The Bride of the Immortal (20 page)

Adrijan raised his left eyebrow.

“You don’t know what a vampire is but you were scared like this?”

“You bit her and there was a lot of blood. Is there anything else I have to know?”

“Hold it, I didn’t bite anyone. And they are a mere fantasy. I’ll take you to the library tomorrow and you can read about them to your heart’s content.”

Blood and pain were real, but if she lived until tomorrow, Mairin thought she might accept his offer. One could never know enough about one’s enemy.

“So you won’t murder me tonight?”

“I definitely won’t, even if you decide to use this lovely poker on my head. Besides, the night is already over.”

Hilda had drawn all curtains except the big one in front of the mosaic and Adrijan turned around for a moment to look towards the balcony. How had she not noticed that it was already dawning? When the priest turned back to her, he looked as if he had realised something. Whatever it was, Mairin still wasn’t content to believe him and pressing questions lay on her mind.

 “If it’s not you biting her, then what about the knight on the painting above the mantelpiece? Is that you?”

Adrijan was thinking for a moment.

“Mhm. One of Vivian’s fancies. Nothing to worry about either. Do I even look that evil in the painting?”

Adrijan acted as if she had hurt his feelings. Had she been mistaken? Was everything so easy to explain?

“Vivian... the immortal... he said it would be a hint. The painting in the bathroom, I mean.”

“It is a hint, and thanks to you I’ve realised it too. Do you want me to explain?”

Mairin nodded firmly.

“Hilda, would you kindly go and make us some coffee? You can retire to get some rest afterwards. I think everything will be fine now.”

Why was he sending the maid away now? Was he about to tell her something Hilda wasn’t supposed to hear? Or was he looking for an opportunity to hurt her? Maybe she was paranoid and he was simply in the need of some coffee to stay awake.

“Will you be alright, Miss? Are you very scared? I could stay and sleep in the chair...”

With the dawning light and everyone being friendly to her Mairin started to feel foolish. Was there really a harmless explanation for everything? She was still scared but she could see how tired Hilda was and decided not to bother her any further.

“Thank you, Hilda. I still have this, so don’t worry,” she said hinting at the poker.

The maid looked irritated but eventually smiled encouragingly and left the two of them alone.

Once she was gone Adrijan got up from the bed to get one of the chairs from the fireplace and put it next to her so they both were facing the mosaic that was illuminated by the rising sun. After all the rain it looked like it was going to be a sunny autumn day. Mairin nervously gazed to her right. Was he going to attack her when she wasn’t looking?

“Relax,” Adrijan said. “I’m not going to hurt you. Promised.”

Mairin didn’t want to relax. He had already hurt her. How could she possibly relax when he was so close to her? How had she been able to do it before?

“Oh... I have something for you.” Adrijan reached into the pocket of his cassock and produced a small jewellery box. “I found it when...“ He stopped in the middle of the sentence looking embarrassed and it wasn’t difficult for Mairin to guess why. Along with the memories of the certainly unpleasant situation, memories of something far more important returned. The thought of her mother’s necklace set off an avalanche of feelings. Completely disregarding the lethal situation she had thought herself to be in, she set the poker aside and took the small box from Adrijan’s hands. Mairin opened it without delay and found what she had hoped for. It was indeed her mother’s necklace even though it had been cleaned and repaired and almost looked more beautiful than ever. The only time when it had looked better had been from the eyes of five-year-old girl when she had first spotted the trinket around her mother’s neck.

Mairin’s eyes were sparkling. He had been lucky to have an ace up his sleeve but by mentioning how he had retrieved the necklace he had almost gambled his chance away.

“Do you need any help with putting it on?” Adrijan regretted saying the words once they had left his mouth. He was such an imbecile!

Mairin answered him with a look on her face that told him that his assistance was far from wanted and supplied him with a different kind of information he had desired but hadn’t dared to ask for.

“It was my mother’s. The necklace is all I’ve got left of her.”

Adrijan watched Mairin struggle as she tried to put the jewellery around her slender neck without getting it entangled it in her hair.

“I’m certain that’s not completely true.”

“Hm?” Mairin almost looked offended.

“I’m not calling you a liar, but you must have precious memories of her as well.”

Mairin nodded lost in thought.

“Your mother... is she a kind person?”

Adrijan noticed that a sad smile had involuntarily appeared on his face.

“She was very kind-hearted and strong. Life was difficult on her and in the end she died trying to protect me.”
As did Magdala.

“I’m sorry,” Mairin silently said.

Had she already forgotten that she had accused him of being a demon? He had often experienced it before but hearing it from her lips had been strangely unpleasant. Was her empathy even truthful? Adrijan banished the thought and reminded himself of the task he wanted to achieve. She had been afraid and knowing that, he wasn’t allowed to hold her actions against her.

“Well, I’m certain it wasn’t your fault. I believe you aren’t the kind of person who would drive someone to desperation.” He had tried to cheer her up but Mairin looked guilty, showing him that her intentions were earnest. In his experience the people who deserved to feel guilty the most, hardly ever did. If tonight’s events were indeed only based on a series of misunderstandings then there had to be a way to sort them out as long as they kept talking.

