Bloodbound [Alpha-series (II)]

Chapter 18

At the park, we were joined by Edith, one of three shamans in Henry’s service. He had at least one of them in close reach at all times in case of an emergency. The shaman exchanged a curt greeting with me, then she silently fell in step behind us. Today, Edith had put on the appearance of a middle aged, elegant business lady, her long black hair pinned up in a tight bun and the knee-length crème colored coat she wore perfectly complementing her unblemished, caramel skin. I doubted that this was her true appearance, however. To protect their identities, shamans permanently spelled themselves to look like someone else. Maybe that was the reason I didn’t quite knew what to make of their kind. That they were spread all over the supernatural world and primarily chose to serve the most powerful didn’t make them any more likeable in my eyes – not to forget the bloody role they had played in the war of the species which had gained them that outsider role in the first place.

We stopped at a huge elm tree that was the eyecatcher of a grassed area many people used as a place to wind down and read a book or play with their kids. With its leaves dipped in bright red and yellow by the kiss of autumn, it made for a truly stunning view. A worthy host for a nymph.

Edith put a hand on the massive trunk of the tree and closed her eyes, but what might have looked like someone paying respect to mother nature to a human’s eye was actually a shaman casting a spell – a cloaking spell, to be more precise. I couldn’t help the shiver that ran down my spine as the powerful magic started to take effect and a wall of faintest blue and purple formed in a wide circle around us, as if we were engulfed in a gigantic soap bubble. This shield would prevent humans from getting close to the tree for the time being while also veiling our presence. To a human, we were invisible as of now. When she was done, Edith positioned herself beside the tree, hands gracefully folded in front of her.

A tingling, somewhat childlike laughter colliding with the soft rustling of leaves sounded from the foliage above us, followed by an incandescent glow that shone through the golden leaves. As if she weighed less than a feather, the nymph descended from the tree with an ethereal gracefulness that was beyond words, veiled by her long, silver hair that wafted around her in a wild cascade of untamed strands. Her fair, feminine curves were hidden behind a cloud of finest white fabric that remotely resembled a dress. She seated herself on one of the lowest branches closest to us, her big eyes that held the same gold as the leaves intently focused on Henry.

“This humble son of the night is honored to be granted an audience with this esteemed daughter of mother earth as a representative of her kin”, he greeted the nymph perfectly conform to etiquette.

The nymph giggled, the sound resembling the serene chime of bells. She took her time to reply, just slightly bend her head to the side as if contemplating something and absentmindedly ran her delicate pale fingers through her silken mane of hair.

“Flawlessly standing on ceremony … Always so flawless … So flawless”, the nymph sang, her voice a thousand sweet whispers wrapped into one, her features an image of contentedness. “Magnus chose wisely.”

Magnus is my predecessor, Henry explained.

Didn’t he die hundreds of years ago?, I asked confused.

Nymphs have a different sense of time than the rest of us because they share a collective memory. Centuries or days … To them, it’s all the same.

The nymph paused to organize her thoughts while continuing to placidly comb her hair with her hands.

“Tell us of your desire, son of the night.”