27. Eleanor

27

ELEANOR

E leanor blinked, her eyes unable to look away from her uncle before her. He was here. Looking for her. His shoulders were squared as he aimed his musket directly at Osiris.

“Get away from that—that beast!” her uncle spat, still aiming the musket at Osiris with shaking hands. For the first time, a ghost-like fear seemed to wrap its hands around her uncle, his unsure, beady eyes darting between her and Osiris.

Panic surged through Eleanor’s body, rooting deeper and deeper, strangling any rational thoughts she might have had.

He was going to kill Osiris.

Standing up and dropping out of the carriage, Eleanor took a cautious step towards her crazed uncle.

“How did you find me?” she heard herself ask.

Her uncle scoffed, momentarily letting his ego bite through his terror. “Everyone thought you were taken,” he started, shaking his head at her. Out of the corners of her eyes she could see Osiris’ shadows approaching even through the darkness of the night. Her heart thundered, nearly drowning everything else out as she took another step forward.

If Osiris hurt her uncle, no matter how justified, everything the humans have thought of him will become truth. If anyone else came looking and happened to stumble upon the forest, or the enclave, they could lead a hunt on him and all the other beings.

“For a second I believed them,” he continued, “until a familiar white horse came galloping into town. Odd, don’t you agree, Eleanor?”

Eleanor swallowed as she raised her hands in front of her, a low growl sounding from Osiris as he slowly walked up behind her.

“You do not know the depths of the shame you have wrought upon me! Upon your marriage! I was to be named a lord, right below the head of the baron family, and because of you, look at me now! Traipsing through the dirty woods, looking like a fool! Searching for you !” her uncle bellowed, nodding his head to the horse behind him. “Get on the horse, Eleanor. And you,” he motioned to Osiris with the gun, “stay back you m-monster !”

“S-so that is why you wanted this marriage?” A lump formed in her throat as she shook her head, her hands shaking slightly as she stared into her uncle’s wild eyes. The same eyes that would enact cruelty whenever he deemed she had failed him. “I will not,” she muttered under her breath. “I will not go with you.”

“Eleanor,” he hissed, “get on the horse. Now. Or, must we deliver your teachings here? Or, wait…” his lips curled back as his eyes became wild, void of any reason, “has this ghoul casted some spell on you? Mayhap I shall kill you now, demon, and free this child of your grasp. I shall be called a hero! Then, when we get home, you will receive your teachings in town square!”

He wouldn’t. Surely, he wouldn’t. Still, a shudder ran up her spine at the memory of all the times he had beaten her. She took a half step back, shaking her head.It was all too much, her heart drowned out everything but Osiris and her uncle.

“Uncle,” she started, her voice struggling to carry itself, “please do not do this. I-I beg for your forgiveness for my misdeeds, however, Osiris—these beings—are innocent of any wrongdoing!”

“She begs for nothing,” Osiris snapped from beside her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her behind him. Before she could protest, his shadows raised around them like deadly spears, all pointed at James Carver.

“Oh, you entitled little bitch!” he spat. “Did you seduce this, this abomination into fucking you? Into protecting you?” Her uncle screeched and hollered as his knuckles turned white around the musket.

“They are not monsters! They are beings just like you and I!” Eleanor raged.

Her uncle’s lips curled back. “They? So, the rumors are true… there are more of them? If I bring back their whole nest…” He pushed the musket forward jabbing it in Osiris’ direction as he laughed? Yes, he actually laughed at her, eyes crazed like a rabid beast.“You owe this to me. You will wed into the baron’s family,” he hissed, taking a threatening step forward, “you will lay down like a well paid for whore and you will produce offspring!”

A shadow leaped forward, stopping only a hair away from her uncle’s throat as Osiris’ voice boomed through the forest.

“You will silence yourself if you wish to know another day.”

“Osiris don’t!” she yelled, pulling on his shirt, but he was as solid as an immovable boulder. He would not step down.

