Rhiannon

- Darkness -

"James, my lover, stop staring at me, you're destroying my sleep," Rhiannon whispered lying in his arms, listening to the sound of his body. Blood running in his veins and arterias. Lungs filling and exhaling the air. Heart beating just for them.

"Talk to me, my Rhiannon, there is no use for sleep now. You haven't told me the story of you and Nathaniel yet."

"You really want to hear it? It's boring."

"That is why I want you to tell me, because I can't imagine you to agree to marry somebody like him."

"It wasn't him, who was visiting me in my house in Africa. It was William. He was the one who fell in love with me. But I couldn't marry him, no. So, the very first day, we entered his ship, I started to call him "father". And he felt so embarassed, that he changed the way he loved me and accepted me as his daughter. I moved to his house and the next day Anna Henrietta appeared in his house with Nathaniel by her side. She married William and forced Nathaniel to propose me. I said yes, because I wanted to get rid of her annoying everlasting piercing glare."

"You know, she is a witch."

"She is family," Rhiannon said and took a look at the sky. Sky full of stars shining just for them.

"She is not good people."

"Neither am I, my lover. I am murderess, witch, I am the Devil's mistress. Show me somebody with the darker aura than is mine."

His blue green eyes watched her, bright light coming from the moon that covered them, protected them.

It was few minutes after midnight, when Rhiannon felt abnormal wave of coldness surrounding her, entering every inch of her body, like a venom spreading through her veins. Uncommon power, that made her feel powerless. Ancient magic entered the Earth ready to destroy what have been begotten.

My daughter, what have you done? Take my hand, I will show you the truth.

"James, my lover, did you hear the voice speaking?" Rhiannon stood up, quit his embrace her only shelter.

In her mind she saw bright eyes, eyes gentle yet cold. Familiar yet strange.
Skin paler than light coming from the moon. Voice calling her name.

Rhiannon.
Run, run away before it is too late.
He will betray you.
Don't trust the Devil, my daughter.
He has been wandering in the darkness way too long, so long he made you to be blind.
He has hidden the stars for you, stars that could lead you from the nightmare. Take a look at the sky, my daughter, and ask yourself, why there is not a single star to shine for you.

"I didn't hear anything," he followed her, put his hands on her waist. He saw her lifting her head, she looked up and watched the sky asking him quietly:

"Why can't I see stars, my lover?"

"What do you mean? They are right there, my Rhiannon. Take a look once again," James whispered to Rhiannon's ear, but she turned to him and his heart stopped. Two eyes vacantly stared into his own. She was hollow. Like a vessel without a life, broken doll ready to be burnt.

"Why can't I see the stars, Mr. Delaney?" she asked coldly, something vicious inside her voice told him, that this night is not the ordinary one. This night might decide whether she stays or leaves him forever.

"Because love makes us vulnerable," she suddenly said, her head tilted to the side. He knew this, she always did this with her head, when she was reading in his mind. But now, it wasn't her or his voice inside her head, it wasn't his mind she was exploring. It was malicious voice, which tried to get inside her head.

He felt like he was loosing her. Because everytime he tried to even touch her, she took a step back. It was like chasing a ghost in the middle of the night.

"Take a look at the sky and tell me, what can you see?" He stopped hunting her and spoke to her in a calm low voice.

She looked up and quickly closed her eyes, he saw a tears sliding over her cheek, like diamond falling on the grass under her feet.

"Why did you hide stars from me?" Rhiannon screamed at him, her voice echoed through the dark wood that was surrounding them and only her voice made ground to shake.

He understood in that moment. He knew,why did they try to get her so badly. He saw the power in her eyes, even through the whole mountain of desperation and confusion.

Just like that, she vanished, like with a snap of fingers, she was gone. Only her scent and smell of lavender oinment was left behind.

"I won't give up on you, my love," James whispered. "I won't let them take you. You taught me well, you tought me everything and if they want to play dirty, I will show them the worst of me. The worst of us. I will wake you up, my dark Rhiannon, I will let arise your twisted mind, the dark side, the murderer, the proud angry sorceress. The one who missed ravens, the one who coldly, with a smile watched her husband being eaten alive."

He walked home and didn't mind taunting sights of his maids, he didn't mind mocking wicked laugh coming from their filthy mouths.

"Laugh, all you want, witches," he stopped and took off his hat and heavy coat. "Let's see, if you can laugh, when the blood will run wild from veins and arteries on your throat. Will you be laughing, when you'll choke on your own blood? The question is, who will make the first mistake, witches?" His fingers pointed from one woman to another, then he turned and left.

The silence took over the room, the house, their minds. Lethal stare coming from his eyes and words filled with death omens, made them feel to be everything but brave.

"Mother," Sarah whispered taking her mother's hand.

"Worry not, my child. It's just few threats coming from a mouth of a desperate greedy man. We are protected, he can't hurt us," Anna caressed her daughter's hair.

Well, I can't, witch, but I know somebody who can and be sure, that she will.

James came to the window in his bedroom and watched full moon and night sky filled with stars.

"It's all in the past," he said closing his eyes. "All in the past."