by Katie Cherry
“Yes,” he answers. “I just wanted to check and see if Auna was back yet.”
“That’s great,” Angela yawns, sitting up in bed. She looks over at her clock and is disappointed to see that it was nearly two. “But like I said, you called me just five minutes ago. Nothing is going to happen in five minutes- especially not at a time that every other sane person is asleep. Just… get some rest. Okay?”
“You’ll call me when Auna gets there with the cure for Crystal?”
“Of course.”
“And…”
“Goodnight, Nathan,” she interrupts, quickly hanging up. She holds the phone in her hand and waits for a moment, half expecting it to ring again. When the phone remains blissfully silent, she breathes a sigh of relief and sets it on her bedside table once more. Snuggling back up under her covers, she takes a deep, calming breath and closes her eyes.
It feels like mere moments after this that yet another noise rouses her. “Angela! T was successful in the cure!”
“That’s great, Auna,” Angela mutters into her pillow, not bothering to open her eyes. “Just put it by my phone. I’ll get to it in the morning.”
As the fairiye does so, she sighs with exasperation. “Alright, then. You get your beauty sleep for your new boyfriend. Don’t even worry about the welfare of the Princess! Don’t thank T for working through the night by immediately getting it to an anxious Nathan or anything. You just take care of yourself.”
Angela opens her eyes and prepares a retort, but discovers that the fairiye is gone. She sighs and rolls onto her back, staring at her ceiling. After a few minutes, she closes her eyes and tries to sleep. Rest seems to escape her, however, so after an hour she groans and swings her legs out of bed. Standing, she shuffles over to her bathroom.
After switching on the light, she peers at her reflection in the mirror. Her bloodshot eyes had bags hanging beneath them and her face was pale. Sighing, she brushes her teeth and applies her makeup. It doesn’t completely hide the bags, but it helps a little. After brushing her hair, she walks back into her bedroom and calls Nathan. He picks up on the second ring.
“You got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
She can almost hear his grin on the other end. “Awesome! I’ll meet you outside your window.” He hangs up before she could say another word. Tucking the phone into her pocket, she finishes lacing on her tennis shoes.
It’s only now that she inspects the ‘cure’ for Crystal. The amber liquid bubbles slightly in the clear glass syringe which contained it. The syringe was pretty large, about the width of two of her fingers, and it was mostly full. I wonder if she has to ingest all of this, Angela thinks to herself as she carefully slips the cure into her purse, which she then slings over her shoulder.
She’s careful to make as little noise as possible as she slinks past her ‘parent’s’ room and out the back door. She sits at one of the tables by the pool to wait for Nathan. Unsurprisingly, he arrives soon after she does. “Angela,” he murmurs when he reaches her. “Where is it?” She looks at him despairingly and points to her purse.
“Before we talk we need to get away from the house,” she whispers to him. “Mom’s a light sleeper.”
He looks a little impatient at this, but nods and takes her hand. They walk into one of the last remaining groves of trees in Pargunma, stopping once their neighborhood is far enough away for them to be able to speak freely.
“Angela…” Nathan starts. She hands him the syringe before he even finishes asking for it.
“That’s it,” she says, watching as the faint glow from the liquid lights up his face in a golden glow.
“Wow,” he murmurs, gently caressing it with his fingertips. “Does she need all of it?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. It would probably be best to give her as much as you can, though.”
He nods. “Of course.” He looks up. “Where’s Auna?” he inquires.
“I don’t know,” Angela sighs. “Do you need to talk to her?”
“Well I wanted her to ask T some questions for me, if that’s possible,” he frowns, looking at her a little strangely.
“Alright. I’ll call her,” she says before reaching out with her mind. “Auna?”
“Oh, you’re up,” the fairiye quips irritatingly. “Wonderful.”
“Shut up,” Angela groans. “Just come here. Nathan has some questions he wants you to ask T.”
“T’s asleep, but he gave me some instructions for the cure,” Auna responds as she appears between her and Nathan.
“Great,” Nathan says, turning his attention to the fairiye. “What did he say?”
