Darkness in Appalachia

The tea she’d had earlier was starting to wear off by the time they reached the house and Robyn was starting to feel a lot of pain. It was clear to her that she had overdone it and that she was going to pay the price before too much longer. She still had a few more things to do, feeding the dogs their evening meal, checking to make sure that the hog and unicorn had bedded down in the barn, cooking dinner and checking the computer to see if she had gotten any responses from earlier. She should also spend a little time searching some of the older journals for any mention of this Ameet or another entity like him but she didn’t think she’d get to that tonight. Sucking in a deep breath before climbing down, she hissed between her teeth as her weight hit her hip for the first time in a while and a sharp pain threatened to take her down.

David heard her hissing and looked in her direction, noting the look of pain twisting her face even though she was trying to hide it. Coming around to her, she scooped her up in his arms. She flailed for a second but stopped when he almost dropped her.

“What are you doing?”

He began striding towards the house. “It’s clear that you are hurting pretty bad. I think that you need some more pain medicine and would advise that you take a hot bath, preferably with some Epsom salt. Then, you should take it easy and not move the rest of the night.”

“I already planned on doing that but I still have things to do. The dogs and entities in the barn need to be taken care of and dinner needs to be prepared. I will take a bath after I have finished everything else.”

He reached the door and waited for her to open it for him. “No, I will take care of the entities and the dogs and I will cook dinner. You will take some medicine and get in a bath. I’m sure that Puk and Walker can tell me what is required and where everything I will need is.”

Inside, he carried her towards the kitchen and met Puk and Walker in the doorway. They were standing side by side and staring at them in shock, unable to believe that Robyn was allowing him to carry her without fighting more.

“Puk, I hate to be a bother but is there some pain medicine and maybe a drink that you can hand Robyn. She’s going upstairs and taking a hot bath. And, if you don’t mind helping me, could you tell me where things are so that I can take care of the dogs and cook dinner.”

Robyn tried to argue but it was weak. She was actually enjoying being taken care of for the first time in three years. It was a strange feeling but she felt safe cradled in his arms and found herself relaxing even while she told herself not to get used to it. Giving in, she rested her head against his chest closing her eyes while listening to his heartbeat.

Puk smiled broadly and hurried into the kitchen to get what he had asked for while Walker sat on the ground and studied them, seeming to grin as his eyes danced in amusement. Returning with a bottle of over the counter pain medicine and a bottle of water, Puk waved them off mouthing ‘Details’ at Robyn as she did so.

David took the stairs to the second floor. “Which room has the biggest tub?”

“Why?”

“It’s your hip and your shoulder, right? You need something that you can soak both areas in at the same time. Also, is there any Epsom salt in the house? It’s supposed to help with sore muscles and swelling so it might help to have some in the bath.”

“The master bath has a large Jacuzzi tub and there should be some Epsom salt under the sink in my bathroom.” Seeing him look at the several closed doors in confusion, she said, “Last door on the left is the master and the door next to it is mine.”

David took her straight to the master and through into the bathroom, noting on his way that the room had a mustier smell than any other place he’d been in the house. He sat her down on the toilet, looking around to notice that this bathroom wasn’t stocked with towels or soaps so he would need to remember to grab those things from her bathroom. “You don’t sleep in the master?” He leaned over the tub and started the water, holding his hand under it to make sure that it was getting hot.

“No. I don’t need this much room and, when I came home, my old room was still set up the way that I liked so I didn’t see a reason to change it.”

He plugged the drain and left the room to go into her bedroom. Looking around, he noticed that she went for bright colors, predominantly blues and greens and she preferred straight lines and symmetrical designs without any of the ruffles or lace that you would often find in a woman’s room. Her bed was neatly made with only a couple of pillows, none of them decorative and the flat surfaces of the dresser and nightstand were only slightly cluttered, containing just a few pictures and what he assumed were mementos. The overall effect was a comfortable, lived in room that seemed appropriate for either gender or even a couple’s room where both tastes were equally presented.

The bathroom was the same. Predominantly blue and green with enough pops of other colors to prevent it from feeling like you were underwater. Towels were neatly rolled up on a shelf within reach of the shower and the soap was arranged neatly inside on a shelf below the shower head. To his surprise, there was only one of everything. One shampoo, one conditioner, and one body wash instead of the multitudes he was used to finding in a woman’s shower. When he opened the doors under the sink, he found that it was also neatly organized. Cleaners on one side and other supplies on the other. The Epsom salt was towards the back but easily visible so he didn’t have to dig for it. He grabbed all the supplies that he felt she would need and headed back to where she waiting for him.

