by Sela Croft
“Who’s coming?”
“I can’t be sure, but those sound like the horns of the Wild Hunt.”
“The what?”
“The Wild Hunt. And believe me, it sounds as bad as it is.”
“What is it?”
“It’s one of the most powerful forces that the Fae can muster,” I said. “It’s a fleet of the most powerful and vicious beasts that the Fae command. They are bloodthirsty, savage, and will stop at nothing to get their prey.”
“What’s their prey?”
“Whatever their master tells them it is,” I said, pulling her toward the door again.
“Do you think they’re coming for me?” A frightened look came into her eyes, and her face was pale.
“I don’t know, but I’m not sticking around to find out.” I headed down the stairs, holding tight to Callie’s hand. “We have to get out of here.”
Chapter 29
Logan
Callie and I took the stairs two at a time, and didn’t stop until we were back on the second level, where Noah was resting in one of the rooms.
“Is the manor strong enough to protect us?” Callie said, fighting to catch her breath.
I shook my head. “These walls won’t protect anyone who remains inside them.”
“But what about the family? What about Noah?”
“We will warn the family. And we will take Noah, regardless of what state he’s in, and then we’ll run. There’s a defensive tower not far from here. We need to reach it before the hunt reaches us.”
I sensed Callie’s fear. It didn’t surprise me. There was an urgency in my voice, from my own concern. I considered comforting her, reaching out and taking her in my arms, but decided against it.
The fear was real. She needed to understand what we were up against. I’d been honest with her. If we stayed in the manor, we would be wiped out. The Fae were after us. I was certain of that. Did they want Callie? Me? I wasn’t sure. What I did know was that whatever was about to happen would be trying to destroy all of us.
“You’re afraid,” Callie whispered, as we rushed toward Noah’s room. “This is the first time I’ve seen you truly afraid.”
“This is a scary thing,” I said. “The Fae haven’t done something this openly aggressive, in over a century.”
“What about attacking Crystal City? That was pretty aggressive.”
“This is worse,” I said, looking back at her.
Callie cheeks flushed. Her violet eyes stared at me, pleading with me to keep her safe. I wanted to promise her that I would. But I wasn’t going to make her any promises I couldn’t keep. And I wasn’t sure I could keep any of us safe.
Raulia was our only hope.
If she’d made it to the tower, we wouldn’t be alone in the fight. With Noah injured and Callie unable to defend herself, I stood little chance of defending against the onslaught of beasts that were coming our way.
If the Fae were calling on the Hunt, they’d reached the peak of their offensive. They’d gained the upper hand with their surprise attack and they weren’t likely to lose it. They’d do anything possible to eradicate the vampires. The war had reached its climax. It had been hundreds of years in the making, but instinct told me that the end of the conflict was near.
What that end would bring, I had no idea. Yet I knew that Callie played an integral role in determining the outcome of the war that had spanned my existence. Ever since she’d arrived, the pace of the battle had picked up.
Amalia must have been aware of that, too.
That was why she’d called the Wild Hunt. It had to be the reason. She was desperate to capture Callie. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. The future of my people depended on it. And Callie’s life depended on it. I was motivated to fight hard, even if it meant fighting to the death.
“We need to check on Noah,” I said, pulling her down the hall. “With any luck, he’s well enough to use his ability and get us out of here.”
She ran behind me, nearly tripping over her feet. When we burst into the room, I skidded quickly to a stop, and Callie rushed to Noah’s bedside. “You’re up.” She threw her arms around his neck. “You’re okay.”
He did seem stronger, but didn’t smile when he embraced Callie. His eyes met mine and I sensed that something was wrong.
“What is it?” I said, walking up behind Callie. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Noah said, then draped his legs over the side of the bed. He got to his feet, as if to emphasize his point.
Callie let out a sigh of relief. “We can get out of here. We don’t have to worry about the attack.”
“Something’s wrong,” I said, shaking my head. I noticed the way Noah stared down at his hands; he shook his head and met my gaze again.
“I can’t access my ability,” Noah said. “I feel fine, but I can’t shift.”
In my mind, there was only one explanation for his condition—Callie’s blood. There was something special about it; we’d all acknowledged that fact. Perhaps that special quality wasn’t a good thing. It was hard to imagine that something that smelled so sweet could be dangerous.
“What does that mean?” Callie said, looking back at me with terrified eyes.
“It means that we’re going to need to find another way out of here,” Noah said, with slumped shoulders.
“The stables,” I said. “I’m sure there are some horses we can borrow.”
“You mean take,” Callie said, shaking her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Haven’t we asked enough of this family?”
“It’s our only option,” I said, then glanced at Noah and back at me.
“Callie,” I said, “do you have any equestrian experience?”
“I rode a pony once at a petting zoo,” she said, her voice shaky. “But I don’t think that really counts.”
“It’s going to have to,” I said and took hold of her hand to lead her out of the room.
