Sitting here tonight, I began thinking about my most beloved characters. I thought I’d share the opening of Twilight Destiny. I’ve never shared this, though it’s probably on Amazon’s “See inside”. Here is how Joshua first met Catherine “Katie” Mills…
A gentle breeze stirred among the branches of the mighty evergreens–pines, spruces, and firs that whispered to each other over long-forgotten memories. High above the canopy, a waning moon peeked from behind the scattered clouds, its light casting fleeting silver beams among the shadows to illuminate the mist like specters flitting among the undergrowth. Somewhere in the quiet gloom, a lone owl took flight. Its massive wings softly beat the air as it issued a mournful “who-o-o” that floated on the breeze. Tiny frogs and insects called to each other, adding their songs to the musical harmony of the night.
A solitary figure moved among the shadows in ethereal silence, making note of every sound and smell, every nuance of the dense forest he’d come to call home. He passed unnoticed by the tiny creatures that shared this realm with him, and remembered a time long ago when they fled from him in fear before he knew they were there.
Joshua loved the night. He was deeply attuned to every sound, smell and sight that intertwined to write its own special music–music most creatures dismissed, but he found wonderfully soothing. The rainforests of the Pacific Northwest were not dissimilar to the woods of his native Scotland. Moss hung just as thick and wet from the trees. Mists rolled in just as gently. He sometimes missed the smell of heather on a fine summer’s eve, but only occasionally now, for those days were long behind him.
This quiet night was like any other, uneventful and serene, until he heard the sound of raucous laughter from a clearing ahead of him. His sharply tuned senses caught the scents of alcohol, sweat, and burning wood in the air. With the most careful stealth, he moved closer and found the camp with its four drunken occupants. He listened for a few minutes to their bawdy comments and jokes with disgust before moving on.
He had not gotten far from the campsite when he caught a new, elusive scent on the breeze, mildly sweet, like fresh peaches and strawberries covered in cream. He paused to take the scent into himself, savored it, then listened silently until he heard the soft shuffle of feet. With swiftness only he could manage in complete silence, he moved to the source of the sound. What he found brought an unexpected pang to his long-quiet heart.
A little girl, perhaps eight years of age, tripped happily along the poorly used path humming a simple tune. Her dark, unevenly cut hair hung to her collar and floated softly as she moved. A pair of expressive blue-gray eyes sparkled in her delicate, china-doll face. She wore a pair of cotton pants with a flowered print and a hole over one knee, and an undersized sweater. An ill-fitting pair of battered canvas shoes slipped occasionally from her heels.
He opened his mind to her thoughts and instantly regretted the act, for her sweet innocence invaded his mind with unexpected strength. He learned she was on her way home from a day of play with a friend not far down the path while revisiting one of her favorite fantasies, one in which she was a princess, forced to hide in poor exile because her castle was under siege. He smiled at her imagination.
Facts and images flowed over him with the softness of a spring rain, sketching the details of her life while holding him in her tender thrall. She lived in a dirt-floor dwelling barely adequate to shelter herself and her parents. Her father was a lumberjack on a part-time crew. She painted his image in laughter and gentleness, disguising the worry in his eyes, the hard lines on his face. Her mother appeared to have once been a graceful beauty, and in the child’s eyes she was the most wonderful woman in the world, but a hard life had put premature care lines on her young face.
The girl turned and headed into the woods, breaking his concentration. Her home was not far from where he now stood, a few short minutes up the path, but he realized with horror she intended to take a shortcut that led straight to the camp of drunken hunters. The thought of what those men might do to such a tender morsel sent an irrational surge of panic through him, overwhelming him with an unsettling and urgent need to protect her.
He knew his appearance would frighten the child, but he had to find a way to avert this tragedy in the making. With his mental prowess, he could sway her from her intended path, but doing so might cause her permanent harm. Tender minds were easily damaged, and his thoughts were far too powerful to force into such a small head. Reluctantly, he opened his mind to her again. The purity of her spirit poured through him, giving him feelings of longing he thought were lost to him forever. He fought against his feelings and focused on her fantasies until he found a way in. Then, with grim determination, he placed himself deliberately in her path.
