Water Witch (20 page)

He slipped his tongue into Rick’s mouth, just a tease to see if Rick was into more than just a kiss here. Rick’s hands pulled him closer and his mouth opened wider, deepening their kiss. It might have been the weed, but suddenly the night seemed too quiet. The silence hummed in his ears like uneven cabin pressure on an airplane. Cole let out a little squeak, moved his mouth from Rick’s and realized Rick was feeling the pressure as well. The humming reached an unbearable pitch, and his ears popped.

His eyes stayed on Rick, but as the pressure in his head equalized, a flash of light from the river had him turning in time to see a ripple of air, like a heat wave, shining in the moonlight. Two figures walked out, stumbling and splashing onto the sand. Cole grabbed Rick reflexively and pulled him back, close to the tree line.

“Whoosa loverss here? Whossit? Whaarre-ya?” A man with dark curly hair, cut short but unevenly, stumbled forward and fell onto his knees in the sand. He wore a loose pair of leather pants and an old fashioned tunic, untied at the neck. His sloppy movements and unfocused gaze confirmed what his slurred speech  suggested - he was drunk.

“Ugh, Silenus, you fool! Get back in the portal now, or I swear to the vine I’ll leave you here.” The second man stood steady on his feet, his voice strong and clear. He was dressed similarly, but wore his tunic neatly tied and laced at the neck, his pants more properly fitted. He was taller than the drunk Silenus, with broad shoulders and a slight paunch at his middle, and his hair gleamed silvery gray.

He reached out to wrap an arm around Silenus, who shrugged him off.

“I felt a
love
here, Dion, a love like we used to have. I want to see it. You can give me that, at least!” Anger smoothed his speech, and he stood as he spoke, shaky but straight, facing Dion with one hand on his hip.

“
Sil
, we still have a love, stop this madness,
please
.” Dion approached him cautiously, as one might a wild animal.

“How can you say that? I saw you with that
maenad
.” He spat the word, stepping close to Dion’s face. “You will never stop taking lovers, I’ve
seen
the truth of it!”

Cole and Rick stood stock still, their dark clothing nearly invisible in the night, arms wrapped around each other in frozen shock.

Dion threw up his arms in exasperation, “I’ve explained that, Sil, but if you won’t believe me, I’m not going to keep talking. Find your humans and let’s go home to bed. I’m tired.”

Silenus grumbled something about the bed being too crowded and squinted at the tree line where Cole and Rick stood. “I know you’re there! Come out, come here and let me see you.”

Cole inched his head close to Rick’s ear and whispered, “We should run.”

Rick nodded once and stepped back, ready to bolt. But the path was ten feet to their left, and this early in spring the vegetation was too thin to cover their escape. Cole clasped Rick’s elbow, preparing to make a dash across the exposed rocky sand and into the safety of the woods. But before they could take a step, a hand covered his shoulder, pinning him in place.

“My friend wishes to speak with you, and it seems I won’t have peace until he does. You will indulge him.” Dion guided them closer to the river’s edge, until they stood in front of Silenus, who squinted at them with his mouth half open.

“Oh! Look how young they are, Dion! Younger than we ever were, I think.”

“You’re probably right.” Dion had one large, heavy, hand on each of their shoulders, squeezing in a way that held equal parts comfort and threat. His voice sounded distant, bored. “What do you want with them, Sil?”

“I want to read them.” He placed his smooth palm on Cole’s cheek and smiled, leaning closer and closing his eyes in bliss. “Ahh, here is the source! Loyal as a dog, and with a love just as pure.” He patted Cole’s cheek and sighed, opening his eyes just a sliver as his smile widened.

Moving to Rick, he repeated his cheek caress. This time, his smile wavered and his brow creased. “You will stray, never satisfied, never appreciating the gift you’ve been given!” His voice rose as he spoke, and on the last words he opened his eyes and scowled at Rick, then twisted his hand to grip Rick’s chin in his hand. “You will appreciate him, or you will die. I curse you, mortal!” Silenus’s golden eyes drilled into Rick’s soft brown ones, and he kept his grip firm on Rick’s chin. “Embrace each day, meet lips at this very hour, and live in health. Forget your bond, and perish alone.”  He flicked his wrist, sending Rick’s head back sharply.

Cole’s skin chilled at the words, as if a freak breeze somehow crept under his shirt, turning his skin to gooseflesh. He shook it off, but an odd sensation remained, like the tingle before a sneeze. He reached out to Rick and clasped his hand.

Dion huffed and released their shoulders and shot an annoyed look at Silenus. He dug into his pocket, retrieved a coin and held it out to Rick. “It may have been bad luck, or fate, but you drew the attention of the Fae this night. A curse was laid,” he pressed the coin into Rick’s palm, “The debt is paid.”

Silenus sobbed softly into his hands, and Dion wrapped an arm around his shoulder, patting him awkwardly. “Stop, Sil. Let’s go home.”

“He’s just like you, Di, just like
you
!”

“Don’t be a fool, love, there is no one like me!” Dion chuckled at his own joke. They walked into the river, and when they were just over ankle deep another ripple appeared, a wave of distortion above the water, like heat shimmering in the air. They walked into it, and a flash-pop of light marked their exit, leaving the river calm and silent.

***

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