Robyn was still sitting where he had left her and looked up when he came in. He poured some of the salt into the tub and arranged everything else neatly within reach of her in the tub. “Is there anything else that you need?”

“No, that should be good. I can handle it from here.”

“Do you need help undressing?” He held back a smile when she blushed. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. As a cop I’ve seen pretty much everything and I’m trained in first aid so it might be a good idea to let me take a look at you anyways.”

She looked away from him, feeling awkward. “I can handle it. I’m trained in first aid too so I’m pretty sure that I can treat myself. If I can’t, I will call for you.” In her head, she was thinking that that wouldn’t happen but didn’t think he would leave if she didn’t reassure him of that.

His instinct was telling him that she needed help but he knew that it would just become awkward if he insisted. “OK. I will head downstairs and get things done. Is there anything specific that you want for dinner?”

“I put out some chicken to thaw earlier. I don’t know what you can cook but you can use anything in the kitchen and just make whatever you know how to.”

He nodded and headed downstairs to the kitchen. He thought that he might find Puk and Walker in there and wanted to find out exactly what needed to be done from them before he began. As expected, they were waiting for him.

“Is Robyn alright?”

He nodded and took a seat at the table. “She should be. I set her up in the master bath with an Epsom soak so it should take out a lot of the pain. She did say that there are still some things that she needed to do around the house and I told her that I would take care of it. I was hoping you two would be willing to tell me the process and where things are.”

“The only things left should be feeding the dogs, taking care of the unicorn and the hog, and cooking dinner. All the food is in the barn and their bowls are in there, too. I will make sure that the dogs know you are feeding them tonight so that they will eat. Robyn trained them to only eat what she gives them because of a poisoning incident early on. They eat out in the yard. The hog eats in the barn. Just let him into his stall and fill his trough.”

“Who would poison a dog?”

Walker bared his teeth in remembered anger. “An asshole hunter that was pissed when Robyn kicked him off her property. He was tracking a deer that he had shot when she caught him and made him leave. He came back onto the property made friends with the dog that found him before feeding it rat poison.”

“I think that you should let me take care of the unicorn. After what happened this morning, he might not be too trusting of you and he knows me a little better.” David was grateful for Puk’s offer and smiled at her to show that.

“The last thing is cooking dinner. Is there anything I should know about what she’ll eat or not eat or what you will eat and not eat?”

Puk shot Walker a glare. “Robyn eats pretty much anything so no problem there. I’m not eating tonight, human food doesn’t agree with me and I ate it this morning. Walker had made previous plans to hunt for his dinner tonight. He likes to do that occasionally to keep his skills sharp.”

It was obvious that Walker had made no such plans but he didn’t argue. David decided not to comment on the obvious attempt to push them together, largely because it suited him to. “OK, but let me know if you change your mind. Robyn would get upset with me if she thought I was making you go hungry.” They nodded and he stood. “I’ll go ahead and get started on the chores and hopefully Robyn will soak long enough for me to complete dinner, too.”

The three of them walked out to the barn together to do their respective chores. All of them wanting to get done before Robyn was out of the bath. Puk and Walker disappeared when they were done, leaving David to head alone into the house and start dinner.

Robyn came downstairs wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, her normal night time clothing. She followed her nose into the kitchen to see David standing over the stove and singing softly to himself. She stopped in the doorways to admire the scene, disappointed that she couldn’t hear what he was singing but amused at the way he bobbed his head and swayed slightly to the beat.

“I can turn on some music for you if you want.”

He jumped at her voice and turned to face her holding a wooden spoon in his hand. “You like my moves that much?”

She grinned and leaned against the door frame. “Not too bad. I’ve seen better though.”

“That’s nothing. Maybe later I could show you some better ones.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to dance for me?” She chose to ignore the double meaning of his statement.

“No, but I will dance with you.” He pulled out a chair at the table for her to sit in. “If you are feeling better.”

She sat. “Much better. Just a little stiff. But I don’t dance. I don’t even know how.”

“Not even a slow dance? Everyone knows how to do that.” He watched her shake her head in surprise, then realized that it was a good opportunity for him. “Well, turn on some music and I can teach you.” He lowered the heat on the stove and covered the pot.

“What about dinner?”

“It’s pretty much done. Just needs to cool down a bit before I serve it. Do you have a radio in here or can I use my phone?”

“You’d have to use your phone, but” He already had his phone out and was tapping on the screen. “we aren’t doing this.”

A slow country tune began playing as he put his phone down. “Sure we are.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Just follow my lead.”

