by Zara Novak
“After your mother died a dark melancholy took over your family. Melancholy is a tragic form of dark magic that feeds off negativity. It haunted your family for some time, bringing test after test, trying to defeat you. It might have won, but you and your brother helped to fight back against the darkness and kept defeat at bay.
“You were almost successful, but one final night a storm opened up and lightning came down upon the earth like rain. This was no ordinary storm, it was a shadow storm. A rare psychic phenomenon that opens up after melancholy is defeated. The flashes of lightning were the paths of demons as they tried to make their way to earth. One bolt hit Wraith, which was your name back then, and it forever changed your life.”
“This demon took control of his body?” Ellie asked.
“In a way, yes,” Kara explained. “From that moment on Wraith’s temperament became much darker. All young vampires tend to have a dark streak, but his was especially dark. Murder. Rape. Chaos for the sake of chaos. Young Wraith spent many decades spreading evil among the earth. The demon had taken control of his mind and was using his body for its own entertainment. Wraith’s original mind was still there, but forever tainted.”
“Until that night on the roof,” Jack said with realization.
Kara nodded. “That’s right. The traitor that tried to destroy your family summoned a rare psychic storm to help channel his magic. Little did he realize, it was the same dark magic that had dwelled inside Wraith all those years. It is a bane to be shadow cursed. One must surrender their body and mind to a demon’s power, and have little control over what they do, but with the curse comes the potential for great power. Wraith had never realized it until then.”
“I… I think I remember,” Jack said. “I remember that night now, it’s coming back to me.”
The old woman smiled. “That’s right child. What do you remember?”
“The storm weakened the darkness inside of me, and I remember surfacing for the first time in what had to be years. I was in control again. The demon couldn’t fight me back. I felt the power of the storm swirling all around me. It felt incredible, it was stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. I realized I could channel that power. I realized I could use it to help my brother.”
Kara interjected, resuming the story. “Wraith channeled the storm down into his body at that point, using the dark magic to defeat the traitor. The blast produced monumental magical power which can rarely be paralleled, but the resulting explosion threw his body from the roof. He tumbled down through the air, down past the never-ending walls of the Castle Belmont, down until his body sunk into the ice-cold river laying at the bottom of the valley.”
She paused momentarily, shaking her head as she seemed to come from a trance. “After that… there is darkness. It is almost like you stopped existing for a few days. I can’t explain it. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Then… then it comes back. You woke in a river.”
Ellie listened intently. It was just as Jack had told her a few days earlier.
“You woke, but your mind was changed again. The demon was no longer in control, but neither was your original self. The blast had split your mind in two.”
“So, this demon-half,” Ellie said. “Is that the half I know as Wraith?”
“Yes, and it is the half that most people would be familiar with. The other half, the lesser-known. It was born Wraith, but it’s been hidden underneath the other for such a long time, I doubt most would know it. That is the half you have named as Jack.”
“Look,” Jack said. “Is there any way you can help fix this? Can you get rid of it? Can you make my mind whole again?”
Kara shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid not my dear. I think you will always be this way. Your mind will always carry both halves. The demon has been a part of you for so long now, I’m afraid that removing it would almost certainly make you lose your mind forever.”
“What about his powers?” Ellie asked. “I’ve seen him use them once before.” Her memory flashed back to that night on the train. The night Jack had controlled lightning and stopped bullets. “It’s like he can control things.”
Kara stared into her eyes, sharing in the visions that passed through Ellie’s mind. “Hm. Yes. I can see that. It is most interesting. It seems that Jack has learned to control his shadow curse, and he is utilizing the dark magic inside himself as a weapon. It is extremely strong, but I’m afraid it also comes with a price.”
“Price?” Jack asked.
“That’s right,” Kara nodded. It seems that both halves of your mind are still fighting for control. When one takes over from the other you suffer memory loss. Channeling your magic as a storm fatigues both halves of your mind and completely wipes your memory. It is very dangerous. I would advise you refrain from doing it too much, or risk losing your mind permanently.”
The old woman looked over to Ellie. “It seems that this one helps your mind though. She is your mate after all. She has a way of soothing you. She is an anchor. Something for you to hold on to. You might be able to help Jack overcome the difficulties he faces, but you must tread carefully. I have never seen a shadow curse as strong as this one.”
Ellie almost felt like breaking down. Was this her cross to bear? It hardly seemed fair that she was the only that could help Jack and his ailing mind. She wasn’t a mind expert by any means, and it felt that Jack’s situation was far more complex than usual. She shook her head, jaw stammering as she tried to protest. “Miss Kara… I am just a normal girl, I can’t help Jack, I—I never even belonged in this world until—”
“But that is all you are looking for, isn’t it?” The old woman smiled. “Somewhere to belong. Something that gives you purpose. You’ve waited all your life to make a choice, and it seems now that Jack has given you one.” Rising, Kara stood to her feet and they both joined her. “I can appreciate that your life has been fraught Miss Thorn. I have looked into your eyes and watched the passing of time. There is one thing that you have never done however, and it might be wise that start doing that very thing.”