“Are you still afraid of me?” He was taking a risk by reminding her of the situation but he felt it necessary to ask.

“Mhm.” The girl sighed deeply. “I don’t know what to think. You saved me... I’m still alive and... you seem to care about me. You have even returned this precious necklace to me.” She gazed at the mosaic looking for words, while her hand tenderly moved over the pendant. Adrijan was surprised that despite her fear she had left the poker where it was – lying on the bed.

“But I’ve been on my own for so long. Sunflower Garden was a place housing only teachers and enemies. Eventually I was forced to fight my teachers and to learn from my enemies to keep going. I’m tired of it… if you want to kill me, just do it now, but do it quickly and not like you did in my dream.”

“Your dream?” Mairin had mentioned it once before and thereby provoked his curiosity. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he added hastily, once again realising how clumsy he sometimes behaved around her.

Their conversation was interrupted by Hilda who finally returned with two cups of hot coffee. Adrijan accepted the tray and put it down next to him on the floor.

“I shall retreat now. Good night, Father Démon. Miss Muriel.” The maid seemed to be in a hurry to get some sleep and Adrijan couldn’t blame her.

Once she was gone he decided to repeat his question.

“Will you tell me about your nightmare?”

He had already given up hope when he had seen the reluctance on Mairin’s face yet all of a sudden she unexpectedly started to talk. At first she often got stuck but soon she seemed to lose herself in her horrid dream, and as her words kept flowing, she vividly told him about it in every detail.

Afterwards Adrijan couldn’t explain what had gotten into him, whether it had been the childhood memory of his mother’s warm and comforting embrace or simply his instincts to protect the crying, fragile girl, but when she had finished telling him about her nightmare and tears flooded her eyes, he went to her side and took her into his arms.

Her first impulse had been to push him away but his embrace was as firm as it was comforting. Had it been wrong of her to accuse him of such horrible things? Was she allowed to believe in him again this easily? Mairin wanted to trust him so badly that she suppressed her remaining doubts. In his arms she seemed to slowly regain her strength while her tears kept flowing.

“I apologise.” Adrijan’s voice was unusually close and gentle.

“Don’t let go yet,” she requested quietly.

“I won’t but let me apologise for the embrace as well then.”

Mairin was confused.

“Wasn’t that what you meant in the first place?”

“No.” Adrijan paused. “I mean… I was apologising for hurting you in your dreams. Please slap me again if I repeat such intolerable actions.”

Adrijan’s silly words made her smile and her tears were slowly ebbing away.

“I’m the one who should apologise. You tried to protect me and I’ve repeatedly doubted you and even intentionally caused you pain.”

“It’s forgiven and forgotten. In the end we are only sculptures formed by the hands of a capricious master called
Past
. The basic material may differ yet not even the hardest granite can deny him his will, nor the easily mouldable clay exist in every shape.”

Mairin thought about his words for a moment before answering.

“I’m not proud of what I did. To be honest, I’m still a little afraid of you.”

 “I would be too,” he mumbled so silently that she was wondering if it had been meant for her ears.

“Hm?” Mairin hadn’t expected this kind of reply yet she was unable to hold back. Adrijan’s voice wasn’t much more than a whisper when he answered.

“I killed a man before your eyes, dragged you away from your home and forced you into one precarious situation after the other. And just then I held you down so you couldn’t move. I bet your wrists are still hurting.”

Mairin impulsively shook her head even though he was right but he didn’t seem to take notice of it and continued.

“Well… then there are those unpleasant paintings and despite all of it…” He broke off.

“
Despite all of it we’ve become alarmingly close,
” she finished his sentence in her mind. Could that be what he had wanted to say?

Although a considerable amount of time had already passed, Adrijan continued to hold her in his arms. Was she allowed not to want him to stop?

“Vivian said you really are a priest... so this is alright, isn’t it?”

Mairin cursed herself for even wondering about it.

“Mhm...”

Adrijan’s reply reassured her but she couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that he didn’t sound pleased. Despite his answer he suddenly released her from his embrace and backed away a little, confirming her worry.

“Was it wrong of me to inquire about it in your absence?”

 “You wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t wanted to know, right?”

 “That’s true. I really wanted to know.”

“Why?”

Thinking about it, Mairin realised, that there were more reasons than she wanted to reveal to him.

“Well... back at Sunflower Garden... “

“You don’t have to talk about it if it’s difficult for you.”

It was difficult for her, yet Adrijan was the one person she wanted to tell about it. Someday.

“I won’t bore you with details about what happened before you arrived, but the way you saved me... I’ve never seen a priest fight. The way you are, the things you do... if you weren’t dressed in this manner I would’ve never guessed you were a priest.”

Mairin was surprised by her own frankness.

“At least I fulfil some of the requirements,” he said jokingly and Mairin wasn’t sure what besides his clothes he was talking about.

“How do you do it? Believing in God I mean. I have to admit that I falter at times.”

“I never said I believed in God.”

Mairin was lost for words.

“Let’s discuss that matter another time,” Adrijan suggested, “didn’t you want to know about the painting?”

“Mhm.” Mairin was a little disappointed. As much as she saw the need for knowing about the painting, she feared it and would have rather delayed talking about the unpleasant matter.