. “How am I going to unfreeze you now? I said ‘stop,’ now what, go? Er, GO.”

He sighed. “Still nothing.”

Rory tried every combination of words she could think of—even tried to say the words with as much feeling as she could muster. Alas, nothing worked better than letting time pass.

When he finally got moving, she pressed her hand into his and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I’m so sorry about that. Can we forget tonight ever happened?”

He grunted. “Sure. Let’s get going.”

* * *

Back at camp, Rory slept briefly before being roused by Nadine. They breakfasted on sweet griddle cakes and fresh blueberries. An egg would have made it perfection, but according to the others chickens were extinct. As the meal wrapped up, Doc called everyone together for a meeting, including Byron.

“Before we left Alma, we didn’t talk about where we’d go. Hell, we didn’t have time,” he said as everyone settled into a circle. “On top of that, we’ve added a couple new members to our group—Byron and Billie—and our supply situation has changed. So, I need ideas on what next?”

Byron stood up and paced around. “I don’t know if you can really consider me a member of your group. I appreciate everyone’s help with Billie, but I’m not one of you.”

“But I’m one of them, kinda,” Billie said. His blue eyes seemed to gray.

“Okay, but that’s you,” Byron said. “Look, a messenger from someone called Mara told me we were to head to the western strait. I don’t know if that’s the right call, but it’s a direction.”

Doc scratched at the side of his face. “Never heard of this, uh, Mara. Have you Nadine?”

“I’ve heard rumors from the refugee camps. Basically, she’s kind of an angel or a demon—depending on who you ask.” Nadine threw up her hands. “She might even be a nice old lady who became more by legend for all I know. There’s something to it though.”

“Wait, wait, we’re not going to fuck off to who knows where on the vampire’s whim, eh?” Sven said.

“Then where do you want to go?” Doc asked.

“Why the hell ain’t we goin’ after Holga and Lena? We saved that one after all.” Sven pointed at Billie, who glowed, happy to be noticed. “After that—dunno. But you can be damn sure I’m not gonna follow that vampire anywhere.”

Doc growled in irritation. “Like usual, Sven, you’ve managed to be unhelpful when I don’t need you to be. Thanks.” Quietly, he said, “You already did follow the vampire somewhere.”

Things got a little heated from there, so Rory tuned out. She stared into the sky, wishing she could sleep. But there was little chance of that with the boys arguing. A small voice in her head, the one that told her to do all the things she shouldn’t, tempted her to end the argument by using her power. Somehow, she knew better than that. Using her ability to solve trifles would lead to something… Something she didn’t even want to think about.

Dark clouds shaped like a pair of skulls leered at her above. The heads parted and a large bird flew from in between. It landed with grace next to the circle and pulled at Sven’s pant leg.

“Oi, fuck off,” he said. As he was about to kick at the bird, both Doc and Byron pushed him away.

“Don’t hurt her. That’s the watcher bird from Alma,” Doc said.

“No, that’s the messenger I was telling you about. The black heron,” Byron said, excitedly pointing his finger at it.

“Yeah, well, your messenger just flew from behind two skulls,” Rory said and she shook her head.

Nadine’s eyes grew wide. “Say that again?”

“In the sky, there were two clouds shaped like skulls. As they parted, the bird flew from them.”

“Skulls represent death, but in an omen death isn’t always a bad thing. It can represent rebirth or a new beginning,” Nadine said.

“Besides, how often does anyone see birds,” Byron said. “Not that she’s just a bird. Think she might be a shifter. Aren’t you?” he asked their visitor.

If the heron heard him it didn’t seem too interested. Instead, it simply hopped from one piece of ground to another, staring at each member of the group through its dark, unreadable eye before letting out a terrifying rasp and plodding forward.

“She wants us to follow her,” Nadine said.

“How do you know for certain?” Doc asked.

With a sharp breath, Rory huffed. “Does it matter? It’s better than watching you three posturing for position. What would it hurt to see where it goes?”

“I don’t like it.” Sven snuffed.

“So, what? Do you really think we stand a chance against all the Blueskins between us and our friends? If they’re even…” Doc broke off.

“Oh, fuck off with that. Just say it. You think they’re dead.” Sven pulled his flask from his pocket and took a hard slug.

The knuckles on Doc’s fists popped loudly and he said in a snarl, “We’re following the bird.”