The old woman looped her arms through Jack and Ellie’s and escorted them back to the doors, which seemed to open by themselves. Her control over them almost felt magical, moving them to the exit with unnatural speed and grace. Ellie was barely through the door when she turned back to look at the old woman.
“What does that mean?” she asked. “What am I supposed to do?”
Kara smiled and the wooden doors in front of her closed shut, opening a second later as they swung outward. Ellie looked inside the building and saw that all the candles were extinguished now. The figure of the old woman was back on the stage. It looked up at her, those red eyes smiling all the while. The cross-legged figure faded into nothing and vanished completely. The doors closed once again, and Ellie turned back to see Jack standing before her.
“I’m gonna take a look around,” Jack said. “Have you decided what you’re doing yet?”
Ellie shook her head. Words escaped her mouth. They seemed to make sense to Jack, because he nodded and walked down the temple steps, but it all sounded like muffled gibberish to her. Standing there, she looked out across the small village. It’s many windows twinkling in the night like amber fireflies. The voice of the old lady appeared in her mind suddenly, stunning her.
So, it said. What are you going to do? The choice is here now, but it is yours alone to make. Leave and find freedom. Stay and perhaps find something even greater. You need to search deep down inside of yourself and listen to that voice. The one voice you’ve been ignoring all these years.
“What voice?” she asked herself.
Your instinct. Kara echoed back. Search inside of yourself and find it. Listen to what it has to say. You might find you’re pleasantly surprised. You might find you wished you’d listened a long time ago. You might find the thing you’ve been looking for all these years.
“And what’s that?” she asked, staring at Jack as she watched him disappear into the crowd be
low.
I think you already know.
19
Skarvast was an interesting place. Before now, the only time Ellie had seen this many vampires in one place was back at the northern border. She walked through the crowds, finding it half amusing how different this town was from the last. For a long while she just wandered aimlessly through the village and its cozy streets. Comforting stalls packed every alley. Orange lamplight filled the air with a pleasant warmth. Scatterings of snow sprinkled down through the air, resting in tall drifts on quaint window frames.
She pulled her hood up tight around her face and shoved her hands into her pockets to fight off the cold. It never occurred to her that vampires might live like this. She’d always imagined dank hollows and cold caves. What else did they want for except blood and sex? The charming streets of Skarvast held many answers. She often forgot that most vampires were regulars. Most were more human than vampire.
It occurred to her that walking through alleyways chock full of vampires might have terrified her once. The idea seemed funny now. Being around vampires was almost starting to feel normal. She didn’t know where she was going, she just wanted to look around and forget about everything for a while. What had that conversation with Kara meant? She thought of the old woman and found a thousand more questions bubbled in her subconscious. What a peculiar vampire she was.
Trust your instincts.
As if from nowhere, the echo of her memory played once more in Ellie’s mind. She buried her head into her coat and walked back toward the square, as if leaving that spot might give her some peace. What did ‘trust your instincts’ mean anyway? It wasn’t exactly like she was denying herself of anything. She only ever did things that made sense.
But things don’t always make sense.
She stopped in the middle of the packed crowd to watch a street performer as they juggled rings of fire through the air. A small crowd was gathered around the performer, clapping and cheering as the act became more complex. A scent lifted through the air, rising up and calling to her. Ellie knew the scent from somewhere. It was that comforting aroma, the one that seemed to lift her out of her body and make her feel as if she was floating. The rich scent of oak and fresh earth.
Jack.
Her eyes jumped about as she turned, looking for the familiar shape of the vampire in the crowd. Wasn’t it strange that she could just pick him up like that, in a square full of hundreds of people? She held onto the scent and let out a deep breath that relaxed her some. It called up memories. Memories that recounted each time she was close enough to smell him. Every time he was near it was all she could do to keep herself held back. Even back then when he’d first taken her, when their relationship had been less friendly, she couldn’t deny that she found him deeply attractive.
And why wouldn’t I? That face. That beautiful body. His sparkling eyes and thick red lips…
Tracing her mind over those facets filled her body with a strange and tingling warmth. She rolled her bottom lip against her teeth and noticed she was smiling. Where was he anyway? Ellie moved away from the street performer and pushed back into the ground again to try and follow that rich scent. As she walked she found her mind kept going back to that night they stayed at the border. The night after the fight. The night they…
How could she even describe it? How amazing his hot breath had felt on her body. How right it felt to have his hands smoothing over her breasts, down her thighs and touching her there. She trembled slightly at the thought, rolling her lip against her teeth again. God. What she wouldn’t give to feel that again. Back arching, sweat trickling on her skin. His lips between her legs, sending her to a private heaven of her own.
She stopped briefly at having realized something. All this time they’d been together she’d only wanted one thing. And it was the thing she’d been denying herself all this time.
“Ellie!”
Turning, Ellie saw Jack standing at the outer edge of the crowd, talking with a vendor outside of a blacksmith shop. She made her way over to him with an excited smile on her face. “Jack, what’s going on?”