“Oh, this is rich,” her uncle hollered. “You actually care for this bloodthirsty monster over real people so much that you made one your pet? Well, I’ll tell you something, Eleanor,” he lowered his voice, hissing by the end. “I found you, and I will also find their vile monster breeding grounds. I will purge their stain on this world and stop them from haunting us ever again. The town will look to me as their saviour, and when the beasts are gone? You will come back and preform your wifely duties .”

Osiris’ shadows seemed to fill every inch of the forest around them, pouring out of him as his voice vibrated off the trees. “You will not touch her. We are not violent; you make us this way. We have only ever sought peace, but if you dare to lay a single hand on her, I will gut you and leave you for the birds to feed. Oh, but I will not kill you. No, I will have you turned into a vampire, into the very monsters you despise so much. I will let you beg for death, knowing that you will never receive such compassion from me. Your only chance at death will be by begging whatever deity you pray to for mercy.”

“Why you lit—” her uncles words seemed to catch in his throat as his eyes began to twitch, his hold on the musket yielding, sending it clattering to the ground. Choking and gurgling noises escaping James, face contorted in agony, as he slowly dropped to his knees to reveal a bright, red-eyed Elias standing behind him, his mouth covered in blood.

In one swift motion Eleanor’s hand covered her mouth, watching her uncle hit the floor as Osiris’ shadows quickly dissipated around them.

Eleanor opened her mouth to speak but no words came. To her surprise, the fear did not rage through her, instead, it settled.

“I actually am quite violent,” Elias chided, using his hands to wipe the blood. “Guess that is why you can’t generalize. Prejudice can get you hurt—oh god,” Elias cut himself off as he gagged, bending over to rest his hands on his knees. “Your uncle is in my mouth. Oh no,” he gagged again, “he tastes vile.”

Osiris turned his back on his choking friend as he pulled Eleanor into a crushing embrace.

“You are alright,” he whispered into her hair, his shadows curling around her ankle protectively. “You are alright.”

Eleanor firmly wrapped her arms around Osiris, tears prickling her eyes as she closed them tight.

If Elias had not stepped in when he did, something really bad could have happened.

Eleanor’s eyebrows furrowed as she pulled back slightly, turning her head to look past Osiris and his shadows as they were worrying over her, to glare at Elias who was still dry heaving.

“How did you know we needed help?”

Elias held up a finger as he spat out more blood, muttering curses under his breath.

Standing up straight, Elias used the back of his hand to wipe the remaining blood off his lips. “It was hard not to know. The whole enclave heard the screaming, only I actually recognized your voices. I figured you could use a hand.”

Osiris turned to look at Elias, his hold on Eleanor tightening. “The beings… do they know?”

“Who you are with?” Elias shook his head, relief flooding over both Eleanor, and from his loosening grip, Osiris as well.

“Though, I hate to ruin whatever moment you two might be about to have, they are all waiting for your return, Osiris. What are you going to do about your human?”

“Osiris,” Eleanor started, “if you do not want them to know—”

“Hush, Symphony,” his voice hardened with resolve, “they would have found out eventually. It is important that they know.”

“But your enclave, your garden,” she argued, gesturing back at their home, “what if they tell you that you are no longer welcome?”

Osiris shrugged his shoulders. “Then we make a new enclave. We build a new cottage. We tend to a new garden.We create a new home. Together . What I have matters naught if I do not have you to share it with.”

Eleanor shook her head, wanting to dismiss his declarations and soothing whispers of sweet nothings, yet her damned cheeks began to hurt as she couldn’t stop smiling.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Osiris’ shadows wrapped around her waist pulling her closer as his hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away the streaks of wetness running down her cheeks.

“I love you , my dearest Eleanor. I am so proud to call you mine. It is time for a new era. One where beings and humans must not live in fear of one another.”

“It will not be easy,” she mused.

“It will not, but you are a cunning, sharp-tongued woman. You will show both our people a brighter path, and I will stand behind you as you do.”