As he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close, she automatically leaned into him, putting her arms around his neck. It felt so natural that she forgot to argue as she looked up and saw that his face was way too close. The look he gave her caused a shiver to run down her spine and she lowered her head to avoid his gaze. He pulled her even closer and she laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of being held. They swayed in the center of the kitchen for the entire length of the song. At the end, she looked up at him, planning on making some smart ass comment about these being the same moves as earlier but found him gazing at her intently. Another song started to play as he slowly lowered his head and Robyn went on her tiptoes to meet him.

The kiss was long and deep, causing heat to pool in her stomach and a small sound to issue from her throat. Her fingers went into his hair as she lost herself in the sensations he created. Her tank top had raised and she could feel his hand exploring the exposed flesh, leaving burning trails as he traced the line of the hem of her top before moving beyond.

She stopped him at that, breaking the kiss and pushing away from him. Leaving him in the center of the kitchen, she went back to her chair and sat down. He watched her leave, then turned back to the stove. An awkward silence filled the room as Robyn tried to regain her bearings.

“’Do you need me to go get Puk and Walker?” She really wanted an excuse to leave the room and to have them there as a buffer.

“They said earlier that they had other plans for the night.” The loaded two plates and carried them to the table. “Do you need something to drink?”

“Yeah, I can get it. Guests shouldn’t be doing any work.”

“Can you really call me a guest at this point? Besides, guests are invited and I kinda blackmailed you into letting me stay.” He set a glass of tea in front of her before sitting down across from her with his own.

She was grateful that he seemed willing to ignore what happened earlier. “That’s true. Are you still planning to blackmail me if I make you leave?”

“No but I hope you still won’t make me leave. I want to know more about what you do here and about you.” He met her eyes, letting her know that he didn’t intend to give up. “I’ve only become more interested since last night.”

She lowered her eyes, afraid that he would see how much she liked the idea. She knew that she couldn’t get used to having him around. He had his own life, outside of the reserve and she wouldn’t take that away from him just because she was attracted to him. She had only known him for two days and he might be a total bastard if she knew him better. She couldn’t risk him becoming bound and then later wanting to leave or regretting being stuck here or her not being able to stand him when they got to know each other better.

She didn’t want her silence to drag out and become awkward. “So that means you have more questions? What a shock.” She tried for a playful smile but wasn’t sure she pulled it off.

“Yeah, I do have questions. Mostly about being a guardian and some of the things that I have seen today.” He took several bites before continuing. “Like, with Isonade earlier. I could feel how powerful she is but she backed down from you. It didn’t make a lot of sense.”

Robyn was surprised that he had noticed and wasn’t sure how to answer him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I know that she signed a contract and everything but if she was as strong as it felt like she was, she wouldn’t need protection from someone weaker than her. You said before when we were driving that the individual habitats or areas are created using some of the power from the entities that live inside them but the boundary and other barriers are formed using your power, right? If she’s stronger, she should be able to break your boundary and so should any other really powerful entity.”

She hadn’t expected him to pick up on that and it made her uncomfortable to think of the best way to answer. Telling him the whole truth might scare him and make him leave, which she wanted but she didn’t want him to leave thinking that she was a monster. “Well, technically, since I became a guardian, I am stronger than her and any other entity that I’ve ever met. Guardians have to have more magical power in order to create and maintain the reserves and protect the gate.”

“Are they born with more power?”

She studied her plate, not wanting to see the look in his eyes. “No, we acquire it when we become guardians. It changes us on some fundamental level. Turning us into something that’s not human or entity but an entirely different being.”

“So you’re not human?”

She couldn’t hear his fork hitting his plate anymore and suspected that he had stopped eating to study her face. “Not entirely. We still look, feel, and act human but...” She struggled to find a way to explain. “Do you remember me telling you about the rite I performed in the morgue that releases the soul? I can tell what kind of being I’m releasing by the way the soul feels. Human souls feel smooth. Entity souls feel wild and electric but still controllable. But guardian souls feel out of control. Almost like you tried to mix the other two together and they’re fighting with each other.”

“What about a guardian’s partner? Do they change too or are they still completely human?”

She sighed. “Any person that wears the guardian’s mark changes. That includes partners and firstborn children.”

He was silent for a long time and Robyn could only imagine what he was thinking. She finished her food and was about to get up before he spoke again. “What about the gate? You’ve mentioned it in passing a couple of times but you haven’t really told me about it.”

