Chapter Twenty-Four: Left Out in the Cold
"Ne fais pas ça! There is no way that I will let you pass!" Sir Chevalier said sternly, his arms crossed in front of his chest over his crumpled three piece suit. "Queen Marquette is far too busy to be dealing with the likes of you."
The knight wasn't quite as intimidating as Alice remembered. He was a lot rougher around the edges and had lost all sense of mystery, becoming just another age old immortal lost in time. She could have sworn that he used to be taller, but he didn't seem to stand quite as straight as he used to and looked as though he was weary of performing his endless duties night after night. Or maybe it wasn't the fact that he had changed at all, but that Alice had seen far worse than him since the evening they first met and was no longer scared.
"I promise I'll be quick." Alice's words were rushed, the sense of urgency that she felt making her sound flustered. "I just need to have a few words with her."
Sir Chevalier stood his ground, using his body to block the cave entrance as he tried to shoo her away. "Aller se faire cuire un œuf!" He said with increasing agitation. "You do not want to start trouble here. Go on now, get out of my sight!"
Her body still weak and drained of her former power, Alice knew that this was a battle that she couldn't win, and so she had no choice but to give in to his demands. "Alright, I'll go." she sighed, still hoping that he would change his mind as she slowly turned to walk away. "I'm sorry for asking…"
The knight didn't say another word as Alice headed back out into the frigid wilderness, but even now she could feel his hardened stare boring holes into the back of her skull. She could sense the hatred that he held within him, the blame that he placed upon her for everything that had happened to his precious queen in the past few years. She knew that it had been a dangerous gamble to even approach him, but the knight had somehow kept his anger at bay. Not because he chose to, but because he was following the orders of the one who held his leash.
Alice was frustrated and desperate to find a way to save Sam, her usual level of patience failing her this time. If Renita wasn't willing to hear her out, then she had no idea what she could do to save him. She could always go to the palace alone, an idiotic move that Katherine was surely counting on, but it wasn't as if there were many other options available to her. Alice knew that she was in no fit state to face her old mentor alone, her mind in as delicate a state as her body as it still struggled to knit itself back together; but right now it was the only idea that she had.
Being denied a chance to even present her case to Queen Marquette had left Alice feeling so very desperate and alone. As she looked out towards the vast winter wasteland before her, she came to realise that their so called revolution would be of no help to her at all. They had frozen her out of their operation and had turned their backs on her, leaving her isolated as she was both literally and metaphorically left out in the cold.
Wandering far enough from the cave to know that she was out of sight, Alice continued to move through the treeline and out into the unknown. She didn't have a clue where she was going, all she knew was that she needed the space to think. Out there in the woods, it was difficult to see anything at all in the near whiteout conditions; the snowfall so heavy that even she began to feel its icy chill.
Alice was wearing little more than a tank top and jeans, the same ones that she had worn during her last vicious encounter with Katherine. They were stained a deep red, the sweet scent of Matty's dried blood still upon them. She had already wrapped a thick woolen blanket around her shoulders to hide the shame and shelter herself from the wind, one of the same blankets that Sam had used to create a makeshift bed. If there had been other clothing options for her to wear, she would have changed already, as the aroma of death was a harsh reminder of a loss that she couldn't bear to dwell on.
In those rare moments when she wasn't worrying about Sam, Alice would picture the face Matty made right before he died, his expression of shock etched into her mind. She now understood exactly how her friend had felt when he lost Christie, and she felt awful for not being able to take his pain away, especially when all she wanted now was to forget her own terrible suffering.
"You're a long way from home, little girl." a gruff voice sounded out from somewhere nearby, the origin of which was just out of sight.
Quickly turning on the spot, Alice found it difficult to locate who had spoken to her; that was until she caught a glimpse of a tall and muscular figure leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree. She recognised him almost instantly, his long dark hair and tough exterior a dead giveaway.
"Vincent?" Alice furrowed her brow, not having expected to find him anywhere near his brother, at least not without them tearing each other apart. "What are you doing here?"
The coarse haired man smirked, his fangs jutting out from between his lips. "Mutual goals and extenuating circumstances. Business is business and all that."
Alice hadn't seen Vincent since her departure from Calgary, that same fateful night in which both she and Matty had left Katherine behind. In fact, she had come to believe that the wolf and his pack had been hunting her down this whole time, but the fact that he wasn't making a move against her made her question everything. If he had brought Sam this far, then perhaps she had misunderstood his motivations all along. Maybe he wasn't Katherine's lap dog after all.
"I'm not sure that I understand…" Alice mused aloud as she tried to evaluate the situation. "I thought your loyalties lay with Katherine. What are you even doing here? And why did you take Sam?"
"I have no love for that woman." Vincent growled, standing up straight as he stretched his arms out by his sides. "It was a mistake to follow her." He craned his neck to one side as if he heard something on the wind, taking a few seconds to listen before continuing. "As for your friend, I believed he would be useful, but it seems that I was wrong about that too. The pathetic fool turned himself over to our enemies without a second thought."