Chapter 30
Rosamon
Waking from my slumber felt like rising to the surface of a deep, suffocating body of water. It took me a moment to catch my breath; it took me even longer to get my bearings. I’d been awakening in the same chamber, ever since my arrival to this strange and magical realm.
After the initial confusion, I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement.
I’d done, but could hardly believe it.
I got up and paced the cell, still buzzing with excitement. My recent exploit was my highest achievement, so far.
The cool, stone floor beneath my feet no longer bothered me, the way it had when I’d first arrived. Instead the chill was invigorating.
I moved back and forth across the small space, my seemingly eternal prison, and my reflection moved with me. The walls of my cell were lined with dozens of mirrors. They were old and beautiful, in a grotesque way. It was how the princess watched me. She would appear at will, her eyes burning through the glass, observing me with the cunning of a huntress.
The first time I’d seen her, I’d been stunned by her beauty. It had been my first day, my first moment in this strange place. She’d appeared to me like an apparition, a glowing figure hovering in the darkness. She’d spoken to me, although I couldn’t remember the words. But I couldn’t forget the sound of her voice. The melodic harmony of it drew me to her. I felt comforted in her presence.
That all changed, when she reached out and took hold of me. When I pulled up the memory, I felt her nails digging into my skin. She’d brought me to my prison to give instructions.
“Read. Learn. And do not let me down.”
“Learn what?” I said and scanned the shelf of books, at the head of the rather uncomfortable looking bed.
“Learn who you are.”
Then she was gone. I spent my first few days, or what I assumed to be days, since there were no windows in my cell, in tears. The only company I had were the ugly looking men who brought my food. They were short little guys, but I didn’t take that to mean I could
overpower them. Their bodies were made of solid muscle.
I refused to eat, refused to do anything.
Then those ugly dwarves and their beautiful, but condescending, mistress reappeared. I demanded more information.
“Just tell me what you want,” I said.
“Have you read the books?”
I shook my head.
“Foolish child!” the princess yelled.
The shrillness of her voice caused her grisly-looking companions to shrink back. My eyes filled with tears again, and my body shook with fear and desperation.
“What’s in the books?”
“You,” she said sharply. “What you are. What you are capable of. You must learn, Rosamon. You need to learn who you are.”
As she spoke, the books behind me began to shake, falling one by one to the bed around me. One landed in my lap and fell open. Picking it up with shaking hands, I read the lines on the first page.
“Magic is a powerful tool and a formidable weapon.” I looked up at her, confused. “Magic?”
“Read on.”
“Only the strongest sorcerers can wield magic to its full potential,” I said. “’Only the elite can tap into the full breadth of potential buried deep inside them.”
Shaking my head, I slammed the book shut and tossed it across the room where it landed with a thud on the ground.
“This is ridiculous!” I felt my pulse pounding from my rising anger. “I am not supposed to be here! I don’t know what you want! I don’t…”
When I shouted at the top of my lungs, the book I had so eagerly discarded flew open again. The pages began to turn, faster and faster. It wasn’t until I stopped speaking that the book snapped shut.
“You were saying?” my captor said, eyeing me carefully.
I pointed a finger. “You did that.”
“No, Rosamon,” she said, clicking her tongue. “You did that.”
I waited until she left to retrieve the book from the ground. I waited even longer to open it again. Once I did, I didn’t put it down. The words spoke to me in a way no piece of literature had before. It wasn’t like I was reading a book; it was as if I was readying a map that lead me straight to the truth I’d known but hadn’t accepted.
After remembering the short but arduous journey that book had put me through, I whispered, “Magic.” I paced the room, before turning back to the mirrors. I wanted to savor the satisfaction of my most recent adventure, for just a little longer. I’d come so far, in such a short time.
Stepping up to the mirror I preferred, I rested my hands on the glass. This was where it had started. It was with this mirror that I had begun my secret work.
The princess had her expectations of me. I’d learned that when she returned to check on my progress. She wanted me to perform a spell, to bring about the end of a conflict I had no clear involvement in.
“I’m not strong enough,” I’d told her. “I can’t do it.”
“Not alone,” the princess had said, then shook her head. “I had feared that might be the case. Fortunately, you won’t need to do it alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are but one half of a whole, are you not?” Her eyes gleamed with evil.
“Don’t you dare!” The princess was going after my sister Callie. The thought caused the tension in my chest to rise, the same way it had the first day I’d discovered my power. The thought of Callie trapped in this retched place made my heart ache. “Don’t you dare bring her here!”
“I don’t have to,” Amalia said with a breathy laugh. “She’s already in Shadowland.”
I threw my hands out. A surge of energy flew from my fingers, aimed directly at her. In a flash, she was gone, and the tendrils of light I’d emitted crashed into the wall.
That was when everything had changed. I had no longer been worried about myself. I’d had to find Callie and warn her. I had seen the princess use the mirrors to communicate, primarily with me. Learning that skill became my primary objective. The hours of study and sleepless nights had paid off.