“He said that only half of the solution is required to restore Crystal’s memories, but he doubled it in case something goes wrong and you need more for whatever reason. He also said that it could be given to her directly through a vein, or you could put it in her food or drink. Does that answer your questions, Nathan?”
“Yes. Thank you,” he smiles, again returning his attention to the object in his hands. He takes a deep breath and looks up. “I guess it’s time to put the final touches on our game plan, then. However,” he adds, turning to Angela. “When this all goes down, I need you to stay here, out of harm’s way.”
<<
Bryce paces the floor in front of Zarafa, who remains deathly still on the couch. He shakes his head vigorously, his hands anxiously raking through his dark hair. “I can’t do this. I really don’t think I can do this.” Zarafa doesn’t respond. Her comments earlier in the day, as well as the day before, had done nothing to comfort him. It was up to him to console himself.
“I mean there’s only so far I can go,” he mutters, gripping his hair so hard his knuckles turn white. “There’s only so much I’ll do for Patrick… and I’m pretty sure this plan crosses the line… there is simply no way I’m letting your fangs near my neck,” he shudders.
“Then what do you plan to do?” Zarafa sighs, weary of his endless pacing. “That is the last resort for us being able to convince Nathan you’re on his side.”
“But what if even that isn’t enough?” he moans, spinning to face her. His face twitches like a mad man’s. “What if nothing we do will convince the boy?”
“Then I could always bite him. Influence his mind with magic.”
Bryce groans and shakes his head vigorously. “If Patrick found out…”
“Patrick won’t find out,” Zarafa assures, standing and putting her hands on his shoulders to hold him in place. “Look at me.” He forces his eyes to meet hers. “I will not let Patrick find out. Even if he does, I promise that all the blame will fall on me. Okay?” As he starts to turn his head away, she jerks it back to face her own. “Okay?” she growls.
His face sags as though defeated. “Okay,” he agrees. “I suppose it’s the only way… as long as you can control your bloodlust.”
She scoffs as she releases him. “What do you take me as? An amateur?” She laughs. “Please. I’ve had over a hundred years of practice. Trust me, I can handle the blood of one hardly significant boy.”
<<
“Sounds like a pretty good plan to me,” Beryl says after a few seconds of silence. Nathan nods and looks around the table at the others gathered there. Greg says nothing and neither does Auna, but when his gaze falls on Angela, she decides she has to speak up.
“Yes, it’s great…”
“Except?” Nathan sighs.
“Except I have no part in it,” she explains.
Nathan frowns. “That’s because I’m not letting you into the line of fire for me.”
“Maybe it’s not all about you,” Angela retorts, tears stinging her eyes. “Maybe it’s because I need to do this for myself, for the Queen, for the Princess, for the overall war, and for you. Either way, I want a part in this plan of yours. If you don’t let me help, I’ll just take things into my own hands,” she threatens.
Nathan stares at her for a minute, trying to weigh the possibility that she would actuall
y do such a thing. Finally, he shakes his head. “I can’t let you put yourself in danger,” he proclaims, standing. “And you won’t follow up on your threat.” He pauses at the smoldering look in Angela’s eyes. “I’m doing this for your own good,” he assures her, walking around the table and kneeling in front of her, holding her right hand in his own. He looks deep into her eyes. “Please believe me when I say that I’m doing this because I love you and can’t bear to have you get that close to danger. I don’t know what I would do without you, and I don’t want to have to find out.” Angela wipes away tears and nods, not trusting her voice. She didn’t want to give away the plan that was already cooking in her brain. Nathan didn’t have to know that she was going in, regardless of his pleading.
Nathan stands and steps away, a veiled pain in his eyes as his grandma leans across the table towards her. “Angela, I understand your concern- better than you know… you are more than welcome to stay here with me when it all goes down.” Angela frowns. That’s guaranteed to put a kink in her plans… but Beryl’s look was so insistent that Angela finally gave in and agreed.
“Now then,” Beryl continues, turning to Nathan. “When do you expect to be back? It’s not fair to leave your girlfriend here alone, you know.”