Alice nodded slowly as she took in the information. The old wolf's words confirmed that he was no friend of Katherine's, but she didn't trust him enough to turn her back to him either. As if sensing her unease, he began to circle her like a predator stalking its prey. She did her best to face him as he prowled, trying not to give him a single opening that would allow him to catch her off guard.
"He did it to protect me… To protect us!" Alice added. She honestly believed her words to be the truth and wanted to defend Sam against all doubt, but her friend had made things difficult for her. "I don't know what's gotten into him, but I have to find him before it's too late."
Vincent's smirk changed into a massive grin, with almost all his teeth now ferociously on display. "It's already too late, girl. The Blood Queen has him now."
Alice frowned at his blatant mockery. She was annoyed by the wolf's show of amusement, especially because it was at the expense of her best friend. "I have to go to him!" she stated with gusto, carefully watching his every move. "I can't leave him to die!"
"Then it seems you are as much a fool as him." There was a crimson tint to Vincent's eyes; one that she had witnessed before. In her experience, it was something that occurred right before he shifted into a wolf, a warning to all who opposed him that he was about to unleash the beast inside. There was a chance that he could strike at any moment, and she didn't want to tempt the change any more than she wanted to be stuck out in the blizzard with someone who she trusted about as far as she could throw him; which was not very far at all.
"Will you come to the palace with me?" Alice asked with sincerity, trying to soothe the beast by keeping his mind occupied. "Will you help me rescue my friend?" She knew that even suggesting such a thing was a risk in itself, but it was one that she was willing to take. "I need help getting him out of there, and you know that place far better than I do."
In an instant, the feral grin had dropped from Vincent's face. He stopped in his tracks, his imposing form standing over Alice in a way that made her feel as though she was s
hrinking. There was no doubt that he had an intimidating and powerful presence, the feral beast inside him causing her own to cower before it in fear. There was a time not long ago when that role would have been reversed, the ancient and potent blood within her veins enough to overpower him, but Katherine had drained her of it all. Now she was back to square one, much weaker than those whose years dwarfed her own.
"No." the wild vampire snarled. "We have lost too many already, and it's suicide to go there unprepared. We can't risk losing more of us just to rescue some lowly Forsaken pup."
It seemed that he resorted to predefined labels like most of their kind, a fact that set off a defiant spark inside Alice's chest. "Really? Is that how you see him, just some label and not as an actual person?"
Vincent shrugged, the lack of compassion upon his face clearly visible as the crimson faded from his eyes, leaving them a dark, earthy brown. "It's of little consequence... We can't spare anyone, especially for such a large operation. There are no secret tunnels this time, girl."
Alice had already presumed that her old mentor would have blocked the secret entrance into her estate, but there had to be another way inside besides the main entrance. If sneaking underneath the walls was out of the question and a frontal assault was unlikely, then perhaps she would have to resort to less violent means to gain access. It was clear that she was getting nowhere with any of Renita's followers, as they followed their queen blindly in the same manner in which she herself had once followed Katherine. There was no one that Alice could turn to for help when she needed it, especially not to save someone that they considered to be beneath them. Sam was Forsaken both in name and in actuality, and she was the only one willing to put herself in danger to rescue him.
It had been made perfectly clear that there would be no one else willing to stand with Alice against the Blood Queen. They were all too busy preparing for war in the only way that immortal beings knew how; biding their time and slowly building up their power base as the world around them continued to turn. By the time they were ready to attack, it would already be too late and Alice no longer had the luxury of waiting. She had to act fast, doing everything that she could before her friend was removed from her life permanently.
Alice looked Vincent directly in the eye, overcoming the sense of fear that had been instilled in her. "Then I suppose that this is something I have to do myself."
"Don't be so stupid!" he snapped, the red glow staying from his eyes. "Renita may not have time for you now, but she won't want to see an asset like you go to waste. Especially one that could prove more dangerous in the hands of our enemy."
"It's not her choice to make." Alice fiercely replied. She knew that he had a point, but that didn't mean that she would stay with them willingly. They would have to physically bind her to keep her there, as there was no way that she would let Sam remain in Katherine's clutches for a moment longer than she had to; not without doing everything in her power to save him first.
There was a hint of approval in Vincent's expression, but he refused to vocalise it. Instead, he just nodded his head once and muttered so quietly that she could barely hear it over the storm. "No, I guess it isn't..."
Building up the courage to leave, Alice turned to walk away from Vincent, no longer believing that he had the guts to attack her out in the open. As the seconds passed by and she increased the distance between them, she knew that she was right, as he didn't come after her.
Marching back through the storm towards the cave where she had awoken, Alice knew full well that Morgana wouldn't be there to greet her. The blood witch was both powerful and wise, but she wasn't nearly a match for Katherine, and that meant that she would avoid confrontation except to offer some occasional words of cryptic advice. No, the red woman would stay out of sight, waiting for the right moment to appear and make her presence known. It was likely that she was still watching now; her black eyes witnessing everything that was going on from wherever it was that she was hiding.