Dragging my hands over the glass, I smiled at remembering the first time I had reached out to Noah. I’d been desperate to hear any news of my sister. I’d wanted to speak to her, but I knew that if I did, she would stop at nothing to find me. I’d needed to talk to someone I could trust.
When I’d first made contact, Noah’s face had lit up. Our exchange had been short, but just seeing him had made me feel better. It had made me feel as if I wasn’t completely alone. Being locked up in the tower with no one to talk to but the princess and her guards, I had begun to feel helpless. Magic had been the only thing that had kept me going.
Seeing Noah had given me the inspiration I needed.
A few days after my first communication with him, I’d tried yet another spell. And, to my surprise, it had worked. I’d been able to leave my room, my prison, in an apparitional form. It had been invigorating being around others.
I’d even been able to help Callie, and meet the others traveling with her.
I’d loved being able to speak with Noah, to go on adventures together again, and more than that, I felt comforted to see that there were good people—or vampires—out there looking after my sister.
Waking up from that experience had been exhilarating. Even if I did wake up in the same room where I’d been before.
I hoped I could do it again, so I pressed my hands against the mirror. “I want to see you, Noah. Did you get out? Is Callie okay?”
Only my reflection looked back at me with no answers to give. I wouldn’t be able to reach out to Noah again, until I had the chance to rest. I needed to eat. The effort I’d exerted to leave my prison had left me completely drained.
Reluctantly moving away from the mirror, I retrieved the plate of food that had been left for me and gulped it down. That should help. I moved closer to the mirror, longing to see my friend.
Before I could summon his image, the walls began to tremble. It started off slowly, but rapidly escalated. I raced back to my bed, pulled the covers up over my head and pushed my back against the cold stone wall.
It wasn’t the first time the building had shaken like that. But each time it happened, it seemed to grow more intense. At first, I feared an earthquake. By the third time the ground beneath my feet had begun to shake, I’d realized that the trembling wasn’t coming from outside of the tower, but inside of it.
I clutched the blankets, afraid of what horror shared the prison with me.
Chapter 31
Logan
The chances of the manor’s residents handing over their horses were slim. If I wanted to, I could take them without asking. But with Callie nearby, I felt the burden to hold myself to higher standards.
“Go on to the stables,” I said to Noah and Callie. “I’ll deal with the negotiations.” Then I went to find Lisette, the woman of the house.
“Are you leaving?”
“We are,” I said, walking toward her. “But I’m afraid we need to ask another favor of you, before we go.”
Her lips pursed. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was a vampire, she would have refused me without hesitation. Yet she was too afraid to deny me outright. I had come to resent that look on the faces of my human citizenry. It was a look of fear, one I’d foolishly thought was respect. Callie had been the who’d clued me in.
“Before you answer,” I said, “allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Logan Bayne.”
The second she heard my name, her face flashed with recognition. It wasn’t a look that I was happy to see.
“The prince,” she said, stepping back.
“Yes, and as the prince, I can offer you much. All I ask is that you allow us to use three of your horses.”
With her hand on her chin, she pondered. Her eyes seemed to dance with possibilities of what she might gain.
“It’s urgent,” I said, needing to get going.
Lisette shrugged. “I haven’t negotiated with a prince before.”
“I’ll give you livestock, more than you’ll know what to do with.”
“Okay, and what else? Livestock is good. But once you leave, I’ve no assurance that you’ll keep your word. I need something now.”
“Fine,” I said, digging into my pockets. “You have a good point.”
I was beginning to worry that she wouldn’t accept any deal, until I revealed a small collection of gold and jewels I carried with me for emergencies. She had them in her pocket, before I could finish explaining what they were.
In a flash, I was in the stables with Noah and Callie.
Noah pushed at Callie’s back, attempting to lead her toward one of the horses he’d selected for her. Her heels dug into the ground and her eyes were shut.
“It’s so big,” Callie said and stepped to the side.
Noah motioned toward his terrified friend. “Care to help me out here?”
“Callie,” I said, then walked over. Her back was to the horse and her arms were crossed over her chest. “What’s the problem?”
“That horse is awfully large.” Callie glanced at the beast. “How will I be able to stay on top of it?”
“You’ve ridden dragons flying hundreds of feet above the ground, and you’re afraid of a horse?”
“For one, I haven’t ridden a dragon alone, and for another, dragons are things from fairytales. It was easy to pretend it wasn’t real. Horses, on the other hand, are very real. And very mean, if memory serves me correctly.”
I looked over at Noah, confused. “She fell off one when she was younger,” he said.
“Ah, at the petting zoo,” I said with a nod.
“I can just stay here, with Lisette and the others.”
“They won’t be staying, Callie. I’ve advised them to leave. It’s not safe here, anymore.”
She looked up at me, her face shadowed with conflicting emotions.
“Listen,” I said, tilting my head to the side. “Do you hear them now?”
She did as I asked, and a sign of recognition flashed across her face. “I do,” she said. “There are loud horns, some distance from us.”