She stood, taking her plate and his to the sink and rinsing them off. “If you look behind the barn, you will see a set of doors set into the ground like a cellar. If you go down there and follow a short tunnel, you will arrive at the gate. It’s in a cave and the walls are covered in native drawings and runes which form a barrier all the way around. The gate itself is set into the far wall and just looks like a large black hole except that it absorbs all light and sound. The barrier gives off an alarm that I can hear no matter how far away I am whenever something enters the cave. Entities that come through are trapped in the cave by the barrier until I go down to release them.”

She sat back down across from him to finish her tea. “Could you take me to the gate?”

She shook her head. “Absolutely not. I hope that you never see the gate.” Her tone came out harsher than she intended and he looked surprised. “You have to understand. A guardian only takes their chosen partner to the gate. I’m not sure if that’s just because it’s tradition or if taking them to the gate marks them as your partner but it’s not something that I would do.”

“You still wouldn’t consider me as a partner after today?”

She squirmed, trying to escape the look he was giving her. “I said earlier that I don’t want a partner and today hasn’t changed that. Can you really tell me that you want to be stuck here, with me, for the rest of your life after knowing me for not even two full days?”

He stood and came around the table, placing a chair as close to her as he could and sitting down. “I believe in following my gut and my gut says that this is someplace that I want to be and that you are someone that I want to know. I won’t say forever but I will say that I don’t think time has anything to do with how well you know someone or in what feelings you have for them.” He leaned towards her, pressing his point. “I like you and I like this place. It feels right to me and I am going to run with it.”

She tried to pull away from him but was blocked by the back of her chair. “That’s crazy. You would have to give up everything you know on a whim.”

He shrugged. “My parents met while my dad was on vacation in a city twelve hours from his home. He met my mother on the first day and, a week later, he went home just long enough to pack before moving to her city and marrying her. They both say that they never regretted the decision and I have never seen them at odds for more than a couple of hours.” He took her hand in his, playing with her fingers while he stared into her eyes. “And my gut tells me that, no matter what you say, you feel at least a little bit the same.”

She couldn’t deny it but she wouldn’t confirm it either. “That’s nuts. And just because something worked for your parents doesn’t mean that it would work for you.”

He just smiled at her, kissing her fingers before scooting away from her and getting up. “I need to work tomorrow but I’d like to come back after my shift.”

She breathed deeply, feeling a confusing mix of disappointment and relief at the change in subject. “If you need to work tomorrow then we should get you home tonight. Go get your clothes from upstairs and I will run you out to your car.”

“It’s been a long day. Are you sure you can handle driving all the way to town and back tonight?”

Probably not but she didn’t think she could handle him spending the night again either. He was too adept at slipping past her defenses and she wouldn’t be able to help but think about continuing the kiss from earlier. “No, I can handle it. Or I can find Puk and get her to give you a ride home. It’s dark out so she won’t be noticed if she drives.”

“Puk can drive?”

She smiled at the surprise in his tone. “Yeah, she used to like taking the vehicles and hiding them as a prank. Pissed my parents off so much.”

He laughed. “Yeah, that would do it. You could just let me borrow your vehicle and I would bring it back tomorrow. You don’t have anywhere to go tomorrow, do you?”

It surprised her that she was considering it. If he took her vehicle, he would have an excuse for coming back that she couldn’t argue with. She wanted to see him tomorrow on a personal level but knew that she needed to keep him away from this area and the gate. “I don’t have any plans for tomorrow but I also don’t want to get stuck here with no way to get anywhere if there’s an emergency.”

“Makes sense. Well, I don’t have a problem with Puk driving me and that way you would be able to rest some more. Otherwise, you might be in more pain tomorrow.” He headed upstairs to gather his clothes.

Robyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Puk, I know that you are hanging around here somewhere. Come on out.”

As expected, Puk appeared on the far side of the kitchen. “How did you know that I was here?”

“I thought that it was strange that both you and Walker had other plans on the one night that a man is cooking at eating over. You pushed us together and couldn’t resist seeing if it worked out the way you’d wanted.”

She grinned. “I was actually hoping for more than that but I won’t complain. He’s really hot isn’t he?” She sat down next to Robyn and leaned forward, eager for details. “Tell me what you really think about him.”

Robyn allowed her annoyance to show in her voice. “You do know that you are making this really hard on me. You know how I feel about being a guardian and having a partner and you are just determined to push me.”

“But it wouldn’t be hard on you if you weren’t at least a little interested. Guardians need partners but, even more than that, you need someone that you can depend on. It’s only icing on the cake that he’s sexy and interested in you.” She reached for Robyn’s hand. “Humans aren’t like pukwudgies or skinwalkers or many other entities. They are social creatures and need to spend time among their own. Your situation makes that difficult but this man is willing to take on the risk and I don’t think it’s because he’s interested in being a guardian. He wants to spend time with you, the human, but can also except you, the guardian. And, since he’s been here, you’ve laughed and smiled and gotten angry more than at any other time since you became guardian.”

