Rell and The Rose

Ch. 45, The Halloween Dance

Bastien

My lips could still remember the taste of Rell, my hands the feel of the curve of her waist pressed against mine. Has she only kissed me as a way to say goodbye?

We both tore through the forest, leaving the trail far behind as we followed the sound of the scream. Thorns and briars ripped at my clothing, and I watched as Rell struggled to make headway. I stopped for a moment, searching for that deep, thick pulse that I sometimes felt in the forest.

Normally I fought it, but today it swept over me, overwhelming and powerful.

My breath came easy and I turned to the left, the moon suddenly lighting a small path I hadn't seen until now.

"Rell, this way, I found a path!" I felt the pulse of the magic again, stronger this time, and looked to the horizon. There, just over the treetops, I could see it.

The Blood Moon. Not quite yet full.

One more night still.

One more night to change everything. . . Or to say good-bye forever.

I pushed myself faster, and finally burst out into a clearing, where Cat and Lorcan both stood. I could hear Rell just behind me.

"What happened? Did you see The Beast?" I spun in place. The clearing was quiet. I turned to Cat, whose eyes were huge, and her tights were ripped in places, a bit of blood streaming down her leg. Rell burst out of the trees behind us. Lorcan held his sword aloft, a bit of black blood staining the blade.

"Not the beast, just a gargoyle...." Lorcan said. He pointed to a creature half concealed in the bushes, smoke already dissipating up into the sky as it disappeared. "More creatures are beginning to come through, the Realms must be fully open. We should get to the dance."

I nodded, and turned back to Rell, resisting the urge to ask her if she were okay. Unlike Cat, who trembled, Rell had drawn the dagger at her waist and strode around the clearing.

I hesitated, wondering if I should comfort Cat, but someone beat me to it.

"Are you alright Cat?" Lorcan asked, his voice gentle.

Cat turned to him, and then suddenly reached up and planted a kiss full on his lips. Rell turned and our eyes met, both of us fighting down a smile at Lorcan's shocked expression.

"Well, umm, Rell and I are going to scout out the path back to the car," I tried to keep the laughter from my voice as Rell and I turned and started down the path back to the car. Behind us Cat and Lorcan exchanged soft words, but neither Rell and I turned or stopped to see.

Rell let out a low giggle that I'd never heard her make. "Did you see his face?"

"He looked like he swallowed a frog," I paused, and then, before I could stop myself, and because I'd seen the way Lorcan looked at Rell sometimes, I blurted out, "Were you and Lorcan ever together?"

Rell looked up at me in surprise, but I noticed that she didn't immediately deny it. Something churned in my stomach. Jealousy? It felt like an eternity of our footsteps on the forest floor before she spoke again.
"Not in the way you're asking. We've been friends for as long as I can remember. I was an orphan in the castle, but he always made sure I got fed and had a place to sleep. Then when we got older..." Rell paused again, looking up as a bird flushed from the woods and flew into the sky. "... he wanted more, and I didn't."

Now she looked over at me, something almost devious in her eyes. "We were never together like you and Cat were."

It was my turn to blush and stumble over my words. "Cat and I were never right for eachother."