Bloodrush (Scarlet Star Trilogy #1)

Chapter 27 - A Letter from London

'That boy's a stubborn one, that's for sure. And yet he has the gall to call me stubborn in return. All because I wouldn't tell him more about Sift and the Hoard, and why any faeries would still be chasing me. Bloody hell. At least there's been no signs of more.'

5th June, 1867

'My father has told me that I am not to speak to you,' she curtly informed him as she walked. Her guards manhandled Merion along next to her.

Merion panted. The rush had faded quickly, along with his adrenaline, and all they left behind was a numbing ache from tip to toe. The lordsguards' grip was like iron. 

'Calidae,' he said, 'I can explain ...'

'And now I hear talk that you're a traitor to this town, Merion Hark,' she said, turning to pierce him with a frosty yet strangely curious gaze. 'A shaman of some sort.'

'Look,' Merion said, trying desperately to hold onto the confidence and defiance he had felt in the saloon. 'There is something I need to explain to you. It will make everything right, I promise you, but you have to listen. And I need to tell you and you alone,' he told her, forcing himself to meet her eyes. He shrugged in the guards' grip.

'My lady ...' the one on his left began to say.

Calidae had already made up her mind. 'I will hear him out,' she said, holding up a finger. 'You are to stay here.'

The guards looked nervous, but they did as they were instructed. Merion led Calidae down the street and out of earshot. They stood alone between the cart-ruts and drying blood, a little island of secrets amid the bustle and dread of the battle-scarred street. 

'This may sound very strange,' Merion began, catching his breath, 'or it might sound very familiar. I'm hoping it's the latter, and if it is then I want you to know that I understand and that I do not judge you, nor your family. And I can keep a secret too. Nobody will ever know.'

Calidae crossed her arms. 'Do you have something to tell me? Or are you just wasting my time? Because I'm hardly in the mood for riddles.'

Merion just let the words fall out of his mouth. He had not planned to tell her so much, but he could hardly bring himself to stop. 'Calidae, I know there was blood in the wine and brandy that you poured for me. I know what it does and why you drink it. I know because I do the same thing, only with other types of blood. I'm a rusher, Calidae, just like my father, and I don't care what my aunt says about lampreys, or whatever they call you, because I know that we can be ... friends.' he almost tripped at the end, catching himself before he said something more heartfelt.

Merion was left waiting for an answer for quite a while. He had played his hand, or opened a vein, he was not sure. He stared at her, watching for any flicker or glimmer of something good in her eye, so he could stop his heart thrumming and know that he had fixed it. All he wanted to do was fix it.

'Show me,' she said. It was barely an answer, but it was better than nothing.

Merion reached under his shirt and pulled out a third and final vial. He uncorked it and slipped a quarter of it into his mouth. He swallowed hard, making sure to show her that he could do it. If he was hoping to glimpse a reflection of his own pride in her expression, he was sorely disappointed. Calidae's face stayed frosty, and her arms stayed crossed.

'It takes a moment or two,' he whispered, straining.

'I've got all day,' she replied.

'Good.'