“Our sisters mean everything to us,” Timothy said with heartfelt sincerity. “We’ll die trying to save them.”
His love for his sisters touched my heart. I could see it on his face, on all their faces. Their family stuck together, even when confronted with death, just like mine, but I had no idea how such a small group intended to break the girls out with only one sword between them.
I held my hand out and helped him up. “It’s too dangerous for you to be here.”
“If my wife dies,” the hooded man said, “then I’m dead anyway. I can’t live without the love of my life.”
“How many women are missing?” Liz asked.
The blond man tried to keep his hands from shaking. “We have four sisters. The demon took all of them. My mother is overcome with grief, especially since that foul creature killed my father last year. We moved five towns over, but it still wasn’t enough.”
“Well, you’ve got us now. Let’s get a move-on,” I said.
We continued walking through the cursed woods, and no one really said anything, as we were all scared shitless.
In the next instant, Liz screamed as the ground disappeared right under her feet.
“Liz!” I yelled, reaching for her hands and gripping them tightly. “Hold on!”
“Don’t let go!” she yelled, glancing down with horror in her eyes at the stake-lined pit, a bed of sharpened spears meant to impale anyone who fell in. It was quite a booby trap, because it was entirely camouflaged by natural undergrowth.
I pulled with all my might, tugging my sister up over the ledge, and she hugged me. “I feel so stupid. How could I have missed that?” she said.
“You weren’t looking at the ground,” one of the men said. “I can’t blame you for keeping your eyes ahead of you in this wretched place.”
Before I could warn the man in front of me, his foot jiggled a tripwire. With immortal speed, I swung him out of the way as a huge, spiked boulder passed over his head.
“This is far too dangerous,” a woman said.
Almost before she got the words out, another man screamed out in pain. He’d fallen into a shallow pit of sharpened spikes. One of the other men tried to pull his leg free, but that only caused more damage, tearing wide gashes in his flesh, clear down to the bone.
“He’s bleeding badly,” a woman frantically said, her eyes tearing up.
A simple spike made out of wood was embedded in his flesh of his leg. I reached down and helped to free him as he cried out in agony.
“I won’t make it,” he said.
“He’s right,” another said, “and all that blood will only attract the demon.”
“Look!” a woman said, pointing to some blue liquid on the spikes.
I cocked a brow. “What is that?”
“Domino poison,” she said, as a tear dripped down her face. “He won’t live another five minutes.”
The other woman sobbed next to me.
“I can help,” Liz said. “I am a healer.”
“Liz, our powers are suspended, remember?” I said.
She shook her head. “We still have our natural strength, our senses, and our extra ability.”
“You’re right,” I said.
She smiled, then closed her eyes and touched the man’s leg wound. Instantly, a yellow light engulfed him.
“Can you do it alone? With Beth, it took a bunch of us.”
“I have more power now,” she said. “Things are different.”
Liz continued to focus, running her hands up and down his leg. As the gashes healed before our very eyes, the others gasped in stunned shock. Their jaws dropped, and no one could speak.
“I’m healed,” the man said, slowly getting up, his eyes wide with astonishment.
The sobbing woman ran up to him and hugged him tightly. It was a beautiful sight, but we had no time for Hallmark moments.
“We’ve gotta keep moving,” I said. “Let Liz and I lead the way. We can have excellent eyesight, and now we know what to look for.”
Everyone agreed, and we carefully maneuvered around the traps as we made our way through the deadly forest of the damned. Every sound had me on edge, from creaking branches to crunching twigs. The canopy grew thicker above us, and the place grew darker. Suddenly footsteps thundered in my ears, and a chill shot down my spine.
“Did you hear that?” Liz said.
With my enhanced vision, I could see a man running toward us.
“Is it him?” the woman asked, her eyes bulging.
I shook my head. “He’s too slow for an immortal,” I said, “unless he’s got a good reason for taking his time. I can make out a slight scar on his chin.”
“Jared,” said one of the men. “He left with three others before us.”
In the next moment, a man in a brown cloak burst through the vegetation. “We found the girls,” he said, “but we can’t get the dungeon doors open. The demon will back from his hunt at any moment. Time is of the essence.”
“So he’s gone?” Liz asked.
Jared nodded. “Yes.”
Liz shot me a look. “Maybe we can get that book without even having to strike a deal.”
“Book?” the man asked.
“Yes. The demon took something very valuable from us,” I said, “and we’re here to make a trade.”
His eyes grew wide. “The demon doesn’t trade. It only kills and devours.”
“That’s why we should just get in there and take the book while he’s out on his midnight feeding frenzy,” Liz said.
I looked at the man who had just came from the castle. “Take me to the dungeon. I’ll help you free your friends, but then I must find what I came for.”
Jared pushed me aside. “Move out of my way, woman. I need to go back and get tools.”
“But the demon will be back by then,” a woman said frantically.
Jared sighed and rolled his eyes. “I shall hurry.”
“No matter how fast you go, your sisters will be dead before you get back, if you can even make it through all the booby traps,” I warned. “I know you don’t know me, but you can trust me. I can open those doors and bend the bars.”