Puk being serious was such a rare sight that Robyn had to consider her words. “Maybe, it would be OK if he was around just a little.”

“Good. Now that that’s settled, I expect to see some way hotter scenes than what I just saw. Not that the dance and kiss wasn’t sweet but you’ve really got to start working you’re mojo a little more. Have him show you something other than dance moves.”

Robyn jerked her hand away. “You just want to be a voyeur.”

Puk rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah. I have to get my thrills from somewhere and you’re the only game in play. But no more of this kiddie stuff. I want to see some real action.”

Robyn shook her head and smiled. “Not a chance. From now on, I’ll kiss him upstairs where you can’t go.”

“So you do plan on kissing him again? And in close proximity to a bed. You go girl.”

“I like hearing that, too.”

Neither of them had heard David enter the room and now they both turned, Robyn nearly falling out of her chair. He had a small, satisfied smile on his face as he looked at Robyn and noted her embarrassment.

His smile widened and Puk giggled as Robyn sputtered. “Th..that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean that I was going to kiss you again just that if I wanted to kiss someone I would do it upstairs. Not necessarily with you and the beds have nothing to do with it. I don’t intend to be near a bed with you.”

“The floor works, too. It’s not as comfortable but it does have more room to roll around.” Puk hooted with laughter and Robyn’s face turned even redder.

“Damn, boy. I thought you were kinda a prude this morning but now I see how it is. I’m going to like having you around.”

He came all the way into the room and stood in the center. He didn’t want to sit down when he was planning on leaving in just a minute. “Maybe you will like having me around but no more free shows from now on.”

Puk stood, realizing that he was ready to go. “No problem. On the way to town we can discuss how I can pay for the shows you put on. Maybe talk about getting some stuff on camera. Just for my personal viewing, of course.” She winked at Robyn as they walked out the door.

Robyn put her head down on the table and waited for her face to cool down. It took a while because she kept imagining her and David rolling around on the floor but she finally felt like her face had returned to its normal color. She stood and headed to the office, wanting to finish her work and be upstairs getting ready for bed before Puk came home and started teasing her again.

On the computer, she saw that she had received a reply to her earlier question. A Japanese guardian who had only recently joined the site posted that he had heard stories of a creature that does what she had described. He said that they were called soul stealers and that they used the souls to give themselves magical powers since they don’t naturally have any. Victims were put through a great deal of pain while extracting their souls because pain supposedly increased the power by causing an adrenaline reaction. They stored the souls inside their bodies and used the power from them until the souls were completely drained. Almost like batteries. They tended to target humans probably because humans could use more than one type of magic and they preferred magic users but would take whatever they could get while in a weakened form. There was no record of how to defeat them, just a warning that they were best avoided if possible.

Robyn searched the internet for any other information but only found myths and folklore that were probably not as accurate as she would prefer. She leaned back in the chair, rocking slightly. An idea had begun forming in the back of her mind but she would need to do a lot of research on certain types of magic that she didn’t normally use. That meant slogging through some of the journals upstairs which would take hours. And then, she would need to make sure that she had the materials required to perform any spells or rites that she found.

Leaning forward, she checked her email to make sure that there wasn’t anything relating to her properties or legal matters that she needed to take care of. Sometimes, she would get so caught up in what she was dealing with as a guardian that she forgot she had responsibilities outside of that. When that happened, she would get a frustrated call from her lawyer, berating her for not taking care of one thing or another. He had been her family’s lawyer for years and had known Robyn since she was a child, so he made sure to keep a close eye on things for her. Lately, he had been pressuring her to choose a new lawyer from his firm to take over her accounts since he was preparing to retire but she had been putting it off. She just wasn’t comfortable having to start working with someone else that she didn’t know and hadn’t met face to face.

She answered a few emails dealing with lease and property issues and some personal ones before heading upstairs. She went straight to the room with all the journals of previous guardians. Inside, she looked at her bookshelves and sighed. She would need to search most of them to find what she needed. Some guardians had created separate spell books so she thought that she should probably start with those. If she had any luck at all, she would find what she needed in one of those. She started with the oldest ones since they used magic more in the early days of her family becoming guardians. It was a lot more dangerous then until they learned how to set up barriers and began making entities sign contracts. Sitting down at the desk, she made herself as comfortable as possible and opened the first book, knowing that it was going to be a long night.