“Oh, it shouldn’t take long,” he says, looking relieved that Angela wasn’t still pushing to go. “Once I get Crystal back to her castle, I’ll have Thaddeus put a portal back here. Angela should be safe enough in the Dragon’s castle, right?”
“I’m sure,” Angela quickly inputs before he could start to doubt the safety of Zilferia.
“Now the only question is how we should get this started,” Greg comments. “Should we sneak up on the building and simply slip through the portal, or should we try and trick them again?”
“I say sneak up, unless they call and try to get Nathan to come over again,” Auna decides. “Which isn’t very likely, but in the event that they do decide to try and deceive Nathan again, we should stall until at least three thirty so he could still be there when the portal opens. If we must fight to get through, then so be it.”
<<
“How do you plan to get him here this time?” Bryce asks, his eyes darting over to the clock once more. “The portal opens in an hour. We need him here now if we’re going to do anything.”
“I know,” Zarafa sighs. “That’s why I’m going to have to resort to more drastic measures to get him here, and get him here now.”
“…What are you going to do?” he questions.
Ignoring him, Zarafa picks up her phone and dials Nathan’s cell number. It rings twice before he answers it. “Zarafa? What…”
“No time for pleasantries,” she quickly interrupts. “If you don’t come to my house now and give yourself up to me, I will kill Bryce.”
“I don’t care about him,” comes the response. “Kill him if you wish- that’s just one less Dragon Hunter that I’ll have to deal with myself.”
Zarafa’s nostrils flare open and her eyes dilate like a cat’s. “Fine. Then I’ll kill Angela. One less girlfriend for you to deal with, as well as one less spy for me to dispose of later.”
There’s silence on the other end. Finally, his tight voice replies. “Zarafa, if you value your own pitiful existence, you will not touch a hair on her head. …I’m coming over now- not because you told me to, but because I decided the world would be much better off rid of you and Bryce. You might want to flee before it’s too late,” he threatens before hanging up.
Zarafa lowers the phone and looks to Bryce. “Change of plans. I don’t have to bite you… Nathan’s coming to kill us both. Obviously getting him to trust you is a waste of time. I’ll just bite him and let the consequences fall as they may.”
Bryce nods, his face still pale. “It sounds as though we have indeed arrived at our last option.”
<<
Nathan lowers the phone, shaking. Angela glances at Beryl, who nods her onward. Reaching out an unsteady hand, she gently touches him on the shoulder. She can feel him shaking in anger beneath her hand, his skin burning through his shirt.
“…Nathan?” she gently probes. When at first there’s no reaction from him, she opens her mouth to say something else.
Suddenly spinning around, he takes her face in his hands and kisses her. After a few seconds, he breaks away, breathing hard. “I’ll never let them get you,” he promises before whirling back around and striding out the door.
<<
Angela just stares after him as Greg hurries out the door to join with Auna close behind. Beryl chuckles. “He’s so like his grandpa was, it just warms my heart.”
“Well,” Beryl says, turning to Angela. “Are you going to chase after him or not?”
Angela stares at her in surprise. “What?”
“I told you I knew how you felt, didn’t I? I know you won’t let him go on this mission alone. Just be safe, alright?” she smiles sadly at the girl, patting her on the shoulder.
Angela grins back, tears of gratitude swimming in her eyes. She pulls the grandma into her arms. “Thank you,” she whispers.
Beryl’s eyes sparkle like they haven’t in years as she smiles at Angela. “Go,” she urges.
Angela doesn’t need to be told twice. By the time Nathan’s car reached the end of the street, she was on her way through the neighborhood, running like she had never run before.
<<
Nathan brings the car to a stop at the bottom of the hill and pulls out Crystal’s cure, cradling it in his hands before tucking it away again. Taking a deep breath, he turns to face his companions. “Ready?” he asks.
“Um, not exactly… what’s the plan?” Greg anxiously inquires.