“She’s immortal,” one man said.
Jared looked at me, his eyes imploring. “Please forgive me. I did not know. Please help us.”
“I will. Just take me to the dungeon.”
“Follow me.”
He led the way toward a window he’d broken into. I climbed through and stepped onto a table. My boots crunched on glass as I scrambled off it. I gazed around the dark room. It appeared to be a dining hall that once seated 100. The man shined his torch around, and we walked into the main corridor. I followed him through some twists and turns, then downstairs to the dungeon.
With every step I took deeper into the castle, I felt I was insane for being there. I was breaking into a vampire’s castle to free his meals. I knew if he caught me, we would never gain his cooperation, and no deal could be struck. I only hoped we’d be in and out before we even had to worry about that.
A vision hit suddenly, and I could see women running around a sunny meadow with several small children, all of them laughing and giggling. I knew then that I was about to change their fate. We would rescue them after all, and they would go on to live happy lives, get married, and have children. They were so bright and full of life in my vision, and I couldn’t let them become a vampire’s feast.
“Marcus!” a woman screamed from behind the bars. “Help me!”
I recognized her as the blonde from my vision, the one who’d been holding a brown-eyed baby.
Liz went to one cell, and I went to another.
“I’ve brought help, immortals,” Marcus said.
Gasping, she gripped the iron bars. She was so scared, so frightened.
“It’s okay,” I said. “You’re going to live…and your baby is going to be beautiful.”
She gazed up at me, confused. “H-how did you know I am with child?”
“
I have visions. I saw you dancing with her in a green meadow.”
“I shall have a daughter?” she said, smiling and rubbing her belly.
I smiled. “Yes.” Then, with all my strength, I pulled until the lock shattered and the door squeaked open.
The women squealed with joy, and the pregnant one jumped into her husband’s arms.
“What is your name?” the would-be mother asked.
“Sarah.”
“Then this child shall be called that, in tribute to the woman who saved both of us.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I was truly honored. We had spared her and her child from a hellish destiny, and even though things were not going as planned, it was an amazing feeling to save lives.
Liz tapped me. “Let’s get them out of here and go find the book.”
I nodded, and we escorted them out of the castle.
Outside, a towering man stood in front of all of us. “I am Armand,” he said.
Crap! The vampire had returned.
My heart thundered.
Chapter 12
I stared into his golden eyes, which reminded me of the vampires’ in Twilight. He had grotesquely pointy ears, sunken cheeks, and a long, ragged scar running down the left side of his face. I inhaled deeply as his sharp canine teeth lengthened into fangs. I noted that Armand was completely bald, and his skin was ghastly blue and thin, revealing a network of purple veins. He was definitely not hot like the vampires so glorified in my world, definitely no Edward Cullen or Louis de Pointe du Lac. He was dressed in a humble black robe that swooshed when he traced around me in a blur. He looked like a dead man walking.
“I am Sarah,” I said, glancing around me and wondering why the others weren’t running for the hills. It took me a minute to realize they were all paralyzed, every one of them but me.
“I need these women. I need to feed on human blood in order to survive. This unnatural hunger drives me to keep killing, night after night.” The creature stepped closer, looking me up and down. “No one ever dares to come here. Why are you so bold?”
“Because I have something you want, and I believe you have something I desire. Perhaps a fair trade is in order.”
Ignoring me, he sniffed the air like a Rottweiler and said, “You smell like… Are you really…” He trailed off, then ran his thick, black tongue down my face. “Yes. Royalty. You taste of it, my Queen.” He bowed as if to mock me, as if my status could actually help me. “Queen or not, what’s to stop me from draining your blood and absorbing your strength and vitality, Majesty?”
My body began to tremble violently. In spite of my immortality, it was never easy to stare pain and potential death in the face. “I am here to strike a deal with you,” I said, feigning courage. “I have an offer you can’t refuse.”
“A deal? Do you always trespass in ancient castles and steal foodstuffs? It is not very queenly to take my dinner. If you are here to make a trade with me, you certainly haven’t made a trustworthy first impression, Highness.”
“I suppose this does seem very rude, but I had to free them because—”
“Because you are a woman of great compassion,” he cut in. “I bet these peasants have no idea of your true identity. I cannot fault you for it. It is in your nature to want to help. You truly are the queen of the people.”
“Let them go, and then we can talk.”
“You came for a trade, and a trade we shall make.” He looked at the villagers. “Leave!”
They unfroze and ran off, but Liz stayed. “Nobody tells me when to run away, and I’m not leaving my sister behind,” she snapped, furious.
The vampire pointed at her, and she disappeared.
“Where is she!?” I screamed.
“Back in the dungeon. You mentioned a fair trade. I freed the villagers, and now I shall feast on a princess. How sweet her royal blood must be, like nectar.”
“That wasn’t our deal.”
“You had no right to free my livestock from their cages. You must make restitution by replacing them with your sister.”
“If you will only hear me out on my offer, you won’t want to ever feed on anyone again.”
