As Spider To Fly

Chapter 7: As Spider And Fly 1

Romericco tossed back brambles and stems, and gazed up at the glow in the drawn window. He pondered to himself quietly how he would get the Faye to Ursula. The wispy shadow of a girl loomed out the window. Her silhouette was tracing the strands of hair through with her spindly fingers. The word ‘Beautiful’ came into his mind the instant he looked upon her shadow. ‘Yet her mortal soul will soon be consumed by the Daemon Queen’, he reminded himself, and the ice had returned to his heart as fast as the sympathy had come. ‘It is for the better’, he thought. It was, in fact his only job ever. Ursula had only ever asked this of him, never anything else. All he had to do every 15 years was find a female host’s body that contained magickal blood. It had become harder and harder each time he searched because in the world today, most of the races had withdrawn back to their realms. Of the ones that were left, some were hunted to extinction, and others had intermingled with human blood. But this girl he was after, he had known her mother to be pure blooded Faye. Where she had come from, and where her realm was hidden, he did not know. But if ever found it, not only would Ursula have enough sacrifices for a millennium, but he would most likely be set free, now that he had eternally fulfilled his duty. 2

The shadow in the window moved across the room, and the light was extinguished. He decided to wait a few minutes before he made his deadly strike, to make sure she was completely taken by sleep. Romericco knew that there was a chance the girl would never wake again. 3

In the dark solitary shadows, cast by the huge oaks, Romericco slipped silently into the darkness. And in an instant invisible to mortal eyes, he was gone, skittering up the tree closest to the window. It was lucky for Romericco that her window was open, and only disguised by a thin filmy curtain. Clinging to the branches with the grace and poise of a cat, he neared the window. 4

He took a small, jade handled dagger out of his boot, and unsheathed it so that its jagged blade gleamed in the moonbeams. He had taken it off a gentleman merchant he had drained in Egypt. The blade was quite different with its jagged point looking as if a shark had bitten it. It was deadly, quick, and lethal, therefore being his favorite. 5

He drew his knife quickly and slit the thin veils of the curtains. Now, provided with a swift path to his prey, he stealthy and inaudibly stepped through the window. 6

The girl’s room was what he expected a mortal teenager’s living quarters to look like. There were various posters of American and British Punk Rock bands, and teen heartthrobs on the light orange walls. It had struck him as odd that the walls were colored like a carrot. But he had remembered years ago when peace, love, and mood beads were all one needed. There was an old white vanity in the corner of the room, the paint coming off in flakes. There was a series of books on the vanity, along with a music box, harboring a tiny dancer with wings inside. But what caught Romericco’s eyes was sitting next to the music box. It was an old framed colour photo in a black shaped iron frame. Smiling up at him was a beautiful woman with emerald eyes, red hair, and dimples on her faintly freckled face. Her pale hearts shaped lips were curved into a grin. The woman was dressed in faded blue jeans and a gray zip-up jacket. She was holding a little girl in her arms. The girl was barely two years old, and had wisps of strawberry hair tied into a little pink ribbon. The infant’s rosy cheeks and choppy pink lips were outset in the pale woodland surroundings of the photo. 7

Romericco caught himself staring at the old photograph dreamily. He was just going to do it quick; no hesitation. He strode over to the bed where the girl was sleeping, covers pulled over her head so that only her fingertips were visible. 8

Romericco began to get nervous about doing this task. This was unusual since Romericco had killed hundreds of people over the course of his immortal life. 9

He shakily took a small vial out of his pocket, and unhinged the cork carefully. Gorgon venom: the venom from the fangs of the daughters of the famed Medusa. A deadly and silent kill, just what he wanted. Romericco raised his knife and dipped the point into the purple florescent liquid. A drop was enough to put a mortal to sleep forever, in a paralysis like coma. However, for magickal blood, it would take more than a pint to put them in an eternal rest. He hadn’t been back to the Grecian islands for some time, so he only had a tiny amount remaining. Not enough to kill, and barely enough to put to sleep for three days. It would have to do. Soon enough Ursula would have her soul in her crimson talons. 10

Ever so carefully, he pulled back the covers. Romericco’s eyes widened and he suddenly felt remorse for this girl. Her delicate hair fell over her milky complexion and soft pink lips. Her beautiful heart shaped face was the shade of freshly fallen snow. She looked so peaceful. Romericco pulled back her hair and held the knife to her neck, the poison glinting on the end of the blade. He took several deep breaths to prepare himself. Once small cut was all it would take, then his job would be over. He would carry her away to his hut and his work would be done. Voila, no more for 15 more years. He steadied his shaky hand and mentally started a countdown in his head. Yet by the time he reached zero for the fourth time something was quite apparent to him. He grunted in rage, withdrew the blade and sheathed it. He couldn’t do it. But he thought of Ursula and her punishment if he did not bring her back. He still had the scar from the last time one of his plans had gone askew. His hate for Ursula triggered an icy reaction in his heart. He glared at the sleeping Faye and stroked her cheek. He chuckled and said aloud, “Tonight you were lucky, mi amore. I will be back for you tomorrow night. Have a nice last day in your carefree life, for in the morrow the spider will be back for its fly.” 11