The girl stopped short with a gasp when she saw him appear before her, but before she could gather herself to scream, he said gently, “Do not be afraid.” He knelt down, bowed his head deeply, and said, “I beg your pardon for this intrusion, my lady. Please have no fear. I mean you no harm.”
“Wh-h-o are you?” she asked in a tiny, frightened voice. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
He lifted his head, but carefully kept his face shadowed. “I am but a poor knight, my lady, the guardian of this forest. The wood sprites warn of a princess in danger. Tell me, can you be the one of whom they speak?”
“I’m not a princess,” she told him uncertainly, but he sensed her guard dropping.
“Indeed? May I be favored with the knowledge of your name?”
She hesitated a moment, then whispered, “It’s…Katie.”
“Katie?” he repeated in a puzzled tone. “Interesting name. Is it short for something? Let me guess. Katrina?” She shook her head. “No? Caitlin?” Again she shook her head, this time with a giggle. “Catalina, then?”
“No.” She laughed, her fear all but gone. “Catherine.”
He rose to his full height and nodded. “Ah. Catherine. ‘Tis a beautiful name. It suits you well, my lady.” He took a step toward her, leaned forward, and shifted his head from side to side in a secretive gesture. “There are monsters about this eve, Lady Catherine. I’ve been sent to guide you safely home.”
Her expression instantly sobered. “There’s no such thing as monsters. Daddy told me so.”
“Aye, he is correct to a point. But, you see, these monsters are not the kind that hide under wee girls’ beds at night. This kind lurks in shadowy woods to attack innocent wanderers such as yourself. The sprites told me they lie in wait beyond yonder trees. I’ve seen them myself, and they are most unsavory.” He straightened again and held his hand to her. “I beg you do me the honor of conducting you safely to your home, Princess Catherine. I swear by the unicorn’s heart that no harm will come to you if you place your trust in me.”
He watched the play of emotions on her face with amusement. The discomfort in her heart kept company with her strong-willed imagination. It took only the gentlest mental nudge to convince her this was little more than an extension of her fantasies. She reached up slowly to place her small, warm hand in his much larger one. Then, with a regal air that appeared well practiced, she raised her chin and said, “Very well, Sir Knight. You may escort me if you wish.”
“Thank you, my lady.” He closed his hand over hers and paused for a moment to rub the pad of his thumb across her delicate knuckles. “Now, follow me, and be extra quiet. We don’t want to attract attention.” He turned and led her through the woods, keeping enough distance between them and the men so her innocent ears would not hear their revelry. When they reached the edge of her property, he knelt to look in her eyes. “Your home lies just beyond, my lady. I thank you again for allowing me to see to your safety.”
She performed a proper curtsy. “I thank you for your assistance, Sir Knight.” Then, in a sudden gesture as magnanimous as it was unexpected, she flung her arms around his neck. He reluctantly returned the simple show of affection and felt something deep inside him shatter. She whispered a hasty goodbye and ran the rest of the way to her house.
He stood in the shadows and watched as she entered her home. Her mother welcomed the child into her arms and closed the door behind them. He heard her speak excitedly about a forest guardian, and felt relieved to sense the mother’s amused dismissal of her daughter’s flight of fancy. He turned to continue his nightly patrol of the forest, but now he took little notice of the wonders around him. His thoughts continued to gravitate around the innocent angel that had moved him so strangely.
He grimly resolved to never again cross paths with fair Catherine. He would too easily grow attached to the young mortal, and that was one thing he could not allow himself to do. Not again. Not this time. He’d lived too many years and made too many mistakes to allow himself commit yet another blunder. Trifling with mortals was a dangerous, sometimes deadly, game, and a vampire had to be careful, especially in these modern times. He reminded himself how much he enjoyed his solitary existence while he made his way back to his home on the other side of the woods.