Nathan shrugs. “We don’t have time to make another plan. We’ll just have to improvise.” Greg squeaks unhappily, but doesn’t say anything else. “Alrighty, then. Let’s go,” he declares, opening the door.
He stands and shivers against the brisk October air before starting up the hill. Soon, he was warm enough from the exercise that he had to remove his jacket. He drops it in the grass, figuring that it would only slow him down at this point. He slows as the huge house comes into view. Everything is still, both inside and outside of the house, but Nathan isn’t fooled. He knows that Zarafa wouldn’t actually run from him.
He turns to Auna. “You said you can see portals, right?”
“Yes,” she confirms.
“Good. Please alert me when you see it.” He glances at his watch. They had about ten minutes until the portal was supposed to appear. “Until then, I guess I lure Zarafa into a trap and kill her… Bryce too, if I have time.”
“...What trap?” Greg asks, whiskers twitching nervously.
“The one I’m about to make,” he replies, grinning and examining his surroundings. “Let’s get started,” he crows, rubbing his hands together.
<<
Angela crouches behind a tree, panting. The vampire’s house was in view. She had to be more cautious from this point. She couldn’t risk getting caught- too much was on the line. We need weapons, she decides. They should have some in her house somewhere…
Keeping low to the ground, Angela smoothly races towards the building, taking cover behind anything she can along the way. She reaches the back corner just as Nathan stalks past, his eyes intent on the woods. Greg and Auna follow him. Angela stiffens as the fairiye pauses and instantly throws up mental shields around her mind to mask her presence from Auna. Angela breathes a sigh of relief when she continues on with Nathan. Once the trio is out of sight, she continues around the house. She soon discovers what she had been searching for- an unsecured window.
Cautiously sliding open the blacked-out window, she peers inside. She only sees a couple of tables and some official-looking papers. After slipping through the window, she closes it and waits for her eyes to adjust to the dark, dusky atmosphere. That’s when she notices the black lockbox in the corner.
After glancing a
round once more, she scuttles over to it. Crouching, she explores the midnight-black box with her fingertips. The cold sting of the gleaming silver lock contrasts the soft, velvety darkness of the rest of the container. Lifting it, she’s surprised to find that although it was about the length of her arm, it was quite light.
At this point, her curiosity was overwhelming. Scrabbling with the small lock, she’s frustrated when it doesn’t break. Her bobby pins won’t work on it, either. It must be enforced with magic, she realizes.
She’s ready to leave the strange box behind, but something stays her hand. Finally, she resigns with a sigh. Whatever’s in here sure better be worth it, she groans. Condemned to keep the mysterious object, she searches for a way to transport it with her.
A black strap lying where the box had previously been catches her eye. It’s made of the same dark material the box was fashioned from, she realizes when she picks it up. She grins with relief and attaches it on either end of the case before lying it on her back. The strap cuts diagonally across her front, going from her right shoulder to her left hip, holding the box in place on her back while still granting Angela free range with her arms.
Satisfied, she rises to her feet once more before heading to the door. After unlocking it from the inside, she cautiously slips her head into the hallway, darting it back and forth, eyes alert for any sign of movement. When there is none, she creeps out into the hallway, the plush carpet absorbing all sound.
Stepping carefully, she makes her way down the hallway until she reaches the next door. She holds her breath nervously as she eases the door open. Hopefully she could find a weapon before she chanced upon Zarafa or Bryce, and also before Nathan discovered her and sent her home.
<<
Nathan fidgets as the time gradually ticks by. “Where the heck are they?” he murmurs, disquieted. “There’s no way they actually left… unless they got the portal open earlier!” he gasps as the possibility of just such a thing suddenly presses itself upon him. He leaps to his feet and turns to Auna, who pulls herself out of her hiding spot to face him.
“I’ll go and see if that is indeed the case,” she offers before vanishing. Nathan fidgets in her absence, already feeling loss. What if their chance had already slipped through his fingers? What if Crystal’s chance had been lost- all because he lost his temper for a while? Sorrow threatens to swallow him up in its gaping maw, and he struggles to not get sucked in.