Clearly intrigued, he nodded. “Come inside, and we shall talk.”
I gazed at the beautiful spiral staircase, marble columns, and arched ceilings. The floors were littered with skulls and crushed bones. Paintings adorned the walls, but with my supernatural vision, I made out all kinds of splatter and specks of dried blood. My feet crunched over femurs and fibulas as I walked, making me nauseous, but there was no clean floor space to step on. Truly, it was a castle only a monster could love.
I followed him into the living room. He lifted his hand, and a dozen torches suddenly illuminated, followed by a blazing mini-inferno in the fireplace. Dark cloth tapestries and paintings of battle scenes decorated the place.
Before I could take in more of the room, the creature was inches from my face. He flung me across the room with the force and power of an immortal being. I crashed into the wall, and stone crumbled all around me. Pain exploded in my back. In a split second, he was right there again, with his hand wrapped around my throat. I fought to breathe as he squeezed tighter.
“No person of a sound mind would dare to venture into the world of the undead,” he said. “Why are you here?” He loosened his grip around my throat, allowing me to take a giant gulp of air.
I stood. “I know why you visited Ethano’s castle.”
“Do you now?” he hissed, waving his hand arrogantly. His nails, like sharpened talons, terrified me. “Then enlighten me, Highness, if you think you know so very much about me.”
“You’re looking for a way to break the curse, and I can help.”
I stared at his hideous face as his eyes glowed brightly. His breath reeked of decay. His cold, callous expression gave nothing away, and I couldn’t stand the way he just stared at me.
“So you’re here to sacrifice yourself?” he said. “Because surely the blood of a queen will satisfy my hunger, even more than that of a princess. Perhaps now we can trade you for her.”
I imagined his fangs piercing the soft flesh of my throat. I moaned in delight at the thought of blood trickling down my neck, but then I suddenly realized he was putting that sick fantasy in my head. I could feel his dark presence looming in my mind. Fighting him hard, I tried to blink it away.
He glared at me and laughed. “You cannot fight me, immortal being.”
I shoved him out of my mind, so hard that his head flew back. “Really? Because I just did, you fiend!”
“Your mind is strong,” he admitted, baffled.
“I’m not here to sacrifice myself or my sister,” I said. “Nevertheless, I do have something you want. I know the glowstone will break your curse.”
“What do you know of the glowstone?” he demanded.
Now it was my turn to smirk at him as I reached into my pocket and slowly pulled out my bargaining chip. “I will give you this, in return for an ancient book you took when you pillaged the castle…and in return for you letting me and my sister go from this horrid castle of yours. I know you took the book accidentally and that it means nothing to you, but it’s treasured by my people. It’s a very historical piece that must be preserved.”
“You are risking your life for a book that will collect dust on the shelves of your husband’s already impressive library?” he said. “That is hardly believable, my Queen.”
“I would love to add it to our collection,” I said, a bit shocked that he was aware of Victor’s library.
He let out the most evil laugh I’d ever heard, and I swallowed hard. I suddenly realized that it was a foolish idea to try to barter with him. I was sure he’d love the idea of being freed from his curse and would be so happy to be restored that he’d just give me the book and let us go. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and now I was worried for both of us.
“It’s a fair trade,” I said, trying to sound brave.
He reached for the stone and ex
amined it closely. “It is far more than fair.” He inched his lips closer to my ear. “If that’s what I need to break the curse.”
“I studied the ancient texts. It says the glowstone can cure you.”
His black nails slid down my neck. “Do you think I do not know what the texts say? I have been looking for a cure ever since I was cursed.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why you were at the castle, looking for that stone.”
He shook his head. “No. You are wrong.”
“Then why?”
“I was looking for the dragon skin-covered battleaxe.”
As soon as he said it, an image of the item flashed through my memory. “I saw that! I can get it for you.”
“Do you know why I want it?”
I wanted to move away, but I couldn’t afford to reveal my fear, and I had to stand my ground. I was there to make a deal, not to be a sacrifice. “No,” I said. “Why?”
“Because it’s the only thing that will destroy me.”
For a minute, I actually felt sorry for the creature. He, too, was a victim of a fate he didn’t ask for, and I could see the stormy pain in his golden eyes. “Don’t end your life this way,” I pleaded with him. “Take the glowstone and break the curse.”
“Am I worthy of a second chance, like your Victor was given?”
“Yes,” I answered.
He motioned to the bones scattered on the floor. “We’ve both killed the same amount of people.”
The floor was literally carpeted with human remains, and I was surrounded by violence and death. It was as if the walls were crying out to me, as if tormented souls were screaming in my ears.
“Has Victor killed this many?” a tormented soul screeched in my ear. “Your life was a safe haven before you jumped into his brutal world. Do not be enslaved to him. His mouth is full of lies. Take back your dignity and let him go! He has fooled you, girl! The man is evil, just as bad as this demon standing before you who suffocates life, steals breath from the innocent. Look at the bones, Queen! Has not your husband, your so-called valiant and goodly king, broken as many?”
Eternal Conflict - Book 7 Page 8