luv,” Daniel said from somewhere behind me.
“About what?” I asked, still not pulling away from Roxy.
“Her being a Bright Elf; maybe her human blood made her a victim to whatever the Madness is, but her elven blood saved her?” Daniel explained.
“What are you talking about?” Roxy asked. Her body was trembling against mine, from exhaustion, I figured.
“Something happened tonight that made a lot of people shift into these,” I struggled for the word, but there really only was one, “beasts.”
“You were one of those people,” Daniel added.
“The smoke from the Great Bonfire stopped them, made them change back,” I said, sitting back finally and brushing the tangled hair back from Roxy’s still confused face. “But it also killed them.”
“But not me?” Roxy asked, catching up slowly.
“I guess not,” I said, sniffing and roughly brushing the tears from my face. The time for explanations was over as other officers were there in another moment, pulling us apart and carrying Roxy over to a waiting ambulance to check her out. They seemed to be mistaking her for a victim of a beast rather than as one of the moon-stricken, for which I was grateful. I looked to the cop who had witnessed her transformation. He was wide-eyed and slack-jawed, but when he saw me looking at him, he closed his mouth and swallowed visibly. I lifted my brows and tilted my head to the side, holding his gaze. Finally he nodded, just once; he wouldn’t tell them Roxy had been one of the stricken. I smiled and nodded my thanks to him before turning to find Daniel’s waiting arms.
The next evening, I asked Daniel to drive me back over to the park. The bodies had been cleared away, and they had started to break down the tents and booths from the failed festival, leaving the area looking abandoned and a little sad. Few people had gone back to work today; the city still reeling from so many deaths, so the businesses in the area were still dark and closed when we pulled up.
We walked through the midway, now scattered with debris, and I recalled the sweet and salty scents from the night before. It had all changed so fast, so horrifyingly fast. When morning came, the clouds started rolling in, obscuring a bright blue sky with their dark, menacing grey. I wondered, if it had been cloudy last night and the moon hidden away, would the nightmare have happened? But it didn’t do to dwell on “what if’s.”
I took Daniel’s hand, intertwining our fingers, as we walked. The Great Bonfire was a black mass, with embers still popping and smoldering; custom dictated that it had to burn itself out, otherwise the magic and power would be rendered weak.
“How long will it burn?” Daniel asked when we stopped in front of it.
“No way to tell,” I said. “Last year it burned for four days before it finally stopped.”
“I guess if it starts raining, it won’t last that long,” Daniel replied, looking up at the sky. I tilted my head back and looked as well. The clouds were darker now and somehow seemed closer than they had in the light of day. I pulled my eyes away from the sky and looked around us. Last night this area had been filled with dancing and music, and now the stains of blood and death were still on the ground.
“At least the rain will wash the shadows of pain and death away,” I said quietly, my voice catching, remembering the thought of nearly losing Roxy.
“C’mon, luv,” Daniel said, pulling on my hand, urging me to look away. We started walking down the sloping hill behind The Great Bonfire. I pulled us to a stop when we had walked far enough that we could no longer see the black mound of the bonfire over the crest of the hill, feeling well hidden by the hill and the coming darkness. I sat on the ground, tugging on Daniel’s hand to sit with me. The grass was cold and a little damp, but I didn’t really care. I pulled my boots off, pushing my toes into the grass, wanting to feel closer to the earth, closer
“About what?” I asked, still not pulling away from Roxy.
“Her being a Bright Elf; maybe her human blood made her a victim to whatever the Madness is, but her elven blood saved her?” Daniel explained.
“What are you talking about?” Roxy asked. Her body was trembling against mine, from exhaustion, I figured.
“Something happened tonight that made a lot of people shift into these,” I struggled for the word, but there really only was one, “beasts.”
“You were one of those people,” Daniel added.
“The smoke from the Great Bonfire stopped them, made them change back,” I said, sitting back finally and brushing the tangled hair back from Roxy’s still confused face. “But it also killed them.”
“But not me?” Roxy asked, catching up slowly.
“I guess not,” I said, sniffing and roughly brushing the tears from my face. The time for explanations was over as other officers were there in another moment, pulling us apart and carrying Roxy over to a waiting ambulance to check her out. They seemed to be mistaking her for a victim of a beast rather than as one of the moon-stricken, for which I was grateful. I looked to the cop who had witnessed her transformation. He was wide-eyed and slack-jawed, but when he saw me looking at him, he closed his mouth and swallowed visibly. I lifted my brows and tilted my head to the side, holding his gaze. Finally he nodded, just once; he wouldn’t tell them Roxy had been one of the stricken. I smiled and nodded my thanks to him before turning to find Daniel’s waiting arms.
The next evening, I asked Daniel to drive me back over to the park. The bodies had been cleared away, and they had started to break down the tents and booths from the failed festival, leaving the area looking abandoned and a little sad. Few people had gone back to work today; the city still reeling from so many deaths, so the businesses in the area were still dark and closed when we pulled up.
We walked through the midway, now scattered with debris, and I recalled the sweet and salty scents from the night before. It had all changed so fast, so horrifyingly fast. When morning came, the clouds started rolling in, obscuring a bright blue sky with their dark, menacing grey. I wondered, if it had been cloudy last night and the moon hidden away, would the nightmare have happened? But it didn’t do to dwell on “what if’s.”
I took Daniel’s hand, intertwining our fingers, as we walked. The Great Bonfire was a black mass, with embers still popping and smoldering; custom dictated that it had to burn itself out, otherwise the magic and power would be rendered weak.
“How long will it burn?” Daniel asked when we stopped in front of it.
“No way to tell,” I said. “Last year it burned for four days before it finally stopped.”
“I guess if it starts raining, it won’t last that long,” Daniel replied, looking up at the sky. I tilted my head back and looked as well. The clouds were darker now and somehow seemed closer than they had in the light of day. I pulled my eyes away from the sky and looked around us. Last night this area had been filled with dancing and music, and now the stains of blood and death were still on the ground.
“At least the rain will wash the shadows of pain and death away,” I said quietly, my voice catching, remembering the thought of nearly losing Roxy.
“C’mon, luv,” Daniel said, pulling on my hand, urging me to look away. We started walking down the sloping hill behind The Great Bonfire. I pulled us to a stop when we had walked far enough that we could no longer see the black mound of the bonfire over the crest of the hill, feeling well hidden by the hill and the coming darkness. I sat on the ground, tugging on Daniel’s hand to sit with me. The grass was cold and a little damp, but I didn’t really care. I pulled my boots off, pushing my toes into the grass, wanting to feel closer to the earth, closer
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