Phantom; Blessed by the devil, Cursed by the gods

Chapter 8 The Fallen Star

"Sal!" called Casmir.

"Please wait" he cried.

But Sal continued walking, his tall and slender figure already disappearing as he passed the bustling Fey creatures of the Capital.

Casmir had to resist the urge to run after him, to leap over the heads of goblins and trolls in order to reach Sal, in order to reassure him that they saw him, that he—Casmir— saw him, more than Sal could ever know.

But Katarina was shaken and Bloom was approaching with a companion of her own, he needed to focus on the issues in front of him rather than the one walking away from him.

"Where's Salome going?" asked Bloom as she reached them.

She'd worn mortal clothes, a black top and mini skirt with boots, the silver bangles gleaming on her right arm and a black backpack swung over her left shoulder.

"He went ahead to conjure a portal" lied Casmir.

Bloom raised an eyebrow but then shrugged and placed a hand on her companion's shoulder.

"Very well then, I was going to introduce him but it seems you two will have to do" she said.

"Casmir, Katarina, this is Melchior, Melchior, these are the twins I told you about"

Melchior gave a small smile and stepped forward.

Casmir observed him for the first time, he was beautiful, but his beauty was peculiar, like the combination of two creatures who were alike but different.

He had pink and blue scales on his arms and legs, his neck and chest, his sides and shoulders, and there were three thin lines on his neck where gills must have been, he was bare chested, a brown satchel across his body and hanging on his side, he looked about fifteen years old but Casmir couldn't be sure, time worked differently in the Fey, he had hair the colour of melted gold, eyes the colour of the sea, a mixture of blue's and green's, he had a cheerful face, like the face of a child, filled with innocence and happiness, unaware of the danger surrounding them.

Melchior went to Katarina who smiled politely,  shielding her emotions with practiced ease.

"It's nice to meet you" said Katarina.

"The pleasure is all mine" said Melchior, his voice was rich and thick with their accent, he took Katarina's hand and kissed her knuckles.

Katarina simply smiled and drew her hand back slowly.

Melchior smiled knowingly and turned to Casmir, his eyes widened in shock.

"Dear Zeus" he exclaimed. "Are you a vampire?"

Casimir nodded and Melchior rushed to him and grasped his arm, it was the male way of greeting in the Fey, Casmir gasped softly as they made contact, Melchior's scaly skin was cold and smooth, it was like holding an arm of small smooth jewels, he looked into the boy's eyes and saw how they sparkled, the blue's and green's almost swirling into one colour. Casmir was suddenly more aware of the boy than he had been before.

"I love vampires, I'm certain we will be the best of friends" said Melchior.

Casmir smiled and nodded, he found Melchior amusing, and unnaturally cheerful.

"Certainly" said Casmir. "I'm assuming you're a siren considering the scales and all"

"Learn not to judge by appearance Casmir, all may not be as it seems" said Melchior, as he released his grasp on Casmir and turned to Bloom who gave him a worried look.

"Now let's meet this Salome character, shall we?" said Melchior.

Casmir didn't argue and neither did Katarina, they all advanced forward, moving out of the Capital more swiftly than they'd walked in.