It seemed to take longer for Alice to get back to the cave then it had been for her to leave it. It didn’t help that the snow drifts were larger now and much heavier too, making each and every step a chore in itself. She had almost made it to the small opening in the rocks when she caught sight of someone tailing her. Whoever they were, they were too small to be Vincent, but the way in which they silently shadowed her through the deep snow let her know that they were at least a member of his pack. It looked as though he had sent someone to spy on her, or maybe a guard to keep her a prisoner until she was summoned. Or perhaps that wasn't it at all and they had an ulterior motive for following her, one that Alice was not yet aware of. Whatever their reason, she had caught them unawares and quickly rushed back to confront them.
Standing there in between the bare branches was a slender, yet muscular woman with skin as dark as night. She was wild and untamed, her long hair hanging loose around her face as she stared at Alice in surprise. It was clear that she hadn't expected to be spotted there amongst the trees and had been confident enough in her abilities to believe that she had successfully made a stealthy approach. Her scarlet leather jacket and black denim jeans stood out against the white backdrop, the fabric weathered and well worn. From the look upon her face, it appeared as though she wasn't sure whether she should charge at Alice or run away; her stance that of someone who had been caught red handed.
"You may as well stay." Alice chose her words carefully, trying not to spook her stalker any further. "I'm guessing that you already know who I am. May I ask you your name?"
It took a few moments for the woman to answer as she considered all the options available to her. "Rahna." she eventually responded, her body wound up tight. "Are you going to find Sam?"
Alice peered back at the woman with curiosity, wondering who she was and whether she really cared what happened to Sam or not. "Yes, I am. I can't stay here while he's in danger."
Rahna looked a little more relaxed as she loosened her shoulders and adopted a more casual stance. "I see... I wish I could go with you." Her dark eyes were full of sorrow, as if she had said or done something that she truly regretted. "I want to help, I really do. But I can't disobey my alpha."
The response gave Alice pause. It seemed that whoever this woman was, she had a vested interest in whether or not Sam survived. The revelation came as a surprise, but it was a welcome one nonetheless.
"That's alright." Alice smiled with all the warmth that she had left within her. "Could you at least tell me how to get back to the city from here? I have no idea where we are." She had already guessed that she was somewhere within a few miles of Calgary, but with no idea where to go, she knew that she could be lost within the blizzard until dawn.
Rahna raised an arm and pointed just past where Alice was standing. "Walk the tree line down to the river, then follow it downstream. You'll come across a footbridge that'll take you where you want to go." It looked as if she was smiling for a moment; or maybe it was a grimace, it was hard to tell.
"Thank you." Alice could barely find the energy to express her gratitude, managing little more than a slight simper.
Rahna crossed her arms in front of her chest, seeming less sure of herself by the minute. "Bring him back safe, and tell the idiot not to get himself killed."
Before any more words could be exchanged between them, Rahna leapt back into the woods, hurrying off into the deep snow where she quickly disappeared. Alice considered giving chase, but she decided against it; watching the woman leave as her footprints were filled in by fresh snow.
Catching a single snowflake in the palm of her hand, Alice waited a moment for it to melt, but it instead retained its shape as the cold of her dead flesh preserved its uniqueness. Something about that reminded her of how much she had lost; not just those who she loved, but of her own life that had been taken from her so long ago. However she felt about the past, none of that mattered anymore, as right now Sam was in desperate need of her help and she alone could save him.
Looking in the direction of where Rahna had pointed, Alice could see the gnarled trees of the forest running parallel to a shallow cliff face that disappeared off into the distance; the same rugged rocks that contained the entrances to various caves in which Queen Marquette's forces were still waiting out the storm. They claimed to be building up their strength before a final assault upon Katherine's stronghold, but time was of the essence and Alice couldn't afford to wait any longer. She had been set on a path and only had to follow the instructions that she had been given in order to make it back to the city in time. After that, she knew exactly what she had to do. She had to return to a place to which she had once vowed never to return; Katherine Louviere's private estate. A place that had since come to be known as the dreaded palace of the Blood Queen.
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Queen of Blood
The white washed walls and polished marble of the grand hall were just a facade. Where most would see a gilded hall sculpted to perfection, Alice could perceive the rot that ran deep. The great pillars looked strong enough, but they were struggling under the weight of the heavy ceiling, in danger of breaking apart and bringing it all crashing down upon her. A fresh coat of paint wasn't enough to hide the corruption beneath, the faint stains of blood scrubbed away until the surfaces were left scratched and faded. The entire place was illuminated by an unnatural white light, near blinding to those who had entered from the darkened hallways outside, but not enough to blind Alice to the truth. She could see that all the spectacle and grandeur was nothing but a lie.
At the far end of the room, sharp stone steps led up to a throne that seemed to grow from them like a cancer. It was draped in expensive silks that covered up the chips and gouges in the stonework, but to Alice they took on a more sinister tone. To her the crimson fabrics looked as though they were flowing over the alabaster surfaces, seeping out like blood from a freshly opened wound. The atmosphere may have been carefully crafted to leave guests in awe, but all she had to do was peel back the curtain to lay eyes upon the decay lying just beyond it. The simple fact was that nothing could remain hidden forever, not when there were still those willing to seek it out.
Blood Queen Page 29