“I was just talking with Garret here.” Jack thumbed to a large looking man with a long red beard. He was as wide as he was short, reminding Ellie of an ancient Viking warrior. “Turns out he needs some help in his shop.”
An amused smile crossed her face as she looked between the two vampires. “And you’re the one to help?”
“Aye,” Garret said in a deep and booming voice. “That he is. Not many carry the mark of the hammer.” Jack held up his right wrist, showing the black hammer tattooed on his flesh. “Trained smiths are hard to come by these days. Jack mentioned he was in town until the passage north clears up. Everyone in Skarvast has to work, makes sense he works for me.”
Ellie stared at Jack in disbelief. “You can blacksmith? You… never mentioned that.”
“Must have slipped my mind,” he said with a wink and turned back to Garret. “I’ll be back tomorrow for my first shift.”
“Sounds good,” the bearded vampire boomed back. “Work starts at midnight. Don’t be late.”
They both peeled away from the metal shop, resuming their exploration of the village. Ellie looked over at Jack, unable to hold her question in. “So… you’re a blacksmith?”
Jack laughed, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. “I guess so. I come from a privileged family, maybe it was a passing indulgence of mine? One of the guards collared me at the bottom of the temple steps when he saw the mark on my wrist. Said the local blacksmith was in desperate need of an assistant.”
“I almost feel quite proud,” Ellie said with a mocking smile. “You got a job.”
“You’d have to get one too if you were staying,” he said back, his smile fading a little. “Order of Kara. Everyone staying in Skarvast has to work if they’re fit to do so. It’s what you get in return for accommodation.”
At that moment a guard approached them from the crowd, and they both came to a stop. The vampire looked slightly out of breath. “Sir, Miss, sorry to lose track of you.”
“Track?” Jack said. He and Ellie both shared a puzzled glance.
“Yes, I was supposed to keep watch over you, per Mistress Kara’s orders. I’m supposed to show you your lodgings. Kara informs me you are privileged guests. You will stay in the guest village. We have a dozen houses just over there on the other side of the temple.”
“Sounds… fancy?” Jack suggested.
“Oh, it is,” the guard answered. “Only the most exclusive members of Skarvast stay there. Please, follow me now and I’ll show you the way. It’s a lovely space for two.”
“Actually.” Jack held his hand out, making the guard pause. He looked over at Ellie. “Ellie here isn’t staying long. Isn’t that right Ellie?”
Is it? Was it? Damn. She didn’t even know any more. Did she really have to make a choice this fast? “Well, I, err, probably have to make a plan first,” Ellie said, laughing nervously.
Jack stared back at her suspiciously. “A plan?”
“Sure.” She nodded, taking her eyes from his. “I’m in the middle of nowhere, there are dangerous vampires about. I probably need to make a strategy first.”
“An astute point,” the guard said. “These are dangerous times and we recommend guests only travel outside the village if absolutely necessary. We have staff at the travel bureau that can help plan your journey if you are moving on. I can arrange a meeting tomorrow night?”
Ellie gave a reluctant nod, forcing a weak smile as she did so. “Sounds great. I can start planning then.” She looked over to Jack. “Will I be okay to stay with you until then?”
Jack’s eyes looked away, but he gave a slight nod. “I don’t see why not. Come. Let’s go and look at this accommodation.”
They followed the guard down a small alleyway that led behind the temple to the guests’ village. The guests’ village had all the charm and whimsy of the main village, but the romantic cottages were larger here, bordered
with tall trees and private gardens. The guard led them down the quiet street to the building at the end, a wide two-story house that looked right out of a fairytale. They walked inside, and he handed Jack a set of large iron keys.
“I trust you are able to explore the house on your own, and I hope it is to your satisfaction.”
“This is great,” Jack said, looking around the spacious hallway.
“I’ll be back tomorrow to escort Miss Ellie to her travel planning.” The guard gave her a wide and enthusiastic smile, stood for a moment in awkwardness and then continued. “We’ll get you out of here in no time.”
Ellie smiled back weakly. “Great. Thanks. See you then.”
The guard exited, leaving Ellie and Jack alone in the spacious cottage hallway. They looked at each other, looked away and pretended to study opposite walls of the room. Silence filled every corner.
“So, you’re really going then,” he said after a long moment.
She swallowed, twisting her fingers together. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” She paused and let the question hang in the air. It occurred to her for the first time that Jack had only offered to let her go after she’d shared her story with him.
After you bared yourself. After he realized how broken you were. The thought stung in her chest and brought tears to her eyes.
“I just want you to be happy, as I explained before. You’ve never had a choice. It only feels fair that you finally get one.”
A cold laugh sprung up in her throat. “Right. That’s why. You want to give me a choice. No other reason.”
Jack looked up at her, his brow knotting with confusion. His red eyes glared at her in question. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You really think I believe this is some grand gesture? You’re just letting me go? I know what’s really going on here. You don’t have to beat around the bush.”
Jack scoffed and turned his head as he paced across the hall. “So why don’t you fill me in? Because clearly I’m missing out on something.”